"In that case these will have things all their own way."
"How awful!"
"Well, we must hope for the best."
"What if we had started to return there to-day?" she said suddenly, "We
should have had to reckon with these. The mules are in no condition to
travel out properly, and they could soon have overhauled us."
"Ah!"
Then she subsided into silence. Even her courageous spirit had fallen
upon a kind of reaction. The morning had been so bright and happy, and
now a shadow of horror and gloom seemed to have darkened upon the land.
Bloodshed, massacre everywhere, would it never pass? The other seemed
to read her thoughts.
"Do not give way to depression, my Clare," he said. "Keep up your own
brave heart. We are quite safe here, with ordinary precaution, and you
may be sure that nothing of that will be wanting. This cloud will pass,
and all will be brighter than ever."
"I seem to have a presentiment. Oh, it is horrible! And there is
bloodshed on my hands too."
"There is none," he replied emphatically. "No, none. What you were
forced to do to defend the life of your helpless sister does not count
for one single moment. Darling, did we not settle all that last
evening?"
"Yes, we did. You are a born comforter, dearest. But I believe it is
my love for you that is making a coward of me. What if--if I lost you
before this horrible war is over?"
"Now--now--now!" adopting a rallying tone, although thrilled to the
heart by her words. "You must not indulge in these fancies or my bright
and winsome Clare will be quite somebody else. I shall have to call
Peters to cheer you up. See how he is keeping those jokers in a roar
over there."
This was a fact, but not an accident. Peters, ever watchful where his
idolised friend was concerned, had gathered together quite a crowd, a
little way apart, and was clearly regaling it with abundant humour--
which he possessed--and this with the sole intent that these two should
have a little time together uninterrupted.
"Yes, he can be very entertaining," said Clare. "And I like him so
much. Do you know, darling, he simply adores you."
"I know he does his level best to make me beastly conceited."
"He told me how you risked your life to save his during the retreat on
the Shangani."
"Did he, confound him! Then it was a distinct act of mutiny, for he's
under strict orders to let that well-worn chestnut be forgotten. I'll
have him put under arrest for disobedience to orders, since by popular
vote I seem to have been put in command here."
"But you weren't in command here when he told me, so you can't come down
upon him. How's that?" and she laughed brightly.
"In that case I suppose I can't," he allowed, rejoicing greatly that she
had shaken off her vein of depression. "But you know, dearest, that
sort of thing was done over and over again during that very Shangani
business, for one, by other men, and nobody thought of making a fuss
about it. It was taken quite as a matter of course, and naturally it
genuinely annoys me when Peters tries to make a sort of scissors and
paste-pot hero of me."
"I shall claim the right to reserve my own opinion, all the same," she
declared with mock loftiness. "By the way, who is Mr Peters? He seems
something of a mystery."
"Yes. He delights in humbugging the curious. Nobody is ever an atom
the wiser concerning him."
"But--you know."
"Yes, I know all about him."
"And--you won't tell me?"
"No."
It came out quite naturally but quite decisively.
"Then you will have secrets from me?"
"Other people's secrets--certainly."
"And--your own?"
"I haven't got any."
During this apparent skirmish they had been looking each other straight
in the eyes. But the skirmish was only apparent. "Oh, I do love a man
who knows his own mind," said the girl delightedly. "Why, I was not
even trying you, for I knew beforehand what your answer would be."
"I know you were not. Well, if you really want to know anything about
Peters, the only possible way of doing so is to--ask Peters."
Then they both laughed--laughed long and heartily.