Part 12 (1/2)

This did not suit Spence at all. ”Don't know whether you'd care for it, Jack. The fact is, Blachland's away.”

”I see-ee!” rejoined Skelsey, significantly. ”Oh-h, l-lucky Jim! How I envy hi-im--” he hummed.

”You know you always swear you hate talking to women,” said Spence eagerly, as though anxious to apologise for or explain his unfriendliness. ”So I thought it only fair to warn you as to what you had to expect.”

”I see-ee!” repeated the other with a laugh and a wink. ”Who's this?”

shading his eyes and gazing out over the veldt. ”Jonah back already?”

A native was approaching, a clothed native; in fact one of their boys.

He had been despatched to a trading store, a trifling distance of twenty-five miles away, to procure certain supplies, and now as he reappeared, he was bearing on his head a prodigious load.

”Now we shan't be long!” e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Skelsey, ”and good biz too, for the grog was running most confoundedly low. Jonah is therefore for once a welcome sight.”

The load on being investigated was found to consist of a case of whisky and sundry unconsidered trifles in the grocery line. When this had been overhauled the boy, fumbling in the pockets of his greasy cord jacket, fished out a greasier bundle all rolled up in newspaper.

”The mail, by George!” cried Skelsey. ”English mail too. Here you are, Spence. It's all for you, confound it,” he added disappointedly.

”Well, that jolly blue envelope bears a striking family likeness to our old friend the dun. Never mind, old chap, you're out of that brute's reach anyway.”

Justin was probably of the same opinion, for he looked dubiously at the suspicious enclosure, and put it aside, beginning upon his other two mail letters. Yet, when half through these something moved him to tear open the other. A glance at its contents--then he started and grew pale. What was this? His hands trembled, and a mist seemed to come between his eyes and the paper, as he held it in front of him, striving to master the contents. Was it real? Heavens! no! Some fool must have been putting up a practical joke on him. It was impossible. It could not be.

”No bad news I hope, old chap?”

His partner's voice, anxious, sympathetic, sounded quite far away.

”No--no. Oh no--not bad news,” he answered unsteadily. ”I'll tell you bye-and-bye. Here, Sixpence! Hurry up and get in my horse.

_Tshetsha_--d'you hear! _Tshetsha_!”

Skelsey watched him furtively and wondered. However, he made no further remark.

”Well, so long, Jack,” said Spence, as he led forth his horse. His partner had further observed that his hands shook during the process of saddling up--and that he seemed in a desperate hurry to be off. ”I'll be back to-night, but after dark, I expect.”

”No, you won't,” thought Skelsey to himself. ”Spence _is_ making a bally fool of himself in that quarter. There'll be a gorgeous bust-up one of these days.” Then aloud:

”So long, Spence. Remember me to the beautiful Mrs B.”

”No more of this life,” thought Spence to himself as he rode along. A very different one now threw wide its alluring portals before him. He would leave all his share in the joint outfit to Jack Skelsey. He was a good fellow was Jack--

”Oh, l-lucky Jim!

How I envy hi-im--”

Justin laughed aloud, lightheartedly, gleefully, as his chum's favourite song arose fainter and fainter behind him. And then his chum's strange prediction, uttered scarcely half an hour ago, recurred to his mind.

”'Luck generally strikes a man when least expected!' By Jove! Jack was right.”

We have said that Blachland had undergone a stormy time of it domestically, by reason of this new and sudden absence. But Hermia's grievance was not a genuine one. So little indeed was it genuine that she was conscious of a distinct feeling of relief when he announced it.

But side by side with this was an inherent instinct to deceive herself, since there was no other object on which to practise deception: to deceive herself into the idea that she really was a very ill-used person. He neglected her shamefully, she had declared. She had not bargained for leading this utterly lonely life when she decided to accompany him to this remote corner of the earth. Well, again let him take care. There were others who appreciated her if he did not. To which he had replied equably:--

”Meaning Spence,” and had gone on with his preparations.