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questioning."
    "Oh, stop the charade, Chemres," the magister countered. "You know very well that there is no cause and the authorities here have no jurisdiction."
    "I can't stop you from departing, Inhetep, but I can and will make a report of this whole matter to Prince Ram-f-amsu. We will then see what transpires. ..."
    There was no question that such a report would irritate the Pharaoh, earn disfavor for Harphosh—Inhetep's visit to the governor in Innu was too recent to be viewed as coincidental—and possibly cause the revocation of the ma-gister's credentials. Unless Inhetep cooperated now, the Great Seer Matiseth could lodge a complaint whose weight and repercussions would be
    considerable. "Very well. Let us go immediately to Governor Ram-f-amsu's offices."
    "I'm afraid that's quite impossible, Inhetep. The prince is holding a meeting with—with important dignitaries, or so I'm told."
    Although Inhetep gave no sign that he marked the sudden correction, it was a slip of the tongue he didn't miss. Matiseth was so close to the hatia of On as to know what business he conducted at this moment and had almost blurted out what that was. The easy removal of the specially prepared bindings by the priest-wizard must have shaken Matiseth considerably. Setne pretended to miss the point entirely. "What matter that? If His Excellent Highness Prince Ram-f-amsu is already working late, then our appearance at the palace will not add a further burden. I insist we go now—-or it is I who will appear without you, Chemres."
    The high priest's face was longer than ever, but he acquiesced with a show of ill grace. "One of these days, meddling ur-kheri-heb, you will so overstep yourself that I'll have you!"
    "I thought that's what had happened now," Inhetep supplied blandly as he left the starkly furnished room. Matiseth scowled and followed him, the wizard-priest passing into a short hallway and heading directly for a pair of large doors at its end. They gave onto the flower-filled garden, which was the exclusive domain of the temple's prelate. "A pleasant little place you have here, Chemres. I do hope you've leashed your apes ... I'd hate to spoil the landscaping with scorch marks and splattered gore."
    The great cleric of Set wasn't sure what Inhetep might use, but he was certain that the ur-kheri-heb had ample force to manage something of the sort. "Dumal! Urhekt! Leash the betu-huru. Quickly!" A pair of uab priests appeared from a shadowed portico nearby, each shaking a golden sistrum. Two shambling simians came at the tinkling sounds the priests made with their instruments, and Matiseth snarled, "There, Inhetep, you are quite safe now. Get out of this dedicated place quickly; you profane it!"
    "I thought filth polluted the clean, not vice versa," Inhetep quipped as he walked with long strides to the protected postern which was the chief priest's personal entry.
    Although the city of On was by no means as prosperous as Innu, and its crowded slums and shabby structures showed little in the way of pretension towards anything like wealth, the governor's palace was just the opposite. As Inhetep and the chief ecclesiastic of the ass-headed Set approached the structure, it was apparent that the hatia of On was not averse to display. The whole of the huge place was ablaze with light, and there were a multitude of servants, private guards, and city watch swarming all over it. "You understated Ram-f-amsu's distraction," the magister said to Matiseth as he took in the chaotic scene. He thought privately that perhaps the great priest's personal contact with Prince Ram-f-amsu was not so telling as he had assumed from the man's blunder. Could it be that Matiseth was a mere name dropper?
    "Our governor plans to improve things in this district—startling new concepts, I might add."
    "Really," said Inhetep as he strode to the en-I ranee of the palace. Guards with glaive-guisarmes blocked his way, their long-hafted weapons clanging into a crossed