. Britt." She turned and hurried to the door, getting away from
a fire that was showing signs of breaking out of its smoldering brands
once more.

Britt recovered some of his courage when her back was turned. "You
haven't said anything about those verses," he stammered.

"I think it's a beautiful way of putting aside your business cares for a
time. I'm taking them home to read to mother."

He marched to the window and watched her as long as she was in sight.

Then he glowered on such of the Egyptians as passed to and fro along
the street on their affairs. He muttered, spicing his comments with
profanity. The girl's disclaimer of personal interest in Britt's
ambitions did not soften his rancorous determination to make the voters
of Egypt suffer for the stand they had taken--suffer to the bitter limit
to which unrelenting persecution could drive them. He gritted his teeth
and raved aloud. "From now on! From now on! Anything short of murder to
show 'em! And as for that girl--if there's somebody--"

Britt stopped short of what that rival might expect, but his expression
indicated that the matter was of even more moment than his affair with
the voters of the town.

CHAPTER V

"AND PHARAOH'S HEART WAS HARDENED"

When Vona left him that afternoon, Vaniman paced the floor.

She had gone bravely to her meeting with Britt, bearing Frank's kiss on
her cheek--a caress of encouragement when he had walked with her to the
door in order to lock it after her.

It was not worry that caused him to tramp to and fro, frowning. Vona's
demeanor of self-reliance had helped his feelings a great deal. But the
corollary of devoted love is chivalry, and he felt that he was allowing
her to do something that belonged to him to so, somehow. The policy
which they had so sanely discussed did not seem to be such a comfortable
course when he was alone, wondering what was going on across the
corridor.

At last the sound of a door and the click of her heels signaled the
end of the interview. He hoped that she would come back into the bank,
making an excuse of something forgotten, in order to give him a soothing
bulletin. He ran to the door and opened it. But the slam of the outside
door informed him that she had gone on her way. Her prompt departure
indicated that she was consistently pursuing the level-headed policy
they had adopted; but the young man, impatient and wondering, was
wishing she had taken a change, for once, even to the prej