.

A cold shudder ran through her at the thought; and her fears were only
too well founded: the black Arab who had come to parley with her, and had
finally allowed her to remain under this roof till next day, had told her
as much through the interpreter. A fearful, horrible, nameless
catastrophe! And that she should be in the midst of it and have to see it
all!

Then her husband, her poor Justinus! How hard this would fall on him! She
could not cease weeping; and before she fell asleep she prayed fervently
indeed, to the saints and the dear Mother of God, that they would bring
all to a happy issue. She closed her eyes on the thought: "What a
misfortune!" and she woke to it again early in the morning.

She, however, had known nothing of the worst horrors of that fatal night.

A troop of Arab soldiers had crossed the Nile at nightfall, some on foot
or on horseback and some in boats, led by Obada the Vekeel, and had
invested the governor's residence. When they had fully assured themselves
that Orion was indeed absent they took Nilus prisoner. It was then
Obada's business to inform the Mukaukas' widow of what had happened, and
to tell her that she must quit the house next day. This must be done,
because he had views of his own as to what was to become of the venerable
house of the oldest family in the country.

Neforis was still up, and when the interpreter was announced as Obada's
forerunner, she was in the fountain-room. He found her a good deal
excited; for, although she was incapable of any consecutive train of
thought and, when her mind was required to exert itself, her ideas only
came like lightning-flashes through her brain, she had observed that
something unusual was going on. Sebek and her maid had evaded her
enquiries, and would say no more than that Amru's representative had come
to speak with the young master. It seemed to be something important,
perhaps some false accusation.

The interpreter now explained that Orion himself was accused of having
planned and aided an enterprise which had cost the lives of twelve Arab
soldiers; and, as she knew, any injury inflicted even on a single Moslem
by an Egyptian was punished by death and the confiscation of his goods.
Besides this, her son was accused of a robbery.

At the close of this communication, to which Neforis listened with a
vacant stare, horrified and at last almost crushed, the interpreter
begged that she would grant the Vekeel an audience.

"Not jus