Warren sheaf., 1905-12-21

| kenes took up another roll and wrote
thus to Meneptah:
To Meneptah, Beloved Of Ptah Am
! bassador of Amen, Vicar Of Ra, Lord
Over Upper and Lower Egypt greeting
At this point he paused. His power
Of expression, aghast at the magnitude
Of the stake laid on it's successful use,
became panic stricken and fed from
him. He feared that words could not
be chosen which would justify his sac
rilege or prove his claims to Rachel
greater than Har-hats. Meneptah
would be hedged about with prejudice
against his first cause and deferred by
the prior right of Har-hat in the Sec
ond. The last man that talked with
the king nodded him. Flattery alone
might prevail against coercion. 1t was
the one hope.
Kenkenes seized his pen and wrote:
This from thy subject Kenkenes. the
son Of Mentu. thy murket.
I give thee a true story, o Defender Of
Women.
There Is maiden whose kinsmen died
Of hard labor in the service of Egypt.
Not one was left to care for her. OF all
her house she alone remains. They died
In ignominy Shall the last remnant of
the unhappy family be stamped out in
dishonor?
If one came before thee seeking to in
suit innocence and another begging leave
to protect It, thou wouldst choose for
him who would keep pure the undefiled
Have I not said, o my king?
Before thee even now is such choice.
Already thou hast given over the mas
f0~c IN ofp 111
Israelite, to- thy fan bearer, Har-hat BY
the lips Of his own servants I am inform
ed that he would have put her in his
harem.
She fled from him, and hid her away,
for I could not bear to deliver her up to
the despoiler.
I love her; she loveth me. Wilt thou
not give her to me to wife?
Thine illustriOus sire bespeaketh thy
favor out Of Amenti. Behold his signet
and its injunction.
Furthermore, I confess to sacrilege
against Athor in carving a statue which
ignored the sculptor's ritual. For this
and for hiding the Israelte am I impris-
oned in the city stronghold of Tape.
I would be free to return to my love
and comfort her; but if it shall overtax
thy generosity to release me- I pray thee
announce my sentence and let me begin
to count the hours till shall come fortk
again.
The Israelite hath a nurse, a feeble and
sick Old woman, Deborah by name. whom
the nlinions Of Har-hat abused. She can
be of no further use in servitude, and
would have thee set her free to bear
company to her love- the white souled
Rachel.
But If these last prayers imperil the
first by strain upon thy Indulgence.
beloved of Ptah, do thou set them aside
and grant only the safety Of the oppress-
ed maiden.
These to thy hand by the hand Of the
scribe Hotep. KENKENES.
The letter complete, he summoned
the messenger.
Kenkenes gave him the message and
a handful of rings. The man express
ed his thanks, after which he went
forth and the door was harrod
CHAPTER XVI. ~. +.
THE LOVE OF RAMEsEs.
IN " the Goth Of May the court Of
Ikl Meneptah was ready to pro-
|IbI ceed to Tanis.
. The next week the Pharaoh
would depart. Tonight he received no
tle Memphis for final revel.
His palace was aglow from it's tre-
mendous portals to the airy hypostyle
upon it's roof and from far reaching
wing to wing with countless colored
lights. From every architrave and cor
nice depended garlands and draperies,
and tinted banners waved unseen in
the dark. The great loteform pillars
supporting the porch were festooned
with lotus flowers, and the approaches
were strewn with palm leaves.
When the portals opened broad
shaft Of light shot into the night. A
multitude of attendants was seen bow
ing. Gusts of reedy music and bab-
BILE and the smell Of whiting flowers
and Punish incense swept into the
outer air. 5.#.t
Within, the great feast began and
proceeded to completeness. The ta-
bles were removed and the stage of the
reyel was far advanced. The levels
of scented vapor from the aromatic
torches undulated midway between the
ceiling and the floor and belted the
frescoes upon the paneled walls. Far
Op Iue VdulIeu u1u Iue 1udEdOu duu
his queen, in royal isolation, were
growing weary.
The company, which was large, had
fallen into easy attitudes, an exciting
game Of draughts or story teller or
beauty attracting groups here and
there over the hall.
Before one table whereon the scat
tered pawns Of game yet lay Ram
eses lounged in deep chair, a semi
recumbent figure in marble and OBJ
sidian. Beside him, where she had
seated herself at his command, was
Masanath.
There was Seti at Ta-user's side, but
10 was not at the feast. She mourned
for Kenkenes. Ta-meri was there, the
bride Of week to Nechutes, who how
cred about her without eye or ear for
any other of the company. Siptah,
Menes, Har-hat, all Of the group save
Hotep and Kenkenes, were present and
near enough to be Of the crown princes
party, yet scattered sufficiently to talk
among themselves.
-. .l Il -f