ard ship. It was the first time in my life
he ever spoke to me in such a tone, and I felt it keenly. No, Dick,
there is something behind it all that I cannot understand. Some mystery
that I would give anything to fathom. Papa has not been himself ever
since we started for England. Indeed, his very reason for coming at all
is an enigma to me. And now that he _is_ here, he seems in continual
dread of meeting somebody--but who that somebody is, and why my father,
who has the name and reputation of being such a courageous, determined,
honourable man, should be afraid, is a thing I cannot understand."

"It's all very mysterious and unfortunate. But surely something can be
done? Don't you think if I were to see him again, and put the matter
more plainly before him, something might be arranged?"

"It would be worse than useless at present, I fear. No, you must just
leave it to me, and I'll do my best to talk him round. Ever since my
mother died I have been as his right hand, and it will be strange if he
does not listen to me and see reason in the end."

Seeing who it was that would plead with him I did not doubt it.

By this time we had wandered through many rooms and now found ourselves
in the Egyptian Department, surrounded by embalmed dead folk and queer
objects of all sorts and descriptions. There was something almost
startling about our love-making in such a place, among these men and
women, whose wooings had been conducted in a country so widely different
to ours, and in an age that was dead and gone over two thousand years
ere we were born. I spoke of this to Phyllis. She laughed and gave a
little shiver.

"I wonder," she said, looking down on the swathed-up figure of a
princess of the royal house of Egypt, lying stretched out in the case
beside which we sat, "if this great lady, who lies so still and silent
now, had any trouble with her love affair?"

"Perhaps she had more than one beau to her string, and not being allowed
to have one took the other," I answered; "though from what we can see of
her now she doesn't look as if she were ever capable of exercising much
fascination, does she?"

As I spoke I looked from the case to the girl and compared the
swaddled-up figure with the healthy, living, lovely creature by my side.
But I hadn't much time for comparison. My sweetheart had taken her watch
from her pocket and was glancing at the dial.

"A quarter to twelve!" she cried in alarm, "Oh, Dick, I must be going.