some of you might be put in the way of temptation--to spend the evening
of my day in peace and prayer.

"And now there is one more little thing. As it chanced during our last
journey, the daughter of an accursed Englishman fell into our hands. I
took her and brought her here, and as her guardian I have asked you to
meet me to-night, that I may choose her a husband, as it is my duty
to do. I cannot keep her myself, for among the settled people near
Mozambique, where I am going to live, her presence might lead to awkward
questions. So I will be generous and pass her on to another.

"But to whom shall I give this prize, this pearl, this sweet and lovely
maid? Among so many worthy gentlemen how can I set one above the others
and declare him most deserving of the girl? I cannot, so I must leave it
to chance, for I know that Heaven will choose better than I. Therefore
to him who is ready to make the largest present to me I will give this
maid, to comfort him with her love; to make a present, mind you, not
to pay a price. Still, perhaps, it will be best that the amount of the
donation should be ascertained in the usual way, by bidding--in ounces
of gold, if you please!

"One condition more, there shall be nothing irregular in this matter, my
friends. The Church shall have its say in it, and he whom I select must
wed the maid, here, before us all. Have we not a priest at hand, and
shall we find no work for him? Now, my children, time draws on. Ho! you,
bring out the English girl."

This speech was not delivered quite so continuously as it is printed
here. On the contrary, it was subject to many interruptions, mostly of
an ironical nature, the allusions to "a present" to be given for the
girl and to the proposed marriage ceremony being received with screams
of ribald laughter.

Now the noise died away, for every eye watched for the appearance of
Juanna.

In a few moments a figure clad in white and guarded by several men was
seen advancing from the direction of the arms-house. This figure came
on through the moonlight with a swift agile step, looking neither to
the right nor to the left, till it arrived in front of the verandah and
halted. Then it was that Leonard first saw Juanna Rodd. She was very
tall and slight, her dark hair was twisted into a single knot at the
back of her shapely head, her features were small, her face fair in
colouring and somewhat rounded in form. So much he saw at a glance, but
it was not until s