One day, in the course of a walk, John and Jess crossed the little bridge that spanned the _sluit_ and went in to inspect the place.

Passing down a path lined on either side with young blue gums, they reached the little tin-roofed cottage.

It consisted of two rooms--a bedroom and a good-sized sitting-room, in which still stood a table and a few chairs, with a stable and a kitchen at the back.

They went in, sat down by the open door and looked out.

The garden of the cottage sloped down towards a valley, on the farther side of which rose a wooded hill.