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At any rate to me there seemed something beautiful about the meeting of these two. The influence of Miss Heda in the house was felt at once. The boys became smarter and put on clean clothes. Vases of flowers appeared in the various rooms; ours was turned out and cleaned, a disagreeable process so far as we were concerned.
"I mean," I whispered back, "that we might both be tried and, if Footsack should chance to appear and give evidence, find ourselves in an awkward position. Also there is another witness Kaatje, and for the matter of that, Heda herself. Of course her evidence would be in our favour, but to make it understood by a jury she would have to explain a great deal of which she might prefer not to speak.
It was short, but properly drawn, signed, and witnessed, and bequeathed a sum of #9,000, which was on deposit at the Standard Bank, together with all his other property, real and personal, to Heda for her own sole use, free from the debts and engagements of her husband, should she marry. Also she was forbidden to spend more than #1,000 of the capital. In short the money was strictly tied up.
Yet it seemed incredible that Heda, whom Kaatje had seen dead some days before, could be masquerading in such a part and make no sign of recognition to me, even when I covered her with my pistol, whereas that Nombe would play it was likely enough. Only then Nombe must be something of a quick-change artist since but a little while before she was beyond doubt personating the dead Mameena.
"Was he murdered or did he commit suicide?" he asked when I had finished. "I don't know, and to tell you the truth I don't want to know; nor will you if you are wise, unless knowledge is forced upon you. It is enough that he is dead, and for his daughter's sake the less the circumstances of his end are examined into the better." "Poor Heda!" he said again, "who will tell her? I can't.
Quatermain, as neither her venerated parent nor her loving fiance, for such I gather he is, seems to be about, you had better go and give her a hand." I obeyed with a groan, heartily wishing that Heda hadn't happened, since some sense warned me that she would only add to the present complications.
"I do not think it safe to leave them here." "You, of course," said Anscombe, while Heda nodded. So with a groan I consigned all these valuables to my capacious pockets. Then I locked up the empty safe, replaced the keys where I had found them on Marnham, fastened the shutter and left the room with Anscombe, waiting for a while outside till Heda joined us, sobbing a little.
He stood for a few seconds like a man who is dazed. It occurred to me that it might have come into his mind with Marnham's death that he had lost his hold over Heda. But if so he said nothing of it, but only asked "Will you go instead of me?" "On the whole I think not," I replied, "and if I did, the story I should have to tell might not tend to your advantage."
But the question is, how can you marry her?" "Oh! something will happen," he replied optimistically. "You are quite right there. Something will certainly happen, but the point is what? Something was very near happening when I turned up on that stoep, so near that I think it was lucky for you, or for Miss Heda, or both, that I have learned how to handle a pistol.
Then I put on my coat and my boots which Anscombe had greased as he had no blacking, and crept from the hut. There, only a few yards away, engaged in setting the breakfast in the shadow of another hut on a tanned hide that served for a tablecloth while Kaatje saw to the cooking close by, I found Heda, still a little pale and sorrowful but otherwise quite well and rested.
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