and mouth. "Good-bye, dear!"

When he looked back the little figure with its beautiful eyes was
standing in the doorway still.

Chapter 2.VIII. The Kopje.

"Good morning!"

Em, who was in the storeroom measuring the Kaffer's rations, looked up
and saw her former lover standing betwixt her and the sunshine. For some
days after that evening on which he had ridden home whistling he had
shunned her. She might wish to enter into explanations, and he, Gregory
Rose, was not the man for that kind of thing. If a woman had once thrown
him overboard she must take the consequences, and stand by them. When,
however, she showed no inclination to revert to the past, and shunned
him more than he shunned her, Gregory softened.

"You must let me call you Em still, and be like a brother to you till I
go," he said; and Em thanked him so humbly that he wished she hadn't. It
wasn't so easy after that to think himself an injured man.

On that morning he stood some time in the doorway switching his whip,
and moving rather restlessly from one leg to the other.

"I think I'll just take a walk up to the camps and see how your birds
are getting on. Now Waldo's gone you've no one to see after things. Nice
morning, isn't it?" Then he added suddenly, "I'll just go round to the
house and get a drink of water first;" and somewhat awkwardly walked
off. He might have found water in the kitchen, but he never glanced
toward the buckets. In the front room a monkey and two tumblers stood on
the centre-table; but he merely looked round, peeped into the parlour,
looked round again, and then walked out at the front door, and found
himself again at the storeroom without having satisfied his thirst.
"Awfully nice morning this," he said, trying to pose himself in a
graceful and indifferent attitude against the door. "It isn't hot and it
isn't cold. It's awfully nice."

"Yes," said Em.

"Your cousin, now," said Gregory in an aimless sort of way--"I suppose
she's shut up in her room writing letters."

"No," said Em.

"Gone for a drive, I expect? Nice morning for a drive."

"No."

"Gone to see the ostriches, I suppose?"

"No." After a little silence Em added, "I saw her go by the kraals to
the kopje."

Gregory crossed and uncrossed his legs.

"Well, I think I'll just go and have a look about," he said, "and see
how things are getting on before I go to the camps. Good-bye; so long."

Em left for a while the bags she was folding and went to t