“Give my love to mother and the children. The ‘veld’ here is looking pretty good, and the sheep are better since we washed them. Tell father the dip he recommended is very good.

“Em sends her love to you. She is making me some woollen shirts; but they don’t fit me so nicely as those mother made me.

“Write soon to

“Your loving brother,

“GREGORY.

“P.S. — She drove past just now; I was sitting on the kraal wall right before her eyes, and she never even bowed.

“G. N. R.”

CHAPTER VI

A BOER-WEDDING

“I didn’t know before you were so fond of riding hard,” said Gregory to his little betrothed.

They were cantering slowly on the road to Oom Muller’s on the morning of the wedding.

“Do you call this riding hard?” asked Em in some astonishment.

“Of course I do! It’s enough to break the horses’ necks, and knock one up for the whole day besides,” he added testily; then twisted his head to look at the buggy that came on behind. “I thought Waldo was such a mad driver; they are taking it easily enough to-day,” said Gregory. “One would think the black stallions were lame.”

“I suppose they want to keep out of our dust,” said Em. “See, they stand still as soon as we do.”

Perceiving this to be the case, Gregory rode on.

“It’s all that horse of yours: she kicks up such a confounded dust, I can’t stand it myself,” he said.

Meanwhile the cart came on slowly enough.

“Take the reins,” said Lyndall, “and make them walk. I want to rest and watch their hoofs to-day — not to be exhilarated; I am so tired.”

She leaned back in her corner, and Waldo drove on slowly in the gray dawn light along the level road. They passed the very milk-bush behind which so many years before the old German had found the Kaffir woman. But their thoughts were not with him that morning: they were the thoughts of the young, that run out to meet the future, and labor in the present. At last he touched her arm.

“What is it?”

“I feared you had gone to sleep, and might be jolted out,” he said; “you sat so quietly.”

“No; do not talk to me; I am not asleep;” but after a time she said suddenly, “It must be a terrible thing to bring a human being into the world.”

Waldo looked round; she sat drawn into the corner, her blue cloud wound tightly about her, and she still watched the horses’ feet. Having no comment to offer on her somewhat unexpected remark, he merely touched up his horses.