A, the sun was not far over the skyline.

Grim had telephoned, so the Administrator was waiting for us.
Grim went straight in. It was twenty minutes before we two were
summoned into his private room, where he sat behind the desk
exactly as we had left him the other morning. He looked as if he
had not moved meanwhile. Everything was exactly in its place--
even the vase, covering the white spot on the varnish. There was
the same arrangement of too many flowers, in a vase too small to
hold them.

"Allow me to present Sheikh Abdul Ali of Damascus," said Grim.

The Administrator bowed rather elaborately, perhaps to hide
the twinkle in his eyes. He didn't scowl. He didn't look
tyrannical. So Abdul Ali opened on him, with all bow guns.

"I protest! I am a French subject. I have been submitted to
violence, outrage, indignity! I have been seized on foreign
soil, and brought here by force against all international
law! I shall claim exemplary damages! I demand apology
and satisfaction!"

Sir Louis raised his eyebrows and looked straight at Grim without
even cracking a smile.

"Is this true, Major Grim?"

"Afraid it is, sir."

"Scandalous! Perfectly scandalous! And were you a witness to
all this?" he asked, looking at me as if I might well be the
cause of it all.

I admitted having seen the greater part of it.

"And you didn't protest? What's the world coming to? I see
you've lost a little skin yourself. I hope you've not been
breaking bounds and fighting?"

"He is a most impertinent man!" said Abdul Ali, trying to take
his cue, and glowering at me. "He posed as a person interested
in a school for El-Kerak, and afterward helped capture me by
a trick!"

The Administrator frowned. It seemed I was going to be made the
scape-goat. I did not care. I would not have taken a year of
Sir Louis' pay for those two days and nights. When he spoke
again I expected something drastic addressed to me, but I
was wrong.

"An official apology is due to you, Sheikh Abdul Ali. Permit me
to offer it, together with my profound regret for any slight
personal inconvenience to which you may have been subjected in
course of this--ah--entirely unauthorized piece of--ah--
brigandage. I notice you have been bruised, too. You shall have
the best medical attention at our disposal."

"That is not enough!" sneered Abdul Ali, throwing quite
an attitude.

"I know it isn't. I was coming to that. An apology is also due