Edgar Jepson

“ This idea of camping in the desert for a week or two was new, and when I put her to it, pretending to be much keener on excavation than I really was, she rather jumped at it. I was not surprised; she always does jump at anything new. I lost no time making preparations, and less than a week later, after a perfectly beastly journey, we arrived at Halford’s camp and set about having our tents pitched alongside of it.
Sheila bore the journey without complaining. ”

“ And really, after what he had said about the statue, it would be rather cheek on his part to let on that he had spotted the likeness, if ever he did spot it. I told her so.
She only said:
“Oh, he’s much too simple not to let on, if he does spot it”
Selim came back on the day before the full moon, bringing a largish dressmaker’s box. That evening Halford did not go off to the temple, and Sheila asked him why he was deserting his goddess. He said that he was reserving it for the next night because Hathor was always more beautiful than ever on the night of the full moon. ”

“ I stood still and listened hard. Talk about the silence of the tomb! Then there came from ever so far away a kind of whispered groan. I started off toward it. But it was impossible to keep any direction in that maze of galleries. Once or twice I shouted; not a sound came back. ”

“ Halford told us about each thing as they unearthed it, and that made it more interesting. Sheila seemed to want to understand all about it and asked a lot of questions. It was the kind of passing whim she would have. When a whole statuette was unearthed, she seemed more excited about it than Halford.
When the sun was well up, we went back to the camp and had déjeuner together; and during the heat of the day, we stayed in our tents. About four, we went out to the digging again. I noticed that the gang did not need Hal ford to tell them anything twice; they just got to it hard. ”

“ Suddenly Sheila screamed, loud and high, and then again.
It was a bit of a shock, and I started to run. I pulled up at the end of ten yards; it occurred to me that it would not do her any harm to get a lesson. It would teach her to remember that an outsider is an outsider. I walked slowly to the temple and came into it pretty stiff and upright, ready to give Halford beans. ”