The Sheik
Page 97"Diane, the Vicomte de Saint Hubert waits to be presented to you."
She drew herself up and the colour that had come into her face drained
out of it again. Slowly she glanced up at the man standing before her,
and looked straight into the most sympathetic eyes that her own sad,
defiant ones had ever seen. Only for a moment, then he bowed with a
conventional murmur that was barely audible.
His lack of words gave her courage. "Monsieur," she said coldly in
response to his greeting, then turned to the Sheik without looking at
him. "The Dancer has behaved abominably. Gaston, my hat, please!
Thanks." And vanished into the tent without a further look at any one.
reluctance into the green dress that the Sheik preferred--a concession
that she despised herself for making. She had taken up the jade
necklace when he joined her.
He turned her to him roughly, with his hands on her shoulders, and the
merciless pressure of his fingers was indication enough without the
black scowl on his face that he was angry. "You are not very cordial to
my guest."
"Is it required of a slave to be cordial towards her master's friends?"
she replied in a stifled voice.
"And is it your wish that I should please this Frenchman?"
"It is my wish."
"If I were a woman of your own race----" she began bitterly, but he
interrupted her.
"If you were a woman of my own race there would be no question of it,"
he said coldly. "You would be for the eyes of no other man than me. But
since you are not----" He broke off with an enigmatical jerk of the
head.
"Since I am not you are less merciful than if I was," she cried
"I doubt it," he said grimly. "The life of an Arab woman would hardly
be to your taste. We teach our women obedience with a whip."
"Why have you changed so since this morning," she whispered, "when you
told me that you trusted no one to climb to my balcony in the hotel but
yourself? Are you not an Arab now as then? Have I become of so little
value to you that you are not even jealous any more?"