Part 42 (1/2)
He asked her a few questions, with long pauses in between, and again bent over his papers, making pencil marks and turning the pages over slowly.
The silvery chime of a tiny clock told the hour of five.
”You--er--will have some tea?”
”No, thank you,” surprised.
A moment's silence, then he pressed an electric bell at his right hand.
An immaculate ”b.u.t.tons” instantly appeared.
”Tea for two,” the officer commanded, without raising his head.
b.u.t.tons disappeared, to return in an incredibly short time, bearing aloft a well-appointed _tete-a-tete_.
When he had withdrawn, the hospitable officer, of whom it could well be said that ”he had a teapot in his soul,” poured out two cups of tea with an abstracted air, pushed one towards Hansie with his right hand, while he slowly stirred his own with his left.
”Have some tea,” he said persuasively.
There was no answer, and he again bent over the work with which he was occupied.
Hansie got up quietly and left the room, but she had not gone many yards in the long corridor before she became aware of hurried footsteps following.
It was the tall officer, very straight now, who called out to her:
”Stop, stop a moment. Where are you going?”
Without turning round she replied:
”To General Maxwell. He _never_ keeps me waiting,” and walked on rapidly.
”Don't go,” he implored. ”Come back to my office. I have your permits quite ready for you. I was busy with them all the time.”
She turned round slowly and walked back with him to his office.
”Thank you _very_ much,” she said as she took the papers from his hand.
He opened the door for her with exaggerated courtesy, and she went on her way, br.i.m.m.i.n.g over with delight.
”I missed two teas this afternoon, but I got my permits and came off with flying colours,” she confided to her dumb companion. ”Let us go home and tell the mother all about it, Carlo mine.”
CHAPTER x.x.xII
KIDNAPPING MAUSER THE KITTEN
One afternoon when Mrs. van Warmelo and Hansie were returning home, as they pa.s.sed the house occupied by one of the biggest ”lords” in the British Army, they saw an exquisite black kitten sitting on the steps leading from the street to the garden.
Such a kitten! Coal black she was, except for a snowy s.h.i.+rt front and four dainty, snow-white paws.