CHAPTER XXXI.
Three days had passed since the pioneer's departure, and although it wasstill early, busy occupation was astir in Bent-Anat's work-rooms.
The ladies had passed the stormy night, which had succeeded the excitingevening of the festival, without sleep.
Nefert felt tired and sleepy the next morning, and begged the princessto introduce her to her new duties for the first time next day; but theprincess spoke to her encouragingly, told her that no man should putoff doing right till the morrow, and urged her to follow her into herworkshop.
"We must both come to different minds," said she. "I often shudderinvoluntarily, and feel as if I bore a brand--as if I had a stain hereon my shoulder where it was touched by Paaker's rough hand."
The first day of labor gave Nefert a good many difficulties to overcome;on the second day the work she had begun already had a charm for her,and by the third she rejoiced in the little results of her care.
Bent-Anat had put her in the right place, for she had the direction of alarge number of young girls and women, the daughters, wives, and widowsof those Thebans who were at the war, or who had fallen in the field,who sorted and arranged the healing herbs. Her helpers sat in littlecircles on the ground; in the midst of each lay a great heap of freshand dry plants, and in front of each work-woman a number of parcels ofthe selected roots, leaves, and flowers.
An old physician presided over the whole, and had shown Nefert the firstday the particular plants which he needed.
The wife of Mena, who was fond of flowers, had soon learnt them all, andshe taught willingly, for she loved children.
She soon had favorites among the children, and knew some as beingindustrious and careful, others as idle and heedless:
"Ay! ay!" she exclaimed, bending over a little half-naked maiden withgreat almond-shaped eyes. "You are mixing them all together. Yourfather, as you tell me, is at the war. Suppose, now, an arrow wereto strike him, and this plant, which would hurt him, were laid on theburning wound instead of this other, which would do him good--that wouldbe very sad."
The child nodded her head, and looked her work through again. Nefertturned to a little idler, and said: "You are chattering again, and doingnothing, and yet your father is in the field. If he were ill now, andhas no medicine, and if at night when he is asleep he dreams of you, andsees you sitting idle, he may say to himself: 'Now I might get well, butmy little girl at home does not love me, for she would rather sit withher hands in her lap than sort herbs for her sick father.'"
Then Nefert turned to a large group of the girls, who were sortingplants, and said: "Do you, children, know the origin of all thesewholesome, healing herbs? The good Horus went out to fight against Seth,the murderer of his father, and the horrible enemy wounded Horus in theeye in the struggle; but the son of Osiris conquered, for good alwaysconquers evil. But when Isis saw the bad wound, she pressed her son'shead to her bosom, and her heart was as sad as that of any poor humanmother that holds her suffering child in her arms. And she thought: 'Howeasy it is to give wounds, and how hard it is to heal them!' and so shewept; one tear after another fell on the earth, and wherever they wettedthe ground there sprang up a kindly healing plant."
"Isis is good!" cried a little girl opposite to her. "Mother says Isisloves children when they are good."
"Your mother is right," replied Nefert. "Isis herself has her dearlittle son Horus; and every human being that dies, and that was good,becomes a child again, and the Goddess makes it her own, and takes it toher breast, and nurses it with her sister Nephthys till he grows up andcan fight for his father."
Nefert observed that while she spoke one of the women was crying. Shewent up to her, and learned that her husband and her son were both dead,the former in Syria, and the latter after his return to Egypt. "Poorsoul!" said Nefert. "Now you will be very careful, that the wounds ofothers may be healed. I will tell you something more about Isis. Sheloved her husband Osiris dearly, as you did your dead husband, and I myhusband Mena, but he fell a victim to the cunning of Seth, and she couldnot tell where to find the body that had been carried away, while youcan visit your husband in his grave. Then Isis went through the landlamenting, and ah! what was to become of Egypt, which received all itsfruitfulness from Osiris. The sacred Nile was dried up, and not a bladeof verdure was green on its banks. The Goddess grieved over thisbeyond words, and one of her tears fell in the bed of the river, andimmediately it began to rise. You know, of course, that each inundationarises from a tear of Isis. Thus a widow's sorrow may bring blessing tomillions of human beings."
The woman had listened to her attentively, and when Nefert ceasedspeaking she said:
"But I have still three little brats of my son's to feed, for his wife,who was a washerwoman, was eaten by a crocodile while she was at work.Poor folks must work for themselves, and not for others. If the princessdid not pay us, I could not think of the wounds of the soldiers, who donot belong to me. I am no longer strong, and four mouths to fill--"
Nefert was shocked--as she often was in the course of her newduties--and begged Bent-Gnat to raise the wages of the woman.
"Willingly," said the princess. "How could I beat down such anassistant. Come now with me into the kitchen. I am having some fruitpacked for my father and brothers; there must be a box for Mena too."Nefert followed her royal friend, found them packing in one case thegolden dates of the oasis of Amon, and in another the dark dates ofNubia, the king's favorite sort. "Let me pack them!" cried Nefert;she made the servants empty the box again, and re-arranged thevarious-colored dates in graceful patterns, with other fruits preservedin sugar.
Bent-Anat looked on, and when she had finished she took her hand."Whatever your fingers have touched," she exclaimed, "takes some prettyaspect. Give me that scrap of papyrus; I shall put it in the case, andwrite upon it:
"'These were packed for king Rameses by his daughter's clever helpmate,the wife of Mena.'"
After the mid-day rest the princess was called away, and Nefert remainedfor some hours alone with the work-women.
When the sun went down, and the busy crowd were about to leave, Nefertdetained them, and said: "The Sun-bark is sinking behind the westernhills; come, let us pray together for the king and for those we love inthe field. Each of you think of her own: you children of your fathers,you women of your sons, and we wives of our distant husbands, and let usentreat Amon that they may return to us as certainly as the sun, whichnow leaves us, will rise again to-morrow morning."
Nefert knelt down, and with her the women and the children.
When they rose, a little girl went up to Nefert, and said, pulling herdress: "Thou madest us kneel here yesterday, and already my mother isbetter, because I prayed for her."
"No doubt," said Nefert, stroking the child's black hair.
She found Bent-Anat on the terrace meditatively gazing across to theNecropolis, which was fading into darkness before her eyes. She startedwhen she heard the light footsteps of her friend.
"I am disturbing thee," said Nefert, about to retire.
"No, stay," said Bent-Anat. "I thank the Gods that I have you, for myheart is sad--pitifully sad."
"I know where your thoughts were," said Nefert softly. "Well?" asked theprincess.
"With Pentaur."
"I think of him--always of him," replied the princess, "and nothing elseoccupies my heart. I am no longer myself. What I think I ought not tothink, what I feel I ought not to feel, and yet, I cannot command it,and I think my heart would bleed to death if I tried to cut out thosethoughts and feelings. I have behaved strangely, nay unbecomingly,and now that which is hard to endure is hanging over me, somethingstrange-which will perhaps drive you from me back to your mother."
"I will share everything with you," cried Nefert. "What is going tohappen? Are you then no longer the daughter of Rameses?"
"I showed myself to the people as a woman of the people," answeredBent-Anat, "and I must take the consequences. Bek en Chunsu,the high-priest of Amon, has been with me,
and I have had a longconversation with him. The worthy man is good to me, I know, and myfather ordered me to follow his advice before any one's. He showed methat I have erred deeply. In a state of uncleanness I went into oneof the temples of the Necropolis, and after I had once been into theparaschites' house and incurred Ameni's displeasure, I did it a secondtime. They know over there all that took place at the festival. Now Imust undergo purification, either with great solemnity at the hands ofAmeni himself, before all the priests and nobles in the House ofSeti, or by performing a pilgrimage to the Emerald-Hathor, under whoseinfluence the precious stones are hewn from the rocks, metals dug out,and purified by fire. The Goddess shall purge me from my uncleannessas metal is purged from the dross. At a day's journey and more from themines, an abundant stream flows from 'the holy mountain-Sinai,' as it iscalled by the Mentut--and near it stands the sanctuary of the Goddess,in which priests grant purification. The journey is a long one, throughthe desert, and over the sea; But Bek en Chunsu advises me to ventureit. Ameni, he says, is not amiably disposed towards me, because Iinfringed the ordinance which he values above all others. I must submitto double severity, he says, because the people look first to those ofthe highest rank; and if I went unpunished for contempt of the sacredinstitutions there might be imitators among the crowd. He speaks in thename of the Gods, and they measure hearts with an equal measure. Theell-measure is the symbol of the Goddess of Truth. I feel that it is allnot unjust; and yet I find it hard to submit to the priest's decree, forI am the daughter of Rameses!"
"Aye, indeed!" exclaimed Nefert, "and he is himself a God!"
"But he taught me to respect the laws!" interrupted the princess. "Idiscussed another thing with Bek en Chunsu. You know I rejected the suitof the Regent. He must secretly be much vexed with me. That indeed wouldnot alarm me, but he is the guardian and protector appointed over meby my father, and yet can I turn to him in confidence for counsel,and help? No! I am still a woman, and Rameses' daughter! Sooner will Itravel through a thousand deserts than humiliate my father through hischild. By to-morrow I shall have decided; but, indeed, I have alreadydecided to make the journey, hard as it is to leave much that is here.Do not fear, dear! but you are too tender for such a journey, and tosuch a distance; I might--"
"No, no," cried Nefert. "I am going, too, if you were going to the fourpillars of heaven, at the limits of the earth. You have given me a newlife, and the little sprout that is green within me would wither againif I had to return to my mother. Only she or I can be in our house, andI will re-enter it only with Mena."
"It is settled--I must go," said the princess. "Oh! if only my fatherwere not so far off, and that I could consult him!"
"Yes! the war, and always the war!" sighed Nefert. "Why do not men restcontent with what they have, and prefer the quiet peace, which makeslife lovely, to idle fame?"
"Would they be men? should we love them?" cried Bent-Anat eagerly. "Isnot the mind of the Gods, too, bent on war? Did you ever see a moresublime sight than Pentaur, on that evening when he brandished the stakehe had pulled up, and exposed his life to protect an innocent girl whowas in danger?"
"I dared not once look down into the court," said Nefert. "I was in suchan agony of mind. But his loud cry still rings in my ears."
"So rings the war cry of heroes before whom the enemy quails!" exclaimedBent-Anat.
"Aye, truly so rings the war cry!" said prince Rameri, who had enteredhis sister's half-dark room unperceived by the two women.
The princess turned to the boy. "How you frightened me!" she said.
"You!" said Rameri astonished.
"Yes, me. I used to have a stout heart, but since that evening Ifrequently tremble, and an agony of terror comes over me, I do not knowwhy. I believe some demon commands me."
"You command, wherever you go; and no one commands you," cried Rameri."The excitement and tumult in the valley, and on the quay, still agitateyou. I grind my teeth myself when I remember how they turned me outof the school, and how Paaker set the dog at us. I have gone through agreat deal today too."
"Where were you so long?" asked Bent-Anat. "My uncle Ani commanded thatyou should not leave the palace."
"I shall be eighteen years old next month," said the prince, "and needno tutor."
"But your father--" said Bent-Anat.
"My father"--interrupted the boy, "he little knows the Regent. But Ishall write to him what I have today heard said by different people.They were to have sworn allegiance to Ani at that very feast in thevalley, and it is quite openly said that Ani is aiming at the throne,and intends to depose the king. You are right, it is madness--but theremust be something behind it all."
Nefert turned pale, and Bent-Anat asked for particulars. The princerepeated all he had gathered, and added laughing: "Ani depose my father!It is as if I tried to snatch the star of Isis from the sky to light thelamps--which are much wanted here."
"It is more comfortable in the dark," said Nefert. "No, let us havelights," said Bent-Anat. "It is better to talk when we can see eachother face to face. I have no belief in the foolish talk of the people;but you are right--we must bring it to my fathers knowledge."
"I heard the wildest gossip in the City of the Dead," said Rameri.
"You ventured over there? How very wrong!"
"I disguised myself a little, and I have good news for you. Pretty Uardais much better. She received your present, and they have a house oftheir own again. Close to the one that was burnt down, there was atumbled-down hovel, which her father soon put together again; he is abearded soldier, who is as much like her as a hedgehog is like a whitedove. I offered her to work in the palace for you with the other girls,for good wages, but she would not; for she has to wait on her sickgrandmother, and she is proud, and will not serve any one."
"It seems you were a long time with the paraschites' people," saidBent-Anat reprovingly. "I should have thought that what has happened tome might have served you as a warning."
"I will not be better than you!" cried the boy. "Besides, theparaschites is dead, and Uarda's father is a respectable soldier, whocan defile no one. I kept a long way from the old woman. To-morrow I amgoing again. I promised her."
"Promised who?" asked his sister.
"Who but Uarda? She loves flowers, and since the rose which you gaveher she has not seen one. I have ordered the gardener to cut me a basketfull of roses to-morrow morning, and shall take them to her myself."
"That you will not!" cried Bent-Anat. "You are still but half achild--and, for the girl's sake too, you must give it up."
"We only gossip together," said the prince coloring, "and no one shallrecognize me. But certainly, if you mean that, I will leave the basketof roses, and go to her alone. No--sister, I will not be forbidden this;she is so charming, so white, so gentle, and her voice is so soft andsweet! And she has little feet, as small as--what shall I say?--as smalland graceful as Nefert's hand. We talked most about Pentaur. She knowshis father, who is a gardener, and knows a great deal about him. Onlythink! she says the poet cannot be the son of his parents, but a goodspirit that has come down on earth--perhaps a God. At first she was verytimid, but when I spoke of Pentaur she grew eager; her reverence for himis almost idolatry--and that vexed me."
"You would rather she should reverence you so," said Nefert smiling.
"Not at all," cried Rameri. "But I helped to save her, and I am so happywhen I am sitting with her, that to-morrow, I am resolved, I will puta flower in her hair. It is red certainly, but as thick as yours,Bent-Anat, and it must be delightful to unfasten it and stroke it."
The ladies exchanged a glance of intelligence, and the princess saiddecidedly:
"You will not go to the City of the Dead to-morrow, my little son!"
"That we will see, my little mother!" He answered laughing; then heturned grave.
"I saw my school-friend Anana too," he said. "Injustice reigns in theHouse of Seti! Pentaur is in prison, and yesterday evening they sat injudgment upon him. My uncle was present, and w
ould have pounced upon thepoet, but Ameni took him under his protection. What was finally decided,the pupils could not learn, but it must have been something bad, forthe son of the Treasurer heard Ameni saying, after the sitting, to oldGagabu: 'Punishment he deserves, but I will not let him be overwhelmed;'and he can have meant no one but Pentaur. To-morrow I will go over,and learn more; something frightful, I am afraid--several years ofimprisonment is the least that will happen to him."
Bent-Anat had turned very pale.
"And whatever they do to him," she cried, "he will suffer for my sake!Oh, ye omnipotent Gods, help him--help me, be merciful to us both!"
She covered her face with her hands, and left the room. Rameri askedNefert:
"What can have come to my sister? she seems quite strange to me; and youtoo are not the same as you used to be."
"We both have to find our way in new circumstances."
"What are they?"
"That I cannot explain to you!--but it appears to me that you soon mayexperience something of the same kind. Rumeri, do not go again to theparaschites."