the most difficult of Brahms. The beringed and tinted fingers
touched the notes with rare delicacy, and brought from the piano a
quality so vivid and poignant in appeal that Arlee could dream that
here the player's very life and heart were finding their real
expression.

The last note fell softly into silence, and with her hands still on
the keys the woman looked up over her shoulder at her brother,
looked with an intentness oddly provocative and prolonged. And for
the first time Arlee caught the quality of sudden and unforeseen
attraction in her, and realized that this insolence of color, this
flaunting hair and painted mouth might have their place in some
scheme of allurement outside her own standards.... And then suddenly
she felt queerly sorry for her, touched by the quick jarring
bitterness of a chord the woman suddenly struck, drowning the
laughing words the Captain had murmured to her.... Arlee felt
vaguely indignant at him. No one wanted to have jokes tossed at her
when she had just poured her heart out in music.

The Captain was on his feet, making his adieux. Now that the ladies
were acquainted, he would leave them to discuss the modes and other
feminine interests. He wished Miss Beecher a delightful trip upon
the Nile and hoped to see her upon her return, and she could be sure
that everything would be arranged for her. When she had had her tea
and wished to leave, the motor would return her to the hotel. He
made a rapid speech in Turkish to his sister, bowed formally to
Arlee over a last _au revoir_ and was gone.

Immediately the old woman entered with a tray of tea things, the
same old woman who had been squatting by the window, but who had