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.]
AN EGYPTIAN PRINCESS, Part 1.
By Georg Ebers
The guests were all gone. Their departing mirth and joy had been smittendown by the drunkard's abusive words, like fresh young corn beneath ahail storm. Rhodopis was left standing alone in the empty, brightlydecorated (supper-room). Knakias extinguished the colored lamps on thewalls, and a dull, mysterious half-light took the place of theirbrilliant rays, falling scantily and gloomily on the piled-up plates anddishes, the remnants of the meal, and the seats and cushions, pushed outof their places by the retiring guests. A cold breeze came through theopen door, for the dawn was at hand, and just before sunrise, the air isgenerally unpleasantly cool in Egypt. A cold chill struck the limbs ofthe aged woman through her light garments. She stood gazing tearlesslyand fixedly into the desolate room, whose walls but a few minutes beforehad been echoing with joy and gladness, and it seemed to her that thedeserted guest-chamber must be like her own heart. She felt as if a wormwere gnawing there, and the warm blood congealing into ice.
Lost in these thoughts, she remained standing till at last her old femaleslave appeared to light her to her sleeping apartment.
Silently Rhodopis allowed herself to be undressed, and then, as silently,lifted the curtain which separated a second sleeping apartment from herown. In the middle of this second room stood a bedstead of maplewood,and there, on white sheets spread over a mattress of fine sheep's wool,and protected from the cold by bright blue coverlets's, lay a graceful,lovely girl asleep; this was Rhodopis' granddaughter, Sappho. Therounded form and delicate figure seemed to denote one already in openingmaidenhood, but the peaceful, blissful smile could only belong to aharmless, happy child.
One hand lay under her head, hidden among the thick dark brown hair, theother clasped unconsciously a little amulet of green stone, which hunground her neck. Over her closed eyes the long lashes trembled almostimperceptibly, and a delicate pink flush came and went on the cheek ofthe slumberer. The finely-cut nostrils rose and fell with her regularbreathing, and she lay there, a picture of innocence, of peace, smilingin dreams, and of the slumber that the gods bestow on early youth, whencare has not yet come.
Softly and carefully, crossing the thick carpets on tiptoe, the grey-haired woman approached, looked with unutterable tenderness into thesmiling, childish face, and, kneeling down silently by the side of thebed, buried her face in its soft coverings, so that the girl's hand justcame in contact with her hair. Then she wept, and without intermission;as though she hoped with this flood of tears to wash away not only herrecent humiliation, but with it all other sorrow from her mind.
At length she rose, breathed a light kiss on the sleeping girl'sforehead, raised her hands in prayer towards heaven, and returned to herown room, gently and carefully as she had come.
At her own bedside she found the old slave-woman, still waiting for her.
"What do you want so late, Melitta?" said Rhodopis, kindly, under herbreath. "Go to bed; at your age it is not good to remain up late, andyou know that I do not require you any longer. Good night