“I had something on my mind—­but it can wait till you’re in less of a hurry, Vona.  Never neglect a mother.  That’s my attitude toward women.  I’m always considerate where they’re concerned.  It’s my nature.  I hope you’ll hold that in mind.”

“Yes, Mr. Britt.”  She turned and hurried to the door, getting away from a fire that was showing signs of breaking out of its smoldering brands once more.

Britt recovered some of his courage when her back was turned.  “You haven’t said anything about those verses,” he stammered.

“I think it’s a beautiful way of putting aside your business cares for a time.  I’m taking them home to read to mother.”

He marched to the window and watched her as long as she was in sight.

Then he glowered on such of the Egyptians as passed to and fro along the street on their affairs.  He muttered, spicing his comments with profanity.  The girl’s disclaimer of personal interest in Britt’s ambitions did not soften his rancorous determination to make the voters of Egypt suffer for the stand they had taken—­suffer to the bitter limit to which unrelenting persecution could drive them.  He gritted his teeth and raved aloud.  “From now on!  From now on!  Anything short of murder to show ’em!  And as for that girl—­if there’s somebody—­”

Britt stopped short of what that rival might expect, but his expression indicated that the matter was of even more moment than his affair with the voters of the town.

CHAPTER V

“And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened”

When Vona left him that afternoon, Vaniman paced the floor.

She had gone bravely to her meeting with Britt, bearing Frank’s kiss on her cheek—­a caress of encouragement when he had walked with her to the door in order to lock it after her.

It was not worry that caused him to tramp to and fro, frowning.  Vona’s demeanor of self-reliance had helped his feelings a great deal.  But the corollary of devoted love is chivalry, and he felt that he was allowing her to do something that belonged to him to so, somehow.  The policy which they had so sanely discussed did not seem to be such a comfortable course when he was alone, wondering what was going on across the corridor.

At last the sound of a door and the click of her heels signaled the end of the interview.  He hoped that she would come back into the bank, making an excuse of something forgotten, in order to give him a soothing bulletin.  He ran to the door and opened it.  But the slam of the outside door informed him that she had gone on her way.  Her prompt departure indicated that she was consistently pursuing the level-headed policy they had adopted; but the young man, impatient and wondering, was wishing she had taken a change, for once, even to the prejudice of policy.  He shut his door and hurried to the window.