ed. It had a ground and an upper story and
was built of wood. Its form was that of an immense hexagon with two
porticos, an upper and a lower one which surrounded the building and
rested on a multitude of pillars. Lamps were burning in the interior;
hence it was possible to see that the walls were formed of planks
perforated like lace, and that these walls were protected from the wind
by curtains of various colors. The roof of the building was flat,
surrounded by a balustrade; on this roof stood a number of tents.

Greeted heartily by half-naked servitors, some of whom ran out with
torches, while others prostrated themselves before him, the heir
entered his residence. On the ground floor he removed his dusty dress,
bathed in a stone basin, and put on a kind of great sheet which he
fastened at the neck and bound round his waist with a cord for a
girdle. On the first floor he ate a supper consisting of a wheaten
cake, dates, and a glass of light beer. Then he went to the terrace of
the building, and lying on a couch covered with a lion skin, commanded
the servants to withdraw and to bring up Tutmosis the moment he
appeared there.

About midnight a litter stopped before the residence, and out of it
stepped the adjutant. When he walked along the terrace heavily yawning
as he went, the prince sprang up from the couch and cried,

"Art Thou here? Well, what?"

"Then art Thou not sleeping yet?" replied Tutmosis. "O gods, after so
many days of torture! I think that I should sleep until sunrise."

"What of Sarah?"

"She will be here the day after to-morrow, or Thou wilt be with her in
the house beyond the river."

"Only after to-morrow!"

"Only? I beg thee, Ramses, to sleep. Thou hast taken too much bad blood
to thy heart, fire will strike to thy head."

"What about her father?"

"He is honorable and wise. They call him Gideon. When I told him that
Thou hadst the wish to take his daughter, he fell on the ground and
tore his hair. Of course I waited till this outburst of fatherly
suffering was over; I ate a little, drank some wine, and at last
proceeded to bargaining. The weeping Gideon swore first of all that he
would rather see his daughter dead than the mistress of any man. Then I
told him that near Memphis, on the Nile, he would receive land which
gives two talents of yearly income and pays no taxes. He was indignant.
Then I stated that he might receive another talent yearly in gold and
silver. He sighed and decla