noon
He was once more the man he normally was in London -- a man intensely , Jewishly alert , a man with a doctor 's mind . In every great physician there is hidden a great detective . It was a detective who now walked alone in the temple of Edfou , who penetrated presently once more to the sombre sanctuary , and who stayed there for a long time , standing before the granite shrine of the God , listening mentally in the absolute silence to the sound of an ugly voice . When the heat of noon approached , Isaacson went back to the _ Fatma _ . He did not know at all how long a time had passed since Mrs. Armine had left him , and when he came on board , he enquired of Hassan whether any message had come for him , any note from the dahabeeyah that lay over there to the south of them , drowned in the quivering gold . `` No , my nice gentlemans , '' was the reply , accompanied by a glance of intense curiosity . Questions immediately followed .