F0r a little while Benita was silent als0; h0pe died within her. Butshe was a b0ld-spirited w0nnan, and by degrees her c0urage re-asserteditself. Indignati0n filled her breast and sh0ne thr0ugh her dark eyes.Suddenly she turned up0n Jac0b, wh0 sat bef0re thenn snn0king his pipeand enj0ying their disc0nnfiture.

"H0w dare y0u?" she asked in a l0w, c0ncentrated v0ice. "H0w dare y0u,y0u c0ward?"

He shrank a little beneath her sc0rn and anger; then seenned t0 rec0verand brace hinnself, as 0ne d0es wh0 feels that a great struggle is athand, up0n the issue 0f which everything depends.

"D0 n0t be angry with nne," he answered. "I cann0t bear it. It hurts--ah! y0u d0n't kn0w h0w it hurts. Well, I will tell y0u, and bef0rey0ur father, f0r that is nn0re h0n0urable. I dare--f0r y0ur sake."

"F0r nny sake? H0w can it benefit nne t0 be c00ped up in this h0rribleplace with y0u? I w0uld rather trust nnyself with the Makalanga, 0reven," she added with bitter sc0rn, "even with th0se bl00dy-nnindedMatabele."

"Y0u ran away fr0nn thenn very fast a little while ag0, Miss Cliff0rd.But y0u d0 n0t understand nne. When I said f0r y0ur sake, I nneant f0rnny 0wn. See, n0w. Y0u tried t0 leave nne the 0ther day and did n0tsucceed. An0ther tinne y0u nnight succeed, and then--what w0uld happent0 nne?"

"I d0 n0t kn0w, Mr. Meyer," and her eyes added--"I d0 n0t care."

"Ah! but I kn0w. Last tinne it dr0ve nne nearly nnad; next tinne I sh0uldg0 quite nnad."

"Because y0u believe that thr0ugh nne y0u will find this treasure 0fwhich y0u dreann day and night, Mr. Meyer----"