, the accessories; in
a word, he mastered his subject, and then only did he, with that
facility and certainty that amazed Balzac, write in swift succession the
chapters of the novel which appeared in the numbers of the "Moniteur
Universel" from March 11 to May 6, 1857.

His remark on Feydeau's book, "Picturesqueness in no wise detracts from
accuracy," might well be applied to his own "Romance," which fascinates
the reader with its evocation of a long vanished past and its
representation of a civilisation buried for centuries in mystery. The
weaving in of the wonders wrought by Moses and Aaron, of the
overwhelming of the Pharaoh, whether Thotmes or Rameses, is skilfully
managed, and imparts to the portions of the Biblical narrative used by
him a verisimilitude and a sensation of actuality highly artistic. The
purely erudite part of the work would probably not have interested the
general public, indifferent to the discoveries of archaeology, but the
introduction of the human element of love at once captivated it; the
erudite appreciated the accuracy of the restoration of ancient times and
manners; the merely curious were pleased with a well told story,
cleverly set in a framework whose strangeness appealed to their love of
exoticism and novelty.

There have been added by the editor, as bearing upon the subject of the
"Romance of a Mummy," two or three chapters from the volume entitled
"The Orient," which is made up of a collection of sketches and letters
of travel written at different times, and of reviews of books upon
Eastern subjects, whether modern or ancient. The chapter describing a
trip to Egypt was the result of a flying visit paid to that country on
the occasion of the official opening of the Suez Canal in November,
1869. Gautier embarked on board the steamship "Moeris," of the
Messageries Imperiales, at Marseilles. The very first night out he
slipped and fell down the companion steps, and broke his left arm above
the elbow. This painful accident did not prevent his fulfilling his
promise to keep the "Journal Officiel," with which he was then
connected, fully supplied with accounts of the land and the inauguration
ceremonies.

_The Romance of a Mummy_

Prologue

"I have a presentiment that we shall find in the valley of Biban el
Moluk a tomb intact," said to a high-bred-looking young Englishman a
much more humble personage who was wiping, with a big, blue-checked
handkerchief, his bald head,