on the table,
which being of mutton fat had burnt out, there was a lamp fed with
whale's oil, but this also was dying, the oil being exhausted, so that
its flame, which had sunk low, jumped from time to time with a little
noise, giving out a blue light. In that unholy blue light, which turned
our faces ghastly pale, the lawyer and I looked at each other as I
sat before him, the pen in my hand, and in his eyes I read that he was
certain that I was about to sign to a wicked lie, and in mine he read
that I knew it to be a lie.

For a while we stared at each other thus, discovering each other's
souls. "Sign," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "the light dies."

Then I signed, and as I wrote the lamp went out, leaving us in darkness,
and through the darkness once more I heard that sound of laughter
echoing in the air above the house.

CHAPTER VIII

THE WISDOM OF SUZANNE

Now, although Suzanne heard not a word of our talk, still she grasped
its purport well enough, for she knew that I proposed to throw dust into
the eyes of the Englishmen. This troubled her conscience sorely, for
the more she thought of it the more did it seem to her to be wicked
that just because we loved him and did not wish to part with him,
Ralph should be cheated of his birthright. All night long she lay awake
brooding, and before ever the dawn broke she had settled in her mind
that she herself would speak to the Englishmen, telling them the truth,
come what might of her words, for Suzanne, my daughter, was a determined
girl with an upright heart. Now feeling happier because of her decision,
at length she fell asleep and slept late, and as it happened this
accident of fate was the cause of the miscarriage of her scheme.

It came about in this way. Quite early in the morning--at sun-up,
indeed--the Englishmen rose, and coming out of the little guest-chamber,
drank the coffee that I had made ready for them, and talked together
for a while. Then the young lord--Ralph's cousin--said that as they
journeyed yesterday at a distance of about an hour on horseback from the
farm he had noticed a large _vlei_, or _pan_, where were many ducks and
also some antelope. To this _vlei_ he proposed to ride forward with one
servant only, and to stay there till the others overtook him, shooting
the wild things which lived in the place, for to be happy these
Englishmen must always be killing something. So he bade me farewell,
making me a present of the gold chain w