e did not catch.

She was politely asked to take a seat and the nature of her business
inquired into.

The tall, fair man bent over some papers he had before him and toyed
with a gold pencil, while she stated her case as clearly and concisely
as she could.

He asked her a few questions, with long pauses in between, and again
bent over his papers, making pencil marks and turning the pages over
slowly.

The silvery chime of a tiny clock told the hour of five.

"You--er--will have some tea?"

"No, thank you," surprised.

A moment's silence, then he pressed an electric bell at his right
hand.

An immaculate "Buttons" instantly appeared.

"Tea for two," the officer commanded, without raising his head.

Buttons disappeared, to return in an incredibly short time, bearing
aloft a well-appointed _tete-a-tete_.

When he had withdrawn, the hospitable officer, of whom it could well
be said that "he had a teapot in his soul," poured out two cups of tea
with an abstracted air, pushed one towards Hansie with his right hand,
while he slowly stirred his own with his left.

"Have some tea," he said persuasively.

There was no answer, and he again bent over the work with which he was
occupied.

Hansie got up quietly and left the room, but she had not gone many
yards in the long corridor before she became aware of hurried
footsteps following.

It was the tall officer, very straight now, who called out to her:

"Stop, stop a moment. Where are you going?"

Without turning round she replied:

"To General Maxwell. He _never_ keeps me waiting," and walked on
rapidly.

"Don't go," he implored. "Come back to my office. I have your permits
quite ready for you. I was busy with them all the time."

She turned round slowly and walked back with him to his office.

"Thank you _very_ much," she said as she took the papers from his
hand.

He opened the door for her with exaggerated courtesy, and she went on
her way, brimming over with delight.

"I missed two teas this afternoon, but I got my permits and came off
with flying colours," she confided to her dumb companion. "Let us go
home and tell the mother all about it, Carlo mine."

CHAPTER XXXII

KIDNAPPING MAUSER THE KITTEN

One afternoon when Mrs. van Warmelo and Hansie were returning home, as
they passed the house occupied by one of the biggest "lords" in the
British Army, they saw an exquisite black kitten sitting on the steps
leading from the street to th