The Sheik

The thought of those lives filled her with aversion. The idea

of marriage--even in its highest form, based on mutual consideration

and mutual forbearance--was repugnant to her. She thought of it with a

shiver of absolute repulsion. To Aubrey it was distasteful, but to her

cold, reserved temperament it was a thing of horror and disgust. That

women could submit to the degrading intimacy and fettered existence of

married life filled her with scornful wonder. To be bound irrevocably

to the will and pleasure of a man who would have the right to demand

obedience in all that constituted marriage and the strength to enforce

those claims revolted her. For a Western woman it was bad enough, but

for the women of the East, mere slaves of the passions of the men who

owned them, unconsidered, disregarded, reduced to the level of animals,

the bare idea made her quiver and bring her hand down heavily on her

horse's neck. The nervous creature started sharply and she let him go,

calling to Mustafa Ali as she cantered past him. He had ridden to meet

the caravan and was dismounted, deep in conversation with the chief of

the armed guard. With the thoughts that it had provoked the caravan had

lost all interest for Diana. She wanted to get away from it, to forget

it, and she rode on unmindful of her escort, who, like her guide, had

stopped to speak with the traders. Diana's horse was fleet, and it was

some time before they caught her up. There was a look of annoyance on

Mustafa Ali's face as she turned on hearing them behind her and signed

to him to ride beside her.

"Mademoiselle is not interested in the caravan?" he asked curiously.

"No," she replied shortly, and asked for some details connected with

her own expedition. The man talked easily and well, in fluent French,

and after giving the required information, volunteered anecdotes

relating to various well-known people whom he had guided in the desert.

Diana watched him interestedly. He seemed a man of about middle age,

though it was difficult to guess more than approximately, for the

thick, peaked beard that hid both mouth and chin made him look older

than he really was. His beard had been his only drawback from Diana's

point of view, for she judged men by their mouths. Eyes were

untrustworthy evidences of character in an Oriental, for they usually

wavered under a European's. Mustafa Ali's were wavering now as she

looked at him, and it occurred to her that they had not seemed nearly

so shifty in Biskra when she had engaged him. But she attached no

importance to the thought, and dismissed it as much less interesting

than the great difference displayed in their respective modes of

riding.