ught
them, she told herself with a little smile.

But if she was silent, Fred was not. He talked enough for all three the
rest of the way home.

CHAPTER SIX.

CONCERNING THE UNEXPECTED.

"How do, Earle?" cried George Bayfield, pulling up his horses at the
gate of the first named.

"So, so, Bayfield. How's all yourselves? How do, Miss Bayfield? Had a
cold drive? Ha--ha! It must have been nipping when you started this
morning. Just look at the frost even now," with a comprehensive sweep
of an arm terminating in a pipe over the dew-gemmed veldt, a sheeny
sparkle of silver in the newly risen sun. "But you--it's given you a
grand colour anyway."

"Yes, it was pretty sharp, Mr Earle, but we were well wrapped up,"
answered Lyn, as he helped her down. Then, as an ulster-clad figure
disentangled itself from the spider--"This is Mr Blachland, who is
staying with us."

"How do, sir? Pleased to meet you. Not out from home, are you?" with a
glance at the other's bronzed and weather-beaten countenance.

"No. Up-country," answered Bayfield for him. "Had fever, obliged to be
careful,"--this as though explaining the voluminousness of the aforesaid
wrapping.

"So? Didn't know you had any one staying with you, Bayfield."

"By Jove! Didn't I mention it? Well, I wrote that _brievje_ in a
cast-iron hurry, I remember."

"That's nothing. The more the merrier," heartily rejoined Earle, who
was a jolly individual of about the same number of years as Blachland.
"Come inside. Come inside. We'll have breakfast directly. Who's
this?" shading his eyes to look down the road.

"That's Fred and Jafta, and a spare horse. The youngster won't be in
the way, will he, Earle? I don't let him shoot yet, except with an
air-gun, but he was death on coming along."

"No--no. That's all right. Bring him along."

Their hostess met them in the doorway. She was a large, finely built
woman, with a discontented face, but otherwise rather good-looking. She
was cordial enough, however, towards the new arrivals. They constituted
a break in the monotony of life; moreover, she was fond of Lyn for her
own sake.

"Let's have breakfast as soon as you can, Em," said Earle. "We want to
get along. I think we'll have a good day. There are three troops of
guinea-fowl in those upper kloofs, and the _hoek_ down along the
_spruit_ is just swarming with blekbuck."

During these running comments a door had opened, and someone entere