In the Land of the Long White Cloud

Or did he hold it against him that he was then forced to marry Barbara? No, that would be too horrible!” Fleur had turned pale. Dramatic tales always struck a chord with her.
    “Anyway, those are the secrets of Kiward Station,” Ruben concluded. “And in spite of this legacy, we want to go before my father and your grandfather soon and tell them we want to get married. Auspicious beginning, don’t you think?” He laughed bitterly.
    Even less auspicious when Gerald got wind of it beforehand, thought Paul with perverse delight. This excursion into the foothills had proved more fruitful than he ever could have hoped. But for the time being, he had to plot his escape. Noiselessly he skulked back to his horse.

2
    P aul reached the O’Keefes’ farm as class ended. He did not dare cross Helen’s path, so he waited around the first bend for the other children from Kiward Station. Marama smiled happily at him and climbed up behind him on the pony without asking any questions.
    Tonga observed this with an ill-humored countenance. That Paul possessed a steed, while he had to walk the long way to school or take up residence with another tribe during the school year, was salt in his wounds. In general, he preferred doing the former because Tonga liked to be in the middle of the action and didn’t want to lose his enemy from his sight for a moment. Marama’s friendliness toward Paul was another thorn in his side. He felt her fondness for the boy was a betrayal—a view that few of the adults in his tribe shared. For the Maori, Paul was Marama’s adopted brother whom she naturally loved. They did not view the
pakeha
as adversaries, nor did their children. Tonga, however, was beginning to see things differently. He had recently begun to covet many of the things that Paul and the other whites took for granted. He would have loved to own horses, books, and colorful toys and to live in a house like Kiward Station. His family and his tribe—Marama included—did not understand that, but Tonga felt betrayed.
    “I’m telling Miss O’Keefe that you cut class!” he called to his archenemy from behind as Paul trotted away. But Paul only laughed. Tonga ground his teeth with rage. He probably wouldn’t tell. It was not fitting for a chieftain’s son to lower himself to tattling. The mild punishment Paul would receive was not worth it.
    “So where were you?” Marama asked in her singsong voice after the riders had distanced themselves sufficiently from Tonga. “Miss O’Keefe was looking for you.”
    “I was learning secrets,” Paul explained importantly. “You won’t believe what I found out!”
    “Did you find a treasure?” Marama asked quietly. It did not sound like it was going to be of much interest to her. Like most Maori, she did not make much of the things that
pakeha
viewed as valuable. If someone had held up a gold bar and a jade stone to Marama, she probably would have chosen the latter.
    “No, I just said, a secret! About Ruben and Fleur. They’re doing it!” Paul waited expectantly for an admiring reaction from Marama. Which did not materialize.
    “Oh, I already knew they were making love. Everyone knows that,” Marama replied calmly. She probably thought it completely natural that the two of them expressed their feelings physically. A rather loose sexual morality prevailed among the Maori. As long as a couple made love in private, no one paid much attention. If they set up a bed together in the meetinghouse, then a marriage was considered consummated. It all transpired without any fanfare and generally without much negotiating by the parents. A big wedding celebration was unusual.
    “But they can’t get married!” Paul raised the stakes. “Because of an old feud between my grandfather and Ruben’s father.”
    Marama laughed. “But Mr. Warden and Mr. O’Keefe aren’t the ones getting married, silly; Ruben and Fleur are!”
    Paul snorted. “You don’t understand. This is about family honor! Fleur is betraying her ancestors.”
    Marama wrinkled her brow. “What do the ancestors have to do with it? The ancestors watch over us; they want the best for us. You can’t betray them. At least I don’t think so. At least I’ve never heard of such a thing. Besides, there hasn’t been any talk of a wedding.”
    “Well, there will be,” Paul declared spitefully. “As soon as I tell Grandfather about Fleur and Ruben, there’ll be plenty of talk of it. Believe me!”
    Marama sighed. She just