"Laugh, Sarah," interrupted Ramses, joyously. "She whom I take to myself stands so high that no fear should reach her, still less, stupid scandal."
"But misfortune? Is there a mountain top so high that the missile of misfortune may not reach it?"
"Thy sickness has wearied thee, and fever has disturbed thy mind; that is why Thou art troubled without reason. Be quiet, and 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."