ed for us. Since then he has not come again, for I was already
much better. Now to-day, about two hours ago, the dog barked, and an old
man, a stranger, came up to me, and said he was Nebsecht's brother, and
had a great deal of money in his charge for me. He gave me a ring too,
and said that he would pay the money to him, who took the ring to him
from me. Then he read this letter to me."

Rameri took the letter and read. "Nebsecht to the fair Uarda."

"Nebsecht greets Uarda, and informs her that he owed her grandfather
in Osiris, Pinem--whose body the kolchytes are embalming like that of
a noble--a sum of a thousand gold rings. These he has entrusted to his
brother Teta to hold ready for her at any moment. She may trust Teta
entirely, for he is honest, and ask him for money whenever she needs it.
It would be best that she should ask Teta to take care of the money for
her, and to buy her a house and field; then she could remove into it,
and live in it free from care with her grandmother. She may wait a year,
and then she may choose a husband. Nebsecht loves Uarda much. If at the
end of thirteen months he has not been to see her, she had better marry
whom she will; but not before she has shown the jewel left her by her
mother to the king's interpreter."

"How strange!" exclaimed Rameri. "Who would have given the singular
physician, who always wore such dirty clothes, credit for such
generosity? But what is this jewel that you have?"

Uarda opened her shirt, and showed the prince the sparkling ornament.

"Those are diamonds---it is very valuable!" cried the prince; "and there
in the middle on the onyx there are sharply engraved signs. I cannot
read them, but I will show them to the interpreter. Did your mother wear
that?"

"My father found it on her when she died," said Uarda. "She came to
Egypt as a prisoner of war, and was as white as I am, but dumb, so she
could not tell us the name of her home."

"She belonged to some great house among the foreigners, and the
children inherit from the mother," cried the prince joyfully. "You are a
princess, Uarda! Oh! how glad I am, and how much I love you!"

The girl smiled and said, "Now you will not be afraid to touch the
daughter of the unclean."

"You are cruel," replied the prince. "Shall I tell you what I determined
on yesterday,--what would not let me sleep last night,--and for what I
came here today?"

"Well?"

Rameri took a most beautiful white rose out of his ro