Outside Nahoum's door she had a moment of utter weakness, when her knees
smote together, and her throat became parched; but before the door had
swung wide and her eyes swept the cool and shadowed room, she was as
composed as on that night long ago when she had faced the man who knew.

Nahoum was standing in a waiting and respectful attitude as she entered.
He advanced towards her and bowed low, but stopped dumfounded, as he saw
who she was. Presently he recovered himself; but he offered no further
greeting than to place a chair for her where her face was in the shadow
and his in the light--time of crisis as it was, she noticed this and
marvelled at him. His face was as she had seen it those years ago. It
showed no change whatever. The eyes looked at her calmly, openly, with
no ulterior thought behind, as it might seem. The high, smooth forehead,
the full but firm lips, the brown, well-groomed beard, were all
indicative of a nature benevolent and refined. Where did the duplicity
lie? Her mind answered its own question on the instant; it lay in the
brain and the tongue. Both were masterly weapons, an armament so
complete that it controlled the face and eyes and outward man into a
fair semblance of honesty. The tongue--she remembered its insinuating
and adroit power, and how it had deceived the man she had come to try and
save. She must not be misled by it. She felt it was to be a struggle
between them, and she must be alert and persuasive, and match him word
for word, move for move.

"I am happy to welcome you here, madame," he said in English. "It is
years since we met; yet time has passed you by."

She flushed ever so slightly--compliment from Nahoum Pasha! Yet she must
not resent anything to-day; she must get what she came for, if it was