ng. We caught an awful lot, and Mother Carmela cooked
them to a T. I had an appetite, I can tell you, Hermione, after being in
the sea."

She was silent for a moment. Her hand had dropped out of his. When she
spoke again, she said:

"And you slept in the caves?"

"The others did."

"And you?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I went out on to the beach. But I'll tell you all
that presently. You won't be shocked, Hermione, if I take a siesta now?
I'm pretty well done--grandly tired, don't you know. I think I could get
a lovely nap before collazione."

"Come in, my dearest," she said. "Collazione a little late, Lucrezia, not
till half-past one."

"And the fish, signora?" asked Lucrezia.

"We've got quite enough without fish," said Hermione, turning away.

"Oh, by Jove!" Delarey said, as they went into the cottage, putting his
hand into his jacket-pocket, "I've got something for you, Hermione."

"Fish!" she cried, eagerly, her whole face brightening. "Lucre--"

"Fish in my coat!" he interrupted, still not remembering. "No, a letter.
They gave it me from the village as we came up. Here it is."

He drew out a letter, gave it to her, and went into the bedroom, while
Hermione stood in the sitting-room by the dining-table with the letter in
her hand.

It was from Artois, with the Kairouan postmark.

"It's from Emile," she said.

Maurice was closing the shutters, to make the bedroom dark.

"Is he still in Africa?" he asked, letting down the bar with a clatter.

"Yes," she said, opening the envelope. "Go to bed like a good boy while I
read it."

She wanted his kiss so much that she did not go near to him, and spoke
with a lightness that was almost like a feigned indifference. He thrust
his gay face through the doorway into the sunshine, and she saw the beads
of perspiration on his smooth brow above his laughing, yet half-sleepy
eyes.

"Come and tuck me up afterwards!" he said, and vanished.

Hermione made a little movement as if to follow him, but checked it and
unfolded the letter.

"4, RUE D'ABDUL KADER, KAIROUAN.

MY DEAR FRIEND,--This will be one of my dreary notes, but you must
forgive me. Do you ever feel a heavy cloud of apprehension lowering
over you, a sensation of approaching calamity, as if you heard the
footsteps of a deadly enemy stealthily approaching you? Do you know
what it is to lose courage, to fear yourself, life, the future, to