the lamp burned, and the
Queen's eyes shone in the night. This way and that went the game, till
she lost, and he swept the board.

Then in triumph he drained the poisoned cup of wine, and cried, "Pharaoh
is dead!"

"Pharaoh is dead!" answered Meriamun, gazing into his eyes.

"What is that look in thine eyes, Meriamun, what is that look in thine
eyes?"

And the King grew pale as the dead, for he had seen that look
before--when Meriamun slew Hataska.

"Pharaoh is dead!" she shrilled in the tone of women who wail the
dirges. "Pharaoh, great Pharaoh is dead! Ere a man may count a hundred
thy days are numbered. Strange! but to-morrow, Meneptah, shalt thou sit
where Hataska sat, dead on the knees of Death, an Osirian in the lap of
the Osiris. Die, Pharaoh, die! But while thy diest, hearken. There is
one I love, the Wanderer who leads thy hosts. His love I stole by arts
known to me, and because I stole it he would have shamed me, and I
accused him falsely in the ears of men. But he comes again, and, so sure
as thou shalt sit on the knees of Osiris, so surely shall he sit upon
thy throne, Pharaoh. For Pharaoh is dead!"

He heard. He gathered his last strength. He rose and staggered towards
her, striking at the air. Slowly she drew away, while he followed her,
awful to see. At length he stood still, he threw up his hands, and fell
dead.

Then Meriamun drew near and looked at him strangely.

"Behold the end of Pharaoh," she said. "That then was a king, upon whose
breath the lives of peoples hung like a poised feather. Well, let him
go! Earth can spare him, and Death is but the richer by a weary
fool. 'Tis done, and well done! Would that to-morrow's task were also
done--and that Helen lay as Pharaoh lies. So--rinse the cup--and now to
sleep--if sleep will come. Ah, where hath sleep flown of late? To-morrow
they'll find him dead. Well, what of it? So do kings ofttimes die.
There, I will be going; never were his eyes so large and so unlovely!"

Now the light of morning gathered again on all the temple tops, and men
rose from sleep to go about their labours. Meriamun watched it grow as
she lay sleepless in her golden bed, waiting for the cry that presently
should ring along the Palace walls. Hark! What was that? The sound of
swinging doors, the rush of running feet. And now it came--long and
shrill it rose.

"Pharaoh is dead! Awake! Awake, ye sleepers! Awake! awake! and look upon
that which has come about. Pharaoh is d