The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-05-16
UARDA
CONTINUED From Page Three.)

no.. HIS
81 Pa. Ami, the Regent, was Of fuller
oval blood than Rameses and Ami was
Inspiring for the diadem.
10 Ameni it mattered little who sat
ION the throne-so that he could use
I'm Firmly convinced that the com
MON people were worthy to be fed only
IN mysteries and not to be trusted
with the truth, that DANGEROUS 1nno-
ra+ions had been made n were being
.ooda in the ancient and established
dor of things, Ameni chung with ten
acitv to every jot and little OF the old
ardar. which he felt was passing away
into chaos, and devoted all the cunning
of his great intellect to hold back the
Floods which he felt were threatening
+o inundate the minds Of men with
new and dangerous ideas. He was
already conspiring with the Regent
AGAINST the absent Rameses and de-
+ermined to make the publication Of
Rpnt Anat a public matter, and to pro-
claim to the people that the daughter
of Pharaoh a no more rights in
matters of faith than the mean
est Of the people-it would De good
politics-he thought.
few lays later Bent Anat came
with her train to visit the house for
Seti. where her brother was a pupil.
Was it her brother she came to see, or
did she wish again to hear the voice
Of that fair young poet-priest, Pen
taur? AS the princess alighted from
her chariot before the temple. where
a crowd apprised Of her coming, had
collected, Hail to the daughter Of
Rameses! hail to the child of the
Sum" burst from a thousand threats.
But on the threshold of the door ap-
peared Ameni in full pontifical robes,
his ~crosier extended as if to forbid her
entrance. 'The advent OF the daugh-
A~ u r. , lo orin1 SIC o. Man.
or to this house if h comes in her
purity. But to the unclean, be they
slaves or princes, the portals Of this
sanctuary are closed. In the name of
the immortals from whom thou art
descended I ask thee, Bent Anat, art
thou purified?" 3
A deep flush overspread the cheeks
of the mafden and there was a rushing
noise in her ears. Her royal blood
surged wildly at the insult. Then she
returned the gaze Of the high priest
haughtily and de1antly. my father
will communicate my answer to thee"
she said and turned to go proudly.
But at her first step her eyes en-
countered those Of Pentaur. Ameni
saw the glance-his spies had nform-
ed him Of the friendship between
Pentaur and the princess. Bent
Anat." cried Ameni, "hear this. mis-
guided child. To thee much will be
forgiven. But to a servant of the Di-
vinity-and he turned a threatening
glance upon priest who In
the war Of free will against law be-
comes a deserter, who fOrgets his duty
and his oath-even though God has
blessed him with rich gifts-he is
damned. We drive him from among
US. We curse him."
A deep sympathy, a nameless an
guish, seized the soul Of the princess.
Pentaur haughtily stepped forward to
support her and to defy Ameni. Bat
before he could reach her side h
sank upon her knees before Arneni
and said: 81 have sinned and have de-
flied myself. as thou hast said. Pen
taur said it by the hut of the paras-
chites. Restore me to cleanliness,
Ameni."
Like a flame that is crushed out by
the hand, 50 the fire in the high
priests eyes was extinguished.
G~raciously, almost lovingly, he looked
down upon the princess and blessed
her. In his heart of hearts Ameni
loved Pentaur and admired the royal
daughter of the Sun. But policy must
be maintained; the old r~eactionary felt
that he must not let his private feel
ings interfere with what he considered
not only his duty, but the safety OF
mankind. Therefore, Amen said that
the guilt or Bent Anat was not even
yet eNplated, that she would presently
learn by what rites and ray n
exercises she might again attain to
perfect purity. And so the princess
returned Once more to the royal
palace across the river and Pentaur
retired to his room to think of her
whose pride had been overcome by
the fear that her haughtiness would
Involve him in difficulties and dangers.
Meantime Paaker was pursuing his
suit with the wife Of Mena. In his
visits to the metropolis with the fair
Nefert and her friend, the royal Bent
Anat, he had run across an old wo-
man, a reputed witch, who lived in a
cave and made a living by selling
Charms and philters and by the more
horrible trade Of so deforming chill
ne, the son Of a king, loved the grand
daughter of a paraschites!