The leeches, who had been vainly seeking for some flicker of
life, stepped aside and the eyes of the cowering girl fell on the
prince.
Rameses had seen the Hand that smote him.
The look on the frozen features completed the undoing of Masanath's
self-control and she collapsed beside the bed, utterly prostrated.
Hotep entered with Seti. The boy prince's face was inflamed with much
weeping, and he flung himself upon the cold clay of Rameses, forgetting
wholly that the older brother had urged the passage of a harsh sentence
upon his young head.
The courtiers, who had stoically witnessed Meneptah's frantic grief,
turned now and hid their blinded eyes. Hotep went to the Pharaoh and
laid his hand on the monarch's shoulder. The action commanded.
Exhausted by his frenzy, Meneptah leaned against his scribe. The
cup-bearer and the captain released him and Hotep spoke quietly.
"Seest thou, O my King, the sorrow of thy people? Behold thy young son
and pity him. Look upon thy queen and comfort her. If thou, their
staff, art broken, who shall bear them up in their sorrow? Break not.
Be thou as the strong father of thy great son, so that from the bosom
of Osiris he may look upon Egypt and sleep well, seeing that in his
loss his kingdom lost not her prop and stay, her king, also.
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