"Fatou Anni is nearly one hundred years old. She has borne twenty children, she has had fifty grandchildren; she has seen many wives, many brides and many mothers. She does not believe the sick man has the Evil Eye. She is not afraid of your fifty armed men. Fatou Anni is not afraid. Allah is great. She will not give up the Frenchman because of fear, nor will she give him up to any man. She gives him to the women of his people."
With dignity and majesty and with great beauty of carriage, the old woman turned and walked toward her hut and the Bedouins followed her.
CHAPTER XXII
INTO THE DESERT
A week after the caravan of the Duc de Tremont left Algiers, Julia Redmond came unexpectedly to the villa of Madame de la Maine at an early morning hour. Madame de la Maine saw her standing on the threshold of her bedroom door.
"Chère Madame," Julia said, "I am leaving to-day with a dragoman and twenty servants to go into the desert."
Madame de la Maine was still in bed. At nine o'clock she read her papers and her correspondence.
"Into the desert—alone!"
Julia, with her cravache in her gloved hands, smiled sweetly though she was very pale. "I had not thought of going alone, Madame," she replied with charming assurance, "I knew you would go with me."
On a chair by her bed was a wrapper of blue silk and lace. The comtesse sprang up and then thrust her feet into her slippers and stared at Julia.