ange with her."

The German here got up to bring a coal for Bonaparte's pipe, and they
sat together talking for a while. At length Bonaparte knocked the ashes
out of his pipe.

"It is time that I took my departure, dear friend," he said; "but,
before I do so, shall we not close this evening of sweet communion and
brotherly intercourse by a few words of prayer? Oh, how good and how
pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is
like the dew upon the mountains of Hermon; for there the Lord bestowed a
blessing, even life for evermore."

"Stay and drink some coffee," said the German.

"No, thank you, my friend; I have business that must be done tonight,"
said Bonaparte. "Your dear son appears to have gone to sleep. He is
going to take the wagon to the mill tomorrow! What a little man he is."

"A fine boy."

But though the boy nodded before the fire he was not asleep; and they
all knelt down to pray.

When they rose from their knees Bonaparte extended his hand to Waldo,
and patted him on the head.

"Good night, my lad," said he. "As you go to the mill tomorrow, we shall
not see you for some days. Good night! Good-bye! The Lord bless and
guide you; and may He bring you back to us in safety and find us all as
you have left us!" He laid some emphasis on the last words. "And you,
my dear friend," he added, turning with redoubled warmth to the German,
"long, long shall I look back to this evening as a time of refreshing
from the presence of the Lord, as an hour of blessed intercourse with a
brother in Jesus. May such often return. The Lord bless you!" he added,
with yet deeper fervour, "richly, richly."

Then he opened the door and vanished out into the darkness.

"He, he, he!" laughed Bonaparte, as he stumbled over the stones. "If
there isn't the rarest lot of fools on this farm that ever God Almighty
stuck legs to. He, he, he! When the worms come out then the blackbirds
feed. Ha, ha, ha!" Then he drew himself up; even when alone he liked to
pose with a certain dignity; it was second nature to him.

He looked in at the kitchen door. The Hottentot maid who acted as
interpreter between Tant Sannie and himself was gone, and Tant Sannie
herself was in bed.

"Never mind, Bon, my boy," he said, as he walked round to his own room,
"tomorrow will do. He, he, he!"

Chapter 1.VIII. He Catches the Old Bird.

At four o'clock the next afternoon the German rode across the plain,
returning from his