it. If you don't I
shall make Hyland, and anyone else who's likely to be of any use, blazon
the whole thing out in every paper in the Colony, and in all South
Africa too. Now promise me you won't."

The colour had come into her cheeks, emphasising the clearness of the
dilated blue eyes. She looked lovely. As she stood there, drawn up
erect, again came back to him that vision of her on that exciting
occasion of their first meeting. He felt a trifle unsteadied, a trifle
thrown off his balance.

"It's of no use belittling the thing," she went on, her words tripping
over each other's heels, as it were. "You men who _do_ things are too
fond of doing that--"

"Are--_they_?" rejoined Elvesdon, with a touch of humour. "I've
sometimes noticed it's rather the other way on." And then a sudden
whirlwind of feeling seemed to sweep him off his feet. "Edala, when
your father and I were in that very tight fix together--I mean just
before either of us knew that we were going to have the feeblest chance
of escape--I put a question to him. Would you like to know what it
was?"

"Yes."

"Then you shall. I asked him whether, in the event of us ever getting
away again, he would have any objection to my trying to win your love."

"What did he answer?"

"He answered by another question. Did I think I could do it?"

"Well--and do you?"

She stood--the lovely flower-like face transformed with sweetness. He
had already taken a couple of steps towards her, in his uncontrollable
tension, and then--

"Yes, I think you can--darling," she whispered, into his shoulder a few
moments later. "In fact--you have."

"This is a strange sort of surrounding for such a climax--my own," he
murmured--after an interval. "A fusty, dusty old office."

"Well, and what could be more appropriate,"--she returned--"under the
circumstances."

The while Prior had sent at least two damning Government transport--
riders away, using dreadful language because being _after office hours_
they could not get their way-bills checked, and wondering what was the
_blanked_ use of blanked Resident Magistrates or blanked _blanked_ Civil
servants _blanked_ anyhow.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Evelyn Carden got up in obedience to the summons, to go to her relative.
"You don't mind, do you, dear?" she said, with her usual tactful
consideration.

"No--no. Of course not," answered Edala, yet still conscious of