onfirmed temporarily in the room in which Grim and I
had breakfasted. The woman was taken to the jail until an
American missionary could be found to take charge of her. They
always hand the awkward cases over to Americans, partly because
they have a gift for that sort of thing, but also because, in
case of need, you can blame Americans without much risk of
a reaction.

Goodenough left a guard of Sikhs outside the street entrance, to
keep out all intruders until the sheikh could collect a few
trustworthy masons to seal up the passage again. Grim,
Scharnhoff and I walked quite leisurely to Grim's quarters, where
Grim left the two of us together in the room downstairs while he
changed into uniform.

"What will they do with me?" asked Scharnhoff. He was not far
from collapse. He lay back in the armchair with his mouth open.
I got him some of Grim's whiskey.

"Nothing ungenerous," I said. "If you were going to be hanged
Grim would have told you."

"Do you--do you think he will let me go?"

"Not until he's through with you," said I, "if I'm any judge
of him."

"What use can I be to him? My life is not worth a minute's
purchase if Noureddin Ali finds me--he or that other whom they
let go. Oh, what idiots to let Noureddin Ali give them the slip,
and then to turn the second-worst one loose as well! Those
English are all mad. That man Grim has been corrupted by them!"

Grim hardly looked corrupted, rather iron-hard and energetic when
he returned presently in his major's uniform. You could tell the
color of his eyes now; they were blue-gray, and there was a
light in them that should warn the wary not to oppose him unless
a real fight was wanted. His manner was brisk, brusk, striding
over trifles. He nodded to me.

"You sick of this?" he asked me.

"How many times? I want to see it through."

"All right. Your own risk."

He turned on Scharnhoff, standing straight in front of him, with
both arms behind his back.

"Look here. Have you any decency in that body of yours? Do you
want to prove it? Or would you rather hang like a common
scoundrel? Which is it to be?"

"I--I--I--I--do not understand you. What do you mean?"

"Are you game to risk your neck decently or would you rather have
the hangman put you out of pain?"

"I--I was not a conspirator, Major Grim. If I had known what
they intended I would never have lent myself to such a purpose.
I needed money for my excavations--it has been ver