therefore," added
he quickly, "I shall ask assistance of you holy men."

"We are ready to support every measure of thy holiness with prayers and
processions," said Mefres.

"Very good; pray and encourage the people to pray. But besides that
give the state thirty thousand talents," answered the pharaoh.

The high priests were silent; Ramses waited a while, then turned to
Herhor,

"Thou art silent, worthiness."

"Thou hast said thyself, O sovereign, that the treasury has no means,
even to bury Osiris-Mer-Amen-Ramses. I cannot even divine, therefore,
where we could get thirty thousand talents."

"But the treasury of the labyrinth."

"That is a treasury of the gods, to be touched only at a moment when
the state is in supreme need," replied Mefres.

Ramses XIII boiled up with anger.

"If earth-tillers do not need this sum, I do," said he, striking his
fist on the arm of the chair.

"Holiness," replied Mefres, "Thou canst in the course of a year receive
more than thirty thousand talents, and Egypt twice as much."

"How?"

"Very simply. Give command, sovereign, to expel the Phoenicians from
Egypt."

It seemed that the pharaoh would rush at the insolent high priest; he
grew pale, his lips quivered, his eyes stared. But he restrained
himself in one moment, and said, in a tone of wonderful calmness,

"Well, sufficient. If ye are able to give only such counsels I shall
get on without them. The Phoenicians have our signatures that we will
pay them our debts faithfully. Has this occurred to thee, Mefres?"

"Pardon, holiness, but at that moment other thoughts occupied me. Thy
ancestors, not on papyrus, but on bronze and stone carved out the
statement that the gifts made by them to the gods and the temples
belonged and would belong forever to the gods and the temples."

"And to you priests," added the pharaoh, sneeringly.

"As much to us," replied the haughty high priest, "as the state belongs
to thee, sovereign. We guard and increase those treasures; but we have
not the right to spend them."

The pharaoh left the hall panting with anger, and went to his own
cabinet. His position was presented to him with terrible distinctness.
Of the hatred of the priests toward him he had no doubt any longer.
Those were the same dignitaries who, giddy with pride, had the past
year refused him the corps of Memphis, and who had made him viceroy
only when it seemed to them that he had performed an act of penitence
by withdrawin