Between Snow and Fire — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

q 78 ‘TWEEN SNOW AND FIRE. begun yet. By the time it’s ended, we shall have a longish bill to pay—and a good many vacant chairs at various household tables. Fair play zs fair play—even between oar exalted selves and ‘a lot of red-blanket niggers.’ ” “ Milne is right, Carhayes,” struck in Hoste. “ Milne is right so far. Kafirs have got long memories, and I, for one, don’t blame old Kreli for snapping his fingers at the Governor. But I don’t agree with him that we haven't treated him fairly on the whole. Hang it, what have they got to complain of ?” “I don’t say they have anything in that line,” said Eus- tace. “‘ My remark about treating them fairly was only in answer to what Tom suggested. Still, I think it a mis- take to have located the Fingoes and Gcalékas next door to each other, with a mere artificial boundary between. It was safe to produce a shindy sooner or later.” Thus the ball of conversation rolled on. Carhayes, ex- cited over the prospect of hostilities, took a glass or two of grog more than was good for him, and waxed extremely ar- gumentative as they adjourned to the sfoep for an al fresco smoke. So he and his guest began, continued, and ended the campaign according to a great diversity of plans, each highly satisfactory to its originators and proportionately disastrous to the dark-skinned enemy. In this conversation Eanswyth did not join. The sweet and soothing influences of the day just passed filled her mind—and all this noisy talk jarred upon her. To her also the prospect of the coming campaign was a welcome one. After the events of the last twenty-four hours to goon living as heretofore would be a terrible strain. Her newly awakened love for the one man was so overwhelming as to engender in her a proportionate feeling of aversion towards the other. It was afearful position. Thetemporary separa- tion involved by the campaign would be more than welcome. But separation from the one meant separation from the other. ‘That was not welcome. And that other—what if he were to fall? He was so fearless—-so foolhardy and confident. What if he under- took some insane mission and was treacherously murdered ? —QO Heaven—what would life be without him now? And a rush of tears brimmed to her eyes at the mere thought. Eustace, who had remained behind for a moment, to light his pipe, looked up and caught her glance. (EOP aCe exe) cS (E(o) m