This eBook was produced by David Widger <widger@cecomet.net>
[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of thefile for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making anentire meal of them. D.W.]
By Georg Ebers
Charmain went towards her own apartments. How often she had had asimilar experience! In the midst of the warmest admiration for this rarewoman's depth of feeling, masculine strength of intellect, tirelessindustry, watchful care for her native land, steadfast loyalty, andmaternal devotion, she had been sobered in the most pitiable way.
She had been forced to see Cleopatra, for the sake of realizing achildish dream, and impressing her lover, squander vast sums, whichdiminished the prosperity of her subjects; place great and importantmatters below the vain, punctilious care of her own person; forget, inpetty jealousy, the justice and kindness which were marked traits in hercharacter; and, though the most kindly and womanly of sovereigns, sufferherself to be urged by angry excitement to inflict outrage on a subjectwhose acts had awakened her displeasure. The lofty ambition which hadinspired her noblest and most praiseworthy deeds had more than once beenthe source of acts which she herself regretted. When a child, she couldnot endure to be surpassed in difficult tasks, and still deemed it anecessity to be first and peerless. Hence the unfortunate circumstancethat Antony had given Barine the counterpart of an armlet which sheherself wore as a gift from her lover, was perhaps the principal cause ofher bitter resentment against the hapless woman.
Charmian had seen Cleopatra forgive freely and generously many a wrong,nay, many an affront, inflicted upon her; but to see herself placed byher husband on the same plane as a Barine, even in the most trivialmatter, might easily seem to her an unbearable insult; and the mishapwhich had befallen Caesarion, in consequence of his foolish passion forthe young beauty, gave her a right to punish her rival.
Deeply anxious concerning the fate of the woman in her care—greatlyagitated, moreover, and exhausted physically and mentally—Charmiansought her own apartments.
Here she hoped to find solace in Barine's cheerful and equable nature;here the helpful hands of her dark-skinned maid and confidante awaitedher.
The sun was low in the western horizon when she entered the anteroom.The members of the body-guard who were on duty told her that nothingunusual had occurred, and with a sigh of relief she passed into thesitting-room.
But the Ethiopian, who usually came to meet her with words of welcome,took her veil and wraps, and removed her shoes, was absent. Today no onegreeted her. Not until she entered the second room, which she hadassigned to her guest, did she find Barine, who was weeping bitterly.
During Charmian's absence the latter had received a letter from Alexas,in which he informed her that he was ordered by the Queen to subject herto an examination the next morning. Her cause looked dark but, if shedid not render his duty harder by the harshness which had formerly causedhim much pain, he would do his utmost to protect her from imprisonment,forced labour in the mines, or even worse misfortunes. The imprudentgame which she had played with King Caesarion had unfortunately rousedthe people against her. The depth of their indignation was shown by thefury with which they had assailed the house of her grandfather, Didymus.Nothing could save