There was the pale Barbara seated, weeping. There again, as he entered
she sprang up and snatching the pistol that lay beside her, turned it
to her breast. Then she perceived him and the pistol sank downwards till
from her relaxed hand it dropped to the ground. She threw up her arms
and without a sound fell backwards, or would have fallen, had he not
caught her.
CHAPTER XIX
THE LAST OF THE ASIKI
Barbara had recovered. She sat upon her bed in the tent and by her sat
Alan, holding her hand, while before them stood Aylward like a prisoner
in the dock, and behind him the armed Jeekie.
"Tell me the story, Barbara," said Alan, "and tell it briefly, for I
cannot bear much more of this."
She looked at him and began in a slow, even voice:
"After you had gone, dear, things went on as usual for a month or two.
Then came the great Sahara Company trouble. First there were rumours
and the shares began to go down. My uncle bought them in by tens and
hundreds of thousands, to hold up the market, because he was being
threatened, but of course he did not know then that Lord Aylward--for
I forgot to tell you, he had become a lord somehow--was secretly one of
the principal sellers, let him deny it if he can.
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