第7章

’DoyourememberwhereIusedtokeepmybank—book？’saidhe。’Torptookittobebalancedjustbeforehewentaway。Lookandsee。’

’Itwasgenerallyunderthetobacco—jar。Ah！’

’Well？’

’Oh！Fourthousandtwohundredandtenpoundsnineshillingsandapenny！Ohmy！’

’Youcanhavethepenny。That’snotbadforoneyear’swork。Isthatandahundredandtwentypoundsayeargoodenough？’

Theidlenessandtheprettyclotheswerealmostwithinherreachnow，butshemust，bybeinghousewifely，showthatshedeservedthem。

’Yes；butyou’dhavetomove，andifwetookaninventory，Ithinkwe’dfindthatMr。Beetonhasbeenprigginglittlethingsoutoftheroomshereandthere。Theydon’tlookasfullastheyused。’

’Nevermind，we’lllethimhavethem。TheonlythingI’mparticularlyanxioustotakeawayisthatpictureIusedyoufor——whenyouusedtoswearatme。We’llpulloutofthisplace，Bess，andgetawayasfaraseverwecan。’

’Ohyes，’shesaiduneasily。

’Idon’tknowwhereIcangotogetawayfrommyself，butI’lltry，andyoushallhavealltheprettyfrocksthatyoucarefor。You’lllikethat。

Givemethatkissnow，Bess。Yegods！it’sgoodtoputone’sarmroundawoman’swaistagain。’

Thencamethefulfilmentoftheprophecywithinthebrain。IfhisarmwerethusroundMaisie’swaistandakisshadjustbeengivenandtakenbetweenthem，——whythen……Hepressedthegirlmorecloselytohimselfbecausethepainwhippedhim。ShewaswonderinghowtoexplainalittleaccidenttotheMelancolia。Atanyrate，ifthismanreallydesiredthesolaceofhercompany——andcertainlyhewouldrelapseintohisoriginalsloughifshewithdrewit——hewouldnotbemorethanjustalittlevexed。

Itwouldbedelightfulatleasttoseewhatwouldhappen，andbyherteachingsitwasgoodforamantostandincertainaweofhiscompanion。

Shelaughednervously，andslippedoutofhisreach。

’Ishouldn’tworritaboutthatpictureifIwasyou，’shebegan，inthehopeofturninghisattention。

’It’satthebackofallmycanvasessomewhere。Findit，Bess；youknowitaswellasIdo。’

’Iknow——but——’

’Butwhat？You’vewitenoughtomanagethesaleofittoadealer。

Womenhagglemuchbetterthanmen。Itmightbeamatterofeightorninehundredpoundsto——tous。Isimplydidn’tliketothinkaboutitforalongtime。Itwasmixedupwithmylifeso。——Butwe’llcoverupourtracksandgetridofeverything，eh？Makeafreshstartfromthebeginning，Bess。’

Thenshebegantorepentverymuchindeed，becausesheknewthevalueofmoney。Still，itwasprobablethattheblindmanwasoverestimatingthevalueofhiswork。Gentlemen，sheknew，wereabsurdlyparticularabouttheirthings。Shegiggledasanervoushousemaidgiggleswhenshetriestoexplainthebreakageofapipe。

’I’mverysorry，butyourememberIwas——IwasangrywithyoubeforeMr。Torpenhowwentaway？’

’Youwereveryangry，child；andonmywordIthinkyouhadsomerighttobe。’

’ThenI——butaren’tyousureMr。Torpenhowdidn’ttellyou？’

’Tellmewhat？Goodgracious，whatareyoumakingsuchafussaboutwhenyoumightjustaswellbegivingmeanotherkiss？’

Hewasbeginningtolearn，notforthefirsttimeinhisexperience，thatkissingisacumulativepoison。Themoreyougetofit，themoreyouwant。

Bessiegavethekisspromptly，whispering，asshedidso，’IwassoangryI

rubbedoutthatpicturewiththeturpentine。Youaren’tangry，areyou？’

’What？Saythatagain。’Theman’shandhadclosedonherwrist。

’Irubbeditoutwithturpsandtheknife，’falteredBessie。’Ithoughtyou’donlyhavetodoitoveragain。Youdiddoitoveragain，didn’tyou？

Oh，letgoofmywrist；you’rehurtingme。’

’Isn’tthereanythingleftofthething？’

’N’nothingthatlookslikeanything。I’msorry——Ididn’tknowyou’dtakeonaboutit；Ionlymeanttodoitinfun。Youaren’tgoingtohitme？’

’Hityou！No！Let’sthink。’

Hedidnotrelaxhisholduponherwristbutstoodstaringatthecarpet。

Thenheshookhisheadasayoungsteershakesitwhenthelashofthestock—whipcrosshisnosewarnshimbacktothepathontotheshamblesthathewouldescape。ForweekshehadforcedhimselfnottothinkoftheMelancolia，becauseshewasapartofhisdeadlife。WithBessie’sreturnandcertainnewprospectsthathaddevelopedthemselves，theMelancolia——lovelierinhisimaginationthanshehadeverbeenoncanvas——reappeared。ByheraidhemighthaveprocuredmormoneywherewithtoamuseBessandtoforgetMaisie，aswellasanothertasteofanalmostforgottensuccess。Now，thankstoaviciouslittlehousemaid’sfolly，therewasnothingtolookfor——noteventhehopethathemightsomedaytakeanabidinginterestinthehousemaid。Worstofall，hehadbeenmadetoappearridiculousinMaisie’seyes。Awomanwillforgivethemanwhohasruinedherlife’sworksolongashegivesherlove；amanmayforgivethosewhoruintheloveofhislife，buthewillneverforgivethedestructionofhiswork。

’Tck——tck——tck，’saidDickbetweenhisteeth，andthenlaughedsoftly。’It’sanomen，Bessie，and——agoodmanythingsconsidered，itservesmerightfordoingwhatIhavedone。ByJove！thataccountsforMaisie’srunningaway。Shemusthavethoughtmeperfectlymad——smallblametoher！Thewholepictureruined，isn’titso？Whatmadeyoudoit？’

’BecauseIwasthatangry。I’mnotangrynow——I’mawfulsorry。’

’Iwonder。——Itdoesn’tmatter，anyhow。I’mtoblameformakingthemistake。’

’Whatmistake？’

’Somethingyouwouldn’tunderstand，dear。Greatheavens！tothinkthatalittlepieceofdirtlikeyoucouldthrowmeoutofstride！’DickwastalkingtohimselfasBessietriedtoshakeoffhisgriponherwrist。

’Iain’tapieceofdirt，andyoushouldn’tcallmeso！Ididit’causeIhatedyou，andI’monlysorrynow’causeyou’re——’causeyou’re————’

’Exactly——becauseI’mblind。There’snotingliketactinlittlethings。’

Bessiebegantosob。Shedidnotlikebeingshackledagainstherwill；shewasafraidoftheblindfaceandthelookuponit，andwassorrytoothathergreatrevengehadonlymadeDicklaugh。

’Don’tcry，’hesaid，andtookherintohisarms。’Youonlydidwhatyouthoughtright。’

’I——Iain’talittlepieceofdirt，andifyousaythatI’llnevercometoyouagain。’

’Youdon’tknowwhatyou’vedonetome。I’mnotangry——indeed，I’mnot。

Bequietforaminute。’

Bessieremainedinhisarmsshrinking。Dick’sfirstthoughtwasconnectedwithMaisie，andithurthimaswhite—hotironhurtsanopensore。

Notfornothingisamanpermittedtoallyhimselftothewrongwoman。

Thefirstpang——thefirstsenseofthingslostisbutthepreludetotheplay，fortheveryjustProvidencewhodelightsincausingpainhasdecreedthattheagonyshallreturn，andthatinthemidstofkeenestpleasure。

Theyknowthispainequallywhohaveforsakenorbeenforsakenbytheloveoftheirlife，andintheirnewwives’armsarecompelledtorealiseit。

Itisbettertoremainaloneandsufferonlythemiseryofbeingalone，solongasitispossibletofinddistractionindailywork。Whenthatresourcegoesthemanistobepitiedandleftalone。

ThesethingsandsomeothersDickconsideredwhilehewasholdingBessietohisheart。

’Thoughyoumayn’tknowit，’hesaid，raisinghishead，’theLordisajustandaterribleGod，Bess；withaverystrongsenseofhumour。Itservesmeright——howitservesmeright！Torpcouldunderstanditifhewerehere；hemusthavesufferedsomethingatyourhands，child，butonlyforaminuteorso。Isavedhim。Setthattomycredit，someone。’

’Letmego，’saidBess，herfacedarkening。’Letmego。’

’Allingoodtime。DidyoueverattendSundayschool？’

’Never。Letmego，Itellyou；you’remakingfunofme。’

’Indeed，I’mnot。I’mmakingfunofmyself……Thus。"Hesavedothers，himselfhecannotsave。"Itisn’texactlyaschool—boardtext。’Hereleasedherwrist，butsincehewasbetweenherandthedoor，shecouldnotescape。’Whatanenormousamountofmischiefonelittlewomancando！’

’I’msorry；I’mawfulsorryaboutthepicture。’

’I’mnot。I’mgratefultoyouforspoilingit……Whatwerewetalkingaboutbeforeyoumentionedthething？’

’Aboutgettingaway——andmoney。Meandyougoingaway。’

’Ofcourse。Wewillgetaway——thatistosay，Iwill。’

’Andme？’

’Youshallhavefiftywholepoundsforspoilingapicture。’

’Thenyouwon’t————？’

’I’mafraidnot，dear。Thinkoffiftypoundsforprettythingsalltoyourself。’

’Yousaidyoucouldn’tdoanythingwithoutme。’

’Thatwastruealittlewhileago。I’mbetternow，thankyou。Getmemyhat。’

’S’poseIdon’t？’

’Beetonwill，andyou’lllosefiftypounds。That’sall。Getit。’

Bessiecursedunderherbreath。Shehadpitiedthemansincerely，hadkissedhimwithalmostequalsincerity，forhewasnotunhandsome；itpleasedhertobeinawayandforatimehisprotector，andabovealltherewerefourthousandpoundstobehandledbysomeone。Nowthroughaslipofthetongueandalittlefemininedesiretogivealittle，nottoomuch，painshehadlostthemoney，theblessedidlenessandtheprettythings，thecompanionship，andthechanceoflookingoutwardlyasrespectableasareallady。

’Nowfillmeapipe。Tobaccodoesn’ttaste，butitdoesn’tmatter，andI’llthinkthingsout。What’sthedayoftheweek，Bess？’

’Tuesday。’

’ThenThursday’smail—day。Whatafool——whatablindfoolIhavebeen！？

Twenty—twopoundscoversmypassagehomeagain。Allowtenforadditionalexpenses。WemustputupatMadamBinat’sforoldtime’ssake。Thirty—twopoundsaltogether。Addahundredforthecostofthelasttrip——Gad，won’tTorpstaretoseeme！——ahundredandthirty—twoleavesseventy—eightforbaksheesh——Ishallneedit——andtoplaywith。

Whatareyoucryingfor，Bess？Itwasn’tyourfault，child；itwasminealtogether。Oh，youfunnylittleopossum，mopyoureyesandtakemeout！？

Iwantthepass—bookandthecheck—book。Stopaminute。Fourthousandpoundsatfourpercent——that’ssafeinterest——meansahundredandsixtypoundsayear；onehundredandtwentypoundsahear——alsosafe——istwoeighty，andtwohundredandeightypoundsaddedtothreehundredayearmeansgildedluxuryforasinglewoman。Bess，we’llgotothebank。’

Richerbytwohundredandtenpoundsstoredinhismoney—belt，DickcausedBessie，nowthoroughlybewildered，tohurryfromthebanktotheP。andO。offices，whereheexplainedthingstersely。

’PortSaid，singlefirst；cabinasclosetothebaggage—hatchaspossible。

Whatship’sgoing？’

’TheColgong，’saidtheclerk。

’She’sawetlittlehooker。IsitTilburyandatender，orGalleonsandthedocks？’

’Galleons。Twelve—forty，Thursday。’

’Thanks。Change，please。Ican’tseeverywell——willyoucountitintomyhand？’

’Iftheyalltooktheirpassageslikethatinsteadoftalkingabouttheirtrunks，lifewouldbeworthsomething，’saidtheclerktohisneighbour，whowastryingtoexplaintoaharassedmotherofmanythatcondensedmilkisjustasgoodforbabesatseaasdailydairy。Beingnineteenandunmarried，hespokewithconviction。

’Wearenow，’quothDick，astheyreturnedtothestudio，pattingtheplacewherehismoney—beltcoveredticketandmoney，’beyondthereachofman，ordevil，orwoman——whichismuchmoreimportant。I’vehadthreelittleaffairstocarrythroughbeforeThursday，butIneedn’taskyoutohelp，Bess。ComehereonThursdaymorningatnine。We’llbreakfast，andyoushalltakemedowntoGalleonsStation。’

’Whatareyougoingtodo？’

’Goingaway，ofcourse。WhatshouldIstayfor？’

’Butyoucan’tlookafteryourself？’

’Icandoanything。Ididn’trealiseitbefore，butIcan。I’vedoneagreatdealalready。ResolutionshallbetreatedtoonekissifBessiedoesn’tobject。’Strangelyenough，BessieobjectedandDicklaughed。’Isupposeyou’reright。Well，comeatninethedayafterto—morrowandyou’llgetyourmoney。’

’ShallIsure？’

’Idon’tbilk，andyouwon’tknowwhetherIdoornotunlessyoucome。

Oh，butit’slongandlongtowait！Good—bye，Bessie，——sendBeetonhereasyougoout。’

Thehousekeepercame。

’Whatareallthefittingsofmyroomsworth？’saidDick，imperiously。

’’Tisn’tformetosay，sir。Somethingsisveryprettyandsomeisworeoutdreadful。’

’I’minsuredfortwohundredandseventy。’

’Insurancepoliciesisnocriterion，thoughIdon’tsay————’

’Oh，damnyourlongwindedness！You’vemadeyourpickingsoutofmeandtheothertenants。Why，youtalkedofretiringandbuyingapublic—housetheotherday。Giveastraightanswertoastraightquestion。’

’Fifty，’saidMr。Beeton，withoutamoment’shesitation。

’Doubleit；orI’llbreakuphalfmysticksandburntherest。’

Hefelthiswaytoabookstandthatsupportedapileofsketch—books，andwrenchedoutoneofthemahoganypillars。

’That’ssinful，sir，’saidthehousekeeper，alarmed。

’It’smyown。Onehundredor————’

’Onehundreditis。It’llcostmethreeandsixtogetthattherepilastermended。’

’Ithoughtso。Whatanoutandoutswindleryoumusthavebeentospringthatpriceatonce！’

’IhopeI’vedonenothingtodissatisfyanyofthetenants，leastofallyou，sir。’

’Nevermindthat。Getmethemoneyto—morrow，andseethatallmyclothesarepackedinthelittlebrownbullock—trunk。I’mgoing。’

’Butthequarter’snotice？’

’I’llpayforfeit。Lookafterthepackingandleavemealone。’

Mr。Beetondiscussedthisnewdeparturewithhiswife，whodecidedthatBessiewasatthebottomofitall。Herhusbandtookamorecharitableview。

’It’sverysudden——butthenhewasalwayssuddeninhisways。Listentohimnow！’

TherewasasoundofchantingfromDick’sroom。

’We’llnevercomebackanymore，boys，We’llnevercomebacknomore；

We’llgotothedeuceonanyexcuse，Andnevercomebacknomore！？

Ohsaywe’reafloatorashore，boys，Ohsaywe’reafloatorashore；

Butwe’llnevercomebackanymore，boys，We’llnevercomebacknomore！’？

’Mr。Beeton！Mr。Beeton！Wherethedeuceismypistol？’

’Quick，he’sgoingtoshoothimself——’avin’gonemad！’saidMrs。Beeton。

Mr。BeetonaddressedDicksoothingly，butitwassometimebeforethelatter，threshingupanddownhisbedroom，couldrealisetheintentionofthepromisesto’findeverythingto—morrow，sir。’

’Oh，youcopper—nosedoldfool——youimpotentAcademician！’heshoutedatlast。’DoyousupposeIwanttoshootmyself？Takethepistolinyoursillyshakinghandthen。Ifyoutouchit，itwillgooff，becauseit’sloaded。

It’samongmycampaign—kitsomewhere——intheparcelatthebottomofthetrunk。’

LongagoDickhadcarefullypossessedhimselfofaforty—poundweightfield—equipmentconstructedbytheknowledgeofhisownexperience。Itwasthisput—awaytreasurethathewastryingtofindandrehandle。Mr。

Beetonwhippedtherevolveroutofitsplaceonthetopofthepackage，andDickdrovehishandamongthekhakicoatandbreeches，theblueclothleg—bands，andtheheavyflannelshirtsdoubledoverapairofswan—neckspurs。Undertheseandthewater—bottlelayasketch—bookandapigskincaseofstationery。

’Thesewedon’twant；youcanhavethem，Mr。Beeton。EverythingelseI’llkeep。Pack’emonthetopright—handsideofmytrunk。Whenyou’vedonethatcomeintothestudiowithyourwife。Iwantyouboth。Waitaminute；getmeapenandasheetofnotepaper。’

Itisnotaneasythingtowritewhenyoucannotsee，andDickhadparticularreasonsforwishingthathisworkshouldbeclear。Sohebegan，followinghisrighthandwithhisleft：’"ThebadnessofthiswritingisbecauseIamblindandcannotseemypen。"H’mph！——evenalawyercan’tmistakethat。Itmustbesigned，Isuppose，butitneedn’tbewitnessed。Nowaninchlower——whydidIneverlearntouseatype—writer？——"Thisisthelastwillandtestamentofme，RichardHeldar。

Iaminsoundbodilyandmentalhealth，andthereisnopreviouswilltorevoke。"——That’sallright。Damnthepen！WhereaboutsonthepaperwasI？——"IleaveeverythingthatIpossessintheworld，includingfourthousandpounds，andtwothousandsevenhundredandtwentyeightpoundsheldforme"——oh，Ican’tgetthisstraight。’Hetoreoffhalfthesheetandbeganagainwiththecautionaboutthehandwriting。Then：’I

leaveallthemoneyIpossessintheworldto’——herefollowedMaisie’sname，andthenamesofthetwobanksthatheldthemoney。

’Itmayn’tbequiteregular，butnoonehasashadowofarighttodisputeit，andI’vegivenMaisie’saddress。Comein，Mr。Beeton。Thisismysignature；Iwantyouandyourwifetowitnessit。Thanks。To—morrowyoumusttakemetothelandlordandI’llpayforfeitforleavingwithoutnotice，andI’lllodgethispaperwithhimincaseanythinghappenswhileI’maway。Nowwe’regoingtolightupthestudiostove。Staywithme，andgivememypapersasIwant’em。’

Nooneknowsuntilhehastriedhowfineablazeayear’saccumulationofbills，letters，anddocketscanmake。Dickstuffedintothestoveeverydocumentinthestudio——savingonlythreeunopenedletters；destroyedsketch—books，roughnote—books，newandhalf—finishedcanvasesalike。

’Whatalotofrubbishatenantgetsabouthimifhestayslongenoughinoneplace，tobesure，’saidMr。Beeton，atlast。

’Hedoes。Isthereanythingmoreleft？’Dickfeltroundthewalls。

’Notathing，andthestove’snighred—hot。’

’Excellent，andyou’velostaboutathousandpounds’worthofsketches。

Ho！ho！Quiteathousandpounds’worth，ifIcanrememberwhatIusedtobe。’

’Yes，sir，’politely。Mr。BeetonwasquitesurethatDickhadgonemad，otherwisehewouldhaveneverpartedwithhisexcellentfurnitureforasong。Thecanvasthingstookupstorageroomandweremuchbetteroutoftheway。

Thereremainedonlytoleavethelittlewillinsafehands：thatcouldnotbeaccomplishedtoto—morrow。Dickgropedaboutthefloorpickingupthelastpiecesofpaper，assuredhimselfagainandagainthatthereremainednowrittenwordorsignofhispastlifeindrawerordesk，andsatdownbeforethestovetillthefirediedoutandthecontractingironcrackedinthesilenceofthenight。

CHAPTERXV

Withaheartoffuriousfancies，WhereofIamcommander；

Withaburningspearandahorseofair，TothewildernessIwander。

WithaknightofghostsandshadowsIsummonedamtotourney——

Tenleaguesbeyondthewideworld’send，Methinksitisnojourney。

——Toma’Bedlam’sSong。？

’GOOD—BYE，Bess；Ipromisedyoufifty。Here’sahundred——allthatIgotformyfurniturefromBeeton。Thatwillkeepyouinprettyfrocksforsometime。You’vebeenagoodlittlegirl，allthingsconsidered，butyou’vegivenmeandTorpenhowafairamountoftrouble。’

’GiveMr。Torpenhowmyloveifyouseehim，won’tyou？’

’OfcourseIwill，dear。Nowtakemeupthegang—plankandintothecabin。Onceaboardtheluggerandthemaidis——andIamfree，Imean。’

’Who’lllookafteryouonthisship？’

’Thehead—steward，ifthere’sanyuseinmoney。ThedoctorwhenwecometoPortSaid，ifIknowanythingofP。andO。doctors。Afterthat，theLordwillprovide，asHeusedtodo。’

BessfoundDickhiscabininthewildturmoilofashipfullofleavetakersandweepingrelatives。Thenhekissedher，andlaidhimselfdowninhisbunkuntilthedecksshouldbeclear。Hewhohadtakensolongtomoveabouthisowndarkenedroomswellunderstoodthegeographyofaship，andthenecessityofseeingtohisowncomfortswasaswinetohim。

BeforethescrewbegantothrashtheshipalongtheDockshehadbeenintroducedtothehead—steward，hadroyallytippedhim，securedagoodplaceattable，openedouthisbaggage，andsettledhimselfdownwithjoyinthecabin。Itwasscarcelynecessarytofeelhiswayashemovedabout，forhekneweverythingsowell。ThenGodwasverykind：adeepsleepofwearinesscameuponhimjustashewouldhavethoughtofMaisie，andheslepttillthesteamerhadclearedthemouthoftheThamesandwasliftingtothepulseoftheChannel。

Therattleoftheengines，thereekofoilandpaint，andaveryfamiliarsoundinthenextcabinrousedhimtohisnewinheritance。

’Oh，it’sgoodtobealiveagain！’Heyawned，stretchedhimselfvigorously，andwentondecktobetoldthattheywerealmostabreastofthelightsofBrighton。ThisisnomoreopenwaterthanTrafalgalSquareisacommon；thefreelevelsbeginatUshant；butnonethelessDickcouldfeelthehealingoftheseaatworkuponhimalready。Aboisterouslittlecross—swellswungthesteamerdisrespectfullybythenose；andonewavebreakingfaraftspatteredthequarterdeckandthepileofnewdeck—chairs。Heheardthefoamfallwiththeclashofbrokenglass，wasstunginthefacebyacupful，andsniffingluxuriously，felthiswaytothesmoking—roombythewheel。Thereastrongbreezefoundhim，blewhiscapoffandlefthimbareheadedinthedoorway，andthesmoking—roomsteward，understandingthathewasavoyagerofexperience，saidthattheweatherwouldbestiffinthechopsofftheChannelandmorethanhalfagaleintheBay。Thesethingsfellastheywereforetold，andDickenjoyedhimselftotheutmost。Itisallowableandevennecessaryatseatolayfirmholdupontables，stanchions，andropesinmovingfromplacetoplace。Onlandthemanwhofeelswithhishandsispatentlyblind。Atseaevenablindmanwhoisnotsea—sickcanjestwiththedoctorovertheweaknessofhisfellows。Dicktoldthedoctormanytales——andthesearecoinofmorevaluethansilverifproperlyhandled——smokedwithhimtillunholyhoursofthenight，andsowonhisshort—livedregardthathepromisedDickafewhoursofhistimewhentheycametoPortSaid。

Andthesearoaredorwasstillasthewindsblew，andtheenginessangtheirsongdayandnight，andthesungrewstrongerdaybyday，andTomtheLascarbarbershavedDickofamorningundertheopenedhatch—gratingwherethecoolwindsblew，andtheawningswerespreadandthepassengersmademerry，andatlasttheycametoPortSaid。

’Takeme，’saidDick，tothedoctor，’toMadameBinat’s——ifyouknowwherethatis。’

’Whew！’saidthedoctor，’Ido。There’snotmuchtochoosebetween’em；

butIsupposeyou’reawarethatthat’soneoftheworsthousesintheplace。They’llrobyoutobeginwith，andknifeyoulater。’

’Notthey。Takemethere，andIcanlookaftermyself。’

SohewasbroughttoMadameBinat’sandfilledhisnostrilswiththewell—rememberedsmelloftheEast，thatrunswithoutachangefromtheCanalheadtoHong—Kong，andhismouthwiththevillainousLinguaFrancaoftheLevant。Theheatsmotehimbetweentheshoulder—bladeswiththebuffetofanoldfriend，hisfeetslippedonthesand，andhiscoat—sleevewaswarmasnew—bakedbreadwhenheliftedittohisnose。

MadameBinatsmiledwiththesmilethatknowsnoastonishmentwhenDickenteredthedrinking—shopwhichwasonesourceofhergains。Butforalittleaccidentofcompletedarknesshecouldhardlyrealisethathehadeverquittedtheoldlifethathummedinhisears。SomebodyopenedabottleofpeculiarlystrongSchiedam。ThesmellremindedDickofMonsieurBinat，who，bytheway，hadspokenofartanddegradation。

Binatwasdead；Madamesaidasmuchwhenthedoctordeparted，scandalised，sofarasaship’sdoctorcanbe，atthewarmthofDick’sreception。Dickwasdelightedatit。’Theyremembermehereafterayear。Theyhaveforgottenmeacrossthewaterbythistime。Madame，I

wantalongtalkwithyouwhenyou’reatliberty。Itisgoodtobebackagain。’

Intheeveningshesetaniron—toppedcaf？—tableoutonthesands，andDickandshesatbyit，whilethehousebehindthemfilledwithriot，merriment，oaths，andthreats。ThestarscameoutandthelightsoftheshippingintheharbourtwinkledbytheheadoftheCanal。

’Yes。Thewarisgoodfortrade，myfriend；butwhatdostthoudohere？

Wehavenotforgottenthee。’

’IwasoverthereinEnglandandIwentblind。’

’Buttherewasthegloryfirst。Weheardofithere，evenhere——IandBinat；andthouhastusedtheheadofYellow’Tina——sheisstillalive——sooftenandsowellthat’Tinalaughedwhenthepapersarrivedbythemail—boats。Itwasalwayssomethingthatweherecouldrecogniseinthepaintings。Andthentherewasalwaysthegloryandthemoneyforthee。’

’Iamnotpoor——Ishallpayyouwell。’

’Nottome。Thouhastpaidforeverything。’Underherbreath，’MonDieu，tobeblindandsoyoung！Whathorror！’

Dickcouldnotseeherfacewiththepityonit，orhisownwiththediscolouredhairatthetemples。Hedidnotfeeltheneedofpity；hewastooanxioustogettothefrontoncemore，andexplainedhisdesire。

’Andwhere？TheCanalisfulloftheEnglishships。Sometimestheyfireastheyusedtodowhenthewarwashere——tenyearsago。BeyondCairothereisfighting，buthowcanstthougotherewithoutacorrespondent’spassport？Andinthedesertthereisalwaysfighting，butthatisimpossiblealso，’saidshe。

’ImustgotoSuakin。’Heknew，thankstoAlf’sreadings，thatTorpenhowwasatworkwiththecolumnthatwasprotectingtheconstructionoftheSuakin—Berberline。P。andO。steamersdonottouchatthatport，and，besides，MadameBinatkneweverybodywhosehelporadvicewasworthanything。Theywerenotrespectablefolk，buttheycouldcausethingstobeaccomplished，whichismuchmoreimportantwhenthereisworktoward。

’ButatSuakintheyarealwaysfighting。Thatdesertbreedsmenalways——andalwaysmoremen。Andtheyaresobold！WhytoSuakin？’

’Myfriendisthere。

’Thyfriend！Chtt！Thyfriendisdeath，then。’

MadameBinatdroppedafatarmonthetable—top，filledDick’sglassanew，andlookedathimcloselyunderthestars。Therewasnoneedthatheshouldbowhisheadinassentandsay——

’No。Heisaman，but——ifitshouldarrive……blamestthou？’

’Iblame？’shelaughedshrilly。’WhoamIthatIshouldblameanyone——exceptthosewhotrytocheatmeovertheirconsommations。Butitisveryterrible。’

’ImustgotoSuakin。Thinkforme。Agreatdealhaschangedwithintheyear，andthemenIknewarenothere。TheEgyptianlighthousesteamergoesdowntheCanaltoSuakin——andthepost—boats——Buteventhen————’

’Donotthinkanylonger。Iknow，anditisformetothink。Thoushaltgo——thoushaltgoandseethyfriend。Bewise。Sithereuntilthehouseisalittlequiet——Imustattendtomyguests——andafterwardsgotobed。Thoushaltgo，intruth，thoushaltgo。’

’To—morrow？’

’Assoonasmaybe。’Shewastalkingasthoughhewereachild。

Hesatatthetablelisteningtothevoicesintheharbourandthestreets，andwonderinghowsoontheendwouldcome，tillMadameBinatcarriedhimofftobedandorderedhimtosleep。Thehouseshoutedandsanganddancedandrevelled，MadameBinatmovingthroughitwithoneeyeontheliquorpaymentsandthegirlsandtheotheronDick’sinterests。TothislatterendshesmileduponscowlingandfurtiveTurkishofficersoffellaheenregiments，andmorethankindtocamelagentsofnonationalitywhatever。

Intheearlymorning，beingthenappropriatelydressedinaflamingredsilkball—dress，withafrontoftarnishedgoldembroideryandanecklaceofplate—glassdiamonds，shemadechocolateandcarrieditintoDick。

’ItisonlyI，andIamofdiscreetage，eh？Drinkandeattherolltoo。ThusinFrancemothersbringtheirsons，whenthosebehavewisely，themorningchocolate。’Shesatdownonthesideofthebedwhispering：——

’Itisallarranged。Thouwiltgobythelighthouseboat。ThatisabribeoftenpoundsEnglish。ThecaptainisneverpaidbytheGovernment。TheboatcomestoSuakininfourdays。TherewillgowiththeeGeorge，aGreekmuleteer。Anotherbribeoftenpounds。Iwillpay；theymustnotknowofthymoney。Georgewillgowiththeeasfarashegoeswithhismules。Thenhecomesbacktome，forhiswell—belovedishere，andifIdonotreceiveatelegramfromSuakinsayingthatthouartwell，thegirlanswersforGeorge。’

’Thankyou。’Hereachedoutsleepilyforthecup。’Youaremuchtookind，Madame。’

’IftherewereanythingthatImightdoIwouldsay，stayhereandbewise；butIdonotthinkthatwouldbebestforthee。’Shelookedatherliquor—staineddresswithasadsmile。’Nay，thoushaltgo，intruth，thoushaltgo。Itisbestso。Myboy，itisbestso。’

ShestoopedandkissedDickbetweentheeyes。’Thatisforgood—morning，’shesaid，goingaway。’WhenthouartdressedwewillspeaktoGeorgeandmakeeverythingready。Butfirstwemustopenthelittletrunk。Givemethekeys。’

’Theamountofkissinglatelyhasbeensimplyscandalous。IshallexpectTorptokissmenext。Heismorelikelytoswearatmeforgettinginhisway，though。Well，itwon’tlastlong。——Ohe，Madame，helpmetomytoiletteoftheguillotine！Therewillbenochanceofdressingproperlyoutyonder。’

Hewasrummagingamonghisnewcampaign—kit，androwellinghishandswiththespurs。Therearetwosaysofwearingwell—oiledankle—jacks，spotlessbluebands，khakicoatandbreeches，andaperfectlypipeclayedhelmet。Therightwayisthewayoftheuntiredman，masterofhimself，settingoutuponanexpedition，wellpleased。

’Everythingmustbeverycorrect，’Dickexplained。’Itwillbecomedirtyafterwards，butnowitisgoodtofeelwelldressed。Iseverythingasitshouldbe？’

Hepattedtherevolverneatlyhiddenunderthefulnessoftheblouseontherighthipandfingeredhiscollar。

’Icandonomore，’Madamesaid，betweenlaughingandcrying。’Lookatthyself——butIforgot。’

’Iamverycontent。’Hestrokedthecreaselessspiralsofhisleggings。

’NowletusgoandseethecaptainandGeorgeandthelighthouseboat。

Bequick，Madame。’

’Butthoucanstnotbeseenbytheharbourwalkingwithmeinthedaylight。FiguretoyourselfifsomeEnglishladies————’

’TherearenoEnglishladies；andifthereare，Ihaveforgottenthem。

Takemethere。’

Inspiteofthisburningimpatienceitwasnearlyeveningerethelighthouseboatbegantomove。MadamehadsaidagreatdealbothtoGeorgeandthecaptaintouchingthearrangementsthatweretobemadeforDick’sbenefit。VeryfewmenwhohadthehonourofheracquaintancecaredtodisregardMadame’sadvice。Thatsortofcontemptmightendinbeingknifedbyastrangerinagamblinghelluponsurprisinglyshortprovocation。

Forsixdays——twoofthemwerewastedinthecrowdedCanal——thelittlesteamerworkedherwaytoSuakin，whereshewastopickupthesuperintendentofthelighthouse；andDickmadeithisbusinesstopropitiateGeorge，whowasdistractedwithfearsforthesafetyofhislight—of—loveandhalfinclinedtomakeDickresponsibleforhisowndiscomfort。WhentheyarrivedGeorgetookhimunderhiswing，andtogethertheyenteredthered—hotseaport，encumberedwiththematerialandwastageoftheSuakin—Bergerline，fromlocomotivesindisconsolatefragmentstomoundsofchairsandpot—sleepers。

’Ifyoukeepwithme，’saidGeorge，’nobodywillaskforpassportsorwhatyoudo。Theyareallverybusy。’

’Yes；butIshouldliketohearsomeoftheEnglishmentalk。Theymightrememberme。Iwasknownherealongtimeago——whenIwassomeoneindeed。’

’Alongtimeagoisaverylongtimeagohere。Thegraveyardsarefull。

Nowlisten。ThisnewrailwayrunsoutsofarasTanai—el—Hassan——thatissevenmiles。Thenthereisacamp。TheysaythatbeyondTanai—el—HassantheEnglishtroopsgoforward，andeverythingthattheyrequirewillbebroughttothembythisline。’

’Ah！Basecamp。Isee。That’sabetterbusinessthanfightingFuzziesintheopen。’

’Forthisreasoneventhemulestoupintheiron—train。’

’Ironwhat？’

’Itisallcoveredwithiron，becauseitisstillbeingshotat。’

’Anarmouredtrain。Betterandbetter！Goon，faithfulGeorge。’

’AndIgoupwithmymulesto—night。Onlythosewhoparticularlyrequiretogotothecampgooutwiththetrain。Theybegintoshootnotfarfromthecity。’

’Thedears——theyalwaysusedto！’Dicksnuffedthesmellofparcheddust，heatediron，andflakingpaintwithdelight。Certainlytheoldlifewaswelcominghimbackmostgenerously。

’WhenIhavegotmymulestogetherIgoupto—night，butyoumustfirstsendatelegramofPortSaid，declaringthatIhavedoneyounoharm。’

’Madamehasyouwellinhand。Wouldyoustickaknifeintomeifyouhadthechance？’

’Ihavenochance，’saidtheGreek。’Sheistherewiththatwoman。’

’Isee。It’sabadthingtobedividedbetweenloveofwomanandthechanceofloot。Isympathisewithyou，George。’

Theywenttothetelegraph—officeunquestioned，foralltheworldwasdesperatelybusyandhadscarcelytimetoturnitshead，andSuakinwasthelastplaceunderskythatwouldbechosenforholiday—ground。OntheirreturnthevoiceofanEnglishsubalternaskedDickwhathewasdoing。ThebluegoggleswereoverhiseyesandhewalkedwithhishandonGeorge’selbowashereplied——

’EgyptianGovernment——mules。MyordersaretogivethemovertotheA。

C。G。atTanai—el—Hassan。Anyoccasiontoshowmypapers？’

’Oh，certainlynot。Ibegyourpardon。I’dnorighttoask，butnotseeingyourfacebeforeI————’

’Igooutinthetrainto—night，Isuppose，’saidDick，boldly。’Therewillbenodifficultyinloadingupthemules，willthere？’

’Youcanseethehorse—platformsfromhere。Youmusthavethemloadedupearly。’Theyoungmanwentawaywonderingwhatsortofbroken—downwaifthismightbewhotalkedlikeagentlemanandconsortedwithGreekmuleteers。Dickfeltunhappy。TooutfaceanEnglishofficerisnosmallthing，buttheblufflosesrelishwhenoneplaysitfromtheutterdark，andstumblesupanddownroughways，thinkingandeternallythinkingofwhatmighthavebeenifthingshadfallenoutotherwise，andallhadbeenasitwasnot。

GeorgesharedhismealwithDickandwentofftothemule—lines。Hischargesataloneinashedwithhisfaceinhishands。Beforehistight—shuteyesdancedthefaceofMaisie，laughing，withpartedlips。Therewasagreatbustleandclamourabouthim。HegrewafraidandalmostcalledforGeorge。

’Isay，haveyougotyourmulesready？’Itwasthevoiceofthesubalternoverhisshoulder。

’Myman’slookingafterthem。The——thefactisI’veatouchofophthalmiaandcan’tseeverywell。

’ByJove！that’sbad。Yououghttolieupinhospitalforawhile。I’vehadaturnofitmyself。It’sasbadasbeingblind。’

’SoIfindit。Whendoesthisarmouredtraingo？’

’Atsixo’clock。Ittakesanhourtocoverthesevenmiles。’

’AretheFuzziesontherampage——eh？’

’Aboutthreenightsaweek。FactisI’minactingcommandofthenight—train。ItgenerallyrunsbackemptytoTanaiforthenight。’

’BigcampatTanai，Isuppose？’

’Prettybig。Ithastofeedourdesert—columnsomehow。’

’Isthatfaroff？’

’Betweenthirtyandfortymiles——inaninfernalthirstycountry。’

’IsthecountryquietbetweenTanaiandourmen？’

’Moreorless。Ishouldn’tcaretocrossitalone，orwithasubaltern’scommandforthematterofthat，butthescoutsgetthroughitinsomeextraordinaryfashion。’

’Theyalwaysdid。’

’Haveyoubeenherebefore，then？’

’Iwasthroughmostofthetroublewhenitfirstbrokeout。’

’Intheserviceandcashiered，’wasthesubaltern’sfirstthought，soherefrainedfromputtinganyquestions。

’There’syoumancomingupwiththemules。Itseemsratherqueer————’

’ThatIshouldbemule—leading？’saidDick。

’Ididn’tmeantosayso，butitis。Forgiveme——it’sbeastlyimpertinenceI

know，butyouspeaklikeamanwhohasbeenatapublicschool。There’snomistakingthetone。’

’Iamapublicschoolman。’

’Ithoughtso。Isay，Idon’twanttohurtyourfeelings，butyou’realittledownonyourluck，aren’tyou？Isawyousittingwithyourheadinyourhands，andthat’swhyIspoke。’

’Thanks。Iamaboutasthoroughlyandcompletelybrokeasamanneedbe。’

’Suppose——ImeanI’mapublicschoolmanmyself。Couldn’tI

perhaps——takeitasaloany’knowand————’

’You’remuchtoogood，butonmyhonourI’veasmuchmoneyasIwant……Itellyouwhatyoucoulddoforme，though，andputmeunderaneverlastingobligation。Letmecomeintothebogietruckofthetrain。

Thereisafore—truck，isn’tthere？’

’Yes。Howd’youknow？’

’I’vebeeninanarmouredtrainbefore。Onlyletmesee——hearsomeofthefunImean，andI’llbegrateful。Igoatmyownriskasanon—combatant。’

Theyoungmanthoughtforaminute。’Allright，’hesaid。’We’resupposedtobeanemptytrain，andthere’snoonetoblowmeupattheotherend。’

Georgeandahordeofyellingamateurassistantshadloadedupthemules，andthenarrow—gaugearmouredtrain，platedwiththree—eighthsinchboiler—platetillitlookedlikeonelongcoffin，stoodreadytostart。

Twobogietrucksrunningbeforethelocomotivewerecompletelycoveredinwithplating，exceptthattheleadingonewaspiercedinfrontforthemuzzleofamachine—gun，andthesecondateithersideforlateralfire。

Thetruckstogethermadeonelongiron—vaultedchamberinwhichascoreofartillerymenwererioting。

’Whitechapel——lasttrain！Ah，Iseeyerkissin’inthefirstclassthere！’

somebodyshouted，justasDickwasclamouringintotheforwardtruck。

’Lordy！’Ere’sareallivepassengerfortheKew，Tanai，Acton，andEalin’train。Echo，sir。Speshuledition！Star，sir。’——’ShallIgetyouafoot—warmer？’saidanother。

’Thanks。I’llpaymyfooting，’saidDick，andrelationsofthemostamiablewereestablishederesilencecamewiththearrivalofthesubaltern，andthetrainjoltedoutovertheroughtrack。

’ThisisanimmenseimprovementonshootingtheunimpressionableFuzzyintheopen，’saidDick，fromhisplaceinthecorner。

’Oh，buthe’sstillunimpressed。Therehegoes！’saidthesubaltern，asabulletstrucktheoutsideofthetruck。’Wealwayshaveatleastonedemonstrationagainstthenight—train。Generallytheyattacktherear—truck，wheremyjuniorcommands。Hegetsallthefunofthefair。’

’Notto—nightthough！Listen！’saidDick。Aflightofheavy—handedbulletswassucceededbyyellingandshouts。Thechildrenofthedesertvaluedtheirnightlyamusement，andthetrainwasanexcellentmark。

’Isitworthgivingthemhalfahopperfull？’thesubalternaskedoftheengine，whichwasdrivenbyaLieutenantofSappers。

’Ishouldthinkso！Thisismysectionoftheline。They’llbeplayingoldHarrywithmypermanentwayifwedon’tstop’em。’

’RightO！’

’Hrrmph！’saidthemachinegunthroughallitsfivenosesasthesubalterndrewtheleverhome。Theemptycartridgesclashedonthefloorandthesmokeblewbackthroughthetruck。Therewasindiscriminatefiringattherearofthetrain，andreturnfirefromthedarknesswithoutandunlimitedhowling。Dickstretchedhimselfonthefloor，wildwithdelightatthesoundsandthesmells。

’Godisverygood——IneverthoughtI’dhearthisagain。Give’emhell，men。Oh，give’emhell！’hecried。

Thetrainstoppedforsomeobstructiononthelineaheadandapartywentouttoreconnoitre，butcameback，cursing，forspades。Thechildrenofthedeserthadpiledsandandgravelontherails，andtwentyminuteswerelostinclearingitaway。Thentheslowprogressrecommenced，tobevariedwithmoreshots，moreshoutings，thesteadyclackandkickofthemachineguns，andafinaldifficultywithahalf—liftedrailerethetraincameundertheprotectionoftheroaringcampatTanai—el—Hassan。

’Now，youseewhyittakesanhourandahalftofetchherthrough，’saidthesubaltern，unshippingthecartridge—hopperabovehispetgun。

’Itwasalark，though。Ionlywishithadlastedtwiceaslong。Howsuperbitmusthavelookedfromoutside！’saidDick，sighingregretfully。

’Itpallsafterthefirstfewnights。Bytheway，whenyou’vesettledaboutyourmules，comeandseewhatwecanfindtoeatinmytent。I’mBenniloftheGunners——intheartillerylines——andmindyoudon’tfallovermytent—ropesinthedark。’

ButitwasalldarktoDick。Hecouldonlysmellthecamels，thehay—bales，thecooking，thesmokyfires，andthetannedcanvasofthetentsashestood，wherehehaddroppedfromthetrain，shoutingforGeorge。Therewasasoundoflight—heartedkickingontheironskinofthereartrucks，withsquealingandgrunting。Georgewasunloadingthemules。

TheenginewasblowingoffsteamnearlyinDick’sear；acoldwindofthedesertdancedbetweenhislegs；hewashungry，andfelttiredanddirty——sodirtythathetriedtobrushhiscoatwithhishands。Thatwasahopelessjob；hethrusthishandsintohispocketsandbegantocountoverthemanytimesthathehadwaitedinstrangeorremoteplacesfortrainsorcamels，mulesorhorses，tocarryhimtohisbusiness。Inthosedayshecouldsee——fewmenmoreclearly——andthespectacleofanarmedcampatdinnerunderthestarewasaneverfreshpleasuretotheeye。Therewascolour，light，andmotion，withoutwhichnomanhasmuchpleasureinliving。Thisnightthereremainedforhimonlyonemorejourneythroughthedarknessthatneverliftstotellamanhowfarhehastravelled。ThenhewouldgripTorpenhow’shandagain——Torpenhow，whowasaliveandstrong，andlivedinthemidstoftheactionthathadoncemadethereputationofamancalledDickHeldar：notintheleasttobeconfusedwiththeblind，bewilderedvagabondwhoseemedtoanswertothesamename。Yes，hewouldfindTorpenhow，andcomeasneartotheoldlifeasmightbe。Afterwardshewouldforgeteverything：Bessie，whohadwreckedtheMelancoliaandsonearlywreckedhislife；Beeton，wholivedinastrangeunrealcityfulloftin—tacksandgas—plugsandmattersthatnomenneeded；thatirrationalbeingwhohadofferedhimloveandloyaltyfornothing，buthadnotsignedhername；andmostofallMaisie，who，fromherownpointofview，wasundeniablyrightinallshedid，butoh，atthisdistance，sotantalisinglyfair。

George’shandonhisarmpulledhimbacktothesituation。

’Andwhatnow？’saidGeorge。

’Ohyesofcourse。Whatnow？Takemetothecamel—men。Takemetowherethescoutssitwhentheycomeinfromthedesert。Theysitbytheircamels，andthecamelseatgrainoutofablackblanketheldupatthecorners，andthemeneatbytheirsidejustlikecamels。Takemethere！’

Thecampwasroughandrutty，andDickstumbledmanytimesoverthestumpsofscrub。Thescoutsweresittingbytheirbeasts，asDickknewtheywould。Thelightofthedung—firesflickeredontheirbeardedfaces，andthecamelsbubbledandmumbledbesidethematrest。ItwasnopartofDick’spolicytogointothedesertwithaconvoyofsupplies。Thatwouldleadtoimpertinentquestions，andsinceablindnon—combatantisnotneededatthefront，hewouldprobablybeforcedtoreturntoSuakin。

Hemustgoupalone，andgoimmediately。

’Nowforonelastbluff——thebiggestofall，’hesaid。’Peacebewithyou，brethren！’ThewatchfulGeorgesteeredhimtothecircleofthenearestfire。Theheadsofthecamel—sheiksbowedgravely，andthecamels，scentingaEuropean，lookedsidewayscuriouslylikebroodinghens，halfreadytogettotheirfeet。

’Abeastandadrivertogotothefightinglineto—night，’saidDick。

’AMulaid？’saidavoice，scornfullynamingthebestbaggage—breedthatheknew。

’ABisharin，’returnedDick，withperfectgravity。’ABisharinwithoutsaddle—galls。Thereforenochargeofthine，shock—head。’

Twoorthreeminutespassed。Then——

’Webeknee—halteredforthenight。Thereisnogoingoutfromthecamp。’

’Notformoney？’

’H’m！Ah！Englishmoney？’

Anotherdepressingintervalofsilence。

’Howmuch？’

’Twenty—fivepoundsEnglishpaidintothehandofthedriveratmyjourney’send，andasmuchmoreintothehandofthecamel—sheikhere，tobepaidwhenthedriverreturns。’

Thiswasroyalpayment，andthesheik，whoknewthathewouldgethiscommissiononthisdeposit，stirredinDick’sbehalf。

’Forscarcelyonenight’sjourney——fiftypounds。Landandwellsandgoodtreesandwivestomakeamancontentfortherestofhisdays。Whospeaks？’saidDick。

’I，’saidavoice。’Iwillgo——butthereisnogoingfromthecamp。’

’Fool！Iknowthatacamelcanbreakhisknee—halter，andthesentriesdonotfireifonegoesinchase。Twenty—fivepoundsandanothertwenty—fivepounds。ButthebeastmustbeagoodBisharin；Iwilltakenobaggage—camel。’

Thenthebargainingbegan，andattheendofhalfanhourthefirstdepositwaspaidovertothesheik，whotalkedinlowtonestothedriver。

Dickheardthelattersay：’Alittlewayoutonly。Anybaggage—beastwillserve。AmIafooltowastemycattleforablindman？’

’AndthoughIcannotsee’——Dickliftedhisvoicealittle——’yetIcarrythatwhichhassixeyes，andthedriverwillsitbeforeme。IfwedonotreachtheEnglishtroopsinthedawnhewillbedead。’

’Butwhere，inGod’sname，arethetroops？’

’Unlessthouknowestletanothermanride。Dostthouknow？Rememberitwillbelifeordeathtothee。’

’Iknow，’saidthedriver，sullenly。’Standbackfrommybeast。Iamgoingtosliphim。’

’Notsoswiftly。George，holdthecamel’sheadamoment。Iwanttofeelhischeek。’Thehandswanderedoverthehidetilltheyfoundthebrandedhalf—circlethatisthemarkoftheBiharin，thelight—builtriding—camel。

’Thatiswell。Cutthisoneloose。RemembernoblessingofGodcomesonthosewhotrytocheattheblind。’

Themenchuckledbythefiresatthecamel—driver’sdiscomfiture。Hehadintendedtosubstituteaslow，saddle—galledbaggage—colt。

’Standback！’oneshouted，lashingtheBiharinunderthebellywithaquirt。Dickobeyedassoonashefeltthenose—stringtighteninhishand，——andacrywentup，’Illaha！Aho！Heisloose。’

WitharoarandagrunttheBiharinrosetohisfeetandplungedforwardtowardthedesert，hisdriverfollowingwithshoutsandlamentation。

GeorgecaughtDick’sarmandhurriedhimstumblingandtrippingpastadisgustedsentrywhowasusedtostampedingcamels。

’What’stherownow？’hecried。

’Everystitchofmykitonthatblasteddromedary，’Dickanswered，afterthemannerofacommonsoldier。

’Goon，andtakecareyourthroat’snotcutoutside——youandyourdromedary’s。’

Theoutcriesceasedwhenthecamelhaddisappearedbehindahillock，andhisdriverhadcalledhimbackandmadehimkneeldown。

’Mountfirst，’saidDick。Thenclimbingintothesecondseatandgentlyscrewingthepistolmuzzleintothesmallofhiscompanion’sback，’GooninGod’sname，andswiftly。Good—bye，George。RemembermetoMadame，andhaveagoodtimewithyourgirl。Getforward，childofthePit！’

Afewminuteslaterhewasshutupinagreatsilence，hardlybrokenbythecreakingofthesaddleandthesoftpadofthetirelessfeet。Dickadjustedhimselfcomfortablytotherockandpitchofthepace，girthedhisbelttighter，andfeltthedarknessslidepast。Foranhourhewasconsciousonlyofthesenseofrapidprogress。

’Agoodcamel，’hesaidatlast。

’Hewasneverunderfed。Heismyownandcleanbred，’thedriverreplied。

’Goon。’

Hisheaddroppedonhischestandhetriedtothink，butthetenorofhisthoughtswasbrokenbecausehewasverysleepy。InthehalfdozeinseemedthathewaslearningapunishmenthymnatMrs。Jennett’s。HehadcommittedsomecrimeasbadasSabbath—breaking，andshehadlockedhimupinhisbedroom。Buthecouldneverrepeatmorethanthefirsttwolinesofthehymn——

WhenIsraeloftheLordbelievedOutofthelandofbondagecame。

Hesaidthemoverandoverthousandsoftimes。Thedriverturnedinthesaddletoseeiftherewereanychanceofcapturingtherevolverandendingtheride。Dickroused，struckhimovertheheadwiththebutt，andstormedhimselfwideawake。Somebodyhiddeninaclumpofcamel—thornshoutedasthecameltoileduprisingground。Ashotwasfired，andthesilenceshutdownagain，bringingthedesiretosleep。Dickcouldthinknolonger。Hewastootiredandstiffandcrampedtodomorethannoduneasilyfromtimetotime，wakingwithastartandpunchingthedriverwiththepistol。

’Isthereamoon？’heaskeddrowsily。

’Sheisnearhersetting。’

’IwishthatIcouldseeher。Haltthecamel。Atleastletmehearthedeserttalk。’

Themanobeyed。Outoftheutterstillnesscameonebreathofwind。Itrattledthedeadleavesofashrubsomedistanceawayandceased。A

handfulofdryearthdetacheditselffromtheedgeofarailtrenchandcrumbledsoftlytothebottom。

’Goon。Thenightisverycold。’

Thosewhohavewatchedtillthemorningknowhowthelasthourbeforethelightlengthensitselfintomanyeternities。ItseemedtoDickthathehadneversincethebeginningoforiginaldarknessdoneanythingatallsavejoltthroughtheair。Onceinathousandyearshewouldfingerthenailheadsonthesaddle—frontandcountthemallcarefully。Centurieslaterhewouldshifthisrevolverfromhisrighthandtohisleftandallowtheeasedarmtodropdownathisside。FromthesafedistanceofLondonhewaswatchinghimselfthusemployed，——watchingcritically。Yetwheneverheputouthishandtothecanvasthathemightpaintthetawnyyellowdesertundertheglareofthesinkingmoon，theblackshadowofacamelandthetwobowedfiguresatop，thathandheldarevolverandthearmwasnumbedfromwristtocollar—bone。Moreover，hewasinthedark，andcouldseenocanvasofanykindwhatever。

Thedrivergrunted，andDickwasconsciousofachangeintheair。

’Ismellthedawn，’hewhispered。

’Itishere，andyonderarethetroops。HaveIdonewell？’

Thecamelstretchedoutitsneckandroaredastherecamedownwindthepungentreekofcamelsinthesquare。

’Goon。Wemustgetthereswiftly。Goon。’

’Theyaremovingintheircamp。ThereissomuchdustthatIcannotseewhattheydo。’

’AmIinbettercase？Goforward。’

Theycouldhearthehumofvoicesahead，thehowlingandthebubblingofthebeastsandthehoarsecriesofthesoldiersgirthingupfortheday。

Twoorthreeshotswerefired。

’Isthatatus？SurelytheycanseethatIamEnglish，’Dickspokeangrily。

’Nay，itisfromthedesert，’thedriveranswered，coweringinhissaddle。

’Goforward，mychild！Wellitisthatthedawndidnotuncoverusanhourago。’

Thecamelheadedstraightforthecolumnandtheshotsbehindmultiplied。Thechildrenofthedeserthadarrangedthatmostuncomfortableofsurprises，adawnattackfortheEnglishtroops，andweregettingtheirdistancebysnap—shotsattheonlymovingobjectwithoutthesquare。

’Whatluck！Whatstupendousandimperialluck！’saidDick。’It’s"justbeforethebattle，mother。"Oh，Godhasbeenmostgoodtome！？

Only’——theagonyofthethoughtmadehimscrewuphiseyesforaninstant——’Maisie……’

’Allahu！Wearein，’saidtheman，ashedroveintotherearguardandthecamelknelt。

’Whothedeuceareyou？Despatchesorwhat？What’sthestrengthoftheenemybehindthatridge？Howdidyougetthrough？’askedadozenvoices。ForallanswerDicktookalongbreath，unbuckledhisbelt，andshoutedfromthesaddleatthetopofaweariedanddustyvoice，’Torpenhow！Ohe，Torp！Coo—ee，Tor—pen—how。’

Abeardedmanrakingintheashesofafireforalighttohispipemovedveryswiftlytowardsthatcry，astherearguard，facingabout，begantofireatthepuffsofsmokefromthehillocksaround。Graduallythescatteredwhitecloudletsdrewoutintothelonglinesofbankedwhitethathungheavilyinthestillnessofthedawnbeforetheyturnedoverwave—likeandglidedintothevalleys。Thesoldiersinthesquarewerecoughingandswearingastheirownsmokeobstructedtheirview，andtheyedgedforwardtogetbeyondit。Awoundedcamelleapedtoitsfeetandroaredaloud，thecryendinginabubblinggrunt。Someonehadcutitsthroattopreventconfusion。Thencamethethicksobofamanreceivinghisdeath—woundfromabullet；thenayellofagonyandredoubledfiring。

Therewasnotimetoaskanyquestions。

’Getdown，man！Getdownbehindthecamel！’

’No。Putme，Ipray，intheforefrontofthebattle。’DickturnedhisfacetoTorpenhowandraisedhishandtosethishelmetstraight，but，miscalculatingthedistance，knockeditoff。Torpenhowsawthathishairwasgrayonthetemples，andthathisfacewasthefaceofanoldman。

’Comedown，youdamnedfool！Dickie，comeoff！’

AndDickcameobediently，butasatreefalls，pitchingsidewaysfromtheBisharin’ssaddleatTorpenhow’sfeet。Hisluckhadheldtothelast，eventothecrowningmercyofakindlybulletthroughhishead。

Torpenhowkneltundertheleeofthecamel，withDick’sbodyinhisarms。