moved
slowly homeward.

"I'm going to leave you to yourself for a little now, dearest," said the
girl, as these drew nearer. "I should only be in your way, and disturb
your counting. Besides, I feel rather hot and dusty, and want to go and
titivate."

"Of course. How stupid of me."

"No--no. You needn't come, old Sanna will get me all I want. Now
forget that I exist, for the next few minutes. So long," and with a nod
and a bright smile she left him.

Sixpence was looking a very subdued and dejected Kafir as his master
finished the count of his particular flock; which was accurate--save for
one.

"I have been thinking over your case, Sixpence," began Wyvern, when the
other boy had been dismissed, "and even now haven't quite made up my
mind what to do about it."

"_Nkose_!" exclaimed the Kafir, deprecatorily, and sorely exercised in
his mind. It was no unknown thing under the circumstances to give the
culprit the option of receiving a dozen or so well laid on with a new
_reim_, or taking his chance before the nearest Resident Magistrate; an
arrangement on the whole satisfactory to both parties, in that the
offender got off far more lightly than he would have got off at the
hands of the law, and his employer was saved a great deal of trouble and
some incidental expense. This, then, Sixpence feared, was the least he
could expect, but he need not have, for Wyvern was utterly incapable of
an act of violence in cold blood, and very rarely in hot.

"You see," went on the latter, "I'm not sure that it is in my power to
forgive you, even if I wanted to. I'm not sure that the law would not
compel me to prosecute. I don't see, either, how we can put the thing
away. There's that other fellow lying dead; for he'll be as dead as the
sheep you `slaag-ed' long before this. I shall have to report the whole
thing to Baas Le Sage. Then the `slaag-ing' will all come out."

But the fellow begged and prayed that he might not be sent to the
_tronk_. He would make good the loss--over and over again if his master
wished. And Wyvern, an appeal to whose soft side had rarely to be
repeated, resolved that he would let the poor devil off if he could
possibly do so, and said as much.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"When is Miss Lalante coming here as Missis?" said old Sanna, as the
girl, having bathed her face in cool fresh water, came forth looking
radiant with its added glow.