But Barry did not forget. He was not of those who love and ride away. For him a dream had come true--a dream held like a crucifix through years of waiting. He had lived in a heaven of moments. He had been snatched back to earth. And he was lonely. One faith he had. To this he remained true; it saved him from despair. Zalithea was alive; so was Safîyeh. Somewhere, they were together. And one day he would find them. Despite official evidence proving that no such persons had departed from the port of New York, a conviction was growing in his mind that Zalithea had returned to Egypt. John Cumberland’s anxiety, divided from the first, began now to centre upon Barry. Professor Blackwell, feeling that he might hope to walk the streets again without being accosted by newspaper representatives, had returned to his usual quarters. And one evening the two old friends dined together at the University Club, to discuss the question of Barry’s welfare. “Bob Sakers couldn’t join us for dinner,” said Cumberland, when the Professor arrived, “but he’s dropping in later.” “Danbazzar is still away?” “Yes,” John Cumberland nodded. “The publicity attaching to this unhappy affair came very near home, I think. His apartment is shut up. I shouldn’t wonder if he stays away for a long time.” “Quite--quite,” murmured the Professor. “Of course, for my part, I confess I am floored. I don’t dare to think about it. The whole thing, from that unimaginable moment in the tomb up to the time that you received this incredible letter, often seems to me to be unreal--a nightmare.” “Yes,” John Cumberland agreed, “it doesn’t seem real. But--” he sighed--“it has ruined Barry.” “Poor boy--poor boy. She was very lovely, Cumberland.” A long silence fell between them, until: “Do you ever ask yourself,” said John Cumberland, “if she was--natural?” “My dear fellow,” the Professor returned, “I have asked myself that question a hundred times! And I think it has been answered for us.” “How? In what way?” “By her disappearance.” John Cumberland stared, and: “I don’t think I follow,” he declared. “If,” explained Professor Blackwell slowly, “Zalithea was supernatural, certainly Safîyeh was not. But Safîyeh disappeared with her!” His friend considered the words for some time, and at last: “I see the point,” he said. “It’s a new one, I admit.” When, later, Jim Sakers’s father joined them, he put the case before him bluntly. “This thing has knocked Barry sideways,” he told Robert Sakers. “In confidence, it’s touch and go. Blackwell will bear me out.” “I have watched Barry,” the latter admitted; “and I am certain that he’s on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He is crazy to go back to Egypt, via London and Paris. We don’t hope that he will find the girl, Sakers; we don’t expect so much. But I am quite positive that the journey will save him. Now--he can’t go alone. It’s out of the question. Jim is his oldest friend, and you can very well spare him for a month or six weeks----”