“But,” Barry objected, “while I’m not in a position to dispute the genuineness of this writing, it’s--well, what shall I say?--it’s really a nightmare--the dream of a madman--who unfortunately had power enough to carry it out and condemn this poor girl to a living death! Thank God we live in an age of _real_ civilization!” His father caught his eye, and: “Don’t judge until you have heard all the facts,” he said. “The civilization of Ancient Egypt was more real, and higher, than you appreciate.” “That is true,” Danbazzar resumed, unmoved by Barry’s criticism, “as the second part of the papyrus bears out. This roughly covers the reigns of seven kings. In the ages that have since gone by time has reduced the whole of the papyrus to a more or less uniform colour. In fact, some of the earlier colouring is brighter than the later, but here”--he stepped forward to the table--“we move from somewhere around 1365 up to somewhere about 1200 B.C. It was the duty of the priests, to which they were sworn, to examine the sleeping Zalithea at certain periods which I estimate to have been fifty years apart.” “You mean to awaken her?” Barry demanded. “Surely!” said Danbazzar. “They were entrusted with a certain formula by means of which, in the belief of its inventor, the sleeping woman could be aroused from her trance. It was their duty at specific dates to record the results. Here we have five such records, covering a period of some two hundred and fifty years, as I estimate. Each, as you see, is confined within a ruled space, and every one is undoubtedly the work of a different scribe and possesses recognizable characteristics of the period in which it was written. Each also bears what we may term the signature of the chief priest in office at the time, and the accounts, while the wording varies slightly, all tally. The last, or the last to be preserved, states as the others state, and is attested by three witnesses, priests of the temple, that at this time _the Princess Zalithea was still living!_” “Good God!” Barry exclaimed. “It simply isn’t credible! Don’t misunderstand me! I am not doubting your translation or the genuineness of the thing! But there must be some mistake!” “You are entitled to suppose so,” Danbazzar admitted. “It was because I supposed so myself that I allowed several years to elapse before making the proposition that I have made to-night to your father. During those years I have not been idle. A trusted agent of mine in Egypt, working upon such information as I could give him, had been searching--secretly, of course--and twelve months ago his search was rewarded.” “What was he searching for?” Barry asked. “He was searching for the tomb of Zalithea! You see, it would be unlikely to attract the attention of the ordinary excavator, its historical importance being slight--except in relation to this papyrus.” “Do you mean that he found it?” Barry demanded amazedly. “He found it!” Danbazzar replied. “There _is_ such a tomb!”