“That man is getting unbearable!” broke from Mabel. “I shall speak to him--No, I shan’t,” she added wearily; “it’s no good. He gets the better of me somehow or other. Can’t you put a little cold poison into his medicine, Georgie? Surely it’s a case in which the end would justify the means.” She went indoors with rather a forced laugh, and Fitz, who had been looking out over the desert without appearing to notice what was being said, turned round suddenly to Georgia. “Can you honestly expect me to stand all this much longer, Mrs North?” “All what?” asked Georgia, in astonishment. “The Commissioner’s intolerable assumption. Any one would think he was Miss North’s guardian, or her father, or even”--with a fierce laugh--“her husband. What right has he to take it upon himself to defend her?--as if she needed any defending against you! It’s nothing but his arrogant impudence.” “But still”--Georgia spoke with some hesitation--“how does it affect you?” “Oh, Mrs North, you needn’t pretend not to have noticed. You know as well as I do that the Commissioner and I are both--er--well, we are both awfully gone on Miss North, and he isn’t playing fair. You have seen it, haven’t you?” “I have, indeed, but I hoped you hadn’t quite found out what your real feelings were.” “Surely you must have thought me a hopeless idiot? I found out all about it the day she had that fall from her horse.” “So long ago as that? Why, you had scarcely known her a fortnight!” “But I met her first years ago, before we went to Kubbet-ul-Haj. Besides, what does it signify if I had only known her an hour? It is the kind of feeling one can only have for one woman in one’s life.” “But you didn’t say anything?” asked Georgia anxiously. Fitz laughed shamefacedly. “No, I have said nothing even yet. The fact is, it seemed sacrilege even to think of it. She is so lovely, so sweet, so far above me in every way! Oh, Mrs North, I could rave about her for hours.” “And so you shall,” was the cordial but unexpected response, “as often as you like, and I will listen patiently, provided that you still say nothing to her.” “No, no; things can’t go on in this way. You see, the Commissioner has changed all that. He goes in and fights for his own hand in the most barefaced way, and I must get my innings too. After all, though it sounds horribly low to say it, I did kill the fellow that was carrying her off, and bring her back.” “Of course you did. If that was all, you certainly deserve to win her.” “Yes; but then the Commissioner scores in having got hurt. He sees her for ever so long every day, and she is so awfully kind, talking to him and reading to him, and letting him prose away to her, that no wonder he thinks he is making splendid running. I only wish I had got hurt too.” “Do you really?” asked Georgia, with meaning in her tone.