"You ask me, me to spare a woman because she is English? My good

Raoul, you amuse me," replied the Sheik, with an ugly sneer.

"Where did you see her?" asked Saint Hubert curiously.

"In the streets of Biskra, for five minutes, four months ago."

The Vicomte turned quickly. "You love her?" he shot out, with all the

suddenness of an American third degree.

The Sheik exhaled a long, thin cloud of blue smoke and watched it

eddying towards the top of the tent. "Have I ever loved a woman? And

this woman is English," he said in a voice as hard as steel.

"If you loved her you would not care for her nationality."

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The Sheik spat the end of his cigarette on to the floor contemptuously.

"By Allah! Her cursed race sticks in my throat. But for that----" He

shrugged his shoulders impatiently and got up from the bed on which he

was sitting.

"Let her go then," said Saint Hubert quickly. "I can take her back to

Biskra."

The Sheik turned to him slowly, a sudden flame of fierce jealousy

leaping into his eyes. "Has she bewitched you, too? Do you want her for

yourself, Raoul?" His voice was as low as ever, but there was a

dangerous ring in it.

Saint Hubert flung his hands out in a gesture of despair. "Ahmed! Are

you mad? Are you going to quarrel with me after all these years on such

a pretext? Bon Dieu! What do you take me for? There has been too

much in our lives together ever to let a woman come between us. What is

a woman or any one to me where you are concerned? It is for quite a

different reason that I ask you, that I beg you to let this girl go."

"Forgive me, Raoul. You know my devilish temper," muttered the Sheik,

and for a moment his hand rested on Saint Hubert's arm.

"You have not answered me, Ahmed."

The Sheik turned away. "She is content," he said evasively.

"She has courage," amended the Vicomte significantly.

"As you say, she has courage," agreed the Sheik, without a particle of

expression in his voice.

"Bon sang----" quoted Saint Hubert softly.

The Sheik swung round quickly. "How do you know she has good blood in

her?"

"It is very evident," replied Saint Hubert drily.

"That is not what you mean. What do you know?"




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