His Hour

"Would you like to see a bit of the Arabian Nights?" he asked her.

Tamara rose. This really ought not to go on, this conversation--and

yet-"Yes, I would," she said.

"Well, the spell is broken of the Sphinx," he continued. "She can't

talk to me with you there, and she can't talk to you with me near, so

let us go and see something else that is interesting together."

"What?" asked Tamara.

"The Sheikh's village down below. Half the people who come don't

realize it is there, and the other half would be afraid to ride through

it at night--but they know me and I will take care of you."

Without the least further hesitation he called Hafis and the camel,

spoke to them in Arabic, and then stood ready to help Tamara up. She

seemed hypnotized, when she was settled in the high saddle. She began

to realize that she was going into the unknown with a perfect stranger,

but she did not think of turning back.

"What do you ride?" she asked.

"See," he said, and he made a strange low whistle, which was instantly

answered by an equally strange low whinny of a horse, and a beautiful

Arab appeared from the foot of the rocks--where all things were in

shadow--led by a little brown boy.

"I am taking him back with me," he said, "Isn't he a beauty. I only

bought him a week ago, and he already knows me."

Then he was in the saddle with the lightest bound, and Tamara, who had

always admired Tom on a horse, knew that she had never seen anyone who

seemed so much a part of his mount as this quaint foreigner. "I suppose

he is an Austrian," she said to herself, and then added with English

insular arrogance, "Only Austrians are like us."

The young man appeared quite indifferent to anything she thought. He

prepared to lead the way down beyond the Sphinx, apparently into the

desert.

Now that he was in front of her, Tamara could not help admiring the

lines of his figure. He was certainly a very decent shape, and

certainly knew how to ride.

Then it came to her that this was a most singular adventure, and the

faint pink mounted to her clear cheeks when she remembered how

dreadfully shocked Millicent would be--or any of the family! But it was

her night of rebellion, so things must take their course.

The young man rode in front until they were on the flat desert, then he

drew rein and waited for her.