e same time, as she was his
eldest daughter, many privileges were conceded to her, which hitherto
none but queens had enjoyed.

The large room, in which Nefert found the princess, commanded the river.
A doorway, closed with light curtains, opened on to a long balcony with a
finely-worked balustrade of copper-gilt, to which clung a climbing rose
with pink flowers.

When Nefert entered the room, Bent-Anat was just having the rustling
curtain drawn aside by her waiting-women; for the sun was setting, and at
that hour she loved to sit on the balcony, as it grew cooler, and watch
with devout meditation the departure of Ra, who, as the grey-haired Turn,
vanished behind the western horizon of the Necropolis in the evening to
bestow the blessing of light on the under-world.

Nefert's apartment was far more elegantly appointed than the princess's;
her mother and Mena had surrounded her with a thousand pretty trifles.
Her carpets were made of sky-blue and silver brocade from Damascus, the
seats and couches were covered with stuff embroidered in feathers by the
Ethiopian women, which looked like the breasts of birds. The images of
the Goddess Hathor, which stood on the house-altar, were of an imitation
of emerald, which was called Mafkat, and the other little figures, which
were placed near their patroness, were of lapis-lazuli, malachite, agate
and bronze, overlaid with gold. On her toilet-table stood a collection of
salve-boxes, and cups of ebony and ivory finely carved, and everything
was arranged with the utmost taste, and exactly suited Nefert herself.

Bent-Anat's room also suited the owner.

It was high and airy, and its furniture consisted in costly but simple
necessaries; the lower part of the wall was lined with cool tiles of
white and violet earthen ware, on each of which was pictured a star, and
which, all together, formed a tasteful pattern. Above these the walls
were covered with a beautiful dark green material brought from Sais, and
the same stuff was used to cover the long divans by the wall. Chairs and
stools, made of cane, stood round a very large table in the middle of
this room, out of which several others opened; all handsome, comfortable,
and harmonious in aspect, but all betraying that their mistress took
small pleasure in trifling decorations. But her chief delight was in
finely-grown plants, of which rare and magnificent specimens,
artistically arranged on stands, stood in the corners of many of the
r