As I stood there Roger Lestrange came out.

“Good morning,” he said. “It was good of you to stay last night.”

“I felt a little guilty about leaving Lilias.”

“Lilias is quite capable of looking after herself.”

“I know. How is Myra? I heard from one of the servants that she was not well during the night.”

“She is better this morning, thanks. Who told you she had been ill?”

“It was the one who brought my hot water. Luban, I think.”

“She must have heard from Mrs. Prost. Luban doesn’t live in the house. She is with her husband and family in one of the rondavels.”

“Yes, I know. I did go out there and saw them once.”

“Yes, I had to call Mrs. Prost in the night. I was worried about Myra.”

“So it was as bad as that?”

“I wasn’t sure. I don’t know much about illness. I’m worried about her … Myra, I mean. What do you think?”

“I think she’s taking a little time to adjust to this new life. After all, she lived so long in that village and this is all very different. In time she will settle down.”

“Do you think so?” He sounded relieved. “She has never been ill like that before. She’s had her headaches, but she was sick … really ill. I was really alarmed. I thought of sending for a doctor … but she begged me not to. And then she began to recover a little. She probably ate something which did not agree with her.”

“Oh, maybe that was it. I know the heat can be very trying to people who are not used to it. I daresay she will soon be all right.”

“I was just wondering if I should get the doctor to have a look at her.”

“I should see how she feels.”

“You are a comfort, D-Diana.”

“I’m glad. I think she was rather upset by that figure in the Model House.”

“Figure? What figure?”

“A carved figure. It was supposed to be a woman, I think.”

“In the Model House?”

“Yes. I was with her. She was showing me one or two things about the house and there it was …”

“What was it like?”

“Oh, rather crudely carved.”

“Native work?”

“I suppose it could be. It was there at the foot of the staircase … not the spiral one, the other.”

His face had darkened. He muttered: “Who, in God’s name, could have put it there?”

“Myra had no idea. It was … just there.”

“Show me,” he said rather fiercely. “Show me exactly where it is.”

He went hurriedly into the house and I followed him. Swiftly we passed through to the other end of the house.

The figure was no longer in the Model House.

“Where is it?” he cried. “Show me.”

“It’s gone. It was lying there … just there, at the bottom of the staircase.”

For a few moments he did not speak. I had never before seen him at a loss for words. Then he said slowly: “It was that spot where we found her. Someone … is playing some silly joke. We must find out who.”

“Well,” I said, “it upset her. I thought she was going to faint. That was when I took her back to her room.”

He had recovered, but the colour had faded from his face and he looked rather pale.

“Thank you, Diana,” he said; and I noticed he used my name without the usual hesitation. “Thank you for looking after her.”

We walked to the other side of the house and descended the spiral staircase. “Don’t mention the figure to anyone. It might upset people.”

I said I wouldn’t.

Myra joined us for breakfast. She told us she was feeling considerably better.

“I thought I was going to die in the night,” she said.

“Oh come, my dear,” replied Roger. “You know I wouldn’t allow that.”

She laughed. She seemed quite happy.

“Thank you so much for staying, Diana. I did feel comforted to have you there. You will come and … and . .’ . stay again, won’t you?”

“/ am going to insist that she does,” added Roger.

WHEN I RETURNED to the schoolhouse it was to find that two letters had arrived. One of them was from Ninian, the other from Zillah.

Ninian began by saying that we should come home without delay.

Things are getting worse and I can see no solution to the problem but war. Chamberlain and Milner are going to reject this five years’ franchise suggested by Kruger and Smuts. It is only to be expected. Those who contribute so largely to the wealth of the country cannot be denied a say in its affairs. The British foray into South Africa some years ago was something of a humiliation for us. We cannot allow that to happen again. There is a rumour that Chamberlain is sending ten thousand troops to augment the army already there. You must realise what, a dangerous situation is brewing. There is time. You cannot have settled in very firmly yet. You and Miss Milne should get the next ship back to England while there is time.

He had clearly not received my letter as he had made no mention of it.

I reread his letter. It contained little else but the need for us to come home.

I turned to Zillah’s. Hers was more lighthearted.

I hope you are getting on all right. Ninian Grainger goes on and on about the trouble out there. He is certain you ought to come home. He asks me to write and add my persuasion to his. So I will. I miss you. Life is rather dull here. I think I shall travel a bit. I’ve been to London several times, but I mean go abroad. I think that would be fun. Wouldn’t it be nice if you were here? We could go together. I hope you will soon be home. We could have fun.

I showed Lilias Ninian’s letter. She read it and frowned.

“Go home!” she said. “Of course we won’t. Just as the school is beginning to expand. It’s doing us so much good here. The people are nice to us. They don’t want to make war on us. This insistence of his is almost hysterical.”

“People in Kimberley are mainly British.”

“But the Boers and the natives … they are all very friendly.”

“Well, it wouldn’t be our war … yours and mine, Lilias.”

“You’re not hankering after going back, are you?”

I hesitated. I was thinking how kind and thoughtful Ninian was. I liked what Lilias called his hysterical insistence. It surprised and comforted me that after all this time I was still more than an ordinary case to him. I should love to talk to him and it saddened me that we were so far apart. So perhaps the answer was yes, I was hankering after going home.

I believe that if I had not suffered such bitter disillusionment over Jamie, if Ninian had not shown such an interest in Zillah, I might have faced my true feelings towards him. But having been so deceived, how could I be judge … even of myself? Perhaps I had been in a bewildered state since the trial.

“Are you?” Lilias was demanding.

“Well … we do seem to be settling in here, I suppose.”

“And you are so much better. I know you are. You don’t jump every time someone mentions something from the past.”

“No, I suppose I don’t.”

“What are you going to do? Write to him?”

“I suppose so … in due course.”

She nodded. “Tell him that these matters are exaggerated. Everything is just the same out here as when we came.”

“Yes, I will.” Lilias was right. We could not pack up and go home at a moment’s notice just because Ninian … miles away … had heard rumours of war.

I WAS BECOMING a frequent visitor to Riebeeck House. Sometimes I stayed the night. Lilias did not mind that; I felt she rather enjoyed dealing with all the pupils; and I was realising more and more that my presence in the school could be easily dispensed with. Lilias was delighted to have paid off the first instalment to the Emigration Society. I said that as I was taking more and more time off to be with Myra I did not deserve what I was paid and it should be hers. But she was adamant. “That matter is closed,” she said.

Meanwhile I was becoming well acquainted with the Lestrange household. Paul and I were good friends. He liked school and was doing very well; and although I sensed that he still bore a grudge against his stepfather for marrying his mother, he seemed to be accepting it. Roger was always charming to me, as he was with everyone. The servants all liked him; and I gathered that the house was a more pleasant place than it had been under the Riebeecks.

Mrs. Prost, the housekeeper, appeared to take quite an interest in me. She was a woman who liked to gossip; and I must confess, so did I.

A strong friendship was growing between Myra and me and I fancied that she was less nervous. Mrs. Prost said my visits did her a power of good. I stayed a night or two occasionally. We played chess together. Lilias had taught me and I taught Myra. She was becoming quite an enthusiast.

There was one day when Roger went to Johannesburg on business and he asked me if I would spend the night at the house to keep Myra company. I said I would and we spent a pleasant evening chatting and playing chess.

In the night Mrs. Prost came to my room to tell me that Mrs. Lestrange was ill and she needed my help with her. I went with her to Myra who was very sick.

After a while she recovered and I said I would stay with her, which I did. I was very relieved when, in the morning, she was considerably better.

She took great pains to make light of her disorder.

“Don’t tell Roger,” she said. “I’m glad it happened when he was away. He doesn’t like illness … and he worries about it too much.”

“Perhaps he ought to know,” I said. “Perhaps we ought to call the doctor.”

“Oh no … no. That’s the last thing. I tell you I’m perfectly all right. It was just something I ate … something that didn’t agree with me. I’m going to be all right now.”