will do me good, dearest." Meg hurried off.

The sun was pouring its full wonder over the land. The mystery of the
dawn was as if it had never been. Egypt was bathed in light, the
fullest light that ever was on land or sea.

CHAPTER XIII

The great hour had arrived. Margaret and Michael were on their way to
see the inside of the tomb, which had proved to be greater by far in
importance and splendour than even the Arab soothsayer had predicted.
It was, in fact, a tomb of unique interest, a tomb whose history was to
baffle the most expert Egyptologists. Freddy had kept the wonder of it
a secret from Mike and Margaret. He had told them practically nothing.
He wished to give them a surprise.

It had been inspected and photographed and all the necessary
formalities had been gone through, and now, after an admirably borne
period of waiting, Michael and Margaret were to be allowed to visit it.

Freddy was to await their arrival on the actual site, either the tomb
itself or outside it.

As Michael and Margaret hurried through the valley and climbed the
hill, leading down into the side valley which held the tomb, they spoke
very little to each other. Their hearts were full of an intense
excitement. Freddy's silence had prepared them for something unusual.

The sun was blazing like a furnace in the valley; a hot wind was
blowing from the Sahara. Meg and Michael were too excited to be
conscious of their surroundings. Their feet took them mechanically to
the scene of operations.

The tomb had been photographed before any modern had set foot in it.

Very hot and very excited, they at last arrived at its entrance, which
was guarded by two important-looking Egyptian policemen in modern
uniforms. Until Michael and Margaret had satisfactorily proved to them
that they had come to assist Effendi Lampton and that they were members
of his camp, they were not permitted to go near the aperture.

Their identity being established, they at last began their descent down
the deep shaft into the tomb. The hot air which ascended in puffs from
the depths below scorched their faces. Meg felt stifled. Still hotter
air met them as they continued their descent.

One of the Arab workmen helped Meg by going on in front and making
himself into a pillar for her to rest against when she lost her
footing. Her feet slipped and stumbled in the soft debris, yet
pluckily she always managed to reach the stately Arab. Each time she