"Why is a dead king dragged from his sepulchre back into the world of
life, my Uncle?" she asked, pointing to the royal emblems with which the
corpse was clothed.
"It is no king, your Majesty," answered Abi, "but only the bones of some
humble person, or perhaps a block of wood that wears the _uraeus_ and
carries the sceptre in honour of Pharaoh, our chief guest."
Now Tua frowned, and Pharaoh, who had overheard the talk, said, smiling
sadly:
"A somewhat poor compliment, my brother, to one who, like myself, is
old and sickly and not far from his eternal habitation. Yet why should I
grumble at it who need no such reminder of that which awaits me and all
of us?" and he leaned back in his chair and sighed, while Tua looked at
him anxiously.
Then Abi ordered the mummy to be removed, declaring, with many
apologies, that it had been brought there only because such was the
ancient custom of Memphis, which, unlike Thebes, did not change its
fashions. He added that this same body or figure, for he knew not which
it was, having never troubled to inquire, had been looked upon by at
least thirty Pharaohs, all as dead as it to-day, since it was the
same that was used at the royal feasts before, long ago, the seat of
government was moved to Thebes.
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