ildren--five girls and
seven boys. My girls got plenty of _strop_"--("Surely they did!"
interpolated the listener to herself)--"and now that they are married
they give theirs plenty too. For what says the Prophet Solomon in the
Holy Book: `Spare the _strop_ and you spoil the girl.' The Prophet did
say that, for I have heard Mynheer read it out in church." The speaker
herself could scarcely read. "Look at my girls. _They_ learnt no
English ways."

In imagination Mrs De la Rey did so look, and beheld five women who
were exact counterparts of their proud parent, albeit younger
presentments, and each owning a large brood as heavy as herself. But
she had had enough of this lecture, and began to cast about for a
pretext to depart.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aletta the while was tripping down the garden path, pausing, as we have
said, as though to tend the flowers had been her sole object in coming
out, and as she walked she sang:

"Spreek, Bronkersspruit,
Met eerbied uit;
Noem Potchefstrom by naam.
Pretoria en Langsnek pas,
Ingogo en Majuba vas,
Waar ons Verlosser met ons was,
Vermeld die al te saam.
Vermeld die al te saam."

Colvin Kershaw pricked up his ears, but did not raise his head. For
that which she was singing was a snatch of the Transvaal "Volkslied,"
the Republican National Anthem. She was singing it _at_ him, of course.
This was really getting funny. She was quite close to him now.

"Ons vrye vlag
Geef nou onstag,
Die vierkleur waal in eer,
En wapper oer die Republiek;
Geen mag, geen lis, geen politiek
Van Kaffer, Brit, of Jingo-kliek,
Haal ooit die vlag weer neer.
Haal ooit die vlag weer neer!"

[Note 2.]

"Good morning, Mr Kershaw. You are up early. Englishmen are not fond
of early rising as a rule."

"Good morning, Miss De la Rey. You seem in a vastly patriotic mood this
morning. Can a poor Englishman by any chance do anything that comes
within measurable distance of being right?"

Aletta laughed, but not quite in the same whole-hearted way she usually
did. There was something in the look of this man, standing there, easy,
good-humoured, smiling, which seemed to strike her. She had been
favourably impressed with him the evening before, when he had not shown
externally to the best advantage, and, whatever cheap ethicists may
propound to the contrary, externals and impressions go very much hand i