when her fighting spirit was roused.

"I really don't know. I forget how long ago it is since you saw him."

"I left him almost within sight of his promised land, of his King
Solomon's mine. Has he found it? Were the jewels very wonderful?"

The woman's audacity amazed Margaret, while it infuriated her, but
thanks to the blood of her ancestors, a fight always braced her nerves
and quickened her wits; it was tenderness which brought tears. She was
not going to allow the brazen little beast to know or see what her
words meant to her; she was not going to tell her of Michael's
disappointment. If she had betrayed him and robbed him of Akhnaton's
treasure, she was not going to let her batten on the suffering she had
caused, so she said:

"My brother has just heard that information of the discovery has come
to the Minister of Public Works. The Government has sent out some men
to make the preliminary excavations, so I suppose it is all right."

Millicent's eyes gleamed. Something like sympathy pleasure beautified
them; for a moment her desire to wound the girl who had robbed her of
the lover she desired was forgotten; it was lost in surprise.

"Then Mike was right? He has really discovered his precious treasure,
his legacy of Akhnaton? I'm so glad!" She paused. "I never really
believed he would, did you? It seemed to me mere moonshine, a
delightful excuse for a desert romance."

Margaret was still more amazed. What an actress the woman was! If she
had not known her true character, she would have believed that she was
innocent of the base treachery of which she was guilty.

"Yes, it would appear so," she said coldly. "But we know very
little--we have only had the official news of the discovery. His
letters will tell us more. Does the news surprise you?"

Millicent looked at Margaret keenly. Their eyes met as bitter
antagonists. Millicent supposed that Margaret thought that Michael
would have written to her and told her the news; she answered
accordingly.

"His breathless letters--you know how he writes--are probably resting
in some desert village. They'll come along all right. But I'm awfully
glad the dear man hasn't found a mare's nest, aren't you?" She spoke
again quickly, before Margaret had time to answer. "What does your
brother say about it? Isn't he surprised? He thought it was all
tommy-rot, didn't he? How different they are!"

"It is always difficult to tell what Freddy thinks," Ma