Mitri, and of the beautiful child who for a moment had ensnared
his fancy; and was overwhelmed with pity for himself. He belonged to
nobody. The missionaries loved him so little that they were content to
cast him off for small offences; while for the Orthodox he remained a
Protestant, a filthy thing. In his thirst for comfort he was driven
back on dreams of greatness, of buried treasure some day to be found,
which would cause the English and the natives of the land alike to
grovel in the dirt before him. Warmed by such thoughts he fell asleep
at last.

When he awoke in the morning his mind was healed. He viewed the
Mission with the old resentment, and placed his every hope in the Emir.
On his way to the hotel he saw the daughter of Mitri throwing crumbs to
the church pigeons, and blew a kiss to her with words of love, only to
laugh loud when, picking up a stone, she cursed his father. At the
entering-in of the town he was accosted by Elias, who sprang suddenly
from the shade of a cactus-hedge. Yuhanna followed, yawning. It was
clear that they had been lying in wait.

"This afternoon, at the house of Karlsberger; forget not," Elias cried.
"We have ordered a fine feast in thy friend's honour."

"Fail us not, or it shall be the worse for thee," put in Yuhanna.

Iskender swore obedience to their will and hurried on, mentally
resolved to hire horses and take his Emir for a ride until the evening.
It would be easy to say the Frank had willed it so, in which case none
could blame him. With this in mind he entered the hotel. But again
his Emir proved refractory. The air that morning oppressed him, he
declared, and the sons of Musa said that it was going to rain. He
proposed a stroll to some near spot among the gardens, where he could
read while his companion sketched.

Iskender still had hope to foil the dragomans. He led his patron in a
direction opposite to that where he had left Elias. But, looking back,
he saw two figures shadowing them, and knew the game was up.

In fact, no sooner had they found a cool retreat than Elias and Yuhanna
sauntered up, hailing Iskender with delight as loving comrades. He was
obliged to present them to his Emir, and from the moment of
introduction they had words for no one else, inquiring how his Honour
liked the place, and asking if he knew this and that great lord of the
English with whom they, by their own accounts, stood high in favour.
They presented their invitation w