could anything in the desert hurt her? It had been calling to her
always. There was nothing strange about the scene that lay all around
her. Her surroundings seemed oddly familiar. The burning sun overhead
in the cloudless sky, the shimmering haze rising from the hot, dry
ground, the feathery outline of some clustering palm trees in a tiny
distant oasis were like remembrances that she watched again with a
feeling of gladness that was fuller and deeper than anything that she
had been conscious of before. She was radiantly happy--happy in the
sense of her youth and strength, her perfect physical fitness, happy in
the capacity of her power of enjoyment, happy with the touch of the
keen, nervous horse between her knees, exhilarated with her new
authority. She had looked forward so eagerly, and realisation was
proving infinitely greater than anticipation. And for a whole month
this perfect happiness was to be hers. She thought of her promise to
Aubrey with impatience. To give up the joyous freedom of the desert for
the commonplace round of American social life seemed preposterous. The
thought of the weeks in New York were frankly tedious; Newport would be
a little less bad, for there were alleviations. The only hope was that
Aubrey would find the wife he was looking for quickly and release her
from an obligation that was going to be very wearisome. Aubrey was
counting on her, and it would be unsporting to let him down; she would
have to keep her promise, but she would be glad when it was over.
Aubrey married would settle definitely the possibility of any further
disagreements between them. She wondered vaguely what the future Lady
Mayo would be like, but she did not expend much pity on her. American
girls as a rule were well able to care for themselves. She stroked her
horse with a little smile. Aubrey and his possible wife seemed
singularly uninteresting beside the vivid interest of the moment. A
caravan that had been visible for a long time coming towards them drew
nearer, and Diana reined in to watch the long line of slow, lurching