Page:Orczy--the gates of Kamt.djvu/289

 a woman, will return to their homes, their dancing and their music, with a puzzled and perhaps sad shake of the head, saying, 'Princess Neit-akrit, of the house of Usem-ra, the beautiful, is no longer pure; madness has caused her tongue to lie, at the very foot of the throne of Isis, desecrating the temple of the goddess.' And some, no doubt, with a shrug will add: 'Madness which cometh of love for the stranger, unhappy love for him who will have none of her, since he will wed Maat-kha, anon.'"

"Hold thy peace, Ur-tasen. I forbid thee to speak of these things."

"Nay! I will not hold my peace, Neit-akrit, Princess of Kamt, thou who didst dare say that thou wouldst defy me! Didst think that it were so easy to circumvent the plans of Ur-tasen, the high priest of Ra? Didst think I should allow thy girlish sentiments to upset what I have thought and dreamed of ever since the stranger has usurped my power? Go and strike the metal gong, Neit-akrit, go and summon the people of Tanis. Derision and contempt await thee, and thou wilt not help the stranger withal."

Then, as she did not reply, but stood like an image of deep thought, with her golden head bent, he added:

"Hadst thou reflected, when thou didst venture to threaten and upbraid me, that thou wast within the precincts of a temple of Kamt, that in every nook, every corner of the gigantic building, the priests of Isis, and those of Ra, those of Horus and those of Osiris, are there lurking ready to answer the high priest's beck and call? Go up the steps, Neit-akrit, which lead to the ponderous gong, take the mighty clapper in both thy hands, and I tell thee that before metal touches metal thou and thy soul will have fled to a land whence thou canst not return to thwart the