lmost blankly. What had all this rhodomontade to do
with her? Ibrahim met her eyes.

"All this very interestin' for my Lord Arminigel," said Ibrahim, softly.

Mrs. Armine said nothing, but she went on staring at Ibrahim.

"P'r'aps my gentleman go out to-night. If he go, you take a little walk
with Ibrahim."

He turned, and pointed behind her, to the distance where the rising
sand-hill seemed to touch the stooping sky.

"You take a little walk up there."

Still she said nothing. She asked nothing. She had no need to ask. All
the desolation about her seemed suddenly to blossom like the rose.
Instead of the end of the world, this place seemed to be the core, the
warm heart of the world.

When at last she spoke, she said quietly:

"Your master will go jackal-shooting to-night."

Ibrahim nodded his head.

"I dessay," he pensively replied.

The soft crack of a duck-gun came to their ears from far off among the
tamarisk bushes beside the green-grey waters.

"I dessay my Lord Arminigel him goin' after the jackal to-night."

XXIV

The dinner in camp that night was quite a joyous festival. Nigel brought
back two duck, Ibrahim made a fine fire of brushwood to warm the eager
sportsman, and Ruby was in amazing spirits. She played to perfection the
part of ardent housewife. She came and went in the sand, presiding over
everything. She even penetrated into the cook's tent with Ibrahim to
give Mohammed some hints as to the preparation of the duck.

"This is your holiday," she said to Nigel. "I want it to be a happy one.
You must make the most of it, and go out shooting all the time. They say
there's any amount of jackals down there in the tamarisk bushes. Are you
going to have a shot at them to-night?"

Nigel stretched out his legs, with a long sigh of satisfaction.

"I don't know, Ruby. I should like to, but it's so jolly and cosy here."

He looked towards the fire, then back at her.

"I'm not sure that I'll go out again," he said.

"I dare say you're tired."

"No, that's not it. The truth is that I'm tremendously happy in camp
with you. And I love to think of the desolation all round us, and that
there isn't a soul about, except a few gipsies down there, and a few
wild, half-naked fishermen. We've brought our own oasis with us into the
Libyan Desert. And I think to-night I'll be a wise man and stick to the
oasis."

She smiled at him.

"Then do!"

In the midst of her smile she yawned.

"I shall