d shaven head that made him stop
short--that head full of so many astounding things! He saw, traveling
swiftly up and down the keys, rising above them to an extravagant height
and pouncing down upon them again, those predatory hands that had
pounced on the spoils of Susa! They began, in a moment, to flutter
lightly over the upper end of the keyboard. It was extraordinary what a
ripple poured as if out of those hands. Magin himself bent over to
listen to the ripple, partly showing his face as he turned his ear to
the keys. He showed, too, in the lessening gloom, a smile Matthews had
never seen before, more extraordinary than anything. Yet even as
Matthews watched it, in his stupefaction, the smile changed, broadened,
hardened. And Magin, sitting up straight again with his back to the
room, began to execute a series of crashing chords.

After several minutes he stopped and swung around on the piano-stool.
Ganz clapped his hands, shouting "Bis! Bis!" At that Magin rose, bowed
elaborately, and kissed his hands right and left. He ended by pulling up
a table-cover near him, gazing intently under the table.

"Have you lost something?" inquired Ganz.

"I seem," answered Magin, "to have lost half my audience. What has
become of our elusive English friend? Am I so unfortunate as to have
been unable to satisfy his refined ear? Or can it be that his emotions
were too much for him?"

"He was in a hurry," explained Ganz. "He is just back from Dizful, you
know."

"Ah?" uttered Magin. "He is a very curious young man. He is always in a
hurry. He was in a hurry the first time I had the pleasure of meeting
him. He was in such a hurry at Bala Bala that he didn't wait to see the
celebration which you told me he went to see. He also left Dizful in a
surprising hurry, from what I hear. I happen to know that the telegraph
had nothing to do with it. I can only conclude that some one frightened
him away. Where do you suppose he hurries to? And do you think he will
arrive in time?"

Ganz opened his mouth; but if he intended to say something, he decided
instead to draw his hand across his spare jaw. However, he did speak
after all.

"I notice that you at least do not hurry, Majesty! Do you fiddle while
Rome burns?"

"Ha!" laughed Magin. "It is not Rome that burns! And I notice, Mr. Ganz,
that you seem to be of a forgetful as well as of an inquiring
disposition. I would have been in Mohamera long ago if it had not been
for your son of Pa