"Men say, Erpatr, that thou dost visit that Phnician woman during night hours."

"I must till the girl gains wit and moves to my house. But have no fear, I go with a sword; and if any man should bar the way to me--"

"But through that Phnician woman thou hast conceived repulsion for King a.s.sar's envoy."

"Not through her by any means, but because Sargon smells of tallow.

But whither does this lead? Ye, holy fathers, are not overseers of my women; I think that the worthy Sargon has not committed his to you.

What is your desire?"

Mefres was so confused that blushes appeared on his shaven forehead.

"It is true, worthiness," answered he, "thy love affairs and the methods therein do not pertain to us. But there is a worse thing;--people are astonished that the cunning Hiram lent thee a hundred talents with such readiness, even without a pledge."

The prince's lips quivered, but again he answered quietly,--

"It is no fault of mine that Hiram has more trust in my words than have rich Egyptians! He knows that I would rather yield the arms which I inherit from my grandfather than fail to pay the money due him. It seems to me that he must be at rest concerning interest, since he has not mentioned it. I do not think of hiding from you, holy fathers, that the Phnicians are more dextrous than Egyptians. Our wealthy men would make sour faces before lending me one hundred talents; they would groan, make me wait a month, and at last demand immense pledges and a high rate of interest. But Phnicians know the hearts of princes better; they give us money even without a judge or witnesses."

The high priest was so irritated by this quiet banter that he pressed his lips together and was silent. Mentezufis rescued him by asking quickly,--

"What wouldst thou say, worthiness, were we to make a treaty with a.s.syria, yielding northern Asia and Phnicia?"

While asking this question, he had his eyes fixed on the face of the heir. But Rameses answered him with perfect calmness,--

"I should say that only traitors could persuade the pharaoh to make such a treaty."

Both priests started up. Mefres raised his hands; Mentezufis clinched his fist.

"But if danger to the state demanded it?" insisted Mentezufis.

"What do ye wish of me?" burst out the prince. "Ye interfere with my debts and women, ye surround me with spies, ye dare reproach me, and now ye give me some sort of traitorous queries. Now I will tell you: I, if ye were to poison me, would not sign a treaty like the one ye mention. Luckily that does not depend on me, but on his holiness, whose will we must all obey."

"What wouldst thou do, then, wert thou the pharaoh?"

"What the honor and the profit of the state demanded."

"Of that I doubt not," said Mentezufis. "But what dost thou consider the profit of the state? Where are we to look for indications?"

"Why is the supreme council in existence?" asked Rameses, with feigned anger this time. "Ye say this council is made up of all the great sages. In that case let them take on themselves responsibility for a treaty which I should look on as a shame and as destruction."

"Whence dost thou know, worthiness, that thy G.o.dlike father would not act in just such a manner?"

"Why ask me, then, of this matter? What investigation is this? Who gives you the right to pry into my heart?"

Rameses feigned to be so mightily indignant that the priests were satisfied.

"Thou speakest, prince," said Mefres, "as becomes a good Egyptian.

Such a treaty would pain us, too; but danger to the state forces men to yield temporarily to circ.u.mstances."

"What forces you to yield?" cried the prince. "Have we lost a great battle, or have we no army?"

"The oarsmen on the boat in which Egypt is sailing through the river of eternity are G.o.ds," replied Mefres, with solemnity; "but the steersman is the Highest Lord of existence. The oarsmen stop frequently, or turn the boat so as to avoid dangerous eddies which we do not even notice. In such cases we need only patience and obedience, for which, later or earlier, a liberal reward will meet us, surpa.s.sing all that mortal man can imagine."

After this statement the priests took farewell. They were full of hope that the prince, though angry because of the treaty, would not break it, and would a.s.sure to Egypt the time of rest which she needed.

After their departure the prince called his adjutant. When alone with Tutmosis, his long-restrained anger and sorrow burst forth. He threw himself on a couch; he writhed like a serpent, he struck his head with his fists, and shed tears even.

The frightened Tutmosis waited till the access of rage had subsided; then he gave Rameses wine and water, and fumed him with calming perfumes; finally he sat near his lord and inquired the cause of this unmanly outburst.

"Sit here," said the prince, without rising. "Knowest thou, I am to-day convinced that our priests have concluded an infamous treaty with a.s.syria; without war, without demands even from the other side!

Canst thou imagine what we are losing?"

"Dagon told me that the a.s.syrians wished to take Phnicia. But the Phnicians are now less alarmed, for King a.s.sar has a war on the northeastern boundaries. A very valiant and numerous people inhabit that region; hence it is unknown what the end of this affair may be.

The Phnicians will have peace for a couple of years in every case,--time in which to prepare defence and find allies--"

The prince waved his hand impatiently.

"See," said he, interrupting Tutmosis, "even Phnicia is arming her own people, and perhaps all the neighbors who surround her; in every case, we lose the unpaid tribute of Asia, which reaches--hast thou heard the like?--more than a hundred thousand talents."

"A hundred thousand talents," repeated the prince. "O G.o.ds! but such a sum would fill the treasury of the pharaoh. And were we to attack a.s.syria at the right season, in Nineveh alone, in the single palace of a.s.sar, we should find inexhaustible treasures. Think how many slaves we could take,--half a million--a million,--people of gigantic strength, and so wild that captivity in Egypt with the hardest labor on ca.n.a.ls or in quarries would seem play to them. The fertility of the land would be increased; in the course of a few years our people, now wretched, would rest, and before the last a.s.syrian slave had died, the state would regain its ancient might and well-being. And the priests are destroying all this by the aid of a few silver tablets, and a few bricks marked with arrow-headed signs understood by no Egyptian."

When he had heard the complaints of the prince, Tutmosis rose from the armchair and looked carefully through the adjoining chambers to see if someone in them were listening; then he sat down again near Rameses, and whispered,--

"Be of good heart, lord. As far as I know, the entire aristocracy, all the nomarchs, all the higher officers have heard something of this treaty and are indignant. Only give the sign and we will break these brick treaties on the head of Sargon, even on the head of King a.s.sar."

"But that would be rebellion against his holiness," replied the prince, also in a whisper.

Tutmosis put on a sad face.

"I should not like," said he, "to make thy heart bleed, but--thy father, who is equal to the highest G.o.d, has a grievous illness."

"That is not true!" said the prince, springing up.

"It is true; but let not people see that thou knowest this. His holiness is greatly wearied by his stay on earth, and desires to leave it. But the priests hold him back, and do not summon thee to Memphis, so that the treaty with a.s.syria may be signed without opposition."

"But they are traitors, traitors!" whispered the enraged prince.

"Therefore thou wilt have no difficulty in breaking the treaty when thou shalt inherit power after thy father,--may he live through eternity!"

Rameses thought awhile.

"It is easier," said he, "to sign a treaty than to break it."

"It is easy also to break a treaty," laughed Tutmosis. "Are there not in Asia unorganized races which attack our boundaries? Does not the G.o.dlike Nitager stand on guard with his army to repulse them and carry war into their countries? Dost thou suppose that Egypt will not find armed men and treasures for the war? We will go, all of us, for each man can gain something, and in some way make his life independent.

Treasures are lying in the temples--but the labyrinth--"

"Who will take them from the labyrinth?" asked the prince, doubtingly.

"Who? Any nomarch, any officer, any n.o.ble will take them if he has a command from the pharaoh, and--the minor priests will show the way to secret places."