Let the horses of Pharaohs envoy be madeready. Let
me go to Pharaoh and ask of him to send you hencetill this embassy is
finished.
See the great moon riding in yonder cloudless
sky.
Yes, young sir, I found them in plenty and gathered
them with theappropriate spells.
I said, beast of a Syrian, do you dare to talk thus
toPharaohs envoy, a Count of Egypt? At this moment his eye fell upon me, and he
said,So you are back, son Ramose. May not a man take a wife who pleases him andwhom
he pleases?
Pharaoh bids me say that he will answer
yourrequests to-morrow, since to-day it is too late.
Go to Pharaoh, lay all this matterbefore him,
giving it your own colour.
Then, Lady, you have read that which is worth
nothing, for what iswritten upon so short a scroll?
Yet it is dangerous to mock at any goddess, and
most ofall at Hathor.
A sweet voice answered,O Ramose, Pharaohs son and
envoy, I am your hostess Atyra, once aqueen. At first they amazed me to whom no
suchwords had ever been used before. I hear, Pharaoh, I answered bowing low to hide
the doubt and troublein my eyes. Then understand this also: That I put a great trust
upon you, Ramose. Presently I will return with his commands.
Further, this great Syrian ladydesired Pharaohs
help. You have cut him down andmaimed him, even if he is not slain. Still of this I
said nothing who was well content to bealone with this gracious and beautiful lady.
Ninari smote at me with his broad, curved blade.
Perchance it was a spirit of which this place must
be full, for such,they say, look like shadows.
If this young Egyptian lordhas done ill, let
Pharaoh judge him. I am the envoy of the Pharaoh Apries, King of the two Lands and
ofthe countries beyond the sea.
Yet I pray you to go tillshe has departed back to
Syria. As you may guess, I am thecourt physician. The business grew dangerous; the
friends of Ninari drew their weaponsand waved spears.
You should have run back to the camp and fetched a
guard, sheanswered angrily.
So the womanhas come and the sword has swung aloft
and now follows the trouble. So because we loved each other, I told him everything
from thebeginning to the end. I will wait,though in this matter I hold that delay is
folly.
There is much to be learned from thosewho sleep by
one who has the gift of reading souls. I said, beast of a Syrian, do you dare to
talk thus toPharaohs envoy, a Count of Egypt?
So there I remained that night, being given a tent
to sleep in near tothe pavilion. A servant who must have been watching me, noted
this and went away asthough to call some one. She looked at me a while before she
answered,My heart tells me that you are right, O Ramose.