how beautifully I
reckoned how many hen eggs he would get for seven partridges. My
teachers were right when they said that wisdom opens the lips of gods
even,'

"He turned again toward the corner. The veiled figure sighed again.

"'I am curious to know,' thought the scribe, 'why my friend Amon
forbade me to touch that thing over there in the corner. Well, for such
a property he had a right to impose conditions; though I should not
have imposed them on him. For if all this palace is my property, if I
may use all that is here, why should I not even touch this thing I may
not touch it, but I may look at it.'

"He approached the figure, drew the veil aside carefully, looked; it
was indeed beautiful. It resembled a boy, but was not a boy. It had
hair reaching to its knees, delicate features, and a look full of
sweetness.

"'Who art thou?' asked the scribe of the figure.

"'I am a woman,' answered the figure, with a voice that penetrated his
heart like a Phoenician dagger.

"'Woman?' thought the scribe. 'They did not tell me about woman in the
priests' school. Woman?' repeated he. 'But what hast Thou here?'

"'Those are my eyes.'

"'Eyes? What canst Thou see with eyes which would melt before any
light?'

"'Those are not eyes made for me to look from, but Thou must look into
them.'

"'Wonderful eyes! '" thought the scribe to himself; and he walked
through the chamber.

"Again he stood before the figure, and asked,

"'But what hast Thou here?'

"'Those are my lips.'

"'By the gods, Thou wilt die of hunger,' cried he, 'for with such
little lips Thou couldst take in no food whatever.'

"'They are not for eating,' answered the figure, 'but Thou art to kiss
them.'

"'To kiss,' repeated the scribe. 'They did not tell me in the priests'
school of kissing. But these what are they?'

"'Those are my hands.'

"'Hands? It is well that Thou hast told me, for with those hands Thou
couldst not do anything; Thou couldst not milk sheep even.'

"'My hands are not for work.'

"'But for what?' wondered the scribe, spreading apart her fingers (as I
do thine, Kama," said the prince, fondling the small hands of the
priestess). "' But what are those arms for?' inquired the scribe of the
figure.

"'To put around thy neck.'

"'Thou wishest to say shoulder,' cried the frightened scribe, whom the
priest always seized by the shoulder when he was to get stripes.

"'Not by the shoulder,' said the figure, 'but this way;' and