He  was  thankful  that  his  guide  was  to  be  Belbeis,
for  this  man  was  well  known  to  him,  and  he  would
be  able  to  talk  freely  on  matters  which,  with  a
stranger,  he  would  have  to  avoid.  Belbeis  had  long
ago  proved  his  fidelity,  and  as  to  his  "  subtleness,"
of  which  Naoum  had  spoken,  that  was  beyond
doubt.  It  was  still  quite  early  in  the  day,  and
George  sat  idly  by  his  window,  impatiently  waiting
for  the  approach  of  night.  It  seemed  to  him  that
the  hours  were  of  intolerable  length,  and  would
never  pass.  His  excitement  increased  as  the  day
wore  on,  till  he  hardly  knew  what  to  do  with  him
self.  Mariam  came  in  with  his  mid-day  meal,  and
he  tried  to  detain  her  and  discuss  his  prospects  of
success,  but  the  old  woman  would  not  listen,  and
the  moment  he  opened  his  mouth  to  speak,  she
placed  her  finger  mysteriously  upon  her  lips  and
hurried  from  the  room.
292  UNDER   THE  REBELS  REIGN

There  was  no  help  for  it,  he  must  put  up  with  his
own  thoughts  and  company,  and  bear  the  delay  as
best  he  could.  The  day  dragged  slowly  on,  and
the  sun  began  to  set.  With  the  approach  of  night
his  spirits  rose,  and  he  busied  himself  with  plans  of
procedure  for  when  he  should  find  himself  outside
the  grounds  of  his  present  prison.
