Between Snow and Fire — page 235: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Le ‘EUSTACE BECOMES UNPOPULAR. Well, any fool could see that, one . ‘might have thought. Was there not a young and beautiful widow in the case— who would succeed to the dead man’s extremely comfort- able possessions, and whom, by this time, any one could see with half an eye, was desperately in love with the plotting and unscrupulous cousin? ‘That was motive enough, one would think. It was easy, morever, now to see through the predilection of that arch-schemer ifor their native neighbours and now enemies. It was all part of the plot. Doubtless he was even now sending them secret information and advice in re- turn for what they had done for him, It would be surpris- ing if he turned out anything better than a Kafir spy, were the real truth known. These amiable hints and innuendoes, sedulously buzzed around, were not long in reaching the object of them. But they affected his impenetrable self-ppssession about as much as the discharge of a pea-shooter might affect the back of the mail-plated armadillo. His philosophical mind saw no earthly reason for disturbing itself about any rumours which a pack of spiteful idiots might choose to set afloat. Hoste’s advice to him, to run two or three of these amiable gentry to earth and visit them with a good sound kicking, only made him laugh. Why should he mind what anybody said? If people chose to believe it they might—but if they didn’t they wouldn’t, and that was all about it. True, he was tempted, on one or two occasions, to follow his friend’s advice—and that was when Eanswyth was brought into the matter. But he remembered that you can- not strangle a wide-spread slander by force, and that short of the direst necessity the association in an ordinary row of any woman’s name is justifiable neither by expediency nor good taste. But he resolved to get her to move down to Swaanepoel’s Hoek at the very earliest opportunity. (Eo payicel exeyxe) - | = “ F ‘ a i ~ a i al : ., = ‘a a Py wey { a me 2 2 j A a