Burning Sands

by Arthur E. P. Brome Weigall

  CHAPTER XXXIII--THE RETURN

  Daniel's work at El Hamran was soon accomplished. When he returned therewith the police, he was not empowered to use the aid of the law furtherthan to restore order, to release the camels which had been seized, andto liberate Ibrahim from his illegal semi-captivity. The officer incommand of the troopers, however, was aware that the messengers who hadbeen dispatched at top speed to Cairo would bring back instructions tohim to act in accordance with the Englishman's dispositions; and thusIbrahim had been recognized already as Sheikh by the time that theofficial confirmation of his appointment arrived, and when the men whohad made the journey to El Khargeh returned home, the abortive revoltwas a thing of the past.

  Daniel, however, was unable to reconcile the two parties, and the feudthereafter continued its tedious course, though now in a moreunderground manner. He was disappointed in the failure of his attemptsat conciliation, and was disgusted at the bickerings and the pettyinsults exchanged between the one faction and the other. Thetranquillity of the desert had been rudely disturbed.

  It was, thus, with a feeling of relief that he packed up his belongingsonce more, and turned his face towards Cairo. It was now the middle ofApril, and he crossed the desert in a blaze of burning sunshine, but hismind was so much occupied with his thoughts that he took little noticeof his surroundings. The shimmer of heat rising from the sand, the hazeof the distances, and the red dusk of the warm evenings, seemed but tocarry his sad heart into the region of speculation; and, at nights, thestars and the crescent of the new moon lifted him into a sphere in whichhis brain worked with terrible clarity.

  He saw his life spread out before his inward consciousness like a talewritten in a fair hand upon an open scroll, wherein his mistakes and hisshortcomings were inscribed in bolder letters, very apparent to the eye.It seemed to him that his attitude towards Muriel, towards humanity, hadbeen illiberal, too one-sided. There had been need of so much greatertolerance: he had been too inclined to be impulsive, to jump to aconclusion.

  In teaching Muriel the lesson that the love between a man and a womanshould be a thing of frankness and permanence, not snatched at insecret, nor lightly conceived, he had learned as much as he had taught.He had found in her all manner of qualities to which he had paidinsufficient regard--dignity, control, bravery in face of danger, andcourage to act according to the dictates of her heart.

  He saw now that while she had walked the pathways of that world which hehad despised, he had taken refuge, like a coward, in the desert; yetshe, in spite of the pitfalls and the sloughs which he had shunned, wasnot at heart contaminated. She had honestly believed that he had wishedher to come to him in the desert, and she had obeyed him. A lessimpulsive man would have treated her mistake gently, and with moreunderstanding, as being something for which her lax education and nother brave heart was to blame.

  In an agony of mind he asked himself whether he had really lost her. Hewould go to her; he would make her look right into his mind, so that sheshould see how greatly he had need of her. But would she have pity onhim?

  Would she have pity on him?... Suddenly an essential aspect of therelationship of man and woman flashed before him. Man, mighty man, wasbut a lonely, blundering wanderer, a weak thing, a dweller in thedesert, seeking where to lay his head. With all his strength, with allhis masterful handling of events, man was yet a vagabond in the world,until he had found his mate; and woman, in spite of the greater sway ofher thoughtless instincts, held for him the keys, as it were, of hisheart's home. From the summit of her weakness she could look down uponhis strength, and could smile at his struggle to surmount the obstacleswhich he had placed in his own path. In the loneliness of his soul shecould look down and pity him, and take him to her breast, and heal hiswounds.

  Over and over again he asked himself whether she would turn from himwhen he came to her now, or whether she would forgive and be forgiven.He was feeling mentally and physically tired, yet he found no respitefrom his dark thoughts as he jogged along; and when at last he came intosight of Cairo and the Pyramids he was nigh exhausted by his anxiety toknow what was to be his fate.

  He reached his old camping-ground at about three o'clock in theafternoon, and in a short time one of the tents had been erected,wherein he was able to have a wash and a change of clothes. He then lefthis retainers to pitch the other tents and to arrange the camp, and,mounting his camel once more, rode to Mena House, where he boarded theelectric tram for Cairo.

  Weary though he was, he was desperately impatient to find Muriel and toget this matter settled at once. Nothing else was of the slightestimportance.

  At the terminus of the tramway he jumped into a carriage, calling to thecoachman to drive "like the wind" to the Residency; and, arrived there,he handed to the _bowab_ at the gate a generous sum, telling him to keepthe driver waiting for a good half-hour before paying him off, so thatthe sweating horses should have a rest after their exertions.

  In the hall he asked a footman whether Lord Blair were in, and wassurprised to hear that he had not yet returned from the Sudan. LadyMuriel, he was told, was in the garden with Lord Barthampton: the manthought that they were in the alcove beside the river. Mr. and Mrs.Bindane were out driving, and the Secretaries had all gone home.

  Daniel hastened through the house, and out by the door at the back. Hislegs were aching, but he went down the stone steps of the terrace two ata time, and hurried across the lawn, his heart full of foreboding. Hecould not understand why Muriel should be entertaining his cousin.

  At the rose bushes which screened the alcove, however, he paused; forthe thought came to him with renewed terror that he might be anunwelcome visitor.

  But, even as he came to a halt, he heard his cousin's voice, and for amoment he could not help playing the eavesdropper.

  "Yes," he was saying, "you'll have to marry me, or I shall tell all Iknow, and then there'll be a fine old scandal. Come on, now, give me akiss."

  Daniel did not wait to hear more, but ran round the bushes on to theterrace beyond. At a glance he took in the situation. Lord Barthampton,his back turned to him, was endeavouring to take Muriel in his arms; andfrom behind the screen of his burly form, the girl's figure was partlyvisible, struggling to escape.

  Daniel leaped forward and grasped him by the scruff of the neck,flinging him aside so that he staggered across the terrace. He sawMuriel's wide frightened eyes; and hardly realizing what he was doing,he put his arm about her.

  She, too, forgot her relationship to him: she only knew that he hadintervened between her and a half-drunken bully; and she clung to him,clung desperately, her hands clutching at his coat.

  "What's the meaning of this?" Daniel exclaimed, angrily staring at hiscousin, who seemed to be about to spring upon him.

  "What the Hell do you want here?" Lord Barthampton roared, his facescarlet.

  Muriel pointed her finger at the furious man. "You'd better go," shesaid. "Go and tell everybody whatever you like--I don't care." Sheturned to her protector. "There's a lot of gossip about my having stayedat El Hamran."

  Daniel stared from one to the other. "Well, and what is your answer toit?" he asked her, and, waiting for her reply, he seemed to hold hisbreath.

  "I hav'n't denied it," she said, looking at him full in the face.

  He uttered an exclamation, a sort of suppressed shout of joy. "Good foryou!" he cried; and, forgetting all else, he snatched off his batteredhat and flung it up into the air. Catching it again, he turned to hiscousin. "I take it," he said, "that you are trying to blackmail LadyMuriel. Is that it?"

  "I have asked her to be my wife," he answered, his fists clenched, "andit's no damned business of yours."

  "Well," said Daniel, "you've got your answer now, so you'd better go."

  Lord Barthampton was trembling with passion; he was beside himself."Yes, I'll go," he shouted, "and you'll very soon find, dear CousinDaniel, that you and Lady Muriel will be cut by all Cairo, and LordBlair will have to leave the country. I know enough to ruin the lot
ofyou."

  Daniel looked at him steadily. "Don't forget that I know something aboutyou, too," he replied; "and if you do what you say you're going to do, Ishall not consider you worthy to hold your present position any longer.And you've been drinking again, too: you're half drunk now."

  "Very well then, dispossess me, you swine!" his cousin blurted out,coming close to him and shaking his fist so menacingly that Muriel tookfresh hold upon Daniel's coat. "Take the title and the money, and bedamned to you! I'd rather be a penniless bastard than the smug pillar ofsociety you're trying to make of me. Good God!--I've stood enough fromyou, you pious hypocrite."

  Daniel laughed aloud. "Don't be a fool," he said. "I've told you that solong as you behave yourself you're quite safe. It surely isn't sodifficult as all that to be a gentleman."

  With a snort, Lord Barthampton lurched round, and, without another word,took his departure.

  Muriel stepped back. "I don't know what I'm clinging on to you like thatfor," she said, with a smile. "What on earth does he mean about yourtaking his title and his money?"

  "Oh, I'll explain later," he answered, rather listlessly. "It's onlythat by law I ought to have inherited when his father died, not he. It'sa great joke, because, you see, he thinks I'll dispossess him if hemisbehaves himself; but, of course, really he'd have to go altogether tothe dogs before I'd do such a thing. I don't want the bother of being apeer, and I would be hopeless with a lot of money."

  Muriel looked up at him with wonder in her face. Quietly and naturallyshe linked her arm in his, "I've been wanting so much to be beastly toyou, Daniel," she said, and her voice was husky; "but it's no good, mydear. When a man like Charles Barthampton curses you and tells you totake his money, and you simply laugh and say you don't want it, whatchance have _I_ got of upsetting this disgusting unworldliness of yours?I should only hurt myself, not you."

  "No, you're wrong there," he answered. "You will hurt me more than I canbear, _more than I can bear_, Muriel, if you keep up this quarrel anylonger. I don't feel that I can stand it."

  There was a weariness in his voice which startled her, and, looking athim, she saw an expression in his eyes which made an instant andoverwhelming appeal to her.

  "Somehow," he said, speaking hardly above a whisper, "I feel that allthese misunderstandings are so superficial. D'you know, I believe thatif you were to remain implacable I should simply collapse. I've neverfelt such a thing before in my whole life."

  It was the first time she had ever heard him speak in this way, and allher woman's heart responded. "Oh, my dear," she answered, putting herarm about his neck, "it's no good pretending that we don't belong to oneanother, is it?"

  He looked at her with joy in his face, and led her towards the marbleseat under the palms. "We've got a great deal to tell each other," hesaid.

  They had, indeed, so much to tell that the sun went down behind thePyramids while yet they were talking, and the dusk gathered about them.

  At length they arose and walked back to the house; but now they werelaughing like two children, and as they crossed the lawn their arms werestill linked together.

  Kate Bindane, having returned from her drive, was standing at thedrawing-room window as they approached the house.

  "Great Scott!" she exclaimed, turning to her husband. "Come here,Benifett: just look at that!"

  He arose from his chair, laying aside the _Financial News_ which he hadbeen reading; but he gave no more than a single glance through the openwindow. Then he returned to his newspaper, and looked at it withlistless eyes and open mouth.

  Two days later a telegram was received saying that Lord Blair wouldarrive from the south by special train on the following morning at tenA.M.

  Soon after breakfast next day, therefore, Daniel presented himself atthe Residency to take Muriel to the station. He was dressed in a suit ofgrey flannels; and as he crossed the hall, he was carrying his nowfamous old felt hat in one hand and his pipe in the other.

  Here, to his dismay, he came upon Sir Frank Lestrange and John Dregge,both dressed as though they were about to attend a London wedding, andcarrying their gloves and silk hats in their hands.

  "Great Scott!" he exclaimed. "What on earth are you rigged out like thatfor?"

  "We're going to the station," replied Lestrange, somewhat stiffly."Aren't you coming too?"

  "Sure," said Daniel.

  "I'm afraid you'll be rather out of the picture," remarked thepunctilious Mr. Dregge, and he uttered a short laugh. "Two of thePrinces, and most of the Ministers and Advisers will be there, not tomention the General in full war-paint."

  "Gee!" muttered Daniel. "In this hot weather, too! I guess I'll look theonly sane person on the platform."

  John Dregge glanced at his companion, and he at him, as Daniel, wavinghis hat to them, went towards the dining-room to find Muriel; but theywere too startled even to exchange glances when, at the door of thatroom, the Great Man's daughter made her appearance, and stood on tiptoe,holding up her face to be kissed by Daniel.

  The scene at the railway-station, half an hour later, was verydisconcerting to a man so recently come from the wilds; but Danieleither managed somehow to conceal his embarrassment or felt none at all.Upon the platform the inevitable piece of red carpet was spread, andunder the draped British and Egyptian flags several frock-coatedcelebrities were standing, the Europeans wearing silk hats, theEgyptians the more becoming red _tarboushes_. A guard of honour ofBritish and native troops was drawn up near the iron palings; and atintervals down the whole length of the platform stood brown-skinnedpolicemen, their hands looking curiously farcical in white cottongloves.

  Muriel's cool pink dress, her shady hat, and her parasol, gave bycontrast a remarkable appearance of discomfort and heat to the assembledmales; and Daniel appeared to be the only man present who could turn hishead or swing his limbs with ease. Strange to say, his unceremoniousclothes were inappropriate only in European eyes. The native mindregarded them as perfectly suitable to one who was already recognized asa kind of court philosopher: a Mohammedan holding a similar office wouldprobably have been garbed in the coarse robe of a _derwish_. It was thusnoteworthy that while the Westerners regarded him askance, the Orientalsgreeted him with particular respect, so that even John Dregge presentlybegan to walk beside him and to converse with him--in marked contrast tohis earlier attitude of distant disdain.

  At length the white, dusty train panted into the station; and theblack-faced engine-driver, by means of a desperate struggle with thebreaks, managed to manoeuvre the entrance of the saloon to a reasonableproximity to the red carpet.

  "Now for the little surprise for Father," said Muriel, and suddenly shelinked her arm in Daniel's, allowing her hand to rest upon his own.

  Lord Blair, hat in hand, stepped on to the platform, and, at a sharpword of command, the guard of honour presented arms.

  He did not seem to see the crowd of waiting dignitaries: he stared atMuriel and Daniel, a wide smile revealing the two even rows of his falseteeth.

  "Dear me, dear me!" he exclaimed, kissing his daughter's cheek. "My dearMuriel! How are you, Daniel? This is capital, capital! You two, arm inarm...."

  "Yes, Father," Muriel laughed, "we're going to be married, ... please."

  "Aha!" chuckled Lord Blair. "I knew it, I knew it! A little bird toldme. Well, well!--I'm delighted. A Lane and a Blair: capital, splendid!"

  Frank Lestrange stepped forward anxiously glancing at the nativePrinces. "Their Highnesses, sir, ..." he whispered.

  "Ah, yes, to be sure," said Lord Blair, turning to them, and holding outhis hand. "I beg you to excuse me for speaking first to my daughter andmy future son-in-law."

  THE END

  Transcriber's Note

  Spelling and punctuation inaccuracies were silently corrected.

  Archaic and variable spelling is preserved.

  The author's punctuation style is preserved.

  Hyphenation has been made consistent.

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