Wagner remained silent; for all that was now going on appeared to him to tally with the rumour Van Roeken had mentioned to him. Lockhaart, he knew, was very rich, and it was but too probable that he might propose to Dora. In short, he could hardly avoid arriving at the bitter conviction, that if he were to offer himself she would now refuse him, and this is all through Van Roeken's folly.

Wagner, sat rather backward, gloomily meditating for some time, until his moody reverie was disturbed by the stoppage of the carriage at a small building, where several Malays were waiting with fresh horses.

"Well," said Van Straaten, turning round to Dora. "How does our foster-child like the appearance of the country?”

“Oh, it is charming; I never thought it would come up to this. How beautiful it all is! But since we left the suburbs, with their clusters of villas, I have not observed a single habitation."

"You are mistaken, my dear, if you suppose there are no houses to be met with in the country," said Madame Van Straaten. "In every plantation there is a village, but it is generally concealed from observation by the density of the surrounding foliage.”

“What is that frame yonder with a basket upon it?" "Oh, that basket contains a boy, placed there to keep the birds off the rice.

"What a boy in that basket?" exclaimed old Katherine, who had been so lost in astonishment, that she had not spoken a word till now

“Yes, indeed there is, although not a very big one. But look at that flock of birds rising from yonder fields; the boy has just pulled the cord connected with the clapper."

"But now they have gone into another field," said Katherine.

"Yes, but as it belongs to some one else, the boy will not trouble himself about them."

The Malays just at this moment hastily alighted, and set about thrashing and even throwing stones at the horses. Old Katherine thought this very cruel, for the poor beasts had done their work well, and as they were now going up hill, they could not be expected to go so fast. But Madame Van Straaten, more accustomed to the manners of the natives, was soon able to explain the cause of this violent proceeding. Just before them, on the road, was a carriage with four horses, and the drivers of their party considered it a point of honour to overtake the other vehicle if possible.

But the driver of the carriage ahead soon heard the clatter of the wheels of the other two rapidly approaching The rivalry now grew furious. The respective coachmen whipped their horses, and the boedjangs ran on each side and threw stones and bits of wood at them; and hit them with small whips they carried in their belts, till the poor animals were almost goaded to madness.

Whether our friends' horses were superior to those of the party that preceded them, or their boedjangs sharper, we are unable to determine, but in a short time the two last carriages passed the first one, which contained four Dutch officers. The uproar caused by three carriages tearing along, naturally drew forth from their houses all the Malays in the village they passed through, and they appeared thunder-struck at the horrible din.

When Van Straaten's party overtook the carriage con

taining the officers, they all bowed, and old Lock haart remarked, turning to Wagner,

"There is Captain Bernstoff sure enough. But what the devil can these officers be doing here?"

"I'll tell you," said Van Straaten : "Yesterday a detachment of recruits marched off to Buitenzorg, and these are their officers, who know better than to march thither under the scorching sun.”

The two carriages still drove on at a rapid pace, and soon left that containing the officers far behind. They were now fast approaching the chain of volcanic mountains, which stretches nearly across the island, from the east to west. Soon the outline of these volcanoes became distinctly visible; and large forests, and comfortable gardens—in the midst of which were the white houses of Europeans, gradually came in sight.

After passing through the Chinese quarter of Buitenzorg our party came up to a detachment of soldiers, who had halted on the road, and had thrown themselves under the shade of some lofty trees to rest their wearied frames.

These soldiers were a strange conglomeration of men: Malays, Javanese, negroes, mulattoes, and even white men, all looking uncomfortable in their light blue uniforms. A few itinerant venders of refreshments had just arrived on the spot, in the hope of getting hold of the few miserable doits the poor soldiers still possessed.

Among the soldiers was a young man with black hair, who lay stretched out under a tree, with his head resting on his hand. Just as the second carriage passed by, he happened to turn round, and the moment he caught sight of its inmates, he sprang up; but the vehicle had then shot by, and was rapidly disappearing, enveloped in a cloud of dust.

"Oh no! it cannot be," said he to himself; "I might just as well expect to see her in the moon as in India. This is another blow of fate to remind me of my past follies!"

The ladies in the carriage gave a momentary glance at the soldiers, as they dashed past them, but they were now near their present place of destination, and very soon after the carriages drew up in front of the Bellevue Hotel, and while the tired horses were being unharnessed, the gentlemen came forward to assist the ladies out of the carriage.

It had been arranged that they were to stop in Buitenzorg a day or two, to see what was worth notice there, and afterwards to proceed leisurely on their intended journey into the interior.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

A RENCONTRE.

It is customary for travellers in tropical climates, when they reach a resting-place in their journey, to take a bath immediately on their arrival, and then to partake of a copious repast.

Our excursionists followed the usual routine, and after having gone through the first act of refreshment reassembled in a cool and shady arbour, to imbibe coffee, and admire the beauty of the surrounding scenery.

Van Straaten had two old friends in Buitenzorg, whom he had promised to visit at the first opportunity. He wished Dora to accompany his wife and himself in paying this friendly visit; Lockhaart, had refused to waste his time in that way, as he called it, and Wagner also made an excuse, for Lockhaart had asked him to give him his company for half an hour, as he had something to say to him. Poor old Katherine would thus have been left quite alone, the whole afternoon, if she had not luckily met with a German cook, with whom she immediately struck up a temporary acquaintance.

The landlord was a native of Holland; but his wife was German, and was consequently desirous of engaging German servants whenever she could. Under these cir

cumstances, old Katherine found herself in clover, and, taking up a station in the kitchen, derived no little satisfaction from conversing with some one who could understand what she said.

As it is customary in Java, as well as most other