The Washington times., 1922-07-03

nized question in her eager eyes.
IT don't know" he said gently.
IAN things are with Allah.
CHAPTER X.
The night grew hotter and the
atmosphere more oppressive.
Wrapped In a thin silk kimona
. Diana lay very still on the out
side of the wide couch in the in
ner room. propped high with pil-
lows that the shaded light OF the
little reading lamp beside her
might fall on the book she held,
but she was not reading.
1t was Rroul's latest book, thlt
he had brought with him. but
she could not concentrate her
mind on it. and It lay idle on her
knee while her thoughts were far
away. 1t was three months since
the night that Saint Hubert rad
almost given up hope of being
able to save the Sheik's life-a
night that had been followed by
days Of suspense that had reduced
Diana to a weary.eyed shadow Of
, her former vigorous self. and had
left marks on Raoul that would
never be effaced. But thanks to
constitution the Sheik had rallied
anH af ftar tha fir.t fau, x.,aalx. -
valescence had been rapid. When
the terrible fear that he might
die was past II had been a won.
derful happiness to wait on him.
With the determination to live
for the moment. to which she had
forced hesself. she had banished
everything from her mind but .he
JOY Of being near him and OF being
necessary to him. 1t had been a
very silent service. for he would lie
for hours with closed eyes without
speaking. and something that she
could not master kept her tongue.
tied In his presence when they were
alone. Only once he had referred
to the raid. As she bent over him
to do some small office his fingers
closed feebly round her wrist and
his eyes. with a searching appre.
hension in them. looked into hers
for the first time since the night
when she had fled from his curses.
Was tin timer" he whispered
slowly. and as she nodded with
crimson cheeks and lowered eyes
he turned his head away without
another word. but a shudder that
he was too weak to control shook
him.
But the happiness Of ministering
to him passed very swiftly. As he
grew stronger he ged so that
she was rarely alone with him.
and he insisted on her riding twice
every day. sometimes with Saint
Hubert. sometimes with Henri
coolly avowing preference for
his own society or that Of CASTOR.
who was beginning to get about
again. Later. too. he was much
occupied with headmen who cam.
In from the different camps, and
as the days passed she found her.
self more and more excluded from
the intimacy that had been so
precious. She was thrown much
into the society of Raoul de Saint
Hubert. All that they had gone
through together had drawn them
very closely to each other, and
Diana often wondered what her
girlhood would have been like IL
1t had been spent under his
guardianship instead Of that Of Sir
Aubrey Mayo. The sisterly affec-
ton she had never given her own
brother she gave to him. and, with
the firm hold over himself that he
had never again slackened, the
Vicomte accepted the role Of elder
brother which she unconsciousiv
imposed on him.
1t was hard work sometimes, and
there were days when he dreaded
the daily rides. when the strain
seemed almost more than he could
bear. and he began to make
tentative suggestions about re.
suming his wanderings, but always
the Sheik pressed him to stay.
Ahmed Ben Hassan's final re.
covery was quick, and the camp
soon settled down into normal con
ditions. The reinforcemen,s were
gone back to the different camps
from which they had been drawn
There was no further need Of them.
Ibraheim Omair's tribe, with their
leader dead. had broken up and
scattered far to the south: there
was no chief to keep them together
and no headman strong enough 10
draw them round a new chieftain
for Ibraheim had allowed no mem.
Der Of his tribe to attain any degree
Of wealth or power that might
prove him a rival; so they had SPLIT
up into numerous small bands
lacking cohesion. In fulfilling the
vow made to his Predecessor Ahmad