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When she was gone I tore off my gorgeous garments and spat upon them and trod them on the ground. Then I put on the modest robe of a merchant, and bound the tablets round me, on my feet the sandals of untanned hide, and at my waist the knife. When it was done Charmion entered once again and looked on me. "Too much art thou still the royal Harmachis," she said; "see, it must be changed."
Armed companies were gathering in every city from Abu to Athu, and spies looked out from their walls, awaiting the coming of the messenger who should bring tidings that Cleopatra was no more and that Harmachis, the royal Egyptian, had seized the throne. All was prepared, triumph hung in my hand as a ripe fruit to the hand of the plucker.
The emprise is great; maybe it shall fail, and thou with thy life, as we with ours, shalt pay the price of our endeavour. But what of it, Harmachis? Is life, then, so sweet? Are we so softly cushioned on the stony bed of earth? Is bitterness and sorrow in its sum so small and scant a thing? Do we here breathe so divine an air that we should fear to face the passage of our breath?
"I cannot let thee go," she said "I cannot let thee go unwitting of the truth. "Harmachis, 'twas I who did betray thee!" I sprang to my feet, an oath upon my lips; but she caught me by the hand. "Oh, be seated," she said "be seated and hear me; then, when thou hast heart, do to me as thou wilt. Listen.
And yet why, 'tis strange that changed countenance! that scar! that stumbling gait! It is thou, Harmachis! 'tis thou, O my boy! Art come back to glad mine old eyes? I hoped thee dead! Let me kiss thee? nay, I forget. Harmachis is a traitor, ay, and a murderer! Here lies the holy Amenemhat, murdered by the traitor, Harmachis! Get thee gone! I'll have none of traitors and of parricides!
I thought of the story of King Harmachis: how he dreamed that the Sphinx came to him, saying that the sand pressed upon her, and she could not breathe. Nobody since his day had for long left her buried! "What does it mean to you?" I broke the silence to ask. "I don't know," Monny said.
I have kept thee here, Harmachis, for thy own sake, that is so dear to me; and for thy own sake, and thy honour's sake, thou must still seem to be my prisoner. Else wouldst thou be shamed and slain ay, murdered secretly. But I can meet thee here no more! therefore to-morrow I shall free thee in all, save in the name, and thou shalt once more be seen at Court as my astronomer.
Thou didst promise." "Ay, Harmachis, I promised; and to-morrow, when I have rid me of this Dellius, I will keep my promise, and name thee Cleopatra's Lord before the Court. See that thou art in thy place. Art content?" And she stretched out her hand for me to kiss, looking on me with strange eyes, as though she struggled with herself.
"Greeting, Harmachis," she said, smiling sweetly. "So, my messenger has found thee!" and she pointed to the corpse of Paulus. "Pah! he has an ugly look. Ho! guards!" The door was opened, and two armed Gauls stepped across the threshold. "Take away this carrion," said Cleopatra, "and fling it to the kites. Stay, draw that dagger from his traitor breast."
"It would be sweet, Harmachis, and yet this Vengeance is an arrow that in falling oft pierces him who shot it. Myself I know it," and she sighed. "But a truce to talk and grief. There will be time for us twain to grieve, if not to talk, in all the heavy coming years. Thou must fly before the coming of the light must thou fly. Here is a plan.
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