o to Assuan
early to-morrow and get your traps in order. I don't want a fright,
mind--the tourists dress like anything."

Meg laughed. "I'll do my best, but don't expect too much of travelled
garments."

While she was speaking quite naturally and with genuine interest about
the ball, a vision was forming itself before her eyes, her visitor of
the night before; the dark sad eyes and the emaciated face of the
heretic Pharaoh became extraordinarily clear. It usurped her mind so
completely that she found it difficult to pay attention to the subject
which she was discussing.

She tried to banish the influence, but failed. She had forgotten the
name which Michael gave to the God whom the Pharaoh had so greatly
loved. She could not even recollect the words of his message. Only
his luminous form and melancholy eyes were there in the sunlight before
her.

She began to wonder which vision was the more fantastic and unreal--the
picture which she had visualized of the grand ballroom in the
magnificent hotel at Assuan, filled with men and women in modern
evening dress, or the figure of the ancient Pharaoh, as he had come to
her in this barren valley in the western desert.

"Wake up, Meg!" Freddy said. "Dreaming seems infectious."

Meg knew what her brother meant. So did Mike.

"Don't forget that the practical Lampton mind is a jolly good thing.
That old drifter won't like living in a tent or a caravan, on twopence
a day, when he's sixty!" Freddy lit his cigarette; he had finished
breakfast. "You'll come, of course?" His eyes spoke to Mike. "Gad,
what a topping morning it is?"

"Rather!" Mike said abstractedly. "Unless you want me to stay here?"

"Carruthers will be all right here alone--he knows the place as well as
I do." Freddy's voice did not express much eagerness for Michael's
company at the ball, and Michael knew the reason. Freddy was unable to
decide in his own mind whether it was wiser to urge Mike to go and let
him see Meg as Freddy knew he would see her in all her pretty finery,
and let him enjoy the pleasure of her perfect dancing, or allow him to
stay behind and so avoid the risk of meeting the woman whom he knew
would be there. He had seen her name in the visitors' list in the
_Egyptian Gazette_. She was staying at the Cataract Hotel at Assuan.
He was so divided as to the wisdom of Michael's going or staying that
his response had lacked his usual note of sincerity.

"Then I'll go," Michael