Page:Weird Tales volume 36 number 02.djvu/112

 his resuscitation—or reincarnation—he appeared able to speak perfect English.

"Of course," he said when Professor Blythe's astounded comments on this was made, "have I not the knowledge of all the ages—including yours?"

Susan, he still regarded as about to become his property, but the girl's way of meeting this astonished and amused both her father and Eric. She treated the powerful High Priest of All Knowledge as a callow youth who might make love to her, but who couldn't possibly be old enough to know his own mind. This attitude at once puzzled and annoyed Ramahadin, but served its purpose—that of keeping the Egyptian at the distance Susan desired.

They all treated him as a guest and took, turns showing him the world to which he had returned after twenty-four hundred years. Eric Hanley had some fears of government intervention—a check up of all aliens in the country was being made—but Professor Shepard poo-poohed this. "He is a visitor staying with us," he said, "and that will be enough in the meantime. We can certainly fix it up with the authorities later."

"One thing I have already observed in this country," said Ramahadin, "is that you go to a great deal of trouble to enact laws, then to just as much trouble to ignore them, or get around them or to know some way of fixing the authorities."

"Of course," said Professor Shepard, "that's the way we get along."

"I don't agree," replied Professor Blythe. "Some of our citizens may get along that way, but it's not the way a democracy such as ours has become great."

"Wait till you understand us a bit better," said Eric Hanley.

That understanding in itself was interesting, since two distinct forces were at work promoting it. Shepard's idea was to use the Egyptian's great powers to bring to culmination vast schemes of his own; to help him gain fame, money and authority. This authority was to be in the world of science, but was to dominate—as the others soon realized—the underworld. He and Ramahadin spent many hours in a laboratory which Shepard maintained in a secret place away from the Blythes, and he tried more and more to disassociate himself from the older man. One result of this was to restore Eric Hanley entirely to Blythe's good graces, and fear for the future of Ramahadin and their astounding experiment with the Book of the Dead made this bond even tighter. It included Susan, who wasn't a scientist's daughter for nothing and who realized the profound effect Ramahadin's appearance might have on the world.

Professor Blythe tried to remonstrate with Shepard.

"You must not seek from Ramahadin secrets not shared by all of us," he said. "Our knowledge of the forgotten lore of ancient peoples must be pooled; it must be given out by us gradually and—yes, reverently."

Shepard only laughed; "I know much now," he said, "that could control the fate of our country and the world."

S SHEPHERD seemed able to win more and more of Ramahadin's confidence Eric Hanley began to have profound fears, and he and Susan formed a dangerous plan. It was to attract Ramahadin to their way of thinking, to keep him more and more in their company, to show him more and more of the every day vital life of the great new world around him. And to do this they both realized it would be Susan who must pit herself against Shepard's influence. She would have to put aside her distaste for the swarthy stranger—and the risk was great that the price she would have to pay would be high.

Susan it was who persuaded Ramahadin to spend long hours with the Blythes. Here