sinister meaning in it all, and
wondered what the end would be.

CHAPTER X

THE COMING OF THE NIGHT

Directly after breakfast I went away alone. I wanted to get rid of an
awful weight which oppressed me. I walked rapidly, for the morning was
cold. I had scarcely reached the park gates, however, when a hand
touched me. I turned and saw Kaffar.

"I hope your solitary walk is pleasant," he said, revealing his white
teeth.

"Thank you," I replied coldly.

I thought he was going to leave me, but he kept close by my side, as if
he wanted to say something. I did not encourage him to speak, however; I
walked rapidly on in silence.

"Temple Hall is a curious place," he said.

"Very," I replied.

"So different from Egypt--ah, so different. There the skies are bright,
the trees are always green. There the golden sandhills stretch away,
the palm trees wave, the Nile sweeps majestic. There the cold winds
scarcely ever blow, and the people's hearts are warm."

"I suppose so."

"There are mysteries there, as in Temple Hall, Mr. Blake; but mysteries
are sometimes of human origin."

As he said this, he leered up into my face, as if to read my thoughts;
but I governed my features pretty well, and thus, I think, deceived him.

"Perhaps you know this?" he said.

"No," I replied. "I am connected with no mysteries."

"Not with the appearance of the ghost last night?"

I looked at him in astonishment. The insinuation was so far from true
that for the moment I was too surprised to speak.

He gave a fierce savage laugh, and clapped his hands close against my
face. "I knew I was right," he said; and then, before I had time to
reply, he turned on his heel and walked away.

Things were indeed taking curious turns, and I wondered what would
happen next. What motive, I asked, could Kaffar have in connecting me
with the ghost, and what was the plot which was being concocted? There
in the broad daylight the apparition seemed very unreal. The servants,
alone in the hall at midnight, perhaps talking about the traditional
ghost, could easily have frightened themselves into the belief that they
had seen it. Or perhaps one of their fellow-servants sought to play them
a trick, and ran away when they saw what they had done. I would sift a
little deeper. I immediately retraced my steps to the house, where
meeting Tom, I asked him to let me have Simon Slowden and a couple of
dogs, as I wanted to shoot a few rabbits. This was ea