much religion already, and no enlightenment at all. A teacher
who knew Arabic would have a first-class time, and would be well
paid and protected, if he could keep his hands off politics. Why
not talk with Major Grim?"

It was a half-hour's walk to Grim's place, but I had the good
fortune to catch him in again. He was sitting in the same chair,
studying the same book, and this time I saw the title of it--
Walter Pater's Marius the Epicurean--a strange book for a soldier
to be reading, and cutting its pages with an inlaid dagger, in a
Jerusalem semi-military boarding-house. But he was a man of
unexpectedly assorted moods.

He laughed when I told of ben Nasir. He looked serious when I
mooted El-Kerak--serious, then interested, them speculative.
From where I sat I could watch the changes in his eyes.

"What would the escort amount to?" I asked him.

"Absolute security."

"And what's this bunk about Americans being welcome anywhere?"

"Perfectly true. All the way from Aleppo down to Beersheba. Men
like Dr. Bliss* have made such an impression that an occasional
rotter might easily take advantage of it. Americans in this
country--so far--stand for altruism without ulterior motive.
If we'd accepted the mandate they might have found us out!
Meanwhile, an American is safe." [*President of the American
College at Beirut. Died 1920, probably more respected throughout