g to her somewhere far
off, knew all that was in her mind.

A stealthy movement quite near to her made her open her eyes. The
Bedouin had risen to his feet and was approaching her, moving with a
little step over the matting on his way out of the church. As he passed
Mrs. Clarke he enveloped her for a moment in an indifferent glance of
fire. He burnt her with his animal disdain of her observation of him, a
disdain which seemed to her impregnated with flame. She felt the sands
as he passed. When he was gone a sensation of loneliness, even of
desolation, oppressed her.

She hesitated for a moment; then she turned and followed him slowly. He
went before her, wrapped in his supreme indifference, through the Porta
Basilica, and came out into the blaze of the sunshine. As she emerged,
she saw him standing quite still. He seemed--she was just behind him--to
be staring at a very fair woman who, accompanied by a guide, was coming
towards the church. Mrs. Clarke, intent on the Bedouin, was aware of
this woman's approach, but felt no sort of interest in her until she was
quite close; then something, some dagger-thrust of the mind, coming from
the woman, pierced Mrs. Clarke's indifference.

She looked up and met the sad, pure eyes of Rosamund Leith.

For a moment she stood perfectly still gazing into those eyes.

Rosamund had stopped, but she made no gesture of recognition and did not
open her lips. She only looked at Mrs. Clarke, and as she looked a deep
flush slowly spread over her face and down to her throat.

The Greek guide said something to her; she moved, lowered her eyes and
went on into the church without looking back.

The Bedouin strode slowly away into the blaze of the sunshine.

Mrs. Clarke remained where she was, motionless. For the first time
perhaps in her life she was utterly amazed by an event. Rosamund Leith
here in Constantinople! What did that mean?

Mrs. Clarke knew the arrival of Rosamund meant something that might be
tremendously important to herself. As she stood there before the church
she was groping to find this something; but her mental faculties seemed
to be paralyzed, and she could not find it. Rosamund Leith's eyes had
told Mrs. Clarke something, that Rosamund knew of Dion's unfaithfulness
and who the woman was. What did the fact of Rosamund's coming to
Constantinople in possession of that knowledge mean?

From the minaret above her head the _muezzin_ in a piercing and nasal
voice began the