mother.

"They will be found at tennis-parties, at social evenings, and at
concerts. They will want us to go out riding and driving with them,
but, mother, I vow I shall never be seen with a khaki officer as long
as our men are in the field." And, as far as she was able, she kept
her word until the war was over.

This was not always easy, for many temptations were brought in her
way, and she soon found it necessary to give up riding and tennis
altogether in order to keep to her resolution.

CHAPTER V

ONLY A BIT OF RIBBON GAY!

The conspicuously bright hues of the "Vierkleur" round Hansie's hat
attracted the attention of the new-comers in Pretoria, and she was
often asked what they represented. In course of time other girls
donned their colours, flaunting them in the face of the enemy on every
possible occasion.

Now perhaps this was indiscreet, but, after all, what harm could it
do?

It was a certain comfort to them, and there could be no objection to
their taking a public stand for their own, under British martial law.
At least, _we_ thought so. Not so the enemy!

About three weeks after the British entry into the capital, the van
Warmelos were told that orders had been issued that no Transvaal
burgher in Pretoria would in future be permitted to wear the
"Vierkleur."

"Impossible! I do not believe it," Hansie exclaimed.

"What are you going to do?" her mother inquired.

"Go out as usual with my 'Vierkleur' on, and see what happens," she
said.

She went out and nothing happened, so she went out again next day, and
the next.

In the meantime she heard that dozens of women and girls had been
stopped in the streets and marched off to the various Charge Offices,
where their colours were forcibly removed and detained as contraband
articles of war.

Her mother warned her not to run the risk of losing her precious
ribbon, and advised her to put it away, but Hansie was determined to
wear it until _compelled_ to submit. For a few days she rode about as
usual, accompanied by Carlo, without being molested in any way, and
she was just beginning to feel reassured, when, one day, a petty
officer rode up to her in the street and ordered her to take off her
Transvaal colours. She was on her way to Consul Cinatti's house, and
was walking, for the Portuguese Consulate was quite close to Harmony.

With the horse prancing before her, she could not very well proceed on
her way. She stopped and looked up at th