"Never!" said Sarah, on whose mild face appeared a flush of anger. "Do I not belong to the heir, before whose face those people all prostrate themselves?"
And before her father and the old woman had regained their senses, she, all in white, had run out on the roof and called to the throng beyond the wall,
"Here I am! What do ye want of me?"
The uproar was stilled for a moment, but again threatening voices were raised,
"Be accursed, Thou strange woman whose sin stops the Nile in its overflow!"
A number of stones hurled at random whistled through the air; one of them struck Sarah's forehead.
"Father!" cried she, seizing her head.
Gideon caught her in his arms and bore her from the terrace. In the night were visible people, in white caps and skirts, who climbed over the wall below.
Tafet screamed in a heaven-piercing voice, the black slave seized an axe, took his place in the doorway, and declared that he would split the head of any man daring to enter.
"Stone that Nubian dog!" cried men from the wall to the crowd of people.