de happy, walked up and down through his palace and
looked out through the windows. He examined the treasury and tried the
gold in his hands; it was heavy. He looked at the precious stones; they
were genuine. He commanded to serve him with food; in rushed slaves
immediately, bathed him, shaved him, arrayed him in fine garments. He
ate and drank as be never had drunk and eaten; his hunger joined with
the perfection of the food gave a marvelous taste to it. He burnt
incense before the statue of Amon, and wreathed it with fresh flowers.
Later he sat down at a window.

"In the courtyard a pair of horses were neighing; they were harnessed
to a carved chariot. In another place a crowd of men with darts and
nets were keeping down eager dogs which were tearing away to chase
animals. Before a granary one scribe was receiving grain from earth-
tillers; before the stable another scribe was receiving reckoning from
the overseer of the shepherds.

"In the distance were visible an olive grove, high hills covered with
grape-vines, wheat-fields, and on every field were date palms set out
thickly.

"'In truth,' said he to himself, 'I am rich today, just as was proper;
and I only wonder how I endured life so long in abasement and misery. I
must confess, too, that I do not know whether I can increase this
immense property, for I need no more now, and I shall not have time to
run after investments.'

"But after a while it was tedious in the house for him; so he looked at
the garden, went around the fields, talked with the servants, who fell
on their faces in his presence, though they were dressed in such style
that yesterday he would have thought it an honor to kiss the hands of
any one of them; but he was bored in the field even, so he went back to
the house, and examined the supplies in his storehouses and cellars,
also the furniture in the chambers.

"'They are beautiful,' said he to himself; 'but it would be better if
the furniture were made of gold, and the pitchers of jewels.'

"His eyes turned mechanically toward the corner where the figure was
concealed under an embroidered veil and it sighed.

"'Sigh!' said he, taking a censer to burn incense before the statue of
Amon.

"'He is a kind god,' thought he, 'who values the qualities of sages,
even when barefoot, and deals out to them justice. What a beautiful
estate he has given me! It is true that I showed him honor by writing
Amon on the door of that hut in two manners. And