hey may perform the journey uninjured, and warm and
rejoice the hearts of our heroes. All that, and much more, I manage
and arrange, and my days pass in hard work. The Gods send me no bright
visions in the night, for after utter fatigue--I sleep soundly. But
I know that I am of use. I can hold my head proudly, because in some
degree I resemble my great father; and if the king thinks of me at all
I know he can rejoice in the doings of his child. That is the end of it,
Nefert--and I only say, Come and join me, work with me, prove yourself
of use, and compel Mena to think of his wife, not with affection only,
but with pride." Nefert let her head sink slowly on Bent-Anat's bosom,
threw her arms round her neck, and wept like a child. At last she
composed herself and said humbly:

"Take me to school, and teach me to be useful." "I knew," said the
princess smiling, "that you only needed a guiding hand. Believe me, you
will soon learn to couple content and longing. But now hear this! At
present go home to your mother, for it is late; and meet her lovingly,
for that is the will of the Gods. To-morrow morning I will go to see
you, and beg Katuti to let you come to me as companion in the place
of my lost friend. The day after to-morrow you will come to me in the
palace. You can live in the rooms of my departed friend and begin, as
she had done, to help me in my work. May these hours be blest to you!"

CHAPTER XXII.

At the time of this conversation the leech Nebsecht still lingered
in front of the hovel of the paraschites, and waited with growing
impatience for the old man's return.

At first he trembled for him; then he entirely forgot the danger into
which he had thrown him, and only hoped for the fulfilment of his
desires, and for wonderful revelations through his investigations of the
human heart.

For some minutes he gave himself up to scientific considerations; but he
became more and more agitated by anxiety for the paraschites, and by the
exciting vicinity of Uarda.

For hours he had been alone with her, for her father and grandmother
could no longer stop away from their occupations. The former must go
to escort prisoners of war to Hermonthis, and the old woman, since her
granddaughter had been old enough to undertake the small duties of
the household, had been one of the wailing-women, who, with hair all
dishevelled, accompanied the corpse on its way to the grave, weeping,
and lamenting, and casting Nile-mud o