his
broad-brimmed hat, which had been knocked off in the crowd. From the
conversation of two Ionian mercenaries behind him he learnt that the
family of Amasis had been to the temple to pray for the dying king.

The procession was headed by richly-decorated priests, either wearing
long white robes or pantherskins. They were followed by men holding
office at the court, and carrying golden staves, on the ends of which
peacocks' feathers and silver lotus-flowers were fastened, and these by
Pastophori, carrying on their shoulders a golden cow, the animal sacred
to Isis. When the crowd had bowed down before this sacred symbol, the
queen appeared. She was dressed in priestly robes and wore a costly
head-dress with the winged disc and the Uraeus. In her left hand she held
a sacred golden sistrum, the tones of which were to scare away Typhon,
and in her right some lotus-flowers. The wife, daughter and sister of the
high-priest followed her, in similar but less splendid ornaments. Then
came the heir to the throne, in rich robes of state, as priest and
prince; and behind him four young priests in white carrying Tachot, (the
daughter of Amasis and Ladice and the pretended sister of Nitetis,) in an
open litter. The heat of the day, and the earnestness of her prayers, had
given the sick girl a slight color. Her blue eyes, filled with tears,
were fixed on the sistrum which her weak, emaciated hands had hardly
strength to hold.

A murmur of compassion ran through the crowd; for they loved their dying
king, and manifested openly and gladly the sympathy so usually felt for
young lives from whom a brilliant future has been snatched by disease.
Such was Amasis' young, fading daughter, who was now being carried past
them, and many an eye grew dim as the beautiful invalid came in sight.
Tachot seemed to notice this, for she raised her eyes from the sistrum
and looked kindly and gratefully at the crowd. Suddenly the color left
her face, she turned deadly pale, and the golden sistrum fell on to the
stone pavement with a clang, close to Bartja's feet. He felt that he had
been recognized and for one moment thought of hiding himself in the
crowd; but only for one moment--his chivalrous feeling gained the day, he
darted forward, picked up the sistrum, and forgetting the danger in which
he was placing himself, held it out to the princess.

Tachot looked at him earnestly before taking the golden sistrum from his
hands, and then said, in a low voi