“Do you wish to see her from a safe distance? Or do you wish to talk to her without seeing her? Or—”
“To see her and talk to her!”
“Wait!”
The man intently regarded the tip of Tom's left shoe for fully five minutes. Then he raised his head and clapped his hands twice. The black manservant with the fez appeared.
The man said something in Arabic—at least it sounded so to Tom. The black answered. The man spoke again. The black replied:
The man said what sounded to Tom like, “Ay adad.”
The negro answered, “Al-sabi! Al-sabi wal Saboun.”
The man waved his hand dismissingly and the negro salaamed and left the room.
After a moment the man turned to Tom and said, with obvious perplexity: “I am not sure it is wise for me to meddle, but perhaps it is written that I am to help you three times. Who knows?”
He stared into Tom's eyes as though he would read a word there—either yes or no. But Tom said, a trifle impatiently: