HOW THE WISE WOMEN CAME INTO THE HALL

 Ramses and his men sat İn the great hall, waiting. To pass the time the wrestlers gave a show of wrestling. Then the daneers gave a show of daneing, and the singers sang. They waited. The daylight beeame golden with evening. The shadows grew longer and longer on the floor. At last it was almost dark. Young men brought in lamps and stood holding them, not moving a finger - as if they were made of stone. There was a little sea of light round eaeh, and round Ramses. The rest of the hall was nearly dark. Then a servant eame into the hall: "The Seven Wise Women!" he said. Everyone sat up straight. Heads were turned to the door. The feet of the Wise Women eould be heard outside; they eame nearer. They eame İn earrying the magie pot, and a eold wind seemed to eome with them.  Hoodt-Hoodt eame out from behind Pharaoh's feet where he had been hiding. He went down and stood on the bottom step. The Wise Women stood round him in a ring. Then they sat down round the magie pot and began to sing in low voiees, like the sound of wind and rain in the shadows of a dark forest, like the sound of a sea angry and yet afraid. All heads were turned to them. The daneers sat dos e together and the wrestlers looked at them with white,wide-open eyes. Butround the Wise Women there was a ring of fairies, watehing to see that no hurt eame to Hoodt-Hoodt. The Wise Women stopped singing. There was not asound to be heard. Then there eame a long lowery. The Wise Women stood up, turned, and went out of the hall. Their work was done.