e."

"Could you not apply to the king for guards?"

"The king spoke to me yesterday at the termination of the council,"
Ameres replied, "and told me that he had been informed of the murmurs
of the populace against me. He said that as one of his most trusted
counselors, and as a high priest of Osiris, he knew that the charges
against me were baseless; but that in view of the proneness of the
people of Thebes to excitement and tumult, he should be glad to order
a company of soldiers to keep guard over my house. I refused. I said
that I was conscious of no evil, that none could say that I was slack
in my ministrations in the temple, or that I had ever spoken a word in
disrespect of our religion. That as for the disappearance of the
sacred cat, of which so much had been made, I had had no hand in it,
and that whatever had happened to it had been, I was sure, the result
of accident. Were I to have soldiers placed to guard me it would be a
confession that I was conscious of ill-doing, and knew that I had
forfeited the protection of the gods. It would, too, help to keep up
the talk and excitement, which I trusted would die away ere long."

Chebron did not think of further questioning the orders of Ameres, and
an hour later he and Amuba rode out to the farm. Before they started
Ameres had a long talk with Chebron, and told him that he had placed
him in charge of Jethro in the event of any popular outbreak taking
place.

"Remember, Chebron," he said, "that whatever comes of this affair you
are not to blame yourself for the accident of killing the cat. All
things are in the hands of the great God, and your arrow would not
have struck the twig and flown straight to the heart of that creature
had it not been his will. Moreover, you must always remember that the
loss of this cat is but a pretext for the tumult.

"The populace believe that they are angry on account of the loss of
the sacred cat, whereas, in fact, they are but instruments in the
hands of my enemies. I have no doubt whatever now that the plot you
overheard in the temple was directed against my life, and had not the
loss of the cat happened opportunely and served them as a lever with
which to work against me, the plot would have taken some other form. I
trust sincerely that whatever fate may befall your sister she may
never have to marry the son of the man who has plotted against my
life. But it is no use thinking of that now. Should aught happen
before we meet ag