the Hesea signed to us to stand
upon her right and to Atene to stand upon her left. Presently from
either side the hooded priests and priestesses stole into the chamber,
and to the number of fifty or more ranged themselves along its walls.
Then came two figures draped in black and masked, who bore parchment
books in their hands, and placed themselves on either side of the
corpse, while Oros stood at its feet, facing the Hesea.

Now she lifted the sistrum that she held, and in obedience to the signal
Oros said--"Let the books be opened."

Thereon the masked Accuser to the right broke the seal of his book and
began to read its pages. It was a tale of the sins of this dead man
entered as fully as though that officer were his own conscience given
life and voice. In cold and horrible detail it told of the evil doings
of his childhood, of his youth, and of his riper years, and thus massed
together the record was black indeed.

I listened amazed, wondering what spy had been set upon the deeds of
yonder man throughout his days; thinking also with a shudder of how
heavy would be the tale against any one of us, if such a spy should
companion him from the cradle to the grave; remembering too that
full surely this count is kept by scribes even more watchful than the
ministers of Hes.

At length the long story drew to its close. Lastly it told of the murder
of that noble upon the banks of the river; it told of the plot against
our lives for no just cause; it told of our cruel hunting with the
death-hounds, and of its end. Then the Accuser shut his book and cast it
on the ground, saying--"Such is the record, O Mother. Sum it up as thou
hast been given wisdom."

Without speaking, the Hesea pointed with her sistrum to the Defender,
who thereon broke the seal of his book and began to read.

Its tale spoke of all the good that the dead man had done; of every
noble word that he had said, of every kind action; of plans which he had
made for the welfare of his vassals; of temptations to ill that he had
resisted; of the true love that he had borne to the woman who became his
wife; of the prayers which he had made and of the offerings which he had
sent to the temple of Hes.

Making no mention of her name, it told of how that wife of his had hated
him, of how she and the magician, who had fostered and educated her, and
was her relative and guide, had set other women to lead him astray that
she might be free of him. Of how too they had