THE GAY BARTENDER

Chapter ninety six

the outer

purposes;

but I did not care.They were, or had been, pyra-

to get one of these smaller mounds,whose burial

into

mber is beautifully inscribed with hieroglyphic picture

writing,1 would have done it,too, but for Evelyn. Her

,and

outcries,when she saw the funnel-shaped well into whichI

pmposed to lower myself,were terrible to hear.I pointed out

thal with two men holding the rope I should do quite nicely;

but she was adamant. I had to yield when she threatened to

follow me down, for I saw that she was appalled at the idea.

Travers was no more sympathetic to my pyramid inqui-ries. She mourned aloud over the state of my clothes,some of which had to be given away as beyond repair, and she objected to the mementos of bats which I inadvertently car-ried away from the interiors of the pyramids. One morning, when I proposed a trip to Dahshoor, where there are several splendid pyramids,Evelyn flatly refused. She suggested that instead we visit the museum of Boulaq. I agreed. It was not far from the wharves; I could go and assist Hassan after the museum.

I was looking forward to meeting M.Maspero,the French director of antiquities. My father had been in correspon-dence with him, and I hoped my name would be familiar. It was; and we were fortunate to find Maspero at the museum. He was usually away, his assistant informed us,digging for the treasures which had made him known throughout the

This assistant, Herr Emil Brugsch,I knew by reputation, for it was he who had been the first European to gaze upon the famous cache of royal mummies that had been discov-ered a few years earlier. While we waited for M. Maspero, Brugsch told us of the robber family of Thebes who had discovered the hiding place of the mummies ten years be-fore. The discovered, a shifty character named Abd er-Ra-sool Ahmed,had been searching for a missing goat amid the his village of Gurnah. The goat had fallen into a crevice, or shaft, forty feet deep, upon descendin ed made an incredible discovery-the mummies of great pharaohs of Egypt,hidden in ancient times to ke their sacred bodies safe from the thieves who had loo their original tombs!

His eyes never leaving my face,Herr Brugsch explaine with affected modesty, that he was responsible for the dete tive work that had eventually discovered the mummies.C lectors had sent him photographs of objects bearing roy names, and he had realized that these must have come fro a tomb. Since the known royal tombs were in Thebes, h had alerted the police to watch out for a peasant from th city who had more money than he could have come by hor estly. Thus suspicion was focused on the Abd er-Rasoo family; and, the thieves having fallen out in the meantim over the disposition of the loot,one of them betrayed t secret to Brugsch.

I did not care for this gentleman. His brother is a respect able and well-known scholar, and Mr. Emil has been cm ployed by Maspero and his predecessor,M.Mariette,fo many years; but his bold stare and hard face affected m unpleasantly, as did his calloused description of the inteno gation of the unfortunate Abd er-Rasool brothers.Not huuscle in his tanned face moved as he described beating with palm rods, and heated pots being placed on the heads the suspects. Yet I could not help but be fascinated by evetnes acounte of the incredible discovery. Brugsch al mited that his sensations,as he wea fowered into the p were nol wholly comfortable. te was somed,of course,b his weapons would not have availed

treachery, an He knew the bodies must be moved at once, in order to voyage of the barge-the banks ofthe river lined withe director of antiquities was a stout, genial man with lal in cyes mnd as short black beard. A true Frenchman, wowed over my hand and greeted Evelyn with admira-hom. He spoke of my fathor in the highest terms.Secing how asy he was,we soon excused ourselves, and he begged nmlom for not showing us over the museum himself. Per-hups he would join us later, he said, glancing at Evelyn.

"You have made another conquest," I said softly to Eve-Im, as we walked away.“M. Maspero could hardly keep his eyes away from you."

"Nor Herr Brugsch his eyes from you,”Evelyn replied wih a smile. "He was anxious to escort you; did you see his scowl when M. Maspero told him he had work for him to do?”

"Don't try to give your admirers to me,” I retorted. “I am not in need of such mendacious flattery; and if I were, Herr Brugsch would not be my choice.”

I was glad the director was not with us when we began our tour. Courtesy must have prevented me from telling him what I thought of his museum. Not that the place wasn't fascinating; it contained many marvelous things. But the dust! And the clutter! My housewifely and scholarly in-stincts were equally offended.

"Perhaps you are not being fair,” Evelyn said mildly, when I expressed my feelings. “There are so many objects; new ones are discovered daily; and the museum is still too small,despite the recent enlargement.”

“All the more reason for neatness and order. In the early days, when European adventurers took away what they dis-covered in Egypt,there was no need for a national museum. Then M. Mariette, Maspero's predecessor, insisted that Egypt should keep some of its national treasures. The coop-eration between Great Britain and France, to regulate and assist this unfortunate country, has resulted in the Frenchbeing given control oven mething, aftes department I pose they must have something; after all, we control nance,education,foreign affairs,and other matters.Bur could do with a little English neatness here, instead French nonchalance.”

We had penetrated into a back room filled with objeo that seemed to be leftovers from the more impressive e hibits in the front halls of the museum-vases,bead ney laces,little carved ushebti figures,flung helter-skelter om shelves and into cases. There were several other people the room. I paid them little heed; in mounting indignation, went on,“They might at least dust! Look at this!”

And, picking up a blue-green statuette from a shelf, rubbed it with my handkerchief and showed Evelyn the dim smudge that resulted.

A howl-a veritable animal howl-shook the quiet of t room.Before I could collect myself to search for its source a whirlwind descended upon me. A sinewy, sun-bronz hand snatched the statuette from me.A voice boomed in m ear.

"Madam!Do me the favor of leaving those priceless relio alone. It is bad enough to see that incompetent ass, Mo spero,jumble them about;will you complete his idiocy destroying the fragments he has left?”

Evelyn had retreated.I stood alone.Gathering my dignit

I turned to face my attacker.

He was a tall man with shoulders like a bull's and a blay

beard cut square like those of the siatues of ancient Assy kings.From a face tanned aloes sta the shade of an Esy tian vivid blue eyes blazed almost to the ice, as had go were those of a gentleman.The sentimentswere not.

“Sir,”I said, looking him up and “I do not kno'

you-” down.

“But I know you,madam! I have met yourkind too often.

loes, and is as mamalavas. Ine deptns of the pyramids,the

heights

of the Himalayas-no spot on earth is safe from

He had to pause for breath at this point, which gave meyou!”the opportunity I had been waiting for.

“And you,sir,are the lordly British male at his loudes and most bad-mannered. If the English gentlewoman is cov. cring the carth, it is in the hope of counteracting some of the mischief her lord and master has perpetrated. Swaggering Toud, certain of his own superiority. . .”

My adversary was maddened, as I had hoped he would be. Little flecks of foam appeared on the blackness of his beard. His subsequent comments were incomprehensible, but several fragile objects vibrated dangerously on their shelves.

I stepped back a pace, taking a firm grip on my parasol. I am not easily cowed, nor am I a small woman; but this man towered over me, and the reddening face he had thrust into mine was suggestive of violence. He had very large, very white teeth,and I felt sure I had gotten a glimpse of most of them.

A hand fell on his shoulder. Looking up,I saw Evelyn with a young man who was a slighter, beardless copy of my adversary-dark-haired, blue-eyed, tall, but not so bulky.

“Radcliffe,” he said urgently. “You are alarming this lady. I beg you-”

“I am not at all alarmed,” I said calmly. “Except for your friend's health. He seems about to have a fit. Is he com-monly subject to weakness of the brain?”

The younger man now had both hands on his companion's shoulders. He did not seem concerned; indeed, he was smil-ing broadly. He was an attractive young fellow; from the way Evelyn looked at him I suspected she shared my opin-ion.

“My brother, madam, not my friend,” he said cheerfully. “You must forgive him-now, Radcliffe, calm yourself.