Free Seeing a Large Cat by Elizabeth Peters Page B

question is-why?"
    Emerson's mouth was still open. He began mumbling. "It's getting worse. Or is it that my wits are failing? I used to be able to follow ... Well, more or less ... But this is ..."
    I deemed it advisable to change the subject. Turning, I said, "May I request your assistance with the buttons, my dear?"

Chapter Three
    Cats cannot be held accountable for their actions, because they have no morals to speak of.
    Emerson was as good as his word. He followed close on my heels next morning while I made the rounds of boot makers, tailors, and haberdashers. Not even the hour I spent at the linen drapers got him off the trail, though he had never willingly entered that establishment before; arms folded, brow thunderous, he stood behind me while I selected handkerchiefs, serviettes, and sheets. It was well on toward midday before I finished, and when we returned to our hired carriage (Emerson holding my arm in a hard grip the whole time), I suggested that since the day was half gone we should postpone our departure till the following morning.
    "No," said Emerson.
    So we got off that same day, and I confess I was not unwilling to enjoy again the pleasures of Nile travel-to sit on the upper deck under the shade of an awning, watching glide past the fields upon which the water of the inundation lay in glimmering sheets, the mud-brick villages shaded by palm and tamarisk, the naked children splashing in the shallows. It was a scene that had not changed in thousands of years; the majestic shapes of the pyramids of Giza and Sakkara, their scarred slopes smoothed by distance, might have been just completed by the same half-naked men who tilled the muddy fields.
    Emerson at once retired to the saloon, which we used as a sitting room and library. I knew better than to disturb him; he was accustomed to use this period of time to work out his plans for the winter, and he did not like to be questioned about them until he had things clear in his mind. At least that was what he always claimed. The truth is he took a childish pleasure in keeping the rest of us in suspense.
    It was not until late afternoon that I was able to get Ramses alone. He and David were with Nefret on the upper deck, engaged in an animated discussion about mummies and examining some very nasty photographs. Averting my eyes from the face of an unfortunate queen whose cheeks had burst because of an excess of packing material under the skin, I requested that he try on his new clothes. He objected, of course, but only as a matter of form, since he knew it would have no effect.
    The parcels I had fetched that morning were piled on the bed and the floor, unwrapped and uninspected. I removed a bundle of shirts from the chair and seated myself. Ramses eyed me warily.
    "I want to be certain the trousers and shirts are a proper fit," I explained. "Go behind the screen to change if you like."
    Ramses assured me he did like. When he emerged he looked quite respectable except for the rolled-up bottoms of his trouser legs. I seated myself on the floor and took my sewing kit from my pocket.
    "What are you doing?" Ramses asked in surprise.
    "Measuring your trouser legs. They will have to be hemmed."
    "But, Mother! Never in your entire life have you willingly-"
    "Your father left me little choice," I replied, putting in pins.
    "The tailor would have done it properly if you had returned for the final fitting. Oh, dear, I am sorry. Did I prick you?"
    "Yes. Why not spare yourself and me and tell me what it is you want to talk to me about?"
    I looked up. Like the Egyptians he resembles in so many ways, Ramses has very long, thick lashes. They give his dark eyes quite a penetrating expression, but I knew that impassive countenance well, and I detected an underlying look of uneasiness.
    "I suppose we can find a tailor in Luxor," I admitted, taking the hand he offered and allowing him to raise me to my feet. "Just tuck them into your boot tops until then."
    "That temporary solution had