"Thou bringest us tidings, holy Father?"
"Even so, O Son of Ptah."
"Say on."
The priest moved a little uncomfortably and glanced at the ministers
grouped in the shadows.
"Save for the worthy Har-hat and our prince, O my King, thou hast no
need of great council," he said.
Meneptah raised his hand and the supernumerary ministers left the
chamber. When they were gone, Loi unwrapped the roll Kenkenes had
brought and began to read:
"To Loi, the most high Servant of Amen, Lord of Tape, the Servant of
Ra, at On, sends greeting:
"The gods lend me composure to speak calmly with thee, O Brother. And
let the dismay which is mine explain the lack of ceremony in this
writing.
"It is not likely that thou hast forgotten the good Queen Neferari
Thermuthis' foster-son--the Hebrew Mesu, whom she found adrift in a
basket on Nilus. But lest the years have driven the memory of his
misdeeds from thy mind, I tell again the story. Thou knowest he was
initiated a priest of Isis, and scarce had the last of the mysteries
been disclosed to him, ere it was seen that the brotherhood had taken
an apostate unto itself.
"By the grace of the gods, he interfered in a brawl at Pithom and
killed an Egyptian.
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