“This: Because the Prince has striven to deal well with the people of Israel and for their sake has cast aside a crown, whatever may chance to others, let him fear nothing. No harm shall come to him, or to those about him, such as yourself, Scribe Ana, who also would deal justly by us. Yet it may happen that through my niece Merapi, on whose head the evil word has fallen, a great sorrow may come to both him and her. Therefore, perhaps, although setting this against that, she may be wise to stay in the house of Seti, he, on the balance, may be wise to turn her from his doors.” “What sorrow?” I asked, who grew bewildered with his dark talk, but there was no answer, for he had gone. Near to my lodging another man met me, and the moonlight shining on his face showed me the terrible eyes of Ki. “Scribe Ana,” he said, “you leave for Memphis to-morrow at the dawn, and not two days hence as you purposed.” “How do you know that, Magician Ki?” I answered, for I had told my change of plan to none, not even to Bakenkhonsu, having indeed only determined upon it since Jabez left me. “I know nothing, Ana, save that a faithful servant who has learned all you have learned to-day will hurry to make report of it to his master, especially if there is some other to whom he would also wish to make report, as Bakenkhonsu thinks.” “Bakenkhonsu talks too much, whatever he may think,” I exclaimed testily. “The aged grow garrulous. You were at the crowning to-day, were you not?” “Yes, and if I saw aright from far away, those Hebrew prophets seemed to worst you at your own trade there, Kherheb, which must grieve you, as you were grieved in the temple when Amon fell.” “It does not grieve me, Ana. If I have powers, there may be others who have greater powers, as I learned in the temple of Amon. Why therefore should I feel ashamed?” “Powers!” I replied with a laugh, for the strings of my mind seemed torn that night, “would not craft be a better word? How do you turn a stick into a snake, a thing which is impossible to man?” “Craft might be a better word, since craft means knowledge as well as trickery. ‘Impossible to man!’ After what you saw a while ago in the temple of Amon, do you hold that there is anything impossible to man or woman? Perhaps you could do as much yourself.” “Why do you mock me, Ki? I study books, not snake-charming.” He looked at me in his calm fashion, as though he were reading, not my face, but the thoughts behind it. Then he looked at the cedar wand in his hand and gave it to me, saying: “Study this, Ana, and tell me, what is it.” “Am I a child,” I answered angrily, “that I should not know a priest’s rod when I see one?” “I think that you are something of a child, Ana,” he murmured, all the while keeping those eyes of his fixed upon my face.