s
were welcomed gratefully.

They called again, and the dignified presence of the Colonel soon
became a familiar sight at Harmony. With him it was quite possible to
converse, for he avoided every painful topic with the utmost tact and
good-breeding, but the Captain was a veritable firebrand, and many
were the heated arguments carried on during his visits.

As the weary, weary months dragged on, and the most sanguine could not
see the end of the terrible war, it seemed as if feeling grew stronger
and the power of endurance lessened.

Even the occasional visits of the British officers became trying to
the van Warmelos, and one day her mother asked Hansie to request the
Captain not to come again, valiantly retreating to the garden when
next he called, and leaving her daughter to fight it out with him
alone.

"I am very sorry," he said, "but what have _I_ done?"

"Nothing," Hansie answered, "but you see it is against our principles,
and we would like you to wait until the war is over----" The hateful
task was over, and the Captain took his departure, not to return
again.

Hansie refused obstinately to go over the same ground with the
Colonel. He came so seldom, and he was such a kind and courteous old
gentleman, that it seemed unnecessary to put an end to his visits, and
in time his own good feeling told him to discontinue them.

It was in the summer of 1901, when the days at Harmony were spent in
the fruit-laden garden and great jars of apples, pears, peaches, and
figs were being canned and preserved for winter use, that thoughts
strayed most lovingly and persistently to the two hungry brothers in
the field.

"Where are they, I wonder?" was a frequent exclamation. "Did they ever
reach the Boer commandos, and oh, when shall we hear from them?"

Great were the rejoicings when Dr. Mulder, who was on his way to
Holland, and had got permission from the British to pass through
Pretoria from the Boer lines, arrived at Harmony with the news that he
had seen the two van Warmelos in the English camp at Nooitgedacht,
after its capture by the Boers under General Beyers. They were well
and in good spirits then, and the delight their mother and sister
experienced at seeing some one direct from the Boer lines can only be
appreciated by those who know what it means to a Boer to be a captive
under British martial law.

At this time Pretoria was almost completely surrounded by the Boers,
and every precaution was being taken ag