"All right, darling. Anything you like. But let's have a look."
For a moment she did not move.
"Don't be selfish, Ruby!"
She felt fingers touching her waist at the back, gripping her with a sort of tender strongness; and she closed her eyes, and tried to force herself to believe they were Baroudi's fingers of iron.
"Or I shall pick you up and lift you out of the way."
When Nigel spoke again, she opened her eyes. It was no use. She was not to have that illusion. She set her teeth and put her hands behind her, feeling for his fingers. Their hands met, clasped. She fell back, and let him look in.
"Why, this must be Baroudi's cabin!" he said.
"I dare say. But what I want it for is the size. Don't you see, it's double the size of the others," she said, carelessly.
"So it is. But they are ever so much gayer. This is quite Oriental, and the bed's awfully low."
He bent down and felt it.
"It's a good one, though. Trust Baroudi for that. Well, dear, take it; I'll turn in next door. We can easily talk through the partition"--he paused, then added in a lower voice--"when we are not together. Now there's the other sitting-room to see and then shall we be off to Denderah with Hamza, while Ibrahim sees to the arrangement of everything?"
"Yes. Or--shall we leave the other room till we come back, till it's getting twilight? I don't think I want to see quite everything just at once."
"You're becoming a regular child, saving up your pleasure. Then we'll start for Denderah now."
"Yes."
She drew her veil over her face rather quickly, and walked down the passage, through the arch in the screen, and out to the brilliant sunshine that flooded the sailors' deck. For though the Nubians had spread an awning over their heads, they had not let down canvas as yet to meet the white and gold of the bulwarks forward. And there was a strong sparkle of light about them. In the midst of that sparkle Hamza stood, a little away from the crew, who were tall, stalwart, black men, evidently picked men, for not one was mean or ugly, not one lacked an eye or was pitted with smallpox.
As Mrs. Armine came up the three steps from the cabins, walking rather hurriedly, as if in haste to get to the sunshine, Hamza sent her a steady look that was like a quiet but determined rebuke. His eyes seemed to say to her, "Why do you rush out of the shadows like this?" And she felt as if they were adding, "You who must learn to love the shadows." His look affected her nerves, even affected her limbs. At the top of the steps she stood still, then looked round, with a slight gesture as if she would return.