about the room.
The two of them stood together on the station platform. They did not
speak. Most of the previous day and night had been spent talking and
now there was nothing more to say. They stood together in quiet
companionship-and a stranger looking at them would have known
immediately they were father and son.
Though Michael was not as tall, and he was lean beside Sean's bulk-yet
the tone of the skin and the colour of the hair were the same.
Both had the big Courtney nose and their mouths were wide and
full-lipped.
'I'll telegraph as soon as I hit gold.' Sean had explained to Michael
in detail the financial structure of Lion Kop. He had told him how he
intended to find the money which would keep it from collapsing.
'I'll hold this end up. ' Michael was to begin cutting the wattle
which had survived the fire. They had ridden the previous afternoon
through the plantations and marked the blocks which were ripe for the
axe. 'Good luck, Uncle Sean.'
'Since we are working together now, Mike, I suggest YOU drop the
'Uncle.' It's too clumsy for everyday use.'
Michael grinned. 'Good luck, Sean.'
'Thanks, Mike.' They clasped hands, gripping hard, then Sean climbed
up into the coach.
Jackson was friendly but firm and Nichols at the Standard Bank was very
polite and full of sympathy. Sean caught the northbound train for
Johannesburg to fire his last two bullets.
'Colonel Courtney. How good to see you.' The reception clerk at
Candy's Hotel came round from behind his desk to greet Sean. 'We were
only talking about you last week. Welcome back to Johannesburg.'
'Hello, Frank. Putting on a little weight there, aren't you?', Sean
prodded his waistcoat and the man chuckled. 'Tell me, Frank, is Candy
. . . is Mrs. Rautenbach in?'
Ah! There've been some changes since you left, sir. ' The clerk
grinned with just a trace of malice. 'It's not Mrs. Rautenbach any
longer. No, sir. Mrs. Heyns-Mrs. Jock Heyns now!'
'Good God! She married Jock!
'That she did. Two weeks ago-biggest wedding in Jo'burg since the war.
Two thousand guests.'
Where is she now?'
'On the water. Off to England and the Continent for six months'
honeymoon.'
'I hope she'll be happy,' Sean murmured softly, remembering the
loneliness he had seen in her eyes when he left.
'With all Mr. Heyns's money? How can she be otherwise?'
the clerk asked in genuine surprise.
'Will you be staying, Colonel?'
'If you have a room.'
'We always have a room for our friends. How long, sir?
'Two days, Frank.'
Tim Curtis was Chief Engineer on the City Deep. When Sean spoke to him
