ng to remain in there unquestioned. But the two spies who had
come with us saw a chance to confirm or else disprove our bona
fides, and while one of them stayed and watched us the other went
to fetch the Sheikh of the Mosque.

He came presently, waddling very actively for such a stout man--a
big, burly, gray-bearded intellectual, with eyes that beamed
intelligent good-humour through gold-rimmed glasses. He did not
seem at all pleased to have been disturbed, until he drew near
enough to scan our faces. Then his change of expression, as soon
as he had looked once into Grim's eyes, gave me cold chills all
down the back. I could have sworn he was going to denounce us.

Instead, he turned on the two spies. He tongue-lashed them in
Arabic. I could not follow it word for word. I gathered that
they had hinted some suspicion as to the genuineness of Grim's
pretension to be Staff-Captain Ali Mirza. He was rebuking them
for it. They slunk away. One went and sat near the door we had
entered by. The other vanished completely.

"Jimgrim! What do you do here at this hour?" asked the sheikh as
soon as we stood alone.

"Talk French," Grim answered. "We can't afford to be overheard."

"True, O Jimgrim! It is all your life and my position is worth
for you to be detected in here in that disguise at such an hour!
And who are these with you?"

"It is all your life and mosque are worth to turn us out!" Grim
answered. "When was I ever your enemy?"

"Never yet, but--what does this mean?"

"You shall know in the morning--you alone. This man, who can
neither hear nor speak, and the child with him, must stay in here
tonight, and go when they choose, unquestioned."

"Jimgrim, this is not a place for setting traps for criminals.
Set your watch outside, and none shall interfere with you."

"'Shall the heart within be cleansed by washing hands?'" Grim
quoted, and the shiekh smiled.

"Do you mean there are criminals within the mosque? If so, this
is sanctuary, Jimgrim. They shall not be disturbed. Set
watchmen at the doors and catch them as they leave, if you will.
This is holy ground."

"There'll be none of it left to boast about this time tomorrow,
if you choose to insist!" Grim answered.

"Should there be riddles between you and me?" asked the sheikh.

"You shall know all in the morning."

The sheikh's face changed again, taking on a look of mingled rage
and cunning.

"I know, then, what it is! The rumour is