in all these years of my loneliness and pain! My heart is
breaking, for all its pride!"

"She wrote again and again," declared Hepsie, and he started, and such a
frown came then, that she was quite frightened, though she repeated,
"Indeed she did, and she loves you still."

"Then," said he, "they never reached me! Some one has come between us.
But never mind that now. I must go to your mother. Come," he added, "I
must fetch my girl back to her home again, until her husband claims her
from me."

[Sidenote: A Surprise]

But when the two reached the little house in the lane a surprise awaited
them. They found Mrs. Erldon in her husband's arms. He had returned
unexpectedly, having, as a successful prospector for gold, done well
enough to return home at once to fetch his wife and child.

No words could describe the joy in his wife's heart when her father took
their hands and asked their forgiveness for years of estrangement, and
told the tale of the intercepted letters, which he might never have
discovered had it not been for little Hepsie's Christmas visit of peace
and goodwill.

Hepsie is learning to control that little tongue of hers now, and she
has, framed in her room, a verse that mother wrote for Hepsie
especially:

Take heed of the words that hastily fly,
Lest sorrow should weep for them by and by,
And the lips that have spoken vainly yearn,
Sighing for words that can never return!

[Sidenote: A glimpse of South African travel, with some of the humours
of the road.]

Our African Driver

BY

J. H. SPETTIGUE

"Here comes the wagon to be packed!" called the children, as with a
creak and groan of wheels, and shouts from the Kafirs, it was brought
lumbering to the door.

"The vor-chiest is ready, Lang-Jan," said Mrs. Gilbert, coming to the
door. "Everything that can, had better be put in place to-night."

"Ja, Meeses," agreed Jan. "It's a long trek from this here place to the
town in one day, and I will start early, while the stars are still out."
Lang-Jan was our driver, so called to distinguish him from the numerous
other Jans about the place.

The distinction was appropriate, for he looked very tall and slim,
though it might be the contrast with his wife's massive build that gave
him a false presentment. He was more proud of her bulk than of his own
height, and used to jeer at his Hottentot leader for the scraggy
appearance of _his_ weaker half, pos