He sent Henri away and sat down beside the divan to watch with a
feeling of weariness that was not bodily. The great tent was very
still, a pregnant silence seemed to hang in the air, a brooding hush
that strained Saint Hubert's already overstrained nerves. He had need
of all his calm, and he gripped himself resolutely. For a time Ahmed
Ben Hassan lay motionless, and then, as the day crept on and the early
rays of the warm sun filled the tent, he moved uneasily, and began to
mutter feverishly in confused Arabic and French. At first the words
that came were almost unintelligible, pouring out with rapid
indistinctness, then by degrees his voice slowed, and hesitating,
interrupted sentences came clearly from his lips. And beside him, with
his face buried in his hands, Raoul de Saint Hubert thanked God
fervently that he had saved Diana the added torture of listening to the
revelations of the past four months.
The first words were in Arabic, then the slow, soft voice lapsed into
French, pure as the Vicomte's own.
"Two hours south of the oasis with the three broken palm trees by the
well.... Lie still, you little fool, it is useless to struggle. You
cannot get away, I shall not let you go.... Why have I brought you
here? You ask me why? Mon Dieu! Are you not woman enough to
know? No! I will not spare you. Give me what I want willingly and I
will be kind to you, but fight me, and by Allah! you shall pay the
cost!... I know you hate me, you have told me so already. Shall I make
you love me?... Still disobedient? When will you learn that I am
master?... I have not tired of you yet, you lovely little wild
thing, garcon manque.... You say she is cowed; I say she is
content--content to give me everything I ask of her.... For four months
she has fought me. Why does it give me no pleasure to have broken her
at last? Why do I want her still? She is English and I have made her
pay for my hatred of her cursed race. I have tortured her to keep my
vow, and still I want her.... Diane, Diane, how beautiful you are!...
What devil makes me hate Raoul after twenty years? Last night she only
spoke to him, and when he went I cursed her till I saw the terror in
her eyes. She fears me. Why should I care if she loves him.... I knew
she was not asleep when I went to her. I felt her quivering beside
me.... I wanted to kill Raoul when he would not come with me, but for
that I would have gone back to her.... Allah! how long the day has
been.... Has it been long to her? Will she smile or tremble when I
come?... Where is Diane?... Diane, Diane, how could I know how much you
meant to me? How could I know that I should love you?... Diane, Diane,
my sunshine. The tent is cold and dark without you.... Ibraheim Omair!
That devil and Diane! Oh, Allah! Grant me time to get to her.... How
the jackals are howling.... See, Raoul, there are the tents.... Diane,
where are you?... Grand Dieu! He has been torturing her!... You knew
that I would come, ma bien aimee, only a few moments while I
kill him, then I can hold you in my arms. Dieu! If you knew how
much I loved you.... Diane, Diane, it is all black. I cannot see you,
Diane, Diane...."