go to bed directly," she said.

She seemed to suppress another yawn.

"You mean to go to bed early?" he asked.

"Almost directly. Do you mind? I'm dog tired with the long camel ride,
and I shall sleep like twenty tops."

She put her hand on his shoulder. Her whole face was looking sleepy.

"You old wretch," she said. "What do you mean by looking so horribly
wide awake?"

He put his hand over hers, and laughed.

"I seem to be made of iron in this glorious country. I'm not a bit
sleepy."

She stifled another yawn.

"Then I'll"--she put up her hand to her mouth--"I'll sit up a little to
keep you company."

"Indeed, you shan't. You shall go straight to bed, and when you're
safely tucked up I think perhaps I will just go down and have a look for
the jackals. If you're going to sleep, I might as well--"

He drew down her face to his and gave her a long kiss.

"I'll put you to bed first, and when you're quite safe and warm and
cosy, I'll make a start."

She returned his kiss.

"No, I'll see you off."

"But why?"

"Because I love to see you starting off in the night to the thing that
gives you pleasure. That's my pleasure. Not always, because I'm too
selfish. On the Nile you'll have to attend to me, to do everything I
want. But just for these few days I'm going to be like an Eastern woman,
at the beck of my lord and master. So I must see you start, and
then--oh, how I shall sleep!"

He got up.

"P'r'aps I'll be out till morning. I wonder if Hamdi's got a goat."

He went away for his gun. In a very few minutes he left the camp, gaily
calling to her, "Sleep well, Ruby! You look like a sorceress standing
there all lit up by the fire. The flames are flickering over you. Good
night--good night!"

His steps died away in the sands, his voice died away in the darkness.

She waited, standing perfectly still by the fire, for a long time. Her
soul seemed running, rushing over the sands towards the ridge that met
the sky, but her will kept her body standing beside the flames, until at
last the sportsmen were surely far enough away.

"Ibrahim!"

"My lady?"

"How are we going?"

She was whispering to him beside the fire.

"Does it matter the camel-men knowing? Are they to know? Am I to ride or
walk?"

"You leave everythin' to Ibrahim. You go in your tent, and presently I
come."

She went at once into the tent, and sat down on a folding chair. A
little round iron table stood before it. She leaned her a