"Four drops of it in his wine infallibly destroys the drinker's senses; try the drink on a slave, and thou wilt see how effectual it is." "What shall I do with it ?" asked Ani.
"Justify thyself to Ameni," said the witch laughing.

"Order the ship's captain to come to thee as soon as he returns; entertain him with wine--and when Ameni sees the distracted wretch, why should he not believe that in a fit of craziness he sailed past Chennu ?" "That is clever! that is splendid!" exclaimed Ani.

"What is once remarkable never becomes common.

You were the greatest of singers--you are now the wisest of women--my lady Beki." "I am no longer Beki, I am Hekt," said the old woman shortly.
"As you will! In truth, if I had ever heard Beki's singing, I should be bound to still greater gratitude to her than I now am to Hekt," said Ani smiling.

"Still, I cannot quit the wisest woman in Thebes without asking her one serious question.