go
to Egypt.

"You are very unhappy, darling," she went on, pressing the letter in
her hands; "you are terribly unhappy because you can not love me and
care for your boy; but you shall not be troubled with us any longer;
and, indeed, I could not stop--" and here a flush of shame came to her
sweet face--"knowing what I know now. No, baby and I will go, and you
shall not leave your beautiful home and get lost in those horrible
deserts; you shall stay here and learn to forget all your troubles,
and presently you will be happy; and it is I who will go, my dearest."

And it was for this that she had come back to him through "the Valley
of the Shadow of Death," bringing her baby with her.

Some strange feverish power seemed to enter into her and give her a
fitful strength. She sat down at her husband's desk and began writing
rapidly, and as the thoughts came to her; and when she had finished,
she inclosed her letter with the torn fragment, and, after addressing
it, sealed it carefully. As she did so she heard footsteps approaching
the library, and slipped it hurriedly into the open drawer, and the
next moment Sir Hugh entered with a telegram in his hand.

"I have been looking all over the place for you, Fay," he began,
hurriedly; "and not a soul seemed to know where you were. Look here; I
have just had this telegram from Fitz. He wants me to come up to town
at once. I believe we have to start earlier than we intended."

And as Fay seemed to have no answer ready, he went on "I am so vexed
about it, my pet, for I meant to have driven you over to Pierrepoint
after luncheon; you looked so pale this morning, and I had to arrange
about so many things. Well, it can not be helped; Saville is packing
my 'Gladstone,' and I have not a moment to lose."

"Do you mean you are going off to Egypt now?" asked Fay, hardly able
to articulate--her lips had grown quite white. What if she should be
too late after all!

"Egypt indeed! What a child you are, Fay; one can never make you
understand things. No, I am going up to London to get what I want, and
meet Egerton and Powis, the other fellows who are to join us. I shall
sleep at the club to-night, and you may expect me to be down to dinner
to-morrow. The next day--" here he hesitated; "well, there is time
enough to talk of saying good-bye then."

"Yes, yes, I understand now. Go and get ready; and, Hugh, don't forget
to kiss baby."

"All right," he laughed good-humoredly; and then Fay