numerous enemies called him. He was the British man in . Cairo during-'
She cut him short. 'Yes, I have heard of Evelyn Baring, the first Earl
of Cromer, British Consul-General of Egypt from 1883 to 1907. With his
plenipotentiary powers he was the unchallenged dictator of my country
for all that period. Numerous enemies, as you say.'
Nicholas's eyes narrowed slightly. 'Percival warned me you were one of
his best students. He didn't, however, warn me of your strong
nationalistic feelings. It is clear that you didn't need me to translate
the Ramesses inscription for you.'
'My own father was on the staff of Gama! Abdel Nasser,' she murmured.
Nasser was the man who had toppled the puppet King Farouk and finally
broken the British power in Egypt. As president he had nationalized the
Suez Canal in the face of British outrage.
'HaV he chuckled. 'Different sides of the track. But things have
changed. I hope we don't have to be enemies?'
'Not at all,' she agreed. 'Duraid held you in the highest esteem.'
'As I did him.' He changed the subject again. 'We ar very proud of our
collection of royal ushabd Examples from the tomb of every pharaoh from
the old Kingdom onwards, right up to the last of the Ptolemys. Please
let me show it to you.' She followed him to the huge display case that
occupied one complete wall of the hall. It was lined with shelf after
shelf of the doll-like figures which had been placed in the tombs to act
as servants and slaves for the dead kings in the shadow world.
With his own key Nicholas opened the glazed doors of the case and
reached up to bring down the most interesting of the exhibits. 'This is
the ushabd of Maya who served under three pharaohs, Tutankhamen, Ay and
Horemheb.
It is from the -tomb of Ay who died in 1343 Bc.'
He handed the doll to her and she read aloud the three thousand-year-old
hieroglyphics as easily as though they had been the headlines of that
morning's newspaper.
'I am Maya, Treasurer of the two Kingdoms. I will answer for the divine
Pharaoh Ay. May he live for ever!' She spoke in Arabic to test him, and
his reply in the same language was fluent and colloquial, 'It seems that
Percival Dixon told me the truth. You must have been an exceptional
student.'
Engrossed now in their common interest, speaking alternately Arabic and
English, the initial sharp prickles.of antagonism between them were
dulled. They moved slowly round the hall, lingering before each display
case to handle and examine minutely each object that it contained.
It was as though they were transported back over the millennia. Hours
and days seemed of no consequence in the face of such antiquity, and so
it startled both of them when Mrs. Street returned to interrupt them, 'I
am off now, Sir Nicholas. Can I leave it to you to lock up and set the
alarm? The security guards are on duty already.'
'What time is it?'Nicholas answered his own question by glancing at the
stainless steel Rolex Submariner on his wrist. 'Five-forty already, what
on earth happened to the day?' He sighed theatrically. 'Off you go, Mrs.
Street. Sorry we kept you so long.'
