brings me every
day fresh disgrace and painful sores. But I complain to no man, and
must forgive--forgive--forgive, till at last all that men do to me seems
quite natural and unavoidable, and I take it all like the scorching of
the sun in summer, and the dust that the west wind blows into my face.
It does not make me happy, but what can I do? I forgive all--"

The voice of the paraschites had softened, and Bent-Anat, who looked
down on him with emotion, interrupted him, exclaiming with deep feeling:

"And so you will forgive me?--poor man!"

The old man looked steadily, not at her, but at Pentaur, while he
replied: "Poor man! aye, truly, poor man. You have driven me out of the
world in which you live, and so I made a world for myself in this hut.
I do not belong to you, and if I forget it, you drive me out as an
intruder--nay as a wolf, who breaks into your fold; but you belong just
as little to me, only when you play the wolf and fall upon me, I must
bear it!"

"The princess came to your hut as a suppliant, and with the wish of
doing you some good," said Pentaur.

"May the avenging Gods reckon it to her, when they visit on her the
crimes of her father against me! Perhaps it may bring me to prison, but
it must come out. Seven sons were mine, and Rameses took them all from
me and sent them to death; the child of the youngest, this girl, the
light of my eyes, his daughter has brought to her death. Three of my
boys the king left to die of thirst by the Tenat,

[Literally the "cutting" which, under Seti I., the father of
Rameses, was the first Suez Canal; a representation of it is found
on the northern outer wall of the temple of Karnak. It followed
nearly the same direction as the Fresh-water canal of Lesseps, and
fertilized the land of Goshen.]

which is to join the Nile to the Red Sea, three were killed by the
Ethiopians, and the last, the star of my hopes, by this time is eaten by
the hyaenas of the north."

At these words the old woman, in whose lap the head of the girl rested,
broke out into a loud cry, in which she was joined by all the other
women.

The sufferer started up frightened, and opened her eyes.

"For whom are you wailing?" she asked feebly. "For your poor father,"
said the old woman.

The girl smiled like a child who detects some well-meant deceit, and
said:

"Was not my father here, with you? He is here, in Thebes, and looked at
me, and kissed me, and said that he is bring