Page:Harold Lamb--The House of the Falcon.djvu/223

 fashioned her disguise of the morning for this purpose?

"After all," he murmured, "my house wouldn't appeal to her. Perhaps she guessed that I meant to ask her to marry me. I wonder. Did you, Edith?"

Swift, poignant loneliness smote him. And as quickly came the phantom of jealousy to mock at him.

"She knew you had given your word to the Sayaks," gibed the imp in his brain. "Didn't she? Of course, she did?"

"But she wouldn't leave without speaking to me," reasoned the hope that would not forsake Donovan in spite of Edith's disappearance.

"Ha!" mocked the imp. "Wouldn't she? How do you know? Did the girl consult you before she ran away to the temple? And why did she go up the mountain, before that—just when one of the Vulture's Sarts sneaked through the lines? After all, my dear fellow, can you trust a woman? And the Vulture's handsome—Monsey, you know—he's devilishly handsome. Women trust him."

"Edith wouldn't listen to a scoundrel," maintained Donovan's love.

"That's just the point," reasoned the imp logically. "She doesn't know his record, nor that he is the Vulture. What did the Sayaks tell you in the council this afternoon? They had information from Kashgar. Monsey spread the news there that he is leading a party to rescue Miss Rand. And that she is engaged to marry him."

"He lied!" cried Donovan, aloud. "I trust her."

"But does she care for you?" The mocking voice became fainter. "Didn't she leave you, of her own accord"