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him before me.'
    This was common practice, of course. The generations of a low- or even middle-ranking family would have a great deal to gain by such an alliance, as well as a great deal to lose if they were in any way to fall from favour. But it told me quite candidly, and as I might easily have guessed, that I must deal carefully with this officer. Bring him in to my researches while knowing that every detail and every step will be reported to Mahu. All perfectly normal.
    'And you?'
    'Tjenry, sir.'
    His tone lacked a touch of respect, but I liked his style, his hint of bravura.
    'I look forward to the benefit of your experience and knowledge during the investigation of the mystery.'
    'It's an honour, sir.' He allowed a touch of a smile to curve his lips.
    'Good. I need you to assist me, to show me the ways and the secrets of this great city.'
    'Yes, sir.'
    'You have come to conduct me to my interview?' 'It is time.' 'Then let us go.'
    And indeed, the sun was setting, the shadows lengthening, trees and buildings now illuminated sideways; not the blinding in-candescence of afternoon, but an evening world of gold, quicksilver and blue shades, accompanied by conferences of birds. We walked together up the wide thoroughfare and on to the neatly swept Royal Road as it ascended gradually towards the central precinct parallel to the river and the setting sun. Individuals were walking in the same direction accompanied by their obedient shadows, with an air of singular purpose, as if they must never be seen to be doing anything less than work vital to the survival of the state.
    'Khety, what is the principle of the arrangement of this part of the city?'
    'It is a grid, sir. The streets are all straight lines, and they intersect each other so that the buildings in their sections are all of the same size. It is perfect.'
    'Perfect, but not finished.'
    He ignored my comment, but Tjenry added, 'There's not much time left now until the Festival. They've brought in extra labour. Even so, it's going to be tough to meet the deadlines.'
    Khety continued with his guided tour: 'To the right of us is the Records Office, and beyond that the House of Life.'
    'The Records Office? I'll want to visit that.'
    'It is an extensive library of information about everything and everyone.'
    'It's the only one in the whole of the Two Lands,' chipped in Tjenry brightly, as if he thought it was a great idea. 'So we are all in there, reduced to information?' 'I believe so,' said Khety.
    'It is amazing how a few marks on papyrus can be said to represent all our histories and secrets, and be stored, and read, and remembered.' Khety nodded as if he was not sure what I was talking about. 'And what is that construction beyond?' 'The Small Aten Temple.'
    'And that in the distance?' I could see ahead, opposite the sparkle and sails of the Great River, a low and immensely long building.
    'The Great Aten Temple, which is kept for exceptional festivities.' 'Where am I to meet the King?'
    'My instructions are to bring you to the Great Palace but to show you the Small Aten Temple first.'
    'Houses, palaces, temples; great this, small that. It is confusing, isn't it? What's wrong with how things used to be?'
    Khety nodded again, uncertain how to respond. Tjenry grinned. I grinned back.
    Up ahead I could see the river o f people and their shadows head ing towards the great pylons of the temple, six of them arranged in pairs through the heart of the building, dazzlingly white. Streamers of multicoloured cloth drifted elegantly in the river breeze from their high poles as if they had all the time in the world. Unfinished h ieroglyphs covered the stone fac ades of the pylons, illuminated gold by the setting sun. I struggled to read some of them, but I have never been good at this. Then we passed between the central pylons, jostled stiffly by the human stream that narrowed through the guard gate under another carving of the Aten, then bunched, hustled and distributed itself out