He had never met a man quite like him before.
Nor was this friendship unreciprocated, for his host took a wonderful fancy to John Niel.
"You see, my dear," he explained to his niece Bessie, "he is quiet, and he doesn't know much about farming, but he's willing to learn, and such a gentleman.

Now, where one has Kafirs to deal with, as on a place like this, you must have a _gentleman_.

Your mean white will never get anything out of a Kafir; that's why the Boers kill them and flog them, because they can't get anything out of them without.

But you see Captain Niel gets on well enough with the 'boys.' I think he'll do, my dear, I think he'll do," and Bessie quite agreed with him.

And so it came to pass that after this six weeks' trial the bargain was struck finally, and John paid over his thousand pounds, becoming the owner of a third interest in Mooifontein.
Now it is not possible, in a general way, for a man of John Niel's age to live in the same house with a young and lovely woman like Bessie Croft without running more or less risk of entanglement.