.

When the water-wagtail was at home again and alone in her room, she said
to herself, with calm satisfaction, that she had now contrived something
which would spoil several days for Orion and for Paula, and that might
prove even fatal, so far as she was concerned.

CHAPTER VIII.

Nilus had performed his errand well, and Rufinus was forced to admit that
Orion had done his part and had planned the enterprise with so much care
and unselfishness that his personal assistance could be dispensed with.
Under these circumstances he scarcely owed the young man a grudge for
placing himself at the service of his Byzantine friends; still, his not
coming to the house disturbed and vexed him, less on his own account, or
that of the good cause, than for Paula's sake, for her feelings towards
Orion had remained no secret to him or his wife.

Dame Joanna, indeed, felt the young man's conduct more keenly than
Rufinus; she would have been glad to withhold her husband from the
enterprise, whose dangers now appeared to her frightened soul tenfold
greater than they were. But she knew that the Nile would flow backwards
before she could dissuade him from keeping his promise to the abbess, so
she forced herself to preserve at any rate outward composure.

Before Paula, Rufinus declared that Orion was fully justified and he
loudly praised the young man's liberality in providing the Nile-boat and
the vessel for the sea-voyage, and such admirable substitutes for
himself. Pulcheria was delighted with her father's undertaking; she only
longed to go with him and help him to save her dear nuns. The
ship-builder had brought with him, besides his sons, three other Greeks
of the orthodox confession, shipwrights like himself, who were out of
work in consequence of the low ebb of the Nile, which had greatly
restricted the navigation. Hence they were glad to put a hand to such a
good work, especially as it would be profitable, too, for Orion had
provided the old man with ample funds.

As the evening grew cooler after sundown Paula had got better. She did
not, indeed, know what to think of Orion's refusal to start. First she
was grieved, then she rejoiced; for it certainly preserved him from great
perils. In the early days after his return from Constantinople she had
heard his praise of the senator's kindness and hospitality, in which the
Mukaukas, who had pleasant memories of the capital, heartily joined. He
must, of course, be glad to be able t