ou from your rest, who
must be weary both with talk and travel. But old Bakenkhonsu, whom you
know, waits without, and with him Ki the great magician, whom I think
you have not seen. He is a man of wonderful lore and in some ways not
altogether human. At least he does strange feats of magic, and at times
both the past and the future seem to be open to his sight, though as we
know neither the one nor the other, who can tell whether he reads them
truly. Doubtless he has, or thinks he has, some message to me from the
heavens, which I thought you might wish to hear."

"I wish it much, Prince, if I am worthy, and you will protect me from
the anger of this magician whom I fear."

"Anger sometimes turns to trust, Ana. Did you not find it so just now
in the case of her Highness, as I told you might very well happen? Hush!
They come. Be seated and prepare your tablets to make record of what
they say."

The curtains were drawn and through them came the aged Bakenkhonsu
leaning upon his staff, and with him another man, Ki himself, clad in a
white robe and having his head shaven, for he was an hereditary priest
of Amon of Thebes and an initiate of Isis, Mother of Mysteries. Also his
office was that of Kherheb, or chief magician of Egypt. At first sight
there was nothing strange about this man. Indeed, he might well have
been a middle-aged merchant by his looks; in body he was short and
stout; in face fat and smiling. But in this jovial countenance were set
two very strange eyes, grey-hued rather than black. While the rest of
the face seemed to smile these eyes looked straight into nothingness as
do those of a statue. Indeed they were like to the eyes or rather the
eye-places of a stone statue, so deeply were they set into the head. For
my part I can only say I thought them awful, and by their look judged
that whatever Ki might be he was no cheat.

This strange pair bowed to the Prince and seated themselves at a sign
from him, Bakenkhonsu upon a stool because he found it difficult to
rise, and Ki, who was younger, scribe fashion on the ground.

"What did I tell you, Bakenkhonsu?" said Ki in a full, rich voice,
ending the words with a curious chuckle.

"You told me, Magician, that we should find the Prince in this chamber
of which you described every detail to me as I see it now, although
neither of us have entered it before. You said also that seated therein
on the ground would be the scribe Ana, whom I know but you do not,
h