"Dost, of a truth, believe everything that is told thee?"
"Am I over-credulous?" he asked.
"Thou art. Thou believest this Hebrew to be honest in his show of interest in his people?"
"I can not doubt him, Ta-user. One has but to see him to be convinced."
"One has but to see him to know that he might be coaxed into passiveness with that for which an Israelite would sell his mummy—gold!"
"Nay! Nay!" Seti exclaimed. "Thou dost wrong him! He is the soul of misdirected zeal. His is an earnestness not to be frightened with death nor abated with bribes."
She laughed a cool little laugh.
"Deliver to him but the price he names, and the Israelitish unrest will settle like a swarm of smoked bees."
"Ta-user, it is thou that art deceived," Seti remonstrated. "Even the Pharaoh does not hesitate to assert that Mesu is terribly upright. Not even he would dream of offering the wizard Hebrew a peace-tribute."
Once again she laughed. "Mind me, I speak reverently of the divine Meneptah, the Shedder of Light, but I do not marvel that he is no more willing to deliver over to Mesu one color of gold than another."