"Dost Thou not remember, holy father, that at the end of that corridor is an opening in which a certain traitor was tortured to death without pity."
"Aha!" answered the leech. "There is an opening there into which we poured boiling pitch at command of Pentuer."
"And ye killed a man."
The leech smiled. He was a kindly, gladsome person. So, observing the indignation of the prince, he said after some meditation,
"It is not permitted to betray temple secrets. Of course, before each of the greater solemnities, we bring this to the mind of younger candidates."
His tone was so peculiar that Ramses required explanation.
"I cannot betray secrets," replied the leech; "but promise, worthiness, to hide a story in thy breast, and I will tell thee one."
Ramses promised. The leech gave this narrative:
"A certain Egyptian priest, while visiting temples in the unbelieving land of Aram, met at one of them a man who seemed to him in good flesh and satisfied, though he wore wretched garments. 'Explain to me,' said the priest to the gladsome poor man, 'how it is that, though Thou art indigent, thy body looks as though Thou wert chief of this temple.'
"That man looked around then to see if any one were listening, and answered,