“Oh, Macumazahn,” she said almost in a whisper, and letting her head droop like a fading lily, “you have never given me the chance, have you?” And she laughed a little, looking extremely attractive.

“Good gracious!”—­or, rather, its Zulu equivalent—­I answered, for I began to feel nervous.  “What do you mean, Mameena?  How could I—­” There I stopped.

“I do not know what I mean, Macumazahn,” she exclaimed wildly, “but I know well enough what you mean—­that you are white as snow and I am black as soot, and that snow and soot don’t mix well together.”

“No,” I answered gravely, “snow is good to look at, and so is soot, but mingled they make an ugly colour.  Not that you are like soot,” I added hastily, fearing to hurt her feelings.  “That is your hue”—­and I touched a copper bangle she was wearing—­“a very lovely hue, Mameena, like everything else about you.”

“Lovely,” she said, beginning to weep a little, which upset me very much, for if there is one thing I hate, it is to see a woman cry.  “How can a poor Zulu girl be lovely?  Oh, Macumazahn, the spirits have dealt hardly with me, who have given me the colour of my people and the heart of yours.  If I were white, now, what you are pleased to call this loveliness of mine would be of some use to me, for then—­ then—­ Oh, cannot you guess, Macumazahn?”

I shook my head and said that I could not, and next moment was sorry, for she proceeded to explain.

Sinking to her knees—­for we were quite alone in the big hut and there was no one else about, all the other women being engaged on rural or domestic tasks, for which Mameena declared she had no time, as her business was to look after me—­she rested her shapely head upon my knees and began to talk in a low, sweet voice that sometimes broke into a sob.

“Then I will tell you—­I will tell you; yes, even if you hate me afterwards.  I could teach you what love is very well, Macumazahn; you are quite right—­because I love you.” (Sob.) “No, you shall not stir till you have heard me out.”  Here she flung her arms about my legs and held them tight, so that without using great violence it was absolutely impossible for me to move.  “When I saw you first, all shattered and senseless, snow seemed to fall upon my heart, and it stopped for a little while and has never been the same since.  I think that something is growing in it, Macumazahn, that makes it big.” (Sob.) “I used to like Saduko before that, but afterwards I did not like him at all—­no, nor Masapo either—­you know, he is the big chief who lives over the mountain, a very rich and powerful man, who, I believe, would like to marry me.  Well, as I went on nursing you my heart grew bigger and bigger, and now you see it has burst.” (Sob.) “Nay, stay still and do not try to speak.  You shall hear me out.  It is the least you can do, seeing that you have caused me all this pain.  If you did not want me to love you, why did you not curse at me and strike me, as I am told white men do to Kafir girls?” She rose and went on: