Evening star., 1933-06-06
CHAPTER xxx.
IuIes' Agreement,

understand each other. Any time
that I'm-ah-defeated,' shall we
eav. 'o'ertook,' under the influence
have been drugged. Any time that
Raisul makes himself, shall we say a
nuisance'-it's a harmless Irritation and
no harm done. AS you say. we're abso-
iutely in his power. And what's got to
be done may as well be done cheer
fully and with good grace.
Margaret's blood boiled. and her
fighting spirit raised its head.
Not for nothing had she grown up
with Otho Belleme, shared all his
games and sports and pastimes, followed
him, fought with him, loved him and
imbibed his ideas, adopted his beliefs.
accepted his standards. Il Say and
Do" was Otho's motto
She raised her head from her hands,
looked at her husband in wonder and
rose to her feet.
I'm going home" she said quietly.
She had said it, and she would do it.
Some Gay. perhaps" assented her
husband. when Raisul agrees-and
provides the camels mules, water, pro-
visions. fodder, camelmen, muleteerS
and escort.
Meanwhile" he continued, suppose
Just for a bit of fun, suppoSe-you
don't offend and antagonize and lnfu-
riate our best friend and worst possible
enemy. No more idiotic school girl
heroics. What are you staring at?"
For Margaret was regarding this man,
her husband. with cool. 1mpersonal
but searching scrutiny.
What was it-this thing? An eel
that slipped through your hands as you
erasped it. leaving nothing behind but
a Shiny emptiness? A quickSand, a
moraSs which, looking like firm ground.
gave way beneath your feet, leaving
you fioundering-nay, foundering-in
mortal danger? A haystack OF feathers
or soft wool, at which you struck in
vain; a thing invulnerable in its soft
ness. thing against which one could
beat one self to death as one who beats
the air until exhausted?
'I am going home" repeated Mar
garet. will you take me?'
II won't and I can't"
will you come with me?"
NO can't. My business :"
I'm going home. If you take me.
well forget this nightmare and start
again in England. II you won't help
me, but will come with me. we'll talk
things over when we get to England. |
and If you'll promise not to come back
to Morocco I'll do my best to continue |
as your wife. If you leave me to go
alone, will never speak to you nor see
you again"
81 fully agree. You certainly wonti"
replied Jules Maligni. "It's pity Otho |
Belleme rushed off to the French For
eign Legion, isn't it?"
"I also fully agree It certainly IS"
replied Margaret quietly, gently.
And nothing more that her husband
could say had any power to provoke her
to recrimination, contradiction or any |
show of anger.
The days and weeks that followed |
were such that occasionally Margaret |
looked in her little hand-mirror to re-
assure herself that her hair had not |
turned white.
More than once she had spent the |
night alone in her room. unable to sleep. |
in spite of the fact that she had doubiy |
bsrred and bolted the door. |
More than once she had encountered |
Raisul. in court yard. garden and cor
rider and had frankly fled with more |
speed than dignity. pursued by his
mocking laughter,
A specially hideous fear and a grow |
ing belief against which she fought and |
of which she was ashamed augmented |
her general state of terror, anxiety and |
apprehension and almost brought her |
to despair and defeat-the fear and |
belief that her husbands presence In |
the castle was no safeguard: that far |
from being tower Of strength, he was |
source OF weakness and danger.
Indeed-though she shrank in every |
fiber Of her soul from admitting the |
thought-she began to feel that he was |
traitor in her camp that the !,
watchdog was a treacherous wolf, a |
1ackal. hyena.
With him she held such conversation |
and communication as was polite and |
necessary, the while there hardened In |
her heart the determination never again |
to see his changed, deteriorated, loath- |
some face, once she had escaped from |
this terrible place and country
For neither would he take her away |
nor so much as suggest nor discuss |
date or time when they should depart; |
neither in any wav help her to go away |
tby herself nor admit the possibility Of |
her doing SO.
Nor would her father -tn-law, to whom |
she appealed
In fact, the Senior Pedro Maligni was /
~or affected to be-a little shocked and |
more than a little disappointed in her |
when she spoke Of leaving Mekazzen.
He evidently held the excellent view
that wife's place is by her husbands |
side, though. in his own case, precept !
had been superior to practice.
When Margaret so far forgot tact and |
good manners as to allude to the fact |
that the senor's wife was but rarely at |
his side. he enlarged the precept by |
she addition OF the words,
Unless she can better serve his in
terestS elsewhere"
And since Margaret was incapable of |