n thee--and this time thou must come, thou who
wast a wanton and now art "greater than the Queen."'

"And as she spoke, from the dead form of the woman on Osiris' knee there
issued forth another form and stood before us, as a snake issues from
its slough. And as was the dead Hataska so was this form, feature for
feature, look for look, and limb for limb. But still the corpse rested
upon Osiris' knee, for this was but the _Ka_ that stood before us.

"And thus spoke the voice of Hataska in the lips of the Ka:

"'What wouldest thou with me who am no more of thy company, O thou by
whose hand my body did perish? Why troublest thou me?'

"And Meriamun made answer: 'I would this of thee, that thou shouldest
declare unto me the future, even in the presence of this great company.
Speak, I command thee.'

"And the Ka said: 'Nay, Meriamun, that I cannot do, for I am but the
Ka--the Dweller in the Tomb, the guardian of what was Hataska whom
thou didst slay, whom I must watch through all the days of death till
resurrection is. Of the future I know naught; seek thou that which
knows.'

"'Stand thou on one side,' quoth the Queen, and the Dweller in the Tomb
obeyed.

"Then once more she called upon Hataska and there came a sound of
rushing wings. And behold, on the head of the statue of Osiris sat a
great bird, feathered as it were with gold. But the bird had the head of
a woman, and the face was fashioned as the face of Hataska. And thus it
spoke, that was the _Bai_:

"'What wouldest thou with me, Meriamun, who am no more of thy company?
Why dost thou draw me from the Under World, thou by whose hand my body
did perish?'

"And Meriamun said: 'This I would of thee, that thou shouldest declare
unto me the future. Speak, I command thee.'

"And the Bai said: 'Nay, Meriamun, that I cannot do. I am but the Bai
of her who was Hataska, and I fly from Death to Life and Life to Death,
till the hour of awakening is. Of the future I know naught; seek thou
that which knows.'

"'Rest thou where thou art,' quoth the Queen, and there it rested, awful
to see.

"Then once more Meriamun called upon Hataska, bidding her hear the
summons where she was.

"And behold the eyes of the Dead One that was upon the knee of Osiris
glowed, and glowed the eyes of the Dweller in the Tomb, and of the
winged Messenger who sat above. And then there was a sound as the sound
of wind, and from above, cleaving the darkness, descended a Tongue of
Flame and r