by far
than the renegade white who brought you here. And if you wish to know
the reason of my presence at Britstown, I am not averse to telling
you, provided you will not claim to have the information as a right."

_I. O._ (_with a touch of penitence in his voice, which for a moment
caused a smile to flicker round the corners of the girl's mouth_) "Of
course, Miss Pretorius, I have no right. You will persist in
misunderstanding me."

_Miss P._ "It is a simple problem. I am loyal, as I have said; but I
am a daughter and sister first, patriot later. In a fit of meaningless
bravado, tempered perhaps by some compulsion from over the border, my
old father and brothers had joined a rebel commando. You, with a
naivete which I had hardly expected in you, and for which I liked you,
told me the objective of your column--information which meant
everything to me, and perhaps to you, for you looked as if you would
have liked to have bitten your tongue out after you had parted with
it. I, with the honest intention of saving my father and brothers from
you, rode out to them that night. I then knew nothing of Lotter's and
Hertzog's men. If it had not been for the fighting, I should be now
back again at Richmond Road. As it is, my poor wounded father in the
next room is sufficient reason for my presence here."

_I. O._ (_who, English-like, was all sympathy at once_) "Oh, it was
your father then that you brought with you in the Cape cart. I hope
that he is not badly wounded. May I see him?"

_Miss P._ "There would be no object in your seeing him, as he is at
present asleep. No; he is, not severely wounded. He is shot through
the shoulder,--luckily it has missed his lung."

_I. O._ (_with unaffected solicitude_) "I am indeed sorry for you,
Miss Pretorius; those last forty-eight hours have been full of trouble
for you. But I doubt if you know the worst!"

_Miss P._ (_suddenly paling, and losing for the moment her
self-control_) "The worst!--surely you have not burned our farm? You
are not burning farms in the Colony!"

_I. O._ "No, not your farm; but I am afraid your sweetheart has been
badly hit!"

_Miss P._ (_with evident relief and surprise_) "My sweetheart!"

_I. O._ "Yes; the guide whom we took from your farm. He tried to
escape, and was unfortunately shot."

_Miss P._ (_laughing outright_) "Oh, Stephanus! He is no sweetheart of
mine. How could he be? He is only a bywoner!"

_I. O._ "But you told me that he was when I f