t not move him, nor any lusts of man. Thine is a
high mission, but this thou must learn. If thou learn it not, thou shalt
fail therein; and then, my curse be on thee! and the curse of Egypt,
and the curse of Egypt's broken Gods! For know thou this, that even the
Gods, who are immortal, may, in the interwoven scheme of things, lean
upon the man who is their instrument, as a warrior on his sword. And woe
be to the sword that snaps in the hour of battle, for it shall be thrown
aside to rust or perchance be melted with fire! Therefore, make thy
heart pure and high and strong; for thine is no common lot, and thine
no mortal meed. Triumph, Harmachis, and in glory thou shalt go--in glory
here and hereafter! Fail, and woe--woe be on thee!"

He paused and bowed his head, and then went on:

"Of these matters thou shalt hear more hereafter. Meanwhile, thou
hast much to learn. To-morrow I will give thee letters, and thou shalt
journey down the Nile, past white-walled Memphis to Annu. There thou
shalt sojourn certain years, and learn more of our ancient wisdom
beneath the shadow of those secret pyramids of which thou, too, art the
Hereditary High Priest that is to be. And meanwhile, I will sit here and
watch, for my hour is not yet, and, by the help of the Gods, spin the
web of Death wherein thou shalt catch and hold the wasp of Macedonia.

"Come hither, my son; come hither and kiss me on the brow, for thou art
my hope, and all the hope of Egypt. Be but true, soar to the eagle crest
of destiny, and thou shalt be glorious here and hereafter. Be false,
fail, and I will spit upon thee, and thou shalt be accursed, and thy
soul shall remain in bondage till that hour when, in the slow flight
of time, the evil shall once more grow to good and Egypt shall again be
free."

I drew near, trembling, and kissed him on the brow. "May all these
things come upon me, and more," I said, "if I fail thee, my father!"

"Nay!" he cried, "not me, not me; but rather those whose will I do. And
now go, my son, and ponder in thy heart, and in thy secret heart digest
my words; mark what thou shalt see, and gather up the dew of wisdom,
making thee ready for the battle. Fear not for thyself, thou art
protected from all ill. No harm may touch thee from without; thyself
alone can be thine own enemy. I have said."

Then I went forth with a full heart. The night was very still, and none
were stirring in the temple courts. I hurried through them, and reached
th