The President, in the novel experience of receiving a letter from an English lady, had sent for the American Consul, and had handed him both epistles without a remark of any kind, beyond asking him to deal with them.

Thus the missive finally reached its destination.

This visitor had hardly departed when another was announced in the person of a Dr.Scholtz, whom, with his wife, I had met at Groot Schuurr as Mr.Rhodes's friends.
This gentleman, who is since dead, had always seemed to me somewhat of an enigmatical personage.

German by origin, he combined strong sympathies with the Boers and fervent Imperialism, and I was therefore always a little doubtful as to his real sentiments.

He came very kindly on this occasion to pay a friendly call, but also to inform me that he was playing a prominent part in the abortive peace negotiations which at that stage of the war were being freely talked about.