hat some message had been left there for him, that
Freddy would have known that even if it was midsummer before his
journey was accomplished, he would return there as soon as he could;
something would draw him to the scene of their united labour and
happiness.

But Freddy's practical mind had not thought of any such folly; he had
left the Valley to the sun by day and the stars by night, and had gone
like the swallows to a cooler and greener land.

* * * * * *

Michael was compelled to spend that night at Luxor. His urgent desire
was to reach Cairo as quickly as possible and discover if the Iretons
knew anything of Freddy and Margaret. They were now his one hope. In
Luxor the fine European hotels were closed, so he found accommodation
in the house of one of Abdul's friends, a clean, well-managed native
inn. Luxor in May was without one blot or blemish of foreign life.

The next day he travelled by train to Cairo. The new moon was just
appearing in the evening sky when he found himself nearing the Iretons'
ancient Mameluke mansion. With the absence of all tourists and
European life, the mediaeval city seemed to Michael so Biblical that he
would not have been astonished if he had come across the city
magistrates, sitting apart in conclave to hear the witnesses of the new
moon's appearance and settle the time. He could picture the scientific
men in their midst, making their astronomical calculations, and judging
whether the testimonies agreed with their calculations. If they did,
the president of the assembly proclaimed the new moon by the sound of a
trumpet, and set open the gate of Nicanor, the great eastern brazen
gate of the temple.

But instead of the trumpet proclaiming the new moon, Michael heard the
sonorous cries of the _mueddin_, calling out the hour of Moslem prayer
from the galleries round the tall minarets, which rose from the city
like the lotus-headed columns of ancient Egypt. All the large mosques
in Cairo are open from daybreak until two hours after sunset. The
great university-mosque of el-Azhar would, Michael knew, remain open
all night, all but one small portion, the principal place of prayer.

When he reached the Iretons' house, he rang the bell at the door of the
outer courtyard. The Nubian who was stretched out on the mastaba
behind it did not trouble to rouse himself. Let the fool ring--surely
everyone knew that his master and mistress were not living