cut my words short, said I was a
noble man, and a worthy suitor but--"

"There came the but."

"Yes--in the form of a very frank 'no.' I asked her reasons. She begged
me to be content with the 'no;' then I pressed her harder, till she
interrupted me, and owned with proud decision that she preferred some one
else. I wished to learn the name of the happy man--that she refused. Then
my blood began to boil, and my desire to win her increased; but I had to
leave her, rejected, and with a fresh, burning, poisoned wound in my
heart."

"You are jealous!" said Katuti, "and do you know of whom?"

"No," replied Ani. "But I hope to find out through you. What I feel it is
impossible for me to express. But one thing I know, and that is this,
that I entered the palace a vacillating man--that I left it firmly
resolved. I now rush straight onwards, never again to turn back. From
this time forward you will no longer have to drive me onward, but rather
to hold me back; and, as if the Gods had meant to show that they would
stand by me, I found the high-priest Ameni, and the chief pioneer Paaker
waiting for me in my house. Ameni will act for me in Egypt, Paaker in
Syria. My victorious troops from Ethiopia will enter Thebes to-morrow
morning, on their return home in triumph, as if the king were at their
head, and will then take part in the Feast of the Valley. Later we will
send them into the north, and post them in the fortresses which protect
Egypt against enemies coming from the east Tanis, Daphne, Pelusium,
Migdol. Rameses, as you know, requires that we should drill the serfs of
the temples, and send them to him as auxiliaries. I will send him half of
the body-guard, the other half shall serve my own purposes. The garrison
of Memphis, which is devoted to Rameses, shall be sent to Nubia, and
shall be relieved by troops that are faithful to me. The people of Thebes
are led by the priests, and tomorrow Ameni will point out to them who is
their legitimate king, who will put an end to the war and release them
from taxes. The children of Rameses will be excluded from the
solemnities, for Ameni, in spite of the chief-priest of Anion, still
pronounces Bent-Anat unclean. Young Rameri has been doing wrong and
Ameni, who has some other great scheme in his mind, has forbidden him the
temple of Seti; that will work on the crowd! You know how things are
going on in Syria: Rameses has suffered much at the hands of the Cheta
and their allies; whole