The Sheik

He cursed me because I had been a party to the affair. The

only person whom he spared was the Sheik; who after all was as much

implicated as we were, but he never once mentioned him. He refused to

see his father, refused to recognise that he was his father, and he

left the house that afternoon and Paris that night, going straight back

to the desert, taking with him Gaston, who had arranged some time

before to enter his service as soon as his time in the cavalry was up.

A letter that Lord Glencaryll wrote to him, addressed to Viscount

Caryll, which is, of course, his courtesy title, begging for at least

an interview, and which he gave to us to forward, was returned

unopened, and scrawled across the envelope: 'Inconnu. Ahmed Ben

Hassan.' And since that day his hatred of the English had been a

monomania, and he has never spoken a word of English. Later on, when we

used to travel together, his obvious avoidance of English people was at

times both awkward and embarrassing, and I have often had to go through

the farce of translating into French or Arabic remarks made to him by

English fellow-travellers, that is, when he condescended to notice the

remarks, which was not often. From the day he learned the truth about

himself for two years we saw nothing of him. Then the old Sheik asked

us to visit him.

We went with some misgivings as to what Ahmed's

reception of us would be, but he met us as if nothing had happened. He

ignored the whole episode and has never referred to it. It is a closed

incident. The Sheik warned us that Ahmed had told him that any

reference to it would mean the breaking off of all relations with us.

But Ahmed himself had changed indescribably. All the lovable qualities

that had made him so popular in Paris were gone, and he had become the

cruel, merciless man he has been ever since. The only love left in him

was given to his adopted father, whom he worshipped. Later I was

allowed back on the old footing, and he has always been good to Gaston,

but with those three exceptions he has spared nobody and nothing. He is

my friend, I love him, and I am not telling you more than you know

already."

Saint Hubert broke off and looked anxiously at Diana, but she did not

move or meet his gaze. She was sitting with her hand still clasped over

the Sheik's and the other one shading her face, and the Vicomte went on

speaking: "It is so easy to judge, so difficult to understand another

person's temptations. Ahmed's position has always been a curious one.

He has had unique temptations with always the means of gratifying

them."