• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

“A penny for your thoughts,” he said. “Or whatever amount you ask; they must be distressing, to judge by your face.”

“Only confusing,” I said. “But I will straighten them out, Cyrus, never fear. Once Mohammed is able to speak, we may be on the way to a solution of our present difficulty. It is a pity his nose and mouth took the brunt of the blow.”

Emerson, who had been openly eavesdropping, took this for another not-so-veiled criticism. Scowling even more fiercely, he rose and started to stalk away.

“Don’t go far,” I called. “Dinner will be served shortly.”

There was no reply, not even a grunt.

“I have something that may cheer you up,” Cyrus said. “My servant has been collecting the mail, as usual; he brought the most recent letters here this evening.”

“All this way?” I took the packet he handed me. “Cyrus, you are the most thoughtful of men.”

“Well, I figured you’d be keen to know what’s going on back in jolly old England. I’m a little curious myself, so…”

“Of course. I have no secrets from you, Cyrus. But I see dinner is ready; I will wait to read this particular epistle until afterward, I think. Not only is it very bulky, but I fear it might spoil my appetite.”

From Cyrus’s admiring look I could see he took this as a demonstration of British phlegm. In fact I had a cowardly reluctance to read Ramses’s latest literary offering, which I expected would only tell me a number of distressing things I could do absolutely nothing about. If anything serious had occurred, Walter would have telegraphed.

So after a meal no one except Kevin seemed anxious to eat, we dispersed. Emerson had not joined us; I concluded he had dined with Abdullah and the others. At my invitation, Cyrus followed me to my tent.

There were two letters from Chalfont in the packet. I recognized Evelyn’s dainty, precise handwriting on one, and decided to save it for a treat—or an antidote—after I had read Ramses’s.

“Dearest Mama and Papa. I am sorry to tell you that Gargery is still not a hero. However, we have another heroine.

“I never thought Aunt Evelyn had it in her. It has been a salutary if humbling experience for me and will teach me, I hope, to question even more rigorously the false stereotypes our society holds about the behavior and character of females. I had always believed myself free of such prejudices and certainly I ought to have been, with Mama’s example of abnormality always before me. How curiously the human mind operates! It seems to be able to dismiss any evidence that conflicts, not only with its own desires, but with preconceived beliefs so deeply seated and unconsciously instilled that they are not recognized as irrational. Examined in the cold light of reason…”

Before turning the page—which ended with the last phrase I have quoted—I took a firm grip on my temper. It would serve no purpose to lose it, since the object of my wrath was out of reach. He must have been reading the articles on psychology I had strictly forbidden him … Or had I? I had certainly meant to, since some of the theories expressed were far too shocking for the innocent minds of children. However, I could not be certain. Telling Ramses what not to do was a time-consuming process, and it was almost impossible to keep up with him because he was always thinking of new atrocities to commit.

Realizing that I was letting my mind stray, just as Ramses had done, I went on reading.

“… many of these beliefs do not stand up for a moment. They are, in fact, no more than mindless superstition. Whence, then, do they come? I confess I have not yet found an answer. It is particularly galling to discover them in a mind as rational as I have always considered mine to be.

“I would like to discuss this matter with you, dearest Mama and Papa, for it interests me a great deal; but perhaps this is not the appropriate time, for you must be wondering what particular incident prompted my speculations.

“You may recall that in my last letter I described the curious incident of the dogs that barked in the nighttime. Since barking was the extent of their