Part 3 (1/2)

”Who ever heard of such a thing as marrying a Jew?” broke in Mrs Hattingh. ”I am sure the minister would refuse you the sacrament if you were to do it.”

”I love him, and I will marry no one else,” replied Susannah composedly.

”It is not even as if he were rich,” continued Mrs Hattingh; ”but he has nothing--he is only a servant. The shop belongs to his brother.”

Maria and Petronella, were just on the other side of the mat-house wall, listening to all that was said, and giggling and making signs to each other. Old Schalk bethought him of his overdue account at the shop, and wondered how this unexpected development would affect his relations with Nathan, with whom he could not afford to quarrel. But Max was often, as at present, in charge of the business; he also had to be considered.

The old Boer came to the conclusion that his safest course was to ignore the whole affair, at all events for the present, until after Nathan's return.

”The idea of her wanting to marry a little boy like that! A nice joke, indeed! When Nathan comes back he will soon put him right.”

”And to think of her looking at a fellow of his size when a fine man like Jan Roster, who has plenty of stock and a farm of his own, just wants but a little encouragement to make him have the banns put up for the next Nachtmaal.”

Susannah turned away indignantly and left the mat-house. Jan Roster was a young farmer who owned land on the opposite fringe on the Desert, many arid miles from Namies. His business, the peculiar methods of which will be explained later on, sometimes brought him to northern Bushmanland. Recently he had cast looks of tenderness at Susannah.

This, however, was not much of a distinction; he was known to be very anxious indeed to get married--in fact, he had proposed to nearly every good-looking girl within two hundred miles of his farm. In spite of his flouris.h.i.+ng circ.u.mstances, his bulky build, and his not specially ill-favoured appearance, no girl could ever be got to take him seriously. He had spent a few months at a college at Stellenbosch, and thus received what, by courtesy, was termed an education. Theology was his speciality, and could he have conveniently combined the ministry with farming as carried on upon his peculiar lines, he would undoubtedly have attempted to enter the Church. As things were, he was in the habit, when on his rounds, of preaching to the Trek-Boers and half-breeds. It was understood that he was ambitious of entering Parliament eventually, and that he looked upon sermons as a preparation for debating in the senate of his country.

”Is it true that you are going to marry the little Jew?” asked Maria, as Susannah left the mat-house.

Susannah pa.s.sed on indignantly without deigning an answer. She was not going to stand having her lover referred to in such slighting terms.

It was past eight o'clock when the waning moon looked over the eastern rim of the Desert. Max was sitting on a packing-case outside the shop, trying to make up his mind as to whether he ought to walk over to the camp and see Susannah or not. His heart said ”Go,” but his reason said ”Stay.” He instinctively divined that there would be opposition to any connection between himself and Susannah on the part of the Hattinghs.

He wondered whether Susannah had told about what had happened. It seemed to him impossible that such a thing could be kept concealed--the clucking lizards which came out of their sand-burrows after the sun had gone down, and the green pneumoras squeaking on the bushes, seemed to be discussing nothing else--to be proclaiming their opinion of the occurrence far and wide. When the moon arose Susannah happened to be watching it as well. Perhaps he saw her face reflected on the gleaming, pearly surface. Max arose from his seat and walked over to the Hattingh camp.

He went straight to Susannah and took her shyly outstretched hand. She returned his ardent pressure slightly, and a spasm of bliss went through him. Then he turned and greeted the others with nervous effusiveness, but his advances were very coolly received. No one volunteered a remark for some little time. The silence became oppressive; it was broken by Old Schalk, in evident pursuance of a conversation which Max's visit had interrupted. He addressed the visitor--

”What is the real belief of the Jews and the Roman Catholics about Christ?”

”I--I don't exactly know,” replied Max hesitatingly; ”I was very young when I left home.”

”But you know well enough,” said Mrs Hattingh. ”Jan Roster told us all about it in his last sermon: Pontius Pilate and the soldiers were Roman Catholics, and--and--”

”Well, wife, we are waiting.”

”Ach, Schalk, you heard the sermon as well as I. At all events the Jews and the Roman Catholics between them crucified the Lord.”

”I know that as well as you do, woman; but what I asked about was their belief. Oom Dantje van Rooyen says that he heard from the minister that the Jews and the Roman Catholics do not believe quite the same thing.”

”Oh! what should I know about that? But surely” (turning to Max) ”you can tell us about your faith?”

Poor Max did not know what to say. Nathan had, over and over again, impressed upon him that, although there was certainly no truth in any religion whatever, he must be sure to keep all the Jewish feasts and observances--with the exception of fasts, which he was to pretend to keep--all the days of his life. He had heard other Jews discussing ritual and religion in the same strain. He wished heartily that he knew the details of Susannah's faith, so that he might believe what she believed. He replied, lamely enough--

”You must ask my brother about these things.”

”Another thing I should like to know,” said Old Schalk; ”that is, why they eat children in the synagogues?”

It was strange to hear this echo of one of the lying cries of the Judenhetze in this remote corner of an African Desert.

”You must wait and ask my brother,” repeated Max.

”Yes; they are a wicked lot in their religion,” continued Old Schalk.

”Fancy a religion that forbids one to eat pork and teaches you to eat children--not their own children, oh no, but Christian children that they steal in the streets of the big towns, and then fatten up for the Pa.s.sover!”