and a return to her usual brisk
manner, "there isn't a bit of use in makin' today to-morrow, is there,
Mr. Bangs? And today's been nice and pleasant, and they can't take it
from us."

Galusha looked very much surprised. "Why, dear me, dear me!" he
exclaimed. "That's extremely odd, now really."

"What?"

"Why, your--ah--remark about making to-day to-morrow. Almost precisely
the same thing was said to me at one time by another person. It is quite
extraordinary."

"Oh, not so very, I guess. A million folks must have thought it and said
it since Adam. Who said it to you, Mr. Bangs?"

"A--ah--person in Abyssinia. He had stolen my--ah--shirt and I warned
him that he should be punished on the following day. He laughed and
I asked him what there was to laugh at. Then he made the remark about
to-morrow's being afar off and that today the sun shone, or words
to that effect. It seems strange that you should say it. Quite a
coincidence, Miss Phipps, don't you think so?"

"Why--why, I suppose you might call it that. But WHAT did you say this
man had stolen?"

"My--ah--shirt. I had another, of course; in fact I was wearing it, but
the one he took was the only whole one remaining in my kit. I was quite
provoked."

"I should think you might have been. What sort of creature was he, for
goodness sakes?"

"Oh, he was an Arab camel driver. A very good man, too."

"Yes, he must have been. Did you get your shirt back?"

"No--ah--no. The fact is, he had put it on and--as he was rather--well,
soiled, so to speak, I let him keep it. And he really was a very good
man, I mean a good camel driver."

Miss Martha regarded her guest thoughtfully.

"Where did you say this was, Mr. Bangs?"

"In the Abyssinian desert. We were there at the time."

"Abyssinia? Abyssinia? That's in Africa, isn't it?"

"Yes, northern Africa."

"Mercy me, that's a long way off."

"Oh, not so very, when one becomes accustomed to the journey. The first
time I found it rather tiring, but not afterward."

"Not afterward. You mean you've been there more than once?"

"Yes--ah--yes. Three times."

"But why in the world do you go to such an outlandish place as that
three times?"

"Oh, on research work, connected with my--ah--profession. There are some
very interesting remains in that section."

"What did you say your business--your profession was, Mr. Bangs?"

"I am an archaeologist, Miss Phipps."

"Oh!"

He went to his room soon afterwards. Marth