Part 38 (2/2)

”No, better not be seen walking in and out here. We will make haste!”

Ah, why did Hansie not obey the warning voice within, and go?

For the next ten minutes nothing was said. The men cut and glued and typed without a word, and the result, when it was placed in Hansie's hands, was a doc.u.ment exceedingly well-planned and put together.

This was what she read:

MILITARY GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, PRETORIA.

_Special Pa.s.s_

for J.W. Venter, G. Vermaak, and L. Erasmus to be out until midnight, on Secret Service.

Signed by MAJOR J. WESTON, a.s.sistant Military Governor.

What puzzled her at first sight was the small official crown above, undoubtedly authentic, and the unmistakable signature of the Major below; but on closer inspection, she observed that the part containing the original letter had been cut away from the centre, the top part with the heading and the bottom part with the signature being pasted down on the blank page underneath.

On the middle part of the blank sheet the ”Special Pa.s.s” was typed, and the whole when completed, with the date plainly typed underneath, looked like a single sheet of paper folded in three.

Hansie shook hands with them all, and asking G. to go to Harmony to rea.s.sure her mother, she sped on her way to Mrs. Malan's house.

F. called out after her, ”If you come back this way, Hansie, I'll wait for you and see you home.”

”All right, thank you,” the answer came.

It was now past 6 o'clock and nearly dark. Every one else was at supper, and Hansie flew through the deserted streets with apprehension at her heart.

She was met at the gate by Mrs. Malan, wringing her hands and crying out:

”Oh, where have you been so long? Why did you not come sooner?

_They've gone!_”

Then Hansie felt inclined to lie down and die.

Fortunately there was no time for that.

There was still something to be done, and, with the precious paper clasped to her heart, she could at least pursue the men. Perhaps she could overtake them before evil should befall them.

”What direction did they take, and how many of them are there?” she asked.

”Four,” Mrs. Malan answered. ”One has a residential pa.s.s. If they are held up, the other three will escape while he pretends to be searching for it. Go over the Sunnyside bridge and call 'Jasper' when you see four men----”

Without waiting to hear more, Hansie turned and ran, stopping only a moment at F.'s gate to call out his name. She did not wait to see whether he had heard, but ran again, and he, sauntering towards the gate a moment later on the look-out for her, saw her flying form just disappearing in the darkness.

”Something has evidently gone wrong,” he muttered, and he, too, in his turn began to run, pursuing the figure of the girl as she sped after the Secret Service men.

She did not stop when he caught up with her, pulling her arm through his, but ran on, telling him in brief sentences what had happened.

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