He is a
visionary--an idealist, and so firmly rooted are his beliefs that they
are to his life as natural as the color of his eyes. He is a
beauty-worshiper. Athor possesses him utterly, and her loveliness
blinds him to all other things, particularly to his own welfare and
safety.
"In the beginning he fell in love, and a soul like his in love is most
unreasoning, immoderate and terribly faithful. The maiden is
beautiful--I saw her--most divinely beautiful. She is wise, for I saw
that also. She is good, for I felt it, unreasoning, and when a man
hath a woman intuition, a god hath spoken the truth to his heart. But
she is a slave--an Israelite."
"An Israelite!"
Hotep bowed his head.
"By the gods of my fathers, I ought not to marvel! Nay, now, is that
not like the boy? An Israelite! And half the noble maids of Memphis
mad for him!"
"He is not for thee and me to judge, O Rameses," Hotep interrupted.
"The gods blew another breath in him than animates our souls. For thee
and me such conduct would be the fancies of madmen; for Kenkenes it is
but living up to the alien spirit with which the gods endowed him. It
might be torture for him to wed according to our lights."
"Perchance thou art right.
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