THE WEDDING The marriage morning of Ralph and Suzanne broke brightly; never have I seen a fairer.

It was spring time, and the veldt was clothed with the fresh green grass and starred everywhere with the lily blooms that sprang among it.

The wind blew softly, shaking down the dewdrops from the growing corn, while from every bush and tree came the cooing of unnumbered doves.

Beneath the eave of the _stoep_ the pair of red-breasted swallows which had built there for so many years were finishing their nest, and I watched them idly, for to me they were old friends, and would wheel about my head, touching my cheek with their wings.

Just then they paused from their task, or perhaps it was at length completed, and flying to a bough of the peach tree a few yards away, perched there together amidst the bright bloom, and nestling against each other, twittered forth their song of joy and love.
It was at this moment that Sihamba walked up to the _stoep_ as though to speak to me.
"The Swallow and the Swallow's mate," she said, following my eyes to where the little creatures swung together on the beautiful bough.
"Yes," I answered, for her fancy seemed to me of good omen, "they have built their nest, and now they are thanking God before they begin to live together and rear their young in love." As the words left my lips a quick shadow swept across the path of sunlit ground before the house, two strong wings beat, and a brown hawk, small but very fierce, being of a sort that preys upon small birds, swooped downwards upon the swallows.