hering shadows. The Director's door was shut, and again
his knockings produced nothing but an echo. He started on a tour round
the Museum, and, having searched the ground floors, ascended to the
upper galleries by the great stairway.

Presently he found himself in that devoted to the royal mummies, and,
being tired, rested there a while. Opposite to him, in a glass case in
the middle of the gallery, reposed Rameses II. Near to, on shelves in
a side case, were Rameses' son, Meneptah, and above, his son, Seti
II, while in other cases were the mortal remains of many more of the
royalties of Egypt. He looked at the proud face of Rameses and at the
little fringe of white locks turned yellow by the embalmer's spices,
also at the raised left arm. He remembered how the Director had told
him that when they were unrolling this mighty monarch they went away
to lunch, and that presently the man who had been left in charge of the
body rushed into the room with his hair on end, and said that the dead
king had lifted his arm and pointed at him.

Back they went, and there, true enough, was the arm lifted; nor were
they ever able to get it quite into its place again. The explanation
given was that the warmth of the sun had contracted the withered
muscles, a very natural and correct explanation.

Still, Smith wished that he had not recollected the story just at this
moment, especially as the arm seemed to move while he contemplated it
--a very little, but still to move.

He turned round and gazed at Meneptah, whose hollow eyes stared at him
from between the wrappings carelessly thrown across the parchment-like
and ashen face. There, probably, lay the countenance that had frowned
on Moses. There was the heart which God had hardened. Well, it was
hard enough now, for the doctors said he died of ossification of the
arteries, and that the vessels of the heart were full of lime!

Smith stood upon a chair and peeped at Seti II. above. His weaker
countenance was very peaceful, but it seemed to wear an air of reproach.
In getting down Smith managed to upset the heavy chair. The noise it
made was terrific. He would not have thought it possible that the fall
of such an article could produce so much sound. Satisfied with his
inspection of these particular kings, who somehow looked quite different
now from what they had ever done before--more real and imminent, so to
speak--he renewed his search for a living man.

On he went, mummies to his ri