"Let us sit down," he laughed, "and we can do two things at once, eat and talk." Half an hour passed; they ate and drank, and grew almost merry as they exchanged a few notes. When, however, in response to her question: "But you are English, George?" he replied. "Yes! Though as I speak Syrian perfectly, and Hebrew fairly, it seems better for me not to appear to be English, hence my Syrian costume. I feel I can trust you, Rose, my new little friend, so I do not mind telling you that I belong to a great English newspaper, and as many of those _now_ in authority are opposed to our paper, I am passing as a Syrian, that I may better get my reports, for our paper, through to England." She had started when he began to speak of his connection with a great English Newspaper. Now she interrupted him, saying, in a cautious whisper: "Are you Mr. Ralph Bastin?" It was his turn to start now, and in amaze, he cried: "No, I am not Ralph Bastin, but I _am_ his representative. But----" His voice grew hoarse with excitement, as he added, low and cautiously: "What do you know about Ralph Bastin?" She glanced frightenedly around, then with her finger raised, she whispered: "The very air seems full of spies here, as it was at Babylon." She leant towards him until her lips almost touched his ear, and whispered: "Lucien Apleon, The Emperor, has decreed that Ralph Bastin is to be slain!" "Tell me more, Rose, trust me absolutely, dear child!" His voice was very hoarse as he spoke. "How do you know this?" he added. "But perhaps you had better tell me who and what you are, dear child!" He leant to her that his voice might be a whisper only, for he realized her warning of a moment ago. "Do not fear, dear child, I shall hold as sacred as my faith in God, anything that you tell me!" She laid her pretty little plump hand in his, and looked at him confidingly out of her great Eastern liquid eyes, as with a beaming smile, she said: "I could not be afraid of you, good George, you saved my life, and----" She sighed, and there was a sound of supreme content this time in the sigh. "No," she went on, "I could not be afraid of you, my saviour from death. And I can, I will, confide in you, for I sorely need a friend, and I feel, I know I can trust you. I had been asking God, yesterday, to help me, to guide me to a friend, and I feel that He has sent you into my life at this point when I, a lone girl, need most a friend. Someday I may be able to tell you all the story of my life. It will be enough here, however, to tell you that, for two months, I have been in Babylon, with my brother--my only living relative, as far as I know. Babylon----" She shuddered as she repeated the name, and her face flushed scarlet, then paled as swiftly, while a look of horror leaped into her eyes, and she gazed fearfully round as though she feared some terror of the foul and mighty city might even here have pursued her.