4: WITH KITCHENEK IlST THE SOITDAH

may not get it,” he said to himself as he went out ; but my knowledge of Arabic and the native dialect is all in my

favour. And at least in a year or two she may have, thor-

oughly shaken off the cough, and that is everything. At any

rate I have a better chance of getting this, than I had of

the other places that I applied for. There can hardly be a

rush of applicants. When I am out there I may hear of something better. However, I will take another name. Fortunately I have a second one, which will do very well.

Hilliard will do as well as Hartley; and as I never write it in

full as my signature, no one would recognize it as my name.

There is nothing to be ashamed of in accepting such a post. As for the marquis, as he has never been friendly with us,

it does not matter; he is, I have heard, a very tough sort

of man, and my father is not likely to survive him. But I do not think it would be fair to Geoffrey, when he comes into

his peerage, that anyone should be able to say that he has a brother who is porter in a mercantile house at Alexandria. We have never got on very well together. The fact that he was heir to a title spoilt him. I think he would have been a very good fellow if it hadn’t been for that.”

On arriving at the office in Leadenhall Street he was, on saying he wished to speak to Mr. Partridge, at once shown in A good many of his personal belongings had been long since pledged, but he had retained one or two suits, so that he could make as good an appearance as possible when he went out.

The clerk had merely said A gentleman wishes to speak to you, sir,” and the merchant looked up enquiringly at him as he entered.

“ I have come to see you, sir, with reference to that adver- tisement for a man at your establishment at Alexandria.”

A look of surprise came over the merchant’s face, and he said : “ Have you called on your own account ? ”

Yes ; I am anxious to go abroad for the sake of my wife’s health, and I am not particular, as to what I do, so that I can take her to a warm climate.

’ 1 may .Sav that I have been two