The rattle of an approaching chariot was now audible, and Rameri exclaimed, interrupting Anana, “It is he.  Courage, boys!  I am the guilty one.  He will not dare to have me thrashed—­but he will stab me with looks!”

Ameni descended quickly from his chariot.  The gate-keeper informed him that the chief of the kolchytes, and the inspector of victims from the temple of Anion, desired to speak with him.

“They must wait,” said the Prophet shortly.  “Show them meanwhile into the garden pavilion.  Where is the chief haruspex?”

He had hardly spoken when the vigorous old man for whom he was enquiring hurried to meet him, to make him acquainted with all that had occurred in his absence.  But the high-priest had already heard in Thebes all that his colleague was anxious to tell him.

When Ameni was absent from the House of Seti, he caused accurate information to be brought to him every morning of what had taken place there.

Now when the old man began his story he interrupted him.

“I know everything,” he said.  “The disciples cling to Pentaur, and have committed a folly for his sake, and you met the princess Bent-Anat with him in the temple of Hatasu, to which he had admitted a woman of low rank before she had been purified.  These are grave matters, and must be seriously considered, but not to-day.  Make yourself easy; Pentaur will not escape punishment; but for to-day we must recall him to this temple, for we have need of him to-morrow for the solemnity of the feast of the valley.  No one shall meet him as an enemy till he is condemned; I desire this of you, and charge you to repeat it to the others.”

The haruspex endeavored to represent to his superior what a scandal would arise from this untimely clemency; but Ameni did not allow him to talk, he demanded his ring back, called a young priest, delivered the precious signet into his charge, and desired him to get into his chariot that was waiting at the door, and carry to Pentaur the command, in his name, to return to the temple of Seti.

The haruspex submitted, though deeply vexed, and asked whether the guilty boys were also to go unpunished.

“No more than Pentaur,” answered Ameni.  “But can you call this school-boy’s trick guilt?  Leave the children to their fun, and their imprudence.  The educator is the destroyer, if he always and only keeps his eyes open, and cannot close them at the right moment.  Before life demands of us the exercise of serious duties we have a mighty over-abundance of vigor at our disposal; the child exhausts it in play, and the boy in building wonder-castles with the hammer and chisel of his fancy, in inventing follies.  You shake your head, Septah! but I tell you, the audacious tricks of the boy are the fore-runners of the deeds of the man.  I shall let one only of the boys suffer for what is past, and I should let him even go unpunished if I had not other pressing reasons for keeping him away from our festival.”