tch for once the awakening of the flowers."

Although she traversed the garden in every direction, she found it
absolutely untenanted. Nofre looked along every walk, under every
arbour, under every arch, into every grove, but unsuccessfully. She
entered the kiosk at the end of the arbour, but she did not find
Tahoser; she hastened to the pond, in which her mistress might have
taken a fancy to bathe, as she sometimes did with her companions, upon
the granite steps which led from the edge of the basin to the bottom of
fine sand. The broad nymphoea-leaves floated on the surface, and did not
appear to have been disturbed; the ducks, plunging their blue necks into
the calm water, alone rippled it, and they saluted Nofre with joyous
cries.

The faithful maid began to feel seriously alarmed; she roused the whole
household. The slaves and the maids emerged from their cells, and
informed by Nofre of the strange disappearance of Tahoser, proceeded to
make most minute search. They ascended the terraces, rummaged every
room, every corner, every place where she might possibly be. Nofre, in
her agitation, even opened the boxes containing the dresses and the
caskets holding the jewels, as if they could possibly have held her
mistress. Unquestionably Tahoser was not within the dwelling.

An old and consummately prudent servant bethought himself of examining
the sand of the walks in search of the footprints of his young mistress.
The heavy bolts of the gate leading into the city were in place, and
this proved that Tahoser had not gone out that way. It is true that
Nofre had carelessly traversed every path, marking them with her
sandals, but by bending close to the ground, old Souhem speedily noticed
among Nofre's footprints a slight imprint made by a narrow, dainty sole
belonging to a much smaller foot than the maid's. He followed this
track, which led him, passing under the arbour, from the pylon in the
court to the water gate. The bolts, as he pointed out to Nofre, had been
drawn, and the two leaves of the door were held merely by their weight;
therefore Petamounoph's daughter had gone out that way. Farther on the
track was lost; the brick quay had preserved no trace; the boatman who
had carried Tahoser across had not returned to his station; the others
were asleep, and when questioned replied that they had seen nothing.
One, however, did report that a woman, poorly dressed and belonging
apparently to the lowest class, had been ferr