n thee life; thy life
was not in thee, it was in them--and the proof is that thou diest, now
they have taken their soul from thee. I give thee over to those who
would break thee, but I revere thee, I salute thee, and I thank thee for
all the hope thou hast given me; and I thank thee in the name of all the
sorrows that thou hast sent to sleep. [To the men] Take her hence--let
them destroy her with respect.

_They take Isis away._

SATNI. There is nothing so sad or so great as the death of a god! [_A
pause. To Yaouma, who comes through the crowd_] Behold, Yaouma! The gods
are dead and I live--behold them! Do you believe me--do you believe me?

_Sadly Yaouma looks at the broken statues, then bursts into
tears before Satni, who stands amazed._

CURTAIN

ACT III

SCENE:--_The yard in front of the potter's hut. On the right
from the middle of the back of the scene to the footlights,
the walls of the dwelling made of beaten clay. Two unequal
doors. The wall is slightly raised supporting a terrace where
pottery of all kinds is drying in the sun. Left, a wall of
loose stones high enough to lean on. Between the wall and the
house an opening leading to an invisible inclined plane that
descends to the Nile, the water and opposite bank of which
are visible. Behind the house and on the right groups of
lofty palms. The whole is abject misery beneath the splendor
of a heaven blazing with light._

_Kirjipa, crouching down, is grinding corn between a large
and a small stone. Satni is seated on the wall dreaming._

KIRJIPA. Son.

SATNI. Mother.

KIRJIPA. And so you do not believe that when the moon grows little by
little less, 'tis because it is eaten by a pig?

SATNI. No, mother.

KIRJIPA. Then what beast eats it?

SATNI. None.

KIRJIPA [_laughing_] You have ideas that are not reasonable. What makes
me marvel, is that your father seems to understand them. I must haste to
make the bread, that he find it when he returns.

SATNI. Here comes the messenger from Rheou.

KIRJIPA [_horrified_] The messenger of him who kills the gods.

SATNI. We do not kill what has no life.

KIRJIPA. I would not see him. [_She picks up her corn_].

SATNI. Why?

KIRJIPA. Brrr!--[_To herself_] To-morrow I shall burn some sacred herbs
here. [_She goes out_].

_The Steward enters._

STEWARD. Satni, I have been seeking you. Since this morning unhappy
things