Warren sheaf., 1905-12-28

been mumn.E4 .ln.. enI0mbe1 I
should have known thine intent. 1
marvel that thou couldst think had
not seen. Now, hast thou not guessed
my mind by this? Have not been
sufficiently explicit? Must l, too, lay
bare my heart in wordsy'
She did not speak for a moment; then
she said eagerly:
Let not thy jealousy trouble thee
concerning Seti-he is naught to me-
love him not-a boy, no more"
"Setiv' he exclaimed contemptuous-
~. II have no feeling against Seti
save for his unfealty to 10, the little
child who loves him, whose heart thou
hast most deliberately broken"
''Not so," she declared vehemently.
II cannot help the boys attachment to
me. She is child, as thou hast said,
and is easily comforted. Not SO with
maturer hearts like NINE"
She put her arms about his neck and,
flinging her head back, gazed at him
with heavy eye.
She was not dealing with Seti or
Siptah, or any other whom she had be-
witched. There was no. spell in the
topaz eyes for Rameses. If her sor-
cery affected him at all it won no
more than cursory interest in her
next move.
'"The night is too short to recount
my reasons he replied calmly as he
put her arms away. But might
point out the snarling cur Siptah for
one and a few other comely lords Of
Egypt"
what hast thou done in thy life?"
she cried. Il am no more wicked than
thou. Thou hast found delight in 9TH
ers beside whom am all innocence"
She dropped before him, her white
robes cumbering his path, her arms
clasping his knees. -. @~,,.--.
"Nhat more have to do Of which to
accuse myself, 20 Rameses?., Egypt
knows why came to court. Egypt
will know why l shall leave it. What
have not offered, and what hast thou
given me? Where shall find that ref
uge from the pitying smile of the ma
ton? Spare my womanhood''--
"Ah, fie upon thy pretense, Ta-user!
Art thou not shrewd enough to know
how; we'll understand thee? Thou
dost not love me. No woman who
loves pleads beyond the first rebuff.
Love is full of dudgeon. Thou dost
betray thyself in thy very insistence
Thou beggest for the crown shall
wear, and If were overthrown to-
morrow thou wouldst kneel likewise
to mine enemy. Thou hast no wom-
anhood to lose in Egypt's sight. As
thy caprice turned from Siptah to me
let it return to Siptah once again. And
If thy heart doth in truth vince with
jealousy think on To-"
He undid her arms, flung her from
him and disappeared into the dark.
Masanath. suffocating with wrath
and rebellion and overpowered with an
exaggerated appreciation of her shame.
tumbled down in the shadows Of the
narrow passage and wrapped her man
tie around her head.
When she had wept till the creamy
linen over her small face was wet and
her throat hurt under the strain Of an
CRY sobs, and until she was sure that
Rameses was gone, she picked herself
up and went cautiously to the end Of
the passage to reconno1ter.
The prince stood under the single
lamp in the great corridor between her
and the refuge of her chamber. An
other was close to him, her hands upon
his shoulders.
Masanath retired into the dusk and
waited. When she looked again the
hands were clasped about the princes
neck. Back into the shadows she
~shrank. pressing her tiny palms to-
gether in wild prayer for Ta-user's
triumph. After an interval she looked
again in time to see Rameses undo the