ll upon them, broken only by the twanging of the strips of
cane in Soolsby's hands. At last, however, even this sound ceased; and
the two scarce moved as the sun drew towards the middle afternoon. At
last they were roused by the sound of a horn, and, looking down, they
saw a four-in-hand drawing smartly down the road to the village over the
gorse-spread common, till it stopped at the Cloistered House. As Faith
looked, her face slightly flushed. She bent forward till she saw one
figure get down and, waving a hand to the party on the coach as it moved
on, disappear into the gateway of the Cloistered House.

"What is the office they have given him?" asked Soolsby, disapproval in
his tone, his eyes fixed on the disappearing figure.

"They have made Lord Eglington Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs," she
answered.

"And what means that to a common mind?"

"That what his Government does in Egypt will mean good or bad to our
Egyptian," she returned.

"That he can do our man good or ill?" Soolsby asked sharply--"that he,
yonder, can do that?"

She inclined her head.

"When I see him doing ill--well, when I see him doing that"--he snatched
up a piece of wood from the floor--"then I will break him, so!"

He snapped the stick across his knee, and threw the pieces on the
ground. He was excited. He got to his feet and walked up and down the
little room, his lips shut tight, his round eyes flaring.

Faith watched him in astonishment. In the past she had seen his face
cloud over, his eyes grow sulky, at the mention of Lord Eglington's
name; she knew that Soolsby hated him; but his aversion now was more
definite and violent than he had before shown, save on that night long
ago when David went first to Egypt, and she had heard hard words between
them in this same hut. She supposed it one of those antipathies which
often grow in inverse ratio to the social position of those concerned.
She replied in a soothing voice:

"Then we shall hope that he will do our Davy only good."

"You would not wish me to break his lordship? You would not wish it?" He
came over to her, and looked sharply at her. "You would not wish it?" he
repeated meaningly.

She evaded his question. "Lord Eglington will be a great man one day
perhaps," she answered. "He has made his way quickly. How high he has
climbed in three years--how high!"

Soolsby's anger was not lessened. "Pooh! Pooh! He is an Earl. An Earl
has all with him at the start--name, place