Some malignant presence haunted the ship; I
could not doubt this; yet I remained passive, sunk in a lethargy of
sorrow.
We were scheduled to reach Port Said at about eight o'clock in the
evening, but by reason of the delay occasioned so tragically, I learnt
that in all probability we should not arrive earlier than midnight,
whilst passengers would not go ashore until the following morning.
Karamaneh, who had been staring ahead all day, seeking a first glimpse
of her native land, was determined to remain up until the hour of our
arrival, but after dinner a notice was posted up stating that we
should not be in before two a.m. Even those passengers who were the
most enthusiastic thereupon determined to postpone, for a few hours,
their first glimpse of the land of the Pharaohs and even to forgo the
sight--one of the strangest and most interesting in the world--of Port
Said by night.
For my own part, I confess that all the interest and hope with which I
had looked forward to our arrival had left me, and often I detected
tears in the eyes of Karamaneh; whereby I knew that the coldness in my
heart had manifested itself even to her. I had sustained the greatest
blow of my life, and not even the presence of so lovely a companion
could entirely recompense me for the loss of my dearest friend.
The lights on the Egyptian shore were faintly visible when the last
group of stragglers on deck broke up.
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