k Miss
Beecher?"

The lady made no reply. "Miss Beecher is a beautiful girl," said
Lady Claire hastily. "She's _so_ beautiful that I suppose we are all
rather curious about her--of course people _will_ ask about a girl
like that!"

"Of course," said Billy, and Lady Claire, perceiving that he
resented this catechism about his young countrywoman, and Miss
Falconer perceiving that nothing was to be gotten out of him, the
conversation was promptly turned into other channels, the vague,
general channels of comment upon Cairo.

* * * * *

The Evershams dined alone. Alternately, from their table to the
doorway went Billy's eager eyes, but no vision with shining curls
and laughing eyes appeared. Evidently she had stayed to dine with
whatever people she had gone to see. Robert Falconer was watching
that table, too.... Perhaps she would not return till late; perhaps
he would have only a tiny time with her that evening.... And he had
not been able to buy out that man's berth upon the steamer....

Consomme and whitebait, _boeuf roti_ and _haricots vert_ and
_creme de cerises_ succeeded one another in deepening gloom. The
whole dinner over, and she had not appeared!

He went out to the lounge and smoked with violence. Presently he saw
the Evershams in the doorway talking to Robert Falconer, and he
jumped up and hurried to join them. As he approached he heard the
word Alexandria spoken fretfully by Mrs. Eversham.

"Good evening, good evening," said Billy hurriedly to the ladies,
and being a young man of simple directness, undeterred by the
glacial tinge of the ladies' response--they had not forgotten his
defection of the evening before when they were entertaining him so
nicely--he put the question which had been tormenting him all
evening, "Where is Miss Beecher to-night?"

"Alexandria," said Mrs. Eversham again, and this time there was a
hint of malicious satisfaction in her voice.

"Alexandria?" Billy was incredulous. "Why I--I understood she was to
go up the Nile to-morrow morning."

"She was, but she has changed her mind. She had word from some
friends of hers while we were out this afternoon and she flew right
off to join them."

"You mean she isn't going up the Nile at all now?"

"I haven't an idea what she is going to do. She is not in our care
any longer. And I don't suppose the boat company will do anything
about her stateroom at this late date--certainly she can't expect us
t