m looks, and asked the cause.

"My Emir is going to visit that accursed missionary, who hates me and
will work my ruin if he can."

"Why then remain a Brutestant among such enemies? Return to the
Orthodox Church, and thou shalt find friends enough."

The mighty Daud deigned for once a glance at Iskender. The house of
Musa were fanatics in religion.

Elias took Iskender's hand and went out with him.

"The news is bad for me, too," he said ruefully, "for they hate me
also--curse their religion!"

"What matter for thee? He is not thy Emir. For me, it is the risk of
life itself."

Iskender broke away from him at the first chance, and walked back to
his home upon the sandhills. His mother screamed surprise at sight of
him.

"My Emir is busy," he explained, assuming cheerfulness as a good shield
from questions, which might easily have probed too far into his cause
for grief. For the same reason he forbore all mention of the purposed
visit of his Emir to the Mission. "I am free to-day, and so returned
to see if I could help thee in the house."

Receiving his offer of help in sober earnest, she sent him presently
upon an errand to the house of Costantin; but on the way there, with
the Mission full in sight, its red tiles glaring fiercely in the
noon-day sun, it occurred to him that his Emir would surely fall in
love with the Sitt Hilda. Rent by the twofold anguish of the thought,
he wandered aimless for an hour, and then returned, to gape at mention
of an errand. His mother hurled a saucepan at his head.

"May thy house be destroyed!" she screamed. "Nay, go not now. It is
too late! Within this minute I have seen Costantin take the road to
the town. O Lord, what have I done to be thus afflicted?"

Iskender then sat down before the threshold, and fell to drawing
pictures in the sand, smoking cigarette after cigarette without
contentment, till he knew by the shadow of the prickly-pears that the
afternoon was well advanced; when he changed his position for one
commanding the approach to the Mission, lit a fresh cigarette and began
his watch.

"Thou dost smoke enough for twenty men!" his mother scolded. "Thou art
always asking me for cash to buy the stuff, even now when thou hast thy
Emir! Take from him, he will be none the wiser. Thou hast no more
intelligence than a sheep."

Iskender heard her not. He had caught sight of the figure of a Frank
moving briskly along the ridge of the opposite dune. I