| |||||
|
II
At the first mention of the necklace, Esa glanced quickly round, placed a
finger to her lips and held out her hand. Renisenb fumbled in her dress,
drew out the necklace and laid it in Esa’s hand. Esa held it for a moment
close to her dim eyes, then stowed it away in her dress. She said in a low,
authoritative voice:
‘No more now. Talking in this house is talking to a hundred ears. I have
lain awake most of the night thinking, and there is much that must be
done.’
‘My father and Hori have gone to the Temple of Isis to confer with the
Priest Mersu on the drawing up of a petition to my mother for her inter-
vention.’
‘I know. Well, let your father concern himself with the spirits of the
dead. My thoughts deal with the things of this world. When Hori returns,
bring him here to me. There are things that must be said and discussed–
and Hori I can trust.’
‘Hori will know what to do,’ said Renisenb happily.
Esa looked at her curiously.
‘You go often to see him at the Tomb, do you not? What do you talk
about, you and Hori?’
Renisenb shook her head vaguely.
‘Oh, the River–and Egypt–and the way the light changes and the colours
of the sand below and the rocks…But very often we do not talk at all. I just
sit there and it is peaceful, with no scolding voices and no crying children
and no bustle of coming and going. I can think my own thoughts and Hori
does not interrupt them. And then, sometimes, I look up and find him
watching me and we both smile…I can be happy up there.’
Esa said slowly:
‘You are lucky, Renisenb. You have found the happiness that is inside
everybody’s own heart. To most women happiness means coming and go-
ing, busied over small affairs. It is care for one’s children and laughter and
conversation and quarrels with other women and alternate love and an-
ger with a man. It is made up of small things strung together like beads on
a string.’
‘Has your life been like that, grandmother?’
‘Most of it. But now that I am old and sit much alone and my sight is dim
and I walk with difficulty–then I realize that there is a life within as well
as a life without. But I am too old now to learn the true way of it–and so I
scold my little maid and enjoy good food hot from the kitchen and savour
all the many different kinds of bread that we bake and enjoy ripe grapes
and the juice from the pomegranates. These things remain when others
go. The children that I have loved most are now dead. Your father, Ra help
him, was always a fool. I loved him when he was a toddling little boy, but
now he irritates me with his airs of importance. Of my grandchildren I
love you, Renisenb–and talking of grandchildren, where is Ipy? I have not
seen him today or yesterday.’
‘He is very busy superintending the storing of the grain. My father left
him in charge.’
Esa grinned.
‘That will please our young gander. He will be strutting about full of his
own importance. When he comes in to eat tell him to come to me.’
‘Yes, Esa.’
‘For the rest, Renisenb, silence…’
|
|||||
上一篇：死亡终局32 下一篇：没有了 |
- 发表评论
-
- 最新评论 进入详细评论页>>
