If ever there was a past mistress in the art of fooling the other s.e.x, a.s.suredly Hermia Blachland might lay claim to that distinction.
Standing there in the doorway, flashing back a bright, half-teasing, half-caressing look, which utterly belied the seeming sternness of her words, the effect she produced was such as to turn him _instanter_ into a most complete fool, because her thorough and subservient slave. Then she went out.
We have said that one of the large circular huts within the enclosure served the purpose of a kitchen, and hither she proceeded with the exceedingly useful and unromantic object of getting supper ready. Yet, standing there in the midst of stuffy and uninviting surroundings, as she supervised the Mashuna boys and the frying of the antelope steaks, even that prosaic occupation was not entirely devoid of romance to-night; for somehow she found herself discharging it extra carefully, for was it not for him?
"Now, Tickey, keep those goggle eyes of yours on what you"re doing, instead of rolling them around on everything and everybody else," she warned, apostrophising the small boy whose entrance had been so inopportune a short time ago.
"Yes, missis," replied the urchin, his round face splitting into a stripe of dazzling white as he grinned from ear to ear, whether at the recollection of what he had recently beheld, or out of sheer unthinking light-heartedness. Then he turned and made some remark in their own language to his companion, which caused that sooty imp to grin and chuckle too.
"What"s that you"re grinning at, you little scamp?" said Hermia, sharply, with a meaning glance at a thin sjambok which hung on the wall, a cut or two from which was now and again necessary to keep these diminutive servitors up to the mark.
"No be angry, missis. Tickey, he say, "Missis, she awful d.a.m.n pretty.""
Hermia choked down a well-nigh uncontrollable explosion of laughter.
"You mustn"t use that word, Primrose," she said, trying to look stern.
"It"s a bad word."
"Bad word? How that, missis? Baas, he say it. Baas in dere--Baas Sepence," was the somewhat perplexing rejoinder.
"Well, it"s a white man"s word; not a word for children, black or white," explained Hermia, lamely.
The imps chuckled. "I no say it, missis," pursued Primrose. "Tickey, he say missis awful beastly pretty. Always want to look at her. Work no well done, missis" fault. Dat what Tickey say. Always want look at missis."
"You"d better look at what you"re doing now, you monkey, and do it properly too, or you know what"s likely to happen," rejoined Hermia.
But the implied threat in this case was absolutely an empty one, and the sooty scamps knew it. They knew, too, how to get on the soft side of their mistress.
That, however, was the side very much to the fore this evening.
Throughout her prosaic occupation, her mind would recur with a thrill to that scene of a short half-hour ago, and already she longed for its repet.i.tion. But she was not going to give him too much. She must tantalise him sufficiently, must keep him on tenterhooks, not make herself too cheap. But was she not tantalising herself too? Certainly she was, but therein lay the zest, the excitement which lent keenness to the sport.
They sat down to table together. The door stood open on account of the heat, and, every now and then, winged insects, attracted by the light, would come whizzing round the lamp. There was a soft, home-like look about the room, a kind of pervading presence, and Justin Spence, basking in that presence, felt intoxicatingly happy. He could hardly keep his eyes from her as she sat at the head of the modest table, and the artificial light, somewhat shaded, toned down any defects of feature or colouring, and enhanced twenty-fold the expression and animation which with her physical contour, const.i.tuted the insidious and undefinable attraction which was her greatest charm. Looking at these two it was hard to believe they were the inmates of a rough pioneer hut in the far wilds of Mashunaland, but for the attire of one of them; for a white silk shirt, rather open at the throat, guiltless of coat or waistcoat, a leathern belt and riding breeches hardly const.i.tutes evening dress in more civilised countries.
He was telling her about himself, his position and prospects, to all of which she was listening keenly, especially as regards the latter, yet without seeming to. She knew, none better, how to lead him on to talk, always without seeming to, and now, to-night, she was simply turning him inside out. He had prospects and good solid ones. He had only come out here partly from love of adventure, partly because, after all, prospects are only prospects; and he wanted to make a fortune--a quick and dazzling fortune by gold-digging. So far, he had been no nearer making it than most others out there on the same tack, in that, for all the gold he had struck, he might as well have sunk a shaft on Hampstead Heath. Still, there was no knowing, and all the exciting possibilities were there to spur him on.
Afterwards they sat outside. The night, though warm and balmy, was not oppressive. And it was very still. The screech of the tree frog, the distant yelp of a jackal, the deeper howl of a hyena, broke in upon it from time to time, and the rhythmic drone of voices from the servants"
quarters. This soon ceased and the world seemed given over to night-- and these two.
"How will you find your way back?" Hermia was saying. "You"ll get lost."
"That"s quite likely. So I"m not going to try. You"ll have to give me a shakedown here."
"No. Justin, dear, believe me it would be much better not. You must even risk the chance of getting lost."
"What if I"m afraid? Suppose one of those lions they"ve been talking about got hold of me? It would be your doing."
Hermia smiled to herself. The excuse was too transparent. He afraid!
The gleam of her white teeth in the darkness betrayed her.
"It"s no laughing matter," he said. "Listen, darling, you don"t really want to get rid of me?"
"It would be better if you were to go, dearest," she answered, slipping her hand into his. "Believe me, it would."
The softness of her voice, the thrill of her touch simply intoxicated him with ecstasy, and there was an unsteadiness in his tone as he answered--
"Surely in the wilds of Mashunaland we can chuck conventionalities to the winds. If it was any one else who asked you for a shakedown you wouldn"t turn him out. Why me, then?"
"Because it is you, don"t you see?" was the reply, breathed low and soft, as the pressure of her fingers tightened.
They could hear each other"s heart-beats in the still dead silence-- could see the light of each other"s eyes in the gleam of the myriad stars. The trailing streak of a meteor shot across the dark, velvety vault, showing in its momentary gleam to each the face of the other.
Suddenly Hermia started violently.
"Hark! what is that?" she cried, springing to her feet.
For a loud harsh shout had cleft the stillness of the night. It was followed by another and another. Coming as it did upon the dead silence, the interruption was, to say the least, startling: all the more so to these two, their nerves in a state of high-strung tension.
"Nothing very alarming," returned Spence. "You must have heard it before. Only a troop of baboons kicking up a row in the kopjes."
"Of course; but somehow it sounded so loud and so near."
It was destined to do so still more. For even as she spoke there arose a most indescribable tumult--shrieks and yells and chattering, and over all that harsh, resounding bark: and it came from the granite kopje nearest the house--where Spence had found the troop of guinea-fowl that afternoon.
"What a row they"re making!" he went on. "Hallo! By Jove! D"you hear that?"
For over and above the simian clamour, another sound was discernible--a sound of unmistakable import. No one need go to Mashunaland to hear it, nor anything like as far. A stroll across Regent"s Park towards feeding time at the Zoo will do just as well. It was the deep, throaty, ravening roar of hungry lions.
"Phew! that accounts for all the shindy!" said Justin. "Now do you want me to go, Hermia? There isn"t much show for one against a lion in the dark, and, judging from the racket, there must be several. Well, shall I start?"
She had drawn closer to him instinctively; not that there was any danger, for the stockade was high and strong--in fact, had been erected with an eye to such emergency. Now they were strained together in a close embrace, this time she returning his kisses with more than his own pa.s.sion.
"You are mine--mine at last, my heart, my life!" he whispered. And the answer came back, merely breathed--
"Yes, I am. All yours."
And above, the myriad eyes of the starry heavens looked down; and without, the horrible throaty growl of the ravening beasts rent the night.
CHAPTER SIX.
AFTER-THOUGHTS.
If ever any man was in the state colloquially defined as over head and ears in love, and if ever any man had practical demonstration that his love was returned abundantly by the object thereof, a.s.suredly the name of that man was Justin Spence. Yet when the sun rose upon him on the following morning he somehow did not feel as elate as he should have done.
For, whatever poetic a.s.sociations may cl.u.s.ter around the hour of sunset, around that of sunrise there are none at all. It is an abominably matter-of-fact and prosaic hour, an hour when the average human is wont to feel cheap if ever, p.r.o.ne to retrospect, and, for choice, retrospect of an unwelcome nature. All that he has ever done that is injudicious or mean or _gauche_ will infallibly strike him as more injudicious and meaner and more _gauche_ in the cold and judicial stare of the waking hour. To this rule Justin Spence was no exception. His pa.s.sion had not cooled--no, not one whit; yet he awoke feeling mean. His conduct had been weak--the development thereof shady: in short, in the words of his own definition, "it was not playing the game."
The worst of it was that he was indebted to Blachland for more than one good turn, and now, what had been his requital for such? The other was his friend, and trusted him--and now, he had taken advantage of that friend"s absence. In the unsparing light of early morning the thing had an ugly look--yes, very.
As against that, however, other considerations would arise to set themselves. First of all, he himself was human, and human powers had their limits. Then, again, the other did not in the least appreciate this splendid gift, this matchless treasure which had fallen to his lot: otherwise, how could he leave her all alone as he did, absent himself for days, for weeks at a time? He had not always done so, Justin had gathered; and from Hermia"s reminiscences of camp life she seemed to have enjoyed it. If he, Justin, had been in Blachland"s place, not for a single day should she have been away from him. But then, Justin was very young, and all the circ.u.mstances and surroundings went to make him think that way.