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Android Studio Bumble Bee
Essentials
Java Edition
Android Studio Bumble Bee Essentials – Java Edition
ISBN-13: 978-1-951442-42-2
© 2022 Neil Smyth / Payload Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
is book is provided for personal use only. Unauthorized use, reproduction
and/or distribution strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.
e content of this book is provided for informational purposes only.
Neither the publisher nor the author o ers any warranties or representation,
express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of information contained in
this book, nor do they accept any liability for any loss or damage arising
from any errors or omissions.
is book contains trademarked terms that are used solely for editorial
purposes and to the bene t of the respective trademark owner. e terms
used within this book are not intended as infringement of any trademarks.
Rev: 1.0
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 Downloading the Code Samples
1.2 Feedback
1.3 Errata
2. Setting up an Android Studio Development Environment
2.1 System Requirements
2.2 Downloading the Android Studio Package
2.3 Installing Android Studio
2.3.1 Installation on Windows
2.3.2 Installation on macOS
2.3.3 Installation on Linux
2.4 e Android Studio Setup Wizard
2.5 Installing Additional Android SDK Packages
2.6 Making the Android SDK Tools Command-line Accessible
2.6.1 Windows 8.1
2.6.2 Windows 10
2.6.3 Windows 11
2.6.4 Linux
2.6.5 macOS
2.7 Android Studio Memory Management
2.8 Updating Android Studio and the SDK
2.9 Summary
3. Creating an Example Android App in Android Studio
3.1 About the Project
3.2 Creating a New Android Project
3.3 Creating an Activity
3.4 De ning the Project and SDK Settings
3.5 Modifying the Example Application
3.6 Modifying the User Interface
3.7 Reviewing the Layout and Resource Files
3.8 Adding Interaction
3.9 Summary
4. Creating an Android Virtual Device (AVD) in Android Studio
4.1 About Android Virtual Devices
4.2 Starting the Emulator
4.3 Running the Application in the AVD
4.4 Running on Multiple Devices
4.5 Stopping a Running Application
4.6 Supporting Dark eme
4.7 Running the Emulator in a Separate Window
4.8 Enabling the Device Frame
4.9 AVD Command-line Creation
4.10 Android Virtual Device Con guration Files
4.11 Moving and Renaming an Android Virtual Device
4.12 Summary
5. Using and Con guring the Android Studio AVD Emulator
5.1 e Emulator Environment
5.2 Emulator Toolbar Options
5.3 Working in Zoom Mode
5.4 Resizing the Emulator Window
5.5 Extended Control Options
5.5.1 Location
5.5.2 Displays
5.5.3 Cellular
5.5.4 Battery
5.5.5 Camera
5.5.6 Phone
5.5.7 Directional Pad
5.5.8 Microphone
5.5.9 Fingerprint
5.5.10 Virtual Sensors
5.5.11 Snapshots
5.5.12 Record and Playback
5.5.13 Google Play
5.5.14 Settings
5.5.15 Help
5.6 Working with Snapshots
 5.7 Con guring Fingerprint Emulation
5.8 e Emulator in Tool Window Mode
5.9 Summary
6. A Tour of the Android Studio User Interface
6.1 e Welcome Screen
6.2 e Main Window
6.3 e Tool Windows
6.4 Android Studio Keyboard Shortcuts
6.5 Switcher and Recent Files Navigation
6.6 Changing the Android Studio eme
6.7 Summary
7. Testing Android Studio Apps on a Physical Android Device
7.1 An Overview of the Android Debug Bridge (ADB)
7.2 Enabling USB Debugging ADB on Android Devices
7.2.1 macOS ADB Con guration
7.2.2 Windows ADB Con guration
7.2.3 Linux adb Con guration
7.3 Resolving USB Connection Issues
7.4 Enabling Wireless Debugging on Android Devices
7.5 Testing the adb Connection
7.6 Summary
8. e Basics of the Android Studio Code Editor
8.1 e Android Studio Editor
8.2 Splitting the Editor Window
8.3 Code Completion
8.4 Statement Completion
8.5 Parameter Information
8.6 Parameter Name Hints
8.7 Code Generation
8.8 Code Folding
8.9 Quick Documentation Lookup
8.10 Code Reformatting
8.11 Finding Sample Code
8.12 Live Templates
8.13 Summary
9. An Overview of the Android Architecture
9.1 e Android So ware Stack
9.2 e Linux Kernel
9.3 Android Runtime – ART
9.4 Android Libraries
9.4.1 C/C++ Libraries
9.5 Application Framework
9.6 Applications
9.7 Summary
10. e Anatomy of an Android Application
10.1 Android Activities
10.2 Android Fragments
10.3 Android Intents
10.4 Broadcast Intents
10.5 Broadcast Receivers
10.6 Android Services
10.7 Content Providers
10.8 e Application Manifest
10.9 Application Resources
10.10 Application Context
10.11 Summary
11. An Overview of Android View Binding
11.1 Find View by Id
11.2 View Binding
11.3 Converting the AndroidSample project
11.4 Enabling View Binding
11.5 Using View Binding
11.6 Choosing an Option
11.7 View Binding in the Book Examples
11.8 Migrating a Project to View Binding
11.9 Summary
12. Understanding Android Application and Activity Lifecycles
12.1 Android Applications and Resource Management
12.2 Android Process States
 12.2.1 Foreground Process
12.2.2 Visible Process
12.2.3 Service Process
12.2.4 Background Process
12.2.5 Empty Process
12.3 Inter-Process Dependencies
12.4 e Activity Lifecycle
12.5 e Activity Stack
12.6 Activity States
12.7 Con guration Changes
12.8 Handling State Change
12.9 Summary
13. Handling Android Activity State Changes
13.1 New vs. Old Lifecycle Techniques
13.2 e Activity and Fragment Classes
13.3 Dynamic State vs. Persistent State
13.4 e Android Lifecycle Methods
13.5 Lifetimes
13.6 Foldable Devices and Multi-Resume
13.7 Disabling Con guration Change Restarts
13.8 Lifecycle Method Limitations
13.9 Summary
14. Android Activity State Changes by Example
14.1 Creating the State Change Example Project
14.2 Designing the User Interface
14.3 Overriding the Activity Lifecycle Methods
14.4 Filtering the Logcat Panel
14.5 Running the Application
14.6 Experimenting with the Activity
14.7 Summary
15. Saving and Restoring the State of an Android Activity
15.1 Saving Dynamic State
15.2 Default Saving of User Interface State
15.3 e Bundle Class
15.4 Saving the State
 15.5 Restoring the State
15.6 Testing the Application
15.7 Summary
16. Understanding Android Views, View Groups and Layouts
16.1 Designing for Di erent Android Devices
16.2 Views and View Groups
16.3 Android Layout Managers
16.4 e View Hierarchy
16.5 Creating User Interfaces
16.6 Summary
17. A Guide to the Android Studio Layout Editor Tool
17.1 Basic vs. Empty Activity Templates
17.2 e Android Studio Layout Editor
17.3 Design Mode
17.4 e Palette
17.5 Design Mode and Layout Views
17.6 Night Mode
17.7 Code Mode
17.8 Split Mode
17.9 Setting Attributes
17.10 Transforms
17.11 Tools Visibility Toggles
17.12 Converting Views
17.13 Displaying Sample Data
17.14 Creating a Custom Device De nition
17.15 Changing the Current Device
17.16 Layout Validation (Multi Preview)
17.17 Summary
18. A Guide to the Android ConstraintLayout
18.1 How ConstraintLayout Works
18.1.1 Constraints
18.1.2 Margins
18.1.3 Opposing Constraints
18.1.4 Constraint Bias
18.1.5 Chains
 18.1.6 Chain Styles
18.2 Baseline Alignment
18.3 Con guring Widget Dimensions
18.4 Guideline Helper
18.5 Group Helper
18.6 Barrier Helper
18.7 Flow Helper
18.8 Ratios
18.9 ConstraintLayout Advantages
18.10 ConstraintLayout Availability
18.11 Summary
19. A Guide to Using ConstraintLayout in Android Studio
19.1 Design and Layout Views
19.2 Autoconnect Mode
19.3 Inference Mode
19.4 Manipulating Constraints Manually
19.5 Adding Constraints in the Inspector
19.6 Viewing Constraints in the Attributes Window
19.7 Deleting Constraints
19.8 Adjusting Constraint Bias
19.9 Understanding ConstraintLayout Margins
19.10 e Importance of Opposing Constraints and Bias
19.11 Con guring Widget Dimensions
19.12 Design Time Tools Positioning
19.13 Adding Guidelines
19.14 Adding Barriers
19.15 Adding a Group
19.16 Working with the Flow Helper
19.17 Widget Group Alignment and Distribution
19.18 Converting other Layouts to ConstraintLayout
19.19 Summary
20. Working with ConstraintLayout Chains and Ratios in Android
Studio
20.1 Creating a Chain
20.2 Changing the Chain Style
 20.3 Spread Inside Chain Style
20.4 Packed Chain Style
20.5 Packed Chain Style with Bias
20.6 Weighted Chain
20.7 Working with Ratios
20.8 Summary
21. An Android Studio Layout Editor ConstraintLayout Tutorial
21.1 An Android Studio Layout Editor Tool Example
21.2 Creating a New Activity
21.3 Preparing the Layout Editor Environment
21.4 Adding the Widgets to the User Interface
21.5 Adding the Constraints
21.6 Testing the Layout
21.7 Using the Layout Inspector
21.8 Summary
22. Manual XML Layout Design in Android Studio
22.1 Manually Creating an XML Layout
22.2 Manual XML vs. Visual Layout Design
22.3 Summary
23. Managing Constraints using Constraint Sets
23.1 Java Code vs. XML Layout Files
23.2 Creating Views
23.3 View Attributes
23.4 Constraint Sets
23.4.1 Establishing Connections
23.4.2 Applying Constraints to a Layout
23.4.3 Parent Constraint Connections
23.4.4 Sizing Constraints
23.4.5 Constraint Bias
23.4.6 Alignment Constraints
23.4.7 Copying and Applying Constraint Sets
23.4.8 ConstraintLayout Chains
23.4.9 Guidelines
23.4.10 Removing Constraints
23.4.11 Scaling
 23.4.12 Rotation
23.5 Summary
24. An Android ConstraintSet Tutorial
24.1 Creating the Example Project in Android Studio
24.2 Adding Views to an Activity
24.3 Setting View Attributes
24.4 Creating View IDs
24.5 Con guring the Constraint Set
24.6 Adding the EditText View
24.7 Converting Density Independent Pixels (dp) to Pixels (px)
24.8 Summary
25. A Guide to using Apply Changes in Android Studio
25.1 Introducing Apply Changes
25.2 Understanding Apply Changes Options
25.3 Using Apply Changes
25.4 Con guring Apply Changes Fallback Settings
25.5 An Apply Changes Tutorial
25.6 Using Apply Code Changes
25.7 Using Apply Changes and Restart Activity
25.8 Using Run App
25.9 Summary
26. An Overview and Example of Android Event Handling
26.1 Understanding Android Events
26.2 Using the android:onClick Resource
26.3 Event Listeners and Callback Methods
26.4 An Event Handling Example
26.5 Designing the User Interface
26.6 e Event Listener and Callback Method
26.7 Consuming Events
26.8 Summary
27. Android Touch and Multi-touch Event Handling
27.1 Intercepting Touch Events
27.2 e MotionEvent Object
27.3 Understanding Touch Actions
 27.4 Handling Multiple Touches
27.5 An Example Multi-Touch Application
27.6 Designing the Activity User Interface
27.7 Implementing the Touch Event Listener
27.8 Running the Example Application
27.9 Summary
28. Detecting Common Gestures Using the Android Gesture Detector
Class
28.1 Implementing Common Gesture Detection
28.2 Creating an Example Gesture Detection Project
28.3 Implementing the Listener Class
28.4 Creating the GestureDetectorCompat Instance
28.5 Implementing the onTouchEvent() Method
28.6 Testing the Application
28.7 Summary
29. Implementing Custom Gesture and Pinch Recognition on Android
29.1 e Android Gesture Builder Application
29.2 e GestureOverlayView Class
29.3 Detecting Gestures
29.4 Identifying Speci c Gestures
29.5 Installing and Running the Gesture Builder Application
29.6 Creating a Gestures File
29.7 Creating the Example Project
29.8 Extracting the Gestures File from the SD Card
29.9 Adding the Gestures File to the Project
29.10 Designing the User Interface
29.11 Loading the Gestures File
29.12 Registering the Event Listener
29.13 Implementing the onGesturePerformed Method
29.14 Testing the Application
29.15 Con guring the GestureOverlayView
29.16 Intercepting Gestures
29.17 Detecting Pinch Gestures
29.18 A Pinch Gesture Example Project
29.19 Summary
30. An Introduction to Android Fragments
30.1 What is a Fragment?
30.2 Creating a Fragment
30.3 Adding a Fragment to an Activity using the Layout XML File
30.4 Adding and Managing Fragments in Code
30.5 Handling Fragment Events
30.6 Implementing Fragment Communication
30.7 Summary
31. Using Fragments in Android Studio - An Example
31.1 About the Example Fragment Application
31.2 Creating the Example Project
31.3 Creating the First Fragment Layout
31.4 Migrating a Fragment to View Binding
31.5 Adding the Second Fragment
31.6 Adding the Fragments to the Activity
31.7 Making the Toolbar Fragment Talk to the Activity
31.8 Making the Activity Talk to the Text Fragment
31.9 Testing the Application
31.10 Summary
32. Modern Android App Architecture with Jetpack
32.1 What is Android Jetpack?
32.2 e “Old” Architecture
32.3 Modern Android Architecture
32.4 e ViewModel Component
32.5 e LiveData Component
32.6 ViewModel Saved State
32.7 LiveData and Data Binding
32.8 Android Lifecycles
32.9 Repository Modules
32.10 Summary
33. An Android Jetpack ViewModel Tutorial
33.1 About the Project
33.2 Creating the ViewModel Example Project
33.3 Reviewing the Project
 33.3.1 e Main Activity
33.3.2 e Content Fragment
33.3.3 e ViewModel
33.4 Designing the Fragment Layout
33.5 Implementing the View Model
33.6 Associating the Fragment with the View Model
33.7 Modifying the Fragment
33.8 Accessing the ViewModel Data
33.9 Testing the Project
33.10 Summary
34. An Android Jetpack LiveData Tutorial
34.1 LiveData - A Recap
34.2 Adding LiveData to the ViewModel
34.3 Implementing the Observer
34.4 Summary
35. An Overview of Android Jetpack Data Binding
35.1 An Overview of Data Binding
35.2 e Key Components of Data Binding
35.2.1 e Project Build Con guration
35.2.2 e Data Binding Layout File
35.2.3 e Layout File Data Element
35.2.4 e Binding Classes
35.2.5 Data Binding Variable Con guration
35.2.6 Binding Expressions (One-Way)
35.2.7 Binding Expressions (Two-Way)
35.2.8 Event and Listener Bindings
35.3 Summary
36. An Android Jetpack Data Binding Tutorial
36.1 Removing the Redundant Code
36.2 Enabling Data Binding
36.3 Adding the Layout Element
36.4 Adding the Data Element to Layout File
36.5 Working with the Binding Class
36.6 Assigning the ViewModel Instance to the Data Binding Variable
36.7 Adding Binding Expressions
 36.8 Adding the Conversion Method
36.9 Adding a Listener Binding
36.10 Testing the App
36.11 Summary
37. An Android ViewModel Saved State Tutorial
37.1 Understanding ViewModel State Saving
37.2 Implementing ViewModel State Saving
37.3 Saving and Restoring State
37.4 Adding Saved State Support to the ViewModelDemo Project
37.5 Summary
38. Working with Android Lifecycle-Aware Components
38.1 Lifecycle Awareness
38.2 Lifecycle Owners
38.3 Lifecycle Observers
38.4 Lifecycle States and Events
38.5 Summary
39. An Android Jetpack Lifecycle Awareness Tutorial
39.1 Creating the Example Lifecycle Project
39.2 Creating a Lifecycle Observer
39.3 Adding the Observer
39.4 Testing the Observer
39.5 Creating a Lifecycle Owner
39.6 Testing the Custom Lifecycle Owner
39.7 Summary
40. An Overview of the Navigation Architecture Component
40.1 Understanding Navigation
40.2 Declaring a Navigation Host
40.3 e Navigation Graph
40.4 Accessing the Navigation Controller
40.5 Triggering a Navigation Action
40.6 Passing Arguments
40.7 Summary
41. An Android Jetpack Navigation Component Tutorial
41.1 Creating the NavigationDemo Project
 41.2 Adding Navigation to the Build Con guration
41.3 Creating the Navigation Graph Resource File
41.4 Declaring a Navigation Host
41.5 Adding Navigation Destinations
41.6 Designing the Destination Fragment Layouts
41.7 Adding an Action to the Navigation Graph
41.8 Implement the OnFragmentInteractionListener
41.9 Adding View Binding Support to the Destination Fragments
41.10 Triggering the Action
41.11 Passing Data Using Safeargs
41.12 Summary
42. An Introduction to MotionLayout
42.1 An Overview of MotionLayout
42.2 MotionLayout
42.3 MotionScene
42.4 Con guring ConstraintSets
42.5 Custom Attributes
42.6 Triggering an Animation
42.7 Arc Motion
42.8 Keyframes
42.8.1 Attribute Keyframes
42.8.2 Position Keyframes
42.9 Time Linearity
42.10 KeyTrigger
42.11 Cycle and Time Cycle Keyframes
42.12 Starting an Animation from Code
43. An Android MotionLayout Editor Tutorial
43.1 Creating the MotionLayoutDemo Project
43.2 ConstraintLayout to MotionLayout Conversion
43.3 Con guring Start and End Constraints
43.4 Previewing the MotionLayout Animation
43.5 Adding an OnClick Gesture
43.6 Adding an Attribute Keyframe to the Transition
43.7 Adding a CustomAttribute to a Transition
43.8 Adding Position Keyframes
 43.9 Summary
44. A MotionLayout KeyCycle Tutorial
44.1 An Overview of Cycle Keyframes
44.2 Using the Cycle Editor
44.3 Creating the KeyCycleDemo Project
44.4 Con guring the Start and End Constraints
44.5 Creating the Cycles
44.6 Previewing the Animation
44.7 Adding the KeyFrameSet to the MotionScene
44.8 Summary
45. Working with the Floating Action Button and Snackbar
45.1 e Material Design
45.2 e Design Library
45.3 e Floating Action Button (FAB)
45.4 e Snackbar
45.5 Creating the Example Project
45.6 Reviewing the Project
45.7 Removing Navigation Features
45.8 Changing the Floating Action Button
45.9 Adding an Action to the Snackbar
45.10 Summary
46. Creating a Tabbed Interface using the TabLayout Component
46.1 An Introduction to the ViewPager2
46.2 An Overview of the TabLayout Component
46.3 Creating the TabLayoutDemo Project
46.4 Creating the First Fragment
46.5 Duplicating the Fragments
46.6 Adding the TabLayout and ViewPager2
46.7 Creating the Pager Adapter
46.8 Performing the Initialization Tasks
46.9 Testing the Application
46.10 Customizing the TabLayout
46.11 Summary
47. Working with the RecyclerView and CardView Widgets
 47.1 An Overview of the RecyclerView
47.2 An Overview of the CardView
47.3 Summary
48. An Android RecyclerView and CardView Tutorial
48.1 Creating the CardDemo Project
48.2 Modifying the Basic Activity Project
48.3 Designing the CardView Layout
48.4 Adding the RecyclerView
48.5 Adding the Image Files
48.6 Creating the RecyclerView Adapter
48.7 Initializing the RecyclerView Component
48.8 Testing the Application
48.9 Responding to Card Selections
48.10 Summary
49. A Layout Editor Sample Data Tutorial
49.1 Adding Sample Data to a Project
49.2 Using Custom Sample Data
49.3 Summary
50. Working with the AppBar and Collapsing Toolbar Layouts
50.1 e Anatomy of an AppBar
50.2 e Example Project
50.3 Coordinating the RecyclerView and Toolbar
50.4 Introducing the Collapsing Toolbar Layout
50.5 Changing the Title and Scrim Color
50.6 Summary
51. An Android Studio Primary/Detail Flow Tutorial
51.1 e Primary/Detail Flow
51.2 Creating a Primary/Detail Flow Activity
51.3 Modifying the Primary/Detail Flow Template
51.4 Changing the Content Model
51.5 Changing the Detail Pane
51.6 Modifying the WebsiteDetailFragment Class
51.7 Modifying the WebsiteListFragment Class
51.8 Adding Manifest Permissions
 51.9 Running the Application
51.10 Summary
52. An Overview of Android Intents
52.1 An Overview of Intents
52.2 Explicit Intents
52.3 Returning Data from an Activity
52.4 Implicit Intents
52.5 Using Intent Filters
52.6 Automatic Link Veri cation
52.7 Manually Enabling Links
52.8 Checking Intent Availability
52.9 Summary
53. Android Explicit Intents – A Worked Example
53.1 Creating the Explicit Intent Example Application
53.2 Designing the User Interface Layout for MainActivity
53.3 Creating the Second Activity Class
53.4 Designing the User Interface Layout for SecondActivity
53.5 Reviewing the Application Manifest File
53.6 Creating the Intent
53.7 Extracting Intent Data
53.8 Launching SecondActivity as a Sub-Activity
53.9 Returning Data from a Sub-Activity
53.10 Testing the Application
53.11 Summary
54. Android Implicit Intents – A Worked Example
54.1 Creating the Android Studio Implicit Intent Example Project
54.2 Designing the User Interface
54.3 Creating the Implicit Intent
54.4 Adding a Second Matching Activity
54.5 Adding the Web View to the UI
54.6 Obtaining the Intent URL
54.7 Modifying the MyWebView Project Manifest File
54.8 Installing the MyWebView Package on a Device
54.9 Testing the Application
54.10 Manually Enabling the Link
 54.11 Automatic Link Veri cation
54.12 Summary
55. Android Broadcast Intents and Broadcast Receivers
55.1 An Overview of Broadcast Intents
55.2 An Overview of Broadcast Receivers
55.3 Obtaining Results from a Broadcast
55.4 Sticky Broadcast Intents
55.5 e Broadcast Intent Example
55.6 Creating the Example Application
55.7 Creating and Sending the Broadcast Intent
55.8 Creating the Broadcast Receiver
55.9 Registering the Broadcast Receiver
55.10 Testing the Broadcast Example
55.11 Listening for System Broadcasts
55.12 Summary
56. A Basic Overview of Java reads, Handlers and Executors
56.1 An Overview of reads
56.2 e Application Main read
56.3 read Handlers
56.4 A reading Example
56.5 Building the App
56.6 Creating a New read
56.7 Implementing a read Handler
56.8 Passing a Message to the Handler
56.9 Java Executor Concurrency
56.10 Working with Runnable Tasks
56.11 Shutting down an Executor Service
56.12 Working with Callable Tasks and Futures
56.13 Handling a Future Result
56.14 Scheduling Tasks
56.15 Summary
57. An Overview of Android Services
57.1 Started Services
57.2 Intent Service
57.3 Bound Service
Another random document with
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these within my call now, who are ready to swear to the people of
Kamt that, though sick, the Pharaoh lives.… And the people of Kamt,
who left their rejoicings in answer to the wild shrieks of a woman, will
return to their homes, their dancing and their music, with a puzzled
and perhaps sad shake of the head, saying, ‘Princess Neit-akrit, of
the house of Usem-ra, the beautiful, is no longer pure; madness has
caused her tongue to lie, at the very foot of the throne of Isis,
desecrating the temple of the goddess.’ And some, no doubt, with a
shrug will add: ‘Madness which cometh of love for the stranger,
unhappy love for him who will have none of her, since he will wed
Maat-kha, anon.’ ”
“Hold thy peace, Ur-tasen. I forbid thee to speak of these things.”
“Nay! I will not hold my peace, Neit-akrit, Princess of Kamt, thou
who didst dare say that thou wouldst defy me! Didst think that it were
so easy to circumvent the plans of Ur-tasen, the high priest of Ra?
Didst think I should allow thy girlish sentiments to upset what I have
thought and dreamed of ever since the stranger has usurped my
power? Go and strike the metal gong, Neit-akrit, go and summon the
people of Tanis. Derision and contempt await thee, and thou wilt not
help the stranger withal.”
Then, as she did not reply, but stood like an image of deep
thought, with her golden head bent, he added:
“Hadst thou reflected, when thou didst venture to threaten and
upbraid me, that thou wast within the precincts of a temple of Kamt,
that in every nook, every corner of the gigantic building, the priests of
Isis, and those of Ra, those of Horus and those of Osiris, are there
lurking ready to answer the high priest’s beck and call? Go up the
steps, Neit-akrit, which lead to the ponderous gong, take the mighty
clapper in both thy hands, and I tell thee that before metal touches
metal thou and thy soul will have fled to a land whence thou canst
not return to thwart the will of the high priest of Ra, and a memory of
something young and beautiful, the remembrance of a lock of golden
hair, will be all that will remain in the land of Neit-akrit, Princess of
Kamt.”
I was glad that he had chosen to give this timely warning to the
Princess, for I personally had been ready to shout to her, signifying
my presence, and trusting to her wit and power to get me out of my
difficult position. The mention of a host of shaven priests, hidden I
knew not where, threw cold water upon my ardour, and I gnashed
my teeth lest my British temper should get the better of me, and lest
through the bars of my prison I should be impelled to hurl an
ineffectual, if to me convincing, malediction against the unscrupulous
and treacherous blackguard who was hemming us in all round.
“It was because I knew this, Ur-tasen, that I did not shout to the
people of Kamt the moment I saw the murderous deed and realised
the blackness of thy treachery,” said Neit-akrit, quietly. “I did not see
the Pharaoh die. I came into the temple alone at the very moment
when his body, after a final convulsion, rolled rigid upon the floor.
Then I caught sight of thee; the flickering light of the lamp illumined
thy face, and I knew that thy thoughts were evil. Silently I waited and
listened; heard of thy villainy and Maat-kha’s weakness, and trusted
to the gods to give power to my words, to turn thee from the dark
path, before it be too late.”
I thought that she looked round her as if realising for the first time
the loneliness of her position. Certainly these last few words showed
decided signs of coming weakness, and my awakening hopes began
to give way to a creeping feeling of disappointment. She was, of
course, entirely at the mercy of an unscrupulous and daring man,
whose sacred office gave him every power and opportunity of
suppressing, temporarily or permanently, every inconvenient enemy.
Personally, I thought that his last threat had been a bluff; he would
surely not have dared to put Princess Neit-akrit entirely out of the
way at the same time as the Pharaoh. She was the idol of the male
population of Kamt, and suspicion might perhaps fasten
uncomfortably upon the high priest and his deacons. At the same
time, undoubtedly, Neit-akrit’s life was doubly precious if she really
meant to help Hugh. The question which agitated my mind was,
Would she care to thwart the high priest, at risk of some terrible
retaliation on his part? Of course I did not understand her nature.
How could I, a prosy Britisher, read the thoughts and feelings of so
curious and ardent a temperament? Some time ago I had mistrusted
her; then, a curious jealous feeling, of which I am heartily ashamed,
made me turn against her when I saw how completely she had taken
possession of Hugh’s heart. Both these feelings had in their turn
overclouded my brain as to her real character, and I really was no
judge as to whether she hated Hugh as a usurper, or if she cared for
him. She was impulsive and capricious, sensuous and ardent, that I
knew. Perhaps it had been mere impulse which had dictated to her
to admonish, threaten and warn Ur-tasen, and to save Hugh if she
could; that impulse had perhaps died out again, and visions of the
throne rendered vacant for her by the Pharaoh’s, Maat-kha’s and
ultimately Hugh’s death, chased nobler thoughts away from her
mind. She did not speak for a long time, and Ur-tasen stood and
watched her with arms folded across his chest, his whole attitude
one of scorn and command.
“The hours slip by, Neit-akrit, on the winged feet of time,” he said
with pronounced sarcasm. “Hast forgotten that within the next two
hours the emissary of Osiris, the son of Ra, he who hath made us all
happy and rejoicing, will wed Maat-kha our Queen, the widow of Hor-
tep-ra? Hast forgotten that at the marriage ceremony, amidst all that
are there, among all those who are fair in the land, there must be
one who is fairer than all? Thy women await thee, no doubt, ready to
deck thee with the snow-white robes which befit thy beauty and thy
innocence. Nay!” he added with sudden softness, “thou art beautiful
above all the daughters of Kamt, the perfume of thy hair sends
delicious intoxication even through my shrivelled old body. Thou art
fair, so fair that I would fain see the double crown of Kamt upon thine
ardent hair. To accomplish this I plotted and I planned. Thou art a
child and dost not understand. Leave thy destiny, the destinies of
Kamt, in the hands of him whose firm will can guide them. Believe
me, if in return thou wilt but smile on him and tell him thou art
satisfied, he will be content.”
She did not reply, and he added pleadingly:
“I did it for thee, Neit-akrit! In order that I with mine own hands
might place the crown of Kamt upon thy golden hair, in order that
none should rule over thee, that thou shouldst be queen indeed, as
thou art queen only by thy beauty and by thy smiles. Tell me, art
satisfied?”
And very quietly she answered:
“I am satisfied!”
 I could scarcely believe my ears. Disappointment was so
overwhelming that I almost shrieked with the agony of it. Already she
had thrown up the sponge. Ambition had quickly swept aside the
noble impulse which had made her plead for Hugh. And again Ur-
tasen was triumphant, and I, helpless, left once more, after a brief
ray of hope, in an uncertainty which was now still harder to bear.
“Before thou goest, Neit-akrit,” said Ur-tasen, “I would have thee
swear to me that neither by look nor word wilt thou betray to any one
the plans of the high priest of Ra.”
But Neit-akrit was silent; and Ur-tasen added quietly:
“Nay! perhaps thou needest not swear. An oath can so easily be
broken, in the spirit if not in the letter. I think I can trust thee best
when I say that, shouldst thou before dawn anon think of warning the
stranger of what awaits him in the nook beside the sacred cataract,
and his footsteps should not in consequence lead him thither, then,
of course, no obstacle will stand between the beloved of the gods
and Maat-kha, his bride. The priests of Isis, after the first hour of
dawn, will take the body of the holy Pharaoh back into his palace,
and swear that he died of sickness in his bed. Then the happy union
can be consummated, and thou, Neit-akrit, the defrauded Princess of
Kamt, canst in thy unselfish joy watch the happiness of Maat-kha,
the murderess, in the arms of her beloved, the son of Ra, loved of all
the gods: and I can swear to thee that he shall not know that the wife
of his bosom is the murderess of her first-born until she hath borne
him a son, the heir to all her vices. Farewell, Neit-akrit, future queen
of Kamt!”
Oh! he was a cunning brute, was old Ur-tasen: again he had put
his finger upon the most vulnerable spot in any female armour.
Death to the loved one or his happiness in another woman’s arms:
the great problem which has torn passionate women’s hearts in
every country and beneath every clime, since the world began. Oh!
that I could have read in Neit-akrit’s heart and known what she would
do! How far and in what way did she care for Hugh? The alternatives
seemed to me equally hopeless. If she had no love for him then, no
doubt, ambition would seal her lips: she would remember the throne
of Kamt, the glorious double crown, the homage of the people, and
in the pomp and glitter forget the awful doom which alone could drive
the usurping stranger from her path. But if she loved him, then
what…? then the great and subtle puzzle of the eternally feminine,
the mysterious workings of a woman’s heart, of a woman who, in
spite of the high culture, the civilisation, the artistic refinement of this
land, was pre-eminently exotic, passionate, semi-barbarous in her
love and her hate. Nay! I knew not. How could I guess how she
would act? Can man read the uncut pages of that romance of which
a woman only shows him the title leaf?
But, in the meanwhile, the dangers round my friend seemed to
close in tightly. Ur-tasen with subtle cunning had worked upon the
loves, the jealousies of the two women who alone could save him,
while I was still a caged prisoner, and the hours were swiftly
speeding on.
Neit-akrit had disappeared, and Ur-tasen alone remained, quietly
standing before the altar of the goddess, with arms outstretched,
murmuring one of his pagan prayers, but as I still continued my
weary watch, it seemed to me that newly awakened though still
hidden life began to pervade the great and mystic temple. Within the
main aisle the hanging lamps were lighted one after the other by—to
me—unseen hands, and in the distance fresh young voices were
rehearsing a bridal chant. Behind me in the outer precincts I could
hear the muffled sounds of shuffling footsteps passing swiftly to and
fro, and although from where I was I could see nothing save the
brilliantly lighted and lonely sanctuary, yet I felt that around me there
was bustle and animation: the preparations for the coming festivity.
I was carefully maturing my plans. Determined to keep well within
the shadow of my prison, I would wait quietly for the best moment in
which to attract Hugh’s attention. I was in no sense of the word
nervous or agitated; I even began to feel strangely drowsy and had
much difficulty in accomplishing my numerous yawns noiselessly.
The atmosphere became insufferably hot and heavy; clouds of
smoke from the incense and burning herbs were continually wafted
in through the window of my prison, and this no doubt was beginning
to make me stupid and sleepy.
Not knowing how time was going on, I had squatted into the angle
of the wall, with my knees drawn up to my chin, in an irresistible
desire for sleep.
 Suddenly I heard heavy footsteps outside, slow and halting; trying
to shake off my drowsiness, I raised my head and listened. Through
the marble tracery of the gateway I could see the vague forms of a
group of men, who seemed to be carrying something heavy between
them. A great cloud of some peculiarly scented burning herb came in
a great wave right through the window and seemed literally to strike
me in the face, blinding me and making me gasp for breath.
Drowsiness became intolerable, and yet when I sleepily reopened
my eyes I saw the gigantic marble gateway slowly moving on its
hinges.… This sight roused me from my lethargy for the moment.…
My senses fully alive, I watched and waited.… It was pitch dark in
the farther end of my cell, but I heard the footsteps within three feet
of me, still shuffling and halting.… Through the open gateway the
shadows appeared less dense: noiselessly on my hands and knees,
keeping my shoulder close to the wall, I crawled towards the
opening.
The men had put their heavy burden on the floor: they did not
speak, hardly did I hear them breathing. My fear was lest they should
detect me before I had reached the gate, but they seemed not to
have noticed me, and now, one by one, they turned and filed out. I
was close to the opening, leaning against the wall, ready to crawl out
in the last man’s wake.… From the inside of my prison the same
unknown scent of some highly aromatic herb was wafted in great
clouds towards my nostrils… the fumes were overpowering, and I
was tired and sleepy from my long, anxious wait.… The men had all
slipped noiselessly through the opening… the cloak of the last one
had caught in a projecting bit of carving… he stooped quietly to
disentangle it… I could see his outline very clearly against the lighted
corridor beyond.… My lids fell heavily over my eyes… I tried to
shake off my torpor, for the last effort for freedom… but I was too
sleepy.… I could not move. A great whiff of that enervating, burning
herb made me long for rest and sleep!… I was too tired… I would
slip out by-and-by.… Now I must have sleep.
The man with the cloak had slipped out… I think the gate swung
to, and I crouched once more with my chin between my knees.… I
wondered what the herb was.… I must find out… it would do instead
of ether in cases of minor operations… it was sweet and pleasant,
but overpowering.
From the sanctuary a sudden brilliant ray of light struck for an
instant through the aperture… some one must have gone past
carrying a lamp or torch. It lit up the centre of my prison, and forced
me to open my eyes for a second.… During that second I saw that,
on the floor, sharing my captivity with me, was the body of the
murdered Pharaoh.…
Then I remember nothing more.…
 CHAPTER XXVI.
THE MARRIAGE

“And thou, oh, stranger, who dost hail from the foot of the throne of
Osiris, who art the son of Ra, the emissary of Horus, the beloved of
all the gods, tell Isis, the mysterious goddess, why thou art here.”
“I am here to crave of Isis the pure, Isis the beloved, Isis the most
holy, that she deign to pour the fruits of her blessing upon me, for I
would take this woman to be my wife.”
It was Hugh’s voice which spoke slowly and solemnly, and which
was the first sound that penetrated to my brain, still wandering in the
realms of cloud-land.
Through the window of my prison an intense flood of light filtered
brilliantly, illuminating the granite floor and walls. A strong scent of
incense and myrrh had driven away the stupefying fumes of that
burning herb which had lulled me to sleep. I tried to collect my
scattered senses, but a terrible pain in my head and eyes still kept
me half-stupefied. And yet I heard Hugh’s voice speaking strange
and momentous words, and a dull instinct whispered to me that I
must get to him, somehow, for a reason, of which I was not as yet
fully conscious. A raging thirst had made my tongue swell and
parched my throat: the events of the last few hours danced before
my clouded brain like some weird phantasmagoria.
The Pharaoh… dead! murdered! his body lying close to me, when
last I had opened my eyes, but now, carried away, while I had been
asleep… Maat-kha!… the murderess!… Hugh’s promised bride! Ur-
tasen, the evil plotter!… who had done… I knew not what…
something that would wreck Hugh’s life as well as his honour.… Neit-
akrit!… who might be a friend, and yet was a foe!… and I… a
helpless prisoner, stupid, senseless, half-drowsy still, after a drugged
and heavy sleep!
“And thou, Maat-kha, who art daughter of Uah-ab-ra, the son of
Ach-mes, the son of Ne-ku, tell Isis, the mysterious goddess, why
thou art here.”
 I did not know that voice, some priest probably… no concern of
mine… I could perhaps get another half-hour’s sleep… I was still so
tired.
“I came here to crave of Isis the pure, Isis the beloved, Isis the
most holy, that she deign to pour upon me the fruits of her blessing,
for I would swear fealty to this man, and be his wife.”
That was Queen Maat-kha’s voice, and just now I had heard that
of Hugh… the pain in my head was intolerable… my limbs felt weak
and stiff: there was the whole length of my prison between me and
the aperture, through which probably I should be able to see those
who had spoken. I began to drag myself along, but I was only half
awake, my limbs only just managed to bear me along, and I did not
know if I should ever reach that aperture.
“Art awake, oh, Isis, who art daughter of Ra?
“Art awake, oh, Isis, who art sister and bride of Osiris?
“Art awake, oh, Isis, who art mother of Horus?
“Oh, Isis, give life to this man and to this woman, who have sought
the sanctity of thy temple!
“The gods above do rejoice! the glorious company is full of joy,
giving praise to thee, oh, Isis, who art pure!
“Isis who art beloved!
“Isis who art most holy!”
I had at last, after terrible difficulties, succeeded in reaching the
window; with infinite pain I struggled to my feet, but I could not stand:
my head was heavy and my knees shook under me. Twice I fell
down, but at the third struggle my hands convulsively fastened on
the marble ledge, and steadying myself as best I could, I looked out,
dazed, before me.
The sanctuary and the temple beyond it were one dazzling mass
of lighted lamps and torches. The gossamer curtain had been drawn
aside, and I could see the interminable vista of snow-white columns,
on which the silver inlay glistened with a thousand sparks. Between
the pillars, a sea of dark heads, adorned with gaily-coloured caps
and kerchiefs, amongst which, occasionally, I caught sight of the
glitter of a golden uræus, or elaborately jewelled belt.… I could
distinguish no details: my eyes were blurred, my brain overclouded. I
remember that gorgeous picture only as one remembers a dream.
 Immediately before me Isis towered, wrapped in her sacred
mantle, which hand of man has never dared to touch. On her head a
gigantic pair of snow-white horns, between which glittered the silver
disc of a huge full moon. Immediately at her feet a group of priests,
with shaven crowns and long flowing robes of white, stood in a semi-
circle, in the middle of which the high-priest of the goddess stood
with arms outstretched, reciting the invocations.
Beneath the many hanging lamps, wherein burned lights of
different colours, the other priests of the gods of Kamt were massed
in imposing groups: the priests of Ra with yellow robes and leopard
skins round their bodies: those of Phtah, with monstrous scarabæus
of iridescent blue and green enamel on the top of their heads: those
of Thot, with masks of apes entirely covering their faces, and those
of Hor, with masks of sparrow-hawks, while the jackal’s head hid the
features of the priests of Anubis. Immediately to the right of the
officiating high priests stood Ur-tasen, the high priest of Ra.
“Isis is strong!
“Isis is great!
“Isis is living and mighty!”
The various attributes of the goddess reached my dull ears only as
the sound of muffled drums.
At the foot of the sanctuary steps, against a background of men
and women in gorgeous raiments, and beneath a canopy of white
lilies, stood Hugh Tankerville and his promised wife. His face was
even paler than when I had seen it last: his eyes gleamed darkly and
with an unnatural fire. He held his arms tightly crossed over his
chest, and in his whole attitude there was the expression of an
indomitable will triumphing over an overwhelming passion.
I saw him, as I had seen the sanctuary, the goddess, the crowds of
people, only as one sees a vivid dream. It seemed to me as if he
were not really there, but that slowly, very slowly, I was waking from
that sleep which had held me enthralled for months, and that when I
was fully awake I should look round me, and see myself sitting in the
dear old Museum, at The Chestnuts, with Mr. Tankerville sitting
beside me, telling me of beautiful, mysterious, legendary Neit-akrit.
I tried to speak to Hugh, for he was not far from me, but my tongue
seemed rooted to my palate, and, as in a dream, not a sound
escaped my throat. Clouds of incense rose all around, and when the
high priest had ceased to laud the magnificence of his goddess, the
priestesses, clad all in white, with their huge, disfiguring wigs over
their heads, began a sweet and monotonous chant, accompanying
themselves upon their crescent-shaped harps, and beating upon the
sistrum and the drum.
Beside Hugh, underneath that same canopy of lilies, and with her
hand holding his, was Queen Maat-kha. She had discarded her
gorgeous funereal draperies, and was standing clad all in white, her
regal crown over her low, square brow, her great black tresses
descending each side of her pale face, almost to her knees, and
intertwined with ropes of pearls. And I, in my dream, thought that I
could see, clinging to her finger tips, the last drops of her murdered
son’s blood.
Again I tried to scream, but my throat seemed paralysed.
Gradually memory, as a vague, still indistinct shadow, began to
creep back into my mind. Hugh was before me clad in sumptuous
robes, his dark head uncovered, his tall figure erect, ready to plight
his troth, to pledge that word, which he worshipped as a divinity, to
the vile murderess by his side. Twice a murderess, since having
slain her son she would ruthlessly sacrifice her lover to save herself
from the tortures of jealousy. Yes, I did remember! It was imperative
that I should warn Hugh of some terrible danger which the woman
beside him and the high priest of Ra had placed across his path.
“Oh, thou who art beloved of the gods, and thou who art Queen of
Kamt, behold! Isis the goddess is awakened!
“Ra, all-creating, all-powerful and mighty, doth descend to earth!
“Phtah, the mysterious, and Osiris, the bounty-giver, do hover
invisibly over your heads!
“But Hapi, who proceedeth from Ra, who, in his divine person, is
the living representative of Isis, of Osiris, and of Phtah, Hapi himself
will pass before your eyes!
“With the finger of your right hand ye may touch the sacred star
upon his brow!
“With both your eyes ye may gaze upon him!
“But, ye all, children of Kamt! veil ye your countenance! the god
will pass amongst you, and the sight of him gives blindness to those
who are not wholly pure!”
A terrific cloud of incense rose from every corner of the edifice.
Hugh and the Queen mounted two of the steps which led up to the
sanctuary, and behind them the silver tissue of the veil fell together
with a prolonged and softly sighing sound. Immediately underneath
the window where I was a bowl full of incense must have been
burning, for a cloud rose like a curtain between me and the
sanctuary. Through it I could see Hugh, not twenty yards away from
me, and I tried to scream… and my throat was absolutely paralysed.
Now, there was great tramping of feet, and opposite to me a
brilliant cortège came slowly towards the bridal pair. Adorned with
bunches of gardenias and tuberoses, but with heavy chains round
his feet and head, a gigantic ox was being dragged along. He was
black, save for a white spot upon his forehead, and a patch upon his
back: his horns were silvered, and he was led by ten priests of Isis,
who held him by heavy silver chains. The great beast, snorting and
puffing and evidently much annoyed at having been dragged from
his stable, allowed himself to be taken fairly peacefully along, until he
was brought to a standstill in the middle of the sanctuary,
immediately at the foot of the throne of Isis. All the priests had
prostrated themselves face downwards on the ground. Hugh and
Maat-kha alone remained standing. At a sign from the high priest
they both placed their hand upon the forehead of the beast, while the
priestesses intoned a triumphal march. Then, as stolidly as he had
come, the god Hapi retired from the gaze of his worshippers.
“Oh thou, the son of Ra! the emissary of Osiris! the beloved of the
gods! art ready to take the oath which will bind thee, thy body and
thy soul, the breath within thy body and the blood beneath thy flesh,
to the woman who is to be thy wife?”
And I, in this strange and vivid dream, which was so real, and
which I could not grasp, heard Hugh’s voice clear and distinct:
“I am ready.”
And I, his friend, his chum, his schoolfellow, I, Mark Emmett, who
would have given at any time my life for his, could not succeed in
giving one warning shout to stop this monstrous deed.
The poison—whatever it was—was still in my veins… my limbs felt
like lead… I could not keep my head erect.… I could see all, hear
every word, and smell the incense… but I could not utter a sound.
“Oh! son of Ra, beloved of the gods, at dawn when anon, Isis, the
pure, sinks fainting into the arms of Osiris, her beloved and glorious
spouse, thou wilt stand beside the sacred cataract, where since five
times a thousand years the kings of Kamt have given the first kiss to
their bride!
“Oh then! oh, son of Ra, wilt swear to give thy bride that kiss and
to take her for wife?”
“I swear!” said Hugh, earnestly.
“Oh, son of Ra, beloved of the gods, having taken unto thee a
wife, wilt swear to be true to her with thy soul and with thy body?”
“I swear!”
“Oh, son of Ra, beloved of the gods, dost swear before all men
that thou wilt be true to her, whom thou wilt take to thyself as wife?”
“I swear!”
“Wilt swear it on the names of the gods of Kamt, of Ra, of Osiris
and of Horus? of Anubis and Set? Wilt swear it upon thy manhood
and upon thy honour?”
“I swear it!”
Hugh Tankerville, calm and impassive, had pledged his honour to
be true to her who even now was plotting his death and his shame.
I seemed to remember all now as in a flash. The sight of Ur-
tasen’s face as he watched the high priest of Isis administering this
oath to my friend, for the space of a second, illumined a corner of my
dulled intellect. I saw it all with the vividness of reality: the murdered
Pharaoh lying beside the cataract; Hugh wandering unsuspectingly
thither, with the shaven priests of Isis creeping on his trail, like
jackals after their prey: then the mob yelling and cursing: Hugh,
helpless in the face of the terrible accusations; the hall of justice: the
doom from which probably even his own personality could not save
him: and all the while I tried to shriek. I opened my parched lips, and
but a few dull, guttural sounds escaped my throat, and Hugh could
not hear. He was there within a few yards of me, pledging his
manhood, his honour, to a pagan murderess, and I could do nothing,
for I was in a dream, which gripped my throat and numbed my limbs.
Once it seemed to me as if Hugh held up his head suddenly, while a
look of surprise came into his eyes: encouraged, I tried again; my
head fell back as if weighted with lead, the lids closed over my
aching eyes, the vision of the snow-white temple, the brilliant crowd,
the gorgeous and motley group of priests became more and more
dim. With a feeble effort, I tried to raise my hand, and beat childishly,
impotently, against the immovable and cold stone walls of my prison;
but even that effort proved too great: my grip on the marble relaxed,
my knees absolutely gave way under me, and stupefied, drowsy,
sleepy still under the potency of the mysterious drug, I sank again
into heavy, dreamless sleep.…
 CHAPTER XXVII.
WHITE ROSEMARY

The cloud was being slowly lifted from round my brain: the dream
was gradually being dispelled; reality—terrible, appalling—forced
itself before my enfeebled mind. My head still felt like lead, my eyes
burned like pieces of charcoal in their sockets, my limbs still were
paralysed and stiff—but my brain was clear, and I remembered.
Through the window of my prison a very faint glimmer only was
creeping in from the sanctuary, throwing a dim band of light upon the
floor. In the air there hovered the heavy odour of burnt incense and
myrrh, but everything around was silent and at peace.
Had it all been a dream, or had the brilliant marriage ceremony
taken place? Had I seen Hugh standing before the altar of the
goddess swearing to wed the murderess of her son?
Slowly I raised myself upon my knees, then another mighty effort
brought me to my feet, but I could not stand alone, I had to lean
against the wall; an intolerable feeling of nausea overcame me, and I
feared that I would again lose consciousness. At last I managed to
look through the window. In strange contrast to the last picture which
I had seen, the snow-white temple of Isis now was dark and
deserted. The guests had gone, as had the priests with their
grotesque masks, the priestesses with their harps and lutes—the
canopy of lilies hung from above, but from beneath it bride and
bridegroom had disappeared. The sacred edifice with its
interminable vista of white and silver columns stretched out before
me in all its imposing and majestic vastness. Suddenly it seemed to
me that in the gloom my tired, aching eyes perceived a tall and
solitary figure leaning against one of the pillars not very far from me.
The curtain had been drawn aside to enable the lonely watcher to
see the great goddess in her sanctuary, during his long and lonely
vigil. My eyes ached and burned so I could scarcely see, and was
forced to close them from sheer pain, but tired as they were they had
not failed even in the gloom to recognise in the lonely watcher Hugh
Tankerville, my friend.
I could not see his features, for the temple itself was not lighted
up; only through the distant gateway beyond, the rays of the moon
sinking towards the west threw weird patches of blue light upon the
pillars and the floor. I tried to call to him, but the same terrible grip
seemed still to hold my throat; what poison was it, I wonder, with
which the treacherous high-priest had succeeded in silencing my
warning voice? The memory of the past few hours became
intolerable torture, the feeling of utter helplessness, coupled with the
comparative clearness of my brain, was harder to bear than the
physical ailments which still paralysed my throat and limbs.
Longingly I looked at Hugh; it seemed to me as if some subtle
magnetism in my gaze must ultimately succeed in drawing his. O
God! was I then presently destined to see him walk forth from this
accursed temple right into the hideous trap which had been set for
him? I tried to use what little power I had to make as much noise as I
could, vaguely hoping that Hugh would hear: I scratched the marble
wall with my nails, I beat it with the palm of my hand, but the temple
was very vast, my efforts weak, and Hugh did not hear. Then I tried
to stretch out my arm and perhaps wave my handkerchief through
the narrow window: I tried to fumble for it, but the effort was too
great; my arms were almost inert, and I literally could not stretch
them out far enough. Dizzy with the feeble attempt, I leaned back
against the wall tired out.
Yet the danger grew every moment more terrible. If I remained too
feeble to call out, if I could not succeed in attracting Hugh’s attention,
if I did not in fact warn him of the damnable plot that had been
hatched against him, he would presently go forth from the temple to
the sacred grove of Isis, thinking to meet his bride; there he would
find himself alone with the dead body of the Pharaoh, placed there
by Ur-tasen’s commands.
I remembered all the details of that awful, treacherous plan quite
clearly: nay, more, I saw the whole thing realised before my mind’s
eye, as clearly as if I were gazing on a picture. I could see the high
priest of Ra creeping in the wake of Hugh, I heard his hypocritical
voice loudly denouncing the man I loved best on earth, and accusing
him of the foul murder… and after that what would happen?… I
dared not think. Would the crowd who had worshipped Hugh turn
worship into execration? Would they believe that the son of Ra, he
who was beloved of the gods, was nothing but a vile criminal who
would strike a feeble enemy in the dark?
Who knows? A crowd is as wayward as a child, as fickle as the
most capricious flirt.… And I could not warn Hugh, for I was a
prisoner, and the hour of dawn was nigh.
And Neit-akrit, the beautiful Princess?… Vainly I tried to cling to
that last ray of hope. Surely a girl, so young, so beautiful, could not
allow such vile treachery to be committed against the man whom she
loved. Yes, she loved him, I knew that, I felt it: when she spoke of
him to Ur-tasen her voice almost broke in a sob. Oh! for the
knowledge of that mysterious thing called a woman’s heart! Loving
him, what would she do? Give him a word of warning ere it was too
late, thereby sending him into the arms of Maat-kha, his wife, or let
him go to disgrace and death sooner than see him happy with
another?
These thoughts chased one another in my poor aching head, until
the physical pain of it all became more than I could bear. I closed my
eyes; the sight of that great temple, of Hugh standing there, alone
and unsuspecting, was positive torture to me.
When I looked again Hugh was still there, leaning against the
pillar, but it suddenly seemed to me as if something was moving
close to him. Gradually the moving form took a more definite shape,
and in the shadow my burning eyes had recognised a quaint and
dainty outline, and an aureole of golden hair. It was she! silent,
mysterious, walking towards him with that undulating grace which
was peculiarly her own. Absorbed in thought, he evidently had not
heard the sound of her tiny bare feet upon the smooth floor. She was
wrapped in a white kalasiris, without jewels or ornaments of any
kind, and Sen-tur was not by her side.
She came quite close to him, and then he raised his head and saw
her. She looked exquisitely beautiful, graceful and tall as the white
lilies of Kamt; she placed a warning finger to her mouth, but he took
the tiny hand in both his own, and murmured, as if in a dream:
“Neit-akrit!”
 “Hush!” she warned, “the very air is filled with potent dangers, and
thine enemies lurk hidden all around.”
“But thou art here,” he said. “Do not speak! stand still for a
moment, for I would look at thee! How beautiful thou art! and how thy
presence doth fill the temple of Isis with a radiance which is almost
divine!”
Obedient to his wish, she stood quite still, her dainty form against
the ghost-like whiteness of the marble pillars, on which the rapidly
sinking moon threw its last brilliant rays. Something in his look,
however, must have made her move, for she turned away.
“Dost wonder why I am here?” she asked.
“No! I hardly dare believe that thou art real, that thou art not an
enchanting dream, with which Isis thought to soothe my aching
senses. Wilt speak to me again?”
“I would tell thee why I came,” she said.
“Nay! not that,” he pleaded. “What care I, so long as thou art here,
and I can look at thee?”
“Nay! but thou must know,” she said, with a half-merry, half-
nervous little laugh. “Hast heard, oh, son of Ra, that in Kamt we who
are maidens deem it the luckiest thing on earth to pluck the flowers
from out the canopy which sheltered the heads of the bride and
bridegroom, if they come of royal blood? The posy thus made brings
to the owner lasting happiness. And so, to-night, while Tanis is mad
with joy, I crept out of my palace, and came to the temple of Isis, to
twine the nosegay, and having twined it, give it thee.”
I gazed and wondered; little did I understand what the strange girl
intended when she came alone to see Hugh in his solitude. A wild
hope was in my heart that she had come to warn, and an earnest
prayer that he might listen. He did not speak. I fancy he would not
trust himself to say much, but when she so daintily expressed her
desire for his happiness, he raised both her small hands to his lips.
She withdrew them quickly, and said:
“Nay! we have no time to lose, for the posy must be large. There
are many flowers needed to make the bunch of happiness complete.
Thou must help me to pick them, for some of them are too high for
me to reach. But thou art tall! See…” she said, pointing eagerly up to
the great floral canopy, whence masses of blossoms hung in fragrant
shower, “that perfect lily up there, would it not make a lovely centre
for the bunch? Thou art so tall,” she repeated with a pretty gesture of
entreaty, “wilt reach it down for me?”
And Hugh obediently stretched his long limbs and with much
difficulty succeeded in disentangling the coveted lily.
“Is it not beautiful?” she said admiringly, “so chaste! but oh! so
cold. Dost know, oh, beloved of the gods, what the white lily of Kamt
means?”
He shook his head.
“All flowers have a meaning, of course, and the lily means duty,”
she said with a sigh, “that is why it seems so cold, even cruel, in its
waxy, spotless whiteness, but it must form the centre of the bunch,
for I think thou dost love duty dearly, too dearly methinks, and
perhaps wouldst not be happy without it. But,” she added more gaily,
“we will soften her waxy coldness: dost see that graceful bunch of
white acacia? that means homely happiness. It would look well in
graceful clusters round the stern centre of duty.”
He was listening to her merry talk, I fancied, with a slightly puzzled
air sometimes. Still less than I could he guess why she had come;
but her presence made him happy for the moment, and it was quite
gaily that he said: “But I cannot reach the homely happiness.”
“Oh, what a pity!” she said earnestly. “Duty will look so ugly without
home to soften it.”
She paused perplexed, then added with an odd look at Hugh:
“Canst jump, oh, beloved of the gods?”
He laughed gaily, merrily, as I had heard him laugh of old.
“Can I?” he asserted triumphantly, and with gesture and action
hardly befitting the solemn majesty of the temple of Isis, Hugh made
a sudden grab for the drooping acacia, and brought down a perfect
shower of white petals, as the floral canopy trembled with the shock.
“Homely happiness is hard to get,” he said with a laugh, “but it well
repays the effort; the scent of the acacia is very sweet.”
She was laughingly shaking her golden tresses, to which the white
petals persistently clung.
“It was hard,” she said, “but see! how pretty it looks; now, I wonder,
what would look well beside it.”
“These orange blossoms are pretty.”
 “Yes!… they are pretty.… Wouldst like a cluster?… In Kamt we call
them wedded bliss.… Dost want it in the posy?” she asked with a
quaint anxious tone in her voice.
“No!” he said abruptly.
The moon must have sunk down very low behind the distant hills
of Kamt, and the temple of Isis was dark, only the fitful glow of one of
the sanctuary lamps lit up the dainty scene before me. Hugh, I could
see, still had himself in absolute control. How long that would last I
could not say. I considered that he owed no allegiance to the woman
who had planned his murder; the sacrilegious marriage had not been
completed, and I, feeble, half-paralysed as I was, had yet the
strength to pray that beautiful Neit-akrit would make my friend forget
the fateful hour of dawn.
There had been long silence between them while she, a trifle
nervously, was fumbling with the flowers, and he was looking
tenderly, longingly, at her.
“Ah, I know!” she said at last, “I must give thee white roses; they
will look lovely beside the homely happiness. See! a beautiful cluster
hangs just above thy head. Thou canst reach it quite easily and
needst but to stretch out thy hand.”
“A lovely cluster indeed, and the scent is delightfully sweet. Wilt
tell me what white roses mean in Kamt?”
He was handing the drooping cluster of roses to her, and she
stretched out her small hand for it; the other was already loaded with
flowers.
“In Kamt white roses mean love,” she whispered, as she took the
flowers from him.
I could see that his fingers fastened upon hers, that his whole
body trembled as if with a mighty effort. It was a cruel position for
any man deeply in love with a very beautiful woman, to be alone with
her in this vast and silent temple, with myriads of flowers round him,
making the air fragrant and heavy. She did not try to disengage her
hand, but stood a little while, with her great eyes meeting his, boldly
and fearlessly.
It was only when, with sudden impulse, he tried to draw her closer
to him, that she gently withdrew her hands and said lightly: