They dwell in a room huddled up as unclean things in the house there; they drink and make merry far into the night, and a woman veiled and in European garb comes to them and drinks with them sometimes--and sometimes a man of her kind with her; and they speak a tongue that is not the tongue of our people; yet have I seen them go forth into the city and do homage as we to the sacred son." Cleek sucked in his breath and, twitching round, stared at the dim figure leaning forward in the dim light.
"By George!" he said to himself; "if I know anything, I ought to know the slouch and the low-sunk head of the Apache! And the woman comes!--And a man comes!--And there are five lacs of rupees! I wonder! I wonder! But no--she wouldn't come here, to a place like this, if she had ventured back into England and had called some of the band over to help.
She'd go to the old spot--to the old haunt where she and I used to lie low and laugh whilst the police were hunting for me.

She'd go there, I'm sure, to the old Burnt Acre Mill, where, if you were 'stalked,' you could open the sluice gates and let the Thames and the mill stream rush in and meet, and make a hell of whirling waters that would drown a fish.
She would go there if it were she.

And yet--it is an Apache: I swear it is an Apache!" He turned and looked back at Arjeeb Noosrut, then raised his hand and brushed it down the back of his head, which was always the sign "Wait!" to Dollops--and then spoke as calmly as he could.
"Brother, I will go in and break bread and eat salt with thee," he said.
"But I may do no more, for to-night I am in haste." "Come then," the man answered; and taking him by the hand, led him in and up to a room at the back of the second storey, where, hot as the night was, the windows were closed and a woman squatted before a lighted brasier, was dripping the contents of an oil cruse over the roasting carcass of a young kid.
"It is to shut out the sounds of the vile infidel orgies from the house adjoining," explained Arjeeb Noosrut, as Cleek walked to the tightly closed window and leant his forehead against it.

"Yet, if the heat oppresses thee--" "It does," interposed Cleek, and leant far out into the darkness as though sucking in the air when the sash was raised and the thing which had been only a dim babel of wordless sounds a moment before, became now the riotous laughter and the ribald comments of men upon the verses of a comic song which one of their number was joyously singing.
"French!" said Cleek under his breath, as he caught the notes of the singer and the words of his audience--"French--I knew it!" Then he drew in his head, and having broken of the bread and eaten of the salt which, at a word from Arjeeb Noosrut, the woman brought on a wicker tray and laid before them, he moved hastily to the door.
"Brother and son of the faithful, peace be with thee--I must go," he said.

"But I come again; and it is written that thou shalt be honoured above all men when I return to thee, and that the true believers--the true sons of Holy Buddha--shall have cause to set thy name at the head of the records of those who are most blest of him!" Then he salaamed and passed out; and, closing the door behind him, ran like a hare down the narrow stairs.