He remembered the entrance of the maid
and the dancer's hurried exit. Might not Marie have come to tell
her that Barbara Mackwayte was below asking for her? It was very
shortly after this interruption that, crouching on the roof of
the shed, he had heard that muffled cry from the house and seen
Rass enter the bar and speak with Strangwise. He had seen, too,
the maid, Marie, in earnest conversation with Strangwise by the
back gate on the fen. Had both Marie and Rass been in league with
Strangwise against the dancer? And had Nur-el-Din discovered
their treachery? His mind refused to follow these deductions to
their logical sequence; for, black as things looked against
Nur-el-Din, he could not bring himself to believe her a
murderess.
But now there were footsteps on the ladder. They were all coming
out of the cellar again. As soon as Francis saw Desmond's face,
he caught his brother by the arm and said:
"The open air for you, my boy! You look as if you'd seen a ghost!
I should have remembered all you've gone through!"
He walked him quickly through the tap-room and out through the
inn door into the yard.
The rain had ceased and the sun was making a brave attempt to
shine through the, clouds. The cold air did Desmond good and
after a turn or two in the yard, arm in arm with Francis, he felt
considerably better.
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