lesson or a parable in the fashion of this
meeting.For did I not stand far above him, clothed in the glory of heaven's
gold, and did he not stand far beneath in the gloom of the shadows
that lay upon the lowly earth, so that between us there was space
unclimbable? And has it not been ever thus throughout the centuries,
for am I not still upon the pylon top clad in the splendour of the
spirit, and is he not still far beneath me wrapped with the shadows of
the flesh? And since as yet the secret of the pylon stair is hidden
from him, must I not descend to earth if we would meet, leaving the
light and my pride of place that I may walk humbly with him in the
shadow? And is it not often so between those that love, that one is
set far above the other, though still this rope of love draws them
together, uplifting the one, or dragging down the other?The man passed into the temple and that night I heard he was a Grecian
captain of high blood, one who though young had seen much service in
the wars and done great deeds, Kallikrates by name, who had come to
seek the counsel of the goddess, bringing precious gifts of gold and
Eastern silks, the spoil of battles in which he had fought.I asked why such an one sought the wisdom of Isis, and was told that
it was because his heart was troubled. It seemed that he had been
dwelling at Pharaoh's court as a captain of the Grecian guard, and
that there he had quarrelled with and slain one who was as a brother
to him, if indeed he were not his very brother. This ill deed, it was
said, preyed upon his soul and drove him into the arms of Mother Isis,
seeking for pardon and that comfort which he could not find at the
hand of any of the gods of the Greeks.Again I asked idly enough why this Kallikrates had killed his familiar
friend or his brother, whichever it might be. The answer was--because
of some highly placed maiden whom both of them loved, so that they
fought from jealousy, after the fashion of men. For this reason the
life of Kallikrates was held to be forfeit according to the stern
military law of the Grecian soldiers, and he must fly. Also the deed
had tarnished that great lady's name; also his heart was broken with
remorse and hither he came to pray Isis to mend it of her mercy, he
who had forsaken the world.The tale moved me a little, but again I cast it from my mind, for are
not such things common among men? Always the story is the same: two
men and a woman, or two women and a man, and bloodshed and remorse and
memories which will not die and the cry for pardon that is so hard to
find.Yes, I cast it from my mind, saying lightly--oh! those evil-omened
words--that doubtless his own blood in a day to come would pay for
that which he had spilt.

 Prev. P 25/257 next