?

For the next ten minutes nothing was said. The men cut and glued and
typed without a word, and the result, when it was placed in Hansie's
hands, was a document exceedingly well-planned and put together.

This was what she read:

MILITARY GOVERNOR'S OFFICE,
PRETORIA.

_Special Pass_

for J.W. Venter, G. Vermaak, and L. Erasmus to be out until
midnight, on Secret Service.

Signed by MAJOR J. WESTON,
Assistant Military Governor.

What puzzled her at first sight was the small official crown above,
undoubtedly authentic, and the unmistakable signature of the Major
below; but on closer inspection, she observed that the part containing
the original letter had been cut away from the centre, the top part
with the heading and the bottom part with the signature being pasted
down on the blank page underneath.

On the middle part of the blank sheet the "Special Pass" was typed,
and the whole when completed, with the date plainly typed underneath,
looked like a single sheet of paper folded in three.

Hansie shook hands with them all, and asking G. to go to Harmony to
reassure her mother, she sped on her way to Mrs. Malan's house.

F. called out after her, "If you come back this way, Hansie, I'll wait
for you and see you home."

"All right, thank you," the answer came.

It was now past 6 o'clock and nearly dark. Every one else was at
supper, and Hansie flew through the deserted streets with apprehension
at her heart.

She was met at the gate by Mrs. Malan, wringing her hands and crying
out:

"Oh, where have you been so long? Why did you not come sooner?
_They've gone!_"

Then Hansie felt inclined to lie down and die.

Fortunately there was no time for that.

There was still something to be done, and, with the precious paper
clasped to her heart, she could at least pursue the men. Perhaps she
could overtake them before evil should befall them.

"What direction did they take, and how many of them are there?" she
asked.

"Four," Mrs. Malan answered. "One has a residential pass. If they are
held up, the other three will escape while he pretends to be searching
for it. Go over the Sunnyside bridge and call 'Jasper' when you see
four men----"

Without waiting to hear more, Hansie turned and ran, stopping only a
moment at F.'s gate to call out his name. She did not wait to see
whether he had