holy sacrifices, and here, in the
corner, stand the gods of all nations. In my inn a man may still his
hunger and be pious for very slight charges."

He turned and went to the gallery among the merchants. "Eat and drink,
worthy lords," incited he, making obeisance. "The times are good. The
most worthy heir may he live for ever! is going to Pi-Bast with an
enormous retinue, but from the upper kingdom a transport of gold has
come, of which more than one of you will win a good portion. I have
partridges, young goslings, fish direct from the river, perfect roast
venison. And what wine they have sent me from Cyprus! May I be turned
into a Jew if a goblet of that luxury is not worth two drachmas, but to
you, my benefactors and fathers, I will give it today for one drachma,
only today, to make a beginning."

"Give it for half a drachma a goblet, and we will taste it," said one
of the merchants.

"Half a drachma!" repeated the host. "Sooner will the Nile flow upward
toward Thebes than I give such sweetness for half a drachma, unless I
do it for thee, Lord Belezis, who art the pearl of Sidon. Hei, slaves!
bring to our benefactors the largest pitcher of wine from Cyprus."

When the innkeeper had walked on, the merchant named Belezis said to
his companions,

"May my hand wither if that wine is worth half a drachma! But never
mind! We shall have less trouble with the police hereafter."

Conversation with guests of all nations and conditions did not prevent
the host from looking at the scribes who noted down food and drink, at
the watchman who stared at the scribes and the servants, and above all
at a traveler who had seated himself on cushions in the front gallery,
with his feet under him, and who was dozing over a handful of dates and
a goblet of pure water. That traveler was about forty years old, he had
abundant hair and beard of raven color, thoughtful eyes, and
wonderfully noble features which seemed never to have been wrinkled by
anger or distorted by fear.

"That is a dangerous rat!" thought the innkeeper, frowning. "He has the
look of a priest, but he wears a dark coat. He has left gold and jewels
with me to the value of a talent, and he neither eats meat nor drinks
wine. He must be a great prophet or a very great criminal."

Two naked serpent tamers came into the courtyard bearing a basket full
of poisonous reptiles, and began their exhibition. The younger one
played on a flute, while the elder wound around his bo