ar music of an _'ood_ or lute; the deep note of the native
drums had been silenced. It had given way to the song of an Arab
tenor. The music of the _'ood_, whose seven double strings, made of
lamb's gut, are played with a slip of a vulture's feather, drifted
through the clear air. The tenor song was an outpouring of a lover's
full heart. The passion of the night had triumphed.

At their feet lay the black rocks and the swirling waters of Egypt's
Aegean and the buried city of Syene, and in the distance, yet surely
affecting their senses with its tragedy and grace, was Philae, the
fairy sanctuary of the Nile. In the submerged temple of Philae lies
the bridal chamber of the beloved Osiris and his wife Isis.

None of all this was lost upon Michael, whose nature was ever tuned to
the concert pitch of his surroundings. Assuan affected him as a
gorgeous orchestra affects a lover of Wagner.

But the sound of the hotel band, bringing a waltz to a close, made Mrs.
Mervill leave her lounge-chair and seat herself circumspectly on a more
upright one. Michael did not sit down; he wandered about, speaking to
her abruptly and unhappily at brief intervals.

She was answering one of his questions when Margaret Lampton, flushed
and radiant with the excitement of dancing, came upon the scene; her
partner was a little behind her. Mrs. Mervill neither saw her nor
heard her footsteps; Michael had both seen and heard her. Margaret,
thinking that he was alone, walked quickly towards him. Suddenly she
heard a hidden voice say caressingly,

"I will promise you anything you like, Michael mine, and keep it, too,
if you will try to see me as often as ever you can. Remember how
lonely I am, and that I shall live for your visits."

Margaret stopped. Egypt had become as cold as the Arctic. She felt
lost. Her intention had been to remind Michael that it was almost
supper-time. Her partner was now by her side. He knew Michael Amory
and spoke to him.

Mrs. Mervill had risen from her chair and as she came forward, Margaret
hated her, even while she thought that she was the fairest and most
beautiful thing she had ever seen. Michael introduced the two women to
each other, excellent foils as they were in their beauty and type.

As Margaret gave one of her steadfast honest looks right into the eyes
of the delicately-tinted woman in front of her, she was conscious of an
appalling dislike and fear of her. She was equally conscious of t