I'll turn in next door. We can easily talk through the partition"--he
paused, then added in a lower voice--"when we are not together. Now
there's the other sitting-room to see and then shall we be off to
Denderah with Hamza, while Ibrahim sees to the arrangement of
everything?"

"Yes. Or--shall we leave the other room till we come back, till it's
getting twilight? I don't think I want to see quite everything just at
once."

"You're becoming a regular child, saving up your pleasure. Then we'll
start for Denderah now."

"Yes."

She drew her veil over her face rather quickly, and walked down the
passage, through the arch in the screen, and out to the brilliant
sunshine that flooded the sailors' deck. For though the Nubians had
spread an awning over their heads, they had not let down canvas as yet
to meet the white and gold of the bulwarks forward. And there was a
strong sparkle of light about them. In the midst of that sparkle Hamza
stood, a little away from the crew, who were tall, stalwart, black men,
evidently picked men, for not one was mean or ugly, not one lacked an
eye or was pitted with smallpox.

As Mrs. Armine came up the three steps from the cabins, walking rather
hurriedly, as if in haste to get to the sunshine, Hamza sent her a
steady look that was like a quiet but determined rebuke. His eyes seemed
to say to her, "Why do you rush out of the shadows like this?" And she
felt as if they were adding, "You who must learn to love the shadows."
His look affected her nerves, even affected her limbs. At the top of the
steps she stood still, then looked round, with a slight gesture as if
she would return.

"What is it, Ruby?" asked Nigel. "Have you forgotten anything?"

"No, no. Is it this side? Or must we have the felucca? I forget."

"It's this side. The _Loulia_ is tied up here on purpose. The donkeys,
Hamza!"

He spoke kindly, but in the authoritative voice of the young Englishman
addressing a native. Without changing his expression, Hamza went softly
and swiftly over the gangway to the shore, climbed the steep brown bank,
and was gone--a flash of white through the gold.

"He's a useful fellow, that!" said Nigel. "And now, Ruby, to seek the
blessing of the Egyptian Aphrodite. It will be easily won, for Aphrodite
could never turn her face from you."

As their tripping donkeys drew near to that lonely temple, where a sad
Hathor gazes in loneliness upon the courts that are no longer thronged
with worshi