There were long stretches of sunlit
sod, and walks of inlaid tile, seats of carved stone, and a single
small obelisk, set on a circular slab, marked with measures for
time--the Egyptian sun-dial. On every side were evidences of wealth
and luxury.
So Mentu labored because he loved to toil. In a land languorous with
tropical inertia, an enthusiastic toiler is not common. For this
reason, Mentu was worth particular attention. He towered a palm in
height over his Egyptian brethren, and his massive frame was entirely
in keeping with his majestic stature. He was nearly fifty years of
age, but no sign of the early decay of the Oriental was apparent in
him. His was the characteristic refinement of feature that marks the
Egyptian countenance, further accentuated by self-content and some
hauteur. The idea of dignity was carried out in his dress. The kilt
was not visible, for the kamis had become a robe, long-sleeved,
high-necked and belted with a broad band of linen, encompassing the
body twice, before it was fastened with a fibula of massive gold.
That he was an artisan noble was another peculiarity, but it was proof
of exceptional merit. He had descended from a long line of royal
sculptors, heightening in genius in the last three.
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