“Oh, people of Kamt, behold the majesty of the gods!
“They who have filled your hearts with joy have now shed sorrow upon the land!
“Thou art mighty, oh, Ra, and mighty is thy son!
“Thou art great, Osiris, and great is thy beloved!
“Oh, people of Kamt, look upwards to the vault of heaven, and there, amidst the innumerable lamps, which the hand of Phtah doth kindle in the skies, seek for the face of him who was the emissary of the gods!
“People of Kamt, look upwards to the skies! and at night, when Isis doth shine, pure and bounty-giving from above, then remember him who is beloved of the gods!
“Oh, people of Kamt, look within your hearts, for there alone shall in future dwell the image of him who is the son of Ra!”
Awestruck, not understanding, one by one the dark heads were raised aloft, and thousands of anxious eyes peered upwards in the gloom.
“Oh, people of Kamt, do not mourn! He who is beloved of the gods hath dwelt amidst you all! He gave you joy and happiness, he spoke to you of mercy and of love! but the gods up above have need of him, they called to him, and he hath gone!”
There was a long and universal shriek: the sorrow and disappointment it expressed was quite unmistakable. I felt strangely impressed and sad, as if I were assisting at my own funeral. Hugh’s face, too, was white and set. It is hard to leave those who love one dearly, hard to go in the very summit of one’s popularity.