"Yes, it's supposed to be a protection against evil spirits. It was given to me by ... a friend . . . when I first came to Egypt"

"Which was the last expedition, wasn't it, the fatal one?"

She nodded.

"It wasn't very lucky on that occasion," I said.

She did not answer but I saw her fingers were trembling as she touched the brooch.

"I suppose I should go to bed now," I said. "I wonder when they will come back from the site?"

"That's something of which you can't be sure. I'm glad I told you. I didn't think it was right that I should deceive you."

I went back to my room. Tybalt was not back.

I could not sleep. I lay in bed thinking of Tabitha. Memories from the past intruded into my mind. I remembered walking over to Giza House when I was a companion to Lady Bodrean and seeing Tabitha and Tybalt at the piano together. I thought of their arriving home together after she had been called away; and echoes from Nanny Tester's revelations kept coming back to me.

I wondered who had given her the scarab brooch. Was it Tybalt?

Then a horrible thought crept into my mind. Suppose Tabitha had been free, would Tybalt have married me?

A few days later Theodosia and I visited the Temple, taking a donkey-drawn carriage and rattling on our way over the sandy soil. Here had been the ancient city of Thebes, the center of a civilization which had crumbled away leaving only the great burial chambers of long dead Pharaohs to give an indication of the splendor of those days.

Although the Temple was open to the sky it was cooler within the shadows of those tall pillars than without. We examined with wonder the lavishly carved pillars each capped with buds and calyxes. It fascinated us both to study the carvings on the pillars and to recognize some of the Pharaohs depicted there with the gods to whom they were making sacrifices.

Wandering among the pillars we came face to face with a man. He was clearly European and I thought he was a tourist who had, like ourselves, come to inspect this renowned Temple.

It was natural on such an occasion that he should speak to us and he said, "Good morning." His eyes were a tawny color like so much of the stone we saw in Egypt and his skin was tanned to a pale brown. He wore a panama hat pulled down over his eyes as a shield against the sun.

We were pleased because he was English.

"What a fascinating spot," he said. "Do you live here?"

"No. We're with a party of archaeologists working on a site in the Valley. Are you visiting?"

"In a way. I'm a merchant and my business brings me here now and then. But I am very interested to hear that you are with the archaeology party."

"My husband is leading the expedition," I said proudly.

"Then you must be Lady Travers."

"I am. Do you know my husband?"

"I've heard of him, of course. He's very well known in his field."

"And you are interested in that field?"

"Very. My business is buying and selling objets d'art. I'm staying at the hotel not far from the Chephro Palace."

"It's comfortable, I hope."

"Very adequate," he replied. He lifted his hat. "We may meet again."

Then he left us and we continued our examination of the pillars.

In due course we returned to our arabiya. As we started away we saw the man who had spoken to us getting into his.

"He seemed very pleasant," said Theodosia.

Next morning Theodosia did not feel well enough to get up; but by midday she was better. We sat on the terrace overlooking the Nile and talked desultorily.

After a while she said to me: "Judith, I think I may be going to have a baby."

I turned to her excitedly. "Why! that's wonderful news."

A frown puckered her brow. "That's what people always say. But they don't have to have the babies, do they?"

"Oh, it's uncomfortable for a while but think of the reward."

"Fancy having a baby . . . here."

"Well, you wouldn't, would you? You'd go home. Besides, if you're not sure, it must be months away."

"Sometimes I feel we shall be here forever."

"Oh, Theodosia, what an ideal It'll be a few months at the most."

"But suppose they don't find this . . . whatever it is they're looking for."

"Well, they'll have to go home. This is a very costly business. I'm sure that if they don't succeed in due course, they'll know they aren't going to and then we shall all leave."

"But suppose . . ."

"What a worrier you are. Of course it'll be all right. And it's wonderful news. You ought to be dancing for joy."

"Oh you're so capable, Judith." She began to laugh. "It's funny really. I'm Mamma's daughter and you know how she manages everyone. You'd think I'd be like her."

"She may manage everyone, but such people don't always know how to manage their own affairs."

"Mamma thought she did. And your mother was Lavinia, who was probably very meek. I ought to have been like you and you like me."

"Well, never mind about that now. You'll be all right."

"I'm frightened, Judith. It's since we've been here. I wish we could go home. I just long to see the rain. There's no green here and I want to be among normal men and women."

I laughed at her. "Yasmin would think the people in the souk were more normal than us, I do assure you. It's a simple matter of geography. You're just a bit homesick, Theodosia."

"How I wish Evan would lecture in the university and not do this sort of thing."

"No doubt he will when this is over. Now, Theodosia, you've got to stop worrying. This is the most marvelous news."

But she did continue to fret; and when it was affirmed that she was indeed pregnant, I could see that this caused her some concern.

VI

Ramadan

It was the time of Ramadan—the months of fasting and prayer. I learned that this was the most important event in the Mohammadan world and that the date varied because of the lunar reckoning of the calendar so that it was eleven days earlier each year. Tybalt, who was always restive at such times because they interfered with the progress of the work, told me that in thirty-three years Ramadan passed through all the seasons of the year successively; but originally it must have taken place during a hot season as the word ramada in Arabic means "hot."

It began with the rising of the new moon; and until the waning of that moon no food must be eaten between dawn and sunset. Few people were exempt from the rule, but babies and invalids were allowed to be fed. In the palace we tried to fall in with the rules and ate a good meal before dawn and another after sunset fortifying ourselves with herish, a loaf made with honey nuts and shredded coconut which was delicious—although one quickly grew tired of it—and we drank quantities of the refreshing and sustaining mint tea.

The aspect of the place changed with Ramadan. A quietness settled on the narrow streets. There were three days' holiday although the fast went on for twenty-eight and those three days were dedicated to prayer. Five times a day twenty shots were fired. This was the call to prayer. I was always filled with awe to see men and women stop whatever they were doing, bow their heads, clasp their hands and pay homage to Allah.

Ramadan meant that I saw more of Tybalt.

"One must never offend them on a religious issue," he told me. "But it's galling. I need these workers desperately at the moment." He went through some papers with me and then he put an arm about me and said: "You've been so patient, Judith, and I know it isn't quite what you expected, is it?"

"I had such absurdly romantic ideas. I imagined myself discovering the entry to a tomb, unearthing wonderful gems, discovering sarcophagi."

"Poor Judith. I'm afraid it doesn't work out like that. Is it any compensation if I tell you that you have been of enormous help to me?"

"It's the greatest consolation."

"Listen, Judith, I'm going to take you to the site, tonight. I'm going to show you something rather special."

"Then you have made a discovery! It is what you came for!"

"It's not as easy as that. What I do think is that we may be on the trail of something important. Maybe not. We could work for months following what appears to be a clue and find it leads to nothing. But that's the luck of the game. Few know of this, but I'm going to take you into the secret. We'll go down after sunset. Ramadan moon is nearly full, so there'll be enough light; and the place will be deserted."

"Tybalt, it's so exciting!"

He kissed me lightly. "I love your enthusiasm. I wish that your father had had you thoroughly trained so that I could have had you with me at critical moments."

"Perhaps I can learn."

"You're going to get a grounding tonight. You'll see."

"I can't wait."

"Not a word to anyone. They would think I was being indiscreet or such an uxorious husband that I was carried away by my wish to please my wife."

I felt dizzy with happiness. When I was with him I wondered how I could ever have doubted his sincerity.

He pressed me to him and said: "We'll slip away this evening."

The moon was high in the sky when we left the palace. What a beautiful night it was! The stars looked solid in the indigo velvet and no slight breeze stirred the air; it was not exactly hot but delightfully warm—a relief after the torrid heat of the days. Up in the sky instead of blazing white light which was the sun was the glory of Ramadan moon.