It was the hour of sundown, and Tua, adorned in beautiful white raiment,broidered with royal purple, that she carried in her baggage on thecamel, with her long hair combed out and scented, a necklace of greatpearls upon her bosom, a veil flung over her head, and her harp of goldand ivory in her hand, waited to be led before Rames. Asti, his mother,waited also, but she was clad in a plain black robe, and over herhead was a black veil. Presently that captain who had shown them theirlodging, came to them and asked if they were ready to be led before theViceroy of Napata.
"Viceroy?" answered Asti, "I thought he was a King."
"So he is, my good Woman," replied the captain, "but it his fancy tocall himself the Viceroy of Neter-Tua, Star of Amen, wife of Abi theUsurper who rules in Egypt. A mad fancy when he might be a Pharaoh onhis own account, but so it is."
"Well, Sir," said Asti, "we merchants have nothing to do with these highmatters; lead us to this Pharaoh, or General, or Viceroy, with whom wehope to transact business."
So the captain conducted them to a side gate of the palace, and thencethrough various passages and halls, in some of which Tua recognisedofficers of her own whom she had commanded to accompany Rames, to anapartment of no great size, where he bade them be seated. Presently adoor opened, and through it came Rames, plainly dressed in the uniformof an Egyptian general, on which they saw he wore no serpent crestor other of the outward signs of royalty. Only on his right hand thatlacked the little finger, gleamed a certain royal ring, which Tuaknew. With him also were several captains to whom he talked of militaryaffairs.
Seeing the two women, he bowed to them courteously, and asked them toforgive him for having kept them waiting for him. Then he said:
"What was it that you wished to show me, Ladies? Oh! I remember,precious stones. Well, I fear me that you have brought them to a badmarket, seeing that although Napata is called the City of Gold, sheneeds all her wealth for her own purposes, and I draw from it only ageneral's pay, and a sum for the sustenance of my household, which issmall. Still, let me look at your wares, for if I do not buy myself,perhaps I may be able to find you a customer."
Now when they saw the young man's noble face and bearing, and heard hissimple words, the hearts of Asti and Tua, his mother and his love, beatso hard within their breasts that for a while they could scarcely speak.Glad were they, indeed, that the veils they wore hid their troubledfaces from his eyes, which, as in the morning, lingered on themcuriously.
At length, controlling herself with an effort, Asti answered:
"Perchance, Lord, the Great Lady your wife, or the ladies yourcompanions, will buy if you do not."
"Have I not already told you, Merchant," asked Rames angrily, "that Ihave no wife, and no companions that are not men?"
"You said so, Sir," she replied humbly, always speaking in her feignedvoice, "yet forgive us if we believed you not, since in our journeyingsmy daughter and I have seen many princes, and know that such a thing iscontrary to their nature. Still we will show you our wares, for surelyall the men in Napata are not unmarried."
Then, without more ado, she drew out a box of scented cedar and, openingit, revealed a diadem of pearls worked into the shape of the royal_uraeus_, which they had fashioned thus at Tat, and also a few of theirlargest single gems.
"Beautiful, indeed," said Rames, looking at them, "though there is butone who has the right to wear this crown, the divine Queen of the Upperand the Lower Land," and he sighed.
"Nay, Lord," replied Asti, "for surely her husband might wear it also."
"It would sit but ill on the fat head of Abi, from all I hear, Lady," hebroke in, laughing bitterly.
"Or," went on Asti, taking no heed of his words, "a general who hadconquered a great country could usurp it, and find none to reprove him,especially if he himself happened to be of the royal blood."
Now Rames looked at her sharply.
"You speak strange words," he said, "but doubtless it is by chance.Merchant, those pearls of yours are for richer men than I am, shut themin the box again, and let the lady, your daughter, sing some old song ofEgypt, for such I long to hear."
"So be it, Lord," answered Asti. "Still, keep the diadem as a gift,since it was made for you alone, and may yet be useful to you--who canknow? It is the price we pay for liberty to trade in your dominions.Nay, unless you keep it my daughter shall not sing."
"Let it lie there, then, most princely Merchant, and we will talk of thematter afterwards. Now for the song."
Then, her moment come at last, Tua stood up, and holding the ivory harpbeneath her veil, she swept its golden chords. Disguising her voice,as Asti had done, she began to sing, somewhat low, a short and gentlelove-song, which soon came to an end.
"It is pretty," said Rames, when she had finished, "and reminds me ofI know not what. But have you no fuller music at your command? If so, Iwould listen to it before I bid you good-night."
She bent her head and answered almost in a whisper:
"Lord, if you wish it, I will sing you the story of one who dared toset his heart too high, and of what befell him at the hands of an angrygoddess."
"Sing on," he answered. "Once I heard such a story--elsewhere."
Then Tua swept her harp and sang again, but this time with all herstrength and soul. As the first glorious notes floated from her lipsRames rose from his seat, and stood staring at her entranced. On wentthe song, and on, as she had sung it in the banqueting hall of Pharaohat Thebes, so she sang it in the chamber of Rames at Napata. The scribedared the sanctuary, the angry goddess smote him cold in death, thehigh-priestess wailed and mourned, the Queen of Love relented, and gavehim back his life again. Then came that last glorious burst when, liftedup to heaven, the two lovers, forgiven, purged, chanted their triumph tothe stars, and, by slow degrees, the music throbbed itself to silence.
Look! white-faced, trembling, Rames clung to a pillar in his chamber,while Tua sank back upon her chair, and the harp she held slipped fromher hand down upon the floor.
"Whence came that harp?" he gasped. "Surely there are not two such inthe world? Woman, you have stolen it. Nay, how can you have stolen themusic, and the voice as well? Lady, forgive me, I have no thought ofevil, but oh! grant me a boon. Why, I will tell you afterwards. Grant mea boon--let me look upon your face."
Tua lifted her hands, and undid the fastening of her veil, which slippedfrom her to her feet, showing her in the rich array of a prince ofEgypt. His eyes met her beautiful eyes, and for a while they gazed uponeach other like folk who dream.
"What trick is this?" he said angrily at last. "Before me stands theStar of Amen, Egypt's anointed Queen. The harp she bears was the royalgift of the Prince of Kesh, he who fell that night beneath my sword. Thevoice is Egypt's voice, the song is Egypt's song. Nay, how can it be?I am mad, you are magicians come to mock me, for that Star, Amen'sdaughter, reigns a thousand miles away with the lord she chose, Abi, herown uncle, he who, they say, murdered Pharaoh. Get you gone, Sorceress,lest I cause the priests of Amen, whereof you also make a mock, to castyou to the flames for blasphemy."
Slowly, very slowly, Tua opened the wrappings about her throat,revealing the Sign of Life that from her birth was stamped above herbosom.
"When they see this holy mark, think you that the priests of Amen willcast me to the flames, O Royal Son of Mermes?" asked Tua softly.
"Why not?" he answered. "If you have power to lie in one thing, you havepower to lie in all. She who can steal the loveliness of Egypt's self,can also steal the signet of the god."
"Say, did you, O Rames, also steal that other signet on your hand, aQueen's gift, I think, that once a Pharaoh wore? Say also how did youlose the little finger of that hand? Was it perchance in the maw of acertain god that dwells in the secret pool of a temple at holy Thebes?"
So Tua spake, and waited a while, but Rames said nothing. He opened hismouth to answer, indeed, but a dumbness sealed his lips.
"Nurse," she went on presently, "I cannot persuade this Lord that I amEgypt and no other. Try
you."
So Asti loosed her black veil, and let it fall about her feet. He staredat her noble features and grey hair, then, uttering a great cry of"Mother, my Mother, who they swore to me was dead in Memphis," he flunghimself upon her breast, and there burst into weeping.
"Aye, Rames," said Asti presently, "your Mother, she who bore you, andno other woman, and with her one who because her royal heart loves younow as from the first, from moon to moon for two whole years has bravedthe dangers of the desert, and of wicked men, till at last Amen herfather brings her safely to your side. Now do you believe?"
"Aye," answered Rames, "I believe."
"Then, O faithful Captain," said Tua, "take this gift from Egypt'sQueen, which a while ago you thrust aside, and be its Lord and mine,"and lifting the diadem of pearls crested with the royal _uraei_ she setit on his brow, as once before she had done in that hour of dawn whenshe vowed herself to him in Thebes.
Morning Star Page 38