“It would be sweet, Harmachis, and yet this—­Vengeance is an arrow that in falling oft pierces him who shot it.  Myself—­I know it,” and she sighed.  “But a truce to talk and grief.  There will be time for us twain to grieve, if not to talk, in all the heavy coming years.  Thou must fly—­before the coming of the light must thou fly.  Here is a plan.  To-morrow, ere the dawn, a galley that but yesterday came from Alexandria, bearing fruit and stores, sails thither again, and its captain is known to me, but to thee he is not known.  Now, I will find thee the garb of a Syrian merchant, and cloak thee, as I know how, and furnish thee with a letter to the captain of the galley.  He shall give thee passage to Alexandria; for to him thou wilt seem but as a merchant going on the business of thy trade.  Brennus is officer of the guard to-night, and Brennus is a friend to me and thee.  Perhaps he will guess somewhat; or, perhaps, he will not guess; at the least, the Syrian merchant shall safely pass the lines.  What sayest thou?”

“It is well,” I answered wearily; “little do I reck the issue.”

“Rest thou, then, here, Harmachis, while I make these matters ready; and, Harmachis, grieve not overmuch; there are others who should grieve more heavily than thou.”  And she went, leaving me alone with my agony which rent me like a torture-bed.  Had it not been for that fierce desire of vengeance which from time to time flashed across my tormented mind as the lightning over a midnight sea, methinks my reason had left me in that dark hour.  At length I heard her footstep at the door, and she entered, breathing heavily, for she bore a sack of clothing in her arms.

“It is well,” she said:  “here is the garb with spare linen, and writing-tablets, and all things needful.  I have seen Brennus also, and told him that a Syrian merchant would pass the guard an hour before the dawn.  And though he made pretence of sleep, I think he understood, for he answered, yawning, that if they but had the pass-word, ‘Antony,’ fifty Syrian merchants might go through about their lawful business.  And here is the letter to the captain—­thou canst not mistake the galley, for she is moored along to the right—­a small galley, painted black, as thou dost enter on the great quay, and, moreover, the sailors make ready for sailing.  Now I will wait here without, while thou dost put off the livery of thy service and array thyself.”

When she was gone I tore off my gorgeous garments and spat upon them and trod them on the ground.  Then I put on the modest robe of a merchant, and bound the tablets round me, on my feet the sandals of untanned hide, and at my waist the knife.  When it was done Charmion entered once again and looked on me.

“Too much art thou still the royal Harmachis,” she said; “see, it must be changed.”

Then she took scissors from her tiring-table, and, bidding me be seated, she cut off my locks, clipping the hair close to the head.  Next she found stains of such sort as women use to make dark the eyes, and mixed them cunningly, rubbing the stuff on my face and hands and on the white mark in my hair where the sword of Brennus had bitten to the bone.