Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-07-31


Gil.
The door closed behind her mother
and the maid. She waited for time.
Then she sprang to the window and
stood there. She saw her mother
driven off. She was dressed in pearl
grey, with a Reynolds hat of grey
velour and sweeping plumes: as hand
some and distinguished woman as
could be found that day In all Cairo.
The watcher threw her Baedeker, her
notebook, and her pencil violently
! into corner. 1t had come to her at
last, this thing that she had been
striving for since noon She did not
care what the risks were; the storm
was too high in her heart to listen
to the voice of caution She would
do it; for she judged it the one thing,
in justice to her own blood, she must
accomplish. She straightway dressed
for the street; and if she did not give
the same care as her mother to the
vital function, she produced an effect
that me1ited comparison.
/; She loitered before the porter's bu-
reau till she saw him busily engaged
IN answering questions of some wom-
en- tourists. Then, with slight but
friendly nod, she stepped into the bu-
reau and stopped before the key-rack.
She hung UP her key, but took 1t
down again, as If she had changed
hIa,. = 4,
ter's impression as he bowed to her
in the midst Of the verbal lombard
ment. Fortune went upstairs. Ten
or fifteen minutes elapsed. when she
| returned, hung up the key. and walked
| briskly toward the side-entrance at
the very moment George. in his fruit
less search OF her, pushed through
the revolving doors in front. And all
| the time she was wondering how It
was that her knees did not given ur-
der. 1t was terrible She balanced
between laughter and tears, hys-ert
cally.
She had gone scarcely hundred
yards when she was accosted by a
tall Arab whom she indistinctly recol
Iected having seen before; where, she
could not definitely imagine. 1t was
the ragged green turban that cleared
away her puZzlement. The Arab was
the supposed beggar over whom Perez
val chow easily she had fallen into the
habit Of calling him that!) had STUN
+ bled. He stood SO tall and straight
that she knew he wasn't going to beg;
so naturally she stopped. Without q
word, without even q look that en-
pressed anything, he slipped note
into her hand, bowed with Oriental
gravity, and stepped aside for her to
proceed. She read the note hastily
as she continued her way. Horace:
! Why should he wish to meet her that
evening, at the southeast corner OF
! the Shari'a MahomoudEl-Falaki, q
step from the British Consulate's
And she mustn't come in carriage
nor tell any one where she was go.
ing7 Why all such childish mystery:
| He could SEQ her far more conven'
| iently in the lounging-room Of the
hotel She tore the note into scrap5
and flung them upon the air, She was
afraid. She was almost certain why
| he wished to meet her where neither
her mothers nor her uncle's eye
would be within range. Should she
meet him? Deeper than this. dared
she? Why had she come to Cairo,
when ct Mentone she had known
peace, such peace as destiny was gen.
erous enough TO dole out to her? And
now, out OF this tolerable peace, a
thousand hands were reaching to rend
her heart, to wiring 1t. She decided
quickly. Since she had come this
far, TO go on to the end would add but
little to her burden. Better to know
all too soon than too late
That the note had not been direct
ed to her and that she was totally un.
familiar with Ryanre's handwriting,
escaped her. She had too many other
things upon her mind to see all things
clearly, especially such trifes. She
finished her walk, returning by the
way she had gone, gave the key to the
J lift-boy, and in her room dropped
down upon the bed, dry-eyed and
weary. The most eventful day she
had ever known.
And all the while George sat by
the window and watched. and at
length fell into frame of mind that
was irritable. irascible and sel1-con.
demnatory. And when he found that
his precious Yhiordes was gone, bis
condition was the essence Of all disa-
greeable emotions It was beyond him
how any one could have stolen IT. he
never failed to lock his door and
leave the key with the porter. And
surely, only man with wings could
have gained entrance by the window.
Being O thorough business man among
other accomplishments, he reported
his loss at once to the management;
and the management set about tina
matter with CELEBRITY. At half after
seven every maid and servant In the
hotel had been questioned and exam
{n1n n o.