s while he was in the room, and carried various
portmanteaux out into the garden, where he slashed them open at the
sides and overhauled their contents for money and valuables.

Early the next morning Mrs. van Warmelo was roused by old Anne
Merriman, the only woman servant on the place, who came in from the
garden with articles of wearing apparel which she had picked up under
the trees, and which she held up to the astonished gaze of her
mistress. On investigating further, they found the garden littered
with articles of clothing, valuable documents, and title-deeds, which
the thief had thrown aside as worthless, in his search for money.

The only things of value which he had taken with him were a set of
pearl ear-rings and brooch, and a beautiful lined "kaross," or rug,
made of the skins of wild South African animals. Nothing was seen of
him again, but Mrs. van Warmelo immediately got a revolver and kept
watch for him, hoping, yet fearing, that he would return for more
plunder.

This was a sad beginning, and old Anne added to their fears by
predicting every imaginable calamity to the inhabitants of Harmony.
She was gifted with second-sight, so she said, and often saw a man in
grey about the place; his presence "boded no good," and old Anne soon
after left the place, with many warnings to her mistress to follow her
example, before she could be overtaken by disaster.

All this had taken place long before the war broke out. Harmony had in
the meantime been vastly improved, the dense undergrowth having been
cut away, and the row of enormous willow trees, with which the house
was overshadowed, having been removed, while large flower and
vegetable gardens had been laid out, where once a jungle-like growth
of shrubs and rank grass had abounded.

Much of the natural beauty still remained, however, and Harmony was a
favourite resort for many people in Pretoria. Young and old visited
the place, especially during the summer months when the garden was
laden with its wealth of fruit and flowers; and of these friends of
the family many figure in these pages, while some do not appear at
all, having had no part in the stirring events with which this book
deals.

Amongst the most frequent visitors at Harmony were the Consul-General
for the Netherlands, Mr. Domela-Nieuwenhuis and his wife, and other
members of the Diplomatic Corps with their families.

These friendships had been formed before the war, and it was only
natural tha