At this point, for the first time, the sick youth showed some interest in the conversation; he pushed the chattering apes roughly to one side, and over his pale, wan face there came such a look of acute mental suffering that, for the first time since I had trodden upon this strange land, my heart felt the presence of a fellow-being and went out to him accordingly.
Then the Queen made a sign to one of the black giants who stood behind her, and he came forward carrying a gold casket, which he placed on the ground before the high priest. I could not see its contents, but noticed how Ur-tasen made pretence of looking above and beyond it, and concluded that they must have been very tempting.
“Ten white oxen await outside, oh, Ur-tasen,” whispered the Queen; “each is laden with two caskets, the contents of which are richer far than these.”
“But what dost thou ask of me?”
“Give life to my son!”
“The gods alone can do that. I am but mortal. Death is in my hands, but not life.”
“Let me wed again; I am still young, still beautiful; while my son lives, I am still a queen.”
“I cannot forbid thee to do what thou wilt; but the people of Kamt will rise against thee if thou placest one of thy subjects in the bed of Hortep-ra, the most holy. There are no royal princes old enough to wed with thee.”
“They will not rise,” she urged, “if thou wilt but tell them that it is the will of Ra that I should wed again.”
“Woman, wouldst thou urge me to blaspheme?” he retorted in holy wrath, but she repeated: