Mexico weekly ledger., 1890-03-13
CLEOPATRA.
Being an Account of the Fall and
Vengeance Of Harmaehis, the
Royal Egyptian,
AS SET FORTH BY HIS OWN HAND.
By H. RIDER HAGoARD,
Author OF King SoIomon's Mines"
aShe," ALLAN Quatermsin,"
Etc, Etc, Etc.
Illustrated by NIcHoLL. after T WOOD
I'LL and RERFENHAGEN.
AS SET FORTH BY HIS OWN HAND.
Illustrated by NIcEoLL. after CATION WOOD
VILE and aRERFENHAGEN.
CHAPTER XXI.

lAct3ssS% thou dark Harma,
lfMSHE@ chis,'' she said, in q
E@H s3f~ thing hideous to be-
~EE~ holdi o lost Egypt,
III RGNySNT with all thy sins thou
SAD vast indesda queen. Come,
S!Ss2ggsslf aid me, prince; let US stretch
sfsSAa this poor clay upon the bed
49, and deck it royalty, SC that it
may give its dumb audience
to the messengers of Cesar as becomes the
last of Egypt's queens"
Ispoke no word In answer, for my heart
wa very heavy, and now that all was done,
Twas weary. Together, then, we lifted up
the body and laid 1t on b golden bed.
Charmion placed the crown upon
the ivory brow, and combed the night-dark
hair tina showed never a thread OF silver,
and for the last time shut those eyes where
In had shone all the changing glories Of the
sea. She folded the chill hands upon the
breast whence passions breath had fed,
and Strengthened the vent knees beneath
the broidered robe, aud 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.
SIT Is DONE" quoth Charmion; tive are
avenged; and now, Harmachis, dost follow
by this same roadi" and she nodded to-
wards the phial on the board.
MAY, Charmion. Ifyl fly to a heavier
death. Not thus easily may I end my space
Of earthly ~penance."
$50 be It, Harmachis, and ], Harmachis-
lily also, but with swifter wings. Mygame
Is played. ], too, have made atonement.
Obi what q bitter fate Is mine, to have
brought misery on all I love, and, in the end,
&c Sie unioved. To thee have atoned; to
my angered Gods IhaYe atoned; and now
/ go to find a way whereby I may atone to
Cleopatra in that He'll where she is, and
/, which I must share, for she loved me well,
HarInachis; and, now that she is dead,
methinks that, after thee, loved her best
of al. So Of her cup and the cup of 1ras
/ will surely drink"
And she took the phial, and with o steady
hand poured that which was left Of the
poison into the goblet.
"Bethink thee, Charmion,"I said; s.yet
mayst thou live for many years, hiding
these sorrows beneath the withered days"
"Yet I may, but I will noti To live the
prey Of SO many memories, the fount OF an
uuuyiAS ouau1o bl6b AiSuu ny Ai5uty 40 1
lie sleepless, shall well afresh from my sor-
can not lose. To stand alone, like some
storm-twisted tree, and signing day by
day to the winds of heaven. Gaze upon the
desertef my life, while wait the lingering
i~ightning's stroke. Nay, that will not /;
Harmachis, Ihad died long since, but I lived
on to serve thee; now no more thou modest
me, and ] 90. Oh, fare thee we'll! 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 owe hat queenly woman thou hast
bounded to the death. Her thou shalt never
VIA, and thee I shall never win,
and this Ia the bitter end Of fate. See,
Harmachisi I ask n boon before I ~,
and for all time become aaught to thee brit
q memory Of shame; tell mi that thou dost
forgive me SO far as thine is to forgive, and,
In token thereof, kiss me-with no lovers
kiss, but kiss me on the brow, and bid me
pass in peace.n
And she drew near to me with arms out
stretched, and pitiful, trembling lips, and
gazed upon my face.
"Charmion, Unanswered, tive are free to
act for good or evil and yet methinks there
Ia q fate above nj fate, that, blowing from
strange shores, compels our little sails Of
purpose, set them u we will, and drives us
to destruction. I forgive thee, Charmion,
as I 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 q little while
she stood gazing on me with sad eyes, then
she lifted the goblet, and said: ssRoyalHar-
machis, in this deadly cup I pledge thee;
would that / had drunk of it ere ever !
looked upon thy face, Pharaoh, who, thy
sims outworn, yet shall rule in perfect
peace Ger worlds ] may not tread, who yet
shall sway q hnglier scepter than that ]
robbed thee OF. forever fare thee wel.n
Che DRANK. ca.t DOWN Aha cnn and for a
moment stood with the vida ewes Of one
who looks for death. Then he came. and
Charmion, the Egyptian, fell prone upon
the floor, dead; and for q moment I stood
alone with the dead.
Icreptt to the side of Cleopatra, aud, now
that none were leftto see, 1 sas down on
the bed and laid her head upon my knee,
a once before It had been laid; in tina.
night Of sacriiege beneath the everlasting
pyramid. Then I kissed her chill brow and
went from b house Of death 'ayenged,
but sorely smttten with despair"
physician, said the onacer OF the guard
as went through the gates, "wh passes
yonder in the M~ethought
heard the sounds OF death"
Waugh passes al hath passed made
reply, and went; ana as ! wen n the dark'
ness nea,o me SOUND OF voices ana toe