’And if it be a girl she shall wear a wedding-ring,
     And if it be a boy he shall fight for his king,
     With his dirk, and his cap, and his little jacket blue,
     He shall walk the quarter-deck—­’

‘Yellow on blue—­green next player,’ said the marker monotonously.

’He shall walk the quarter-deck,—­Am I green, marker?  He shall walk the quarter-deck,—­eh! that’s a bad shot,—­As his daddy used to do!’

‘I don’t see that you have anything to crow about,’ said a zealous junior civilian acidly.  ’The Government is not exactly pleased with your work when you relieved Sanders.’

‘Does that mean a wigging from headquarters?’ said Holden with an abstracted smile.  ‘I think I can stand it.’

The talk beat up round the ever-fresh subject of each man’s work, and steadied Holden till it was time to go to his dark empty bungalow, where his butler received him as one who knew all his affairs.  Holden remained awake for the greater part of the night, and his dreams were pleasant ones.

II

‘How old is he now?’

’Ya illah!  What a man’s question!  He is all but six weeks old; and on this night I go up to the housetop with thee, my life, to count the stars.  For that is auspicious.  And he was born on a Friday under the sign of the Sun, and it has been told to me that he will outlive us both and get wealth.  Can we wish for aught better, beloved?’

’There is nothing better.  Let us go up to the roof, and thou shalt count the stars—­but a few only, for the sky is heavy with cloud.’

’The winter rains are late, and maybe they come out of season.  Come, before all the stars are hid.  I have put on my richest jewels.’

‘Thou hast forgotten the best of all.’

‘Ai!  Ours.  He comes also.  He has never yet seen the skies.’

Ameera climbed the narrow staircase that led to the flat roof.  The child, placid and unwinking, lay in the hollow of her right arm, gorgeous in silver-fringed muslin with a small skull-cap on his head.  Ameera wore all that she valued most.  The diamond nose-stud that takes the place of the Western patch in drawing attention to the curve of the nostril, the gold ornament in the centre of the forehead studded with tallow-drop emeralds and flawed rubies, the heavy circlet of beaten gold that was fastened round her neck by the softness of the pure metal, and the chinking curb-patterned silver anklets hanging low over the rosy ankle-bone.  She was dressed in jade-green muslin as befitted a daughter of the Faith, and from shoulder to elbow and elbow to wrist ran bracelets of silver tied with floss silk, frail glass bangles slipped over the wrist in proof of the slenderness of the hand, and certain heavy gold bracelets that had no part in her country’s ornaments but, since they were Holden’s gift and fastened with a cunning European snap, delighted her immensely.