ked, his voice sharp with amazement,
"What all knowest thou?"

She answered, after a laugh,

"Why do men deny that the senses of women are sharper than theirs?
Your face has been under my eyes all day. I had but to look at it to
see you bore some weight in mind; and to find the weight, what had I
to do more than recall your debates with my father? Son of Hur!"--she
lowered her voice with singular dexterity, and, going nearer, spoke so
her breath was warm upon his cheek--"son of Hur! he thou art going to
find is to be King of the Jews, is he not?"

His heart beat fast and hard.

"A King of the Jews like Herod, only greater," she continued.

He looked away--into the night, up to the stars; then his eyes
met hers, and lingered there; and her breath was on his lips,
so near was she.

"Since morning," she said, further, "we have been having visions.
Now if I tell you mine, will you serve me as well? What! silent
still?"

She pushed his hand away, and turned as if to go; but he caught
her, and said, eagerly, "Stay--stay and speak!"

She went back, and with her hand upon his shoulder, leaned against
him; and he put his arm around her, and drew her close, very close;
and in the caress was the promise she asked.

"Speak, and tell me thy visions, O Egypt, dear Egypt! A prophet--nay,
not the Tishbite, not even the Lawgiver--could have refused an
asking of thine. I am at thy will. Be merciful--merciful, I pray."

The entreaty passed apparently unheard, for looking up and nestling
in his embrace, she said, slowly, "The vision which followed me was
of magnificent war--war on land and sea--with clashing of arms
and rush of armies, as if Caesar and Pompey were come again,
and Octavius and Antony. A cloud of dust and ashes arose and
covered the world, and Rome was not any more; all dominion
returned to the East; out of the cloud issued another race
of heroes; and there were vaster satrapies and brighter crowns
for giving away than were ever known. And, son of Hur, while the
vision was passing, and after it was gone, I kept asking myself,
'What shall he not have who served the King earliest and best?'"

Again Ben-Hur recoiled. The question was the very question which
had been with him all day. Presently he fancied he had the clew
he wanted.

"So," he said, "I have you now. The satrapies and crowns are
the things to which you would help me. I see, I see! And there
never was such queen as you would be, so shrewd, so beauti