Hullo, Mr. Beal.

JOHN BEAL

Er--er--how do you do?

[She looks at ARCHIE.]

O, this is my brother--Miss Clement.

MIRANDA and ARCHIE BEAL

How do you do?

MIRALDA

I like this country.

JOHN BEAL

I'm afraid I hardly expected you.

MIRALDA

Didn't you?

JOHN BEAL

No. You see er--it's such a long way.
And wasn't it very expensive?

MIRALDA

Well, the captain of the ship was very kind
to me.

JOHN BEAL

O! But what did you do when you landed?

MIRALDA

O, there were some Arabs coming this way
in a caravan. They were really very good to
me too.

JOHN BEAL

But the camel?

MIRALDA

O, there were some people the other side of
the mountains. Everybody has been very
kind about it. And then there was the man
who showed me here. He's called Hafiz el
Alcolahn. It's a nice name, don't you think?

JOHN BEAL

But, you know, this country, Miss
Clement, I'm half afraid it's hardly--isn't it,
Archie? Er--how long did you think of
staying?

MIRALDA

O, a week or so.

JOHN BEAL

I don't know what you'll think of Al
Shaldomir. I'm afraid you'll find it...

MIRALDA

Oh, I like it. Just that hollow in the
mountains, and the one pass, and no record of it
anywhere. I like that. I think it's lovely.

JOHN BEAL

You see, I'm afraid--what I mean is I'm
afraid the place isn't even on the map!

MIRALDA

O, that's lovely of it.

JOHN BEAL

All decent places are.

MIRALDA

You mean if a place is on the map we've
got to behave accordingly. But if not, why...

JOHN BEAL

Hussein won't pay.

MIRALDA

Let's see Hussein.

JOHN BEAL

I'm afraid he's rather, he's rather a
savage-looking brigand.

MIRALDA

Never mind.

[ARCHIE is quietly listening and smiling
sometimes.]

Enter DAOUD. He goes up to the
unholy heap and takes away two large idols,
one under each arm. Exit.]

What's that, Mr. Beal?

JOHN BEAL

O, that. I'm afraid it's rather horrible.
I told you it was an awful country. They
pray to these idols here, and some are all
right, though of course it's terribly
blasphemous, but that heap, well, I'm afraid, well
that heap is very bad indeed.

MIRALDA

What do they do?

JOHN BEAL

They kill people.

MIRALDA

Do they? How?

JOHN BEAL

I'm afraid they pour their blood down those
horrible throats.

MIRALDA

Do they? How do you know?

JOHN BEAL

I've seen them do it, and those mouths
are all rusty. But it's all right now. It
won't h