An hour later the Princess Userti broke into the room of his palacewhere the Prince and I were talking.
"Seti," she said, "Pharaoh still lives, but the physicians say he willbe dead by dawn. There is yet time. Here I have a writing, sealed withhis signet and witnessed, wherein he recalls all that he decreed in theCourt to-day, and declares you, his son, to be the true and only heir ofthe throne of Egypt."
"Is it so, wife? Tell me now how did a dying man in a swoon command andseal this writing?" and he touched the scroll she held in her hand.
"He recovered for a little while; Nehesi will tell you how," shereplied, looking him in the face with cold eyes. Then before he couldspeak, she added, "Waste no more breath in questions, but act andat once. The General of the guards waits below; he is your faithfulservant. Through him I have promised a gift to every soldier on the daythat you are crowned. Nehesi and most of the officers are on our side.Only the priests are against us because of that Hebrew witch whom youshelter, and of her tribe whom you befriend; but they have not had timeto stir up the people nor will they attempt revolt. Act, Seti, act, fornone will move without your express command. Moreover, no question willbe raised afterwards, since from Thebes to the sea and throughout theworld you are known to be the heir of Egypt."
"What would you have me do, wife?" asked Seti, when she paused for lackof breath.
"Cannot you guess? Must I put statecraft into your head as well as asword into your hand? Why that scribe of yours, who follows your heelslike a favoured dog, would be more apt a pupil. Hearken then. Amenmeseshas sent out to gather strength, but as yet there are not fifty menabout him whom he can trust." She leant forward and whispered fiercely,"Kill the traitor, Amenmeses--all will hold it a righteous act, and theGeneral waits your word. Shall I summon him?"
"I think not," answered Seti. "Because Pharaoh, as he has a right to do,is pleased to name a certain man of royal blood to succeed him, how doesthis make that man a traitor to Pharaoh who still lives? But, traitor ornone, I will not murder my cousin Amenmeses."
"Then he will murder you."
"Maybe. That is a matter between him and the gods which I leave them tosettle. The oath he swore to-day is not one to be lightly broken. Butwhether he breaks it or not, I also swore an oath, at least in my heart,namely that I would not attempt to dispute the will of Pharaoh whom,after all, I love as my father and honour as my king, Pharaoh whostill lives and may, as I hope, recover. What should I say to him if herecovered or, at the worst, when at last we meet elsewhere?"
"Pharaoh never will recover; I have spoken to the physician and hetold me so. Already they pierce his skull to let out the evil spirit ofsickness, after which none of our family have lived for very long."
"Because, as I hold, thereby, whatever priests and physicians may say,they let in the good spirit of death. Ana, I pray you if I----"
"Man," she broke in, striking her hand upon the table by which shestood, "do you understand that while you muse and moralise your crown ispassing from you?"
"It has already passed, Lady. Did you not see me give it to Amenmeses?"
"Do you understand that you who should be the greatest king in all theworld, in some few hours if indeed you are allowed to live, will benothing but a private citizen of Egypt, one at whom the very beggars mayspit and take no harm?"
"Surely, Wife. Moreover, there is little virtue in what I do, sinceon the whole I prefer that prospect and am willing to take the risk ofbeing hurried from an evil world. Hearken," he added, with a change oftone and gesture. "You think me a fool and a weakling; a dreamer also,you, the clear-eyed, hard-brained stateswoman who look to the glitteringgain of the moment for which you are ready to pay in blood, andguess nothing of what lies beyond. I am none of these things, except,perchance, the last. I am only a man who strives to be just and to doright, as right seems to me, and if I dream, it is of good, not evil, asI understand good and evil. You are sure that this dreaming of mine willlead me to worldly loss and shame. Even of that _I_ am not sure. Thethought comes to me that it may lead me to those very baubles on whichyou set your heart, but by a path strewn with spices and with flowers,not by one paved with the bones of men and reeking with their gore.Crowns that are bought with the promise of blood and held with crueltyare apt to be lost in blood, Userti."
She waved her hand. "I pray you keep the rest, Seti, till I have moretime to listen. Moreover if I need prophecies, I think it better to turnto Ki and those who make them their life-study. For me this is a day ofdeeds, not dreams, and since you refuse my help, and behave as a sickgirl lost in fancies, I must see to myself. As while you live I cannotreign alone or wage war in my own name only, I go to make terms withAmenmeses, who will pay me high for peace."
"You go--and do you return, Userti?"
She drew herself to her full height, looking very royal, and answeredslowly:
"I do not return. I, the Princess of Egypt, cannot live as the wife ofa common man who falls from a throne to set himself upon the earth, andsmears his own brow with mud for a uraeus crown. When your propheciescome true, Seti, and you crawl from your dust, then perhaps we may speakagain."
"Aye, Userti, but the question is, what shall we say?"
"Meanwhile," she added, as she turned, "I leave you to your chosencounsellors--yonder scribe, whom foolishness, not wisdom, has whitenedbefore his time, and perchance the Hebrew sorceress, who can give youmoonbeams to drink from those false lips of hers. Farewell, Seti, once aprince and my husband."
"Farewell, Userti, who, I fear, must still remain my sister."
Then he watched her go, and turning to me, said:
"To-day, Ana, I have lost both a crown and a wife, yet strange to tellI do not know which of these calamities grieves me least. Yet it is timethat fortune turned. Or mayhap all the evils are not done. Would younot go also, Ana? Although she gibes at you in her anger, the Princessthinks well of you, and would keep you in her service. Remember, whoeverfalls in Egypt, she will be great till the last."
"Oh! Prince," I answered, "have I not borne enough to-day that youmust add insult to my load, you with whom I broke the cup and swore theoath?"
"What!" he laughed. "Is there one in Egypt who remembers oaths to hisown loss? I thank you, Ana," and taking my hand he pressed it.
At that moment the door opened, and old Pambasa entered, saying:
"The Hebrew woman, Merapi, would see you; also two Hebrew men."
"Admit them," said Seti. "Note, Ana, how yonder old time-server turnshis face from the setting sun. This morning even it would have been 'tosee your Highness,' uttered with bows so low that his beard swept thefloor. Now it is 'to see you' and not so much as an inclination of thehead in common courtesy. This, moreover, from one who has robbed me yearby year and grown fat on bribes. It is the first of many bitter lessons,or rather the second--that of her Highness was the first; I pray that Imay learn them with humility."
While he mused thus and, having no comfort to offer, I listened sad atheart, Merapi entered, and a moment after her the wide-eyed messengerwhom we had seen in Pharaoh's Court, and her uncle Jabez the cunningmerchant. She bowed low to Seti, and smiled at me. Then the other twoappeared, and with small salutation the messenger began to speak.
"You know my demand, Prince," he said. "It is that this woman should bereturned to her people. Jabez, her uncle, will lead her away."
"And you know my answer, Israelite," answered Seti. "It is that I haveno power over the coming or the going of the lady Merapi, or at leastwish to claim none. Address yourself to her."
"What is it you wish with me, Priest?" asked Merapi quickly.
"That you should return to the town of Goshen, daughter of Nathan. Haveyou no ears to hear?"
"I hear, but if I return, what will you of me?"
"That you who have proved yourself a prophetess by your deeds in yondertemple should dedicate your powers to the service of your people,receiving in return full forgiveness for the evils you have wroughtagainst them, which we swear to you in the
name of God."
"I am no prophetess, and I have wrought no evils against my people,Priest. I have only saved them from the evil of murdering one who hasshown himself their friend, even as I hear to the laying down of hiscrown for their sake."
"That is for the Fathers of Israel and not for you to judge, woman. Youranswer?"
"It is neither for them nor for me, but for God only." She paused, thenadded, "Is this all you ask of me?"
"It is all the Fathers ask, but Laban asks his affianced wife."
"And am I to be given in marriage to--this assassin?"
"Without doubt you are to be given to this brave soldier, being alreadyhis."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then, Daughter of Nathan, it is my part to curse you in the name ofGod, and to declare you cut off and outcast from the people of God. Itis my part to announce to you further that your life is forfeit, andthat any Hebrew may kill you when and how he can, and take no blame."
Merapi paled a little, then turning to Jabez, asked:
"You have heard, my uncle. What say you?"
Jabez looked round shiftily, and said in his unctuous voice:
"My niece, surely you must obey the commands of the Elders of Israel whospeak the will of Heaven, as you obeyed them when you matched yourselfagainst the might of Amon."
"You gave me a different counsel yesterday, my uncle. Then you said Ihad better bide where I was."
The messenger turned and glared at him.
"There is a great difference between yesterday and to-day," went onJabez hurriedly. "Yesterday you were protected by one who would soonbe Pharaoh, and might have been able to move his mind in favour of yourfolk. To-day his greatness is stripped from him, and his will has nomore weight in Egypt. A dead lion is not to be feared, my niece."
Seti smiled at this insult, but Merapi's face, like my own, grew red, asthough with anger.
"Sleeping lions have been taken for dead ere now, my uncle, as those whowould spurn them have discovered to their cost. Prince Seti, have you noword to help me in this strait?"
"What is the strait, Lady? If you wish to go to your people and--toLaban, who, I understand, is recovered from his hurts, there is naughtbetween you and me save my gratitude to you which gives me the right tosay you shall not go. If, however, you wish to stay, then perhaps I amstill not so powerless to shield or smite as this worthy Jabez thinks,who still remain the greatest lord in Egypt and one with those that lovehim. Therefore should you desire to remain, I think that you may do sounmolested of any, and least of all by that friend in whose shadow itpleases you to sojourn."
"Those are very gentle words," murmured Merapi, "words that few wouldspeak to a maid from whom naught is asked and who has naught to give."
"A truce to this talk," snarled the messenger. "Do you obey or do yourebel? Your answer."
She turned and looked him full in the face, saying:
"I do not return to Goshen and to Laban, of whose sword I have seenenough."
"Mayhap you will see more of it before all is done. For the last time,think ere the curse of your God and your people falls upon you, andafter it, death. For fall I say it shall, I, who, as Pharaoh knowsto-day, am no false prophet, and as that Prince knows also."
"I do not think that my God, who sees the hearts of those that he hasmade, will avenge himself upon a woman because she refuses to be weddedto a murderer whom of her own will she never chose, which, Priest, isthe fate you offer me. Therefore I am content to leave judgment inthe hands of the great Judge of all. For the rest I defy you and yourcommands. If I must be slaughtered, let me die, but at least let me diemistress of myself and free, who am no man's love, or wife, or slave."
"Well spoken!" whispered Seti to me.
Then this priest became terrible. Waving his arms and rolling his wildeyes, he poured out some hideous curse upon the head of this poor maid,much of which, as it was spoken rapidly in an ancient form of Hebrew,we did not understand. He cursed her living, dying, and after death.He cursed her in her love and hate, wedded or alone. He cursed her inchild-bearing or in barrenness, and he cursed her children after her toall generations. Lastly, he declared her cut off from and rejected bythe god she worshipped, and sentenced her to death at the hands of anywho could slay her. So horrible was that curse that she shrank awayfrom him, while Jabez crouched about the ground hiding his eyes with hishands, and even I felt my blood turn cold.
At length he paused, foaming at the lips. Then, suddenly, shouting,"After judgment, doom!" he drew a knife from his robe and sprang at her.
She fled behind us. He followed, but Seti, crying, "Ah, I thought it,"leapt between them, as he did so drawing the iron sword which he worewith his ceremonial dress. At him he sprang and the next thing I saw wasthe red point of the sword standing out beyond the priest's shoulders.
Down he fell, babbling:
"Is this how you show your love for Israel, Prince?"
"It is how I show my hate of murderers," answered Seti.
Then the man died.
"Oh!" cried Merapi wringing her hands, "once more I have caused Hebrewblood to flow and now all this curse will fall on me."
"Nay, on me, Lady, if there is anything in curses, which I doubt, forthis deed was mine, and at the worst yonder mad brute's knife did notfall on you."
"Yes, life is left if only for a little while. Had it not been for you,Prince, by now, I----" and she shuddered.
"And had it not been for you, Moon of Israel, by now I----" and hesmiled, adding, "Surely Fate weaves a strange web round you and me.First you save me from the sword; then I save you. I think, Lady, thatin the end we ought to die together and give Ana here stuff for the bestof all his stories. Friend Jabez," he went on to the Israelite who wasstill crouching in the corner with the eyes starting from his head, "getyou back to your gentle-hearted people and make it clear to them why thelady Merapi cannot companion you, taking with you that carrion to proveyour tale. Tell them that if they send more men to molest your niece alike fate awaits them, but that now as before I do not turn my back uponthem because of the deeds of a few madmen or evil-doers, as I have giventhem proof to-day. Ana, make ready, since soon I leave for Memphis.See that the Lady Merapi, who will travel alone, has fit escort for herjourney, that is if it pleases her to depart from Tanis."