nd and talked together, of the nature of their
conversation.

Their blue shirts looked like turquoise in the sunlight, and their
little white crochet skull-caps showed to advantage the fine outline of
their dark heads. They were certainly handsome young rascals, with an
inherited grace of manner.

How her clean, healthy mind would have abhorred and hated them if she
had understood their ceaseless chatter! It was like the noise of
starlings on a spring morning. In Egypt, where ignorance is bliss, it
is certainly folly to be wise. In the East, the inquiring mind,
especially in domestic matters, is often its own enemy.

To Margaret, Egypt held for the time being nothing which was unclean or
unlovely, nothing which was bettered by ignorance. She was lost in its
light and mystery. In the Theban valley it seemed as if she would live
on light, that it would supply food for both soul and body. In Egypt
God is made manifest in the sun.

CHAPTER III

Margaret had been shown over the "estate"; her modest luggage had been
deposited in her bedroom, in which she was now standing, with her arm
linked in her brother's.

When she had approved of everything and had told him about her journey,
she gave his arm a little hug.

"Oh, Freddy, it's good to be with you again! You were a brick to let
me come."

Freddy slid his arm round her shoulders and pressed her closer to him.

"It's topping having you, old girl, but you mustn't mind if I leave you
an awful lot alone--I can't help it."

"I know you can't, and if I stew up a bit, you may find work which I
can do. I'd love to help."

"Oh, don't fear--I'll find lots for you to do."

She looked at him eagerly, with a touching humility. "What sort of
work?"

"Cleaning and sorting out the small finds which the workmen bring in
each night, and you could help Mike to do some copying--it's not
difficult, and sometimes the colours vanish when they are exposed to
the light. He can't get the things done all at one time."

"I see," Margaret said, but in her mind there was a horrible jumble.

"Sometimes I want Mike to help me--we're awfully short of hands just
now--I mean, for hands that you can absolutely trust, so if you get
into the thing you could do some of Mike's work and let him off."

"I'd love to, and you know my capability as well as anyone, so if you
think I could I'll do my best."

"You'll soon know as much as Mike did when he came here, and your
painting