Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England An I.D.B. in South Africa By Louise Vescelius-Sheldon Illustrations by G.E. Graves and Al Hencke Published by John W. Lovell Company, New York. This edition dated 1888. An I.D.B. in South Africa, by Louise Vescelius-Sheldon. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ AN I.D.B. IN SOUTH AFRICA, BY LOUISE VESCELIUS-SHELDON. CHAPTER ONE. THE MARKED DIAMOND. "Who is that beautiful woman in the box opposite us, Herr Schwatka?" "Which one, Major? There are two, if my eyes may be trusted." "She with the dark hair?" "That is Mrs Laure, and the gentleman is her husband, Donald Laure." "What a beautiful creature, is she not?" "Yes, beautiful indeed, as many of the Cape women are. But the union of European with African produces, in their descendants, beings endowed with strange and inconsistent natures. These two bloods mingle but will not blend; more prominently are these idiosyncrasies developed where the Zulu parentage can be traced, and naturally so, for the Zulus are the most intelligent of all the African tribes. Now they are all love, tenderness, and devotion, ready to make any sacrifice for those on whom their affections are placed; again revengeful, jealous, vindictive." "But surely that woman has no African blood in her veins," said the major. "Yes," replied Schwatka, quietly; "but the fact is not generally known." "What eyes! I should like to know such a woman. To analyse character moulded in such a form would be a delightful study. And the lady with her, who may she be?" continued the major. "Miss Kate Darcy, an American lady now visiting her brother, a director in the Standard Diamond Mining Company. These Americans, turn up everywhere," and Schwatka lifted his shoulders with an expressive shrug. "Then the gentleman with her is the brother, eh?" persistently continued the major. "No, that is Count Telfus, a large dealer in diamonds, said to have made much money. There goes the curtain." The preceding conversation between Major Kildare and Herr Schwatka took place in a box of the Theatre Royal on the Kimberley Diamond Fields. As Schwatka looked at Donald Laure, the latter glanced across the house; their eyes met and a sign of recognition passed between them. Presently Mrs Laure turned, disclosing an exquisitely beautiful face, but one apparently unconscious of the effect of its beauty. Her height was slightly below the average, and her form faultless. Her short, black, wavy hair adorned a small but beautifully-shaped head, crowning a swan-like neck, encircled by a necklace of diamonds and rubies sparkling like drops of dew. Her toilet was conspicuous by its elegance--an elegance that well became her unusual style. Shortly before the end of the first act, while the attention of the audience was riveted on the stage, a man quietly entered the Laure box, and touching Count Telfus on the shoulder whispered a few words in his ear. The Count gave a sudden start, his face blanching perceptibly, but with perfect composure of carriage he arose, and, excusing himself to the ladies, retired from the box. The stranger had entered unnoticed by the other occupants, who were attentively listening to the music of the opera, with the exception of Donald Laure, who had been an observer of the proceeding. As the curtain fell at the end of the act he followed the Count. Major Kildare, who had been interested in watching the face of Mrs Laure, observed this scene in the box and drew Herr Schwatka's attention. The latter sprang to his feet, at the same time exclaiming, in a voice low but audible to those in the immediate vicinity, "Detectives." Drawing the Major's arm through his, he led him out of the theatre, into the cafe adjoining, where they found Count Telfus in charge of two men of the detective force. The Count stood silent in the midst of the excited crowd that filled the room; but his pale face and the nervous manner in which he bit on an unlighted cigar plainly showed that he was suffering intensely. "Count Telfus," said one of the detectives, "we have an order for your arrest, and you must also permit us to search you. We trust that we have been misinformed, but a marked diamond has been traced to your possession, and our orders are imperative." "I have nothing about me not mine by a legitimate ownership," said the Count, in a cold, clear voice, "and I will not submit to the outrage of a personal search. It is well known that I am a licensed diamond buyer; here is the proof of it." And he drew a paper from his pocket. "That you are a licensed buyer is the greater reason why your dealings should be honest," rejoined one of his captors, proceeding to search him. Even as he spoke he drew a large diamond from the Count's vest-pocket. "Fifteen years in the chain-gang," cried an ex-Judge who had bought many a stone on the sly. "Father Abraham!" exclaimed a sympathising Israelite, "how could he be so careless with such a blazer." Similar ejaculations rose from the crowd around him. In those bitter moments a despair like, death fell on Telfus; for his life was blighted and his family name disgraced. He did not see that excited crowd of which he was the centre; he only saw, in his mind's eye, his mother's face filled with an agony of shame. And he heard, with the acuteness that comes only in times of greatest distress, the low contralto tones of a soulful voice floating from the stage of the theatre within, and breathing out the words: "Farewell, farewell, my dear, my happy home." Alone he stood, bidding an inward farewell to his own home--condemned to an infamous exposure. His friends around him were powerless to aid, for the diamond had been found on him. "Sorry for you, old boy," said Dr Fox, an American, as he wrung the hand above which the detectives put on the bracelets of the law, which shutting with a click, struck on the Count's consciousness like a knell of doom. He gasped, and stifled a cry that rose to his lips. When his hands were secured, followed by a noisy crowd, he was led to a Cape cart standing in front of the door. He sank into the seat, a brokenhearted man, his thoughts far away in that home in Paris, which on the morrow would be filled with sorrow and anguish. Suddenly arousing himself he asked to be taken to the telegraph office. Arriving there they found it closed. "Fortune favours me thus much," he thought; "the only news they will receive will be that I am dead." They reached the prison, and the Count was placed in a cell. Before the sound of the jailer's footsteps had died away, the report of a pistol told that Telfus had passed beyond the reach of human law. CHAPTER TWO. THE MYSTIC SIGN. Within rifle-shot of the "ninth wonder of the world," the great Kimberley Mine, stood a pretty one-story cottage nestling among a mass of creepers that shaded a wide veranda. The house, like many others on the Fields, was constructed of corrugated iron, fastened to a framework of wood. Beams were laid on the ground; to these were fastened uprights from four to six inches square. In place of lath and plastered walls, thick building paper formed the interior covering, leaving a space between the iron outside and the paper within. The interior of the cottage was in marked contrast with its outer appearance. A wide hall extended through the entire depth, with a door at each end. The walls were artistically hung with shields, assagais, spears, and knob-kerries, and in either corner stood a large elephant's tusk, mounted on a pedestal of ebony. A small horned head of the beautiful blesse-bok hung over a door leading into an apartment, the floor of which was covered with India matting, over which was strewn karosses of rarest fur; a piano stood in one corner, while costly furniture, rich lace, and satin hangings were arranged with an artistic sense befitting the mistress of it all. On a divan, the upholstering of which was hidden by a karosse of leopard skins, reclined Dainty Laure, a woman on whom the South African suns had shone for not more than twenty years. The light, softened by amber curtains, revealed an oval face, with features of that sensuous type seen only in those born in the climes of the sun. This clear, olive-tinted face showed a love of ease and luxury, unless the blood which seemed to sleep beneath its crystal veil should rouse to a purpose, and make this being a dangerous and implacable enemy. Her eyes were closed; one would have thought she slept, but for the occasional motion of a fan of three ostrich feathers. The reverie into which she had fallen was broken by the striking of the clock. The pencilled eyebrows gave a little electric move, and the lids slowly unveiled those dark languorous eyes, which seemed like hidden founts of love. So expressive was the play of those delicate eyelids that one forgot the face in watching them, as they would droop and droop, and then slowly open until the great, luminous orbs appeared, and seemed to dilate with an infinite wonder, a sort of childlike fear combined with the look of a caged wild animal. This expression extended to the mouth, with its budding lips over small, white teeth. Should occasion come, she could smile with her eyes, while her mouth looked cruel. A white robe of fleecy lace clung round her form, and from the hem of her garment peeped a ravishing little foot, encased in silken hose and satin slipper of the same bronze hue. Bracelets of dewdrop diamonds encircled her wrists, and with the rubies and diamonds at throat and ear, completed a toilet which might have vied with that of some semi-barbaric Eastern princess. Such was the woman in whose veins ran the blood of European and African races. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In one of the numerous wars between the native tribes and English soldiers in Africa, Captain Montgomery, pierced by an assegai, fell wounded on the battle-field, and was left for dead. For hours he lay unconscious. Toward night he awoke to a realisation of his perilous situation, in the midst of a dense underbrush infested with reptiles and wild beasts, to which he at any moment might fall a victim. He attempted to rise, but his stiffened limbs refused their office; thirst, that ever-present demon of the wounded, parched his throat. After many fruitless efforts he succeeded in rising to a sitting posture, but the effort caused his brain to reel, and all again became a blank. For a short time he remained in this condition, when perfect consciousness, like that which with vivid force precedes dissolution, returned, and revealed standing before him an aged Zulu chief, accompanied by an attendant. The supreme moment of his life seemed to have arrived, and with a final effort he summoned all his strength and made a sign--the sign known to the elect of all nations. The sign was recognised--understood--by that savage in the wilderness. There, in that natural temple of the Father of all good, stood one to whom had descended from the ages the mystic token of brotherhood. At a signal the attendant Zulu bounded away, leaving the chief, who gently placed the soldier's body in a less painful position. The native soon returned with three others, bringing a litter made of ox-hides, on which, with slow and measured steps, they bore him to their kraal, situated on a hillside, at the foot of which was a running stream. He was taken to a hut and placed on a bed of soft, sweet-smelling grasses covered with skins. Tenderly the rude Africans moistened his lips, removed his clothing, and bathed his wounds. For hours he lay unconscious; then a sigh welled from his breast, another and another. Gently the attendants raised his head, and administered a cooling drink. Soon a profuse perspiration covered his body, and the strained look of pain gradually left his face. The following day the chief, with his principal attendants, visited the Englishman. Forming a circle round his couch, they stood for several moments gazing at the sufferer in profound silence; then, passing before his pallet, they slowly filed out of the hut. CHAPTER THREE. CUPID'S ARROW IN AN AFRICAN FOREST. For several days Captain Montgomery's condition was extremely critical, but the careful nursing and devoted attention of the Izinyanga, or native doctor, aided by his simple, yet efficient remedies, soon restored the patient. One morning he awoke quite free from pain, the fever broken, and with that sense of restful languor that attends convalescence, pervading his being. As he lay in this condition, with his eyes half closed, he saw standing in the opening of the hut a girl of perhaps sixteen years. A leopard skin was thrown over her right shoulder, which, falling to the knee, draped her form. A necklace of strands of beads encircled her throat. Her arms and ankles were ornamented with bands of gold. For a moment she gazed on him, and then uttered to her two female attendants a few words consisting of vowel sounds and sharp notes made by clicking the tongue against the roof of the mouth. On hearing her voice Montgomery widely opened his eyes, when, followed by her women, the girl fled with a springing step like a frightened deer. Often, after that fleeting vision, during his waking moments would Montgomery feel that those dusky eyes were gazing at him, and when he lifted his own it would be to see her swiftly and silently moving away. In a short time he was able to walk about in the cool shade of the great forests of paardepis and saffron-wood, where he would at times see the face of the Zulu princess peering out, like some dusky dryad, from behind the hanging boughs, only to disappear, when detected, into the depths of the wood. After a few weeks had passed she grew less shy, and when he spoke to her she would stand a few moments listening to the unknown tongue, whose accents seemed to charm and draw her to the spot; but if he made a motion as if to approach, she would vanish swiftly as a thought flies. One morning when his health had become fully restored, the chief who had rescued the captain in his hour of extremity, appeared, and by signs made him understand that he was to follow him. They proceeded to the outer edge of the gloomy forest, where speaking a few words in Zuluese, the native disappeared in the direction they had come. Understanding that the parting speech of his guide instructed him to continue in the course he had pointed out, Montgomery pressed forward on his journey. He had walked alone, perhaps an hour, when he was startled by the sight of the Princess, emerging from the shade of a tall boxwood tree, leading two horses. She motioned him to take one, and as he leaped on its back, she quickly mounted the other, and in a few moments they had passed away from the scene forever. These two beings were the ancestors of Dainty Laure. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Soon after his arrival in Cape Town, Donald Laure had met Dainty. She was little more than a child in years, but matured in form, and being possessed of dangerous beauty was attractive to this impulsive Scotchman from the cold North, where women of her radiant type are never seen. From the first moment he saw her, he had only one thought, one idea, which grew to a determined purpose, and that was, to possess her. She was a wild bird and knew little of the world's ways, and as he was the first man who had laid siege to her heart he amused her, and she grew more and more interested in him. When a few weeks later he asked her to become his wife, she consented with a half wonder, half delight; and when the marriage ceremony had taken place, and they were on their way to Kimberley, she could scarcely realise the fact that she was a wife; it was all so strange and sudden. Four years after we find her dreaming on her divan, with nothing to do in life but to dream. CHAPTER FOUR. THE UNWELCOME LETTER. The morning following the events related in our first chapter, found Kimberley in a high state of excitement. Every man looked at his neighbour with a face like an interrogation point, as if to ask, "Who next?" The diamond market was crowded with men, gathered in groups, earnestly discussing the _expose_, and the fatal denouement. No one had stood higher in the esteem of the people than Count Telfus. Among the first to engage in the diamond trade in Kimberley, he had enjoyed the confidence of his associates, and, up to the day of his arrest, no breath of suspicion had dimmed the lustre of his name. It was evident that the numerous thefts of precious stones by the Kafirs had aroused the authorities to their highest endeavour, and no one knew on whom the next bolt of discovery might fall. With Telfus guilty, whose name might not be found on the list of I.D.B.'s? There were few among those engaged in this unlawful trade whose minds were free from anxiety, for even the guiltless might find his name in the Doomsday book as among the suspected. When Donald reached home that evening he found Dainty anxiously awaiting his return. The excitement caused by the arrest and death of Count Telfus had reached every class, and the unusual stir among the domestics had filled her mind with dire apprehensions. She immediately inquired if there were any further developments. "The town is greatly excited. Dr Fox has written to the Count's family in Paris, that the Count was accidentally killed, but carefully avoided any mention of the true cause of his death. Poor Telfus!" Dainty sighed, for the Count had been a frequent visitor, and his face always brought sunshine into the house. "Do you think he was guilty?" "Rumour says the police sold a marked diamond to a Kafir for a song, and then watched him. By some strange fatality it fell into Telfus' hands." He paused, and looking into her eyes, asked: "What would you do, if some great trouble should come to you?" "Trouble? Surely no danger threatens us, Donald. You alarm me, what harm can come to us?" He was about to speak, but checked himself, and turning on his heel, hastily left the room. Donald was naturally of a buoyant disposition, and extremely popular in business and social circles: but of late he had grown moody and taciturn, and there was a marked change in his demeanour toward Dainty. She believed that her husband adored her, and if his preoccupied and distracted manner sometimes raised a query in her mind, it was too short-lived to warrant any serious thought, and she quickly banished it. She was fond of her husband in a childlike, cooing way, and it was her delight to wind her arms about his neck, and, with a gentle twittering sound, like a dove caressing its mate, ask the question that every woman asks (who is sure of the answer): "Do you love me?"--and wait to hear the low, responsive sigh, or receive a fond embrace. This unusual question of Donald's alarmed her, and she stole softly into the adjoining room where she found Donald nervously pacing the floor. His face was pale and his eyes glistened with a hunted expression. Laying her hand on his arm, she said: "What is it that worries you, Donald?" He started and stammered: "Nothing--except a little business annoyance." She saw a letter in his hand, bearing a foreign postmark, and gave it a questioning glance, to which he replied: "A letter I have received from Amsterdam. There is a heavy decline in the diamond market." "Don't worry about that; you have now more than enough of this world's goods to take care of yourself and your little wife as long as you live," said Dainty, as she laughingly rubbed her cheek on his arm with an action suggestive of a purring kitten. Without looking up, she continued: "Why don't you take me to England?" He shut his eyes, and bit his lips, but oblivious to his emotion she went on. "You have so often promised, and I so want a change. I long to visit the land you have told me of." "Some day, my dear, you will see that great country of mine, but not just now," rejoined Donald, gently. "Ah, Donald, why do you always feed my curiosity with the shadow of promises?" Donald watched her with an idolatrous look until she passed from the room, and then with a groan sank into a chair, and buried his face in his hands. For a moment he sat in silence, then re-opened the letter. It was dated "London" and the passage in it that he had read and re-read, was this: "The person you inquire about is in the city, and has learned--I know not how--that you are in South Africa, and is determined to hunt you down." Striking a match, he set fire to the letter, and watched it slowly burn, and crisply curl in his fingers. He then threw it on the floor, and crushed it with his foot, with the unspoken wish that this act could blot out its menace from his memory. Growing calmer he arose, and passing his hand over his face as if putting on a mask, went out of the room to join his wife at dinner. The dinner was served by a black dwarf named Bela, who in his fantastic proportions resembled a heathen idol in bronze. After they had eaten sometime in silence, Dainty asked. "Are you going out this evening?" "I must go to the club, but I will return early." "I am often lonely, Donald, when I am left with only my thoughts for company," said Dainty, somewhat mournfully. "You must be lonely sometimes," replied Donald. "Let us try a small diversion. Why not invite in a few friends for an evening? Make out your list, and send the invitations to-morrow. Don't get the blues while I am away," and kissing her, he hurried into the street. CHAPTER FIVE. IMPRESSIONS. There are women who have no power of attraction until you meet them in their homes, surrounded by evidences of an individuality which belies your first impression. Then for the first time you discover new traits of character, and evidences of thought that fascinate and hold you; then for the first time they surprise and delight you with their real selves. Again, there are those who shine abroad, but darken their homes. In the chilling atmosphere surrounding them, no life can expand. These women are dwarfed souls. Affecting the semblance, they know not the real. The lifeless imitation of their surroundings betrays them, and chills the sensibilities of their guests. The wife of Donald Laure, was a woman whose surroundings seemed a part of herself--a bright, light creature, glorifying the materialities about her with a certain radiance, and none could enter her home without feeling the charm that pervaded it. With her warm heart and generous impulses she seemed born but to make beholders happy. She was, as yet, unconscious of the powers that lay dormant in her; under her childlike exterior was a soul of which even her husband knew nothing. All her knowledge of the world was like the knowledge of a maiden, far from its busy actualities. She mused upon its wonders as they were presented to her mind by her husband, but he would have been amazed at the panorama of her thoughts. Greater amazement would have been his, had he known the strange truth of which she herself was entirely oblivious, that the great pulsating power of Love had not yet inspired her. To be loved, caressed, cared for, had so far made her content. But, born of the English soldier and the daughter of a savage warrior, there slumbered in her soul a possibility of passion that needed only to be roused to burst into flame. The life of excitement that society offers, brings little contentment to a woman with Dainty's nature. She only beats the bars raised by its cold, formal laws, and sufficient unto herself, living a life within that soothes, she becomes a fascinating siren to the energetic nineteenth century man, who comes with his beliefs in materialism, and his doubts of any goodness that he cannot prove. Such a woman is to him a creature to be tested by his methods, and broken on the wheels of his unfeeling Juggernaut of selfishness and animalism. Being a delightfully untutored, trusting soul, she is not looking for this monster evil--self, that he has raised up and worships. At first attracted to him by a warmth of manner which has every appearance of generosity, she at last becomes interested in him so deeply, that the winning of her perfect trust, her whole heart, is an easy pastime, undertaken at seemingly accidental moments, but in reality pursued as steps in a long and carefully laid plan. The evening set apart for receiving the "few friends" was a memorable one. Herr Schwatka, accompanied by Major Kildare, was the first to arrive. Herr Schwatka was a tall, fair-haired Austrian, of distinguished appearance, and engaging manners. He was a cool-headed, strong-willed materialist, to whom human nature was a congenial study, who never allowed anything to thwart his purpose, and whose spirit of determination dominated most of those with whom he came in contact. To him, women had been but playthings; he laughed at such an idea as the grand passion--a figment of the brain for the misleading of boys! As the two men entered the salon, Kildare, with all his English coolness, started with surprise at the beauty of his surroundings. Accustomed to the society which his rank as an officer in the British army gave him, he had seen much that was rich and alluring in many countries; but here, in an African desert, many hundred miles from the sea, to find such taste and elegance displayed, was to him surprising. The crimson and gold hangings reflected from mirrors in the opal light, made a fitting background to a picture, in which stood as its central figure, the Queen of this home, Dainty Laure--a highly gifted woman, possessing that rarest of all gifts, perfect naturalness. Donald, standing by her side, presented the two gentlemen. Had she been the daughter of a duke, she could not have done the honours with more grace. The European in Africa has a deep-seated antipathy to the faintest trace of mixed blood. Yet, as Herr Schwatka bowed to Mrs Laure in his elegant way, he was conscious of receiving a pleasant impression entirely new to him. As for Major Kildare, he was altogether charmed with her, and speedily opened conversation with the common-place question: "Mrs Laure, how do you amuse yourself in this dusty town of Kimberley?" "I do not amuse myself, but let what I see amuse me," replied Dainty. "My horses and my dogs are company; everything that is beautiful pleases me; I make friends of the pleasant people I meet, and avoid the unhappy ones who carry their woes pictured on their faces." "But what do you do for a confidential friend? Woman must have them, you know, and you hardly find any congenial woman here!" "You forget Kate Darcy," replies Dainty. "She is a being to admire. I look at no one else when Kate is by." "Would it be wrong to be glad she is not here then?" said the major, gallantly. "I think you will be pleased to meet her, you cannot fail to admire her," answered Dainty. "She is not like me." Herr Schwatka smiled at the last assertion. "Do you expect us to admire her when she is not like you?" Dainty looked at the Austrian with a little deprecatory smile, as she said: "You will admire her for what she is, rather than what she is not." "It is pleasant to hear a woman praise a woman," said Herr Schwatka. "All women do it sometimes, for they all must have some intimate whom they can love, caress, and lavish themselves upon." "Yes," said Dainty, "that may be true, but Kate is not the style of woman you imagine. She is strong and noble, though gentle withal--wait till you meet her." Herr Schwatka felt a warm thrill at the enthusiasm and loyalty of the heart that loved its friends so wholly. "It were well to gain you for a friend," he said. CHAPTER SIX. KATE. The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Miss Kate Darcy, and Doctor Fox. They were a very handsome couple, at least so thought Major Kildare, for turning to Mrs Laure he said: "I believe all you have said of your friend is true, and without the slightest exaggeration." As the guests continued to arrive, Dainty appeared radiantly happy. At a request for some music, Miss Darcy moved toward the piano. "What shall I sing for you?" "Make your own selection and that will be your best," said Dainty, as she reclined in the depths of a chair, prepared to be captivated. Herr Schwatka took a seat at her side. Kate touched the keys caressingly for some minutes, striking a few chords here and there, with a little running accompaniment between, which expressed her indecision of selection, until finally striking a decided chord, she began, in a perfectly modulated voice, to sing that recitative and aria by Handel, commencing "Lascia ch'io pianga," incomparable for opportunity of expression, and for revealing the artistic sense of the singer. Sinking from the triumphant strains into a soft pleading accent, she sang the three stanzas with a pathos that moved her auditors to the depths of their natures. As she arose from the piano, there was a murmur of regret. "Don't rise, Miss Darcy," said Dainty, pleadingly. "Just think how hungry appreciative South Africans are for good music. We have never heard such singing here before. Please give us another selection." Kate never indulged in affectations of reluctance, so resuming her seat, she sang a plaintive old negro melody from the plantations of American slavery, the only original music, some one has said, of which Americans can boast. Kate's face was singularly attractive. Her eyes, inherited from an Irish mother, were dark blue shaded by black eyelashes. One might criticise her features, for they were not perfect, and might examine her dimpled face and say it was not pretty, yet it was so expressive, that a stranger on being introduced to her, when she was in a happy mood, would be fascinated, and think her altogether charming. Major Kildare was attracted to Kate and completely captivated, when he learned in the course of conversation that they had mutual friends in his far away home, in merrie England. But he was not privileged to monopolise Miss Darcy, for others pressed around her, and Doctor Fox stood ever in the background, perhaps discussing some mining operation in the intricacies of which he was well versed, but never far from the sound of her voice. Having speculated in the gold and silver mines of California and Colorado, and being possessed of that sixth sense with which Americans are accredited, and which being evolved becomes, in a few, the gift of invention, Doctor Fox had won, by his knowledge of mining and his improvements in mining machinery, the favourable opinions of the officers of the Diamond Mining Company in which he was a heavy stockholder. "Herr Schwatka," said Donald, "have you been down in the mine by the new shaft? It is now completed, and the cage is in perfect operation." "I went down yesterday," replied Schwatka, "and I found it a wonder of mining enterprise. The ladies should visit it. Would you not like to go, Mrs Laure, and you, Miss Darcy?" "We would be delighted; I will answer for both," said Kate, smilingly. This evening was the beginning of a new era in the lives of these two women, who had felt singularly drawn to each other. Dainty realised that she gathered forces new to her from Kate, while the latter was fascinated by this beautiful wildling, who knew nothing of the great world, which the other had but recently left behind her. As Major Kildare left the house that evening with Herr Schwatka, he enthusiastically remarked: "By Jove! that Miss Darcy is a fine woman!" Herr Schwatka took a pull at his cigar, and dreamily watched the rings in the bright moonlight as they slowly curled up into the still air. At last he said: "She is, indeed, but I feel a little afraid of those fair `_Americaines_!' I can't keep pace with them. I met one in Vienna during the Exposition, and she was a revelation. Such a sight-seer! Her mother was with her, but she could do very well without her. If she wanted to go out of an evening, and her mother was tired from her day's peregrinations, that girl would say: `Go to bed, mamma; we are going to the opera?' or whatever it might be. And off we would go, without protest from the submissive mamma. It was some while before I could comprehend her; her ways were so different from those of my own countrywomen. One evening while we were driving to a fete, emboldened by her unreserved manner, I attempted a little lover-like caress. You should have seen the American then! She sat as straight as a needle, and was equally sharp. `You and I are friends, aren't we?' she asked. "`Doubtless,' I replied. "`Well,' said she, `if you wish us to continue as such, don't attempt to ditto that. I have come to see Europe, and I haven't much time to spare. If we commence to make love, I won't see anything but you, and as there is not the slightest possibility of your being the whole of Europe to me, if you will just be my comrade, I shall like it better.' "I shall never forget the satisfied expression that stole over her face, as she folded her hands, and looked straight ahead with a gleam in her eyes, and then turned the conversation in the easiest manner imaginable. It amused me immensely, but I didn't repeat the little indiscretion, and the few weeks she remained in Vienna were among the most delightful ones of my life. We were comrades, and I never understood till then how a woman could be perfectly free in her manners, yet perfectly true to her womanhood." "By Jove! Schwatka, it isn't often that you find your match," said the major, laughing heartily, as they entered the "Queen's" Hotel. That night the picture that only faded from the consciousness of Herr Schwatka, to reappear in his dreams, was that of a graceful woman--the wife of Donald Laure. CHAPTER SEVEN. THE STORY OF A SINGER. What a charming creature is the enthusiastic talented girl, who is ever trying to solve the riddle of life with a girl's avidity. How earnestly she follows the light on her pathway! Sometimes deluded, but always in earnest; even leaving the old roof-tree in the search for satisfaction, often returning to it, weary and travel-stained, content to have one little corner by the home fireside, where she finds more happiness and rest in a day, than in her years of wandering and chasing butterflies. It is the clear-eyed, far-seeing girl, with a singing voice, that can thrill the hearts of her hearers, in whom we are now interested. What a book could be written on the broken lives, the vanished hopes, and the lost voices, of American girls in Europe! There, where the life is alluring, and maestros paid in gold; where Americans are looked upon as common prey by the Parisian shop-keeper, the student finds that Art is long, and not only time, but gold is fleeting. There, many an enthusiastic girl possessed of ordinary talent, and led away by vanity and the flattery of over-zealous friends, is found living in a feverish belief in her ultimate success, and looking to her teacher to promote her interests. He is more often but a shark, ready to devour her, body and soul. For he panders to her belief in his charlatanry, and flatters her vanity, until the money is nearly gone. Not until then does she realise that no one but herself has been deceived. Her pride comes to her rescue, and with her voice still undeveloped, she rushes hither and thither in her frantic endeavours to secure the position she desires. Friendless, moneyless, and alone: what can she do? A singer's life is emphatically a mixture of fulfilled hopes and bitter disappointments. A famous teacher in Paris says to his pupils: "Before starting out on your career, make for yourself two pockets; one very large, and the other exceedingly small; the large one for the snubs, and the small one for the money." Talent is one thing, but management is another, and without the latter, talent goes begging. Art may become a classic in the hands of talent, but the singer must depend largely upon the manager (often ungrammatical of speech, and arbitrary of manner), if she would know practical success and be known of the world. Kate Darcy had both tact and talent, and the gift of knowing how to use them. Her childhood was passed in the atmosphere of the theatrical world in New York City, where her father was a violinist, and earned his bread by the sweep of his bow. When yet a child, she developed great musical talent, and possessed that rarest and most delightful of all voices, a rich contralto. At fifteen the child was a rising artist, studying day and night, until, at the age of seventeen, being graceful and well developed, she became a leading contralto of an English Opera Company. Her voice grew in strength and richness, and with the growth of the voice came ambition to study under the best masters. That will-o'-the-wisp of art drew her on to Italy, to prepare herself to enter the lists of fame and win a high niche in the temple of song. She felt that she could conquer anything. She believed in herself--a very necessary requisite for youth, when talented and ambitious. There were no "perhaps's" or "might be's" crystallised in the amber of her belief. She was vividly conscious that she possessed the great gift of a rare voice, and did not doubt that somewhere in the world it would be appreciated, and made to yield the wealth which Love always wants, in order to bestow gifts and comforts on its beloved. On her last appearance on the concert platform in her native city, previous to her departure for Italy, she bore herself with such unaffected simplicity, and seemed so earnest in her efforts, that everyone felt like breathing a benediction for her future success; they realised that the goal she aimed at was only to be reached by years of labour, and by the patient pursuit of opportunities. She sang several numbers, but nothing half so beautiful as the low, entreating tones in which she breathed out "Kathleen Mavourneen." As the words rolled out, "It may be for years, and it may be forever," many an eye filled with tears at the tender pathos in which she veiled the uncertainties of the future. Kate went to Italy with her mother (who had become a widow), and studied under the direction of the great maestro, Lamperti. She had but few faults to overcome, but she applied herself unceasingly. The voice is a jealous mistress, and stands guard over every thought and action, demanding high recompense from the being who possesses the power to soothe or thrill a soul in darkness. Any letting down the bars of stern discipline of the intellect, finds that vigilant sentinel inquiring the cause. The ear of the lover becomes aware that the divine voice has lost its love tones; those pure heaven-born messages come to him with a harsher sound. Then when the singer's thoughts have drifted into some dark miasma, the sensitive instrument cannot attune itself in those dreamy poisonous vapours, and the delicate string loses its perfect harmony. The lover again wonders what powers of earth or air have taken possession of that erstwhile melodious instrument, now, "like sweet bells jangled and out of tune." Thus it is if, from looking and listening, with hearing keen and heart responsive, the eyes of the soul ever upward turned for inspiration (the only attitude that makes the spirit by and by victorious), she ceases for a moment, and, hearing the jingling of false bells, looks below; she sees the reflection of the sun on some tinsel-robed, fair, but deluded sister, and is attracted to her. The delights of dissipation in the society of thoughtless, undedicated companions allure her from the path where gleams the pure, white light of art. As she turns, thinking to live only for a little hour with her companions, the gates of the lighted realm, where few enter, close behind her. When she has wandered through the pleasures, which prove to be but the shadows of reality, the temple of that beautifully-tuned and soul-inspiring instrument is a wreck, and the angel-voice fled. Such is the result of neglecting that exacting sovereign, the goddess of music. She demands the consecration of the whole self, in return for the prize she offers. And none realised it better than Kate. So she gained the excellence of real attainment. After a brilliant career of seven years, she wearied of incessant travel, and longed to make her home in some quiet corner, away from the sound and whirl of the great busy world, and yet near enough to its heartbeats to feel the pulsation. She found such a spot near London, where she took her old mother, for whom she had an idolatrous love, and where she hoped to enjoy her life in semi-seclusion for a season. She furnished her gem of a house with rare taste, and filled it with souvenirs of the world she had conquered. There her mother fell ill, and demanded, in her nervous, irritable state, in which she would allow the service of no other nurse, constant, care from Kate. Often when Kate returned home late at night from some concert where she had been the idol of the hour, she would sit and hold her mother in her arms until the cold night air had chilled her to the very bone, for the invalid could not endure a fire in the room. No murmur fell from Kate's lips, and when the dear sufferer succumbed to the disease and passed quietly away, her grief was overwhelming. But joy trod on the heel of sorrow. A presence had come into her life which grew to be a part of it. He was one whom everybody admired; a man of culture and refinement, an able musical critic and no mean musician. He had won her heart, and they were soon to plight their vows sit the marriage altar. Some weeks after her mother's death, he departed one morning for Paris, with her kiss on his lips. In a few hours came the news that a channel steamer had collided and gone down with all on board. Her lover was among them! In a week's time she had left London for the Continent; six months later, she was seen again in the gay world of Paris: but her face was white and wan, and her spirit broken. Her musical studies were kept up, but her heart was not in her work; and when one night she appeared at the Theatre des Italiens, and received an ovation, she broke down at the end of the phrase, with stage fright. Without ambition to rise above this misfortune, she left the stage, her career ended. A few weeks later, impelled by a craving for new sights and surroundings, and a desire for rest far from the scenes of her triumphs and disasters, she arrived in Africa. CHAPTER EIGHT. HORSES AND RIDERS. Donald Laure grew more and more morose; some grief was silently preying on his mind. He could not sleep, and often walked the floor of his room during the weary hours of the night. He became at last so restless that he sought the society of a nature stronger than his own. This society he found in the company of Schwatka, who was now a daily visitor at the house. Dainty observed his altered appearance, but was unable to fathom its cause. As his manner grew more and more restrained toward her, she unconsciously turned to Schwatka, whose equable temperament seemed to invite her confidence and her friendship. Gradually the Austrian made himself a necessary factor in the lives of both husband and wife, and he was her constant attendant in her rides and drives over the veldt. All this time Dainty was only conscious that his presence made her supremely happy. He was always thoughtful of her welfare, always doing little acts of kindness, which, for the first time in his life, were spontaneous. She was a refreshing rest to his blase, worldly nature. When a man who has become selfish, and therefore cruel, in satisfying his own vanity, and pandering to his own appetites, meets with a fresh, guileless soul like Dainty's, he is at once enthralled, and, whether he admits it even to himself, sets about winning a new toy. Herr Schwatka's new delight was a constant surprise to him; and as he drew out forces in her nature, of whose latent existence he had been ignorant, she more and more revealed charming little traits of character, which had been hidden from Donald. She loved to ride, and heretofore Donald had always gladly accompanied her in these equestrian pleasures. But as solitude wrapped him up more and more, Schwatka began to take the place at her side. As soon as the outskirts of the town were reached, she would give rein to her horse, and together they would speed over the veldt. The colour came to her cheeks, and a sparkle to her eye, which made her look like an houri in the rosy morn. Kate Darcy's early morning ride was also her chief delight. Seated on her horse "Beauty," she would leave the camp locked in slumber, and scamper across the barren waste of country, to greet the first rays of the rising sun. Fearless and independent in all her actions, she had learned to rely on her own judgment, and to adapt herself to her surroundings. On several occasions she had seen a couple of equestrians appear on the horizon; and as the outline of their forms became visible, and she recognised Herr Schwatka and Dainty, with a word her horse would shoot away in an opposite direction. She knew human nature, and perceived that the Austrian was gaining a mental ascendency over her friend. Was this to be the beginning of the too-oft repeated story of mistaken love? If so she would avoid seeing a human spider weave his web at that beautiful hour of the day. So she would shake off a sensation of depression, and, in love with dear old Mother Nature, free as air she would bound away, until they were lost to view; only so restored to mental quiet. With swift and graceful motions, "Beauty" flew across the shrubless plain, and when she talked to him caressingly, he would shake his head and lift his ears with as much expression in them as in a coquette's eyes, and dash forward with a sense of untrammelled delight. As "Beauty" leaped ditches and hillocks, Kate would laugh aloud with the spirit of freedom which filled her; that spirit which fills the air of old Africa, with its spiky topped mountains and its barbaric elements, which exploration, civilisation, and Christianity have not conquered. The sleeping barbarian within wakens more or less in every human heart, attuned to nature, when in Africa. At times, the hollowness and baubles of civilisation, with its art and science, its looms, wheels, and fiery engines, its conventionalities and restrictions, contrasted with the sun-baths, health, and ignorance of disease, in the Zulu mind, with its contented pastoral existence, its adherence to the laws of morality, virtue, and cleanliness, suggests the question: "What is gained by civilisation?" On his arrival in England, old King Cetewayo innocently asked: "When Queen Victoria has all this, why does she want my poor little corner
{'title': 'An I.D.B. in South Africa by Louise Vescelius Sheldon', 'source': 'Project Gutenberg', 'lang': 'en'}