ssed her she
caught me by the sleeve and whispered in my ear,

"My son, whatever chances to you, be brave and remember that the world
holds more than women."

"Yes," I answered, "it holds death and God, or they hold it," though
what put the words into my mind I do not know, since I did not
understand and had no time to ask her meaning.

The messenger led us to the door of Peroa's private chamber, the same in
which I had seen him on my return from the East. Here he bade me enter,
and Bes to wait without. I went in and found two men and a woman in the
chamber, all standing very silent. The men were Pharaoh who still wore
his glorious robe and Double Crown, and the high priest of Isis clothed
in white; the other was the lady Amada also clothed in the snowy robes
of Isis.

At the sight of her thus arrayed my heart stopped and I stood silent
because I could not speak. She too stood silent and I saw that beneath
her thin veil her beautiful face was set and pale as that of an
alabaster statue. Indeed she might have been not a lovely living woman,
but the goddess Isis herself whose symbols she bore about her.

"Shabaka," said Pharaoh at length, "the Royal Lady of Egypt, Amada,
priestess of Isis, has somewhat to say to you."

"Let the Royal Lady of Egypt speak on to her servant and affianced
husband," I answered.

"Count Shabaka, General of the armies," she began in a cold clear voice
like to that of one who repeats a lesson, "learn that you are no more my
affianced husband and that I who am gathered again to Isis the divine,
am no more your affianced wife."

"I do not understand. Will it please you to be more plain?" I said
faintly.

"I will be more plain, Count Shabaka, more plain than you have been with
me. Since we speak together for the last time it is well that I should
be plain. Hear me. When first you returned from the East, in yonder hall
you told us of certain things that happened to you there. Then the dwarf
your servant took up the tale. He said that he gave my name to the Great
King. I was wroth as well I might be, but even when I prayed that he
should be scourged, you did not deny that it was he who gave my name to
the King, although Pharaoh yonder said that if you had spoken the name
it would have been another matter."

"I had no time," I answered, "for just then the messengers came from
Idernes and afterwards when I sought you you were gone."

"Had you then no time," she asked coldly, "beneath the p