Evening star., 1933-05-28
a. VAL1ANT !, ALL e!'.1,,, D. DUsI j:

Sara is helping me-" was the reply.
Look here" said Margaret angrily,
rising from the divan. This is all
nonsense Where's my husband? I'm
going to him now. / insist"
The Lady El Isa Beth ell Ain smiled
tolerantly
People don't insist here, my child"
she said. mo one does that except
the Kaid-or Zainub and Raisul
| through the Kaid. Insist" repeated FL
lisa Beth el Ain, and laughed gently.
Where is Jules?" asked Margaret,
fighting back slowly rising tide Of
fear, cold and horrible.
up here, in my husbands bed room"
where's that?"
Through there" replied El lisa Beth
el Ain. pointing to small door in a
Moorish horseshoe setting, opposite to
the one by which she had entered.
Without further remark. Margaret
ran to the door, only to find 1t entirely
devoid Of any kind Of handle, latch
! It or keyhole and entirely i'm
..iovable.
Having pushed with all her strength
and thrown herself against the door
as heavily as she could, Margaret
rushed across to the other one. deter
mined to find way round. Pulling
back the curtain that hung on the
inner side of the thick wall, she tried
to open the door. This also was i'm
movable, presumably locked from with
out
Hsmmering upon the heavy mass Of
wood. endeavoring to shake it, Mar
garet realized that she was panic
stricken; that the cold tide of fear was
rising higher and higher
This would not do. She must not
lose control. Panic was never any good
to anybody. She must be cool and
wary and brave.
She turned back into the room.
rs this a trap?" she said.
"A trap?" smiled FL lisa Beth el Ain
surd, You came here Of your own free
will and you can 60 whenever you like. "
Jump over that balcony, do you
mean?" asked Margaret.
II you wish. But 1t would be pleas
anter to give the signal to Hassan ell
Miskeen that we want the door open.
You knock twice quickly and three
times slowly. and hard. for Hassan Is
getting q little deaf and might not
hear knuckles. Use the handle Of that
And El lisa Beth ell Ain pointed to
where, on table, lay large dagger
with hilt and sheath Of heavy cut steel,
the top Of the handle fattened out into
the shape Of an open fan. and the
end Of the sheath curved sharply round
in small semi-circle.
Margaret picked up the dagger.
Thank you,' she said. Gould you
give me this? Might I take it with
me?"
Certainly. Souvenir to take home
when you 60"
Margaret hung in doubt for a mo-
ment and then came to a decision
III tell you something" she said,
and then perhaps you'll understand
If you didn't before-why I insist on
being with my husband.
Last night, knowing that my hus-
band was not there. Raisul came to my
bed room and insulted me unbelieva-
bly,, unspeakably. Made love to
| me. :"
"Raisul didP"
"Yes, Raisul"
He made love to you?"
"Insulted me. said. Told me that
he loved me and that he :"
Only told you?"
"Only? Yes"
| How did you get rid of him, them"
1T was quite dark in the room, and
| l told him I would shoot him If he did
not 60. I pretended I had a pistol.
| Could I get one?"
NO. you couldn't. And you'd better
not take that knife If you're thinking
of stabbing Raisul"
Thinking of stabbing him? OF course
Ia stab him or anybody else who came
into my room in the night and :"
We'll, you'd better stab any one else.
then. Don't stab Raisul. unless you
want to suffer a more terrible death
than you can imagine The Kaid
I'D rather suffer the terrible death. "
| And Jules? And his father, my
husband? And !, his mother? Are
we all to die because you're a silly Eng
llsh Miss, cold and fiat and skinny2
Can't you take joke?"
(To be continued tomorrow