"Send to Tyre, to Sidon," interrupted Ramses. "Each of those cities might lend, not five, but a hundred thousand talents."
"Tyre and Sidon!" repeated Dagon. "Today all Phoenicia is collecting gold and jewels to pay the Assyrians. Envoys of King Assar are circling about through our country and they say that if we pay a liberal sum yearly the King and the satraps not only will not oppress us, but will offer us more profits than those which we have now in Egypt, O holiness, through thy favor."
The pharaoh grew pale and set his teeth. The banker noted this and added, quickly,
"But why should I waste thy time, holiness, with my stupid talk? Here in Memphis is Prince Hiram; he perhaps will explain all this to my lord far better than I can, for he is a sage and a member of the supreme council in our cities."
"Send him hither quickly," replied Ramses, "for thy conversation with me, Dagon, is not that of a banker, but of a wailing woman at a funeral."
The Phoenician touched the floor once again with his forehead, and inquired,
"What if the worthy Hiram cannot come immediately? It is late now, it is true. But he is in such fear of the priests that he would rather come at night to do homage, O holiness."
The pharaoh bit his lips, but agreed to that project; so he sent Tutmosis with the banker to conduct Hiram to the palace by secret passages.
CHAPTER LV
ABOUT ten in the evening Hiram stood before his lord. He was dressed in the dark robe of a Memphis huckster.