The Sheik

Sir Aubrey swore. "Diana! What a senseless piece of bravado!" he cried

angrily.

She took no notice of him. She was still staring at the smooth rock

fate. "I don't understand it. How could I miss? It's as big as a

house," she murmured thoughtfully, and raised the revolver again.

But Sir Aubrey caught her wrist. "For God's sake don't make a fool of

yourself a second time. You have lowered your prestige quite enough

already," he said in a low voice, with a glance at the group of

watching Arabs.

Diana jerked the little weapon back into its place reluctantly. "I

don't understand it," she said again. "It must be the light." She

mounted and wheeled her horse alongside of Sir Aubrey's, and held out

her hand. "Good-bye, Aubrey. Expect me a month after you arrive. I will

cable to you from Cherbourg. Good luck! I shall roll up in time to be

best man," she added, laughing, and with a nod to Mustafa Ali she

turned her horse's head southwards.

For a long time she rode in silence. The quarrel with Aubrey had left a

nasty taste in her mouth. She knew that what she was doing was

considered unconventional, but she had been brought up to be

unconventional. She had never even thought, when she planned her tour,

of possible criticism; it would have made no difference to her if she

had thought, and she had been amazed and amused at the sensation that

her proposed trip had caused. The publicity to which it had given rise

had annoyed her intensely; she had been scornful that people could not

occupy themselves with their own affairs and leave her to deal with

hers.

But that Aubrey should join in the general criticism and present

such a complete volte-face to the opinions he had always held

was beyond her comprehension. She was angry with him, and contempt was

mingled with her anger. It was inconsistent with the whole of his

lifelong attitude toward her, and the discovery of his altered ideas

left her rather breathless and more than ever determined to adhere to

her own deeply-rooted convictions. Aubrey was responsible for them, he

had instilled them, and if he chose now to abandon them that was his

look-out. For her own part she saw no reason to change principles she

had been brought up in. If Aubrey really thought there was danger in

this expedition he could have sacrificed himself for once and come with

her. As Jim Arbuthnot had said, it was only a month, a negligible

length of time, but Aubrey's selfishness would not allow him to make

that concession any more than her own obstinacy would allow her to give

way. It was too much to expect. And this was the desert! It was the

expedition that she had dreamed of and planned for years. She could not

give it up. The idea of danger brought a little laugh to her lips. How

could anything in the desert hurt her? It had been calling to her

always. There was nothing strange about the scene that lay all around

her.