t. Past the gate of
"The Palatial" garden ran a road, which, as it happened, was a short
cut from the scene of the fight, and down this road came four Kafirs and
half-castes, bearing something on a stretcher, behind which rode three
or four carbineers. A coat was thrown over the face of the form on the
stretcher, but its legs were visible. They were booted and spurred, and
the feet fell apart in that peculiarly lax and helpless way of which
there is no possibility of mistaking the meaning.

"_Look!_" she said, pointing.

"Ah, poor man, poor man!" said Mrs. Neville, "they are bringing him here
to lay him out."

Then Jess's beautiful eyes closed, and down she went with the bending
tree. Presently the sapling snapped, and she fell senseless with a
little cry, and as she fell the men with the corpse passed on.

Two minutes afterwards, John Niel, having heard the rumour of his own
death on arrival at the camp, and greatly fearing lest it should have
reached Jess's ears, cantered up hurriedly, and, dismounting as well as
his wound would allow, limped up the garden path.

"Great heavens, Captain Niel!" exclaimed Mrs. Neville, looking up;
"why--we thought that you were dead!"

"And that is what you have been telling her, I suppose," he said
sternly, glancing at the pale and deathlike face; "you might have waited
till you were sure. Poor girl! it must have given her a turn!" and,
stooping down, he placed his arms under Jess, and, lifting her with
some difficulty, staggered to the house, where he laid her down upon
the table and, assisted by Mrs. Neville, began to do all in his power to
revive her. So obstinate was her faint, however, that their efforts were
unavailing, and at last Mrs. Neville started for the camp to get some
brandy, leaving him to go on rubbing her hands and sprinkling water on
her face.

The good lady had not been gone more than two or three minutes when Jess
suddenly opened her eyes and sat up, slipping her feet to the ground.
Her eyes fell upon John and dilated with wonder; he thought that she was
about to faint again, for even her lips blanched, and she began to shake
and tremble all over in the extremity of her agitation.

"Jess, Jess," he said, "for God's sake don't look like that, you
frighten me!"

"I thought you were--I thought you were----" she said slowly, then
suddenly burst into a passion of tears and fell forward upon his breast
and lay there sobbing her heart out, her brown curls resti