CHAPTER III.

Miriam stood watching in silence the form of her mistress the Princess Hatsu until she had disappeared from sight in a curve of the avenue, or path, then she sat herself down upon a stone bench, and with closed eyes and folded hands sent prayers--like white-winged angels--to keep the Princess company.

So earnest was her thought that she had quite forgotten the companionship of the captain of the King's guard, until the sound of his voice called her back to her immediate surroundings.

"She is _indeed_ brave of heart is the Princess," said the captain, a ring of enthusiasm sounding through his words. "There are not many women, old or young, that would start on this journey with no consciousness of fear, for, setting all thought of superstition aside, it _is_ a _grewsome place_. There is not, I assure you, a foot of the entire way from here to the Temple, that does not afford sepulchre to some lifeless object, once an animated '_I am_,' now a hideous semblance, an ugly jest upon being."

Miriam lifted her great blue eyes to the speaker's face as she said:

"Whatever else you may be, my lord, you are not a worshipper of Osirus, for all his faithful ones know that nothing is so sacred in his sight as are these embalmed birds, beasts and reptiles."

The man smiled and shrugged his shoulders; he did not seem to consider that any explanation of his recent sacrilege was necessary to an Israelitish slave. This captain of the King's guard was probably well past his thirtieth year, and unlike the majority of Egyptian manhood, he was of athletic proportions; he wore upon his feet and legs, sandals and leggins of scarlet leather. The leggins were cut into numberless thongs or strips, and each one was fastened in place by a gold and jeweled buckle. His tunic, or loosely flowing frock, was of white linen exquisitely embroidered with colored flosses, to represent leaves and blossoms: at his shoulders the tunic was gathered up with broad clasps of diamonds. About his throat was a collar of diamonds, with pendant strings, that fell, like threads of shimmering light, to his broad breast. His arms were bare, save for the jeweled bracelets or coils that serpent-like twined from wrist to armpit and looked like part of a coat of mail. His hair was worn in short curly waves about his forehead and the sides of his fair smoothly shaven face, then, its curly brown profusion, fell from the back, far below his waist. Full well Miriam knew this handsome gallant captain of the King's guards, and heretofore (for reasons best known to herself) she had held him in honor as one who was her mistress' trusted and loyal servant; but to-day, in her loving anxiety for the Princess, the thought came to her that it would be best to guard her speech, for how (she reasoned) could she tell but that the Queen Regent, the mother of King Tothmes the Second, might not have sent the Captain to spy upon her mistress? Miriam was a wise maiden, she had been taught life's lessons in the school of adversity and she had come to know, through bitter experience, that he who listens has less to fear than he who talks. So she said gently:

"My lord, it is not courteous to be mirthful or scornful over that which the King you serve holds so sacred," and she pointed to the niched wall where, in gaudily painted wooden cases, the faces of cats, birds, and other creatures of the animal kingdom, grinning of jaw and glassy of eye, looked down upon them.

"Perhaps," replied the captain, "if you, my pretty Miriam, had been selected to go from one end of the kingdom to the other to act as escort to dead cats, and dogs, oxen, and birds, and so bring them to this their final resting place, perhaps, I say, if you had been selected and then detailed to instruct the natives as to the salting and other disgusting mortuary preparations, you would have come in time to regard these things as I do, as only powerful through their offensiveness to one's nostrils! as only capable of working harm, when as decaying animal matter they are allowed to pollute the otherwise pure atmosphere."

"I do not understand how you dare to say all this to me, my lord," said Miriam, "for unbelievers though we be, you, a Syrian, I an Israelite, we are now in the most sacred sepulchre of Osirus. We both know what the speaking ill of a living sacred animal may cost. We know what the wilful killing of any of these forms of life means for him who does the deed. How often have you and I, suddenly coming by the way upon some dead thing, fallen upon our knees and plucked from out our heads a few hairs to propitiate the anger of Deity?"

"My charming Israelite," said the captain drawing a trifle nearer, "as you know full well, I have been reared from youth up in the household of Zelas the High Priest of Osirus. Let me confide to you that I, Alric, look into this great man's face as fearlessly as does the babe upon its mother! Aye, oftentimes I sit smiling in my content, while close at hand the awful voice of Zelas is heard, hurling anathemas upon the unfaithful as generously as a rose tree sheds its leaves when a breeze woos too roughly. This being so, do you fancy that these dried, glassy-eyed puppets mean anything to me but what they are? Then, as to my speaking openly to you, pray, who is there to hear my words? The folk in yonder palace would far rather accept an invitation to _Troth's_ kingdom than set so much as one foot upon this subterranean path. As for the priests, they hold the place in such superstitious horror that when they are forced to come thither they appear in great companies, singing at the top of their voices (which, of course, would give one an intimation of their proximity long before they themselves could appear). And now let me tell you a bit of pleasant news. The Princess Hatsu, through, and by this pilgrimage of hers, is going to inspire in her people an awesome reverence that shall exalt her to a goddesship far beyond that bestowed upon the idiot, her husband (that is to be), aye, even as I speak, by the command of Zelas, the news of this journey of the Princess (our future Queen) is being shouted through the land by mounted heralds, and everywhere prayers are offered for the preservation of the body and soul of this brave girl, that she may come through the awful, supernatural test, unconsumed; for you must know that it is usually believed that this cool and sequestered labyrinth is torrid in its temperature and holds many, if not all, the terrors and tortures, that meet and greet the human soul when a life on earth is past."

"But, my lord, what will all this avail? The mother of our new King holds the controlling power in the councils of state, and well you know, she has for our late King's daughter a bitter and relentless hate."

My lord Alric studied the smoothly worn stone path under foot, pushing with the toe of his sandal some imaginary straw aside, ere he made answer.

"Our Sainted King's most noble and gracious mother hath become (so saith the all-wise High Priest Zelas) too sacred a thing to be put in daily and hourly contact with the naughty world. Be it known to you, O Miriam, that the mother of Tothmes the Second will hereafter be powerless to do aught but pray, since she has this day been received into the cloistered nunnery of the Sisterhood of Perpetual Silence."

"To our One God, Jehovah, I offer my thanks," said Miriam fervently, "but, my lord, do you not fear to speak thus openly to me, for it must surely be known to you that from my mistress I will keep no word?"

"For that matter," answered Alric lightly, "you and I have but one life purpose. I, _too_, keep nothing concealed from the Princess Hatsu. Listen, I will unfold to you now more serious matters. I, Alric, hold the peace, the happiness, the life of the Princess Hatsu in my power, and for my service the price I ask shall be one gift--I want Miriam, the daughter of Abram to wife."

With a cry, Miriam rose to her feet and stood before Alric, moved (she did not question why) by an anger quite unknown to her in any hour of her past life.

"Spy! Coward!!" she said, her pink cheeks flamed to a deep red, her eyes blazed with scorn, and her splendid figure seemed as fixed as a graven image. "You shall find that for all your cunning there will open for you _no vulnerable place_ in the armor of my loyalty to my mistress! Aye, all your brutal showing of your freeman's power over my bondage and my woman's weakness cannot reach my SOUL! I, Miriam, _defy_ you to gain from me in the future one word I do not choose to speak. Let the Princess make a free gift of her bondwoman! _to you!_ and I must submit to the inevitable, but mark me, no word that the Princess ever has _said_, or will _say_, shall come _to you_ through me! and every word that _you_ have _said_ or _will say_ shall be whispered into her ear. My Lord Alric, in my young childhood the late King took me from among mine own people to be the companion of his daughter. He gave to my father a place of honor and trust among the builders, and the Princess has cherished me with sisterly tenderness. If you will that I die for it here at your feet, still I _swear_ not to become your _tool_, even though I be your _slave_, aye, to my God I swear it!"

The Captain had moved a pace or two back from Miriam as she spoke, and as he listened to her every word he put one of his hands into the folds of his toga and drew from thence a small disk of glass. He never took his eyes from Miriam's eyes; his gaze was fixed, and intense, and as she had gone on with her speech, it was perceptible that all unconsciously a subtle power was weaving itself about her. A sense, not of faintness, but rather of pleasant numbness stole slowly and softly over Miriam, mind and nerves, and a sweet peace that stayed the angry torrent of her blood, and brought a smile to her lips came, when she heard (as in a dream) these words.

"By my shield and buckler, by my good sword, I swear to you, that I am loyal to the Princess Hatsu."

A change was passing over the girl's face. She still stood before him, erect, and calm, but expression was fading out. The look that the dead wear was with her. Her color had fled, giving place to ashen wanness, and the light in her beautiful eyes was dimmed. Her mouth grew set, her nostrils pinched, and her breathing came in great waves of effort. Alric now raised his other hand and moved it to and fro above the girl's head, to a sort of measured time, repeating slowly, crooningly, and softly:

"Go to sleep! G-o t-o s-l-e-e-p. G--o t--o s--l--e--e--p."

Then he lowered the hand above her, gently pushed her back onto the stone bench from which she had risen, and rested her rigid head against the wall.

Then it was that her sob-like breathing ceased and, save that her eyes were widely open and staring, one would have said that Miriam had found her way into slumberland.

Keeping the disk of glass before her eyes, Alric spoke:

"Spirit," he said softly, "spirit, what dost thou here?"

And from the white lips came the answer:

"I wait to do thy bidding, my Lord."