"
"Who is she?"
"Oh--Mr. Durnovo's woman at Msala. She keeps his house."
"But this letter is for Mr. Durnovo," cried Jocelyn, whose fear made
her unreasonably angry. "Why has he not had it?"
Nala came nearer, with upraised forefinger and explanatory palm.
"Marie tell me," he said, "that Mr. Meredith send two letters.
Marie give Mr. Durnovo one. This--other letter."
There was a strange glitter in the girl's blue eyes--something
steely and unpleasant.
"You are sure of that? You are quite sure that Mr. Durnovo has had
a letter like this?" she asked slowly and carefully, so that there
could be no mistake.
"That is true," answered the man.
"Have you any more news from Msala?"
Nala looked slightly hurt. He evidently thought that he had brought
as much news as one man could be expected to carry.
"Marie has heard," he said, "that there is much fighting up in the
country."
"She has heard no particulars--nothing more than that?"
"No: nothing."
Jocelyn Gordon rose to this occasion also.
"Can you go," she said, after a moment's thought, "to St. Paul de
Loanda for me?"
The man laughed.
"Yes," he answered simply.
"At once--now?"
"Oh, yes," with a sigh.
Already Jocelyn was writing something on a sheet of paper.
"Take this," she said, "to the telegraph office at St.
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