Part 50 (2/2)
I turned to the chief official of the ays ”What of the irrigation canals? And the reservoir basins?”
”They are in reasonable condition,” he said ”The Niles of the past two years have been adequate, and that has allowed us to do ation systeh nor too low But there has been so of late It needs to be addressed”
”It is all related--the crops cannot groithout adequate irrigation, and without the ation What of the taxes?”
”Import tax has been collected as usual,” said the customs head
”Profits are up,” added Epaphroditus ”Suddenly there seems to be a craze for olive oil I don't knohat people are doing with it--bathing in it?”
”What do we care, as long as they are paying the fifty-percent import tax?” said the tax collector
”True,” said Mardian ”People seem to demand the best nowadays Earlier they were content with linseed oil; now itWell, why co?” said the tax coreat festivals of Serapis and the pilgriri suddenly He had been so silent I had forgotten he was there ”Perhaps it betokens so, tired of this present world,” said Epaphroditus ”Religion everywhere see converts The mysteries, the Isis devotions, Mithras--all the eastern rites--seem to be especially popular”
”But not Judaism,” said Mardian ”Your laws and rules are too exclusive You make it too hard to join you”
”That is the idea,” said Epaphroditus ”We don't want to beco, too successful, then they change into soh priest sharply ”When they were just a city, they were supposedly high-minded and self-controlled Now look at them--now that they own most of the knoorld!”
”Yes, our God foresaw that pitfall,” said Epaphroditus ”He said, 'Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God--lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; and when thy herds and thy flocks old is multiplied, arid all that thou hast is et the Lord thy God, and thou say in thine heart, My power and the wealth of otten et the Lord thy God, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish' ”
”No'wonder you don't attract many converts,” said the priest of Serapis ”Now our God is much more realistic about man's frailties And of course, Isis is the supreme compassionate one”
”We await a Messiah ill complete our God's intentions,” said Epaphroditus
”Oh, everyone is expecting a deliverer--a golden child,” said Mardian breezily ”I e of them Some even think the deliverer will be a woman And come from the east I think the truth is, we all know there has to be soood enough to bring it about So we think, 'If only this ed his rounded shoulders, and the tunic fringe swayed ”But in the ed his rounded shoulders, and the tunic fringe swayed ”But in the meantime we must soldier on”
”I think you have soldiered on splendidly in my absence/' I said ”All of you are to be commended; no ruler ever was served by better iven some sort of public award
Suddenly I was so tired I could hardly hold up ypt ell; I had found out all I needed to know
Chapter 36
The fresh air of the harbor poured into ht played over the walls I awoke slowly, feeling as if I were sub strands of seaweed had tangled the out behind ht in branches of coral As I awoke, I ran h led What a strange, realistic dream it had been
I stretched I felt the fine, polished linen sheets--sheerer than anything in Roht had done its restorative work
gave directions to Charmian and Iras to unpack the coffers and trunks, and sent for Olympos I needed to see hih, and been sick e--the two of us had surely taxed our attendants during that journey Yesterday Ptoleardens, but he seemed subdued to me Perhaps he was just tired That hat I hoped Olympos would tell me
But when Oly first spent the
”Dear one,” he began, and I kneas bad
”What is it?” I asked hi with hih up soestion for me, and examined it I also examined his spine, his joints, and looked carefully at his color I did not like what I saw”
”What did did you see?” Let hi rot,” he said ”Consumption”
It was Rome that had done it! Rome, with its cold, its frosts, its damp
”It occurs elsewhere than in Roypt hasrot”
”Rome did not help it”
”Perhaps not But he is back here now People coypt for a cure”
”Do you think he can throw it off?”
”I don't know,” he said ”If you were any other ruler, and not a childhood friend, and if I were another type of court servant, I would assure you, 'Yes, yes, Your Majesty, I see a full recovery for him' But you are Cleopatra and I Olyer”
”Oh!” I could not lose so we can do Nothing, except ets plenty of sunshi+ne, lots of rest, and spends time outdoors Then we ypt, where it stays warain, when he had been so anxious to return home ”So be it,” I said I looked up at hi at me intensely ”What is it?”
”You are different,” he finally said
”How so?”
”Thinner,” he said ”Soold, I would say you had been refined It isYou are finally, truly, beautiful” He atteh ”A useful attribute in a queen”
”I auessed,” he said ”But I do not need to be a soothsayer to see that this is very difficult for you Both in the heart and in the body”
”I do not feel well at all”
”Are you surprised? Why should you? The situation is dreadful Caesar dead, not just dead but one; a child with no one to claim him”
”I shall claim him”
”And no story to tell your people Amun has inconveniently disappeared, at least in his human manifestation”