The Pharaoh and the Priest. Bolesław Prus

Thou art so wise that Thou shouldst be an adviser to the heir,' replied my Tamara."

      Ramses was boiling with impatience, but he listened to the banker, he,

       Ramses, who stormed in the presence of his own mother and the pharaoh.

      "When we, lord, stopped and understood that Thou wert desirous of my services, such delight entered my house that I ordered to give the servants ten pitchers of beer, and my wife Tamara commanded me to buy her new earrings. My joy was increased so that when coming hither I did not let my driver beat the asses. And when my unworthy feet touched thy floor, O prince, I took out a gold ring, greater than that which the worthy Herhor gave Eunana, and presented it to thy slave who poured water on my fingers. With permission, worthiness, whence came that silver pitcher from which they poured the water?"

      "Azarias, the son of Gaber, sold it to me for two talents."

      "A Jew? Erpatr, dost Thou deal with Jews? But what will the gods say?"

      "Azarias is a merchant, as Thou art," answered Ramses.

      When Dagon heard this, he caught his head with both hands, he spat and groaned,

      "O Baal Tammuz! O Baaleth! O Astoreth! Azarias, the son of Gaber, a Jew, to be such a merchant as I am. Oh, my legs, why did ye bring me hither? Oh, my heart, why dost Thou suffer such pain and palpitation? Most worthy prince," cried the Phoenician, "slay me, cut off my hand if I counterfeit gold, but say not that a Jew can be a merchant. Sooner will Tyre fall to the earth, sooner will sand occupy the site of Sidon than a Jew be a merchant. They will milk their lean goats, or mix clay with straw under blows of Egyptian sticks, but they will never sell merchandise. Tfu! tfu! Vile nation of slaves! Thieves, robbers!"

      Anger boiled up in the prince, it is unknown why, but he calmed himself quickly. This seemed strange to Ramses himself, who up to that hour had not thought self-restraint needed in his case in presence of any one.

      "And then," said the heir on a sudden, "wilt thou, worthy Dagon, loan me fifteen talents?"

      "O Astoreth! Fifteen talents? That is such a great weight that I should have to sit down to think of it properly."

      "Sit down then."

      "For a talent," said Dagon, sitting in an armchair comfortably, "a man can have twelve gold chains, or sixty beautiful milch cows, or ten slaves for labor, or one slave to play on the flute or paint, and maybe even to cure. A talent is tremendous property."

      The prince's eyes flashed,

      "Then Thou hast not fifteen talents?"

      The terrified Phoenician slipped suddenly from the chair to the floor.

      "Who in the city," cried he, "has not money at thy command, O child of the sun? It is true that I am a wretch whose gold, precious stones, and whole property is not worth one glance of thine, O prince, but if I go around among our merchants and say who sent me, I shall get fifteen talents even from beneath the earth. Erpatr, if Thou shouldst stand before a withered fig-tree and say 'Give money!' the fig-tree would pay thee a ransom. But do not look at me in that way, O son of Horus, for I feel a pain in the pit of my heart and my mind is growing blunted," finished the Phoenician, in tones of entreaty.

      "Well, sit in the chair, sit in the chair," said the prince, laughing.

      Dagon rose from the floor and disposed himself still more agreeably in the armchair.

      "For how long a time does the prince wish fifteen talents?"

      "Certainly for a year."

      "Let us say at once three years. Only his holiness might give back fifteen talents in the course of a year, but not the youthful heir, who must receive young pleasant nobles and beautiful women. Ah, those women! Is it true, with thy permission, that Thou hast taken to thyself Sarah the daughter of Gideon?"

      "But what per cent dost Thou wish?" interrupted Ramses.

      "A trifle, which thy sacred lips need not mention. For fifteen talents the prince will give five talents yearly, and in the course of three years I will take back all myself, so that thou, worthiness, wilt not even know."

      "Thou wilt give me today fifteen talents, and during three years take back thirty?"

      "Egyptian law permits percentage to equal the loan," answered Dagon, confusedly.

      "But is that not too much?"

      "Too much?" cried out Dagon. "Every great lord has a great court, a great property, and pays no per cent save a great one. I should be ashamed to take less from the heir to the throne; if I did the prince himself might command to beat me with sticks and to drive me out of his presence."

      "When wilt Thou bring the money?"

      "Bring it? O gods, one man would not have strength to bring so much. I will do better: I will make all payments for the prince, so that, worthiness, Thou wilt not need to think of such a wretched matter."

      "Then dost Thou know my debts?"

      "I know them a little," answered Dagon, carelessly.

      "The prince wishes to send six talents to the Eastern army; that will be done by our bankers. Three talents to the worthy Nitager and three to the worthy Patrokles; that will be done here immediately. Sarah and her father I can pay through that mangy Azarias even better to pay them thus, for they would cheat the prince in reckoning."

      Ramses began to walk through the room impatiently.

      "Then am I to give a note for thirty talents?"

      "What note? why a note? what good would a note be to me? The prince will rent me for three years lands in the provinces of Takens, Ses, Neha-Meut, Neha-Pechu, in Sebt-Het, in Habu."

      "Rent them?" said the prince. "That does not please me."

      "Whence then am I to get back my money, my thirty talents?"

      "Wait! I must ask the inspector of my granaries how much these properties bring me in yearly."

      "Why so much trouble, worthiness? What does the inspector know? He knows nothing; as I am an honest Phoenician, he knows nothing. Each year the harvest is different, and the income different also. I may lose in this business, and the inspector would make no return to me."

      "But seest thou, Dagon, it seems to me that those lands bring far more than ten talents yearly."

      "The prince is unwilling to trust me? Well, at command of the heir I will drop out the land of Ses. The prince is not sure of my heart yet? Well, I will yield Sebt-Het also. But what use for an inspector here? Will he teach the prince wisdom? O Astoreth! I should lose sleep and appetite if such an overseer, subject and slave, dared to correct my gracious lord. Here is needed only a scribe who will write down that my most worthy lord gives me as tenant for three years lands in such and such a province. And sixteen witnesses will be needed to testify that such an honor from the prince has come to me. But why should servants know that their lord borrows money from Dagon?"

      The wearied heir shrugged his shoulders.

      "Tomorrow," said he, "Thou wilt bring the money, and bring a scribe and witnesses. I do not wish to think of it."

      "Oh, what wise words!" cried the Phoenician. "Mayst Thou live, worthiest lord, through eternity!"

CHAPTER IX

       Table of Contents

      ON the right bank of the Nile, on the edge of the northern suburb of Memphis, was that laud which the heir to 'the throne had given as place of residence to Sarah the daughter of Gideon.

      That was a possession thirty-five acres in area, forming a quadrangle which was seen from the house-top as something on the palm of the hand. The land was on a hill and was divided into four elevations. The two lowest and widest, which the Nile always flooded, were intended for grain and for