"O Trinity of immortal gods,--Osiris, Isis, and Horus,--save Egypt from destruction! Since the world became the world, no pharaoh has ever uttered so many blasphemies as we have heard to-day from that stripling. What do I say, pharaoh?--No enemy of Egypt, no Hittite, Phœnician, or Libyan has ever dared so to insult priestly immunity." "Wine makes a man transparent," answered Mentezufis. "But in that youthful heart is a nest of serpents. He insults the priestly rank, he jeers at miracles, he has no belief in gods." "But this concerns me most," said Mentezufis, thoughtfully,--"how did he learn of our negotiations with Beroes? for he knows them, I will swear to that." "A dreadful treason has been committed," added Mefres, seizing his head. "A very wonderful thing! There were four of us." "Not at all four of us. The elder priestess of Isis knew of Beroes, two priests who showed him the road to the temple of Set, and a priest who received him at the door. But wait! that priest spends all his time in underground places. But if he overheard?" "In every case he did not sell the secret to a stripling, but to some one more important; and that is dangerous." The high priest of the temple of Ptah, the holy Sem, knocked at the door of the cell. "Peace to you," said he, entering. "Blessing to thy heart." "I came, for ye were raising your voices as if some misfortune had happened. Does this war with the wretched Libyans not surprise you?" "What dost thou think of the prince,--the heir to the throne?" asked Mentezufis, interrupting him. "I think," answered Sem, "that he must be quite satisfied with the war and supreme command. He is a born hero. When I look at him I remember that lion, Rameses the Great. This youth is ready to rush at all the bands of Libya, and, indeed, he may scatter them." "This youth," added Mefres, "is capable of overturning all our temples, and wiping Egypt from the face of the earth." Holy Sem drew forth quickly a gold amulet which he wore on his breast, and whispered,-- "Flee, evil words, to the desert. Go far, and harm not the just. What art thou saying, worthiness?" continued he, more loudly, and in a tone of reproach. "The worthy Mefres speaks truth," said Mentezufis. "Thy head would ache, and thy stomach also, should human lips repeat the blasphemous words which we have heard this day from that giddy stripling." "Jest not, O prophet," said the high priest Sem, with indignation. "Sooner would I believe that water burns and air quenches than that Rameses would commit blasphemy." "He did so in seeming drunkenness," said Mefres, maliciously. "Even if he were drunk--I do not deny that the prince is frivolous, and a rioter; but a blasphemer--" "So, too, did we think," said Mentezufis. "And we were so sure of knowing his character that when he returned from the temple of Hator we ceased even to exercise control over him."