Mexico weekly ledger., 1889-12-19

vance 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 / had formed for Egypt. And
she seemed to listen gladly, weighing them
well, and spoke of means aud methods, tell
Ing 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, now that all things else had gone
from me-, / learned to love her with all the
unspent passion of my aching soul. had
uaught left to me but Cleopatra's love, and
Itwined my life about it, and brooded DER
it as a widow DER her only babe. And thus
the very author Of my shame became my
all, my dearest dear, and l loved her with a
wild, deep love that grew Il grew, till 1t
seemed to swallow up the past and make
the present as a dream. For she had con-
quered me, she had robbed me of my honor
and STEPPED me to the lips in shame, and /,
poor, blinded wretchi l 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 terrors free to roam through
the open halls of thought, / seem to see her
EDN. tUFIll, as tE ST i saw IL, COuiO Will u lie
outstretched and loves own light shining
in her deep eyes,, with lips apart and flow
ing locks, and stamped upon her face the
look of utter tenderness that she alone
could wear. Ay, still, after all the years, 1
seem to see her come as erst she came, and
still l wake to know her In unutterable lie.
And thus one day she came. She had
fed in haste, she said. from some great
council summoned concerning the wars of
Antony in Syria, and she came. as she had
left the council, in all her robes of state,
and in her hand the scepter, and on her
brow the ureus diadem of gold. There she
sat before me laughing; for, wearying OF
them, she had told the ENJOYS, 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. Suddenly she rose,
took the diadem from her brow, and set it
on my hair, and on my shoulders her Royal
chlanys, and in my hand the scepter, and
bowed the knee before ne. Then, laugh
ing again, she kissed me on the lips n
said | was, indeed, her King. But, remem-
bering how l had been in the halls
of Abouthis, and remembering also that
wreath of roses whereof the odor haunts
me yet, l rose pale with wrath and cast the
rinkets from me, asking her how she
dared to mock me-her Gagged birda And
methinks there was that about me that
startled her, for she fell back.
NAY, H~armachis,'' she said, "be not
wroth. How knowest thou that l mock
thees How knowest thou that thou shalt
not be Pharaoh in fact and deeds"
What meanest thouz" / said. "Wllt
thou, then, wed me before Egypt? How
else can 1 be Pharaoh now"
She cast down her eyes. "Perchance,
love, tits in my mind to wed thee" she said
gently.
'sListenrr she went on. 'sThou growest
pale here in this prison, and little dost thou
eat. Gainsay MT not! know it from the
slaves. have kept thee here, Harmachis,
for thine own sake, that is so dear to me;
and for thine own sake, and thy honol's
sake, must thou still seem to be my prison.
er. Else wouldst thou be shamed and slain
| -ay, murdered secretly. But here can l
meet thee no more; therefore tomorrow
will T free thee in all save in the anne and
thou shalt once more be seen at Court as
my astronomer. And this reason will l give
that thou hast cleared myself; and, more
over, that thy auguries as regards the war
have been auguries of truth-as, indeed,
they have, though thereon w I no cause
to thank thee, for methinks thou didst suit
| thy prophecies to lit thy cause. Now fare
well; for l must return to those heavy
browed ambassadors; n grow not so sud-
| den 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 husband. And, of a truth, /
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. h en-
tered 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, sin that 1 dare to come to thee in
Cleopatra place. Not for long is thy JOY
delayed, for thou shalt see her presently.
shrank at her words, as well I might,
and, seeing her vantage, she seized it.
81 come, Harmachis-Royal no morei
come to tell thee that thou art freeI 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.
come to tell thee that the great p!ot-the
plot of twenty years and more-is at It's
utter end. None have been slain, indeed,
unless tits Sepa, who has vanished. But
all the leaders nave been seized and put in
chains, or driven from the land, anG ttel,
party is no more. The storm has melted
ere it burst. Khem is lost, and lost forever,
for her last hope is gonel No longer lay
she struggle-now for all time must she
bow her neck to the yoke, and her back te
the rod of thee ppressor"
I groaned aloud. "Alas, l was be-
4rox-aIt ~ I ca,d. sEpor.fI1S hotrcroa III ~
Thou vast betrayed Nay, thou thysel1
vast the betrayer! How came 1t that thou
didst not STAY Cleopatra when thou vast
J alone with her? Answer, thou for
sworn!"
"She drugged me" I said again.
SO Harmachis! % answered the pitiless
girl, show low art thou fallen from thai
Prince whom once I knew! thou who dos
not scorn to be q liari Yea, thou was
drugged drugged with a love philtre
Yea, thou didst sell Egypt and thy cause
fer the price of a wanton's kissl Thou Sor
row and thou Shame ~ she went on, point
ing her finger at me and lifting her eyes tx
my face, sthou Scorn!-thou Outcast!-
and thou Contempt Deny it if thou canst
Ay, shrink from me-knowing what tho,
art, well mayst thou shrink Shrink and
crawl to C~leopatra's feet, and kiss he
SdAuudl5 AZ suth tlutC de- i picdocS utl
to trample thee in thy kindred dirt; bu
from all honest folk MISUNDERSTANDING
My soul quivered beneath the lash O.
her bitter hate, but I had no words to an
swer.
How comes ii, II said at last in a heay,
voice, 'that thou, too, art not betrayed, bu
art here to taunt me, thou who once dds
swear that thou dldst love me7 Being
woman, hast thou no pity for the frailt,
of man,"
"My name was not on the lists" she said
dropping her dark eyes. Herein Is al
opportunity betray me also, o Harmachis
Ay, tits because l ouce did love thee-dos'
thou, indeed, remember itf-that I feel tn,
fail the more. The shame of one whom we
once lave owe must in some sort becom,
our shame, and must ever cling to US il
that we blindly held a thing so base close t.
ourinmost heart. Artthou also, then, a fool
toms arms come to me for comfort--to m
of all theworldf"
''How know l." 1 said, shat it was no
thou who, in thy jealous anger, didst betra,
our plansl Charmion, long ago Sepa warnet
me against thee, and of a truth now that
recall
"'Tis like q traitor" she broke in, red
dening to her brow, ito think that all ar,
of his family and hold a common mind
Nay, I betrayed thee not; twas that poo,
knave Paulus, whose heart failed him a
the last, and who is rightly served. No
win / stay to hear thoughts SO base. Har