Then, to make matters worse, Suzanne must needs throw her arms round her father’s neck and begin to cry—­thanks be to my bringing up of her, she knew better than to throw them round mine.  “Good Lord!” I said, losing my temper, “what is the girl at now?  She has got the husband for whom she has been craving, and the first thing she does is to snivel.  Well, if I had done that to my husband I should have expected him to box my ears, though Heaven knows that I should have had excuse for it.”

Here the predicant woke up, seeing his chance.

“Vrouw Botmar,” he said, blinking at me like an owl, “it is my duty to reprove your irreverent language even at this festive board, for a word must be spoken both in and out of season, and without respect of persons.  Vrouw Botmar, I fear that you do not remember the Third Commandment, therefore I will repeat it to you,” and he did so, speaking very slowly.

What I answered I cannot recollect, but even now I seem to see that predicant flying out of the door of the room holding his hands above his head.  Well, for once he met his match, and I know that afterwards he always spoke of me with great respect.

After this again I remember little more till the pair started upon their journey.  Suzanne asked for Sihamba to say good-bye to her, and when she was told that she was not to be found she seemed vexed, which shows that the little doctoress did her injustice in supposing that just because she was married she thought no more of her.  Then she kissed us all in farewell—­ah! we little knew for how long that farewell was to be—­and went down to the waggon to which the sixteen black oxen, a beautiful team, were inspanned, and standing there ready to start.  But Ralph and Suzanne were not going to ride in the waggon, for they had horses to carry them.  At the last moment, indeed, Jan, whose head was still buzzing with the peach-brandy, insisted upon giving Ralph the great schimmel, that same stallion which Sihamba had ridden when she warned us of the ambush in the pass, galloping twenty miles in the hour.  This shows me that Providence can turn even a man’s vices to account, for afterwards the schimmel was very useful.

So there was much kissing and many good-byes; Ralph and Suzanne saying that they would soon be back, which indeed was the case with one of them, till at last they were off, Jan riding with them a little way towards their first outspan by the sea, fourteen miles distant, where they were to sleep that night.

When they had gone I went into my bedroom, and sitting down, I cried, for I was sorry to lose Suzanne, even for a little and for her own good, and my heart was heavy.  Also my quarrel with the predicant had put me out of temper.  When I had got over this fit I set to work to tidy Suzanne’s little sleeping place, and that I found a sad task.  Then Jan returned from the waggon, having bid farewell to the young couple, an hour’s trek away, and his head being clear by now, we talked over the plans of the new house which was to be built for them to live in, and, going down to the site of it, set it out with sticks and a rule, which gave us occupation till towards sunset, when it was time for him to go to see to the cattle.