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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Pharos, The Egyptian, by Guy Newell Boothby
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Pharos, The Egyptian
+       A Romance
+
+Author: Guy Newell Boothby
+
+Release Date: September 3, 2010 [EBook #33610]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Mary Meehan and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from images generously made available
+by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
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+
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+
+
+
+                         PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN
+
+                              _A ROMANCE_
+
+                            BY GUY BOOTHBY
+
+               AUTHOR OF DOCTOR NIKOLA, THE LUST OF HATE,
+                    THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE DEVIL, ETC.
+
+
+NEW YORK
+D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
+1899
+
+Copyright, 1898, 1899,
+By D. APPLETON AND COMPANY.
+
+_All rights reserved._
+
+
+
+
+PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+BEING A LETTER FROM SIR WILLIAM BETFORD, OF BAMPTON ST. MARY, IN
+DORSETSHIRE, TO GEORGE TREVELYAN, OF LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS, LONDON.
+
+
+
+"My dear Trevelyan: Never in my life have I been placed in such an
+awkward, not to say invidious, position. I am, as you know, a plain man,
+fond of a plain life and plain speaking, and yet I am about to imperil
+that reputation by communicating to you what I fancy you will consider
+the most extraordinary and unbelievable intelligence you have ever
+received in your life. For my own part I do not know what to think. I
+have puzzled over the matter until I am not in a position to judge
+fairly. You must, therefore, weigh the evidence, first for us both. For
+pity's sake, however, do not decide hastily. _In dubiis benigniora
+semper sunt praeferenda_, as they used to say in our school days, must be
+our motto, and by it we must abide at any hazards. As far as I can see,
+we are confronted with one of the saddest and at the same time one of
+the most inexplicable cases ever yet recorded on paper. Reduced to its
+proper factors it stands as follows: Either Forrester has gone mad and
+dreamed it all, or he is sane and has suffered as few others have done
+in this world. In either case he is deserving of our deepest pity. In
+one way only are we fortunate. Knowing the man as we do, we are in a
+position to estimate the value of the accusations he brings against
+himself. Of one thing I am convinced--a more honourable being does not
+walk this earth. Our acquaintance with him is of equal length. We were
+introduced to him, and to each other, on one and the same occasion,
+upward of twelve years ago; and during that time I know I am right in
+saying neither of us ever had reason to doubt his word or the honour of
+a single action. Indeed, to my mind he had but one fault, a not uncommon
+one in these latter days of the nineteenth century. I refer to his
+somewhat morbid temperament and the consequent leaning toward the
+supernatural it produced in him.
+
+"As the world has good reason to remember, his father was perhaps the
+most eminent Egyptologist our century has seen; a man whose whole mind
+and being was impregnated with a love for that ancient country and its
+mystic past. Small wonder, therefore, that the son should have inherited
+his tastes and that his life should have been influenced by the same
+peculiar partiality. While saying, however, that he had a weakness for
+the supernatural, I am by no means admitting that he was what is
+vulgarly termed a spiritualist. I do not believe for an instant that he
+ever declared himself so openly. His mind was too evenly balanced, and
+at the same time too healthy to permit such an enthusiastic declaration
+of his interest. For my part, I believe he simply inquired into the
+matter as he would have done into, shall we say, the Kinetic theory of
+gases, or the history of the ruined cities of Mashonaland, for the
+purpose of satisfying his curiosity and of perfecting his education on
+the subject. Having thus made my own feelings known to you, I will leave
+the matter in your hands, confident that you will do him justice, and
+will proceed to describe how the pathetic record of our friend's
+experiences came into my possession.
+
+"I had been hunting all day and did not reach home until between
+half-past six and seven o'clock. We had a house full of visitors at the
+time, I remember, some of whom had been riding with me, and the
+dressing-gong sounded as we dismounted from our horses at the steps. It
+was plain that if we wished to change our attire and join the ladies in
+the drawing-room before dinner was announced, we had no time to lose.
+Accordingly we departed to our various rooms with all possible speed.
+
+"There is nothing pleasanter or more refreshing after a long day in the
+saddle than a warm bath. On this particular occasion I was in the full
+enjoyment of this luxury when a knocking sounded at the door. I inquired
+who was there.
+
+"'Me, sir--Jenkins,' replied my servant. 'There is a person downstairs,
+sir, who desires to see you.'
+
+"'To see me at this hour,' I answered. 'What is his name, and what does
+he want?'
+
+"'His name is Silver, sir,' the man replied; and then, as if the
+information might be put forward as some excuse for such a late visit,
+he continued: 'I believe he is a kind of foreigner, sir. Leastways, he's
+very dark, and don't speak the same, quite, as an Englishman might do.'
+
+"I considered for a moment. I knew of no person named Silver who could
+have any possible reason for desiring to see me at seven o'clock in the
+evening.
+
+"'Go down and inquire his business,' I said, at length. 'Tell him I am
+engaged to-night; but if he can make it convenient to call in the
+morning, I will see him.'
+
+"The man departed on his errand, and by the time he returned I had
+reached my dressing-room once more.
+
+"'He is very sorry, sir,' he began, as soon as he had closed the door,
+'but he says he must get back to Bampton in time to catch the 8.15
+express to London. He wouldn't tell me his business, but asked me to say
+that it is most important, and he would be deeply grateful if you could
+grant him an interview this evening.'
+
+"'In that case,' I said, 'I suppose I _must_ see him. Did he tell you no
+more?'
+
+"'No, sir. Leastways, that wasn't exactly the way he put it. He said,
+sir, "If the gentleman won't see me otherwise, tell him I come to him
+from Mr. Cyril Forrester. Then I think he will change his mind."'
+
+"As the man, whoever he was, had predicted, this _did_ make me change my
+mind. I immediately bade Jenkins return and inform him that I would be
+with him in a few moments. Accordingly, as soon as I had dressed, I left
+my room and descended to the study. The fire was burning brightly, and a
+reading-lamp stood upon the writing-table. The remainder of the room,
+however, was in shadow, but not sufficiently so to prevent my
+distinguishing a dark figure seated between the two bookcases. He rose
+as I entered, and bowed before me with a servility that, thank God! is
+scarcely English. When he spoke, though what he said was grammatically
+correct, his accent revealed the fact that he was not a native of our
+Isles.
+
+"'Sir William Betford, I believe,' he began, as I entered the room.
+
+"'That is my name,' I answered, at the same time turning up the lamp and
+lighting the candles upon the mantelpiece in order that I might see him
+better. 'My man tells me you desire an interview with me. He also
+mentioned that you have come from my old friend, Mr. Cyril Forrester,
+the artist, who is now abroad. Is this true?'
+
+"'Quite true,' he replied. 'I do come from Mr. Forrester.'
+
+"The candles were burning brightly by this time, and, as a result, I was
+able to see him more distinctly. He was of medium height, very thin, and
+wore a long overcoat of some dark material. His face was distinctly
+Asiatic in type, though the exact nationality I could not determine.
+Possibly he might have hailed from Siam.
+
+"'Having come from Mr. Forrester,' I said, when I had seated myself,
+'you will be able to tell me his address, I have neither seen nor heard
+of or from him for more than a year past.'
+
+"'I regret exceedingly that it is impossible for me to give you the
+information you seek,' the man replied, civilly but firmly. 'My
+instructions were most explicit upon that point.'
+
+"'You come to me from him, and yet you are instructed not to tell me his
+address?' I said, with natural surprise. 'That is rather extraordinary,
+is it not? Remember, I am one of his oldest, and certainly one of his
+firmest, friends.'
+
+"'Nevertheless, I was instructed on no account to reveal his present
+residence to you,' the man replied.
+
+"'What, then, can your business be with me?' I asked, more nettled at
+his words than I cared to show.
+
+"'I have brought you a packet,' he said, 'which Mr. Forrester was most
+anxious I should personally deliver to your hands. There is a letter
+inside which he said would explain everything. I was also instructed to
+obtain from you a receipt, which I am to convey to him again.'
+
+"So saying, he dived his hand into the pocket of his greatcoat, and
+brought thence a roll, which he placed with some solemnity upon the
+table.
+
+"'There is the packet,' he said. 'Now if you will be kind enough to give
+me a note stating that you have received it, I will take my departure.
+It is most necessary that I should catch the express to London, and if I
+desire to do so, I have a sharp walk in front of me.'
+
+"'You shall have the receipt,' I answered; and, taking a sheet of
+notepaper from a drawer, I wrote the following letter:--
+
+    "'THE GRANGE, BAMPTON ST. MARY,
+    "'_December 14, 18--._
+
+     "'DEAR FORRESTER: This evening I have been surprised by a visit
+     from a man named----'
+
+"Here I paused and inquired the messenger's name, which I had, for the
+moment, forgotten.
+
+"'Honore de Silva,' he replied.
+
+     "'----from a man named Honore de Silva, who has handed me a
+     packet for which he desires this letter shall be a receipt. I
+     have endeavoured to elicit your address from him, but on this
+     point he is adamant. Is it kind to an old friend to let him
+     hear from you, but at the same time to refuse to permit him to
+     communicate with you? Why all this mystery? If you are in
+     trouble, who would so gladly share it with you as your old
+     friend? If you need help, who would so willingly give it? Are
+     the years during which we have known each other to count for
+     nothing? Trust me, and I think you are aware that I will not
+     abuse your confidence.
+
+     "Your affectionate friend,
+
+     "'WILLIAM BETFORD.'
+
+"Having blotted it, I placed the letter in an envelope, directed it to
+Cyril Forrester, Esq., and handed it to De Silva, who placed it
+carefully in an inner pocket and rose to take leave of me.
+
+"'Will nothing induce you to reveal your employer's present place of
+residence?' I said. 'I assure you I am most anxious to prove his
+friend.'
+
+"'I can easily believe that,' he answered. 'He has often spoken of you
+in terms of the warmest affection. If you could hear him, I am sure you
+would have no doubt on that score.'
+
+"I was much affected, as you may imagine, on hearing this, and his
+assertion emboldened me to risk yet another question.
+
+"'Upon one point, at least, you can set my mind at rest,' I said. 'Is
+Mr. Forrester happy?'
+
+"'He is a man who has done with happiness such as you mean, and will
+never know it again,' he answered solemnly.
+
+"'My poor old friend,' I said, half to myself and half to him. And then
+added, 'Is there no way in which I can help him?'
+
+"'None,' De Silva replied. 'But I can tell you no more, so I beg you
+will not ask me.'
+
+"'But you can surely answer one other question,' I continued, this time
+with what was almost a note of supplication in my voice. 'You can tell
+me whether, in your opinion, we, his friends, will see him again, or if
+he intends to spend the remainder of his life in exile?'
+
+"'That I can safely answer. No! You will never see him again. He will
+not return to this country, or to the people who have known him here.'
+
+"'Then may God help him and console him, for his trouble must be bitter
+indeed!'
+
+"'It is well-nigh insupportable,' said De Silva, with the same
+solemnity; and then, picking up his hat, bowed, and moved toward the
+door.
+
+"'I must risk one last question. Tell me if he will communicate with me
+again?'
+
+"'Never,' the other replied. 'He bade me tell you, should you ask, that
+you must henceforth consider him as one who is dead. You must not
+attempt to seek for him, but consign him to that oblivion in which only
+he can be at peace.'
+
+"Before I could say more he had opened the door and passed into the
+hall. A moment later I heard the front door close behind him, a step
+sounded on the gravel before my window, and I was left standing upon the
+hearthrug, staring at the packet upon the table. Then the gong sounded,
+and I thrust the roll into a drawer. Having securely locked the latter,
+I hastened to the drawing-room to meet my guests.
+
+"Needless to say, my demeanour during dinner was not marked with any
+great degree of gaiety. The interview with De Silva had upset me
+completely; and though I endeavoured to play the part of an attentive
+host, my attempt was far from being successful. I found my thoughts
+continually reverting to that curious interview in the study, and to the
+packet which had come into my possession in such a mysterious manner,
+the secret contained in which I had still to learn.
+
+"After dinner we adjourned to the billiard-room, where we spent the
+evening; consequently it was not until my guests bade me 'Good night,'
+and retired to their various rooms, by which time it was well after
+eleven o'clock, that I found myself at liberty to return to the study.
+
+"Once there, I made up the fire, wheeled an easy-chair to a position
+before it, arranged the reading-lamp so that the light should fall upon
+the paper over my left shoulder, and having made these preparations,
+unlocked the drawer and took out the packet De Silva had handed to me.
+
+"It was with a mixture of pain, a small measure of curiosity, but more
+apprehension as to what I should find within, that I cut the string and
+broke the seals. Inside I discovered a note and a roll of manuscript in
+that fine and delicate handwriting we used to know so well. After a
+hasty glance at it, I put the latter aside, and opened the envelope. The
+note I found within was addressed to you, Trevelyan, as well as to
+myself, and read as follows:--
+
+     "'MY DEAR OLD FRIENDS: In company with many other people, you
+     must have wondered what the circumstances could have been that
+     induced me to leave England so suddenly, to forfeit the success
+     I had won for myself after so much up-hill work, and, above
+     all, to bid farewell to a life and an art I loved so devotedly,
+     and from which, I think I may be excused for saying, I had such
+     brilliant expectations. I send you herewith, Betford, by a
+     bearer I can trust, an answer to that question. I want you to
+     read it, and, having done so, to forward it to George
+     Trevelyan, with the request that he will do the same. When you
+     have mastered the contents, you must unitedly arrange with some
+     publishing house to put it before the world, omitting nothing,
+     and in no way attempting to offer any extenuation for my
+     conduct. We were three good friends once, in an age as dead to
+     me now as the Neolithic. For the sake of that friendship,
+     therefore, I implore this favour at your hands. As you hope for
+     mercy on that Last Great Day when the sins of all men shall be
+     judged, do as I entreat you now. How heavily I have sinned
+     against my fellow-men--in ignorance, it is true--you will know
+     when you have read what I have written. This much is
+     certain--the effect of it weighs upon my soul like lead. If you
+     have any desire to make that load lighter, carry out the wish I
+     now express to you. Remember me also in your prayers, praying
+     not as for a man still living, but as you would for one long
+     since dead. That God may bless and keep you both will ever be
+     the wish of your unhappy friend,
+
+     "'CYRIL FORRESTER.
+
+     "'P. S.--Matthew Simpford, in the Strand, is keeping two
+     pictures for me. They were once considered among my best work.
+     I ask you each to accept one, and when you look at them try to
+     think as kindly as possible of the friend who is gone from you
+     forever.'
+
+"So much for the letter. It is possible there may be people who will
+smile sarcastically when they read that, as I finished it, tears stood
+in my eyes, so that I could scarcely see the characters upon the paper.
+
+"You, Trevelyan, I know, will understand my emotion better. And why
+should I not have been affected? Forrester and I had been good friends
+in the old days, and it was only fit and proper I should mourn his loss.
+Handsome, generous, clever, who could help loving him? I could not,
+that's certain.
+
+"The letter finished, I replaced it in its envelope and turned my
+attention to the manuscript. When I began to read, the hands of the
+clock upon the chimneypiece stood at twenty minutes to twelve, and they
+had reached a quarter past five before I had completed my task. All that
+time I read on without stopping, filled with amazement at the story my
+poor friend had to tell, and consumed with a great sorrow that his
+brilliant career should have terminated in such an untoward manner.
+
+"Now, having completed my share of the task, as required of me in the
+letter, I send the manuscript by special messenger to you. Read it as he
+desires, and when you have done so let me have your opinion upon it.
+Then I will come up to town, and we will arrange to carry out the last
+portion of our poor friend's request together. In the meantime,
+
+    "Believe me ever your friend,
+
+    "WILLIAM BETFORD."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+_Six months later._
+
+Trevelyan and I have completed the task allotted to us. We have read
+Forrester's manuscript, and we have also discovered a publisher who will
+place it before the world. What the result is to be it remains for time
+to decide.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+If ever a man in this world had a terrible--I might almost go so far as
+to add a shameful--story to relate, surely I, Cyril Forrester, am the
+one. How strange--indeed, how most unbelievable--it is I do not think I
+even realised myself until I sat down to write it. The question the
+world will in all probability ask when it has read it is, why it should
+have been told at all. It is possible it may be of opinion that I should
+have served my generation just as well had I allowed it to remain locked
+up in my own bosom for all time. This, however, my conscience would not
+permit. There are numberless reasons, all of them important and some
+imperative beyond all telling, why I should make my confession, though
+God knows I am coward enough to shrink from the task. And if you
+consider for a moment, I think you will understand why. In the first
+place, the telling of the story can only have the effect of depriving me
+of the affection of those I love, the respect of those whose good
+opinion I have hitherto prized so highly, the sympathy of my most
+faithful friends, and, what is an equal sacrifice as far as I am
+personally concerned--though it is, perhaps, of less importance to
+others--the fame I have won for myself after so hard a struggle. All
+this is swept away like drift-wood before a rising tide, and as a result
+I retire into voluntary exile, a man burdened with a life-long sorrow.
+How I have suffered, both in body and mind, none will ever understand.
+That I have been punished is also certain, how heavily you, my two old
+friends, will be able to guess when you have read my story. With the
+writing of it I have severed the last link that binds me to the
+civilized world. Henceforth I shall be a wanderer and an outcast, and
+but for one reason could wish myself dead. But that is enough of regret;
+let me commence my story.
+
+Two years ago, as you both have terrible reason to remember, there
+occurred in Europe what may, perhaps, be justly termed the most
+calamitous period in its history, a time so heart-breaking, that
+scarcely a man or woman can look back upon it without experiencing the
+keenest sorrow. Needless to say I refer to the outbreak of the plague
+among us, that terrible pestilence which swept Europe from end to end,
+depopulated its greatest cities, filled every burial-place to
+overflowing, and caused such misery and desolation in all ranks of life
+as has never before been known among us. Few homes were there, even in
+this fair England of ours, but suffered some bereavement; few families
+but mourn a loss the wound of which has even now barely healed. And it
+is my part in this dreadful business that I have forced myself with so
+much bitter humiliation to relate. Let me begin at the very beginning,
+tell everything plainly and straightforwardly, offer nothing in
+extenuation of my conduct, and trust only to the world to judge me, if
+such a thing be possible, with an unbiassed mind.
+
+I date my misery from a wet, miserable night in the last week of
+March--a night without a glimpse of the moon, which, on that particular
+evening, was almost at its full. There had been but one solitary hour of
+painting-light all day; short as it was, however, it was sufficient for
+my purpose. My picture for the Academy was finished, and now all that
+remained was to pack it up and send it in. It was, as you remember, my
+eighth, and in every way my most successful effort. The subject I had
+chosen had enthralled me from the moment it had first entered my head,
+and the hours of thought and preparation it had entailed will always
+rank among the happiest of my life. It represented Merenptah, the
+Pharaoh of the Exodus, learning from the magicians the effect of his
+obstinacy in the death of his first-born son. The canvas showed him
+seated on his throne, clad in his robes of state. His head was pushed a
+little forward, his chin rested in his hand, while his eyes looked
+straight before him as though he were endeavouring to peer into the
+future in the hope of reading there the answer to the troubled thoughts
+inside his brain. Behind him stood the sorcerers, one of whom had found
+courage to announce the baneful tidings.
+
+The land of Egypt has always possessed a singular attraction for me--a
+taste which, doubtless, I inherit from my poor father, who, as you are
+aware, was one of the greatest authorities upon the subject the world
+has ever known.
+
+As I have said, it was a miserable night, dark as the pit of Tophet. A
+biting wind whistled through the streets, the pavements were dotted with
+umbrella-laden figures, the kennels ran like mill-sluices, while the
+roads were only a succession of lamp-lit puddles through which the
+wheeled traffic splashed continuously. For some reason--perhaps because
+the work upon which I had been so long and happily engaged was finished
+and I felt lonely without it to occupy my mind--I was stricken with a
+fit of the blues. Convinced that my own company would not take me out of
+it, I left my studio in search of more congenial society. This was soon
+forthcoming; and you will remember, Betford and Trevelyan, that we dined
+together at a little restaurant in the neighbourhood of Leicester
+Square, and followed the dinner up with a visit to a theatre. As
+ill-luck would have it, I was in the minority in the choice of a place
+of entertainment. The result was disastrous. Instead of ridding myself
+of my melancholy, as I had hoped to do, I intensified it, and when, at
+the end of the evening, I bade you farewell in the Strand, my spirits
+had reached a lower level than they had attained all day. I remember
+distinctly standing beneath a gas-lamp at the corner of Villiers Street,
+as the clocks were striking midnight, feeling disinclined to return to
+my abode and go to bed, and yet equally at a loss to know in what manner
+I should employ myself until there was some likelihood of slumber
+visiting my eyelids. To help me make up my mind I lit a fresh cigar and
+strolled down toward the river. On the pavement, at the foot of the
+steps leading to Hungerford Bridge, a poor tattered creature, yet still
+possessing some pretensions to gentlemanly address, came from beneath
+the archway and begged of me, assuring me most solemnly that, as far as
+he was concerned, the game was played out, and if I did not comply with
+his request, he would forthwith end his troubles in the river. I gave
+him something--I can not now remember what--and then, crossing the road,
+made my way along the Embankment toward Cleopatra's Needle. The rain had
+ceased for the moment, and in the north a few stars were shining. The
+myriad lights of the Embankment were reflected in the river like lines
+of dancing fire, and I remember that behind me a train was rolling
+across the bridge from Charing Cross with a noise like distant thunder.
+I suppose I must have been thinking of my picture, and of the land and
+period which had given me the idea. At any rate, I know that on this
+occasion the ancient monument in front of which I soon found myself
+affected me as it had never done before. I thought of the centuries that
+had passed since those hieroglyphics were carved upon the stone, of the
+changes the world had seen since that giant monolith first saw the light
+of day. Leaning my elbows on the parapet, I was so absorbed in my own
+thoughts that when a sudden cry of "Help, help!" rang out from the river
+it was with a sensible shock that I returned to the commonplace and
+found myself standing where I was. A moment later I was all action. The
+cry had come from the other side of the Needle. I accordingly hastened
+to the steps farthest from me, shouting, as I went, in my excitement,
+that a man was drowning. It might have all been part of some evil
+dream--the long line of silent Embankment on either side, the
+swiftly-flowing river, and that despairing appeal for help coming so
+suddenly out of the black darkness. Then I became aware that I was not
+alone on the steps. There was another man there, and he stood
+motionless, peering out into the dark stream, scarcely a dozen paces
+from me.
+
+I had reached the top of the steps and was about to descend them in
+order to accost him, when something occurred which stopped me and held
+me spell-bound. The moon had emerged from its pall of cloud and was now
+shining clear and bright across the river. Thirty seconds must have
+elapsed since we had heard the cry for assistance, and now, as I looked,
+the drowning man was washed in at the foot of the steps upon which we
+stood. It would have needed but the least movement on the part of the
+man below me to have caught him as he swept by and to have saved him
+from a watery death. To my amazement, however--and even now, after this
+lapse of time, my gorge rises at the very thought of it--the other did
+not offer to help, but drew himself back. Before I could return my
+eyes, the wretched suicide had passed out of sight and had vanished into
+the darkness again. As he did so a pronounced chuckle of enjoyment
+reached me from the man below--a burst of merriment so out of place and
+so detestable that I could scarcely believe I heard aright. I can not
+hope to make you understand how it affected me. A second later a fit of
+blind fury overtook me, and, under the influence of it, I ran down the
+steps and seized the murderer--for such I shall always consider him--by
+the arm.
+
+"Are you a man or a fiend," I cried in jerks, "that you could so allow
+another to perish when you might have saved him? His death is upon your
+conscience, brute and monster that you are!"
+
+So extreme was my emotion that I trembled under it like a man with the
+palsy.
+
+Then the other turned his head and looked at me; and, as he did so, a
+great shudder, accompanied by an indescribable feeling of nausea, passed
+over me. What occasioned it I could not tell, nor could I remember
+having felt anything of the kind before. When it departed, my eyes fixed
+themselves on the individual before me. Connecting him in some way with
+the unenviable sensation I had just experienced, I endeavoured to
+withdraw them again, but in vain. The others gaze was riveted upon
+me--so firmly, indeed, that it required but small imagination to believe
+it eating into my brain. Good Heavens! how well I recollect that night
+and every incident connected with it! I believe I shall remember it
+through all eternity. If only I had known enough to have taken him by
+the throat then and there, and had dashed his brains out on the stones,
+or to have seized him in my arms and hurled him down the steps into the
+river below, how much happier I should have been! I might have earned
+eternal punishment, it is true, but I should at least have saved myself
+and the world in general from such misery as the human brain can
+scarcely realise. But I did not know, the opportunity was lost, and, in
+that brief instant of time, millions of my fellow-creatures were
+consigned unwittingly to their doom.
+
+After long association with an individual, it is difficult, if not
+impossible, to set down with any degree of exactness a description of
+the effect his personality in the first instance had upon me. In this
+case I find it more than usually difficult, for the reason that, as I
+came more under his influence, the original effect wore off and quite
+another was substituted for it.
+
+His height was considerably below the average, his skull was as small as
+his shoulders were broad. But it was not of his stature, his shoulders,
+or the size of the head which caused the curious effect I have elsewhere
+described. It was his eyes, the shape of his face, the multitudinous
+wrinkles that lined it, and, above all, the extraordinary colour of his
+skin, that rendered his appearance so repulsive. To understand what I
+mean you must think first of old ivory, and then endeavour to realise
+what the complexion of a corpse would be like after lying in an
+hermetically sealed tomb for many years. Blend the two and you will have
+some dim notion of the idea I am trying to convey. His eyes were small,
+deeply sunken, and in repose apparently devoid of light and even of
+life. He wore a heavy fur coat, and, for the reason that he disdained
+the customary headgear of polite society, and had substituted for it a
+curious description of cap, I argued that he was a man who boasted a
+will of his own, and who did not permit himself to be bound by arbitrary
+rules. But, however plain these things may have been, his age was a
+good deal more difficult to determine. It was certainly not less than
+seventy, and one might have been excused had one even set it down at a
+hundred. He walked feebly, supporting himself with a stick, upon which
+his thin yellow fist was clutched till the knuckles stood out and shone
+like billiard balls in the moonlight.
+
+Under the influence of his mysterious personality, I stood speechless
+for some moments, forgetful of everything--the hour, the place, and even
+his inhumanity to the drowning wretch in the river below. By the time I
+recovered myself he was gone, and I could see him crossing the road and
+moving swiftly away in the direction of Charing Cross. Drawing my hand
+across my forehead, which was clammy with the sweat of real fear, I
+looked again at the river. A police boat was pulling toward the steps,
+and by the light of the lantern on board I could make out the body of a
+man. My nerves, already strained to breaking pitch, were not capable of
+standing any further shock. I accordingly turned upon my heel and
+hurried from the place with all the speed at my command.
+
+Such was my first meeting with the man whom I afterward came to know as
+Pharos the Egyptian.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+As you are aware, my picture that year was hung in an excellent
+position, was favourably received by those for whose criticism I had any
+sort of respect, attracted its fair share of attention from the general
+public, and, as a result, brought me as near contentment as a man can
+well hope or expect to be in this world. Before it had been twenty-four
+hours "on the line," I had received several tempting offers for it; but
+as I had set my heart on obtaining a certain sum, and was determined not
+to accept less, you may suppose I did not give them much attention. If I
+received what I wanted, I promised myself a treat I had been looking
+forward to all my life. In that case I would take a long holiday, and,
+instead of spending the next winter in England, would start for Egypt in
+the autumn, taking in Italy _en route_, make my way up the Nile, and be
+home again, all being well, in the spring, or, at latest, during the
+early days of summer.
+
+Ever since I first became an exhibitor at Burlington House, I have made
+it a rule to studiously avoid visiting the gallery after varnishing day.
+My reasons would interest no one, but they were sufficiently strong to
+induce me to adhere to them. This year, however, I was led into doing so
+in a quite unintentional fashion, and as that exception vitally concerns
+this narrative, I must narrate in detail the circumstances that led up
+to it.
+
+On a certain Friday early in June, I was sitting in my studio, after
+lunch, wondering what I should do with myself during the afternoon, when
+a knock sounded at the door, and a moment later, after I had invited
+whoever stood outside to enter, my old friend, George Merridew, his
+wife, son, and three daughters, trooped into the room. They were plainly
+up from the country, and, as usual, were doing the sights at express
+speed. George Merridew, as you know, stands six feet in his stockings,
+and is broad in proportion. His face is red, his eyes blue, and he
+carries with him wherever he goes the air of a prosperous country
+squire, which he certainly is. Like many other big men, he is
+unconscious of his strength, and when he shakes hands with you, you have
+reason to remember the fact for five minutes afterward. His wife is
+small, and, as some folks declare, looks younger than her eldest
+daughter, who is a tennis champion, a golfer, and boasts a supreme
+contempt for Royal Academicians and, for that matter, for artists
+generally. The son is at Oxford, a nice enough young fellow with limpid
+blue eyes, who, to his father's disgust, takes no sort of interest in
+fox-hunting, racing, football, or any other sport, and has openly
+asserted his intention of entering the Church in the near future. There
+are two other girls, Gwendoline and Ethel--the latter, by the way,
+promises to be a second edition of her mother--who, at present, are in
+the advanced schoolroom stage, dine with their parents, except on state
+occasions, and play duets together on the piano with a conscientious
+regard for time and fingering that gives their father no small amount of
+pleasure, but with other people rather detracts from the beauty of the
+performance.
+
+"Thank goodness we have got you at last!" cried Merridew, as he rushed
+forward and gripped my hand with a cordiality that made me suffer in
+silent agony for minutes afterward. "But, my dear fellow, what on earth
+induces you to live in a place that's so difficult to find? We have been
+all round the neighbourhood, here, there, and everywhere, making
+inquiries, and shouldn't have found you now had it not been for an
+intelligent butcher-boy, who put us on the right scent and enabled us to
+run you to earth at last."
+
+"Such is fame, you see," I answered with a smile. "One should be humble
+when one reflects that the knowledge of one's address is confined to a
+butcher-boy.--How do you do, Mrs. Merridew? I am sorry you should have
+had so much difficulty in discovering my poor abode."
+
+I shook hands with the rest of the family, and when I had done so,
+waited to be informed as to the reason of their visit.
+
+"Now, look here," said the squire, as he spoke producing an enormous
+gold repeater from his pocket, which by sheer force of habit he held in
+his hand, though he never once looked at it, during the time he was
+speaking. "I'll tell you what we're going to do. In the first place
+you're to take us to the Academy to see your picture, which every one is
+talking about, and at the same time to act as showman and tell us who's
+who. After that you'll dine with us at the Langham, and go to the
+theatre afterward. No, no, it's not a bit of use you're pretending
+you've got another engagement. We don't come up to town very often, but
+when we do we enjoy ourselves, and--why, man alive! just consider--I
+haven't seen you since last autumn, and if you think I am going to let
+you escape now, you're very much mistaken. Such a thing is not to be
+thought of--is it, mother?"
+
+Thus appealed to, Mrs. Merridew was kind enough to say that she hoped I
+would comply with her husband's wishes. The daughters murmured
+something, which I have no doubt was intended to be a complimentary
+expression of their feelings, while the son commenced a remark, failed
+to make himself intelligible, and then lapsed into silence again.
+
+Thus hemmed in, it remained for me to invent a valid excuse, or to fall
+in with their plans. I effected a compromise, informed them that I
+should be much pleased to accompany them to the Academy, but that it was
+quite impossible I should dine with them afterward, or even visit the
+theatre in their company, having, as was quite true, already accepted an
+invitation for that evening. Five minutes later the matter was settled,
+and we were making our way toward Piccadilly and Burlington House.
+
+In the light of all that has happened since, I can only regard my
+behaviour on that occasion with a contemptuous sort of pity. The
+minutest details connected with that afternoon's amusement are as
+clearly photographed upon my brain as if they had occurred but
+yesterday. If I close my eyes for a moment, I can see, just as I saw it
+then, the hawkers selling catalogues in the busy street outside, the
+great courtyard with the lines of waiting carriages, the fashionable
+crowd ascending and descending the stairs, and inside the rooms that
+surging mass of well-dressed humanity so characteristic of London and
+the season. When we had fought our way to the vestibule, I was for doing
+the round of the rooms in the orthodox fashion. This, however, it
+appeared, was by no means to George Merridew's taste. He received my
+suggestion with appropriate scorn.
+
+"Come, come, old fellow," he replied, "we're first going to see your
+picture. It was that which brought us here; and, as soon as I have told
+you what I think of it, the rest of the daubs may go hang as far as I am
+concerned."
+
+Now, it is an indisputable fact that, whatever Nature may, or may not,
+have done for me, she has at least endowed me with an extremely
+sensitive disposition. My feelings, therefore, may be imagined when I
+tell you that my old friend spoke in a voice that was quite audible
+above the polite murmur of the crowd, and which must have penetrated to
+the farthest end of the room. Not content with that, he saluted me with
+a sounding smack on the back, bidding me, at the same time, consign my
+modesty to the winds, for everybody knew--by everybody, I presume he
+meant his neighbours in the country--that I was the rising man of the
+day, and would inevitably be elected President before I died. To avert
+this flood of idiotic compliment, and feeling myself growing hot from
+head to foot, I took him by the arm and conducted him hastily through
+the room toward that portion of the building where my picture was
+displayed.
+
+Whether the work was good, bad, or indifferent, the public at least paid
+me the compliment of bestowing their attention upon it, and their
+behaviour on this occasion was no exception to the rule. I hope I shall
+not be considered more conceited than my fellows; at the risk of it,
+however, I must confess to a feeling of pride as I glanced, first at the
+crowd wedged in before the rail, and then at the party by my side.
+George Merridew's face alone was worth the trouble and time I had spent
+upon the canvas. His eyes were opened to their fullest extent: his lips
+were also parted, but no sound came from them. Even the face of my
+formidable friend, the tennis champion, betrayed a measure of interest
+that, in the light of her previous behaviour, was more than flattering.
+For some moments we stood together on the outskirts of the throng. Then
+those who were directly in front moved away, and my friends immediately
+stepped into the gap and took their places. As there was no reason why I
+should follow their example, I remained outside, watching the faces and
+noting the different effects the picture produced upon them.
+
+I had not been alone more than a few seconds, however, before I became
+sensible of a curious sensation. It was accompanied by a lowering of the
+pulse that was quite perceptible, followed by an extraordinary feeling
+of nausea. I battled against it in vain. The room and its occupants
+began to swim before me. I tottered, and at length, being unable any
+longer to support myself, sat down on the seat behind me. When I looked
+up again I could scarcely credit the evidence of my senses. Approaching
+me from the crowd, leaning upon his stick, just as I remembered him on
+the previous occasion, and dressed in the same extraordinary fashion,
+was the old man whose personality had given me such a shock at the foot
+of Cleopatra's Needle. His face was as thin and as wrinkled as I had
+seen it then, and I also noticed that he wore the same indescribable
+look of cruelty and cunning that I remembered so well. One thing was
+quite plain, however profoundly I may have been affected by my proximity
+to this singular being: I was not the only one who came within the
+sphere of his influence. Indeed, it was strange to notice the manner in
+which the polite crowd drew away from him, and the different expressions
+upon their faces as they stepped aside in order to give him room to
+pass. Had he been a snake, they could scarcely have shown a more
+unanimous desire to withdraw from his neighbourhood. On this occasion
+he was evidently not alone. I gathered this from the fact that, as soon
+as he had emerged from the crowd, he paused as if to wait for a
+companion. A moment later a woman come to his side--a woman who carried
+herself like a daughter of the gods; the most beautiful creature, I can
+safely assert, that I have ever seen either in this or any other
+country. If her companion's height was below the average, hers was at
+least several inches above it. But it was neither her stature, the
+exquisite symmetry of her figure, the beauty of her face, the luxuriance
+of her hair, nor the elegance of her attire that fascinated me. It was
+the expression I saw in her dark, lustrous eyes.
+
+It is essential to my profession that I should be continually studying
+the human face, attempting to obtain from it some clew as to the
+character of the owner, and learning to read in it the workings of the
+mind within. And what I read in this woman's face was a sorrow that
+nothing could assuage, a hopelessness that was not limited to this
+earth, but was fast passing into the Eternal.
+
+Having once freed herself from the crowd, who, you may be sure, turned
+and stared after her as if she were some rare and beautiful animal, she
+took her place at her companion's side, and they passed along the room
+together, finally disappearing through the archway at the farther end. A
+moment later the eldest of my friend's daughters joined me. I had never
+credited her with the possession of so much emotion as she displayed at
+that moment.
+
+"Mr. Forrester," she said, "I want you to tell me if you have ever seen
+anything so awful as that old man's face?"
+
+"I think I can safely say that I never have," I answered; and then, in
+an attempt to conceal the emotion I was still feeling, added, "I wonder
+who he can be?"
+
+"I can not imagine," she continued, "but I'm certain of this, that I
+never want to see him again."
+
+At that moment we were joined by the remainder of the family.
+
+"By Jove! Forrester," said the squire, but without his usual heartiness,
+"I don't know what is coming to this place. Did you see that little chap
+in the fur coat and skullcap who came out of the crowd just now with
+that fine-looking woman behind him? You may scarcely credit it, but his
+face gave me quite a turn. I haven't got over it yet."
+
+"The girl with him was very beautiful," murmured his wife gently; "but
+there was something about her face that struck me as being very sad. I
+should like to know what relationship she bears to him."
+
+"His granddaughter, I should imagine," said Miss Merridew, who was still
+watching the entrance to the next room as if she expected them to
+return.
+
+"Nonsense!" cried the squire impatiently. "His great-granddaughter, you
+mean. I'll stake my reputation that the old fellow is as old as
+Methuselah. What say you, Forrester?"
+
+I can not now remember what answer I returned. I only know that we
+presently found ourselves on the pavement of Piccadilly, saying
+good-bye, and expressing our thanks in an aimless sort of fashion for
+the pleasure we had derived from each other's society.
+
+Having seen them safely on their way toward Regent Street, I strolled
+along Piccadilly in the direction of my studio, thinking as I went of
+that terrible old man whose personality had twice given me such a shock,
+and also of the beautiful woman, his companion. The effect they had
+produced upon me must have been something out of the common, for I soon
+discovered that I could think of nothing else. It was in vain I looked
+in at my club and attempted to engage in conversation with friends, or
+that, when I reached home, I threw myself into an easy-chair and
+endeavoured to interest myself in a book. Out of the centre of every
+page peered that wicked old face, with its pallid, wrinkled skin, and
+lack-lustre eyes. For upward of an hour I wrestled with the feeling, but
+without success. The man's image was not conducive to peace of mind, and
+I knew very well that unless I found some distraction I should be
+dreaming of him at night. Accordingly I rose from my chair and crossed
+the room to a table on which stood a large Satsuma bowl, in which it was
+my custom to place the invitations I received. That evening fortune
+favoured me. I had the choice of four houses. Two I rejected without a
+second thought; between the others I scarcely knew how to decide. Though
+I was not aware of it, my evil destiny, for the second time that day,
+was standing at my elbow, egging me on to ruin. It appeared I had the
+choice of a dance in the Cromwell Road, another in Belgrave Square;
+private theatricals in Queen's Gate, and a musical "at home" in Eaton
+Square. I did not feel equal to dances or private theatricals, and,
+thinking music would soothe my troubled mind, I decided for Eaton Square,
+and in so doing brought about the misery and downfall of my life.
+
+Nine o'clock that evening, accordingly, found me ascending the staircase
+of Medenham House, greeting my hostess in the anteroom, and passing
+thence into the great drawing-room beyond. There is not a more
+conspicuous power within the range of her hobby than her ladyship, and
+at her house one hears all that is newest and most likely to be famous
+in the musical world. Many now celebrated _artistes_ owe much of what
+they have since achieved to the helping hand she held out to them when
+they were struggling up the rugged hill of fame.
+
+On entering the room I looked about me in the hope of finding some one I
+knew, but for some moments was unsuccessful. Then I espied, seated in a
+corner, almost hidden by a magnificent palm, a man with whom I possessed
+some slight acquaintance. I strolled toward him, and after a few
+moments' conversation took my place at his side. He had himself achieved
+considerable success as an amateur violinist, and was a distant relative
+of our hostess.
+
+"I suppose, like the rest of us, you have come to hear Lady Medenham's
+latest prodigy?" he said, after the usual polite nothings had been said.
+
+"I am ashamed to confess I have heard nothing at all about him," I
+answered.
+
+"_Her_, my dear sir," he replied, with a little laugh. "Our hostess says
+she is marvellous."
+
+"A pianist?"
+
+"Indeed, no! A violinist, and with, I believe, the additional advantage
+of being a very beautiful woman. Lady Medenham met her in Munich, and
+she has raved about her ever since. Needless to say, she invited her to
+visit her as soon as she reached London."
+
+What the connection could have been it is impossible to say, but by some
+occult reasoning I instantly associated this new wonder with the
+magnificent creature I had seen at Burlington House that afternoon.
+
+"You have already made her acquaintance, I presume?"
+
+I said in a tone of mild curiosity.
+
+"No such luck," he answered. "I have not been permitted that pleasure.
+From all accounts, however, she is really very wonderful. All the people
+I have met who have heard her declare they have never known anything
+like her playing. And the funniest part of it is, she is accompanied
+everywhere by a man who is as physically repulsive as she is beautiful."
+
+"A little old man with an extraordinary complexion, deep-set, horrible
+eyes, who wears a fur coat and a peculiar cap in the height of the
+season, and looks at least a hundred years old?"
+
+"From all accounts you describe him exactly. Where did you meet him?"
+
+"I saw them both at the Academy this afternoon," I answered. "She is, as
+you say, very beautiful; but she scarcely struck me as being English."
+
+"She is not. She is Hungarian, I believe, but she has travelled a great
+deal and speaks English perfectly."
+
+"And her companion--what nation has the honour of claiming him as her
+son?"
+
+"Ah, that I can not tell you! He is a mystery, for no one seems to know
+anything about him. Nor is it at all certain what relationship he bears
+to the woman. But see, here is Lord Medenham. The performance is
+evidently about to commence."
+
+As he spoke there was a general turning of heads in the direction of the
+anteroom, and almost simultaneously my hostess entered the room,
+accompanied by the exquisite creature I had seen emerging from the crowd
+before my picture that afternoon. If she had looked beautiful then, she
+was doubly so now. Dressed to perfection, as on the previous occasion,
+she towered head and shoulders above Lady Medenham, who is generally
+considered tall for her sex, and carried herself with a more imperial
+grace than is boasted by any empress I have ever seen.
+
+A few paces behind her followed the man who had been her companion that
+afternoon. On this occasion also he disdained the orthodox style of
+dress, wore a black velvet coat, closely buttoned beneath his chin, and
+upon his head a skullcap of the same material. As on the previous
+occasions, he walked with a stick, leaning upon it heavily like an old
+man of ninety. Reaching that portion of the room in which the piano was
+situated, he dropped into a chair, without waiting for his hostess to
+seat herself, and, laying his head back, closed his eyes as if the
+exertion of walking had been too much for him. A servant, who had
+followed close behind, wrapped a heavy rug about his knees and then
+withdrew. Meanwhile his beautiful companion stood for a moment looking
+down at him, and then, with a little gesture the significance of which I
+could not then interpret, accepted her hostess's invitation and seated
+herself beside her.
+
+The first item on the programme was a nocturne rendered by the composer,
+a famous pianist who at the time was delighting all London. He seated
+himself at the piano and began to play. I am afraid, however, I spared
+but small attention for his performance. My interest was centred on that
+huddled-up figure under the fur rug and the beautiful creature at his
+side. Then a change came, and once more I experienced the same sensation
+of revulsion that had overwhelmed me twice before. Again I felt sick and
+giddy; once more a clammy sweat broke out upon my forehead, and at last,
+unable any longer to control myself, I rose from my seat.
+
+"What on earth is the matter?" inquired my friend, who had been watching
+me. "Are you ill?"
+
+"I believe I'm going to faint," I replied. "I must get into the air. But
+there is no necessity for you to come. I shall be all right alone."
+
+So saying I signed him back to his seat, and, slipping quietly from the
+corner, made my way through the anteroom into the marble corridor
+beyond. Once there I leant against the balustrading of the staircase and
+endeavoured to pull myself together. A groom of the chambers, who was
+passing at the time, seeing there was something amiss, approached and
+inquired if he could be of service.
+
+"I am feeling a little faint," I replied. "The heat of the drawing-room
+was too much for me. If you can get me a little brandy I think I shall
+be quite well in a few moments."
+
+The man departed and presently came back with the spirit I had asked
+for. With the return of my self-possession I endeavoured to arrive at an
+understanding of what had occasioned the attack. I was not subject to
+fainting-fits, but was in every respect as strong as the majority of my
+fellow-creatures.
+
+"It's all nonsense," I said to myself, "to ascribe it to that old
+fellow's presence. How could such a thing affect me? At any rate, I'll
+try the experiment once more."
+
+So saying, I returned to the drawing-room.
+
+I was only just in time, for, as I entered, the lady who had hitherto
+been seated by her hostess's side rose from her chair and moved toward
+the piano. As no one else stirred, it was plain that she was going to
+dispense with the services of an accompanist. Taking her violin from a
+table she drew her bow gently across the strings, and, when she had
+tuned it, stood looking straight before her down the room. How beautiful
+she was at that moment I can not hope to make you understand. Then she
+began to play. What the work was I did not then know, but I have since
+discovered that it was her own. It opened with a movement in the
+minor--low and infinitely sad. There was a note of unappeasable yearning
+in it, a cry that might well have been wrung from a heart that was
+breaking beneath the weight of a deadly sin; a weird, unearthly
+supplication for mercy from a soul that was beyond redemption or the
+reach of hope. None but a great musician could have imagined such a
+theme, and then only under the influence of a supreme despair. While it
+lasted her audience sat spell-bound. There was scarcely one among them
+who was not a lover of music, and many were world-famous for their
+talent. This, however, was such playing as none of us had ever heard
+before, or, indeed, had even dreamed of. Then by imperceptible
+gradations the music reached its height and died slowly down, growing
+fainter and fainter until it expired in a long-drawn sob. Absolute
+silence greeted its termination. Not a hand was raised; not a word was
+uttered. If proof were wanting of the effect she had produced, it was to
+be found in this. The violinist bowed, a trifle disdainfully, I thought,
+and, having placed her instrument on the table once more, returned to
+Lady Medenham's side. Then a young German singer and his accompanist
+crossed the room and took their places at the piano. The famous pianist,
+who had first played, followed the singer, and when he had resumed his
+seat the violinist rose and once more took up her instrument.
+
+This time there was no pause. With an abruptness that was startling, she
+burst into a wild barbaric dance. The notes danced and leaped upon each
+other in joyous confusion, creating an enthusiasm that was as
+instantaneous as it was remarkable. It was a tarantella of the wildest
+description--nay, I should rather say a dance of Satyrs. The player's
+eyes flashed above the instrument, her lithe, exquisite figure rocked
+and swayed beneath the spell of the emotion she was conjuring up.
+Faster and faster her bow swept across the strings, and as before,
+though now for a very different reason, her audience sat fascinated
+before her. The first work had been the outcome of despair, this was the
+music of unqualified happiness, of the peculiar joy of living--nay, of
+the very essence and existence of life itself. Then it ceased as
+suddenly as it had begun, and once more she bowed, put down her violin,
+and approached her hostess. The programme was at an end, and the
+enthusiastic audience clustered round to congratulate her. For my own
+part I was curiously ill at ease. In a vague sort of fashion I had
+appropriated her music to myself, and now I resented the praise the
+fashionable mob was showering upon her. Accordingly I drew back a little
+and made up my mind to get through the crowd and slip quietly away. By
+the time I was able to emerge from my corner, however, there was a
+movement at the end of the room, and it became evident that the player
+and her companion were also about to take their departure. Accompanied
+by Lord and Lady Medenham they approached the spot where I was standing,
+endeavouring to reach the door. Had it been possible I would have taken
+shelter behind my palm again in order that my presence might not have
+been observed. But it was too late. Lady Medenham had caught my eye, and
+now stopped to speak.
+
+"Mr. Forrester," she said, "we have been permitted a great treat
+to-night, have we not? You must let me introduce you to the Fraeulein
+Valerie de Vocxqal."
+
+I bowed, and, despite the fact that, regarded in the light of her
+genius, such a thing was little better than an insult, followed the
+example of my betters and murmured a complimentary allusion to her
+playing and the pleasure she had given us. She thanked me, all the time
+watching me with grave, attentive eyes, into which there had suddenly
+flashed a light that was destined to puzzle me for a long time, and the
+reason of which I could not understand. Then came the crucial moment
+when Lady Medenham turned to me again, and said:
+
+"Mr. Forrester, Monsieur Pharos has expressed a desire to be introduced
+to you. I told him yesterday I thought you would be here to-night. May I
+have the pleasure of making you acquainted with each other?"
+
+Those cold, dead eyes fixed themselves steadily on mine, and, under
+their influence, I felt as if my brain were freezing.
+
+"I am indeed honoured, sir," he said, "and I trust I may be permitted to
+express a hope of enlarging our acquaintance. I understand you are the
+painter of that very wonderful picture I saw at the Academy this
+afternoon? Allow me to offer you my congratulations upon it. It
+interested me more deeply than I can say, and on some future date I
+shall be grateful if you will let me talk to you upon the subject. The
+knowledge it displayed of the country and the period is remarkable in
+these days. May I ask how it was acquired?"
+
+"My father was a famous Egyptologist," I replied. "All that I know I
+learned from him. Are you also familiar with the country?"
+
+"There are few things and fewer countries with which I am not familiar,"
+he replied, somewhat conceitedly, but still watching me and speaking
+with the same peculiar gravity. "Some day I shall hope to offer you
+conclusive evidence on that point. In the meantime the hour grows late.
+I thank you and bid you farewell."
+
+Then, with a bow, he passed on, and a moment later I, too, had quitted
+the house and was making my way homeward, trying to collect my
+impressions of the evening as I went.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+To infer that my introduction that evening to the beautiful violinist
+and her diabolical companion, Monsieur Pharos, produced no effect upon
+me, would be as idle as it would misleading. On leaving Medenham House I
+was conscious of a variety of sensations, among which attraction for the
+woman, repugnance for the man, and curiosity as to the history and
+relationship of both could be most easily distinguished. What was
+perhaps still more perplexing, considering the small, but none the less
+genuine, antagonism that existed between us, by the time I reached my
+own abode I had lost my first intense hatred for the man, and was
+beginning to look forward, with a degree of interest which a few hours
+before would have surprised me, to that next meeting which he had
+prophesied would so soon come to pass. Lightly as I proposed to myself
+to treat it, his extraordinary individuality must have taken a greater
+hold upon me than I imagined, for, as in the afternoon, I soon
+discovered that, try to divert my thoughts from it how I would, I could
+not dispel his sinister image from my mind. Every detail of the
+evening's entertainment was vividly photographed upon my brain, and
+without even the formality of shutting my eyes, I could see the crowded
+room, the beautiful violinist standing, instrument in hand, beside the
+piano, and in the chair at her feet her strange companion, huddled up
+beneath his rug.
+
+By the time I reached home it was considerably past midnight; I was not,
+however, the least tired, so, exchanging my dress coat for an old velvet
+painting jacket, for which I entertained a lasting affection, I lit a
+cigar and began to promenade the room. It had been a fancy of mine when
+I first took the studio, which, you must understand, was of more than
+the usual size, to have it decorated in the Egyptian fashion, and, after
+my meeting with Pharos, this seemed to have a singular appropriateness.
+It was as if the quaint images of the gods, which decorated the walls,
+were watching me with almost human interest, and even the gilded
+countenance upon the mummy-case, in the alcove at the farther end, wore
+an expression I had never noticed on it before. It might have been
+saying: "Ah, my nineteenth century friend, your father stole me from the
+land of my birth, and from the resting-place the gods decreed for me;
+but beware, for retribution is pursuing you and is even now close upon
+your heels."
+
+Cigar in hand, I stopped in my walk and looked at it, thinking as I did
+so of the country from which it had hailed, and of the changes that had
+taken place in the world during the time it had lain in its Theban tomb,
+whence it had emerged in the middle of the nineteenth century, with
+colouring as fresh, and detail as perfect, as on the day when the
+hieroglyphs had first left the artist's hand. It was an unusually fine
+specimen--one of the most perfect, indeed, of its kind ever brought to
+England, and, under the influence of the interest it now inspired in me,
+I went to an ancient cabinet on the other side of the room, and, opening
+a small drawer, took from it a bulky pocketbook, once the property of my
+father. He it was, as I have already said, who had discovered the mummy
+in question, and it was from him, at his death, in company with many
+other Egyptian treasures, that I received it.
+
+As I turned the yellow, time-stained pages in search of the information
+I wanted, the clock of St. Jude's, in the street behind, struck one,
+solemnly and deliberately, as though it were conscious of the part it
+played in the passage of time into eternity. To my surprise the
+reference was more difficult to find than I had anticipated. Entries
+there were in hundreds; records of distances travelled, of measurements
+taken, evidence as to the supposed whereabouts of tombs, translations of
+hieroglyphics, paintings, and inscriptions, memoranda of amounts paid to
+Arab sheiks, details of stores and equipments, but for some time no
+trace of the information for which I was searching. At last, however, it
+struck me to look in the pocket contained in the cover of the book. My
+diligence was immediately rewarded, for there, carefully folded and
+hidden away, was the small square of parchment upon which my father had
+written the name once borne by the dead man, with a complete translation
+of the record upon the _cartonnage_ itself. According to the statement
+here set forth, the coffin contained the mortal remains of a certain
+Ptahmes, Chief of the King's Magicians--an individual who flourished
+during the reign of Menptah (Amenepthes of the Greeks, but better known
+to the nineteenth century as the Pharaoh of the Exodus). For all I knew
+to the contrary, my silent property might have been one of that band of
+conjurors who pitted their wits against Moses, and by so doing had
+caused Pharaoh's heart to be hardened so that he would not let the
+Children go. Once more I stood looking at the stolid representation of a
+face before me, guessing at the history of the man within, and wondering
+whether his success in life had equalled his ambition, or was
+commensurate with his merits, and whether in that age, so long since
+dead, his heart had ever been thrilled by thoughts of love.
+
+While wrapped in this brown study, my ears, which on that particular
+occasion were for some reason abnormally acute, detected the sound of a
+soft footfall on the polished boards at the farther end of the room. I
+wheeled sharply round, and a moment later almost fell back against the
+mummy-case under the influence of my surprise. (How he had got there I
+could not tell, for I was certain I had locked the door behind me when I
+entered the house.) It is sufficient, however, that, standing before me,
+scarcely a dozen feet away, breathing heavily as though he had been
+running, and with what struck me as a frightened look in his eyes, was
+no less a person than Monsieur Pharos, the man I had met at the foot of
+Cleopatra's Needle some weeks before, at the Academy that afternoon, and
+at Medenham House only a couple of hours since. Upward of a minute must
+have elapsed before I could find sufficient voice to inquire the reason
+of his presence in my room.
+
+"My dear Mr. Forrester," he said in a conciliatory tone, "while offering
+you ten thousand apologies for my intrusion, I must explain that it is
+quite by accident I am here. On reaching home this evening I pined for a
+breath of fresh air. Accordingly I went for a stroll, lost my way, and
+eventually found myself in this street, where, seeing an open door, I
+took the liberty of entering for the purpose of inquiring the way to my
+hotel. It was not until you turned round that I realised my good fortune
+in having chanced upon a friend. It is plain, however, that my presence
+is not as welcome as I could have desired."
+
+From the way he spoke I gathered that for some purpose of his own he
+had taken, or was pretending to take, offence at my reception of him.
+Knowing, therefore, that if I desired to see anything further of his
+beautiful companion, an idea which I will confess had more than once
+occurred to me, I must exert myself to conciliate him, I hastened to
+apologise for the welcome I had given him, explaining that any momentary
+hesitation I might have shown was due more to my surprise than to any
+intended discourtesy toward himself.
+
+"In that case let us agree to say no more about it," he answered
+politely, but with the same expression of cunning upon his face to which
+I have referred elsewhere. "You were quite within your rights. I should
+have remembered that in England an impromptu visit at one in the
+morning, on the part of an acquaintance of a few hours' standing, is
+scarcely likely to be well received."
+
+"If you will carry your memory back a few weeks," I said, as I wheeled a
+chair up for him, "you will remember that our acquaintance is not of
+such a recent date."
+
+"I am rejoiced to hear it," he replied, with a sharp glance at me as he
+seated himself. "Nevertheless, I must confess that I fail for the moment
+to remember where I had the pleasure of meeting you on that occasion. It
+is not a complimentary admission, I will admit; but, as you know, age is
+proverbially forgetful, and my memory is far from being what it once
+was."
+
+Could the man be pretending, or had the incident really escaped his
+memory? It was just possible, of course, that on that occasion my face
+had failed to impress itself upon his recollection; but after the hard
+things I had said to him on that memorable occasion, I had to confess
+it seemed unlikely. Then the remembrance of the drowning man's piteous
+cry for help, and the other's demoniacal conduct on the steps returned
+to me, and I resolved to show no mercy.
+
+"The occasion to which I refer, Monsieur Pharos," I said, standing
+opposite him and speaking with a sternness that in the light of all that
+has transpired since seems almost ludicrous, "was an evening toward the
+end of March--a cold, wet night when you stood upon the steps below
+Cleopatra's Needle, and not only refused help to, but, in a most inhuman
+fashion, laughed at, a drowning man."
+
+I half expected that he would offer a vehement denial, or would at least
+put forward the plea of forgetfulness. To my surprise, however, he did
+neither.
+
+"I remember the incident perfectly," he answered, with the utmost
+composure. "At the same time, I assure you, you wrong me when you
+declare I laughed--on my word, you do! Let us suppose, however, that I
+_did_ do so; and where is the harm? The man desired death; his own
+action confessed it, otherwise how came he there? It was proved at the
+inquest that he had repeatedly declared himself weary of life. He was
+starving; he was without hope. Had he lived over that night, death,
+under any circumstances, would only have been a matter of a few days
+with him. Would you therefore have had me, knowing all this, prolong
+such an existence? In the name of that humanity to which you referred
+just now, I ask you the question. You say I laughed. Would you have had
+me weep?"
+
+"A specious argument," I replied; "but I own to you frankly I consider
+the incident a detestable one."
+
+"There I will meet you most willingly," he continued. "From your point
+of view it certainly _was_. From mine--well, as I said just now, I
+confess I view it differently. However, I give you my assurance, your
+pity is undeserved. The man was a contemptible scoundrel in every way.
+He came of respectable stock, was reared under the happiest auspices.
+Had he chosen he might have risen to anything in his own rank of life;
+but he would not choose. At fifteen he robbed his father's till to
+indulge in debauchery, and had broken his parents' hearts before he was
+five-and-twenty. He married a girl as good as he was bad, and as a
+result starved not only himself but his wife and children. Though
+employment was repeatedly offered him, he refused it, not from any
+inability to work, but from sheer distaste of labour. He had not
+sufficient wit, courage, or energy to become a criminal; but throughout
+his life, wherever he went, and upon all with whom he came in contact,
+he brought misery and disgrace. Eventually he reached the end of his
+tether, and was cast off by every one. The result you know."
+
+The fluency and gusto with which he related these sordid details amazed
+me. I inquired how, since by his own confession he had been such a short
+time in London, he had become cognisant of the man's history. He
+hesitated before replying.
+
+"Have I not told you once before to-night," he said, "that there are
+very few things in this world which are hidden from my knowledge? Were
+it necessary, I could tell you circumstances in your own life that you
+flatter yourself are known to no one but yourself. But do not let us
+talk of such things now. When I entered the room you were reading a
+paper. You hold it in your hand at this moment."
+
+"It is a translation of the inscription upon the mummy-case over
+yonder," I replied, with an eagerness to change the subject that
+provoked a smile in Pharos. "At his death many of his Egyptian treasures
+came into my possession, this among them. For some reason or another I
+had never read the translation until to-night. I suppose it must have
+been my meeting with you that put the idea into my head."
+
+"I am interested in such matters, as you know. May I, therefore, be
+permitted to look at it?"
+
+With a parade of indifference that I could easily see was assumed,
+Pharos had extended his withered old hand and taken it from me before I
+realised what he was doing. Having obtained it, he leaned back in his
+chair, and stared at the paper as if he could not remove his eyes from
+it. For some moments not a word passed his lips. Then, muttering
+something to himself in a language I did not recognise, he sprang to his
+feet. The quickness of the action was so different from his usual
+enfeebled movements that I did not fail to notice it.
+
+"The mummy?" he cried. "Show me the mummy!"
+
+Before I could answer or comply with his request, he had discovered it
+for himself, had crossed to it and was devouring it with his eyes.
+
+Upward of three minutes must have elapsed before he turned to me again.
+When he did so, I scarcely recognised the man. So distorted was his
+countenance that I instinctively recoiled from him in horror.
+
+"Thy father, was it, wretched man," he cried, shaking his skeleton fist
+at me, while his body trembled like a leaf in the whirlwind of his
+passion, "who stole this body from its resting-place? Thy father, was
+it, who broke the seals the gods had placed upon the tombs of those who
+were their servants? If that be so, then may the punishment decreed
+against the sin of sacrilege be visited upon thee and thine for
+evermore!" Then, turning to the mummy, he continued, as if partly to it
+and partly to himself: "Oh, mighty Egypt! hast thou fallen so far from
+thy high estate that even the bodies of thy kings and priests may no
+longer rest within their tombs, but are ravished from thee to be gaped
+at in alien lands? But, by Osiris, a time of punishment is coming. It is
+decreed, and none shall stay the sword!"
+
+If I had been surprised at the excitement he had shown on reading the
+paper, it was nothing to the astonishment I felt now. For the first time
+since I had known him, a suspicion of his sanity crossed my mind, and my
+first inclination was to draw away from him. Then the fit, as I deemed
+it, passed, and his expression changed completely. He uttered a queer
+little laugh, that might have been one of shame or annoyance.
+
+"Once more I must crave your forgiveness, Mr. Forrester," he said, as he
+sank exhausted into a chair. "Believe me, I had not the least intention
+of offending you. Your father was, I know, an ardent Egyptologist, one
+of that intrepid band who penetrated to every corner of our sacred land,
+digging, delving, and bringing to light such tombs, temples, and
+monuments as have for centuries lain hidden from the sight of man. For
+my own part, as you may have gathered from my tirade just now, my
+sympathies do not lie in that direction. I am one who reverences the
+past, and would fain have others do so."
+
+"At the same time, I scarcely see that that justifies such language
+toward myself as you used a few moments since," I replied, with a fair
+amount of warmth, which I think it will be conceded I had every right to
+feel.
+
+"It does not justify it in the least," he answered, with ready
+condescension. "The only way I can hope to do so is on the plea of the
+exuberance of my emotion. My dear Mr. Forrester, I beg you will not
+misunderstand me. I would not quarrel with you for the wealth of
+England. Though you are not aware of it, there is a bond between us that
+is stronger than chains of steel. You are required for a certain work,
+and for that reason alone I dare not offend you or excite your anger,
+even if I otherwise desired to do so. In this matter I am not my own
+master."
+
+"A bond between us, Monsieur Pharos? A work for which I am required? I
+am afraid I do not understand what you mean."
+
+"And it is not in my power to enlighten you. Remain assured of this,
+however, when the time is ripe you will be informed."
+
+As he said this the same light that I have described before came into
+his eyes, causing them to shine with an unnatural brilliance. To use a
+fishing simile, it made me think of the gleam that comes into the eyes
+of a hungry pike as he darts toward his helpless prey. Taken in
+conjunction with the extraordinary language he had used toward me, I
+felt more than ever convinced of his insanity. The thought was by no
+means a cheerful one. Here I was, alone with a dangerous lunatic, in the
+middle of the night, and not a soul within call. How I was to rid myself
+of him I could not see. Under the circumstances, therefore, I knew that
+I must humour him until I could hit upon a scheme. I accordingly tried
+to frame a conciliatory speech, but before I could do so he had turned
+to me again.
+
+"Your thoughts are easily read," he began, with a repetition of that
+queer little laugh which I have described before; and as he uttered it
+he leaned a little closer to me till I was sick and faint with the mere
+horror of his presence. "You think me mad, and it will require more
+than my assurance to make you believe that I am not. How slight is your
+knowledge of me! But there, let us put that aside for to-night. There is
+something of much greater importance to be arranged between us. In the
+first place, it is necessary both for your sake--your safety, if you
+like--and for mine, that yonder mummy should pass into my possession."
+
+"Impossible!" I answered. "I could not dream of such a thing! It was one
+of my poor father's greatest treasures, and for that reason alone no
+consideration would induce me to part with it. Besides, despite your
+assertion that it is for our mutual safety, I can not see by what right
+you ask such a favour of me."
+
+"If you only knew how important it is," he repeated, "that that
+particular mummy should become my property, you would not know a single
+minute's peace until you had seen the last of it. You may not believe me
+when I say that I have been searching for it without intermission for
+nearly fifteen years, and it was only yesterday I learned you were the
+owner of it. And yet it is the truth."
+
+If I had not had sufficient proof already, here was enough to convince
+me of his madness. By his own confession, until that evening he had had
+no notion of my identity, much less of the things I possessed. How,
+therefore, could he have become aware that I was the owner of the
+remains of Ptahmes, the King's magician? Under the influence of the
+momentary irritation caused by his persistence my intention of humouring
+him quite slipped my memory, and I answered sharply that it was no use
+his bothering me further about the matter, as I had made up my mind and
+was not to be moved from it.
+
+He took my refusal with apparent coolness; but the light which still
+lingered in his eyes warned me, before it was too late, not to rely too
+much upon this. I knew that in his heart he was raging against me, and
+that any moment might see his passion taking active shape.
+
+"You must excuse my saying so, Monsieur Pharos," I said, rising from my
+chair and moving toward the door, "but I think it would perhaps be
+better for both of us to terminate this most unpleasant interview. It is
+getting late and I am tired. With your permission, I will open the door
+for you."
+
+Seeing that I was determined he should go, and realising, I suppose,
+that it was no use his staying longer, he also rose, and a more
+evil-looking figure than he presented as he did so Victor Hugo himself
+could scarcely have imagined. The light of the quaint old Venetian
+hanging-lamp in the middle of the room fell full and fair upon his face,
+showing me the deep-set gleaming eyes, the wrinkled, nut-cracker face,
+and the extraordinary development of shoulder to which I have already
+directed attention. Old man as he was, a braver man than myself might
+have been excused had he declined the task of tackling him, and I had
+the additional spur of knowing that if he got the better of me he would
+show no mercy. For this reason alone I watched his every movement.
+
+"Come, come, my foolish young friend," he said at length, "in spite of
+my warning, here we are at a deadlock again! You really must not take
+things so seriously. Had I had any idea that you were so determined not
+to let me have the thing, I would not have dreamed of asking for it. It
+was for your own good as well as mine that I did so. Now, since you
+desire to turn me out, I will not force my presence upon you. But let us
+part friends."
+
+As he said this he advanced toward me with extended hand, leaning
+heavily upon his stick, according to his custom, and to all intents and
+purposes as pathetic an example of senile decrepitude as a man could
+wish to see. If he were going off like this, I flattered myself I was
+escaping from my horrible predicament in an easier manner than I had
+expected. Nevertheless, I was fully determined, if I could but once get
+him on the other side of the street door, no earthly consideration
+should induce me ever to admit him to my dwelling again. His hand was
+deathly cold--so cold, in fact, that even in my excitement I could not
+help noticing it. I had scarcely done so, however, before a tremor ran
+through his figure and, with a guttural noise that could scarcely be
+described as a cry, he dropped my hand and sprang forward at my throat.
+
+If I live to be a hundred I shall not forget the absolute, the
+unspeakable, the indescribable terror of that moment. Till then I had
+never regarded myself in the light of a coward; on the contrary, I had
+on several occasions had good reason to congratulate myself upon what is
+popularly termed my "nerve." Now, however, it was all different.
+Possibly the feeling of repulsion, I might almost say of fear, I had
+hitherto entertained for him had something to do with it. It may have
+been the mesmeric power, which I afterward had good reason to know he
+possessed, that did it. At any rate, from the moment he pounced upon me
+I found myself incapable of resistance. It was as if all my will power
+were being slowly extracted from me by the mere contact of those
+skeleton fingers which, when they had once touched my flesh, seemed to
+lose their icy coldness and to burn like red-hot iron. In a dim and
+misty fashion, somewhat as one sees people in a fog, I was conscious of
+the devilish ferocity of the countenance that was looking into mine.
+Then a strange feeling of numbness took possession of me, an entire lack
+of interest in everything, even in life itself. Gradually and easily I
+sank into the chair behind me, the room swam before my eyes, an intense
+craving for sleep overcame me, and little by little, still without any
+attempt at resistance, my head fell back and I lost consciousness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+When I came to myself again it was already morning. In a small square
+behind the studio the sparrows were discussing the prospects of
+breakfast, though as yet that earliest of all birds, the milkman, had
+not begun to make his presence known in the streets. Of all the hours of
+the day there is not one, to my thinking, so lonely and so full of
+dreariness as that which immediately precedes and ushers in the dawn;
+while, of all the experiences of our human life, there is, perhaps, not
+one more unpleasant than to awake from sleep at such an hour to find
+that one has passed the entire night in one's clothes and seated in a
+most comfortable armchair. That was my lot on this occasion. On opening
+my eyes I looked around me with a puzzled air. For the life of me I
+could not understand why I was not in my bed. It was the first time I
+had ever gone to sleep in my chair, and the knowledge that I had done so
+disquieted me strangely. I studied the room, but, to all intents and
+purposes, everything there was just as when I had closed my eyes. I only
+was changed. My brain was as heavy as lead, and, though I did my best to
+recall the events of the previous evening, I found that, while I could
+recollect the "at home" at Medenham House, and my return to my studio
+afterward, I could remember nothing that followed later. I was still
+pursuing this train of thought when I became aware of a loud knocking at
+the street door. I immediately hastened to it and drew the bolts. My
+feeling of bewilderment was increased rather than diminished on
+discovering an inspector of police upon the threshold, with a constable
+behind him.
+
+"Mr. Forrester, I believe?" he began; and as soon as I had answered in
+the affirmative, continued: "You must excuse my disturbing you, sir, at
+this early hour, but the reason is imperative. I should be glad if you
+would permit me the honour of five minutes' conversation with you,
+alone."
+
+"With pleasure," I answered, and immediately invited him to enter.
+
+Having shut the door behind him, I led the way to the studio, where I
+signed him to a chair, taking up a position myself on the hearthrug
+before him. The constable remained in the passage outside.
+
+"It is, as you say, rather an early hour for a call," I remarked, making
+a mental note as I spoke of the man's character as I read it in his
+large, honest eyes, well-shaped nose, and square, determined-looking
+chin. "What can I do for you?"
+
+"I believe you are in a position to furnish me with some important
+information," he replied. "To begin with, I might inform you that a
+diabolical murder was committed at the old curiosity shop at the corner
+of the next street, either late last night or during the early hours of
+this morning, most probably between midnight and one o'clock. It is
+altogether a most remarkable affair, and, from the evidence we have
+before us, though no cries were heard, the struggle must have been a
+desperate one. From the fact that the front door was still locked and
+bolted when we forced our way in, it is plain that the murderer must
+have effected his escape by the back. Indeed, a man _was_ seen entering
+the alley behind the house between one and two o'clock, though this
+circumstance excited no suspicion at the time. The witness who saw him
+reports that he came along on this side of the street, in the shadow,
+and, though he is not at all certain on this point, believes that he
+entered one of the houses hereabouts. That on your right is empty, and
+the doors and windows are securely fastened. He could not, therefore,
+have gone in there. That on the left is a boarding-house. I have called
+upon the landlady, who asserts most positively that her front door was
+not opened to any one after ten o'clock last night. She informs me,
+however, that a light was burning in your studio all night, and I see
+for myself that you have not been to bed. May I ask, therefore, if you
+saw anything of such a man, or whether you can furnish me with such
+particulars as will be likely to help us in our search for him."
+
+Like lightning, while he was talking, the memory of everything connected
+with the visit Pharos had paid me flashed across my mind. I glanced
+involuntarily toward that part of the room where the mummy had hitherto
+stood. To my amazement--I might almost say to my consternation--it was
+no longer there. What had become of it? Could Pharos, after disposing of
+me as he had done, have stolen it and transported it away? It seemed
+impossible, and yet I had the best of evidence before me that it was no
+longer there. And then another question: had Pharos had any connection
+with the murder? The time at which it was supposed to have been
+committed, between midnight and one o'clock, was precisely that at which
+he had made his appearance before me. And yet what reason had I, but my
+own terrible suspicions, to lead me to the conclusion that he was the
+author of this fiendish bit of work? I saw, however, that my continued
+silence was impressing the inspector unfavourably.
+
+"Come, sir," he said, this time a little more sharply than before, "I
+must remind you that my time is valuable. Am I to understand that you
+are in a position to help me, or not?"
+
+God knows, if I had been my own master I should have instantly loosed my
+tongue and revealed all I knew. I should have told him under what
+terrible circumstances I had met Pharos on the Embankment that wet night
+toward the end of March, and have commented on his inhuman conduct on
+that occasion. I should have informed him of the appearance the other
+had made in my studio early this morning, not only with a frightened
+look in his eyes, but breathing heavily, as though he had been running,
+a thing which would have seemed impossible in a man of his years. Then I
+should have gone on to tell how he had attempted to induce me to part
+with something upon which I placed considerable value, and, being
+disappointed, had hypnotised me and made off with the article in
+question. All this, as I say, I should have narrated had I been my own
+master. But God knows I was not. An irresistible force was at work
+within me, compelling me, even against my will, to screen him, and to
+tell the first deliberate lie to which, I think, I had ever given
+utterance in my life.
+
+It is a poor excuse to offer, and I am aware that a world so censorious
+as our own will not, in all probability, believed this statement, but
+upon my hopes of forgiveness at the Last Great Day, at that dread moment
+when the sins of all men shall be judged and punishment awarded, I
+declare it to be true in every single particular: and what is more, I
+further say that even if my life depended on it I could not have done
+otherwise.
+
+Though it has taken some time to place these thoughts on paper, the
+interval that elapsed between the inspector's last question and my
+answer, which seemed to me so halting and suspicious, to the effect that
+I had neither seen nor heard anything of the man he wanted, was scarcely
+more than a few seconds.
+
+Having received my assurance, the officer apologised for troubling me
+and withdrew, and I was left alone with my thoughts. Deep down in my
+heart there was the desire to hasten after him and to tell him that not
+only I had lied to him, but that it was possible for me to make amends
+by putting him on the track of the man who, I felt morally certain, was
+the criminal. The wish, however, was scarcely born before it was dragged
+down and stifled by that same irresistible force I have described a few
+lines since. It seemed to me I was bound hand and foot, powerless to
+help myself and incapable of doing aught save carry out the will of the
+remorseless being into whose power I had fallen so completely. But had I
+really so fallen? Could it be possible that such power was permitted to
+a human being? No, no--a thousand times no! If he had that influence he
+must be an agent of the Evil One, whose mission it was to draw to
+perdition the souls of helpless men. Filled with shame, I sank into a
+chair and covered my face with my hands, as if by so doing I could shut
+out the horrible thoughts that filled my brain. Could it be true that I,
+who had always regarded a liar as the most despicable of men, had sunk
+so low as to become one myself? God help me! God pity me! Of all the
+bitter hours my life has known, I think that moment was the worst.
+
+For some time after the inspector had taken his departure I sat, as I
+have said, my face covered with my hands, trying to think coherently.
+Twenty-four hours before I had been one of the happiest men in England.
+Nothing had troubled me. I had lived _for_ my art and _in_ my art, and I
+believe I can confidently say that I had not an enemy in the world. Now,
+in a single hour, my whole life was changed. I had been drawn into the
+toils of a fiend in human shape and I was paying the awful penalty.
+
+Hour after hour went by. My servant arrived and presently brought in my
+breakfast, but I put it aside; I had too much upon my mind to eat. It
+was in vain I tried to force myself. My food stuck in my throat and
+defied me. And all the time I was oppressed by the diabolical picture of
+that murder. The shop in which it had occurred was one with which I was
+familiar. In my mind's eye I saw the whole scene as clearly as if I had
+been present at the time. I saw the shop, filled to overflowing with
+bric-a-brac, the light of the single gas-lamp reflected in a hundred
+varieties of brass and pottery work. At a desk in the corner sat the
+dealer himself, and before him, holding him in earnest conversation, the
+extraordinary figure of Pharos the Assassin. How he came to be there at
+such an hour I could not tell, but from what I knew of him I was
+convinced it was with no good purpose. I could imagine how off his guard
+and totally unprepared for attack the other would be; and, even if he
+had entertained any suspicions, it is extremely doubtful whether he
+would have credited this deformed atom with the possession, either of
+such malignity or of such giant strength. Then that same cruel light
+that had exercised such an influence upon me a few hours before began to
+glisten in the murderer's eyes. Little by little he moved his right hand
+behind him until it touched an Oriental dagger lying on a table beside
+which he stood. Then, with that cat-like spring which I had good reason
+to remember, he leaped upon his opponent and seized him by the throat,
+driving the blade deep in below the shoulder. His victim, paralyzed with
+surprise, at first offered no resistance. Then, with the instinct of
+self-preservation, he began to struggle with his devilish opponent, only
+to discover the strength that seemingly attenuated form possessed.
+Little by little his power departed from him, and at last, with a crash,
+he fell back upon the floor. I pictured Pharos stooping over him to see
+if he were dead, chuckling with delight at the success he had achieved.
+When he had convinced himself on this head, he abstracted a key from the
+dead man's pocket and approached a safe, built into the wall. The handle
+turned and the door swung open. A moment later he had taken a ring set
+with a scarabaeus from a drawer and dropped it into his pocket. After
+that he paused while he considered in which direction it would be safest
+for him to make his escape. A policeman's step sounded on the pavement
+outside, and as he heard it he looked up, and his thin lips drew back,
+showing the wolfish teeth behind. His horrible cunning pointed out to
+him the danger he would incur in leaving by the front. Accordingly he
+made his way through the sitting-room behind the shop and passed out by
+the gate in the yard beyond. A few seconds later he was in my presence,
+but whether by accident or design was more than I could say.
+
+So vivid was the picture I had conjured up that I could not help
+believing it must be something more than mere conjecture on my part. If
+so, what course should I pursue? I had been robbed. I had given a
+murderer shelter at the very moment when he stood most in need of it,
+and, when the law was close upon his heels, I had pledged my word for
+his innocence and perjured myself to ensure his salvation. His presence
+had been repulsive to me ever since I had first set eyes on him. I hated
+the man as I had hitherto deemed it impossible I could hate any one.
+Yet, despite all this, by some power--how real I can not expect any one
+to believe--he was compelling me to shield and behave toward him as if
+he had been my brother, or at least my dearest friend. I can feel the
+shame of that moment even now, the agonising knowledge of the gulf that
+separated me from the man I was yesterday, or even an hour before.
+
+I rose from the table, leaving my breakfast untouched, and stood at the
+window looking out upon the dismal square beyond. The sunshine of the
+earlier morning had given place to a cloudy sky, and, as I watched, a
+heavy shower began to fall. It was as if Nature were weeping tears of
+shame to see a Child of Man brought so low. I went to the place where,
+until a few hours before, the mummy had stood--that wretched mummy which
+had been the cause of all the trouble. As I had good reason to know, it
+weighed a considerable amount, more, indeed, than I should have imagined
+an old man like Pharos could have lifted, much less carried. I examined
+the floor, to see if the case had been dragged across it, but, highly
+polished as the boards were, I could detect no sign of such a thing
+having taken place. The wainscoting of the hall next received my
+attention, but with a similar result. And it was at this juncture that
+another curious point in the evening's story struck me. When I had
+admitted the inspector of police, I had unlocked and unchained the door.
+I was the sole occupant of the building. How, therefore, had Pharos
+conveyed his burden outside, and locked, chained, and bolted the door
+behind him? Under the influence of this discovery I returned with all
+speed to the studio. Perhaps he had not gone out by the front door at
+all, but had made his escape by the windows at the back. These I
+carefully examined, only to find them safely bolted as usual. The riddle
+was beyond me. I had to confess myself beaten. Was it possible I could
+have dreamed the whole thing? Had I fallen asleep in my chair and
+imagined a meeting with Pharos which had really never taken place? Oh,
+if only it could be true, what a difference it would make in my
+happiness! And yet, staring me in the face, was the damning fact that
+the mummy was gone. When I rose from my chair my mind was made up. I
+would seek Pharos out, accuse him not only of the theft, but of the
+murder, and make him understand, with all the earnestness of which I was
+master, that justice should be done, and that I would no longer shield
+him from the consequences of his villainy. It was only then I remembered
+that I had no knowledge of the man's whereabouts. I considered for a
+moment how I could best overcome this difficulty. Lady Medenham was, of
+course, the one person of all others to help me. Since she had invited
+the man to her house, it was almost certain that she would be able to
+furnish me with his address. I would go to her without further waste of
+time. Accordingly I made the necessary changes in my toilet and left the
+studio. The rain had ceased and the streets were once more full of
+sunshine. It was a pleasant morning for walking, but so urgent did my
+business seem that I felt I could not even spare the time for exercise.
+Hailing a hansom, I bade the man drive me with all possible speed to
+Eaton Square. To my delight Lady Medenham was at home, and I was shown
+forthwith to her boudoir. A few moments elapsed before she joined me
+there, and then her first remark was one of astonishment.
+
+"Why, Mr. Forrester, what is the matter with you?" she cried. "I have
+never seen you look so ill."
+
+"It is nothing," I answered, with a forced laugh. "I have had some bad
+news this morning, and it has upset me. Lady Medenham, I have come to
+beg a favour at your hands."
+
+"If it is within my power, you know it is already granted," she said
+kindly. "Won't you sit down and tell me what it is?"
+
+"I want you to furnish me with the address of that singular old
+gentleman who was at your 'at home' last evening," I replied, as I
+seated myself opposite her.
+
+"London would say that there were many singular old gentlemen at my 'at
+home,'" she answered with a smile; "but my instinct tells me you mean
+Monsieur Pharos."
+
+"That, I believe, is his name," I said, and then, as if to excuse the
+question, I added, "he is, as I think you heard him say, an ardent
+Egyptologist."
+
+"I do not know anything about his attainments in that direction," Lady
+Medenham replied, "but he is certainly a most extraordinary person. Were
+it not for his beautiful ward, whose case I must confess excites my
+pity, I should not care if I never saw him again."
+
+"She is his ward, then?" I said, with an eagerness that I could see was
+not lost upon my companion. "I had made up my mind she was his
+granddaughter."
+
+"Indeed, no," Lady Medenham replied. "The poor girl's story is a very
+strange and sad one. Her father was a Hungarian noble, a brilliant man
+in his way, I believe, but a confirmed spendthrift. Her mother died when
+she was but six years old. From a very early age she gave signs of
+possessing extraordinary musical talent, and this her father, perhaps
+with some strange prevision of the future, fostered with every care.
+When she was barely fifteen he was killed in a duel. It was then
+discovered that his money was exhausted and that the home was mortgaged
+beyond all redemption to the Jews. Thus the daughter, now without
+relations or friends of any sort or description, was thrown upon the
+world to sink or swim just as Fate should decree. For any girl the
+position would have been sufficiently unhappy, but for her, who had seen
+nothing of life, and who was of an extremely sensitive disposition, it
+was well-nigh insupportable. What her existence must have been like for
+the next five years one scarcely likes to think. But it served its
+purpose. With a bravery that excites one's admiration she supported
+herself almost entirely by her music; gaining in breadth, power, and
+knowledge of technique with every year. Then--where, or in what manner I
+have never been able to discover, for she is peculiarly sensitive upon
+this point--she became acquainted with the old gentleman you saw last
+night, Monsieur Pharos. He was rich, eccentric, and perhaps what most
+attracted her, passionately fond of music. His extreme age obviated any
+scandal, even had there been any one to raise it, so that when he
+proposed to adopt the friendless but beautiful girl, and to enable her
+to perfect her musical education under the best masters, no one came
+forward to protest against it. She has, I believe, been with him upward
+of seven years now."
+
+I shuddered when I heard this. Knowing what I did of Pharos I could not
+find it in my heart to credit him with the possession of so much kindly
+feeling. But if it were not so, what could the bond between them be?
+
+"What you tell me is extremely interesting," I remarked, "and only adds
+to my desire to see the old gentleman once more. If you could let me
+have his address I should be more grateful than I can say."
+
+"I am very much afraid it is not in my power," she replied. "It is one
+of the least of Monsieur Pharos's many peculiarities to take
+extraordinary precautions to prevent his whereabouts becoming known; but
+stay, I think I can tell you of some one who may be of more service to
+you. You know Sir George Legrath, do you not?"
+
+"The Director of the Egyptian Museum?" I said. "Yes, I know him very
+well indeed. He was an old friend of my father's."
+
+"To be sure he was," she answered. "Well, then, go and see him. I think
+it is probable that he may be able to assist you. Monsieur Pharos is an
+acquaintance of his, and it was to Sir George's care that I sent the
+invitation to my 'at home' last night."
+
+"I can not thank you enough for your kindness, Lady Medenham," I
+replied, as I rose from my chair. "I will go and see Sir George at
+once."
+
+"And I hope you may be successful. If I can help you in any other way be
+sure I will do so. But before you go, Mr. Forrester, let me give you
+another piece of advice. You should really consult a doctor without
+delay. I do not like your appearance at all. We shall hear of your being
+seriously ill if you do not take more care of yourself."
+
+I laughed uneasily. In my own heart I knew my ailment was not of the
+body but of the mind, and until my suspicions concerning Pharos were set
+at rest it was beyond the reach of any doctor's science to do me good.
+Once more I thanked Lady Medenham for her kindness, and then left her
+and made my way back to the cab.
+
+"To the Egyptian Museum," I cried to the driver, as I took my seat in
+the vehicle, "and as quickly as you can go!"
+
+The man whipped up his horse, and in less than ten minutes from the time
+the butler closed the front door upon me at Medenham House I was
+entering the stately portico of the world-famous Museum. For some years
+I had been a constant visitor there, and as a result was well known to
+the majority of the officials. I inquired from one, whom I met in the
+vestibule, whether I should find Sir George in his office.
+
+"I am not quite certain, sir," the man replied. "It's only just gone
+half past ten, and unless there is something important doing, we don't
+often see him much before a quarter to eleven. However, if you will be
+kind enough, sir, to step this way, I'll very soon find out."
+
+So saying he led me along the corridor, past huge monuments and blocks
+of statuary, to a smaller passage on the extreme left of the building.
+At the farther end of this was a door, upon which he knocked. No answer
+rewarded him.
+
+"I am very much afraid, sir, he has not arrived," remarked the man, "but
+perhaps you will be good enough to step inside and take a seat. I feel
+sure he won't be very long."
+
+"In that case I think I will do so," I replied, and accordingly I was
+ushered into what is perhaps the most characteristic office in London.
+Having found the morning paper and with unconscious irony placed it
+before me, the man withdrew, closing the door behind him.
+
+I have said that the room in which I was now seated was characteristic
+of the man who occupied it. Sir George Legrath is, as every one knows,
+the most competent authority the world possesses at the present time on
+the subject of ancient Egypt. He had graduated under my own poor father,
+and, if only for this reason, we had always been the closest friends. It
+follows as a natural sequence that the walls of the room should be
+covered from ceiling to floor with paintings, engravings, specimens of
+papyrus, and the various odds and ends accumulated in an Egyptologist's
+career. He had also the reputation of being one of the best-dressed men
+in London, and was at all times careful to a degree of his appearance.
+This accounted for the velvet office-coat, a sleeve of which I could
+just see peeping out from behind a curtain in the corner. Kindly of
+heart and the possessor of a comfortable income, it is certain that but
+few of those in need who applied to him did so in vain; hence the pile
+of begging letters from charitable institutions and private individuals
+that invariably greeted his arrival at his office. I had not been
+waiting more than five minutes before I heard an active step upon the
+stone flagging of the passage outside. The handle of the door was
+sharply turned, and the man for whom I was waiting entered the room.
+
+"My dear Cyril," he cried, advancing toward me with outstretched hand,
+"this is indeed a pleasure! It is now some weeks since I last saw you,
+but, on the other hand, I have heard of you. The fame of your picture is
+in every one's mouth."
+
+"Every one is very kind," I replied, "but I am afraid in this instance
+the public says rather more than it means."
+
+"Not a bit of it," answered my friend. "That reminds me, however, that
+there is one point in the picture about which I want to talk to you."
+
+"At any other time I shall be delighted," I replied, "but to-day, Sir
+George, I have something else to say to you. I have come to you because
+I am very much worried."
+
+"Now that I look at you I can see you are not quite the thing," he said.
+"But what is this worry? Tell me about it, for you know if I can help
+you I shall be only too glad to do so."
+
+"I have come to seek your advice in a rather strange matter," I replied,
+"and before I begin I must ask that everything I say shall remain in the
+strictest confidence between us."
+
+"I will give you that promise willingly," he said, "and I think you know
+me well enough to feel certain I shall keep it. Now let me hear your
+troubles."
+
+"In the first place I want you to tell me all you know of an
+extraordinary individual who has been seen a good deal in London society
+of late. I refer to a man named Pharos."
+
+While I had been speaking Sir George had seated himself in the chair
+before his writing-table. On hearing my question, however, he sprang to
+his feet with an exclamation that was as startling as it was unexpected.
+It did not exactly indicate surprise, nor did it express annoyance or
+curiosity; yet it seemed to partake of all three. It was his face,
+however, that betrayed the greatest change. A moment before it had
+exhibited the ruddiness of perfect health, now it was ashen pale.
+
+"Pharos?" he cried. Then, recovering his composure a little, he added,
+"My dear Forrester, what can you possibly want with him?"
+
+"I want to know all you can tell me about him," I replied gravely. "It
+is the greatest favour I have ever asked of you, and I hope you will not
+disappoint me."
+
+For some moments he paced the room as if in anxious thought. Then he
+returned to his seat at the writing-table. The long hand of the clock
+upon the mantelpiece had made a perceptible movement when he spoke
+again. So changed was his voice, however, that I scarcely recognised it.
+
+"Cyril," he said, "you have asked me a question to which I can return
+you but one answer, and that is--may God help you if you have fallen
+into that man's power! What he has done or how he has treated you I do
+not know, but I tell you this, that he is as cruel and as remorseless as
+Satan himself. You are my friend, and I tell you I would far rather see
+you dead than in his clutches. I do not fear many men, but Pharos the
+Egyptian is to me an incarnate terror."
+
+"You say Pharos the Egyptian. What do you mean by that?"
+
+"What I say. The man is an Egyptian, and claims, I believe, to be able
+to trace his descent back at least three thousand years."
+
+"And you know no more of him?"
+
+As I put the question I looked at Sir George's hand, which rested on his
+blotting-pad, and noticed that it was shaking as if with the palsy.
+
+Once more a pause ensued.
+
+"What I know must remain shut up in my own brain," he answered slowly
+and as if he were weighing every word before he uttered it; "and it will
+go down to my grave with me. Dear lad, fond as I am of you, you must not
+ask any more of me, for I can not satisfy your curiosity."
+
+"But, Sir George, I assure you, with all the earnestness at my command,
+that this is a matter of life and death to me," I replied. "You can have
+no notion what it means. My honour, my good name--nay, my very existence
+itself--depends upon it."
+
+As if in answer to my importunity, my friend rose from his chair and
+picked up the newspaper which the attendant had placed on the table
+beside me. He opened it, and, after scanning the pages, discovered what
+he was looking for. Folding it carefully, he pointed to a certain column
+and handed it to me. I took it mechanically and glanced at the item in
+question. It was an account of the murder of the unfortunate curiosity
+dealer, but, so far as I could see, my name was not mentioned. I looked
+up at Sir George for an explanation.
+
+"Well?" I said, but the word stuck in my throat.
+
+"Though you will scarcely credit it, I think I understand everything,"
+he replied. "The murdered man's shop was within a short distance of your
+abode. A witness states that he saw some one leave the victim's house
+about the time the deed must have been committed and that he made his
+way into your street. As I said, when you first asked me about him, may
+God help you, Cyril Forrester, if this is your trouble!"
+
+"But what makes you connect Pharos with the murder described here?" I
+asked, feigning a surprise I was far from feeling.
+
+"That I can not tell you," he replied. "To do so would bring upon
+me----But no, my lips are sealed, hopelessly sealed."
+
+"But surely you are in a position to give me that man's address? Lady
+Medenham told me you were aware of it."
+
+"It is true I was, but I am afraid you have come too late."
+
+"Too late! What do you mean? Oh, Sir George, for Heaven's sake do not
+trifle with me!"
+
+"I am not trifling with you, Forrester," he replied seriously. "I mean
+that it is impossible for you to find him in London, for the simple
+reason that he left England with his companion early this morning."
+
+On hearing this I must have looked so miserable that Sir George came
+over to where I sat and placed his hand upon my shoulder.
+
+"Dear lad," he said, "you don't know how it pains me to be unable to
+help you. If it were possible, you have every reason to know that I
+would do so. In this case, however, I am powerless, how powerless you
+can not imagine. But you must not give way like this. The man is gone,
+and in all human probability you will never see his face again. Try to
+forget him."
+
+"It is impossible. I assure you, upon my word of honour, that I shall
+know neither peace nor happiness until I have seen him and spoken to him
+face to face. If I wish ever to be able to look upon myself as an
+honourable man I _must_ do so. Is there no way in which I can find him?"
+
+"I fear none; but stay, now I come to think of it, there is a chance,
+but a very remote one. I will make inquiries about it and let you know
+within an hour."
+
+"God bless you! I will remain in my studio until your messenger
+arrives."
+
+I bade him good-bye and left the Museum. That he did not forget his
+promise was proved by the fact that within an hour a cab drove up to my
+door and one of the attendants from the Museum alighted. I took in the
+note he brought with him at the door, and, when I had returned to the
+studio, tore open the envelope and drew forth a plain visiting card. On
+it was written:
+
+      "_Inquire for the man you seek from_
+                 CARLO ANGELOTTI,
+             _Public Letter-writer,
+    In the arches of the Theatre San Carlo, Naples._"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+If there is one place more than another for which I entertain a dislike
+that is akin to hatred, it is for Naples in the summer time--that
+wretched period when every one one knows is absent, all the large houses
+are closed, the roads are knee-deep in dust, and even the noise of the
+waves breaking upon the walls of the Castello del' Ovo seems unable to
+alleviate the impression of heat and dryness which pervades everything.
+It is the season when the hotels, usually so cool--one might almost say
+frigid--have had time to grow hot throughout, and are in consequence
+well-nigh unbearable; when the particular waiter who has attended to
+your wants during each preceding visit, and who has come to know your
+customs and to have survived his original impression that each
+successive act on your part is only a more glaring proof of your insular
+barbarity, is visiting his friends in the country, or whatever it is
+that waiters do during the dull season when the tourists have departed
+and their employers have no further use for them. It was at this
+miserable period of the year that I descended upon Naples in search of
+Monsieur Pharos.
+
+Owing to a breakdown on the line between Spezia and Pisa, it was close
+upon midnight before I reached my destination, and almost one o'clock
+before I had transported my luggage from the railway station to my
+hotel. By this time, as will be readily understood by all those who
+have made the overland journey, I was in a condition bordering upon
+madness. Ever since I had called upon Sir George Legrath, and had
+obtained from him the address of the man from whom I hoped to learn the
+whereabouts of Pharos, I had been living in a kind of stupor. It took
+the form of a drowsiness that nothing would shake off, and yet, do what
+I would, I could not sleep. Times out of number during that long journey
+I had laid myself back in the railway carriage and closed my eyes in the
+hope of obtaining some rest; but it was in vain. However artfully I
+might woo the drowsy god, sleep would not visit my eyelids. The mocking
+face of the man I had come to consider my evil angel was always before
+me, and in the darkness of the night, when the train was rolling
+southward, I could hear his voice in my ears telling me that this
+hastily-conceived journey on my part had been all carefully thought out
+and arranged by him beforehand, and that in seeking him in Naples I was
+only advancing another step toward the fulfilment of my destiny.
+
+On reaching my hotel I went straight to bed. Every bone in my body ached
+with fatigue. Indeed, so weary was I that I could eat nothing and could
+scarcely think coherently. The proprietor of the hotel was an old
+friend, and for the reason that whenever I visited Naples I made it a
+rule to insist upon occupying the same room, I did not experience the
+same feeling of loneliness which usually assails one on retiring to rest
+in a strange place. In my own mind I was convinced that as soon as my
+head touched the pillow I should be asleep. But a bitter disappointment
+was in store for me. I laid myself down with a sigh of satisfaction and
+closed my eyes; but whether I missed the rocking of the train, or was
+overtired, I can not say--at any rate, I was soon convinced of one
+thing, and that was that the longer I lay there the more wakeful I
+became. I tried another position, but with the same result. I turned my
+pillow, only to make it the more uncomfortable. Every trick for the
+production of sleep that I had ever heard of I put into execution, but
+always with entire absence of success. At last, thoroughly awake and
+still more thoroughly exasperated, I rose from my couch, and dressing
+myself, opened the window of my room and stepped out on to the balcony.
+It was a glorious night, such a one as is seldom, if ever, seen in
+England. Overhead the moon sailed in a cloudless sky, revealing with her
+exquisite light the city stretching away to right and left and the
+expanse of harbour lying directly before me; Vesuvius standing out black
+and awesome, and the dim outline of the hills toward Castellamare and
+Sorrento beyond. For some reason my thoughts no longer centred
+themselves on Pharos. I found the lovely face of his companion
+continually rising before my eyes. There was the same expression of
+hopelessness upon it that I remembered on the first occasion upon which
+I had seen her; but there was this difference, that in some vague,
+uncertain way she seemed now to be appealing to me to help her, to
+rescue her from the life she was leading and from the man who had got
+her, as he had done myself, so completely in his power. Her beauty
+affected me as no other had ever done. I could still hear the soft
+accents of her voice, and the echo of her wild, weird music, as plainly
+as if I were still sitting listening to her in Lady Medenham's
+drawing-room; and, strange to relate, it soothed me to think that it was
+even possible we might be in the same town together.
+
+For upward of an hour I remained in the balcony looking down at the
+moonlit city and thinking of the change the last few days had brought
+about in my life. When I once more sought my couch, scarcely five
+minutes elapsed before I was wrapped in a heavy, dreamless sleep from
+which I did not wake until well nigh nine o'clock. Much refreshed, I
+dressed myself, and having swallowed a hasty breakfast, to which I
+brought a better appetite than I had known for some days past, donned my
+hat and left the hotel in search of Signor Angelotti, who, as the card
+informed me, carried on his profession of a public letter-writer under
+the arches of the San Carlo Theatre.
+
+In all the years which have elapsed since Don Pedro de Toledo laid the
+foundation of the magnificent thoroughfare which to-day bears his name,
+I very much doubt if a man has made his way along it on a more curious
+errand than I did that day. To begin with, I had yet to discover what
+connection Angelotti could have with Monsieur Pharos, and then to find
+out how far it was in his power to help me. Would he forsake his
+business and lead me direct to the Egyptian's abode, or would he deny
+any knowledge of the person in question and send me unsatisfied away?
+Upon these points I resolved to satisfy myself without delay.
+
+Of all the characteristic spots of Naples surely the point at which the
+Via Roma joins the Piazza San Ferdinando, in which is situated the
+theatre for which I was making, is the most remarkable. Here one is
+permitted an opportunity of studying the life of the city under the most
+favourable auspices. My mind, however, on this occasion was too much
+occupied wondering what the upshot of my errand would be to have any
+time to spare for the busy scene around me. Reaching the theatre I took
+the card from my pocket and once more examined it. It was plain and
+straightforward, like Sir George Legrath's own life, and, as I have
+already said, warned me that I must look for this mysterious Angelotti,
+who carried on the trade of a public letter-writer under the arches of
+the famous theatre. As I glanced at the words "Public Letter-writer"
+another scene rose before my mind's eye.
+
+Several years before I had visited Naples with a number of friends,
+among whom was a young American lady whose vivacity and capacity for fun
+made her the life and soul of the party. On one occasion nothing would
+please her but to stop in the street and engage one of these public
+scribes to indite a letter for her to an acquaintance in New York. I can
+see the old man's amusement now, and the pretty, bright face of the girl
+as she endeavoured to make him understand, in broken Italian, what she
+desired him to say. That afternoon, I remember, we went to Capri and
+were late in reaching home, for which we should in all probability have
+received a wigging from the elder members of the party, who had remained
+behind, but for the fact that two important engagements, long hoped for,
+were announced as resulting from the excursion. I could not help
+contrasting the enjoyment with which I had made a bet of gloves with the
+young American, that she would not employ the letter-writer as narrated
+above, with my feelings as I searched for Angelotti now. Approaching the
+first table I inquired of the man behind it whether he could inform me
+where I should be most likely to find the individual I wanted.
+
+"Angelotti, did you say, signore?" the fellow replied, shaking his head
+"I know no one of that name among the writers here." Then, turning to a
+man seated a little distance from him, he questioned him, with the same
+result.
+
+It began to look as if Legrath must have made some mistake, and that
+the individual in whose custody reposed the secret of Pharos's address
+was as difficult to find as his master himself. But, unsuccessful as my
+first inquiry had been, I was not destined to be disappointed in the
+end. A tall, swarthy youth, of the true Neapolitan loafer type, who had
+been leaning against a wall close by smoking a cigarette and taking a
+mild interest in our conversation, now removed his back from its
+resting-place and approached us.
+
+"Ten thousand pardons, Excellenza," he said, "but you mentioned the name
+of one Angelotti, a public letter-writer. I am acquainted with him, and
+with the signore's permission will conduct him to that person."
+
+"You are sure you know him?" I replied, turning upon him sharply, for I
+had had dealings with Neapolitan loafers before, and I did not
+altogether like the look of this fellow.
+
+"Since he is my uncle, Excellenza, it may be supposed that I do," he
+answered.
+
+Having said this he inhaled a considerable quantity of smoke and blew it
+slowly out again, watching me all the time. I do not know any being in
+the world who can be so servile, and at the same time so insolent at a
+moment's notice, as a youth of the Neapolitan lower classes. This fellow
+was an excellent specimen of his tribe.
+
+"Since you know Angelotti, perhaps you will be good enough to tell me
+his address?" I said at last. "I have no doubt I shall then be able to
+find him for myself."
+
+Seeing the advantage he held, and scenting employment of not too severe
+a kind, the young man made a gesture with his hands as if to signify
+that while he was perfectly willing to oblige me in so small a matter,
+business was business, and he must profit by his opportunity. He would
+be perfectly willing, he said, to act as my guide; but it must be
+remembered that it would occupy some considerable portion of his
+valuable time, and this would have to be paid for at a corresponding
+rate.
+
+When I had agreed to his terms he bade me follow him, and leaving the
+precincts of the theatre struck out in the direction of the Strada di
+Chiaia. Whatever his other deficiencies may have been, he was certainly
+a good walker, and I very soon found that it took me all my time to keep
+up with him. Reaching the end of the street he turned sharply to the
+right, crossed the road, and a few seconds later dived into an alley. Of
+all the filthy places of Naples, that in which I now found myself was
+undoubtedly the dirtiest. As usual, the houses were many stories high;
+but the road was so narrow, and the balconies projected so far from the
+windows that an active man might have leaped from side to side with
+perfect safety. For the most part the houses consisted of small shops,
+though here and there the heavily-barred lower windows and carved
+doorways proclaimed them private residences. Halfway down this
+objectionable thoroughfare a still smaller and dirtier one led off to
+the right, and into this my guide turned, bidding me follow him. Just as
+I was beginning to wonder whether I should ever find my way out alive,
+the youth came to a standstill before a small shop, in which a number of
+second-hand musical instruments were displayed for sale.
+
+"This, Excellenza, is the residence of the most illustrious Angelotti,"
+he said, with a wave of his hand toward the shop in question.
+
+"But I understand that he was a letter-writer," I answered, believing
+for the moment that the youth had tricked me.
+
+"And it was quite true," he replied. "Until a month ago the Signor
+Angelotti had his table at the theatre; but his cousin is dead, and now
+he sells the most beautiful violins in all Italy."
+
+As he said this the young man lifted his hand and gently waved it in the
+air, as if it were impossible for him to find words sufficiently
+expressive to describe the excellence of the wares I should find within.
+It is probable he considered me an intending purchaser, and I do not
+doubt he had made up his mind, in the event of business ensuing, to
+return a little later in order to demand from his avuncular relative a
+commission upon the transaction. Rewarding him for the trouble he had
+taken, I bade him be off about his business and entered the shop. It was
+a dismal little place and filthy to an indescribable degree. The walls
+were hung with musical instruments, the ceiling with rows of dried
+herbs, and in a corner, seated at a table busily engaged upon some
+literary composition, a little old man, with sharp, twinkling eyes and
+snow-white hair. On seeing me he rose from his chair and came forward to
+greet me, pen in hand.
+
+"I am looking for the Signor Angelotti," I said, by way of introducing
+myself, "whom I was told I should find among the public letter-writers
+at the Theatre San Carlo."
+
+"Angelotti is my name," he answered, "and for many years I received my
+clients at the place you mention; but my cousin died, and though I would
+willingly have gone on writing my little letters--for I may tell you,
+Excellenza, that writing letters for other people is a pleasurable
+employment--business is business, however, and here was this shop to be
+attended to. So away went letter-writing, and now, as you see, I sell
+violins and mandolins, of which I can show you the very best assortment
+in all Naples."
+
+As he said this he put his little sparrow-like head on one side and
+looked at me in such a comical fashion that I could scarcely refrain
+from laughing. I had no desire, however, to offend the little man, for I
+did not know how useful he might prove himself to me.
+
+"Doubtless you miss your old employment," I said, "particularly as it
+seems to have afforded you so much interest. It was not in connection
+with your talents in that direction, however, that I have called upon
+you. I have come all the way from England to ask you a question."
+
+On hearing this he nodded his head more vigorously than before.
+
+"A great country," he answered with enthusiasm. "I have written many
+letters for my clients to relatives there. There is a place called
+Saffron Hill. Oh, Excellenza, you would scarcely believe what stories I
+could tell you about the letters I have written to people there. But I
+am interrupting you. I am an old man, and I have seen very many things,
+so it is only natural I should like to talk about them."
+
+"Very natural, indeed," I answered; "but in this instance all I have
+come to ask of you is an address. I want you to find a person for me who
+left England a few days since."
+
+"And came to Naples? A countryman, perhaps?"
+
+"No, he is no countryman of mine, nor do I even know that he came to
+Naples; but I was told by some one in England, from whom I made
+inquiries, that if I came here and asked for one Angelotti, a public
+letter-writer, I should, in all probability, be able to learn his
+whereabouts."
+
+As if convinced of the importance of the part he was to play in the
+affair, the old man laid his pen carefully down upon the table, and then
+stood before me with his hands placed together, finger-tip to
+finger-tip.
+
+"If your Excellency would condescend to mention the individual's name,"
+he said softly, "it is just possible I might be able to give him the
+information he seeks."
+
+"The name of the person I want to find is Pharos," I replied. "He is
+sometimes called Pharos the Egyptian."
+
+Had I stated that I was in search of the Author of all Evil, the placid
+Angelotti could scarcely have betrayed more surprise. He took a step
+from me and for a moment gazed at me in amazement. Then the expression
+gradually faded from his face, leaving it as devoid of emotion as
+before.
+
+"Pharos?" he repeated. "For the moment it does not strike me that I know
+the individual."
+
+I should have believed that he really had not the power to help me had I
+not noticed the look which had come into his face when I mentioned that
+fatal name.
+
+"You do not know him?" I said. "Surely you must be making some mistake.
+Think again, Signor Angelotti. See, here is the card I spoke of. It has
+your name and address upon it, and it was given me by Sir George
+Legrath, the head of the Egyptian Museum in London, of whom I think you
+must at least have heard."
+
+He shook his head after he had examined the card.
+
+"It is my name, sure enough," he said, handing it back to me, "but I can
+not understand why you should have supposed that I know anything of the
+person you are seeking. However, if you will write your name and address
+upon the card, and will leave it with me, I will make inquiries, and,
+should I discover anything, will at once communicate with your
+Excellency. I can do no more."
+
+I saw then that my suppositions were correct, and that the old fellow
+was not as ignorant as he desired me to believe. I accordingly wrote my
+name, with that of the hotel at which I was staying, at the top of the
+card, and handed it to him, and then, seeing that there was nothing
+further to be done, bade him good-morning, and left the shop.
+Fortunately, the road home was easier to find than I had expected it
+would be, and it was not very long before I was once more in the Piazza
+S. Ferdinando.
+
+I was still thinking of the curious interview through which I had just
+passed when, as I crossed the road, I was suddenly recalled to the
+reality of the moment by a loud voice adjuring me, in scarcely
+complimentary terms, to get out of the way, unless I desired to be run
+over. I turned my head in time to see a handsome carriage, drawn by a
+pair of horses, coming swiftly toward me. With a spring I gained the
+pavement, and then turned to take stock of it. It was not, however, at
+the carriage I gazed, but at its occupant. For, lying back upon her
+cushions, and looking even more beautiful than when I had seen her last,
+was Pharos's companion, the Fraeulein Valerie de Vocsqal. That she saw
+and recognised me was shown by the expression on her face and the way in
+which she threw up her right hand. I almost fancied I could hear the cry
+of amazement that escaped her lips. Then the carriage disappeared in the
+crowd of traffic and she was gone again. For some moments I stood on the
+pavement looking after her as if rooted to the spot. It was only when I
+had recovered myself sufficiently to resume my walk that I could put two
+and two together and understand what significance this meeting had for
+me. If she were in Naples, it was well-nigh certain that Pharos must be
+there too; and if he were there, then I hoped it would be in my power to
+find him and acquaint him with the determination I had arrived at
+concerning him. That he desired to avoid me I could well understand, and
+the very fact that his companion showed so much astonishment at seeing
+me seemed to point to the same conclusion. Poor blind worm that I was, I
+hugged this conceit to my heart, and the more I did so the more resolved
+I became in my own mind that, when I _did_ meet him, I would show no
+mercy. Debating with myself in this fashion, I made my way along the
+Strada S. Carlo and so by a short cut to my hotel.
+
+As I have already remarked, there is nothing drearier in the world than
+a foreign hotel out of the season. In this particular instance I seemed
+to have the entire building to myself. The long corridors were innocent
+of the step of a stranger foot, and when I sat down to lunch in the
+great dining-hall, I had not only the room, but the entire staff, or
+what was left of it, to wait upon me.
+
+I had just finished my meal, and was wondering in what manner I could
+spend the afternoon, when a waiter approached and placed a note beside
+my plate. Had I never seen the writer, I should have been able to guess
+his profession by his penmanship. The caligraphy displayed upon the
+envelope was too perfect not to be professional, and, as I looked at it,
+it seemed to me I could see the queer, sparrow-like head of the writer
+bending over it and smell the odour of the dried herbs and the still
+drier violins hanging up in that quaint old shop to which I had paid a
+visit that morning. On the top was my name and address in my own
+writing, and below it the direction furnished me by Sir George Legrath.
+Seeing that there was nothing new on that side, I took it to the window,
+and, turning it over, read as follows:
+
+"If Mr. Forrester desires to meet the person of whom he spoke this
+morning he should be in the Temple of Mercury at Pompeii this afternoon
+at four o'clock. Provided he brings no one with him, he will be
+permitted the interview he seeks."
+
+There was no signature, and nothing but the penmanship to show from whom
+it emanated; that it was genuine, however, I did not for a moment doubt.
+I looked at my watch, and finding that as yet it was scarcely half past
+one, tried to make up my mind whether I should go by train or drive. The
+afternoon would be hot, I was very well aware, and so would a long drive
+in an open carriage be; but the train would be hotter still. Eventually
+I decided for the road, and immediately despatched a waiter in search of
+a conveyance. Of the carriage and horses there is nothing to be said,
+and save the view, which is always beautiful, but little in favour of
+the drive. It was a quarter to four when I alighted at the entrance to
+the ruins, and by that time I was covered from head to foot with a
+coating of that indescribable dust so peculiar to Naples.
+
+Informing the cabman that I should return to the city by train, I paid
+the admission fee and, declining the services of a guide, entered the
+grounds, keeping my eyes wide open, as you may suppose, for the man I
+had come to meet. Entering the ruins proper by the Marine Gate, I made
+my way direct to the _rendezvous_ named upon the card, and, surely,
+never in the history of that ancient place had a man passed along its
+streets on a stranger mission. I need not have hurried, however, for on
+reaching the Forum, whence a full view of the Temple can be obtained, I
+found that I had the place to myself. Having satisfied myself on this
+point, I sat down on a block of stone and collected my thoughts in
+preparation for the coming interview. Times out of number I consulted my
+watch; and when the hands pointed to four o'clock I felt as if the
+quarter of an hour I had spent there had in reality been an hour. It was
+a breathless afternoon; beyond the city the blue hills seemed to float
+and quiver in mid-air. A lark was trilling in the sky above me, and so
+still was it that the rumbling of a wagon on the white road half a mile
+or so away could be distinctly heard.
+
+"My dear Mr. Forrester, allow me to wish you a very good afternoon; I
+need scarcely say how delighted I am to meet you!" said a voice behind
+me; and, turning, I found myself face to face with Pharos.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+Anxious as I had been to see him, and eagerly as I had sought his
+presence, now that Pharos stood before me I was as frightened of him as
+I had been on the night I had first set eyes on him at the foot of
+Cleopatra's Needle. I stood looking at his queer, ungainly figure for
+some seconds, trying to make up my mind how I should enter upon what I
+had to say to him. That he was aware of my embarrassment I could see,
+and from the way his lips curled I guessed that he was deriving
+considerable satisfaction from it. His face was as crafty and his eyes
+as wicked as ever I had seen them; but I noticed that on this occasion
+he leaned more heavily upon his stick than usual.
+
+"I presume it is to my kind friend Sir George Legrath that I am indebted
+for the pleasure of this interview," he said, after the short pause that
+followed his introductory speech; "for I need not flatter myself you
+will believe me when I say that I was fully aware, even before I met you
+in Lady Medenham's house the other day, that we should be talking
+together in this Temple within a week."
+
+The palpable absurdity of this speech gave me just the opportunity for
+which I was waiting.
+
+"Monsieur Pharos," I said, with as much sternness as I could manage to
+throw into my voice, "successful as you have hitherto been in deceiving
+me, it is not the least use your attempting to do so on the present
+occasion. I am quite willing to state that it was my friend Sir George
+Legrath who put me in the way of communicating with you. I called upon
+him on Tuesday morning and obtained your address from him."
+
+He nodded his head.
+
+"You will pardon me, I hope, if I seat myself," he said. "It seems that
+this interview is likely to be a protracted one, and as I am no longer
+young I doubt if I can go through it standing."
+
+With this apology he seated himself on a block of stone at the foot of
+one of the graceful columns which in bygone days had supported the
+entrance to the Temple, and, resting his chin on his hands, which again
+leaned on the carved handle of his stick, he turned to me and in a
+mocking voice said: "This air of mystery is no doubt very appropriate,
+my friend; but since you have taken such trouble to find me, perhaps you
+will be good enough to furnish me with your reason?"
+
+I scratched in the dust with the point of my stick before I replied.
+Prepared as I was with what I had to say to him, and justified as I felt
+in pursuing the course I had determined to adopt, for the first time
+since I had arrived in Naples a doubt as to the probability, or even the
+sanity, of my case entered my head.
+
+"I can quite understand your embarrassment, my dear Mr. Forrester," he
+said, with a little laugh, when he saw that I did not begin. "I am
+afraid you have formed a totally wrong impression of me. By some
+mischance a train of circumstances has arisen which has filled your mind
+with suspicion of me. As a result, instead of classing me among your
+warmest and most admiring friends, as I had hoped you would do, you
+distrust me and have nothing but unpleasant thoughts in your mind
+concerning me. Pray let me hear the charges you bring against me, and I
+feel sure--nay, I am certain--I shall be able to refute them. The matter
+of what occurred at Cleopatra's Needle has already been disposed of, and
+I do not think we need refer to it again. What else have you to urge?"
+
+His voice had entirely changed. It had lost its old sharpness, and was
+softer, more musical, and infinitely more agreeable than I had ever
+known it before. He rose from his seat and moved a step toward me.
+Placing his hand upon my arm, and looking me full and fair in the face,
+he said:
+
+"Mr. Forrester, I am an old man--how old you can have no idea--and it is
+too late in my life for me to begin making enemies. Fate, in one of her
+cruel moments, has cursed me with an unpleasing exterior. Nay, do not
+pretend that you think otherwise, for I know it to be true. Those whom I
+would fain conciliate are offended by it. You, however, I should have
+thought would have seen below the surface. Why should we quarrel? To
+quote your own Shakespeare, 'I would be friends with you and have your
+love.' I am rich, I have influence, I have seen a great deal of the
+world, and have studied mankind as few others have done. If, therefore,
+we joined forces, what is there we might not do together?"
+
+Incredible as it may seem after all I had suffered on his account, such
+was the influence he exerted over me that I now began to find myself
+wishing it were not necessary for me to say the things I had come to
+say. But I had no intention of allowing him to suppose I could be moved
+as easily as he seemed to imagine.
+
+"Before there can be any talk of friendship or even of association
+between us, Monsieur Pharos," I said, "it will be necessary for me to
+have a complete understanding with you. If I have wronged you, as I
+sincerely hope I have done, I will endeavour to make amends for it. Are
+you aware that on the night of Lady Medenham's 'at home' a diabolical
+murder was committed at the old curiosity shop at the corner of the
+street adjoining that in which my studio is situated?"
+
+"One could hardly read the English papers without being aware of it," he
+answered gravely; "but I scarcely see in what way that affects me."
+
+Here he stopped and gazed at me for a moment in silence as if he were
+anxious to read what was passing in my mind. Then he began again:
+
+"Surely you do not mean to tell me, Mr. Forrester, that your dislike to
+me is so great as to induce you to believe that I was the perpetrator of
+that ghastly deed?"
+
+"Since you are aware that a murder _was_ committed," I said, without
+appearing to notice his interruption, "perhaps you also know that the
+deed was supposed to have been done between the hours of midnight and
+one o'clock. You may also have read that an individual was seen leaving
+the house by the back entrance almost on the stroke of one, and that he
+was believed to have taken refuge in my studio."
+
+"Now that you recall the circumstance, I confess I did see something of
+the sort in the paper," he answered; "and I remember reading also that
+you informed the inspector of police, who called upon you to make
+inquiries, that to the best of your knowledge no such man _had_ entered
+your house. What then?"
+
+"Well, Monsieur Pharos, it was a few moments after the hour mentioned
+that you made your appearance before me, breathing heavily as though you
+had been running. Upon my questioning you, you offered the paltry excuse
+that you had been for a walk after Lady Medenham's 'at home,' and that
+you had missed your way and come quite by chance to my studio."
+
+"As I shall prove to your satisfaction when you have finished, that was
+exactly what happened."
+
+"But you have not heard all," I replied. "While in my rooms you became
+desirous of possessing the mummy of the Egyptian magician, Ptahmes. You
+expressed a wish that I should present it to you, and, when I declined
+to do so, you hypnotised me and took it without either my leave or my
+license--a very questionable proceeding if viewed in the light of the
+friendship you profess to entertain for me. How the law of the land
+would regard it doubtless you know as well as I do."
+
+As I said this I watched his face closely, but if I hoped to find any
+expression of shame there I was destined to be disappointed.
+
+"My dear Forrester," he said, "it is very plain indeed that you have
+developed an intense dislike to me. Otherwise you would scarcely be so
+ready to believe evil of me. How will you feel when I convince you that
+all the ill you think of me is undeserved? Answer me that!"
+
+"If only you can do so," I cried, clutching eagerly at the hope he held
+out. "If you can prove that I have wronged you, I will only too gladly
+make you any amends in my power You can not imagine what these last few
+days have been to me. I have perjured myself to save you. I have risked
+my good name, I have----"
+
+"And I thank you," he answered. "I don't think you will find me
+ungrateful. But before I accept your services I must prove to you that I
+am not as bad as you think me. Let us for a moment consider the matter.
+We will deal with the case of the mummy first, that being, as you will
+allow, of the least importance as far as you, individually, are
+concerned. Before I unburden myself, however, I must make you understand
+the disadvantage I am labouring under. To place my meaning more clearly
+before you, it would be necessary for me to make an assertion which I
+have the best of reasons for knowing you would not believe. Perhaps I
+made a mistake on that particular evening to which we are referring,
+when I induced you to believe that it was by accident I visited your
+studio. I am prepared now to confess that it was not so. I was aware
+that you had that mummy in your possession. I had known it for some
+considerable time, but I had not been able to get in touch with you.
+That night an opportunity offered, and I seized it with avidity. I could
+not wait until the next day, but called upon you within a few hours of
+meeting you at Lady Medenham's 'at home.' I endeavoured to induce you to
+part with the mummy, but in vain. My entreaties would not move you. I
+exerted all my eloquence, argued and pleaded as I have seldom, if ever,
+done to a man before. Then, seeing that it was useless, I put into force
+a power of which I am possessed, and determined that, come what might,
+you should do as I desired. I do not deny that in so doing I was to
+blame, but I think, if the magnitude of the temptation were brought home
+to you, you would understand how difficult it would be not to fall. Let
+me make my meaning clearer to you if possible."
+
+"It would, perhaps, be as well," I answered, with a touch of sarcasm,
+"for at present I am far from being convinced."
+
+"You have been informed already by our mutual friend Sir George Legrath
+that I am of Egyptian descent. Perhaps you do not understand that, while
+the ancient families of your country are proud of being able to trace
+their pedigrees back to the time of the Norman Conquest, a beggarly
+eight hundred years or thereabouts, I, Pharos, can trace mine, with
+scarcely a break, back to the nineteenth dynasty of Egyptian history, a
+period of over three thousand years. It was that very Ptahmes, the man
+whose mummy your father stole from its ancient resting-place, who was
+the founder of our house. For some strange reason, what I can not tell,
+I have always entertained the belief that my existence upon this earth,
+and such success as I shall meet with, depend upon my finding that mummy
+and returning it to the tomb from which sacrilegious hands had taken it.
+At first this was only a mere desire; since then it has become a fixed
+determination, which has grown in strength and intensity until it has
+become more than a determination, a craving in which the happiness of my
+whole existence is involved. For many years, with a feverish longing
+which I can not expect or hope to make you understand, I searched Europe
+from end to end, visiting all the great museums and private collections
+of Egyptian antiquities, but without success. Then, quite by chance and
+in a most circuitous fashion, I discovered that it was your father who
+had found it, and that at his death it had passed on to you. I visited
+England immediately, obtained an introduction to you, and the rest you
+know."
+
+"And where is the mummy now?" I inquired.
+
+"In Naples," he replied. "To-morrow I start with it for Egypt, to return
+it to the place whence your father took it."
+
+"But allow me to remark that it is not your property, Monsieur Pharos,"
+I replied; "and even taking into consideration the circumstances you
+relate, you must see yourself that you have no right to act as you
+propose doing."
+
+"And pray by what right did your father rifle the dead man's tomb?"
+said Pharos quietly. "And since you are such a stickler for what is
+equitable, perhaps you will show me his justification for carrying away
+the body from the country in which it had been laid to rest and
+conveying it to England to be stared at in the light of a curiosity. No,
+Mr. Forrester, your argument is a poor one, and I should combat it to
+the last. I am prepared, however, to make a bargain with you."
+
+"And what is that bargain?" I inquired.
+
+"It is as follows," he replied. "Our interest in the dead man shall be
+equal. Since it was your father who stole the mummy from its
+resting-place, let it be the descendant of the dead Ptahmes who restores
+it. As you will yourself see, and as I think you must in common honesty
+admit, what I am doing in this matter can in no way advance my own
+personal interests. If I have taken from you a possession which you
+valued so highly, set your own figure upon it, and double what you ask I
+will pay. Can I say anything fairer?"
+
+I did not know what answer to make. If the man were what he said, the
+veritable descendant of the king's magician, then it was only natural he
+should be willing to sacrifice anything to obtain possession of the body
+of his three-thousand-years-old ancestor. On my part the sentiment was
+undoubtedly a much weaker one. The mummy had been left me, among other
+items of his collection, by my father, and, when that has been said, my
+interest in the matter lapsed. There was, however, a weightier issue to
+be decided before I could do him the favour he asked.
+
+"So much for the mummy incident," I said. "What you have to do now is to
+clear yourself of the more serious suspicion that exists against you. I
+refer to the murder of the curiosity dealer."
+
+"But surely, Mr. Forrester," he said, "you can not be serious when you
+say you believe I had anything to do with that dreadful affair?"
+
+"You know very well what I do and what I do not believe," I answered. "I
+await your reply."
+
+"Since you press me for it, I will give it," he continued. "But remember
+this, if I have to convince you of my innocence, your only chance will
+be gone, for I shall never feel the same toward you again."
+
+As he said this the old fierce light came into his eyes, and for a
+moment he looked as dangerous as on that evening in the studio.
+
+"I repeat, I ask you to convince me," I said as firmly as my voice could
+speak.
+
+"Then I will do so," he replied, and dived his hand into his coat
+pocket. When he produced it again it held a crumpled copy of a
+newspaper. He smoothed it out upon his knee and handed it to me.
+
+"If you will look at the third column from the left, you will see a
+heading entitled 'The mysterious murder in Bonwell Street.' Pray read
+it."
+
+I took the paper and read as follows:
+
+    MYSTERIOUS MURDER IN BONWELL STREET.
+
+    EXTRAORDINARY CONFESSION AND SUICIDE.
+
+"Shortly before nine o'clock this morning, a tall, middle-aged man,
+giving the name of Johann Schmidt, a German, and evidently in a weak
+state of health, entered the precincts of Bow Street Police Station, and
+informed the officer in charge that he desired to give himself up to
+justice as the murderer of Herman Clausand, the curiosity dealer of
+Bonwell Street, the victim of the shocking tragedy announced in our
+issue of Tuesday last. Schmidt, who spoke with considerable earnestness
+and seemed desirous of being believed, stated that several years before
+he had been in the deceased's employ, and since his dismissal had nursed
+feelings of revenge. On the day preceding the murder he had called at
+Bonwell Street, and, after informing Clausand that he was out of
+employment and starving, asked to be again taken into his service; the
+other, however, refused to entertain his request, whereupon Schmidt very
+reluctantly left the shop. For the remainder of the day he wandered
+about London, endeavouring to obtain work, but about midnight, having
+been unsuccessful, he returned to Bonwell Street and rang the bell. The
+door was opened by Clausand himself, who, as we stated in our first
+account of the murder, lived alone. Schmidt entered, and once more
+demanded employment, or at least money sufficient to enable him to find
+shelter for the night. Again Clausand refused, whereupon the man picked
+up a dagger from a stand near by and stabbed him to the heart.
+Frightened at what he had done, he did not stay to rob the body, but
+made his way through the house and out by the back door. Passing into
+Murbrook Street, he saw a policeman coming toward him, but by stepping
+into a doorway managed to avoid him. Since that time, up to the moment
+of surrendering himself, he had been wandering about London, and it was
+only when he found starvation staring him in the face that he determined
+to give himself up. Having told his story, the man was about to be
+searched prior to being conducted to a cell, when he drew from his
+pocket a revolver and placed the muzzle to his forehead. Before the
+bystanders could stop him he had pulled the trigger; there was a loud
+report, and a moment later the wretched man fell dead at the officer's
+feet. The divisional surgeon was immediately summoned, but on his
+arrival found that life was extinct. Inquiries were at once made with a
+view to ascertaining whether the story he had told had any foundation in
+fact. We have since learned that the description he gave of himself was
+a true one, that he had once been in Clausand's employ, and that on the
+day preceding the murder he had openly asserted in a public-house in the
+neighbourhood of Soho his intention of being revenged upon the dead man.
+
+"The coroner has been informed, and an inquest will be held to-morrow
+morning."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+After I had read it, I stood for some moments looking at the paper in my
+hand. Then I turned to Pharos, who was still seated on the block of
+stone watching me intently. Since this miserable wretch had confessed to
+the crime, it was plain that I had wronged him in supposing he had
+committed it. A weight was undoubtedly lifted from my mind, but for some
+reason or another the satisfaction I derived from this was by no means
+as great as I had expected it would be. At the back of my mind there was
+still a vague impression that I was being deceived, and, do what I
+would, I could not rid myself of it.
+
+"That, I think, should convince you, Mr. Forrester," said Pharos, rising
+and coming toward me, "how very unwise it is ever to permit one's
+feelings to outweigh one's judgment. You made up your mind that you
+disliked me, and for the simple reason that I had the misfortune to lose
+my way on that particular evening, and to reach your studio about the
+same time that that terrible murder was committed, you were ready at a
+moment's notice to believe me guilty of the crime."
+
+"What you say is quite true," I answered humbly. "I acted very
+foolishly, I admit. I have done you a great wrong, and you have behaved
+very generously about it."
+
+"In that case we will say no more about it," he replied. "It is an
+unpleasant subject; let us forget it and never refer to it again. As I
+asked you to believe when last I saw you, my only desire is that you
+should think well of me and that we should be friends. As another proof
+of my kindly feeling toward yourself, I will go further than I
+originally intended and say that I am willing to restore the mummy I
+took from you. It is here in Naples, but, if you wish, it shall be at
+once returned to your house in London."
+
+This was more than I had expected from him, and it impressed me
+accordingly.
+
+"I could not dream of such a thing," I replied. "Since you have been so
+generous, let me follow your example. I have wronged you, and, as some
+small return, I ask you to keep the king's magician, and do with him as
+you please."
+
+"I accept your offer in the spirit in which it is made," he replied.
+"Now, perhaps, we had better be going. If you have nothing better to do
+this evening I should be glad if you would dine with me. I think I can
+promise you a better dinner than you will get at your own hotel, and
+afterward, I have no doubt, we shall be able to induce my ward to give
+us some music. You had better say 'Yes,' for, I assure you, we shall
+both be disappointed if you refuse."
+
+"You are really very kind," I began, "but----"
+
+"With your permission we will have no 'buts,'" he replied, with a wave
+of his hand. "The matter is settled, and I shall look forward to a
+pleasant evening. My carriage is at the gate, and if you will drive back
+with me I shall be doubly honoured."
+
+If there had been any way of getting out of it, I think I should have
+taken advantage of it; but as I could not discover one, I was perforce
+compelled to accept his invitation.
+
+"I wonder if this city has the same fascination for you, Mr. Forrester,
+that it has for me?" said Pharos, after I had given my consent to the
+arrangement he proposed. "For my own part I never come to Naples without
+paying it a visit; but how very few are there of the numbers who visit
+it weekly that really understand it! What tales I could tell you of it,
+if only they interested you! How vividly I could bring back to you the
+life of the people who once spoke in this forum, bathed in yonder baths,
+applauded in the theatre nineteen hundred years ago! Let us follow this
+street which leads toward the Temple of Isis, that Temple in which the
+Egyptian goddess was worshipped by such as pretended to believe in her
+mysterious powers. I say _pretended_, because it was the fashion then to
+consult her oracles--a fashion as insulting as it was popular."
+
+By this time we had passed out of the Temple of Mercury and were making
+our way along the time-worn pavement toward the building of which he
+spoke. The sun was sinking in the west, and already long shadows were
+drawing across the silent streets, intensifying the ghostliness of the
+long-deserted city. Reaching the Temple, we entered and looked about us.
+
+"See how its grandeur has departed from it," said Pharos, with a note of
+sadness in his voice that made me turn and gaze at him in surprise.
+"Time was when this was the most beautiful temple in the city, when
+every day her courts were thronged with worshippers, when her oracles
+boasted a reputation that reached even to mighty Rome. On this spot
+stood the statue of the goddess herself. There that of her son, the god
+Horus. Here was the purgatorium, and there the bronze figure of the bull
+god Apis. Can you not picture the crowd of eager faces beyond the rails,
+the white-robed priests, and the sacrifice being offered up on yonder
+altar amid the perfumes of frankincense and myrrh? Where, Mr. Forrester,
+are these priests now? The crowd of worshippers, the statues?
+Gone--gone--dust and ashes, these nineteen hundred years. Come, we have
+lingered here long enough, let us go further."
+
+Leaving the Temple we made our way into the Stabian Street, passed the
+Temple of AEsculapius, and did not stop until we had reached the house of
+Tullus Agrippa. Into this Pharos led me.
+
+"O Tullus Agrippa!" he cried, as if apostrophizing the dead man, "across
+the sea of time, I, Pharos the Egyptian, salute thee! Great was thy
+wealth and endless thy resources. Greedy of honour and praise wast thou,
+and this house was the apex of thy vanity. Here is that same triclinium
+where thy guests were wont to assemble when thou didst invite them to
+thy banquets. Here the room in which thou didst condemn thine only son
+to perpetual banishment. In those days, when the sun was warm and the
+table was laden with the banquet, and friends crowded about thee and
+praised the beauty of thy frescoes, the excellence of thy wine, the
+cunning of thy cook, and the service of thy slaves, little didst thou
+dream that nineteen centuries later would find thy house roofless, dug
+up from the bowels of the earth, and thy cherished rooms a show to be
+gaped at by all who cared to pay a miserable fee. Least of all didst
+thou think then that Pharos the Egyptian would be standing in the room
+where once thou didst rule so absolute, telling thy faults and follies
+to a man of a race that in thy day was well-nigh unknown."
+
+He stopped for a moment, and then, turning to me again, recommenced with
+fresh energy:
+
+"The owner of this house, Tullus Agrippa, was avaricious, cruel, vain,
+and sensual. He gave of his wealth only when he was assured of a large
+return. He was hated on every hand, and by his own family and dependants
+most of all. What did his wealth avail him on that last dread day, when
+the streets were filled with flying citizens, when all was confusion and
+none knew which way to turn for safety? The catastrophe found him
+tossing on a bed of sickness and scarcely able to stand alone. With the
+first shock of the earthquake he called imperiously for his favourite
+slave, but received no answer. He called again, this time almost with
+entreaty. Still no answer came. The walls of his house trembled and
+shook as he rose from his couch and staggered out into the fast
+darkening street. Like a blind man he groped his way to yonder corner,
+calling upon the names of his gods as he went, and offering every
+sestertia in his possession to the person who would conduct him to a
+place of safety. A man brushed against him. He looked up and recognised
+the gladiator, Tymon, the man he had encouraged and whose richest patron
+he had been. Accordingly, he seized him and clung to him, offering gifts
+innumerable if he would only carry him as far as the Marine Gate. But
+this, as Tymon knew, was no time for helping others, with that terrible
+shower of ashes pouring down like rain. The gladiator cast him off, but
+the other was not to be denied. He struggled to his knees and threw his
+arms around the strong man's legs, but only for an instant. Roused to a
+pitch of fury by his terror, Tymon struck him a blow on the temple with
+the full strength of his ponderous fist. The old man stumbled against
+the wall, clutched at it for support, and at length fell senseless upon
+the ground. The shower of ashes and scoria quickly covered him, and
+nineteen hundred years later the workmen, excavating the ruins,
+discovered his body at the base of yonder wall. Such was the fate of the
+noble Tullus Agrippa, citizen of Rome, and once the owner of this
+house."
+
+Before I could reply or ask how he had become familiar with these
+details, he had made his way outside and was in the road once more. I
+followed him to the Street of Fortune, passed the House of the Fawn, the
+Baths, and the Villa of Glaucus. Of each he had some story to tell--some
+anecdote to relate. From the graphic way in which he described
+everything, the names and characters he introduced, I might have been
+excused had I even believed that he had known the city in its prime and
+been present on the day of its destruction. I said as much to him, but
+he only shook his head.
+
+"Think what you please," he said. "If I were to tell you the truth you
+would not believe me. For that reason I prefer that you should credit me
+with the possession of an exceedingly vivid imagination. If I have
+succeeded in making the last hour pass pleasantly, I am amply rewarded.
+But it grows late; the guards are coming in search of us; let us return
+to the gate."
+
+Accordingly, we made our way back to the Porta Marina, and down the path
+toward the entrance to the ruins. My companion was evidently well known
+to the officials, for they treated him with obsequious respect, bowing
+before him and inquiring if he had seen certain new excavations, as if
+the success of the latter depended entirely on his good opinion of them.
+In the road outside a carriage was standing, to which was attached a
+magnificent pair of black horses. A coachman, dressed in a neat but
+unpretentious black livery, sat upon the box, while a footman stood
+beside the carriage door. The whole turn-out was in excellent taste, and
+would have made a creditable appearance in the Bois de Boulogne or Hyde
+Park. Into this elegant equipage Pharos invited me to step, and as soon
+as I had seated myself he took his place beside me. Hot though the night
+was, a heavy fur rug was wrapped round his knees, and when this had been
+done he laid himself back upon the cushions with a sigh of relief, as if
+the exertion of the afternoon had been too much for him.
+
+"So much for Pompeii," he said, as the horses sprang forward. "Now for
+Naples and the most beautiful creature it contains at present, my ward,
+the Fraeulein Valerie de Vocsqal."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+If any one had told me on the night that I first met Pharos at the foot
+of Cleopatra's Needle that within a very short space of time I should be
+driving from Pompeii to Naples alone with him, I believe I should have
+laughed that person to scorn. And what is perhaps stranger, seeing how
+intense my dislike for him had been less than two hours before, I was
+not only paying attention to what he said to me, but was actually
+deriving a certain measure of enjoyment from his society. In my time I
+have met some of the cleverest talkers in Europe, men whose
+conversational powers are above the average, and to whom it is rightly
+enough considered a privilege to listen. Pharos, however, equalled if he
+did not exceed them all. His range of topics was extraordinary, and his
+language as easy and graceful as it was free from the commonplace. Upon
+every conceivable subject he had some information to impart, and in the
+cases of events in the world's history, he did so with the same peculiar
+suggestion of being able to speak from the point of an eye-witness, or,
+at least, as one who had lived in the same period, that I had noticed
+when he conducted me through the ruins of Pompeii that afternoon. The
+topography of the country through which we were passing he also had at
+his fingers' ends. About every portion of the landscape he had some
+remark of interest to make, and when we had exhausted Italy and
+proceeded to more distant countries, I found that he was equally
+conversant with the cities they contained. How long the drive lasted I
+can not say; but never in my experience of the high road between Naples
+and Pompeii had it seemed so short. Reaching the Castello del Carmine we
+turned sharply to our right, passed up the Corso Garibaldi for some
+considerable distance, and eventually branched off to the left. After
+that, I have no further knowledge of our route. We traversed street
+after street, some of them so narrow that there was barely room for our
+carriage to pass along, until at last we reached a thoroughfare that not
+only contained better houses than the rest, but was considerably wider.
+Before a large, old-fashioned residence the horses came to a standstill;
+a pair of exquisitely wrought-iron gates guarding a noble archway were
+thrown open, and through them we passed into the courtyard beyond.
+Beautiful as many of the courtyards are in Naples, I think this one
+eclipsed them all. The house surrounded it on three sides; on the
+fourth, and opposite that by which we had entered, was the garden, with
+its fountains, vista of palm trees, through which a peep of the waters
+of the bay could be obtained, and its luxuriant orange groves. In the
+soft light of evening a more picturesque picture could not have been
+desired.
+
+The footman, having descended from the box, opened the door of the
+carriage, and when he had withdrawn the rug from his master's knees,
+assisted him to alight. I followed, and we proceeded up the steps into
+the house. Prepared as I was by the fact that both Lady Medenham and Sir
+George Legrath had informed me of Pharos's wealth, I could scarcely
+contain my surprise when the beauty of the house to which I was now
+introduced was revealed to me. The hall in which we stood was filled
+from floor to ceiling with works of art, carvings, paintings, statues,
+tapestry, the value of which I could the better appreciate when I was
+permitted an opportunity of examining them more closely.
+
+"I make you welcome to my abode, Mr. Forrester," said Pharos, as I
+crossed the threshold. "You are not the first English artist who has
+honoured me with a visit, and I think, if you will glance round these
+walls, you will admit that you are in good company. See, here is a Fra
+Angelico, here a Botticelli, here a Perugino, to your right a
+Giorgione--all your fellow-guests. At the foot of the stairs is a Jan
+Steen, half-way up a Madonna by Signorelli; the monk above is, as
+doubtless you can see for yourself, an Andrea del Sarto, who has found
+many admirers. But that is not all. If you will follow me, I think I can
+show you something which will have an equal interest for you, though
+perhaps in a somewhat different way."
+
+Feeling as if I were walking in a dream, I followed him along the hall.
+Presently he stopped and pointed to a large canvas.
+
+"Do you recognise it?" he inquired.
+
+To my surprise it was neither more nor less than one of my own earlier
+works which had appeared in the Academy about three years before and
+represented a fantastic subject. It had been purchased by a dealer, and
+after it had left my possession I had lost sight of it altogether. To
+find it here, in the home of the man who had come to play such an
+extraordinary part in my life, overwhelmed me with astonishment.
+
+"You seem surprised at seeing it," said Pharos, as we stood before it.
+"If you will allow me I will relate to you the circumstances under which
+it came into my possession, and I think you will admit that they are
+highly interesting. It is now two years since the event occurred of
+which I am going to tell you. I was then in Baden. It was the height of
+the season, and the city was crowded, not only with interesting
+foreigners--if you will permit the unintentional sarcasm--but with a
+large proportion of your own English aristocracy. Among the latter was a
+certain nobleman to whom I was happily able to be of considerable
+service. He was one of life's failures. In his earlier youth he had a
+literary tendency which, had the Fates been propitious, might possibly
+have brought him some degree of fame; his accession to the title,
+however, and the wealth it carried with it, completely destroyed him.
+When I met him in Baden he was as near ruined as a man of his position
+could be. He had with him one daughter, a paralytic, to whom he was
+devotedly attached. Had it not been for her I am convinced he would have
+given up the struggle and have done what he afterward did--namely, have
+made away with himself. In the hope of retrieving his fortune and of
+distracting his mind he sought the assistance of the gaming-tables; but
+having neither luck nor, what is equally necessary, sufficient courage,
+eventually found himself face to face with ruin. It was then that I
+appeared upon the scene and managed to extricate him from his dilemma.
+As a token of his gratitude he made me a present of this picture, which
+up to that time had been one of his most treasured possessions."
+
+"And the man himself--what became of him?"
+
+Pharos smiled an evil smile.
+
+"Well, he was always unfortunate. On the self-same night that he made me
+the present to which I refer he experienced another run of ill luck."
+
+"And the result?"
+
+"Can you not guess? He returned to his lodgings to find that his
+daughter was dead, whereupon he wrote me a note, thanking me for the
+assistance I had rendered him, and blew his brains out at the back of
+the Kursaal."
+
+On hearing this I recoiled a step from the picture. While it flattered
+my vanity to hear that the wretched man who had lost fame, fortune, and
+everything else should still have retained my work, I could not repress
+a feeling of horror at the thought that in so doing he had,
+unconsciously, it is true, been bringing me into connection with the
+very man who I had not the least doubt had brought about his ruin. As
+may be supposed, however, I said nothing to Pharos on this score. For
+the time being we were flying a flag of truce, and having had one
+exhibition of his powers, I had no desire to experience a second.
+Whether he read what was passing in my mind or not I can not say. At any
+rate, he changed the subject abruptly and led me away from my own work
+to another at the farther end of the hall. From this we passed into an
+anteroom, which, like the hall, was hung with pictures. It was a
+magnificent apartment in every way, but, as I soon discovered, was
+eclipsed by the larger room into which it opened. The latter could not
+have been less than eighty feet long by forty wide. The walls were
+decorated with exquisite pictures, and, if such a thing were possible,
+with still more exquisite china. All the appointments were in keeping.
+At the farther end was a grand piano, and seated near this, slowly
+fanning herself with a large ostrich-feather fan, was the woman I had
+seen first at the Academy, then at Medenham House, and earlier that very
+day in the Piazza S. Ferdinando. Upon our entrance she rose, and once
+more I thought I discovered a frightened look in her face. In a second,
+however, it had passed and she had once more recovered her equanimity.
+
+"Valerie," said Monsieur Pharos, "I have been fortunate enough to meet
+Mr. Forrester, who arrived in Naples last night, and to induce him to
+dine with us this evening."
+
+While he was speaking I had been watching the face of the beautiful
+woman whose affecting story Lady Medenham had told me, and had noticed
+how white it had suddenly become. The reason of this I have since
+discovered, but I know that at the time it puzzled me more than a
+little.
+
+"I bid you welcome, sir," she said, in excellent English, but with no
+great degree of cordiality.
+
+I made some suitable reply, and then Pharos departed from the room,
+leaving us together. My companion once more seated herself, and, making
+an effort, began a conversation that was doubtless of a very polite, but
+to me entirely unsatisfactory, nature. Presently she rose from her chair
+and went to the window, where she stood for some moments looking out
+into the fast-darkening street. Then she turned to me, as she did so
+making a little gesture with her hands that was more expressive than any
+words.
+
+"Mr. Forrester," she said, speaking rapidly in a low voice, but with
+great earnestness, "have you taken leave of your senses that you come
+here? Are you tired of your life that you thrust your head into the
+lion's den in this foolish fashion?"
+
+Her words were so startling and her agitation so genuine that I could
+make neither head nor tail of it. I accordingly hastened to ask for an
+explanation.
+
+"I can tell you nothing," she said, "except that this place is fatal to
+you. Oh, if I could only make you understand how fatal!"
+
+Her beauty and the agitation under which she was labouring exercised a
+most powerful effect upon me, which was increased rather than
+diminished when I reflected that it was being exerted on my behalf.
+
+"I scarcely understand you," I stammered, for I was quite carried away
+by her vehemence. "From what you say I gather that you believe me to be
+in a position of some danger, but I assure you such is not the case. I
+met Monsieur Pharos at Pompeii this afternoon, and he was kind enough to
+ask me to dine with him this evening. Surely, there can be nothing
+dangerous in that. If, however, my presence is in any way distasteful to
+you, I can easily make an excuse and take my departure."
+
+"You know it is not that," she answered quickly and with a little stamp
+of her foot. "It is for your own sake I am imploring you to go. If you
+knew as much of this house as I do, you would not remain in it another
+minute."
+
+"My dear madame," I said, "if you would only be more explicit, I should
+be the better able to understand you."
+
+"I can not be more explicit," she answered; "such a thing is out of my
+power. But remember, if anything happens, I have warned you, and your
+fate will be upon your own head."
+
+"But----" I cried, half rising from my seat.
+
+"Hush!" she answered. "There is not time for more. He is coming."
+
+A moment later Pharos entered the room. He had discarded his heavy fur
+coat and was now dressed as I had seen him at Medenham House--that is to
+say, he wore a tight-fitting black velvet coat buttoned high up round
+his throat and a skullcap of the same material. He had scarcely entered
+the room before dinner was announced.
+
+"If you will take my ward," he said, "I will follow you."
+
+I did as directed, and never while I live shall I forget the thrill that
+passed through me as I felt the pressure of her tiny hand upon my arm.
+Lovely as I had always thought her, I had never seen her look more
+beautiful than on this particular evening. As I watched her proud and
+graceful carriage, I could well believe, as Lady Medenham had said, that
+she traced her descent from one of the oldest families in Europe. There
+was something about her that I could not understand, though I tried
+repeatedly to analyze it--a vague, indescribable charm that made her
+different from all other women I had ever met.
+
+The room in which we dined was a more sombre apartment than the others I
+had seen. The walls were hung with heavy tapestries, unrelieved by light
+or brilliant colour. The servants also struck me as remarkable. They
+were tall, elderly, dark-skinned, and, if the truth must be told, of
+somewhat saturnine appearance, and if I had been asked, I should have
+given my vote against their being Italians. They did their duty
+noiselessly and well, but their presence grated upon me, very much as
+Pharos's had done on the first three occasions that I had met him. Among
+other things, one singular circumstance arrested my attention. While the
+dinner was in every respect admirable, and would not have discredited
+the Maison Doree, or the Cafe de la Paix, Pharos did not partake of it.
+At the commencement of the meal a dish of fruit and a plate of small
+flat cakes were placed before him. He touched nothing else, save, when
+we had finished, to fill a wineglass with water and to pour into it a
+spoonful of some white powder, which he took from a small silver box
+standing before him. This he tossed off at one draught.
+
+"You are evidently surprised," he said, turning toward me, "at the
+frugality of my fare, but I can assure you that in my case eating has
+been reduced almost to a vanishing point. Save a little fruit in the
+morning, and a glass of water in which I dissolve one of these powders,
+and a meal similar to that you now see me making in the evening, I take
+nothing else, and yet I am stronger than many men of half my age. If the
+matter interests you I will some day give you proof of that."
+
+To this speech I made some reply and then glanced at the Fraeulein
+Valerie. Her face was still deathly pale, and I could see by the way her
+hands trembled above her plate that the old fellow's words had in some
+manner been the cause of it. Had I known as much then as I do now I
+should no doubt have trembled myself. For the moment, however, I thought
+she must be ill, and should have said as much had my eyes not met hers
+and found them imploring me to take no notice of her agitation. I
+accordingly addressed myself to Pharos on the subject of the journey
+from Paris to Naples, and thus permitted her time to recover her
+self-possession. The meal at an end, she rose and left the room, not,
+however, before she had thrown another look of entreaty at me, which, as
+I read it, seemed to say, "For pity's sake remember where you are, and
+be careful what you say or do!"
+
+The door had scarcely closed behind her before another on the other side
+of the room opened, and a servant entered carrying in his arms a monkey
+wrapped in a small rug, from which its evil-looking little face peered
+out at me as if it were wondering at my presence there. Pharos noticed
+my surprise.
+
+"Let me make you acquainted with my second self," he said, and then
+turning to the monkey continued, "Pehtes, make your salutation."
+
+The monkey, however, finding himself in his master's arms, snuggled
+himself down and paid no more attention to me, whereupon Pharos pushed
+the decanters, which the servant had placed before him, toward me and
+invited me to fill my glass.
+
+I thanked him, but declined.
+
+"If you will permit me to say so, I think you are foolish," he answered.
+"I have been often complimented on that wine, particularly by your
+countrymen."
+
+I wondered who the countrymen were who had sat at this table and what
+the reason could have been that had induced them to accept his
+hospitality. Could Legrath have been among the number, and, if so, what
+was the terrible connection between them? For terrible I knew it must
+have been, otherwise it would scarcely have made Sir George, usually the
+most self-contained of men, betray such agitation when I inquired if he
+were acquainted with the name of Pharos.
+
+While these thoughts were passing through my mind I stole a glance at
+the old fellow as he sat at the head of the table, propped up with
+cushions, and with the monkey's evil countenance peeping out from his
+hiding-place under the other's coat. He was evidently in an expansive
+mood and as anxious as possible to make himself agreeable. The first
+horror of his presence had by this time left me, and, as I said at the
+commencement of this chapter, its place had been taken by a peculiar
+interest for which I found it well-nigh impossible to account.
+
+"If you will not take any wine, perhaps you will let me offer you a
+cigarette," he said, after I had declined his previous invitation. "I am
+not a smoker myself, but those who do enjoy the fragrant weed tell me
+the brand is excellent. It is grown on one of my own estates in Turkey,
+and can be obtained nowhere else in the world."
+
+So saying he produced a small silver case from his pocket and handed it
+to me. I took one of the cigarettes it contained, lit it, and for the
+next two or three minutes sat back in my chair silently smoking. The
+tobacco was excellent. To have wasted a puff of that precious smoke in
+conversation would have been a sacrilege that I was determined not to
+commit. Having finished one, I was easily persuaded to take another, and
+was compelled to declare the flavour to be even better than the first.
+
+"I am delighted to see that you enjoy them," said Pharos.
+
+"I have never smoked any tobacco like it," I replied. "It seems hard
+that you should not enjoy it yourself."
+
+"I could not enjoy it in a happier way," he answered, "than through my
+friends. I am amply compensated when I see the pleasure it gives them."
+
+After this philanthropic contribution to the conversation of the evening
+we were both silent again for some moments. My cigarette was
+half-finished, but the case, still nearly full, lay upon the table for
+me to help myself when I felt inclined. Little by little the subtle
+intoxication of the weed was permeating my whole being; a gentle languor
+was stealing over me, and as a result my brain had never before seemed
+so bright or my capacity of enjoyment so keen as it did then.
+
+"If you will not take wine we might adjourn to the drawing-room," said
+Pharos at last. "It is possible we may be able to induce my ward to give
+us some music, and as she is partial to the aroma of these cigarettes,
+I think I may assure you beforehand that she will willingly give you
+permission to smoke in her presence."
+
+Accordingly, we sought the drawing-room, the same in which the beautiful
+Hungarian had uttered her curious warning to me earlier in the evening.
+She was seated in the same chair that she had then occupied, and on
+entering, Pharos, still carrying the monkey in his arms, crossed and
+patted her hand in a grand-fatherly fashion. Kindly, however, as the
+action appeared to be, I noticed that she trembled beneath it.
+
+"I have assured Mr. Forrester, my dear Valerie," he said, "that the
+odour of tobacco is not distasteful to you, and that you will permit him
+to smoke a cigarette in your presence. Was I not right?"
+
+"Of course I will give permission," she answered, but never had I heard
+her voice so cold and monotonous. It was as if she were repeating
+something under compulsion. At any other time I should have declined to
+avail myself of what I could not help thinking was permission grudgingly
+given; but since Pharos insisted, and the Fraeulein begged me to do so, I
+at length consented and made a further raid upon the case. As soon as he
+had seen the cigarette lighted and myself comfortably seated, Pharos
+installed himself in an armchair, while his ward wrapped the inevitable
+rug about his knees. Having done this she took her violin from its case,
+and, when she had tuned it, took up her position and commenced to play.
+I had still the same feeling, however, that she was doing it under
+compulsion, but how that force was being exerted, and for what reason,
+was more than I could tell. Once more the same gentle languor I had felt
+at the dinner-table began to steal over me and again my senses became
+abnormally acute. Under the influence of the music, new ideas, new
+inspirations, new dreams of colour, crowded upon me thick and fast. In
+the humour in which I was then, I felt that there was nothing I could
+not do, no achievement of which I was not capable. What I had done in
+the past was as nothing compared with what I would do in the future.
+With this man's help I would probe the very heart of Wisdom and make
+myself conversant with her secrets. Through half-closed eyes I could see
+the violinist standing before me, and it was as if her white hands were
+beckoning me along the road of Fame. I turned from her to Pharos, and
+found him still seated in his chair with his eyes fixed steadfastly upon
+me. Then the cigarette came to an end, the music ceased, and with a
+choking sob the violinist, unable to control herself any longer, fled
+from the room. I sprang to my feet and hastened to open the door for
+her, but was too late. She was gone.
+
+"Mr. Forrester," said Pharos, after we had been alone together for a few
+moments, "I am going to make a proposition to you which I shall be very
+much honoured if you can see your way to accept."
+
+"I shall be better able to tell you when I know what it is," I answered.
+
+"It is eminently simple," he continued. "It is neither more nor less
+than this. I am the possessor of a steam-yacht--a comfortable craft, my
+friends tell me--and in her my ward and I start to-morrow for Port Said,
+_en route_ for Cairo."
+
+"For Cairo?" I cried in amazement.
+
+"For Cairo," he answered, with a smile. "And why not? Cairo is a most
+delightful place, and I have important business in Egypt. Perhaps you
+can guess what that business is."
+
+"The mummy?" I answered at a hazard.
+
+"Exactly," he replied, nodding his head; "the mummy. It is my intention
+to restore it to the tomb from which your father sto--from which, shall
+we say, your father removed it."
+
+"And your proposition?"
+
+"Is that you accompany us. The opportunity is one you should not let
+slip. You will have a chance of seeing the land of the Pharaohs under
+the most favourable auspices, and the hints you should derive for future
+work should be invaluable to you. What do you say?"
+
+To tell the truth I did not know what answer to give. I had all my life
+long had a craving to visit that mysterious country, and, as I have said
+elsewhere, I had quite made up my mind to do so at the end of the year.
+Now an opportunity was afforded me of carrying out my intentions, and in
+a most luxurious fashion. I remembered the extraordinary interest Pharos
+had lent to the ruins of Pompeii that afternoon, and I felt sure that in
+Egypt, since it was his native country, he would be able to do much
+more. But it was not the prospect of what I should learn from him so
+much as the knowledge that I should be for some weeks in the company of
+Valerie de Vocxqal that tempted me. The thought that I should be with
+her on board the yacht, and that I should be able to enjoy her society
+uninterruptedly in the mystic land which had played such an important
+part in my career, thrilled me to the centre of my being. That her life
+was a far from happy one I was quite convinced, and it was just
+possible, if I went with them, that I might be able to discover the seat
+of the trouble and perhaps be in a position to assist her.
+
+"What have you to say to my plan?" inquired Pharos. "Does not the idea
+tempt you?"
+
+"It tempts me exceedingly," I answered; "but the fact of the matter is I
+had no intention of being absent so long from England."
+
+"England will be still there when you get back," he continued with a
+laugh. "Come, let it be decided that you will join us. I think I can
+promise that you will enjoy the trip."
+
+"I do not wish to appear discourteous," I said, "but would it not be
+better for me to take till to-morrow morning to think it over?"
+
+"It would be the most foolish policy possible," he answered, "for in
+that case I feel convinced you would find some reason for not accepting
+my invitation, and by so doing would deprive yourself of a chance which,
+as I said just now, may never come again in your life. If Valerie were
+here I feel sure she would add her voice to mine."
+
+The mention of his ward's name decided me, and, with a recklessness that
+forces a sigh from me now, I gave my promise to accompany them.
+
+"I am very glad to hear it," said Pharos. "I think you have decided
+wisely. We shall sail to-morrow evening at ten o'clock. My servants will
+call for your luggage and will convey it and you on board. You need not
+trouble yourself in any way."
+
+I thanked him, and then, finding that it was close upon eleven o'clock,
+took leave of him. That I was disappointed in not being permitted an
+opportunity of saying farewell to his ward I will not deny. I feared
+that she was offended with me for not having taken her advice earlier in
+the evening. I did not mention the matter, however, to Pharos, but bade
+him good-night, and, declining his offer to send me home in his
+carriage, made my way into the hall and presently left the house. Having
+crossed the courtyard, the ancient gate-keeper passed me out through a
+small door beside the gates. The night was exceedingly warm, and as I
+stepped into the street the moon was rising above the opposite
+house-tops. Having made inquiries from Pharos, I had no doubt of being
+able to make my way back to my hotel. Accordingly, as soon as I had
+rewarded the _concierge_, and the gate had closed behind me, I set off
+down the pavement at a brisk pace. I had not gone very far, however,
+before a door opened in a garden wall, and a black figure stole forth
+and addressed me by my name. It was the Fraeulein Valerie.
+
+"Mr. Forrester," she said, "I have come at great risk to meet you. You
+would not listen to me this evening, but I implore you to do so now. If
+you do not heed me and take my warning it may be too late."
+
+The moon shone full and fair upon her face, revealing her wonderful
+beauty and adding an ethereal charm to it which I had never noticed it
+possessed before.
+
+"Of what is it you would warn me, my dear lady?" I asked.
+
+"I can not tell you," she answered, "for I do not know myself. But of
+this I am certain, since he has interested himself in you and has
+declared his desire for your friendship, it can not be for your good.
+You do not know him as I do. You have no idea, it is impossible you
+should, of what he is. For your own sake, Mr. Forrester, draw back while
+you have time. Have no more to do with him. Shun his society, whatever
+it casts you. You smile! Ah, if you only knew! I tell you this--it would
+be better, far better, for you to die than to fall into his power."
+
+I was touched by the earnestness with which she spoke, but more by the
+sadness of her face.
+
+"Fraeulein," I said, "you speak as if you had done that yourself."
+
+"I have," she answered. "I am in his power, and, as a result, I am lost
+body and soul. It is for that reason I would save you. Take warning by
+what I have said and leave Naples to-night. Never mind where you go--go
+to Russia, to America, bury yourself in the wilds of Siberia or
+Kamchatka--but get beyond his reach."
+
+"It is too late," I answered. "The die is cast, for I have promised to
+sail with him to Egypt to-morrow."
+
+On hearing this she uttered a little cry and took a step away from me.
+
+"You have promised to visit Egypt with him?" she cried, as if she could
+scarcely believe she heard aright. "Oh! Mr. Forrester, what can you be
+thinking of? I tell you it is fatal, suicidal! If you have any regard
+for your own safety you will get away to-night, this very moment, and
+never return to Naples or see him again."
+
+In her agitation she clutched at my arm and held it tightly. I could
+feel that she was trembling violently. Her touch, however, instead of
+effecting the purpose she had in view, decided me on a contrary course.
+
+"Fraeulein," I said in a voice I should not at any other time have
+recognised as my own, "you tell me that this man has you in his power?
+You warn me of the dangers I run by permitting myself to associate with
+him, and, having risked so much for me, you expect me to go away and
+leave you to his mercy. I fear you must have a very poor opinion of me."
+
+"I am only trying to save you," she answered. "The first day I saw you I
+read disaster in your face, and from that moment I desired to prevent
+it."
+
+"But if you are so unhappy, why do you not attempt to save yourself?" I
+asked. "Come, I will make a bargain with you. If I am to fly from this
+man, you must do so too. Let us set off this moment. You are beyond the
+walls now. Will you trust yourself to me? There is a steamer in the
+harbour sailing at midnight. Let us board her and sail for Genoa, thence
+anywhere you please. I have money, and I give you my word of honour as a
+gentleman that I will leave nothing undone to promote your safety and
+your happiness. Let us start at once and in half an hour we shall be rid
+of him forever."
+
+As I said this I took her arm and endeavoured to lead her down the
+pavement, but she would not move.
+
+"No, no," she said in a frightened whisper. "You do not know what you
+are asking of me. Such a thing is impossible--hopelessly impossible.
+However much I may desire to do so I can not escape. I am chained to him
+for life by a bond that is stronger than fetters of steel. I can not
+leave him. O God! I can not leave him!"
+
+She fell back against the wall and once more covered her face with her
+hands, while her slender frame shook with convulsive sobs.
+
+"So be it then," I said; and as I did so I took off my hat. "If you will
+not leave him, I swear before God I will not go alone! It is settled,
+and I sail with him for Egypt to-morrow."
+
+She did not attempt to dissuade me further, but, making her way to the
+door in the wall through which she had entered the street, opened it and
+disappeared within. I heard the bolts pushed to, and then I was in the
+street alone.
+
+"The die is cast," I said to myself. "Whether good or evil, I accompany
+her to-morrow, and, once with her, I will not leave her until I am
+certain that she no longer requires my help."
+
+Then I resumed my walk to my hotel.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+The clocks of the city had struck ten on the following evening when I
+left the carriage which Pharos had sent to convey me to the harbour,
+and, escorted by his servant, the same who had sat beside the coachman
+on the occasion of our drive home from Pompeii on the previous evening,
+made my way down the landing-stage and took my place in the boat which
+was waiting to carry me to the yacht.
+
+Throughout the day I had seen nothing either of Pharos or his ward, nor
+had I heard anything from the former save a message to the effect that
+he had made arrangements for my getting on board. But if I had not seen
+them I had at least thought about them--so much so, indeed, that I had
+scarcely closed my eyes all night. And the more attention I bestowed
+upon them the more difficult I found it to account for the curious
+warning I had received from the Fraeulein Valerie. What the danger was
+which threatened me it was beyond my power to tell. I endeavoured to
+puzzle it out, but in vain. Had it not been for that scene on the
+Embankment, and his treatment of me in my own studio, to say nothing of
+the suspicions I had erroneously entertained against him in respect of
+the murder of the curiosity dealer, I should in all probability have
+attributed it to a mere womanly superstition which, although it appeared
+genuine enough to her, had no sort of foundation in fact. Knowing,
+however, what I did, I could see that it behooved me, if only for the
+sake of my own safety, to be more than cautious, and when I boarded the
+yacht I did so with a full determination to keep my eyes wide open, and
+to be prepared for trouble whenever or in whatever shape it might come.
+
+On gaining the deck I was received by an elderly individual whom I
+afterward discovered to be the captain. He informed me in French that
+both Monsieur Pharos and the Fraeulein Valerie had already arrived on
+board and had retired to their cabins. The former had given instructions
+that everything possible was to be done to promote my comfort, and,
+having said this, the captain surrendered me to the charge of the
+servant who had escorted me on board, and, bowing reverentially to me,
+made some excuse about seeing the yacht under way and went forward. At
+the request of the steward I passed along the deck to the
+after-companion ladder, and thence to the saloon below. The evidence of
+wealth I had had before me in the house in Naples had prepared me in
+some measure for the magnificent vessel in which I now found myself;
+nevertheless, I must confess to feeling astonished at the luxury I saw
+displayed on every side. The saloon must have been upward of thirty feet
+long by eighteen wide, and one glance round it showed me that the
+decorations, the carpet, and the furniture, were the best that taste and
+money could procure. With noiseless footfall the steward conducted me
+across the saloon, and, opening a door on the port side, introduced me
+to my cabin.
+
+My luggage had preceded me, and, as it was now close upon eleven
+o'clock, I determined to turn in and, if possible, get to sleep before
+the vessel started.
+
+When I woke in the morning we were at sea. Brilliant sunshine streamed
+in through the porthole and danced on the white and gold panelling of
+the cabin. Smart seas rattled against the hull and set the little craft
+rolling till I began to think it was as well I was a good sailor,
+otherwise I should scarcely have looked forward with such interest to
+the breakfast I could hear preparing in the saloon outside.
+
+As soon as I had dressed I made my way to the deck. It was a lovely
+morning, a bright blue sky overhead, with a few snow-white clouds away
+to the southwest to afford relief and to add to the beauty of the
+picture. A smart sea was running, and more than once I had to make a
+bolt for the companion-ladder in order to escape the spray which came
+whistling over the bulwarks.
+
+In the daylight the yacht looked bigger than she had done on the
+previous night. At a rough guess she scarcely could have been less than
+four hundred tons. Her captain, so I afterward discovered, was a Greek,
+but of what nationality her crew were composed I was permitted no
+opportunity of judging. One thing is very certain--they were not
+English, nor did their behaviour realise my notion of the typical
+sailor. There was none of that good-humoured chaff or horseplay which is
+supposed to characterise the calling. These men, for the most part, were
+middle-aged, taciturn and gloomy fellows, who did their work with
+automaton-like regularity, but without interest or apparent good-will.
+The officers, with the exception of the captain, I had not yet seen.
+
+Punctually on the stroke of eight bells a steward emerged from the
+companion and came aft to inform me that breakfast was served. I
+inquired if my host and hostess were in the saloon, but was informed
+that Pharos made it a rule never to rise before midday, and that on
+this occasion the Fraeulein Valerie intended taking the meal in her own
+cabin and begged me to excuse her. Accordingly, I sat down alone, and
+when I had finished returned to the deck and lit a cigar. The sea by
+this time had moderated somewhat and the vessel in consequence was
+making better progress. For upward of half an hour I tramped the deck
+religiously and then returned to my favourite position aft. Leaning my
+elbows on the rail, I stood gazing at the curdling wake, watching the
+beautiful blending of white and green created by the screw.
+
+I was still occupied in this fashion when I heard my name spoken, and,
+turning, found the Fraeulein Valerie standing before me. She was dressed
+in some dark material, which not only suited her complexion but
+displayed the exquisite outline of her figure to perfection.
+
+"Good-morning, Mr. Forrester," she said, holding out her white hand to
+me. "I must apologise to you for my rudeness in not having joined you at
+breakfast; but I was tired and did not feel equal to getting up so
+early."
+
+There was a troubled look in her eyes which told me that while she had
+not forgotten our interview of two nights before, she was determined not
+to refer to it in any way or even to permit me to suppose that she
+remembered it. I accordingly resolved to follow her example, though, if
+the truth must be confessed, there were certain questions I was more
+than desirous of putting to her.
+
+"Since you are on deck the first morning out, I presume you are fond of
+the sea?" I said, in a matter-of-fact voice, after we had been standing
+together for some moments.
+
+"I love it," she answered fervently; "and the more so because I am a
+good sailor. In the old days, when my father was alive, I was never
+happier than when we were at sea, away from land and all its attendant
+troubles."
+
+She paused, and I saw her eyes fill with tears. In a few moments,
+however, she recovered her composure and began to talk of the various
+countries with which we were mutually acquainted. As it soon transpired,
+she had visited almost every capital in Europe since she had been with
+Pharos, but for what purpose I could not discover. The most eastern side
+of Russia and the most western counties of England were equally well
+known to her. In an unguarded moment I asked her which city she
+preferred.
+
+"Is it possible I could have any preference?" she asked, almost
+reproachfully. "If you were condemned to imprisonment for life, do you
+think it would matter to you what colour your captors painted your cell,
+or of what material the wall was composed that you looked upon through
+your barred windows? Such is my case. My freedom is gone, and for that
+reason I take no sort of interest in the places to which my gaoler leads
+me."
+
+To this speech I offered no reply, nor could I see that one was needed.
+We were standing upon dangerous ground and I hastened to get off it as
+soon as possible. I fear, however, I must have gone clumsily to work,
+for she noticed my endeavour and smiled a little bitterly, I thought.
+Then, making some excuse, she left me and returned below.
+
+It was well past midday before Pharos put in an appearance. Whether at
+sea or ashore he made no difference in his costume. He wore the same
+heavy coat and curious cap that I remembered seeing that night at
+Cleopatra's Needle.
+
+"I fear, my dear Forrester," he said, "you will think me a discourteous
+host for not having remained on deck last night to receive you. My age,
+however, must be my excuse. I trust you have been made comfortable?"
+
+"The greatest Sybarite could scarcely desire to be more comfortable," I
+answered. "I congratulate you upon your vessel and her appointments."
+
+"Yes," he answered, looking along the deck, "she is a good little craft,
+and, as you may suppose, exceedingly useful to me at times."
+
+As he said this a curious expression came into his face. It was as if
+the memory of an occasion on which this vessel had carried him beyond
+the reach of pursuit had suddenly occurred to him. Exquisite, however,
+as the pleasure it afforded him seemed to be, I can not say that it
+pleased me as much. It revived unpleasant memories, and just at the time
+when I was beginning to forget my first distrust of him.
+
+After a few moments' further conversation he expressed a desire to show
+me the vessel, an invitation which, needless to say, I accepted with
+alacrity. We first visited the smoking-room on deck, then the bridge,
+after that the engine-room, and later on the men's quarters forward.
+Retracing our steps aft we descended to the saloon, upon the beauty of
+which I warmly congratulated him.
+
+"I am rejoiced that it meets with your approval," he said gravely. "It
+is usually admired. And now, having seen all this, perhaps it would
+interest you to inspect the quarters of the owner."
+
+This was exactly what I desired to do, for from a man's sleeping
+quarters it is often possible to obtain some clue as to his real
+character.
+
+Bidding me follow him, he led me along the saloon to a cabin at the
+farther end. With the remembrance of all I had seen in the other parts
+of the vessel still fresh in my mind, I was prepared to find the owner's
+berth replete with every luxury. My surprise may therefore be imagined
+when I discovered a tiny cabin, scarcely half the size of that occupied
+by myself, not only devoid of luxury, but lacking much of what is
+usually considered absolutely necessary. On the starboard side was the
+bunk, a plain wooden affair, in which were neatly folded several pairs
+of coarse woollen blankets. Against the bulwark was the wash-hand-stand,
+and under the port a settee, covered with a fur rug, on which was curled
+up the monkey Pehtes. That was all. Nay, I am wrong--it was not all. For
+in a corner, carefully secured so that the movement of the vessel should
+not cause it to fall, was no less a thing than the mummy Pharos had
+stolen from me, and which was the first and foremost cause of my being
+where I was. From what he had told me of his errand I had surmised it
+might be on board; but I confess I scarcely expected to find it in the
+owner's cabin. With the sight of it the recollection of my studio rose
+before my eyes, and not only of the studio, but of that terrible night
+when the old man now standing beside me had called upon me and had used
+such diabolical means to obtain possession of the thing he wanted. In
+reality it was scarcely a week since Lady Medenham's "at home"; but the
+gulf that separated the man I was then from the man I was now seemed one
+of centuries.
+
+Accompanied by Pharos I returned to the deck, convinced that I was as
+far removed from an understanding of this strange individual's character
+as I had been since I had known him. Of the Fraeulein Valerie I saw
+nothing until late in the afternoon. She was suffering from a severe
+headache, so the steward informed Pharos, and was not equal to leaving
+her cabin.
+
+That this news was not palatable to my companion I gathered from the way
+in which his face darkened. However, he pretended to feel only
+solicitude for her welfare, and, having instructed the steward to convey
+his sympathy to her, returned to his conversation with me. In this
+fashion, reading, talking, and perambulating the deck, the remainder of
+the day passed away, and it was not until we sat down to dinner at night
+that our party in the saloon was united. On board the yacht, as in his
+house in Naples, the cooking was perfection itself, but, as on that
+other occasion, Pharos did not partake of it. He dined as usual upon
+fruit and small wheaten cakes, finishing his meal by pouring the powder
+into the glass of water and drinking it off as before.
+
+When we rose from the table my host and hostess retired to their
+respective cabins, while I lit a cigar and went on deck. The sun was
+just disappearing below the horizon and a wonderful hush had fallen upon
+the sea. Scarcely a ripple disturbed its glassy surface, while the track
+the vessel left behind her seemed to lead across the world into the very
+eye of the sinking sun beyond. There was something awe-inspiring in the
+beauty and stillness of the evening. It was like the hush that precedes
+a violent storm, and seeing the captain near the entrance to the
+smoking-room, I made my way along the deck and accosted him, inquiring
+what he thought of the weather.
+
+"I scarcely know what to think of it, monsieur," he answered in French.
+"The glass has fallen considerably since morning. My own opinion is that
+it is working up for a storm."
+
+I agreed with him, and after a few moments' more conversation, thanked
+him for his courtesy and returned aft.
+
+Reaching the skylight, I seated myself upon it. The glasses were lifted
+and through the open space I could see into the saloon below. The mellow
+light of the shaded electric lamps shone upon the rich decorations and
+the inlaid furniture and was reflected in the mirrors on the walls. As
+far as I could see no one was present. I was about to rise and move away
+when a sound came from the Fraeulein Valerie's cabin that caused me to
+remain where I was. Someone was speaking, and that person was a woman.
+Knowing there was no other of her sex on board, this puzzled me more
+than I can say. The voice was harsh, monotonous, unmusical, and grated
+strangely upon the ear. There was a pause, then another, which I
+instantly recognised as belonging to Pharos, commenced.
+
+I had no desire to play the eavesdropper, but for some reason which I
+can not explain I could not choose but listen.
+
+"Come," Pharos was saying in German, "thou canst not disobey me. Hold my
+hand so, open thine eyes, and tell me what thou seest!"
+
+There was a pause for a space in which I could have counted fifty. Then
+the woman's voice answered as slowly and monotonously as before:
+
+"I see a sandy plain, which stretches as far as the eye can reach in all
+directions save one. On that side it is bordered by a range of hills. I
+see a collection of tents, and in the one nearest me a man tossing on a
+bed of sickness."
+
+"Is it he? The man thou knowest?"
+
+There was another pause, and when she answered, the woman's voice was
+even harsher than before:
+
+"It is he."
+
+"What dost thou see now?"
+
+"I am in the dark, and see nothing."
+
+"Hold my hand and wait, thou wilt see more plainly anon. Now that thine
+eyes are accustomed to the darkness, describe to me the place in which
+thou standest."
+
+There was another interval. Then she began again:
+
+"I am in a dark and gloomy cavern. The roof is supported by heavy
+pillars, and they are carved in a style I have never seen before. On the
+ceilings and walls are paintings, and lying on a slab of stone--a dead
+man!"
+
+Once more there was a long silence, until I began to think that I must
+have missed the next question and answer, and that this extraordinary
+catechism had terminated. Then the voice of Pharos recommenced:
+
+"Place thine hand in mine and look once more."
+
+This time the answer was even more bewildering than before.
+
+"I see death," said the voice. "Death on every hand. It continues night
+and day, and the world is full of wailing!"
+
+"It is well, I am satisfied," said Pharos. "Now lie down and sleep. In
+an hour thou wilt wake and wilt remember naught of what thou hast
+revealed to me."
+
+Unable to make anything of what I had heard, I rose from the place where
+I had been sitting and began to pace the deck. The remembrance of the
+conversation to which I had listened irritated me beyond measure. Had I
+been permitted another insight into the deviltry of Pharos, or what was
+the meaning of it? I was still thinking of this when I heard a step
+behind me, and turning, found the man himself approaching me. In the dim
+light of the deck the appearance he presented was not prepossessing, but
+when he approached me I discovered he was in the best of humours, in
+fact in better spirits than I had ever yet seen him.
+
+"I have been looking for you, Mr. Forrester," he said. "It is delightful
+on deck, and I am in just the humour for a chat."
+
+I felt an inclination to tell him that I was not so ready, but before I
+could give him an answer he had noticed my preoccupation.
+
+"You have something on your mind," he said. "I fear you are not as
+pleased with my hospitality as I could wish you to be. What is amiss? Is
+there anything I can do to help you?"
+
+"Nothing, I thank you," I answered a little stiffly. "I have a slight
+headache and am not much disposed for conversation this evening."
+
+Though the excuse I made was virtually true, I did not tell him that I
+had only felt it since I had overheard his conversation a few minutes
+before.
+
+"You must let me cure you," he answered. "I am vain enough to flatter
+myself I have some knowledge of medicine."
+
+I was beginning to wonder if there was anything of which he was
+ignorant. At the same time I was so suspicious of him that I had no
+desire to permit him to practise his arts on me. I accordingly thanked
+him, but declined his services, on the pretext that my indisposition was
+too trifling to call for so much trouble.
+
+"As you will," he answered carelessly. "If you are not anxious to be
+cured, you must, of course, continue to suffer."
+
+So saying, he changed the subject, and for upward of half an hour we
+wandered in the realm of art, discussing the methods of painters past
+and present. Upon this subject, as upon every other, I was amazed at the
+extent and depth of his learning. His taste, I discovered, was
+cosmopolitan, but if he had any preference it was for the early Tuscan
+school. We were still debating this point when a dark figure emerged
+from the companion and came along the deck toward us. Seeing that it was
+the Fraeulein Valerie, I rose from my chair.
+
+"How hot the night is, Mr. Forrester!" she said, as she came up to us.
+"There is thunder in the air, I am sure, and if I am not mistaken we
+shall have a storm before morning."
+
+"I think it more than likely," I answered. "It is extremely oppressive
+below."
+
+"It is almost unbearable," she answered, as she took the seat I offered
+her. "Notwithstanding that fact, I believe I must have fallen asleep in
+my cabin, for I can not remember what I have been doing since dinner."
+
+Recalling the conversation I had overheard, and which had concluded with
+the instruction, "In an hour thou wilt wake and wilt remember naught of
+what thou hast revealed to me," I glanced at Pharos; but his face told
+me nothing.
+
+"I fear you are not quite yourself, my dear," said the latter in a
+kindly tone, as he leaned toward her and placed his skinny hand upon her
+arm. "As you say, it must be the thundery evening. Our friend Forrester
+here is complaining of a headache. Though he will not let me experiment
+upon him, I think I shall have to see what I can do for you. I will
+consult my medicine chest at once."
+
+With this he rose from his seat and, bidding us farewell, went below.
+
+Presently the Fraeulein rose and side by side we walked aft to the
+taffrail. Though I did my best to rouse her from the lethargy into which
+she had fallen, I was unsuccessful. She stood with her slender hands
+clasping the rail before her and her great, dark eyes staring out across
+the waste of water. Never had she looked more beautiful and certainly
+never more sad. Her unhappiness touched me to the heart, and, under the
+influence of my emotion, I approached a little nearer to her.
+
+"You are unhappy," I said. "Is there no way in which I can help you?"
+
+"Not one," she answered bitterly, still gazing steadfastly out to sea.
+"I am beyond the reach of help. Can you realise what it means, Mr.
+Forrester, to be beyond the reach of help?"
+
+The greatest tragedienne the world has seen could not have invested
+those terrible words with greater or more awful meaning.
+
+"No, no," I said; "I can not believe that. You are overwrought to-night.
+You are not yourself. You say things you do not mean."
+
+This time she turned on me almost fiercely.
+
+"Mr. Forrester," she said, "you try to console me; but, as I am beyond
+the reach of help, so I am also beyond the reach of comfort. If you
+could have but the slightest conception of what my life is, you would
+not wonder that I am so wretched."
+
+"Will you not tell me about it?" I answered. "I think you know by this
+time that I may be trusted." Then, sinking my voice a little, I added a
+sentence that I could scarcely believe I had uttered when the words had
+passed my lips. "Valerie, if you do not already know it, let me tell you
+that, although we have not known each other a fortnight, I would give my
+life to serve you."
+
+"And I believe you and thank you for it from the bottom of my heart,"
+she answered with equal earnestness; "but I can tell you nothing." Then,
+after an interval of silence that must have lasted for some minutes, she
+declared her intention of going below.
+
+I accompanied her as far as the saloon, where she once more gave me her
+hand and wished me good-night. As soon as her door had closed behind her
+I went to my own cabin, scarcely able to realise that I had said what I
+had.
+
+I do not know whether it was the heat, or whether it was the excitement
+under which I was labouring. At any rate, I soon discovered that I could
+not sleep. Valerie's beautiful, sad face haunted me continually. Hour
+after hour I lay awake, thinking of her and wondering what the mystery
+could be that surrounded her. The night was oppressively still. Save the
+throbbing of the screw, not a sound was to be heard. The yacht was upon
+an even keel, and scarcely a wavelet splashed against her side. At last
+I could bear the stifling cabin no longer, so, rising from my bunk, I
+dressed myself and sought the coolness of the deck. It was now close
+upon one o'clock, and when I emerged from the companion the moon was a
+hand's-breadth above the sea line, rising like a ball of gold. I seemed
+to have the entire world to myself. Around me was the glassy sea, black
+as ink, save where the moon shone upon it. Treading softly, as if I
+feared my footsteps would wake the sleeping ship, I stepped out of the
+companion and was about to make my way aft when something I saw before
+me caused me to stop. Standing on the grating which extended the whole
+width of the stern behind the after wheel, was a man whom I had no
+difficulty in recognising as Pharos. His hands were lifted above his
+head as if he were invoking the assistance of the Goddess of the Night.
+His head was thrown back, and from the place where I stood I could
+distinctly see the expression upon it. Anything more fiendish could
+scarcely be imagined. It was not the face of a human being, but that of
+a ghoul, so repulsive and yet so fascinating was it. Try how I would, I
+could not withdraw my eyes; and while I watched he spread his arms apart
+and cried something aloud in a language I did not recognise. For upward
+of a minute he remained in this attitude, then, descending from the
+grating, he made his way slowly along the deck and came toward the place
+where I stood.
+
+Afraid of I know not what, I shrank back into the shadow of the hatch.
+Had he discovered my presence I feel convinced, in the humour in which
+he then was, he would have done his best to kill me. Fortunately,
+however, my presence was unsuspected, and he went below without seeing
+me. Then, wiping great beads of sweat from my forehead, I stumbled to
+the nearest skylight, and, seating myself upon it, endeavoured to regain
+my composure. Once more I asked myself the question, "Who and what was
+this man into whose power I had fallen?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+
+The captain was not very far out in his reckoning when he prophesied
+that the unusual calm of the previous evening betokened the approach of
+a storm. Every one who has had experience of the Mediterranean is aware
+with what little warning gales spring up. At daybreak the weather may be
+all that can be desired, and in the evening your ship is fighting her
+way along in the teeth of a hurricane. In this particular instance, when
+I turned into my bunk after the fright Pharos had given me, as narrated
+in the preceding chapter, the sea was as smooth as glass and the sky
+innocent of a single cloud. When I opened my eyes on the morning
+following, the yacht was being pitched up and down and to and fro like a
+cork. A gale of wind was blowing overhead, while every timber sent forth
+an indignant protest against the barbarity to which it was being
+subjected. From the pantry, beyond the saloon companion-ladder, a
+clatter of breaking glass followed every roll, while I was able to
+estimate the magnitude of the seas the little vessel was encountering by
+the number of times her propeller raced as she hung suspended in
+mid-air. For upward of an hour I remained in my bunk, thinking of the
+singular events of the night before and telling myself that were it not
+for the Fraeulein Valerie I could find it in my heart to wish myself out
+of the yacht and back in my own comfortable studio once more. By seven
+o'clock my curiosity was so excited as to what was doing on deck that I
+could no longer remain inactive. I accordingly scrambled out of bed and
+dressed myself, a proceeding which, owing to the movement of the vessel,
+was attended with no small amount of difficulty, and then, clutching at
+everything that would permit of a grip, I passed out of the saloon and
+made my way up the companion-ladder. On glancing through the portholes
+there, a scene of indescribable tumult met my eye. In place of the calm
+and almost monotonous stretch of blue water across which we had been
+sailing so peacefully less than twenty-four hours before, I now saw a
+wild and angry sea, upon which dark, leaden clouds looked down. The gale
+was from the north-east and beat upon our port quarter with relentless
+fury.
+
+My horizon being limited in the companion, I turned the handle and
+prepared to step on to the deck outside. It was only when I had done so
+that I realised how strong the wind was; it caught the door and dashed
+it from my hand as if it had been made of paper, while the cap I had
+upon my head was whisked off and carried away into the swirl of grey
+water astern before I had time to clap my hand to it. Undaunted,
+however, by this mishap, I shut the door, and, hanging on to the
+hand-rail, lest I too should be washed overboard, made my way forward
+and eventually reached the ladder leading to the bridge. By the time I
+put my foot upon the first step I was quite exhausted and had to pause
+in order to recover my breath; and yet, if it was so bad below, how
+shall I describe the scene which greeted my eyes when I stood upon the
+bridge itself? From that dizzy height I was better able to estimate the
+magnitude of the waves and the capabilities of the little vessel for
+withstanding them.
+
+The captain, sea-booted and clad in sou'wester and oilskins, came
+forward and dragged me to a place of safety as soon as he became aware
+of my presence. I saw his lips move, but what with the shrieking of the
+wind in the shrouds and the pounding of the seas on the deck below, what
+he said was quite inaudible. Once in the corner to which he led me, I
+clung to the rails like a drowning man and regarded the world above my
+canvas screen in silent consternation. And I had excellent reasons for
+being afraid, for the picture before me was one that might have appalled
+the stoutest heart. Violent as the sea had appeared from the port of the
+companion hatch, it looked doubly so now; and the higher the waves, the
+deeper the valleys in between. Tossed to and fro, her bows one moment in
+mid-air and the next pointing to the bottom of the ocean, it seemed
+impossible so frail a craft could long withstand the buffeting she was
+receiving. She rolled without ceasing, long, sickening movements
+followed on each occasion by a death-like pause that made the heart
+stand still and forced the belief upon one that she could never right
+herself again. Times out of number I searched the captain's face in the
+hope of deriving some sort of encouragement from it; but I found none.
+On the other hand, it was plain, from the glances he now and again threw
+back along the vessel, and from the strained expression that was never
+absent from his eyes, that he was as anxious as myself, and, since he
+was more conversant with her capabilities, with perhaps greater reason.
+Only the man at the wheel--a tall, gaunt individual, with bushy eyebrows
+and the largest hands I have ever seen on a human being--seemed
+undisturbed. Despite the fact that upon his handling of those frail
+spokes depended the lives of twenty human creatures, he was as undaunted
+by the war of the elements going on around him as if he were sitting by
+the fireside, smoking his pipe, ashore.
+
+For upward of half an hour I remained where the captain had placed me,
+drenched by the spray, listening to the dull thud of the seas as they
+broke upon the deck below, and watching with an interest that amounted
+almost to a pain the streams of water that sluiced backward and forward
+across the bridge every time she rolled. Then, summoning all my courage,
+for I can assure you it was needed, I staggered toward the ladder and
+once more prepared to make my way below. I had not reached the deck,
+however, and fortunately my hands had not quitted the guide rails, when
+a wave larger than any I had yet seen mounted the bulwark and dashed
+aboard, carrying away a boat and twisting the davits, from which it had
+been suspended a moment before, like pieces of bent wire. Had I
+descended a moment earlier, nothing could have prevented me from being
+washed overboard. With a feeling of devout thankfulness in my heart for
+my escape, I remained where I was, clinging to the ladder long after the
+sea had passed and disappeared through the scuppers. Then I descended
+and, holding on to the rails as before, eventually reached the saloon
+entrance in safety.
+
+To be inside, in that still, warm atmosphere, out of the pressure of the
+wind, was a relief beyond all telling, though what sort of object I must
+have looked, with my hair blown in all directions by the wind and my
+clothes soaked through and through by the spray that had dashed upon me
+on the bridge, is more than I can say. Thinking it advisable I should
+change as soon as possible, I made my way to my own cabin, but, before I
+reached it, the door of that occupied by the Fraeulein Valerie opened and
+she came out. That something unusual was the matter I saw at a glance.
+
+"Mr. Forrester," she said, with a scorn in her voice that cut like a
+knife, "come here. I have something curious to show you."
+
+I did as she wished, and forthwith she led me to her cabin. I was not
+prepared, however, for what I found there. Crouching in a corner, almost
+beside himself with fear, and with the frightened face of the monkey
+Pehtes peering out from beneath his coat, was no less a person than
+Pharos, the man I had hitherto supposed insensible to such an emotion.
+In the presence of that death, however, which we all believed to be so
+imminent, he showed himself a coward past all believing. Terror
+incarnate stared from his eyes and rendered him unconscious of our
+scorn. At every roll the vessel gave he shrank farther into his corner,
+glaring at us meanwhile with a ferocity that was not very far removed
+from madness.
+
+At any other time and in any other person such an exhibition might have
+been conducive of pity; in his case, however, it only added to the
+loathing I already felt for him. One thing was very certain, in his
+present condition he was no fit companion for the woman who stood
+clinging to the door behind me. I accordingly determined to get him
+either to his own cabin or to mine without delay.
+
+"Come, come, Monsieur Pharos," I said, "you must not give way like this.
+I have been on deck, and I can assure you there is no immediate danger."
+
+As I said this I stooped and placed my hand upon his shoulder. He threw
+it off with a snarl and a snap of his teeth that was more like the
+action of a mad dog than that of a man.
+
+"You lie, you lie!" he cried in a paroxysm of rage and fear. "I am
+cursed, and I shall never see land again. But I will not die--I will not
+die! There must be some way of keeping the yacht afloat. The captain
+must find one. If any one is to be saved it must be me. Do you hear what
+I say? It must be me."
+
+For the abominable selfishness of this remark I could have struck him.
+
+"Are you a man that you can talk like this in the presence of a woman?"
+I cried. "For shame, sir, for shame! Get up and let me conduct you to
+your own cabin."
+
+With this I lifted him to his feet and, whether he liked it or not, half
+led and half dragged him along the saloon to his own quarters. Once
+there I placed him on his settee, but the next roll of the vessel
+brought him to the floor and left him crouching in the corner, still
+clutching the monkey, his knees almost level with his shoulders, and his
+awful face looking up at me between them. The whole affair was so
+detestable that my gorge rose at it, and when I left him I returned to
+the saloon with a greater detestation of him in my heart than I had felt
+before. I found the Fraeulein Valerie seated at the table.
+
+"Fraeulein," I said, seating myself beside her, "I am afraid you have
+been needlessly alarmed. As I said in there, I give you my word there is
+no immediate danger."
+
+"I _am_ frightened," she answered. "See how my hands are trembling. But
+it is not death I fear."
+
+"You fear that man," I said, nodding my head in the direction of the
+cabin I had just left; "but I assure you, you need not do so, for
+to-day, at least, he is harmless."
+
+"Ah! you do not know him as I do," she replied. "I have seen him like
+this before. As soon as the storm abates he will be himself again, and
+then he will hate us both the more for having been witnesses of his
+cowardice." Then, sinking her voice a little, she added: "I often
+wonder, Mr. Forrester, whether he can be human. If so, he must be the
+only one of his kind in the world, for Nature surely could not permit
+two such men to live."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+
+It was almost dark when the yacht entered the harbour of Port Said,
+though the sky at the back of the town still retained the last lingering
+colours of the sunset, which had been more beautiful that evening than I
+ever remembered to have seen it before. Well acquainted as I was with
+the northern shores of the Mediterranean, this was the first time I had
+been brought into contact with the southern, and, what was more
+important, it was also the first occasion on which I had joined hands
+with the Immemorial East. In the old days I had repeatedly heard it said
+by travellers that Port Said was a place not only devoid of interest,
+but entirely lacking in artistic colour. I take the liberty of
+disagreeing with my informants _in toto_. Port Said greeted me with the
+freshness of a new life. The colouring and quaint architecture of the
+houses, the vociferous boatmen, the monotonous chant of the Arab
+coalers, the string of camels I could just make out turning the corner
+of a distant street, the donkey boys, the Soudanese soldiers at the
+barriers, and last, but by no means least, the crowd of shipping in the
+harbour, constituted a picture that was as full of interest as it was of
+new impressions.
+
+As soon as we were at anchor and the necessary formalities of the port
+had been complied with, Pharos's servant, the man who had accompanied us
+from Pompeii and who had brought me on board in Naples, made his way
+ashore, whence he returned in something less than an hour to inform us
+that he had arranged for a special train to convey us to our
+destination. We accordingly bade farewell to the yacht and were driven
+to the railway-station, a primitive building on the outskirts of the
+town. Here an engine and a single carriage awaited us. We took our
+places and five minutes later were steaming across the flat sandy plain
+that borders the Canal and separates it from the Bitter Lakes.
+
+Ever since the storm, and the unpleasant insight it had afforded me into
+Pharos's character, our relations had been somewhat strained. As the
+Fraeulein Valerie had predicted, as soon as he recovered his
+self-possession, he hated me the more for having been a witness of his
+cowardice. For the remainder of the voyage he scarcely put in an
+appearance on deck, but spent the greater portion of his time in his own
+cabin, though in what manner he occupied himself there I could not
+imagine.
+
+Now that we were in our railway carriage, _en route_ to Cairo, looking
+out upon that dreary landscape, with its dull expanse of water on one
+side, and the high bank of the Canal, with, occasionally, glimpses of
+the passing stations, on the other, we were brought into actual contact,
+and, in consequence, things improved somewhat. But even then we could
+scarcely have been described as a happy party. The Fraeulein Valerie sat
+for the most part silent and preoccupied, facing the engine in the
+right-hand corner; Pharos, wrapped in his heavy fur coat and rug, and
+with his inevitable companion cuddled up beside him, had taken his place
+opposite her. I sat in the farther corner, watching them both and dimly
+wondering at the strangeness of my position. At Ismailia another train
+awaited us, and when we and our luggage had been transshipped to it, we
+continued our journey, entering now on the region of the desert proper.
+The heat was almost unbearable, and to make matters worse, as soon as
+darkness fell and the lamps were lighted, swarms of mosquitoes emerged
+from their hiding-places and descended upon us. The train rolled and
+jolted its way over the sandy plain, passed the battle-fields of
+Tel-el-Kebir and Kassassin, and still Pharos and the woman opposite him
+remained seated in the same position, he with his head thrown back, and
+the same death-like expression upon his face, and she staring out of the
+window, but, I am certain, seeing nothing of the country through which
+we were passing. It was long after midnight when we reached the capital.
+Once more the same obsequious servant was in attendance. A carriage, he
+informed us, awaited our arrival at the station door, and in it we were
+whirled off to the hotel, at which rooms had been engaged for us.
+However disagreeable Pharos might make himself, it was at least certain
+that to travel with him was to do so in luxury.
+
+Of all the impressions I received that day, none struck me with greater
+force than the drive from the station to the hotel. I had expected to
+find a typical Eastern city; in place of it I was confronted with one
+that was almost Parisian, as far as its handsome houses and broad
+tree-shaded streets were concerned. Nor was our hotel behind it in point
+of interest. It proved to be a gigantic affair, elaborately decorated in
+the Egyptian fashion, and replete, as the advertisements say, with every
+modern convenience. The owner himself met us at the entrance, and from
+the fact that he informed Pharos, with the greatest possible respect,
+that his old suite of rooms had been retained for him, I gathered that
+they were not strangers to each other.
+
+"At last we are in Cairo, Mr. Forrester," said the latter, with an ugly
+sneer, when we had reached our sitting-room, in which a meal had been
+prepared for us, "and the dream of your life is realised. I hasten to
+offer you my congratulations."
+
+In my own mind I had a doubt as to whether it was a matter of
+congratulation to me to be there in his company. I, however, made an
+appropriate reply, and then assisted the Fraeulein Valerie to divest
+herself of her travelling cloak. When she had done so we sat down to our
+meal. The long railway journey had made us hungry, but, though I
+happened to know that he had tasted nothing for more than eight hours,
+Pharos would not join us. As soon as we had finished we bade each other
+good-night and retired to our various apartments.
+
+On reaching my room I threw open my window and looked out. I could
+scarcely believe that I was in the place in which my father had taken
+such delight and where he had spent so many of the happiest hours of his
+life.
+
+When I woke, my first thought was to study the city from my bedroom
+window. It was an exquisite morning, and the scene before me more than
+equalled it in beauty. From where I stood I looked away across the flat
+roofs of houses, over the crests of palm trees, into the blue distance
+beyond, where, to my delight, I could just discern the Pyramids peering
+up above the Nile. In the street below stalwart Arabs, donkey boys, and
+almost every variety of beggar could be seen, and while I watched,
+emblematical of the change in the administration of the country, a guard
+of Highlanders, with a piper playing at their head, marched by _en
+route_ to the headquarters of the Army of Occupation.
+
+As usual, Pharos did not put in an appearance when breakfast was served.
+Accordingly, the Fraeulein and I sat down to it alone. When we had
+finished we made our way to the cool stone veranda, where we seated
+ourselves, and I obtained permission to smoke a cigarette. That my
+companion had something upon her mind I was morally convinced. She
+appeared nervous and ill at ease, and I noticed that more than once,
+when I addressed some remark to her, she glanced eagerly at my face as
+if she hoped to obtain an opening for what she wanted to say, and then,
+finding that I was only commenting on the stateliness of some Arab
+passer-by, the beautiful peep of blue sky permitted us between two white
+buildings opposite, or the graceful foliage of a palm overhanging a
+neighbouring wall, she would heave a sigh and turn impatiently from me
+again.
+
+"Mr. Forrester," she said at last, when she could bear it no longer, "I
+intended to have spoken to you yesterday, but I was not vouchsafed an
+opportunity. You told me on board the yacht that there was nothing you
+would not do to help me. I have a favour to ask of you now. Will you
+grant it?"
+
+Guessing from her earnestness what was coming, I hesitated before I
+replied.
+
+"Would it not be better to leave it to my honour to do or not to do so
+after you have told me what it is?" I asked.
+
+"No; you must give me your promise first," she replied. "Believe me, I
+mean it when I say that your compliance with my request will make me a
+happier woman than I have been for some time past." Here she blushed a
+rosy red, as though she thought she had said too much. "But it is
+possible my happiness does not weigh with you."
+
+"It weighs very heavily," I replied. "It is on that account I can not
+give my promise blindfold."
+
+On hearing this she seemed somewhat disappointed.
+
+"I did not think you would refuse me," she said, "since what I am going
+to ask of you is only for your own good. Mr. Forrester, you have seen
+something on board the yacht of the risk you run while you are
+associated with Pharos. You are now on land again and your own master.
+If you desire to please me, you will take the opportunity and go away.
+Every hour that you remain here only adds to your danger. The crisis
+will soon come, and then you will find that you have neglected my
+warning too long."
+
+"Forgive me," I answered, this time as seriously as even she could
+desire, "if I say that I have not neglected your warning. Since you have
+so often pointed it out to me, and judging from what I have already seen
+of the character of the old gentleman in question, I can quite believe
+that he is capable of any villainy; but, if you will pardon my reminding
+you of it, I think you have heard my decision before. I am willing, nay,
+even eager to go away, provided you will do the same. If, however, you
+decline, then I remain. More than that I will not, and less than that I
+can not, promise."
+
+"What you ask is impossible; it is out of the question," she continued.
+"As I have told you so often before, Mr. Forrester, I am bound to him
+forever and by chains that no human power can break. What is more, even
+if I were to do as you wish, it would be useless. The instant he wanted
+me, if he were thousands of miles away and only breathed my name, I
+should forget your kindness, my freedom, his old cruelty--everything, in
+fact--and go back to him. Have you not seen enough of us to know that
+where he is concerned, I have no will of my own? Besides--but there, I
+can not tell you any more! Let it suffice that I can not do as you ask."
+
+Remembering the interview I had overheard that night on board the yacht,
+I did not know what to say. That Pharos had her under his influence I
+had, as she had said, seen enough to be convinced. And yet, regarded in
+the light of our sober, every-day life, how impossible it all seemed! I
+looked at the beautiful, fashionably-dressed woman seated by my side,
+playing with the silver handle of her Parisian parasol, and wondered if
+I could be dreaming, and whether I should presently waken to find myself
+in bed in my comfortable rooms in London once more, and my servant
+entering with my shaving-water.
+
+"I think you are very cruel!" she said, when I returned no answer.
+"Surely you must be aware how much it adds to my unhappiness to know
+that another is being drawn into his toils, and yet you refuse to do the
+one and only thing which can make my mind easier."
+
+"Fraeulein," I said, rising and standing before her, "the first time I
+saw you I knew that you were unhappy. I could see that the canker of
+some great sorrow was eating into your heart. I wished that I could help
+you, and Fate accordingly willed that I should make your acquaintance.
+Afterward, by a terrible series of coincidences, I was brought into
+personal contact with your life. I found that my first impression was a
+correct one. You were miserable, as, thank God! few human beings are. On
+the night that I dined with you in Naples you warned me of the risk I
+was running in associating with Pharos and implored me to save myself.
+When I knew that you were bound hand and foot to him, can you wonder
+that I declined? Since then I have been permitted further opportunities
+of seeing what your life with him is like. Once more you ask me to save
+myself, and once more I make you this answer. If you will accompany me,
+I will go; and if you do so, I swear to God that I will protect and
+shield you to the best of my ability. I have many influential friends
+who will count it an honour to take you into their families until
+something can be arranged, and with whom you will be safe. On the other
+hand, if you will not go, I pledge you my word that so long as you
+remain in this man's company I will do so too. No argument will shake my
+determination and no entreaty move me from the position I have taken
+up."
+
+I searched her face for some sign of acquiescence, but could find none.
+It was bloodless in its pallor, and yet so beautiful that at any other
+time and in any other place I should have been compelled by the love I
+felt for her--a love that I now knew to be stronger than life itself--to
+take her in my arms and tell her that she was the only woman in the wide
+world for me, that I would protect her, not only against Pharos, but
+against his master Apollyon himself. Now, however, such a confession was
+impossible. Situated as we were, hemmed in by dangers on every side, to
+speak of love to her would have been little better than an insult.
+
+"What answer do you give me?" I said, seeing that she did not speak.
+
+"Only that you are cruel," she replied. "You know my misery, and yet you
+add to it. Have I not told you that I should be a happier woman if you
+went?"
+
+"You must forgive me for saying so, but I do not believe it," I said,
+with a boldness and a vanity that surprised even myself. "No, Fraeulein,
+do not let us play at cross-purposes. It is evident you are afraid of
+this man, and that you believe yourself to be in his power. I feel
+convinced it is not as bad as you say. Look at it in a matter-of-fact
+light and tell me how it can be so? Supposing you leave him now, and we
+fly, shall we say, to London. You are your own mistress and quite at
+liberty to go. At any rate, you are not his property to do with as he
+likes, so if he follows you and persists in annoying you, there are many
+ways of inducing him to refrain from doing so."
+
+She shook her head.
+
+"Once more, I say, how little you know him, Mr. Forrester, and how
+poorly you estimate his powers! Since you have forced me to it, let me
+tell you that I have twice tried to do what you propose--once in St.
+Petersburg and once in Norway. He had terrified me, and I swore that I
+would rather die than see his face again. Almost starving, supporting
+myself as best I could by my music, I made my way to Moscow, thence to
+Kiev and Lemburg, and across the Carpathians to Buda-Pesth. Some old
+friends of my father's, to whom I was ultimately forced to appeal, took
+me in. I remained with them a month, and during that time heard nothing
+either of or from Monsieur Pharos. Then, one night, when I sat alone in
+my bedroom, after my friends had retired to rest, a strange feeling that
+I was not alone in the room came over me--a feeling that something, I do
+not know what, was standing behind me, urging me to leave the house and
+to go out into the wood which adjoined it, to meet the man whom I feared
+more than poverty, more than starvation, more even than death itself.
+Unable to refuse, or even to argue with myself, I rose, drew a cloak
+about my shoulders and, descending the stairs, unbarred a door and went
+swiftly down the path toward the dark wood to which I have just
+referred. Incredible as it may seem, I had not been deceived. Pharos
+was there, seated on a fallen tree, waiting for me."
+
+"And the result?"
+
+"The result was that I never returned to the house, nor have I any
+recollection of what happened at our interview. The next thing I
+remember was finding myself in Paris. Months afterward I learned that my
+friends had searched high and low for me in vain, and had at last come
+to the conclusion that my melancholy had induced me to make away with
+myself. I wrote to them to say that I was safe, and to ask their
+forgiveness, but my letter has never been answered. The next time was in
+Norway. While we were there a young Norwegian pianist came under the
+spoil of Pharos's influence. But the load of misery he was called upon
+to bear was too much for him and he killed himself. In one of his cruel
+moments Pharos congratulated me on the success with which I had acted as
+his decoy. Realising the part I had unconsciously played, and knowing
+that escape in any other direction was impossible, I resolved to follow
+the wretched lad's example. I arranged everything as carefully as a
+desperate woman could do. We were staying at the time near one of the
+deepest fjords, and if I could only reach the place unseen, I was
+prepared to throw myself over into the water five hundred feet below.
+Every preparation was made, and when I thought Pharos was asleep I crept
+from the house and made my way along the rough mountain path to the spot
+where I was going to say farewell to my wretched life for good and all.
+For days past I had been nerving myself for the deed. Reaching the spot
+I stood upon the brink gazing down into the depths below, thinking of my
+poor father, whom I expected soon to join, and wondering when my mangled
+body would be found. Then, lifting my arms above my head, I was about
+to let myself go, when a voice behind me ordered me to stop. I
+recognised it, and though I knew that before he could approach me it was
+possible for me to effect my purpose and place myself beyond even his
+power forever, I was unable to do as I desired.
+
+"'Come here,' he said--and since you know him you can imagine how he
+would say it--'this is the second time you have endeavoured to outwit
+me. First you sought refuge in flight, but I brought you back. Now you
+have tried suicide, but once more I have defeated you. Learn this, that
+as in life so even in death you are mine, to do with as I will.' After
+that he led me back to the hotel, and from that time I have been
+convinced that nothing can release me from the chains that bind me."
+
+Once more I thought of the conversation I had overheard through the
+saloon skylight on board the yacht. What comfort to give her or what
+answer to make I did not know. I was still debating this in my mind when
+she rose and, offering some excuse, left me and went into the house.
+When she had gone, I seated myself in my chair again and tried to think
+out what she had told me. It seemed impossible that her story could be
+true, and yet I knew her well enough by this time to feel sure that she
+would not lie to me. But for such a man as Pharos to exist in this
+prosaic nineteenth century, and stranger still, for me, Cyril Forrester,
+who had always prided myself on my clearness of head, to believe in him,
+was absurd. That I was beginning to do so was, in a certain sense, only
+too true. I was resolved, however, that, happen what might in the
+future, I would keep my wits about me and endeavour to outwit him, not
+only for my own sake, but for that of the woman I loved, whom I could
+not induce to seek refuge in flight while she had the opportunity.
+
+During the afternoon I saw nothing of Pharos. He kept himself closely
+shut up in his own apartment and was seen only by that same impassive
+man-servant I have elsewhere described. The day, however, was not
+destined to go by without my coming in contact with him. The Fraeulein
+Valerie and I had spent the evening in the cool hall of the hotel, but
+being tired she had bidden me good-night and gone to her room at an
+early hour. Scarcely knowing what to do with myself, I was making my way
+upstairs to my room, when the door of Pharos's apartment opened and to
+my surprise the old man emerged. He was dressed for going out--that is
+to say, he wore his long fur coat and curious cap. On seeing him I
+stepped back into the shadow of the doorway, and was fortunate enough to
+be able to do so before he became aware of my presence. As soon as he
+had passed I went to the balustrading and watched him go down the
+stairs, wondering as I did so what was taking him from home at such a
+late hour. The more I thought of it the more inquisitive I became. A
+great temptation seized me to follow him and find out. Being unable to
+resist it, I went to my room, found my hat, slipped a revolver into my
+pocket, in case I might want it, and set off after him.
+
+On reaching the great hall, I was just in time to see him step into a
+carriage, which had evidently been ordered for him beforehand. The
+driver cracked his whip, the horses started off, and, by the time I
+stood in the porch, the carriage was a good distance down the street.
+
+"Has my friend gone?" I cried to the porter, as if I had hastened
+downstairs in the hope of seeing him before he left. "I had changed my
+mind and intended accompanying him. Call me a cab as quickly as you
+can."
+
+One of the neat little victorias which ply in the streets of Cairo was
+immediately forthcoming, and into it I sprang.
+
+"Tell the man to follow the other carriage," I said to the porter, "as
+fast as he can go."
+
+The porter said something in Arabic to the driver, and a moment later we
+were off in pursuit.
+
+It was a beautiful night, and, after the heat of the day, the rush
+through the cool air was infinitely refreshing. It was not until we had
+gone upward of a mile, and the first excitement of the chase had a
+little abated, that the folly of what I was doing came home to me, but
+even then it did not induce me to turn back. Connected with Pharos as I
+was, I was determined if possible to find out something more about him
+and his doings before I permitted him to get a firmer hold upon me. If I
+could only discover his business on this particular night, it struck me,
+I might know how to deal with him. I accordingly pocketed my scruples,
+and slipping my hand into my pocket to make sure that my revolver was
+there, I permitted my driver to proceed upon his way unhindered. By this
+time we had passed the Kasr-en-Nil barracks, and were rattling over the
+great Nile bridge. It was plain from this that whatever the errand might
+be that was taking him abroad, it at least had no connection with old
+Cairo.
+
+Crossing the Island of Bulak, and leaving the caravan depot on our left,
+we headed away under the avenue of beautiful Lebbek-trees along the road
+to Gizeh. At first I thought it must be the Museum he was aiming for,
+but this idea was dispelled when we passed the great gates and turned
+sharp to the right hand. Holding my watch to the carriage-lamp, I
+discovered that it wanted only a few minutes to eleven o'clock.
+
+Although still shaded with Lebbek-trees, the road no longer ran between
+human habitations, but far away on the right and left a few twinkling
+lights proclaimed the existence of Fellahin villages. Of foot-passengers
+we saw none, and save the occasional note of a night-bird, the howling
+of a dog in the far distance, and the rattle of our own wheels, scarcely
+a sound was to be heard. Gradually the road, which was raised several
+feet above the surrounding country, showed a tendency to ascend, and
+just as I was beginning to wonder what sort of a Will-o'-the-wisp chase
+it was upon which I was being led, and what the upshot of it would be,
+it came to an abrupt standstill, and towering into the starlight above
+me, I saw two things which swept away all my doubts, and told me, as
+plainly as any words could speak, that we were at the end of our
+journey. _We had reached the Pyramids of Gizeh._ As soon as I understood
+this, I signed to my driver to pull up, and, making him understand as
+best I could that he was to await my return, descended and made my way
+toward the Pyramids on foot. Keeping my eye on Pharos, whom I could see
+ahead of me, and taking care not to allow him to become aware that he
+was being followed, I began the long pull up to the plateau on which the
+largest of these giant monuments is situated. Fortunately for me the
+sand not only prevented any sound from reaching him, but its colour
+enabled me to keep him well in sight. The road from the Mena House Hotel
+to the Great Pyramid is not a long one, but what it lacks in length it
+makes up in steepness. Never losing sight of Pharos for an instant, I
+ascended it. On arriving at the top, I noticed that he went straight
+forward to the base of the huge mass, and when he was sixty feet or so
+from it, called something in a loud voice. He had scarcely done so
+before a figure emerged from the shadow and approached him. Fearing they
+might see me, I laid myself down on the sand behind a large block of
+stone, whence I could watch them, remaining myself unseen.
+
+As far as I could tell, the new-comer was undoubtedly an Arab, and from
+the way in which he towered above Pharos, must have been a man of
+gigantic stature. For some minutes they remained in earnest
+conversation. Then, leaving the place where they had met, they went
+forward toward the great building, the side of which they presently
+commenced to climb. After a little they disappeared, and, feeling
+certain they had entered the Pyramid itself, I rose to my feet and
+determined to follow.
+
+The Great Pyramid, as all the world, knows, is composed of enormous
+blocks of granite, each about three feet high, and arranged after the
+fashion of enormous steps. The entrance to the passage which leads to
+the interior is on the thirteenth tier, and nearly fifty feet from the
+ground. With a feeling of awe which may be very well understood, when I
+reached it I paused before entering. I did not know on the threshold of
+what discovery I might be standing. And what was more, I reflected that
+if Pharos found me following him, my life would in all probability pay
+the forfeit. My curiosity, however, was greater than my judgment, and
+being determined, since I had come so far, not to go back without
+learning all there was to know, I hardened my heart, and, stooping down,
+entered the passage. When I say that it is less than four feet in
+height, and of but little more than the same width, and that for the
+first portion of the way the path slopes downward at an angle of
+twenty-six degrees, some vague idea may be obtained of the unpleasant
+place it is. But if I go on to add that the journey had to be undertaken
+in total darkness, without any sort of knowledge of what lay before me,
+or whether I should ever be able to find my way out again, the
+foolhardiness of the undertaking will be even more apparent. Step by
+step, and with a caution which I can scarcely exaggerate, I made my way
+down the incline, trying every inch before I put my weight upon it and
+feeling the walls carefully with either hand in order to make sure that
+no other passages branched off to right or left. After I had been
+advancing for what seemed an interminable period, but could not in
+reality have been more than five minutes. I found myself brought to a
+standstill by a solid wall of stone. For a moment I was at a loss how to
+proceed. Then I found that there was a turn in the passage, and the
+path, instead of continuing to descend, was beginning to work upward,
+whereupon, still feeling my way as before, I continued my journey of
+exploration. The heat was stifling, and more than once foul things, that
+only could have been bats, flapped against my face and hands and sent a
+cold shudder flying over me. Had I dared for a moment to think of the
+immense quantity of stone that towered above me, or what my fate would
+be had a stone fallen from its place and blocked the path behind me, I
+believe I should have been lost for good and all. But, frightened as I
+was, a greater terror was in store for me.
+
+After I had been proceeding for some time along the passage, I found
+that it was growing gradually higher. The air was cooler, and raising my
+head cautiously in order not to bump it against the ceiling, I
+discovered that I was able to stand upright. I lifted my hand, first a
+few inches, and then to the full extent of my arm; but the roof was
+still beyond my reach. I moved a little to my right in order to
+ascertain if I could touch the wall, and then to the left. But once more
+only air rewarded me. It was evident that I had left the passage and was
+standing in some large apartment; but, since I knew nothing of the
+interior of the Pyramid, I could not understand what it was or where it
+could be situated. Feeling convinced in my own mind that I had missed my
+way, since I had neither heard nor seen anything of Pharos, I turned
+round and set off in what I considered must be the direction of the
+wall; but though I walked step by step, once more feeling every inch of
+the way with my foot before I put it down, I seemed to have covered
+fifty yards before my knuckles came in contact with it. Having located
+it, I fumbled my way along it in the hope that I might discover the
+doorway through which I had entered; but though I tried for some
+considerable time, no sort of success rewarded me. I paused and tried to
+remember which way I had been facing when I made the discovery that I
+was no longer in the passage. In the dark, however, one way seemed like
+another, and I had turned myself about so many times that it was
+impossible to tell which was the original direction. Oh, how bitterly I
+repented having ever left the hotel! For all I knew to the contrary I
+might have wandered into some subterranean chamber never visited by the
+Bedouins or tourists, whence my feeble cries for help would not be
+heard, and in which I might remain until death took pity on me and
+released me from my sufferings.
+
+Fighting down the terror that had risen in my heart and threatened to
+annihilate me, I once more commenced my circuit of the walls, but again
+without success. I counted my steps backward and forward in the hope of
+locating my position. I went straight ahead on the chance of striking
+the doorway haphazard, but it was always with the same unsatisfactory
+result. Against my better judgment I endeavoured to convince myself that
+I was really in no danger, but it was useless. At last my fortitude gave
+way, a clammy sweat broke out upon my forehead, and remembering that
+Pharos was in the building, I shouted aloud to him for help. My voice
+rang and echoed in that ghastly chamber till the reiteration of it
+well-nigh drove me mad. I listened, but no answer came. Once more I
+called, but with the same result. At last, thoroughly beside myself with
+terror, I began to run aimlessly about the room in the dark, beating
+myself against the walls and all the time shouting at the top of my
+voice for assistance. Only when I had no longer strength to move, or
+voice to continue my appeals, did I cease, and falling upon the ground
+rocked myself to and fro in silent agony. Times out of number I cursed
+myself and my senseless stupidity in having left the hotel to follow
+Pharos. I had sworn to protect the woman I loved, and yet on the first
+opportunity I had ruined everything by behaving in this thoughtless
+fashion.
+
+Once more I sprang to my feet and once more I set off on my interminable
+search. This time I went more quietly to work, feeling my way carefully
+and making a mental note of every indentation in the walls. Being
+unsuccessful, I commenced again, and once more scored a failure. Then
+the horrible silence, the death-like atmosphere, the flapping of the
+bats in the darkness, and the thought of the history and age of the
+place in which I was imprisoned, must have affected my brain, and for a
+space I believe I went mad. At any rate, I have a confused recollection
+of running round and round that loathsome place and of at last falling
+exhausted upon the ground, firmly believing my last hour had come. Then
+my senses left me and I became unconscious.
+
+How long I remained in the condition I have just described I can not
+say. All I know is that when I opened my eyes I found the chamber bright
+with the light of torches, and no less a person than Pharos kneeling
+beside me. Behind him, but at a respectful distance, were a number of
+Arabs, and among them a man whose height could scarcely have been less
+than seven feet. This was evidently the individual who had met Pharos at
+the entrance to the Pyramid.
+
+"Rise," said Pharos, addressing me, "and let this be a warning to you
+never to attempt to spy on me again. Think not that I was unaware that
+you were following me, or that the mistake on your part in taking the
+wrong turning in the passage was not ordained. The time has now gone by
+for me to speak to you in riddles; our comedy is at an end, and for the
+future you are my property to do with as I please. You will have no will
+but my pleasure, no thought but to act as I shall tell you. Rise and
+follow me."
+
+Having said this, he made a sign to the torch-bearers, who immediately
+led the way toward the door which was now easy enough to find. Pharos
+followed them, and, more dead than alive, I came next, while the tall
+man I have mentioned brought up the rear. In this order we groped our
+way down the narrow passage. Then it was that I discovered the mistake I
+had made in entering. Whether by accident, or by the exercise of
+Pharos's will, as he had desired me to believe, it was plain I had taken
+the wrong turning, and, instead of going on to the King's Hall, where no
+doubt I should have found the man I was following, I had turned to the
+left and had entered the apartment popularly, but erroneously, called
+the Queen's Chamber.
+
+It would have been difficult to estimate the thankfulness I felt on
+reaching the open air once more. How sweet the cool night wind seemed
+after the close and suffocating atmosphere of the Pyramid I can not hope
+to make you understand. And yet, if I had only known, it would have been
+better for me, far better, had I never been found, and my life come to
+an end when I fell senseless upon the floor.
+
+When we had left the passage and had clambered down to the sands once
+more, Pharos bade me follow him, and leading the way round the base of
+the Pyramid, conducted me down the hill toward the Sphinx.
+
+For fully thirty years I had looked forward to the moment when I should
+stand before this stupendous monument and try to read its riddle; but in
+my wildest dreams I had never thought to do so in such company. Looking
+down at me in the starlight, across the gulf of untold centuries, it
+seemed to smile disdainfully at my small woes.
+
+"To-night," said Pharos, in that same extraordinary voice he had used a
+quarter of an hour before, when he bade me follow him, "you enter upon a
+new phase of your existence. Here, under the eyes of the Watcher of
+Harmachis, you shall learn something of the wisdom of the ancients."
+
+At a signal the tall man whom he had met at the foot of the Pyramid
+sprang forward and seized me by the arms from behind with a grip of
+iron. Then Pharos produced from his pocket a small case containing a
+bottle. From the latter he poured a few spoonfuls of some fluid into a
+silver cup, which he placed to my mouth.
+
+"Drink," he said.
+
+At any other time I should have refused to comply with such a request;
+but on this occasion so completely had I fallen under his influence that
+I was powerless to disobey.
+
+The opiate, or whatever it was, must have been a powerful one, for I had
+scarcely swallowed it before an attack of giddiness seized me. The
+outline of the Sphinx and the black bulk of the Great Pyramid beyond
+were merged in the general darkness. I could hear the wind of the desert
+singing in my ears and the voice of Pharos muttering something in an
+unknown tongue beside me. After that I sank down on the sand and
+presently became oblivious of everything.
+
+How long I remained asleep I have no idea. All I know is, that with a
+suddenness that was almost startling, I found myself awake and standing
+in a crowded street. The sun shone brilliantly, and the air was soft and
+warm. Magnificent buildings, of an architecture that my studies had long
+since made me familiar with, lined it on either hand, while in the
+roadway were many chariots and gorgeously-furnished litters, before and
+beside which ran slaves, crying aloud in their masters' names for room.
+
+From the position of the sun in the sky, I gathered that it must be
+close upon midday. The crowd was momentarily increasing, and as I
+walked, marvelling at the beauty of the buildings, I was jostled to and
+fro and oftentimes called upon to stand aside. That something unusual
+had happened to account for this excitement was easily seen, but what it
+was, being a stranger, I had no idea. Sounds of wailing greeted me on
+every side, and in all the faces upon which I looked signs of
+overwhelming sorrow were to be seen.
+
+Suddenly a murmur of astonishment and anger ran through the crowd, which
+separated hurriedly to right and left. A moment later a man came
+through the lane thus formed. He was short and curiously misshapen, and
+as he walked he covered his face with the sleeve of his robe, as though
+he were stricken with grief or shame.
+
+Turning to a man who stood beside me, and who seemed even more excited
+than his neighbours, I inquired who the new-comer might be.
+
+"Who art thou, stranger?" he answered, turning sharply on me. "And
+whence comest thou that thou knowest not Ptahmes, Chief of the King's
+Magicians? Learn, then, that he hath fallen from his high estate,
+inasmuch as he made oath before Pharaoh that the first-born of the King
+should take no hurt from the spell this Israelitish sorcerer, Moses,
+hath cast upon the land. Now the child and all the first-born of Egypt
+are dead, and the heart of Pharaoh being hardened against his servant,
+he hath shamed him and driven him from before his face."
+
+As he finished speaking, the disgraced man withdrew his robe from his
+face, and I realised the astounding fact _that Ptahmes the Magician and
+Pharos the Egyptian were not ancestor and descendant, but one and the
+same person_.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+
+Of the circumstances under which my senses returned to me after the
+remarkable vision, for that is the only name I can assign to it, which I
+have described in the preceding chapter, only the vaguest recollection
+remains to me.
+
+When Pharos had ordered me to drink the stuff he had poured out, we were
+standing before the Sphinx at Gizeh; now, when I opened my eyes, I was
+back once more in my bedroom at the hotel in Cairo. Brilliant sunshine
+was streaming in through the jalousies, and I could hear footsteps in
+the corridor outside. At first I felt inclined to treat the whole as a
+dream; but the marks upon my hands, made when I had beaten them on the
+rough walls of that terrible chamber in the Pyramid, soon showed me the
+futility of so doing. I remembered how I had run round and round that
+dreadful place in search of a way out, and the horror of the
+recollection was sufficient to bring a cold sweat out once more upon my
+forehead. Strange to say, I mean strange in the light of all that has
+transpired since, the memory of the threat Pharos had used to me caused
+me no uneasiness, and yet, permeating my whole being, was a loathing for
+him and a haunting fear that was beyond description in words. This
+dislike was the outcome not so much of a physical animosity, if I may so
+designate it, as of a peculiar description of supernatural fear. Reason
+with myself as I would I could not get rid of the belief that the man
+was more than he pretended to be, that there was some link between him
+and the Unseen which it was impossible for me to understand. Arguing
+with myself in this way I was the more disposed to believe in the vision
+of the preceding night.
+
+On consulting my watch I was amazed to find that it wanted only a few
+minutes of ten o'clock. I sprang from my bed, and a moment later came
+within an ace of measuring my length upon the floor. What occasioned
+this weakness I could not tell, but the fact remains that I was as
+feeble as a little child. The room spun round and round until I became
+so giddy that I was compelled to clutch at a table for support. What was
+even stranger, I was conscious of a sharp pricking on my left arm a
+little above the elbow, which eventually became so sharp that it could
+be felt not only on the tips of my fingers but for some distance down my
+side. To examine the place was the work of a moment. On the fleshy part
+of the arm, three inches or so above the elbow, was a small spot, such
+as might have been made by some sharp pointed instrument, a hypodermic
+syringe for instance, and which was fast changing from a pale pink to a
+purple hue. My wonderment was increased when I discovered that the spot
+itself, and the flesh surrounding it for more than an inch, was
+incapable of sensation. I puzzled my brains in vain to account for its
+presence there. I could not remember scratching myself with anything in
+my room, nor could I discover that the coat I bad worn on the preceding
+evening showed any signs of a puncture.
+
+After a few moments the feeling of weakness which had seized me when I
+first left my bed wore off. I accordingly dressed myself with as much
+despatch as I could put into the operation, and my toilet being
+completed, left my room and went in search of the Fraeulein Valerie. To
+my disappointment she was not visible. I, however, discovered Pharos
+seated in the veranda, in the full glare of the morning sun, with the
+monkey, Pehtes, on his knee. For once he was in the very best of
+tempers. Indeed, since I had first made his acquaintance I never
+remembered to have known him so merry. At a sign I seated myself beside
+him.
+
+"My friend," he began, "I am rejoiced to see you. Permit me to inform
+you that you had a narrow escape last night. However, since you are up
+and about this morning I presume you are feeling none the worse for it."
+
+I described the fit of vertigo which had overtaken me when I rose from
+my bed, and went on to question him as to what had happened after I had
+become unconscious on the preceding night.
+
+"I assure you you came very near being a lost man," he answered. "As
+good luck had it I had not left the Pyramid and so heard you cry for
+help, otherwise you might be in the Queen's Hall at this minute. You
+were unconscious when we found you, and you had not recovered by the
+time we reached home again."
+
+"Not recovered?" I cried in amazement. "But I walked out of the Pyramid
+unassisted, and accompanied you across the sands to the Sphinx, where
+you gave me something to drink and made me see a vision."
+
+Pharos gazed incredulously at me.
+
+"My dear fellow, you must have dreamed it," he said. "After all you had
+gone through it is scarcely likely I should have permitted you to walk,
+while as for the vision you speak of--well, I must leave that to your
+own common sense. If necessary my servants will testify to the
+difficulty we experienced in getting you out of the Pyramid, while the
+very fact that you yourself have no recollection of the homeward
+journey would help to corroborate what I say."
+
+This was all very plausible; at the same time I was far from being
+convinced. I knew my man too well by this time to believe that because
+he denied any knowledge of the circumstance in question he was really as
+innocent as he was plainly anxious I should think him. The impression
+the vision, for I shall always call it by that name, had made upon me
+was still clear and distinct in my mind. I closed my eyes and once more
+saw the street filled with that strangely dressed crowd, which drew back
+on either hand to make a way for the disgraced Magician to pass through.
+It was all so real, and yet, as I am compelled to confess, so
+improbable, that I scarcely know what to think. Before I could come to
+any satisfactory decision Pharos turned to me again.
+
+"Whatever your condition last night may have been," he said, "it is
+plain you are better this morning, and I am rejoiced to see it, for the
+reason I have made arrangements to complete the business which has
+brought us here. Had you not been well enough to travel I should have
+been compelled to leave you behind."
+
+I searched his face for an explanation.
+
+"The mummy?" I asked.
+
+"Exactly," he replied. "The mummy. We leave Cairo this afternoon for
+Luxor. I have made the necessary arrangements, and we join the steamer
+at midday, that is to say in about two hours' time."
+
+I inquired after the Fraeulein Valerie, whom I had not yet seen,
+whereupon Pharos informed me that she had gone to her cabin to prepare
+for the excursion up the Nile.
+
+"And now, Mr. Forrester," he said, rising from his chair and returning
+the monkey to his place of shelter in the breast of his coat, "if I were
+you I should follow her example. It will be necessary for us to start as
+punctually as possible."
+
+Sharp on the stroke of twelve a carriage made its appearance at the door
+of the hotel. The Fraeulein Valerie, Pharos, and myself took our places
+in it, the gigantic Arab whom I had seen at the Pyramid on the preceding
+night, and who I was quite certain had held my arms when Pharos
+compelled me to drink the potion before the Sphinx, took his place
+beside the driver, and we set off along the road to Bulak _en route_ to
+the Embabeh. Having reached this, one of the most characteristic spots
+in Cairo, we made our way along the bank toward a landing-stage, beside
+which a handsome steamer was moored. If anything had been wanting to
+convince me of the respect felt for Pharos by the Arabs, I should have
+found it in the behaviour of the crew of this vessel. Had he been imbued
+with the powers of life and death, they could scarcely have stood in
+greater awe of him.
+
+Our party being on board, there was no occasion for any further delay,
+consequently, as soon as we had reached the upper deck, the ropes were
+cast off, and with prodigious fuss the steamer made her way out into mid
+stream, and began the voyage which was destined to end in such a strange
+fashion for all our party.
+
+Full as my life had been of extraordinary circumstances during the last
+few weeks, I am not certain that my feelings as I stood upon the deck of
+the steamer while she made her way up stream, passed the Khedive's
+Palace, the Kasr-en-Nil barracks, Kasr-el-Ain, the Island of Rodah, and
+Gizeh, did not eclipse them. Our vessel was a most luxurious one, and to
+charter her must have cost Pharos a pretty penny. Immediately we got
+under way the latter departed to his cabin, while the Fraeulein Valerie
+and I stood side by side under the awning, watching the fast-changing
+landscape in silence. The day was hot, with scarcely a breath of wind to
+cool the air. Ever since the first week in June the Nile had been
+rising, and was now running a swift and muddy river only a few feet
+below the level of her banks. I looked at my companion, and as I did so
+thought of all that we had been through together in the short time we
+had known each other. Less than a month before, Pharos and I had to all
+intents and purposes been strangers, and Valerie and I had not met at
+all. Now I was embarking on a voyage up the Nile in their company, and
+for what purpose? To restore the body of Merenptah's Chief Magician to
+the tomb from which it had been taken by my own father nearly twenty
+years before. Could anything have seemed more unlikely, and yet could
+anything have been more true? Amiable as were my relations with my host
+at present, there was a feeling deep down in my heart that troublous
+times lay ahead of us. The explanation Pharos had given me of what had
+occurred on the preceding night had been plausible enough, as I have
+said, and yet I was far from being convinced by it. There were only two
+things open to me to believe. Either he had stood over me saying, "For
+the future you are mine to do with as I please; you will have no will
+but my pleasure, no thought but to act as I shall tell you," or I had
+dreamed it. When I had taxed him with it some hours before, he had
+laughed at me, and had told me to attribute it all to the excited
+condition of my brain. But the feeling of reality with which it had
+inspired me was, I felt sure, too strong for it to have been imaginary;
+and yet, do what I would, I could not throw off the unpleasant belief
+that, however much I might attempt to delude myself to the contrary, I
+was in reality more deeply in his power than I fancied myself to be.
+
+One thing struck me most forcibly, and that was the fact that now we
+were away from Cairo, the Fraeulein Valerie was in better spirits than I
+had yet seen her. Glad as I was, however, to find her happier, the
+knowledge of her cheerfulness, for some reason or another, chilled and
+even disappointed me. Yet, Heaven knows, had I been asked, I must have
+confessed that I should have been even more miserable had she been
+unhappy. When I joined them at lunch I was convinced that I was a
+discordant note. I was thoroughly out of humour, not only with myself,
+but with the world in general, and the fit had not left me when I made
+my way up to the deck again.
+
+Downcast as I was, however, I could not repress an exclamation of
+pleasure at the scene I saw before me when I reached it. In the
+afternoon light the view, usually so uninviting, was picturesque in the
+extreme. Palm groves decorated either bank, with here and there an Arab
+village peering from among them, while, as if to afford a fitting
+background, in the distance could be seen the faint outline of the
+Libyan Hills. At any other time I should have been unable to contain
+myself until I had made a sketch of it; now, however, while it impressed
+me with its beauty, it only served to remind me of the association in
+which I found myself. The centre of the promenade deck, immediately
+abaft the funnel, was arranged somewhat in the fashion of a
+sitting-room, with a carpet, easy-chairs, a sofa, and corresponding
+luxuries. I seated myself in one of the chairs, and was still idly
+watching the country through which we were passing, when Pharos made his
+appearance from below, carrying the monkey Pehtes in his arms, and
+seated himself beside me. It was plain that he was still in a contented
+frame of mind, and his opening speech, when he addressed me, showed that
+he had no intention of permitting me to be in anything else.
+
+"My dear Forrester," he said in what was intended to be a conciliatory
+tone, "I feel sure you have something upon your mind that is worrying
+you. Is it possible you are still brooding over what you said to me this
+morning? Remember you are my guest; I am responsible for your happiness.
+I can not permit you to wear such an expression of melancholy. Pray tell
+me your trouble, and if I can help you in any way, rest assured I shall
+only be too glad to do so."
+
+"I am afraid, after the explanation you gave me this morning, that it is
+impossible for you to help me," I answered. "To tell the truth, I have
+been worrying over what happened last night, and the more I think of it
+the less able I am to understand."
+
+"What is it you find difficult to understand?" he inquired. "I thought
+we were agreed on the subject when we spoke of it this morning."
+
+"Not as far as I am concerned," I replied. "And if you will consider for
+a moment, I fancy you will understand why. As I told you then, I have
+the best possible recollection of all that befell me in the Pyramid, and
+of the fright I sustained in that terrible room. I remember your coming
+to my assistance, and I am as convinced that, when my senses returned to
+me, I followed you down the passage, out into the open air, and across
+the sands to a spot before the Sphinx, where you gave me some strange
+concoction to drink, as I am that I am now sitting on this deck beside
+you."
+
+"And I assure you with equal sincerity that it is all a delusion," he
+replied. "You must have dreamed the whole thing. Now I come to think of
+it, I _do_ remember that you said something about a vision which I
+enabled you to see. Perhaps, as your memory is so keen on the subject,
+you may be able to give me some idea of its nature."
+
+I accordingly described what I had seen. From the way he hung upon my
+words it was evident that the subject interested him more than he cared
+to confess. Indeed, when I had finished he gave a little gasp that was
+plainly one of relief, though why he should have been so I could not
+understand.
+
+"And the man you saw coming through the crowd, this Ptahmes, what was he
+like? Did you recognise him? Should you know his face again?"
+
+"I scarcely know how to tell you," I answered diffidently, a doubt as to
+whether I had really seen the vision I had described coming over me for
+the first time, now that I was brought face to face with the assertion I
+was about to make. "It seems so impossible, and I am weak enough to feel
+that I should not like you to think I am jesting. The truth of the
+matter is, the face of the disgraced Magician was none other than your
+own. You were Ptahmes, the man who walked with his face covered with his
+mantle, and before whom the crowd drew back as if they feared him, and
+yet hated him the more because they did so."
+
+"The slaves, the craven curs!" muttered Pharos fiercely to himself,
+suddenly oblivious to my presence, his sunken eyes looking out across
+the water, but I am convinced seeing nothing. "So long as he was
+successful they sang his praises through the city, but when he failed
+and was cast out from before Pharaoh, there were only six in all the
+country brave enough to declare themselves his friends."
+
+Then recollecting himself he turned to me, and with one of his peculiar
+laughs, to which I had by this time grown accustomed, he continued: "But
+there, if I talk like this you will begin to imagine that I really have
+some association with my long-deceased relative, the man of whom we are
+speaking, and whose mummy is in the cabin yonder. Your account of the
+vision, if by that name you still persist in calling it, is extremely
+interesting, and goes another step toward proving how liable the human
+brain is, under stress of great excitement, to seize upon the most
+unlikely stories, and even to invest them with the necessary
+_mise-en-scene_. Now I'll be bound you could reproduce the whole
+picture, were such a thing necessary--the buildings, the chariots, the
+dresses, nay even the very faces of the crowd."
+
+"I am quite sure I could," I answered, filled with sudden excitement at
+the idea, "and what is more I will do so. So vivid was the impression it
+made upon my mind that not a detail has escaped my memory. Indeed, I
+really believe that it will be found that a large proportion of the
+things I saw then I had never seen or heard of before. This, I think,
+should go some way toward proving that my story is not the fallacy you
+suppose."
+
+"You mistake me, my dear Forrester," he hastened to reply. "I do not go
+so far as to declare it to be altogether a fallacy; I simply say that
+what you think you saw must have been the effect of the fright you
+received in the Pyramid. But your idea of painting the picture is
+distinctly a good one, and I shall look forward with pleasure to giving
+you my opinion upon it when it is finished. As you are well aware, I am
+a fair Egyptologist, and I have no doubt I shall be able to detect any
+error in the composition, should one exist."
+
+"I will obtain my materials from my cabin, and set to work at once," I
+said, rising from my chair, "and when I have finished you shall
+certainly give me your opinion on it."
+
+As on a similar occasion already described, under the influence of my
+enthusiasm, the feeling of animosity I usually entertained toward him
+left me entirely. I went to my cabin, found the things I wanted, and
+returned with them to the deck. When I reached it I found the Fraeulein
+Valerie there. She was dressed in white from head to foot, and was
+slowly fanning herself with the same large ostrich-feather fan which I
+remembered to have seen her vising on that eventful night when I had
+dined with Pharos in Naples. Her left hand was hanging by her side, and
+as I greeted her and reseated myself in my chair, I could not help
+noticing its exquisite proportions.
+
+"Mr. Forrester was fortunate enough to be honoured by a somewhat
+extraordinary dream last night," said Pharos by way of accounting for my
+sketching materials. "The subject was Egyptian, and I have induced him
+to try and make a picture of the scene for our benefit."
+
+"Do you feel equal to the task?" Valerie inquired, with unusual interest
+as I thought. "Surely it must be very difficult. As a rule even the most
+vivid dreams are so hard to remember in detail."
+
+"This was something more than a dream," I answered confidently, "as I
+shall presently demonstrate to Monsieur Pharos. Before I begin, however,
+I am going to ask a favour in return."
+
+"And what is that?" asked Pharos.
+
+"That while I am at work you tell us, as far as you know it, the history
+of Ptahmes, the King's Magician. Not only does it bear upon the subject
+of my picture, but it is fit and proper, since we have his mummy on
+board, that we should know more than we at present do of our illustrious
+fellow-traveller."
+
+"What could be fairer?" said Pharos after a slight pause. "While you
+paint I will tell you all I know and since he is my ancestor, and I have
+made his life my especial study, it may be supposed I am acquainted with
+as much of his history as research has been able to bring to light.
+Ptahmes, or, as his name signifies, the man beloved of Ptah, was the son
+of Netruhotep, a Priest of the High Temple of Ammon, and a favourite of
+Rameses II. From the moment of his birth great things were expected of
+him, for, by the favour of the gods, he was curiously misshapen, and it
+is well known that those whom the mighty ones punish in one way are
+usually compensated for it in another. It is just possible that it may
+be from him I inherit my own unpleasing exterior. However, to return to
+Ptahmes, whose life, I can assure you, forms an interesting study. At an
+early age the boy showed an extraordinary partiality for the mystic, and
+it was doubtless this circumstance that induced his father to intrust
+him to the care of the Chief Magician, Ilaper, a wise man, by whom the
+lad was brought up. Proud of his calling, and imbued with a love for the
+sacred mysteries, it is small wonder that he soon outdistanced those
+with whom he was brought in contact. So rapid indeed were the strides he
+made that the news of his attainments reached the ears of Pharaoh. He
+was summoned to the royal presence and commanded to give an exhibition
+of his powers, whereupon the King ordered him to remain at Court, and to
+be constantly in attendance upon his person. From this point the youth's
+career was assured. Year by year, and step by step, he made his way up
+the ladder of fame till he became a mighty man in the land, a
+councillor. Prophet of the North and South, and Chief of the King's
+Magicians. Then, out of the land of Midian rose the star that, as it had
+been written, should cross his path and bring about his downfall. This
+was the Israelite Moses, who came into Egypt and set himself up against
+Pharaoh, using magic, the like of which had never before been seen. But
+that portion of the story is too well known to bear repetition. Let it
+suffice that Pharaoh called together his councillors, the principal of
+whom was Ptahmes, now a man of mature years, and consulted with them.
+Pthames, foreseeing what would happen, was for acceding to the request
+made by the Hebrew and letting the Israelites depart in peace from the
+kingdom. To this course, however, Pharaoh would not agree, and he
+allowed his favourite to understand that, not only was such advice the
+reverse of palatable, but that a repetition of it would in all
+probability deprive him of the royal favour. Once more the Hebrews
+appeared before Pharaoh and gave evidence of their powers, speaking
+openly to the King and using threats of vengeance in the event of their
+demands not being acceded to. But Pharaoh was stiff-necked and refused
+to listen, and in consequence evil days descended upon Egypt. By the
+magic of Moses the fish died, and the waters of the Nile were polluted
+so that, the people could not drink; frogs, in such numbers as had never
+been seen before, made their appearance and covered the face of the
+land. Then Pharaoh called upon Ptahmes and his Magicians, and bade them
+imitate all that the others had done. They did so, and by their arts
+frogs came up out of the land, even as Moses had made them do. Seeing
+this, Pharaoh laughed the Israelites to scorn and once more refused to
+consider their request, whereupon plagues of lice, flies, and boils
+broke out upon man and beast, with mighty storms, and a great darkness
+in which no man could see another's face. Once more Pharaoh, whose heart
+was still hardened against Moses, called Ptahmes to his presence and
+bade him advise him as to the course he should pursue. Being already at
+war with his neighbours, he had no desire to permit this horde to cross
+his borders only to side with his enemies against himself. And yet to
+keep them and to risk further punishment was equally dangerous. Moses
+was a stern man, and as the King had had already good reason to know,
+was not one to be trifled with. Only that morning he had demanded an
+audience and had threatened Pharaoh with a pestilence that should cause
+the death of every first-born son throughout the land should he still
+persist in his refusal.
+
+"Now Ptahmes, who, as I have said, was an astute man, and who had
+already been allowed to see the consequences of giving advice that did
+not tally with his master's humour, found himself in a position, not
+only of difficulty, but also of some danger. Either he must declare
+himself openly in favour of letting the Hebrews go, and once more run
+the risk of Pharaoh's anger and possible loss of favour, or he must side
+with his master, and, having done so, put forth every effort to prevent
+the punishment Moses had decreed. After hours of suspense and
+overwhelming anxiety he adopted the latter course. Having taken counsel
+with his fellow-Magicians, he assured Pharaoh, on the honour of the
+gods, that what the Israelite had predicted could never come to pass.
+Fortified with this promise, Pharaoh once more refused to permit the
+strangers to leave the land. As a result the first-born son of the King,
+the child whom he loved better than his kingdom, sickened of a
+mysterious disease and died that night, as did the first-born of all the
+Egyptians, rich and poor alike. In the words of your own Bible, 'There
+was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not
+one dead.' Then Pharaoh's hatred was bitter against his advisers, and he
+determined that Ptahmes in particular should die. He sought him with the
+intention of killing him, but the Magician had received timely warning
+and had escaped into the mountains, where he hid himself for many
+months. Little by little his health gave way, he grew weaker, and in the
+fiftieth year of his life Osiris claimed him for his own. It was said at
+the time that for the sin he had caused Pharaoh to do, and the misery he
+had brought upon the land of Egypt, and swearing falsely in the name of
+the gods, he had been cursed with perpetual life. This, however, could
+not have been so, seeing that he died in the mountains, and that his
+mummy was buried in the tomb whence your father took it. Such is the
+story of Ptahmes, the beloved of Ptah, son of Netruhotep, Chief of the
+Magicians and Prophet of the North and South."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+
+Strange as it may seem, all the circumstances attending it being taken
+into consideration, that voyage up the Nile was one of the most
+enjoyable I have ever undertaken. It is true the weather was somewhat
+warmer than was altogether agreeable; but if you visit Egypt at
+midsummer you must be prepared for a little discomfort in that respect.
+From the moment of rising until it was time to retire at night our time
+was spent under the awning on deck, reading, conversing, and watching
+the scenery on either bank, and on my part in putting the finishing
+touches to the picture I had commenced the afternoon we left Cairo.
+
+When it was completed to my satisfaction, which was on the seventh day
+of our voyage, and that upon which we expected to reach Luxor, I showed
+it to Pharos. He examined it carefully, and it was some time before he
+offered an opinion upon it.
+
+"I will pay you the compliment of saying I consider it a striking
+example of your art," he said, when he did speak. "At the same time, I
+must confess it puzzles me. I do not understand whence you drew your
+inspiration. There are things in this picture, important details in the
+dress and architecture, that I feel convinced have never been seen by
+this century. How, therefore, you could have known them passes my
+comprehension."
+
+"I have already told you that that picture represents what I saw in my
+vision," I answered.
+
+"You still believe that you saw a vision then?" he asked, with a return
+to his old sneering habit, as he picked the monkey up and began to
+stroke his ears.
+
+"I shall always do so," I answered. "Nothing will ever shake my belief
+in that."
+
+At this moment the Fraeulein Valerie joined us, whereupon Pharos handed
+her the picture and asked for her opinion upon it. She examined it
+carefully, while I waited with some anxiety for her criticism.
+
+"It is very clever," she said, still looking at it, "and beautifully
+painted; but, if you will let me say so, I do not know that I altogether
+like it. There is something about it that I do not understand. And see,
+you have given the central figure Monsieur Pharos's face."
+
+She looked up at me as if to inquire the reason of this likeness, after
+which we both glanced at Pharos, who was seated before us, wrapped as
+usual in his heavy rug, with the monkey, Pehtes, peering out from his
+invariable hiding-place beneath his master's coat. For the moment I did
+not know what answer to return. To have told her in the broad light of
+day, with the prosaic mud-banks of the Nile on either hand, and the
+Egyptian sailors washing paint-work at the farther end of the deck, that
+in my vision I had been convinced that Pharos and Ptahmes were one and
+the same person, would have been too absurd. Pharos, however, relieved
+me of the necessity of saying anything by replying for me.
+
+"Mr. Forrester has done me great honour, my dear," he said gaily, "in
+choosing my features for the central figure. I had no idea that my
+unfortunate person was capable of such dramatic effect.--If at any
+time, Forrester, you should desire to dispose of that picture, I shall
+be delighted to take it off your hands."
+
+"You may have it now," I answered. "If you think it worthy of your
+acceptance, I will gladly give it you. To tell the truth, I myself, like
+the Fraeulein here, am a little afraid of it, though why I should be,
+seeing that it is my own work, Heaven only knows."
+
+"As you say, Heaven only knows," returned Pharos solemnly, and then
+making the excuse that he would put the picture in a place of safety, he
+left us and went to his cabin, Pehtes hopping along the deck behind him.
+
+For some time after he had left us the Fraeulein and I sat silent. The
+afternoon was breathless, and even our progress through the water raised
+no breeze. We were passing the town of Keneh at the time, a miserable
+collection of buildings of the usual Nile type, and famous only as being
+a rallying place for Mecca pilgrims, and for the Kulal and Ballas
+(water-bottles), which bear its name.
+
+While her eyes were fixed upon it I was permitted an opportunity of
+studying my companion's countenance. I noted the proud poise of her
+head, and the luxuriance of the hair coiled so gracefully above it. She
+was a queen among women, as I had so often told myself; one whom any man
+might be proud to love, and then I added, as another thought struck me,
+one for whom the man she loved might willingly lay down his life. That I
+loved her with a sincerity and devotion greater than I had ever felt for
+any other human being, I was fully aware by this time. If the truth must
+be told, I believe I had loved her from the moment I first saw her face.
+But was it possible that she could love me?
+
+"I have noticed that you are very thoughtful to-day, Fraeulein," I said,
+as the steamer dropped the town behind her and continued her journey up
+stream in a somewhat more westerly direction.
+
+"Have I not good reason to be?" she answered. "You must remember I have
+made this journey before."
+
+"But why should that produce such an effect upon you?" I asked. "To me
+it is a pleasure that has not yet begun to pall, and as you will, I am
+sure, admit, Pharos has proved a most thoughtful and charming host."
+
+I said this with intention, for I wanted to see what reply she would
+make.
+
+"I have not noticed his behaviour," she answered wearily. "It is always
+the same to me. But I _do_ know this, that after each visit to the place
+for which we are now bound, great trouble has resulted for some one.
+Heaven grant that it may not be so on this occasion!"
+
+"I do not see what trouble _can_ result," I said. "Pharos is simply
+going to replace the mummy in the tomb from which it was taken, and
+after that I presume we shall return to Cairo, and probably to Europe."
+
+"And then?"
+
+"After that----"
+
+But I could get no further. The knowledge that in all likelihood as soon
+as we reached Europe I should have to bid her good-bye and return to
+London was too much for me, and for this reason I came within an ace of
+blurting out the words that were in my heart. Fortunately, however, I
+was able to summon up my presence of mind in time to avert such a
+catastrophe, otherwise I can not say what the result would have been.
+Had I revealed my love to her and asked her to be my wife, and she had
+refused me, our position, boxed up together as we were on board the
+steamer, and with no immediate prospect of release, would have been
+uncomfortable in the extreme. So I crammed the words back into my heart
+and waited for another and more favourable opportunity.
+
+The sun was sinking behind the Arabian hills, in a wealth of gold and
+crimson colouring, as we obtained our first glimpse of the mighty ruins
+we had come so far to see. Out of a dark green sea of palms to the left,
+rose the giant pylons of the Temple of Ammon at Karnak. A few minutes
+later Luxor itself was visible, and within a quarter of an hour our
+destination was reached, and the steamer was at a standstill.
+
+We had scarcely come to an anchor before the vessel was surrounded by
+small boats, the occupants of which clambered aboard, despite the
+efforts of the officers and crew to prevent them. As usual they brought
+with them spurious relics of every possible sort and description, not
+one of which, however, our party could be induced to buy. The Fraeulein
+Valerie and I were still protesting, when Pharos emerged from his cabin
+and approached us. Never shall I forget the change that came over the
+scene. From the expressions upon the rascals' faces I gathered that he
+was well known to them, at any rate within five seconds of his
+appearance not one of our previous persecutors remained aboard the
+vessel.
+
+"They seem to know you." I said to Pharos, with a laugh, as the last of
+the gang took a header from the rail into the water.
+
+"They do," he answered grimly. "I think I can safely promise you that
+after this not a man in Luxor will willingly set foot upon this vessel.
+Would you care to try the experiment?"
+
+"Very much," I said, and taking an Egyptian pound piece from my pocket I
+stepped to the side and invited the rabble to come aboard and claim it.
+But the respect they entertained for Pharos was evidently greater than
+their love of gold; at any rate not a man seemed inclined to venture.
+
+"A fair test," said Pharos. "You may rest assured that unless you throw
+it over to them your money will remain in your own pocket. But see, some
+one of importance is coming off to us. I am expecting a messenger, and
+in all probability it is he."
+
+A somewhat better boat than those clustered around us was putting off
+from the bank, and seated in her was an Arab, clad in white burnouse and
+wearing a black turban upon his head.
+
+"Yes, it is he," said Pharos, as with a few strokes of their oars the
+boatmen brought their craft alongside.
+
+Before I could inquire who the person might be whom he was expecting,
+the man I have just described had reached the deck, and, after looking
+about him, approached the spot where Pharos was standing. Accustomed as
+I was to the deference shown by the Arabs toward their superiors, I was
+far from expecting the exhibition of servility I now beheld. So
+overpowered was the new-comer by the reverence he felt for Pharos that
+he could scarcely stand upright.
+
+"I expected thee, Salem Awad," said Pharos, in Arabic. "What tidings
+dost thou bring?"
+
+"I come to tell thee," the man replied, "that he whom thou didst order
+to be here has heard of thy coming, and will await thee at the place of
+which thou hast spoken."
+
+"It is well," continued Pharos. "Has all of which I wrote to thee been
+prepared?"
+
+"All has been prepared and awaits thy coming."
+
+"Return then and tell him who sent thee to me that I will be with him
+before he sleeps to-night."
+
+The man bowed once more and made his way to his boat, in which he
+departed for the bank.
+
+When he had gone, Pharos turned to me.
+
+"We are expected," he said, "and, as you heard him say, preparations
+have been made to enable us to carry out the work we have come to do.
+After all his journeying Ptahmes has at last returned to the city of his
+birth and death. It is a strange thought, is it not? Look about you, Mr.
+Forrester, and see the mightiest ruins the world has known. Yonder is
+the Temple of Luxor, away to the north you can see the remains of the
+Temple of Ammon at Karnak; five thousand years ago they were connected
+by a mighty road. Yonder is the Necropolis of Thebes, with the tombs
+that once contained the mortal remains of the mighty ones of Egypt.
+Where are those mighty ones now? Scattered to the uttermost parts of the
+earth, stolen from their resting-places to adorn glass cases in European
+and American museums, and to be sold at auction by Jew salesmen at so
+much per head, the prices varying according to their dates and state of
+preservation. But there, time is too short to talk of such indignity.
+The gods will avenge it in their own good time. Let it suffice that
+to-night we are to fulfil our errand. Am I right in presuming that you
+desire to accompany me?"
+
+"I should be sincerely disappointed if I could not do so," I answered.
+"But if you would prefer to go alone I will not force my presence upon
+you."
+
+"I shall only be too glad of your company," he answered. "Besides, you
+have a right to be present, since it is through you I am permitted an
+opportunity of replacing my venerable ancestor in his tomb. Perhaps you
+will be good enough to hold yourself in readiness to start at eleven
+o'clock. Owing to the publicity now given to anything that happens in
+the ruins of this ancient city, the mere fact that we are returning a
+mummy to its tomb, of the existence of which the world has no knowledge,
+would be sufficient to attract a concourse of people whose presence
+would be in the highest degree objectionable to me."
+
+"You must excuse my interrupting you," I said, thinking I had caught him
+tripping, "but you have just said that you are going to open a tomb of
+the existence of which the world has no knowledge. Surely my father
+opened it many years ago, otherwise how did he become possessed of the
+mummy?"
+
+"Your father discovered it, it is true, but he stumbled upon it quite by
+chance, and it was reburied within a few hours of his extracting the
+mummy. If he were alive now I would defy him to find the place again."
+
+"And you are going to open it to-night?"
+
+"That is my intention. And when I have done so it will once more be
+carefully hidden, and may woe light upon the head of the man who shall
+again disturb it!"
+
+I do not know whether this speech was intended to have any special
+significance, but as he said it he looked hard at me, and never since I
+have known him had I seen a more diabolical expression upon his
+countenance. I could scarcely have believed that the human face was
+capable of such malignity. He recovered himself as quickly, however, and
+then once more bidding me prepare for the excursion of the evening, took
+himself off to his cabin and left me to ponder over all he had said.
+
+Eleven o'clock had only just struck that night when the tall Arab, my
+acquaintance of the Pyramids, came along the deck in search of me. I was
+sitting with the Fraeulein Valerie at the time, but as soon as he told me
+that Pharos was waiting and that it was time for us to start, I made
+haste to rise. On hearing our errand my companion became uneasy.
+
+"I do not like it," she said. "Why could he not do it in the daytime?
+This going off under cover of the night savours too much of the
+conspirator, and I beg you to be careful of what you do. Have you a
+revolver?"
+
+I answered in the affirmative, whereupon she earnestly advised me to
+carry it with me, a course which I resolved to adopt. Then bidding her
+good-bye I left her and went to my cabin, little dreaming that upward of
+a week would elapse before I should see her again.
+
+When I joined Pharos on deck I discovered that he had made no difference
+in his attire, but was dressed just as I had always seen him, even to
+the extent of his heavy coat which he wore despite the heat of the
+night.
+
+"If you are ready," he said, "let us lose no time in starting." Then
+turning to the tall Arab, he bade him call the boat up, and as soon as
+it was at the ladder we descended and took our places in it. A few
+strokes of the oars brought us to the bank, where we found two camels
+awaiting us. On closer inspection I discovered that the individual in
+charge of them was none other than the man who had boarded the steamer
+that afternoon, and whom I have particularized as having shown such
+obsequious respect to Pharos.
+
+At a sign from the latter, one of the camels was brought to his knees,
+and I was invited to take my place in the saddle. I had never in my life
+ridden one of these ungainly brutes, and it was necessary for the
+driver to instruct me in the art. Pharos, however, seemed quite at home,
+and as soon as he had mounted, and the camels had scrambled to their
+feet once more, we set off.
+
+If my drive to the Pyramids, a week before, had been a singular
+experience, this camel ride among the ruins of ancient Thebes at
+midnight was much more so. On every side were relics of that
+long-departed age when the city had been the centre of the civilized
+world.
+
+After the heat of the day the coolness of the night was most refreshing.
+Overhead the stars shone brilliantly, while from the desert a little
+lonely wind came up and sighed for the desolation of the place. Nothing
+could have been in better keeping with the impressiveness of the
+occasion. One thing, however, puzzled me, for so far I had seen nothing
+of the chief, and indeed the only reason of the expedition--namely, the
+mummy of the dead Magician. I questioned Pharos on the subject, who
+answered briefly that it had been sent on ahead to await our coming at
+the tomb, and having given this explanation lapsed into silence.
+
+It must have been upward of half an hour later when the tall Arab, who
+had all the way walked in front of the camel upon which Pharos was
+seated, stopped and held up his hand. The animals immediately came to a
+standstill. Peering into the darkness ahead, I found that we were
+standing before a gigantic building which towered into the starlight.
+This proved to be the main pylon of the great Temple of Ammon, the most
+stupendous example of human architecture ever erected on the surface of
+our globe. On either side of the open space upon which we stood, rows of
+kriosphinxes showed where a noble road had once led from the temple to
+the river.
+
+At a signal from Pharos the man who had boarded the steamer that
+afternoon left us and entered the building, leaving us outside.
+
+Fully five minutes must have elapsed before he returned. When he did so
+he said something to Pharos in a low voice, who immediately descended
+from his camel and signed to me to do the same. Then we, in our turn,
+approached the gigantic pylon, at the entrance of which we were met by a
+man carrying a lighted torch. Viewed by this dim and uncertain light the
+place appeared indescribably mysterious. Overhead the walls towered up
+and up until I lost sight of them in the darkness. Presently we entered
+a large court--so large indeed that even with the assistance of the
+guide's torch we could not see the farther end of it. Then passing
+through a doorway formed of enormous blocks of stone, the architrave of
+which could scarcely have been less than a hundred feet from the ground,
+we found ourselves standing in yet another and even greater hall. Here
+we paused, while Pharos went forward into the darkness alone, leaving me
+in the charge of the tall Arab and the man who carried the torch. Where
+he had gone, and his reason for thus leaving me, I could not imagine,
+and my common sense told me it would only be waste of time on my part to
+inquire. Minutes went by until perhaps half an hour had elapsed, and
+still he did not return. I was about to make some remark upon this, when
+I noticed that the man holding the torch, who had hitherto been leaning
+against a pillar, suddenly drew himself up and looked toward another
+side of the great hall. I followed the direction of his eyes and saw an
+old man approaching me. He was clad in white from head to foot, and with
+a long white beard descending to within a few inches of his waist. He
+signed to me to follow him, and then turning, led me across the hall in
+the direction he had come. I followed close at his heels, threaded my
+way among the mighty pillars carved all over with hieroglyphics, and so
+passed into yet another court. Here it was all black darkness, and so
+lonely that I found my spirits sinking lower and lower with every step I
+took. Reaching the centre of my court my guide stopped and bade me
+pause. I did so, whereupon he also departed, but in what direction he
+went I could not tell.
+
+Had it been possible, I think at this stage of the proceedings I should
+have left Pharos to his own devices, and have made my way out of the
+ruins and back to the steamer without waste of time. Under the
+circumstances I have narrated, however, I had no option but to remain
+where I was, and in any case I doubt whether I should have had time to
+make my escape, for the old man presently returned, this time with a
+torch, and once more bade me follow him. I accordingly accompanied him
+across the court, and among more pillars, to a small temple, which must
+have been situated at some considerable distance from the pylon through
+which we had entered the ruins.
+
+Approaching the farther corner of this temple, he stooped and, so it
+seemed to me, touched something with his hand. At any rate, I distinctly
+heard the jar of iron on stone. Then a large block of masonry wheeled
+round on its own length and disappeared into the earth, revealing a
+cavity possibly four feet square at our feet. As soon as my eyes became
+accustomed to the darkness I was able to detect a flight of steps
+leading down into a dark vault below. These the old man descended, and
+feeling certain that I was intended to accompany him, I followed his
+example. The steps were longer than I expected them to be, and were
+possibly some fifty in number. Reaching the bottom I found myself
+standing in a subterranean hall. The roof or ceiling was supported by a
+number of elegantly sculptured _papyrus-bud_ columns, while the walls
+were covered with paintings, every one of which was in a perfect state
+of preservation. For what purpose the hall had been used in bygone days
+I could not, of course, tell, but that it had some connection with the
+mysterious rites of the god Ammon was shown, not only by the frescoes,
+but by the trouble which had been taken to conceal the entrance to the
+place.
+
+When we had reached the centre of the hall the old man turned and
+addressed me.
+
+"Stranger," he said in a voice as deep and resonant as the tolling of a
+bell, "by reason of the share that has been allotted thee in the
+vengeance of the gods, it has been decreed that thou shalt penetrate the
+mysteries of this holy place, the like of which not one of thy race or
+people has ever yet beheld. Fear not that evil will befall thee; thou
+art in the hands of the Mighty Ones of Egypt. They will protect thee.
+Follow me."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+
+In describing what occurred after the curious admonition addressed to me
+by the old man who had conducted me to the subterranean chamber
+mentioned in the last chapter, I am oppressed by the fear that my
+narrative may seem too extraordinary to carry with it any semblance of
+reality. The whole affair, from the moment when we left the steamer
+until I stood where I now was, had been so mysterious, so unbelievable,
+I might almost say, that I had passed from stage to stage of
+bewilderment, scarcely conscious of anything but what was occurring at
+the moment. In a vague fashion I wondered how it was that these rooms
+had never been discovered by the hundreds of Egyptologists who, since
+the time of Napoleon, had explored the temple. That it had not been so
+brought to light I felt convinced, otherwise the necessity would
+scarcely have existed for such secrecy as had been shown when I was
+conducted to it. Besides, I had studied my guide-books carefully on our
+voyage up the river, and was quite convinced that no mention of such
+places had been made in any one of them.
+
+Having finished the speech with which I closed the preceding chapter,
+the old man led me toward a doorway at the farther end of the room. The
+posts which supported it, and which must have been something like ten
+feet in width, were covered with hieroglyphics, as were the neighbouring
+walls. On either side of the doorway stood two enormous kriosphinxes,
+similar to those which had once lined the avenue between the Temples of
+Karnak and Luxor. These had the bodies of lions and heads of rams, and
+were as perfect as on the day when they had left the sculptor's hands,
+who knew how many thousand years ago. Entering the archway, for archway
+I should prefer to call it rather than door, I found myself standing
+between two rows of life-sized statues, all excelling in workmanship,
+and in the most perfect state of preservation. Though I was not
+sufficiently learned in Egyptian history to be able to assign names to
+them, I was nevertheless quite capable of appreciating their immense
+value, and could well imagine the find they would prove to any
+Egyptologist who, in days to come, might discover the secret of the
+stone and penetrate into this mysterious place.
+
+From what I remember, and speaking at a guess, the passage could
+scarcely have been less than a hundred feet in length and must have
+contained at least a dozen statues. At the farther end it opened into a
+smaller chamber or catacomb, in the walls of which were a number of
+niches, each one containing a mummy. The place was intolerably close and
+was filled with an overpowering odour of dried herbs. In the centre, and
+side by side, were two alabaster slabs, each about seven feet long by
+three in width. A stone pillar was at the head of each, but for what
+purpose the blocks were originally intended I have no idea.
+
+At a signal from my conductor two beings, I cannot call them men, who
+from their appearances I should have judged to be as old as Pharos
+himself, made their appearance, bringing with them certain vestments and
+a number of curiously shaped bottles. The robes, which were of some
+white material, were embroidered with hieroglyphics. These they placed
+about my shoulders, and when they had done so the old fellow who had
+conducted me to the place bade me stretch myself upon one of the slabs I
+have just mentioned.
+
+Under other circumstances I should have protested most vigorously, but I
+was in such a position now that I came to the conclusion that it would
+not only be useless but most impolitic on my part to put myself in
+opposition against him thus early in the day. I accordingly did as I was
+ordered. The two attendants, who were small, thin, and wizened almost
+beyond belief, immediately began to anoint my face and hands with some
+sweet-smelling essences taken from the bottles they had brought with
+them. The perfume of these unguents was indescribably soothing, and
+gradually I found myself losing the feeling of excitement and distrust
+which had hitherto possessed me. The cigarettes Pharos had given me on
+the occasion that I had dined with him in Naples must have contained
+something of a like nature, for the effect was similar in more than one
+essential. I refer in particular to the sharpening of the wits, to the
+feeling of peculiar physical enjoyment, and to the dulling of every
+sense of fear.
+
+It was just as well, perhaps, that I was in this frame of mind, for
+though I did not know it, I was about to be put to a test that surpassed
+in severity anything of which I could have dreamed.
+
+Little by little a feeling of extreme lassitude was overtaking me; I
+lost all care for my safety, and my only desire was to be allowed to
+continue in the state of exquisite semiconsciousness to which I had now
+been reduced. The figures of the men who continued to sprinkle the
+essences upon me, and of the old man who stood at my feet, his arms
+stretched above his head as if he were invoking the blessing of the gods
+upon the sacrifice he was offering to them, faded farther and farther
+into the rose-coloured mist before my eyes. How long an interval elapsed
+before I heard the old man's voice addressing me again I cannot say. It
+may have been a few seconds, it may have been hours; I only know that as
+soon as I heard it I opened my eyes and looked about me. The attendants
+had departed and we were alone together. He was still standing before me
+gazing intently down at my face.
+
+"Rise, son of an alien race," he said, "rise purified for the time of
+thy earthly self, and fit to enter and stand in the presence of
+Ammon-Ra!"
+
+In response to his command I rose from the stone upon which I had been
+lying. Strangely enough, however, I did so without perceptible exertion.
+In my new state my body was as light as air, my brain without a cloud,
+while the senses of hearing, of sight, of smell, and of touch, were each
+abnormally acute.
+
+Taking me by the hand, the old man led me from the room in which the
+ceremony of anointing had taken place, along another passage, on either
+side of which, as in the apartment we had just left, were a number of
+shelves each containing a mummy case. Reaching the end of this passage,
+he paused and extinguished the torch he carried, and then, still leading
+me by the hand, entered another hall which was in total darkness. In my
+new state, however, I experienced no sort of fear, nor was I conscious
+of feeling any alarm as to my ultimate safety.
+
+Having brought me to the place for which he was making, he dropped my
+hand, and from the shuffling of his feet upon the stone pavement I knew
+that he was moving away from me.
+
+"Wait here and watch," he said, and his voice echoed and re-echoed in
+that gloomy place. "For it was ordained from the first that this night
+thou shouldst see the mysteries of the gods. Fear not, thou art in the
+hands of the watcher of the world, the ever mighty Harmachis, who
+sleepeth not day or night, nor hath rested since time began."
+
+With this he departed, and I remained standing where he had put me,
+watching and waiting for what should follow. To attempt to make you
+understand the silence that prevailed would be a waste of time, nor can
+I tell you how long it lasted. Under the influence of the mysterious
+preparation to which I had been subjected, such things as time, fear and
+curiosity had been eliminated from my being.
+
+Suddenly, in the far distance, so small as to make it uncertain whether
+it was only my fancy or not, a pin point of light attracted my
+attention. It moved slowly to and fro with the regular and
+evenly-balanced swing of a pendulum, and as it did so it grew larger and
+more brilliant. Such was the fascination it possessed for me that I
+could not take my eyes off it, and as I watched it everything grew
+bright as noon-day. How I had been moved I know not, but to my amazement
+I discovered that I was no longer in that subterranean room below the
+temple, but was in the open air in broad daylight, and standing on the
+same spot before the main pylon where Pharos and I had waited while the
+man who had conducted us to the temple went off to give notice of our
+arrival. There was, however, this difference, the temple, which I had
+seen then was nothing more than a mass of ruins, now it was restored to
+its pristine grandeur, and exceeded in beauty anything I could have
+imagined. High into the cloudless sky above me rose the mighty pylons,
+the walls of which were no longer bare and weather worn, but adorned
+with brilliant coloured paintings. Before me, not covered with sand as
+at present, but carefully tended and arranged with a view to enhancing
+the already superb effect, was a broad and well-planned terrace from
+which led a road lined on either side with the same stately kriosphinxes
+that to-day lie headless and neglected on the sands. From this terrace
+the waters of the Nile could be distinctly seen, with the steps, at
+which the avenue I have just described terminated, leading down to them.
+Away to the southwest rose the smaller Temple of Khunsi, and from it the
+avenue of sphinxes which connected it with the Temple of Ammon two miles
+away at Luxor. From the crowds that congregated round these mighty
+edifices, and from the excitement which prevailed on every hand, it was
+plain that some great festival was about to be celebrated. While I
+watched the commencement of the procession made its appearance on the
+farther side of the river, where state barges ornamented with much gold
+and many brilliant colours were waiting to carry it across. On reaching
+the steps it continued its march toward the temple. It was preceded by a
+hundred dancing girls clad in white, and carrying timbrels in their
+hands. Behind them was a priest bearing the two books of Hermes, one
+containing hymns in honour of the gods, and the other precepts relating
+to the life of the King. Next came the Royal Astrologer bearing the
+measure of Time, the hour-glass and the Phoenix. Then the King's
+Scribe, carrying the materials of his craft. Following him were more
+women playing on single and double pipes, harps, and flutes, and after
+the musicians the Stolistes, with the sign of Justice and the cup of
+Libation. Next walked twelve servants of the temple, headed by the Chief
+Priest, clad in his robes of leopard skins, after whom marched a troop
+of soldiers with the sun glittering on their armour and accoutrements.
+Behind, the runners were carrying white staves in their hand, and after
+them fifty singing girls, strewing flowers of all colours upon the path.
+Then, escorted by his bodyguard, the Royal Arms bearers, and seated upon
+his throne of state, which again was borne upon the shoulders of the
+chief eight nobles of the land, and had above it a magnificent canopy,
+was Pharaoh himself, dressed in his robes of state and carrying his
+sceptre and the flagellum of Osiris in either hand. Behind him were his
+fan bearers, and by his side a man whom, in spite of his rich dress, I
+recognised as soon as my eyes fell upon him. He was none other than the
+servant whom Pharaoh delighted to honour, his favourite, Ptahmes, son of
+Netruhotep, Chief of the Magicians, and Lord of the North and South.
+Deformed as he was, he walked with a proud step, carrying himself like
+one who knows that his position is assured. Following Pharaoh were his
+favourite generals, then another detachment of soldiers, still more
+priests, musicians, and dancing girls, and last of all a choir robed in
+white, and numbering several hundred voices. If you can picture the blue
+sky overhead, the sunshine, the mighty pylons and temples, the palm
+trees, the glittering procession, the gorgeous uniforms, the avenues of
+kriosphinxes, and the waters of the Nile showing in the background, you
+will have some notion of the scene I have attempted to portray.
+
+Reaching the main pylon of the temple, the dancing girls, musicians and
+soldiers drew back on either side, and Pharaoh, still borne upon the
+shoulders of his courtiers, and accompanied by his favourite magician,
+entered the sacred building and was lost to view.
+
+He had no sooner disappeared than the whole scene vanished, and once
+more I found myself standing in the darkness. It was only for a few
+moments, however. Then the globule of light which had first attracted my
+attention reappeared. Again it swung before my eyes and again I suddenly
+found myself in the open air. Now, however, it was nighttime. As on the
+previous occasion, I stood before the main pylon of the temple. This
+time, however, there was no crowd, no brilliant procession, no joyous
+music. Heavy clouds covered the sky, and at intervals the sound of
+sullen thunder came across the sands from the west. A cold wind sighed
+round the corners of the temple and added to the prevailing dreariness.
+It was close upon midnight, and I could not help feeling that something
+terrible was about to happen. Nor was I disappointed. Even as I waited a
+small procession crossed the Nile and made its way, just as the other
+had done, up the avenue of kriosphinxes. Unlike the first, however, this
+consisted of but four men, or to be exact, of five, since one was being
+carried on a bier. Making no more noise than was necessary, they
+conveyed their burden up the same well-kept roadway and approached the
+temple. From where I stood I was able to catch a glimpse of the dead
+man, for dead he certainly was. To my surprise he was none other than
+Ptahmes. Not, however, the Ptahmes of the last vision. Now he was old
+and poorly clad, and a very different creature from the man who had
+walked so confidently beside Pharaoh's litter on the occasion of the
+last procession.
+
+Knowing as I did the history of his downfall, I was easily able to put
+two and two together and to ascribe a reason for what I saw. He had been
+in hiding to escape the wrath of Pharaoh, and now he was dead, and his
+friends among the priests of Ammon were bringing him by stealth to the
+temple to prepare his body for the tomb. Once more the scene vanished
+and I stood in darkness. Then, as before, the light reappeared, and with
+it still another picture.
+
+On this occasion also it was night, and we were in the desert. The same
+small party I had seen carrying the dead man before was now making its
+way toward a range of hills. High up on a rocky spur a tomb had been
+prepared, and to it the body of the man, once so powerful and now fallen
+so low, was being conveyed. Unseen by the bearers, I followed and
+entered the chamber of death. In front was the Chief Priest, a venerable
+man, but to my surprise without his leopard skin dress. The mummy was
+placed in position without ceremony of any kind. Even the most simple
+funerary rites were omitted. No sorrowing relatives made an oblation
+before it, no scroll of his life was read. Cut off from the world,
+buried by stealth, he was left to take the long rest in an unhallowed
+tomb from which my own father, three thousand years later, was destined
+to remove his body. Then, like the others, this scene also vanished, and
+once more I found myself standing in the dark hall.
+
+"Thou hast seen the splendour and the degradation of the man Ptahmes,"
+said the deep voice of the old man who had warned me not to be afraid.
+"How he rose and how he fell. Thou hast seen how the mortal body of him
+who was once so mighty that he stood before Pharaoh unafraid, was buried
+by night, having been forbidden to cross the sacred Lake of the Dead.
+For more than three thousand years, by thy calculation, that body has
+rested in an unconsecrated tomb, it has been carried to a far country,
+and throughout that time his soul has known no peace. But the gods are
+not vengeful for ever, and it is decreed that by thy hand, inasmuch as
+thou art not of his country or of his blood, he shall find rest at last.
+Follow me, for there is much for thee to see."
+
+Leading the way across the large hall, he conducted me down another
+flight of steps into yet another hall, larger than any I had yet seen,
+the walls of which were covered with frescoes, in every case having some
+connection with the services rendered to the dead. On a stone slab in
+the centre of this great place was the mummy case which had for so many
+years stood in the alcove of my studio, and which was undoubtedly the
+cause of my being where I now was. I looked again and could scarcely
+believe my eyes, for there, seated at its head, gazing from the old man
+to myself, was the monkey Pehtes, with an expression of terror upon his
+wizened little face.
+
+I must leave you to imagine what sort of effect the solemnity of this
+great hall, the solitary mummy case lying in the centre, and the
+frightened little monkey seated at its head had upon me.
+
+At a signal from my companion the men who had anointed me on my arrival
+in this ghostly place made their appearance, but whence I could not
+discover. Lifting the lid of the case, despite the monkey's almost human
+protests, they withdrew the body, swaddled up as it was, and laid it
+upon the table. One by one the cloths were removed until the naked flesh
+(if flesh it could be called) lay exposed to view. To the best of my
+belief it had never seen the light, certainly not in my time, since the
+day, so many thousand years before, when it had been prepared for the
+tomb. The effect it had upon me was almost overwhelming. My guide,
+however, permitted no sign of emotion to escape him. When everything had
+been removed the men who had done the work withdrew as silently as they
+had come, and we three were left alone together.
+
+"Draw near," said the old man solemnly, "and if thou wouldst lose
+conceit in thy strength, and learn how feeble a thing is man, gaze upon
+the form of him who lies before you. Here on this stone is all that is
+left of Ptahmes, the son of Netruhotep, Magician to Pharaoh, and chief
+of the Prophets of the North and South."
+
+I drew near and looked upon the mummified remains. Dried up and brown as
+they were, the face was still distinctly recognisable, and as I gazed I
+sprang back with a cry of horror and astonishment. Believe it or not as
+you please, but what I saw there was none other than the face of Pharos.
+The likeness was unmistakable. There could be no sort of doubt about it.
+I brushed my hand across my eyes to find out if I were dreaming. But no,
+when I looked again the body was still there. And yet it seemed so
+utterly impossible, so unheard of, that the man stretched out before me
+could be he whom I had first seen at the foot of Cleopatra's Needle, at
+the Academy, in Lady Medenham's drawing-room, and with whom I had dined
+at Naples after our interview at Pompeii. And as I looked, as if any
+further proof were wanting, the monkey, with a little cry, sprang upon
+the dead man and snuggled himself down beside him.
+
+Approaching the foot of the slab, the old man addressed the recumbent
+figure.
+
+"Open thine eyes, Ptahmes, son of Netruhotep," he said, "and listen to
+the words that I shall speak to thee. In the day of thy power, when yet
+thou didst walk upon the earth, thou didst sin against Ra and against
+the mighty ones, the thirty-seven gods. Know now that it is given thee
+for thy salvation to do the work which has been decreed against the
+peoples upon whom their wrath has fallen. Be strong, O Ptahmes! for the
+means are given thee, and if thou dost obey thou shalt rest in peace.
+Wanderer of the centuries, who cometh out of the dusk, and whose birth
+is from the house of death, thou wast old and art born again. Through
+all the time that has been thou hast waited for this day. In the name,
+therefore, of the great gods Osiris and Nephthys, I bid thee rise from
+thy long rest and go out into the world, but be it ever remembered by
+thee that if thou usest this power to thy own advantage or failest even
+by as much as one single particular in the trust reposed in thee, then
+thou art lost, not for to-day, not for to-morrow, but for all time. In
+the tomb from whence it was stolen thy body shall remain until the work
+which is appointed thee is done. Then shalt thou return and be at peace
+for ever. Rise, Ptahmes, rise and depart!"
+
+As he said this the monkey sprang up from the dead man's side with a
+little cry and beat wildly in the air with his hands. Then it was as if
+something snapped, my body became deadly cold, and with a great shiver I
+awoke (if, as I can scarcely believe, I had been sleeping before) to
+find myself sitting on the same block of stone in the great Hypostile
+Hall where Pharos had left me many hours before. The first pale light of
+dawn could be seen through the broken columns to the east. The air was
+bitterly cold, and my body ached all over as if, which was very likely,
+I had caught a chill. Only a few paces distant, seated on the ground,
+their faces hidden in their folded arms, were the two Arabs who had
+accompanied us from Luxor. I rose to my feet and stamped upon the ground
+in the hope of imparting a little warmth to my stiffened limbs. Could I
+have fallen asleep while I waited for Pharos, and if so, had I dreamed
+all the strange things that I have described in this chapter? I
+discarded the notion as impossible, and yet what other explanation had I
+to offer? I thought of the secret passage beneath the stone, and which
+led to the vaults below. Remembering as I did the direction in which the
+old man had proceeded in order to reach it, I determined to search for
+it. If only I could find the place I should be able to set all doubt on
+the subject at rest for good and all. I according crossed the great
+hall, which was now as light as day, and searched the place which I
+considered most likely to contain the stone in question. But though I
+gave it the most minute scrutiny for upwards of a quarter of an hour, no
+sign could I discover. All the time I was becoming more and more
+convinced of one thing, and that was the fact that I was unmistakably
+ill. My head and bones ached, while my left arm, which had never yet
+lost the small purple mark which I had noticed the morning after my
+adventure at the Pyramids, seemed to be swelling perceptibly and
+throbbed from shoulder to wrist. Unable to find the stone, and still
+more unable to make head or tail of all that had happened in the night,
+I returned to my former seat. One of the Arabs, the man who had boarded
+the steamer on our arrival the previous afternoon, rose to his feet and
+looked about him, yawning heavily as he did so. He, at least, I thought,
+would be able to tell me if I had slept all night in the same place. I
+put the question to him, only to receive his solemn assurance that I had
+not left their side ever since I had entered the ruins. The man's
+demeanour was so sincere, that I had no reason to suppose that he was
+not telling the truth. I accordingly seated myself again and devoutly
+wished I were back with Valerie on board the steamer.
+
+A nice trick Pharos had played me in bringing me out to spend the night
+catching cold in these ruins. I resolved to let him know my opinion of
+his conduct at the earliest opportunity. But if I had gone to sleep on
+the stone, where had he been all night, and why had he not permitted me
+to assist in the burial of Ptahmes according to agreement? What was more
+important still, when did he intend putting in an appearance again? I
+had half made up my mind to set off for Luxor on my own account, in the
+hope of being able to discover an English doctor, from whom I could
+obtain some medicine and find out the nature of the ailment from which I
+was suffering. I was, however, spared the trouble of doing this, for
+just as my patience was becoming exhausted a noise behind me made me
+turn round, and I saw Pharos coming toward me. It struck me that his
+step was more active than I had yet seen it, and I noticed the pathetic
+little face of the monkey, Pehtes, peeping out from the shelter of his
+heavy coat.
+
+"Come," he said briskly, "let us be going. You look cold, my dear
+Forrester, and if I am not mistaken, you are not feeling very well. Give
+me your hand."
+
+I did as he ordered me. If, however, my hand was cold, his was like ice.
+
+"I thought as much," he said; "you are suffering from a mild attack of
+Egyptian fever. Fortunately, however, that can soon be set right."
+
+I followed him through the main pylon to the place where we had
+dismounted from our camels the night before. The patient beasts were
+still there just as we had left them.
+
+"Mount," said Pharos, "and let us return with all speed to the steamer."
+
+I did as he desired, and we accordingly set off. I noticed, however,
+that on the return journey we did not follow the same route as that
+which had brought us to the temple. By this time, however, I was feeling
+too ill to protest or to care very much where we went.
+
+"We are nearly there," said Pharos. "Keep up your heart. In less than
+ten minutes you will be in bed and on the high road to recovery."
+
+"But this is not the way to Luxor," I said feebly, clinging to the
+pommel of my saddle as I spoke and looking with aching eyes across the
+dreary stretch of sand.
+
+"We are not going to Luxor," Pharos replied. "I am taking you to a place
+where I can look after you myself, and where there will be no chance of
+any meddlesome European doctors interfering with my course of
+treatment."
+
+The ten minutes he had predicted seemed like centuries, and, had I been
+asked, I should have declared that at least two hours elapsed between
+our leaving the Temple of Ammon and our arrival at our destination.
+During that time my agony was well nigh unbearable. My throat was
+swelling and I felt as if I were suffocating. My limbs quivered as
+though they had been stricken with the palsy, and the entire landscape
+was blotted out by a red mist as thick as blood.
+
+More dead than alive, I accommodated myself to the shuffling tread of
+the camel as best I could, and when at last I heard Pharos say in
+Arabic, "It is here; bid the beast lie down," my last ounce of strength
+departed and I lost consciousness.
+
+How long I remained in this state I had no idea at the time, but when I
+recovered my senses again I found myself lying in an Arab tent, upon a
+rough bed made up upon the sand. I was as weak as a kitten, and when I
+looked at my hand as it lay upon the rough blanket I scarcely recognised
+it, so white and emaciated was it. Not being able to understand the
+reason of my present location, I raised myself on my elbow and looked
+out under the flap of the tent. All I could see there, however, was
+desert sand, a half-starved dog prowling about in the foreground in
+search of something to eat, and a group of palm trees upon the far
+horizon. While I was thus investigating my surroundings the same Arab
+who had assured me that I had slept all night on the block of stone in
+the temple made his appearance with a bowl of broth which he gave to me,
+putting his arm round me and assisting me to sit up while I drank it. I
+questioned him as to where I was and how long I had been there, but he
+only shook his head, saying that he could tell me nothing. The broth,
+however, did me good, more good than any information could have done,
+and after he had left me I laid myself down and in a few moments was
+asleep again. When I woke it was late in the afternoon and the sun was
+sinking behind the palm trees to which I referred just now. As it
+disappeared Pharos entered the tent and expressed his delight at finding
+me conscious once more. I put the same questions to him that I had asked
+the Arab, and found that he was inclined to be somewhat more
+communicative.
+
+"You have now been ill three days," he said, "so ill, indeed, that I
+dared not move you. Now, however, that you have got your senses back,
+you will make rapid progress. I can assure you I shall not be sorry, for
+events have occurred which necessitate my immediate return to Europe.
+You on your part, I presume, will not regret saying farewell to Egypt?"
+
+"I would leave to-day, if such a thing were possible," I answered. "Weak
+as I am I think I could find strength enough for that. Indeed, I feel
+stronger already, and as a proof of it my appetite is returning. Where
+is the Arab who brought me my broth this morning?"
+
+"Dead," said Pharos laconically. "He held you in his arms and died two
+hours afterward. They've no stamina, these Arabs, the least thing kills
+them. But you need have no fear. You have passed the critical point and
+your recovery is certain."
+
+But I scarcely heard him. "Dead! dead!" I was saying over and over again
+to myself as if I did not understand it. "Surely the man cannot be
+dead?" He had died through helping me. What then was this terrible
+disease of which I had been the victim?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+
+In travelling either with Pharos or in search of him it was necessary to
+accustom oneself to rapid movement. I was in London on June 7th, and had
+found him in Naples three days later; had reached Cairo in his company
+on the 18th of the same month, and was four hundred and fifty miles up
+the Nile by the 27th. I had explored the mysteries of the great Temple
+of Ammon as no other Englishman, I feel convinced, had ever done; had
+been taken seriously ill, recovered, returned to Cairo, travelled thence
+to rejoin the yacht at Port Said; had crossed in her to Constantinople,
+journeyed by the Orient Express to Vienna, and on the morning of July
+15th stood at the entrance to the Teyn Kirche in the wonderful old
+Bohemian city of Prague.
+
+From this itinerary it will be seen that the grass was not allowed to
+grow under our feet. Indeed, we had scarcely arrived in any one place
+before our remorseless leader hurried us away again. His anxiety to
+return to Europe was as great as it had been to reach Egypt. On land the
+trains could not travel fast enough; on board the yacht his one cry was,
+"Push on, push on!" What this meant to a man like myself, who had lately
+come so perilously near death, I must leave you to imagine. Indeed,
+looking back upon it now, I wonder that I emerged from it alive. Looked
+at from another light, I believe I could not have done so but for
+Pharos. Callous as he had been to my sufferings hitherto, he could
+scarcely do enough for me now. His first inquiry in the morning was as
+to how I felt, and his last injunction at night was to the effect that
+if I felt any return of fever I was to communicate with him immediately.
+From this show of consideration on his part it would probably be argued
+that I should at least have felt some gratitude toward himself. The
+contrary, however, was the case. Ever since he had announced the death
+of the Arab to me my fear and dislike of him had been intensified rather
+than diminished. I was afraid of him very much in the same way as a man
+is afraid of a loathsome snake, and yet with that fear there was a
+peculiar fascination which I was powerless to resist.
+
+We had reached Constantinople early on Thursday morning and had left for
+Vienna at four o'clock in the afternoon. In the latter place we had
+remained only a few hours, had caught the next available train, and
+reached Prague the following morning. What our next move would be I had
+not the least idea, nor did Pharos enlighten me upon the subject. Times
+out of number I made up my mind that I would speak to him about it and
+let him see that I was tired of so much travelling, and desired to
+return to England forthwith. But I could not leave Valerie, and whenever
+I began to broach the subject my courage deserted me, and it did not
+require much self-persuasion to make me put the matter off for a more
+convenient opportunity.
+
+Of the Fraeulein Valerie, up to the time of our arrival in the city there
+is little to tell. She had evidently been informed of my illness at
+Karnak, for when I returned to the steamer she had arranged that
+everything should be in readiness for my reception. By the time we
+reached Cairo again I was so far recovered as to be able to join her on
+deck, but by this time a curious change had come over her, she was more
+silent and much more reserved than heretofore, and when we reached the
+yacht spent most of her days in her own cabin, where I could hear her
+playing to herself such wild, sad music that to listen to it made me
+feel miserable for hours afterward. With Pharos, however, it was
+entirely different. He, who had once been so morose, now was all smiles,
+while his inseparable companion, the monkey, Pehtes, for whom I had
+conceived a dislike that was only second to that I entertained for his
+master, equalled if he did not excel him in the boisterousness of his
+humour.
+
+At the commencement of this chapter I have said that on this particular
+morning, our first in Prague, I was standing before the doors of the
+Teyn Kirche, beneath the story of the Crucifixion as it is told there in
+stone. My reason for being there will be apparent directly. Let it
+suffice that when I entered the sacred building I paused, thinking how
+beautiful it was, with the sunshine straggling in through those
+wonderful windows which in bygone days had looked down on the burial of
+Tycho Brahe, and had in all probability seen John of Nepomuc standing in
+the pulpit. Their light illumined the grotesque old organ with its
+multitude of time-stained pipes and dingy faded ornaments, and
+contrasted strangely with that of the lamps and candles burning before
+the various altars and shrines. Of all the churches of Europe there is
+not one that affects me so deeply as this famous old Hussite building.
+With the exception, however, of myself and a kneeling figure near the
+entrance to the Marian Capelle, no worshippers were in the church. I
+stood for a moment looking round the building. Its vague suggestion of
+sadness harmonised with my own feelings, and I wondered if, among all
+those who had worshipped inside its walls since the days when the German
+merchants had first erected it, there had ever been one who had so
+strange a story to tell as myself. At last, having screwed my courage to
+the sticking point, I made my way down the nave between the carved,
+worm-eaten pews, and approached the figure I have referred to above.
+Though I could not see her face, I knew that it was Valerie. Her head
+was bent upon her hands and her shoulders shook with emotion. She must
+have heard my step upon the stones, for she suddenly looked up, and
+seeing me before her, rose from her knees and prepared to leave the pew.
+The sight of her unhappiness affected me keenly, and when she reached
+the spot where I was standing I could control myself no longer. For the
+last few weeks I had been hard put to it to keep my love within bounds,
+and now, under the influence of her grief, it got the better of me
+altogether. She must have known what was coming, for she stood before me
+with a troubled expression in her eyes.
+
+"Mr. Forrester," she began, "I did not expect to see you. How did you
+know that I was here?"
+
+"Because I followed you," I answered unblushingly.
+
+"You followed me?" she said.
+
+"Yes, and I am not ashamed to own it," I replied. "Surely you can
+understand why?"
+
+"I am afraid I do not," she answered, and as she did so she took a step
+away from me, as if she were afraid of what she was going to hear.
+
+"In that case there is nothing left but for me to tell you," I said, and
+approaching her I took possession of the slender hand which rested upon
+the back of the pew behind her. "I followed you, Valerie, because I love
+you, and because I wished to guard you. Unhappily we have both of us the
+best of reasons for knowing that we are in the power of a man who would
+stop at nothing to achieve any end he might have in view. Did you hear
+me say, Valerie, that I love you?"
+
+From her beautiful face every speck of colour had vanished by this time;
+her bosom heaved tumultuously under the intensity of her emotion. No
+word, however, passed her lips. I still held her hand in mine, and it
+gave me courage to continue when I saw that she did not attempt to
+withdraw it.
+
+"Have you no answer for me?" I inquired, after the long pause which had
+followed my last speech. "I have told you that I love you. If it is not
+enough I will do so again. What better place could be found for such a
+confession than this beautiful old church, which has seen so many lovers
+and has held the secrets of so many lives. Valerie, I believe I have
+loved you since the afternoon I first saw you. But since I have known
+you and have learnt your goodness that love has become doubly strong."
+
+"I can not hear you," she cried, almost with a sob, "indeed, I can not.
+You do not know what you are saving. You have no idea of the pain you
+are causing me."
+
+"God knows I would not give you pain for anything," I answered. "But now
+you _must_ hear me. Why should you not? You are a good woman, and I am,
+I trust, an honest man. Why, therefore, should I not love you? Tell me
+that."
+
+"Because it is madness," she answered in despair. "Situated as we are we
+should be the last to think of such a thing. Oh, Mr. Forrester, if only
+you had taken my advice, and had gone away from Naples when I implored
+you to do so, this would not have happened."
+
+"If I have anything to be thankful for it is that," I replied fervently.
+"I told you then that I would not leave you. Nor shall I ever do so
+until I know that your life is safe. Come, Valerie, you have heard my
+confession, will you not be equally candid with me. You have always
+proved yourself my friend. Is it possible you have nothing more than
+friendship to offer me?"
+
+I knew the woman I was dealing with. Her beautiful, straightforward
+nature was incapable of dissimulation.
+
+"Mr. Forrester, even if what you hope is impossible, it would be unfair
+on my part to deceive you," she said. "I love you, as you are worthy to
+be loved, but having said that I can say no more. You must go away and
+endeavour to forget that you ever saw so unhappy a person as myself."
+
+"Never," I answered, and then dropping on one knee and pressing her hand
+to my lips, I continued: "You have confessed, Valerie, that you love me,
+and nothing can ever separate us now. Come what may, I will not leave
+you. Here, in this old church, by the cross on yonder altar, I swear it.
+As we are together in trouble, so will we be together in love, and may
+God's blessing rest upon us both."
+
+"Amen," she answered solemnly.
+
+She seated herself in a pew, and I took my place beside her.
+
+"Valerie," I said, "I followed you this morning for two reasons. The
+first was to tell you of my love, and the second was to let you know
+that I have made up my mind on a certain course of action. At any risk
+we must escape from Pharos, and since you have confessed that you love
+me we will go together."
+
+"It is useless," she answered sorrowfully, "quite useless."
+
+"Hush!" I said, as three people entered the church. "We can not talk
+here. Let us find another place."
+
+With this we rose and left the building. Proceeding into the street, I
+hailed a cab, and as soon as we had taken our places in it, bade the man
+drive us to the Baumgarten. Some of my pleasantest recollections of
+Prague in days gone by were clustered round this park, but they were as
+nothing compared with the happiness I now enjoyed in visiting it in the
+company of the woman I loved. When we had found a seat in a secluded
+spot we resumed the conversation that had been interrupted in the
+church.
+
+"You say that it is useless our thinking of making our escape from this
+man?" I said. "I tell you that it is not useless, and that at any hazard
+we must do so. We know now that we love each other. I know, at least,
+how much you are to me. Is it possible, therefore, that you can believe
+I should allow you to remain in his power an instant longer than I can
+help? In my life I have not feared many men, but I confess that I fear
+Pharos as I do the devil. Since I have known him I have had several
+opportunities of testing his power. I have seen things, or he has _made_
+me believe I have seen things which, under any other circumstances,
+would seem incredible, and, if it is likely to have any weight with you,
+I do not mind owning that his power over me is growing greater every
+day. And that reminds me there is a question I have often desired to ask
+you. Do you remember one night on board the yacht, when we were crossing
+from Naples to Port Said, telling Pharos that you could see a cave in
+which a mummy had once stood?"
+
+She shook her head.
+
+"I remember nothing of it," she said. "But why do you ask me such
+strange questions?"
+
+I took her hand before I answered. I could feel that she was trembling
+violently.
+
+"Because I want to prove to you the diabolical power the man possesses.
+You described a tomb from which the mummy had been taken. I have seen
+that tomb. It was the burial place of the Magician, Ptahmes, whose mummy
+once stood in my studio in London, which Pharos stole from me, and which
+was the primary cause of my becoming associated with him. You described
+a subterranean hall with carved pillars and paintings on the walls, and
+a mummy lying upon a block of stone. I have seen that hall, those
+pillars, those carvings and paintings, and the mummy of Ptahmes lying
+stretched out as you portrayed it. You mentioned a tent in the desert
+and a sick man lying on a bed inside it. I was that sick man, and it was
+to that tent that Pharos conveyed me after I had spent the night in the
+ruins of the Temple of Ammon. The last incident has yet to take place,
+but, please God, if you will help me in my plan, we shall have done with
+him long before then."
+
+"You say you saw all the things I described. Please do not think me
+stupid, but I do not understand how you could have done so."
+
+Thereupon I told her all that had befallen me at the ruins of Karnak.
+She listened with feverish interest.
+
+"How is it that Providence allows this man to live?" she cried when I
+had finished. "Who is he and what is the terrible power he possesses?
+And what is to be the end of all his evil ways?"
+
+"That is a problem which only the future can solve," I answered. "For
+ourselves it is sufficient that we must get away from him and at once.
+Nothing could be easier, he exercises no control over our movements. He
+does not attempt to detain us. We go in and out as we please, therefore
+all we have to do is to get into a train and be hundreds of miles away
+before he is even aware that we are outside the doors of the hotel. You
+are not afraid, Valerie, to trust yourself and your happiness to me?"
+
+"I would trust myself with you anywhere," she answered, and as she said
+it she pressed my hand and looked into my face with her brave sweet
+eyes. "And for your sake I would do and bear anything."
+
+Brave as her words were, however, a little sigh escaped her lips before
+she could prevent it.
+
+"Why do you sigh?" I asked. "Have you any doubt as to the safety of our
+plan? If so tell me and I will change it."
+
+"I have no doubt as to the plan," she answered. "All I fear is that it
+may be useless. I have already told you how I have twice tried to escape
+him, and how on each occasion he has brought me back."
+
+"He shall not do so this time," I said with determination. "We will lay
+our plans with the greatest care, behave toward him as if we
+contemplated remaining for ever in his company, and then to-morrow
+morning we will catch the train for Berlin, be in Hamburg next day, and
+in London three days later. Once there I have half a hundred friends
+who, when I tell them that you are hiding from a man who has treated you
+most cruelly, and that you are about to become my wife, will be only too
+proud to take you in. Then we will be married as quickly as can be
+arranged, and as man and wife defy Pharos to do his worst."
+
+She did her best to appear delighted with my plan, but I could see that
+she had no real faith in it. Nor, if the truth must be told, was I in my
+own heart any too sanguine of success. I could not but remember the
+threat the man had held over me that night in the Pyramid at Gizeh: "For
+the future you are my property, to do with as I please. You will have no
+will but my pleasure, no thought but to act as I shall tell you."
+However, we could but do our best, and I was determined it should not be
+my fault if our enterprise did not meet with success. Not once but a
+hundred times we overhauled our plan, tried its weak spots, arranged our
+behaviour before Pharos, and endeavoured to convince each other as far
+as possible that it could not fail. And if we did manage to outwit him
+how proud I should be to parade this glorious creature in London as my
+wife, and as I thought of the happiness the future might have in store
+for us, and remembered that it all depended on that diabolical
+individual Pharos, I felt sick and giddy with anxiety to see the last of
+him.
+
+Not being anxious to arouse any suspicion in our ogre's mind by a
+prolonged absence, we at last agreed that it was time for us to think of
+returning. Accordingly, we left the park and, finding the cab which had
+been ordered to wait for us at the gates, drove back to the city. On
+reaching the hotel, we discovered Pharos in the hall holding in his hand
+a letter which he had just finished reading as we entered. On seeing us
+his wrinkled old face lit up with a smile.
+
+"My dear," he said to Valerie, placing his hand upon her arm in an
+affectionate manner, "a very great honour has been paid you. His
+Majesty, the Emperor King, as you are perhaps aware, arrived in the city
+yesterday, and to-night a state concert is to be given at the palace.
+Invitations have been sent to us, and I have been approached in order to
+discover whether you will consent to play. Not being able to find you, I
+answered that I felt sure you would accept his Majesty's command. Was I
+right in so doing?"
+
+Doubtless, remembering the contract we had entered into together that
+morning to humour Pharos as far as possible, Valerie willingly gave her
+consent. Though I did not let him see it, I for my part was not so
+pleased. He should have waited and have allowed her to accept or decline
+for herself, I thought. However, I held my peace, trusting that on the
+morrow we should be able to make our escape and so be done with him for
+good and all.
+
+For the remainder of the day Pharos exhibited the most complete
+good-humour. He was plainly looking forward to the evening. He had met
+Franz Josef on more than one occasion, he informed me, and remembered
+with gusto the compliments that had been paid him the last time about
+his ward's playing.
+
+"I am sure we shall both rejoice in her success, shall we not, my dear
+Forrester?" he said, and as he did so he glanced slyly at me out of the
+corner of his eye. "As you can see for yourself, I have discovered your
+secret."
+
+"I looked nervously at him. What did he mean by this? Was it possible
+that by that same adroit reasoning he had discovered our plan for
+escaping on the following day?
+
+"I am afraid I do not quite understand," I replied, with as much
+nonchalance as I could manage to throw into my voice. "Pray what secret
+have you discovered?"
+
+"That you love my ward," he answered. "But why look so concerned? It
+does not require very great perceptive powers to see that her beauty has
+exercised considerable effect upon you. Why should it not have done so?
+And where would be the harm? She is a most fascinating woman, and you,
+if you will permit me to tell you so to your face, are--what shall we
+say?--well, far from being an unprepossessing man. Like a foolish
+guardian I have permitted you to be a good deal, perhaps too much,
+together, and the result even a child might have foreseen. You have
+learnt to love each other. No; do not be offended. I assure you there is
+no reason for it. I like you, and I promise you, if you continue to
+please me, I shall raise no objection. Now what have you to say to me?"
+
+"I do not know what to say," I said, and it was the truth. "I had no
+idea you suspected anything of the kind."
+
+"I fear you do not give me the credit of being very sharp," he replied.
+"And perhaps it is not to be wondered at. An old man's wits can not hope
+to be as quick as those of the young. But there, we have talked enough
+on this subject, let us postpone consideration of it until another day."
+
+"With all my heart," I answered. "But there is one question I had better
+ask you while I have the opportunity. I should be glad if you could
+tell me how long you are thinking of remaining in Prague. When I left
+England I had no intention of being away from London more than a
+fortnight, and I have now trespassed on your hospitality for upward of
+two months. If you are going west within the next week or so, and will
+let me travel with you, I shall be only too glad to do so, otherwise I
+fear I shall be compelled to bid you good-bye and return to England
+alone."
+
+"You must not think of such a thing," he answered, this time throwing a
+sharp glance at me from his sunken eyes. "Neither Valerie nor I could
+get on without you. Besides, there is no need for you to worry. Now that
+this rumour is afloat I have no intention of remaining here any longer
+than I can help."
+
+"To what rumour do you refer?" I inquired. "I have heard nothing."
+
+"That is what it is to be in love," he replied. "You have not heard then
+that one of the most disastrous and terrible plagues of the last five
+hundred years has broken out on the shores of the Bosphorus, and is
+spreading with alarming rapidity through Turkey and the Balkan States."
+
+"I have not heard a word about it," I said, and as I did so I was
+conscious of a vague feeling of terror in my heart, that fear for a
+woman's safety which comes some time or another to every man who loves.
+"Is it only newspaper talk, or is it really as serious as your words
+imply?"
+
+"It is very serious," he answered. "See, here is a man with the evening
+paper. I will purchase one and read you the latest news."
+
+He did so, and searched the columns for what he wanted. Though I was
+able to speak German, I was unable to read it; Pharos accordingly
+translated for me.
+
+"The outbreak of the plague which has caused so much alarm in Turkey,"
+he read, "is, we regret having to inform our readers, increasing instead
+of diminishing, and to-day fresh cases to the number of seven hundred
+and thirty-three, have been notified. For the twenty-four hours ending
+at noon the death-rate has equalled eighty per cent. of those attacked.
+The malady has now penetrated into Russia, and three deaths were
+registered as resulting from it in Moscow, two in Odessa, and one in
+Kiev yesterday. The medical experts are still unable to assign a
+definite name to it, but incline to the belief that it is of Asiatic
+origin, and will disappear with the break up of the present phenomenally
+hot weather."
+
+"I do not like the look of it at all," he said when he had finished
+reading. "I have seen several of these outbreaks in my time, and I shall
+be very careful to keep well out of this one's reach."
+
+"I agree with you," I answered, and then bade him good-bye and went
+upstairs to my room, more than ever convinced that it behooved me to get
+the woman I loved out of the place without loss of time.
+
+The concert at the palace that night was a brilliant success in every
+way, and never in her career had Valerie looked more beautiful, or
+played so exquisitely as on that occasion. Of the many handsome women
+present that evening, she was undoubtedly the queen. And when, after her
+performance, she was led up and presented to the Emperor by Count de
+Schelyani, an old friend of her father's, a murmur of such admiration
+ran through the room as those walls had seldom heard before. I, also,
+had the honour of being presented by the same nobleman, whereupon his
+Majesty was kind enough to express his appreciation of my work. It was
+not until a late hour that we reached our hotel again. When we did
+Pharos, whom the admiration Valerie had excited seemed to have placed in
+a thoroughly good humour, congratulated us both upon our success, and
+then, to my delight, bade us good night and took himself off to his bed.
+As soon as I heard the door of his room close behind him, and not until
+then, I took Valerie's hand.
+
+"I have made all the arrangements for our escape to-morrow," I
+whispered, "or rather I should say to-day, since it is after midnight.
+The train for Berlin _via_ Dresden, I have discovered, leaves here at a
+quarter past six. Do you think you can manage to be ready so early?"
+
+"Of course I can," she answered confidently. "You have only to tell me
+what you want and I will do it."
+
+"I have come to the conclusion," I said, "that it will not do for us to
+leave by the city station. Accordingly, I have arranged that a cab shall
+be waiting for us in the Platz. We will enter it and drive down the
+line, board the train, and bid farewell to Pharos for good and all."
+
+Ten minutes later I had said good night to her and had retired to my
+room. The clocks of the city were striking two as I entered it. In four
+hours we should be leaving the house to catch the train which we hoped
+would bring us freedom. Were we destined to succeed or not?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+
+So anxious was I not to run any risk of being asleep at the time we had
+arranged to make our escape that I did not go to bed at all, but seated
+myself in an armchair and endeavoured to interest myself in a book until
+the fateful hour arrived. Then, leaving a note upon my dressing-table,
+in which was contained a sufficient sum to reimburse the landlord for my
+stay with him, I slipped into one pocket the few articles I had resolved
+to carry with me, and taking care that my money was safely stowed away
+in another, I said good-bye to my room and went softly down the stairs
+to the large hall. Fortune favoured me, for only one servant was at work
+there, an elderly man with a stolid, good-humoured countenance, who
+glanced up at me, and, being satisfied as to my respectability,
+continued his work once more. Of Valerie I could see no sign, and since
+I did not know where her room was situated I occupied myself, while I
+waited, wondering what I should do if she had overslept herself and did
+not put in an appearance until too late. In order to excuse my presence
+downstairs at such an early hour, I asked the man in which direction the
+cathedral lay, and whether he could inform me at what time early mass
+was celebrated.
+
+He had scarcely instructed me on the former point and declared his
+ignorance of the latter, before Valerie appeared at the head of the
+stairs and descended to meet me, carrying her violin case in her hand. I
+greeted her in English, and after I had slipped a couple of florins into
+the servant's hand, we left the hotel together and made our way in the
+direction of the Platz, where to my delight I found the cab I had
+ordered the previous afternoon already waiting for us. We took our
+places, and I gave the driver his instructions. In less than a quarter
+of an hour he had brought us to the station I wanted to reach. I had
+taken the tickets, and the train was carrying us away from Prague and
+the man whom we devoutly hoped we should never see again as long as we
+lived. Throughout the drive we had scarcely spoken a couple of dozen
+words to each other, having been far too much occupied with the affairs
+of the moment to think of anything but our flight. Knowing Pharos as we
+did, it seemed more than probable that he might even now be aware of our
+escape, and be taking measures to insure our return. But when we found
+ourselves safely in the train our anxiety lessened somewhat, and with
+every mile we threw behind us our spirits returned. By the time we
+reached Dresden we were as happy a couple as any in Europe, and when
+some hours later we stepped out of the carriage on to the platform at
+Berlin, we were as unlike the pair who had left the hotel at Prague as
+the proverbial chalk is like cheese. Even then, however, we were
+determined to run no risk. Every mile that separated us from Pharos
+meant greater security, and it was for this reason I had made up my mind
+to reach the German capital, if possible, instead of remaining at
+Dresden, as had been our original intention.
+
+When our train reached its destination it was a few minutes after six
+o'clock, and for the first time in my life I stood in the capital of the
+German empire. Though we had been travelling for more than ten hours,
+Valerie had so far shown no sign of fatigue.
+
+"What do you propose doing now?" she inquired as we stood together on
+the platform.
+
+"Obtain some dinner," I answered, with a promptness and directness
+worthy of the famous Mr. Dick.
+
+"You must leave that to me," she said, with one of her own bright
+smiles, which had been so rare of late. "Remember I am an old traveller,
+and probably know Europe as well as you know Piccadilly."
+
+"I will leave it to you then," I answered, "and surely man had never a
+fairer pilot."
+
+"On any other occasion I should warn you to beware of compliments," she
+replied, patting me gaily on the arm with her hand, "but I feel so happy
+now that I am compelled to excuse you. To-night, for the last time, I am
+going to play the part of your hostess. After that it will be your duty
+to entertain me. Let us leave by this door."
+
+So saying, she led me from the station into the street outside, along
+which we passed for some considerable distance. Eventually we reached a
+restaurant, before which Valerie paused.
+
+"The proprietor is an old friend of mine," she said, "who, though he is
+acquainted with Pharos, will not, I am quite sure, tell him he has seen
+us."
+
+We entered, and when the majordomo came forward to conduct us to a
+table, Valerie inquired whether his master were visible. The man stated
+that he would find out, and departed on his errand.
+
+While we waited I could not help noticing the admiring glances that were
+thrown at my companion by the patrons of the restaurant, among whom
+were several officers in uniform. Just, however, as I was thinking that
+some of the latter would be none the worse for a little lesson in
+manners, the shuffling of feet was heard, and presently, from a doorway
+on the right, the fattest man I have ever seen in my life made his
+appearance. He wore carpet slippers on his feet, and a red cap upon his
+head, and carried in his hand a long German pipe with a china bowl. His
+face was clean shaven, and a succession of chins fell one below another,
+so that not an inch of his neck was visible. Having entered the room, he
+paused, and when the waiter had pointed us out to him as the lady and
+gentleman who had asked to see him, he approached and affected a
+contortion of his anatomy which was evidently intended to be a bow.
+
+"I am afraid, Herr Schuncke, that you do not remember me," said Valerie,
+after the short pause that followed.
+
+The man looked at her rather more closely, and a moment later was bowing
+even more profusely and inelegantly than before.
+
+"My dear young lady," he said, "I beg your pardon ten thousand times.
+For the moment, I confess, I did not recognise you. Had I done so I
+should not have kept you standing here so long."
+
+Then, looking round, with rather a frightened air, he added, "But I do
+not see Monsieur Pharos? Perhaps he is with you, and will be here
+presently?"
+
+"I sincerely hope not," Valerie replied. "That is the main reason of my
+coming to you." Then, sinking her voice to a whisper, she added, as she
+saw the man's puzzled expression, "I know I can trust you, Herr
+Schuncke. The truth is, I have run away from him."
+
+"Herr Gott!" said the old fellow. "So you have run away from him. Well,
+I do not wonder at it, but you must not tell him I said so. How you
+could have put up with him so long I do not know; but that is no
+business of mine. But I am an old fool; while I am talking so much I
+should be finding out how I can be of assistance to you."
+
+"You will not find that very difficult," she replied. "All we are going
+to trouble you for is some dinner, and your promise to say nothing,
+should Monsieur Pharos come here in search of us."
+
+"I will do both with the utmost pleasure," he answered. "You may be sure
+I will say nothing, and you shall have the very best dinner old Ludwig
+can cook. What is more, you shall have it in my own private
+sitting-room, where you will be undisturbed. Oh, I can assure you,
+Fraeulein, it is very good to see your face again."
+
+"It is very kind of you to say so," said Valerie, "and also to take so
+much trouble. I thank you."
+
+"You must not thank me at all," the old fellow replied. "But some day,
+perhaps, you will let me hear you play again." Then, pointing to the
+violin-case, which I carried in my hand, he continued, "I see you have
+brought the beautiful instrument with you. Ah, Gott! what recollections
+it conjures up for me. I can see old--but there, there, come with me, or
+I shall be talking half the night!"
+
+We accordingly followed him through the door by which he had entered,
+and along a short passage to a room at the rear of the building. Here he
+bade us make ourselves at home, while he departed to see about the
+dinner. Before he did so, however, Valerie stopped him.
+
+"Herr Schuncke," she said, "before you leave us, I want your
+congratulations. Let me introduce you to Mr. Forrester, the gentleman to
+whom I am about to be married."
+
+The old fellow turned to me, and gave another of his grotesque bows.
+
+"Sir," he said, "I congratulate you with all my heart. To hear her play
+always, ah! what good fortune for a man. You will have a treasure in
+your house that no money could buy. Be sure that you treat her as such."
+
+When I had promised to do so, the warm-hearted old fellow departed on
+his errand.
+
+I must leave you to imagine the happiness of that dinner. Even now it
+sends a thrill through me to think of it. I can recall the quaint little
+room, so undeniably German in its furniture and decorations; the table
+laden with the good things the landlord had provided for us--even to the
+extent of a bottle of his own particular wine, which only saw the light
+on the most important occasions; the military-looking waiter, with his
+close-cropped hair and heavy eyes; and Valerie seated opposite, looking
+so beautiful and so happy that I could scarcely believe she was the same
+woman I had seen rising from her knees in the Teyn Kirche only the day
+before.
+
+"I hope all this travelling has not tired you, dearest?" I said, when
+the waiter had handed us our coffee and had left the room.
+
+"You forget that I am an old traveller," she said, "and not likely to be
+fatigued by such a short journey. You have some reason, however, for
+asking the question. What is it?"
+
+"I will tell you," I answered. "I have been thinking that it would not
+be altogether safe for us to remain in Berlin. It is quite certain that,
+as soon as he discovers that we are gone, Pharos will make inquiries,
+and find out what trains left Prague in the early morning. He will then
+put two and two together, after his own diabolical fashion, and as
+likely as not he will be here in search of us to-morrow morning, if not
+sooner."
+
+"In that case, what do you propose doing?" she asked.
+
+"I propose, if you are not too tired, to leave here by the express at
+half-past seven," I replied, "and travel as far as Wittenberge, which
+place we should reach by half-past ten. We can manage it very easily. I
+will telegraph for rooms, and to-morrow morning early we can continue
+our journey to Hamburg, where we shall have no difficulty in obtaining a
+steamer for London. Pharos would never think of looking for us in a
+small place like Wittenberge, and we should be on board the steamer and
+_en route_ to England by this time to-morrow evening."
+
+"I can be ready as soon as you like," she answered bravely, "but before
+we start you must give me time to reward Herr Schuncke for his kindness
+to us."
+
+A few moments later our host entered the room. I was about to pay for
+our meal, when Valerie stopped me.
+
+"You must do nothing of the kind," she said; "remember, you are my
+guest. Surely you would not deprive me of one of the greatest pleasures
+I have had for a long time?"
+
+"You shall pay with all my heart," I answered, "but not with Pharos'
+money."
+
+"I never thought of that," she replied, and her beautiful face flushed
+crimson. "No, no, you are quite right. I could not entertain you with
+his money. But what am I to do? I have no other."
+
+"In that case you must permit me to be your banker," I answered, and
+with that I pulled from my pocket a handful of German coins.
+
+Herr Schuncke at first refused to take anything, but when Valerie
+declared that if he did not do so she would not play to him, he
+reluctantly consented, vowing at the same time that he would not accept
+it himself, but would bestow it upon Ludwig. Then Valerie went to the
+violin-case, which I had placed upon a side table, and taking her
+precious instrument from it--the only legacy she had received from her
+father--tuned it, and stood up to play. As Valerie informed me later,
+the old man, though one would scarcely have imagined it from his
+commonplace exterior, was a passionate devotee of the beautiful art, and
+now he stood, leaning against the wall, his fat hands clasped before
+him, and his upturned face expressive of the most celestial enjoyment.
+Nor had Valerie, to my thinking, ever done herself greater justice. She
+had escaped from a life of misery that had been to her a living death,
+and her whole being was in consequence radiant with happiness; this was
+reflected in her playing. Nor was the effect she produced limited to
+Herr Schuncke. Under the influence of her music I found myself building
+castles in the air, and upon such firm foundations, too, that for the
+moment it seemed no wind would ever be strong enough to blow them down.
+When she ceased I woke as from a happy dream; Schuncke uttered a long
+sigh, as much as to say, "It will be many years before I shall hear
+anything like that again," and then it was time to go. The landlord
+accompanied us into the street and called a cab. As it pulled up beside
+the pavement a cripple passed, making his way slowly along with the
+assistance of a pair of crutches. Valerie stopped him.
+
+"My poor fellow," she said, handing him the purse containing the money
+with which, ten minutes before, she had thought of paying for our
+dinner, "there is a little present which I hope may bring you more
+happiness than it has done me. Take it."
+
+The man did so, scarcely able to contain his surprise, and when he had
+examined the contents burst into a flood of thanks.
+
+"Hush," she said, "you must not thank me. You do not know what you are
+saying." Then turning to Schuncke, she held out her hand. "Good-bye,"
+she said, "and thank you for your kindness. I know that you will say
+nothing about having seen us."
+
+"You need have no fear on that score," he said. "Pharos shall hear
+nothing from me, I can promise you that. Farewell, Fraeulein, and may
+your life be a happy one."
+
+I said good-bye to him, and then took my place in the vehicle beside
+Valerie. A quarter of an hour later we were on our way to Wittenberge,
+and Berlin, like Prague, was only a memory. Before leaving the station I
+had purchased an armful of papers, illustrated and otherwise, for
+Valerie's amusement. Though she professed to have no desire to read
+them, but to prefer sitting by my side, holding my hand, and talking of
+the happy days we hoped and trusted were before us, she found time, as
+the journey progressed, to skim their contents. Seeing her do this
+brought the previous evening to my remembrance, and I inquired what
+further news there was of the terrible pestilence which Pharos had
+declared to be raging in eastern Europe.
+
+"I am afraid it is growing worse instead of better," she answered, when
+she had consulted the paper. "The latest telegram declares that there
+have been upward of a thousand fresh cases in Turkey alone within the
+past twenty-four hours, that it has spread along the Black Sea as far as
+Odessa, and north as far as Kiev. Five cases are reported from Vienna;
+and, stay, here is a still later telegram in which it says"--she paused,
+and a look of horror came into her face, "Can this be true?--it says
+that the pestilence has broken out in Prague, and that the Count de
+Schelyani, who, you remember, was so kind and attentive to us last night
+at the palace, was seized this morning, and at the time this telegram
+was despatched was lying in a critical condition."
+
+"That is bad news indeed," I said. "Not only for Austria but also for
+us."
+
+"How for us?" she asked.
+
+"Because it will make Pharos move out of Prague," I replied. "When he
+spoke to me yesterday of the way in which this disease was gaining
+ground in Europe he seemed visibly frightened, and stated that as soon
+as it came too near he should at once leave the city. We have had one
+exhibition of his cowardice, and you may be sure he will be off now as
+fast as trains can take him. It must be our business to take care that
+his direction and ours are not the same."
+
+"But how are we to tell in which direction he will travel?" asked
+Valerie, whose face had suddenly grown bloodless in its pallor.
+
+"We must take our chance of that," I answered. "My principal hope is
+that knowing, as he does, the whereabouts of the yacht he will make for
+her, board her, and depart for mid-ocean to wait there until all danger
+is passed. For my own part I am willing to own that I do not like the
+look of things at all. I shall not feel safe until I have got you safely
+into England, and that little silver streak of sea is between us and the
+Continent."
+
+"You _do_ love me, Cyril, do you not?" she inquired, slipping her little
+hand into mine, and looking into my face with those eyes that seemed to
+grow more beautiful with every day I looked into them. "I could not live
+without your love now."
+
+"God grant you may never be asked to do so," I answered; "I love you,
+dearest, as I believe man never loved woman before, and, come what may,
+nothing shall separate us. Surely even death itself could not be so
+cruel. But why do you talk in this dismal strain? The miles are slipping
+behind us; Pharos, let us hope, is banished from our lives for ever; we
+are together, and as soon as we reach London, we shall be man and wife.
+No, no, you must not be afraid, Valerie."
+
+"I am afraid of nothing," she answered, "when I am with you. But ever
+since we left Berlin I seem to have been overtaken by a fit of
+melancholy which I can not throw off. I have reasoned with myself in
+vain. Why I should feel like this I can not think. It is only
+transitory, I am sure; so you must bear with me; to-morrow I shall be
+quite myself again."
+
+"Bear with you, do you say?" I answered. "You know that I will do so.
+You have been so brave till now, that I can not let you give way just at
+the moment when happiness is within your reach. Try and keep your
+spirits up, my darling, for both our sakes. To-morrow, you will be on
+the blue sea with the ship's head pointing for old England. And after
+that--well, I told you just now what would happen then."
+
+In spite of her promises, however, I found that in the morning my hopes
+were not destined to be realized. Though she tried hard to make me
+believe that the gloom had passed, it needed very little discernment
+upon my part to see that the cheerfulness she affected was all assumed,
+and, what made it doubly hard to bear, that it was for my sake.
+
+Our stay at Wittenberge was not a long one. As soon as we had finished
+our breakfast, we caught the 8.30 express and resumed our journey to
+Hamburg, arriving there a little before midday. Throughout the journey,
+Valerie had caused me considerable anxiety. Not only had her spirits
+reached a lower level than they had yet attained, but her face, during
+the last few hours, had grown singularly pale and drawn, and when I at
+last drove her to it, she broke down completely and confessed to feeling
+far from well.
+
+"But it can not be anything serious," she cried. "I am sure it can not.
+It only means that I am not such a good traveller as I thought.
+Remember, we have covered a good many hundred miles in the last week,
+and we have had more than our share of anxiety. As soon as we reach our
+hotel in Hamburg I will go to my room and lie down. After I have had
+some sleep, I have no doubt I shall be myself again."
+
+I devoutly hoped so; but in spite of her assurance, my anxiety was in no
+way diminished. Obtaining a cab, we drove at once to the Hotel
+Continental, at which I had determined to stay. Here I engaged rooms as
+usual for Mr. and Miss Clifford, for it was as brother and sister we had
+decided to pass until we should reach England and be made man and wife.
+It was just luncheon-time when we arrived there; but Valerie was so
+utterly prostrated that I could not induce her to partake of anything.
+She preferred, she declared, to retire to her room at once, and
+believing that this would be the wisest course for her to pursue, I was
+only too glad that she should do so. Accordingly, when she had left me I
+partook of lunch alone, but with no zest, as may be supposed, and having
+despatched it, put on my hat and made my way to the premises of the
+Steamboat Company in order to inquire about a boat for England.
+
+On arrival at the office in question it was easily seen that something
+unusual had occurred. In place of the business-like hurry to which I was
+accustomed, I found the clerks lolling listlessly at their desks. So far
+as I could see, they had no business wherewith to occupy themselves.
+Approaching the counter, I inquired when their next packet would sail
+for the United Kingdom, and in return received a staggering reply.
+
+"I am afraid, sir," said the man, "you will find considerable difficulty
+in getting into England just now."
+
+"Difficulty in getting into England?" I cried in astonishment, "and why
+so, pray?"
+
+"Surely you must have heard?" he replied, and looking me up and down as
+if I were a stranger but lately arrived from the moon. The other clerks
+smiled incredulously.
+
+"I have heard nothing," I replied, a little nettled at the fellow's
+behaviour. "Pray be kind enough to inform me what you mean. I am most
+desirous of reaching London at once, and will thank you to be good
+enough to tell me when, and at what hour, your next boat leaves?"
+
+"We have no boat leaving," the clerk answered, this time rather more
+respectfully than before. "Surely, sir, you must have heard that there
+have been two cases of the plague notified in this city to-day, and more
+than a hundred in Berlin; consequently, the British Government have
+closed their ports to German vessels, and, as it is rumoured that the
+disease has made its appearance in France, it is doubtful whether you
+will get into a French port either."
+
+"But I must reach England," I answered desperately. "My business is most
+important. I do not know what I shall do if I am prevented. I must sail
+to-day, or to-morrow at latest."
+
+"In that case, sir, I am afraid it is out of my power to help you," said
+the man. "We have received a cablegram from our London office this
+morning advising us to despatch no more boats until we receive further
+orders."
+
+"Are you sure there is no other way in which you can help me?" I asked.
+"I shall be glad to pay anything in reason for the accommodation."
+
+"It is just possible, though I must tell you, sir, I do not think it is
+probable, that you might be able to induce the owner of some small craft
+to run the risk of putting you across, but as far as we are concerned,
+it is out of the question. Why, sir, I can tell you this, if we had a
+boat running this afternoon, I could fill every berth thrice over, and
+in less than half an hour. What's more, sir, I'd be one of the
+passengers myself. We've been deluged with applications all day. It
+looks as if everybody is being scared off the Continent by the news of
+the plague. I only wish I were safe back in England myself. I was a fool
+ever to have left it."
+
+While the man was talking I had been casting about me for some way out
+of my difficulty, and the news that this awful pestilence had made its
+appearance in the very city in which we now were, filled me with so
+great a fear that, under the influence of it, I very nearly broke down.
+Pulling myself together, however, I thanked the man for his information,
+and made my way into the street once more. There I paused and considered
+what I should do. To delay was impossible. Even now Pharos might be
+close behind me. A few hours more, and it was just possible he might
+have tracked us to our hiding-place. But I soon discovered that even my
+dread of Pharos was not as great as my fear of the plague, and as I have
+said before, I did not fear that for myself. It was of Valerie I
+thought, of the woman I loved more than all the world; whose existence
+was so much to me that without her I should not have cared to go on
+living. The recollection of her illness brought a thought into my mind
+that was so terrible, so overwhelming, that I staggered on the pavement
+and had to clutch at a tree for support.
+
+"My God," I said to myself, "what should I do if this illness proved to
+be the plague?"
+
+The very thought of such a thing was more than I could bear. It choked,
+it suffocated me, taking all the pluck out of me and making me weaker
+than a little child. But it could not be true, I said, happen what might
+I would not believe it. Fate, which had brought so much evil upon me
+already, could not be so cruel as to frustrate all my hopes just when I
+thought I had turned the corner and was in sight of peace once more.
+
+What the passers-by must have thought I do not know, nor do I care. The
+dreadful thought that filled my mind was more to me than anyone else's
+good opinion could possibly be. When I recovered myself I resumed my
+walk to the hotel, breathing in gasps as the thought returned upon me,
+and my whole body alternately flushing with hope and then numbed with
+terror. More dead than alive I entered the building and climbed the
+stairs to the sitting-room I had engaged. I had half hoped that on
+opening the door I should find Valerie awaiting me there, but I was
+disappointed. Unable to contain my anxiety any longer, I went along the
+passage and knocked at the door of her room.
+
+"Who is there?" a voice that I scarcely recognised asked in German.
+
+"It is I," I replied. "Are you feeling better?"
+
+"Yes, better," she answered, still in the same hard tone, "but I think I
+would prefer to lie here a little longer. Do not be anxious about me, I
+shall be quite myself again by dinner time."
+
+I asked if there was anything I could procure for her, and on being
+informed to the contrary, left her and went down to the manager's office
+in the hope that I might be able to discover from him some way in which
+we might escape to our own country.
+
+"You have reached Hamburg at a most unfortunate time," he answered. "As
+you are doubtless aware, the plague has broken out here, and Heaven
+alone knows what we shall do if it continues. I have seen one of the
+councillors within the last hour, and he tells me that three fresh cases
+have been notified since midday. The evening telegrams report that more
+than five thousand deaths have already occurred in Turkey and Russia
+alone. It is raging in Vienna, and indeed through the whole of Austria.
+In Dresden and Berlin it has also commenced its dreadful work, while
+three cases have been certified in France. So far England is free, but
+how long she will continue to be so it is impossible to say. That they
+are growing anxious there is evident from the stringency of the
+quarantine regulations they are passing. No vessel from any infected
+country, they do not limit it even to ports, is allowed to land either
+passengers or cargo until after three weeks' quarantine, so that
+communication with the Continent is practically cut off. The situation
+is growing extremely critical, and every twenty-four hours promises to
+make it more so."
+
+"In that case I do not know what I shall do," I said, feeling as if my
+heart would break under the load it was compelled to carry.
+
+"I am extremely sorry for you, sir," the manager answered, "but what is
+bad for you is even worse for us. You simply want to get back to your
+home. We have home, nay, even life itself at stake."
+
+"It is bad for everyone alike," I answered, and then, with a heart even
+heavier than it was before, I thanked him for his courtesy and made my
+way upstairs to our sitting-room once more. I opened the door and walked
+in, and then uttered a cry of delight, for Valerie was at the farther
+end of the room, standing before the window. My pleasure, however, was
+short lived, for on hearing my step she turned, and I was able to see
+her face. What I saw there almost brought my heart into my mouth.
+
+"Valerie," I cried, "what has happened? Are you worse that you look at
+me like that?"
+
+"Hush!" she whispered, "do not speak so loud. Can not you see that
+Pharos is coming?"
+
+Her beautiful eyes were open to their widest extent, and there was an
+air about her that spoke of an impending tragedy.
+
+"Pharos is coming," she said again, this time very slowly and
+deliberately. "It is too late for us to escape. He is driving down the
+street."
+
+There was a long pause, during which I felt as if I were being slowly
+turned to stone.
+
+"He has entered the hotel."
+
+There was another pause.
+
+"He is here." And as she spoke the handle of the door was turned.
+
+As the person, whoever he might be, entered, Valerie uttered a little
+cry and fell senseless into my arms. I held her tightly and then wheeled
+round to see who the intruder might be.
+
+_It was Pharos!_
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+
+For more than a minute neither of us moved. Valerie lay in my arms just
+as she had fallen, Pharos stood a foot or so inside the door, while I
+stood looking first at her and then at him without being able to utter a
+word. As far as my own feelings were concerned the end of the world had
+come, for I had made up my mind that Valerie was dying. If that were so,
+Pharos might do his worst.
+
+"My friends, it would seem as if I have come only just in time," he said
+with sarcastic sweetness. "My dear Forrester, I must offer you my
+congratulations upon the neat manner in which you effected your escape.
+Unfortunately I was aware of it all along. Knowing what was in your
+heart, I laid my plans accordingly, and here I am. And pray, may I ask,
+what good have you done yourself by your impetuosity? You chase across
+Europe at express speed, hoping to get to England before I can catch
+you, only to find on arrival here that the plague has headed you off,
+and that it is impossible for you to reach your destination."
+
+"Are you going to stand talking all day?" I said, forgetting caution and
+the need that existed for humouring him, everything in fact, in my
+anxiety. "Can not you see that she is ill? Good heavens, man, she may be
+dying!"
+
+"What do you mean?" he asked quickly, with a change of voice as he
+crossed the room and came over to where I was standing. "Let me see her
+instantly!"
+
+With a deftness, and at the same time a tenderness I had never noticed
+in him before, he took her from me and placed her upon a sofa. Having
+done so, he stooped over her and commenced his examination. Thirty
+seconds had not elapsed before he turned fiercely on me again.
+
+"You fool!" he cried, "are you mad? Lock that door this instant. This is
+more serious than I imagined. Do you know what it is?"
+
+"How should I?" I answered in agony. "Tell me, tell me, can not you see
+how much I am suffering?"
+
+I clutched him by the arm so tightly that he winced under it and had to
+exert his strength to throw me off.
+
+"It is the plague," he answered, "and but for your folly in running away
+from me she would never have caught it. If she dies the blame will rest
+entirely with you."
+
+But I scarcely heard him. The knowledge that my darling was the victim
+of the scourge that was ravaging all Europe drove me back against the
+wall faint and speechless with terror. "If she dies," he had said, and
+the words rang in my ears like a funeral knell. But she should not die.
+If any power in the world could save her, it should be found.
+
+"What can I do?" I whispered hoarsely. "For pity's sake let me help in
+some way. She must not die, she shall not die!"
+
+"In that case you had better bestir yourself," he said. "There is but
+one remedy, and that we must employ. Had it not been for your folly I
+should have it with me now. As it is, you must go out and search the
+town for it. Give me writing materials."
+
+These were on a neighbouring table, and when I had put them before him
+he seized the pen and scrawled something upon a sheet of notepaper, then
+folding it, he handed it to me.
+
+"Take that with all speed to a chemist," he said. "Tell him to be
+particularly careful that the drugs are fresh, and bring it back with
+you as soon as you can. In all probability you will have a difficulty in
+procuring it, but you must do so somewhere. Rest assured of this, that
+if she does not receive it within an hour nothing can possibly save
+her."
+
+"I will be back in less than half that time," I answered, and hastened
+from the room.
+
+From a man in the street I inquired the address of the nearest chemist,
+and, as soon as he had directed me, hastened thither as fast as my legs
+could carry me. Entering the shop, I threw the prescription upon the
+counter, and in my impatience could have struck the man for his slowness
+in picking it up. If his life had depended upon his deciphering it
+properly he could not have taken longer to read it. Before he had got to
+the end of it my impatience had reached boiling heat.
+
+"Come, come," I said, "are you going to make it up or not? It is for an
+urgent case, and I have wasted ten minutes already."
+
+The man glanced at the paper again, smoothed it out between his fat
+fingers, and shook his head until I thought his glasses would have
+dropped from his nose.
+
+"I can not do it," he said at length. "Two of the drugs I do not keep
+in stock. Indeed, I do not know that I ever saw another prescription
+like it."
+
+"Why did you not say so at once?" I cried angrily, and snatching the
+paper from his hand, I dashed madly out and along the pavement. At the
+end of the street was another shop, which I entered. On the door it was
+set forth that English, French and German were spoken there. I was not
+going to risk a waste of time on either of the two first, however, but
+opened upon the man in his own language. He was very small, with an
+unwholesome complexion, and was the possessor of a nose large enough to
+have entitled him to the warmest esteem of the great Napoleon. He took
+the prescription, read it through in a quarter of the time taken by the
+other man, and then retired behind his screen. Scarcely able to contain
+my delight at having at last been successful, I curbed my impatience as
+well as I could, examined all the articles displayed in the glass case
+upon the counter, fidgeted nervously with the india-rubber change mat,
+and when, at the end of several minutes, he had not made it up, was only
+prevented from going in search of him by his appearance before me once
+more.
+
+"I am exceedingly sorry to say," he began, and directly he opened his
+mouth I knew that some fresh misfortune was in store for me, "that I can
+not make up the prescription for you at all. Of one of the drugs I
+remember once reading, but of the other I have never even heard.
+However, if----"
+
+But before he could utter another word I had seized the paper and was
+out of the shop. This was the second time I had been fooled, and upward
+of half an hour, thirty precious minutes, had been wasted. Even then
+Valerie might be dying, and I was powerless to save her. Never in my
+life before had time seemed so precious. I stopped a passer-by and
+inquired the direction of the nearest chemist. He referred me to the
+shop I had just left; I stopped another, but he confessed himself a
+stranger in the city. At last, at my wit's end to know what to do,
+finding myself before the office of the steamship company I had visited
+that afternoon, I determined to go inside and make inquiries.
+
+To my surprise, in place of the half dozen clerks who had stared at me
+only a few hours before, I found but one man, and before he had opened
+his lips I realized that he was drunk.
+
+"Ha, ha!" he said, with a burst of tipsy laughter, "so you have come
+back again, my friend? Want to get a boat to take you to England, I
+suppose. Oh, of course you do. We know all about that. We're not as
+blind, I mean as blind drunk, as you suppose."
+
+With that he lurched against the desk, and cannoned off it on to me.
+Then, having reached that stage of inebriation when music becomes a
+necessity, he leant against the wall and burst into song:--
+
+    Drink to me only with thine eyes,
+    And I will pledge with mine,
+    Or leave a kiss within....
+
+He had got no farther when I took him by the collar, and pushing him
+back against the wall, bumped his head against it until it is a wonder I
+did not fracture his skull.
+
+"Hold your tongue, you drunken fool!" I said, feeling as if I could kill
+him where he stood, "and tell me where the man is who attended to me
+this afternoon."
+
+The energy with which I had administered the punishment must have
+somewhat sobered the fellow, for he pulled himself together, and rubbing
+the back of his head with his hand asked me if I had heard the news.
+
+"I have heard nothing," I cried. "What news do you mean?"
+
+"Why, that the man you spoke to this afternoon is dead. He died of the
+plague within an hour after you were here, rolling on the floor, and
+making an awful mess of things. Then all the other fellows ran away.
+They didn't know there was a bottle and a half of brandy in the cupboard
+in the manager's room, but, bless your heart, I did, and now I'm not
+afraid of the plague. Don't you believe it!"
+
+"Dead?" I cried, for I could scarcely credit that what he told me could
+be true. The man had seemed so well when I had seen him only a few hours
+before. However, I had no time to think of him.
+
+"I want a chemist," I cried. "I must find one at once. Can you give me
+the address of one?"
+
+"The first turning to the left," he cried, "and the third shop on the
+right; Dittmer is the name. But I say, you're looking precious white
+about the gills. Though you did treat me badly just now, I don't bear
+any malice, so you can have a drop of this if you like. There's enough
+here for two of us. You won't? Well, then, I will. A short life and a
+merry one's my motto, and here's to you, my buck."
+
+Before he could have half filled his glass I had passed out of the
+office and was in the street he had mentioned. Drunk as he was, his
+information proved correct, and a chemist's shop, with the name of
+Dittmer over the door, was the third house on the right hand side. I
+entered and handed the prescription to the venerable-looking man I found
+behind the counter.
+
+"I am afraid you will have some difficulty in getting this made up," he
+said after he had read it. "Two of the drugs are not in common use, and
+personally I do not keep them. Is the case an urgent one?"
+
+"It's a matter of life and death," I answered. "All my happiness in life
+depends upon it. If you can not help me, can you direct me to any one
+who will? I assure you there is not a moment to be lost."
+
+Evidently the man was touched by my anxiety. At any rate he went out of
+his way to do a kindly action, for which no amount of gratitude on my
+part will ever be able to repay him.
+
+"I do not know anything about the merits of the prescription," he said,
+"but if these two drugs are necessary, I don't mind telling you that I
+think I know where I can procure them. I have an old friend, a quack, so
+the other chemists call him, who is always trying experiments. It is
+within the bounds of possibility he may have them. If you will wait here
+for a few minutes I'll run up to his house and see. It is only a few
+doors from here, and he is always at home at this hour."
+
+"I will await only too willingly," I answered earnestly. "Heaven grant
+you may be successful!"
+
+He said no more but ran out of the shop. While he was gone I paced up
+and down in a fever of impatience. Every minute seemed an hour, and as I
+looked at my watch and realized that if I wished to get back to the
+hotel within the time specified by Pharos I had only ten minutes in
+which to do it, I felt as if my heart would stop beating. In reality the
+man was not gone five minutes, and when he burst into the shop again he
+waved two bottles triumphantly above his head.
+
+"There's not another man in Hamburg could have got them!" he cried with
+justifiable pride. "Now I can make it up for you."
+
+Five minutes later he handed the prescription to me.
+
+"I shall never be able to thank you sufficiently for your kindness," I
+said as I took it. "If I can get back with it in time you will have
+saved a life that I love more than my own. I do not know how to reward
+you, but if you will accept this and wear it as a souvenir of the
+service you have rendered me, I hope you will do so."
+
+So saying, I took from my pocket my gold watch and chain and handed them
+across the counter to him. Then, without waiting for an expression of
+his gratitude, I passed into the street and, hailing a cab, bade the man
+drive me as fast as his horse could go to my hotel.
+
+Reaching it, I paid him with the first coin I took from my pocket and
+ran upstairs. What my feelings were as I approached the room where I had
+left Pharos and Valerie together I must leave you to imagine. With a
+heart beating like a sledge-hammer I softly turned the handle of the
+door and stole in, scarcely daring to look in the direction of the sofa.
+However, I might have spared myself the pain, for neither Pharos nor
+Valerie were there, but just as I was wondering what could have become
+of them the former entered the room.
+
+"Have you got it?" he inquired eagerly, his voice trembling with
+emotion.
+
+"I have," I answered, and handed him the medicine. "Here it is. At one
+time I began to think I should have to come back without it."
+
+"Another ten minutes and I can promise you you would have been too
+late," he answered. "I have carried her to her room and placed her upon
+her bed. You must remain here and endeavour to prevent any one
+suspecting what is the matter. If your medicine proves what I hope, she
+should be sleeping quietly in an hour's time, and on the high road to
+recovery in two. But remember this, if the people in this house receive
+any hint of what she is suffering from they will remove her to the
+hospital at once, and in that case, I pledge you my word, she will be
+dead before morning."
+
+"You need have no fear on that score," I answered. "They shall hear
+nothing from me."
+
+Thereupon he took his departure, and for the next hour I remained where
+I was, deriving what satisfaction I could from the assurance he had
+given me.
+
+It was quite dark by the time Pharos returned.
+
+"What news do you bring?" I inquired anxiously. "Why do you not tell me
+at once how she is? Can you not see how I am suffering?"
+
+"The crisis is past," he replied, "and she will do now. But it was a
+very narrow escape. If I had not followed you by the next train, in what
+sort of position would you be at this minute?"
+
+"I should not be alive," I answered. "If her life had been taken it
+would have killed me."
+
+"You are very easily killed, I have no doubt," was his sneering
+rejoinder. "At the same time, take my advice and let this be a lesson to
+you not to try escaping from me again. You have been pretty severely
+punished. On another occasion your fate may be even worse."
+
+I gazed at him in pretended surprise.
+
+"I do not understand your meaning when you say that I escaped from
+you," I said, with an air of innocence that would not have deceived any
+one. "Why should I desire to do so? If you refer to my leaving Prague so
+suddenly, please remember that I warned you the night before that it
+would be necessary for me to leave at once for England. I presume I am
+at liberty to act as I please?"
+
+"I am not in the humour just now to argue the question with you," he
+answered, "but if you will be advised by me, my dear Forrester, you
+will, for the future, consult me with regard to your movements. My ward
+has given you her experiences and has told you with what result, she, on
+two occasions, attempted to leave me. At your instigation she has tried
+a third time, and you see how that attempt has turned out. You little
+thought that when you were dining so comfortably in Herr Schuncke's
+restaurant in Berlin, last night, that I was watching your repast."
+
+"I do not believe it," I answered angrily. "It is impossible that you
+could have been there, if only for the reason that there was no train to
+bring you."
+
+He smiled pityingly upon me.
+
+"I am beginning to think, my friend," he said, "that you are not so
+clever as I at first supposed you. I wonder what you would say if I were
+to tell you, that while Valerie was playing for Schuncke's
+entertainment, I, who was travelling along between Prague and Dresden,
+was an interested spectator of the whole scene. Shall I describe to you
+the arrangement of the room? Shall I tell you how Schuncke leant against
+the wall near the door, his hands folded before him, and his great head
+nodding? How you sat at the table near the fireplace, building castles
+in the air, upon which, by the way, I offer you my felicitations? while
+Valerie, standing on the other side of the room, made music for you
+all? It is strange that I should know all that, particularly as I did
+not do myself the honour of calling at the restaurant, is it not?"
+
+I made no answer. To tell the truth, I did not know what to say. Pharos
+chuckled as he observed my embarrassment.
+
+"You will learn wisdom before I have done with you," he continued.
+"However, that is enough on the subject just now. Let us talk about
+something else. There is much to be done to-night, and I shall require
+your assistance."
+
+The variety of emotions to which I had been subjected that day had
+exercised such an effect upon me that, by this time, I was scarcely
+capable of even a show of resistance. In my own mind I felt morally
+certain that when he said there was much to do he meant the
+accomplishment of some new villainy, but what form it was destined to
+take I neither knew nor cared. He had got me so completely under his
+influence by this time that he could make me do exactly as he required.
+
+"What is it you are going to do?" I inquired, more because I saw that he
+expected me to say something than for any other reason.
+
+"I am going to get us all out of this place and back to England without
+loss of time," he answered, in a tone of triumph.
+
+"To England?" I replied, and the hideous mockery of his speech made me
+laugh aloud; as bitter a laugh surely as was ever uttered by mortal man.
+"You accused me just now of not being as clever as you had at first
+supposed me. I return the compliment. You have evidently not heard that
+every route into England is blocked."
+
+"No route is ever blocked to me," he answered. "I leave for London at
+midnight to-night, and Valerie accompanies me."
+
+"You must be mad to think of such a thing!" I cried, Valerie's name
+producing a sudden change in my behaviour toward him. "How can she
+possibly do so? Remember how ill she is. It would be little short of
+murder to move her."
+
+"It will be nothing of the kind," he replied. "When I want her she will
+rise from her bed and walk down stairs and go wherever I bid her,
+looking to all appearances as well and strong as any other woman in this
+town."
+
+"By all means let us go to England then," I said, clutching eagerly at
+the hope he held out. "Though how you are going to manage it I do not
+know."
+
+"You shall see," he said. "Remember, you have never known me fail. If
+you would bear that fact in mind a little oftener, you would come nearer
+a better appreciation of my character than that to which you have so far
+attained. However, while we are wasting time talking, it is getting
+late, and you have not dined yet. I suppose it is necessary for you to
+eat, otherwise you will be incapable of anything?"
+
+"I could not touch a thing," I answered in reply to his gibe. "You will
+not therefore be hindered by me. But how can we go out and leave Valerie
+behind in her present condition?"
+
+"I shall give her an opiate," he said, "which will keep her sleeping
+quietly for the next three or four hours. When she wakes she will be
+capable of anything."
+
+He thereupon left the room, and upward of a quarter of an hour elapsed
+before he rejoined me. When he did, I noticed that he was dressed for
+going out. I immediately picked up my hat and stick and followed him
+down stairs. Once in the street, Pharos started off at a smart pace, and
+as soon as he reached the corner, near the first chemist's shop I had
+visited that afternoon, turned sharply to his left, crossed the road,
+and entered a bye lane. The remainder of the journey was of too tortuous
+a description for me to hope to give you any detailed account of it. Up
+one back street and down another, over innumerable canals, we made our
+way, until at last we reached a quarter of the town totally distinct
+from that in which our hotel was situated. During the walk Pharos
+scarcely spoke, but times out of number he threw angry glances at me
+over his shoulder when I dropped a little behind. Indeed, he walked at
+such a pace, old man though he was, that at times I found it extremely
+difficult to keep up with him. At last, entering a dirtier street than
+any we had so far encountered, he stopped short before a tall, austere
+building which from a variety of evidences had seen better days, and
+might a couple of centuries or so before have been the residence of some
+well-to-do merchant. Mounting the steps, he rapped sharply upon the door
+with his stick. A sound of laughter and the voice of a man singing
+reached us from within, and when Pharos knocked a second time the
+rapidity of the blows and the strength with which they were administered
+bore witness to his impatience. At last, however, the door was opened a
+few inches by a man who looked out and inquired with an oath what we
+wanted.
+
+"I have come in search of Captain Wisemann," my companion answered. "If
+he is at home, tell him that if he does not receive Monsieur Pharos at
+once, he knows the penalty. Carry him that message and be quick about
+it. I have waited at this door quite long enough."
+
+With an unintelligible grunt the man departed on his errand, and it was
+plain that the news he brought had a sobering effect upon the company
+within, for a sudden silence prevailed, and a few moments later he
+returned and begged us with comparative civility to enter. We did so,
+and followed our guide along a filthy passage to a room at the back of
+the dwelling, a magnificent chamber, panelled with old oak, every inch
+of which spoke of an age and an art long since dead. The dirt of the
+place, however, passes description. Under the _regime_ of the present
+owner, it seemed doubtful whether any attempt had ever been made to
+clean it. The ceiling was begrimed with smoke and dirt, cobwebs not only
+decorated the cornices and the carved figures on the chimneypiece, but
+much of the panelling on the walls themselves was cracked and broken. On
+the table in the centre of the room was all that remained of a repast,
+and at this Pharos sniffed disdainfully.
+
+"A pig he was when I first met him, and a pig he will remain to the day
+of his death," said Pharos, by way of introducing the man upon whom we
+were calling. "However, a pig is at all times a useful animal, and so is
+Wisemann."
+
+At this moment the man of whom he had spoken in these scarcely
+complimentary terms entered the room.
+
+I have elsewhere described the Arab who met Pharos at the Pyramids, on
+the occasion of my momentous visit, as being the biggest man I had ever
+beheld in my life, and so he was, for at that time I had not the
+pleasure of Herman Wisemann's acquaintance. Since I have seen him,
+however, the Arab has, as the Americans say, been compelled to take a
+back place. Wisemann must have stood six-foot nine if an inch, and in
+addition to his height his frame was correspondingly large. Though I am
+not short myself, he towered above me by fully a head. To add to the
+strangeness of his appearance, he was the possessor of a pair of
+enormous ears that stood out at right angles to his head. That he was
+afraid of Pharos was shown by the sheepish fashion in which he entered
+the room.
+
+"Three years ago I called upon you," said Pharos, "and was kept waiting
+while you fuddled yourself with your country's abominable liquor.
+To-night I have been favoured with a repetition of that offence. On the
+third occasion I shall deal with you more summarily. Remember that! Now
+to business."
+
+"If Herr Pharos will condescend to tell me what it is he requires of
+me," said the giant, "he may be sure I will do my best to please him."
+
+"You had better not do otherwise, my friend," snapped Pharos with his
+usual acidity. "Perhaps you remember that on one occasion you made a
+mistake. Don't do so again. Now listen to me. I am anxious to be in
+London on Friday morning next. You will, therefore, find me a fast
+vessel, and she must leave to-night at midnight."
+
+"But it is impossible to get into England," replied the man. "Since the
+outbreak of the plague the quarantine laws have been stricter even than
+they were before. Heinrich Clausen tried last week and had to return
+unsuccessful."
+
+"How does Heinrich Clausen's failure affect me?" asked Pharos. "I shall
+not fail, whatever any one else may do. Your friend Clausen should have
+known better than to go to London. Land me on the coast of Norfolk and
+that will do."
+
+"But it is eight o'clock now," the man replied, "and you say you wish to
+start at midnight. How am I to arrange it before then?"
+
+"How you are to do it does not concern me," said Pharos. "All I know is
+that you must do it. Otherwise, well then the punishment will be the
+same as before, only on this occasion a little more severe. You can send
+me word in an hour's time, how, and where, we are to board her. I am
+staying at the Continental, and my number is eighty-three."
+
+The man had evidently abandoned all thought of refusing.
+
+"And the remuneration?" he inquired. "The risk will have to be taken
+into account."
+
+"The price will be the same as on the last occasion, provided he lands
+us safely at the place which I shall name to him as soon as we are on
+board. But only half that amount, if, by any carelessness on his part,
+the scheme is unsuccessful. I shall expect to hear from you within an
+hour. Be careful, however, that your messenger does not arouse any
+suspicions at the hotel. We do not want the English authorities put upon
+their guard."
+
+Wisemann accompanied us to the door, and bowed us out. After that we
+returned as quickly as possible to our hotel. My delight may be imagined
+on hearing from Pharos, who visited her as soon as he returned, that
+throughout the time we had been absent Valerie had been sleeping
+peacefully, and was now making as good progress toward recovery as he
+could desire.
+
+At nine o'clock, almost punctual to the minute, a note was brought to
+Pharos. He opened it, and having read it, informed the man that there
+was no answer.
+
+"Wisemann has arranged everything," he said. "The steamer Margrave of
+Brandenburg will be ready to pick us up in the river at the hour
+appointed, and in fifty hours from the first revolution of her screw we
+should be in England."
+
+"And what would happen then?" I asked myself.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+
+When the sun rose on the following morning, nothing but green seas
+surrounded us, and the Margrave of Brandenburg was doing her best to
+live up to the reputation I soon discovered she possessed--namely, of
+being the worst roller in the North Sea trade. She was by no means a
+large craft, nor, as I soon remarked, was she particularly well found;
+she belonged to a firm of Altona Jews, and, as the captain was wont to
+say pathetically, "The only thing they did not grudge him was the right
+to do as much work on the smallest amount of pay on which it was
+possible for a man to keep body and soul together." The captain's
+nationality was more difficult to determine than that of his employers.
+He called himself an Englishman, but, unfortunately for this assertion,
+his accent belied him. In addition to English, he spoke German like a
+Frenchman, and French like a German, was equally at home in
+Russian--which, to say the least of it, is not a language for the
+amateur--Italian also, while in a moment of confidence he found occasion
+to inform me that he had served for three years on board a Spanish
+troop-ship, an assertion which would lead one to suppose that he was
+conversant with that language also. In point of fact, he was one of that
+curious class of sailor commonly met with outside the British mercantile
+marine, who, if you asked them, would find it difficult to tell you
+where they were born, and who have been so long at sea that one country
+has become like another to them, provided the liquor is good and they
+can scrape together a sufficient living out of it; and one flag is equal
+to another, provided, of course, it is not Chinese, which as everyone
+knows is no use to anyone, not even to themselves.
+
+For the week, and more particularly for the forty-eight hours preceding
+our departure from Hamburg, I had been living in such a state of nervous
+tension that, as soon as we were once clear of the land, the reaction
+that set in was almost more than I could bear. The prophecy Pharos had
+given utterance to regarding Valerie had been verified to the letter. At
+the hour appointed for leaving, she had descended from her room, looking
+at first glance as healthy and strong as I had ever seen her. It was
+only when I came close up to her and could catch a glimpse of her eyes
+that I saw how dilated the pupils were and how unnatural was the light
+they contained. From the moment she appeared upon the stairs, throughout
+the drive through the city, and until we reached the steamer, not a word
+crossed her lips, and it was only when we were in the saloon and Pharos
+bade her retire to her cabin, that she found her voice and spoke to me.
+
+"Good night," she said very slowly, as if it hurt her even to speak the
+words, and then added with infinite sadness, "You have been very good
+and patient with me, Cyril." Having said this, she disappeared into her
+cabin, and I saw no more of her that night.
+
+As I remarked at the commencement of this chapter, the sun when it rose
+next morning found us in open water. Not a trace of the land was to be
+seen, and you may be sure I was not sorry to be away from it. Taking one
+thing with another, I had not spent a pleasant night. I had tried
+sleeping in my bunk, but without success. It was filthy in the extreme,
+and so small that I found it quite impossible to stretch myself out at
+full length. Accordingly, I had tumbled and tossed in it, tried every
+position, and had at last vacated it in favour of the settee in the
+saloon, where I had remained until the first signs of day showed
+themselves. Then I went on deck to find a beautiful pearl-grey dawn, in
+which the steamer seemed a speck on the immensity of sea. I tried to
+promenade the deck, only to find that the vessel's rolling rendered it
+extremely difficult, if not well-nigh impossible. I accordingly made my
+way to a sheltered spot, just abaft the saloon entrance, and, seating
+myself on the skylight, endeavoured to collect my thoughts. It was a
+more difficult matter than would at first be supposed, for the reason
+that the side issues involved were so many, and also so important, and I
+found myself being continually drawn from the main point at issue, which
+was the question as to what was to become of Valerie and myself since we
+found it impossible to escape from Pharos. How the latter had become
+possessed of the secret of our intention to escape from him I could not
+imagine, nor could I understand how he had been able to pursue and
+capture us with such accuracy and despatch. As it had turned out, it was
+just as well that he did follow us, and I shivered again as I thought of
+what Valerie's fate might have been had he not come upon the scene so
+opportunely. Of one thing I was quite convinced, in spite of the threats
+he had used, and that was that, as soon as we reached England, I would
+find some way--how I was to do so I did not for the moment quite
+realise--of getting the woman I loved out of his clutches, this time for
+good and all.
+
+I breakfasted that morning alone. Valerie being still too ill to leave
+her bunk, while Pharos, as usual, did not put in appearance until close
+upon midday. By the time he did so the sea had lost much of its former
+violence, and the vessel was, in consequence, making better progress.
+How I longed to be in England no one can have any idea. The events of
+the last few months, if they had done nothing else, had at least
+deprived me of my taste for travel, and as for the land of Egypt, the
+liking I had once entertained for that country had given place to a
+hatred that was as vigorous as I had deemed the other sincere.
+
+I have already said that it was midday before Pharos made his appearance
+on deck; but when he did, so far as his amiability was concerned, he
+would have been very much better below. Being accustomed by this time to
+note the changes in his manner, it did not take me very long to see that
+this was one of his bad days. For this reason I resolved to keep out of
+his way as far as possible, but in my attempt I was only partly
+successful.
+
+"In thirty-eight hours, my friend," he said, when he had found me out,
+"you will be in England once more, and the desire of your heart will be
+gratified. You should be grateful to me, for had I not followed you to
+Hamburg, it is quite certain _you_ would still be in that plague-ridden
+city, and where would Valerie be? Well, Valerie would be----But there,
+we will have no more of those little escapades, if you please, so
+remember that. The next time you attempt to play me false, I shall know
+how to deal with you. All things considered, it was a good day for me
+when you fell in love with Valerie."
+
+"What do you mean?" I asked, for I neither liked the look on his face
+nor the way he spoke.
+
+"I mean what I say," he answered. "You love Valerie, and she loves you;
+but----Well, to put it mildly, she does what I tell her, and for the
+future so must you! It would be as well, perhaps, if you would bear that
+fact in mind."
+
+I rose from the skylight upon which I had been sitting and faced him.
+
+"Monsieur Pharos," I said, holding up my hand in protest, "you have gone
+quite far enough. Let me advise you to think twice before you make use
+of such threats to me. I do not understand by what right you speak to me
+in this fashion."
+
+"There are many things you do not understand, and at present it is not
+my intention to enlighten you," he answered, with consummate coolness.
+"Only remember this--while you act in accordance with my wishes, you are
+safe, but if at any time you attempt to thwart me, I give you fair
+warning I will crush you like a worm."
+
+So saying, he darted another glance at me full of intense malignity, and
+then took his departure. When he had gone I seated myself again and
+endeavoured to solve the riddle of his behaviour. What his purpose could
+be in keeping me with him, and why he was always threatening me with
+punishment if I did not act in accordance with his wishes, were two
+questions I tried to answer, but in vain. That there was something
+behind it all which boded ill for myself, I felt morally certain, but
+what that something was I had yet to discover. If I had known all, I
+wonder what course of action I should have pursued.
+
+For the remainder of the day I saw nothing of Pharos. He had shut
+himself up in his cabin with only the monkey for company. Towards the
+end of the afternoon, however, he sent for the captain, and they
+remained closeted together for a quarter of an hour. When the latter
+appeared again, it was with an unusually white face. He passed me on the
+companion-ladder, and from the light I saw in his eyes I surmised that
+Pharos had been treating him to a sample of his ill-humour, and that he
+had come out of it considerably scared. Once more I partook of the
+evening meal alone, and, as I was by this time not only thoroughly tired
+of my own company, but worn out with anxiety and continual brooding upon
+one subject, I sought my couch at an early hour. My dreams that night
+were far from good. The recollection of that terrible afternoon in
+Hamburg, when Valerie had been taken ill, and Pharos had so unexpectedly
+appeared in time to save her, was sufficient to wake me up in a cold
+sweat of fear. When I had somewhat recovered, I became aware that
+someone was knocking on my cabin door. To my surprise it proved to be
+the captain.
+
+"What is the matter?" I inquired, as he entered. "What brings you here?"
+
+"I have come to you for your advice," he said nervously, as he fidgeted
+with his cap. "I can tell you we're in a bad way aboard this ship."
+
+"Why, what has happened?" I inquired, sitting up and staring at his
+white face. "Have we met with an accident?"
+
+"We have," he answered, "and a bad one. A worse could scarcely have
+befallen us." Then, sinking his voice to a whisper, he added, "_The
+plague has broken out aboard!_"
+
+"The plague!" I cried, in consternation. "Do you mean it? For Heaven's
+sake, man, be sure you are not making a mistake before you say such a
+thing!"
+
+"I only wish I were not sure," he replied. "Unfortunately there is no
+getting away from the fact. The plague's upon us, sure enough, and,
+what's worse, I'm afraid it's come to stay."
+
+"How many cases are there?" I asked, "and when did you discover it? Tell
+me everything."
+
+"We found it out early this morning," the captain replied. "There are
+two cases, the steward aft here, and the cook for'ard. The steward is
+dead; we pitched him overboard just before I came down to you. The cook
+is very nearly as bad. I can tell you, I wish I was anywhere but where I
+am. I've got a wife and youngsters depending on me at home. The thing
+spreads like fire, they say, and poor Reimann was as well as you are a
+couple of hours ago. He brought me a cup of coffee and a biscuit up on
+to the bridge at eight bells, and now to think he's overboard!"
+
+The captain concluded his speech with a groan, and then stood watching
+me and waiting for me to speak.
+
+"But I can't understand what brings you to me," I said. "I don't see how
+I can help you."
+
+"I came to you because I wanted to find out what I had better do," he
+returned. "I thought most probably you would be able to advise me, and I
+didn't want to go to him." Here he nodded his head in the direction of
+Pharos's cabin. "If you could only have heard the way he bulliragged me
+yesterday you would understand why. If I'd been a dog in the street he
+couldn't have treated me worse, and all because I was unable to make the
+boat travel twice as fast as her engines would let her go."
+
+"But I don't see how I'm to help you in this matter," I said, and then
+added, with what could only have been poor comfort, "We don't know who
+may be the next case."
+
+"That's the worst part of it," he answered. "For all we can tell it may
+be you, and it might be me. I suppose you're as much afraid of it as I
+am."
+
+I had to confess that I was, and then inquired what means he proposed to
+adopt for stamping it out.
+
+"I don't know what to do," he answered, and the words were scarcely out
+of his mouth before another rap sounded on the cabin door. He opened it
+to find a deck hand standing outside. A muttered conversation ensued
+between them, after which the captain, with a still more scared look
+upon his face, returned to me.
+
+"It's getting worse," he said. "The chief engineer's down now, and the
+bosun has sent word to say he don't feel well. God help us if this sort
+of thing is going to continue! Every mother's son aboard this ship will
+make sure he's got it, and then who's to do the work? We may as well go
+to the bottom right off."
+
+Trouble was indeed pursuing us. It seemed as if I were destined to get
+safely out of one difficulty only to fall into another. If this terrible
+scourge continued we should indeed be in straits; for the Continent was
+barred to us on one hand, and England on the other, while to turn her
+head and put back to Hamburg was a course we could not dream of
+adopting. One thing was plain to me; to avoid any trouble later we must
+inform Pharos. So, advising the captain to separate those who had
+contracted the disease from those who were still well, I left my cabin
+and crossed to the further side of the saloon. To my surprise Pharos
+received the news with greater equanimity than I had expected he would
+show.
+
+"I doubted whether we should escape unscathed," he said; "but the
+captain deserves to die of it himself for not having informed me as soon
+as the first man was taken ill. However, let us hope it is not too late
+to put a stop to it. I must go and see the men, and do what I can to
+pull them round. It would not do to have a breakdown out here for the
+want of sufficient men to work the boat."
+
+So saying he bade me leave him while he dressed, and when this operation
+was completed, departed on his errand, while I returned to the saloon. I
+had not been there many minutes before the door of Valerie's cabin
+opened and my sweetheart emerged. I sprang to my feet with a cry of
+surprise and then ran forward to greet her. Short though her illness had
+been, it had effected a great change in her appearance, but since she
+was able to leave her cabin, I trusted that the sea air would soon
+restore her accustomed health to her. After a few preliminary remarks,
+which would scarcely prove of interest even if recorded, she inquired
+when we expected to reach England.
+
+"About midnight to-night, I believe," I replied; "that is, if all goes
+well."
+
+There was a short silence, and then she placed her hand in mine and
+looked anxiously into my face.
+
+"I want you to tell me, dear," she said, "all that happened the night
+before last. In my own heart I felt quite certain from the first that we
+should not get safely away. Did I not say that Pharos would never permit
+it? I must have been very ill, for though I remember standing in the
+sitting-room at the hotel, waiting for you to return from the steamship
+office, I cannot recall anything else. Tell me everything, I am quite
+strong enough to bear it."
+
+Thus entreated, I described how she had foretold Pharos's arrival in
+Hamburg, and how she had warned me that he had entered the hotel.
+
+"I can remember nothing of what you tell me," she said sadly when I had
+finished. Then, still holding my hand in hers, she continued in an
+undertone, "We were to have been so happy together."
+
+"Not '_were to have been_,'" I said, with a show of confidence I was far
+from feeling, "but '_are to be_.' Believe me, darling, all will come
+right yet. We have been through so much together that surely we must be
+happy in the end. We love each other, and nothing can destroy that."
+
+"Nothing," she answered, with a little catch of her breath; "but there
+is one thing I must say to you while I have time, something that I fear
+may possibly give you pain. You told me in Hamburg that up to the
+present no case of the plague had been notified in England. If that is
+so, darling, what right have we to introduce it? Surely none. Thing of
+the misery its coming must inevitably cause to others. For aught we know
+to the contrary, we may carry the infection from Hamburg with us, and
+thousands of innocent people will suffer in consequence. I have been
+thinking it over all night, and it seems to me that if we did this thing
+we should be little better than murderers."
+
+I had thought of this myself, but lest I should appear to be taking
+credit for more than I deserve, I must confess that the true
+consequences of the action to which she referred had never struck me.
+Not having any desire to frighten her, I did not tell her that the
+disease had already made its appearance on board the very vessel in
+which we were travelling.
+
+"You are bargaining without Pharos, however," I replied. "If he has made
+up his mind to go, how are we to gainsay him? Our last attempt could
+scarcely be considered a success."
+
+"At any cost to ourselves we must not go," she said firmly and
+decidedly. "The lives of loving parents, of women and little children,
+the happiness of an entire nation, depend upon our action. What is our
+safety, great as it seems to us, compared with theirs?"
+
+"Valerie, you are my good angel," I said. "Whatever you wish I will do."
+
+"We must tell Pharos that we have both determined on no account to land
+with him," she continued. "If the pestilence had already shown itself
+there it would be a different matter, but as it is we have no choice
+left us but to do our duty."
+
+"But where are we to go if we do not visit England? And what are we to
+do?" I asked, for I could plainly see the difficulties ahead.
+
+"I do not know," she answered simply. "Never fear; we will find some
+place. You may be certain of this, dear--if we wish God to bless our
+love we must act as I propose."
+
+"So it shall be," I answered, lifting her hand to my lips. "You have
+decided for me. Whatever it may mean to ourselves, we will not do
+anything that will imperil the lives of the people you spoke of just
+now."
+
+A few moments later I heard a footstep on the companion-ladder. It was
+Pharos returning from his examination of the plague-stricken men. In the
+dim light of the hatchway he looked more like a demon than a man, and as
+I thought of the subject I had to broach to him, and the storm it would
+probably bring down upon us, I am not ashamed to confess that my heart
+sank into my shoes.
+
+It was not until he was fairly in the saloon that he became aware of
+Valerie's presence.
+
+"I offer you my congratulations upon your improved appearance," he said
+politely. "I am glad of it, for it will make matters the easier when we
+get ashore."
+
+I had already risen from my seat, though I still held Valerie's hand.
+
+"Your pardon, Monsieur Pharos," I said, trying to speak calmly, "but on
+that subject it is necessary that I should have a few words with you."
+
+"Indeed," he answered, looking at me with the customary sneer upon his
+face. "In that case, say on, for, as you see, I am all attention. I must
+beg, however, that you will be quick about it, for matters are
+progressing so capitally on board this ship that, if things go on as
+they are doing at present, we may every one of us expect to be down with
+the plague before midday."
+
+"The plague!" Valerie repeated, with a note of fear in her voice. "Do
+you mean to say that it has broken out on board this steamer?" Then,
+turning to me, she added reproachfully, "You did not tell me that."
+
+"Very probably not, my dear," Pharos answered for me. "Had he done so,
+you would scarcely have propounded the ingenious theory you were
+discussing shortly before I entered."
+
+Overwhelming as was Valerie's surprise at the dreadful news Pharos had
+disclosed to her, and unenviable as our present position was, we could
+not contain our astonishment at finding that Pharos had become
+acquainted with the decision we had arrived at a few moments before.
+Instinctively I glanced up at the skylight overhead, thinking it might
+have been through that he had overheard our conversation. But it was
+securely closed. By what means, therefore, he had acquired his
+information I could not imagine.
+
+"You were prepared to tell me when I appeared," he said, "that you would
+refuse to enter England, on what I cannot help considering most absurd
+grounds. You must really forgive me if I do not agree with your views.
+Apart from the idea of your thwarting me, your decision is ludicrous in
+the extreme. However, now that you find you are no safer on board this
+ship than you would be ashore--in point of fact, not so safe--you will
+doubtless change your minds. By way of emphasising my point, I might
+tell you that out of the twelve men constituting her crew, no less than
+four are victims of the pestilence, while one is dead and thrown
+overboard."
+
+"Four," I cried, scarcely able to believe that what he said could be
+true. "There were only two half an hour ago."
+
+"I do not combat that assertion," he said; "but you forget that the
+disease travels fast, faster even than you do when you run away from me,
+my dear Forrester. However, I don't know that that fact matters very
+much. What we have to deal with is your obliging offer to refuse to land
+in England. Perhaps you will be good enough to tell me, in the event of
+your not doing so there, where you will condescend to go ashore! The
+Margrave of Brandenburg is only a small vessel, after all, and with the
+best intention she cannot remain at sea for ever."
+
+"What we wish to tell you is," I answered, "that we have decided not to
+be the means of introducing this terrible scourge into a country that so
+far is free from it."
+
+"A very philanthropic decision on your part," he answered sarcastically.
+"Unfortunately, however, I am in a position to be able to inform you
+that your charity is not required. Though the authorities are not aware
+of it, the plague has already broken out in England. For this reason you
+will not be responsible for such deaths as may occur."
+
+He paused and looked first at Valerie and then at myself. The old light
+I remembered having seen in his eyes the night he had hypnotised me in
+my studio was shining there now. Very soon the storm which had been
+gathering broke, and its violence was the greater for having been so
+long suppressed.
+
+"I have warned you several times already," he cried, shaking his fist at
+me, "but you take no notice. You will try to thwart me again, and then
+nothing can save you. You fool! cannot you see how thin the crust is
+upon which you stand? Hatch but one more plot, and I will punish you in
+a fashion of which you do not dream. As with this woman here, I have but
+to raise my hand, and you are powerless to help yourself. Sight,
+hearing, power of speech, may be all taken from you in a second, and for
+as long a time as I please." Then, turning to Valerie, he continued, "To
+your cabin with you, madam. Let me hear no more of such talk as this, or
+'twill be time for me to give you another exhibition of my power."
+
+Valerie departed to her cabin without a word, and Pharos, with another
+glance at me, entered his, while I remained standing in the centre of
+the saloon, not knowing what to do nor what to say.
+
+It was not until late that evening that I saw him again, and then I was
+on deck. The sea was much smoother than in the morning, but the night
+wind blew cold. I had not left the companion-ladder very long before I
+was aware of a man coming slowly along the deck towards me, lurching
+from side to side as he walked. To my astonishment it proved to be the
+captain, and it was plain that something serious was the matter with
+him. When he came closer I found that he was talking to himself.
+
+"What is the matter, captain?" I inquired, with a foreboding in my
+heart. "Are you not feeling well?"
+
+He shook off the hand I had placed upon his arm.
+
+"It is no good, I will not do it!" he cried fiercely. "I have done
+enough for you already, and you won't get me to do any more."
+
+"Come, come," I said, "you mustn't be wandering about the deck like
+this! Let me help you to your cabin." So saying, I took him by the arm
+and was about to lead him along the deck in the direction of his own
+quarters, when, with a shout of rage, he turned and threw himself upon
+me. Then began a struggle such as I had never known in my life before.
+The man was undoubtedly mad, and I soon found that I had to put out all
+my strength to hold my own against him.
+
+While we were still wrestling, Pharos made his appearance from below. He
+took in the situation at a glance, and as we swayed towards him threw
+himself upon the captain, twining his long, thin fingers about the
+other's throat and clinging to him with the tenacity of a bulldog. The
+result may be easily foreseen. Overmatched as he was, the wretched man
+fell like a log upon the deck, and I with him. The force with which his
+head struck the planks must have stunned him, for he lay, without
+moving, just where he had fallen. The light of the lamp in the companion
+fell full upon his face and enabled me to see a large swelling on the
+right side of the throat, a little below the ear.
+
+"Another victim," said Pharos, and I could have sworn a chuckle escaped
+him. "You had better leave him to me. There is no hope for him. That
+swelling is an infallible sign. He is unconscious now; in half an hour
+he will be dead."
+
+Unhappily his prophecy proved to be correct, for though we bore him to
+his cabin and did all that was possible, in something under the time
+Pharos had mentioned death had overtaken him.
+
+Our position was even less pleasant now than before. We had only the
+second mate to fall back upon, and if anything happened to him I did not
+see how it would be possible for us to reach our destination. As it
+turned out, however, I need not have worried myself, for we were closer
+to the English coast than I imagined.
+
+Owing to the stringency of the quarantine laws, and to the fact that the
+coastguards all round the British Isles were continually on the look-out
+for vessels attempting to land passengers, orders had been given that no
+lights should be shown; the skylights and portholes were accordingly
+covered with tarpaulins.
+
+It wanted a quarter of an hour to midnight when Pharos came along the
+deck and, standing by my side, pointed away over our bow.
+
+"The black smudge you can distinguish on the horizon is England," he
+said abruptly, and then was silent, in order, I suppose, that I might
+have time to digest the thoughts his information conjured up.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+
+Pharos and I stood leaning against the bulwarks, gazing at the land. For
+my part I must confess that there was a feeling in my heart that was not
+unlike that of a disgraced son who enters his home by stealth after a
+long absence. And yet it would be impossible to tell you how my heart
+warmed to it. Times out of number I had thought of my return to England,
+and had pictured Valerie standing by my side upon the deck of the
+steamer, watching the land loom up, and thinking of the happiness that
+was to be our portion in the days to come. Now Valerie and I were
+certainly nearing England together; Pharos, however, was with us, and
+while we were in his power happiness was, to all intents and purposes,
+unknown to us.
+
+"What do you propose doing when you get ashore?" I inquired of my
+companion, more for the sake of breaking the silence than for any desire
+I had for the information.
+
+"That will very much depend upon circumstances," he replied, still
+without looking at me. "Our main object must be to reach London as
+quickly as possible." Then, changing his tone, he turned to me.
+"Forrester, my dear fellow," he said, almost sorrowfully, "you cannot
+think how I regret our little disagreement of this morning. I am afraid,
+while I am touchy, you are headstrong; and, in consequence, we
+misunderstand each other. I cannot, of course, tell what you think of
+me in your heart, but I venture to believe that if you knew everything,
+you would be the first to own that you have wronged me. Bad as I may be,
+I am not quite what you would make me out. If I were, do you think,
+knowing your antagonism as I do, I should have kept you so long with me?
+You have doubted me from the beginning; in fact, as you will remember,
+you once went so far as to accuse me of the crime of murder. You
+afterwards acknowledged your mistake--in handsome terms, I will own; but
+to counterbalance such frankness, you later on accused me of drugging
+you in Cairo. This was another fallacy, as you yourself will, I am sure,
+admit. In Prague you ran away from me, taking my ward with you, a very
+curious proceeding, regarded in whatever light you choose to look at it.
+What was your object? Why, to reach England. Well, as soon as I knew
+that, I again showed my desire to help you. As a proof of that, are we
+not now on board this ship, and is not that the coast of England over
+yonder?"
+
+I admitted that it was. But I was not at all prepared to subscribe to
+his generous suggestion that he had only undertaken the voyage for my
+sake.
+
+"That, however, is not all," he continued, still in the same tone. "As I
+think I told you in Prague, I am aware that you entertain a sincere
+affection for my ward. Many men in my position would doubtless have
+refused their consent to your betrothal, if for no other reason, because
+of your behaviour to myself. I am, however, cast in a different mould.
+If you will only play fair by me, you will find that I will do so to
+you. I like you, as I have so often said, and, though I am doubtless a
+little hasty in my temper, there is nothing I would not do to help you,
+either in your heart, your ambition, or your love. And I can assure you
+my help is not to be despised. If it is fame you seek, you have surely
+seen enough of me to know that I can give it to you. If it is domestic
+happiness, who can do so much for you as I?"
+
+"I hope, Monsieur Pharos," I answered, in as dignified a manner as I
+could assume, "that I appreciate your very kind remarks at their proper
+value, and also the generous manner in which you have offered to forget
+and forgive such offences as I have committed against yourself. You
+must, however, pardon me if I fail to realise the drift of your remarks.
+There have been times during the last six weeks when you have uttered
+the most extraordinary threats against myself. Naturally, I have no
+desire to quarrel with you; but, remembering what has passed between us,
+I am compelled to show myself a little sceptical of your promises."
+
+He glanced sharply at me, but was wise enough to say nothing. A moment
+later, making the excuse that he must discover where the mate intended
+to bring up, he left me and went forward to the bridge.
+
+I was still thinking of my conversation with Pharos, and considering
+whether I had been wise in letting him see my cards, when a little hand
+stole into mine, and I found Valerie beside me.
+
+"I could not remain below," she said, "when we were nearing England. I
+knew the effect the land would have upon you, and I wanted to be with
+you."
+
+I then gave her an account of the interview I had had with Pharos, and
+of all he had said to me and I to him. She listened attentively enough,
+but I could see that she was far from being impressed.
+
+"Do not trust him," she said. "Surely you know him well enough by this
+time not to do so. You may be very sure he has some reason for saying
+this, otherwise he would not trouble himself to speak about it."
+
+"I shall not trust him," I replied. "You need have no fear of that. My
+experience of him has taught me that it is in such moments as these that
+he is most dangerous. When he is in one of his bad humours, one is on
+the alert and prepared for anything he may do or say; but when he
+repents and appears so anxious to be friendly, one scarcely knows how to
+take him. Suspicion is lulled to sleep for the moment, there is a
+feeling of security, and it is then the mischief is accomplished."
+
+"We will watch him together," she continued; "but, whether he is
+friendly or otherwise, we will not trust him even for a moment."
+
+So close were we by this time to the shore, and so still was the night,
+that we could even hear the wavelets breaking upon the beach. Then the
+screw of the steamer ceased to revolve, and when it was quite still
+Pharos and the second mate descended from the bridge and joined us.
+
+"This has been a bad business, a very bad business," the mate was
+saying. "The skipper, the chief engineer, the steward, and three of the
+hands all dead, and no port to put into for assistance. I wish I was
+going ashore like you."
+
+We shook hands with him in turn, and then descended the ladder to the
+boat alongside. The thought of the mate's position on board that
+plague-stricken vessel may possibly have accounted for the silence in
+which we pushed off and headed for the shore; at any rate, not a word
+was spoken. The sea was as calm as a mill-pond, and for the reason that
+the night was dark, and we were all dressed in sombre colours, while the
+boat chosen for the work of landing us was painted a deep black, it was
+scarcely likely our presence would be detected. Be that as it may, no
+coastguard greeted us on our arrival. Therefore, as soon as the boat was
+aground, we made our way into the bows, and with the assistance of the
+sailors reached the beach. Pharos rewarded the men, and remained
+standing beside the water until he had seen them safely embarked on
+their return journey to the steamer. Then, without a word to us, he
+turned himself about, crossed the beach, and carrying his beloved monkey
+in his arms, began slowly to ascend the steep path which led to the high
+land on which the village was situated. We did not, however, venture to
+approach the place itself.
+
+The remembrance of that strange night often returns to me now. In my
+mind's eye I can see the squat figure of Pharos tramping on ahead,
+Valerie following a few steps behind him, and myself bringing up the
+rear, and all this with the brilliant stars overhead, the lights of the
+village showing dimly across the sandhills to our right, and the
+continuous murmur of the sea behind us.
+
+For upwards of an hour we tramped on in this fashion, and in that time
+scarcely covered a distance of four miles. Had it occurred at the
+commencement of our acquaintance I should not have been able to
+understand how Pharos, considering his age and infirm appearance, could
+have accomplished even so much. Since then, however, I had been
+permitted so many opportunities of noting the enormous strength and
+vitality contained in his meagre frame that I was past any feeling of
+wonderment. Valerie it was who caused me most anxiety. Only two days
+before she had been stricken by the plague; yesterday she was still
+confined to her cabin. Now here she was, subjected to intense excitement
+and no small amount of physical exertion. Pharos must have had the same
+thought in his mind, for more than once he stopped and inquired if she
+felt capable of proceeding, and on one occasion he poured out for her
+from a flask he carried in his pocket a small cupful of some fluid he
+had doubtless brought with him for that purpose. At last the welcome
+sight of a railway line came into view. It crossed the road, and as soon
+as we saw it we stopped and took counsel together. The question for us
+to consider was whether it would be wiser to continue our walk along the
+high road, on the chance of its bringing us to a station, or whether we
+should clamber up the embankment to the railway line itself, and follow
+that along in the hope of achieving the same result. On the one side
+there was the likelihood of our having to go a long way round, and on
+the other the suspicion that might possibly be aroused in the minds of
+the railway officials should we make an appearance at the station in
+such an unorthodox fashion. Eventually, however, we decided for the
+railway line. Accordingly we mounted the stile beside the arch, and
+having clambered up the embankment to the footpath beside the permanent
+way, resumed our march, one behind the other as before. We had not,
+however, as it turned out, very much further to go, for on emerging from
+the cutting, which began at a short distance from the arch just referred
+to, we saw before us a glimmering light, emanating, so we discovered
+later, from the signal-box on the further side of the station. I could
+not help wondering how Pharos would explain our presence at such an
+hour, but I knew him well enough by this time to feel sure that he would
+be able to do so, not only to his own, but to everybody else's
+satisfaction. The place itself proved to be a primitive roadside affair,
+with a small galvanised shelter for passengers, and a cottage at the
+further end, which we set down rightly enough as the residence of the
+stationmaster. The only lights to be seen were an oil-lamp above the
+cottage door, and another in the waiting-room. No sign of any official
+could be discovered.
+
+"We must now find out," said Pharos, "at what time the next train leaves
+for civilisation. Even in such a hole as this they must surely have a
+time-table."
+
+So saying, he went into the shelter before described and turned up the
+lamp. His guess proved to be correct, for a number of notices were
+pasted upon the wall.
+
+"Did you happen to see the name of the station as you came along the
+platform?" he inquired of me as he knelt upon the seat and ran his eye
+along the printed sheets.
+
+"I did not," I replied; "but I will very soon find out."
+
+Leaving them, I made my way along the platform toward the cottage. Here
+on a board suspended upon the fence was the name "Tebworth" in large
+letters. I returned and informed Pharos, who immediately placed his
+skinny finger upon the placard before him.
+
+"Tebworth," he said. "Here it is. The next train for Norwich leaves at
+2.48. What is the time now?"
+
+I consulted my watch.
+
+"Ten minutes to two," I replied. "Roughly speaking, we have an hour to
+wait."
+
+"We are lucky in not having longer," Pharos replied. "It is a piece of
+good fortune to get a train at all at such an early hour."
+
+With that he seated himself in a corner and closed his eyes as if
+preparatory to slumber. I suppose I must have dozed off after a while,
+for I have no remembrance of anything further until I was awakened by
+hearing the steps of a man on the platform outside, and his voice
+calling to a certain Joel, whoever he might be, to know if there were
+any news of the train for which we were waiting.
+
+Before the other had time to answer Pharos had risen and gone out. The
+exclamation of surprise, to say nothing of the look of astonishment upon
+the stationmaster's face--for the badge upon his cap told me it was
+he--when he found Pharos standing before him, was comical in the
+extreme.
+
+"Good evening," said the latter in his most urbane manner, "or rather,
+since it is getting on for three o'clock, I suppose I should say 'Good
+morning.' Is you train likely to be late, do you think?"
+
+"I don't fancy so, sir," the man replied. "She always runs up to time."
+
+Then, unable to contain the curiosity our presence on his platform at
+such an hour occasioned him, he continued, "No offence, I hope, sir, but
+we don't have many passengers of your kind by it as a general rule. It's
+full early for ladies and gentlemen Tebworth way to be travelling about
+the country."
+
+"Very likely," said Pharos, with more than his usual sweetness; "but you
+see, my friend, our case is peculiar. We have a poor lady with us whom
+we are anxious to get up to London as quickly as possible. The
+excitement of travelling by day would be too much for her, so we choose
+the quiet of the early morning. Of course you understand."
+
+Pharos tapped his forehead in a significant manner, and his intelligence
+being thus complimented, the man glanced into the shelter, and seeing
+Valerie seated there with a sad expression upon her face, turned to
+Pharos and said--
+
+"When the train comes in, sir, you leave it to me, and I'll see if I
+can't find you a carriage which you can have to yourselves right
+through. You'll be in Norwich at three-twenty."
+
+We followed him along the platform to the booking-office, and Pharos had
+scarcely taken the tickets before the whistle of the train, sounding as
+it entered the cutting by which we had reached the station, warned us to
+prepare for departure.
+
+"Ah, here she is, running well up to time!" said the stationmaster.
+"Now, sir, you come with me."
+
+Pharos beckoned us to follow; the other opened the door of a first-class
+coach. We all got in. Pharos slipped a sovereign into the man's hand;
+the train started, and a minute later we were safely out of Tebworth and
+on the road once more. Our arrival in Norwich was punctual almost to the
+moment, and within twenty minutes of our arrival there we had changed
+trains and were speeding toward London at a rate of fifty miles an hour.
+
+From Norwich, as from Tebworth, we were fortunate enough to have a
+carriage to ourselves, and during the journey I found occasion to
+discuss with Pharos the question as to what he thought of doing when we
+reached town. In my own mind I had made sure that as soon as we got
+there he would take Valerie away to the house he had occupied on the
+occasion of his last visit, while I should return to my own studio.
+This, however, I discovered was by no means what he intended.
+
+"I could not hear of it, my dear Forrester," he said emphatically. "Is
+it possible that you can imagine, after all we have been through
+together, I should permit you to leave me? No! no! Such a thing is not
+to be thought of for an instant. I appreciate your company, even though
+you told me so plainly last evening that you do not believe it. You are
+also about to become the husband of my ward, and for that reason alone I
+have no desire to lose sight of you in the short time that is left me. I
+arranged with my agents before I left London in June, and I heard from
+them in Cairo that they had found a suitable residence for me in a
+fashionable locality. Valerie and I do not require very much room, and
+if you will take up your abode with us--that is to say, of course, until
+you are married--I assure you we shall both be delighted. What do you
+say, my dear?"
+
+I saw Valerie's face brighten on hearing that we were not destined to be
+separated, and that decided me. However, for the reason that I did not
+for an instant believe in his expressions of friendship, I was not going
+to appear too anxious to accept his proposal. There was something behind
+it all that I did not know, and before I pledged myself I desired to
+find out what that something was.
+
+"I do not know what to say," I answered, as soon as I had come to the
+conclusion that for the moment it would be better to appear to have
+forgotten and forgiven the past. "I have trespassed too much upon your
+hospitality already."
+
+"You have not trespassed upon it at all," he answered. "I have derived
+great pleasure from your society, and I shall be still more pleased if
+you can see your way to fall in with my plan."
+
+Thereupon I withdrew my refusal, and promised to take up my residence
+with him at least until the arrangements should be made for our wedding.
+
+As it turned out, my astonishment on hearing that he had taken a London
+house was not the only surprise in store for me, for on reaching
+Liverpool Street, who should come forward to meet us but the same
+peculiar footman who had ridden beside the coachman on that memorable
+return journey from Pompeii. He was dressed in the same dark and
+unpretentious livery he had worn then, and while he greeted his master,
+mistress, and myself with the most obsequious respect, did not betray
+the least sign of either pleasure or astonishment. Having ascertained
+that we had brought no luggage with us, he led us from the platform to
+the yard outside, where we found a fine landau awaiting us, drawn by a
+pair of jet-black horses, and driven by the same coachman I had seen in
+Naples on the occasion referred to above. Having helped Valerie to
+enter, and as soon as I had installed myself with my back to the horses,
+Pharos said something in an undertone to the footman, and then took his
+place opposite me. The door was immediately closed and we drove out of
+the yard.
+
+We soon left the City behind and proceeded along Victoria Street, and so
+by way of Grosvenor Place to Park Lane, where we drew up before a house
+at which, in the days when it had been the residence of the famous Lord
+Tollingtower, I had been a constant visitor.
+
+"I presume, since we have stopped here, that this must be the place,"
+said Pharos, gazing up at it.
+
+"Do you mean that this is the house you have taken?" I asked in
+astonishment, for it was one of the finest residences in London.
+
+"I mean that this is the house that my agents have taken for me," Pharos
+replied. "Personally I know nothing whatsoever about it."
+
+"But surely you do not take a place without making some inquiries about
+it?" I continued.
+
+"Why not?" he inquired. "I have servants whom I can trust, and they know
+that it is more than their lives are worth to deceive me. Strangely
+enough, however, it is recalled to my mind that this house and I do
+happen to be acquainted. The late owner was a personal friend. As a
+matter of fact, I stayed with him throughout his last illness and was
+with him when he died."
+
+You may be sure I pricked up my ears on hearing this, for, as everyone
+knew, the later Lord Tollingtower had reached the end of his
+extraordinary career under circumstances that had created rather a
+sensation at the time. Something, however, warned me to ask no
+questions.
+
+"Let us alight," said Pharos, and when the footman had opened the door
+we accordingly did so.
+
+On entering the house I was surprised to find that considerable
+architectural changes had been made in it. Nor was my wonderment
+destined to cease there, for when I was shown to the bedroom which had
+been prepared for me, there, awaiting me at the foot of the bed, was the
+luggage I had left at the hotel in Prague, and which I had made up my
+mind I had lost sight of for ever. Here, at least, was evidence to prove
+that Pharos had never intended that I should leave him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+
+After the excitement of the past few days, and her terrible experience
+in Hamburg, to say nothing of the fact that she had landed from a
+steamer under peculiar circumstances, and had been tramping the country
+half the night, it is not to be wondered at that by the time we reached
+Park Lane Valerie was completely knocked up. Pharos had accordingly
+insisted that she should at once retire to her room and endeavour to
+obtain the rest of which she stood so much in need.
+
+"For the next few weeks--that is to say, until the end of the Season--I
+intend that you shall both enjoy yourselves," he said with the utmost
+affability, when we were alone together, "to the top of your bent. And
+that reminds me of something, Forrester. Your betrothal must be
+announced as speedily as possible. It is due to Valerie that this should
+be done. I presume you do not wish the engagement to be a long one?"
+
+"Indeed I do not," I answered, not, however, without a slight feeling of
+surprise that he should speak so openly and so soon upon the subject.
+"As you may suppose, it cannot be too short to please me. And our
+marriage?"
+
+"Your marriage can take place as soon after the Season as you please,"
+he continued with the same extraordinary geniality. "You will not find
+me placing any obstacles in your way."
+
+"But you have never asked me as to my means, or my power to support
+her," I said, putting his last remark aside as if I had not heard it.
+
+"I have not," he answered. "There is no need for me to do so. Your means
+are well known to me; besides, it has always been my intention to make
+provision for Valerie myself. Provided you behave yourselves, and do not
+play me any more tricks such as I had to complain of in Hamburg, you
+will find that she will bring you a handsome little nest-egg that will
+make it quite unnecessary for you ever to feel any anxiety on the score
+of money. But we will discuss all that more fully later on. See, here
+are a number of invitations that have arrived for us. It looks as if we
+are not likely to be dull during our stay in London."
+
+So saying, he placed upwards of fifty envelopes before me, many of which
+I was surprised to find were addressed to myself. These I opened with
+the first feeling of a return to my old social life that I had
+experienced since I had re-entered London. The invitations hailed, for
+the most part, from old friends. Some were for dinners, others for
+musical "at homes," while at least a dozen were for dances, one of the
+last-named being from the Duchess of Amersham.
+
+"I have taken the liberty of accepting that on your behalf," said
+Pharos, picking the card up. "The Duchess of Amersham and I are old
+friends, and I think it will brighten Valerie and yourself up a little
+if we look in at her ball for an hour or so to-night."
+
+"But surely," I said, "we have only just reached London, and----" Here I
+paused, not knowing quite how to proceed.
+
+"What objection have you to raise?" he asked, with a sudden flash of the
+old angry look in his eyes.
+
+"My only objection was that I thought it a little dangerous," I said.
+"On your own confession, it was the plague from which Valerie was
+suffering in Hamburg."
+
+Pharos laughed a short, harsh laugh, that grated upon the ear.
+
+"You must really forgive me, Forrester, for having deceived you," he
+said, "but I had to do it. It was necessary for me to use any means I
+could think of for getting you to England. As you have reason to know,
+Valerie is possessed of a peculiarly sensitive temperament. She is
+easily influenced, particularly by myself, and the effect can be
+achieved at any distance. If I were in London and she in Vienna, I
+could, by merely exercising my will, not only induce her to do anything
+I might wish, but could make her bodily health exactly what I pleased.
+You will therefore see that it would be an easy task for me to cause her
+to be taken ill in Hamburg. Her second self--that portion of her mind
+which is so susceptible to my influence, as you saw for
+yourself--witnessed my arrival in Prague and at the hotel. As soon as I
+entered the room in which she was waiting for me, the attraction
+culminated in a species of fainting fit. I despatched you post haste to
+a chemist with a prescription which I thought would be extremely
+difficult, if not impossible, for you to get made up. At any rate it
+would, I knew, serve my purpose if it kept you some time away."
+
+"Then you mean that while I was hurrying from place to place like a
+madman, suffering untold agonies of fear, and believing that Valerie's
+life depended upon my speed, you were in reality deceiving me?"
+
+"If I am to be truthful, I must confess that I was," he replied; "but I
+give you my word the motive was a good one. Had I not done so, who knows
+what would have happened? The plague was raging on the Continent, and
+you were both bent on getting away from me again on the first
+opportunity. What was the result? Working on your fears for her, I
+managed to overcome the difficulties and got you safely into England.
+Valerie has not been so ill as you supposed. I have sanctioned your
+engagement, and, as I said just now, if you will let me, will provide
+for you both for life, and will assist in lifting you to the highest
+pinnacle of fame. After this explanation, surely you are not going to be
+ungenerous enough to still feel vindictive against me?"
+
+"It was a cruel trick to play me," I answered; "but since the result has
+not been so serious as I supposed, and you desire me to believe you did
+it all with a good object, I will endeavour to think no more about it."
+
+"You have decided sensibly," he said. "And now let us arrange what we
+shall do this evening. My proposal is that we rest this afternoon, that
+you dine with me at my club, the Antiquarian, in the evening, and that
+afterwards I show you London as I see it in my character of Pharos the
+Egyptian. I think you will find the programme both interesting and
+instructive. During the evening we might return here, pick Valerie up,
+and go on to the Duchess of Amersham's ball. Does that meet with your
+approval?"
+
+I was so relieved at finding that Valerie had not really been attacked
+by the plague, that, however much I should have liked to spend the
+evening alone with her, I could see no reason for declining Pharos's
+invitation. I accordingly stated that I should be very glad to do as he
+wished.
+
+We followed out his plan to the letter. After lunch we retired to our
+respective apartments and rested until it was time to prepare for the
+evening. At the hour appointed I descended to the drawing-room, where I
+found Pharos awaiting me. He was dressed as I had seen him at Lady
+Medenham's well-remembered "at home"--that is to say, he wore his velvet
+jacket and black skull cap, and, as usual, carried his gold-topped
+walking-stick in his hand.
+
+"The carriage is at the door, I think," he said as I entered, "so if you
+are ready we will set off."
+
+A neat brougham was drawn up beside the pavement; we took our places in
+it, and ten minutes later had reached the Antiquarian Club, of all the
+establishments of the kind in London perhaps the most magnificent. Wide
+and lofty, and yet boasting the most harmonious proportions, the
+dining-room at the Antiquarian Club always remains in my mind the most
+stately of the many stately banqueting halls in London. Pharos's
+preference, I found, was for a table in one of the large windows
+overlooking the Embankment and the river, and this had accordingly been
+prepared for him.
+
+"If you will sit there," said Pharos, motioning with his hand to a chair
+on the right, "I will take this one opposite you."
+
+I accordingly seated myself in the place he indicated.
+
+The dinner was perfect in every respect. My host himself, however, dined
+after his own fashion, in the manner I have elsewhere described.
+Nevertheless, he did the honours of the table with the most perfect
+grace, and had any stranger been watching us, he would have found it
+difficult to believe that the relationship existing between us was not
+of the most cordial nature possible.
+
+By eight o'clock the room was crowded, and with as fine a collection of
+well-born, well-dressed, and well-mannered men as could be found in
+London. The decorations, the portraits upon the walls, the liveried
+servants, the snowy drapery and sparkling silver, all helped to make up
+a picture that, after the sordidness of the Margrave of Brandenburg, was
+like a glimpse of a new life.
+
+"This is the first side of that London life I am desirous of presenting
+to you," said Pharos, in his capacity of showman, after I had finished
+my dessert and had enjoyed a couple of glasses of the famous Antiquarian
+port--"one side of that luxury and extravagance which is fast drawing
+this great city to its doom. Now, if you have quite finished, we might
+move on."
+
+I acquiesced, and we accordingly descended to the hall and donned our
+coats.
+
+"If you would care to smoke, permit me to offer you one of the same
+brand of cigarettes of which you expressed your approval in Naples,"
+said Pharos, producing from his pocket a silver case, which he handed to
+me. I took one of the delicacies it contained and lit it. Then we passed
+out of the hall to Pharos's own carriage, which was waiting in the
+street for us. "We will now return to pick up Valerie, after which we
+will drive to Amersham House, where I have no doubt we shall meet many
+of those whom we have seen here to-night."
+
+We found Valerie awaiting us in the drawing-room. She was dressed for
+the ball, and, superb as I thought she looked on the evening she had
+been presented to the Emperor in Prague, I had to confess to myself that
+she was even more beautiful now. Her face was flushed with excitement,
+and her lovely eyes sparkled like twin stars. I hastened to congratulate
+her on her altered appearance, and had scarcely done so before the
+butler announced that the carriage was at the door, whereupon we
+departed for Carlton House Terrace.
+
+On the subject of the ball itself it is not my intention to say very
+much; let it suffice that, possibly by reason of what followed later, it
+is talked of to this day. The arrangements were of the most sumptuous
+and extravagant description; princes of the blood and their wives were
+present, Cabinet Ministers jostled burly country squires upon the
+staircase, fair but haughty aristocrats rubbed shoulders with the
+daughters of American millionaires, whose money had been made goodness
+knows where or how; half the celebrities of England nodded to the other
+half; but in all that distinguished company there was no woman to
+eclipse Valerie in beauty, and, as another side of the picture, no man
+who could equal Pharos in ugliness. Much to my astonishment the latter
+seemed to have no lack of acquaintances, and I noticed also that
+everyone with whom he talked, though they paid the most servile
+attention to his remarks while he was with them, invariably heaved a
+sigh of relief when he took his departure.
+
+At two o'clock Valerie was tired, and we accordingly decided to leave.
+But I soon found that it was not to return home. Having placed my
+darling in her carriage, Pharos directed the coachman to drive to Park
+Lane, declaring that we preferred to walk.
+
+It was a beautiful night, cool and fresh, with a few clouds in the
+southwest, but brilliant starlight overhead. Leaving Carlton House
+Terrace, we passed into Waterloo Place, ascended it as far as
+Piccadilly, and then hailed a cab.
+
+"Our evening is not completed yet," said Pharos. "I have still some
+places to show you. It is necessary that you should see them, in order
+that you may appreciate what is to follow. The first will be a fancy
+dress ball at Covent Garden, where yet another side of London life is to
+be found."
+
+If such a thing could possibly have had any effect, I should have
+objected; but so completely did his will dominate mine, that I had no
+option but to consent to anything he proposed. We accordingly stepped
+into the cab and were driven off to the place indicated. From the sounds
+which issued from the great building as we entered it, it was plain that
+the ball was proceeding with its accustomed vigour, a surmise on our
+part which proved to be correct when we reached the box Pharos had
+bespoken. A floor had been laid over the stalls and pit, and upon this
+upwards of fifteen hundred dancers, in every style of fancy dress the
+ingenuity of man could contrive, were slowly revolving to the music of a
+military band. It was a curious sight, and at any other time would have
+caused me considerable amusement. Now, however, with the fiendish face
+of Pharos continually at my elbow, and his carping criticisms sounding
+without ceasing in my ear, mocking at the people below us, finding evil
+in everything, and hinting always at the doom which was hanging over
+London, it reminded me more of Dante's Inferno than anything else to
+which I could liken it. For upwards of an hour we remained spectators of
+it. Then, with a final sneer, Pharos gave the signal for departure.
+
+"We have seen the finest club in Europe," he said, as we emerged into
+the cool air of Bow Street, "the most fashionable social event of the
+season, and a fancy dress ball at Covent Garden. We must now descend a
+grade lower, and, if you have no objection, we will go in search of it
+on foot?"
+
+I had nothing to urge against this suggestion, so, turning into Long
+Acre, we passed through a number of squalid streets, with all of which
+Pharos seemed to be as intimately acquainted as he was in the West-end,
+and finally approached the region of Seven Dials--that delectable
+neighbourhood bordered on the one side by Shaftesbury Avenue, and on
+the other by Drury Lane. Here, though it was by this time close upon
+three o'clock, no one seemed to have begun to think of bed. In one
+narrow alley through which we were compelled to pass at least thirty
+people were assembled, more than half of which number were intoxicated.
+A woman was screaming for assistance from a house across the way, and a
+couple of men were fighting at the further end of an adjoining court. In
+this particular locality the police seemed as extinct as the dodo. At
+any other time, and in any other company, I should have felt some doubt
+as to the wisdom of being in such a place at such an hour. But with my
+present companion beside me I felt no fear.
+
+We had walked some distance before we reached the house Pharos desired
+to visit. From its outward appearance it might have been a small
+drinking-shop in the daytime; now, however, every window was closely
+shuttered, and not a ray of light showed through chink or cranny.
+Approaching the door he knocked four times upon it, whereupon it was
+opened on a chain for a few inches. A face looked through the aperture
+thus created, and Pharos, moving a little closer, said something in a
+whisper to it.
+
+"Beg pardon, sir," said the woman, for a woman I soon discovered it was.
+"I didn't know as it was you. I'll undo the chain. Is the gentleman with
+you safe?"
+
+"Quite safe," Pharos replied. "You need have no fear of him. He is my
+friend."
+
+"In you come, then," said the woman to me, my character being thus
+vouched for, and accordingly in I stepped.
+
+Dirty as were the streets outside, the house in which we now stood more
+than equalled them. The home of Captain Wisemann in Hamburg, which I had
+up to that time thought the filthiest I had ever seen, was nothing to
+it. Taking the candle in her hand, the old woman led us along the
+passage toward another door. Before this she paused and rang a bell, the
+handle of which was cleverly concealed in the woodwork. Almost instantly
+it was opened, and we entered a room the like of which I had never seen
+or dreamt of before. Its length was fully thirty feet, its width
+possibly fifteen. On the wall above the fireplace was a gas bracket,
+from the burner of which a large flame was issuing with a hissing noise.
+In the center of the room was a table, and seated round it were at least
+twenty men and women, who, at the moment of our entering, were engaged
+upon a game the elements of which I did not understand. On seeing us the
+players sprang to their feet with one accord, and a scramble ensued for
+the money upon the table. A scene of general excitement followed, which
+might very well have ended in the gas being turned out and our finding
+ourselves upon the floor with knives between our ribs, had not the old
+woman who had introduced us called out that there was no need for alarm,
+and added, with an oath--what might in Pharos's case possibly have been
+true, but in mine was certainly not--that we had been there hundreds of
+times before, and were proper sort o' gents. Thereupon Pharos
+contributed a sovereign to be spent in liquid refreshment, and when our
+healths had been drunk with a variety of toasts intended to be
+complimentary, our presence was forgotten, and the game once more
+proceeded. One thing was self-evident: there was no lack of money among
+those present, and when a member of the company had not the wherewithal
+to continue the gamble, he in most cases produced a gold watch, a ring,
+or some other valuable from his pocket, and handed it to a burly ruffian
+at the head of the table, who advanced him an amount upon it which nine
+times out of ten failed to meet with his approval.
+
+"Seeing you have not been here before," said Pharos, "I might explain
+that this is the most typical thieves' gambling hell in London. There is
+not a man or woman in this room at the present moment who is not a
+hardened criminal in every sense of the word. The fellow at the end
+narrowly escaped the gallows, the man on his right has but lately
+emerged from seven years' penal servitude for burglary. The three
+sitting together next the banker are at the present moment badly wanted
+by the police, while the old woman who admitted us, and who was once not
+only a celebrated variety actress, but an exceedingly beautiful woman,
+is the mother of that sickly youth drinking gin beside the fireplace,
+who assisted in the murder of an old man in Shaftesbury Avenue a
+fortnight or so ago, and will certainly be captured and brought within
+measurable distance of the gallows before many more weeks have passed
+over his head. Have you seen enough of this to satisfy you?"
+
+"More than enough," I answered truthfully.
+
+"Then let us leave. It will soon be daylight, and there are still many
+places for us to visit before we return home."
+
+We accordingly bade the occupants of the room good-night, and, when we
+had been escorted to the door by the old woman who had admitted us, left
+the house.
+
+From the neighbourhood of Seven Dials Pharos carried me off to other
+equally sad and disreputable quarters of the city. We visited Salvation
+Army Shelters, the cheapest of cheap lodging-houses, doss-houses in
+comparison to which a workhouse would be a palace; dark railway arches,
+where we found homeless men, women, and children endeavouring to snatch
+intervals of rest between the visits of patrolling policemen; the public
+parks, where the grass was dotted with recumbent forms, and every seat
+was occupied; and then, turning homewards, reached Park Lane just as the
+clocks were striking seven, as far as I was concerned sick to the heart,
+not only of the sorrow and the sin of London, but of the callous
+indifference to it displayed by Pharos.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+
+When I woke next morning the feeling I had had in my heart the evening
+before, that something terrible was about to happen, had not left me.
+With a shudder of intense disgust I recalled the events of the previous
+night. Never, since I had known him, with the exception of that one
+occasion on the Embankment, had Pharos appeared so loathsome to me. I
+remembered the mocking voice in which he had pointed out to me the
+follies and frailties of our great city, the cruel look in his eyes as
+he watched those about him in the different places we had visited. For
+the life of me I could not comprehend what his object had been in taking
+me to them. While I dressed I debated the subject with myself, but
+though I had a very shrewd suspicion that the vengeance to which he
+alluded, and which he had declared to be so imminent, was the plague,
+yet I could not see how he was able to speak with such authority upon
+the subject. On the other hand, I had to remember that I had never yet
+known him fail, either in what he had predicted, or anything he had set
+himself to do. Having got so far in my calculations I stopped, as
+another thought occurred to me, and with my brushes still in either hand
+stared at the wall before me. From the fact that he had informed me of
+the existence of the plague in London it was certain that he knew of it,
+though the authorities did not. Could it be possible, therefore, that he
+had simply crossed from the Continent to London in order to be able to
+gloat over the misery that was to come?
+
+The diabolical nature of the man, and his love of witnessing the
+sufferings of others, tallied exactly with the conclusion I had arrived
+at; and if my reasoning were correct, this would account for the
+expression of triumph I had seen upon his face. When I descended to the
+breakfast-room I found Valerie awaiting me there. She was looking quite
+her own self again by this time, and greeted me with a pretty exhibition
+of shyness upon her face, which I could understand when she handed me a
+number of letters she had received, congratulating her upon our
+engagement.
+
+"You were late last night," she said. "Hour after hour I lay awake
+listening for your step, and it was broad daylight when I heard you
+ascend the stairs. I cannot tell you how frightened I was while you were
+away. I knew you were with him, and I imagined you exposed to a hundred
+dangers."
+
+I told her where and with whom I had been.
+
+"But why did he take you with him?" she inquired, when I had finished.
+"I cannot understand that."
+
+"I must confess that it has puzzled me also," I replied.
+
+"The whole thing is very strange," she continued, "and I do not like the
+look of it. We have reason to know that he does nothing without a
+motive. But what can the motive have been in this particular instance?"
+
+"That is more than I can say," I answered, and with that we changed the
+subject, and interested ourselves in our own and more particular
+concerns. So engrossing were they, and so pleasant were the thoughts
+they conjured up, that when breakfast was finished I remained in the
+dining-room, and did not open any of the morning papers which were
+lying in a heap upon the library table. At half-past ten I said good-bye
+to Valerie, who was practising in the drawing-room--Pharos I had not yet
+seen--and, putting on my hat, left the house. It was the first
+opportunity I had had since my return to London of visiting my studio,
+and I was exceedingly anxious to discover how things had been
+progressing there during my absence. It was a lovely morning for
+walking, the sky being without a cloud, and the streets in consequence
+filled with sunshine. In the Row a considerable number of men and women
+were enjoying their morning canter, and nurse-maids in white dresses
+were to be counted by the dozen in the streets leading to the Park. At
+the corner of Hamilton Place a voice I recognised called to me to stop,
+and on turning round I found my old friend, Sir George Legrath,
+hastening after me.
+
+"My dear Cyril," he said, as he shook hands with me, "I am indeed glad
+to see you. I had no idea you had returned."
+
+"I reached London yesterday morning," I answered, but in such a
+constrained voice that he must have been dense indeed if he did not see
+that something was amiss. "How did you know I had been away?"
+
+"Why, my dear fellow," he answered, "have you forgotten that I sent you
+a certain address in Naples? and then I called at your studio the
+following morning, when your man told me you were abroad. But somehow
+you don't look well. I hope nothing is the matter?"
+
+"Nothing, nothing," I replied, almost sharply, and for the first time in
+my life his presence was almost distasteful to me, though if I had been
+asked the reason I should have found it difficult to say why. "Sir
+George, when I called on you at the Museum that morning, you told me
+you would rather see me in my grave than connected in any way with
+Pharos."
+
+"Well?" he inquired, looking up at me with a face that had suddenly lost
+its usual ruddy hue. "What makes you remind me of that now?"
+
+"Because," I answered, "if it were not for one person's sake I could
+wish that that opportunity had been vouchsafed you. I have been two
+months with Pharos."
+
+"Well?" he said again.
+
+"What more do you expect me to say?" I continued. Then, sinking my voice
+a little, as if I were afraid Pharos might be within hearing distance, I
+added, "Sir George, if I were to tell you all I know about that man----"
+
+"You must tell me nothing," he cried hastily. "I know too much already."
+
+We walked for some distance in silence, and it was not until we were
+opposite Devonshire House that we spoke again.
+
+Then Sir George said abruptly, and with a desire to change the subject
+that could not be disguised, "Of course you have heard the terrible news
+this morning?"
+
+Following the direction of his eyes I saw what had put the notion into
+his head. A news-seller was standing in the gutter on the other side of
+the street, holding in his hand the usual placard setting forth the
+contents of the papers he had for sale. On this was printed in large
+letters--
+
+    TERRIBLE OUTBREAK OF THE PLAGUE IN LONDON.
+
+"You refer to the plague, I presume?" I said, with an assumed calmness I
+was far from feeling. "From that headline it would seem to have made
+its appearance in London after all."
+
+"It has, indeed," said Sir George, with a gloominess that was far from
+usual with him. "Can it be possible you have not seen the papers?"
+
+"I have scarcely seen a paper since I left London," I replied. "I have
+been far too busy. Tell me about it. Is it so very bad?"
+
+"It has come upon us like a thunderclap," he answered. "Two days ago it
+was not known. Yesterday there was but one case, and that in the
+country. This morning there are no less than three hundred and
+seventy-five, and among them some of our most intimate friends. God help
+us if it gets worse! The authorities assure us they can stamp it out
+with ease, but it is my opinion this is destined to prove a grave crisis
+in England's history. However, it does not do to look on the black side
+of things, so I'll not turn prophet. Our ways part here, do they not? In
+that case, good-bye. I am very glad to have seen you. If you should be
+passing the Museum I hope you will drop in. You know my hours, I think?"
+
+"I shall be very glad to do so," I answered, and thereupon we parted
+with the first shadow of a cloud between us that our lives had seen. On
+reviewing our conversation afterward I could recall nothing that should
+have occasioned it; nevertheless, there it was, "that little rift within
+the lute," as Tennyson says, "which by and by would make the music
+mute."
+
+After we had parted, I crossed the road and walked by way of Dover
+Street to my studio. Scarcely two months had elapsed since that fatal
+day when I had left it to go in search of Pharos, and yet those eight
+weeks seemed like years. So long did I seem to have been away that I
+almost expected to find a change in the houses of the street, and when
+I passed the curiosity shop at the corner where the murder had taken
+place--that terrible tragedy which had been the primary cause of my
+falling into Pharos's power--it was with a sensible feeling of surprise
+I found the windows still decorated with the same specimens of china,
+and the shop still carrying on its trade under the name of Clausand. I
+turned the corner and crossed the road. Instinctively my hand went into
+my pocket and produced the latchkey. I tapped it twice against the
+right-hand pillar of the door, just as I had been in the habit of doing
+for years, and inserted it in the lock. A few seconds later I had let
+myself in and was standing amongst my own _lares_ and _penates_ once
+more. Everything was just as I had left it; the clock was ticking on the
+mantelpiece, not a speck of dirt or dust was upon chair or china;
+indeed, the only thing that served to remind me that I had been away at
+all was the pile of letters which had been neatly arranged upon my
+writing-table. These I opened, destroyed what were of no importance, and
+placed the rest in my pocket to be answered at a more convenient
+opportunity. Then, leaving a note upon my table to inform my servant
+that I had returned, and would call again on the following morning, I
+let myself out, locked the door, and returned to Piccadilly _en route_
+to Park Lane.
+
+A great writer has mentioned somewhere that the gravest issues are often
+determined by the most insignificant trifles. As I have just remarked, I
+had, in this instance, made up my mind to return to Park Lane, in the
+hope that I might be able to induce Valerie to take a stroll with me in
+the Park, and had left Bond Street in order to turn westward, when,
+emerging from a shop on the other side of the road, I espied the writer
+of one of the most important of the many letters I had found awaiting
+me at the studio. He was a member of my own club, and thinking I had
+better apologise to him while I had the chance for not having answered
+his letter sooner, I hastened after him. He, however, seemed to be in a
+hurry, and as soon as it came to a race between us it was evident that
+he had the advantage of me on a point of speed. I chased him until I saw
+that he was bound for the club, whereupon, knowing I should be certain
+to catch him there, I slackened my pace and strolled leisurely along. In
+other days I had often been twitted in a jocular fashion by my friends
+about my membership of this particular club. The reputation it possessed
+was excellent in every way, but it certainly must be confessed that what
+it gained in respectability it lacked in liveliness. For the most part
+the men who made use of it were middle-aged--in point of fact, I believe
+there were but two younger than myself; consequently the atmosphere of
+the house, while being always dignified, was sometimes cold almost to
+the borders of iciness.
+
+On this particular day there was an additional air of gloom about it
+that rather puzzled me. When, however, I had finished my conversation
+with the man I had been following, and sought the smoking-room, the
+reason of it soon became apparent. That terrible fear which was destined
+within a few hours to paralyse all London was already beginning to make
+its presence felt, and as a result the room, usually so crowded, now
+contained but four men. These greeted me civilly enough, but without any
+show of interest. They were gathered round one of their number who was
+seated at a table with a pencil in his hand and a map of Europe spread
+out before him. From the way in which he was laying down the law, I
+gathered that he was demonstrating some theory upon which he pinned
+considerable faith.
+
+"I have worked the whole thing out," he was saying as I entered, "and
+you can see it here for yourselves. On this sheet of paper I have pasted
+every telegram that has reached London from the time the disease first
+made its appearance in Constantinople. As each country became affected I
+coloured it upon the map in red, while these spots of a darker shade
+represent the towns from which the first cases were notified. At a
+glance, therefore, you can see the way in which the malady has travelled
+across Europe."
+
+On hearing this, you may be sure I drew closer to the table, and looked
+over the shoulders of the men at the map below.
+
+"As you see," said the lecturer, with renewed interest as he observed
+this addition to his audience, "it started in Constantinople, made its
+appearance next in Southern Russia and the Balkan States. Two days later
+a case was notified from Vienna and another in Prague. Berlin was the
+next city visited, then Wittenberg, then Hamburg. France did not become
+infected until some days later, and then the individual who brought it
+was proved to have arrived the day before from Berlin. Yesterday,
+according to the official returns, there were twelve hundred cases in
+France, eighteen thousand in Austria, sixteen thousand in Germany--of
+which Hamburg alone contributes five thousand three hundred and
+fifty--while in Italy there have been three thousand four hundred, in
+Spain and Portugal only two hundred and thirty, while Turkey and Russia
+have forty-five thousand, and thirty-seven thousand three hundred and
+eighty, respectively. Greece returns seventeen thousand six hundred and
+twenty, Holland seven thousand two hundred and sixty-four, Belgium nine
+thousand five hundred and twenty-three, while Denmark completes the
+total of Europe with four thousand two hundred and twenty-one. The
+inferences to be drawn from these figures are apparent. The total number
+of deaths upon the Continent up to midnight last night was one hundred
+and fifty-nine thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight. The nations most
+seriously affected are Turkey and the countries immediately surrounding
+her, namely, Greece, Russia, and Austria. Germany follows next, though
+why Hamburg should contribute such a large proportion as five thousand
+three hundred and fifty I must admit it is difficult to see. England
+hitherto has stood aloof; now, however, it has broken out in London, and
+three hundred and seventy-five cases have been notified up to eight
+o'clock this morning."
+
+On hearing this, the men standing round him turned pale and shuffled
+uneasily upon their feet. As for myself, I might have been changed to
+stone, so cold and so incapable of moving was I. It was as if a bandage
+had suddenly been removed from my eyes, enabling me to see everything
+plainly and in its proper light.
+
+"The returns for our own country," continued this indefatigable
+statistician, without noticing my condition, "are as interesting as
+those from the Continent. I have filed everything already published, and
+have applied the result to this map of London. The two cases that
+occurred in Norfolk, the porter in Norwich, and the stationmaster at
+Tebworth Junction, I omit, for the reason that they tell us nothing. Of
+the cases notified in this city, careful inquiries on the part of the
+authorities have elicited the information that twenty-five spent the
+evening at the Antiquarian Club last night, seventy-one at the Fancy
+Dress Ball at Covent Garden, while, strangely enough, no less than
+thirty-seven can be proved to have been among the guests of the Duchess
+of Amersham at her ball in Carlton House Terrace. The others are more
+difficult to account for, being made up of costermongers, homeless
+vagrants, street hawkers, and others of the same class."
+
+I could bear no more, but stumbled from the room like a drunken man out
+into the hall beyond. A servant, thinking I was ill, hastened to inquire
+if he could be of any assistance to me.
+
+"Get me a cab," I faltered huskily.
+
+The man ran into the street and blew his whistle. A hansom drove up, and
+I made my way into the street and scrambled into it, scarcely knowing
+how I managed it, and then fell back upon the cushions as if I were in a
+fit. The cab sped along the streets, threaded its way in and out of the
+traffic with a dexterity and a solicitude for my safety that was a more
+biting sarcasm than any lips could utter. What was my safety to me now?
+Knowing what I knew, I had better, far better, be dead.
+
+The dreadful secret was out. In less than five minutes the mystery of
+two months had been solved. Now I knew the meaning of the spot I had
+discovered upon my arm on the morning following my terrible adventure in
+the Pyramid; now I could understand my illness in the desert, and the
+sudden death of the poor Arab who had nursed me. In the light of this
+terrible truth, everything was as clear as daylight, and all I wanted
+was to get back to Park Lane and find myself face to face with Pharos,
+in order that I might tax him with it, and afterwards go forth and
+publish his infamy to the world. Fast as the man was driving, he could
+not make his horse go fast enough for me. Though at first my blood had
+been as cold as ice, it now raced through my veins like liquid fire. A
+feverish nervousness had seized me, and for the time being I was little
+better than a madman. Regardless of the passers-by, conscious only of
+the vile part I had been induced to play--unwittingly, it is true--in
+his unbelievable wickedness, I urged the driver to greater speed. At
+last, after what seemed an eternity, we reached our destination. I
+alighted, and, as I had done in Hamburg, paid the cabman with the first
+money I took from my pocket, and then went up the steps and entered the
+house. By this time the all-consuming fire of impatience which had
+succeeded the icy coldness of the first discovery had left me, and was
+succeeded by a strange, unnatural calm, in which I seemed to be myself,
+and yet to be standing at a distance, watching myself. In a voice that I
+scarcely recognised, I inquired from the butler where I could find his
+master. He informed me that he was in the drawing-room, and I
+accordingly went thither in search of him. I had not the least notion of
+what I was going to say to him when I found him, or how I should say it,
+but I had to relieve my mind of the weight it was carrying, and
+then----Why, after that, nothing would matter. I opened the door and
+entered the room. The sunshine was streaming in through the windows at
+the further end, falling upon the elegant furniture, the embroideries
+and draperies, the china, and the hundred-and-one knick-knacks that go
+to make up a fashionable drawing-room. Of Pharos, however, there was no
+sign. In place of him Valerie rose from a chair by the window and
+greeted me with a little exclamation of delight. Then, seeing the look
+upon my face, and the deadly pallor of my complexion, she must have
+realised that something serious had happened to me, for she ran forward
+and took my hands in hers.
+
+"My darling!" she cried, with a look of terror upon her face, "what has
+happened? Tell me, for pity's sake, for your face terrifies me!"
+
+The pressure of her hands and the sight of those beautiful frightened
+eyes gazing up into mine cut me to the heart. Overwhelmed with sorrow as
+I was, she alone of all the world could soothe me and alleviate the
+agony I was suffering. It was not possible, however, that I could avail
+myself of her sympathy. I was dishonoured enough already, without
+seeking to dishonour her. Here our love must end. For the future I
+should be an outcast, a social leper, carrying with me to my grave the
+knowledge of the curse I had brought upon my fellow men. I tried to put
+her from me, but she would not be denied.
+
+"Oh, what can have happened that you treat me like this?" she cried.
+"Your silence breaks my heart."
+
+"You must not come near me, Valerie," I muttered hoarsely. "Leave me.
+You have no notion what I am."
+
+"You are the man I love," she answered. "That is enough for me. Whatever
+it may be, I have the right to share your sorrow with you."
+
+"No, no!" I cried. "You must have no more to do with me. Drive me away
+from you. I tell you I am viler than you can believe, lower than the
+common murderer, for he kills but one, while, God help me, I have killed
+thousands."
+
+She must have thought me mad, for she uttered a little choking sob and
+sank down upon the floor, the very picture and embodiment of despair.
+
+Then the door opened and Pharos entered.
+
+Seeing me standing in the centre of the room with a wild look upon my
+face, and Valerie crouching at my feet, he paused and gazed from one to
+the other of us in surprise.
+
+"I am afraid I am _de trop_," he said, with the old nasty sneer upon his
+face. "If it is not putting you to too much trouble, perhaps one of you
+will be good enough to tell me what it means."
+
+Neither of us answered for upward of a minute; then I broke the spell
+that bound us and turned to Pharos. How feeble the words seemed when
+compared with the violence of my emotions and the unbelievable nature of
+the charge I was bringing against him I must leave you to imagine.
+
+"It means, Monsieur Pharos," I said, "that I have discovered
+everything."
+
+I could say no more, for a lump was rising in my throat which threatened
+to choke me. It soon appeared, however, that I had said enough, for
+Pharos must either have read my thoughts and have understood that denial
+would be useless, or, since I was no longer necessary to him, he did not
+care whether he confessed to me or not. At any rate, he advanced into
+the room, his cruel eyes watching me intently the while.
+
+"So you have discovered everything, have you, my friend?" he said. "And
+pray what is this knowledge that you have accumulated?"
+
+"How can I tell you?" I cried, scarcely knowing how to enter upon my
+terrible indictment. "How can I make you understand your wickedness? I
+have discovered that it is you who are responsible for the misery from
+which Europe is now suffering. I know that it was I, through you, who
+introduced the plague and carried it from Constantinople to London.
+Inhuman monster!" I continued, having by this time worked myself to a
+white heat. "I was in your power and you made me your tool. But you
+shall not escape. It is not too late even now to punish you. Within an
+hour the world shall know everything, and you will be dead, if devils
+can die. I have been your tool, but, since I know your wickedness, I
+will not be your accomplice. Oh, my God! is it possible that a man
+breathing the pure air of heaven can be so vile?"
+
+All the time I had been thus denouncing him I had been standing just as
+I was when he entered the room, with Valerie still crouching at my feet.
+The dangerous light I remembered so well of old had returned to his
+eyes, making him look indescribably fiendish.
+
+"Are you mad that you dare to talk to me in this fashion?" he said at
+last, but with a calmness the meaning of which there was no mistaking.
+"Since it is plain that you do not remember the hold I have upon you,
+nor what your fate will be if you anger me, I must enlighten you. You
+bring these accusations against me and you threaten to betray me to the
+world--me, Pharos the Egyptian, and to your pitiful world which I spurn
+beneath my feet. Once more I ask you, are you mad? But since there is no
+further need for concealment, and you desire the truth, you shall hear
+it." He paused, and when he spoke again it was noticeable that he had
+dropped his former conversational tone and had adopted a manner more in
+keeping with the solemnity of what he had to say. "Know, then, that what
+thou sawest in the vision before the Sphinx and in the Temple of Ammon
+was the truth, and not a dream, as I desired thee to believe. I, whom
+thou hast known as Pharos, am none other than Ptahmes, son of
+Netruhotep, prophet of the north and south, the same whom Pharaoh sought
+to kill, and who died in hiding and was buried by his faithful priests
+under cover of night more than three thousand years ago. Cursed by the
+Gods, and denied the right of burial by order of the King, I have
+inhabited this shape since then. Darest thou, knowing this, pit thyself
+against the servant of the Mighty Ones? For I tell thee assuredly that
+the plague which is now destroying Europe was decreed by the Gods of
+Egypt against such nations as have committed the sin of sacrilege."
+
+He paused, and for a moment I thought he would have sprung upon me as he
+had done that night in my studio. But he controlled himself with an
+effort, and a moment later his voice was as soft and conciliatory and
+yet as full of malice as before. I also noticed that he had returned to
+his ordinary and more colloquial tone.
+
+"Are you anxious to hear more? If you are determined to proclaim my
+doings to the world, it is only fit you should know everything. I will
+willingly confess. Why should I not do so? You are mine to do with as I
+please. Without my leave you are powerless to hurt me, and who would
+believe you if you were to tell? No one! They would call you mad, as you
+undoubtedly are, and say that fear of the plague had turned your brain.
+In Naples you accused me of the murder of Clausand, the curiosity
+dealer. I denied it because the time was not then ripe for me to
+acquaint you with the truth. Now I confess it. I stabbed him because he
+would not give me a certain scarabeus, and to divert suspicion willed
+that the half-crazy German, Schmidt, whom the other had cast out of his
+service, should declare that he did the deed. In obedience to my desire
+you followed me to Italy and accompanied me thence to Egypt. I it was
+who drew you to the Pyramid and decreed that you should lose your way
+inside, in order that when fear had deprived you of your senses I might
+inoculate you with the plague. Seven days later you were stricken with
+it in the desert. As soon as you recovered I carried you off to Europe
+to begin the work required of you. In Constantinople, Vienna, Prague,
+Berlin, Hamburg, wherever you went you left the fatal germs of the
+disease as a legacy behind you. You infected this woman here, and but
+for me she would have died. To-day the last portion of that vengeance
+which has been decreed commences, and when all is finished I go to that
+rest in ancient Thebes which has been denied me these long three
+thousand years. Hark! Even now the sound of wailing is to be heard in
+London. Hour by hour the virulence of the pestilence increases, and the
+strong men and weak women, youths and maidens, children and babes, go
+down before it like corn before the reaper. On every hand the voices of
+mourners rise into the summer air, and it is I, Ptahmes, the servant of
+the Gods, the prophet of the King, the man whom thou hast said thou wilt
+proclaim to the world, who has brought it about."
+
+Then, lifting his right hand, he pointed it at me.
+
+"Fool--fool!" he cried, with withering scorn. "Frail atom in the path of
+life, who art thou that thou shouldst deem thyself strong enough to cope
+with me? Learn then that the time is not yet ripe. I have further need
+of thee. Sleep again, and in that sleep do all I shall require of thee."
+
+As he said this his diminutive form seemed to grow larger and more
+terrible, until it appeared to have attained twice its ordinary size.
+His eyes shone in his head like living coals and seemed to burn into my
+brain. I saw Valerie rise from the place where she had hitherto been
+crouching, and snatch an Oriental dagger from a table. Then, swift as a
+panther, she sprang upon him, only to be hurled back against the wall as
+if struck by an invisible hand. Then, obedient as a little child, I
+closed my eyes and slept.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+
+For no less a period than five days and six nights Pharos kept me in the
+same hypnotic condition, and, incredible though it may seem, I have not
+the slightest recollection of any one single circumstance that occurred
+during the whole of that time. Valerie has since informed me that I
+moved about the house very much as usual, that I went in and out with
+Pharos, but that I never spoke to her, and while I seemed conscious of
+my actions and well enough in my bodily health, I did everything with
+that peculiar listless air that one notices in a man while walking in
+his sleep. I also gather from the same source that Pharos's behaviour
+during that terrible period was equally extraordinary. Never for one
+instant did he allow her to remain alone with me. The greater portion of
+his time was spent out of the house with myself, though in what pursuit
+he was engaged she could not discover. He would take me away with him
+early in the morning and not return until late at night, when he would
+conduct me to my room and then retire himself. At times he would
+scarcely speak a word, then a fit of loquacity would come over him, and
+he would openly boast to her of the misery he had caused, and find a
+diabolical delight in every bulletin that proclaimed the increasing
+virulence of the plague. To this day the picture of that impish creature
+perambulating the death-stricken streets and alleys to the accompaniment
+of tolling bells, watching with ghoulish satisfaction the futile
+efforts of the authorities to cope with the disease, haunts me like a
+nightmare. Every day fresh tidings were pouring in of the spread of the
+infection into other cities and towns until the entire kingdom was
+riddled like a honeycomb.
+
+How long Pharos would have kept me under his influence, had he possessed
+the power, I cannot say. I only know that on the morning of the sixth
+day I woke with a strange and confused feeling in my head. Though my
+eyes were open and I was to all outward appearances wide awake, I was
+like a man hovering on the borderland of sleep. My senses were gradually
+coming back to me; the strength of my brain was reasserting itself, and
+by some strange process, how arrived at it is impossible for me to say,
+the hold Pharos had obtained upon me was slowly weakening. Then it was
+as if I suddenly awoke to find myself standing fully dressed in my own
+room. My bed had been slept in, and one glance out of my window showed
+me that it was early morning. And yet I had not the least recollection
+of having been in bed or of having made my toilet. Then the scene with
+Pharos, and the awful knowledge if had given rise to, came back to me,
+and I remembered how he had pointed his hand at me, and how I had fallen
+asleep before him. Here was the logical explanation of the whole thing.
+It was plain that after I had become unconscious, Pharos had caused me
+to be carried to my room and put to bed. This, then, I argued, must be
+the morning following. Now that the effect he had produced had worn off,
+there was still time for me to do what I had originally intended. Having
+arrived at this decision I opened my door and went downstairs. A curious
+silence prevailed, not only in the house, but outside. I stopped on the
+first landing and looked out of the window. So far as I could see there
+were no cabs or carriages in the street, no riders in the Row, no
+children with their nurses upon the pavements, and yet the old
+Chippendale timepiece in the hall told me that the hour was considerably
+past nine o'clock. A curious feeling of drowsiness still possessed me,
+but it was fast leaving me, and, what was more, leaving me filled with
+but one purpose in life, which was to seek out the authorities and
+proclaim to them the devilry of Pharos and the part I had myself played
+in his abominable wickedness. After that I would wait for Fate to say
+what should become of me.
+
+Putting on my hat I opened the front door and stepped out into the
+street. At any cost I would endeavour to reach the Home Office, and tell
+my story there, before Pharos could prevent me. With this end in view I
+hurried toward Piccadilly, intending to take a cab there and so save
+time. But when I set out I had not the least notion of the misery that
+had befallen London, nor of anything that had happened since Pharos had
+pointed his finger at me. In my wildest dreams I had never imagined such
+a picture of desolation as that which was now presented to me. It seemed
+impossible that so terrible a change should have come over a city in so
+short a time (I must remind you here that I still believed that only
+twenty hours had elapsed since I had had my fatal interview with
+Pharos). In all Park Lane not a house, save that occupied by Pharos,
+showed any sign of being inhabited. Without exception the blinds were
+down, and in most cases the shutters had been put up, while in numerous
+instances broad lines of red paint had been drawn across the pavement
+opposite them, but for what purpose, or their indication, I had not the
+remotest idea. In Piccadilly, from Apsley House to Berkeley Street, it
+was the same, though here a few solitary foot-passengers were to be
+seen. Thinking I must have mistaken the hour, and that it was earlier
+than I supposed, I looked at my watch, but it said a quarter to ten. In
+vain I searched for a cab of any sort. In the road, usually so crowded
+at that hour with vehicles of all descriptions, omnibuses, hansoms,
+private carriages, vans, and even costermongers' barrows, two dogs were
+fighting over a piece of food. But the silence was the worst part of it
+all. Not a sound, save the chirruping of the sparrows in the trees of
+the park, was to be heard. Realising that it was useless waiting for a
+cab, I crossed the road and entered the Green Park, intending to make my
+way to St. James's Park, and thence to the Home Office. With feverish
+haste I pushed on, walking as if every life in England depended on my
+speed.
+
+Reaching the Mall, I crossed into St. James's Park and passed over the
+bridge which spans the lake. Here the water-birds were swimming about as
+happily as if nothing out of the common were occurring in the great city
+around them. At last I reached the office for which I was making. The
+Home Secretary at the time was a man I had known all my life, an
+upright, honest Englishman in every sense of the word, beloved by
+everybody, and respected even by his political opponents. If any man
+would listen to my story, I felt convinced he would be that one. When,
+however, I reached the office, what a change was there! Only the day
+before, as I still imagined, the place had been teeming with life, every
+room filled with clerks, and exhibiting all the machinery of a great
+Government office. Now, at first glance, it appeared deserted. I entered
+the hall in which I had been accustomed to inquire from the porter for
+my friend, only to find it occupied by a sergeant of the Guards, who
+rose on seeing me.
+
+"What do you want?" he inquired brusquely.
+
+"I desire to see the Home Secretary without loss of time," I answered.
+"I am the bearer of very important information, and it is most
+imperative that I should see him at once."
+
+"What is the information?" the man inquired suspiciously. "The Home
+Secretary sees no one except on the most urgent business now."
+
+"My business is the most urgent possible," I returned. "If you will take
+my name to him, I feel sure he will see me."
+
+"I shall do nothing of the kind," replied the sergeant, "so you had
+better take yourself off. We don't want any of your kind about here just
+now. There's enough trouble without having you to look after."
+
+"But I must see him!" I cried in despair. "You don't know what you are
+doing when you try to stop me. I have a confession to make to him, and
+make it I will at any hazard. Take me to him at once, or I shall find
+him myself."
+
+The man was moving toward me with the evident intention of putting me
+into the street, when a door opened and the Home Secretary, Sir Edward
+Grangerfield, stood before me. When last I had seen him at the Duchess
+of Amersham's ball--I remembered that he congratulated me on my
+engagement on that occasion--he had looked in the prime of life. Now he
+was an old man, borne down by the weight of sorrow and responsibility
+which the plague had placed upon his shoulders. From the way he looked
+at me it was plain he did not recognise me.
+
+"Sir Edward," I said, "is it possible I am so much changed that you do
+not know me? I am Cyril Forrester."
+
+"Cyril Forrester!" he cried in amazement, coming a step closer to me as
+he spoke. "Surely not? But it is, I see. Why, man, how changed you are!
+What brings you here, and what is it you want with me? I have not much
+time to spare. I have an appointment with the Public Health Commission
+in a quarter of an hour."
+
+"So much the better," I answered, "for you will then be able to acquaint
+them with the circumstances I am about to reveal to you. Sir Edward, I
+must have a few moments' conversation with you alone. I have a
+confession to make to you--the most hideous tale to pour into your ears
+that ever man confided to another." Then, recollecting myself, I
+continued, "But it must not be here. It must be in the open air, or I
+shall infect you."
+
+He looked at me in a curious fashion.
+
+"You need have no fear on that score," he said. "I have had the plague,
+and have recovered from it. So far it has not been known to attack
+anyone twice. But since you wish to speak to me alone, come with me."
+
+With this he led me down the long passage to an office at the further
+end. Like the others this one was also deserted. Once inside he closed
+the door.
+
+"Be as brief as you can," he said, "for during this terribly trying
+period my time is not my own. What is it you wish to say to me?"
+
+"I wish to confess to you," I said, and my voice rang in my ears like a
+death knell, "that I am the cause of the misery under the weight of
+which England and Europe is groaning at the present time."
+
+Once more Sir Edward looked at me as he had done in the passage outside.
+
+"I am afraid I do not quite understand," he said, but this time in a
+somewhat different tone. "Do you mean that you wish me to believe that
+you, Cyril Forrester, are the cause of the plague which is decimating
+England in this terrible manner?"
+
+"I do," I answered, and then waited to hear what he would say.
+
+In reply he inquired whether I had suffered from the disease myself.
+
+"I was the first to have it," I answered. "My story is an extraordinary
+one, but I assure you every particular of it is true. I was inoculated
+with the virus while I was in Egypt--that is to say, in the Queen's Hall
+of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. I afterward nearly died of it in an Arab
+tent out in the desert beyond Luxor. Later I was taken by a man, of whom
+I will tell you more presently, to Constantinople, thence through
+Austria and Germany, and finally was smuggled across the Channel into
+England."
+
+"And who was the man who inoculated you?" inquired the Home Secretary,
+still with the same peculiar intonation. "Can you remember his name?"
+
+"He is known in England as Pharos the Egyptian," I replied--"the foulest
+fiend this world has ever seen. In reality he is Ptahmes the Magician,
+and he has sworn vengeance on the human race. Among other things he was
+the real murderer of Clausand, the curiosity dealer, in Bonwell Street
+last June, and not the inoffensive German who shot himself after
+confessing to the crime at Bow Street. He smuggled me into England from
+Hamburg, and the night before last he took me all through London--to the
+Antiquarian Club, to the Duchess of Amersham's ball, to the Fancy Dress
+ball that was held at Covent Garden the same night, and to many other
+places. Everyone I spoke to became infected, and that, I assure you, on
+my word of honour, was how the plague originated here. Oh, Sir Edward,
+you cannot realise what agonies I have suffered since I became possessed
+of this terrible knowledge!"
+
+A short silence followed, during which I am convinced I heard my
+companion say very softly to himself, "That settles it."
+
+Then, turning to me, he continued, "You say you were at the Duchess of
+Amersham's ball the night before last? Do you mean this?"
+
+"Of course I do," I replied. "Why, you spoke to me there yourself, and
+congratulated me upon my engagement. And, now I come to think of it, I
+saw you talking with Pharos there."
+
+"Quite right," he said. "I did speak to Monsieur Pharos there. But are
+you sure it was the night before last? That is what I want to get at."
+
+"I am as sure of that as I am of anything in this world," I replied.
+
+"What you tell me is very interesting," he said, rising from his
+chair--"very interesting indeed, and I am sincerely obliged to you for
+coming to me. Now, if you will excuse me, I must be going, for, as I
+told you, I have a meeting of the Health Commission to attend in a few
+minutes. If I were you I should go back to my house and keep quiet.
+There is nothing to be gained by worrying oneself, as you have evidently
+been doing."
+
+"I can see that you do not believe what I have told you," I cried with
+great bitterness. "Sir Edward, I implore you to do so. I assure you on
+my honour as a gentleman, I will swear, by any oath you care to name,
+that what I say is true in every particular. Pharos is still in London,
+in Park Lane, and if you are quick you can capture him. But there is not
+a moment to lose. For God's sake believe me before it is too late!"
+
+"I have listened to all you have said, my dear Cyril," he answered
+soothingly, "and I can quite understand that you believe it to be true.
+You have been ill, and it is plain your always excitable imagination has
+not yet recovered its equilibrium. Go home, as I say, and rest. Trust
+me, you will soon be yourself once more. Now I must go."
+
+"Oh, heavens! how can I convince you?" I groaned, wringing my hands. "Is
+there nothing I can say or do that will make you believe my story? You
+will find out when it is too late that I have told you the truth. Men
+and women are dying like sheep to right and left of us, and yet the vile
+author of all this sorrow and suffering will escape unpunished. Is it
+any use, Sir Edward, for me to address one last appeal to you?"
+
+Then a notion struck me. I thrust my hand into my coat pocket and
+produced the prescription which Pharos had given me for Valerie in
+Hamburg, and which, since it had done her so much good, I had been
+careful not to let out of my possession.
+
+"Take that, Sir Edward," I said. "I came to make my confession to you
+because I deemed it my duty, and because of the load upon my brain,
+which I thought it might help to lighten. You will not believe me, so
+what can I do? This paper contains the only prescription which has yet
+been effectual in checking the disease. It saved the life of Valerie de
+Vocxqal, and I can vouch for its efficacy. Show it to the medical
+authorities. It is possible it may convince them that I am not as mad as
+you think me."
+
+He took it from me, but it was plain to me, from the look upon his face,
+that he believed it to be only another part of my delusion.
+
+"If it will make your mind any easier," he said, "I will give you my
+word that it shall be placed before the members of the Commission. If
+they deem it likely that any good can result from it, you may be sure it
+will be used."
+
+He then wished me good-bye, and, with a feeling of unavailing rage and
+disappointment in my heart, I left the Offices and passed out into
+Whitehall. Once more I made my way into St. James's Park, and reaching a
+secluded spot, threw myself down upon the turf and buried my face in my
+arms. At first I could think of nothing but my own shame; then my
+thoughts turned to Valerie. In my trouble I had for the moment forgotten
+her. Coward that I was, I had considered my own safety before hers. If
+anything happened to me, who would protect her? I was still debating
+this with myself when my ears caught the sound of a footstep on the hard
+ground, and then the rustle of a dress. A moment later a voice sounded
+in my ears like the sweetest music. "Thank God!" it said, "Oh! thank
+God! I have found you."
+
+Her cry of happiness ended in a little choking sob, and I turned and
+looked up to discover Valerie, her beautiful eyes streaming with tears,
+bending over me.
+
+"How did you find me?" I inquired, in a voice that my love and longing
+for her rendered almost inaudible. "How did you know that I was here?"
+
+"Love told me," she answered softly. "My heart led me to you. You forget
+the strange power with which I am gifted. Though I did not see you leave
+the house, I knew that you were gone, and my instinct warned me not only
+where you were going, but what you were going to do. Cyril, it was brave
+of you to go."
+
+"It was useless," I cried. "I have failed. He would not believe me,
+Valerie, and I am lost eternally!"
+
+"Hush!" she said. "Dear love, you must not say such things. They are not
+true. But rise. You must come to him. All this morning he has not been
+at all the same. I do not know what to think, but something is going to
+happen, I am certain."
+
+There was no need for her to say to whom she referred.
+
+I did as she commanded me, and side by side we crossed the park.
+
+"He has made arrangements to leave England this afternoon," she
+continued, as we passed into Piccadilly. "The yacht is in the Thames,
+and orders have been sent to hold her in readiness for a long voyage."
+
+"And what does he intend doing with us?"
+
+"I know nothing of that," she answered. "But there is something very
+strange about him to-day. When he sent for me this morning I scarcely
+knew him, he was so changed."
+
+We made our way along the deserted streets and presently reached Park
+Lane. As soon as we were inside the house I ascended the stairs beside
+her, and it was not until we had reached the top floor, on which
+Pharos's room was situated, that we paused before a door. Listening
+before it, we could plainly hear someone moving about inside. When we
+knocked, a voice I failed to recognise called upon us to enter. It was a
+strange picture we saw when we did so. In a large armchair before a
+roaring fire, though it was the middle of summer, sat Pharos, but so
+changed that I hardly knew him. He looked half his usual size; his skin
+hung loose about his face, as if the bones had shrunken underneath it;
+his eyes, always so deep-set in his head, were now so much sunken that
+they could scarcely be seen, while his hands were shrivelled until they
+resembled those of a mummy more than a man. The monkey also, which was
+huddled beside him in the chair, looked smaller than I had ever seen it.
+As if this were not enough, the room was filled with Egyptian curios
+from floor to ceiling. So many were there, indeed, that there barely
+remained room for Pharos's chair. How he had obtained possession of them
+I did not understand; but since Sir George Legrath's confession, written
+shortly before his tragic death by his own hand, the mystery has been
+solved, and Pharos confronts us in an even more unenviable light than
+before. Hating, loathing, and yet fearing the man as I did, there was
+something in his look now that roused an emotion in me that was almost
+akin to pity.
+
+"Thou hast come in time," he said to Valerie, but in a different voice
+and without that harshness to which we had so long grown accustomed. "I
+have been anxiously awaiting thee."
+
+He signed to her to approach him.
+
+"Give me your hand," he whispered faintly. "Through you it is decreed
+that I must learn my fate. Courage, courage--there is naught for thee to
+fear!"
+
+Taking her hand, he bade her close her eyes and describe to him what she
+saw. She did as she was ordered, and for upward of a minute perfect
+silence reigned in the room. The picture they made--the worn-out,
+shrivelled body of the man and the lovely woman--I cannot hope to make
+you understand.
+
+"I see a great hall, supported by pillars," she said at last, speaking
+in that hard, measured voice I remembered to have heard on board the
+yacht. "The walls are covered with paintings, and two sphinxes guard the
+door. In the centre is an old man with a long white beard, who holds his
+arms above his head."
+
+"It is Paduamen, the mouthpiece of the Gods," moaned Pharos, with a look
+of terror in his face that there was no disguising. "I am lost for
+ever--for ever; not for to-day, not for to-morrow, but for all time!
+Tell me, woman, what judgment the Mighty Ones pronounce against me?"
+
+"Hush--he speaks!" Valerie continued slowly; and then a wonderful thing
+happened.
+
+Whether it was the first warning of the illness that was presently to
+fall upon me, or whether I was so much in sympathy with Valerie that I
+saw what she and Pharos saw, I cannot say; at any rate, I suddenly found
+myself transported from Park Lane away to that mysterious hall below the
+Temple of Ammon, of which I retained so vivid a recollection. The place
+was in semi-darkness, and in the centre, as Valerie had described, stood
+the old man who had acted as my guide on the other occasion that I had
+been there. His arms were raised above his head, and his voice when he
+spoke was stern yet full of sadness.
+
+"Ptahmes, son of Netruhotep," he was saying, "across the seas I speak to
+thee. For the second time thou hast been found wanting in the trust
+reposed in thee. Thou hast used the power vouchsafed thee by the Gods
+for thine own purposes and to enrich thyself in the goods of the earth.
+Therefore thy doom is decreed, and in the Valley of Amenti thy
+punishment awaits thee. Prepare, for that time is even now upon thee."
+
+Then the hall grew dark, there was a rushing sound as of a great wind,
+and once more I was back in Park Lane. Pharos was crouching in his
+chair, moaning feebly, and evidently beside himself with terror.
+
+"What more dost thou see?" he said at length, and his voice was growing
+perceptibly weaker. "Tell me all."
+
+There was another pause, and then Valerie spoke again.
+
+"I see a rocky hillside and a newly-opened tomb. I see three white men
+and five Arabs who surround it. They are lifting a mummy from the vault
+below with cords."
+
+On hearing this Pharos sprang to his feet with a loud cry, and for a
+moment fought wildly with the air. Meanwhile the monkey clung
+tenaciously to him, uttering strange cries, which grew feebler every
+moment. Valerie, released from her trance, if by such a name I may
+describe it, and unable to bear more, fled the room, while I stood
+rooted to the spot, powerless to move hand or foot, watching Pharos with
+fascinated eyes.
+
+As if he were choking, he tore at his throat with his skeleton fingers
+till the blood spurted out on either side. Little by little, however,
+his struggles grew weaker, until they ceased altogether, and he fell
+back into his chair, to all intents and purposes a dead man, with the
+dying monkey still clinging to his coat.
+
+After all I had lately gone through, the strain this terrible scene put
+upon my mind was too great for me to bear, and I fell back against the
+wall in a dead faint.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When I recovered from the attack of brain fever which followed the
+ghastly event I have just described, I found myself lying in my bunk in
+my old cabin on board the yacht. Valerie was sitting beside me holding
+my hand in hers and gazing lovingly into my face. Surprised at finding
+myself where I was, I endeavoured to obtain an explanation from her.
+
+"Hush," she said, "you must not talk! Let it suffice that I have saved
+you, and now we are away from England and at sea together. Pharos is
+dead, and the past is only a bitter memory."
+
+As she spoke, as if to bear out what she had said, a ray of sunshine
+streamed in through the porthole and fell upon us both.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+GUY BOOTHBY'S NOVELS.
+
+
+PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN.
+
+Mr. Boothby has proved himself a master of the art of story-telling from
+the point of view of the reader who asks for a succession of stirring
+events, a suspicion of mystery, and an interest not only maintained but
+culminating. It would be unfair to explain the extraordinary character
+of "Pharos," or to do more than allude to the series of strange
+adventures wherein he plays a leading part. It is enough to assure Mr.
+Boothby's readers of delightful thrills and an interest which this vivid
+romancer never permits to flag.
+
+
+THE LUST OF HATE.
+
+Mr. Boothby is at his best in this romance, which is characterized by
+unflagging interest and by most stirring adventures in which Dr. Nikola
+plays a leading part. "Dr. Nikola" was considered "one of the most
+thrilling stories ever published."
+
+
+THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE DEVIL.
+
+"Here we have, in modern form, the same old hairbreadth escapes, the
+same extraordinary adventures following one another at breathless speed,
+and the same splendid disregard for mere probability that marked the
+efforts of these wizards of an earlier day."--_New York Sun._
+
+
+DR. NIKOLA.
+
+"Crowded to the covers with the mysterious, the startling, and the
+supernatural."--NEW YORK MAIL AND EXPRESS.
+
+"A novel containing a more ingenious, exciting, and absorbing romance
+has not appeared upon our book table this season."--_Boston Courier._
+
+
+A BID FOR FORTUNE.
+
+"Mr. Boothby never allows the interest of their doings to drop from
+first page to last; and he tells his tale in a pleasant, brisk fashion
+that carries the reader along, and is as convincing a vehicle as could
+be chosen for the relation of strange adventures such as befell the hero
+and his friends."--_London Times._
+
+
+
+THE MARRIAGE OF ESTHER.
+
+"Abounds in dramatic situations, and is bright in dialogue, graphic in
+description, and subtle in character analysis."--_Boston Advertiser._
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Pharos, The Egyptian, by Guy Newell Boothby
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