ence thou hast wandered."

"Not thus easily may men escape their doom," quoth the Wanderer. "My
death may come, as come it must; but know this, Rei, I do not seek the
love of Meriamun."

"Then it well may chance that thou shalt find it, for ever those who
seek love lose, and those who seek not find."

"I am come to seek another love," said the Wanderer, "and I seek her
till I die."

"Then I pray the Gods that thou mayest find her, and that Khem may thus
be saved from sorrow. But here in Egypt there is no woman so fair as
Meriamun, and thou must seek farther as quickly as may be. And now,
Eperitus, behold I must away to do service in the Temple of the Holy
Amen, for I am his High Priest. But I am commanded by Pharaoh first to
bring thee to the feast at the Palace."

Then he led the Wanderer from his chamber and brought him by a side
entrance to the great Palace of the Pharaoh at Tanis, near the Temple
of Ptah. And first he took him to a chamber that had been made ready for
him in the Palace, a beautiful chamber, richly painted with beast-headed
Gods and furnished with ivory chairs, and couches of ebony and silver,
and with a gilded bed.

Then the Wanderer went into the shining baths, and dark-eyed girls
bathed him and anointed him with fragrant oil, and crowned him with
lotus flowers. When they had bathed him they bade him lay aside his
golden armour and his bow and the quiver full of arrows, but this the
Wanderer would not do, for as he laid the black bow down it thrilled
with a thin sound of war. So Rei led him, armed as he was, to a certain
antechamber, and there he left him, saying that he would return again
when the feast was done. Trumpets blared as the Wanderer waited, drums
rolled, and through the wide thrown curtains swept the lovely Meriamun
and the divine Pharaoh Meneptah, with many lords and ladies of the
Court, all crowned with roses and with lotus blooms.

The Queen was decked in Royal attire, her shining limbs were veiled in
broidered silk; about her shoulders was a purple robe, and round her
neck and arms were rings of well-wrought gold. She was stately and
splendid to see, with pale brows and beautiful disdainful eyes where
dreams seemed to sleep beneath the shadow of her eyelashes. On she swept
in all her state and pride of beauty, and behind her came the Pharaoh.
He was a tall man, but ill-made and heavy-browed, and to the Wanderer it
seemed that he was heavy-hearted too, and that care and terr