es the sun rise first," he said, with
a sarcastic laugh. "He who goes blindfold never sees it set."

Then, with a complacent look upon them all, he slowly left the room by
the door out of which David and Kaid had first passed.

Outside the room his face did not change. His manner had not been
bravado. It was as natural to him as David's manner was to himself. Each
had trained himself in his own way to the mastery of his will, and the
will in each was stronger than any passion of emotion in them. So far
at least it had been so. In David it was the outcome of his faith,
in Nahoum it was the outcome of his philosophy, a simple, fearless
fatalism.

David had been left by Kaid in a small room, little more than an
alcove, next to a larger room richly furnished. Both rooms belonged to a
spacious suite which lay between the harem and the major portion of the
Palace. It had its own entrance and exits from the Palace, opening on
the square at the front, at the back opening on its own garden, which
also had its own exits to the public road. The quarters of the Chief
Eunuch separated the suite from the harem, and Mizraim, the present
Chief Eunuch, was a man of power in the Palace, knew more secrets, was
more courted, and was richer than some of the princes. Nahoum had an
office in the Palace, also, which gave him the freedom of the place, and
brought him often in touch with the Chief Eunuch. He had made Mizraim
a fast friend ever since the day he had, by an able device, saved the
Chief Eunuch from determined robbery by the former Prince Pasha, with
whom he had suddenly come out of favour.

When Nahoum left the great salon, he directed his steps towards the
quarters of the Chief Eunuch, thinking of David, with a vague desire
for pursuit and conflict. He was too much of a philosopher to seek to do
David physical injury--a futile act; for it could do him no good in the
end, could not mend his own fortunes; and, merciless as he could be on
occasion, he had no love of bloodshed. Besides, the game afoot was not
of his making, and he was ready to await the finish, the more so because
he was sure that to-morrow would bring forth momentous things. There was
a crisis in the Soudan, there was trouble in the army, there was
dark conspiracy of which he knew the heart, and anything might happen
to-morrow! He had yet some cards to play, and Achmet and Higli--and
another very high and great--might be delivered over to Kaid's deadly
purposes ra