man
filled her with distaste. She resented his manner. She resented
the look in his eyes.

"I have no doubt I shall like it very much," she said, removing her
hand as speedily as possible.

"You like to be--a farmer's wife?" questioned Piet, still freely
staring.

She resented this question also, but she had to respond to it. "It
is what I came out for," she said.

"You do not look like a farmer's wife," said Piet.

Sylvia stiffened.

"Give him a little rope!" said Burke. "He doesn't know much. Sit
down! I'll get him on the move directly."

She sat down not very willingly, and he resumed his talk with
Vreiboom in Dutch, lounging against the wall. Sylvia sat quite
silent, her eyes upon the glowing sky and the far-away hills. In
the foreground was a _kopje_ shaped like a sugar-loaf. She wished
herself upon its summit which was bathed in the sunset light.

Once or twice she was moved to glance up at the brown face of the
man who leaned between herself and the objectionable visitor. His
attitude was one of complete ease, and yet something told her that
he desired Piet's departure quite as sincerely as she did.

He must have given a fairly broad hint at last, she decided; for
Piet moved somewhat abruptly and knocked out the ashes of his pipe
on the floor with a noisy energy that made her start. Then he got
up and addressed her in his own language. She did not understand
in the least what he said, but she gave him a distant smile
realizing that he was taking leave of her. She was somewhat
surprised to see Burke take him unceremoniously by the shoulder as
he stood before her and march him off the stoep. Piet himself
laughed as if he had said something witty, and there was that in
the laugh that sent the colour naming to her cheeks.

She quivered with impotent indignation as she sat. She wished with
all her heart that Burke would kick him down the steps.

The sunset-light faded, and a soft dusk stole up over the wide
spaces. A light breeze cooled her hot face, and after the lapse of
a few minutes she began to chide herself for her foolishness.
Probably the man had not meant to be offensive. She was certain
Burke would never permit her to be insulted in his presence. She
heard the sound of hoof-beats retreating away into the distance,
and, with it, the memory of her dream came back upon her. She felt
forlorn and rather frightened. It was only a dream of course; it
was only a dream! But she wi