“You are not in the position of an ordinary servant to Fath-ud-Din--you are more of an adviser and helper. Why did you make it easy for him to poison a man who had done you no wrong?” “I hate the English,” responded the old woman, sullenly. “They came and burnt my village because our men had raided into Khemistan, and my husband and my elder son were killed.” “And now you are obliged to rely upon an Englishwoman to help you to avoid the wrath of Fath-ud-Din? Hear me, Khadija--I will come to Bir-ul-Malikat and do my utmost to cure Zeynab, but only on one condition.” “And that is, O doctor lady----?” “That you give me the antidote for the poison you call the Father of sleep, and tell me how to apply it. If I find you have deceived me, Fath-ud-Din shall know everything; but if the Envoy recovers, all will be well.” “O my lady, she will poison you as soon as you have cured the girl,” put in Rahah, in a frightened whisper. “I think not,” said Georgia. “Tell her that before I leave this house I shall write out an account of the circumstances, to be sent immediately to Fath-ud-Din in case anything should happen to me.” Khadija received the information with a grunt. “And what will the doctor lady do in return for the antidote?” she asked. “I will go with her to Bir-ul-Malikat,” replied Georgia, “and do all I can to save the girl’s foot. Whether I find that amputation is necessary or not, I will remain in the house until the patient is fairly on the way to recovery, that she may have the best possible chance.” The old woman nodded her head meditatively. “Thou wilt cure my Zeynab, and I will give thee the antidote. That is fair. Thou wilt come at once, O doctor lady?” “I must make a few arrangements first. You are prepared to give my maid and me a room to ourselves, I suppose, as we shall be obliged to remain over the night? It may be necessary for us to spend four or five days with you.” “Oh yes; the doctor lady shall be lodged in the best part of the harem, in the rooms of my Zeynab’s mother--may she rest in peace!--and the women of the household shall see to her comfort.” “That is well,” said Georgia, as she left the room and went to seek Lady Haigh. Rahah followed her. “It is not safe, O my lady. She will kill you if she can, and there will be many opportunities if you are staying in her house.” “We must try to take adequate precautions, and baffle her, Rahah. In any case, the possibility of success is worth the risk.” Nevertheless, as Georgia knocked softly at the door of the sick-room, the thought crossed her mind: “At any rate, I will make sure before I go that I shall be allowed to try my remedy if I succeed in bringing it back. It is a risk, undoubtedly, to go, and I shall hear a good deal about it from Dick if I ever return, so that I won’t enter on it as a mere speculation.”