It had been a strange episode.
She began to walk slowly up and down on the sand before the tent. Ouardi
came to walk with her, but she sent him away. Before doing so, however,
something moved her to ask him:
"That African liqueur, Ouardi--you remember that you brought to the tent
at Mogar--have we any more of it?"
"The monk's liqueur, Madame?"
"What do you mean--monk's liqueur?"
"It was invented by a monk, Madame, and is sold by the monks of
El-Largani."
"Oh! Have we any more of it?"
"There is another bottle, Madame, but I should not dare to bring it
if----"
He paused.
"If what, Ouardi?"
"If Monsieur were there."
Domini was on the point of asking him why, but she checked herself and
told him to leave her. Then she walked up and down once more on
the sand. She was thinking now of the broken glass on the ground at
Androvsky's feet when she found him alone in the tent after De Trevignac
had gone. Ouardi's words made her wonder whether this liqueur, brought
to celebrate De Trevignac's presence in the camp, had turned the
conversation upon the subject of the religious orders; whether Androvsky
had perhaps said something against them which had offended De Trevignac,
a staunch Catholic; whether there had been a quarrel between the two
men on the subject of religion.
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