Guardian of the Horizon Read Free Page A

knocks like that." He opened the door and stood back. "Shouldn't you be changing for dinner?" he asked pointedly. Nefret flung herself down in an armchair. "Shouldn't you? I'm sorry I teased you about that wretched girl, but really, Ramses, you're losing your sense of humor. What's the matter?" Ramses began, "I don't know why you should suppose--" She cut him off with a word she would not have used in his mother's presence. "Don't you dare lie to me, Ramses Emerson. You and David have been eyeing each other like conspirators-- Brutus and Cassius, creeping up on Caesar with daggers drawn! You're planning something underhanded, and I insist on knowing what it is. Don't stand there like a graven image! Sit down--you too, David--and confess." She was enchanting when she was angry, her cheeks flushed and her eyes wide and her slim form rigid with indignation. A lock of hair had come loose; it curled distractingly over her forehead. Ramses clasped his hands tightly together. Then her eyes fell. "I thought we were friends," she said softly. "We three, all for one and one for all." We three. Friends. If he had had any doubts about what he meant to do, that speech dispelled them. After all, why not tell her? She wouldn't care. Friendship can endure separation. A friend wants what is best for her friend. Only lovers are selfish. "I want to go to Germany this year to study with Erman," he said abruptly. Nefret's jaw dropped. "You mean--not go to Egypt with us this autumn?" "Obviously I can't be in two places at once." She put out her tongue at him. "Why?" "I need some formal grounding in the language, formal recognition. A degree from Berlin would give me that." The speech came glibly; he had practiced it a number of times, preparatory to delivering it to Emerson. "I've learned a lot from Uncle Walter, but Erman is one of the best, and his approach is different. He thinks I can earn a doctorate in a year, given my past work. I enjoy excavating, but I'll never be as good as Father. Philology is my real interest." "Hmmm." Nefret stroked her rounded chin, in unconscious imitation of Emerson when deep in thought. "Well, my boy, that is a stunner! But I don't understand why you've been so secretive. It's a reasonable ambition." Ramses hadn't realized until then that he had been hoping against hope she would object. Obviously the idea of a long separation didn't disturb her unduly. Friends want what is best for friends. "I'm glad you agree," he said stiffly. She raised candid blue eyes and smiled at him. "If it's what you want, my boy, then you shall have it. You haven't got up nerve enough to tell the Professor, is that it?" "Yes, well, cowardice is one of my worst failings." David's elbow dug into his ribs and Nefret's smile faded. "I didn't mean that. You're afraid of hurting him. That's what I meant." "Sorry," Ramses muttered. "We all feel that way," Nefret assured him. "Because we love him. But sooner or later he's got to accept the fact that you--and David and I--are individuals with our own ambitions and wants." "What is it you want?" Ramses asked. She shrugged and smiled. "Nothing I don't have. Work I love, a family, the best friends in the world ... I'll help you persuade the Professor. We'll miss you, of course, won't we, David? But it's only for a year." She got to her feet. "Just leave it to me. I'm going to break it to Aunt Amelia first. Then it will be all of us against the Professor! If worse comes to worst, I'll cry. That always fetches him." He had risen when she did; they were standing close together, only a foot apart. She put out her hand, as if to give him a friendly pat on the shoulder. He took a step back and said, "Thank you, but I don't need anyone else to do my dirty work for me. I'll tell Father tonight, at dinner." She let her hand fall, flushed slightly, and left the room. "Ramses," David began. "Shut up, David." "Damned if I will," David said indignantly. "She was offering tohelp, in her sweet, generous way, and