surveillance of
her correspondence and she determined to outwit the censor.

Then began an exciting period of smuggling and contriving, which led
to the most complete independence on their part of the services of Mr.
Censor, and ended in a well-organised and exceedingly clever system of
communication with friends in every part of the world.

On one occasion a sympathiser, leaving the country for good, offered
to smuggle through to Mrs. Cloete any document Mrs. van Warmelo might
wish to send.

There was nothing ready at the time, but Mrs. van Warmelo decided to
make use of this opportunity for some future occasion, and wrote to
her daughter on a tiny piece of tissue-paper, "Whatever you may
receive in future, marked with a small blue cross, examine closely."

This was smuggled through in some way unknown to the sender and safely
delivered to Mrs. Cloete, for people were leaving Pretoria daily, and
it was not difficult to find suitable envoys.

Hansie had--and has to this day in her possession as a priceless
memento of the war--a small morocco case with a maroon velvet lining,
which travelled backwards and forwards between Harmony and Alphen
until some better way of communication was contrived. With a sharp
instrument Mrs. van Warmelo had removed the entire tray-like bottom of
the case, packed two or three closely-written sheets of tissue paper
in the opening, and pressed the little tray firmly down in its place
again. A tiny blue cross carelessly pasted on the bottom of the case
carried its own message to the conspirator at Alphen.

A few weeks later the case came back to Harmony with an antique gold
bracelet for Hansie and a long uncensored letter, in the snug
hiding-place, for Mrs. van Warmelo.

The next adventure was with a charming lady, whom we shall call "the
English lady," she was so _very_ English. (If the truth were known,
she was not really English, but Cape Colonial, and, as is often the
case, more English than the English themselves, and more loyal than
the Queen.)

She unwisely said to a friend of Hansie's, who naturally repeated her
words to Hansie, that she would take good care not to convey letters
or parcels for the van Warmelos when she left for England, as she
shortly intended doing, because she was quite sure they "smuggled,"
or, if she did consent to take anything, she would examine it
thoroughly and destroy whatever it contained of a doubtful character.

When this reached Hansie's ears sh