no friendship so intimate and satisfying as that
engendered by community of work, and none--between man and woman, at
any rate--so frank and wholesome.

Every day had arrived to find a pile of books with the places duly
marked and the blue-covered quarto notebooks in readiness. Every day
we had worked steadily at the allotted task, had then handed in the
books and gone forth together to enjoy a most companionable tea in the
milkshop; thereafter to walk home by way of Queen Square, talking over
the day's work and discussing the state of the world in the far-off
days when Ahkhenaten was kind [Transcriber's note: king?] and the
Tell-el-Amarna tablets were a-writing.

It had been a pleasant time, so pleasant, that as I handed in the books
for the last time, I sighed to think that it was over; that not only
was the task finished, but that the recovery of my fair patient's hand,
from which I had that morning removed the splint, had put an end to the
need of my help.

"What shall we do?" I asked, as we came out into the central hall. "It
is too early for tea. Shall we go and look at some of the galleries?"

"Why not?" she answered. "We might look over some of the things
connected with what we have been doing. For instance, there is a
relief of Ahkhenaten upstairs in the Third Egyptian Room; we might go
and look at it."

I fell in eagerly with the suggestion, placing myself under her
experienced guidance, and we started by way of the Roman Gallery, past
the long row of extremely commonplace and modern-looking Roman Emperors.

"I don't know," she said, pausing for a moment opposite a bust labelled
"Trajan" (but obviously a portrait of Phil May), "how I am ever even to
thank you for all that you have done, to say nothing of repayment."

"There is no need to do either," I replied. "I have enjoyed working
with you so I have had my reward. But still," I added, "if you want to
do me a great kindness, you have it in your power."

"How?"

"In connection with my friend, Doctor Thorndyke. I told you he was an
enthusiast. Now he is, for some reason, most keenly interested in
everything relating to your uncle, and I happen to know that, if any
legal proceedings should take place, he would very much like to keep a
friendly eye on the case."

"And what do you want me to do?"

"I want you, if an opportunity should occur for him to give your father
advice or help of any kind, to use your influence with your father in
fa