this. Had you? You have suddenly become as
personal and necessary to me as my own arms or legs. You were _you_
before--now you are a bit of me."

They were standing apart, facing each other, arms outstretched, hands
in hands. Now and then the bewilderment of things made it very
compelling, this desire to look and look into each other's eyes, to try
to discover new characteristics born of their amazing confession.

"It's a tremendous thing," Meg said thoughtfully, "a tremendous and
wonderful thing."

"If we have only lived for this one hour, it's worth it," Mike said.
"To you and me it's certainly a tremendous thing."

Some lover's questions followed, questions which Margaret had to
answer, the sort of questions every woman knows whom love has not
passed over, questions which Margaret, with all her fine Lampton brains
and common sense, did not think foolish, questions which she answered
more easily and accurately than any ever set to her in college or
university examinations. She answered them, too, with a fine
understanding of human nature. Lampton brains were not to be despised,
even in the matter of "How, when and where did you first love me?"

She knew quite well what Michael meant when he said that he was a
little afraid. She, too, felt a little afraid, just because things
could never be the same again. Love in Egypt seemed to become Egyptian
in its immensity and power. It was a part of the desert and in the
brightness of each glittering star. She doubted if she could have felt
this tremendousness of love in England. Had something in the power of
Egypt, in the passing of its civilization and religions, affected her
senses? She could not imagine feeling, as she now felt, in Suffolk.
Here, in this valley of sleeping Pharaohs, in this eternal city of a
lost civilization, she had been transformed into another creature.

These thoughts jumbled themselves together in her mind, as they dawdled
back to the camp, the happy dawdling of lovers.

Suddenly Michael caught her in his arms and said, "Meg, how on earth am
I going to make you understand how much I love you?"

Meg read an unhappy meaning in the words. "I shall understand," she
said. "I think something outside myself will help me to understand."

He turned her face up to the stars. It was bathed in light.

"You beautiful Meg, the stars adore you!"

Meg struggled and laughed. "I'm so glad my face is all right, that you
like it, Mike."

Mike