Heliodora, to be sure, had enough for both, and she and her husband would not forget them in their will; but there was more than this in the balance now:  it was a matter of life and death.

A cold shudder ran through her at the thought; and her fears were only too well founded:  the black Arab who had come to parley with her, and had finally allowed her to remain under this roof till next day, had told her as much through the interpreter.  A fearful, horrible, nameless catastrophe!  And that she should be in the midst of it and have to see it all!

Then her husband, her poor Justinus!  How hard this would fall on him!  She could not cease weeping; and before she fell asleep she prayed fervently indeed, to the saints and the dear Mother of God, that they would bring all to a happy issue.  She closed her eyes on the thought:  “What a misfortune!” and she woke to it again early in the morning.

She, however, had known nothing of the worst horrors of that fatal night.

A troop of Arab soldiers had crossed the Nile at nightfall, some on foot or on horseback and some in boats, led by Obada the Vekeel, and had invested the governor’s residence.  When they had fully assured themselves that Orion was indeed absent they took Nilus prisoner.  It was then Obada’s business to inform the Mukaukas’ widow of what had happened, and to tell her that she must quit the house next day.  This must be done, because he had views of his own as to what was to become of the venerable house of the oldest family in the country.

Neforis was still up, and when the interpreter was announced as Obada’s forerunner, she was in the fountain-room.  He found her a good deal excited; for, although she was incapable of any consecutive train of thought and, when her mind was required to exert itself, her ideas only came like lightning-flashes through her brain, she had observed that something unusual was going on.  Sebek and her maid had evaded her enquiries, and would say no more than that Amru’s representative had come to speak with the young master.  It seemed to be something important, perhaps some false accusation.

The interpreter now explained that Orion himself was accused of having planned and aided an enterprise which had cost the lives of twelve Arab soldiers; and, as she knew, any injury inflicted even on a single Moslem by an Egyptian was punished by death and the confiscation of his goods.  Besides this, her son was accused of a robbery.

At the close of this communication, to which Neforis listened with a vacant stare, horrified and at last almost crushed, the interpreter begged that she would grant the Vekeel an audience.

“Not just yet—­give me a few minutes,” said the widow, bringing out the words with difficulty:  first she must have recourse to her secret specific.  When she had done so, she expressed her readiness to see Obada.  Her son’s swarthy foe was anxious to appear a mild and magnanimous man in her eyes, so it was with flattering servility and many smirking grins that he communicated to her the necessity for her quitting the house in which she had passed the longest and happiest half of her life, and no later than next day.