The old lady fixed her frightened eyes on her husband's face and began to ask in a whisper—
"And what did you——"
"The rumour was groundless," said the Consul-General. "I've just heard so from the Commandant of Police. Gordon was not there. There was no sign that he ever had been."
The old lady wept silently, and the Consul-General continued to walk to and fro at the foot of her bed as if he were trying to avoid her face.
"You still think he left Cairo on the night of the riot, dear?"
"I trust he did. I trust, too, that he is far from here by this time—on his way to America, India, Australia, anywhere. And as he has broken the law, and his career is at an end, I think the kindest thing we can do is to hope that he may never come back again."
The old lady tried to speak but her voice failed her.
"More than that," continued the Consul-General, "as he deliberately took sides against us, I also think it is our duty—our strict and bounden duty—to dismiss all further thought of him."
Saying this with heat and emphasis, he caught sight of his wife's wet eyes and his conscience began to accuse him.
"I don't say it is easy to do," he said, taking a chair by the side of the bed. "Perhaps it is the reverse of easy—especially for you—for his mother."