Page:Harold Lamb--The House of the Falcon.djvu/105

 If she knew this she would know something of Iskander's purpose "Yess, khanum, we took them, Aravang and I. But it was not stealing. It is the word of God that a thief must eat the dirt of his dishonor." He nodded reflectively. The seller of rugs was in a philosophical mood that afternoon and his philosophy was a trenchant thing. "We took them because we could not buy them—in Srinagar or elsewhere. Likewise—and it is different as day is from dark—we took them not for ourselves but for another."

"Who?" No answer, except an indulgent smile. Edith had committed a second breach of Moslem manners—the question direct.

"The medicines are for you to use."

For her use! The girl wondered at first whether the remedies of her aunt had been purloined against possible sickness on her part. Yet she was conscious of a deeper meaning in the man's words. The Arab expected that the time would come when she herself would have use for the medicines. Either that or she must administer the remedies to another person.

"As for the other box," the scion of Tahir resumed, "before our coming to the City of the Sun it was stolen by a faithless servant. Yess, Jain Ali Beg tasted the punishment he had stored up for himself—Aravang saw to it. We are carrying the box to him who owned it, before Jain Ali Beg stole it. Am I, then, a thief?" "Why, perhaps not."

Here Edith had her first insight into a curious code of ethics—a code that was not her own, but one that was ancient as the hills under which they were