It was evening and as the palace was very hot I went into the garden andmaking my way to that little pleasure-house where Seti and I were wontto study, I sat myself down there and, being weary, fell asleep. WhenI awoke from a dream about some woman who was weeping, night had fallenand the full moon shone in the sky, so that its rays fell on the gardenbefore me.
Now in front of this little house, as I have said, grew trees that atthis season of the year were covered with white and cup-like blossoms,and between these trees was a seat built up of sun-dried bricks. On thisseat sat a woman whom I knew from her shape to be Merapi. Also she wassad, for although her head was bowed and her long hair hid her face Icould hear her gentle sighs.
The sight of her moved me very much and I remembered what the Prince hadsaid to me, telling me that I should do well to ask this lady whethershe had any mind my way. Therefore if I did so, surely I could not beblamed. Yet I was certain that it was not to me that her heart turned,though to speak the truth, much I wished it otherwise. Who would lookat the ibis in the swamp when the wide-winged eagle floated in heavenabove?
An evil thought came into my mind, sent by Set. Suppose that thiswatcher's eyes were fixed upon the eagle, lord of the air. Supposethat she worshipped this eagle; that she loved it because its home washeaven, because to her it was the king of all the birds. And suppose onetold her that if she lured it down to earth from the glorious safety ofthe skies, she would bring it to captivity or death at the hand of thesnarer. Then would not that loving watcher say: "Let it go free andhappy, however much I long to look upon it," and when it had sailed fromsight, perhaps turn her eyes to the humble ibis in the mud?
Jabez had told me that if this woman and the Prince grew dear to eachother she would bring great sorrow on his head. If I repeated hiswords to her, she who had faith in the prophecies of her people wouldcertainly believe them. Moreover, whatever her heart might prompt, beingso high-natured, never would she consent to do what might bring troubleon Seti's head, even if to refuse him should sink her soul in sorrow.Nor would she return to the Hebrews there to fall into the hands of oneshe hated. Then perhaps I----. Should I tell her? If Jabez had not meantthat the matter must be brought to her ears, would he have spoken ofit at all? In short was it not my duty to her, and perhaps also to thePrince who thereby might be saved from miseries to come, that is if thistalk of future troubles were anything more than an idle story.
Such was the evil reasoning with which Set assailed my spirit. How Ibeat it down I do not know. Not by my own goodness, I am sure, since atthe moment I was aflame with love for the sweet and beautiful lady whosat before me and in my foolishness would, I think, have given my lifeto kiss her hand. Not altogether for her sake either, since passionis very selfish. No, I believe it was because the love that I borethe Prince was more deep and real than that which I could feel for anywoman, and I knew well that were she not in my sight no such treacherywould have overcome my heart. For I was sure, although he had never saidso to me, that Seti loved Merapi and above all earthly things desiredher as his companion, while if once I spoke those words, whatever my owngain or loss and whatever her secret wish, that she would never be.
So I conquered, though the victory left me trembling like a child, andwishing that I had not been born to know the pangs of love denied. Myreward was very swift, for just then Merapi unfastened a gem from thebreast of her white robe and held it towards the moon, as though tostudy it. In an instant I knew it again. It was that royal scarab oflapis-lazuli with which in Goshen the Prince had made fast the bandageon her wounded food, which also had been snatched from her breast bysome power on that night when the statue of Amon was shattered in thetemple.
Long and earnestly she looked at it, then having glanced round to makesure she was alone, she pressed it to her lips and kissed it thrice withpassion, muttering I know not what between the kisses. Now the scalesfell from my eyes and I knew that she loved Seti, and oh! how I thankedmy guardian god who had saved me from such useless shame.
I wiped the cold damp from my brow and was about to flee away,discovering myself with as few words as might be, when, looking up, Isaw standing behind Merapi the figure of a man, who was watching herreplace the ornament in her robe. While I hesitated a moment the manspoke and I knew the voice for that of Seti. Then again I thought offlight, but being somewhat timid by nature, feared to show myself untilit was too late, thinking that afterward the Prince would make me thetarget of his wit. So I sat close and still, hearing and seeing alldespite myself.
"What gem is that, Lady, which you admire and cherish so tenderly?"asked Seti in his slow voice that so often hid a hint of laughter.
She uttered a little scream and springing up, saw him.
"Oh! my lord," she exclaimed, "pardon your servant. I was sittinghere in the cool, as you gave me leave to do, and the moon was sobright--that--I wished to be see if by it I could read the writing onthis scarab."
Never before, thought I to myself, did I know one who read with herlips, though it is true that first she used her eyes.
"And could you, Lady? Will you suffer me to try?"
Very slowly and colouring, so that even the moonlight showed herblushes, she withdrew the ornament again and held it towards him.
"Surely this is familiar to me? Have I not seen it before?" he asked.
"Perhaps. I wore it that night in the temple, your Highness."
"You must not name me Highness, Lady. I have no longer any rank inEgypt."
"I know--because of--my people. Oh! it was noble."
"But about the scarabaeus----" he broke in, with a wave of his hand."Surely it is the same with which the bandage was made fast upon yourhurt--oh! years ago?"
"Yes, it is the same," she answered, looking down.
"I thought it. And when I gave it to you, I said some words that seemedto me well spoken at the time. What were they? I cannot remember. Haveyou also forgotten?"
"Yes--I mean--no. You said that now I had all Egypt beneath my foot,speaking of the royal cartouche upon the scarab."
"Ah! I recall. How true, and yet how false the jest, or prophecy."
"How can anything be both true and false, Prince?"
"That I could prove to you very easily, but it would take an hour ormore, so it shall be for another time. This scarab is a poor thing,give it back to me and you shall have a better. Or would you choose thissignet? As I am no longer Prince of Egypt it is useless to me."
"Keep the scarab, Prince. It is your own. But I will not take the ringbecause it is----"
"----useless to me, and you would not have that which is without valueto the giver. Oh! I string words ill, but they were not what I meant."
"No, Prince, because your royal ring is too large for one so small."
"How can you tell until you have tried? Also that is a fault which mightperhaps be mended."
Then he laughed, and she laughed also, but as yet she did not take thering.
"Have you seen Ana?" he went on. "I believe he set out to search foryou, in such a hurry indeed that he could scarcely finish his report tome."
"Did he say that?"
"No, he only looked it. So much so that I suggested he should seek youat once. He answered that he was going to rest after his long journey,or perhaps I said that he ought to do so. I forget, as often one does,on so beauteous a night when other thoughts seem nearer."
"Why did Ana wish to see me, Prince?"
"How can I tell? Why does a man who is still young--want to see a sweetand beautiful lady? Oh! I remember. He had met your uncle at Tanis whoinquired as to your health. Perhaps that is why he wanted to see you."
"I do not wish to hear about my uncle at Tanis. He reminds me of toomany things that give pain, and there are nights when one wishes toescape pain, which is sure to be found again on the morrow."
"Are you still of the same mind about returning to your people?" heasked, more earnestly.
"Surely. Oh! do not say that you will send me hence to----"
"Laba
n, Lady?"
"Laban amongst others. Remember, Prince, that I am one under a curse. IfI return to Goshen, in this way or in that, soon I shall die."
"Ana says that your uncle Jabez declares that the mad fellow who triedto murder you had no authority to curse and much less to kill you. Youmust ask him to tell you all."
"Yet the curse will cling and crush me at the last. How can I, onelonely woman, stand against the might of the people of Israel and theirpriests?"
"Are you then lonely?"
"How can it be otherwise with an outcast, Prince?"
"No, it cannot be otherwise. I know it who am also an outcast."
"At least there is her Highness your wife, who doubtless will come tocomfort you," she said, looking down.
"Her Highness will not come. If you had seen Ana, he would perhaps havetold you that she has sworn not to look upon my face again, unless aboveit shines a crown."
"Oh! how can a woman be so cruel? Surely, Prince, such a stab must cutyou to the heart," she exclaimed, with a little cry of pity.
"Her Highness is not only a woman; she is a Princess of Egypt which isdifferent. For the rest it does cut me to the heart that my royal sistershould have deserted me, for that which she loves better--power andpomp. But so it is, unless Ana dreams. It seems therefore that we are inthe same case, both outcasts, you and I, is it not so?"
She made no answer but continued to look upon the ground, and he went onvery slowly:
"A thought comes into my mind on which I would ask your judgment. If twowho are forlorn came together they would be less forlorn by half, wouldthey not?"
"It would seem so, Prince--that is if they remained forlorn at all. ButI do not understand the riddle."
"Yet you have answered it. If you are lonely and I am lonely apart, weshould, you say, be less lonely together."
"Prince," she murmured, shrinking away from him, "I spoke no suchwords."
"No, I spoke them for you. Hearken to me, Merapi. They think me astrange man in Egypt because I have held no woman dear, never havingseen one whom I could hold dear." Here she looked at him searchingly,and he went on, "A while ago, before I visited your land of Goshen--Anacan tell you about the matter, for I think he wrote it down--Ki andold Bakenkhonsu came to see me. Now, as you know, Ki is without doubta great magician, though it would seem not so great as some of yourprophets. He told me that he and others had been searching out my futureand that in Goshen I should find a woman whom it was fated I must love.He added that this woman would bring me much joy." Here Seti paused,doubtless remembering this was not all that Ki had said, or Jabezeither. "Ki told me also," he went on slowly, "that I had already knownthis woman for thousands of years."
She started and a strange look came into her face.
"How can that be, Prince?"
"That is what I asked him and got no good answer. Still he said it,not only of the woman but of my friend Ana as well, which indeed wouldexplain much, and it would appear that the other magicians said it also.Then I went to the land of Goshen and there I saw a woman----"
"For the first time, Prince?"
"No, for the third time."
Here she sank upon the bench and covered her eyes with her hands.
"----and loved her, and felt as though I had loved her for 'thousands ofyears.'"
"It is not true. You mock me, it is not true!" she whispered.
"It is true for if I did not know it then, I knew it afterwards, thoughnever perhaps completely until to-day, when I learned that Userti haddeserted me indeed. Moon of Israel, you are that woman. I will nottell you," he went on passionately, "that you are fairer than all otherwomen, or sweeter, or more wise, though these things you seem to me. Iwill only tell you that I love you, yes, love you, whatever you may be.I cannot offer you the Throne of Egypt, even if the law would suffer it,but I can offer you the throne of this heart of mine. Now, Lady Merapi,what have you to say? Before you speak, remember that although you seemto be my prisoner here at Memphis, you have naught to fear from me.Whatever you may answer, such shelter and such friendship as I can givewill be yours while I live, and never shall I attempt to force myselfupon you, however much it may pain me to pass you by. I know not thefuture. It may happen that I shall give you great place and power, itmay happen that I shall give you nothing but poverty and exile, or evenperhaps a share in my own death, but with either will go the worship ofmy body and my spirit. Now, speak."
She dropped her hands from her face, looking up at him, and there weretears shining in her beautiful eyes.
"It cannot be, Prince," she murmured.
"You mean you do not wish it to be?"
"I said that it cannot be. Such ties between an Egyptian and anIsraelite are not lawful."
"Some in this city and elsewhere seem to find them so."
"And I am married, I mean perhaps I am married--at least in name."
"And I too am married, I mean----"
"That is different. Also there is another reason, the greatest of all, Iam under a curse, and should bring you, not joy as Ki said, but sorrow,or, at the least, sorrow with the joy."
He looked at her searchingly.
"Has Ana----" he began, then continued, "if so what lives have you knownthat are not compounded of mingled joy and sorrow?"
"None. But the woe I should bring would outweigh the joy--to you. Thecurse of my God rests upon me and I cannot learn to worship yours. Thecurse of my people rests upon me, the law of my people divides mefrom you as with a sword, and should I draw close to you these will beincreased upon my head, which matters not, but also upon yours," and shebegan to sob.
"Tell me," he said, taking her by the hand, "but one thing, and if theanswer is No, I will trouble you no more. Is your heart mine?"
"It is," she sighed, "and has been ever since my eyes fell upon youyonder in the streets of Tanis. Oh! then a change came into me and Ihated Laban, whom before I had only misliked. Moreover, I too felt thatof which Ki spoke, as though I had known you for thousands of years. Myheart is yours, my love is yours; all that makes me woman is yours, andnever, never can turn from you to any other man. But still we must stayapart, for your sake, my Prince, for your sake."
"Then, were it not for me, you would be ready to run these hazards?"
"Surely! Am I not a woman who loves?"
"If that be so," he said with a little laugh, "being of full age and ofan understanding which some have thought good, by your leave I think Iwill run them also. Oh! foolish woman, do you not understand that thereis but one good thing in the world, one thing in which self and itsmiseries can be forgot, and that thing is love? Mayhap troubles willcome. Well, let them come, for what do they matter if only the love orits memory remains, if once we have picked that beauteous flower and foran hour worn it on our breasts. You talk of the difference between thegods we worship and maybe it exists, but all gods send their gifts oflove upon the earth, without which it would cease to be. Moreover, myfaith teaches me more clearly perhaps than yours, that life does not endwith death and therefore that love, being life's soul, must endure whileit endures. Last of all, I think, as you think, that in some dim waythere is truth in what the magicians said, and that long ago in the pastwe have been what once more we are about to be, and that the strength ofthis invisible tie has drawn us together out of the whole world and willbind us together long after the world is dead. It is not a matter ofwhat we wish to do, Merapi, it is a matter of what Fate has decreed weshall do. Now, answer again."
But she made no answer, and when I looked up after a little moment shewas in his arms and her lips were upon his lips.
Thus did Prince Seti of England and Merapi, Moon of Israel, cometogether at Memphis in Egypt.