rection."

The rowers, absorbed in the song, raised their oars, and the purple
barge dropped slowly down with the sweep of the river. All at once
Herhor rose, and commanded,

"Turn now toward Memphis!"

The oars fell; the barge turned where it stood, and raised the water
with noise. After it followed Sarah's hymn decreasing gradually,

"He sees the movement of hearts, the silent hidden ways on which pass
the innermost thoughts in men's breasts. But no man can gaze into His
heart and spy out His purposes.

"Before the gleam of His garments mighty spirits hide their faces.
Before His glance the gods of great cities and nations turn aside and
shrink like withering leaves.

"He is power, He is life, He is wisdom. He is thy Lord, thy God, O
Israel!"

"Why command, worthiness, to turn away our barge?" asked the worthy
Nikotris.

"Lady, dost Thou know that hymn?" asked Herhor, in a language
understood by priests alone. "That stupid girl is singing in the middle
of the Nile a prayer permitted only in the most secret recesses of our
temples."

"Is that blasphemy then?"

"There is no priest in the barge except me," replied the minister. "I
have not heard the hymn, and if I had I should forget it. Still I am
afraid that the gods will lay hands on that girl yet."

"But whence does she know that awful prayer, for Ramses could not have
taught it to her?"

"The prince is not to blame. But forget not, lady, that the Jews have
taken from our Egypt many such treasures. That is why, among all
nations on earth, we consider them alone as sacrilegious."

The queen seized the hand of the high priest.

"But my son will no evil strike him?" whispered she, looking into his
eyes.

"I say, worthiness, that no evil will happen to any one. I heard not
the hymn, and I know nothing. The prince must be separated from that
Jewess."

"But separated mildly; is that not the way?" asked the mother.

"In the mildest way possible and the simplest, but separation is
imperative. It seemed to me," continued the high priest, as if to
himself, "that I foresaw everything. Everything save an action for
blasphemy, which threatens the heir while he is with that strange
woman."

Herhor thought awhile, and added,

"Yes, worthy lady! It is possible to laugh at many of our prejudices;
still the son of a pharaoh should not be connected with a Jewess."

CHAPTER XVII

SINCE the evening when Sarah sang in the boat, the royal barge had not
ap