"Very well," said Frank quietly; "but Landon thinks with me, that the sooner I begin to play my part the sooner I shall make myself perfect." "Well, yes, of course," grunted the doctor; "but leave it till we put on our costumes. I say, I think this Sheikh is all right." "Yes; I have perfect faith in him now." "So have I. He's a fine old fellow; there is no doubt about that. But Frank, my lad, I don't think I could have kept this up much longer if you had gone on with that dumb-motion business. It only wanted that to give me the horrors, for this night ride seems to be about the most mysteriously weird business possible to conceive. Just look at the ghostly appearance of the camels and their leaders, the long, strongly marked shadows, and the mysterious light! I can't get away from the idea that it is all a dream." "That is how it has been impressing us," replied Frank. "And no wonder. Everything is terribly unreal, and between ourselves I am beginning to lose heart." "You?" said Frank reproachfully. "You, the calm, grave surgeon, accustomed to terrible scenes, to awful emergencies where men's lives depend upon your coolness and that calm, firm manner in which you face all difficulties!" "Yes, at home and in my proper place. But here I seem to be masquerading--playing, as it were." "Playing!" said Frank reproachfully. "Well, I hardly mean that, my dear boy," said the doctor softly; "but all this is so strange and--well, yes--risky." "Yes, it is risky," said Frank sadly, "but--" "Yes, I know," said the doctor, interrupting; "I do think of why we are doing it, and I can't help shrinking a bit and doubting my nerve to carry it all through. If I break down in any way I shall sacrifice the liberty if not the lives of you all. It is this that makes me feel doubts about my nerve." "I have none whatever," said Frank quietly. "You know how often you have talked to me about the operations you have performed." "Well, yes, I have talked to you a good deal both before and after some of them. Harry and I always opened out our hearts to one another, and when he went away he asked me to make you his substitute--to take his place with you." "So like Hal," said Frank softly. "Well, and so you have." "Have I, lad? Well, I have tried, and it has been very pleasant to have you come to me to chat over your experiences and successes and failures, and to tell you mine." "You have made more of a man of me," said Frank softly; "often and often when I have felt that I was only an ignorant, blundering boy." "I never saw much of the ignorance or blundering," said the doctor quietly. "You were always too enthusiastic over your studies for that."