"You don’t know _how_ I feel the idea of parting with mother. I love her better than any one in the world, better than you, John. She never says anything, but I know she is dreadfully unhappy at the idea of my going away so far and for so long. But then, I tell her, we can’t _all_ be old maids. Father isn’t rich enough to keep us all at home, and I don’t want to go on working at a National school all my life.... Oh, by the bye, talking of mother, I had something so pleasant to tell you. What do you think Lord Silchester has done? You know mother was maid to old Lady Silchester? Well, when father went the other day to see Mr. Parkins about a gate he met his lordship walking out of the agent’s office. They got into conversation and father told him I was going out next year to marry you in Africa. And last Wednesday mother got a letter written by Lord Silchester himself, saying he had not forgotten her faithful care of his mother and would she give the enclosed to her daughter, out of which she might buy a wedding present, something to remember Lord Silchester by when she got out to Africa. And there were four five-pound notes in the envelope. Mother was so pleased she positively _cried_." "Yes. That was very kind of his lordship. I must tell my mother when I get back to-night. It may cheer her up." "Oh, every one has been very nice about my engagement. The Miss Calthrops, where I was at school in Reading, told me they were working at some æsthetic mantel-borders for our house in Africa...." "Mantel-borders! Why, we shan’t have any mantel-pieces!" "No mantel-pieces? No fireplaces?" "Only a fire for cooking, in the kitchen, and that will be outside." "Oh well, then, we must put them to some other use; I couldn’t wound their feelings by saying we didn’t want them." "Lucy, you mustn’t imagine you are going to live in a mansion in Africa. Our home will be only a cottage built of bamboo and mud and tree-stems roughly trimmed, with a thatched or a corrugated-iron roof. I don’t suppose it will contain more than four rooms—a bedroom, a bathroom, a sitting-room, a store and an outside kitchen." "Well, but even a log-hut might be made pretty inside, with some ’art’ draperies and cushions and a few Japanese fans. I mean to make our home as pretty as possible. Shall we have a garden?" "Oh, I daresay—a kitchen garden, certainly. For the Mission Committee wants to encourage the planting of vegetables and even some degree of farming, so that we may live as much as possible on local products. We are taking out spades and hoes and rakes in plenty, a small plough, an incubator, and any amount of useful seeds." "I’m sure," said Lucy, still musing, "there ought to be lovely wild flowers in Africa and beautiful ferns, too. I mean to have a little wild garden of my own, and I shall press the flowers and send them to mother in my letters."