er. Many times he had walked far up among the hills
and, when beyond the reach of human eye, thrown himself down and cried
unrestrainedly, until his strength seemed utterly exhausted, and yet
the verdict now given seemed to come as a sudden blow.

"You must not break down, dear," she said quietly. "For months I have
felt that it was so; and, but for your sake, I did not care to live. I
thank God that I have been spared to see you growing up all that I
could wish; and though I should have liked to see you fairly started in
life, I feel that you may now make your way, unaided.

"Now I want, before it is too late, to give you instructions. In my
desk you will find a sealed envelope. It contains a copy of the
registers of my marriage, and of your birth. These will prove that your
father married, and had a son. You can get plenty of witnesses who can
prove that you were the child mentioned. I promised your father that I
would not mention our real name to anyone, until it was necessary for
me to write to your grandfather. I have kept that promise. His name was
Gregory Hilliard, so we have not taken false names. They were his
Christian names. The third name, his family name, you will find when
you open that envelope.

"I have been thinking, for months past, what you had best do; and this
is my advice, but do not look upon it as an order. You are old enough
to think for yourself. You know that Sir Herbert Kitchener, the Sirdar,
is pushing his way up the Nile. I have no doubt that, with your
knowledge of Arabic, and of the language used by the black race in the
Soudan, you will be able to obtain some sort of post in the army,
perhaps as an interpreter to one of the officers commanding a
brigade--the same position, in fact, as your father had, except that
the army is now virtually British, whereas that he went with was
Egyptian.

"I have two reasons for desiring this. I do not wish you to go home,
until you are in a position to dispense with all aid from your family.
I have done without it, and I trust that you will be able to do the
same. I should like you to be able to go home at one-and-twenty, and to
say to your grandfather, 'I have not come home to ask for money or
assistance of any kind. I am earning my living honourably. I only ask
recognition, by my family, as my father's son.'

"It is probable that this expedition will last fully two years. It must
be a gradual advance, and even then, if the Khalifa is beaten, it mu