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CORNELL UNIVERSnV UBRARY 
 
 3 1924 079 599 647 
 
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 copyright law, Cornell University 
 
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CLEOPATRA 
 
 BY 
 
 H. RIDER HAGGARD 
 
 CHICAGO 
 W. B. CONKEY COMPANY 
 
BY THE SAME AUTHOR 
 
 IN UNIFORM STYLE 
 
 ALLAN QUATERMAIN 
 
 CLEOPATRA 
 
 COLONEL QUARITCH, V. C. 
 
 ERIC BRIGHTEYES 
 
 JESS 
 
 KING SOLOMON'S MINES 
 
 MAIWA'S REVENGE 
 
 MR. MEESON'S WILL 
 
 SHE 
 
 DAWN 
 
 CHICAGO 
 W. B. CONKEY COMPANY 
 
CLEOPATRA. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 In the recesses of tlie desolate Libyan Mountains 
 that lie behind the temple and city of Abydos, supposed 
 burying-place of the Holy Osiris, a tomb was recently 
 discovered, among the contents of which were the papy- 
 rus rolls on which this history is written. The tomb 
 -itself is spacious, but otherwise remarkable only for 
 the depth of the shaft, which descends vertically from 
 the rock-hewn cave, that once served as a mortuary 
 chapel to the friends and relatives of the departed, to 
 the coffin chamber beneath. This shaft is no less than 
 eighty -nine feet in depth. The chamber at its foot was 
 found to contain three coffins only, though it is large 
 enough for many more. Two. of these, which in all 
 probability inclosed the bodies of the high priest, Am- 
 enemhat, and of his wife, father and mother of Har- 
 marchis, the hero of this history, the shameless Arabs 
 "Tvho discovered them there and then broke up. 
 
 The Arabs broke the bodies up. With unhallowed 
 hands they tore the holy Amenemhat, and the frame 
 of her who had, as it is written, been filled with the 
 spirit of the Hathors — tore them limb from limb, search- 
 ing for treasure amid their bones — perhaps, as is their 
 custom, selling the very bones for a few piastres to 
 the last ignorant tourist who came their way, seeking 
 w:hat he might destroy. For in Egypt the unhappy, the 
 living find their bread in the tombs of the great men 
 who were before them. 
 
 But, as it chanced some little while afterward^ one 
 who4s known to this writer, and a doctor by profession, 
 passed up the Nile to Abydos, and became acquainted 
 with the men who had done this thing. They revealed 
 to him the secret of the place, telling him that one cof- 
 
I CLEOPATRA. 
 
 fin yet remained intombed . It seemed to be the coffin 
 of a poor person, they said, and tiieref ore, being pressed 
 for time, they had left it unviolated. Moved by curi- 
 osity to explore the recesses of a tomb as yet unpro- 
 faned by tourists, my friend bribed the Arabs to reveal 
 its secret to him. What ensued I will give inhis own 
 words, exactly as he wrote it to me : 
 
 I slept that night near the Temple of Seti^ and started 
 before daybreak, on the following morning. With me 
 were a cross-eyed rascal called Ali^-Ali Baba I named 
 him — the man from whom I got the ring which I am 
 sending you, and a small but choice a,ssortment of his 
 fellow-thieves. Within an hour after sunrise we reached 
 the Talley where the tomb is. It is a desolate place, 
 into which the sun pours his scorching heat all the long 
 day through, till the huge brown boulders which are 
 strewn about become so hot that one can scarcely bear 
 to touch them, and the sand scorches the feet. We 
 rode on donkeys, for it was already too hot to walk, 
 some way up the valley — ^where a vulture floating far 
 in the blue overhead was the only other visitor — tiU 
 we came to an enormous boulder polished by centuries 
 of the action of sun and sand. Here All halted, 
 saying that the tomb was under the stone. Ac- 
 cordingly we dismounted, and, leaving the don- 
 keys in charge of a fellah boy, "went up to the rock. 
 Beneath it was a small hole, barely large enough for 
 a man to creep though ; it had "been dug by jackals, 
 for the doorway and some part of the cave were en- 
 tirely silted up, and it was by means of this jackal 
 hole that the tomb had been discovered. Ali crept in 
 on his hands and knees, and I followed, to find myself 
 in a place cold after the hot outside air, and, in contrast 
 with the light, filled with a dazzling darkness. We 
 " lit our candles, and the select body of thieves having 
 , arrived, I made an examination. We were in a cave 
 _ the size of a large room, and hollowed by hand, the 
 " further part of the cave being almost free from drift 
 dust. On the walls are religious paintings of the usu- 
 al Ptolemaic character, and among them one of a ma- 
 jestic old man with a long white beard, who is seated 
 in a carved chair holding a wand in his hand. Before 
 
CLEOPATBA. 5 
 
 him are passing a procession of priests bearing sacred 
 images. In the far corner of the tomb on the right 
 hand from the door is the shaft of the mummy pit, a 
 square-mouthed well cut in the black rock. We had 
 brought a beam of thornwood, and this was now laid 
 across the pit and a rope made fast to it. Then Ali — 
 who, to do him justice, is a courageous thief — took 
 hold of the rope, and, putting some candles into the 
 breast of his robe, placed his bare feet against the 
 smooth sides of the well and began to descend with 
 great rapidity. Very soon he had vanished into the 
 blackness, and the agitation of the cord alone told us 
 that anything was going on below. At last the rope 
 ceased shaking, and a faint shout came rumbling up 
 the well, announcing All's safe arrival. Then, far be- 
 low, a tiny star of light appeared. He had lit the 
 candle, thereby disturbing hundreds of bats, that flit- 
 ted up in an endless stream and as silently as spirits. 
 The rope was hauled up again, and now it was my 
 turn ; but as I declined to trust my neck to the hand- 
 over-hand method of descent, the end of the cord was 
 made fast round my middle, and I was lowered bodily 
 into those sacred depths. Nor was it a pleasant jour- 
 ney, for if the master of the situation above had made 
 any mistake I should have been dashed to pieces. 
 Also the bats continually flew into my face and clung 
 to my hair, and I have a great dislike of bats. At last, 
 after some minutes of jerking and dangling, I found 
 myself standing in a narrow passage by the side of 
 the worthy Ali, covered with bats and perspiration, 
 and with the skin rubbed oflf my knees and knuckles. 
 Then another man came down, hand over hand, 
 like a sailor, and as the rest were told to stop above 
 we were ready to go on. Ali went first with his 
 candle — of course we each had a candle— leading the 
 way down a long passage about five feet high. At 
 length the passage widened out, and we were in the 
 tomb chamber, I think the hottest and most silent 
 place I ever entered. It was simply stifling. This 
 tomb chamber is a square room cut in the rock and 
 totally devoid of paintings or sculpture. I held up 
 the caudles and looked around. About the place were 
 
6 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 strewn the coffin-lids and the mumnoded remains of the 
 two bodies that the Arabs had previously violated.' 
 The paintings on the former were, I noticed, of great 
 beauty, though, having no knowledge of hieroglyphics, 
 I could not decipher them. Beads and spicy wrappings 
 lay around the remains, which, I saw, were those of a 
 man and a woman. The head had been broken off the 
 body of the man. I took it up and looked at it. It 
 had been closely shaved — after death, I should say, 
 from the general indications — and the features were 
 disfigured with gold leaf. But, notwithstanding this, 
 and the shrinkage of the flesh, I think the face was 
 one of the most imposing and beautiful that I ever saw. 
 It was that of a very old man, and his dead coimte- 
 nance still wore so calm and solemn, indeed so awful, a 
 ook, that I grew quite superstitious (though, as you 
 know, I am pretty well accustomed to dead people) > 
 and put the head down in a hurry. There were still 
 some wrappings left upon the face of the second body, 
 and I did not remove them ; but she must have been 
 a fine large woman in her day. 
 
 " There the other munmiy," said Ali, pointing to a 
 large and solid case that had the appearance of hav- 
 ing been carelessly thrown down in a corner, for it was 
 lying on its side. 
 
 I went up to it to examine it. It was well made, 
 but of perfectly plain cedar wood — ^not an inscription, 
 not a solitary god on it.*,," 
 
 " Never see one like him before," said Ali. " Bury 
 great hurry, he no ' maflsh,' no • flneesh. ' Throw him 
 dowu there on side." 
 
 I looked at the plain case tiU at last my interest was 
 thoroughly aroused. I had been so shocked by the 
 sight of the scattered dust of the departed that I had 
 made up my mind not to touch the remaining coffin — 
 Ijuthow my curiosity overcam^e me, and we set to work.- 
 
 Ali had brought a mallet and a cold chisel with him, 
 and having set the coffin straight he began upon it 
 with all the zeal of an experienced tomb breaker. And 
 then he poiuted out another thing. Most mummy 
 cases are fastened by four- little tongues of wood, two 
 on either side, which are fixed in the upper half, and, 
 
CJLEOPATIIA. 7 
 
 parsing into mortises cut to receive them in the thick- 
 ness of the lower half, are there held fast by pegs of 
 hard wood. But this mummy case had eight such 
 tongues. Evidently it had been thought well to secure 
 it firmly. At last, with great difficulty, we raised the 
 massive lid, which was nearly three inches thick, and 
 there, covered over with a deep layer of loose spices (a 
 very unusual thing), was the body. 
 
 Ali looked at it with open eyes — and no wonder. 
 For this mummy was not as other mummies are. 
 Mummies in general lie upon their backs, as stiff and 
 calm as though they were cut from wood ; but this 
 mummy lay upon its side, and, the wrappings notwith- 
 standing, its knees were slightly bent. More than that, 
 indeed, the gold mask, which, after the fashion of the 
 Ptolemaic period, had been set upon the face, had 
 worked down, and was literally pounded up beneath 
 the hooded head. 
 
 It was impossible, seeing these things, to avoid the 
 conclusion that the mummy before us had moved with 
 violence since it was put in the coffin. 
 
 " Him very funny mummy. Him not ' maflsh ' 
 when him go in there," isaid Ali. 
 
 " Nonsense ! " I said. " Who ever heard of a Uve 
 mummy ? " , 
 
 We lifted the body out of the coffin, nearly choking 
 ourselves with mummy dust in the process, and 
 there beneath it, half hidden among the spices, we 
 made our first find. It was a roll of papyrus, careless- 
 ly fastened and wrapped in a piece of mummy cloth, 
 having to all appearance been thrown into the co^n 
 at the moment of closing. 
 
 Ali eyed the papyrus greedily, but I seized it and 
 put it in my pocket, for "it was agreed that. I was to 
 have all that" might be discovered. Then We began 
 to unwrap the body. It was covered with very broad, 
 strong bandages, thickly wound and roughly tied, 
 sometimes by means of simple knots> the whole work 
 bearing the appearance of having been executed in 
 great haste and with difficulty. Just over the head 
 was a large lump. Presently the bandages covering 
 it were off, and there, on the face, lay a second roll of 
 
8 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 papyrus. I put down my hand to lift it, but it would 
 not come away. It appeared to be fixed to the stout, 
 seamless shroud which was drawn over the whole body 
 and tied beneath the feet, as a farmer ties sacks. . This 
 shroud, which was also thickly waxed, was in one piece, 
 being made to fit the form like a garment. I took a 
 candle and examined the roll, .and then 1 saw why it 
 was fast. The spices had congealed and glued it to 
 the sack-like shroud. It was impossible to get it away 
 without tearing the outer sheets of papyrus. 
 
 At last, however, I wrenched it. loose and put it with 
 the other in my pocket. 
 
 Then in silence we went on with our dreadful task. 
 With much care we ripped loose the sack-like garment, 
 and at last the body of a man lay before us. Between 
 his knees was a third foU of papyrus. I secured it, 
 and then held down the lights and looked at him. Be- 
 ing a doctor, one glance at his face was enough to teU 
 me how he had died. 
 
 This body was not much dried up. Evidently it had 
 not passed the allotted seventy days in natron, and 
 therefore the expression and likeness were better pre- 
 served than is usual. Without entering into particu- 
 lars, I will only say that I hope I shall never see such 
 another look as that which was frozen oh this dead 
 man's face. Even the Arabs recoiled from it in horror 
 and began to mutter prayers. 
 
 For the rest, the usual opening on the left side, 
 through which the embalmers did their work, was ab- 
 sent ; the finely cut features were those of a person of 
 middle age, although the hair was already gray, and 
 the frame that of a very powerful man, the shoulders 
 being of an extraordinary width. I had not time to ex- 
 amine very closely, however, for within a few seconds 
 from its imcovering the unembalmed body, now that 
 it was exposed to the action of the air, began to crum- 
 ble. In five or six minutes there was literally nothing 
 left of it but a wisp of hair, the skull, and a few of the 
 larger bones. I noticed that one of the tibiae, I forget 
 if it was the right or the left, had been fractured and 
 very badly set, It must have been quite an inch 
 shorter than the other. 
 
CSLEOPATEA. 9 
 
 Well, there was nothing- more to find, and now that 
 the excitement was over, what between the heat, the 
 exertion, and the smell of mummy dust and spices, I 
 felt more dead than alive. 
 
 I am tired of writing, and the ship rolls. This letter, 
 of course, goes overland, and I am coming- by " long 
 sea," but I hope to be in London within ten days after 
 you get it. Then I wiU tell you of my pleasing ex- 
 periences in the course of the ascent from the tomb 
 chamber, and of how that prince of rascals, Ali Baba, 
 and his thieves tried to frighten me into handing over 
 the papyri, and how I worsted them. Then, too, we 
 •wiU get the rolls deciphered. I expect that they only 
 contain the usual thing, copies of the Book of the Dead, 
 but there may be something else in them. Needless to 
 say, I did not narrate this little adventure in Egypt, 
 or I should have had the Boulac Museum people on 
 my track. Good-by — " Maflsh Fineesh," as Ali Baba 
 always said. 
 
 In due course my friend, the writer of the letter 
 from which I have quoted, arrived in London, and on 
 the very next day we paid a visit to an acquaintance 
 well versed in hieroglyphics and demotic writing. With 
 what anxiety we watched him skillfully damping and 
 unfolding one of the rolls and peering through his gold- 
 rimmed glasses at the mysterious characters may well 
 be imagined. 
 
 " Hum," he said, " whatever i1; is, this is not a copy 
 of the ' Book of the Dead.' By George, what's this ? 
 Cle — Cleo — Cleopatra — Why, my dear sirs, as I am a 
 living man, this is the history of somebody who lived in 
 the days of Cleopatra ! Well, there's six months' 
 work before me here — six months, at the very least !" 
 And in that joyful prospect he fairly lost control of 
 himself, and skipped about the room, shaking hands 
 .with us at intervals, and saying, " I'll translate — ^I'll 
 translate it if it kills me, and we will publish it ; and, 
 by the living Osiris, it will drive every Egyptologist 
 in Europe mad with envy ! Oh, what a find ! what a 
 most glorious find !" ^ 
 
 And O you whose eyes shall fall upon these pages, 
 
10 CliEOPATRA. 
 
 see, they have been translated, and they have been 
 printed, and here they lie before you — an undiscovered 
 land wherein you are free to travel ! 
 
 Harmachis speaks to you from his forgotten tomb. 
 The walls of Time fall down, and as at the lightning's 
 leap a picture from the past starts sudden on your | 
 view, framed in the gathered darkness of the ages. 
 
 He shows you those two Egypts that the silent pyr- : 
 amids looked down upon long centuries ago — ^the Egypt ; 
 of the Greek, the Roman, and the Ptolemy, and that 
 other outworn Egypt of the hierophant, hoary with 
 years,, heavy with the legends of antiquity and the 
 memory of long-lost honors. 
 
 He teUs you how the smouldering loyalty of Khem 
 (Egypt) burnt up before it died, and how fiercely the 
 old Time-consecrated Faith struggled against the con- 
 quering tide of Change, that, drawn ever by the mys- 
 tery of Mind, rose, like Nile at flood, and drowned the 
 ancient gods of Egypt. 
 
 Here, in his pages, you shall learn the glory of Isis 
 the Many-shaped, the Executor of Decrees. Here you 
 shall make acquaintance with the shade of Cleopatra, 
 that "Thing of Flame" whose passion-breathing 
 beauty shaped the destiny of empires. Here you shall 
 read how the soul of Charmion was slain of the sword 
 her vengeance smithied. 
 
 Here Harmachis, the doomed Egyptian, being about 
 to die, salutes you who follow on the path he trod. In 
 the story of his broken years he shows to you what 
 may in its own degree be the story of your own. Cry- 
 ing aloud from that dim Amenti whereto-day he wears' 
 out his long atoning time, in the history of his fall, he 
 tells the fate of him who, however sorel" tried, forgets 
 his God, his honor, and his country. 
 
CLEOPATRA. H 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 OP THE BIRTH OF HARMACHIS ; THE PROPHECY OP THE 
 HATHORS; AND THE SLAYING OP THE INNOCENT CHILD. 
 
 By Him who sleeps at Abouthis, I write the truth. 
 I, Harmachis, hereditary priest of the Temple, reared 
 by the divine Sethi, aforetime a Pharaoh of Egypt, 
 and now justified in Osiris and ruling in Amenti. I, 
 Harmachis, by right divine and by true descent of 
 blood King of the Double Crown, and Pharaoh of the 
 Upper and Lower Land. I, Harmachis, who cast aside 
 the opening flower of our hope, who turned him from 
 the glorious path, who forgot the voice of God in 
 hearkening to the voice of woman. I, Harmachis, the 
 fallen, in whom are gathered up all woes as waters are 
 gathered in a desert well, who have tasted of every 
 shame, who by betrayal have betrayed, who in losing 
 the glory that is here have lost of the glory that is 
 there, who am utterly undone — ^I write, and, by Him 
 who sleeps at Abouthis, I write the truth. 
 
 O Egypt ! Egypt ! dear land of Khem, whose black 
 soil nourished up my mortal part— ^land that I have be- 
 trayed — O ye Gods ! — Osiris ! — Isis ! — Horus ! — ^j^e 
 Gods of Egypt whom I have betrayed!— O ye temples 
 whose pylons strike the sky ; ye temples whose faith I 
 have betrayed ! O Royal blood of the Pharaohs of Eld, 
 that yet runs within these withered veins— whose vir- 
 tue I have betrayed ! — O Right divine of Kings be- 
 trayed by me ! — O Invisible Essence of all Good ! and 
 O Fate, whose balance rested on my hand — hear me : 
 and, to the last day of utter doom, bear me witness 
 that I, write the truth. 
 
 What, then, is a man? He is a feather, but a 
 feather blown by the wind. He is a fire, but a fire 
 born of the fuel. He is a spirit, but a spirit hav- 
 ing wings wherewith to sail to either destiny. He may 
 choose the good, and on him doth rest the evil that he 
 does. He is the helm unto the boat of Fate ; he is the 
 shadow that goes before the sword ; he is the dream 
 
12 CLEOPATEA. 
 
 that presages the truth. There is no Chance ; for man 
 in his hour doth direct the Chance, and, as with a sty- 
 lus, doth map upon the tahlet of the world the thing- 
 that he brought about. So hath the Invisible decreed, 
 and so for ever to ever shall it be. And woe to him 
 who faileth ! 
 
 Even as I write, beyond the fertUe fields, the Nile is 
 running red as though with blood. Bright before me 
 beats the light upon the far Arabian hUls, and bright 
 it falls upon the piles of Abouthis. At Abouthis, 
 within the temples, still do the priests make orison, 
 but me they know no more : still the sacrifice is offered, 
 and the stony roofs echo down the prayers of those 
 who pray. Still from here, from this lone cell withia 
 my prison tower, I, the Word of Shame, watch thy 
 fluttering banners, O Abouthis, flaunting from thy py- 
 lon walls, and hear the chants as the long procession 
 winds from sanctuary to sanctuary. 
 
 O Abouthis, lost Abouthis ! my heart goes out to- 
 ward thee ! For the day comes when the desert sands 
 shall fill thy holy places ! Thy gods are doomed, O 
 Abouthis ! New faiths shall make a mock of all thy 
 holies, and centurion shall call unto centurion across 
 thy fortress walls. I weep — ^I weep tears of blood; 
 for mine is the weakness that brought about these 
 evils and mine forever is their shame. 
 - Behold it is written hereafter : 
 
 Here in Abouthis was I born,!, Harmachis, and my 
 father, the justified in Osiris, was High Priest of the 
 Temple of Sethi. And on that same day of my birth 
 was born also Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt. In 
 those fields I passed my youth watching the baser peo- 
 ple at their labors, and going in and out at will among 
 the great courts of the temples. Of my mother I knew 
 naught, for she died when I yet hung at the breast. 
 But ere she died, so the old wife, Atoua, told 'to me, 
 she took from a coffer of ivory an urseus of pure gold 
 and laid it on my brojv. And those who saw her do 
 this thing believed that she was distraught of the Divin- 
 ity, and that in her madness she foreshadowed that 
 the day of the Macedonian Lagidae was eiided— f or 
 
CLEOPATRA. 13 
 
 Ptolemy Auletes (the Piper) then wore the double 
 crowa — and that Eg-ypt's scepter should once again 
 pass to the hand of one of Egypt's true and royal race. 
 But when my father, the High Priest Amenemhat, who 
 even then was full of years, for I was his only child 
 and the child of his age (she who was his wife before 
 my mother having been, for what crime I know not, 
 cursed by Sekhet with the curse of barrenness) ; I say 
 when my father came in and saw what the dying 
 woman had done, he lifted up his hands toward the 
 vault of heaven and adored the Invisible, because of 
 the sign that had been sent. And even as he adored, 
 behold ! the Hathors filled my dying mother with the 
 Spirit of Prophecy, and she rose in strength from the 
 couch and thrice prostrated herself before the cradle 
 where I lay asleep, the Royal asp upon my brow, and 
 cried aloud : 
 
 " Hail to thee, fruit of my womb ! HaU to thee, 
 Eoyal child ! Hail to thee, Pharaoh that shalt be ! 
 Hail to thee, God that shalt purge the land. Divine 
 seed of Nekt-nebf, the Osirian. Keep thou pure, and 
 thou shalt rule and deliver Egypt and ^lot be broken. 
 But if in the hour of trial thou dost fail, then may the 
 curse of all the Gods of Egypt rest upon thee, and the 
 curse of thy Eoyal forefathers, the justified, who ruled 
 the land before thee, even from the age of Horus; 
 then in life may est thou be wretched, and after death 
 may Osiris refuse thee, and the judges of Amenti give 
 judgment against thee, and Set and Sekhet tonnent 
 thee, even until such time as thy sin is purged, and 
 the Gods of Egypt, called, by strange names, once 
 more are worshipped in the temples of Egypt, and the 
 staff of the Oppressor is broken, and the footsteps of 
 the foreigner are swept clean, and the thing is accom- 
 pUshed as thou in thy weakness shalt cause it to be 
 done." 
 
 Ana whenrShe had spoken thus, the Spirit of Proph- 
 ecy went out of her, and she fell dead across the cradle 
 where I slept, so that I awoke with aery. 
 
 But my father, Amenemhat, the High Priest, trem- 
 bled, and was very fearful both because of the words 
 which had been said by the Spirit of the Hathors 
 
14 ' CiLEOPATRA. 
 
 through the mouth of my mother, and because what 
 had been uttered was treason against Ptolemy. For 
 he knew that if the matter should come to the 
 ears of Ptolemy, Pharaoh would send his guards to 
 destroy the hfe of the child of whom such things were 
 prophesied. Therefore, my father shut the doors, and 
 caused all those who were there to swear upon the 
 holy symbol of his office, and by the name of the Di- 
 vine Three, and by the soul of her who lay dead upon 
 the stones beside them, that naught of what they had 
 seen and heard should pass their lips. 
 
 But among the company was the old wife, Atoua, 
 who had been the nurse of my mother, and loved her 
 well ; and in these days, though I know not how it 
 hath been in the past, nor how it shall be in the future, 
 there is no oath that can bind a woman's tongue. And 
 so it came about that by and by, when the matter had 
 become homely in her mind, and her fear had fallen 
 from her, she spoke of the prophecy to her daughter, 
 who nursed me at the breast now that my mother was 
 dead. This she did as they walked together in the 
 desert carrying food to the husband of the daughter, 
 who was a sculptor, and shaped the pictures of the holy 
 gods in the tombs that are fashioned In the rock — tell- 
 ing the daughter, my nurse, how great shoidd be her- 
 care and love toward the child that one day should be 
 Pharaoh and drive the Ptolemies from Egypt. But 
 the daughter, my nurse, was so filled with wonder at 
 what she heard that she could not keep the tale locked 
 within her breast, and iti the night she awoke her 
 husband, and, in her turn, whispered of it to him, and 
 thereby compassed her own destruction, and the de- 
 struction of her child, my foster-brother. For the man 
 told his friend, and the friend was a spy of Ptolemy's, 
 and thus the telle came to Pharaoh's ears. Now, Pha- 
 iraoh was much troubled thereat, for though when he 
 was full of wino he would make a mock ofc the Grods of 
 the Egyptians, and swear that the Roman Senate was 
 the only God to whom he bowed the knee, yet in his 
 heart was he'terribly afraid, as I have learned from one 
 who was his physician ; for when he was alone at night 
 he would scream and cry aloud to the great Serapis, 
 
OLEOPATBA. 15 
 
 who, indeed, is no true God, and to other Gods, fear- 
 ing- lest he should he murdered and his soul handed 
 over to the tormentors. Also, when he felt his throne 
 tremble under him, he would send large presents to 
 the temples, and ask a message from the oracles, and 
 more especially from the oracle that is at Philae. 
 Therefore, when it came to his ears that the wife of 
 the High Priest of the great and ancient temple of 
 Ahouthis had, ere she died, been filled with the Spirit 
 of Prophecy, and prophesied that her son should be 
 Pharaoh, he was much afraid, and summoning some 
 trusty guards — who, being' Greeks, feared not to do 
 sacrilege — ^he dispatched them by boat up the Nile, 
 with orders to come to Abouthis and cut off the head 
 of the child of the High Priest and bring it to him in a 
 basket. 
 
 But, as it chanced, the boat wherein the gTiards 
 came was of deep draught, and the time of their com- 
 ing' being at the lowest ebb of the river, it struck and 
 remained fast upon a bank of mud that is opposite the 
 mouth of the road that runs across to the plains of 
 Abouthis, and as the north wind was blowing very 
 fiercely it was Uke to sink. Thereon the guards of 
 Pharaoh called out to the common people, who labor- 
 ed at lifting water along the banks of the river, to 
 come with boats and take them off ; but seeing that 
 they were Greeks of Alexandria, the people would not, 
 for the Egyptians love not the Greeks. Then they 
 cried out that they were on Pharaoh's business, and 
 stUlthe people would not, asking what was the busi- 
 ness. Whereon a eunuch among them, who had made 
 himself drunken in his fear, told them that they came 
 to slay the child of Amenemhat, the High Priest, of 
 whom it was prophesied that he should be Pharaoh 
 and sweep the Greeks from Egypt. And then the 
 peopled feared to stand longer in doubt, but brought 
 bo^/ts, not knowing what might be meant by the man's 
 words. But one there was among them — a farmer 
 and an overseer of canals— who was .a kinsman of my 
 mother's and had been present when she prophesied ; 
 and he turned and ran swiftly for three parts of an 
 hour, tni he came to where I lay in the house that is 
 
16 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 without the north wall of the great temple. Now, as 
 it chanced, my father was away in that part of the 
 Place of Tombs which is to the left of ihe large for- 
 tress, and Pharaoh's guards, mounted on asses, were 
 hard upon us. Then the messenger cried to the old 
 wife, Atoua, whose tongue had' brought about the 
 evU, and told how the soldiers drew near to slay me. 
 And they looked at each other, not knowing what to 
 do ; for, had they hid me, the guards would not have 
 stayed their search tUl I was found. And the man, 
 gazing through the doorway, saw a little child at play. 
 
 " Woman," he said, " whose is that child ?" 
 
 " It is my grandchild," she answered, " the foster- 
 brother of the Prince Harmachis ; the child to whose 
 mother we owe this evil case." 
 
 " Woman, " he said, " thou knowest thy duty ; do it !" 
 and he again pointed at the chUd. " I command thee, 
 by the Holy Name !" 
 
 And she trembled exceedingly, because the child was 
 of her own blood ; but, nevertheless, she took the boy 
 tind washed him and set on him a robe of silk and laid 
 him on my cradle. And me she took and smeared 
 with mud to make my fair skin darker, and took my 
 garment from me, and set me to play in the dirt of 
 the yard, which I did right gladly. 
 
 Then the man hid himself, and presently the soldiers 
 rode up and asked of the old wife if liiis were the 
 dwelling of the High- Priest Amenemhat ? She told 
 them yea, and bade them enter, and offered them 
 honey and milk, for they were athirst. 
 
 Thereafter the eunuch that was with them asked if 
 that were the son of Amenemhat who lay in the 
 cradle, and she said, "Yea — ^yea," and began to tell 
 the guards how he would be great, for it had been 
 prophesied of him that he should one day rule them 
 all. 
 
 Thereon the Greek guards laughedjaand one of them, 
 seizing the child, smote off his head with a sword ; and 
 the eunuch drew forth the signet of Pharaoh as war- 
 rant for the deed and showed it to the old wife, Atoua, 
 bidding her tell the High Priest that his son should 
 be a King without a head. 
 
CLEOPATRA. 17 
 
 And as they went one of their number saw me play' 
 ing in the dirt and called out that there was more breed- 
 ing in yonder brat than in the Prince Harmachis ; and 
 for a moment they wavered, thinking to slay me also, 
 but in the end they passed on, bearing the head of my f os 
 ter-brother, for they loved not to murder little children. 
 
 But, after a while, the mother of the dead child re- 
 turned from the market place, and when she found 
 what had been done she and her husband would have 
 slain Atoua, the old wife, her mother, and given.me 
 up to the soldiers of Pharaoh ; but my father came in 
 likewise and learned the truth, and he caused the man 
 and his wife to be seized by night and hid away in the 
 dark places of the Temple, so that none saw them more. 
 
 But I would to-day it had been the will of the Gods 
 that I had been slain of the soldiers and not the in- 
 nocent chUd. 
 
 And thereafter it was given out that the High Priest 
 Amenemhat had taken me to be as a son to him in the 
 place of that Harmachis who was slain of Pharaoh. 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 
 OF THE DISOBEDIENCE OP HAEMACHIS ; OP THE SLAYING 
 OP THE LION ; AND OP THE SPEECH OP THE OLD WIPE, 
 ATOUA. 
 
 And after these things Ptolemy the Piper troubled 
 us no more, nor did he again send his soldiers to 
 Abouthis to seek for him of whom it was prophesied 
 that he should be Pharaoh. For the head of the child, 
 my foster-brother, was brought to him by the eunuch 
 as he sat in his palace, of marble at Alexandria, flush- 
 ed with Cyprian wine, and played upon the flute before 
 his women. And at his bidding the eunuch lifted up 
 the head by the hair for him to look on. Then he 
 laughed and smote it on the cheek with his sandal, and 
 bade one of the girls crown Pharaoh with flowers. And 
 
18 CLEOPATKA. 
 
 he bowed the knee, and mocked the head of the inno- 
 cent child. But the girl, who was sharp of tongue 
 — ^for all of this I heard in after years — said to him 
 " that he did well to bdw the knee, for this child was 
 indeed Pharaoh, the greatest of Pharaohs, and his 
 name was the Osiris and his throne was Death." 
 
 At this saying Auletes was much troubled, and shook 
 and trembled, for, being a wicked man, he greatly 
 feared the entering into Amenti. So he caused the girl 
 to be slain, because of the evil omen of her saying, cry- 
 ing that he would send her to worship that Pharoah 
 whom she had named. And the other women he sent 
 away, and played no more upon the flute till he was 
 once again drunk on the morrow. But the Alexandri- 
 ans made a song thereon, which is still sung about the 
 streets. And this is the beginning thereof : 
 
 Ptolemy the Piper pilayed 
 Over dead and dying ; 
 Piped and played he well. 
 Sure that flute of his was made 
 Of the dank reed sighing 
 O'er the streams of helL 
 
 There beneath the shadows gray. 
 
 With the sisters three, 
 Shall he pipe for many a day. 
 
 May the Frog bis butler be ! 
 
 And his wine the water of that countrie — 
 Ptolemy the Piper I 
 
 After this the years passed on, nor did I, being very 
 little, know anything of the great things that came to 
 pass in Egypt : nor is it my purpose here to set them 
 out. For I, Harmachis, will speak only of those things 
 with which I have been concerned. 
 
 And as the time went on my father and the teachers 
 instructed me in the ancient learning of our people and 
 in such matters appertaining to the gods as it is meet 
 that children should know. So I grew strong and 
 comely, for my hair was black as the hair of the divine 
 Nout, and my oyes were blue as the blue lotus, and 
 my skin was as the alabaster within the sanctuaries. 
 For now that these glories have passed from me 
 I may speak of them without shame. Strong I was 
 also- There was no youth of icy years in Abouthis 
 
CLEOPATRA. 19 
 
 who could stand against me to wrestle with me, nor 
 could any throw so far with the sling or spear. And 
 much I yearned to hunt the lion ; but he whom I called 
 my father forbade me to hunt, telling me that my life 
 was of too great worth to be so lightly hazarded. But 
 when I bowed myself before him and prayed he would 
 make his meaning clear to me, the old man 
 frowned and answered that the gods made all things 
 clear in their own season. For my part, however, I 
 went away wroth, for there was a youth in Abouthis 
 who with others had slain a lion that fell upon his fa- 
 ther's herds, and, being envious of my strength and 
 beauty, he set it about that I was cowardly at heart; 
 in that when I went out to hunt I slew naught but 
 jackals and gazelles. Now, this was when I had 
 reached my seventeenth year and was a man grown. 
 
 It chanced, therefore, that as I went sore at heart 
 from the presence of the High Priest, my father, I met 
 this youth, who called to me and mocked me, bidding 
 me know the country people had told him that a great 
 lion was down among the rushes by the banks of the 
 canal whicii runs past the Temple, lying at a distance 
 of thirty stadia from Abouthis. And, still mocking 
 me, he asked me if I would come and help him slay this 
 lion, or would I go and sit among the old women and 
 bid them comb my side lock. This bitter word so an- 
 gered me that I was near to falling on him ; but in 
 place thereof, forgetting my father's saying, I an- 
 swered that if he would come alone I would go with 
 him and seek this lion, and he should learn if I were in- 
 deed a coward. And at first he would not, for, as men 
 know, it is our custom to hunt the lion in companies ; 
 so it was my hour to mock. Thereon he went and 
 fetched his bow and arrows and a sharp knife. And I 
 brought forth my heavy spear, which had a shaft of 
 thorn-wood, and at the end thereof a pomegranate in 
 silver, to hold the hand from slipping ; and together, 
 in silence, we went side by side to where the lion lay. 
 When we came to the place it was near sundown, and 
 there, upon the mud of the canal bank, we found the 
 lion's slot, which ran into a thick clump of reeds. ' 
 
 "Now, thou hoaster," I said, " wilt thou lead the 
 
20 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 way into yonder reeds, or shall I ?" And I made as 
 though I would lead the way. 
 
 " Nay, nay," he answered, " be not so mad ! The 
 brute will spring upon thee and rend thee. See ! I 
 will shoot among the reeds ! Perchance, if he sleeps, it 
 will arouse him." And he drew his bow at a venture. 
 
 And how it chanced I know not, but the arrow struck 
 the sleeping- lion, and, like a flash of light from the 
 belly of a cloud, he bounded from the shelter of the 
 reeds, and stood before us with bristling mane and yel- 
 low eyes, the arrow quivering in his flank. He roared 
 aloud in fury, and the earth shook. 
 
 " Shoot with the bow," I cried, "shoot swiftly ere 
 he spring !" 
 
 But the courage had left the breast of the boaster. 
 His jaw dropped down and his fingers unloosed their 
 hold so that the bow fell from them. Then with a loud 
 cry he turned and fled behind me, leaving the lion in 
 my path. But while I stood waiting my doom — ^for 
 though I was sore afraid' I would not fly — the lion 
 crouched himself, and, turning not aside, with one 
 great bound swept over me, touching me not. He lit, 
 and again he bounded full on the boaster's back, strik- 
 ing him such a blow with his great paw that his head 
 was crushed as an egg thrown against a st^one. He fell 
 down dead, and the lion stood and roared over him. 
 Then I was mad with horror, and, scarce knowing 
 what I did, I grasped my spear, and with a shout I 
 charged. As I charged the lion lifted himself up on 
 his hinder legs to greet me, so that his head stood up 
 above me. He smote at me with his paw, but with aU 
 my strength I drove the broad spear into his throat, 
 and, shrinking from the agony of the steel, his blow 
 fell short and did no more than rip the skin. Back he 
 fell, the great spear far in his throat. Then rising, he 
 roared in pain and leapt twice the height of a man 
 straight into the air, smiting at the spear with 
 his fore pjtws. Twice he leapt thus, horrible to see, 
 and twice he fell upon his back. Then his stx-ength 
 spent itself with his rushing blood, and, groaning like 
 a bull, he died ; and I, being but a lad, stood and trem- 
 bled withjear, now that all cause of fear had passed. J 
 
CLEOPATEA. 21 
 
 But as I stood and gazed at the dead body of him 
 ■who had taunted me, and at the carcass of the lion, a 
 woman, even the same old wife, Atoua, who, though I 
 knew it not as yet, had oflfered up her flesh and blood 
 that I might be saved alive, came running toward me. 
 For she had been gathering simples, wherein she had 
 great skill, by the water's edge, not knowing that 
 there was a lion nigh (and, indeed, the lions for the 
 most part are not found in the tilled land, but rather 
 in the desert and the Libyan Mountains), and from a 
 distance had seen that which I have set down. Now, 
 ■when she came near she knew me for Harmachis, and, 
 bending herself, she made obeisance to me, and saluted 
 me, calling me Royal, and worthy of all honor, and be- 
 loved and chosen of the Holy Three, ay, and even by 
 the name of the Pharaoh ! the Deliverer ! ' 
 
 But I, thinking that terror had made her sick of 
 mind, asked of her what she would speak. 
 
 " Is it a great thing," I asked, " that I should slay 
 a lion ? Is it a matter worthy of such talk as thine 2 
 There live,, and have lived, men who have slain many 
 lions. Did-not the Divine Tahutimes the Osirian slay 
 ■with his own hand more than two hundred lions ? Is 
 it not ■written on the tablet that is between the paws of 
 the li^ving Koremku (the Sphinx) that is set beyond 
 Memfl, nigh to the seven pyramids, that he sle^w 
 lions aforetime ? And have not others done like- 
 ■wise? Why, then, speakest thou thus, O fooUsh 
 ■woman?" 
 
 All of which I said because, ha^ving now slain the 
 lion, I was minded, after the manner of youth, to hold 
 it as a thing of no account. But she ceased not to 
 make obeisance and to call me by names that are too 
 high even to be written. 
 
 " O Royal One," she cried, " wisely did thy inother 
 prophesy. Surely the Holy Spirit, the Knepth, was in 
 her. O thou conceived by a god ! See the omen. The 
 lion there — ^he growls within the Capitol at Rome; and 
 the dead man, he is the Ptolemy — ^the Macedonian 
 spawn that, like a foreign weed,~ liath overgrown the 
 land of Nile : with the Macedonian Lagidae shalt thou 
 go to smite the lion of Rome. And the Macedonian 
 
22 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 cur shall fly, and the Uon shall strike him down, and 
 thou shalt strike down the lion, and the land of Khem 
 shall once more be free ! free ! free ! Keep thyself hut 
 pure, according to the commandment of the gods, O 
 son of the Royal House ! O hope of Khemi ! be but 
 ware of Woman the Destroyer, and as I have said, 
 so shall it be. Poor am I, and wretched ; yea, stricken 
 with sorrow. I have sinned in speaking of that which 
 should be hid, and for my sin have I paid in the coin 
 of that which was bom of my womb : willingly have I 
 paid for thee. But 1 have still of the wisdom of our peo- 
 ple, nor do the gods, in whose eyes all are equal, turn 
 their countenance from the poor. The Divine Mother 
 (Isis) hath spoken to me — ^but last night she spake — 
 bidding me come hither to gather herbs, and read to 
 thee the signs that I should see. And, as I have said, 
 so shall it come to pass, if thou canst but endure the 
 weight of the great temptation. Come hither, Royal 
 One !" and she led me to the edge of the canal, where 
 the water was deep and stiU and blue. ' 'Now gaze upon 
 that face as the water throws it back. Is not that brow 
 fitted to bear the double crown ? Do not those gentle 
 eyes mirror the perfect majesty of kings ? Hath not the 
 Ptah, the Creator, fashioned t hat form to fit the imperial 
 garb, and awe the glance of multitudes looking through 
 thee to God ? 
 
 " Nay, nay," she went on in another voice — a shrill 
 old wife's voice — " I will — ^be not so foolish, boy — ^the 
 scratch of a lion is a venomous thing, a terrible thing : 
 yea, as bad as the bite of an asp — it must be treated, 
 or else it will fester, and all thy days shalt thou dream 
 of lions ; ay, and snakes ; and, also, it will break out 
 in sores. But I know of it — ^I know. I am not crazed 
 for nothing. For mark, everything has its balance — 
 -in madness is much wisdom, and in wisdom much mad- 
 ness. La ! la ! la ! Pharaoh himself can't say where 
 the one begins and the other ends. Now, don't stand 
 gazing there, looking as silly as a cat in a crcius-colored 
 robe; but just let mc stick these green things on the 
 place, and in six days you'll heal up as white as a 
 three-year child. Never mind the smart of it, lad. By 
 Him who sleeps at Philae, or at Abouthis, or at Aby- 
 
CLEOPATRA. 23 
 
 dos — as our divine masters have it now — or wherever 
 he does sleep, which is a thing we shall all find out be- 
 fore we want to— by Osiris, I say, you'll live to be as 
 clean from scars as a sacrifice to Isis at the new moon, 
 if you'll but let me put it on. 
 
 " Is it not so, good folk ?" and she turned to address 
 some people who had, unseen by me, assembled while 
 she prophesied. " I've been speaking a spell over him, 
 just to make a way for the virtue of my medicine — la ! 
 la ! there's nothing like a spell. If you don't believe 
 it, just come to me next time your wives are barren ; 
 it's better than scraping every pillar in the Temple of 
 Osiris, I warrant. I'll make 'em bear like a twenty- 
 year-old palm. But then, you see, you must know 
 what to say — ^that's the point — everything comes to a 
 point at last. La ! la !" 
 
 Now, when I heard all this, I, Harmachis, put iny 
 hand to my head, not knowing if I dreamed. But 
 presently looking up, I saw a gray-haired man among 
 those who wei-e gathered together, who watched us 
 sharply, and afterward I learned that this man was 
 the spy of Ptolemy, yea, the very man who had well- 
 nigh caused me to be slain of Pharaoh when I was in 
 my cradle. And then I understood why Atoua spoke 
 so foolishly. 
 
 "Thine are strange spells, old, wife," he said. 
 " Thou didst speak of Pharaoh and the double crown 
 and of a form fashioned by Ptah to bear it ; is it not 
 so ? " 
 
 " Yea, yea — ^part of the spell, thou fool; and what 
 can one swear by better nowadays than by the Divine, 
 Pharaoh, the Piper, whom and whose music may the 
 gods preserve to charm this happy land ? What bet- 
 ter than by the double crown he wears, grace to great 
 Alexander of Macedonia ? By the way, you know about 
 everything. Have they got back his chlamys yet, 
 which Mithridates took to Cos ? Pompey wore it last, 
 didn't he ? In his triumph, too. Just fancy Pompey j 
 in the cloak of Alexander — a puppy dog in a lion's skin.' 
 And talking of lions, look what this lad hath done — 
 slain a lion with his own spear, and right glad you 
 village folks should be to see it> for itwais a very fierce 
 
24 CLEOPATRA- 
 
 lion. Just see his teeth and claws. His claws ! They 
 are enough to make a poor silly old woman like me 
 shriek to look at them. And the body there, the dead 
 body, the lion slew it. Alack, he's an Osiris now, the 
 body. And to think of it, but half an hour ago he was 
 an every-day mortal like you or me. Well, away 
 with him to the embalmers. He'll soon swell in the 
 sun and burst, and that will save them the trouble of 
 cutting him open. Not that they will spend a talent 
 of silver over him anyway. Seventy days in natron — 
 that's all he's likely to get. La ! la ! how my tongue 
 does run, and it's getting dark. Come, aren't you go- 
 ing to take away the body of that poor lad, and the 
 lion, too ? There, my boy, you keep those herbs on, 
 and you'll never feel your scratches. I know a thing 
 or two for all I'm crazy, and you, my own grandson ! 
 Dear, dear, I'm glad his Holiness the High Priest 
 adopted you when Pharaoh made an end of his son ; 
 you look so bonny. I warrant the real Harmachis 
 could not have killed a lion like that. Give me the 
 common blood, say I, it's so lusty." 
 
 "You know too much," grumbled the spy, now 
 quite deceived. " Well, he is a brave youth. Here, 
 you men, bear this body back to Abouthis, and some 
 of you stop and help me skin the lion. We'll send the 
 skin to you, young man," he went on ; " not that you 
 deserve it. To attack a lion like that was the act of 
 a fool, and a fool deserves what he gets — destruction. 
 Never attack the strong until you are stronger." 
 
 But, for my part, I went home wondering. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 OP THE REBXJKE OF AMBNEMHAT; OP THE PRATER OP 
 HARMACHIS J AND OP THE SIGN GIVEN BY THE HOLY 
 GODS. 
 
 For a while as I, Harmachis went, the juice of the 
 green herbs which the old wife, Atoua, had placed upon 
 my wounds caused me much smart, but presently the 
 
CLEOPATRA. 25 
 
 pain ceased. And of a truth, I believe that there was 
 virtue in them, for within two dd,ys my flesh healed up, 
 so that after a time no marks remained. But I be- 
 thought me that 1 had disobeyed the word of the old 
 High Priest, Amenemhat, who was called my father. 
 For till to-day I knew not that he was in truth my 
 /ather according to the flesh, haviag been taught thab 
 his own son was slain, as I have written, and that he 
 had been pleased, with the sanction of the Divine ones, 
 to take me as an adopted son and rear me up, that I 
 might in due season fill an office about the temple. 
 Therefore was I sore troubled, for I feared the old man, 
 who was very terrible in his anger, and spake ever 
 with the cold voice of Wisdom. Nevertheless, I deter- 
 mined to go in to him and confess my fault and bear 
 such punishment as he should be pleased to put upon 
 me. So, even with the red spear in my hand and the 
 red wounds on my breast, I passed through the outer 
 court of the great temple and came to the door of the 
 chamber where the High Priest dwelt. It is a great 
 chamber sculptured round about with the images of 
 the solemn gods, and the light of Ra (the sun) came to 
 it in the daytime by an opening cut through the stone 
 of the massy roof. But at night it was lit by a swing- 
 ing lamp of bronze. I passed in without noise, for 
 the door was not altogether shut, and, pushing my way 
 through the heavy fcurtains that were beyond, I stood 
 with a beating heart within the chamber. - 
 
 The lamp was lit, for the darkness had fallen, and 
 by its light I saw the old man seated in a chair of 
 ivory and ebony at a table of stone whereon were 
 spread the mystic writings of the words of Life and 
 Death. But he read no more, for behold ! he slept, 
 and his long, white beard rested upon the table like 
 the beard of a dead man. The soft light from the lamp 
 fell on him and on the papyri and on the gold ring 
 upon his hand, where were graven the symbols of the 
 Invisible One, but all around was shadow. It fell on 
 the shaven head, on the white robe, on the cedar staff 
 of priesthood at his side, and on the ivory of the lion- 
 footed chair ; it showed the mighty brow of power, 
 the features cut in kingly mold, the white eyebrows. 
 
26 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 and the dark hollows of the deep-set eyes. I looked 
 and trembled, for there was about him that which was 
 more than the dignity of man. So long- had he lived 
 with the gods, and so long kept company with them 
 and with thoughts divine, so deeply was he versed in 
 aU those mysteries which we do but faintly discern, 
 here in this upper air, that even now, before his time, 
 he partook of the nature of the Osiris, and was a thing 
 to shake humanity with fear. 
 
 I stood and gazed, and as I stood he opened his dark 
 eyes, but looked not on me, nor turned his head ; and 
 yet he saw me and spoke. 
 
 " Why hast thou been disobedient to me, O my 
 son ? " he said. " How came it that thou wentest 
 forth against the lion when I bade thee not ?" 
 
 " How knowestthou, my father, that I went forth ?" 
 I asked in fear. 
 
 " How know I ? Are there, then, no other ways of 
 knowledge than by the senses? O ignorant child! 
 was not my spirit with thee when the lion sprang 
 upon thy companion ? Did I not pray those set about 
 thee to protect thee to make sure thy thrust when 
 thou didst drive the spear into the lion's throat? 
 How came it that thou wentest forth, O my son ?" 
 
 "The boaster -taunted me," I answered, "and I 
 went." 
 
 "Yes, I know it; and because of the hot blood of 
 youth, I forgive thee, Harmachis. But now listen 
 unto me, and let my words sink into thy heart like 
 the waters of Sihor into thirsty sand at the risiDg of 
 Sirius. Ldsten unto me. The boaster was sent unto 
 thee as a temptation, as a trial of thy strength was 
 he sent, and see ! it has not been equal to the burden. 
 Therefore is thy hour put back. Hadst thou been 
 ' strong in this matter, the path had been made plain 
 to thee even now. But thou hast failed, and therefore 
 is thy hour put back." 
 
 " I imderstand thee not, my father," I answered. 
 
 "What was it, then, my son, that the old wife, 
 Atoua, said to thee down by the bank of the canal ?" 
 
 And thereon I told him all that the old wife had said. 
 
 *' And thou believest, Harmachis, my son ?" '^ 
 
CLEOPATRA. 27 
 
 "Nay," I answered; "how should I believe such 
 bales ? Surely she Is mad. All the people know her 
 for liaad." 
 
 Then for the first time he looked toward me, who 
 was standing in the shadow. 
 
 "My son! my son!" he cried, "thou art wrong. 
 She is not mad. The woman spake the truth ; she 
 spake not of herself, but of the voice within her that 
 cannot lie. For this Atoua is a prophetess and holy. 
 Now learn thou the destiny that the gods of Egypt 
 'have given to thee to fulfill, and woe be unto thee if 
 by any weakness thou dost fail therein ! Listen ! thou 
 art no stranger adopted into my house and the house 
 of the temple ; thou art my very son, saved unto me 
 by this same woman. But, O Harmachis, thou art 
 more than this, for in thee and me alone doth flow the 
 imperial blood of Egypt. Thou and I alone of men 
 alive are descended, without break or flaw, from that 
 Pharaoh Nekt-nebf whom Ochus the Persian drove 
 from Egypt. The Persian came and the Persian went, 
 and then after the Persian came the Macedonian, and 
 now for nigh upon three hundred years have the 
 Lagidae usurped the double crown, defiling the land of 
 Khem and corrupting the worship of his gods. And 
 mark thou this; but now, but two weeks since, is 
 Ptolemy Neus Dionysius, Ptolemy the Piper, who 
 would have slain thee, dead ; and but now hath the 
 eunuch Pothinus, that very eunuch who came hither, 
 years ago, to cut thee off, set at naught the will of his 
 master, the dead Auletes, and placed the boy Ptolemy 
 upon the throne. And therefore hath his sister Cleo- 
 patra, that fierce and beautiful girl, fled into Syria ; 
 and there, if I err not, will she gathei" her armies and 
 make war upon her brother Ptolemy; for by her 
 father's will was she left joint sovereign with him. 
 And meanwhile — mark thou this, my son — the Eoman 
 eagle hangs on high, waiting with ready talons till 
 such time as he may fall upon the fat wether Egypt 
 and rend him. And mark, again, the people of Egj-pt 
 are weary of the foreign yoke, they hate the memory 
 of the Persians, and sick at heart are they of be-, 
 ing called ' Men of Macedonia ' in the markets of 
 
28 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 Alexandria. The whole land mutters and murmurs 
 beneath the yoke of the Greek and the shadow of the 
 Roman. Have not they been oppressed ? Have not 
 their children been butchered and their gains wrung 
 from them to fill the bottomless greed and lust of the 
 Lagidae ? Have not the temples been forsaken ? Ay 
 have not the divine majesties of the eternal gods been 
 set at naught by these Grecian babblers who have 
 dared to meddle with the immortal truths, and name 
 the Most High by another name (Serapis), confound- 
 ing the substance of the Invisible ? Doth not Egypt 
 cry aloud for freedom ? and shall she cry in vain ? 
 Nay, nay, for thou, my son, art the appointed way of 
 deliverance. To thee, being sunk in eld, have I de- 
 creed my rights. Already is thy name whispered iu 
 many a sanctuary, from Abu even unto Athu ; already 
 do priests and people swear allegiance, even by the 
 sacred symbols, unto him who shall be declared unto 
 them. StiU, the tinie is not yet ; thou art too green a 
 sapling to bear the weight of such a storm. But to- 
 day wast thoU tried and found wanting. He who 
 would serve the gods, O Harmachis, must put aside 
 the failings of the flesh. Taunts must not move him, 
 nor any lusts of man. Thine is a high mission, but 
 this must thou learn. An thou learn it not, thou 
 shalt fail therein ; and then, my curse be on thee ! and 
 the curse, of Egypt, and the curse of Egypt's broken 
 gods ! For, know thou this, that even titie gods, who 
 are immortal, may, in the interwoven scheme of things, 
 lean upon the man who is their instrument, even as a 
 warrior on his sword. And woe be to the sword that 
 snaps in the hour of battle^ font shall be thrown aside 
 to rust ! Therefore, make thou thy heart pure and 
 high and strong ; for thine is no common lot, and thine 
 no mortal meed. Triumph, and" in glory shalt thou 
 go — in glory here and hereafter ! Fail, and woe — ^woe 
 be on thee !" 
 He paused and bowed his head, and then went on : 
 " Of these matters shalt thou hear more hereafter. 
 Meanwhile thou hast much to learn. To-morrow will 
 I give thee letters, and thou shalt pass down the 
 Nile, even past white-walled Memphi to On (Heliopolis), 
 
CLEOPATRA. 29 
 
 and there shalt thou sojourn certain years and learn 
 more of our ancient wisdom beneath the shadow of 
 '•that sacred pyramid of which thou, too, art the Heredi- 
 ary High Priest that is to be. And meanwhile will I 
 sit here and watchj for my hour is not yet, and, by the 
 help of the gods, spin the web wherein thou shalt hold 
 phe wasp of Macedonia. 
 
 " Come hither, my son ; come hither and kiss me 
 on the brow, for thou art all my hope, and all the hope 
 of Egypt. Be but true, rise to the giddy height of thy 
 destiny, and thou shalt be glorious here and hereafter ; 
 i)e false, fail, and I will spit upon-thee, and thou shalb 
 be accursed, and thy soul shall remain in bondage till 
 that hour when, in the slow flight of time, the evil shall 
 once more grow to good and Egypt shall again be 
 free." 
 
 I drew near trembling, and kissed him on the brow. 
 " May all these things come upon me, and more," I 
 said, "if I fail thee, O my father !" 
 
 "Nay!" he cried, "not me; but rather those whose 
 will I do. And now go, my son, and ponder in thy 
 heart, and in thy secret heart digest my ^words ; and 
 mark what thou shalt see, and gather up the dew of 
 wisdom, and niake thee ready for the battle. Fear 
 not for thyself ; thou art protected from all ill. No 
 harm may touch thee from without ; thyself alone can 
 be thine own enemy. I have said." 
 
 Then I went forth with a full heart. The night was 
 very still, and there was none stirring in the temple 
 courts. I hurried through them, and reached the en- 
 trance to the pylon that is ai the outer gate. And 
 then, seeking solitude, and, as it were, io draw nigh 
 to heaven, I climbed the pylon's two hundred steps, 
 until at length I reached the massive roof. Here I 
 leaned my breast against the parapet and looked forth. 
 And as I looked the red edge of the full moon floated 
 up over the Arabian hills, and her rays fell upon the 
 ^lon wherel stood, and the temple walls beyond, and 
 lit up the visages of the carven gods. Then the cold 
 light struck the wide stretch of well-tnied land, now 
 whitening to the harvest, and as the heavenlj' lamp of 
 Isls (the moon) passed up the sky, slowly did her rays 
 
80 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 creep down to the valley, where Sihor, father of the 
 land of Khem, rolls on toward the sea. 
 
 And now the bright beams kissed the water, that 
 smiled an answer back, and now mountain and valley, 
 river, temple, town and plain, were flooded with white 
 light, for Mother Isis was arisen, and threw her gleam- 
 ing robe across the dark bosom of the earth. Bea'uti-i 
 f ul it was, with the beauty of a perfect dream, and sol- 
 emn as the hour xifter death. Mightily, indeed, the 
 temples towered up against the face of night. Never 
 had they seemed so grand to me as upon that night 
 those ancient shrines, before whose eternal waUs Time 
 himself shall wither. And mine it was to be to rule 
 this moonlit land ; mine to preserve those sacred shrines 
 and cherish the honor* of their gods ; mine to cast out 
 the Ptolemy and free Egypt from the foreign yoke ! 
 In my veins ran the blood of those great Kiags who, 
 sleeping in the tombs of the valley of Tapi (Thebes), 
 await the day of resurrection. My spirit swelled within 
 ,me as I dreamed upon this glorious destiny. I closed 
 my hands, and there, upon the pylon, I prayed as I had 
 never prayed before to the Godhead, who is called by, 
 many names, and in many forms made manifest. 
 
 " O Amen," I prayed, " God of gods, who hast been 
 from the beginning ; Lord of Truth, who art, and of 
 whom all are, who givest out thy Godhead and gath- 
 erest it up again, in the circle of whom the divine ones 
 move and are, who wast from all time the Self-begot, 
 and who shalt be till all time — hearken unto me. 
 
 " O Amen — Osiris, the sacrifice by whom we are jus- 
 tified, Lord'of the Region of the Winds, the Ruler of 
 the Ages, the Dweller in the West, the Supreme in 
 Amenti, hearken unto me. 
 
 "O Isis, Great Mother Goddess, Mother of the Ho- 
 rus — mysterious Mother, Sister, Spouse, hearken unto 
 me, If indeed I be the chosen of the gods to carry out 
 the purpose of the gods, let a sign be given unto me, 
 even now, to seal my life to the life above. Stretch out 
 your arms toward me, O ye gods, and uncover the 
 glory of your countenance. Hear ! ah, hear me !"j 
 And I cast myself upon my knees and lifted up my eyes 
 to heaven, 
 
CLEOPATRA. - 31 
 
 And as I knelt a cloud grew upon the face of the 
 moon and covered it up, so that the night became dark, 
 and the silence deepened all around — even the dogs 
 far below in the city ceased to howl, and the silence 
 grew and grew till it was heavy as death. I felt my 
 spirit lifted up within me, and my hair rose upon my 
 head. Then of a sudden the mighty pylon seemed to 
 rock beneath me, a great wind beat about my brows, 
 and a voice spoke within my heart : 
 
 " Behold a sign ! Possess thyself in patience, O 
 ^armachis !" - 
 
 And even as the voice spoke a cold hand touched my 
 hand and left somewhat within it. Then the cloud 
 rolled from the face of the moon, and the wind passed, 
 and the pylon ceased to tremble, and the night was as 
 the night had been. 
 
 And as the light came back I gazed upon that which 
 had been left within my hand. It was a bud of the 
 holy lotus new breaking into bloom, and therefrom 
 came a most sweet scent. 
 
 And as I gazed thereon, behold ! the lotus passed 
 from out my grasp and vanished, leaving me aston- 
 ished. 
 
 CHAPTER rV. 
 
 OF THE DEPABTUKE OF HAEMAOHIS AND OF HIS MEETING 
 WITH HIS UNCLE SBPA, THE HIGH PRIEST OF ON ; OF HIS 
 LIFE AT ON, AND OF THE WORDS OP SEPA. 
 
 At the dawning of the next day I was awakened by 
 a priest of the Temple, who brought word to me to 
 make ready for the journey whereof my father had 
 spoken, inasmuch as there was an occasion for me to 
 pass down the river to Annu el Ra. Now, this is the 
 Heliopolis of the Greeks, whither I should go in the 
 company of some priests of Ptah at Memfi who had 
 
32 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 come hither to Abouthis to lay the body of one of their 
 great men in the tomb that had been prepared near 
 the resting place of the blessed Osiris. So I made 
 ready, and the same evening, having received letters 
 and embraced my father and those about the Temple 
 who were dear to me, I passed down to the banks of 
 Sihor, and we sailed with the south wind. As the 
 pilot stood upon the prow and with a rod in his hand 
 bade the sailor men loosen the stakes wherewith the 
 vessel was moored to the banks, the old wife, Atoua, 
 hobbled up, her basket of simples in her hand, and, 
 calling out her farewell, threw a sandal after me for 
 good chance, which sandal I kept for many years. 
 And so we sailed, and for six days passed down the 
 wonderful river, making fast each night at some con- 
 venient spot. But when I lost sight of the familiar 
 things that I had seen day by day since I had eyes to 
 see, and found myself alone among strange faces, I 
 felt very sore at heart, and would have wept had I not 
 been ashamed. And of all the wonderful things I saw 
 I wiU not write here, for, though they were new to me, 
 have they not been known to men since such time as 
 the gods rule in Egypt? But the priests who were 
 with me showed me no little honor, and expounded to 
 me what were the things I saw. And on the morning 
 of the seventh day we came to Memfl, the city of the 
 White Wall. Here for three days I rested from my 
 journey and was entertained of the priests of the won- 
 derful Temple of Ptah the Creator, and shown the 
 beauties of the great and marvelous city. Also was 
 I led in secret by the High Priest and two others 
 into the holy presence of the god Apis, the Ptah who 
 deigns to dwell among men in the form of a bull. 
 The god was black, and on his forehead there was a 
 white square and on his back was a white mark 
 shaped like an eagle, and beneath his tongue was the 
 Ukeness of a scarabaeus, and in his tail were double 
 hairs, and between his horns was a plate of pure gold. 
 I entered the place of the god and worshipped while 
 the High Priest and those with him stood aside and ', 
 earnestly watched. And when I had worshipped, 
 saying the words which had been told unto me, the 
 
CLEOPATRA. 33 
 
 god knelt, and lay down before nae. And then the 
 High Priest and those with him, who, as I heard 
 in aftertime, were great naen ol Upper Egypt, ap- 
 proached wondering, and, saying no word, made 
 obeisance to me because of the omen. And many 
 other things I saw in Memfl that are too long to write 
 of here. 
 
 On the fourth day came some priests of Annu to lead 
 me unto Sepa my uncle, the High Priest of Annu. So, 
 having bid farewell to those of Memfl, we crossed the 
 river and rode on asses two parts of a day's journey 
 through many villages, which we found in great 
 poverty because of the oppression of the tax gatherers. 
 Also, as we went, I for the first time saw the great 
 pyramids that are beyond the image of the god 
 Horemku (the Sphinx), and the temples of the Divine 
 Mother Isis, Queen of the Memnonia, and the god 
 Osiris, Lord of Rosatou, of which Temples, together 
 with the Temple of the worship of the Divine Menka-ra, 
 I, Harmachis, am by right divine the Hereditary High 
 Priest. I saw them and marveled at their greatness 
 •and at the white carven limestone and red granite of 
 Syene, that flashed the sun's rays back to heaven. 
 But at this time I knew naught of the treasure that was 
 hid in Her, which is the third among the Pyramids — 
 would I had never known of it ! 
 
 , And so at last we came within sight of Annu, which 
 after Memfl hath been seen is no large town, but stands 
 on raised ground, before which are lakes fed by a canal. 
 Behind the town is the great temenos (inclosure) of the 
 Temple of the God Ra. 
 
 At the pylon we dismounted, and beneath the portico 
 were we met by a man not great of growth, but of 
 noble aspect, having his head shaven, and with dark 
 eyes that twinkled like the further stars. 
 
 "Hold!" he cried in a large voice that fitted his 
 -weak body but ill. " Hold ! I am Sepa, who opens the 
 mouth of the gods !" 
 
 "And I," I said, "am Harmachis, son of Amenem- 
 hat. Hereditary High Priest and Ruler of the Holy 
 City Abouthis j and I bear letters to thee, O Sepa !" 
 
 "Enter," he said, "IGntej!" scanning me all the 
 
34 CLEOPATRA, 
 
 while with his twinkling eyes. "Enter, my son !" 
 And he took me and led me to a chamber in the inner 
 hall close to the door ; and then, having g-lanced at the 
 letters that I brought, he of a sudden fell upon my 
 neck and embraced me. 
 
 "Welcome!" he cried: "welcome, son of my own 
 Bister, and hope of Khem ! Not in vain have I prayed 
 the gods that I might live to look upon thy face and 
 impart to thee the wisdom that, perchance, I alone 
 have mastered of those who are left alive in Egypt. 
 Few there are whom it is lawful that I should teach. 
 But thine is the great destiny, and thine shall be the 
 ears to hear the lessons of the gods." 
 
 And once more he embraced me and bade me go and 
 bathe and eat, saying that on the morrow he would 
 speak with me further. 
 
 And of a truth he did, and at such length that I will 
 forbear to set down all he said both then and after- 
 ward, for if I did so there would be no papyrus left in 
 Egypt when the task was ended. Therefore, having 
 m^uch to tell, and perchance but little time to tell it, 
 wiU I pass over the events of the years that fol- 
 lowed. 
 
 For this was the manner of my life. I rose early, I 
 attended the worship of the Temple, and I gave my 
 days to study. I learned of the rites of religion and 
 their significance, and of the beginning of the gods 
 and the beginning of the Upper World. I learned of 
 the mystery of the movements of the stars, and of 
 how the earth rolls on among them. I was instructed 
 in that ancient knowledge which is called magic, and 
 in the way of interpretation of dreams, and of the draw- 
 ing nigh to God. I was taught the language of sym- 
 bols and the outer and inner secrets thereof. I became 
 acquainted with the internal laws of good and evil, 
 and with the mystery of that trust which is held of 
 man ; also I learned the secrets of the pyramids — 
 which I would that I had never known. Further, I 
 read the records of the past, and of the acts and words 
 of the ancieiit kings who were before me since the rule 
 of Horus upon earth ; and I was made to learn all 
 craft of state, the lore of earth, and with it the records 
 
CliEOPATRA. 35 
 
 of Greece and Rome. Also I learned the Grecian 
 and the Roman tongues, of which indeed I already had 
 some knowledge — and all this while, even for five years, 
 I kept my hands clean and my heart pure, and did no 
 evil in the sight of God or man ; but labored heavily 
 to acquire aU things, and to prepare myself for the 
 destiny that awaited me. 
 
 Twice every year came greetings and letters from, 
 my father, Amenemhat, and twice every year I sent 
 back my answers asking if the time had come to cease 
 from labor. And so the days of my probation sped 
 away till I grew faint and weary at heart, for being 
 now a man, ay, and learned, I longed to make a begin- 
 ning of the life of men. And ofttimes I wondered if 
 this talk and prophecy of the things there were to be 
 was but a dream born of the brains of men whose wish 
 ran before their thought. I was, indeed, of the royal 
 blood, that I knew ; for my uncle, Sepa the Priest, 
 showed me the secret record of the descent, traced 
 without break from father unto son, and graven in 
 mystic symbols upon a tablet of the stone of Syene. 
 But of what avail was it to be royal by right when 
 Egypt, my heritage, was a slave — a slave to do the 
 pleasure and minister to the luxury of the Macedonian 
 Lagidas — ay, and when she had been so long a serf 
 that, perchance, she had forgot how to put off the ser- 
 vile smile of bondage and once more to look across the 
 world with Freedom's glorious eyes ? 
 
 And then I bethought me of my prayer upon the py- 
 lon tower of Abouthis and of the answer to my 
 prayer, and wondered if that, too, were a dream. 
 
 And one night, as, weary with study, I walked with- 
 in the sacred grove that is in the temenos of the Tem- 
 ple, and thought such thoughts as these, I met my 
 uncle Sepa, who also was walking and thinking. 
 
 " Hold ! " he cried in his great voice ; " why is thy 
 face so sad, Harmachis ? Hath the last problem that 
 we studied overwhelmed thee ? " 
 
 "Nay, my uncle," I answered. "I am over- 
 whelmed indeed, but not of the problem ; it was alight 
 one. My heart is heavy within me, for I am aweary 
 of life within these cloisters, and the piled-up weight 
 
36 CLEOPATEA. 
 
 of knowledge crushes me. It is of tio avail to store up 
 force which cannot be used." 
 
 " Ah, thou art impatient, Harmachis," he answered; 
 " it is ever the way of foolish youth. Thou wouldst 
 taste of the battle ; thou dost weary of watching the 
 breakers fall upon the shore, thou wouldst plunge 
 therein and venture the desperate hazard of the war.- 
 And so thou wouldst be going, Harmachis ? The bird 
 would fly the nest as, when they are grown, the swal- 
 lows fly from beneath the eaves of the Temple. Well, 
 it shall be as thou desirest; the hour is at hand. I 
 have taught thee all that I have learned, and methinks 
 that the pupil hath outrun his master." And he paused 
 and wiped his bright black eyes, for he was very sad 
 at the thought of my departure. 
 
 " And whither shall I go, my uncle ? " I asked, re- 
 joicing ; " back to Abouthis to be initiated in the mys- 
 teries of the Gods ? " 
 
 " Ay, back to Abouthis, and from Abouthis to Alex- 
 andria, and from Alexandria to the throne of thy 
 fathers, O Harmachis ! Listen, now ; things are thus. 
 Thou knowest how Cleopatra, the Queen, fled into 
 Syria when that false eunuch Pothinus set the will of 
 Auletes at naught and raised her brother Ptolemy to 
 the sole lordship of Egj'pt. Thou knowest also how 
 she came back, like a Queen indeed, with a great army 
 in her train, and lay at Pelusim, and how at this junc- 
 ture the mighty Caesar, that great man, that greatest 
 of all men, sailed with a weak company hither to Alex- 
 andria from Pharsalia's bloodj'^ field in hot pursuit of 
 Pompey. But he found Pompey already dead, having 
 been basely murdered by Achfllas, the General, and 
 Lucius Septimius, the chief of the Roman legions in 
 Egypt ; and thou knowest how the Alexandrians were 
 troubled at his coming and would have slain his lictors. 
 .Then, as thou hast heard, Caesar seized Ptolemy, the 
 > young King, and his sister Arsinoe, and bade the army 
 of Cleopatra and the army of Ptolemy, under Achillas, 
 which lay facing each other at Pelusim, disband and 
 go their ways. And for answer Achillas marched on 
 Caesar and besieged him straitly in the Bruchium at 
 Alexandria, and so, for a while, things were, and none 
 
CLEOPATEA. 37 
 
 knew who should reign in Egypt. But then Cleopat- 
 ra took up the dice and threw them, and this was the 
 throw she made — in truth it was a bold one. For, 
 leaving the army at Pelusim, she came at dusk to the 
 harbor of Alexandria, and alone with the Sicilian 
 ApoUodorus entered and landed. Then did Apollodo- 
 rus bind her in a bale of rich rugs, such as are made in 
 Syria, and sent the rugs as a present to Caesar. And 
 when the rugs were unbound in the palace, behold ! 
 within them was the fairest girl on all the earth — ay, 
 and the most witty and the most learned. And she 
 seduced the great C^sar — even his weight of yeai-s 
 did not avail to protect him from her charms — so that, 
 as a fruit of his folly, he well-nigh lost his life and all 
 the glory he had gained in a hundred wars." 
 
 "The fool!" I broke in, "the fool! Thou callest 
 him great ; but how can the man who hath no strength 
 to stand against a woman's wiles be truly great? 
 Caesar, with the world hanging on his word ! C^sar, 
 at whose breath forty legions marched and changed 
 the fate of peoples ! Caesar, the cold ! the far-seeing ! 
 the hero ! Caesar to fall like a ripe fruit into a false 
 girl's lap ! Why, in the issue, of what common clay 
 was this Roman Caesar, and how poor a thing !" 
 
 But Sepa looked at me and shook his head. 
 
 " Be not so rash, Harmachis, and talk not with so 
 proud a voice. Knowest thou not that in every suit of 
 mail there is a joint, and woe to him that wears it if 
 the sword should search it out ! For woman, in her 
 weakness, is yet the strongest force upon the earth. 
 She is the helm of all things human ; she comes in 
 many shapes and knocks at manj'^ doors ; she is quick 
 and patient, and her passion is not ungovernable like 
 that of man, but as a gentle steed that she can guide 
 e'en where she will, and as occasion offers can now bit 
 Tip and now give rein. She hath a captain's eye, and 
 strong must be the fortress of the heart wherein she 
 finds no place of vantage. Doth thy blood beat fast 
 in youth ? she will outrun it, nor will her kisses tire. 
 Art thou set toward ambition ? she will unlock thy in- 
 ner heart, and show thee secret roads that lead to 
 glory. Art thou worn and weary ? she hath comfoi-t 
 
38 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 in her breast. Art thou fallen ? she can lift thee up, 
 and to the illusion of thy sense gild defeat with triumph. 
 Ay, Harmachis, these things she can do, for Nature 
 ever fights tipon her side ; and the while she does them 
 she can deceive and shape a secret end in which thou 
 hast no part. And thus woman rules the world. For 
 her are wars ; for her men spend their strength in gath- 
 ering gains ; for her they do well and iU, and seek for 
 greatness and find forgetfulness. And all the while 
 she sits like yonder Sphinx, and smiles ; and no man 
 hath ever read all the riddle of her smiles or known all 
 the mystery of her heart. Mock not ! mock not ! 
 Harmachis ; for strong indeed must he be who can 
 defy the power of woman, which, pressing round him 
 ^ke the general air, is ofttimes most present when the 
 senses least discover it." 
 
 I laughed aloud. " Thou speakest earnestly, O my 
 uncle Sepa," I said ; " almost might one thinlrthat 
 thou hadst not come unscathed through this fierce fire 
 of temptation. Well, for myself, I fear not woman and 
 all her wiles ; naught know I of them, and naught do I 
 wish to know ; and I still hold that this Caesar was a 
 fool. Had I stood where Csesar stood, to cool its 
 wantonness that bale of rugs should have been roUed 
 adown the palace steps, even into the harbor 
 inud." 
 
 "Nay, cease I cease !" he cried aloud. " Evil is it to 
 speak thus; and may the gods avert the omen and pre- 
 serve to thee this cold strength whereof thou boastest ! 
 O man, thou knowest not ! — thou in thy strength and 
 beauty that is without compare, in the power of thy 
 learning and the sweetness of thy tongue — thou know- 
 est not! The world where thou must mix is not a 
 sanctuary as that of the divine Isis. But there — ^it 
 may_be so ! Pray that thy heart's ice may never melt, 
 soshaltthou be great and happy and Egypt be de- 
 livered. And now let me take up my tale — thou seest, 
 Harmachis, even in so grave a story woman claims 
 her place. The young Ptolemy, Cleopatra's brother, 
 being loosed of Caasar, treacherously turned on him. 
 Thereon Caesar and Mithridates stormed the camp of 
 Ptolemy, who- took to fiight across the river. But 
 
CLEOPATRA. 39 
 
 his boat was sunk by the fugitives who pressed upon 
 it, and such was the miserable end of Ptolemy. 
 
 " Thereon, the war being ended, Caesar appointed 
 the younger Ptolemy to rule with Cleopatra, and be, 
 in name, her husband, though she had but then borne 
 him a son, C^sarion, and he himself departed for 
 Rome, bearing with him the beautiful Princess 
 Arsinoe to follow his triumph in her chains. But the 
 great Caesar is no more. He died as he had lived, in 
 blood, and right royally. And but now hath Cleo- 
 patra, the Queen, if my tidings may be trusted, slain 
 Ptolemy, her brother and her husband, by poison, and 
 taken the child Caesarion to be her fellow on the throne, 
 which she holds by the help of the Rome legions, and, 
 as they say, of young Sextus Pompeius, who hath suc- 
 ceeded Caesar in her love. But, Harmachis, the 
 whole land boils and seethes against her. In every 
 city the children of Khem talk of the deliverer who is 
 lo come — ^and thou art he, O Harmachis. Almost is 
 the time ripe. The hour is nigh at hand. Go thou 
 back to Abouthis and learn the last secrets of the gods, 
 and meet those who shall direct the bursting of the 
 storm. And then act, Harmachis — act, I say, and 
 strike home for Khem, and rid the land of the Roman 
 and the Greek, and take thy place upon the throne of 
 thy fathers and be a king of men. For unto this end 
 wast thou born, O Prince !" 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 OF THE RETURN OP HARMACHIS TO ABOUTHIS; CELE- 
 BRATION OP THE MYSTERIES ; CHANT . OP ISIS ; AND 
 THE WARNING OP AMENEMHAT. 
 
 On the next day I embraced my uncle, Sepa, and 
 with an eager heart departed from Annu back to Abon- 
 this. And, to be short, thither I came in safety, hav- 
 
40 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 ing been absent five years and a month, being now no 
 more a boy but a man full grown, and having my mind 
 well stocked with the knowledge of men and the ancient 
 wisdom of Egypt. And once again I saw the old lands 
 and the known faces, though of these some few were 
 wanting, having been gathered to Osiris, Now, as I 
 came nigh to the temenos of the Temple, having ridden 
 across the well-tilled fields, the priests and the people 
 issued forth to bid me welcome, and with them the old 
 wife, Atoua, who, but for a few added wrinkles that 
 Time had cut upon her forehead, was even as she had 
 been when she threw the sandal after me five long 
 years agone. 
 
 "La! la/ la!" she cried ; " and there thou art, 
 my bonny lad; more bonny even than thou wert! La! 
 what a man ! what shoulders ! and what a face and 
 form ! Ah, it does an old woman credit to have dan- 
 dled thee! But thou art oyer-pale; those priests 
 down there at Annu have starved thee, surely ? Starve 
 not thyself ; the Gods love not a skeleton. ' Empty 
 stomach makes empty head,' as they say at Alexan- 
 dria. But, this is a glad hour ; ay, a joyous hour ! 
 Come in — come in!" and as I lighted down she em- 
 braced me. 
 
 But I thrust her aside. "My father! where is my 
 father ?" I cried ; " I see him not !" 
 
 " Nay, nay, have no fear," she answered ; " his Holi- 
 ness is well ; he waits thee in his chamber. There, 
 pass on. O happy day ! O happy Abouthis !" 
 
 And so I went, or rather ran, and reached the cham- 
 ber of which I have written, and there at the table sat 
 my father, Amenemhat, even the same as he had been, 
 but very old ', and I ran to him, and kneeling before him 
 kissed his hand, and he blessed me. 
 
 " Look up, my son," he said, " and let my old eyes 
 gaze upon thy face, that I may read thy heart. " 
 
 So I lifted up my head, and long and earnestly he 
 looked upon me. 
 
 "I read thee," he said at length ; " pure thoni art 
 and strong in wisdom ; I have not been deceived in 
 thee. Oh, lonely have been the years ; but I did well 
 to send thee hence. Now, tell me, tell me of thy life, 
 
CLEOPATRA, 41 
 
 for thy letters have told me .little, and thou canst not 
 (know, my son, how hungry is a father's heart." 
 
 And so I told him ; far into the night we sat and 
 communed with one another. And in the end he 
 bade me know that I must now prepare me to be ini- 
 tiated into those great mysteries that are learned of 
 ;the chosen of the Gods. 
 
 And so it came to pass that for a space of three 
 months I prepared myself according to the holy 
 customs. I ate no meat. I was constant in the 
 sanctuaries and in the study of the secrets of the Great 
 Sacrifice and of the passion of the Holy Mother. I 
 watched and prayed before the altars. I lifted up my 
 soul to God : ay, in dreams I communed with the In- 
 visible, till at length earth and earth's desires seemed 
 to pass from me. I longed no more for the glory of 
 this world, my heart hung above it as an eagle on his 
 outstretched wings, and the voice of the world's blame 
 could not stir it, and the vision of its beauty brought 
 no delight. For above me was the vast vault of 
 heaven, where in unalterable procession the stars pass 
 ,on, drawing after them the destinies of men; where 
 the Holy Ones sit upon their burning thrones and 
 watch the chariot wheels of Fate as they roll from 
 sphere to sphere. O hours of holy contemplation ! 
 who having once tasted of your joy could wish again 
 to grovel on the earth ? O vile flesh ! to drag us 
 down. I would that thou hadst then altogether fallen 
 from me, and left my spirit free to seek Osiris ! 
 
 The months of probation passed but too swiftly, and 
 now the holy day drew near when I was in truth to be 
 ;united to the universal Mother. Never hath Night 
 so longed for the promise of the Dawn ; never hath 
 the heart of a lover so passionately desired the sweet 
 coming of the bride, as I longed to see Thy glorious 
 face, O Isis ! Even now that I have been faithless to 
 Thee, and Thou art far from me, O Divine ! my soul 
 goes out to Thee, and once more I know — But as it 
 is bidden that I should draw the veil and speak of 
 things that have not been told since the beginning of 
 this world, let me pass on and reverently set down the 
 history of that holy morn. For seven days had th© 
 
42 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 great festival been celebrated, the suffering' of tiie 
 Lord Osiris had been commemorated, the passion of, 
 the Mother Isis had been adored, and glory had been 
 done to the. memory of the coming of the Divine Child 
 Horus, the Son, the Avenger, the God-begot. AH 
 these things had been carried out according to the 
 ancient rites. The boats had floated on the sacred 
 lake, the priests had scourged themselves before the 
 sanctuaries, and the images had been borne through 
 the streets at night. And now, as the sun sank on 
 the seventh day, once more the great procession 
 gathered to chant the woes of Isis and tell how the 
 evil was avenged. We went in silence from the 
 Temple, and passed through the city ways. First 
 came those who clear the path, then my father Amen- 
 emhat in all his. priestly robes and the wand of cedar 
 in his hand. Then, clad in pure linen, followed I, the 
 neop^hyte, alone; and after me the white-robed priests, 
 holding aloft banners and the emblems of the Gods. 
 Next came those who bear the sacred boat, and after 
 them the singers and the mourners; while stretching 
 far as the eye could reach marched all the people, clad 
 in melancholy black because Osiris was no more. In 
 silence we went through the city streets till at length 
 we came to the temenos of the Temple and passed in. 
 And as my father, the High Priest, entered beneath 
 the gateway of the outer pylon, a sweet-voiced woman 
 singer T)egan to sing the Holy Chant, and thua she 
 sang: 
 
 " Sing we Osiris dead. 
 
 Lament the fallen head : 
 The light has left the world, the world is giay« 
 
 Athwart the starry skies 
 
 The web of Darkness flies. 
 And Isis weeps Osiris passed away. 
 
 Your tears, ye stars, ye fires, ye rivers, shed. 
 Weep, children of the Nile, weep, for your Lord is dead 1'^ 
 
 She paused in her most sweet song, and thereon the 
 whole multitude took up the melancholy dirge : 
 
 " Softly we tread, our' measured footsteps falling 
 Within the Sanctuary Sevenfold : 
 Solt oa the Dead that liveth are we calli&g 1 
 
CLEOPATRA. 43 
 
 • Return, Osiris, from thy Kingdom cold !. 
 Return to them that worship thee of old.' " 
 
 'The chorus ceased, and once again she sang ; 
 
 " Within the court divine 
 The Sevenfold-sacred shrine 
 TVe pass, while echoes^ of the Temple walls 
 Repeat the long lament. 
 The sound of sorrow sent 
 .Par up within the imperishable halls. 
 
 Where, each in other's arms, the Sisters weep, 
 - Isis and Nephthys, o'er His unawakiug sleep." 
 
 And then again rolled out the solemn chorus of a thou- 
 sand voices : 
 
 I " Softly we tread, our measured footsteps falling 
 
 Within the Sanctuary Sevenfold ; 
 Soft on the Dead that liveth are we calling : 
 ' Return, Osiris, from thy Kingdom cold ! 
 Return to them that worship thee of old.' * 
 
 It ceased, and sweetly she took up the song : 
 
 " O dwelier in the West, 
 
 Lover and Lordliest, 
 Thy love, thy Sister Isis, calls thee home ! 
 
 Come from thy chamber dun, 
 
 Thou Master of the Sun, 
 Thy shadowy chamber far below the foam I 
 
 With weary wings and spent 
 
 Through all the firmament, 
 Through all the horror-haunted ways of Hell, 
 
 1 seek thee near and far. 
 
 From star to wandering star, 
 Free with the Dead that in Amenti dwell. 
 
 I search the height, the deep, the lands, the ekiea 
 
 Rise from the dead and live, our Lord Osiris, rise," 
 
 " Softly we tread, our measured footsteps falling 
 Within the Sanctuary Sevenfold ; 
 Soft on the Dead that liveth are we calling : 
 ' Return, Osiris, from thy Kingdom cold I 
 Return to them that worship thee of old.' " 
 
 Then, in a strain more high and glad, the singer sang: 
 
 " He wakes — from forth the prison 
 We sing Osiris risen, 
 We sing the child that Nout conceived and bare. 
 Thine own love, Isis, waits 
 Tho Warden of the Oates. 
 
i4 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 She breathes the breath of Life on breast and htai. 
 
 And in her breast and breath 
 
 Behold ! he wakeneth, 
 Behold ! at length be riseth out of rest ; 
 
 Touched with her holy hands. 
 
 The Lord of aH the Lands, 
 He stirs, he rises from her breath, her breast I 
 
 But thou, fell Typhon, fly. 
 
 The judgment day draws nigh, 
 Fleet on thy track as flame speeds Horns from the 
 sky." 
 
 ' "Softly we tread, our measured footsteps falling 
 Within the' Sanctuary Sevenfold ; 
 Soft on the Dead that liveth are we calling: 
 ' Return, Osiris, from thy Kingdom cold 1 
 Beturn to them that worship thee of old.' " 
 
 Once more, as we bowed before the Holy, she sang. 
 and sent the full breath of her glad music ringing up 
 the everlasting walls, till the silence quivered with 
 her round notes of melody, and the hearts of those 
 who hearkened stirred strangely in the breast. And 
 thus, as we walked, she sang the song of Osiris risen, 
 the song of Hope, the song of Victory : 
 
 "Sing we the Trinity, 
 
 Sing we the Holy Three, 
 Sing we, and praise we and worship the Throne, 
 
 Throne that our Lord hath set^ 
 
 There peace and truth are met. 
 There in the Halls of the Holy alone 1 
 
 There in the shadowings 
 
 Faint of the folded wings. 
 There shall we dwell and rejoice in our rest. 
 
 We that thy servants are I 
 
 Horus drive ill afar I 
 Far in the folds of the dark of the West 1" 
 
 Once more, as her notes died away, thundered forth 
 the chorus of all the voices, and then the chanting 
 ceased, and as the sun sank the High Priest raised the 
 •statue of the living God, and held it before the multi- 
 dude that was now gathered in the court of the Tem- 
 ple. Thereon, with a mighty and joyful shout of "Osi- 
 ris! our hope/ Osiris f Osiris/" the people tore the 
 black wrappings from their dress^ revealing the white^ 
 robes they wore beneath, and, as one man, tiiey 
 bowed before the God, and the feast was eaded, 
 
CLEOPATRA. 45 
 
 But for me the ceremony was only begun, for to- 
 piig-ht was the night of my initiation. Leaving the 
 4nner court I bathed myself, and, clad in pure linen, 
 passed, as it is ordained, into an inner, but not the in- 
 most, sanctuary, and laid the accustomed offerings on 
 the altar. Then liftmg up my hands to heaven, I re- 
 mained for many hours in contemplation, striving by 
 holy thoughts and prayer to gather up my strength 
 against the mighty moment of my trial. 
 
 Slowly the hours sped in the silence of the Temple, 
 Mil at length the door opened and my father, Amenem- 
 hat, the High Priest, came in, clad in white, and lead- 
 ing by the haad the Priest of Isis. For himself, hav- 
 ing been married, he did not enter into the mj'-steries 
 of the Holy Mother. 
 
 1 rose to my feet and stood humbly before the 
 twain. 
 
 " Art thou ready ? " said the Priest, lifting the lamp 
 he held so that its light fell upon my face. " Art thou 
 ready, O thou chosen one, even to see the glory of the 
 Groddess face to face ? " 
 
 "I am ready," I answered. 
 
 "Bethink thee," he said again, in solemn tones, 
 *'thisisno small thing. If thou wilt carry out this 
 thy last desire, understand, O Royal Harmachis, that 
 now this very night must thou for a while die in the 
 flesh, what time thy soul shall look on spiritual things. 
 And if thou diest and there shall be any evil thing 
 found within thy heart, when thou comest at last iato 
 that awful presence, woe unto thee, Harmachis, for 
 the breath of life shall no more enter in at the gateway 
 of thy mouth. Utterly shalt thou perish as to thy 
 \)ody, and what shall befall thy other parts, if I know 
 I may not say.* Art thou, therefore, pure and free 
 from the thought of sin ? Art thou prepared to be 
 gathered to the breast of Her who was and is and will 
 be, and m all things to do Her holy will ; for her, while 
 she shall so command, to put away the thought of 
 
 ♦According to the Egyptian religion the being man is com- 
 posed of four parts : the body, the double or. astral shape (ka), 
 the soul (pi), and the spark of life sprung from the Godhead 
 (jehou). 
 
46 CJLEOPATRA. 
 
 ^arthty woman ; and to labor always for Her glor 
 tin at the end thy life is absorbed in Her eterria 
 life?" 
 
 " I am," I answered ; " lead on." 
 
 " It is weU," said the Priest. " Noble Amenemhat 
 we go hence along." 
 
 " Farewell, my son," said my father ; "be firm ani 
 triumph over the things spiritual as thou shalt tri 
 umph over the things earthly. He who would trul; 
 rule the world must first be lifted up above the world 
 He must be at one with God, for thus only shall h 
 learn the secrets of the Divine. But beware ! Th 
 Gods demand much of those who dare to enter the cii 
 cle of their Divinity. If they go back therefrom, the; 
 shall be judged of a sharper law, and be scourged wit] 
 a heavier rod. As their glory is, so shall their sham 
 be ; for it is no light thing, having cast off thy morta 
 garb, to soil the raiment of the Spirit in fleshly mirt 
 Therefore, make thy heart strong, O Royal Harma 
 chis ! And when thou speedest down the ways c 
 Night and enterest the Holy Presence, remember tha 
 from him to whom great gifts have been given sha 
 gifts be required again. And now — if, indeed, th; 
 heart be fixed — go whither it is not as yet given to m 
 to follow thee. Farewell ! " 
 
 For a moment, as my heart weighed these ,heav 
 words, I wavered, as well I might. But I was flUe 
 with longing to be gathered to the company of th 
 Divine ones, and I knew that I had no evil in me, an 
 desired to do only the thing that is just. Therefor* 
 having with so much labor drawn the bow-string t 
 my ear, I was fain to let fly the shaft. "Lead on," 
 cried with a loud voice; "lead on, O holy Priest! 
 follow thee ! " 
 
 And we went forth. 
 
CLEOPATRA. 47 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 OF THE INITIATION OF HAKMAOHIS ; OP HIS VISIONS ; 
 OF HIS PASSING TO THE CITY THAT IS. IN THE PLACE 
 OF DEATH; AND OF THE DECLARATION OP ISIS, THE 
 
 MESSENGER. 
 
 In silence we passed into the Shrine of Isis. Dark it 
 was and bare — only the feeble light from the lamp 
 gleamed faintly upon the sculptured walls, where, in a 
 hundred efSgies, the Holy Mother suckled the Holy 
 Child. The Priest closed the doors and bolted them. 
 * " Once again," he said, " art thou ready, Harma- 
 chis?" 
 
 "Once again," I answered, "I am ready." 
 
 He spoke no more ; but, having lifted up his hands 
 in prayer, led me to the center of the Holy, and. 
 with a swift motion put out the lamp. 
 
 " Look before thee, O Harmachis ! ". he cried ; and 
 his voice sounded hollow in the solemn place. 
 
 I gazed and saw nothing. But from the niche that 
 is high in the wall, wherein is hid the sacred symbol 
 of the Goddess, on which few may look, there came a 
 sound as of the rattling rods of the sistrum. And as 
 I listened, awestruck, behold ! I saw the outline of the 
 symbol drawn as with lire upon the blackness of the 
 air. Above my head it hung, and rattled while it 
 hung. And as it turned, clearly I saw the face of the 
 Mother Isis that is graven on the one side, and signi- 
 fies unending birth, and the face of her holy sister, 
 Nephthys, that is graven on the other, and signifies 
 the ending of all birth in death. 
 
 Slowly it turned and swung as though some mystic 
 dancer trod the air above me and shook it in her hand. 
 ,But at length the light went out, and the rattling 
 ceased. 
 
 Then of a sudden the end of the chamber became 
 luminous, and in that white light I beheld picture after 
 picture. I saw the ancient Nile rolling through 
 deserts to the sea. There were no men upon its banks. 
 
48 CT.EOPATRA. 
 
 nor any signs of man, nor any Temples to the Gods. 
 Only wild birds moved on Sihor's lonely face, and mon- 
 strous brutes plunged and wallowed in his waters. 
 The sun sunk in majesty behind the Libyan Desert and 
 stained the waters red ; the mountains towered up to- 
 ward the silent sky ; but in mountain, desert, and river 
 there was no sign of human life. And then I knew 
 that I saw the world as it had been before man was, 
 and a terror of its loneliness entered my soul. 
 
 The picture passed and another rose up in its place. 
 Once again I saw the banks of Sihor, and on thein 
 crowded wild-faced creatures, partaking of the nature 
 ofthe ape more than of the nature of mankind. They 
 fought and slew each other. The wild bird sprang up 
 in affright as the fire leapt from reed huts given by 
 foemen's hands to flame and pillage. They stole and 
 rent and murdered, dashing out the brains of children 
 with axes of stone. And, though no voice told me, I 
 knew that I saw man as he was tens of thousands oi 
 years ago when first he marched across the earth. 
 
 Yet another picture. Once again I saw the banks 
 of Sihor ; but on them fair cities bloomed like flowers 
 In and out their gates went men and women, and 
 laden asses passing to and fro from wide, well-tilled 
 lands. But I saw no guards or armies, and no weapons 
 of war. All was wisdom, prosperity, and peace 
 And, while I wondered, a glorious figure, clad in rai 
 ment that shone as flame, came from the gates of e 
 shrine, and the sound of music went before and fol 
 lowed after him. He mounted an ivory throne whicl 
 was set in a market-place facing the water, and as th( 
 sun set called all the multitudes to prayer. With om 
 voice they prayed, bending in adoration. And I undet 
 stood that herein was shown the reign of the Gods oi 
 earth, which was long before the days of Menes. 
 
 A change came' over the dream. StiU the same fai 
 city, but other men — ^men with greed and evil on theil 
 faces — ^who hated the bonds of righteous doing, anl 
 set their hearts on sin. The evening came ; the glorj 
 ous figure mounted the throne and called to prayei 
 Ijut none bowed themselves in adoration. 
 
 " We are aweary of thee !" they cried. " Mak 
 
CliEOPATEA. 49 
 
 Evil King ! Slay him ! slay him ! and loose the bonds 
 ^f Evil ! Make Evil King ! " 
 
 Mightily uproso the glorious shape, gazing with 
 mild eyes upon those wicked ones. 
 
 " Ye know not what ye ask," he cried ; " but as ye 
 ■will, so be it ! For if I die, by me shall ye once again, 
 , after much travail, find a path to the Kingdom of 
 Good !" 
 
 Even as he spoke a form, foul and hideous to be- 
 hold, leapt upon him, cursing, slew him, tore him 
 limb from limb, and amidst the clamor of the people 
 sat himself upon the throne and ruled. But a shape 
 whose face v/as veiled passed down from heaven on. 
 shadowy wings, and with lamentations gathered up the 
 rent fragments of the Being. A moment she bent 
 herself upon them, then lifted up her hands and wept. 
 And as she wept, behold ! from her sides there sprang 
 a warrior armed and with a face like the face of Ea 
 (the sun) at noon. With a shout he, the Avenger, 
 hurled himself upon the monster who had usurped the 
 throne, and they closed in battle, and struggling ever 
 in a strait embrace, passed upward to the skies. 
 
 Then came picture after picture. I saw powers 
 and peoples clad in various robes and speaking many 
 tongues. I saw them pass and pass and pass in mil- 
 lions — ^loving, hating, struggling, dying. Some few 
 were happy and some had woe stamped upon their 
 faces ; but most bore not the seal of happiness nor of 
 woe, but rather that of patience. And ever as they 
 passed from age to age, high above in the heavens the 
 Avenger fought on with the EvU Thing, while the 
 scale of victory swung now here, now there ; but 
 neither conquered, nor was it given to me to know how 
 the battle ended. 
 
 And I understood that what I had beheld was the 
 lioly vision of the struggle between the Good and the 
 Evil powers. I saw that man was created vile, but those 
 who are above took pity on him and came down to him 
 to make him good and happy, for the two things are 
 one thing. But man returned again to his wicked 
 way, and then did the bright spirit of Good, who is 
 of us called ' Osiris, but who. hath many names, offer 
 
 4 
 
60 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 himself up for the evil-doing of the race that had de- 
 throned him. And from him and the Divine Mother, 
 of whom all nature is, sprang- another spirit who is the 
 Protector of us on earth, as Osiris is our justifier in 
 Amenti. 
 
 For this is the mystery of the Osiris. 
 
 Of a sudden, as I saw the visions, these things be- 
 came clear to me. The mummy cloths of symbol and 
 of ceremony that wrap Osiris round fell from him, 
 and I understood the secret of religion. 
 
 The picture passed, and once again the Priest, my 
 guide, spoke to me. 
 
 " Hast thou understood, Harmachis, those things 
 which it hath been granted thee to see ?" 
 ' " I have," I said. " Are the rites ended ?" 
 
 "Nay, they are but begun. That which follows 
 must thou endure alone ! Behold, I leave thee, to re- 
 turn at the morning light. Once more I warn thee 
 that which thou shalt see few may look upon and live. 
 In all my days have I known but three who dared to 
 face this dread hour, and of those three at dawn but 
 one was found alive. Myself, I have not trod this 
 path. It is too high for me." 
 
 " Depart, " I said ; " my soul is athirst for knowledge. 
 I wUl dare it." 
 
 He laid his hand upon my head and blessed me. 
 He went. I heard the door shut to behind him, the 
 echoes of his footsteps slowly died away. Then I felt 
 that I was alone, alone in the Holy place with things 
 which are not of the earth. Silence fell — silence deep 
 and black as the darkness which was around me. 
 The silence fell, it gathered as the cloud gathered on 
 the face of the moon that night when, a lad, I prayed 
 upon the pylon towers. It gathered denser and yet 
 more dense till it seemed to creep into my heart and 
 call aloud therein ; for utter silence has a voice that is 
 more terrible than the voice of any cry. I spoke ; the 
 echoes of my words came back upon me from the walls 
 and seemed to beat me down. The stillness was lighter 
 to endure than an echo such as this. 'What was I 
 about to see ? Should I die, even now, in the fullness 
 of my youth and strength ? Terrible were the warn- 
 
CLEOPATRA, 51 
 
 jng-s that had been given to me. I was fear-stricken, 
 'and bethought me that I would fly. Fly ! — fly 
 whither ? The temple door was barred ; I could not 
 fly. I was alone with the Godhead, alone with the 
 power that I had invoked. Nay, my heart was pure 
 . — ^my heart was pure ! I would face the terror that was 
 to come, ay, even though I died. 
 
 " Isis, holy Mother," I prayed, " Isis, Spouse of 
 Heaven, come unto me, be with me now. I faint ! be 
 with me now." 
 
 And then I knew that things were not as things 
 had been. The air around me began to stir, it rustled 
 as the wings of eagles rustle, it took life. Bright eyes 
 gazed. upon me, strange whispers shook my soul. 
 Upon the darkness were bars of light. They changed 
 and interchanged, they moved to and fro and wove 
 mystic symbols which I could not read. Swifter 
 and swifter flew that shuttle of the light ; the sym- 
 bols grouped, gathered, faded, gathered j^et again, 
 faster and still more fast, till my eyes could no more 
 count them. Now I was afloat upon a sea of glory ; it 
 surged and rolled, as the ocean rolls ; it tossed me high, 
 it brought me low. . Glory was piled on glory, splendor 
 heaped on splendor's head, and I rode above it all. 
 
 Soon the lights began to pale in the rolling sea of 
 air. Great shadows shot across it, lines, of darkness 
 pierced it and rushed together on its breast, till at 
 length I only was a shape of flame set like a star on 
 the bosom of immeasurable night. Bursts of awful 
 music gathered from far away. MUes and miles away 
 I heard them, thrilling faintly through the gloom. 
 On they came, nearer and more near, louder and more 
 loud, till they swept past above, below, around me, 
 swept on rushing pinions, terrifying and enchanting 
 me. They floated by, ever growing fainter, till they 
 died in space. Then others came, and no two were 
 akin. Some rattled as ten thousand sistra shaken all 
 to tune. Some rang from the brazen throats of unnum- 
 bered clarions. Some pealed with a loud, sweet chant 
 of voices that were more than human ; and some rolled 
 along in the slow thunder of a million drums. They 
 passed ; their notes were lost in dying echoes ; and the 
 
52 CLEOPATEA. 
 
 awful silence once more pressed in upon me and over- 
 came me. 
 
 The strength within me began to fail. I felt my life 
 fibbing at its springs. Death drew near to me, and 
 his shape was Silence. He entered at my hearty 
 entered with a sense of numbing cold ; but my brain 
 was still alive, I could yet think. I knew that I wa^ 
 drawing near the confines of the dead. Nay, I was 
 dying fast, and, oh, the horror of it ! I strove to pray 
 and could not; there was no more time for prayer. 
 Orie struggle and the stillness crept into nay braitii 
 The terror passed ; an unfathomable weight of sleep 
 pressed me down. I was dying, I was dying, and 
 then I was dead — nothingness ! 
 
 A change — ^life came back to me, but between the 
 new life and the life that had been was a gulf and differ- 
 ence. Once more I stood in the darkness of the shrine, 
 but it blinded me no more. It was clear as the light 
 of day, although it still was black. I stood ; and yet it 
 was not I who stood, but rather my spiritual part, for 
 at my feet lay my dead self. There it lay, rigid and 
 still, a stamp of awful calm sealed upon its face, while 
 I gazed on it. 
 
 And t*s I gazed, filled with wonder, I was caught up 
 on the Wings of Flame and whirled away ! away ! 
 faster tSian the lightning flash. Down I fell, through 
 depths t»/ empty space, set here and there with glittering 
 crowna of stars. Down for ten million miles and ten 
 times ton million, till at length I hovered over a place 
 of soft, anchanging light, wherein were Temples, Pal- 
 aces, aad Abodes, such as no man ever saw in the wild- 
 est visions of his sleep. They were built of Flame, and 
 they were built of Blackness. Their spires pierced up 
 and up ; their great courts stretched around. Even as 
 I hovered they changed continually to the eye ; what 
 was flame became blackness, what was blackness be- 
 came flame. Here was the flash of crystal, and there 
 the blaze of gems shone even through the glory that 
 rolls around the city which is in the Place of Death. 
 There were trees, and their voice as they rustled was 
 the voice of music ; there ^was air, and as it blew its 
 breath was the sobbing notes of song. 
 
CLKOPATRA, 53 
 
 Shapes, changing-, mysterious, wonderful, rushed up 
 to meet me and bore me down till I seemed to stand 
 ^upon another earth. 
 
 " Who comes ?" cried a great voice. 
 
 " Harmachis," answered the Shapes that changed 
 continually. " Harmachis, who hath been summoned 
 from the earth to look upon the face of Her, that Was, 
 and Is, and Shall Be. Harmachis, Child of Earth !'•' 
 
 " Throw back the Grates and open wide the Doors !'* 
 pealed the awful voice. " Throw back the Gates and 
 open wide the Doors. Seal up his lips in silence, lesfc 
 his voice jar upon the harmonies of heaven ; take away 
 his sight, lest he see that which may not be seen, and 
 ..let Harmachis, who hath been summoned, pass down 
 the path that leads to the place of the Unchanging. 
 Pass on. Child of Earth ; but, before thou goest, look 
 up that thou mayest learn how far thou art removed ' 
 from earth." ' 
 
 I looked up. Beyond the glory that shone about the 
 city was black night, and high on its bosom twinkled 
 one tiny star. 
 
 " Behold the world that thou hast left," said the 
 voice, " behold and tremble." 
 
 Then my lips and eyes were touched and sealed 
 with silence and with darkness, so that I was dumb 
 and blind. And the gates rolled back, the doors 
 swung wide, and I was swept into the city that is in 
 the place of Death. Swiftly I was swept I know not 
 whither, till at length I stood upon my feet. Again 
 the same voice pealed : 
 
 " Draw the veil of blackness from his eyes, unseal 
 the silence on his lips, that Harmachis, Child of Earth, 
 naay see, hear and understand, and make adoration at 
 the shrine of Her, that Was, and Is, and Shall Be." 
 
 And my lips and eyes were touched once more, sa 
 that my sight and speech came back. 
 
 Behold ! I stood within a hall of blackest marble, so 
 lofty that scarce even in the rosy light could- my vision, 
 reach the great groins of the roof. Music wailed 
 about its spaces, and all adown its length stood winged 
 spirits fashioned in living flame, and such was thebright- 
 ness of their forms that I could not look thereon. In 
 
54 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 its center was an altar, small and square, and I stood 
 before the empty altar. Then again the voice cried r. 
 
 ' ' O Thou that hast been, art, and shalt be ; Thou who, 
 having many names, art yet without a name ; Meas- 
 urer of Time ; Guardian of the Worlds, and the Races 
 that dwell thereon ; Universal Mother born of Noth- 
 ingness ; Creatrix uncreated ; Living Splendor without 
 form. Living Form without Substance ; Servant of the 
 Invisible ; Child of Law ; Holder of the Scales and 
 Sword of Fate ; Vessel of Life, from whom all Life is, 
 to whom it again is gathered ; Recorder of Things 
 Done; Executor of Decrees — ^hear! Harmachis the 
 Egyptian, who by Thy will hath been summoned from 
 the earth, waits before Thine Altar, with ears un- 
 stopped, with eyes unsealed, and with an open heart. 
 Hear and descend ! Descend, O Many-shaped ! Descend 
 in Flame ! Descend in Sound ! Descend in Spirit ! Hear 
 and Descend!" 
 
 The voice cease4 and there was silence. Presently, 
 moved thereto by 1 know not what, I raised my eyes 
 from between my hands wherewith I had covered them, 
 and I saw hanging over the altar a small dark cloud, 
 in and out of which a fiery serpent cUmbed. 
 
 Then all the Spirits clad in flame fell upon the mar- 
 ble floor, and with a loud voice adored ; but what they 
 said I could not understand. Behold ! the dark cloud 
 came down and rested on the Altar, the Serpent of fire 
 stretched itself toward me ; and with its forky tongue 
 touched me on the forehead and was gone. From with- 
 in the cloud a voice, sweet and low and clear, spoke in 
 heavenly accents : 
 
 " Depart, ye Ministers, leave me with my servant 
 whom I have summoned." 
 
 Then like arrows rushing from a bow the fiame-clad 
 - Spirits leaped from the ground and sped away. 
 
 " O Harmachis," said the voice, " be not afraid. I 
 am She whom thou dost know as Isis of the Egjrptians ; 
 but what else I am strive not thou to learn — it is beyond 
 thy strength. For I am all things, all Life is my spirit, 
 all Nature is my raiment. I am the laughter of the child, 
 I am the maiden's love, I am the mother's kiss. I am 
 the Child and Servant of the In-visible that is Qod, that 
 
CLEOPATRA. 5S 
 
 fe Law, that is Fate — thougli myself I be not God and 
 .Fate and Law. When winds blow and oceans roar 
 upon the face of Earth thou hearest my voice ; when 
 thou gazest on the starry firmament thou seest my 
 countenance ; when the spring blooms out in flowers, 
 that is my smile, Harmachis. For I am nature's self, 
 and all her shapes are shapes of Me. I breathe in all 
 that breathes. 1 wax and wane in the changeful moon- 
 I grow and gather in the tides. I rise with the suns- 
 I flash with the lightning and thunder in the storms. 
 Nothing is too great for the measure of my majesty, 
 nothing is so small that I cannot find a home therein. 
 I am in thee and thou art in Me, O Harmachis : that 
 which bade thee be, bade Me also be. Therefore, 
 though I am great and thou art little, have no fear. 
 For we are bound together by the common bond of life 
 — that life which flows through sun and stars and 
 spaces, through spirits and the souls of men, wedding 
 all Nature to a whole that, changing ever, is yet 
 eternally the same." 
 
 I bowed my head — I could not speak, for I was fear- 
 smitten. 
 
 "Faithfully hast thou served me, O my servant," 
 went on the low, sweet voice ; " greatly hast thou 
 longed to be brought face to face with Me here in Amen- 
 ti ; and greatly hast thou dared to accomplish that de- 
 sire. For it is no small thing to cast off the tabernacle 
 of the flesh, and, before the appointed time, if only for 
 an hour, put on the raiment of the spirit. And greatly, 
 O my servant, iiave I, too, desired to Jookon thee here 
 where I am. For the Gods love those who love them, 
 but with a wider and deeper love, and under One who 
 is as far from Me as I am from thee, mortal, I am a 
 God of Gods. Therefore I have caused thee to be 
 brought hither, Harmachis ; and therefore I speak to 
 thee, my servant, and bid thee commune with Me now 
 face to face, as thou didst commune that night upon the 
 Temple towers of Abouthis. For I was there with thee, ; 
 Harmachis, as I was in ten thousand other worlds. It 
 was I, O Harmachis, who laid the lotus in thy hand, 
 giving thee the sign which thou didst seek. For thou \ 
 art of the kingly blood of those who served Me from ' 
 
66 CiliEOPATEA- 
 
 age to age. And if thou dost not fail thou shalt sit 
 upon that kingly throne and restore my ancient wor- 
 ship in its purity, and sweep my temples from their de- 
 filements. But if Tihou dost fail, then shall Isis become 
 but a memory in Egypt." 
 
 The voice paused ; and, gathering up my strength, 
 at length I spoke aloud. 
 
 " Tell me, O Holy," I said, " shall Ithen fail ?" 
 "Ask Me not," answered the voice, "that which it 
 is not lawful that I should answer thee. Perchance I 
 can read that which shall befall thee, perchance it doth 
 not please me so to read. What can it profit the Di- 
 vine, that hath aU time wherein to await the issues, to 
 be eager to look iipon the blossom that is not blown, 
 Ijut which, lying a seed in the bosom of the earth, shall 
 blow in its season ? Know, Harmachis, that I do not 
 shape the Future ; the JFuture is to thee and not to Me ; 
 for it is born' of Law and of the rule ordained of the 
 Invisible. Yet art thou free to act therein, and thou 
 shalt win or thou shalt fail according to thy strongth 
 and the measure of thy heart's purity. Thine be the 
 burden, O Harmachis, as thine in the event shall be the 
 glory or the shame. Little do I reck of the issue, I 
 who am but the Minister of what is written. Now 
 hear me. Always will I be with thee, my servant, for 
 my love once given can never be taken away, though 
 by sin it may seem lost to thee. Remember then this : 
 If thou dost triumph, great shaU be thy guerdon; if 
 thou dost fail, heavy indeed shall be thy punishment, 
 both in the flesh and in the land that thou callest 
 Amenti. Yet this for thy comfort: sfiame and agony 
 shall not be eternal. For, however deep the fall from 
 righteousness, if but repentance holds the heart, there 
 is a path — ^a stony and a cruel path — ^whereby the height 
 may be climbed agaiu. Let it not be thy lot to foUow 
 it, Harmachis ! And now, because thou hast loved me, 
 my servant, and, wandering through the maze of fa- 
 ble, wherein men lose themselves upon the earth, 
 mistaking the substance for the spirit, and the altar 
 for the God, hast yet grasped a clue of Truth the Many- 
 faced — and because I love thee and look on to the day 
 that, perchance, shall come when thou shalt dwell 
 
CLEOPATRA- 5f 
 
 blessed in my light and in the doing of my holy tasks — 
 ^iecause of this, I say, it shall be given to thee, O Har- 
 machis, to look upon the face of Isis — even unto the 
 eyes of the Messenger, and not die the death. Behold !" 
 
 The sweet voice ceased ; the dark cloud upon the al- 
 tar changed and changed — it grew white, it shone, and 
 seemed at length to take the shrouded shape of wom- 
 ^n. Then the golden snakes crept from its heart once 
 more, and, like a living diadem, twined itself about 
 the cloudy brows. 
 
 •' Now suddenly the vapors burst and melted, and with 
 my eyes I saw that Glory, at the very thought of which 
 smy spirit faints. But what I saw it is not lawful to ut- 
 ter. For, though I have been bidden to write what I 
 have written of this matter, perchance that a record 
 may remain, thereon have I been warned — ay, even 
 now. after these many years. I saw, and what I saw 
 cannot be imagined ; for there are Glories and there are 
 Shapes which are beyond the reach of man's imagina- 
 tion. I saw — then, with the memory of that sight 
 stamped forever on my heart, my spirit failed me, and 
 1 sank down before the Glory. 
 
 And as I fell, it seemed that the great hall burst 
 open and crumbled into flakes of fire around me. 
 Then there was a sound as the sound of worlds rushing 
 down the cataracts of Time — and I linew no more ! 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 OP THE AWAKING OP HARMACHIS ; OP THE CEEEMONT OP 
 . HIS CROWNING AS PHARAOH OP THE UPPER AND THE 
 , LOWER LAND, AND OP THE OFPERINGS MADE TO THE 
 PHARAOH. 
 
 Once again I woke, to find myself stretched at length 
 upon the stone flooring of the Holy Place of Isis that 
 is at Abouthis,. By me stood the old Priest of the Mys- 
 teries, and in his hand was a lamp. He bent over me 
 and gazed earnestly upon my face. 
 
 " It is day — ^the day of thy new birth — ^and thou hast 
 
58 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 lived to see it, O Harmachis !" he said at length. " I 
 give thanks. Arise, Royal Harmachis — nay, tell me . 
 naught of that which has fallen thee. Arise, beloved 
 of the Holy Mother. Come forth, thou who hast passed 
 the fire and learned what lies behind the darkness. ' 
 Come forth, O newly born !" 
 
 I rose and, walking faintly, went with him, and pass-* 
 ing out of the darkness of theShriaes, came once more 
 into the pure light of the morning, filled with thought 
 and wonder. And then I went to my own chamber 
 and slept ; nor did any dreams come to trouble me. 
 But no man, not even my father, asked me aught of 
 what I saw upon that dread night, or after what fash- 
 ion I had communed with the Goddess, 
 
 After these things which have been written, for a 
 space I applied myself to the worship of the Mother 
 Isis, and to the further study of the outward forms 
 of the mysteries whereto I now held the key. More- 
 over, I was instructed in matters politic, for many 
 great men of our following came secretly to see me 
 from all quarters of Egypt, and told me much of the 
 hatred of the people toward Cleopatra, the Queen, and 
 of other things. At last the hour drew nigh : it was 
 three months and ten days from the night when, for 
 a >rhile, I left the flesh, and yet, living with our life, 
 was gathered to the breast of Isis, on which it was 
 agreed that with due and customary formality, al-: 
 though in utter secrecy, I should be called to the throne 
 of the Upper and the Lower Land. So it came to pass 
 that, as the solemn time drew nigh, great men of the 
 party of Egypt gathered to the number of thirty-seven 
 from every nome, and each great city of their noma, 
 coming together at Abouthis. In every guise they 
 came — some as priests, some as pilgrims to the Shrine, 
 and some as beggars. Among them was my uncle, 
 Sepa, who, though he clad himself as a traveling doci 
 tor, had much ado to keep his loud voice from betray-i 
 ing him. Indeed, I myself knew him thereby, meeting 
 Mm as I walked in thought upon the banks of the 
 canal, notwithstanding that it was dusk and that the 
 great cape, which, after the fashion of such doctorsj 
 he had thrown about his head, half hid his face, ' 
 
CLEOPATRA. !i9 
 
 " J' A pest on thee !" he cried, when I greeted him by 
 has name. " Cannot a man cease to be himself even 
 •4or an hour ? Didst thou but Icnow the pains that it 
 has cost me to learn to play this part — and now thou 
 read est who I am even in the dark !" 
 
 And then, stUl talking in his loud voice, he told me 
 how he had traveled hither on foot, the better to- es- 
 cape the spies who ply to and fro upon the river. 
 But he said he should return by the water, or take an- 
 other guise ; for since he had come as a doctor he had 
 been forced to play a doctor's part, knowing but little 
 /of the arts of medicine; and, as he greatly feared, 
 many there were between On and Abouthis who had 
 fullered therefrom.* And he laughed loudly and em- 
 braced me, forgetting his part. For he was too whole 
 at heart to be an actor and other than himself, and 
 -would have entered Abouthis with me holding my 
 liand, had I not chid him for his folly. 
 ,-' At length all were gathered. 
 
 It was night when the gates of the Temple were 
 shut. None were left within them, save only the thirty- 
 seven, my father, the High Priest Amenemhat ; that 
 'aged Priest who had led me to the Shrine of Isis ; the 
 old wife, Atoua, who, according to ancient custom, 
 was to prepare me for the anointing ; and some live 
 other priests, sworn to secrecy by that oath which none 
 may break. They gathered in the second haU of the 
 great Temple, but I remained alone, clad in my white 
 robe, in the passage where are the names of six-and- 
 seventy ancient Kings, who were before the day of -the 
 divine Sethi. There I rested in darkness, till at length 
 m.y father, Amenemhat, came, bearing a lamp, and, 
 bowing low before me, led me by the hand forth into 
 the great hall. Here and there between its mighty 
 pillars lights were set that dimly showed the sculptur- 
 tjd images upon the walls, and dimly fell upon the long 
 line of the seven-and-thirty Lords, Priests, and Princes, 
 who, seated upon carven chairs, awaited my coming 
 in silence. Before them, facing away from the seven 
 
 *In Ancient Egypt an unskillful or negligent phyfiician 'was liable 
 to very heavy penalties.— Ed, 
 
60 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 Sanctuaries, was set a throne, around which stood the 
 Priests holding the sacred images and banners. As I 
 came into the dim and holy place the Dignitaries rose 
 and bowed before me, speaking no word, while my 
 father led me to the steps of the throne, and in a low 
 voice bade me stand before it. 
 
 And then he spake : 
 
 " Lords, Priests, and Princes of the ancient orders . 
 of the land of Khem — ^nobles from the Upper and the 
 Lower Country, here gathered in answer to my sum- 
 mons, hear me. I present unto you, with such scant 
 formality as the occasion can afford, the Prince Har- 
 machis, by right and true descent of blood the descen- 
 dant and heir of the ancient Pharaohs of our most un- ' 
 happy land. Priest is he of the inmost circle of the 
 Mysteries of the Divine Isis, Master of the Mysteries, 
 Hereditary Priest ($f the Pyramids which are by 
 Memfl, Instructed in the Solemn Rites of the Holy Osi- 
 ris. Is there any among you who hath aught to urge 
 against the true line of his blood ?" 
 
 He paused, and my uncle Sepa, rising from his 
 chair, spoke : " We have made examination of the 
 records and there is none, O Amenemhat. He is of 
 the Royal blood, his descent is true." 
 
 "Is there any among you," went on my father, 
 " who can deny that this Royal Harmachis, by sanc- 
 tions of the very Gods, hath been gathered to Isis, been 
 shown the way of the Osiris, been admitted to be the 
 Hereditary High Priest of the Pyramids which are by 
 Memfl, and of the Temples of the Pyramids ?" 
 
 Then rose that old Priest who had been my guide 
 in the sanctuary of the Mother and made answer; 
 " There is none, O Amenemhat; of my own knowl- 
 edge know I these things." 
 
 Once more my father spake: "Is there any among 
 you who hath aught to urge against this Royal Har- 
 machis, in that by wickedness of heart or life, by un- 
 cleanness or falsity, it is not fit or meet that we 
 should crown him Lord of all the Lands ?" 
 
 Then rose an aged Prince of Memfl and made 
 answer : " We have inquired of these matters; there is 
 none; O Amenemiiat !" 
 
CLEOPATRA. 61 
 
 /'It is well," said my father; "then naught is 
 Wanting in the Prince Harmachis, seed of Nekt-nebf, 
 r%he Osiriari. Let the woman Atoua stand forth and 
 tell to this company those things that came to pass 
 when, at the hour of her death, she who was my wife, 
 prophesied over this Prmce, being filled with the 
 Sjpirit of the Hathors." 
 
 ^' ^Thereon old Atoua crept forward from the shadow 
 of the columns, and earnestly told those things that 
 have been written. 
 
 ^ ' "Ye have heard," said my father-; "do ye believe 
 that the woman who was my wife spake with the 
 divine voice ?" 
 
 "We do," they answered. 
 
 Then my uncle Sepa rose and spake : 
 
 "Royal Harmachis, thou hast heard. Know now 
 that we are gathered here to crown thee King of the 
 Upper and the Lower Lands — thy holy father, Amen- 
 emhat, renouncing all his right on thy behalf. We 
 are met, not, indeed, in such pomp and ceremony as is 
 due to the occasion — ^for that which we do must be 
 done in secret, lest our lives and the cause that is 
 more dear to us than life should pay the forfeit — ^but 
 yet with such dignity and observance of the ancient 
 rites as our circumstance may command. Learn, 
 now, how this matter hangs, and if, after learning, 
 thy mind consents thereto, then mount thy throne, O 
 Pharaoh, and swear the oath ! 
 
 " Long hath Khemi groaned beneath the mailed heel 
 of the Greek, and trembled at the shadow of the Ro- 
 man's spear ; long has the ancient worship of its Gods 
 been desecrated, and its people crushed with oppres- 
 sion. But we believe that the hour of deliverance is at 
 hand, and with the solemn voice of Egypt and by the 
 ancient Gods of Egypt, to whose cause thou art of all 
 men bound, we call upon thee, O Prince, to be the sword 
 hi our deliverance ! Hearken ! Twenty thousand good 
 and leal men are sworn to wait upon thy word, and at 
 thy signal to rise as one, to put the Grecian to the 
 sword, and with their blood and substance to build 
 thee a throne set more surely on the soil of Khem than 
 are its ancient Pyramids — such a throne as shall even 
 
€2 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 toll the Roman legions back. And for that signal, it 
 shall be the death of that bold harlot, Cleopatra. Hej 
 death must thou compass, O Harmachis, in. such 
 fashion as shall be shown to thee, and with her blood 
 anoint the Royal throne of Egypt. 
 
 " Canst thou refuse, O our Hope ? Doth not the 
 holy love of country swell within thy heart ? Can^i 
 thou dash the cup of Freedom from thy lips and be^r 
 to drink the bitter draught of slaves ? Great is the 
 emprise, and jnaybe it shall fail, and thou with thy 
 life, as we with ours, shalt pay the price of our en^ 
 deavor. But what of that, Harmachis ? Is Ufe, then, 
 so sweet? Are we so softly cushioned on the stonj 
 bed of Earth ? Is bitterness and sorrow in its sum so 
 small and scant a thing ? Do we here breathe so di- 
 vine an air that we should fear to face the passage oj 
 our breath ? Yv^hat have w^e here but hope and mem- 
 ory ? What see we here but shadows ? Shall we thei 
 fear to pass pure-handed where fulfillment is and mem- 
 ory is lost in its own source, and shadows die in the 
 light which cast them ? O Harmachis, that man alon« 
 is truly blest who crowns his life with Death's mos 
 splendid wreath. For since to all the Brood of Eartl 
 Death hands his poppy flowers, happy indeed is he t( 
 whom there is occasion given to ^eave them in i 
 crown of fame undying. And how can a man mor« 
 gloriously die than in a great endeavor to strike th' 
 gyves- from his country's limbs, so that she agaii 
 may stand in the face of Heaven and raise the shril 
 shout of freedom, and, clad oiice more in the panopb 
 of strength, ti"ample under foot the memory of servi 
 tude, defying tyrant nations of the earth again to se 
 the seal of their dominion on her brow ? 
 
 , " Khem calls thee, Harmachis. Come, then, come 
 thou Deliverer ; leap like Horus from the firmament 
 break her fetters, scatter her foes, and rule a Pharao] 
 on Pharaoh's Throne — " 
 
 " Enough, enough ! " I cried, while the long murmu 
 of applause swept about the columns and up the mass; 
 -walls. " Enough. Is there any need thus to adjur 
 me ? Had la hundred lives, would I not most gladl 
 lay them down for Egypt ? " 
 
CLEOPATRA. . 63 
 
 ^' "Well said ! well said ! " answered Sepa. " Wow go 
 forth with the woman yonder, that she may make 
 
 ^lean thy hands before they touch the sacred emblems, 
 and thy brow before it is encircled of the diadencu" 
 
 And so I went forth with the old wife, Atoua, into a 
 chamber apart. There, muttering prayers, she pour- 
 ed' pure water upon my hands into a ewer of gold, and 
 
 paving dipped a fine cloth into the water, therewith 
 wiped my brow. 
 
 ...,"0 happy Egypt!" she said; "O happy Prince, 
 that art come to rule in Egypt ! O Royal youth ! — 
 
 rtoo Royal to be a priest-^so shall many a fair woman 
 think; but, perchance, for thee they will relax the 
 
 /priestly rule, else how shall the race of Pharaoh be 
 carried on ? O happy I, who dandled thee and gave 
 my flesh and blood to save thee ! O Royal and beauti- 
 ful Harmachis, born for splendor, happiness, and 
 love ! " 
 
 "Cease, cease," I said, for her talk jarred upon 
 me ; " call me not happy till thou knowest my end ; 
 and speak not to me of love, for with love comes sor- 
 row, and mine is another and a higher way." 
 
 "Ay, ay, so thou sayest — ^and joy, too, that comes 
 with love ! Never talk lightly of love, my King, for it 
 brought thee here ! La ! la ! but it is always the way 
 — * The goose on the wiag laughs at crocodiles,* so 
 
 g^oes their saying down at Alexandria ; ' but when the 
 goose is asleep on the water, it is the crocodiles who 
 laugh.' Not but what women are pretty crocodiles. 
 Men worship the crocodiles at Anthribis (Crocodopo- 
 lis), but they worship women all the world over ! La! 
 how my tongue does run on, and thou about to be 
 crowned Pharaoh ! Did I not prophecy it to thee ? 
 Well, thou art clean, Lord of the Double Crown i Go 
 
 .forth." 
 
 And I came forth with the old wife's foolish talk 
 
 {ringing ia my ears, though of a truth her folly had 
 ever a grain of wtfc in it. 
 
 As I came, once more the Dignitaries rose and bowed 
 before me. Then my father, without delay, drew near 
 
 'ine, and placed within my hands a golden image of the 
 divine Goddess Ma (Truth), and golden images of the 
 
64 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 arks of the divine God Amen-Ea, of the divine Mout, 
 and the divine Khons, and spake solemnly : "^ 
 
 ' ' Thou swearest by the living majesty of Ma, by the 
 majesty of Amen-Ea, of Mout, and of Khons ? " 
 
 " I swear !" I said. 
 
 " Thou swearest by the holy land of Khem, by ^Si- 
 hor's flood, by the Temples of the Gods and the eternal 
 Pyramids ? " 
 
 " I swear." 
 
 " Eemembering thy doom if thou shouldst fail there- 
 in, thou swearest that thou wilt in all things govern 
 Egypt according to its ancient laws, that thou wilt 
 preserve the worship of its Gods, that thou wilt do 
 equal justice, that thou wilt not oppress, that thou wilt 
 not betray, that thou wilt make no alliance with the 
 Eoman or the Greek, that thou wilt cast out the for- 
 eign Idols, that thou wilt devote thy life to the liberty 
 of the land of Khem ? " 
 
 " I swear ! " 
 
 " It is weU. Mount, then, the throne, that in the 
 presence of these thy subjects I may name thee Pha- 
 raoh." 
 
 I mounted upon the throne, whereof the footstool is 
 a sphinx, and the canopy the overshadowing wings o1 
 Ma. Then did Amenemhat once again draw nigh anc 
 place upon my brow the Pshent, and on my head th< 
 iDouble Crown, and about my shoulders the Eoya 
 Hobe, and in my hands the Scepter and the Scourge. 
 
 " Eoyal Harmachis," he cried, " by these outwarc 
 signs and tokens, I, the High Priest of the temple o 
 Ea-Men-Ma at Abouthis, (frown thee Pharaoh of th( 
 Upper and Lower Land. Eeign and prosper, O Hopi 
 of Ehemi !" 
 
 " Eeign and prosper, Pharaoh ! " echoed the Digni 
 taries, bowing down before me. 
 
 Then, one by one, they swore allegiance, till all ha< 
 sworn. And, having sworn, my father took me b; 
 the hand ; in solemn procession he led me into each c 
 the seven Sanctuaries that are in this temple of Es 
 Men-Ma, and in each I made ofiferings, swung incense 
 and officiated as Priest. Clad in the.Eoyal Eobes I mad 
 offerings in the Shrine of Horus, in the Shrine of Isii 
 
CLEOPATRA. 65 
 
 in' the Shrine of Osiris, in the Shrine of Amen-Ea, in the 
 Shrine of Horemku, in the Shrine of Ptah, till at length 
 (' I reached the Shrine of the King's Chamber. 
 
 Here they made their offering to me, as the Divine 
 Pharaoh, and left me very weary — ^but a King. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Br!AEEWELIi OP AMBNEMHAT TO" HARMACHIS ; COMING 
 
 OP HAKMACHIS TO ALEXANDRIA; EXHORTATION OP 
 
 ; SEPA; the passing OP CLEOPATRA ROBED AS ISIS; 
 
 j' AND THE OVERTHROW OP THE GLADIATOR BY HAR- 
 MACHIS. 
 
 / Now the long days of preparation had passed, and 
 the time was at hand. I was initiated, and I was 
 crowned ; so that although the common folk knew me 
 not, or knew me only as Priest of Isis, there were in 
 Egypt thousands who at heart bowed down to me as 
 Pharaoh. The hour was at hand, and my soul went 
 forth to meet it. For I longed to overthrow the for- 
 , eigner, to set Egypt free, to mount the throne that 
 was my heritage, and cleanse the temples of my Gods. 
 I was fain for the struggle, and I never doubted of its 
 end. I looked into the mirror, and saw triumph writ- 
 ten on my brows. The future stretched a path of glory 
 from my feet — ^ay, glittering with glory like Sihor in 
 the sun. I communed with my Mother Isis ; I sat within 
 my chamber and took counsel with my heart ; I planned 
 new temples ; I revolved great laws that I would put 
 forth for my people's weal ; and in my ears rang the 
 shouts of exultation that should greet victorious Pha- 
 raoh on his throne. ; 
 
 . But stUl a little while I tarried at Abouthis, and, 
 ^laving been commanded so to do, let my hair, that 
 iad been shorn, grow again long and black as the ra- 
 ven^ wing, instructing myself meanwhile in all manly 
 exercises and feats of arms. Also, for a purpose that 
 shall be seen, I perfected myself in that magic art of 
 
66 CLEOPATEA. 
 
 the Egyptians and the reading of the stars, in whicb 
 things, indeed, I already had great sltill.. 
 
 'Sow this was the plan that had been built up. My 
 uncle Sepa had, for a while, left the Temple of On, giv- 
 ing out that his health had failed him. Thence he had 
 moved down to a house in Alexandria, to gather 
 strength, as he said, from the breath of the sea, ajid 
 also to learn for himself the wonders of the great Mu- 
 seum and the glory of Cleopatra's Court. There it 
 ,was planned that I should join him, for there, at Al- 
 exandria, the egg of the plot was hatching. Accord- 
 ingly, when at last the summons came, all things being 
 prepared, I made me ready for the journey, and pass- 
 ed into my father's chamber to receive his blessing ere 
 I went. There sat the old man, as once before he sat 
 when he rebuked me because I went out to slay the lion, 
 his long white beard resting on the table of stone and 
 sacred writings in his hand. When I came in he 
 rose from his seat and would have knelt, crying, " Hail, 
 Pharaoh !" but I caught him by the hand. 
 " It is not meet, my father," I said. 
 "It is meet," he answered. "It is meet that I 
 should bow me before my King. But be it as thou wilt. 
 And so thou goest, Harmachis ? My blessing go with 
 thee, my son, and may those whom I serve grant it 
 to me, that my old eyes may, indeed, behold thee on 
 the throne ! Long have I searched, striving, O Har- 
 machis, to read the future that shall be, but naught 
 can I learn by all my wisdom. It is hid from me, and 
 at times my heart fails me. But hear this : There is 
 danger in thy path, and it comes in the form of woman. 
 Long have I known it, and therefore hast thou been 
 called to the worship of the heavenly Isis, who bids hei 
 votaries put away the thought of woman till such time 
 '^as she shall think well to slacken the rule. O my son, 
 ^(I would that thou wert not so strong and fair — stron-i 
 ger and fairer, indeed, than any man in Egypt, as aj 
 King should be— for in that strength and beauty may 
 lie a cause of stumbling. Beware, then, of those 
 witches of Alexandria, lest, like a worm, some one o; 
 them creep into thy heart and eat its secret out." 
 
CLEOPATRA. 67 
 
 f Have no fear, my father," I answered, frowning ; 
 'i my thought is set on other things than red lips and 
 ^iniling eyes." 
 
 ' " Ifc is good," he answered ; " so may it befall. And 
 now farewell. When next we meet, may it he in that 
 happy hour when, with all the Priests of the Upper 
 Land, I move down from Abouthis to do my homage 
 Xo Pharaoh on his throne." 
 
 So I embraced him, and went. Alas ! I little thought 
 how we should meet again. 
 
 y Thus it came about that once more I passed down 
 the Nile, traveling as a man of no estate. And to such 
 as were curious about me it was given out that I was 
 the adopted son of the High Priest of Abouthis, having 
 ''been brought up to the priesthood, and that I had at 
 last refused the service of the Gods, and chosen to go 
 to Alexandria to seek my fortune. For, be it remem- ' 
 bered, I was by all those who knew not the truth stUl 
 held to be the grandson of the old wife, Atoua. 
 
 On the tenth night, sailing with the wind, we reached 
 the mighty city of Alexandria, the city of a thousand 
 lights. Above them all towered the white Pharos, 
 that wonder of the world, from the crown whereof a 
 light like the light of the sun blazed out across the 
 waters of the harbor to guide mariners on their way 
 across thewine^dark sea. The vessel, for it was night, 
 having been most cautiously made fast to the quay, I 
 disembarked and stood wondering at the vast mass of 
 houses, and confused by the clamor of many tongues. 
 For here all peoples seemed. to be gathered together, 
 each speaking after the fashion of his own land. And 
 as I stood a young man came and touched me on the 
 shoulder, asking me if I was from Abouthis and named 
 ^Harmachis. I said, " Yea." Thereon, bending over 
 me, he whispered the secret password into naine ear, 
 and, beckoning to two slaves, bade them bring my ap- 
 /parel from the ship. This they did, fighting their way 
 through the crowd of porters who were clamoring for 
 hire. Then I followed him adown the quay, which was 
 bordered with drinking places, where all sorts of men 
 were gathered^ tippling wine and watching the dancing 
 
68 CliEOPATEA. 
 
 of women, some of whom were but scantily arrayedj 
 and some not arrayed at all. And so we went througii 
 the lamp-lit houses, till at last we reached the shore oi 
 the great harbor, and turned to the right along a wide 
 way paved with granite and bordered by strong houses, 
 having cloisters in front of them, the like of which 1 
 had never seen. Turning once more to the right, w€ 
 came to a quieter portion of the city, where, save for 
 parties of strolling revelers, the streets were still. 
 Presently my guide halted at a house built of white 
 stone. We passed in, and, crossing a small courtyard^ 
 entered a chamber where there was a light. And here 
 at last I found my uncle Sepa, most glad to see me safe. 
 When I had washed and eaten he told me that all things 
 went well, and that as yet there was no thought of evU 
 at the Court. Further, he said, it having come to tht 
 ears of the Queen that the Priest of On was sojourning 
 at Alexandria, she sent for him and closely questioned 
 him — not as to any plot, for of that she never thought 
 but as to the rumor which had reached her that then 
 was treasure hid in the Great Pyramid that is by On 
 For, being ever wasteful, she was ever in want of mon- 
 ey, and had bethought her of opening the Pyramid 
 But he laughed at her, telling her the Pyramid was the 
 burying place of the Divine Chufu, and that naughl 
 knew he of its secrets. Then she was angered, anc 
 swore that so surely as she ruled in Egypt she woulc 
 tear it d.own, stone by stone, and discover the secret a1 
 its heart. Again he laughed, and, in the words of th( 
 proverb which they have here at Alexandria, told hei 
 that "Mountains live longer than Kings." Thereor 
 she smiled at his ready answer, and let him go. Alsc 
 my uncle Sepa told me that on the morrow I should see 
 this Cleopatra. For it was her birthday (as, indeed, 
 it was also mine), and, dressed as the Holy Isis, sh( 
 would pass in state from her palace on the Lochias t( 
 the Serapeum to offer a sacrifice at the shrine of thj 
 false God who sits therein. And he said thereaftei 
 that the fashion whereby I should gain entrance to th< 
 household of the Queen should be contrived. 
 Then, being very weary, I _wenttojvest; but coul( 
 
CLEOPATKA. 69 
 
 sleep little for the strangeness of the place, the noises 
 ,i^ the streets, and the thought of the morrow. While 
 -it was yet dark, I rose, climbed the stair to the roof of 
 the house, and waited. Presently the sun's rays shot 
 out like arrows, and lit upon the white wonder of the 
 marble Pharos, whereof the light instantly sank and 
 died, as though, indeed, the sun had killed it. Now the 
 r rays fell upon the marble palaces of the Lochias where 
 Cleopatra lay, and lit them up till they flamed like a 
 jewel set on the dark, cool bosom of the sea. Away the 
 ■ light flew, kissing the Soma's sacred dome, where- 
 in Alexander sleeps, touching the high tops of a thou- 
 sand palaces and temples ; past the porticoes of the 
 ' great museum that loomed near at hand, striking the 
 lofty shrine where, carven of ivory, is the image of the 
 false God Serapis, and at last seeming to lose itself in 
 the vast and gloomy Necropolis. Then, as the dawn 
 g'athered into day, the great flood of brightness over- 
 :\)rimming the bowl of night flowed into the lower lands 
 and streets, and showed Alexandria red in the sunrise 
 as the mantle of a king, and shaped as a mantle. The 
 Etesian wind came up from the north, and swept away 
 the vapor from the harbors, so that I saw their blue 
 waters rocking a thousand ships. I saw, too, that 
 mighty mole of the Heptastadium ; I saw the hundreds 
 of streets, the countless houses, the innumerable wealth 
 and splendor of Alexandria, set like a queen betwixt 
 Mareotis and the ocean, and dominating both, and I 
 was filled with wonder. This, then, was one city in my 
 heritage of lands and cities ! Well, it was worth the 
 grasping. And having looked my full and fed my 
 heart, as it were, with the sight of splendor, I com- 
 muned with the Holy Isis and came down from the 
 roof. 
 
 In the chamber beneath was my uncle Sepa. I told 
 him that I had been watching the sun rise over the 
 city Of Alexandria. 
 
 " So !" he said, looking at me from beneath his 
 shaggy eyebrows ; " and what thinkest thou of Alex- 
 andria ? " 
 
 "Ithinkit is like some city of the Gods," I answered. 
 
 " Ay ! " he replied fiercely, " a city of \he infernal 
 
70 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 Gods — a sink of corruption, a bubbling well of iniquity, 
 a home of false faith springing from false hearts ! J 
 would that not one stone of it were left upon another 
 stone, and that its wealth lay deep beneath yonder 
 waters ! I would that the gulls were screaming across 
 its site, and that the wind, untainted by a Grecian 
 breath, swept through its ruins from the ocean to Ma- 
 reotis ! O Royal Harmachis, let not the luxury and 
 beauty of Alexandria poison thy "sense ; for in their 
 deadly air Faith perishes, and Religion cannot spread 
 her heavenly wings. When the hour comes for thee 
 to rule, Harmachis, cast down this accursed city, and, 
 as thy fathers did, set up thy throne in the white walls 
 of Memfl. For I tell thee, that for Egypt, Alexandria 
 is but a splendid gate of ruin, and while it endures all 
 nations of the earth shall marSh through it to the 
 plunder of the land , and all false faiths shall nestle in 
 it and breed the overthrow of Egypt's Gods." 
 
 I made no answer, for there was truth in his words. 
 And yet to me the city seemed very fair to look on. 
 After we had eaten, my uncle told me it was now time 
 to set out to view the march of Cleopatra, as she went 
 in triumph to the shrine of Serapis. For although she 
 would not pass till within two hours of the midday, 
 yet these people of Alexandria have so great a love of 
 shows and idling that had we not presently set forth 
 by no means could we have come through the press of 
 the multitudes who were already gathering along the 
 highways where the Queen must ride. So we went out 
 to take our place upon a stand, fashioned of timber, 
 that had been built at the side of the great road which, 
 pierces through the city, even to the Canopic Gate. 
 For therein my uncle had purchased a right to enter, 
 and that dearly. 
 
 And with much struggle we won our way through 
 the great crowds that were already gathered in the 
 streets, till we reached the scaffolding of timber, which 
 was roofed in with an awning and gayly hung with 
 scarlet cloths. Here we seated ourselves upon a bench 
 and waited for some hours, watching the multitude 
 press past, shouting, singing and talking loudly in 
 many tongues. At length came soldiers to clear the 
 
CLEOPATRA^ 7X 
 
 "i;oad, clad, after the Eoman fashion, in coats of chain 
 ..-■armor. After them marched heralds enjoining silence 
 ' (wliereat the populace sang and shouted all the more 
 loudly), and crying that Cleopatra, the Queen, waa 
 coming. Then followed a thousand Cilician skirmishers, 
 ^ thousand Thracians, a thousand Macedonians, and a. 
 thousand Gauls, each armed after the fashion of their 
 country. Then passed five hundred men of those who' 
 are called the Fenced Horsemen, for both men and 
 horses were altogether covered with armor. Next 
 came youths and maidens sumptuously draped and 
 ■wearing golden crowns, and with them images sym- 
 bolizing Day and Night, Morning and Noon, the 
 Heavens and the Earth. After these came many fair 
 women pouring perfumes on the road, and others 
 scattering blooming flowers. Now there rose a great 
 shout of "Cleopatra! Cleopatra!" and I held my 
 breath and bent forward to see her who dared to put 
 on the robes of Isis. 
 
 But at that moment the multitude so gathered and 
 thickened in front of where I was that I could no longer 
 clearly see. So in my eagerness I leapt over the bar- 
 rier of the Icatfolding, and, being very strong, pushed 
 my way through the crowd till I reached the foremost 
 rank. And, as I did so, Nubian slaves armed with 
 thick staves and crowned with ivy leaves ran up, strik- 
 ing the people. One man more especially, for he was 
 a giant, and, being strong, was insolent beyond meas^ 
 ure, smiting the people without cause, as, indeed, is 
 the wont of low persons set in authority. For nigh to 
 me stood a woman, an Egyptian by her face, bearing a 
 child in her arms, whom the man, seeing that she was 
 weak, struck on the head with his rod so that she fell 
 prone, and the people murmured. But my blood 
 rushed of a sudden through my veins at the sight, and 
 drowned my reason. _ In my hand I held a staff of olive 
 wood from Cyprus, and as the black brute laughed at 
 the sight of the stricken woman and her babe rolling on 
 the ground, I swung the staff aloft and smote. So i 
 shrewdly did I strike that the tough rod split upon the 
 giant's shoulders and the blood spurted forth, staining 
 Ms trailing leaves of ivy. Then, with a shriek of pain 
 
72 CLEOPATRA, 
 
 and fury — /or those who smite love not that they Tpe 
 smitten — did he turn and spring at me ! And all the 
 people round gave back, save only the woman who 
 could not rise, leaving us twain in a ring, as it were. 
 On he came with a rush, and, as he came, being now 
 mad, I smote him with my clenched fist between the 
 eyes, having naught else wherewith to smite, and he 
 staggered like an ox beneath the first blow of the 
 priest's axe. Thereat the people shouted, for they love 
 to see a fight, and the man was known to them as a 
 gladiator victorious in the games. Gathering up his 
 strength, the knave came on with an oath, and, whirl- 
 ing his heavy staff on high, struck at me in such a fash- 
 ion that, had I not by nimbleness avoided the blow, I 
 had surely been slain. But as it chanced, the stalT hit 
 „upon the ground, and so heavily that it flew in frag- 
 ments. Thereon again the multitude shouted, and the 
 great man, blind with fury, rushed at me to smite me 
 down. But with a cry I sprang straight at his throat 
 — ^f or he was so heavy a man that I knew I could not hope 
 to throw him by strength — ^ay, and gripped it. There 
 I clung, though his fists battered me like bludgeons, 
 driving my thumbs into his throat. Bound and round 
 we turned, till at length he flung himself to the earth, 
 trusting thus to shake me off. But I held on fast as 
 we rolled over and over on the ground, till at last he 
 grew faint for want of breath. Then I, being upper- 
 most, drave my knee down upon his chest, and, as I 
 believe, should thus have slain him in my rage, had not 
 my uncle and others there gathered fallen upon me 
 and dragged me from him. 
 
 And meanwhile, though I knew it not, the chariot 
 wherein sat the Queen, with elephants going before 
 and lions led after it, had come even to the spot, and 
 because of the tumult had been halted. I looked up, 
 and thus torn, panting, my white garments stained 
 with the blood that had rushed from the mouth and 
 nostrils of the mighty Nubian, I for the first time saw 
 Cleopatra face to face. Her chariot was all of gold, 
 and drawn by milk-white steeds. Therein she sat 
 with two fair girls, clad in Greek attire, standing one 
 on either side, fanning her with glittering fans. There 
 
CLEOPATRA. 73 
 
 slie sat in the splendid car. On her head was the cov- 
 ering of Isis, the golden horns between which rested 
 /'the moon's round disk and the emblem of Osiris' 
 / throne, with the urssus twined around. Beneath the 
 covering was the vulture cap of gold, the blue enam- 
 eled wings, and the vulture head with gemmy eyes, 
 uhder which her long, dark tresses flowed toward her 
 jfeet. About her rounded neck was a broad collar of 
 /gold studded with emeralds and coral. Round her 
 arms and wrists were bracelets of gold studded with 
 emeralds and coral, and in one hand she held the holy 
 f symbol of life (crux ansata) fashioned of crystal, and 
 in the other the golden rod of royalty. Her breast 
 was bare, but under was a garment that glistened like 
 the scaly covering of a snake, everywhere sewn with 
 gems. Beneath this robe was a skirt of golden cloth, 
 half hid by a scarf of the broidered silk of Cos, falling 
 in folds even to the sandals that, fastened with great 
 pearls, adorned her white and tiny feet. 
 
 All this I discerned at a glance, as it were. Then I 
 looked upon the face — that face which seduced Caesar, 
 ruined Egypt, and was doomed to give Augustus the 
 scepter of the world. I looked upon the flawless Gre- 
 cian features, the rounded chin, the full, rich lips, the 
 chiseled nostrils, and the ears fashioned like delicate 
 shells. I saw the forehead, low, broad, and lovely, 
 the crisped, dark hair falling in heavy waves that 
 'Sparkled in the sun, the arched eyebrows, and the long, 
 bent lashes. There before me was the grandeur of 
 her imperial shape. There burnt the wonderful eyes, 
 liued like the Cyprian violet — eyes that seemed to 
 sleep and brood on secret things as night broods upon 
 the desert, and yet as the night to shift, change, and 
 be illumined by gleams of sudden splendor born within 
 their starry depths. All those wonders I saw, though 
 I have small skill in telling them. But even then I 
 knew that it was not in these charms alone that the 
 might of Cleopatra's beauty lay. Rather was it in a 
 glory and a radiance cast through the fleshy covering 
 from the fierce soul within. For she was a Thing of 
 'Flame like unto which no woman hath ever been nor 
 ever will be. Even when she brooded, the fire of her 
 
Y4 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 quick heart shone through her. But when she woke, 
 and the lightning leapt suddenly from her eyes, and 
 the passion-laden music of lier speech chimed upon her 
 lips, ah! then who can tell how Cleopatra seemed?' 
 For in her met all the splendors that have been given. 
 to woman for her glory, and all the genius which man 
 has drawn from heaven. And with them dwelt every 
 evil of that greater sort which, fearing nothing and 
 making a mock of lawsjjiath taken empires for ite, 
 place of play, and, smiling, watered the growth of its 
 desires with the rich blood of men. In her breast they 
 gathered, together fashioning that Cleopatra whomi 
 no man may draw, and yet whom no man, having 
 seen, ever can forget. They fashioned her grand as 
 the Spirit of Storm, lovely as Lightning, cruel as 
 Pestilence, yet with a heart ; and what she did is 
 known. Woe to the world when such another comes 
 to curse it ! 
 
 For a moment I met Cleopatra's eyes as she idly 
 bent herself to find the tumult's cause. At first they 
 were somber and dark, as though they saw, indeed, 
 but the brain read naught. Then they awoke, and 
 their very color seemed to change as the color of the 
 sea changes when the water is shaken. First, there 
 was anger written in them ; next, an idle noting ; then 
 when she looked upon the huge bulk of the man whom 
 I had overcome, and knew him for the gladiator, 
 something, perchance, that was not far from wonder. 
 At the least they softened, though, indeed, her face 
 changed not a whit. But he who would read Cleopatra's 
 mind had need to watch her eyes, for her countenance 
 varied but a little. Turning, she said some words to 
 her guards. They came forward and led me to her, 
 while all the multitude waited silently to see me 
 slain. 
 
 I stood before her, my arnis folded on my breast.. 
 Overcome though I was by the wonder of her loveli- ; 
 ness, I hated in ray heart, this woman who dared 
 to clothe herself in the dress of Isis — this usurper who 
 sat upon my throne, this wanton squandering the 
 wealth of Egypt in chariots and perfumes. When she ^ 
 had looked me over from the head to the feet shei 
 
CLEOPATKA. 7S 
 
 Spake in a low full voice and in the tongue of Khemi, 
 •which she alone had learned of all the Lagidae : 
 ( " And who and what art thou, Egyptian — for 
 Egyptian I see thou art — who darest to smite my 
 slave when 1 make progress through my city?" 
 
 "I am Harmachis," I answered boldly — "Har- 
 Jthachis the astrologer, adopted son of the High Priest 
 «ind Governor of Abouthis, who am come hither to 
 seek my fortune. I smote thy slave, O Queen, be- 
 cause for no fault he struck down the woman yonder. 
 Ask of those who saw, Eoyal Egj'pt." 
 
 " Harmachis I" she said, " the name hath a high 
 sound — and thou hast a high look." And then speak- 
 ing to a soldier who had seen all, she bade him tell 
 her what had come to pass. This he did truthfully, 
 being friendly disposed toward me because^ I had 
 overcome the Nubian. Thereon she turned and spoke 
 with the girl bearing the fan who stood beside her — a 
 woman having curling hair and shy, dark eyes, very 
 beautiful to see. The girl answered somewhat. Then 
 Cleopatra bade them bring the slave to her. So they 
 led forward the giant, who had found his breath again, 
 and with him the woman whom he had smitten down. 
 
 "Thou dog!" she said, in the same low voice: 
 "thou coward! who, being strong, didst smite down 
 this woman, and, being a coward, wast overthrown of 
 this young man. See, thou, I will teach thee man- 
 ners. Henceforth, w^hen thou smitest women, it shall 
 be with thy left arm. Ho, guards, seize this black 
 coward and strike off his right hand." 
 
 And, her command given, she sank back in her gold- 
 en chariot, and again the cloud gathered in her eyes. 
 But the guards seized the giant, and, notwithstanding 
 his cries and prayers for mercy, struck off his hand 
 with a sword upon the wood of the scaffolding, and he 
 was carried away groaning. Then the procession 
 moved on again. As it went the fair woman with the 
 fan turned her head, caught my eye, and smiled and 
 nodded as though she rejoiced, whereat I wondered 
 somewhat. 
 
 The people cheered also and made jests, saying that 
 I should soon practice astrology in the palace. But 
 
76 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 as soon as we might I and my uncle escaped, and 
 made our way back, to the house. All the while he 
 rated me for my rashness ; but when we came within 
 the chamber of the house he embraced me and rejoiced 
 greatly, because with so little hurt to myself I had 
 overthrown the giant. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 OF THE COMING OP CHABMION, AND OF THE WEATH OF 
 
 SEFA. 
 
 That same night, while we sat at supper in the house, 
 there came a knock upon the door. It was opened, : 
 and a woman passed in, wrapped from head to foot in 
 a large dark peplos or cloak in such fashion that her 
 face could not be clearly seen. 
 
 My uncle rose, and as he did so the woman uttered 
 the secret word. 
 
 " I am come, my father," she said in a sweet, clear 
 voice, " though of a truth it was not easy to escape 
 the revels at the palace. But I told the Queen that 
 the sun and the riot in the streets had made me sick, 
 and she let me go." 
 
 " It is well," he answered. " Unveil thyself : here 
 thou art safe." 
 
 With a little sigh of weariness she unclasped the 
 peplos and let it slip from her, giving to my sight the 
 face and form of that beauteous girl who had stood to 
 fan Cleopatra in the chariot. For she was very fair 
 and pleasant to look upon, and her Grecian robes 
 clung sweetly about her supple limbs and budding 
 form. Her wayward hair, flowing in a hundred little 
 curls, was bound in with a golden fillet, and on her 
 feet were sandals. Her cheeks blushed like a flower, 
 and her dark, soft eyes were downcast, as though with 
 modesty, but smiles and dimples trembled about her 
 lips. 
 
CLEOPATRA. 77 
 
 My uncle frowned when his eyes fell upon her dress. 
 . *' Why comest thou in this garh, Charmion ?" he 
 ,^sked sternly. " Is not the dress thy mothers wore 
 good enough for thee ? This is no time or place for 
 woman's vanities. Thou art not here to conquer, but 
 to obey." 
 
 " Nay, be not wroth, my father," she answered soft- 
 ly ^ "perchance thou knowest not that she whom I 
 serve will have none of our Egyptian dress : it is out 
 of fashion. To wear it would have been to court sus- 
 picion — also, I came in haste." And as she spoke I 
 •saw that all the while she watched me covertly through 
 the long lashes which fringed her modest eyes; 
 
 "Well, well," he said, sharply, fixing his keen 
 glance upon her face, " doubtless thou speakest truth, 
 Charmion. Be ever mindful of thy oath, girl, and of 
 the cause to which thou art sworn. Be not light- 
 aninded, and I charge thee forget the beauty wherewith 
 thou hast been cursed. For mark thou this, Char- 
 mion : fail us but one jot, and vengeance shall fall on 
 thee — the vengeance of man and the vengeance of the 
 Gods ! To this service," he continued, lashing him- 
 self to anger as he went on, till his great voice rang in 
 the narrow room, " hast thou been bred ; to this end 
 hast thou been instructed and placed where thou art, to 
 gain the ear of that wicked wanton whom thou seemest 
 tJO serve. See thou forget it not ; see that the luxury 
 of yonder court doth not corrupt thy purity and divert 
 thy aim, Charmion." And his eyes flashed and his 
 small form seemed to grow till it attained to dignity 
 — nay, almost to grandeur. " Charmion," he said, 
 advancing toward her with outstretched finger, " I 
 say to thee that at times I do not trust thee. But two 
 nights gon§ I dreamed I saw thee standing in the 
 desert. I saw thee laugh and lift thy hand to heaven, 
 and therefrom fell a rain of blood ; then the sky sank 
 down on the land of Khem and covered it. Whence 
 came the dream, girl, and what is its meaning? 
 Naught have I against thee as yet ; but hearken ! On 
 the moment that I have, though thou art of my kin, and 
 I have loved thee — on that moment, I say, will I doom 
 those delicate limbs, which thou lovest so much to 
 
78 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 show, to the kite and to the jackal, and the soul with- 
 in thee to all the tortures of the Gods I Unburied 
 shalt thou die, and bodiless and accursed shalt thoic 
 wander in Amenti ! — ay, forever and ever !" 
 
 He paused, for his sudden burst of passion had spent 
 itself. But by it, more clearly than before, I saw how 
 deep a heart had this man beneath the cloak of his 
 merriness and simplicity of mien, and how fiercelj^ 
 the mind within him was set upon his aim. As for- 
 the girl, she shrank from him terrified, and, placing 
 her hands before her face, began to weep. 
 
 "Nay, speak not so, my father," she said, between 
 her sobs ; " for what have I done ? Naught Itnow I of 
 the evil wandering of thy dreams. I am no soothsay- 
 er that I should read dreams. Have I not carried 
 out all things according to thy desire ? Have I not 
 been ever mindful of that dread oath?" — and she 
 trembled. " Have I not played the spy and told thee 
 all? Have I not won the heart of the Queen so that she 
 loves me as a sister, refusing me nothing, ay, and the 
 hearts of those about her ? Why dost thou affright 
 me thus with thy words and threats ?" And she wept 
 afresh, looking even more beautiful in her sorrow 
 than she was before. 
 
 " Eaough, enough," he answered ; " what I have 
 said I have said. Be warned, and affront our sight 
 no more with this wanton dress. Thinkest thou that 
 we would feed our eyes upon those rounded arms^we 
 whose stake is Egypt and who are dedicated to the 
 Gods, of Egypt? Girl, behold thy cousin and thy 
 King \" 
 
 She ceased weeping, wiping her eyes with her chiton , 
 and I saw that they seemed but the softer for her tears. 
 
 " Methinks, most Eoyal Harmachis and beloved 
 cousin," she said, as she bent before me, " that we are 
 already made acquainted." 
 
 " Yea, cousin," I answered, not without shamefaced- 
 ness, for never before had I spoken to so fair a maid ; 
 "thou wert in the chariot with Cleopatra this day 
 when I struggled with the Nubian." 
 
 " Assuredly," she said, with a smUe and a sudden 
 lighting of the eyes, " it was a gallant fight, and gal- 
 
CLEOPATRA. 79 
 
 la^rtly didst thou overthrow that black brute. I saw 
 pde fray, and, though I knew thee not, greatly did I 
 'Tear for one so brave. But I paid him for my fright, 
 for it was I who put it into the mind of Cleopatra to 
 bid the guards strike ofif his hand — ^now, knowing who 
 thou art, I would I had said his head." And she 
 looked up, shooting a glance at me, and then smiled. 
 /'"Enough," put in my uncle Sepa, "the time draws 
 r'on. Tell thou thy mission, Charmion, and be gone." 
 
 Thereon her manner changed : she folded her hands 
 flaeekly before her and spake : 
 
 '" " Let Pharaoh hearken unto his handmaiden. I am 
 the daughter of Pharaoh's uncle, the brother of his 
 father, who is now long dead, and therefore in my 
 veins also flows the Royal blood of Egypt. Also I am 
 of the ancient faith, and hate these Greeks, and to see 
 thee set upon the throne has been my dearest hope 
 now for many years. To this end have I, Charmion, 
 become serving-woman to Cleopatra, that I might 
 cut a notch wherein thou couldst set thy foot when 
 the hour came to climb the throne. And behold ! O 
 Pharaoh, the notch is cut. 
 
 " This, then, is.our plot. Royal cousin. Thou must 
 gain an entrance to the Household and learoi its ways 
 and secrets, and, so far as may be, suborn the eunuchs 
 and captains, some of whom I have already tempted. 
 This done, and all things being prepared without, thou 
 must slay Cleopatra, and, aided by me, with those 
 whom I control, in the confusion that shall ensue 
 throw wide the gates, and, admitting those of our 
 party who are in waiting, put such of the troops as re- 
 main faithful to the sword and seize the Bruchium. 
 ^Which being done, thou shalt within two days hold 
 this fickle Alexandria. At the same time, those who 
 are sworn to thee in ev,ery city in Egypt shall rise in 
 arms, and within ten days from the death of Cleopatra 
 kihou shalt be Pharaoh indeed. This is the counsel 
 which has been taken, and thou seest. Royal cousin, 
 that, though our uncle yonder doth think so ill of me, 
 I have learned my part— ay, and played it." 
 / " I hear thee, cousin," I answered, marveling that 
 so young a woman, for she had but twenty yearSf 
 
80 CliEOPATEA. 
 
 could weave so bold a plot, for in its origin the scheme 
 was hers. But in those days I little knew Charmiao. 
 " Go on ; how then shall I gain entrance to the palace* 
 of Cleopatra ?" 
 
 " Nay, cousin, as things are it is easy. Thus : Cleo- 
 patra loveth to look- upon a man, and— give me par- 
 don ! — thy face and form are fair. To-day she noted 
 them, and twice she said she would she had asked 
 where that astrologer might be found, for she held 
 that an astrologer who could well-nigh slay a Nubian 
 gladiator with his bare hands must indeed be a mas- 
 ter of the stars. I answered her that I would caus6 
 inquiry to be made. So hearken. Royal Harmachis. 
 At midday Cleopatra sleeps in her inner hall that look^ 
 over the gardens to the harbor. At that hour, then, 
 will I meet tl^ee at the gates of the Palace, whither 
 come thou boldly asking for the Lady Charmion. I 
 will make appointment for thee with Cleopatra, so 
 that she shall see thee alone when she wakes, and the 
 rest shall be for thee, Harmachis. For much she 
 loves to play with the mysteries of magic, and whole 
 nights have I known her stand watching the stars and 
 making a pretense to read them. And but lately hath 
 she sent away Dioscorides the Physician, in that, poor 
 fool ! he ventured on a prophecy from the conjunction 
 of the stars that Cassius would defeat Mark Antony. 
 Thereon Cleopatra dispatched to the General AUienus , 
 bidding him add the legions, she had sent to Syria tc^ 
 help Antony, to the army of Cassius, whose victory, 
 forsooth, was — according to Dioscorides — written on 
 the stars. But, as it chanced, Antony beat Cassius 
 first and Brutus afterward, and so Dioscorides hath 
 departed, and now he lectures for his bread on herb^^ 
 in the museum, and hates the name of stars. But his 
 place is empty, and thou shalt fill it, ahd then we will 
 work in secret and in the shadow of the scepter. Ay, 
 we will work like the worm at the heart of a fruit, till 
 the time of plucking comes, and on thy dagger's 
 touch, Royal cousin, the fabric of this Grecian throne 
 crumbles to nothingness, and the worm that rotted it 
 bursts his servile covering, and, in the sight of em- 
 pires, spreads his royal wings o'er Egypt." 
 
CLEOPATRA. 8X 
 
 I ^azed at this strange girl once more astonished, 
 a^d saw that her face was lit up with such a light as I 
 ^lad never seen upon the face of woman. 
 
 "Ah!" broke in my uncle, who was watching her, 
 " ah ! I love to see thee so, girl. There is the Charmion 
 . that I knew and I bred up — not the Court girl, whom 
 I love not, draped in silks of Cos and fragrant with 
 essences. Let thy heart harden in this mold — ay, 
 stamp it with the fervid zeal of patriot faith, and thy 
 reward shall find thee. And now cover up that shame- 
 less dress of thine and leave us, for it grows late, 
 lo-morrow shall Harmachis come, as thou hast 
 said. And so, farewell. " 
 
 Charmion bowed her head, and, turning, wrapped 
 Tier dark-hued peplos round her ; them — taking my 
 hand, she touched it with her lips and without any fur- 
 ther words she went. 
 
 "■A strange woman !" said Sepa whon she had gone; 
 " a most strange woman and uncertain !" 
 
 " Methought, my uncle," I said, " that thou wast 
 somewhat harsh with her." 
 
 "Ay," he answered, "but not without a cause. 
 Look thou, Harmachis, beware of this Charmion. 
 She is too wayward, and, I fear me, may be led away. 
 In truth, she is a very woman; and, like a restive 
 horse, will take the path that pleases her. Brain she 
 has, and fire ; and she loves our cause ; but I pray that 
 ttie cause come not face to face with her desires, for what 
 her heart is set on that will she do — at any cost will 
 she do it. Therefore did I frighten her now, while I 
 may ; for who can know but that she will pass beyond 
 my power ? I tell thee that in this one girl's hand lie 
 all our lives ; and -if she play us false, what then ? 
 Alas ! and alas ! that we must use such tools as these ! 
 But it was needful ; there was no other way ; and yet 
 I naisdoubt me. I pray that it may be well ; and still, 
 at times, I fear my niece Charmion — she is too fair, 
 ^4nd the blood of youth runs too warm in those blue 
 veins of hers. Oh ! woe to the cause that builds its 
 strength upon a woman's faith ; for women, I say, are 
 fatKhful only where they love, and when they love their 
 .faithlessness becomes their faith. They are not fixed 
 
82 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 as men are fixed ; they rise more Mgh and sink n-iore 
 low — they are strong and changeful as the sea. I sa^y 
 to thee, Harmachis, beware of this Charm ion ; for, like- 
 the ocean, she may float thee home ; or, like the ocean, 
 she may wreck thee, and, with thee, all the hope of 
 Egypt!" 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 OF THE COMING OF HAEMACHIS TO THE PALACE ; HOW 
 HE DREW PAULUS THROUGH THE GATES ; CLEOPATRA 
 SLEEPING ; AND THE MAGIC WHICH HARMACHIS SHOWED 
 UNTO HER. 
 
 Thus it came to pass that on the next day I arrayed 
 myself after the fashion of a magician or astrologer, 
 in a long and flowing robe. I placed on my head a cap, 
 about which were broidered images of the stars, and in 
 my belt a scribe's palette and a roll of papyrus written 
 o'er with mystic spells and signs. In my hand I held 
 a wand of ebony, tipped with ivory, such as is used by, 
 priests and masters of magic. Among these, indeed, 
 I held high rank, filling by knowledge of their secrets 
 which I had learned at On what I lacked in that skiil 
 of hand which comes from use. And so, with no small 
 shame, for I love not such play, and hold this common 
 magic in contempt, I set forth through the Bruchium 
 to the palace on the Lochias, being guided on my way 
 by my uncle Sepa. At length, passing up the avenue 
 of Sphinxes, we came to the great marble gateway and^ 
 the gates of bronze within which is the guard house. 
 And here my uncle left me, breathing many prayers 
 for my safety and success. But I advanced with an, 
 easy air to the gate, where I was roughly challenged ' 
 by the Gallic sentries, and asked of my name, follow- 
 ing, and business. I gave my name, Harmachis the 
 astrologer, saying that my business was with the La.dy 
 Charmion, the Queen s lady. Thereon the man made^ 
 
CLEOPATRA. 8S 
 
 as though to let me pass in, when a Captain of the 
 Gi^ard, a Roman named Paulus, came forward and for- 
 ]>*adeit. Now, this Paulus was a large-limbed man» 
 ' with a woman's face, and a hand that shook from wine- 
 bibbing'. Nevertheless, he knew me again. 
 
 " Why," he cried, in the Latin tongue, to one who 
 came with him, " this is the fellow who wrestled yes- 
 terday with the Nubian gladiator, that same who now 
 jhowls for his lost hand underneath my window. Curs- 
 es on the black brute ! I had a bet upon him for the 
 gimes ! I have hacked him against Caius, and now 
 hfi'U never fight again, and I must lose my money, all 
 . ■'through this astrologer. What is it thou sayest — thou, 
 hast business with the Lady Charmion ? Nay, then, 
 that settles it. I will not let thee through. Fellow, I 
 worship the Lady Charmion — ay, we all worship her, 
 though she gives us more slaps than sighs. And dost- 
 thou think that we will suffer an astrologer with such 
 eyas and such a chest as thine to cut in the game ? B.y 
 TBacchus, no ! She must come out to keep the tryst,, 
 for in thou shalt not go." 
 
 " Sir," I said humbly and yet with dignity, " I pray 
 that a message may be sent to the Lady Charmion, for 
 my business will not brook delay." 
 
 " Ye Gods !" answered the fool, "whom have we 
 here that he cannot wait ? A Caesar in disguise? Nay, 
 be off — ^be off ! if thou wouldst not learn how a spear 
 pi'ick feels behind." 
 
 '• Nay," put in the other officer, " he is an astrolo- 
 ger ; make him prophesy — make him play tricks. " 
 
 "Ay," cried the others who had sauntered up, "let 
 him show his art. If he is a magician he can pass the 
 gates, Paulus or no Paulus." 
 
 " Right willingly, good sirs !" I answered ; for I 
 saw no other means of entering. " Wilt thou, my 
 young and noble Lord" — and I addressed him who was 
 with Paulus — "suffer that I look thee in the eyes?' 
 S*erchance I may read what is written there." 
 ' . " Right," said the youth ; " but I wish that the Lady 
 Charmion was the sorceress. I would stare her out: 
 of tiountenance, I warrant me." 
 y- 1 took him by the hand and gazed deep into his eyes» 
 
8"4r CLEOPATRA. 
 
 ''• I see," I said, " a field of battle at night, and about 
 it bodies stretched — among them is thy body, and a 
 hyena tears at its throat. Most noble sir, thou shaJt 
 die by sword thi'Usts within a year." 
 
 " By Bacchus ! " said the j'^outh, turning white to 
 the gills, " thou art an ill-omened sorcerer ! " And 
 he slunk off — shortly afterward, as it chanced, to meet 
 this very fate. For he was sent on service and slain 
 in Cyprus. 
 
 " Now for thee, great Captain ! " I said, speaking to 
 Paulus. " I will show thee how I will pass those gates 
 without thy leave — ^ay, and draw thee through them 
 after me. Be pleased to fix thy princely gaze upon 
 the point of this wand in my hand." 
 
 Being urged thereto by his comrades, this he did, 
 not willingly ; and I let him gaze tiU I saw his eyes 
 grow empty as an owl's eyes in the sun. Then sudden- 
 ly I withdrew the wand, and, shifting my own counte- 
 nance into the place of it, I seized him with my wjU 
 and stare, and, beginning to turn round and round, 
 drew him after me, his face, fierce and drawn, fixed, as 
 it were, almost to my own. Then I slowly moved 
 backward till I had passed the gates, still drawing , 
 him after me, and having passed, I jerked my head 
 away. But he fell to the ground, to rise wiping his 
 brow and looking exceeding foolish. 
 
 " Aft thou content, most noble Captain ?" I said. 
 " Thou seest we have passed the gates. Would an^ 
 other noble sir here present wish that I should show" 
 more of my skill ?" 
 
 " By Taranis, Lord of Thunder, and all the Gods of 
 Olympus thrown in, no '."growled an old Centurion, a 
 Gaul named Brennus. " I like thee not, I say. The 
 -man who could drag our Paulus through those gates 
 by the eye, as it were, is not a man to play with. 
 Paulus, too, who always goes the way you don't want 
 him — backward, like an ass — Paulus ! Why, sirrati, 
 thou must have a woman in one eye and a wine cup in, 
 the other, to draw our Paulus thus." 
 
 At this moment the talk was broken, for, coming 
 down the marble walk, followed by an armed slave, 
 was Charmion herself. She walked calm and careless. 
 
CLEOPATRA. —- 83 
 
 hei-^^ands folded behind her and her eyes g%zing at 
 n«/thingness, as it were. But it was when Charmion 
 ahus looked upon nothing that she saw most. And as 
 she came the oflB.cers and men of the guard made way 
 for her bowing, for, as I learned afterward, this girl, 
 next to Cleopatra's self, wielded more power than any 
 oae about the palace. 
 
 } " What is this tumult, Brennus ? " she said, speak- 
 ing to the Centurion, and making as if she saw me not; 
 " knowest thou not that the Queen sleeps at this hour, 
 aiSid if she be awakened it is thou who must answer for 
 lit, and that dearly ? " 
 
 "Nay, Lady," said the Centurion, humbly; "but 
 it is thus. We have here " — and he jerked his thumb 
 toward me — "a magician of the most pestilent — um, I 
 crave his pardon, of the very best sort, for he hath but 
 ju&t now, only by placing his eyes close to the nose of 
 thie worthy Captain Paulus, dragged him, the said 
 .IPaulus, through the gates that Paulus swore the 
 magician should not pass. By the same token, Lady, 
 the magician says he has business with you — ^which 
 grieves me for your sake." 
 
 Charmion turned and looked at me carelessly. " Ay, 
 I remember," she said ; " and so he hath — at least the 
 Queen would see his tricks ; but if he can do none bet- 
 ter than cause a sot " — ^here she cast a glance of scorn 
 aAi the wondering Paulus — " to follow his nose through 
 the gates he guards, he had better go whence he came. 
 Follow me, Sir Magician ; and for thee, Brennus, I say 
 keep thy riotous crew more quiet. For thee, most 
 honorable Paulus, get thee sober, and next time I am 
 asked for at the gates give him who asks a hearing." 
 ■And with a queenly nod of her small head she turned 
 and led the way, followed at a distance by myself and 
 the armed slave. 
 
 We passed up the marble walk which runs through 
 /the garden grounds, and is set on either side with 
 marble statues, for the most part of heathen Gods 
 and Goddesses, wherewith these Lagidas were not 
 ashamed to defile their royal dwellings. At length 
 Me came to a portico with fluted columns very beauti- 
 ful to see, but of the Grecian style of art, where we 
 
86 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 found more guards, who made way for the Lady Cliar- 
 mion. Crossing' the portico, we reached an outer nia,r- 
 "ble hall wherein a fountain softly plashed, and thence 
 Ity a low doorway a second chamher, known as the 
 Alabaster Hall, most beautiful to see. Its roof was 
 upheld by light columns of black marble, but all its 
 walls were paneled with alabaster, whereon were 
 graven Grecian legends. Its floor was of rich and 
 many-hued mosaic that told the tale of the passion of 
 Psyche for the Grecian God of Love, and about it were 
 set chairs of ivory and gold. At the doorway of this 
 chamber Charmion bade the armed slave stay, so that 
 we passed in alone, for the place was empty save for 
 two eunuchs who stood with drawn swords before the , 
 curtains at the further end. 
 
 " I am vexed, my Lord," she said, speaking very 
 low and shyly, "that thou shouldst have met with 
 such affronts at the gate ; but the guard there served 
 a double watch, and I had given my commands to the. 
 ofBcer of the company that should have relieved it. 
 They are ever insolent, these Roman .officers, who, 
 though they seem to serve, know well that Egypt is 
 their plaything. But it is not altogether ill, for these 
 rough soldiers are superstitious, and hereafter they 
 will fear thee. Now bide thou here while I pass into 
 Cleopatra's chamber, where she sleeps. But now have 
 I sung her to sleep, and if she be awakened I will cail 
 thee, for she waits thy coming." And without morei 
 words she glided from my side. 
 
 In a little time she returned, and coming to my side 
 spoke : 
 
 " Wouldst see the fairest woman in all the world 
 asleep ?" she whispered. " If so, follow thou me. 
 Nay, fear not ; when she awakes she will but laugh, for 
 she bade me be sure to bring thee instantly, whether 
 she slept or woke. See, I have her signet." 
 
 So we passed up the beautiful chamber till we came 
 to where the eunuchs stood with drawn swords, and 
 these would have barred my entry ; but Charmion 
 frowned, and drawing the signet from her bosom held 
 it before their eyes. Thereon, having examined the 
 writing that is on the ring, they bowed, dropping their 
 
CLEOPATRA. 87 
 
 sjvord points, and we passed through the heavy cur- 
 tains, broidered o'er with gold, into the resting, place 
 'of Cleopatra. Beautiful it was beyond imagining—^ 
 beautiful with many colored marbles, with gold and 
 ivory, gems and flowers — all art can furnish and all 
 luxury can dream of were here. Here were pictures so 
 real that birds might have pecked the painted fruits ; 
 fhera were statues of woman's loveliness frozen into 
 stone ; here were draperies fine as softest silk,~but woven 
 of a web of gold ; here were couches and carpets such 
 as I never saw. Here the air was sweet with perfume, 
 -while through the open window places came the far 
 murmur of the sea. And at the further end of the 
 chamber, on a couch of gleaming silk and sheltered by 
 a net of finest gauze, Cleopatra lay asleep. There she 
 lay — the fairest thing that man ever saw — fairer than 
 a dream, and all about her flowed the web of her dark 
 Iwair. One white, rounded arm made a pillow for her 
 "head and one hung downward to the ground. Her 
 rich lips were parted in a smile, showing the ivory lines 
 of teeth ; and her rosy limbs were draped in so thin a 
 robe of the silk of Cos, held about her by a jeweled 
 girdle, that the white gleam of flesh shone through it. 
 I stood astonished, and though my thoughts had let. 
 tie bent that way, the sight of all her beauty struck 
 me like a blow, so that for a moment I lost myself as 
 it were in the vision of its power, and at heart was 
 .grieved that I must slay so fair a thing. 
 
 Turning suddenly from the sight, I found Charmion 
 watching me with her quick eyes — watching as though 
 she would search my heart. And, indeed, something 
 of my thought must have been written on my face in 
 a language that she could read, for she whispered in 
 my ear : 
 
 "Ay, it is pity, is it not? Harmachis being after 
 all a man, methinks thou wilt need aU thy ghostly 
 strength to nerve thee to the deed !" 
 
 I frowned, but before I could frame an answer she 
 touched me lightly on the arm and pointed to the 
 Queen . A change had come upon her ; her hands were 
 clenched, and about her face, all rosy with the hue of 
 sleep, gathered a cloud of fear. Her breath came 
 
88 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 quick, she raised her arms as though to ward away a 
 blow, and then with a stifled moan sat up and opened 
 the windows of her eyes. Dark they were, dark aar 
 night ; but when the light found them they grew blue, 
 even as the sky grows blue before the blushing of the 
 dawn. 
 
 " Caesarion ?" she said ; " where is Caesarion ? Was it 
 then a dream? I dreamed that Julius— Julius who^ 
 is dead — came to me, his bloody toga wrapped about 
 his face, and, having thrown his arms about his child, 
 led him away. Then I dreamed I died— -died in blood 
 and agony ; and one I might not see mocked me as T. 
 died ! Ah ! who is that man ?" 
 
 "Peace, Madam! peace!" said Oharmion. " 'Tis 
 but the magician Harmachis, whom thou didst bid me 
 bring to thee at this hour." 
 
 " Ah ! the magician — that Harmachis who over- 
 threw the giant ? I remember me now. He is welcom e. 
 Tell me. Sir Magician, can thy magic mirror give fortb. 
 an answer to this dream ? Nay, how strange a thing is 
 sleep, that, wrapping the mind in a web of darkness, 
 straightly compels it to its will. Whence, then, come 
 those images of fear rising on the horizon of the soul 
 like some untimely moon upon the twilight sky ? Who 
 grants them power to stalk so lifelike from Memory's 
 thronging halls, and, pointing to their wounds, thus 
 confront the Present with the Past ? Are they, then, 
 messengers? Doth the semi-death of sleep give thein 
 a foothold in our brains, and thus upknit the sev- 
 ered thread of human kinship? That was Caesar's 
 self, I tell thee, who but now stood at my side and 
 murmured through his muffled robe warning words 
 whereof the memory is lost to me. Head me this rid- 
 dle, thou Egyptian Sphinx, and I'll show thee a rosier 
 path to fortune than all thy stars can point. Thou 
 hast brought the omen, solve thou its problem." 
 
 " It a good hour do I come, most mighty Queen," I 
 made answer, " for I have some skill in the mysteries 
 of sleep, which is, as thou hast rightly guessed, a stair 
 whereby those who are gathered to Osiris miay from 
 time to time enter at the gateways of our living sense, 
 and, by signs and words that can be read of mortals i 
 
CLEOPATRA. 89 
 
 thjereto duly learned, repeat the echoes of that Hall of 
 Truth which is their habitation. Thereby also the 
 
 ^messengers of the guardian Gods may descend in 
 
 / many shapes upon the half-loosed spirit of their 
 choice. For, O Queen, to those who hold the key, the 
 madness of our dreams can show a clearer purpose and 
 speak more certainly than all the acted wisdom of our 
 
 ^'waking life, which is a dream indeed. Thou didst see 
 
 ^ great Czesar in his-bloody robe, and he threw his arms 
 about the' Prince Csesarion and led him hence. 
 Hearken now to the secret of thy visions. 'Twas 
 
 /JCsesar's self thou sawest coming to thy side from 
 Amenti in such a guise as might not mistaken. When 
 he embraced the child Caesarion he did it for a sign 
 
 ' that to him, and him alone, had passed his greatness 
 and his love. When he seemed to lead him hence 
 he led him forth from Egypt to be crowned in the 
 Capitol, crowned the Emperor of Rome and Lord of 
 sill the lands. For the rest, I know it not. It is hid 
 •from me." 
 
 Thus, then, I read the vision, though to my sense it 
 had a more evil meaning. But it is not well to proph- 
 esy evil unto Kings. 
 
 Meanwhile Cleopatra had risen, and, having thrown 
 back the gnat gauze, was seated upon the edge of her 
 ccfuch, her eyes fixed upon my face, the while her 
 fingers played with her girdle's jeweled ends. 
 
 "Of a truth," she cried, "thou art the best of all 
 magicians, for thou readest my heart, and out of the 
 rough shell of evil omen drawest the hidden sweet !" 
 "Ay, O Queen," said Charmion, who stood by with 
 downcast eyes, arid methought there was bitter mean- 
 in gin her soft notes; "may no rougher words ever 
 affront thy ears, and no evil presage less closely tread 
 upon its happy sense." Cleopatra placed her hands 
 "behind her head, and leaning back looked with half- 
 s,hut eyes. 
 
 " " Come, show us of thy magic, Egyptian," she said. 
 " It is yet hot abroad, and I am aweary of those He- 
 lirew Ambassadors and their talk of Herod and Jeru- 
 salem. I hate that Herod, as he shall find — and I will 
 
 /h&ve none of the Ambassadors to-day, though a little 
 
90 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 do I yearn to try my Hebrew on them. What canst 
 thou do? Hast thou no new trick? By Serapis .' jf 
 thou canst conjure as well as thou canst prophesj^ 
 thou Shalt have a place at court, with pay and per- 
 quisites to boot, and thy lofty soul doth not scorn per- 
 quisites." , , ,.-•.; 
 
 " Nay," I answered, " all tricks are old ; but there 
 are some forms of magic to be rarely used, and wit^; 
 discretion, that may, perchance, be new to thee, O 
 Queen ! Art thou afraid to venture on the charm ? 
 
 " Naught I fear ; go on and do thy worst. Come, 
 Charmion, and sit thou by me. But, stay, where arei 
 all the girls?— Iris and Merir?— they, too, love 
 
 magic." .„ , , 
 
 " Not so," I said ; " the charms work ill before so 
 many. Now behold !" And, gazing at the twain, I 
 cast down my wand upon the marble and murmured 
 a speU. For a moment it was still and then, as I mut- 
 tered, the rod slowly began to w^rithe. It bent itself;, 
 it stood on end, and of its own motion moved. Next 
 it put on scales, and behold it was a serpent that 
 crawled and fiercely hissed. 
 
 "Fie on thee!" cried Cleopatra, clapping her 
 hands ; " callest thou that magic ? Why, 'tis an old 
 trick that any wayside conjurer can do. I have seen 
 it a score of times." > 
 
 " Wait, O Queen," I answered; " thou hast not seen 
 all." And even as I spoke, the serpent seemed to 
 break in fragments, and from each fragment grew a 
 new serpent. And these, too, broke in fragments and 
 bred others, till in a little space the place, to their 
 glamored sight, was a seething sea of snakes, that 
 crawled, hissed, and knotted themselves in knots. 
 Then I made a sign, and the serpents gathered them- 
 selves about me, and seemed slowly to twine them- 
 selves about my body and my limbs, till, save my 
 face, I was wreathed thick with hissing snakes. 
 
 " Oh, horrible ! horrible !" cried Charmion, hiding 
 her countenance in the skirt of the Queen's garment. 
 
 "Nay, enough! Magician, enough!" said the. 
 Queen ; " thy magic overwhelms us." 
 
 I waved my snak6-wrapped arms, and all was gone. 
 
CLEOPATRA, 91 
 
 T'here at my feet lay the black wana t;ipped with 
 ivory, and naught beside. 
 
 The two women looked one upon another and gasp- 
 ed with wonder. But I took up the wand and stood 
 with folded arms before them. 
 
 " Is the Queen content with my poor art?" I asked 
 inost humbly. 
 
 "Aye, that am I, Egyptian; never did I see its like ! 
 Court astronomer art thou from this day forward, 
 with right of access to the Queen's presence. Hast 
 tJiou more of such magic at thy call ?" 
 ' ' ' Yes, Royal Egypt ; suffer that the chamber be a 
 little darkened and I will show thee one more thing." 
 
 " Half am I afraid," she answered ; "nevertheless 
 do thou, Charmion, even as this Harmachis says." 
 
 So the curtains were drawn and the chamber made 
 as, though the twilight were at hand. I came forward 
 3*,nd stood me beside Cleopatra. " Gaze thou there !" 
 I said stei-nly, pointing with the wand to the empty 
 space where I had been, " and thou shalt behold that 
 which is in thy mind." 
 
 Then for a little space was silence, while the two 
 women gazed fixedly and half fearful at the spot. 
 
 And as they gazed a cloud gathered before them. 
 "Very slowly it took shape and form, and the form it 
 took was the form of a man, though as yet he was but 
 vaguely mapped upon the twilight, and seemed now to 
 grow and now to melt awaj'. 
 
 Then I cried with a loud voice : 
 
 " Shade, I conjure thee, appear!" 
 
 And even as I cried the Thing, perfect in every part, 
 leapt into form before us, sudden as the flash of day. 
 His shape was the shape of Royal Csesar, the toga 
 thrown about his face, and on hisS form a vestment 
 bloody from a hundred wounds. An instant so he stood, 
 then I waved my wand and he was gone. 
 ' I turned me to the two women on the couch, and then 
 I saw Cleopatra's lovely face all clothed in terror. Her 
 lips were ashy white, her eyes stared wide, and the 
 flesh was shaking on her bones. 
 
 "Man!" she gasped, "man ! wha.t art thou who 
 canst bring the dead before our eyes ?" 
 
^2 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 " I am the Queen's astronomer, magician, servant—- 
 what the Queen wills," I answered, laughing. " Was 
 this the form that was on the Queen's mind ?" 
 
 She made no answer, but, rising, left the chamber 
 by another door. 
 
 Then Charmion rose and took her hands from her 
 face, for she, too, had been stricken with dread. 
 
 " How dost thou these things. Royal Harmachis ?" 
 she said. " Of a truth I fear thee. " 
 
 " Be not afraid," I answered. " Perchance thou 
 didst see naught but what was in thy mind. All things 
 are shadows. How canst thou then know their nature, 
 or what is and what only seems to be? But how goes 
 it? Remember thou, this sport is played to an end." 
 
 " It goes well," she said. "By to-morrow's dawn 
 these tales will have gone round, and thou wilt be more 
 feared than any man in Alexandria. Follow me, I 
 pray thee." 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 OF THE WAYS, OF CHAEMION ; AND OP THE CROWNING OP 
 HABMACHIS AS THE KING OP LOVE. 
 
 On the following day I received the writing of my 
 appointment as Astrologer and Magician-in-Chief to 
 the Queen, with the pay and perquisites of that office, 
 which were not small. Also rooms were given me in 
 the palace, through which I passed at night to the high 
 watch tower, whence I looked on the stars and drew 
 their auguries. For at this time Cleopatra was much 
 troubled about matters political. And not knowing 
 how the great struggle among the Roman factions 
 would end, but being very desirous to side with the 
 strongest, she took constant counsel with me as to the , 
 warnings of the stars. These I read to her in such i 
 manner as best seemed to fit the high interest of my 
 
CLEOPATRA. 93 
 
 ends. For Antony, the Roman Triumvir, was now in 
 .Asia Minor, and, rumor ran, very wroth because it had 
 been told to him that Cleopatra was hostile to the Tri- 
 umvirate, in that her General, Serapion, had aided Cas- 
 sius. . But Cleopatra protested loudly to me and others 
 that Serapion had acted against her will. Yet Char- 
 mion told me that, as with AUienus, it was because of 
 a prophecy of Dioscorides, the unlucky, that the Queen 
 herself had secretly ordered Serapion so to do. Nev- 
 ertheless, this did not save Serapion, for, to prove to 
 Antony that she was innocent, she dragged the General 
 from the sanctuary and slew him. Woe be to those 
 who carry out the will of tyrants if the scale should 
 . rise against them ! And so Serapion perished. 
 
 Meanwhile all things went well with us, for the 
 minds of Cleopatra and those about her were so set 
 upon affairs abroad that neither she nor they thought 
 of revolt at home. But day by day our party gathered 
 strength in the cities of Egypt, and even in Alexandria, 
 which is to Egypt as another land, all things being 
 foreign there. Day by day those who doubted were 
 won over and sworn to the cause by that oath which 
 cannot be broken, and our plans of action more firmly 
 laid. And every other day I went forth from the pal- 
 ace to take counsel with my uncle Sepa, and there at 
 his house met the nobles and llie great priests who 
 were for the party of Kb em. 
 
 Of Cleopatra, the Queen, I saw much, and never was 
 I more astonished at the wealth and splendor of her 
 mind, that for richness and variety was as a woven 
 cloth of gold throwing back .aU lights from its chang- 
 ing face. She feared me somewhat, and therefore was 
 fain to make a friend of me, asking me many matters 
 that seemed to be beyond the provmce of my office. 
 Of the Lady Charmion also I saw much — ^indeed, she 
 was ever at my side, so that I scarce knew when she 
 came and when she went. For with that soft step of 
 hers would she draw nigh, and I would turn me to 
 find her at hand and watching beneath the long lashes 
 of her downcast eyes. There was no service that.was 
 too hard for her, and no task too long, for day and 
 night she labored for me and for our cause. But wheu 
 
94 CLEOPATRA, 
 
 I thanked her for her loyalty, and said it should be had 
 an mind in that time which was at hand, she stamped 
 her foot and pouted with her lips like an angry child, 
 saying that, among all the things which Xhad learned, 
 this had I not learned — that Love's service asked no 
 payment, and was its own guerdon. And I being in- 
 nocent in such matters and foolish that I was, holding 
 the ways of women as of small account, read her say- 
 ings in the sense that her services to the cause of Khem, 
 which she loved, brought with them their own reward. 
 But when I praised so fine a spirit she burst into angry 
 tears and left me wondering ; for I knew naught of the 
 trouble at her heart. I knew not then that, unsought, 
 this woman had given me all her love, and that she 
 was rent and torn by pangs of passion fixed like ar- 
 rows in her breast. I did not know — ^how should I 
 know it, who never looked upon her otherwise than as 
 an instrument of our joint and holy cause ? Her beau- 
 ty never stirred me ; nay, not even when she leaned. 
 over me and breathed upon my hair, I never thought 
 of it otherwise than as a man thinks of the beauty of a 
 statue. What had I to do with such delights? I, 
 who was sworn to Isis and dedicated to the cause of 
 Egypt. O, ye Gods, bear me witness that I am inno- 
 cent of this thing, which was the source of all my woe, 
 and the woe of Khem ! 
 
 How strange is this love of woman, that it is so small 
 in its beginning and in its end so great ! See, at the 
 first it is even as the little spring of water welling 
 from a mountain's heart. And at the last what is it? 
 It is a mighty river that floweth argosies of joy and 
 makes wide lands to smile. Or, perchance it is a tor- 
 rent to wash in a flood of ruin across the fields of Hope, 
 bursting in the barriers of design, and bring to tum- 
 bled nothingness the tenement of man's purity and the 
 temples of his faith. For when the Invisible conceived 
 the order of the universe. He set within its plan this 
 seed of woman's love that by its most unequal growth 
 is doomed to bring about equality of law. For now it 
 lifts the low to heights untold, and now it brings the 
 noble to the level of the dust. And thus, while wo- i 
 maia, that great surprise of Nature, is. Good and Evil i 
 
CLEOPATRA. 95 
 
 canpever grow apart. For still she stands, and, Mind 
 
 ■wiA'n love, shoots the shuttle of our fate, and pours 
 
 ^weet water- into the cup of bitterness, and poisons the 
 
 '^wholesome breath of life with the doom of her desire. 
 
 Turn this way and turn that, she is at hand to meet 
 
 thee. Her weakness is thy strength, her might is thy 
 
 uiidoing. Of her thou art, to her thou goest. She is 
 
 tliy slave, yet holds thee captive ; at her touch honor 
 
 ■; withers, locks open, and barriers fall. She is infinite 
 
 as ocean, she is variable as heaven, and her name is 
 
 the Unforeseen. , Man, strive not to. escape from 
 
 fwoman and the love of woman ; for, fly where thou 
 
 'wilt, she is yet thy fate, and whate'er thou buildest 
 
 tiiou buildest it for her ! 
 
 ' And thus it came to pass that I, Harmachis, who 
 had put such matters far from me, was yet doomed 
 to fall by the thing I held of no account. For, see, 
 this Charmion : she loves me — why, I knew not. Of 
 hfir own thought she learned to love me, and of her 
 1 ove came what shall be told. But I, knowing naught, 
 treated her even as a sister, walking as it were hand 
 |n hand with her toward our common end. 
 
 And so the time passed on tUl, at length, all things 
 were made ready. 
 
 It was the night before the night when the blow 
 should fall, and there were revellihgs in the palace. 
 Tlaat ver^' day had I seen Sepa, and with him the cap- 
 ■tJains of a band of five hundred men, who should burst 
 'into the palace at midnight on the morrow, when I had 
 slain Cleopatra the Queen, and put the Roman and 
 the Gallic legionaries to the sword. That very day 
 had I suborned the Captain Paulus, who, since I drew 
 hito through the gates, was my will's slave. Half by 
 fear and halJE by promises of great reward I had pre- 
 vailed upon him, for his was the watch, at the signal 
 on the morrow night to unbar that small gate which 
 faces to the east. 
 
 All was made ready — the flower of Freedom that had 
 been five and twenty years in growth was on the point 
 of bloom. In every city, from Abu unto Athue, arm- 
 i&d companies were gathered, and from their walls spies 
 looked out, awaiting the coming of the messenger who. 
 
96 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 should bring tidings that Cleopatra was no more .and 
 that Harmachis the Egyptian had seized the throoe^i 
 All was prepared, triumph hung to my hand as a ripe 
 fruit to the hand of the plucker. Yet as I sat at the 
 royal feast my heart was heavy, and a shadow of coni- 
 ing woe lay cold, within my mind. I sat there in ia 
 place of honor, nigh to the majesty of Cleopatra, and 
 looked down the lines of guests, bright with gems and 
 garlanded with flowers, marking those whom I had 
 doomed to die. There before me lay Cleopatra's self, 
 in all her beauty, which thrilled the beholder as he is 
 thrilled by the rushing of the midnight gale, or by the 
 sight of stormy waters. I gazed on her as she touched 
 her lips with wine and toyed with the chaplet of roses 
 on her brow, bethinking me of the dagger beneath my 
 robe that I had sworn to our^' in her breast. Again, 
 and yet again, I gazed and strove to hate her, strove 
 to rejoice that she must die — and could not. There, 
 too, behind her — ^watching me now, as ever, with he r 
 deep-fringed eyes — ^was the lovely Lady Charmion. 
 "Who, to look at her innocent face, would beUeve that 
 she was the setter of that snare wherein should miser- 
 ably perish the Queen who loved her? Who would 
 dream that locked in her girlish breast was the secret 
 of so much death ? I gazed, and grew sick at heart 
 because I must anoint my throne with blood, and by 
 evil sweep away the evil of the land. At that hour 1 
 wished, indeed, that I was naught but some humble 
 husbandman, who in its season sows and in its season' 
 garners the golden grain! Alas! the seed that I 
 had been doomed to sow was the red seed of Death, 
 and now I must reap the fruit of the harvest ! 
 
 "Why, Harmachis, what ails thee?" said Cleopa- 
 tra, smiling her slow smile. " Has the golden skein 
 of stars got tangled, my astronomer ? or dost thou 
 plan some new feat of magic? Say what is it, that 
 thou dost so poorly grace our feast. Nay, now, did I 
 not know, having made inquiry thereon, that things 
 so low as we poor women are far beneath thy gaze, 
 why, I should swear that Eros had found thee out, 
 Harmachis I" 
 
 « Nay, that I am spared, O Queen," I answered. 
 
CLEOPATRA. 97 
 
 *' TJie servant of the stars marks not the smaller light 
 of Woman's eyes, and therein he is happy." 
 I Cleopatra leaned herself toward me, looking on me 
 rlong and steadily in such fashion that despite my will 
 the blood fluttered at my heart. 
 
 " Boast not, thou proud Egyptian," she said in a 
 
 low voice which none but I and Charmion could hear, 
 
 ^' lest perchance thou dost tempt me to match my 
 
 ,4nagic against thine. What woman can forgive that 
 
 man should push us by as things of no account ? 'Tis 
 
 an insult to our sex that Nature's self abhors," and 
 
 ^Tde leaned back and laughed most musically. But 
 
 • glancing up, I saw Charmion, her teeth upon her lip 
 
 a-nd an angry frown upon her brow. 
 
 / " Pardon, Royal Egypt," I answered, coldly, but 
 
 with such wit as I could summon, "before the Queen 
 
 of Heaven even stars grow pale !" This I said of the 
 
 moon, which is the sign of the Holy Mother whom 
 
 Oleopatra dared to rival, naming herself Isis come to 
 
 earth. 
 
 -" Happily said," she answered, clapping her white 
 hands. " Why, here's an astronomer who hath wit 
 and can shape a compliment. Nay, such a wonder 
 must not pass unnoted, lest the Gods resent it. Char- 
 mion, take thou this rose chaplet from my hair and 
 set it upon the learned brow of our Harmachis. King 
 of Love he shall be crowned, whether he will it or will 
 it not." 
 
 Charmion lifted the chaplet from Cleopatra's brows 
 and bearing it to where I was, with a smile set it upon 
 my head, yet warm and fragrant from the Queen's hair, 
 but so roughly that she pained me somewhat. And 
 this she did because she was wroth, although she 
 smiled with her lips and whispered, " An omen. Royal 
 Harmachis.'' For though she was so much a woman, 
 yet, when she was angered or suffered jealousy, Char- 
 mion had a childish way. 
 
 Having thus fixed the chaplet, she courtesied low 
 before me, and with the softest tone of mockery named 
 me, in the Greek tongue, " Harmachis, King of Love7' 
 pll'hereon Cleopatra laughed and pledged me as "Xing 
 (Of liove," and so did all the company, finding the jest/ 
 
 7 
 
58 CLEOPATEA. ' 
 
 a merry one. For in Alexandria they love not tlxos© 
 who live straightly and turn aside from women. 
 
 But I sat there, a smile upon my lips and black an- 
 ger in my heart. For, knowing who and what I was, 
 it irked me to think myself a jest to the frivolous no- 
 bles and light beauties of Cleopatra's Court. But 
 chiefly was I angered against Charmion, because she 
 laughed the loudest, and then I did not know that 
 laughter and bitterness are often the veils of a sore 
 heart wherewith it wraps its weakness from the world. 
 "An omen," she said it was — that crown of flowers: — 
 and so it proved indeed. For I was fated to barter; 
 the double diadem of the Upper and the Lower Land 
 for a wreath of passion's roses that fade even ere they 
 fully bloom, and Pharaoh's ivory bed of state for the 
 pillow of a faithless woman's breast. 
 
 " King of Love ! " they crowned me in their mock- 
 ery ; aye, and King of Shame ! And I, with the per- 
 fumed roses on my brow — ^I, by descent and ordination 
 the Pharaoh of Egypt — bethought me of the imperish- : 
 able halls of Abouthis and of that other crowning which 
 on the morrow should be consummated. 
 
 But still smiling, I pledged them back, and answered 
 with a jest. For rising, I bowed before Cleopatra and 
 craved leave to go. " Venus," I said, speaking of the 
 planet that we know as Donaou in the morning and 
 Bonou in the evening, " was in the ascendant. There- 
 fore as new -crowned King of Love, I must now pass to ■ 
 do my homage to its Queen." For these barbarians 
 name Venus Queen of Love. 
 
 And so amid their laughter I withdrew me to my 
 watch tower, and, dashing that shameful chaplet down 
 amid the instruments of my craft, niade pretense to' 
 note the rolling of the stars. There I waited, thinking i 
 on many things that were to be until such time as 
 Charmion should come with the last list of the-doomed ■ 
 and the messages of my uncle Sepa, whom she had i 
 that evening seen. • 
 
 At length the door opened softly, and she came 
 jeweled and clad in her white robes, even as she had 
 left the feast. 
 
CLEOPATRA. 99 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 OF THE COMING OP OLEOPATRiT-TO THE CHAMBER OF 
 
 , HARMACHIS ; OF THE THROWING FORTH OF THE KER- 
 
 ) CHIEF OF CHARMION ; OF THE STARS, AND OF THE GIFT 
 
 ' BY CLEOPATRA OF HER FRIENDSHIP TO HER SERVANT 
 
 HARMACHIS. 
 
 ■ " At length thou art come, Charmion," I said. " Iff, 
 'is over late." 
 
 ' ' Yes, my lord ; but by no means could I escape 
 
 /Cleopatra. Her mood is strangely crossed to-night. 
 
 1 know not what it may portend. Strange whims and 
 
 fancies blow-across it like light and contrary airs upon 
 
 a summer sea, and I cannot read her purpose." 
 
 "Well, well ; enough of Cleopatra. Hast thou seen 
 our uncle?" 
 
 *' Yea, Royal Harmachis." 
 
 " And hast thou the last lists ?" 
 
 "Yea, here they be," and she drew them from her 
 bosom. "Here is the list of those who, after the 
 Queen, must certainly be put to the sword. Among 
 them thou wilt note- is the name of that old Gaul, 
 Brennus. I grieve for him, for we are friends ; but it 
 •must be. It is a heavy list." 
 
 " "Tis so," I answered ; " when men write out their 
 count they forget no item, and our count is long. 
 What must be, must be. Now for the next." 
 
 " Here is the list of those to be spared, as friendly or 
 uncertain ; and here that of the towns that certainly 
 will rise so soon as the messenger reaches their gates 
 with tidings of the death of Cleopatra." 
 
 "Good. And now" — and I paused — "and now as 
 to the manner of Cleopatra's death. How hast thou 
 settled it ? Must it be even by my. hand ?" 
 
 "Yea, my lord," she answered, and once agaiii I 
 mught that note of bitterness in her voice. " Doubt- 
 Aess my Lord will rejoice that his should be the hand 
 to rid the land of this false and wanton woman, and at 
 
100 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 one blow break the chains which gall the nec|c ol 
 Khem." 
 
 " Talk not thus girl," I said , " well thou knowesi 
 that I rejoice not, being but driven to the act by deep 
 necessity and the pressure of my vows. Can she not, 
 then, be poisoned ? Or can no one of the eunuchs be 
 suborned to slay her? My soul turns from this bloody 
 work ! Indeed, I marvel, however heavy be hei 
 crimes, that thou canst talk thus lightly of the deati 
 by treachery of one who loves thee !" 
 
 " Methinks my Lord is over-tender, forgetting the 
 greatness of the moment and all that hangs upon this 
 dagger stroke that shall cut the thread of Cleopatra'^ 
 life. Listen, Harmachis. Thou must do the deed, and 
 thou alone ! Myself would I do it, had my arm the 
 strength ; but it has it not. By poison it cannot be 
 done, for every drop she drinks and every morsel that 
 shall touch her lips is strictly tasted by three separate 
 tasters, who cannot be suborned. Nor may the teu- 
 nuchs of the guard be trusted. Two, indeed, are 
 sworn to us; but the third cannot be come at. He 
 must be cut down afterward ; and, indeed, when so 
 many men must fall, what matters a eunuch more or 
 less ? Thus shall it be, then. To-morrow night, when 
 Bonou at three hours before midnight is in the right 
 ascension, thou dost cast the final augury of the issue 
 of the war. And then thou wilt., as is agreed, descend 
 alone with me, having the signet, to the outer chambej 
 of the Queen's apartment. For the vessel bearing or- 
 ders to the Legions sails from Alexandria at the follow- 
 ing dawn ; and alone with her, for she wills that the 
 thing be kept secret as the sea, thou wilt read the mes- 
 sage of the stars. And as she pores over the papjn^s, 
 then must thou stab her in the back, so thatshe dies; and 
 see thou that thy will and arm fail thee not! The deed 
 being done — and indeed it will be easy — ^thou wUt take 
 the signet and pass out to where the eunuch is — ^for the 
 others will be wanting. If by any chance there be 
 trouble with him — ^but there wiU be no trouble, for he 
 dare not enter the private rooms, and the sounds of 
 death cannot reach so far — thou must cut him downi 
 Then will I meet thee ; and, passing on, we will come to 
 
CLEOPATRA. 101 
 
 Paulis, and it shall be my care to see that he is neither 
 
 drunk nor backward, for I know how to hold him to 
 
 j^he task. And he and those with him shall throw open 
 
 ■ the side gate, when Sepa and the five hundred chosen 
 
 men who are in waiting-, shall pour in and throw them- 
 
 • selves upon the sleeping legionaries, putting them to 
 
 the sword. "Why, the thing is easy, so thou rest true 
 
 iM thyself, and let no woman's fears creep into thy 
 
 ' heart. What is this dagger's thrust? It is nothing, 
 
 and yet upon it may hang the destinies of Egypt and 
 
 the world." 
 
 / "Hush!" I said. "What is that? I hear a 
 
 sound." 
 
 ; Charmion ran to the door, and gazing down the long, 
 dark passage, listened. In a moment she came back, 
 her .finger on her lips. "It is the Queen," she whis- 
 pered, hurriedly ; " the Queen who mounts the stair- 
 alone. I heard her bid Iras leave her. I may not be 
 found thus alone with thee at this hour ; it hath a 
 / strange look, and she may suspect somewhat. What 
 wants she here ? Where can I hide me ?" I glanced 
 around. At the further end of the chamber was a 
 heavy curtain that hid a little place built in the thick- 
 ness of the wall whereof I served me for the storage of 
 rolls and instruments. 
 
 " Haste thee — there !" I said, and she glided behind 
 tlie curtain, which swung back and covered her. Then 
 I thrust the fatal scroll of death into the bosom of my 
 robe and bent me o'er the mystic chart. Presently I 
 heard the sweep of woman's robes, and there came a 
 low knock upon the door. 
 
 "Enter, whoever thou art," I said. 
 
 The latch lifted, and Cleopatra swept in, royally ar- 
 rayed, her dark hair hanging about her and the sacred 
 snake of royalty glistening on her brow. 
 
 "Of a truth, Harmachis," she said with a sigh, as 
 she sank into a seat, " the path to heaven is hard to 
 climb! Ah ! I am weary, for those stairs are many. 
 But I was minded, my astrononaer, to see thee in ±hy 
 haunts." 
 
 I " I am honored overmuch, O Queen!" I said, bow- 
 ing low before her. 
 
103 _ CLEOPATRA. 
 
 " Art tHou now ? And yet that dark face of tliin€ 
 hath a somewhat angry look. Thou art too young aiJiJ 
 iandsome for this dry trade, Harmachis. Why, I vow, 
 thou hast cast my wreath of roses down amidst thy 
 rusty tools ! Kings would have cherished that wreath 
 along with their choicest diadems, O Harmachis ! and 
 thou dost throw it down as a thing of no account J 
 Why, what a man thou art ! But stay : what is this? 
 A lady's kerchief, by Isis ! Nay, now, my Harmachis, 
 how came this here? Are our poor kerchiefs also in- 
 struments of thy high art? Oh, fie, fie! — have I caught 
 thee, then ? Art thou indeed a fox ?" 
 
 "Nay, most Royal Cleopatra, nay !" I said, turn- 
 ing; for the kerchief which had fallen from Char-; 
 anion's neck ha(J an awkward look. " I know not. 
 Indeed, how the frippery came here. Perchance some 
 of the women who keep the chamber may have let it 
 fall." 
 
 "Ah ! so — so !" she said, dryly, and still laughing 
 like a rippling brook. " Yes, surely, the slave women 
 vrho keep chambers own such toys as this, of the very 
 finest silk, worth twice its weight in gold, and broidered 
 too, in many colors. Why, myself I should not shame 
 to wear it ! Of a truth it seems familiar to my sight. ' ' 
 And she threw it around her neck and smoothed the 
 ends with her white hand. " But there, 'tis a thing un- 
 lioly in thine eyes that the scarf of thy beloved 
 should rest upon my poor breast. Take it, Harmachis; 
 take it and hide it in thy bosom, nigh thy heart, in- 
 deed!" 
 
 I took the accursed thing, and muttering what I mav 
 not write, stepped on to the giddy platform whence I 
 watched the. stars. Then crushing it into a ball, I 
 threw it to the winds of heaven. ' 
 
 Thereat the lovely Queen laughed once more. 
 
 "Nay, thmk now," she cried: "What would the' 
 lady say could she see her love-gage thus cast to all the I 
 world? Mayhap, Harmachis, thou wouldst deal thusi 
 with my wreath also ? See, the roses fade; castitofl," \ 
 and, stooping, she took up the wreath and gave it to; 
 me. ^ '; 
 
 Tor a moment, so vexed was I, I had a mind to take 
 
CliEOPATEA. 103 
 
 her at her word and send the wreath to join the ker- 
 <:>iiief . But I thought better of it 
 
 J " Nay," I said more softly, " it is a Queen's gift, and 
 I will keep it," and as I spoke, methought I saw the 
 curtain shake. Often since have I sorrowed o'er those 
 simple words. 
 
 " Gracious thanks be^o the King of Love for this 
 small mercy," she answered, looking at me strangely. 
 " Now, enough of wit; come forth upon this balcony — 
 tell me of the mystery of those stars of thine. For 
 ever did I love the stars, that are so pure and bright 
 and cold, and so far away from all our fevered troub- 
 ling. There would I wish.to dwell, rocked on the dark 
 bosom of the night, and losing the little sense of self 
 as I gazed forever on the countenance of yon sweet- 
 eyed space. Nay^-who can tell, Harmachis ? — perhaps 
 those very stars partake even of our substance, and, 
 linked to us by Nature's invisible chain, do, indeed, 
 draw our destiny with them as they roll. What says 
 the Greek fable of him who became a star ? Perchance 
 it hath truth, for yonder tiny sparks may be the souls 
 of men, but grown more purely bright and placed in 
 happy rest to illume the turmoil of their mother earth. 
 Or are they lamps hung high in the heavenly vault 
 that night by night some Gx)dhead, whose wings are 
 darkness, touches with his immortal fire, so that they 
 leap out in answering flame ? Give me somewhat of 
 thy wisdom and open these wonders to me, O my ser- 
 vant, for I have little knowledge. Yet my heart is 
 large, and I fain would fill it, for I have the wit could 
 I but find the teacher." 
 
 Thereon, being right glad to find footing on a safer 
 shore, and marvelling somewhat to learn that Cleopa- 
 tra had a place for lofty thoughts, I spoke and told her 
 willingly such things as are lawful. I told her how , 
 the sky is a Uquid mass pressing round the earth and 
 
 ; resting on the elastic pillars of the air, and how above 
 is the heavenly ocean Nout, wherein the planets float 
 like ships as they rush upon their radiant way. Many 
 things 1 told her, and among them how through the 
 certain never-ceasing movement of the orbs of light 
 'the planet that was called Donaou (Venus) when she 
 
104: CLEOPATRA. 
 
 showed as the morning star, became the planet Bonou 
 when she came as the sweet Star of Eve.* And, whOe 
 I stood and spoke watching the stars, she sat, her 
 hands clasped upon her knee, and watched my face. 
 
 " Ah !" she broke in at length, " and so Venus is to 
 be seen both in the morning and the evening sky. 
 Well, of a truth J she is everywhere, though best she 
 loves the night. But thou lovest not that I should 
 use these Latin names to thee. Come, we will talk in 
 the ancient tongue of Khem, which I know right well ; 
 the first, mark thou, of all the Lagidae am I who know 
 it. And now," she went on, speaking in mine own 
 tongue, but with a little foreign accent that did but 
 make her talk more sweet, " enough of stars, for, when 
 all is said, they are but fickle things, and perchance 
 may even now be storing up an evil hour for thee or 
 me, or for us both together. Not but what I love to 
 hear thee speak of them, for then thy face doth lose 
 that gloomy cloud of thought wherewith thou drapest 
 it and grows quick and human. Harmachis, thou art 
 too young for such a solemn trade; methinks that I 
 must find thee a better. Youth comes but iance; why 
 waste it in these musings ? Time is it to think when 
 we can no longer act. Tell me how old art thou, Har- 
 machis ?" 
 
 " I am six and twenty'^years, O Queen," I answered, 
 " for I was born in the first month of Shomou, in the 
 summer season, and on the third day of the month."'. 
 
 " Why, we are of an age even to a day," she cried, 
 •• for I, too, have six and twenty years, and I, too, was 
 born on the third day of the first month of ShomOu. 
 Well, this may we say — ^those who begot us need have 
 no shame. For if I be the fairest woman in ^gypt, 
 methinks, Harmachis, that there is in Egypt no man 
 more fair and strong than thou, aye, or more learned. 
 Born on the same day, why, 'tis manifest that we were 
 destined to stand together, las the Queen, and thou, , 
 perchance, Harmachis, as one of the chief pillars of 
 my throne, and thus to work each Other's weal." 
 
 " Or-.perch»nce each other's woe," I answered, look- 
 
 *The motion of the planetsappeats.to have been familiar to thet 
 Egyptians. 
 
CLEOPATRA. 105 
 
 Ing up ; for her sweet speeches stung my ears, and 
 .brought more color to my face than I loved that she 
 ' should see therein. 
 
 " Nay, never talk of woe. Be seated here by me, 
 Harmachis, and let us talk, not as Queen and subject, 
 but as friend to friend. Thou wast angered with me 
 at the feast to-night — was it not so ? — ^in that I 
 ' mocked thee with yonder wreath ? Nay, 'twas but a 
 jest. Didst thou know how heavy is the task of mon- 
 archs, and how wearisome are their hours, thou 
 , wouldst not be wroth because I lit my dulness with a 
 jest. Oh, they weary me, those princes and those 
 nobles, and those stiff-necked, pompous Romans. To 
 my face they vow themselves my slaves, and behind 
 my back they mock me and proclaim me the servant 
 of their triumvirate, or their empire, or their repub- 
 lic, as the wheel of fortune turns, and each rises on its 
 /Tound ! There is never a man among them — ^nothing 
 'but fools, parasites, and puppets-^never a man since^ 
 with their coward daggers they slew that Caesar whom 
 all the world in arms was not strong enough to tame. 
 And I must play off one against the other, if, may be, 
 by so doing I can keep Egypt from their grip. And 
 for reward, what ? Why, this is my reward ; that all 
 men speak ill of me and — I know it— my subjects hate 
 nae ! Yea, I believe that woman though I be, they 
 would murder me could they find a means !" And she 
 paused, covering her eyes with her hand, and it was 
 well, for her words pierced me so that I shrank there 
 upon the seat beside her. 
 
 " They think ill of me, I know it; and call me wan- 
 ton, who have never s^tepped aside save once, when I 
 loved the greatest man of all the world, and at the 
 touch of love my passion flamed indeed, but burnt with 
 a hallowed flame. These ribald Alexandrians do swear 
 that I poisoned Ptolemy, my brother — whom, most 
 unnaturally, the Roman Senate would have forced on 
 me, his sister, as a husband ! but it is false ; he sick- 
 ened and died of fever. And even so they say that I 
 would slay Arsinoe, my sister — who, indeed, would 
 slay me !^but that, too, is false ! Though she will have 
 none of me, I love my sister. Yea, they all think ill 
 
306 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 of me without a cause ; even thou dost thmk ill of me, 
 Harmachis. Oh, Harmachis, before thou judgest^j 
 think what a thing is envy ! — that foul sickness of the 
 mind which makes the jaundiced eye of pettiness to 
 see all things distraught — to read evU written on the 
 open face of good, and find hnpui-ity in the whitest vir- 
 gin's soul. Thinli what a thing it is, Harmachis, to 
 be set on high above the gaping crowd of knaves who 
 hate thee for thy fortune and thy wit ; who gnash their 
 teeth and shoot the arrows of their lies from the cover 
 of their own obscureness, whence they have no wings 
 to«oar; and whose hearts' quest it is to drag down 
 thy nobility to the level of the groundling and the 
 fool! 
 
 "Be not, then, ready to think evil of the great, whose 
 every word and act is searched for error by a million 
 angry eyes, and whose most tiny fault is trumpeted 
 by a thousand throats, tUl the world shakes with the 
 echoes of their sin ! Say not : ' 'Tis thus, 'tis cer- 
 tainly thus' — say, rather, ' Nay, may it not be other- 
 wise ? Have we heard aright ? Did she this thing of 
 her own will ?' Judge gentlj', O Harmachis, as wert 
 thou me thou wouldst be Judged. Remember that a 
 Queen is never free. She is, indeed, but the point and 
 instrument of those forces politic wherewith are 
 graved the iron books of history. O Harmachis ! be 
 thou my friend — my friend and counsellor ! — my friend 
 whom I can trust indeed ! — for here, in this crowded 
 court, I am more utterly alone than any soul that 
 breathes about its corridors. But thee I trust; there 
 is faith written in those quiet eyes, and I am minded to 
 lift thee high. Harmachis, I can no longer bear my 
 solitude of mind — I must find one with whom I may 
 commune and speak that which lies within my heart. 
 I have faults, I know it ; but I am not all unworthy 
 of thy faith, for there is good grain among the evil 
 seed. Say, Harmachis, wilt thou take pity on my 
 loneliness, and' befriend me, who have lovers, coiirtiers, 
 slaves, dependents, more thick than I can count, but ; 
 never one single friend ?" and she leaned toward me, 
 touching me lightly, and gazed on me with her wonder- 
 ful blue eyes. 
 
CLEOPATRA. 107 
 
 / I was overcome ; thinking of the morrow night, 
 ,«hame and sorrow smote me. I, her friend ! — I, whose 
 ' assassin dagger lay against my breast! I bent my 
 head, and a sob or a groan, I know not which, burst 
 from the agony of my heart. 
 
 But Cleopatra, thinking only that I was moved be- 
 yond myself by the surprise of her graciousness, smiled 
 sweetly, and said: 
 
 " It grows la*e. To-morrow night, when thou j 
 bringest the auguries, wiU we speak again, O my 
 friend Harmachis, and thou shalt answer me." And 
 she gave me her hand to kiss. Scarce knowing what 
 I did, I kissed it, and in another moment she was gone. 
 
 But I stood in the chamber, gazing after her like one 
 asleep. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 OF THE "WORDS AND JEALOUSY OP CHARMION ; OF THE 
 LAUGHTBR OF.HABMACHIS ; OF THE MAKING READY 
 FOR THE DEED OF BLOOD ; AND OF THE MESSAGE OF 
 THE OLD WIPE, ATOUA. 
 
 I stood stiU, plunged in thought. Then, by hazard 
 as it were, I took up the wreath of roses and looked 
 thereon. How long I stood so I know not, but when 
 next I lifted up my eyes they fell upon the form of 
 Charmion, whom, indeed, I had altogether forgotten. 
 And though at the moment I thought but little of it, 
 I noted vaguely that she was flushed as though with 
 anger, and that she beat her foot upon the floor. 
 
 ♦' Oh, it is thou, Charmion ?" I said. " What afls 
 thee ? Art thou cramped with standing so long with- 
 in thy hiding place ? Why didst thou not slip hence 
 when Cleopatra led me to the balcony ?" 
 ^ ■ " Where is my kerchief ?" she asked, shooting au 
 angry glance at me. " I let fall my broidered ker- 
 chief." 
 
108 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 " Thy kerchief ! Why, didst thou not see ? Cleo- 
 patra twitted me about it, and I flung it from the 
 balcony." 
 
 " Yea, I saw," answered the girl, "I saw but too 
 well. Thou didst fling away my kerchief, but the 
 wreath of roses — ^that thou wouldst not fling away. 
 It was 'a Queen's gift,' forsooth, and therefore the 
 E6yal Harmachis, the Priest of Isis, the chosen of the 
 . Gods, the crowned Pharaoh wed to the weal of Khem, 
 cherished it and saved it. But my kerchief, stung by 
 the laughter of that light Queen, he cast away !" 
 
 " What meanest thou ?" I asked, astonished at her 
 bitter tone. " I read not thy riddles." 
 
 " What mean I ?" she answered, tossing up her 
 head, and showing the white curves of her throat. 
 " Nay, I mean naught or all, take it as thou wilt. 
 Wouldst know what I mean, Harmachis, my cousin 
 and my Lord?" she went on in a hard, low voice. 
 " Behold, I will tell thee— thou art in danger of the great 
 offense. This Cleopati-a hath cast her fatal wiles 
 about thee, and thou goest near to loving her, Har- 
 machis — to loving her whom to-morrow thou must 
 slay ! Ay, stand and stare at that wreath within, 
 thy hand — ^the wreath thou couldst not send to join 
 my kerchief — sure Cleopatra wore it but to-night ! 
 The^perfume of the hair of Caesar's mistress — Caesar's 
 and others' — ^yet mingles with the odor of its roses I 
 Now, prithee, Harmachis, how far didst thou carry 
 the matter on yonder balcony ? — ^for in that hole where 
 I lay hid I could not hear or see. 'Tis a sweet spot 
 for lovers, is it not ? — ay, and a sweet night, too I 
 Venus is surely in the right ascension ?" 
 
 And all of this she said so quietly and in so soft and 
 modest a way, though her words were not modest, and 
 yet so bitterly, that every syllable cut me to the heart, 
 and angered me till I could find no speech. 
 
 *' Of a truth thou hast a wise economy," she went 
 on, seeing her advantage : " to-night thou dost kiss 
 the lips that to-morrow thou shalt still forever ! 'Tis 
 frugal dealing with the occasion of the moment j ay, 
 worthy and honorable dealing !" 
 
 Then at last I broke forth. " Girl !'^I cried, " how 
 
CLEOPATRA- 109 
 
 darest thou speak thus to me ? Mindest thou who 
 Jand what I am that thou loosest thy peevish gibes 
 ' upon me ?" 
 
 " I mind what it behooves thee to be," she answered 
 quick. " What thou art, that I mind not now. Sure- 
 ly thou knowest alone— thou and Cleopatra !" 
 
 " What meanest thou ?" I said. ** Am I to blame if 
 the Queen — " 
 
 "TheQueeti! What have we here ? Pharaoh owns 
 a Queen !" 
 
 " If Cleopatra wills to come hither of a night and 
 talk—" 
 
 "Of stars, Harmachis — surely of stars and roses, 
 and naught beside !" 
 
 After that I know not what I said ; for, troubled as I 
 was, the girl's bitter tongue and quiet way drove me 
 well-nigh to madness. But this I know: I spoke so 
 fiercely that she cowered before me as she had cowered 
 before my uncle Sepa when he rated her because of her 
 Grecian garb. And as she wept then, so she wept 
 now, only more passionately and with sobs. 
 
 At length 1 ceased, half shamed, but still angrj"^ and 
 smarting sorely. For even while she wept she could 
 find a tongue to answer with — and a woman's shafts 
 are sharp. 
 
 " Thou shouldst not speak to me thus !" she sob- 
 bed ; " it is cruel — it is unmanly ! But I forget thou 
 iart but a priest, not a man — except, mayhap, for 
 Cleopatra !" 
 
 "What right hast thou?" I said. "What canst 
 thou mean ?" 
 
 "What right have I?" she asked, looking up, her 
 dark eyes all aflood with tears that ran down her 
 sweet face like the dew of morning down a lUy's heart. 
 "What right have I? O Harmachis! art thou 
 Mind ? Dost thou not know by what right I speak thus 
 to thee ? Then must I tell thee. Well, 'tis the fash- 
 ion in Alexandria ! By that first and holy right of 
 woman — ^by the. right of the great love I bear thee, 
 and which, it seems, thou hast no eyes to see — ^by the 
 fight of my glory and my shame. Oh, be not wroth 
 with me, Harmachis, nor set me down as light, be- 
 
110 CLEOI-ATEA. 
 
 cause the truth at last has burst from me ; for I am 
 not so. I am what thou wilt make me. I am the 
 wax within the molder's hands, and as thou dost 
 fashion me so shall I be. There breathes within 
 me now a breath of glory blowing across the waters 
 of my soul, that can waft me to ends more noble than 
 ever I have dreamed afore, if thou wilt be my pilot and 
 my guide. But if I lose thee, then lose I all that holds 
 me from my worse self — and let shipwreck come ! 
 Thou knowest me not, Harmachis ! thou canst not see 
 how. big a spirit struggles within* this frail form of 
 mine ! To thee I am a girl, clever, wayward, shallow. 
 But I am more ! Show me thy loftiest thought and I 
 will match it, the deepest puzzle of thy mind and I 
 will make it clear. Of one blood are we, and love can 
 ravel up our little difference and make us grow one 
 indeed. One end we have, one land we love, one vow 
 binds us both. Take me to thy heart, Harmachis, 
 and set me by thee on the Double Throne, and I swear 
 that I will lift thee higher than ever man Las climbed. 
 Reject me, and beware lest I pull thee down ! And 
 now, putting aside the cold delicacy of custom, stung 
 lihereto by what I saw of the arts of that lovely liv- 
 ing falsehood, Cleopatra, which for pastime she doth 
 practice on thy folly, I have spoken out my heart, and 
 answer thou!" And she clasped her hands, and, 
 drawing one pace nearer, gazed all trembling on my 
 face. 
 
 For a moment I stood struck dumb, for the magic 
 of her voice and the power of her speech, despite my- 
 self, had stirred me like the rush of music. Had I 
 loved the woman, doubtless -she might have fired me 
 with her flame ; but I loved her not, and I could not 
 play at passion. And so thought came, and with 
 thought that laughing mood which is ever apt to 
 fasten upon nerves strained to the point of breaking. 
 In a flash, as it were, I bethought me of the way in 
 which she had that very night forced the wreath of 
 roses on my head. I thought of the kerchief and how 
 % I had flung it forth. I thought of Charmion in the 
 little chamber watching what she held to be the arts 
 of Cleopatra, and "of her bitter sj)eeches. Lastly, 1 
 
CLEOPATRA. Ill 
 
 thought of what my uncle Sepa would say of her could 
 hQ see her now, and of the strange and tangled skein 
 r^lierewith I was immeshed. I laughed aloud — the 
 ""fool's laughter that was my knell of ruin ! 
 
 She turned whiter yet — white as the dead- -and on 
 her face there grew a look that checked my foolish 
 mirth. " Thou flndest, then, Harmachis," she said, in 
 a low, choked voice, and dropping the level of her 
 eyes — " thou findest cause of merriment in what I have 
 said." 
 
 "Nay," I answered, "nay, Charmion; forgive me 
 i! I laughed. 'Twas rather a laugh of despair; for 
 what am I to say to thee? Thou hast spoken high 
 words of all thou mightest be; is it left for me to tell 
 thee what thou art ?" 
 
 She shrank, and I paused. 
 - " Speak," she said. 
 
 ',•' Thou knowest — ^none so well — what I am and what 
 my mission is; thou knowest — none so well! — that I 
 am sworn to Isis, and may, by law divine, have naught 
 to do with thee." 
 
 " Ay," she broke in, in her low voice and with her 
 eyes still fixed upon the ground; " ay, and I know 
 that thy vows are broken in spirit, if not in form — 
 broken like wreaths of clouds — for, Harmachis, thou 
 lovest Cleopatra .'" 
 
 "It is a lie!" I cried. "Thou wanton girl, who 
 wouldst seduce me from my duty and put me to an 
 'open shame ! — who, led by passion or ambition, or the 
 love of evil, hast not shamed to break the barriers of 
 thy sex and speak as thou hast spoken — ^beware lest 
 thou go too far ! And if thou wilt have an answer, 
 here it is, put straightly as thy question. Charmion, 
 outside the matter of my duty and my vows thou art 
 naught to me ! — nor for all thy tender glances will my 
 heart beat one pulse more fast ! Hardly art thou now 
 my friend — for, of a truth, I scarce can trust thee. 
 But, once more, beware ! To me thou mayest do thy 
 worst; but if thou dost dare to lift a finger against our 
 cause, that day thou diest I And now is this play 
 iclone?" ■' 
 
 And as, wild with anger, I spoke thus, she shrank 
 
112 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 back, and yet further back, till at length she restpd 
 against the wall, her eyes covered with her hand. 
 But when I ceased she dropped her hand, glancing up, 
 and her face was as the face of a statue, wherein the 
 great eyes glowed like embers, and round them was a 
 ring of purple shadow. 
 
 " Not altogether done," she said gently; " the arena 
 must yet be sanded !" This she said having reference 
 to the covering up of the blood stains at the gladia- 
 torial shows with fine white sand. " Well," she went 
 on, " waste not thine anger on a thing so vile. I have 
 thrown my throw and 1 have lost. Vce victis ! — ah | 
 VcB victis ! WUt thou not lend me the dagger in thy ; 
 robe, that here and now I may end my shame ? No ? 
 Then one word more. Most Royal Harmachis : If thou ' 
 canst, forget my folly; but, at the least, have no fear 
 from me. I am now, as ever, thy servant and the ser- 
 vant of our cause. Farewell !" \ 
 
 And she went, leaning her hand against the walil. 
 But I, passing to my chamber, flung myself upon m'^ 
 couch and groaned in bitterness of spirit. Alas ! we \ 
 shape our plans, and by slow degrees build up our j 
 house of Hope, never counting on the guests that time 
 shall bring to lodge therein. For who can guard 
 against — ^the Unforeseen ? 
 
 At length I slept, and evil were my dreams. When 
 I woke the light of the day which should see the red 
 fulfillment of the plot was streaming through the case- 
 ment, and the birds sang merrily among the garden, 
 palms. I woke, and as I wokclihe sense of trouble' 
 pressed in upon me, for I remembered that before this ' 
 day was gathered to the past I must dip my hands in 
 blood — even in the blood of Cleopatra, who trusted me !' 
 Why could I not hate her as I should ? There had beeia 
 a time when I had looked on this act of vengeance! 
 with somewhat of a righteous glow of zeal. And now' 
 — and now, why, I would frankly give my royal birth-; 
 right to be free from its necessity ! But, alas ! I knew 
 that there was no escape. I must drain the cup or be 
 forever cast away. I felt the eyes of Egypt watch- 
 ing me, and the eyes of Egypt's Gods. I prayed to 
 my Mother Isis to give me strength to do this deed) 
 
CLEOPATRA. 113 
 
 and, prayed as I had never prayed before; and, O 
 
 "wonder ! no answer came. Nay, how was this? 
 
 "^nat then had loosed the link between us that, for 
 
 Jthe first time, the Goddess deigned no reply to her 
 
 f chosen servant? Could it be that I had sinned in 
 heart against her? What had Charmion said — that 
 I loved Cleopatra? Was this sickness love? Nay, 
 a, thousand times nay! — 'twas but the revolt of Nature 
 ^gainst a deed of treachery and blood. The God- 
 
 yiiess did but try my strength, or perchance she also 
 turned her holy countenance from blood ? 
 , I. rose filled with despair, and went about mj task 
 like a man without a soul, I conned the fatal lists and 
 
 ''^ noted all the plans — ay, in my brain I gathered up 
 :the very words of that proclamation of my Royalty 
 
 /'which on the morrow I should issue to the startled 
 world. 
 
 "..Citizens of Alexandria and dwellers in the land of 
 E^,ypt," it began. " Cleopatra, the Macedonian, hath, 
 b3Vthe command of the Gods, suffered justice for her 
 c^mes — " All these and- other things I did, but I did 
 
 /£hem as a man without a soul — as a man moA'ed by a 
 force from without and not from within. And so the 
 
 ! ininutes wore away. In the third hour of the after- 
 
 ' noon I went, as by appointment fixed, to the house 
 where lodged my uncle Sepa — that same house to which 
 some three months gone I had been brought when, for 
 the first time, I entered Alexandria. And here I found 
 aj^sembled in secret conclave the leaders of the i-evolt 
 
 Ml the city, to the number of seven. When I had 
 
 ''entered, and the doors were barred, they prostrated 
 themselves, and cried : " Hail, Pharaoh ! " But I bade 
 them rise, saying that not yet was T Pharaoh, for the 
 chicken was still in the egg. 
 
 ,.' a Yea, Prince," said my uncle, " but his beak shows 
 through. Not in vain hath Egypt brooded all these 
 years; an thou fail not with that dagger-stroke of thine 
 —and how canst thou fail ? — naught can now stop our 
 
 ,course to victory !" C\ 
 
 " It is on the knees of the Gods," I answered. 
 .'" Nay," he said, " the gods have placed the issue in 
 
 the hands of a mortal — in tjjy hands, O Harmachis 1 
 
114 CLEOPATKA. 
 
 — and there is it safe. See : here are the last lists. 
 Thirty-one thousand men who bear arms are sworn ~to 
 rise when the tidings come to th'em. Within five 'days;^ 
 every citadel in Egypt will be in our hands, and then 
 what have we to fear ? From Rome but little, for her 
 hands are full j and, besides, we will make alliance with 
 the Triumvirate, and, if need be, buy them off. For 
 ■of money there is plenty in the land, and if more be 
 wanted thou, Harmachis, knowest where 'tis stored 
 against the need of Khem, and outside the Roman's 
 reach of arm. Who is there to harm us ? There is 
 none. Perchance, in this turbulent city, there may be; 
 a struggle, and a counter plot to bring Arsinoe to Egypt j 
 and set her on the throne. Therefore must Alexan-.i 
 dria be severely dealt with — ay, even to destruction, ' 
 if need be. And for Arsinoe, those go forth to-mor- 
 row on the news of the Queen's death who shall slay 
 her secretly." 
 
 " There remains the lad Csesarion," I said. " Roiipe 
 might claim through Cassar's son, and the child bt 
 Cleopatra inherits Cleopatra's rights. Herein is a 
 ■double danger." 
 
 ' ' Fear not," said my uncle ; " to-morrow Caesarion \ 
 joins those who begat him in Amenti. I have made 
 provision. The Ptolemies must be stamped out, so 
 that no shoot shall ever spring from that root blasted 
 by Heaven's vengeance." 
 
 " Is there no other means ?" I asked sadly. " My 
 heart is sick at the promise of this red rain of blood.S 
 Weill know the child ; he hath Cleopatra's fire and] 
 beauty and great Caesar's wit. 'Twas shame to 
 murder him." 
 
 " Nay, be not so chicken-hearted, Harmachis," saidl 
 my uncle, sternly. "What ails thee, then? If the] 
 lad is thus, the more reason that he should die. i 
 Wouldst thou nurse up a young lion to tear thee from 
 the throne?" 
 
 "Be it so," I answered, sighing. "At least he is 
 spared much, and will go hence innocent of evil. And 
 now for the plans." 
 
 Long we sat taking counsel, till at length, in face of 
 the great emergency and our high emprise, I felt 
 
CLEOPATKA. 115 
 
 something of the spirit of former days flow back into 
 my heart. At the last all was ordered, and so ordered 
 that it could scarce miscarry, for it was fixed _ that if 
 /"by any chance I could not come to slay Cleopatra on 
 this night, then should the plot liang in the scale till 
 the morrow, when the deed should be done upon oc- 
 casion. For the death of Cleopatra was the signal. 
 These matters being finished, once more we stood and, 
 our hands upon tlie sacred symbol, swore the oath that 
 may not be written. And then my uncle kissed me 
 with tears of hope and joj"^ standing in his keen black 
 eyes. He blessed me, saying that gladly would he 
 give his life, ay, and a hundred lives if they were his, 
 if he might but live to see Egypt once more a nation, 
 and me, Harmachis, the descendant of its royal and 
 ' ancient blood, seated on the Throne. For of a truth 
 he was a patriot indeed, asking nothing for himself, 
 and giving all things to his cause. And I kissed him 
 in turn, and thus we parted. Nor in the fiesh did I 
 ever see him more wlio hath earned the rest that as 
 yet is denied to me. 
 
 So I went, and, there being yet time, walked swiftly 
 from place to place in the great citj', taking note of the 
 positions of the gates and of the places where our 
 forces must be gathered. At length I came to that 
 quay where I bad landed and saw a vessel sailing for 
 the open sea. I looked, and in my heaviness of heart I 
 longed to be aboard of her, to be borne by her white 
 wings to some far shore where I might live obscure, 
 and, forgotten, die. Also I saw another vessel that 
 had dropped down the Nile, from whose deck the pas- 
 sengers were streaming. For a moment I stood 
 watching them, idly wondering if they were from 
 Abouthis, when suddenly I heard a familiar voice be- 
 side me. ' 
 
 "La! la!" said the voice. " Why, what a city is 
 this for an old woman to seek her fortune in ! And 
 how shall I find those to whom I am known ? As well 
 look for the rush in the papyrus-roll. Begone I thou, 
 knave, and let my basket of simples lie, or, by the 
 Gods, I'll doctor thee therewith !" 
 
 I turned, wondering, and found myself face to face 
 
116 CTJIOPATEA. 
 
 with my foster-nurse, Atoua. She knew me instantly, 
 for I saw her start, but in the presence of the peopJe 
 checked her surprise. 
 
 "Good Sir," she whined, lifting- up her withered 
 countenance toward me, And at the same time making 
 the secret sign, " by thy dress thou shouldst be an 
 astronomer, and I was specially told to avoid astrono- 
 mers as a pack of lying tricksters who worship their 
 own star only. And, therefore, acting on the princi- 
 ple of contraries, which is law to us women, I speak to 
 thee. For surely in this Alexandria, where all things 
 are upside-down, the astronomers may be the honest 
 men, since the rest are clearly knaves." And then, 
 being by now out of earshot of the press, " Royal 
 Harmachis, I am come charged with a message to thee 
 from thy father Amenemhat." 
 
 "Is he well?" I asked. 
 
 "Yea, he is weU, though waiting; for the moment 
 tries him sorely. " 
 
 " And his message ?" 
 
 " It is this: He sends greeting to thee, and with it 
 warning that a great danger threatens thee, though 
 he cannot read it. These are his words : ' Be stead- 
 fast and prosper.' " 
 
 I bowed my head and the words struck a new chill 
 of fear into my soul. 
 
 " When is the time ?" she asked. 
 
 " This very night. Where goest thou ?" 
 
 "To the house of the honorable Sepa, Priest of On.' 
 Canst thou guide me thither ?" 
 
 "Nay, I may not stay; nor is it wise that I should 
 be seen with thee. Hold !" And I called a porter whd 
 was idling on the quay, and giving him a piece of 
 money, bade him guide the old wife to the house. j 
 
 "Farewell," she whispered — " farewell till to-mor- 
 row. Be steadfast and prosper!" 
 
 Then I turned and went my way through the 
 crowded streets, wherein the people made place for me^ 
 the astronomer of Cleopatra, for my fame had spread 
 abroad. \ 
 
 And even as I went my footsteps seemed to beatj 
 Be steadfast J Be steadfast ! Be steadfast ! till at 
 
CLEOPATRA. > 117 
 
 last it was as thouglx the very ground cried out its very 
 warning to me. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 OF THE VEILED WORDS OF CHAEMION ; OF THE PASSING 
 OF HAEMACHIS INTO THE PRESENCE OF CLEOPATRA ; 
 OVERTHROW OF HARMACHIS. 
 
 It was night, and I sat alone within my chamber, 
 waiting the moment when, as it was agreed, Charmion 
 should summon me to pass down to Cleopatra. Alone 
 I sat, and there before me lay the dagger that was 
 to pierce her. Long and keen it was, and the handle 
 y/as formed of a sphjnx of solid gold. Alone I sat, 
 questioning the future ; but no answer came. At 
 length I looked up, and behold ' Charmion stood be- 
 fore me — Charmion, no longer gay and bright, but pale 
 of face and hollow-eyed. 
 
 " Royal Harmachis," she said, " Cleopatra summons 
 thee presently, to declare to her the voices of the 
 stars." 
 
 So the hour had fallen ! 
 
 " It is well, Charmion," I answered. " Are all 
 things m order ?" 
 
 " Yea, my Lord ; all things are in order ; well primed 
 with wine, Paulus guards the gates, the eunuchs are 
 withdrawn save one, the legionaries sleep, and already 
 Sepa and his force lie hid without. Naught has been 
 neglected, and no lamb skipping at the shamble doors 
 can be more innocent of its doom than is Queen Cleo- 
 patra." 
 
 " It is well," I said again; " let us be going." And, 
 rising, I placed the dagger in the bosom of my robe. 
 Taking a cup of wine that stood near, I drank deep of 
 it, for food had I scarce tasted all that day. 
 
 " One word," she said, hurriedly, " for it is not yet 
 time: last night— ah, last night!" — and her bosom 
 
118 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 heaved — " I dreamed a dream that haunts me 
 strangely, and perchance thou also didst dream a 
 dream. 'Twas all a dream and 'tis forgotten ; is it not 
 60, my Lord ?" 
 
 " Yea, yea," I said ; •• why troublest thou me thus 
 at such an hour ?" 
 
 " Nay, I know not ; but to-night, Harmachis, Fate 
 is in labor of a great event, and in her painful throes 
 mayhap she'll crush me in her grip— me or thee, or the 
 twain of us, Harmachis. And if that be so — well, I 
 would hear from thee, before 'tis done, that 'twas 
 naught but a dream, and that dream forgot — " 
 
 " Yea, 'tis all a dream," I said idly ; " thou and I, 
 
 and the solid earth, and this heavy night of terror — 
 
 ay, and this keen-pointed knife — ^what are these but 
 
 * dreams, and with what face shall the waking come ?" 
 
 "So, now thou fallest in my humor, Royal Harma- 
 chis. As thou sayest, we dream ; and while we dream 
 yet can the vision change. For wonderful are the 
 fantasies of dreams, seeing that tJiey have no stability, 
 but vary like the vaporous edge of sunset clouds, 
 building now this thing and now that, being now dark 
 and heavy and now alight with splendor. Therefore, 
 Ijefore we wake to-morrow, tell me one word. Is that 
 vision of last night, wherein I seemed to be quite shamed, 
 and thou didst seem to laugh upon my shame, a fixed 
 fantasy, or can it, perchance, yet change its counten- 
 ance ? For, remember, when that waking comes, the 
 vagaries of our sleep will be more unalterable and more 
 enduring than are the pj-^ramids. Then Mill they be 
 gathered into that changeless region of the past where 
 all things, great and small — ay, even dreams, Harma- 
 chis — are, each in its own semblance, frozen into stone 
 and built within the Tomb of Time immortal." 
 
 " Nay, Charmion," I rephed. " I grieve if I did pain 
 thee ; but o'er that vision comes no change. I said 
 what was in my heart, and there's an end. Thou art 
 my cousin and my friend; more I can never be to 
 thee." 
 
 ^' 'Tis well— 'tis very well," she said ; " let it be for- 
 got. And now on from dream — to dream." And she 
 smiled with such a smile as I had never seen her wear 
 
CLEOPATRA. 119 
 
 before ; 'twas sadder and more fateful than any stamp 
 that grief can set upon the brow. 
 
 For — though, being bUnded by my own folly and the 
 trouble at my heart, I knew it not — with that smile, for 
 Charmion the Egyptian died the happiness of youth, 
 fled the hope of love, and burst asunder the holy links 
 of duty. With that smile did she consecrate herself 
 to evil, did she renounce her country and her Grods, 
 and trample on her oath. Ay, that smile marks the 
 spot where the stream of history changed its course. 
 For had I never seen it on her face, Octavianus had not 
 bestridden the world and Egypt had once more been, 
 free and great. 
 
 And yet 'twas but a woman's smile ! 
 
 " Why lookest thou thus strangely, girl ?" Tasked, 
 
 " In dreams we smile," she answered. " And now 
 'tis time ; follow thou me. Be firm and prosper. Royal 
 Harmachis !" And bending forward, she took my hand 
 and kissed it. Then, with one strange look, she turned 
 aJnd led the way down the stair through the empty 
 halls. 
 
 In the chamber that is called the Alabaster Hall, of 
 which the roof is upborne by columns of black marble, 
 we stayed. For beyond was the private chamber of 
 Cleopatra, even the same wherein I had seen her 
 sleeping. 
 
 " Abide thou here," she said, " while I tell Cleopa- 
 tra of thy coming," and she glided from my side. 
 
 For long I stood, mayhap in all the half of an hour, 
 counting my own heart beats, and, as in a dream, 
 striving to gather up my strength to that which lay 
 before me. 
 
 At length came Charmion back, her head held low 
 and walking heavily. 
 
 " Cleopatra waits thee," she said; "pass on, there 
 is no guard." 
 
 " Where do I meet thee when what must be done is 
 done ?" I asked hoarsely. 
 
 " Thou meetest me here, and then to Paulus. Be 
 firm and prosper. Fare thee well." 
 
 And so I went; but at the curtain I turned .sud- 
 denly, and there in the • midst of that lonely lamplit 
 
120 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 hall I saw a strange sight. Far away, in such a fashion 
 that the light struck full upon her, stood CharmioDj 
 her head thrown back, her white arms outstretched as 
 though to clasp, and on her girlish face a stamp of an- 
 guished passion so terrible to behold that indeed I 
 cannot tell it ! For she believed that I, whom she 
 loved, was passing to my death, and this was her last 
 farewell to me. 
 
 But of this matter I knew naught ; so with another 
 passing pang of wonder I drew aside the curtains, 
 gained the doorway, and stood within Cleopatra's 
 chamber. And there, upon a silken couch at the far 
 end of the perfumed chamber, clad in wonderful white 
 attire, rested Cleopatra. In her hand was a jeweled 
 fan of ostrich plumes, wherewith she gently fanned 
 herself, and by her side was her harp of ivory, and a 
 little table whereon were figs and goblets and a flask 
 of ruby-colored wine. Slowly I drew near through tJie 
 soft, dim light to where in all her glowing beauty lay 
 the wonder of the world. And, indeed, never have I 
 seen her look so fair as she did upon that fatal night. 
 Couched in her amber cushions, she seemed to shine as 
 a star on the twilight's glow. B'rom her hair and robes 
 came perfume, from her lips fell music, and in her 
 heavenly eyes all lights changed and gathered as in 
 the ominous opal's disk. 
 
 And this was the woman whom I must slay ! 
 
 Slowly I drew near, bowing as I came; but she took 
 no heed. She lay there, and the jeweled fan floated to 
 and fro like the bright wing of some hovering bird. 
 
 At length I stood before her, and she glanced up, 
 the ostrich plumes pressed against Tier breast as though 
 to hide its beauty. 
 
 "What! friend, art thou come?" she said. " 'Tis 
 well ; for I grew lonely here. Nay, 'tis a weary world I 
 jWe know so many faces^ and so few there are whom 
 we love to see again. Well, stand not there so mute, 
 tout be seated." And she pointed with her fan to a 
 carven chair that was placed nigh to her feet. 
 
 Once more I bowed and took the seat. 
 
 "I have obeyed the Queen's desire," I said, "and i 
 with much care and skill worked out the lessons of the ; 
 
CLEOPATRA. 121 
 
 stai-s ; and here is the record of my labor. If the Queen 
 permits, I will expound it to her. ' ' And I rose, in order 
 that I mig'ht pass round the couch and, as she read, 
 stab her in the back. 
 
 " Nay, Harmachis," she said quietly, and with a slow 
 and lovely smile. " Bide thou where thou art, and 
 give me the writing'. By Serapis ! thy face is too 
 comely for me to wish to lose the sight of it !" 
 
 Checlsed in this my desiga, I could do naught but 
 hand her the papyrus, thinking to myself that as she 
 read I would arise suddenly and plunge the dagger to 
 Jier heart. She took it, and, as she did so, touched my 
 hand. Then she made pretense to read. But no word 
 did she read, for I saw that her eyes were fixed upon 
 me over the edge of the scroll. 
 
 " Why placest thou thy hand within thy robe ?" she 
 asked presently ; for, indeed, I clutched the dagger's 
 hilt. " Is thy heart stirred ?" 
 J" Yea, O Queen," I said ; " it beats high." 
 
 She gave no answer, but once more made pretense 
 to read, and the while she watched me. 
 
 I took counsel with myself. How should I do the 
 hateful deed? If I flung myself upon her now she 
 would see me and scream and struggle. Nay, I must 
 wait a chance. 
 
 "The auguries are favorable, then, Harmachis?" 
 she said at length, though this she must have guessed 
 at. 
 
 "Yea, O Queen," I answered. 
 
 " 'Tis well," and she cast the wiiting on the marble. 
 " The ships shall sail. For, good or bad, I am weary 
 of weighing chances." 
 
 " This is a heavy matter, O Queen," I said. " I had 
 wished to show upon what circumstance I base my 
 forecast." 
 
 " Nay, not so, Harmachis : I have wearied of the ways 
 of stars. Thou hast prophesied ; that is enough for 
 me; for, doubtless, being honest, thou hast written 
 honestly. Therefore, save thou thy reasons and we'll 
 be merry. What shall we do ? I could dance to thee 
 — none there are who can dance so well — but it would 
 scarce be queenly. Nay, I have it : I will sing." And, 
 
122 CLEOPATRA. i 
 
 leaning forward, she raised herself, and, bending the 
 harp toward her, struck some wandering chords. Then 
 her low voice broke out in perfect and most sweet sod^. 
 And thus she sang : 
 
 Night on the sea, and night upon the sky, 
 
 And music in our hearts, we floated there, 
 Lulled by the low sea voices, thou and I, 
 
 And the wind's kisses in my cloudy hair ; 
 And thou didst gaze on me and call me fair — 
 
 Enfolded by the starry robe of night — ' 
 
 And then thy singing thrilled upon the air. 
 
 Voice of the heart's desire and Love's delightt 
 
 Adrift, with starlit skies above, 
 
 With starlit seas below. 
 We move with all the suns that move. 
 
 With all the seas that flow ; 
 For, bond, or free. Earth, Sky, and Sea 
 
 Wheel with one circling will. 
 And thy heart drif teth on to me. 
 
 And only Time stands still. 
 
 Between two shores of Death we drift. 
 
 Behind are things forgot : 
 Before the tide is driving swift 
 
 To lands beholden not. 
 Above, the sky is far and cold ; 
 
 Below, the moaning sea 
 Sweeps o'er the loves that were of old. 
 
 But, O Love! kiss thou me. 
 
 Ah, lonely are the ocean ways, 
 
 And dangerous the deep. 
 And frail tlie fairy bark that strays 
 
 Above the seas asleep ! 
 Ah, toil no more at sail nor oar; 
 
 We drift, or bond or free ; 
 On yon far shore the breakers roar. 
 
 But, O Love I kiss thou me. 
 
 And ever as thou sangest I drew near. 
 
 Then sudden silence heard our hearts that beat, 
 For now there was an end of doubt and fear. 
 
 Nowr passion filled my soul and led my feet ; 
 Then silent didst thou rise, thy love to meet, 
 
 Who, sinking on thy breast, knew naught but thee, 
 And in the happy night I kissed thee. Sweet, 
 
 Ah Sweet! between the starlight and the sea. 
 
 The last echoes of her rich notes floated down th< 
 
CLEOPATRA. 123 
 
 yfehamber and slowly died away ; but in my heart they 
 rolled on and on. I have heard among the woman 
 singers at Abouthis voices more perfect than the voice 
 of Cleopatra, but never have I heard one so thrilling 
 or so sweet with passion's honey-notes. And indeed 
 'twas not the voice alone ; 'twas the perfumed cham- 
 "ber wherein was set all that could move the sense ; 
 'twas the passion of the thought and words, and the 
 surpassing grace and loveliness of that most royal 
 •vvoman who sang them. For, as she sang, almost did 
 I seem to think that we twain were indeed floating 
 alone with the night, upon the wide, dark summer sea. 
 And when she ceased to touch the harp, and, rising, 
 suddenly stretched out hor arms toward me, and, with 
 the last low notes of song yet quivering upon her lips, 
 let Sail the wonder of her eyes upon my eyes, almost did 
 she draw me to her. But I remembered, and would not. 
 \ "Hast thou, then, no word of thanks for my poor 
 ringing, Harmachis ?" she said at length. 
 
 " Yea, O, Queen," I answered, speaking very low, 
 for my voice was choked ; ' ' but \h.y songs are not good 
 for the sons of men to hear — of a truth they overwhelm 
 me!" 
 
 "Nay, Harmachis; for thee there is no fear," she 
 said, laughing softly — "seeing that I know how far 
 thy thoughts are set from woman's beauty and the 
 common weakness of thy sex. With cold iron we may 
 safely toy." 
 
 I thought within myself that coldest iron can be 
 brought to whitest heat if but the fire be fierce enough. 
 But I said naught, and, though my hand trembled, 
 once more I grasped the dagger's hilt, and, wild with 
 fear at my own weakness, set mj-^self to find a means 
 to slay her while yet my sense remained. 
 
 " Come hither, Harmachis," she went on, in her 
 softest voice. " Come, sit by me, and we will talk to- 
 gether ; for I have much to tell thee." And she made 
 place for me at her side upon the silken seat. 
 
 And I, thinking that I might the more swiftly strike, 
 rose and seated myself some little way from her, while, 
 flinging back her head, she gazed on me with her 
 slumberous eyes. 
 
124 C3LE0PATRA. 
 
 Now was my occasion, for her white throat an4 
 brfeast were bare, and, with a mighty eflfort, once again- 
 I lifted my hand to clutch the dagger hilt. But, more 
 quick than thought, she caught my fingers with hev 
 own and gently held them. 
 
 " Why lookest thou so wildly, Harmachis ?" she 
 said. "Art sick?" 
 
 " Ay, sick indeed," I gasped. 
 
 "Then lean thou upon the cushions and rest thee," 
 she answered, still holding my hand, wherefrom the 
 strength had fled. " The fit will surely pass. Too 
 long hast thou labored with thy stars. How soft is 
 the night air that flows from yonder casement heavy 
 with the breath of lilies ! Hark to the whisper of the 
 sea lapping against the rocks, that, though faint it 
 is, yet, being so strong, doth almost drown the quick, 
 cool fall of yonder mountain. List to Philomel : how 
 sweet from a full heart of love she sings her message 
 to her dear ! Surely 'tis a lovely night, and most 
 beautiful is nature's music, sung with a hundred voices 
 from wind and trees and birds and ocean's wrinkled 
 lips, and yet sung all to tune. Listen, Harmachis ; 
 something have I guessed concerning thee. Thou, too, 
 art of a royal race ; no humble blood pours in those 
 veins of thine. Surely such a shoot could spring but 
 f roan the stock of princes ? What ! gazest thou at the 
 leaf mark on my breast ? 'Twas pricked there in honor 
 of Osiris, whom with thee I worship. See !" 
 
 " Let me hence," I groaned, striving to rise ; but 
 all my strength had gone. 
 
 " Nay, not yet awhile. Thou wouldst not leave me 
 yet ? Thou canst not leave me yet. Harmachis, hast 
 thou never loved ?" 
 
 " Nay, nay, O Queen !- What have to do with love ? i 
 Let me hence ! I am faint — fordone ?" 
 
 " Never to have loved— 'tis strange ! Never to have 
 known some woman-heart beat all in tune to thine | 
 — never to have seen the eyes of thy adored a-swinxj 
 with passion's tears as she sighed her vows upon thy 
 breast ! Never to liave loved ! — never to have lost! 
 thyself in the mystery of another's soul ; nor to have 
 learned how Nature can overcome our naked loneli- 
 
CLEOPATRA. 125 
 
 aiess, and with the golden web of love of twain weave 
 one identity ! Why, 'tis never to have lived, Har- 
 JQiachis !" 
 
 And ever as she murmured she drew nearer to me, 
 till at last, with a long, sweet sigh, she flung one 
 white arm about my neck, and gazing upon me with 
 blue, unfathomable eyes, smiled her dark, slow smile, 
 that, like an opening flower, revealed beauty within 
 beauty hidden. Nearer she bent her queenly form 
 and still more near — now her perfumed breath "played 
 upon my hair, and now her lips met mine ! 
 
 And, woe is me ! in that kiss, more deadly and more 
 strong than the embrace of Death, were forgotten Isis, 
 my heavenly Hope, Oaths, Honor, Country, Friends, 
 all things — all things save that Cleopatra clasped me 
 in her arms and called me Love and Lord. 
 
 "Now pledge me," she naurmured — "pledge me 
 one cup of wine in token of thy love." 
 
 I took the draught, and deep I drank : and then too 
 late I knew that it was drugged. 
 
 Back I fell upon the couch, and, though my senses 
 still were with me, I could neither speak nor rise. 
 
 But Cleopatra, bending over me, drew the dagger 
 from my robe. 
 
 " Fve won !" she cried, shaking back her long hair, 
 " Pve won, and for the stake of Egypt — why, ' twas 
 a game worth playing ! With this dagger, then, thou 
 wouldst have slain me, O my Royal rival, whose myr- 
 midons e'en now are gathered at my palace gate ? Art 
 still awake ? Now, what hinders me that I should not 
 plunge it to thy heart ?" 
 
 I heard and feebly pointed to my breast, for fain was 
 I to die. She drew herself to the full of her imperial 
 height, and the great knife glittered in her hand. 
 Down it came tiU. its edges pricked my flesh. 
 
 " Nay," she cried again, and cast it from her, " too 
 well I like thee. Pity 'twere to. slay such a man 1.1 
 give thee thy life. Live on, lost Pharaoh ! Live on, 
 poor fallen Thing, blasted by a woman's wit ! Live on, 
 Harmachis — ^to adorn my triumph !" 
 
 Then sight left me ; and in my ears I only heard the 
 ^ong of the nightingale, the murmur o? the sea, and 
 
126 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 the music of Cleopatra's laugh. And as I sank away 
 the sound of that low laugh still followed me into the 
 land of sleep, and still it follows me through life to 
 death. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 OT THE AWAKING OF HAEMACHIS'; OF THE SIGHT OF 
 death; OF THE COMING OF CLEOPATRA, AND OF 
 HER MANY COMFORTABLE WORDS. 
 
 Once more I awoke ; 'twas to find myself in my own 
 chamber. I started up. Surely I, too, had dreamed a 
 dream ? It could be nothing but a dream ? It could 
 not be that I woke to know myself a traitor ! That 
 the opportunity had gone forever! That I had be- 
 trayed the cause, and that last night those brave men, 
 headed by my uncle, had waited in vain at the outer 
 gate ! That Egypt from Abu unto Athu was even 
 now waiting — ^waiting in vain ! Nay, whatever else 
 might be, this could not be ! Oh, 'twas an awful 
 dream that I had dreamed ! A second such would 
 slay a man ! 'Twere better to die than to face such 
 another vision sent from hell. But though the thing 
 was naught but a hateful fantasy of a mind o'er7 
 sti'ained, where was I now ? Where was I now ? I 
 should be in the Alabaster Hall, waiting till Charmion 
 came forth. 
 
 Where was I ? And, O ye gods ! what was that 
 dreadful thing whose shape was as the shape of a 
 man ? — that thing draped in blood-stained white and 
 huddled in a hideous heap even at the foot of the 
 couch whereon I seemed to lie ? 
 
 With a shriek I sprang at it, as a lion springs, and 
 struck with all my strength. Heavily fell the blow, 
 and beneath its weight the thing rolled over upon its 
 side. Half mad with terror, I rent away the white 
 covering; and there, his knees bound beneath his 
 
CLEOPATRA. 127 
 
 hanging jaw, was the naked body of a man — and that 
 man the Roman Captain Paulus ! There he lay, 
 -through his heart a dagger— ^my dagger, handled 
 with the sphinx of gold ! — and pinned by its blade to 
 his broad breast a scroll, and, on the scroll, writing in 
 the Roman character. I drew near and read, and 
 this was the writing : 
 
 HABMAGETDl ■ BALYEBE- EGO • SUM- QUEM- 8UBDERE' 
 
 NORAS ■ PA UL US ■ ROMANUS ■ DI8GE ■ HINO • Q UIB ■ 
 
 PBODEBE ■ PROSIT . 
 
 " Greeting, HarmacMs ! I was that Boman Paulus 
 whom thou didst suborn. See now how blessed are 
 traitors !" 
 
 Sick and faint I staggered back from the sight of 
 that white corpse stained with its own blood. Sick 
 and faint I staggered back, till the wall stayed me, 
 ■while without the birds sang a merry greeting to the 
 day. So it was no dream, and I was lost ! lost ! lost ! 
 
 I thought of my aged father Amenemhat. Yea, the 
 vision of him flashed into my mind, as he would be 
 when I3iey came to tell him his son's shame and the 
 ruin of his hopes. I thought of that patriot priest, 
 my uncle Sepa, waiting the long night through for the 
 signal which never came. Ah, and another thought 
 followed swift ! How would it go with them ? I was 
 not the only traitor. I, too, had been betrayed. By 
 whom? By yonder Paulus, perchance. If 'twere 
 Paulus, he knew but little of those who conspired with 
 me. But in my robe had been the secret lists. O 
 Amen ! they were gone ! and the fate of Paulus would 
 be the fate of all the patriots of Egypt. And at this 
 thought my mind gave way. I sank and swooned 
 even where I stood. 
 
 My sense came back to me, and the lengthening 
 shadows told me that it was aftel'noon. I staggered 
 to my feet ; there still was the corpse of Paulus, keep- 
 ing its awful watch above me. Desperately I ran to 
 the door. 'Twas barred, and without I heard the 
 tramp of sentinels. As I stood, they challenged and 
 
128 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 grounded their spears. Then the bolts were shot back, 
 the door opened, and radiant, clad in Royal attire, 
 came the conquerLug Cleopatra. Alone she came, and 
 the door was shut behind her. I stood like one dis- 
 traught; but she swept on till she was face to face 
 with me. 
 
 " Greeting, Harmachis," she said, smiling sweetly. 
 " So my messenger has found thee ! " And she pointed, 
 to the corpse of Paulus. " Pah ! he has an ugly look. 
 Ho ! guards !" 
 
 The door was opened, and two armed Gauls stepped 
 across the threshold. 
 
 "Take away this carrion," said Cleopatra, "and 
 fling it to the kites. Stay, draw that dagger from his 
 traitor breast." The men bowed low, and the knife, 
 rusted red with blood, was dragged from the heart of 
 Paulus and laid upon the table. Then they seized him 
 by the head and body and staggered thence, and I 
 heard their heavy footfalls as they bore him down the 
 stairs. 
 
 " Methinks, Harmachis, thou art in an evil cuse !" , 
 she said, when the sound of the footfalls had died 
 away. "How strangely doth the wheel of Fortune 
 turn ! But for that traitor," and she nodded toward 
 the door by which the corpse of Paulus haS been 
 carried, " I should now be as ill a thing to look on as 
 he is, and the red rust on yonder knife w^ould have 
 been gathered from my heart." 
 
 So it was Paulus who had betrayed me. 
 
 " Ay," she went on, " and when thou earnest to me 
 last night, well I knew that thou camest to slay. 
 When, time upon time, thou didst place thy hand 
 within thy robe, I knew that it grasped a dagger-hilt, ' 
 and that thou wast gathering thy courage to the deed 
 which little thou didst love to do. Oh j it was a strange, 
 wild hour well worth the living, and greatly, from mo- 
 ment to moment, did I wonder which of us twain would 
 conquer, as we matched guUe with guUe and force to , 
 force. 
 
 " Yea, Harmachis, the guards tramp before thy 
 door, but be not deceived. Knew I not that I do hold 
 thee to me by bonds more strong than prison chains ^ 
 
CLEOPATEA. 129 
 
 knew I not that I am hedged from ill at thy hands by 
 a fence of honor more hard for thee to pass than all 
 the spears of all my legions, thou hadst been dead ere 
 now, Harmachis. See, here is thy knife," And she 
 handed me the dagger. " Now slay me if thou canst. " 
 And she drew near and tore open the^bosom of her 
 robe, and stood waiting with calm eyes. 
 
 "Thou canst not slay me," she went on, "for there 
 are things, as I know well, that no man — no such man 
 as thou art — may do and live ; and this is the chief of ' 
 them — to slay the woman who is all his own- Nay, 
 stay thy hand ! Turn not that dagger against thy 
 breast ; for if me thou maysfc not slay, by how much 
 the more mayst thou not slay thyself, O thou forsworn 
 Priest of Isis ! Art thou, then, so eager to face that 
 outraged Majesty in Amenti? With what eyes, 
 thinkest thou, will the Heavenly Mother look upon 
 her son who, shamed in all things and false to his 
 most sacred vow, comes to greet Her, his life-blood on 
 ^is hands ? Where, then, will be the space for thy 
 atonement — ^if, indeed, thou mayst atone !" 
 
 Then I could bear no more, for my heart was broken 
 within me. Alas ! it was too true — I dared not die ! 
 To such a pass was I come that I did not even dare to 
 die ! I flung myself upon the couch and wept — ^wept 
 tears of blood and anguish. 
 
 But Cleopatra came to me, and, seating herself be- 
 side me, she strove to comfort me, throwing her arms 
 about my neck. 
 
 " Nay, Love, look up," she said. "AH is not lost for 
 thee, nor ana I angered against thee. We did play a 
 m.ighty game ; but, as I warned thee, I matched my 
 woman's magic against thine, and I have conquered. 
 But I will be open with thee. Both as Queen and wo- 
 man thou hast my pity — ay, and more ; nor do I love 
 to see thee plunged in sorrow. Well was it and right 
 that thou shouldst strive to win back that throne my 
 fathers seized, and the ancient liberty of Egypt. My- 
 self as lawful Queen had done the same, nor shrunk 
 from the deed of darkness whereto I was sworn. 
 Therein, then, thou hast my sj^mpathy, that goes ever 
 out to what is great and bold. Well is it also that 
 
130 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 thOu shouldst grieve over the greatness of thy fall. 
 Therein, then, as woman — as loving woman — thou 
 hast my sympathy. Nor is all lost. The plan was 
 foolish — ^for, as I hold, Egypt never might have stood 
 alone; for though thou hadst won the crown and 
 country, as w^hout a doubt thou must have done, yet 
 was there the Roman to be reckoned with. And for 
 thy hope learn this : Little am 1 known. There is no 
 heart in this wide land that beats with a truer love 
 ,for ancient Khem than does this heart of mine; nay,- 
 not thine own, Harmachis. But heavily have I been 
 shackled heretofore, for wars, rebellions, envies, plots 
 have hemmed me in on every side, so that I might not 
 serve my people as I would. But thou, Harmachis, 
 Shalt show me how. Thou shalt be my counselor and 
 my love. Is it a little thing, O Harmachis, to have 
 won the heart of Cleopatra, that heart — fie on thee ! — 
 that thou wouldst have stilled ? Ay, thou shalt unite 
 me to my people, and together will we reign, linking 
 thus in one the new kingdom and the old, and the new 
 thought and the old. Thus do all things work for 
 good — ay, for the very best — and thus, by another 
 and a gentler road, shalt thou climb to Pharaoh's 
 throne. 
 
 " See thou this, Harmachis : thy treachery shall be 
 cloaked about as much as may be. Was it, then, thy 
 fault that a Roman knave betrayed thy plans ? that, 
 thereon, thou wast drugged, thy secret papers stolen 
 and their key guessed ? Will it, then, be a blame to 
 thee that, the great plot being broken and those who 
 built it scattef-ed, thou, still faithful to thy trust, didst 
 serve thee of such means as Nature gave thee, and 
 win the heart of Egypt's Queen, that, through her 
 gentle love, thou mightest yet attain thy ends and 
 spread thy wings of .power across the rolling Nile? 
 Am I an ill-counselor, thinkest thou, Harmachis ?" 
 
 I lifted my head, and a ray of hope crept into the 
 darkness of my heart; for when men fall they grasp 
 at feathers. Then, for the first time, I spoke. i 
 
 " And those with me — those who trusted me — what 
 of them?" \ 
 
 "Ay," She answered, "Amenemhat, thy father,! 
 
CLEOPATRA. 131 
 
 the aged Priest of Abydos ; and Sepa, thy uncle, that 
 fiery patriot, whose great heart is hid beneath so 
 -■^common a shell of form ; and — " 
 
 Methought she would have said Charmion, but she 
 named her not. 
 
 " And many others — oh, I know them all '" 
 
 " Ay !" I said, " what of them ?" 
 
 " See thou, Harmachis," she answered, raising and 
 placing her hand upon my arm, ' ' for thy sake I will 
 show mercy to them. No more will I do than must be 
 done. I swear by my throne and by all the Gods of 
 Egypt that not one hair of thy aged father's head 
 shall be harmed by me ; and, if it be not too late, thy 
 uncle. Sepa will I also spare, ay, and the others. I 
 will not do as did my forefather Epiphanes, who, when 
 the Egyptians rose against him, dragged Athinis, 
 Pausiras, Chesuphus, and Irobashtus, bound to his 
 chariot — not as Achilles dragged Hector, but yet 
 living — round the city walls. I will spare them all, 
 , save the Hebrews, if there be any Hebrews: for the 
 ' Jews I hate." 
 
 " There are no Hebrews," I said. 
 
 " It is well," she said, " for no Hebrew will I ever 
 spare. Am I then, indeed, so cruel a woman as they 
 say ? In thy list, O Harmachis, were many doomed 
 to die ; and I have but taken the life of one Roman 
 knave, a double traitor, for he betrayed both me and 
 thee. Art thou not overwhelmed, Harmachis, with 
 tlie weight of mercy which I give thee, because — such 
 are a woman's reasons-^thou pleasest me, Har- 
 machis? Nay, by Serapis!" she added, with a little 
 laugh, " I'll change my mind ; I will not give thee so 
 much, for nothing. Thou shalt buy it from me, and 
 the price shall be a heavy one — it shall be a kiss, Har- 
 machis." 
 
 "Nay," I said, turning from that fair temptress, 
 " the price is too heavj' ; I kiss no more." 
 
 " Bethink thee," she answered, with a heavy frown, 
 "Bethink thee and choose. I am but a woman, 
 Harmachis, and one who is not wont to sue men. ^ Do 
 as thou wilt ; but this I say to thee — if thou dost put 
 me away, I will gather up the mercy I have meted 
 
132 • CLEOPATRA. 
 
 out. Therefore, most virtuous priest, choose thou 
 'twixt the heavy burden of my love and the swift 
 death of thy aged father and of all those who plotted 
 with him." 
 
 I glanced at her and saw that she was angered, for 
 her eyes shone and her bosom heaved. So, sighing, I 
 kissed her, thereby setting the seal upon my shame 
 and bondage. Then smiling like the triumphant 
 Aphrodite of the Greeks, she went thence, bearing the 
 dagger with her. 
 
 Not yet did I know how deeply I was betrayed ; or 
 why I still was left to draw the breath of life ; or why 
 CJeopatra, the tiger-hearted, had grown merciful. I 
 did not know that she feared to slay me lest, so strong 
 was the plot and so feeble her hold upon the Double 
 Crown, the tumult that might tread hard upon the 
 tidings of my murder should — even when I was no 
 more — shake her from the throne. I did not know 
 that because of , fear and the weight of policy only she 
 showed scant mercy to those whom I had betrayed, or 
 that because of cunning and not for the holy sake of 
 woman's love — though, in truth, she liked me well 
 enough — she chose rather to bind me to her by the 
 fibres of my heart. And yet this will I say in her be- 
 half : even when the danger cloud had melted from 
 her sky she kept her faith, nor, save Paulus and one 
 other, did any suffer the utmost penalty of death for 
 their part in the great plot against Cleopatra's crown 
 and dynasty. But many other things they suffered. 
 
 And so she went, leaving the vision of her glory to 
 strive with the shame and sorrow in my heart. Oh, 
 bitter were the hours that could now no more be made 
 light with prayer. For the link between me and the 
 Divine was snapped, and no more did Isis commune 
 with her Priest. Bitter were the hours and dark, but 
 ever through their darkness shone the starry eyes of 
 Cleopatra, and came the echo of her whispered love. 
 For not yet was the cup of sorrow full. Still hope 
 lingered- in my heart, and almost could I think that I 
 had failed to some higher end, and that even in the 
 depths of ruin I should find another and more flowery 
 path to triumph. 
 
CLEOPATRA. 133 
 
 ^iFar thus those do who wickedly deceive themselves, 
 .striving to lay the burden of their evil deeds upon the 
 back of Fate, striving to believe their sin may compass 
 good, and to murder Conscience with the sharp plea 
 of necessity. But naught can it avail, for hand in 
 hand down the path of sin rush Remorse and Ruin, 
 and woe to him they follow ! Ay, and woe to me, 
 who of all sinners am the chief ! 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 IMPRISONMENT OFsjHARMACHIS ; THE SCORN OF CHAE- 
 MION ; THE SETTING FREE OF HARMACHIS ; THE 
 / COMING OF QTJINTUS DELLIUS. 
 
 For a space of eleven days was I thus kept prisoned, 
 in my chambers ; nor did I see any one save the sen- 
 tries at my doors, the slaves who in silence brought 
 me food and drink, and Cleopatra's self, who came 
 continually. But though her words of love were 
 many, naught would she tell me of how things went 
 without. She came in many moods — ^now gay and 
 laughing, now full of wise thoughts and speech, and 
 now passionate only — and to every mood she gave some 
 new-found charm. Full of talk she was as to how I 
 should help her make Egypt great and lessen the bur-_ 
 dens on the people and fright the Roman eagles back. 
 And though at first I listened heavily when she spake 
 thus, by slow advance as she wrapped me closer and 
 yet more close in her magic web, from which is no 
 escape, my mind fell in time with hers. Then I, too, 
 opened something of my heart, and somewhat also of 
 the plans that I had formed for Egypt. And she 
 seemed to listen gladly, weighing them well, and spoke 
 of means and methods, telling me how she would 
 purify the faith and repair the ancient temples— ay, 
 and build new ones to the Gods. And ever she crept 
 deeper and more deep into my heart, till at length. 
 
134 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 adw that all things else had gone from me, I learned 
 to love her with all the unspent passion of my aching 
 soul. I had naught left to me but Cleopatra's love, 
 and I twined my life about it, and brooded o'er it as 
 a widow o'er her only babe. And thus the very author 
 of my shame became my all, my dearest dear, and I 
 loved her with a wild, deep love that grew and grew, 
 till it seemed to swallow up the past and make the 
 present as a dream. For she had conquered me, she 
 had robbed me of my honor and steeped me to the lips 
 in shame, and I, poor blinded wretch ! I kissed the rod 
 that smote me and was her very slave. 
 
 Ay, even now, in those dreams which will come 
 when sleep unlocks the secret heart, and sets all its 
 Jberrors free to roam through the open halls of thought, 
 T seem to see her royal form, as erst I saw it, come with 
 /arms outstretched and love's owtt light shining in 
 her deep eyes, with lips apart and flowing locks, aud 
 stamped upon her face the look of utter tenderness 
 that she alone could wear. Ay, still, after all the 
 years, I seem to see her come as erst she came, and 
 still I wake to know her an unutterable lie ! 
 
 And thus one day she came. She had fled in haste, 
 she said, from some great council summoned concern- 
 ing the wars of Antony in Syria, and she come, as she 
 had left the council, in all her robes of state, and in 
 her hand the sceptre, and on her brow the uraaus 
 diadem of gold. There she sat before me laughing ; 
 for, wearying of them, she had told the envoys, to 
 whom she gave audience in the council, that she was 
 called from their presence by a sudden message come 
 from Rome ; and to her the jest seemed merry. Sud- 
 denly she rose, took the diadem from her brow, and 
 set it on my hair, and on my shoulders her Royal 
 chlamys, and in my hand the sceptre, and bowed the 
 knee before me'. Then, laughing again, she kissed me 
 on the lips and said I was, indeed, her King. But, 
 remembering how I had been crowned in the halls of 
 Abouthis, and remembering also that wreath of roses 
 whereof the odor haupts me yet, I rose pale with 
 wrath and cast the trinkets from me, asking her how 
 she dared to mock me— her caged bird? And me- 
 
CJLEOPATRA. 135 
 
 thinks there was that about me that startled her, for 
 she fell back. 
 
 " Nay, Harmachis," she said, " be not wroth ! How 
 knowest thou that I mock thee ? How knowest thou 
 that thou shalt not be Pharaoh in fact and deed ?" 
 
 " What meanest thou ?" I said. "Wilt thou, then, 
 wed me before Egypt? How else can I be Pliaraoh 
 now?" 
 
 She cast down her eyes. " Perchance, love, 'tis in 
 my mind to wed thee," she said gently. 
 
 " Listen !" she went on. " Thou growest pale here in 
 this prison, and little dost thou eat. Gainsay me not ! 
 I know it from the slaves. I have kept thee here, 
 Harmachis, for thine own sake, that is so dear to me ; 
 and for thine own sake, and thy honor's sake, must 
 thou still seem to be my prisoner. Else wouldst thou 
 be shamed and slain — ay, murdered secretly. But 
 here can I meet thee no more ; therefore to-morrow 
 ' will I free thee in all save in the name, and thou shalt 
 once more be seen at Court as my astronomer. And 
 this reason will I give — that thou hast cleared thyself ; 
 and, moreover, that thy auguries as regards the war 
 have been auguries of truth — as, indeed, they have, 
 though thereon have I no cause to thank thee, for me- 
 thinks thou didst suit thy prophecies to fit thy cause. 
 Now farewell; for I must return to those heavy- 
 hrowed ambassadors ; and grow not so sudden wroth, 
 for who knows what may come to pass 'twixt thee and 
 me?" 
 
 And, with a little nod, she went, leaving it on my 
 mind that she had it in her heart to take me to hus- 
 band. And, of a triitli, I do believe that, at this hour, 
 such was her thought. For, if she loved me not, still 
 she held me dear, and as yet she had not wearied of 
 me, 
 
 ' On the morrow Cleopatra came not, but Charmion 
 came — Charmion, whom I had not seen since that fatal 
 night of ruin. She entered and stood before me, with 
 pale face and downcast eyes, and her first words were 
 words of bitterness. 
 
 "Pardon me," she said, in, her gentle voice, "in 
 that I dare to come to thee in Cleopatra's place. 
 
136 CLEOPATHJL 
 
 Not for long is thy joy delayed, for thou shalt see her 
 presently." 
 
 I shrank at her words, as well I might, and, seeing ' 
 her vantage, she seized it. 
 
 " I come, Harmachis — Royal no more ! I come to 
 tell thee that thou art free ! Free thou art to face 
 thine own infamy, and see it thrown back from every 
 eye that trusted thee, even as shadows are from water. 
 I come to tell thee that the great plot — ^the plot of 
 bwenty years and more — ^is at its utter end. None 
 have been slain, indeed, unless 'tis Sepa, who has 
 vanished. But all the leaders have been seized and 
 put in chains, or driven from the land, and their party 
 is no more. The storm has melted ere it burst. Khem 
 is lost, and lost forever, for her last hope is gone ! No 
 longer may she struggle — ^now for all time must she 
 bow her neck to the yoke, and her back to the rod of 
 the oppressor !" 
 
 I groaned aloud. "Alas, I was betrayed !" I said ; 
 *' Paulus betrayed us." 
 
 " Thou wast betrayed ? Nay, thou thyself wast the 
 betrayer! How came it that thou didst not slay 
 Cleopatra when thou wast alone with her ? Answer, 
 thou forsworn!" 
 f " She drugged me," I said again. 
 
 "O Harmachis!" answered the pitiless girl, "how 
 low art thou fallen from that Prince whom once I 
 knew ! thou who dost not scorn to be a liar ! Yea, 
 thou wast drugged — drmrged with a love philtre! 
 Yea, thou didst sell Egypt and thy cause for the price 
 of a wanton's kiss ! Thou Sorrow and thou Shame !" 
 she went on, pointing her finger at me and lifting her 
 eyes to my face, " thou Scorn ! — ^thou Outcast ! — and 
 thou Contempt ! Deny it if thou canst. Ay, shrink 
 'from me — knowing what thou art, well mayst thou 
 shrink ! Shrink and crawl to Cleopatra's feet, and 
 kiss her sandals till such time as it pleases her to < 
 trample thee in thy kindred dirt; but from all honest 
 folia shrink ! — shrink!'^ " j 
 
 My soul quivered beneath the lash of her bitter hate, 
 but I had no words to answer. j 
 
 '-'How comes it," I said at last in a heavy voice, ' 
 
CLEOPATRA. 137 
 
 " that thou, too, art not betrayed, but art here to 
 taunt me, thou who once didst swear that thou didst 
 Ipve me ? Being a woman, hast thou no pity for the 
 .frailty of man ?" 
 
 " My name was not on the lists," she said, dropping - 
 her dark eyes. "Herein is an opportunity: betray 
 me also, O Harmachis ! Ay, 'tis because I once did 
 love thee — dost thou, indeed, remember it? — that I 
 feel thy fall the more. The shame of one whom we 
 once have loved must in some sort become our shame, 
 and must ever cling to us in that we blindly held a 
 thing so base close to our inmost heart. Art thou 
 also, then, a fool ? "Wouldst thou, fresh from thy 
 royal wanton's arms, come to me for comfort — to me 
 of all the world ?" 
 
 " How know I," I said, " that it was not thou who, 
 in thy jealous anger, didst betray our plans ? Char- 
 mion, long ago Sepa warned me against thee, and of a 
 truth now that I recall — " 
 
 " 'Tis like a traitor," she broke in, reddening to her 
 :brow, " to think that all are of his' family and hold a 
 common mind ! Nay, I betrayed thee not ; 'twas that 
 poor knave Paulus, whose heart failed him at the last, 
 and who is rightly served. Nor will I stay to hear 
 thoughts so base. Harmachis — Royal no more ! — 
 Cleopatra, Queen of Egj'pt, bids me say that thou art 
 free, and that she waits thee in the Alabaster Hall." 
 
 And shooting one swift glance through her long 
 lashes, she curtied and was gone. 
 
 So once more I came and went about . the Court, 
 though but sparingly, for my heart was full of shame 
 and terror, and on every face I feared to see the scorn 
 of those who knew me for what I was. But naught I 
 saw, for all those who had knowledge of the plot had 
 fled, and for her own sake no word had Charmion 
 spoken. Also Cleopatra had put it about that I was 
 innocent. But my guilt lay heavy on me, and made 
 me thin and wore away the beauty of my countenance. 
 And though I was free in name, yet was I ever 
 watched ; nor might I stir beyond the palace grounds. 
 
 And at length came the day that brought with it 
 Quintus Dellius, that false Roman knight who ever 
 
138 CLEOPATRA, 
 
 served the rising star. He bore letters to Cleopatra 
 from Marcus Antonius the Triumvir, who, fresh from 
 the victory of Philippi, was now in Asia, wringing gold 
 from the subject kings wherewith to satisfy the greed 
 of his legionaries. 
 
 Well do I mind me of the day. Cleopatra, clad in 
 her robes of state, attended by the officers of her 
 Court, among whom I- stood, sat in the great hall on 
 her throne of gold, and bade the heralds admit the 
 Ambassador of Antony the Triumvir. The great 
 doors were thrown wide, and amidst the blare of 
 trumpets and salutes of the Gallic guards, clad in 
 glittering golden armor and a scarlet cloak of silk, 
 came the Roman in, followed by his suite of officers. 
 Smooth-faced he was and fair to look upon, and with 
 a supple form ; but his mouth was cold, and false were 
 his shifting eyes. And while the heralds called ^t 
 his name, titles, and offices, as a man who is amazed 
 he fixed his gaze on Cleopatra, who sat on her throne, 
 radiant with beauty. Then, when the heralds had 
 made an end, and he still stood thus, not stirring, 
 Cleopatra spoke in the Roman tongue : 
 ■ "Greeting to thee, noble Dellius, envoy of the most 
 mighty Antony, whose shadow lies across the world 
 as though Mars himself now towered up above us petty 
 Princes — ^greetings and welcome to our poor city of 
 Alexandria. Unfold, we pray thee, the purpose of thy 
 coming." 
 
 Still the crafty Dellius made no answer, but stood as 
 a man amazed. 
 
 "What ails thee, noble Dellius, that thou dost not 
 speak ?" asked Cleopatra. ' ' Hast thou then wandered 
 so long in Asia that the doors of Roman speech are 
 shut to thee ? ,, What tongue hast thou ? Name it 
 and we'll speak therein — for to us are all tongues 
 known." ~ 
 
 Then at last he spoke, in a soft, full voice : " Oh, 
 pardon me, most mighty Egypt, if I have thus been 
 stricken dumb before thee ; but too great beauty, like 
 Death himself, doth paralyze the tongue and steal our 
 sense away. The eyes of him who looks upon the fires 
 of the mid-day sun are blind to aU beside, and thtis this 
 
CLEOPATRA. 139 
 
 sudden vision of thy glory, Eoyal Egypt, did o'er- 
 whelm my mind, and leave me helpless and unwitting 
 .<6f all things else." 
 
 "Of a truth, noble Dellius," answered Cleopatra, 
 "they teach a pretty school of flattery yonder in 
 Cilicia." 
 
 ".How goes the saying here in Alexandria ?" replied 
 the courtly Roman. "'The breath of flattery cannot 
 waft a cloud,' does it not? But to my task. Here, 
 Royal Egjrpt, are letters under the hand and seal of 
 the noble Antony treating of certain matters of the 
 State. Is it thy pleasure that I should read them ?"' 
 
 " Break the seals, and read," she answered. 
 
 And bowing, he broke the seals and read. 
 
 " The Triumviri Reipublicce Constituendce, by the 
 mouth of Marcus Antonius the Triumyir, to Cleopatra, 
 by grace of the Roman people Queen of Upper and 
 Lower Egypt, send greeting. Whereas it has come to 
 pur knowledge that thou, Cleopatra, hast, contrary to 
 , thy promise and thy duty, both by thy servant, Allie- 
 nus and by thy servant Sora,pion, the Governor of Cj"- 
 prus, aided the rebel murderer Cassins against the 
 arms of the most noble Triumvirate. And whereas it 
 has come to our knowledge that thou thyself wast but 
 lately making ready a great fleet to this end. We 
 summon thee that thou dost without delay journey to 
 Cilicia, there to meet the noble Antony, and in person 
 make answer concerning these charges which are laid 
 against thee. And we warn thee that if thou dost dis- 
 obey this our summons, it is at thy peril. Farewell." 
 
 The eyes of Cleopatra flashed as she hearkened to 
 these high words, and I saw her hands tighten on the 
 golden lions' heads whereon they rested. 
 
 "We have had the flattery," she said; "and now, 
 lost we be cloyed with sweets, we have its antidote ! 
 Listen thou, Dellius. The charges in that letter, or, 
 rather, in that writ of summons, are false, as all folk 
 can bear us witness. But it is not now, and it is not 
 to thee, that we will make defense of our acts of war 
 and policy. Nor will we leave our kingdom to journey 
 into far Cilicia, and there, like some poor suppliant at 
 law, plead our cause before the court of the noble An- 
 
140 CLEOPATRA- 
 
 tony. If Antony will have speech with us and inquire 
 concerning- these high matters, the sea is open and his 
 welcome shall be royal. Let him come hither. That 
 IS our answer to thee and to the Triumvirate, O 
 Dellius !" 
 
 But Dellius smiled as one who would put away the 
 weight of wrath, and once more spoke. 
 
 " Royal Egypt, thou knowest not the noble Antony. 
 Stern is he on paper, and ever does he set down his 
 thoughts as though his stylus were a spear dipped in 
 the blood of men. But, face to face with him, thou, of 
 all the world, shalt find him the gentlest warrior that 
 ever won a battle. Be advised, O Egypt ! and come. 
 Send me not hence with such angry words, for if thou 
 dost draw Antony to Alexandria, then woe to Alexan- 
 dria, to the people of the Nile, and to thee, O Egj'pt ! 
 For then will he come armed and breathing war, and 
 hard shall it go with thee who dost defy the gathered 
 might of Rome.-- I pray thee, then, obey Ihis sum- 
 mons. Come to Cilicia ; come with peaceful gifts and 
 not in arms. Come in thy baauty, and tricked in thy 
 best attire, and naught hast thou to fear from the no- 
 ble Antony. ' ' He paused and looked at her meaningly; 
 while I, taking his drift, felt the angry blood surge 
 into my face. 
 
 Cleopatra, too, understood, for I saw her rest her 
 chin upon her hand while the dark cloud of thought 
 gathered in her eyes. For a time thus she sat, while 
 the crafty Dellius watched her curiously. And Char- 
 mion, standing with the other maidens by the throne, 
 she also read his meaning, for her face lit up, as in the 
 evening lights a summer cloud when the broad light- 
 ning flares behind it. Then once more it grew pale 
 and quiet. 
 
 At length Cleopatra spoke. •' This is a heavy mat- 
 ter," she said ; " and, therefore, noble Dellius, must 
 we have time to let our judgment ripen. Rest thou 
 here, and make thee as merry as our poor circumstance 
 allows.^ Within ten days shalt thou have thy an- 
 swer." ■ 
 
 A moment the envoy thought, then, smiling, made 
 reply: "It is well, O Egypt; on the tenth day from 
 
CLEOPATRA. 141 
 
 BOW will I attend for mine answer, and on the eleventh 
 1 sail hence to join Antony my Lord." 
 : Once more, at a sign from Cleopatra, the trumpets 
 ' blared, and, bowing, he withdrew. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 OF THE TROUBLE OP CLEOPATRA ; OF HER OATH TO HAR- 
 MACHIS ; AND OP THE TELLING BY HARMACHIS TO 
 CLEOPATRA OF THE SECRET OF THE TREASUBE THAT 
 LAY BENEATH " HEK." 
 
 ; That same night Cleopatra summoned me to her 
 private chamber. I went, and found her much 
 troubled in mind ; never before had I seen her so 
 deeply moved. She was alone, and, like some trapped 
 lioness, walking' to and fro across the marble floor, 
 while thoug'ht chased thought across her mind, each, 
 as clouds scudding o'er the sea, for a moment casting 
 a shadow in her deep eyes. 
 
 "So thou art come, Harmachis," she said, resting' 
 for a while, as she took my hand. " Counsel me, for 
 never did I need counsel more. Oh, what days have 
 the Gods measured out to me — days restless as the 
 ocean ! No peace have I known from childhood up, 
 and it seems none shall I ever know. Scarce by a very 
 little have I escaped thy dagger's point, Harmachis, 
 when this new trouble, that, like a storm, has gathered 
 beaeath the horizon's rim, bursts sudden o'er me. 
 Didst mark that tigrish fop ? Well should I love to 
 trap him ! How soft he spoke ! Ay, like a cat he 
 purred, and all the time he stretched his claws. Didst 
 mark the letter, too ? It has an ugly look. I know 
 this Antony. When I was but a child, budding into 
 womanhood, I saw him ; but my eyes were ever quick, 
 and I took his measure. Half Hercules and half a 
 
142 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 fool, with a dash of genius veining his folly through. 
 Easily led by those who enter at the gates of his vo- 
 luptuous sense ; but if crossed, an iron foe. True to 
 his friends, if, indeed, he loves them ; and. ofttimes 
 false to his own interest. Generous, hardy, and in ad- 
 versity a man of virtue ; in prosperity, a sot and a 
 slave to women. How deal with such a man, whom 
 Fate and Opportunity liave, despite himself, set on the 
 crest of fortune's wave ? One day 'twill o'erwhelm 
 him ] hut till that day he sweeps across the world and 
 laughs at those who drown." 
 
 " Antony is but a man," I answered, " and a man 
 with many foes ; and, being but a man, he can be 
 o'erthrown." 
 
 " Ay, he can be o'erthrown ; hut he is one of three, 
 Harmachis. Now that Cassius hath gone where all 
 fools go, Rome hath thrown out a hydra head. CruEli 
 one, and another hisses in thy face. There's Lepi- 
 dus, and, with him, that young Octavianus, whose cold 
 eyes may yet with a smile of triumph look on the mur- 
 dered forms of empty, worthless Lepidus, of Antony, 
 and of Cleopatra. If I go not to Cilicia, mark thou ! 
 Antony will knit up a peace with these Parthians, 
 and, taking the tales they tell of me for truth — and, 
 indeed, there is truth in them — will faU with all his 
 force on Egypt. And how then ?" 
 
 "How then? Why, then we'll drum him back to 
 Rome." 
 
 ' "Ah ! Thou sayest so, and perchance, Harmachis, 
 had I not won that game we played together soma 
 twelve days gone, thou, being Pharaoh, mightest well 
 have done this thing, for round thy throne old Egypt 
 would have gathered. But Egypt loyes not me nor 
 my Greek blood ; and but now have I scattered that 
 great plot of thine, wherein half the land was meshed. 
 Will these men, then, arise.< to succor me ? Were 
 Egypt true to me I could, indeed, hold my own 
 against all the force that Rome may bring ; but Egypt' 
 hates me, and had as lief be ruled by the Roman as the! 
 Greek. Still might I make defense had I the gold^ for' 
 with money soldiers can be bought wherewith to feed| 
 the maw of mercenary battle. But I have none ; my' 
 
CLEOPATRA. 143 
 
 treasuries are dry, and though there is wealth in 
 the land, yet do debts perplex me. These wars have 
 brought me ruin, and I know not how to find a talent. 
 ^Perchance, Harmachis, thou who art, by hereditary 
 right. Priest of the Pyramids," and she drew near and 
 looked me in the eyes, " perchance, if long descended 
 rumor does not lie, thou canst tell me where I can 
 touch the gold to save thy land from ruin and myself 
 from the grasp of Antony ? Say, is it so ?" 
 
 I thought awhile, and then I answered : 
 
 " And if such a tale were true, and if I could show 
 thee treasure stored by the mighty Pharaohs of the 
 most far-off age against the needs of Khem, how can I 
 know that thou wo uldst indeed make use of that wealth 
 to those good ends ?" 
 
 " Is there, then, a treasure ?" she asked curiously. 
 "Nay, fret me not, Harmachis; for of a truth the 
 very name of gold at this time of want is like the sight 
 of water in the desert." 
 
 ' " I believe," I said, " that there is such a treasure, - 
 -though I myself have never seen it. But this I know 
 that if it still lie in the place where it was set, 'tis 
 because so heavy a curse shall rest upon him who 
 wickedly and for selfish ends shall lay hands thereon 
 that none of those Pharaohs to whom it hath been 
 shown have dared to touch it, whatever their need." 
 
 "So," she said, "they were cowardly aforetime, or 
 else was their need not great. Wilt thou show me 
 this treasure, then, Harmachis ?" 
 
 " Perchance," I answered, " I will show it to thee, if 
 it still be there, when thou hast sworn that thou wilt 
 use it to defend Egypt from this Roman Antony and 
 for the welfare of her people." 
 
 " I swear it !" she said earnestly. " Oh, I swear by 
 every God in Khem that if thou showest me this great 
 treasure I will defy Antony and send Dellius back to 
 Cilicia with words more sharp than those he brought. 
 Ay, I'll do more, Harmachis : so soon as may be, I 
 will take thee to husband before all the world, and 
 thou thyself shalt carry out thv plans and beat the 
 Roman eagles off.'* 
 
 Thus she spoke, gazing at^e with truthful, earnest 
 
144 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 eyes. I believed her, and for the first time since my 
 fall was for a moment happy, thinking that all was 
 not lost to. me, and that with Cleopatra, whom 1 
 loved thus madly, I might yet win my place and power 
 back. 
 
 " Swear it, Cleopatra !" I said. 
 
 ' ' I swear, beloved ! and thus I seal my oath ! " And 
 she kissed me on the forehead. And I, too, kissed her ; 
 and we talked of what we would do when we were wed , 
 and how we should overcome the Roman. 
 
 .And thus was I again beguiled ; though verily I 
 believe that, had it not been for the jealous anger of 
 Charmion— which, as shall be seen, was ever urging 
 her forward to fresh deeds of shame — Cleopatra would 
 have wedded me and broken with the Roman. And 
 indeed, in the issue, it had been better for her and 
 ^gypt. 
 
 Far into the night we sat, and I revealed to lier 
 somewhat of that ancient secret of the mighty treas- 
 ure hid beneath the mass of " Her." Thither, it was 
 agreed, should we go on the morrow, and the second 
 night from now attempt its search. So, early on the 
 next day, a boat was secretly made ready, and there- 
 in did Cleopatra enter, veiled as an Egyptian lady 
 about to make a pilgrimage to the Temble of Horemku. 
 And I also, cloaked as a pilgrim, entered with her, and 
 with us ten of her most trusted servant hidden 
 as sailors. But Charmion entered not with us. We 
 sailed with a fair wind from the Canopic mouth of the 
 Nile ; and that night, pushing on with the moon, we 
 reached Sais at midnight, and here rested for a while. 
 At dawn we once more loosed our craft, and all that 
 day sailed swiftly till at last, at the third hour from 
 the sunset, we came in sight of the lights of the fortress 
 which is called Babylon. Here, on the opposite bank of 
 the river, we moored our ship safely in a bed of reeds. 
 
 Then, on foot and secretly, we set forth for the 
 Pyramids, which were at a distance of nigh upon fifty 
 stadia (about six miles) — Cleopatra, 1, and, one trusted 
 eunuch, for the other servants we left with the boat. 
 Only for Cleopatra I caught an ass that was wander- 
 ing in a tilled field, and threw a cloak upon it. There- 
 
CLEOPATRA. 145. 
 
 on she sat, and I led the ass by paths I knew, the eu- 
 nuch following j^ter us. And, within little more than 
 a,n hour, having' gained the great causeway, we saw 
 the mighty Pyramids towering up through the moonlit 
 air and aweing us to silence. On we passed, in utter 
 silence, through the haunted city of the dead, for all 
 around us stood the solemn tombs, till at length we 
 climbed the rocky hill and stood in the deep shadow of 
 Khufu Khut (the splendid Throne of Khufu). 
 
 " Of a truth," whispered Cleopatra, as she gazed 
 up the dazzling marble slope above her, everywhere- 
 blazoned o'er with a million mystic characters — " of a- 
 truth, there were gods ruling in Khem in those days, 
 and not men. This place is sad as Death — ay, and as. 
 mighty and as far from man. Here we must enter ?" 
 " Nay," I answered, " it is not here. Pass on." 
 I led the way through a thousand tombs, till we 
 stood in the shadow of Ur (the Great), and gazed at- 
 his red, heaven-piercing mass. 
 
 "Is it here that we must enter?" she whispered. 
 once again. 
 
 " Nay," I answered, " it is not here. Pass on." 
 And we passed on through many more tombs, until: 
 we stood in the shadow of Her,* and Cleopatra gazed 
 astonished at its polished beauty, which for thousands, 
 of years had, night by night, mirrored the moon, 
 and at the black girdle of Ethiopian stone that circled 
 its base about. For of all pyramids this is the most, 
 beautiful. 
 
 " Is it here that we must enter ?" she said. 
 I answered, " Yea, it is here." 
 
 And we passed round between the temple of the- 
 worship of his divine Majesty, Menka-ra, the Osirian, 
 and the base of the pyramid, till we came to the north 
 side. Here in the center is graved the name of 
 Pharaoh Menka-ra, who built the pyramid to be his- 
 tomb, and stored therein his treasure against the 
 need of Khems. 
 
 "If the treasure still remains," I said to Cleopatra, 
 " as in the days of my great-great-grandfather, who 
 was priest of this pjTaraid before me it remained, 'tis. 
 * The "Upper," now known as the Thii'd Pyramid, 
 
 10 
 
146 CLEOPATRA; 
 
 hid deep in the womb of the mass before thee, Cleo- 
 patra ; nor can it be come by withoutstoil and dang'er, 
 and terror of the mind. Art thou prepared to enter ? 
 — for thou thyself must enter and judge." 
 
 " Canst not thou go in with the eunuch, Harmachis, 
 and bring the treasure forth ?" she said, for a little her 
 courage began to fail her. 
 
 "Nay, O Cleopatra," I answered, "not even for 
 thee and for the weal of Egypt can I do this thing, 
 for of all sins it would be the greatest sin. But this 
 it is lawful for me to do. I, as hereditary holder of 
 the secret, may, upon demand, show to the ruling 
 monarch of Khem the place where the treasure lies, 
 and show also the warning that is written. And if, on 
 seeing and reading, the Pharaoh do deem that the 
 need of Khem is so sore and strait that it is lawful for 
 him to brave the curse of the dead and draw, the 
 treasure forth, it is well, for on his head must rest 
 the weight of this dread deed. Three monarchs, so 
 say the records that I have read, have thus dared to 
 enter in the time of need. They were the divine Queen 
 Ha-ta-su, that wonder known to the Gods alone ; her 
 divine brother Men-Kheper-ra (Thotmes the Great); 
 and the divine Mi-amea (Rameses II.) But of these 
 three majesties, not one when they saw dared to 
 touch, for, though sore their need, it was not great 
 enough to consecrate the act. So, fearing lest the 
 curse should fall upon them, they went hence sorrow- 
 ing." 
 
 A little she thought, till at last her spirit overcame 
 her fear. 
 
 "At the least 1 will see with mine own eyes," she 
 said. 
 
 " It is well," I answered. Then, stones having been 
 piled up on a certain spot at the base of the pyramid 
 to somewhat more than the height of a man by me 
 and the eunuch who was with us, I climbed on them 
 and searched for the secret mark, no larger than a 
 leaf. And with some trouble, for the weatlier and the 
 rubbing of the sand had worn even the Ethiopian 
 stone, I found it. Having found it, I, in a certain 
 fashion, pressed thereon with all my strength. JEvea 
 
CLEOPATRA. 147 
 
 after the lapse of years unnumbered the stones swung 
 round, showing- a little opening through which a man 
 ,niiglit scarcely creep. As it swung, a "mighty bat, 
 such as I had never seen before for bigness, for his 
 measure was the measure of a hawk, flew forth and 
 for a moment hovered over Cleopati-a, and then in 
 circles sailed slowlj' up and up till at the last he was 
 lost in the bright light of the moon. 
 
 But Cleopatra uttered a cry of terror, and the eu- 
 nuch, who was watching, fell down in fear, believing 
 it to be the guardian spirit of the pyramid. And I, 
 too, feared, though naught I said. For even now I 
 do believe that it was the spirit of Menka-ra, the 
 Osirian. who, taking on himself the form of a bat, 
 flew forth from his holy House in warning. 
 
 Awhile I waited till the foul air should clear from 
 the passage. Then I drew forth the lamps and kindled 
 them, and passed them, to the number of three, into 
 the entrance of the passage. This done, I went to the 
 trusty eunuch, and, taking him aside, I swore him by 
 the living spirit of Him who sleeps at Abouthis that 
 those things which he was about to see he should not 
 reveal. 
 
 This he swore, trembling sorely, for he was much 
 afraid. Nor, indeed, did he reveal them. 
 
 This being done, I clambered through the opening, 
 taking with me a coil of I'ope, which I wound around 
 my middle, and beckoned to Cleopatra to come. Mak- 
 ing fast the^ skirt of her robe, she came, and I drew 
 her through the opening, so that at length she stood 
 behind me in the passage which is lined with slabs of 
 granite. After her came the eunuch, and he also 
 stood in the passage. And then, having taken counsel 
 of the plan of the passage that I had iforought with me, 
 .and which, in signs that none but the initiated can 
 read, was copied from those ancient writings that had ^^ 
 come down to me through one-and-forty generations 
 of my predecessors, the priests of this pyramid of 
 Her, and of the worship of the. temple of the Divine 
 Menka-ra, the Osirian, I led the way through that 
 darksome place toward the utter silence of the tomb. 
 Guided by the feeble light of our lamps, we passed 
 
148 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 down the steep incline, gasping' in the heat and the 
 thick, stagnated air. Presently we had left the region 
 of the masonry, and were slipping down a gallery 
 hewn in the living rock. For twenty paces or more it 
 ran steeply. Then its slope lessened, and shortly we 
 found ourselves in a chamber painted white, so low 
 that I, being tall, had scarce room to stand, but in 
 length four paces and in breadth three, and cased 
 throughout with sculptured panels. Here Cleopatra 
 sank upon the floor and rested awhile, overcome by 
 the heat and the utter darkness. 
 
 " Rise," I said. " Here we must not linger, or we 
 faint." 
 
 So she rose, and, passing hand in hand through that 
 chamber, we found ourselves face to face with a 
 mighty door of granite, let down from the roof in 
 grooves. And once more I took counsel of the plan, 
 pressed with my foot upon a certain stone, and waited. 
 Then, suddenly and softly, I know not by what means, 
 the mighty mass heaved itself from its bed of living 
 rock. We passed beneath, and found ourselves face 
 to face with a second door of granite. Again I pressed 
 on a certain spot, and of itself this door swung wide, 
 and we went through, to find ourselves face to face 
 with a third door, yet more mighty than the twain 
 through which we had won our way. Following tho 
 secret plan, this door I struck with my foot upon a 
 certain spot, and slowly it sank, as though at a word 
 of magic, till its head was level with the floor of rock. 
 We crossed and gained another passage which, de- 
 scending gently for a length of fourteen paces, led us 
 into a great chamber paved with black marble, more 
 than nine cubits high, by nine cubits broad, and thirty 
 cubits long. Ii^^'this marble floor was sunk a great 
 sarcophagus of granite, and on its lid were graved the 
 name and titles of the Queen of Menka-ra. In this 
 chamber, too, the air was more pure, though by what 
 means it came thither I know not. 
 
 " Is the- treasure here? " gasped Cleopatra. 
 
 "Nay," I answered; "follow me." And I led the 
 way to a gallery, which we entered through an open- 
 ing in the floor of the great chamber. It had been 
 
CLEOPATRA. 149 
 
 closed by a trap-door of stone, but the door was open, 
 preeping along this shaft, or passage, for some ten 
 paces, we came at length to a well, in depth seven 
 cubits. Making fast one end of the rope that I had 
 brought about my body, and the other to a ring in the 
 rock, I was lowered, holding the lamp in my hand, till 
 I stood in the last resting place of the divine Menka-ra. 
 Then the rope was drawn up, and Cleopatra, being 
 made fast thereto, was let down by the eunuch, and I 
 received her in my arms. But the eunuch, sorely 
 against his will, for he feared to be left alone, I bade 
 wait our return at the mouth of the shaft. For it was 
 not lawful that he should enter whither we went. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE TOMB OP THE DIVINE MENKA-RA ; THE WRITING ON 
 THE BREAST OP MENKA-RA ; THE DRAWING FORTH OP 
 THE TREASURE ; THE DWELLER IN TH]! TOMB ; PLIGHT 
 OP CLEOPATRA AND HARMACHIS PROM THE HOLY 
 PLACE. 
 
 We stood within a small arched chamber, paved and 
 lined with great blocks of the g'ranite stone of Syene. 
 There before us— hewn from a single mass of basalt 
 shaped like a wooden house and resting on a sphinx 
 with a face of gold — was the sarcophagus of the divine 
 Menka-ra. 
 
 Awed we stood and gazed, for the weight of the 
 silence and the solemnity of that holy place seemed 
 to crush us. Above us, cubit over cubit in its mighty 
 measure, the pyramid towered up to heaven and was 
 kissed of the night air. But we were deep in the 
 bowels of the rock beneath its base. We were alone 
 with the dead, whose rest we were about to break ; 
 and no sound of the murmuring air and no sight of life 
 came to dull the awful edge of solitude. I gazed on 
 the sarcophagus; its heavy lid had been lifted and 
 
150 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 rested at its side. Around it the dust of ages had 
 gathered thick, and there in the dust was the stamp-of 
 human feet. Then I trembled, for I knew that I 
 looked on the footprints of that forefather of mine who, 
 generations gone, last of living men, had visited this 
 holy place. Long had he been gathered to Osiris, and 
 yet there in the powdered dust was the press of his 
 dead foot. 
 
 " See," I whispered, pointing to a writing daubed 
 with pigment upon the wall in the sacred symbols of 
 ancient times. 
 
 " Read it , Harmachis," answered Cleopatra, in 
 the same low voice ; " for I cannot." 
 
 Then I read: "I, Rameses Miamun, did, in my 
 day and in my hour of need, visit this sepulchre. But, 
 though great my need and bold my heart, I dared not 
 face tiie curse of Menka-ra. Judge, O thou who shalt 
 come after me, and, if thy soul be pure and Khem be 
 utterly distressed, take thou that which I have left." 
 
 "Where, then, is the treasure?" she whispered. 
 *' Is that sphinx face of gold ?" 
 
 '^ Even there," I answered, pointing to the sarco- 
 phagus. " Draw near and see." 
 
 And she took my hand and drew near. 
 
 The lid was off, but within the depths of the sarco- 
 phagus lay the painted coffin of the Pharaoh. I blew 
 the dust from it with my breath and read that which 
 was written thereon. And this was written : 
 
 " Pharaoh Menka-ra, the child of Heaven. 
 
 " Pharaoh Menka-ra, Royal Son of the Sun. 
 
 " Pharaoh Menkarra, who didst lie beneath the heart 
 of Nout. 
 
 " Nout, thy Mother, wraps thee in the spell of Her 
 holy name. 
 
 " The name of thy Mother, Nout, is the mystery of 
 Heaven. 
 
 "Nout, thy Mother, gathers thee to the number of 
 the Gods. 
 
 " Nout,' thy Mother, breathes on thy foes and utterly I 
 destroys them. 
 
 " O Pharaoh Menka-ra, who livest forever !" ' 
 
 ^ " Where, then, Is the treasure ?" she asked again. 
 
CLEOPATRA. 151 
 
 ** Here, indeed, is the body ol the divine Menlca-ra ; 
 but the flesh even of Pharaohs is not gold, and if the 
 ,face of this sphinx be gold, how may we move it?" 
 
 For answer I bade her stand upon the sphinx and 
 grasp the upper part of the coffin, while I grasped 
 its foot. Then, at my word, we lifted, and the lid of. 
 the case, which was not fixed, came away, and we set 
 It upon the floor. And there In the case was the 
 mummy of the Pharaoh, as three thousand years be- 
 fore it" had been laid. A large mummy it was, and 
 somewhat ungainly. Nor was it adorned with a 
 gilded mask, as is the fashion of our day, for the head 
 was wrapped in cloths yellow with age, which were 
 made fast with pink flaxen bandages, whereunder were 
 pushed the stems of lotus blooms. And on the breast, 
 wreathed with lotus flowers, lay a plate of gold closely 
 written over with sacred writing. J lifted up the plate, 
 and, holding it to the light, I read : 
 
 " I, Menka-ra, the Osirian, aforetime Pharaoh of the Land of 
 ' Ehem, who in my day did live justly and ever walked in the 
 path marked for my feet by the decree of the Invisible, Who 
 was the beginning' and is the end, speak from my tonib to those 
 ■who after me shall for an hour sit upon my Throne. Behold, 
 I, Menka-ra, the Osirian, haviiig in the days of my life been 
 warned of a dream that a time will come when Khem shall fear 
 to fall into the hands of strangei"s, and her monar3h shall havo 
 great need of treasure wherewith to furnish armies to drive the 
 barbarian back, have out of my wisdom done this thing. For 
 it having pleased the protecting Gods to give me wealth beyond 
 any Pharaoh who has been since the days of Horus — thousands 
 of cattle and geese, thousands of camels and asses, thousands of 
 measures of corn, and hundreds of measures of gold and gems — 
 this wealth have I used sparingly, and that which remains have 
 I bartered for precious stones," even for emeralds the most beau- 
 tiful and largest that are in the world. These stones, then, have 
 I stored up against that day of the need of Khem. But because 
 as there have been, so there shall be, those who do wickedly on 
 the earth, and who, in the lust of gain, might seize this weal! ■ 
 that I have Stored, and put it to their us^s. ' Behold, thou Un- 
 born One, who in the fullness of time shalt stand above me and 
 read this that I have caused to be written, thus have I stored 
 the treasure ; even among my bones. Therefore, O thou Un- 
 born One, sleeping in the womb of Nout, this I say to thee ! If 
 thou indeed hast need of riches to save Khem from the foes of 
 Khem, fear not and delay not, but tear me, the Osirian, from 
 my tomb, loose my wrappings and rip the treasure from my 
 
152 CLEOPATRA, f 
 
 breast, and all shall be well with thee ; for this only do I com- 
 mand, that thou dost replace my bones within my hollow coflBn. 
 But if the need be passing- and not great, or if there beguile with- 
 in thy heart, thea the curse of Menka-ra be on thee I On thee 
 be the curse that shall smite him who breaks in upon the dead I* 
 ■ On thee be the curse that follows the ti-aitor I On thee be the 
 •curse that smites him who outrages tlie majesty of the Gods 1 
 Unhappy shalt thou live, in blood and misery shalt thou die, and 
 in misery shalt thou be tormented forever and forever I For, 
 "Wicked One, there in Amenti shall we come face to face ! 
 
 " And to the end of the keeping of this secret have I, Menka- 
 Ta, set up a Temple of my Worship, the which I have built upon 
 the eastern side of this my House of Death. To the hereditary 
 Jligh Priest of this my Temple shall it be made known from time 
 to time. And if any High Priest that shall be, do reveal this secret 
 to another than the Pharaoh, or Her who wears the Pharaoh's 
 ■crown and is seated upon the throne of Ehem, accursed be he also. 
 Thus have I, Menka ra, the Osirian, written. Now to thee, who, 
 sleeping in the womb of Nout, yet shall upon a time stand over 
 me and read, I say, judge thoul and if thou judg-est evilly on 
 thee shall fall this the curse of Menka-ra, from which there is no 
 ■escape. Greeting and farewell." 
 
 " Thou hast heard, O Cleopatra," I said solemnly ; 
 *' now search thy heart ; judge thou, and for thine own. 
 sake judge justly." 
 
 She bent her head in thought. 
 
 " I fear to do this thing," she said presently. *' Let 
 xis hence." 
 
 "It is well," I said, with a lightening of the heart, 
 and bent me to lift the wooden lid. For I, too, 
 feared. 
 
 "And yet what said the writing of the divine 
 Menka-ra? — 'twas emeralds, was it not? And em- 
 eralds are now so rare and hard to come by J Ever 
 ■did I love emeralds, and never can I find them with- 
 out a flaw." 
 
 " 'Tis not a matter of what thou dost love, Cleo- 
 patra," I said ; " 'tis matter of the need of Khem 
 and of the secret meaning of thy heart, which thou 
 alone canst know. " 
 
 * It must be remembered that the ancient Egyptians held the 
 dead in greater awe and sanctity than the living. After 
 death the body was still visited by the soul, and they looked for- 
 ward to its personal resurrection. Hence their care as to its 
 embalment and the stupendous works which they raised as 
 tombs. 
 
CLEOPATRA 153 
 
 " Ay, surely, Harmachis ; surely ! And is not the 
 need of Eg-ypt great ? There is no gold in the treasury, 
 and how can I defy the Roman If I have no gold ? And 
 have I not sworn to thee that I will. wed thee and defy 
 the Roman ; and do I not swear it again — yea, even in 
 this solemn hour, with my hand upon dead Pharaoh's 
 heart ? Why, here is that occasion whereof the divine 
 Menka-ra did dream. Thou seest it is so, for else had 
 Hatasu or Rameses or some other Pharaoh drawn 
 forth the gems. But no ; they left them to this hour 
 because the time was not yet come. Now it must be 
 come, for if I take not the gems the Roman will surely 
 seize on Egj'^pt, and then there will be no Pharaoh to 
 whom the secret may be told. Nay, let us away with 
 fears and to the work. Why dost look so frighted ? 
 Having pure hearts, naught is there to fear, Harma- 
 chis." 
 
 " Even as thou wilt," I said again ; " for thee it is 
 to judge, since if thou judgest falsely, on thee will 
 surely fall the curse from which there is no escape." 
 
 " So, Harmachis, take Pharaoh's head and I will 
 take hi.s — Oh, what an awful place is this !" and 
 suddenly she clung to me. " Methought I saw a 
 shadow yonder in the darkness ! Methought that it 
 did move toward us and then straightway vanish .' 
 Let us be going ! Didst thou see naught ?" 
 
 "I saw naught, Cleopatra; but mayhap it was the 
 Spirit of the divine Menka-ra, for ever does the Spirit 
 hover round its mortal tenement. Let us then be go- 
 ings; right glad shall I be to go." 
 
 She made as though to start, then turned back again 
 and spoke once more. 
 
 " 'Twas naught — ^naught but the mind that, in such 
 a house of Horror, doth body forth those shadowy 
 forms of fear it dreads to see. Nay, I must look upon 
 these emeralds indeed ; if I die, I must look ! Come — 
 to the work !" and stooping, she with her own hands 
 lifted from the tomb one of the four alabaster jars, 
 each sealed with the graven likeness of the heads of 
 the protecting Gods, that held the holy heart and en- 
 trails of the divine Menka-ra. But in these jars was 
 nothing found, save only what should be there. 
 
154 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 Then together we mounted on the sphinx and drew 
 forth with toil the body of the divine Pharaoh, laying 
 it on the ground. Now Cleopatra took my dagger, 
 and with it cut loose the bandages which held the 
 wrappings in their place, and the lotus flowers, that 
 had been placed therein by loving hands, three thousand 
 years before, fell down upon the pavement. Then we 
 searched and found the end of the outer bandage, which 
 was fixed in at the hinder part of the neck. This we 
 cut loose, for it was fast glued. This done, we began 
 to unroll the wrappings of the holy corpse. Setting 
 my shoulders against the sarcophagus, I sat upon the 
 rocky floor, the body resting on my knees, and, as I 
 turned it, Cleopatra unwound the cloths; and awe 
 some was the task. Presently something fell out ; it 
 was the sceptre of the Pharaoh, fashioned of gold, and 
 at the end thereof was a pomegranate cut from a 
 single emerald. 
 
 Cleopatra seized it and gazed thereon in silence. 
 Then once more we went ^n with our dread business. 
 And ever as we unwound, other ornaments of gold, 
 such as are buried with Pharaohs, fell from the wrap- 
 pings — collars and bracelets, models of sistra, an inlaid 
 axe, and an image of the holy Osiris and of the holy 
 Khem. At length all the bandages were unwound, 
 and beneath we found a covering of coarsest linen ; for 
 in those very ancient days the craftsmen were not so 
 skilled in matters pertaining to the embalming of the 
 body as now they are. And on the linen was written 
 in an oval, " Menka-ra, Royal Son cf the Sun." This 
 linen we could in no wise loosen, so firm it held to the 
 body. Therefore, faint with the great heat, choked 
 with mummy dust and the odor of spices, and trembling 
 with fear of our unholj' task, wrought in that most 
 lonesome and holy place, we laid the body down, and 
 with knife ripped away at the last covering. First we 
 cleared its head, and now the face that no man had 
 gazed on for three thousand years was open to our 
 view. It was a great face, with a bold brow, yet 
 crowned with the Royal urseus, beneath which the-i 
 white locks, stained yellow by the spices, fell in long, \ 
 straight wisps. Not the cold stamp of death, and not 
 
CLEOPATRA. 155 
 
 the slow flight of three thousand years, had found 
 power to mar the dignity of those shrunken features. 
 We gazed thereon, and then, made bold with fear, 
 stripped the covering from the body. There at last it 
 lay before us, stiff, j'ellbw, and dread to see ; and on' 
 the left side, above the thigh, was the cut through 
 which the embalmers had done their work, but it was 
 sewn up so deftly that scarce could we find the mark. 
 
 " The gems are within," I whispered,- for I felt that 
 the body was very heavy. "Now, if thy heart fail 
 thee not, must thou make an entry to this poor house 
 of clay that once was Pharaoh," and I gave her the 
 dagger — the same dagger which had drunk the life of 
 , Paulus. 
 
 " It is too late to ponder," she answered, lifting her 
 white and beauteous face and fixing her blue eyes, all 
 big with terror, upon mine own. She took the dagger, 
 and with set teeth the Queen of this day plunged it 
 into the dead breast of the Pharaoh of three thous-and 
 years ago. And even as she did so, from the opening 
 to the shaft where we had left the eunuch there came 
 a groaning sound ! We leaped to our feet, but heard 
 no more, and through the opening the lamp-light still 
 streamed down. 
 
 " It is naught," I said. " Let us make an end." 
 
 Then with much toil we hacked and rent the hard 
 flesh open, and even as we did so I heard the knife- 
 point grate upon the gems within. 
 
 Cleopatra plunged her hand into the dead breast 
 and drew forth somewhal;. She held it to the light, 
 and gave a little cry, for from the darkness of Pha- 
 raoh's heart there flashed into light and life the most 
 beauteous emerald that ever man beheld. Perfect it 
 was in color, very large, without a flaw, and fashioned 
 to a scarabseus form, and on the under side was the 
 oval, inscribed with the divine name of Menka-ra, Son 
 of the Sun. 
 
 Again, again, and jot again she plunged in her hand 
 and drew from Pharaoh's breast great emeralds bedded 
 there in spices. Some were fashioned and some were 
 not; but all were perfect in color, without a flaw, and 
 in value priceless. Again and again she plunged her 
 
166 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 white hand into that dread breast, till at length all 
 were found, and there were one hundred and forty and 
 eight of such gems as are not known in the world. 
 And the last time that she searched she brought forth 
 not emeralds, indeed, but two great pearls, wrapped 
 in linen, such as never have been seen. And of these 
 pearls more hereafter. 
 
 • So it was done, and all the mighty treasure lay glit- 
 tering in a heap before us. There it lay, and there, 
 too, lay the regalia of gold, the spiced and sickly 
 scented wrappings, and the torn body of white-haired 
 Pharaoh Menka-ra, the Osirian, the ever-living in 
 Amenti. 
 
 We rose, and a great awe fell upon us, now that the 
 deed was done and our hearts were no more upborne 
 by the rage of eager search — so great an awe, indeed, 
 that we could not speak. I made a sign to Cleopatra. 
 She grasped the head of Pharaoh and I grasped his 
 feet, and together we lifted him, climbed the sphinx, 
 and placed him once more withia his coffin. On him 
 I piled the torn mummy cloths, and on them laid the 
 lid of the coffin. 
 
 And now we gathered up the great gems, and such 
 of the ornaments as might with ease be carried, and 
 these I hid, as many as I could, within the folds of my 
 robe. And those that were left did Cleopatra hide 
 upon her breast. Heavily laden with priceless treas- 
 ure, we gave one last look at the dreadful, solemn 
 place, at the great sarcophagus, and the sphinx where- 
 on it rested, whose face of awful calm seemed to .mock 
 us with its everlasting smile of wisdom. Then we 
 turned and went from the tomb. 
 
 At the shaft we halted. I called to the eunuch, who 
 stayed above, and methought that a faint mocking 
 laugh answered me. Too smitten with terror to call 
 again, and fearing that, should we delay, Cleopatra 
 would surely swoon, I seized the rope, and, being 
 strong and quick, mounted by it and gained the 
 passage. There burnt the lamp; but the eunuch I 
 saw not. Thinking, surely, that he was a little way 
 down the passage, and slept — as, in truth, he did — I 
 bade Cleopatra make fast the rope about her middle. 
 
CLEOPATRA. 157 
 
 and with much labor drew her up. Then, havirg' 
 rested awhile, we moved on with the lamps to seek ior 
 the eunuch. 
 '' "He hath been stricken with terror, and, leaving 
 the lamp, hath fled," said Cleopatra. " Oh, ye Gods ! 
 who is that seated there?" 
 
 I peered into the darkness, thrusting out the lamps, 
 and this is what their light fell on — this, at the very 
 dream whereof my soul sickens ! There, facing us, his 
 back resting against the rock, and on either side his 
 hands splayed upon the floor, sat the eunuch — dead! 
 His eyes and mouth were open, his fat cheeks dropped 
 down, his thin hair yet seemed to bristle,, and on his 
 countenance was frozen such a stamp of hideous terror 
 as well might turn the beholders' brain. And lo ! fixed 
 bj'^its hinder claws, even to his chin, hung that mighty 
 bat which, flying forth when we entered the pyramid, 
 vanished in the sky, but which, returning, had followed 
 us to its depths. There it hung upon the dead man's 
 chin, slowly rocking itself to and fro, and we could see 
 the fiery eyes shining in its evil head. 
 
 Aghast, utterly aghast, we stood and stared at the 
 hateful sight ; till presently the bat spread his huge 
 wings, and, loosing his hold, sailed to us. Now he 
 hovered before Cleopatra's face, fanning her with his 
 wings. Then with a scream, like a woman's shriek of 
 fury, seeking his violated tomb, the accursed Thing 
 flittered on and vanished down the well into the sepul- 
 chres. I fell against the wall. But Cleopatra sank in 
 a heap upon the floor, and, coveftig her head with her 
 arms, she shrieked till the hollow passages rang with 
 the echoes of her cries, that seemed to grow and double 
 and rush along in volumes of shrill sound. 
 
 " Rise !" I cried, "rise and let us hence ere the Spirit 
 shaU return to haunt us ! If thou dost suffer thyself 
 to be. overwhelmed here in this place, lost art thou for 
 ever;" 
 
 She staggered to her feet, and never may I forget 
 the look upon her ashy face or in her glowring ej'es. 
 Seizing lamps, with a rush we passed the dead eunuch's 
 horrid form, I holding her by the hand. We gained 
 the great chamber, where was the sarcophagus of the 
 
158 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 Queen of Menka-ra, and traversed its length. We 
 fled along the passage. What if the Thing had closed 
 the three mighty doors ? ,No, they were open, and we : 
 sped through them ; the last only did I stay to close. 1 
 I touched the stone, as I knew how, and thp great door ; 
 crashed down, shutting us off from the presence of the 
 dead eunuch and the Horror that had hung upon the 
 eunuch's chin. Now we were in the white chamber 
 with the sculptured panels, and now we faced the last 
 steep ascent. Oh, that last ascent ! Twice Cleopatra 
 slipped and fell upon the polished floor. The second 
 time — 'twas when half the distance had beSn done — 
 she let fall her lamp, and would, indeed, have rolled 
 down the slide had I not saved her. But in doing thus 
 I, too, let fall my lamp, that bounded away into shadow 
 beneath us, and we were in utter darkness. And per- 
 chance about us, in the darkness, hovered that awful 
 Thing ! 
 
 " Be brave !" I cried. "O love,be^rave and struggle 
 on, or both are lost ! The way, though steep, is not 
 far; and, though it be dark, scarce can we come to 
 harm in this straight shaft. If the gems weight thee, 
 cast them away !" 
 
 " Nay," she gasped, " that will not I ; this shall not 
 be endured to no end. I die with them !" 
 
 Then it was that I saw the greatness of this woman's 
 heart ; for in the dark, and notwithstanding the terrors 
 we had passed and the awfulness of our state, she clung 
 to me and clambered on up that dread passage. On we 
 clambered, hand in hand, with bursting hearts, till 
 there, by the mercy or the anger of the Gods, at length 
 we saw the faint light of the moon creeping through 
 the little opening in the pyramid. One struggle more, 
 Tiow the hole was gained, and, like a breath from 
 heaven, the sweet night air played upon our brows. I 
 climbed through, and, standing on the pile of stones, 
 lifted and dragged Cleopatra after me. She fell to 
 the ground and then sank down upon it motionless. 
 
 With trembling hands I pressed upon the turning^ 
 stone. It swung to and caught, leaving no mark of 
 the secret place of entry. Then I came down, and, 
 having pushed away the pile of stones, turned to Cleo- 
 
CLEOPATRA. 159 
 
 _patra. She had swooned, and notwithstanding- the 
 dust and grime upon her face, so pale it was that at 
 first I beUeved she must be dead. But, placing mj' 
 hand upon her heart, I felt it stir beneath ; and, being 
 spent, I flung' myself down beside her upon tb^ «5and 
 to gather up my strength again. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 OF THE COMING BACK OF HARMACHIS ; OF THE GREETING 
 OF CHAEMION ; AND OF THE ANSWER OF CLEOPATRA 
 i TO QUINTUS DELLIUS, THE AMBASSADOR OF ANTONY 
 
 THE TRIUMVIR. 
 
 Presently I lifted myself, and laying the head of 
 Egypt's Queen upon my knee, strove to call her back 
 to life. How fair she seemed, even in her disarray, 
 ' her long hair streaming o'er her breast ! How deadly 
 fair she seemed in the faint light — this woman the 
 story of whose beauty and whose sin shall outlive the 
 solid mass of mighty pyramid that towered over us I 
 The" heaviness of her swoon had smoothed away all the 
 falseness of her face, and naught was left but the 
 stamp divine of woman's richest loveliness, softened 
 by shadows of the night and dignified by the cast of 
 deathlike sleep. I gazed upon her and all my heart 
 went out to her ; it seemed that I did but love her 
 more because of the depth of the treasons wherein I 
 had sunk to reach her, and because of the terrors we 
 had outfaced together. Weary and spent with fears 
 and the pangs of guilt, my heart sought hers for rest, 
 for now she alone was left to me. She had sworn to 
 wed me also, and with the treasure we had won we 
 would make Egypt strong and free her from her foes, 
 and all should yet be well. Ah ! could I have seen the 
 picture that was to be, how, and in what place and 
 cireumstance, once again this very woman's head 
 should be laid upon my knee, pale with that cast oj 
 death ! Ah 1 could I have seen ! 
 
160 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 I chafed her hand between my hands. I bent me 
 and kissed her on the lips, and at my kiss she woke. 
 (She woke with a little sob of fear — a shiver ran down 
 her delicate limbs ; and with wide eyes she stared 
 upon my face. 
 
 "Ah! it is thou!" she said. "I mind me — thou 
 hast saved me from that horror-haunted place !" And 
 she threw her arms about my neck and drew me to 
 her and kissed me. " Come, love," she said, " let us 
 be going ! I am sore athirst, and — ah ! so very weary ! 
 The gems, too, they chafe my breast! Never was 
 wealth so hardly won ! Come, let us be going from 
 the shadow of this ghostly spot ! See the faint lights 
 glancing from the wing of Dawn ! How beautiful they 
 are, and how sweet to behold ! Never, in those Halls 
 of Eternal Night, did I think to look upon the blush 
 of dawn again ! Ah ! I can see the face of that dead 
 slave yet, with the Horror hanging to his beardless 
 chin ! Bethink thee ! — there he'll sit forever — there — 
 with the horror ! Come ; where may we find water ? 
 I would give an emerald for a cup of water !" 
 
 " At the canal on the borders of the tilled land be- 
 low the temple of Horemku — it is close at hand," I 
 answered. "If any see us, we will say that we are 
 pilgrims who have lost our way at night among the 
 tombs. Veil thyself closely, therefore, Cleopatra ; and 
 beware lest thou dost show aught of those gems about 
 thee." 
 
 So she veiled herself, and I lifted her on to the ass 
 which was tethered close at hand. We walked slowly 
 through the sand till we came to the place where the 
 symbol of the God Horemku, fashioned as a mighty 
 sphinx (whom the Greeks call Harmachis), and crowned 
 with the royal crown of Egypt, looks oist in majesty 
 across the land, his eyes ever fixed upon the East. 
 Even as we walked the first arrow of the rising sun 
 quivered through the gray air, striking upon Horem- ' 
 ku's lips of holy calm, and the Dawn kissed her greet- i 
 ing to the God of Dawn. Then the light gathered and 
 grew upon the gleaming sides of twenty pj^ramids, and, \ 
 like a promise of Life to Death, rested on the portals 
 «f ten thousand tombis. It poured in a flood ol gold 
 
CLEOPATRA. 161 
 
 across the deset-t sand — it pierced the heavy sky of 
 night, and fell in bright beams upon the green of fields 
 and the tufted crests of palms. Then from his horizon 
 bed Royal Ra rose up in pomp, and it was day. 
 
 And passing the temple of granite and of alabaster 
 that was built before the days of Chufu, to tlie glory 
 of the majesty of Horemku, we descended the slope and 
 came to the water of the canal. There we drank; and 
 sweeter was that draught of muddy water than all 
 the choicest wine of Alexandria. Also we washed the 
 mummy dust and grime from our hands and brows 
 and made us clean. And as she bathed her neck, 
 stooping over the water, one of the great emeralds 
 slipped from Cleopatra's breast and fell into the water, 
 and it was but by chance that at length I found it in 
 the mire. Then, once more, I lifted Cleopatra on to 
 the beast, and slowly, for I was very weary, we 
 marched back to the banks of Sihor, where our craft 
 was. And having at length come thither, seeing no 
 one save some few peasants going out to labor on the 
 lands, I turned the ass loose in that same field where 
 we had found him, and we boarded the craft while the 
 crew were yet sleeping. Then, waking them, we bade 
 them make all sail, saying that we had left the eunuch 
 to sojourn awhile behind us, as in truth we had. So 
 we sailed, and the gems, with such of the ornaments 
 of gold as we could bring hither, we hid away. 
 
 Four days and more we spent in coming to Alex- 
 andria, for the wind was for the most part against us ; 
 and they were happy days ! At first, indeed, Cleo- 
 patra was somewhat silent and heavy at heart, for 
 what she had seen and felt in the womb of the pyramid 
 weighed her down. But soon her imperial spirit awoke 
 and shook the burden from her breast, and she became 
 herself again — now gay, now learned ; now loving, 
 and now cold ; now queenly, and now altogether 
 simple — ever changing as the winds of heaveii, and, as 
 the heaven, deep, beauteous, and unsearchable! 
 
 Night after night for those four happy nights, the 
 
 last happy hours I ever was to know, we sat hand in 
 
 hand upon the deck and heard the waters lap the 
 
 vessel's side, and watched the^of t footfall of the moon 
 
 11 
 
162 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 as she trod the depths of the Nile. There we sat and 
 talked of love, talked of our marriage and all that we 
 would do. Also I drew up plans of war and of defense 
 against the Roman, which now we had the means to 
 carry out ; and she approved them, sweetly saying 
 that what seemed good to me was good to her. And 
 so all too swiftly passed the days. O those nights 
 upon the Nile ! their memory haunts me yet ! Yet in 
 my dreams I see the moonbeams break and quiver, 
 and hear Cleopatra's murmured words of love mingle 
 with the sound of murmuring waters. How beautiful 
 was their "promise, doomed, like an unfruitful blos- 
 som, to wither, fall, and rot ; and their fulfillment — ah, 
 how drear ! Dead are those dear nights, dead is the 
 moon that ht them, and lost in the wide salt sea are 
 the waters which rocked us on their breast ! For all 
 things end in darkness and in ashes, and those who 
 sow in folly shaU reap to sorrow. Ah ! those nights 
 upon the Nile ! 
 
 And so, at length, once more we stood within the 
 hateful walls of that fair palace on the Lochias, and 
 the dream was done. 
 
 " Whither hast thou wandered with Cleopatra, Har- 
 machis ?" asked Charmion of me when I met her by 
 chance on that day of return. " On some new mission 
 of betrayal ? or was it but a love journey ?" 
 
 " I went with Cleopatra upon secret business of the 
 State." I answered sternly. 
 
 " So those who go secretly, go evilly ; and foul birds 
 love to fly at night. Not but what thou art wise, for 
 scarce would it beseem thee, Harmachis, to show thy 
 face in Egypt." 
 
 I heard, and felt my passion rise within me ; for ill 
 could I bear this fair girl's scorn. 
 
 "Hast thou never a word without a sting?" I 
 asked. " Know, then, that I went whither thou hadst 
 never dared to go; to gather means to hold Egypt 
 from the grasp of Antony." 
 
 "So!" she answered, looking up swiftly. "Thou 
 foolish man ! Better hadst thou done to save thy 
 labor, for Antony will grasp Egypt in thy despite. 
 'What pov/er hast thou to-day in Egypt ?" 
 
CLEOPATRA. , 163 
 
 *•■ In my despite that he may do ; but in despite of 
 Cleopatra that can he not do," I said. 
 
 " Nay, but with the aid of Cleopatra he can and will 
 do it," she answered, with a bitter smile. '' When the 
 Queen sails in' state up Cydnus'. stream she will surely 
 draw this coarse Antony thence to Alexandria, con- 
 quering, and yet, like thee, a slave !" 
 
 " It is false ! I say that it is false ! Cleopatra goes 
 not to Tarsus, and Antony comes not to Alexandria; 
 or, if he come, 'twill be to take the chance of war." 
 
 "Now, thinkest thou thus?" she answered, with a 
 little laugh. " Well, if it please thee, think as thou 
 wilt. Within three days thou shalt know. 'Tis pretty 
 to see how easily thou art fooled. Farewell !» Go, 
 dream on Love, for surelj' Love is sweet." 
 
 And she went, leaving me angered and troubled at 
 heart. 
 
 That day I saw Cleopatra no more, but on the day 
 which followed I saw her. She was in. a heavy mood, 
 and had no gentle word for me. I spake to her of the 
 defense of Egypt, but she put the matter away. 
 
 " Why dost thou weary me ? " she said with anger ; 
 " canst thou not see that I am lost in troubles ? When 
 Dellius hath had his answer, then will we speak of these 
 matters." 
 
 " Ay," I said, " when Dellius hath had his answer ; 
 and knowest thou that but yesterday Charmion — whom 
 about the palace they name the ' keeper of the Queen's 
 secrets' — Charmion did swear that the answer would 
 be, ' Go in peace ; I come to Antony !' " 
 
 " Naught knows Charmion of my heart," said Cleo- 
 pati-a, stamping her foot in anger, " and if she talk 
 so freely the girl shall be scourged from out my court, 
 as is her desert. Though, in truth," she added, " she 
 hath more wisdom in that small head of hers than all 
 my privy councillors — ay, and more wit to use it. 
 Knowest thou that I have sold a portion of those gems 
 to the rich Jews of Alexandria, and at a great price, 
 ay, at Ave thousand sestertia for each one. But a 
 few, in truth, for more they could not buy as yet. 
 'Twas rare to see their eyes when they fell upon them 
 —large as apples they grew with avarice and wonder. 
 
164 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 And now leave me, Harmachis, for I am weary. The 
 memory of that dread night is with me yet." 
 
 I bowed and rose to go, and yet stood wavering. 
 
 "Pardon me, Cleopatra; 'tis of our marriage." 
 
 " Our marriage ! Why, are we not indeed already 
 wed ?" she answered. 
 
 " Yes, but not before the world. Thou didst 
 promise." 
 
 "Ay, Harmachis, I did promise, and to-morrow, 
 when I have rid me of this Dellius, I will keep my 
 promise and name thee Cleopatra's Lord before the 
 court. See that thou art in thy place. Art content ?" 
 
 And she stretched out her hand for me to kiss, look- 
 ing out me with strange eyes, as though she struggled 
 with herself. Then I went, but that night once more 
 I strove to see Cleopatra and could not. " The Lady 
 Charmion was with the Queen," so said the eunuchs, 
 and none might enter. 
 
 On the morrow the court met in the great hall one 
 hour before midday, and thither I went with a trem- 
 bling heart to hear Cleopatra's answer to Dellius and 
 to hear myself also made King consort to the Queen 
 of Egypt. It was a full and splendid court ; there were 
 councillors, lords, captains, eunuchs and waiting 
 women — all save Charmion. The hour passed, but 
 Cleopatra and Charmion came not. At length Char- 
 mion entered gently by a side entrance and took her 
 place among the waiting ladies about the throne. 
 Even as she did so she cast a glance at me, and there 
 was triumph in her eyes, though over what she tri- 
 umphed I knew not. Little did I guess that she had 
 but now brought about my ruin and sealed the fate of 
 Egypt. 
 
 Then presently the trumpets blared, and, clad in her 
 robes of state, the uraeus crown upon her head, and on 
 her breast, flashing like a star, that great emerald 
 scarabseus which she had dragged from dead Pha- 
 raoh's heart, Cleopatra, followed by a glittering guard 
 of Northmen, swept in splendor to her throne. Dark 
 was her lovely face, and dark her slumbrous eyes, and 
 none might read their message, though all that court 
 searched therein for a sign of what should come. She 
 
CLEOPATRA. 165 
 
 seated herself slowly as one who may not be moved, 
 and spoke to the Chief of the Heralds in the Greek 
 tongue : 
 
 " Does the Ambassador of the noble Antony wait?"* 
 
 The herald bowed low and made assent. 
 
 " Let him come in and hear our answer." 
 
 The doors were flung wide, and, followed by his train 
 of knights, Dellius, clad in his golden armor and his 
 purple chlamys, walked with catlike step up the great 
 hall, and made obeisance before the throne. 
 
 " Most Royal and beauteous Egypt," he said, in his 
 soft voice, " as thou hast graciously been pleased to 
 bid me, thy servant, I am here to take thy answer to 
 the letter of the noble Antony the Triumvir, whom 
 to-morrow I sail to meet at Tarsus, in Cilicia. And 
 this will I say, Royal Egypt — craving pardon the while 
 for the boldness of my speech — bethink thee well be- 
 fore words that cannot be unspoken fall from those 
 sweet lips. Defy Antony, and Antony will wreck 
 thee. But, like thy mother Aphrodite, rise glorious 
 on his sight from the bosom of the Cyprian Wave, 
 and for wreck he will give thee al'i that can be dear to 
 woman's Royalty — empire and pomp of place, cities 
 and the sway of men, fame and wealth and the diadem 
 of rule made sure. For mark : Antony holds this 
 Eastern World in the hollow of his warlike hand, and 
 at his will Tiings are, and at his frown they cease to 
 be." 
 
 And Dellius bowed his head, and folding his hands 
 meekly on his breast, awaited answer. 
 
 For a while Cleopatra answered not, but sat like the 
 sphinx Horemku, dumb and inscrutable, gazing with 
 lost eyes down the length of that great hall. 
 
 Then, like soft music, her answer came, and trem- 
 bling I listened for Egypt's challenge to the Roman : . 
 
 "Noble Dellius, much have we bethought us of the 
 matter of thy message from great Antony to our poor 
 Royalty of Egypt. Much have we bethought us, and 
 counsel have we taken from the oracles of the gods, 
 from the wisest among our friends, and from the teach- 
 ing of our heart, that ever, like a nesting -bird", ^roods 
 over our people's weal. Sharp are the words that 
 
166 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 thou hast brought across the sea ; methinks better had 
 tbey been fitted to the ears of some petty, half- tamed 
 Prince than to those of Eg^'pt's Queen. Therefore 
 have we numbered the legions that we can gather, and 
 the triermes and the galleys wherewith we may t)reast 
 the sea, and the moneys which shall buy us all things 
 wanting to our war. And this we find, that, though 
 Antony be strong, yet hath Egypt naught to fear from 
 the strength of Antony." 
 
 She paused, and a murmur of applause of her high 
 words ran down the hall. Only Dellius stretched out 
 his hands as though to push them back. Then came 
 the end ! 
 
 " Noble Dellius ! Half are we minded there to bid 
 our tongue stop, and, strong within our fortresses of 
 stone and our other fortresses built of the hearts of 
 men, abide the issue. And yet thus shalt thou not go. 
 Guiltless are we of those charges against us that have 
 come to the ears of noble Antony, and which now he 
 rudely shouts in ours ; nor will we journey into Cilicia 
 to answer them." 
 
 Here the murmur arose anew, while my heart beat 
 high in triumph ; and in the pause that followed, Del- 
 lius spoke once more. 
 
 "Then Royal Egypt, my word to Antony is word of 
 war ?" 
 
 "Nay," she answered; "it shall be one of peace. 
 Listen ! We said that we would not come to make an- 
 swer to these charges, nor will we. But" — ^and she 
 smiled for the first time — " gladly wiU we come, and 
 that swiftly, in royal friendship to make known our 
 fellowship of peace upon the banks of Cydnus." 
 
 I heard, and was bewildered. Could I hear aright ? 
 "Was it thus that Cleopatra kept her oaths ? Moved 
 beyond the hold of reason, I lifted up my voice and 
 cried : 
 
 " O Queen, remember !" 
 
 Like a lioness she turned upon me, with a flashing of 
 the eyes and a swift shake of her lovely head. 
 
 " Peace, Slave !" she said ; " who bade thee break 
 in upon our counsels ? Mind thou thy stars, and leave 
 matters of the world to the rulers of the world I" 
 
CLEOPATEA. 167 
 
 I sank back shamed, and as I did so once more I 
 saw the smile of triumph on the face of Charmion, fol- 
 lowed by what was, perchance, the shadow of pity for 
 my fall . 
 
 "Now that yon brawling charlatan," said Dellius, 
 pointing at me with his jewelled finger, "hath been 
 rebuked, grant me leave, O Egypt, to thank thee from 
 the heart for these gentle words." 
 
 " We ask no thanks from thee, noble Dellius ; nor 
 lies it in thy mouth to chido our servant," broke in Cleo- 
 patra, frowning heavily ; " we will take thanks from 
 the lips of Antony alone. Get thee to thy master, and 
 say to him that ere he can make ready a fitting wel- 
 come our keels shall follow in the track of thine. 
 And now farewell ! Upon thy vessel thou shalt find 
 some small token of our bounty." 
 
 Dellius bowed thrice and withdrew, while the court 
 stood waiting the Queen's word. And I, too, waited, 
 wondering if she Tvould yet make good her promise, 
 and name me Royal Spouse there in the face of Egypt. 
 But naught She said. On.y still frowning heavily, she 
 rose and, followed by the guards, left the throne and 
 passed into the Alabaster Hall. Then the court broke 
 up, and as the lords and councillors went by they 
 looked on me with mockery. For though none knew 
 all m}' secret nor how it stood 'twixt me and Cleopatra, 
 yet were they jealous of the favor shown me by the 
 Queen, and rejoiced greatly at my fall. But I took no 
 heed of their mocking as I stood dazed with misery 
 and felt the world of Hope slip from 'neath my feet. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 OF THE EEPKOACH OP HABMACHIS ; OF THE STRUGGLE 
 OF HAKMACHIS WITH THE GUARDS ; OF THE QUICK 
 ■ BLOW STRUCK BY BRENNUS, AND OF THE SECRET 
 SPEECH OF CLEOPATRA. 
 
 And at length, all being gone, I, too, turned to go, 
 when a eunuch struck me on the shoulder and roughly 
 
168 ■ CLEOPATRA. 
 
 T)ade me wait on the presence of the Queen. An hour 
 past and this fellow would have crawled to me on his 
 knees ; but he had heard, and now he treated me — so 
 brutish is the nature of such slaves — as the world treats 
 the fallen, with scorn. For to come low after being 
 great is to learn all shame. Unhappy, therefore, are 
 the great, for they may fall ! 
 
 I turned upon the slave with so fierce a word that, 
 curlike, he sprang behind me ; then I passed on to the 
 Alabaster Hall, and was admitted of the guards. In 
 the center'of the hall, nigh to the fountain, sat Cleo- 
 patra, and with her were Charmion and the Greek 
 ^rl Iras, and Merira and other of her waiting ladies. 
 " Go," she said to these, " I would speak with my as- 
 trologer." So they went, and left us face to face, 
 
 "Stand thou there," she said, lifting her face for the 
 first time. " Gome not near to me, Harmachis: I trust 
 thee not. Perchance thou hast found another dagger. 
 Now, what hast thou to say ? By what right didst 
 thou dare to break in upon my talk with the Roman ?" 
 
 I felt the blood rush through me like a storm, bit- 
 terness and burning anger took hold upon my heart. 
 "What hast them to say, Cleopatra?" I answered 
 "boldly. " Where is thy oath, sworn on the dead heart 
 of Menka-ra, the ever-living ? Where now thy chal- 
 lenge to this Roman Antony ? Where thy oath that 
 thou wouldst call me ' husband ' in the face of Egypt ?" 
 And I choked and ceased. 
 
 " Well doth it become Harmachis who never was 
 forsworn to speak to me of oaths !" she said in bitter 
 mockery. " And yet, O thou most pure Priest of 
 Isis ; and yet, O thou most faithful friend, who never 
 didst betray thy friends ; and yet, O thou most stead- 
 fast, honorable, and upright man, who never didst 
 barter thy birthright, thy country, and thy cause for 
 the price of a woman's passing love : by what token 
 knowest thou that my word is void ?" 
 
 "Thy taunts I will not answer, Cleopatra," I said, 
 holding back my heart as best I might, " for I have 
 earned them all, though not from Ishee. By this token, 
 then, I know it. Thou goest to visit Antony : thou 
 goest, as said that Roman knave, ' tricked in thy best 
 
CLEOPATRA, 169 
 
 attire,' to feast with him whom thou shouldst give to 
 vultures for their feast. Perchance, for aught I know, 
 thou art about to squander those treasures that thou 
 hast filched from the bodj of Menka-ra, those treasures 
 stored against the need of Egypt, upon wanton revels 
 which shall complete the shame of Egypt. By these 
 things, then, I know that thou art forsworn, and I, 
 who, loving thee, believed thee, tricked ; and by this, 
 also, that thou who didst but yesternight swear to 
 wed me, dost to-day cover me with taunts, and even 
 before that Roman put me to an open shame !" 
 
 " To wed thee ? And I did swear to wed thee ? 
 Well, and what is marriage ? Is it the union of the 
 heart, that bond beautiful as gossamer and than gos- 
 samer more light, which binds soul to soul as through 
 the dreamy night of passion they float, a bond to be, 
 perchance, melted in the dews of dawn ? Or is it the 
 iron link of enforced, unchanging union whereby if 
 sinks the one the other must be dragged beneath the 
 sea of circumstances, there, like a punished slave, to 
 perish of unavoidable corruption. Marriage ! I to 
 marry ! I to forget freedom and court the worst 
 slavery of our sex, which, by the selfish will of man, 
 the stronger, doth still bind us to a bed grown hateful, 
 and enforce a service that love mayhap no longer 
 hallows ! Of what use, then, to be a Queen, if thereby 
 I may not escape the evil of the meanly bom ? Mark 
 thou, Harmachis : Woman being grown hath two ills 
 to fear, death and marriage ; and of these twain is 
 marriage the more vile ; for in death we may find rest, 
 but in marriage, should it fail us, we must find hell. 
 Nay, being above the breath of common slander that 
 would blast those who of true virtue will not consent 
 to stretch affection's bonds, I love, Harmachis, but I 
 marry not !" 
 
 " And yesternight thou didst swear that thou wouldst 
 wed me and call me to thy side before the face of 
 Egypt!" 
 
 " And yesternight the red rmg round the moon did 
 mark the coming of the storm, and yet the day is 
 fair ! But who knows that the tempest may not break 
 to-morrow ? Who knows that I have not chosen the 
 
170 ' CLEOPATRA. 
 
 easier path to save Egrypt from tlie Roman ? Who 
 kaows, Harmachis, that thou shalt not still call me 
 'wife?'" 
 
 Then no longer could I bear her falsehood, for I saw- 
 that she but played with me. And so I spoke that 
 which was in my heart. 
 
 " Cleopatra," I cried, " 'ihou didst swear to protect 
 Egypt, and thou art about to betray Egypt to the 
 Roman ! Thou didst swear to use the treasures that 
 I revealed to thee for the service of Egypt, and thou 
 art about to use them to be her means of shame — to 
 fashion them as fetters for her wrists ! Thou didst 
 swear to wed me, who loved thee, and for thee gave 
 all, and thou dost mock me and reject me ! Therefore 
 I say — with the voice of the dread Gods I say it — that 
 on thee shall fall the curse of Menka-ra, whom thou 
 hast robbed, indeed ! Let me go hence and work out 
 my doom ! Let me go, O, thou fair shame ! thou liv- 
 ing Lie! whom I have loved to my doom, and who 
 hast brought upon me the last curse of doom ! Let 
 me hide myself and see thy face no more !" 
 
 She rose in her wrath, and terrible she was to see. 
 
 " Let thee go to stir up evil against me ? Nay, Har- 
 machis, thou shalt not go to build new plots against 
 my throne ! I say to thee that thou, too, shalt come 
 to visit Antony in Cilicia, and there, perchance, I will 
 let thee go ! And ere I could answer, she had struck 
 upon the silver gong that hung nigh to where she was. 
 
 Ere its rich echo had died away, there entered from 
 one door, Charmion and the waiting women ; and from 
 the other, a file of guards — four of them of the Queen's 
 body guard, mighty men, with winged helmets and 
 long fair hair. 
 
 " Seize that traitor !" cried Cleopatra, pointing to 
 me. The Captain of the Guard — ^it was Brennus — sa- 
 luted and came toward me with drawn sword. 
 
 But I, being mad and desperate, and little caring if 
 they slew me, flew straight at his throat, and dealt 
 him such a heavy blow that the great man fell head- 
 long, and his armor clashed upon the marble floor. 
 And as he fell I seized his sword and targe, and, meet- 
 ing the n^xt, who rushed on me with a shout, caught 
 
CLEOPATR/ 171 
 
 his blow upon the shield, and In answer smote with all 
 my strength. The sword fell where the neck is set 
 into thei shoulder and shearing' through the joints of 
 his harness slew him, so that his knees were loosened 
 and he sank down dead. And the third as he came, I 
 caught upon the point of my sword before he could 
 strike, and it pierced him and he died. Then the last 
 rushed on me with a cry of "Taranis!" and I, too, 
 rushed on him, for my blood was aflame. And the 
 women shrieked, only Cleopatra said naught, but stood 
 and watched the unequal fray. We met, and I struck 
 with all my strength, and a mighty blow it was, for 
 the sword shore through the iron shield and shattered 
 there, leaving me weaponless. With a shout of tri- 
 umph tlie guard swung up his sword and smote down 
 upon my head, but with my shield I caught the blow. 
 Again he smote, and again 1 parried; but when a 
 third time he raised his sword I saw this might not en- 
 dure, so with a cry I hurled my buckler at his face. 
 Glancing from his shield it struck him on the breast 
 and staggered him. Then, before he could gain his 
 balance, I rushed in beneath his guard and gripped 
 him roand the middle. For a full minute the tall man 
 and I struggled furiously, and then, so great was my 
 strength in those days, I lifted him like a toy and 
 dashed him down upon the marble floor in such a 
 fashion that his bones were shattered so that he spake 
 no more. But I could not save myself and fell upon 
 him, and as I fell the Captain Brennus, whom I had 
 smitten to earth with my fist, having once more found 
 his sense, came up behind me and smote me sore upon 
 the head and shoulders with the sword of one of those 
 whom I had slain. But I being on the ground, the blow 
 fell not with all its weight, also my thick hair and 
 broidered cap broke its force; and thus it came to pass 
 thatj though sore wounded, the life was yet whole in 
 nae. But no more could I struggle. 
 
 Then the cowardly eunuchs, who had gathered at 
 the sound of blows, and stood huddled together like a 
 herd of cattle, seeing that I was spent, threw them- 
 selves upon me, and would have slain me with their 
 knives. But Brennus, now that I was down, would 
 
172 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 strike nc more, but stood waiting. And the eunuchs 
 had surely slaiu me, for Cleopatra stood like one who 
 watches in a dream and made no sigii. Already was 
 my head dragged back and their knife points at my 
 throat, when Charmion, rushing forward, threw her- 
 self UDon me, and, calling them "Dogs I" desperately 
 thrust her body before them in such a fashion that 
 smite thej' could not. Now Brennus, with an oath, 
 seized first one and then another and cast them from 
 me. 
 
 " Spare his life, Queen !" he cried, in his barbarous 
 Latin. " By Jupiter, he is a brave man ! Myself 
 felled like an ox in the shambles, and three of my boys 
 finished by a man without armor, and taken unawares ! 
 I grudge them not to such a man ! A boon. Queen ! 
 Spare his life, and give him to me !" 
 
 "Ay, spare him! spare him!" cried Charmion, 
 white and trembling. 
 
 Cleopatra drew near and looked upon the dead and 
 him who lay dying as I had dashed him to the groundy 
 and on nxe, her lover of two days gone, whose head 
 rested now on Charmion's white robes. 
 
 I met the Queen's glance. " Spare not !" I gasped; 
 " vce victis .'" Then a fiush gathered on her brow, me- 
 thinks it was a flush of shame ! 
 
 " Dost love this man at heart, Charmion," she said 
 with a little laugh, " that thou thrustest thy tendei 
 body 'twixt him and the knives of these sexless 
 hounds ?" and she cast a look of sCorn upon the eu| 
 nuchs. 
 
 ' ' Nay," answered the girl, fiercely. " But I canno 
 stand by to see a brave man murdered by such a 
 these;" 
 
 "Ay!" said Cleopatra, "he is a brave man, anj 
 gallantly he fought ; never have I seen so fierce a figW 
 even in the games at Rome ! Well, I spare his life! 
 though 'tis weak of me, womanish weak. Take hin 
 to his chamber and guard him till he is healed or-^ 
 dead." 
 
 And then my brain reeled, a great sickness sei2;e< 
 upon me, and I sank into the nothingness of swoon. 
 
 Dreams, dreams, dreams 1 without end and eve 
 
CLEOPATRA. 173 
 
 changing', as for years and years I'seemed to toss upon 
 a sea of agony. And through them a vision of a dark- 
 eyed woman's tender face and the touch of a white 
 hand soothing me to rest. Visions, too, of a Royal 
 countenance bending at times over my rocking bed — 
 a countenance that I could 'not grasp, but whose 
 beauty flowed through my fevered veins and was a 
 part of' me — Visions of childhood and of the Temple 
 towers of Abouthis, and of the white-haired Amenem- 
 hat, my father — ay ! and an ever-present vision of that 
 dread hall in Amenti, and of the small altar and the 
 Spirits clad in flame ! There I seemed to wander ever- 
 lastingly, calling on the Holy Mother, whose memory 
 I could not grasp; calling ever and in vain ! For no cloud 
 descended upon the altar, only from time to time the 
 voice pealed aloud : " Strike out the name of Harma- 
 chis, child of Earth, from the living Book of Her, who 
 Was and Is and Shall Be ! Lost ! lost ! lost!" 
 
 And then another voice would answer : 
 
 " Not yet ! not yet ! Repentance is at hand ; strike 
 not out the name of Harmachis, child of Earth, from 
 the living Book of Her, who Was and Is and Shall Be ! 
 By suffering may sin be wiped away !" 
 
 I woke to find myself in my own chamber in the 
 tower of the palace. So weak was I that I scarce could 
 lift my hand, and life seemed but to flutter in my breast 
 as flutters a dying dove. I could not turn my head; 
 I could not stir ; yet in my heart there was a sense of 
 rest, and of dark trouble done. The light hurt my 
 e^'^es ; I shut them ; and as I shut them, heard the 
 sweep of a woman's robes upon the stair, and a swift, 
 light step that well I knew. It was that of Cleopa- 
 tra ! 
 
 She entered, and her footfall drew nigh. I felt her 
 come ! Every pulse in my poor frame beat an answer 
 to her footfall, and all my mighty love and hate rose 
 from the darkness of my death-like sleep and rent me 
 in their struggle ! She leaned over me ; her ambrosial 
 breath played upon my face : I could hear the beating 
 of her heart ! Lower she leaned, till at last her lips 
 touched me softly on the brow. " Poor man !" I heard 
 her murmur. " Poor, weak, dying Man ! Fate hath 
 
174 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 been hard to thee ! Too good wert thou to be the 
 sport of such a one as I, the pawn that I must move in 
 my play of policy ! Ah ! Harmachis ! thou shouldst 
 have ruled the game! They could give thee learning 
 those plotting priests ; but knowledge of mankind they 
 could not give thee, nor fence thee 'gainst the march 
 of Nature's law. And thou didst love me with all thy 
 heart — ah ! well I know it ! Manlike, thou didst love 
 the eyes that, as a pirate's lights, beckoned thee to ship- 
 wrecked ruin, and didst hang doting on the lips that 
 lied thy heart away and call thee 'slave'! Well the 
 game was fair, for thou wouldst have slain me ; and 
 yet I grieve ! So thou dost die ? and this is my farewell 
 to thee ! Never may we meet again on earth ; and 
 perchance, 'tis well ; for who knows, when my hour of 
 tenderness is past, how I might deal with thee, didst 
 thou live ? Thou dost die, they say — those learned, 
 long-faced fools, who, if they let thee die, shall pay the 
 price ! And where, then, shall we meet again when 
 my last throw is thrown ? We shall be equal there, 
 in the kingdom that Osiris rules. A little time, a few 
 years — perchance to-morrow, and we shall meet ; then, 
 knowing all I am, how wilt thou greet me there ? Nay, 
 here, as there, still must thou love me; for injuries 
 cannot touch the immortality of such a love as thine ! 
 Contempt alone can, like acid, eat away the strong 
 love of noble hearts and reveal the pitiful truth in its 
 poor nakedness. Still must thou love me. Harma- 
 chis ; for whatever my sins, yet am I great and set 
 above thj' scorn. Would that I could have loved thee 
 as thou lovest me ! Almost did I so when thou slewest ; 
 those guards ; and yet, not quite. 
 
 " Oh, what a fenced city is my heart, that none can 
 take it, and, e'en when I throw wide open its doors, no 
 man may win its citadel ! Oh, to put away this loneli- : 
 ness and lose me in another's soul. Oh, for a year, ! 
 a month, an hour to quite forget policy, peoples and 
 my pomp of place, and be but a loving woman ! Har- 
 machis, fare thee well ! Go join great Julius whom 
 thine art called up from death before me, and take 
 Egypt's greetings to him. Ah, well I fooled thee ; 
 and I fooled Csesar — perchance before 'tis done, fate 
 
CLEOPATRA. 175 
 
 will find me and myself I shall be fooled ! Harmachis, 
 fare thee well !" 
 
 She turned to g-o, and as she turned I heard the 
 sweep of another dress and the ligrht fall of another 
 woman's foot. 
 
 " Ah ! 'tis thou, Charmion. Well, for all thy watch- 
 ing' the man dies." 
 
 "Ay," she answered, in a voice tbick with grief. 
 " Ay, O Queen, so say the physicians. Forty hours 
 hath he been in stupor so deep that at times his breath 
 could hardly lift this tiny feather's weight, and scarce 
 could my ear, pliaced against his breast, take notice of 
 the rising of his heart. For ten long days I now have 
 watched him, watched him day and night, till mine 
 eyes stare wide with want of sleep, and for faintness, 
 scarce can I keep myself from falling. And of all my 
 labor this is the end ! The blow of that accursed 
 Brennus had done its work, and Harmachis dies !" 
 
 " Love counts not its labor, Charmion, nor can it 
 weigh its tenderness in the scale of purchase. That 
 which it hath it gives, and craves for more to give 
 and give, till the soul's infinity be drained. Dear to 
 thy heart are these nights of watching ; sweet to thy 
 weary eyes is that sad sight of strength brought so 
 low that it hangs upon thy weakness like a babe unto 
 its mother's breast ! For, Charmion, thou dost love 
 this man who loves not thee, and now that he is help- 
 less thou canst pour thy passion o'er the unanswering 
 darkness of his soul and cheat thyself with dream of 
 what yet might be !" 
 
 ''* I love him not, as thou hast proof, O Queen ! How 
 can I love one who would have slain thee, who art as 
 my heart's sister ? 'Tis for pity that I nurse him." 
 
 She laughed a little as she answered : " Pity is love's 
 own twin. Wondrous wayward are the paths of 
 woman's love, and thou hast shown thine strangely, 
 that I know. But the more high the love the more 
 deep the gulf whereinto it can fall — ay, and thence 
 soar again to heaven, once more to fall ! Poor woman, 
 thou art thy passions' plaything : now tender as the 
 morning sky, and now, when jealousy grips thy heart, 
 more cruel than the sea. Well, thus are we made. 
 
176 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 Soon, after all tWs troubling naught will be left thee 
 but tears, remorse, and memory." 
 And she went forth. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 OF THE TENDER CARE OP CHARMION ; OF THE HEALING 
 OF HARMACHIS ; OF -THE SAILING OF THE FLEET OP 
 CLEOPATEA FOR CILICIA ; AND OP THE SPEECH OP 
 BRENNXJS TO HARMACHIS. 
 
 Cleopatra went, and for a while I lay silent, gather- 
 ing up my strength to speak. But Charmion came 
 and stood over me, and I felt a great tear fall from her 
 dark eyes upon my face, as the first heavy drop of 
 rain falls from a stormy cloud. 
 
 " Thou goest," she whispered — " thou goest fast 
 whither I may not follow ! O Harmachis, how gladly 
 would I give my life for thine !" 
 
 Then at length I opened my eyes, and as best I 
 could I spoke : 
 
 " Restrain thy grief, dear friend," I said, " I live 
 yet; and, in truth, I feel as though new life did gath- 
 er in my breast !" 
 
 She gave a little cry of joy, and never saw I aught 
 more beautiful than the change that came upon her 
 weeping face ! It was as when the first lights of the 
 day run up tJie ashen pallor of that sad sky which 
 veils .the night from dawn. All rosy grew her lovely 
 countenance ; her dim eyes shone out like stars ; and 
 a smile of wonderment, more sweet than the sudden 
 smile of the sea as its ripples wake to brightness be- 
 neath the kiss of the risen moon, broke through her 
 rain of tears. 
 
 " Thou livest !" she cried, throwing herself upon her 
 knees besides my couch. ' ' Thou livest — and I thought 
 thee gone I Thou art come back to me ! Oh I what 
 
CLEOPATRA. 177 
 
 J 
 
 say I ? How foolish is a woman's heart I 'Tis this long- 
 watching ! Nay ; sleep and rest thee, Harmachis ! — 
 why dost thou talk? Not one more word, I command 
 thee, straightly ! Oh, where is the draught left by 
 that long-bearded fool? Nay, thou shalt have na 
 draught! There, sleep, Harmachis; sleep!" and she 
 crouched down at my side and laid her cold hand upon 
 my brow, murmuring, " Sleep, sleep, sleep ! " 
 
 And when I woke up there still she was, but the 
 lights of dawn were peeping through the casement. 
 There still she knelt, one hand upon my forehead,, 
 and her head, in all its disarray of curls, resting upon 
 her outstretched arm. "Charmion," I whispered, 
 " have I slept ?" 
 
 Instantly she was wide awake, and gazing on me 
 with tender eyes. " Yea, thou hast slept, Harmachis." 
 
 " How long, then, have I slept ?" 
 
 " Nine hours." 
 
 " And thou hast held thy place there, at my side,. 
 for nine long hours ?" 
 
 ' ' Yea, it is naught ; I also have slept — I feared to 
 waken thee if I stirred." 
 
 " Go rest thee," I said ; " it shames me to think of 
 this thing. Go rest thee, Charmion !" 
 
 "Vex not thyself," she answered — "see, I will bid 
 a slave watch thee, and to wake me if thou needsfc 
 aught ; I sleep there, in the outer chamber. Peace — 
 I go !" and she strove to rise, but, so cramped was 
 she, fell straightway on the floor. 
 
 Scarce can I tell the sense of shame that filled me 
 when I saw her fall. Alas ! I could not stir to help 
 her. 
 
 "It is naught," she said; "move not, I did but. 
 catch my foot. There !" and she rose, again to fall — ■ 
 " a pest upon my awkwardness ! why — I must be 
 sleeping! — 'tis well now. I'll send the slave," and 
 she staggered thence like one o'ercome with wine. 
 
 And after that, once more I slept, for I was very 
 weak. When I woke it was afternoon, and I craved 
 for food, which Charmion brought me. 
 
 I ate ! " Then I die not ?" I said . 
 
 "Nay," she answered, with a toss of her head^ 
 
 12 
 
178 s (3LE0PATRA. 
 
 "thou wilt live. In truth, I did waste my pity on 
 thee." 
 
 " And thy pity did save my life," I said wearily, for 
 now I remembered. 
 
 "It is naught," she answered carelessly. "After 
 all, thou art my cousin ; also, I love nursing' ; 'tis a 
 woman's trade. Like enough I had done as much for j 
 any slave. Now, too, that the danger is past, I leave 
 thee." 
 
 " Better hadst thou done to let me die, Charmion," ! 
 I said after a while, " for life to me can now be naught : 
 but one long shame. Tell me, then, when sails Cleo- 
 patra for Cilicia ?" 
 
 " In twenty days she sails, and with such pomp and 
 glorj' as Egypt hath never seen. Of a truth, I cannot 
 guess where she has found the gold to gather in this 
 store of splendor, as a husbandman gathers his rich 
 fruits." 
 
 But I, knowing whence came the wealth, groaned in 
 bitterness of spirit, and made no answer. 
 
 " Goest thou also, Charmion ?"-I asked, presently. 
 
 "Ay, I and all the Court. Thou, too — ^thou 
 goest." 
 
 " I go ! Nay, why is this ?" 
 
 " Because thou art her slave, and must march in 
 gilded chains behind her chariot ; because she fears to 
 leave thee here in Khem ; because it is her will, and 
 there is an end." 
 
 " Charmion, can I not escape ?" 
 
 " Escape, thou poor sick man ! Nay, how canst thou 
 escape? E'en now most strictly art thou guarded. 
 And if thou didst escape, whither wouldst thou fly? 
 There's not an honest man in Egypt but would spit on 
 thee in scorn !" 
 
 Once more I groaned in spirit, and being so weak, I 
 felt the tears roll a-down my cheek. 
 - "Weep not !" she said hastily, and turning her face 
 aside. "Be a man, and brave these troubles out.i 
 Thou hast sown, now must thou reap ; but after har-i 
 vest the waters rise and wash away the roots, and then i 
 once more comes seed time. Perchance, yonder in^ 
 CUicia, a way may be found when once more thou art! 
 
CLEOPATRA. ±79 
 
 strong whereby thou maj'st fly — if in truth thou canst 
 bear thy life apart from Cleopatra's smile ; then in some 
 far land must thou dwell till these things are forgot- 
 ten. And now my task is done, so fare thee well. At 
 times will I come and see that thou needest naught." 
 
 So she went, and thenceforward was I nursed, and 
 that skilfully, by the physician and two women slaves; 
 and as my wound healed so my streng-th came back to 
 me, slowly at first, then most swiftlJ^ In four days 
 from that time I left my couch, and in three more I 
 could walk an hour in the palace gardens ; another 
 week and I could read and think, though I went no 
 more to Court. And at length one afternoon Char- 
 mion came and bade me make ready, for in two days 
 would the fleet sail, first for the coast of Syria, and 
 thence to the gulf of Issus and Cilicia. 
 
 Thereon, with all formality, and in writing, I craved 
 leave of Cleopatra that I might be left, urging that 
 my health was even now so feeble that I could not 
 travel. But in answer a message was sent to me that 
 I must come. And so, on the appointed day, I was 
 carried in a litter down to the boat, ;ind together with 
 that very soldier who had cut me down, the Captain 
 Brennus, and others of his troop (who, indeed, were, 
 sent to guard me), we rowed aboard the vessel where 
 she lay at anchor with the rest of the great fleet. For 
 Cleopatra was voyaging as though to war in much 
 pomp, and escorted by a mighty fleet of ships, whereof 
 her galley, built like a house and lined throughout with 
 cedar and silken hangings, was the most beautiful and 
 costly that the world has ever seen. But on this ves- 
 sel I went not, and, therefore, it chanced that I saw 
 not Cleopatra nor Charmion till we landed at the mouth 
 of the River Cj^dnus. The signal being made, the fleet 
 set sail; and the wind being fair, on the evening of the 
 second day we came to Joppa. Thence we sailed 
 slowly with contrary winds up the coast of Syria, mak- 
 ing Cgesarea and Ptolemais and Tyrus and Berytus 
 and past Lebanon's white brow crowned with his crest 
 of cedars, on to Heraclea and across the Gulf of Issus 
 to the mouth of C.ydnus. And ever as we journeyed 
 the strong breath of the sea brought back my health. 
 
180 ^ <3LE0PATRA. 
 
 till a^ length, save for a line of white upon my heaa, 
 where the sword had fallen, was I almost as I had been. 
 And one night, as we drew near Cydnus, while Brennus 
 and I sat alone together on the deck, his eye fell upon 
 the white mark his sword had made, and he swore a 
 great oath by his heathen gods. " An' thou hadst 
 died, lad," he said, "methinks I could never again 
 have held up my head ! Ah ! that was a coward stroke, 
 and shamed am I to think that I should have struck 
 it, and thou on the ground and with thy back to me ! 
 Knowest thou that when thou didst lie 'twixt life and 
 death, every day I came to ask tidings of thee ? and I 
 swore by Taranis that if thou didst die I'd turn my back 
 upon that soft palace life and then away for the North." 
 
 " Nay, trouble not, Brennus," I answered ; " it was 
 thySuty." 
 
 " Mayhap ! but there are duties that a brave man 
 should not do — nay, not at the bidding of any Queen 
 who ever ruled in Egypt ! Thy blow had dazed me or 
 I had not struck. What is it, lad ? — art in trouble 
 with this Queen of ours ? Why art thou dragged a 
 prisoner upon this pleasure party ? Knowest thou 
 that we are strictly charged that if thou dost escape 
 our lives shall pay the price ?", 
 
 " Ay, in sore trouble, friend," I answered; "ask 
 me no more." 
 
 " Then, being of the age thou art — there's a woman 
 in it, that swear I — and, perchance, though I am 
 rough and foolish, I might make a guess. Look thou, 
 lad, what sayest thou ? I am a- weary of the service of 
 Cleopatra and this hot land of deserts and of luxury, 
 that sap a man's strength and drain his pocket ; and 
 30 are others whom I wot of. What sayest thou; 
 let's take one of these unwieldy vessels and away to 
 the North ? I'll lead thee to a better land than Egypt 
 ^'a, land of lake and . mountain and great forests of 
 sweet-scented pine ; ay, and find thee a girl fit to mate 
 with, mine own niece — a strong girl, and tall, with 
 wide blue eyes, and long, fair hair, and arms that 
 could fcrack thj' ribs were she to hug thee ! Come, 
 what sayest thou? Put away the past, and away for 
 the boimy North, and be a son to me. " 
 
CLEOPATRA. 18 J 
 
 For a moment I thouglit, and then sadly shook my 
 head ; for though sorely was I tempted to be gone, I 
 knew that in Egypt lay my fate, and my fate I might 
 not fly. 
 
 "It may not be, Brennus," I answered. "Fain 
 would I that it might^e, but T am bound by a chain 
 of destiny which I cannot break, and in the ^ijd of 
 Egypt I -must live and die." 
 
 " As thou wilt, lad," said the old warrior. "Dear?- 
 ly should I have loved to marry thee among my people 
 and make a son of thee. At the least, remember that 
 while I am here thou hast Brennus for a friend. And 
 one thing more : beware of that beauteous Queen of 
 thine, for, by Taranis, perchance an hour may come 
 when she will hold that thou knowest too much, and 
 then — " and he drew his hand across his throat 
 " And now good night ; a cup of wine, then to sleey 
 lor to-morrow the foolery — " 
 
 IHere several lengths of the second roll of papyrus 
 are so broken as to be indecipherable. They seem to 
 have been descriptive of Cleopatra's voyage up the 
 Cydnus to the city of Tarsus.'\ 
 
 And [the writing continues] to those, who could take 
 joy m such things thesight mast, indeed, have been a 
 gallant one. For the stern of our galley was covered . 
 with sheets of beaten gold, the sails were of the scar- 
 let of Tyre, and the oars of silver dipped in the water 
 to the measure of music. And there ia the center of 
 the vessel, beneath an awning ablaze with gold em- 
 broidery, lay Cleopatra, attired as the Roman Venus 
 (and surely Venus was not more fair!), in a thin robe 
 of whitest silk, bound in beneath her breast with a 
 golden girdle delicately graven o'er with scenes of 
 love. All about her were little rosy boys, .chosen for 
 their beauty, and clad in naught save downy wings 
 strapped upon their shoulders, and on their backs 
 Cupid's bow and quiver, who fanned her with fans of 
 plumes. And upon the vessel's decks, handling the 
 cordage that was of silken web, and softly singing to 
 the sound of the harps and the beat of the oars, stood 
 no rough sailor.s, but women lovely to behold, some 
 clad as Graces and some as Nereids— that is, scarce 
 
182 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 clad at all, save in their scented hair. And behind 
 the couch, with drawn sword, stood Brennus, in 
 splendid armor and winged helm of gold; and by him 
 others — I among them — in robes richly worked,, and 
 knew that I was indeed a slave .' On the high poop 
 also burned golden censers filled with costliest incense, 
 whereof the fragrant steam h'iing in little clouds about 
 our -wlike. 
 
 Thus, as in a dream of luxury, followed by many 
 ships, we glided on toward the wooded slopes of Tau- 
 rus, at whose foot lay that ancient city Tarshish. 
 And ever as we came the people gathered on the banks 
 and ran before us, shouting, " Venus is risen from the 
 sea ! Venus hath come to visit Bacchus !" We drew 
 near to the city, and all its people — every one who 
 could walk or be carried — crowded down in thousands 
 to the docks, and w^ith them came the whole army of 
 Antony, so that at length the Triumvir was left alone 
 upon the judgment-seat. 
 
 With them came Dellius, the false tongued, fawning 
 and bowing, and in the name of Antony gave the 
 " Queen of Beauty " greeting, bidding her to a feast 
 that Antony had made ready. But she made high 
 answer, and said : " Forsooth, 'tis Antony who should 
 wait on us; not we on Antony. Bid the noble Antony 
 to our poor table this night, else we dine alone." 
 
 Dellius went, bowing to the ground; the feast was 
 made ready; and then at last I set eyes on Antony. 
 Clad in purple robes he came, a great man and beauti- 
 ful to see, set in the stout prime of life, with bright 
 eyes of blue, and curling hair, and features cut sharply 
 as a Grecian gem. For great he was of form and royal 
 of mien, and with an open countenance, whereon his 
 thoughts were writ so clear that all might read them; 
 only the weakness of the mouth belied the power of the 
 brow. He came companioned by his generals, and 
 when he reached the couch whereon Cleopatra lay he 
 stood astonished, gazing on her with wide-opened; 
 eyes. She, too, gazed on him earnestly; I saw the red 
 blood run up beneath her skin, and a great pang of 
 jealousy seized upon my heart. And Charmion, who 
 saw all beneath her downcast eyes, saw this also and 
 
CLEOPATRA. 183 
 
 smiled. But Cleopatra spoke no word, only she 
 stretched out her white hand for him to kiss; and he, 
 saying- no word, took her hand and kissed it. • 
 
 " Behold, noble Antony !" she said at last in her 
 voice of music, "thou hast called me, and I am come." 
 
 "Venus has come," he answered in his deep notes, 
 and still holding his eyes fast fixed upon her face. " I 
 called a woman : a Goddess hath risen from the 
 deep!" 
 
 "To find a God to greet her on the land," she 
 laughed with ready wit. "Well, a truce to compli- 
 ments, foi- being on the earth e'en Venus is a-hungered. 
 Noble Antony, thy hand." 
 
 The trumpets blared, and through the bowing crowd, 
 Cleopatra, followed by her train, passed hand in hand 
 with An ton j^ to the feast. 
 
 [Here there is another break in the papyrus.] 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 OF THE FEAST OP CLEOPATRA ; OF THE MELTING OF THE 
 PEARL ; OP THE SAYING OF HARMACHIS ; AND OP 
 CLEOPATRA'S VOWS OP LOVE. 
 
 On the third night once more was the feast prepared 
 in the hall of the g-reat house that had been set aside 
 to the use of Cleopatra, and on this night its splendor 
 was greater even than on the nights before. For the 
 twelve triclinia (couches) that were set about the table 
 were embossed with gold, and those of Cleopatra and 
 Antony were of gold set with jewels. The dishes also 
 were all of gold set with jewels, the walls were hung 
 with purple cloths sewn with gold, and on the floor 
 were strewn fresh roses ankle deep, covered with a net 
 - of gold, that as the slaves trod them sent up their pei- 
 fume. Once again was I bid to stand with Chaimion 
 and Iras and Merira behind the couch of Cleopatra, 
 
184 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 and, like a slave, from time to time call out the hours 
 as they flew. And there being no help, wild at heart 
 I went; but this I swore — ^it should be for the last 
 time, for I could not bear that shame. For though I 
 ■would not yet believe what Charmion told me — ^that 
 Cleopatra was about to become the love of Antonj' — 
 yet could I no more endure this ignominy and torture. 
 For from Cleopatra now I had no words save such 
 words as a Queen speaks to her slave, and methinks 
 it gave her dark heart pleasure to torment me. 
 
 Thus it came to pass that I, the Pharaoh, crowned 
 of Khem, stood among eunuchs and waiting women 
 behind the couch of Egypt's Queen while the feast 
 , went merrily and the wine-cup passed. And ever 
 Antony sat, his eyes fixed upon the face of Cleopatra, 
 '"who from time to time let her deep glance lose itself 
 in his, and then for a little while their talk died away. 
 For he told her tales of war and deeds that he had 
 done — ay, and love-jests such as are not meet for the 
 ears of women. But at naught took she offence ; rather, 
 falling into his humor, would she cap his stories with 
 otliers of a finer wit, but not less shameless. 
 
 At length, the rich meal being finished, Antony 
 gazed at the splendor round him. 
 
 " Tell me, then, most lovely Egypt!" he said, "are 
 the sands of Nile compact of gold, that thou canst, 
 night by night, thus squander the ransom of a King 
 upon a single feast ? Whence comes this untold 
 wealth?" 
 
 I bethought me of the tomb of the divine Menka-ra, 
 -whose holy treasure was thus wickedly wasted, and 
 looked up, so that Cleopatra's eyes caught mine ; but, 
 reading my thoughts, she frowned heavily. 
 
 "Why, noble Antony," she said, "surely it is 
 naught ! In Egypt we have our secrets, and know 
 whence to conjure riches at our need. Say, what is 
 the value of this golden service, and of the meats and 
 -drinks that have been set before us ?" 
 
 He cast his eyes about, and hazarded a guess. 
 
 " Maybe, a thousand sestertia." 
 
 '•Thou hast understated it by half, noble Antony! 
 But, such as it is, I give it thee and those with thee as 
 
CLEOPATRA. 185 
 
 a free tok^n of mj friendship. And more will I show 
 thee now : I, m^'self, will eat and drink ten thousand 
 sestertia at a draught." 
 
 " That cannot be, fair Egypt !" 
 
 She laughed, and bade a slave bring her vinegar in 
 a glass. When it was brought she set it before her 
 and laughed again, while Antony, rising from his 
 cou(!h, drew near and sat himself at her side, and all 
 the company leant forward to see what she would do. 
 And this she did : From her ears she took one of 
 those great pearls, which last of all had been drawn 
 from the body of the divine Pharaoh ; and before any 
 could guess her purpose she let it fall into the vinegar. 
 Then came silence, the silence of wonder, and slowly 
 the peerless pearl melted in the acid. When it was 
 melted she took the glass and shook it, then drank the 
 vinegar to the last drop. 
 
 " More vinegar, slave !" she cried, "my meal is but 
 half finished !" and she drew forth the second pearl. 
 
 " By Bacchus, no ! that shalt thou not !" cried An- 
 tony, snatching at her hands ; " I have seen enough." 
 And at that moment, moved thereto by I know not 
 what, I called aloud : 
 
 "The hour falls — the hour of the coming of the 
 curse of Menka-ra J" 
 
 An ashy witness grew upon Cleopatra's face and furi- 
 ously she turned upon me, while all the company gazed 
 wondering, not knowing what the words might 
 mean. 
 
 " Thou ill-omened slave !" she cried. " Speak thus 
 once more and thou shalt be scourged with rods ! — ay, 
 scourged like an evil-doer — that I promise thee, Har- 
 machis!" 
 
 " What means the knave of an astrologer ?" asked 
 Antony. "Speak, Sirrah ! and make clear thy mean- 
 ing, for those who deal in curses must warrant their 
 wares." 
 
 " I am a servant of the Gods, noble Antony. That 
 which the Gods put in my mind that must I say ; nor 
 can I read their meaning," I answered humbly. 
 
 "Oh! oh! thou servest the Gods, dost thou, thou 
 many-colored mystery ?" (This he said having refer- 
 
186 - CLEOPATRA. 
 
 ence to my splendid robes.) " "Well, I serve the God- 
 desses, which Is a softer cult. And there's this between 
 us : that though what they put in my mind I say, 
 neither can I read their meaning," and he glanced at 
 Cleopatra as one who questions. 
 
 " Let the knave be,"- she said impatiently ; " to-mor- 
 row we'll be rid of him. Sirrah, begone !" 
 
 I bowed and went ; and, as I went, I heard Antony 
 say ; " Well, a knave he may be, for that all men are, 
 but this for thy astrologer — he hath a royal air and 
 the eye of a king — aj, and wit in it." 
 
 Without the door I paused^ not knowing what to do, 
 for 1 was bewildered with misery; and, as I stood, 
 some one touched me on the hand. I glanced up — it 
 was Charmion, who, in the confusion of the rising of 
 the guests, had slipped away and followed me. 
 
 For in trouble, Charmion was ever at my side. 
 
 "Follow me," she whispered; "thou art in dan- 
 ger." 
 
 I turned and followed her. Why should I not ? 
 
 " Whither go we ?" I asked at length. 
 
 " To my chamber," she said. " Fear not, we ladies 
 of Cleopatra's Court have small good fame to lose. If 
 any one by chance should see us, they'll think that 'tis 
 a love-tryst, and such are all the fashion." 
 
 I followed, and, presently, skirting the crowd, we 
 came, unseen to a little side entrance that led to a 
 stair up which wc passed. The stair ended in a pas- 
 sage ; we turned down it till we found a door on the 
 left hand. Silently Charmion entered, and I followed 
 her into a dark chamber. Being in she barred the door, 
 and, kindling tinder to a flame, lit a hanging lamp. 
 As the light grew strong I gazed around. The cham- 
 ber was not large, and had but one casement, closely i 
 shuttered. For the rest, it was simply furnished, hav- ' 
 ing white walls, some chests for garments, an ancient! 
 chair, what I took to be a tiring table, whereon were; 
 combs, perfumes, and all the frippery that pertains toj 
 woman, and a white bed with a broidered coverlid, oyer! 
 which was hung a gnat gauze. 
 
 "Be seated, Harmachis," she said, pointing to the 
 chair. 
 
CLEOPATRA. 187 
 
 I took the chair, and Charmion, throwing back the 
 gnat gauze, sat herself upon the bed before me. 
 
 "Knowest thou what I heard Cleopati^a say as 
 thou didst leave the banqueting hall ?" she asked pres- 
 ently. 
 
 "Nay, I know not." 
 
 " She gazed after thee, and, as I went over to her to 
 do some service, she murmured to herself : ' By Serapis, 
 I will make an end ! No longer will I wait; to-mor- 
 row he shall be strangled !' " 
 
 "So!" I said fit may be; though, after all that 
 has been, scarce can I believe that she will murder me." 
 
 " Why canst thou not believe it, O thou most foolish 
 of men ? Dost forget how nigh thou was to death there 
 in the Alabaster Hall ? Who saved thee then from the 
 knives of the eunuchs .'' Was it Cleopatra ? Or was it 
 I and Brennus ? Stay, I will tell thee. Thou canst not 
 yet believe it, because, in thy folly, thou dost not think 
 it possible that the woman who has but lately been as 
 a wife to thee can now, in so short a time, doom thee 
 to be basely done to death. Nay, answer not — I know 
 all ; and this I tell thee — thou hast not measured the 
 depth of Cleopatra's perfidy, nor canst thou dream the 
 blackness of her wicked heart. She had surely slain 
 thee in Alexandria had she not feared that thy slaugh- 
 ter, being noised abroad, might bring trouble on her. 
 Therefore has she brought thee here to kill thee secret- 
 ly. For what more canst thou give her ? — she has thy 
 heart's love, and is wearied of thy strength and beauty. 
 She has robbed thee of thy Royal birthright and 
 brought thee, a King, to stand amidst her waiting 
 women behind her at her feasts ; she has won from thee 
 the great secret of the holy treasure ! — " 
 
 " Ah, thou knowest that ?" 
 
 " Yea, I know all ; and to-night thou seest how the 
 wealth stored against the need of Khem is being squan- 
 dered to fill up the wanton luxury of Khem's Macedo- 
 nian Queen ! Thou seest how she hath kept her oath 
 to wed thee honorably ! Harmachis — at length thine 
 eyes are open to the truth !" 
 
 " Ay, I see too well ; she swore she loved me, and, 
 fool that I was, I did believe her !" 
 
188 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 "She swore she loved thee!" answered Charmion, 
 lifting her dark eyes: " now will I show thee how she 
 doth love thee. Knowest thou what was this house ? 
 It was a priest's college ; and, as thou wettest, Har- 
 machis, priests have their ways. This little chamber 
 aforetime was the chamber of the Head Priest, and the 
 chamber that is beyond and below was the gathering 
 room of the other priests. All this the old slave who 
 keeps the place told me, and also she revealed what I 
 shall show thee. Now, Harmachis, be silent as the 
 dead, and follow me !" 
 
 She blew out the lamp, and by the little light that 
 crept through the shattered casement led me by the 
 hand to the far corner of the room. Here she pressed 
 upon the wall, and a door opened in its thickness. We 
 entered, and she closed the spring. Now we were in a 
 little chamber, some five cubits in length by four in 
 breadth ; for a faint light struggled into the closet, and 
 also the sound of voices, whence I knew not. Loosing 
 my hand, she crept to the end of the place, and looked 
 steadfastly at the wall ; then crept back, and, whisper- 
 ing " silence .'" led me forward with her. Then I saw- 
 that there were eyeholes in the wall, which pierced it, 
 and were hidden on the farther side by carved work in 
 stone. I looked through the hole that was in front 
 of me, and this I saw. Six cubits below was the level 
 of the floor of another chamber, lit with fragrant 
 lamps, and most richly furnished. It was the sleeping 
 place of Cleopatra, and there, within ten cubits of 
 where we stood, sat Cleopatra on a gilded couch ; and 
 by, her side sat Antony. 
 
 "Tell me," Cleopatra murmured — for so was this 
 place built that every word spoken in the room below 
 came to the ears of the listener above — " tell me, noble, 
 Antony, wast pleased with my poor festival ?" ; 
 
 "Ay," he answered in his deep soldier's voice; 
 " ay, Egypt, I have made feasts, and been bidden to 
 feasts, but never saw I aught, like thine; and this I tell 
 thee, though I am rough of tongue and unskilled in 
 pretty sayings such as women love, thou wast the 
 richest sight of all that splendid board. The red wine 
 was not so red as thy beauteous cheek, the roses smelt 
 
CLEOPATRA. 189 
 
 not so sweet as the odor of thy hair, and no sapphire 
 there with its changing light was so lovely as thy eyes 
 of ocean blue." 
 
 ' ' What ! praise from Antony ? Sweet words from 
 the lips of him whose writings are so harsh ? Why, 'tis 
 praise, indeed !" 
 
 "Ay," he went on, " 'twas a royal feast, though I 
 grieved that thou didst waste that great pearl ; and 
 what meant that hour-calling astrologer of thine, with 
 his ill-omened talk of the curse of Menka-ra ?" 
 
 A shadow fled across her glowing face. " I know 
 not ; he was lately wounded in a brawl and methinks 
 the blow has crazed him." 
 
 " He seemed not crazed, and there was that about 
 his voice which doth ring in my ears like some oracle 
 of fate. So wildly, too, he looked upon thee, Egypt, . 
 with those piercing eyes of his, like one who loved and 
 yet hated through the love." 
 
 " 'Tis a strange man, I tell thee, noble Antony, and 
 a learned. Myself, at times, I almost fear him, for 
 deeply is he versed in the ancient arts of Egypt. 
 Knowest thou that the man is of royal blood, and once 
 he plotted to slaj' me ? But I won him over, and slew 
 him not, for he had the key to secrets that I fain 
 would learn ; and, indeed, I love his wisdom, and to 
 listen to his deep talk of all hidden things." 
 
 " By Bacchus, but I grow jealous of the knave ! 
 And now, Egypt ?" 
 
 " " And now I have sucked his knowledge drj'^ and 
 have no more cause to fear him. Didst thou not see 
 that these three nights I have made him stand a slave 
 amid my slaves, and call aloud the hours as they fled 
 in festival ? No captive king marching in thy Roman 
 triumphs can have suffered keener pangs than that 
 proud Egyptian Prince as he stood and shamed behind 
 my couch." 
 
 Here Charmion laid her hand on mine and pressed 
 it, as though in tenderness. 
 
 " Well, he shall trouble us no m6i"e with his words 
 of evil omen," Cleopatra went on slowly; " to-morrow 
 morn he dies— dies swiftly and in secret, leaving no 
 trace of what his fate hath been. On this is my mind 
 
190 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 fixed ; of a truth, noble Antony, it is fixed. Even as I 
 speak the fear of this man grows and gathers in my 
 hreast. Half am I minded to g-ive the word even now, 
 fcr till he be dead I breathe not freely," and she made 
 as though to rise. 
 
 "Let it be till morning," he said, catching her by 
 the hand; "the soldiers drink, and the deed will be 
 ill done. 'Tis pity, too, I love not to think of men 
 slaughtered in their sleep." 
 
 " In the morning-, perchance, may the hawk have 
 flown," she answered, pondering. "He hath keen 
 ears, this Harmachis, and can summon things that 
 are not of the earth to aid him. Perchance even now 
 he hears me in the spirit; for, of a truth, I seem to 
 feel his presence, breathing round me. I could tell 
 thee — but no, let him be ! Noble Antony, be my 
 tiring woman and loose me this crown of gold; it 
 chafes my brow. Be gentle, hurt me not — so." 
 
 He lifted the uraeus crown from her brows, and she 
 shook loose her heavy weight of hair that fell about 
 her like a garment." 
 
 •' Take thy crown, Royal Egypt," he said, speaking 
 low, "take it from my hand ; I will not rob thee of it, 
 but rather set it more flrmly on that beauteous brow." 
 
 "What means my Lord?" she asked, smiling and 
 looking into his eyes. 
 
 " What mean I ? Why, then, tliis ; hither thou 
 earnest at my bidding, to make answer to the 
 charges laid against thee as to matters politic. And 
 knowesb thou, Egypt, that hadst thou been other than 
 thou art thou hadst not gone back to Queen it on the 
 Nile ; for of this I am sure, the charges against thee 
 are true in fact. But being what thou art — and look 
 thou ! never did Nature serve a woman better ! — I for- 
 give thee all. E'en for the sake of thy grace and 
 beauty I for-give thee that which hath not been for- 
 given to virtue, or to patriotism, or to the dignity of 
 age ! See now how good a thing is woman's wit and 
 loveliness, that can make kings forget their duty and 
 cozen e'en blindfolded Justice to peep ere she lifts her 
 .sword ! Take back thy crown, O Egypt ! my care now 
 it is that, though it be heavy, it shall not chafe thee." 
 
CLEOPATRA. 191 
 
 " Royal words are thSse, most noble Antony !" she 
 made answer, " gracious and g-enerous words, such as 
 befit the Conqueror of the world ! And touching my 
 misdeeds in the past — if misdeeds there have been — this 
 I say, and this alone — then I knew not Antony. For, 
 knowing Antony, who could sin against him ?. What 
 woman could lift a sword against one who must be to 
 all women as a God — one who, seen and known, draws 
 after him the whole allegiance of the heart, as the sun 
 draws flowers ? And what more can I say and not 
 cross the bounds of woman's modesty ? Why, only this 
 — ^set that crown upon my brow, great Antony, and I 
 will take it as a gift from thee, by the giving made 
 
 doubly dear, and to thy uses will I guard it There 
 
 now am I thj' vassal Queen, and through me all old 
 Egypt that I rule doth homage unto Antony the Tri- 
 umvir, who shall be Antony the Emperor and Khem's 
 Imperial Lord !" 
 
 And he, having set the crown upon her locks, stood 
 gazing on her, grown passionate in the warm breath 
 of her living beauty, tiU at length he caught her by 
 both hands, and, drawing her to him kissed her thrice, 
 saying— 
 
 " Cleopatra, I love thee, Sweet ! — 1 love thee as ne'er 
 I loved before !" 
 
 She drew back from his embrace, smiling softly ; and 
 as she did so the golden circlet of the sacred snakes 
 fell, being but loosely set upon her brow, and rolled 
 away into the darkness beyond the ring of light. 
 
 Even in the bitter anguish of my heart I saw the 
 omen and knew its evil import. But these twain took 
 no note. 
 
 "Thou lovest me?" she said most sweetly; "how 
 know I that thou lovest me ? Perchance 'tis Fulvia 
 whom thou lovest — Fulvia, thy wedded wife?" 
 f ' ' Nay, 'tis not Fulvia; 'tis thee, Cleopatra, and thee 
 alone. Many women have looked favorably upon me 
 from my boyhood up, but to never a one have I known 
 such desire as to thee, O thou Wonder of the World, 
 like unto whom no woman ever was ! Canst thou love 
 me, Cleopatra, and to me be true — not for my place 
 and power, not for, that which I can give or can with- 
 
192 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 hold, not for the stem music of my legions' tramp, or 
 for the light; that flows from my bright star of fortune; 
 but for mj'self , for the sake of Antony, the rough cap- 
 tain, grown old in camps ? Ay, for the sake of Antony 
 the reveller, the frail, the unfixed of purpose, but who 
 yet never did desert a friend, or rob a poor man, or 
 take an enemy unawares ? Say, canst thou love me, 
 Egypt ? for, if thou canst, why I am more happy than 
 though to-night I sat crowned in the Capitol at Rome 
 absolute Monarch of the World ! " 
 
 And ever as he spoke she gazed on him with won- 
 derful eyes, and in them shone a light of truth and 
 honesty such as was strange to me. 
 
 " Thou speakest plainly," she said, " and sweet are 
 thy words unto mine ears — sweet would they be, even 
 were things otherwise than they are, for what woman 
 'would not love to see the world's master at her feet? 
 But things being as they " are, why, Antony, what can 
 be so sweet as thy sweet words ? The smooth harbor 
 of his rest to the storm- tossed mariner — surely that is 
 sweet ! The dream of heaven's bliss that cheers the 
 poor ascetic priest on his path of sacrifice — surely thai 
 is sweet ! The sight of Dawn, the rosy-fingered, com- 
 ing in his promise to glad the watching Earth — surelj 
 that is sweet ! But, ah ! not one of these, nor all dear, 
 delightful things that are, can match the honey-sweet- 
 ness of thy words to me, O Antony ! For thou know 
 est not — never canst thou know — how drear hath beer 
 my life and empty, since thus it is ordained that ii 
 love only can woman lose her solitude ! and I hav< 
 never loved — ^never might I love — till this happy night 
 Ay, take me in thy arms, and let us swear a grea 
 oath of love — an oath that may not be broken whil 
 life is in us ! Behold ! Antony ! now and for ever do 
 vow most strict fidelity unto thee I Now and foreve 
 am I thine, and thine alone !" 
 
 Then Charmion took me by the hand and drew m 
 thence. 
 
 "Hast seen enough?" she asked, when once mor 
 Tve were within the chamber and the lamp was lit. 
 
 " Yea," I answered; " my eyes are opened." 
 
CLEOPATRA. , l^ii 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE PLAN OF. CHAKMION ; CONFESSION OF CHARMION, 
 AND ANSWEB OP HARMAOHIS. 
 
 For some while I sat with bowed head, and the last 
 bitterness of shame sank into my soul. This, then 
 was the end ! For this I had betrayed my oaths ; for 
 this I had told the secret of the Pyramid ; for this I 
 had lost my Crown, my honor, and, perchance, my 
 hope of heaven I Could there be another man in the 
 wide world so steeped in sorrow as I was that night ? 
 Surely not one ! Where should I turn ? What could 
 I do? And even through the tempest of my torn 
 heart the bitter voice of jealousy called aloud. For 1 
 loved this woman, to whom I had given all ; and she 
 at this moment — she was — Ah ! I could not bear to 
 thinfe; of it ; and in my utter agony, my heart burst 
 forth in a river of tears such as are terrible to weep ! 
 
 Then Charmion drew near to me, and I .saw that 
 she, too, was weeping. 
 
 "Weep not, Harmachis!" she sobbed, kneeling at 
 my side. " I cannot endure to see thee weep. Oh ! 
 why wouldst thou not be warned ? Then hadst thou 
 "been great and happy, and not as now. Listen, Har- 
 machis ! Thou didst hear what that false and tigerish 
 woman said — ^to-morrow she hands thee over to the 
 murderers !" 
 
 " It is well," I gasped. 
 
 " Nay ; it is not well. Harmachis, give her not this 
 last triumph over thee. Thou hast lost all sa,ve life ; 
 but while life remains hope remains also, and with 
 hope the chance of vengeance !" 
 
 " Ah !" I said, starting from my seat. " I had not 
 thought of that. Ay — the chance of vengeance ! It 
 would be sweet to be avenged !" 
 
 " It would be sweet, Harmachis, and yet this — Ven- 
 geance is an arrow that in falling oft pierces him who 
 shot it. Myself — I know it," and she sighed. "But 
 
 13 
 
194 CLEOPATRA; 
 
 j 
 
 a truce to talk and grief. Time-will there be for us 
 twain to grieve, if not to talk, in all the heavy coming 
 years. Thou must fly— before the dawning- of the 
 light must thou fly. Here is a plan. To-morrow, ere 
 the dawn, a galley that but yesterday' came from 
 Alexandria, bearing fruit and stores, sails thither once 
 again, whereof the Captain is known to me, but to 
 thee he is not known. Now, I will find thee the garb 
 of a Syrian merchant, and cloak thee as I know how,- 
 and furnish thee with a letter to the Captain of the 
 galley. . He shall give thee passage to Alexandria, 
 for to him thou wilt seem but as a merchant going on 
 the business of thy trade. 'Tis Brennus who is Cap- 
 tain of the Guard to-night, and Brennus is a friend to 
 me and thee. Perchance he will guess somewhat ; or, 
 perchance, he will not guess ; at the least, the Syrian 
 merchant shall safely pass the lines. What sayest 
 thou ?" 
 
 '• It is well," I answered wearily ; "little do I reck 
 the issue." 
 
 " Rest thou then here, Harmachis, while I make 
 these matters ready; and, Harmachis, grieve not 
 overmuch : there are others who should grieve more 
 heavily than thou." And she went, leaving me alone 
 with mine agony that rent me like a torture-bed. 
 Methinks, had it not been for that fierce desire of ven- 
 geance which from time to time flashed across my 
 bormented mind as the quick lightning o'er a midnight 
 sea, my reason had left me in that dark hour. At 
 length I heard her footstep at the door, and she 
 entered, breathing heavily, for in her arms she bore a 
 sack of clothing. 
 
 "All is well," she said; "here is the garb with 
 spare linen, and writing tablets, and all things need- 
 ful. I have seen Brennus also, and told him that a 
 Syrian merchant would pass the guard an hour be- 
 fore the dawn. And, though he made pretence of 
 sleep, methinks he understood, for he answered, yawn- 
 ing, that if they but had the pass word, 'Antony,^ 
 fifty Syrian merchants might go through about their 
 lawful business. And here is the letter to the Cap- 
 tain — ^thou canst not mistake the galley, for she is 
 
CLEOPATRA. 195 
 
 moored along the right— a small galley, painted black, 
 as thou dost enter on the great quay, and, moreover, 
 the sailors, make ready for sailing. Now will I wait 
 here without, while thou dost put off the livery of thy 
 service and array thyself." 
 
 When she was gone I tore off my gorgeous garments 
 and spat upon them and trod them on the ground. 
 Then I put on the modest robe of a merchant, and 
 bound round me the tablets, on my feet the sandals 
 of untanned hide, and at my waist the knife. When it 
 was done, Champion entered once again and looked 
 on me. 
 
 " Too much art thou still the Royal Harmachis," 
 she said, " see, it must be changed." 
 
 Then she took scissors from her tiring table, and 
 bidding me to be seated, she cut off my locks, clipping 
 the hair close to the head. Next she found stains of 
 such sort as women use to make dark the eyes, and 
 mixed them cunningly, rubbing the stuff on my face 
 and hands and on the white mark in my hair where 
 the sword of Brennus had bitten to the bone. 
 
 " Now art thou changed — somewhat for the worse, 
 Harmachis," she said, with a dreary laugh, "scarce 
 myself should I know thee. Stay, there is one more 
 thing," and going to a chest of garments, she drew 
 thence a heavy bag of gold. 
 
 " Take thou this," she said, " thou wilt have need 
 of money." 
 
 " I cannot take thy gold, Charmion." 
 
 " Yea, take it. It was Sepa who gave it to me for 
 the furtherance of our cause, and, therefore, 'tis fit- 
 ting that thou shouldst spend it. Moreover, if I want 
 it, doubtless Antony, who is henceforth my master, 
 will give me more ; he is much beholden to me, and 
 this well he knows. There, waste not the precious 
 time in haggling o'er the pelf, — not yet art thou all a 
 merchant, Harmachis "; and, without more words, she 
 thrust the pieces into the leather bag that hung across 
 my shoulders. Then she made fast the sack contain- 
 ing the spare garments, and, so_ womanly thoughtful 
 was she, hid therein an alabaster jar of pigment, where- 
 with I might stain my countenance afresh, and, taking 
 
196 CLEOPATEA. 
 
 the broidered robes of mine office that I had cast oflF, 
 hid them in the secret passage. And so at last all 
 was made ready. 
 
 " Is it time that I should go ?" I asked. 
 
 " Not yet a while. Be patient, Harmachis ; for but 
 one little hour more must thou endure my presience, 
 and then, perchance, farewell forever." 
 
 I made a gesture signifying that this was no hour 
 for sharp words. 
 
 "Forgive me my quick tongue," she said; "but 
 ^rom a salt spring do bitter waters well. Be seated, 
 Harmachis ; I have heavier words to speak to thee be- 
 fore thou goest." 
 
 " Say on," I answered : " words, however heavy, can 
 move me no more." 
 
 She stood before me with folded hands, and the lamp 
 light shone upon her beauteous face. Idly I noticed 
 how great was its pallor and how wide and dark were 
 the rings about the deep black eyes. Twice she lifted 
 her white face and strove to speak, twice her voice 
 failed her ; and when at last it came 'twas in a hoarse 
 whisper. 
 
 " I cannot let thee go," she said — " I cannot let thee 
 go unwitting of the truth. Harmachis, ^twas I who 
 did betray thee !" 
 
 I sprang to my feet, an oath upon my lips ; but she 
 caught me by the hand. 
 
 "Oh, be seated," she said — "be seated and hear 
 me ; then, when thou hast heard, do unto me as thou 
 wilt. Listen ! from that evil moment when, in the 
 presence of thy uncle Sepa, for the second time I set 
 eyes upon thy face, I loved thee — ^how much, little 
 canst thou guess ! Think upon thine own love for 
 Cleopatra, and double it, and double it again, and per- 
 chance thou mayst come near to my love's mighty 
 sum. I loved thee, day by day I loved thee more, till 
 in thee and for thee alone I seemed to live. But thou 
 wast cold — thou wast worse than cold ; thou didst deal 
 with me not as a breathing woman, but rather as the 
 instrument to an end — as a tool wherewith to grave 
 thy fortunes. And then I saw — yea, long before thy- 
 self thou knewest it — thy heart's tide was setting 
 
CLEOPATRA. 197 
 
 strong towards that ruinous shore whereon to-day thy 
 life is hroken. And at last came that night, that 
 dreadful night, when, hid within the chamber, I saw 
 thee cast my kerchief to the winds, and with sweet 
 words cherish my Royal rival's gift. Then — oh, thou 
 knowest in my pain I betrayed the secret that thou 
 wouldst not see — and thou didst make a mock of me, 
 Harmachis ! Oh the shame of it ! — thou in thy fool- 
 ishness, didst make a mock of me ! I went thence, and 
 within me were rising all the torments which can tear 
 a woman's heart, for now I was sure that thou didst 
 love Cleopatra ! Ay, and so mad was I, even that 
 night was I minded to betray thee : but I thought — not 
 yet : not yet : to-morrow he may soften. Then came 
 the morrow, and all was ready for the bursting of the 
 great plot that should make thee Pharaoh. And I, too, 
 came — thou dost remember — and again thou didst put 
 me away when I spake to thee in parables, as some- 
 thing of little worth, as a thing too small to claim a 
 moment's weighty thought. And, knowing that this 
 was because — though thou knewest it not — thou didst 
 love Cleopatra, whom now thou must straightwaj^ slay, 
 I grew mad, and a wicked spirit entered into me, pos- 
 sessing me utterly, so that no longer was I myself nor 
 could control myself. And because thou hadst scorned 
 me, this, to my everlasting shame and sorrow I did ! — 
 I passed into Cleopatra's presence and betrayed thee 
 and those with thee, and all our holy cause, saying 
 that I had found a writing which thou hadst let fall 
 and read all this therein." 
 
 I gasped and sat silent ; and gazing sadly at me she 
 went on: 
 
 " When she understood how great was the plot, and 
 how deep its roots, Cleopatra was much troubled ; and, 
 at first, she would have fled to Sais or taken ship and 
 run for Cyprus, but I showed her that the ways were 
 barred. Then she said that she would' cause thee to 
 be__slain, there, in the chamber, and I left her so believ- 
 ing ; for, at that hour, fain was I that thou shouldst 
 be slain: — ay, even if I wept out my heart upon thy 
 grave. But what said I anon ? — vengeance is an arrow 
 that oft falls on him who looses it ? So was it with 
 
198 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 me ; for between my going and thy coming site hatch- 
 ied a deeper plan. She feared that to slay thee would 
 but be to light a fiercer fire of revolt ; but she saw that 
 to bind thee to her, and having left men a while in 
 doubt, to show thee faithless would strike the immi- 
 nent danger at its roots and wither it. This plot once 
 formed, being great, she dared its doubtful issue, and 
 — need I go oa .'' Thou knowest, Harmachis, how she 
 won ; and thus did the shaft of vengeance that I loosed 
 fall upon my own head. For on the morrow I knew 
 that I had sinned for naught, that on the wretched 
 Paulus had been laid the burden of my betrayal, and 
 that I had but ruined the cause whereto I was sworn 
 and given the man I loved to the arms of wanton 
 Egypt." 
 
 She bowed her head a while, and then, as I spake not, 
 once more went on : 
 
 " Let all my sin be told, Harmachis, and then let 
 justice come. See now this thing happened. Half did 
 Cleopatra learn to love thee, and deep in her heart she 
 bethought her of taking thee to wedded husband. For 
 the sake of this half love of hers she spared the lives of 
 those in the plot whom she had meshed, bethinking her 
 that if she wedded thee she might use them and thee 
 to draw the heart of Egypt, which loves not her nor 
 any Ptolemy. And then, once again shts entrapped 
 thee, and in thy folly thou didst betray to her the 
 secret of the hidden wealth of Egypt, that to-day she 
 squanders to delight the luxurious Antony; and, of a 
 truth, at that time she purposed to make good her 
 oath and marry thee. But on the very morn when 
 Dellius came for answer she sent for me, and, telling 
 me all — for my wit, above any, she holds at price-r- 
 demanded of me my judgment whether she should 
 defy Antony and wed thee, or whether she should put 
 the thought away and come to Anton^'. And I— now 
 mark thou all my sin ! — I, in my bitter jealousy, rather 
 than I would see her thy wedded wife and thou her 
 loving lord, counselled her most strictly that she 
 should come to Antony, well knowing — for I had had 
 speech with Dellius — that if she came, this weak 
 Antony would fall like a ripe fruit at her feet, as, in- 
 
CEEOPATEA. 199 
 
 deed, he has fallen. And to-night have I shown thee 
 the issue of the scheme. Antony loves Cleopatra and 
 Cleopatra loves Antony, and thou art robbed, and 
 matters have gone well for me, who of all women on the 
 earth to-night am the wretche^est by far. For when 
 I saw how thy heart broke, but now my heart seemed 
 to break with thine, and no longer could I bear the 
 burden of my evil deeds, but knew that I must tell them 
 and take my punishment. 
 
 "And no more have I to say, save that I thank thee 
 for thy courtesy in hearkening, and this one thing I add: 
 Driven by my great love, I have sinned against thee 
 unto death ! 1 have ruined thee, I have ruined Khem, 
 and myself also have I ruined ! Let death reward me I 
 Slay thou me, Harmachis ! Gladly will I die upon thy 
 sword ; ay, and kiss its blade ! Slay thou me, and 
 go ; for if thou slayest me not, mj-self will I surely 
 slay !" And she threw herself upon her knees, lifting 
 her fair breast toward me, that I might smite her with 
 my dagger. And, in my bitter fury, minded was I to 
 strike, for above all I thought how, when I was fallen, 
 this woman, who herself was my cause of shame, had 
 scourged me with her scorn. But hard it is to slay a 
 fair woman : and even as I lifted my hand to strike I 
 remembered that now twice had she saved my life. 
 
 "Woman! thou shameless woman!" I said, ''arise! 
 I slay thee not ! Who am I, that I should judge thj"^ 
 crime, that with mine own do overtop all earthly 
 judgment?" 
 
 " Slay me, Harmachis !" she moaned ; " slay me or 
 I slay myself ! My burden is too great for me to bear ! 
 Be not so deadly calm ! Curse me and slay !" 
 
 "What was it that thou didst say to me anon, 
 Charmion— -that as I had sown so must I reap ? It is 
 not lawful that thou shouldst slay thyselfj it is not law- 
 ful that I, thine equal in sin, should slay thee, because 
 through thee I sinned. As thou hast sown, Char- 
 mion, so must thou also reap. Base woman ! whose 
 cruel jealousy hath brought all these woes on me and 
 Egypt, live — live on, and from year to year pluck the 
 bitter fruit of crime ! Haunted be thy sleep by visions 
 of thy outraged Gods, whose vengeance awaits thee 
 
200 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 and me in their dim Amenti ! Haunted be thy days 
 "by memories of that man whom thy fierce love did 
 bring to ruin, and by the sight of Khem a prey to the 
 insatiate Cleopatra and a slave to Roman Antony." 
 
 " Oh, speak not thus, Harmachis ! More sharp are 
 thy words than any sword, and more surely, if more 
 slowly, shall they slay ! Listen, Harmachis," and she 
 grasped my robe ; " when thou wa.st great and all 
 power lay within thy grasp, thou didst reject me. 
 Wilt reject me now that Cleopatra hath cast thee from 
 her — ^now that thou art poor and shamed, and with no 
 pillow to thy head ? Still am I fair, and still I wor- 
 ship thee ! Let me fly with thee, and make atonement 
 by my life-long love. Or, if this be too great a thing 
 to ask, let me be but as thy sister and thy servant 
 — ^thy very slave, so that I may stUl look upon thy 
 face and share thy trouble and minister to thee. O 
 Harmachis, let me but come and I will brave aU things 
 and endure all things, and naught but Death himself 
 shall spear me from thy side. For I do believe that 
 the love that sank me to so low a depth, dragging 
 thee, can yet lift me to an equal height, and thee with 
 me." 
 
 " Wouldst tempt me to fresh sin, woman ? And 
 dost thou think, Charmion, that in some hovel where 
 I must hide, I could bear, day by day, to look upon thy 
 fair face, and seeing, remember, that those lips be- 
 trayed me ? Not thus easily that thou atone ! This 
 even now I know : Many and heavy shall be thy lonely 
 days of penance ? — Perchance that hour of vengeance 
 may yet come, and perchance thou shalt live to play 
 thy part in it. In the Court of Cleopatra must thou 
 still abide, and while thou art there, if yet I live, I 
 will from time to time find means to give thee tidings. 
 Perchance a day from dawn when once more I shall 
 need thy service. Now, swear that, in this event, thou 
 wilt not fail me a second time." 
 
 "I swear, Harmachis! I swear 1 May everlasting, 
 torments, too hideous to be dreamed — ^more hideous 
 even, by far, than those that wring nie now — be my 
 portion if I fail thee in one jot or tittle ; ay, even 
 though I wait a lifetime for thy word !" 
 
CLEOPATRA. 201 
 
 " 'Tis well ; see that thou keep the oath — not twice 
 may we betray; I go to -work out my fabe ; abide thou 
 to work out thine. Perchance our divers threads will 
 once more mingle ere the web be spun. Charmion, 
 who unasked didst love me — and who, prompted by 
 that gentle love of thine, didst betray and ruin me — 
 fare thee well !" 
 
 Wildly she gazed upon me — she stretched out her 
 arms as though to clasp me ; and then, in the agony 
 of her despair, cast herself at length and grovelled 
 upon the ground. 
 
 I took up the sack of clothing and the staff and 
 gained the door, and, as I passed through, one last 
 glance I cast upon her. There she lay, with arms 
 outstretched — more white than her white robes — her 
 dark hair streaming down her and her fair brows hid- 
 den in the dust. 
 
 And thus I left her ; nor did I again set my eyes 
 upon her till nine long years had come and gone. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 ON' THE ESCAPE OP HARMACHIS FEOM TAESUS ; OF HIS 
 BEING CAST FORTH AS AN OFFERING TO THE GODS OF 
 THE SEA ; OF HIS SOJOURN IN THE ISLE OF CYPRUS; 
 OF HIS RETURN TO ABOUTHIS J AND OF THE DEATH 
 OF AMENBMHAT. 
 
 I made my way down the stair in safety, and pres- 
 ently stood in the courtyard of the great house. It 
 was but an hour from dawn, and none were stirring. 
 The last reveller had drunk his fill, the dancing girls 
 had ceased their dancing, and silence lay upon the 
 city. I drew near the gate, and was challenged by an 
 ofllcer on guard wrapped in a heavy cloak. 
 
 " Who passes ?" said the voice of Brennus. 
 
 " A merchant, may it please thee, sir, who having 
 
202 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 brought gifts from Alexandria^to a lady of the Queen's 
 household, and, having been entertained of the lady, 
 now departs to his galley," I answered in a feigned 
 voice. 
 
 " 'Umph !" he growled. " The ladies of the Queen's 
 household keep their guests late. Well ; 'tis a time 
 of festival. The password. Sir Shopkeeper ? Without 
 the password thou must needs return and crave the 
 lady's further hospitality." 
 
 " ' Antony,' sir, and a right good word, too. Ah ! 
 I've wandered far, and never saw I so goodly a man 
 and so great a General. And, mark you, sir, I've 
 traveled far, and seen many Generals." 
 
 "Aye; ^Antony' 's the word! And Antony is a 
 good General in his way — when it is a sober way, and 
 when he cannot find a skirt to follow. I've served 
 with Antony — and against him, too, and know his 
 points. Well, well ; he's got an armful now !" 
 
 And all this while that he was holding me in talk, 
 the sentry had been pacing to and fro before the gate. 
 But now he moved a little way, leaving the entrance 
 clear. 
 
 "Fare thee well, Harmachis, and begone," whis- 
 pered Brennus, leaning forward and speaking quickly. 
 " Linger not. But at times bethink thee of Brennus, 
 who risked his neck to save thine. Farewell, lad ; I 
 would that we. were sailing north together," and 
 he turned his back upon me and began to hum. a 
 tune. 
 
 " Farewell, Brennus, thou honest man," I answered, 
 and was gone. And, as long afterward I heard, when on 
 the morrow the hue and cry was raised because the mur- 
 derers could not find me, though everywhere they 
 sought me to slay me, Brennus did me a service. For he 
 swore that as he kept his watch alone an hour after mid- 
 night he saw me come and stand upon the parapet of 
 the roof, that then I stretched out my robes and they 
 became wings whereon I floated up to heaven, leaving 
 him astonished. And all those about the court lent 
 ear unto the history, believing therein, because of the 
 great fame of my magic; and much they wondered 
 what the wonder might portend. The tale also trav- 
 
CLEOPATRA. 203 
 
 eled into Egypt, and did much to save my good name 
 among those whom 1 had betrayed ; for the more 
 ignorant among them believed that I acted not of my 
 will, but of the will of the dread Gods, who of their 
 own purpose wafted me "to heaven. And thus, even to 
 this day, the saying runs that "When Harmachis 
 comes again Egypt shall be free." Only Cleopatra, 
 though she was much afraid, doubted her of the tale, 
 and sent an armed vessel to search for the Syrian mer- 
 chant, but not to find him, as shall be told. 
 
 When I reached the galley whereof Charmion had 
 spoken, I found her about to sail, and gave the writ- 
 ing to the captain, who conned it, looking on me 
 curiously, but said naught. 
 
 So I went aboard, and immediately we dropped 
 swiftly down the river with the current. And having 
 come to the mouth of the river unchallenged, though 
 we passed many vessels, we put out to sea with a 
 strong favoring wind that ere night freshened to a 
 great gale. Then the sailor men, being much af eared, 
 would fain have put about and run for the mouth of 
 the Cj'^dnus once again, but could not because of the 
 wildness of the sea. All that night it blew furiously, 
 and ere dawn our mast was carried away, and we 
 rolled helplessly in the trough of the great waves. 
 But I sat wrapped in a cloak, little heeding ; and be- 
 cause I showed no fear the sa'^ors cried out that I was 
 a wizard, and would have cast me into the sea, but the 
 captain would not. At dawn the wind slackened, but 
 ere noon it once more blevy; in terrible fury ; and at the 
 fourth hour from noon we came in sight of the rocky 
 coast of that cape in the island of Cyprus which is 
 called Dinaretum, where is a mountain named Olympus, 
 and thitherwards we drifted swiftly. Then when the 
 sailors saw the terrible rocks, and how the great waves 
 that smote thereon spouted up in foam, once more they 
 grew much afraid, and cried out in their fear. For, 
 seeing that I still sat unmoved, they swore that I cer- 
 tainly was a wizard, and came to cast me forth as a 
 sacrifice to the Gods of the sea. And this time the 
 captain was overruled, and said naught. Therefore, 
 when they came to me I rose and defied them, saying, • 
 
204: CEEOPATEA. 
 
 " Cast me forth, if ye will ; but if ye cast me forth ye 
 shall perish." 
 
 For in my heart I cared little, having no more any 
 love of life, but rather a desire to die, though greatly 
 I feared to pass into the presence of my holy Mother 
 Isis. But my weariness and sorrow at the bitterness 
 of my lot overcame even this heavy fear : so that 
 when, being mad as brute beasts, they seized me and, 
 lifting me, hurled me into the raging waters, I did 
 but utter one prayer to Isis and make me ready for 
 death. But it was. fated that I should not die ; for, 
 when I rose to the surface of the water, I saw floating 
 near to me a spar of wood, whereto I swam and 
 clung. And a great wave came and swept me, riding, 
 as it were, upon the spar, as when a boy I had learned 
 to do in the waters of the Nile, past the bulwarks of 
 the galley where the fierce-faced sailors clung to see 
 me drown. And when they saw me come mounted on 
 the wave, cursing them as I came, and saw, too, that 
 the color of my face had changed — ^for the salt water 
 had washed away the pigment, they shrieked with 
 fear and cast themselves down upon the deck. And 
 within a very little while, as I rode towards the rocky 
 coast, a great wave poured into the vessel, that rolled 
 broadside on, and pressed her down into the deep, 
 whence no more she rose. 
 
 And so she sank, with all her crew. And in that 
 same storm also sank the galley that Cleopatra had 
 sent to search for the Syrian merchant. Thus were 
 aU traces of me lost, and of a surety she believed that 
 I was dead. 
 
 But I rode on toward the shore. The wind shrieked 
 and the salt waves lashed my face as, alone with the 
 tempest, I rushed upon my way, while the sea birds 
 screamed about my head. No fear I felt, but rather a 
 wild uplifting of the heart ; and in the stress of my 
 imminent peril the love of life seemed once again to 
 waken. And so I plunged and drifted, now tossed 
 high toward the lowering clouds, now cast into the 
 deep valleys of the sea, till at length the rocky head- 
 land loomed before me, and I saw the breakers smite 
 upon the stubborn rocks, and through the screaming 
 
CLEOPATRA. 205 
 
 of the wind heard the sullen thunder of their fall and 
 the groan of stones sucked seaward from the beach. 
 On ! high-throned upon the mane of a mighty billow — 
 fifty cubits beneath me the level of the hissing waters ; 
 above me the inky sky ! It was done ! The spar was 
 torn from me, and, dragged downward by the weight 
 of the bag of gold and the clinging of my garments, 
 struggling furiously, I sank. 
 
 Now I was under — the light for a moment streamed 
 green through the waters, and then came darkness, 
 and on the darkness pictures of the past. Picture 
 after picture — all the long scene of life was written 
 here. Then in my ears I heard only the song of the 
 nightingale, the murmur of the summer sea, and the 
 music of Cleopatra's laugh of victory, followed me 
 softly and yet more soft as I sank away to sleep. 
 
 Once more my life came back, and with it a sense of 
 deadly sickness and of aching pain. I opened my eyes 
 and saw kindly faces bending o'er me, and knew that 
 I was in a room of a builded house. 
 
 " How came I hither ?" I asked faintly. 
 
 "Of a truth, Poseidon brought thee. Stranger," 
 answered a rough voice in barbarous Greek : "for we 
 found thee cast high upon the beach like a dead 
 dolphin and brought thee to our house, for we are 
 fisher-folk. And here methinks must thou lie a while, 
 for thy left leg is broken by the force of the waves." 
 
 I strove to move my foot and could not. It was 
 true, the bone was broken above the knee. 
 
 " Who art thou, and how art thou named?" asked 
 the rough bearded sailor. 
 
 " I am an Egyptian traveler whose ship hath sunk 
 in the fury of the gale, and Olympus am I named," I 
 answered, for Olympus these people called a mountaiin 
 that we had sighted, and therefore I took the name at 
 hazard. And as Olympus henceforth was I known. 
 
 Here with these rough fisher-folk did I abide for the 
 half of a year, paying them a little out of the sum of 
 gold that had come safely ashore upon me. For long 
 was it before my bones grew together again, and then 
 was I left somewhat of a cripple ; for I who had been 
 so t^ll and straight and strong now limped— one limb 
 
206 ' CLEOPATRA. 
 
 being shorter than the other. And after I recovered 
 from my hurt, still I lived there, and toiled with them 
 at the trade of fishing; for whither I should go or 
 what I should do that I knew not, and, for a while, 
 fain was I to become a peasant fisherman, and so 
 wear my weary life away. And these people entreated 
 me kindly, though, as others, they feared me much, 
 holding me to be a wizard brought hither by the sea. 
 For methinks that my sorrows had stamped so strange 
 an aspect on my face that , men gazing thereon grew 
 fearful of what lay beneath its calm. 
 
 There then I abode, till at length one night as I lay 
 and strove to sleep, great restlessness came upon me, 
 and a mighty desire once more to see the broad face 
 of Sihor. But whether this desire was of the Gods or 
 born of my own heart, not knowing I cannot tell. So 
 strong was it at the least, that before it was dawn I 
 rose from my bed of straw, and clothed myself in my 
 fisher garb, and, because I had no wish to answer 
 questions, thus I took farewell of mj' humble hosts. 
 First on the well-cleaned table of wood 1 placed some 
 pieces of gold, and then taking a pot of flour I strewed 
 it in the form of letter-writing — 
 
 " This gift from Olympus, the Egyptian, who re- 
 turns into the sea." 
 
 Then I went, and on the third day I came to the 
 great city of Salamis, that is also on the sea. Here I 
 abode in the fisherman's quarter till a vessel was about 
 to sail for Alexandria, and to the captain of this vessel 
 a man of Paphos, I hired myself as a sailor. We 
 sailed with a favoring wind, and on the fifth day I 
 came to Alexandria, that hateful city, and saw the 
 light glancing on its golden domes. 
 
 Here might I not abide. So once again I hired my- 
 self out as a sailor, giving my labor in return for pass- 
 age, and we" passed up the Nile. And from the talk 
 of men I learned, that Cleopatra had come back to 
 Alexandria, drawing Antony with her, and that to- 
 gether they lived in royal state in the palace on the 
 Lochias. Indeed, the boatmen already had a song 
 ihereon, which they sang as they labored at the oar. 
 Also I heard how the galley that was sent to search 
 
CiLEOPATRA. 207 
 
 for the vessel which carried the Syrian merchant had 
 foundered with all her crew, and the tale that the 
 Queen's astronomer, Harmachis, had flown to heaven 
 from the roof of the house at Tarsus. And the sailors 
 wondered because I sat and labored, and would not 
 sing their ribald song of the loves of Cleopatra. For 
 they, too, began to fear me, and mutter concerning 
 me among themselves. Then I knew that I was a man 
 accursed and set apart — a man whom none might love. 
 On the sixth day we drew nigh to Abouthis, where 1 
 left the craft, and right glad were the sailors to see 
 me go. And, with a breaking heart, I walked through 
 the fertile fields, seeing faces that well I knew. But 
 in my rough disguise and limping gate none knew me. 
 At length I came, as the sun sank, near to the great 
 outer pylon of the Temple ; and here I crouched down 
 in the ruins of a house, not knowing wherefore I had 
 come or what I was about to do. Like h lost ox I had 
 strayed from far, back to the fields of my birth, and 
 for what ? If my father, Amenemhat, still lived, 
 surely he would turn his face from me ! I dared not 
 go into the presence of my father. I sat hidden there 
 among the broken rafters and idly watched the pylon 
 gates, to see if perchance a face I knew should issue 
 forth. But none came forth or entered in, though the 
 great gates stood wide; and then I' saw that herbs 
 were growing 'twixt the stones, where no herbs had 
 grown for ages. What could this be ? Was the Tem- 
 ple deserted ? Nay ; how could the worship of the 
 eternal Gods^ have ceased that for thousands of years 
 had, day by day, been offered in the holy place ? Was, 
 then, my father dead ? It well might be. And yet, 
 why this silence ? where were the priests ? where the 
 worshippers ? No more could I bear the doubt, but as 
 the sun sank red I crept like a hunted jackal through 
 the open gates, and on till I reached the first great Hall 
 of Pillars. Here I paused and gazed around me — not a 
 sight, not a sound in the dim and holy place ! On with a 
 beating heart I went to the second great hall, the haU of 
 six-and-thirty pillars, where I had been crowned Lord of 
 all the Lands ; still not a sight or a sound ! Thence, 
 half fearful of my own footfall, so terrible did it echo 
 
208 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 in tlie silence of t*>,e deserted Holies, I passed down the 
 passage of the "tames of the Pharaohs toward my 
 father's chamber. There still swung the curtain o'sr 
 the doorway ; bJ'^t what would there be within ? — ^also 
 emptiness ? I I'Cted it, and noiselessly passed in, and 
 there in his carvsn chair at the table whereon his long 
 white beard flowed down, sat my father, Amenemhat, 
 clad in his pripi=*tly robes. At first I thought that he 
 was dead, so s*ill he sat ; but at length he turned his 
 head, and I saw that his orbs were white and sightless. 
 He was blind, and his face was thin as the face of a 
 dead man, and woeful with age and grief. 
 
 I stood still and felt the blind eyes wandering over 
 me. I could not speak — I dared not speak to him ; I 
 would go and hide myself afresh. 
 
 Already had I turned and grasped the curtain, when, 
 in a deep, slow voice, my father spoke : 
 
 " Come hither, thou who wast my sou and art* a 
 traitor. Come thither, thou Harmachis, whereon 
 Khem buUded up her hope. Not in vain, then, have I 
 drawn thee from far away ! Not in vain have I held 
 my life in me till I heard thy footfall creeping down 
 these empty Holies, like the footfall of a thief !" 
 
 "Oh! my father," I gasped, astonished. "Thou 
 art blind ; how knowest thou me ?" 
 
 " How do I know thee ! — and askest thou that who 
 hast learned of our lore ? Enough, I know thee and I 
 brought thee hither. Would, Harmachis, that I knew 
 thee not ! would that I had been blasted of the Invisi- 
 ble ere I drew thee down from the womb of Nout, to 
 be my curse and shame, and the last woe of Khem !" 
 
 " Oh, speak not thus !" I moaned ; '* is not my bur- 
 den already more than I can bear ? Am I not myself 
 betrayed and utterly outcast? Be pitiful, my 
 father !" 
 
 "Be pitiful 1 — ^be pitiful to thee who hath shown so 
 great pity ? Thy pity 'twas which gave up noble Sepa 
 to die beneath the hands of the tormentors !" 
 
 " Oh, not that— not that !" I cried. 
 
 "Ay, traitor, that! to die in agony, with his last 
 poor breath proclaiming thee, his murderer, honest 
 and innocent 1 Be pitiful to thee, who gaveth all the 
 
■ CLEOPATRA. 209 
 
 flower of Khem as the price of a wanton's arms ! — 
 thinkest thou that, laboring' in the darksome desert 
 mines, those noble ones in thought are pitiful to thee, 
 Harmachis ? Be pitiful to thee, by whom this holy- 
 Temple of Abouthis hath been ravaged, its lands 
 seized, its priests scattered, and I alone, old and with- 
 ered, left to count out its ruin !— to thee, who hath 
 poured the treasures of Her into thy leman's lap, who 
 hath forsworn thyself, thy country, thy birthright, 
 and thy Gods ! x ea, thus am I pitiful : — Accursed 
 be thou, fruit of my loins ! — Shame be thy portion. 
 Agony thy end ! and Hell receive thee at the last ! 
 Where art thou ? Yea, I grew blind with weeping 
 when I heard the truth — sure, they strove to hide it 
 from me. Let me find thee that I may spit upon thee, 
 thou Renegade ! thou Apostate ! thou Outcast !" — 
 and he rose from his seat and staggered like a living 
 wrath toward me, smiting the air with his wand. 
 And as he came with outstretched arms, awful to see, 
 suddenly his end found him, and with a cry he sank 
 down upon the ground, the red blood streaming from 
 his lips. I ran to him and lifted him ; and as he died, 
 he babbled ; 
 
 "He was my son, a bright-eyed, lovely boy, and 
 full of promise as the spring; and now — and now — oh, 
 would that he were dead !" 
 
 Then came a pause, and the breath rattled in his 
 throat. 
 
 " Harmachis," he gasped, " art there ?" 
 
 " Yea, father." 
 
 " Harmachis, atone ! — atone ! Vengeance can still 
 be wreaked — ^forgiveness may still be won. There's 
 gold ; I've hidden it — Atoua — she can tell thee — ah, 
 this pain ! Farewell !" 
 
 And he struggled faintly in my arms, and was dead. 
 Thus, then, did I and my holy father, the Prince 
 Amenemhat, meet together for- the last time In the 
 flesh, and for the last time part. 
 
210 OLEOPATKA. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE LAST MISERY OP HARMACHIS ; THE CALLING DOWN 
 OF THE HOLT ISIS BY THE WOKD OF FEAR; THE 
 PROMISE OP ISIS ; THE COMING OP ATOUA, AND THE 
 WORDS OP ATOUA. 
 
 I erouched upon the floor gazing at the dead body of 
 my father, who had lived to curse me, the utterly ac- 
 cursed, while the darkness crept and gathered round 
 us, till at length the dead and I were alone in the black 
 .^^ silence. Oh, how tell the misery of that hour ? — imag- 
 ination cannot dream it, nor words paint it forth! 
 Once more in. my wretchedness 1 bethought me of 
 death. A knife was at my girdle, wherewith I might 
 cut the thread of sorrow and set my spirit free. Free ? 
 ay, free to fly to face the last vengeance of the holy 
 Gods ! Alas ! and alas ! I did not dare to die. Better 
 the earth with all its woes than the quick approach of 
 those unimagined terrors that, hovering in dim Amen- 
 ti, wait, the advent of the fallen. 
 
 I grovelled on the ground and wept tears of agony 
 for the lost, unchanging past— wept tUl I could weep 
 no more ; but from the silence came no answer, no an- 
 swer but the echoes of my grief. Not a ray of hope ! 
 My soul wandered in a darkness more atter than that 
 which was about me — I was forsaken of the Gods and 
 cast out of men. Terror took hold upon me, crouching 
 m that lonely place hard by the majesty of the awful 
 dead. I rose to fly. How could I fly in this gloom ? 
 -—how find my path down the passages and amid the 
 columns ? And where should I ily who had no place 
 of refuge ? Once more I crouched down, and the great i 
 fear grew on me till the cold sweat ran from my brow 
 and my soul was faint within me. Then, in my last 
 despair, I prayed aloud to Isis, to whom I had not 
 dared to pray for many days. 
 
 " Isis ! Holy Mother !" I cried ; " put away. Thy 
 
CLEOPATRA. 211. 
 
 wrath, and of Thine infinite pity, O Thou ^U pitiful, 
 hearken to the voice of the anguish of him who was- 
 Thy son and servant, but who by sin hath fallen from 
 the vision of Thy love. O throned Glory, who, being 
 in all things, hast of all things understanding and of all 
 griefs knowledge, cast the weight of Thy mercy against 
 the scale of my evil doing, and make the balance equal. 
 Look down upon, my woe, and measure it ; count up 
 the sum of my repentance, an I take Thou note of the 
 flood of sorrow that sweeps my soul away. O Thou 
 Holy, whom it was given to me to look upon face to 
 face, by that dread hour of commune I summon Thee ; 
 I summon Thee by the mystic word. Come, then, in 
 mercy to save me ; or, in fury, to make an end of that- 
 which can no more be borne." 
 
 And, rising from my knees, I stretched out my arms 
 and dared to cry aloud the Word of Fear, the which 
 to use unworthily is death. 
 
 Swiftly the answer came. For in the silence I heard 
 the sound of the shaken sistra heralding the coming- 
 of the Glory. Then at the far end of the chamber 
 grew the semblance of the horned moon, gleaming' 
 faintly in the darkness, and 'twixt the golden horns 
 rested the small dark cloud, in and out whereof the 
 flery serpent climbed. 
 
 And nay knees waxed loose in the presence of the 
 Gloi-y, and I sank down before it. 
 
 Then spake the small, sweet voice within the cloud :: 
 
 " Harmachis, who wast my servant and my son. I. 
 have heard thy prayer and the summons that thou 
 hast dared to utter, which on the lips of one with 
 whom I have communed, hath power to draw me from 
 the Uttermost. No m^^re, Harmachis, may we be one 
 in the bond of Icve livine, for me hast thou put away 
 of thine own act. Therefore, after this long silence I 
 come, Harmachis, clothed in terrors, and perchance, 
 ready for vengeance ; for not lightly can Isis be drawn 
 from the halls of her Divinity." 
 
 "Smite, Goddess !" I answered. "Smite, and give 
 me over to those who wreak Thy vengeance ; for no 
 longer can I bear the burden of my woe !" 
 
 " And if thou canst not bear thy burden here, upon- 
 
212 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 this upper earth," came the soft reply, " how then 
 Shalt thou bear the greater burden that shall be laid 
 upon thee there, coming defiled and yet unpurifled into 
 my dim realm of Death, that is Life and Change un- 
 ending? Nay, Harmachis, I smite not, for not all am 
 I wroth that thou hast dared to utter the awful word 
 which calls me down to thee. Hearken, Harmachis ; 
 I praise not and I reproach not, for I am the Minister 
 of reward and punishment and the Executor of 
 Decrees; and if I give, I give in silence; and if I 
 smite, in silence do I smite. Therefore, naught will I 
 add to thy burden by the weight of heavy words, 
 though through thee it has come to pass that soon 
 shall Isis, the Mystery, be but a memory in Egypt. 
 Thou hast sinned, and heavy shall be thy piinishment, 
 as I did warn thee, both in the flesh and in my king- 
 dom of Amenti. But I told thee that there is a road 
 of repentance, and surely thy feet are set thereon, and 
 therein miist thou walk with a humble heart, eating 
 of the bread of bitterness, tiU such time as thy doom 
 be measured." 
 
 " Have I, then, no hope, O Holy ?" 
 
 " That which is done, Harmachis, is done, nor can its 
 issues be altered. Khem shall no more be free tiU all 
 its temples are as the desert dust; strange people 
 shall, from age to age, hold her hostage and in bonds; 
 new religions shall arise and wither within the sha- 
 dows of her pyramids, for to every world, race, and age 
 the countenances of the Gods are changed. This is 
 the tree that shall spring from thy seed of sin, Harma- 
 chis, and from the sin of those who tempted thee I" 
 
 " Alas 1 I am undone I" I cried. 
 
 " Yea, thou art undone ; and yet shall this be given 
 to thee : thy destroyer shalt thou destroy, for so, in 
 the purpose of my justice, is it ordained. When the 
 sign comes to thee, arise, go to Cleopatra, and in such 
 manner as I shall put into thy heart do Heaven's ven- <. 
 geance on her 1 And now for thyself one word, for ', 
 thou hast put Me from thee, Harmachis : and no more ^ 
 shall I come face to face with thee tUl, cycles hence, j 
 the last fruit of thy sin hath ceased to be upon this : 
 earth I Yet, through the vastness of the unnumbered 
 
CLEOPATRA. 213 
 
 -years, remember thou this : that love Divine is love 
 eternal, which cannot be extinguished, though ever- 
 lastingly it be estranged. Repent, my servant : re- 
 pent and do well while there is yet time, that at the 
 dim end of ages once more thou mayest be gathered 
 unto Me. Still, Harmachis, though thou seest Me 
 not : still, when the very name by which thou know- 
 est Me has become a meaningless mystery to those 
 w^ho shall be after thee: still, I, whose hours are 
 eternal — I, who have watched Universes wither, wane, 
 and, 'neath the breath of Time, melt into nothingness: 
 again, to gather, and, reborn, thread the vast maze of 
 space — still, I say, shall I companion thee. Wher- 
 ever thou goest, in whatever form of life thou livest, 
 there shall I be ! Art thou wafted to the farthest 
 star, art thou buried in Amenti's lowest deep — in lives, 
 in deaths, in sleeps, in wakings, in remembrances, in 
 oblivions, in all the fevers of the outer Life, in all the 
 changes of the Spirit — still, if thou wilt but atone and 
 _ forget Me no more, I shall be with thee, waiting thine 
 hour of redemption. For this is the nature of the 
 love D'ivine, wherewith It loves that which doth par- 
 take of its divinity and hath once by the holy tie been 
 bound to it. Judge then, Harmachis ; was it well to 
 put this from thee to win the prize of earthly woman ? 
 And, now, dare not again to utter the Word of Power 
 tUl these things be done ! Harmachis, for this season, 
 fare thee well." j- 
 
 As the last note of the sweet voice died away, the 
 fiery snake climbed into the heart of the cloud. Now 
 the cloud rolled from the horns of light, and was gath- 
 ered into the blackness. The vision of the crescent 
 moon grew dim and vanished. Then as the Goddess 
 passed, once more came the faint and dreadful music 
 of the shaken sistra, and all was stiU. 
 
 I hid my face in my robe and even then, though my 
 outstretched hand could touch the chill corpse of that 
 father who had died cursing me, I felt hope come back 
 into my heart, knowing that I was not altogether lost 
 nor utterly rejected of Her whom I had forsaken, but 
 whom yet I loved. And then weariness overpowered 
 me, and I slept. 
 
■214: CLEOPATRA. 
 
 I woke, the faint lights of dawn were creeping from 
 -the opening in the roof. Ghastly they lay upon the 
 shadowy sculptured walls and ghastly upon the dead 
 face and long white beard of my father, the gathered, 
 lo Osiris. I started up, remembering aU things, and 
 wondering in my heart what I should do, and as I rose 
 I heard a faint footfall creeping down the passage of 
 "the names of the Pharaohs. 
 
 "La! la! la!" mumbled a voice that I knew for 
 the voice of the old wife, Atoua. "Why 'tis dark as 
 the House of the Dead ! The holy ones who built this 
 Temple loved not the blessed sun, however much they 
 worshipped him. Now, where's the curtain ?" 
 
 Presently it was drawn, and Atoua entered, a stick 
 in one hand and in the other a basket. Her face was 
 somewhat more wrinkled and her scanty locks were 
 somewhat more whit^. than aforetime, but for the rest 
 she was as she had ever been. She stood and peered 
 around With her sharp black eyes, for because of the 
 shadows as yet naught could she see. 
 
 " Now where is he ?" she muttered. * ' Osiris — ^glbry 
 to his name — send that he has not wandered in the 
 night, and he blind ! Alack ! that I could not return 
 before the dark.. Alack ! and alack ! what times have 
 we fallen on when the Holy High Priest and the 
 Oovernor; by descent of Abouthis, is left with one 
 aged crone to minister to his inflrmiW ! O Harmachis, 
 my poor boy, thou hast laid trouble at our doors! 
 "Why, what's this ? Surely he sleeps not, there upon 
 the ground ? — 'twill be his death ! Prince ! Holy 
 Father! Amenemhat! awake, arise!" and she hob- 
 bled towards the corpse. "Why, how is it ? By Him 
 who sleeps he's dead! untended and alone — dead! 
 dead .'" and she sent her long waU of grief ringing 
 up the sculptured walls. 
 
 "Hush! woman: be still!" I said, gliding from 
 the shadows. 
 
 " Oh, what art thou ?" she cried, casting down her 
 basket. " Wicked man, hast thou murdered this holy 
 One, the only holy One in Egypt? Surely the curse' 
 will fall on thee, for though the Gods do seem to have 
 forsaken us now in our hour of trial, yet is their arm 
 
CLEOPATRA. 215 
 
 long, and certainly they will be avenged on him who 
 hath slain their anointed !" 
 
 " Look on me, Atoua," I cried. 
 
 " Look ! ay, I look — ^thou wicked wanderer who 
 hast dared this cruel deed ! Harmachis is a traitor 
 and lost far away, and Amenemhat, his holy father, 
 is murdered, and now I'm all alone without kith or kin. 
 I gave them for him. , I gave them for Harmachis, 
 the traitor ! Come, slay me also, thou wicked one !" 
 
 I took a step toward her, and she, thinking that I was 
 about to smite her, cried out in fear : 
 
 ' ' Nay, good Sir, spare me ! Eighty and six, by the 
 holy Ones, eighty and six, come next flood of NUe, and 
 yet would I not die, though Osiris is merciful to the 
 old who served him ! Come no nearer — help ! help ! 
 help!" 
 
 "Thou fool, be silent," I said: "knowest thou me 
 not ?" 
 
 " Know thee ? — can I know every wandering boat- 
 man to whom Sebek grants to earn a livelihood till 
 Typhon claims his own ? And yet — why, 'tis strange 
 — ^that changed countenance ! — ^that scar ! — ^that 
 stumbling gait! 'Tis thou, Harmachis! — 'tis thou, 
 oh, my boy! Art come back to glad mine old eyes? I 
 hoped thee dead ! Let me kiss thee ? — nay, I forgot. 
 Harmachis is a traitor, ay, and, a murderer! Here 
 lies the holy Amenemhat, murdered by the traitor, 
 Harmachis ! Get thee gone ! I'll have none of 
 traitors and of parricides ! Get thee to thy wanton ! 
 — 'tis not thou whom I did nurse. " 
 
 " Peace, woman ! peace ! I slew not my father — 
 he died, alas ! even in my arms !" 
 
 " Ay, surely, and cursing thee, Harmachis ! Thou 
 hast given death to him who gave thee life ! La ! la I 
 I am old, and I've seen many a trouble ; but this is 
 the heaviest ! I never like the looks of mummies ; but 
 I would I were one this hour 1 Get thee gone, I pray 
 thee!" 
 
 " Old nurse, reproach me not ! — ^have I not enough 
 to bear?" 
 
 ' ' Ah, true, true ! I did forget ! Well ; and what is 
 thy sin ? A woman was thy bane, as women have beer 
 
216 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 to those before thee, and shall be to those after thee. 
 And what a woman ! La ! la ! I saw her, a beauty 
 such as never was — an arrow pointed by the evil Gods 
 for destruction ! And thou, a young- man bred as a 
 priest— an ill training — a very ill training ! 'Twas no 
 (air match. Who can wonder that she mastered 
 ttiee ? Come, Harmachis : let me kiss thee ! It is not 
 for a woman to be hard upon a man because he loved 
 our sex too much. Why, that is but nature ; and 
 Nature knows her business, else had she made us 
 otherwise. But "this is an evil case. Knowest thou 
 that this Macedonian Queen of thine hath seized the 
 Temple lands and revenues, and driven away the 
 Priests — all, save the holy Amenemhat, who lies here, 
 and whom she left, I know not why ; ay, and caused 
 the Avorship of the Grods to cease within these walls. 
 Well, he's gone ! — he's gone ! and indeed he is better 
 with Osiris, for his life was a sore burden to him. 
 And hark thou, Harmachis : he hath not left thee 
 empty handed ; for as the plot failed, he gathered aU 
 his wealth, and it is large, and hid it— where, I can 
 show thee — and thine it is by right of descent." 
 
 " Talk not to me of wealth, Atoua. Where shall I 
 go and how shall I hide niy shame ?" 
 
 " Ah ! true, true : here mayst thou not abide, for if 
 they found thee, surely they would put thee to the 
 dreadful death — ay, even to the death by the waxen 
 cloth. Nay, I will hide thee,' and, when the funeral 
 rites of the holy Amenemhat have been performed, we 
 will fly hence, and cover us from the eyes of men till 
 these sorrows are forgotten. La! la! it is a sad 
 world, and full of trouble as the Nile mud is of beetles. 
 Come, Harmachis, come." 
 
CLEOPATRA. 217 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 ON THE LIFE OP HIM WHO WAS NAMED THE LEARNED 
 OLYMPUS, IN THE TOMB OF THE HARPERS THAT IS BY 
 TAPE ; OF HIS COUNSEL TO CLEOPATRA ; OF THE MES- 
 SAGE OF CHARMION ; AND OF THE PASSING OF OLYM- 
 PUS DOWN TO ALEXANDRIA. 
 
 These things then came to pass. For eighty days was 
 I hidden of the old wife, Atoua, while the body of the 
 Prince, my father, was made ready for burial by those 
 skilled in the^arts of embalming. And when at last 
 all things were done in order, I crept from my hiding 
 place and made offerings to the spirit of my father, 
 and placing lotus flowers on his breast, went thence 
 sorrowing. And on the following day, from where I 
 lay hid I saw the priests of the Temple of Osiris and 
 of the holy Shrine of Isis come forth, and in slow pro- 
 cession bear his painted coflBn to the sacred lake and 
 lay it 'neath the funeral tent in the consecrated boat. 
 I saw them celebrate the symbol of the trial of the 
 dead and name him above all men just, and then bear 
 'him thence to lay him by his wife, my mother, in the 
 deep and splendid tomb that he had builded near to 
 the resting place of the most holy Osiris, where, not- 
 withstanding my sins, I, too, hope to sleep ere long. 
 And when all these things were done and the deep 
 tomb sealed, the wealth of my father having been re- 
 moved from the hidden treasury and placed in safety, 
 with the old wife, Atoua, I fled, disguised, up the Nile 
 till we came to TS,pe (Thebes), and here in this great 
 city I lay a while, till a place could be found where I 
 should hide myself. 
 
 And such a place I found. For to the north of the 
 great city are hills brown and rugged, and desert val- 
 leys blasted of the sim, and in this place of desolation 
 the Divine Pharaohs, my forefathers, hollowed out 
 
218 CLEOPATKA. 
 
 their tombs in the solid rock, whereof the most part 
 are lost to this day, so cunningly have they been hid- 
 den. But some are open, for the accursed Persians 
 and other thieves broke into them in search of treas- 
 ure. And one night— for by night only did I leave my 
 hiding place — ^just as the dawn was breaking on the 
 mountain tops, I wandered alone in this sad Valley of 
 Death, like to which there is no other, and presently 
 came to the mouth of a tomb hidden amid great rocks, 
 which hereafter I knew for the place of the burying of 
 the Divine Rameses, the third of that name, now long 
 gathered to Osiris. And by the faint light of the 
 dawn creeping through the entrance I saw that it was 
 spacious, and that within were chambers. On the fol- 
 lowing night, therefore, I returned, bearing lights, 
 with Atoua, my nurse, who ever ministered faithfully 
 to me as when I was little and without discretion. 
 And we searched the mighty tomb and came to the 
 great hall of the sarcophagus of granite, wherein 
 sleeps the divine Rameses, and saw the mystic paint- 
 ings on the walls — the symbol of the Snake u^iending, 
 the symbol of Ra (the sun) resting upon the Scara- 
 baeus, the symbol of Ra resting upon Nout, the symbol 
 of the Headless Men, and many others whereof, being 
 initiated, well I read the mysteries. And opening from 
 the long-descending passage 1 found chambers where- 
 on were paintings beautiful to behold, and of all man- 
 ner of things. For beneath each chamber is entombed 
 the master of the craft whereof the paintings tell, he 
 who was the chief of the servants of the craft in the 
 house of the divine Rameses. And on the walls of the 
 last chamber — on the left-hand side, looking toward 
 the hall of the sarcophagus — are paintings exceeding 
 beautiful, and two blind Harpers playing upon their 
 bent harps even before the God Mou ; and beneath the 
 floor these Harpers, who harp no more, are soft at 
 sleep. Here, then, in this gloomy place,'even in the 
 tomb of the Harpers and the company of the dead, I 
 took up my abode ; and here for eight long years did 
 I work out my penance and make atonement for my 
 sin. But Atoua, because she loved to be near the 
 light, abode in the chamber of Boats — ^that is, the first 
 
CLEOPATRA. 219 
 
 chamber on the right-hand side of the gallery looking 
 toward the hall of the Sarcophagus. 
 
 And this was the manner of my life. On every sec- 
 ond day the old wife, Atoua, went forth and brought 
 from the city water and such food as is necessary to 
 keep the life from failing, and also tapers made from 
 fat. And one hour at the time of sunrise and one hour 
 at the time of sunset did I go forth also to wander in 
 the valley for my health's sake and to save my sight 
 from failing in the great darkness of the tomb. But 
 the other hours of the day and night, save w^hen I 
 climbed the mountain to watch the course of the stars, 
 I spent in prayer and meditation and sleep, till the 
 cloud of sin lifted from my heart and once more I drew 
 near to the Gods, though with Isis, my heavenly 
 Mother, I might speak no more. And exceeding -wise 
 I grew also, pondering on all the mysteries whereto I 
 held the key. For abstinence and prayer and sorrow- 
 ful solitude wore away the grossness of my flesh, and 
 with the eyes of the Spirit I learned to look deep into 
 the heart of things till the joy of Wisdom fell like dew 
 upon my soul. 
 
 Soon was the rumor wafted about the city that a 
 certain holy man named Olympus abode in solitude in 
 the tombs of the awful Valley of the Dead ; and hither 
 came people bearing sick that I might cure them. 
 And I gave my mind to the study of simples, wherein 
 Atoua Instructed me ; and by lore and the weight of 
 thought I gained great skill in medicine, and healed 
 many sick. And thus *ver, as time went on, my fame 
 was noised abroad ; for it was said that I was also a 
 magician, and that in the tombs I had commune with 
 the spirits of the dead. And this, indeed, I did — 
 though it is not lawful for me to speak of these matters. 
 Thus, then it came to pass that no more need Atoua 
 go forth to seek food and water, for the people brought 
 it — more than was needful, for no fee would I receive. 
 Now at first, fearing lest some might in the hermit 
 Olympus know the lost Harmachis, I would only meet 
 those who came, in the darkness of the tomb. But 
 afterward, when I learned how through all the land 
 'twas held that Harmachis was certainly no more, I 
 
220 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 came forth and sat in the mouth of the tomb, and min- 
 istered to the sick, and at times calculated nativities 
 for the great. And thus my fame grew continually, 
 till at length folk journeyed even from Memfl and 
 Alexandria to visit me ; and from them I learned how 
 Antony had left Cleopatra for a while, and, Fulvia 
 being dead, had married Octavia, the sister of Caesar. 
 Many other things I learned also. 
 
 And in the second year this I did ; I despatched the 
 old wife, Atoua, disguised as a seller of simples, tf 
 Alexandria, bidding her seek out Charmion, and, ii 
 yet she found her faithful, reveal to her the secret of 
 nay way of life. So she went, and in the fifth month 
 from her sailing returned, bearing Charmion's greet- 
 ings and a token. And she told me that she had 
 found means to see Charmion, and, in talk, had let fall 
 the name of Harmachis, speaking of me as one dead ; 
 whereat Charmion, unable to control her grief, wept 
 aloud. Then, reading her heart — for the old wife was 
 very clever, and held the key of knowledge — she told 
 her that Harmachis yet lived, and sent her greetings. 
 Thereon Charmion wept yet more with joy, and kissed 
 the old wife, and made her gifts, bidding her tell me 
 that ever she kept her vow, and waited for my coming 
 and the hour of vengeance. So, having learned many 
 secrets, Atoua returned again to TSpe. 
 
 And in the following j^ear came- messengers to me 
 f ror^ Cleopatra, bearing a' sealed roll and great gifts. 
 I opened the roll and read therein : 
 
 *' Cleopatra to Olympus, the learned Egyptian who 
 dwelleth in the Valley of Death by TApe ! 
 " The fame of thy renown, O learned Olympus, hath 
 reached our ears. Tell thou, then, this to us, and if 
 thou tellSst aright greater honor and wealth shalt 
 thou have than any in Egypt : How shall we win 
 back the love of noble Antony, who is bewitched of 
 cmming Octavia and tarries long from us ?" 
 
 And herein I saw the hand of Charmion, who had 
 made known my renown to Cleopatra. 
 
 All that night I took counsel with my wisdom, and 
 on the morrow wrote my answer as it was put into my 
 
OLEOPATEA. 221 
 
 heart to the destruction of Cleopatra and of Antony. 
 And thus I wrote :' 
 
 " Olympus the Egyptian- to Cleopatra the Queen! 
 
 " Go forth into Syria with one who shall be sent to 
 lead thee ; thus shalt thou win Antony to thy arms 
 again, and with him gifts more great than thou canst 
 dream." 
 
 And with this letter I dismissed the messengers, 
 bidding them share the presents sent by Cleopatra 
 among their company. 
 
 So they went wondering. 
 
 But Cleopatra, seizing oh the advice to which her 
 
 Sassion prompted her, departed straightway with 
 'ohteius Capito into Syria ; and there the thing came 
 about as I had foretold, for Antony was subdued of 
 her and gave her the greater part of Cilicia, the 
 ocean shore of Arabia Nabathsea, the balm-bearing 
 provinces of Judgea, the province of Phoenicia, the 
 province of Coelo-Syria, the rich Isle of Cyprus, and 
 all the library of Pergamus. And to the twin children 
 that, with the son Ptolemy, Cleopatra had borne to 
 Antony, did he impiously give the names of " Kings, 
 the Children of Kings" — of Alexander Helios, as the 
 Greeks name Ra (the sun), and of Cleopatra Selene, 
 the long- winged (the moon). 
 
 These things, then, came to pass. 
 - Now, on her return to Alexandria Cleopatra sent me 
 great gifts, of which I would have none, and prayed 
 me, the learned Olympus, to come to her at Alexan- 
 dria ; but it was not yet time, and I would not. But 
 thereafter did she and Antony send many times to me 
 for counsel, and ever I counselled them to their ruin, 
 nor did my prophecies fail. 
 
 Thus the long years rolled away, and I, the Hermit 
 Olympus, the dweller in a tomb, the eater of bread 
 and the drinker of water, became by slirength of the 
 wisdom that was given me of the avenging Power, 
 once more great in Khem. For ever I grew wiser as I 
 trampled the desires of the flesh beneath my feet and 
 turned my eyes to heaven. 
 At length eight full years were accomplished. ' The 
 
222 CLEOPATEA. 
 
 war with the Parthians had come and gone, and 
 Artavasdes, King of Armenia, had been led in triumph 
 through the streets of Alexandria. Cleopatra had 
 visited Samos and Athens ; and, by her counselling, 
 the noble Octavia had been driven, like some discarded 
 concubine, from the house of Antony at Rome. And 
 now, at the last, was the measure of the folly of Antony 
 full even to the brim. For this master of the world 
 had ho longer the good gift of reason — in Cleopatra 
 was he lost, even as I had been lost. And therefore, 
 in the event, did Octavianus declare war against 
 him. 
 
 And as I slept at night in the chamber of the Har- 
 pers, in the tomb of Pharaoh that is by Tape, there 
 came to me a vision of my father, the aged Amenem- 
 hat, and he stood over me, leaning on his staff, and 
 spoke, saying : 
 
 "Arise, my son ! — the hour of vengeance is at hand ! 
 Thy plots have not failed ; thy prayers have been 
 heard. By the bidding of the Gods, as she sat in her 
 galley at the flght of Actium, I filled the heart of 
 Cleopatra with fears, so that she fled with aU her fleet. 
 Now is the strength of Antony broken on the sea. Go 
 forth, and even as shall be thy mind, so do thou." 
 
 In the morning I awoke, wondering, and went to the 
 mouth of the tomb ; and there, coming up the valley, 
 I saw the messengers of Cleopatra, and with them a 
 Roman guard. 
 
 " What will ye with me now ?" I asked sternly. 
 
 " This is the message of the Queen and of great An- 
 tony," answered the Captain, bowing low before me, 
 for I was much feared of all men. " The Queen doth 
 command thy presence at Alexandria. Many times 
 hath she sent, and thou wouldst not come : now doth 
 she bid thee to come, and that swiftly, for she hath 
 need of thy counsel." 
 
 "And if I say Nay, soldier, what then?" 
 
 "These are my orders, most holy Olympus : that by 
 force I bring thee." 
 
 i laughed aloud. " By force, thou fool ! TJse not 
 such talk, lest I smite thee where thou art. Know 
 then, I can kill as well as cure !" 
 
CLEOPATKA. 223 
 
 "Pardon, I beseech!" he answered, shrinking. "I 
 say but those things that I am bid." 
 
 " Well I know it, Captain. Fear not, I come." 
 
 So,-on that very day I departed, together with the 
 aged Atoua. Ay, I went as secretly as I had come; 
 and the tomb of the divine Rameses knew me no more. 
 And with me I took all the treasure of my father, 
 Amenemhat, for I was not minded to go to Alexan- 
 dria empty-handed, and as a suppliant : but rather as 
 a man of much wealth and condition. Now, as I went, 
 I learned that Antony, following Cleopatra, had, in- 
 deed, fled from Actium, and knew that the end drew 
 nigh. For this and many other things had I foreseen 
 in the darkness at Tape, and planned to bring about. 
 
 Thus, then, I came to Alexandria, and entered into 
 a house which had been made vea.dj for me at the 
 palace gates. 
 
 And that very night came Charmion unto me — Char- 
 mion, whom for nine long years I had not seen. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 MEETIlirG OF CHARMION WITH THE LEARNED OLYMPFS ; 
 HER SPEECH WITH HIM ; COMING OF OLYMPUS INTO 
 THE PRESENCE OF CLEOPATRA ; THE COMMANDS OF 
 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 Clad in my plain dark robe, I sat in the guest 
 chamber of the bouse that liad been made readj"^ for 
 me. In a carven, lion-footed chair I sat, and looked 
 upon the swinging lamps ofscented oil, the pictured 
 tapestries, the rich Syrian rugs — and, amid all this 
 luxury, bethought me of the tomb of the Harpers that 
 is at Tape, and of the nine long years of dark loneli- 
 ness and preparation. I sat; and crouched upon a 
 rug, nigh to the door, lay the aged Atoua. White 
 was her hair as snow, and shrivelled with age the 
 wrinkled countenance of the woman who. when all 
 
224: CLEOPATRA. 
 
 deserted me, had yet clung to nie, in her great love 
 forgetting my great sins. Nine years ! niae long 
 years ! and now, once agaiin, I set my foot in Alex- 
 andria ! Once again in the appointed circle of things 
 I came forth from the solitude of preparation, to be a 
 fate to Cleopatra; and this second time I came not 
 forth to fail. And yet how changed the circum- 
 stance ! I was out of the story ; my part now was 
 but the part of the sword in the hands of Justice ; no 
 more might I hope to make Egypt free and great and 
 sit upon my lawful throne. Khem was lost, and lost 
 was I, Harmachis. In. the rush and turmoil of events 
 the great plot, whereof I had been the pivot, was 
 covered up and forgotten ; scarce did a memory of it 
 remain. The curtain of dark night was closing in 
 upon the history of my ancient race ; its very Gods 
 were tottering to their fall ; already could I, in the 
 spirit, hear the shriek of the Roman eagles as they 
 flapped their wings above the furthest banks of the 
 Sihor. Presently I roused myself and bade Atoua go 
 search a mirror and bring it to me, that I might look 
 therein. 
 
 And this I saw : a face shrunken and pallid where- 
 on no smile came ; great eyes grown wan with gazing 
 into darkness looking out, beneath the shaven head, 
 emptily as the hollow eye-pits of the skull ; a wizened, 
 halting form wasted by abstinence, sorrow, and prayer; 
 a long, wild beard of iron-gray ; thin, blue- veined 
 hands that ever trembled like a leaf; bowed shoulders, 
 and lessened limbs. Time and grief had done their 
 work, indeed ; scarce could I think myself the same as 
 when, the Royal Harmachis — in all the splendor of 
 my strength and youthful beauty — I first had looked 
 upon the woman's loveUness that did destroy me. 
 And yet within me burned the same flre as of yore ; 
 yet I was not changed, for time and grief have no 
 power to alter the immortal spirit of man. Seasons 
 may come and go ; Hope, like a bird, may fly away ; 
 Passion may break its wings against the iron bars of 
 - J'ate ; illusions may crumble as the cloudy towers of 
 sunset fame ; Faith, as running water, may slip from 
 'neath bur feet; Solitude may stretch itself around us 
 
CLEOPATRA. 225 
 
 like the measureless desert sand ; Old Ag-e may creep 
 as the gathering night over our bowed heads grown 
 hoary in their shame ; — yea, hound to Fortune's wheel, 
 we may taste of every turn of chance — now rule as 
 Kings, now serve as slaves ; now love, now hate ; now 
 prosper, and now perish. But still, through all, we 
 are the same ; for this is the marvel of Identity, 
 
 And as I sat and thought these things in bitterness, 
 there came a knocking at the door. 
 
 " Open, Atoua !" I said. 
 
 She rose and did my bidding ; and a woman entered, 
 clad in the Grecian robes. It was Charmion, stUl 
 beautiful as of old, but sad-faced now and very sweet 
 to see, with a patient fire slumbering in her downcast 
 eye. 
 
 She entered unattended ; and, speaking no word, the 
 old wife pointed to where I sat, and went. 
 
 " Old man," she said, addressing me, "lead me to 
 the learned Olympus. I come upon the Queen's 
 business." 
 
 I rose, and, lifting my head, looked upon her. She 
 gazed, and gave a little cry. 
 
 " Surely," she whispered, glancing round, " surely 
 thou art not that — " And she paused. 
 
 " That Harmachis whom once thy foolish heart did 
 love, O Charmion ? Yea, I am he, and w^hat thou 
 seest, most fair lady. Yet is Harmachis dead whom 
 thou didst love ; but Olympus, the skilled Egyptian, 
 waits upon thy words !" 
 
 " Cease !" she said, " and of the past but one word, 
 and then — why, let it lie. Not well with all thy wis- 
 dom canst thou know a true woman's heart if thou dost 
 believe, Harmachis, that it can change with the 
 changes of the outer form, for then assuredly could no 
 love follow its beloved to that last place of change — 
 jthe Grave. Know thou, learned Physician, I am of 
 that sort who, loving once, love always, and being not 
 beloved again, go virgin to the death." 
 
 She ceased and, having naught to say, I bowed niy 
 head in answer. Yet, though naught I said, and 
 though this woman's passionate folly had been the 
 cause of all our ruin, to speak truth, in secret I was 
 
 15 
 
226 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 thankful to her who, wooed of all and living in this 
 shameless Court, had still through the long years 
 poured out h6r unreturned love upon an outeast, and 
 who, when that poor broken slave of Fortune came 
 back in such unlovely guise, did yet hold him dear 
 at heart. For what man is there who does not prize 
 that gift most rare and beautiful, that one perfect 
 thing which no gold can buy — a woman's unfeigned 
 love ? 
 
 " I thank thee that thou didst not answer," she 
 said; "for the bitter words which thou didst pour 
 upon me in those days that long are dead, and far 
 away in Tarsus, have not lost their poisonous sting, 
 and in my heart is no more place for the arrows of thy 
 scorn, new venomed through thy solitary years. So . 
 let it be. Behold ! I put it from me, that wild passion 
 of my soul," and she looked up and stretched out her 
 hands as though to press some unseen presence back, 
 " I put it from me — though . forget it I may not ! 
 There, 'tis done, Harmachis ; no more shall my love 
 trouble thee. Enough for me that once more my eyes 
 behold thee, before sleep seals thee from their .sight. 
 Dost remember how when I would have died by thy 
 dear hand, thou wouldst not slay, but didst bid me live 
 to pluck the bitter fruit of crime, and be accursed by 
 visions of the evil I had wrought and memories of thee 
 whom I had ruined ?" 
 
 " Ay, Charmion, well do I remember." 
 " Surely hath the cup of punishment been filled. 
 Oh ! couldst thou see into the record of my heart and 
 read thereon the suffering that I have borne — borne 
 with a smiling face — thy justice would be satisfied in- 
 deed!" 
 
 " And yet, if report be true, Charmion, thou art the 
 first of all the Court, and therein the most powerful 
 and beloved. Doth not Octavianus give it forth that 
 he miakes war not on Antony, nor even on his mis— 
 tress, Cleopatra ; but on Charmion and Iras ?" 
 
 " Yea, and think what it has been to me thus, even 
 of my oath to thee, to be forced to eat the bread and 
 do the biddings of one whom so bitterly I hate ! — one 
 who has robbed me of thee, and who, through the 
 
CLEOPATRA. 227 
 
 workings of my jealousy, brought me to be that 
 which I am, brought thee to shame, and all Egypt to 
 its ruin ! Can jewels and riches and the flattery of 
 princes and nobles bring happiness to such a one as I, 
 who am more wretched than the meanest scullion 
 . wench ? Oh, often I have wept till I was blind ; and 
 then, when the hour came, I must arise and tire me, 
 and, with a smile, go do the bidding of the Queen and 
 that heavy Antony. May the Gods grant me to see 
 them dead — ay, .the twain of them ! — ^then myself shall 
 I be content to die ! Hard hath been thy lot, Har- 
 machis ; but at least thou hast been free, and many is 
 the time that I have envied thee the quiet of thy 
 haunted cave." 
 
 " I do perceive, O Charmion, that thou art mindful 
 of thy oaths ; and it is well, for methinks the hour of 
 vengeance is at hand." 
 
 " I am mindful, and in all things have I worked for 
 thee in secret — for thee, and for the utter ruin of Cleo- 
 patra and the Roman. I have fanned his passion and 
 her jealousy, I have egged her on to wickedness and 
 him to folly, and of all have I caused report to be 
 brought to Caesar. Listen ! thus stands the matter. 
 Thou knowest how went the fight at Actium. Thither 
 with her fleet went Cleopatra, sorely against the will 
 of Antony. But, as thou sendestme word, I entreated 
 him for the Queen, vowing to him, with tears, that, 
 did- he leave her, she would die of grief ; and he, poor 
 slave, believed me. And so she went, and in the thick 
 of the fight, for what cause I know not, she made sig- 
 nal to her squadron, and putting about, fled from the 
 battle, sailing for Peloponnesus. And now mark the 
 end. When Antony saw that she was gone, he, 
 in his madness, took a galley, and deserting all, 
 followed hard after her, leaving his fleet to be 
 shattered and sunk, and his-great army in Greece, of 
 twenty legions and twelve thousand horses without a 
 leader. And all this would no man believe, that 
 Antony, the smitten of the gods, had fallen so, deep in 
 shame. Therefore for a while the army tarried, and 
 but now to-night comes news brought by Canidius, the 
 General, that, worn with doubt and being at length 
 
228 CLEOPATEA. 
 
 sure that Antony bad deserted them, the whole of 
 that great force hath yielded to Csesar." 
 
 *-' And where, then, is Antony ?" 
 
 "On a little isle in the Great Harbor hath he built 
 him a habitation and named it Timonium ; because, 
 forsooth, like Timon, he cries out of the ingratitude of 
 mankind that hath forsaken him. And there he lies 
 smitten by a fever of the mind, and thither must thou 
 go at dawn, so wills the Queen, to cure him of his ills 
 and draw him to her arms ; for her he will not see, nor 
 knows he yet the full measure of his woe. But first 
 my bidding is to lead thee instantly to Cleopatra, who 
 fain would ask thy counsel." 
 
 " I come," I answered, rising. " Lead thou on." 
 
 And so we passed the palace gates and along the 
 Alabaster Hall, and presently once again I stood be- 
 fore the door of Cleopatra's chamber, and once again 
 Charmion left me to warn her of my coming. 
 
 Presently she came back and beckoned to me. 
 " Make strong thy heart," she whispered, " and see 
 that thou dost not betray thyself, for still are the eyes 
 of Cleopatra keen. Enter." 
 
 " Keen, indeed, must they be to find Harmachis in 
 the learned Olympus ! — Had I not willed it, thyself 
 thou hadst not known me, Charmion," I made answer. 
 
 Then I entered that remembered place and listened 
 once more to the splash of the fountain, the song of 
 the nightingale, and the murmur of the summer sea. 
 With bowed head and halting gait I came, till at 
 length I stood before the couch of Cleopatra — that 
 same golden couch wheron she had sat the night she 
 did o'ei-come me. Then I gathered my strength and 
 looked up. There before me was Cleopatra, glorious 
 as of old, but, oh ! how changed since that night when 
 I saw Antony clasp her in his arms at Tarsus ! Her 
 beauty still clothed her like a garment ; the eyes were 
 yet deep and unfathomable as the blue sea. The face ' 
 . still splendid in its great loveliness. And yet all was 
 changed. Time, that could not touch her charms, had [ 
 stamped upon her presence such a look of weary griel 
 as may not be written. Passion, beating ever in that 
 fierce heart of hers, had written his record on her 
 
CLEOPATRA. 229 
 
 "brow, and in her eyes shone the sad light of sor- 
 row. 
 
 . Low I bowed before this most royal woman, who 
 once had been my love and my destruction, and yet 
 knew me not. 
 
 She looked up wearily, and spoke in her slow, well- 
 remembered voice : , 
 
 " So thou art come at length. Physician. How call- 
 est thou thyself — Olympus ? 'Tis a name of promise, 
 for surely now that the Gods of Egj'^pt have deserted 
 us, we do need aid from Olympus. Well, thou hast a 
 learned air, for learning goes not with beauty. Strange, 
 too, there is that about thee which doth recall what I 
 know not. Say, Olympus, have we met before ?" 
 
 " Never, O Queen, have my eyes fallen on thee in 
 the body," I answered. " Never till this hour, when I 
 come forth from my solitude to do thy bidding and 
 cure thee of thy ills." 
 
 " Strange ! and even in the voice Pshaw ! 'tis 
 
 some memory that I cannot catch. In the body thou 
 sayest ? then, perchance, I knew thee in a dream ?" 
 
 " Ay, O Queen ; in dreams have we met." 
 
 " Thou art a strange man who talkest thus, but if 
 what I hear be true, one well learned ; and, indeed, I 
 do mind me of thy counsel' when thou didst bid me join 
 my Lord Antony in Syria, and how things befell ac- 
 cording to thy word. Skilled must thou be in the 
 casting of nativities and in the law of auguries, where- 
 of these Alexandrian fools have little knowledge. 
 Once knev/ I such another man, one Harmachis," and 
 she sighed ; " butrlong is he dead — as I would I were ! 
 — and at times I sorrow for him." She paused, while 
 I sank my head upon my breast and stood silent. 
 
 " Interpret me this, Olympus. In the battle at that 
 accursed Actium, just as the flght raged thickest and 
 victory began to smile upon us, a great terr-or seized 
 my heart, and thick darkness seemed to fall before my 
 eyes, while in my ears a voice cried, "^My I fly or per- 
 ish !' and I fled. But from my heart the terror leapt 
 to the heart of Antony, and he followed after me, and 
 thus was the battle lost. Say, then, what God 
 brought this evil thing about ?" '' 
 
230 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 "Nay, Queen," I answered, "it was no God — for 
 wherein hast thou angered the Gods of Eg-ypt ? Hast 
 thou robbed the temples of their faith ? Hast thou 
 betrayed the trust of Egypt ? Having done none of 
 these things, how, then, can the Gods of Egypt be 
 Tvroth with thee ? Fear not, 'twas naught but some 
 natural vapor of the mind that o'ercame thy gentle 
 soul made sick with the sight and sound of slaughter ; 
 and as for the noble Antony where thou didst go needs 
 must that he should follow." 
 
 And as I spoke Cleopatra turned white and trembled, 
 glancing at me the while to find my meaning. But 
 well I knew that the thing was of the avenging Gods, 
 for, by their will, I myself had some hand therein. 
 
 "Learned Olympus," she said, not answering my 
 words; "my Lord Antony is sick and crazed with 
 grief. Like some poor hunted slave he hides himself 
 in yonder sea-girt tower and shuns. mankind — yea, e'en 
 . me he shuns, who, for his sake, endures so many woes. 
 Now, this is my bidding to thee. To-morrow, at the 
 coming of the light, do thou, led by" Charmion, mys 
 waiting lady, take, boat and row thee to the Tower 
 and there crave entry, saying that ye bring tidings 
 from the army. Then will ho cause you to be let in, 
 and thou, Charmion, must break this heavy news that 
 Canidius bears ; for Canidius himself I dare not send. 
 And when his grief is past, do thou, Olympus, soothe 
 his fevered frame with thy draughts of value, and his 
 soul with honeyed words, and draw him back to me, 
 and all will yet be well. Do thou this and thou shalt 
 have gifts more than thou canst count, for I am yet a 
 Queen and yet can pay back those who serve my 
 will." 
 
 " Fear not, O Queen," I answered, " this thing shall 
 "be done, and no reward ask I who have come hither to 
 do thy bidding to the end." 
 
 So I went and, summoning Atoua, made ready a 
 certain potion- 
 
CLEOPATRA. 231 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 OF THE DRAWIKG POKTH OP ANTONY FROM THE TIMONIUM 
 BACK TO CLEOPATKA ; OP THE FEAST MADE BY CLEO- 
 PATRA ; AND OF THE MANNER OF THE DEATH OF EUDOSIUS 
 THE STEWARD. 
 
 Ere it was yet dawn came Charmion once again, 
 and we walked to the private harbor of the palace. 
 There, taking . boat, we rowed to the island mount 
 whereon stands the Timoniura, a vaulted tower, strong', 
 small and round. And having landed, we twain came 
 to the door and knocked thereon, till at length a grat- 
 ing was thrown open in the door, and an aged eunuch, 
 looking forth, roughly asked our business. 
 
 "Our business is with the Lord Antony," said Char- 
 mion. 
 
 " Then it is no business, for Antony, my master, sees 
 neither man or woman." 
 
 " Yet will he see us, for we bring tidings. Go tell 
 him that the Lady Charmion brings tidings from the 
 army." 
 
 The man went, and presently returned. 
 
 " The Lord Antony would know if the tidings be 
 good or ill, for, if ill, then will he none of it, for with 
 evil tidings hath he been overfed of late.'-' 
 
 " Why^-why, 'tis both good and ill. Open, slave, I 
 will make answer to thy master !" and she slipped a 
 purse of gold through the bars. 
 
 "Well, well," he grumbled as he took the purse, 
 " the times are hard, and likely to be harder ; for 
 when the lion's down who will feed the jackal ? Give 
 thy news thyself, and if it do but draw the noble An- 
 tony out of this hall of Groans, I care not what it be. 
 Now, the palace door is open, and there's the road to 
 the banqueting chamber !" 
 
 We passed on, to find ourselves in a narrow passage. 
 
232 T CLEOPATRA. 
 
 and, leaving the eunuch to bar the door, advanced till 
 we came to a curtain. Through this we went, and 
 found ourselves in a vaulted chamber, ill-lighted from 
 ' the roof. On the further side of this rude chamber 
 was abed of rugs, and thereon crouched the figure of a 
 man his face hid in the folds of his toga. 
 
 " Most noble Antony," said Charmion, drawing 
 near, " unwrap thy face and hearken unto me, for I 
 bring thee tidings." 
 
 Then he lifted up his head. Marred was his face by 
 sorrow ; his tangled hair, grizzled with years," hung 
 about his hollow eyes, and white on his chin was the 
 stubble of an unshaven beard. Squalid was his robe, 
 and more wretched his aspect than that of the poorest 
 beggar at the Temple gates. To this, then, had the 
 love of Cleopatra brought the glorious and reiiowed 
 Antony, aforetime Master of Half the World 1 
 
 "What will ye with me, Lady," he asked, "who 
 would perish here alone? And who is this man who 
 comes to gaze on fallen and forsaken Antony ?" 
 
 " This is Olympus, noble Antony, that wise physi 
 cian, the skilled in auguries, of whom thou hast heard 
 much, and who Cleopatra, ever mindful of thy welfare, 
 though but little thou dost think of hers, hath sent to 
 minister to thee." 
 
 " And can thy physician minister to a grief such as 
 my grief ? Can his drugs give me back my galleys, 
 my honor, and my peace ? Nay ! Away with "thy physi- 
 cian ! What is thy tidings ? quick — out with it ! Hath 
 Canidius, perchance, conquered Caesar? Tell me but 
 that, and thou shalt have a province for thy guerdon 
 — ay ! and if Octavianus be dead, twenty thousand 
 sestertia to fill its treasurJ^ Speak — nay ; speak not ! 
 I fear the opening of thy lips as never I feared an 
 earthly thing ! Surely the wheel of Fortune hath 
 gone round and Canidius hath conqaered ? Is it not 
 so ? Nay — :Out with it ! I can no more !" 
 
 "O noble Antony !" she said, " steel thy heart to 
 hear that which I needs must tell thee ! Canidius is 
 in Alexandria, He hath fied fast and far, and this is 
 his report. For seven whole days did the legions wait 
 the coming of Antony, as aforetime, to lead them, to 
 
CLEOPATRA. 233 
 
 ;^ctory, putting aside the offers of the envoys of Caesar. 
 But Antony came not. And then 'twas rumored that 
 Antony had fled to Tsenarus, drawn thi(her by Cleo- 
 patra. The man who first brought that tale to the 
 camp the legionaries cried shame on— ay, and beat him 
 to the death ! But ever it grew, until at length there 
 was no more room to doubt ; and then, O Antonj', thy 
 ofiicers slipped one by one away to Csesar, and where 
 the oflacers go there the men follow. Nor is this all the 
 story ; for thy allies— Bocchus of Africa, Tarcondi- 
 motus of Cilicia, Mithridates of Commagene, Adallas of 
 Thrace, Philadelphus of Paphlagonia, Archelaus of 
 Cappadocia, Herod of Judsea, Amyntas of Galatia, 
 Polemon of Pontus, and Malchus of Arabia— all, all 
 have fled or bid their generals fly back to whence they 
 came ; and already their ambassadors do crave cold 
 Csesar's clemency." 
 
 " Hast done thy croaking, thou raven in a peacock's 
 dress, or Is there more to come ?" asked the smitten 
 man, lifting his white and trembling face from the 
 shelter of his hands. " Tell me more ; say that 
 Egypt's dead in all her beauty, say that Octavianus 
 lowers at the Canopic gate, and that, headed by dead 
 Cicero, all the ghosts of hell do audibly shriek out the 
 fall of Antony ! Yea, gather up every woe that can 
 o'erwhelm those who once were great, and loose them 
 on the hoary head of him whom — in thy gentleness — 
 thou art still pleased to name ' the noble Antony !'" 
 
 " Nay, my lord, I have done." 
 
 "Nay, and so have' I done — done, quite done ! 'Tis 
 altogether finished, and thus I seal the end," and 
 snatching a sword from his couch he would, indeed, 
 nave slain himself had I not sprung forward and 
 grasped his hand. For it was not my purpose that he 
 should die as yet; since, had he died at that hour, Cleo- 
 patra had made her peace with Csesar, who rather 
 wished the death of Antony- than the ruin of Eg5'pt. 
 
 " Art mad, Antony ? Art indeed a coward ?" cried 
 Charmion, " that thou wouldst thus escape thy woes 
 and leave thy partner to face the sorrow out alone ?" 
 
 " Why not, woman ? Why not ? She would not be 
 long alone. There's Caesar to keep her company. 
 
234 CLEOPATEA. 
 
 Octavianus loves a fair woman in his cold way, and 
 still is Cleopatra fair. Come now, thou Olympus ! 
 thoii hast held my hand from dealing death upon my- 
 self, advise me of thy wisdom. Shall I, then, submit 
 myself to Cassar, and, I, Triumvir, twice Consul, and 
 aforetime absolute Monarch of all the East, endure to 
 follow in his triumph along those Roman ways where I 
 myself have passed in triumph ?" 
 
 "Nay, Sire," I answered. "If thou dost yiehl, 
 then art thou doomed. All last night I questioned of 
 the Fates concerning thee, and this I saw : When thy 
 star draws near to Cesar's it pales and is swallowed 
 up ; but when it passes from his radiance, then bright 
 and big it shines, equal in glory to his own. All is not 
 lost, and while some part remains, eveiything maj' be 
 regained. Egypt can yet be held, armies can still be 
 raised. Caesar hath withdrawn himself; he is not yet 
 at the gates of Alexandria, and perchance may be 
 appeased. Thy mind in its fever hath fired thy body ; 
 thou art sick and canst not judge aright. See here, I 
 have a potion that shall make thee whole, for well 
 skilled am I in the art of medicine," and I held outthe 
 phial. 
 
 "A potion, thou sayest, man!" he cried "More 
 like it is a poison, and tliou a murderer, sent by falsef 
 Egypt, who would fain be rid of me now that I may no 
 more be of service to her. The head of Antony is the 
 peace offering she would send to Caesar — she^for whom 
 I have lost all ! Give me thy draught. By Bacchus ! 
 I will drink it, -though it be the very elixir of 
 Death ?" 
 
 " Nay, noble Antony ; it is no poison, and no mur- 
 lereram-I. See, I will taste it, if thou wilt," and I 
 held forth the subtile potion that has power to fire 
 the veins of men. 
 
 "Give it me. Physician. Desperate men are brave 
 men. There ! — Why what is this ? Yours is a 
 magic draught ! My sorrows seem to roll away like 
 thunder clouds before the southern gale, and the 
 spring of Hope blooms fresh upon the desert of my 
 heart. Once more am I Antony, and once again T see 
 my legions' spears a-sparkle in the sun, and hear 
 
CLEOPATRA. 235 
 
 the thunderous shout of welcome as Antony — ^beloved 
 Antony ! — rides in his pomp of war along his deep- 
 formed lines I There's hope ! there's hope ! Yet may 
 1 see the cold brows of Ceesar — that Caesar who never 
 errs except from policy — robbed of their victor bays, 
 and crowned with shameful dust?" 
 
 "Ay," cried Charmion, " there is yet hope, if thou 
 wilt but play the man ! O my Lord ! come back with 
 us ; come back to the loving arms of Cleopatra ! All 
 night she lies upon her golden bed, and fills the hol- 
 low darkness with her groans for 'Antony'! who, 
 enamored now of Grief, forgets his duty and his 
 love !" 
 
 " I come ! I come ' Shame upon me, that I dared to 
 doubt her ! Slave, bring water, and a purple robe : not 
 thus can I be seen of Cleopatra. Even now I come." 
 
 In this fashion, then, did we draw Antony back to 
 Cleopatra, that the ruin of the twain might be teiade 
 sure. 
 
 We led him up the Alabaster Hall and into Cleo- 
 patra's chamber, where she Isij, her cloudy hair about 
 her face and breast, and tears flowing from her deep 
 eyes. 
 
 " O Egypt 1" he cried, " behold me at thy feet !" 
 
 She sprang from the couch. " And art thou here 
 n^; love?^' she murmured ; "then once again are all 
 things well. Come near, and in these arms forget 
 thy sorrows and turn my grief to joy. Ohj Antony, 
 while love is left to us, still have we all !" 
 
 And she fell upon his breast and wildly kissed him. 
 
 That same day Charmion came to me and bade me 
 prepare a poison of the most deadly power. And 
 this at first I would not do, fearing that Cleopati-a 
 would therewith make an end of Antony before the 
 time. But Charmion showed me that this was not 
 so, and showed to me also for what purpose was the 
 poison. Therefore I suimmoned Atoua, the skilled in 
 simples, and all that afternoon we labored at the 
 deadly work. And when it was done, Charmion came 
 once more, bearing with her a chaplet of fresh roses 
 that she bade me steep in the poison. 
 
 This then I did. 
 
236 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 That night at the great feast of Cleopatra I sat 
 nigh to Antony; who was at her side, and wore the 
 poisoned wreatli. Now, as the feast went on, fast 
 flowed the wine, till Antony and the Queen grew 
 merrj'. And she told him of her plans, and of how 
 even now her galleys were being drawn by the canal' 
 that leads from Bubastis on the Pelusiac branch of 
 the Nile, to Clysma at the head of the Bay of Hieraop- 
 olis. For it was her design, should Caesar prove 
 stubborn, to fly with Antony and her treasure down 
 the Arabian Gulf, where Caesar had no fleet, and seek 
 some new home in India, whither her foes might not 
 follow. But, indeed, this plan came to nothing, for 
 the Arabs of Petra burnt the galleys, incited thereto 
 by a message sent by the Jews of Alexandria, who 
 hated Cleopatra and were hated of her. 
 
 Now, when she had made an end of telling him, the 
 Queen called on him to drink a cup with her to the 
 success of this new scheme, bidding him, as she did so, 
 steep his wreath of roses in the wine, and make the 
 draught more sweet. This, then he did, and it being 
 done, she pledged him. But when he was about to 
 pledge her back, she caught his hand, crying "Hold!" 
 whereat he paused, wondering. 
 
 Now, among the servants of Cleopatra was one Eu- 
 dosius, a steward ; and this Eudosius, seeing that the 
 fortunes of Cleopatra/ were at an end, had laid a plan 
 to fly that very night to Csesar, as had done many of; 
 his betters, taking with him all the treasures in the 
 palace that he could steal. But this design beiing dis- 
 covered to Cleopatra, she determined to be avenged 
 upon Eudosius. ^ i 
 
 "Eudosius," she cried, for the man stood near, 
 " come hither, thou faithful servant ! Seest thou thiS' 
 man, most noble Antony ; through all our troubles he 
 Tiath clung to us and been of comfort to us. Now, 
 therefore, he shall be rewarded according to his deserts 
 and the measure of his faithfulness, and that from 
 thine own hand. Give him thy golden cup of wine, | 
 and let him drink a pledge to our success; the cup 
 shall be his guerdon." 
 
 And still wondering, Antony gave it to the man. 
 
CLEOPATRA. 237 
 
 who, stricken in his guilty mind, took it, and stood 
 trembling. But he drank not.' 
 
 "Drink, thou slave, drink!" cried Cleopatra, half 
 rising from her seat and flashing a fierce look on his 
 white face. " By Serapis I so surely as I yet shall sit 
 in the Capitol at Rome, and thou dost thus flout the 
 Lord Antony, I'll have thee scourged to the hones, 
 and the red wine poured upon thy open wounds to heal 
 them ! Ah ! at length thou drinkest ! Why, what is 
 it, good Eudosius ? art sick ? Surely, then, must this, 
 wine be as the water of jealousy of those Jews, that 
 hath power to slay the false and strengthen the honest 
 only. Go, some of you, search this man's room ; me- 
 thinks he is a traitor !" 
 
 Meanwhile the man stood, his hands to his head. 
 Presently he began to tremble, and then fell, shriek- 
 ing, to the ground. Anon he was on his feet again, 
 clutching at his bosom, as though to tear out the 
 fire in his heart* He staggered, with livid, twisted 
 face and foaming lips, to where Cleopatra lay watch- 
 ing him with a slow and cruel smile. 
 
 "Ah, traitor ! thou hast it now !" she said. " Pri- 
 thee, is death sweet?" 
 
 " Thou wanton !" yelled the dying man, "thou hast 
 poisoned me! Thus mayst thou also perish!" and 
 with one shriek he flung himself upon her. She saw 
 his purpose, and swift and supple as a tiger sprang to 
 one side, so that he did but grasp her Eoyal cloak, 
 tearing it from its emerald clasp. Down he fell upon 
 the ground, rolling over and over in the purple chiton 
 till presently "he lay still and dead, his tormented face 
 and frozen eyes peering ghastly from its folds. 
 
 "Ah!" said the Queen, with a hard laugh, "the 
 slave died wondrous hard, and fain would have drawn 
 me with him. See, he hath borrowed my garment for 
 a pall ! , Take him away and bury him in his livery. " 
 
 "What means Cleopatra?" said Antony, as the 
 guards dragged the corpse away; "the man drank 
 of my cup. What is the purpose of this most sorry 
 jest ?" 
 
 " It serves a double end, noble Antony ! This very 
 night would that man have fled to Octavianus, bear- 
 
238 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 ing- of our treasure with him. Well, I have lent him 
 wings, for the dead fly fast ! Also this : thou didst 
 fear that I should poison thee, my Lord ; nay, I know 
 it. See now, Antony, how easy were it that I should 
 slay thee if I had the will. That wteath of roses which 
 thou didst steep within the cup is dewed with deadly 
 bane. Had I, then, a mind to make an end of thee, I 
 had not stayed thy hand. O Antony, henceforth trust 
 me ; sooner would I slay mj'^self than harm one hair 
 of thy beloved head ! See, here come my messengers ! 
 Speak, what did ye find ?" 
 
 " Royal Eg'ypt, this we found. All things in the- 
 chamber of Eudosius are made ready for flight, and 
 in his baggage is much treasure." 
 
 "Thou hearest ?" said she, smiling darkly. " Think 
 ye, my loyal servants all, that Cleopatra is one with 
 whom it is well to play the traitor ? Be warned by 
 this Roman's fate!" "" 
 
 Then a great silence of fear fell upon the company, 
 and Antony sat also silent. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 THE LEARNED OLYMPUS AT MEMPI ; POISONINGS ; SPEECH 
 OP ANTONY TO HIS CAPTAINS ; PASSING OP ISIS PKOM 
 THE LAND OP KHEM. 
 
 Now must I, Harmachis, make speed with this my 
 task, setting down that which is permitted as shortly 
 as may be, and leaving mucli untold. For of this am 
 I warned, that Doom draws on and my days are well 
 nigh sped. After the drawing forth of Antony from 
 the Timonium came that heavy time of quiet which 
 heralds the rising of the desert wind. Antony and 
 Cleopatra once again gave themselves up to luxury', 
 and night by night feasted in splendor at the palace. 
 They sent ambassadors to Caesar ; but Csesar would 
 have none of them ; and, this hope being gone, they 
 
CLEOPATRA. 239 
 
 turned their minds to the defense of Alexandria. Men 
 were gathered, ships were built, and a great force 
 was made ready against the coming of Csesar. 
 
 And now, aided by Charmion, I began my last work, 
 of hate and vengeance. Deep I wormed myself into 
 the secrets of the palace, counselling all things for 
 evil. I bade Cleopatra keep Antony gay, lest he 
 should brood upon his sorrows ; and thus she sapped " 
 his strength and energy with luxury and wine. I 
 gave him of my draughts— draughts that sank his 
 soul in dreams of happiness and power, leaving him 
 to wake to the heavier misery. Soon, without my 
 healing medicine he could not sleep, and thus, being 
 ever at his side, I bound his weakened will to mine, 
 till at last little would he do if I said not " it is weli." 
 Cleopatra, also grown very superstitious, leaned much 
 upon me; f6r I prophesied falsely to her in secret. 
 Moreover, I wove other webs. Great was my fame 
 throughout Egypt, for during the long years that I 
 had dwelt in Tape it had spread through all the land. 
 Therefore came many men of note to me, both for 
 their health's sake and because it was known that I 
 had the ear of Antony and the Queen ; and, in these 
 days of doubt and trouble, fain were they to learn the 
 truth. All these men I worked upon with doubtful 
 words, sapping their loyalty ; and many I caused to 
 fall away, and yet none could bear an evil report of 
 what I had said. Moreover, Cleopatra, sent me to 
 Memfi, there to move the Priests and Governors that 
 they should gather men in Upper Egypt for the de- 
 fense of Alexandria. And I went and spoke to the 
 Priests with such a double meaning and with so much 
 wisdom that they knew me to be one of the initiated in 
 the deeper mysteries. But how I, Olympus the physi- 
 cian, came thus to be initiated none might say. And 
 afterward they sought me secretly, and I gave them 
 the holy sign of brotherhood, and thereunder bade 
 them not to ask who I might be, but send no aid to 
 Cleopatra. Rather, I said, must they make peace 
 with Csesar for by Caesar's grace only could the wor- 
 ship of the Gods endure in Khem. So, having taken 
 counsel of tJ^'* holy Apis, they promised in public to 
 
240 CLEOPATRA. - 
 
 give telp to Cleopatra, but in secret sent an embassy 
 to Caesar. 
 
 Thus then it came to pass that but little aid did 
 Egypt give to its hated Macedonian Queen. Thence 
 from Memfl I came once more to Alexandria, and 
 having made report, continued my secret work. Arid 
 Indeed, the Alexandrians could not easily be stirred, 
 for, as they say in the market place, " The ass looks 
 at the burden and is blind to the master." So long 
 had Cleopatra oppressed them that the Roman was 
 like a welcome friend. 
 
 Thus the time passed on, and every night found 
 Cleopatra with fewer friends than that which had 
 gone before, for in evil, days friends fly like swallows 
 bjfore the frost. Yet she would not give up Antony, 
 whom she loved ; though to my knowledge did Ca;sar, 
 03^ his freedraan, Thyreus, make promise to her of 
 her dominions for herself and for her children if she 
 "would but slave Antony, or even betray him bound. 
 But hereunto a woman's heart (for still she had a 
 heart) would not consent, and, therefore, of necessity 
 must we hold him to her, lesb, Antony escaping or 
 being slain, Cleopatra might ride out the storm and 
 yet be Queen of Egypt. And this grieved me, because 
 Antony, though weak, was still a brave man and a 
 great ; and moreover, in my own heart I read the les- 
 son of his woes. For were we not akin in wretched- 
 ness ? Had not the same woman robbed us of empire, 
 friends, and honor ? But pity has no place in politics, 
 nor could it turn my feet from the path of vengeance 
 it was ordained that t should tread. Csesar drew 
 nigh ; Pelusium fell ; the end was at hand. 'Twas 
 Charmionwho brought the tidings to the Queen and 
 Antony, as they slept in the heat of the day, and with 
 her I came. ; 
 
 "Awake!" she cried. "Awake! This is no time 
 for sleep ! Seleucus hath surrendered Pelusium unto 
 C«sar, who marches straight on Alexandria '." 
 
 With a great oath Antony sprang up and clutched 
 Cleopatra by the arm. 
 
 " Thou hast betrayed me— by the Gods I swear it ! 
 Now thou Shalt pay the price !" And snatching up 
 his sword he drew it. . , 
 
CLEOPATRA. 341 
 
 " Stay thy hand, Antony I" she cried. " It is false 
 — naught know I of this !" . And she sprang upon him, 
 and clung- about his neck, weeping. " Naught icnow 
 I, my Lord. Take thou the wife of Seleucus and his 
 little children, whom I hold in guard, and avenge thy- 
 self. O, Antony ! Antony ! why dost thou doubt 
 me ?" 
 
 Then Antony threw down his sword upon the mar 
 ble, and, casting himself upon the couch, hid his face 
 and groaned in bitterness of spirit. 
 
 But Charmion smiled, for she it was who had sent 
 secretly to Seleucus, her friend, counselling . him to 
 surrender forthwith, saying that at Alexandria would 
 no fight be made. And that very night Cleopatra 
 took all her great store of pearls and emeralds — those 
 that remained of the treasure of Menka-ra — all her 
 wealth of gold, ebony, ivory, and cinnamon, treasure 
 without price, and placed it in the mausoleum of gran- 
 ite, which after our Egyptian fashion, she had built 
 upon the hiU that is by the Temple of the holy Isis, 
 These riches she piled up upon a bed of flax, that when 
 she fired it all might perish in the flame and escape the 
 greed of money-loving Octavianus. And in this tomb 
 henceforth she slept, away from Antony ; but in the 
 day time still she saw him at the palace. 
 
 But a little while after, when Caesar with all his 
 great force had already crossed the Canopic mouth of 
 the Nile, and was hard on Alexandria, I came to the 
 palace whither Cleopatra had summoned me. There I 
 found her in the Alabaster Hall, royally clad, a wild 
 light in her eyes, and with her Iras and Charmion, and 
 before her guards ; and stretched here and there upon 
 the marble, bodies of dead men, among whom lay one 
 yet dying, 
 
 " Greeting thou Olympus !" she cried. "Here is a, 
 sight to glad a physician's heart — ^men dead, and men 
 sick unto death !" 
 "What doest thou, O Queen ?" I said, affrighted. 
 
 " What do I ? I do justice on these criminals and 
 traitors ; and, Olympus, I learn the ways of death. 
 Six different poisons have I caused to be given to these 
 slaves, and with an attentive eye have watched their 
 
 16 
 
atJ CLEOPATRA. 
 
 "working-. That man," and she pointed to a Nubian, 
 " he went mad and raved of his native deserts and his 
 mother. He thought himself a child again, poor fool ! 
 and bade her hold him close to her breast and save him 
 from the darkness which drew near. And that Greek, ; 
 he shrieked, and shrieking, died. And this he wept ; 
 and prayed for pity, and in the end, like a coward, 
 breathed his last. Now, note the Egyptian yonder, he 
 "who still lives and groans ; the first he took the draught 
 — the deadliest draught of all they swore — and yet the 
 slave so dearly loves his life he will not leave it ! See 
 he yet strives to throw the poison from him ; twice 
 have I given him the cup and yet he is athirst. What 
 a drunkard have we here ! Man, mar*, knowest thou 
 not that in death only can peace be found ! Struggle 
 ho more, but enter into rest." And even as she spoke 
 the man, with a great cry, gave up the spirit. 
 
 '•There !" she cried, " at length the farce is played 
 — away with those slaves whom I have forced through 
 the difficult gates of Joy !" and she clapped her hands. 
 But when they had drawn the bodies thence she drew 
 me to her and thus she spoke : 
 
 "Olympus, for all thy prophecies, the end is at hand. 
 Caesar must conquer, and I and my Lord Antony be 
 lost. Now, therefore, the play being well nigh done, 
 must I make ready to leave this stage of earth in such 
 fashion as becomes a Queen. For this cause, then, do I 
 make trial of these poisons, seeing that in my person 
 must I soon endure those agonies of death that to-day 
 I give to others. These drugs please me not : some 
 wrench out the soul with cruel pains and some too 
 slowly work their end. But thou art skilled in the 
 medicines of death. Now, do thou prepare me such a 
 draught as shall, pangless, steal my life away." And 
 as I listened the sense of triumph filled my bitter . 
 heart, for I know now that b^"^ my own hand should 
 this ruined woman die and the justice of the Gods be 
 done. 
 
 "Spoken like a Queen, O Cleopatra!" I said. 
 " Death shall cure thy ills, and I will brew such a wine 
 as shall draw him down a sudden friend and sink thee 
 in a sea of slumber whence, upon this earth, thou shalt 
 
CLEOPATRA. 24» 
 
 never wake ag-ain. Oli ! fear not Death : Death is thy 
 true friend ; and, surely, sinless and pure of heart 
 Shalt thou pass into the dreadful presence of the 
 Gods !" ^ 
 
 She trembled. " And if the heart be not altogether 
 pure, tell me — thou dark man — what then ? Nay I fear 
 not the Gods ! for if the Gods of Hell be men, there- 
 shall I queen it also. At the least, having- once been, 
 royal, royal shall 1 ever be." 
 
 And as she spoke, suddenly from the palace g-ates- 
 came a g-reat clamor and the noise of joyful shouting. 
 
 " Why, what is this ?" she said, springing from her 
 couch. 
 
 " Antony ! Antony !" rose the cry — " Antony hath 
 conquered !" 
 
 Swiftly she turned and ran, her long hair streaniing 
 on the wind. I followed her, more slowly, down the 
 great hall, across courtyards to the palace gates. And 
 here she met Antony, riding through them, radiant 
 with smiles and clad in his Roman armor. When he 
 saw her he leaped to the ground, and, all armed as he- 
 was, clasped her to his breast. 
 
 " What is it ?" she cried ; " is Caesar fallen ?" 
 
 " Nay, not altogether fallen, Egypt : but we have 
 beat his horsemen back to their trenches, and, like the 
 beginning', so shall be the end, for as they say here, 
 ' Where the head goes the tail will follow.' Moreover,. 
 Caesar has my challenge and if he will but meet me 
 hand to hand, soon shall the world see which is the 
 better man, Antony or Octavian." And even as he 
 spoke and the people cheered, there came the cry of 
 "A messenger from C^sar !" 
 
 The herald entered, and, bowing low, gave a writing 
 to Antony, bowed again, and went. Cleopatra snatch- 
 ed it from his hand, broke the silk, and read aloud: 
 
 " Ccesar to Antony. Greeting : 
 
 " This answer to thy challenge: Can Antony find na 
 better way of death than beneath the sword of Caesar ? 
 Farewell !" 
 
 And thereafter they cheered no more. 
 
244 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 The darkness came, and ere it was midnig-ht, having 
 feasted with those friends who to-night wept over his 
 woes and to-morrow should betray him, Antony went 
 forth into the gathering of the Captains of the land 
 forces and of the fleet attended by many, among whom ; 
 was I. 
 
 And when all were come together he spoke to them, 
 standing bareheaded in their midst, beneath the radi- 
 ance of the moon. And thus he most nobly spoke: 
 
 " Friends and companions in arms ! who yet cling to 
 me, and whom many a time I have led to victory, 
 hearken to me now who, to-morrow, may lie in the 
 dumb dust, disempired and dishonored. This is our 
 design; no longer will we hang on poised wings above 
 the flood of war, bnt will straightway plunge, per- 
 chance thence to snatch the victor's diadem, or, failing 
 there to drown. Be now but true to me, and to your 
 honor's sake, and stiU may you sit, the most proud of 
 men, at my right hand in the Capitol of Eome. 
 Fail me now, and lost is the cause of Antony and lost 
 are ye. Hazardous indeed must be to-morrow's battle, 
 but many a time have we stood and faced a fiercer 
 peril and ere the sun had sunk once more have driven 
 armies like desert sands before our gale of valor and 
 counted the spoil of hostile kings. What have we to 
 f ea r ? Though allies be fled, still is our array as s trong 
 as Caesar's ! And show we but as high a heart, why I 
 swear to you, upon my princely word, to-morrow night 
 shall I deck yonder Canopic Gate with the heads of 
 Octavian and his captains ! Ay, cheer, and cheer 
 again ! I love that martial music which swells not as 
 from the different lips of clarions, now 'neath the 
 breath of Antony and now of Caesar, but rather out 
 the hearts of honest men who love me. Yet — and now 
 I will speak low, as we do speak o'er the bier of some 
 beloved dead— yet, if Fortune should rise against me 
 and if, borne down by the weight of arms, Antony, 
 the soldier dies a soldier's death, leaving you to mourn 
 him who ever was your friend, this is my will, that ! 
 after our rough fashion of the camp I here declare to' 
 you. You know where all my treasure lies. Take it, 
 most dear friends, and, in the memory of Antony, 
 
CLEOPATRA. 245 
 
 make just diyision. Then go to Caesar and speak thus- 
 '•Antony, the dead, to Caesar, the living sends greet- 
 ing, and in the name of ancient fellowship and of many 
 a peril dared crave this boon: the safety of those who 
 clung to him and that which he hath given them.' 
 
 " Nay, let not my tears — ^for I must weep — overflow 
 your eyes ! Why, 'tis not manly ; 'tis most woman- 
 ish ! AH men must die, and death were welcome were 
 it not so lone. Should 1 fall, to your tender care I. 
 leave my children — if, perchance, it maj' avail to save 
 them from the fate of helplessness. Soldiers, enough ! 
 to-morrow at the dawn we spring at Caesar's throat, 
 both by land and sea. Swear that ye will cling to me, 
 even to the last issue !" 
 
 "We swear!" they cried. "Noble Antony, we 
 swear!" 
 
 " 'Tis well ! Once more my star glows bright ; to- 
 morrow, set in the highest heaven, it yet may shine 
 the lamp of Caesar down ! Till then, farewell !" 
 
 He turned to go, and as he went they caught his 
 hand and kissed it ; and so deeply were they moved 
 that many wept like children ; nor could Antony mas- 
 ter his grief, for, in the inoonlight,^ I saw tears roll 
 down his furrowed cheek, and fall upon that mighty 
 breast. 
 
 And, seeing all this, I was much troubled. For 
 well I knew that if these men held firm to Antony all 
 might yet go well for Cleopatra ; and though against 
 Antony I bore no ill will, yet must he fall, and in that 
 fall drag down the woman who, like some poisonous 
 plant, had twined herself about his giant strength 
 till it choked and mouldered in her embrace. 
 
 Therefore, when Antony went, I went not, but 
 stood back in the shadow watching the faces of the 
 loMs and captains as they spoke together. 
 
 "Then it is agreed!" said he who should lead the 
 fleet. "And this we swear to, one and all, that we 
 will cling to noble Antony to the last extremity of for- 
 tune!" 
 
 "Ay! ay!" they answered. 
 
 " Ay ! ay !"_ I said, speaking from the shadow : 
 "cling and die !" 
 
246 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 , Fiercely they turned qpd seized me. 
 
 " Who is he ?•' quoth one. 
 
 " 'Tis that dark-faced dog, Olympus !" cried an^ 
 ■other, " Olympus, the magician !" 
 
 "Olympus the traitor!" growled another; "put 
 an end to him and his magic !" and he drew his sword. 
 
 " Ay ! slay him : he would betray the Lord Antonys 
 "Whom he is paid to doctor." 
 
 "- Hold awhile !" I said in a slow and solemn voice, 
 ■" and beware how ye try to murder the servant of the 
 <aods. I am no traitor. For myself, I abide the event 
 here in Alexandria, but to you I say, Flee, flee to Cas- 
 sar ! I serve Antony and the Queen — I serve them 
 truly ; but above all I serve the holy Gods ; and what 
 they make known to me, that, lords, I do know. And 
 this I know, that Antony is doomed, and Cleopatra is 
 doomed, for Caesar conquers. Therefore because I do 
 honor you, noble gentlemen, and think with pity on 
 your wives left widowed, and your little fatherless 
 children that shall, if ye hold to Antony, be sold as 
 Slaves : therefore I say : Cling to Antony if ye will, 
 and die ; or flee to Csesar and be saved ! And this I 
 say because it is so ordained of the gods." 
 
 "The Gods!" they growled; "what Gods? Slit 
 the traitor's throat and stop his ill-omened talk !" 
 
 " Let him show us a sign from his Gods or let him 
 die ; I do mistrust this man," said another. 
 
 " Stand back, ye fools !" I cried. " Stand back — 
 free mine arms — and I will show you a sign ;" and 
 there was that in my face which frightened them, for 
 they freed me and stood back. Then I lifted up my 
 hands and putting out all my strength of soul search- 
 , ed the depths of space till my Spirit} communed with 
 the Spirit of my Mother Isis. Only the Word of 
 Power I uttered not, as I had been bidden. And the 
 holy mystery of the Goddess answered to my Spirit's 
 cry, falling in awful silence upon the face of earth. 
 Deeper and deeper grew the terrible silence ; even the 
 dogs ceased to howl, and in the city men stood still 
 afeared. Then, from far away, there came the ghost- 
 ly music of the sistra. Faint it was at first, but ever 
 as it came it grew more loud, till the air shivered with 
 
CLEOPATRA. 247 
 
 the unearthly sound of terror. I said naught, but 
 pointed with my hand toward the sky. And behold I 
 bosomed upon the air, floated a vast veil shape that, 
 heralded by the swelling music of the sistra, drew 
 slowly near, till its shadow lay upon us. It came, it 
 passed, it went toward the camp of Caesar, till at lengtli 
 the music slowly died away, and the awful shape 
 was swallowed in the night. 
 
 "^Tis Bacchus !" cried one. " Bacchus, who leaves 
 lost Antony !" and, as he spoke, from all the camp 
 there rose a groan of terror. 
 
 But I knew that it was not Bacchus the false God, but 
 the Divine Isis who deserted Khem, and, passing over 
 the edge of the world, sought her home in space, to be 
 no more known of men. For though her worship is 
 still upheld, though still as she is here and in all 
 Earths, no more doth Isis manifest herself in Khem. 
 I hid my face and prayed, but when I lifted it from 
 my robe, lo ! all had fled and I was alone. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 0¥ THE SURRENDER OP THE TROOPS AND FLEET OF AN- 
 TONY ; THE DEATH OF ANTONT, AND THE BREWING OF 
 THE DRAUGHT OF D-ATH. 
 
 On the morrow, at dawn, Antony came forth and 
 gave command that his fleet should advance against 
 the fleet of Czesar, and that his cavalry should open 
 the land battle with the cavalry of C^sar. Accord- 
 ingly, the fleet advanced in a triple line, and the fleet 
 of Caesar came out -to meet it. But when they met, the 
 galleys of Antony lifted their oars in greeting, and 
 passed over to the galleys of Csesar ; and together 
 they sailed away. And the cavalry of Antony rode 
 forth bej'ond the Hippodrome to charge the cavalry of 
 Caesar; but when they met they lowered their swords 
 and passed over to the camp of Ceesar, deserting 
 
248 CIiEOPATRA. 
 
 Antony. Then Antony grew mad with rage and terri- 
 hle to see. He shouted to his legions to stand firm 
 and await attack; and for a little while they stood. 
 One man, however — that same officer who would have 
 slain me on the yestetnight^strove to fly; but Antony 
 seized him with his own hand, threw him to the earth, 
 and,- springing from his horse, drew his sword to slay 
 him. On high he held his sword, while the man, cov- 
 ering his face, awaited death. But Antony dropped 
 his sword and hade him rise. 
 
 " Go !" he said. " Go to Caesar, and prosper ! Once 
 I did love thee; Why, then, among' so many traitors, 
 should I single thee out for death ?" 
 
 The man rose and looked upon him sorrowfully. 
 Then, shame overwhelming him, with a great cry he 
 tore open his shirt of mail, plunged his sword into his 
 own heart, and fell down dead. Antony stood and 
 gazed at him, but never a word he said. Meanwhile 
 the ranks of Caesar's legions drew near, and so soon 
 as they crossed spears the legions of Antony turned 
 and fled. Then the soldiers of Caesar stood still, mock- 
 ing themj but scarce a man was slain, for they pur- 
 sued not. 
 
 "Fly, Antony! fly !"criea Eros his servant, who 
 alone with me stayed by him.. "Fly ere thou art 
 dragged a prisoner to Csesar !" 
 
 So he turned and fled, groaning heavily. With him 
 I went, and as we rode through the Canopic Gate, 
 where many folk stood wondering, Antony spoke to 
 me: 
 
 " Go thou, Olympus, go to the Queen and say : 
 * Antony sends greeting to Cleopatra, who hath be- 
 trayed him ! To Cleopatra he sends greeting and fare- 
 well !' » 
 
 And so I went to the tomb, but Antony fled on to 
 the palace. When I came to the tomb I knocked upon 
 the door, and Charmion looked forth from the window. 
 
 "Open," I cried, and she opened. 
 
 " What news, Harmachis ?" she whispered. 
 
 " Charmion," I said, " the end is at hand. Antony 
 is fled !" 
 
 " It is well," she answered; " I am awearyi" 
 
CLEOPATRA. 249 
 
 And there on her golden bed sat Cleopatra. 
 
 " Speak, man !" she cried. 
 
 " Ajitony has fled; his forces are fled; Caesar draws 
 near. To Cleopatra the great Antony sends greetings 
 and farewell. Greeting to Cleopatra who hath be- 
 trayed him, and farewell." 
 
 " It is a lie !" she screamed ; " I betrayed him not ! 
 Thou Olympus, go swiftly to Antony and answer thus: 
 • To Antony, Cleopatra, who hath not betrayed him, 
 sends greetings and farewell. Cleopatra is no more.' " 
 
 And so I went, following out my purpose. In the 
 Alabaster Hall I found Antony pacing to and fro, toss- 
 ing his hands toward the heaven, and with him Eros, 
 for of all his servants Eros alone remained by this 
 fe/Uen man. 
 
 " Lord Antony," I said, "Egypt bids thee farewell. 
 Egj'pt is dead by her own hand." 
 
 "Dead! dead !" he whispered, " and is Egypt dead ? 
 and that form of glory now food for worms ? Oh, 
 what a woman was this' E'en now my heart goes out 
 toward her. And shall she outdo me at the last, I 
 who have been so great; shall I become so small that 
 a woman can o'ertop my courage and pass where I 
 fear to follow? Eros, thou hast loved me from a boy 
 — mindest thou how I found thee starving in the des- 
 ert, and made thee rich, giving thee place and wealth ? 
 Come, now, pay me back. Draw that sword thou 
 wearest and make an end of the woes of Antony." 
 
 " Oh, sire," cried the Creek, "I cannot! How can I 
 take away the life of godlike Antony ?" 
 
 " Answer me not, Eros; but in the last extreme of 
 fate this I charge thee. Do thou my bidding, or be- 
 gone and leave me quite alone ! No more will I see 
 thy face, thou unfaithful servant !" 
 
 Then Eros drew his sword and Antony knelt down 
 before him and bared his breast, turning his eyes to 
 heaven. But Eros» cirying " I cannot! oh, I cannot I" 
 plunged the sword to his own heart, and fell dead. 
 
 Antony rose and gazed upon him. " Why, Eros, 
 that was nobly done," he said. " Greater art thou 
 than I, yet I have learned thy lesson !" and he knelt 
 down and kissed him 
 
250 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 Then, rising of a sudden, he drew the sword from 
 the heart of Eros, plunged it into his bowels, and fell, 
 groaning, on the couch. 
 
 "O thou, Olympus," he cried, " this painlsmore than 
 I can hear ! Make an end of me, Olympus !" 
 
 But pity stirred me, and this thing I could not do. 
 
 Therefore I drew the sword from his vitals, stanched 
 the flow of blood, and calling to those who came 
 crowding in to see Antony die I bade them summon 
 Atoua from my house at the palace gates. Presently 
 she came, bringing with her simples and life-giving 
 draughts. And these I gave to Antony, and bade 
 Atoua go with such speed as her old limbs might to 
 Cleopatra, in the tomb, and tell her of the state of 
 Antony. 
 
 So she went, and after a while returned, saying that 
 the Queen yet lived and summoned Antony to die 
 even in her arms. And with her- came Diomedes. 
 And when Antony heard, his ebbing strength came 
 back, for he was fain to look upon Cleopatra's face 
 again. So I called to the slaves — who peeped and 
 peered through curtains and from behind pillars to 
 see this great man die — and together, with much toil, 
 we bore him thence till we came to the foot of the 
 Mausoleum. 
 
 But Cleopatra, being afraid of treachery, would no 
 more throw wide the door; so she let down a rope 
 from the window and we made it fast beneath the 
 arms of Antony. Then did Cleopatra, who the while 
 wept most bitterly, together with Charmion and Iras 
 the Greek, pull on the rope with all their strength 
 while we lifted from below till the dying Antony swung 
 in the air, groaning heavily, and the blood dropped 
 from his gaping wound. Twice he' nearly fell to 
 earth; but Cleopatra, striving with the strength of 
 love and of despair, held him till at length she drew 
 him through the window-place, while all who saw the 
 dreadful sight wept bitterly, and beat their breasts — 
 all save myself and Charmion. 
 
 When he was in, once more the rope was let down, 
 and with some aid from Charmion, I climbed into the 
 tomb, drawing up the rope after me. There I found 
 
CLEOPATRA. 251 
 
 Anton J', laid upon the golden bed o. Cleopatra; an5 
 she, her breast bare, her face all stained with tears, 
 and her hair streaming wild about him, knelt at his 
 ^ side and kissed him, wiping the blood from his wounds 
 with her robes and hair. And let all my shame be 
 written: as I stood and watched her the old love awoke 
 ,.once jnore within me, and mad jealousy raged in my 
 heart, because — though I could destroy these twain — 
 their love I could not destroy. 
 
 ^ " O AntoTQy ! my sweet, my husband and my God !" 
 she moaned. " Cruel Antony, hast thou-the heart to 
 die and leave me to my lonely shame ? Swiftly will I 
 follow thee to the grave. Antony, awake ! awake !" 
 
 He lifted up his head and called for wine, which I 
 gave him, mixing therein a draught that might allay 
 ' his pain, for it was great. And when he had drunk 
 he bade Cleopatra lie down on the bed beside him, 
 and put her arms about him; nd this she did. Then 
 was Antonj'' once more a man; for forgetting his own 
 naisery and pain, he counselled her as to her own safe- 
 ty; but to this tallc she would not listen. " The hour 
 is short," she said; " let us speak of this great love of 
 ours that has been so long and may yet endure beyond 
 the coasts of Death. Mindest thou that night when 
 first thou didst put thine arms about ms and call me 
 'Love'? Oh! happy, happy night ! ■ Having known 
 that night, 'tis well to have lived — even to this bitter 
 end !" 
 
 "Ay, Egypt, I mind -it well and dwell upon its 
 memory, though from that hour hath fortune fled from 
 me — ^lost in my depth of love for thee, thou Beautiful. 
 I mind it," he gasped ; " then didst thou drink the pearl 
 in wanton play, and then did that astrologer of thine 
 call out his hour — ' The hour of the falling of the curse 
 of Menka-ra.' Through all the after days those words 
 have haunted me, and now at the last yet do they ring 
 within my ears." 
 
 "Long is he dead, my love," she whispered. 
 
 " If he be dead,then am I near him. What mean the." 
 
 " He is dead, the accursed man!| — ^no more of him.! 
 Oh, turn and kiss me, for thy face grows white. The 
 end is near !" 
 
252 CLEOPATRA, 
 
 He kissed her on the lips, and for a little while so 
 they stayed, to the moment of death, like lovers new- 
 ly wed babbling their passions in each other's ears. 
 Even to my jealous heart a strange and awful thing it 
 was to see. 
 
 Presently I saw the Change of Death gather on his 
 face. His head fell back. 
 
 " Farewell, Egypt; farewell !— I die !" 
 
 She lifted herself upon her hands, gazed wildly on 
 his ashen face, and then with a great cry, she sank 
 back swooning. 
 
 But Antony yet lived though the power of speech 
 had left him. Then I drew near, and kneeling, made 
 pretence to minister unto him. And as I ministered I 
 whispered in his ear. 
 
 " Antony," I whispered. " Cleopatra was my love 
 before she passed from me to thee. I am Harmachis, 
 that astrologer who stood behind thy couch at Tarsus; 
 and I have been the chief minister of thy ruin. Die, 
 Antony ! the curse of Menka-ra hath, fallen /" 
 
 He raised himself, and stared upon my face. He 
 could not speak, but gibbering, he pointed at me. 
 Then with a groan his mighty spirit fled. 
 
 Thus did I accomplish my revenge upon Roman 
 Antony, the World-loser. 
 
 Thereafter, then, we recovered Cleopatra from her 
 swoon, for not yet was I minded that she should die. 
 And taking the body of Antony, Caesar permitting, I 
 and Atoua caused it to be most skilfully embalmed 
 after our Egyptian fashion, covering the face with a 
 mask of gold fashioned like to the features of Antony. 
 Also I wrote upon his breast his name and titles, and 
 painted his name and the name of his father within his 
 inner coffin, and drew the form of the holy Nout fold- 
 ing her wings about him. 
 
 Then with great pomp Cleopatra laid him in that 
 sepulchre which had been made ready, and in a sar- 
 cophagus of alabaster. Now, this sarcophagus was 
 fashioned so large that place was left therein for a 
 second coffin, for Cleopatra was fain to lie by Antony 
 a.t the last. 
 
 These things then happened. And but a little while 
 
CLEOPATRA. 253 
 
 after I learnt tiding-s from one Cornelius Dolabella, a 
 noble Roman who waited upon Caesar, and moved by 
 the beauty that swayed the souls of all who looked up- 
 on her, had pity for the woes of Cleopatra. He bade 
 me warn- her — for, as her physician, it was allowed to 
 me to pass, in and out of the tomb where she dwelt — 
 that in three days she would be sent away to Rome, 
 together with her children, that she might walk in the 
 triumph of Caesar. Accordingly I went in, and found 
 her sitting', as now she always sat, plunged in a half 
 stupor, and before her that blood-stained robe where- 
 with she had stanched the wounds of Antony. For 
 on this she would continually feast her eyes. 
 
 "See how faint they grow, Olympus," she said, 
 lifting her sad face and pointing to the rusty staink, 
 " and he so lately dead ! Why, Gratitude could not 
 fade more fast. What is now thy news ? Evil tidings 
 is writ large in those dark eyes of thine, which ever 
 bring' back to me something that still slips my mind. " 
 
 " 111 is the news. O Queen," I answered. " This 
 have I from the lips of Dolabella, who hath it straight 
 from Caesa.r's Secretary. On the third day from now 
 will Caesar send thee and the Prince Ptolemy and 
 Alexander and the Princess Cleopatra to Rome, there 
 to feast the eyes of the Roman mob, and be led in 
 triumph to that Capitol where thou didst swear to set 
 thy throne." 
 
 " Never, never !" she cried, springing to her feet. 
 " Never will I walk in chains in Caesar's triumph ! 
 What must I do? Charmion, tell me what I can 
 do!" 
 
 And Charmion, rising, stood before her, looking at 
 her through the long' lashes of her downcast eyes. 
 
 " Lady, thou canst die," she said quietly. 
 
 " Ay, of a truth I had forgotten ; I can die. Olym- 
 pus, hast thou the drug ?" 
 
 " Nay; but if the Queen wUlsit, by to-morrow morn 
 it shall be brewed — a drug so swift and strong that 
 not the Gods themselves can hold him who drinks it 
 back from sleep." 
 
 "Let it be made ready, thou master of death !" 
 
 I bowed, and withdrew myself ; and all that might 
 
254, CLEOPATRA. 
 
 I and old Atoua labored at the-distilling of the deadly 
 draught. At length it w:as done, and Atoua poured 
 it into a crystal phial, and held it to the light of the 
 fjre; for-^white it was as the purest water. 
 
 " La, la !" she sang, in her shrill voice ; " a draught 
 for a Queen ! When fifty drops of that water of my 
 brewing have passed those red lips of hers, thou wilt 
 indeed be avenged of Cleopatra ! O Harmachis ! Oh, 
 that I could be there to see thj' Ruin ruined !- La, la ! 
 it would be sweet to see !" ' 
 
 " Vengeance is an arrow that ofttimes falls upon 
 the archer's head," I answered, bethinking me of 
 Charmion's saying. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 LAST SUPPER OF CLEOPATRA ; SONG OF CHARMION ; 
 DRINKING OF THE DRAUGHT OF DEATH ; REVEALING 
 OF HARMACHIS ; SUMMONING OP THE SPIRITS BY 
 HARMACHIS ; AND FINALLY THE DEATH OF CLEO- 
 PATRA. 
 
 On the morrow Cleopatra, having besought leave 
 of Csesar, visited the tomb of Antony, crying that the 
 Gods of Egypt had deserted her. And when she had 
 kissed the coffin and covered it with lotus flowers she 
 came back, bathed, anointed herself, put on her most 
 splendid robes, and, together with Iras, Charmion, and 
 myself, she supped. Now, as she supped her spirit 
 flared up wildly, even as the sky lights up at sunset ; 
 and once more she laughed and sparkled as in bygone 
 years, telling us tales of suppers which she and Antony 
 had eaten of. Never, indeed, did I see her look more 
 beauteous than on that last fatal night of vengeance.; 
 And thus her mind drew on to that supper at Tarsus 
 when she drank the pearl. 
 
 " Strange," she said ; " strange that at the last the 
 mind of Antony should have turned back to that night 
 
CLEOPATRA. 255 
 
 among- all the nights and to the saying of Harmachis. 
 Charmion, thou dost remember Harmachis tlie Egyp- 
 tian?" 
 
 " Surely, O Queen," she answered, slowly. 
 
 "And who, then, was Harmachis ?" I aslced; for I 
 was fain to know if she sorrowed o'er my memory. 
 
 " I will tell thee. 'Tis a strange tale, and now that 
 all is done it may well be told. This Harmachis was 
 of the ancient race of the Pharaolas, and having, in- 
 deed, been in secret crowned at Abydos, was sent 
 hither to Alexandria to carry out a g-reat plot that 
 had been formed against the rule of us Loyal Lagidse. 
 He came and gained entry to the palace as my astrol- 
 oger, for he was very learned in all magic — much as 
 thou art, Olympus — and a man beautiful to see. Now, 
 this was his plot^ — tlfkt he should slay me and be 
 named Pharaoh. In truth it was a strong one, for he 
 had many friends in Egypt, and I had few. And on 
 that very night when he should carry out his purpose, 
 yea, at tliat very hour, came Charmion yonder, and 
 tCfld the plot to me ; saying that she had chanced upon 
 . its clue. But in after days — though naught have I said 
 thereon to thee, Charmion — i misdoubted me much of 
 that tale of thine ; for, by the Gods ! at this hour I do 
 believe that thou didst love Harmachis, and because he 
 scorned thee thou didst betraj^ him ; and for that 
 cause also thou hast all thy days remained a maid, 
 which is a thing unnatural. Come, Charmion, tell us ; 
 for naught it matters now at the end." 
 
 Charmion shivered and made answer : "It is true, 
 
 Queen ; I also was of the plot, and because Har- 
 machis scorned me I betrayed him ; and because of 
 my great love for him have I remained unwed." And 
 she g-lanced up at me and caught my eyes, then let the 
 modest lashes veil her own. 
 
 " So ! I thought it. Strange are the ways of women ! 
 But little cause, methinks, had that Harmachis to 
 thank thee for thy love ; what sayest thou, Olympus ? 
 Ah, and thou also wast a traitor, Charmion ? How, 
 dangerous are the paths which Monarchs tread ! Well, 
 
 1 forgive thee, for faithfully hast thou served me since 
 that hour. 
 
256 "■ CLEOPATRA. 
 
 "But to my tale. Harmachis I dared not slay, 
 lest his great party should raise in fury and cast me 
 from the throne. And now mark the issue. Though 
 lie must murder me, in secret this Harmachis loved 
 me, and something thereof I guessed. A little for the ; 
 sake of heauty and his wit, had I striven to draw him 
 to me; and for the love of man Cleopatra never strove \ 
 in vain. Therefore when, with_the dagger in his robe, 
 
 . he came to slay me, I matched my charms against his i 
 will, and need I tell you, being men and women, how I ; 
 won ? Oh, never can I forget the look in the eyes of 
 that fallen man, that forsworn priest, that discrowned ; 
 king, when lost in the poppied draught, I saw him sink 
 into that shameful sleep whence no more might he 
 wake with honor! And thereafter — till, in the end, 1 
 wearied of him, and his sad learned mind, for his guilty 
 soul forbade him to be gay — a little did I come to care 
 for him though not to love. But he, he who loved me, 
 clung to me as a drunkard to the cup which ruins him. 
 Deeming that I should wed him, he ~ betrayed to me 
 the secret of the hidden wealth of the pyramid Her — 
 for at the time I much needed treasure — and together 
 we dared the terrors of the tomb and drew it forth, 
 even from dead Pharaoh's breast. See, this emerald" 
 was a part thereof !" and she pointed to the great 
 scarabaeus that she had drawn from the holy heart of 
 Menka-ra. " And because of what was written in the 
 tomb, and of that Thing which we saw in the tomb; ah 
 pest upon it ! why does its memojry haunt me now ? — 
 and also because of policy, for t would fain have won 
 the love of the Egyptians, I was minded to marry this 
 Harmachis, and declare his place and lineage to the 
 world: ay, and by his aid hold Egypt from the Eoman. 
 For Dellius had then come to call me to Antony, and 
 after much thought I determined to send him back 
 with sharp words. But on that very morning, as I 
 
 . tired me for the Court, came Charmion yonder, and 
 this I told her for I would see how the matter fell up- 
 on her mind. Now mark, Olympus, the power of 
 jealousy, that little wedge which yet hath strength to 
 rend the tree of empire, that secret sword which can 
 fashion the fate of kings ! This she could in nowise 
 
CLEOPATRA. 257 
 
 bear— (deny it, Charmion, if thou canst, fornow it is 
 clear to me !) — that tlie man she loved should be given 
 to me as husband, me, whom he loved ! And therefore 
 with more skill and wit than I can tell, she reasoned 
 with me, showing that I should by no means do this 
 thing", hut journey unto Antony; and for that, Char- 
 mion, I thank thee, now that all is come and gone. And 
 by a verj' little, her words weighed down my scale of 
 judgment against Harmachis, and to Antony 1 went. 
 Thus it is that through the jealous spleen of yonder 
 fair Charmion, and the passion of a man whereon I 
 played as on a lyre, all these things have come to pass. 
 For this cause doth Octavian sit a King in Alexandria, 
 for this cause is Antony discrowned and dead; and for 
 this cause must I, too, die to-night ! Ah ! Charmion ! 
 Charmion ! thou hast much to answer for; thou hast 
 changed the story of the world; and yet, even now, I 
 would not have it othewise !" 
 
 She paused a while, covering her eyes with her hand; 
 and , looking, I saw great tears upon the cheek of 
 Charmion. 
 
 " And of this Harmachis," I asked. " Where is he 
 now, O Queen ?" 
 
 " Where is he ? In Amenti, forsooth, making his 
 peace with Isis, perchance. At Tarsus I saw Antony 
 and loved him ! and from that moment I loathed the 
 sight of the Egj'ptian, and swore to make an end of 
 him; for a lover done with should be a lover dead. 
 And, being jealous, he spoke some words of evil omen 
 even at that Feast of the Pearl; and on the same night 
 would I have slain him but before the deed was done 
 he was gone." 
 
 "And whether was he gone ?" 
 
 "Nay; that know not I. Brennus, he who had led 
 my guard, and last year sailed North to join his own 
 people, Brennus swore he saw him float to the skies; 
 hut in^ihis matter I misdoubted me of Brennus, for 
 methinks he loves the man. Nay, he sank off Cyprus 
 and was drowned ; perchance Charmion can tell us 
 how?'' 
 
 " Naught can I tell thee, O Queen; Harmachis is 
 lost." 
 
 17 
 
S68 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 "And well lost, Charmion, for he was an evil man 
 to play with; ay, though I bettered him I say it ? 
 Well, he served my purpose; but I loved him not, and 
 even now I fear him; though, thanks be to God, as 
 thou sayest, he is lost, and can no more be found." 
 
 But I, listening, put forth my strength, and by the 
 arts I have, cast the shadow of my Spirit upon the 
 Spirit of Cleopatra, so that she felt the presence of the 
 lost . Harmachis. 
 
 " Nay, what is it ?" she said. " By Serapis ! I grow 
 afraid ! It seems to me that I feel Harmachis here ! 
 His memory o'erwhelras me like a flood of waters, 
 and he this ten years dead ! Oh ! at such a time it is 
 unholy !" 
 
 "Nay, Queen," I answered, "if he be dead then 
 he is everywhere, and well; at such a time, the time 
 of thy own death, may its Spirit draw near to wel- 
 come thine at its going. ' 
 
 " Speak not thus, Olympus. No more would I see 
 Harmachis; the count between us it too heavy, and in 
 another world than this more evenly, perchance, 
 should we be matched. Ah ! the terror passes ! I was 
 but unnerved. Well, the knave's story hath served 
 to while away that heaviest of our hours, the hour 
 which ends in death. Sing to me, Charmion, sing, for 
 thy voice is very sweet, and fain would I soothe my 
 soul to sleep. The memory of that Harniachis hath 
 wrung me strangely! Sing, then, the last song that I 
 shall hear from those tuneful lips of thine, the last of so 
 many songs." 
 
 " 'Tis a sad hour for song, O Queen !" said Char- 
 mion, but nevertheless, she took her harp, and sang. 
 And thus she sang very soft and low, the song of the 
 Syrian Meleager : 
 
 " Tears for my lady dead, 
 Heliodore I 
 Salt tears and strange to shed. 
 Over and o'er. 
 
 " Go tears and low lament. 
 Fare from her lomb ; 
 Wend where my lady went, 
 Down through the gloom. 
 
CLEOPATRA. 26» 
 
 " Sighs for my lady dead, 
 Tears do I send. 
 Long love remembered, 
 Mistress and friend I 
 
 " Sad are the songs we sing, 
 Tears that we shed ; 
 Empty the gifts we bring. 
 Gifts to the dead. 
 
 " Ah I for my flower, ray love. 
 Hades hath taken ! 
 Ah 1 for the dust above 
 Scattered and shaken 1 
 
 " Mother of blade and grass. 
 Earth, in thy breast, 
 Lull her that gentlest was. 
 Gently to rest." 
 
 The music of her voice died avray, and so sweet and 
 sad it was that Iras began to weep, and in Cleopatra's - 
 stormy eyes the bright tears stood. Only I wept not ; 
 my tears were dry. 
 
 " 'Tis a heavy song of thine, Charmion," said the 
 Queen. " Well, as thou saidst, 'tis a sad hour for 
 song, and thy dirge is fitted to the hour. Sing it o'er 
 me once again when I lie dead, Chai'mion. And now 
 farewell to music and on to the end. Olympus, take 
 yonder parchment and write what I shall say. " 
 
 I took the parchment and the reed, and thus I wrote 
 in the Roman tongue : 
 
 " Cleopatra to Octavianus. Greeting : This is the 
 state of life. At length there comes an hour when, 
 rather than endure those burdens that o'erwhelm us, 
 putting off the body we would take wing into forget- 
 fulness. Caesar, thou hast conquered ; take thou the '■ 
 spoils of victory. But in thy triumph Cleopatra can- 
 not walk. When all is lost, then must we go to seek 
 the lost. Thus in the desert of despair the brave do 
 harvest resolution. Cleopatra hath been great as An- 
 tony was great, nor, in the manner of her end, shall 
 her fame be minished. Slaves live to endure their 
 wrong ; but Princes, treading with a firmer step, pass 
 
260 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 through the gates of Wrong into the Eoyai dwellings 
 
 of the dead. This only doth Egypt ask of Caesar, that 
 
 he suffer her to lie in the tomb of Antony. Farewell. " 
 
 This, therefore, I wrote, and having sealed it, Cleo- 
 
 gatra bade me go find a messenger, despatch it unto 
 !aesar and then return. So I went, and at the door 
 of the tomb I called a jsoldier, who was not on duty, 
 and, giving him money, bade him take the letter unto 
 Caesar. Then I. wenl; back, and there in the chamber 
 Stood the three women in silence, Cleopatra clinging 
 to the arm of Iras, and Charmion a little apart watch- 
 ing the twain. 
 
 " If indeed thou art minded to make an end, O 
 Queen," I said, " short is the time, for presently will 
 Caesar send his servants in answer to thy letter," and 
 I drew forth the phial of white and deadly bane and 
 set it upon the board. 
 
 She took it in her hand and gazed thereon. " How 
 innocent it seems!" she said: "and yet therein lies 
 my death. 'Tis strange." 
 
 " Ay, Queen, and the death of ten other folk. No 
 need to take so long a draught." 
 
 " I fear," she gasped. "How know I that it will 
 slay outright ? I have seen so many die by poison and 
 scarce one hath died outright* And some ! ah, I can- 
 not think on them !" 
 
 " Fear not," I said. "I am a master of my craft. 
 Or, if thou dost fear, cast this poison forth and live. 
 In Rome mayest thou still find happiness; ay, in 
 Rome, where thou shalt walk in Caesar's triumph, 
 wliile the laughter of the hard -eyed Latin women shall 
 chime down the music of thy golden chains." 
 
 "Nay^ I wUl die. Oh, if one would but show the 
 path." 
 
 Then did Iras loose her hand and step forward. 
 " Give me the draught. Physician," she said. " I go 
 to make ready for my Queen." 
 
 " 'Tis well," I answered; " on thine own head be it!" 
 and I poured from the phial into a little golden gob- 
 let. 
 
 Sh« raised it, and low she curtseyed to Cleopatra, 
 then, coming forward, kissed her on the brow, and 
 
CLEOPATRA. 261 
 
 Channion she also kissed. This done, tarrying not 
 and making no prayer (for Iras* was a Greek), she 
 drank, and, putting her hand to her head, instantly fell 
 down and died. 
 
 "Thou seest," I said, breaking in upon the silence, 
 "it is swift." 
 
 ' ' Ay, Olympus; thine is a master drug ! Come now, 
 I thirst; fill me the bowl, lest Iras weary in waiting at 
 the gates ?" 
 
 So I poured afresh into the goblet; but this time, 
 making pretence to rinse the cup, I mixed a little 
 water, for I was not minded that she should die before 
 she knew me. 
 
 Then did the royal Cleopatra, taking the goblet in 
 her hand, turn her lovely eyes to heaven and cry 
 aloud. 
 
 " O ye Gods of Egypt ! who have deserted me, to you 
 no longer will I pray, for deaf are your ears unto my 
 crying, and blind your eyes unto my griefs ! There- 
 foie 1 make entreaty to that one friend whom the Gods, 
 departing, leave to helpless man. O Royal Death ! 
 sweep hither on thy cloudy pinions, whose shadows 
 circles aU the earth, and give me ear ! Thou King of 
 Kings ! who, with an equal hand, bringest the fortu- 
 nate head to one pillow with the slave, and by thy icy 
 breath dost wait the bubble of our life far from thebe 
 fields of Earth, draw near and save ! Hide me where 
 winds blow not, and waters cease to roll ! Hide me 
 where Caesar's legions cannot march ! Take me to a 
 new dominion and crown me Queen of Sleep ! I am in 
 labor of a Soul ! See, it stands new-born upon the 
 edge of Time ! Now, now. Go, Breath ! Come, Death 1 
 Come, Antony !" 'And, with one glance to heaven, she 
 drank and cast the goblet to the ground. 
 
 Then at last came the moment of my pent-up ven- 
 geance, and of the vengeance of Egypt's outraged Gods, 
 and of the falling of the curse of Menka-ra. 
 
 "What's this ?" she cried, "I grow cold, but I die 
 not ? Thou dark physician, thou hast betrayed me !" 
 
 " Peace, Cleopatra ! Presently shalt thou die and 
 know the fury of the gods <. The curse of Menka-ra 
 hath fallen ! It is finished ! Look upon me, woman I 
 
262 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 Look upon this marred face, this twisted form, this 
 living mass of sorrow ! Look ! look! Who cm If" 
 
 She stared upon me wildly. 
 
 •' Oh ! oh !" she shrieked, throwing up her arms ; 
 •'at last I know thee ! By the Gods, thou alrt Har- 
 machis ! Harmachis risen from the dead !" 
 
 '•■ Ay, Harmachis risen from the dead to drag thee 
 down to death and agony eternal ! See thou, Cleopa- 
 tra ! J" have ruined thee as thou didst ruin me ! I, 
 working in the dark, and helped of the angry Gods, 
 have been thy secret spring of woe ! I filled thy heart 
 with fear at Actium, I held the Egyptians from thy 
 aid, I sapped the strength of Antony, I showed the 
 portent of the gods unto thy Captains ! By my hand 
 at length thou diest, for I am the instrument of Ven- 
 geance ! Ruin do I pay thee hack for ruin, Treachery 
 for treachery. Death f6r death ! Come hither, Char- 
 mion, partner of my plots, who betrayed me, but, re- 
 penting, art the sharer of my triumph, come watch 
 this fallen wanton die !" 
 
 Cleopatra heard, and sank back upon the golden 
 bed, groaning, " And thou, too, Charmion !" 
 
 A moment so she sat, then her Imperial spirit burnt 
 up glorious before she died. 
 
 She staggered from the bed, and, with arms out- 
 stretched, she cursed me. 
 
 "Oh ! for one hour of life !" she cried ; " one short 
 hour, that therein might I make thee die in such a 
 fashion as thou canst not dream, thou and that false 
 paramour of thine, who betrayed both me and thee ! 
 And thou didst love me ! Ah, there I have thee still ! 
 See, thou, subtle, plotting priest!" and with both 
 hands she rent back the royal robes from her bosom ; 
 *'See, on this fair breast once night by night was 
 thy head pillowed, and thou didst sleep wrapped in 
 these same arms. Now, put away their memory if 
 thou canst ! I read it in thine eyes that mayst thou 
 not! No torture which I bear can, in its sum, draw 
 aigh to the rage of that deep soul of thine, rent with 
 longings never, never to be reached! Harmachis, 
 thou slave of slaves, from thy triumph depths I 
 snatch a deeper triumph ; and conquered, yet I con- 
 
CLEOPATRA. 263 
 
 quer ! I spit upon thee, I defy thee, and dying- doom 
 thee to the torment of thy deathless love ! O Antony! 
 I come, my Antony ! I come to thine own dear arms! 
 Soon I shall find thee, and wrapped in a love undying 
 and divine, together will we float through all the 
 depths of space, and lips to lips and eyes to eyes drink 
 of desires grown more sweet with every draught ! Or 
 if I find thee not, then shall I sink in peace down the 
 poppied ways of Sleep ; and for me the hreast of Night, 
 whereon I shall he softly cradled, shall yet seem thy 
 bosom, Antony ! Oh, I die ! Come, Antony, and 
 give me peace !" 
 
 Even in my fury I had quaijed beneath her scorn, 
 for home flew the arrows of her winged words. Alas ! 
 and alas ! it was true. The shaft of my vengeance 
 fell upon my own head ; never had I loved her as I 
 loved her now. My soul was rent with jealous tor- 
 ture, and thus I swore she should not die. 
 
 " Peace !" I cried ; " what peace is there for thee ? 
 " Oh ! ye Holy Three, hear now mj'^ prayer. Osiris, 
 loosen Thou the bonds of Hell, and send forth those 
 whom I shall summon ! Come, Ptolemy, poisoned of 
 thy sister Cleopatra ; come, Arsinoe, murdered in the 
 sanctuary by thy sister Cleopatra ; come, gepa, tor- 
 tured to death of Cleopatra : come. Divine Menka-ra, 
 whose body Cleopatra tore, and whose curse for greed 
 she braved : coihe one, come all who have died at the 
 hands of Cleopatra^! Eush from the breast of Nout, 
 and greet her who murdered you! By the link of 
 mystic union, by the symbol of the life. Spirits, I 
 summon you !" 
 
 I spoke, while Charmion, affrighted, clung to my 
 robe, and the dying Cleopatra, restipg on her hands, 
 fiwudg slowly to and fro, gazing with vacant eyes. 
 V. -Then the answer came. The casement burst asun- 
 der, and on flittering wings that great Bat entered, 
 -which last I had seen hanging to the eunuch's chin in 
 the womb of the pyramid H^r. Thrice it circled 
 round, once it hovered o'er dead Iras, then it flew to 
 where the dying woman stood. To her it flew, on her 
 breast it settled, clinging to that emerald which was 
 dragged from the dead heart of Menka-ra. Thrice the 
 
264 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 black Horror screamed aloud, thrice it beat its bony 
 wings, and lo ! it was gone. Then suddenly within 
 that chamber sprang up the Shapes of Death. There 
 was Arsinoe, the beautiful, even as she had shrunk 
 beneath the butcher's knife. There was young Ptole- 
 my, his features twisted by the poisoned cup. There 
 was the majesty of Meiika-ra; crowned with the 
 urseus crown ; there was grave Sepa, his 'flesh all torn 
 by the torturer's hooks; there were those poisoned 
 slaves ; and there were others without number, 
 shadowy and dreadful to behold ! who, thronging that 
 narrow chamber, stood silently fixing their glassy 
 eyes upon the face of her who slew them ! 
 
 " Behold ! Cleopatra !" I said, " Behold thy peace, 
 and die /" 
 
 "Ay!" said Charmion. "Behold and die! thou 
 who didst rob me of mine honor and Egypt of her 
 King !" 
 
 She looked, she saw the awful Shapes. Her spirit, 
 hurrying from the flesh, mayhap could hear words to 
 which my ears were deaf. Then her face sank in with 
 terror, her great eyes grew pale, and, shrieking, 
 Cleopatra fell and died ; passing, with that dread 
 company, to her appointed place. 
 
 Thus, then, did I feed my soul with vengeance, ful- 
 filling the justice of the Gods, and yet knew myself 
 empty of all joy therein. For though that thing we 
 worship doth bring us ruin, and Love being more 
 pitiless than Death, we in turn do pay all our sorrow 
 back; yet must we worship on, yet stretch out our 
 arms toward our lost Desire, and pour our heart's 
 blood upon the shrine of our discrowned God. 
 
 For Love is of the Spirit and knows not Death. 
 
CLEOPATRA. 265 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 OF THE FAREWELL OF CHAEMIOK; OF THE DEATH OF CHAE- 
 MION; of THE DEATH OF THE OLD WIFE, ATOUA ; OF THE 
 COMING OF HARMAOHIS TO ABOUx'HlS; OF HIS CONFESSION" 
 IN THE HALL OF SIX-AND-THIETr PILLAES; AND OF THE 
 DECLAEING OF THE DOOM OF HAEMACHIS, 
 
 Charmion unclasped my arm, to which she had clung 
 in terror. 
 
 "Thy vei^geance, thou dark Harmachis !" she said, 
 in a hoarse voice, " is a thing hideous to behold ! O 
 lost Egj'pt, with all thy sins thou wast indeed a Queen ! 
 
 " Come, aid me, Prince; let us stretch this poor clay 
 upon the bed and deck it royally, so that it may give 
 its dumb audience to the messengers of Cassar as be- 
 comes the last of Egypt's Queens." 
 
 I spoke no word in answer, for my heart was very 
 heavy, and now that all was done, I was weary. To- 
 gether, then, we lifted up the body and laid it on the 
 golden bed. Charmion placed the urseus crown upon 
 the ivory brow, and combed the night-dark hair that 
 showed never a thread of silver, and, for the last time, 
 shut those eyes wherein had shone all the changing 
 glories of the sea. She folded the chill hands upon 
 the breast whence Passion's breath had fled, and 
 straightened the bent knees beneath the broidered 
 robe, and by the head set flowers. And there at 
 length Cleopatra lay, more splendid now in her cold 
 majesty of death than in her richest hour of breathing 
 beauty! 
 
 We drew back and looked on her, and on dead Iras 
 at her feet. 
 
 " It is done !" quoth Charmion; "we are avenged, 
 and now, Harmachis, dost follow by this same road ?" 
 And she nodded towards the phial on the board. 
 
 " Nay, Charmion. I fly — I fly to a heavier death I 
 
CLEOPATRX. 
 
 Not thus easily may I end my spac« of earthly 
 penance." 
 
 - " So be it, Harmachis I And I, Harmachis — I fly 
 also, but with swifter wings. My game is played. I, 
 too, have made atonement. Oh ! what a bitter fate is 
 mine, to have brought misery on all I love, and in the 
 end to die unloved ! To thee I have atoned ; to my 
 angered Gods I have atoned; and now I go to find a 
 way whereby I may atone to Cleopatra in that hell 
 where she is, and which 1 must share ! For she loved 
 me well, Harmachis ; and, now that she is dead, me- 
 thinks, that, after thee, I loved her best of all. So of 
 her cup and the cup of Iras I will surely drink !" And 
 she took the phial, and with a steady hand poured 
 that which was left of the poison into the goblet. 
 
 " Bethink thee, (;)harmion," I said; "yetmayst thou 
 live for many years, hiding these sorrows beneath the 
 withered days." 
 
 " Yet I may, but I will not ! To live the prey of so 
 many memories, the fount of an undying shame that 
 night by night, as I lie sleepless, shall well afresh from 
 my sorrow-stricken heart ! — to live torn by a love I 
 cannot lose ! — to stand alone like some storm-twisted 
 tree, and, sighing day by day to the winds of heaven, 
 gaze upon the desert of my life, while I wait the linger- 
 ing lightning's stroke— nay, that will not I, Harma- 
 chis! I had died long since, but I lived on to serve 
 thee ; now no more thou needst me, and I go. Oh, 
 fare thee well ! — forever fare thee well ! For not 
 again shall I look upon thy face, and where I go thou 
 goest not ! For thou dost not love me who still dost 
 love that queenly woman thou hast hounded to the 
 death ! Her thou shalt never win, and thee I shall 
 never win, and this is the bitter end of Fate ! See, 
 Harmachis: I ask one boon before I go and for all 
 time become naught to thee but a memory of shame. 
 Tell me that thou dost forgive me so far as thine it is 
 to forgive, and in token thereof kiss me — with no 
 lover's kiss, but kiss me on the brow, and bid me pass 
 in peace." 
 
 And she drew near to me with arms outstretched, 
 and pitiful, trembling lips, and gazed upon my face. 
 
CLEOPATRA. 267 
 
 " Charmion," I answered, "we are free to act for 
 good, or evil, and yet methinks there is Fate above 
 our fate, that, blowing from some strange shore, com- 
 pels our little sails of purpose, set them as we will, 
 and drives us to destruction. I forgive thee, Char- 
 mion, as 1 trust in turn to be forgiven, and by this kiss, 
 the first and the last, I seal our peace." And with 
 my lips I touched her brow. 
 
 She spoke no more ; only for a little while she stood 
 gazing on me with sad eyes. Then she lifted the gob- 
 let, and said : 
 
 '" Royal Harmachis, in this deadly cup I pledge thee ! 
 "Would that I had drunk of it ere ever I looked upon 
 thy face ! Pharoah, who, thy sins outworn, yet shalt 
 rule in perfect peace o'er worlds I may not tread, who 
 shall yet sway a kinglier sceptre than that I robbed 
 thee of, forever fare thee well !" 
 
 She drank, cast down the cup, and for a moment 
 stood with the wide eyes of one who looks for Death. 
 Then He came, and Charmion the Egyptian fell prone 
 upon the floor, dead. And for a moment more I stood 
 alone with the dead. 
 
 I crept to the side of Cleopatra, and, now that none 
 were left to See, I sat down on the bed and laid her 
 head upon my knee, as once before it had been laid in 
 that night of sacrilege beneath the shadow of the ever- 
 lasting pyramid. Then I kissed her chill brow and 
 ■went from the House of Death— avenged, but sorely 
 smitten with despair 1 
 
 «' Physician," said the officer of the Guard as I 
 went through the gates, "what passes yonder in the 
 Monument ? Methought 1 heard the sounds of death. " 
 
 "Naught passes— all hath passed," I made reply. 
 
 And as I went in the darkness I heard the sound of 
 voices and the running of the feet of Caesar's messen- 
 
 Flying swiftly to my house, I found Atoua waiting 
 at the gates. She drew me into a quiet chamber and 
 closed the doors. '' 
 
 " Is it done ?" she asked, and turned her wrmkled 
 
268 CLEOPATRA- 
 
 face to mine, while the lamplight streamed white upon 
 her snowy h^ir. " Nay, why ask ? I— I know that it 
 is done !" 
 
 "Ay, it is done, and well done, old wife! All are 
 dead! Cleopatra, Iras, Charmion — all save myself !" | 
 
 The a^ed woman drew up her bent form and cried : 
 " Now let me go in peace, for I have seen my desire 
 upon thy foes and the foes of Khem. La I la ! — ^not iu 
 vain have I lived on beyond the years of man ! I have ~ 
 seen my desire upon thy enemies — I have gathered ' 
 the dews of death, and thy foe hath drunk thereof I 
 Fallen is the brow of Pride ! the Shame of Khem is 
 level with the dust ! Ah, would that I might have 
 seen that wanton die !" 
 
 " Cease, woman 1 cease 1 The Dead are gathered 
 to the Dead ! Osiris holds them fast, and everlasting 
 silence seals their lips ! Pursue not the fallen great 
 with insults ! Up I — let us fly to Abouthis, that all 
 may be accomplished !" 
 
 "Fly thou, Harmachis ! — Harmachis, fly— but I fly 
 not ! To this end only I have lingered on the earth. Now 
 I untie the knot of life and let my spirit free ! Fare thee 
 well. Prince, the pilgrimage is done ! Harmachis, from 
 a babe have I loved thee, and love thee yet ! — ^but no 
 more in this world may I share thy griefs — I am spent. 
 Osiris, take thou my Spirit !" and her trembling knees 
 gave way, and she sank to the ground. 
 
 I ran to her side and looked upon her. She was 
 already dead, and I was alone upon the earth without 
 a friend to comfort me I 
 
 Then I turned and went, no man hindering me, for 
 all was confusion in the city, and departed from Alex- 
 andria in a vessel I had made ready. On the eighth 
 day. Handed, and, in the carrying out of my .purpose, 
 traveled on foot across the fields to the Holy Shrines 
 of Abouthis. And here, as I knew, the worship of 
 Gods had been lately setup again in the Temple of the 
 Divine Sethi ; for Charmion had caused Cleopatra to 
 i-epent of her decree of vengeance and to restore the 
 lands that she had seized, though the treasure she 
 restored not. And, the temple having been purified, 
 now, at the season of the Feast of Isis, aU the High 
 
CLEOPATRA. 269 
 
 Priests of the ancient Temples of Egypt were gath- 
 ered together to celebrate the coming home of tiie 
 Gods into their holy place. 
 
 I gained the city. It was on the seventh day of the 
 Feast of IsiSi Even as I came, the long array wended 
 through the well-remembered streets. I joined in the 
 multitude that followed, and with my voice swelled 
 the chorus of the solemn chant as we passed through 
 the pylons into the imperishable halls. How well 
 known were the holy words : 
 
 " Softly we tresld, our measured-footsteps falling 
 
 Within the Sanctuary Sevenfold; 
 Soft on the Dead that liveth are wecallins;: 
 
 ' Return, Osiris; from thy Kingdom cold ! 
 
 Beturn to them that worship thee of old.' " 
 
 And, then, when the sacred music ceased, as afore- 
 time, on the setting of the majesty of Ra, the High 
 Priest raised the statue of the living God and held it on 
 high before the multitude. 
 With a joyful shout of 
 
 " Osiris I our hope, Osiris ! Osiris !" 
 
 the people tore the black wrappings from their dress, 
 showing the white robes beneath, and, as one man, 
 bowed before the God. 
 
 Then they went to feast each at his home ; but I 
 fitayed in the court of the temple. 
 
 Presently a priest of the temple drew near, and 
 isked me of my business. And I answered him that I 
 tame from Alexandria, and would be led before the 
 council of the High Priests, for I knew that the Holy 
 Priests were gathered together debating the tidings 
 from Alexandria. 
 
 Thereon the man left, and the High Priests hearing 
 that I was from Alexandria, ordered that I should be 
 led into their presence in the second Hall of Columns — 
 and so I was led in. It was already dark and between 
 the great pillars lights were set as on that night when 
 I was crowned Pharoah of the Upper and Lower 
 Land. There, too, was the long line of Dignitaries 
 seated in their carven chairs, and taking counsel to- 
 
270 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 g'ether. All was the same; the same cold images of 
 Kings and Gods gazed with the same empty eyes from 
 the everlasting walls. Ay, more; among those gath- 
 ered, there were five- of the very men who, as leaders 
 of the great plot, had sat here to see me crowned, 
 being the only conspirators who had escaped the ven- 
 geance of Cleopatra and the clutching hand of 
 Time. 
 
 I took my stand on the spot where once I had been 
 crowned, and made me ready for the last act of shame 
 with such bitterness of heart as cannot be written. 
 
 "Why, it is the. physician Olympus," said one." 
 " He, who lived a hermit in the Tombs of Tape, and 
 who but lately was of the household of Cleopatra. Is 
 it, then, true that the Queen is dead by her own 
 hand, Physician ?" 
 
 " Yea, holy Sirs, I am that physician; also Cleopa- 
 tra is dead by my hand." 
 
 " By thy hand ? Why, how comes this ? — ^though 
 well is she dead, forsooth, the wicked wanton?" 
 
 " Your pardon. Sirs, and I will tell you all, for I am 
 come hither to that end. Perchance among you there 
 may be some — methinks I see some — who, nigh eleven 
 years ago, were gathered in this hall to secretly crown 
 one Harmachis Pharaoh of Khem !" ^ 
 
 "It is true!" they said; "but how knowest thou 
 these things, thou Olympus ?" 
 
 "Of the rest of those seven-and-thirty nobles," I 
 went on, making no answer, " are two-and-thirty miss- 
 ing. Some are dead, as Amenemhat is dead; some 
 are slain as Sepa is slain; and some, perchance, yet 
 labor as slaves within the mines, or live afar, fearing 
 vengeance." 
 
 " It is so," they said; " alas! it is so. Harmachis the 
 accursed betrayed the plot and sold himself to the wan- 
 ton Cleopatra! " 
 
 '• It is so,"-I went on, lifting up my head. "Har- 
 machis betrayed the plot and sold himself to Cleopa- 
 tra; and, holy Sirs, lam that Harmachis !" 
 
 The Priests and Dignitaries gazed astonished. Some 
 rose and spoke; some said naught. 
 
 "I am that Harmachis! I am that traitor, trebly 
 
CLEOPATRA. 271 
 
 steeped in crime! — a traitor to my Gods, a traitor to 
 my Country, a traitor to my Oath! I come hither to 
 say that I have done this. I have executed the Divine 
 vengeance on her who ruined me and gave Egypt to 
 the Roman. And now that, after years of toil and 
 patient waiting, this is accomplished by my wisdom 
 and the help of the angry Gods, behold I come, with 
 all my shame upon my head, to declare the thing I am, 
 and take the traitor's guerdon !" 
 
 " Mindest thou of the doom of him who hath broke 
 oath that may not be broke ?" asked he who first had 
 spoken, in heavy tones. 
 
 "I know it well," I answered; " I court that awful 
 doom." 
 
 "Tell us more of this matter, thou who wast Har- 
 machis." 
 
 So, in cold clear words, I laid bare all my shame, 
 keeping back nothing. And ever as 1 spoke I saw 
 their faces grow more hard, and knew that for me 
 there was no mercy; nor did 1 ask it, could it have 
 been granted. 
 
 When, at last, I had done, they put me aside while 
 they took counsel. Then they drew me forth again, 
 and the eldest among them, a man very old and ven- 
 erable, the Priest of the Temple of the Divine Hatshe- 
 pu at Tape, spoke, in icy accents: 
 
 "Thou Harmachis, we have considered this matter. 
 • Thou hast sinned the threefold deadly sin. On thy 
 head lies the burden of the woe of Khem, this day en- 
 thralled of Rome; to Isis, the Mother Mystery, thou 
 hast offered the deadly insult; and thou hast broken 
 thy holy oath. For all of these sins there is, as well 
 thou knowest, bub one reward, and that r-eward is 
 thine. Naught can it weigh in the balance of our jus- 
 tice that thou hast slain her who was thy cause of 
 stumbling; naught that thou comest to name thyself 
 the vilest thing who ever stood within these walls. On 
 thee also must fall the curse of Menka-ra, thou false 
 priest! thou forsworn patriot! thou Pharaoh shameful 
 and discrowned! Here, where we set the double crown 
 upon thy head, we doom thee to the doom! Go to thy 
 dungeon and await the falling of its stroke! Go, re- 
 
272 CLEOPATRA. 
 
 memberiug' what thou mightest have been and what 
 thou art, and may those Gods, who, through thy evil 
 doing', shall perchance ere long cease to be worshipped 
 within these only temples, give to thee that mercy 
 which we denyl Lead him forth!" 
 
 So they took me and led me forth. With bowed 
 head I went, looking not up, and yet I felt their eyes 
 burn upon my face. 
 
 Oh I surely of all my shames this is the heaviesti 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIIL 
 
 OP THE LAST WRITING OF HAKMACHIS, THE ROYAL 
 BGYPTIAK. 
 
 They led me to the prison chamber that is high in 
 the pylon tower, and here I wait my doom. I know 
 not when the sword of fate shall fall. Week grows to 
 week, and month to month, and still it is delayed. 
 Still it quivers unseen above my head. I know that it 
 will fall, but when 1 know not. Perchance, I shall 
 wake in some dead hour of midnight to hear the stealthy 
 steps of the slayers and be hurried forth. Per- 
 chance, they are new at hand. Then will come the 
 secret cell ! the horror ! the nameless coffin 1 and at 
 last it will be done I Oh, let it come 1 let it come 
 swiftly 1 
 
 All is written; I have held back nothing — my sin is 
 sinned — my vengeance is finished. Now all things end 
 in darkness and in ashes, and I prepare to face the 
 terrors that are to come in other worlds than this; I 
 go, but not without hope I go; for, though I see Her 
 not, though no more She answers to my prayers, still 
 I am aware of the Holy Isis, who is with me for ever-" 
 more, and whom I shall yet again behold face to face; > 
 And then, at last, in that far day I shall find forgive- 
 ness ; then the burden of my guilt will roll from me, 
 and innocency come back and wrap me round, bringing 
 me holy Peace. 
 
CLEOPATRA. 273 
 
 Oh ! dear land of Khem, as in a dream I see thee I 
 I see Nation after Nation set its standard on thy shores, 
 and its yoke upon thy neck ! I see new religions with- 
 out end calling out their truths upon the banks of Sihor 
 and summoning thy people to their worship ! I see thy 
 temples — thy holy temples — crumbling in the dust : a 
 wonder to the sight of men unborn, who shall peer into 
 thy tombs and desecrate the great ones of thy glory ! 
 1 see thy mysteries a mockery to the unlearned, and 
 thy wisdom wasted like waters on the desert sands I 
 I see the Roman Eagles stoop and perish, their bea^ 
 yet red with the blood of men, and the long Ughts 
 dancing down the barbarian spears that follow in their 
 wake I And then, at last, I see Thee once more great, 
 once more free, and having once more a knowledge of 
 thy Gods — ay, thy Gods with a changed countenance, 
 and called by other names, but still thy Gods 1 
 
 The sun sinks over Abouthis. The red rays of Ra 
 flame on temple roofs, upon green fields, and the wide 
 waters of father Sihor. So as a child I watched him 
 sink; just so his last kiss touched the further pylon's 
 frowning brow; just that same shadow lay upon the 
 tombs. All is unchanged ! I — I only am changed — 
 BO changed, and yet the same I 
 
 Oh, Cleopatra I Cleopatra, thou Destroyer 1 if I 
 might but tear thy vision from my heart! Of all my 
 
 friefs, this is the heaviest grief — still must Hove thee 1 
 till must I hug this serpent to my heart ! Still in my 
 ears must ring that low laugh of triumph — ^the mur- 
 mur of the falling fountain — the song of the 
 nightinga — 
 
 [Here the writing on the third roll of pcm/rus ab- 
 ruptly ends. It would almost seem that the writer 
 was at this moment broken in upon by those who 
 came to lead him to hia doom.} 
 
 THEEKS;