Burning Sands Read online

  CHAPTER XVI--AT CHRISTMASTIDE

  During the ensuing two or three weeks Daniel was absorbed in theorganization of his work, and it was not until the festivities ofChristmas interrupted his routine, that he was able to look about himand take his bearings. He had found the work extremely interesting, andalready he could see some indications that his point of view was beingadopted in the general policy of the Residency, while in specific casesLord Blair accepted his advice with very little hesitation.

  In this atmosphere of confidence Daniel thrived and his laboursprospered. He was amused by his new insight into the Egyptian mind; andhe enjoyed his frequent rambles through those quarters of the city whichare unknown to the European visitor. Already he had native friends inall parts of Cairo--from scavengers to Pashas; and in many of thebazaars he was now greeted as a guest by the hospitable merchants. Hedid not find any great difficulty in avoiding the more tedious of thesocial functions at the Residency: and the early mornings and theevenings were spent in tranquillity at his camp or in the surroundingdesert.

  Sometimes, returning from his duties soon after luncheon, he would fillhis pockets with biscuits and his water-bottle with cold tea, and,mounting his camel, would ride for two hours or more into the desert,until as the last light of day faded from the sky he would reach somesheltered drift of sand or bed of shingle amongst the rocks; and here hewould refresh himself and take his rest, mental and physical, in thevast solitude, until the blackness of the night enveloped him. Then,under the glistening heavens, he would ride slowly home again, guidinghimself by the stars, and dreaming his way through the witchery of thedarkness, until the distant lights of his camp, with the promise ofsupper and bed, brought him down from the dim regions of everlastingquiescence to the pleasant things of the body, so that he would pressforward in a final rush through the night, the sharp air of the Egyptianwinter beating in his face, the planets swinging above him, and theobscure jackal-track slipping like a trail of vapour beneath the softpads of his camel.

  He slept by night upon the top of the spur of rock above his tents; andhere on his camp bed, under the warm blankets, he would lie absorbed inthe splendour of the stars until sleep carried him outside the range ofastronomy. As the first shafts of the morning sun struck upon him fromabove the eastern horizon, he would cast the blankets from him, and,full of the joy of vigorous life, would clamber down to his camp, thereto bathe and dress himself in the keen air of the morning, and to devourhis breakfast in the brilliant sunshine at the door of his tent.

  Here in his beloved desert any anxieties which the day might bring werewholly banished from his brain; and each morning he took up his dutieswith a mind purged and washed clean of the dust of yesterday, enlivenedby healthy sleep and vigorous exercise, and, above all, renewed in itsunity with the everlasting Wisdom. It was as though his mighty handswere clasped in the mightier hands of that Spirit which dwells in theworld's open spaces; and, if he strayed during his work into tangledpaths of disquietude, he stepped back, as it were, with the descendingsun into the grasp of the unfailing Friend.

  In one particular there was especial need of this refreshment andrenewal; for his thoughts were often disturbed in regard to hisfriendship with Lady Muriel. He was sufficiently frank with himself torealize that as the days passed he was growing more interested in her,and at the same time he was well aware that any such interest was likelyto lead to discordance and unrest; for her method of life so greatlydiffered from his own.

  Muriel was having what she called "a good time"; and the argument "eat,drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die," was ever ready upon her lips.There was a sort of defiance in her attitude to Daniel, and sometimes asshe set out upon some new chase of amusement she seemed to be daring himto stop her.

  On a certain evening in Christmas-week this challenge had beenparticularly evident. He had stayed on at the Residency until past seveno'clock, for there had been an attempted assassination of one of thenative ministers, and Daniel had at once set himself to get to thebottom of the trouble; and when at last he was crossing the hall on hisway out, he had come upon Muriel descending the staircase, dressed for adinner-party and dance which was being given at Mena House that evening.Her luxurious automobile was standing at the door, and she had, ofcourse, offered to give him a lift.

  Sitting by her side under the electric light in the car, he had beenmore than ever conscious of the dissimilarity of their views of life. Itwas not that he disapproved of her enjoyments, but rather that heregretted the absence of all attempt on her part to get below thesurface of things. She was satisfied by her pursuit of the pleasures ofwhat is called Society; and the trouble was that she had caused him tobe dissatisfied with his own more profound search after happiness.

  In his rough clothes he had seemed to be so far removed from thisexquisite dainty girl beside him, around whose white throat the pearlsglistened, and from whose gold-tasseled cloak of blue velvet there camethe faint scent of the lotus; and the disturbing fact had beenthis--that he had been intoxicated by the fragrance of her, and thetouch of her arm against his. He had wanted to command her to abandonher friends and to follow him into the desert; and suddenly he had beenaware that the expression in her eyes was one of disdain for thehardihood that he loved.

  As they had driven up to the gates of the hotel he had called herattention to his camel which awaited him at the roadside, in charge of asilent native, who now raised his hand to his dazzled eyes as theheadlights of the car fell upon him.

  "Now confess," she had said, "that you would rather be coming with meinto the comfort of the hotel than bumping off on that great beast intothe cold bleak desert."

  "I confess I would rather be with you tonight than alone," he answered,"but not in the hotel. I don't like noise and clatter and stuffiness."

  She had looked at him with a smile as the door of the car was opened bya liveried servant. "I wonder," she mused, "why you play at being ahermit. You are not a hermit at heart." She made a gesture with her armswhich was full of enticement. "Don't you ever hear the world callingyou?" she asked.

  "Yes," he answered, gravely, "I hear it calling now; and I am shuttingmy ears, because I know that it has nothing worth having to offer me."

  "If you happen to be here at midnight," she said, "I dare say I shall bewanting a breath of air."

  The words had thrilled in his ears, and as she disappeared into thelighted hall of the hotel he had stood for a moment irresolute. If hewere to ride down from the desert at midnight, she would stroll with himfor a few moments amongst the palms, and who could say what advancementin their relationship would take place? But in so doing would he not bebut offering her material for new amusement?

  He had ridden, then, in silence to his camp; and at his usual hour hehad gone to his bed beneath the stars; and though he was awake atmidnight he had not stirred from beneath his blankets.

  That was three days ago; and now Christmas was passed, with itschurch-service which he had attended together with the whole diplomaticstaff, and its heavy luncheon thereafter, at which he had been one oftwenty guests. Already, today, he had resumed the routine of his work;but the short interruption had given him time to look about him, and hisbearings troubled him with their threat of dangers ahead.

  Muriel, on her part, had felt herself snubbed that night when he failedto take advantage of the midnight hour. She had slipped out on to theveranda of the hotel and had waited for him, thereby missing a dance andinconveniencing at least one partner. She had suggested the meetingexperimentally, to see what might be his attitude towards her; for shecould not decide whether he were fond of her or merely interested in heras a case of needing reformation. And when he failed to turn up at thetrysting-hour, her foot tapped angrily upon the tiles of the veranda;and at length she had gone indoors again with her head in the air buther heart in the depths.

  She was undoubtedly attracted to him, but she was also very decidedlyafraid of him. Sometimes it was as though he were suggesting to her thatshe should abandon the luxur
ies and the little frivolities which she somuch enjoyed, and should trail after him into the desert, the Lord knowswhere, and cook his food for him, and dress in a sheepskin, and sleep onthe hard sand with a rock for a pillow.

  One of the most serious aspects of the matter was that her father wasvery obviously attempting to throw her and Daniel Lane together. Atfirst she had supposed that Lord Blair desired her to come under hisinfluence for its philosophical value; but during the last few dayscertain things that had been said led her to the amazing conclusion thather father regarded him in the light of a possible son-in-law.

  She utterly failed to picture this man in the role of husband: she couldimagine him as a companion or even as a lover, but as a husband never!Husbands were people in top-hats, black coats, and stripey trousers,with whom one went to St. Margaret's, Westminster, and then tosomebody's villa on the Riviera, "kindly lent," etc.; they had a lot ofold family servants who sniffed at you and said that such-and-suchwasn't his lordship's custom; they wanted sons and heirs, and, if youfailed to provide them, they cynically made you try again; theydeveloped money troubles sooner or later, and cut down your expenses atthe moment when you wanted to rebuild the ballroom; as the years passedthey became coldly courteous or hotly ill-tempered; and finally you wereeither divorced or else laid by their crumbling side in the familyvault, in the sure and certain hope--thank God--that there were nomarriages in heaven.

  But Daniel Lane was not of this autocratic class; nor could she picturehim living in England. If he succeeded to the Barthampton earldom hewould make an appalling mess of it; if he had to wear London clothes hewould look a sight; and if he shared the conjugal bed, it would probablybe on the roof or in the shrubbery, with gnats and things biting yournose or an icy wind blowing around your legs.

  She noticed her father's strategic dispositions one morning just afterChristmas, when Charles Barthampton called to take her to a militaryreview. She went into the study to tell him of her proposed absence; butLord Blair put his foot down, saying to her that if she attended thisparticular function she ought to do so in the company of a civilian, soas to avoid inter-regimental jealousies: a palpable excuse which did notbear scrutiny. He suggested that Daniel Lane should go with her; andbefore Lord Barthampton could escape, his cousin was sent for, andMuriel went off into the garden in annoyance, leaving the three mentogether in the hall. Lord Blair thereupon tripped back to his study,bidding Daniel offer his cousin refreshment in the library.

  Lord Barthampton, however, was scowling with anger, and would have takenhis departure immediately. But Daniel took him by the arm in a gripwhich, though friendly, was one of iron, and, forcing him into a chair,handed him a cigar.

  "Have a whisky-and-soda?" he then suggested.

  "No," his cousin grunted. "I'm a teetotaller, damn you."

  Daniel chuckled. "Good for you," he laughed. "Have some barley water?"

  At this Lord Barthampton scrambled to his feet, but Daniel gently pushedhim back into the chair.

  "I want to have a talk with you," he said. "I want to tell you how gladI am to see that you are pulling yourself together. You look a differentman already."

  His cousin glared at him warily from under his heavy brows. "Yes," hereplied, "I'm not going to give you any excuse for turning me out. Whenyou do so, you'll have to do it against my father's wishes andintentions; and I hope he'll come back from the grave and haunt you."

  He spoke with dramatic gloom, and Daniel could not help being sorry forhim.

  "Oh, don't worry yourself," he assured him. "As long as you behaveyourself decently, you're quite safe."

  "I doubt it," the other muttered, despondently.

  "I heard the other day," said Daniel, "from one of your brother officersthat you'd sworn off cards too."

  Charles Barthampton puffed viciously at his cigar. "I suppose you'll robme of all my fun before I'm through with you. Hadn't you better ask mewhether I've joined the Y.M.C.A., and regularly say my prayers?"

  "No, I'll leave that to you," Daniel answered with a smile. "But there'sone thing I should like to ask you: have you taken any steps yet to giveanything to the poor?"

  His cousin shook his head.

  "Well, hurry up and do so," said Daniel.

  Once more Lord Barthampton rose from his chair, and this time to hisrelief, he was not pushed back again. "I'm late for the show," hegrumbled, "and anyway it's no fun staying here, being put through mypaces. You've got all the cards, and the game's in your hands. It makesme sick."

  "Yes, I'm sorry," Daniel replied, and he spoke with sincerity. "Butdon't worry yourself. You're going on fine."

  With that he let him go.

  Upon the following day, Lord Blair again acted in a manner which showedthe movement of his thoughts. Muriel was going out to lunch at MenaHouse, and Daniel suggested that she and the Bindanes should ride overto his camp to tea. Lord Blair appeared to be delighted at the proposal,and gave it such hearty support that Muriel was constrained to acceptthe invitation.

  Thus it came about, that soon after four o'clock Daniel was helping histhree visitors to dismount from the hired camels which had jolted themover the desert to his tents; and no sooner had the attendant camel-mentaken charge of the animals, than he found himself smilingly followingin his friends' wake as Muriel began enthusiastically to conduct themaround the camp, as though she were its proprietress.

  She pointed out the various lockers and revealed their contents withpride; she showed how this table folded up, or how that chair could beconverted into a bed; she called attention to the portable book-shelf,and held up for inspection some of the volumes which she had arranged;she introduced the three yellow dogs, and explained the merits of thekennel she had built for them.

  In her interest and pride in the work of her hands there was a completeabsence of self-consciousness; and the situation engendered so warm asense of intimacy that she found herself calling Daniel by his Christianname, as though this had long been her habit.

  When tea had been drunk and the sun was setting, Kate Bindane took herhusband by the arm and suggested a stroll. At this, however, Muriel'smind returned to the conventions, and she intimated her desire toaccompany them. But Kate, profiting by Daniel's momentary absence withBenifett Bindane, argued the point with her.

  "You stay with Mr. Lane, old girl," she said. "He wants to be with you,I'm sure; and any way I want to be alone with Benifett. Damn it, we'reon our honeymoon!"

  There was a touch of wistfulness in her friend's jocular words; andMuriel had seen enough of their married life to be understanding. KateBindane had a romantic heart under her uncompromising exterior; and hercold-blooded husband, to whom she was obviously devoted, must haveplayed the lover about as ardently as a jellyfish. But out here in thesolitude, the glory of the setting sun might infuse a little warmth intohis veins, and might lift his thoughts above those schemes of commercialenterprise which seemed to constitute his sole interest in Egypt.

  The two couples therefore separated for a while; and Muriel strolledwith Daniel to a cluster of rocks, amidst which they presently seatedthemselves upon the slope of a sand-drift, facing towards the south andwest. Before them, framed between the great boulders of sun-brownedlimestone, the desert stretched out to the purple hills in the distance;and above the hills the glory of the cloud-flecked western sky wasspread like a vision of the Isles of the Blessed.

  The evening was warm and windless, and no sound came to their earsexcept the occasional twitter of an early bat, and the far-off wail of acircling kestrel. It was as though some magical leap through time hadbeen accomplished, whereby they two had alighted upon the earth in anage before the advent of man and beast, or after the last trump had leftthe planet again desolate. Yet there was no sense of death in theserock-strewn spaces, but rather a pulse of sleeping nature which held thereiterated promise of life. The sand upon which they lay was warm andgolden, and the rocks about them were not cold nor dead to the touch.

  Muriel lay upon the slope, her hands behind her he
ad; and Daniel,sitting beside her, and looking down at her with his calm blue eyes, hadthe sunset as his aureola, so that he put her in mind of some figure byBonozzo Gozzoli painted against gold. His massive head and shouldersseemed to tower above her like those of a rugged presence rising out ofthe rocks and sand of the wilderness; and she noticed for the first timethat his face was reminiscent of Watts' "Samson," a picture which hadalways delighted her.

  _A SCENE FROM THE PHOTOPLAY--BURNING SANDS_]

  Neither she nor he found any need of words, and for some time there wasalmost complete silence between them, so that one might have supposedthe spell of the desert to have bewitched them. His hands idly playedwith the sand; and, as the grains ran between his fingers, she seemed tofeel the memories of all her days slipping from her, until only this onelittle moment of the present remained.

  "Well?" she asked at last, and there was the question of all the ages inher eyes.

  "No man can escape his destiny," he replied; but the words did not seemto be detached: rather they were the conclusion of a mute analysis towhich they had both contributed.

  Again there fell a silence between them, a silence, however, so filledwith unspoken words that in it their relationship grew immeasurably moreclose. The glory of the sunset began to fade, and the veil of thetwilight descended gently about them; but in their hearts it was dawn,and the sunrise was very near.

  At length he arose and stretched his arms to their full extent. Murielgazed up at him, wondering how he would choose to seal the compactwhich, so it seemed, had been made between them in this period of theirsilence. Suddenly she was conscious that her heart was beating fast, andits throbbing brought her back from her dream.

  She sat up, and looked at him for a moment with fear in her eyes; for itwas as though she had spoken words in the depths of her being which hertongue would have been too reticent to utter.

  Daniel clasped his hands behind the back of his head, and stood watchingher, a whimsical smile on his face. His expression was one ofperplexity, almost of amusement at the incomprehensibility of Fate.

  "Come," he said, "we had better be going, Muriel, my dear."

  He took her hand in his and raised her to her feet.

  "Yes, Daniel, we had better be going," she replied.

  She linked her arm in his; and thus they walked slowly back to thetents, he looking down at her, and she looking up at him, and aroundthem the vast spaces of the desert already dim with the coming of night.