Though she could not speak, she strove to
reward him with a valiant smile, and even conquered the gush of tears
that gave momentary tribute to her agony. And now she lay in a dead
faint, pallid and inert, while Royson said bitter things about Alfieri.
He blamed the Italian for all this mad business, and vowed harsh
vengeance on him if ever they met again. He was quite unable to help
Irene. He had less than the average man's vague knowledge of the right
treatment to adopt under such conditions. He imagined that the hands
and face of a fainting woman should be bathed in water, and was about
to take her back to the shore when Abdullah intervened.
"It is nothing, monsieur," said he, with true Eastern nonchalance where
the opposite sex was concerned. "Her head and arms ache now that her
bonds are removed. If Allah wills it, she should revive presently. And
we cannot remain here. Whether she live or die let us go on, in God's
name."
Despite the flurry of his new predicament, the Englishman caught a hint
of petulance in the Arab's tone.
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