fluttering flame of the match.
'Dad! Dad!' Dirk came pelting out into the tiny clearing,
'Dad, how many did you get?'
'TWo,' said Sean.
'Only two? ' And Dirk's voice went flat with disappointment and shame.
'Even Reverend Smiley beat you hollow. He got four!
Ruth returned to Pietermaritzburg the afternoon following the hunt.
Sean insisted on accompanying her home. Ada, Dirk and a dozen of the
friends Ruth had made during the week were at the station to see them
leave. Sean was trying to detach Ruth from the earnest discussion into
which all women seemed to fall on the eve of a major parting. His
repeated,
'You'd better get aboard, my dear,' and
'The flag's up, Ruth,' were studiously ignored by all of them, until he
found it necessary to take Ruth's arm and bundle her up into the coach.
Her head reappeared instantly at the window to take up the discussion
at the exact point where Sean had interrupted it. Sean was about to
follow her when he saw Dirk. With a stab of guilt Sean realized how,
blatantly he had neglected Dirk during the week.
'Cheerio, Dirkie,' Sean called gruilly and the boy flew at him and
wound his arms tightly around Sean's neck.
'Come on, Dirk. I'll be back tomorrow morning.
'I want to go with you.'
'You have school tomorrow.' Sean tried to loosen Dirk's hold. The
women were watching in silence now, and Sean felt himself flushing With
embarrassment. God, he's not a baby anymore, he's nearly fifteen. He
tried to keep his irritation from showing in his voice as he whispered:
'Stop that now. What will people think of you?'
'Take me with you, Dad. Please take me,' and Dirk quivered against
him. The whistle blew and with voluble relief the women turned away
and began talking all at once.
'Do you think I'm proud of you when you act like this? Sean hissed at
him. 'Now, behave yourself and shake hands properly. ' Dirk clutched
his hand, with the tears filling his eyes.
'Stop it this instant! ' Sean turned abruptly and swung himself up
into the coach as the train jerked forward and started sliding out of
the platform.
Dirk took a few indeterminate paces after it and then stopped with his
shoulders shaking uncontrollably, his eyes still fastened on Sean's
face as it protruded from the window.
'Your father will be back tomorrow, Dirkie. ' Ada laid her hand
consolingly on Dirk's shoulder.
'He doesn't love me,' whispered Dirk. 'He never even . .
'Of course he does,' Ada interrupted quickly. , It was just that he
was so... But Dirk did not wait for her to finish. He shrugged her
hand away, spun round and jumped blindly from the Platform On to the
tracks, ducked through the barbed, wire fence beyond and ran out across
the fields to intercept the train as it made its first long turn on to
the slope of the escarpment.
He ran with his face contorted, and the harsh grass brushing his legs,
