Part 18 (2/2)
”Do you not know me, O Macuourd in a mat? Yet is it not--is it not--”
”Yes, it is Mameena, and I am very pleased that you should remember my voice, Macu time,” and, with a suddenherself in all her strange beauty
I juon-box and took her hand
”O Macumazana,” she said, while I still held it--or, to be accurate, while she still held ain,” and she looked at ht, I could see appeared to float in tears
”A friend, Mameena!” I exclai chief, you must have plenty of friends”
”Alas! Macu except trouble, for ed me this poor kaross; and as for friends, he is so jealous that he will not allow me any”
”He cannot be jealous of women, Mameena!”
”Oh, women! Piff! I do not care for women; they are very unkind to uess why, Macu at her own reflection in a little travelling looking-glass that hung fro it to brush my hair, and smiled very sweetly
”At least you have your husband, Maht that perhaps by this time--”
She held up her hand
”My husband! Oh, I would that I had him not, for I hate him, Macumazahn; and as for the rest--never! The truth is that I never cared for any man except one whose name _you_ may chance to remean
”Tell me, Macumazahn,” she inquired innocently, ”are white people very stupid? I ask because you do not seem as clever as you used to be Or have you perhaps a badred as the sky behind me, and broke in hurriedly:
”If you did not like your husband, Mameena, you should not have married him You know you need not unless you wished”
”When one has only two thorn bushes to sit on, Macumazahn, one chooses that which seems to have the fewest prickles, to discover soh one did not see the”
”Is that why you have taken to walking, Ma here alone?”
”I? Oh, I heard that you were passing this way, and came to have a talk with you No, from you I cannot hide even the least bit of the truth I came to talk with you, but also I came to see Zikali and ask him what a wife should do who hates her husband”
”Indeed! And what did he answer you?”
”He answered that he thought she had better run aith another man, if there were one whom she did not hate--out of Zululand, of course,”
she replied, looking first at on and the two horses that were tied to it
”Is that all he said, Mameena?”
”No Have I not told you that I cannot hide one grain of the truth fro to be done was to sit still and drink ives me a ne He seemed to think that my Spirit would be bountiful in theHave I not told you that you shall have all--all the truth? Zikali seemed to think also that at last every one of my herd of cows, old and neould come to a bad end He did not tell me to what end”