, the imprisoned heat between
the surrounding walls, the faint buzz of the flies caused drowsiness to
creep upon the spirit. The long ride, too, and the ardent desert
air, made this repose a luxury. Androvsky's face lost its emotional
expression as he gazed almost vacantly at the brown water shifting
slowly by between the brown banks and the brown walls above which
the palm trees peered. His aching limbs relaxed. His hands hung loose
between his knees. And Domini half closed her eyes. A curious peace
descended upon her. Lapped in the heat and silence for the moment she
wanted nothing. The faint buzz of the flies sounded in her ears and
seemed more silent than even the silence to which it drew attention.
Never before, not in Count Anteoni's garden, had she felt more utterly
withdrawn from the world. The feathery tops of the palms were like
the heads of sentinels guarding her from contact with all that she had
known. And beyond them lay the desert, the empty, sunlit waste. She shut
her eyes, and murmured to herself, "I am in far away. I am in far
away." And the flies said it in her ears monotonously. And the lizards
whispered it as they slipped in and out of the little dark holes in the
walls. She heard Androvsky stir, and she moved her lips slowly. And the
flies and the lizards continued the refrain. But she said now, "We are
in far away."

Honest Mustapha strode forward. He had a Bashi-Bazouk tread to wake up a
world. _Dejeuner_ was ready. Domini sighed. They took their places under
the fig tree on either side of the deal table covered with a rough white
cloth, and Mustapha, with tremendous gestures, and gigantic postures
suggesting the untamed descendant of legions of freeborn, sun-suckled
men, served them with red fish, omelette, gazelle steaks, cheese,
oranges and dates, with white wine and Vals water.

Androvsky scarcely spoke. Now that he was sitting at a meal with Domini
he was obviously embarrassed. All his movements were self-conscious. He
seemed afraid to eat and refused the gazelle. Mustapha broke out into
turbulent surprise and prolonged explanations of the delicious flavour
of this desert food. But Androvsky still refused, looking desperately
disconcerted.

"It really is delicious," said Domini, who was eating it. "But perhaps
you don't care about meat."

She spoke quite carelessly and was surprised to see him look at her as
if with sudden suspicion and immediately help himself to the gazelle.

This ma