“‘It was at his bidding, that Egypt, after ten centuries of isolation, flung wide her gates, and welcomed to the marts of trade, the commerce of the outer world.
“‘He encouraged his people to export all their various manufactured and agricultural products, urging upon them the wisdom of learning from other nations, all that was best and most progressive in the arts and sciences.
“‘Thus it came to pass, that the King took small heed to his personal surroundings.
“‘Forced to marry—for state reasons—his own sister, a woman of repulsive appearance, and unlovable character, the domestic ties weighed lightly upon him.
“‘Being a scientist, he felt no surprise at the issue of this marriage.
“‘He knew that if the mating of near kin, is not thought wise for the horse, and hound, it must perforce prove disastrous, in humankind.
“‘The other son—a concubine’s child—was brought into the world in accordance with the wishes of his ministers of state, who trembled at the thought of the idiot prince being sole heir to the kingdom.
“‘Thus matters stood, until one day when weary of the affairs of camp, and court, the King disguised his royalty, and wandered incognito through the city of Thebes, and he came at last to the quarter of the market place, set aside for the slave traders and their human merchandise.
“‘It was a scene that stirred the great heart with pity!
“‘The long, low building formed a square of considerable size, and after mounting a pair of steps, the King found himself in a hall, around which ran a platform of wood, encompassing every side of the apartment.