The evening world., 1922-05-26

L was evening Wnen Dldnd opened
drowsy and heavy eyes. a bitter
III taste in her mouth from the ef-
fects OF the drug that Saint HUI
bert had given her. She dressed with
fevertsh haste and went into the outer
Sroom. II was filled with Arabs.
Gradually the tent smptied until
only Yuset WAS left.
The Vicomte came back, bringing a
chair for Diana. and put her into IL
with gentle masterfulness.
Saint Hubert brought a chair for
himself and dropped into Il YEARLY.
He looked across the divan at her,
and the change that the last few
hours had made in her struck him
painfully. She asked no questions and
she shed no tears.
She sighed once, q long uufverine
sigh that nearly broke Saint Hubert's
heart. He rose and bent over the
Sheik with his fingers on hts wrist,
and as he laid the nervefess hand
down again she leaned nearer and
covered II with her own.
His hand is so big for an Arabs, ,"
: she said softly, like a thought spoken
'Nai ,Sud unconsciousfy.
He is not Arab replied Saint Hu
bert with sudden, impatient vehe
mence. He lie English"
She shook her head. Sometimes 7
have wondered"-She said refieo-
tively.
You ought 10 know" said Saint
Hubert, This father Ia the Earl of
GlencaryN"
'BWt know him" said Diana
wonderingly He was friend Of my
father. I saw him only a few months
&aso when Aubrey and passed
Through Paris"
story" said Raoul, dropping back into
his chair.
"Thirty- six years ago my father,
who was as great wanderer as ! am,
was staying here in the desert with
his friend the Sheik Ahmed Ben Has
san. The Sheik was a wonderful
man, very enlightened, with strong
European tendencies. One evening
shortly after his arrival at the
camp a party Of the Sheik's men who
had been absent for some days in the
north on the chiefs affairs arrived,
bringing with them a woman whom
they had found wandering in the
desert. From her accents my father
decided that she was Spanish, but she
would admit nothing, not even her
nationality In due course OF time the
child was born, boy"
n Saint Hubert paused a moment
Tsand nodded toward the Sheik Even
after the child's birth she refused TO
give any account OF herself. There
was an element of the mysterious
that had taken hold of the SUI
persttious Arabs. and the baby was
looked upon as something more than
human and was adored by all the
tribe. The Shek himself, who had
never looked twice at a woman he
fore in his life, became paseionately
attached to her. My father says that
NE has never seen a man so madly
I'm love as Ahmed Ben Hassan was
with the strange white girl who had
come so oddly into his life. He re-
peatedly implored her TO marry him
She would not consent, though she
would give no reason for her refusal
and her refusal made no difference
with the Sheik. His devotion was
wonderful. She knew that she was
& dying, and a few days before the
end she told them her pitiful little
history. She was the only daughter
of one of the oldest noble houses il
Spain as poor as they were noble
ana she had been married when sh,
was seventeen to Lord Glencaryll
who had seen her with her parent!
in Nice,
She had been afraid to say who sh,
was lest she should be sent back f.
her husband And with the birth q
he child she became more than eve
Undetermined to preserve her secret
The boy should be spared the suffer
ing she had herself endured Sh
made my father and the Sheik swea
that not until the boy grew to man
hood should Lord Glencaryll be tol