He looked rather confused, and said somewhat
timidly that no doubt the General would allow me to go to Pretoria,
where I should find "pleasant ladies' society." Seeing my look of angry
surprise, he hastily added that he only wished he had a house of his own
to place at my disposal. I saw it was no use venting my annoyance on
this young man, who was civility itself, so I merely remarked I had no
intention of visiting their capital, and that the present was certainly
not a time for an English lady to travel alone in the Transvaal. To this
he gushingly agreed, but added that, of course, the General would give
me a proper escort. These words were quite enough to denote which way
the wind was blowing. I would not for an instant admit they had a right
to detain me or to send me to any place against my will, having come
there voluntarily, merely to ask the General a favour. I was therefore
conveniently blind and deaf, and, begging my amiable young friend to
submit Colonel Baden-Powell's suggestion to the Kriegsraad on the
following morning, and to apprise me of the result, I wished him
good-night, and went to bed once more on the wretched sofa, in anything
but a hopeful frame of mind. However, as is so often the case, my
spirits revived in the morning, and, on considering the situation, I
could not see what object the Transvaal authorities could have in
detaining me a prisoner.
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