Page:Ben-Hur a tale of the Christ.djvu/455

Rh &quot;Most fair, were I an Egyptian or a Greek or a Roman, I would say&quot;—he raised the goblet overhead as he spoke—&quot;O ye better gods! I give thanks that there are yet left to the world, despite its wrongs and sufferings, the charm of beauty and the solace of love, and I drink to her who best represents them—to Iras, loveliest of the daughters of the Nile!&quot;

She laid her hand softly upon his shoulder.

&quot;You have offended against the law. The gods you have drunk to are false gods. Why shall I not tell the rabbis on you!&quot;

&quot;Oh!&quot; he replied, laughing, &quot;that is very little to tell for one who knows so much else that is really important.&quot;

&quot;I will go further—I will go to the little Jewess who makes the roses grow and the shadows flame in the house of the great merchant over in Antioch. To the rabbis I will accuse you of impenitence; to her—&quot;

&quot;Well, to her?&quot;

&quot;I will repeat what you have said to me under the lifted cup, with the gods for witnesses.&quot; He was still a moment, as if waiting for the Egyptian to go on. With quickened fancy he saw Esther at her father’s side listening to the despatches he had forwarded—sometimes reading them. In her presence he had told Simonides the story of the affair in the Palace of Idernee. She and Iras were acquainted; this one was shrewd and worldly; the other was simple and affectionate, and therefore easily won. Simonides could not have broken faith—nor Ilderim—for if not held by honor, there was no one, unless it might be himself, to whom the consequences of exposure were more serious and certain. Could Esther have been the Egyptian’s informant? He did not accuse her; yet a suspicion was sown with the thought, and suspicions, as we all know, are weeds of the mind which grow of themselves, and most rapidly when least wanted. Before he could answer the allusion to the little Jewess, Balthasar came to the pool.

&quot;We are greatly indebted to you, son of Hur,&quot; he said, in his grave manner. &quot;This vale is very beautiful; the grass, the trees, the shade, invite us to stay and rest, and the