!" she said. "Taste it, mother."
Katuti took the little silver-cup in her hand, and gravely put it to her
lips, but without wetting them. A smile passed over her face, and her
eyes met those of the pioneer, who stared at her in horror. The picture
flashed before her mind of herself languishing for the pioneer, and of
his terror at her affection for him! Her selfish and intriguing spirit
was free from coarseness, and yet she could have laughed with all her
heart even while engaged in the most shameful deed of her whole life. She
gave the wine back to her daughter, saying good-humoredly:
"I have tasted sweeter, but acid is refreshing in this heat."
"That is true," said the wife of Mena; she emptied the cup to the bottom,
and then went on, as if refreshed, "But I will tell you the rest of my
dream. I saw the Neha-tree, which your father gave me, quite plainly; nay
I could have declared that I smelt its perfume, but the interpreter
assured me that we never smell in our dreams. I went up to the beautiful
tree in admiration. Then suddenly a hundred axes appeared in the air,
wielded by unseen hands, and struck the poor tree with such violence that
the branches one by one fell to the ground, and at last the trunk itself
was felled. If you think it grieved me you are mistaken. On the contrary,
I was delighted with the flashing hatchets and the flying splinters. When
at last nothing was left but the roots in the tub of earth, I perceived
that the tree was rising to new life. Suddenly my arms became strong, my
feet active, and I fetched quantities of water from the tank, poured it
over the roots, and when, at last, I could exert myself no longer, a
tender green shoot showed itself on the wounded root, a bud appeared, a
green leaf unfolded itself, a juicy stem sprouted quickly, it became a
firm trunk, sent out branches and twigs, and these became covered with
leaves and flowers, white, red and blue; then various birds came and
settled on the top of the tree, and sang. Ah! my heart sang louder than
the birds at that moment, and I said to myself that without me the tree
would have been dead, and that it owed its life to me."
"A beautiful dream," said Katuti; "that reminds me of your girlhood, when
you would be awake half the night inventing all sorts of tales. What
interpretation did the priest give you?"
"He promised me many things," said Nefert, "and he gave me the assurance
that the happiness to which I am predestined shal
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