Ramadan moon had waned and now it was the time of the Little Bairam. Houses had been spring cleaned and I had seen rugs put on the flat roofs of the houses to dry in the sun. I had seen the slaughter of animals on those rooftops and I knew that this was part of a ritual, and that there would be feasting and salting of animals which were to be eaten throughout the year.

I was becoming immersed in the customs of Egypt and yet I could never grow used to its strangeness. ,

One late afternoon just as the palace was awaking after the siesta Hadrian came out and sat beside me.

"It seems ages since we've had one of our little chats," he said.

"Where have you been all the time?"

"Your husband is a hard taskmaster, Judith."

"It's necessary with slothful disciples like you."

"Who said I was slothful?"

"You must be or you wouldn't complain. You'd be all agog to get on as Tybalt is."

"He's the leader, my dear Judith. His will be the kudos when the great day comes."

"Nonsense. It will belong to you all. And when is the great day coming?"

"Ah, there's the rub. Who knows? This new venture may lead to nothing."

"The new venture?"

"Tybalt mentioned that he had told you or I should not have spoken of it."

"Oh yes, he showed me."

"Well, you know that we think we have a lead."

"Yes."

"Well, who shall say? And if we do find something tremendous, that is going to bring glory to the world of archaeology but little profit to us."

"Not still worried about money, Hadrian?"

"You can depend on my always being in that state."

"Then you are highly extravagant."

"I have certain vices."

"Couldn't you curb them?"

"I will try to, Judith."

"I'm glad of that. Hadrian, why did you become an archaeologist?"

"Because my uncle—your papa—ordained it."

"I don't believe you have any deep feeling for it."

"Oh, I'm interested. We can't all be fanatics, like some people I could name."

"Without the fanatics you wouldn't get very far."

"Did you know, by the way, that we are to have a visit from the Pasha?"

"No."

"He has sent word. A sort of edict. He will honor his palace with his presence."

"That will be interesting. I suppose I shall have to receive him ... or perhaps Tabitha."

"You flatter yourselves. In this world women are of small importance. You will sit with hands folded and eyes lowered, and speak when you are spoken to—a rather difficult feat for our Judith."

"I am not an Arab woman and I shall certainly not behave like one."

"I didn't think you would somehow, but when you're in Rome you do as the Romans do ... and I believe that is a rule for any place you might mention."

"When is the great man coming?"

"Very soon. I've no doubt you will be informed."

We talked for some time about the old days at Keverall Court.

"A closely knit community," he said. "Sabina and the parson, Theodosia and Evan, you and Tybalt. I am the odd man out."

"Why, you are one of the party and always will be."

"I'm one of the unlucky ones."

"Luck! That's not in our stars but in ourselves, so I've heard."

"I've heard it too and I'm sure both you and Shakespeare can't be wrong. Didn't I tell you I was one who never seized my opportunities."

"You could begin now."

He turned to me and his eyes were very serious.

"In certain circumstances I could." He leaned forward and patted my hand suddenly. "Good old Judith," he went on. "What a bully you were! Do you bully Tybalt? I'm sure you don't. Now I'm the sort of man who needs a bully in my life."

I was uneasy. Was this Hadrian's flippant way of telling me that in the past he had thought that he and I would be the ones to share our lives?

"You used to complain of me enough."

"It was a bitter sweet sort of complaint. Promise you won't stop bullying me, Judith."

"I'll be frank with you, as I always have been."

"That's what I want," he said.

From the minaret came the voice of the muezzin.

The women by the river stood up heads bowed; an old squatting beggar on the roadside tottered to his feet and stood in prayer.

We silently watched.

A subtle change had crept over the palace because the Pasha was coming. There was a growing tension in the kitchens where one heard excited voices; floors were washed with greater vigor than ever before; and brass was polished to look like gleaming gold. The servants lent to us by Hakim Pasha knew that the tolerant reign of the visitors was temporarily at an end.

Tybalt told me what we must expect.

"He is the governor of these parts, one might say. He owns most of the land. It is because he has lent us his palace that we are treated so well. He has made it easy for us to get our workmen, and they will know that to work well for us is to work well for the Pasha. So they dare do no other. He was of great assistance to my father. You will see that he comes like a great potentate."

"Shall we be able to entertain him in the manner to which he is accustomed?"

"We'll manage. After all we are entertaining him in his own palace and his servants will know what is expected. I remember when he came before it worked quite smoothly. That was about three weeks before my father's death."

"How fortunate that he is interested in archaeology."

"Oh there is no doubt of his interest. I remember my father's taking him on a tour of the site. He was completely fascinated by everything he saw. I expect I shall do the same."

"And what will my role be?"

"Just to behave naturally. He is a much traveled man and does not expect our customs to be the same as his. I think you will be amused by his visit. Tabitha will tell you about it. She will remember how he came here when my father was alive."

I asked Tabitha and she told me that they had been apprehensive but they need not have been for the Pasha had been goodness itself and as eager to please them as they to please him.

Tabitha and I had been to the souk, and as we were walking back to the palace, passing the hotel, we saw Hadrian and Terence Gelding sitting on the terrace there drinking with the man whom Theodosia and I had met in the Temple.

Hadrian hailed us and we joined them.

"This is Mr. Leopold Harding," said Hadrian. "Terence and I stopped here for some refreshment and as Mr. Harding knew who we were, he introduced himself."

"We have met already," I said.

"Indeed we have," replied Leopold Harding. "It was in the Temple when we were sightseeing."

"You two must be in need of refreshment," said Terence.

"I could do with the inevitable glass of mint tea," I replied.

Tabitha agreed that after our walk it would be welcome. We chatted while it was being brought.

Mr. Harding told us that he occasionally visited Egypt and he was very interested in the excavations because his business was involved with antiques. He bought and sold. "It's an interesting business," he assured us.

"It must be," replied Hadrian, "and you must be very knowledgeable."

"One has to be. It's so easy to get caught. The other day I was offered a small head—a flat carving in profile. At first it appeared to be of turquoise and lapis lazuli. It was so cleverly done that only an expert would have detected that it was not what it seemed."

"Are you interested in archaeology?" I asked.

"Only as an amateur, Lady Travers."

"That's all we are," I replied. "Don't you agree, Tabitha? I discovered that when I came out here."

"Mrs. Grey is more than that," said Terence.

"As for Judith," added Hadrian lightly, "she tries . . . she tries very hard."

Terence said gravely: "Both of these ladies do a great deal to help the party."

"You could say that we are amateurs with professional leanings," I added.

"Perhaps I'm in the same class," said Leopold Harding. "Handling objects—some of which are, most of the time wrongly, said to have come from the tombs of the Pharaohs —arouses an enormous interest. I wonder whether there is a chance of my being allowed to look round the excavations."

"There's nothing to stop your taking a drive along the Valley," Hadrian told him.

"All you would see," added Terence, "would be a few shacks containing tools, and men digging. A few heaps of rubble . . ."

"And Sir Tybalt has high hopes of discovering a hitherto undisturbed tomb, I believe."

"It's what all archaeologists who come here hope," replied Hadrian.

"Of course."

"It's going to be a long hard exercise," went on Hadrian. "I feel it in my bones that we are doomed to failure."

"Nonsense," retorted Terence sharply, and I added severely: "This is not a matter of bones but of hard work."

"They're a very reliable set of bones," insisted Hadrian. "And sheer hard work will not put a buried Pharaoh where there was none."

"I don't believe Tybalt could be mistaken," I said hotly.

"You are his doting wife," replied Hadrian.

I wanted to stop Hadrian's talking in this manner before a stranger so I said to change the subject: "Have you really dealt with articles which were discovered from tombs, Mr. Harding?"

"One can never really be sure," he answered. "You can imagine how legends attach to these things. The fact that an object may have been buried for the use of a Pharaoh three thousand years before Christ, gives it inestimable value. As a businessman I don't discourage rumors."