at sometime warrior;
and, in short, that Sonnenberg had walked blindly into what was nothing
less than a cunningly devised and successfully baited trap. Whether
this was so or not, we are uncertain. But the evil Jew, though his
bruised bones smarted for many a long day from the whack of the Kaffir
kerries, dared make no public stir, by reason of the very circumstances
of the case, towards securing the punishment of his assailants;
wherefore these went unpunished, and laughed openly.

So time went on, and weeks grew into months, and even the strange affair
of Roden Musgrave became ancient history in Doppersdorp, and discussion
thereof began to pall, except upon "old Buzfuz," who was never tired of
publicly thanking Heaven for having chosen him as its instrument in
unmasking and driving from their midst a most wicked and dangerous
impostor; and Roden's successor, a good-hearted sort of youth of the
very ordinary type, fell desperately in love with Mona, but at a
distance; and Grace Suffield thought regretfully over that terrible
night in the post-cart, and wondered uncomfortably if they had not given
their support to a very great act of injustice; and her husband ceased
to think any more about it; and things jogged along in Doppersdorp
pretty much as they had always done. And some wag, of malice
aforethought, turned loose the whole of Emerson's "Chamber of Horrors,"
the ingredients composing which spread themselves over the township, and
took a week to collect, save such as incontinently retreated to their
native wilds, and two snakes which got into the bank-house and bit
Emerson's native boy, involving much treatment from Lambert, for which
their owner had to pay, swearing terribly.

Thus several months went by.

CHAPTER THIRTY.

THE PORTAL OF THE SHADOW.

The R.M.S. _Scythian_, homeward-bound, was steaming through the smooth
and fast darkening waters of Table Bay.

She had hauled out but two or three hours since, and now, as the
flashing light of Robben Island was dwindling astern, the second dinner
bell rang forth its welcome summons; welcome this evening, at any rate,
for, as we have said, the water was smooth, and it would take a very
determined sea-sick person indeed to remain away from table. So the
passengers, of which there was a full complement, trooped in, to a man
and to a woman, and there was much arranging of seats, and a little of
discontent with the result of such arrangement.

"This is yo