nipotent, Your Excellency; but, if I have seen
rightly, he is as a god to us of the lower life, and therefore I would
pray you again to utterly relinquish your lately and, as I have dared
for your sake to say, rashly-formed designs to make the Queen who was,
and his daughter that is, the sharer of your future throne. Is not the
Princess Hermia noble and fair enough?"

"No, by all your gods, no!" exclaimed the Prince passionately. "Since I
have seen the woman who, as you say, was once Queen of Egypt, there is,
and shall be, no other consort for me. And who are you to advise me
thus? Are you still the same man who made the condition that, if you
used your arts, whatever they may be, to place her in my power, she
should be, not only my Empress, but also Queen of Egypt? What has
changed you? What has made you faithless to the promise that you gave
me in exchange for mine? If you have forgotten that, do not also forget
that we Russians have a short way with traitors."

"What has changed me, Highness," replied Phadrig, ignoring the threat,
"is the knowledge that I have gained to-night. Though you believe me or
not, the debt which I owe you makes it my duty to warn you. The matter
stands thus: Nitocris, the daughter of Franklin Marmion, was the Queen.
For all I know, she also may have attained to the higher life, and is
therefore the Queen still, though that is a mystery beyond my
comprehension; but I do know now that her father has attained to it, and
that for this reason, unless you put this new-found love out of your
heart, you will bring yourself within the sphere of this man's power--a
power mighty enough to wreck every scheme you have ever shaped, and to
doom you to a fate more horrible than mortal brain could conceive. You
would be as a man who strove against a god."

"You may believe what you are saying, Phadrig, and I dare say you do,"
exclaimed the Prince again. "I don't, because I can't; but even if I
did, I would claim your promise. I love this Nitocris, Queen or woman,
and neither man nor god shall keep her from me, willing or unwilling. As
for the Princess Hermia--well, her husband is not dead yet."

"Better he dead and his widow your wife, as was planned, Highness, than
that you should dare the power of one who has attained to the Perfect
Knowledge," said the Egyptian, with all the earnestness of absolute
conviction. "But my duty is done. I have warned you of that which you
cannot see for yourself. I have don