The Pharaoh And The Priest Part 83

The prince walked up and down in the chamber.

"How did she pa.s.s the night?"

"The new lady?"

"No! I ask about Sarah."

"According to command, Sarah went with her child to the servants'

house. The women, from compa.s.sion, yielded a fresh mat to her, but she did not lie down to sleep; she sat the whole night with her child on her knees."

"But how is the child?" asked Rameses.

"The child is well. This morning, when the Jewess went to serve her new mistress, the other women bathed the little one in warm water, and the shepherd's wife, who also has an infant, gave her breast to it."

The prince stopped before the steward.

"It is wrong," said he, "when a cow instead of suckling its calf goes to the plough and is beaten. Though this Jewess has committed a great offence, I do not wish that her innocent child should be a sufferer.

Therefore Sarah will not wash the feet of the new lady again, and will not be kicked between the eyes by her a second time. Thou wilt set aside for her use in the servants' house a room with food and furniture such as are proper for a woman recovered recently from childbirth. And let her nourish her infant in peace there."

"Live thou through eternity, our ruler!" answered the steward: and he ran quickly to carry out the commands of the viceroy.

All the servants loved Sarah, and in a few days they had occasion to hate the angry and turbulent Kama.

CHAPTER x.x.xIX

The priestess brought little happiness to the viceroy. When he came the first time to visit her in the villa occupied recently by Sarah, he thought: "I shall be met with delight now and grat.i.tude."

Meanwhile Kama received him almost with anger.

"What is this?" cried she. "A half day has pa.s.sed, and that wretched Jewess is restored to thy favor."

"Does she not dwell in the servants' house?" asked the prince.

"But my steward says that she will wash my feet no longer."

When the prince heard this, a feeling of disgust seized him.

"Thou art not satisfied, I see," said he.

"I shall not be satisfied till I humiliate that Jewess," cried Kama, "till she, by serving me and kneeling at my feet, forgets that she was once thy first woman and the mistress of this villa. I shall not be satisfied till my servants cease to look at me with fear and without confidence, and on her with compa.s.sion."

The Phnician woman was less and less pleasing to Rameses.

"Kama," said he, "consider what I tell thee: If a servant here were to kick in the teeth a female dog that was suckling its young, I should hunt that servant out of this villa. Thou hast struck with thy foot between the eyes a woman and a mother. In Egypt mother is a great word. A good Egyptian reverences three things beyond all others,--the G.o.ds, the pharaoh, and his own mother."

"Oh, woe to me!" cried Kama, throwing herself on the couch. "Here is my reward, wretched woman, for denying my G.o.ddess. One week ago men placed flowers at my feet and burnt incense before me, but to-day--"

The prince walked out of the chamber quietly, and saw the priestess again only after some days had pa.s.sed.

But she was still in evil humor.

"I implore thee, lord," cried she, "think a little more of me. My servants even begin to contemn me, the warriors look at me with a frown, and I am afraid that some one in the kitchen may poison the food prepared for me."

"I was occupied with the army, so I could not visit thee," replied the viceroy.

"That is untrue," answered Kama, in anger. "Yesterday thou wert outside the entrance to this house, and then thou didst go to the servants' house, where dwells the Jewess. Thou didst this to show--"

"Enough!" interrupted the prince. "I was neither here nor at the servants' house. If it seemed to thee that thou wert looking at me, that means that thy lover, that worthless Greek, not only has not left Egypt, but even dares to wander through my garden."

The Phnician woman heard him with fright.

"O Astaroth!" cried she, suddenly. "Save me! Hide me, O earth! for if that wretch Lykon returns mighty misfortune is threatening me."

The prince laughed, but he had not patience to listen to the complaints of the ex-priestess.

"Be at rest," said he, when going, "and wonder not if after some days men bring in thy Lykon bound like a jackal. That insolent ruffian has worn out my patience."

On returning to his palace the prince summoned Hiram and the chief of police in Pi-Bast. He told them that Lykon, the Greek with a face resembling his, was prowling around among the palaces, and he gave command to seize him. Hiram swore that if Phnicians helped the police the Greek would be taken. But the chief shook his head.

"Dost doubt?" asked the prince.

"Yes, lord. In Pi-Bast dwell many pious Asiatics who think the priestess worthy of death because she deserted the altar. If this Greek has bound himself to kill Kama, they will help him, they will conceal the man, and facilitate flight for him."

"What is thy answer to this?" asked the heir of Hiram.

"The worthy master of the palace speaks wisely," replied the old Phnician.

"But ye have freed Kama from the curse."

"I guarantee that Phnicians will not touch Kama, and will pursue the Greek. But what is to be done with the other adherents of Astaroth?"

"I make bold to think," said the chief, "that nothing threatens this woman at present. If she had courage, we might employ her to decoy the Greek, and seize him here in thy palaces, O Erpatr."

"Then go to her," said the prince, "and lay before her whatever plan thou mayst think out. And if thou seize the man, I will give thee ten talents."

When the heir left them, Hiram said to the chief,--

"Dignitary, I am aware that thou knowest both kinds of writing, and that the wisdom of priests is not strange to thee. When thou hast the wish, thou art able to hear through walls and see things in darkness.

For this reason thou knowest the thoughts of the man who works with a bucket, the laborer, the artisan who takes sandals to market, the great lord who in the escort of his servants feels as safe as a child on the bosom of its mother."

"Thou speakest truth," replied the official. "The G.o.ds have given me a wonderful gift of clear insight."

"That is it; thanks to thy gifts, thou hast guessed beyond doubt that the temple of Astaroth will appoint to thee twenty talents if thou seize that wretch who dares a.s.sume the appearance of the prince, our viceroy. Besides, in every case, the temple offers thee ten talents if news of the likeness of the wretched Lykon to the heir is not reported throughout Egypt; for it is offensive and improper that an ordinary mortal should recall by his features a personage descended from divinity."