d assured the Caid that, of course, they would be extraordinarily
comfortable, but even such inducements did not make it possible for
them to neglect their duty elsewhere.

"In any case we shall now eat and drink together," said Ben Sliman,
pointing to the table, and towards a servant now arriving from the house
with a coffee-tray. The dishes had been set down on the bare board, and
one contained the usual little almond cakes, the other, a conserve of
some sort bathed in honey, where already many flies were revelling. The
servant who had spread the table, quietly pulled the flies out by their
wings, or killed them on the edge of the dish.

Nevill, whiter than before, accepted cordially, and giving Stephen a
glance of despair, which said: "Noblesse oblige," he thrust his fingers
into the honey, where there were fewest flies, and took out a sweetmeat.
Stephen did the same. All three ate, and drank sweet black _cafe maure_.
Once the Caid turned to glance at something outside the door, and his
secretive, light grey eyes were troubled. As they ate and drank, they
talked, Nevill tactfully catechizing, the Caid answering with pleasant
frankness. He did not inquire why they wished to have news of Ben Halim,
who had once lived in the house for a short time, and had now long been
dead. Perhaps he wished to give the Roumis a lesson in discretion; but
as their friendliness increased over the dripping sweets, Nevill
ventured to ask a crucial question. What had become of Ben Halim's
American wife?

Then, for the first time, the Caid frowned, very slightly, but it was
plain to see he thought a liberty had been taken which, as host, he was
unable to resent.

"I know nothing of my dead cousin's family," he said. "No doubt its
members went with him, if not to Mecca, at least a part of the way, and
if any such persons wished to return to Europe after his death, it is
certain they would have been at liberty to do so. This house my cousin
wished me to have, and I took possession of it in due time, finding it
empty and in good order. If you search for any one, I should advise
searching in France or, perhaps, in America. Unluckily, there I cannot
help. But when it is cool, we will go to the cemetery. Let us go after
the prayer, the prayer of _Moghreb_."

But Nevill was reluctant. So was Stephen, when the proposal was
explained. They wished to go while it was still hot, or not at all. It
may be that even this eccentric proposal did not su