To the others about them it was a strange message, but Meryt lifted his eyes on high to give thanks to the great Sun-god, Re. For by this he knew that there had been born to him a child who would sit in his chair when he was gone, a son who would cause his name to live. Happiness filled his heart. Yet even to see his son he might not leave the work of the Pharaoh. But he knew that his wife with the child in her arms would climb, each evening, to the roof of his house and looking far to the South would send him a message and a promise that she would take care of his son until he came.

Meryt, the boy, was named for his father. Childhood went swift and sweet for him, for his mother carried him tenderly on her neck, and as soon as he was old enough to enjoy them gave him wonderful dolls and toys, a good little man who would jump, and a crocodile with a movable jaw, and for a playmate a dwarf who watched over him. And at evening it was his great delight to go to the housetop and watch the cattle come home from their pastures in the marshes. It was a pretty sight in the sunset glow. From all over the land little processions of cattle could be seen winding across the desert—pure white cows and frisking calves, and here and there a little child at their head to lead them. Though he was scarcely more than a baby, Meryt begged to go and march at the head of his father's herd, each one of which he knew by name. And at last a day came when his mother gave him to the herdsman and let him go. Proudly he walked before the lowing cattle, listening to hear if perhaps his cows, like those in the stories he had heard, would talk to him and say: "Pleasant it is to follow behind thee."

Proudly the little fellow marched in, and as he came to the steps of his house someone was waiting for him there,—a stranger. His mother ran to him, caught him and brought him in, for this was his father come at last to see his son. From about his neck his father took an amulet, a charm in the shape of an eye,—the familiar symbol of good luck, the eye of Horus,—and this he fastened about the little Meryt's neck, saying, "So like the good god Horus shalt thou cause thy father's name to live." For, like every Egyptian, the dearest desire of Meryt-Nefer's heart was to have a son who should carry on his name and care for his tomb when he was gone. From that time on the boy always wore his amulet as a charm against evil and a promise of devotion to his father.

The Sacred Eye was one of the symbols of good luck. The story shows its connection with the god Horus. Here four eyes are grouped together

The months went on, and there came a day when his mother looked sad, but his father said to him: "Today is a lucky day, for this is the day that the good Horus made peace with the evil Set, so today shalt thou go to the house of books to begin thine instruction. For nothing is so precious as learning. Now shalt thou set to work to learn the profession of the scribe, for so shalt thou be a leader of men." He took the young Meryt to the school, even to the school at the court of the Pharaoh. There, with the young princes and sons of other nobles, he was taught good manners and to read the writings of his people and to learn to write. Early in the morning he began his work at the school, and his mother came daily, bringing bread for him from her house. Pens of reeds were given him, and a copy book of papyrus made from the pith of the reeds, and he applied himself diligently to learn the difficult letters, for he had heard often enough his schoolmaster's proverb: "The youth has a back, he attends when it is beaten." So he worked hard at his writing, copying the sayings of the wise men; and from them as well as from his masters he learned how a boy should behave—how to eat at table, how to rise in the presence of his elders, and how to guard his tongue lest he speak too much. But once lessons were over for the day, he and Khety and Bagt and the others went out with shouts of joy to play ball or to wrestle or to row up and down the Nile in their boats.

At length the time came when he could write well enough to be given his masterpiece of copying, a long exercise to be written down in a careful hand on a clean copy roll, fit to be put in his tomb with him when he died. The exercise the master gave him was one both familiar and dear to him. It was the old, old story of his people about the god Osiris. Though he had read it in the papyrus rolls and had once seen it acted by the priests in a wonderful drama at Abydos, he was glad now to learn it better still by copying it in his roll. This was the legend which he wrote:

The Earth-god and the Heaven-goddess had two sons, Set and Osiris, and Set married Nephthys and Osiris married Isis. Osiris was just and kind. But Set was evil and planned a trick against his brother. For he had a beautiful chest made, and though he knew that it had been made to the exact measure of Osiris, he pretended to offer it to whoever would fit it best when lying inside it. Many lay down in the chest, hoping to get it for themselves, but when Osiris stretched himself within it, of course it fitted him perfectly. Set was ready for him. Quickly he nailed down a cover upon the chest, sealed it with hot lead, and floated it out upon the river, and then the river carried it out to sea.

Osiris is seated on the throne, and behind him is Horus, shown as the hawk-headed god. The king is making an offering before them, pouring out water from three vases

Isis went to the marshes mourning her husband, and there she stayed until her son Horus was born. But as soon as he was old enough she left him, and with the help of the god Anubis went near and far searching for the body of her husband. At last she found the chest, though it was in the midst of a great tree which had grown up around it. But she freed it and brought it home, where she wept and prayed over her husband's body, though she kept the chest carefully hidden. But again the evil Set, while hunting by moonlight, came and stole it away; and Anubis once more had to help Isis, until together they recovered the body and cared for it. From that time on, Osiris's spirit could rest in peace, since it had a sure dwelling place in the life after death.

Meantime Isis had brought up her son Horus to honor his father's name and live for the day when he could avenge him on the evil Set. And that came at length. Horus, a, young man grown, pursued Set and fought with him, and though the struggle was long and hard, and though in the course of it Horus himself lost an eye, in the end he conquered Set and made glorious his father's name. Then Osiris became King of the dead, while Horus was King on earth. And so from that day the eye of Horus had been to all the sign of good fortune and of devotion and of the protection of the god.