‘He gave me the agate, and I shall keep it.’
‘But this opal—worth, oh, worth ten thousand gold pieces—in exchange for that paltry broken thing not worth one?’
‘I am not a dealer, like you, and have not yet learnt to value things by their money price. It that agate had been worth money, I would never have accepted it.’
‘Take the ring, take it, my darling,’ whispered Theon impatiently; ‘it will pay all our debts.’
‘Ah, that it will—pay them all,’ answered the old woman, who seemed to have mysteriously overheard him.
‘What!—my father! Would you, too, counsel me to be so mercenary? My good woman,’ she went on, turning to Miriam, ‘I cannot expect you to understand the reason of my refusal. You and I have a different standard of worth. But for the sake of the talisman engraven on that agate, if for no other reason, I cannot give it up.’
‘Ah! for the sake of the talisman! That is wise, now! That is noble! Like a philosopher! Oh, I will not say a word more. Let the beautiful prophetess keep the agate, and take the opal too; for see, there is a charm on it also! The name by which Solomon compelled the demons to do his bidding. Look! What might you not do now, if you knew how to use that! To have great glorious angels, with six wings each, bowing at your feet whensoever you called them, and saying, “Here am I, mistress; send me.” Only look at it!’
Hypatia took the tempting bait, and examined it with more curiosity than she would have wished to confess; while the old woman went on—
‘But the wise lady knows how to use the black agate, of course? Aben-Ezra told her that, did he not?’
Hypatia blushed somewhat; she was ashamed to confess that Aben-Ezra had not revealed the secret to her, probably not believing that there was any, and that the talisman had been to her only a curious plaything, of which she liked to believe one day that it might possibly have some occult virtue, and the next day to laugh at the notion as unphilosophical and barbaric; so she answered, rather severely, that her secrets were her own property.