d watch over my
son. A man," said he, in deep thought, "be he Greek or Phoenician, can
harm only beings like himself, but not us, who are gods of this world."

"What didst Thou say of a Greek? What Greek?" asked Sarah, alarmed.

"Did I say Greek? I know nothing of a Greek. Such a word may have
slipped from me; perhaps Thou didst not hear correctly."

He kissed Sarah and his son, and took farewell of them; but he did not
expel fear.

"We must say once, and decisively," thought he, "that in Egypt no
secret is hidden. The priests and my attendants follow me, even when
they are drunk, or pretend to be, and the serpent eyes of Phoenicia are
gazing at Kama. If they have not hidden her before me thus far, they
must have small regard for her virtue. Moreover, before whom? Before
me, to whom they themselves discovered the deceptions of their own
temple. Kama will belong to me. They are too much involved in this to
think of bringing my auger on their heads by opposition."

A couple of days later the holy Mentezufis, assistant of the worthy
Herhor, came to the erpatr. Ramses, looking at the pale face and
downcast eyes of the prophet, divined that he too knew of the
Phoenician woman, and perhaps wished, as a priest, to reprimand the
viceroy. But this time Mentezufis did not mention affairs touching the
heart of the heir.

When he had greeted the prince, with an official mien, the prophet took
the seat indicated, and began,

"From the Memphis palace of the lord of eternity they have informed me
that in recent days the Chaldean high priest Istubar, the court
astrologer and counselor of his grace King Assar, has come to Pi-Bast."

The prince desired to tell Mentezufis the reason of Istubar's coming,
but he bit his lips and was silent.

"The renowned Istubar," continued the priest, "has brought documents in
virtue of which the worthy Sargon, a satrap, and a relative of King
Assar, remains with us as ambassador of that mighty sovereign."

The prince was near bursting into laughter. The seriousness with which
Mentezufis had thought fit to lay bare a small part of the secrets long
known to Ramses filled him with contempt and delight also.

"This trickster," thought the prince, "has not an inkling in his heart
that I know all their villainy."

"The worthy Sargon and the revered Istubar," continued Mentezufis,
"will go to Memphis to kiss the feet of his holiness. But first,
worthiness, thou, as viceroy, wilt be pleased to rece