After a silence, he took up the scroll and made as if to
return it to its hiding-place in the compartments under the table.
"Stay," Kenkenes said, laying his hand on the sorcerer's. "Put it not
away, for I shall carry it. Shall I, being a believer in Israel's God,
be willing for the Pharaoh to pursue Israel?"
"Nay," Jambres replied bluntly; "but thou wouldst stay him for Israel's
sake; I would prevent him for his own."
"So the same end is accomplished, wherefore quarrel over the motive?
But when thou speakest of Israel's sake, which, by the testimony of
past events, is now the more imperiled, Egypt or Israel?"
"Egypt! But it shall not be wholly overthrown through mine incautious
trust of a messenger."
The young man still retained his hold on the sorcerer's hand.
"Thou dost impugn my fidelity. Now, consider this. I could have
defeated thee and accomplished the Pharaoh's undoing by refusing to
carry the message, by keeping silence in yonder shed of image-makers.
Is it not so?"
Jambres assented.
"Even so. Instead, I offered and now I insist. Now, if thou deniest
me, there is none to carry the warning and thou, thyself, hast undone
the Pharaoh."
The sorcerer put away the hand and showed no sign of softening.
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