in," he murmured.

"Never mind, Nigel dear," she said, soothingly. "It's all right."

Isaacson, who with Hartley had been standing all this time because Mrs.
Armine was standing, now sat down beside the sick man.

"I think true devotion will always find its reward," he said, quietly,
steadily. "We only want to do you good, to get you quickly into your old
splendid health."

"That's very good of you, of course. But you didn't do me good last
night. It was the worst night I ever had."

Isaacson remembered the sound he had heard when the Nubians lay on their
oars on the dark river.

"Let us try to do you good to-night. Won't you?" he said.

"All I want is rest. I've told her so. And I tell you so."

"Shall I stay on board to-night and see you to-morrow morning when you
have had a night's rest?"

Nigel looked up at his wife.

"Aren't you quite near?" he asked Isaacson, in a moment.

"I'm not very far away, but--"

"Then I don't think we need bother you to stay. We've got Doctor
Hartley."

"I--I'm afraid I shall have to leave you to-morrow," said the young man,
who had several times looked, almost with a sort of horror, at Mrs.
Armine's ravaged face. "You see I'm with people at Assouan. I really
came out to Egypt in a sort of way in attendance upon Mrs. Craven
Bagley, who is in delicate health. And though she's much stronger--"

"Yes, yes!" Nigel interrupted. "Of course, go--go! I want peace, I want
rest."

He drooped towards his wife. Suddenly she sat down beside him, holding
his hand.

"Would you rather not be examined to-night?" she asked him.

"Examined!" he said, in a startled voice.

"Well, dearest, these doctors--"

Nigel, with a great effort, sat up as before.

"I won't be bothered to-night," he said, with the weak anger
of an utterly worn-out man. "I--I can't stand anything more.
I--can't--stand--" His voice died away.

"We'd better go," whispered Hartley. "To-morrow morning."

He looked at Mrs. Armine, and moved towards the door. Isaacson got up.

"We will leave the patient to-night," he said to Mrs. Armine, in an
expressionless voice.

"Yes?"

"But may I have a word with you, please, in the other room?"

Then he followed Hartley.

He caught him up in the passage.

"It's absolutely no use to-night," said Hartley. "Any examination would
only make matters worse. He's not in a fit state mentally to go through
it so late."

[Illustration]

"I think it will be best to wait till t