permitted her to
take, declared that there was nothing more delightful in the world, in
the same measure only painful recollections remained for Madame
Olivier. She said that this was good enough for Arabs or for a chit
like Nell, who could not be jolted any more than a fly which should
alight upon a camel's hump, but not for persons dignified, and not too
light, and having at the same time a certain proneness to unbearable
sea-sickness.

But as to Medinet el-Fayum she had other fears. Now in Port Said as
well as in Alexandria, Cairo, and in the whole of Egypt nothing was the
subject of more discussion than the Mahdi's insurrection and the
cruelties of the dervishes. Madame Olivier, not knowing exactly where
Medinet was situated, became alarmed as to whether it was not too near
the Mahdists, and finally began to question Mr. Rawlinson about it.

But he only smiled and said:

"The Mahdi at this moment is besieging Khartum in which General Gordon
is defending himself. Does Madame know how far it is from Medinet to
Khartum?"

"I have no idea."

"About as far as from here to Sicily," explained Pan Tarkowski.

"Just about," corroborated Stas. "Khartum lies where the White and Blue
Niles meet and form one river. We are separated from it by the immense
expanse of Egypt and the whole of Nubia."

Afterwards he wanted to add that even if Medinet should be closer to
the regions overrun by the insurgents, he, of course, would be there
with his short rifle; but recalling that for similar bragging he
sometimes received a sharp reproof from his father, he became silent.

The older members of the party, however, began to talk of the Mahdi and
the insurrection, for this was the most important matter affecting
Egypt. The news from Khartum was bad. The wild hordes already had been
besieging the city for a month and a half and the Egyptian and English
governments were acting slowly. The relief expedition had barely
started and it was generally feared that notwithstanding the fame,
bravery, and ability of Gordon this important city would fall into the
hands of the barbarians. This was the opinion of Pan Tarkowski, who
suspected that England in her soul desired that the Mahdi should wrest
it from Egypt in order to retake it later from him and make this vast
region an English possession. He did not, however, share this suspicion
with Mr. Rawlinson as he did not want to offend his patriotic feelings.

Towards the close of the dinner