Detective and mystery stories; Stone, Fleming (Fictitious character) -- Fiction
Then the Arab pilot came aboard, and soon Pauline found herself in a
shore-boat, swiftly making for the quay. She knew Loria would meet her at
Alexandria, she had had a telegram at Naples to that effect, and she
thrilled with pleasure at thought of seeing wonderful Egypt with him.
Landing, she was bewildered by the crowd of strange-looking people,
natives, tourists, officials and porters, all shouting, running and
getting in each other's way. Luggage was everywhere, and the game seemed
to be to present any piece of it to anybody except the owner. Pauline
fell to laughing at the antics of a black man robed in white and a brown
man robed in yellow fighting for possession of a small portmanteau, while
its timid and bewildered owner desperately hung on to it herself.
Three or four Arabs gathered round Pauline herself, each asserting his
claim to all the virtues of a perfect dragoman. In more or less
intelligible English, each insisted he had been sent to her personally by
Effendi This or That, of marvelous wealth and power. Greatly interested,
she listened to their arguments, until, encouraged, they became so
insistent that she was frightened. Seeing this, they waxed threatening,
even belligerent, in their determination to be engaged, and just as one
laid his brown, long fingers on her arm, and she drew back in a panic of
fear, she saw Carr Loria's smiling face coming to her through the crowd.
With a wave of his hand and a few short commands, he sent the bothersome
Arabs flying, and greeted Pauline with affectionate enthusiasm.
"Polly, dear! but I'm glad to see you! Have you had a good trip? But such
questions must wait a bit. Where are your checks? Do you see your boxes?"
"There's only one, and some hand things. Here is----"
"All right," and Loria took the little sheaf of papers she produced from
her handbag. "Ahri, look after these."
A tall Arab glided to Loria's side, and took the checks. "Ahri is my
dragoman and body-servant and general factotum," said Loria, by way of
introduction. "This lady, Ahri, is my cousin, Miss Stuart. Her word is
law."
"Yes, Mr. Loria. Miss Stoort is queen of all."
The man made a salaam of obeisance and turned away to look after the
luggage.
"He's a wonder, that Ahri," said Carrington Loria, looking after the
retreating Arab. "But be very haughty with him, Polly. He presumes upon
the least encouragement. Treat him like the dust under your feet, and
he'll adore you."
"That's easy enough," and Pauline smiled. "I'm scared to death of these
brown and black men. But your servant is so grand of costume."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account