But a few days after the adventure with Dagon's scribe the banker came himself to the heir, holding in his hand some covered object.
On entering the prince's chamber he bent down, untied a white kerchief, and drew forth from it a very beautiful gold goblet; the goblet was set with stones of various colors, and covered with carving in relief which on the lower part represented the gathering and pressing out of grapes and on the cup part a feast.
"Accept this goblet, worthy lord, from thy slave," said the banker, "and use it for a hundred, a thousand years, to the end of ages."
The prince understood what the Phoenician wanted; so, without touching the golden gift, he said with a stern expression,
"Dost Thou see, Dagon, that purple reflection inside the goblet?"
"I do, indeed," replied the banker; "why should I not see that which shows the goblet to be the purest gold?"
"But I declare that to be the blood of children seized away from their parents," said the heir, angrily.
And he turned and went to an interior chamber.
"O Astoreth!" groaned the Phoenician.
His lips grew blue, and his hands trembled so that he was hardly able to wrap up the goblet.