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"I'll sit up to-night, Mrs Cheniston, and you et so the position in which they stood--"I suppose so of an effort--"every night?"

"Yes I don't think we any of us slept last night," said Iris quietly "You see we are so short-handed--only Mr Wood and Mr Garnett and Hassan know anything about fire-arms; and Mrs Wood and I, and Rosa, Mrs Wood's nurse, have been busy looking after Bruce and little Molly Wood"

"Of course Well, I think the first thing to do, after I have given Mr Cheniston this"--he had been lass as he spoke--"is to meet and hold a council of ith a view to the most useful disposition of our forces After all"--he spoke htly, so keen was his desire to see her look less anxious--"we are not by any means a force to be despised We have four able-bodied ather, looks pretty inable, on one side at least"

"Yes Even Mr Garnett admits that the Bedouins could hardly swarhtly ot to hold out indefinitely; for ifforce here in less than three days"

"Of course we may!" His tone was resolutely optimistic "Now, as soon as Mr Cheniston drinks this we'll set to work"

He approached the bed, and having with some difficulty roused Cheniston from his stupor, administered the dose deftly; after which he turned to Iris once more

"You spoke of a nurse just now Who is she?"

"Oh, she is only a children's nurse, and rather a broken reed at the best of tiht, but she's a bit more sensible to-day"

"Hysterics or no, she can keep watch for half an hour," said Anstice rather grimly "Suppose you find her and send her to o at once" Iris turned towards the door, and Anstice noted with a pang at his heart that she was certainly thinner and moved with less buoyancy than of old "You--you won't be too severe with her, Dr Anstice? After all, she is only a young girl, and she has gone through quite a lot since yesterday !"