Lord of the Silent - Elizabeth Peters [0]
Amon, King of the Gods, Lord of the Silent
who comes at the voice of the poor . . .
who gives bread to him who has none . . .
father of the orphan, husband of the widow . . .
though the servant offends him, he is merciful.
Epithets and attributes of Amon-Re,
a composite from various prayers
Contents
Epigraph
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Map
One “I challenge even you, Peabody, to find a silver lining in this situation,” Emerson remarked.
Two The voyage was without incident of a military nature, but it provided one surprise.
Three In the old days I had been in the habit of giving a little dinner party . . .
Four When I entered the Semiramis shortly after five I was met by the concierge . . .
Five The interview had taken longer than I had expected. Darkness had fallen . . .
Six “What an inept, amateurish attack,” Emerson remarked sourly.
Seven As we stood staring down at the gruesome thing and Ismail sniveled in the corner . . .
Eight From Manuscript H (continued)
The war had drastically curtailed excavation, but Legrain was still at Karnak . . .
Nine The arrival of Nefret’s second letter—or letters—brought to my attention a difficulty . . .
Ten From Manuscript H (continued)
They had neglected to inform Jamil there might be a change in their plans for that day.
Eleven The “train de luxe,” first class only (except for a second-class car reserved for . . .
Twelve From Manuscript H
When Ramses and Nefret arrived at the station, the train had just pulled in.
Thirteen Emerson was determined to go on working until the last possible moment . . .
Fourteen From Manuscript H (continued)
“Tell them everything?” Ramses said doubtfully.
“Tell everyone everything!” Nefret gestured . . .
Fifteen William stuttered out a series of incoherent phrases—“Couldn’t sleep . . .”
Sixteen He was waiting for me at the top of the cliff as I climbed, moving with the effortless ease . . .
Seventeen When Emerson burst into the sitting room and found me placidly drinking tea . . .
Eighteen From Manuscript H
It is difficult to think clearly when you are hanging head down . . .
About the Author
Critical Acclaim
Books by Elizabeth Peters
Copyright
About the Publisher
Foreword
The Editor feels it necessary to state that she is not in need of any additional Emerson papers. In recent months she has received documents purporting to answer this description. A cursory examination proved that they were unconvincing forgeries. She has, not to belabor the point, enough material to occupy her for several years, and she is presently on the track . . . But she will say no more. The persons who have the documents she needs know who they are. No others need apply.
As for the material contained in this volume, a few words of explanation may be in order.
Though textual evidence indicates that Nefret Forth, as she then was, occasionally interpolated material into earlier parts of Manuscript H, she clearly played a more active role in the composition of this document after her marriage. Manuscript H becomes, in short, a collaboration. This was only to be expected of a lady of such forceful character.
Her marriage, and the distractions attendant thereon, also affected her correspondence with Lia Todros. There are fewer letters, and they contain information of little narrative value. The Editor has therefore omitted them, believing that the Reader is not much interested in comments about babies and rapturous descriptions of the married state. (I assure the Reader that these are repetitive, unoriginal, and boringly proper. He or she is not missing a thing.)
The material from a file the Editor has labeled “M” is in part self-explanatory. There is no explanation of how certain sections came into Mrs. Emerson’s hands. The Editor has her own opinions on that point. The intuitive Reader will no doubt draw his or her own conclusions.
Acknowledgments
I am indebted to my granddaughter, Jennifer Shea, for adding another corpse to the story, and to Kristen Whitbread, my invaluable assistant, for several useful suggestions.