We had retired to our room after dinner. Emerson was disrobing in his typical slapdash manner, tossing his garments onto the floor and leaving his boots in places where one of us was sure to stumble over them. I sat at the dressing table giving my hair its usual one hundred strokes.

I gain no particular satisfaction from regarding my own countenance. Shimmering auburn curls and azure eyes would be more to my taste than my stormy gray eyes, heavy black hair, and slightly sallow complexion. However, Emerson finds no fault with these features or with a figure that is fuller in certain regions than I would like. His opinions are the ones that count with me.

Being accustomed to Emerson’s emphatic tone, which he often employed, I replied, “No one is suggesting that we should, my dear. Selim has assured us that there has been no evidence of local interest in the area, but that situation may not continue, and the burial is too important to be left to the vagaries of chance. How many Third Dynasty burials have been found, more or less intact?”

“Precisely what I was about—”

“It shouldn’t take too long to complete the job,” I continued affably, avoiding a tedious lecture. “There is no chance of reconstructing the original arrangement, since it was jumbled about by Geoffrey Godwin. We can only sort and record what is there now.”

Emerson admitted the truth of this with a grudging grumble. “Tomorrow, then,” he said. “I will send Selim a telegram to notify the men and meet us in Zawaiet.”

“Not tomorrow, Emerson. What we must have before we continue is a skilled photographer.”

“Selim,” Emerson began, “is quite—”

“Selim has acquired considerable skill, but he may need assistance. Arranging the reflectors and changing them as the sunlight shifts, deciding how long an exposure requires—these are details best left to someone with more experience. One such person comes to mind, Emerson. Have you forgotten that Nefret will be arriving soon?”

“Of course not, but we can return to greet her when she arrives, or she can come to us directly. Zawaiet is too far for to-ing and fro-ing on a daily basis unless we live in Giza or Saqqara, and even then it takes time. She is capable of joining us at the site without your assistance unpacking her suitcases.”