meses
has sent out to gather strength, but as yet there are not fifty men
about him whom he can trust." She leant forward and whispered fiercely,
"Kill the traitor, Amenmeses--all will hold it a righteous act, and the
General waits your word. Shall I summon him?"

"I think not," answered Seti. "Because Pharaoh, as he has a right to do,
is pleased to name a certain man of royal blood to succeed him, how does
this make that man a traitor to Pharaoh who still lives? But, traitor or
none, I will not murder my cousin Amenmeses."

"Then he will murder you."

"Maybe. That is a matter between him and the gods which I leave them to
settle. The oath he swore to-day is not one to be lightly broken. But
whether he breaks it or not, I also swore an oath, at least in my heart,
namely that I would not attempt to dispute the will of Pharaoh whom,
after all, I love as my father and honour as my king, Pharaoh who
still lives and may, as I hope, recover. What should I say to him if he
recovered or, at the worst, when at last we meet elsewhere?"

"Pharaoh never will recover; I have spoken to the physician and he
told me so. Already they pierce his skull to let out the evil spirit of
sickness, after which none of our family have lived for very long."

"Because, as I hold, thereby, whatever priests and physicians may say,
they let in the good spirit of death. Ana, I pray you if I----"

"Man," she broke in, striking her hand upon the table by which she
stood, "do you understand that while you muse and moralise your crown is
passing from you?"

"It has already passed, Lady. Did you not see me give it to Amenmeses?"

"Do you understand that you who should be the greatest king in all the
world, in some few hours if indeed you are allowed to live, will be
nothing but a private citizen of Egypt, one at whom the very beggars may
spit and take no harm?"

"Surely, Wife. Moreover, there is little virtue in what I do, since
on the whole I prefer that prospect and am willing to take the risk of
being hurried from an evil world. Hearken," he added, with a change of
tone and gesture. "You think me a fool and a weakling; a dreamer also,
you, the clear-eyed, hard-brained stateswoman who look to the glittering
gain of the moment for which you are ready to pay in blood, and
guess nothing of what lies beyond. I am none of these things, except,
perchance, the last. I am only a man who strives to be just and to do
right, as right seems to me, and if I