he soon, as if almost instinctively,
addressed himself to Nigel; and once or twice, when Mrs. Armine left
them alone together over their coffee and cigars, he seemed to Nigel to
become another man, to expand almost into geniality, to be not merely
self-possessed--that faculty never failed him--but to be more happily at
his ease, more racy, more ready for intimacy. Probably he was governed
by the Oriental's conception of woman as an inferior sex, and was unable
to be quite at home in the complete equality and ease of the English
relation with women.

When the _Hohenzollern_ sighted Alexandria, Baroudi went below for a
moment. He reappeared wearing the fez. They bade each other good-bye in
the harbour, with the usual vague hopes of a further meeting that do
duty on such occasions, and that generally end in nothing.

Mrs. Armine seemed glad to be rid of him and to be alone with her
husband.

"Don't let us stay in Cairo," she said. "I want to go up the river. I
want to be in the Villa Androud."

After one night at Shepheard's they started for Luxor, or rather for
Keneh, where they got out in the early morning to visit the temple of
Denderah, taking a later train which brought them to Luxor towards
evening, just as the gold of the sunset was beginning to steal into the
sky and to cover the river with glory.

Mrs. Armine was fatigued by the journey, and by the long day at
Denderah, which had secretly depressed her. She looked out of the window
of their compartment at the green plains of doura, at the almost naked
brown men bending rhythmically by the shadufs, at the children passing
on donkeys, and the women standing at gaze with corners of their dingy
garments held fast between their teeth; and she felt as if she still saw
the dark courts of Hathor's dwelling, as if she still heard the cries of
the enormous bats that inhabit them. When the train stopped, she got up
slowly, and let Nigel help her down to the platform.

"Is the villa far away?" she said, looking round on the crowd of staring
Egyptians.

"No, I want you to walk to it. Do you mind?"

His eyes demanded a "no," and she gave it him with a good grace that
ought to have been written down to her credit by the pen of the
recording angel. They set out to walk to the villa. As they went through
the little town, Nigel pointed out the various "objects of interest":
the antiquity shops, where may be purchased rings, necklaces, and
amulets, blue and green "servant