f the royal guard, a most
amiable soldier and chiefly remarkable because, of all the prince's
world, he was the only one that could tell the truth to Rameses and
tell it without offense.

On the floor between Masanath and Menes was the son of Amon-meses, the
Prince Siptah. He was a typical Oriental, bronze in hue, lean of
frame, brilliant of eye, white of teeth, intense in temperament and
fierce in his loves and hates. Religion comforted him through his
appetites; in his sight craft was a virtue, intrigue was politics, and
love was a fury. His eyes never left Ta-user for long, and his every
word seemed to be inspired by some overweening emotion.

Aside from these there were others in the group. Some were sons and
daughters of royalty, cousins of the Pharaoh's sons and of Ta-user and
Siptah; many were children of the king's ministers, and all were noble.

Senci and Hotep's older sister, the Lady Bettis, a dark-eyed matron of
thirty, presided in duenna-like guardianship over the rout. They sat
in a diphros apart from the young revelers.

Kenkenes was momently expected. For the past two months he had been
seen every evening wherever there was high-class revel in Memphis. But
he had laughed perfunctorily and lapsed into preoccupation when none
spoke to him, and his song had a sorry note in it, however happy the
theme. But these were things apparent only to those that saw deeper
than the surface.

"Where is Kenkenes?" Menes demanded. "Hath he forsworn us?"

"I saw him to-day," Nechutes ventured, without raising his eyes from
the game, "when we were fowling on the Nile below the city. He was
alone, pulling down-stream, just this side of Masaarah."

Hotep frowned and gave over any hope that Kenkenes would join the
merrymaking that night. But at that moment, Ta-meri, who sat facing
the entrance to the chamber, poised the dice-box in air and drew in a
long breath. The guests followed her eyes.

Kenkenes stood in the doorway, the curtain thrust aside and above him.
His voluminous festal robes were deeply edged with gold, but his arms,
bare to the shoulder, and his strong brown neck were without their
usual trappings of jewels. The omission seemed intentional, as if the
young man had meant to contrast the ornament of young strength and
grace with the glitter and magnificence of the other guests. He had
succeeded well.

Perhaps to most of those present, the young man's presence was not
unusual, but Hotep wa