FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124  
125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   >>   >|  
all her his niece; but that won't be for long. He is teaching her to sing, to add to her value. _A!_ But my old heart is almost breaking for her sake. _Mu, mu!_" and Sesostris puffed his groans through his nostrils. "Think of it! He has an idea to sell her to that rich Roman, Lucius Calatinus--and then I don't dare hint what will be her fate." [100] At this period the great slave emporium of the world. "Calatinus!" hissed Agias, concentrating volumes of scorn into a word. "You know him! You hate him!" cried Sesostris. "Then by Ammon-Ra, by Isis, by every god in whom you believe, save my darling from worse than death! Do that, and I will die for you!" Sesostris's emotion was too genuine to be a mere trap for ensnaring his visitor; and Agias in turn was stirred. "Old man," he exclaimed, seizing the other's hand, "you and I have suffered much from evil masters. Thank the gods, I am now serving one I love--albeit unfortunate enough! But we have a common right to punish the wrongdoers, and earn a little bit of happiness for ourselves. Come, now! If Artemisia is a slave, she is in no wise above me. Let me save Drusus from Pratinas, and I pledge my word that I will save Artemisia from him and his nefarious schemes,--yes, and you, too. If Artemisia likes me, why then there will be perhaps more to add to the story. Come--I am your friend, and you, mine." Sesostris wrung the other's hand. The honest servant was moved too much to speak. His heart and soul had been bound up in Artemisia. "May your _Ka_[101] stand before Osiris justified!" he choked. "I have been privy to many a dark action, until I used to try to forget the day when I must answer to the Judge of the Dead for every deed done and word spoken. But I could not stifle my fear for the only dear thing in the world." [101] The spiritual double which belonged to every man according to the Egyptian ideas. Agias went away in a happy frame of mind. He had every confidence that Sesostris would worm out of Pratinas the exact details of the plot, and put the conspirators at the mercy of Drusus and Mamercus. * * * * * And Agias had felt there was good reason to rejoice in his discovery in more ways than one. Especially was he conscious that there were no lips as red and as merry, no cheeks as rosy, no eyes as dancing, no chatter as sweet, as those of Artemisia. And what is more, he rejoiced to believe that that young lad
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124  
125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Artemisia
 

Sesostris

 

Drusus

 

Pratinas

 

Calatinus

 
forget
 
answer
 

servant

 
honest
 

friend


choked

 

justified

 
Osiris
 

action

 
double
 

discovery

 
rejoice
 
Especially
 

conscious

 

reason


conspirators

 

Mamercus

 

rejoiced

 

chatter

 

dancing

 

cheeks

 

spiritual

 

belonged

 

spoken

 

stifle


Egyptian

 
details
 

confidence

 

unfortunate

 

period

 
Lucius
 

emporium

 
hissed
 

concentrating

 
volumes

teaching
 

breaking

 
nostrils
 
puffed
 

groans

 

punish

 
wrongdoers
 

common

 
albeit
 

happiness