u greatly daring,' answered the
dread Khou, 'and thrice I may make reply, and then farewell till I meet
thee on the threshold of the hall whence thou hast drawn me. Look now on
the face of that Hataska whom thou slewest.'

"And we looked, and behold the face of dead Hataska changed, and changed
the face of the Double, the _Ka_ that stood on one side, and the face
of the great bird, the _Bai_, that spread his wings about the head of
Osiris. And they grew beautiful, yes, most exceeding beautiful so that
it cannot be told, and the beauty was that of a woman asleep. Then lo,
there hung above Hataska, as it were, the shadow of one who was watching
her sleeping. And his face we saw not, O thou Wanderer, it was hidden by
the visor of a golden two-horned helm, and in that helm stood fast _the
bronze point of a broken spear_! But he was clad in the armour of the
people of the Northern Sea, the Aquaiusha, and his hair fell dark about
his shoulders like the petals of the hyacinth flower.

"'Behold thine enemy and behold thy love! Farewell,' said the dread
Khou, speaking through dead Hataska's lips, and as the words died the
beauty faded and the Tongue of Flame shot upwards and was lost, and once
more the eyes of the thousand thousand dead turned and looked upon each
other, even as though their lips whispered each to each.

"But for a while Meriamun stood silent, as one amazed. Then, awaking,
she waved her hand and cried, 'Begone, thou _Bai_! Begone, thou _Ka_!'

"And the great bird whereof the face was as the face of Hataska spread
his golden wings and passed away to his own place, and the Ka that
was in the semblance of Hataska drew near to the dead one's knees, and
passed back into her from whom she came. And all the thousand thousand
faces melted though the fiery eyes still gazed upon us.

"Then Meriamun covered her head and once more spoke the awful Word, and
I also covered up my head. But, as must be done, this second time she
called the Word aloud, and yet though she called it loud, it came but
as a tiny whisper from her lips. Nevertheless, at the sound of it, once
more was the Temple shaken as by a storm.

"Then Meriamun unveiled, and behold, again the fire burned upon the
altar, and on the knees of the Osiris sat Hataska, cold and still in
death, and round them was emptiness and silence.

"'Now that all is done, I greatly fear for that which has been, and that
which shall be. Lead me hence, O Rei, son of Pames, for I