PHA
 
 GUY BOOTHBY S NOVELS. 
 
 Each, i2mo, cloth, $1.00; paper, 50 cents. 
 
 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 suc 
 cession of stirring events, a suspicion of mystery, and an interest 
 not only maintained but culminating. It would be unfair to ex 
 plain 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 character 
 ized by unflagging interest and by most stirring adventures in 
 which Dr. Nikola plays a leading part. "Dr. Nikola" was con 
 sidered "one of the most thrilling stones 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." 
 Bos tan 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 C luld be chosen for the relation of stranpe 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 
 A dvertiser. 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK.
 
 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
 
 
 PS 1 
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1898, 1899, 
 BY D. APPLETON AND COMPANY. 
 
 All rights reserved.
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 BEING A LETTER FROM SIR WILLIAM BETFORD, OF 
 BAMPTOX 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 invidi 
 ous, 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 praferenda, 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. 
 1? educed 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 deep 
 est pity. In one way only are we fortunate. Know- 
 
 1
 
 2 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 ing 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 be 
 ing 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, up 
 ward 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. In 
 deed, to my mind he had but one fault, a not uncom 
 mon one in these latter days of the nineteenth cen- 
 try. I refer to his somewhat morbid temperament and 
 the consequent leaning toward the supernatural it pro 
 duced 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 be 
 ing was impregnated with a love for that ancient coun 
 try 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 weak 
 ness 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 him 
 self so openly. His mind was too evenly balanced, and 
 at the same time too healthy to permit such an en 
 thusiastic 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 Mashona- 
 land, 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 3 
 
 justice, and will proceed to describe how the pathetic 
 record of our friend s experiences came into my pos 
 session. 
 
 " I had been hunting all day and did not reach 
 home until between half-past six and seven o clock. 
 "VVe had a house full of visitors at the time, I remember, 
 some of whom had been riding with me, and the dress 
 ing-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. Ac 
 cordingly 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 be 
 lieve he is a kind of foreigner, sir. Leastways, he s 
 very dark, and don t speak the same, quite, as an Eng 
 lishman 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/
 
 4 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN". 
 
 " 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 even 
 ing. 
 
 " 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 5 
 
 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 re 
 plied, civilly but firmly. My instructions were most 
 explicit upon that point. 
 
 " You come to me from him, and yet you are in 
 structed not to tell me his address? I said, with natural 
 surprise. That is rather extraordinary, is it not? Ee- 
 member, 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 de 
 liver 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.
 
 6 PHAEOS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " 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 note-paper 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 con 
 fidence. Your affectionate friend, 
 
 " WILLIAM BETFORD. 
 
 " Having blotted it, I placed the letter in an en-
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 7 
 
 velope, 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 em 
 ployer 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 affec 
 tion. 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 hear 
 ing 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 an 
 swered 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
 
 8 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 curi 
 ous 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 9 
 
 left shoulder, and having made these preparations, un 
 locked 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 devot 
 edly, 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 mas 
 tered 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 Neo 
 lithic. 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
 
 10 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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. Eemember 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 consid 
 ered 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 emo 
 tion 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 chim 
 ney-piece 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 bril 
 liant career should have terminated in such an un 
 toward manner.
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. H 
 
 " Now, having completed my share of the task, as 
 required of me in the letter, I send the manuscript by 
 special messenger to you. Eead 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 be 
 fore the world. What the result is to be it remains for 
 time to decide.
 
 CHAPTEE 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 im 
 perative beyond all telling, why I should make my con 
 fession, though God knows I am coward enough to 
 shrink from the task. And if you consider for a mo 
 ment, 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 
 12
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 13 
 
 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, per 
 haps, 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 out 
 break 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 rny part in this dreadful business that I have 
 forced myself with so much bitter humiliation to re 
 late. Let me begin at the very beginning, tell every 
 thing 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 un 
 biassed 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 
 2
 
 14 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 up and send it in. It was, as you remember, my eighth, 
 and in every way my most successful effort. The sub 
 ject 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 magi 
 cians the effect of his obstinacy in the death of his 
 firstborn 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 en 
 deavouring to peer into the future in the hope of read 
 ing 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 continu 
 ously. 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. Con 
 vinced that my own company would not take me out 
 of it, I left my studio in search of more congenial soci 
 ety. This was soon forthcoming; and you will remem 
 ber, Betford and Trevelyan, that we dined together at
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 15 
 
 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 minor 
 ity in the choice of a place of entertainment. The re 
 sult 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 stand 
 ing 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 con 
 cerned, the game was played out, and if I did not com 
 ply 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 Cleo 
 patra 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
 
 16 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 stand 
 ing 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 ap 
 peal for help coming so suddenly out of the black dark- 
 nesss. 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, Avhen some 
 thing 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 drown 
 ing 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 17 
 
 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 pro 
 nounced 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 over 
 took 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 de 
 parted, my eyes fixed themselves on the individual be 
 fore me. Connecting him in some way with the unen 
 viable sensation I had just experienced, 1 endeavoured 
 to withdraw them again, but in vain. The other s 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
 
 18 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 been! 1 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 oppor 
 tunity was lost, and, in that brief instant of time, mil 
 lions of my fellow-creatures were consigned unwit 
 tingly to their doom. 
 
 After long association with an individual, it is diffi 
 cult, 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 ap 
 pearance so repulsive. To understand what 1 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 appar 
 ently devoid of light and even of life. He wore a heavy 
 fur coat, and, for the reason that he disdained the cus 
 tomary 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 19 
 
 a good deal more difficult to determine. It was cer 
 tainly 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 moon 
 light. 
 
 Under the influence of his mysterious personality, 
 I stood speechless for some moments, forgetful of 
 everything the hour, the place, and even his inhu 
 manity 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 accord 
 ingly 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, at 
 tracted its fair share of attention from the general 
 public, and, as a result, brought me as near content 
 ment 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. 
 
 20
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 21 
 
 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 uncon 
 scious of his strength, and when he shakes hands with 
 you, you have reason to remember the fact for five min 
 utes 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 ad 
 vanced schoolroom stage, dine with their parents, ex 
 cept on state occasions, and play duets together on the 
 piano with a conscientious regard for time and finger 
 ing 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
 
 22 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 dif 
 ficult to find? We have been all round the neigh 
 bourhood, here, there, and everywhere, making in 
 quiries, 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 engage 
 ment. 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 23 
 
 to say that she hoped I would comply with her hus 
 band s wishes. The daughters murmured something, 
 which I have no doubt was intended to be a compli 
 mentary expression of their feelings, while the son com 
 menced 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 after 
 ward, or even visit the theatre in their company, hav 
 ing, 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 con 
 temptuous sort of pity. The minutest details con 
 nected 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 cata 
 logues in the busy street outside, the great courtyard 
 with the lines of waiting carriages, the fashionable 
 crowd ascending and descending the stairs, and in 
 side the rooms that surging mass of well-dressed hu 
 manity 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 ap 
 propriate scorn. 
 
 " Come, come, old fellow," he replied, " we re first 
 going to see your picture. It was that which brought
 
 24: PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 Na 
 ture may, or may not, have done for me, she has at 
 least endowed me with an extremely sensitive disposi 
 tion. 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 neigh 
 bours in the country that I was the rising man of 
 the day, and would inevitably be elected President be 
 fore 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 
 Merri dew 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 formi 
 dable friend, the tennis champion, betrayed a measure 
 of interest that, in the light of her previous behaviour,
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 25 
 
 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 ex 
 ample, 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 sensa 
 tion. It was accompanied by a lowering of the pulse 
 that was quite perceptible, followed by an extraor 
 dinary 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, lean 
 ing upon his stick, just as I remembered him on the 
 previous occasion, and dressed in the same extraordi 
 nary 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 re 
 membered so well. One thing was quite plain, how 
 ever profoundly I may have been affected by my prox 
 imity 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 expres 
 sions 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
 
 26 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 arch 
 way 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 emo-
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 27 
 
 tion I was still feeling, added, " I wonder who he can 
 be?" 
 
 " I can not imagine," she continued, " but I m cer 
 tain 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 reputa 
 tion 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 express 
 ing 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 Ee- 
 gent 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
 
 28 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 con 
 versation 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 distrac 
 tion I should be dreaming of him at night. Accord 
 ingly 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 Eoad, 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 29 
 
 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 mo 
 ments was unsuccessful. Then I espied, seated in a cor 
 ner, almost hidden by a magnificent palm, a man with 
 whom I possessed some slight acquaintance. 1 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. Xeedless to say, she invited her 
 to visit her as soon as she reached London." 
 
 What the connection could have been it is impos 
 sible to say, but by some occult reasoning I instantly 
 associated this new wonder with the magnificent crea 
 ture I had seen at Burlington House that afternoon. 
 
 " You have already made her acquaintance, I pre 
 sume? " I said in a tone of mild curiosity. 
 
 " N^o 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 
 3
 
 30 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 complex 
 ion, 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 per 
 fectly." 
 
 " 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 simultane 
 ously 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 gen 
 erally considered tall for her sex, and carried herself 
 with a more imperial grace than is boasted by any em 
 press I have ever seen. 
 
 A few paces behind her followed the man who had
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 31 
 
 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. 
 Beaching 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."
 
 32 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 So saying I signed him back to his seat, and, slip 
 ping 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 dis 
 pense 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 33 
 
 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 be 
 neath 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 im 
 perceptible 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 fonud 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 re 
 sumed his seat the violinist rose and once more took 
 up her instrument. 
 
 This time there was no pause. With an abrupt 
 ness 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 tar 
 antella 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
 
 34: PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 swayed beneath the spell of the emotion she was con 
 juring 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 ap 
 proached her hostess. The programme was at an end, 
 and the enthusiastic audience clustered round to con 
 gratulate 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. According 
 ly 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 be 
 came 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 be 
 hind 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 Fraulein Valerie de Yocxqal." 
 
 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 35 
 
 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 he 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 remark 
 able 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 con 
 ceitedly, 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."
 
 36 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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, Mon 
 sieur 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 shut 
 ting my eyes, I could see the crowded room, the beauti 
 ful violinist standing, instrument in hand, beside the 
 piano, and in the chair at her feet her strange com 
 panion, huddled up beneath his rug. 
 
 37
 
 38 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 hegan 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 fash 
 ion, 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 39 
 
 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 deliber 
 ately, 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 an 
 ticipated. 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 informa 
 tion 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 carton- 
 nage 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 (Amen- 
 epthes of the Greeks, but better known to the nine 
 teenth 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 Pha 
 raoh 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 com-
 
 40 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 mensurate 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 ab 
 normally 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 Med en- 
 ham House only a couple of hours since. Upward of 
 a minute must have elapsed before I could find suf 
 ficient 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 acci 
 dent 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 41 
 
 purpose of his own he had taken, or was pretending to 
 take, offence at my reception of him. Knowing, there 
 fore, 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, 1 must exert myself 
 to conciliate him, I hastened to apologise for the wel 
 come I had given him, explaining that any momen 
 tary 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 else 
 where. " 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 forget 
 ful, 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,
 
 42 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 I had to confess it seemed unlikely. Then the re 
 membrance 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 stern 
 ness 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 re 
 fused 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 for- 
 getfulness. 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 con 
 tinued. " From your point of view it certainly was. 
 From mine well, as I said just now, I confess I view it
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN". 43 
 
 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 through 
 out 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 Lon 
 don, 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 neces 
 sary, I could tell you circumstances in your own life 
 that you flatter yourself are known to no one but your 
 self. 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
 
 44 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 re 
 move his eyes from it. For some moments not a word 
 passed his lips. Then, muttering something to him 
 self 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 mum 
 my! " 
 
 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 counte 
 nance that I instinctively recoiled from him in horror. 
 
 " Thy father, was it, wretched man," he cried, shak 
 ing his skeleton fist at me, while his b,ody 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 sacri 
 lege be visited upon thee and thine for evermore! " 
 Then, turning to the mummy, he continued, as if
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 45 
 
 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 ex 
 pression changed completely. He uttered a queer little 
 laugh, that might have been one of shame or annoy 
 ance. 
 
 " 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 offend 
 ing you. Your father was, I know, an ardent Egyptolo 
 gist, one of that intrepid band who penetrated to every 
 corner of our sacred land, digging, delving, and bring 
 ing 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 direc 
 tion. 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 mo 
 ments 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 
 4
 
 46 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 to do so is on the plea of the exuberance of my emotion. 
 My dear Mr. Forrester, I beg you will not misunder 
 stand 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 un 
 derstand what you mean." 
 
 " And it is not in my power to enlighten you. Re 
 main 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 witli 
 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 con 
 vinced 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 kne\v 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 de 
 scribed 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 47 
 
 will require more than my assurance to make you be 
 lieve 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 pos 
 session." 
 
 " 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 re 
 peated, " 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 wh en 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 ma 
 gician? Under the influence of the momentary irrita 
 tion caused by his persistence my intention of humour 
 ing 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
 
 48 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 de 
 termined 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."
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 49 
 
 As he said this he advanced toward me with ex 
 tended hand, leaning heavily upon his stick, according 
 to his custom, and to all intents and purposes as pa 
 thetic 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 considera 
 tion should induce me ever to admit him to my dwell 
 ing 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 sev 
 eral 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 counte-
 
 50 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 nance that was looking into mine. Then a strange feel 
 ing of numbness took possession of me, an entire lack 
 of interest in everything, even in life itself. Gradually 
 and easily 1 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 con 
 sciousness.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 N I came to myself again it was already morn 
 ing. 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 be 
 gun 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 imme 
 diately 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 arm 
 chair. 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 Meden- 
 ham 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 imme- 
 
 51
 
 52 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 diately hastened to it and drew the bolts. My feeling 
 of bewilderment was increased rather than diminished 
 on discovering an inspector of police upon the thresh 
 old, 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 conversa 
 tion with you, alone." 
 
 " With pleasure," I answered, and immediately in 
 vited 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 des 
 perate 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 be 
 hind the house between one and two o clock, though
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 53 
 
 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 en 
 tered one of the houses hereabouts. That on your right 
 is empty, and the doors and windows are securely fas 
 tened. 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 skiod. 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 evi 
 dence 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 con 
 clusion that he was the author of this fiendish bit of 
 work? I saw, however, that my continued silence was 
 impressing the inspector unfavourably.
 
 54 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " Come, sir," he said, this time a little more sharply 
 than before, " I must remind you that my time is valu 
 able. 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 cir 
 cumstances I had met Pharos on the Embankment that 
 wet night 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 at 
 tempted to induce me to part with something upon 
 which I placed considerable value, and, being disap 
 pointed, 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 probabil 
 ity, believed this statement, but upon my hopes of for 
 giveness at the Last Great Day, at that dread moment 
 when the sins of all men shall be judged and punish 
 ment 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 other 
 wise. 
 
 Though it has taken some time to place these
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 55 
 
 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 apolo 
 gised 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 pos 
 sible 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 my 
 self 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
 
 56 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 con 
 versation, 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 57 
 
 opponent and seized him by the throat, driving the 
 blade deep in below the shoulder. His victim, para 
 lyzed with surprise, at first offered no resistance. Then, 
 with the instinct of self-preservation, he began to 
 struggle with his devilish opponent, onjy 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 pic 
 tured 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 ab 
 stracted a key from the dead man s pocket and ap 
 proached 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 scarabasus 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
 
 58 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 w,as 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 un 
 touched, 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. AVhen I had ad 
 mitted the inspector of police, I had unlocked and un 
 chained the door. I was the sole occupant of the build 
 ing. How, therefore, had Pharos conveyed his burden 
 outside, and locked, chained, and bolted the door be 
 hind him? Under the influence of this discovery I 
 returned with all speed to the studio. Perhaps he had
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 59 
 
 not gone out by the front door at all, but had made 
 his escape by the windows at the back. These I care 
 fully 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, accus e 
 him not only of the theft, but of the murder, and make 
 him understand, with all the earnestness of which 1 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 with 
 out 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 walk 
 ing, 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 Meden 
 ham 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 astonish 
 ment.
 
 60 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " 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 had 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 oppo- 
 .site 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 ex 
 cites 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 extraordi-
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 61 
 
 nary 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 sup 
 ported 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 sensi 
 tive upon this point she became acquainted with the 
 old gentleman you saw last night, Monsieur Pharos. 
 He was rich, eccentric, and perhaps what most at 
 tracted 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 friend 
 less 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 re- 
 5
 
 62 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 marked, " 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. lie 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 acquaint 
 ance 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.
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 63 
 
 " 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 be 
 hind 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 com-
 
 64 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 petent 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, engrav 
 ings, 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 chari 
 table institutions and private individuals that invari 
 ably 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 out 
 side. 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." 
 
 " Xot a bit of it," answered my friend. " That re 
 minds me, however, that there is one point in the pic 
 ture 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 65 
 
 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 hear 
 ing my question, however, he sprang to his feet with 
 an exclamation that was as startling as it was unex 
 pected. It did not exactly indicate surprise, nor did it 
 express annoyance or curiosity; yet it seemed to par 
 take of all three. It was his face, however, that be 
 trayed 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 com 
 posure 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 anx-
 
 66 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 ious 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 earnest 
 ness 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."
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 67 
 
 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 ques 
 tion. It was an account of the murder of the unfor 
 tunate 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 com 
 mitted 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
 
 68 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 bood-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 en 
 velope 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."
 
 CHAPTEE 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 im 
 pression of heat and dry ness 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 unbear 
 able; 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 bar 
 barity, is visiting his friends in the country, or what 
 ever 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 
 
 69
 
 70 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 occupy 
 ing the same room, I did not experience the same feel 
 ing 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
 
 PHAEOS, THE EGYPTIAN. 71 
 
 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, thor 
 oughly 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 con 
 tinually 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, uncer 
 tain 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 pos 
 sible 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
 
 Y2 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 thor 
 oughfare 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 for 
 sake 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 Eoma joins the Piazza San 
 Ferdinando, in which is situated the theatre for which 
 I was making, is the most remarkable. Here one is per 
 mitted an opportunity of studying the life of the city 
 under the most favourable auspices. My mind, how 
 ever, on this occasion was too much occupied wonder 
 ing 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 straight 
 forward, like Sir George Legrath s own life, and., as I
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 73 
 
 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 Amer 
 ican 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 un 
 derstand, 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 excur 
 sion. 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 re 
 plied, 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
 
 74 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 mistake, and that the individual in whose custody re 
 posed the secret of Pharos s addres_s 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 ap 
 proached 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 per 
 son." 
 
 " You are sure you know him? " I replied, turn 
 ing 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 sup 
 posed 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 my 
 self." 
 
 Seeing the advantage he held, and scenting employ 
 ment of not too severe a kind, the young man made a 
 gesture with his hands as if to signify that while he was
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 75 
 
 perfectly willing to oblige me in so small a matter, 
 business was business, and he must profit by his oppor 
 tunity. 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. What 
 ever his other deficiencies may have been, he was cer 
 tainly a good walker, and I very soon found that it 
 took me all my time to keep up with him. Eeaching 
 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 begin 
 ning 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 in 
 struments 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
 
 76 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 com 
 mission upon the transaction. Eewarding him for the 
 trouble he had taken, I bade him be off about his busi 
 ness 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 men 
 tion; but my cousin died, and though I would wil 
 lingly 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 busi 
 ness, however, and here was this shop to be attended to.
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. >tf 
 
 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, Ex- 
 cellenza, 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 let 
 ter-writer, I should, in all probability, be able to learn 
 
 his whereabouts." 
 6
 
 fg PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 fin 
 ger-tip. 
 
 " If your Excellency would condescend to mention 
 the individual s name," he said softly, " it is just pos 
 sible 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 Egyp 
 tian." 
 
 Had I stated that I was in search of the Author of 
 all Evil, the placid Angelotti could scarcely have be 
 trayed more surprise. He took a step from me and for 
 a moment gazed at me in amazement. Then the ex 
 pression 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, Signer 
 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 Mu 
 seum 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 79 
 
 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 Excel- 
 lency. 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-morn 
 ing, 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 com 
 plimentary terms, to get out of the way, unless I de 
 sired 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 pave 
 ment, 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 Fraulein 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 car 
 riage disappeared in the crowd of traffic and she was 
 gone again. For some moments I stood on the pave 
 ment looking after her as if rooted to the spot. It was
 
 80 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 only when I had recovered myself sufficiently to re 
 sume my walk that I could put two and two to 
 gether and understand what significance this meet 
 ing 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 he in my 
 power to find him and acquaint him with the deter 
 mination 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 aston 
 ishment at seeing me seemed to point to the same con 
 clusion. 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 dreari 
 er 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 calig- 
 raphy 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 81 
 
 quaint old shop to which I had paid a visit that morn 
 ing. 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 pen 
 manship 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 
 Avhether 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 con 
 veyance. 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 aligned 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 
 Kaples. 
 
 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 his-
 
 82 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 tory of that ancient place had a man passed along its 
 streets on a stranger mission. I need not have hur 
 ried, 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 quar 
 ter 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 de 
 lighted I am to meet you! " said a voice behind me; 
 and, turning, I found myself face to face with Pharos.
 
 CHAPTEK VI. 
 
 ANXIOUS as I had been to see him, and eagerly as 
 I had sought his presence, now that Pharos stood be 
 fore 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, un 
 gainly 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 Le- 
 grath that I am indebted for the pleasure of this in 
 terview," he said, after the short pause that followed 
 his introductory speech; " for I need not natter my 
 self you will believe me when I say that I was fully 
 aware, even before I met you in Lady Medenhanr 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 
 
 83
 
 84 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 Tues 
 day 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, per 
 haps 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 proba 
 bility, 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 re 
 sult, 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 85 
 
 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 \ve 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 in 
 finitely more agreeable than I had ever known it before, 
 lie 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 con 
 ciliate 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, 
 1 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 under 
 standing with you. If I have wronged you, as I sin-
 
 86 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 cerely 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 situ 
 ated?" 
 
 " One could hardly read the English papers with 
 out 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 com 
 mitted," I said, without appearing to notice his inter 
 ruption, " perhaps you also know that the deed was 
 supposed to have been done between the hours of mid 
 night 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 an 
 swered; " and I remember reading also that you in 
 formed 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 appear 
 ance 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 87 
 
 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 ques 
 tionable proceeding if viewed in the light of the friend 
 ship 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 in 
 deed 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 mat 
 ter. We will deal with the case of the mummy first, 
 that being, as you will allow, of the least importance as
 
 88 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 far as you, individually, are concerned. Before I un 
 burden 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 89 
 
 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 his 
 tory, 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 ex 
 istence 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 hap 
 piness 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 circui 
 tous 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 in 
 troduction to you, and the rest you know." 
 
 " And where is the mummy now? " I inquired. 
 
 " In Xaples," 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 prop 
 erty, 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
 
 90 PHAEOS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 argu 
 ment 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-y ears-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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 91 
 
 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 con 
 tinued. " 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 Her 
 man Clausand, the curiosity dealer of Bonwell Street, 
 the victim of the shocking tragedy announced in our 
 issue of Tuesday last. Schmidt, who spoke with con-
 
 92 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 siderable earnestness and seemed desirous of being be 
 lieved, 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 JBonwell Street, and, after in 
 forming 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, where 
 upon Schmidt very reluctantly left the shop. For the 
 remainder of the day he wandered about London, en 
 deavouring to obtain work, but about midnight, hav 
 ing 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 Clau 
 sand 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 con 
 ducted to a cell, when he drew from his pocket a re 
 volver 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 93 
 
 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 neigh 
 bourhood 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 look 
 ing 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 w r as plain that I had wronged him in 
 supposing he had committed it. A weight was un 
 doubtedly 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. For 
 rester," 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. 
 
 r
 
 94 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " 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 re 
 plied. " 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 re 
 turn, 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 even 
 ing 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 set 
 tled, 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."
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 95 
 
 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 under 
 stand 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 nine 
 teen 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 con 
 sult 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, inten 
 sifying the ghostliness of the long-deserted city. 
 Beaching 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 wor 
 shippers, when her oracles boasted a reputation that
 
 96 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 reached even to mighty Eome. 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? ^Vhere, 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 ^Esculapius, and 
 did not stop until we had reached the house of Tullus 
 Agrippa. Into this Pharos led me. 
 
 " 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 end 
 less 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 clays, when the 
 sun was warm and the table was laden with the ban 
 quet, 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 97 
 
 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 de 
 pendants 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 re 
 ceived 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 innumer 
 able 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 pour 
 ing 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. Housed to a pitch of 
 fury by his terror, Tymon struck him a blow on the
 
 98 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 cov 
 ered him, and nineteen hundred years later the work 
 men, excavating the ruins, discovered his body at the 
 base of yonder wall. Such was the fate of the noble 
 Tullus Agrippa, citizen of Eome, 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 out 
 side 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 every 
 thing, 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 re 
 spect, 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 99 
 
 road outside a carriage was standing, to which was 
 attached a magnificent pair of black horses. A coach 
 man, 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 beau 
 tiful creature it contains at present, my ward, the 
 Fraulein Valerie de Vocsqal."
 
 * 
 
 CHAPTEE 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 actu 
 ally 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 be 
 ing able to speak from the point of an eye-witness, 
 or, at least, as one who had lived in the same pe 
 riod, 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 inter 
 est to make, and when we had exhausted Italy and pro- 
 100
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 101 
 
 ceeded 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 Pom 
 peii had it seemed so short. Eeaching 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 sur 
 rounded 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 de 
 sired. 
 
 The footman, having descended from the box, 
 opened the door of the carriage, and when he had with 
 drawn 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 sur 
 prise when the beauty of the house to which I was 
 now introduced was revealed to me. The hall in which
 
 102 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 per 
 mitted 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 Peru- 
 gino, 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 doubt 
 less 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 per 
 haps 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 103 
 
 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 aristoc 
 racy. 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 pro 
 pitious, 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 at 
 tached. 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 him 
 self. In the hope of retrieving his fortune and of dis 
 tracting his mind he sought the assistance of the gam 
 ing-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
 
 104 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 me a note, thanking me for the assistance I had ren 
 dered 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 sup 
 posed, 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 de 
 sire 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 mag 
 nificent apartment in every way, but, as I soon discov 
 ered, was eclipsed by the larger room into which it 
 opened. The latter could not liave been less than 
 eighty feet long by forty wide. The walls were deco 
 rated with exquisite pictures, and, if such a thing were 
 possible, with still more exquisite china. All the ap 
 pointments were in keeping. At the farther end was a 
 grand piano, and seated near this, slowly fanning her 
 self 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. Fer- 
 dinando. 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.
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 105 
 
 " 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 de 
 parted from the room, leaving us together. My com 
 panion once more seated herself, and, making an effort, 
 began a conversation that was doubtless of a very po 
 lite, but to me entirely unsatisfactory, nature. Pres 
 ently 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
 
 106 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 after 
 noon, and he was kind enough to ask me to dine with 
 him this evening. Surely^ there can be nothing dan 
 gerous 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 any 
 thing 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.
 
 -PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 107 
 
 " If you will take my ward," he said, " I will follow 
 you." 
 
 I did as directed, and never while I live shall I for 
 get the thrill that passed through me as I felt the pres 
 sure 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 under 
 stand, 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 bril 
 liant colour. The servants also struck me as remark 
 able. 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 noise 
 lessly and well, but their presence grated upon me, very 
 nrnch 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 dis 
 credited 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.
 
 108 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN.. 
 
 " 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 Fraulein 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 accord 
 ingly addressed myself to Pharos on the subject of 
 the journey from Paris to Xaples, 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 an 
 other 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 109 
 
 self," he said, and then turning to the monkey con 
 tinued, " Pehtes, make your salutation." 
 
 The monkey, however, finding himself in his mas 
 ter s arms, snuggled himself down and paid no more 
 attention to me, whereupon Pharos pushed the decan 
 ters, 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 compli 
 mented on that wine, particularly by your country 
 men." 
 
 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 ter 
 rible 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 in 
 quired 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 evi 
 dently 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 de 
 clined his previous invitation. " I am not a smoker 
 8
 
 110 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 caoe from his 
 pocket and handed it to me. I took one of the cigar 
 ettes 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. Hav 
 ing finished one, I was easily persuaded to take an 
 other, 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 re 
 plied. " It seems hard that you should not enjoy it 
 yourself." 
 
 " I could not enjoy it in a happier way," he an 
 swered, " than through my friends. I am amply com 
 pensated when I see the pleasure it gives them." 
 
 After this philanthropic contribution to the con 
 versation 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 pos 
 sible we may be able to induce my ward to give us
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. HI 
 
 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 ap 
 peared 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 cigar 
 ette 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 monoto 
 nous. 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 in 
 sisted, and the Fraulein 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 arm 
 chair, 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 posi 
 tion and commenced to play. I had still the same feel 
 ing, 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
 
 112 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 be 
 fore me, and it was as if her white hands were beckon 
 ing 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."
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. H3 
 
 " 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 knowl 
 edge that I should be for some weeks in the company of 
 Valerie de Yocxqal 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? "
 
 114 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " 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 even 
 ing at ten o clock. My servants will call for your lug 
 gage 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 car 
 riage, made my way into the hall and presently left the 
 house. Having crossed the courtyard, the ancient gate-
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. H5 
 
 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 re 
 warded 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 ad 
 dressed me by my name. It was the Fraulein 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, re 
 vealing her wonderful beauty and adding an ethereal 
 charm to it which I had never noticed it possessed be 
 fore. 
 
 " 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 im 
 possible 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.
 
 116 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " Fraulein," 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 Kussia, 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 think 
 ing 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 vio 
 lently. Her touch, however, instead of effecting the 
 purpose she had in view, decided me on a contrary 
 course. 
 
 " Fraulein," 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 ex 
 pect 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 117 
 
 face, and from that moment I desired to prevent 
 it." 
 
 " But if you are so unhappy, why do you not at 
 tempt to save yourself? " 1 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 un 
 done 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. God! I can not 
 leave him! " 
 
 She fell back against the wall and once more cov 
 ered 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.
 
 118 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " 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 fol 
 lowing 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 wait 
 ing 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 Fraulein 
 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 errone 
 ously 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 
 
 119
 
 120 PHAKOS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 deter 
 mination to keep my eyes wide open, and to be pre 
 pared 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 cap 
 tain. He informed me in French that both Monsieur 
 Pharos and the Fraulein 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 re 
 quest of the steward I passed along the deck to the 
 after-companion ladder, and thence to the saloon be 
 low. 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 my 
 self; 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. AYith noise 
 less footfall the steward conducted me across the sa 
 loon, 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. Bril-
 
 PHAEOS, THE EGYPTIAN. 121 
 
 liant sunshine streamed in through the port-hole 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 over 
 head, with a few snow-white clouds away to the south 
 west 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 be 
 haviour 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
 
 122 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 that on this occasion the Fraulein 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. Lean 
 ing my elbows on the rail, I stood gazing at the curd 
 ling 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 Fraulein 
 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 per 
 fection. 
 
 " 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 put 
 ting 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 123 
 
 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 danger 
 ous ground and I hastened to get off it as soon as pos 
 sible. 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 dif 
 ference 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
 
 124: PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN". 
 
 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 com 
 fortable?" 
 
 " 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, exceed 
 ingly 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 ex 
 pressed 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. Eetracing our steps aft we descended 
 to the saloon, upon the beauty of which I warmly con 
 gratulated 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 125 
 
 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 
 herth 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 star 
 board 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 under 
 standing of this strange individual s character as I had 
 been since I had known him. Of the Fraulein Valerie 
 I saw nothing until late in the afternoon. She was 
 suffering from a severe headache, so the steward in 
 formed Pharos, and was not equal to leaving her cabin. 
 9
 
 126 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 perambulat 
 ing 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 be 
 low 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 cap 
 tain 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 consid 
 erably 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 re 
 turned aft.
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 127 
 
 Eeaching 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 decora 
 tions and the inlaid furniture and was reflected in the 
 mirrors on the walls. As far as I could see jio one was 
 present. I was about to rise and move away when a 
 sound came from the Friiulein Valerie s cabin that 
 caused me to remain where I was. Someone was speak 
 ing, 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, un 
 musical, 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."
 
 128 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " Hold my hand and wait, thou wilt see more plain 
 ly anon. Now that thine eyes are accustomed to the 
 darkness, describe to me the place in which thou staiid- 
 est." 
 
 There was another interval. Then she hegan 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 ter 
 minated. 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. " Xow 
 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 conver 
 sation 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 ap 
 proaching me. In the dim light of the deck the ap 
 pearance he presented was not prepossessing, but when 
 he approached me I discovered he was in the best of
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 129 
 
 humours, in fact in better spirits than I had ever yet 
 seen him. 
 
 " 1 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 any 
 thing 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 over 
 heard 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 indis 
 position 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, dis 
 cussing 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
 
 130 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 discovered, was cosmopolitan, but if he had any prefer 
 ence 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 Fraulein 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 For 
 rester 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 Fraulein 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,
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 131 
 
 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. Xever 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? " 
 
 " Xot one/ she answered bitterly, still gazing stead 
 fastly out to sea. " I am beyond the reach of help. 
 Can you realise what it means, Mr. Forrester, to be be 
 yond the reach of help ? " 
 
 The greatest tragedienne the world has seen could 
 not have invested those terrible words with greater or 
 more awful meaning. 
 
 " Xo, no/ I said; " I can not believe that. You 
 are overwrought to-night. Y^ou 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- 1 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 earnest-
 
 132 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 ness; " 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 won 
 dering 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 com 
 panion 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 133 
 
 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 with 
 draw 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? "
 
 CHAPTEK IX. 
 
 THE captain was not very far out in his reckoning 
 when he prophesied that the unusual calm of the previ 
 ous 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 in 
 stance, 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, be 
 yond the saloon companion-ladder, a clatter of break 
 ing glass followed every roll, while I was able to esti 
 mate 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 Fraulein 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 
 134
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 135 
 
 o clock my curiosity was so excited as to what was doing 
 on deck that I could no longer remain inactive. I ac 
 cordingly 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 port 
 holes 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. Un 
 daunted, 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 capa 
 bilities of the little vessel for withstanding them.
 
 136 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 stout 
 est 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 
 <vesse], 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 be 
 ing 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 back 
 ward 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 clashed aboard, carrying away a boat and twisting 
 the davits, from which it had been suspended a mo 
 ment 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 de 
 vout thankfulness in my heart for my escape, I re 
 mained where I was, clinging to the ladder long after 
 the sea had passed and disappeared through the scup 
 pers. 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 tell 
 ing, 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 
 Fraulein Valerie opened and she came out. That some 
 thing unusual was the matter I saw at a glance.
 
 138 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " 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 pres 
 ence of that death, however, which we all believed to be 
 so imminent, he showed himself a coward past all be 
 lieving. 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, glar 
 ing 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 139 
 
 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 
 hirn 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 Fraulein Valerie 
 seated at the table. 
 
 " Fraulein," 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 harm 
 less." 
 
 "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
 
 140 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 Xature surely could not permit two 
 such men to live."
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 IT was almost dark when the yacht entered the har 
 bour of Port Said, though the sky at the back of the 
 town still retained the last lingering colours of the sun 
 set, which had been more beautiful that evening than I 
 ever remembered to have seen it before. Well ac 
 quainted as I was with the northern shores of the Medi 
 terranean, 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 col 
 ouring and quaint architecture of the houses, the vo 
 ciferous boatmen, the monotonous chant of the Arab 
 coalers, the string of camels I could just make out turn 
 ing 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, con 
 stituted 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 
 
 10 141
 
 142 PHAEOS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 destina 
 tion. 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 Fraulein Valerie 
 had predicted, as soon as he recovered his self-pos 
 session, 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 Fraulein 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,
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 143 
 
 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 un 
 bearable, and to make matters worse, as soon as dark 
 ness fell and the lamps were lighted, swarms of mos 
 quitoes emerged from their hiding-places and de 
 scended 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 deathlike 
 expression upon his face, and she staring out of the 
 window, but, I am certain, seeing nothing of the coun 
 try 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 car 
 riage, 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 dis 
 agreeable 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 him 
 self 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.
 
 144 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " 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 heen 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 com 
 pany. I, however, made an appropriate reply, and then 
 assisted the Fraulein 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, Pharor, 
 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.
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 145 
 
 As usual, Pharos did not put in an appearance 
 when breakfast was served. Accordingly^ the Fraulein 
 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 1 noticed that more than 
 once, when I addressed some remark tg her, she glanced 
 eagerly at my face as if she hoped to obtain an open 
 ing 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 
 yon 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."
 
 146 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " 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 rne," I answered, this time as seriously as 
 even she could desire, " if I say that I have not neg 
 lected 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 ques 
 tion," she continued. " As I have told you so often be 
 fore, 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 thou 
 sands 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 147 
 
 but there, I can not tell you any more! Let it suffice 
 that I can not do as you ask." 
 
 Eemembering 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 won 
 dered if I could be dreaming, and whether I should 
 presently waken to find myself in bed in my comfort 
 able rooms in London once more, and my servant en 
 tering 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." 
 
 " Fraulein," I said, rising and standing before her, 
 " the first time I saw you I knew that you were un 
 happy. I could see that the canker of some great sor 
 row was eating into your heart. I wished that 1 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 con 
 tact 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 Xaples 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
 
 148 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 seeing what you 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 aginst 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, Fraulein, 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 149 
 
 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 arc 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 1 
 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 Lcmburg, 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 re 
 mained 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 shoul 
 ders 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,
 
 150 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 forgive 
 ness, but my letter has never been answered. The next 
 time was in Norway. While we were there a young 
 Norwegian pianist came under the spell of Pharos s in 
 fluence. 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. Eeal- 
 ising 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 ar 
 ranged 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
 
 PHAKOS, THE EGYPTIAN. 151 
 
 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 sec 
 ond 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 de 
 feated 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 endeav 
 our to outwit him, not only for my own sake, but 
 for that of the woman I loved, whom I could not
 
 152 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 induce to seek refuge in flight while she had the op 
 portunity. 
 
 During the afternoon I saw nothing of Pharos. lie 
 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 Fraulein Valerie and I had spent the even 
 ing 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 my 
 self, I was making my way upstairs to my room, when 
 the door of Pharos s apartment opened and to my sur 
 prise 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 doonvay, 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. P>eing 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 153 
 
 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 re 
 freshing. 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 pro 
 ceed 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 110 connection with old 
 Cairo. 
 
 Crossing the Island of Bulak, and leaving the cara 
 van depot on our left, we headed away under the ave 
 nue of beautiful Lebbek-trees along the road to Gizeh. 
 At first I thought it must be the Museum he was aim 
 ing for, but this idea was dispelled when we passed 
 the great gates and turned sharp to the right hand.
 
 154 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 pro 
 claimed 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 sev 
 eral feet above the surrounding country, showed a tend 
 ency 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 star 
 light 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 under 
 stood this, I signed to my driver to pull up, and, mak 
 ing 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. Fortu 
 nately 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 los 
 ing sight of Pharos for an instant, I ascended it. On 
 arriving at the top, I noticed that he went straight for 
 ward to the base of the huge mass, and when he was
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 155 
 
 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 undoubt 
 edly an Arab, and from the way in which he towered 
 above Pharos, must have been a man of gigantic stat 
 ure. For some minutes they remained in earnest con 
 versation. 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 de 
 termined to follow. 
 
 The Great Pyramid, as all the world knows, is com 
 posed 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 be 
 fore 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 judg 
 ment, 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
 
 156 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 exag 
 gerate, 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 inter 
 minable 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 con 
 tinuing 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 be 
 lieve 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 cau 
 tiously 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 157 
 
 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 apart 
 ment; 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 feel 
 ing 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 remem 
 ber which way I had been facing when I made the dis 
 covery 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 impossi 
 ble 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 Bed 
 ouins 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 
 11
 
 158 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 ahead on the chance of striking the doorway haphaz 
 ard, but it was always with the same unsatisfactory re 
 sult. 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, thor 
 oughly beside myself with terror, I began to run aim 
 lessly 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 1 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 af 
 fected 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 159 
 
 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. 
 
 u Kisc," 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 tak 
 ing the wrong turning in the passage was not or 
 dained. 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. Eise 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 pas 
 sage. Then it was that I discovered the mistake I had 
 made in entering. Whether by accident, or by the ex 
 ercise of Pharos s will, as he had desired me to believe, 
 it was plain I had taken the wrong turning, and, in 
 stead 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
 
 160 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 popularly, but erroneously, called the Queen s 
 Chamber. 
 
 It would have been difficult to estimate the thank 
 fulness 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 Pyra 
 mid, 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 extraordi 
 nary 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 Pha 
 ros 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.
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 1G1 
 
 At any other time I should have refused to com 
 ply with such a request; but on this occasion so com 
 pletely 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 be 
 yond 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 archi 
 tecture that my studies had long since made me famil 
 iar 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 some 
 thing unusual had happened to account for this ex 
 citement 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
 
 162 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 and left. A moment later a man came through the 
 lane thus formed. lie was short and curiously mis 
 shapen, 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 in 
 quired 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 with 
 drew his robe from his face, and I realised the astound 
 ing fact that Ptalimes the Magician and Pharos the 
 Egyptian ii ere not ancestor and descendant, but one 
 and the same person.
 
 CIIAPTEE XI. 
 
 Or the circumstances under which my senses re 
 turned to me after the remarkable vision, for that is 
 the only name I can assign to it, which I have de 
 scribed in the preceding chapter, only the vaguest rec 
 ollection 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 Pyr 
 amid, soon showed me the futility of so doing. I re 
 membered how I had run round and round that dread 
 ful 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 out 
 come not so much of a physical animosity, if I may so 
 designate it, as of a peculiar description of supernat 
 ural fear. Reason with myself as I would I could not 
 
 163
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 un 
 derstand. 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. AVhat occa 
 sioned this weakness I could not tell, but the fact re 
 mains 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 event 
 ually 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 in 
 creased when I discovered that the spot itself, and the 
 flesh surrounding it for more than an inch, was incapa 
 ble of sensation. I puzzled my brain? in vain to ac 
 count for its presence there. I could not remember 
 scratching myself with anything in my room, nor could 
 I discover that the coat I had 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 despatcli as I 
 could put into the operation, and my toilet being com-
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 165 
 
 pleted, left my room and went in search of the Fraulein 
 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 un 
 conscious 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 re 
 covered by the time we reached home again." 
 
 " Not recovered? " I cried in amazement. " But I 
 walked out of the Pyramid unassisted, and accompa 
 nied 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
 
 166 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 knowl 
 edge 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 improb 
 able, that I scarcely knew 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 be 
 hind." 
 
 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 ne 
 cessary arrangements, and we join the steamer at mid 
 day, that is to say in about two hours time." 
 
 I inquired after the Friiulein 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 167 
 
 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 Fraulein 
 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 circum 
 stances during the last few weeks, I am not certain 
 that my feelings as I stood upon the deck of the steam 
 er while she made her way up stream, passed the Khe 
 dive s Palace, the Kasr-en-Nil barracks, Kasr-el-Ain, 
 the Island of Rod ah, 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
 
 168 PHAKOS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 we got under way the latter departed to his cabin, while 
 the Fraulein Valerie and I stood side by side under the 
 awning, watching the fast-changing landscape in si 
 lence. 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 pur 
 poses been strangers, and Valerie and I had not met at 
 all. Now I was embarking on a voyage up the Xile 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 pre 
 ceding 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 in 
 spired 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 1G9 
 
 might attempt to delude myself to the contrary, I was 
 in reality more deeply in his power than I fancied my 
 self to be. 
 
 One thing struck me most forcibly, and that was 
 the fact that now we were away from Cairo, the Frau- 
 lein 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 con 
 fessed 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 my 
 self 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 cor 
 responding 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 appear 
 ance from below, carrying the monkey Pehtes in his
 
 170 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 some 
 thing upon your mind that is worrying you. Is it pos 
 sible you are still brooding over what you said to me 
 this morning? Remember you are my guest; I am re 
 sponsible 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 un 
 derstand why. As I told you then, I have the best 
 possible recollection of all that befell me in the Pyr 
 amid, 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
 
 PHAEOS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 the whole thing. Now I come to think of it, I do re 
 member 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 dif 
 fidently, 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 as 
 sertion 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 suc 
 cessful 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
 
 172 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 sto 
 ries, 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 build 
 ings, 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 has 
 tened 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 paint 
 ing 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."
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 173 
 
 " 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 animos 
 ity 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 Fraulein 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 using 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 no 
 ticing its exquisite proportions. 
 
 " Mr. Forrester was fortunate enough to be hon 
 oured 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 an 
 swered 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, 
 12
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 Xetruhotep, 
 a Priest of the High Temple of Ammon, and a favour 
 ite 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 un- 
 pleasing exterior. However, to return to Ptahmes, 
 whose life, I can assure you, forms an interesting 
 study. At an early age the boy showed an extraordi 
 nary partiality for the mystic, and it was doubtless this 
 circumstance that induced his father to intrust him 
 to the care of the Chief Magician, Haper, a wise man, 
 by whom the lad was brought up. Proud of his call 
 ing, 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 attain 
 ments reached the ears of Pharaoh. He was summoned 
 to the royal presence and commanded to give an exhi 
 bition 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, lie made 
 his way up the ladder of fame till he became a mighty
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 175 
 
 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. 
 Pthamcs, foreseeing what would happen, was for acced 
 ing 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 al 
 lowed his favourite to understand that, not only was 
 such advice the reverse of palatable, but that a repeti 
 tion 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 Xile 
 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,
 
 1Y6 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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. 
 
 " Xow Ptahmes, who, as I have said, was an astute 
 man, and who had already been allowed to see the con 
 sequences 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.
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 177 
 
 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 in 
 tention 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 ISTetruhotep, 
 Chief of the Magicians and Prophet of the North and 
 South."
 
 CHAPTEK XII. 
 
 STRANGE as it may seem, all the circumstances at 
 tending 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 Pha 
 ros. 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 con 
 sider 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, im 
 portant 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." 
 178
 
 PHAEOS, THE EGYPTIAN. 179 
 
 " I have already told you that that picture repre 
 sents 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 Friiulein 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, 
 vou 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 per 
 son, would have been too absurd. Pharos, however, 
 relieved me of the necessity of saying anything by re 
 plying 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
 
 180 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 Fraulein 
 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 Pha 
 ros 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 Fraulein 
 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 mis 
 erable 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 counte 
 nance. 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 devo 
 tion 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 mo 
 ment I first saw her face. But was it possible that she 
 could love me? 
 
 " I have noticed that you are very thoughtful to-
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 181 
 
 day, Fraulein," 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 be 
 fore." 
 
 " 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 oc 
 casion! " 
 
 " 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 pre 
 sume we shall return to Cairo, and probably to Eu 
 rope." 
 
 "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. For 
 tunately, however, I was able to summon up my pres 
 ence of mind in time to avert such a catastrophe, other 
 wise I can not say what the result would have been. 
 Had I revealed my love to her and asked her to be my
 
 182 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 un 
 comfortable 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 ves 
 sel was surrounded by small boats, the occupants of 
 which clambered aboard, despite the efforts of the offi 
 cers 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 Fraulein 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 expres 
 sions 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 ? "
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 183 
 
 " 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 im 
 portance is coming off to us. I am expecting a mes 
 senger, 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 wear 
 ing 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 along 
 side. 
 
 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. Ac 
 customed 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?"
 
 184 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " All has been prepared and awaits thy coming." 
 
 " Eeturn 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 an 
 swered. " Besides, you have a right to be present, 
 since it is through you I am permitted an opportunity
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 185 
 
 of replacing my venerable ancestor in his tomb. Per 
 haps you will be good enough to hold yourself in readi 
 ness to start at eleven o clock. Owing to the public 
 ity 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 exist 
 ence 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 stum 
 bled upon it quite by chance, and it was reburied with 
 in 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 dis 
 turb 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 counte 
 nance. I could scarcely have believed that the human 
 face was capable of such malignity. He recovered him 
 self as quickly, however, and then once more bidding 
 me prepare for the excursion of the evening, took him 
 self off to his cabin and left me to ponder over all he 
 had said.
 
 186 PHAROS, -THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 
 Friiulein 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 re 
 volver ? " 
 
 I answered in the affirmative, whereupon she ear 
 nestly 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. 
 
 \Yhen 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 dis 
 covered 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 hav 
 ing 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 ungainlv brutes, and it was necessarv for the
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 187 
 
 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 bril 
 liantly, while from the desert a little lonely wind came 
 up and sighed for the desolation of the place. Xothing 
 could have been in better keeping with the impressive- 
 ness of the occasion. One thing, however, puzzled 
 me, for so far I had seen nothing of the chief, and in 
 deed 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 immedi 
 ately 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.
 
 188 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 en 
 trance 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 for 
 ward 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 in 
 quire. 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 189 
 
 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 hiero 
 glyphics., 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 
 Lade 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 de 
 vices, and have made my way out of the ruins and back 
 to the steamer without waste of time. Under the cir 
 cumstances 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 accord 
 ingly 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 in 
 tended 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 
 13
 
 190 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 bottom I found myself standing in a subterranean hall. 
 The roof or ceiling was supported by a number of ele 
 gantly 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 reso 
 nant 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. Fol 
 low me."
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 IN describing what occurred after the curious ad 
 monition 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 unbe 
 lievable, 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 some 
 thing like ten feet in width, were covered with hiero- 
 
 191
 
 192 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 glyphics, as were the neighbouring walls. On either 
 side of the doorway stood two enormous kriosphinxes, 
 similar to those which had once lined the avenue be 
 tween 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. En 
 tering the archway, for archway I should prefer to 
 call it rather than door, I found myself standing be 
 tween two rows of life-sized statues, all excelling in 
 workmanship, and in the most perfect state of preser 
 vation. Though I was not sufficiently learned in Egyp 
 tian history to be able to assign names to them, I was 
 nevertheless quite capable of appreciating their im 
 mense 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 hun 
 dred 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 mum 
 my. 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 pil 
 lar 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 can 
 not 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.
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 193 
 
 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 pro 
 tested 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 attend 
 ants, 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 per 
 fume 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 oc 
 casion 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 par 
 ticular 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
 
 194: PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 far 
 ther and farther into the rose-coloured mist before my 
 eyes. How r 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 de 
 parted and we were alone together. lie was still 
 standing before me gazing intently down at my face. 
 
 " Eise, son of an alien race," he said, " rise puri 
 fied for the time of thy earthly self, and fit to enter 
 and stand in the presence of Ammon-Ea! " 
 
 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. 
 Beaching the end of this passage, he paused and ex 
 tinguished the torch lie carried, and then, still lead 
 ing me by the hand, entered another hall which was in 
 total darkness. In my new state, however, I experi 
 enced 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 195 
 
 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 in 
 fluence 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 pos 
 sessed 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,
 
 195 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 and exceeded in beauty anything I could have imag 
 ined. 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 krio- 
 sphinxes that to-day lie headless and neglected on 
 the sands. From this terrace the waters of the Xile 
 could be distinctly seen, with the steps, at which 
 the avenue I have just described terminated, lead 
 ing 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 contin 
 ued its march toward the temple. It was preceded 
 by a hundred dancing girls clad in white, and carry 
 ing 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,
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 197 
 
 harps, and flutes, and after the musicians the Stol- 
 istes, with the sign of Justice and the cup of Liba 
 tion. 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, strew 
 ing flowers of all colours upon the path. Then, es 
 corted 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 de 
 lighted 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 Pha- 
 roah were his favourite generals, then another detach 
 ment 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 glit 
 tering 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 danc-
 
 198 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 ing girls, musicians and soldiers drew back on either 
 side, and Pharaoh, still borne upon the shoulders of 
 his courtiers, and accompanied by his favourite ma 
 gician, 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 stand 
 ing 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 car 
 ried on a bier. Making no more noise than was neces 
 sary, 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 sur 
 prise he was none other than Ptahmes. Not, how 
 ever, 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 199 
 
 Pharoah s litter on the occasion of the last proces 
 sion. 
 
 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 Am- 
 mon 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 pic 
 ture. 
 
 On this occasion also it was night, and we were 
 in the desert. The same small party I had seen car 
 rying 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 van 
 ished, and once more I found myself standing in the 
 dark hall. 
 
 " Thou hast seen the splendour and the degrada 
 tion of the man Ptahmes," said the deep voice of the 
 old man who had warned me not to be afraid. " How
 
 200 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 unconse- 
 crated 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 con 
 ducted me down another flight of steps into yet an 
 other 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 dis 
 cover. Lifting the lid of the case, despite the mon 
 key s almost human protests, they withdrew the body,
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 201 
 
 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 mnay thou 
 sand years before, when it had been prepared for the 
 tomb. The effect it had upon me was almost over 
 whelming. 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, Ma 
 gician to Pharaoh, and chief of the Prophets of the 
 North and South." 
 
 I drew near and looked upon the mummified re 
 mains. 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 un 
 mistakable. 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 want-
 
 202 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 ing, 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 Ea 
 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, 
 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 re 
 posed 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 appinted thee is done. Then shalt 
 thou return and be at peace for ever. Eise, 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 203 
 
 block of stone in the great Hypostile Hall where Pha 
 ros 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 direc 
 tion 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 accord 
 ing 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 up 
 wards of a quarter of an hour, no sign could I dis 
 cover. All the time I was becoming more and more 
 convinced of one thing, and that was the fact that 
 1 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 swell 
 ing 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
 
 204 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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. 1 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 de 
 voutly 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 Ptahmcs according to agreement? 
 What was more important still, when did lie 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 doc 
 tor, 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 205 
 
 look cold, my dear Forrester, and if I am not mis 
 taken, 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 suffer 
 ing from a mild attack of Egyptian fever. Fortu 
 nately, 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 de 
 clared that at least two hours elapsed between our 
 14
 
 206 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 leaving the Temple of Ammon and our arrival at 
 our destination. During that time my agon} 7 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 kit 
 ten, 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, sa} r ing 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 mvself down and in a few mo-
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 207 
 
 ments 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 dis 
 appeared 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. Xow, how 
 ever, 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 pos 
 sible," 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 return 
 ing. 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 Xile 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 loth 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 anx 
 iety 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 
 208
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 209 
 
 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 morn 
 ing 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, how 
 ever, 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 Thurs 
 day morning and had left for Vienna at four o clock 
 in the afternoon. In the latter place we had re 
 mained only a few hours, had caught the next avail 
 able train, and reached Prague the following morn 
 ing. 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 re 
 quire much self-persuasion to make me put the mat 
 ter off for a more convenient opportunity. 
 
 Of the Fraulein Valerie, up to the time of our 
 arrival in the city there is little to tell. She had evi 
 dently been informed of my illness at Karnak, for
 
 210 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 re 
 covered 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, w r here I could hear her play 
 ing 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 appar 
 ent 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 Xepomuc 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 befdre 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
 
 PHAEOS, THE EGYPTIAN. 211 
 
 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 har 
 monised 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 unhappi- 
 ness 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 alto 
 gether. 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 unblush- 
 ingly. 
 
 "You followed me?" she said. 
 
 " Yes, and I am not ashamed to own it," I re 
 plied. " 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.
 
 212 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " In that case there is nothing left but for me to 
 tell you," I said, and approaching her I took pos 
 session of the slender hand which rested upon the 
 back of the pew behind her. " I followed you, Va 
 lerie, 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, Va 
 lerie, that I love you?-" 
 
 From her beautiful face every speck of colour had 
 vanished by this time; her bosom heaved tumultu- 
 ously under the intensity of her emotion. Xo 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 se 
 crets 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 good 
 ness 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 saying. You have no idea of the pain you are 
 causing me." 
 
 " God knows I would not give you pain for any 
 thing," 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."
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 213 
 
 " 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 he 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 beau 
 tiful, straightforward nature was incapable of dis 
 simulation. 
 
 " Mr. Forrester, even if what you hope is impos 
 sible, 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 aAvay 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 to 
 gether 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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. Proceed 
 ing 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 recollec 
 tions 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 com 
 pany 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 mak 
 ing 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 pos 
 sible, 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 oppor 
 tunities 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 215 
 
 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. 
 
 " 1 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 por 
 trayed 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 under 
 stand how you could have done so." 
 
 Thereupon I told her all that had befallen me at
 
 216 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 the ruins of Karnak. She listened with feverish in 
 terest. 
 
 " 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. Noth 
 ing could be easier. He exercises no control over our 
 movements. He does not attempt to detain us. AVe 
 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. 
 
 " AVhy 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 de 
 termination. " AA^e will lay our plans with the great 
 est care, behave toward him as if we contemplated 
 remaining for ever in his company, and then to-mor- 
 mow morning we will catch the train for Berlin, be 
 in Hamburg next day, and in London three days
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 17 
 
 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 
 ahout 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 de 
 pended 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. Ac 
 cordingly, 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 dis 
 covered Pharos in the hall holding in his hand a
 
 218 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 letter which he had just finished reading as we en 
 tered. 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 dis 
 cover 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 en 
 tered 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 mor 
 row 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 dis 
 covered vour secret."
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 219 
 
 " I looked nervously at him. What did he mean 
 hy 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 re 
 plied, 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 unpre 
 possessing man. Like a foolish guardian I have per 
 mitted you to be a good deal, perhaps too much, to 
 gether, and the result even a child might have fore 
 seen. 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 it. 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
 
 220 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 Eng 
 land alone." 
 
 " You must not think of such a thing," he an 
 swered, 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 hun 
 dred years has broken out on the shores of the Bos- 
 phorus, 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 221 
 
 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 Kussia, 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 defi 
 nite 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 care 
 ful 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 bril 
 liant success in every way, and never in her career 
 had Valerie looked more beautiful, or played so ex 
 quisitely 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 mur 
 mur of such admiration ran through the room as 
 those walls had seldom heard before. I, also, had 
 15
 
 222 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 the honour of being presented by the same noble 
 man, whereupon his Majesty was kind enough to ex 
 press 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 ex 
 cited 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. Ac 
 cordingly, I have arranged that a cab shall be wait 
 ing 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 es 
 cape 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, leav 
 ing a note upon my dressing-table, in which was con 
 tained 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 an 
 other, 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 re 
 spectability, continued his work once more. Of Va 
 lerie 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 down 
 stairs 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 Va- 
 
 223
 
 224 PHAKOS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 lerie 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 tak 
 ing measures to insure our return. But when we 
 found ourselves safely in the train our anxiety les 
 sened somewhat, and with every mile we threw be 
 hind us our spirits returned. By the time we reached 
 Dresden we were as happy a couple as any in Eu 
 rope, 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, how 
 ever, we were determined to run no risk. Every mile 
 that separated us from Pharos meant greater secur 
 ity, 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 inten 
 tion. 
 
 When our train reached its destination it was a
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 225 
 
 few minutes after six o clock, and for the first time 
 in my life I stood in the capital of the German em 
 pire. Though we had been travelling for more than 
 ten hours, Valerie had so far shown no sign of fa 
 tigue. 
 
 "What do you propose doing now?" she inquired 
 as we stood together on the platform. 
 
 " Obtain some dinner," I answered, with a prompt 
 ness 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 prob 
 ably 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 be 
 ware 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 con 
 siderable distance. Eventually we reached a restau 
 rant, 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 for 
 ward 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
 
 226 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 anat 
 omy 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 par 
 don ten thousand times. For the moment, I con 
 fess, 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."
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 227 
 
 " 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 re 
 plied. " All we are going to trouble you for is some 
 dinner, and your promise to say nothing, should Mon 
 sieur Pharos come here in search of us." 
 
 " I will do both with the utmost pleasure," he an 
 swered. " 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, Friiulein, 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,
 
 228 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 for 
 tune 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, dear 
 est? " I said, when the waiter had handed us our cof 
 fee 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 jour 
 ney. 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 229 
 
 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 he 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 an 
 swered bravety, " 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
 
 230 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 ex 
 terior, 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 ex 
 pressive 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 pro 
 duced limited to Herr Schuncke. Under the influ 
 ence 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 be 
 fore 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 231 
 
 the pavement a cripple passed, making his way slowly 
 along with the assistance of a pair of crutches. Va 
 lerie stopped him. 
 
 " My poor fellow," she said, handing him the purse 
 containing the money with which, ten minutes be 
 fore, 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 sur 
 prise, 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, Fraulein, 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 Ber 
 lin, like Prague, was only a memory. Before leav 
 ing 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 pro 
 gressed, 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.
 
 232 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " I am afraid it is growing worse instead of bet 
 ter," 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 pesti 
 lence 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 de 
 spatched 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 yester 
 day 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 arc 
 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 233 
 
 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 in 
 quired, slipping her little hand into mine, and look 
 ing 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 Lon 
 don, 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
 
 234: PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 dis 
 cernment 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 anx 
 iety. 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 anx 
 iety. 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 assur 
 ance, my anxiety was in no way diminished. Obtain 
 ing 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.
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 235 
 
 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 be 
 lieving 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 in 
 quired when their next packet would sail for the 
 United Kingdom, and in return received a stagger 
 ing 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 net 
 tled 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? "
 
 236 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " 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; conse 
 quently, 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 desper 
 ately. " 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 re 
 ceived a cablegram from our London office this morn 
 ing 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 con 
 cerned, 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 applica 
 tions 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."
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 237 
 
 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 ap 
 pearance in the very city in which we now were, 
 filled me with so great a fear that, under the influ 
 ence of it, I very nearly broke down. Pulling myself 
 together, however, I thanked the man for his informa 
 tion, 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 my 
 self. 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 
 1C
 
 238 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 en 
 tered the building and climbed the stairs to the sit 
 ting-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 recog 
 nised 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 unfor 
 tunate 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 Eussia alone. It is raging in Vienna, 
 and indeed through the whole of Austria. In Dres 
 den and Berlin it has also commenced its dreadful
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 239 
 
 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 grow 
 ing 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 ex 
 tent, and there was an air about her that spoke of an 
 impending tragedy.
 
 24:0 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " Pharos is coining," 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, Va 
 lerie 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!
 
 CHAPTEE 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 look 
 ing 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 congratula 
 tions 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 anx 
 iety. " Can not you see that she is ill? Good heav 
 ens, man, she may be dying! " 
 
 241
 
 24:2 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " 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 in 
 stantly! " 
 
 With a deftness, and at the same time a tender 
 ness 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 examina 
 tion. 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 im 
 agined. 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 suf 
 fering ? " 
 
 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 en 
 tirely 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 243 
 
 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. t 
 
 " 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. Eest 
 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 di 
 rected me, hastened thither as fast as my legs could 
 carry me. Entering the shop, I threw the prescrip 
 tion 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
 
 244 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 an 
 grily, 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 sppken there. I was not going 
 to risk a waste of time on cither of the two first, how 
 ever, but opened upon the man in his own language. 
 He was very small, with an unwholesome complex 
 ion, 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 245 
 
 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 com 
 pany 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 can 
 noned 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
 
 246 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 Ditt 
 mer 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.
 
 PHAEOS, THE EGYPTIAN. 247 
 
 " I am afraid you will have some difficulty in get 
 ting this made up," he said after he had read it. 
 " Two of the drugs are not in common use, and per 
 sonally 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 possi 
 bility 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 ear 
 nestly. "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 impa 
 tience. 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.
 
 248 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " 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 he 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 re 
 ward 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 won 
 dering 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 medi 
 cine. " 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 249 
 
 would have been too late," he answered. " I have 
 carried her to her room and placed her upon her bed. 
 You must 1 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 an 
 swered. " They shall hear nothing from me." 
 
 Thereupon he took his departure, and for the 
 next hour I remained where I was, deriving what sat 
 isfaction 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 posi 
 tion 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 se 
 verely 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
 
 250 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 neces 
 sary for me to leave at once for England. I presume 
 I am at liberty to act as I please?" 
 
 " 1 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 arrange 
 ment 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 felici 
 tations? while Valerie, standing on the other side of
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 251 
 
 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 sub 
 jected 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 in 
 fluence 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 some 
 thing 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 mock 
 ery 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 com 
 pliment. You have evidently not heard that every 
 route into England is blocked."
 
 252 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " No route is ever blocked to me," he answered. 
 t: I leave for London at midnight to-night, and Va 
 lerie 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 pos 
 sibly 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. " Eemember, 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 any 
 thing? " 
 
 " 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 any 
 thing." 
 
 He thereupon left the room, and upward of a quar 
 ter of an hour elapsed before he rejoined me. When
 
 PHAROS, -THE EGYPTIAN. 253 
 
 he did, I noticed that he was dressed for going out. 
 I immediately picked up my hat and stick and fol 
 lowed 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 innumer 
 able 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 en 
 countered, he stopped short befort a tall, austere 
 building which from a variety of evidences had seen 
 better clays, 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 with 
 in, and when Pharos knocked a second time the rapid 
 ity 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, 
 17
 
 254: PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 he knows the penalty. Carry him that message and 
 be quick about it. 1 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 with 
 in, 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 ani 
 mal, 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 mo 
 mentous 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 W T isemann s ac-
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 255 
 
 quaintance. Since I have seen him, however, the Arah 
 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 pos 
 sessor 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 sum 
 marily. 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 mis 
 take. 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," re 
 plied 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 mav do. Your friend Clausen should have known
 
 256 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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. Other 
 wise, 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 occa 
 sion, 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 hear 
 ing from Pharos, who visited her as soon as he re 
 turned, 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 257 
 
 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 my 
 self.
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 WHEX the sun rose on the following morning, noth 
 ing but green seas surrounded us, and the Margrave of 
 Brandenburg was doing her best to live up to the repu 
 tation I soon discovered she possessed namely, of be 
 ing the worst roller in the Xorth 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 pa 
 thetically, " 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 nation 
 ality was more difficult to determine than that of his 
 employers. He called himself an Englishman, but, un 
 fortunately for this assertion, his accent belied him. 
 In addition to English, he spoke German like a French 
 man, and French like a German, was equally at home 
 in Russian which, to say the least of it, is not a lan 
 guage 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 com 
 monly 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 
 258
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 259 
 
 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 regard 
 ing 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 in 
 finite 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 chap 
 ter, 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
 
 260 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 without success. It was filthy in the extreme, and so 
 small that I found it quite impossible to stretch my 
 self 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 ac 
 cordingly made my way to a sheltered spot, just abaft 
 the saloon entrance, and, seating myself on the sk}^- 
 light, 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 de 
 spatch. 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,
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 261 
 
 did not put in appearance until close upon midday. 
 By the time lie 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 Eng 
 land 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 vigor 
 ous 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
 
 262 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 re 
 member 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. "Wliat 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 some 
 thing 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. t 
 When the latter appeared again, it was with an unusu-
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 263 
 
 ally 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 after 
 noon 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. " Un 
 fortunately 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."
 
 264 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " 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 young 
 sters 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 proba 
 bly 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 mat 
 ter," 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."
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 265 
 
 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 conversa 
 tion 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 engi 
 neer 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 re 
 ceived 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
 
 2C6 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 1 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 entreahd, I described how she had foretold 
 Pharos s arrival i] Hamburg, and how she had warned 
 me that he had ei. ered the hotel. 
 
 " I can remember nothing of what you tell me," 
 she said sadly when I had finished. Then, still hold 
 ing my hand in hers, she continued in an undertone, 
 " We were to have been so happy together."
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 207 
 
 " 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 Eng 
 land. If that is so, darling, what right have we to in 
 troduce 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 ap 
 pear 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?"
 
 268 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " Valerie, you are my good angel/ I said. " What 
 ever you wish I will do." 
 
 " We must tell Pharos that we have both deter 
 mined on no account to land with him/ she continued. 
 " If the pestilence had already shown itself there it 
 would he 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 Eng 
 land? 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 com 
 panion-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 im 
 proved 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.
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 2G9 
 
 " 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, how 
 ever, 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 unen 
 viable as our present position was, we could not con 
 tain our astonishment at finding that Pharos had be 
 come 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 thwart- 
 18
 
 270 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 ing 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 For 
 rester. However, I don t know that that fact matters 
 very much. What we have to deal with is your oblig 
 ing 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 271 
 
 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 jon 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 cap 
 tain, 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?"
 
 272 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 strug 
 gle 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 ap 
 pearance 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 tenac 
 ity 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 swell 
 ing 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 273 
 
 possible, in something under the time Pharos had 
 mentioned death had overtaken him. 
 
 Our position was even less pleasant now than be 
 fore. 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 Brit 
 ish 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 port 
 holes 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.
 
 CHAPTEE 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 circum 
 stances," he replied, still without looking at me. " Our 
 main object must be to reach London as quickly as 
 possible." Then, changing bis tone, he turned to me. 
 " Forrester, my dear fellow," he said, almost sorrow 
 fully, " you cannot think how I regret our little dis 
 agreement 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 
 274
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 275 
 
 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 coun 
 terbalance 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 pre 
 pared 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
 
 276 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 dig 
 nified 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 for 
 get 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 com 
 pelled to show myself a little sceptical of your prom 
 ises." 
 
 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 Pha 
 ros, 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
 
 PHAROS, TELE EGYPTIAN. 277 
 
 be very sure he has some reason for saying this, other 
 wise 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 hu 
 mours, 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 wave 
 lets 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 busi 
 ness," 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 de 
 scended 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
 
 278 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 a deep black, it was scarcely likely our presence 
 would be detected. Be that as it may, 110 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 be 
 side 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 re 
 turns 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, THE EGYPTIAN. 279 
 
 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 to 
 gether. 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 appearnce at the station in such an unortho 
 dox 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 pas 
 sengers, and a cottage at the further end, which we
 
 280 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 set down rightly enough as the residence of the station- 
 master. 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 gues s proved to be cor 
 rect, 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. " Eoughly speak 
 ing, we have an hour to wait." 
 
 " We are lucky in not having longer," Pharos re 
 plied. " 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 281 
 
 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 sta- 
 tionmaster 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 al 
 ways 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 man 
 ner, 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
 
 282 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 have to yourselves right through. You ll be in Nor 
 wich at three-twenty." 
 
 We followed him along the platform to the book 
 ing-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 Teh- 
 worth and on the road once more. Our arrival in Nor 
 wich was punctual almost to the moment, and within 
 twenty minutes of our arival 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 fortu 
 nate 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 011 the occasion of his last 
 visit, while I should return to my own studio. This, 
 however, I discovered was by no means what he in 
 tended. 
 
 " 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 per 
 mit you to leave me? No! no! Such a thing is not to 
 be thought of for an instant. I appreciate your com 
 pany, even though you told me so plainly last evening 
 that you do not believe it. You are also about to be-
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 283 
 
 come 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 be 
 fore 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 in 
 stant 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 for 
 given the past. " I have trespassed too much upon 
 your hospitality already." 
 
 " You have not trespassed upon it at all," he an 
 swered. " 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 ar 
 rangements 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
 
 284: PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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, mis 
 tress, and myself with the most obsequious respect, did 
 not betray the least sign of either pleasure or astonish 
 ment. 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 occa 
 sion 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 fa 
 mous 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 mak 
 ing 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, how 
 ever, it is recalled to my mind that this house and I
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 285 
 
 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 Tolling- 
 tower 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 foot 
 man 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. 
 
 19
 
 CHAPTEE 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 be 
 trothal 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, with 
 out 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 ex 
 traordinary geniality. " You will not find me placing 
 any obstacles in your way." 
 
 " But you have never asked me as to my means, or 
 286
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 287 
 
 my power to support her," I said, putting his last re 
 mark 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 pro 
 vision for Valerie myself. Provided you behave your 
 selves, 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 be 
 fore 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 in 
 vitations 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
 
 288 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 the plague from which Valerie was suffering in Ham 
 burg." 
 
 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 tempera 
 ment. 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 ex 
 actly 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 pur 
 pose 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 Con 
 tinent, and you were both bent on getting away from
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 289 
 
 me again on the first opportunity. What was the re 
 sult? Working on your fears for her, I managed to 
 overcome the difficulties and got you safely into Eng 
 land. 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 pin 
 nacle of fame. After this explanation, surely you are 
 not going to be ungenerous enough to still feel vindic 
 tive 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 pro 
 posal 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 in 
 vitation. 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
 
 290 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 pave 
 ment; we took our places in it, and ten minutes later 
 had reached the Antiquarian Club, of all the establish 
 ments of the kind in London perhaps the most mag 
 nificent. Wide and lofty, and yet boasting the most 
 harmonious proportions, the dining-room at the An 
 tiquarian 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 indi 
 cated. 
 
 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 291 
 
 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 de 
 sirous of presenting to you," said Pharos, in his ca 
 pacity of showman, after I had finished my dessert and 
 had enjoyed a couple of glasses of the famous An 
 tiquarian port " one side of that luxury and extrava 
 gance 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 you approval in Naples," said Pharos, pro 
 ducing 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, where 
 upon we departed for Carlton House Terrace. 
 
 On the subject of the ball itself it is not my inten-
 
 292 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN". 
 
 tion 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 daugh 
 ters 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 beaut}", 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 at 
 tention to his remarks while he was with them, invaria 
 bly 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 car 
 riage, 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 over 
 head. Leaving Carltoii 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 appre 
 ciate what is to follow. The first will be a fancy dress 
 ball at Covent Garden, where yet another side of Lon 
 don life is to be found." 
 
 If such a thing could possibly have had any effect,
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 293 
 
 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 proceed 
 ing 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 hun 
 dred dancers, in every style of fancy dress the ingenu 
 ity 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. Xow, however, with the fiendish face of 
 Pharos continually at my elbow, and his carping criti 
 cisms 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 Furope," 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 yon 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
 
 294: PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 be 
 side me 1 felt no fear. 
 
 We had walked some distance before we reached the 
 house Pharos desired to visit. From its outward ap 
 pearance 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 295 
 
 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. Al 
 most 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 fif 
 teen. 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 en 
 gaged 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 hun 
 dreds 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 compli 
 mentary, 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 where 
 withal to continue the gamble, he in most cases pro- 1 
 duced a gold watch, a ring, or some other valuable 
 from his pocket, and handed it to a burly ruffian at the
 
 296 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 Pha 
 ros, " 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 re 
 turn 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 Shel 
 ters, the cheapest of cheap lodging-houses, doss-houses 
 in comparison to which a workhouse would be a palace;
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 297 
 
 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 recum 
 bent 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 dis 
 played 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 ex 
 ception 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 differ 
 ent 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 remem 
 ber 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 an 
 other 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 pos 
 sible, therefore, that he had simply crossed from the 
 298
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 299 
 
 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 in 
 quired, 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 our 
 selves 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
 
 300 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 sun 
 shine. 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 an 
 swered, 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 some 
 how 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 dis 
 tasteful 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 301 
 
 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 per 
 son s sake I could wish that that opportunity had been 
 vouchsafed you. I have been two months with Pha 
 ros." 
 
 "Well? "he said again. 
 
 " What more do you expect me to say ? " I con 
 tinued. 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 stand 
 ing in the gutter on the other side of the street, hold 
 ing in his hand the usual placard setting forth the con 
 tents 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 
 20
 
 302 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 that headline it would seern to have made its appear 
 ance in London after all." 
 
 " It has, indeed," said Sir George, with a gloomi 
 ness 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 an 
 swered. " 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 inti 
 mate friends. God help us if it gets worse! The au 
 thorities 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. 1 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN". 303 
 
 the houses of the street, and when I passed the curi 
 osity shop at the corner where the murder had taken 
 place that terrible tragedy which had been the pri 
 mary 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 pro 
 duced 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 opportuni 
 ty. 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 insig 
 nificant 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 tn fake 
 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
 
 30-i PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 advan 
 tage of me on a point of speed. I chased him until I 
 saw that he was bound for the club, whereupon, know 
 ing 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 pres 
 ence 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 de-
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 305 
 
 monstrating some theory upon which he pinned con 
 siderable faith. 
 
 " 1 have worked the whole thing out," he was say 
 ing as I entered, " and you can see it here for your 
 selves. On this sheet of paper I have pasted every tele 
 gram that has rached 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 inter 
 est 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 Ham 
 burg 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 Eussia have forty-five 
 thousand, and thirty-seven thousand three hundred 
 and eighty, respectively. Greece returns seventeen 
 thousand six hundred and twenty, Holland seven thou 
 sand two hundred and sixty-four, Belgium nine
 
 30G PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 thousand five hundred and twenty-three, while Den 
 mark 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 num 
 ber 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 sur 
 rounding her, namely, Greece, Kussia, 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 condi 
 tion, " are as interesting as those from the Continent. 
 I have filed everything already published, and have ap 
 plied 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 noti 
 fied in this city, careful inquiries on the part of the 
 authorities have elicited the information that twenty- 
 five spent the evening at the Antiquarian Clv.b last 
 night, seventy-one at the Fancy Dress Ball at Covent
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 307 
 
 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 ser 
 vant, 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 min 
 utes 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 adven 
 ture 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
 
 308 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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, con 
 scious only of the vile part I had been induced to play 
 unwittingly, it is true in his unbelievable wicked 
 ness, 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 no 
 tion 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 stream 
 ing 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.
 
 PHAEOS, THE EGYPTIAN. 309 
 
 " 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 dis 
 honoured 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 
 lam." 
 
 " 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
 
 310 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 ap 
 peared, 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 dis 
 covered 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 car 
 ried 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 3H 
 
 too late even now to punish you. Within an hour the 
 world shall know everything, and you will he 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 re 
 turned 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 con 
 cealment, 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 Pharoah 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.
 
 312 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 Cursed by the Gods, and denied the right of burial by 
 order of the King, I have inhabited this shape since 
 then. Barest 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 deter 
 mined to proclaim my doings to the world, it is only 
 fit you should know everything. I will willingly con 
 fess. 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 un 
 doubtedly 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.
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 313 
 
 As soon as 3-011 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 be 
 hind 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 proph 
 et 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 at 
 tained 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 wbere she had hither 
 to 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. 
 
 FOE 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 oc 
 curred 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 con 
 scious 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 be 
 haviour during that terrible period was equally ex 
 traordinary. 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 
 Avhat 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 con 
 duct 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 
 314
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 315 
 
 of the authorities to cope with the disease, haunts me 
 like a nightmare. Every day fresh tidings were pour 
 ing in of the spread of the infection into other cities 
 and towns until the entire kingdom was riddled like a 
 honeycomb. 
 
 liow long Pharos would have kept me under his in 
 fluence, had he possessed the power, 1 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 Lack to me; the strength of my brain was re 
 asserting 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 it 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 Ian fl 
 ing and looked out of the window. So far as I could
 
 4 
 
 316 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 pos 
 sessed 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 en 
 deavour 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 be 
 fallen London, nor of anything that had happened 
 since Pharos had pointed his finger at me. In my wild 
 est dreams I had never imagined such a picture of deso 
 lation 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 occu 
 pied 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 re 
 motest idea. In Piccadilly, from Apsley House to 
 Berkeley Street, it was the same, though here a few
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 317 
 
 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. Kealising 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 de 
 pended 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 oppo 
 nents. If any man would listen to my story, I felt con 
 vinced 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 teem 
 ing with life, every room filled with clerks, and exhibit 
 ing 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. 
 21
 
 318 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 "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 sus 
 piciously. " The Home Secretary sees no one except 
 on the most urgent business now." 
 
 " My business is the most urgent possible," I re 
 turned. " If you will take my name to him, I feel sure 
 he will see me." 
 
 " I shall do nothing of the kind," replied the ser 
 geant, " 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 Granger- 
 field, 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 occa 
 sion 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 For 
 rester." 
 
 " Cyril Forrester! " he cried in amazement, coming
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 319 
 
 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 
 Avith 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 lie 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
 
 320 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 mean that you wish me to believe that you, Cyril For 
 rester, 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 be 
 yond 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 smug 
 gled across the Channel into England." 
 
 " And who was the man who inoculated you? " in 
 quired 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 lie has 
 sworn vengeance on the human race. Among other 
 things he was the real murderer of Clausand, the curi 
 osity 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 be 
 came infected, and that, I assure you, on my word of 
 honour, was how the plague originated here. Oh, Sir
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 321 
 
 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 con 
 vinced I heard my companion say very softly to him 
 self, " That settles it." 
 
 Then, turning to me, he continued, " You say you 
 were at the Duchess of Amersham s ball the night be 
 fore last? Do you mean this? " 
 
 " Of course I do," I replied. " Why, you spoke to 
 me there yourself, and congratulated me upon my en 
 gagement. 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 be 
 fore 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! "
 
 322 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " I have listened to all you have said, my dear 
 Cyril/ he answered soothingly, " and I can quite un 
 derstand 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 confesison 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 prescrip 
 tion which has yet been effectual in checking the dis 
 ease. It saved the life of Valerie de Vocxqal, and I 
 can vouch for its efficacy. Show it to the medical au 
 thorities. 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,
 
 PHAKOS, THE EGYPTIAN. 323 
 
 " 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 reach 
 ing 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 foot 
 step 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 inau 
 dible. " 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
 
 324: PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 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 re 
 ferred. 
 
 I did as he 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 in 
 side 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 some 
 one 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 arm 
 chair 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 un 
 derneath it; his eyes, always so deep-set in his head, 
 were now so much sunken that they could scarcely be
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 325 
 
 seen, while his hands were shrivelled until they resem 
 bled those of a mummy more than a man. The mon 
 key 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. Hat 
 ing, 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 anx 
 iously 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. 
 Couarge, 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 re 
 membered 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."
 
 326 PHAKOS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 " 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 mys 
 terious 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 de 
 creed, 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
 
 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 327 
 
 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. 
 1 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 mo 
 ment. 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 hold 
 ing 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 suf-
 
 328 PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN. 
 
 fice 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 EXD.
 
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 J. PAYN. 
 
 107. Hanging Mots. By P. LINDAU. 
 
 108. A Comedy of Elopement. By C. 
 
 REID. 
 
 109. In the Svntime of her Youth. By 
 
 B. WHITBY. 
 
 110. Stoi-ir* in Black and White. By T. 
 
 HARDY and Others. 
 110J. An Englishman in Paris. 
 
 111. Commander Mendoza. By J. VA- 
 
 LEKA. 
 
 112. Dr. Paull s Theory. By Mrs. A. M. 
 
 DIEHL. 
 
 113. Children of Destiny. By M. E. 
 
 SEAWELL 
 
 114. A Little Minx. By A. CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 115. Capt n Davy s Honeymoon. By II. 
 
 CAINE. 
 
 116. The. Voice of a Flower. By E. 
 
 GERARD. 
 
 Singularly Deluded. ByS. GRAND. 
 Suspected. By L. STRATENUS. 
 Lucia, Hugh, and Another. By 
 
 Mrs. J. H. NEEDELL. 
 
 120. The Tutor s Secret. By V. CHER- 
 
 BULIEZ. 
 
 121. From the Five Rivers. By Mrs. F. 
 
 A. STEEL. 
 
 122. An Innocent Impostor, and Other 
 
 Stones. By M. GRAY. 
 
 123. Ideala. By S. GRAND. 
 
 124. A Comedy of Masks. By E. DOW- 
 
 SON and A. MOORE. 
 
 125. Relics. By F. MACNAB. 
 
 126. Dodo: A Detail of the Day. By 
 
 E. F. BENSON. " 
 
 127. A Woman of Forty. By E. STUART. 
 
 128. Diana Teinpest. By M. CHOLMON- 
 
 DELEY. 
 
 129. The Recipe for Diamonds. Bv C. 
 
 J. C. HYNE. 
 
 130. Christina Chard. By Mrs. CAMP- 
 
 BELL-PRAED. 
 
 131. A Gray Eye or So. By F. F. 
 
 MOORE. 
 
 132. Earlscourt. By A. ALLARDYCE. 
 
 133. A Marriage Ceremony. By A. 
 
 CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 134. A Ward in Chancery. By Mrs. 
 
 ALEXANDER. 
 
 135. Lot 13. By D. GERARD. 
 
 136. Our Manifold Nature. By S. 
 
 GRAND. 
 
 137. A Costly Freak. By M. GRAY. 
 
 138. A Beginner. By R. BROUGHTOJJ. 
 
 139. A Yellow Aster. By Mrs. M. CAF- 
 
 FYN C TOTA"). 
 
 140. The Rubicon. By E. F. BENSON. 
 
 141. The Trespafser. "By G. PARKER. 
 
 142. The Rich Miss Riddell. By D. 
 
 GERARD. 
 
 143. Mary Femrick s Daughter. By B. 
 
 WHITBY. 
 
 144. Red Diamonds. By J. MCCARTHY. 
 
 145. A Daughter of Music. By G. COL. 
 
 MORE. 
 
 146. Outlaw and Lawmaker. By Mrs. 
 
 OAMPBELL-PRAED. 
 
 147. Dr. Janet of Harley Street. By A. 
 
 KENEALY. 
 
 148. Qeorne Manderttle s Husband. By 
 
 C. E. RAIMOND. 
 
 149. Vashti and Either. 
 
 150. Timor s Two Worlds. By M. 
 
 JOKAI. 
 
 151. A Victim of Good Luck. By W. E. 
 
 NORRIS.
 
 APPLETON9 1 TOWN AND COUNTRY LIBRARY. (Continued.) 
 
 152. The Trail of the Sword. By G. 
 
 PARKER. 
 
 153. A Mild Barbarian. By E. FAW- 
 
 154. The God in the Car. By A. 
 
 HOPE. 
 
 155. Children of Circumstance. By Mrs. 
 
 M. CAFFTN. 
 
 156. At the Gate of Samaria. By W. J. 
 
 LOCKE. 
 
 157. The Justification of Andrew Le- 
 
 brun. tiy P. BARRETT. 
 
 158. Dust and Laurels. By M. L. PEN- 
 
 DERED. 
 
 159. The Good Ship Mohock. By W. C. 
 
 RUSSELL. 
 
 160. Noemi. By 8. BARING-GOULD. 
 
 161. The Honour of Savelli. By 8. L. 
 
 YEATS. 
 
 162. Kitty s Engagement. By F. WAR- 
 
 BEN. 
 
 163. The Mermaid. By L. DOUGALL. 
 
 164. An Arranged Marriage. By D. 
 
 GERARD. 
 
 165. Eve s Hansom. By G. GISSINQ. 
 
 166. The Marriage of Esther. By G. 
 
 BOOTHBY. 
 
 167. Fidelis. By A. CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 168. Into the Highway sand Hedges. By 
 
 F. F. MONTRESOH. 
 
 169. The Vengeance of James Vansittart. 
 
 By Mrs. J. H. NEEDELL. 
 
 170. A Study in Prejudices. By G. 
 
 PASTON. 
 
 171. The Mistress of Quest. By A. SER 
 
 GEANT. 
 
 172. In the Year of Jubilee. By G. Gis- 
 
 SING. 
 
 173. In Old New England. By H. 
 
 BUTTERWORTH. 
 
 174. Mrs. Musff rave and Her Husband. 
 
 By R. MARSH. 
 
 175. Not Counting the Cost. By TASMA. 
 
 176. Out of Due Season. By A. SER 
 
 GEANT. 
 
 177. Scylla or Charybdis? By R. 
 
 BROCGHTON. 
 
 178. In Defiance of the King. By C. C. 
 
 179. A Bid for Fortune. By G. 
 
 BOOTHBT. 
 
 180. The King of Andaman. By J. M. 
 
 COBBAN. 
 
 181. Mrs. Tregaskiss. By Mrs. CAMP- 
 
 BELL-PRAED. 
 
 182. The Desire of the Moth. By C. 
 
 VANE. 
 
 183. A Self -Denying Ordinance. By M. 
 
 HAMILTON. 
 
 184. Successors to the Title. By Mrs. L. 
 
 B. WALFORD. 
 
 185. The Lost Stradivarius. By J. M. 
 
 FALKNER. 
 
 186. The Wrong Man. By D. GERARD. 
 
 187. In the Day of Adversity. By J. 
 
 BLOUNDELLE-BURTON. 
 
 188. Mistress Dorothy Marvin. By J. C. 
 
 SNAITH. 
 
 189. A flash of Summer. By Mrs. W. 
 
 K. CLIFFORD. 
 
 190. The Dancer in Yellow. By W. E. 
 
 NORRIS. 
 
 191. The Chronicles of Martin Heivitt. 
 
 By A. MORRISON. 
 
 192. A Winning Hazard. By Mrs. 
 
 ALEXANDER. 
 
 193. The Picture of Las Cruces. By C. 
 
 REID. 
 
 194. The Madonna of a Day. By L. 
 
 DOUGALL. 
 
 195. The Riddle Ring. By J. MCCAR 
 
 THY. 
 
 196. A Humble Enterprise. By A. CAM 
 
 BRIDGE. 
 
 197. Dr. Nikola. By G. BOOTHBY. 
 
 198. An Outcast of the Islands. By J. 
 
 CONRAD. 
 
 199. The King s Revenge. By C. BRAY. 
 
 200. Denounced. By J. BLOUNDELLE- 
 
 BURTON. 
 
 201. A Court Intrigue. By B. THOMP 
 
 SON. 
 
 202. The Idol-Maker. By A. SERGEANT. 
 
 203. The Intriguers. By J. D. BARRY. 
 
 204. Master Ardick, Buccaneer. By F. 
 
 H. COSTELLO. 
 
 205. With Fortune Made. By V. CHER- 
 
 BULIEZ. 
 
 206. Fellow Travellers. By G. TRAVERS. 
 
 207. McLeod of the Camerons. By M. 
 
 HAMILTON. 
 
 208. The Career of Candida. By G. 
 
 PASTON. 
 
 209. Arrested. By E. STUART. 
 
 210. Tatterley. By T. GALLON. 
 
 211. A Pir.c ibeck Goddess. By Mrs. J. 
 
 M. FLEMING (A. M. Kipling). 
 
 212. Perfection City. By Mrs. ORPEN. 
 
 213. A Spotless Reputation. By D. 
 
 GERARD. 
 
 214. A Galahad of the Creeks. By 8. L. 
 
 YEATS. 
 
 215. The Beautiful White Devil. By G. 
 
 BOOTHBY. 
 
 216. The Sun of Saratoga. By J. A. 
 
 ALTSHELEH. 
 
 217. Fierceheart, the Soldier. By J. C. 
 
 SNAITH. 
 
 218. Marietta s Marriage. By W. E. 
 
 NORRIS. 
 
 219. Dear Faustina. By R. BROUGHTON. 
 
 220. Nulma. By Mrs. CAMPBELL- PRAED. 
 
 221. The Folly of Pen Harrington. By 
 
 J. STURGIS. 
 
 222. A Colonial Free-Lance. By C. C. 
 
 HOTCHKISS. 
 
 223. His Maiesty s Greatest Subject. By 
 
 8. 8. THORBURN.
 
 APPLE-TONS TOWN AND COUNTRY LIBRARY. -(Continued.) 
 
 224. Mifanwy : A Welsh Singer. By A. 
 
 R"AINE. 
 
 225. A Soldier of Manhattan. By J. A. 
 
 ALTSHELER. 
 220. Fortune s Footballs. By G. B. 
 
 BUBGIN. 
 
 227. The Clash of Arms. By J. BLOUN- 
 
 DELLE-BURTON. 
 
 228. God s Foundling. By A. J. DAW- 
 
 SON. 
 
 229. Miss Providence. By D. GEKARD. 
 
 230. The Freedom of Henry Meredyth. 
 
 By M. HAMILTON. 
 
 231. Sweethearts and Friends. By M. 
 
 GRAY. 
 
 232. Sunset. By B. WHITE Y. 
 
 233. A Fiery Ordeal. By TASMA. 
 
 234. A Prince of Mischance. By T. GAL 
 
 LON. 
 
 235. A Passionate Pilgrim. By P. 
 
 WHITE. 
 
 236. This Little World. By D. C. MUR 
 
 RAY. 
 
 237. A Forgotten Sin. By D. GERARD. 
 
 238. The Incidental Bishop. By G. 
 
 ALLEN. 
 
 239. The Lake of Wine. By B. CAPES. 
 
 240. A Trooper of the Empress. By C. 
 
 Ross. 
 
 241. Tom Sails. By A. RAINE. 
 
 242. MaUrfamilias. By A. CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 243. John of Strathbourne. By R. D. 
 
 CHETWODE. 
 
 244. 
 245. 
 
 24C. 
 247. 
 248. 
 249. 
 
 250. 
 251. 
 
 252. 
 253. 
 2S4. 
 255. 
 256. 
 257. 
 258. 
 259. 
 260. 
 261. 
 
 The Millionaires. By P. F. MOORE. 
 The Looms of Time. By Mrs. H. 
 
 FRASER. 
 
 The Queen s Cvp. By G. A. HEMTY. 
 Dicky Monteith. By T. GALLON. 
 The Lust of Hate. By G. BOOTUBY. 
 The Gospel Writ in Steel. By AR 
 THUR PATERSON. 
 The Widower. By W. E. NORRIS. 
 The Scourge of God. By J. 
 
 BLOUNDELLE BURTON. 
 Concerning Isabd C amaby. By 
 
 ELLEN THORNEYCROFT FOWLER. 
 The Impediment. By DOROTHEA 
 
 GERARD. 
 Belinda and Some Others. By 
 
 ETHEL MAUDE. 
 The Key of the Holy House. By 
 
 ALBERT LEE. 
 A Writer of Books. By GEORGE 
 
 PASTON. 
 The Knight of the Golden Chain. 
 
 By R. D. CHETWODE. 
 Ricroft of Withens. By HALLI- 
 
 WELL SUTCLIFFE. 
 
 The Procession of Life. By HCR- 
 ACE A. VACHELL. 
 By Berwen Banks. By ALLEN 
 
 TO Berw 
 RAINE. 
 
 Pharos, the Egyptian. By GUY 
 
 BOOTHBY. 
 
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