"I seem to be made of iron in this glorious country. I'm not a bit sleepy."
She stifled another yawn.
"Then I'll"—she put up her hand to her mouth—"I'll sit up a little to keep you company."
"Indeed, you shan't. You shall go straight to bed, and when you're safely tucked up I think perhaps I will just go down and have a look for the jackals. If you're going to sleep, I might as well—"
He drew down her face to his and gave her a long kiss.
"I'll put you to bed first, and when you're quite safe and warm and cosy, I'll make a start."
She returned his kiss.
"No, I'll see you off."
"But why?"
"Because I love to see you starting off in the night to the thing that gives you pleasure. That's my pleasure. Not always, because I'm too selfish. On the Nile you'll have to attend to me, to do everything I want. But just for these few days I'm going to be like an Eastern woman, at the beck of my lord and master. So I must see you start, and then—oh, how I shall sleep!"