Show MOIL hels baisi J tin ate count of Herni r the ryal royal E y AJ H daoa ja oa SL gauze cleopatra lay asleep she alio lay the fairest tiling thing that man inan over saw sav fairer thun a u dream and all about her flowed via tho web of her dark hair ono one white rounded arm arini made nado it a pillow for her head ulla saud one hung downward to the ground her he rich lips parted in a si tillo the thoi alvor vori lines I 1 mos of teeth and her rosy linbo li aba Were draped in so thin a robe of tho the silk of cos held nebout her by a jeweled girdle that the white gleam of flesh acono through it I 1 stood astonished and though my thoughts had little bent that way tho the sit sight of all her beauty struck tile mo likes a blow so a moment I 1 lost myself as it wore were in the iho vision of its power and at heart was grieved that I 1 must slay so fair a thing thine turning suddenly 1 front roni the sight I 1 found Ch charmion armlon watching pine with her quick eyes eves watching as though although sho she would search my heart and indeed something of my thoughts must havo have boon been written on my face in a language that sho she could read for sho she whispered in my car ay it is a pity is it not nob Har machia be ing after af ter all a man methinks mo thinka thinkS thou wilt need all thy ghostly strength th to norve thee to tho doede I 1 frowned f but before I 1 could frame f an answer sho she touched mo me lightly on the arm and pointed to tho the queen A change hud had conic come upon her her hands were clenched and about lier face all 1111 rosy with ta fc ic huo fine of sleep gathered a cloud of fear her breath came quick sho she raised tier her arms as though to ward away a blow and then with a stilled stifled moan sat up and opened tile the windows of her oyos eyes dark they were dark us as night but when the light found thet them n they grow blue oven as tho sky grows blue bo fore tho the blushing of tho the dawn Cee sarion sho she said where is ciesa rion was it then a dream I 1 dreamed that julius julius who is ia dead canic camo to TOO nic his bloody toga wrapped about his face and having thrown his arms abou this child led liim him away then I 1 dreamed I 1 died died in blood and agony and ono one I 1 might not see mocked mo me as I 1 died I 1 ali ah I 1 who is th that at man I 1 4 peace madam I 1 peace I 1 said charmion Ch armlon but the magician whom thou bid me bring to theo thee at this hour ahl ah I 1 the magician that who overt overthrow brow the giant I 1 remember mo me now ho he is welcome tell me sir magician can thy magic mirror give forth an answer to this dream nay how hov strange a thing is sleep that wrapping the mind in a web of darkness d ar kness straightly aly compels it to its will whence then come those images of fear rising on tho the horizon of the soul like sonic some untimely moon upon tho the twilight sky who grants them power to stalk so lifelike from Me morys thronging halls and pointing to their wounds thus confront tho the present with tho the past are they then messengers doth the semi death of sleep give them a foothold in our brains and thus the severed thread of human kinship that was Cs Cre asars self I 1 tell thee who but now stood at my side and murmured through his muffled roba warning words whereof the memory is lost to me read mo this riddle thou egyptian sphinx and ill show thee a rosier path to fortune than all thy stars can point thou hast brought the omen solve thou its problem in a good hour do I 1 come most mighty queen I 1 mado made answer for I 1 havo have somo some in tho the mysteries of sleep which is as thou hast rightly guessed a stair whereby those who are gathered to osiris may from time to time enter at the gateways of our living sense and by signs and words that can be read of mortals thereto duly learned repeat tho the echoes of that hall of truth which is their habitation thereby also the messengers of tho the guardian gods may do in many shapes upon the half loosed spirit or of their enoice for 0 jilson Jil con to those who hold the key tho the madness of our dreams catt show a clearer pur purpose loso and speak moro certainly chati all tho the acted wisdom of our waking lifo iko which is a dream indeed thou sid great cat icat i cesar iti ill ins his bloody robe and lie ho threw liis his arff about prince Coe Cre sarion and led hini him hence hearken now to the secret of thy visions twos Cai sars self thou cawest coming to thy sido side f froin rom arcuti in such a gul guide a as might noc bo mistaken when lie ho embraced tv tho 0 chud child Cw tie lie did it fora for a sign that to him und and hin alone ho fie passed ilia his great nesa and iiii hia love when he seemed scorned to lead him hence lie led him forth from egypt to be crow crowned neI in the capitol crowned tho the emperor of if rome and lord of all the lands for the rest I 1 know it not it is hid from me aj thus then 9 I 1 read tho the vision though to tily my bense it had a inore evil meaning nR but it i is no not well weil to prophecy evil unto kings Mear meanwhile while cleopatra Oleo patra had risen and ana hav riv throan back tho the gnat gauze was upon tho the edge of her couch her ber oyes eyes axed upon my face fa cc tile whilo her fingers played with her girdles jeweled ends of a truth alruth she cried thou art tha bestif best of all magicians for choti readout lily heart and out of tho the rou ti of evil omen drawert the hidden till tl ay 0 queen I 1 said charmlin Chur Ch armlon who stood by with vilh downcast eydi mid and thero there was anva 5 bitter h L in ine aning in hor her soft notes mil no rougher rou glur bordi ever af front thy cars and no jio evil pg asage less jesa closely treat tread upon its happy sense cleopatra placed her hands behind her head and leaning back looked with half shut eyes come show us of thy magic egyptian she said it is yet yeb liot hot abroad and I 1 am weary of hebrew ambassadors and their talk of herod and jerusalem I 1 hato hate that herod as lie ho shall find fina and I 1 will have vone cono of tile tho ambassadors today to fco day though a little do I 1 yearn to try my nv hebrew on them what canet thou do bast thou no new trick by scraping I 1 if thou canet conjure as well as thou canet prophecy thou have a place at court with pay and perquisites to boot and thy lofty soul doth not scorn perquisites anay nay I 1 answered all tricks are old but there aro somo forms of magic to ho be rarely used and with discretion that ma may Y perchance bo be new to thee 0 queen I 1 art thou nf afraid raid to venture on the charm its JN naught aught I 1 fear goon go on and do thy worst come charmion and sit thou by me but stay chero aro are all tho the girls iris and meairl they too lovo love magic I 1 I 1 not so I 1 said the charms work ill bo be fore so many now behold ill I 1 and gazing at tile tho twain I 1 cast down my wand upon the marble and murmured a a spell for a moment it was still and then as I 1 muttered the rod slowly began to writhe it bent itself it stood on end and of its own motion moved next it put on scales and behold etwas it was a serpent that crawled and fiercely hissed fie on thee 1 ill cried cleopatra clapping her hands col cal lest thou that magic why uis itis an old trick that any wayside conjuror can do I 1 hava seen it a score of times I 1 I 1 wait 0 queen 1 I answered thou hast bast not seen all and oven even as I 1 spoke the serpent seemed to break in fragments and from froin each fragment grew a new serpent and these too broko broke in fragments and bred others till in a little space the place to their gla mored sight was a seething sea se a ot of snakes that crawled hissed and knotted themselves in knots then I 1 made a sign and tho the serpents gathered gal hered themselves about me and scena seemed slowly to twine themselves about my body and my limbs till save my face I 1 was wreathed thick with ith hissing sn snakes altes ob horrible I 1 briod char hiding her countenance in tile skirt of tho the queens garment nay enough 1 magician enough 1 said tho the queen 1 thy magic overwhelms us I 1 waved my snake wrapped arms and all was gone there at my feet acot luy lily tile tho bla black c ic wand tipped with ivory and naught bo be sido side tho the two women looked ono one upon another aud and gasped with wonder but I 1 took up tile wand and stood with folded arms before them Is the queen content with my poor artl art I 1 asked most humbly aye that am 1 I egyptian never did I 1 see its likel like I 1 court astronomer art thou f from rom this day forward with right of access to tile the queens predence pretence pre tence hast thou more of such magic at thy callot call yes royal egypt ea apt suffer that tho the chamber bo be a little darkened and IL 1 will show thea ono one more thing halt half am I 1 afraid sho she answered nevertheless do thou Chart charmeon Ch armlon nion even as this th ia Hurma says so the curtains were drawn and tho the chamber made as aa though the twilight was at hand I 1 came forward and stood mo me beside cleopatra gaze thou there the relly 1 I 1 said sternly pointing with the wand to the empty space where I 1 had been and thou behold that which is in it thy mind then for a little space was silence while the two women gazed fixedly and half fearful at the spot and as they gazed a cloud gathered before them very slowly it took shape iliade and form and the forni form it took waa the form of a nian man though as as yet lie he was but bagu vaguely ely mapped upon the twilight and seemed now to grow and now to melt away then I 1 cried with a loud voice shade I 1 conjure thee ap al awl w and even as I 1 cried tile the tiling thing perfect in every part leapt into form forin before us suddon sudden as tile flash of day his shape was tile the shape of royal caesar the toga thrown about his face and on his form a vestment bloody from a hundred wounds an instant so lie he stood then I 1 waved my wand und and lie ho was gone I 1 turned me to the two women on tho the couch and then I 1 saw Cleo patras lovely fuco face all clothed in terror her lips were ashy white her eyes stared wide and tho the flesh was shaking on her bones ai matil she alio gasped imant man what art thou who canet bring tho the dead before our eyes eves 1 I am the queens astronomer magician servant what the queen wills I 1 answered laughing was this the form that was on the queens mind sho she made no answer but rising left the chamber by another door then Cli charmion armion rose and took her hands from her face for she too had been stricken with dread V oj 1 I dayi tayi how dost thou these things royal Harma chist she said of a truth I 1 fear thee 11 be not afraid I 1 answered perchance thru thou see naught but was in thy mind all things are shadows how canet thou then know their nature or what is and what only seems to bo be but how goes it I 1 remember thou this sport is played to an end t it goes well she said by tomor to mor rows dawn these tales will have gone round and thou wilt bo be more feared that than any man in alexandria follow mo me I 1 pray thee audi ai i T 1 CHAPTER XI OF vin THE WAYS OP OF AND OF THE OF AS THE KING OF l M i rai THE following day I 1 IM received tile the writing of my appointment sj as astrologer and ill magician cliplef to the queen wilh the pay ay 0 and perquisites of that onico which were nob small also rooms were given mo me in the palace a through which I 1 passed at ii ight to tho the high watch tower whence I 1 looked ou oil tho the stars and drew their guries auguries au for althis at this time cleopa tra was much troubled about matters political and not knowing how tho iho great struggle among the iho roman homan f factions actions would end but being very desirous to sid side with tile strongest sho she took constant counsel with mo me as to tho the warning ot 0 tho the stars these I 1 read to her in such its as best scorned to fit tho high interest of my ends fur for antony tho the roman triumvir was now BOW in asia minor and rumor ran very wroth because it had heon been told to him that cleopatra was hostile to the triumviri a te in U at hur her general Sorn Scra pion plon had aided cassius but cleopatra Cloo patra protested loudly to TOO me and that serapion Sora Scra pion had I 1 la d acted against hor her will yut Ch charmion armlon told mo me that as with Al lienus it was because of a prophecy of D Dioscori iosco rides des the unlucky Y that the ho queen herself he had secretly ordered serapion Scra pion so to do nevertheless this did not save korap ion for to prove to antony that sho she was innocent tilie she dragged tho general from the sanctuary and slow slew him woo bo be to those who carry will of tyrants if tho the scale should riso rise against t them I 1 and sp serapion perished mear while all things wont well with us for tho the minds of cleopatra and those about her were so set upon affairs abroad that neither she nor they thought of revolt nt at homo home but day by day our party gathered strength in ill the cities of egypt and even in it alexandria which is to egypt as another land all things boing being foreign there day by day those who doubted wore were won over and sworn to the cause by that oath which can not bo be broken and our plans of action more firmly laid and every other day I 1 went forth from tho the palace to take counsel with my uncle sepa and there at his house met ohp nobles and the great priests who were for tile the party of khem of 01 cleopatra tho the queen I 1 saw much and never was I 1 more astonished at the wealth and splendor of her mind that for richness and variety was as a woven cloth of gold throwing back all lights from its changing face site she feared mo me somewhat and therefore was fain to make a friend of me asking mo me many matters that seemed to bo be beyond the province of my office of the lady Ch charmion armlon also I 1 saw much indeed she was ever at my side so that I 1 scarce knew when she came and when she went for with that soft step of hers would she draw nigh and I 1 would turn mo 1110 to lind find her at hand and watching beneath the long lashes of her downcast eyes there was no service that was too hard for her and ne nc task too long for day and night she labored for me and for our cause but when I 1 thanked lier ifer for her loyalty tin and a said it should bo be had in mind in that time which was at hand sho she stamped her foot and pouted wath her lips RICO like an all angry child saying that among all the things which I 1 1 had learned this had I 1 not learned that loves service asked no payment and was its own guerdon and I 1 being innocent Intro cent in such matters and foolish that kwas iwas holding the ways of women as aa of small account read her sayings in the sense that her services to the bluso of khem khein which she loved brought with them their own reward but when I 1 praised so fine a spirit sho she burst into angry tears and left nie me wondering for I 1 knew naught of the trouble at her hoart heart I 1 knew not then that unsought una tl ia woman had given me all her love suni and thu sho she was ren rent tand and torn by pangs 0 01 I 1 passion fixed like illic arrows in hr her breast I 1 did not know how should I 1 know it who never liever looked upon her otherwise than as sin nn instrument of our joint and holy carsol her beauty never stirred me ine nay not oven when sio aio loaned over tile ino an and breathed upon my hair I 1 novel thought of it other wise than as a man mail thinks of the beauty of a what had I 1 to do with such delights d 0 lights fil I 1 who vho aho was sworn to isis arid and dedi catch bated to tile causo cause of egypt 0 yo gods bear tile me witness that I 1 am innocent of this thing thina which was the source of all my woo and the woo of khem I 1 how strange Is this lovo love of woman that it is so small in its bc beginning ginning and in its end so great I |