diff options
Diffstat (limited to '43985.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | 43985.txt | 11905 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 11905 deletions
diff --git a/43985.txt b/43985.txt deleted file mode 100644 index b635283..0000000 --- a/43985.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11905 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Domitia by Sabine Baring-Gould - - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no -restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under -the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or -online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license - - - -Title: Domitia - -Author: Sabine Baring-Gould - -Release Date: October 20, 2013 [Ebook #43985] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOMITIA*** - - - - - - [Illustration: "ROME IS BOILING OVER, AND WILL SCALD MANY FINGERS." - _Page 89._] - - - - - - DOMITIA - - BY - S. BARING-GOULD - Author of "The Broom-Squire," "Bladys," "Mehalah," "Court Royal," Etc. - - -_Illustrated by_ -IZORA C. CHANDLER - - -NEW YORK -FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY -PUBLISHERS - - - - - - _Copyright, 1898_, - BY FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY. - - _All rights reserved._ - - - - - PRESSWORK BY - THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A. - - - - - - CONTENTS - - -Book I - I. The Port of Cenchraea - II. An Ill-Omen - III. Corbulo - IV. There Is No Star - V. The Ship of the Dead - VI. I Do Not Know - VII. The Face of the Dead - VIII. The Sword of the Dead - IX. Sheathed - X. Ubi Felicitas? - XI. The Veils of Ishtar - XII. The Fall of the Veils - XIII. To Rome! - XIV. A Little Supper - XV. The Lectisternium - XVI. In the House of the Actor - XVII. The Saturnalia of 69 - XVIII. A Refugee - XIX. The End of Vitellius - XX. Changed Tactics - XXI. The Virgin's Wreath - XXII. Quoniam Tu Caius, Ego Caia! - XXIII. The End of the Day - XXIV. Albanum - XXV. By a Razor - XXVI. Intermezzo -Book II - I. An Appeal - II. The Fish - III. In the 'Insula' - IV. Another Appeal - V. Atrium Vestae - VI. For the People - VII. 'The Blues Have It!' - VIII. The Lower Stool - IX. Glyceria - X. The Accursed Field - XI. Again: The Sword of Corbulo - XII. The Tablets - XIII. The Hour of Twelve - XIV. In the Tullianum - XV. Drawing to the Light - XVI. An Ecstasy - XVII. Hail, Gladsome Light! -Footnotes -Transcriber's Note - - - - - - - DOMITIA. - - - - - - BOOK I. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - THE PORT OF CENCHRAEA. - - -Flashes as of lightning shot from each side of a galley as she was being -rowed into port. She was a bireme, that is to say, had two tiers of oars; -and as simultaneously the double sets were lifted, held for a moment -suspended, wet with brine, feathered, and again dipped, every single blade -gleamed, reflecting the declining western sun, and together formed a flash -from each side of the vessel of a sheaf of rays. - -The bireme was approaching the entrance to the harbor of Cenchraea. - -The one white sail was filled with what little wind breathed, and it shone -against a sapphire sea like a moon. - -Now, at a signal the oars ceased to plunge. The sail was furled, and the -galley was carried into the harbor between the temple that stood on the -northern horn of the mole, and the great brazen statue of Poseidon that -occupied a rock in the midst of the entrance, driven forward by the -impulse already given her by the muscles of the rowers and the east wind -in the sail. - -This Cenchraean harbor into which she swept was one of the busiest in the -world. Through it as through a tidal sluice rushed the current of trade -from the East to the West, and from the Occident to the Orient. It was -planted on a bay of the Saronic Gulf, and on the Isthmus of Corinth, at -the foot of that lovely range of mountains thrown up by the hand of God to -wall off the Peloponnesus as the shrine of intellectual culture and the -sanctuary of Liberty. - -And a furrow--like an artificial dyke--ran between this range and Hellas -proper, a furrow nearly wholly invaded by the sea, but still leaving a -strip of land, the Corinthian isthmus, to form a barrier between the -Eastern and the Western worlds. - -On the platform at the head of a flight of marble steps before a temple of -Poseidon, in her open litter, lounged a lady, with the bloom of youth gone -from her face, but artificially restored. - -She was handsome, with finely moulded features and a delicate white hand, -the fingers studded with rings, and a beautiful arm which was exposed -whenever any one drew near whose admiration was worth the acquisition. Its -charm was enhanced by armlets of gold adorned with cameos. - -Her arched brows, dark in color, possibly owed their perfection of turn -and their depth of color to dye and the skill of the artist who decorated -her every day, but not so the violet-blue of her large eyes, although -these also were enhanced in effect by the tinting of the lashes, and a -touch of paint applied to their roots. - -The lady, whose name was Longa Duilia, was attended by female slaves, who -stood behind the litter, and by a freedman, Plancus, who was at her side -with a set smile on his waxen face, and who bowed towards the lady every -moment to hear her remarks, uttered in a languid tone, and without her -troubling to turn her head to address him. - -"He will soon be here," said the lady; "the bireme is in the port. I can -see the ruffle before her bows as she cuts the water." - -"Like the wave in my lady's hair," sighed Plancus. - -"Abominable!" exclaimed Duilia, "when the ripple in my hair is natural and -abiding, and that in the water is made and disappears." - -"Because, Mistress, the wavelets look up, see, and fall back in despair." - -"That is better," said the lady. - -"And the swelling sail, like your divine bosom, has fallen, as when----" - -"Ugh! I should hope the texture of my skin was not like coarse sail-cloth; -get behind me, Plancus. Here, Lucilla, how am I looking? I would have my -lord see me to the best advantage." - -"Madam," said the female slave, advancing, "the envious sun is about to -hide his head in the west. He cannot endure, after having feasted on your -beauty, to surrender it to a mortal." - -"Is not one eyebrow a trifle higher than the other?" asked Duilia, looking -at herself in a hand mirror of polished metal. - -"It is indeed so, lady, but has not the Paphian Goddess in the statue of -Phidias the same characteristic? Defect it is not, but a token of -divinity." - -"Ah," said Duilia, "it is hereditary. The Julian race descends from Venus -Genetrix, and I have the blood of the immortal ancestress in me." - -"Much diluted," muttered Plancus into the breast of his tunic; he was out -of humor at the failure of his little simile of the sail. - -"By the way," said the lady; "the stay in this place Cenchraea is -positively intolerable. No society, only a set of merchants--rich and all -that sort of thing--but nobodies. The villa we occupy is undignified and -uncomfortable. The noise of the port, the caterwauling of sailors, and the -smell of pitch are most distasteful to me. My lord will hardly tarry -here?" - -"My lord," said the freedman, pushing forward, "he who subdued the -Parthians, and chained the Armenians, to whom all Syria bowed, arrives to -cast himself at your ladyship's feet, and be led by you as a captive in -your triumphal entry into the capital of the world." - -"You think so, Plancus." She shook her head, "He is an obstinate -man--pig-headed--I--I mean resolute in his own line." - -"Madam, I know you to be irresistible." - -"Well, I desire to leave this odious place. I have yawned here through -three entire months." - -"And during these months, the temple of Aphrodite has been deserted, and -the approaches grass-grown." - -"How would my Lady like to remove to Corinth?" said Lucilla. "The vessel -will be taken to Diolcus, and there placed on rollers, to be drawn across -the isthmus." - -"Oh! Corinth will be noisier than this place, and more vulgar, because -more pretentious. Only money-lending Jews there. Besides, I have taken an -aversion to the place since the death of my physician. As the Gods love -me, I not see the good of a medical attendant who is so ignorant as to -allow himself to die, and that at such an inconvenient moment as the -present. By the Great Goddess! what impostors there be. To think that for -years I committed the care of my precious health to his bungling hands! -Plancus, have you secured another? I suffer frightfully at sea." - -"A sure token of your divine origin," said the steward. "The Foam-born -(Venus) rose out of and left the waves because the motion of them -disagreed with her." - -"There is a good deal in that," observed Longa Duilia. "Plancus, have you -secured another? I positively cannot across Adria without one to hold my -head and supply anti--anti--what do you call them?" - -"Madam," said the freedman, rubbing his hands together, "I have devoted my -energies to your service. I have gone about with a lantern seeking an -honest physician. I may not have been as successful as I desired, but I -have done my utmost." - -"I prithee--have done with this rodomontade and to the point. Have you -secured one? As the Gods love me! it is not only one's insides that get -upset at sea, but one's outside also becomes so tousled and tumbled--that -the repairs--but never mind about them. Have you engaged a man?" - -"Yes, my Lady, I have lighted on one Luke, a physician of Troas; he is -desirous of proceeding to Rome, and is willing to undertake the charge of -your health, in return for being conveyed to the capital of the world at -your charges." - -"I make you responsible for his suitability," said Longa Duilia. - -"Body of Bacchus!" she exclaimed suddenly, after a pause, "Where is the -child?" - -"Where is the lady Domitia Longina?" asked Plancus, as he looked about -him. - -"The lady Domitia, where is she?" asked Lucilla. - -"The lady Domitia?"--passed from one to another. - -"Where is she? What has become of her? As the Gods love me--you are a pack -of fools. The more of you there are, so much the more of folly. You have -let her gallop off among the odious sailors, and she will come back rank -with pitch. Lucilla, Favonia, Syra, where is she?" - -Duilia sat upright on her seat, and her eyes roamed searchingly in every -direction. - -"I never met with such a child anywhere, it is the Corbulo blood in her, -not mine. The Gods forbid! O Morals!" - -"Madam," said a slave-girl coming up. "I saw her with Eboracus." - -"Well, and where is Eboracus. They are always together. He spoils the -child, and she pays him too much consideration. Where are they?" - -The slaves, male and female, looked perplexedly in every direction. - -"Perhaps," said Plancus, "she has gone to the altar of Poseidon to offer -there thanks for the return of her father." - -"Poseidon, nonsense! That is not her way. She has been in a fever ever -since the vessel has been sighted, her cheeks flaming and in a fidget as -if covered with flying ants. Find the girl. If any harm shall have come to -her through your neglect, I will have you all flayed--and hang the cost!" - -She plucked a bodkin from her dress, and ran it into the shoulder of the -slave-woman, Favonia, who stood near her, and made her cry out with pain. - -"You are a parcel of idle, empty-headed fools," exclaimed the alarmed and -irritated mother, "I will have the child found, and that instantly. You -girls, you have been gaping, watching the sailors, and have not had an eye -on your young mistress, and no concern for my feelings. There is no more -putting anything into your heads than of filling the sieves of the -Danaides." - -"Madam," said Plancus, for once without a smile on his unctuous face, "you -may rest satisfied that no harm has befallen the young lady. So long as -Eboracus is with her, she is safe. That Briton worships her. He would -suffer himself to be torn limb from limb rather than allow the least ill -to come to her." - -"Well, well," said the lady impatiently, "we expect all that sort of thing -of our slaves." - -"Madam, but do we always get it?" - -"We! The Gods save me! How you talk. _We!_ We, indeed. Pray what are you -to expect anything?" - -"The other day, lady," hastily continued the steward eager to allay the -ebullition he had provoked. "The other day, Eboracus nigh on killed a man -who looked with an insolent leer at his young mistress. He is like a -faithful Molossus." - -"I do not ask what he is like," retorted the still ruffled lady, "I ask -where she is." - -Then one of the porters of the palanquin came forward respectfully and -said to the steward:--"If it may please you, sir, will you graciously -report to my Lady that I observed the young mistress draw Eboracus aside, -and whisper to him, as though urging somewhat, and he seemed to demur, but -he finally appeared to yield to her persuasions, and they strolled -together along the mole." - -Longa Duilia overheard this. It was not the etiquette for an underling to -address his master or mistress directly unless spoken to. - -She said sharply:--"Why did not the fellow mention this before? Give him -thirty lashes. Where did they go, did he say?" - -"Along the mole." - -"Which mole?" - -"Madam, Carpentarius is afraid of extending his communication lest he -increase the number of his lashes." - -"Well, well!" exclaimed the mistress, "We may remit the lashes--let him -answer." - -"Carpentarius," said the steward, "Her ladyship, out of the superabundance -of her compassion, will let you off the thirty lashes, if you say where be -Eboracus and the young lady, your mistress Domitia Longina." - -"Sir," answered the porter, "that I cannot answer positively; but--unless -my eyes deceive me, I see a small boat on the water, within it a rower and -a young girl." - -"By the Immortal Brothers! he is right," exclaimed Plancus. "See, lady, -yonder is a cockle boat, that has been unmoored from the mole, and there -be in it a rower, burly, broadbacked, who is certainly the Briton, and in -the bow is as it were a silver dove--and that can be none other than your -daughter." - -"As the Gods love me," gasped Duilia, throwing herself back in the litter; -"what indelicacy! It is even so, the child is besotted. She dotes on her -father, whom she has not seen since we left Antioch. And she has actually -gone to meet him. O Venus Kalypyge! What are we coming to, when children -act in this independent, indecent manner. O Times! O Morals!" - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - AN ILL-OMEN. - - -It was even so. - -The young girl had coaxed the big Briton to take her in a boat to the -galley, so as to meet and embrace her father, before he came on shore. - -She was a peculiarly affectionate child, and jealous to boot. She knew -that, so soon as he landed, his whole attention would be engrossed by her -very exacting mother, who moreover would keep her in the background, and -would chide should the father divert his notice from herself to his child. - -She was therefore determined to be the first to salute him, and to receive -his endearments, and to lavish on him her affection, unchecked by her -mother. - -As for the slave, he knew that he would get into trouble if he complied -with the girl's request, but he was unable to resist her blandishments. - -And now Domitia reached the side of the galley, and a rope was cast to the -boat, caught by Eboracus, who shipped his oars, and the little skiff was -made fast to the side of the vessel. - -The eyes of the father had already recognized his child. Domitia stood in -the bows and extended her arms, poised on tiptoe, as if, like a bird about -to leap into the air and fly to his embrace. - - [Illustration: "DOMITIA EXTENDED HER ARMS." _Page 10._] - -And now he caught her hand, looked into her dancing, twinkling eyes, as -drops of the very AEgean itself, set in her sweet face, and in another -moment she was clinging round his neck, and sobbing as though her heart -would break, yet not with sorrow, but through excess of otherwise -inexpressible joy. - -For an hour she had him to herself--all to herself--the dear father whom she -had not seen for half a year, to tell him how she loved him, to hear about -himself, to pour into his ear her story of pleasures and pains, great -pleasures and trifling pains. - -And yet--no, not wholly uninterrupted was the meeting and sweet converse, -for the father said: - -"My darling, hast thou no word for Lucius?" - -"Lamia! He is here?" - -The father, Cnaeus Domitius Corbulo, with a smile turned and beckoned. - -Then a young man, with pleasant, frank face, came up. He had remained at a -distance, when father and daughter met, but had been unable to withdraw -his eyes from the happy group. - -"Domitia, you have not forgotten your old playmate, have you?" - -With a light blush like the tint on the petal of the rose of June, the -girl extended her hand. - -"Nay, nay!" said Corbulo. "A gentler, kinder greeting, after so long a -separation." - -Then she held up her modest cheek, and the young man lightly touched it -with his lips. - -She drew herself away and said: - -"You will not be angry if I give all my thoughts and words and looks to my -father now. When we come on shore, he will be swallowed up by others." - -Lamia stepped back. - -"Do not be offended," she said with a smile, and the loveliest, most -bewitching dimples came into her cheeks. "I have not indeed been without -thought of you, Lucius, but have spun and spun and weaved too, enough to -make you a tunic, all with my own hands, and a purple _clavus_--it nigh -ruined me, the dyed Tyrian wool cost(1)--I will not say; but I wove little -crossed L's into the texture." - -"What," said Corbulo. "For Lucius and Longina?" - -The girl became crimson. - -Lamia came to her succor. "That could not be," said he, "for Longina and -Lucius are never across, but alack! Lucius is often so with Lamia, when he -has done some stupid thing and he sees a frown on his all but father's -face, but hears no word of reproach." - -"My boy," said Corbulo, "when a man knows his own faults, then a reprimand -is unnecessary, and what is unnecessary is wrong." - -Lamia bowed and retired. - -And now again father and daughter were alone together in the prow -observing the arc of the harbor in which the ship was gliding smoothly. - -And now the sailors had out their poles and hooks, and they ran the vessel -beside the wharf, and cast out ropes that were made fast to bronze rings -in the marble breasting of the quay. - -Domitia would at once have drawn her father on shore, but he restrained -her. - -"Not yet, my daughter," he said; "the goddess must precede thee." - -And now ensued a singular formality. - -From the bows of the vessel, the captain and steerer took a statuette of -Artemis, in bronze, the Ephesian goddess, with female head and numerous -breasts, but with the lower limbs swaddled, and the swaddling bands -decorated with representations of all kinds of beasts, birds, and fishes. - -This image was now conveyed on shore, followed by the passengers and crew. - -On the quay stood an altar, upon which charcoal ever burnt, under the -charge of a priest who attended to it continuously, and whenever a ship -entered the port or was about to leave, added fuel, and raked and blew up -the fire. - -Simultaneously from a small temple on the quay issued a priest with veiled -head, and his attendants came to the altar, cast some grains of incense on -the embers, and as the blue fragrant smoke arose and was dissipated by the -sea breeze, he said:-- - -"The Goddess Aphrodite of Corinth salutes her divine sister, the -Many-Breasted Artemis of Ephesus, and welcomes her. And she further prays -that she may not smite the city or the port with fire, pestilence or -earthquake." - -Then captain, steerman, pilot and the rest of the company advanced in -procession to the temple, and on reaching it offered a handful of sweet -gums on an altar there, before the image of the foam-born goddess of -Beauty, and said:-- - -"We who come from the sea, having safely traversed the AEgean, escaped -rocks and sand-banks, whirlpools and storms, under the protection of the -great goddess of Ephesus, salute in her name the goddess of Beauty, and -receive her welcome with thankfulness. And great Artemis beseeches her -sister to suffer her and the vessel with passengers and goods and crew, -that she conducts and protects, to pass across the isthmus, without let -and molestation; and she for her part undertakes to pay the accustomed -toll, and the due to the temple of Aphrodite, and that neither the -passengers nor the crew shall in any way injure or disturb the inhabitants -of Corinth or of the Isthmus." - -This ceremony concluded, all were at liberty to disperse; the sailors to -attend to the vessel, the slaves of Corbulo to look to and land such of -his luggage as he was likely to want, and Corbulo to go to his wife, who -had placed herself in an attitude to receive him. - -The captain, at the same time, entered the harbor-master's office to -arrange about the crossing of the isthmus, and to settle tolls. - -For the vessel was not to make more stay than a few days at the port of -Cenchraea. After Longa Duilia was ready, then she and her husband and -family were to proceed to Lechaeum, the port on the Corinthian Gulf, there -to embark for Italy. The vessel would leave the harbor and go to Diolchus, -that point of the Isthmus on the east where the neck of land was -narrowest. There the ships would be hauled out of the water, placed on -rollers, and by means of oxen, assisted by gangs of slaves, would convey -the vessel over the land for six miles to the Gulf of Corinth, where again -she would be floated. - -Immediately behind the Roman general, Corbulo, the father of Domitia, -walked two individuals, both wearing long beards, and draped to the feet. - -One of these had a characteristically Oriental head. His eyes were set -very close together, his nose was aquiline, his tint sallow, his eyebrows -heavy and bushy, and his general expression one of cunning and subtlety. -His movements were stately. - -The other was not so tall. He was clumsy in movement, rugged in feature, -with a broken nose, his features distinctly Occidental, as was his bullet -head. His hair was sandy, and scant on his crown. He wore a smug, -self-complacent expression on his pursed-up lips and had a certain "I am -Sir Oracle, let no dog bark" look in his pale eyes. - -These two men, walking side by side, eyed each other with ill-concealed -dislike and disdain. - -The former was a Chaldaean, who was usually called Elymas, but affected in -Greek to be named Ascletarion. - -The latter was an Italian philosopher who had received his training in -Greece at a period when all systems of philosophy were broken up and -jostled each other in their common ruin. - -No sooner was the ceremony at an end, and Corbulo had hastened from the -wharf to meet and embrace his wife, and Lamia had drawn off Domitia for a -few words, than these two men left to themselves instinctively turned to -launch their venom at each other. - -The philosopher, with a toss of his beard, and a lifting of his light -eyebrows, and the protrusion of his lower lip said: - -"And pray, what has the profundity of Ascletarion alias Elymas beheld in -the bottom of that well he terms his soul?" - -"He has been able to see what is hidden from the shallowness of Claudius -Senecio alias Spermologos(2) over the surface of which shallowness his -soul careers like a water spider." - -"And that is, O muddiness?" - -"Ill-luck, O insipidity." - -"Why so?--not, the Gods forfend, that I lay any weight on anything you may -say. But I like to hear your vaticinations that I may laugh over them." - -"Hear, then. Because a daughter of Earth dared to set foot on the vessel -consecrated to and conducted by Artemis before that the tutelary goddess -had been welcomed by and had saluted the tutelary deity of the land." - -"I despise your prophecies of evil, thou crow." - -"Not more than do I thy platitudes, O owl!" - -"Hearken to the words of the poet," said the philosopher, and he started -quoting the OEdipus Tyrannus: "The Gods know the affairs of mortals. But -among men, it is by no means certain that a soothsayer is of more account -than myself!" And Senecio snapped his fingers in the face of the Magus. - -"Conclude thy quotation," retorted Elymas. "'A man's wisdom may surpass -Wisdom itself. Therefore never will I condemn the seer, lest his words -prove true.' How like you that?" and he snapped his fingers under the nose -of the philosopher. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - CORBULO. - - -Cnaeus Domitius Corbulo was the greatest general of his time, and he had -splendidly served the State. - -His sister Caesonia had been the wife of the mad prince Caligula. She was -not beautiful, but her flexible mouth, her tender eyes, the dimples in her -cheeks, her exquisite grace of manner and sweetness of expression had not -only won the heart of the tyrant, but had enabled her to maintain it. - -Once, in an outburst of surprise at himself for loving her, he threatened -to put her to the torture to wring from Caesonia the secret of her hold on -his affections. Once, as he caressed her, he broke into hideous laughter, -and when asked the reason, said, "I have but to speak the word, and this -lovely throat would be cut." - -Yet this woman loved the maniac, and when he had been murdered in the -subterranean gallery leading from the palace to the theatre, she crept to -the spot, and was found kneeling by her dead husband with their babe in -her arms, sobbing and wiping the blood from his face. The assassins did -not spare her. They cut her down and dashed out the brains of the infant -against the marble walls. - -Corbulo was not only able, he was successful. Under Nero he was engaged in -the East against the Parthians, the most redoubted enemies of the empire. -He broke their power and sent their king, Tiridates, a suppliant to Rome. - -His headquarters had been at Antioch, and there for a while his wife and -daughter had resided with him. But after a while, they were sent part way -homewards, as Corbulo himself expected his recall. - -They had been separated from him for over six months, and had been -awaiting his arrival in a villa at Cenchraea, that had been placed at their -disposal by a Greek client. - -It was customary for those who did not live in Rome but belonged to a -province, to place themselves under the patronage of a Roman noble; -whereupon ensued an exchange of "cards" as we should say, but actually of -engraved plates or metal fishes on which the date of the agreement was -entered as well as the names of the contracting parties. Then, when a -provincial desired assistance at the capital, in obtaining redress for a -grievance in a lawsuit, or in recovering a debt, his patron attended to -his client's interests, and should he visit Rome received him into his -house as an honored guest. - -On the other hand, if the patron were on a journey and came to the place -where his client could serve him, the latter threw his house open to him, -treated him with the most profound respect and accorded to him the largest -hospitality. So now the villa of a client had been placed at the disposal -of Corbulo and his family, and he occupied it with as little hesitation as -though it were his own. - -It was a matter of pride to a Roman noble to have a large number of silver -engraved plates and fishes suspended in his atrium, announcing to all -visitors what an extensive _clientele_ he had, and the provincial was not -less proud to be able to flourish the name of his distinguished patron at -the capital. - -On the evening following the disembarkation, Corbulo and his wife were -seated on a bench enjoying the pleasant air that fanned from the sea; and -looking over the terraced garden at their daughter, who was gambolling -with a long silky-haired kid from Cilicia, that her father had brought as -a present to his child. - -She was a lovely girl, aged sixteen, with a remarkably intelligent face, -and large, clear, shrewd eyes. - -Yet, though lovely, none could say that she was beautiful. Her charm was -like that of her aunt, Caesonia, in grace of form, in changefulness and -sweetness of expression, and in the brimming intellect that flashed out of -her violet eyes. And now as she played with the kid, her every movement -formed an artist's study, and the simple joy that shone out of her face, -and the affection wherewith she glanced at intervals at her father, -invested her with a spiritual charm, impossible to be achieved by sculptor -with his chisel or by painter with his brush. - -The eyes of Domitius Corbulo followed his child, wherever she went, -whatever she did. He was a man of somewhat advanced age, shaven, with -short shorn hair, marked features, the brow somewhat retreating, but with -a firm mouth and strong jaw. Though not handsome, there was refinement in -his countenance which gave it a character of nobleness, and the brilliant -eye and decision in the countenance inspired universal respect. Every one -could see that he was not merely a commander of men in war, but a man of -culture in the forum and the academy. - -"Wife," said he, "I pray you desist. It was for this that I sent you back -from Antioch. You ever twanged one string, and I felt that your words, if -overheard, might endanger us all." - -"I speak but into thine ear." - -"A brimming vessel overflows on all sides," said Corbulo. - -"Ah well! some men make themselves by grasping at what the Gods offer -them. Others lose themselves by disregarding the favors extended by the -Immortals." - -"I deny that any such offer was made me," said the general in a tone of -annoyance. - -"What!" exclaimed Longa Duilia, "art thou so blind as not to see what is -obvious to every other eye, that the Roman people are impatient at having -a buffoon, a mimic, a fiddler wearing the purple?" - -"Nevertheless, he wears it, by favor of the gods." - -"For how long? Domitius, believe me. In the heart of every Roman citizen -rage is simmering, and the wound of injured pride rankles. He has insulted -the majesty of eternal Rome. After having acted the buffoon in Italy, -running up and down it like a jester on a tight-rope mouthing at the -people, and with his assassins scattered about below to cut them down if -they do not applaud--then he comes here also into Greece, to act on stages, -race chariots, before Greeks--Greeks of all people! To me this is nothing, -for all princes are tyrants more or less, and so long as they do not prick -me, I care not. But here it does come close. In every army, in the breast -of every soldier, rebellion springs up. Every general is uneasy and looks -at the face of every other and asks, Who will draw the sword and make an -end of this? O Morals! it makes me mad to see you alone quiescent." - -"When the Gods will a change, then the change will be granted." - -"You speak like a philosopher and not a man of action. If you do not draw, -others will forestall you, and then--instead of my being up at the top--I -shall be down in Nowhere." - -"Never will I be a traitor to Rome, and go against my oath." - -"Pshaw! They all do it, so why not you?" - -"Because my conscience will not suffer me." - -"Conscience! The haruspices have never found it yet. They can discover and -read the liver and the kidneys, but no knife has yet laid bare a -conscience as big as a bean. You were the darling of the soldiery in -Germany. You are still the idol of those who have fought under you in -Parthia and Armenia. I am sure I did my best to push your cause. I was -gracious to the soldiery--sent tit-bits from the table to the guard. I -tipped right and left, till I spent all my pocket-money, and smiled -benignantly on all military men till I got a horrible crumple here in my -cheek, do you see?" - -"Yes, shocking," said Corbulo, indifferently. - -"How can you be so provoking!" exclaimed Duilia pettishly. "Of course -there is no wrinkle, there might have been, I did so much smiling. Really, -Corbulo, one has to do all the picking--as boys get winkles out of their -shells with a pin--to extract a compliment from you. And out comes the pin -with nothing at the end. Plancus would not have let that pass." - -"Do you say that Nero is here?" - -"Yes, here, in Greece; here at our elbow, at Corinth. He has for once got -a clever idea into his head and has begun to cut a canal through the -isthmus. It has begun with a flourish of trumpets and a dinner and a -dramatic exhibition--and then I warrant you it will end." - -"The Prince at Corinth!" - -"Yes, at Corinth; and you are here with all the wide sea between you and -your troops. And docile as a lamb you have come here, and left your -vantage ground. What it all means, the Gods know. It is no doing of mine. -I warned and exhorted at Antioch, but you might have been born deaf for -all the attention you paid to my words." - -"Never would I raise my sacrilegious hand against Rome--my mother." - - [Illustration: "NEVER WOULD I RAISE MY SACRILEGIOUS HAND AGAINST ROME." - _Page 22._] - -"Nay--it is Rome that cries out to be rid of a man that makes her the scorn -of the world." - -"She has not spoken. She has not released me of my oath." - -"Because her mouth is gagged. As the Gods love me, they say that the god -Caius (Caligula) named his horse Consul. Rome may have a monkey as her -prince and Augustus for aught I care, were it not that by such a chance -the handle is offered for you to upset him and seat yourself and me at the -head of the universe." - -"No more of this," said the general. "A good soldier obeys his commander. -And I have an _imperator_," he touched his breast; "a good conscience, and -I go nowhere, undertake nothing which is not ordered by my master there." - -"Then I wash my hands of the result." - -"Come hither!" Corbulo called, and signed to his daughter who, with a -flush of pleasure, left her kid and ran to him. - -He took both her hands by the wrists, and holding her before him, panting -from play, and with light dancing in her blue eyes, he said, "Domitia, I -have not said one grave word to thee since we have been together. Yet now -will I do this. None can tell what may be the next turn up of the die. And -this that I am about to say comes warm and salt from my heart, like the -spring hard by, at the Bath of Helene." - -"And strong, father," said the girl, with flashes in her speaking eyes. -"So strong is the spring that at once it turns a mill, ere rushing down to -find its rest in the sea." - -"Well, and so may what I say so turn and make thee active, dear -child,--active for good, though homely the work may be as that of grinding -flour. When you have done a good work, and not wasted the volume of life -in froth and cascade, then find rest in the wide sea of----" - -"Of what?" sneered Duilia, "say it out--of nobody knows what." - -"That which thou sayest, dearest father, will not sleep in my heart." - -"Domitia, when we sail at sea, we direct our course by the stars. Without -the stars we should not know whither to steer. And the steering of the -vessel by the stars, that is seamanship. So in life. There are principles -of right and wrong set in the firmament----" - -"Where?" asked Duilia. "As the Gods love me, I never saw them." - -"By them," continued Corbulo, disregarding the interruption, "we must -shape our course, and this true shaping of our course, and not drifting -with tides, or blown hither and thither by winds--this is the seamanship of -life." - -"By the Gods!" said Duilia. "You must first find your stars. I hold what -you say to be rank nonsense. Where are your stars? Principles! You keep -your constellations in the hold of your vessel. My good Corbulo, our own -interest, that we can always see, and by that we ought ever to steer." - -"Father," said the girl, "I see a centurion and a handful of soldiers -coming this way--and, if I mistake not, Lamia is speeding ahead of them." - -"Well, go then, and play with the kid. Hear how the little creature bleats -after thee." - -She obeyed, and the old soldier watched his darling, with his heart in his -eyes. - -Presently, when she was beyond hearing, he said:-- - -"Now about the future of Domitia. I wish her no better fortune than to -become the wife of Lucius AElius Lamia, whom I love as my son. He has been -in and out among us at Antioch. He returns with me to Rome. In these evil -times, for a girl there is one only chance--to be given a good husband. -This I hold, that a woman is never bad unless man shows her the way. If, -as you say, there be no stars in the sky--there is love in the heart. By -Hercules! here comes Lamia, and something ails him." - -Lucius was seen approaching through the garden. His face was ashen-gray, -and he was evidently a prey to the liveliest distress. - -He hastened to Corbulo, but although his lips moved, he could not utter a -word. - -"You would speak with me," said the old general rising, and looking -steadily in the young man's face. - -Something he saw there made him divine his errand. - -Then Corbulo turned, kissed his wife, and said-- - -"Farewell. I am rightly served." - -He took a step from her, looked towards Domitia, who was dancing to her -kid, above whose reach she held a bunch of parsley. - -He hesitated for a moment. His inclination drew him towards her; but a -second thought served to make him abandon so doing, and instead, he bent -back to his wife, and said to her, with suppressed emotion-- - -"Bid her from me--as my last command--Follow the Light where and when she -sees it." - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - THERE IS NO STAR. - - -A quarter of an hour had elapsed since Corbulo entered the peristyle of -the villa, when the young man Lamia came out. - -He was still pale as death, and his muscles twitched with strong emotion. - -He glanced about him in quest of Longa Duilia, but that lady had retired -precipitately to the _gynaikonitis_, or Lady's hall, where she had -summoned to her a bevy of female slaves and had accumulated about her an -apothecary's shop of restoratives. - -Domitia was still in the garden, playing with the kid, and Lamia at once -went to her, not speedily, but with repugnance. - -She immediately desisted from her play, and smiled at his approach. They -were old acquaintances, and had seen much of each other in Syria. - -Corbulo had not been proconsul, but legate in the East, and had made -Antioch his headquarters. He had been engaged against the Parthians and -Armenians for eight years, but the war had been intermittent, and between -the campaigns he had returned to Antioch, to the society of his wife and -little daughter. - -The former, a dashing, vain and ambitious woman, had made a _salon_ there -which was frequented by the best society of the province. Corbulo, a -quiet, thoughtful and modest man, shrunk from the stir and emptiness of -such life, and had found rest and enjoyment in the company of his -daughter. - -Lamia had served as his secretary and aide-de-camp. He was a youth of much -promise, and of singular integrity of mind and purity of morals in a -society that was self-seeking, voluptuous, and corrupt. - -He belonged to the AElian _gens_ or clan, but he had been adopted by a -Lamia, a member of a family in the same clan, that claimed descent from -Lamius, a son of Poseidon, or Neptune, by one of those fictions so dear to -the Roman noble houses, and which caused the fabrication of mythical -origins, just as the ambition of certain honorable families in England led -to the falsification of the Roll of Battle Abbey. - -Pliny tells a horrible story of the first Lamia of importance, known to -authentic history. He had been an adherent of Caesar and a friend of -Cicero. He was supposed to be dead in the year in which he had been -elected praetor, and was placed on the funeral pyre, when consciousness -returned, but too late for him to be saved. The flames rose and enveloped -him, and he died shrieking and struggling to escape from the bandages that -bound him to the bier on which he lay. - -Lucius Lamia had been kindly treated by Corbulo, and the young man's heart -had gone out to the venerated general, to whom he looked up as a model of -all the old Roman virtues, as well as a man of commanding military genius. -The simplicity of the old soldier's manner and the freshness of his mind -had acted as a healthful and bracing breeze upon the youth's moral -character. - -And now he took the young girl by the hand, and walked with her up and -down the pleached avenues for some moments without speaking. - -His breast heaved. His head swam. His hand that held hers worked -convulsively. - -All at once Domitia stood still. - -She had looked up wondering at his manner, into his eyes, and had seen -that they were full. - -"What ails you, Lucius?" - -"Come, sit by me on the margin of the basin," said he. "By the Gods! I -conjure thee to summon all thy fortitude. I have news to communicate, and -they of the saddest----" - -"What! are we not to return to Rome? O Lamia, I was a child when I left -it, but I love our house at Gabii, and the lake there, and the garden." - -"It is worse than that, Domitia." He seated himself on the margin of a -basin, and nervously, not knowing what he did, drew his finger in the -water, describing letters, and chasing the darting fish. - -"Domitia, you belong to an ancient race. You are a Roman, and have the -blood of the Gods in your veins. So nerve thy heroic soul to hear the -worst." - -And still he thrust after the frightened fish with his finger, and she -looked down, and saw them dart like shadows in the pool, and her own -frightened thoughts darted as nimbly and as blindly about in her head. - -"Why, how now, Lamia? Thou art descended by adoption from the -Earth-shakes, and tremblest as a girl! See--a tear fell into the basin. Oh, -Lucius! My very kid rears in surprise." - -"Do not mock. Prepare for the worst. Think what would be the sorest ill -that could befall thee." - -Domitia withdrew her eyes from the fish and the water surface rippled by -his finger, and looked now with real terror in his face. - -"My father?" - -Then Lamia raised his dripping finger and pointed to the house. - -She looked, and saw that the gardener had torn down boughs of cypress, and -therewith was decorating the doorway. - -At the same moment rose a long-drawn, desolate wail, rising, falling, -ebbing, flowing--a sea of sound infinitely sad, heart-thrilling, -blood-congealing. - -For one awful moment, one of those moments that seems an eternity, Domitia -remained motionless. - -She could hear articulate words, voices now. - -"Come back! O Cnaeus! Come, thou mighty warrior! Come, thou pillar of thy -race! Come back, thou shadow! Return, O fleeted soul! See, see! thy -tabernacle is still warm. Return, O soul! return!" - -She knew it--the _conclamatio_; that cry uttered about the dead in the -hopes of bringing back the spirit that has fled. - -Then, before Lamia could stop her, Domitia started from the margin of the -pool, startling the fish again and sending them flying as rays from where -she had been seated, and ran to the house. - -The gardener, with the timidity of a slave, did not venture to forbid -passage. - -A soldier who was withdrawing extended his arm to bar the doorway. Quick -as thought she dived below this barrier, and next moment with a cry that -cut through the wail of the mourners, she cast herself on the body of her -father, that lay extended on the mosaic floor, with a blood-stained sword -at his side, and a dark rill running from his breast over the enamelled -pavement. - -Next moment Lamia entered. - -Around the hall were mourners, slaves of the house, as also some of those -of Longa Duilia, raising their arms and lowering them, uttering their -cries of lamentation and invocations to the departed soul, some rending -their garments, others making believe to tear their hair and scratch their -faces. - -In the midst lay the dead general, and his child clung to him, kissed him, -chafed his hands, endeavored to stanch his wound, and addressed him with -endearments. - -But all was in vain. The spirit was beyond recall, and were it to return -would again be expelled. Corbulo was dead. - -The poor child clasped him, convulsed with tears; her copious chestnut -hair had become unbound, and was strewed about her, and even dipped in her -father's blood. She was as though frantic with despair; her gestures, her -cry very different from the formal expressions and utterances of the -servile mourners. - -But Lamia at length touched her, and said-- - -"Come away, Domitia. You cannot prevent Fate." - -Suddenly she reared herself on her knees, and put back the burnished rain -of hair that shrouded her face, and said in harsh tones:-- - -"Who slew him?" - -"He fell on his own sword." - -"Why! He was happy?" - -Before an answer was given, she reeled and fell unconscious across her -father's body. - -Then Lamia stooped, gathered her up tenderly, pitifully, in his arms, and -bore her forth into the garden to the fountain, where he could bathe her -face, and where the cool air might revive her. - -Why was Corbulo dead? and why had he died by his own hand? - -The Emperor Nero was, as Duilia had told her husband, at this very time in -Greece, and further, hard by at Corinth, where he was engaged in -superintending the cutting of a canal, that was to remove the difficulty -of a passage from the Saronic to the Corinthian Gulf. - -Nero had come to Greece attended by his Augustal band of five thousand -youths with flowing locks, and gold bangles on their wrists, divided into -three companies, whose duty it was to applaud the imperial mountebank, and -rouse or lead enthusiasm, the Hummers by buzzing approval, the Clappers by -beating their hands together, and the Clashers by kicking pots about so as -to produce a contagious uproar. - -Nero was possessed with the delusion that he had a fine voice, and that he -was an incomparable actor. Yet his range was so small, that when striving -to sink to a bass note, his voice became a gurgle, and when he attempted -to soar to a high note, he raised himself on his toes, became purple in -face, and emitted a screech like a peacock. - -Not satisfied with the obsequious applause of the Roman and Neapolitan -citizens who crowded the theatre to hear the imperial buffoon twitter, he -resolved to contest for prizes in the games of Greece. - -A fleet attended him, crowded with actors, singers, dancers, heaped up -with theatrical properties, masks, costumes, wigs, and fiddles. - -He would show the Greeks that he could drive a chariot, sing and strut the -stage now in male and then in female costume, and adapt his voice to the -sex he personated, now grumbling in masculine tones, then squeaking in -falsetto, and incomparable in each. - -But with the cunning of a madman, he took with him, as his court, the -wealthiest nobles of Rome, whom he had marked out for death, either -because he coveted their fortunes or suspected their loyalty. - -Wherever he went, into whatsoever city he entered, his artistic eye noted -the finest statues and paintings, and he carried them off, from temple as -from marketplace, to decorate Rome or enrich his Golden House, the palace -he had erected for himself. - -Tortured by envy of every one who made himself conspicuous; hating, -fearing such as were in all men's mouths, through their achievements, or -notable for virtue, his suspicion had for some time rested on Domitius -Corbulo, who had won laurels first in Germany and afterwards in Syria. - -He had summoned him to Rome, with the promise of preferments, his purpose -being to withdraw him from the army that adored him, and to destroy him. - -No sooner did the tidings reach the tyrant at Corinth, that the veteran -hero was arrived at Cenchraea, than he sent him a message to commit -suicide. A gracious condescension that, for the property of the man who -was executed was forfeit and his wife and children reduced to beggary, -whereas the will of the testator who destroyed himself was allowed to -remain in force. - -Lamia washed the stains from the hands and locks of the girl, and bathed -her face with water till she came round. - -Then, when he saw that she had recovered full consciousness, he asked to -be allowed to hasten for assistance. She bowed her head, as she could not -speak, and he entered the women's portion of the villa to summon some of -the female slaves. These were, however, in no condition to answer his call -and be of use. Duilia had monopolized the attentions of almost all such as -had not been commissioned to raise the funeral wail. Some, indeed, there -were, scattered in all directions, running against each other, doing -nothing save add to the general confusion, but precisely these were -useless for Lamia's purpose. - -Unwilling to leave the child longer alone, Lucius returned to the garden, -and saw Domitia seated on the breastwork of the fountain. - -Ten years seemed to have passed over her head, so altered was she. - -She was not now weeping. The rigidity of the fainting fit seemed not to -have left her face, nor relaxed the stony appearance it had assumed. Her -eyes were lustreless, and her lips without color. - -The young man was startled at her look. - -"Domitia!" said he. - -She raised her eyes to him, and said in reply, - -"Lucius!" Then letting them fall, she added in hard, colorless tones, -"There is one thing I desire of thee. By some means or other, I care not -what, bring me into the presence of the monster. I know how my father has -come by his death--as have so many others, the best and the noblest. I have -but one ambition on earth, I see but a single duty before me--to drive if -it be but a silver bodkin into his heart." - -"Domitia!" - -"Lucius, the last words my father used to me were to bid me look to the -stars and to sail by them. I look and I see one only star. I feel but one -only duty on earth--to revenge his death." - -"My friend!" said Lamia, in a low tone. "Be careful of thy words. If -overheard, they might cause your blood to be mingled with his." - -"I care not." - -"But to me it matters sovereignly." - -"Why? Dost thou care for me?" - -"Above all in the world." - -"Then revenge me." - -"Domitia, my grief is little less than thine. If you would revenge the -loss, so would I. But what can be done? He, the coward, is carefully -guarded. None are suffered to approach him who have not first been -searched, and even then are not allowed within arm's length. Nothing can -be done, save invoke the Gods." - -"The Gods!" laughed the girl hoarsely. "The Gods! They set up the base, -the foul, and crown him with roses, and trample the noble and good into -the earth. The Gods! see you now! They set a star in heaven, they grave a -duty in my heart, and the star is unattainable, and the duty, they make -impossible of achievement. Bah! There is no star. There are no duties on -earth, and no Gods in heaven." - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - THE SHIP OF THE DEAD. - - -"It is of no use in the world, Plancus, your attempting to reason me out -of a fixed resolve," said the lady Longa Duilia, peevishly. "My Corbulo -shall not have a shabby funeral." - -"Madam, I do not suggest that," said the steward humbly, rubbing his -hands. - -"Yes, you do. It is of no good your standing on one leg like a stork. -Shabby it must be--no ancestors present. As the Gods love me, you would not -have me borrow ancestors of Asclepiades, our client, who has lent us this -villa! He may have them or not, that is no concern of mine. Will you have -done preening yourself like an old cockroach. I say it would be an -indignity to have a funeral for my Corbulo without ancestors. O Times! O -Morals! What is the good of having ancestors if you do not use them?" - -"But, Madam, they are in your palace at Rome in the Carinae--or at the -Gabian villa." - -"And for that reason they are not here. Without the attendance of his -forbears, my Corbulo shall not be buried. Besides, who is there to impress -here with the solemnity? Only a lot of wretched sailors, ship sutlers, Jew -pedlers and petty officials, not worth considering. I have said it." - -"But, Lady, Lucius Lamia agrees with me----" - -"Lucius AElius Lamia--it will not exhaust your lungs to give him his name -more fully--is not as yet one of the family." - -"Madam, consider how Agrippina did with Germanicus--she had his pyre at -Antioch, and conveyed his ashes to Rome." - -"Agrippina was able to have the funeral conducted with solemn pomp at -Antioch. There were the soldiers, the lictors, great officers and all that -sort of thing. Here--nothing at all. By the Immortals--consider the -expenses, and none to look on gaping but tarry sailors and Jew -rag-and-bone men." - -"Madam!" - -"Silence. Without ancestors!--as impossible as without wood." - -To understand the point made so much of by the widow, the Roman funeral -custom must be understood. - -On the death of a noble or high official, his face was immediately moulded -in wax, into a mask, or rather, into two masks, that were colored and -supplied with glass eyes. One was placed over the dead face, when the -corpse lay in state, and when he was conveyed to his funeral pyre, and the -first effect of the rising flames was to dissolve the mask and disclose -the dead features. - -The ancient Greeks before they burned their dead laid gold-leaf masks on -their faces, and in a still earlier time the face of the corpse was rouged -with oxide of iron, to give it a false appearance of life. - -But the second mask was preserved for the family portrait gallery. - -When a Roman gentleman or lady was carried forth to his funeral pyre, he -was preceded by a procession of actors dressed up in the togas and -military or municipal insignia of departed ancestors, each wearing the wax -mask of him he personified. For these masks were preserved with great care -in the _atrium_ of the house. - -Now as Longa Duilia saw, to have her husband burned at Cenchraea, without a -procession of imitation ancestors, would be to deprive the funeral of its -most impressive feature. - -Plancus had advised the burning at the port, with shorn rites, and that -the ashes should be placed in the family mausoleum at Gabii, and that the -utmost dignity should be accorded to this latter ceremony sufficient to -content the most punctilious widow. - -But this did not please the lady. The notion of a funeral with maimed pomp -was distasteful to her; moreover, as she argued, it was illegal to have -two funerals for the same man. - -"That," said Plancus, "hardly applies to one who has died out of Italy." - -"It is against the law," replied Duilia. "I will give no occasion to -objection, offer no handle to informers. Besides, I won't have it. The -respect I owe to Corbulo forbids the entertainment of such an idea. -Really, and on my word, Plancus, I am not a child to be amused with shadow -pictures, and unless you are making a rabbit, a fish, or a pig eating out -of a trough, I cannot conceive what you are about with your hands, -fumbling one over the other." - -"Madam, I had no thought----" - -"I know you have none. Be pleased another time when addressing me to keep -your hands quiet, it is irritating. One never knows where they are or will -be, sometimes folding and unfolding them, then--they disappear up your -sleeves and project none can guess where--like snails' horns. Be -pleased,--and now pawing your face like a cat washing itself. Please in -future hold them in front of you like a dog when sitting up, begging. But -as to the funeral--I will not have it cheap and nasty. Without ancestors a -funeral is not worth having." - -"Then," said the harassed freedman, "there is nothing for it but to engage -an embalmer." - -"Of course--one can be obtained at Corinth. Everything can be had for -money." - -As Plancus was retiring, the lady recalled him. - -"Here," said she, "do not act like a fool, and let the man charge a fancy -price. Say that I have an idea of pickling Corbulo in brine, and have -brought an _amphora_ large enough for the purpose. Don't close with his -terms at once." - -When the steward was gone, then Longa Duilia turned her head languidly and -summoned a slave-girl. - -"Lucilla! The unfortunate feature of the situation is that I must not have -my hair combed till we reach Gabii. It is customary, and for a bracelet of -pearls I would not transgress custom. You can give my head a tousled look, -without being dishevelled, I would wish to appear interesting, not -untidy." - -"Lady! Nothing could make you other than fascinating. A widow in -tears--some stray locks--it would melt marble." - -"And I think I shall outdo Agrippina," said Duilia, "she carried her -husband's cinders in an urn at the head of her berth and on appropriate -occasions howled in the most tragic and charming manner. But I shall -convey the unconsumed body of my Corbulo in state exposed on his bier, in -his military accoutrements all the way to Rhegium, then up the coast to -Ostia and so to Gabii. There will be talk!" - -"You will be cited in history as a widow the like of which the world has -never seen. As for Agrippina, in your superior blaze she will be eclipsed -forever." - -"I should prefer doing what Agrippina did--make a land journey from -Brindisium, but--but--one must consider. It would be vastly expensive, -and----" - -But the lady did not finish the sentence. She considered that Nero might -resent such a demonstration, as exciting indignation against himself, in -having obliged Corbulo to put an end to his life. But she did not dare to -breathe her thought even into the ear of a slave. - -"No," she said; "it would come too expensive. I will do what I can to -honor my husband, but not ruin myself." - -When Longa Duilia had resolved to have her own way, and that was always, -then all the entire family of slaves and retainers, freedmen and clients -knew it must be done. - -The vessel after a brief stay at Cenchraea had left for Diolcus where it -had been placed on rollers and conveyed across the isthmus, and was -launched in the Corinthian Gulf. - -Nero had been engaged for some days in excavating a canal between the two -seas. He had himself turned the first sod, but after getting some little -way, rock was encountered of so hard a quality that to cut through it -would cost time, toil and money. - -He speedily tired of the scheme, wanted the money it would have cost for -some dramatic exhibition, and was urged by Helios, a freedman whom he had -left in Rome, to return to Italy, to prevent an insurrection that was -simmering. Nero did not much believe in danger, but he had laden his fleet -with the plunder of Greece, he had strutted and twittered on every stage, -carried off every prize in every contest, and was desirous of being -applauded in Italy and at Rome for what he had achieved, and exhibit there -the chaplets he had won. - -Accordingly he started, and hardly had he done so before the Artemis with -spread sail swept down the Corinthian Gulf. - -The ship, a Liburnian, of two banks of oars, was constructed very -differently from a modern vessel. The prow was armed above water-mark with -three strong and sharp blades, called the _rostra_, the beaks, which when -driven into the side of an enemy would tear her open and sink her. - -The quarter-deck was midships, and served a double purpose, being raised -as high as the bulwarks it served as an elevated place where the captain -could stand and survey the horizon and watch the course of the vessel, and -it also served to strengthen the mast. - -On this quarter-deck, on a bed of state, lay the body of Cnaeus Domitius -Corbulo, with his sword at his side, and the wax mask over his face. At -his feet was a tripod with glowing coals on which occasionally incense and -Cilician crocus were sprinkled, and on each side of his head blazed -torches of pinewood dipped in pitch. - -The poop had a covered place, called the _aplaustre_, in which sat the -steerer. The hinged rudder had not then been invented, it was a discovery -of the Middle Ages, and the head of the vessel was given its direction by -the helmsman, _gubernator_, who worked a pair of broad flat paddles, one -on each side. - -The rowers, under the deck, were slaves, but the sailors were freemen. The -rowers were kept in stroke by a piper, who played continually when the -vessel was being propelled; and the rowers were under the direction and -command of a _hortator_, so called because his voice was incessantly -heard, urging, reprimanding, praising, threatening. - -The captain of a Roman vessel was not supreme in authority on board ship -as with us, but if the vessel contained military, he was subject to the -control of the superior military officer. - -The passage down the Corinthian Bay was effected without difficulty, -before a favorable wind, but as the vessel was about to pass out of it, -the wind suddenly changed and blew a squall from the west. And at this -moment an accident occurred that was seriously embarrassing. Whilst the -captain was standing near the steersman giving him directions relative to -the passage of the straits, a wave rolling in caught the paddle, and -caused it by the blow to snap the bronze bolt of the eye in which it -worked, and the handle flying up and forward, struck the captain on the -forehead, threw him down, and he fell against the bulwark so as to cut -open his head. He had to be carried below insensible. - -The Artemis lay under shelter till the gale abated, and then consultation -arose as to what was to be done. - -Lucius Lamia took the command, he was competent to manage the vessel, with -the advice, if needed, of the mate. He and all were reluctant to put back -to Lechaeum, the port of Corinth, on the Gulf, and the broken eye in which -the paddle worked was repaired with a stout thong, which, as the steersman -said, would hold till Adria was crossed and Rhegium was reached. - -The squall had passed, and the look of the sky was promising; moreover the -wind was again favorable. - -"Sir," said the mate, "my opinion is that we should make all speed across -Adria. This is a bad season of the year. It is a month in which sailing is -overpassed. We must take advantage of our chances. While the wind blows, -let us spread sail. The rowers can ship their oars; should the wind fail, -or prove contrary, they will be required, and they may have a hard time of -it. Therefore let them husband their strength." - -"So be it," answered Lucius Lamia. - -And now the Artemis, with sail spread, leaning on one side, drave through -the rippling water, passed the Straits into the Adriatic, with the -mountains of AEtolia to the north, and the island of Cephalonia in the blue -west before her; and as she flew, she left behind her a trail of foam in -the water, and a waft of smoke in the air from the torches that glowed -about the dead general on the quarter-deck. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - "I DO NOT KNOW." - - -The day was in decline, and although the season was winter yet the air was -not cold. The mountains of Greece lay in the wake like a bank of purple -cloud tinged with gold. - -On the quarter-deck reposed the corpse, with the feet turned in the -direction of the prow; the torches spluttered, and cast off sparks that -flew away with the smoke. - -On each side were three slave women, detailed to wail, but Longa Duilia -had issued instructions that they were not to be noisy in their -demonstration so as to disturb or swamp conversation aft. - -The undulating lament swerving through semi-tones and demi-semitones, -formed a low and sad background to the play of voices on the lower deck, -where, sheltered from the wind, the widow reclined on cushions, and her -daughter Domitia sat at her side in conversation. - -A change had come over the girl, so complete, so radical, that she seemed -hardly to be the same person as before her father's death. This was -noticeable as being in appearance and manner,--noticeable even to the -slaves, not the most observant in matters that did not particularly -concern their comfort and interests. She had been transmuted from a -playful child into a sad and serious woman. - -The sparkle had left her eyes to make way for an eager, searching fire. -The color had left her cheek; and her face had assumed a gloomy -expression. The change, in fact, was much like that in a landscape when a -sunny May day makes place for one that is overcast and threatening. The -natural features are unaltered, but the aspect is wholly different in -quality and character. - -A mighty sorrow contracting, bruising, oppressing the heart sometimes -melts it into a sweetness of patient endurance that inspires pity and -love. But grief seemed to have frozen Domitia and not to have dissolved -her into tears. - -The philosopher approached with solemn stalk, walking on the flat of his -soles. - - [Illustration: "THE PHILOSOPHER APPROACHED." _Page 44._] - -Such men were retained in noble households as family chaplains, to advise, -comfort, and exhort. And this man at intervals approached the widow, who -on such occasions assumed a woe-begone expression, beat her brow and -emitted at intervals long-drawn sighs. - -At such times, the Magus, standing near, curled his lip contemptuously, -and endeavored by shrugs and sniffs to let the bystanders perceive how -little he valued the words of the stoic. - -The philosopher Senecio now in formal style addressed the widow, and then -turned to harangue the daughter, on the excellence of moderation in grief -as in joy, on the beauty of self-control so as to suffer the storms of -life to roll over the head with indifference. In this consisted the -Highest Good, and to attain to such stolidity was the goal of all virtuous -endeavor. - -Then he thrust his hand into the folds of his toga, and withdrew, to be at -once attacked and wrangled with by the Chaldaean. - -Domitia, who had listened with indifference, turned to her mother as soon -as he was gone, and said-- - -"The _Summum Bonum_, the crown and glory of Philosophy is to become in -mind what the slave becomes after many bastinadoes, as callous in soul as -he is on the soles of his feet. The lesson of life is not worth the -acquisition." - -"I think he put it all very well." - -"Why are the strokes applied? Why should we bear them without crying out? -After all, what profit is there in this philosophy?" - -"Really, my dear, I cannot tell. But it is the correct thing to listen to -and to talk philosophy, and good families keep their tame stoics,--even -quite new and vulgar people, wretched knights who have become rich in -trade--in a word, they all do it." - -"But, mother, what is this Highest Good?" - -"You must inquire of Claudius Senecio himself. It is, I am sure something -very suitable to talk about, on such solemn occasions as this." - -"But what is it? A runner in the course knows what is the prize for which -he contends, a singer at the games sees the crown he hopes to earn--but -this Highest Good, is it nothing but not to squeal when kicked?" - -"I really do not know." - -"Mother, would to the Gods I did know! My sorrow is eating out my heart. I -am miserable. I am in darkness, like Theseus in the labyrinth, but without -a clue. And the Highest Good preached by philosophy is to sit down in the -darkness and despair of the light. I want to know. Has my father's life -gone out forever, like an extinguished torch cast into the sea? or is it a -smouldering ember that may be blown again into flame?" - -"Have you not heard, Domitia, how Senecio has assured you that your father -will live." - -"Where?" - -"On the page of history." - -"First assure me that the page will be written, and that impartially. What -I know of historians is that they scribble all the scurrility they can -against the great and noble, in the hope of thereby advancing the credit -of their own mean selves. Has a man no other hope of life than one built -on the complaisance of the most malignant of men?" - -"My dear,--positively, I do not know. You turn my head with your questions. -Call Plancus that I may scold him, to ease my overwrought nerves. The -fellow has been stopping up his wrinkles with a composition of wax, lard -and flour, and really, at his age, and in his social position--it is -absurd." - -"But, mother, I want to know." - -"Bless me, you make me squeamish. Of course we want to know a vast number -of things; and the Highest Good, I take it, is to learn to be satisfied to -know nothing. Cats, dogs, donkeys, don't worry themselves to know--and are -happy. They have, then, the _Summum Bonum_. If you want to know more, ask -the philosopher. He is paid for the purpose, and eats at our expense, and -ye gods! how he eats. I believe he finds the Highest Good in the platter." - -The lady made signs, and a slave, ever on the watch, hastened to learn her -desire, and at her command summoned the Stoic. - -The philosopher paced the deck with his chin in the air, and came aft. - -"My daughter," said the widow, "is splitting my suffering head with -questions. Pray answer her satisfactorily. Here Felicula, Procula, -Lucilla, help me to the cabin." - -When the lady had withdrawn, the philosopher said: - -"Lady, you will propound difficulties, and I shall be pleased to solve -them." - -"I ask plain answers to plain questions," said Domitia. "At death--what -then?" - -"Death, young lady, is the full stop at the end of the sentence, it is the -closing of the diptychs of life, on which its story is inscribed." - -"I asked not what death is--but to what it leads?" - -"Leads!--it--leads! ahem! Death encountered with stoic equanimity is the -highest point to which--" - -"I do not ask how to meet death, but what it leads to. You seem unable or -unwilling to answer a plain question. My dear father, does he live -still--as a star that for a while sets below the horizon but returns -again?" - -"He lives, most assuredly. In all men's mouths--on the snowy plains of -Germany, on the arid wastes of Syria, the fame of Cnaeus Domitius -Corbulo----" - -"I asked naught about his fame, but about himself. Does he still exist, -can he still think of, care for, love me--as I still think of, care for, -love him--" - -Her voice quivered and broke. - -"Young lady--Socrates could say no more of the future than that it is a -brilliant hope which one may run the risk of entertaining. And our own -Immortal Cicero declared that the hope of the soul living after death is a -dream, and not a doctrine. The Immortals have seen fit to cut the thread -of his life----" - -"The Immortals had no scissors wherewith to do it. He fell on his own -sword. Is there a soul? And after death where does it go? Is it a mere -shadow?" - -"My dear lady, philosophy teaches us to hope----" - -"Natural instinct does that without the cumbrous assistance of -philosophy--but what is that hope built on?" - -"I cannot tell." - -"Then of what avail is it to lead a good life?" - -"On the page of history----" - -"That is where the great man lives--but the poor girl or the mechanic? Of -what avail is a good life? What motive have we to induce us to lead it?" - -"The approval of the conscience." - -"But why should it approve? What is good? Where is it written that this is -good and that is evil?" - -"I cannot tell." - -"So," said the girl, and she signed to Elymas to approach. He came up with -a sneer at the philosopher, who retired in discomfiture. - -"You, Chaldaean, answer me that which confounds the Stoic. You have -learning in the East which we have not in the West. Tell me--what is the -human soul? and has it an existence after death?" - -"Certainly, lady. The soul is a ray of Divine light, an aeon out of -infinite perfection. This ray is projected into space and enters into and -is entangled in matter, and that is life, in the plant, in the fish, in -the bird, in the beast, in man." - -"And what after death?" - -"Death is the disengagement of this ray from its envelope. It returns to -the source, to the _pleroma_ or fulness of being and light whence it -emanated, and loses itself in the one urn of splendor!" - -"But when Pactolus and Styx run into the sea, the waters are mingled and -lost, as to their individuality." - -"And so with the spirits of men." - -"What!" exclaimed Domitia. "When I die my little ray re-enters the sun and -is lost in the general glory--and my father's ray is also sucked in and -disappears! There is no comfort in a thought where individuality is -extinguished. But say. How know you that what you have propounded is the -truth?" - -The Magus hesitated and became confused. - -"It is," said he, "a solution at which the minds of the great thinkers of -the East have arrived." - -"I see," said Domitia, "it is no more than a guess. You and all alike are -stagnant pools, whose muddy bottoms ferment and generate and throw up -guesswork bubbles. One bubble looks more substantial than another, yet are -all only the disguise of equal emptiness." - -The Chaldaean withdrew muttering in his beard. Domitia looked after him and -noticed the physician Luke standing near, leaning over the bulwarks. - -He was an elderly man, with kindly soft eyes, and a short beard in which -some strands of gray appeared. A modest man, ready when called on to -advise, but never self-assertive. - -Domitia had noticed him already and had taken a liking to him, though she -had not spoken to him. An unaccountable impulse induced her to address -him. - -"They are all quacks," she said. - -"They must needs be seekers, and the best they can produce, is out of -themselves, and that conjecture. From the depths of the intellect what can -be brought up than a more or less plausible guess?" - -"And on these guesses we must live, like those who float across the Tigris -and Euphrates--on rafts supported by inflated bladders. There is then no -solid ground?" - -"Man inflates the bladders--God lays the rocky basis." - -"What mean you?" - -"No certainty can be attained, in all these things man desires to know, -the basis of hope, the foundation of morality, that cannot be brought out -of man. It can only be known by revelation of God." - -"And till he reveals we must drift on wind-bags. Good lack!" - -"Do you think, Lady, that He who made man, and planted in man's heart a -desire for a future life, and made it necessary for his welfare that he -should know to discern between good and evil, should leave him forever in -the dark--like as you said Theseus in the labyrinth, without a clue?" - -"But where is the clue?" - -"Or think you that He who launched the vessel of man, having carefully -laid the keel and framed the ribs, and set in her a pilot, should send her -forth into unknown seas to certain wreckage--to be wafted up and down by -every wind--to be carried along by every current--to fall on reefs, or be -engulfed by quicksands, and not to reach a port, and He not to set lights -whereby her course may be directed?" - -"But where are the lights?" - -At that moment, before Luke could answer, Lamia, who had been in the fore -part of the vessel, came hastily aft, and disregarding the physician, -heedless of the conversation on which he broke in, said hurriedly and in -agitated tone:-- - -"The Imperial galley!" - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - THE FACE OF THE DEAD. - - -The Imperial galley! - -Domitia leaped to her feet. Everything was forgotten in the one thought -that before her, on the sea, floated the man who had caused the death of -her father. - -"Lucius I must see----" - -He drew her forward, but at the same time checked her speech. - -"Every word dropped is fraught with danger," he said. "What know you but -that yon physician be a spy?" - -"He is not that," she answered, "show him to me--him----" - -They walked together to the bows. - -With the declining of the sun, the light wind had died away, and, although -the sea heaved after the recent storm, like the bosom of a sleeping girl, -in the stillness of the air, the sail drooped and the ship made no way. - -Accordingly the sail was furled, and, by the advice of the mate, the -rowers, who had rested during the day, were summoned to their benches and -bidden work the oars during the night. - -The sky was clear, and the stars were beginning to twinkle. No part of the -voyage in calm weather would be less dangerous than this, which might be -performed at night, across open sea, unbroken by rocks and sand-banks. - -So long as the vessel had to thread her way between the headland of Araxus -and the Echinades, and then betwixt the isles of Cephalonia and Zacynthus, -an experienced navigator was necessary, and caution had to be exercised -both in the management of the sail and in the manipulation of the helm. -But now all was plain, and the mate had retired below to rest. During the -time he reposed Lamia took charge of the vessel, assisted by the second -mate. - -"You take your meridian by Polaris, Castor and Pollux, steer due west; if -there be a slight deviation from the right course, that is a trifle. I -will set it right when my watch comes." - -Such was the mate's injunction as he retired below. - -"The steersman is done up," said Lamia; "he shall rest now, and no better -man can be found to replace him than Eboracus, who has been accustomed to -the stormy seas of Britain, and whose nerves are of iron." - -Indeed, the _gubernator_ or helmsman had hard work for his arms. The two -enormous paddles had short cross-pieces let into them, like the handles of -a scythe, and the clumsy and heavy mechanism for giving direction to the -head of the vessel was worked by leverage in this manner. - -The sailors managed everything on deck, the cordage, the anchors, the sail -and the boats. In rough weather they undergirded the ship; that is to say, -passed horizontal cords round her to brace the spars together so as to -facilitate resistance to the strain when laboring against the waves. The -sailors were under the direction of the captain or trierarch, so called -whether he commanded a trireme or a Liburnian of two benches. - -On deck the steersman occupied a sort of sentry-box in the stern, and -beside him sat the mate, the second mate, and often also the captain, -forming a sort of council for the direction of the vessel. - -It was a favorite figure in the early Church to represent the Bishop as -the helmsman of the sacred vessel, and the presbyters who sat about him as -the mates occupying the stern bench. As already said, in a Roman vessel, -there was a lack of that unity in direction under the captain to which we -are accustomed. A military officer was always supreme everywhere on sea as -on land. - -When the sailors were engaged in sailing, then the rowers rested or -caroused, and when they in turn bowed over the oars, the sailors had -leisure. - -The sun went down in the west, lighting up the sky above where he set with -a rainbow or halo of copper light fading into green. - -The night fell rapidly, and the stars looked out above and around, and -formed broken reflections in the sea. - -In winter the foam that broke and was swept to right and left had none of -the flash and luminosity it displayed in summer, when the water was warm. - -Already in the wake the Greek isles and mountain ridges had faded into -night. - -The oars dipped evenly, and the vessel sped forward at a speed equal to -that of a modern Channel steamer. - -At a signal from Lamia the mourners on the quarter-deck ceased to intone -their wail. - -He and Domitia stood in the bows and looked directly before them. They -could see a large vessel ahead, of three banks of oars, but she floated -immovable on the gently heaving, glassy sea. The oars were all shipped and -she was making no way. - -The deck sparkled with lights. Torches threw up red flames, lamps gave out -a fainter yellow gleam. To the cordage lights had been suspended, and -braziers burning on the quarter-deck, fed with aromatic woods, turned the -water around to molten fire, and sent wafts of fragrance over the sea. - -The twang of a lyre and the chirp of a feeble voice were faintly audible; -and then, after a lull, ensued a musical shout of applause in rhythmic -note. - -"It is the Augustus singing," said Lamia in a tone of smothered rage and -mortification. "And he has his band of adulators about him." - -"But why do not the rowers urge on the vessel?" asked Domitia. - -"Because the piper giving the stroke would be committing high treason in -drowning the song of the princely performer. By the Gods! the grinding of -the oars in the rowlocks and the plash in the water would drown even his -most supreme trills." - -"Hast thou seen him on the stage, Lamia?" - -"The Gods forbid," answered the young man passionately, "this fancy to be -the first of singers and mimes had not come on him before I left Rome for -Syria. To think of it, that he--the head of the magistracy, of the army, of -the senate, of the priesthood, should figure as Apollo, half naked, in a -gold-powdered wig, and with painted cheeks before sniggering Greeks! The -Gods deliver me from such a sight!" - -"But you will behold it now. As we speed along we shall overtake this -floating dramatic booth." - -"I will give her a wide berth, and stop my ears with wax, though, by the -Gods! this is no siren song." - -Domitia leaned over the side of the vessel. - -"Are they sharp, Lucius?" - -"Are what sharp, Domitia?" - -"The beaks." - -"Sharp as lancets." - -"And strong?" - -"Strong as rams." - -"Then, Lucius, we will not give her wide berth. You loved my father. You -regard me. You will do what I desire, for his sake and for mine." - -"What would you have of me?" - -"Ram her!" - -Lucius Lamia started, and looked at the girl. - -She laid her hand on his arm, and gripped it as with an iron vice. - -"Run her down, Lucius! Sink the accursed murderer and mountebank in the -depths of the Ionian sea." - -Lamia gasped for breath. - -She looked up into his face. - -"Can it be done?" - -"By Hercules! we could rip up her side." - -"Then do so." - -He stood undecided. - -"Hearken to me. None will suspect our intention as we swiftly shoot up--no, -none in this vessel, only Eboracus must be in it. Suddenly we will round -and ram and welt her; and send the new Orion with his fiddle to the -fishes. By the Furies! We shall hear him scream. We shall see him beat the -waves. Lucius, let me have a marline-spike to dash at him as he swims and -split his skull and let out his brains for the fishes to banquet on them." - -"We risk all our lives." - -"What care I? My father, your friend, will be avenged." - -Still Lamia stood in unresolve. - -"Lucius! I will twine my white arms about your neck, and will kiss you -with my red lips, the moment his last scream has rung in my ears." - -"In the name of Vengeance--then," said Lamia. - -"Eboracus I can count on," said Domitia. - -"There is the under-mate. If any one on board suspect our purpose, we are -undone." - -"None need suspect," said the girl. "Say that the prince is holding -festival on board the trireme, and that it behoves us to salute. None will -think other than that we are befooling ourselves like the rest. At the -right moment, before any has a thought of thy purpose, call for the -double-stroke, and trust Eboracus--he will put the helm about, and in a -moment we run her down." - -Lamia walked to the quarter-deck, bade the mourning women go below. He -extinguished the funeral torches, and threw the ashes from the tripod into -the sea. Then the Artemis was no longer distinguishable by any light she -bore. - -Next Lamia walked aft, and in a restrained voice said: - -"The vessel of Caesar is before us. We dare not pass without leave asked -and granted." - -"All right, sir," said the second mate. "Any orders below?" - -"Keep on at present speed. When I call Slack, then let them slacken. When -I call Double, then at once with full force double." - -"Right, sir. I will carry down instructions." - -The mate went to the ladder and descended into the hold. - -There were now left on deck only Lamia, Domitia, the steersman, Eboracus, -one sailor and the physician, who was leaning over the bulwarks looking -north at the glittering constellation of Cassiopea's Chair. - -He was near the quarter-deck, in the fore part of the vessel, and had been -unobserved in the darkness by Lamia and Domitia, till they returned aft. - -Then the young man started as he observed him. - -Was it possible that the man had overheard the words spoken? There was -nothing in the attitude or manner of the physician to show that he -entertained alarm. Lamia resolved on keeping an eye upon him that he did -not communicate with the crew. - -Luke returned aft when the young people came in that direction, and seated -himself quietly on a bench. - -Eboracus was rapidly communicated with and gained. - -The Artemis flew forward, noiselessly, save for the plunge of the oars and -the hiss of the foam, as it rushed by like milk, and from the hold sounded -the muffled note of the _symphonicius_ or piper. - -Every moment the vessel neared the imperial galley, and sounds of revelry -became audible. Nothing showed that any on board were aware of the -approach of a Liburnian. - -It was now seen that tables were spread on the deck of the Imperial -vessel, and that the prince and his attendants, and indeed the entire crew -were engaged in revelry. - -Between the courses which were served, Nero ascended the quarter-deck, and -sang or else delivered a recitation from a Greek tragedian, or a piece of -his own composition. - -If the approach of the bireme was observed, which did not seem to be the -case, it caused no uneasiness. The Emperor's vessel had been accompanied -by a convoy, but the ships had been dispersed by the storm; and the -bireme, if perceived, was doubtless held to be one of the fleet. - -And now Helios, the confidant of Nero, had ascended the quarter-deck to -his master, and began to declaim the speech of the attendant in the -Electra descriptive of the conquests of Orestes--applying the words, by -significant indications to the prince returning a victor from the Grecian -games. - -"He, having come to the glorious pageantry of the sports in Greece, -entered the lists to win the Delphic prizes, he, the admired of every eye. -And having started from his goal in wondrous whirls he sped along the -course, and bore away the of all coveted prize of victory. But that I may -tell thee in few words amidst superfluity I have never known such a man of -might and deeds as he--" and he bowed and waved his hands towards Nero. - -A roar of applause broke out, interrupted by a cry from Nero who suddenly -beheld a dark ship plunge out of the night and come within the radiance of -the lights on board his vessel. - -Meanwhile, on the Artemis, with set face sat Eboracus, guiding the head of -the Liburnian as directed. He could see the twinkling lights, and hear the -sounds of rejoicing. - -"Slack speed," called Lamia. - -"Slack your oars," down into the hold. - -There was a pause--all oars held poised for a moment. - -"Double!" shouted Lamia. - -"Double your oars!" down the ladder. - -Instantly the water hissed about the bows, and the oars plunged. - -Eboracus by a violent movement threw himself and his entire weight on the -handle of one paddle, so as to turn the bireme about, and ram her midships -into the Imperial trireme, when suddenly, without a word, Luke had drawn a -knife through the thong that restrained the paddle, and instantly the -_pedalion_ leaped out of place, and would have gone overboard, had not the -physician caught and retained it. - -Immediately the direction of the Artemis was altered and in place of -running into the trireme, she swerved and swung past the Imperial galley -without touching her. - -Nero, white with alarm and rage shrieked from the quarter-deck, - -"Who commands?" - -Then to those by him, "Pour oil on the flames." - -At once from the braziers, tongues of brilliant light leaped high into the -air. - -"The name!" yelled the furious prince. - -Then came the reply:-- - -"Cnaeus Domitius Corbulo." - -And by the glare he saw, standing by the mast, distinct against the -darkness of the night behind, the form of a man--and the face was the face -of the murdered general. - -Nero staggered back--and would have fallen unless caught by Helios. - -"The dead pursue me," he gasped. "Wife, mother, brother, and now, -Corbulo!" - - [Illustration: "THE DEAD PURSUE ME." _Page 61._] - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - THE SWORD OF THE DEAD. - - -"It is well done," said Eboracus in an undertone to the physician; -"Otherwise there had been the cross for you and me. The thong broke." - -"I severed it," said Luke. - -"That I saw," said the slave, "I shall report that it yielded. One must -obey a master even to the risk of the cross. Did'st see the noble Lamia, -how ready he was? He assumed the mask of my dead master and we have -slipped by and sent a shiver through the whole company of the Trireme, and -the August too, I trow,--for they have thought us the Ship of the Dead." - -After a pause he said,--"In my home we hold that all souls go to sea in a -phantom vessel; and sail away to the West, to the Isles of the Blessed. At -night a dark ship with a sail as a thundercloud comes to the shore, and -those near can hear the dead in trains go over the beach and enter the -ghostly vessel, till she is laden, and then she departs." - -The Artemis made her way without disaster to Rhegium, and thence coasted -up Italy to the port of Rome. She had gained on the Imperial vessel, that -was delayed at Brundusium to collect the scattered fleet. Nero would not -land until he reached Neapolis, and then not till all his wreaths and -golden apples, as well as his entire wardrobe of costumes and properties -had arrived. - -Then only did he come ashore, and he did so to commence a triumphal -progress through the Peninsula, the like of which was never seen before -nor will be seen again. - -This was on the 19th March, the anniversary of the murder of his mother. -On the same day a letter was put into his hands announcing the revolt of -the legions in Gaul and the proclamation of Galba, at that time Governor -of Spain. - -So engrossed, however, was his mind with preparation for his theatrical -procession, that he paid no heed to the news, nor was he roused till he -read the address of Vindex, who led the revolt, denouncing him as a -"miserable fiddler." - -This touched him to the quick, and he addressed an indignant despatch to -the Senate, demanding that Vindex should be chastised, and appealed to the -prizes he had gained as testimony to his musical abilities. - -So he started for Rome. - -Eighteen hundred and eight heralds strutted before him, bearing in their -hands the crowns that had been awarded him and announcing when and how he -had succeeded in winning the award. - -He entered Rome in this leisurely manner, in a triumphal chariot, wearing -a purple robe, embroidered with gold, an olive garland about his head. -Beside him a harper struck his instrument and chanted his praises. - -The houses were decorated with festoons, the streets were strewn with -saffron; singing birds, comfits, flowers were scattered by the people -before him. If the Senate expected that now the prince was in Rome, he -would attend to business, it was vastly mistaken. His first concern was to -arrange for a splendid exhibition in which he might gratify the public -with a finished study of his acting and singing. - -Solicitude about his triumph, his voice, his reception, had so completely -filled the shallow mind of Nero, that he gave no further thought to the -vessel that had shot out of the darkness, nearly fouled his galley, and -which had been apparently commanded by one of his noblest victims. - -Longa Duilia arrived on the Gabian estate, with the corpse of her husband, -her daughter, Lucius Lamia, and her entire "family," as the company of -household slaves was termed, without accident and without deter. - -Gabii lay eleven miles from Rome at the foot of one of the spurs of the -Alban mountains. The town stood on a small knoll rising out of the -Campagna. The stone of which it was built was dark, being a volcanic -peperino; it was perhaps one of the least attractive sites for a country -residence, which a Roman noble could have selected; but this was not -without its advantage, when Emperors acted as did Ahab, and cut off those -whose villas and vineyards attracted their covetous eyes. - -A lake occupied the crater of an extinct volcano; the water was dark as -ink, but this was due rather to the character of the bottom, than to -depth, which was inconsiderable. - -The villa and its gardens lay by the water's edge. The old city not -flourishing, but maintaining a languid existence, was famous for nothing -but a peculiarity in girding the toga adopted by the men, by the dinginess -of its building stone, and by its temple of Juno, an object of pilgrimage -when the deities of other shrines had proved unwilling or unable to help, -a sort of pis-aller of devotion. - -Longa Duilia hated the place; it was dull, and she would never have -frequented it, had it not been the fashion at the period for all people of -good family to affect a love of retirement into the country, and to -pretend a taste for simplicity of rural life. Some fine fops had their -"chambers of poverty" to which on occasions they retired, to lie on mats -upon the ground, and eat pulse out of common earthenware. Such periods of -self-denial added zest to luxury. - -Domitia, on the other hand, was attached to the place. It was associated -with the innocent pleasures of earliest childhood. Its spring flowers were -the loveliest she had ever culled, its June strawberries the most -delicious she had ever eaten. And the lake teeming with char gave -opportunities for boating and fishing. - -Here was the family burial-place; and here Corbulo was to be burnt, and -then his ashes collected and consigned to the mausoleum. - -Messengers had been sent forth to invite the attendance of all relations, -acquaintances and dependents. - -The invitation was couched, according to unalterable custom, in antiquated -terms, hardly intelligible. When on the day appointed for the ceremony, -vast numbers were collected, the funeral procession started. - -First went the musicians under the conduct of a Master of the Ceremonies. -By law, the number of flautists was limited to ten. - -Then followed the professional mourners, hired for the occasion from the -temple of Libitina, the priests of which were the licensed undertakers. -These mourners chanted the naenia, a lament composed for the purpose of -lauding the acts of the deceased and of reciting his honors. When they -paused at the conclusion of a strophe, horns and trumpets brayed. -Immediately after the wailers walked a train of actors, one of whom was -dressed in the insignia of the deceased and wore a mask representing him. -He endeavored to mimic each peculiarity of the man he personated, and -buffoons around by their antics and jests provoked the spectators to -laughter. This farcical exhibition was calculated to moderate the -excessive grief superinduced by the lament of the wailers. - -Then came the grand procession of the ancestors, especially dear to the -heart of the widow. Not only did the effigies of the direct forefathers -appear, but all related families trotted out their ancestors, to attend -the illustrious dead, so that there cannot have been less than a hundred -present. - -As already mentioned, the wax masks of the dead of a family ornamented -every nobleman's hall, usually enclosed in boxes with the titles of the -defunct inscribed on them in gold characters. These were now produced. The -mimes were costumed appropriately, as senators, generals, magistrates, -with their attendants, wearing the wax masks, and artificial heads of -hair. - -The idea represented was that of the ancestors having returned from the -land of Shadows to fetch their descendant and accompany him to the nether -world. The corpse, that lay on a bier in the hall, was now taken up, and -carried forth to a loud cry from all in the house of "Vale! Farewell! Fare -thee well!" Between the lips of the dead man was a coin, placed there as -payment of the toll across the River of Death in the ferry-boat of Charon. -On each side of the bier walked attendants carrying lighted torches. In -ancient times all funerals had been conducted at night. Now the only -reminiscence of this custom was in the bearing of lights; but the torches -served as well a practical purpose, as they were employed to kindle the -pyre. - -Before the dead were carried the insignia of his offices, pictures of the -battles he had won and statues of the kings and chiefs he had conquered. -The corpse was followed by a number of manumitted slaves, all wearing the -cap of liberty, in token of their freedom. Finally came the members of the -family, friends, retainers, and the sympathizing public. - -Longa Duilia and Domitia Longina walked in their proper place, with -dishevelled hair, unveiled heads, and in the _ricinium_ or black garment -thrown over their tunics; the men all wore the _paenula_, or short -travelling cloak. - -The procession advanced into the marketplace of Gabii, where Lucius Lamia -ascended the _rostrum_ to pronounce the funeral oration. - -Immediately, ivory chairs and inlaid stools were ranged in a crescent -before him, and on these the ancestors seated themselves, the bier being -placed before them. - -The panegyric was addressed to the crowd outside the circle of mimes with -wax faces. Lamia had a gift of natural eloquence, his feelings were -engaged, but his freedom of speech was hampered by necessity of caution in -allusion to the death of Corbulo, lest some word should be let slip which -might be caught up and tortured into a treasonable reference to Nero. - -The Laudation ended, the entire assembly arose and re-formed in procession -to the place of burning, which by law must be sixty feet from any -building. There a pit had been excavated and a grating placed above it. On -this grating the pyre was erected, consisting of precious woods, sprinkled -with gums and spices. - -To this the corpse was conveyed. But, previous to its being placed on the -fagots, a surgeon amputated one of the fingers, which was preserved for -burial, and then a handful of earth was thrown over the face of the -deceased. - -Anciently the Roman dead had been buried, and when the fashion for -incineration came in, a trace of the earlier usage remained in the burial -of a member and the covering of the face with soil. - -And now ensued a repulsive scene, one without which no great man's funeral -would have been considered as properly performed. - -Through the crowd pushed two small parties of gladiators, three in each, -hired for the occasion of a company that let them out. Then ensued a -fight--not mimic, but very real, in front and round the pyre. Now a -hard-pressed gladiator ran and was pursued, turned sharply and hacked at -his follower. This was continued till three men had fallen and had been -stabbed in the breast. Whereupon, the survivors sheathed their swords, -bowed and withdrew. - -The torches were now put into the hands of Duilia and Domitia, and with -averted faces they applied the fire to the fagot, and a sheet of flame -roared up and enveloped the dead man. - -And now the mourners raised their loudest cries, tore their hair, -scarified their cheeks with their nails; pipes, flutes, horns were blown. -In a paroxysm of distress, partly real, partly feigned, a rush was made to -the pyre, and all who got near cast some offering into the flames--cakes, -flowers, precious stuffs, rings, bracelets, and coins. - -Duilia, in tragic woe, disengaged a mass of artificial hair from her head, -and cast it into the fire. Then rang out the sacramental cry:--"_I, licet!_ -You are permitted to retire," and gladly, sick at heart and faint, Domitia -was supported rather than walked home. - -Some hours later, when the ashes of the defunct had been collected and -deposited in an urn, which was conveyed to the mausoleum, Lucius Lamia -came to the house and inquired for the ladies. - -He was informed that the widow was too much overcome by her feelings to -see any one, but that Domitia was in the _tablinum_ and would receive him. - -He at once entered the hall and stepped up into the apartment where she -was seated, looking pale and worn, with tear-reddened eyes. - -She rose, and with a sweet sad smile, extended her hand to Lamia. - -"No, Domitia," said he gently, "as your dear father gave me permission on -the wharf at Cenchraea, I will claim the same privilege now." - -She held her cold, tear-stained cheek to him without a word, then returned -to and sank on her stool. - -"I thank you, dear friend, and almost brother," she said. "You spoke nobly -of my father, though not more nobly than he deserved. Here, my Lucius, is -a present for you, I intrust it to you--his sword, which he used so -gallantly, on which he fell, and still marked with his blood." - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - SHEATHED. - - -According to an Oriental legend, the dominion of Solomon over the spirits -resided in the power of his staff on which he stayed himself. So long as -he wielded that, none might disobey. - -But the Jins sent a white ant up through the floor, that ate out the heart -of the rod, so that when he leaned on it, it gave way and resolved itself -into a cloud of fine powder. Solomon fell, and his authority was at an end -forever. - -The termites that consumed the core of the sceptre of Nero were his own -vices and follies. Its power was at an end and his fall as sudden as in -the case of Solomon, and as unexpected. - -In March he was possessed of dominion over the world, and was at the head -of incalculable forces. In June all was dissolved in the dust of decay; he -was prostrate, helpless, bereft of the shadow of authority, unable to -command a single slave. The first token of what was about to take place -was this. - -In Rome the rabble was kept in good humor by the Caesars distributing among -them bread gratis, and entertaining them with shows free of charge. - -During the winter, contrary winds had delayed the corn-ships from Egypt, -and the amount of bread distributed was accordingly curtailed. Games were, -indeed, promised, but these would serve as condiments to the bread and not -as substitutes. Then a vessel arrived in port, and the hungry people -believed that she was laden with the wished-for corn. When, however, they -learned that her cargo was white sand for strewing the arena at the -sports, they broke into a storm of discontent and swept, howling insulting -words, under Nero's windows. - -Next day all Rome heard that Galba, at the head of the legions of Spain -and Gaul, was marching into Italy, and that none of the troops of Nero -sent to guard the frontier of the Alps would draw a sword in his defence. - -The prince, now only seriously alarmed, bade his household guard conduct -him to Ostia, where he would mount the vessel that had discharged its load -of sand, and escape to Egypt. They contemptuously refused, and disbanded. -Then, in an agony of fear, Nero left the Palatine, and fled across the -river to the Servilian mansion that adjoined the racecourse, to light -which he had burned Christians swathed in tarred wraps. - -There he found none save his secretary Epaphroditus, whom he had sent -there to be chained at the door, and to act as porter because he had -offended him. Guards, freedmen, courtiers, actors, all had taken to their -heels, but not before they had pillaged the palace. - -He wandered about the house, knocking at every door, and nowhere meeting -with an answer. - -Night by this time had settled in, murk and close, but at intervals -electric flashes shivered overhead. - -Then suddenly the earth reeled, and there passed a sound as of chariot -wheels rolling heavily through the streets; yet the streets were deserted. -Trembling, despairing, Nero crouched on his bed, bit his nails till he had -gnawed them to the quick, then started up and hunted for his jewel case. -He would fly on foot, carrying that, hide in some hovel, till danger was -past. But a thievish slave had stolen it. - -Sick at heart, picking, then biting at his nails, shrinking with -apprehension at the least noise, wrapping a kerchief about a finger where -blood came, he looked with dazed eyes at the red flare of the heavenly -fires pulsating through his open door. - -He heard a step and ran out, to encounter a freedman, Phaon by name, who -was coming along the passage, holding aloft a torch, attended by two -slaves. - -The wretched prince clung to him, and entreated that he might not be left -alone; that Phaon would protect him, and contrive a means of escape. - -"Augustus!" answered the freedman, "I am not ungrateful for favors shown -me, but my assistance at this hour is unavailing. I am but one man, a -stranger, a Greek, and all Rome, all Italy, the entire world, have risen -against you." - -"I must fly. They will allow me to earn my livelihood on the stage. Of -what value to any man is my life?" - -"My lord, in what value have you held the lives of the thousands that you -have taken? Each life cut off has raised against you a hundred enemies. -All will pursue, like a pack of hounds baying for the blood of him who -murdered their kinsfolk. Even now I passed one--Lucius AElius Lamia,--and he -stayed me to inquire where you might be found. In his hand he held an -unsheathed sword." - -Nero shrieked out; then looked timidly about him, terrified at the sound -of his own voice. - -"Let us hide. Disguise me. Get me a horse. I cannot run, I am too fat; -besides, I have on my felt slippers only." - -Phaon spoke to one of his slaves, and the man left. - -"Master," said the freedman, "Do not deceive yourself. There is no escape. -Prepare to die as a man. Slay yourself. It is not hard to die. Better so -fall than get into the hands of implacable enemies." - -"I cannot. I have not the courage. I will do it only when everything -fails. I have many theatrical wigs. I can paint my face." - -"Sire! the people are so wont to see your face besmeared with color, that -they are less likely to recognize a face bleached to tallow." - -"I have a broad-brimmed fisherman's hat. I wear it against becoming -freckled. That will shade my face. Find me an ample cloak. Here, at -length, comes Sporus." - -An eunuch appeared in the doorway. - -Breathless, in short, broken sentences, Nero entreated him to look out in -his wardrobe for a sorry mantle, and to bring it him. - -"But whither will--can you go?" asked Phaon. "The Senate has been -assembled--it has been convoked for midnight to vote your deposition and -death." - -"I will go before it. Nay! I will haste to the Forum, I will mount the -Tribune. I will ask to be given the government of Egypt. That at least -will not be refused me." - -"My lord, the streets are filling with people. They will tear you to -pieces ere you reach the Forum." - -"Think you so! Why so? I have amused the people so well. Good Phaon, hire -me a swift galley, and I will take refuge with Tiridates. I restored to -him the crown of Armenia. He will not be ungrateful." - -"My lord, it will not be possible for you to leave Italy." - -"Then I will retire to a farm. I will grow cabbages and turnips. The god -Tiberius was fond of turnips. O Divine Powers that rule the fate of men! -shall I ever eat turnips again? Phaon, hide me for a season. Men's minds -are changeable. They are heated now. They will cool to-morrow. They cannot -kill such a superlative artist as myself." - -"I have a villa between the Salarian and the Nomentane Roads. If it please -you to go thither----" - -"At once. I think I hear horse-hoofs. O Phaon, save me!" - -Sporus came up, offering an old moth-eaten cloak. The wardrobe had been -plundered, only the refuse had been abandoned. - -A voice was heard pealing through the empty corridors: "Horses! horses at -the door!" - -"Who calls so loud? Silence him. He will betray us!" said Nero. "Hah! It -is Epaphroditus." - -At the entrance, chained to a cumbrous log, was the Greek, Epaphroditus, -formerly a pampered favorite. But two days previously he had ventured to -correct a false quantity in some verses by his master, and Nero, in a -burst of resentment and mortified vanity, had ordered him to be fastened -to a beam as doorkeeper to the Servilian Palace. - -"The horses are here," shouted the freedman. "May it please my lord to -mount. Sporus and the slaves can run afoot." - -Nero unwound the kerchief from his hand and wrapped it about his throat, -drew the broad-brimmed hat over his head, enveloped himself in the blanket -cloak, and shuffled in his slippers to the door. - -The chained Greek at once cried out: "Master! my chain has become -entangled and is so knotted that I cannot stir. I have been thus since -noon, and none have regarded me. I pray thee, let me go." - -"Thou fool! cease hallooing!" retorted Nero angrily. "Dost think I carry -about with me the key of thy shackles?" Then to those who followed, "Smite -him on the mouth and silence him, or he will call attention to me." - -"The gods smite thee!" yelled the scribe, striving to reach an upright -posture, but falling again, owing to the tangle in the links. "May they -blight thee as they have stricken Livia's laurel!"(3) - -Mounted on an old gray horse, Nero rode to the AElian Bridge, where stands -now that of St. Angelo, crossed it and began to traverse the Campus -Martius. - -Electric flashes quivered across the sky. Then again an earthquake made -the city rock as if drunk; the buildings were rent, and masses of cornice -fell down. - -A glare of white lightning illumined the whole field and lighted up the -mausoleum of Augustus, and the blank faces of such men as were abroad. - -The horse trembled and refused to move. It was some time before the alarm -of the brute could be allayed, and it could be coaxed to go forward and -begin the ascent of the Quirinal. The advance was slow; and Nero's fears -became greater as the road approached the Praetorian Camp, and he expected -recognition by the sentinels. Yet in the midst of his fear wild flashes of -hope shot, and he said to Phaon: - -"What think you, if I were to enter the camp? Surely the Praetorians would -rally about me, and I might dissolve the Senate." - -"Sire, they have destroyed your images, and have proclaimed Galba. They -would take off your head and set it on a pike." - -Nero uttered a groan, and kicked the flanks of his steed. At that moment a -passer-by saluted him. - -"By the Immortals! I am recognized." - -"We have but to go a little further." - -"Phaon, what if the Senate declare me an enemy of the State?" - -"Then you will fare in the customary manner." - -"How is that?" - -The prince put his trembling hand to his brow and in his agitation knocked -off his hat. - -The freedman picked it up. - -"The customary manner, sire! your neck will be put in the cleft of a -forked stick and you will be beaten, lashed, kicked to death. Better take -the sword and fall on it." - -"Oh, Phaon! not yet! I cannot endure pain. I have a spring nail now--and it -hurts! it hurts!" - -"Ride on, my lord; at the cypress hedge we will turn our horses loose, and -by a path through the fields reach my villa." - -Half an hour after Nero had left the Servilian palace, where now stands -the Lateran, Lamia arrived followed by two servants. He found the -secretary in a heap at the door, vainly writhing in his knotted chains. -Lamia at once asked him about the prince, whether he was there. - -"I will both answer and show you whither he is fled," said Epaphroditus, -"if you will release me. Otherwise my tongue is tied like my limbs." - -"Is he here?" - -"Nay, he has been here, but is gone. Whither I alone can say. The price of -the information is release." - -"Tell me where I can find tools." - -Epaphroditus gave the required information and Lamia despatched a servant -to bring hammer and chisel. They were speedily produced; but some time was -taken up in cutting through the links. - -This, however, was finally effected, and the secretary gathered up a -handful of the broken chain and clenched it in his fist. - -"Now I will lead the way," said he, stretching himself. - -The wretched, fallen emperor had in the meanwhile scrambled through hedges -and waded through a marsh, and had at last found a temporary shelter in a -garden tool-house of the villa. Phaon feared to introduce him into his -house. - -Wearied out, he cast himself on a sort of bier on which the gardeners -carried citron trees to and from the conservatory. The cloak had fallen -from him and lay on the soil. - -His feet were muddy and bleeding. He had tried to eat some oat-cake that -had been offered him, but was unable to swallow. - -He continued to be teased with, and to pick or bite at his spring nails. - -"I hear steps!" he cried. "They will kill me!" - -"Sire, play the man." - -Phaon offered him a couple of poniards. - -Nero put the point of one to his breast, shrunk and threw it away. - -"It is too blunt, it will not enter," he said. - -He tried the other and dropped it. - -"It is over sharp. It cuts," he said. - -At that moment the door opened and Lamia and Epaphroditus entered. - -Nero cried out and covered his face: - -"Sporus! Phaon! one or both! kill yourselves and show me how to do it." - -"To do it!" said Lamia sternly. "That is not difficult. Do you need a -sword? Here is one--the sword of Corbulo." - -He extended the weapon to the prince, who accepted it with tremulous hand, -looking at Lamia with glassy eyes. - -"Oh! a moment! I feel sick." - -Then Phaon said: "Sire--at once!" - -Then Nero, with all power going out of his fingers, pointed the blade to -his throat. - -"I cannot," he gasped, "my hand is numb." - -Immediately, Epaphroditus with his hand full of chain, brought the -weighted fist against the haft, and drove the sword into the coward's -throat. - -He sank back on the bier. - -Then Lamia stooped, gathered up the moth-eaten cloak, and threw it over -the face of the dying man. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - UBI FELICITAS? - - -"Push, my dear Domitia, Push. Of course. What else would you have, but -Push?" - -"But, sweetest mother, that surely cannot give what I ask." - -"Indeed, my child, it does. It occupies all one's energies, it exerts all -one's faculties, and it fills the heart." - -"But--what do you gain?" - -"Gain, child?--everything. The satisfaction of having got further up the -ladder; of exciting the envy of your late companions, the admiration of -the vulgar, the mistrust of those above you." - -"Is that worth having?" - -"Of course it is. It is--that very thing you desire, Happiness. It engages -all your thoughts, stimulates your abilities. You dress for it; you -prepare your table for it, accumulate servants for it, walk, smile, talk, -acquire furniture, statuary, bronzes, and so on--for it. It is charming, -ravishing. I live for it. I desire nothing better." - -"But I do, mother. I do not care for this." - -The girl spoke with her eyes on a painting on the wall of the atrium that -represented a young maiden running in pursuit of a butterfly. Beneath it -were the words "Ubi Felicitas?" - -"Because you are young and silly, Domitia. When older and wiser, you will -understand the value of Push, and appreciate Position. My dear, properly -considered, everything can be made use of for the purpose--even widowhood, -dexterously dealt with, becomes a vehicle for Push. It really is vexatious -that in Rome there should just now be such broils and effervescence of -minds, proclamation of emperors, cutting of throats, that I, poor thing, -here in Gabii run a chance of being forgotten. It is too provoking. I -really wish that this upsetting of Nero, and setting up of Galba, and -defection of Otho, and so on, had been postponed till my year of widowhood -were at an end. One gets no chance, and it might have been _so_ -effective." - -"And when you have obtained that at which you have aimed?" - -"Then make that the start for another push." - -"And if you fail?" - -"Then, my dear, you have the gratification of being able to lay the blame -on some one else. You have done your utmost." - -"When you have gained what you aimed at, you are not content." - -"That is just the beauty of Push. No, always go on to what is beyond." - -"Look at that running girl, mother, she chases a butterfly, and when she -has caught the lovely insect she crushes it in her hand. The glory of its -wings is gone, its life is at an end. What then?" - -"She runs after another butterfly." - -"And despises and rejects each to which she has attained?" - -"Certainly!" - -After a pause Longa Duilia said, as she signed to Lucilla the slave to fan -her, "That was the one defect in your dear father's character, he had no -Push." - -"Mother! can you say that after his splendid victories, over the Chauci, -over the Parthians, over----" - -"I know all about them. They should have served as means, child, not as -ends." - -"I do not understand." - -"Poor simple man, he fought the enemies of Rome and defeated them, because -it was, as he said, his duty to his country, to Rome, to do so. But, by -Ops and Portumna! that was talking like a child. What might he not have -been with those victories? But he couldn't see it. He had it not in him. -Some men are born to squint; some have club feet; and your poor dear -father had no ambition." - -After a pause the lady added: "When I come to consider what he might have -done for me, had he possessed Push, it makes my spleen swell. Just -consider! What is Galba compared with him? What any of these fellows who -have been popping up their heads like carp or trout when the May flies are -about? My dear, had your dear father been as complete a man as I am a -woman, at this moment I might be Empress." - -"That would have contented you." - -"It would have been a step in that direction." - -"What more could you desire?" - -"Why, to be a goddess. Did not the Senate pronounce Poppaea divine, and to -be worshipped and invoked, after Nero had kicked her and she died? And -that baby of his--it died of fits in teething--that became a goddess also. -Nasty little thing! I saw it, it did nothing but dribble and squall, but -is a god for all that. My dear Domitia, think! the Divine Duilia! Salus -Italiae, with my temples, my altars, my statues. By the Immortal Twelve, I -think I should have tried to cut out Aphrodite, and have been represented -rising from the foam. Oh! it would have been too, too lovely. But there! -it makes me mad--all that _might_ have been, and _would_ have been to a -certainty, had your dear father listened to me at Antioch. But he had a -head." She touched her brow. "Something wrong there--no Push." - -"But, dearest mother, this may be an approved motive for such as you and -for all nobles. But then--for the artisan, the herdsman, the slave, Push -can't be a principle of life to such as they." - -"My child, how odd you are! What need we consider them? They may have -their own motives, I can't tell; I never was a herdsman nor a slave--never -did any useful work in my life. As to a slave, of course Push is a -motive--he pushes to gain his freedom." - -"And when he has got that?" - -"Then he strives to accumulate a fortune." - -"And then?" - -"Then he will have a statue or a bust of himself sculptured, and when he -gets old, erect a splendid mausoleum." - -"And so all ends in a handful of dust." - -"Of course. What else would you have?--Remember, a splendid mausoleum." - -"Yes, enclosing a pot of ashes. That picture teaches a sad truth. Pursue -your butterfly: when you have caught it, you find only dust between your -fingers." - -"Domitia! as the Gods love me! I wish you would refrain from this talk. It -is objectionable. It is prematurely oldening you, and what ages you -reflects on me--it advances my years. I will listen to no more of this. If -you relish it, I do not; go, chatter to the Philosopher Claudius Senecio, -he is paid to talk this stuff." - -"I will not speak to him. I know beforehand what he will say." - -"He will give you excellent advice, he is hired to do it." - -"O yes--to bear everything with equanimity. That is the sum and substance -of his doctrine. Then not to be too wise about the Gods; to aim to sit on -the fulcrum of a see-saw, when I prefer an end of the plank." - -"Equanimity! I desire it with my whole soul." - -"But why so, mother? It is not running thought, but stagnation." - -"Because, my dear, it keeps off wrinkles." - -"Mother, you and I will never understand each other." - -"As the Gods love me, I sincerely hope not. Send me Plancus, Lucilla. I -must scold him so as to soothe my ruffled spirits." - -"And, Euphrosyne, go, send the Chaldaean to me in the garden," said the -girl. - -The slave obeyed and departed. - -"Ubi Felicitas? Running, pursuing and finding nothing," said Domitia as -she went forth. - -The sun was hot. She passed under an arched trellis with vines trained -over it; the swelling bunches hung down within. - -At intervals in the arcade were openings through which could be seen the -still lake, and beyond the beautiful ridges of the limestone Sabine -Mountains. The air was musical with the hum of bees. - -Domitia paced up and down this walk for some while. - -Presently the Magus appeared at the end, under the guidance of the girl -Euphrosyne. - -He approached, bowing at intervals, till he reached Domitia, when he stood -still. - -"Ubi Felicitas?" asked she. And when he raised his eyebrows in question, -she added in explanation: "There is a picture in the atrium representing a -damsel in pursuit of a butterfly, and beneath is the legend I have just -quoted. When she catches the butterfly it will not content her. It will be -a dead pinch of dust. It is now some months since you spoke on the -Artemis, when I asked you a question, and then you were forced to admit -that all your science was built up on conjecture, and that there was no -certainty underlying it. But a guess is better than nothing, and a guess -that carries the moral sense with it in approval, may come near to the -truth. I recall all you then said. Do not repeat it, but answer my -question, _Ubi Felicitas?_ I asked it of my mother, and she said that it -was to be found in Push. If I asked Senecio, he would say in Equanimity. -Where say you that it is to be found?" - -"The soul of man is a ray out of the Godhead," answered the Magus, "it is -enveloped, depressed, smothered by matter; and the straining of the spirit -in man after happiness is the striving of his divine nature to emancipate -itself from the thraldom of matter and return to Him from whom the ray -emanated." - -"Then felicity is to be found--?" - -"In the disengagement of the good in man from matter, which presses it -down, and which is evil." - -"Evil!" exclaimed Domitia, looking through one of the gaps in the arcade, -at the lake; on a balustrade above the water stood a dreaming peacock, -whilst below it grew bright flowers. Beyond, as clouds, hung the blue -Sabine hills. - -"The Divine ray," said the girl, "seems rarely to delight in its -incorporation in Matter, and to find therein its expression, much as do -our thoughts in words. May it not be that Primordial Idea is inarticulate -without Matter in which to utter itself?" - -"Felicity," continued the Chaldaean, disregarding the objection, "is sought -by many in the satisfying of their animal appetites, in pleasing eye and -ear and taste and smell. But in all is found the after-taste of satiety -that gluts. True happiness is to be sought in teaching the mind to -dispense with sensuous delights, and to live in absorption in itself." - -"Why, Elymas!" said Domitia. "In fine, you arrive by another method at -that Apathy which Senecio the Stoic advocates. I grant you give a -reason--which seems to me lame--but it is a reason, whereas he supplies -none. But I like not your goal--Apathy is the reverse from Felicity. Leave -me." - -The Magus retired, mortified at his doctrine being so ill received. - -Then Euphrosyne approached timidly. - -Domitia, who was in moody thought, looked up. The girl could not venture -to speak till invited to do so by her mistress. - -"Your lady mother has desired me to announce to you that Lucius AElius -Lamia hath ridden over from Rome." - -"I will come presently," said Domitia; "I am just now too troubled in -mind. You, child, tell me, where is the physician, Luke?" - -"Lady, I do not know; he quitted us on reaching Rome." - -"Stay, Euphrosyne. Thine is a cheerful spirit. Where is felicity to be -found?" - -"My gracious mistress, I find mine in serving thee--in my duty." - -"Ah, child! That is the sort of reply my father might have made. In the -discharge of what he considered his duty, he was of a wondrous sweet and -equable temper. Is it so, that Felicity is only to be found in the -discharge of duty? And those torpid flies, the young loafers of our noble -families, whose only occupation is to play ball, and whose amusements are -vicious; they have it not because none has set them tasks. The ploughman -whistles as he drives his team; the vineyard rings with laughter at the -gathering of the grapes. The galley-slaves chant as they bend over the -oar, and the herdboy pipes as he tends the goats. So each is set a task, -and is content in discharge thereof, and each sleeps sweetly at night, -when the task is done. But what! is happiness reserved to the bondsman, -and not for the master? And only then for the former when the duty imposed -is reasonable and honest?--For there is none when such an order comes as to -fall on the sword or to open the veins. How about us great ladies? And the -noble loafers? No task is set us and them." - -"Surely, lady, to all God has given duties!" - -"Nay--when, where, how? Look at me, Euphrosyne. When I was a little child -here, we had a neighbor, Lentulus. He was a lie-abed, and a sot. He let -his servants do as they liked, make love, quarrel, fight, the one lord it -over the other, and all idle, because on none was imposed any duty. It was -a villainous household, and the estate went to the hammer. It seems to me, -Euphrosyne, as if this whole world were the estate of Lentulus on a large -scale, where all the servants squabbled, and one by sheer force tyrannizes -over the others, and none know why they are placed there, and what is -their master's will, and what they have to do. There is no day-table of -work. There is either no master over such a household, or he is an -Olympian Lentulus." - -"But, mistress, is that not impossible?" - -"It would seem so, and yet--Where is the Day-Table? Show me that--and, by -the Gods! it will be new life to me. I shall know my duty--and see -Happiness." - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - THE VEILS OF ISHTAR. - - -Domitia did not go into the house, as desired, to receive Lamia. - -She was well aware that he would come to her into the garden, if she did -not present herself within, and she preferred to speak with him away from -her mother. - -She therefore continued to walk under the vines. She looked up at the -sunlight filtering through the broad green flaky shade, with here and -there a ray kissing a purple, pendent bunch of grapes. - -Then she looked at the dreaming peacock, the sun flashing on its metallic -plumage. - -No! matter was not evil. Matter, indeed, without life was not even like -the statue--for that was a copy of what lived, and failed just in this, -that it fell short of life. Domitia felt as though she were touching the -edge of a great verity, but had not set her foot upon it. Then she -considered what Euphrosyne had said to her, and she to her slave. Wherever -the path of duty lay, there violets bloomed and verbena scented the air. -Was not life itself, devoid of the knowledge of its purport, and its -obligations and its destiny, like matter uninformed by Life? Or if any -life entered into it, it was the disintegrating life of decay and -decomposition? - -She, for her part, had no obligations laid on her. If, however, she were -married to Lamia, then at once duties would spring up, and her way would -be rosy. Till then her happiness hung in suspense, like that of her -mother, during the period of widowhood in which she was expected and -required to live in retirement. Out of society, not elbowing and -shouldering her way forward--that was a year of blank and of unhappiness to -Longa Duilia, in which she found no consolation save in badgering her -steward, and in scheming for the future. - -Lamia, as Domitia expected he would, came to her under the trellis, and -she received him with that dimple in her cheek which gave her expression -so much sweetness mingled with pathos, - -"Lucius," she said, "you are good to come. My mother is, oh! so dull, and -restless withal." - -"It is well that she should be away from Rome, my Domitia. I have told her -as much. On no account must you leave Gabii. Rome is boiling over, and -will scald many fingers. None know who will be up to-morrow, and which -down. Galba is dead, almost torn to pieces by those who worshipped him -yesterday. Otho is proclaimed by the Senate. Yet there is fresh trouble -brewing and threats sound from the provinces. Methinks every general at -the head of an army is marching upon Rome to snatch the purple for his own -shoulders. Otho has but a poor chance. He can command the praetorians and -the household troops--none others. Soldiers that have disbanded themselves -and gangs of robbers prowl the streets, waylay men of substance and -plunder them, break into houses and strip them of their contents. Murders -are frequent. Thus far your palace in the Carinae is undisturbed." - -"Oh, Lucius! my mother has so fretted over that house, as it stands back, -and makes no show behind its bank of yews and laurels, and yet those -evergreens, I believe, saved it in the fire. She says that the house is -unworthy of our dignity." - -"You may rejoice that it is so in such times of anarchy. Order in the city -is now at an end, none are safe unless attended by armed slaves; and, by -the Gods! no man is quite safe even from his own slaves." - -"What did my mother say to that?" - -"She sighed and said--" there was a twinkle in Lamia's eye, "that she was -glad the disturbances were taking place now, as at no time could they have -happened so happily, when she was obliged to live in retirement." - -"Lucius, what do you think will be the end?" - -"That the gods alone can tell. At present the soldiers are masters in the -State, and the Senate proclaims whomsoever they set up. Rome is dishonored -in the face of the Barbarians." - -"What think you, my Lucius,--shall we ask the Chaldee if he can unveil the -future?" - -"Not of the State, Domitia, that were too dangerous. Women have lost their -lives, or been banished on such a charge. No, do not risk it." - -"Nay, Lucius, like my mother, the State concerns me only so far as its -affairs affect my own silly little interests. But I do want to know -something of my future. Elymas is reputed to look into destiny. He hath -glimpses beyond the strain of a philosopher's eye. I have offended him by -my quips and objections, and would humor him now by asking him to read in -the stars, or where he will, what the gods have in store for me." - -"I believe not in such vision." - -"Nor I greatly, Lucius. Yet I heard say that he had prognosticated evil on -the day my dear father set foot in Cenchraea." - -"It needed no prophet to foretell that." - -"Shall we seek him, Lucius?" - -"As you will. I will attend thee. Only, no questions relative to the -prince, as to his life, his reign, his health. No questions concerning the -State--promise me that." - -"It shall be so, Lucius. Come with me to the Temple of Isis. He is there." - -The two young people walked to a small shrine or aediculum at the extremity -of a terrace above the lake. - -In the colonnade in front of the door was the Magus. He was out of humor, -offended at his treatment by Domitia. His sole satisfaction was that -Senecio, the Stoic, was placed below him in her estimation. - -Now the girl went up to him, with a pretty, winning smile, and said: - -"Sir! I fear me greatly that I gave you occasion to think I held your -theories cheaply. Indeed it is not so, they are too weighty to be -dismissed at once; they take time to digest. There is one thing you may do -for me, that I desire of you heartily, and in which I will not controvert -your authority. It is said that the stars rule the destinies of men, and -that in the far East, on the boundless plains of Mesopotamia, you and your -people have learned to read them. I would fain know what the heavens have -in store for me." - -"Indeed, lady, to consult the stars is a long and painful business, that I -will gladly undertake, but it cannot be done hastily. It will require -time. There are, however, other ways of reading the future than by the -stars. There is Ishtar, whom the Egyptians call Isis, whom thou mayest -consult in this temple." - -"I am ready." - -"That also cannot be undertaken at once. I must even send for my assistant -Helena. It is not I who see, save mediately. The goddess has her chosen -instrument, and such is Helena. Lady! Ishtar is the Truth, she has no -image. She is invisible to us veiled in matter. She hides herself behind -seven veils, or rather our eyes are so wrapped about that we cannot see -her who is visible only in spirit. Thou knowest that in the Temple floor -is a rent, and through that rent the breath of the gods ascends. I will -place Helena over that rent, and she will fall into a trance, and if I say -certain prayers and use certain invocations, then the veils will fall -away, and in pure spiritual essence she will look into the face of Ishtar -and read therein the Truth, past, present, and future. Is it your pleasure -to consult the goddess?" - -"Indeed I do desire it," said Domitia. - -"Thou hast no fear?" - -"Fear! fear of what?" - -"Of the future. It is well for us that the gods hide this from our eyes." - -Domitia turned and looked at Lamia. - -"No," she said with a smile, "I have no fear for my future." - -"That which is anticipated does not always come, but rather that which is -unexpected." - -"Then when forewarned, one is forearmed." - -"If it be thy pleasure, lady, return at sunset. Then Helena shall be here, -and I shall have made my preparations." - -"That is but an hour hence. Be it so. Come, Lamia. Thou shalt row me on -the lake till Elymas call." - -"So be it," said Lucius; and as they withdrew, he added, "I like that not. -If it pleased the gods to show us what is in store, then they would reveal -it to us. I mistrust me, this man is either an impostor or he deals with -the spirits of evil." - -"Nay, think not so. Why should not the Truth lie behind seven veils, and -if so, and we are able, why not pluck away those veils?" - -"In good sooth, Domitia, thou hast more daring in thy little soul than -have I." - -The girl and Lucius Lamia had been so much together in Syria, that they -had come to regard each other with the affection of brother and sister. In -Greek life the females occupied a separate portion of the house to the -males, and did not partake of meals with them. There was no common family -life. - -Old Roman domestic arrangements had been very different from this. There -the wife and mother occupied a place of dignity, with her daughters around -her, and sat and span in the atrium, where also the men assembled. She -prepared the meals, and partook of them with her husband, and the sisters -with their brothers. The only difference between them at table was that -the men reclined to eat, whereas the women sat on stools. But this home -life, which had been so wholesome and so happy, in the luxury and wealth -of the age at the fall of the Commonwealth and the rise of Imperialism, -had become an element of demoralization. For the conversation of the men -had grown shameless, the exhibitions at banquets of coarse drunkenness, -and of dancing girls, and the singing of ribald songs by musicians, had -driven away shame from the cheeks of the women, and corrupted the -freshness of the children's innocence. - -Yet there were, through even the worst periods, households in which the -healthy old Roman simplicity and familiarity between the sexes remained, -good fathers and mothers who screened their children's eyes from evil -sights, devoted husbands and wives full of mutual reverence. Such had been -the house of Corbulo, whether in Rome, or in Syria. He had been a strict -and honorable soldier, and a strict and honorable father in his family. - -Thus it was that Lucius Lamia, and Domitia had seen much of each other, -and that affection for each other mingled with respect had grown up -naturally and vigorously in their hearts. - -And now Lucius was paddling on the glassy tarn. He used but little action. -Occasionally he dipped the paddles, then allowed the skiff to glide -forward till she ceased to be moving, when again he propelled her with one -stroke. He was musing; so also was Domitia. - -All at once he roused himself. - -"Domitia," said he, "Do you know that there is a rumor about that Nero is -not dead, but has fled to the Parthians, and that he will return?" - -"You do not say so!" The girl's color died away. - -"I do not believe it. It cannot be. The sword of your father would not -bite so feebly as to let him live. Yet the tale is circulating. Men are -uneasy--expecting something. - -"If he be dead and burnt, he cannot return." - -"No," said Lucius, "he cannot return from the dead. And yet--there be -strange rumors. Among the Christians, I am told, there has risen up a -seer, who hath been taken with an ecstasy, and hath beheld wonderful -visions. And this is reported, that he saw a beast arising out of the sea, -having seven heads, and on each head a golden crown. And one of those -heads, the fifth, received a death-wound. Then arose two other heads, and -after them the wounded head arose once again and breathed fire and -slaughter, and the second state was worse than the first." - -"But, Lucius, what can this signify?" - -"They say it signifies the Empire of Rome, and that the heads are the -princes, and the fifth head, that is wounded as unto death, but not slain, -is Nero, and that after two have arisen, then he will return." - -Domitia shuddered. - -"If he return, Lamia, he will not forget thee. Well, we will ourselves -look behind the veils; that is better than hearing through others what -some unknown prophet hath said. See, on the shore stands Elymas, calling -us." - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - THE FALL OF THE VEILS. - - -Lucius and Domitia stepped out of the boat; he moored it to the side, and -they walked together to the little temple. This was not one to which a -college of priests was attached, nor even an aediculum, with a guardian who -had charge of it, to open it on special festivals; it had been erected by -the father of Corbulo in deference to the wish of his wife, who had taken -it into her head to become a votary of Isis, this having become a -fashionable cult. But on her death the doors had been closed, and it had -fallen into neglect, till the return of Longa Duilia from the East with -the Chaldee Magus from Antioch. It was now fashionable to dabble in -sorcery, and a distinguished lady liked to be able to talk of her Magus, -to seek his advice, and, at table, air a superficial familiarity with the -stars, and the Powers and AEons, the endless genealogies of emanations from -the primaeval and eternal Light. - -Longa had engaged the Magus when at Antioch, but when somewhat summarily -sent to Europe by her husband, she had not taken her Chaldaean magician -with her. As, however, she had no wish to appear in Rome without him, she -had laid it on her husband when he returned to bring the man with him, and -if he did not return himself, to despatch the Magus to her. - -On her arrival in the villa at Gabii, she had given up the temple of Isis -to Elymas, and he had converted it into a place for study. - -Before the door hung a heavy curtain, and this Lamia raised to allow -Domitia to pass within. The interior would have been wholly dark, but that -a brazier with glowing charcoal stood within, and into the fire the -magician threw gums, that flamed up and diffused a fragrant smoke. - -By the flicker Domitia observed that a bed was laid above a small fissure -in the marble floor--a rent caused by earthquake--through which vapor of an -intoxicating nature issued. - -On this bed lay a woman, or rather a figure that Domitia took to be that -of a woman, but it was covered with much drapery that concealed face and -hands. - -The brazier was near the head, and by it stood Elymas in a tall headdress, -with horns affixed, that met in front. He wore a black garment reaching to -the feet. - -In the darkness nothing could be seen save his erect figure, and face -shining out like a lamp, when he cast resinous drops on the fire, and the -motionless couched form of the woman. - -Domitia, somewhat frightened, put her hand on the arm of Lamia, to make -sure that he was present and could assist her, should need for assistance -arise;--that is to say, should her courage fail, or the visions she -expected to see prove too alarming. - -Then the Magus said: - -"As I have told thee, lady, out of the ineffable Light stream rays that -are both luminous and life-producing. These rays penetrate to the lowest -profundity of matter, and as they pass through the higher atmospheres, -gather about them the particles of vapor, and become angels and demons. -But other rays passing further down, and assuming grosser envelopes, -become men and women, some more animal than others, some with higher -spiritual natures than the rest, according as in them matter or spirit -dominates. And the rays darting into further depths become the beasts of -the field, the fishes of the sea, even the very worm that bores in the -soil. As thou knowest, he who stands on a high mountain can see far -horizons to right and to left as well as the objects below him. So, to the -Eternal, all is visible, the past on one side, the present before Him, and -the future on the other side, all in one vision. To Him there is no past, -and no present, and no future, for Time is not--all is comprehended in one -view. But we, who are below, see only the present, remember the past, and -conjecture what is future. If we would see future as well as past, we must -rise above matter, mount from our base level to the altitude of spirit. -Thence all is clear. But this is not possible to all, only to those elect -ones in whom the flesh is subdued, and to it the spirit remains attached -only by a fibre. Such is Helena. Through her thou shalt see what thou -desirest. Now behold!" - -He pointed into the darkness before him, and both Domitia and Lucius saw a -spark that grew in intensity and shone like a star. - -"That," said Elymas, "is a crystal. It is the lens through which the rays -of the Eternal and Immortal Light pass to the soul of Helena, out of -Infinite Altitude and Illimitable Space. She is enveloped in seven veils. -Now she lieth in a trance, and seeth naught. But I will invoke this Fount -of Life and Light and Knowledge, and will gather the rays together into -her soul through yonder crystal, and she will see in vision what thou -desirest. Seven veils cover her, and seven are the revelations that will -be made. I cannot assure thee that all will be future--some may be scenes -of the past, for to the All-Seeing, the Eye of Eternity, there is neither -past nor future; all is present." - -"Well, so be it," said Lamia, "By the past we can judge the future. Let us -see things that have been and we can form some notion of what is shown us -as future. If the one be incorrect, then the other is untrustworthy." - -"Thou shalt behold nothing," said the Magus, "for it is not thou who -consultest me, but the lady Domitia Longina." - -"How shall I see, and not he who stands beside me?" asked the girl. Her -heart fluttered with apprehension. - -The sorcerer stooped, and drew from under the covering the right hand of -the prostrate woman, and bade Domitia hold it. - -She took the hand in hers; it was stiff and cold as that of a corpse, and -she shuddered. - -"Hold her hand in thine," said Elymas, "and I will invoke the Source of -Spirits, and as I withdraw each veil that covers her face, she will see -something, and she seeing it, the sense of sight will pass through her -hand to thee, and thou wilt see also, inwardly, yet very really. Only let -not go her hand, or all will become dark." - -Then he went before the crystal, that stood on an altar like a truncated -column; and he uttered words rapidly in a strange tongue, then turned, -threw a handful of spices upon the coals, and a dense aromatic smoke -filled the interior. It dissipated, and Domitia uttered a faint cry. - -"What ails thee?" asked Lucius. - -Thinking she was frightened, he added--"Let us go forth. This is mere -jugglery." - -"But I see," she said in tremulous tones. - -"What dost thou see?" - -"O Lucius! It is the garden at Cenchraea--and my father! O, my father!" she -sobbed. - -One veil had been withdrawn. - -"Enough," said Lucius. "I think naught of this: every one is aware how the -noble Cnaeus Corbulo came by his death." - -"Then see again," said the Magus. He took hold of a second veil that -covered the prostrate woman, drew it off, and let it fall on the ground. - -Lucius felt the left hand of Domitia contract suddenly on his arm. He -looked before him, but saw nothing save the crystal, in which moved -lights. It was iridescent as an opal. - -Then Domitia exclaimed: - -"It was he! the physician Luke--who cut the thong. But for him, we should -have run down the Imperial trireme. He did it!" - -"What mean you?" asked the young man in surprise. - -"Lucius, I see it all--the sea, the vessel on which is Nero -carousing;--ourselves--we are running at her. And he has cut the thong, the -paddle flies up, and our course is altered." - -Then the Magus uttered a few words, and withdrew the third veil. - -The young man heard his companion breathing heavily; but she said nothing. -He waited awhile and then, stooping to her, asked: - -"Seest thou aught?" - -"Yes," she answered in a whisper. "Yet not with my bodily eyes, I know not -how--but I see--" - -"What?" - -"The end of Nero. Now thou hast thrown the mantle over his face--enough!" - -Then Elymas turned and said: - -"Hitherto thou hast beheld that which is past. Sufficeth it? or wilt thou -even look into that which is to be?" - -"It sufficeth," said Lucius, and would have drawn his companion away. But -she held to the hand of the woman on the bed, and said firmly: - -"No, my friend. Now I have seen things that are past, I will even look -into the future. It was for this I came hither." - -And now again did the magician utter prayers, and wave his hands. -Thereupon strange lights and changes appeared in the crystal, and it -seemed of milky moonlight hue, yet with shoots as of lightning traversing -it. All at once the Magus took off the fourth veil and cast it on the -marble floor. - -Lucius remained motionless, looking at the changing light in the crystal, -and feeling the nervous hand of Domitia twitching on his arm. He thought -that he heard her laugh, but almost immediately with a cry, she loosed her -hand from the unconscious woman on the couch, threw her arms round the -neck of Lamia, and sank sobbing on his breast. - -It was some time before she was sufficiently recovered to speak, and then -was reluctant to disclose what she had seen. Lucius, however, urged her -with gentle persuasion, and, clinging to him, between sobs, in whispers -she confided: - -"Oh, Lucius! I thought--I--I saw that the day had come when you and -I--Lucius, when I went to your house and was lifted across the threshold, -and then, as I stretched my hands to you and took yours--then, all at once, -a red face came up behind--whence I know not--and two long hands thrust us -apart. Then I let go--I let go--and--and I saw no more." - -"When that day comes, my Domitia, no hands shall divide us, no face be -thrust between. Now come forth. You have seen enough." - -"Nay, I will look to the end." She took the hand of Helena, into which -some flexibility and warmth were returning. - -"Art thou willing?" asked the Magus. - -She nodded, and the fifth veil fell. - -For full five minutes Domitia stood rigid, without moving a muscle, hardly -breathing. - -Then Lucius said: - -"See what a purple light shines out of the crystal. What is thy vision -now, Domitia? By the light that beams, it should be right royal." - -"It is royal," she said in faint tones. "Lucius! what that Christian -prophet spoke, that have I also seen--the beast with seven heads, one -wounded to the death, and there cometh up another out of the deadly wound, -and--it hath the red face I saw but just now. And it climbeth to a throne -and lifteth me up to sit thereon. Away with the vision. It offendeth me. -It maketh my blood turn ice cold!" - -"Hast thou a desire to see further?" asked the Magus. - -"I can see naught worse than this," said Domitia. - -A shudder ran through her, and her teeth chattered as with frost. - -Then Elymas again waved his hands, and chanted, "Askion, Kataskion, lix, -Tetras, damnameneus," and raised and cast down the sixth veil. - -At once from the crystal a red light shone forth, and suffused the whole -cell of the temple with a blood-colored illumination, and by it Lucius -could see that there was in it no image present, only a dense black veil -behind the altar on which the stone glowed like a carbuncle. He heard the -breath pass through the teeth of Domitia, like the hissing of a serpent. -He looked at her, her face was terrible, inflamed. The eyes stiffened, the -teeth were set, the brow knitted and lowering. Then she said: - -"I stand on the beast, and the sword of my father pierces his heart." - -Lucius wondered; there was a look of hate, a hideousness in her face, such -as he had not conceived it possible so beautiful and sweet a countenance -could have assumed. - -Then Elymas cast off the last veil. - -For a moment all was darkness. The red light in the crystal had expired. -In stillness and suspense, not without fear, all waited, all standing save -Helena, who had recovered from her trance, and she paused expectant on her -couch. - -Then a minute spark appeared in the crystal, of the purest white light, -that grew, rapidly sending out wave on wave of brilliance, so intense, so -splendid, so dazzling, that the magician, unable to endure the effulgence, -turned and threw himself into a corner, and wrapped his head about with -his mantle. And the medium turned with a cry, as though the light caused -her physical pain, buried her face in the pillow, and groped on the floor -for the veils to cast over her head to exclude the light. - -Lucius, unable to endure the splendor, covered his eyes with his palm. - -But Domitia looked at it, and her face grew soft, the scowl went from her -brow, and a wondrous tenderness and sorrow came into her eyes; great tears -rose and rolled down her cheeks, and glittered like diamonds in the -dazzling beam. - -Then she said with a sob: - -"_Ubi lux--ibi Felicitas._" - -Suddenly an explosion. The orb was shattered into a thousand sparks, and -all was black again in the temple--black as deepest night. - -Then Lucius caught Domitia to him, put his hand behind him, drew back the -curtain, and carried her forth into the calm evening air, and the light of -the aurora hanging over the setting sun. - -She sobbed, gradually recovered herself, drew a profound sigh, and said: - -"Oh, Lucius! where is light, there is felicity!" - - [Illustration: "SHE SAID WITH A SOB: 'UBI LUX--IBI FELICITAS.'" _Page - 104._] - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - TO ROME! - - -"Plancus, come hither!" - -The lady Longa Duilia was in an easy-chair, and a slave-girl, Lucilla, was -engaged in driving away the flies that, perhaps attracted by her -cosmetics, came towards the lady. - -Summer was over, and winter storms were beginning to bluster, and the -flies were dull with cold and only maintained alive by the warmth of the -chambers, heated by underground stoves, and with pipes to convey the hot -air carried through every wall. - -"Plancus, did you hear me speak?" - -"I am here, my lady, at your service." - -"Really; you have become torpid like the flies. Has the chill made you -deaf as well as sluggish?" - -"My lady, I can always hear when you speak." - -"Do you mean to imply that I shout like a fishwife?" - -"I mean not that. But when a harp is played, it sets every thread in every -other stringed instrument a-chiming; and so is it with me." - -"The simile is wiredrawn. What I want you for is--no, I will have no -stroking of your face like a cat!--is to go to Rome and see that the palace -is made ready to receive us. The stoves must be well heated, and -everything properly aired, The country at best of times is tedious; in -winter, intolerable. Besides, I have no right to remain here buried. I -must consider--Plancus, why are you scratching? I must consider my -daughter. She is in a fit of the blues, and has nothing to say to amuse -me. You need not blow like a sea-horse, breathe more evenly and -equably;--Plancus, you are becoming unendurable. I must not consider my -bereaved feelings, but her welfare, her health. The air or the situation -of Gabii does not suit her. Rome is an extraordinarily healthy place in -winter. I myself am never better anywhere than I am there. I was pretty -well at Antioch; there were military there, and I find the soil and -climate salubrious where there are military. Plancus?--as the Gods love me, -you have been in the stables. I know it by infallible proofs. Stand at a -distance, I insist. And, Plancus! you are not showing off conjuring -tricks, that you should fold and unfold your hands. You go to Rome and -take such of the family with you as are necessary. I am not going to be -mewed up here any longer, because my two years of widowhood are not over. -You are making faces at me, positively you are, Plancus. Do, I entreat -you, look as if you were not a mountebank mouthing at a crowd." - -"I fly, mistress, as though winged at heel like Mercury." - -"Much more like Mercury's tortoise. Send me Claudius Senecio. I must know -what ails Domitia. She has the vapors." - -"I obey," said Plancus, - -"Am I much worn, Lucilla?" asked the lady, as soon as her steward had -withdrawn. "The laceration of the heart tells on a sensitive nature, and -precipitates wrinkles and so on." - -"Madam, you bloom as in a second spring." - -"A second spring, Lucilla!" exclaimed Longa, sitting bolt upright. "You -hussy, how dare you? A second spring, indeed! Why, by the zone of Venus, I -am not through my first summer yet." - -"You misconceive me, dear lady. When a virgin has been wedded, then come -on her the cares of matronhood, the caprices, the ill-humors of her -husband--and to some, not without cause, the vexation of his jealousy. But -when the Gods have removed him, it sometimes happens that the ravages -caused by the annoyances of marriage disappear, and she reverts to the -freshness and loveliness of her virginity." - -"There is something in what you say; of course it is true only of highly -privileged natures, in which is some divine blood. A storm ruffles the -surface of the lake. When the storm is past, the lake resumes its -placidity and beauty--exactly as it was before. I have noted it a thousand -times. Yes, of course it is so. Here comes Senecio; he waddles just like -the Hindu nurse I saw at Antioch, laboring about with two fat babies." - -The Philosopher approached. - -"I will trouble you to come in front of me," said the widow. "Have you -eaten so heavy a meal as to shrink from so much unnecessary exertion? I -cannot talk with my neck twisted. The windpipe is not naturally -constructed like a thread in a rope. I am returning to Rome." - -"To Rome, madam! I do not advise that. The place is in commotion. There -have been sad scenes of riot and pillage in the capital." - -"As the Gods love me! what care I so long as they do not invade the house -in the Carinae?" - -"But there have been also massacres." - -"Well, when princes shift about, that is inevitable. They all do it. For -my part, I rather like--that is, I don't object to massacres in their -proper places and confined to the proper persons." - -"Madam, you are secure where you are. Why, there was Galba,--he had not -been in Rome seven months before he was killed, and he did not enter the -city save over the bodies of seven thousand men, butchered on the -Flaminian Way." - -"Well! I am not a man. Moreover, I thank the Gods, my house is not on the -Flaminian Way, nor is it in the Velabrum, nor the Suburra, nor in the -Forum Boarium either. We happen to live in the Carinae, and I conceive that -there have been no massacres and all that sort of thing there." - -"No, my dear lady, but when the entire city is disturbed----" - -"And here, in Gabii, down to the lizards--dead asleep. Give me massacres -rather than stagnation. I shall get back to Rome before the Ides of -December, on account of my daughter's health. By the way, will you believe -it? She gave away the sword of my dear Corbulo to Lucius Lamia. Just -conceive!--how effective that sword would be in my house--in the tablinum, -the atrium, anywhere--and how I could point to it, and my feelings!--I can -imagine nothing more striking. I have told Lamia to restore it. I would -not lose it for a great deal. Well now, come. Any news from the capital?" - -"Madam, you are aware that Galba fell, and that Otho threw himself on his -sword after a reign of ninety days; and now the new Caesar Vitellius is -menaced. I hear that the East has risen, and that Vespasian has been -proclaimed in Syria. The legions in Illyria have also declared for him and -are marching into Italy. Egypt has pronounced against Vitellius, and it is -but seven months since Otho died by his own hand." - -"Vespasian, did you say?" exclaimed the lady. "My good Senecio, he is a -sort of cousin, a country cousin, just one of those cousins that can be -cultivated into kinship, or dropped out of relationship as circumstances -decide. His father was a pottering sort of a man, an auctioneer, and -commissioner of drains and dirt and all that sort of thing. A worthy -fellow, I dare say; I believe he had a statue erected to him somewhere -because he did the scavengering so well. He married above his position, -one Vespasia Polla; I have seen and heard of her, a round-faced woman like -a pudding; he took her for her blood, but she was only a knight's -daughter; and those city knights, as the Gods love me! what a -money-grubbing low set they are! His son, Flavius Vespasianus is -proclaimed! It is really funny. It is, O Morals! I must laugh. Now, if my -good man had but listened to me. But there, I shall become mad.--I don't -know how long it is since you have been pecking, or whether you eat all -day long? But you have crumbs sticking in your beard. Another time be good -enough to comb your beard before approaching me. Tell me, what has given -Domitia the dumps?" - -"I believe, madam, she has been frightened by that unscrupulous impostor, -Elymas, or Ascleparion, or whatever he is called. I do not know -particulars, but believe that he pretended to show her the future." - -"The future! Delicious! And what did she see?" - -"That I cannot say, but she has looked wan ever since, neither smiles nor -speaks, but sits, when the sun shines, on the balustrade above the water, -looking into it, as in a dream. I hear that she holds converse with none, -save her maid, Euphrosyne." - -"I wonder what she has seen! Anything concerning me?" - -"Madam, that braggart and intriguer is made up of lies. He has frightened -her with pretended predictions. If I might advise, I would counsel his -expulsion from the house." - -"I should like to hear what are the chances for Flavius Vespasian. I think -I shall inquire myself. I knew Vespasian once, of course he is vastly my -senior. If he be successful, he may get a proconsulship for our Lamia. He! -Flavius Vespasian a Caesar! There is push for you! As the Gods love me, -there is nothing like push. I must go to Rome. Positively two years -retirement for a widow is unreasonable. In the good old days of the -Republic one was thought enough. I would not have the Republic back for -anything else, though of course we all talk about Liberty and Cato, and -all that sort of thing--it is talk--nothing else. I must go to Rome. Flavius -Sabinus is praefect of the city, and he is the elder brother of Vespasian. -I might show him some little inconspicuous civilities--give a little cosy, -quiet supper. By the way--yes, he is married to an old hunks, I remember. -Oh! if his brother gets to the top, he can divorce her. Yes, positively I -shall not be able to breathe till I get back to Rome. By the way, draw me -up on a couple of tablets some moral philosophizing suitable to widowhood, -pepper it well with lines from lyric poets. I will learn it all by heart -in my litter, and serve out as occasion offers. I positively must be home -before the Ides; why--" with a start of pleasure--"The Ides of December! -that is the dedication feast of the temple of Tellus in the Carinae. There -you have it! Devotion to the gods--an excuse for a little supper--a wee -little supper--but so good and so nicely turned out." - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - A LITTLE SUPPER. - - -Longa Duilia and her entire household had returned to the capital, and -were installed in the family mansion in the Carinae. - -Happily, as Corbulo had considered it, this house had escaped in the -conflagration of Rome under Nero. This, however, was a matter of some -regret to Duilia, who would have preferred to have had it burnt, so that -it might have been rebuilt in greater splendor and in newer style. - -Nevertheless, although externally dingy, it was a commodious mansion -within, and was well furnished, especially with carpets and curtains of -Oriental texture, that had been wrought at, or purchased at the bazaars of -Antioch and Damascus. - -The centre of the house was occupied by the _atrium_, or hall, open to the -sky above the water tank in the midst. On each side at the further end -from the entrance extended the "wings" that contained the family portraits -enclosed in gilded boxes or shrines, the doors of which were thrown open -on festal occasions. In the centre, between the wings was the _tablinum_, -the reception-room of the house, and on the right side of the entrance was -the family money-chest, girded with iron. - -On the ledge of the water tank before the reception room, smoked a little -altar before an image of Larpater, the ancestor and founder of the family, -regarded as the tutelary deity of the house. - -The _penates_, the subsidiary household gods, that had formerly been -retained in the hall, near the altar--curious, smoked, and badly-shaped -dolls, some in rags, some in wood, others in terra cotta--were sometimes -consigned to a family chapel, but in the house of the widow of Corbulo, as -in many another, they had been relegated to a shelf in the kitchen near -the hearth, and a lamp was maintained perpetually burning before them. - -In primitive times, when life was simple, the hall had been the common -room of the house, in which the wife cooked the meals at the hearth, and -where also on seats, father, wife, children and domestics partook together -of the common meal. But now all this was altered. - -In winter the hall was too cold to be sat in. It was inconvenient to have -the cooking done before all eyes. Consequently a separate kitchen and -separate dining-rooms were constructed, and the smoking altar and the -image by it alone remained in the hall as a reminiscence of the family -hearth that once stood there. - -It is more difficult to understand the meals and meal times of the old -Romans, than the arrangement of their houses. - -They rose vastly early in the morning, and took a snack of breakfast of -the simplest description, which lasted them till lunch at 10 a. m. But -such as were occupied abroad rarely returned home for this meal. At noon -they bathed, and then came the great feed of the day, the _coena_, which we -translate "supper," but which was begun at half-past one in winter and an -hour later in summer. - -This lasted the entire afternoon, and even on great occasions into the -night. Some revellers did not break up till midnight, or even prolonged -the orgy to dawn. - -It was not till the Goths and Vandals overflowed the classic world, that -the supper was postponed until the evening. - -The Roman citizen's day was from dawn till noon. Then he had his snooze -and his bath, and the remainder of the day was devoted to the mighty meal -and to reading, conversation, and amusement. - -"I am so pleased to see you," said Longa Duilia, stepping forward to -receive the Praefect of Rome, to her little supper. - -He was a gray-headed, plain, blunt man, with very ordinary features; he -was attended by two lictors, and by his son, Sabinus. - -"I thank you, madam, for the courteous invitation." - -"I could kill myself with vexation not to have made your acquaintance -earlier. You see, for some years I have been at Antioch, with my dearest -husband, whose sword--that sword which drank the blood of Germans, -Parthians and Armenians--excuse these tears--you see it--suspended yonder. -But, as I was saying, we have been from Rome so long, and since my return -I have lived in such seclusion, that we have not met--and yet, considering -our relationship----" - -"My dear lady, I was unaware that I was entitled to such an honor." - -"Oh! yes, of course, cousins." - -"Cousins!" - -"Through Vespasia Polla, your mother. What a sweet creature she was! So -distinguished in her manner. She had such an intelligent face, and, as I -remember her, the remains of great beauty. Of course I was then quite a -mite of a child." - -"This is indeed flattering." - -"You men have other things to consider beside pedigree. Cousins we -certainly are. And how is that sweet lady, your wife? By all accounts as -frail as the last autumn leaf on an acacia." - -"I am glad to say that, on the contrary, she enjoys rude health." - -"You do not say so! What fibs are told! Your son Clemens is not here? I--I -have heard, does not go into society, a little peculiar in his views. We -are not all made alike. But this, your son Sabinus, is formed like an -Apollo. And your daughter Plautilla--so sorry! infected in the same way. -Will not go to dinners or shows--ah! well it is her loss. It is a pleasure -to reunite family ties. Alas! you know of my irreparable loss. I do not -know whether you saw the sword of my darling. He fell on it. Bathed it -with his blood. Every night I bedew the sacred blade with my tears. Excuse -me--my emotion overcomes me. I would have buried myself at Gabii, clasping -the sword to my wounded bosom for the remainder of my shattered life, had -it not been for the health of my child. A mother's thoughts are with her -offspring. Well, now to table. A widow's fare, only a small supper in a -house of mourning--though more than a twelvemonth since the funeral--indeed, -two years since my dear one died--on that sword. Oh! I turn away my eyes! -The sight of that blade. But, come--that is my daughter. Salute her. A -cousin. Give me your hand, Flavius. The table calls us." - -The house of a wealthy Roman at this period had not only a summer -dining-room, open to the air, but one also for winter, well heated by -stoves. Three tables were placed, so as to accommodate nine persons, three -at each, leaving the ends of two and an open square in the middle. - -Into this hollow the servants ran the "repository," a sort of what-not, on -wheels, consisting of a tier of shelves, all laden with dishes; and the -guests put forth their hands and selected such meats as they fancied. - -Knives they had, but no forks. In place of these latter they were -furnished with spoons, having the extremity of the handle turned down as -claw or hoof, or sharpened to a point, so as to serve to hold the meat -whilst it was being cut. When so employed, the bowl of the spoon was held -in the hollow of the hand; but when used as a spoon, then the end was -reversed. - -A sideboard was piled up with silver and gold plate. In addition in a -corner stood a round table with three feet; on which were laid napkins -neatly tied up with blue and red bands. These napkins contained trinkets, -rings, brooches, comfits, mottoes, and were to be given to the guests -along with the dessert. Our presentation of Christmas crackers is a -reminiscence of the old Roman custom of making presents to the guests at -the close of a banquet. - -The males lay at table on couches, with their legs extended behind them, -their left elbows reposed on pillows. It was against ancient Roman custom -for ladies to recline, but recently some empresses had broken through the -rule, and when they set the example of lounging, others followed. Duilia, -however, was a stickler in some things, and she somewhat affected archaic -usages, as a mark of distinction, as a token of the antiquity of the -family, whose customs had acquired an almost sacred sanction. Ladies sat -on stools. - -The couches and seats were sumptuous, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, -tortoise-shell and silver, and were covered with Oriental carpets. - -Every guest was attended by a slave, bearing an ewer and napkin, so that -he might cleanse his fingers directly they became greasy--a necessity of -constant recurrence, on account of the absence of proper forks. - -A baldachin of embroidered silk was stretched above the table, and the -heads of the banqueters. This was done for the purpose of cutting off the -draught, as immediately above, in the ceiling, was the _lacunar_, an -opening through which the steam and savor of dinner might escape, and -through which, when the canopy was not spread, rose-leaves, violets, a -spray of scent, even garlands were scattered over the revellers. - -A Roman dinner began, like one in Russia at the present day, with a -_gustus_, a snack of something calculated to stimulate the appetite or to -help digestion. - -Then came in soft-boiled eggs, the invariable first dish, just as -invariably, the meal closed with apples. - -With the eggs were served salads and sauer-kraut, cabbage shredded in -vinegar, Brussels sprouts boiled with saltpetre to enhance their green, -turnips and carrots in mustard and vinegar. Melons were eaten with pepper, -salt, and vinegar; artichokes were consumed raw, with oil; mallows and -sorrel, olives, mushrooms and truffles were favorite vegetables, and were -eaten along with large snails, oysters, sardines, and chopped lizards. - -All this was preparatory. - -Now entered the repository, groaning under meats and fish. At the same -moment a slave produced and handed round a menu card. But before eating, a -benediction was pronounced, the household gods were invoked and promised a -share of the good things from the table. - -It is unnecessary to catalogue the solids and _entrees_ sent up at such a -supper. Pork was a favorite dish, and there were fifty ways in which a pig -could be served up. Octopus was much relished, as it is to this day in -Italy. Wild fowl was stuffed with garlic, mutton with asafoetida, and some -meats were not considered in condition till decomposition had begun. - -The strong savor produced by those dishes was dissipated by servants -holding large fans, and counteracted by the diffusion of aromatic smoke, -and the sprinkling of guests and table with essences. - -A supper consisted of several courses, but a considerable interval elapsed -between each, which interval was filled in with conversation, or enlivened -with the antics of buffoons, or with music, or the recitation of poetry. - -Nothing in the smallest degree unseemly was allowed in the house of Longa -Duilia, at such entertainments. - -We read a good deal, in the ancient authors, of the license allowed at -such times, but this was not general, certainly was not suffered except in -very "fast" houses, and such were attended by none who respected -themselves. - -The widow knew how to make herself agreeable. Flavius Sabinus, the -praefect, was a great talker, and there was a little rivalry between the -two as to which should lead the conversation. Domitia hardly spoke, but -the guests generally entertained themselves heartily. - -Lamia was there, and near his betrothed, but found it difficult to carry -on conversation with her. Since the questioning of Ishtar in the Temple at -Gabii, she had been haunted by the visions presented to her inner sight, -and she was unable to shake off the oppression of spirits and distress of -mind, they had caused. - -When supper was ended, previous to the dessert, all rose, a grace was -said, and again the household gods were invoked. - -All were thus standing, in solemn hush, whilst a portion for the deities -was being taken away, when the curtain before the door was roughly drawn -aside, and a young man ran in--then halted, bewildered by the lights and -the company, and hesitated before advancing further. - -A faint cry escaped the breast of Domitia; and she staggered back, and -caught Lamia convulsively by the wrist. - -Then Flavius Sabinus said apologetically to his hostess: - -"This youth is my nephew, Titus Flavius Domitianus, the younger son of my -brother Vespasian. Pardon his lack of breeding, lady--I bade him find me -here, if matters of importance demanded my attention. Excuse me, I pray, -if I retire with him and hear what news of weight he bears." - -Duilia bowed, and the praefect, leaving his place, went to meet his nephew. - -Lamia felt that Domitia was trembling. He looked in her face and it -alarmed him. With wide eyes she was staring at the intruder; her lips were -slightly parted, every trace of color had deserted them; and between them -gleamed her teeth. - -Not till the curtain had fallen, and hidden the form of the young man, as -he left with his uncle, did she breathe freer. - -Then she heaved a long sigh, and said in a faint voice: - -"It is he--the eighth crowned head--the fifth come again--the new Nero. O -Lamia! Terrible is Fate!" - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - - THE LECTISTERNIUM. - - -"My dear child," said Duilia, "I never did a better stroke of policy than -that supper a few evenings ago. It went off quite charmingly, without a -hitch. I allowed that good Flavius Sabinus to talk; and he is just one of -those men who enjoys himself best where he is given full flow for his -twaddle. A good, worthy, commonplace man. I doubt if he has push in him, -but he is just so situated now that he must go ahead. The news is most -encouraging. Mucianus is on his way to Italy at the head of an army. -Primus, with his legions, is approaching; he has beaten the troops sent -against him, and has sacked Cremona; there are positively none who hold by -Vitellius except his brother in Campania, and his German bodyguard. -Domitia," the widow dropped her voice, "we can do better than with that -milksop AElius Lamia." - -"Mother, I will have no other." - -"Then we must push him up into position. But come, my dear, we must show -ourselves at the Lectisternia. It will be expected of us, and be setting a -good example, and all that sort of thing, and it is positively wicked to -mope indoors when we ought to be seen in the streets and the forum. So -there, make yourself ready. I am going instantly. I have ordered round the -palanquins, and, as you may perceive, I am dressed and my hair done to go -out. That supper was _quite_ a success." - -The time was now that of the Saturnalia, lasting seven days, beginning on -the 17th December with a strange institution, a banquet of the gods. -Usually the several gods had their feasts in their own temples and invited -others to them, but on certain solemn occasions all banqueted together in -public. The distress, the butcheries, the general confusion caused by the -setting up and casting down of emperors--three in ten months--and now, eight -months after, a fourth tottering; and every change involving massacre, -plunder, disturbance of order;--this had moved the priests to decree a -solemn lectisternium and supplication for the restoration of tranquillity -and the cessation of civil broil. - -The banquet was to take place in the forum. - -"You shall come in the _lectica_ (palanquin) with me," said Duilia. "It -will have quite a pathetic aspect--the widow and the orphan together. -Besides, I want some one to talk to. What do you think of Flavius -Domitianus? A modest lad, to my mind." - -"Shy and clumsy," observed Domitia. "The sight of him is a horror to me." - -"My dear child, only a fool will take sprats when he can have whitebait. -Look out to better yourself." - -"Oh, mother!--what is that?" - -"A god going to supper," said the lady. "We shall see plenty of them -presently." - -That which had attracted her daughter's attention was a bier supported on -the shoulders of priests, on which lay a figure dressed handsomely, in the -attitude of a man at table, raised on his left elbow that was buried in a -pillow, the head erect and the right arm extended, balanced in the air. -The body was probably of wood under the drooping drapery, but the face and -hands and feet were of wax. In jolting over the pavement, the sleeve had -become disarranged, and showed the wooden prop that sustained the waxen -right hand. The face was colored, the eyes were of glass, and real hair -was affixed to the head; the lower jaw, hung on wires, opened and shut -with the jostling. The staring figure swaying on the shoulders of the -bearers, had a sufficiently startling effect, sweeping round a corner, -wagging its beard, and past the palanquin in which were the ladies. - -"A thing like that can't eat," said Domitia. - -"Oh, my dear child, no. The gods only sniff at the food. After it has been -set before them, it is carried away, and the people scramble for it." - -"They are naught but wax and woodwork," said the girl contemptuously. - -"My child, how often have I not had to quote to you that text, 'It is not -well to be overwise about the gods?' Here we are! What a crowd!" - -The forum of Rome, that wondrous basin towered over on one side by the -Capitol, inclosed on another by the Palatine, and on the third by the -densely packed blocks of houses in the Suburra below the Quirinal, Viminal -and Esquiline Hills, was itself crowded with temples and basilicas, yet -not then as dense with monuments as later, when the open spaces were -further encroached upon by the Antonines. - -"Domitia," said Longa Duilia, in her ear, "all things are working out -excellently. Vitellius is aware that he has no chance, and has been -consulting with our cousin in the Temple of Concord yonder, and they have -nearly settled between them that Vespasian is to assume the purple without -further opposition. Vitellius will retire to some country villa on a -handsome annuity. That will prevent more bloodshed and confiscation, and -all that sort of thing. It is always advisable to avoid unpleasantnesses -if possible. There, child, there are quite a bevy of gods already at -table. See that dear old doll, Summanus, without a head--you know it was -struck off by lightning in the time of Pyrrhus. It was of clay, and rolled -all the way to the Tiber and plopped in. Since then he has been without a -head, the darling!" - -"How can he either smell or eat, mother?" - -"My child, I don't ask. It is not well to be overwise about the gods. -There go the Arval Brothers with the image of Aca Larentia seated--of -course not lying. You will see some venerable curiosities, who put in an -appearance on days like this so as not to be wholly forgotten." - -The sight presented by the forum was indeed strange. A space had been -cleared and shut off from the intrusion of the crowd, and there lay and -sat the images at tables that were spread with viands. All were either -life-size or larger. Some were skilfully modelled, and wore gorgeous -clothing, but others were of the rudest moulding in terra cotta, or carved -wood, and evidently of very ancient date, of Etruscan workmanship little -influenced by Greek art. - -Domitia looked on in astonishment. The populace laughed and commented on -the images, without the least reverence; and the priests and their -assistants laid the dishes before the puppets, then whisked them off and -carried them without the barriers. Thereupon ensued a struggle who should -get hold of the savory morsels that were being conveyed from the table of -the gods; even the vessels used for the viands and for the wine were -snatched at and carried away, and the priests offered no resistance. - -Domitia was completely transported out of herself by astonishment at the -sight. Every now and then the hum of voices spluttered into a burst of -laughter at some ribald joke, and then roared up into a hubbub of sound -over the trays of meats and wine that were being fought for. - -Already the short winter day was closing in, and torches were being -brought forth and stood beside the images. Then the tables were cleared -and removed. - -A trumpet blast sounded, and instantly the barriers were cast down, and -the second act of this extraordinary spectacle ensued. This was the -supplication. Instantly the temper of the mob changed from scepticism and -mockery to enthusiastic devotion, and those pressed forward to kneel and -touch the cushions and drapery on which the gods reposed, and to entreat -their assistance, whose lips had but recently uttered a scoff. - -Nothing so completely differentiates Christian worship from that of Pagan -Rome as the congregational character of the former contrasted with the -uncongregational nature of the latter. At the present day in Papal Rome -the priests may be seen behind glass doors in little chapels annexed to S. -Peter's and S. Maria Maggiore saying their offices, indifferent to there -being no laity present, indeed, with no provision made that they should -assist. This is a legacy of Pagan Rome. The sacrifices, the services in -the temples and other sanctuaries, were entirely independent of the -people, some performed within closed doors. The only popular religious -service was the _supplication_, which took place but occasionally. Then -the public streamed to the images of the gods, uttering fervent prayer, -chanting hymns, prostrating themselves before the couches, catching at -their bed-coverings, esteeming themselves blessed if they could lay their -hands on the sacred pillows. But there was no general consent as to which -of the gods and goddesses were most potent. Some cried out that Mother -Orbona had helped them, others that Fortuna was a jade and promised but -performed nothing. One fanatic, in a transport, shrieked that these gods -were good for naught, for his part he trusted only in Consus, whose temple -was in ruins, whose altar was buried in earth by the circus of Tarquin. -But there were others who swept in a strong current towards the couch of -Jupiter and of that of Venus. Another strong current, howling 'Io Saturne! -Salve Mater Ops!' made for the images of the Old God of Time and his -divine Mate. - -Simultaneously came a cross current of vendors of cakes and toys from the -Suburra, regardless of the devotion of the people, careful only to sell -their goods--for the Saturnalia was a period at which the children were -regaled with gingerbread, and treated to dolls of terra cotta, of ivory -and of wood. Hawkers selling pistachio nuts, the cones of the edible pine, -men with baked chestnuts, others with trays of Pomponian pears and Mattian -apples, vociferating and belauding their wares, increased the clamor. - -Whilst this was at its height, down from the Palatine by the New Way came -the German Imperial Body-Guard, forcing a passage through the mob, their -short swords drawn, bellowing imprecations, whirling their blades, -striking with the flat of the steel, threatening to cut down such as -impeded their progress. - -Some _vigiles_, or city police, came up. There was no love lost between -them and the pampered foreigners employed in the palace, and they opposed -the household troops. Remonstrances were employed and cast away. Then a -German was struck in the face by a pine cone, another tripped, fell, and a -hawker with a barrow-load of dolls, in his eagerness to escape, ran his -vehicle over the prostrate guardsman. At once the Germans' blood was up, -they rushed upon the police, and a fray ensued in which now this side, -then that, gained advantage. The populace, densely packed, came in for -blows and wounds. When a guardsman fell, and they could lay hold of him, -he was dragged away, and almost torn to pieces by eager hands stripping -him of his splendid uniform. - -The Praefect, who was in the Forum, summoned three cohorts to his aid, to -drive back the household troops, and in a moment the trough between the -hills was converted into a scene of the wildest confusion, some women -screaming that they had lost their children, others crying to the gods to -help them. Boys had scrambled up the bases of the statues, and one urchin -sat with folded legs on the shoulders of Julius Caesar, hallooing, and -occasionally pelting with nuts where they did not fear retaliation. - -The vendors of cakes and toys cursed as their trays were upset, or their -barrows clashed. Men fought each other, for no other reason than that the -soldiers were engaged, and they were unable to keep their itching hands -off each other. - -Down a stair from the palace came the Emperor Vitellius, carried on the -shoulders of soldiers, while slaves bore flambeaux before him. - -He was seen to gesticulate, but in the uproar none heard what he said. - -Meanwhile, the priests were endeavoring to remove the gods, and met with -the greatest difficulty. Some frantic women clung to the images and -refused to allow them to be taken away. Some of the figures had been -upset, and the servants of the temples to which they belonged made rings -about them with interlaced arms, to protect them from being trampled under -foot. Jupiter Capitolinus had been injured and lost his nose. - -A priest with the help of a torch, was melting the wax and fastening it on -again, whilst the guard of the temple kept off the rabble. - -The currents of human beings, driven by diverse passions, jostled, broke -across each other, resolved themselves into swirls of living men and women -carried off their feet. - -The litter of the lady Duilia and her daughter tossed like a boat in a -whirlpool, and the widow shrieked with terror. - -Then two powerful arms were thrust within the curtains of the palanquin, -and the slave Eboracus laid hold of Domitia, and said:-- - -"There is no safety here. Trust me. I will battle through with you. Come -on my arm. Fear not." - -"Save me! Me, also!" screamed Duilia, "I shall be thrown out, trodden -under foot! O my wig! My wig!" - -But Eboracus, regardless of the widow, holding his young mistress on his -left arm, with the right armed with a cudgel, which he whirled like a -flail, and with which, without compunction he broke down all opposition, -drove, battered his way through the throng where most dense, across the -currents most violent, and did not stay till he had reached a -comparatively unobstructed spot, in one of the narrow lanes between the -Fish Market and the Hostilian Court. - - [Illustration: "ARMED WITH A CUDGEL, WHICH HE WHIRLED LIKE A FLAIL." - _Page 129._] - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - IN THE HOUSE OF THE ACTOR. - - -Hardly had Eboracus conveyed Domitia out of the Forum into a place of -safety, than a rush of people down the street threatened to drive him back -in the direction whence he had come. The drifting mob, as it cascaded -down, cried: "The Praetorians are coming from their camp!" - -It was so. Down the hill by the Tiburtine way marched a compact body of -soldiery. - -The danger was imminent; Eboracus and his young charge were between two -masses of military, entangled in a seething mob of frightened people, -mostly of the lowest class. - -"My lady!" said the slave. "There is but one thing to be done." - -He drew her to a door, knocked, and when a voice asked who demanded -admittance, answered, - -"Open speedily--Paris!" - -The door was furtively unbarred and opened sufficiently to admit the slave -and Domitia, and then hastily bolted and locked again. - -"Excuse me, dear mistress," said Eboracus. "I could do no other. In this -_insula_ live the actor Paris and Glyceria. They were both slaves in your -household, but were given their freedom by your father, my late master, -when he went to the East. They will place themselves at your service, and -offer you shelter in their humble dwelling, the first flat on the right." - -The house was one of those _insulae_, islets of Rome in which great numbers -of the lower classes were housed. They consisted in square blocks, built -about a court, and ran to the height of seven and even more stories. The -several flats were reached by stone stairs that ran from the central yard -to the very summit of these barrack-like buildings. They vastly resembled -our modern model lodging-houses, with one exception, that they had no -exterior windows, or at most only slits looking into the street; doors and -windows opened into the central quadrangle. These houses were little -towns, occupied by numerous families, each family renting two or more -chambers on a flat, and as in a city there are diversities in rank, so was -it in these lodging-houses; the most abjectly poor were at the very top, -or on the ground floor. The first flat commanded the highest rent, and the -price of rooms gradually dwindled, the greater the elevation was. Glass -was too great a luxury, far too costly to be employed except by the most -wealthy for filling their windows. Even talc was expensive; in its place -thin films of agate were sometimes used; but among the poor there was -little protection in their dwellings against cold. The doors admitted -light and air and cold together, and were always open, except at night, -and then a perforation in the wood, or a small window in the wall, too -narrow to allow of ingress, served for ventilation. - -In a huge block of building like the _insula_, there were no chimneys. All -cooking was done at the hearth in the room that served as kitchen and -dining-room, often also as bedroom, and the smoke found its way out at the -doorway into the central court. - -But, in fact, little cooking of food was done, except the boiling of -pulse. The meals of the poor consisted mainly of salads and fruit, with -oil in abundance. - -Dressed always in wool, in cold weather multiplying their wraps, the Roman -citizens felt the cold weather much less than we might suppose possible. -In the rain--and in Rome in winter it raineth almost every day--the -balconies were crowded, and then the women wove, men tinkered or patched -sandals, children romped, boys played marbles and knuckle-bones, and -sometimes a minstrel twanged a lyre and the young girls danced to keep -themselves warm. There were little braziers, moreover, one on every -landing, that were kept alight with charcoal, and here, when the women's -fingers were numb, they were thawed, and children baked chestnuts or -roasted apples. - -Domitia had never been in one of these blocks of habitations of the lower -classes before, and she was surprised. The quadrangle was almost like an -amphitheatre, with its tiers of seats for spectators; but here, in place -of seats, were balconies, and every balcony was alive with women and -children. Men were absent; they had gone out to see the commencement of -the Saturnalia, and of women there were few compared to the numbers that -usually thronged these balconies. - -Eboracus conducted his young mistress up the first flight of steps, and at -once a rush of children was made to him to ask for toys and cakes. He -brushed them aside, and when the mothers saw by the purple edge to her -dress that Domitia belonged to a noble family, they called their -youngsters away, and saluted her by raising thumb and forefinger united to -the lips. - -The slave at once conducted Domitia through a doorway into a little -chamber, where burnt a fire of olive sticks, and a lamp was suspended, by -the light of which she could see that a sick woman lay on a low bed. - -Domitia shrank back; but Eboracus said encouragingly: - -"Be not afraid, dear young mistress; this is no catching disorder; -Glyceria suffers from an accident, and will never be well again. She is -the sister of your servant Euphrosyne." - -Then, approaching the sick woman, he hastily explained the reason for his -taking refuge with his mistress in this humble lodging. - -The sick woman turned to Domitia with a sweet smile, and in courteous -words entreated her to remain in her chamber so long as was necessary. - -"My husband, Paris, the actor, is now out; but he will be home shortly, I -trust--unless," her face grew paler with sudden dread, "some ill have -befallen him. Yet I think not that can be, he is a quiet, harmless man." - -"I thank you," answered Domitia, and took a seat offered her by Eboracus. - -She looked attentively at the sick woman's face. She was no longer young, -she had at one time been beautiful, she had large, lustrous dark eyes, and -dark hair, but pain and weakness had sharpened her features. Yet there was -such gentleness, patience, love in her face, a something which to Domitia -was so new, a something so new in that old world, that she could not take -her eyes off her, wondering what the fascination was. - -Glyceria did not speak again, modestly waiting till the lady of rank chose -to address her. - -Presently Domitia asked: - -"Have you been long ill?" - -"A year, lady." - -"And may I inquire how it came about?" - -"Alas! It is a sad story. My little boy----" - -"You have a son?" - -"I had----" - -"I ask your pardon for the interruption; say on." - -"My little boy was playing in the street, when a chariot was driven -rapidly down the hill, and I saw that he would be under the horses' feet, -so I made a dart to save him." - -"And then?" - -"I was too late to rescue him, and I fell, and the wheel went over me. I -have been unable to rise since." - -"What! like this for all these months! What say the doctors?" - -"Alack, lady! they give me no hope." - -"But for how long may this last?" - -"I cannot say." - -"As the gods love me! if this befell me, I should refuse my food and -starve myself to death!" - -"I cannot do that." - -"What! you lack the resolution?" - -"I can bear what is on me laid by God." - -"There is no need to endure what can be avoided. I would make short work -of it, were this my lot. And your husband?" - -"He is here." - -Through the door came the actor, a handsome man, of Greek type, with a -package in his arms. He would have walked straight to his wife, but had to -turn at the door and drive off a clamorous pack of urchins who had pursued -him, believing that he was laden with toys. - -"There, Glyceria!" he exclaimed joyously; "they are all for you. There is -such a riot and disturbance and such a crush in the street, that I had -hard work to push through. I misdoubt me some are broken." - -"Oh, Paris! do you not observe?" - -"What? I see nothing but thy sweet face?" - -"Our dear master's daughter, the lady Domitia Longina." - -The actor turned sharply, and was covered with confusion at the unexpected -sight, and almost let his parcel fall. - -Eboracus explained the circumstances. Then Paris expressed his happiness, -and the pride he felt in being honored by the visit under his humble -ceiling, of the lady, the daughter of the good and beloved master who had -given him and Glyceria their freedom. - -"Go forth, Eboracus," said Domitia, "and I prithee learn how it has fared -with my mother. Bring me word speedily, if thou canst." - -When the slave had withdrawn, she addressed Paris and Glyceria. - -"I beseech you, suffer me to remain here in quiet, and concern not -yourselves about me. I have been alarmed, and this has shaken me. I would -fain rest in this seat and not speak. Go on with what ye have to say and -do, and consider me not. So will you best please me." - -The actor was somewhat constrained at first, but after a little while -overcame his reserve. He drew a low table beside his wife's couch, and, -stooping on one knee, began to unlade his bundle. He set out a number of -terra cotta figures on the table, representing cocks and hens, pigs, -horses, cows and men; some infinitely comical; at them Glyceria laughed. - -Then, as she put forth a thin white hand to take up one of the quaintest -images, Domitia noticed that Paris laid hold of it, and pressed it to his -lips. - -A lump rose in the girl's throat. - -"No," thought she; "if I had one so to love me and consider me, though I -were sick and in pain, I would not shorten my days. I would live to enjoy -his love." - -Then again, falling into further musing, she said to herself: - -"In time to come, if it chance that I become ill, will my Lamia be to me -as is this actor to his poor wife? Will he think of and care for me? -But--and if evil were to befall him, would not I minister to him, care for -him night and day, and seek to relieve his sorrow? Would I grow -indifferent when he most needed me? Then why think that he should become -cold and neglect me? Are women more inclined to be true than men?--Yet see -this actor--this Paris. By the Gods! Is Lamia like to be a more ignoble man -than a poor freedman that gains his living on the stage?--I should even be -happy serving him sick and suffering. Happy in doing my duty." - -And still musing, she said on to herself: - -"Duty! Yes, I should find content and rest of mind in that; but to what -would it all lead? Only to a heap of dust in the end. His light would be -extinguished, and then I, having nothing else to live for, would die -also--by mine own hand:--there is nothing beyond. It all leads to an -ash-heap." - -Glyceria, observing the girl's fixed eye, thought it was looking -inquiringly at her, and said in her gentle voice that vibrated with the -tremulousness given by suffering: - -"Ah, lady! the neighbors and their children are very kind. There is more -of goodness and piety in the world than you would suppose, seeing men and -women only in an amphitheatre. I can do but very little. One boy fetches -me water--that is Bibulus, and my Paris has bought him this little -horseman--and Torquata, a little girl, daughter of a cobbler, she sweeps -the floor; and Dosithea, that is a good widow's child; she does other -neighborly acts for me;--and they thrust me on my bed to the side of the -hearth, and bring me such things as I need, that I may prepare the meals -for my husband. And Claudia, the wife of a seller of nets, she makes my -bed for me; but all the shopping is done for me by Paris, and I warrant -you, lady, he is quite knowing, and can haggle over a fish or a turnip -with a market-woman like any housewife." - -"He is very good to you," said Domitia. - -Then Paris turned, and, putting his hand on his wife's mouth, said: - -"Lady! you can little know what a wife my Glyceria is to me. I had rather -for my own sake have her thus than hale as of old. Somehow, sorrow and -pain draw hearts together wondrously." - -"He is good," said Glyceria, twisting her mouth from his covering hand. -"We have had a hard year; on account of the troubles, there has been -little desire among the people for the theatre, and he has earned but a -trifle. I have cost him much in physicians that have done me no good, yet -he never grumbles, he is always cheerful, always tender-hearted and -loving." - -"Hush, wife!" said Paris. "The lady desires rest. Keep silence." - -Then again Domitia fell a-musing, and the player and his wife whispered to -each other about the destination of the several toys. - -Somehow she had hitherto not thought of the classes of men and women below -her station as having like feelings, like longings, like natures to her -own. They had been to her as puppets, even as those clay figures ranged on -the table, mostly grotesque. Now that great pulse of love that throbs -through the world of humanity made itself felt, it was as though scales -fell from her eyes, and the puppets became beings of flesh and blood to be -considered, capable of happiness and of suffering, of virtue as well as of -vice. - -"I have a little lamp here--with a fish--_the_ fish on it," said Paris in a -whisper. "It is for Luke, the Physician." - -"What!" exclaimed Domitia, starting from her reverie, "you know him? We -had a talk once, and it was broken off and never concluded. I would hear -the end of what he was saying--some day." - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - THE SATURNALIA OF 69. - - -Eboracus brushed aside some urchins and girls blocking the door, looking -in with eager, twinkling eyes at the strange lady and at the set out of -dolls on the table. - -There passed whispers and nudges from one to another--but all ceased as the -British slave put together his hands as a swimmer and plunged through -them. - -"Get away you sprats and gudgeons," said he, good-humoredly. - -Then entering, he said to Domitia: - -"Lady, your mother has reached home in safety. I chanced to run across -Amphibolus, sent out in quest of you, and the good-for-naught had turned -sulky, because it is the Saturnalia, when, said he, the mistress should do -the slave's bidding. 'That can be,' said he, 'but at one time in the year, -and should not be forgotten.' And the lanes are clear of rabble. If Paris -here will walk on one side of you and I on the other, it will be well. -That rascal Amphibolus I bade wait, but not he, said he, 'Io Saturne!'" - -"I will attend with joy," announced the actor. - -Domitia rose to leave, she tendered thanks to Glyceria and took two steps -towards the entrance, halted, turned back, and taking the thin hand of the -sick woman in hers, somewhat shyly said: - -"I may come again and see you?" - -Before Glyceria could reply, so great was her surprise, Domitia was gone. - -The streets were nearly empty, they were mere lanes between huge blocks of -windowless buildings, towering into the sky, but from the forum could be -heard a hubbub of voices, cries, the clash of arms, and anon a cheer. - -Presently--"Stand aside!" said Paris, and there swept down the lane a -number of young fellows masked and tricked out in ribbons and scraps of -tawdry finery. - -"I am the king!" shouted one, "Praefect of the guard, arrest those people. -Ha! a woman. She shall be my captive and grace my triumph." - -Eboracus administered a blow with his fist, planted between the eyes of -the youth in pasteboard armor who came towards his young mistress. The -blow sent him flying backwards against the king and upset him on the -pavement. - -A roar of laughter from his mates, and one shouted, - -"Hey Tarquinius! thou must e'en fare like the rest, Nero, Galba, Otho--and -hem! we know not who else--but down thou art with the others." - -"Let us go on," said Paris, and without further attempt at molestation -from the revellers they pursued their way. - -On reaching the palace inhabited by Longa Duilia, a fresh difficulty -arose. Eboracus knocked, but there was no porter at the door to answer. He -knocked again and continued to rattle against the panels, till at length -the bolt was withdrawn, and Euphrosyne with timid face, and holding a lamp -appeared in the entrance. - -"Why have you kept us so long waiting?" asked the Briton. - -"Eboracus, I could not help myself. It is the Saturnalia, and the slaves -will do no menial work. They are carousing in the triclinium and, though -they heard the rap well enough, none would rise and respond. Then, for -very shame I came, for I thought it might be my dear mistress." - -As Domitia crossed the atrium, she heard song and laughter and the click -of goblets issue from the dining-room. She hurried by and entered her -mother's chamber. - -Longa Duilia was in a condition of resentment and irritation. - -"You have arrived at last!" said the lady. "I'll have that British slave's -hide well basted when the Seven Days are over, for disregarding me and -considering your safety alone. Body of Bacchus! This time of the -Saturnalia is insufferable. Not a servant will do a stroke of work, nor -execute a single order. They are all, forsooth, lords and ladies for seven -days, and we must wait on them. Well! if it were not an old custom, I'd -get up a procession of all the matrons of Rome to entreat the Senate to -abolish the usage." - -"Oh, mother dear, how did you escape?" - -"My child! it was as bad as that bit of storm we had getting out of the -Gulf of Corinth, tossed about in my palanquin I hardly knew whether I were -thinking with my head or with my toes. But after a while they got me -through. Never, never again will I go gadding after the Gods to their -Lectisternia. As the Gods love me! this is a topsy-turvy time indeed. At -the Saturnalia no strife is permissible, not a lawsuit, all quarrels are -supposed to cease, not even a malefactor may be executed, and there are -those precious Immortals with their glass eyes, and extended hands -snuffing up the fumes of their dinner, and they allow fighting to go on -before them, under their immortal noses, and never interfere! But I don't -wonder. There was Summanus, God of the night thunders--and will you believe -it, his own head was struck off by the heavenly bolt. Ye Gods! if ye -cannot mind your own heads ye are not to be trusted with ours." - -The lady was in a condition of towering indignation. She was -affronted--she, highborn, with a drop of Julian blood in her, -somewhere,--she had been tossed about among the heads and over the -shoulders of a dirty, garlic-smelling asafoetida chewing rabble--had been -exposed to danger from the swords of the Vigiles on one side, of the -Palatine guard on the other. And when finally, she reached home ruffled in -garments, her hair in disorder, and her heart beating fast, she found the -house in disorder, the slaves in possession keeping high holiday, and -disregarding her shrilly uttered, imperiously expressed orders. - -"I shall go to bed," said the lady, "I'd lie in bed all these horrible -seven days, but that I know no one will bring me my meals. Never mind--when -the Saturnalia are over, I shall remember which were insolent and -disobliging, and they shall get whippings." - -But in the house, on the morrow the condition of affairs was not quite so -bad. The servants were alive to the fact that they had liberty for seven -days only, and that their mistress had a faculty of remembering and -punishing disobedience; not indeed during the holiday period, nor -ostensibly because of faults then committed, but by administering double -chastisement for light offences committed later. - -Some of the slaves, moreover, made no attempt to use their liberty so as -to cause inconvenience to their mistress. - -But if some sort of order was established within the palace, none reigned -without. There civil war raged, at the same time that the citizens -observed the festival, and so long as they kept out of the way of the -soldiery, it did not much concern them whether the city force or the -palace garrison prevailed. Primus, at the head of the Illyrian legions was -rapidly advancing on Rome. News had arrived that Spain and Gaul had -declared for Vespasian. Britain had renounced allegiance to Vitellius, -only Africa still remained faithful. - -Next tidings arrived that the army of Vitellius that was at Narnia had -surrendered. Thereupon the gross, aged Emperor dressed in black, -surrounded by his servants, and carrying his son, still a child, came -howling and sobbing from the Palatine through the Forum, to surrender the -insignia of Empire into the hands of the Consul, in the Temple of Concord. -But the Consul refused to receive them, and then the German guard, having -wind of his intention, became clamorous, and cried out for the head of -Flavius Sabinus. Vitellius, unable to resign, and incapable of reigning, -wandered from one residence to another, asking advice of all his friends -as to what he ought to do, but taking none. - -Meanwhile the fighting in the streets of Rome had recommenced. Titus -Flavius Sabinus, for security escaped into the Capitol, and took with him -his sons and daughter, and his nephew Domitian. There he was formally -besieged by the Imperial guard; and Sabinus, doubting his ability to hold -out long, sent off a despatch to Primus to bid him hasten to his -assistance. - -"Madam!" exclaimed Eboracus rushing in, "I pray you come on the roof of -the house." - -"What is the matter? Ye Gods! surely Rome is not on fire again!" - -"Madam! The household guard are assaulting the Capitol and have indeed set -fire to the houses below, I doubt if the Praefect can hold out till Primus -arrives." - -Duilia ascended to the flat top of the house. The palace of the family was -in the Carinae, on the slope of the Esquiline hill, hard by the gardens of -Nero's Golden House. Being on high ground it commanded the Forum and the -Capitol, and looked over the tops of the vulgar _insulae_ in the dip of the -Suburra. - -It was the evening of the second day. Heavy clouds had lowered throughout -the hours of daylight and the evening had prematurely closed. There had -been desultory fighting all day, but as the night approached a determined -set was made by the German guard to capture the Capitol, and the citadel -of Rome that adjoined it, connected by only a small neck of hill. They -knew that Primus was close at hand, and they were determined not to be -caught between a foe before and another behind. - -The Capitol is a rocky height rising precipitately above the Forum, and -enormous substructures had strengthened it and formed a platform on which -rose the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus that stood to Rome almost in the -relation that the Temple did to Jerusalem, as the centre of its religious -and civil institutions. - -It was almost the paladium of the city, the fate of Rome was held to be -bound up with its preservation. - -And now Domitia and her mother looked on in the gathering darkness at the -temple looming out as of gold against the purple black clouds behind, lit -with the glare of the flames of the houses below that had been fired by -the soldiery. - -The roar of conflict came up in waves of sound. - -"Really," said Duilia, "Revolutions are only tolerable when seen from a -house-top; that is, to cultivated minds--the common rabble like them." - -Shrill above the roar came the scream of a whistle, that a boy was blowing -as he went down the street. - -Suddenly the clamor boiled up into a mighty spout or geyser of noise, and -the reason became manifest in another moment. The whole sky was lit by a -sheet of flame of golden yellow. The conflagration had caught an oil -merchant's stores that were planted against the substructures supporting -the temple. Columns, shoots of dazzling light rushed up against the rocks -and the walls, recoiled, swept against them again, overleaped them and -curled like tongues around the temple. - -Instantly every sound ceased. The soldiers sheathed their swords. The -citizens held their breath. Nothing for a few minutes was audible, save -the mutter of the fire. - -"My lady," said Euphrosyne, coming to the roof, and addressing Longa -Duilia, "A priest of Jupiter is below, and desires to speak with you." - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - A REFUGEE. - - -"A priest of Jupiter here!" exclaimed Duilia. "When his temple is on fire! -Bid him be off--but stay. Who let him in?" - -"Lady, the Chaldaean introduced him." - -"He had no right to do so. Let him entertain him. I desire to see the end. -Run. The roof is on fire--the eagles will be down--or melt away." - -"Lady! the Magian commissioned me to assure you that he bears an important -communication." - -"Say I am engaged." - -A minute later, the Chaldaean himself arrived on the housetop and addressed -the mistress. - -"I cannot attend to your abracadabra," said she, in reply to his request -to be heard. "Look there. The Capitol is in flames, the temple of Jupiter -Optimus Maximus blazes. I know what he wants--he has come begging. They all -beg. I have no money. I am interested in the fire, the Revolution, and all -that sort of thing." - -"Lady Longa," said Elymas, "There are moments that are turning points in -every life. A great chance offers. Take it, or put it away forever." - -"You worry me past endurance. What is it? Look! the flames are licking -Jupiter in his chariot." - -"If you will step aside I will speak. Not here." - -Duilia with an impatient toss of her head and shrug of her shoulders, -gathered up her garment with one hand, stepped to a distant part of the -roof, and said, sulkily-- - -"Well, what is this about?" - -"You know that the Praefect of Rome who supped at your house the other day -is besieged in the Capitol." - -"Well--this is no news." - -"And that for security, lest they should be put to death by Vitellius or -the soldiery, he took his children and his nephew there with him." - -"So I have been told. That does not concern me. Why did he not take also -his fat wife? she would have fed the flames." - -"My lady--the Capitol cannot hold out another half hour, and then all -within will be butchered." - -"Can I help that? They all do it. This sort of thing happens in -revolutions invariably. I cannot alter the course of the world." - -"But, madam, the son of Vespasian, Flavius Domitianus has escaped through -the Tabularium, by a little door into the Forum." - -"He might have escaped by turning a somersault over the walls for aught I -care." - -"His life is in extreme jeopardy. If discovered he will be assassinated, -most assuredly." - -"Well, that is the way these things go." - -"I have brought him hither--disguised as a priest." - -"What!" - -The lady became rigid, eyes, mouth and nostrils. - -"What!" - -"He escaped disguised as a priest of Jupiter. As such, with veiled head he -has passed unmolested, even through the ranks of the soldiery and people, -inclined to tear him to pieces, for they are all on the side of the -reigning prince." - -"Domitian here! What a fool you are, Elymas. I'll have you tossed off the -roof, in punishment. By Hercules! you compromise me. If it be suspected -that he is here, I shall have the house ransacked, and all my valuables -plundered, and the Gods alone know what may become of me." - -"That is true, lady, and you must run the risk." - -"I will not," said Duilia, stamping angrily on the concrete of the roof. -"Is it not enough to have the house turned upside down with this -detestable Saturnalia! Age of Gold indeed! Age of tomfoolery and -upside-downedness. If my poor dear man had but done what he ought, there -would have been none of these commotions, and I--well--I--I would have put -down the Saturnalia." - -"Madam, this is all beside the mark. Domitian, the son of Flavius -Vespasian, whom the world has saluted Emperor, and sworn to, is under your -roof as a suppliant." - -"How unfortunate!" - -"How fortunate!" - -"I cannot see that." - -"Then, madam, the clouds of night must have got into your brain. Do you -not see that you are running a very slight risk. None suspect that he is -in concealment here, as I smuggled him into the house." - -"There are my slaves." - -"They regard him as a priest escaping from the fire and the siege," said -the soothsayer. He continued--"Before morning the Illyrian legions will -have arrived in Rome. Do you suppose the German bodyguard can stand -against them? What other troops has Vitellius to fall back on? None--he is -deserted. His cause is fatally smitten. By to-morrow evening he will be -dead, cast down the Gemonian stair. Vespasian will be proclaimed in the -Forum. Your risk will be at an end, and you will have obtained the lasting -gratitude of the Imperial father, who will do anything you desire, to show -his thankfulness to you for having saved the life of his son." - -"There is something in that," said Duilia. - -"And suppose now that Domitian is here, that you bid your slaves eject -him, and he falls into the hands of Vitellius, how will you be regarded by -the Flavian family? Do you not suppose that you will be the first to -suffer the resentment of the Augustus?" - -"There is a good deal in that," said Duilia, to which the Magus said,-- - -"I have no fear of betrayal from any in the house save Senecio, that -owl-like philosopher. He is not like the slaves, he may suspect, and trip -me up." - -"My good Elymas," interrupted Duilia, "do not concern yourself about him. -He is not a man to chew nutshells when he can munch kernels." - -"Domitian is in my apartment, will you see him, lady?" - -"By all means. I have a notion. Go, fetch Domitia, bring her down there to -me." - -Then Longa descended to that portion of the mansion where were situated -the rooms given up to the soothsayer; they were on one side of a small -court, and the philosopher occupied chambers on the other side. Across the -water tank in the midst many an altercation had taken place. - -Senecio was not there now. He was probably out taking a philosophic view -of the internecine strife, and moralizing over the burning of the Capitol. - -With a benignant smile and a tear in her eye, Duilia almost ran to -Domitian, her two hands extended. She had just looked round the court to -make sure she was unobserved and that there was no one within earshot. - -"I am so grateful to the Gods," she said, with a tremor in her voice, -"that they should allow me the honor and happiness of offering you an -asylum. Blood is thicker than water. Though I perish for my advocacy of -your dear father--I cannot help it. Cousins must be cousinly. It is with us -a family peculiarity--we hang together like a swarm of bees." - -The young man cautiously removed his white veil or head-covering, and -exposed his face, that was somewhat pale. He had a shy modest appearance, -a delicate complexion that flushed and paled at the changes of emotion in -his heart. His eyes were a watery gray, large, but he screwed the eyelids -together, as though near-sighted. He was fairly well built, but had -spindle legs, no calves, and his toes as if cut short. - -In manner he was awkward, without ease in his address; owing to the low -associates with whom he had consorted, having been kept short of money, -and to his lack of acquaintance with the courtesies of the cultured -classes. - -"I thank you. My life is in danger. I came hither, as my uncle supped here -the other day, and I knew something about kinship. I had nowhere else -whither to go. I would have been hunted out and murdered had I gone to my -uncle--my mother's brother. They would have sought me there first of all." - -"You shall stay here till all danger is past. I should esteem myself the -vilest of women were I to refuse you my protection at such a time as this. -Senecio, my philosopher, is out, gadding about--of course. You shall occupy -his room, and I shall give strict orders that he be not admitted. I will -not have philosophers careering in and out of my house, at all hours, as -pleases them. This is not a rabbit warren, as the Gods love me! But here -comes my daughter to unite with me in assurance of welcome and -protection." - -Domitia had entered, in obedience to the command transmitted by the -sorcerer. - -There was but one oil lamp on a table in the chamber, and consequently at -first she did not discern who was there addressed by her mother. But -Duilia stepped aside and allowed the light to flash over the face of -Domitian. - -The moment the girl saw it, she started back and put her hands to her -bosom. - -"My dear child," said Longa Duilia, "you will thank the Lares and Penates, -that our cousin has taken refuge with us. The Capitol is in flames, the -Imperial guards are storming the walls, there is, I fear, no hope for our -dear good friend Flavius Sabinus. Poor man, how he enjoyed himself at -supper here the other day! We may hope for the best, but not expect -impossibilities. Revolutions and all these sorts of things have their -natural exits, the sword, the Tullianum and the Gemonian steps--horrible, -but inevitable. Domitian has fled to us, disguised as a priest of Jupiter. -O my dear, what a nice thing it is that there is so much religion left -among the common people that they respected his cloth. Well, here he is, -and we must do what we can for him." - -"Cast him out," said Domitia hoarsely. - -"What, my love?" - -"Cast him out--the beast, the crowned beast, the new Nero. The fifth that -was and the eighth that will be." - -Duilia raised her eyebrows. - -"My dear, I don't in the least understand enigmas. I was never clever at -them, though my parts are not generally accounted bad." - -"Mother, I pray you, I beseech you as you desire my happiness, do not -harbor him under your roof. Cast him forth. What ho! Slaves!" - -Domitian started and caught the girl by the shoulders. - -"You would betray me?" - -"I would have you thrust forth into the street." - -"To be murdered--torn to pieces by the blood-thirsty mob?" - -"It is to save myself." - -"Thyself! I do thee no harm." - -"Do not attend to her. It is childish, maidenly timidity," said Duilia, -frowning at Domitia and shaking her finger at her. "She knows that, to -screen you, we run great risks ourselves. We may be denounced--we may.--As -the Gods love me! There is no saying what we may be called on to suffer. -But I say, perish all the family rather than offend against hospitality." - -"Mother," said Domitia. Her face was white as ashes. "Send him forth. If -he were not a coward, a mean coward, he would not come here, to the house -of two women, and shelter himself behind their skirts. Titus Flavius -Domitianus, dost thou call thyself a man?" - -He looked furtively at the girl, and muttered something that was -unintelligible. - -"If thou art a man, go forth, run us not into danger. If thou tarry here--I -esteem thee as the basest of men." - -"I praise the Gods!" said Longa Duilia, in towering wrath, "she does not -command in this house. That do I; and when I say welcome, there you stay, -and she shall not gainsay me." - -"Mother--to welcome him, is to exile, to destroy me." - -"This is rank folly." - -"Mother, eject him!" - -"I will not. I prithee, Domitian, when your dear father is proclaimed in -Rome,--forget this girl's folly, and remember only that I sheltered thee." - -"I will remember. I am not one to forget." - -"There is no escape," sighed Domitia. "Whom the Gods will destroy--they -pursue remorselessly. Well, be it so.--Stay then, coward! I am undone." - - [Illustration: "STAY THEN, COWARD." _Page 153._] - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - - THE END OF VITELLIUS. - - -"I never made a greater mistake in my life," said Longa Duilia, "and I -cannot think how you allowed me to make it." - -"What mistake?" asked the Chaldaean. - -"The mistake of inviting the uncle in place of the nephew to my little -supper. As to that supper, I flatter myself it was perfect--so finished in -every detail, as becomes our position; so delicately flavored with -reserve, as became _my_ position as a widow; and you recommended me to -invite Flavius Sabinus, the Praefect,--and now he _has been_. That delicate -little supper thrown away, and my attentions so nicely adjusted to the -circumstances, all that trouble and thought gone for nothing. Do you know -that Flavius Sabinus is now in bits? He has been positively hacked to -pieces. It is not the supper itself I regret, and my best Falernian -wine--but I gave him a gold signet-ring with a cameo, representing Daphne. -It had belonged to my dear Corbulo, and was valuable. But I considered it -as a means to an end. And now--where is that ring? But for your counsel, I -might have invited the nephew." - -"Madam, I counselled aright." - -"You have the face to say that? Do you not know that Sabinus has had his -head struck off, and his body dragged by hooks down the Gemonian stair, -and then positively torn to pieces--but there? Who has got hold of the -ring? I have lost it--through you. _You_ pretend to read the stars and peer -into futurity!" - -"Lady, I do see into what is to be, and counsel accordingly." - -"Oh, yes! glimpses as of light in a wood through thick foliage. Plenty of -obscurity, very little light." - -"Madam, consider. Had you not invited the Praefect who has been, you would -not have seen the nephew who is, and who came in at the supper to call his -uncle away. It was thus he arrived at a knowledge of your house, and your -friendly disposition, and thus it was that he was induced to throw himself -on your protection." - -"There is something in that," observed Duilia. "But how much better had -the invitation been sent to Domitian himself." - -"On the contrary, that would not have been judicious, therefore I did not -recommend it. Had the nephew come here along with his servants, -immediately his escape from the Capitol was discovered, and they were -tortured to disclose his place of concealment, they would have betrayed -this house: but as it has happened they could not suppose he would take -refuge here." - -"There is a good deal in that," answered Duilia meditatively. "Well, it is -only the ring that I regret. If I had but known--something of -inconsiderable value but showy would have sufficed. Moreover, I might have -done without that dish of British oysters--very expensive, and, as you see, -thrown away. Yet! well, I enjoyed them." - -"Even that ring is not lost." - -"How so?" - -"It is on Domitian's finger." - -"You really say so?" - -"When the Praefect bade his nephew and sons attempt to escape from the -Capitol, he recommended the former to engage your protection, and in token -of this, he put the ring that you had given him, on his nephew's finger, -that he might present it to you--should there be mistrust, in pledge that -he came from Flavius Sabinus. I encountered Domitian in the street, I knew -him and conducted him to your door, and obtained his admission. There was -no necessity for him to show his ring, as I stood sponsor for him." - -"You are a good old creature," said Duilia, "I withdraw any offensive -expressions I may have used. To gratify you, I will pay that old woman, -Senecio, his wage and bid him pack." - -"Then, madam, my services shall be amply repaid. The man himself is -harmless. Engage him as a clown,--he is consumed with conceit, and so -renders himself a laughing-stock. That is all he is qualified to be." - -"Go--send me Domitia. She has behaved like a fool." - -Shortly after the girl entered the room where was her mother. The latter -at once exclaimed:-- - -"My dear, the ring is not lost. Domitian has it. By the foresight of the -Gods, Sabinus removed it from his finger, and confided it to his nephew, -before unhappy circumstances arose which might have led to the ring -getting into the hands of any Cyrus or Dromo." - -"Was it to hear this that you sent for me?" asked Domitia sullenly. - -"No, it was not. Your conscience must upbraid you. You have acted in an -insensate manner. You have flouted and angered the son of him who -in--perhaps half an hour--will be an Augustus, supreme in the state." - -"Mother, I do not like him." - -"Ye Gods of the Capitol!--confound them, by the way, they are all burnt! O -Tellus and Terminus! Do you suppose we are to see and be courteous only to -those whom we like? What cared I for that paragon of virtue, Flavius -Sabinus, who talked to such an extent that I could not get in a word -edgeways. But I gave him a nice little supper--and oysters from Britain, my -best Falernian, and that ring of your father's, because I thought he might -be useful. And now Titus Flavius Domitianus is our guest--in hiding till -matters are settled one way or the other--and you insult him to his face. -It is not conduct worthy of your mother. You interfere with my plans." - -"What plans?" - -"My dear child, Vespasian is old--about sixty I think, and has but two -sons, of whom Domitian is the youngest. The elder, Titus Flavius Sabinus -Vespasianus has but a daughter. Do you not see? Do you not smell?" - -"I do neither, mother." - -"More the pity. You sadly take after your father, who had no ambition. -Give the old fellow ten years before he becomes a god; the eldest son, if -the worst comes, may succeed and be Augustus for another ten, and -then,--the second son, Domitian, will be prince. My dear, what -opportunities! What gorgeous opportunities!" - -"Opportunities for what?" - -"For push, my dear, push to the purple. Your dear father, ah, well! We are -not all made of the same clay." - -"Mother, that is precisely what fills me with dread. He will then be the -eighth, for these adventurers of a few months do not count,--the new Nero." - -"But consider--the purple. My dear, do you remember how Valeria caught the -dictator Sulla. She sat behind him in the theatre, and picked some flue -off his toga. He turned round and caught her doing it. 'Sir,' said she, 'I -am but endeavoring to get to myself some of the luck that adheres to you!' -I could have loved that woman. It was so happy, so neat. That bit of wool -drew Sulla and the Dictatorship to her. You, what a blunderer you are. You -have offended Domitian, who may some day be greater than was Sulla, when -you had it in your power by a word, a look, a dimpled smile, to win him, -and with him the purple." - -"Mother, I do not covet it. You forget--I am promised to Lucius AElius -Lamia." - -"Oh! Lamia! He could be bought off with a proconsulship." - -"I do not desire to be separated from him. I love him, and have loved him -since we were children together." - -"Well, you have done for your chances. If I surmise aright, the young man -entertains a great grudge against you." - -At that moment Eboracus came in. - -"Madam," said he, "the Illyrian legions have entered the city, under -Primus, and there is fighting in the streets. The people on the housetops -cheer on this side or that, as though they were at a show of gladiators." - -"Well--those things happen. We shall know for certain which shall be -uppermost, and if fate favors Vitellius--Then, daughter, I shall not -scruple to give the young man up." - -The condition of the capital was frightful. Vitellius had called in levies -from the country to support him, and the praetorian soldiers stood firm. -But many men of direction were with the partisans of Vespasian, who -advanced steadily over the bodies of the troops opposing them. Fifty -thousand persons lost their lives in these eventful days of the -Saturnalia. - -The legions under Primus succeeded in recapturing the Capitol, which was -still smoking, and pushed forward into the Forum. - -Meanwhile, Vitellius, in the Palatine palace, a prey to irresolution, had -filled himself with wine, and then fled along with his cook and pastrycook -to his wife's house on the Aventine. Then deceived by a false report that -his troops were successful, he returned to the Palatine, and found it -deserted, but a roar of voices rose from the Forum below, and from the -Capitol the cries of the legionaries were wafted towards him along with -the smoke. - -He hastened to collect all the gold he could lay his hands on, stuffed it -into his cincture, assumed an old ragged suit, and then again attempted to -escape; but now he found every avenue blocked. Filled with terror he -crawled into the dog-kennel where the hounds, resenting the intrusion, -fell on him and bit his neck and hands and legs. But now Vespasian's -soldiery invaded the palace, and a tribune, Julius Placidius, discovering -the bloated, bleeding wretch, drew him out by the foot, and he came forth -thus, his hands full of dirty straw, and strands adhering to his hair and -garments. A howling rabble at once surrounded him, leaping, jeering, -throwing mud and stones; a few soldiers succeeded in surrounding him. His -hands were bound behind his back, and a rope passed about his neck. Thus -he was dragged through the streets an object of insult to the people. Some -struck him in the face, some plucked out his hair. In the Forum the rabble -were breaking his statues and dragging them about. One ruffian thrust a -pike under the unfortunate prince's chin and bade him hold up his head. -Then said Vitellius:-- - -"Thou, who thus addressest me--a tribune thou art, remember I was once thy -commander!" - -Thereupon a German soldier, desirous of shortening his misery, struck him -down with a blow of his sword, and in so doing cut off the ear of the -tribune who had insulted the fallen Emperor. - -At once the body of the prince, from whom the life was not sped, was -dragged to the Gemonian stair, a flight of steps down which the corpses of -malefactors were flung, and there he was despatched with daggers. - -Longa Duilia had been kept well informed as to all that took place. - -No sooner was she assured that Vitellius was dead, than she rushed into -the apartment given up to Domitian. - -"Salve, Caesar! As the Gods love me, I am the first to so salute you, son -of the Augustus! Oh, I am so happy! And it might have been otherwise, but -_you_ they never would have reached save over my body." - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - - CHANGED TACTICS. - - -The anarchy which had lasted from the 11th June, 68, when Nero perished, -came to an end on the 20th December, in the ensuing year. In that terrible -year of 69, three emperors had died violent deaths, and Rome had been in a -condition of disorder on each occasion, and intermittent violence had -lasted all the time. Men now drew a long breath, they were disposed to -blot out the memory of those eighteen months of misery and national -humiliation, as though it had not been, and to reckon the strong Vespasian -as prince next after Nero. Indeed, on the morrow of the death of -Vitellius, when the Senate assembled and decreed the honors of the former -princes, they recited those of the first Caesars, but ignored the three -last who had perished within a twelvemonth, as though they had never been, -and were to be forgotten as an evil dream. - -That same day also, Domitian received the title of Caesar, and was made -Prince of the Youths, and Praefect of Rome in the place of his uncle, who -had been murdered. - -That day, also, Mucianus arrived with the Syrian legions, and with -plenitude of authority from Vespasian to act in his name. - -To Duilia's vast delight Domitian did not forget his obligation to her, -but paid frequent visits to her house, and it was a matter of pride to her -to have his attendant lictors standing outside her door, as in former -days. - -When he came, she made a point of summoning her daughter, and requiring -her to be present during the interview. But she could not make her speak -or compel her to graciousness of manner towards the visitor. - -The young prince's eyes watched the girl with question in them, but he -addressed all his conversation to the mother. - -Longa Duilia did her utmost to disguise her child's incivility, attributed -it to shyness, and used all her blandishments to make a visit to her house -agreeable to Domitian. - -At length, the irksomeness caused by Domitia's irresponsive manner seemed -to satisfy the mother that she did more harm than good in enforcing her -attendance, and she ceased to require the girl to appear. - -Some months passed, and Domitia had not given a thought to Glyceria, and -her offer to revisit the sick woman, when, all at once, in a fit of -weariness with all things that surrounded her, and a sense of incapacity -to find enjoyment anywhere, she started from her languor to bid Eboracus -go forth, buy honey-cakes and toys, and accompany her on a visit to the -Suburra. - -As she was on her way, Domitian came by with his lictors and other -attendants. Since his elevation from poverty and insignificance to ease -and importance, he had acquired a swagger that made his manner more -offensive than before in his phase of cubbishness. - -He at once addressed her, for though veiled he recognized her. - -"May I attend you? I have at the moment nothing of importance to occupy -me." - -"I am bound for the Suburra." - -"For the Suburra! What can take you into the slums of Rome?" - -"I am going to see the wife of Paris, the tragic actor." - -"Oh! the wife of the actor, Paris," with a sneer. - -"I said so--the wife of Paris the actor," she withdrew her veil and looked -him straight in the eyes. He winced. - -"And pray--is she a visiting acquaintance of the family?" - -"She is our freedwoman. Paris was freed by my father likewise. Are you -content? I may add that she has met with an accident and is crippled and -confined to her bed." - -"Oh!" with a vulgar laugh, "and you are infected with the Christian -malady, and go among the sick and starving." - -"I know naught of this Christian malady. What is it?" - -"We have had the contagion touch us. There is my cousin Clemens, and his -wife Domitilla, both taken badly with it. He is a poor, mean-spirited -fool. He has been offered excellent situations, with money to be made in -them, in bushels, but he refuses--will not swear by the genius of my -father, will not offer sacrifice to the Gods. Such thin gruel minds I -cannot away with. Were I Augustus, such as would not serve the -Commonwealth should be sent to kick their heels in a desert island. These -Christians are the enemies of the human race." - -"What, because they visit the sick and relieve the poor?" - -"The sick are smitten by the Gods and should be left to die. The poor are -encumbrances and should be left to rot away. But a man of rank and of -family--" - -"Flavius Clemens! of what family?" - -Domitian bit his lip. The Flavians were of no ancestry; money-lenders, -tax-collectors, jobbers in various ways, with no connections save through -the mother of Vespasian, and that middle-class only. - -"I say that a man who will not serve his country should be pitched out of -it." - -"About that I have no opinion." - -"Clemens was cast to the lions by Nero, but some witchcraft charmed them, -and they would not touch him." - -Domitia said nothing to this. She was desirous of being rid of her -self-imposed escort. - -"You must wish me success," said the young prince. "I am off to Germany. -There has been revolt there, and I go to subdue it." - -"By all means carry with you a pair of shears." - -"What mean you?" - -"To obtain a crop of golden hair from the German women, wherewith to grace -your triumph." - -Domitian knitted his brows. - -"You have a sharp tongue." - -"I need one. It is a woman's sole defence." - -"Come, if a cousin, as your mother asserts,--though by the Gods! I know not -where the kinship comes in,--wish me well. Such words as yours are of -ill-omen." - -"I wish confusion and destruction to the worst enemies of Rome," answered -Domitia. - -"That suffices. I will offer the spoils to you." - -"Thank you, I do not yet wear wigs." - -He turned away with an expression of irritation. - -"You are either silent, or stick pins into me," he muttered. - -Domitia continued her course, but as she entered the "Island" in which was -the home of Paris, she observed the young Caesar still in the street, at a -corner watching her. - -Much annoyed, and with her temper ruffled by this meeting, she ascended -the steps to the first story and at once turned towards the apartments of -Paris and Glyceria, but had to thread her way among poor people, women -weaving and spinning, and children romping and running races. - -She was welcomed with pleasure, Glyceria would have raised herself, had -she been able; as it was, she could show her respect only by a salutation -with the hand, and her pleasure by a smile and a word. - -The chamber was fragrant with violets. - -Domitia looked round and saw a small marble table on which stood a -statuette of a shepherd with panpipes, and a lamb across his shoulders. -Violets in a basin stood before the figure. - -"Ah! Hermes," said Domitia, and plucking a little bunch of the purple -flowers from her bosom she laid it in the bowl with the rest. - -"Nay, dear Lady, not Hermes," said Glyceria, "though indeed it was -sculptured to represent him--but to me that figure has another meaning. And -I hold your offering of the violets as made to Him who to me is the Good -Shepherd."(4) - -"Whom mean you? Atys?" - -"Not Atys." - -Domitia was not particularly interested in the matter. She presumed that -some foreign cult was followed by Glyceria, and foreign cults at this time -swarmed in Rome. - -"Do you believe me, Glyceria," said Domitia, "as I came hither, the Caesar -Domitian accompanied me, and said that I must be a Christian to care for -the sick and suffering. What are these Christians?" - -"I am one," answered the paralyzed woman. - -"What! and Paris?" - -"Nay, he hovers between two opinions. His business holds him and he will -not give that up, he thinks that, were he to do so, he and I might starve. -But with the mind I think he is one." - -"And what are these Christians?" - -"Those who believe in Christ." - -"And he?--is that his image?" pointing to the Good Shepherd. - -"Oh Lady! it is only so much His image as the words Good Shepherd written -in characters are such, they call up a notion and so does that figure. But -in our worship we have no images, no sacrifices." - -"What is Christianity?" - -"That is long to answer, but I may say in two words what it is to me." - -"Say on." - -"The Daylight of the soul." - -"How mean you?" - -"I once was in darkness. I knew not why I was set in the world, whither I -was going, what I ought to worship, what were my duties, where was right -and what was wrong. I had no light, no road, no law. Now I have all." - -"So every votary of every new religion says. Where is your guarantee that -you are not in delusion?" - -"Madam, when the sun rises and there is day, you do not suppose the light, -the splendor, the confidence inspired by it is a delusion. You know that -you see, and see that you may walk, and act with purpose and direction. -The soul has eyes as well as the body. These eyes behold the light and -cannot doubt it, by internal conscience that distinguishes between the -truth and falsehood. By that internal conscience I am assured that the -light is as real as that seen by eyes of flesh." - -"I cannot understand you," said Domitia. "Now for other matters--I have -made Eboracus bring you some dainties for yourself and presents for the -children who are so kind to you. Where is your husband?" - -"He is rehearsing. Better times have arrived, and he is now occupied." - -"And you see less of him." - -"Yes--but we must live. When away from me, I know that in heart he is with -me." - -"You are sure of that?" - -"Yes." - -"What, by the conscience that establishes between truth and falsehood?" - -"Nay--by trust. We must trust some one and some thing. We trust God, we -trust His Revelation, we trust in the goodness there is in mankind." - -"There is evil rather than good." - -"There is good--but that is oft astray because of the darkness, and does -not know its course." - -Domitia did not remain long in the Insula. She bade farewell to the wife -of the actor and promised to revisit her. The presence of Glyceria -refreshed, soothed, sweetened the mind of the girl that was heated, -ruffled and soured by contact with so much there was in pagan life that -jarred against her noble instincts, by the uncongeniality of her mother, -and by the disgust she felt at association with Domitian. - -When she arrived at the palace, she heard that her mother had been -inquiring after her, and she at once went to her apartments. - -Duilia asked where she had been, but did not listen for an answer, or pay -attention to what was said, when the reply came. - -"What is this I hear?" said Duilia, in a tone of irritation. "Lucilla -tells me you have been chatting with Domitian, and in the street too----" - -"I had no wish to speak with him. He came after me." - -"Oh! he went after you, did he? And pray what had he to say?" - -"He is going to Germany to conclude a campaign already fought out and come -back and triumph for another man's victories." - -"You did not say so to him?" - -"Not in so many words." - -"My dear, it is true. He is going, and whether he be successful or not, -will return wearing the title Germanicus. I shall have a little supper." - -"For whom?" - -"For whom, do you ask? For him to be sure, to wish him good success on the -expedition." - -"You will allow me not to be present." - -"As you will, perverse girl. My dear," in a confidential tone, "if kittens -can't catch rats, cats can." - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - - THE VIRGIN'S WREATH. - - -"My dear," said Longa Duilia to her daughter, "with wit such as you have, -that might be drawn through a needle's eye, it is positively necessary to -have you married as quickly as possible. I can no longer bear the -responsibility of one so full of waywardness and humors as yourself." - -"That, mother, is as Lamia chooses. You know that I can marry only him." - -"And I do not ask you to take another. I will get it settled forthwith. -I'll see his father by adoption and have the settlements looked to. You -are a good match. I presume you are aware of that, and this explains -certain poutings and bad temper. Well--reserve them for Lamia, and don't -vex me. I wash my hands of you, when that you are married. A camel carries -his own hump, but a man his wife's humors." - -Domitia was sufficiently acquainted with her mother's elasticity of spirit -and fertility of invention to be satisfied that she had a motive for -pressing on her marriage, and what that motive was seemed obvious. But it -was one that distressed her greatly. - -"My dearest mother," she said timidly, "I hope--I mean, since you are so -good as not to urge me further to break my engagement with Lamia, that you -have not set your mind--I mean your heart----" - -"My excellent child," answered Longa Duilia cutting her daughter short, -"make no scruple of blurting out what is on your tongue. You allude to -Domitian. Well! If you had common sense, you would know that to get on in -life, one must fit one's heart with the legs of a grasshopper, so as to be -able to skip from an inconvenient, into any suitable position. When a dish -of ortolans is set on table, none but a fool will dismiss it untasted to -be devoured by the servants in the kitchen!" - -"But, mother, he is quite young." - -"By the favor of the Gods, Domitia, youths always fall in love with women -somewhat older than themselves. The Gods ordered it for their good. If -they, I mean the young men--would only follow their--I mean the -Gods'--direction, there would be fewer unhappy marriages. For my part, I -can't see anything attractive in half-baked girls." - -But the thoughts of her own future, and approaching happiness took up the -whole of Domitia's brain, and left no space for consideration of her -mother's schemes, and their chances of success. - -The young prince was away. It was, as had been feared, too late for him to -reap laurels in Germany, the revolt had been quelled by Cerealis, but as -there was a ferment working in Gaul, it was deemed advisable that Domitian -should go thither and overcome the dissatisfied instead of crossing the -Alps. He had accordingly changed his route, and had appeared in Lyons. - -The marriage between Domitia and Lamia could not take place so speedily as -Duilia desired. She was wishful to have it over before the return to Rome -of Domitian, so that she might be left a freer hand, and her daughter put -out of the way who, she thought, exercised a peculiar fascination over the -young prince; but she was unable to decide in her own mind whether what -drew his eyes towards Domitia was dislike or love; possibly it was a -commingling of resentment at her treatment of him, and admiration for her -loveliness. - -But hindrances arose. Lamia was absent on his estates in Sicily, where -there had been disturbances among the slaves, and till matters were -settled there, he could not return. - -Then came the month of May in which no marriages might be performed owing -to the hauntings of the _Lemures_, or ghosts of bad men, and such as had -not received burial. These, seen in the forms of walking skeletons or -bugbears, rioted in that sweetest month of the whole year. Then they -obtained opportunities among the incautious to slip into their bodies, and -possess them with madness, or to take up their abodes in dwelling-houses -and disturb the living occupants by phantom appearances and mysterious -sounds. - -On three days in the month of May special means were adopted to propitiate -or scare away these spectres. On the 9th, 11th, and 13th, at midnight, the -master of a house, or, in the event of his death or absence, his widow or -wife, walked barefoot before the door to a flowing fountain, where the -hands were thrice washed, and then the propitiator of the ghosts returned -home, and threw black beans over the shoulder, saying: "These I give to -you, and with these beans I ransom myself and mine." - -It was supposed that the ghost scrambled for the beans, and so enabled the -owner of the house to reach the door before them. There stood the servants -beating brazen vessels, pots and pans, shouting, "Out with you! Out with -you, ye ghosts!" - -At the beginning of June was the cleansing of the Temple of Vesta, and -till that was completed, on the 15th, marriages were forbidden. - -Consequently the wedding could not take place much before midsummer, and -to this Longa Duilia had to submit. - -Domitia was content and happy. She had not been so happy since her -father's death. Indeed till now she had not been able to shake off the -pain she had felt at his loss. For to her, that father was the model of -noble manhood, high-minded, full of integrity, strong yet gentle. She had -often marvelled at the manner in which he had dealt with her mother, whom -she indeed loved but who somewhat rasped her. With his wife he had ever -been firm yet forbearing. He allowed her to form her little schemes, but -always managed to thwart them when foolish or mischievous, without her -perceiving who had put a spoke in the wheel. - -Lucius AElius Lamia she looked upon as formed in her father's school, upon -his model. He was modest, honorable, true; a good man to whom she could -give her whole heart with full assurance that he would treasure the gift, -and that she could trust him to be as true to her as she would be true to -him. - -Since her father's death, Domitia had felt more than previously the -incompatibility of her mind with that of her mother. They had no thoughts, -no wishes, no feelings in common. Domitia was a dreamer, speculative, ever -with eager mind seeking the things beyond what was known, whereas Duilia -had not a thought, a care that were not material. The lady Duilia cared -not a rush about philosophy or the theory of emanations. It was to her a -matter of complete indifference whether the established paganism was true -or false. For she had no apprehension of the importance of Truth. And she -had no wish that could not be gratified by money or the acquisition of -position. - -Now also the haunting horror of those waking dreams that she had seen in -the Temple of Isis passed from the heart of the young girl, like the -vapors that roll away and disclose the blue heavens and the glorious sun. -She had been drifting purposeless; now she saw that she was about to enter -on a condition of life in which she would have an object, and would find -complete happiness in the pursuit of that object,--in the fulfilment of her -duties as housewife to a loved husband, in whom she would find strength, -sympathy and love. - -And now also, for the first time since the death of Corbulo, she sang as -she went about the house, or worked at her bridal dress. - -Lamia, on his return from Sicily was surprised to note the change in her -appearance. She had been as a beautiful flower bowed by rain and pinched -with cold, and now, as in renewed sunshine, she bloomed with expanded -petals. Light danced in her blue eyes, and a delicate rose suffused her -smooth cheeks. She had stepped back into the childhood out of which she -had passed on that terrible day at Cenchraea. - -And as he looked at her, her eyes sparkling with love and tears of joy, he -thought he had never seen one sweeter and to whom he could so wholly -devote himself as to his dear Domitia. - -Then arrived the eve of the marriage. - -The young girl was in the garden, stooping, picking the flowers of which -her virginal crown was to be woven, and singing as she plucked. - -Then she came with her lap full of herbs and blossoms to her mother, who -said:-- - -"That is right. None may gather the flowers but the bride. By the way, -have you heard? Domitian is back from Gaul. I was rejoiced at the news, -and have despatched an invitation to him to attend the wedding." - -"Oh, mother! it is a bad omen." - -At the mention of the name, the vision of the red face, seen at Gabii -between her own and that of Lamia, started up before her, and she let drop -the lap of flowers, and they fell at her feet. - -"By the Gods! what a silly thing thou art! Quick, gather up the herbs and -then go fetch thy dolls and toys of childhood, they must all this evening -be offered on the altar of the household gods." - -"I have them not, mother." - -"Not your dolls!" - -"Not one." - -"But what have you done with them? I know they were all brought from -Antioch." - -"Mother, they have been given away." - -"Given away! to whom?" - -"To Glyceria, the sister of Euphrosyne." - -"But what can have induced you to do this?" - -"She is paralyzed, and served by little children in the story of the -_Insula_ where she lives. I considered that it would amuse her to dress -the dolls afresh, and perhaps mend broken limbs, and after that she will -distribute them among the little willing children that help her in her -infirmity." - -"As the Gods love me!" exclaimed Duilia, "Whoever heard before of such -madness. Hellebore would not cure it. Verily the more you labor at a hole -the greater the hollow. You are a fool, and your folly grows daily -greater. You _must_ present your toys of childhood to the _Lares_, they -expect it--it is the custom, it is right." - -"But I have none left." - -"Mother Ops! what is to be done? Run, Eboracus,--run and buy me half a -dozen dolls--dressed if possible. Domitia, you are determined to bring -ill-luck on yourself. There is nothing else to be done but for you to -spend an hour in playing with the dolls, and then you can present them at -the altar, and the Gods will be none the wiser. Between me and you and the -pillars of the peristyle, they are bigger fools than us mortals, and -easier gulled." - -Domitia stooped to collect the fallen flowers. - -"What is that?" asked her mother--"Oh! right enough, _natrix_,(5) that -drives away ghosts and nightmare. And that of course is in the virginal -wreath, _myosotis_ (Forget-me-not) it dries tears. An Egyptian slave I -had--he fell ill, so I exposed him on the isle between the two Bridges--he -told me that if one ate the root in the month of Thoth--that is August, one -escaped sore eyes for a twelvemonth. That is right also, the scarlet -anemone, it betokens the flame of love--and that evergreen its continuance. -The centaury--that is the herb of union, it will close a wound so as not to -show even a scar--and in marriage, no better symbol than that. What have -you here? The _lysimachia_, that gives harmony and agreement of mind. They -say that a plant of it fastened to the pole of a chariot will make the -wildest and most impatient horses pull together. And the herb of the -Twelve Gods! quite right, always remember the gods, they come in useful. -The vervain--of course, it will give you all you will. But, ye Gods of -Olympus! What have you done to pluck cypress! My dear Domitia, are you -mad? Thyme, mint, if you will--but cypress! the tree of the infernal gods, -and--as the Gods love me! let me look at your hands! They are red--what have -you plucked--plucked till your hands are dyed--the _androsoemum!_ Oh! -Domitia! ill-fated child--look, look at your hands, the juice has stained -them, they are dipped in blood." - - [Illustration: "ILL-FATED CHILD, LOOK AT YOUR HANDS." _Page 176._] - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - - QUONIAM TU CAIUS, EGO CAIA! - - -At the earliest rays of dawn the auguries were taken, not as of old by the -flight of birds, but by inspection of the liver and heart of a sheep, that -was slaughtered for the purpose by the Aruspices, and this done they came -to the palace of Duilia, bearing the skin of the sheep, to announce that -the portents were favorable, in fact, were of extraordinarily good -promise. - -"That is as I hoped," said Longa Duilia, "and that will counteract and -bring to naught the disastrous tokens of the wreath. Why, by Venus's -girdle, the girl has not been able to get her hands white yet. The stain -of that nefast herb is on them still. But--ah! here she comes in her -flame-colored veil. By the Body of Bacchus! after all it means no ill, for -do not her hands agree in hue with her head-gear?"(6) - -Domitia had laid aside her maidenly dress, the _toga praetextata_ woven -with horizontal stripes, for the dress of a married woman, the _toga -recta_, with vertical stripes. About her waist was a woollen girdle -fastened in a peculiar manner, with the so-called knot of Hercules, that -was regarded as a charm against the evil eye, and was also employed in -binding up wounds and fractured bones. The girl's dress, as well as a net -of red silk threads in which her hair had been tied up on the previous -day, had been offered on the altars of the ancestral deities worshipped in -the house. - -Her hair had been divided that morning, not by a comb, but by the head of -a lance, into six tresses that were plaited with colored ribbons. And -about her head, beneath the veil, was the virgin's wreath woven out of the -flowers she had herself picked--but the ill-omened cypress and the blood -distilling _androsoemum_ had been omitted. - -And now with pipes and cymbals came the bridegroom attended by all his -friends, to fetch the bride home. The house door was decorated with -laurels, and incense smoked on the domestic altars, in the vestibule, and -in the atrium. The boxes that contained the ancestral wax masks were open, -and each face was wreathed about with flowers. Green lines connecting the -boxes united all to one trunk forming a family tree. The household gods -were not ignored, lamps burned before them, flowers adorned their heads, -and cakes and wine were placed on shelves below them. - -Slaves ran to and fro, and ran against each other. Ten witnesses, kinsmen -of the bride and bridegroom, assembled to take cognizance of the marriage -contract. Two seats were introduced into the hall, and the legs bound -together, and over both was spread the skin of the sheep slaughtered that -morning for the auspices. - -Then bride and bridegroom were seated on these stools, the marriage -contract was read aloud, and they received the salutations of their -friends. The _pronuba_, a married female relative united their hands, and -that accomplished, the bridegroom rose, and attended by the friends and -kinsfolk of both parties, departed for the Temple of Jupiter, where the -flamen Dialis offered sacrifice to the gods of marriage, to Jupiter, Juno, -Tellus, and the old Latin half-forgotten deities of Picumnus and Pilumnus. - -Whilst the sacred sacrifice was being performed, in the house of the bride -all was being made ready for the wedding or meal after midday. - -The bride was now esteemed to have passed out of the family of her father -into that of her husband, his gods would be her gods, his house her house, -his name hers. In signification of this the formula was used by her, -"Since thou art Caius, I am Caia." At a remote period it would have been -"Since thou art Lucius I am Lucia," and she would have lost her name of -Domitia. But this was no longer customary, only the liturgical form of -surrender was employed. - -It was past noon when the procession returned, swelled by more friends and -by all well-wishers, and as it entered the house, with a shiver Domitia -observed the glowing face and water-blue eyes of the young prince, -attended by his lictors. She caught his glance, but he dropped his eyes -the moment they encountered hers, and she saw his cheeks pucker, as though -with laughter. But she had no time to give thought to him; she was -required to acknowledge the felicitations of the visitors, and to entreat -them to partake of the hospitality of the hour, and to offer a pinch of -incense and a libation to her happiness. - -The supper was lengthy--many partook and came in relays, so that the entire -afternoon was consumed by it. To the relief of Domitia, the prince -Domitian had withdrawn. As each left the table he saluted the bride with -the exclamation, _Feliciter_. - -For this long and tedious ceremonial feast, she was allowed to rest on a -couch, next to her husband, at the table, in the place of honor. - -The meal lasted till evening, and then there ensued a movement. - -The household goods of the bride, her spindle and distaff, her chest -containing robes, were brought forth, and placed on biers to be conveyed -to the new house. - -Then Domitia rose, with tears in her eyes, and went to the several -chambers she had occupied, to say farewell to the kitchen, to salute the -hearth, to the shelf that served as chapel, to bid farewell to the -ancestral gods, to the wax forefathers in the hall, then to kiss her -mother, finally to turn, kneel and embrace the doorposts of the paternal -dwelling, and kiss the threshold from which she parted. - -Without, the procession waited. She was gently disengaged from her -mother's arms, and to the cries of _Talasse!_ amidst a shower of walnuts -thrown among the boys by the bridegroom, the procession started. - -Domitia was attended by three lads, one went before carrying a torch, the -other two walked, one on each side, carrying spindle and distaff. The -torch, according to rule, was of whitethorn wood, and on arrival at the -house of the bridegroom would be scrambled for and ripped to pieces by the -guests, as every shred was esteemed to carry good luck. - -Now rose a burst of song, the so-called Fescennian lays, some old and some -new, accompanied by the flutes of musicians and the clash of castanets and -cymbals of dancing girls. - -The procession descended the hill to the Forum, crowds lining the way and -shouting _Feliciter_! - -At a corner there was a little clearing, for there lay a pallet, and on it -a sick woman, who had been brought from her dwelling to see the sight. She -extended and waved her hand, holding something as Domitia approached, and -the bride through her tears noticed her, halted, went towards her, and -said:-- - -"Glyceria! you here to wish me happiness!" - -"And to give thee, dear lady, a little present." - -She extended to her a small amulet, that Domitia accepted gratefully, and -stooping kissed the paralyzed woman on the brow. - -An unheard-of thing! unparalleled! A thing she would not have done, had -she been in full control over herself--a thing she would not have done, had -not her heart brimmed with love for all, at that moment. She, a noble -lady, belonging to one of the greatest houses in Rome, kissed a poor -actor's wife, an enfranchised slave--and that before all eyes. - -About Glyceria was a dense throng of men and women and children, the -occupants of the "Island" in which she lived. It was they, who, pitying -her sufferings, desirous that she should see the procession, had opened a -space before her, and held it open, that none might impede a full view of -the marriage train. - -And this throng of rude artisans, shoemakers, cordwainers, -leather-sellers, hawkers and their wives and children saw this act of -Domitia. For a moment they were silent, and then they broke into a roar of -"Feliciter! feliciter! the Gods be with thee, dear lady! The Gods protect -thee! The Gods shower blessings on thee!" - -But Domitia might not tarry; confused, half ashamed of what she had done, -half carried off her feet by the thrill of joy that went from the crowd to -her, she advanced. - -The train descended by the lake of Nero, now occupied by the Colosseum, -then ascended the Celian Hill to the house of Lamia. - -On reaching his door, the procession spread out, and gave space for the -bride to advance. - -Modestly, trembling with love, timidity, hope in her heart, she anointed -the doorposts with oil and then passed woollen strings round them. - -This accomplished, two young men started forward, caught her up, made a -seat for her of their hands, and bore her over the threshold, which she -might not touch with her feet, lest by accident or nervousness she should -stumble, and so her entry into the new house be ill-omened. On being -admitted into the habitation of her husband, it was her duty to go to the -hearth and make up the fire, then to the fountain and draw water; next to -worship the household gods. - -The house was pretty. It had been fresh painted, and was bright with -color, and sweet with flowers, for every pillar was wreathed and each door -garlanded. Numerous lamps illumined the chambers, and in the atrium were -reflected in the water tank. The air was vibrating with music, as choirs -sang Fescennian songs, and timbrels tinkled and pipes twittered. - -Domitia was received by the wife of L. AElius Lamia, who had adopted -Domitia's husband. He was a quiet man, who had no ambition, had taken no -offices, and had passed his time in taming birds. He was the son of a -better known man, who had been a friend of Horace. - -The old woman, gentle in manner, took Domitia by the hand and led her into -the tablinum, where was old Lamia, a cripple through gout, and he kissed -the girl, patted her hands and spoke an affectionate welcome. - -"Claudia and I," said he, "were childless and so we adopted Lucius. He has -been a good son to us, and this is a happy day to all three,--to him who -has secured the sweetest flower of Rome, and to Claudia and me who obtain -so good a daughter. But, ah! we are old and have our humors, I, with my -gout, am liable to be peevish. You must bear with our infirmities. You -will have a worthy husband, one cut out of the old rock of which were the -ancient Romans, and not of the Tiberine mud of which the present -generation are moulded." - -"Come now," said the old woman, "the guests are about to depart, bid them -farewell." - -Then she led the young girl back into the atrium. - -There stood the Chaldaean, dark, stern, ominous. - -Domitia in exuberant joy smiled at him, and said: - -"Elymas! You see my happiness. Isis has for once been in error--we, my -Lamia and I, are united, and there have been no hands thrust forth to part -us." - -"My lady," said the astrologer, "the day is not yet over." - -"And the auguries were all propitious." - -"The promise of the augurs may not jump with thy desire," he replied. - -She had no time for more words, as her hand was caught by L. AElius Lamia, -who drew her aside into the _lararium_ or chapel. - -"My dearest," he said, "this is a day of trial to thee--but we shall be -left undisturbed shortly. The guests depart and the riot will cease." - -She looked at him, with eyes that brimmed with tears, and a sob relieved -her heart, as she cast herself on his breast and said:-- - -"Quoniam tu Caius, ego Caia." - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - THE END OF THE DAY. - - -A rumor, none knew from whom it arose, spread rapidly in whispers, sending -a quiver of alarm, distress, pity, through the entire wedding party, -reaching last of all him most concerned. - -None dared breathe in his ear what all feared; but none would separate -till it was surely ascertained whether what was surmised was a fact or -not. - -The slaves knew it and looked wistfully at Lamia. - -He was engaged in making trifling presents to the many guests and -well-wishers, moving from one to another, attended by slaves with trays -piled up with gifts. - -Eboracus burst on him, through the throng, forgetting, in his agitation -and fear, the diffidence that belonged to his position. - -"Sir! Where is the mistress?" - -Lamia, without looking at him, or desisting from what he was about, -answered: - -"Within, being freed from her veil and bridal ornaments." - -"Sir! Lucius! she has been stolen from you! she has been carried away." - -Lamia stood as one petrified. - -"How dare you utter such a jest?" - -"It is no jest--she has been conveyed hence. She is not in your house." - -Without another word, Lamia flew into the portion of the house to which -Domitia had retired. - -There all was in confusion. The female slaves were either struck down with -terror, or crying out that they were not to blame. - -"Where is she?" asked Lamia, hardly realizing that there was actual loss, -thinking this was some frolic of his young companions, who on such -occasions allowed themselves great licence. - -To add to the confusion, a tame magpie with clipped wing, belonging to the -gouty old Lamia, got in the way of every one, and screamed when run over; -and the elder man roared out reproach and brandished his crutch when the -life of his pet was endangered. - -Claudia, like a pious woman, had rushed to the _lararium_ to supplicate -the assistance of the Gods, especially of Lamius, son of Hercules and -Omphale, the reputed half-divine ancestor of the family. - -Domitia had disappeared.--How?--none could say. She had been spirited away, -one said in this manner, another said in that. One held it as his opinion -that she had been carried off by some disbanded Vitellian soldiers who -were said to lurk about the suburbs of Rome and commit depredations. Some -thought that in maiden shyness she had fled home; some whispered that the -Gods had translated her; others that a former lover had suborned the -servants to admit him, and that he had conveyed her from her husband's -house to his own. - -But in what direction had she been taken? There again opinions differed, -and tongues gave conflicting accounts. One had seen a litter hurried down -the Clivus Scauri. One declared that he had seen a girl running in the -direction of Nero's lake, and suggested that this was Domitia who had gone -thither to destroy herself. One had noticed suspicious-looking men wrapped -in military cloaks lounging about, and these had disappeared--he had even -seen the backs of some near the Porta Metrovia. Then one cried out:-- - -"What else can be expected when such an ill-omened bird is kept in the -house, as a magpie?" - -Not until all guests, visitors, had been excluded from the house, could -anything be learned with certainty, and that was little. During the -afternoon, shortly before the arrival of the procession, several male and -female slaves had arrived under the direction of a Chaldaean soothsayer, -who announced that he had been sent along with them to the house of the -bridegroom by the bride's mother, the Lady Duilia, and that they formed a -portion of Domitia's attendance, who had been associated with her in her -former home, and would be about her person in her new quarters. No -suspicion had been roused, and as the Magian spoke with authority, and -gave directions, which it was presumed he was commissioned to do, and as -old Lamia was crippled with gout and moreover indisposed to attend to such -matters, and the old lady was simple to childishness, these strangers were -suffered to do much what they pleased; and on the bride retiring to be -divested of the flame colored veil, her wreath and other ornaments, had -been allowed to take possession of her. - -What happened further they did not know. In the excitement of the arrival -of visitors nothing had been observed till some of the household servants -remarked that the servants of the family of Duilia had left,--that there -had been a bustle in the garden court, and that a litter had departed, -borne by men who ran under their load. But even then no notion that the -bride had been carried off was entertained. For some time no suspicion of -mischief arose. When the slaves became aware that their new mistress was -no longer in the house, there was first some surprise entertained that she -was not seen, then a notion that she might be unwell or over-tired--but the -first word that suggested that she had been conveyed away came from -without the house, from a guest who inquired casually what lady had left -the house, in a litter, borne by trotting porters. Lamia, in violent -agitation, at once hurried to the house whence Domitia had come, to ask -for an explanation. There he learned nothing satisfactory. No servants had -been sent beforehand. Domitia had taken with her two female slaves, but -they had attended her in the procession. The sorcerer, it was true, had -disappeared and had not returned. - -Lamia was obliged to return home, without his anxiety being in any way -removed. - -On reaching his palace on the Coelian, he learned something further. In the -room in which Domitia had been divested of her bridal ornaments, which lay -scattered in disorder, was a crystal cup that contained the dregs of wine, -and this wine was drugged with a powerful narcotic. Of this the slave who -acted as house-surgeon and physician was certain. He had tasted it and -detected the presence of an opiate. Nothing further could be learned, -neither whence came the strange slaves nor whither they had gone. - -In the mean time a party surrounding a closed litter had passed through -the Porta Capena, and was hurrying along the Appian Way. - -Directly the city was left, a tall man who directed the convoy called a -halt;--then approaching the litter, he drew back the curtains, and said:-- - -"Asleep! Two of you take her up, lift her, set her on her feet and rouse -her." - -He was obeyed and a helpless body was removed, sustained between two stout -slaves, and made to stand on the causeway. - -"Shake her," said the director, who was none other than the Chaldaean. "If -she sleep on, she will never wake. Roused and made to walk she must be. We -need fear no pursuit. I have left those behind who will spread a false -rumor, and send such as think she has been carried away along the wrong -road. Make her walk." - -The helpless girl--it was Domitia--staggered with drowsiness and stumbled. - -"Let me sleep," she murmured. - -"It must not be, lady. To let you sleep is to consign you to death. You -must be constrained to walk." - -"Let me sleep!" she fretfully said. - -"If you sleep you die." - -"I want to die--only to sleep. I am dead weary." - -"Make her move along," said the sorcerer in a low tone, and the slaves who -held her up drew her forward. She scarce moved her feet. - -"Oh, you are cruel. I want to sleep. An hour! half an hour. For one moment -longer!" she pleaded. - -Still the bearers drew her forward, they did not lift her so that she need -not move her feet. She was constrained to step forward. - -"I pray you! I will give you gold. You shall have all my jewels. Lay me -down. Let go your hold, and I will lie where I am, and sleep." - -"Draw her further.--Hark! here come horses. Aside! behind that tomb!" - -The party stole from off the road and secreted itself behind one of the -mausoleums that line the sides of the Appian Way. - -"Shake her--lest she doze off in your arms," said Elymas, and the slaves -obeyed. - -Then Domitia began to sob. "Have pity! only for a little while, I am so -tired. The day has been so long and so wearying." - -"They are passed--mere travellers," said the sorcerer. "Into the road -again. Force her to walk." - -Then she called, "Lamia--my Lucius! come to me, drive these men away. They -will not let me sleep," and she struggled to free herself, and unable to -do so by a spasmodic effort, began to sob, and sobbed herself into a half -doze. - -"She is sleeping. Run with her," called the Magus. - -In vain did she weep, entreat, threaten, naught availed, she was forced to -advance; now to take a few steps, to rest on her feet, to walk in -actuality. The very anger she felt at not being allowed to cast herself -down, fold her hands under her head, and drop off into unconsciousness, -tended to rouse her. - -After about half an hour, her entreaties to be allowed to rest became less -frequent, and alternated with inquiries as to where she was, whither she -was going, why she was forced to walk, and that at night. Then she ceased -altogether to complain of drowsiness, and finding she met with no response -to her inquiries as to her destination, she became silent; she was now -conscious, but her brain was clouded, perplexed. She could remember -nothing that would account for her present position. Whether she were in a -dream, laboring under nightmare, she could not tell, and purposely she -struck her foot against one of the paving blocks of lava, and by the pain -assured herself that she was actually awake. - -But where was she? - -She looked up. The sky was besprent with stars, a sky limpid, tender, -vaporless and vast, out of which the stars throbbed with iridescent light -in all the changeful flicker of topaz, emerald and ruby. And the air was -full of flying stars, in tens of thousands, they settled on rushes by the -roadside in chains of fire, they flashed across the eyes, they settled -down on the dress; and out of the cool grass shone the steady lustre of -innumerable glow-worms. - -The milky way, like an illumined veil, crossed the vault, vaporous, -transparent with stars shining through it. - -From the black monuments on each side hooted the owls, bats swept by, -diving out of night to brush by the passers along the road and plunge back -into night, like old forgotten fancies of the dreaming mind, that recur -and vanish again, in waking hours. Out of the grass the crickets shrilled, -and frogs called with flutelike tones at intervals, whilst others -maintained an incessant chatter. - -Where was she? What were these great fantastic edifices on each side of -the road? They were no houses, for out of none glimmered a light. No -occupants stood in the doors, or sang and piped on the threshold. These -were no taverns, for no host invited to rest within, and praised his fare. -The road was forsaken, still as death, and these mansions were the -dwellings of the dead. She knew this now--that she was on one of the roads -that led from the gates of Rome, lined with tombs. How she had got there -she knew not. Least of all did she know for what reason she was being -dragged along it. She had thus trudged for a considerable time; she had -ceased to speak. She was occupied with her thoughts. Weary she was, but in -too great anguish of mind to be aware how weary she was, till tripping on -a stone she fell. - -Then a voice said:-- - -"She is full awake now. There is naught to fear. Let her again mount the -litter." - -"Elymas!" exclaimed the girl, "I know you, I know your voice. What means -this? Whither am I being taken?" - -"Madam," said the sorcerer in reply, after a pause, "your own eyes shall -answer the question better than my lips, to-morrow." - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - ALBANUM. - - -Sleep-drunk, with clouded brain, eyes that saw as in a dream, feet that -moved involuntarily, Domitia descended from the litter and tottered in at -a doorway when informed that she had reached her destination. - -Where that was she did not care, whose house this was mattered nothing to -her in her then condition of weariness. - -Female slaves bearing lights received her and directed her steps to a -chamber where they would have divested her of her garments and put her to -bed, had she not refused their assistance, thrown herself on the couch and -in a moment fallen fast asleep. - -The slaves looked at each other, whispered, and resolved not to torment by -rousing her; they accordingly drew the heavy curtains of the doorway and -left her to her slumbers. - -But weary though Domitia was, her sleep was not dreamless, the song of a -thousand nightingales that made the night musical reached her ears and -penetrated the doorways of her troubled brain and wove fantasies; the -ever-present sense of fear, not dissipated by slumber, weighed on her and -gave sombre color to her dreams; the motion of the palanquin had -communicated itself in her fancy, to the bed, and that tossed and swayed -under her. Her weary feet seemed stung and burnt as though they had been -held too close to the fire. Now she saw Lamia's face, and then it was -withdrawn; now her mother seemed to be calling to her from an -ever-increasing distance. - -Yet troubled though her sleep was, it afforded her brain some rest, and -she woke in the morning at a later hour than usual, when by the strip of -warm light below the curtains she was made aware that the sun had risen. - -She started from sleep, passed her hand across her face, pressed her -brows, stepped to the doorway, pushed the curtains aside and looked out -into a little atrium, in which plashed a fountain, and where stood boxes -of myrtles in full flower, steeping the atmosphere with fragrance. - -At once two female servants came to her, bowed low and desired permission -to assist in dressing her. - -With some hesitation she consented. - -"Where am I?" she asked. - -"By the lake of Alba," answered a dark-faced servant with hard lustrous -eyes, and in a foreign dialect. - -"In whose house?" - -The slaves looked at each other, and made no reply. - -Again she put the question. - -"Lady, we are forbidden to say," answered one of the slaves. - -"At Alba?" muttered Domitia. - -Then, as the woman divested her of her tunic, something fell from her -bosom on the mosaic floor. The maid stooped, picked it up and handed it to -Domitia, who turned it in her palm and looked at it, at first without -comprehension. Then she recollected what this was--the amulet given her by -Glyceria. It was a red cornelian fish pierced at one end and a fine gold -ring inserted in the hole, so that the stone might be suspended. - -Domitia was not in a condition of mind to pay attention to the ornament, -but she bade one of the servants thread a piece of silk through the ring -that she might wear the amulet about her neck, and then she allowed -herself to be conducted to the bath. - -With suspicious eyes the girl observed everything. She was obviously in a -country villa belonging to some Roman noble, and that villa beside the -Alban Lake. - -The AElii Lamiae had no country-house at this place, of that she was aware. -She had heard some of the friends of her mother speak of the beauties of -the Alban Lake, and then her mother had lamented that the family estate -lay by the Gabian puddle. But she could not recall that any one of them -had a villa there. - -When she left the bath she walked out of the doorway through the vestibule -and stood on the terrace. - -Below was the sombre lake, almost circular, with the rolling woods of oak -and beech flowing down the slopes to the very water's edge, here and there -the green covering interrupted by precipitous crags of tuffa. Yonder was -the great ridge on which gleamed white the Temple of Jupiter Latiaris, the -central shrine of the Latin races, the great pilgrimage place to which the -country people turned in every distress. - -She had not previously seen the Alban Lake, although Gabii had been her -residence for some months, and that was seated on a low spur of the -mountains, in the crater of one of which slept this tranquil and lovely -sheet of water. But she knew enough about it by hearsay to be sure that -she was not misinformed by the slaves as to where she now was. She -certainly was beside that lake, near which once stretched Alba Longa, the -cradle of the Roman race--a race of shepherds driven from its first seat by -volcanic fires, to settle beside the Tiber on the Palatine Hill. - -That road along which she had been conveyed during the night was the great -Appian Way. It could have been none other, and that led, as she was aware, -along the spurs of the Alban mountains. - -She walked the terrace, her brow moist with anxious thought. - -Why had she been carried off? - -By whom had she been swept as by a hurricane from her husband's side? - -A sense of numbness was on her brain still, caused by the shock. To Lucius -Lamia her heart had turned with the reverence she had borne to her father, -with the sweetness and glow of girlish love for one who would be linked -with her by a still nearer tie. She could not realize that she was parted -from Lamia finally, irrevocably. She was in a waking dream: a dream of -great horror, but yet a dream that would roll away and reality would -return. She would wake from it in the arms of her dear husband, looking -into his eyes, clinging to his heart, hearing his words soothing her mind, -allaying her terrors. - -If at this time she could have conceived that to be possible which -nevertheless was to take place, she would have run to the lake and plunged -into its blue waters. - -Singularly enough no thought of the vision in the temple of Isis recurred -to her. Possibly she was in too stunned a condition of mind; possibly the -effects of the narcotic still hung about her, like the vapors that trail -along the landscape after a storm of rain at the break of the weather. No -thought of hers connected this outrage with Domitian. This was due to the -impression produced in her by conversation with her mother, who, she -believed, was designing to secure Domitian for herself. - -Moreover, the young prince had never shown her any favor. He had -studiously neglected her, that he might address himself to Duilia. He had -taunted her, sneered at her, but never spoken to her words that might be -construed as a declaration of love. She recalled how she had urged her -mother to expel him from the house when he sought refuge there; how she -had sought to thrust him forth to certain death, to deny him the rights of -hospitality. Such was enough to provoke resentment, not to awaken love. -Her mother, on the other hand, had bound him to her by the tie of -gratitude, for she had saved him at that time of extreme peril. - -Seeing the dark slave girl, Domitia signed to her to approach, and asked: - -"Where are some of my family? Is not Euphrosyne here--or Eboracus?" - -"Lady--none came with you save the servants of our master." - -"And he?" - -"Madam, I may not say." - -"There is that Magus, Elymas; send him to me." - -After some delay the sorcerer appeared, and approached, bowed and stood -silent with hands crossed on his breast. - -"Elymas," said Domitia, "I require you to enlighten me. What is the -meaning of this? Why have I been carried away to Albanum? By whose orders -has this been done?" - -He bowed again--paused, and then, with obvious uneasiness in his manner -replied:-- - -"Destiny will be fulfilled." - -"What mean you? Destiny! some drive it before them as a wheelbarrow, and -such seem you to be. Why am I here and not in Lamia's house in Rome?" - -"Did you not, lady, behold in vision that which was to be?" - -She started, lost color and shivered. - -"What mean you?" - -"The purple." - -"The purple! I desire no purple. You speak enigmatically. You have acted a -treacherous part in forwarding this act of violence. I have been snatched -from my dear husband's side, the Gods who gave me to him have been -outraged, I--I, a member of a noble house, a daughter of Domitius Corbulo, -have been treated as though the prey of a party of slave-hunters. What -next? Am I to be taken into the market-place, and sold by auction? Or am I -carried off by freebooters--to be let go for a price? Name me the captain -of this robber band, and the price at which I may be ransomed. I promise -it shall be paid. But that condign chastisement be inflicted for this -insult, that I will also guarantee. I thank the Gods, Rome is not on the -confines of the world, that these deeds can be perpetrated with impunity. -We are not at Nizibis or Edessa to be fallen upon by Parthians, or held to -ransom by Armenians----" - -"Young lady," said the Magian, "your words are high-sounding, but your -threats are such as cannot be executed, nor is any price asked for your -redemption. When you set your foot on the Clivus Scauri, it is a narrow -way, between high walls--and there is no option, you must go on. You cannot -turn aside to right or left." - -"I can turn back." - -"The way is broken up behind. You must go forward." - -"Whither?" - -"Look!" - -A number of male slaves came forth from the villa; they were in white. - -"Do you know that livery?" asked the sorcerer. - -Then Domitia uttered a cry of despair, and threw herself on the ground. -Now she did know where she was, in whose power she was, and how hopeless -it was for her to expect to escape. - -The white was the Imperial livery. - - [Illustration: "DOMITIA THREW HERSELF UPON THE GROUND." _Page 198._] - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - - BY A RAZOR. - - -Two days passed, and Domitia remained undisturbed. No tidings reached her -from Rome, but to her great relief the Caesar Domitian did not appear. That -a meeting with him must take place, she was aware, but in what manner he -would address her, that she could not guess; whether he would take -occasion to exhibit ignoble revenge for her treatment of him on the night -when he sought refuge in her house, or whether he would approach her as a -lover. This the sequel could alone disclose. The second alternative was -what she mainly dreaded. - -On the third day, hearing a bustle in the hall, and conjecturing that some -one had arrived, and that the critical moment had come, Domitia waited in -her chamber with beating heart, and long-drawn sighs. When the curtains -were sharply withdrawn, to her surprise and delight her mother entered, -radiant in her best toilette, her face, as far as could be judged through -the paint, wreathed with smiles. - -"Well!" said she.--"But first a seat. You sly fox! who would have thought -it? But there--I am content. I have sent out no invitations to a little -supper, there is now no occasion for it, and one does not care to -spend--without an expectation of it leading to results. To look at your -face no one would have supposed that depth in you--and to play us all such -a trick, poor Lamia and me. It would really make a widow of a week old -laugh. Don't smother me, my dear, and above all, don't cry--that is to say, -if you cry do not let your tears fall on my cheek, you know I -am--well--well--it might spoil my complexion." - -"Mother," gasped the unhappy girl--"O, how can you speak to me in this -manner. You know, you must know, I have been carried away against my will. -O mother, Lucius does not suppose that----" - -"My dear child, it does not concern me in the least, whether the kitten -carried off the rat, or the rat the kitten. Here you are in the rat's -hole, and all you have to look to is to eat your rat and not let the rat -eat you." - -"Oh, mother! mother! take me home with you." - -"Domitia, do not be a baby. Of course you cannot return. You have bidden -farewell to the household Gods, and renounced the paternal threshold." - -"Mother--I have embraced the gate-posts of the Lamiae." - -"But the Gods of that family have been unable or unwilling to retain you, -they have resigned you to--I cannot say, in conscience, nobler hands, for -the Flavian family--well, we know what we know,--but to more powerful hands, -that will not let you go. Besides, my dear, I have no wish to have you -home again. When a bird has flown, it has said farewell to the nest, to -its cracked eggshells and worms, and must find another." - -"Do not be cruel!" - -"I am not cruel--but what has happened must be accepted, that is the true -philosophy of life, better than all that nonsense declaimed by -philosophers." - -"Mother! I will not stay here." - -"Domitia, here you must stay till somebody comes to take you away. Why! as -the Gods love me! I expect yet to hear you proclaimed Augusta, and to have -to offer incense and to pour a libation on your altar. Think--what an honor -to have your wax head among the ancestors, as a divinity to be -worshipped--but no--I am wrong there, you would be in the _lararium_, or set -up in the vestibule, a deified ancestress or member of the family is -exalted from the atrium to the temple. I really will go out of my way and -have a little supper to honor the occasion. I see it all--we shall before -long have a college of Flavian priests, and all the whole bundle of mouldy -old usurers, and tax-collectors, and their frowsy womankind will be gods, -with temples and a cult, and you, my dear! It makes my mouth water." - -"But, mother, why am I carried away?" - -"Why! O you jocose little creature, _why_? because some person I know of -has taken a fancy to your monkey ways and baby face." - -"I belong to Lamia. I have been married to him." - -"Oh! that is easily settled. I thank the Immortals, divorce is easily -obtained in Rome--with money, influence in Rome--to the end of time, my -dear." - -"I do not desire to be divorced--I will not be divorced. I love Lucius and -he loves me." - -"You are a child--just away from your dolls, and know nothing of life." - -"But, mother, there are laws. I will throw myself on the protection of the -Senate." - -Longa Duilia laughed aloud. "Silly fool! laws bind the subjects and the -weak, not princes and the strong. Make your mind up to accept what has -happened. It is the work of destiny." - -"It is an infamous crime." - -"My child, do not use such words, what might be crime among common folk is -pleasantry among princes. They all do it. It is their right. It is of no -avail your attempting resistance. Domitian has taken a fancy to you--he is -young, good-looking, Caesar, all sorts of honors have been heaped on him, -and he has but to put out a rake and comb together all the good in the -world. And"--she drew nearer to her daughter,--"he may be Emperor some day. -Titus has but one lumpy, ugly girl--no son." - -"I care not. I hate him! let me go back to Lamia!" - -"That is impossible." - -"Not if I will!" - -"You cannot. You would be stayed by the servants here." - -"But you--cannot you help me? O mother, if you have any love for me! For -the sake of my dear, dear father!" - -"Even if I would, I could not. Why, there is not a court in Rome, not the -Senate even can afford you protection and release. The Flavians are up -now." - -"I will appeal to Vespasian, to the Emperor!" - -"He is in Egypt." - -The girl panted and beat her head with her hands. - -"Lamia! he shall release me." - -"He needs some one to release him." - -"How so?" - -"He insulted Domitian in the Senate House--all because of you, and is under -arrest. For less matters, than what he has done, lives have been lost." - -"He will never--no, never!" she could not finish her sentence, her heart -was boiling over, and she burst into a paroxysm of sobs. - -"The Gods! the Gods help me!" she cried. - -"My dear Domitia, you might as well call on the walls to assist you. The -Gods! They are just as bad as mortals. You may cry, but they will look -between their fingers, accept your prayers and offerings and laugh at you -as a fool. Why, as the Gods love me! Does not the family derive from -Lamius, and was not he the child of Hercules and Omphale? It was very -naughty and shocking, and all that sort of thing--but they all do it, and -are not in the least disposed to assist you. On the contrary, they will -back up the ravisher." - -"Then I have no help--save in myself. I will never be his." - -"Be advised by me, you foolish child. When you come under a cherry tree -you pluck all the ripe fruit; and what you cannot eat yourself you give to -your friends. Do you not perceive that having been fortunate enough to -catch the fancy of the young Caesar, you can use this fancy and make large -profit out of it? He is already very freely distributing offices to all -his friends and such as most grossly flatter him. What may not you obtain -for me! That is if I take a liking for any one and wish to marry him, you -must positively obtain the proconsulship of Syria or Egypt for him. And as -to Lamia, he can be choked off with a praetorship." - -The veil was plucked aside, and Domitian entered. - -Longa Duilia rose; not so Domitia Longina. - -He stood for a moment looking at the girl. - -"Saucy still?" he said. - -"Wrathful at this treatment," she answered, with her eyes on the ground, -and her hands clasped. "Because I would have denied to you a suppliant, -the hospitality of our house, must I, unsoliciting it, be forced to accept -yours?" - -"Domitia, has your mother informed you what I have designed for you?" - -"I should prefer that you concerned yourself with your praetorial duties." - -Domitian bit his lip. He had been invested with the office of praetor of -the city, but in his overweening conceit deemed it unworthy of him to -discharge the duties of the office. - -"It is my intent, Domitia, to elevate you into the Flavian family." - -"O how gracious!" sneered the girl,--"taken up like Trygdeus." - -"Domitia!" exclaimed her mother, then at once perceiving that the allusion -was lost on the uneducated prince, she said:-- - -"Quite so, on the wings of the Bird of Jove."(7) - -The young man became crimson. He was convinced that there was some bitter -sneer in the words of Domitia, and he was ashamed at his inability to -comprehend the allusion. - -"What I intend for you," said he, moving from the doorway to where he -could observe her face, "what I intend for you is what there is not -another woman in Rome who would not give her jewels to obtain." - -"Then I pray you address yourself to them. Pay your debts with their -subscriptions, and leave me who am content to be disregarded, in the -tranquillity I so love--with my husband, AElius Lamia." - -"Lamia!" laughed Domitian. "You are to be divorced from him. Your mother -is willing." - -"My mother has no more power over me. I am out of the paternal family." - -"You will consent yourself." - -"Who will make me?" - -"That will I. It is easy to rend apart----" - -"Any fool can break, not all can bind." - -"Domitia, be advised and do not incense me." - -"I care not for myself. I have but one wish. Let me go. Take, if you will, -what is my property, take that of Lamia, but let us retire together to -some little farm and be quiet there, drive us, if you will, out of -Italy--but do not separate us." - -"You talk at random. Follow me." - -He led the way, stood in the entrance, holding back the curtain, and -Duilia drew her daughter from her seat. - -"Come,--Lamia awaits you," said Domitian. - -Then the girl started to her feet. - -"He is here! You will be generous,--like a prince!" - -"Come with me." - -She now followed with beating heart. Her cheeks were flushed, a sparkle -was in her eye, her breath came fast through her nostrils, her teeth were -set. - -Without were many lictors lining the way, filling the court. - -He led into that portion of the villa where were the baths and entered the -warm room. There Domitia saw at once Lamia, stripped almost to the skin, -held by soldiers of the prince's guard, his mouth gagged, and a surgeon -standing by with a razor. - -She would have sprung to him and thrown her arms around him, had she not -been restrained. - -"Domitia," said the young Caesar; "you will see how that to divorce you is -in my power, unless you consent to it yourself, and give yourself to me." - -Domitia trembled in every limb. She looked with distended eyes at Lamia, -who had no power to speak, save with his eyes, and they were fixed on her. - -A large marble bath stood near, and both hot and cold water could be -turned on into it. - -She knew but too well what the threat was. Seneca had so perished under -Nero,--by the cutting of the veins he had bled to death. - -Petronius, master of the Revels to the same tyrant, had suffered in the -same manner, and as his blood flowed he had mocked and hearkened to ribald -verses till the power to listen and to flaunt his indifference were at an -end. - -And now the second Nero, not yet full blown, but giving earnest of what he -would be, was threatening Lamia with the same death. It was not a gradual -and painless extinction, but a death of great suffering, for it led to -agonizing cramps, knotting the muscles, and contracting the limbs. Domitia -knew this--she had heard the dying agonies of Seneca and Petronius -described,--and she looked with quivering lips and bloodless cheeks on him -whom she loved best--on the only one in the world she loved, threatened -with the same awful death. - -She would do anything short of taking the Caesar Domitian as her husband in -place of him to whom she was bound by the most sacred ties,--anything short -of that to save the life of Lamia. - -The struggle in her bosom was terrible; her head spun, she tried to speak -but could frame no words. - -She sought some guidance in Lamia's eyes, but her own swam with tears, and -she could not read what he would advise. - -"My child," said her mother, "of course it is all very sad, and that sort -of thing--but it is and must be so. If a wilful girl will not be brought to -reason in any other way--well, it is a pity." - -Domitian turned to Domitia. - -"His life is in your power," said he. "He has insulted me before the -Conscript Fathers, and is under arrest. I have brought him hither--to die. -But I give his life to you on the one condition that you allow divorce to -be pronounced between you and him, and that in his place you accept me." - -Domitia turned her face away. - -"So be it," said he. "Surgeon, open his veins." - -With a slash of the razor across the arm at the fold, an artery was -severed, and the black blood spurted forth. - -Uttering a cry of horror, Domitia battled with those who held her, to -reach and clasp her husband. - -"Cut the other arm," commanded the prince, "then cast him into the bath." - -"I yield," gasped Domitia, burying her face in her hands and sinking to -her knees. - -"Then bind up his wound, and let him go!" - -"Destiny must be fulfilled," said Elymas who stood behind. "You were born -for the purple." - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - - INTERMEZZO. - - -The dramatic composer has this great advantage over the novelist, that -when he has to allow for a certain amount of time,--it may be for years--to -elapse between the parts of his play, he lowers the curtain, the first or -second act is concluded, ices, oranges are taken round in the stalls; the -orchestra strikes up an overture, the gentlemen retire to the promenade -gallery for a cigar, and the ladies discuss their acquaintances, and the -toilette of those in the boxes, after having explored the theatre with -their glasses. - -At Munich and Bayreuth, at the performance of Wagner's operas, the space -allowed between the acts is sufficient for a walk and for a meal. Thus the -lapse of time between the parts of a drama is given a real expression, and -the minds of those who have followed the first part of the story are -prepared to accept a change in the conditions of the performers, such as -could be brought about solely by the passage of time. - -But a novelist has no such assistance, he is not able to produce such an -illusion; even when his story appears in a serial, he is without this -advantage, for the movement of his tale, when it is rapid, is artificially -delayed by the limitations laid down by the editors of the magazines, and -the space allotted to him, and when he does require a pause to allow for -the gliding away of a certain number of years, that pause consists of -precisely the same number of days as intervened in the serial publication, -between chapters in which the action should have been continuous. - -The writer must, therefore, throw himself on the indulgence of the reader, -and plead to be allowed like a Greek chorus to stand forward and narrate -what has taken place, during a period of time concerning which he proposes -to pass over without detailed account, before he resumes the thread of his -narrative. - -When Vespasian was hailed Emperor by the troops he was aged sixty-one, and -none supposed that his reign would be long. He associated his eldest son -Titus with him in government, but would not allow the younger, Domitian, -any power. - -When the Emperor reached the capital, he learned the misuse Domitian had -made of that which he had arrogated to himself, or which had been granted -to him by the Senate, in his father's absence. The old Emperor was vastly -displeased at the misconduct of his younger son, and would perhaps have -dealt severely with him, had he not been dissuaded from so doing by Titus, -who pointed out, that as he himself had no son, in all probability -Domitian would at some time succeed to the purple. - -The young man, kept in the background, not even allowed the command in any -military expedition, carefully watched and restrained from giving vent to -his natural disposition, chafed at his enforced inactivity, and at the -marked manner in which he was set behind his elder brother, a man who, by -the capture of Jerusalem, had gained a name, and had attached the soldiery -to him. Domitian was known to the military only by his abortive attempt to -pluck the laurels in Germany from the brow of his kinsman Cerealis, for -the adornment of his own head. - -Domitian was granted none of the titles that indicated association in the -Empire. He was not suffered to take part in public affairs. His insolence -in neglecting the duties of praetor of the city, as beneath his dignity, -was punished in this manner. When Titus celebrated his triumph after the -Jewish war, with unusual magnificence, he and his father rode in chariots -of state, but Domitian was made to follow on horseback. When Vespasian and -his eldest son showed themselves in public, they were carried on thrones, -whereas Domitian was made to attend in the rear in a litter. - -The envious, ambitious young prince, under this treatment was driven to -wear a mask, and he affected a love of literature, and indifference to the -affairs of state. Titus, who knew less of him than his father, was -deceived, but Vespasian was too well aware of the radically evil heart of -his younger son to trust him in any way. - -Domitia was unable to escape from compulsary association with this -imperial cub. Vespasian was unwilling to undo the past, and have the -scandal raked up again, and public attention called to it. The minds of -the volatile Romans had forgotten the circumstances and were occupied with -new matters of gossip. Domitian married Domitia Longina, and the old -Emperor after some consideration concluded that she should remain his -wife. - -But the relations between her and the prince were strained. She hated him -for what he had done, and she made no attempt to affect a liking she did -not feel. - -Lamia remained unmarried; he had cared for no other woman, and he felt -that there was not to be found one who could ever be to him what he had -hoped Domitia would have proved. - -Once Titus asked him his reason for not marrying. - -"Why do you inquire?" said Lamia, with a bitter smile, "do you also wish -to carry off my wife?" - -On the death of the old Emperor, Titus succeeded without any difficulties -being raised. His father had already associated him in the Empire and had -gradually transferred the conduct of affairs to his hands. - -Hitherto the brothers had lived on very good terms with each other, at all -events in appearance, and Domitian had been sufficiently prudent to veil -his jealousy of Titus, who had shown himself kindly disposed towards his -younger brother. - -On the accession of Titus, Domitian hoped to be associated with him in -government in the same manner as Titus had been with his father. In this -he was disappointed, his disappointment got the better of his prudence, -and he declared that his brother had falsified the will of Vespasian, who -had divided the power equally between them. - -On the first day of his reign, Titus designated Domitian as his successor, -but he allowed him no independent power; and the young prince at once -involved himself in intrigues and sought to rouse the troops to revolt, -and to proclaim him in place of Titus. - -The condition of Domitia would have been more intolerable than it was, but -that Vespasian, up to his death, retained his younger son about his -person, in Rome, and it was but rarely that the prince was able to escape -to his villa, at Albanum, where Domitia remained in seclusion. And his -visits there were not only few and far between, but also brief. - -He was in bad humor when there, at liberty to vent his irritation at the -manner in which he was treated by his father, and the behavior towards him -of Domitia was not calculated to dispel his vapors. - -A considerable change had come over her face. The expression had altered; -it had been full of sweetness, and the muscles had been flexible. Now it -was hard-set and stern. - -Domitian cursed her for the fascination she still exercised over him. It -was perhaps her unyielding temper, her openly expressed scorn, and her -biting sarcasms which stung him to maintain his grip on her, knowing that -this was to her torture. Yet her beauty exercised over him a hold from -which he could not escape. His feelings towards her were a mixture of -passionate admiration and savage resentment. From every one else he met -with adulation, or at least respect, from her neither. His will was a law -to a legion of sycophants, to her it was something she seemed to find a -pleasure in defying. - -Domitia nursed her resentment, and this soured her nature and reflected -itself in her features. - -In the long Chiaramonte Gallery of the Vatican Museum is an exquisite and -uninjured bust of Domitia Longina as a girl; the face is one that holds -the passer-by, it is so sweet, so beautiful, so full of a glorious soul. - -In the Florence Gallery is one of the same woman after Domitian had -snatched her away from Lamia, and hidden her in his Alban villa. Lovely -the face is still, but the beautiful soul has lost its light, the softness -has gone out of the face, and the shadow of a darkened life broods over -it. - -At Albanum the solitary Domitia had the satisfaction of being attended by -her servant Euphrosyne, and the faithful Eboracus was also allowed to be -there as her minister. - -She occasionally visited her mother in Rome, but the chasm between them -widened. Duilia could not understand her daughter's refusal to accept the -inevitable and failure to lay hold of her opportunities, and, as she -termed it, "eat her rat." The older Duilia grew, the less inclined she was -to acknowledge her age, and the more frivolous and scheming she became. -She was never weary of weaving little webs of mystery and of contriving -plans; and the initiating of all these was a supper. She was well off, -liked ostentation, yet was withal of a frugal mind, and never ordered -costly dishes, or broached her best wine without calculation that they -would lead to valuable results. - -It was possible that Vespasian might have interfered in favor of Domitia, -had he been made to understand how strongly she disliked the union, but -Domitia herself was never able to obtain an interview with the aged -Emperor, and Duilia took pains to assure him that the marriage had been -contracted entirely with her approval, that the union with Lamia had been -entered on without feeling on either side, in obedience to an expressed -wish of Corbulo before his death, and that her daughter was quite content -to be released. - -The period was not one in which the personal feelings of a girl were -counted as deserving of much thought, certainly not of being considered by -an Emperor, and Vespasian took no steps to relieve Domitia. Titus was -better aware of the facts, and had some notion of the wrench it had been -to the young married people, but he was not desirous of having the matter -reopened. It would not conduce to the credit of the Flavian house, and -that was in his eyes a matter of paramount consideration--as the process of -deification of the Flavians had already begun. - - - - - - BOOK II. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - - AN APPEAL. - - -"What can I do for thee, Domitia?" asked Titus, who was pacing the room; -he halted before the young wife of his brother, who was kneeling on the -mosaic floor. - -She had taken advantage of her introduction into the Imperial palace to -make an appeal to Titus, now Emperor. She had not been allowed to appear -there during the reign of Vespasian. - -Titus was a tall, solidly built man, with the neck of a bull; he had the -same vulgarity of aspect that characterized both his father and brother, -and which was also conspicuous in his daughter Julia. The whole Flavian -family looked, what it was, of ignoble origin,--there was none of the -splendid beauty that belonged to Augustus, and to the Claudian family that -succeeded. Their features were fleshy and coarse, their movements without -grace, their address without dignity. - -If they attempted to be gracious, they spoiled the graciousness by -clumsiness in the act; if they did a generous thing, it carried its shadow -of meanness trailing behind it. - -Titus had not borne a good character before his elevation to the purple. -He had indulged in coarse vices, had shown himself callous toward human -suffering. Yet there was in his muddy nature a spark of good feeling, a -desire to do what was right, a rough sense of justice and much family -affection. - -It was a disappointment to him that he had but one child, a daughter, a -gaunt, stupid girl, big-boned, amiable and ugly. - -He knew that Domitian, his younger brother, would in all probability -succeed him, but he also was childless. Next to him, the nearest of male -kin, were the sons of that Flavius Sabinus, who had been butchered by the -Vitellians, and their names were Sabinus and Clemens. - -The former was much liked by the people, he was an upright grave man. The -second was regarded with distrust, as a Christian. It was not the fact of -his following a strange religion that gave offence. To that Romans were -supremely indifferent, but that which they could not understand and allow -was a man withdrawing himself from the public service, the noblest -avocation of a man, because he scrupled to worship the image of the -Emperor, and to swear by his genius. They regarded this as a mere excuse -to cover inertness of character, and ignobility of mind. - -For the like reason, Christians could not attend public banquets or go to -private entertainments as the homage done to the gods, and the idolatrous -offerings associated with them, stood in their way. The profession of -Christianity, accordingly, not only debarred from the public service, but -interfered with social amenities. Such withdrawal from public social life -the Romans could not understand, and they attributed this conduct to a -morbid hatred entertained by the Christians for their fellow-men. - -The public shows were either brutal or licentious. The Christians equally -refused to be present at the gladiatorial combats and at the coarse -theatrical representations of broad comedy and low buffoonery. This also -was considered as indicative of a gloomy and unamiable spirit. - -There were indeed heathen men who loathed the frightful butchery in the -arena, such was the Emperor Tiberius,--and Pliny in his letters shows us -that to some men of his time they were disgusting, but nevertheless they -attended these exhibitions, as a public duty, and contented themselves -with expressing objection to them privately. The objection was founded on -taste, not principle, and therefore called for no public expression of -reprobation. - -Clemens was quite out of the question as a successor. If he was too full -of scruple to take a praetorship, he was certainly unfit to be an emperor. -Not so Flavius Sabinus his elder brother. Him accordingly, Domitian looked -upon with jealousy. - -"What can I do for thee?" again asked Titus, and his heavy face assumed a -kindly expression; "my child, I know that thou hast had trouble and art -mated to a fellow with a gloomy, uncertain humor; but what has been done -cannot be undone----" - -"Pardon me," interrupted Domitia, "it is that I desire; let me be -separated from him. I never, never desired to leave my true husband, -Lamia, I was snatched away by violence--let me go back." - -"What! to Lamia! That will hardly do. Would he have thee?" - -"Tainted by union with Domitian, perhaps not!" exclaimed Domitia fiercely. -"Right indeed--he would not." - -"Nay, nay," said Titus, his brow clouding, "such a word as that is -impious, and in another would be treason. Domitia, you have a bitter -tongue. I have heard my brother say as much. But I cannot think that Lamia -would dare to receive thee again after having been the wife of a Flavian -prince." - -Domitia's lip curled, but she said nothing. These upstart Flavians made a -brag of their consequence. - -"Then," said she, "let me go to my old home at Gabii. I have lived in -seclusion enough at Albanum to find Gabii in the current of life--and my -mother and her many friends will come there anon. Let me go. Let there be -a divorce--and I will go home and paddle on the lake and pick flowers and -seek to be heard of no more." - -"It would not do for you and Lamia to be married again. It would be a -political error; it might be dangerous to us Flavians." - -"I should have supposed, in your brand-new divinity that a poor mouse like -myself could not have scratched away any of the newly-laid-on gold leaf." - -"Domitia," said Titus, who had resumed his walk, "be careful how you let -that tongue act--it is a file, it has already removed some of the gilding." - -A smile broke out on his face at first inclined to darken. - -"There! There!" said he, laughing; "I am not a fool. I know well enough -what we were, as I feel what we have become. Caligula threw mud, the mud -of Rome, into the lap of my grandfather, because he had not seen to the -efficient scouring of the streets. It was ominous--the soil of Rome has -been taken away from the divine race of Julius--and has been cast into the -lap of us money-lenders, pettyfogging attorneys of Reate. Well! the Gods -willed it, Domitia--it is necessary for us to make a display." - -"Push, as my mother would say." - -"Well--push--as you will it. But, understand, Domitia, though I am not -ignorant of all this, I don't like to have it thrown in my teeth; and my -brother is more sensitive to this than myself. Domitia, I will do this for -you. I will send for him, and see if I can induce him to part from you. I -mistrust me,"--Titus smiled, looked at Domitia, with one finger stroked her -cheek, and said,--"By the Gods! I do not wonder at it. I would be torn by -wild horses myself rather than abandon you, had I been so fortunate----" - -"Sire, so wicked----" - -"Well, well! you must excuse Domitian. Love, they say, rules even the -Gods, and is stronger than wine to turn men's heads." - -He clapped his hands. A slave appeared. "Send hither the Caesar," he -ordered. The slave bowed and withdrew. - -Domitian entered next moment. He must have been waiting in an adjoining -apartment. - -"Come hither, brother," said Titus. "I have a suppliant at my feet, and -what suppose you has been her petition?" - -Domitian looked down. He had a pouting disdainful lip, a dogged brow, and -eyes in which never did a sparkle flash; but his face flushed readily, not -with modesty, but shyness or anger. - -"Brother," said Domitian, "I know well enough at what she drives. From the -moment, the first moment I knew her, she has treated me to quip and jibe -and has sought to keep me at a distance. I know not whether she use a -love-philtre so as to hold me? I know not if it be her very treatment of -me which makes me love her the more. Love her! It is but the turning of a -hair whether I love or hate her most. I know what is her petition without -being told, and I say--I refuse consent." - -"Listen to what I have to propose," said Titus, "and do not blurt out your -family quarrels before I speak about them. It is not I only, but all Rome, -that knows that your life together is not that of Venus's doves. It is -unpleasant to me, it detracts from the dignity of the Flavian family"--he -glanced aside at his sister-in-law, and his lips quivered, "that this -cat-and-dog existence should become the gossip of every noble house, and a -matter of tittle-tattle in every wine-shop. Make an end to it and -repudiate her." - -Domitian kept his eyes on the floor. Domitia looked at him for his answer -with eagerness. He turned on her with a vulgar laugh and said:-- - -"Vixen! I see thee--naught would give thee greater joy than for me to -assent. I should see thee skip for gladness of heart, as I have never seen -thee move thy little feet since thou hast been with me! I should hear thee -laugh--and I have heard no sound save flout from thee as yet. I should see -a sun dance in thine eyes, that perpetually lower or are veiled in tears. -Is it not so?"--He paused and looked at her with truculence in his -face--"and therefore, for that alone, I will not consent." - -"Listen further to me, Domitian," said Titus; "I have a proposition to -make. Separate from Domitia, send her back----" - -"What, into the arms of Lamia?" - -"No, to Gabii. She shall be guarded there, she shall not remarry Lamia." - -"I shall take good heed to that." - -"Hear me out, Domitian. I have but one child, Julia. The voice of the -people has proclaimed itself well pleased with our house. We have given to -Rome peace and prosperity at home, and victory abroad. I believe that -there are few who regard me unfavorably. But it is not so with thee. Thy -folly, thy disorders, thy violence, before our father came to Rome, have -not been forgotten or forgiven, and Senate and people look on thee with -mistrust. I will give thee Julia to wife. It is true she is thy niece--but -since Claudius took Agrippina----" - -"Thanks, Titus, I have no appetite for mushrooms."(8) - -"Tut! you know Julia, a good-hearted jade." - -"I will not consent," said Domitian surlily. - -"Hear me out, brother, before making thy decision. If thou wilt not take -Julia, then I shall give her to another----" - -"To whom?" asked Domitian looking up. He at once perceived that a danger -to himself lurked behind this proposal. The husband of Julia might contest -his claims to the throne, should the popularity of Titus grow with years, -and his own decline. - -"I shall give her to our cousin, Flavius Sabinus." - -Domitian was silent, and moved his hands and feet uneasily. - -Looking furtively out of the corners of his eyes, he saw a flash of hope -in those of Domitia. - -He held up his head, and looking with leaden eyes at his brother, said:-- - -"Still I refuse." - -"The consequences--have you considered them?" - -Domitian turned about, and made a tiger-like leap at Domitia and catching -her by her shoulders said:-- - -"I hate her. I will risk all, rather than let her go free." - - [Illustration: "I HATE HER!" _Page 221._] - - - - - CHAPTER II. - - THE FISH. - - -Domitian had been accorded by his brother a portion of the palace of -Tiberius on the Palatine Hill, that was crowded with imperial residences; -and Domitia had been brought there from Albanum. - -She was one day on the terrace. The hilltop was too much encumbered with -buildings to afford much space for gardens, but there were platforms on -which grew cypresses, and about the balustrades roses twined and poured -over in curtains of flower. Citrons and oleanders also stood in tubs, and -against the walls glistened the burnished leaves of the pomegranate; the -scarlet flowers bloomed in spring and the warm fruit ripened till it burst -in the hot autumn. - -Domitia, seated beside the balustrade, looked over mighty Rome, the -teeming forum, roofs with gilded tiles of bronze, lay below her, flashing -in the sun, and beyond on the Capitol, white as snow, but glinting with -gold, was the newly completed temple of Jupiter, rebuilt in greater -splendor than before since the disastrous fire. - -The hum of the city came up to her as the murmur of a sea, not a troubled -one, but a sea of a thousand wavelets trifling with the pebbles of a -beach, and dancing in and out among the teeth of a reef; a hum not unlike -that of the bees--but somewhat louder, and pitched on a lower note. - -Domitia paid no attention to the scene, nor to the sounds, she was engaged -with her jewel-box, that she had brought forth into the sun, in order that -she might count over her treasures. - -At a respectful distance sat Euphrosyne spinning. - -Domitia had some Syrian filagree gold work in her hand--it formed a -decoration for the head, to be fastened by two pins; the heads were those -of owls with opals for eyes. - -She laid it aside and looked at her rings and brooches. There was one of -the latter, a cameo given her by her mother, of coral of two hues, a -Medusa's head, a beautiful work of art. Then she took up a necklace of -British pearls from the Severn, she twisted it about her arm and lovely -were the pure pearls against her delicate flesh,--like the dainty tints on -the rose and white coral of the brooch she had laid aside. - -She replaced the chain, and took up a cornelian fish. - -"Euphrosyne," said Domitia, "come hither! observe this fish. Thy sister -gave it me the day I was married, but alack! it brought me no luck. Think -you it is an omen of ill? But Glyceria would not have given me one such." - -"Nay, lady, the fish brings the greatest happiness." - -"What is its meaning? It is a strange symbol. It must have some purport." - -The slave hesitated about answering. - -Then, hearing steps on the pavement, and looking round, Domitia -called--"Thou! Elymas! who pretendest to know all things, answer me this, I -have an amulet--a fish--what doth it portend?" - -"What?--the murex? That gives the imperial purple." - -"Bah! It is no murex, not a sea snail but a fish. What is the -signification?" - -"Lady, to one so high, ever-increasing happiness." - -"Away! you are all wrong. Happiness is not where you deem it. False thou -art, false to thy creed. _Thou_ speak of a divine ray in every man and -woman! an emanation from the Father of Light, quivering, battling, -straining to escape out of its earthly envelope and soar to its -source!--thou speak of this, and in all thy doings and devisings seekest -what is sordid and dark!" - -The gloomy man folded his cloak about him, and looking at her from under -his penthouse brows answered:-- - -"Thou launchest forth against me without reason. Knowest thou what is a -comet? It is a star that circles about the sun and from it drinks in all -the illumination it can absorb, like as the thirsty soil in summer sucks -in the falling rain, or the fields the outflow of the Alban Lake; then it -flies away into space, and as it flies it sheds its effulgence, becoming -ever more dim till it reaches infinite darkness and is there black in the -midst of absolute nigritude. Then it turns and comes back to replenish its -urn." - -"Nay," said Domitia, "that can never be. When all light is gone, then all -desire for return goes likewise. I know that in myself--I--I am such a -comet. When I was a child I longed, I hungered for the light, and in my -days of adolescence it was the same, only stronger--it was as a famine. I -was the poor comet sweeping up towards my sun; but where my sun was, -that--in the vast abyss of infinity--I knew not. I sought and found not, I -sought and shed my glory, till there was but a faint glimmer left in me; -and now--now all light is extinguished, and with it desire to know, to -love, to be happy, to return." - -"Madam, you, as the comet, are reaching your apogee, your extreme limit; -you must shed all your light before you can return to the source of -light." - -"What! is that your philosophy? The Father of Light sends forth his ray to -expire in utter darkness, predestined this ray of light to extinction. If -so--then He is not good. And yet," she sighed, "it is so. I am such. In -blackness of night. Look you, Elymas, when I was a child, I laughed and -danced; I cannot dance, I can but force a laugh now. I once loved the -flowers and the butterflies; I love them no more. My light is gone. The -faculty of enjoyment is gone with it. Do I want to return? To what? To the -source of light that launched me into this misery? No, not into that cold -and cruel fate. Let me go on my inky way, I have no more light to lose--I -look only to go out as a fallen star and leave nothing behind me." - -"What! when a great future is before you?" - -"What future? you have none to offer me that I value. Away with your hints -concerning the purple--it is the sable of mourning to me." - -She panted. The tears came into her eyes. - -"It is you who have wrecked my life--you--you. It was you who devised that -crime--when I was snatched away from the only man I loved--the only man with -whom I could have been happy--whom I--" she turned aside and hid her face. -Then recovering herself, but with a cheek glistening with tears, she said: -"I admit it, I love still, and ever shall love. And he loves me. He has -taken none to wife, for he thinks on me. There, could darkness be deeper -than my now condition? And you did it, you betrayed me into the hands--" -she had sufficient self-control not to say to whom, before this man and -her slave. - -"Lady, it is not I, but Destiny." - -"And you, with your tortuous ways, work to ends that you desire, and -excuse it by saying, It is Destiny." - -"What, discussing the lore of emanations, little woman?" asked the -Emperor, coming suddenly up. - -Elymas stood back and assumed a deferential attitude. Titus waved him to -withdraw, and was obeyed. Then he took Domitia by the hand. - -"A philosopher, are you?" - -"No, I ask questions, but get no answers that content me." - -"Ah! you asked a favor of me the other day and spiced it with a sneer--your -jibes hit me." - -"I meant not to give pain." - -"I have come to you touching this very matter. I am not sure, child, that -the scandal is not greater so long as you and Domitian remain linked -together, and pulling opposite ways, than if you were parted. Your -quarrels are now the talk of Rome, and many a cutting jest is put into -your pretty mouth at our expense; invented by others, attributed to you." - -"You will have us divorced!" her breath came quick and short. - -"Listen to what I propose. Domitia, I am not well. I have this accursed -Roman fever on me." - -"Sire, I mark suffering in your face." - -"It has been vexing me for some days, and it is my intent to leave Rome -and be free from business and take my cure at Cutiliae--our old estate in -the Sabine country. Perhaps the air, the waters of the old home, the nest -of our divine family--" his mouth twitched, but there was a sad expression -in his face--"they may do me good. It is something, Domitia, to stand on -the soil that was turned by one's forbears, when they bent as humble -farmers over the plough. They were honest men and happy; and when one is -down at heart, there is naught like home--the old home where are the bones -of one's ancestors, though they may have been yeomen, and one a -commissioner, and another an usurer, and so on. They were honest men. Aye! -the rate-collector, he was an honest man. Here all is false, and unreal, -and--Domitia--I feel that I want to stand on the soil where my worthy, -humble, dear old people worked and worshipped, and laid them down to die." - -"You are downcast indeed," said Domitia. - -"And because downcast, I have been brooding over your troubles, little -sister-in-law. Come! I did something for your poor Lamia,--I made him -consul, and I will do more. Can you be patient and tarry till my strength -is restored? I shall return from my family farm in rude health, I trust, -and by the Gods! the first matter I will then take in hand will be yours. -I know what my brother is. By Jupiter Capitolinus! if Rome should ever -have him as its prince, it will weep tears of blood. I know his savage -humor and his sullen mind. No, Domitia, you cannot be happy with him. A -cruel wrong was done you, and when I return from Cutiliae I will right it. -You shall be separated!" - -She threw herself at his feet. - -He smiled, and withdrawing from her clasp, said:-- - -"I will do more than that for your very good friend, in whom you still -take such a lively interest. I shall find means to advance him to some -foreign post--he knows Antioch, I will give him the proconsulship of Syria -and Cilicia, and so move him away from Rome. And then--" he took a turn, -looked smilingly at Domitia, and said,--"I do not see that you need mope at -Gabii. You know Antioch; you were there for some years. It is, I believe, -not well for a governor to take his wife with him; she has the credit of -being a very horse-leech to the province. But I can trust thee, little -woman! There, no thanks, I seek mine own interest, and to protect our -divine images and the new gilding from the rasp of that tongue. That is -the true motive of my making this offer. Do not thank me. On my return -from Cutiliae you may reckon on me." - -Then hastily brushing away her thanks, and evading her arms, extended to -clasp him, he walked from the terrace. - -"Euphrosyne!" cried Domitia, "did you hear! The comet has reached its -extreme limit, it is turning--it is drawing to the light--to hope. Happiness -is near--ah!" - -In her excitement she had struck her jewel-case that stood on the marble -balustrade, and sent it, with all its costly contents, flying down the -precipice into the thronged lanes at the back of the forum in a glittering -rain. - -"Ye Gods!" gasped Domitia, "the omen! O ye Gods! the bad omen." - -"Lady," said Euphrosyne, "all is not lost" - -"What remains? Ah! the Fish!" - -"Yes, mistress dear, when all else is lost, remember the Fish." - - - - - CHAPTER III. - - IN THE "INSULA." - - -"Now, for a while I am as one who has cast off a nightmare," said Domitia -to herself. "He is away--why he has attended Titus to the Sabine land I -know not, unless the Emperor could not trust him in Rome--or may be, in his -goodness he has done it to relieve me of his presence. I will go see my -mother." - -Domitia ordered her litter and bearers. She had no trinkets to put on, -save the fish of cornelian. Her mother liked to see her tricked out, and -usually when Domitia paid her a visit she adorned herself to please the -old lady,--now she could not assume jewelry as she had lost all her -articles of precious stones and metal. So she hung the cornelian amulet -about her neck. - -When a Roman lady went forth in palanquin, it was in some state. Before -her went two heralds in livery, to clear the way and announce her coming -at the houses where she purposed calling, then she had six bearers, and -attendants of her own sex, carrying her scent bottles, kerchiefs, fans, -and whatever she might think it possible she would require. - -Domitia was impatient of display, but it had been imposed on her by the -Emperor. "The Flavians," said he smiling, "must make a show in public." - -A Roman lady was at this period expected to wear yellow hair, if she would -be in the fashion. Under the Flavians, it was a compliment to the reigning -princes to affect this color. It was true that the word _flavus_ meant -anything in color, from mud upwards to what might be termed yellow by -courtesy. It was employed as descriptive of the Tiber, that was of the -dingiest of drabs, and of the Campagna when every particle of vegetation -was burnt up on it, and the tone was that of the dust-heaps. But now that -the parsnip-haired Flavians were divine and all-powerful, the adjective -was employed to describe the harvest field and gold. Ladies talked of -their hair as "flavan" when it had been dyed with saffron and dusted with -gold. Not to have yellow hair was expressive of disaffection to the -dynasty--so every lady who would be in the fashion, and every husband who -wanted office, first bleached and then dyed their hair, and as hair was -occasionally thin, they employed vast masses of padding and borrowed coils -from German "fraus" to make the utmost show of their loyalty to the august -house of the divine Flavii. - -Domitia dared not be out of fashion, and she was constrained to submit to -having her chestnut hair dredged with gold-dust before she went forth on -her visit. For her, conspicuously to wear her hair in its natural color -would at once have provoked animadversion, and been interpreted as a -publication, in most defiant manner, of the domestic discord that was a -topic of gossip in the saloons of Rome. - -When she had entered her palanquin, she gave her orders and was carried -lightly down the sloping road into the Forum. This was crossed, and then, -drawing back the curtains of her litter, she said:-- - -"Eboracus, tell the fellows not to go at once to the Carinae. I have a -fancy to see the wife of Paris the actor, in the _Insula_ of Castor and -Pollux." - -She was playing with the fish suspended on her bosom, as she was being -conveyed down the hill, and the thought had come to her that she had not -seen Glyceria for a long time, and that now was a good occasion as her -husband--whom these visits annoyed, and who had in fact forbidden them--was -absent from Rome. - -The porters at once entered the narrow, tortuous lanes, where the lofty -blocks of buildings cut off all sun and made twilight in midday. - -As Domitia stepped out of her litter, she saw coming down the street, a -man much in the company of Domitian, for whom she entertained a particular -dislike. He was a very dark man, and blind; his face was pointed, and his -nose long; he ran with projecting head, turning his sharp nose from side -to side, like a dog after game. His name was Valerius Messalinus. - -One of his slaves whispered something into his ear, and he twisted about -his head, and then came trotting in the direction of the litter of -Domitia. - -"Quick," said she, "I must go in; I will not speak with that man. If he -asks for me, say I am out--out of the litter." - -She at once entered the block of lodgings, and impatiently waved back her -heralds, who would have ascended the stairs before her and pompously -announced her arrival. - -Taking Euphrosyne along with her, Domitia made her way towards the -apartments of the crippled woman. But already the news had spread that men -in the imperial livery had entered the building, and there was a rush to -the balustrade to see them. - -When Domitia reached the first landing, she saw that the women and -children, and such men as were there, had ranged themselves on either -side, to give her passage, every face was smiling, and lit with pleasure, -the men raised their forefingers and thumbs to their mouths, and the women -and children strove to catch her hand, or kneeling to touch, raise and -kiss the hem of her dress. - -If, at one time it had caused surprise that she a rich lady, should enter -a common haunt of the poor, it was now a matter of more than surprise, of -admiration and delight--to welcome the sister-in-law of the Emperor, one -who it was whispered would some day be herself Empress, Augusta, and an -object of religious worship. - -This sort of welcome always went to the heart of Domitia, and gave her a -choke in the throat. - -The great people never regarded the poor, save as nuisances. An emperor -had said of the populace that it was a wolf he held by the ears. And it -was wolf-like because brutally treated, pampered as to food given without -pay, supplied with scenes of bloodshed, also without cost, in the arena, -every encouragement to work taken from it, every demoralizing, barbarizing -influence employed to degrade it. - -The great people were supremely indifferent to the sufferings of the -small, provided no hospitals for the poor who were sick, no orphanages for -the homeless children--let them die--and the faster the better,--that was one -wish of the great;--then shall we be alone on the earth with our slaves. - -Had these poor people hopes, ambitions, cares, sorrows? Did they love -their wives, and hold to their hearts their cubs of children? Did they -have any desire that their children should grow up to be good men and -virtuous women? Oh, no! such rabble were not of one blood with the rich. -They had no fine feelings, they were like the beasts; they were without -human souls; and so, when the poor died their bodies were rammed down -wells contrived to contain a thousand corpses at a time, and then heaped -over with a little earth. - -But Domitia had learned that it was not as supposed. Amidst the falsity, -barbarity of heart, and coarseness of mind of such as were of the noble -Roman order,--the cultured, the rich, the philosophic--there was no -sincerity, no truth. She felt happier and better after one of these visits -to the _Insula_ in the Suburra as though her lungs had inhaled a purer -atmosphere. To the smiles and kisses and blessings lavished on her, she -answered with kindly courtesy--and then stepped into the room of the -paralyzed woman. Glyceria was as much a cripple as when first visited. She -was more wasted--some time had passed--but she hardly seemed older, only -more beautiful in her purity, a diaphanous lamp of mother-of-pearl through -which shone a supernatural light. - -Domitia drew a deep sigh. - -"Glyceria," she said, "when I come here, it is to me like seeing a glimpse -of blue sky after a day of rain, or--like the scent of violets that came on -me the first time I visited you." - -"And when you, lady, come to me, it is as though a sunbeam shone into my -dark chamber." - -"Nay, nay--no flattery from thee, or I shall hate thee. I get that till it -cloys. But tell me now, times have been better, and why has not Paris -moved into superior quarters? Surely he is in better employ and pay than -of old." - -"It is so, but only to a small degree," answered the actor's wife. "Paris -performs in the grand old dramas in Greek only; in those of AEschylus and -Eurypides and Sophocles, he is a tragic actor,--and--" the poor woman -smiled, "perhaps home troubles have taken the laughter out of him. He is a -sad bungler in comedy. Now the taste of Rome is not for the masterpieces -of the ancients. The people clamor to see an elephant dance on a -tight-rope, and a man crucified who pours forth blood enough to swamp the -stage--the Laureolus! that is the piece to bring down the house. Or some -bit of buffoonery and indecency. To that the people crowd. However, we -live; I hang as a log about my Paris's neck, but thank God, he loves his -log and would not be rid of it, so I am content." - -"But if you will suffer me to assist you," said Domitia. - -Glyceria shook her head. "No, dear lady, do not take it ill if I refuse -your kind offer, made, not for the first time. I am very happy here, -very--with these dear kind people about me, running in and out all the day, -offering their gracious good wishes, lending their ready help. On my word, -lady! I do believe that they would all be in tears and feel it as a slight -if I were to go; and for myself, I could never be happy away from them." - -Domitia stood up and went to the door. Her heart swelled in her bosom. - -"None but the poor know," said the cripple, "how kind, how tender the poor -are to one another. Poverty is a brotherhood--we are all of one blood, and -one heart." - -"And I--" said the great lady, looking out on the balcony with its swarm of -people, some busy, some idle, most merry--"And I--" said she, dreamily--"I -love the poor." - -"Then," said a low firm voice, "thou art not far from the Kingdom of -Heaven." - -She turned and started. - -She recollected him, that stately man with deep, soft eyes. Luke, the -Physician. - -"I am not surprised," he added, "if you be His disciple," and he touched -the cornelian fish. - -It was not strange that in this splendid lady with golden hair he did not -recognize the timid, crushed girl with auburn locks, he had seen on the -Artemis. - -But the recollection of that night came back with a rush like a tidal -wave, over Domitia, and she threw forth the question, "Why did you cut the -thong?" - -He did not comprehend her. She saw it, and added, "You do not recollect -me. Do you not recall when we nearly ran down the galley of that monster -Nero? On that night, we would have sent him to the bottom of the sea, but -for you,--you spoiled it all; you cut the thong of the rudder. Why did you -prevent us from doing it?" - -"Because," answered the physician, "It is written, Vengeance is mine, I -will repay, saith the Lord. It was not for you to do it. You were not -called to be the minister of His sentence." - -"I understand you not." - -"My daughter----" - -"Hold!" said Domitia, rearing herself up. "Dost thou know to whom thou -addressest thyself? I--I thy daughter? I am Domitia Longina, daughter of -the great Corbulo, and--" but she would not add, "wife of the Caesar -Domitian." - -"Well, lady," said Luke, "forgive me. I thought, seeing that sign on thy -breast, and hearing thee say that thou didst love the poor, that thou wast -one whom, whatever thy rank and wealth and position I might so address, -not indeed as one of the Brethren, but as a hearer and a seeker--enough--I -was mistaken." - -"What means this fish?" asked Domitia, her wounded pride oozing away at -once. "I pray you forgive me. I spoke hastily." - -"The fish," said he-- - -But before he could offer any explanation, Paris appeared, his face -expressive of alarm; he had seen the servants in the imperial white below, -and knew therefore whom to find in his wife's lodgings. - -He hastily saluted her and said:-- - -"Lady! I beseech thee to go at once. Something has occurred most grave. -Return immediately to the palace." - -"What is it? Tell me." - -"Madam, I dare not name it, lest it be untrue. To speak of it if untrue -were to be guilty of High Treason." - -"High Treason!" gasped Domitia. She knew what such a charge entailed. - -"The Caesar Domitian has passed at full gallop through the streets, his -attendants behind him." - -"Whither has he gone?" - -"To the Praetorian barracks." - -"Ye Gods!" spoke Domitia, she could not raise her voice above a whisper. -"Then the worst has happened. My light is out once more." - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - - ANOTHER APPEAL. - - -On reaching the street, Domitia saw at once that the aspect of the -populace was changed. Instead of the busy hum of trade, the calls of -hucksters, the laugh of the mirthful, a stillness had come on every one; -no face smiled, no voice was raised, scarcely any person moved. - -Those who had been bustling here and there stood motionless, trade had -ceased. A sudden frost had arrested the flow of life and reduced all its -manifestations to the lowest term. Such as had been running about -collected in clusters, and conversed in whispers. Blank faces looked at -Domitia as she entered her litter, with awed respect. - -"Eboracus! What is the meaning of this?" asked the lady. - -"Madam, I know not. None will confide what they seem to know or to -suspect." - -"Go forward," said she, "I will visit my mother in the Carinae. She will -know everything." - -In another moment her train was in movement, and as she passed along, all -bowed and saluted with their hands; they had done as much previously, but -without the earnestness that was now observable. In the heart of Domitia -was as it were a blade of ice transpiercing it. She was in deadly alarm -lest her surmise should prove true. - -She would not draw the curtains of her litter, but looked at everything in -the streets, and saw that all were in the same condition of stupefaction. - -On reaching the entrance to the palace occupied by her mother, Domitia -noticed another palanquin and attendants. - -"The Vestal Abbess, Cornelia, is with the Lady Duilia," said Eboracus. - -"I will go in!--I know her well, and esteem her," said Domitia. - -She passed the vestibule, traversed the Atrium and entered the Tablinum. -But Longa Duilia was not there. A slave coming up, said that she had -entered with the Great Mother into a private apartment, where she might -not be disturbed. - -"Well! I am no stranger. Lead the way." - -In another instant she was ushered into her mother's presence, and at once -Duilia bowed to her with profound respect. - -"Mother--what does this mean?" - -"Here is the Lady Abbess, Cornelia, let me present her to your Highness." - -"Mother--I salute the Lady Cornelia--what is this that has cast a shadow -over Rome and frightened the people as with an eclipse?" - -"My dear, of course you have heard. It may be only rumor and yet,--he was -suffering when he left Rome." - -"Ye Gods! do not say so! Mother, withdraw your words of bad omen. Naught -has befallen him! It was but a slight fever." - -"So we esteemed it, but----" - -"But, mother----" Domitia panted. - -"The news are weighty, and concern you vastly, my daughter." - -"It is too horrible for me to think. Surely, surely, mother, it is false." - -"Hearken, my dear,--Lady Cornelia, come also to the top of the house. It is -a fine situation for seeing and hearing, and out of all reach of -eavesdroppers. I hear shouts, I hear horns blowing. Come--speedily! let us -to the house-top." - -Laying hold of Domitia and the Vestal Superior by the wrists, she drew -them with her to the roof. - -The silence that had fallen on Rome had passed away, the town was now -resonant with horns and trumpets pealing from the Praetorian camp, with the -shouting of many voices from the same quarter. In the streets, messengers -were running, armed with knotted sticks, and were hammering at the doors -of Senators to summon them to an extraordinary meeting. The clash of arms -resounded, so also the tramp of feet, as the city police marched in the -direction of the Palatine. Here and there rose loud cries, but what they -signified could not be judged. - -In another moment Eboracus came out on the housetop, and hastening to his -mistress, said:-- - -"Madam, the Augustus--Titus, _has been_. The Caesar Domitian is proclaimed -Emperor by the troops. The _vigiles_ are hastening in cohorts to swear -allegiance." - -"I congratulate you--I congratulate you with all my heart!" exclaimed Longa -Duilia, throwing her arms round her daughter. "I have reached the summit -of my ambition. I vow a kid to Febronia for her opportune--ahem!--but who -would have thought the Roman fever would have been so speedy in bringing -us luck. Run, Eboracus, summon the housekeeper; order the ancestral masks -to be exposed, all the boxes opened, dust the noses with the feather -brush; let the _lares_ be garlanded. Tell Paulina to bring out the best -incense, not the cheapest this time, and I vow I will throw a double pinch -on the altar of the household gods. Who would have thought it! I--I, mother -to an empress. I would dance on the house-top, but that my wig is not -properly pinned, and might come off. I must, I positively must embrace you -again, Domitia; and you too, Cornelia, I am so happy!--As the Gods love me! -Wig pinned or not, I must dance." - -"Let us go down," said Domitia in a hard tone. - -"Come down, by all means," acquiesced her mother. "I must see that the -Gods be properly thanked. I stepped this morning out of bed left leg -foremost.(9) I knew some happiness would come to me to-day. As the Gods -love me! I'll give a little supper. Domitia! whom shall I invite? None of -your second-class men now. There!--I thought as much; my wig has come off. -Never mind! no men can see me, and women don't count." - -On reaching the private apartment of the lady, Domitia said:-- - -"Mother--a word." - -She was white, save that a flame was kindled on each cheek-bone and her -eyes scintillated like burning coals. - -"Well, my dear, I am all ears--even to my toes." - -"Mother, he murdered him. I know it--I feared there was mischief meant, -when Domitian attended him to Cutiliae and took Elymas with him. It was not -fever that----" - - [Illustration: "MOTHER, HE MURDERED HIM." _Page 240._] - -"My dear, don't bother your head about these matters. They all do it. We -women, I thank the Gods, are outside of politics. But--well--well, you must -not say such things, not even think them. It is all for the best in the -best of worlds. I never had the smallest wish to see behind the scenes. -Always eat your meat cooked and spiced, and don't ask to see it as it -comes from the shambles. If you are quite positive, then I won't throw -away the kid on Febronia. It is of no use wasting money on a goddess who -really has not helped." - -"Mother," said Domitia, her whole frame quivering with excitement; "I am -sure of it. Did not the Augustus give his daughter Julia to Flavius -Sabinus? I know that Domitian was alarmed at that. I saw it in his looks, -I heard it in his voice; his movements of hand and foot proclaimed it. He -feared a rival. He feared what the will of Titus might be--whom he might -name as his successor. Mark me, my mother; the first to fall will be -Flavius Sabinus." - -"Hist! the word is of bad omen." - -"It was of bad omen to Sabinus and to Titus alike when Julia was given to -her cousin." - -"Well, my dear," said Longa Duilia, "I do not see that we need concern -ourselves about politics. You see,--every night, stars drop out of the -heavens; the firmament is overcrowded, and those stars that are firmest -planted elbow out the weakest. It is their way in heaven, and what other -can you expect on earth? Of course, it were much to be desired--and all -that sort of thing; but we did not make the world, neither do we rule it. -All eggs in a nest do not hatch out, some addle." - -"Mother, I will not go back to him." - -"Folly! you cannot do other." - -"I will not. My condition was bad enough before, it will be worse now." - -"Domitia, set your mind at rest. I have no doubt that there have been -little unpleasantnesses. Man and wife do not always agree. Your poor -father would not be ruled by me. If he had--ah me!--Things would have been -very different in Rome. But he suffered for his obstinacy. You must be -content to take things as you find them. Most certainly it would be better -in every way if peacocks had eyes on both sides of their tails, but as -they have not, only very silly peacocks turn about and expose the eyeless -side. Make the best of matrimony. It is not many marriages are like young -walnuts, that you can peel off the bitter and eat only the sweet. In most, -the skin adheres so tightly that you have to take the sweet with the gall, -and be content that there is any sweet at all." - -"I shall go away. I will not return to the palace." - -"Go whither? the world belongs to Domitian. There is not a corner where -you can hide. There are officials, and when not officials--spies. I have no -doubt that the fish in that tank put up their heads and wish they were -butterflies to soar above the roof and get away and sport among the -flowers, instead of going interminably about the _impluvium_. But, my -dear, they can't do it, so they acquiesce in tank existence. Yours is the -finest and best lot in the world,--and you would surrender it! From being a -lioness you would decline to be a house cat!" - -Domitia turned abruptly away, tears of anger and disappointment were in -her eyes. - -She said in a muffled voice:-- - -"Lady Cornelia, will you come with me?" - -"I am at your service," answered the Vestal. - -The ladies departed together, and at the portal each entered her own -litter. - -"To the Atrium Vestae," said Domitia. - -Her retinue started, and a moment after followed that of the Vestal -Cornelia. - -The streets were full of excited multitudes, currents running up one side, -down another, meeting, coming to a standstill, clotting, and choking the -thoroughfares, then breaking up and flowing again. - -If it had not been for the liveries of the two heralds, the palanquin of -Domitia could not have got through, but when it was observed whose litter -and servants were endeavoring to make way, the crowd readily divided, and -every obstacle gave way immediately. But the Vestal Superior needed not -that the Caesar's wife should open the road for her. As much respect was -accorded to her as to Domitia. - -Both trains, the one following immediately after the other, entered and -traversed the Forum, passed the Temple of Julius, and at the south -extremity reached the Atrium of the Vestal Virgins, a long building -without a window, communicating with the outer world by a single door. - -At this door Domitia descended from her litter, and awaited the Abbess. - -Cornelia also stepped from her litter. She was a tall and stately lady of -forty years, who had once been beautiful, but whose charms were faded. She -smiled-- - -"You will pay me a visit, as you go your way? that is a gracious favor." - -"A lengthy visit," said Domitia. - -"Time will never seem long in your sweet society," answered the Vestal and -taking Domitia's hand led her up the steps to the platform. - -No sooner was Domitia there, than she ran to the altar of the Goddess on -which burned the perpetual fire, within a domed Temple, and clasped it. -Cornelia had followed her, and looked at her with surprise. - -"I claim the protection of the Goddess," said Domitia. "I will not return -to the palace! I will be free from _him_." - -Cornelia became grave. - -"If your Goddess has any might, any grace, she will protect me. Do you -fear? Have you lost your rights? I claim them." - -"Be it so," said the Abbess. "None have appealed to the Goddess in vain, -none taken sanctuary with her, who have been rejected. She will maintain -your cause." - - - - - CHAPTER V. - - ATRIUM VESTAE. - - -When the Romans were a pastoral people at Alba, then it was the duty of -the young girls to attend to the common hearth and keep the fire ever -burning. To obtain fresh fire was not always possible, and at the best of -times not easy. - -Fire was esteemed sacred, being so mysterious, and so indispensable, and -reverence was made to the domestic hearth (hestia) as the altar of the -Fire goddess. - -When the Roman settlement was made on the banks of the Tiber, one hut of a -circular form was constituted the central hearth, and provision was made -that thence every household should obtain its fire. This hut became the -Temple of Hestia or Vesta, and certain girls were set apart to watch the -fire that it should never become extinguished. - -This was the origin of the institution of the Vestal Virgins, an -institution which lasted from the founding of Rome in B. C. 753, to the -disestablishment of Paganism, and the expulsion of the last Vestal, in -A. D. 394, nearly eleven hundred and fifty years. - -No girl under six or above ten years of age was admissible as priestess of -the sacred fire, and but six damsels were allowed,--their term of service -was thirty years, after which the Vestal was free to return home and to -marry. The eldest of the Vestals was termed Maxima, and she acted as -superior or abbess over the community. - -They enjoyed great possessions and privileges and were shown the most -extraordinary respect. Seats of honor were accorded to the Vestals in the -theatres, the amphitheatre and the circus. - -The Vestals had other duties to perform beside that of maintaining the -perpetual fire. They preserved the palladia of Rome, those mysterious -articles on which the prosperity, nay, the very existence of the city was -thought to depend. What these were was never known. The last Vestal -carried them away and concealed them. With her death the secret was lost. -Moreover, they took charge of the wills of great men, emperors and nobles, -and in times of civil war they mediated between the conflicting parties. - -Cornelia gently detached the hands of Domitia from the altar of Vesta, and -led her within the college of the Vestals, the only door to which opened -on the platform on which stood the Temple. - -On entering, she found herself in an oblong court surrounded on all four -sides by a cloister, the prototype of those to be in later days erected in -the several convents and abbeys, and collegiate buildings of Christendom. -In the open space in the midst was the circular treasury of the palladia, -at one end was the well whence the virgins drew their water. The cloister -was composed of marble columns, and sustained an upper gallery, also open -to the court but roofed over and the roof supported on columns of red -marble. - -Between the columns below and above stood statues of the Superiors, who -had merited commemoration. There was no garden, the place for walking was -the cloister. - -Cornelia conducted Domitia into the reception-chamber, and kissing her -said:-- - -"Under the protection of the Goddess you are safe." - -"I trust I in no way endanger your safety." - -"Mine!" Cornelia laughed. "There is none above me save the supreme -pontiff, and so long as I do no wrong, no one can molest me. But tell -me--what wilt thou do?" - -"In the first place send out and bid my servants return home; and if they -ask when to come for me, answer, when I send for them." - -"That is easily done," said the Abbess. She clapped her hands and a slave -girl answered and received this commission. - -"Now," said she, "now we come to the real difficulty. Here you are, but -here you cannot tarry for long. For six days we may accord sanctuary, but -for no more. After that we must deliver over the person who has taken -refuge with us if required." - -"I have for some time considered what might be done. I have been so -miserable, so degraded, so impatient, that I have racked my brain how to -escape, and I see but one course. When we were at Cenchraea, my mother and -I, we were in the house of a Greek client of our family, who was very kind -to us, and his wife loved me well. If I could escape thither in disguise, -then I think he would be able to secrete me, there are none so astute as -are the Greeks, and who so love to outwit their masters." - -"But how is this possible?" - -"That I know not--only let me get away from Rome, then trust my craft to -enable me to evade pursuit. Let it be given out that I am here in -fulfilment of a vow, then no suspicion will be roused, and I can take my -measures." - -"It is not possible," said Cornelia in some alarm. "Have you considered -what your mother said? the Augustus is all-seeing and all-powerful, and -has his hand everywhere." - -"Get me out of Italy, and I shall be safe. I will not return to the -Palatine. If my life was hateful to me before, what will it be made now? -Then _he_ had some fear of his father and of his brother, now he has none -to fear." - -The Vestal said, "Let me have time to think this over--and yet, it doth not -seem to me feasible." - -"Get me but a beggar's suit, and walnut juice, that I may stain my face -and hands and arms. I will wash all this gold-dust from my hair--and I -warrant you none will know me, with a staff and a wallet, I will go forth, -right willingly. I will not return to _him_." - -"That is impossible. You--with your beauty--your nobility----" - -"My nobility is of no account with me now." - -"You think so, and so it may be whilst untouched, but I am certain the -least ruffle would make your pride flash out." - -Domitia remembered her resentment at the physician's apparent familiarity. - -"Well--my beauty will be disguised." - -"That nothing can conceal." - -"Oh! do not speak thus, or I shall mistrust you, as I mistrust every one -else--except my slave Euphrosyne, and Eboracus, and Glyceria the actor's -wife. These seem to me the only true persons in the world. I would cast -myself on them, but two are slaves and the other is paralyzed. Consider -now, Cornelia, do you not understand how that one may reach a condition of -mind or soul, call it which you will, when we become desperate. One must -make an effort to break away into a new and free and better life, or -succumb and become bad, and dead to all that is noble and true and good, -hard of heart, callous to right and wrong. I am at that point. I know, if -I were to return to _him_, and to be Empress of the Roman world, that I -should have but one thing to live for--the pride of my place and the -blazoning of my position; and to all that which lies deep within me, -bleeding, crying out, hungering, and with dry lips--dead." - -"My dear lady, you were never made for what you are forced to become." - -"Then, why do the Gods thrust me on to a throne that I hate, tie me to a -man that I loathe, surround me with a splendor that I despise. Tell me -why? O Vesta! immaculate Goddess! how I would that I had been as one of -thy consecrated virgins, to spend my days in this sweet house, and pure, -peaceful cloister! Do you see? I must away. I am lost to all good--if I -remain. I must away! it is my soul that speaks, that spreads its hands to -thee, Cornelia! save me!" - -She threw herself on her knees and extended her arms to the Vestal Abbess, -caught her dress and kissed it. - -Cornelia was deeply moved, - -"I beseech you, rise," she said, lifting the kneeling suppliant, clasping -her in her arms, and caressing her as a child. - -"Hearken to me, Domitia, I can think but of one person that can assist us; -that is my cousin Celer. He is a good man, and whatever I desire, he will -strive to execute as a sacred duty. Yet the risk is great." - -"I pray you!--I pray you get him to assist me to escape." - -"He must furnish you with attendants. It will not be secure for you to be -accompanied by any of your own servants. They might be traced. Celer has -got a villa. Stay, I will go forth at once and see him. He can give -counsel. Do nothing till my return." - -The Vestal Great-Mother left, and Domitia was glad to be alone. - -The habitation of the Vestals was wonderfully peaceful, in the midst of -busy, seething Rome, and in the centre of its greatest movement. As -already said, it had no windows, and but one door that opened on the outer -world. It drew all its air, all its light, from the patch of sky over the -central court. Figures of Vestals glided about like spirits, and the white -statues stood ghostlike on their pedestals. - -But to be without flowers, without a peristyle commanding a landscape of -garden and lake and trees and mountains! That was terrible. It would have -been an unendurable life, but that the Vestal college was possessed of -country seats, to which some of the elder of the sisterhood were allowed -occasionally to go and take with them some one or two of the novices. - -Although there were no flowers in the quadrangle, there was abundance of -birds. In and out among the variegated marbles, perching on balustrades, -fluttering among the statues, were numerous pigeons, as marbled in tint as -the sculptured stonework, and looking like animated pieces of the same; -and a tame flamingo in gorgeous plumage basked himself, then strutted, and -on seeing a Vestal approach hopped towards her. When, moreover, the same -maiden drew water from the well, the pigeons came down like a fall of snow -about her, clustering round the bucket to obtain a dip and a drink. - -Several hours passed. At length the Abbess returned. She at once sought -Domitia, who rose on her entry. Cornelia took both her hands within her -own and said:-- - -"We women are fools, that is what Celer said, when I told him your plan. -As he at once pointed out, it is impossible for you to lie hid anywhere in -Italy--and impossible to escape from it, unknown to the Augustus. Any one -endeavoring to assist you to escape would lose his life, most assuredly. -'I cannot sell smoke to a clown,' said he bluntly--he is a plain man--'I -will not put out a finger to assist in such an attempt, which would bring -ruin on us all. But,' he said, 'this may be done; let the Lady Domitia -retire to one of her own villas, in the country, and commit the matter to -the Vestals. Your entreaty is powerful, and if attended by two of the -sisters--or perhaps better alone, for this is not a matter to be made -public--go to the prince, and plead in the lady's name, that thou feelest -unequal to the weight of duties that will now fall on the Augusta, and -that thy health is feeble and thou needest repose and country air--then he -may yield his consent, at least to a temporary retreat.' But my kinsman -Celer advised nothing beyond this. In very truth, nothing else can be -done. Most men's noses are crooked,--he said--and he is a blunt man--and -those who have straight ones do not like to follow them. But in your case, -Lady Domitia, there is practically no other way." - -"Then I will to Gabii," said Domitia with a sigh. "If he will force me -back--there is the lake." - -Then, said Cornelia, "Dost thou know that blind-man Messalinus?" - -"Full well--he hangs on to the Caesar Domitian, like a leech." - -"Since thou didst enter the house of us Vestals, he hath been up and down -the Via Nova and the Sacred Way, never letting this place out of his -eye--blind though he be. Some say he scents as doth a dog, and that is why -he works his head about from side to side snuffing the wind. When I went -forth he detached two of his slaves to follow--and they went as far as -myself and stood watching outside the door of the knight Celer, and when I -came forth they were still there, and when I returned to the Atrium of -Vesta, I found Messalinus peering with his sightless eyes round the -corner. But, I trow, he sees through his servants' eyes." - -"He is a bird of ill omen," said Domitia, "a vulture scenting his prey." - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - - FOR THE PEOPLE. - - -Domitia was at Gabii. Cornelia, the Vestal Great Mother had sent her -thither in her own litter, and attended by her own servants, but with the -assistance of the knight Celer, who had gone before to Gabii to make -preparations. - -Gabii had none of the natural beauties of Albanum, but Domitia cared -little for that. It was a seat that had belonged to her father and here -his ashes reposed. The villa was by no means splendid; but then--nor had -been that of Albanum when she was first carried thither. Domitian had -bought it immediately after the proclamation of his father, and it had -then been a modest, but very charming country residence. Since then, he -had lavished vast sums upon it, and had converted it into a palace, -without having really improved it thereby. To Albanum he had become -greatly attached; to it he retired in his moody fits, when resentful of -his treatment by his father, envious of his brother, and suspicious of his -first cousin Sabinus. There he had vented his spleen in harassing his -masons, bullying his slaves, and in sticking pins through flies. - -But if Gabii was less beautiful and less sumptuous, it had the -immeasurable advantage of not being occupied by Domitian. There, for a -while, Domitia was free from his hateful society, his endearments and his -insults, alike odious to her. - -And she enjoyed the rest; she found real soothing to her sore heart in -wandering about the garden, and by the lake, and visiting familiar nooks. - -Only into the temple of Isis she did not penetrate, the recollection of -the vision there seen was too painful to be revived. - -On the third day after she had been in the Gabian villa, Celer came out -from Rome. He was a plain middle-aged man with a bald head, and a short -brusque manner, but such a man as Domitia felt she could trust. - -He informed her that Cornelia had been before the Augustus and had -entreated him to allow his wife to absent herself from the palace, and -from his company. She had made the plea that Domitia Longina was out of -health, overstrained by the hurry of exciting events, and that she needed -complete rest. - -"But I demand more than that," said she. - -"Madam, more than that, my cousin, the Great Mother, dared not ask. The -prince was in a rough mood, he was highly incensed at your having -withdrawn without his leave, and he saw behind Cornelia's words the real -signification. He behaved to her with great ill-humor, and would give no -answer one way or the other--and that means that here you are to remain, -till it is his pleasure to recall you." - -"And may that never be," sighed Domitia. - -"The Augustus is moreover much engaged at present." - -"What has he been doing? But stay--tell me now--is there news concerning -Sabinus?" - -"Ah lady! he has been." - -"I knew it would be so. On what charge?" - -"The Augustus was incensed against him, because under the god Vespasian he -had put his servant in the white livery, when Flavius Sabinus was elected -to serve as consul for the ensuing year. Unhappily, the herald in -announcing his election gave him the title of Emperor in place of consul, -through a mere slip of the tongue. But it was made an occasion of -delation. Messalinus snapped at the opportunity, and at once the noble -Sabinus was found guilty of High Treason, and sentenced to death." - -"And what has become of Julia, daughter of the god Titus, the wife of -Sabinus?" - -"She has been brought by the Augustus to the Palatine." - -Next day, the slave Euphrosyne arrived. She had been sent for by Domitia, -and was allowed to go to her mistress. She also brought news. - -The town was in agitation. It was rumored that the Emperor was about to -divorce Domitia, and to marry his niece. - -"It would be welcome to me were this to take place," said Domitia. "Come, -now, Euphrosyne, bring me spindle and distaff, I will be as a spinster of -old." - -So days passed, occasionally tidings came from Rome, but these were -uncertain rumors. Domitia was enjoying absolute peace and freedom from -annoyance in the country. And she had in Euphrosyne one with whom she -talked with pleasure, for the girl had much to say that showed novelty, -springing out of a mind very different in texture from that usual among -slaves. - -"It is a delight to me to be still. Child!--I can well think it, after a -toilsome and discouraging life, it is pleasant to fold the hands, lay the -head on the sod, and go to sleep, without a wish to further keep awake." - -"Yes, when there is a prospect of waking again." - -"But even without that, is life so pleasant that one would incline to -renew it? Not I for one." - -Domitia looked up at the fresco of the Quest of Pleasure, and said--"Once I -wondered at that picture yonder, and that all pleasure attained should -resolve itself into a sense of disappointment. It is quite true that we -pursue the butterfly, after we have ceased to value it, but that is -because we must pursue something, not that we value that which is attained -or to be attained." - -"Ah, lady, we must pursue something. That is in our nature--it is a -necessity." - -"It is so; and what else is there to follow after except pleasure?" - -"There is knowledge." - -"Knowledge! the froth-whipping of philosophers, the smoke clouds raised by -the magicians, the dreams and fancies of astronomers--pshaw! I have no -stomach for such knowledge. No! I want nothing but to be left alone, to -dream away my remainder of life." - -"No, lady, that would not content you. You must seek. We are made to be -seekers, as the bird is made to fly, and the fish to swim." - -"If we do not seek one thing, we seek another, and in every one, find--what -the pinched butterfly is--dust." - -"No, mistress, not if we seek the truth. The knowledge of the truth, the -_Summum Bonum_." - -"But where, how are we to seek it?" - -"In God," answered the slave. - -"The Gods! of them we know only idle tales, and in place of the tales, -when taken away, there remains but guesswork. There again--the pinch of -dust." - -"Lady, if we are created to seek, as the fish to swim, there must be an -element in which to pursue our quest, an end to attain. That is -inevitable, unless we be made by a freakish malevolent power that plants -in us desire that can feed only on dust, ever, ever dust. No, that cannot -be, the soul runs because it sees its goal--" - -"And that?--" - -A bustle, and in a moment, in sailed Longa Duilia, very much painted, very -yellow in hair, and with saffron eyelashes and brows. - -"Little fool!" said the mother. "Come, let me embrace thee, yet gently -lest you crumple me, and be cautious of thy kisses, lest thou take off the -bloom of my cheek. Thou art ever boisterous in thy demonstrations. There, -give me a seat, I must put up my feet. As the Gods love me! what a hole -this Gabii is! How dingy, how dirty, how shabby it all looks! As the -Gods--but how art thou? some say ill, some say sulky, some say turned -adrift. As the Gods love me! that last is a lie, and I can swear it. The -Augustus distills with love, like a dripping honeycomb. You must -positively come back with me. I have come--not alone. Messalinus is with -me--a charming man--but blind, blind as a beetle." - -"What, that fourfolder!"(10) - -"Now, now, no slang! I detest it, it is vulgar. Besides, they all do it, -and what all do can't be wrong. One must live, and the world is so -contrived that one lives upon another; consequently, it must be right." - -"Well have the Egyptians represented the God who made men as a -beetle--blind, and this world as a pellet of dung rolled about blindly by -him." - -"My dear, I am not a philosopher and never wish to be one. Come, we have -brought the Imperial retinue for taking you back." - -"Whither? To your house in the Carinae?" - -"Oh, my Domitia! How ridiculous! Of course you go to the Palatine, to your -proper place. My dear, you will be proclaimed Augusta, and receive worship -as a divinity. The Senate are only pausing to adjudge you a goddess, to -know whether the Emperor intends to repudiate you or no. It is absolutely -necessary that you come back with me." - -"My godhead is determined by the question whether I be divorced or not!" -exclaimed Domitia contemptuously. "I cannot go with you, mother." - -"Then," said Duilia, looking carefully about, "that jade, big-boned and -ugly as a mule--you know to whom I refer, will get the upper hand, and your -nose will be broken." - -"Mother, I ask but to be left alone." - -"I will not suffer it. By my maternal authority----" - -"Alas, mother! I have passed out of that--I did so at my marriage." - -"Well then, in your own interest." - -"If I consider that I remain here." - -"Avaunt nonsense! Your position, your opportunities! Just think! There is -cousin Cnaeus must be given a help up. He is a fool--but that don't matter, -you must get him a proconsulship. Then there is Fulvia, you must exert -yourself to find her a wealthy husband. As the Gods love me! you can push -up all your father's family, and mine to boot. Come, get the girls to -dress you becomingly and make haste." - -"I cannot go." - -"You must. The Augustus wills it." - -"And if I refuse?" - -"You cannot refuse." - -"I do so now." - -"My dear, by the Good Event! you shall come. You can no more refuse him -than you can Destiny." - -"Let him send his lictors and lead me to death." - -"Lead you to--how can you talk such rubbish? You must come. This is how the -matter stands. There has been a good deal of disturbance in Rome. As the -Gods love me! I do not know why it is, but the people like thee vastly, -and the rumor has got about that thou wast about to be repudiated, and -that raw-boned filly taken in your place. First there were murmurings, -then pasquinades affixed to the statues of the august Domitian. Then bands -of rioters passed under his windows howling out mocking songs and -blasphemies against his majesty, and next they clustered in knots, and -that Insula of Castor and Pollux is a nest of insubordination. In fact, -return you must to quiet men's minds. You know what a disturbance in Rome -is, we have gone through several. By Jupiter! I shall never forget the -rocking I went through that night of the Lectisternium. These sort of -things are only unobjectionable when seen from a distance. But they leave -a taste of blood behind them. When the riot is over, then come -proscription; the delators have a fine time of it, and the rich and noble -are made to suffer." - -"But, mother, let Julia do what she will, I care not." - -"Rome does. The Roman rabble will not have it so. You have been familiar -with the base and vile multitude. Can't think how you could do it! -However, it has succeeded this time and turned out a good move, for the -people are clamorous for your return. The Augustus is but recently -proclaimed and allegiance is still fresh--and I believe his cousin Ursus -has been at him to have you back so as to humor the public." - -"Yet, if I refuse to gratify him." - -"Then, my dear, of course, it will be a pity, and all that sort of thing; -but they all do it, and it must be right. The Augustus would prefer not to -use severity--but if severe he must be, he will put down this disturbance -with a hand of iron. He bears no actor's sword, the blade of which is -innocuous. I will call in Messalinus. He will tell you more." - -She clapped her hands; in obedience to her order a slave went outside the -villa, and presently returned with the blind man. - -He entered, working his sharp nose about, and then made a cringing bow -towards the wall--not knowing where stood Domitia. - -"Catullus Messalinus," said Duilia, "have the goodness to inform my -daughter of the intentions of the Augustus relative to the rabble in the -Insula of Castor and Pollux, whence all the agitation proceeds." - -"Madam," said the blind informer, "my god-like prince has already given -command to clear the streets by means of the praetorian swords. As to that -herd in the block of Castor and Pollux, they are reserved for condign -punishment, unless my dear lady return at once. They will all--men, women -and children, be driven into the circus. There are a pair of British war -chariots, with scythes affixed to the axles, and the green drivers will be -commanded to hustle round the ring at full speed among this rebellious -rabble, to trample them down, and mow them as barley with the scythes--till -not one remains alive as a seed of disaffection. What I say is--if a thing -has to be done, do it thoroughly. It is true kindness in the end. Of -course some must suffer, and one may praise the Gods that in this case it -is only the common people." - -"The common people," gasped Domitia. - -Her eyes were glazed with horror. She saw the _Insula_, its crowds of -busy, kindly, happy people, so good to one another, so affectionate to -Glyceria, so grateful to her for visiting among them. And it was _she_, -she by winning their love who was bringing this punishment upon them. In -their blind, foolish way, they had misconceived her flight, and in their -blind and stupid way, had resented an imaginary wrong offered to her, and -because of their generous championship--they must suffer. - -With bursting heart, and with a scalding rush of tears over her cheeks, -Domitia extended her hand to her mother:-- - -"I go back," she said, "My people! my poor people, my dear people! It must -be so.--For their sake--_pro populo_." - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - - "THE BLUES HAVE IT!" - - -On her return to Rome and the palace, Domitia did not see the Emperor, but -he sent her notice to be prepared to appear with him in public at the -opening of the Circensian Games that he gave to the people in honor of his -accession to the principate. This was to take place on the morrow. The -games began at an early hour and lasted all day, with an interruption for -the _cena_ or supper at two o'clock. - -The Circus was close under the Palatine Hill and occupied the valley -between it and the Aventine. The site has now been taken possession of for -gas-works. - -It was a long structure, with one end like a horseshoe, the other was -straight, or rather diagonal, a contrivance to enable horses and chariots -when starting abreast to have equal lengths to run, which would not have -been the case had the end been drawn straight across the circus. - -This end was dignified with two towers, with a central gate between them -and four arched doors on each side closed with ornamental wooden gates. - -The seats of the spectators rose in tiers on all sides, except that of the -straight side, where above the great entrance was the seat of the director -of the sports. On one side of the Circus near the winning post was the -imperial box. - -Down the middle of the course ran a wall with statues planted on it, but -at each end was a peculiar structure; that near the winning post -sustaining seven white balls like eggs, that at the other extremity -supporting as many bronze dolphins. - -Each race consisted of seven circuits of the course, and a servant of the -management at each end attended to the number of rounds made, and as each -concluded, an egg was removed at one end, and a dolphin turned round at -the other. - -There was a separate entrance, with waiting-room for the prince and his -party. Domitia with her train arrived first, and remained in the -waiting-room till his arrival. - -She was dressed in blue, with gold woven into the garment, and her hair -was tied up with blue. She looked very lovely, slender and delicate in -color, with large earnest indigo eyes, the darkest blue points about her. -The sadness of her expression could not be dissipated by forced smiles. - -In the waiting-chamber she could hear the mutter of voices in the circus; -all Rome would be there. As she had descended from the Palatine she had -seen scarce a soul in the forum or the streets, save watchmen and beggars. - -Now pealed the trumpets, and next moment the prince, attended by his -lictors, and with his niece Julia at his side, entered. He scowled at -Domitia, and beckoned her to approach, then, without another word he went -out of the door into the Imperial box. Hitherto it had been customary for -the Empress to sit with the Vestal Virgins. But Nero had broken this rule -and Domitian, the more to emphasize his reconciliation with Domitia, so as -to please the people, followed the example of Nero. - -Domitia entered and moved to the seat on his right; Julia, that on his -left. Behind them poured a glittering retinue of lictors and soldiers, -officers of the guard, and officials of the city and chamberlains. At once -the whole concourse stood, and thundering cheers with clapping of hands -rose from the circus. The Emperor made a hasty, ungracious sign of -acknowledgment and took his seat. - -The applause, however, did not die away, it broke out afresh, in spurts of -enthusiasm, and the name of the Empress was audible--whereupon the cheers -were prolonged with immense vehemence. - -Domitian heard it. His brow darkened and his face flushed blood-red. He -made a signal with his hand, at once three priests attended by men bearing -pick and shovel entered the course, and directed their way to the end of -the dividing wall or spine; there they threw up the soil, till a buried -altar was reached, on which at once burning coals were placed, and all the -concourse rose whilst incense and a libation and prayers were offered to -the God Consus. - -That ended, the fire was extinguished by the earth being thrown over it. -Again the altar was buried, and the soil stamped above it. - -This ceremony was hardly complete before the great central gates were -thrown open, to a peal of trumpets, and heralds entered to proclaim the -opening of the sports given by the Emperor, the Caesar Domitian, the -Augustus, son of the God Vespasian, high priest, holder of the tribunician -power, consul, perpetual Censor, and father of his country; sports given -for the pleasure of his well-beloved, the citizens of Rome, senators, -knights, and people generally, and of such strangers as might at the time -be in Rome, the centre of the world. - -Again rose a roar of approbation, men stood up, stamped, jumped on their -seats, and clapped their hands. - -Then through the Triumphal Gate came the Circensian procession. This was -properly a ceremonial of the 13th September; but in honor of the -proclamation of the accession of Domitian to the throne, and to his giving -the shows at his own charge, it was now again produced. - -First came boys on horseback and on foot, gayly clothed, and immediately -behind them the jockeys and runners who were to take part in the games. -The racers were divided into four classes, each wearing the color of one -season of the year. Green stood for spring, red for summer, blue for -autumn, and white for winter. The riders and drivers were dressed -according to the class to which they belonged. The chariots were drawn by -four horses abreast, and each furnished with an outrider in the same -colors, armed with a whip. At once cries rose from all sides, for every -jockey and every horse was known by name, some cheered the drivers, some -shouted the names of the horses, some proposed bets and others booked such -as they had made. - -Then came huntsmen with hounds, armed with lances, and behind them dancing -soldiers, who clashed shields and swords in rhythm, accompanying their -dance with choric song. - -Next entered a set of men dressed in sheep's and goats' skins, and with -fluttering ribbons, and lastly images of the gods on biers. The "pomp," -though a quaint and pretty sight, was looked on with some impatience, as -wanting in novelty, and as but a prelude to the more exciting races. - -The procession having made the circuit of the arena, retired, and with -great rapidity the first four racing chariots were got into their _caveae_, -the vaults on the right side of the entrance with four doors opening on to -the circus. - -And now a chalked line was rapidly stretched across the course in front of -the gates. A trumpet sounded, the gates were thrown open and the four -chariots issued forth and were drawn up abreast behind the line, and lots -cast to determine their positions. - -Then Domitian stretching forth his hand, threw a white napkin into the -arena, the white cord fell, and instantly the chariots started. - -The spectators swayed and quivered, shouted and roared, women waved their -veils, men clashed potsherds; some yelled out bets, and one or two from -behind stumbled forward and fell among the occupants of the benches in -front. - -At the further end, where the circus described a horseshoe, a gallery of -wood projected over the heads of those on the lower stages, to accommodate -still more spectators; and these hammering on the boards with feet and -fists greatly increased the din. - -The roar of voices rolled like a wave along the right side of the circus, -then broke into a billow at the curved end, and then surged down to the -further extremity, again to swell and run and revolve, as an egg was -dismounted, and a dolphin turned. - -At each end of the spine, detached from it, were three obelisks, or -conical masses of stone, sculptured like clipped yew trees. These were the -_Metae_. - -Attending every charioteer was, as already said, an outrider in his -colors, to lash the horses, and to assist in case of accident. Moreover, -boys stood about with pitchers of water, to dash over the axles of the -wheels when they became heated, or to wash away blood stains, should there -be an accident. - -Domitia sat watching the race, at first with inattention. Yet the general -excitement was irresistible, it caught and carried her out of herself, and -the color mounted into her ivory cheek. - -The Emperor paid no attention to her, he studiously avoided speaking to -her, and addressed his conversation to Julia alone--who was constrained to -be present notwithstanding that the execution of her husband had taken -place but a few days previously. But her heavy face gave no indication of -acute sorrow. It was due to her position and relationship to the prince to -be there, and when he commanded her attendance, it did not occur to her to -show opposition. - -The keenest rivalry existed between the parties of the circus, at a time -when political partisanship was dangerous except to the sycophants of the -regnant prince, all faction feeling was concentrated on the colors of the -race-course. Caligula had championed the green, so had Nero, who had even -strewn the course with green sand when he himself, in a green suit, had -driven on it. And now Domitian accepted the green as the color that it -comported with the dignity of his _parvenu_ dynasty to favor. It was also -generally preferred to the other, at any rate in the betting, because it -was known that the Imperial favorites were allowed to win the majority of -the races. - -Yet the jockeys and horses and chariots belonged to different and rival -companies, and were hired by the givers of games. It was not in the -interest of the other colors to be beaten too frequently. They therefore -arranged among themselves how many and which races were, as a matter of -course, to be won by the green, and the rest of the races were open to be -fairly contested. But the public generally were not let into the secret; -though indeed the secret was usually sold to a few book-makers. - -Hah! down went the red. In turning the _metae_ at the further end, the -wheel had caught in that of the white, throwing the latter out, but not -upsetting the chariot, whereas the car of the red jockey overturned, one -horse went down, sprang up again, and would have dragged the driver along, -had he not dextrously whipped a curved knife out of his girdle and cut the -reins. This was necessary, as the reins of all four horses were thrown -over the shoulder and wrapped round the body. Consequently a fall was -certain to be fatal unless the driver had time and presence of mind at -once to shear through the leathers. - -"He is out! the red is out!" roared the mob. Then, "The white! the white -is lagging--he cannot catch up!--the red did for him? Out of the way! Out ye -two! ye cumber the course." - -The white struggled on, driver and outrider lashed the steeds, they -strained every muscle, but there was no recovering from the loss of time -caused by the lock of wheels, and on reaching the doors on the right, -which were at once swung open, both chariots retreated into the _caveae_, -amidst the groans of such as had bets on their favor. - -"It lies now between green and blue!" was the general shout. "On with the -Panfaracus!" "Nay! hit the off horse, he sulks, Euprepes!" "Well done, -Nereus! Pull well, Auster! Brave horses! brave greens! greens for ever! -The Gods befriend the greens!" - -Then some one looking in the direction of the imperial box noticed Domitia -in her blue habit, with her blue eyes wide distended, and the blue ribbons -in her hair. Suddenly in a clear voice he cried,-- - -"The blue! the blue! It is the color of the Augusta! The blue! Sabaste! I -swear by her divinity! I invoke her aid! The blue will win." - -Like an electric shock there went a throb through the vast concourse--there -were nearly three hundred thousand persons present. At once there rose a -roar, it was loud, thrilling, imperious:-- - -"The blue! It shall win! The color of the Augusta! of the divine Augusta, -the friend of the Roman people! The blue! the blue! we will have the -blue!" - -The drivers lashed furiously, the outriders swung themselves in their -saddles to beat the horses. But the gallant steeds needed no scourging, -they were as keen in their rivalry as were their drivers and their -supporters. - -"The last egg! the last dolphin! Again! the green is ahead!" a groan -broken by only a few cheers. Wonderful! In the sudden contagion even those -who had betted on the green, cheered the rival color. - -"Who was that cried out for the blue?" asked Domitian, turning sharply -about. "Find him, cast him to the dogs to be torn."(11) - -His kinsman Ursus whispered in his ear,-- - -"It is the actor Paris. Yet do nothing now. It would be inauspicious." - -The command was grudgingly withdrawn. - -A gasp--stillness, the extreme _meta_ had been turned; then a restless, -quivering sound, men, women, too agitated to shout, held their breath, but -muttered and moved their feet--the blue! the blue gains; nay! the green is -forging ahead--Ha! Ha! at the last moment in swung the blue, across the -white line, one stride ahead of the green. - -Then there rolled up a thunder of applause. - -"The blue! the dear blue! the blue of the Augusta has it! Ye Gods be -praised! I vow a pig to Eppona! The blue has it. All hail to the Augusta! -to heaven's blue!" - -Domitian turned with a look of hate at his wife, and whispered:-- - -Nevertheless she shall come in second. - - [Illustration: "NEVERTHELESS SHE SHALL COME IN SECOND." _Page 270._] - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - THE LOWER STOOL. - - -"Come now!" said the Emperor, rising from his seat; "it is time that we -should eat. My lady Longina, may it please you to sup with us?" - -There was a malevolent glance in his pale watery eye. But Domitia did not -see it, she looked at him as little as might be. - -She rose at once. So also did Julia, the daughter of Titus, and the -Emperor and his train left the circus; but as they withdrew there rose -ringing cheers, the people standing on their benches and applauding--not -the Caesar, the Augustus, the Imperator--but her, Domitia, the blue. The -people's own true blue. He heard it, and ground his teeth--his face waxed -red as blood. Domitia heard it, and her heart filled and her eyes brimmed -with tears. - -Then Domitian turned and looked at her savagely, as a dog might look at -another against which it was meditating an onslaught, and said:-- - -"Remove that blue--I hate it, and come to the banquet." Then with an ugly -leer--"I have sent for the actor to amuse you." - -"What actor?" - -"Paris, madam, the inimitable, the admired Paris, that he may recite from -Greek plays to our pleasure. These Greek tragedians are at a discount. Our -people do not care for the dismals. But they are wrong, do not estimate -true art. You do that really! You like tragedy! and tragedy you shall -have, I warrant you." - -The blood mounted to the brow of Domitia at the sneers and covert -insinuations. Paris! what was Paris to her? what but the struggling -husband of Glyceria? Was it impossible for her to do a kind act, to give -expansion to her heart, without misinterpretation, without the certainty -of incurring outrage? - -She withdrew to her apartments and changed her dress, from the blue to -white with purple stripe and fringes. Then she entered the _triclinium_ -where the meal was spread. - -Domitian was already there, together with Julia, Messalinus, Ursus, and -some other friends. The Emperor, standing apart from the latter, said with -a sneer to Domitia,-- - -"So you have shed your blue--a cloud has passed over the azure! That is -well. And now, madam, I granted you the first place at the games, in the -circus, to humor the people; but in my palace it shall be as I will, not -as they. Julia shall take the precedence, and she shall occupy the first -position at table, and everywhere. She is the daughter of the God Titus, -granddaughter of the God Vespasian-" - -"And great grand-daughter of the Commissioner of Nuisances." - -"Silence," roared Domitian, "she has the sacred Flavian blood, she is of -Divine race, and shall sit by me, recline by me, in the position of honor, -and you occupy a stool at my feet. Julia and I will have a lectisternium -of the Gods! Am not I divine?--and she divine?" - -"Certainly," answered Domitia, "she is the daughter of a victor who has -triumphed, I the wife of a man who will filch laurels from his generals, -and himself has never seen a battle." - -Domitian clenched his teeth and hands, and glared at her. - -"I wish to the Gods I could find it in my heart to have thee strangled, -thou demon cat." - -"I can understand that, having let out the divine blood of the Flavii from -the throat of your cousin Sabinus, you would stoop to me." - -"What--what--what is this?" exclaimed Messalinus, thrusting his pointed face -in the direction of the prince and Domitia; he scented an altercation. - -As for her--she wondered at herself, having the courage to defy the Lord of -the World. She could not keep down the disgust, the hatred she felt for -the man who had wrecked her life, it must out, and she valued not her life -sufficiently to deny herself the gratification of throwing off her mind -the taunts that rose in it, and lodged on her tongue. - -Domitian signed to table--Julia, with a flutter of clumsy timidity, shrank -from the place of honor, and looked hesitatingly at her sister-in-law, who -without a word seated herself on the stool indicated by the Emperor. There -was no vulgar pride, no ambition in the daughter of Titus. - -The guests looked at each other, as Julia was forced by the command of her -uncle to recline on the couch properly belonging to his wife, and -whispered to each other. - -"What, what? Who is where?" asked the ferret-faced Messalinus. "What has -been done? Here, Lycus," to a slave, who always attended him, "Tell me, -what has been done. In my ear, quick, I burn to know." - -Something was communicated in an undertone, and Messalinus broke into a -cackle, that he quickly smothered-- - -"That is admirable, great and god-like is our prince! As a Jew physician -said to me, he sets down one and setteth up another, at his pleasure. That -is divine caprice. The Gods alone can act without having to account for -what they do. I like it--vastly." - -And now at once the sycophant herd began to pay their addresses to Julia, -and to neglect Domitia. The former was overloaded with flattery, her every -word was repeated, passed on from one to another, as though oracular. -Domitian, conspicuously and purposely ignored his wife made to sit at his -feet; and raising himself on the left elbow upon his _pulvinar_, or -cushion of gold brocade, talked with his niece, who also reclined instead -of sitting. - -Domitia remained silent with lowered eyes, carnations flowered in her -cheeks. She made no attempt to speak; eat she could not. She felt the -slight. Her pride was cut to the quick. The humiliation, before such as -Messalinus was numbing. She would have endured being ordered to execution, -she would have arranged her hair with alacrity, for the bowstring that -would have finished her troubles, but this outrage before members of the -court, before the imperial slaves,--and the knowledge that it would be the -talk on the morrow of Roman society, covered her with confusion, and -filled her soul with wrath, for she had pride--not a little. - -Ursus, a kinsman of the Emperor, an elderly man, of good character and -upright walk, was near her. He alone seemed to feel the indignity put upon -the Empress. His eyes, full of pity, rested on her, and he waited an -opportunity to speak to her unheard by others. Then he said, turning his -head towards Domitia,-- - -"Lady, recall the fable of the oak and the bulrush. Humor the prince and -you can do with him what you will. Believe me, and I speak sincerely,--he -loves you still, loves you madly--but you repel him and that offends his -pride. All things are his, in earth,--I may almost say in heaven--and he -cannot endure that one frail woman's heart should alone be denied him." - -"There are certain waters," answered Domitia, "that turn to stone whatever -is exposed to them--even a bird's feather. It is as though I had been -subjected to this treatment. My heart is petrified." - -"Not so, dear lady, it beats at the present moment with anger. It can also -beat with love." - -"Never towards him who has maltreated me." - -"By the Gods! forbear. I am endangered by listening to such words." - -"What--what--what is Ursus saying?" asked Messalinus, who caught a word or -two. "He is beside the Augusta--what did he say--and in a low tone also. No -treason hatching at the table of our Divine Lord, I trust."(12) - -"Here come the jesters and the mimes," said Ursus, "and may the god of -Laughter provide such matter for mirth as will satisfy Catullus -Messalinus." - -"Then it must be a tragedy," said another guest, "for to our blind friend -here, naught is jocose unless to some other it be painful." - -"We have all our gifts," said Messalinus, smirking. - -Then entered some acrobats who went through evolutions, casting knives and -catching them, forming human pyramids, ladders, wheels, balancing poles on -their chins whilst a boy went through contortions at the top. - -But there was no novelty in the exhibition. The Emperor wearied of it, and -ordered the performers to withdraw. - -Next appeared mimes, who performed low buffoonery in gesture and dialogue, -interspersed with snatches of song, that were so offensive to decency that -Domitia, who had never seen and heard anything of the kind at her mother's -house, sprang to her feet with flaming cheeks, brow and bosom, and made a -motion to leave. She knew it--this disgusting performance had been -commanded by the prince, for the purpose of humiliating her. She would go. -But Domitian, whose malignant glance was on her, saw her purpose and -called out,-- - -"It is my will, Domitia, that you remain in your seat. The cream of the -entertainment has yet to come." - -Ursus put his hand to her garment and gently drew her down on her seat. - -"Endure it," he whispered, "it will soon be over." - -"It is the worst outrage of all," said she with heaving breast, and the -blood so surged into her eyes and ears that she could see and hear no -more. - -Indeed, she was hardly conscious when the buffoons withdrew, her eyes -rested on the marble floor, strewn with the remains of the feast.(13) But -suddenly she started from the dream, or the stupefaction into which she -had fallen, by hearing the voice of Paris, the tragic actor. - -She looked up sharply, and saw him, a tall, handsome man, of Greek -profile, and with curly dark hair. He was clad in a long mantle, and wore -the buskins. Behind him were minor performers, to take a part in dialogue, -or to chant a chorus. - -"Lord and Augustus, what is it your pleasure that we represent in your -presence?" asked the actor. - -"Repeat the speech of OEdipus Coloneus to Theseus towards the close of the -drama. That, I mean, which begins, 'O son of AEgeus, I will teach the -things that are in store.'" - -Paris bowed, and drawing himself up, closing his eyes to represent the -blindness of the old king he personated, and with hands extended began: - - "O son of AEgeus, I will teach the things that are in store. - Myself unguided, straightway go, ye follow, I before. - The spot where I am doomed to die--That spot will I reveal. - But on your lips, I pray you set, to that a holy seal." - - [Illustration: "I WILL TEACH THE THINGS THAT ARE IN STORE." _Page 277._] - -"Do you mark, Domitia?" called the Emperor with bantering tone. - -"I have looked under the table, sire, to see whether, like your kinsman -Calvisius, you keep there a prompter who has read Eurypides."(14) - -Some of the guests hardly controlled their laughter. The deficiency in the -education of Domitian was well known. - -"Go on, fellow," ordered he surlily. "Skip some lines--it is tedious, draw -to the end." - -Paris resumed:-- - - "Now let me to that place repair; an impulse from on high, - A sacred impulse carries me to where I'm doomed to die. - O daughter! I must show the way--aye, I, myself, the guide, - To you who hitherto did lead, or clave unto my side. - Nay! touch me not, but suffer me, myself to find the road - That leadeth to the silent tomb, and to the dark abode. - O Hermes! guardian of the soul that fleeteth from this breast! - O Goddess of the darkest night--Give to thy weary rest! - O light! beloved, glorious light! that once did fill these eyes. - Now I embrace thy sacred beams, then turn where shadow lies. - O dearest friends, when well with you, and with this land, recall - Me, as about my bowed head Death's purple shadows fall." - -Then the chorus, in rhythmic dance sang:-- - - "If it be meet--O Goddess thou, unseen whom all men dread, - If it be meet--O awful King who rulest o'er the dead, - Be pitiful unto this man, a stranger in the land, - And gently, without pain acute, conduct him by the hand - From out the world of light into the Stygian deeps below, - Remember how that ever here, he suffered want and woe! - Ye polished iron gates unclose, and as ye backward roll, - Let not the rav'nous monster leap and lacerate the soul. - And then on son of Tartarus advance with pity sweet, - The fluttering, frightened, parted soul, approaching gently greet!" - -"Enough," said Domitian, and waved his hand. "How likest thou that, -Domitia?" - -"Methinks, sire, the words are ominous. Suffer me I pray thee to -retire--for I am not well." - -As she rose, she looked at Paris. Their eyes met, and at once a horror--a -premonition of evil fell on her, and turned her blood to ice. - -He raised his hand to his lips and said in a low tone as she passed him:-- - -"Morituri te salutant." - -"I' faith it is an excellent jest!" said Messalinus--"I relish it vastly." - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - - GLYCERIA. - - -Domitia returned to her apartments, quivering like an aspen in a light -air; but no sooner was she there, than she summoned Eboracus, and said to -him:-- - -"Be speedy. Follow Paris, and protect him. There is evil planned against -him. Fly--lest you be too late." - -The slave departed at once. - -Domitia paced the room, in an agony of mind, now shivering with cold, then -with face burning. But it was not the humiliations to which she had been -subjected that so affected her,--it was fear of what she suspected was -meditated against the actor, and through him against Glyceria. - -A cold sweat broke out on her brow, and icy tears formed on her long -eyelashes. It seemed to her that for her to show favor to any one, was to -bring destruction on that person. And hatred towards the Emperor became in -her heart more intense and bitter. - -She could think of nothing else but the danger that menaced Paris. She -went out on the terrace, and the wind blowing over her moist brow chilled -her; she drew her mantle more closely around her, and re-entered the -palace. Already night was falling, for the days were becoming short. - -Her heart cried out for something to which to cling, for some one to whom -to appeal against the overwhelming evil and tyranny that prevailed. - -Was there no power in earth above the Caesar? There was none. No power in -heaven? She could not tell; all there was dark and doubtful. There was a -Nemesis--but slow of step, and only overtaking the evil-doer when too late -to prevent the misery he wrought, sometimes so lagging as not to catch him -at all, and so blind as often to strike the innocent in place of the -guilty. No cry of the sufferer could reach this torpid Nemesis and rouse -her to quicker action. She was a deity bungling, deaf and blind. - -Again she tramped up and down the room. She could endure to have no one -with her. She sent all her servants away. - -But the air within was stifling. She could not breathe, the ceiling came -down on her head, and again she went forth. - -Now she could hear voices below in the Sacred Way. She could see lights, -coming from several quarters, and drawing together to one point where they -formed a cluster, and from this point rose a wail--the wail of the dead. - -She wiped her brow. She was sick at heart, and again went within, and -found Eboracus there, cast down and silent. - -"Speak," she said hoarsely. - -"It was too late. He had been stabbed in the back, whilst leaving the -palace, and a pupil was assassinated at the same time, because somewhat -resembling him." - -Domitia stood cold as marble. She covered her mouth for a moment with her -right hand, and then in a hard voice said:-- - -"Inform Euphrosyne. I cannot." - -Then she turned away, went to her bed-chamber, and was seen of none again -that night. Several of her female slaves sought admission to undress her, -but were somewhat roughly dismissed. - -In that long night, Domitia felt as one drowning in a dark sea. She -stretched out her hands to lay hold of something--to stay her up, and found -nothing. She had nothing to look forward to, no shore to which she might -attain by swimming, nothing to care for, nothing to cling to. There was no -light above, only the unsympathetic stars that looked down on the evil -there was, the wrong that was done, and cared not. The pulsation of their -light was not quickened by sense of injustice, they did not veil their -rays so as to hide from them the horrors committed on earth. There was no -light below, save the reflection of the same passionless eyes of heaven. - -She felt as though she were still capable of the sense of pain, but not of -being sensible to pleasure. - -The faculty of being happy was gone from her forever, and life presented -to her a prospect of nothing better than gray tracts of monotonous -existence, seamed with earthquake chasms of suffering. - -Next day she rose white and self-restrained, she summoned to her -Euphrosyne, but did not look at her tear-reddened eyes. - -"Euphrosyne," said she, "I bid you go, and take with you Eboracus, I place -you both wholly at the disposal of your sister--and bid her spare no cost, -but give to him who has been, a splendid funeral at my expense. Here is -money. And--" she paused a moment to obtain mastery over herself, as her -emotion threatened to get the upper hand--"and, Euphrosyne, tell Glyceria -that I shall go to see her later. Not for a few days, not till the first -agony of her grief is over; but go I will--for go I must--and I pray the -Gods I may not be a cause of fresh evil. O, Euphrosyne, does she curse -me?" - -"Glyceria curses none, dear mistress, least of all you. Do not doubt, she -will welcome you when you do her the honor of a visit." - -"If she were to curse me, I feel as if I should be glad--glad, too, if the -curse fell heavy on my head--but you know--she knows--I meant to do well, to -be kind--to--but go your way--I can speak no more. Tell Glyceria not to curse -me--no--I could not bear that--not a curse from her." - -Euphrosyne saw by her mistress's manner, by her contradictory words, how -deeply she was moved, how great was her suffering. She stooped, took up -the hem of her garment, and kissed the purple fringe. Then sobbing, -withdrew. - -That day tidings came to Domitia to render her pain more acute. - -The kindly, sympathetic people in the _insula_ of Castor and Pollux, in -poetic, picturesque fashion had come with baskets of violets and late -roses, and had strewn with the flowers the spot stained with the blood of -Paris. - -This was reported to the Emperor, and he sent his guards down the street -to disperse the people, and in doing this, they employed their swords, -wounding several and killing two or three, of whom one was a child. - -Three days later, Domitia ordered her litter and attendants that she might -go to the Insula in the Suburra. - -She had said nothing of her intentions, or probably Domitian would have -heard of them--she was surrounded by spies who reported in his ear whatever -she did--and he would have forbidden the visit. - -Only when the Forum had been crossed, did she instruct the bearers as to -the object of her excursion. - -On entering the block of lodgings and ascending the stairs Domitia was -received with respect but with some restraint. The people did not press -about her with enthusiasm as before; they knew that it was through her -that evil had overtaken them, and they dreaded her visit as inauspicious. - -Yet there was no look of resentment in any face, only timorous glances, -and reverential bows, and salutations with the hand to the lips. The poor -folk knew full well that it was through no ill-will on her part that Paris -and his pupil, and some of their own party had fallen. - -It was already bruited about that Julia daughter of Titus was honored in -the palace, and advanced above Domitia, the Empress. Some said that -Domitian would repudiate his wife, that he might marry his niece, and that -he waited only till the months of mourning for her husband were passed, so -as not to produce a scandal. Others said that he would not repudiate -Domitia, but treat her as Nero had treated Octavia, trump up false charges -against her and then put her to death. - -Already Domitia was regarded as unlucky, and on the matter of luck -attaching to or deserting certain persons, the Roman populace were vastly -superstitious. - -And now, although these poor creatures loved the beautiful woman of -imperial rank who deigned to come among them, and care for one of their -most broken and bruised members, yet they feared for themselves, lest her -presence should again draw disaster upon them. - -Domitia was conscious rather than observant of this as she passed along -the gallery to the apartment of Glyceria. - -At the door to the poor woman's lodgings she knocked, and in response to a -call, opened and entered. She waved her attendants to remain without and -suffer none to enter. - -Then she approached the bed of the sick woman, hastily, and threw herself -on her knees beside it. - -"Glyceria," she said, "can you forgive me?" - -The crippled woman took the hands of Domitia and covered them with kisses, -whilst her tears flowed over them. - -This was more than the Empress could bear. She disengaged her hands, threw -her arms about the widow, and burst into convulsive weeping. - -"Nay, nay!" said Glyceria, "do not give way. It was not thy doing." - -"But you fear me," sobbed Domitia, "they do so--they without. Not one -touched, not one kissed me. They think me of evil omen." - -"There is nothing unlucky. Everything falls out as God wills; and whatever -comes, if we bow under His hand, He will give sweetness and grace." - -"You say this! You who have lost everything!" - -"Oh, no! lady," then the cripple touched the cornelian fish. "This -remains." - -"It is a charm that has brought no luck." - -"It is no charm. It is a symbol--and to you dark. To me full of light and -joy in believing." - -"I cannot understand." - -"No--that I know full well. But to one who does, there is comfort in every -sorrow, a rainbow in every cloud, roses to every thorn." - -"Glyceria," said Domitia, and she reared herself upon her knees, and took -hold of both the poor woman's hands; so that the two, with tear-stained -cheeks, looked each other full in the face. "My Glyceria! wilt thou grant -me one favor?" - -"I will give thee, lady, anything that thou canst ask. I should be -ungrateful to deny thee ought." - -"It is a great matter, a sharp wrench I ask of thee," said the daughter of -Corbulo. - -"I will do all that I can," replied the widow. - -"Then come with me to the palace. Here you have none to care for you, none -to earn a livelihood for you,--I want you there." - -Glyceria hesitated. - -"Do you fear?" - -"I fear nothing for myself." - -"Nor I," said Domitia. "Oh, Glyceria, I am the most miserable woman on -earth. I thought I could not be more unhappy than I was--then come--I will -not speak of it,--thy loss--caused unwillingly by me, because I came -here--and that has broken my heart. I have done the cruellest hurt to the -one I loved best. I am most miserable--most miserable." She covered her -face, sank on the bed and wept. - -The widow of the player endeavored to soothe her with soft words and -caresses. - -Then again Domitia spoke. "I have no one, I have nothing to look to, I am -as one dead, and the only life in me is hate, that bites and writhes as a -serpent." - -"And that thou must lay hold of and strangle as did Hercules." - -"I cannot, and I will not." - -"That will bring thee only greater suffering." - -"I cannot suffer more." - -"It is against the will of God." - -"But how know we His will?" - -"It has been revealed." - -Again Domitia threw her arms about the sick woman, she pressed her wet -cheek to her tear-moistened face, and said:-- - -"Come with me, and tell me all thou knowest--and about the Fish. Come with -me, and give me a little happiness, that I may think of thee, comfort -thee, read to thee, talk with thee--I care for no other woman. And -Euphrosyne, thy sister, she is with me, and I will keep thee as the apple -of mine eye." - -"Oh, lady! this is too great!" - -"What? anon thou wouldst deny me naught, and now refusest me this." - -"In God's name so be it," said Glyceria. "But when?" - -"Now. I will have no delay, see--" she went to the door and spoke with her -slaves. "They shall bear thee in my litter, at once. Euphrosyne shall -tarry here and collect thy little trifles, and the good Eboracus, he shall -bear them to thy new home. O Glyceria! For once I see a sunbeam." - -Never could the dwellers in the Insula have dreamt of beholding that which -this day they saw. The actor's crippled widow lifted by imperial slaves -and placed in the litter of the Empress, the Augusta, to whom divine -honors had been accorded. And, further, they saw the cripple borne away, -down the lane of the Suburra in which was their block of lodgings, and the -Empress walked by the side, holding the hand of the patient who lay -within. - -They did not shout, they uttered no sound indicative of approval, no -applause. They held their breaths, they laid their hands on their mouths, -they looked each other in the eyes--and wondered what this marvel might -portend. A waft of a new life had entered into the evil world, whence it -came, they knew not, what it would effect, that also they could not -conceive--whom it would touch, how transform, all was hid from their eyes. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - - THE ACCURSED FIELD. - - -No notice was taken by Domitian of the presence in the palace of the -murdered actor's widow. It concerned him in no way, and he allowed the -unfortunate woman to remain there, under the care of his wife, and without -making any protest. - -Domitia found an interest and a delight in the society of the paralyzed -woman, so simple in mind, gentle in thought, always cheerful, ever serene, -who lived in an atmosphere of love and harbored no resentments. - -She marvelled at what she saw, but it was to her an unattainable -condition. Her own affections were seared, and a gnawing hate against the -man who had blighted her life, and to whom she was tied, ever consumed -her. - -She was like a dead plant in the midst of spring vegetation. It looks down -on the beautiful life about its feet, but itself puts forth no buds, shows -no signs of mounting sap. - -Every now and then Glyceria approached the topic of the Fish, and the -mysteries involved in the symbol, but would not disclose them, for she saw -that Domitia, however miserable she felt, however hopeless, was not in a -frame of mind to receive and welcome the interpretation. For in her, the -one dominating passion was hate--a desire to have her wrongs revenged, and -a chafing at her powerlessness to do anything to revenge them. - -Her treatment by Domitian was capricious. At one time he neglected her; -then he went sometimes out of his way to offer her a slight; at others he -made real efforts to heal the breach between them, and to show her that he -loved her still. - -But he met with not merely a frosty but a contemptuous reception, that -sent him away, his vanity hurt, and his blood in a ferment. - -In her indifference to life, she was able to brave him without fear, and -he knew that if he ordered her to execution she would hail death as a -welcome means of escape from association with himself. - -His blundering and brutal tyranny was no match for her keen wit cutting -into him, and maddening him. He revenged himself by a coarse insult or by -a side blow at her friends. She was without ambition. Many a woman would -have endured his treatment without repining, for the sake of the splendor -with which she could surround herself, and the towering position which she -occupied. But neither had any attraction for Domitia. The one thing she -did desire, to be left alone in retirement, in the country, that he could -not, he would not accord her. - -Usually, when he was in his splendid villa at Albanum, she elected to -remain in Rome, and when he came to the palace on the Palatine, if -permitted, she escaped to Albanum; but he would not always suffer this. - -Thus a wretched life was dragged on, and the heart of Domitia became -harder every day. It would have become as adamant but for the presence of -Glyceria, whom the Empress sincerely loved, and who exercised a subtle, -softening and purifying influence on the princess. - -Glyceria saw how the Empress suffered, and she pitied her, saw how -hopeless the conditions were for improvement; she saw also what was hidden -to other eyes, that circumstances were closing round and drawing towards a -crisis. - -Beyond a certain point Glyceria could effect nothing, once only did she -dare to suggest that the Augusta should assume a gentler demeanor towards -the sovereign of the world, but she was at once cut back with the words:-- - -"There, Glyceria, I allow no interference. He has wronged me past -endurance. I can never forgive. I have but one hope, I make but one -prayer--and that for revenge." - -When Domitian was at Albanum, the Empress enjoyed greater freedom. She was -not compelled when she went out, to journey in state; and she could make -excursions into the country as she pleased. The absence of gardens on the -Palatine and the throng of servants and officers made it an almost -intolerable residence to her, beautiful as the situation was, and splendid -as were the edifices on it. Nor was this all. Domitian had not rested -content with the palaces already erected and crowding the summit of the -rock,--those of Augustus, of Tiberius, and of Caligula, he must build one -himself, and to find material, he tore down the golden house of Nero. - -But the construction of his palace served still further to reduce the -privacy of the Palatine, for it was thronged with masons, carpenters and -plasterers. Indeed the Palatine hill-top was almost as crowded and as -noisy as was the Forum below. - -From this, then, Domitia was glad to escape to a little villa on the Via -Nomentana, on a height above the Anio, commanding a view of the Sacred -Mount. - -On one occasion, when Domitian was away at Albanum, she had been at this -modest retreat, where she was surrounded by a few servants, and to which -she had conveyed Glyceria, to enjoy the pure air and rest of the country. - -But she was obliged to return to Rome; and with a small retinue, and -without heralds preceding her, she started, and in the morning arrived at -the Porta Collina. Then Eboracus, coming to the side of the litter, said:-- - -"Lady, there is a great crowd, and the street is full to choking. What is -your good pleasure? shall we announce who you are, and command a passage?" - -"Nay," answered the princess, "my good Eboracus, let us draw aside, and -the swarm will pass, then we can go our way unconcerned. I am in no -precipitate haste, and, in faith, every minute I am outside Rome, the -better satisfied am I." - -"But, madam, it is an ill spot, we are opposite the Accursed Field." - -"That matters not. It is but for a brief while. Go forward, Eboracus, and -inquire what this crowd signifies. Methinks the people are marvellously -still. I hear no shout, not even a murmur." - -"There be priests leading the way." - -"It is some religious rite. Run forward, Eboracus, and make inquiries. -That boy bears an inverted torch." - -The sight was extraordinary. A procession of priests was advancing in -silence, and an enormous crowd followed through the gate, pouring forth -like water from a sluice, yet without a word spoken. The only sound was -that of the tramp of feet. - -The place where Domitia had halted was just outside the Collina gateway, -where was the wall of Servius Tullius and in its moat, thirty feet deep, -but dry, out of which rose the wall of massive blocks to another thirty -above the level of the ground. - -This ditch was a pestilential refuse place into which the carcasses of -beasts, foul rags, sometimes even the bodies of men, and all the -unmentionable filth of a great city were cast. So foul was the spot, so -unwholesome the exhalations that no habitations were near it, and the wide -open space before the wall went by the designation of the Accursed Field. - -And now, through the gateway came a covered hearse, and at each corner -walked a youth in mourning garb, one bearing a lamp and oil, another milk -in a brass vessel, a third water, and a fourth bread. Now, and now only, -with a shudder of horror, did Domitia suspect what was about to take -place. She saw how that as the crowd deployed, it thickened about one -portion of the bank of the ditch, and she saw also the battlements above -crowded with the faces of men and women leaning over to look down into the -dyke. And there, at one spot in the fosse stood three men. Instinctively -Domitia knew who they were--the executioner and his assistants. - -But who was to be put to death--and on what charge, and by what means? - -Now the hearse was slowly brought to the edge of the moat and the curtains -were raised. - -Then Domitia saw how that within, prostrate, lay a woman, bound hand and -foot to the posts by leather straps, with her face covered, and her mouth -muffled that her cries might not be heard. - -She saw the attendants of the priests untie the thongs and the unfortunate -woman was raised to a sitting posture, yet still her face was veiled, and -her hands were held by servants of the pontiff. Now one by one the -attendants descended into the moat bearing the lamp and the bread and -milk, and each handed what he had borne in the procession to the -executioner, who gave each article as received to one of his deputies; and -the man immediately disappeared with it. - -Domitia's heart beat furiously, she put forth her head to look, and -discovered a hole at the base of the wall, and through this hole she -discerned the twinkling light of the lamp as it passed within, then it was -lost. The bread followed, the milk and the water, all conveyed into some -underground cellar. - -And now the chief pontiff present plucked the veil from the face of the -victim, and with a gasp--she could not cry out, the power was taken from -her--the Empress recognized Cornelia. - -She made an effort to escape from her litter, and fly to her friend with -outstretched arms, but Eboracus, who with white face had returned, caught -and restrained her. - -"Madam," he said in a low tone, vibrating with emotion, "I pray you, for -the sake of the Gods--do nothing rash. Stay where you are. No power--not -that of the Sacred Twelve can save her." - -"Ye Gods! But what has she done?" - -"She has been accused of breach of her vows, and condemned by the -Augustus, as Chief Priest--" in a lower tone, hardly above a whisper, -"unheard in her defence." - -"I must go to her." - -"You must not. Nothing can save her. Pray for a speedy death." - -With glazed eyes, with a surging in her ears, and throbbing in the -temples--as in some paralyzing nightmare--Domitia looked on. - -And now the gag was removed, and with dignity the Great Mother of the -Vestals descended from the bier. She stood, tall and with nobility in her -aspect, and looked round on the crowd, then down into the moat, at the -black hole under the roots of the wall. - -"Citizens, by the sacred fire of Vesta, I swear I am innocent of the -charge laid against me, and for which I am sentenced. No witnesses have -been called. I have not been suffered to offer any defence. I knew not, -citizens, until I was told that I was sentenced, that any accusation had -been trumped up against me. Thou, O Eternal God--above all lights in the -firmament, Thou, O Sovereign Justice that holdest true balances--I invoke -Thee--I summon the Chief Pontiff who has sentenced me, before your just -thrones, to answer for what is done unto me this day. I summon him for -midnight three days hence." - -Then the deputy of the Chief Pontiff, who presided at the execution, -Domitian being absent at Albanum (he being Pontifex Maximus), raised his -arms to heaven in silent prayer. - -His prayer ended, he extended his hand to Cornelia, but she refusing his -help, unaided descended into the fosse. - -The vast concourse was as though turned to stone by a magician's wand--so -immovable was it and so hushed. Some swallows swept screaming along the -moat, and their shrill cries sent a shudder through the entire concourse, -wrought to such a tension, that even the note of the birds was an -intolerable addition. - -The Vestal reached the mouth of the pit--the ends of a ladder could be seen -at the threshold of this opening. It was evident that the opening gave -access to a vault of some depth. - -Beside it were stones from the wall piled up, and mortar. As soon as the -Abbess reached the opening, she turned, and again declared her innocence. -"The Emperor," said she in clear, firm tones, "has adjudged me guilty, -knowing that my prayers have obtained for him victory, triumph and an -immortal name. I repeat my summons. I bid him answer before the throne on -high, at midnight, three days hence." - -Then she looked steadily at the blue sky--then up at the sun,--to take a -last view of light. With calmness, with fortitude, she turned, and -entering the opening began to disappear, descending the ladder. - -In so doing her veil caught in one of the ends of the side poles of the -ladder. She must have reascended a step or two, for her hand was visible -disengaging the white veil, and then--hand and veil disappeared. - -Immediately stones were caught up, trowels and mortar seized, and with -incredible celerity the opening was walled up. The pontiff applied his -leaden seal. - -"Be speedy! Remove her! Run--" shouted Eboracus, for his mistress had -fallen back in the litter in a dead faint,--"At once--to the Palace!" - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - - AGAIN: THE SWORD OF CORBULO. - - -Eboracus was able to open a way for the litter through the crowd, now -clustered on the bank of the dyke, watching as the workmen threw down -earth and stones, and buried deep that portion of the wall in which was -the vault where the unhappy Abbess Cornelia was buried alive. And now the -populace broke forth in sighs and tears, and in murmurings low expressed -at the injustice committed in sentencing a woman without allowing her to -know that she had been accused, and of saying a word in her own defence. -Some of the crowd was drifting back into Rome, and by entering this -current, the train of Domitia travelled along. - -Eboracus returned from the head of the litter repeatedly to the side, to -look within and ascertain whether his mistress were recovering. At the -first fountain he stopped the convoy and obtained for her water to bathe -her face, and at a little tavern, he procured strong Campanian wine, which -he entreated her to sip, so as to nerve her. - -As the litter approached the Forum, the crowd again coagulated and at last -remained completely stationary. Again the street was blocked. - -Eboracus went forward and forced his way through, that he might ascertain -the cause, and whether the block was temporary and would speedily cease. -He came back in great agitation, and said hastily to his mistress:-- - -"Lady, you cannot proceed. Suffer me to recommend that you go to the -Carinae and tarry there--with your lady mother for a while, till your -strength is restored, and till the streets be more open." - -"Eboracus--what is going on? tell me." - -"Madam, there is something being transacted in the _comitium_ that causes -all the approaches to be packed with people. We might make a circuit--but, -lady! I think if you would deign to repose for an hour at your mother's -house, after what you have suffered, it would be advisable." - -"Tell me what is taking place in the _comitium_." - -"I should prefer, lady, not to be asked." - -"But I have asked." - -"Then, dear mistress, do not require of me to make answer." - -"Answer truly. Tell me no lie. What is it?" - -He hesitated. Then Domitia said:-- - -"Look at my hand, it is firm, it does not tremble. Nothing that I hear can -be worse than what I have seen." - -"Lady--your strength has already failed." - -"And now I have gathered my resolution together, and can bear anything. I -adjure you, by your duty to me--answer me, what is taking place in the -_comitium_, what is it that causes the streets leading thereto to be -impassable." - -"If I must reply----" - -"If you do not, I will have you scourged." - -"Nay, lady, that is not like thee. It is not fear that will make me speak, -but because I know that if I do not, the information can be got from -another." - -"Well--what is it?" - -"The knight Celer, on the same charge as that which lost the Great Mother -Cornelia, is being whipped to death with the scorpion."(15) - -"By the same orders? To my mother's in the Carinae." - -Hastily Domitia drew the curtains of her litter, and was seen no more, -spoke no more till she reached the door of Longa Duilia. - -Here she descended and entered the house. - -"My dear Domitia! my august daughter! What a pleasure! What an honor!" - -The lady Duilia started up to embrace the Empress. - -Domitia received the kiss coldly, and sank silent on a stool. - -Her mother looked at her with surprise. Domitia was waxen white, her eyes -with dark rings about them, and unnaturally large and bright. The color -had left her lips and these were leaden in hue. - -Domitia did not speak, did not move. She remained for some moments like a -statue. - -"As the Gods love me!" exclaimed her mother after a long pause, "you are -not going to be ill, surely--nothing dangerous, nothing likely to end -unhappily. Ye Gods! and I have so much I want you to do for me. Tell me, I -entreat you. Hide nothing from me. You are suffering. Where is it? What is -it? Shall I send for a doctor?" - -"Mother, no doctor can cure me. It is here," Domitia pressed her hands to -her heart--"and here," to her temples. "I am the most miserable, the most -unfortunate of women." - -"Ye Gods! He has divorced you?" - -"No, mother. I would that he had." - -"Then what is the matter? Have you eaten what disagrees with you? As the -Gods love me! you should not come out such a figure. Who was your -face-dresser to-day? she ought to be crucified! Not a particle of -paint--white as ivory. Intolerable--and it has given me such a turn." - -Domitia made no reply. - -"But what is it? What has made you look like Parian marble?" - -"The Great Mother Cornelia--" Domitia could say no more, a lump rose in her -throat and choked her. Then all at once she began to shiver as though -frost-stricken and her teeth chattered. - -"I have an essence--you must take that," said the lady Duilia. "My dear, I -know all about that. An estimable lady. I mean she was so till the -Augustus decreed otherwise. I am sorry, and all that--but you know--well, -these things do happen and must, and I dare be bound that some are glad, -as it makes an opening for another needy girl, of good family of course. -What is one person's loss is another's gain. The world is so and we can't -alter it, and a good thing, I say, that it is so." - -"Mother--she was innocent." - -"Well, well, we know all about that. Of course it was all nonsense what -was charged against her, that we quite understand. It would never have -done for the real truth to have been advertised." - -"And what was the truth?" - -"My dear Domitia! How can you ask such a silly, infantile question? It was -your doing, you must understand that. You threw yourself on her -protection, embraced the altar of Vesta, and Cornelia with the assistance -of Celer did what she could to further your object in leaving Rome. If -people will do donkey-like things they must get a stick across their -backs. It is so, and always will be so in this world, and we cannot make -it otherwise." - -"I thought so. I was sure it was so," said Domitia gravely. There was an -infinity of sadness, of despair in her tone. "Mother, I bring misfortune -upon all with whom I have to do." - -"Ye Gods! not on me! I hope to be preserved from that! Do not speak such -unlucky words--they are of bad omen." - -"I cannot help it, mother, it is true. I am the most unfortunate of women -myself----" - -"You speak rank folly. Ye Gods forgive me! saying such a thing to one who -is herself divine. But, it is so--you are positively the most fortunate of -women. What more do you desire? You are the Augusta, the people swear by -your genius and fortune." - -"By _my_ fortune! Alack poor souls!" - -"And is it not a piece of good fortune to be raised so high that there is -none above you?" - -"My fortune! The Gods know--if they know anything--that I would gladly -exchange my lot with that of a poor woman in a cottage who spins and -sings, or of a girl among the mountains who keeps goats and is defended by -a boisterous dog. Mother, listen to me. I have brought misfortune on -Lucius Lamia, I have caused the death of that harmless actor Paris, I have -been the occasion of Cornelia being--buried alive--watching the expiring of -the one lamp. Ye Gods! Ye Gods! I shall go mad--and of Celer also.--He----" - -She held her face, rocked herself on the seat and sobbed as if her heart -would break. - -"Yes," said the old lady, roused to anger at her daughter's lack of -appreciation of the splendor of her position. "Yes, child, and mischief -you will work on every one, if you continue in the same course. Do men say -that the Augustus is morose? Who made him so?--you by your behavior. Do -they say that he is severe in his judgments? Who has hardened him and made -him cruel?--You--who have dried up all the springs of tenderness in his -breast. He was not so at first. If he be what men think--it is your work. -You with your stinging words goaded him to madness and as he cannot or -will not beat you, as you deserve, he deals the blows on some one else. Of -course he cuts away such as you regard and love--because they obtain that -to which he has a right, but which you deny him." - -"He--he--a right!" - -Domitia started up, anger, resentment, hatred flared in her eyes, -stiffened the muscles of her whole face, made her hair bristle above her -brow. - -"He a right, mother! he who tore me away from my dear Lamia, to whom I had -given my whole heart, to whom I had been united by your sanction and our -union blessed by the Gods! He who violated hospitality, the most sacred -rights that belong to a house, who repaid your kindness in saving his -life--when he was hunted like a wolf, by breaking and destroying, by -trampling under his accursed heel, the brittle, innocent heart of the -daughter of her who had protected him! No, mother, I owed him no love. I -have never given him any, because he never had a right to any. Mother--this -must have an end." - -She sank into silence that continued for some while. - -Duilia did not speak. She did not desire another such explosion, lest the -slaves should hear and betray what had been said. Presently, however, she -whispered coaxingly:-- - -"My dear Domitia, you are overwrought. You have eaten something that has -affected your temper. I find gherkins always disagree with me. There, go -and take a little ginger in white wine, and sleep it off." - -Domitia rose, stiffly, as though all her joints were wooden. - -"Yes, mother, I will go. But there is one thing I desire of thee. I have -long coveted it, as a remembrancer of my father--may I take it?" - -"Anything--anything you like." - -Domitia went to the wall and took down the sword of Corbulo, there -suspended. - -"It is this, mother. I need it." - -Then she departed. - -"That sword--ah!" said Duilia. "It has been a little overdone. I have -caught my guests exchanging winks when I alluded to it, and dropped a -tear. O by all means she shall have it. It has ceased to be of use to me." - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - - THE TABLETS. - - -Elymas the sorcerer stood bowing before Domitia, his hands crossed upon -his breast. - -She looked scrutinizingly into his dark face, but could read nothing -there. He remained immovable and silent before her, awaiting the -announcement of her will. - -"I have sent for thee," she said. "How long, I would know, before the -sixth veil falls?" - -"Lady and Augusta," answered the Magian, "remember that when thou lookest -out upon the Sabine Mountains, on one day all is so distinct that thou -wouldst suppose a walk of an hour would bring thee to them. On the morrow, -the range is so faint and so remote, that thou wouldst consider it must -require days of travel to attain their roots. It is so with the Future. We -look into its distance and behold forms--but whether near or far we know -not. This only do we say with confidence, that we are aware of their -succession, but not of their nearness or remoteness." - -"What! and the stars, will they not help thee?" - -"There is at this time an ominous conjuncture of planets." - -"I pray thee, spare me the details, and tell me that which they portend." - -"Is it thine own future, Augusta, thou desirest to look into?" - -"Elymas, my story has been unfolded--to what an extent it has been managed -by such as thyself, that I cannot judge. But of a certainty it was thou -who didst contrive that I was carried away from my husband's house. Then -what followed, the Gods know how far thou wast in it, but I have heard it -said that the God Titus would not have had his mortal thread cut short but -that, when in fever, thou didst persuade him to a bath in snow water. It -is very easy to predict what will be, when with our hands we mould the -future. And now--I care not whether thou makest or predictest what is to -be--but an end there must be, and that a speedy one--for thine own safety -hangs thereon." - -"How so, lady?" - -"The Augustus has been greatly alarmed of late at sinister omens and -prophesies; and he attributes them to thee. Perhaps," with a scornful -intonation, "he also is aware that fulfilment is assured before a prophesy -is given out." - -The Magus remained motionless, but his face became pale. - -"I know, because at supper with his intimates, Messala and Regulus and -Carus, he swore by the Gods he would have you cast to savage dogs, and he -would make an example of such as filled men's minds with expectation of -evil." - -"Lady----" - -But Domitia interrupted him. "Thou thinkest that I say this to alarm thee -and bend thee to my will. If the Augustus has his spies that watch and -repeat to him whatsoever I do, whomsoever I see, almost every word I -say--shall not I also have a watch put upon him? Even now, Magus, that I -have sent for thee, and that thou art closely consulted by me this has -been carried to his ears, and as he knows how I esteem him, he will think -this interview bodes him no good." - -"When, Lady Augusta, was this said?" - -"The Emperor is this day returned from Albanum, and the threat was made -but yesterday. Who can say but that the order has already been given for -thy arrest, and for the gathering together of the dogs that are to rend -thee." - -The man became alarmed and moved uneasily. - -"Magus," said Domitia, "I cannot save thee, thine own wits must do that. -Find it written in the stars that thy life is so bound up with that of the -Caesar, that the death of one is the extinction of the other; or that thou -holdest so potent a charm that if thou wilt thou canst employ it for his -destruction. It is not for me to point out how thou mayest twist out of -his grasp--thou art a very eel for slipperiness, and a serpent for -contrivance. What I desire to know is--How much longer is this tyranny to -last, and how long am I to suffer?" - -Then the magician looked round the room, to make sure that he was -unobserved; he raised the curtain at the door to see that none listened -outside, and satisfied that he was neither observed nor overheard, he -pointed to a clepsydra. - -This was an ingenious, but to our minds a clumsy, contrivance for -measuring time. It consisted of a silver ball, with a covered opening at -the top, through which the interior could be replenished. About the base -of the globe were minute perforations through which the liquid that was -placed in the vessel slowly oozed, and oozing ran together into a drop at -the bottom which fell at intervals into the bucket of a tiny wheel. - -When the bucket was full, the wheel revolved and decanted the liquid -whilst presenting another bucket to the distilling drops. - -At each movement of the wheel a connection with it gave motion to the hand -of a statuette of Saturn, who with his scythe indicated a number on an arc -of metal. The numbers ranged from one to twelve, and the contrivance -answered for half the twenty-four hours. - -"Lady," said the Magus, "before Saturn has pointed to the twelfth hour----" - -Steps were heard, approaching the room, along the mosaic-laid passage, and -next moment, the curtain was snatched aside, and Domitian, his face -blazing with anger, entered the apartment of his wife. - -"So?" said he, "you are in league with astrologers and magicians against -me! But, by the Gods! I can protect myself." - -He clapped his hands, and some of the guard appeared in the doorway. - -"Remove him," said the Emperor. "I have given orders concerning him -already. Hey! Magus! knowest thou what will be thy doom, thou who -pretendest to read the fate of men in the stars?" - -"Augustus," answered the necromancer, "I have read that I should be rent -by wild dogs." - -"Sayest thou so? Then by Jupiter! I will make thy forecast come to naught. -Go, Eulogius!--it is my command that he be at once, mark you, this very -night, burned alive. We will see whether his prophecies come true. Here is -my order." - -Domitian plucked a packet of tablets from his bosom, bound together with a -string, drew forth one, and wrote hastily on it, then pressed his seal on -the wax that covered the slab and handed it to the officer. - -Then the guard surrounded the astrologer, and led him away. - -Domitian waved his hand. - -"Every one out of earshot," ordered he, and he walked to the window and -looked forth. - -It was already night; to the south the sky was quivering with lightning, -summer flashes, without thunder. - -"A storm, a storm is coming on," said the Emperor; "there'll be storms -everywhere, and lightning falling on all sides--portents they say. So be -it! as the sword of heaven smites, so does mine. But it falls not on me, -but on my enemies. Domitia," said he, leaving the window, "there has been -a conspiracy entered into against my life, and the fools thought to set up -Clemens--he, that weakling, that coward; but I have sent him to his death, -and those who were associated with him, the sentence is gone forth against -them also." - -"I marvel only that any in Rome are suffered to live." - -"Minerva gives me wisdom--to defend myself." - -"Any wild beast can employ teeth and claws." - -"Domitia," he came close to her, "I am the most lonely of men. I have no -friends; my kinsmen either have been, or hate me; my friends are the most -despicable of flatterers, who would betray their own parents to save their -own throats; I use them, but I scorn them. You know not what it is to be -alone!" - -"I! I have been alone ever since you tore me from Lamia." - -"Lamia!" he ground his teeth; "still Lamia! But by the Gods! not for long. -And you--you my wife whom I have loved, for whom I would have done -anything--you are against me; you take counsel with a Chaldaean how long I -have to live; the Senate, the nobles hate me, and by Jupiter, they have -good cause, for I cut them with a scythe like ripe wheat. That was a good -lesson of Tarquin to his son Sextus to nip off the heads of the tallest -poppies. And the people--you have been currying favor with them--against me; -the soldiers alone love me, because I have doubled their pay; let another -offer to treble it and, to a man, they will desert me. By the Immortals! -it is terrible to be alone--and to be plotted against, even by one's wife." - -He walked the room, flourishing his tablets, then halted in front of the -clepsydra. - -"What said that star-gazer about the twelfth hour?" he asked. "Walls have -ears, nothing is said that does not reach me. So, old Saturn, with thy -scythe, dost thou threaten? Then I defy thee--ha! I saw the storm was -coming up over Rome." - -A long-drawn growl of thunder muttered through the passages of the palace. - -"I saw no flash," said the prince, "yet lightning falls somewhere, maybe -to kindle the pyre on which that sorcerer will burn; I care not. Fire of -heaven fall and strike where and whom thou wilt!" - -He went again to the window and looked forth. The air was still and close. -The sky was enveloped in vapor and not a star could be seen. A continuous -quiver of electric light ran along the horizon. Then the heavens seemed to -be rent asunder and a blaze of lightning shot forth, blinding to the eyes. - -Domitian turned away, and laid the tablets on the marble sideboard as he -pressed his hands to his eyeballs. - -"By the Gods!" he exclaimed a moment later, "here comes the rain; it -descends in cataracts; it falls with a roar." - -He paced the room, halted, stood in front of the clepsydra and looked at -the dropping water. The water had been reddened, and it seemed like blood -sweated out of the silver globe. At that moment the wheel revolved, and -sent a crimson gush into the receiver. With a jerk Saturn raised his -scythe and indicated the hour ten. - -The Emperor turned away, and came in front of Domitia. - -"None have ever loved me," he said bitterly, "how then can it be expected -that I shall love any? my father disliked me, my brother distrusted me--and -you--my wife, have ever hated me. I need not ask the cause of that. It is -Lamia, always Lamia. Because he has never married you think he still -harbors love for you; and you--you hate me because of him. It is hard to be -a prince, and to be alone. If I hear a play--I think I catch allusions to -me; if it be a comedy--there is a jest aimed at me; if a tragedy, it -expresses what men wish may befall me. If I read a historian, he declaims -on the glories of a commonwealth before these men, these Caesars became -tyrants, and as for your philosophers--away with them, they are wind-bags, -but the wind is poisonous, it is malarious to me. When I am at the circus, -because I back green--you, the entire hoop of spectators cheer, bet on the -blue--to show me that they hate me. At the Amphitheatre, if I favor the big -shields, then every one else is for the small targets. A prince is ever -the most solitary of men. If you had protested that you loved me, had -fondled me, I would have held you in suspicion, mistrusted your every word -and look and gesture. Perhaps it is because that you have never given me -good word, gentle look, and gesture of respect that I feel you are -true--cruelly true, and I have loved you as the only true person I know. -Now answer me--you asked after my death?" - -"Yes," answered Domitia. - -"I knew it." - -"And," said she, in cold, hard tones, looking straight into his agitated, -twitching countenance, "I bear to you a message." - -"From whom?" - -"From Cornelia, the Great Mother." - -"Well, and what----" he stopped, some one approached the door. "What would -you have?" - -The mime Latinus appeared. - -"Well--speak." - -"Sire, the rain extinguished the pyre, before that the astrologer was much -burnt; then the dogs fell on him, as he was unbound, and they tore him and -he is dead." - -"Ye Gods!" gasped Domitian, putting up his hand. "His word has come true -after all." - -Domitia signed to the actor to withdraw. - -"You have not heard the message of Cornelia." - -He did not speak. - -"She has summoned you, the Augustus, the Chief Pontiff, the unjust Judge, -to answer before the All-righteous Supreme Justice, above--before the -scythe points to Twelve." - -Domitian answered not a word, he threw his mantle about his face and left -the room. - -He had left his tablets on the table. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - THE HOUR OF TWELVE. - - -For some moments Domitia remained without stirring. But then, roused by a -glare of lightning, succeeded by a crash so loud as to shake the palace, -she saw in the white blaze the tablets of the Emperor lying on the table. - -At once, aware of the importance of what she had secured, she seized them, -and went to the lamp to open them. - -They consisted of thin citron-wood boards, framed and hinged on one side, -the surfaces within covered with a film of wax, on which notes were -inscribed with a _stile_ or iron pen. There were stray leaves that served -for correspondence, orders and so forth, but what Domitia now held was a -diptych, that is to say, two leaves hinged, like a book-cover, which had -included loose sheets and were bound together by strings. - -She at once opened the diptych, and saw on the first page:-- - -"To be executed immediately:-- - In the Tullianum, by strangulation, - Lucius AElius Lamia Plautius AElianus. -To be torn by dogs:-- - The Chaldaean Elymas, otherwise called Ascletarion." - -On the second leaf: - -"To be executed on the morrow:-- -By decapitation: - Petronius Secundus, Praefect of the Praetorium. - Norbanus, likewise Praefect of the Praetorium. -By strangling, in the Tullianum: - Parthenius and Sigerius, Chamberlains of the Palace. -To be bled to death: - Stephanus: steward to my niece Domitilla. - Entellus: Secretary _a __libellis_." - -The words applying to Lamia acted on her as a blow against her heart. She -staggered to a stool, sank on it and struggled for breath. - -But the urgency of the danger allowed no delay--she rallied her strength -immediately, flew from the room and summoned Eboracus. - -To him, breathless, she said: "Fly--summon me at once Stephanus the -steward, Petronius and Norbanus, praefects, and the chamberlains Parthenius -and Sigerius. Bid them come to me at once--not make a moment's delay." - -She sank again on the stool and put her hands to her temples and pressed -them. - -The lightning continued to flare and the thunder to roll. There ensued a -turmoil, and a sound of voices crying; then a rush of feet. Euphrosyne -entered with startled mien--"My mistress! The bolt of heaven has fallen on -the Palatine, and the chamber of the Augustus has been struck. The Temple -of the Flavians is on fire, and is burning in despite of the rain." - -The chamberlain, Parthenius, entered. - -"Augusta!" said he, "the lightning has struck that part of the palace -occupied by Caesar. He must have his apartment for the night on this side." - -"That is well," answered Domitia. "Parthenius, have you received my -message from Eboracus?" - -"No, lady." - -"Then read this," she extended to him the wax tablets. - -The chamberlain turned ash gray and trembled. - -"Parthenius," said Domitia, "it is no vain augury that lightning has -struck the Temple of the Flavians, and driven Caesar from his apartments. -Let his place of rest be to-night in the room adjoining this--and--if he -wakes--" she looked at the clepsydra, as at that moment with a click the -wheel turned and Saturn moved his scythe--"there is but an hour in which -the fate of more than yourself, of Lamia--of Entellus must be decided. Take -the tablets." - -Scarce had she spoken, before quick steps were heard, and in a moment -Domitian entered. - -Parthenius hastily concealed the tablets by throwing a fold of his garment -over the hand that held them. "Sire," said he, "I have come to announce -that thy chamber must be on this side." - -"Go thy way," said Domitian roughly, "see to it that I have a bed brought -at once. Hast heard, Domitia, the fire has fallen!" - -"Sire," said Parthenius, "I haste to obey and pray the Gods that in spite -of thunder and lightning you may sleep sound and not wake." - -The Emperor walked to the clepsydra, and laughed scornfully. "The bolt of -Jove has missed me," said he. "The red-handed One made a mistake. I am -wont to be in bed at this hour--by good luck, this night I was not. He has -levelled his bolt at my pillow and burnt that--I am escaped scot-free. Now -I have no further fear." - -"The temple of your divine family is in flames." - -"What care I? I will rebuild it--the majesty, the divinity of the Flavians -resides not in stones and marble--it is incorporate in Me. I may have been -in danger for a moment. Now I snap my fingers in the face of that -blunderer Jove, who burnt a hole in my pillow instead of transfixing my -head. And yon old Chronos--" he made a sign of contempt towards scythed -Time, "I defy thee and thy bucket of blood. Twelve o'clock! In spite of -Jove's bolt, and the summons of Cornelia--I shall be asleep by that hour." - -"I pray the Gods it may be so." - -Then Domitian went out precipitately. His defiant attitude, his daring -talk did not serve to disguise the alarm which he felt. Suddenly, after -having left the room he turned, came back and said, "Domitia! What sword -is that? What need has a woman with a sword?" - -He pointed to that of Corbulo, suspended against the wall. - -He went to it and took it down. - -"Leave it," said she harshly. "It is that on which my father fell. It is -stained likewise with the blood of Nero." - -He held it by the scabbard. She caught the handle and, as he turned, drew -forth the blade. - -At the same moment he heard steps in the passage approaching the door, and -without noticing that he held but the sheath, or else purposing to demand -the weapon itself later, when the interruption was over, he walked towards -the entrance uttering an expression of impatience, holding the empty -scabbard in his right hand. - -In the doorway stood Stephanus, a freedman, the steward of Flavia -Domitilla, wife, or rather widow of Clemens, whom Domitian had recently -put to death. Domitilla had been exiled, and the Emperor had appropriated -to his own use the estates of his kinsman. - -"Why camest thou hither?" asked the prince roughly. "I shall have enough -to say to thee on the morrow because of thy embezzlements." - -"Augustus! I am innocent." - -"A thief, a vile purloiner, a blood-sucking leech, that has fattened as do -all thy kind on thy masters. Go thy way--I want thee not here." - -And striding towards him, with Corbulo's scabbard he struck the freedman -across the face. - -Stephanus uttered a cry of rage and pain, and instantly smote at the -Emperor with a dagger he had held concealed in his sleeve. - -"What, hound! You dare! You shall be flayed alive! Ho! to my aid!" - -Stephanus threw himself on the Emperor. - -Then Domitia stepped between the struggling men and the doorway, and with -one hand drew together the curtains so as to muffle the cries. - -"To my aid! to my aid!" called Domitian, as the powerful steward grappled -him, and struck his dagger into the thigh of the prince. - -"To my aid! Ho, a sword!" shouted the Emperor, and he grasped the weapon -of the steward but so that, holding the blade with his hand, the weapon -cut it across and the blood streamed forth. - -He now made an effort to reach the doorway; and the steward, holding him, -strove to wrench away the dagger and inflict a mortal wound. But Domitian, -aware of his object, with his bleeding hand retained his grasp of the -blade. - -All at once, the Emperor let go his hold, and seizing the steward by the -head drove his thumbs into his eyes. - -Stephanus instantly dropped the dagger in his attempt to save himself from -being blinded. - -The two men twisted and writhed in grapple with each other. The freedman -was a powerful man--it was for this reason he had been sent to despatch the -prince. But Domitian was battling for his life. Though his legs were thin -and out of proportion to his body, he was a strong man--he had ever -maintained his vigor by exercise of the muscles and had never weakened -himself by excess in eating and drinking. - -By a happy turn he flung Stephanus, but clasped by him fell with him on -the floor. - -And now the two men rolled and tossed in a tangled mass together. Their -snorts and gasps and the bestial growl of rage filled the room. - -"Quick! Domitia--the sword! At once--the sword--the sword!" said the Emperor. -He spoke in gulps and gasps. - -He had Stephanus under him; his knee was on his chest and his hand, the -gashed left hand flowing with blood, contracted the prostrate man's -throat. - -"Domitia! the sword!" - - [Illustration: "DOMITIA! THE SWORD!" _Page 316._] - -But she stood, stern, cold, without stirring a step, and she folded the -sword of her father to her breast, with her arms crossed over it. - -"Because of Paris--No!" - -"The sword! be speedy. I will finish him!" - -"Because of Cornelia--No!" - -"Domitia--help!" - -"Because of Lucius Lamia--No!" - -She went to the curtains, drew them apart, and called down the passage to -Norbanus. - -The two Praetorian praefects were there with the chamberlains--but they were -ill able to restrain the guard who suspected that their prince and Emperor -was in danger and scented treachery. - -Instantly a rush was made. Some of the soldiers, with the praefect -Norbanus, came on running, whilst the other, Petronius Secundus, -endeavored by his authority to restrain the rest. - -But from the other end of the passage came gladiators running, hastily -brought together by Parthenius. - -For a moment there was a jam in the doorway, a burly gladiator and a -soldier of the guard were wedged together, each endeavoring to hold the -other back and force himself in. - -Meanwhile Petronius continued to exhort his soldiers to stand back, and -Parthenius to promise rewards to the gladiators who pressed on. The tumult -became terrible. Men came to blows without, there was a running together -of slaves and freedmen--of frightened women and pages from all sides. Some -had leaped from their beds, roused from sleep, and were not clothed. Some -bore lamps--but again certain others attempted to extinguish the lights. -Some cried "Treason!" Others "Away with the monster!" Some called out -"Nerva is the Emperor!" others "Domitian is the Augustus!" - -Then the gladiator at the door, by dint of elbowing, forced his way -within, but he was unarmed. - -Next moment the Praetorian guardsman held back by the gladiator entered and -struck at Stephanus, dealing a frightful blow. - -Relieved by this assistance, Domitian staggered to his feet and glared -about him. He was too much out of breath to speak, and in at the door came -others pressing, some crying one thing, some another. - -Then Domitia unfolded her arms, and taking the sword of Corbulo in her -right hand, extended it to the gladiator and said--"Make an end." - -The man snatched at the haft; and with a blow drove the blade into the -breast of the Emperor. - -Still the prince remained standing, and stretched forth his hands -gropingly for a weapon. - -Parmenas leaped at him, and with a knife struck him in the throat. - -Then he reeled; in another moment he was surrounded, blows from all sides -were rained on him. Again the sword of Corbulo was lifted and again smote, -and he fell as a heap on the body of Stephanus. - -For a moment there was stillness. - -Then in that hush sounded a click and a gush. The bucket of the clepsydra -had discharged, and with a jerk Saturn raised his scythe and pointed to -the hour of midnight. - -"He has answered his summons before the seat of Divine Justice!" said -Domitia. - -She stooped and plucked the signet ring from the finger of the murdered -prince. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - IN THE TULLIANUM. - - -No sooner had Domitia got the signet from the finger of the dead Emperor, -than she hastened from the room, trembling, almost blind as to her course, -but armed with more than her natural strength to force her way through -those who filled the passage. - -Parmenas was now there, and he cleared a way for her, and in a loud voice -forbade any of the slaves to leave the palace; Petronius at the same time -gave orders to the soldiers of the guard to remain where they were, -keeping watch that none left to spread the tidings, until Cocceius Nerva -had been communicated with, and the Senate had been summoned. - -Domitia, however, made her way from among the excited and alarmed throng, -and finding some of her own slaves, bade them bring Eboracus to her. - -"I am here, lady," answered the Briton. - -"Then quick--with me. Not a moment is to be lost. Light a torch and lead -the way." - -"Whither, mistress?" - -"To the Tullianum." - -He stared at her in amazement. - -"Quick--a life, a precious life is at stake. Not a minute must we delay or -it will be too late." - -"I am ready, lady." - -He snatched a torch from an attendant, and advanced towards a postern gate -that communicated with a flight of steps leading to the Forum. It was -employed almost wholly by the servants and was used for communication -between the kitchen and the markets. - -"Shall we take any one else with us?" asked Eboracus. He answered -himself--"Yes--here is Euphrosyne. She shall attend, and a boy shall carry -the link. At night--and on such a night, I must have both arms at my -disposal." - -Domitia said nothing. She was eager to be on her way, was impatient of the -smallest delay. Euphrosyne came up, and obeyed a sign from the Briton. He -caught a scullion who was rubbing his sleepy eyes, and wondering what had -caused the commotion, and had roused him from his bed. Eboracus thrust the -torch into his hand and opened the door for the Empress. - -Domitia stepped out to the head of the stairs. The rain had ceased, but -the steps were running with water. The eaves dripped. The shrubs were -laden with rain, they stooped their boughs and shed a load of moisture on -the soil, then raised their leaves again, once more to accumulate the wet, -and again to stoop and shower it down. Runnels conveying water from the -roof were flowing as streams, noisily: the ground covered with pools, -reflected the torch; as also every gleam from the retiring storm. Still in -the distance thunder muttered, but it was a grumble of discontent at -having failed to achieve all it had been sent to execute. - -On such a night few would be abroad, except the patrols of the _Vigiles_ -and them there would be no difficulty in passing as the watchword was -known to Eboracus, the word which allowed those only who could say it to -traverse the streets at night in the respectable portions of the city. But -there were no lamps, not even the feeble glimmer of a lantern slung in the -midst of the street. Notwithstanding all the civilization of ancient Rome -the art of lighting the thoroughfares at night was unknown. Such as were -constrained to walk abroad after dark were attended by slaves bearing -torches. - -The streets of Rome had for long been of bad repute for the brawls and -murders committed in them at night. Tipsy youths and rufflers had -assaulted honest men, and should a woman be out after dark, she was -certain of insult. Nero himself had distinguished himself in such vulgar -performances. But under the Flavian princes much had been done to -establish order and to ensure protection to life and purse of such as were -out after dark, so that now, except in the slums, a citizen could visit -his friends, a doctor his patients, by night, without fear of molestation. - -And of all portions of Rome, the Forum with its splendid monuments, its -rich temples, especially that of Saturn, that contained the city -treasures, was most patrolled and therefore the safest. Eboracus had -little expectation that his mistress would meet with rudeness or encounter -danger, the rain must have swept the street of all idlers. - -The long flight of steps was descended with caution, as they were slippery -with rain, indeed with more caution than Domitia approved, so impatient -was she to reach the object of her journey. The distance was not great. -She had but to traverse the upper end of the Forum. - -That at which she aimed was the prison of Rome. It lay at the foot of the -Capitoline Hill, and consisted of an ancient well or subterranean chamber -in which flowed a small spring. Above this was the prison, consisting of a -series of cells that rose in stages to a considerable height, against the -rock, the chambers being in part scooped out of the travestine. From the -top of the hill ran a set of steps called the Gemonian stair, and it was -customary for State prisoners who had been condemned to death, after -execution to be cast from the upper chamber of the Tullianum down the -stairs; whence with hooks the corpses were dragged across the Forum and -then flung into the Tiber. - -To the house of the jailer, Domitia with her attendants made her way. She -had been stopped once in crossing the Forum, but the watch recognized her, -and saluted with respect, though with an expression of astonishment on his -countenance at seeing Caesar's wife abroad at such a time of the night, in -such weather and with such scant attendance. - -On reaching the jailer's door, Eboracus knocked. No answer was given. He -knocked again and louder, and continued knocking, till at length a gruff -voice from within called to know who was without, and what was wanted. - -"Open--in the name of the Augustus," said the British slave; and at once -the keeper of the prison let down the bars and withdrew the bolts and -chains, then carrying a lamp, peered out at those who demanded admittance. - -Then Domitia stood forward. - -"You have a prisoner here--Lucius AElius Lamia?" - -"Yes." - -"You must lead me to him." - -The jailer appeared disconcerted, he held his lamp aloft and eyed the -woman who spake. He did not know her, his light was feeble, and as it -happened, he had seen little of the Empress. - -"You do not know me," said Domitia. "Know you this ring?" - -The prison-keeper held the flame of his lamp to the signet, and made the -usual sign of respect and recognition. - -"You are required to lead me within," said Domitia. - -The jailer at once stood aside, and suffered the Empress and her -attendants to enter. Then he barred and bolted the door again. - -"And now," said Domitia, impatient at the leisurely proceeding of the man, -"lead me to him." - -Without another word he went forward, holding his lamp down that those who -followed might see the steps and not stumble at them. - -"This way," said he, "and bow your heads, the entrance is low; but most of -them that pass this way have to hold their heads still lower when they are -taken out. Look at these stones--great blocks built by the Kings--by Servius -Tullus, they say. By Hercules! this is not a tavern where men tarry long, -nor do they relish our fare. One thing I must say in our favor, we make no -charge for our hospitality." Thus the jailer muttered as he went along. - -"Look there--on your right--there is the cell where Simon Bar Gioras, the -Jew, was strangled--he who was the last to maintain the struggle against -the God Titus, in defence of Jerusalem; and see--" he threw open a door. -"Here is the Bath of Mamertius in which Jugurtha was starved, all in -blackness of darkness and soaking in ice-cold water. What! Impatient--do -you not care to see the sights and hear my gossip? Well, well--but I have -pretty things to show. I have a shankbone of Appius Claudius, who -committed suicide in yon cell, and a garment of Sejanus, and the very -bowstring wherewith--I am going on as fast as may be. See! we have had -Christians here also. There was another Jew, Simon Petrus by name, he was -in this cell, and I have the chain whereby he was bound, and I sell the -links to the followers of the Nazarene," he began to cackle. "By Hercules! -the chain is long enough. They come for more links than there would be, -were the chain to reach across the Tiber. But any bit of old iron will -serve, and they are not particular--take any scrap and pay in silver. I am -going as fast as may be. I am not young. Fast enough I warrant. He is in -no hurry--not Lamia. He can wait. All the same to him whether we reach him -now or an hour hence." - -Then Domitia, whose brow was beaded with cold sweat, like the stones of -the vault that ran with moisture, laid hold of the prison-keeper's arm and -said:--"Tell me--is he--" she could not say the word, her heart beat so -furiously, and everything swam before her eyes. - -"Aye, aye, you shall see for yourself. Come from the Augustus to satisfy -him that we do our work properly, I trow. I have not much strength in -these old-hands, but my two sons are lusty--and say the word--they will bend -your back and snap the spine, smite and shear off your head like a pumpkin -under a scythe, twist, and the life is throttled out of you. Here--here we -are. Go in and see for yourself that we are good workmen." - -He threw open a door and raised his lamp. - -A low vaulted chamber was faintly illumined by the flame, the torch held -by Eboracus was behind Domitia and the jailer; he had taken it from the -link boy at the prison door. He and Euphrosyne attended their mistress, -the boy was left without. - -The old prison-keeper stood on one side. - -"The order came yesterday," said he, "and we are not slack in the -execution." - -Domitia saw the figure of a man lying on the stone floor. She started -forward-- - -"He sleeps!" - -"I warrant you--right soundly." - -She uttered a smothered cry. - -"Put down the lamp!" - -She turned and faced the jailer. "Leave me alone with him. I will wake -him. I know he but sleeps." - -The man hesitated. - -Then Eboracus pressed forward and laid hold of the jailer and -whispered--"Go without, it is the Augusta!" - -The keeper of the prison started, raised his hand to his lips, bowed, set -the lamp on the moist floor and drew back. - -"Without! Without all!" ordered Domitia. - -Then Eboracus pulled the jailer out of the cell. Euphrosyne stood doubtful -whether to remain with her mistress or obey--but an impatient sign from the -Empress drove her forth, and the British slave closed the door. - -"He is dead," said the jailer. "Did the Augustus desire to withdraw the -order? His signet has arrived too late. The prisoner has been throttled by -my sons." - -The old man and the two slaves remained for some quarter of an hour in the -passage almost smothered by the smoke emitted by the torch. - -From within they heard a voice--at intervals, now raised in weeping, then -uttering low soothing tones, then raised in a cry as the _conclamatio_ of -hired wailers for the dead, calling on Lamia by name to return, to return, -to leave the Shadowland and come back into light. - -And then--a laugh. - -A laugh so weird, so horrible, so unexpected, that with a thrust, without -scruple, Eboracus threw open the door. - -On the stone pavement sat Domitia, her hair dishevelled, and on her lap -the head of the dead man. She was wiping his brow with her veil, stooping, -kissing his lips, weeping, then laughing again--then pointing to purple -letters, crossed L's woven into his tunic. - -Eboracus saw it all--her reason was gone. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - - DRAWING TO THE LIGHT. - - -In the old home of Gabii, under the tender care of Euphrosyne and in the -soothing company of Glyceria, little by little, stage by stage, Domitia -recovered. - -There was a horrible past to which no reference might be made. The true -British slave, Eboracus, was ever at hand to help--when needed. Never a -day, never half a day, but his honest face appeared at the door to inquire -after his dear lady, and as her senses came flickering back, it was he to -whom she clung to take her in his arms into the trellised walk, or when -stronger to lead her where she could pick violets for Glyceria, and to -pile about the feet of the little statue of the Good Shepherd. He took her -a row on the lake and let her fish--he found nests of young birds and -brought them to her; and all at once disclosed great powers of -story-telling; he told marvellous British tales as to a little child, of -the ploughing of Hu Cadarn, of Ceridwen and her cauldron. And he would -sing--he fashioned himself a harp, of British shape, and sang as he -accompanied himself, but his ballads were all in the Celtic tongue that -Domitia could not understand--nevertheless it soothed and pleased her to -listen to his music. - -Longa Duilia did not visit her often. She made formal duty calls at long -intervals, and as Domitia became better, these visits grew proportionately -fewer. - -Duilia, as she herself said, was not created to be a nurse. She knew that -some were fitted by nature to attend to the sick, and all that sort of -thing--but it was not her gift. Society was her sphere in which she floated -and which she adorned, but she was distraught and drooping in a sick-room. -She wished she had the faculty--and all that sort of thing--but all women -were not cast in the same mould, run out of the same metal--and, my dear, -parenthetically--some are of lead, others of Corinthian brass--and which are -which it is not for me to say--she thanked the Gods it was so. - -Nor did the visits and efforts to amuse, of Duilia, avail anything towards -Domitia's cure. On the contrary, she was always worse after her mother had -been with her. The old lady ripped up ill-healed sores, harped on old -associations, could not check her tongue from scolding. - -"My poor dear child--I never made a greater blunder in my life--I, too, who -have the pedigree at my finger's ends--as to fancy that there was any -connection with those Flavians. My dear! yellow hair is quite out of -fashion now, quite out. Look at mine, a raven's wing is not darker. It was -through Vespasia Polla--I thought we were related--stupid that I was--it was -the Vipsanians we were allied to, not those low and beggarly Vespasians. -As the Gods love me, I believe Polla's father was an army contractor. But -I have made it all right. I have smudged out the line I had added to the -family tree, and as for the wax heads of those Flavians, I have had them -melted up. Will you believe it--I had the mask of Domitian run into a pot -and that stupid Lucilla did not put a cover on it, and the rats have eaten -it--eaten all the wax. I hope it has clogged their stomachs and given them -indigestion. They doubtless thought it was dripping. But I really have -made a most surprising discovery. I find there was an alliance with the -Cocceii--most respectable family, very ancient, admirable men all--and so -there is a sort of cousinship with the present admirable prince. His -brother Aulus--rather old perhaps--but an estimable man--is--well--may be--in a -word, I intend to give a little supper--a dainty affair--all in the best -style--so sorry you can't be there, my dear Domitia--but of course -absolutely impossible. Your state of health and all that sort of thing. -Don't be surprised if you hear--but there, there--he is rather old though, -for one who is only just turning off the very bloom of life and beauty." - -After such a visit and such talk the mind of Domitia was troubled for -several days. She became timid, alarmed at the least noise, and -distraught. But then the poor crippled woman succeeded in comforting and -laying her troubles, and the painful expression faded from her face. It -became placid, but always with a sadness that was inseparable from the -eyes, and a tremulousness of the lips, as though a very little--a rough -word or two--would dissolve her into tears. - -With the spring, the growing light, the increasing warmth, the bursting -life in plant and insect, she began to amend more steadily, and relapses -became fewer. - -One sweet spring day, when Glyceria had been carried forth into the -garden, and Domitia sat on the turf near her with purple anemones in her -lap, that she was binding into a garland, the paralyzed woman was startled -by hearing Domitia suddenly speak of the past. - -She spoke, and continued weaving the flowers, "My Glyceria, I intend this -for the little temple of my father. It is all I can do for him--to give -flowers where his ashes lie--but it does not content me. There were two -whom I loved and looked up to as the best of men, and both are gone--gone -to dust: my own dearest father, and my lover, my husband, Lamia. I cannot -bear to think of them as heaps of ashes or as wandering ghosts. When that -thought comes over me, I seem to be as one drowning, and then darkness is -before my eyes. I cannot cry--I smother." - -"Why should you think of them as wandering ghosts or as heaps of dust?" - -"I know that they are dust--I suppose they are shadows. But of anything -else, all is guess-work, we know nothing--and that is so horrible. I love -two only--have loved two only--and they are no more than shadows. No, no! I -mean not that." She flung her arms about Glyceria, and laid her cheek -against that of the sick woman. "No, I do love you, and I love Euphrosyne -and I love Eboracus. But I mean--I mean in a different manner. One was my -father, and the other my husband. It is so terribly sad to think they are -lost to me like yesterday or last summer." - -"They are not lost. You will see them again." - -"See my father! See my Lamia!" - -"Yes--I know it will be so." - -"O, Glyceria, do not say such things. You make my heart jump. How can it -be? They have been." - -"They are and will be. Death is swallowed up in Life." - -"That is impossible. Death is death and nothing more." - -Then Glyceria took the hand of Domitia, and looking into her eyes, said -solemnly: "Dost thou remember having asked me about the Fish?" - -"Yes--this amulet," answered the noble lady, and she detached the cornelian -from her throat, and held it in the hand not engaged by Glyceria. "Yes--I -recollect--there was some mystery, but what was it?" - -"The Fish is a symbol, as I said once before, and it is no amulet." - -"Of what is it the symbol?" - -"Of One who died--who tasted of the bitterness of the parting of soul and -body, and who went into the region of Shadows and returned--the soul to the -body, and rose from the dead, and by the virtue of His resurrection gives -power to all who believe in Him to rise in like manner." - -"And he could tell about what the ghosts do--how they wander?" - -"I cannot say that. There would be no comfort in that. He rose to give us -joy and to rob death of its terrors." - -"But what has this to do with the Fish?" - -"You know what the word Fish is in Greek." - -"Very well." - -"Take each letter of that word, and each letter is the first of words that -contain the very substance of the Christian belief--Jesus Christ, the Son -of God, the Saviour." - -Domitia looked at the little cornelian fish; she could not understand. - -"I believe that one could die and wake again. I have fainted and come -round. And he might say what was in the spirit world into which he had -been--but the region of ghosts is very dreary, very sad." - -"Nay, He can do more. As He rose, He can raise us to new life, and He will -do it, for He is God. He made us, and He will recall us from death." - -"What--my father! Lucius! I shall see them again--not as shadows, but as -they were--?" - -"Not so--not as they were, mortal; but raised to an immortal life." - -"I shall kiss my darling father--put my arms around my Lucius from whom I -have been parted so long, and so cruelly, and who has been so--so true to -me." - -Then Domitia burst into tears. - -Glyceria stroked her hand. - -"There--you see how joyous is our hope. Death is nothing--it is only a -good-bye for a bit to meet again." - -"O, Glyceria! O, if I could see them--O Glyceria! O, you should not have -said this if it be not true. My heart will break. O, if it might be so! if -I could! but once only--for a moment----" - -"Nay, that would not suffice; forever, never to be separated; no more -tears, no more death." - -"O, Glyceria--not another word--I cannot bear it. My heart is over full. -Another time. My head, my head! O, if it might--it could be!" - -Next day Glyceria saw by the red eyes of Domitia that she had slept little -and had wept much. She did not turn the conversation to the same topic; -she wisely waited for the noble lady to begin on it herself, and she -judged that she would take some time to consider what had been spoken -about and to digest it. - -And in fact Domitia made no further allusion to the matter for some days. -But after about a week, when alone with the paralyzed woman, she said to -her abruptly: "You have never been in Syria?" - -"No, dear lady." - -"I have--and I have been on the confines of the desert and looked away, as -far as the eye could reach, and have seen nothing but sand and barren -rock. Behind me a rose-garden, syringas, myrtle and citron trees, and -murmuring streams, before me--no green leaf, only death. It is to me, as I -stand now and look back on my life as if it were that barren desert; and -the fearful thing is--I dare not turn and look the other way, for it is -into impenetrable night. But no, my life is not all desolation, there are -just two green spots in it where the date palms stand and there are -wells--my childhood, when I sat on my father's knee and cuddled into his -arms; and once again, when I was recovering from the loss of him and was -basking in the joy of my love for Lucius Lamia. All the rest--" she made a -gesture of despair--"Death." - -"Dearest lady! I would like to turn you about and show you that where you -think only blackness reigns, lies a beautiful garden, a paradise, and One -at the gate who beckons and says, Come unto Me, all you that labor and are -heavy laden, and I will give you rest." - -"Ah! but that may be all fancy and dream work like the promises of the -Magi, and the mysteries of Isis." - -Glyceria got no further than this. Domitia was disposed to talk with her -on her hope, and on the Christian belief, but always with reserve and some -mistrust. - -There were old prejudices to be overcome, there was the consciousness that -the promises so largely made by the votaries of the many cults from East -and South who came to Rome were unfulfilled, and this made her unable to -place confidence in the new religion held by slaves and ignorant people, -however alluring it might seem. - -Among the very few who came to Gabii during her illness and convalescence, -was Flavia Domitilla, the widow of Flavius Clemens, who had been put to -death by Domitian. Domitilla had been banished, but returned immediately -on the death of the tyrant. She had suffered as had Domitia. In her manner -and address there was something so gentle and assuring, that the poor -ex-empress, in the troubled condition of her brain, was drawn to her, and -after her visits felt better. She knew, or rather supposed, that Domitilla -was a Christian. Her husband had been one, and had suffered for his faith. - -It was with real pleasure that she ran to welcome her one morning, when -the steward entered and announced: "The Lady Flavia Domitilla." - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - AN ECSTASY. - - -"I have come, dear Domitia, with a petition," said the widow of Flavius -Clemens. "And it is one you will wound me if you refuse." - -"But who would wound so gentle a breast?" answered Domitia, kissing her -visitor. "He must be heartless who draws a bow against a dove." - -"Hearken first to what I ask. I am bold--but my very feebleness inspires me -with audacity." - -"What is it, then?" - -"That you come with me to my villa for a little change of scene, air and -society. It will do you good." - -"And I cannot refuse. It is like your sweet spirit to desire nothing save -what is kindly intended and does good to others." - -"As you have assented so graciously, I will push my advance a little -further and say--Return with me to-day. Let us travel together. If you -will--I have a double litter--and we can chatter as two magpies together." - -"Magpies bring sorrow." - -"Nay, two--mirth--we have cast our sorrows behind us. You said I was a dove, -so be it--a pair of doves, perhaps wounded, lamed--but we coo into each -other's ear, and lay our aching hearts together and so obtain solace." - -"I will refuse you nothing," said Domitia, again kissing her visitor. - -Accordingly, a couple of hours later the two ladies started, Domitia -taking with her some attendants, but travelling, as was proposed, in the -large litter of Domitilla. - -This latter lady was, as already mentioned, the widow of Clemens, one of -the two sons of Flavius Sabinus, praefect of the city, who had held the -Capitol against the Praetorians of Vitellius and had been murdered but a -few hours before Rome was entered by the troops that favored his brother -Vespasian. On that occasion his sons had escaped, and the elder was -married to Julia, daughter of Titus, but had been put to death by -Domitian. The younger brother, Clemens, a quiet, inoffensive man, who took -no part in public affairs, had been executed as well, shortly before -Domitian himself perished. - -And now Flavia Domitilla lived quietly on her estate not far from the -Ardeatine Gate of Rome. - -"How!" said Flavia, suddenly, as she espied the little cornelian suspended -on the bosom of Domitia, "you have the Fish!" - -"Yes, Glyceria gave it me--long ago." - -"Do you know what it means?" - -"Glyceria told me--but it is a dream, a beautiful fancy, nothing more. -There is no evidence." - -"Domitia, you have not sought for it." - -"My cousin, Rome is full of religions. Some say the truth is in Sabazius, -some in Isis, some in the stars, some in Mithras--a new importation--and -some will go back to the old Gods of our Latin ancestors. But one and -another all are naught." - -"How know you that?" - -"By the spirit that is within me. It can discern between what is true and -false. Not that which promises best is the most real." - -"You are right, Domitia--that is truest and most real which meets and -satisfies the seeking, aching heart." - -"And where is that?" - -"Where you have not sought for it." - -"If I were sure I would seek. But I am weary of disillusionings and -disappointments." - -"Well--will you hear?" - -"I am not sure. I have met with too many disappointments to desire -another." - -Nothing further was said on this topic till the villa was reached. Domitia -showed that she did not desire to have it pursued. - -As Flavia alighted from her litter, a young man approached, handed her -something and asked for an answer. - -The widow of Clemens opened a tied diptych and read some words written -therein. - -She seemed disconcerted and doubtful. She looked questioningly at Domitia, -and then asked leave of the latter to say a word in private to Euphrosyne. -Leave was granted and a whispered communication passed between them. - -Again Flavia looked inquiringly at Domitia, and it was with considerable -hesitation that she signed to the young man to approach, and said:--"Be it -so. The Collect shall be here." - -That evening before she and her guest parted for the night, Flavia took -Domitia by the hand and said:--"You are right--the faculty of determination -is seated in every breast. Inquire and choose." - -A few days passed, and then the hostess became uneasy. Evidently she had -something that she desired to say, but was afraid of broaching the -subject. - -At length, abruptly, she began on it. - -"Domitia, I show you the utmost confidence. I must tell you something. You -know how that the Christians have been persecuted under--I mean of late, -and how we have suffered. My dear husband shed his blood for the cause, -and he was but one among many. Now there is a respite granted, but how -long it will last we know not. The laws against us stand unrepealed and -any one who wishes us ill can set them in motion for our destruction." - -"You do not think, Cousin----" - -"Nay, hear me out, Domitia. You saw a young man approach me as we arrived -here. He is what we term a deacon, and he came to announce that, if I saw -fit, the Church would assemble in my house next first day of the week, -that is the day after the Jewish Sabbath. It is customary with us to -assemble together for prayer on that day, early, before dawn, sometimes in -one house, then in another, so as to escape observation. And now, on the -morrow--this assembly, which we term the Collect, will take place. Do thou -tarry in thy chamber, and thou shalt be summoned when all have dispersed." - -"Nay, I would see and hear what takes place." - -"That may not be, Domitia, that is only for the initiated." - -"But why secrecy if there be naught of which to be ashamed?" - -"Our Master said, Give not that which is holy unto dogs, neither cast ye -your pearls before swine. Tell me, Domitia, how would you endure were your -father made a mock of, his sayings and acts parodied on the stage, and -turned into a matter of low buffoonery?" - -Domitia's brow flamed and her eyes flashed. - -"I see your answer in your face. So with our Great Master. His mysteries -are holy, and we would preserve them from outrage. Now you understand why -you cannot be present." - -"But I would not mock." - -"It is our rule, to avoid the chance of profanity." - -"As you will." - -"There is one thing more," said Flavia. "You will not be angry if I have -sent to have poor Glyceria brought here. Owing to her infirmity she has -not been able to be present at a gathering of the Church for a long time, -and nothing could give her greater consolation and happiness." - -"I am willing for anything that can cheer her," answered Domitia; then in -a tone of vexation, "So--a freedwoman, and Euphrosyne, a slave, will be -admitted where I am shut out--I, who was Empress----" - -"Do not be offended. Is it not so in every sodality, that the members of -the Club alone attend the gatherings of the Club." - -"You are a Club then?" - -"We are the worshippers of God."(16) - -Domitia was silent, then Flavia started up. "I hear them--they have come -with Glyceria. I must see that she be cared for. The long journey to that -frail and broken frame will have exhausted her slender powers." - -"And I will go, too"--with a tinge of jealousy in her manner. Domitia -little liked that another should interest herself about the poor woman, -and should stand to her in a more intimate relation than herself. - -On going forth, all feeling of envy disappeared at once before a sense of -alarm. - -An accident had occurred on the way. Owing to some fault in the paving of -the road, one of the bearers had stumbled and, in falling, the litter had -been thrown down and the woman within injured. - -Domitia saw by the ashen face and the green hue about the mouth and -temples that Glyceria was in great pain. But her eyes were bright and -sought her at once and a world of love flowed out of them, she put forth -her thin hand to lay hold of the great lady. Domitia at once flashed into -anger. "This comes of bringing her here. Had she been left at Gabii it -would never have happened. Where is the fellow who threw her down?--Flavia! -have him whipped with the scorpion." - -Glyceria caught her hand. "It was an accident. He was not in fault. I am -happy. It is the will of God--that is everything to me." - -"You suffer." - -The paralyzed woman could not speak more. She was being lifted out of the -litter, and fainted as she was moved. She was conveyed, in a condition of -unconsciousness, to the room she was to occupy, a room opening out of the -same corridor as that given up to Domitia. - -The family physician was summoned; he gave little hopes of the poor woman -recovering from the shock, her natural strength and recuperative power had -long ago been exhausted. - -All that evening Domitia remained silent, apparently in ill humor, or -great distress, and Flavia Domitilla was unable to get many words from -her. - -She retired early to rest, but could not sleep. Before going to her bed, -she had visited the sick woman, and she convinced herself with her own -eyes that the flame of the lamp of life was flickering to extinction. - -Domitia loved the actor's widow with all the passion of her stormy heart; -and the thought of losing her was to her unendurable. - -The night was still, balmy, and the heavens star-besprent. She looked from -the corridor at the lights above, and then dropped the curtains over her -door. She threw herself on her cushions, but her thoughts turned and -tossed in her head. - -She pressed her knuckles to her eyeballs to close her eyes, but could not -force on sleep. - -It was to her as though every person whom she loved was taken from her; -till she had no one left to whom her heart could cling. - -"I vow a pig to AEsculapius!" she said, "if he will recover her!" and then -impatiently turned to the wall. "What can AEsculapius do? Whom has he -succored at any time? He is but a name." To whom could she cry? What god -of Olympus would stoop to care for--even to look at an actor's widow, a -poor Greek freedwoman. - -The gods! They revelled and drank Ambrosia; made love and deceived the -simple, and lied and showed themselves to be arrant knaves. They were -greedy of sacrifices, they accepted all that was given--but they gave -nothing in return. Their ears were open to flattery, not to prayer. They -were gods for the merry and rich, not for the miserable and poor. - -She thought she heard hasty steps in the passage, then voices. "And He! -the God of Glyceria--why had not He saved her from this fall? Was He as -powerless, as regardless, of His votaries as those of Olympus?" -Yes--something was the matter--there was a stir in the house--at that hour--at -dead of night--Domitia's heart bounded. Was Glyceria passing away? - -She threw a mantle about her, and barefooted as she was, ran forth into -the gallery. - -She saw at the further end a light at the door of the sick room, and -sounds issued thence. - -Instantly she flew thither, plucked aside the curtain, and stood in the -doorway, arrested by the sight. - -Euphrosyne was seated on the bed, and had raised her sister in her arms; -the sick woman rested against her in a sitting posture; Flavia Domitilla -was there as well. Directly she saw Domitia she signed to her to approach. - -But Glyceria!--she was at once transfigured. Her face seemed to shine with -a supernatural light--it had acquired a loveliness and transparency as of -an angel--her eyes were upraised and fixed as in a trance, and her arms -were outspread. She seemed not to weigh on Euphrosyne, but to be raised -and sustained by supernatural power. - -The joy, the rapture in that sublimated countenance were beyond -description. She saw, she knew, she felt none of those things that usually -meet the senses. And yet Domitia, Flavia, were convinced that those -illumined happy eyes looked on some One--were gazing into a light to -themselves unseen. - -From her lips poured rapturous prayer. - -"I see Thee! Thou--the joy of my heart, my hope and my portion forever! -Thee whom I have loved and longed for! I hold Thee--I clasp Thy feet! O -give her to me--the dear mistress! Take me, take me to Thyself--but ere I -go--by Thy wounded hands--by Thy thorn-crowned head--by Thy pierced -side--bring her to the light! To the light! To the light!" And -suddenly--with an instantaneous eclipse the illumination died off from her -face, the tension was over, the arms, the entire body sank heavily against -the bosom of Euphrosyne, the eyes closed; she heaved a long sigh, but a -smile lingered about her lips. - -Awed, not daring to draw nearer, unwilling to go back, Domitia stood -looking. Neither did Flavia Domitilla stir. - -After a little while, however, the latter signed to Domitia to depart, and -made as though she also would go. - -"She sleeps," she said. - -Then Glyceria's bright eyes opened, and she said:-- - -"Not till after the Collect--at that I must be--bear me down--then only----" - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - HAIL, GLADSOME LIGHT! - - -Before the day began to break, from various quarters came men and women, -in twos and threes to the house of Flavia Domitilla. - -The visitor to Rome may see the very spot where stood her house and -garden. For this good woman converted the latter into a place of sepulture -for the Christians, and the catacomb that bears her name is one of the -most interesting of those about Rome. Not only so, but the ruins of her -villa remain, on the farm of Tor Marancia, or the Ardeatine Way. Here -lived the widow of the martyr Clemens, with her sister-in-law, Plautilla, -and her niece, of the same name as herself, all three holy women, serving -God and ministering to the necessities of the poor. - -The Collect, or assembly of the Faithful, was to take place in the atrium -or hall of the villa. Domitilla had only Christian slaves with her in her -country residence, and could trust them. - -In the large mansions of the Roman nobility there were grand reception -halls, called basilicas, with rows of pillars down the sides dividing them -into a nave and aisles, with an apse, or _bema_ as it was termed, at the -end, in which the master of the house sat to receive his visitors. Here he -and his clients, his parasites and friends walked, talked, declaimed, -listened to readings, when the weather was wet or cold. At a later period, -when the nobility became Christian, many of them gave up their basilicas -to be converted into churches, and such is the origin of several churches -of Rome. They never were, as some have erroneously supposed, halls of -justice--they were, as described, the halls attached to the great Roman -palaces. - -But at the time I am speaking of, no such surrenders had been made. The -great families had not been converted, only here and there, at rare -intervals, some of their members had embraced the Gospel. But smaller -people had become Christian, and these did temporarily give up the more -public portion of the house, the atrium and tablinum for Christian -worship. It was dangerous to thus assemble, and it would have been -infinitely more dangerous had the assemblies taken place always at the -same house. Accordingly it was contrived to vary the place of meeting and -to give secret notice to the faithful where the gathering would be on the -ensuing Lord's day. - -The danger of these Collects was further reduced by their being held -sometimes in the churches underground in the catacombs, or in the _cellae_ -near the tombs; and these gatherings passed uncommented on, as it was -customary for the pagans to meet for a solemn banquet in the decorated -chambers attached to their places of interment on the anniversaries of the -death of their friends. - -The various guilds also had their meeting for the transaction of business, -a sacred meal, and a sacrifice to the gods, and the early Christians were -able so to copy the customs of the guilds or sodalities, as to carry on -their worship undetected by the authorities, who supposed their assemblies -were mere guild gatherings. - -The hour was so early that lights were necessary, and lamps were suspended -in the tablinum, which was raised a couple of steps above the floor of the -hall. - -Round the arc of the chamber, which was semi-circular, seats had been -arranged, and in the centre against the wall one of more dignity than the -rest, covered with white linen. In the midst of the tablinum at the top of -the two steps was a table, and on one side a desk on legs. - -Great care was taken at the door to admit none but such as could give the -sign that they were Christians. The _ostiarius_ or porter in the early -Church held a very important office, on his discretion much of the safety -of the Church depended. He had to use the utmost caution lest a spy should -slip in. - -The hall rapidly filled. - -Before the steps into the apse lay Glyceria on a sort of bier, her hands -folded, and her earnest eyes upraised! She had been gently, carefully -conveyed thither, to be for the last time united in worship with the -Church on earth, before she passed into the Church beyond. - -On each side of the tablinum were curtains, that could be easily and -rapidly drawn along a rod and so close the apse. - -In the atrium itself there were few lights. They were not needed, day -would soon break. - -In the tablinum, against the wall, sat the presbyters with Clement, the -bishop, in the centre. He was an old man, with a gentle face, full of -love. He had been a freedman of the Flavians, and it was out of respect to -them that he had taken the name of Clement, which was one of those in use -in their family. - -At his side, on the right hand, was one far more aged than he--one we have -seen before, Luke the Physician and Evangelist. - -Now one with a pair of clappers gave a signal and all rose who had been -seated. - -A deacon standing at the top of the step said:--"Let us pray for the -Emperor." - -Whereupon all the congregation responded as with a single voice: "Lord, -have mercy." - -Then Clement, the Bishop, prayed:--"We beseech Thee, O Father, to look down -upon the Emperor and to strengthen him against his foes, and to illumine -his mind that he may rule in Justice, and be Thou his defence and strong -tower." - -Thereupon the deacon called again:--"Let us pray for the magistrates." To -which the people responded in the same manner, and the Bishop prayed in -few terse words for the magistrates. In precisely similar manner was -prayer made for the bishops and clergy, for all the faithful, for those in -chains, working in mines, for the sick and the sorrowful, for the widows -and orphans; it was as though a flood of all-embracing charity flowed -forth. - -Then the intercessions ended, Luke came to the desk, and a deacon brought -the roll of the Law and unfolded it before him, and another held aloft a -torch. - -He read as follows:--"This commandment which I command thee this day, it is -not hidden from thee neither is it far off.... But the word is very nigh -thee in thy heart and in thy mouth, that thou mayest do it. See, I have -set before thee life and good, and death and evil.... I call heaven and -earth to record this day that I have set before you life and death, -blessing and cursing; therefore choose life ... that thou mayest love the -Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest -cleave unto Him." - -Then the Evangelist closed the roll and returned it to the deacon, and he -spake some words of exhortation thereon. - -Next came another deacon and unfolded the roll of the Prophets; and Luke -read:--"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath -anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind -up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the -opening of the prison to them that are bound. To proclaim the acceptable -year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that -mourn.... To give to them that mourn beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for -mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they -might be called Trees of Righteousness, the Planting of the Lord, that He -might be glorified." - -Then again Luke spoke a few simple words and declared how that the -prophecy of old was fulfilled in Christ who was the healer of all sick -souls, and the strengthener of all who were feeble, the restorer of the -halt, the comforter of all that mourn, and the planter in the field of the -Church of such as would grow up plants of righteousness to bear their -fruit in due season. - -And when he ceased, the congregation sang a psalm: "Praise the Lord, O my -soul: and all that is within me praise His holy name." - -In the first age of the Church the liturgical service grew out of that of -the synagogue. As in the latter there were the two lessons from Law and -Prophet, so was there in the Church, but after the Psalm there were added -to these, two more lessons, one from an Epistle by an Apostle and one from -a Gospel. - -At the time of our narrative the service was in process of formation and -was not yet formed; and the sequence of Epistle and Gospel had not as yet -been established. However, now Luke stood forward and said:-- - -"Beloved, we have a letter written by the Blessed John--the Disciple that -Jesus loved, and therefrom I will read a few words." - -Then he unfolded a short roll and read as follows:-- - -"Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we -should be called the sons of God! therefore the world knoweth us not, -because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it doth -not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear, -we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that -hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." - -He ceased, for a strange sound reached the ears of all--a sound that -swelled and rose and then fell away and became all but inaudible. - -Once again he began to read--and again this sound was heard. - -"This is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love -one another." - -Again he ceased, and looked round, and listened. For once more this -strange wailing sound arose. - -But as it declined, he resumed his reading. - -"Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have -passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." - -He was constrained to cease. - -Then at a signal, two deacons went in the direction of the sound. And the -whole congregation was hushed. But Glyceria, on her bed, lifted her hands -and her eyes shone with expectation. - -Presently the deacons returned:--"A woman--a weeping woman in a dark room." - -Then Luke descended from the _bema_, and attended by them went in the -direction of the voice, and came, where crouching, concealed, Domitia lay -on the ground, sobbing as if her heart would break--they could not stay -her--they did not try--they waited. - -And presently she raised her face, streaming with tears, and said--"The -light! the glorious light!" - -And the sun rose over the roof, and shone down into the atrium, on the -face of Glyceria. - -Then Flavia Domitilla stooped over her, laid her hand on her eyes and -said:--"In the Joy of thy Lord, Face to Face!" - - [Illustration: "THE LIGHT! THE GLORIOUS LIGHT!" _Page 348._] - - - - - - - FOOTNOTES - - - 1 Double-dyed Tyrian wool cost over L40 in English money per lb. - - 2 The term used of St. Paul by the wise men of Athens. It means a - picker up of unconsidered trifles which he strings together into an - unintelligible system. - - 3 A laurel on the Palatine, planted by the wife of Augustus. It died - suddenly just before the end of Nero. - - 4 The statuette of the Good Shepherd, of beautiful art, 2d century, in - the Lateran Museum. It is an error to suppose in early Christians a - complete emancipation from old usages and modes of thought. - - 5 Probably _Dictamnus Fraxinella_. For properties of these plants see - Pliny, H. N. _lib._ xxv., xxvi., xxvii. - - 6 Our word _nuptial_ comes from the veil wherewith the bride's head - was covered. - - 7 The reference was to the "Peace" of Aristophanes. Trygdeus was - carried up to the Gods on the back of a dung-beetle. - - 8 The allusion was to the death of Claudius attributed to poisoned - mushrooms administered to him by his wife-niece Agrippina. - - 9 The left was lucky with the Romans, the reverse with the Greeks. - - 10 Informers were so termed, because they obtained a quarter of the - goods of such as they denounced and who were condemned. The Latin - word is _quadruplator_. - - 11 On another occasion, a show of gladiators, this savage order was - actually given and carried out under the eyes of Domitian. - - 12 The titles of lord and god were given to Domitian by his flatterers, - and accepted and used by him, as of right. - - 13 There are mosaic pavements at Rome representing a floor after a - dinner, with crawfish heads, oyster shells, nuts, picked bones, - flower leaves, strewn about. - - 14 Calvisius Sabinus, a rich and ignorant man, made one of his slaves - learn Homer by heart, another Hesiod and others the nine Greek lyric - poets. When he gave a dinner, he concealed them under the table to - prompt him with quotations. - - 15 A scourge of leather thongs and nails knotted in them. - - 16 The Roman benefit Clubs were under the invocation of some god or - goddess, and the members were called Cultores Apollinis, or Jovi, as - the case might be. - - - - - - TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE - - -Variations in hyphenation ("reception room", "reception-room") and -spelling have not been changed. In several places, punctuation and -quotation marks have been silently corrected. - -Other changes, which have been made to the text: - - page 65, "Gautists" changed to "flautists" - page 66, "mournners" changed to "mourners" - page 123, "Antenines" changed to "Antonines" - page 186, "Clivius" changed to "Clivus" - page 187, "learn" changed to "learned" - page 196, "Domitia" changed to "Domitian" - page 267, "beween" changed to "between" - - - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOMITIA*** - - - - CREDITS - - -October 20, 2013 - - Project Gutenberg TEI edition 1 - Produced by sp1nd, Stefan Cramme and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The Internet - Archive) - - - - A WORD FROM PROJECT GUTENBERG - - -This file should be named 43985.txt or 43985.zip. - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - - - http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/3/9/8/43985/ - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one -- the old editions will be -renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the -General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and -distributing Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} electronic works to protect the Project -Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered -trademark, and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you -receive specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of -this eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given away --- you may do practically _anything_ with public domain eBooks. -Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - - THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE - - -_Please read this before you distribute or use this work._ - -To protect the Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or -any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project Gutenberg"), -you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} -License (available with this file or online at -http://www.gutenberg.org/license). - - - Section 1. - - -General Terms of Use & Redistributing Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} electronic works - - - 1.A. - - -By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} electronic work, -you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the -terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) -agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this -agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of -Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee -for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} electronic work -and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may -obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set -forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - - - 1.B. - - -"Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or -associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be -bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can -do with most Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} electronic works even without complying -with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are -a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} electronic works if you -follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to -Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - - - 1.C. - - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" or -PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual -work is in the public domain in the United States and you are located in -the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, -distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on -the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of -course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} mission of -promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project -Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for -keeping the Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} name associated with the work. You can -easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} License when you -share it without charge with others. - - - 1.D. - - -The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you -can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant -state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of -your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before -downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating -derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} work. -The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of -any work in any country outside the United States. - - - 1.E. - - -Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - - - 1.E.1. - - -The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access -to, the full Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} License must appear prominently whenever -any copy of a Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} work (any work on which the phrase -"Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" -is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or -distributed: - - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with - almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away - or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License - included with this eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org - - - 1.E.2. - - -If an individual Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} electronic work is derived from the -public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with -permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and -distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or -charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you -must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 -or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - - - 1.E.3. - - -If an individual Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} electronic work is posted with the -permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply -with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed -by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project -Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} License for all works posted with the permission of the -copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - - - 1.E.4. - - -Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} License -terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any -other work associated with Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~}. - - - 1.E.5. - - -Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic -work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying -the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate -access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} License. - - - 1.E.6. - - -You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, -marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word -processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version posted -on the official Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} web site (http://www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other form. -Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} License as -specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - - - 1.E.7. - - -Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, -copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} works unless you comply -with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - - - 1.E.8. - - -You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or -distributing Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} electronic works provided that - - - You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} works calculated using the method you - already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to - the owner of the Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} trademark, but he has agreed to - donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 - days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally - required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments - should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, - "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary - Archive Foundation." - - - You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} License. - You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the - works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and - all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} works. - - - You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - - - You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} works. - - - 1.E.9. - - -If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} electronic -work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this -agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from both the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael Hart, the owner of the -Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in -Section 3 below. - - - 1.F. - - - 1.F.1. - - -Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to -identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread public domain -works in creating the Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} collection. Despite these -efforts, Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} electronic works, and the medium on which they -may be stored, may contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, -incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright -or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk -or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot -be read by your equipment. - - - 1.F.2. - - -LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES -- Except for the "Right of -Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} -trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} -electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for -damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE -NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH -OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE -FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT -WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, -PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY -OF SUCH DAMAGE. - - - 1.F.3. - - -LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND -- If you discover a defect in this -electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund -of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to -the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a -physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. -The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect -to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the -work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose -to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in -lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a -refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem. - - - 1.F.4. - - -Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in -paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS,' WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - - - 1.F.5. - - -Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the -exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or -limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state -applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make -the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state -law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement -shall not void the remaining provisions. - - - 1.F.6. - - -INDEMNITY -- You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark -owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of -Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and -any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution -of Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs -and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from -any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of -this or any Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} work, and (c) any Defect -you cause. - - - Section 2. - - - Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} - - -Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic -works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including -obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the -efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks -of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance -they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~}'s goals and ensuring -that the Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} collection will remain freely available for -generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for -Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} and future generations. To learn more about the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations -can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation web page at -http://www.pglaf.org. - - - Section 3. - - - Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of -Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. -The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. -Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf. Contributions to the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full -extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. -S. Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 North -1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email -business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact information -can be found at the Foundation's web site and official page at -http://www.pglaf.org - -For additional contact information: - - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - - - Section 4. - - - Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive - Foundation - - -Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} depends upon and cannot survive without wide spread -public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the -number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed -in machine readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment -including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are -particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. -Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable -effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these -requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not -received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or -determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit -http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have -not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against -accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us -with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any -statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the -United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation methods -and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including -checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please -visit: http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate - - - Section 5. - - - General Information About Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} electronic works. - - -Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with -anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} -eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~} eBooks are often created from several printed editions, -all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. unless a copyright -notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance -with any particular paper edition. - -Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's eBook -number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII, compressed -(zipped), HTML and others. - -Corrected _editions_ of our eBooks replace the old file and take over the -old filename and etext number. The replaced older file is renamed. -_Versions_ based on separate sources are treated as new eBooks receiving -new filenames and etext numbers. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - - http://www.gutenberg.org - - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg{~TRADE MARK SIGN~}, including how -to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, -how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email -newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - - - - - -***FINIS*** -
\ No newline at end of file |