The Bride of the Nile — Volume 11 by Georg Ebers
page 22 of 59 (37%)
page 22 of 59 (37%)
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silence fell and spread till, when a man opened his mouth to shout or to
speak, a neighbor gave him a shove and bid him hold his tongue. At this the widow held Mary's ankles more tightly, asking, while she wiped the drops from her brow: "What is going on?" and the child answered quickly, never taking her eyes off the scene: "Look, look up at the balcony of the Curia; there stands the chief of the Senate--Alexander the dyer of purple--he often used to come to see my grandfather, and grandmother could not bear his wife. And by his side-- do you not see who the man is close by him? "It is old Horapollo. He is taking the laurel-crown off his wig!-- Alexander is going to speak." She was interrupted by another trumpet call, and immediately after a loud, manly voice was heard from the Curia, while the silence was so profound that even the widow and her daughter lost very little of the speech which followed: "Fellow-citizens, Memphites, and comrades in misfortune," the president began in slow, ringing tones, "you know what the sufferings are which we all share. There is not a woe that has not befallen us, and even worse loom before us." The crowd expressed their agreement by a fearful outcry, but they were reduced to silence by the sound of the tuba, and the speaker went on: "We, the Senate, the fathers of the city, whom you have entrusted with |
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