And Neith said, looking at the sand, “Brother, there is no true labor here—­there is only weary life and wasteful death.”

And Pthah answered, “Is it not truer labor, sister, than thy sculpture of dreams?” Then Neith smiled; and stopped suddenly.

She looked to the sun; its edge touched the horizon-edge of the desert.  Then she looked to the long heaps of pieces of clay, that lay, each with its blue shadow, by the lake shore.

“Brother,” she said, “how long will this pyramid of thine be in building?”

“Thoth will have sealed the scroll of the years ten times, before the summit is laid.”

“Brother, thou knowest not how to teach thy children to labor,” answered Neith.  “Look!  I must follow Phre beyond Atlas; shall I build your pyramid for you before he goes down?” And Pthah answered, “Yea, sister, if thou canst put thy winged shoulders to such work.”  And Neith drew herself to her height; and I heard a clashing pass through the plumes of her wings, and the asp stood up on her helmet, and fire gathered in her eyes.  And she took one of the flaming arrows out of the sheaf in her left hand, and stretched it out over the heaps of clay.  And they rose up like flights of locusts, and spread themselves in the air, so that it grew dark in a moment.  Then Neith designed them places with her arrow point; and they drew into ranks, like dark clouds laid level at morning.  Then Neith pointed with her arrow to the north, and to the south, and to the east, and to the west, and the flying motes of earth drew asunder into four great ranked crowds; and stood, one in the north, and one in the south, and one in the east, and one in the west—­one against another.  Then Neith spread her wings wide for an instant, and closed them with a sound like the sound of a rushing sea; and waved her hand towards the foundation of the pyramid, where it was laid on the brow of the desert.  And the four flocks drew together and sank down, like sea-birds settling to a level rock, and when they met, there was a sudden flame, as broad as the pyramid, and as high as the clouds; and it dazzled me; and I closed my eyes for an instant; and when I looked again, the pyramid stood on its rock, perfect; and purple with the light from the edge of the sinking sun.

The younger children (variously pleased).  I’m so glad!  How nice!  But what did Pthah say?

L. Neith did not wait to hear what he would say.  When I turned back to look at her, she was gone; and I only saw the level white cloud form itself again, close to the arch of the sun as it sank.  And as the last edge of the sun disappeared, the form of Pthah faded into a mighty shadow, and so passed away.

Egypt.  And was Neith’s pyramid left?

L. Yes; but you could not think, Egypt, what a strange feeling of utter loneliness came over me when the presence of the two gods passed away.  It seemed as if I had never known what it was to be alone before; and the unbroken line of the desert was terrible.