After making a copy of Sydney's translation of the Szeged scroll, Lya attended Catholic services.  Nell attended Anglican services, while Alisa slept in and had breakfast in bed.

Rupert took the early morning train from Alexandria and arrived in Cairo before noon.  He took a taxi to  Shepheard's Hotel  in time to join the group for lunch.

That afternoon, Oswald and Sydney explored the bazaars, while Nell, Rupert, and Lya took a tour of Cairo by carriage.  They saw many fascinating monuments from the period of Islamic greatness, including the Caliph's Palace, El Azhar University (founded in 972 A.D), the mosques of Ibn-Talun and Sheikh Akhur, the Citadel and the Alabaster Mosque, the City of the Dead, and the Tombs of the Mamelukes.  Using her guidebook, Nell pointed out various landmarks of interest.  Rupert commented that during the Middle Ages Cairo was one of the most prosperous and advanced cities in the world.

After seeing the El Hussein mosque, the driver took them to a cafe in the Street of the Coffee Roasters, which happened to belong to his cousin Ahmed Fishawi.  While enjoying strong coffee (thick and sweet as molasses), Turkish cigarettes, and sweet pastries, the group was approached by a ragged urchin named Hassan, who begged for money and offered to guide them through Cairo.  Rupert decided to test the boy by giving him two piastres and instructing him to deliver the money to the front desk at Shepheard's.  After the boy ran off,   Rupert telephoned the hotel and told them to allow the boy into the hotel.  If he delivered the full amount of money, he was to be given 1 piastre and told to meet them back at Fishawi's cafe Monday morning at 10.

Rupert asked Ahmed about the Wafdist political movement and was told whom to contact to arrange an interview with the leaders.

The group then returned to the hotel, where Rupert learned that Hassan had indeed delivered the two piastres as ordered.

At dinner, the group discussed the significance of the Szeged scroll - was it prophesying the return of the Black Pharaoh?  Rupert told everyone about his visit to the monastery of St. Menas.  It was agreed that Faraz Najir would be interviewed tomorrow.

Later, Nell attended evensong services while Rupert read the Memoirs of Sir Richard Burton.  Lya requested the concierge to obtain an English translation of Herodatus for her.

Monday, Mar. 23

Alisa and Lya began the morning by visiting the Central Police Station, located on the east side of the Ezbekiyah Gardens.  Lya attempted to convince the sergeant on duty to give her the address of Warren Besart but failed, as she had no official need for the information.  Alisa then told him that she was attempting to notify Besart of an inheritance back in the U.S. and was given his address as The Red Door, Street of Scorpions, in the Darb-el Ahmar.

Meanwhile, Nell and Rupert sat in the hotel lobby and read the latest edition of the weekly Cairo Bulletin.  Scanning the "Arrivals" column, Nell noticed that Mr. Edward Gavigan had arrived at Port Said from England on the P&O steamship  Strathclyde on Friday.  Rupert speculated that he might be visiting the archeological expedition sponsored by the Penhew Foundation.  When Alisa and Lya returned from the Police Station,  they were quite upset to learn that Gavigan was in Egypt and expected trouble.

The group then prepared for their excursion into old Cairo.  Rupert donned his native garb (robes and fez), Lya put on dark makeup, a wig, safari hat, veil, and Egyptian dress, while Nell and Alisa dressed as prosperous American tourists (long dress, long-sleeved blouse, walking shoes, hat).  Oswald dressed as a respectable American businessman, while Sydney dressed more comfortably.

Nell, Rupert, Lya, Oswald, and Syndey then took a taxi to Fishawi's cafe, where they found Hassan eagerly waiting for them.  Hassan asked Rupert for more money, but instead Rupert gave him a promissory note and told him to take it to Shepheard's at the end of the day for payment.  Rupert also promised to buy Hassan a dagger for self-protection but refused his request for a gun.

Hassan then led the group through a bewildering maze of courtyards, bazaars, side streets and alleys.  In one bazaar Hassan helpfully pointed out a knife merchant to Rupert.  Rupert again promised to buy Hassan a dagger after they finished their immediate task.  The merchant offered to sell Rupert a Mameluke sabre that had purportedly been wielded against Napoleon at the Battle of the Pyramids.  Alisa kept an eye out for a possible ambush, as she did not trust Hassan.

Eventually Hassan led the group to the Street of Jackals, in the heart of the Old City,  where there were numerous shops.  Few Westerners were to be seen.   Amidst the pottery and rug merchants there was a shop with the signs "Curios", "Magasin des Antiquities", and "Faraz Najir" (in Arabic).  Hassan pointed out a man in business suit and fez, lounging near a pottery shop across the street, and said that he had been following them from the cafe.  The group decided to split up into smaller units to avoid suspicion.  Rupert and Hassan then went behind the store to investigate the alley.

Oswald and Sydney were the first to enter the store.  They were greeted by the proprietor, who offered them mint tea and sweet pastries.  He showed them modern  reproductions of ancient artworks, including plaster obelisks, busts of Nefertiti, miniature pyramids and sphinxes, papyrus, and other tourist items.  When Oswald explained that he was interested in genuine antiquities, Faraz denied that he had any such items and said that their sale was illegal unless approved by the government.

Meanwhile, Rupert tried to enter the shop through the back door but found it barred.  Hassan nimbly climbed up to the second floor and entered through an open window.  He then came down the stairs and unbarred the door for Rupert.

Nell, Alisa, and Lya (disguised as a native servant) came into the shop.  Faraz instructed the shop boy to offer them refreshments as well.  Alisa said that she was looking for gifts for her clients.  She purchased a gold cigarette case inscribed with hieroglyphics and a brooch in the form of a scarab for her secretary back in Boston.  In a private exchange, she asked Faraz if he had any genuine antiquities (sub rosa) and was told (confidentially) to talk to a man named Omar Shakti.  Nell purchased a miniature statue of a scribe  for her parents back in Cincinnati.  By this time Oswald had set aside several interesting items, including jewelry, lacquer boxes inscribed with cartouches, scarabs, and ushabtis.  He paid Najir's initial asking price plus a 25% bonus, hoping to use this as an opening gambit for getting information.

As Alisa was about to ask Faraz about Omar Shakti, Rupert burst into the shop from the back room.  He brandished a broken, inverted ankh and demanded if Faraz knew anything about the Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh or the Carlyle Expedition.  Faraz' demeanor changed from that of a friendly shopkeeper to a frightened man and he ordered Rupert to leave his shop immediately.

Upset at the way the situation was developing, Oswald and Sydney quickly left the shop, followed by Nell and Alisa.  Hassan used the confusion as a distraction, grabbing a necklace and ornamental dagger from a display case and concealing them underneath his rags.

Rupert then set down a sum of money on the counter, told Faraz that he was interested in having a private discussion with him and not to tell anyone that he was here, then went out the back door, followed by Hassan and Lya.

Aware that they were being followed, Nell et. al. decided to split up to see what happened.  Oswald and Sydney walked across the street to the pottery shop where the man was standing, while Nell and Alisa went further down the street to a brass dealer.  Oswald and Sydney noted that the man took no heed of them but repositioned himself so as to keep Nell and Alisa under observation.  Sydney purchased a clay pot (potential thrown weapon).  Aware that the man was following them, Alisa purchased a pair of brass candlesticks (potential bludgeoning weapons) and then walked into the next shop, which dealt in rugs.

Oswald and Sydney then walked across the street to the brassworks shop that Alisa and Nell had just left.  Realizing that they were lost in the Old City with no help in sight, Oswald purchased a huge brass urn (after some haggling) and told the shopkeeper he was the purchasing agent for Alisa.  He instructed him to inform Alisa that the urn had been purchased and to deliver it to Shepheard's Hotel.   The shopkeeper then chased down the street after Alisa and Nell, informed them of the purchase, and offered to deliver it (and them) to the hotel.  They agreed, and, accompanied by a porter carrying the urn, walked back to the hotel.

Noting that the man in the fez did not follow them, Oswald then purchased a large carpet and asked the shopkeeper to get a porter.  He and Sydney then walked back to Shepheard's with the porter, where they met up with Alisa and Nell.  Sydney told them that the man was definitely following them.  The fact that he did not follow them back to the hotel probably meant that he knew where they were staying.

After lunch, Oswald sent the urn and rug to his shipping agent in Alexandria.  He and Sydney then went shopping for new clothes and additional luggage.  Since it appeared that they were not the targets of surveillance, they decided to set up a "safe-area" by changing hotels.  They checked out of Shepheard's and took a room at the Semiramis Hotel, located on the east bank of the Nile.  Oswald sent a telegram (in the family code) to his brother John in London, alerting him that the Penhew Foundation appeared to be involved in smuggling Egyptian antiquities.  He then called the office of Omar Shakti, identified himself as an American businessman,  and requested an interview to discuss importing Egyptian textiles into the U.S.  An interview was set up for 10 am, Thursday morning, at Mr. Shakti's office in Cairo.  If there was change in plans Mr. Shakti's office would contact him at the Semiramis Hotel.

Meanwhile, out in the alley, Hassan and Lya hid behind a pile of rubbish while Rupert stood nearby.  A few minutes later, Faraz exited the shop through the back door.  Seeing Rupert, he told him to meet him at the Mosque of Ibn-Talun if he wished to learn more.  Faraz then left.

Rupert asked Hassan to guide them to the mosque, which he did. After removing their shoes, they entered the mosque and found Faraz Najir.  He took them to a small room, where he told them what he knew about the Carlyle Expedition.  Lya shuddered to recall that she had handled the book bound in human skin at the Carlyle mansion.  Faraz said he had had no further dealings with Tewfik, whom he later learned worked for Omar Shakti.  He described Omar Shakti as a respectable but dangerous businessman, who dealt in many types of commerce.  She asked Faraz about the African woman and was told that she had been present as Hypatia's servant.  Faraz denied writing the letter to Roger Carlyle, stating that he could not write fluently in English.  This posed a new mystery - who wrote the letter, and how did Jackson Elias get it, since it had been sent to Roger Carlyle?

They thanked Faraz for the information, then returned to Fishawi's cafe for lunch.  Hassan again asked Rupert for money and Rupert called the hotel, instructing them to give Hassan 30 piastres.  He told Hassan to be at the cafe each day after morning prayers for the next week.  If Rupert did not show up, he could go to Shepheard's and be paid a retainer; otherwise, Rupert would give him a specific task for that day.  Hassan ran off to sell the stolen necklace.  He used some of the money to purchase a cheap (and illegal) revolver, then gorged himself with food.  Rupert and Lya then returned to the hotel.  Lya sent a  telegram  to Jonah Kensington.

Rupert and Lya then walked a few blocks to the office of the Cairo Bulletin, where they had a conversation with the editor, Mr. Nigel Wassif.  Mr. Wassif was a man in his mid-forties, of Anglo-Egyptian descent, with slicked-down black hair and a pencil-thin moustache, and wearing an impeccably tailored suit.  He  seemed delighted to have a chance to converse with two well-educated Americans and told them that he was always looking for new stories about visitors to Egypt.  Lya told him that she was writing a magazine article on recent archeological expeditions and was especially interested in the tragic fate of the Carlyle Expedition, while Rupert was interested in the Wafdist movement and personal stories relating to the Great War in the Near East.  Mr. Wassif told them that his newspaper tried to avoid sensationalism and controversy, tending instead to focus on the positive aspects of the Anglo-European presence in Cairo. He showed them the newspaper archives for 1919 and helped them locate several interesting articles.  Lya noted a photograph of Hypatia Masters and Dr. Huston at the Cairo Opera.  Hypatia seemed to be wearing a set of ancient Egyptian jewelry that Faraz Najir described.

In return for his help, he interviewed Rupert and Lya for an article about their recent travels.  They told him about their voyage on the Mauretania, the visit to London and Paris, the Orient Express, and Count Kurasov.  They told him that they were travelling in the company of several other distinguished Americans, including Mrs. George Parker of Cincinnati, Mrs. Maude Derringer-Daniels of Arkham, and Miss Alisa Blankstone of Boston (they requested that he make no mention of her in the article).

Back at Shepheard's, Nell and Alisa decided to try and locate Edward Gavigan.  They began calling hotels and asking if Mr. Gavigan had checked in yet.  Nell called the Continental-Savoy, Victoria & New Khedivial, Metropolitan, and Hotel de Paris (French) without success.  Alisa then called the Semiramis, identified herself as "Erica Peabody" and inquired about Mr. Gavigan.  She was not prepared for the desk clerk's reply - "I'll connect you to his room" - and heard Gavigan's voice answer the phone.  She immediately hung up.  A minute later the phone rang.  The operator asked if the connection had been faulty and did she want to reconnect?  Alisa said no and hung up.

Shortly thereafter Rupert, Lya, Oswald, and Sydney dropped by Alisa's suite to discuss the day's events and prepare for dinner.  Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door.  "Room service".  Alisa looked out through the peephole and saw a young Egyptian bellboy with a tray and a bottle of  Veuve Cliquot champagne.  Refusing to open the door, she told the bellboy to take it back and that she had not ordered anything.  She called the concierge and was told that the champagne had been sent by a Mr. Edward Gavigan.

Oswald and Sydney immediately opened the window and left the room via the fire escape. Alisa was horrified that Gavigan knew where she was staying, while Lya became hysterical.  She threatened to go find Gavigan and "rip his heart out", blaming him for the death of her friend Jackson Elias.  When Alisa phoned the hotel doctor and requested that he sedate Lya, she panicked and ran away using the fire escape.  Nell and Rupert tried to calm down Alisa and began planning for imminent trouble.

At that point there was a knock at the door.  Oswald and Sydney returned, having spoke to the concierge and retrieved a card that had been sent with the champagne.  It read, "Welcome to Cairo - Edward Gavigan".  This further upset Alisa.  Nell decided that the group needed a night out on the town to recover equilibrium and ordered a taxi.  Lya would take care of herself, they reasoned.

Nell, Rupert, Alisa, Oswald, and Sydney went to the Turf Club, where they found that it was the racing season.  Nell bet on a longshot, "Beautiful Bellboy", and won a tidy sum.  Oswald met an old friend from college, Grover Sansforth, who was in Cairo for his health.  Sydney made many new friends, including the man who operated the Egyptian Museum gift shop.  She introduced him to Oswald, who proposed importing items from the Museum shop into the U.S.  Everyone had a fine time.

Meanwhile, Lya wandered through the streets of Cairo in rage and bewilderment.  Eventually she stumbled into the lobby of the Hotel Continental and tried to get a room but was told that she needed her passport.  Returning to Shepheard's, she demanded her passport but told them that she wanted to retain her room.  She returned to the Continental, took a room, and began writing furiously in her journal. After several hours of this she phoned Shepheard's and left a message for Rupert, instructing him to meet her at Fishawi's cafe tomorrow at 10.

Oswald and Sydney took a taxi from the Turf Club back to the Semiramis.  Oswald telephoned Edward Gavigan and told him that he was interested in importing reproductions of items discovered by Penhew Foundation expeditions.  Gavigan was receptive to the idea and  invited Oswald to accompany him on Wednesday for a visit to the Clive dig site at Memphis.

Rupert, Nell, and Alisa returned to Shepheard's, where they picked up the message from "Sarah Brightman, at the Hotel Continental".  Alisa urged them not to try and call Lya that night, as it might further upset her.  Rupert called her anyway, but no one picked up the phone.  Alisa then called the Semiramis and was told that "Sarah Brightman" was not checked in.

The tension increased further when a bellboy in the livery of Shepheard's delivered an unsigned message on Semiramis stationery.  Thinking that it might be from Oswald, Nell telephoned his room at the Semiramis.  Oswald answered the phone and denied sending any message, or knowing anyone named Nell Parker!

This really upset Nell, who was usually the most unflappable member of the group.  Who sent the message from the Semiramis Hotel?  Why did Oswald not know them anymore?  Who had sent the message requesting a meeting at Fishawi's?  Who would be waiting for them there?  And where was Lya? And what was her mental condition?