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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8c6fdfc --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #56177 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56177) diff --git a/old/56177-0.txt b/old/56177-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index aef65e9..0000000 --- a/old/56177-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,21670 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Island of Fantasy, by Fergus Hume - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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 -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: The Island of Fantasy - A Romance - -Author: Fergus Hume - -Release Date: December 13, 2017 [EBook #56177] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ISLAND OF FANTASY *** - - - - -Produced by KD Weeks, Suzanne Shell and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Transcriber’s Note: - -This version of the text cannot represent certain typographical effects. -Italics are delimited as _italic_. Bold font is delimited as =bold=. - -Minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Please -see the transcriber’s note at the end of this text for details regarding -the handling of any textual issues encountered during its preparation. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - =The Island of Fantasy= - A Romance - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - By FERGUS HUME - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -_Author of “When I Lived In Bohemia,” “The Mystery of a Hansom Cab,” -“The Man Who Vanished,” etc_. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Sorrow and weariness, - Heartache and dreariness, - None should endure; - Scale ye the mountain peak, - Vale ’o the fountain seek, - There is the cure. - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - _R. F. FENNO & COMPANY_ - 9 and 11 East Sixteenth Street, New York - 1905 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1892, - - BY - - UNITED STATES BOOK COMPANY - - --- - - [_All rights reserved_] - - - - - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - THE ISLAND OF FANTASY. - - ------------------------------------ - - CHAPTER I. - A MIND DISEASED. - - Your Eastern drugs, your spices, your perfumes, - Are all in vain; - They cannot snatch my soul from out its glooms, - Nor soothe the brain. - My mind is dark as cycle-sealèd tombs, - And must remain - In darkness till the light of God illumes - Its black inane. - - -It was eight o’clock on a still summer evening, and, the ladies having -retired, two men were lingering in a pleasant, indolent fashion over -their wine in the dining-room of Roylands Grange. To be exact, only the -elder gentleman was paying any attention to his port, for the young man -who sat at the head of the table stared vaguely on his empty glass, and -at his equally empty plate, as if his thoughts were miles away, which -was precisely the case. Youth was moody, age was cheerful, for, while -the former indulged in a brown study, the latter cracked nuts and sipped -wine, with a just appreciation of the excellence of both. Judging from -this outward aspect of things, there was something wrong with Maurice -Roylands, for if reverend age in the presentable person of Rector -Carriston could be merry, there appeared to be no very feasible reason -why unthinking youth should be so ineffably dreary. Yet woe was writ -largely on the comely face of the moody young man, and he joined but -listlessly in the jocund conversation of his companion, which was -punctuated in a very marked manner by the cracking of filberts. - -Outside, a magical twilight brooded over the landscape, and the chill -odors of eve floated from a thousand sleeping flowers into the mellow -atmosphere of the room, which was irradiated by the soft gleam of many -wax candles rising white and slender from amid the pale roses adorning -the dinner-table. All was pleasant, peaceful, and infinitely charming; -yet Maurice Roylands, aged thirty, healthy, wealthy, and not at all -bad-looking, sat moodily frowning at his untasted dessert, as though he -bore the weight of the world on his shoulders. - -In truth, Mr. Roylands, with the usual self-worship of latter-day youth, -thought he was being very hardly treated by Destiny, as that -all-powerful goddess had given him everything calculated to make a -mortal happy, save the capability of being happy. This was undeniably -hard, and might be called the very irony of fate, for one might as well -offer a sumptuous banquet to a dyspeptic, as give a man all the means of -enjoyment, without the faculty of taking advantage of such good fortune. -Roylands had considerable artistic power, an income of nearly six -thousand a year, a fine house, friends innumerable—of the summer season -sort; yet he neither cared about nor valued these blessings, for the -simple reason that he was heartily sick of them, one and all. He would -have been happier digging a patch of ground for his daily bread, than -thus idling through life on an independent income, for Ennui, twin -sister of Care, had taken possession of his soul, and in the midst of -all his comforts he was thoroughly unhappy. - -The proverb that “The rich are more miserable than the poor,” is but a -trite one on which to preach a sermon, for did not Solomon say all that -there was to be said in the matter? It was an easier task to write a new -play on the theme of Hamlet, than to compose a novel discourse on the -“All is vanity” text; for on some subjects the final word has been said, -and he who preaches thereon says nothing new, but only repeats the ideas -of former orators, who in their turn doubtless reiterated the sayings of -still earlier preachers, and so on back to Father Adam, to whom the wily -serpent possibly delivered a sermon on the cynically wise saying -illustrated so exhaustively by Solomon ben David. Therefore, to remark -that Maurice was miserable amid all his splendors is a plagiarism, and -they who desire to study the original version for themselves must read -Ecclesiastes, which gives a minute analysis of the whole question, with -cruelly true comments thereon. - -When Roylands ten years before had gone to London, against the desire of -his father, to take up the profession—if it can be called so—of a -sculptor, he was full of energy and ambition. He had fully determined to -set the Thames on fire by the creation of statues worthy of Canova, to -make a great name in the artistic world, to become a member of the -Academy, to inaugurate a new era in the history of English sculpture; -so, with all this glory before him, he turned his back on the flesh-pots -of Egypt and went to dwell in the land of Bohemia. In order to bring the -lad to his senses, Roylands senior refused to aid him with a shilling -until he gave up the pitiful trade—in this country squire’s opinion—of -chipping figures out of marble. Supplies being thus stopped, Maurice -suffered greatly in those artistic days for lack of an assured income; -yet in spite of all his deprivations, he was very happy in Bohemia until -he lived down his enthusiasms. When matters came to that pass, the wine -of life lost its zest for this young man, and he became a victim to -melancholia, that terrible disease for which there is rarely—if any -cure. He lived because he did not agree with Addison’s Cato regarding -the virtues of self-destruction, but as far as actual dying went it -mattered to him neither one way nor the other. If he had done but little -good during his life, at least he had done but little harm, so, thinking -he could scarcely be punished severely for such a negative existence, he -was quite willing to leave this world he found so dreary, provided the -entrance into the next one was not of too painful a nature. - -It is a bad thing for a young man to thus take to the pessimistic school -of philosophy as exemplified by Schopenhauer, as, having nothing to look -back at, nothing to look forward to, and nothing to hold on by, the -scheme of his life falls into a ruinous condition, so, being without the -safety anchor of Hope, he drifts aimlessly through existence, a nuisance -to himself and to every one around him. Maurice, listless and -despairing, did no more work than was absolutely necessary to earn a -bare subsistence, and lived his life in a semi-dreamy, semi-lethargic -condition, with no very distinct idea as to what was to be the ultimate -end of all this dreariness. When night fell he was then more at rest, -for in sleep he found a certain amount of compensation for the woes of -his waking hours. As to his modelling, he took a positive dislike to it, -and for this reason improved but little in his work during the last -years of his Bohemian existence. Profoundly disgusted, without any -positive reason, with himself, his art, the world, and his fellow-men, -heaven only knows what would have become of him, had not an event -happened which, by placing him in a new position, seemed to promise his -redemption from the gloomy prison of melancholia. - -The event in question was none other than the death of his father, and -Maurice, as in duty bound, came down to the funeral. When the will of -the late Squire was read, it was discovered that, with the exception of -one or two trifling bequests, all the real and personal property was -left to his only son; thus this fortunate young man at the age of thirty -found himself independent of the world for the rest of his days, -provided always he did not squander his paternal acres, a thing he had -not the slightest intention of doing. Maurice had no leanings towards -what is vulgarly termed a “fast life,” for he detested horse-racing, -cared but little for wine, and neither cards nor women possessed any -fascination for him. Not that he was a model young man by any means, but -his tastes were too refined, his nature too intellectual, to admit of -his finding pleasure in drinking, gaming, and their concomitants. As to -love, he did not know the meaning of the word,—at least not the real -meaning,—which was rather a mistake, as it would certainly have given -him an interest in life, and perhaps have prevented him yielding so -readily to the influence of “black care,” which even the genial Venusian -knew something about, seeing he made her an equestrian. - -Of course, he was sorry for the death of his father, but there had been -so little real sympathy between them, that he could not absolutely look -upon the event as an irreparable calamity. Maurice had always loved his -mother more than his father, and when she died as he was leaving home -for college he was indeed inconsolable; but he saw the remains of the -late Mr. Roylands duly committed to the family vault without any violent -display of grief, after which he returned to live the life of a country -gentleman at the Grange, and wonder what would be the upshot of this new -phase of his existence. - -Solitude was abhorrent to him, as his thoughts were so miserable; -therefore, for the sake of having some one to drive away the evil -spirit, he invited his aunt, the Hon. Mrs. Dengelton, to stay at the -Grange for a week or so. She came without hesitation, and brought her -daughter Eunice also, upon which Maurice, finding two women more than an -unhappy bachelor could put up with, asked the new poet Crispin, for whom -he had a great liking, to come down to Roylands, which that young man -did very willingly, as he was in love with Eunice, a state of things -half guessed and wholly hated by Mrs. Dengelton, who much desired her -daughter to marry the new Squire. - -On this special evening, the Rev. Stephen Carriston, Rector of Roylands, -had come to dinner, and, Crispin having retired to the drawing-room with -the ladies, he found himself alone with his former pupil, much to his -satisfaction, as he wished greatly to have a quiet talk with Maurice. -Mr. Carriston was the oldest friend the young man had, having been his -tutor in the long ago, and prepared him for college. Whatever success -Maurice gained at Oxford—and such success was not inconsiderable—was due -to the admirable way in which he had been coached by the rubicund -divine. - -Certainly the Rector loved the good things of this life, and looked as -if he did, which is surely pardonable enough, especially in a bachelor; -for at sixty-five years of age the Rector was still single, and much -beloved by his parishioners, to whom he preached short, pithy sermons on -the actions of their daily lives, which was assuredly much better than -muddling their dull brains with theological hair-splitting. Being very -fond of Maurice, he was greatly concerned to see the marked change which -six years of London life had made in the young fellow. The merry, -ambitious lad, who had departed so full of resolution to succeed, had -now returned a weary-looking, worn-out man; and as the Rector, during -the intervals of his nut-cracking, glanced at his former pupil, he was -struck by the extreme melancholy which pervaded the whole face. Comely -it was certainly, of the fresh-colored Saxon type, but the color had -long since left those haggard cheeks, there were deep lines in the high -forehead, the mouth was drawn downward in a dismal fashion under the -trim mustache, and from the eyes looked forth an unhappy soul. - -Yes, the Rector was considerably puzzled to account for this change, and -resolved to find out what ailed the lad, but he hardly knew how to set -about this delicate task, the more so, as he feared the consolations of -religion would do but little good in this case; for Maurice, without -being absolutely a sceptic, yet held opinions of a heterodox type, quite -at variance with the declarations of the Thirty-Nine Articles in which -the good Rector so firmly believed. - -At length Mr. Carriston grew weary of cracking nuts and sipping port -wine without the digestive aid of pleasant conversation, and therefore -began to talk to his quondam pupil, with the firm determination to keep -on talking until he discovered the secret of the young man’s melancholy. - -“Are you not going to fill your glass, Maurice?” - -“No, thank you, sir. I am rather tired of port.” - -“Inexplicable creature!” said the Rector, holding up his glass to the -light. “Ah, well, ‘_De gustibus_,’ my dear lad. I have no doubt you can -finish the quotation. Why not try claret?” - -“I’m tired of claret.” - -“It seems to me, sir,” observed Mr. Carriston leisurely, “that you are -tired of all things.” - -“I am—including myself.” - -“Strange! A young man of thirty years of age, sound of mind and body, -who is fortunate enough to inherit six thousand a year, ought to be -happy.” - -“Money does not bring happiness.” - -“Ah, that proverb is quite worn out,” replied the Rector cheerily; “try -another, my boy, try another.” - -Maurice, leaning forward with a sigh, took a handful of nuts, which he -proceeded to crack in a listless fashion. The Rector said nothing, but -waited for Maurice to speak, which he was obliged to do out of courtesy, -although much disinclined to resume the argument. - -“I’ve tried everything, and I’m tired of everything.” - -“Even of that marble-chipping you call art?” - -“I am more tired of that than of anything else,” said Maurice -emphatically. - -“A bad case,” murmured the Rector, shaking his gray head; “a very bad -case, which needs curing. ‘Nothing’s new! nothing’s true! and no -matter,’ says my Oxford fine gentleman. Maurice, I must assert my -privilege as an old friend, and reason with you in this matter. I am -sadly afraid, my dear lad, that you need whipping.” - -The ghost of a smile played over the tired face of the young man, and he -assented heartily to the observation of his old tutor—nay, even added an -amendment thereto. - -“I do, sir, I do!” he said sombrely; “we all need whipping more or -less—men, women, and children.” - -“I am afraid the last-named get the most of it,” replied Carriston, with -dry humor. - -“With the birch, yes. But ’tis not so pleasant to be whipped by Fate.” - -“My dear lad, you cannot say she has whipped you.” - -“To continue your illustration, Rector, there are several modes of -whipping,—the birch which pains the skin, poverty which pains the body, -and despair which pains the soul. The latter is my case. I have health, -wealth, and youth; but I feel the stings of the rod all the same.” - -“Yes?” queried Carriston interrogatively; “in what way?” - -“I have not the capability of enjoying the blessings I possess.” - -“How so? Explain this riddle.” - -“I cannot explain it. I simply take no pleasure in life. Rich or poor, -old or young, well or ill, I would still be as miserable as I am now.” - -“Hum! Let us look at the question from three points of -view—comprehensive points. The legal, the medicinal, the religious. One -of these, if properly applied, will surely solve the enigma.” - -“I doubt it.” - -“Ah, that is because you have made up your mind to doubt. ‘None so blind -as those who won’t see.’” - -“Who is quoting proverbs now, Mr. Carriston?” - -“I am, sir, even I who dislike such arid chips of wisdom; but ’tis an -excellent proverb, which has borne the wear and tear of centuries. Come -now, Maurice, are you in any trouble connected with money? are you -involved in any law-suit, or—or—well,” said the Rector, delicately eying -his glass, “I hardly know how to put it,—er—er—are you involved in any -love affair?” - -“No; my worldly position is all right, and I am not mixed up in any -feminine trouble.” - -“Good! that settles the legal point. Now for the medical. Your liver -must be out of order.” - -“I assure you, sir, I never felt better in my life.” - -Mr. Carriston’s face now assumed a grave expression as he put the last -question to his host. - -“And the religious point?” - -“I am not troubled on that score, sir.” - -The Rev. Stephen looked doubtful. - -“Whatever my religious views may be,” resumed Maurice, seeing the Rector -was but half convinced, “and I am afraid they can hardly be called -orthodox, I at least can safely say that my past life is not open to -misconstruction.” - -“Good! good! I always had confidence in you, Maurice. Yours is not the -nature to find pleasure in gutter-raking. Well, it seems that none of -those three points meet the case. Can you not give me some -understandable reason for this melancholy which renders your life so -bitter?” - -“No. I went to London full of joy, energy, and ambition; but in some -way—I cannot tell you how—I lost all those feelings. First joy departed, -then ambition fled away, and with these two feelings absent I felt no -further energy to do anything. It may be satiety, certainly. I have -explored the heights and depths of London life, I have read books new -and old, I have studied as far as in me lay my fellow-men, I have tried -to fall in love with my fellow-women—and failed dismally. In fact, Mr. -Carriston, I have exhausted the world, and find it as empty as this.” - -He held up a nut which he had just cracked, and it contained no -kernel—an apt illustration of his wasted life. - -The rector shook his head again in some perplexity, and filled himself -another glass of port, while Maurice, rising from his seat, sauntered to -the window, and looked absently at the peaceful scene before him. The -moon, rising slowly over the tree-tops, flooded the landscape with her -pale gleam, so that the gazer could see the glimmer of the white marble -statues far down in the dewy darkness of the lawn, the sombre woods -black against the clear sky, and away in the distance the thin streak of -silver, which told of the restless ocean. A salt wind was blowing -overland from thence, and, dilating his nostrils, opening his mouth, he -inhaled the vivifying breeze in long breaths, while dully in his ears -sounded the sullen thunder of the far-away billows rolling backward in -sheets of shattered foam. - -“Oh, Mother Nature! Demeter! Tellus! Isis!” he murmured, half closing -his eyes; “tis only from thee I can hope to gain a panacea for this -gnawing pain of life. I am weary of the world, tired of this aimless -existence, but to thee will I fly to seek solace in thine healing -balms.” - -“Maurice!” - -“Yes, sir.” - -It was the rector who spoke, and the sound of his mellow voice roused -the young man from his dreaming; therefore, resuming his normal manner, -he lighted a cigarette and prepared to listen to the conversation of his -old tutor. - -“Are you still as good a German scholar as you used to be?” asked the -rector deliberately. - -“Not quite. My German, like myself, has grown somewhat rusty.” - -“Can you translate the word _Selbstschmerz_?” - -“Self-sickness.” - -“Yes; that is about as good an English equivalent as can be found. Well, -that is what you are suffering from.” - -“Oh, wise physician,” retorted Roylands, with irony. “I know the cause -of the disease myself, but what of the cure?” - -“You must fall in love.” - -“No one can fall in love to order.” - -“Well, you must make the attempt at all events,” said Carriston, with a -genial laugh; “it is the only cure for your disease.” - -“Why do you think so?” - -“Because it is your egotism makes you miserable. You care for no one but -yourself, and are therefore bound to suffer from such selfishness. True -happiness lies in self-abnegation, a virtue which all men preach, but -few men practise. ‘Every man,’ says Goethe, ‘thinks himself the centre -of the universe.’ This is true—particularly true in your case. You have -been so much taken up with your own woes and troubles that you have had -no time to see those of your fellow-creatures, and such exclusive -analysis of one’s inner life leads naturally to self-sickness. You are -torturing yourself by yourself; you have destroyed the sense of -pleasure, and can therefore see nothing good on God’s earth. You would -like to cut the Gordian knot by death, but have neither the courage nor -resolution to make away with yourself. Oh, I know the reason of such -hesitation. - - ‘’Tis better to endure the ills we have, - Than fly to others that we know not of.’ - -I have no doubt that is your feeling about the hereafter. Well, with all -this you feel you are in prison and cannot escape, because a last -remnant of manliness forbids you opening the only door by which you can -go hence. Therefore you are forced to remain on earth, and condemned -yourself to supply the tortures from which you suffer. Have I not -described your condition accurately?” - -“You have,” replied Maurice, rather astonished at the rector’s -penetration. “I do torture myself, I know, but that is because I cannot -escape from my own thoughts. Pin-pricks hurt more than cannon balls, and -incessant worries are far more painful than great calamities. But all -you have said touches on the disease only, it does not say how the cure -you propose will benefit me.” - -He had come back to his seat, and was now leaning forward with folded -arms, looking at the benevolent face of his friend. The discussion, -having roused his interest, made him forget himself for the moment, and -with such forgetfulness the moody look passed away from his face. The -rector saw this, and immediately made use of it as a point in his favor. - -“Ah, if you could but behold yourself in the glass at this moment,” he -said approvingly, “you would see the point I am aiming at without need -of further discussion. I have interested you, and consequently you have -forgotten for the moment your self-torture. That is what love will do. -If you love a woman, she will fill your whole soul, your whole being, -and give you an interest in life. What she admires you will admire, what -she takes an interest in you will take an interest in; and thus, being -busy with other things, you will forget to worry your brains about your -own perfections or imperfections. And if you are happy enough to become -a father, children will give you a great interest in life, and you will -find that God has appointed you work to do which is ready to your hand. -When you discover the work, aided by wife and children, you will do it, -and thus be happy. Remember those fine words of Burns,— - - ‘To make a happy fireside clime - For weans and wife, - That’s the true pathos and sublime - Of human life.’” - -“What you say sounds fine but dull. I don’t care about such wearisome -domesticity.” - -“What you call wearisome domesticity,” said the Rector in a voice of -emotion, “is the happiest state in which a man can find himself. Home, -wife, children, domestic love, domestic consolations—what more can the -heart of man desire? Laurel crowns cure no aching head, but the gentle -kiss of a loved wife in time of trouble is indeed balm in Gilead.” - -Maurice looked at the old man in amazement, for never had he seen him so -moved. - -“You speak feelingly, Rector,” he said at length, with a certain -hesitation. - -“I speak as I feel,” replied Carriston with a sigh. “I also have my -story, old and unromantic-looking as I am. Come over to the Rectory -to-morrow, my dear lad, and I will tell you something which will make -you see how foolish it is to be miserable in God’s beautiful world.” - -“I am afraid it will give you pain.” - -“No; it will not give me pain. What was my greatest sorrow is now my -greatest consolation. You will come and see me to-morrow?” - -“If you wish it.” - -“I do wish it.” - -“Then I will come.” - -There was silence for a few moments, each of them being occupied with -his own thoughts. The Rector was evidently thinking of that old romance -which had stirred him to such an unwonted display of emotion; and -Maurice saw for the first time in his selfish life that other men had -sorrows as well as he, and that he was not the only person in the world -who suffered from _Selbstschmerz_. - -“But come, Maurice,” said the Rector, after a pause, “I was talking -about curing you by marriage.” - -“Love!” - -“Well, marriage in your case, I hope, will be love,” observed Carriston, -a trifle reproachfully. “I would be sorry indeed to see you make any -woman your wife unless it was for true love’s sake.” - -“Well, whom do you want me to love?” - -“Ah, that is for you to decide. But, if I may make a suggestion, I -should say, Eunice.” - -“Eunice!” - -“She is a charming girl. Highly educated, good-looking”— - -“But so prim.” - -“Oh, that is but a suspicion of old maidism, which will wear off after a -month or two of married life.” - -“Do you think she would make me a good wife?” - -“I am sure of it.” - -“So am I,” said Maurice, with a faint sneer. “She would look well at the -head of my table; she would always be dressed to perfection; she would -doubtless be an excellent mother; but there is one great bar to our -union.” - -“And that is?” - -“We only love each other as cousins.” - -“It may grow into a warmer feeling.” - -“I’m certain it won’t; and, Rector,” continued Maurice, laying his hand -on the old man’s arm, “could you advise me to have a mother-in-law like -Mrs. Dengelton?” - -The Rector laughed heartily, and Maurice joined in his mirth, much to -Carriston’s delight. - -“Ah, now you are more like the boy I knew!” he said, slipping his arm -into that of Roylands, and leading him to the door; “did I not tell you -I would cure you? I will complete the cure to-morrow.” - -“But it might give you pain.” - -“No, no; don’t think about that,” said Carriston hastily. “If I can do -you a service, I don’t mind a passing twinge of regret. But here we are -at the drawing-room door. Let us join the ladies.” - -“And Crispin.” - -“By the way,” said the Rector, placing his hand on Roylands as he was -about to open the door, “who is Crispin?” - -“Every one in London has been trying to find that out for the last two -years.” - -“What is he?” - -“The new poet; the coming Tennyson, the future Browning. No one knows -who he is, or where he comes from. He is called Crispin _tout court_.” - -“A most perplexing person. Are you quite sure”— - -“If he is fit for respectable society? Oh yes. He goes everywhere in -London. Like Disraeli, he stands on his head, for his genius—and he has -great genius—has opened all the drawing-rooms of Belgravia to him. Oh, -he is quite proper.” - -“Still, still!” objected the Rector. - -“Well, what objection have you yet to him, my dear sir?” - -“I’m afraid, I’m afraid,” whispered Carriston, looking apprehensively at -Maurice, “that he loves Eunice.” - -“Impossible!” - -“Oh, I’m not so old but what I can see the signs and tokens of love; -and, placed on my guard by a casual glance, I noticed Eunice and your -poet particularly at dinner.” - -“In that case,” said Maurice coolly, “I’m afraid Crispin will have to -put up with Mrs. Dengelton as a mother-in-law.” - -The Rector laughed again, and they entered the drawing-room. - - CHAPTER II. - DE RERUM PARVULA. - - The smallest actions in a life - Betray the calm or inward strife: - From idle straws, as persons know, - One learns the way the breezes blow; - You love those Florentine mosaics, - Yet tiny stones the picture makes. - Complying with this rule’s demand, - Whate’er is meant you’ll understand, - So follow carefully this chatter, - And you’ll discover what’s the matter. - - -The three persons who occupied the drawing-room were all employed -according to their different natures, for Crispin, being an ardent -musician, was seated at the piano, playing softly. Eunice, who rarely -spoke, was listening, and the Hon. Mrs. Dengelton was talking as usual. -She was always talking, but never by any chance said anything worth -listening to. With her it was all quantity and no quality. For, wherever -she was, in drawing-room, theatre, or park, her sharp strident voice -could be heard all over the place. Certainly she was silent in church, -but it must have been an effort for her to hold her tongue, and she -fully made up for it when she was outside the door, by chattering all -the way home. Scandal said she had talked her husband dead and her -daughter silent; and certainly the Hon. Guy Dengelton was safe in the -family vault, while Eunice, as a rule, said very little. Mrs. Dengelton -knew every one and everything, and, were it the fashion to write -memoirs, after the mode of the eighteenth century, she could have -produced a book which would have made a sensation, and been -suppressed—after the first edition. Owing to her incessant stream of -small talk, she was known in society as “The Parrot,” a name which -exactly fitted her, as she had a hook nose, beady eyes, and always -dressed in gay colors. Add to this description her _esprit_, as she -called it, but which scandal said was French for the vulgar American -word “jaw,” and you have a faithful portrait of the most dreaded woman -in London. - -Reasons? two! She knew stories about every one, which she retailed to -their friends at the pitch of her voice; and she was always hunting for -a husband for Eunice. Eldest sons had a horror of her, and the -announcement that Mrs. Dengelton was to be at any special ball was -sufficient to keep all the eligible young men away. Consequently, no one -asked “The Parrot” to a dance unless the invitation was dragged out of -them; but Mrs. Dengelton was skilful at such work, and went out a good -deal during the season. Hitherto she had not been successful in her -husband-hunting, as no one would marry Eunice, with the chance of having -Mrs. Dengelton as mother-in-law. Crispin certainly was daring enough to -pay his addresses, but Crispin had neither name, title, nor family, -nothing but his genius, and Mrs. Dengelton therefore frowned on his -suit. When Maurice came in for the Roylands estate, his aunt thought it -would be splendid for Eunice to marry her first cousin, “just to keep -the property in the family,” as Mrs. Dengelton put it, though how such a -saying applied in this case it is rather difficult to see. However, The -Parrot gladly accepted her nephew’s invitation,—when she arrived, he -regretted having asked her—and came down with Eunice, with the firm -determination to talk Maurice into matrimony. - -She was very angry when Crispin arrived, and forbade Eunice to encourage -the young man, but she could scarcely turn him out of the house, as she -would have liked to do, so put up with his presence as best she could, -and never lost an opportunity of saying disagreeable things to him in a -covert fashion. - -Eunice herself was a charmingly pretty girl, who very much resented the -way in which her mother put her up to auction, but, being rather -weak-willed, could not combat Mrs. Dengelton’s determination, and -submitted quietly to be dragged about all over the place, with the hope -that some day a modern St. George would deliver her from this dragon. - -St. George, long looked for, unexpectedly appeared one day in the person -of Crispin, and, though Mrs. Dengelton laughed at the idea of her -daughter throwing herself away on a pauper, Eunice, nevertheless, fell -in love with the poet. Crispin would have married her at once, but, in -spite of her anxiety to get beyond the clack of Mrs. Dengelton’s tongue, -she was too much afraid of that strong-willed lady to break out into -open mutiny, so poor St. George had to adore her in secret, lest the -dragon should pounce down on him. - -Crispin! who ever heard of such a name? being the more singular as it -had neither head nor tail. If he had been Henry Crispin, or Crispin -Jones, people could have put up with the oddness of the sound; but -Crispin, all alone by itself, sounded heathenish, to say the least of -it. No one knew who Crispin was, or where he came from, for he had -suddenly flashed like a meteor into literary London, two years previous, -with a book of brilliant poems, which made a great success. For once the -critics were unanimous in praising good work, and pronounced “The Roses -of Shiraz, and Other Poems” to be the finest series of poetical Eastern -tales since Lord Byron had enchanted the world with “The Giaour” and -“The Bride of Abydos.” For the critics’ praise or blame Crispin seemed -to care but little, nor did he satisfy the curiosity of those up to date -people who desired to meet him. Sometimes he would appear in a -Belgravian drawing-room, but only for a moment, and would then leave -England for a tour in his beloved East. Just when the world would begin -to forget him, he would suddenly reappear in society, and fascinate one -and all by his charming manners. Handsome some he was not, being small -and dark, but he was as lithe as a serpent, and his dark eyes flashed -with the fierce fire of genius. All sorts of stories were told about -him, and none of them were correct, though Mrs. Dengelton was ready to -swear to the truth of at least half a dozen. In fact, he puzzled society -very much, and, as society always takes to that which is not -understandable, Crispin was quite the lion of the season. - -An article called “The Lord Byron of our days” appeared in a leading -society paper, which retailed wonders about this unknown poet; but -Crispin neither contradicted nor affirmed the truth of these statements, -therefore became more of a puzzle than ever. He was a brilliant -musician; he talked several languages, and seemed to have been all over -the world; but beyond this he was a mystery. To no one, not even to -Maurice, who was his closest friend, did he tell the story of his life, -and even Mrs. Dengelton, who was an adept at finding out things people -did not want known, could make nothing of him. - -Then Crispin met Eunice, and all his heart went out to this dainty, -dark-haired girl, who spoke so seldom, but whose eyes and gestures were -so eloquent. “The Fairy of Midnight,” he called her, and often wondered -how such a woman as Mrs. Dengelton ever came to have so silent and -lovely a daughter. To Crispin, steeped in the lore of the East, she was -like a Peri, and her love inspired him with wondrous love poems, some of -which appeared in _The Nineteenth Century_ and _The Fortnightly Review_. -Whether he told her who he was is doubtful—if he did, Eunice never -betrayed his confidence, for she was a woman who could keep a secret, -which was a miracle, seeing her mother was such a gossip. They loved and -suffered in silence with such discretion, that even keen-eyed Mrs. -Dengelton did not guess the understanding which existed between them, -and was hard at work trying to arrange a marriage with Maurice, quite -unaware that her meek daughter had made up her mind to marry no one but -this mysterious Crispin. - -Sitting at the piano, Crispin was playing a wild Eastern air with the -soft pedal down, and looking at Eunice, whose eyes responded eloquently -to his glances. Neither of them paid much attention to the chatter of -The Parrot, who was quite ignorant of the love-making going on under her -nose, for both Eunice and Crispin had arrived at the stage of complete -union of souls which renders words superfluous while eyes can talk. - -Mrs. Dengelton was doing a parrot in beadwork for a screen, and the -gaudy bird might have passed for her portrait, so like her did it seem. -Luckily, the beadwork parrot could not talk, but its creator could, and -did, with as few pauses as possible. - -“As I was saying, my dear Eunice, there is something very strange about -this silence of my dear nephew. I’ve no doubt it is smoking too much,—so -many young men smoke in that dreadful place, Bloomsbury, where he -lived,—or perhaps he feels a little out of society after living so long -away from it. Oh, I know Bloomsbury! yes! I sometimes visit the poor -there. How strange I never came across poor dear Maurice! He is so sadly -altered, not gay like he used to be. I do not really think he knows how -to laugh, and”— - -At this moment, as if to give the lie to Mrs. Dengelton’s assertion, her -nephew entered the room, laughing, in company with the Rector; but the -good lady did not know that she was the cause of this hilarity, and at -once began to deluge the new-comers with the fountain of her small talk. - -“Now, my dear Rector and my dear Maurice, what are you laughing at? Is -it some amusing joke? Oh, I am sure it is! Eunice, Mr. Crispin, we are -going to be told something funny”— - -“But really, my dear lady,” began the Rector, with uplifted hand, “I”— - -“Now you need not tell me it is not funny, because it has made Maurice -laugh, and he has been as grave as a judge since we came down. I was -just saying to Eunice when you came in”— - -“My dear aunt, the joke is not worth telling you,” said Maurice, in -desperation cutting her short. - -“Ah, I knew there was a joke! Do tell it to Eunice! she is so fond of -amusing stories, especially from you.” - -Maurice flushed angrily. - -“I don’t tell amusing stories,” he said curtly, and walked across to the -piano. - -“Such a bad temper!” sighed the Parrot, shaking her head; “so like his -poor dear father, who foamed at the mouth when in a rage.” - -“Oh, come, not so bad as that,” said the Rector good-naturedly. - -“My dear Rector, I assure you I have seen Austin”—And then Mrs. -Dengelton began a long, rambling story, which had no beginning and -certainly did not appear to have an end, for she droned on until the -poor Rector was quite weary, and was much put to to conceal his yawns. - -Meanwhile, Maurice, remembering what the Rector had told him about the -young couple, looked keenly at the poet and then at his cousin, at which -inspection they naturally felt somewhat embarrassed. - -“Yes?” said Eunice at length, in an interrogative fashion. - -“Oh, nothing, nothing!” he responded hastily; “I was only wondering what -you were talking about.” - -“We were not talking at all,” said Crispin, running his fingers over the -keys; “on the contrary, we were listening to Mrs. Dengelton.” - -Maurice smiled absently, and tugged moodily at his mustache. - -“You have a charming place here, Roylands,” remarked Crispin, more for -the sake of saying something than for the importance of the remark; “I -would like to settle down in this quiet village.” - -“You!” said Maurice in astonishment; “the bird of passage who is never -off the wing! Why, you would die of ennui in a week.” - -“Ah, that depends on the company,” answered Crispin, stealing a glance -at Eunice, who sat silently playing with her fan. - -“I am afraid I am not very lively company,” observed Maurice, with a -sigh, not noticing the glance; “there is so little to talk about -nowadays.” - -“Poetry.” - -“I’m tired of poetry.” - -“Music.” - -“Too much music is dreary. I heard such a lot in London.” - -“Then you must love scandal.” - -“Ah, that is a hint that my dear aunt can amuse me.” - -“Maurice!” said Eunice, with a frown. - -“Now don’t be angry, my dear cousin. Talking scandal is a very harmless -occupation, and, as the Rector seems interested, I think I will go and -hear the latest story of Belgravia. But, Crispin, I wish you would take -my cousin on to the terrace—the sky is worth looking at with moon and -clouds.” - -Crispin darted a look of gratitude at him, and Maurice, delighted at -thus foiling his aunt’s schemes, went off to hear that lady’s -conversation. - -The two lovers at the piano were afraid to move for a time, lest they -should attract Mrs. Dengelton’s attention, and thus be stopped from -leaving the room; but when they saw her deep in conversation with the -two gentlemen, they stole quietly to the French window at the end of the -room, through which they speedily gained the terrace. - -“Do you feel cold, Eunice?” asked Crispin, noticing his companion -shiver. - -“A little.” - -“Wait a moment, then. Your mother left a shawl near the window, I’ll -fetch it to you at once.” - -“Take care she does not see you.” - -“Not much fear of that; she has an audience, and is happy.” - -He went off laughing quietly; and Eunice, leaning on the balustrade of -the terrace, stared at the wonderful beauty of the sky. Away in the west -shone the silver round of the moon, and below her were gigantic black -clouds, the edges of which were tipped with light. They looked like -gigantic rocks piled up from earth to heaven, and above them shone the -serene planet in an expanse of blue, as if she scorned their efforts to -veil her face. Far below Eunice heard the musical splash of the -fountains, and the chill odors of flowers floated upward, as though -drawn by the spell of her beauty. She looked wonderfully lovely with her -delicate face turned upward to the moon, and so thought Crispin, as he -came lightly along the terrace with the fleecy shawl over his arm. - -“I shall no longer call you the Fairy of Midnight,” he whispered, -wrapping the shawl round her shoulders; “your name will be the ‘Moon -Elf.’” - -“Ah, what a charming title for a fairy story!” said Eunice, who was -anything but silent when away from her mother. “Why do you not write a -fairy story?” - -“Because I am living one now.” - -“Flatterer!” - -“No; I am speaking the truth. I adore a lovely princess, who is guarded -by an elderly dragon breathing the fire of scandal”— - -“You must not talk of my mother like that.” - -“Then I will not. She is the most charming lady I know.” - -“Oh!” - -“What! you are not pleased at that? My dearest Eunice, how cruel you -are! But indeed I do not love your mother. She will not let me marry -you.” - -“No; she wants me to marry Maurice,” said Eunice, with a sigh. - -“I am afraid that ambition will never be gratified. Maurice is our -friend.” - -“Do you think he knows we love one another?” - -“I am sure he does. But he knows to-night for the first time; I saw it -in his eyes when he looked at us.” - -“How can he have guessed?” - -“He did not guess. No; Roylands has never been in love, and only a lover -can recognize the silent eloquence of love. But I think that keen-eyed -old Rector”— - -“What! Mr. Carriston? Impossible! How could he tell we loved one -another?” - -“Well, going by the theory I have propounded, he must have at one time -of his life been in love himself, and therefore intuitively guessed our -hidden romance.” - -“But he is a bachelor.” - -“Ah, then he has had a romance also! An extinct volcano perhaps.” - -“And Maurice?” - -“Is not a volcano at all—at least, not so far as I know. He has never -been in love yet, but he will be some day.” - -“When?” - -“Pardon me, I cannot lift the veil of the future. But I admit Maurice -with his melancholia puzzles me.” - -“Well, you puzzle every one yourself. They call you the riddle of -London.” - -“I will explain my riddle self to you when we marry.” - -“I am afraid that will never be.” - -“Indeed it will,” he said gayly. “But you need not be afraid of my -mystery; I have no Bluebeard chamber to keep locked, I assure you. Do -you hesitate to marry me on account of my so-called mystery?” - -“No; I trust you too much for that.” - -“My dearest!” - -At this moment the moon veiled her face discreetly behind a wandering -cloud, and their lips met in a kiss—a kiss of pure and enduring love. -Then Crispin tenderly wrapped the shawl closer round the shoulders of -Eunice, and arm in arm they strolled up and down the terrace, talking of -their present despairs, their future hopes, and their possible marriage. - -Meanwhile, Mrs. Dengelton, quite unaware of the way in which all her -matrimonial schemes were being baffled by this audacious poet, was -holding forth to Maurice and the Rector on the subject of a family -romance. For once in her life she proved interesting, for Maurice only -knew the skeleton of Roylands by name, and was quite unaware of the -reason it was locked up in the cupboard. It was wonderful what a lot of -good the conversation of the Rector had done him, and now, having been -once roused out of his melancholia, he was quite interested by the story -which his aunt was telling. The Rev. Stephen Carriston noticed the -bright look on his usually sad face, and was delighted thereat. - -“I will complete the cure to-morrow,” he repeated to himself; and then -prepared to listen to Mrs. Dengelton’s story, which interested him very -much, the more so as he knew the principal actor concerned therein. - -“Of course I only speak from hearsay, my dear Rector,” she said, laying -aside her beadwork so as to give her eloquence every chance; “at the -time these events took place I was just a baby in long clothes. You, -Rector, perhaps know the story better than I do.” - -“No; I had just left college when Rudolph Roylands ran away, but I knew -him at the university.” - -“Ah yes; of course. You were very friendly with both my brothers, I -believe, so it is curious they never told you of their love for Rose -Silverton.” - -“Well—I heard something about it,” said the Rector, with a hesitating -glance at Maurice. - -“Oh, my dear Rector, I am going to say nothing against my sister-in-law. -She was a very charming woman.” - -“She was all that was good and pure,” remarked Maurice abruptly; -annoyed, he knew not why, at the tone adopted by Mrs. Dengelton in -speaking of his dead mother. - -“Yes, I know she was. Still, my dear Maurice, you must pardon my plain -speech, but she did flirt terribly with Rudolph.” - -“My lost uncle? Ridiculous!” - -“It is not ridiculous at all,” said the lady, drawing herself up; “it -was on your mother’s account Rudolph left England.” - -“Who said so?” demanded Maurice indignantly. - -“Every one; even your father.” - -Maurice was about to make some remark, when he caught sight of a warning -look on Carriston’s face, therefore held his peace. - -“What I was about to remark,” pursued Mrs. Dengelton, choosing her words -carefully, “was that, when my brothers, Rudolph and Austin, came -home,—the first from his regiment, the second from college,—they both -fell in love with Rose Silverton, whose father was a retired captain in -the army. Rudolph, as you know, Rector, was the heir to Roylands, and -Captain Silverton naturally wanted Rose to marry him, as the match was -such a good one. She, however, preferred Austin.” - -“Love _versus_ Money, and Love was triumphant,” said Maurice, smiling. - -“If you put it like that, I suppose it was,” replied his aunt frigidly. -“Well, Rose, as I have said, flirted considerably with Rudolph, though -she loved my brother Austin best. Oh, you need not shake your head, -Rector—Rose did flirt!” - -“My dear aunt, spare the dead,” observed Maurice, with a groan, for this -old lady was really terrible with her malignant tongue. - -“I hope I am too good a churchwoman to speak evil of any one, dead or -alive,” said Mrs. Dengelton, with dignity. “But I will make no further -remarks if they are so displeasing to you, though why they should be -displeasing I cannot conceive. Well, to gratify her father, Rose -appeared to favor Rudolph, but in secret she met Austin. Such duplicity! -I beg your pardon, Maurice, but it was duplicity.” - -The Rector sighed, and Mrs. Dengelton looked curiously at him, as if she -guessed the meaning of the sigh, then resumed her story without -commenting thereon, to Carriston’s evident relief. - -“Rudolph in some way came to hear of these stolen meetings, and -surprised Austin walking with Rose one June evening. The brothers came, -I regret to say, to blows, while Rose looked on in horror. Austin, being -the younger and weaker, could not stand against the furious onslaught of -Rudolph, who stunned him with a blow, then, thinking he had killed him, -kissed Rose, who had fainted, and disappeared forever. He returned to -London, left the army, and went away to the East, with a considerable -sum of money which he inherited from his mother.” - -“And my father and mother?” asked Maurice breathlessly. - -“Were found by some laborers insensible; the one from fear, the other -from the blow given to him by his brother. They were taken to their -respective homes, and when Austin got well again, he married Rose in due -course. I believe your father and mother were very happy in their -married life, Maurice, but they were singularly unfortunate in the fate -of their children. Your brothers and sisters, four of them born during -the early period of the marriage, all died; and you, who came into the -world nearly twenty years after the marriage, were the only child who -lived.” - -“And how long ago did all this happen, aunt?” - -“Cannot you think it out for yourself?” said Mrs. Dengelton tartly. “You -are now thirty-five; you were born—let me see—about fifteen years after -the marriage, so altogether Rudolph disappeared fifty years ago.” - -“And has not been heard of since?” - -“No; all inquiries were made, but nothing came of them,” replied the -lady, shaking her head. “I suppose Rudolph thought he had killed Austin, -and left England to avoid arrest. At all events, not a soul has heard of -him since. Where he went, no one knows; but by this time, I have no -doubt he is dead.” - -“Poor Uncle Rudolph, what an unhappy fate!” said Maurice thoughtfully. - -“Ah, I always did blame Rose for that quarrel!” cried Mrs. Dengelton -sourly. - -“My mother”—began Maurice indignantly, when the Rector stopped him. - -“Your mother was not to blame, my dear Maurice,” he said, rising to his -feet. “I know more about this story than Mrs. Dengelton thinks.” - -A sniff was the Hon. Mrs. Dengelton’s only reply, which was vulgar, but -eloquent of disbelief. - -Carriston’s face, generally ruddy, looked somewhat pale, and Maurice -wondered what could be the reason for such a loss of color. The old man -saw his inquiring look, and arose to take his leave. - -“I must say good-night, my dear Maurice,” he said, giving his hand to -Mrs. Dengelton. “I am not so young as I once was, and keep early hours.” - -At this moment, as if guided by some happy fate, Eunice, in company with -Crispin, entered the room at the back of Mrs. Dengelton, and returned to -their seats without her having noticed their absence. - -“Good-night, sir,” said Crispin, coming forward to shake hands with the -Rector. - -“How quiet you have been!” remarked Mrs. Dengelton suspiciously. “Where -is my daughter?” - -“Here, mamma;” and Eunice came forward in the demurest manner. - -“Were you listening to my story?” asked her mother inquiringly,—“my -story about your Uncle Rudolph leaving England?” - -“No,” interposed Crispin quickly, before Eunice could speak; “we were -discussing photographs on yonder sofa.” - -“Photographs, eh?” said Mrs. Dengelton, with a frown, for she knew what -looking over a photograph album meant in this case, but did not see her -way to make further remark. - -The Rector said good-night to every one, and then departed, accompanied -by Maurice, who walked with him as far as the park gates. Here they -separated, after Maurice had promised faithfully to call at the Rectory -the next day, and the old clergyman went home, while his pupil returned -to the Grange in a thoughtful manner. - -“I wonder,” he said to himself, pausing for a moment in the shadowy -avenue,—“I wonder if my uncle is still alive. If he is, I am wrongfully -in possession of Roylands. Suppose he came back and claimed it, I would -once more be penniless. Well,” he sighed, resuming his walk, “perhaps -that would be the best thing that could happen, for work means -happiness, and earning one’s bread forces a man to take a deep interest -in life whether he will or no.” - - - - - CHAPTER III. - THE RECTOR’S ROMANCE. - - In pity for our painful strife - God aids us from above, - And every mortal in his life - Plucks once the rose of love. - - The flower may bloom, the flower may fade, - As love brings joys or woes, - Still in the heart of youth and maid - That sacred blossom grows. - - ’Tis cherished through declining years, - Amid death’s coming glooms, - And watered by regretful tears, - The flower eternal blooms. - - Nor death that rose from us can part, - For when the body dies, - All broken on the broken heart, - That bud of heaven lies. - - -Roylands Rectory was a comfortable-looking house, distant about a mile -from the Grange, and near the village, which was an extremely small one. -Indeed, although the parish was large, the Rector’s congregation was -not, and his clerical occupation did not entail much work. Nevertheless, -Stephen Carriston did his best to attend to the spiritual welfare of the -souls under his charge; and if the hardest day’s work still left him -with plenty of spare time on his hands, that could hardly be called his -fault. The Rector abhorred idleness, which is said to be the mother of -all the vices, and managed to fill up his unoccupied hours in a -sufficiently pleasant manner by indulging in occupations congenial to -his tastes. He was now engaged in translating the comedies of -Aristophanes into English verse, and found the biting wit of the great -Athenian playwright very delightful after the dull brains of his -parishioners. For the rest, he pottered about his garden and attended to -his roses, which were the pride of his heart, as well they might be, -seeing that his small plot of ground was a perfect bower of loveliness. - -It is at this point that the pen fails and the brush should come in; for -it would be simply impossible to give in bald prose an adequate -description of the paradise of flowers contained within the red brick -walls which enclosed the garden on three sides. The fourth side was the -house, a quaint, low-roofed, old-fashioned place, with deep -diamond-paned lattices, and stacks of curiously-twisted chimneys. Built -in the reign of the Second Charles, it yet bore the date of its -erection, 1666, the _annus mirabilis_ of Dryden, when half London was -swept away by the fire, and half its inhabitants by the plague. Rector -Carriston liked this house,—nay, like is too weak a word, he loved -it,—as its antiquity, matching with his own, pleased him; and besides, -having resided within its red-tiled roof for over thirty years, it was -natural that he should be deeply attached to its quaint walls and still -quainter rooms. - -But the garden! oh, the garden was a miracle of beauty! and only -Crispin, who deals in such lovelinesses, could describe its perfections, -as he did indeed long afterwards, when the good Rector was dead, and -could not read the glowing verse which eulogized his roses. Three -moderately high brick walls, one running parallel to the high road, so -that the Rector could keep a vigilant eye on the incomings and outgoings -of his villagers, fenced in this modern garden of Alcinous, and these -three walls were almost hidden by the foliage of peach and apricot and -nectarine, for it was now midsummer, and nature was decked out in her -gayest robes. A dial in the middle of the smooth lawn, with its warning -motto, which the Rector did not believe, as Time only sauntered with -him; a noble elm, wherein the thrush fluted daily, and a bower of -greenery, in which the nightingale piped nightly: it was truly an ideal -retreat, rendered still more perfect by the roses. The roses! oh, the -red, white, and yellow roses! how they bloomed in profusion under the -old red wall, which drew the heat of the sun into its breast, and then -showered it second-hand on the delicate, warmth-loving flowers. Great -creamy buds, trembling amid their green leaves at the caress of the -wind, gorgeously crimson blossoms burning incense to the hot sun, -pale-tinted flowers, which flushed delicately at the dawn hour, and -bright yellow orbs, which looked as though the touch of Midas had turned -them into gold. All the bees for miles around knew that garden, and the -finest honey in the neighborhood owed its existence to the constant -visits they paid to that wilderness of sweets. - -Such a bright morning as it was! Above, the blue sky, in which the sun -burned lustily, below, the green earth, pranked with flowers, and -between these two splendors, the Rector, armed with a pair of scissors, -strolling contentedly about his small domain. From the adjacent fields, -where the corn was yet young, sprang a brown-feathered lark, which arose -higher and higher in spiral circles, singing as though his throat would -burst with melody, until, the highest point attained, he ceased his -liquid warblings, and fell earthward like a stone. Indeed, the Rector -had no lack of music, for the larks awoke him in the morning, the -thrushes piped to him at noon, and when night fell the divine -nightingale pouring forth her impassioned strains wooed him from his -study, where he was reading the Aristophanic rendering of her song, to -listen to the reality, before which even the magical Greek verse seemed -harsh. ’Twas an ideal place, and in it the Rector lived an ideal -existence, far away from the noise and restlessness of our modern -civilization. In his study he had the books of genius, which he greatly -loved, but in his garden he possessed the book of God, which he loved -still more; and even had not he been a devout believer in the goodness -of the Almighty, surely that garden would have converted him with its -dewy splendors. - -An odd figure looked Mr. Carriston, shuffling about in a pair of -comfortable old slippers, a very raven in blackness, save for the -wide-brimmed straw hat shading his gray hairs, his benevolent-looking -face. With a green watering-pan in one hand, and the scissors in the -other, he pried and peered among his beloved flowers, with his two -pets—a cat and a magpie—at his heels, and clipped off a dead leaf here, -plucked a withered blossom there, with the tenderest anxiety for the -well-being of the roses. - -“Dear, dear!” sighed the Rector, pausing before a drooping-looking -Gloire de Dijon; “this does not seem at all healthy. It needs rain—in -fact, I think the flowers would be none the worse of a shower or so; but -there’s no sign of rain,” looking anxiously up to the cloudless sky. “I -wonder if a little manure”— - -Down went the Rector on his knees, and began grubbing about the roots of -the plant, much to the discomfort of the magpie, who hopped about near -him in an agitated manner. - -“A brass thimble,” said Mr. Carriston, making a discovery, “a copper, -and three blue beads. The roots of the plant wounded, too, with -scratching. This is your work, Simon. I wish you would hide your rubbish -somewhere else.” - -The magpie, otherwise Simon, made a vicious peck at the Rector’s hand, -to revenge himself for the discovery of his treasure; then, anxious to -save something, snatched up the thimble and made off hastily. - -“Too bad of Simon,” murmured Mr. Carriston, rubbing his nose in a vexed -manner. “I will have to ask Mukle to keep him in the back yard. Ah, -Mukle! what is it?” - -Mukle—to the rector, Mrs. Mukle to her friends—was a hard-featured, bony -woman, who looked as if she had been cut out of a deal board. Her -cooking was much more agreeable than her appearance, and, having been -with the rector—whom she adored—for many years, she knew to a turn what -he liked and what he did not like, therefore suited him admirably in her -double capacity of cook and housekeeper. - -“Mr. Roylands, sir!” announced Mukle grimly. - -“Oh, where is he?” - -“Study, sir,” responded Mukle, who was a lady with a firm belief in the -golden rule of silence. - -“Ask him to come here.” - -An assenting sniff was Mukle’s only reply, and, turning on her heel in a -military fashion,—the late Mr. Mukle had been a soldier,—she strode back -to the house like a grenadier. - -Meanwhile, Mr. Carriston, having risen to his feet, was dusting his -knees, and, while thus engaged, saw Maurice coming towards him. -Assuredly the master of the Grange was a fine specimen of humanity, for -he was over six feet in height, and, being arrayed in shooting-coat, -knickerbockers, and deerstalker’s hat, looked a remarkably striking -figure. He would have looked better had his face borne a smile, but, as -it was, he came solemnly forward and took the rector’s outstretched hand -as if he was chief mourner at a funeral. - -“You shouldn’t be a country gentleman, Maurice,” said Mr. Carriston, -after the usual greetings had been exchanged. “The occupation of a monk -would suit you better.” - -Maurice said nothing, but sighed wearily. - -“Come now, my dear lad; if you sigh in that fashion, I shall suspect you -of being a lover, in spite of your asseveration to the contrary.” - -“A man can’t marry his aunt, and as Crispin wants to marry Eunice, no -one is left for me but my honorable relation.” - -“Try Mukle.” - -“Too much of a grenadier.” - -“I think you are the same—in height,” said the Rector, looking -approvingly at his tall friend. “If old Father Fritz had seen the pair -of ye, I think he would have insisted upon the marriage, so as to breed -a race of giants. But, dear, dear! what nonsense we talk! Come and sit -down, my lad. Will you smoke?” - -“No, thank you, sir. I’m tired of smoking.” - -“Maurice, if you go on in this fashion, I will be angry with you. It’s a -beautiful day, so you ought to have a beautiful smile on your face. -Listen to that lark! Does not its gush of song thrill your heart? Admire -my roses! Where, even in the gorgeous East, will you see such splendor? -The birds sing, the sun shines, the flowers bloom, and yet you are as -discontented as if you were shut up between four bare walls. Maurice, -I’m really and truly ashamed of your ingratitude to God for His many -gifts.” Maurice made no reply, but punched holes in the gravel with his -walking-stick. “Now you wait here, my lad,” said the Rector, recovering -breath after his little lecture, “and see if yon lark will sing you into -a better frame of mind. It may be the David to your Saul, and drive the -evil spirit out of you. I am going away to wash my hands, which are -somewhat grubby with my gardening, and will return in a few moments.” - -Off went the Rector with a light step, as springy as that of a young -man, and Maurice looked after him in sheer envy of such -light-heartedness. - -“Why cannot I be happy like that?” he sighed, baring his head to the -cool breeze. - -Did ever a man ask himself so ridiculous a question? Here was a healthy -young man, of good personal appearance, with a superfluity of the gifts -of fortune, yet he commiserated himself for nothing at all, and -propounded riddles to himself which he was unable to answer. But all -such misery came from incessant brooding and self-analysis, which is -bound to make even the most complacent person dissatisfied with his -advantages in the long-run. If Maurice, throwing aside his books, art, -broodings, and everything else, had gone in for fishing, hunting, -dancing, rowing, as he did in his earlier youth, his mind would soon -have resumed its normal healthiness. Unluckily, the ten years’ life in -Bohemia, where he had no money nor time to indulge in such sports, had -weakened his interest in them, and he by no means seemed inclined to -take up the broken thread of his life. This was a great mistake, as, had -he reverted to his earlier mode of living, he would in a short time have -come to look upon that weary decade as but a bad dream, and ultimately -have recovered this _mens sana in corpore sano_ condition, which is so -essential to the happiness of one’s existence. If there is a person to -be envied, ’tis a healthy man with an average stock of brains, for he -does not live with shadows, he has no torturing dreams, he does not rack -his soul with thinking out the problems of life; but simply takes the -goods the gods provide, enjoys them to the full measure of his capacity, -and throws all disturbing influences to the winds. Maurice Roylands was -a man of this sort in many respects, but he had a trifle too much brain -power, and therefore, in accordance with the great law of compensation, -suffered from the excess, by using it to torture his otherwise healthy -mind. Unfortunately, he did not reason in this way, but, feeling that he -was miserable, hastily decided that such misery was incurable. Not a -wise way of looking at the matter certainly, but then Maurice, though no -fool in many ways, was not a Solomon for wisdom; and besides, -Melancholia, who places all things in a dull light, had him in her grip, -which prevented him from giving his diseased mind the medicine it -required. - -However, in accordance with his old tutor’s instructions, he sat there -in silence, drinking in the odors of the flowers, and listening to the -music of the lark. Not only that, but a thrush in the tree above him -began to pour forth his mellow notes; and though it was nigh mid-June, -he heard the quaint call of the cuckoo sound in the distance. Nature and -Nature’s voices exercised their benign influence on his restless spirit, -and even in that short space of time soothed him so much that, when Mr. -Carriston returned, he missed the frowning face with which Maurice had -greeted him. - -“Ah,” said the Rector, with a nod of satisfaction, “you have benefited -by the music of the birds already. I would undertake to cure you, if you -would only let me be your physician. Now your soul is more at rest, but -I have no doubt your nerves need soothing, so try this churchwarden and -this excellent tobacco.” - -Maurice burst out laughing at this odd cure for melancholy, but did not -refuse the Rector’s hospitality; and any one who entered the garden a -few minutes afterwards, would have discovered the venerable Rector and -the youthful Squire puffing gravely at long clays, like two cronies in a -village taproom. - -They chatted in a desultory manner of little things, such as Mrs. -Dengelton,—who would have been very angry to find herself placed in such -a category,—Eunice, love-making, Crispin, the home farm, and such like -trifles, when, after a short pause, Maurice abruptly turned to the -Rector, who, lying back in luxurious ease, was watching the trembling of -the leaves above his head. - -“And the story, Rector?” - -This question brought Mr. Carriston from heaven to earth, and he looked -at the young man with a grave smile on his face. - -“Ah, the story,” he repeated, laying aside his pipe. “Yes, I promised to -tell you the one romance of my life. I am afraid it is a very prosaic -romance, still it may show you how a man can find life endurable even -after his heart is broken.” - -“Why, Rector, is your heart broken?” - -“I thought it was once, but I’m afraid ’twas mended long ago. _Et ego in -Arcadia fui_, Maurice, although you would never think so to look at me. -Tush! what has an old man pottering about among his flowers in common -with Cupid, god of love? Yet I, too, have sported with Amaryllis in the -shade, and piped love-songs to the careless ear of Neæra.” - -He sighed a trifle sadly, very probably somewhat regretful of that dead -and gone romance which still looked bright through the mists of forty -years, and glanced sorrowfully at the wrinkled hands which had once -played with the golden tresses of Chloe. Ah, Chloe was old now, and her -famous golden locks were white with the snows of many winters; or -perchance she was dead, with the gentle winds blowing across her daisied -grave, and piping songs as beautiful as those of her faithful shepherd. -Is it not a painful thing to be old and gray and full of sad memories of -our fine days? yet, mingled with such melancholics, we recall many -bright dreams which then haunted our youthful brains. Alas, Arcady! why -are we not permitted to dwell forever in thy flowery meadows, beneath -thy blue sky, instead of being driven forth by the whip of Fate to -crowded cities and desolate wastes, wherein sound no gleeful melodies. - -“It was at Oxford that I first met her,” said the Rector in his mellow -voice, which was touched with vague regret; “for she, too, dwelt in that -grave scholastic city. I was not in holy orders then! No; my ambition -was to be a soldier, and win the V.C.; but, alas! such dreams came to -naught. You may not believe it, Maurice, but I was wild and -light-hearted in those days—to be sure, it was Consula Planco, and youth -is ever foolish. Her name was Miriam, and she was a dressmaker. Ah, you -are astonished that I, Stephen Carriston, fixed my eyes on such a lowly -damsel; but then, you see, I loved her dearly, and that, I think, is a -sufficient answer to your unspoken objection. Love knows nothing of rank -or position, and sees beauty in the wayside daisy as well as in the -costly hothouse plant. I need not tell you she was very beautiful, for -that is the common saying of lovers, who see no loveliness save in the -nymph of their affections. What is it the poet says about a lover seeing -Helen’s beauty in the brow of Egypt? Sure, my memory is weak with age, -and I misquote. Still, the saying is true. Miriam was very beautiful, -and I think must have had some Jewish blood in her veins, for her dark, -imperial beauty was that of the East. Her hair was as dark as the wing -of a raven, her eyes liquid wells of light, and her mouth was as the -thread of scarlet spoken of in the song of the wise king. You see, -Maurice, old as I am, I can still rhapsodize on Chloe’s perfections, -though she basely deceived me. Alas, Strephon! how the years have -destroyed thy goddess!—nay, she destroyed herself by her own act.” - -“I did not know you were a poet, Rector.” - -Mr. Carriston, whose brow was dark with bitter memories, aroused himself -with a forced laugh, and strove to speak lightly of the past. - -“Live and learn, Maurice. I no poet? Why, my dear lad, I am even now -courting the Nine, and turning Aristophanes into good English verse. No -poet? Why, every man is a poet when in love; and if he does not write a -poem, he at least lives a poem. I, alas, have been in love these many -years with a shadow—the shadow of Miriam before she left me!” - -“Left you?” - -“Yes. I call it my romance, but it is a painful story. A deceitful -woman, a wronged man, a treacherous friend—a common enough tale, I -think. Though, indeed, I need not include ‘friend,’ for to this day I -know not for whom she left me.” - -“She was your wife?” - -“Yes. Wild as I was in those days, I was too honorable to deceive a -woman. In spite of the difference of our position, I married her, and we -were happy together for ten years.” - -“Ten years!” replied Maurice in surprise. “Surely she did not leave you -after all that time of married happiness.” - -“Who knows the ways of women?” said the Rector bitterly. “Yes, she left -me—took from me all I loved in the world, herself and her child.” - -“Was there a child?” - -“Yes. He was born in the tenth year of our marriage, just when I had -given up all hope of being a father. If he is still alive, Maurice, he -will be just five years younger than you,—thirty years old,—and for that -I love you, my dear lad; you stand to me in the place of the son I have -lost.” - -“Did you not suspect any one of taking her away?” - -“Yes; one man,” answered the Rector gloomily. “He was a tall, -black-bearded fellow, who had just come back from the East; but I only -saw him once. I was a hard-worked London curate in those days, and had -but little time to spare. My wife met him—I think his name was Captain -Malcolm—at the house of a mutual friend; but perhaps I am wrong, and it -was not he who destroyed my happiness. She had so many friends. I can -hardly wonder at that, for she was then in the full pride of her womanly -beauty. There was a Frenchman, the Count de la Tour, I also suspected, -but I was sure of no one. I suppose she grew tired of our poor life; -for, in spite of the way in which she went into society, we were -poor—that is, comfortable for a quiet life, but too poor for a social -one. I, never suspecting any evil, was only too glad that she should go -out and enjoy herself, although at times I remonstrated with her, saying -that such gayety was not suited for the wife of a poor clergyman. She -said she would give up such frivolities shortly, and I, like a fool, -believed her. Then I was called down to see my father, who was very ill. -At length he died, and I remained to attend to the funeral; but when I -came back to London after a three weeks’ absence, I found she had gone -with the child. She left no letter behind her to palliate her guilt; all -I knew was that she had gone with some gentleman who had called for her -in a brougham. The servants could not describe the man, as he did not -enter the house, but remained in the carriage. My false wife told the -servants she was called away by me, as her father-in-law was dying; and -it was only when I returned that they learned the truth.” - -“Did you ever see this Captain Malcolm again?” - -“No, nor the Count de la Tour; so that is why I suspect one of those men -as being the ruin of my life. Besides, I heard afterwards that she went -a great deal about with them, sometimes with one, sometimes with the -other. One of them I am sure it was, but I know not which. So you see, -at one blow, Maurice, I was bereft of wife, child, home, and happiness. -Afterwards I was offered this living, and, wishing to leave the scene of -my former happiness, my former sorrow, my former disgrace, I accepted -it, and came down here, where I have lived in peace for thirty years.” - -“Did you get a divorce?” - -“Yes; for the sake of my guilty wife. I did not wish to marry again -myself, but I desired to leave her free, so that she might marry the -partner of her guilt. I hope he behaved honorably to her and did so; -but, alas! I know not.” - -“And the boy?” - -“I have never heard of him since. I was left rich by the death of my -father, and all that money could do was done, but I heard nothing of -either wife or child. Is it not a sad story, Maurice?” - -“Yes, very sad! You must have suffered terribly.” - -“I did suffer terribly; but I tell you this, dear lad, to show you how a -man can force himself to be cheerful, even when he thinks life has no -further joys for him. Look at me! When my wife left me, I thought that -the sun of my life had set forever. I looked forward to years of misery; -and probably my existence would have been miserable, had I not, with the -aid of God, resisted the evil one. I did resist him, by accustoming -myself to take an interest in all things; and, by schooling myself into -patience, I found life, if not blissful, at least endurable. I now love -my work among my parishioners, I enjoy my Greek studies, I interest -myself in my garden, and am thus able to live a comparatively happy -life. Had I given way weakly to my misery, I would have been an unhappy -man all my life, and have done no good in my generation; but I fought -against the evil spirit, with the aid of God I conquered him, and now -can look back with thankfulness to the calamity which tried and -chastened my soul.” - -“And you are happy now?” - -“Yes,” said the Rector firmly. “I am as happy as any mortal can hope to -be. ‘Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward,’ says Job; but if -we did not fight against these troubles they would overwhelm us. So, my -dear lad, do as I have done, fight against the evil spirit, and, with -God’s grace, you will be victorious.” - -“I thank you for your advice, sir, and I will try and follow it.” - -“My story is but a dull one, I am afraid,” resumed the Rector, after a -pause,—“dull and prosaic, with no romance to render it captivating; but -I only told it to show to you what a man can do if he fights against his -troubles, and does not yield weakly at the first attack of the enemy. -You have no unhappy love, you have no regrets; therefore, my dear lad, -show yourself to be a man, and do not thus weakly yield to a phantom of -your own creation. Try to be interested in life, fall in love and marry -if you can, and I promise you all will yet be well with you. Your -troubles are but dreams of a disordered brain, which can be banished by -an effort of will; so rouse yourself, Maurice, conquer your weak spirit, -and with God’s help you will be a happy man.” - -“Thank you, sir,” said Maurice, grasping the Rector’s hand; “I will do -what you say. I have been weak, but I will be so no longer. I will take -up the duties of life, and do my best to perform them well. Your sermon, -your story, has done me good, Mr. Carriston; and I feel that I would be -indeed a coward to flinch from the fray in which you have so bravely -fought and conquered.” - -“Good lad! good lad!” replied the delighted Rector. “I knew you would -see things in their right light. But come, the lesson is over, and now -is the time for play. You must look round at my roses, and the finest -bud of the garden will adorn your buttonhole as ‘a reward for your -determination.’” - -Maurice gladly fell in with the Rector’s humor, and together they -strolled round the garden to examine and admire his floral treasures. -Carriston was like a child in his garden, and his bursts of delight at -this or that particular rose tree would have made many a person smile. -But Maurice did not smile; he loved his old tutor too well to smile at -his simple pleasures, and took scarcely less interest than the Rector -himself in the momentous question of transferring this tree over there, -or ingrafting a hardy shoot in this sickly-looking plant. Suddenly the -Rector stopped, and began to rummage in the pockets of his long black -coat. - -“Dear dear!” he said in a vexed tone; “it is not here, and yet I am sure -I placed it in this pocket.” - -“Placed what, sir?” - -“A letter! a letter! No, I can’t find it. Maurice, I wish you to stay to -luncheon. I have a friend coming.” - -“Indeed?” - -“Well, not exactly a friend; but, the fact is, a young man has arrived -in the village with a letter of introduction to me from a mutual friend -in London. He is at present staying at the Royland Arms, and sent his -letter this morning, so I wrote back and asked him to come to luncheon. -You must stay and meet him, Maurice, for I hear he is a most delightful -man.” - -“What is his name?” - -“I cannot remember. He is a Greek. The letter must be in my study, so we -will go and look for it. This young Greek is a great traveller, and is -now on a visit to England. He had a letter of introduction to my friend, -the Archdeacon of Eastminster, who gave him one to me.” - -“But what does he come to this out-of-the-way place for?” asked Maurice, -with that inherent suspicion he had acquired in Bohemia. - -“I don’t know. I expect he will answer that question for himself at -luncheon. Ah, here is the letter—I left it on the table.” - -“Well, what is his name?” asked Maurice again. - -The rector adjusted his _pince-nez_, and, smoothing open the letter, -read the name aloud:— - -“Count Constantine Caliphronas.” - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - A MASTERPIECE OF NATURE. - - The pride of the human - Does nature diminish, - With spiteful acumen, - She roughly will finish - A man or a woman, - He stout and she thinnish, - Till one is not fair, nor the other a true man. - - But Nature’s conception - May not be pernicious, - For know her perception - At times is capricious; - Her work bears inspection, - In manner judicious, - For sometimes she turns out a man near perfection. - - -The above jingle of verses may sound somewhat abstruse, but he who has -the patience to search until he discovers the kernel of this rhyming -nut, will certainly find it to be a truism. Nature does finish the mass -of humanity in a somewhat rough and ready fashion; true, she may equip -them with all the necessary limbs and organs necessary to the enjoyment -of life, but she does not trouble herself to put in those delicate -touches which go to the making of a perfectly handsome man, or a -faultlessly beautiful woman. At times, however, just to show what she -can do in the way of creative beauty, she gives her whole mind to the -task, and lo! Achilles, and Helen of Troy. But such perfect specimens of -humanity are few and far between; therefore when Maurice, who had an -artistic eye, met Count Constantine Caliphronas for the first time, he -recognized with delight that he saw before him one of Nature’s -masterpieces. - -There is nothing more detestable than that society horror, “a beauty -man,” who resembles a wax figure in his unnatural perfectibility of face -and form. Flawless he may be in every part, but the ensemble is -nevertheless unpleasing both to eye and mind, for, in aiding Nature to -show herself at her best, he soon becomes a mere artificial figure, -which ought to be placed in a glass case for the edification of school -misses and gushing society ladies. This man, however, did not belong to -that over-civilized class, as at a glance one could see he was a child -of Nature, a nursling of the winds and waves, whose physical perfections -were kept in their pristine beauty by the constant care of the great -mother herself. Caliphronas had all the grace and untamed beauty of a -wild animal, looking as if he claimed kinship with the salt sea, the -fresh woods, the strong sunlight, and the bracing air of snow-clad -mountain-tops. His physical beauty was truly wonderful, and was as much -the outcome of perfect health, as of perfect creation. He lacked that -self-restrained air which is stamped on the face of every civilized man, -and in the modest little dining-room of the Rectory looked like some -graceful panther caged against its will. Nature’s child was only in his -right place with Nature herself, and in our dull respectable England he -seemed an exile from the healthful solitudes which had given him birth. - -“It is impossible to describe Caliphronas,” said Maurice many years -afterwards, in speaking of this man. “I can tell you that his figure was -as perfect as the Apollo Belvedere, and say that his face was as -flawless in its virile beauty as the Antinous of the Vatican, but this -will give you no idea of his physical perfection. His body seemed to be -instinct with the lawless fierceness of wind and wave; he moved with the -stately grace of a nude savage unaccustomed to the restraint of -clothing. I never understood the phrase ‘child of Nature’ until I saw -Caliphronas, and it is the only way in which he can be explained. I -believe his mother was a Nereid and his father a hunter, for he was the -offspring of earth and ocean—the consummate flower of both. Yet I do not -think he had what we call brains—true, he possessed the cunning and -instinct of a wild animal, but that was all. I think, myself, brains and -culture would have spoiled him; he was born to be a wild, free thing, -happy only on the hills, a type, a visible incarnation of Nature in a -male form. If you ask me whom he resembled in real life, I cannot tell -you, as I never saw any one in the least like him. But in fiction—well, -study the character of Margrave in ‘A Strange Story,’ and Donatello in -Hawthorne’s ‘Marble Faun,’ and by blending the two you may arrive at -some conception of Count Caliphronas.” - -Such was the man who now sat at the table of the Rector, chatting gayly -with his host and Maurice Roylands. Being a hot day, the Rector had -wisely provided a cold luncheon, and himself presided over a noble piece -of beef, which looked as though it had been taken from one of Apollo’s -oxen. There was also a capital salad,—the Rector was famous for his -salads,—fruit, wine, cheese, and bread. A simple repast, truly, but then -the Rector was simple in his tastes, and detested those highly-spiced -dishes, which but create thirst, and whose chief merit seems to be that -the diner cannot tell of what they are composed. An artificial life -creates artificial tastes, and the principal mission of cookery now -seems to lie in the direction of tickling the palate, not of satisfying -the stomach, with the result that gout and dyspepsia have it all their -own way. If half, nay, if the whole of the French cooks now engaged in -ruining the healths of Englishmen and Englishwomen were bundled back to -their beloved Paris, the income of every doctor in London would decrease -with the rapidity of lightning. As before mentioned, the Rector liked -the good things of this life, but he thought the simplest food the most -enjoyable, in which he was right, though epicures may doubt the truth of -such an opinion. Yet, after all, do not epicures hold the simplicity of -a well-roasted leg of mutton to be a dish fit for a king. - -If the Rector was simple in his eating, however, Count Constantine was -still simpler, for he hardly touched his meat, and confined his -attention to bread, cheese, salad, and wine—the latter being some -excellent claret, on which the Rector prided himself. - -“My dear sir,” he said in agony, as he saw Caliphronas about to mingle -water with his wine, “you will spoil the flavor of the claret.” - -“Pardon me, sir,” replied the Count, who spoke English admirably, “but -we Greeks are partial to such mingling. We worship the Naiad with her -urn as well as Bacchus with his flask, and the union of both produces a -drink fit for Father Zeus.” - -“You don’t seem to care much for meat,” said the Rector, relinquishing -the point about the wine, though it went to his soul to see such a -spoiling of the finest qualities of his claret. - -“No,” answered Caliphronas carelessly; “oddly enough, I do not care much -for flesh. I live so much in the open air that, like Nature, I live on -the simplest things. Bread, cheese, and wine I love; add honey, and I -want nothing better to satisfy my appetite. Country fare for a country -man, you know.” - -“You are a shepherd of Theocritus,” said Maurice, with a smile. - -“No; save in such tastes perhaps; otherwise I am no Sicilian of the -Idylles.” - -“You speak English wonderfully well, Count,” remarked the Rector -politely. - -“Thank you for the compliment, sir; yet it is the first time I have been -in England.” - -“What! do they teach English in the schools of Athens?” - -“Alas, no. The schools of modern Athens are not those of the old Greek -days. Socrates, Plato, Pythagoras, have gone to the blessed isles in -company with the heroes of Salamis, and our Greek culture of to-day is -primitive in the extreme. No; I learned English from a roving -Englishman—a scholar and a gentleman who grew weary of this respectable -England of yours, and came back to the freer life of the Greek islands.” - -“He taught you admirably,” said Roylands, wondering why the Greek eyed -him so keenly while making this speech. “Do you come from Athens?” - -“I have been there,” answered Caliphronas, pushing away his plate, “but -I am an islander. Yes, I was born in Ithaca, therefore am I a countryman -of Ulysses.” - -“Achilles, perhaps,” observed the Rector, fascinated by the clear-cut -features of the young man,—“the godlike Achilles.” - -“Ah no,” replied the Greek, with a shade of melancholy in his tone; “I -am like no hero of those times. Our ancestors have transmitted to us -their physical forms, but not their brains, not their heroism.” - -“Come now,” remonstrated Maurice. “I am sure your countrymen behaved -bravely in the War of Independence.” - -“Yes, I agree with you there. Canaris, Mavrocordato, Botzaris, were all -brave men. I accept the rebuke, for I have no right to run down my own -countrymen. Perhaps in England I may learn the meaning of the word -patriotism.” - -“Or Jingoism.” - -“Your pardon?” queried the Count, a trifled puzzled. - -“Jingoism,” explained Maurice gravely, “is a spurious patriotism, -composed of music-hall songs, the Union Jack, and gallons of beer—it -begins with a chorus and ends with a riot. Tom, Dick, and Harry are very -fond of it, as it expands their lungs and quenches their thirst. But -there, I am only jesting. Do you stay long in England?” - -Again the Greek eyed Maurice keenly, and hesitated a moment before -replying. - -“I can hardly tell yet,” he said, with emphasis. “Mr. Carriston, will -you show me your garden?” he added, turning to the Rector. - -“I will be delighted,” said Carriston eagerly; “we will stroll round it. -Do you smoke?” - -“No, thank you,” returned the count, waving away with a gesture of -repugnance the cigarette Maurice held out to him. “I never smoke.” - -“That is strange.” - -Caliphronas shrugged his shoulders. - -“Perhaps so, sir. For myself, I do not care about it.” - -“Curious creature,” murmured Maurice reflectively, as he followed the -Rector and his guest into the garden. “I wonder why he looks at me so -keenly, and what he is doing down here. Humph! I would like to find out -your little game, my friend.” - -Ten years of fighting with the world had turned Maurice from a frank, -open-hearted fellow into a cold, suspicious man, and he always doubted -the motives of every one. This is a disagreeable way of looking at -things, but in many cases it is a very necessary one, owing to the -double lives which most people seem nowadays to live. Social -intercourse, whether for pleasure or business, is no longer as simple as -it used to be in the old days, and our complex civilization has -introduced into every action we perform that element of distrust which -is at once disagreeable and necessary. Maurice knew nothing about -Caliphronas, and had he met him in London would doubtless have accepted -him for what he appeared to be—a foreign nobleman on his travels; but -for this man to visit a quiet village like Roylands was peculiar, and -there must be some motive for his doing so. - -“I’ll ask him how he likes England, and lead up to his unexpected -arrival here,” thought Maurice, as he walked along smoking his -cigarette. “He seems sharp, but I think I’m able to distinguish between -the real and the false.” - -Caliphronas was loud in his expressions of admiration for the Rector’s -roses, and his delight seemed genuine enough even to Maurice, who stood -listening to his raptures with a grim smile, as if he would like to cast -over this bright being the shadow of his own melancholy nature. - -“I have a perfect passion for flowers,” said the Count, with a gay -smile, as he placed a red bud in his coat, “and roses are my favorites. -Were they not the flowers of pleasure in classical times? did they not -wreathe the brows of revellers at festivals?—the flowers of love and of -silence!” - -“I am pleased you like flowers,” observed the Rector, looking at the -joyous figure before him, which was bathed in sunshine; “’tis an -innocent pleasure.” - -“I love all that is of Nature,” cried Caliphronas, throwing himself on -the smooth sward; “Nature is my mother—my true mother. Yes, I am a man -born of woman, but such maternity does not appeal to me. Nature is at -once my mother, my nurse, my goddess.” - -“You were born in Ithaca,” said Maurice quietly. - -“Was I born at all?” replied Caliphronas, throwing himself back with a -joyous laugh and letting the sun blaze on his uncovered head. “I do not -know! I cannot tell. Perchance some nymph bore me to one of the old -gods, who Heine says yet walk the earth in other forms.” - -“What do you know of Heine?” asked the Rector in some surprise. - -“Nothing!—absolutely nothing. I never heard his name till the other day, -when some one told me a story of the Gods in Exile, and said one Heine -had written it.” - -“Are you fond of reading?” - -“I never read. I care not for books—all my knowledge comes from the -mouth of my fellow-men and from Nature. Such culture is enough for me.” - -“You will get a sunstroke if you don’t cover your head,” said Maurice, -somewhat tired of this pseudo-classicism. - -“No! I am a friend of Apollo’s. He will hurl no darts at me, and your -pale sun in England is but a shadow of the glorious Helios of our Greek -skies.” - -And, lying on his back, he began to sing a strange, wandering melody, of -which the words (roughly translated) were as follows:— - - “The sun is my father: - He kissed my mother the sea, - And of their wooing the fruit am I.” - -Both the Englishmen were strangely fascinated by this stranger. He -conducted himself in quite an unconventional fashion, and seemed to -follow the last thought that suggested itself to his capricious brain. - -“Come!” he cried, springing to his feet with a bound like a deer. “Come, -Mr. Maurice—are you a runner? I will race you round this garden.” - -“Really, Count,” said the Rector, somewhat startled. - -“Eh! Am I wrong, sir?” replied Caliphronas apologetically. “I ask your -pardon! I do not know your English ways; you must teach me. I act as I -feel. Is it wrong to do so?” - -“Well, we English like to see a little more self-restraint,” said -Maurice, looking at the graceful figure of the young man. “By the way, -are you going to stay here long?” - -The smile faded from the bright face of the Count, and he turned half -away with an abrupt movement. - -“Who can tell?” he said lightly. “I am a bird of passage. I alight here -and there, but fly when I am weary of the bough. You wonder at my coming -down here, do you not, Mr. Maurice?” - -Thus addressed directly, Roylands was rather taken aback, and reddened -perceptibly through the tan of his skin. - -“Well, for a gay young man like you, Count, I thought London would have -pleased you better.” - -Caliphronas burst out laughing, and, putting his hands behind his head, -leant back against the trunk of the elm. - -“Do you hear your friend, sir?” he said to the Rector. “He thinks that I -prefer that dull, smoky town to the country. Why, Athens is too narrow -for me! I love the open lands, the plains, the mountains, the seas. Up -in that city of yours I was weary, and I spoke to the priest of my -friend. ‘Oh,’ I cried, ‘I will die of want of air in this place. Take me -to the woods, where I can breathe and see the sun.’ So he gave me that -letter to you,” addressing the Rector, “and I came here at once.” - -So this was the explanation of his presence in the little village—a very -natural one surely, and Maurice felt somewhat ashamed of his late -suspicions; but a new thought had entered his head, suggested by the -statuesque pose of the Greek leaning against the tree, and he came -forward eagerly. - -“Count Caliphronas,” he said quickly, “I am a sculptor, and I have the -idea for a statue of Endymion—would you—would you”— - -“Ah, you want me to be a model, sir?” said the Count, laughing. “Eh, -well, I do not mind in the least—you may command me.” - -“Thank you very much, if I”— - -“If you could only introduce me to a Diana, that would indeed be -perfect.” - -“I suppose you are a kind of general lover, Count,” said the rector, -turning round from a rose-tree with a smile. - -“I am not as bad as that, sir. No! I love! I love!” He stopped abruptly, -and a shade came over his face. “Yes, I love,” he resumed quickly; “but -my love is unfortunate.” - -“What! is any woman cold-hearted enough to refuse you?” observed -Maurice, looking at him in amazement; for indeed a woman would be hard -to please were she not satisfied with this splendid-looking youth. - -“There are women and women,” said Caliphronas enigmatically. “This one -does not love me yet, but she will.” - -“When?” - -The Greek shot a keen glance at Maurice, and then observed, in an -indifferent voice,— - -“When I do what I am requested to do.” - -Both men looked steadily at one another, and it seemed to Maurice as -though there were a certain amount of menace visible on the face of -Caliphronas, but such look speedily passed away, and he bounded lightly -across the turf to where the cat was sitting. - -To the surprise of both the Rector and Maurice, she let this stranger -take her up in his arms and smooth her fur. - -“Dear, dear!” said the Rector in an astonished tone; “what power do you -possess over the animal world, Count? That cat will not let any one -touch her as a rule.” - -“Oh, all animals take to me,” replied Caliphronas lightly, letting the -cat down gently on the ground. “I can do anything with horses and dogs.” - -“Donatello!” whispered Maurice to himself. “He looks innocent enough, -and yet that look—I must speak to Crispin, and ask his opinion of this -man.” - -Meanwhile the Count was giving Carriston a description of his miseries -at the Royland Arms. - -“Such a small room to sleep in,” he said in a disgusted tone. “I know I -will be smothered if I stay in it. No; I shall wrap myself up in a -blanket and sleep under the moon like Endymion, which will be training -for your friend’s statue.” - -“That will be dangerous,” objected the Rector. - -“Not at all! In Greece—I mean my native islands—I sleep out very often. -Oh, there is nothing more beautiful than slumber in the open air. I -cannot bear houses; they stifle me; they crush me. I love no roof lower -than the sky. And then to wake at dawn, to see the east glow with rosy -tints, to watch the dew moisten every blade of grass, the awakening of -the animals, the first songs of the birds, and the rising of the sun. -Oh, I worship the sun! I worship him!” - -The Rector was a trifle shocked at this peroration, as he was not quite -sure whether this fantastic being was not a sun-worshipper in downright -earnest; the more so as in a sudden freak he flung himself down on his -knees and held out his arms to the glorious luminary. - -“You are joking,” he said gravely. - -“Not I,” replied Caliphronas, springing to his feet. “You are not angry, -are you, sir? Eh! I forgot myself you were a priest in this country. I -must explain. I am of the Greek Church—yes! oh, I have been baptized.” - -The Rector smiled, and said no more, for it was impossible to talk -seriously with a man who possessed so childish a soul. Meanwhile, -Maurice, who had been thinking over matters, came to the conclusion that -he would ask Caliphronas to stay at the Grange for a few days. At first -sight this seemed rather injudicious, but when he remembered the high -character of the man who vouched for the respectability of the Greek, -all his scruples vanished. Besides, Caliphronas was such a peculiar -character that he desired a closer acquaintance with him; and, above -all, he could not hope anywhere to find such a perfect model for his -Endymion. Taking, then, all these facts into consideration, he speedily -made up his mind to ask the Count to be his guest, and did so without -delay. - -“Count,” he said politely, “I am afraid you will find that inn very -uncomfortable, so I would be glad to see you at the Grange for a week or -so, where I think you will find yourself in more civilized quarters.” - -The Count’s eyes flashed with what looked uncommonly like triumph, but -he dropped the lids over them rapidly for the moment, so as to prevent -this look being seen, and shook Maurice heartily by the hand. - -“Thank you very much! oh, very much indeed!” he said effusively. “I hope -I will not trouble you. I will be glad to come—yes, that place in the -village would kill me.” - -“That’s all right,” replied Maurice, who had an Englishman’s horror of a -scene. “I will send over for your traps, and you can come to the Grange -in time for dinner. We dine at seven o’clock.” - -“Thank you, sir. I will be at your home to-night.” - -The Rector, who had fully intended to ask Caliphronas to be his guest, -was rather startled by Maurice’s precipitancy, but, on the whole, was -not ill-pleased, for two reasons: the first being that he did not much -care about burdening himself with this eccentric foreigner; and the -second, that he was delighted that, during the stay of the Count at the -Grange, Maurice would take to his modelling again. - -“By the way,” said Maurice, turning suddenly to the Count, “do you know -any one called Crispin?” - -“Creespeen!” repeated Caliphronas, with his foreign accent; “no, I do -not know that name.” - -“He is a gentleman who is staying with me,” replied Roylands carelessly; -“and, as he is pretty well acquainted with your part of the world, I -thought you might have met him.” - -The Greek smilingly denied that he had the honor of Crispin’s -acquaintance, but it seemed to Maurice as though there was a shade of -apprehension on his face which somewhat puzzled the young man. - -“Can’t make this fellow out,” was his mental comment. “Hope I’m not -making a mistake in asking him to the Grange. Still, the Archdeacon’s -letter to Carriston is a sufficient guarantee that he is not a swindler, -so I will chance it.” - -“I must now say good-by,” said Caliphronas to the Rector, “and thank you -for your kindness. Of course I will see you soon again.” - -“Oh yes. You must come here as often as you can.” - -“That will not be much if I am to sit for this artist,” laughed -Caliphronas, turning to Maurice. “Good-by, sir; I will see you to-night -at six o’clock.” - -He turned away gayly and left the garden, followed by the admiring eyes -of the two men, especially of Maurice, who congratulated himself on his -good fortune in obtaining such a perfect model. - -Meanwhile Caliphronas was walking swiftly in the direction of the -Royland Arms. - -“Good!” he muttered to himself in Greek. “The first step is taken, so I -have no fear now.” - - - - - CHAPTER V. - CRISPIN IS PUZZLED. - - I’ve seen you before - But where I forget, - Yet somewhere of yore - I’ve seen you before; - You meet me once more, - A stranger—and yet - I’ve seen you before, - But where I forget. - - -Up and down the long terrace in front of the Grange walked Crispin, and, -from the rapt expression of his face, it would seem as though he were -composing poetry; but, as a matter of fact, he was thinking about -Eunice. The course of their true love did not run smooth by any means, -for Mrs. Dengelton, having found her daughter in the company of the -poet, had marched off the former in order to lecture her about the -latter. The substance, therefore, having been taken away, Crispin was -left with only the shadow; in other words, from speaking to Eunice, he -was reduced to thinking of Eunice, which was not by any means so -pleasant a position of affairs. - -This uncomfortable state of things was due to the discovery made by Mrs. -Dengelton, that her daughter had the previous evening been engaged in -moongazing with the poet, a fact which the astute Parrot extracted with -wonderful dexterity from her reluctant daughter. Mrs. Dengelton had -talked a good deal about the family romance, as related to the Rector -and Maurice, whereupon Eunice, having been asked questions concerning -the same, was forced to admit that she had been absent during the -recital. Her mother at once pounced down on this damaging admission like -a hawk, and pressed the poor girl so mercilessly with questions, that -she was obliged to tell of that pleasant half-hour on the terrace in -company with Crispin. - -On making this discovery, Mrs. Dengelton was too wise to reproach her -daughter, and thereby run the risk of making her deaf to the voice of -the charmer, _i.e._, resist her mother’s desires in connection with -matrimony. No, the elder lady said nothing about what she considered to -be an act of madness, but privately determined to keep Crispin and -Eunice apart by every means in her power. She was on the watch this -morning, and, having finished the daily papers,—for Mrs. Dengelton -prided herself on her universal knowledge of what was going on in the -world,—went out to look for Eunice, who had disappeared. As she -expected, she found her in the company of the poet, whereupon she made -some ladylike excuse,—Mrs. Dengelton was an adept at telling white -lies,—and took Eunice away to her room, where she kept her busy with -letter-writing. - -Crispin, therefore, deprived of the company of his inamorata, was by no -means in a cheerful mood, and regretted that Eunice had not sufficient -strength of mind to defy her mother, and end all his trouble by marrying -him without delay. He had a very impulsive nature, and would have liked -to sweep away these obstacles by sheer force of insistence that the -marriage should take place at once; but his impulses were in a great -measure restrained by experience in the school of the world, and he saw -that it would be wiser to watch and wait. Already he was seriously -thinking of ending his visit, and returning to town, in order to enlist -his great friend, Lady Bentwitch, on his side, as such a fashionable -personage might be able to talk Mrs. Dengelton into assenting to the -marriage; but in spite of his strength of character he was reluctant to -leave Eunice even for the short space of a week. So, like the ass -between two bundles of hay, he could not quite make up his mind which -course to take, when he saw Maurice coming leisurely along the terrace, -and the conversation which ensued between them enabled him to at once -settle his future movements. - -When the master of Roylands reached his side, Crispin was struck with -the unusual vivacity of his face. The gloomy look which it generally -wore had quite disappeared, and in its place was an alert, eager -expression, which showed that Maurice was deeply interested in some -important matter. - -“My dear Roylands,” cried Crispin in astonishment, “why this -transformation? Yesterday you were plunged in gloom, to-day Romeo on his -way to Juliet looked not so happy. Who is the enchanter—or shall I say -enchantress—who has worked this miracle?” - -“The Rector has been giving me a lecture,” said Maurice gayly, lighting -a cigarette; “a terrible lecture, which reminded me of the days when I -made false quantities in Latin verse, and translated good Greek into bad -English.” - -“Ah, you ought to have a lecture every day if it benefits you in this -way. You are much pleasanter as Sancho Panza than as Don Quixote.” - -“Explain!” - -“Well, the squire was always merry, and the knight doleful; so I like -you as the former more than the latter.” - -“I am afraid we have changed characters, Crispin. You are the Knight of -the Rueful Countenance now.” - -“Eunice”— - -“_Cela va sans dire_,” said Maurice, leaning his elbows on the -balustrade. “Oh, do not look so astonished, Monsieur Cupid! I am not so -blind but what I can see how things stand between you and Psyche.” - -“You take credit to yourself when none is due,” replied Crispin -significantly. “Mr. Carriston drew your attention to our position. You -did not see it for yourself.” - -“That is true enough; but how did you guess that the Rector told me?” - -“Because you were too much wrapped up in yourself to notice unhappy -lovers.” - -“Unhappy lovers?” - -“Yes. I love Eunice, and my affection is returned; but there is an -obstacle which prevents our marriage.” - -“And this obstacle?” - -“Is yourself.” - -“I?” - -“You! Mrs. Dengelton wants Eunice to marry you.” - -“There’s always two to a bargain,” said Maurice grimly. “I don’t want to -marry Eunice.” - -“Oh, you don’t love her?” - -“As a cousin, yes; as a possible wife, no.” - -“Then there is some chance for me?” - -“I should say there was every chance for you,” remarked Roylands in a -friendly manner. “You are young and famous, you know every one, you go -everywhere, you are the adored of the gentle sex; so what more can -Eunice or her mother desire.” - -“Eunice desires nothing—except myself; but as for Mrs. Dengelton, she -thinks I am poor.” - -“Oh! and are you poor?” - -“No; on the contrary, I am very well off.” - -“Then why don’t you place all your perfections before my dear aunt, and -persuade her into consenting to the match.” - -“I don’t want to do so—yet,” said Crispin, with some hesitation. - -“Why all this mystery?” - -“I cannot tell you just now, but you may be certain there is nothing -wrong about the mystery. I will satisfy Mrs. Dengelton on all points -shortly, and then, perhaps, I will have the felicity of being your -cousin-in-law.” - -“I wish you good luck.” - -“You would not object to my marrying your cousin?” asked Crispin -timidly. - -“I?” said Maurice in amazement. “Certainly not! I believe in love -matches; but, of course,—though I have but little to say in the -matter,—I would like to know who you are, where you come from, and all -that, before you become the husband of Eunice.” - -“I will explain everything to your satisfaction—shortly.” - -“The sooner the better for your own sake.” - -“I don’t understand you,” said Crispin, with some hauteur. - -“I mean as regards Eunice,” explained Maurice quickly. “If you don’t -tell my aunt of your intentions, and put yourself right as regards money -and position in her eyes, she will marry Eunice to some one else. -Failing me,—and I have not the slightest intention of marrying my dear -cousin,—she will angle for another rich man, who will probably not be so -blind to the charms of Eunice as I am. In that case, my poor Crispin, I -am afraid it will be all up with you.” - -“What you say is very true,” replied Crispin reflectively. “I will speak -to Mrs. Dengelton before I leave the Grange.” - -“I cannot understand what you are making all this mystery about.” - -“Because I am proud,” rejoined the poet, with a flush on his dark cheek. -“I cannot explain myself now, but I will some day, and then you will see -I have a good reason for my reticence.” - -“So be it. But at present you are a riddle.” - -“Well, I suppose I am,” said Crispin smilingly; “but one which will -shortly be explained, and, like all riddles, turn out to be very -disappointing. By the way, you might offer me one of those excellent -cigarettes.” - -“Certainly,” answered Maurice, holding out his open case. “Unlike -Caliphronas, you are fond of smoking.” - -“Caliphronas! Who is he? what is it? man, woman, or child, or something -to eat?” - -“The first—a Greek. Count Constantine Caliphronas.” - -“Phœbus! what a name!” ejaculated Crispin, lighting his cigarette. -“Who is he?” - -“A Greek nobleman.” - -“Humph! I mistrust Greek noblemen.” - -“Well, they have got a bad name,” said Maurice quite apologetically; -“but I don’t think this one is a _chevalier d’industrie_.” - -“The exception which proves the rule, perhaps,” replied Crispin idly; -“but really I have no right to call the Greeks names, as on the whole -they are not bad. I have a good many friends among the countrymen of -Plato.” - -“Do you know Caliphronas?” - -“Ah, that I cannot tell until I see him.” - -“Well, you will see him soon, as he is coming to stay here for a few -days.” - -“Stay here!” said Crispin in some surprise. “My dear Roylands, is not -this a very sudden friendship?” - -“It is not a friendship at all.” - -“Well, when a man asks another to his house to stay—to be introduced to -his relatives—it is uncommonly like friendship.” - -“I am not so conventional as most Englishmen,” said Maurice impatiently, -“and therefore do not act by rule. I daresay I should have made -inquiries about the past of this Greek before asking him to my house; -but, as far as that goes, you are a riddle yourself.” - -Crispin’s sallow cheek flushed at this home thrust, but he had great -self-command, and replied quietly enough,— - -“That is rather a hard thing to say of me. I thought you were my -friend.” - -“Pardon me, old fellow,” said Roylands penitently. “I did not mean to be -so rude. I have an abominable temper, and should be kicked for saying -such a thing in my own house.” - -“I will let you off the kicking,” replied Crispin, recovering his -good-humor. “As you very truly say, I am a riddle; but I will explain -myself soon. Still, this Count Caliphronas”— - -“Do you know the name?” - -“I have a faint idea I have heard it before.” - -“In Greece?” - -“Most probably. I know the isles of Greece very well.” - -“Ah, is that a quotation from Byron, or a pointed remark? In other -words, is it serious or a chance shot?” - -“The latter—I only quoted from ‘Don Juan.’ Why do you ask?” - -“Because this Count does come from the isles of Greece. He says he was -born in Ithaca.” - -“Ah, he is not reticent about himself,” said Crispin dryly. “I will tell -you what I think of him when I see him. At present I cannot recall the -name precisely, though I fancy I have heard it before. Meanwhile, tell -me all you know about him.” - -“I am afraid that is but little. He arrived this morning at Roylands, -with a letter of introduction to the Rector from the Archdeacon of -Eastminster, and came to luncheon at the Rectory. During our -conversation, he complained of how badly he was put up at the Royland -Arms, and as I knew Carriston would ask him to stay at the Rectory, a -thing I know he dislikes doing, as he hates strangers in his house, I -took the bull by the horns, and asked Caliphronas to come here for a -time. He accepted, and is coming with his traps this evening.” - -“Was it only for the sake of taking the burden off Mr. Carriston’s -shoulders that you gave your invitation?” - -“Not exactly. This Caliphronas is a splendid-looking fellow, and I asked -him to sit to me for my statue of Endymion.” - -“Oh! is he worthy to be a model?” - -“My dear Crispin, he has the most perfect figure for a man I ever saw in -my life; wonderfully handsome, and with a wild, untamed air about him -that is quite unique.” - -Crispin listened to this speech without moving a muscle, but a strange -look came into his eyes. - -“Have you ever read ‘A Strange Story,’ by Lytton?” he asked abruptly. - -“Yes, several times,” replied Maurice, somewhat astonished at the -irrelevancy of the question. - -“Then does this man resemble Margrave, the hero of the book?” - -“In what way?” - -“In every way except the mysticism. Is he an ardent lover of Nature? -Does he talk a lot about classical times? Is he impulsive and utterly -selfish?” - -“As to the last quality, I have not yet had an opportunity of judging, -but for the rest, you have described him exactly.” - -“Caliphronas!” murmured Crispin in a pondering manner. - -“Do you know him?” - -Crispin did not answer at once, and seemed to be making up his mind as -to what he would say. At last he turned to Maurice with an enigmatic -smile on his face, and shrugged his shoulders. - -“Not as far as I can recollect. That description I have given as applied -to Margrave would suit a good many Greeks. They are mostly handsome, -and, especially among the islands, from living so much in the open air, -imbibe a great love for Nature. Naturally, as they have no modern -glories to talk about, they boast of ancient times and ancient heroism. -They are all impulsive, so you see I simply described the Greek at -large, not this one in particular.” - -“But you have described him exactly.” - -“I tell you the description suits any Greek, as I have explained.” - -“Then you don’t know this man?” - -“No; I know no one of the name of Caliphronas,” replied Crispin, with a -slight emphasis on the last word. - -Maurice did not notice the quibble, and with cheerful good-humor -dismissed the subject from his mind, as, after all, this mystery, with -which he enveloped the Count, might turn out to be but an unworthy -suspicion. Plenty of Greeks come to England, and one more or less did -not matter. He would trouble his head no more about this man who had -dropped from the clouds into this dull little village, but make use of -him as a model, and then say good-by to him with the best grace in the -world. Once he left the Grange, it was unlikely he would ever cross his -path again, as Maurice had not the slightest intention of going to -Greece, and looked forward to a humdrum life at Roylands for the next -few years. How little did he know what was in store for him, and that -from this appearance of Count Caliphronas dated a new era in his life. - -Meanwhile, Crispin, who in reality knew a good deal more than he chose -to tell, was watching him keenly. “You must not relapse into your gloomy -fits again,” he said, laying his hand lightly on his friend’s arm. - -“I do not intend to,” replied Maurice cheerfully. “No; I now see the -excellence of the Rector’s advice. Take an interest in life, and you -will be happy. I am taking an interest in life—in your wooing of Eunice, -and in Caliphronas.” - -“Why Caliphronas?” - -“Because he is my Endymion in the flesh. I am going to create a -wonderful statue, Crispin, the like of which has not been seen since the -days of Canova. As to this riddle of Caliphronas, we will solve him -together.” - -“Perhaps the solution may be easier than you think.” - -“Crispin, you know something about this man!” - -“Nonsense! I tell you I know no one called Caliphronas.” - -“Names may be assumed,” said Maurice shrewdly, “and I am sure you have -met the owner of this one before.” - -“I meet so many people,” replied Crispin carelessly, “it is probable I -may have seen him; but really I can tell you nothing about him—yet.” - -“Ah! then you will some day?” - -“My dear Roylands,” said Crispin impatiently, “Caliphronas and his past -life is becoming quite a mania with you. I don’t know the man, but from -your description, I fancy I have met him, though, as I said before, such -description would apply to dozens of other Levantine Greeks. When I see -him I will tell you if I recognize him; but what then? he may be only a -casual acquaintance, and therefore I will not know his history. If you -mistrusted his looks, you should not have asked him to the Grange.” - -“My dear fellow, it was on account of his looks I did ask him. He is my -Endymion, remember. But you are right; I am making a mountain out of a -molehill, still, there is some excuse for me. A unique specimen of -humanity like Caliphronas does not appear every day in a village like -Roylands, so it is natural I should be curious about him. But there, we -will say no more about your brother mystery. I am going to have an -interview with my bailiff, and you may thank your stars, my friend, you -are a poet, and not a landed proprietor.” - -Maurice sauntered away laughing, looking by no means the kind of man to -overburden himself with work; but Crispin remained leaning over the -balustrade of the terrace, gazing absently at the silver spray of the -fountain glittering in the sunlight, and thinking deeply. - -“I wonder what he wants here,” thought the poet, with a frown on his -expressive face. “A man like that does not come down to a quiet village -for nothing. Can it be to see me? No! that is impossible, as he could -not know I was here. Curious I never saw him in London, for he must have -been there at the same time as myself, unless, indeed, he has just -arrived in England. He has some scheme in his head, I am certain—if I -could only see him alone and fathom his motives! Oh, you fox you! -Cunning as you are, I will foil you. It is no good. You are after my -friend, I’m sure of that.” - -He walked forward a few paces, still pondering, then resumed his -soliloquizing in a muttered tone. - -“Roylands said this Caliphronas was coming over about six o’clock. He is -staying at the Royland Arms, so I think I will walk over there and see -him; but no, that will attract attention, and I wish to tell Roylands -nothing yet. I will send a note; no, that will not do. Ah! I have it. I -will wait at the park gates and speak to him before he comes up to the -house. No one will know, and I can find out the reason of his presence -here.” - -Decidedly this poet was a remarkably mysterious person, not only as -concerned his own personality, but also as regarded this brilliant -stranger who was so equally enigmatic. If Maurice found his life dull -now, it evidently was not going to be so for any length of time; and, -although he knew it not, the elements of romance had come into it in the -most unexpected way in the persons of Crispin and Constantine -Caliphronas. - -Having made up his mind, the poet thought no more about the Greek, but -strolled round the side of the house to see if Eunice was at her window. -He knew that Mrs. Dengelton especially affected a small boudoir in the -left wing of the Grange, the window of which was only slightly raised -above the terrace, and at this window Crispin felt sure Eunice would be. -Fortunately for himself, he was right in his conjecture, for on arriving -in sight of the casement, he saw Eunice sitting at it in a dejected -attitude, evidently expectant of a visit from her lover. - -“Miss Dengelton!” he said cautiously, not knowing but that the dragon -might be within hearing, and therefore adopting society manners. - -“She has gone out of the room for a few minutes,” said his lady in a -frightened whisper. “Do go away.” - -“What! when the coast is clear! Not if I know it.” - -“I expect her back every minute.” - -“Very well; till she arrives we can talk about ourselves, and even when -she does we can surely chat about the weather.” - -“I heard you laughing with Maurice.” - -“Yes; he is quite gay to-day. He has found a model for his statue of -Endymion.” - -“Some village bumpkin?” - -“No, a Greek gentleman.” - -“A Greek! and pray what is a Greek doing down here?” - -Crispin shrugged his shoulders. - -“I’m sure I don’t know. You will see him to-night, so don’t fall in love -with him.” - -“Why should I?” - -“He is very handsome.” - -“I don’t care for handsome men, they are so conceited.” - -“Humph! that is not a compliment to me.” - -“Well, you are not conceited, are you?” - -“Nor handsome.” - -“You are handsome enough for me, at all events,” said Eunice -coquettishly. - -“What a charming compliment!” replied Crispin gayly; “for that I will -give you a rose.” - -“Hush! here comes my mother.” - -But Crispin, alas! had not heard the warning, and, having plucked the -finest rose he could see, returned to the window, to find himself -confronted by the gaudy figure of The Parrot, whose beady eyes sparkled -maliciously as he approached. - -“What! a rose for me, dear Mr. Crispin?” she said, stretching out her -hand, in which Crispin was unwillingly compelled to place his flower; -“how kind of you! The young men of to-day are gallant after all. Look, -Eunice, is not this flower charming? almost as charming as you are, Mr. -Crispin. The Rose of Sharon—oh, Shiraz—you see I’ve read your book. Now, -I have no time to talk, my dear Mr. Crispin, so you must go away for the -present at all events. We will meet at luncheon, and if you are very -good you may bring me in another rose.” - -Mrs. Dengelton, having thus vanquished the enemy, disappeared with her -daughter and shut the window, upon which poor Crispin walked away in a -rage. - -“Old cat!” he said, which was certainly neither polite nor poetical. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - SUB ROSA. - - Secrets absurd - Leading to woes, - Only are heard - Under the rose. - - Maidens refuse, - Lovers propose, - Just as they choose, - Under the rose. - - How scandals spread - Nobody knows, - For they are said - Under the rose. - - -When anything marvellous occurs in real life, wiseacres shake their -heads, and say, “Wonderful! extraordinary! Truth is stranger than -fiction.” But when a novel contains any incident out of the common, -these same inconsistent people refuse to believe it on the plea that -“Fiction is not stranger than truth.” They entirely forget that fiction -is but a reflection of real life, and that man can imagine nothing, but -merely reproduces what he sees around him. The sceptic will -object,—“Fairy tales!” Well, my dear doubter, how do you know that fairy -tales do not contain a germ of truth? there may have been fairies in the -earlier ages of the world, and if so, the chronicles of Fairyland are as -authentic as those of England—perhaps more so, seeing all histories are -tinctured more or less with partisanship. Who would have believed in the -mammoth, had not the huge beast been reconstructed by Cuvier? or in the -moa, had not the skeleton of that gigantic bird been discovered in New -Zealand? Nay, there is doubtless much truth in those extravagant travels -of Marco Polo, Sir John Mandeville, and such-like wanderers. The middle -ages were times of improbability, not of impossibility, for but little -was known of the geographical world. Well, we of this nineteenth century -have discovered all possible continents, and assume that we know -everything; but such is not the case, for, though we may have exhausted -the geographical world, we know comparatively few of the secrets of -Nature. The pebble parable of Sir Isaac Newton will here occur to many -minds, and it applies as truly to our times as to his own. Earth, sky, -and water are full of secrets, many of which yet defy our efforts to -learn and catalogue them. This century has been prolific of discoveries, -but even add another hundred years of fresh revelations, and Nature will -still give us riddles to solve out of her exhaustless store. - -Therefore, when a coincidence occurs in a fiction, though it may be -improbable, it is not impossible, and he who takes the trouble to keep -his eyes open, his mental as well as his physical eyes, will, in nearly -every case, find the counterpart of the ideal in the real. Here, then, -are two mysterious individuals, who, masquerading under the names of -Crispin and Caliphronas, meet one another in the most unexpected manner -in the most unexpected place. Wiseacres will at once say “Impossible!” -but, going on the theory set forth as before, such a meeting is not -impossible, but probable. Fate, Destiny, Fortune,—whatever be the name -of the power which guides our circumstances,—delights in surprises quite -as much as does the novelist; therefore, why should we believe the first -and doubt the second? This is inconsistent! Therefore, if you who read -are wise in your generation, and broad in your views of probability, you -will see nothing impossible in this unexpected meeting of poet and -adventurer. - -Caliphronas was an adventurer pure and simple, of course, as regards his -vocation as free lance, but not as touching his moral or physical -qualities. He had come to England with a distinct end in view, and -already had made the first step to the accomplishment of that end. -Whether his intentions were good or bad remains to be seen, and if, my -dear reader, you cannot tell the quality of his designs from the -character of the man as before described, you must perforce remain in -ignorance, even as Crispin remained, for, truth to tell, that astute -individual was for once in his life really and truly puzzled. He knew -Caliphronas in Greek waters, under another name, and, having had -considerable experience of his character, was quite confident that he -had some object in view for thus making his appearance at Roylands. With -the determination of finding out that object, and thwarting it if he -could,—for Crispin had no very great love for the Greek,—our poet walked -down to the park gates between the hours of five and six, with the -intention of having an interview with this mysterious stranger. - -In his own mind he was by no means certain of the identity of this -Caliphronas with the person he thought he was, and such a doubt could -only be solved by a personal view of the Greek himself; but the -description given by Maurice so tallied with the image of a certain -individual, that Crispin felt sure that the conclusion he had arrived at -was a correct one. In order, however, to end all doubt on the subject, -he wanted to personally interview the Count before he set foot in -Roylands Grange, and had with considerable dexterity carried out his -plan without exciting suspicion, a thing which he was anxious to avoid -if possible. - -Pleading a headache,—that convenient excuse,—he had managed to give his -friend the slip, though, truth to tell, he took more trouble over -securing such secrecy than was absolutely necessary, for Maurice, fired -by the idea of recommencing work, had retreated to his studio, and -remained there all the afternoon. Mrs. Dengelton still kept a watchful -eye upon her daughter, and, on one plea or another, kept her away from -the too-fascinating poet: so, in reality, Crispin was left entirely to -his own devices, therefore utilized such good fortune by seeking this -important interview with the unknown Greek. - -So hot had been the day, that Crispin felt a certain sense of relief -when the coolness of night approached, and, lingering under the mighty -oaks which bordered the avenue, luxuriated in that delightful twilight, -which is neither wholly of night nor day, but partakes equally of both. -The air was still warm, and there was a pleasant shade over the sky, as -Night gradually drew her dusky veil across the glaring blue from east to -west. Shafts of crimson light shot through the wood and through the -dense foliage. Crispin could see at times the rosy flames of the setting -sun. Still vocal were the birds, for they were now singing their -good-night to day, and in a short time nothing would be heard but -occasional chirps from some belated thrush, until with the moon came the -divine nightingale to flood the thickets with song. Restless gnats were -dancing in front of his face as he strolled down the avenue, and at -times a bat would flit noiselessly through the warm air, while, mellowed -by distance, the chimes of Roylands church rang musically on his ear. - -“Six o’clock,” said the poet to himself, glancing at his watch. “I -suppose this Caliphronas will be here shortly. Roylands sent the -dog-cart, but if this is the man I imagine, he will send on his traps in -charge of the groom, and walk over to the Grange on such a perfect -evening.” - -At this moment he heard the noise of approaching wheels, and shortly -afterwards the dogcart, drawn by a fast-trotting mare, flashed past him, -containing only the groom and some luggage. Finding his conjecture thus -prove correct, Crispin did not trouble himself to go farther on his way -to seek Caliphronas, as that gentleman was bound to meet him in the -avenue; so, lounging against the mighty trunk of an oak, he lazily -waited the approach of the individual concerning whose intentions he -entertained such doubts. - - “I will crown myself with roses - To meet thee, beloved. - Why dost thou fly at the sight of my wreath? - The hot sun hath withered it truly. - And my heart is burnt up by thine eyes. - Dead heart! dead roses! but love undying.” - -Caliphronas was singing these words in Greek, and Crispin at once -recognized the voice of the singer, a recognition which immediately -confirmed his suspicions as to the identity of this gentleman. - - “We will live in the woods, my beloved, - And berries will be our food; - On berries and kisses could I live always, - Till Fate destroyed us, - And robbed us of berries, and kisses, and life forever.” - -“I’ve heard him singing that song at Melnos,” muttered Crispin quietly -to himself. “It is he! What can he be doing here?” - -At this moment the singer came in sight, walking rapidly up the avenue -with a springy step, swinging his stick to and fro as he sang. He was -indeed a sight worth looking at, as he bounded lightly over the earth, -Antæus-like, drawing fresh vigor at every pressure of his foot on the -ground; yet his undeniable beauty but excited a feeling of repulsion in -the breast of Crispin, who now knew him only too well. They were a -strange contrast, these two men: the poet small, dark, and unhandsome, -but the fire of intellect in his eyes; the adventurer a splendid animal, -with nothing but his physical perfections to recommend him. - -Caliphronas did not notice the poet leaning against the tree, and came -on, carelessly singing as he walked,— - - “What will I do for thee, beloved? - Oh, I will do many deeds of daring! - I will slay the Turk in his pride, - And his head will be my wedding gift. - Behold I”— - -Here he stopped suddenly, catching sight of Crispin, but, instead of -being astonished at the unexpected meeting, as the poet expected, he -simply stood still, leaning on his stick, and laughing at the look on -the other’s face. - -“Ah, ah, Creespeen!” he said in Greek, with a smile; “you did not expect -to see me in this place.” - -“Certainly I did not,” retorted Crispin in the same language, marvelling -at the self-possession of the man; “and I’ve no doubt the meeting is -unexpected on both sides.” - -“Not with me; oh no! That priest—the Papa I saw this morning told me you -were here, and your friend also informed me of your presence.” - -“What are you doing here?” - -“Ah, that is a long story, my good Creespeen,” replied Caliphronas -coolly, “and one I do not choose to tell.” - -“You have some design in your head.” - -“Assuredly,” said the Count mockingly; “I would not come to this cold -island for pleasure.” - -“Ah, I see you are as great a scoundrel as ever!” - -Caliphronas laughed, and seemed in no wise offended at the scornful tone -of the other. For such an epithet an Englishman would have struck its -utterer, but Caliphronas did not even frown. The only notice he took of -Crispin’s rudeness was to raise his eyebrows in mocking surprise. - -“You have still a bad opinion of me, I see.” - -“The very worst!” - -“What a truly good young man you are!” said the Count sardonically. “I -regret that you should be forced to keep company with such a scamp as I -am; but I am afraid you will have to make up your mind to that or—go -away.” - -“I shall certainly not do the latter until I find out the reason of your -presence in this place.” - -“Then, my dear friend, you will have to stay here forever.” - -“Are you going to stay here forever?” - -“I! no. I am down here on business.” - -“With the Rector?—with Roylands? with whom?” - -The Count looked at him with a provoking smile, and flung himself on the -grass at the foot of the oak against which Crispin was leaning. - -“Perhaps with both; perhaps with neither.” - -“Now you listen to me, Caliphronas,—as that is the name you choose to go -by; both Mr. Carriston and Mr. Roylands are friends of mine, and if you -have come down here with any bad design in your head against either of -them, I will make it my business to thwart you.” - -“Do so by all means, if you can.” - -“I can do so by a very simple means, though you seem to doubt it,” said -Crispin quietly. “You brought an excellent letter of introduction to Mr. -Carriston, though how you came by it I do not know. You have made -friends with Roylands, who is a simple fellow, by consenting to be his -model for Endymion”— - -“And a very good model too,” interrupted Caliphronas, looking at himself -complacently. - -“I don’t deny your outward goodliness;—it is a pity your mind is not in -keeping. But to come back to what I was saying. You have made friends -with both the gentlemen I speak of, and perhaps such friendship is -necessary to your plans; if so. I will end it.” - -“How will you manage that?” said the Count coolly, but with a nasty -glitter in his eyes. - -“Simply by telling them who you are and what you are.” - -“You will not do that!” - -“I will, if your designs are bad.” - -“How do you know my designs are bad?” - -“Because to a man of your nature goodness is impossible.” - -“I would not go so far as to say it is impossible,” said Caliphronas, -with a sneer, “but I agree with you that it is improbable. To my mind, -goodness is a weakness.” - -“One you don’t possess, I’m afraid.” - -“I do not; nor do I wish to possess it,” replied the Count insolently. -“But may I not draw your attention to the fact that it is long past six, -that Roylands dines at seven, and that I am terribly hungry?” - -“You can call my attention to all these facts,” retorted Crispin -promptly, “but you don’t enter that house until I know what you are -going to do.” - -“Pay a visit. Sit for the Endymion.” - -“I am tired of this fencing. Don’t go on like this with me, An”— - -“Caliphronas,” said the other quickly. - -“Well, one name is as good as another; but you needn’t waste all this -diplomacy on me, my friend. I know you too well to believe you would -waste your time in coming here for nothing. Now tell me what your -schemes are, or I will reveal all I know of you to Maurice Roylands.” - -The Count was thus driven into a corner, and all his suave manner -vanished as he sat up on the turf with a scowl on his handsome face, and -a significant movement of his right hand toward his waist. - -“Oh, I’m not afraid of that, you scamp,” said Crispin quickly; “you wear -not the fusanella here, nor have you knife or pistol with you. You are -in a civilized country, my noble Count, so must act in a civilized -manner.” - -The Greek, recovering his temper, burst out laughing, and beckoned -Crispin to sit down beside him on the soft green turf. - -“You have the whip-hand of me, Creespeen,” he said lightly; “and I am -too wise a man to waste time in argument, so I will tell you the reason -of my presence here. You were quite right in thinking I did not come for -pleasure; on the contrary, I wish to carry out a very delicate affair, -and perhaps it is as well you should know, as I may want your assistance -in the matter.” - -“I will help you in none of your villanies.” - -“By St. Theodore, how pious you have become! Oh, I forgot! you are -Misterr Creespeen, the famous poet, the new Chrysostom of the Golden -Mouth. Eh yes; I heard all about you in London. No one would think this -great poet was ever”— - -“Hold your tongue!” said Crispin, roughly grasping the Greek by the -wrist; “whatever I have been, whatever I am, I have done nothing to be -ashamed of.” - -“Indeed! would you like them to know all?” retorted the Count, jerking -his hand in the direction of the house. - -“I intend to tell them all when I choose; but not before.” - -“Suppose I anticipate you?” - -“Do so, by all means. You will relate the story of my life, and I will -relate the story of your life. I wonder which will prove the more -interesting.” - -“Oh, I wonder,” rejoined Caliphronas, with consummate impudence; “but do -not let us quarrel, as I may want your assistance. Oh, you need not -frown; I have no ill intentions towards your precious friends. In fact, -to put you completely at your ease, I may as well tell you Justinian -sent me to England.” - -“Justinian!” repeated Crispin, with a start. “Well, what of that?” he -resumed carelessly. “You know I am not now friends with Justinian,—I -have not seen him for nearly”— - -“Three years, eh?” said Caliphronas quickly; “of course, that is just -about the time you came here. Oh, I heard all about you in London; and -Justinian will have heard also by this time, for I wrote and told him -all.” - -“I trust he is pleased,” said Crispin grimly. - -“As to that, I don’t know. True, his goose has turned out a swan, and -now, unlike a swan, sings songs the world listens to; but such glory can -hardly compensate him for the ungrateful manner in which you treated -him.” - -“Enough!” cried Crispin hotly, his dark face flushing with anger; “I can -justify my conduct amply, but I do not choose to do so to you. Leave -Justinian, and Melnos, and all the old life alone. I want to know the -reason of your presence in Roylands.” - -“Well, you shall know. But do not get furious over nothing,” said -Caliphronas mockingly. “I am afraid you have lost all your old Hellenic -calm, and now resemble one of these bad-tempered Englishmen, devoured -with the spleen, and greedy of money.” - -“I am not greedy of money.” - -“Eh? oh, I see! you sing your songs for the smiles of women, not for the -gold of their husbands, fathers, and brothers. Well, I agree with you; -the smiles of women are very delightful, but one cannot live on them, so -I would like to know how you exist.” - -“Would you, indeed?” - -“Yes; and so would Justinian.” - -“Well, you will neither of you be told. Come, now, it is growing late, -and I wait for your confession.” - -“No one will hear us?” - -“Of course not; besides, we speak in Greek, which is not so common in -England as in Hellas.” - -Caliphronas let the smile die away from his lips, and looked keenly at -Crispin. - -“You will not reveal what I have now to tell you?” - -“Not unless it is some villany.” - -“It is no villany. It is an act of justice. Listen.” - -The story, which did not take long to tell, drew forth many exclamations -of surprise from Crispin, who for once in his life was astonished at the -revelations of Caliphronas, and believed he was speaking the truth. -Indeed, he could hardly help believing it, as many points of the story -coincided with what he himself knew in connection with the Roylands -family. When Caliphronas finished his recital, he flung himself back on -the turf, and waited for Crispin to speak, which the young man did after -a long pause. - -“What you have stated astonishes me very much,” he said deliberately; -“but, as far as I can see, there does not seem to be any harm intended -to my friend.” - -“None in the least,” said the Count eagerly. “You do not like Justinian -now, for some mysterious reason, but I think you know enough about him -to trust him.” - -“I know enough about him not to trust him overmuch,” replied Crispin -coolly; “but with regard to your scheme and his scheme”— - -“Yes?” cried the Count breathlessly. - -“I will remain neutral.” - -Caliphronas drew a long breath of relief, and sprang to his feet. - -“That is better than nothing; but I wish you would help me.” - -“No; I will remain neutral.” - -“You can see for yourself there is no harm intended.” - -“I tell you I will remain neutral,” said Crispin for the third time, -also rising from his recumbent attitude. “I will neither help you nor -thwart you; so you can do as you please, but I don’t think you’ll -succeed in your schemes.” - -“Don’t you?” replied Caliphronas provokingly, as they walked up to the -house together. “Well, that remains to be seen. If a man of my -capacity”— - -“Cunning.” - -“Well, cunning if you like. If a man of my cunning cannot circumvent -this dull-headed”— - -“Cautious.” - -“Oh, is he cautious? Well, I will make this cautious Englishman do as I -wish. But here we are nearly at the house, and I wait to know on what -footing we stand.” - -“You are an acquaintance of mine. I met you at Athens. Talk of the -best-known Athenians as our mutual friends.” - -“And you will say nothing about Melnos?” - -“No.” - -“Nor about Justinian?” - -“No.” - -“Nor Alcibiades?” - -“I tell you I won’t say a word about any one or anything,” said Crispin -impatiently. “You can carry out your plan if you like. It does no harm -to Roylands as far as I can see; but if I find you playing double, my -friend, I’ll put an end to your games.” - -“I always play fair when it is to my benefit to do so,” retorted the -Greek, with an unpleasant smile. - -“What a pity it is not always to your benefit to do so!” said the poet -cruelly; “you would then be an honest man.” - -“I am what I am,” answered Caliphronas sullenly; “had I created myself, -I might have made an improvement.” - -“Not in your appearance,” observed Crispin, looking at the splendid -beauty of the man beside him. “I suppose you are as vain as ever?” - -“Possibly; but I never let my vanity interfere with my business.” - -“Ah, there is some sense in that splendid head of yours, but precious -little.” - -“Quite enough to accomplish my wishes.” - -“I doubt it. However, here we are, and here is Mr. Roylands.” - -It was indeed Maurice, who, arrayed in evening dress, advanced to meet -them, and greeted Caliphronas with a smile. - -“I had quite given you up, Count,” he said, shaking hands with the -Greek; “your luggage arrived, but not you, and the dinner is now due. -However, as neither of you gentlemen is ready, I have just put it off -for half an hour, so you will just have time to dress. You know Mr. -Crispin, Count?” - -“Yes; you must blame him for my unpunctuality,” said Caliphronas -gracefully. “I walked over here, and sent on my luggage by your groom. -In the avenue I met Mr. Creespeen, and we talked of old times.” - -“Ah, you know one another!” cried Maurice, flashing a keen glance at -Crispin, which that gentleman sustained without blenching. - -“Oh yes,” answered the poet calmly; “I was afraid I did not know the -name of Count Caliphronas, but my memory played me false. I know it and -him very well. We met at Athens.” - -“Three years ago,” continued the Count, laughing. “You have no idea, Mr. -Maurice, how astonished I was to meet my friend here. By the way, you -must allow me to call you Mr. Maurice; I make such a mess of your -English names.” - -“I think you speak English wonderfully well, Count. Where did you learn, -may I ask, if it is not a rude question?” - -“I had an English tutor,” replied Caliphronas, stealing a glance at -Crispin; “and I have been accustomed to your tongue since a lad.” - -“Ah, that accounts for it. Well, come with me, Count, and I will show -you your room. Crispin, Mrs. Dengelton and her daughter are already in -the drawing-room, so you had better make haste.” - -Crispin went off as quickly as possible, and Maurice hospitably -conducted his guest to the room prepared for him, where Roylands’ valet -was already spreading out the Count’s evening dress. This duty having -been performed, Mr. Roylands hurried away to his guests in the -drawing-room, and the Count was left alone with the valet, whom he -speedily dismissed. - -“Thank you; I won’t require anything else,” he said, when the servant -had arranged all his clothes. “I am accustomed to wait on myself. Dinner -is in half an hour?” - -“Yes, sir,” replied the valet, and retired quietly. - -The fact is, Caliphronas had a habit of thinking aloud, and, as he had a -good many matters to consider, he was afraid of committing himself if a -second person were in the room; therefore, having got rid of the -servant, he began to dress slowly for dinner, thinking deeply all the -time. - -“I do not think Creespeen will say anything,” he said aloud in Greek, as -he arranged his white tie; “very likely he will help me, if I can manage -him. How upright he is now—how very upright, and to think”— - -Here the Count went into a fit of silent laughter, which lasted until he -arrived at the door of the drawing-room, when he controlled his risible -muscles, and went in gravely to be introduced to the ladies. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - SOUVENT FEMME VARIE. - - Woman’s a weathercock, - Full of frivolity. - Men may together mock - At her heart’s quality. - But if a heart she steals, - Worth all the smart she feels, - There then her place is; - Lo, then the nether rock - Less firm of base is. - - -Needless to say, Count Constantine Caliphronas was much admired by the -two ladies, which was scarcely to be wondered at, seeing his charm of -manner was almost as great as his physical perfection. Attracted in the -first instance by his good looks, they were quite prepared to find the -kernel of such a handsome nut somewhat disappointing; in other words, -they fancied that Nature could scarcely be so profuse in her gifts, as -to give this man great mental powers in addition to his comely exterior. -To their surprise, they found the Greek to be a charming -conversationalist, and were much astonished at the purity with which he -spoke the English tongue. - -It would be ridiculous to say that Caliphronas was a man of any great -intellectual powers; for, as before stated, he was gifted with more -cunning than brains, still, such cunning enabled him to conceal his -educational deficiencies, and by a dexterous use of the little knowledge -he possessed, he managed to pass for a very intelligent man. Shallow -Caliphronas was, without doubt, and his education in many ways had been -wofully neglected; but he had travelled a great deal, he was acute -enough in picking up unconsidered trifles of general information, he had -plenty of small talk, so all these advantages, in conjunction with his -undeniable good looks and ready wit, enabled him to fascinate the -ordinary run of people. A clever man or a brilliant woman would have -discovered the smallness of his intellectual powers at once; but -every-day folk are not so difficult to please, and both Mrs. Dengelton -and her daughter, being ordinary folk, gifted with ordinary brains, -found the flashy, frivolous chatter of the Count infinitely charming. - -Maurice, having got over his first suspicions of the Greek, soon liked -him extremely, as he was a pleasant companion, and always in a good -humor. On the other hand, Crispin, who knew what Caliphronas really was, -and how mean and vile a soul inhabited that splendid body, was much put -to in order to conceal his distaste for the society of this brilliant -stranger. He saw through the thin veneer of good manners and facile -accomplishments, into the true nature of the man, and was well aware -that this apparently charming child of Nature, all impulse and -simplicity, was in reality a crafty, selfish, sensual scoundrel, whose -only aim in life was to benefit himself at the expense of others. - -“If we were only in the Palace of Truth now!” thought the poet, as he -sat silently watching the dexterous way in which Caliphronas was using -his small stock of accomplishments. “I wonder what they would say were -that man compelled to give utterance to his real thoughts. They would -fly in horror from him as a vile thing, a beautiful flower, whose -appearance is exquisite, yet whose odor is death. Still, he has improved -wonderfully since the old days. I wonder where he picked up these good -manners—not from Justinian or Alcibiades, I’ll be bound; but perhaps he -has been learning the art of pleasing from Helena.” - -As this thought came into his mind, and he remembered the charming woman -who bore that name, knowing what Caliphronas was, he could not restrain -a shudder, which, immediately drew the eyes of the Greek towards him. - -“Eh, my friend, Mr. Creespeen,” he said slowly; for Caliphronas, in -spite of his intimate acquaintance with the English tongue, picked up, -heaven only knows where, could never pronounce proper names without a -strong foreign accent,—“eh, my friend, you shudder. Some one is walking -over your grave.” - -“Oh, what a horrible idea!” cried Mrs. Dengelton in her liveliest -manner, for the Count’s good looks had made a deep impression on her -elderly heart. “I declare, my dear Count, you make me shudder also. It -is exactly the kind of thing my brother Rudolph would say. Ghouls, -vampires, omens, dreams, and all those grewsome things, he used to revel -in. Yes, positively revel in. Never shall I forget being told how he -brought some lady friend a book to read, called ‘Footprints on the -Borders of Another World.’ It nearly frightened her into convulsions, -and she threw it out of the window.” - -“My Uncle Rudolph must have been an interesting kind of person,” said -Maurice dryly. - -“Oh, my dear Maurice, he was so terribly wild! Yes! Why, in the old -days, he would have been a buccaneer or a pirate—it is just the kind of -thing he would have liked to be.” - -At this last remark, Crispin looked straight at the Count, who met his -gaze with an uneasy laugh, and tried to turn the conversation. - -“This gentleman, madam? He was very adventurous, I presume?” - -“Oh dear me, yes! Your uncle, Eunice, I am speaking of—your uncle, -Maurice.” - -“Yes, mamma—yes, aunt,” said both the cousins together. - -“He had a fiery eye, and was over six feet in height. I always thought -him the image of the Templar in ‘Ivanhoe;’ but, of course, I speak from -hearsay, as I was a babe when he left England. Is there not a portrait -of him somewhere, Maurice?” - -“It is just behind you, aunt, over the piano.” - -Both Caliphronas and Crispin arose with a simultaneous movement, and -strolled across the room to look at this modern Captain Kidd, for that -style of man he appeared to have been, judging from Mrs. Dengelton’s -highly-colored description. - -The portrait was a full-length one of a handsome young man in the -old-fashioned costume _à la d’Orsay_ of the early Victorian age, and -assuredly he appeared to be a dandy of the first water. But his strong -commanding face, his eagle glance, firm mouth, and prominent nose marked -him at once as a born leader of men. A man who, in Elizabethan times, -would have sailed the Spanish main and thrashed the Dons; who, in later -years, would have delighted in Jacobite conspiracies; who would have -fought his way to a marshal’s baton when Napoleon led the armies of -France: in fact, one of those men who find no outlet for their energies -in the leading-strings of civilization, but who, in a lawless life, -develop those qualities whereof heroes are made. Maurice was -good-looking enough in an ordinary fashion, but he had none of the power -and daring in his face, such as showed so conspicuously in his uncle’s -countenance. - -The Count and Crispin remained looking at the portrait an unconscionably -long time, considering the original was unknown to them, and glanced -meaningly at one another as they went back to their seats. - -“Your description is an admirable one, Mrs. Dengelton,” said Crispin, as -that lady evidently desired his opinion of the portrait; “the face is -that of a man who would be either a hero or a scoundrel according to -circumstances, but always brave.” - -“My dear Mr. Crispin!” cried the lady, somewhat scandalized at the -epithet applied to a Roylands. - -“I beg your pardon, Mrs. Dengelton; I am speaking of the type more than -the man. Rudolph Roylands has the bearing of a born leader of men, and I -do not wonder he left England for wider fields. He must have been -stifled in this narrow island.” - -“How do you know he left England?” asked the lady sharply. - -“Why, your story of last night”— - -“But you were not here when I told it. Ah, my dear Mr. Crispin, I am -indeed very angry at you for taking my daughter out onto the terrace. -She might have caught her death of cold—but we will not speak of that. -At all events, you could not have heard my story.” - -Crispin looked rather uncomfortable, as if he feared he had committed -himself; but, as Mrs. Dengelton’s beady eyes were fastened shrewdly on -his face, he had to make some answer, though, truth to tell, he did not -know what to say. - -“Well, really, Mrs. Dengelton, I hardly know how to reply,” he said, -coloring. “I did not hear all your story; but, if you remember, just -before the Rector said good-night, you talked about your brother leaving -England.” - -“Dear me, yes, so I did!” said Mrs. Dengelton, and would have liked to -add something anent the story of the photographs, the falsehood of which -she had discovered. Maurice, however, guessed how the land lay, and -feeling sorry for Crispin, who was really very uncomfortable, made the -first remark that came into his head. Caliphronas, tired of the -conversation, had gone to the piano, where Eunice was playing softly, -and talked to her in an undertone. This attention, however, was not -noticed by Crispin, who was too busy trying to extricate himself from -his dilemma with Mrs. Dengelton, to think about anything else. How he -would have managed to evade the photograph question, which Mrs. -Dengelton was bent on asking, it is difficult to say, but that Maurice -came to his aid with the apparently irrelevant remark,— - -“My dear Crispin, you say that, judging from his face, my uncle would -either be a hero or a scoundrel. Now what do you mean by that remark?” - -“Oh, I hope I haven’t offended you by making it,” said Crispin, with a -grateful smile, for he saw through Roylands’ stratagem; “but if a man -like your uncle has such qualities as he seems to possess, strongly -developed, they are bound to break out in some direction. Place him in -the army, and he will be a hero in time of war, but supposing he was -born in Whitechapel, I am afraid his heroic qualities would be dangerous -to society.” - -“Then you think a hero and a thief are composed of the same qualities?” - -“I will not say a thief, but use the milder term, ‘adventurer.’ If the -great Napoleon had not been an adventurer of that quality, he would -never have mounted the throne of France. Sforza, the Duke of Milan, was -of the same species; so was William the Conqueror, and Roger de -Hauteville, King of Sicily. All these men, through force of -circumstances which aided the development of their commanding qualities, -obtained thrones—they were adventurers who became kings. On the other -hand, look at Benvenuto Cellini. He had the same instincts for fighting, -commanding, and daring, the same longing for fame, riches, adventures; -yet, to the end of his life, he was but a quarrelsome swashbuckler, -simply because his circumstances did not permit his qualities developing -in the right direction. Cromwell had these qualities and mounted a -throne, Rienzi had them and died on the scaffold—all through -circumstances. Believe me, my dear Maurice, whatever qualities a man may -possess, the development of them in the right or the wrong direction -depends on his surroundings. It is a common saying that genius can -override all obstacles—a mistake which anyone who reads history can -perceive. Circumstances are sometimes too strong for the greatest soul, -and that genius which should have created empires dies in obscurity.” - -“Quite a historical lecture, I declare,” tittered Mrs. Dengelton, who -found this long speech a trifle wearisome; “but, how does all this apply -to my brother?” - -“If your brother, Mrs. Dengelton, went to South America, he probably -rose to be president of one of those petty republics; if he went as a -free lance into the service of some Eastern potentate, he very likely -ended his life as a pasha of three tails; but if he stayed in England, I -feel certain that his violent temperament, his adventurous longings, -must have brought him into trouble.” - -“I don’t think he stayed in England,” replied Mrs. Dengelton, shaking -her head, “or we certainly would have heard of his death. Probably he is -a president, or a pasha, or some of those dreadful things you speak of.” - -“Do you think he is dead, aunt?” asked Maurice, who had been listening -quietly to this argument. - -“I’m sure I don’t know. I haven’t heard of him for years and years; but -the Roylands are always long-living people, so perhaps he is still -alive. It is now fifty years since he went away, at the age of -twenty-five, so if he is still alive he must be quite seventy-five years -of age.” - -“Seventy-five years of age,” repeated Crispin, and relapsed into -silence. - -“Who is seventy-five years of age?” asked Caliphronas, overhearing the -remark. - -“My Uncle Rudolph, if alive,” said Maurice lazily. - -“Oh, indeed!” replied Caliphronas carelessly, but his words conveyed -volumes as he tried to catch the eye of Crispin. In this, however, he -was not successful, as Crispin was wrapt up in a brown study, so the -Greek turned towards Eunice and asked her to sing something. - -“I am passionately fond of music,” he said, turning over some songs, -“and nothing so delights me as to hear a woman’s voice.” - -Eunice blushed at this compliment to her sex, and, not knowing how to -answer it,—for she was still afflicted with the shyness of the -bread-and-butter age,—took up the first song that came to hand. - -“Do you know this song?” she said, placing the music before her—“‘The -Star Sirius;’ it is the new scientific style of song, now all the rage.” - -“A scientific song,” repeated Caliphronas, rather puzzled. - -“Yes, blending instruction with pleasure,” said Crispin, rousing himself -out of his revery and walking over to the piano. “The public are tired -of love-songs, sea-songs, sacred songs, comic songs, and -sentimentalities of all kinds; so some ingenious person has invented the -scientific song. In this song astronomy is brought to the aid of -eroticism, and the result is peculiar, to say the least of it. I presume -such ditties are written for musically-inclined Girton girls. Shall I -play your accompaniment, Miss Dengelton?” - -“If you would be so kind,” said Eunice, vacating her seat at the piano, -which action brought a frown to the face of her watchful mother. “I can -sing better standing up.” - -Crispin played the prelude in sufficiently good style, and Caliphronas, -sinking into a chair near the singer, looked up into her face in a -somewhat bold fashion, as she sang the latest up-to-date song of the -day. - - THE STAR SIRIUS. - - I. - - A glowing star of ardent ray - In midnight skies we trace, - It is a central sun, they say, - Enshrined in distant space. - Around it giant planets turn, - In motion constant roll, - With fiery force its splendors burn, - As for thee burns my soul. - Oh, star ascendant at my birth! - For tears, for sadness, or for mirth, - You rule my destiny on earth. - - II. - - Oh, star of stars! in thee no flaw - The telescopes reveal; - Thine orbs obey attraction’s law, - And round thy centre wheel. - Beloved, thou and I are one, - Nor parted e’er can be; - I am thy planet, thou my sun, - For all eternity. - Oh, star ascendant at my birth! - For tears, for sadness, or for mirth, - You rule my destiny on earth. - -“Thank you, Miss Dengelton,” said Caliphronas, when the song ended; “I -like your singing much better than the words. They are somewhat -perplexing.” - -“They are up-to-date words,” remarked Crispin calmly; “the music is also -up to date, of the most advanced school, a blending of Dvoräk and -Rubinstein.” - -“What awful names!” cried Caliphronas, with a shudder; “they grate on -the ear.” - -“So does their music in some cases; there is nothing like consistency. -Still, some of the advanced school of music’s efforts are delightful. -This dance of Dvoräk’s, for instance.” - -Bringing down his hands on the keys with a crash, he played one of those -weird gypsy dances of the Bohemian musician, which thrill the listener -with their wild capriciousness, and conjure up pictures of a mode of -life quite alien to our prosaic respectability. That strange chord -resounds loudly through the room, and at once we see the wild horses -flying across the illimitable gray plain, the fierce voices of their -gypsy riders pealing up to the sombre sky of midnight. That rapid medley -of sounds, and lo! the fires burn redly under the trees, while round -them bound tawny women with flashing eyes, tossing their arms and -clashing their tambourines to the wild rhythm of the music. Death on the -cards, love in the stars, and the muttered prophecies of crouching hags, -terrified at the omen of flying bat, of shrieking night-bird. Another -whirl of glittering notes scatter themselves through the air, crash, -crash, crash, chord upon chord sounds fiercely, with intervals of -sparkling chromatic runs like the falling of broken spray, and then one -final chord, bringing the red of the dawn, the chill winds of morning, -and the uprising of the cheerful sun. - -“Wonderful!” cried Mrs. Dengelton, who knew nothing about music, but -admired Dvoräk because he was the fashion, and not intelligible to the -ordinary mind. - -“So fantastic,” added Eunice, whose accomplishments did not soar above -the mild singing of a mild drawing-room ballad, such as “Daddy’s -Dancing,” or “Oh, if to thee my heart is Welcome!” - -“Well, for my part,” said the Count, shrugging his shoulders, “I think -your new music is horrible.” - -“Ah, it does not appeal to your Hellenic spirit,” replied Crispin -carelessly. “Mephistopheles felt out of place at the classical Walpurgis -Night, so you, my dear Caliphronas, feel equally at sea among this -diablerie of a Northern composer, so suggestive of the festival on the -Bröcken.” - -“I don’t know what you are taking about,” said the Count uneasily, -having a vague idea he was being laughed at. - -“Of course you don’t,” replied Crispin coolly. “You have never read -‘Faust,’ either the first or the second part.” - -Caliphronas knew that Crispin did not like him, and, thinking he wanted -to ridicule him in the presence of the ladies, would have made some -angry answer, but that Eunice, quite unaware of this storm in a teacup, -asked him to sing a Greek song. - -“Yes, do, dear Count!” said Mrs. Dengelton gushingly. “I do so love -foreign songs! They go to the soul.” - -“And the soul—at least the English soul—does not understand them,” -observed Maurice, with a yawn, for he was growing somewhat tired of this -musical discussion. - -“If the song is in Italian, French, or German, I can certainly -understand it,” said the lady, with dignity; “but Greek I can hardly be -expected to know.” - -“I do not think you would care much for the words if you did understand -modern Greek,” remarked Crispin with a smile. “The sonorous tongue of -Hellas invests the most commonplace poems with a dignity and a charm -which they would lose if translated. Come, Count, and sing that -love-song you used to be so fond of in Athens.” - -“Athens!” repeated the Count, with a significant smile, as he rose to -comply with this request. - -“Yes, Athens!” repeated Crispin, with emphasis. “I was accustomed to -play your accompaniment. How does it go?” - -He began playing a simple melody, which, wild though it was, sounded -quite poverty-stricken after the wealth of harmonies which had so -distinguished the music of Dvoräk. Caliphronas watched the player’s -fingers for a little time, and then began to sing in an uncommonly fine -tenor voice, though of course somewhat rough for want of training. What -he lacked in delicacy, however, he made up in force and fire; and the -wonderful language he sang in also assisted him greatly, though, as -regards the song itself, neither melody nor words were particularly -striking. - - Daphne, this summer night is full of singing; - I hear my comrades sigh at the windows of those they worship; - The windows are open, but thy lattice is closed. - “Love!” calls the lover to his beloved. - “Love!” answers the beloved with smiling lip. - But from your window you call not “Love!” - Wherefore the night is empty of singing to me: - Lean from your lattice, capricious one, - And I will sing the strain of the nightingale to the rose. - Yes! you have heard me: you open your window, - I can see the silver daggers gleam in your hair; - And you throw me a rose, which sighs “I love thee.” - Ah, you have spoken to the rose, and the message is told. - Good-night, my Daphne, sleep with the sound of my voice in thine ears; - But for me there is no slumber, - For all night will I demand of the rose your message, - And the rose will reply, “I love thee! I love thee!” - -“Thank you so much,” said Eunice, coming over to the piano. “I do not -know what it means, but it sounds wonderfully charming.” - -“It is a love-song.” - -“I wish I had a translation of it.” - -“I will translate it if you wish, Miss Dengelton,” said Crispin, by no -means relishing the attention which Eunice was paying to the Greek. - -“What! do you know Greek?” - -“Modern Greek; yes. I have been in Greece a great deal.” - -“A great deal,” echoed Caliphronas, with an evil smile. - -Crispin faced round abruptly, and was about to say something in an -undertone, but, after a moment’s deliberation, turned slowly away. The -Count looked after him with a smiling face, and then devoted himself to -Eunice, who was by no means averse to receiving his attentions. - -Now, Eunice must not be misjudged. It is true that she felt flattered by -the attentions of such a strikingly handsome man as Caliphronas; but she -was not, as Crispin in his jealousy thought, attracted in any marked -degree by this stranger. In fact, she was playing a little comedy for -the blinding of her lynx-eyed mother; for, afraid lest that lady should -discover that she was secretly engaged to Crispin, with the instinctive -craft of womankind, Eunice pretended to be more taken up with the Greek -than with the poet. By following this course, she thought her mother’s -mind would be set at rest concerning the rivalry of Crispin with -Maurice. Alas! the plan was a good one, and excellently well carried -out; but such diplomacy met with but an ill reward, as in avoiding -Charybdis she fell into the clutches of Scylla; for, in place of an -angry mother, she had to put up with an angry lover. - -Crispin was puzzled to account for her sudden desertion of him and this -marked attention to Caliphronas, so at once with masculine stupidity, -deemed that the outward graces of the Count had rendered her false to -him. Had Crispin been fortunate enough to possess a female friend to -whom he could have talked on such a serious matter, his suspicions would -speedily have been lulled to rest; for no one but a woman can understand -a woman, and, as Crispin was of the masculine gender, he therefore -failed to grasp the situation. Eunice chatted gayly with Caliphronas, -smiled on him, sang songs to him, and quite neglected poor Crispin, who -grew towards the end of the night almost as melancholy as Maurice, in -his despair at such unlooked-for behavior on the part of the girl he -loved. - -As to Caliphronas, that gentleman, who possessed a considerable amount -of vanity, and an overweening sense of his own perfections, saw nothing -in the conduct of Miss Dengelton otherwise than what should be. He was -so accustomed to be petted and made much of by women, that it became a -matter of habit with him, and he would have been considerably astonished -had Eunice acted otherwise than she did. At the same time, he was -secretly very pleased at making an impression in this quarter, as he saw -at once from intercepted glances that the poet was violently enamoured -of this fair English maiden. Caliphronas hated Crispin with all the -strong venomosity of a little soul, and if he could do him an ill turn -would certainly take advantage of the opportunity. Thinking Eunice had -succumbed to his fascinations, he was quite prepared to take advantage -of his conquest, and deprive the poet of his ewe lamb, the more so as -Crispin’s ill-concealed jealousy added considerably to the charm of the -flirtation. Poor Eunice, who never thought her motives would be -misconstrued by her jealous lover, was quite astonished when he -permitted Caliphronas to present her with her bedroom candle, and wished -her a frosty good-night. She would have liked to obtain an explanation, -but Mrs. Dengelton was at her heels, so she was obliged to retire to -bed, considerably disconcerted over the strange behavior of this -stupidly-jealous poet. - -Caliphronas also went to bed very shortly, as he did not smoke, and, -alleging that it was his custom to retire early and rise early, went off -to his room, leaving Crispin alone with Maurice. As soon as they were by -themselves, Crispin turned at once to his friend. - -“Did you see Eunice to-night?” - -Maurice leisurely filled his pipe. - -“Yes; I saw her. You are jealous of our friend Caliphronas.” - -“Well, I certainly think Eunice gave me good cause to be. What is the -reason of this sudden change?” - -Roylands shrugged his shoulders and lighted his pipe. - -“I don’t know; unless Francis I. was right,” he said calmly,—“‘_Souvent -femme varie_.’” - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - ENDYMION. - - Oh, goddess wise, - Disdainful of the sultry sun, - Thou waitest till his course is run - Then stealing where Endymion - In slumber lies, - With am’rous sighs - Awake him in that secret nest, - All drowsy with enchanted rest, - To lie upon thy silver breast; - While daylight dies, - In western skies, - And shyly peering one by one, - The stars gaze on that meeting blest. - - -For the next week or so life passed very agreeably at the Grange, and -its inmates, becoming habituated to one another’s society, settled down -into a lotus-eating existence, which, if not a useful one, was at least -infinitely charming. Caliphronas played his part in this country house -comedy in the most admirable manner, and, owing to his good looks, his -good manners, and his good temper, soon established himself as a -universal favorite. This splendid flower of humanity which had bloomed -to such beauty under the serene skies of the East fascinated Maurice -greatly, and he took a genuine pleasure in modelling the Endymion from -the Count; though at times, in spite of his artistic capabilities, he -almost despaired of being able to mould the soft clay into a perfect -representation of this virile perfection. At the same time the -intercourse between the sculptor and his model was very pleasant, as -Caliphronas was a most delightful companion, and told stories of his -adventures in a manner worthy of Ulysses or Munchausen. Yet, though he -seemed to grow quite confidential over his past life, he nevertheless -withheld many episodes which might have prejudiced his host against him. -Maurice, who was simple in many ways, despite his ten years’ experience -of Bohemia, thought Caliphronas was laying bare his whole soul, whereas -the wily Greek only revealed the best side of that very complex article. -This setting forth of his moral excellences was of course in keeping -with the impression he was anxious to produce, and he thus made himself -very agreeable to Maurice, who took the Count for what he represented -himself to be, not for what he really was. - -Caliphronas was an excellent conversationalist, and during the sittings -beguiled the time with many stories of his countrymen, and not -infrequently of his countrywomen, for this Apollo had achieved many -conquests in the fields of Venus, and seemed very proud of his prowess -during some charming campaigns. Probably most of his stories were -exaggerations, and at times even simple Maurice doubted their truth, but -so gracefully were these lies told that they sounded as delightful as -the tales of Boccaccio. The Count, with considerable imaginative power, -supplied to his host a charming history of himself and his early life, -which was more or less fictitious; but, of course, his listener never -dreamed that a man could string together such a quantity of consistent -lies, and therefore believed those romances worthy of Dumas the Elder. -Maurice was no fool, but his own nature was so simple and honorable, -that he thought every one else was like himself, and at the worst only -deemed that these histories were perhaps highly colored, but true in the -main. - -Meanwhile, Eunice had demanded at the most convenient opportunity an -explanation from Crispin, regarding his inexplicable behavior on that -first night of the Greek’s visit, and had received one which -considerably startled her, as it plainly showed that Crispin was -disposed to be jealous. This rather pleased Eunice, as no woman cares -about a meek lover, and the more jealousy a man displays, the more his -beloved feels complimented at the power she exercises over his -affections. However, the situation between her and Crispin being -somewhat strained, Eunice, deeming honesty to be the best policy, -confessed all about her little scheme of misleading Mrs. Dengelton -regarding the true position of affairs. On learning the truth, Crispin -felt very much ashamed of his groundless suspicions, and apologized -profusely for having doubted his intended, whereat, being satisfied with -this humbling of the proud, she took him into favor again, so the course -of true love once more ran smooth. - -Notwithstanding the unpleasantness of such a thing, Crispin rather -approved of Eunice treating him with coldness in the presence of Mrs. -Dengelton, as it would probably lull the suspicions of that lady, but he -was not so sure about his intended accepting the very pointed attentions -of Caliphronas. Crispin knew the Greek thoroughly. Eunice was absolutely -ignorant of his real character; but as, owing to his being behind the -scenes, he could make Caliphronas to a certain extent do what he -desired, he hinted very plainly to this Hellenic Don Juan that his -attentions were unwelcome to Miss Dengelton, and that he was to give up -the _rôle_ he had elected to play. At first the Count was disposed to -rebel against this fiat, which put an end to a very pleasant flirtation, -but as he really did not care about Eunice, and moreover Crispin was too -dangerous to be provoked lightly, he made a virtue of necessity, and -ceased to overwhelm the shy English girl with his florid compliments. At -the same time he promised himself to be revenged on Crispin at the first -opportunity, and Crispin, knowing this, could not help feeling a trifle -uneasy, for it was a difficult matter to fight with an absolutely -unscrupulous scoundrel like the Count, whose laws were neither those of -God nor man, but of his own making. However, Crispin’s knowledge of his -errand to Roylands proved an effective weapon, and he was satisfied that -the Greek would do nothing to jeopardize the success of his mission, -even though his vanity demanded some revenge for being thus slighted. - -Of course, Mrs. Dengelton still contemplated a match between her -daughter and nephew, but Maurice evaded her hints with great dexterity, -yet at the same time, to protect Crispin from a less complaisant rival, -made such pointed remarks about the necessity of marriage as led Mrs. -Dengelton to believe that he seriously contemplated entering into the -matrimonial state. Never was the good lady so puzzled in her life, for -she could not make up her mind as to what Maurice really meant, with his -blowing hot one day and cold the next, but, being a great believer in -the efficacy of time, deemed it the wisest plan to wait the development -of events, and in order to watch the same kept her beady eyes wide open. -Owing to the neglectful manner in which Eunice had lately treated -Crispin, she apprehended no danger from that quarter, and, as Maurice -was very attentive to his cousin, the Hon. Mrs. Dengelton felt sure that -in the end she would obtain her heart’s desire, and install Eunice as -mistress of Roylands Grange. - -The Rector sometimes came over to the Grange, and was friendly with -every one saving Caliphronas, as for some inexplicable reason he -professed to heartily dislike that brilliant gentleman. It was certainly -a kind of Dr. Fell-ish aversion, of which Mr. Carriston felt rather -ashamed, as he could give no plausible reason for such distrust. In -reply to a question of Maurice’s he simply said that, much as he admired -the physical beauty of the Greek, he was by no means sure that his soul -corresponded to the perfection of the body. Indeed, on one occasion, -while Mrs. Dengelton was eulogizing the charms of Caliphronas from a -feminine point of view, the Rector pointedly quoted that line from the -_Odyssey_ which says,—“Faultlessly fair bodies are not always the -temples of a godlike soul;” but as this remark was made in Homeric -Greek, the significance of it was lost upon the lady. It may be that -some subtle instinct warned him against this man, whose evil nature was -concealed under the semblance of good; but at all events the Rector was -always on his guard against the Count, and delicately warned Maurice -against trusting him too far. Evidently Mr. Carriston had studied the -character of Ulysses to no small purpose, and found in Caliphronas a -reproduction, body, brain, and soul, of the most crafty of the Greeks. - -Regarding the outward appearance of Caliphronas, the Rector was too -deeply steeped in the serene literature of Hellas to be unimpressed with -the physical splendor of the man. Making allowances for the subduing -influence of modern clothing, which detracts from the most perfect -beauty either in man or woman, Mr. Carriston at times, seeing -Caliphronas in the dazzling sunlight, thought he beheld, as in a vision, -the phantom of some joyous Hellenic divinity untouched by sorrow or -care. This man, gifted with exceptional beauty, might have been Hylas, -Hyacinth, or Theoxenos, and strayed by chance from some unknown Arcadian -vale into the rush and turmoil of the modern world, with its worship of -money and position, so alien to the adoration of Beauty and Genius which -formed the cult of antique Hellas. In truth, Caliphronas was out of -place in England;—our gray rainy skies, smoky air, stifling cities, and -domesticated Nature, formed but a dark background for this strongly -vitalized being, tingling from head to foot with the healthfulness of -wild life. He should have dwelt in the burning south, beside the -tideless ripples of serene seas, under the cloudless blue of Attic -skies, with the silver-gray olives, the shining temples of the gods, and -headland, mountain peak, and island melting into phantom forms of aërial -grace far beyond the expanse of the laughing ocean. He was an -anachronism in this nineteenth century, the physical survivor of Hellas -as Keats was the mental survivor—one had the body of Alcibiades, the -other the brain of Theocritus, and both were equally alien to the modern -world. - -Well was it for the Rector that he could see only the splendid casket, -and not the soul contained therein, for, in spite of his instinctive -distrust, the fancy he had that this Count was not to be trusted fell -far below the actual moral degradation of the man. Caliphronas was as -vain as a peacock, absolutely ignorant of the morality of right or -wrong, lazy in every way save what touched his own desires, and crafty -as a fox. Crispin could have pointed out to the Rector all these flaws, -but Crispin had promised to hold his peace so long as Caliphronas -abstained from actual harm; therefore he remained quiescent, and only -reminded the Greek now and then that there was a watchful eye on his -doings. - -Maurice believed in the Greek, the Rector doubted him, and Crispin knew -his worthlessness thoroughly, so among the three of them the character -of Caliphronas was pretty well analyzed. From Maurice, the steady, -respectable Englishman, with occasional lapses of artistic wildness, to -Caliphronas, the brilliant cosmopolitan adventurer, was a long step. -Crispin stood midway between the two, as he had a certain amount of -British phlegmatism, with at times those wild impulses which come from a -wandering life and an intellectual nature. Still, he could control his -spontaneity, while Caliphronas, obeying his own undisciplined mind, did -whatever came into his head; yet, if any one was scandalized by such -unconventionality, he would at once obtain forgiveness by the graceful -way in which he apologized. - -“It is impossible to be angry with you,” said Maurice to him one day, -when the Count had been guilty of some ridiculous escapade, “and yet you -deserve to be sharply spoken to. But you are a child in many ways, and -we cannot be angry with a child.” - -“There you are right, my dear Mr. Maurice,” replied Caliphronas, -smiling. “I am a child, but that is as much as to say, I am a Greek. You -remember what the Egyptian priest said to Solon,—‘You Greeks are always -children.’ Therefore, if I am a child, and act impulsively like a child, -blame my nationality, not myself.” - -“I expect you could be a very bad child if you wanted to!” said Crispin, -overhearing this defence. - -Caliphronas darted a spiteful look at the speaker. - -“Very likely,” he replied in a meaning tone; “but those who dread stings -should not disturb the wasps’ nest.” - -There was a distinct menace in his tone, but Crispin felt too confident -of having the upper hand to take much notice of this venom, and merely -laughed, much to the wrath of the Greek. However, as the time was not -yet ripe for action, he restrained his anger, and behaved so amiably to -Crispin that it was only the knowledge the poet possessed of his true -character that made him mistrust the suave smiles and kindly actions of -this Greek Machiavelli. - -Caliphronas was an amphibious creature, and lived quite as much in the -water as on the shore. Whenever he had the time to spare, he went off to -Brasdimir for a dip in the sea, and would plunge and wallow in the water -like a dolphin. Fortunately that summer at Roylands was unusually hot, -and what with the cloudless skies, the burning sun, and the delicate -emerald tints of foliage, grass, and herb, Caliphronas might well have -imagined that he was still in his beloved Greece, bathing off some -pebbly beach of the Ægean. - -Brasdimir was a somewhat peculiar place, and was in reality an arm of -the sea (_bras de mer_) which ran up like a long tongue into the land, -where it met the waters of the Roy river. In olden times, Roylands, -which was its Norman-French name, had been the property of the crown, -and had been used by the Plantagenets for their favorite pastime of -hunting. Henry II. bestowed it on one of his barons who was strongly -suspected of being a son of the king, but who on receiving this royal -gift dropped his former name of Fitzroy and took that of Roylands. It -was certainly a splendid property, and through all the turbulence of -succeeding reigns the descendants of the first Roylands had succeeded in -keeping their hold on these rich acres; so it was very little diminished -in size from the time of its bestowal on Fitzroy. Brasdimir, which was a -kind of estuary, ran about half a mile up into the estate, and into it -flowed the little river Roy, which was a placid stream of no great -beauty. All round Brasdimir lay fat meadows containing some of the -finest land in the country, and clumps of beech and elm and oak, -remnants of the old hunting-forest of Plantagenet kings, dotted their -broad expanse of daisied sward. - -Near the upper part of Brasdimir, where it met the waters of the Roy and -blended salt with fresh, stood a quincunx of noble oaks which grew close -to the bank. From thence the smooth turf of the meadow sloped down to -the turbulent waters, and it was here that Caliphronas came to bathe, -not only every morning, but often three times a day. Being in the middle -of the estate, Brasdimir was far away from all human habitation, and -might have been the navel of some great wilderness, so lonely it was. -The Greek loved this blending of fresh and salt water, as the softness -of the one assuaged the harshness of the other, and under the hot sun -would frequently cool himself in this unique pool, which was neither -river nor stream, but a mixture of both. - -Very often Crispin and Maurice would come with him for a morning dip -just before sunrise, and then walk back to the Grange with a tremendous -appetite for breakfast. - -One morning they set out for their usual walk, just as the east was -flushing redly with the dawn, and the chill morning air nipped them -keenly as they strolled along in the direction of Brasdimir. That is to -say, the poet and the sculptor strolled, for Caliphronas simply danced -along, as if to rid himself of his superabundant energy. Across the dewy -meadows he bounded fawn-like, singing as gayly as the lark already -saluting the sun in the fresh blue sky. Like some wild being of the -woods, he leaped here and there from very light-heartedness, with his -head bare and his arms tossing in the air. A number of horses pasturing -in the field rushed away at his approach, nor, though he called them -loudly, did they pause in their wild career. - -“What a child he is!” said Maurice, watching the graceful figure of the -Greek bounding lightly towards the water. - -“Yes, a nice child truly,” sneered Crispin, with strong disfavor. - -“You don’t seem to like Caliphronas?” - -“Well, no, I cannot say I do. As an acquaintance he is all very well, -but as a friend”—Here Crispin shrugged his shoulders in lieu of words. - -“I suppose all he says about himself is true?” - -“I suppose so,” replied the poet curtly. - -“Do you think he will stay long down here? I hope he will not go away -before I finish modelling my Endymion.” - -“I think you can safely depend on his staying till then,” rejoined -Crispin significantly, and the conversation ended—a conversation which -left an odd feeling of discomfort in the mind of Maurice, which—why he -could not tell—seemed to revive his old distrust of this fascinating -Greek. He would have questioned Crispin further, but as they were now on -the edge of the bank, and Caliphronas was within hearing, he had no -opportunity of so doing, therefore put off such examination till a more -convenient season. - -Caliphronas was already in the water, swimming like a fish, and indeed -he was as much at home there as on the land. The two gentlemen undressed -leisurely on the bank, Maurice making fun of the Greek as he revelled in -his favorite element. - -“You had better beware, Caliphronas, as the nymphs might take a fancy to -you as they did to Hylas.” - -“River nymphs, sea nymphs, I do not mind in the least!” cried the Greek -gayly; “ladies are always charming, whether they have tails or limbs.” - -At this moment he reached the opposite bank and climbed on the fallen -trunk of a tree. As he stood there with his arms raised above his head, -the first yellow ray of the sun flashed on his white body and enveloped -him in glory, as though he were indeed a stray Olympian. Then, with a -shout of glee, he shot downward like an arrow, cleaving the blue water -with a dash of snowy spray, which sprang upwards glittering like -diamonds in the yellow sunlight. By this time Maurice and his friend -were also enjoying their bath in the cool element, and the three -rollicked about like schoolboys. Crispin swam down the estuary in the -direction of the sea with Maurice, and soon the surface of the water -roughened by the wind began to dash salt spray in their faces. -Caliphronas stayed where he was, amusing himself with fancy strokes, but -after a time he became tired, and when the others came back, breathless -with their long swim, they found the Count standing on the bank drying -himself. - -As they also were tired, they also sought the bank, but at this moment -one of the horses, a powerful black one, came timidly near them. -Caliphronas, with that wonderful power he had over all animals, -advanced, nude as he was, up the bank, and called to the horse in a -coaxing tone. The animal let him get quite close to it and lay his hand -on the mane, when with a sudden spring the Greek leaped on its back, and -the horse, startled by the action and by his shout, galloped away at -full speed. Round and round the meadow went horse and man, forming so -striking a sight that Maurice and Crispin paused in their dressing to -look at it. As the horse at full gallop came sweeping past, with -Caliphronas laughing and holding on by the mane, Maurice involuntarily -thought of the frieze of the Parthenon, where nude youths ride fiery -steeds in a long serene procession of marble figures. The Greek rode -like a Red Indian, with the most consummate ease, and as the horse for -the third time darted past the quincunx of oaks, he dropped lightly off, -by some trick known only to himself, and the steed galloped wildly away, -while the Greek came back laughing to his friends. - -“What a child you are, Caliphronas!” said Maurice in a vexed tone; -“riding a bare-backed steed in that reckless manner. You might have -broken your neck.” - -“Small loss if he had,” muttered Crispin under his breath. - -“Oh, I can stick on anything,” answered Caliphronas carelessly, taking -no notice of Crispin’s remark, which his keen ears immediately heard; -“besides, that gallop has done me good. See, I am quite dry.” - -When they were dressed, the three of them walked quickly back to -breakfast, for the morning air had developed their appetites enormously. -Mrs. Dengelton and Eunice awaited them on the terrace, and they were -soon seated round the well-spread table. Caliphronas, touching neither -coffee nor tea, drank water only, and confined his eating to bread, -honey, and eggs. His were the tastes of primeval man, and he strongly -disliked elaborate dishes which were pleasing to the cultured palates of -his more civilized neighbors. - -“I do not know how you can eat such things,” he said in some disgust, as -Eunice took some curry. “Does it not make you ill?” - -“Not in the least, Count,” she replied, laughing. “It is a very depraved -taste, I suppose, but I am very fond of curry.” - -“And tea—hot tea,” retorted Caliphronas quickly. “I have heard it said -that tea is bad for the nerves. Ladies always complain of nerves, yet -they drink tea.” - -“I could not do without my tea,” said Mrs. Dengelton, who was given to -surreptitious cups of tea at odd hours of the day, “and yet I have -nerves. Oh, those dreadful nerves! You don’t know what it is to be so -afflicted, Count.” - -“No, I do not. I never had an illness in my life, but then that is -because I live a natural life, whereas all you highly civilized people -live an artificial existence. If you gave up your highly-spiced dishes, -your strong wines, your late hours, your breathing of poisonous air, you -would be as healthy as I am.” - -“Well, you can hardly call the air of Roylands poisonous,” said Maurice -indolently. - -“No, the air here is delightful because you live near the sea. I could -not dwell inland myself. I would die. I must breathe the sea air, see -the wide waste of waters, hear the thunder of waves on the beach. That -is the only life for a healthy man.” - -“You could not live in London, I suppose,” said Mrs. Dengelton, frowning -on Eunice, who was talking in a quiet tone to Crispin. - -“London!” cried the Count, with scorn. “I would as soon live at the -bottom of the sea. Indeed, I believe it would be healthier there. -London, that crushed-up mass of houses inhabited by pale-faced people—I -wonder they can exist. Oh, I saw and heard a good deal of London when I -was there. Your people in the East End never leave those narrow streets -from one year to the other. They know nothing of sunrise or sunset, for -they only see those marvels through a smoky veil. They cannot tell a -bird by its song—they know nothing of animals or their habits. Of the -wonderful life of Nature which is born and lives and dies in the woods, -in the seas, in the mountains, they are ignorant. They are born blind, -they live blind, they die blind, and call such blindness life.” - -“But what about the people in the West End?” asked Mrs. Dengelton, with -the air of making a crushing remark. - -“They are scarcely better,” retorted Caliphronas promptly; “they sit -half the night in theatres breathing hot air, they go to balls where -there is such a crowd of people that no one can dance, they walk for an -hour in the Park and call it exercise, they poison themselves at the -clubs with cigarettes, and in the boudoirs with tea—and all this -feverish, unreal life is called ‘the season.’ When they go abroad it is -to Monte Carlo and those sorts of places, where they lead the same life -on a smaller scale. No, the West End is no better than the East End!” - -“But you forget,” said Crispin, more from a desire to contradict the -Count than because he disagreed with him, “plenty of people go -mountaineering, game-shooting, yachting, exploring.” - -“I know all that, my dear friend, but the number of people who do those -things is very small. I am talking of the great mass of the English -people, and as far as I can see, whether they are rich or poor, the life -they lead is in both cases equally opposed to health and enjoyment.” - -“Here endeth the first reading,” said Maurice, rising from the table, -his example being followed by all his guests. “Caliphronas, you are -quite eloquent on the subject.” - -“Yes! I am not usually so eloquent,” replied the Count, going out on to -the terrace, “but on all sides I hear from your people complaints of -being ill. Well, the remedy is in their own hands. Why don’t they use -it?” - -“My good sir,” remarked Crispin, who had lighted a cigarette, “you -cannot overturn the whole complex civilization of the West in that -manner. Man can no more go back to the simplicity of the existence you -eulogize, than you could settle down to a fashionable life in London and -enjoy it.” - -“Well, you at least can be cured easily,” said the Count, with emphasis, -for, as they were now beyond earshot of the rest of the party, he could -talk freely; “you all your life have lived the life of a natural man, -but now you smoke that horrible tobacco, drink all kinds of wines, eat -all kinds of dishes, and will soon become as artificial as those people -around you.” - -“Perhaps I will come back to the primeval existence you praise.” - -“With that young lady, I suppose?” - -“Perhaps.” - -“Ah, she is very charming! She is”— - -“Thank you, I don’t want to hear your opinion of Miss Dengelton,” said -Crispin haughtily; “your primeval simplicity at times verges on -rudeness. How long are you going to stay here?” - -“I can’t tell you that; but I am going to take my first step to-day.” - -“In order to get Roylands to Melnos?” - -“Yes. Oh, I have a lure, my friend. Yes; I have described the fairyland -of the islands, and that it is fairyland you must admit. He is even now -seized with a desire of going there, so to-day I will get him to make up -his mind to go to the Levant with me.” - -“How?” - -“I will show him this.” - -Crispin looked at the portrait the Count held out, which was that of a -marvellously beautiful woman in a Greek dress. - -“Helena!” cried the poet, recognizing the face. “When did she get this -taken? Has she been to Athens?” - -“No. I took it myself. Oh, I am not absolutely the barbarian you think -me. I have gone in for photography. Yes; this is one of my best -efforts.” - -“And do you think that face will lure Maurice to the East?” - -“It ought to,” said Caliphronas, gazing at the picture with a burning -light in his eyes; “she is as lovely as her namesake of Troy, and I love -her, oh, how I love her!” - -“Is it wise, do you think, to introduce a possible rival?” - -“That does not matter to me,” replied the Count, slipping the picture -into his pocket. “I have Justinian’s promise.” - -“Yes, but you have not got Helena’s.” - -“Oh, she won’t refuse to marry me.” - -“For the sake of her happiness, I hope she will.” - -“You are very complimentary,” retorted the Greek ironically, turning -away. “Well, I must leave your delightful society, my friend. It is time -for me to go to the studio.” - -“Wait a minute! I have not thwarted your plans, because, as far as I can -see, they are innocent, but if you induce Maurice to go to the Levant”— - -“Well?” demanded Caliphronas insolently. - -“I will go also.” - -“And your reason?” - -“A very simple one. I do not trust the scamp called Andros.” - -“Better known, at least in England, as Constantine Caliphronas,” replied -the Count coolly. “Well, come if you like, to watch over your precious -friend. I do not wish him harm, but he, and you also, had better beware -of Justinian.” - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - THE PORTRAIT. - - Dreary life, - Aching fears, - Endless strife, - Bitter tears, - Lo, a lovely face I see, - Changing all the world to me. - - Love’s delight, - Beauty’s face, - Smilings bright, - Woman’s grace, - Thus beholding these in thee, - Thou hast changed the world to me. - - -The studio which Maurice had fitted up for himself at the Grange was a -very workmanlike apartment, as it was quite barren of the artistic -frippery with which painters love to decorate their rooms. Sculpture is -a much more virile art than painting, and, scorning frivolous adornments -of all kinds, the artist of the chisel devotes himself to the severest -and highest forms of beauty, so that, he finds quite enough loveliness -in his coldly perfect marble figures, without furnishing his studio like -a Wardour Street toy-shop. Of course, he who works in colors loves to -gaze on colors; and therefore a fantastic Eastern carpet, a quaint -figured tapestry, a gold-broidered curtain of Indian silk, a yellow -shield of antique workmanship, a porous red jar from Egypt, and such -like brilliances, are pleasing to the artistic eye, and the constant -sight of their blended hues keeps the sense of color, so to speak, up to -the mark. The sculptor, however, has but one color, white, which is not -a color; and the less luxurious his studio, the more likely is he to -concentrate his attention on the statue growing to perfection under his -busy chisel. - -These sentiments, which would seem to narrow down a sculptor to the -severest and least graceful form of art, were uttered by Crispin in -approval of that bare barn attached to the Grange which Maurice called -his studio. But then Crispin knew nothing about art, and a painter or a -sculptor reading the above views of their profession will probably laugh -to scorn such fanciful notions. Yet it is true that the sculptor by his -art is shut off from the world of color, unless, like the old -Greeks,—according to some critics,—he tints his statues, and thereby -turns them into wax figures. But doubtless those Hellenic sculptors who -wrought nude gods and draped goddesses from the marbles of Paros and -Pentelicus, did not fail to notice how the background of the blue Attic -sky enhanced the beauty of their creations, and therefore must have -concluded that the world of color, to which they were strangers, could -accentuate the fairness and beauty of their statues. Again these are the -artistic sentiments of Crispin the poet, delivered to Maurice with much -daring, seeing the speaker was ignorant of the world of art, and but -promulgated his ideas in a purely poetical fashion. But Crispin’s crude -view of art and artists may doubtless fail to interest many people; -therefore, to come back in a circle to the starting-point of the -disquisition, Maurice’s studio was a very workmanlike apartment. - -The floor consisted merely of bare boards, although at one end, in front -of the fireplace, there was an oasis of carpet, on which rested a table -for pipes and tobacco, together with two comfortable arm-chairs. -Scattered here and there were statues finished and unfinished, some -completed in marble, others incomplete in clay. Maurice had gratified -his artistic desires for the perfection of sculpture by surrounding -himself with copies in marble of some famous statues, for now, as he was -wealthy, he could afford to do so. Here danced the Faun with his -grotesque visage and lissome pose; there smiled Hebe, holding her cup -for the banquet of the gods; Bacchus with his crown of vine-leaves gazed -serenely on the sad face of the draped Ariadne in the distance; Apollo -watched the lizard crawling up the tree-trunk; and Hermes, with winged -feet, poised himself on his pedestal as if for flight. The whole studio -was filled with the fair and gracious forms of Greek art, and no wonder -at times Maurice despaired of producing anything worth looking at beside -these immortal productions of the Hellenic brain and hands. The great -necessity now is, not to know what one can do, but what one cannot do; -and if these complacent artists, poets, sculptors, novelists, only abode -by this rule, the world would be spared the perpetration of many an -atrocity in marble, verse, or on canvas, which the conceited creators -think perfection. Maurice Roylands had a pretty taste for chipping -marble, but he was by no means a genius, and his statues, while -perfectly wrought in accordance with the canons of art, yet lacked that -soul which only the true sculptor can give to his creations. It was a -fortunate thing for him that he was a rich man, for assuredly he would -never have become a great sculptor. His ideas were excellent, but he -could not carry them out in accordance with the figment of his brain, as -he lacked the divine spark of genius which alone can fully accomplish -what it conceives. - -At present, clad in a blouse, he was standing in front of a mass of wet -clay, manipulating the soft material with dexterous fingers into a -semblance of the fanciful Endymion of his brain and the real Endymion of -Caliphronas. That gentleman was posed on the model’s platform in the -distance, and was beguiling the time by incessant chattering of this, -that, and the other thing. - -The artist had based his conception of this statue of Endymion on these -lines of Keats, poet laureate to Dian herself,— - - “What is there in the Moon that thou shouldst move - My heart so potently?” - -He intended to represent the shepherd sitting on Latmos top, chin on -hand, gazing at the moon with dreamy eyes, his mortal heart thrilling at -the thought that he would see the inviolate Artemis incarnate in the -flesh. In accordance with the Greek ideas of nudity, Maurice did not -drape his statue; but the shepherd sat on his chlamys, which was lightly -thrown over a rock, while beside him lay scrip, and flask, and pastoral -crook. Caliphronas was seated thus,—with his elbow resting on his knee -and his chin on his hand, gazing presumably at the moon, in reality at -Maurice, while the other hand lightly hung down by his side, and his -right leg was drawn back so that the foot bent in a delicate curve -calculated to show its full beauty. This pose showed all the perfect -lines of his figure, and with his nude body, his clean-shaven face, and -dreaming eyes, he looked the veritable Endymion who was waiting the -descent of the goddess from high Olympus. Though it was a warm day, a -fire burned in the grate, for the Greek was very susceptible to cold, -and after working for some time Maurice was fain to rest, so great was -the heat; whereupon Caliphronas flung himself back on the chlamys, -placed his hands behind his head, and began to talk. - -“Will you be long at your work to-day, Mr. Maurice?” he asked with a -yawn. - -“No, not if you are tired,” replied Roylands, throwing a cloak over the -Count. “You had better wrap yourself up, or you will catch cold. If you -don’t care to sit any more to-day, we can leave off now.” - -“Well, I have some letters to write, but I will wait another half-hour.” - -“All right!” - -Maurice lighted his favorite pipe and established himself in a -comfortable chair, upon which the Count, finding the rock of Endymion -somewhat hard, forsook the platform, and, wrapping the cloak closely -round him, sat down opposite the sculptor. - -“I wonder you don’t smoke, Caliphronas,” said Maurice, idly watching the -Greek with half-closed eyes. “You will find it an excellent way of -passing the time.” - -“Of killing time, I suppose you mean; but I have no need to do that. At -least, not when I am at home in Greece. Here, yes, it is rather -difficult to get through the day comfortably; if it were not for these -sittings, I really do not know what I would do with myself.” - -“I am afraid I will never be able to carry out my conception of -Endymion,” said Maurice, paying no attention to this remark. - -Caliphronas shrugged his shoulders. - -“Oh, your work is very good,” he said politely, “very good indeed; but -of course it is not perfect.” - -“I know that, but practice makes perfect.” - -“Not in the world of art. You may learn to paint in strict accordance -with the rules of art. You may sculpture to the inch every portion of -the human body, but that is only the outward semblance of the picture or -the statue. The great thing which makes a great work is the soul.” - -“Quite true. And you think I cannot create the soul of my statues?” said -Maurice, rather nettled at the outspoken criticism. - -“I say nothing, my friend. I know but little of art, so it would be an -impertinence of me to talk about that of which I am ignorant.” - -“The longer we live the less we discover we know,” said Roylands -sententiously. - -“I suppose that is true,” replied Caliphronas indolently; “but, thank -heaven, I have not the soul of an artist, for it seems to cause its -owner perpetual anxiety. No; I live healthy, joyous, and free, like the -other animals of Nature, and I am quite satisfied.” - -“Is that not rather ignoble?” - -“Perhaps; but that is nothing to me. I am happy, which is, to my mind, -the main aim of life. Why should I slave for money? I do not wish it. -Why should I toil for years at art, and gain at the end but ephemeral -fame? Besides, when one dies, what good does fame do? A large marble -tomb would not please me.” - -“Still, the fame of being spoken of by succeeding generations.” - -“Who would do nothing but wrangle over their different opinions -regarding one’s work. Present happiness is what I wish, not future -praise; but in this narrow island of yours you cannot understand the joy -of life. Come with me to the isles of Greece, and you will be so -fascinated with the free, wild life that you will never return to your -prison-house.” - -“If all men thought like you, the world would not progress.” - -“I don’t want all men to think the same as I do,” replied the Count -selfishly. “I suppose there must be slaves as well as freemen. I prefer -to be the last.” - -“Slaves!” - -“Yes. I do not mean the genuine article, but all men are slaves more or -less, if they don’t follow my mode of life. Slaves to gain, slaves to -art, slaves to conventionality, slaves to everything; and what do they -gain by such slavery? Nothing but what I do—a tomb—annihilation.” - -“Well, you are a slave to your passions.” - -“You mean I obey my impulses. Well, I do; but it is a very pleasant kind -of slavery.” - -“And you believe in that horrible theory of annihilation?” - -“Well, I don’t know what I believe. I trouble myself in no-wise about -the hereafter. I am alive, I am strong, I am happy. The sun is bright, -the winds are inspiriting,—I draw delight from mountain and plain,—so -why should I trouble myself about what I know nothing? The present is -just enough for me. Let the future take care of itself.” - -“A selfish philosophy.” - -“A very enjoyable one. Come with me to the East, and you will adopt my -creed. Are you happy here?” - -“No.” - -“I can see that. You are melancholy at times, you are devoured with -spleen, you find the life you lead too dreary for your soul. If you let -me be your physician, I will cure you.” - -“And how?” - -“By a very simple means. I will make you lead the same life as I do -myself,—open-air life,—and in a few months you will find these -nightmares of the soul completely disappear. No prisoner can be happy; -and as you are a prisoner in this dungeon of conventionality, and are -swathed in the mummy cloths of civilization, you cannot hope to be happy -unless you go out into the wilderness.” - -“The life you describe is purely an animal one. What about the -intellect?” - -“Intellect! pshaw! I know more about Nature than half your scientific -idiots with their books.” - -“What an inconsistent being you are, Caliphronas!” said Maurice in an -amused tone. “You say you love art, admire pictures, adore statues; yet, -if every man followed the life you eulogize, such things would not be in -existence.” - -“I tell you, I don’t want all the world to follow my example. I would be -very sorry to lose all these delights of the senses, so I am glad there -are men sufficiently self-denying to slave at such things for my -delight; but as regards myself, I desire to live as a natural man—an -animal, as you say. It is ignoble—yes; but it is pleasant.” - -This speech somewhat opened the eyes of Maurice to the kind of soul -which was enshrined in the splendid body of this man; and he saw plainly -that the sensual part of Caliphronas had completely conquered the -spiritual. But with what result?—that this ignoble being was happy. What -an ironical comment of Fate on the strivings of great beings to -subordinate the senses to the soul. The soul agitated by a thousand -fears, the brain striving ever after the impossible—what do these give -their possessor, but a feeling of unrest, of unsatisfied hunger; whereas -the body, untortured by an inquiring spirit, brought contentment, -happiness—ignoble though they were—to the animal man. - -By this time, Caliphronas, having made up his mind to sit no more that -day, was slowly dressing himself, singing a Greek song in his usual gay -manner. - - “Three girls crossed my path in the twilight; - One did I love, but the others were nothing to me: - She frowned at my greeting, but her friends smiled sweetly, - Yet was she the loveliest of them all, - And I loved her frown more than their smiles inviting.” - -“How happy you are, Caliphronas!” - -“Thoroughly. I have not a care in the world. Come with me to the Island -of Fantasy, and you also will be happy.” - -“The Island of Fantasy!” - -“Yes; that is what Justinian calls it.” - -“Who is Justinian? anything to do with the Pandects?” - -“Pandects?” reiterated Caliphronas, puzzled by the word. - -“Yes. Is he a ruler—a law-giver?” - -“Oh yes; he is the king of the Island of Fantasy.” - -“Which, I presume, exists only in your brain,” said Roylands jestingly. - -“Pardon me, no,” replied the Count seriously, resuming his seat. “The -Island of Fantasy, or, to call it by its real name, Melnos, does exist -in the Ægean Sea. It is a but little known island, and Justinian, who is -my very good friend, rules over it as a kind of Homeric king. Ulysses -was just such another; and there you will find the calm, patriarchal -life of those antique times, which you of the modern world think has -vanished forever. My friend, the Golden Age still exists in Melnos, and -if you come with me, you will dwell in Arcady.” - -“My dear Count,” said Maurice, much impressed by the fluency of the -man’s speech, “I have never yet heard a foreigner speak our tongue with -such ease as you do. Where did you learn such fluency—such a good -accent?” - -“Ah, I will tell you that when we arrive at Melnos.” - -“You are almost as much a riddle as is Crispin,” said Maurice, chafing -at this secrecy, which seemed to be so senseless. - -“Doubtless; but if you are curious to know about us both, come to the -Ægean with me.” - -“About you both?” repeated the Englishman: “why, do you know anything of -Crispin?” - -Caliphronas knew a good deal about Crispin, but he was too wise to say -that he did. Silence regarding the past on his part was the only way to -secure silence on the part of Crispin; and much as Caliphronas, in his -enmity to the poet, would have liked to reveal what Crispin desired to -be kept secret, he had too much at stake to risk such a gratification of -his spite, and therefore passed off the question with a laugh. - -“Know anything about Creespeen?” he reiterated, smiling. “I’m afraid I -know nothing more than you do. I met him at Athens, truly, but we were -but acquaintances, so I never made any inquiries about him. He was as -much a riddle there as here. Oh yes, I heard all the romances about him -in London; and no doubt one story is as true as another. The reason I -made such a remark as I did, was that, as Crispin says himself, he came -from the East like a wise man of to-day; you will probably learn his -past history in those parts.” - -“And as to yourself?” - -“Eh! I have told you all my past life, with the exception of Melnos, and -that I did not think worth while relating. But it is a charming place, I -assure you; and if you come with me, I am sure you will find a community -under the rule of Justinian, which is quite foreign to this century.” - -“I have a good mind to accept your offer,” said Maurice musingly; “there -is nothing to keep me in England, and a glimpse of new lands would do me -good. Besides, Count, one does not get such an excellent guide as you -every day.” - -“Oh, I know every island in the Ægean,” replied Caliphronas, smiling his -thanks for the compliment. “I have sailed all over the Archipelago, and -am quite a sailor in a small way. Lesbos, Cythera, Samos, Rhodes,—I know -them all intimately; so if you are fond of ruins, and the remains of old -Greece, I can show you plenty, tell you the legends, arrange about the -inns, and, in fact, act as a dragoman; but, of course, without his greed -for money.” - -“It seems worth considering.” - -“It will be a visit to paradise,” cried Caliphronas enthusiastically, -springing to his feet. “Here you do not know the true meaning of the -word beauty. Only under the blue sky, above the blue waves of the Ægean, -is it to be seen. Aphrodite arose from those waters, and she was but an -incarnation of the beauty which meets the eye on all sides. You have -been my host in England. I will be your host in Greece, and will -entertain you in my ruined abode,—misnamed a palace,—which is all that -remains to me of my forefathers. Together we will sail over those -laughing waters, and see the sun-kissed islands bloom on the wave. -Paradise! It is the Elysian fields of foam where rest the spirits of -wearied mariners. What says the song of the Greek sailors? - - ‘I will die! but the earth will not hold me in her breast, - For the blue sea will clasp me in its arms. - I will die! but let my soul not find the heaven of the orthodox. - Nay, let it wander among the flowery islands, - Where I can see my home and the girl who mourns me. - That only is the paradise I long for.’” - -“You forget I do not know modern Greek,” said Maurice, smiling at the -enthusiasm of the Count; “nor indeed much ancient Greek, for the matter -of that. But see, Count, you have dropped a photograph.” - -“You can look at it,” said the Count, who had let it fall purposely; “I -have no secrets.” - -“Oh!” - -“Ah, you think it a charming face?” - -“Charming is too weak a word. It is Aphrodite herself.” - -“Alas!” cried Caliphronas. with a merry laugh; “that goddess lived -before the days of sun-pictures, else Apollo might have photographed -her. No; that is no deity, but a mortal maiden whom I saw at Melnos. It -is not bad for an amateur effort, is it?” - -“Oh, very good, very good!” replied Maurice hurriedly; “but the -face—what a heavenly face!” - -“Ah, you see my paradise has got its Eve.” - -“And its Adam, doubtless?” - -“No, there is no Adam to that Eve,” said Caliphronas, shaking his head; -“at least, there was not when I was in Melnos six months ago. Why should -there be? You will find plenty of women as beautiful as Helena.” - -“Helena—is that her name? Yes, I have no doubt you will find beautiful -women in Greece,—’tis their heritage from Phryne, Lais, and Aspasia; but -none can be as beautiful as Helen of Troy.” - -“Possibly not; but that woman is Helena of Melnos, not of Troy.” - -“I’ll swear she is as beautiful as the wife of Menelaus, whom Paris -loved.” - -“You seem quite in raptures over this face,” said Caliphronas, with but -ill-concealed anger. “Pray, do you propose to be Menelaus or Paris!” - -“Why, are you in love with her yourself?” asked Maurice, looking at the -Greek in some surprise. - -This question touched Caliphronas more nearly than Maurice guessed, but, -whatever passion he may have felt for the lady of the picture, he said -nothing about it, but laughed in a somewhat artificial manner. - -“I in love with her, my friend? No; she is beautiful, I grant you, but I -look upon her as I would an exquisite picture. She is nothing to me. Did -I not tell you I have a future bride in the East? Yes—in Constantinople; -a daughter of the old Byzantine nobles, a Fanariot beautiful as the -dawn, who dwells at Phanar.” - -“Then I need fear no rivalry from you, Caliphronas?” - -“Certainly not. But you seem to have fallen in love with this pictured -Helena.” - -“I will not go so far as to say that; but you know I have the artistic -temperament, and therefore admire beauty always.” - -“Of course—the artistic sense,” sneered Caliphronas in such a -disagreeable way, that Maurice again looked at him in astonishment. - -The fact is, that Roylands’ admiration of the portrait seemed to ruffle -Caliphronas very much, and quite altered his usual nonchalance of -manner. Never before had Maurice seen his joyous nature so changed, for -he had now a frown on his usually smiling face, and appeared to be on -the verge of an angry outbreak. All the wild beast in his nature, which -was so carefully hidden by the civilized mask, seemed to show in the -most unexpected manner, and with flashing eyes, tightly drawn lips, and -scowling countenance, he looked anything but the serene Greek with whom -Roylands was acquainted. Maurice was astonished and rather annoyed at -this exhibition of temper, so, rising from his seat, he gave the picture -back to his guest with a dignified gesture. - -“I have no wish to pry into your secrets, Count,” he said quietly, -walking towards the door; “you showed me that portrait of your own free -will, and if I admire it somewhat warmly, surely the beauty of the face -is my excuse. At present I will say _au revoir_, as I have some business -to do, and will be in my study till luncheon.” - -When Maurice disappeared, the Greek stamped about the room in sheer -vexation at having betrayed himself, for he could not but see that for -once this simple Englishman had caught a glimpse of his real nature, -hitherto so carefully concealed. - -“I am a fool, a fool!” he said savagely in Greek; “everything was going -well, and I spoil all by letting my temper get the better of me. Why did -I not let him admire Helena and say nothing? When we get to Melnos, that -will be a different thing, for Justinian cannot go back from his word; -and if I perform my part of the bargain, and bring this fool to Melnos, -he must perform his, and give me his daughter. I must recover my lost -ground if possible,—bah! it will not be difficult. I can see he is in -love with Helena, so that will smooth everything. In love with my -goddess!” he said ardently, gazing at the lovely face. “Ah, how can he -help being so?—there is much excuse; but he can only worship you at a -distance, my Venus, for you are mine—mine—mine!” - -He thrust the picture into his pocket, and, recovering his serene -joyousness of mood, pondered for a few moments as to what was the best -course to pursue. At last he decided, and walked towards the door of the -studio with the air of a man who had made up his mind. - -“I will give him the picture,” he said, with a great effort, “and I feel -sure he will make peace on those terms.” - -Maurice was sitting at his desk, wondering why the even-tempered Greek -had thus given way to anger over the picture. - -“If he is engaged to a lady of Stamboul, he cannot be in love with this -Helena,” he said to himself. “Perhaps he was jealous of my admiring the -beauty of a woman more than his own. All Greeks are vain, but, as far as -I can see, Caliphronas is simply mad with vanity. Come in.” - -In answer to his invitation, the Count entered smiling, and laid the -picture on the desk before Maurice. - -“You must not be angry with me, my friend,” he said volubly; “I am like -a child, and grow bad-tempered over nothing. This Helena is nothing to -me, and, to prove this, I give you her portrait, which I do not care to -keep. Come, am I forgiven?” - -“Of course you are,” said Roylands hastily; “and I will not deprive you -of your picture.” - -“No, no, I do not want it back,” replied Caliphronas, spreading out his -hands in token of refusal; “you love the face, so keep it by all means.” - -“She is very beautiful,” said Maurice, gazing longingly at this modern -Helen. - -“Is she worth a journey to the East?” asked Caliphronas in a soft voice, -like the sibilant hiss of a serpent. - -Maurice made no reply; he was looking at the portrait. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - A MODERN IXION. - - Oh, beware - Of a snare! - ’Tis a phantom fair - Who will tangle your heart in her golden hair. - - Tho’ he vowed - Would be bowed - Heaven’s Hera proud, - Ixion was duped by a treacherous cloud. - - But in sooth, - Fate hath ruth, - And this dream of youth - May change from a dream to immutable truth. - - -“What is truth?” asked Pilate, but to this perplexing question received -no answer, not even from the Divine Man, who was best able to give a -satisfactory reply. In the same way we may ask, “What is love?” and -receive many answers, not one of which will be correct. The reason is -simply, no one knows what love is, though every one has felt it. The -commonest things are generally the most perplexing, and surely love is -common enough, seeing it is the thing upon which the welfare, the -pleasure, nay, the continuity, of the human race depends. Yet no one can -define this every-day passion, because it is undefinable. “’Tis the -mutual feeling which draws man and maid together.” True, but that may be -affection, which is a lesser passion than love. “’Tis the admiration of -a man or a woman for each other’s beauty.” Nay, that is but sensuality. -“’Tis the longing of two people of the opposite sexes to dwell together -all their life.” Why, that is only companionship. Affection, sensuality, -companionship, all three very pleasant, very comforting, but Love is -greater than such a trinity. He may not give pleasure, he may not bring -comfort, but, on the contrary, may make those to whose hearts he comes -very unhappy. Love is no mischievous urchin, who plays with his arrows; -no, he is a great and terrible divinity, who comes to every mortal but -once in life. We desire him, we name him, we delight in him; but we know -not what he is, where he comes from, or when he will leave us. - -These reflections were suggested to Maurice by the extraordinary -feelings with which this dream-face of Helena inspired him. Never before -had he felt the sensation of love—not affection, not admiration, not -desire, but strong, passionate love, which pervaded his whole being, yet -which he could not describe. He had not seen this woman in the flesh, he -was hardly certain if she existed, for all the evidences he had to -assure him that there was such a being were the portrait and the name, -yet he felt, by some subtle, indescribable instinct, that this was the -one woman in the world for him. Maurice, who had hitherto doubted the -existence of love, was now being punished for such scepticism and was as -love-sick as ever was some green lad fascinated by a pretty face. “He -jests at scars who never felt a wound;” but Maurice did not jest at -scars now, for the arrow of Cupid, shot from some viewless height, had -made a wound in his heart which would heal not till he died; or, even -granting it would heal, would leave a scar to be seen of all men. - -It was the old story of Ixion over again. Here was a man embracing a -cloudy phantom of his own imagination, for, granting that this beautiful -face belonged to a real woman, Maurice knew nothing about her, yet -dowered her with all the exquisite perfections of feminality. He dreamed -she would be loving, tender, and womanly, yet, for aught he knew, the -owner of that lovely face might be a very Penthesilea for daring and -masculine emulation. But no; he could not believe that she would unsex -herself by taking upon her nature the rival attributes of manly -strength, for the whole face breathed nothing but feminine delicacy. -That broad white brow, above which the hair was smoothed in the antique -fashion; those grave, earnest eyes, so full of sympathy and purity; that -beautifully shaped mouth, like a scarlet flower, speaking of reticence -and womanly shrinking. No; he was quite sure that she was an ideal -woman, so therefore worshipped her—unseen, unheard—with all the -chivalrous affection of a mediæval knight. - -Day and night that faultless face haunted his brain like some perfect -poem, and, waking or sleeping, he seemed to hear her voice, full and -rich as an organ-note, calling on him to seek her in that Island of -Fantasy whereof the Greek had spoken. Was she indeed some fairy -princess, detained in an enchanted castle against her will? was this -mysterious Justinian, whose personality seemed so vague, indeed her -jailer, guarding her as the dragon did the golden fruit of the -Hesperides? and was Caliphronas a messenger sent to tell him of the -reward awaiting him should he take upon him vows of releasing her from -such thraldom, and accomplish his quest successfully? Curious how the -classic legends and the mediæval romances mixed together in his brain, -yet one and all, however diverse in thought, pointed ever to that -beautiful woman dwelling in an enchanted island sea-encircled by the -murmurous waves of the blue Ægean. - -True, he had fallen in love, and thus regained in one instant the -interest in life which he had lost erstwhile; but the object of his -adoration seemed so far away, her personality, about which he could only -obscurely conjecture, was so lost in dream-mists, that the cure of his -melancholia seemed worse than the disease itself. He again became sad -and absent-minded, grieving—not, as formerly, for a vague abstraction, -for something, he knew not what—but for an actual being, for an -unfulfilled passion which seemed in itself as elusive a thing as had -tormented him formerly. The indistinct phantom which had engendered -melancholia had taken shape—the shape of a beautiful, smiling face, -which mocked him with the promise of delight probably never destined to -be fulfilled. - -All his guests noticed this lapse into his former melancholy, but none -of them guessed the reason save Caliphronas, who was beside himself with -rage at the discovery. The stratagem with which he proposed to draw -Maurice to Melnos had succeeded beyond his highest expectations, but he -was very dissatisfied with his success, and began to wonder if Crispin -was not right after all concerning the folly of presenting a possible -rival to the woman he desired for himself. The woman was to be the -reward of his success; he had made use of that woman’s pictured -loveliness to achieve that success, and by so doing had complicated the -simplicity of the affair by introducing a third element, that of a -rival’s love, which might place an obstacle in the way of his receiving -the reward. It was Mephistopheles showing Faust the phantom of Gretchen, -and the same result of love for an unseen woman had ensued; but then, -Mephistopheles was not enamoured of the loveliness he used as a bait to -catch his victim, whereas Caliphronas was. However, it was too late now -to alter the matter, for the Greek could see that Maurice had almost -made up his mind to go in search of this new Helen of Troy, and if he -succeeded in gaining her heart, circumstances might arise with which it -would be difficult to grapple. - -After all, when Caliphronas compared the Englishman’s every-day -comeliness with his own glorious beauty, he felt that no woman would -refuse him for such a commonplace individual as his possible rival. But, -again, Caliphronas was aware that Helena valued the inward more than the -outward man, in which case he suspected he had but little chance in -coming off best. Pose as he might to the world, Caliphronas knew the -degradation of his own soul, and when this was contrasted with the -honest, proud, straightforward nature of Maurice Roylands, it could be -easily seen which of them the woman would choose as best calculated to -insure her happiness. Besides, the love which had been newly born in -Maurice’s heart was a highly spiritual passion, with no touch of -grossness, whereas the desires of Caliphronas were purely animal ones -for physical beauty. In point of outward semblance, he would have been a -fitter husband for the exquisite beauty of this woman, but as to a -marriage of souls, which after all is the only true marriage, the one -was as different from the other as is day from night. - -Maurice said nothing to Crispin about the portrait, and though the -latter guessed from his abstraction that Caliphronas had played his last -card with that hidden loveliness, he made no remark, for the time was -not yet ripe to unfold the past. If, however, Maurice went to Melnos, -Crispin, as he had told Caliphronas, determined to accompany him, as -much on his own account as on that of his friend. Truly this poet was a -riddle, and so also was the Greek; but it is questionable if Maurice, -with his open and above-board English life, was not a greater riddle -than either of these mysterious men, seeing that his perplexity was a -thing of the soul, vague and intangible, the solving of which meant the -settling of his whole spiritual life; whereas the lighting of the -darkness with which Caliphronas and Crispin chose to enshroud themselves -was simply a question of material existence. The Parcæ held the three -tangled skeins in their hands: Clotho now grasped the intricate threads; -Lachesis was spinning the actions which were to lead to the unravelling -of these riddles of spiritual and material things; and Atropos was -waiting grimly with her fatal scissors to clip the life-thread of one of -the three. But the question was, which? Ah, that was yet to be seen! for -the middle Destiny was yet weaving woof and warp of words, actions, and -desires, the outcome of which would determine the judgment of the -Destroying Fate. - -Of all this intrigue, in which he was soon to be involved, Roylands was -quite ignorant, as he already had his plan of action sketched out. He -would go to Melnos with Constantine Caliphronas, he would see this -dream-woman in the flesh, and if she came up to his ideal, he would -marry her, at whatever cost. Alas for the schemes of clever Mrs. -Dengelton! they were all at an end, simply because a man had seen a -pretty face, which he elevated into the regions of romance, and made -attractive with strange mysteries of fanciful attributes. But Mrs. -Dengelton did not know this, and, ignorance being bliss, still hinted to -Maurice of matrimony, still threw him into the company of Eunice; while, -as a checkmate to her plans, and to aid Crispin, Maurice still puzzled -the good lady with hints of marriage one day, and neglect of Eunice the -next. Eunice herself saw through it all, and was duly grateful to -Maurice; so the only blind person was Mrs. Dengelton, who but perceived -the delightful future which might be, not the disturbing present that -was; if she had, her lamentations would have surpassed those of Jeremiah -in bitterness and violence. - -On such an important matter as going to the East in search of a mistress -for Roylands Grange, Maurice felt naturally anxious to consult his old -tutor, and accordingly one morning walked over to the Rectory, where he -found Mr. Carriston as usual pottering about among his rose-trees. The -hot sun of July blazed down on that garden of loveliness, and the -sweet-smelling roses burned like constellations of red stars amid the -cool green of their surrounding leaves. - -“This is decidedly a rose-year,” said the good Rector approvingly, as he -looked at the brilliance around him; “I have never seen such a fine show -of flowers. My nightingales should sing their sweetest here, if the tale -of their love for the rose be true. Did you ever see such a glow of -color, Maurice? - - ‘Vidi Paestano candere rosaria cultu - Exoriente novo roscida Lucifero.’ - -But I don’t think the poet saw finer roses than mine, even in Southern -Italy.” - -“‘_Rosa regina florum_,’” remarked Maurice, smiling. - -“Eh! you match my quotation from Ausonius with a wretched little saying -culled from your first Latin reading-book. My dear lad, I am afraid my -labor has been in vain, for your Latin is primitive.” - -“No doubt it is,” assented Maurice cordially, “but I have not the gift -of tongues. I would that I had, as it will be necessary in the East.” - -“The East!” repeated Carriston, sitting down under his favorite -elm-tree. “What is this? Are you thinking of visiting the cradle of -humanity?” - -“Yes; the summer is nearly over, so like a swallow I wish to fly south -to the blue seas of Greece.” - - “‘Tous les ans j’y vais et je niche - Aux mētopes du Parthenon,’” - -quoted the Rector genially. “Do you know Gautier’s charming poem? I wish -I could go with you to see the land of Aristophanes.” - -“Why not come?” - -“Nay, I am too old a tree to be transplanted. The comedies alone must -take me on the wings of fancy to Athens. What would my parishioners do -without me? or my roses, for the matter of that? Still, I would like to -be your travelling companion, and we could visit together those places -which we read of in your days of pupilage. You will see Colonos, where -the Sophoclean nightingales still sing; and the Acropolis of Athena -Glaucopis, the ringing plains of windy Troy, and the birthplace of the -Delian Apollo. Truly the youth of to-day are to be envied, seeing how -easy travel has been made by steam. Happy Maurice! the Iron Age will -enable you to view the Golden Age with but small difficulty.” - -“Yes, I will be delighted to see all those famous places you have -mentioned, sir; but I have a stronger reason.” - -“Indeed! And that reason?” - -“Is this.” - -Maurice placed the portrait of Helena in the hands of his old tutor, and -awaited in silence his next remark. Mr. Carriston adjusted his -_pince-nez_, and gazed long and earnestly at the perfect beauty of the -woman’s countenance. - -“‘Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?’” he quoted from -Marlowe; “upon my word, I would not be surprised to hear it was. A -beautiful woman, Maurice; she has the loveliness of the Argive Helen.” - -“And the name also; she is called Helena.” - -“Ah! then I understand she is a real woman?” - -“Flesh and blood, according to Caliphronas.” - -The Rector put down the picture with a sudden movement of irritation -quite foreign to his usual courtly manner. - -“I do not like Count Caliphronas,” he said abruptly. “Did he give you -this portrait?” - -“Yes.” - -“Humph! And may I ask whom it is intended to represent?” - -“A Greek girl, called Helena, who lives in the Island of Fantasy.” - -“The Island of Fantasy?” repeated the Rector in a puzzled tone. - -“I mean the Island of Melnos, in the southern archipelago of Greece.” - -“How did it come by the extraordinary name of Fantasy?” - -“Caliphronas called it so,” said Maurice carelessly. - -There was silence for a few moments, and the Rector rubbed his nose in a -vexed manner, as he by no means approved of the frequent introduction of -the Greek’s name into the conversation, but hardly saw his way how to -prevent it. At length he determined to leave the matter in abeyance for -the present, and reverted to the question of Helena. - -“Is it for the sake of this woman you are going to the Levant?” he -asked, picking up the picture and tapping it with his _pince-nez_. - -“Yes.” - -“Is this not rather a mad freak?” - -Maurice did not answer for a moment, but moved uneasily in his seat; -for, although he was quite prepared to be discouraged in his project by -the Rector, he by no means liked the displeased tone in which he spoke. -Mr. Carriston waited for an answer to his question, so Maurice was at -length forced to give him one, and burst out into a long speech, so as -to give his tutor no opportunity of making any remark until he had heard -all the views in favor of such Quixotism. - -“I daresay it is a mad freak, sir, but not so very insane if you look -upon it from my point of view. You know I have never been in love—true, -I have always been fond of women and delighted in their society, but I -have never had what you would call a passionate attachment in my life, -nor did I think, until a few days ago, I was capable of such a thing. -But when Caliphronas was sitting to me for Endymion, he happened to let -fall that portrait, and told me it was one he had taken of a Greek girl -at Melnos. As I admired the beauty of the face, he made me a present of -the picture, and my admiration has merged itself in a deeper feeling, -that of love. Oh, I know, sir, what you will say, that such a passion is -chimerical, seeing I have never beheld this woman in the flesh, but I -feel too strongly on the subject to think I am the victim of a heated -imagination. I love this woman—I adore her! she is present with me day -and night. Not only her face—no! It is very beautiful, but I can see -below that beauty. She has a soul, a lovely pure soul, which I worship, -and I am anxious to see the actual living, breathing woman, so as to -make her my wife.” - -“Your wife! Are you mad, boy?” - -“No, I am not mad, unless you call love a madness. Oh, I know it is easy -for one to advise calmly on the woes of others. But can you not feel for -me? You have been in love, Mr. Carriston, and you know how such a -passion overwhelms the strongest man. Caution, thought, restraint, -prudence, are all swept away by the torrent. It is no use saying that -this passion I feel will pass, for I know it will not; it is part of my -life. Till I die I will see that face before me, sleeping or waking. -Why, then, should I pass the rest of my days in torture when I can -alleviate such mental suffering? I am going to this unknown island, I -will see this unknown woman, and if she comes up to the ideal being I -have created from the picture in my mind, I will marry her. It may not -be wise, it may not be suitable; but it is, and will be inevitable.” - -The old man listened in astonishment to this lava-torrent of words which -swept everything before it. He could hardly recognize his former -calm-tempered pupil in this young man, whose flashing eyes, eloquent -gestures, and rapid speech betrayed the strength of the passion which -consumed him. - -“‘_Ira brevis est_,’” quoth the Rector wisely; “I think love is the -same.” - -“My madness of love will last all my life—yes, forever!” - -“Forever is a long time.” - -“Rector,” said Maurice entreatingly, “what do you advise?” - -“I advise nothing, dear lad,” replied Carriston quietly; “what is the -use of my giving advice which is opposed to your own desires, and -therefore will be rejected?” - -“True! true!” muttered Maurice, frowning. “I must go to Melnos and -convince myself of the truth of the matter. See here, sir, at present I -am worshipping a creature of my own creation, with the face of that -picture, but with the attributes of fancy. This chimera of the brain, as -you will doubtless term her, haunts me night and day, so the only way to -lay this feminine ghost is to see her incarnate in the flesh. She may be -quite different from what I conceive, in which case I will be cured of -my fancy; on the other hand, she may realize entirely my conception of -beauty, purity, and womanliness: if she does, I will make her my wife, -that is, of course, if she will have me for her husband.” - -“As you put the matter in that light,” said Mr. Carriston, after a -pause, “I advise you to go to Melnos.” - -“You do?” - -“Decidedly! It is best to end this torture of the imagination, which I -also know only too well. See this woman, if you like, but be sure she is -all you desire her to be before making her your wife.” - -“There is no fear that I will let my heart govern my brain in such an -important matter.” - -“There is a great fear,” replied the Rector gravely, glancing at the -picture; “a young man’s heart is not always under his control, and this -woman has the beauty which inspires madness. Helen of Troy, Cleopatra of -Egypt, Mary of Scotland, Ninon de l’Enclos of France, they were all -Lamiæ, and their beauty was ever fatal to their victims.” - -“Lovers,” corrected Maurice quickly. - -“Victims,” reiterated Carriston firmly; “or, if you will, lovers, for -the terms are synonymous.” - -“Well, I will take your advice, sir, and go to the East in search of -this lovely Helena of Melnos, but I promise you I will not be a victim.” - -“I hope not, but I fear so.” - -“You need not,” said Roylands gayly, delighted to have won over the -Rector to his side. “I will come back alone, cured, or with a wife, and -more in love than ever.” - -“How will you find this island?” - -“Oh, Caliphronas”— - -“As beautiful and as false as Paris of Troy,” interrupted the Rector -quickly, whereat Maurice shrugged his shoulders. - -“Possibly he is, but I do not think I have anything to fear from him.” - -“There is certainly no reason why he should be your enemy, yet I feel -convinced he is so.” - -“Why?” - -“I cannot tell you unless I advance the Dr. Fell theory as an argument; -but, to speak openly, my dear Maurice, this Greek seems to me to be like -a sleek, soft-footed panther, beautiful to look on, but dangerous to -meddle with.” - -“I am not going to meddle with him. He is simply returning to his home -in Greek waters, and I will go with him. After we reach Melnos, very -likely he will return to Ithaca.” - -“Perhaps.” - -“My dear old tutor,” cried the young man, laughing, “you are full of -fears, first of this Helena, again of this Greek. Ten to one I will find -both equally harmless.” - -“I trust so; but I do not like your travelling alone with this Count -Constantine.” - -“I am not going to do so. Crispin is coming also.” - -“Ah!” said Carriston in a satisfied tone; “I am glad of that, for I like -that young man very much. I am sure he is an honorable, straightforward -fellow.” - -“You are inconsistent. His life is as mysterious as that of Caliphronas, -yet you trust the one and mistrust the other.” - -“I do; it is a matter of instinct. Well, here is your Helena; I hope you -will find the original as beautiful as the picture.” - -“I hope so too,” answered Maurice, restoring the photograph to his -pocket. - -“By the way,” observed the Rector abruptly, “what about Eunice?” - -“Oh, she will not mourn me, for she has already consoled herself with -Crispin.” - -“Humph! I thought as much; and what does your aunt say?” - -“She says nothing because she knows nothing.” - -“Do you think that is wise?” - -“No, I do not; so I am going to ask Crispin to explain who he is, what -he is, and all about himself, before he leaves with me for the East. If -his replies are satisfactory, I will try and persuade my dear aunt to -consent to the match; but you may depend upon it, my dear Rector, if I -find anything wrong with our poet, I will do my best to prevent his -marriage with my cousin.” - -“That is as it should be, but I fancy you will find Crispin an honest -man.” - -“You seem quite taken with him.” - -“Yes; I am curiously drawn to that young man. Why, I do not know; but, -from the frequent conversations I have had with him, he seems very -honest and good-hearted, whereas your handsome Greek is, I am convinced, -a worthless scamp.” - -“Well, we will see how your predictions are fulfilled. But I must be -off,” continued Maurice, glancing at his watch, “it is past one o’clock. -Will you not come over to luncheon with me?” - -“What! and leave my roses, which need water in this hot sun! Go away, -sir, and don’t ask impossibilities.” - -Maurice laughed and went away, while the Rector returned to his roses, -and thought over the interview. He was doubtful as to the result of -Maurice’s quest for a wife, but, knowing the sterling good sense and -honorable nature of his pupil, judged it best to let him take his own -way. - -“Everyman must dree his weird,” said Carriston, watering-pot in hand. -“However this journey turns out, it will do Maurice good, for if it does -not gain him a wife, it will at least banish the evil spirit which is -spoiling his youth.” - -Meanwhile the object of this soliloquy was striding up the avenue of the -Grange at a rapid pace, and whistling gayly, out of sheer -light-heartedness. Never before had he felt so happy, a circumstance -which suddenly made him pause in his lilting, as he thought of the -saying of an old Scotch nurse. - -“I hope I am not fey,” he said to himself; “surely this joy does not -prognosticate sorrow. No; I will not look on it in that gloomy light. I -am going in search of Helen,—Cœlebs in search of a wife,—and if I -find her as lovely as she seems to be, why, then”— - -And he began whistling again, from sheer inability to express his -feelings in cold, measured words. As he neared the house, the rich tenor -voice of Caliphronas rang vibrating through the still air. His song was, -as usual, one of those Greek fragments he was so fond of singing, and -even the modern Greek tongue, debased as it was by centuries of foreign -influences, sounded pliable and liquid as the vowelled words soared -upward like swift-darting swallows. How bare and bleak seems the -translation, bereft of its Hellenic sonorousness of speech!— - - “I will sail in a beakèd ship, impelled by rowers, - Over the waters to westward, where Helios sinks nightly in splendor, - And there in a hidden island of dreams - Will I see ray belovèd smiling with starry eyes. - Her arms will enfold me—oh, they will clasp me so closely, - I will kiss her lips which burn like scarlet of sunset, - Till the nest of our love will flow over—flow over, - With delicate singing, and sighings of lover to lover.” - -Caliphronas was standing on the steps of the terrace, with his classic -face uplifted to the serene sky, and, as he sang the song, with his hand -resting lightly on the white marble vase near him, he looked the -incarnation of blooming adolescence. - -“Ha!” he cried, as Roylands nimbly mounted the steps; “I was just -wondering where you were. What have you been doing, Mr. Maurice?” - -“I have been talking to the Rector, and for the last few moments I have -been watching you, my Attic nightingale. Modern costume spoils you, -Caliphronas, as it would spoil any one, so hideous is it. You should be -draped in white robes, bear an ivory lyre, and minister to Apollo the -Far-Darter.” - -“Alas!” sighed the Greek, with sudden sadness in his eyes; “Pan is dead, -and with him Apollo. I have been born too late, for my soul is Athenian, -and longs for the plane-trees of Ilissus. But enough of this classicism, -and tell me why you look so merry.” - -“Because I have made up my mind to go with you to Melnos.” - -Caliphronas smiled in an enigmatic manner, and sang two lines from his -song,— - - “And there in a hidden island of dreams - Will I see my belovèd smiling with starry eyes.” - -“What do those words mean?” asked Maurice abruptly. - -“Ah, that you will discover when we reach Melnos!” - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - THE CREED OF A MOTHER-IN-LAW. - - In all good faith I do believe - That sons-in-law their wives deceive; - So, seeing marriage is a snare, - My daughter needs her mother’s care; - And if this couple young be wise, - Their life they’ll let me supervise. - For I can show the wife the way - To make the servants her obey, - Nor fail the husband’s acts to see, - And rob him of his midnight key, - Improve his faults with frown and snub, - Insist he should give up his club; - And if he’s an obedient boy, - His home will be a place of joy. - Thus ruling husband, home, and wife, - I will secure a home for life. - - -“So you have decided upon Eastward Ho?” said Crispin, as Maurice -enveloped himself in clouds of smoke. - -They were seated in the smoking-room by themselves, for the ladies had -long since retired; and Caliphronas, unable to bear the fumes of -nicotine, which, he averred, made his eyes sore and his head swim, had -just gone off to bed. Thus, left to that sweetest hour of the night -which is somewhere about the stroke of twelve P.M., the poet and his -host had established themselves in two comfortable arm-chairs, and, each -armed with a pipe, were incensing the Muse of Fancy, who is frequently -invoked by such worship. But the talk of the two was anything but -fanciful, as they were engaged in discussing their projected tour in -Levantine waters. Maurice was rather glad Caliphronas retired so early, -as he was anxious to have a quiet conversation with Crispin, and what -better time or place could he have, than nearly midnight in the -smoking-room, with the soothing weed, and the exhilarating whiskey -diluted with soda, to stimulate the drowsy brain. - -It is wonderful how men at this mystic hour unbosom themselves the one -to the other, and tell secrets which they certainly would not reveal in -the daytime. Maurice knew this peculiarity of midnight confabulations, -and perhaps thought that Crispin would take him into his confidence; but -if he did think so he was disappointed, for Crispin kept his own counsel -and held his tongue, save indeed to talk generally about things Maurice -was well acquainted with. - -“So you have decided upon Eastward Ho?” said Crispin for the second -time, finding that Maurice did not reply immediately, which negligence -was due to the fact that he wished to speak to the poet about Eunice, -and was doubtful of the wisdom of such a step. The second time of asking -this question, however, aroused him from his musings, and he answered at -once. - -“Yes. I had a conversation with the Rector this morning, and I have -decided to travel abroad for a year or so.” - -“Do you mean a general tour of the world, or a special part?” - -“A special part. I am going to Greece.” - -“Oh! The mainlands or the islands?” - -“The latter.” - -“In that case, I know where you are going,” said Crispin, carefully -shaking the ashes out of his pipe; “your destination is the Island of -Melnos.” - -“It is,” replied Maurice in some surprise. “Do you know Melnos?” - -“Very well. I also know the woman you are going to see.” - -“Helena? How do you know that? I have told you nothing about it.” - -“No; but Caliphronas mentioned something about your spiritual passion -for that picture.” - -This was mere guess-work, as Caliphronas had mentioned nothing of the -sort; but Crispin was so well aware of the deep game which the Greek was -playing, that he had no difficulty in arriving at a fair conclusion -concerning his tactics. Maurice was, however, ignorant of Crispin’s -knowledge, and at once assumed that Caliphronas had been discussing his -passion for this pictured Helena with the poet, perhaps laughing at it, -and his pride was up in arms at once. - -“Caliphronas has no right to speak to you about my private affairs,” he -said angrily. “I intended to tell you myself, but now he has forestalled -me. I did not know he was such a gossip.” - -“Nor is he. I said he told me, and so he did, indirectly; but if I did -not know Caliphronas, Helena, and Melnos, I would still be in the dark -concerning your projected journey.” - -“Where is this Island of Fantasy?” - -Crispin looked up with a quick smile. - -“Oh, he told you the name Justinian calls it! The Island of Fantasy in -imagination, and Melnos in reality, is situated in the southern portion -of the Ægean Sea, beyond Paros, beyond Amorgos, nay, even beyond Anapli. -As a matter of fact, it is a little-known island, hidden, to speak -exactly, in the Cretan Sea, between Telos and Crete.” - -“I thought I was rather good at geography, but I never heard of the -Island of Melnos before. Has it anything to do with the Island of -Melos?” - -“No; that is more to the north. But I do not wonder at your ignorance, -as Melnos is known only to the sailors and shepherds who are thoroughly -acquainted with that portion of the Archipelago.” - -“What kind of an island is it?” - -“A mountain—a volcanic mountain, extinct of course for the present, -though I would not be surprised if it blew up one day and sent Justinian -flying in the air with all his subjects.” - -“Is this Justinian a king, that you talk about his subjects?” - -“Well, a kind of minor king, such as Odysseus might have been. I know -him very well.” - -“And Helena?” - -“Is his daughter.” - -“His daughter!” repeated Maurice gravely. “Is she as beautiful as this -portrait shows her to be?” - -“I should say more so,” replied Crispin, taking the photograph. “Here -you only get absolute stillness; the great charm of Helena lies in the -changeful expression of her face, and in her bright manner. Yes, she is -altogether charming, and I do not wonder you have fallen in love with -her face, even though this photograph fails to do justice to the -original.” - -In spite of his passion for Helena, which should have made him delight -in these praises of her beauty, Maurice did not pay much attention to -Crispin’s speech, as he was thinking deeply, and the current of his -thoughts was indicated by his next remark. - -“Crispin, you said Caliphronas was merely a chance acquaintance you met -at Athens; but, as far as I can judge from the hints you drop, I believe -you know him very well.” - -“That is the real truth,” replied Crispin, without flinching. “I did -meet this Greek at Athens, but I knew him before that—in Melnos. Oh, I -can tell you many things which would astonish you, but I cannot do so -yet.” - -“Why not?” - -“Because I have strong reasons for such reticence,” said the poet -coldly; “either trust me in all or not at all. This journey you are -undertaking means more than you think, but I will not fail you, and as -long as I am by your side you will take no hurt.” - -“Are we in the Middle Ages? Is Caliphronas a freebooter, that you talk -as if I were in danger?” - -“I will explain all some day, and you will be rather astonished at my -story.” - -“I suppose there is nothing wrong in your story?” - -“No. When I tell all about myself and my past life, I think it will -satisfy not only you—but Mrs. Dengelton.” - -“It is on her account that I made that rather rude remark, for, unless -you can prove your name, your position, and your income to be -satisfactory, she will never consent to your marriage with Eunice.” - -“As to my name,” said Crispin, coloring a little at such plain speaking, -“I hope to prove that spotless, my position will be beyond reproach, and -my income is larger than your own.” - -“You are wealthy, then?” - -“I am certainly well off, and I will give you my story at some later -date, but at present I will answer no more of your questions.” - -“And Mrs. Dengelton?” - -“I am going to speak to her to-morrow morning, so as to put things right -before I leave England. Oh, I am not afraid of being absent. Eunice -loves me, and will be true, while as to her mother, I can win that lady -on to my side, and will do so to-morrow.” - -“You are an enigma, Crispin.” - -“I am; but, as I said before, I can explain myself to your satisfaction, -and intend doing so when I consider it wise. But you must trust me.” - -“I do trust you.” - -“I am afraid you ask too many questions for absolute trust,” said the -poet dryly, relighting his pipe. - -“I will ask you no more—save one.” - -“Well?” - -“Is Caliphronas to be trusted?” - -“As long as I am with you, yes.” - -“Ah, you have some power over him?” - -“Now you are asking questions again.” - -“I beg your pardon; but do tell me about Caliphronas!” - -Crispin paused for a moment, as if to consider how he would reply to -this remark. - -“Caliphronas,” he said at length slowly, “is a man who is a slave to his -own vices, and gratifies himself at all costs. He lets no one stand in -the way of such self-gratification; but whether you are an obstacle or -not remains to be seen. At all events, you have elected to trust me, -mysterious as I am, and I promise you on my word of honor that you shall -have no reason to regret that trust. I foresee difficulties ahead, but -these you need not be afraid of as long as I am by your side. You will -leave Roylands with me, and you will return with me, and I give you my -word you will not be a bit the worst for your journey, nay, I hope you -will be the better.” - -“One would think we were going to Timbuctoo, the way you talk,” said -Maurice crossly. “You have no idea how these enigmatic speeches pique my -curiosity.” - -“Well, such curiosity I will gratify—shortly.” - -“But”— - -“You said you would trust me, and ask no more questions.” - -“I do trust you, and I will not.” - -Certainly he could not complain of a lack of interest in life now: this -mysterious woman Helena, these equally mysterious individuals, Crispin -and Caliphronas,—all three riddles. Surely the son of Laius was never so -bothered by enigmas as was this young country squire. However, it added -new zest to the wine of life, and gave him something to look forward to, -so on the whole Maurice was enjoying himself. - -“By the way,” said Crispin lazily, after a pause, “how are you going to -Melnos?” - -“Oh, I don’t know exactly. Go by train to Venice, I suppose, and take an -Austrian Lloyd steamer from there, or leave Marseilles by the French -packet which goes to Athens. Once at the Piræus, and there won’t be much -difficulty in exploring the Archipelago in search of your Island of -Fantasy. To tell you the truth, however, as I only made up my mind this -morning, I have not yet looked up routes, steamers, and all that sort of -thing, but intend to go to town next week and find out all about them.” - -“There will be no need,” said Crispin quietly; “you can come to Greece -in my yacht.” - -“Your yacht! Why, I did not know you had one.” - -“I know you didn’t. Because I am a poet, you necessarily think I am -poor, which is a mistake. I am sufficiently well off to keep a hundred -and fifty ton steam yacht, which is at present lying at Southampton, -ready to start when I wish. A poet and a yacht sound incongruous, I -admit; and I suppose I am the first rhyme-stringer who ever possessed -such an article, unless you except Shelley’s boat partnership with -Trelawny. But that was a small boat; my craft is a genuine steam yacht, -and in it I explore unknown seas. You look astonished.” - -“I am astonished. You are a poet-millionnaire.” - -“Not quite as wealthy as that, and I need hardly tell you I did not pay -for the yacht out of my poems. But, of course, you will come with me to -Greece in The Eunice.” - -“Eunice?” - -“Yes; she was called The Aphrodite, but I rechristened her The Eunice -out of compliment to you know whom.” - -“Have you any more surprises in store?” - -“Plenty,” replied Crispin, rising with a yawn; “but this one is quite -enough to keep you awake for a night. Oh dear, I am so sleepy!” - -“Wait a minute. Does Caliphronas know you are a yacht-owner?” - -“No; I expect he will be surprised and confoundedly jealous.” - -“Jealous! Why?” - -“Because he thinks all the good things of this life should go his way. -But you have not yet given me your answer.” - -“Oh, I will come by all means.” - -“And so will our mutual friend, the Greek. What a happy family we will -be! Well, good-night. I wish Eunice was coming in her namesake.” - -“And Mrs. Dengelton,” said Maurice mischievously, lighting his candle. - -“No; in my wildest dreams I never wished that. She would want to be -captain of the ship. However, I am going to astonish my future -mother-in-law to-morrow; so I must take a good night’s rest, and husband -my strength for the encounter. Good-night, once more.” - -“Good-night, Crispin.” - -They both retired to their respective rooms, and Maurice fell asleep -wondering who Crispin was, from what source he derived wealth enough to -keep a yacht, and what connection he had with Caliphronas. All these -things mixed together in his drowsy brain until the real world faded -away, and he dreamed he was at Melnos, trying, like another Paris, to -carry off Helena, while Caliphronas, in the guise of Menelaus, prevented -such elopement. - -Next day the brilliant sun had disappeared, and there was a gray veil of -clouds drawn across the sky, which neutralized the brilliant tints of -the summer’s luxuriance of foliage and flowers. Caliphronas, ever -impressionable to atmospheric changes, shivered at the dreary look which -now spread over the earth, and it needed all his animal spirits to -sustain his normal condition of careless joy. Even then he lacked his -ordinary exuberance of life, and it appeared as if a great portion of -his vitality disappeared with the sun. - -“St. Theodore!” he said to Mrs. Dengelton, as they looked out of the -window at the gray landscape; “do you often have this weather here?” - -“No, not often,” she replied, in a tone of regret; “I wish we did.” - -“What! this dulness, this melancholy, this want of color!” - -“Why, my dear Count, it is a most beautiful day!” cried the lady, with -great vivacity; “what have you to complain of?” - -“Complain of?” The Greek’s face was a study as he repeated her words, -and he stared at her in surprise. “Why, I complain of this want of -sunlight; it is not like yesterday, which was passable.” - -“Passable!” echoed Mrs. Dengelton, surprised in her turn. “Why, Count, -since you have come to Roylands, the weather has been simply perfection. -How long have you been in England?” - -“Two months.” - -“Then you must have had this lovely weather all along. You are an -exceptionally lucky man, Count Constantine, for you have seen England at -her best.” - -“Why, have you worse days than this?” asked Caliphronas, with a shudder. - -“Infinitely worse,” said Eunice, who at this moment joined them with -Crispin: “fog, snow, rain, hail, mist—oh, you don’t know the -capabilities of the English climate!” - -“I am glad I am going away,” observed Caliphronas, with a sigh of -relief; “this place would kill me. Gray skies, small cultivated -landscapes, ugly cities, sad-looking men and women. Oh, great saints! -what do you know of life or pleasure?” - -“I assure you, my dear Count,” began Mrs. Dengelton sweetly, “that in -the season”— - -“What is the season?” - -“The London season, which begins in May.” - -“Oh, that is what I have seen. Up all night, tired all day, crowded -rooms, unhealthy dinners, plenty of talk about nothing, and no rest—is -that what you call the season? is that what you term life? St. Theodore! -let me go back to Greece, there at least I can live.” - -“But Greece is not like London,” said Crispin, with the intention of -provoking the Greek. - -“No, thank the saints, it is not, as you know well, Mr. Crispin; there, -at least, are fresh air, laughing seas, wide plains, lofty mountains—one -can breathe there—one can live and delight in living, but here—oh, -pardon me, I cannot talk of it. I must go to Mr. Maurice for the -Endymion, and I am glad I leave your dull grayness soon.” - -When Caliphronas with this parting shot had vanished, Mrs. Dengelton -turned to Crispin with a pitying smile. - -“What an impulsive creature, is he not, Mr. Crispin? To talk about such -barbaric lands, and call existence there life! Ah, he does not know what -enjoyment is.” - -“I think he does in his own way,” replied Crispin dryly, thinking of the -difference between the free, open-air existence of the one, and the -narrow, petty life of the other. - -“Well, of course, you know a blind man never misses color because he -does not know what he loses,” said the lady apologetically. “That poor -dear Count is in exactly the same plight. Eunice, my dear, I wish you -would go and write that letter to Lady Danvers at once. I want it to -catch the noonday post. We go to Lady Danvers when we leave here,” she -added, as Eunice left the room. “For my part, I would have been glad to -stay here till the autumn, but dear Maurice has been ordered abroad for -his health.” - -“Yes, I know he is going,” said Crispin coolly; “he is coming with me.” - -“Coming with you?” repeated Mrs. Dengelton, indignantly, wondering at -the presumption of this, as she thought, poor poet. - -“Yes,” replied Crispin equably, as he prepared to startle the lady; “he -is going to the East in my yacht.” - -“Your yacht!” gasped Mrs. Dengelton, in the same tones in which she -would have said, “Your throne!” “I did not know you—you”— - -“Were rich enough to possess one,” said Crispin dryly, seeing the lady -hesitated. “Oh, I have had a yacht for many years. I hope you and Miss -Dengelton will do me the favor of coming a cruise in her some day.” - -“Oh, I should be delighted!” cried Mrs. Dengelton, with a shudder, for -she was a very bad sailor; “but does it not take a great deal of money -to keep up such an expensive luxury?” - -“A great deal,” assented the poet, suppressing a smile as he saw the -dexterous way in which Mrs. Dengelton was trying to find out the extent -of his income; “but, fortunately, I can afford it.” - -“How lucky you are!” sighed the lady, now adopting a more polite tone -towards this wealthy young man. “Ah, it is a splendid thing to be rich. -My late husband was of good birth, but poor, and he did not leave me -very well off. However, I have a sufficiently good income to live -comfortably, and of course my dear daughter for a companion.” - -“What will you do when Miss Dengelton marries?” - -“Oh, I will live with her still. You see, young wives are inexperienced, -and I could take all that sort of thing on my shoulders.” - -Crispin shuddered, for the prospect of living under the same roof with -this lady was anything but an inviting one. - -“Of course, I do not mind speaking freely to you, dear Mr. Crispin,” -pursued Mrs. Dengelton, determined to crush all thoughts Crispin might -have regarding Eunice, “because you are such a friend of dear Maurice. -You know I wish him to marry his cousin, it would be a perfect match.” - -“Would it?” said Crispin grimly. - -“Yes; it would keep the property in the family,” said Mrs. Dengelton, -who had arrived at this remarkable conclusion by some means known only -to herself; “and then, of course, this would be my home, and I could -live here with my dear children. You see, I speak openly to you, because -I know you would like to see dear Maurice happily married.” - -“I would indeed, Mrs. Dengelton, but not to your daughter.” - -“Indeed, Mr. Crispin! and why not?” - -“Because I want to marry her myself.” - -“Mr. Crispin!” - -If a bombshell had dropped through the roof, Mrs. Dengelton could not -have been more astonished. She half guessed that this audacious poet -admired Eunice, but to speak thus so boldly, and after she had given her -views as to the future settlement of her daughter in matrimony—it was -too horrible! Who was this man? Nobody knew. He had not even two names -like respectable people, and to propose to bestow the only one he -possessed on her daughter, was too much for Mrs. Dengelton’s powers of -endurance. She was actually dumb with astonishment, and those who had -once heard this lady’s tongue could have seen from that alone how she -was thunderstruck. For a minute she gazed at Crispin with horror-struck -eyes, but as he did not turn into stone before that Medusa gaze, or even -have the grace to blush, Mrs. Dengelton recovered her powers of speech -with a weak laugh. - -“Oh, of course you are jesting!” - -“I am not jesting. I wish to marry your daughter.” - -“Impossible!” - -“Why is it impossible?” - -“Oh, because—because”—Mrs. Dengelton could not really bring herself to -give the real reasons, so fenced dexterously,—“Because you see, I wish -her to marry her cousin, and keep the property in the family.” - -“The property will remain in the family without such a marriage,” said -Crispin provokingly; “and as for your daughter, she does not love -Maurice.” - -“Not love Maurice!” screamed Mrs. Dengelton wrathfully. - -“No, she loves me.” - -“Loves you!” gasped the good lady faintly, feeling for her -smelling-salts. “Oh, this is some horrible dream!” - -“By no means,” replied Crispin quietly; “I really do not see why you -should make such an uncomplimentary remark. I love your daughter, and I -wish to marry her. Is there anything extraordinary in that?” - -“Eunice could marry any one.” - -“No doubt, but she will not. I am the only man she will marry.” - -“Indeed! You forget her mother’s consent is necessary.” - -“At present, yes, because she is under age—but afterwards”— - -“Eunice Dengelton will obey me all her life,” said the lady furiously; -“and I will never, never consent to her marriage with you, sir!” - -“Why not?” - -“Because I do not know who you are,” retorted Mrs. Dengelton tartly. - -“I will satisfy you on that point before the marriage.” - -“Then I do not know if you can support a wife.” - -“If I can support a yacht, I can certainly support a wife,” said Crispin -ironically; “but if you want me to be exact as to figures, my income is -twelve thousand a year.” - -“Twelve thousand a year!” gasped Mrs. Dengelton in amazement; “why, you -are richer than Maurice!” - -“Yes, twice as rich. Is there any other question you would like to ask?” - -“Well, I would like to know about your parents.” - -“I have no parents. I am an orphan.” - -“And where do you come from, Mr. Crispin?” - -“From the East” - -“Heavens!” cried Mrs. Dengelton, as a dreadful thought struck her; “you -are not a Hindoo, or a negro, or a Hottentot?” - -“Well, I am certainly dark,” replied the poet, laughing, “but I am, as -it happens, a pure-blooded Englishman. But come now, Mrs. Dengelton, I -have answered your questions, so in common fairness you must answer -mine. Will you let me marry your daughter?” - -“I—I—really I don’t know what to say,” said Mrs. Dengelton, unwilling to -let the chance of such a wealthy match slip, and yet doubtful as to the -position of the suitor. “I must think it over. Tell me who you are.” - -“Not now. I will satisfy you fully concerning my family when I return -from Greece.” - -“Ah! am I right in saying you are going to the East to see your -relatives about this marriage?” said Mrs. Dengelton archly. - -“Partly right. I am going as much on your nephew’s account as my own.” - -“And what is _he_ going for?” - -“That I cannot tell you, Mrs. Dengelton,” replied Crispin mendaciously, -“you must ask him that yourself. But as to this marriage”— - -“I cannot give you an answer now—really I cannot.” - -“Will you give me an answer when I return from the East?” - -“When will you return?” - -“In three months.” - -“Yes, I will give you an answer then,” said Mrs. Dengelton glibly, -having quite determined to throw Crispin over, should she meet with a -more desirable match for her daughter. Crispin guessed this double -dealing, and at once met the feminine plot by a masculine counterplot. - -“Mrs. Dengelton,” he said solemnly, “I love your daughter, and she loves -me. When I return in three months from the East, I will satisfy you on -all points you desire to know. If those questions you ask are answered -to your complete satisfaction, will you agree to our marriage?” - -“Yes,” replied Mrs. Dengelton, all the volubility frightened out of her, -“I will.” - -“Then give me your word that during my absence you will not try to -induce your daughter to marry any one else.” - -“I hardly think it is necessary to ask that,” said the lady, with -dignity, though in her heart of hearts she knew it was very necessary, -as also did Crispin, who still pressed his request. - -“Perhaps it is not necessary; still I would like your word for it that -such a thing will not occur.” - -“Well, well, I promise,” remarked Mrs. Dengelton peevishly, rising to -her feet. “What a pertinacious man you are, Mr. Crispin! Mind, I will -not consent to this marriage unless I am thoroughly satisfied about your -position, income, and family.” - -“I will satisfy you on all those points,” rejoined Crispin, with a bow, -as he held the door open for her to pass through. - -“I feel quite upset,” said the good lady, as she hastily departed. “I am -sure I don’t know what Maurice will say.” - -“I do,” thought Crispin, as he closed the door; “he will be delighted. I -talk very confidently, but I am doubtful. Position—yes, that is all -right, I am a poet; money—well, she can hardly complain of twelve -thousand a year, safely invested; family—ah, that is the difficulty! I -wonder if I can get the truth out of Justinian, he alone knows. I cannot -marry with only one name, but I will have two before I return from -Melnos, or else”— - -He paused, and struck his fist hard against his open hand. - -“I will force Justinian to tell me,” he muttered between his clinched -teeth. “I also hold cards in this game he is playing, and even with him -and Caliphronas as adversaries I will win. Maurice Roylands is -Justinian’s stake, Helena is the stake of Caliphronas, as he chooses to -call himself, but Eunice is mine, and with such a prize to gain I am -desperate.” - -His eyes fell on an open volume of Thomas à Kempis, which Mrs. -Dengelton, in strange contrast to her usual worldliness, was fond of -reading, and he saw the following sentence:— - -“Love desires to be aloft, and will not be kept back by anything low and -mean.” - -“I accept the omen,” he said, closing the book slowly. “I desire Eunice, -and no lowness or meanness of Justinian and Andros will keep me back. I -accept the omen.” - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - THE NEW ARGONAUTS. - - From distant isles of tropic blooms, - Enthroned on seas of hyaline, - Across the waters smaragdine, - The weak winds waft us faint perfumes - Of incense, musk, and fragrant balms, - That shed their scents ’mid lasting calms, - Beneath the shade of bending palms. - - These perfumes rouse lethargic brains - From idle dreams and visions pale. - As modern Argonauts we sail - Far o’er the vast mysterious main; - We wish no golden fleeces sleek, - But in these islands of the Greek, - A woman’s lovely face we seek. - - -All preparations having been made, it was decided to start for Greece -about the end of July; and these modern Argonauts were in the highest -spirits at the prospect of the coming voyage,—Caliphronas because his -object was gained, and Roylands would soon be on his way to the island -of Melnos; Crispin because he had come to a comfortable understanding -with Mrs. Dengelton; and Maurice for the simple reason that he was going -to see in the flesh this beautiful vision of fancy which haunted his -brain. The Grange was to be left to the guardianship of the housekeeper, -and its master, giving up, at least for the present, a life of ease, was -about to embark on one of those adventurous expeditions so dear to the -hearts of our restless young Englishmen. Mrs. Dengelton and Eunice had -arranged to stay with Lady Danvers in London, and the good old Rector -still remained in his sleepy village, looking after his parishioners, -his Aristophanic translation, and his beloved roses. - -In company with Maurice, the poet had taken a journey to Southampton to -see if the yacht was all in order for the projected voyage, and had -stayed there three days to attend to all necessary matters. The Eunice -was a beautiful little craft, schooner-rigged fore and aft, and was -manned by an excellent crew; so with all this luxury the three -adventurers looked forward to having a very pleasant time. It was now -the season when the halcyon broods on the waves, so they expected a -smooth passage to Melnos, and as all three were capital sailors, even if -they did have stormy weather they cared very little for such a -possibility. Caliphronas, delighted at leaving this dull island for his -own brilliant skies, was beside himself with delight, and talked -incessantly of the pleasures in store for them on the Island of Melnos. - -On the evening before they left England, Maurice invited the Rector to a -farewell dinner; and the company assembled round the hospitable table of -the Grange were very merry indeed, perhaps with the exception of Eunice, -who was somewhat sad at the prospect of parting from her poet. The -weather was still dull and gray, and it was only the prospect of a -speedy departure that kept Caliphronas bright; but as that departure -took place next day, he was in the gayest spirits. - -“We are the New Argonauts,” he said merrily, with the affectation of -classicism which distinguished him; “we sail for the Colchian strand.” - -“It is to be hoped we find no Medea there,” observed Crispin with a -smile. - -“No; our Medea is no sorceress, but a daughter of Venus, the modern -Helen of Troy. Mr. Maurice is her Jason. You, Crispin, are Orpheus.” - -“And you, Count?” asked Maurice, amused at this fancy. - -“I?” said Caliphronas lightly. “Well, I hardly know. Shall I say -Hercules?” - -“Or Hylas,” suggested the Rector idly. - -“Neither!” interposed Crispin pointedly. “We will take a passenger from -another famous ship, and call him Ulysses, the craftiest of the Greeks.” - -Caliphronas frowned at this somewhat uncomplimentary remark, but -immediately recovered his gayety, and burst out laughing. - -“Oh, I do not mind in the least. Ulysses, by all means. After all, he -had some very pleasant times with Circe, Calypso, and such-like ladies.” - -“You seem to know your Homer, Count,” said the Rector, rather surprised -at the classical knowledge of this ignorant young man. - -“Or his Lemprière,” muttered Crispin significantly. - -Decidedly Crispin was not polite; but, truth to tell, the prospect of a -voyage in company with a man he disliked was almost too much for him, -and it took all his self-restraint to prevent him breaking out into open -war against the Greek. Caliphronas knew this, but, appearing to take no -notice of such a hostile attitude, resolved to bide his time, and make -Crispin suffer for such insolence at the first opportunity. It seemed as -though poor Maurice would not have a very pleasant time of it, cooped up -in a vessel with these two enemies; but, doubtless, when Crispin played -host in his own yacht, he would treat the Count in a more courteous -fashion. This was exactly the view Crispin took of the matter; and as he -knew, according to the laws of hospitality, he would have to be -scrupulously polite to Caliphronas on board The Eunice, he was taking -advantage of the present time, and giving his humor full rein in the -direction of his real feelings. If he could only have prevented -Caliphronas coming by such a display of hostility, he would have been -very glad, as he mistrusted the Greek very much; but Caliphronas was -impervious to the shafts of irony, and, as long as he gained his ends, -did not care what was said to him or of him. This brilliant stranger was -a man entirely without pride, and would put up with any insults rather -than jeopardize his plans by resenting such discourtesy. It was the last -opportunity Crispin would have of showing his real feelings, so he took -advantage of it; and though it was scarcely gentlemanly of him to do so, -the Count was such an unmitigated scoundrel that honorable and courteous -treatment was entirely lost on him. - -However, Eunice overheard his ironical remarks, and looked reproachfully -at him, whereon Crispin restrained his temper, and strove to be -delightfully amiable, no very easy task in his present frame of mind. -With this good resolve he talked as pleasantly as he was able, and heard -Caliphronas romance about his fictitious life without contradicting him, -which he felt sorely inclined to do. It must not be forgotten that -Crispin had hitherto led a semi-civilized life, and had not acquired -that knack of concealing his likes or dislikes so necessary in our -artificial society; besides which he was a very honest-minded man, and, -knowing the true story of Caliphronas, the deliberate lies, flashy -manner, and snake-like subtlety of the Greek annoyed him. - -Maurice also distrusted the Count, especially after his conversation -with Crispin regarding the real name, career, and character of the man; -but, being more versed in the science of deception, behaved admirably -towards his guest in every way, thereby deceiving Caliphronas to take -all this enforced suavity for actual good-fellowship. As to the Rector, -he was extremely punctilious in his behavior, and neither by word nor -deed showed his dislike of this sleek-footed panther, who was about to -bear away his favorite Maurice into unknown dangers. - -“You must bring us all kinds of things from Greece, Maurice,” said Mrs. -Dengelton in her usual gushing manner. “I adore foreign ornaments—those -silver pins, you know, like Italian women wear, and Moorish veils, and -Algerian lamps—so delightful—they fill up a room wonderfully.” - -“Yes, and make it look like a curiosity-shop,” replied Maurice, -laughing. “Oh, my dear aunt, you may depend I will bring you all kinds -of outlandish things; but as to Italian pins, Moorish veils, Algerian -lamps, I don’t suppose I will find any of those sort of things in -Greece.” - -“What will I bring you?” asked Crispin, as he held open the door for -Eunice to pass through. - -They were beyond the hearing of the table, Mrs. Dengelton had sailed on -ahead to the drawing-room, so they were virtually alone. - -“What will I bring you?” he asked in a whisper. - -“Yourself,” she replied in the same tone. And Crispin returned to his -seat with the delightful conviction that Eunice was the most charming -girl in the world, and he was certainly the most fortunate of poets. - -The Rector poured himself out a glass of his favorite port, and began to -converse with Caliphronas; while Maurice and Crispin, lighting their -cigarettes, chatted about the yacht, her sea-going powers, the question -of stores, the anticipated time she would take to run down to the Ægean, -and such-like marine matters. - -“Will you pay us another visit, Count?” asked the Rector, more for the -sake of starting a conversation than because he really cared about such -a possibility. - -“No, I do not think so. I am going to be married and settle down in my -own island.” - -“Ithaca?” - -Caliphronas laughed a little on hearing the name. - -“Yes; on Ithaca.” - -“Are you a politician?” - -“I? No. I care not two straws for the reconstruction of the Greek -Empire, the recovery of Byzantium from the Turks, or any of those things -which agitate my countrymen. No. I am a terribly selfish man, sir, as -you will doubtless think. I only want to live in happiness, and for the -good of my fellow-creatures I care nothing.” - -“Is that not rather an egotistical way of looking at life?” - -“Doubtless, sir, from your point of view, but not from mine. You are a -priest of your Church, what we call a Papa in my country, and live the -life of the soul, while I live the life of the body. You believe in -self-abnegation—I in self-satisfaction. With this beautiful world I am -content, but you rack your soul with longings for the life beyond the -grave. In a word, I am real, you are ideal; but I am the happiest.” - -“The happiness of the beasts which perish!” said the Rector -emphatically. - -“Well, the beasts, as a rule, have a very good time of it during their -lives; as to the rest, we all perish at last.” - -“The body, but not the soul.” - -“Ah, that I do not know. I may have a soul, but I am not certain; but I -have a body, and as long as that is at ease, why should I trouble about -things in the next life?” - -“Do you ever think of the hereafter?” - -“Never! If I die, I die! While I live, I live! I prefer present -certainty to future doubt.” - -Mr. Carriston was silent, as he did not care about arguing theology with -this subtle Greek, whose religion, whose philosophy, assumed Protean -forms to meet every objection. He was full of sophistry and double -dealing, an unfair adversary in every sense of the word, and was so -encased in his armor of self-complacency and egotism, that he could -never be brought to look at things either spiritual or material in any -light than that which satisfied the selfishness of his own soul. The -Rector, therefore, avoided the threatened argument, and applied himself -to his wine, which was a much more agreeable task than attempting to -convince this egoist that the supreme aim of life was not the pampering -of the passions of the individual man. - -“Apart from the theological aspect of the case,” said Carriston -good-humoredly, “it is rather a mistaken thing to live only for one’s -self. Where ignorance is bliss, I grant; but, because you know no higher -life than that of the body, you at once assume that there can be no -happier existence.” - -“Oh, I do not say that,” answered Caliphronas lightly. “No doubt you -people who mortify the flesh, who listen to the voice of conscience, who -consider the soul more than the body, and who look upon this life as a -preparation for a future existence, are happy in your self-torturings. -All that sort of thing came in with Anno Domini, and made the mediæval -ages a hell of anguish; but I—I am a Greek—a pagan, if it pleases -you—who looks on this world not as a prison, but as a garden wherein to -live happily. Your mourning Man of Sorrows is entirely opposed to our -joyous Apollo, your gloomy views of life to our serenity of temperament. -The difference is plain: for you, a Christian, cannot understand the -joyous songs of Paganism; I, a pagan, shudder at your penitential psalms -of Christianity. We would neither of us ever convince the other, -therefore an argument which has not a common basis from which to start -is unprofitable.” - -“I am not going to argue,” replied Carriston, smiling, “and I agree with -you that arguments are unprofitable. Unless the change takes place in -your own breast, it would be worse than useless for me to attempt to -reason with you. But you are evidently not of the opinion of an -Elizabethan ancestor of mine, among whose papers I discovered the -following lyric:— - - “Oh, shall we pass contented days, - Unheeding Fortune’s crown of bays, - Which decks the brows - Of those whose vows - Compel them to incessant strife - And restless life? - - Ah no; tho’ pleasing to the sense, - This cloying life of indolence - But fills the soul - With weary dole, - And turns the sweet, which doth us bless, - To bitterness.” - -“Your Elizabethan ancestor was not healthy-minded,” said Caliphronas -coolly; “if he had been he would never have written such silly verses. -It is your unhealthy life, your unhealthy bodies, which breed such -restlessness in you.” - -“At all events, that restlessness has made England what she is,” replied -the Rector, rather nettled at the rudeness of the Greek. - -“A land of money-worship, a land of noisy steam-engines, a land of -poverty and wealth—extremes in both cases. Yes, I quite believe your -restless spirit has brought you to this satisfactory state of things. -Come, sir,” added the Count, with a charming smile, seeing the Rector -was rather annoyed, “let us agree to differ. For me, Greece—for you, -England; for me, Nature—for you, Art. Two parallel straight lines cannot -meet.” - -Carriston laughed at this way of settling the question, but made no -further remarks, and after a desultory conversation between all four -gentlemen had ensued, they went into the drawing-room to join the -ladies. - -Mrs. Dengelton was engaged on her everlasting fancywork; and Eunice, -with a rather disconsolate look on her face, was idly turning over the -pages of a book. Crispin stole quietly behind her and glanced over her -shoulder. It was a volume of his poems, and he felt flattered. - -“And to think,” said Mrs. Dengelton, without further prelude, “that you -will be so far away from home to-morrow.” - -“The world is my home,” cried Caliphronas gayly. - -“We Englishmen are narrower in our ideas,” observed Maurice dryly; “we -look on England as our home.” - -“Ah, there’s no place like home,” sighed the Honorable Mrs. Dengelton -sentimentally. - -“If by home you mean England, I am very glad of it,” retorted the Count -audaciously; “I would rather live in exile in Greece. But come, I will -say no more evil things about your beloved island of fogs.” - -“If you do, I will sing ‘Rule Britannia,’” said Maurice, laughing. - -“What is that?” - -“Our national song. Do you know any national songs of your country.” - -Caliphronas smiled with an expression of supreme indifference. - -“No; I know nothing of patriotism. I have never given it a thought. All -my songs are of love and wine.” - -“Oh!” said Mrs. Dengelton in a shocked tone; “really, Count, you say the -most dreadful things!” - -“Other times other manners,” observed the Rector humorously. “Horace, -for instance, said things which would shock you, my dear Mrs. -Dengelton.” - -“I’ve no doubt about it,” retorted the lady viciously; “but, thank -heaven, I do not know Latin.” - -“But you know French, aunt,” said Maurice wickedly; “and I am afraid -Gyp, George Sand, and Belot, are quite as bad, if not worse, than the -Latin poet.” - -“Maurice,” replied Mrs. Dengelton severely, unable to parry this attack, -“remember your cousin is in the room.” - -“I beg your pardon, aunt.” - -“And now, Count Caliphronas,” said the good lady, thus appeased, -“suppose you sing us one of your songs.” - -“I am afraid it will shock you,” replied the Count slyly. - -“Oh dear no! none of us know Greek.” - -“That is hardly complimentary to me, who have given up all my life to -the study of the Greek poets.” - -“I don’t mean you, Rector, but the young people.” - -“Oh, I do not mind singing,” said Caliphronas, going to the piano; “if -the words of my songs were translated, you would find them very -harmless. They only contain the language of love known to all the -world.” - -“Will I play for you?” asked Crispin, looking up from the poem he was -reading to Eunice. - -“If you would be so kind.” - -“What will you sing?” said the poet, sitting down at the piano. “No -love, no wine to-night. It is our last meeting in England, so sing some -song of farewell.” - -“Will I sing ‘The Call to Arms’?” - -“Yes, that will be stirring enough.” - -Whereupon Caliphronas sang that patriotic song, which was written by -some modern Hellenic Tyrtæus during the War of Independence. Crispin -afterwards translated it into the metre of Byron’s famous “Isles of -Greece” for the benefit of Eunice, who was anxious to know the words -which, clothed in their Greek garb, rang through the room like the -inspiriting blare of a trumpet. - - “Thermopylæ! Thermopylæ! - Give back your Spartan sons of yore, - To raise the flag of liberty, - And dye its folds in Turkish gore; - Then will the crimson banner wave - Above the freeman, not the slave. - - Arise, ye Greeks, and break your chains! - By daring hearts is freedom won. - Behold, the Moslem crescent wanes - Before the rising Attic sun; - Oh, let its golden beams be shed - On chainless Greeks, and tyrants dead! - - Your fathers’ swords were laurel-wreathed, - And wielded well by freemen brave; - Why are your swords so idly sheathed, - While Greece is still a Turkish slave? - Shall Hellas, Mother of the West, - In servitude ignoble rest? - - Oh, shame! that it should come to this, - When by your side hang idle swords; - Arise, ye sons of Salamis, - Whose fathers quelled the Persian hordes, - And drive the Moslem to the sea, - Till Hellas and her sons be free.” - -When the song was finished, Caliphronas turned away silently, and -Carriston, who was seated near, saw to his astonishment that the eyes of -the emotional Greek were suffused with tears. - -“That man has some noble traits,” he said to himself as he noticed this; -“he is moved by the wrongs of his country.” - -“What a fine ringing melody!” cried Eunice, whose eyes were flashing -with excitement. - -“It is like ‘Chevy Chase,’” said Maurice quickly, “and stirs the heart -like the sound of a trumpet.” - -“The poet was evidently inspired by Byron,” remarked Crispin, idly -fingering the piano keys; “I expect he wrote it after the ‘Isles of -Greece,’ song. Ah, a Greek should have written that.” - -“I am afraid the days of Alcæus are past,” replied the Rector, who had -understood a considerable portion of the song, owing to his acquaintance -with the ancient Attic tongue; “Greece prefers Anacreon. Still she won -her freedom bravely.” - -“And to what gain?” said Caliphronas bitterly; “to be ruled by a Danish -prince. Better the republics of Athens, Sparta, and Thebes, than such -playing at monarchy.” - -“To revive the ancient government you must have the ancient patriots, -poets, and scholars.” - -“That I am afraid is impossible. No, the glory has departed from Greece. -Centuries of oppression have crushed the creative faculty out of her.” - -“Oh, let us hope, when the Greek Empire is reconstructed, we will have a -new Pindar, a new Sophocles, a new Plato.” - -“That is a dream of the lyre, not of the sword,” replied Caliphronas, -carelessly glancing at his watch. “By the way, it is very late, and, as -we have to be up early, I suppose we ought to retire early.” - -“I am quite with you, Count,” said Mrs. Dengelton, rolling up her work. -“Come, Eunice, we must get our beauty sleep.” - -“Humph! the mother needs it more than the daughter,” thought Crispin, -but did not give vent to this very uncomplimentary remark, and hastened -to give the ladies their candles. - -“Are you going to bed, Caliphronas?” asked Maurice, when the ladies had -gone. “We intend to smoke.” - -“Going to shorten your lives,” replied the Count, smiling. “No; I am -like Mrs. Dengelton, I require my beauty sleep;” and at that he also -departed. - -The Rector, in company with his two young friends, went to the -smoking-room, and had a pleasant conversation, but it was noticeable -that all three gentlemen carefully avoided mentioning the name of -Caliphronas. Decidedly the Greek was not in favor, and, in spite of the -good impression he had created in the Rector’s mind by his patriotic -emotion, that gentleman showed how deeply rooted was his distrust by his -parting words to Crispin. - -“Remember, I leave Maurice in your hands, Mr. Crispin,” he said in a -faltering voice; “he is very dear to me, and you must protect him from -all danger.” - -“My dear Rector, I am not a child,” interposed Maurice, rather nettled; -“nor are we going to the wilds of Africa.” - -“You may meet with worse enemies than the savage beasts of Africa,” -replied the Rector obstinately. “I do not trust your friend -Caliphronas.” - -“Be content,” said Crispin, shaking the Rector warmly by the hand, “I -will watch over Maurice; and as to Caliphronas you need not be afraid of -him. I know the man.” - -“And know any good of him?” - -“Ah, that is a secret at present; but you may be sure he will not harm -Maurice while I am near.” - -“One would think we were going into danger, the way you talk,” said -Roylands impatiently, “instead of a pleasant cruise in Greek waters.” - -“The New Argonauts,” observed the Rector, laughing. “Good-night, Mr. -Crispin. Good-night, my dear lad; come over and say good-by to-morrow.” - -The Argonauts promised, and the Rector, quite at peace concerning his -dear pupil, departed. - -“You doubt Caliphronas; the Rector doubts Caliphronas,” said Maurice, -when the old man had gone. “I am getting rather wearied of such doubts.” - -“Well, I will set your doubts at rest in—say a week’s time.” - -“And are your revelations startling?” - -Crispin shrugged his shoulders. - -“Not very; it all depends upon what you call startling. Really I have -made by my talk this molehill of a Caliphronas into a mountain of -dissimulation and deceit. He is not a good man, but I have no doubt he -is as good as his neighbors.” - -“The mystery which environs him fascinates me.” - -“No doubt; the unknown is always attractive,” replied Crispin -sententiously. “But after all, when I tell you everything, you may be -disappointed. The mountain may only bring forth a mouse, you know. But, -at all events, I look forward to some pretty lively times.” - -“Where?” - -“In the Island of Melnos. My dear innocent Englishman, you are being -drawn into a network of intrigue and duplicity, but, as I hold all the -threads in my hand, you will come out all right in the end.” - -“You puzzle me! I hope I _will_ come all right out of this mystery.” - -“I heard a vulgar saying at a music hall which applies to this case and -to you,” said Crispin gayly; “it was, ‘Keep your eye on your father, and -your father will pull you through.’” - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - THE PAST OF A POET. - - We all have histories. The meanest hind - Who turns the steaming furrow can unfold - Some story in his uneventful life, - Which stirs the wonderment of him who hears, - To thoughts bewildered, how so small a stage - Can thus contain so great a tragedy. - - -The Eunice left Southampton on an unpleasantly wet day, and standing on -the deck, under a dull gray sky, the three adventurers felt quite -dispirited as they watched the receding shores of England veil -themselves in chilly mists. Going down the Channel they had moderately -fair weather, but no sunlight, and Caliphronas, who was a wretchedly bad -sailor, in spite of his Levantine cruisings, retreated to his cabin in a -very miserable frame of mind. Both Crispin and Maurice, however, were in -good health and spirits, mostly remaining on deck to watch the gray sea -heaving dully under the gray sky. In the Bay of Biscay bad weather -prevailed as a matter of course, and the yacht tossed about a good deal -in the choppy waters. Not until they passed the Straits did they have -fine weather, for the first burst of sunlight showed them the giant rock -of Gibraltar frowning on the left as they steamed rapidly into the blue -waters of the Mediterranean. - -Had Maurice so desired, Crispin was quite willing to put in for a day, -but the young man was anxious to proceed to Melnos, and the yacht soon -left the picturesque sentinel of the Mediterranean behind. The weather -now became warm and bright, bringing Caliphronas out of his cabin again, -like a brilliant butterfly, to bask in the sunshine. The arid island of -Malta came in sight, and they saw its precipitous shores rising sternly -from the tideless waters. For a few hours they cast anchor in the Grand -Harbor, and went on shore to explore Valetta, with its steep streets, -quaint houses, and mongrel population. An afternoon spent in leisurely -strolling along the Strada Reale, and looking at the bizarre mixture of -Turks, Jews, Arabs, Italians, and red-coated English soldiers, proved an -agreeable change after their nine days’ run from Southampton, and they -re-embarked in much better spirits than when they left England. Now they -were in tropical heat, with a cloudless sky above, and the brave little -yacht steamed merrily across the glittering waters, leaving a trail of -white foam behind her. Nearer and nearer they drew to the enchanted -shores of Greece, and to glowing days succeeded warm nights lighted by -mellow constellations and delicately silver moons. - -It was when they were in Adria, the ancient name of the sea between -Sicily and Greece, that Crispin told Maurice the story of his life. -Dinner was long since over, and the three gentlemen lounged on deck -smoking the pipes of peace—that is, Crispin and Maurice smoked and -lounged, for Caliphronas did neither the one thing nor the other, but -paced restlessly about the deck, looking up into the darkly blue sky, -and singing snatches of Greek songs. - -“Do you see Taygetus, Mr. Maurice?” he said, pointing to the lofty -snow-crowned range of mountains in the distance. “This is your first -glimpse of Greece, is it not? Yes, of course it is. I am sorry you do -not find our shores bathed in sunlight to greet you; still yonder snowy -mountain, this calm sea, that serene sky, is beautiful, is it not?” - -“Very beautiful.” - -Whereat Caliphronas, leaning over the taffrail and looking dreamily at -the shores of his native land, broke out into song. - - “I would I were hunting on rocky Taygetus, - Which kisses the starry sky with snows of chastity, - Then might I meet the lost nymph - Who beloved by a god was set as a star on high, - But fell from thence, and was lost in the snowy wilderness.” - -“Taygeta!” said Crispin, who knew the song well. “Yes; she was one of -the Pleiades, certainly; but I don’t think she was the lost Pleiad, nor -do I think she had anything to do with yonder mountain. If you hunted -there, Caliphronas, you would meet Bacchus and his crew, but no nymph.” - -“I sing the song as ’twas sung to me,” said the Count blithely, -balancing himself on one foot. “This is a land of fancy, not of fact; so -why bring in your hard truths to destroy the glory of tradition? No; -Taygeta haunts those hills, and if I wandered upward to the snows I -would meet her.” - -“If you saw a nymph you would go mad,” remarked Maurice, alluding to the -old Greek superstition. - -“I am mad now, Mr. Maurice,—mad with the scent of wind and wave and -shore. Can you not smell the perfumes blowing from the land?” - -“No; I’m sure I cannot, nor you either.” - -“You are no believer. See, from the moonlit waters arise the Nereides to -welcome us to the seas of Poseidon. Arethusa, Asia, and Leucothoe are -all waving their white arms, and singing songs of the wondrous caves -beneath the waves.” - -“Ridiculous!” retorted Maurice stolidly. - -“You are no idealist,” said Caliphronas petulantly. “Dull Englishman as -you are, the land of romance spreads her wonders in vain for you. -Creespeen, you are a poet; behold the daughters of the sea!” - -Crispin smiled absently, and tossed his cigarette into the waters which -rushed past, glittering in the moonlight with the grayish glint of -steel. - -“You forget that this is no galley of Ulysses, my friend. A modern -steamer, with a noisy screw beating the waters, is enough to scare away -all the nymphs in the vicinity.” - -“And this is a poet!” cried the Greek indignantly, addressing the stars; -“this dull-eyed being who can see no wonders in the seas! Oh, shade of -Homer, conjure up for him the island nymph, Calypso, and her lovely -train; conjure”— - -“I think Homer will have to conjure up himself first,” said Crispin -flippantly. - -“Which he certainly will not do on the ocean,” added Maurice lazily; -“your mighty poet was a land-lubber.” - -Caliphronas looked indignantly at them both, then went off in a rage. - -“I will go and have a talk to the sailors.” - -“Don’t addle their English brains with your classical rubbish,” shouted -Crispin satirically; “if you do, they may wreck us.” - -“Wreck you!” said the Greek to himself, with a start. “There is many a -true word spoken in jest, my friend; perhaps you will be wrecked before -we reach Melnos.” - -When Caliphronas had gone. Maurice relighted his pipe, which had gone -out; and, freed from the chattering of the Count, enjoyed the quiet -beauty of the night, while Crispin hummed softly a ballad which Eunice -used to sing,— - - “Oh, winds and waves, oh, stars and sea, - I would I were as blithe and free.” - -Above, the sky was almost of a purple color in the sultry night, and the -stars, brilliant and large, burned like lamps in the still air. A serene -moon, half veiled in fleecy clouds, arose above the chill snows of -Taygetus, and a long glittering bridge of light extended from the land -to the yacht. The steady beat of the screw, which impelled the vessel -through the silent waters, sounded in their ears, blending with the rich -voice of Caliphronas, who had climbed up the mast, and was clinging to -the weather rigging like a spectral figure in the shadowy glimmer of -moon and star. - - “The earth breathes fragrant breaths to-night, - And the perfume blows from the land. - Oh, I can see the waters kissing her shores, - Even as I would kiss thee, my belovèd, - With thy breath more fragrant than these languid scents, - Floating from the distant isles of rose-filled gardens.” - -“I wish I knew Greek,” said Maurice, as the Count paused for a moment; -“those snatches of song sound so beautiful.” - -“They are beautiful,” replied Crispin idly; “I have often thought of -translating some of them into English. Listen!” - - “I see Dione rising from the waters, - A Venus of the moonlight night. - Why wavest thou thy arms as ivory gleaming? - Why do I see thine eyes flash as the evening star? - Thy voice is as the murmur of breathing waves - In twilight on a sandy beach. - Callest thou me to thy home below? - Ah, I will come, and beneath the placid waters - Coldly white will I lie on thy cold white breast. - But thro’ the door of death must I pass to gain such blisses.” - -“’Tis like the lyrics of Callicles in Arnold’s poem,” said Crispin, -taking off his cap; “stray fragments of song scattered by the winds.” - -“Or like the songs in ‘Pippa Passes,’” suggested Maurice speculatively; -“but I am afraid the singing of Caliphronas will not do so much good as -Pippa’s.” - -A long sigh floated past them on the still waters, like the melancholy -cry of a bird, and died away sadly in the distance. - -“Calypso sighing for Ulysses,” observed Crispin, without altering his -position; “though I dare say it is only the wind moaning through the -ropes.” - -“Let us think it is the voice calling, Pan is dead!” - -“We are classical to-night. Caliphronas has inoculated us with his -antique dreams. Well, when one is in fairyland, one must dream -romances.” - -“Suppose you tell me your romance,” said Maurice abruptly. - -“Of my past life? Yes; I will do so; but you must promise to keep it -secret.” - -“I promise.” - -“I am afraid you will think but little of it when you know all; but I -promised to tell you, so I will now fulfil my promise. In the first -place, you know my name is Crispin.” - -“Yes; and have often wondered at its terseness. Have you no surname?” - -“No legal surname.” - -“Why not?” - -“Because I am a natural son.” - -“Illegitimate!” said Maurice, startled. - -“Yes. Now you see the reason for my returning to Melnos.” - -“You wish to find out who you really are.” - -“I do; from Justinian.” - -“But who is this mysterious Justinian?” - -“And this equally mysterious Caliphronas, and Alcibiades, and Crispin. -You are in a world of mystery here, and will see many things on Melnos -which will excite your wonderment. But come, I will lift a portion of -the veil, and place you in possession of facts which may be of use to -you in the future.” - -“I am all attention.” - -Crispin settled himself more comfortably, and, fixing his earnest eyes -upon Maurice, began his story without further remark. - -“My first memories are of the Island of Melnos, where I was _not_ born. -No; I was taken there with my mother when I was an infant; but the land -of my birth I do not know. English I am, certainly; but for all I know, -ocean may have witnessed my coming into the world. As I grew up, I -thought Justinian was my father, for my mother always led me to believe -such was the case, and certainly he was very kind to me. This Justinian, -of whom you have often heard me speak, is not a Greek, but an -Englishman; but of his real name I am ignorant, nor do I know the reason -that he lives in this island exile. Now you can see the reason I speak -English so well, for from my earliest years I was brought up with the -sound of it in my ears; so also was Caliphronas.” - -“Is he related to Justinian?” - -“No; nor was he born in Ithaca; nor is he a count; nor is his name -Caliphronas. Count Constantine Caliphronas, better known in these waters -as Andros, comes from the island of the name; and Justinian, struck by -his beauty as a child, adopted him as a son, and brought him up with me. -The English tongue we were both taught from our cradles; so you now know -the reason we both speak it so well. In those early days I always -thought Justinian was my father, and Caliphronas was my brother; but as -I grew up I was undeceived on these points. My mother died when I was -still a child, and I was therefore left to the sole guardianship of this -pseudo-Englishman. As I told you, he rules over a kind of patriarchal -community in this little-known island; and the life seems to suit him, -for he is a kind of freebooter in his way, fierce and lawless, though -years have now tamed his spirit to a considerable extent. Caliphronas, -or rather Andros, and myself were brought up in a wild sort of -fashion,—always in the open air, on the waters, fishing, riding, -sailing, fighting”— - -“Fighting!” cried Maurice in surprise. - -“Yes. Oh, there are strange things in these Greek waters, I assure you! -On an adjacent island lived a kind of semi-pirate called Alcibiades, who -was, and is, a thorough blackguard. He used to cruise about in a small -craft in order to levy blackmail on the inhabitants of the other -islands, and in these cruises Andros and myself very often joined. There -was no killing, you understand; but sometimes the peasants objected to -be robbed, so there was often a fight, ending in broken heads.” - -“But the law?” - -“Oh, there is precious little law in these parts. Brigandism is not yet -extinct, whatever you English may think. Besides, Alcibiades was a -moderate sort of pirate, and was cunning enough not to go too far. He -would rob a poor man of his last drachma, but he would not cut his -throat. I don’t think Justinian blamed him for this piratical existence; -indeed, I think he rather envied his wild life, and, had he been young -enough, would certainly have joined him in partnership. As it was, he -allowed Andros and myself to form part of the band of Alcibiades, which -we, wild, uncultured scamps as we were, regarded as a great privilege.” - -“And how long did this buccaneering go on?” - -“As far as I am concerned, for some years; but as regards Caliphronas, I -dare say he is at it yet.” - -“What! is he a thief?” - -“Oh, no; a thief is a vulgar thing. Caliphronas is a picturesque -freebooter, and simply plunders on a large scale. I’ve no doubt his -visit to England was paid for out of his ill-gotten gains.” - -“And is this Alcibiades still living?” - -“Oh yes; you will see him, I have no doubt, for he is a great friend of -Justinian’s.” - -“But who is this Justinian?” - -Crispin paused for a moment and seemed to consider, then replied with -great deliberation,— - -“I can hardly tell you. He is an Englishman, so you must be content with -knowing only that. Later on I may tell you something about him, but not -now.” - -“Well, and how did you escape from this piratical existence?” - -“Oh, Caliphronas was the main cause of my leaving Melnos. After my -mother died, I made several discoveries—one, that Andros was not my -brother, as I had hitherto supposed; and another, that Justinian was not -my father. Being a comparative child, I did not pay much attention to -these facts; but when I was about eighteen years of age, I began to ask -Justinian questions as to who I really was, but he refused to tell me.” - -“Were you always called Crispin?” - -“Yes, always. Justinian, in spite of his fierce, wild nature, has a vein -of romance in him, and, as he arrived at Melnos with myself and my -mother on St. Crispin’s day, called me after that saint. My mother fell -in with his humor, and from the time I landed at Melnos I was called -nothing else but Crispin.” - -“Or Creespeen, as the Count calls you.” - -“Yes; Caliphronas is a good English speaker, but he makes mistakes in -proper names. You observe he never risks saying Roylands, but always -addresses you as Mr. Maurice—Maurice is of course a Greek name.” - -“And how was Caliphronas responsible for your leaving Melnos?” - -“Oh, it was a kind of Esau and Jacob business. I was Esau, and Andros -Jacob, the favored one. Justinian thought me rather a milksop, because I -did not care about our piratical excursions with Alcibiades, in which -Caliphronas, born scamp as he was, delighted. At all events, -Caliphronas, in order to curry favor with Justinian, and secure his own -well-being, did his best to estrange us still further, and very soon my -adopted father broke out into open hatred of me. One day, when I refused -to join in one of Alcibiades’ little trips in search of plunder, he -taunted me with being a man of peace, like my father; and, when I -demanded who my father was, refused to tell me anything more than that I -was illegitimate. From words we came to blows, for both of us were very -hot-tempered, and the end of it was that Justinian ordered me to leave -the island, much to the delight of Caliphronas, who wanted to secure it -to himself.” - -“And you left Melnos?” - -“Yes; I could not help myself, as Justinian had plenty of scoundrels to -do his bidding; and, had he given the word, I have no doubt Alcibiades -would have put a stone round my neck, and dropped me into the sea.” - -“But, my dear Crispin, all this lawlessness nowadays!” - -Crispin shrugged his shoulders with a smile. - -“My dear fellow, you gentlemen of England, who live at home in ease, do -not know what lawlessness still exists in the East. To be sure, I speak -of over ten years ago, and things are better now; still, I think a good -many things go on in the vicinity of Melnos which Justice would scarcely -approve of; but, as long as nothing very bad happens, why, she winks at -small crimes. If I had been dropped into the sea, who would have been a -bit the wiser? no one except the islanders, and they would not have -troubled themselves over such a trifle, especially as I was not popular -among them. Caliphronas, Justinian, and Alcibiades are all their -divinities, not a poor poet like me, who shrinks from their scampish -ways.” - -“So you left Melnos in the end?” - -“Yes; like the boy in the fairy tale, I went out into the wide, wide -world to seek my fortune. I managed to work my passage to Athens, and -arrived there without even the traditional penny. Fortunately, I knew -modern Greek and English thoroughly well, so was fortunate enough to -obtain a situation as a corresponding clerk in a firm of merchants who -traded with England, but I did not remain there long.” - -“Where did you make all your money?” - -“Ah, that is what I am now going to tell you. Fortune evidently wished -to make reparation for having brought me into the world with a stigma on -my name, so threw me into the way of a rich Englishman, whom I met at -the house of my employer. He heard my story, and was much impressed with -it; and then discovered that I had the talent to string verses together, -and also a faculty for music. Being passionately fond of such things he -made up his mind that he had discovered a genius; and, being without a -relative in the world, he adopted me as his son and made me his heir.” - -“You seem to have passed your life in being adopted,” said Maurice, who -was deeply interested in this romantic history. - -“Only twice. First Justinian, then my English father. I need not tell -you his name, as I did not take it, preferring to be called Crispin -until such time as I discovered my real parent. Well, my benefactor, who -was very learned, began to educate me, and also placed me at school. I -suppose I made good use of my time, as I soon became sufficiently -accomplished to win his approval. We travelled all over the Continent—a -great deal in the East—until I was about twenty-seven years of age, when -he died at Damascus, and left me heir to all his property, amounting to -about twelve thousand a year.” - -“Fortunate man!” - -“Yes; I thought I was too fortunate, and had some compunction in taking -so large an income, fearing lest I might be robbing some relative of my -benefactor more entitled to it. When I buried my adopted father at -Damascus, I came to England and saw his lawyers, who were quite -satisfied with my identity, owing to the papers which I produced. The -will, of course, was in their possession, as my benefactor had returned -to England when I was at school, and made his will in my favor. The -lawyers told me that there were no relatives alive, and that I was -justly entitled to spend the money, so that is how I became rich. The -rest of my life you know.” - -“You published a volume of poems, became the mystery of London, saw -Eunice, fell in love with her, and came down to the Grange—yes, I know -all that; but have you made no effort to discover who you are?” - -“Yes. I went to Melnos three years ago and saw Justinian, but he refused -to help me in any way; so I returned to England in despair. Now, -however, I am going back with certain knowledge of Justinian’s past -life, which I will make use of to force him to tell me what I wish to -know.” - -“You don’t believe his story about your illegitimacy?” - -“No. If I can get the truth out of him I believe I will find I have a -right to a legal surname, and I am anxious to establish this fact in -order to marry Eunice. As it is, I cannot marry her without inflicting -on her the disgrace I feel myself; besides, her mother would not consent -to the marriage, nor would you.” - -“My dear fellow, I am not so narrow-minded as all that.” - -“Still, I know your English prejudices. You say that out of kindness, -but if your cousin marries, you would prefer her husband to have a -spotless name.” - -“Certainly.” - -“Then I am going to make Justinian give me one. I know, if he tells the -truth, I will discover I have been born in wedlock. Of his own free will -he refuses to tell me; now, however, owing to my knowledge of his past, -I can force his confidence.” - -“And what about Helena?” - -“She is Justinian’s daughter. There is no stain on her birth; so if you -love her, as I am sure you will, you can marry her without fear.” - -“Her father seems rather a terrible old person.” - -“He is a scamp, I am afraid. Still, he is a man of good family.” - -“How do you know?” - -“I have made certain discoveries while in England, and now know more -about Justinian than he thinks.” - -“Is Helena as charming as she looks?” asked Maurice anxiously. - -“Yes,” replied Crispin emphatically. “She is a pure, good woman, and -will make you an excellent wife; but you have a rival.” - -“Alcibiades?” - -“No; Caliphronas.” - -“I thought as much,” said Maurice, with a start, remembering the Greek’s -jealousy concerning the portrait. “But if he loves Helena, why did he -show me her picture, which has been my sole reason for this journey?” - -“Wheels within wheels!” replied Crispin significantly. - -“More mystery?” - -“Yes; there are still some things for you to learn, but I cannot tell -you of them now, as I have made a promise.” - -“To whom?” - -“Caliphronas.” - -“Caliphronas!” cried that gentleman, who had approached them quietly; -“and what are you saying about Caliphronas?” - -“A good many things,” said Crispin rapidly, in Greek. “I have been -telling him who I am.” - -The Greek flushed with rage, and then he laughed. - -“That is your business, but I trust you did not break faith?” - -“About Justinian, no; about Helena, no; but I have told him all your -early life.” - -Caliphronas made a dart at Crispin with uplifted hand, but Maurice -sprang up and caught him in his arms, where he writhed like an eel. - -“Traitor!” he hissed in Greek; “traitor!” - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - THE DEVIL’S PHILOSOPHY. - - Why should I call mankind my brothers, - Or live but for the good of others? - ’Twould bring me neither pain nor pleasure, - Nor give me comfort, joy, or treasure. - Myself by Nature’s law I cherish; - If I am saved, let others perish; - For if ill luck Dame Fortune gave me, - None would stretch out a hand to save me. - While life to me means wealth or laughter, - Themselves all paupers can look after; - Than me for hardships they are fitter, - I taste the sweet and they the bitter. - But if such selfish maxims hurt you, - Then live your life of silly virtue. - Let men defraud you in life’s barter, - And you will be—a social martyr. - - -The two men stood looking at one another in silence for quite a minute, -Crispin cool and composed, the Greek fuming with anger. At length -Caliphronas burst out laughing, and Maurice, seeing he was now master of -his actions, let him go, whereon he flung himself into a chair, with a -cynical smile on his handsome face. - -“So this dear Creespeen has told you who I am, and what I am,” he said, -looking insolently at Maurice. “Well, and what do you think of me?” - -“You would hardly feel flattered if I told you,” retorted Roylands, -lighting his cigarette once more. - -“Ah, bah! Praise or blame is all the same to me. Oh, I know your dull -English respectability which shudders at the truth. Yet I dare say, with -my little excursions with Alcibiades, my assuming of a false name, my -philosophy of enjoying myself at the expense of others, I am no worse -than many of your holy people, who go to church, and, under the guise of -self-denial, enjoy all that life can give. I may be what you call bad, -but I am at least not a hypocrite.” - -“By which remark I presume you infer I am one.” - -“No, I do not. You have not enough character to make you either bad or -good. You lead a dull, respectable life, because you like dull -respectability. If you had leanings in the other direction, I will do -you the justice to say that I have no doubt you would not have concealed -them from the world.” - -“Thank you,” replied Maurice dryly; “your opinion of my character is -most gratifying.” - -“As to you, Creespeen,” said Caliphronas, turning to the poet with an -evil smile, “I knew you were prudish in many ways, a milksop as -Justinian called you, and a man afraid of going against the opinion of -the world, but I did not know you were an oath-breaker nor a -tale-bearer.” - -“Nor am I,” answered Crispin, keeping his temper wonderfully under the -insults of the Greek, for, after all, it would have been worse than -useless to quarrel with him. - -“I did not tell about Justinian, or of anything connected with your -visit to England. All I revealed was my own life and your real -character, which it is only right my friend should know.” - -“As for that,” retorted Caliphronas carelessly, “I do not mind. Mask on, -mask off, it is all the same to me; but, as regards what I told you in -confidence, I am glad you were wise enough not to reveal it, as you -would have to settle accounts with Justinian, not with me.” - -“I am not afraid of Justinian,” said Crispin, with supreme contempt. - -“What is this secret?” asked Maurice quickly; “if it refers to me, I -have a right to know it.” - -“It does not refer to you,” replied Caliphronas mendaciously; “it -concerns Justinian, and what it is you will learn before you are many -days on Melnos.” - -“I do not generally boast about myself,” said Maurice quickly, “but if -you and your precious Justinian are up to any tricks, you will find me -an awkward customer to deal with.” - -“No harm is intended, Mr. Maurice.” - -“Upon my word, sir, your insolence is unbounded,” said Roylands, sitting -upright in his indignation. “I am going to make a tour of the Greek -islands, yet you talk as if I were coming on a visit to you—being -decoyed, as it were, into a robber’s cave. I don’t care two straws about -your ‘no harm is intended,’ and you may be certain if there is any -trouble it will be for you, not for me. Really,” continued Maurice, -laughing at the comicality of the situation, “one would think we lived -in the days of filibusters and buccaneers the way you talk.” - -Caliphronas was not put out in the least by this speech, and, leaning -back in his chair, looked at Maurice with a lazy smile. - -“There is no pleasure without an element of danger,” he said coolly, -placing his hands behind his head, “and you may have adventures before -you leave Melnos.” - -Struck by the significance of his tone, Maurice looked keenly at him, -and then turned to Crispin with a puzzled air. - -“My dear fellow, will you explain this riddle?” - -“There is nothing to explain,” said Crispin, with a yawn; “you know the -way Caliphronas exaggerates. I suppose he wants to make out that Melnos -is a barbaric place, and that this cruise partakes of the nature of a -journey into Darkest Africa.” - -“I have heard more nonsense to-night than I ever heard before in my -life,” said Maurice, still ruffled. “Pseudo-counts, patriarchal knights, -islands of fantasy, hintings of dangers. It is like a novel of -adventure.” - -Caliphronas laughed, but said nothing, while Crispin knocked the ashes -out of his pipe and refilled it finally for a last smoke before turning -in. - -“I suppose you are very shocked at Creespeen’s flattering description of -me,” remarked the Count calmly. - -“Hm! I hardly know. You are a picturesque scamp, but only a scamp for -all that.” - -“This candor is delightful.” - -“Caliphronas,” observed Crispin, settling himself into a more -comfortable attitude, “is a gentleman who believes that Number One is -the greatest number.” - -“Every one in the world does that, my dear Creespeen.” - -“Probably, but they don’t show it so openly as you do.” - -“Hypocrites!” - -“I dare say, but a certain amount of hypocrisy is necessary in this -world of shams.” - -Maurice looked at Count Constantine with an amused smile. - -“Caliphronas, you are a most unique person, and I would like to know -your views of life.” - -“Make money honestly if you can—but make money.” - -“I thought you were a child of Nature, who cared nothing for money.” - -“You are right in one way, Mr. Maurice. For money as money I care -nothing, but I like luxuries which only money can buy, and therefore -desire money.” - -“Epigrammatic, decidedly! but your free, open-air life—your love of -mountains, waves, winds, skies?” - -“Certainly I love all those things very much. Still, I go to Athens -sometimes for amusement, and amusement requires money.” - -“You are certainly candid.” - -“I am; when I have nothing to gain, I am always candid.” - -“And you have nothing to gain now?” - -“No. I paid a visit to England—out of curiosity,” said Caliphronas, -hesitating over the last words. “I met there my dear old friend -Creespeen, and also yourself. Both of you are returning with me to the -land I love—so, what with your company and my home-coming, I have -absolutely nothing to wish for.” - -“So you are that _rara avis_, a thoroughly satisfied man?” - -“I suppose so,” replied Caliphronas coolly. “No—stay—I do desire one -thing which I hope to obtain.” - -“I can guess what that one thing is.” - -“Indeed! pray tell me.” - -“Well, it is not your mythical Fanariot at Constantinople.” - -“Mythical?” - -“Yes. Oh, don’t be angry, Count Caliphronas! I now know the reason you -were so angry over that photograph.” - -“If you do,” said the Greek, restraining himself with difficulty, “you -will know how to act wisely.” - -“Possibly; I have already arranged my plan of action.” - -“Really?” - -Caliphronas had a fleeting smile on his lips as he said this, but looked -so dangerous that Crispin touched Maurice on the arm. - -“Do not irritate him any more; remember he is my guest, and I cannot be -impolite.” - -Maurice took the hint, and addressed himself to the Count with an air of -elaborate politeness. - -“Don’t let us talk any more about possibilities, Count,” he said, -laughing. “After all, I have some right to be angry, considering how you -masqueraded as a count in England.” - -“And now I am a wolf, eh?” said Caliphronas, showing his white teeth; -“bah! a wolf may be a very pleasant animal.” - -“Maybe, but from all accounts he is not.” - -“That is as you take him; but then I know Creespeen has prejudiced you -against me.” - -“I have done nothing of the sort,” protested the poet quietly; “I only -told him how you were accustomed to associate with Alcibiades.” - -“Eh, and why not? My friend Alcibiades is not a bad man,—a good honest -trader who sails about among the islands of the Ægean. I will introduce -you to him, Mr. Maurice, and I am sure you will like him. After all, our -little piratical excursions are very innocent—no bloodshed—no -violence—no burning of houses; we—we only levy toll, so to speak.” - -“What a pleasant way of putting it!” - -“What does it matter if you take openly or take secretly? the thing is -the same, but only the mode of doing it is different. What we do in -Greece, you do in England, but, simply because the latter is done under -the rose and the former is not, your robbers of London are good, honest -men, whereas we poor Greeks of the islands are scamps. Never mind, when -we become as civilized as you, we also will mask our wickedness under -the cloak of sanctity.” - -“Oh,” cried Crispin, suddenly rising to his feet, “I am tired of this -discussion! it is all aimless—about no one and no thing. I am going to -turn in.” - -“And I—am not,” added Caliphronas, springing to his feet; “fancy going -down to a close cabin with such glories as this outside!” - -He waved his arms aloft, where the brilliant sky smiled down on the -still waters. Indeed, so placid was the sea that the stars, moon, and -clouds were all reflected therein as in a mirror, and the yacht seemed -to hang passive in the centre of a scintillating, hollow ball. - -“When do we reach Melnos?” asked Maurice abruptly, as Caliphronas -strolled away to the other end of the ship. - -“To-morrow evening,” replied Crispin, pausing at the door of the cabin. -“We will sleep on board, and visit Justinian in the morning.” - -“Crispin, is there anything in those veiled threats of Caliphronas?” - -“Perhaps,” replied the poet vaguely. “Caliphronas is a dangerous man, -and is, as I have told you, a favorite of Justinian’s. However, I would -not be surprised if Justinian dismissed Andros and put you in his -place.” - -“Thank you,” said Maurice in haughty surprise, “but I have no ambition -to occupy such a position.” - -“Maurice,” said Crispin suddenly, “I wish I could tell you all I know, -but, unfortunately, I gave my word to Caliphronas not to do so as long -as you were not harmed in any way.” - -“What do you mean?” - -“I cannot tell you, but only this, which may perhaps serve as a -warning,—Caliphronas came to Roylands on purpose to get you to journey -to Melnos.” - -“And his reason?” - -“I know it, but I cannot tell you. However, if you should be in any -danger,—and I will not conceal from you that there may be danger,—I will -consider my promise void and tell you all.” - -“All what?” - -“All about Caliphronas, Justinian, and Helena.” - -“Is she in this plot also?” - -“Plot! yes, it is a plot, the reason of which I know not. Helena is to a -certain extent mixed up in it, but innocently, you may be sure.” - -“I cannot understand all this.” - -“Never mind, as long as I understand it you will not suffer. -Caliphronas, as I have told you, is a scamp, and will pause at nothing -to gratify his own desire. He lured you to Melnos for a purpose, but he -did not count on my presence. Listen! he thinks we have gone below, and -is telling his secrets to the stars.” - -And at this moment, as if Caliphronas knew the subject-matter of their -conversation, in the far distance he broke out into a rich burst of -song, the gist of which Crispin rapidly translated to Maurice. - - “The net is spread and the prey is near, - Drive him into the entanglement. - Ho! my noble stag of Olympus, you are helpless, - And the spear of the hunter will drink your blood - Before the dawn sets rosy foot on blushing mountain-top.” - -“You see,” said Crispin significantly, after translating this, “he talks -in parables, but you can guess his meaning; but do not be afraid. You -trust me, do you not?” - -“Yes, I trust you,” replied Maurice, grasping the hand held out to him. - -“That is right, my friend—good-night.” - -When Crispin disappeared, Maurice went to the stern of the ship, and, -leaning over the taffrail, fell into deep meditation over the strange -circumstances in which he was environed. Caliphronas, sitting by the -bowsprit, was swaying up and down with the pitching of the yacht, -singing songs, now soft, now loud, but this was the only sound of -humanity heard. The sough of the wind through the rigging, the dreary -wash of the sea, as the ship cut her way through the glittering plain; -the rustle of the cordage, the beating of the screw,—he could hear all -these blending with the fitful voice of the Greek. The moon had retired -behind a thick bank of black clouds, which foreboded storm, and the -moonlit world was now shadowy, vast, vague, and strange,—a world of -shadows and ghosts, with the swift steamer gliding onward into the -unknown seas—into the unknown future. - -Maurice Roylands was not what one might call a strong-minded man, for, -as a matter of fact, he had that subtle touch of indecision which is -often found in artistic natures. He was very impressionable, and -surrounding circumstances had a great effect on his temperament—still, -when he saw his way clearly before him, he was quite capable of making -up his mind, and carrying out his determination to the end. But he could -never make up his mind promptly, as he wavered this way, that way, -according as he was biassed by circumstances. Had he been of a firm, -decisive nature, he would never have yielded to that pitiable -melancholia which seized him in London, and would thus have been spared -much suffering. Still, in spite of this latent weakness of character, -which always developed itself in time of trouble, he was a brave man, -with plenty of pluck. In England, notwithstanding his Bohemian -existence, his life had gone on too smoothly to call his moral -characteristics into any special prominence, but now, surrounded as he -was by vague mysteries, he felt doubtful. - -Hitherto his existence had been but prosaic, but now the element of -romance had entered into it, and he felt that he was being passively -drawn into a series of strange adventures, the subsequent termination of -which, either for good or evil, lay not in his own hands. Caliphronas -had come to England with the deliberate intention of luring him to -Melnos; but what was his reason for this strange conduct? Certainly -Crispin knew, but Crispin, fettered by his promise of secrecy, was -unable to solve the problem. The strangest thing of all was that -Caliphronas had made use of the picture of a girl he loved, to decoy -Maurice to the East, which line of conduct struck the young man as most -unaccountable. - -If Caliphronas was in love with Helena, it was foolish of him to -encourage, as he had undoubtedly done, the love of a rival; and the -result of two men loving one woman must be unsatisfactory to one of -them. Of course, Maurice saw that Caliphronas, confident in his beauty -of person and powers of fascination, never for a moment doubted the -final result; still, what was the reason of his taking a trip to England -especially to bring a rival into the presence of the woman? The more -Maurice thought about this, the more extraordinary did it seem, and, as -the whole was a decided enigma, his doubts arose as to what was the best -course to pursue under these very extraordinary circumstances. - -True, Crispin, being in possession of the true facts of the case, would -help him, for the poet was an honest man, and would not stand idly by in -time of trouble; still, there was something in the affair of which even -Crispin was ignorant, as he had confessed, and this mysterious something -was connected in some way with Justinian. Maurice, after long pondering, -came to the conclusion that with Justinian lay the whole solution of the -matter, and, as he could decide on no course of action until he had seen -Justinian himself, all he could do was to remain passive and trust to -Providence. - -“One thing is certain,” he said to himself, as he watched the gray -waters swirling past, “I can depend on Crispin, and as he knows -Caliphronas thoroughly, that consummate scamp will hesitate before he -takes any action adverse to my interests. But Justinian seems so mixed -up in the affair, and apparently without any reason whatsoever. He has -lived in this Greek island all his life, Englishman though he is, so why -he should desire to see a complete stranger like myself I do not know. -Well, the only thing I can do is to trust blindly in Crispin, for I am -sure he will not fail me. Apart from his friendship for me, it would be -against his own interests to play false, as he would then never be able -to marry Eunice. Time alone will unravel all this perplexity, so to time -will I trust. After all, I am young and strong, so can defend myself if -necessary. And then there is Helena; whatever happens I shall see her—I -will see Helena, and”— - -“Eh, Mr. Maurice,” said the voice of Caliphronas behind him, “you have -not gone to bed.” - -“No, I am thinking.” - -“I can guess your thoughts.” - -Maurice made no reply to this invitation to argue, but, with a curt -“Good-night,” went below, while in his ears rang the cruel, mocking -laugh of the Greek, as he repeated rapidly in a singing tone the name of -his mistress,— - -“Helena, Helena, Helena!” - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - THE STORM. - - Dark storm-clouds spread from pole to pole, - The lightnings flash, the thunders roll, - And lo, the sea, in mountains high, - With giant billows storms the sky, - While all the vast disturbèd main - Is veiled in whirling mist and rain. - Betwixt the flying scud and spume, - A ship drifts onward to her doom; - She flies before the raging gale, - With broken mast and tattered sail; - While up through pitchy darkness rolls - Despairing cries of drowning souls. - - -Having passed the Island of Cythera during the night, by next morning -the yacht was ploughing the placid waters of the Cretan Sea. Placid -waters these generally are, especially during the months of the halcyon, -but now a stiff breeze was blowing steadily from the north, which by -noon increased to a fierce gale. As far as the eye could see, there -appeared nothing but a vast expanse of tumbling waves, their whiteness -above accentuated by the green blackness below, as they flung their -shattered spray as in derision against the grim sky. Threatening masses -of gloomy clouds lay along the northern horizon, fronted by the bleak -island of Santorin, which scowled in savage grandeur in the cloudy -distance. Gray sky, gray sea, driving rain, and sudden gusts of wind, -making the streaming sails crack like pistol-shots with the violent -lurching of the vessel;—it was like a North Sea picture; nor would any -one surveying the dreary scene have believed the boat was sailing over -the enchanting waters of the Mediterranean. - -The three gentlemen, after an uncomfortable breakfast, owing to the -rolling of the yacht, which upset everything on the table in spite of -the fiddles, were now on deck, holding on to whatever they could support -themselves by, for The Eunice tossing about like a cork in the yeasty -surge, made it no small difficulty for those on board to retain their -equilibrium. Wrapped up in oilskins, they were sufficiently dry and -warm, for, in spite of the mist and drenching rain, the weather was not -in the least chilly—a thing to be thankful for in such a predicament. -The yacht schooner, rigged fore and aft, was a capital sea boat; so, -apprehending no danger, they joked and laughed during the lulls of the -gale at their hardships, and gazed with interest on the wild spectacle -afforded by the seething waters. Maurice and the poet were comforting -themselves with tobacco, while Caliphronas, excited by the wildness of -the scene, was clinging to the weather rigging, and facing the keen -whips of wind, rain, and spray like some antique sea-god. Occasionally -he would shout out a few sentences to his companions, but, owing to the -tumult around, they could only catch his meaning every now and then. - -“Often like this—Ægean!—sudden gales—have no fear.” - -“Confound that man!” growled Maurice, who was standing shoulder to -shoulder with Crispin; “he thinks no one has any pluck but himself.” - -“On the contrary, he is trying to keep up his spirits,” replied Crispin, -steadying himself with difficulty as the yacht took a big dip into the -trough of the sea; “there is a good deal of brag about Caliphronas, but -if we were in any real danger he would not crow so loudly. These Greeks -are all afraid of the sea; and if the colonization of the world had been -left to them, I am afraid America would never have been discovered.” - -“Why not?” - -“Because they are always afraid of venturing out of sight of the land. -They slip about boldly enough among these isles of Elishah, as Ezekiel -calls them, but if they lose sight of Mother Earth, all their courage -leaves them. Their Hellenic ancestors were just the same, for all their -poets call Ocean names, such as ‘a hungry beast,’ ‘a ravenous monster,’ -and similar pleasant titles. I think Homer, with his ‘multitudinous -laughter of the sea,’ is the only poet who pays Ocean a compliment.” - -“Yet the Greek genius has produced a great sea drama in the ‘Odyssey.’” - -“A voyage of necessity, not pleasure—Man the sport of the unjust gods; -but I fancy Ulysses had a touch of the adventurous Phœnician in his -blood. Besides, Greek bravery produced a great sea drama at Salamis; -yet, withal, I decline to believe the Hellenes, ancient or modern, were -sailors.” - -“Yet Arnold calls them ‘The young, light-hearted masters of the wave.’” - -“A charming line, which applies but to Ægean waters. Masters of the -wave, forsooth! Why, they were never masters of anything liquid larger -than a puddle. The Greeks never loved Nature in her grandest moods, -and—saving Æschylus—both shaggy mountain and roaring waters were alien -to their genius.” - -“Yet they loved Nature.” - -“Nature the Mother, not Nature the Enemy. Hill, meadow, wood, fountain, -river, they loved; but mountain and ocean they feared.” - -“Would a Greek Wordsworth have been possible?” - -“Ah, now you open up a large field of inquiry! No; I do not think the -actual spirituality of Wordsworth would have appealed to a Greek. The -Hellenic poet of that class would have been like Keats—he would have -sung exquisitely of vitalized Nature, of her incarnate forces, Pan and -Demeter, nymphs and satyrs; but none but a modern poet, conversant with -the haggardness of modern life, with his soul steeped in the religion of -the unseen, could have produced those ‘thoughts too deep for tears’ such -as we find in Wordsworth. Theocritus and Bion are your Nature poets of -external loveliness, but Arnold and Wordsworth sang deeper strains, and -sought the naked soul of Nature, which was but a veiled Isis to the -Greek.” - -“Hallo! what island is that?” cried Maurice, who had been idly listening -to such fragments of this discourse as he had caught. “Look to your -left.” - -In the misty distance a great black mass loomed vague and indistinct on -the lee side of the vessel, apparently about seven miles off, though the -magnifying vapor seemed to bring it nearer. - -“I am not sure,” replied Crispin, straining his eyes; “we are in the -middle of a number of islets.” - -“The deuce! isn’t that rather dangerous?” - -“It would be to any one who did not know these waters; but Martin has -been here with me often before, and knows every rock in the vicinity. -Besides, we are comparatively safe, as the engines are of large -horse-power compared with the size of the boat.” - -Martin was the captain of the yacht, and at present was personally -attending to the wheel, with an anxious expression on his weather-beaten -face, for it was no light task to steer the boat safely through these -clusters of islands, especially when the magnifying properties of the -mist cause them to appear in dangerous proximity to the ship, thus -deceiving the eye into thinking she was entangled among hidden reefs. -Luckily Captain Martin had a clear head, and, being a splendid seaman, -knew the capabilities of The Eunice thoroughly; so Crispin felt quite -content to leave affairs in his hands, so long as he was at the helm. - -“Kamila!” shouted Caliphronas, alluding to the misty island. - -“No,” shouted back Crispin; “Kamila too far off.” - -“Kamila!” cried the Greek for the second time, whereupon Crispin was -much impressed with his insistence. - -“Caliphronas knows these seas thoroughly,” he said to Maurice quietly; -“he has sailed all over them with his rascal friend; so if this is -Kamila, we must be nearer Melnos than I thought.” - -“Had you not better see Martin?” suggested Maurice, shaking himself like -a huge water-dog, as a shower of spray flew over him. - -Crispin nodded an assent, and began to struggle towards the wheel, where -Martin was standing. It was rather difficult, owing to the slipperiness -of the wet deck and the tossing of the yacht, which one moment would be -poised on the crest of a wave, and the next ingulfed in a foam-streaked -valley of green water, which threatened to swamp her. However, by -holding on to anything he could seize, Crispin managed to get close to -the captain, who, in his efforts to keep the ship’s head right, was -straining every muscle to hold the wheel, which was almost torn out of -his grasp in a retrograde direction, every time a wave smashed against -her helm. - -“Kamila!” screamed Crispin in Martin’s ear, as he pointed to the dim -mass. - -Martin shook his head doubtfully. - -“Too far south’ard. We’re nigher Anapli, I reckon.” - -“And Melnos?” - -“Straight ahead. Who says ’tis Kamila?” - -“Count Caliphronas!” - -“Hum! he knows these parts too. I’ll go and have another look at the -chart.” - -“If it’s Kamila, Melnos is just round the shoulder.” - -“Can’t believe we’ve got so far out of the course. Why, if”— - -At this moment a tremendous wave struck the yacht midships, making her -reel and strain under the irresistible blows of the sea, and the -jolly-boat on the port side was smashed up like matchwood, the iron -davits being twisted out of all shape in the giant grip of the water. -The Eunice shuddered under the stroke, paused almost imperceptibly, then -sprung forward like a spur-touched horse, and in another second was out -of danger, riding lightly on the frothing crest of a huge wave, from -whence she slid down smoothly into the smaragdine hollow beyond. - -“Boat gone!” quoth the captain, regaining his breath; “bad loss.” - -Crispin thought so too, but had no time to reply, for at this moment the -raucous voice of the captain was heard shouting to the second officer as -he passed by,— - -“Send Gurt here! look sharp!” - -Gurt was a grizzled old salt with one eye, and an unlimited capacity for -rum, who, having knocked about in these latitudes all his sinful life, -knew the Archipelago like a book. When he arrived, the captain put him -in charge of the wheel, and went off, not to his cabin to look at the -chart, but down to the engine-room, as he feared for the safety of the -propeller. Crispin followed him, and they staggered like drunken men -along the streaming decks towards the hatch. Down the iron ladder -leading to the engine-room they scrambled, holding on like grim death, -for the yacht was now rolling at an angle of twenty-five degrees, an -uncomfortable motion which she occasionally varied by dipping her bows -so deeply into the water that her stern was sticking nearly straight up -in the air; in fact, to use a nautical expression, she stood on her -head. - -The screw beat the waves regularly enough when in its normal position, -but the moment the yacht lifted, it was out of the water, whirling round -and round with tremendous velocity, coming down again with a resonant -smash, which threatened to snap off short the huge fans of the -propeller. To obviate this danger, Martin spoke to the chief engineer, -who, at once recognizing the perilous position, took his station beside -the throttle-valve, and immediately the yacht dipped her nose, shut off -steam, so that, when she plunged her stern again into the waters, the -down-stroke was not so dangerous to the motionless blades. - -The enormous steel bars of the cranks, shining with oil in the dim -lamplight, arose and fell irregularly, owing to the pitching of the -vessel, one moment slowing down to half speed, the next beating the air -as rapidly as the wings of a swallow. Round and round swept the giant -wheels with noiseless speed, and nothing could be heard but the lash of -the waves thrashing the sides of the yacht, the intermittent throbbing -of the machinery, and the sharp hiss of escaping steam, but the moment -the engineer put his hand to the throttle-valve, in an instant the -screw, already spinning like a top, hung motionless, until, with the -recurring lurch, the great pistons again began to slide smoothly in and -out of the cylinders. It was wonderful to see the absolute command this -one man had over the colossal mass of machinery, which worked or rested -as he let on or shut off steam at every plunge of the ship. - -As Martin and the poet returned to the deck, they heard the smashing of -dishes in the pantry, the subsequent bad language of the stewards, and -The Eunice groaned, creaked, strained, and shrieked like a living being -as she strove to make headway against the furious blast. - -“All right!” yelled Crispin when they were once more on the streaming -decks. - -“Right enough, as long as we’re in the open sea,” retorted Martin -gloomily, “but Lord help us if we touch any of them darned reefs.” - -The islands of the Ægean are very dangerous to ships, as their ragged -reefs, running out to sea like roots, can scarcely be noticed save in -calm weather, when the thin line of white breaking on the smooth surface -of the water betrays the hidden teeth below. It was of these treacherous -reefs the captain was afraid, as in such a furious gale there was every -chance of the ship striking, in spite of the utmost care being taken to -navigate her properly. Fortunately, with her helm and screw, which were -to her as a bridle is to a horse. The Eunice could skirt these perils -with the greatest dexterity, and the real danger lay in the chance of -her running on some sunken rock not set down in the chart. Martin, -doubtful as to the island on the lee side, went off to his cabin for the -chart, knowing he could safely leave the steering to Gurt, who indeed -was better than any chart, and knew more of these seas than all the -Admiralty put together. - -Crispin returned to Maurice, and reported all that had been done, much -to Roylands’ satisfaction, for, however brave a man may be, it is not -pleasant to think that every moment he may be hurled into eternity. -Caliphronas was still clinging to the weather rigging, but his face was -graver than of yore, for he too knew the dangers of these waters, and -good ship though The Eunice was, an unknown rock piercing her bottom -would sink her rapidly, while the furious waves dashing against her, -thus firmly held, would not leave enough of her stout timbers to make a -cigar-box. - -All that afternoon they continued beating about in that weary sea near -the Island of Kamila, for Kamila it proved to be on examination of the -chart, much to the vexation of Captain Martin, who was considerably -startled to find he was out of his course. However, such ignorance was -not unpardonable, as the divergence from the course arose from the fact -that, owing to the captain being constantly at the wheel, and only -hastily glancing at the chart when he was able, he did not notice -sufficiently the constant sagging of the vessel, and she had therefore, -unknown to him, drifted more to the south than he fancied. - -Contrary to his expectation, the gale, instead of abating, increased in -fury, and great masses of blinding rain came sweeping down in torrents -on the ship, while the gusty wind, straining the wet sails to their -utmost tension, tautened the weather rigging like bars of steel. The -crew were all picked men, forty in number, the captain was a first-class -sailor, the engines powerful, the boat stanch, yet all these could avail -but little against the colossal force of wind and wave, which seemed -resolved to conquer this brave little craft struggling so gallantly -against their Titanic forces. - -Meals that day they had none, for it was impossible to sit at the table, -but the steward cut some sandwiches, with which, in conjunction with -brandy and water, they were able to sustain themselves. Even -Caliphronas, quite contrary to his usual custom, was so overwhelmed by -the peril of their position, that he took some spirits, which brought -the color back to his pale cheeks. Maurice was not at all afraid, having -plenty of British pluck, and, but for Helena, would have cared but -little if his unhappy life was ended by the seething mass of waters -raging on all sides. - -Owing to the cloudy sky, the incessant rain, and the absence of -sunlight, the darkness fell sooner than usual, with sudden transition -from day to night. No more the enchanted twilight of the previous -evening, the calm sea, silver moon, and glittering stars; nothing but -pitchy gloom, with roaring waves rising in liquid masses to the black -sky, and black sky raining down torrents on roaring waves, while between -the welkin and the spume flew The Eunice like a stormy petrel, keeping -afloat only through the dexterity with which she was managed. At times a -jagged flash of lightning gleaming blue as steel divided the solid -blackness with sabre-like stroke, but the succeeding thunder, loud as it -was, hardly added to the deafening clamor of the storm, which stunned -the ears of those human beings, fighting so determinedly for their lives -against the appalling forces of Nature. - -“‘Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren -ground,’” quoted Crispin grimly, as he clung to a stout rope. “My faith, -I don’t think we are born to be hanged, Maurice!” - -“Do you think there is danger, Creespeen?” cried Caliphronas, whose -teeth were chattering in his head. - -“Rather; we might go to the bottom any moment,” replied Maurice, who, -despite the peril of the position, could not help smiling at the -cowardice of the Greek. “Be a man, Caliphronas!—you aren’t afraid of -death, I suppose?” - -“Oh, but I am!—I am!” shivered the Count in abject fear. “To leave this -world I love for I know not what. Oh, what comes after?” - -“God!” said Crispin solemnly. - -“God!” echoed the Greek in a tone of despairing conviction. “What is -God? I know nothing beyond this world—what I see!—what I feel!—nothing -else. But you say there is a God!—there is a God! Oh, what will He say -to me?” - -“Ask your own conscience.” - -“Conscience!” cried Caliphronas, with a sneer, which but ill became his -ghastly face; “what do I know of conscience? I have been wicked, but no -worse than my neighbors. After all, it is death and then—annihilation. -It is that I fear—to no longer see the sun, nor feel the wind, nor life -in the veins. Life is so glad, death so terrible! But I will undo some -of my work that you saints call wicked. Yes, I will tell you, Mr. -Maurice, the reason I brought you to Melnos.” - -“Oh, tell me, tell me!” cried Maurice eagerly; “you brought me here to”— - -He did not finish the sentence, for at this moment a gust of unexampled -strength tore past them with a shriek, and snapped the mainmast by the -board, crashing it downward with tremendous force. Falling over the -side, it impeded the yacht’s course, and brought her gunwale dangerously -near the water. The black smoke poured in volumes from her funnel, the -screw beat the water with enormous power, but the heavy mass, the huge -canvas, the entanglement of ropes, all held her back, and down on one -side, to the great imperilling of her safety. - -“Axes!” roared Martin, in a voice of thunder; “cut away the ropes! Look -smart, my lads, for your lives! If she pitches to wind’ard, and brings -the mast against the bilge, it’s all Davy Jones for sure!” - -The sailors flew to do his bidding, and though, owing to the perpetual -pitching of the vessel, they could not work continuously, yet in the -space of half an hour they managed to clear away the wreckage, which -fell over into the boiling waters, while the yacht righted herself like -a trembling deer. The man at the wheel of course kept the set course -indicated by the captain, but, the engines being slowed down during the -clearance episode, the ship sagged gradually to leeward, until she -drifted dangerously near to the rocks of Kamila. - -All were so busily engaged clearing away the wreckage, that this new -peril was unnoticed, until the moon, half-obscured by the flying scud, -shone out palely on the wild scene. Attracted by the glimmer of the -planet, Martin looked up suddenly from his work, only to see the -towering cliffs of the island near at hand, and the caps of the sea -rising like fountains of spouting foam over the cruel-looking rocks. - -Roaring to pass the word to the engineer to give her every inch of steam -she was worth, in order to shoot her far enough ahead to clear the -rocks, Martin sprang with one bound to the wheel, wrenched it out of the -sailor’s hands, and put the helm hard down, so that the yacht’s head -flew up in the wind just in time to avert a frightful catastrophe. -Immediately on the increased speed of the vessel, she plunged forward -into every wave, and all on board feared that each new dive into the -rough sea would be the last, for she shipped seas freely, and tons of -water swept her deck fore and aft. At the last fearful dive, there was -the sound of a sudden snap, as if the boat had touched a rock; she -shuddered through her whole length, and after the engines had whirled -for a minute with inconceivable velocity, they suddenly stopped. - -“My God!” cried Martin, guessing the reason of the stoppage; “the -propeller has gone! God help us now!” - -Fortunately, the way the ship ran through the water shot her to the -windward sufficiently to clear the Kamila reef, but, as she could not be -kept ahead to sea, owing to the fury of the gale, she had again to be -kept off, so that the remaining sails would tend to steady her from the -violent lurching. All this time the steam was blowing off; and then, the -fires being drawn, all the sooty inhabitants of the engine-room, like so -many Cyclops, poured on deck, to do what they could in saving the -vessel. - -During the time she was clearing the reef, the moon had withdrawn her -light, but now she shone forth in her full splendor through a rent in a -cloud, whereupon a sight was revealed which struck terror into the -hearts of all on board. - -“Melnos!” cried Crispin and the Greek in one breath. - -“It’s all over!” said Martin gloomily. “No screw—only one mast—we’ll -never clear that island.” - -Maurice, straining his eyes through the glimmer of moon and star -half-obscured by flying clouds, saw a high, conical-shaped mountain, -rising sheer out of the sea, at a distance of about three miles. The -snows of the summit gleamed pale in the moonlight, below was darkness, -but at the base of the peak spouted fountains of white surf on the -jagged rocks running seaward. - -“It’s kingdom come, gentlemen,” said the captain, with a grim smile, as -he looked at that sky-piercing peak looming hugely in the vague light. - -“The boats”—began Caliphronas, who was quite pale; whereupon Martin -turned on him sharply. - -“The boats, sir! what boats could live in that sea? The jolly-boat is -gone—the steam pinnace is pretty well smashed up, so there are only the -gig and the lifeboat to save forty-five lives.” - -“You’ll try to launch the boats, at all events,” said Crispin quickly. - -“Oh yes! all that can be done will be done, you can depend, sir; but -it’s a poor look-out.” - -With these dispiriting words, the captain went away to see after the -life-belts, and served out one to each man, which gave them at least -some chance of floating to land. Martin neglected no chance of saving -the ship, and put the helm up, whereon the fierce wind filled the -remaining canvas, and drove The Eunice slowly ahead. For fully an hour -she drifted to leeward, now being quite unmanageable, owing to the loss -of screw and mast. Straight ahead lay Melnos, with the fierce surf -thundering at its base, and the ship, unable to be guided, was drifting -slowly but surely on to the rocks. Maurice, with considerable -forethought, took Crispin with him below, and they filled their -travelling-flasks with brandy. Meanwhile, the crew, utterly demoralized -by the hopelessness of the situation, made for the spirit-room; but the -captain placed himself in front of it with a revolver, and swore to -shoot the first man who came forward. Still, as the men were weary from -work, and wet and cold with long exposure, he ordered rum to be served -out, which reconciled them somewhat to his prohibition of too much -drinking. - -“Die like men, not beasts,” said Martin, thrusting the revolver back -again when the crew were more manageable; “there is still a chance of -saving our lives by the boats, and that will be gone if drink is in -you.” - -By this time the yacht was so near the island that they could hear the -roar of the surf, and see the white tongues of the waves running up the -black rocks. Overhead heavy masses of clouds were moving like battalions -across the sky, but the rain had ceased, and at intervals the moon shone -out, which gave them but small comfort, as it enabled them to see only -too clearly the perils which awaited them. The wind was still furious, -and the sea rolling mountains high; its huge billows, topped with ragged -fringes of foam glimmering in the fitful light, kept sweeping over the -deck. Several men were swept overboard into the trough of the sea, but -no assistance could be rendered by those on board, and with despairing -cries they sank in the furious waters. - -Crispin, pitying the terror of Caliphronas, in spite of his dislike for -the wily Greek, took him below and gave him some brandy. The Count was -just raising the glass to his lips, when they were both levelled by a -tremendous shock, which made the ship tremble from stem to stern. - -“God! she has struck!” cried Crispin, and tore up the stairs as hard as -he was able, followed by Caliphronas, who was now nerved by despair. - -The Eunice had struck about a quarter of a mile from the shore, but so -fierce were the waves between her and the land, that it seemed as though -no boat could live in that hell of waters. However, as a last hope, the -captain ordered the lifeboat to be lowered, which was accordingly done; -but the moment it touched the water all discipline was at an end, for -the men, seeing the means of safety, rushed in a tumultuous crowd to -take advantage of it. In a few minutes the lifeboat was filled with a -black mass of human beings, in spite of the captain’s efforts to -maintain order, and cutting the ropes they made for the shore. Hardly -had the boat left the ship, when, caught by a huge wave, she capsized, -and the waves were black with shrieking masses of humanity. - -“O God! O God!” groaned Crispin, hiding his face; “they will all be -drowned.” - -And so they were, for, in spite of their life-belts, the waves griped -the drowning men with irresistible force, and dashed them mangled -corpses against the rocks. Of the crowd of living, breathing creatures -that had gone off a few minutes before, not one remained alive, and the -survivors felt that their fate would be the same. - -“Lower away the gig!” shouted Martin, going up to where the boat was -hanging; “and if you cowards rush her, I’ll shoot freely.” - -Cowed by his revolver, which was covering them with its six deadly -cartridges, the men did as they were ordered, and, placing the boat in -charge of the mate, the captain made them all get in in orderly fashion. - -“Now, gentlemen,” said Martin to the three who stood near him, “get in -quick—the yacht will soon be under water.” - -“But yourself?” - -“It’s my duty to stick to the ship,” said the brave old man; “if she -goes down, I go down—if she doesn’t, there will be hope of safety; but I -will be the last to leave her.” - -“There’s room in the boat,” called the mate; “quick, for your lives.” - -Caliphronas needed no urging, but sprang into the boat, then, either -from treachery or terror, cut the rope which held her to the yacht with -a knife he had in his hand. There was a shout of execration from the -crew, but the act was irremediable, and the gig plunged away into the -darkness; the last seen by the four survivors on deck being Caliphronas, -furiously fighting with two of the men, who were trying to hurl him -overboard. - -The yacht was now nearly under water, and on her deck stood Martin, -Maurice, Crispin, and Gurt. - -“Only one hope,” cried Martin, furiously shaking his fist at the -retreating boat; “climb up the mast!” - -They flew to the weather rigging, and Maurice, Crispin, and Gurt managed -to climb up, but just as Martin was springing for the rope, a heavy sea -swept the yacht fore and aft, and he was carried overboard. They heard -his despairing cry as he went down into the trough of the sea, but there -was no time to say anything, for with one final plunge the yacht went -down, and the three human beings scrambled up the rigging as fast as -they could, followed by the water, which seemed loath to surrender its -prey. Fortunately The Eunice had sunk near the shore, so, when she -finally settled down, about thirty feet of the remaining mast was -sticking up out of the water, and to this clung the three survivors in -desperate anxiety, expecting every moment to be shaken off into the -depths below. At any moment the mast might break off, or a roll of the -submerged yacht send it into the water; so, with this terrible dread in -their hearts, these three human beings clung madly to their only refuge. - -Below raged the fierce waters, around was the darkness, above the -clouded sky and the veiled moon, while amid all this horror hung those -three unfortunates to their slender spar, waiting with dread and hope -for the morning’s light. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - MELNOS. - - Magic isles of beauty glowing - Far in tideless sapphire seas; - Wanton winds, low breathing, blowing - Perfumes from balsamic trees. - Here no wintry waters freeze; - But the streamlets ever flowing, - Murmur drowsy lullabies, - Which the eyelids close unknowing, - Till the soul in slumber lies, - Peaceful under peaceful skies. - - -Nature is fond of contrasts, and delights in the unexpected; therefore, -after the gloom and tumult of the previous night, the morning showed the -three castaways a scene of peaceful beauty so enchanting, that they -thought they were in fairyland. The sea had gone down after midnight, -and only a heavy ground-swell remained to tell of the fury of the storm -which had wrecked The Eunice. All around lay an expanse of sapphire sea, -touched here and there with white foam, which turned to crimson as the -morn dawned redly in the gray eastern skies. Far into the cloudless blue -arose the giant peak of Melnos, its lofty summit swathed in snows -already bathed in the heavy yellow beams of the rising sun. Below its -white cap appeared a green mantle of foliage, which quite hid the bare -rock with a profusion of myrtles, plane-trees, arbutus, ilex, and -branching heather; and lower still the red tint of rugged cliffs, the -black chaotic bowlders of the beach scattered in huge masses, and in and -out of these the white threads of the surf like fairy lacework. Far away -to the north arose the Island of Kamila, faint and cloud-like in the -midst of the blue seas, and on the murmuring waters played gentle -breezes, breathing fragrant balms robbed from aromatic trees. It was a -scene of unexampled beauty, and even the three unfortunates clinging to -the mast could not withhold their admiration, in spite of the -discomforts from which they were suffering. - -“Once we are on shore,” said Crispin, with confidence, “I will take you -into the interior of the island, where we will be well looked after by -Justinian.” - -“Has the island an interior?” asked Maurice sceptically, for he saw -nothing but a huge mountain resting on the azure sea. - -“Of course! Did I not tell you it was the Island of Fantasy, and -therefore full of wonders? But the first thing is to get to land. What -do you say, Gurt?” - -“Swim, sir.” - -“I feel too stiff,” said Crispin, shaking his head. “I could not swim a -yard—and you, Maurice?” - -“I am in the same plight,” replied Roylands, whose joints were aching -with the exposure to the night. “If it’s a question of swimming, I will -have to remain here till doomsday.” - -“I kin swim, gentlemen,” said Gurt stoutly. “Bless ye, this ain’t -nothin’, this ain’t. Why, I’ve bin wrecked in the nor’ard, and precious -cold it were. I kin get ashore all safe, but I dunno ’bout you, sirs.” - -Gurt’s face assumed the rapt expression of one who was thinking out a -deep problem, and Maurice, knowing the inventiveness of sailors, did not -interrupt him, having every confidence that this mariner would hit upon -some plan of extricating them from this dilemma. - -“There are plenty of ropes,” suggested Crispin hopefully, “and if”— - -“Right y’are, sir,” said Gurt energetically, his one eye flashing with -satisfaction. “I’ll tie ‘em together and swim ashore. Fust I’ll tie the -rope t’ th’ mast an’ then t’ th’ beach, an’ you two kin skip along like -monkeys. D’ye see, sirs?” - -No sooner was the plan thought of than the energetic Gurt proceeded to -put it into practice, and spliced all the ropes he could get hold of, -being armed with that useful implement, a jack-knife, which no sailor is -ever without. - -“It’s ’bout quart’r mile fro’ shore,” said Gurt, fastening one end of -the rope to the mast and the other round his waist; “but if rope ain’t -long ’nough, you gents tie on more, an’ pay out. Here’s knife.” - -Crispin took the knife, so as to be ready for such emergency, and then -gave Gurt his spirit-flask, from which the mariner drew new life, -although he was pleased to regret that the contents were not rum, -instead of brandy. Having thus revivified himself, Gurt, with the rope -round his waist, scrambled down into the calm water, and was soon -striking out boldly for the shore. Maurice and the poet watched his -black head bobbing up and down in the blue, and kept paying out the rope -carefully, lest any entanglement should hamper the swimmer. - -“Thank Heaven, he’s all right!” cried Crispin in a tone of relief, as -they saw the white figure of the sailor clambering over the black rocks. -“Now it’s our turn.” - -In order to swim freely, Gurt had stripped naked, so the two left on the -mast had to carry his clothes to shore, a thing easy enough, as all Gurt -wore was a shirt and a pair of blue serge trousers. Crispin took one -article, Maurice the other, and waited for Gurt to signal from the shore -that the rope was made fast. Soon they saw him waving his hand and -shouting to intimate all was right; whereupon they examined the knot of -the rope to see that it was fast to the mast, and then slid down into -the sea. - -The rope was pretty well taut, as it ran from the mast to the shore, so -Crispin and Maurice, holding on to it, struggled along towards the land. -Their limbs ached with pain, owing to their long exposure to the -night-air, but a drink of spirits each put new vigor into their wearied -frames, and, after a toilsome journey, aided by the rope, they managed -to reach the beach, up which they scrambled with thankful hearts. - -“All right, sirs?” asked Gurt, dressing himself rapidly. - -“Stiff,” replied Crispin ruefully. “I feel as creaky as an old door!” - -“Ain’t used t’ it,” grinned Gurt, shifting his quid; for, during all the -trouble and danger, he had retained that as his only solace. “Well, I -guess, sirs, we’d best take more rum, an’ then explore this here -island.” - -“Oh, I know all about it,” said Crispin cheerfully. “But see, the sun is -up, so, as it is no use trudging about in wet clothes, we had better dry -them.” - -The two gentlemen stripped at once, and spread their clothing out to dry -on the black rocks; but Gurt, disdaining such luxury, perched himself in -a sunny place, and watched them swimming in the shallow waters near -shore to refresh their weary limbs. The sun was now considerably above -the horizon, burning hotly in a cloudless blue sky, and the sultry rays -soon dried the clothes spread out on the rocks, so in a short time they -were soon dressed again, and ready to start out in search of Justinian. - -True, they were very hungry, but Crispin had some biscuits in his -pocket, which appeased their appetites in some measure, and, after a -good drink of brandy each, they began to trudge along the stony beach, -guided by the poet, to whom every inch of the island was as familiar as -his own face. The reddish cliffs and white sand of the beach, catching -the hot sunlight, threw out intense heat, and, from being cold, the -three adventurers soon became uncomfortably warm. - -“Do you think Caliphronas is safe?” asked Maurice hesitatingly, as they -walked along. - -“Caliphronas has nine lives, like a cat,” retorted Crispin savagely; -“but, after his treachery of last night, I hope he will meet the doom he -deserves. If it had not been for his cutting that rope, Martin would -have been alive now.” - -“That is, if the gig reached shore safely.” - -“Of course! The sea was wild, and she might have been swamped, like the -lifeboat; still, we must hope for the best.” - -“I seed Bulk a-chuckin’ of that ’ere gent inter the water,” said Gurt, -addressing the air with elaborate indifference. - -“I hope Bulk succeeded,” replied Crispin grimly; “but what’s that?” - -A dark object was lying on the white beach, and, as they raced up to it, -Crispin gave a cry of anguish. - -“Why, it’s poor Stokins!” he said, recognizing the features of the mate. -“He was in charge of the boat. I’m afraid she was smashed up like the -other.” - -“And ’ere’s Jimson and Bildge,” cried Gurt, from a distance, where he -had discovered two corpses. “They’ve all gone t’ kingdom come, gents!” - -“Caliphronas also, I suppose!” said Maurice sadly; for, in spite of his -dislike to the wily Greek, it seemed terrible that his joyous youth -should be ended so suddenly by the cruel sea. - -“It looks as if we were the only survivors,” remarked Crispin moodily, -as they resumed their journey. “We must have those poor fellows buried. -I will speak to Justinian.” - -“Where is Justinian?” asked Maurice a little irritably. “Does he live on -this arid peak?” - -“Yes; but do not judge by external appearances. This rocky mountain, so -sparsely clothed with trees, is only the uninviting shell of a very fine -kernel.” - -“You speak in riddles.” - -“I seem to have been doing that ever since I knew you, judging from your -frequent mention of the fact. However, we will soon come to the tunnel, -and then you will see.” - -“What tunnel?” - -“Oh, a wonderful piece of engineering skill carried out by Justinian -thirty years ago,—a tunnel which pierces the side of this mountain, and -will admit us into its interior.” - -“Where we will find—what?” - -“The patriarchal community of which Justinian is king!” - -“What! does he rule over Troglodytes, like a Norwegian gnome?” - -“Gnomes have nothing to do with the south,” said Crispin provokingly. “I -tell you this is the Island of Fantasy—the only fairyland yet remaining -on earth. You anticipate the realms of Pluto, but you will find -Arcadia.” - -“I’m hanged if I understand you!” - -“Well, your curiosity will soon be satisfied. _En avant, messieurs_, for -I am hungry, and wish to be seated at the hospitable board of -Justinian.” - -High above, over the terra-cotta-colored cliffs, hung the fresh green -foliage which clothed the slopes of the mountain high up to the verge of -the eternal snows;—tall, dark cypresses, funereal-looking even in the -bright sunshine, the silver-gray glimmer of olive trees, chestnuts, -beeches, plane-trees, and, nearest to the summit, gloomy pines -accentuating the whiteness of the snows, which, clinging to the rocky -peak, stood out in cold relief against the warm blue sky. Ahead of them -was a reddish promontory running out into the calm waters, the trees -fringing its crest like the mane of some wild animal. Turning round the -shoulder of this, they saw in the distance a similar promontory, and -between these two headlands a range of reddish cliffs topped by -vegetation, a white sandy beach scattered over with bowlders, and a huge -arch in the middle of the cliff, which apparently led into the bowels of -the mountain. - -“Here we are at the palace gate,” said Crispin gayly, as he led the way -towards the subterranean entrance. “We will soon be in safety.” - -Standing in front of this mighty arch, they saw a broad flight of steps -leading up into the darkness, so that it looked like the entrance into -the hall of Eblis. Outside, the brilliant sunshine, the many-colored -land, the sparkling sea; but within, darkness, dank and unwholesome, -which inspired the two strangers with anything but hope. Crispin, -however, knowing the place well, sprang lightly up the steps, followed -hesitatingly by his companions, but suddenly he stopped and held up his -finger, the action being visible in the bright light pouring in through -the arch into this artificial cave. - -“Listen! Maurice, do you recognize that voice?” - -It was a man singing, and his clear high tones echoed in the dark vault -overhead, coming nearer and nearer as the vocalist slowly descended the -steps. - - “Blow, wind, and swell the sail, - So that my boat may fly—may fly - As a swallow to its nest across the foam. - I am a swallow, and so am flying - To that dear nest of love, which is her heart. - Blow, wind! for I am filled with longing. - Her heart is empty till me she kisses.” - -“Caliphronas!” cried Maurice and Crispin in one breath. - -It was indeed Caliphronas who came slowly down the steps and paused in -alarm just where the light began to mingle with the darkness;—a new and -brilliant Caliphronas, arrayed in all the bravery of the Greek national -garb, with gold-broidered leggings, snowy fustanella, gaudy jacket, and -red skull-cap. In this picturesque dress he looked handsomer than ever, -and had quite recovered his bombastic air, which terror had deprived him -of during the storm. - -“Creespeen! Mr. Maurice!” he cried in a startled voice, placing his hand -on one of the pistols stuck in his belt, for he was quite aware that his -treachery deserved a warm reception from those whom he had doomed to -death. - -“You needn’t do that,” said Crispin, curling his lip as he observed the -action; “we are not going to punish you.” - -“Punish me!” jeered the Greek, recovering his insolent manner. “Oh, -never fear, I can defend myself. Punish me! and for why? Because I chose -to save my own life!” - -“Yes, and nearly caused us to lose ours!” said Maurice grimly. - -“You know my philosophy, Mr. Maurice; so why expect me to be false to -it?” - -“You are an infernal scoundrel, Caliphronas!” - -The Greek smilingly showed his white teeth, as if a compliment had been -paid to him. - -“We are all scoundrels more or less, only some are cleverer at -concealing it than other people,” he said carelessly. “So you are all -safe? I made sure you were drowned.” - -“And wished too, I dare say,” replied Crispin dryly. “Well, you see we -have survived your amiable intention of leaving us to die. What about -the boat?” - -“The boat! oh, that was swamped,” said Caliphronas in a satisfied tone. -“Two of your infernal sailors threw me overboard.” - -“I seed ’em a-chuckin’ of yer,” remarked Gurt in a pleasant tone. - -“Did you, indeed? Well, they were very soon chucked themselves, and of -the whole twenty in the boat, only half a dozen are alive now.” - -“Where are they?” - -“With Justinian. He sent me to look for your corpses, but I suppose he -will be rather astonished when he finds you can still use your own -legs.” - -“How did you escape?” - -“I was tossed into the sea near the shore, and, buoyed up by my -life-belt, I managed to keep myself afloat till the waves landed me on -the beach.” - -“Naught was never in danger,” quoth Crispin coolly. “I suppose all your -repentance of yesterday has passed.” - -“Gone to the winds, my friend,” replied Caliphronas airily. “Poof! what -would you? There is a time for all things. Yesterday I was nearly dead, -and talked nonsense; to-day I am dry and well, so it is evident I am not -born to be drowned.” - -“Born to be hanged, more like,” said Maurice viciously, hardly able to -conceal his dislike of this heartless, cowardly, beautiful animal before -him. “Well, it is cold here, and we are hungry, so I think you had -better conduct us to Justinian.” - -“Come, then,” answered Caliphronas, leading the way. “But tell me, how -did you escape?” - -“With the help of God!” said Crispin, resolved not to gratify the -Greek’s curiosity. - -“Ah, He helps the sinner as well as the saint; for you see I also am -alive and well.” - -“You deserved death for your treachery!” - -The mocking laughter of the Count rang through the darkness. - -“Neither virtue nor vice is rewarded in every case! I see you are safe, -and the poor good captain is dead.” - -“He is; and you are to blame.” - -“No doubt I will survive that accusation. Well, you have lost your -beautiful ship, Crispin.” - -“It’s my loss, not yours.” - -“Hark to this philosopher! Ha! how can you leave this island again?” - -“What! does Justinian intend to keep us prisoners?” - -“Justinian will do what he thinks fit,” replied Caliphronas -significantly. “You are both rich, and can pay large ransoms.” - -“You scoundrel, you have been putting these brigand ideas into the old -man’s head.” - -Caliphronas laughed disagreeably. - -“Perhaps I have. At all events, if you escape Justinian, you won’t get -away so easily from Alcibiades.” - -“You forget six sailors still survive,” said Maurice sternly, “and we -are three, so I think nine Englishmen can hold their own against a -hundred cowards like yourself.” - -The Count made a clutch at his pistol, and muttered an execration, but, -thinking better of it, recovered his temper, and burst out laughing. - -“Well, well, we will see! I regret, Mr. Maurice, I did not bring a torch -for this darkness, but you see I know this passage well, and do not -require it. Had I known you three were coming, I would have brought men, -torches, food, wine, and all the rest of it, to make you comfortable.” - -“Thank you for your hospitality,” retorted Maurice angrily, for the -mocking tone of this scamp was intolerable; “but ‘_Timeo Danaos_.’” - -“I don’t understand Latin,” said Caliphronas coldly; “but I’ve no doubt -you’ve said something uncomplimentary. However, we need not wrangle any -more, for here we are at the gate of Melnos.” - -The gate was a huge structure of wood, formed by interlacing beams into -a kind of barred defence, which completely closed up the tunnel, and in -the centre of this was a small heavy iron door. Through the interstices -they could see the faint glimmer of daylight, a still ascending -staircase, the red flare of burning torches, and in the doubtful lights -three or four men moving about. - -“This is to guard against people like my friend Alcibiades,” said -Caliphronas, seeing the amazement of Maurice and Gurt at this mediæval -entrance. “Like the Pass of Thermopylæ, this tunnel could be defended by -four against many, so Melnos is thus a city of refuge.” - -“Ay, if treachery does not gain an entrance,” retorted Crispin -significantly; “and that is always possible when there is a traitor -within the walls.” - -“Meaning myself?” rejoined Caliphronas tranquilly. “There you are wrong, -and I think, my dear Crispin, you must have forgotten that, in or out, I -can do nothing, as Justinian alone possesses the key of this door. We -must send Alexandros for it. Oh la there, Alexandros!” - -One of the men, bearing a burning torch, came to the bars of the -framework, and Caliphronas spoke to him in Greek, while Crispin, -understanding the language thoroughly, listened attentively, as, after -the Count’s conduct of last night, he was quite prepared for further -treachery, and desired to guard against it. As soon as Caliphronas -finished, the man went off up the staircase, and the Count turned round -to his companions with a reassuring smile. - -“He has gone to get the key from Justinian,” he explained courteously. -“This key, you must know, Mr. Maurice, is the emblem of sovereignty in -Melnos—the sceptre of the island!” - -“But it must be rather a trouble going to Justinian for the key every -time you want to go in or out!” - -“There is not much of that,” said Crispin quickly; “the people of Melnos -stay at home in the heart of the mountain. ’Tis only wanderers like -myself and the Count who are restless.” - -“The heart of the mountain!” echoed Maurice, in a puzzled tone; “is it a -cavern?” - -“No; fresh air and blue skies.” - -“I cannot understand your Island of Fantasy. It is most perplexing, and -well deserves its name.” - -“So Justinian thought, and that is why he called it so.” - -“Who made this ’ere, gents all?” asked Gurt, who had been surveying his -nether world surroundings with much awe. - -“Justinian.” - -“Well, sir, arskin’ yer pardin, but I niver thought a lazy Greek ’ud -have had it in him to do sich a thing.” - -Caliphronas laughed at the indolent character ascribed to his -countrymen, which, however, he could not deny with any great show of -reason. - -“Justinian is not a Greek, but an Englishman.” - -“I thought so, sir,” said Gurt triumphantly; “but ’eavins, sir! wot’s he -a-doin’ of in this ’ere lay?” - -“Ah, that is a mystery!” replied the Count, smiling. - -“Blest if ’tain’t all queer,” muttered Gurt in bewilderment, and -thereupon relapsed into silence. - -The house of Justinian was evidently some distance away, as they had to -wait a considerable time before Alexandros returned, much to the -discomfort of the three shipwrecked men, who were beginning to feel -their privations keenly. Maurice would have liked to ask after Helena, -but the knowledge that Caliphronas was his rival forbade him to risk an -inquiry. He now began to see that the anticipations of Crispin regarding -possible dangers were not without some foundation, for, trapped in this -mountain heart, which appeared to his fancy to be a most extraordinary -place, he saw that Justinian could hold them prisoners as long as he -pleased. Besides, this scamp of a Caliphronas, who hated both himself -and Crispin thoroughly, was evidently the right hand of Justinian, and -thoughts of the cruelties of Greek brigands began to pass unpleasantly -through his mind. Here, towards the end of the civilized nineteenth -century, was a genuine robber’s cave, into which he was blindly walking, -and, despite the presence of Crispin, who stood beside him, Maurice did -not feel quite at his ease regarding their reception by this renegade -Englishman who was called Justinian. - -At length rapid steps were heard descending the staircase, and -Alexandros came in sight, holding his torch in one hand and the -wished-for key in the other. Having unlocked the door, he held it open -for them to enter, and, when the four men were inside, locked it -carefully again, and thrust the key into his belt in order to take it -back to his master. As he did so, he spoke to Caliphronas in Greek, upon -which the Count translated the speech for the benefit of Maurice and the -seaman. - -“Justinian will see you at the Acropolis.” - -“The Acropolis?” - -“Yes! it is a fancy he has for calling his house so. ’Tis too small for -a palace, and too large for an ordinary house, so the intermediate term -Acropolis fits it exactly. Come, Mr. Maurice. Crispin, you know the way, -don’t you?” - -“Considering I have lived all my life in Melnos, I should think it -highly probable,” retorted the poet in an annoyed tone, for the -patronage of Caliphronas was insufferable. - -Conducted by Caliphronas and Alexandros, they walked slowly up the giant -staircase, and in a short time arrived at a huge archway similar to the -one into which they had entered. Through this Maurice, to his -astonishment, saw a smiling landscape, and paused thunderstruck under -the great arch. - -“Why, Melnos is in the cup of the mountain.” - -“Exactly,” replied Crispin, who was enjoying his astonishment. “Melnos -is an extinct volcano, and this is the crater. You see we have plenty of -room for buildings, fields, cultivation, and all such desirable things. -We are two hundred feet above the sea-level here.” - -Maurice did not reply, being too much amazed for speech, and standing -there feasted his eyes on the beautiful picture framed by the archway, -of which he was only able to gain a general idea. It was a vision of -snowy hills, miniature forests, yellow fields of corn, terraced -vineyards, and a mass of white houses in the hollow, while clinging to -the mountain side were other buildings showing white against the pale -green of the foliage. High above, encircled by the top rim of the -crater, which was broken into a dazzling circle of snow-white peaks, was -the blue sky, with the burning sun blazing down into the hollow, -wherein, like a mirror, flashed a small lake, encircled by trees. Below, -palms waved their feathery fans, above, the light green of the pine -trees burned like emeralds in the hot sunshine, and over all this -enchanted scene brooded an intense rest, an air of serene calm, which -made it seem to Maurice like that sleepy land of the lotus-eaters. - -And this was Melnos. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - AN ISLAND KING. - - Oh, I know naught of the work-a-day world! - This is the land of eternal quiet, - Where I can nestle in indolence curled, - Far from the clamor of modern riot. - Here are my wings of ambition close furled, - For I know naught of the work-a-day world. - - I am the king of an indolent race, - Working with pleasure, and not with regret; - Never the phantom of Money they chase, - Never they feel in their bosoms a fret; - Nothing to alter, for all is in place. - I am the king of an indolent race. - - -From the archway of the tunnel stretched two roads, one to the left, -leading down to the valley below by easy gradations, the other to the -right, running round the cup of the mountain on a level with the place -where they were now standing. Along this latter road they walked, the -three gentlemen abreast, and Gurt, considerably bewildered, rolling -behind in his nautical way. Maurice’s admiration was strongly excited by -the perfection of this road, which was level and broad, being apparently -hewn out of the living rock, while the side nearest the valley was -bordered by cyclopean masses of dressed stone, and a long line of -mulberry trees, now heavily foliaged. On the other side also, where the -rocks arose steep and smooth, was a corresponding line of trees, so that -they walked through a leafy arcade, formed by the meeting of the -branches overhead, and their path was checkered with sunlight shadows -moving restlessly under their feet, as the wind rustled the leaves -above. Through the slim trunks of the trees, set some little distance -apart, they caught glimpses of the town below on the verge of the blue -lake, its white houses embosomed in trees, and straight streets -intersecting each other at right angles, so that it looked like a -miniature chess-board. Maurice was in ecstasies over this Eden of the -South, and could not express his delight in high enough terms to his -companions. - -“It is a place to dream in!” he said enthusiastically; “a land of the -lotos! I don’t wonder Justinian desires to keep all outside influences -away from this paradise. Upon my word, Caliphronas, with such a -beautiful spot as this to dwell in, I do not wonder you were -discontented with our gray island of the West. My only astonishment is -that you should ever wish to go beyond this enchanted circle of -mountains.” - -“Oh, it’s pretty enough,” said Caliphronas carelessly, casting a glance -at the lovely valley below: “but one grows tired of lovely places, the -same as one wearies of the most beautiful woman.” - -“Every one is not so fickle as you are,” cried Crispin sharply. - -“Well, you did not stay in this paradise yourself, Creespeen.” - -“I was banished from it, and you were the serpent who caused my -banishment.” - -“Bah! do not lay the blame on me. You ate of the Tree of Knowledge, and -wanted to know too much; so Justinian got rid of you.” - -“I only wanted to know about myself.” - -“Then you never will.” - -“Won’t I? You forget that I am equal with Justinian now.” - -“Are you really?” said Caliphronas mockingly. “I think not. Justinian -has the wisdom of sixty years against your thirty. The half is not equal -to the whole.” - -“Well, you have something to gain as well as I,” flashed out Crispin -fiercely; “so if I am beaten, you will not be in a much better -condition.” - -“Eh! you think so? I have Justinian’s promise, remember.” - -“You have; and if I know anything of Justinian he’ll break it.” - -“He dare not! Melnos is not impregnable.” - -“Probably not; but you cannot storm it single-handed.” - -“What about my dear Alcibiades?” sneered the Greek significantly. - -Crispin stopped, and looked Caliphronas up and down with scorn. - -“You had better not say any more, Andros, or I may be tempted to tell -Justinian of your intention.” - -“All I say is not meant,” cried Caliphronas in evident alarm; “but -Justinian cannot go back from his word about Helena.” - -“Helena!” said Maurice, who had hitherto kept silence. “What about -Helena?” - -“Nothing to do with you, sir,” retorted Caliphronas rudely, and walked -on quickly. - -“What does he mean?” asked Maurice, turning to Crispin with a frown. - -“Nothing more than what I told you on The Eunice, when we were off -Taygetus.” - -“You told me Caliphronas loved Helena; but this promise”— - -“That has to do with Justinian,” said Crispin hastily; “you must ask him -for information. After all, Maurice, you had better wait and see how -things turn out before you cross swords with Caliphronas.” - -“Ah! you think, then, we will cross swords?” - -“I fancy it is extremely probable. This Helena will be an apple of -discord, as was her predecessor of Troy. But, however much you two men -fight for her, remember it is the lady herself who decides whom she will -take.” - -“If she is the woman I judge her to be from her pure face, she will -never take that scamp of a Greek.” - -“Oh ho! that is as much as to say she will take you, my Lord Conceit; -but never mind Helena just now. We have to get into the good graces of -Justinian, or else”— - -“Well?” asked Maurice, seeing Crispin paused significantly; “what will -happen?” - -“I can’t tell yet; but, after all, why anticipate evil?” - -“Crispin, you are as ambiguous as a Delphic oracle.” - -“And about as doubtful,” retorted the poet, laughing. “But here we are -at the Acropolis.” - -“Well, I’m darned!” observed Gurt in astonishment; and his exclamation -of surprise was certainly pardonable, for no one would have expected to -find so splendid a building in this lonely island of the Ægean Sea. - -A broad flight of fine-grained red limestone stairs led up to a lofty -platform of the same material, this splendid ascent being bordered on -both sides by masses of dark green laurel trees, which accentuated the -roseate tint of the staircase. On the platform, some distance back, -arose a large edifice, somewhat after the model of the Parthenon at -Athens, with graceful slender pillars of white marble supporting the -weighty entablature, the frieze of which was delicately carved with -god-like forms of nude youths, white-draped maidens, severe-faced old -men, rearing horses, and seated deities. Above this the pediment, in the -centre of which was sculptured a life-sized figure of Hephaistos, with -his anvil and raised hammer, while the bas-reliefs on either side -represented long trains of unclothed men, with their faces turned to the -god, coming towards him with supplicating hands, as if for the gift of -fire. The Pentelican marble of this temple was now toned down by the -weather to a delicate gray hue, which contrasted charmingly with the red -staircase, the dark laurels, and the faint green of the foliage which -clothed the mountain at the back of the building. - -“Justinian never built this!” cried Maurice, transfixed in amazement at -the suave beauty of the whole building; “no architects of to-day could -have designed such perfection.” - -“No,” replied Crispin, as they ascended the steps; “only this staircase -and the platform are modern, for the temple is an old Greek one, built -in Heaven knows what year of Hellenic art, and Justinian, finding it in -a ruinous condition, restored it as you see. The front was fortunately -intact, but he has arranged the interior as a dwelling-house. It is a -shrine to Vulcan, and, I presume, was built here because this island is -volcanic in character, though indeed it is far away from the -Hephæstiades.” - -“I do not wonder Justinian calls it the Acropolis, for it is a -magnificent building, and worthy of the name. Oh, Crispin, look at that -nude youth struggling with the rearing horse!” - -“You can look at all that another time,” replied the poet, laughing at -the sculptor’s enthusiasm; “meanwhile, Justinian is waiting us.” - -They entered the great door of the building, followed by the awestruck -Gurt, who was too much astonished to speak, and advanced along a lofty -hall towards an archway draped with heavy blue curtains. Drawing these -aside, they entered into an open court, bordered by ranges of white -marble columns, for the temple was hypæthral in character, and the sun -shone brightly through the opening of the roof. Between these snow-white -pillars hung heavy curtains of azure tint, embroidered with bizarre -figures in yellow silk. The pavement was of smooth white marble, and -there was a small fountain in the middle, splashing musically into a -broad pool which brimmed nearly to the verge of its marble marge. A -number of Turkish mats, comfortable-looking cane chairs, silk-covered -cushions, and dainty bamboo tables were scattered about, and finally, -the whole court was one mass of flowers. - -Slender palms, bowing their feathery fronds, stood in huge red jars, -which added a bright touch of color to the general whiteness; while -there were oblong boxes filled with heterogeneous masses of violets, -pansies, golden crocus, anemones, gladioli, and cyclamen, all glowing in -one dazzling blaze of color. There were also cytisus trees with their -bright yellow blossoms, great bushes of roses red with flowers, delicate -white lilies springing virgin-like from amid their green leaves, and the -pink buds of the gum cistus with its aromatic odors, while between stood -the myrtles, sacred to love. All this gorgeous mass of colors was -blended skilfully with a prevailing tint of green foliage, and what with -the blue curtains, the dazzling white of the pillars and pavement, even -under the hot southern sun it did not pain the artistic eye with a sense -of incongruous hues, but rather pleased and satisfied it by its bright -beauty and variety of hue. - -“What flowers! what flowers!” cried Maurice, with genuine admiration. -“Why, this is finer even than the Rector’s rose-garden.” - -“These are Helena’s flowers,” said Crispin, smiling; “she is so fond of -them that she ought to be called Chloris. Hush! here is Justinian.” - -There was a grating sound of rings being drawn along a rod, and Maurice -turned to the left, to see the blue draperies held to one side by an -exceptionally tall man, with a long gray beard and keen black eyes, who -was dressed in a graceful robe of soft white wool, falling in classic -folds to his feet. Maurice himself was over the ordinary height, but -this ancient, holding himself erect as a dart, seemed to tower above -him, and, as he moved towards Maurice with outstretched hand, the -Englishman involuntarily thought of the Homeric description of Nestor. - -“Mr. Roylands,” said Justinian, taking the young man’s hand, and looking -keenly at him, “you are welcome to my island. I am the Demarch of -Melnos.” - -Behind Justinian came Caliphronas, who looked rather dismayed when he -saw the courtesy with which the island king received his guest; and even -Crispin made a gesture of surprise, which movement at once drew the old -man’s eyes towards him. - -“You also, truant!” he said, taking the poet’s hand, but without -releasing his hold of Maurice; “you have come back to Melnos?” - -“Yes, for a purpose,” said Crispin boldly, evidently not to be duped by -the suave greeting of Justinian. - -As a flash of lightning leaps from the heart of a dark cloud, so gleamed -a glance from Justinian’s dark eyes, and he was evidently about to make -some fierce retort to the bold poet, when he restrained himself with -wonderful self-command, and released the hands of both the young men. - -“Before I ask you any questions, gentlemen,” he said, striking a silver -bell that stood on one of the small tables near, “I must attend to the -rites of hospitality.” - -A man made his appearance, and bowed submissively to Justinian. - -“The bath! the meal! for these guests,” said the old man in tones of -command, speaking in Greek. “You can attend to Mr. Crispin—tell Georgios -to see to the other gentleman. When you are quite refreshed,” he added -in English, turning to his guests, “I will speak to you here.” - -“But Gurt?” said Maurice, pausing a moment. - -“Oh, the sailor!” observed Justinian, carelessly looking at him; “let -him follow you, and Anasthasius can look after him. Go now! I will await -your return here.” - -The young men, astonished at the courtesy of their reception, Crispin -being not less so than Maurice, went out with Gurt after the man; and -Justinian, flinging himself into a chair, with a deep sigh, covered his -face with his hands. Caliphronas, leaning gracefully against one of the -pillars, looked at this exhibition of what he considered weakness with -disdain, but did not dare to break upon the revery of Justinian, of whom -he had a wholesome dread. He picked a pink oleander blossom and placed -it in his belt, then, after walking about for a few minutes with a frown -on his face, sat down on a stone margin of the fountain and began to -dabble in the water with his hands. After a time, Justinian looked up -with a second sigh. - -“Well, what do you think of him?” asked the Count in Greek, at the sound -of which the old man made a gesture of annoyance. - -“Speak English, you fool! I love to hear my own language.” - -“You will get plenty of it shortly, then,” said Caliphronas coolly. -“Nine Englishmen already on the island,—bah! it is a British -possession.” - -“You are right, Andros. I am British, and as this island is mine, it is -a British possession.” - -Caliphronas frowned, as if this way of looking at things was distasteful -to him, but, not caring to argue about such a delicate matter, repeated -his first remark. - -“Well, what do you think of him?” - -“Maurice Roylands?” - -“Yes.” - -Justinian pondered a moment, and was about to reply, when, catching -sight of the eager gleam in the Greek’s eyes, he altered his mind at -once. - -“I will tell you when I know him better; I never make up my mind in a -hurry. You ought to be aware of that by this time.” - -The other, ill-contented with this reticence, would have persisted in -his questioning, but the old man, seeing this, shut him up sharply. - -“Be silent, Andros! I will give you my opinion in my own good time. -Meanwhile, mind you treat my guests with all courtesy.” - -“Even Creespeen?” said Caliphronas, with a sneer. - -“Yes, even Crispin,” reiterated Justinian in a fiery tone. “I have my -reasons for acting as I do now. If you dare to disobey my orders, I have -a way to silence you.” - -Caliphronas turned pale, for he knew that Justinian was absolute ruler -of Melnos, while he was thoroughly well hated by the inhabitants, one -and all. - -“I have no intention of acting contrary to your desires,” he replied -sulkily, rising to his feet; “but I cannot understand the meaning of -your actions. However, I have done what you desired, and Mr. Maurice is -in Melnos. Now, I presume, you will fulfil your part of the bargain.” - -“Certainly; you have my permission to pay your addresses to my -daughter.” - -“And you will make her marry me?” asked Caliphronas eagerly. - -The King sprang from his seat with a gesture of anger. - -“I will force my daughter in no way!” he roared fiercely. “I forbade you -to think of Helena as a bride, but, provided you brought Roylands here, -I gave you permission to woo her. As to forcing her into a marriage with -you, there was no question of such a thing.” - -“I thought there was,” retorted the Greek, who was white with rage. - -“You put your own base construction on my motives. How dare you question -me, Andros! Am I master here, or are you? Helena is free to marry you if -she wishes; but, as far as I am concerned, I would rather you were -drowned in the sea than become my son-in-law.” - -The Count went alternately red and white as Justinian spoke, and when -the speech was ended tried to answer, but his rage was such that he -could say nothing, so, with a choking cry of anger, he turned on his -heel and darted out of the court; while the King, much agitated, walked -up and down hurriedly, his white robe sweeping the pavement. - -“What does the boy mean?” he muttered angrily. “I do not like these -veiled threats. Melnos is well defended, but I mistrust Andros—he is too -much a friend of that rascal Alcibiades. Bah! I have no fear—treachery -for treachery!—and if Andros dares”— - -He paused abruptly, and, raising his hands, shook them impotently at the -sky, then resumed his seat with a frown, which boded ill for Caliphronas -in the event of any double dealing on his part being discovered. A -peacock came walking proudly along the court, with his splendid tail -erect, shining like some rich product of the Eastern loom, with its -manifold colors, fantastic moons, and iridescent sheen, which flashed -gloriously in the sunshine. Evidently irritated at not being noticed, -the vain bird uttered a discordant shriek, which had the effect of -making his master look up suddenly. - -“Ha, Argos!” he said, with a sardonic smile; “you are like Andros, my -friend, fine to look at and nothing else. But it would be as easy to -wring your neck, with all your bravery, as it would that of my handsome -scamp yonder.” - -The bird strutted proudly along, the feathers of its neck glistening -with every movement of its head. - -“You have many eyes, my Argos,” resumed Justinian, after a pause, “but -your human prototype has none at all. He sees no farther than his own -straight nose, else he would be more cautious in his deeds, and less -daring in his words. It looks as if he were going to dispute my will; -well, he can do so, and we will see who will come off best—Andros or -Justinian.” - -At this moment Maurice and the poet entered the court, whereupon Argos -fled in dismay. - -“An omen!” thought Justinian, as he arose to receive them; “with these I -need not fear the machinations of Peacock Andros.” - -The two gentlemen, refreshed by their bath and a hearty meal, were now -arrayed in loose, flowing robes of white wool, similar to that of -Justinian. Crispin wore this antique garb gracefully enough, very -evidently used to managing such draperies; but Maurice found them -awkward, and as he sat down seemed rather ashamed of the effeminacy of -the dress. The King noticed this, and smiled broadly at the Englishman’s -want of dexterity. - -“You do not like these?” he said, touching his own robe lightly; “but, -believe me, they are very comfortable within doors in this climate. When -you go out to look at my island, I will supply you with a less -embarrassing dress—more adapted for walking and climbing.” - -“I like my legs to be free, sir,” observed Maurice, striving to look at -his ease in these long white draperies, whereon Justinian laughed again -at this naïve confession. - -“Yes; we English are an active race,” he said, leaning back in his -chair, “and like all clothing to be tight and trig; but indoors you will -find these flowing robes more adaptable than a shooting suit would be. -When one is in the East, one should adopt Eastern customs. For myself, I -have become a Sybarite in luxury since dwelling in Melnos.” - -“Where is Caliphronas?” asked Crispin, looking about him for the Greek. - -“Caliphronas? Oh yes; I forgot his travelling-name. A count, is he not, -of the Greek Empire? He took a fine name to match his fine feathers. -Well, Andros has just left me in a fit of bad temper.” - -“You do not appear to like Andros so much as you did, Justinian.” - -The Greco-Englishman smiled significantly. - -“Andros is—Andros,” he replied dryly, “and is anything but reliable. -What do you think of my handsome Greek, Mr. Roylands?” - -“I think he is a scamp,” retorted Maurice briefly. - -“How long did it take you to find that out?” asked Justinian, without -showing any sign of surprise. - -“I did not find it out at all. He confessed his scampishness himself -with the most appalling cynicism.” - -“Oh, as far as cynicism goes, Andros might be a boulevardier soaked in -absinthe. It is the soul makes the man, not the surroundings. But never -mind this scamp; I wish to hear all about your cruise.” - -“Hasn’t Caliphronas told you?” - -“Caliphronas has told me his version of the story, which is all to his -own credit; but those six sailors who are at present in Melnos seemed to -disagree with his praises of himself, so I would like to hear what you -two gentlemen have to say.” - -Whereupon Crispin, being the more fluent of speech, told the whole -story, from the time of the Greek’s arrival at Roylands,—narrated the -beginning of the voyage, the arrival in Greek waters, the storm, the -loss of the yacht, and the subsequent treachery of Caliphronas. Daring -the recital, Justinian, with compressed lips, listened to it in silence, -only uttering a smothered exclamation of rage when he heard how -Caliphronas had cut the rope, and left those on board the yacht to -perish. - -“Thank you, Crispin,” he said, when the poet brought his narrative to a -close; “your story is worthy of being told by Ulysses at the court of -Alcinous. I am glad you escaped the fate intended you by Andros; but if -he had succeeded, I don’t think he would have dared to show his face -here.” - -Crispin glanced at Maurice significantly, and Justinian caught the look -with his accustomed keen-sightedness. - -“I speak for you as well as Mr. Roylands,” he said quickly. “We did not -get on well in the past, Crispin, but let us hope we will be more -friendly in the future.” - -The poet, considerably astonished at this unwonted emotion of Justinian, -accepted the proffered hand of the old man,—although he did so with a -somewhat doubtful air. - -“I cannot forget you were kind to me in my youth, Justinian, and brought -me up; but I cannot understand these sentiments, now so different from -those you expressed when we last met.” - -“You were yourself to blame in the matter, Crispin. Force is of no avail -with me, and you came in a rage to demand what I refused to tell you. I -have been a wild man in my day, but I am not so absolutely bad as you -think me, and it depends upon yourself as to whether I tell you what you -wish to learn.” - -“I have a right to know!” cried the poet impetuously. - -“That I question,” retorted Justinian, with a flash of his keen eyes. “I -will tell you or not entirely at my own pleasure; but the tone you adopt -will not make me answer your questions. The storm cannot bend the oak, -but the gentlest breeze will make its branches quiver. Lay that parable -to heart in your demeanor towards me, Crispin, and all will yet be well; -otherwise—well, you know how you left last time.” - -The young man made no reply, but relapsed into moody silence, whereupon -Justinian turned to Maurice with a winning smile. - -“You must bring this obstinate boy to reason, Mr. Roylands. Believe me, -it is as well we should be all firm friends and allies, as I have reason -to believe there will be trouble.” - -“From Caliphronas?” - -“Exactly. He has made a demand of me which I refuse to grant.” - -“About Helena?” said Crispin, suddenly looking up. - -“Yes; did he tell you?” - -“He said you had made him a promise to give him Helena for his wife, if -he carried out your plans.” - -“That’s a lie!” cried Justinian impetuously. “I said he could pay his -addresses to Helena, but the question of marriage I left entirely in her -own hands.” - -“Oh,” said Crispin quickly, “that puts quite a different face on the -affair.” - -“At all events, Helena will never marry him,” said Maurice abruptly, -whereon the King turned on him in surprise. - -“What do you know of Helena?” - -“Only this,” replied Maurice, handing the portrait of the girl to her -father. “Caliphronas showed me that face, and I fell in love with it.” - -“Oh, you fell in love with it!” remarked Justinian in a tone of -satisfaction. - -“Yes; in fact, it was that which brought me to Melnos.” - -Justinian smiled in a satisfied way, but suddenly frowned. - -“So Andros dared to use this as a lure!” he muttered in Greek; “well, he -has succeeded to his own undoing.” - -“I thought you would think so,” said Crispin, who overheard the speech; -“as soon as I heard the reason of Andros’ coming to Roylands, I guessed -your intention.” - -“How could you do that?” asked the old man quickly; “you knew nothing.” - -“I know all—Andros told me.” - -“Traitor!” said Justinian fiercely. “Well, Crispin, if you do know, keep -your own counsel until such time as I choose to tell my own story.” - -“I promise you.” - -“And in return I will, at my own convenience, tell you what you desire -to know about your parentage.” - -“Do this,” cried Crispin, springing up and clasping Justinian by the -hand, “and I will be your friend for life!” - -“You had better be my friend for your own sake,” retorted the King -angrily; “united we stand, divided we fall. Remember, Andros is your and -my enemy.” - -“And Alcibiades?” - -“Alcibiades would like nothing better than an excuse to plunder Melnos. -However, we are nine Englishmen, not counting my Greeks, and I think -with all we will be a match for Andros, Alcibiades, and their brother -blackguards.” - -This conversation took place in Greek, so was therefore quite -unintelligible to Maurice, who looked from the one to the other in -astonishment. On seeing this, Justinian turned towards him with a -courteous apology, and restored the portrait. - -“As Andros gave you this, I will not deprive you of it, Mr. Roylands,” -he said politely; “but shortly I hope to present you to the original.” - -“Now?” asked Maurice eagerly. - -“No; you must go and sleep this afternoon,” replied Justinian -authoritatively; “and you also, Crispin. After your dangers of last -night, you must be quite worn out.” - -“Well, the bath and a meal have done wonders,” said Crispin, yawning; -“but I must say a few hours’ sleep would complete the cure.” - -“And when will we see Helena?” demanded Roylands persistently. - -“This evening,” answered Justinian, taking him by the hand. “We must be -good friends, Mr. Roylands, for I like your face. Tell me, do you -resemble your father or your mother most?” - -“My mother,” said Maurice, rather astonished at this strange question. - -Justinian looked at him steadily, then, dropping his hand with a sigh, -turned away, as if to conceal some sudden emotion. After a time he -recovered himself, and spoke sharply, as if to atone for his -faint-heartedness. - -“Come, come, gentlemen, be off to your rooms!” he said testily; “sleep -is what you need.” - -“And Helena!” said Crispin, as he and Maurice left the court. - -“And Helena!” repeated Justinian in a satisfied tone; “yes, this is her -husband, not Andros.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - VENUS URANIA. - - To rose-red sky, from rose-red sea, - At rose-red dawn she came, - A fiery rose of earth to be, - And light the dark with flame; - Then earth and sky triumphantly - Rang loud with men’s acclaim. - - A rose art thou, O goddess fair, - And bloom as men aspire,— - Red rose to those whom passions snare, - White rose to chaste desire; - Yet red rose wanes with pale despair, - And white rose burns as fire. - - -After all that he had come through, Maurice found no difficulty in -inducing sleep to come to his pillow. The room he occupied was one of -those built by Justinian when he renovated this antique fane, and the -walls, floor, and ceiling were of that fine-grained red sandstone of -which the staircase was built. The pavement was bare, save for Turkish -rugs scattered here and there, which lack of carpeting made the -apartment wonderfully cool and pleasant, but the walls were draped with -a heavy kind of woollen tapestry similar to those in the court, saving -that the color was a pale gray, and the embroideries terra-cotta color -to match the floor. A wide window, shaded by Indian beadworked blinds, -looked out on to a pleasant prospect of forest which clothed the side of -the mountain, and the cool wind, heavy with aromatic scents, stole into -the room. It was also furnished in a somewhat antique fashion, though -here and there an anachronism betrayed the nineteenth century, but the -couch whereon Maurice rested was purely Greek in design, and lying on -this in his white robe, with a purple coverlet flung carelessly over his -feet, he might have been taken for some dweller in ancient Athens. True, -the mustache on his lip savored somewhat of the barbarian, but in all -other respects the comparison was close enough, for if his features were -not quite so classic in outline as those of Caliphronas, they were -sufficiently so to pass muster in the carrying out of such fancy. - -Lying there with his eyes half closed, the young Englishman in a drowsy -fashion felt the balmy odors permeating the warm air, and saw as in a -dream the antique room, the pleasant prospect beyond, which was but -mistily seen through the veiling beadwork blind. He was puzzled over the -kind reception accorded to him by this strange Justinian, who he had -been led to believe was a kind of modern freebooter. No swarthy, -fantastically-dressed, savage marauder was this island king, but a -gracious, courteous gentleman, arrayed in the white robe of Socrates, -with a winning smile on his face, and polite words on his lips. Crispin -seemed to mistrust him indeed, but even Crispin seemed somewhat -astonished at the suavity of his greeting, and now appeared inclined to -recant his former dislike of the old man. Maurice longed to have a -confidential chat with Crispin, and find out his feelings on the -subject, as it was evident that, far from inclining to Caliphronas, -their host seemed more disposed to side with them. - -Again, Maurice found it difficult to account for the old man’s sudden -liking for himself, for the satisfaction with which he had received the -information that his daughter’s face had lured the young Englishman to -his island retreat, and for many other things. - -“Mystery, mystery, nothing but mystery!” said Maurice to himself, as he -closed his aching eyes. “I cannot make these folks out; but, at all -events, King Justinian does not seem to disapprove of my passion, and is -inclined to give Crispin the information he desires, so I trust all will -go well. Sooner or later I will solve all these problems which are now -so tantalizing; but, come what may, one good thing is in store for me. I -shall see Helena to-night!” - -A wave of sleep seemed to roll over his weary brain, now relaxed from -the terrible tension of the previous night, and he gradually sank into a -deep slumber, with the name of his unseen goddess still on his lips. - -Then he dreamed strange dreams of romance, filled with the serenity of -Hellenic calm, which floated magically through his brain, and made his -slumber delightful with forms of exquisite beauty. He was standing with -Helena in the temple of Athena, and together they touched the knees of -the undying goddess; but the face of Helena was veiled, and he could see -but vaguely the perfect features which had hitherto been so clear in his -dreams. Again, they were wandering like lovers beneath the serene Attic -sky, beside the bright, gushing Ilissus, and he strove to kiss her, the -kiss of betrothal, but she faded away as did the cloud-Juno in the arms -of Ixion, and a voice blown by some faint winds cried, “Love, but win.” -Then he was on board a galley, putting off from the green shore towards -the purple mists of sea, and Helena was lying in his arms, while the -Greek Caliphronas strove fiercely to snatch her from him. Arrows rattled -on the shields of his men, the watch-fires blazed on the high mountain -tops, and the air was hot with the flame of battle. In his dream he saw -the phantom of himself lay down the cloudy Helena, and dash on the -phantom Greek with a mighty sword. A strident cry, a flash as of flame -dividing the night, then the phantom Caliphronas vanished, and the -galley was sailing, sailing far into the purple night, while, clasped in -each other’s arms, Helena and himself murmured the songs of love, until -they melted ghost-like into the misty splendor of the sinking sun. - -When he awoke, it was quite dark, and, springing from his couch, he -hastily took his watch to the window, and found it was nearly eight -o’clock, so his sleep had lasted over six hours. Feeling greatly -refreshed by this rest, he bathed his face and hands in cold water, with -the intention of going outside into the delicious night air. That the -moon was up he could see by the doubtful glimmer of her pale light, but, -the shadow of the house being in front of her, she could not be seen in -her full splendor. - -Wondering where he would find Crispin, and whether that gentleman was -yet awake, Maurice stole quietly from his room, and, drawing aside the -curtains, looked out into the middle court, where he saw a sight which -chained him to the earth. Not Paris sitting in judgment on Mount Ida saw -such a vision of loveliness as now appeared to the enraptured eyes of -Roylands. The picture—ah, that was but a pale reflection of this rich, -ripe, glowing beauty! Venus, the goddess of love herself, yet with a -touch of the chaste purity of Artemis—not Venus Pandemos, with flushed -face and wanton glance, but Venus Urania, chaste, cold, pure, and serene -as the moon-huntress herself. - -The moon, hanging like a great silver sphere in the darkly blue sky, -shone serenely through the hypæthral opening of the court, and in her -pale light the ranges of white columns glimmered like faint ghosts in -the doubtful gloom. - -Like a silver rod the fountain’s jet shot up to meet her kiss, and the -splashed waters of the pool trembled restlessly with faint flashes -within the marble marge. The cold, sweet odors of the flowers made the -night air drowsy with their perfumes, and a distant nightingale began to -trill deliciously in the still beauty of the evening. But the onlooker -saw not the moon, the fountain, or the solemn range of pillars; he had -no ears for the liquid notes of the unseen bird; for his eyes were fixed -in an enamoured gaze on a tall, beautiful woman, who stood with upturned -face gazing at the sky. - -In that tremulous light she looked more than mortal in her spiritual -loveliness—some goddess of ancient Hellas once more visiting the -dear-loved islands of the Ægean—perchance Aphrodite herself, haunting -the fane of her husband Hephaistos. To add to the plausibility of this -fantastic idea, this girl was draped in the long white chiton of antique -times, and her golden hair, dressed after the fashion of the Venus of -Cnidos, was bound with triple bands of silver, while her slender arms, -bare to the shoulder, were devoid of any ornament. So fair, so pure, so -ethereal she appeared, that Maurice might well be pardoned for deeming -her some pale sweet spirit of classic times, haunting the scenes of her -former life, and listening, as she had done in the past, to the golden -notes of the divine nightingale, thrilling to ecstasy the heart of the -dusk. - -For a few minutes Maurice stood spellbound in the contemplation of this -lovely incarnation of Venus Urania, then inadvertently made a movement -which made the girl start from her rapt attitude, and look in his -direction. Being thus discovered, he came forward to meet the awakened -divinity, looking himself, in his sweeping robe, like some young -disciple of Plato or Parmenides. To his surprise and delight, this -beautiful woman, with a smile on her exquisite face, came forward to -meet him half-way with outstretched hands. - -“You are Mr. Roylands,” she said in English, with a delicate sweetness -in her voice that seemed to shame the notes of the nightingale, at -least, Maurice thought so; but then, in his amazement, he was scarcely -capable of cool reflection. - -“Yes, I am Maurice Roylands,” he replied, taking both her outstretched -hands within his own; “and you are Helena.” - -“I am Helena,” she repeated gravely, drawing him a little to the left, -so that the moonlight fell on his face. “You can have no idea how -anxious I was to see you, Mr. Roylands. I do so love to see one of my -countrymen.” - -“Are you English?” - -“Yes,” said Helena proudly, dropping his hands, much to his regret; “my -father is English, so I am also, although my mother was a Greek. Still, -I have spoken your language all my life, and have been brought up like -an English girl, so I must be English.” - -She spoke in a tone of such conviction that Maurice began to laugh, in -which merriment she joined freely. - -“My father would not tell me anything about you,” she resumed gayly; -“and as you are the first Englishman that has come to Melnos, I was -anxious to see what you were like.” - -“I hope your anxiety has been repaid,” observed Maurice, with a smile. - -“Oh, indeed it has. You are very good-looking, especially when you -smile.” - -Roylands was rather taken aback by this naïveté, and, being unaccustomed -to such direct compliments, blushed like a girl, much to the amusement -of Helena, who stood looking at him with clear, truthful eyes. - -“Do you not like me saying that?” she observed innocently. “Andros -always likes to be told he’s good-looking.” - -“Well, I am not so conceited as Andros—at least, I trust I am not,” -answered Maurice, quite touched by her rustic innocence; “but, you know, -ladies in England do not speak so—so—very plainly.” - -“Do they not? Why, do they tell their friends they are ugly?” - -Maurice roared in spite of her presence, upon which she looked at him -rather reproachfully. - -“It is too bad of you to laugh at me, Mr. Roylands,” she said pettishly; -“you can’t expect me to be like an English lady after living all my life -at Melnos.” - -“You are much more charming than any English lady I know.” - -A charming smile dimpled the corners of her mouth. - -“Really! Ah, I see it is the custom for the gentlemen to pay compliments -to the ladies, not the other way about. I must not tell you you are -good-looking, but it is quite proper for you to say I am charming.” - -“Well—that is—really, you know, I hardly know what to say,” said -Maurice, finding himself somewhat in a dilemma. “The fact is, neither -English men nor women pay each other compliments at all—at least, it’s -not supposed to be good form.” - -“What is good form?” asked Helena innocently. - -“I must undertake your education, Miss Justinian.” - -“I am not Miss Justinian. You must call me Helena.” - -“Oh, is that so? then you must know, Helena, I am not Mr. Roylands—you -must call me Maurice.” - -“Maurice! Maurice! Ah, that is much nicer to say than Mr. Roylands. Yes, -I will call you Maurice. I like Maurice,” she continued reflectively; -“yes, I like Maurice.” - -“I am very glad you like me,” he said artfully. - -“Oh, I mean the name,” replied Helena, laughing at what she thought was -his mistake. “But tell me, Maurice, do you now feel quite well?” - -“Yes, thank you. The sleep of this afternoon has quite cured my fatigues -of last night.” - -“Oh, it must have been terrible!” said Helena, with a shudder; “papa -told me all about it. I was so glad when Andros told us of your safety.” - -“My safety, or that of Crispin?” - -“I was glad for both your sakes, and indeed I am very fond of Crispin. -You know, we are just like brother and sister.” - -“Are you? Well, will we be brother and sister?” - -“Oh yes,” she answered, frankly putting her hand into his; “I will be -very glad to have another brother.” - -Maurice felt a trifle disappointed at this calm acquiescence in his -audacious proposal, but, finding her little hand within his own, clasped -it warmly; whereupon she suddenly seemed to feel a touch of maiden -modesty, and withdrew her hand, blushing shyly. Certainly she was the -most ingenuous, delightful woman in the world, and Maurice was quite -fascinated by this timid audacity, which was so different from the -artificial modesty of many girls he had met. She was Undine without a -soul, she did not know the meaning of life in any way whatsoever, yet, -like some gentle wild thing, she started back with an instinct of -caution when his touch thrilled her virgin soul with a deeper feeling -than friendship. Both of them felt tongue-tied and awkward, Helena at -the strange, unexpected feeling which made her heart beat and her cheek -burn, Maurice with regret for having even unconsciously permitted his -touch to convey anything further than the brotherly friendship of a man -for a pure young woman. - -Fortunately for them both, Crispin, alert and cheery, entered the court -with Justinian, and they came towards the couple with careless -unconsciousness. Justinian, indeed, did cast a rapid glance at the -flushed faces of the pair, which betrayed their late emotion, but, far -from being angry, an imperceptible smile passed over his lips, as if he -were quite satisfied that this should be so. - -“Helena!” said Crispin, coming forward and kissing her hand; “I am so -delighted to see you again! You are more lovely than ever.” - -“Maurice says English gentlemen do not pay ladies compliments.” - -“Don’t they?” answered Crispin humorously. “My dear Maurice, that storm -last night must have destroyed your memory. So you two have met?” - -“Quite unexpectedly,” declared Maurice hastily. “I came to look for you, -Crispin, and, glancing into this court, I saw Helena, so we have been -talking ever since.” - -“And Maurice has been telling me about England,” said Helena, clapping -her hands together with a burst of girlish laughter, delicious as the -carol of a thrush. - -“Maurice! Helena!” repeated Justinian, smiling. “Really, you young -people are getting on very well together.” - -“Your daughter had some difficulty in saying Roylands,” said Maurice -apologetically. - -“And you do not know Helena’s other name, eh?” - -“What is her other name, sir? If you don’t like me to call her Helena, -shall I say Miss”— - -“You can say Helena,” answered Justinian shortly; “she has no other -name.” - -“No; we are simple people here,” observed Crispin mischievously, “and -dispense with such cumbersomeness as two names;—Justinian, Helena, -Crispin, Andros; so you, Roylands, will drop your harsh English surname, -and be henceforth known as Maurice.” - -“I am quite content to be so as long as Helena speaks the name!” - -“Another compliment!” laughed Crispin gayly; “I thought, according to -you, gentlemen never paid ladies compliments?” - -“This is the exception to prove the rule.” - -“Helena,” said her father suddenly, “where is Andros?” - -“I do not know. He was here an hour ago, and said he would be back to -supper.” - -“It is supper-time now,” said Justinian, moving towards the side -entrance. “You must be hungry, gentlemen. I trust you feel quite -recovered?” - -“Speaking for myself, I do,” answered Maurice brightly; “that sleep has -quite set me up. And Crispin”— - -“Subscribes to all you have said, and feels as hungry as a hunter.” - -“Hark! there is Andros,” observed Helena, placing one white finger on -her lips, in which attitude she looked like some exquisite statue of -Silence; “do you hear him singing?” - - “The rose is shedding its crimson leaves, - Sadly they fall at the caress of Zephyrus; - And I, O beloved, shed tears in plenty, - Feeling thy kiss on my mouth; - For I must lose thee—ah, I must lose thee! - Another richer than I desires to wed thee, - Therefore do I shed tears, as the rose sheds her crimson petals.” - -“An omen!” breathed Justinian under his breath, as the Greek drew aside -the curtain of the main entrance; “he will not marry Helena!” - -Against the dark draperies veiling the archway the slender figure of the -handsome Greek stood out in bold relief. He also had assumed a robe of -white, and, with his clear-cut features and graceful pose, looked the -incarnation of that delicate Greek adolescence whereof Pindar sings in -his Olympian Odes. As he caught sight of Maurice standing near Helena, -he frowned perceptibly, and advanced hastily, as if to come between -them, but, meeting the keen, significant look of Justinian, he faltered -in his hasty step, and broke into a charming smile. - -“Are you waiting for me?” he said cheerfully, as they all went to have -supper. “I have been down in the valley speaking to your sailors.” - -“Are they all right?” asked Crispin anxiously, for carelessly gay though -he seemed to be, he was terribly disturbed at the loss of so many lives -in the storm. - -“Oh, they are quite happy. All your subjects, Justinian, are making -heroes of them, especially the women, much to the dismay of the men of -Melnos.” - -“I hope they won’t be getting into trouble,” said Justinian, with a -frown. “I want no quarrels here.” - -“Then you had better go and see about them to-morrow, for if this -hero-worship goes on, trouble there certainly will be.” - -“And doubtless you would be very glad to see such trouble,” thought -Justinian to himself, as he eyed Caliphronas with a doubtful face. “I -must lose no time in putting things to rights. Trouble at this juncture -would play into your hands, my friend.” - -There was a very merry party that night, as even Caliphronas seemed to -forget all his jealous feelings with regard to Maurice, and lay himself -out to be entertaining. The stern face of Justinian relaxed, and Helena, -full of girlish glee, was evidently quite charmed with this handsome -Englishman who had arrived so unexpectedly in Melnos. As for Crispin, he -was very happy, for he now began to hope that Justinian would tell him -all he wanted to know, and thus sweep away all obstacles to his union -with Eunice. In fact, one and all laid aside their secret cares and -plans to indulge in light-hearted merriment at the simple meal. Simple -it was in every way, and yet infinitely charming, consisting as it did -of goat’s flesh, white bread, golden honey, fresh cheese; and for drink, -that strong resinous Greek wine, which Maurice found so rich for his -palate, that he was fain to follow the temperate example of Caliphronas, -and mingle it with water. - -After supper they all went out into the court, and with the exception of -Caliphronas, began to smoke Turkish tobacco provided by Justinian, who -was rather proud of his Latakia, while Helena, seating herself on the -marge of the fountain, joined gayly in the trifling conversation in -which all indulged out of sheer light-heartedness. - -At the end of the court a charcoal fire burned in a kind of tripod, and, -perfumes being cast thereon, a thick white smoke ascended like incense -to the clear sky. Near this stood Caliphronas, and the red light -streaming on his statuesque face, his white garb, made him a very -striking figure. The other gentlemen were seated decorously in chairs, -and the moon streaming down on their snowy robes, on the exquisite -upturned face of Helena, produced an effect quite antipathetical to -their excessively modern conversation. Pale moon, glittering stars, -solemn court, soaring incense;—they should have been a company of -philosophers talking of the destiny of the soul, of the sacred -festivals, and unseen deities; but, by the law of contrast, they talked -nothing but frivolity, and laughed at their own light badinage; Helena’s -girlish laugh ringing clear above the deep tones of the men. - -“I was wrong,” said Maurice to himself, as he watched this perfect -girlish picture; “she is not Venus, but Nausicaa, and I am a modern -Ulysses at the court of Alcinous.” - -“Are you worshipping at the altar of Vulcan, Caliphronas?” called out -Crispin to the Greek, who stood almost veiled in the clouds of incense. - -“No,” said Caliphronas, walking forward in his stately fashion; “I have -no love for the swarthy god of the Cyclops. For me, Venus!” - -“Pandemos!” - -“Or Urania, I care not which, provided the goddess is herself,” replied -the Greek coolly. “Ah, we all worship those old pagan gods, who were but -the incarnation of our own desires. You, Crispin, bow to Apollo; Mr. -Maurice, you adore the Muse of Sculpture, of whose name I am ignorant; -and Justinian loves the supreme Zeus, who gives power and dominion.” - -“And I?” asked Helena gayly; “whom do I worship, Andros?” - -“The inviolate Artemis!” - -“There’s a good deal of truth in what you say,” observed Justinian -serenely; “but I should have thought your deity was Hermes.” - -The remark was so pointed that Caliphronas winced, but at once smiled -gayly and replied in the same vein,— - -“Venus and Hermes—Love and Trickery! Well, doubtless the one helps the -other.” - -“Such aid is not always effectual,” said Justinian significantly, -whereat the Greek shrugged his shoulders, but made no reply. - -“Well, for my part,” observed Helena reflectively, “I do not worship -Artemis so much as I do Demeter. There is something grand about the -earth goddess who causes the earth to break into the glory of flowers.” - -“I think she must have been here,” said Maurice, looking round at the -profusion of flowers. - -“Ah, these are all my treasures, Maurice. I adore flowers, and there is -not a nook in Melnos where I have not hunted for blossoms. Yes, even up -to the verge of the snows, where grow tiny saxifragas. Wait till you see -our harvest—our vintage—then you will see Mother Demeter in her glory.” - -“Do you celebrate those festivals?” - -“Yes,” said Justinian quickly; “I keep up all the old Greek customs, -though, of course, I adapt them to the needs of my people. The -Bacchanalia of Melnos do not include the debauchery of Athens, nor are -the Anthesphoria anything more than innocent flower festivals.” - -“In honor of Proserpina,” exclaimed Helena gayly. “Crispin, do you -remember the Flower Hymn to Demeter you wrote long ago?” - -“Yes, very well; but I’m afraid my poems were very bad in those days. -Can you remember it?” - -“Of course; but not in Greek, in English, I translated it myself.” - -“Sing it, Helena,” said her father, and his request was eagerly seconded -by the whole company, especially by Maurice, who was anxious to hear a -voice which he was sure would outvie the nightingale. - -Helena clasped her hands round her knees, and, lifting up her face to -the stars, began to sing in a clear, sweet voice, which, though entirely -untrained, had a trill in it like the liquid notes of a bird. - - I. - - “Wild roses red as dawn - When nymphs awaken, - Frail lilies white and wan - As love forsaken. - With primrose pale and daffodil, - Forget-me-nots from hidden rill, - And blossoms shaken - By wintry breezes thin and chill, - From orchards on the distant hill, - With flowerets richer, rarer still, - From thy breast taken,— - - II. - - “Brave marigolds who in the fields - Outstay the swallow, - Sunflowers whose burning shields - Do eye Apollo, - With pansies dark as honeyed wine, - And reeds beloved by Pan divine - For pipings hollow; - Wild olive, laurel, scented pine, - All these I offer at thy shrine, - If thou wilt smile on me and mine, - And blessings follow.” - -When her sweet voice died away, an emulous nightingale began to sing as -if in rivalry, and Helena burst out into girlish laughter. - -“Do you like my translation, Crispin?” - -“It is charming—much better than the words.” - -“No, indeed!” said Maurice, who was enchanted with the song and the -singer; “as Wordsworth would say, it is a very pretty piece of -paganism.” - -“Oh, that faint praise is worse than blame.” - -“Well, gentlemen,” said Justinian, rising from his seat, “I am going to -retire to rest, as I cannot do without my sleep. Old age is not like -youth, you know. Helena!” - -“I am going, father,” she cried, springing to her feet. “Good-night, -Andros—Crispin! good-night, Maurice!” - -“‘Good-night, and sweet dreams be thine,’” murmured Maurice from some -poet. - -Their departure was a sign of breaking up, for Caliphronas, not feeling -inclined for a conversation with two men he disliked so much, went off -immediately; and after they had finished a last pipe, Maurice and -Crispin sought their repose. - -“Well,” said Crispin, as they parted, “what do you think of Helena?” - -“Think of her!” echoed Maurice in an indescribable tone. “That she is -simply perfection, far above what you told me. If your poetry is not -better than your description, Crispin, it must be poor stuff.” - -“You are bewitched, Maurice. Beware the spells of Circe.” - -“Circe! No! she is no malignant enchantress, but a beautiful girlish -angel.” - -“Nausicaa!” said Crispin gayly, and went off to bed. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - A MODERN ARCADIA. - - Courage, my poet! - The age of iron is not yet supreme, - For youth still throbs in the old veins of Mother Earth, wan and weary - with sorrowful centuries. - Tho’ girdled our world by wires multitudinous transmitting the swift - message - of electricity; - Tho’ the straight and curved lines of the railway run parallel along the - immensity of continents for the advancement of culture; - Tho’ ships, steam-driven, even against storms, plough the waters of - perilous oceans;— - Yet somewhere beyond the confines of our selfish civilization - There lies an Arcadia among the lone mountains, or perchance encircled - by tideless seas, - Wherein dwell delicate beings who know not ambition or avarice, - And work but for bread—for bread alone, tempering such toil with singing - melodious, and merry pipings at sundown. - Therefore, courage, my poet! - - -They were early risers in Melnos, for in that invigorating climate it -was impossible, even for the most indolent, to lie sluggishly in bed, -and the sun was hardly above the eastern horizon before Justinian, his -household and guests, were seated at breakfast. Helena was not present, -having already gone out in the deliciously fresh morning air on some -expedition connected with flowers; so the meal was a strictly masculine -one, and the four men made their plans for the day. Crispin and -Caliphronas decided to remain at the Acropolis, as they were already -well acquainted with the lions of the island, the one to write letters, -the other to await the return of Helena, over whose movements he kept -watch with all the jealous solicitude of a doubtful lover; and Maurice, -in company of Justinian, went down to the valley, in order that the -Englishman might be shown all the wonders of this unique place. - -The white indoor robes of the previous evening were now discarded in -favor of a serviceable costume similar to that worn by the rough Cretan -mountaineers,—long boots of brown leather, loose blue trousers thrust -therein at the knees, a red sash, white shirt of wool, and blue jackets, -together with a flowing capote and hood to cover the head when the sun -grew unpleasantly strong. Justinian wore a red fisherman’s cap with a -gold tassel on his white locks, but Maurice was supplied with a large -gray felt sombrero, the shade of which was very grateful. The island -king looked truly regal in this picturesque dress, with his long gray -beard, his sun-tanned skin, fierce black eyes, and reverend locks; lithe -and active as a young man, he carried his burden of sixty-five years -with the greatest of ease, and as he walked beside Maurice, with a light -springy step, the sculptor began to think that his companion must have -discovered the secret of perpetual youth. - -They walked leisurely along the mulberry avenue, in the direction of the -entrance to the tunnel, and enjoyed the exquisite coolness of the -morning, for the sun was not yet over the shoulder of the mountain, and -the cup was still in comparative shadow. Notwithstanding this, however, -the air was warm, and balmy with the scent of aromatic herbs, which -delightful temperature rather puzzled Maurice, as it did not agree with -the marked absence of sunlight for a greater part of the morning, and he -mentioned this to Justinian. - -“Certainly we do not get much of the sun in the morning owing to the -mountain,” answered the old man, stroking his silver beard; “but in the -middle of the day, and most of the afternoon, his beams are very -powerful, for at noon he is right above our heads, and the western side -of the Melnos Peak is so low, that until near sunset his rays stream on -the valley.” - -He pointed to the west, and Maurice saw that the high peaks fell away -into a kind of low semicircle, which enabled them, from their position, -to catch a glimpse of blue sea and distant island. On each side of this -gap, however, the jagged summits stood up stern, rigid, and snow-clad -against the delicately blue sky, girding the valley at the same height -all round, save at the western side before mentioned. - -“Still,” said Maurice pertinently, “the sun is still below the eastern -side of the mountain, yet the air is quite warm.” - -“Cannot the temple to Hephaistos solve the riddle?” - -“Oh, you mean that the island is volcanic!” - -“Yes; this is the crater of an extinct volcano, extinct for thousands of -years, for even when the temple was built, the fires must have died out, -or its builders could hardly have placed it on the inner side of the -crater. It is the volcanic character of Melnos that makes it so warm and -fertile. You see the slopes are covered with corn, vine, olive, in -profusion, while dates, lemons, orange-trees, citrons, and all such -delicate plants grow wild without cultivation. This valley is the -veritable Horn of Plenty so lauded by the Hellenes.” - -“If we are to believe the ancient historians,” said Maurice gravely, as -he looked at the fertile sides of the mountain so admirably cultivated, -“this was also the case with the crater of Vesuvius, yet it proved to be -still active.” - -“What! do you think Melnos will break out again?” observed Justinian, -with a shade of thought on his fine face. “Indeed we have earthquakes -occasionally, but not much to speak of. I fancy the islands of the north -are more of a volcanic centre than these; still the volcano may break -out again—in that case I am afraid all my work will go for nothing.” - -“Is this island entirely your work?” - -“Every bit of it,” answered the old man emphatically. “Forty years ago, -I came into these waters to look for this extinct volcanic island, of -which I had received full information from a wandering Greek, who knew -Melnos well. I duly sighted it, and, having landed, I climbed up to the -summit, when I discovered this enchanting valley, also the Temple of -Hephaistos still in a tolerably good state of preservation. I had left -England smarting under a sense of injury, from—from—well, it was about a -woman; and I swore never to return to it. Always of an uncivilized -disposition, I determined to fix my home here, and, being possessed of -plenty of money, I bought this island of the Turkish Government at a -pretty heavy price. They were anxious for money, especially as it was -after the Greek War of Independence, which had emptied the coffers of -the Sublime Porte; besides which, the Ottomans did not care about this -barren rock, which was of no use to them in any way; so I bought it, and -settled in the old temple, where I have now dwelt for forty long years.” - -“But this community—the tunnel?” - -“All my works! I have, so to speak, carried out the projects of Goethe’s -Faust. Ah, you are astonished at my referring to that, but I am a -University man, Mr. Roylands, and have not yet forgotten my learning. -_Et ego in Arcadia fui_, and know the ancient colleges of Cambridge, the -oozy Cam, and the delights of a town and gown row.” - -“You have had a strange career.” - -“A very happy one at all events. It was fortunate my superabundant -energy found vent in the direction of making this island blossom like a -rose, otherwise I would have remained a restless adventurer to the end -of my days. I could not settle down to the placid life of an English -gentleman; I wanted room to breathe, opportunities for daring, -work—gigantic work—to do; and I found them all in Melnos.” - -“You have carried out your self-imposed task nobly.” - -“I am glad you think so. Yes; I trust I have been of some use in my -generation. And, at all events, I have erected one thoroughly happy, -peaceful spot,—a modern Eden,—and that is no easy thing to do in this -riotous century.” - -“It is a modern miracle!” - -And it was little else, seeing that all these gigantic works had been -planned and carried out by a solitary human being; for by this time they -were at the entrance to the tunnel, and as Maurice looked down the -enormous flights of red limestone steps, which led to the valley below, -he was truly amazed at the engineering science displayed by the man -beside him. Flight after flight, now to right, now to left, stretched -down the gentle slope of the mountain, and these mighty stairs were all -carefully finished with heavy balustrades of the same material, neatly -joined together. At certain platforms, statues of white marble, -pedestalled on red blocks, stood up in proud beauty, and, seeing his -guest’s eyes fixed on these heroic forms, Justinian laughed. - -“I am a bit of an antiquarian, Mr. Roylands,” he explained as they -descended, “and all over these islands I pay men to dig among ancient -ruins for statues, which I do my best to restore, and then place here. -This Apollo, for instance,” he said, as they paused before a life-sized -nude figure holding a lyre, “was found at Delos and brought to me. True, -the Greek Government claim all these things, but I do not see why I -should not secure them if possible, and I am sure they look better in -this enchanted valley than in some stuffy museum.” - -Maurice, with sculptor-like enthusiasm, would fain have lingered before -this masterpiece of Greek art, but Justinian hurried him impatiently -away. - -“You will have plenty of time to look at them again,” he said as they -resumed their descent, “but at present I have plenty to show you. I am -glad you like my staircase.” - -“It is wonderful, but I think the tunnel is still more so.” - -“Yes; it is a fine piece of engineering,” said Justinian complacently. -“You see it was impossible to constantly climb up over the peaks, which -involved waste of time, and a weary ascent, so I got an engineer from -England, supplied him with plenty of Greeks, and they finished that -tunnel in five years. I am very proud of it, I assure you.” - -“What about the gate in the middle of it?” - -“That is absolutely necessary, not so much now as formerly, but forty -years ago the Ægean was very lawless, and the government could not put -down the pirates. Of course, hearing a rich Englishman had bought -Melnos, those rascals thought it contained all kinds of treasures, and -have made frequent assaults on it. Fortunately I have always managed to -beat them off. I think the rascals have a wholesome dread of me now,” -finished the old man grimly. - -“Now I suppose there is no danger of any attack being made.” - -“I am not so sure about that. King George’s Government is more feared by -these scamps than was King Otho’s; but, though the majority of them have -disappeared, there are still some left who would like to storm Melnos.” - -“Alcibiades?” - -“What do you know of Alcibiades?” asked Justinian sharply. - -“Nothing more than that he is an equivocal character. Caliphronas told -me so much.” - -“Andros! Yes, he is far too friendly with that scamp of an Alcibiades, -who is an excessively dangerous man. I do not trust Andros, and he knows -it; so, out of sheer anger, he may urge Alcibiades to assault the -island. An enemy without, a traitor within—it is very dangerous.” - -“If you distrust Caliphronas, why don’t you turn him out?” - -“I have no proof against him yet, but I fancy he has some scheme in his -mind. Believe me, Mr. Roylands, if you have a stomach for fighting, I -fancy there will be plenty of opportunity for you to indulge in it -shortly.” - -“Oh, as for that, I should like nothing better.” - -“I like that,” said Justinian decisively; “you are a true Roylands!” - -“I trust so. But how do you know the Roylands are a fighting family?” - -“All Englishmen fight, more or less,” answered Justinian carelessly; -“besides your name is a Norman one, and descendants of William the -Conqueror’s vassals are always soldiers. Hitherto you have led a quiet -and peaceful life, but if we do have an island war, I don’t think you -will be the last to help me defend my kingdom.” - -“You can rely on that—nor Crispin either!” - -“Oh, Crispin!” replied Justinian, a trifle disdainfully; “he is too much -a man of peace to suit my fancy. But here we are at the village.” - -“By the way, how did you populate this new Rome of yours?” - -“Oh, in the old days I was rather a celebrity in the islands,—a kind of -insular Lord Byron,—and of course had my followers. When I settled here, -I made all my followers come also, and admitted none but young men. They -brought their sweethearts and wives, so gradually the community grew up -here. Recruits come from time to time, but I admit none but those who -are physically perfect and passably moral. We now number, with women and -children, two hundred souls, and you will not find a deformed or lame -person among the lot.” - -“Then you have no old people?” - -“Oh yes. I am old myself, and many of my followers are of the same age. -We were all young men in those days of colonization, but now age has -come upon us, as you see. Some of my old comrades have died, but many -are well and hearty, thanks to the salubrity of this climate. They are -the sages of the village.” - -“Local rulers, I suppose?” - -“No,” retorted Justinian, with fiery earnestness; “there is only one -ruler in Melnos—myself.” - -They were now walking down the principal street of the village, a broad -thoroughfare, running between two rows of red limestone houses, from the -foot of the grand staircase to the blue lake, the distance in all being -about a quarter of a mile. On each side, between the pathways and the -road itself, ran two lines of elm trees, the foliage of which formed a -pleasant shade, while the houses, built in a tropical fashion, with wide -verandas, were gay with flowers. Helena had evidently inoculated her -father’s subjects with a love for flowers, as on every side the eye was -dazzled with a profusion of bright tints. At the lower end of the street -was a wide semicircle, facing the lake, and planted with lines of beech, -elm, and plane trees, while in the middle of this pleasantness stood a -tall pedestal of white marble, bearing a huge bronze Zeus, seated -half-draped, with thunderbolt and eagle beside him. Indeed, the statues -of gods and goddesses were so frequent, that Maurice began to think his -eccentric host, in order to complete his revival of ancient Athens, had -re-established the hierarchy of Olympus, with himself as Pontifex -Maximus. Evidently his face betrayed his thoughts, for, seeing his eyes -fixed on the garlands decorating the base of the statue, the King -laughed in an amused manner. - -“No, no, Mr. Roylands, we are not pagans, in spite of the presence of -the gods,” he said, with a smile. “All my people belong to the Orthodox -Church, and we have a priest, a sacred building, and everything -necessary for such religion.” - -“Are you also of the Greek Church?” - -“No, I am no renegade,” replied Justinian haughtily; “but, at the same -time, I am not what you would call a Christian.” - -“But I trust your religious principles are not those of Caliphronas?” - -“No; I believe in working for the good of others, as you can see. -Morally speaking, I am what you call an agnostic, though truly I believe -in a supreme power. I erect my altar to τὸν ἄγναστον Θεόν, Mr. Roylands, -and strive to propitiate him by helping my fellow-creatures.” - -The conversation now becoming rather delicate in its trenching on -religious beliefs, Maurice turned it dexterously by remarking on the -number of mulberry trees. - -“Those are for the silkworms,” explained Justinian, striking the trunk -of one of these trees with his staff; “we export a great number of -cocoons, and do a large trade with the mainland. We also weave silks for -ourselves; the factory is to the right.” - -There were a great number of people in the streets, all in a similar -dress to their own—that is, the men, for the women were mostly arrayed -in the graceful Greek dress of the Cretans, which consisted of full -white trousers reaching to the ankle, brightly colored tunics, -embroidered jackets, gaudy handkerchiefs twisted round the head, and -long white veils, though the latter were but assumed for festive -occasions. Both men and women were very fine-looking, with oval faces, -olive skins, somewhat pointed chins, and aquiline noses, and their gait -was remarkably graceful, with the stately bearing of a free race. The -adults all saluted Justinian respectfully, and he acknowledged their -greetings with haughty condescension, although he unbent somewhat -towards the children, who crowded round him with cries of “Kalli imera -Kyrion!” - -“You are as populous as a hive of bees,” said Maurice, as they walked -down to the lake; “soon the island will be too small.” - -“Not for many years I hope and trust,” answered Justinian, casting a -look round at the now sunny sides of the mountain, which encircled them -like a cup. “There is plenty of room yet; for my colony, in spite of its -forty years, is only yet in its infancy. Lots of room yonder for -dwellings; the soil is fertile, and affords plenty of food, and as to -necessaries from the outside world, we export olives, cocoons, silks, -wine, and dittany, receiving in return what we require from more -advanced civilization.” - -“Dittany! what is that?” - -“I am afraid you don’t know your Virgil, Mr. Roylands. Dittany is an -herb of rare medicinal power, which is found in Crete, and also in -Melnos. It is excellent for illness of all kinds, especially fevers, and -is as valued now as it was in the days of Pliny. Plenty of it up in the -mountain yonder, as the goats are very fond of it.” - -“Have you goats?” - -“Of course! and also sheep, though I am afraid the goats are the more -numerous. Indeed, I have imported here some of the rare Cretan breed—a -kind of ibex, which grows to a great size. These, of course, I will not -allow to be killed; but for food we have plenty of the smaller wild -goats, such as exist in many places in Greece, particularly on the -summits of Olympus. You probably forget we had goat’s flesh for supper -last night.” - -“And the lake, sir?” - -“Artificial purely.” - -“Sea-water?” - -“Oh dear no. The level of this valley is considerably above that of the -sea. I should be sorry were it otherwise, as, were it lower, we might -run a chance of being swamped by the influx of waters. I am sure -Alcibiades and his friends would be delighted to drown us like rats if -they could. This lake comes from the snows yonder.” - -“The snows?” - -“Precisely. I have had a reservoir constructed far below the snow-line, -and a shoot into it from the summit of the mountain. At certain -intervals I send men up, who detach great masses of snow and send them -down the shoot into the reservoir. There the heat of the sun soon melts -them to water, and from thence the water is taken down to the lake.” - -“But water always rises to its own level.” - -“Hence you think my valley should be an entire lake; but there is no -danger of such a catastrophe happening, as my reservoir is filled in a -purely artificial manner, and I take care to keep it within bounds. The -pipes also down to this lake are contrived so as to regulate the influx -of water, therefore there is no fear of a flood. Now you must come and -see the theatre.” - -“The theatre! Have you playwrights and actors here?” - -“Our playwrights date from old Hellenic days, and are called Æschylus, -Sophocles, and Euripides; the actors are my Greeks. Sometimes Crispin -writes us a play bearing on local events, which he satirizes after the -style of Aristophanic comedy—at least he did so when he lived here, but -since his departure we have fallen back on Hellas for our plays.” - -“How often do you give performances?” - -“Only once a year, at the vintage feast. Oh, we follow old customs -closely here, and I hope to show you a veritable Dionysiade before you -leave us. We have a three days’ festival of simple mirth, without any of -the coarse elements which were introduced by the later Hellenes. The -first day we have the vintage festival, the second our plays, and on the -third there are Olympian games.” - -“With what prizes?” - -“As of yore, the laurel wreath. I am particularly anxious to keep up -these games, as it makes my Greeks athletes, and hardens them by -muscular exercises, else in this lotus-eating valley they would be apt -to become indolent, and then where would Melnos be without brave men to -defend her?” - -“You are a perfect Spartan!” - -“I believe in the Spartan training to a great extent, but I do not think -the body should be trained exclusively and the mind neglected; therefore -I have the tragedies performed which were unknown to Sparta. The -Spartans were a fine nation of materialists.” - -“You are right!” said Maurice earnestly; “one should never let the -material nature overpower the spiritual.” - -“You speak warmly.” - -“As I was taught. My mother was a religious woman, and trained me -carefully. One cannot rid one’s self of youthful teachings; we may -forget them for a time, but they always force themselves before the mind -sooner or later.” - -“Not always. I also was taught as you, but forty years of -solitude—comparative solitude—and pondering have turned me into what I -am—an agnostic. So your mother was a good woman? is she alive?” - -“No; she died many years ago.” - -“And your father?” - -“Is also dead. I am an orphan. No relations in the world—at least, none -I care about.” - -Justinian gazed at the young man as if he would read his very soul, -then, turning away with a half-suppressed sigh, entered the theatre. - -It was modelled on that of Athens,—a large semicircle hewn out of the -volcanic rock, with seats of the red limestone so frequent in Melnos. -The stage faced the mountain, and had an altar beautifully sculptured in -front of it, and life-sized statues of Dionysius and Phœbus on either -side. - -“This is our Temple of Thespis,” said Justinian, as they stood in the -centre of the semicircle, which was at a moderate distance from the -stage. “You see it is not very large, and suitable to the size of the -island and the number of population; so, as the actors can easily be -seen, we need neither cothurnus nor mask. Our plays, I am afraid, are -not so gigantic as those of ancient Hellas; but there is one advantage, -the face is seen, and the Greeks are wonderfully expressive in revealing -their feelings by the countenance.” - -“All Melnos seems to be built of this red stone.” - -“Yes; I get it from the cliffs of the island. The tint is pleasing, and -warms up the landscape. I am sorry we cannot see the ocean from the -theatre, as I am very fond of the sea; but, shut in by this circle of -mountains, of course that is impossible. Now we must go and see the silk -factory.” - -After they had gone through this thoroughly,—for Justinian insisted upon -Maurice taking notice of every detail,—the King showed him some hot -springs just outside the village, which bubbled up from the earth, amid -rugged blocks of black lava, streaked fantastically with sulphur. - -“These springs are full of medicinal properties, which are useful for -the cure of many diseases,” he said, as they watched the light clouds of -steam rising; “but we of Melnos are so healthy, that we rarely use them. -Plenty of work, plenty of physical exercise, careful attention to -births, and fresh air and water in abundance, keep the whole population -in splendid health. It is a case of quality, not quantity.” - -“Have you any poets, painters, sculptors?” - -“Not yet. True, sometimes rude songs are made, and rude pictures -painted, but I am afraid centuries of slavery have crushed all the -creative power out of the Hellenic race. However, they are free here, -and have a city of refuge in this island; so, in the future, who knows -but what Melnos may become a second Attica, and have her Plato, her -Sophocles, her Phidias!” - -“It will take years to develop all that genius,” said Maurice, as they -once more began to climb up the staircase. - -“I am afraid so. And I dread who may come after me. I am old, and cannot -live long; so when I die, unless my successor is actuated by the same -desire to found a miniature Attica, as I have been, he may turn this -place into a nest of robbers, in which case, I am afraid, King George’s -Government would interfere, and the aspirations of Melnos to revive -Hellenic culture would be at an end.” - -“Who is to be your successor?” - -“That I do not know. True, I have a daughter, but it needs a man to -manage my Greeks. I took Crispin and Andros, in order to train them up -as my heirs, but Crispin has become wealthy, and prefers to live in -England; while Andros, or, as he now calls himself, Caliphronas, is -nothing but a scamp. If he succeeded me, all my work would go for -nothing. He would be a tyrant, a robber, a selfish seeker after -pleasure, who would destroy the simplicity of Melnos, break all my laws, -and transform it into a nest of criminals.” - -“Surely you have some clever men among your people?” - -“Clever to serve, but bad to rule. None of them have the administrative -power required for even so small a community as this. No; to succeed me, -I must have an Englishman. We are a dominating race, fit to rule; and a -glance round the world will show you our colonizing capabilities. By a -cool head and a firm hand, I have transformed a barren island into a -centre of prosperity; and if my successors only follow my policy, in a -few hundred years, this little unknown island may become the centre of a -great intellectual power. The Athenians, you know, were small in number, -yet see the intellectual effect they produced in the world’s history. -These Greeks of mine are descendants of the ancient Hellenes, and the -spark of genius, nearly trampled out by centuries of Turkish misrule, is -still within them. Place a plant in the dark, and it grows not; give it -plenty of air and sunlight, and first the green leaves appear, then the -bud, lastly the flower. These are my green leaves, which I have placed -in the light; and let them be tended and looked after, who knows but -what a glorious flower may be produced.” - -“It is a splendid—dream!” - -“A dream which may yet turn out truth,” answered Justinian, with energy. -“See how well I have prepared the ground. My people here are physically -perfect; their morality is much above what is to be found in the islands -of the Ægean. I have taught them to love work and loathe idleness. The -island they dwell in contains all the beauties of nature in a small -space. ‘Infinite riches in a little room,’ to quote Marlowe. They are -starting fairly under my guidance, and they will develop, as their -prototypes of Athens, into a keen, cultured, intellectual race, who may -give this modern world as splendid gifts of genius as did their fathers -of old. But the plant needs fostering, and I, the gardener, alas! am -growing old; so when I die, who will attend to this delicate flower of -artificiality. What I want is to find a successor who will do as I have -done.” - -“He will be difficult to find.” - -“I fear so; unless”— - -Here Justinian paused abruptly, and walked rapidly along the mulberry -avenue, in which they were now. Maurice waited to hear him speak, but he -said nothing until he stood under the graceful Corinthian capitals of -the temple pillars, when he suddenly came to a full stop, and looked at -Maurice keenly. - -“Mr. Roylands, do you know what I think?” - -“No, sir.” - -“That it would be an excellent thing for you to give up your -country-gentleman life in England, and come here.” - -“But for what reason?” - -“To be my successor.” - -Maurice stared at him in open-mouthed astonishment, but in another -moment Justinian vanished. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - A DIFFICULT QUESTION. - - If you this question strange decide, - This way, that way, at your pleasure, - It surely cannot be denied, - If you this question strange decide, - That Fate’s prerogative’s defied, - And thus may grudge your self-won treasure, - If you this question strange decide, - This way, that way, at your pleasure. - - -Certainly Maurice felt in a somewhat embarrassing position, on hearing -of Justinian’s offer to instal him as future King of Melnos, and he -hardly knew what decision to make in the matter. At present the affair -was so unexpected and bewildering that he hardly grasped the fact of its -reality, and remained where he was, leaning against a pillar, wondering -if he was asleep or awake. He had come to an unknown island of the Ægean -Sea, and therein had beheld a miniature civilization of a most unique -character, which in itself by its very fancifulness was enough to -unsettle his calm reasoning powers, when lo! the man who had created -this vision of dead classicism proposed to bestow it on him as a gift. -There was something singularly tempting in this offer, especially to a -man of Roylands’ artistic temperament; for here, in this sea-girt -island, he could lead a life of dreamy seclusion, and work at his art -amid these rejuvenated Hellenic times, which breathed all the serenity -and calm necessary to foster the craving soul of genius. In the riotous -modern world of England he had often felt like an alien, and his work, -imbued with modernisms, seemed feeble and meretricious after those -masterpieces of Greek art which still remain to remind us of the -supremacy of Attic sculptors in delineating the human figure. Devoted to -his art, had Maurice been asked by some fairy to name his desire, he -would certainly have demanded to be placed in kindred circumstances, -calm, untroubled, serene, to those masterly Athenian creators who -adorned the Parthenon with god-like forms. Lo! without the intervention -of an unseen power, his wish had been unexpectedly gratified, yet, now -that the boon long dreamed of was gratified, he hesitated as to the -advisability of accepting it. - -It was difficult for him to make up his mind, from the very contrast of -the two existences which lay before him, either of which he could begin -from that moment, by a mere acceptance of the one or the other. On the -one hand was the turbulent nineteenth century, full of invention, -discovery, feverishness, anguish, ambition, like a terrible yet -fascinating dream, which involved the straining of every nerve to attain -a thankless end; and on the other hand were years of quietness, of -dwelling in a modern paradise under a serene sky, with all the -incentives to awaken and foster his artistic soul, a reconstruction of -that calm Attic existence which seemed so far off and mist-like beyond -the stormy waters of mediævalism and modern restlessness. Maurice, -always impressionable to his surroundings, felt as did the Ulyssean -sailors in the lotus-land, when they were loath to leave the drowsy -island for fruitless toilings on the main; he thought this serene -existence of Melnos, unvexed by the tumults of nations, was perfect: yet -the ambitious spirit of the nineteenth-century interest in his being -called out to him to come forward and take his place in the fierce fight -for fame, for gold, for bread, which vexed the world of to-day. Peace or -war—for social war it was in this modern struggle for existence—he did -not know which to choose, and, leaning against that relic of the old -classic times, when earth was young, fresh, and joyous, he dreamily -pondered over the choice offered to him. - -Had Keats, that born Greek, been offered the chance of dwelling in this -Hellenic Elysium, how eagerly would he have accepted, and revelled in -the serenity of the life, like one of his own young deities, who live so -joyously in his delicate verse. Perhaps Heine, longing for the infinite -charm of the antique on his mattress-grave in the Rue d’Amsterdam, might -have accepted with joy this opportunity to dwell in the placid Greek -world he loved so well, and of which he sang so mournfully, so -exquisitely. But no!—Heine, bitter, dual soul as he was, had too much of -Judaism in his soul to accept gladly a serene existence, unflavored by -that bitter irony, those pen and ink wars, those modern sophistries in -which his spirit delighted. Keats—yes! for he was a born Hellene. -Heine—no! for the genius of the Jew fought ever with the genius of the -Greek to master his soul, and his irony, his orientalism, his Shiraz -roses, and blue Ganges, would have rendered him restless even under the -changeless blue of the Attic skies, amid the divine beauty of serene -Hellenic art. - -Maurice was neither Keats nor Heine, yet partook of the nature of both. -He was not a genius, having just escaped the fatal gift of artistic -supremacy, still, he had a strong craving for the beautiful, a wish to -create, a desire to know; but in his soul the blind craving of Keats for -Beauty and Truth was marred by that fatal scepticism which blighted the -genius of Heine. He had the faith of the one, the doubt of the other, -and, drawn strongly either way by these opposing forces, paused -irresolutely between the two. First he would accept and live the old -Hellenic life, then he would refuse, lest such life should lack the -sharp, salt flavor of modern existence. An ass between two bundles of -hay was Maurice, but, unlike that animal, he knew that each bundle -contained what the other lacked, and, greedy of both, doubtful of both, -afraid of both, he was quite unable to make up his extremely unstable -mind. - -A man in such an embarrassing position always makes up his otherwise -wavering mind to one thing, and that is, to ask advice, though in nine -cases out of ten he never means to take it when given. Maurice was not -sure if he would accept advice, yet nevertheless went to seek Crispin, -in order to lay the matter before him, and ask what he thought was the -best course for him to pursue. Crispin was wise, Crispin was friendly, -and, moreover, had tried both the ancient and the modern modes of -existence, as his youth had been spent in Melnos, his early manhood in -civilized Europe; so surely Crispin, with a knowledge of both sides of -the question, was the best to decide for the one or the other. - -All the morning Crispin had been hard at work on a formidable-looking -epistle to Eunice, in which he told all his perils and adventures, the -departure from Southampton, the voyage down the Mediterranean, the wreck -of The Eunice, and their safe arrival at Melnos. In addition to this -narrative, worthy of Marco Polo at his best, he related the comforts in -which he and Maurice were now dwelling, in order to set the mind of that -gentleman’s friends at rest; but, with considerable craft, the wily poet -did not put in any words of loverly affection, as he knew well the Hon. -Mrs. Dengelton would read the letter before giving it to her submissive -daughter. - -In order to circumvent his future mother-in-law, Crispin intended to -write a separate letter to Eunice, full of his passion, and then slip it -into an epistle by Maurice, whom he intended to get to write to the -Rector. Mr. Carriston was a friend to the lovers, and would doubtless be -able to deliver the letter unseen by the dragon; thus Mrs. Dengelton -would be thwarted should she try to destroy Eunice’s affection for the -poet by keeping back his letters. - -Near Crispin sat Gurt, at the open window, chewing the quid of -reflection, and looking excessively dismal, as he found this -semi-classical existence somewhat dull, and moreover, true seaman as he -was, viewed a prolonged sojourn on land with much disgust. He brightened -up, however, when Maurice came in, and twisted his forelock in approved -forecastle fashion with a scrape of his foot. - -“Which I ses t’ this ’ere gent,” growled Gurt in his raucous voice, -“‘w’ere is he?’ meanin’ you, sir, and Mr. Crispin ses he, ‘Oh, he’s gone -down t’ valley,’ so ses I, ‘He’ll see the crew,’ and ses he, ‘It’s werry -likely.’“ - -“I’m very sorry, Gurt,” said Maurice in some dismay, “but the fact is, -I’ve been exploring the village with Justinian, and quite forgot to see -after our mariners.” - -“I wish you had done so, Maurice,” said Crispin in a vexed tone, looking -up from his writing; “the poor fellows will think we have forgotten all -about them.” - -“Oh, we will go down this afternoon,” replied Maurice hastily. “I’ve no -doubt they are all right down there. Lots of food and liquor and pretty -girls! eh, Gurt?” - -Crispin laughed and stroked his chin thoughtfully, while a gleam of -humor shone in the solitary eye of the mariner. - -“I seed,” said Gurt, addressing no one in particular, “as light a little -craft as I ever clapped eyes on, gents. Her deck lights raked me fore -and aft, they did.” - -“Justinian will rake you fore and aft,” observed Crispin dryly, -“especially if you make eyes at his womankind. This is a virtuous -island, Gurt.” - -“Well, sir, I ain’t a-goin’ agin’ it, sir,” growled Gurt reproachfully. -“I care nothin’ for the petticoats. I don’t. Now if it was Dick, -now”—here the old sinner cast up his eyes, as if unable to guess at -Dick’s enormities. - -“Oh, that is the smart young boatswain,” said Maurice quickly. “I’m glad -he is all right. Why don’t you go down and see him, Gurt?” - -“Beggin’ your pardon, gents both, but I dunno the bearin’s of this ’ere -island.” - -“Go along the mulberry avenue,” said Crispin, as Gurt waited for an -explanation, “and when you come to a flight of steps near the tunnel, go -down them. When you’re in the village, you’ll soon find out your -comrades, and tell them Mr. Roylands and myself will come down to see -them this afternoon.” - -“Right y’ are, sir,” answered the seaman, going to the door with another -nautical salutation. “I don’t want Dick a-comin’ up here to cast anchor -aside my little craft.” - -“You’ve begun early, Gurt,” observed Maurice, taking a seat. “What is -the name of your little craft?” - -“Zoe, sir; she’s maid to Miss Helena.” - -“Well, you can go away with a contented heart, Gurt,” said Crispin, -laughing. “Dick won’t see her if he comes here in your absence. She’s -gone up the mountain with her mistress.” - -“Right y’ are, sir,” said Gurt again, all of him except his head behind -the curtains of the doorway. “I don’t trust Dick. He’s a fly-away chap, -gents both, and a deal sight too handsome for my idea, sirs.” - -The head vanished, and Crispin laughed uproariously. - -“That mahogany image is jealous, Maurice,” he said, throwing himself -back in his chair. “Behold the power of love! Why, Zoe wouldn’t look at -him; and if that good-looking young bo’swain comes on the scene, I’m -afraid old Cyclops’ chance will be but a poor one.” - -“Zoe’s gone up the mountain with Helena?” - -“Yes; on some flower-gathering expedition. They have been absent some -hours, so Caliphronas has gone to look for them.” - -“Confound his impudence!” - -“Why, you are as jealous of the mistress as Cyclops is of the maid! -However, you need not be afraid, for Helena hates our Greek friend, and -I shrewdly suspect she has taken an uncommon liking to you.” - -“Nonsense!” - -“It’s a fact, I assure you. Love in her eyes sits playing, so if you -love her, and she loves you, no power can cut your love in two.” - -“Except Caliphronas.” - -“Yes, he is rather in the way; but I’ve no doubt Justinian will settle -him. By the way, where is Justinian?” - -“He left me at the steps, after making me a most extraordinary -proposal.” - -“Indeed! and this proposal?” - -“I’ll tell you all about it shortly. What are you doing?” - -“Writing to Eunice. This,” laying his hand on the letter, “is a proper -epistle which might be published to all the world, and is prepared -especially for the pacification of my dear mother-in-law that is to be. -I, however, want you to write to our mutual friend, Mr. Carriston, and -enclose a note of mine meant for the eyes of Eunice alone. The Rector is -our friend, and will manage to give it to her unknown to Mrs. -Dengelton.” - -“Oh, I will write with the greatest of pleasure, and enclose your -letter. Besides, I wish to ask the Rector’s advice on a very important -matter.” - -“I can guess what that important matter is,” said Crispin gayly; “but -why not ask my advice?” - -“I am going to, in a few minutes. By the way, to revert to the letters, -how are you going to get them posted?” - -“Oh, Justinian has a felucca laden with currants, silks, and what not, -going to Syra to-morrow,—Syra, you know, is the great mercantile station -of the Cyclades,—and these letters will go in charge of the skipper. -From Syra they will easily go to England by the French packet, via -Marseilles.” - -“Have you any other letters to write—I mean about the shipwreck?” - -“Of course; I have written to my solicitors, telling them all about the -wreck, and instructing them to see the insurance people; but I suppose -nothing can be done till I go back to town myself, and take all the -survivors with me. They, I suppose, will have to give all kinds of -evidence about the smash-up of The Eunice before the insurance money -will be paid.” - -“What about Martin’s relations and the dead sailors’?” - -“I am writing about that also. By the way, Maurice, we must get -Justinian this afternoon to take his men and go down to the sea-shore to -look after the bodies of those poor fellows. It seems horribly heartless -of us talking and laughing like we did last night, when so many human -beings have lost their lives.” - -“It does rather, Crispin; but if we had mourned it would not have made -much difference. Hang it! that sounds rather cruel. Crispin, I am afraid -a semi-barbaric life is making me heartless.” - -The poet said nothing, but, with a sad expression on his face, stared at -the table. It did seem heartless for them both to be light-hearted and -merry when Martin and the majority of his brave crew had gone to the -bottom; but there was some excuse, for they themselves had narrowly -escaped a similar fate, and that in itself was enough to make them -buoyant. After all, the dead are dead, and crying will not bring them -back; but both the Englishmen determined to search for the bodies that -very afternoon, and give them Christian burial, which was the only thing -they could really do for their lost comrades. - -“What about those sailors?” asked Maurice, suddenly looking up. - -“Oh, they must remain here until we can find some chance of sending them -to Syra. In fact, I’m not sure if I won’t tell my agents to send me out -another yacht to replace The Eunice, and then they can all ship on board -of her.” - -“You extravagant fellow; another yacht! Even twelve thousand a year will -not stand such reckless use of money.” - -“Oh, I won’t lose anything,” replied Crispin cheerfully. “I am not too -much of a poet to neglect business, and The Eunice was heavily insured. -When the money is paid by the underwriters, as it must be on my return -to England, it will go a long way towards the purchase of another boat.” - -“So much for the buying; but can you trust your agents to get you a -yacht as good as the one you have lost?” - -“Perhaps not in an ordinary case, but fortunately the twin ship to The -Eunice is in the market, and resembles her in all respects. That was a -few months ago, so if she is still to be had, I will instruct Danton & -Slabe to purchase her on my behalf, and send her to the Piræus. Then, -when we are tired of Melnos, we can cross over to the mainland, and have -a cruise up the Black Sea before returning to England.” - -“That does not sound as if you were anxious to see Eunice,” said Maurice -dryly. - -“I will be very glad to see Eunice again,” answered Crispin, reddening -slightly; “but the fact is, I have a small scheme in my head to get -Eunice and her mother, in company with Mr. Carriston, to come out to -Athens in my new yacht.” - -“But with what idea?” - -“Well,” said Crispin, looking down, “the fact is, Maurice, I do not -trust your aunt.” - -“As to that, I don’t blame you,” answered that lady’s affectionate -nephew quietly. - -“If she sees a better match for Eunice than I am,” resumed Crispin -calmly, “she will force the poor child into a marriage, and give me the -go-by. Mind you, Maurice, I love Eunice dearly, and in my eyes she is -nearly perfect, but I cannot conceal from myself that she has a somewhat -weak nature, and is dominated by her terrible mother. Once she is my -wife, and away from that influence, she will learn to be more -self-reliant, and less biassed by other people. Now, I see perfectly -well that there is going to be trouble here about Caliphronas.” - -“I agree with you there. Caliphronas evidently wants to marry Helena, -who does not like him; and, moreover, Justinian refuses to favor the -marriage in any marked degree, so Caliphronas is just the kind of -sneaking scamp to go over to Alcibiades, and, if possible, make -trouble.” - -“If that is the case, we are here for some time, and as I see you take -the same view of it as I do, you must perceive that we are here for some -months. If, then, I am away from England all that time, Mrs. Dengelton -will certainly try to persuade Eunice that I will not come back, and -marry her to some one else. However, if I can get Eunice out here, I -think I can trump Mrs. Dengelton’s best trick. Do you think, if I -instruct my agents about the yacht, and write to Mrs. Dengelton and the -Rector, that they will come out to Athens?” - -“As to that, I am not sure,” replied Maurice slowly, “but I trust so, -with all my heart, as I wish to ask the Rector’s advice.” - -“So you mentioned before, and promised to ask mine. I will be delighted -to give it to you, so tell me what is the matter. Helena?” - -“Partly.” - -“Hum! Caliphronas?” - -“Partly.” - -“Ho, ho! and Justinian?” - -“Yes.” - -“A very pretty trinity,” said Crispin, lighting a cigarette. “Well, -what’s to do?” - -Maurice tilted his chair back against the wall, and followed Crispin’s -example with regard to tobacco, and prepared for a long talk on—to him—a -serious subject, viz. the settlement of his future life in one way or -the other. - -“First of all,” said Maurice slowly, “I have been all over the village -with Justinian, and I cannot tell you how amazed I am. That such a -community, that such great works, should owe their origin to one man, -is, I think, a miracle. This dream of Justinian’s regarding a new Hellas -may or may not come to pass, but he has certainly laid the foundations -of a small independent state in a wonderfully judicious manner. What his -real name is, I, of course, do not know, but the one he has taken -certainly suits him admirably; he is a Justinian—a born law-giver, and -his system meets all the requirements of this simple community. As he -says himself, so long as he is at the helm, things will go on all right, -but should he die—which at his age is not unlikely—the success or -failure of this infant intellectual state depends on his successor. A -wise, clear-headed man will carry out the scheme to a successful issue; -but a hot-tempered, selfish ruler would doom the whole thing to -destruction. Justinian told me that he had brought up both you and -Caliphronas as his successors; but as to yourself, you went in search of -fame and love in England, and severed yourself entirely from his island -community.” - -“I did not know Justinian desired me to succeed him,” said Crispin in a -tone of wonderment; “but even had I known, I hardly think things would -have gone differently. I am a poet, not a ruler; and Napoleons are made -of stronger stuff than mere bards piping their idle song, and letting -the world go by. No; Justinian never hinted at such a thing; and I -always thought that he favored Caliphronas as the heir to his island -throne.” - -“Caliphronas!” echoed Maurice in a tone of deep disdain. “No; Justinian -is too keen a judge of character to mistake our Greek goose for a swan. -He told me himself that he does not trust Caliphronas, and more than -suspects him of having an understanding with that rascal Alcibiades -regarding the capture of Melnos.” - -“The deuce!” - -“Yes; you may well be astonished; but, from what I have seen of -Caliphronas, I believe it is quite likely to happen, the more so as this -handsome Greek’s vanity will receive a severe blow when he is refused—as -he certainly will be—by Helena. Well, you can see that Justinian will -not have Caliphronas to succeed him on his island throne, so, you two -candidates for the purple being thus disposed of”— - -“Yes?” asked Crispin curiously, as Roylands hesitated. - -“He wants me to ascend the throne when vacant.” - -“You?” - -“Myself! Are you not astonished?” - -Crispin twirled his cigarette in his fingers, looked thoughtfully at the -red tip as if consulting it as an oracle, and then made slow reply. - -“Yes, and no. Justinian evidently sees in you a clear-headed man, who -would carry out his scheme if you honorably promised to do so. He is -English, you are English, and he trusts none but his own countrymen, so -I cannot say that his offer to make you his successor startles me very -much.” - -“But, my dear Crispin, granted I have these capabilities you so kindly -gift me with, of which I am doubtful, Justinian has only known me two -days, and a clever man as he is could scarcely come to a conclusion so -quickly.” - -“Justinian is a good judge of character, and can tell the nature of a -man in five minutes, where you or I would take five years in the search. -Besides,” added the poet, with an imperceptible smile, “he may have -another and stronger reason.” - -“You mean Helena, I suppose?” - -Now Crispin did not mean Helena at all; but as what he did allude to was -not his own secret, he let Maurice believe that his supposition -regarding Helena was the right one. - -“Well, yes; I suppose Helena is a reason.” - -“Do you think he would let me marry her?” asked Maurice breathlessly. - -“I am certain he would,” answered Crispin, looking straight at his -companion; “quite positive. But you—what about yourself?” - -“I love her dearly.” - -“Two days’ acquaintance—you love her dearly! Is that not rather sharp -work?” - -“Two days!” echoed Maurice contemptuously. “I have known her longer than -that. I fell in love with her portrait, as you know, and resolved, if -she had the qualities I thought she had from her face, I would marry -her. From what I have seen of her, I am certain she has those qualities, -and would make me a good wife, provided always she consents to marry me. -Beautiful, pure, charming, simplicity itself; oh, my friend, she is -indeed a prize I may think myself lucky in winning!” - -“When a man is in love,” said Crispin intensively, “it is no use -reasoning with him; and, as regards Helena, I quite approve of all you -say. She will make you an admirable wife; but, think to yourself, how -will this uncultured, simple girl look beside the cultured ladies of -England?” - -“That is the very point about which I desire to ask your and the -Rector’s advice,” said Maurice eagerly. “Will I marry Helena, and accept -the post of governing this island? or will I marry Helena, and go back -to Roylands?” - -“In any case, I see it is ‘marry Helena,’” rejoined his companion dryly; -“but really I hardly know what to say. Life here is charming and -indolent. You like charm and indolence, so why not stay here? On the -other hand, you have your ancestral acres, your position in the world, -to think of, and if you value these more than a life in this delightful -Castle of Indolence—well, go back.” - -“I don’t know what to do.” - -“Well, I have given you my advice, and, as is usual in such cases, you -will not take it.” - -“It is such a difficult question.” - -“Granted! but you will have to decide one way or the other shortly. One -thing is certain, that it would be beneficial to your art.” - -“That is true enough.” - -“After all,” said Crispin seductively, “what better life can you desire? -A ready-made kingdom, small and compact—a delightful climate—obedient -subjects—a lotus-eating existence—and Helena!” - -“It is delightful—but duty?” - -“Oh!” cried Crispin, shrugging his shoulders, “of course, if you are -going to invoke that bogie, I have nothing further to say. Ask the -Rector.” - -“What do you think he will say?” - -Crispin burst out laughing, and, sauntering to the window, threw his -burnt-out cigarette into the green grass beyond. - -“Did ever any one hear such a man? My dear fellow, I cannot tell you -what the Rector will say. He is an ardent Hellenist, with his -Aristophanic studies, and may say, ‘Stay, by all means!’ On the other -hand, he is an English Church clergyman, with strong opinions as to the -absenteeism of landlords, and the duties they owe their tenants, in -which case he will certainly make you come back. But in either event you -will have your dear Helena.” - -“I’m not so sure of that, Crispin. If I refuse Justinian’s request, he -may refuse me Helena.” - -“Certainly; that is not impossible,” replied Crispin, returning to his -writing. “However, I will write to my agents about the yacht, to Mrs. -Dengelton and the Rector about their joining us at Athens. At my -invitation the Rector may not come, at yours he will.” - -“Why?” - -“Because you, my dear, simple old Maurice, are the apple of his eye; and -if you write him on the question of your staying here, he will certainly -hurry out at once, so as to see for himself how matters stand, and -advise you for the best.” - -“Will you write as you intend? and I will also send a letter to -Carriston.” - -“Don’t forget to enclose mine,” said Crispin warningly. “Remember you -are to that extent responsible for my wooing with Eunice. Will you write -your letter now?” - -A delicious burst of girlish laughter sounded from the court. - -“Helena!” cried Maurice, rising up so quickly as to upset his chair. - -“Go away! go away!” said Crispin resignedly; “no chance of your writing -now with that sound in your ears. But, as the boat does not go till -to-morrow, you can have a holiday with Helena this afternoon; therefore, -go away.” - -“Caliphronas is with her,” said Maurice, hesitating. - -“And has been all the morning. Faint heart never won fair lady, so if -you don’t oust your rival, I am afraid she will be married by him under -your nose.” - -“I’m hanged if she will!” cried Maurice angrily. - -There was a second burst of laughter, upon which Crispin, with raised -eyebrows, shrugged his shoulders, pointed to the door, and resumed his -writing. - -Maurice paused irresolutely, looked at the poet, and then darted out of -the door like a swallow, to find Helena standing alone in the court, -with her arms full of flowers. - -“I have been flower-hunting on the mountains,” said Helena graciously; -“and this wild rose is for you.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - CAPTAIN ALCIBIADES. - - Sir! there are three degrees of robbery, - With different names, but meanings similar: - For he who does his thievish work himself - Is but a common foot-pad! quite unfit - To mix in gentlemen’s society. - A bandit, brigand, robber chief, is he - Who has a dozen men or so to rule, - And steals your daughter, burns your tenement, - Or holds you prisoner till a ransom’s paid. - But he who, having armies at command, - Robs brother monarchs of their territories, - Is called a conqueror, because he thieves - Upon a large and comprehensive scale. - Thief, brigand, conqueror! believe me, sir, - The size o’ the theft is all the difference; - For, call them what you please, they’re criminals. - - -Justinian, having ascertained all particulars about the wreck of The -Eunice the previous day, had sent a number of men to look after the -bodies of those unfortunates who had been cast up on the beach of -Melnos, and now, in company with the three young men, and the surviving -sailors, went to the sea-shore in order to give the corpses decent -burial. Conducted by a body of his Greeks, bearing torches, he went down -through the tunnel, and speedily arrived at the outer entrance, from -which a sandy beach sloped down to the harbor. Not that it was exactly a -harbor, but Justinian had aided Nature to form one, by erecting a -breakwater from the end of a jutting promontory, which breakwater, built -of huge undressed stones, ran out in a curve into the tideless sea, and -thus embraced a calm pool of water, which sufficiently protected ships -at anchorage. Beyond, the ocean at times was rough enough, and at stormy -seasons dashed its white waves over the rocky mole, but within that -charmed circle there was no danger, and the smallest boat was as safe -there as it would have been on the serene waters of a mountain lake. -This was the work of the English engineer who had planned and carried -out the piercing of the tunnel, and Maurice could not withhold his -admiration at the perfection of the whole scheme, for without this -breakwater it would have been impossible for any sized craft to cast -anchor off the craggy coast of the island. - -“I have two harbors of this kind,” said Justinian, as they looked at the -small boats, feluccas, and caïques which filled the pool; “one you see, -the other is on the opposite side of the island. As it faces to the -west, of course it suffers more from storms than this one, but I built -it in order to facilitate escape in time of trouble should the tunnel be -taken by assault.” - -“I hardly understand.” - -“There are only two ways of getting into the interior of Melnos. The one -is by this tunnel, the other is a pass which cuts through the western -side of the mountain where it falls away in a semicircle, as I showed -you. Owing to the height of the peaks around, their ruggedness, their -being covered all the year round with snow, it is impossible for any -outside enemy to climb over them. This tunnel and the western pass are -the only modes of ingress and egress, as I have explained. Should this -tunnel therefore be forced, and we find ourselves unable to defend the -island, all we have to do is to retreat through the pass I told you of, -down to the harbor on the other side, where there are plenty of boats -ready to take us to a place of safety. Of course I trust in the courage -of my Greeks, and the difficulties an enemy would encounter in capturing -the tunnel, so I hardly expect such a contingency as flight by the -western pass would occur; still, it is always as well to be prepared for -emergencies.” - -“You have thought of everything,” said Maurice admiringly. - -“Danger sharpens a man’s wits,” replied Justinian coolly; “and when I -first came to Melnos, I was surrounded on all sides by rascals of the -Alcibiades type.” - -“Alcibiades is only a smuggler,” observed Caliphronas, who was listening -to this discourse. - -“Alcibiades is whatever pays him best,” retorted the king in great ire; -“it is only fear of King George’s Government that keeps him from -hoisting the black flag, and making these islands of the Ægean a nest of -iniquity. I believe you are a filibuster at heart yourself, Andros.” - -The Greek laughed consciously, but did not contradict the old man. - -“I am like Alcibiades, sir,” he said at length, “and go in for what pays -me best—Mr. Maurice there knows my sentiments regarding life.” - -“I do; and very bad sentiments they are!” - -“I wonder what you would say to the views of Alcibiades!” - -“He may carry his views more into practice than you do,” retorted -Maurice warmly, “but I defy them to be worse.” - -Justinian laughed at the blunt way in which Maurice spoke, so -Caliphronas, having his own reasons for keeping a fair face to the old -man, discreetly held his peace, and they all trudged along the beach, -towards the place where the bodies of the ill-fated sailors lay. - -The mast of The Eunice was still above water, but the yacht herself lay -far below the blue sea, where she would probably remain until there -remained nothing of her save the engines, which would of course defy -time and the ocean, until between them these mighty destroyers rusted -them to nothing. From the position in which she lay, and the general -calmness of the water, it is probable the yacht could have been set -afloat again; but the Greeks of the Cyclades have not sufficient energy -for such a task, and the underwriters would no doubt rather pay the -insurance money than waste more in an attempt to raise the wreck from -the depths below. - -Twelve bodies had been thrown up by the sea, but the rest of the -crew—with the exception of the ten sailors, including Gurt—were buried -deep in the ocean. Far up in a sheltered nook, under the red cliffs, -twelve graves had been dug in the soft sand, and in these were the -ill-fated seamen laid. Martin’s body was not among them, and it -doubtless lay in a sailor’s grave nigh the island, encircled by sand, -seaweed, and many-colored shells. The funeral ceremony did not take -long, but, as Justinian refused the office, Maurice undertook the task -of chaplain, and, with a voice full of emotion, read the beautiful -burial service of the Church of England over the remains of the dead -sailors, which were then covered up, and roughly-made wooden crosses -placed at the head of each humble grave, with the name of each and date -of death carved thereon. All those present stood bareheaded during the -ceremony, even the Melnosians, who were gentlemen enough not to offend -the prejudices of the strangers wrecked on their rugged shores. - -Everything having thus been done, in order to show respect to the dead, -Justinian and his party returned to the entrance of the tunnel, and -Dick, the smart young boatswain before mentioned, attached himself to -Maurice, for whom he had a great admiration. Dick had received an -education much above that of the average British tar, and Maurice found -him a very companionable fellow, but one who bore a great hatred for -Caliphronas, as he seemed to think the lively Greek was the cause of all -the misfortunes which had overtaken The Eunice. - -“A kind of Jonah, sir!” said Dick in a whisper, for Caliphronas was -walking just ahead of them with Justinian; “if we’d a-chucked him -overboard, I don’t believe the boat would have gone ashore.” - -“Come, Dick, you cannot say the Count had anything to do with the -storm.” - -“Well, I don’t know, sir,” replied Dick doubtfully, “but I don’t believe -in him one bit. Why, sir, he cut that rope on purpose!” - -“I know he did!” - -“D—n him!” muttered the boatswain in a tone of suppressed rage; “why -don’t you have it out with him, sir?” - -“I can’t very well, Dick. Doubtless he cut that rope, as you say, on -purpose; but he was so overcome by terror that he might not have known -what he was doing.” - -“He’s a coward, sir—a miserable coward! and he wasn’t overcome so much -by terror, as not to save his own life. How long do we stop here, sir?” - -“I can hardly tell you. Mr. Crispin has sent to England for a new yacht, -which will proceed to Athens. I expect we will be here at least a -month.” - -“Lord bless you, sir, I don’t mind! It’s a jolly sort of place, though I -can’t say I like their sour wine, but the girls are pretty.” - -“Dick, Dick, you are too inflammable! Take care you don’t get into -trouble over these women. Greeks are jealous, you know!” - -Dick grinned, as much as to say he considered jealousy of little moment -where a pretty woman was concerned, and then asked Maurice a question -which made that gentleman laugh heartily. - -“You don’t happen to know a girl here called Zoe, sir?” - -“Oh, Gurt has been speaking about her,” said Roylands with a smile; “she -is Miss Helena’s maid, and Gurt has laid his heart at her feet.” - -“She won’t have anything to say to a battered old hulk like that, sir.” - -“Perhaps you think a tight young craft like you would succeed better. -Now, Dick, you behave yourself. I’ve no doubt all the girls in the -island are in love with you, so leave Gurt’s ewe lamb alone.” - -“Oh, I’m not going to poach on Gurt’s preserves, sir,” said Dick -apologetically; “but the way he brags about Zoe is sickening, and I want -to have a look at her. She must be the beauty of the island.” - -Maurice had his own opinion as to who was the beauty of the island, but, -of course, did not impart such information to Dick, who, after -respectfully saluting, fell back among his brother sailors, and began to -tease the one-eyed Gurt about Zoe, a proceeding which had but little -effect on that hardened mariner. - -The boat which was going to Syra that day was now lying in the harbor -ready to start, and Justinian went on board to give some final orders to -her captain, while Crispin also accompanied him, in order to place his -bundle of letters in charge of the skipper. He had told Justinian about -his proposed purchase of another yacht, a proceeding of which the astute -ancient much approved, as, if any of the anticipated troubles came to -pass, the yacht would be useful to bring soldiers from Syra to aid him -in defending the island. - -“Your sailors can stay here until the new boat comes out,” said -Justinian thoughtfully; “for if Caliphronas, as you call him, plays the -traitor, we will require as many men as we can to defend ourselves.” - -“But Alcibiades has not an army.” - -“Alcibiades knows all the scum of the Levant, and I have no doubt can -get a few hundred scamps together. They have no fear of the Government, -for if they stormed and took Melnos, after plundering the island, they -would only have to dissolve again among the population in order to -escape. No one could accuse them of their teacup war.” - -“But have we weapons for our men?” asked Crispin, with considerable -trepidation. - -Justinian smiled grimly. - -“When we go back to the Acropolis, I will show you my armory. I have -plenty of guns and pistols of the most modern construction, and many of -my Greeks are good shots too. Oh, I haven’t neglected the useful for the -ornamental, I assure you. What are you looking at?” - -“Alcibiades.” - -“Alcibiades!” cried Justinian, with a roar like a lion, looking towards -the shore, where a number of men were standing, among them a -heavy-looking fellow talking eagerly to Caliphronas. “So it is. I wonder -what brings the rascal here! I must get him away from Melnos at once. -Crispin, Roylands, get into the boat—there is no time to lose!” - -The active old man rapidly delivered his final orders to Captain -Georgios, and then hastily scrambled down to the boat, followed by the -two young men. They were speedily pulled ashore, and Justinian, -springing on to the rocks, strode up with a frowning face to the group -surrounding Alcibiades and Caliphronas, pushing the men on either side -with haughty roughness. - -“Now, then, Captain Alcibiades, what do you want at Melnos?” - -Maurice looked curiously at this celebrated individual, of whom he had -heard so much, and beheld a squat, heavily-built man, with fiery eyes, -an evil countenance, and a long black beard. He was clad in the usual -dress of Greek sailors, consisting of rough blue trousers and jacket, -boots of untanned leather, a red shirt, and a tasselled cap of the same -color. To mark his rank, however, he wore a handsome gold-embroidered -belt round his waist, in which were placed a rusty-looking knife and a -brace of pistols. This, then, was the renowned Captain Kidd of these -waters, who, had he lived fifty years earlier, would have been a -declared pirate, but who now, owing to the establishment of New Hellas, -had to carry on his rascally calling under the pious guise of smuggling -and peaceful trading. With his rough dress, his squat figure, his -tangled black beard, he formed a great contrast to the slender form of -Caliphronas, with his clean-shaven face and dandy costume of an Albanian -Palikar. Yet, in spite of the difference in good looks, the two men had -the same cunning expression in their shifty eyes, and there was but -little doubt that the rough blackguardism of the one was only refined -into the astute scoundrelism of the other. - -“Well, Alcibiades!” demanded Justinian, imperiously stamping his foot; -“what do you want with me?” - -“Kyrion Justinian,” said the smuggler in a cringing manner, “I but -landed here to see you and the Kyrion Andros about a cargo of wine I -wish to obtain for Crete. I will pay you a good price for it, as the -grapes of Melnos are much thought of at Khanea.” - -Justinian, on receiving this diplomatic answer, ran his fingers -thoughtfully through his silver beard, and pondered as to what answer to -give. He was never averse to turning an honest penny by trading, and he -knew Alcibiades would pay a good price, as the wine of Melnos was much -liked by the Cretans on account of its resinous taste, for the insular -Greeks do not as a rule preserve their vintage in this way, which is -peculiar to the mainland. - -“How much do you want?” he said abruptly. - -“Two hundred skins,” replied Alcibiades glibly; and named what he -considered a fair price. - -“Do you think I desire to make you a present of the wine?” retorted -Justinian scornfully. “Double your offer.” - -“Kyrion! impossible!” cried Alcibiades, throwing up his hands with a -look of dismay on his crafty-looking face. - -“You won’t get it for less.” - -Alcibiades cast a stealthy look at Caliphronas, and considered a few -moments. - -“Effendi, I will do it,” he replied, with the air of one who has made a -great sacrifice; “but I will be ruined—yes, ruined!” - -Justinian nodded curtly, and, turning on his heel, went towards the -tunnel, followed by all. Maurice, of course, had not understood a word -of the preceding conversation, conducted as it was in Greek; and even -Crispin found the speech of Alcibiades a little difficult at times, as -that piratical individual was in the habit of mixing up his own tongue -with Turkish, French, Italian, and sometimes a scrap of English. - -“Crispin, walk with me—I wish to speak to you,” said Justinian; and, the -poet having obeyed this command, Maurice was left in the congenial -company of Alcibiades and the Count. - -Captain Alcibiades kept casting curious glances at Maurice, for -Caliphronas had told him about this rich Englishman, and the agreeable -old pirate was wondering, in his guileless way, if it would not be -possible to kidnap this wealthy foreigner, and hold him in his own -little rocky island until such time as his relatives paid a good ransom. -Alcibiades was a genuine brigand of the type described by M. About, and, -but that he had fallen on evil times of peace and quietness, would -doubtless have risen to high rank in his adored profession. With a view -to satisfying himself personally as to the wealth of this traveller, -Alcibiades, guessing Maurice did not know Greek, spoke to him in French, -with which Maurice was sufficiently well acquainted to enable him to -hold an interesting conversation with this accomplished cut-throat. - -“Monsieur is staying here?” asked Alcibiades, blinking his little eyes. - -“For a time—yes!” - -“Aha! Monsieur is the friend of my dear Andros, so to myself he is also -a dear friend. I lay myself at your feet, monsieur.” - -“Very kind of you,” retorted Maurice, who was not at all pleased by the -implied friendship. - -“Monsieur is rich?” - -“What’s that to do with you?” - -“Eh, my faith! do not be angry, monsieur. All Englishmen are rich.” - -“That is a common delusion with you foreigners. All Englishmen are not -rich.” - -Alcibiades shrugged his shoulders and spread out his hands in the French -fashion. - -“Monsieur is disposed to be witty.” - -By this time they had arrived at the entrance to the tunnel, and -Justinian who had been in earnest conversation with Crispin, turned -round sharply to Alcibiades. - -“You will wait here,” he said imperiously. - -“Will not my men come up in order to carry down the wine?” said -Alcibiades, looking as black as thunder at this peremptory order. - -“No. I will send my men down with it, and you can pay the money to -Andros here.” - -“But, Effendi”— - -“Enough! I have spoken!” - -“Holy St. Elmo! you will not let me visit your island?” - -“No farther than this,” retorted Justinian significantly. “You know the -proverb, Captain Alcibiades,—‘Ill to him who shows his treasure -freely.’” - -He turned his back on the baffled cut-throat, and ascended the stairs, -followed by his own men, while Alcibiades and his ruffians remained -below, evidently mad with anger at having admittance refused them. Rumor -said Melnos was full of treasure, and the crafty smuggler wanted to -convince himself of the truth of this with his own eyes, so the -prohibition against passing the palisade made him very wrathful. The -king, however, paid no attention to his black looks, but resumed his -journey, with Crispin and Maurice on either side of him. Caliphronas, on -the weak pretext of asking Alcibiades some question about the wine, -remained behind, a fact which was at once noted by the lynx-eyed -Justinian. - -“Traitor!” he growled in his deep voice, stroking his beard, as was his -habit when angered; “the fox to the fox. Ah, well I know those two -rascals are hatching plots against me.” - -“If you think so, why do you want Caliphronas to go with Alcibiades?” - -“Cannot you see, Crispin. You will never make a diplomatist. I will tell -Roylands here, and I am sure he will discover my reason. Roylands, I am -going to deliver this wine to Alcibiades, although I know he does not -want it.” - -“Why does he buy it then?” - -“Because he thought it would be a good pretext to get into Melnos and -spy out the weak points of our defence. Oh, I know this is so, else he -would not have given me my price so freely. I knew his plan the moment -he agreed to give me what I asked, which was a very large price, and one -which no honest trader could afford to give. Andros also knows of this -scheme. Can you guess how I found that out?” - -“Yes; because Alcibiades, looked at Caliphronas before agreeing to your -price.” - -“Exactly!” said Justinian, with great satisfaction. “Roylands is quicker -than you, my dear Crispin. When I refused to sell him the wine unless at -my own price, that look to Andros was one of inquiry, and the answer -was, ‘Give him what he asks, or you will not see the interior of -Melnos.’ The rascals! I know their scheme, and will baffle them.” - -“Yet, with all this, you propose to send Caliphronas on a trip with -Alcibiades, when they will be able to bring their plot to a head,” said -Crispin impatiently. - -“Blind, blind, my poet! You forget Andros has not yet made up his mind -on which side to be. If I give him Helena, and make him my successor, he -will betray Alcibiades as readily as he would betray me if I refused. -Well, the only way to meet treachery is by treachery, so I intend to -lead Andros to believe that I will do what he wishes, and will then send -him to cruise about with Alcibiades, quite devoted to my interest. -Alcibiades, thinking Andros is on his side, will tell him all about his -plans, the number of his army, and when he proposes to assault the -island, all of which my good Andros will repeat to me. Once I have that -information, Andros will find out that I neither trust nor like him, and -that he will have neither my child nor my island.” - -On hearing this treacherous scheme, Justinian fell in the estimation of -Maurice, who, true Englishman as he was, liked everything to be done -openly; whereas this Greco-Briton partook more of Ulyssean craft than -honest, fair fighting. - -“Punic faith,” he said at length, not knowing quite what remark to make. - -“Punic faith with Punic neighbors,” retorted Justinian as they paused at -the gate. “If I don’t baffle Andros by turning his own weapons against -him, the chances are that he will side with Alcibiades, and one fine day -Melnos will be attacked unawares, and we will all have our throats cut.” - -“Still, your mode of defeating Caliphronas is hardly English.” - -“My good sir,” said the old man, with quiet irony, “Englishmen in their -time have had to do just such underhand work. You forget Lord Clive and -his false treaty with the Hindoo Omichund, which bound that slippery -rascal to the British interest at the time of the battle of Plassy. It -promised him everything before the battle, and gave him nothing after -it. That is Punic faith, and is necessary in such cases. Straightforward -honesty doesn’t pay in these waters.” - -“Well, do what you think best, sir,” replied Maurice, who saw Justinian -was right. “It’s a case of ‘When Greek meets Greek,’ I suppose.” - -“‘Then comes the tug of war,’” finished Crispin gayly. “My dear Maurice, -you will be happier in the actual battle than in all the statecraft -which leads to it.” - -“I hope my statecraft will avert the struggle,” said Justinian sombrely; -“but with an enemy like Andros to deal with, I fear for the worst.” - -“What are you waiting for here?” asked Maurice, seeing they still -lingered at the gate. - -“For Andros,” replied Justinian quietly. “I alone possess the key, and -the gate is never left unlocked. Ah, here is my Carthaginian. Now, you -two gentlemen, go on, and leave me to Andros and my Punic faith.” - -Maurice and the poet, followed by all the English sailors, entered the -gate and resumed their ascent, while the wily Justinian waited with an -inscrutable face to entrap the equally wily Caliphronas, who this time, -however, had found his master in treachery. - -“What do you think of Justinian, Maurice?” asked Crispin, when they were -once more in the open air, standing at the head of the staircase, and -watching the sailors descending to the village below. - -“To speak frankly, I like Justinian.” - -“In spite of his Punic faith?” - -“As for that,” replied Maurice, coloring a little, “necessity knows no -law; and Caliphronas is such a consummate scoundrel, that I can hardly -blame Justinian for trying to beat him with his own weapons.” - -“Justinian is a serpent of wisdom,” said the poet reflectively, taking -off his sombrero. “You can have no idea how dexterously he manages these -slippery Greeks. They have a wholesome respect for him, as they well may -have, seeing that not one of them has ever yet had the better of the -King of Melnos.” - -“You used to speak bitterly of Justinian yourself, Crispin. Are your -opinions changed?” - -“Yes; I must admit they have changed, and for the better. What you told -me the other day about Justinian desiring me for his successor has -opened my eyes. It was a fear of losing me that made him refuse to tell -me my real name, for he thought I would forsake him and go back to my -kinsfolk.” - -“Well, you have certainly forsaken him.” - -“Yes; but I don’t think he regrets it, as he sees I am not made of the -stuff necessary to rule this colony of serpents; so now he has no -further reason to keep me in the dark, and will, I feel sure, tell me -what I wish to know before we leave Melnos.” - -“But you said Justinian thought you were not brave enough.” - -“So he did! so he does! But I fancy I am indebted to my dear friend the -Count for that. In all our expeditions with Alcibiades, Justinian was -absent, so he could not have personally seen me fighting, and I can only -think that Caliphronas, to oust me out of the possible throne, told this -about me.” - -“I am sure you are not a coward,” said Maurice warmly. - -“No, I don’t think I am,” replied Crispin equably. “I fancy if Justinian -had seen the storm he would have changed his opinion about Caliphronas; -but, as to myself, I hope yet to right myself in the eyes of the old -man. I am glad you have such a good opinion of me, Maurice.” - -“My dear fellow,” cried Roylands, grasping him by the hand, “I have the -best possible opinion of you in every way, and always had!” - -“Even when I was a mystery?” - -“Yes; though I own you were puzzling at times. But you are a coward in -one way, Crispin.” - -The poet flushed redly, and Maurice hastened to finish his sentence. - -“In the presence of Mrs. Dengelton.” - -“He would be a bold man who felt no fear in the presence of that lady,” -answered Crispin, his face clearing again. “But here comes Caliphronas -with a smiling face.” - -“A sign that Justinian has succeeded.” - -The Greek advanced towards them with a merry laugh, and looked -triumphantly at Maurice, who bore his insolent self-complacency with -wonderful composure. - -“I will not see you two gentlemen for a few days,” he said gayly. “I am -going on a cruise with Alcibiades.” - -“More piracy?” - -“Perhaps,” answered Caliphronas mysteriously. “Good-by for the present. -I must go down to look after the wine, and if you go back to the -Acropolis, tell Helena I will see her before I go.” - -With a jeering look at Maurice the duped scoundrel sprang down the -steps, his snowy fustanella fluttering in the breeze, and he glittered -down the descent like a brilliant falling star. - -“You fool!” said a voice behind them, and they turned to behold -Justinian with a complacent smile on his face. - -“Well, you have succeeded, sir,” observed Maurice doubtfully. - -“I have. Caliphronas thinks he has it all his own way. I see you don’t -yet like my tactics.” - -“Well, sir”— - -“Tush!” replied Justinian coolly. “Punic foes—Punic faith!” - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - THE APPLE OF DISCORD. - - A woman caused the fall of man, - A woman caused the fall of Troy; - An apple both these woes began, - Which brought beneath pale Sorrow’s ban - All earthly joy. - - For Eve was fair, and Helen fair, - Each wrought destruction by her face; - They captured hearts in beauty’s snare, - And made mankind the burden bear - Of their disgrace. - - To-day the story we repeat: - A woman wins or loses all; - She plucks the fruit for us to eat, - We taste and find the apples sweet, - And then we fall. - - -The ill-fated Eunice had been wrecked about the middle of August, and it -was now nearly the end of September, close on the celebration of the -vintage feast, which Justinian determined to celebrate with great -splendor, so as to gratify Maurice with an accurate representation of -the ancient Dionysia of Athens. - -Crispin for the moment had resumed his old occupation of playwright, and -had furbished up one of his old dramas, not having the time to write an -absolutely new one. In this play both Caliphronas and Helena were to -take part, and the author himself, like a modern Æschylus, acted as -stage manager, drilling the chorus, arranging the scenery, attending to -the music, and coaching the principal actors in their parts. The people -of Melnos were also busily preparing for the vintage feast of the first -day, and for the Olympian games of the third; but amid all these -peaceful occupations Justinian kept a watchful eye on Caliphronas, and -neglected nothing that might guard the island against a sudden assault -by Captain Alcibiades and his gang. - -Completely deceived by the manner of the Demarch, which was Justinian’s -local title among his people, Caliphronas, now assured both of Helena -and Melnos, eagerly entered into the plans of the cunning old man, and, -on returning from a week’s cruise with Alcibiades, revealed a -wide-stretching conspiracy among the Levantine Greeks for the capture of -Melnos. Far and wide Alcibiades with great art had instilled a belief -into the minds of all the idlers, vagabonds, and scamps of the Ægean, -that Melnos contained immense treasures, and weekly, leaders of bands of -men repaired to Alcibiades’ rocky little island to receive instructions -as to how their plans were to be carried out. Of course, the wily old -pirate was the leader, and arranged all his schemes in the most -dexterous manner, for he gave his commands to those chief men who came -to see him, and they, returning to their own islands, communicated such -orders to their own followers. By this means Alcibiades had collected -quite an army, all eager for plunder, and they had arranged among -themselves to attack Melnos, either by the tunnel or the western pass, -at the first convenient opportunity. - -It may seem strange in the eyes of civilized people that such a -conspiracy should be planned and carried out under the very nose of the -Greek Government, but all the operations were conducted with great -caution; the different portions of the proposed army were scattered -piecemeal over the islands of the Ægean, so there was really nothing to -arouse the suspicion of the authorities that any revolutionary movement -was in course of formation. Besides, Melnos being in the extreme south -of the Archipelago and close to Crete, that home of Turkish misrule, any -local disturbance would be taken comparatively little notice of, as such -disturbances were quite common; so it seemed as though Alcibiades and -his brother scamps were going to have things all their own way. Once -they captured and plundered Melnos, they had no fear of the future, as, -once they dissolved into small companies and returned to their own -islands, it would be quite impossible for the Greek Government, even if -they did interfere, to punish a body of men which to all appearances had -no existence. - -The plans of Alcibiades were very simple, for, having arranged with the -leaders of the several bodies of men that they would join in his -schemes, he commanded that they should all meet on his own island on a -certain day,—as yet unfixed,—when in the aggregate they would number -quite three hundred men, and could thus storm Melnos, which could only -be defended, as they knew, by two hundred, inclusive of women. In fact, -the population of Justinian’s island capable of bearing arms, even -including the English sailors and his guests, scarcely numbered more -than one hundred and twenty men; so when the fiery old Englishman heard -from Caliphronas of the strength of the enemy, he saw that the danger -was indeed serious. - -Melnos, however, was strongly fortified against the inroads of these -ill-armed pirates, for the tunnel, defended by its palisade, could -hardly be forced if held by a small body of resolute men, and the -western pass was commanded by two pieces of ordnance, one on either -side, which would sweep down the stormers by the score should they -attempt to carry this natural entrance by assault. As to the rest of the -island, it was quite impossible for the marauders to climb over the -rugged, snow-clad peaks; so what with his cannon, defences, arms of the -most modern construction, and his resolute men, Justinian felt that he -could defy Captain Alcibiades and his ill-armed crew. - -The old Demarch still permitted Caliphronas to remain in his fool’s -paradise, as matters were in a delicate position, and he resolved to -wait until after the three days’ festival before coming to a perfect -understanding with the treacherous Greek. Caliphronas, therefore, -regarding himself as entirely favored by fortune, became almost -unbearable in his insolence, and had not Maurice known the real facts of -the case, a serious quarrel would certainly have taken place between -them. As it was, however, the young Englishman saw that the Greek was -completely duped by his false prosperity, and would almost have pitied -his blind confidence in his good fortunes, had not the arrogance, -insolence, and spite of the Count inspired him with the utmost contempt. - -Caliphronas, indeed, was hated by every one in the island: by the common -people, owing to the haughtiness and scorn he invariably displayed -towards them; by the English sailors, who thought him a coward, and had -never forgiven his treachery on the night of the wreck, which had cost -their captain his life; and by all the inmates of the Acropolis, who -despised this brilliant butterfly heartily. Quite unaware of the -delicate ground on which he was treading, Caliphronas, in his gorgeous -Albanian costume, swaggered about the place in a most offensive manner, -and quite assumed the demeanor of a despot, much to the amusement of -Justinian, who chuckled grimly as he saw the blind confidence of the -Greek. However, it was the calm before the storm, and everything went -along smoothly enough, save for an occasional outbreak between Maurice -and the Count about Helena, who was a veritable apple of discord between -these fiery young men. - -Helena herself disliked Caliphronas intensely, as she was only too well -aware of the mean, petty soul contained in that splendid body, and his -outward beauty had no effect upon her, knowing as she did what a truly -despicable wretch the man was. His admiration for her was purely a -sensual one, for he knew nothing about true, pure love, and all he -wanted was to have this lovely woman to himself, to be his mistress and -slave. Doubtless this was the same animal passion as was cherished by -Paris, son of Priam, for that other Helen, whose beauty could scarcely -have been greater than that of her namesake of Melnos; and Caliphronas -as his Trojan prototype was inspired by no purer deity than Venus -Pandemos. When the Count paid her compliments, Helena shuddered, so -instinctively did her virginal soul feel the impurity of this persistent -suitor, and treated him with marked coldness, much to the anger of -Caliphronas, who complained bitterly to Justinian of the scorn with -which his advances were met. - -“My good Andros,” said Justinian one day, when he had been inveighing -against the caprices of women, “why do you come to me for assistance? If -that handsome face, that fine figure, that smooth tongue, cannot win the -affections of a woman, nothing else will.” - -“I believe she likes that Englishman,” muttered the Greek, in no wise -pleased at the ironical tone of the Demarch. - -“I am not responsible for her likes and dislikes,” retorted Justinian -coldly, although he heard this remark with much inward satisfaction. -“However, you have my promise.” - -“And you will keep it?” - -“Only on condition that you keep me informed of the schemes of -Alcibiades.” - -“Oh, I will do that. I will do anything to win Helena, but if you -deceive me, it will be the worst day’s work you ever did.” - -“There is no necessity to threaten without cause,” replied Justinian, -bridling his anger at the insolence of the Count; “you will have both -Helena and Melnos, but before announcing this publicly, I wish to wait -until after the Dionysia.” - -“Very well,” answered Caliphronas, turning on his heel; “a week or so -will make no difference to me. But when I am publicly acknowledged as -your son-in-law and successor, the first thing I will do will be to turn -Crispin and this insolent Englishman out of the island.” - -“Well, well, we’ll see about that,” said Justinian, with great -indifference; “wait till after the Dionysia.” - -After this conversation. Caliphronas went away perfectly satisfied that -everything was going in his favor, which was extremely foolish, as he -might have guessed something was wrong from the unnatural calmness of -Justinian. Formerly the old Demarch had been given to outbursts of fiery -wrath when his will was crossed, however slightly; but now he bore the -insolence of the Greek so quietly, that a less astute man than -Caliphronas would have been placed on his guard by this unusual suavity. -The Count, however, blinded by his good fortune, rushed madly forward, -unseeing the abyss yawning before him, and deemed that the -self-restraint of his proposed father-in-law arose from the feebleness -of age. If he could have seen the passion of Justinian when he was once -more alone, he would have changed his mind; but this he was unaware of, -and his self-conceit and egotistical blindness kept him in perfect -ignorance of the approaching storm. - -It was with great satisfaction that Justinian saw the great admiration -Maurice Roylands had for Helena, and with still greater, when he noticed -that his daughter was disposed to look favorably on the suit of the -handsome young Englishman. Helena, indeed, in spite of her real -simplicity, was a born reader of character, which happy trait she -inherited from her father, as she inherited the fair beauty of her Greek -mother; and the more she saw of Maurice, the more she loved him for his -kindly heart, his honorable nature, and the delicacy with which he -treated her. Caliphronas, confident in his manly beauty, paid his -addresses with the air of a conqueror,—a mode of wooing which no woman -likes, and Helena least of all, as it fired her proud soul with -indignation; and when she saw how deferential was Maurice in his -courting, she naturally enough preferred the diffident Englishman to the -over-confident Greek. True daughter of Eve, however, she was, for, in -spite of her dislike to Caliphronas, she could not resist at times the -temptation of speaking kindly to him, in order to arouse the jealousy of -Maurice. In this she was quite successful; and though Roylands could not -but deem her wise to lull Caliphronas into a false security at the -present crisis, still he was madly jealous of every look she bestowed on -the Greek, and the two suitors were always on terms of ill-concealed -enmity with one another. - -Of course Helena was quite ignorant of all her father’s plans, and -merely treated Caliphronas with unexpected kindness out of pure -coquetry, being quite delighted when she saw how such caprice annoyed -the man she truly loved. A woman may worship a man, and look upon him as -the sole object of her adoration, yet even the wisest, the purest, the -kindest woman cannot help teasing her god a little, out of -sheer capriciousness. It is playing with fire, certainly, -and many women burn their fingers at this perilous game of -“I-love-you-to-day-and-you-to-morrow,” yet they will indulge in such -coquettish triflings, either to make the man they love value them the -more, or out of pure malicious desire to see his anger. Women -instinctively know that what is won with difficulty is more valued than -that which is gained with ease; and besides, it flatters a man into -thinking he is superior to his fellow-creatures in fascinations, when he -secures an affection which has fluttered doubtfully here and there -before centring finally in his precious self. Think you Cleopatra would -have kept Antony so long her slave, had she not stimulated his love -occasionally by giving him cause for jealousy? By no means. Octavia was -humble, faithful, true, and loving, so Marcus Antonius grew weary of -such domestic virtues, and turned to Cleopatra, who kept him in a -constant state of alarm lest her fickle nature should choose another -lover. Helena knew nothing of Cleopatra’s wiles, but she instinctively -knew that the way to win a man is to place a prize almost, but not quite -within his reach; so she flirted with Caliphronas, and would have -flirted with Crispin, had he given her a chance, yet cared more for -Maurice, whom she thus tortured, than for all the rest put together. - -To-day she was on her best behavior, however, and was seated with -Maurice in the court, weaving a coronal of flowers for her adornment at -dinner. Helena was fond of wreaths, and rarely made her appearance at -any meal without a chaplet of roses, or ivy and violets, or delicate -white lilies adorning her golden tresses. Crispin was in his room, -engaged in writing his drama. Caliphronas was holding the -above-mentioned conversation with Justinian; and the two young people -sat lazily in the sunshine, Maurice smoking cigarettes, and Helena -weaving her wreath with myrtle and roses and sweet-smelling violets. - -The sun shone brightly on the white marble court, with its treasures of -many-colored blossoms, the fountain flashed like fire in the lustrous -light, and the white pigeons whirling aloft in the cloudless brilliance -of the sky, at times settled down on the roof in milky lines with gentle -cooings. Helena, with her hands buried in flowers and many-colored -ribbons, was humming a quaint little song of the madrigal type, set to a -simple, sweet melody, which rendered it very charming. - - “Chloe, take you rose and myrtle, - Weave them in a dainty fashion, - Deck with such your rustic kirtle, - They are type of Colin’s passion. - For with roses do I woo thee, - Sue thee! woo thee! woo thee! sue thee! - Hey, pretty maiden, I come a-courting, - Join me, I pray, in such merry, merry sporting, - With a fa-la-la-la, pretty maiden. - - Colin, take you pansies only, - From your dream of love awaken, - Deck with such your cottage lonely, - They are type of love forsaken. - For with pansies do I flout thee, - Doubt thee! flout thee! flout thee! doubt thee! - Hey, jolly shepherd, come not a-courting, - Join will I not in such silly, silly sporting, - With a fa-la-la-la, jolly shepherd.” - -“Where did you learn that pretty song?” asked Maurice, whom the air -struck as familiar. - -“My father taught it to me,” replied Helena, putting her head on one -side to observe the effect of a newly added rose. “Is it not dainty? -Ribbons, and silks, and flowers, and pipings; quite unlike the real -shepherds and shepherdesses of Melnos, but deliciously delicate for all -that.” - -“I wonder where your father picked it up?” - -“Oh, father knows plenty of old tunes, and I am so fond of them. Why do -you ask?” - -“Because, curiously enough, that song was written by a Carolean ancestor -of mine, and I cannot think how Justinian came to know it.” - -“It is strange, certainly,” said Helena thoughtfully. - -“Helena, who is your father?” asked Maurice impulsively. - -“Demarch of Melnos.” - -“Yes, I know that; but what is his English name?” - -“That I cannot tell you,” replied Helena, shaking her pretty head. “I -know nothing beyond that he is Justinian, that I am his daughter, and -that this is our island.” - -“It’s like ‘The Tempest,’ is it not? You are Miranda, Justinian -Prospero, and I”— - -“And you?” queried Helena, with a slight blush. - -“Cannot you guess?” asked Maurice significantly. - -The girl laughed, and looked down at her flowers. - -“I suppose Ferdinand.” - -“Oh, you know ‘The Tempest!’” said the young man, with some surprise. - -“I know all Shakespeare’s plays. Do you think I am so very ignorant?” - -“I think you are very delightful.” - -“Maurice! I thought English gentlemen did not pay compliments.” - -“I am the exception that proves the rule,” he replied audaciously. -“However, I might have guessed Justinian would have an odd volume of -Shakespeare about with him. The Englishman believes in the Bible and -Shakespeare, the Englishwoman in the Bible and Burke.” - -“Who is Burke?” - -“The man that wrote the ‘English Peerage.’” - -“What is a peerage?” - -“You have read Shakespeare, and do not know what a peerage is! Helena, -I’m ashamed of you!” - -“If you talk like that, Maurice, I will certainly not give you this -rose.” - -“Then I won’t talk like that; so give me the rose.” - -“Not yet; you must win it first.” - -“Helena! you are as hard-hearted as the Chloe of your song.” - -“Am I? but if I don’t give pansies”— - -“Helena!” - -He made a sudden movement towards her of ill-suppressed eagerness, -whereupon she, having betrayed herself more than she wished to do, -feigned anger to escape from the declaration which she saw was trembling -on his lips. Why she did this, it was hard to say, as she loved Maurice -very much, and longed to hear him tell of his passion, yet she nipped -his declaration in the bud. Why? Ask a woman to solve the mystery; for -it is beyond the power of any man to unravel. - -“See!” she said playfully; “you have upset all my flowers. Pick them up -at once.” - -The obedient Maurice went down on his knees before this pretty tyrant -and began to collect the flowers. The position was worse than the words, -so Helena, seeing the danger, hastily began to talk of the first thing -that came into her head. - -“Talking about ‘The Tempest’—who is Andros?” - -“Ariel for looks, Caliban for wickedness.” - -“And Crispin?” - -“Crispin is Gonzalo, the honest old counsellor.” - -Helena made a pretty grimace, and ordered Maurice back to his chair, -which was at a safe distance, and did not admit of any embarrassing -endearments. - -“Miranda was very fond of Ariel, wasn’t she?” - -“Yes, I suppose so, but she hated Caliban. Do you like Caliban?” - -“Well, I like Ariel.” - -“Then what about Ariel-Caliban—Caliphronas?” asked Maurice, vexed at her -fencing. - -“I can’t bear him—and yet,” continued Helena reflectively, with a -certain spice of malice, “there is something nice about him.” - -“You can’t bear him, and yet there is something nice about him!” echoed -Maurice bitterly. “I don’t understand you.” - -“I don’t understand myself.” - -“Can I explain you?” asked Roylands eagerly, drawing his chair a little -nearer. - -Helena hesitated, blushed, then made a very irrelevant remark. - -“Tell me about Roylands.” - -Maurice very nearly uttered a bad word, he was so angered at her -coquetry, but, thinking the best way to pique her was to meet her with -the same weapons as she used, at once acceded to her request, much to -her secret dismay. - -“Stupid!” thought the lady. - -“Flirt!” thought the gentleman. - -Decidedly these two young people were at cross-purposes. - -“Roylands,” said Maurice, pushing back his chair into its former place, -“is a large park formerly owned by one of the Plantagenet kings.” - -“What is a Plantagenet king?” - -“I shall have to give you a book of Mangnall’s Questions to learn,” said -Roylands in despair. “_Planta genista_ is the Latin name for broom. Do -you know what broom is?” - -“Yes; the mountains are sometimes quite yellow with it. Father told me -it was called broom.” - -“Well, some of the English kings used to wear it in their helmets as a -badge, so that is how they got the name of Plantagenet.” - -“You are quite a dictionary.” - -“I am glad to be so when my pages are turned by so fair a hand.” - -This answer nonplussed Helena, and for once she was fain to hold her -peace. - -“The park,” resumed Maurice, observing this with inward satisfaction, -“was given to one of my ancestors by the then sovereign of England, and -has been in our family ever since.” - -“Is it a pretty place?” - -“Well, it has not the exquisite beauty of Melnos, but it is very lovely -in my eyes.” - -“Is the house like this?” - -“No; quite different. Such magnificence would not do for a poor country -gentleman like myself. It is an old Tudor house, built in the reign of -Henry VIII.” - -“I know Henry VIII.,” said Helena vivaciously. - -“Shakespeare, I suppose? What a charming way of learning history! Yes, -Roylands Grange is a Henry VIII. house of red brick, and is covered with -ivy. Green lawns with flower-beds are before the terrace, and the whole -is encircled by the park.” - -“How lovely it must be, Maurice! And is it all your own?” - -“Yes; at least, it is unless my uncle Rudolph turns up.” - -“Your Uncle Rudolph!” - -“Oh, that is our one family romance. Rudolph Roylands was my father’s -elder brother, and they were both in love with my mother. She favored my -father, Austin, and the brothers had a quarrel which ended in blows. -Austin got the worst of it, and Rudolph, thinking he had killed him, -fled. Since then, nothing has been heard of him, and that is quite forty -years ago.” - -“But how does this affect your owning the Grange?” - -“Because I am only the second branch. Uncle Rudolph was the heir to the -Grange, not my father; so if he turns up alive, or if he has left heirs, -I will have to give up all my property to them.” - -“Would you mind very much?” asked Helena in a pitying manner. - -“Not at all. I would have once, but now I have a chance of staying in -this delightful island, I don’t think it would be such a great loss -after all.” - -Maurice had hardly said these words when he heard a grunt of -satisfaction behind him, and on turning his head saw Justinian standing -beside him, in company with Caliphronas. - -“So you don’t mind if you lose your English property,” said the Demarch -in a peculiar tone. - -“No; not when I can stay here. Did you hear the story I was telling to -Helena?” - -“Some of it. Do you think your Uncle Rudolph is alive?” - -“Hardly, after forty years.” - -“What is forty years to a long-living race like the Roylands?” - -“How do you know we are long living?” - -“Why, you told me so yourself,” said Justinian hastily; “but, after all, -your uncle may be alive, and claim the property, in which case you will -be penniless.” - -“Oh, then, I shall stay here as sculptor to your public works.” - -The old man laughed approvingly, and nodded his head. - -“I will be glad of that. None of my Greeks can sculpture. It is a lost -art with the Hellenes since the days of Praxiteles.” - -“I will make a statue of Helena here as Venus Urania.” - -“Better as Chloris,” remarked Caliphronas, with a forced smile, coming -forward; “Chloris, the goddess of flowers.” - -“For that charming suggestion,” cried Helena, rising to her feet, “I -will give you a rose, Andros!” - -“I will treasure it as my life,” he replied in a low, passionate voice, -as she fastened the flower in his embroidered jacket. - -“What about my rose, Helena?” asked Maurice, who viewed this proceeding -with silent rage. - -“Here is one for you,” answered Helena quickly; “both roses are red, so -you can’t complain I don’t treat you fairly.” - -“Perhaps you had better make the roses white, in order to mean silence,” -said Caliphronas, pale with anger as he saw Maurice receive a flower; -“the red rose means love, you know.” - -“Sisterly love,” retorted Helena, looking at him with an undeniable -frown. - -Caliphronas, with a sudden outburst of rage, tore the flower from his -breast, flung it on the pavement, and walked out of the court without a -word. Helena in astonishment turned to Maurice, only to find that he -also had vanished, but, with more self-restraint than the Greek, had -taken his rose with him. Only Justinian was left, and he, looking sadly -at his daughter, placed his hand reproachfully on her shoulder. - -“My child,” he said reprovingly, “do not make ill blood between these -two men by your woman’s wiles. Ate flung the apple of discord on the -table of the gods, but it would have done no harm but for woman’s -jealousy. Your name is Helena: you are, I doubt not, as fair as she of -Troy, so beware lest your beauty be as fatal to Melnos as it was to -Ilium.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - BACCHANALIA. - - Clash of cymbals, beat of drum, - O’er the mountain peaks we come, - Far from parchèd Hindostan - To these laughing realms of Pan. - Nymphs and satyrs reel about, - Frenzied in the frenzied rout, - Crowned with ivy, fir, and vine, - Leading on the god of wine. - Far and near, and near and far, - Flock ye to his conquering car; - Lo! he comes in merry mood, - O’er the hills and thro’ the wood, - While the startled Dryads see - From their trees our revelry; - As we shout so loud and free, - Io Bacche! Evohë! - - -“We celebrate the _fête_ of St. Dionysius to-day,” said Justinian, as -they stood, in the early morning, on the platform of the Acropolis, -awaiting the arrival of the Bacchanalian band from below. - -“St. Dionysius!” repeated Maurice, with emphasis. “I thought the -gentleman of that name was an Olympian!” - -“He was,” interposed Crispin before Justinian could speak; “but have you -forgotten Heine’s account of how the heathen divinities were transformed -into mediæval saints. St. Dionysius is our old friend Bacchus in a new -guise; Athena has given place to the Virgin Mary—the Panagia, as they -call her in Attica;—Zeus is still the Supreme Being, with awful locks -and thunderbolt, while Apollo the Far-Darter masquerades in classical -adolescence as St. Sebastian.” - -“And Venus, Mr. Professor?” asked Helena, with a gay smile. - -“Venus,” answered Crispin, with a profound bow, “still lives in the -Ægean Seas as Helena of Melnos.” - -“What a charming compliment!” cried the girl, who, in her plain white -chiton, purple-edged peplum, and silver-banded hair, looked indeed like -Aphrodite incarnate. “What about Andros here?” - -“Hermes!” - -Caliphronas, poising himself lightly on the verge of the staircase, -certainly was the herald of Olympus, the divinized athlete, the more so, -as, instead of his voluminous fustanella, he wore a simple tunic of fine -white wool, which displayed his fine figure to the greatest advantage. -His curls, yellow as those of Achilles, a true Achaian color, were bare, -as he never wore a head covering unless forced to do so, and thus, -stripped of all artificial aids to beauty, he looked the incarnation of -Hellenism, the genius of Greece, ever fair and blooming in eternal -adolescence. Even Justinian was struck with the manly grace and perfect -vitality of the young man, yet, after an admiring glance at this -physical perfection, turned to Maurice, and quoted a line of Homer,— - -“‘Faultlessly fair bodies are not always the temples of a godlike -soul.’” - -“It is curious you should say that, sir,” observed Maurice; “for my old -tutor, Mr. Carriston, said the same thing about the same man.” - -“Carriston!” echoed Justinian hoarsely. - -“The Rev. Stephen Carriston, Rector of Roylands,” replied Maurice, -amazed at this emotion; “did you know him?” - -“Know him?” said the Demarch, with a forced smile; “no. I have been -absent from England these many years. Rector of Roylands!” he muttered -in an undertone; “strange, strange!” - -“What is strange?” asked Roylands curiously. - -“Nothing, nothing!” answered Justinian, turning away with a frown. “I -was thinking of something which you would not understand. But here come -our Bacchanalians, Maurice. Now you will see a glimpse of ancient -Hellas.” - -Maurice pondered over the strange emotion of Justinian, which he found -himself quite unable to explain, and, coming to the conclusion that the -Demarch must have met some one of the same name under unpleasant -circumstances, he dismissed the subject from his mind as trivial, and -concentrated his attention on the rapidly approaching procession. - -Justinian had closely followed the old lines of the Dionysian -ceremonies, saving that he expurgated all the coarser elements of -drinking and debauchery, and during the whole three days’ festival, -modelled on the ancient feasts of Hellas, Maurice did not espy one -offensive thing, which could bring a blush to the cheek of modesty. -Indeed, Helena and all the women of the island were present, so their -mingling in the ceremonies would alone have prevented any coarseness, -even without the stern interdiction of the Demarch; for the Greeks have -a great sense of delicacy, being especially careful not to offend the -delicacy of women in any way whatsoever. This modern Bacchanalia, then, -represented the antique solemnity, as it was in the earlier Attic days, -before later worshippers defiled the rites of the god with their vile -orgies. - -It was a perfect day, but, as there had been a slight rainfall in the -morning, in the east loomed a sombre cloud, which, however, foreboded -nothing, as across its darkness, like a many-hued scarf, was flung a -splendid rainbow. Helena caught sight of this first, and clapped her -hands merrily. - -“Oh, father, see how red is the rainbow!—that is a good sign for the -vintage.” - -“How so?” asked Roylands, somewhat puzzled at this Iris prophecy. - -“It is an old Greek superstition,” answered Justinian, smiling at his -daughter’s glee; “if red prevails in the rainbow, there will be plenty -of grapes; if yellow, a fine harvest; and when green it will be a year -for olives. This one is reddish, as you see, so our Bacchanalia will -turn out successfully.” - -In front of the procession marched the musicians, men playing on pipes, -flutes, drums, and goat-skin sabounas, a kind of bagpipe, while beside -them danced young ivy-crowned girls, clashing cymbals together. All the -men were dressed in their dancing costumes, similar to that of -Caliphronas, save that all the colors of the rainbow were represented, -though the women, still in their loose white chitons, neutralized to -some extent the vivid tints of the male dresses. Behind the musicians -came lads garlanded with wreaths of intermingled violets and ivy, -bearing thyrsi. Afterwards a number of maidens, with vine-leaf-decorated -amphoras of wine, baskets of figs, and bunches of grapes. A goat, with a -child on its back, was led by two elderly women waving pine branches. -Then came the elders of the village, in white robes, with tall linen -mitres, followed by a joyous band of young men, profusely bedecked with -flowers, who capered round a sedate ass, on which rode the wit of the -village, representing Silenus. An empty chariot, drawn by goats as a -substitute for panthers, then appeared, and in this was to be installed -the Count, who undertook the _rôle_ of Bacchus. The procession finally -closed with the ten sailors walking two abreast, their stiff march -contrasting strangely with the acrobatic dancing and careless grace of -their fellow revellers. - -Arriving at the foot of the steps, the chief elder made a speech in -sonorous Greek, in which he invited Justinian and his friends to come -down to the village festival, and bring good fortune to the vintage. -Justinian graciously accepted the invitation, and, in company with his -guests, placed himself in the rear of the procession; while Caliphronas, -who had been crowned with vine leaves, arrayed in a leopard skin, and -bearing a pine-cone tipped sceptre, sprang into his chariot with a -laughing glance, as the revellers saluted him—“Evohë Bacche!” - -Back to the head of the grand staircase returned the procession, with -its wild music and merry dancers, while the god, lightly brandishing his -sceptre, looked benignly on his motley crew. Some had fawn skins, all -were crowned, and before the procession ran children strewing the road -with flowers, while the company sang songs in praise of St. Dionysius, -whom Caliphronas was supposed to represent, rather than the genuine son -of Semele. Silenus, by his drunken gestures, and difficulty in keeping -his seat, evoked roars of laughter, and was quite the hero of the hour. - -“I never did see sich tomfoolery,” growled Gurt, who was enjoying -himself hugely; “this Baccus is all tommy rot. Like a Lor’ Mayor’s show -it is.” - -“Oh, it’s a great spree,” said Dick cheerfully, who was Gurt’s companion -in the march. “Ain’t these girls like the ballet at the Alhambra?” - -“Never was there,” growled Gurt, who, when not absent from England, -generally remained in the neighborhood of the docks; “but I’m blessed if -I ever did hear sich music, with their Hi ho Baccus! Who’s Baccus?” - -“The god of wine.” - -“I wish he was the god of rum,” said the old toper; “for this ’ere sour -stuff as th’ give us is ’nough to give us all cold in our insides. Lor’, -wot music! Let’s give ’em a shanty.” - -“The skippers might not like it,” objected Dick anxiously. - -“Oh, they don’t mind. I ain’t going to let these coves have it all their -own way.” Whereupon Gurt, in a raucous voice, struck up, “Rule, -Britannia,” much to the amusement of Justinian. His messmates joined in -the chorus, and though the wild orgiastic music still continued, it was -almost drowned in the lusty chorus of “Britons never shall be slaves,” -roared out by ten pairs of lusty lungs. - -The chariot of the god had perforce to be left at the head of the -staircase, and Caliphronas, descending, led the way down to the valley, -followed by all his barbaric crew. Shrill sounded the pipes, loud -clashed the cymbals, and the bright sunshine shone on as merry a company -of wine-worshippers as ever it did in the Athens of Æschylus. - -The vineyards of Melnos were planted on the sides of the mountain, where -they rose terrace by terrace nearly up to the dark pine woods, which -divided the vegetation from the snow with a broad green band. A -wine-press was placed in nearly every one of these vineyards, but the -place where the ceremonies were to take place lay near to the theatre, -and was a particularly large enclosure, filled with long straggling -vines, in the centre of which a huge whitewashed tank, piled with purple -grapes, stood ready to be tramped out to the lower tank into which the -juice flowed. - -Justinian and his guests were conducted to a kind of raised daïs, on -which were placed seats tastefully wreathed with flowers, the most -elaborate of all being reserved for Caliphronas, who, as the presiding -deity of the feast, ranked for the day higher than the lord of the -island. The scene was singularly picturesque: far above, piercing the -blue sky, arose the snowy peaks, lower down the pine forests, then -fields of yellow corn, divided by belts of gray olive trees and -grape-laden vineyards, while the near slopes near the scene of the -festival were covered with red-berried mastic bushes, delicate white -cyclamens, rose-blossomed oleanders, pomegranate trees, and beds of -strongly-scented thyme, filling the still warm air with aromatic odors. -Amid all this beauty were the Bacchanalians with their many-colored -garbs, the whiteness of the women’s dresses predominating, and the whole -laughing throng swaying, leaping, whirling, bounding, gyrating to the -wild music, shrill and plaintive as the wind, of their rude instruments. -In such a vineyard might Dionysius appear to some modern Æschylus, and -command him to kindle anew, with the breath of genius, the fire of the -ancient goat-song, with its solemn splendors, gigantic scenes, and -majestic figures of god, goddess, and hero. - -As a rule, the vintage of the insular Greeks begins early in August, but -this year, for some unexplained reason, the grapes had ripened slowly, -hence the Melnosians feared a bad year of the vine, and were much -delighted to find that it was one of the most prolific ever known, a -fact which was further confirmed in their eyes by the prophetic red of -the rainbow. - -Papa Athanasius, the priest of the island, arrayed in the gorgeous -sacerdotal vestments of his Church, now came forward, surrounded by a -number of acolytes, bearing censers and sacred ichons, in order to -pronounce a blessing on the first-fruits of the vine year. The ceremony -did not last long, and at its conclusion the Papa retired, while, amid -cries of rejoicing and noisy music, a dozen men with bare feet sprang -into the vat and began to tread the grapes. Their white tunics and naked -feet were soon stained red with the juice of the vine, which shortly -afterwards began to gush freely into the lower vat, amid the songs of -the onlookers. Soon afterwards cups of last year’s wine were passed -round to all present, and, though the Greeks as a rule are a very -temperate people, yet the thin, sour liquor speedily rendered them -slightly intoxicated, and the singing became more vociferous than ever. - -“I hope they will give us some national dances,” said Maurice to Helena, -who sat beside him—who looked lovely as the Queen of Love herself. - -“Indeed they will!” she answered vivaciously: “you will see the syrtos, -which has a good deal of the Pyrrhic dance in its steps; the moloritis, -in which Zoe, Andros, Crispin, and myself will take part. Then there is -the dancing on the slippery wine-skin, which is very amusing. See, this -is the syrtos!” - -A party of young men in their tight-fitting white dancing-costumes now -came forward, saluted Caliphronas as the master of the revels, and, -placing their arms round one another’s necks, began to sway slowly -backward and forward, with a kind of mazourka step, to the inspiriting -music of tabor and pipe. These evolutions increased in rapidity, and -were interspersed with wild acrobatic boundings by single dancers, until -Maurice became quite giddy watching their whirlings. - -Afterwards the women, linked together with handkerchiefs, in order to -make the line more flexible, danced gracefully to a slow melody, with -frequent genuflexions of the body and bendings of the head. - -“Greek dances are rather monotonous, I am afraid,” said Roylands, who -found this incessant swaying a trifle wearisome. “Why don’t the men and -women dance with one another?” - -“They do sometimes, as in the moloritis,” replied Helena, rising from -her seat. “We will dance it now, and I think you will like it better -than the syrtos.” - -It was a graceful dance, and the music was more melodious. First, the -four people danced together, then separately, and finally Crispin and -Caliphronas indulged in wild saltatory leapings, while Helena and Zoe -stood still, swaying from side to side, like nautch dancers. - -“I think a waltz would be jollier than that,” said Maurice, when she -returned to her seat. - -“A waltz! what is that?” asked Helena innocently. - -“I will show you some time during the day—that is, if we can get any one -to play us the music.” - -“Oh, Andronico, that old man with the violin, can pick up anything by -ear. But see, we are now going to have some singing!” - -A handsome young fellow stepped forward, escorted by a number of women, -who joined in the chorus of the song, which was in praise of Dionysius -and the vineyards. Maurice, owing to the skilful tuition of Helena, now -knew enough Greek to understand the words, which, irregularly -translated, were as follows:— - - SOLO. - - Oh, my love, we went to the vineyards, - And there beheld bunches of purple wine fruit, - Full of the milk of earth our mother. - - WOMEN. - - Wine, like thee, is my heart-gladdener. - - SOLO. - - Thro’ the vine leaves peeped St. Dionysius, - Who laughed when he heard the sound of our kisses: - “These are not mad with wine,” - So cried St. Dionysius; - “Not with wine are they mad, but with love and kisses.” - - WOMEN. - - Wine, like thee, is my heart-gladdener. - -There were about twenty verses of this delectable song, interlarded at -times with the rude music of the sabouna. Maurice grew tired of this -dreariness, and went off, in company with Helena, to where the feasting -was going on. Tables were spread out in the open air with cheeses, -bread, honey, goats’ flesh, piles of grapes, and other rustic dainties, -to which the hungry revellers were doing full justice. Some of them were -dancing the Smyriote, others singing interminable songs; but Roylands by -this time had quite enough of Greek dance and song, so asked Helena to -show him the hot springs, which were near at hand. - -They were at the base of a little cliff, volcanic in character, with -curiously-twisted streaks of red, green, and black lava, which presented -a bizarre appearance. The water, owing to the presence of oxide of iron, -was of a yellow tint and boiling hot, while occasional puffs of steam -rising skyward veiled the variegated tints of the rock behind, so that -it looked strangely weird and horrible. - -“I wonder you are not afraid to live here, Helena!” said the Englishman, -going down on his knees to examine these Ægean geysers. “I don’t believe -this crater is an extinct one.” - -“It has been quiet enough for over a thousand years,” replied the girl -carelessly, “so I don’t see why it should break out now.” - -“If it did, the loss of life would be terrible.” - -“Oh, don’t, Maurice! The idea is too frightful. Why, not one of us would -escape alive, and then good-by to father’s idea of a new Athens.” - -“Your new Athens has other things to fear besides volcanoes.” - -“What do you mean?” - -“That if Caliphronas is appointed your father’s heir, it were better for -this crater to become full of seething lava once more, than the hot-bed -of scoundrels such as that scamp will surely make it.” - -“I don’t think you need be afraid of that,” replied Helena, with great -scorn; “Andros is not likely to rule Melnos.” - -“You don’t like him?” - -“I hate him!” - -“And why? He is very handsome.” - -“Do you think I am a woman likely to be taken with mere good looks in a -man?” she answered, with an angry light in her eyes. “I thought you knew -me better than that, Maurice.” - -“Forgive me, Helena; but indeed I am glad you do not like Caliphronas.” - -Helena knew the reason of this pointed remark, and, looking down with a -blush, was about to reply, when the man they were talking about came -quickly along the narrow path, with a savage scowl on his handsome face. - -“Helena, your father is asking for you,” he said abruptly. - -“Oh, I will go at once,” replied the girl lightly, in order to conceal -her confusion; and rapidly left the spot, where Caliphronas still -remained looking angrily at Maurice. - -The Englishman saw that the Count was in a terrible rage, and ready to -overwhelm him with invective, but, nevertheless, was not sorry to come -to a complete understanding with this treacherous scamp, who had no -regard for truth, honor, or daring. Caliphronas was a thorough bully by -nature; and, having succeeded in browbeating his own countrymen by -arrogance, thought he would try the same plan with Maurice, quite -unaware that the seemingly easy-going young man was made of sterner -stuff than yielding Hellenes, and would hold his own against all odds -with true British doggedness. - -“Well, Bacchus,” said Maurice, trying to pass the matter off lightly at -first, “why have you deserted your revellers?” - -“To punish a scoundrel,” burst out the furious Greek, stamping his foot. - -Maurice looked around serenely; and then, sitting down on a block of -black lava, streaked with sulphur, began to roll a cigarette, which -innocent proceeding irritated Caliphronas beyond all powers of -self-control. - -“Do you hear me?” he cried, mad with rage. “I came here to punish a -scoundrel!” - -In a quarrel the victory is generally to him who keeps his temper, as -Maurice knew very well; so, in this case, the more enraged grew the -Greek, the calmer became the Englishman. - -“So I see,” he replied phlegmatically; “but, as I see no scoundrel here -but yourself, I hardly understand you.” - -“Understand this, Mr. Maurice—you are the scoundrel!” - -“Really!” said Roylands, lighting his cigarette with provoking coolness; -“and your reason for applying such a name to me?” - -“You make love to the lady who is to be my wife.” - -“I was not aware your offer of marriage had been accepted.” - -“I have her father’s consent.” - -“True; but you have not the lady’s consent.” - -“Bah! what of that? Women and dogs are born to obey.” - -“My dear Count Constantine Caliphronas,” said Maurice deliberately, “you -have called me a scoundrel, for which epithet, coming from a despicable -wretch like yourself, I care nothing. But if you dare to speak -disrespectfully of Miss Helena, I will certainly throw you into that -boiling spring over there.” - -The Greek was young, strong, and athletic, and could doubtless have held -his own against the Englishman to a considerable extent,—although he -would have been beaten in the end, owing to his ignorance of boxing, an -art in which Maurice excelled,—but so craven was his soul that he did -not dare to resent this calmly insulting speech, but merely stood his -ground, quivering with fury. - -“_Và!_” he hissed through his clinched teeth, and shaking five fingers -at Maurice, which is about the strongest imprecation a Greek can use. “I -will be even with you, pig, English as you are!” - -“I see you want pitching into that stream,” replied Maurice, rising. -“You dare to apply such another epithet to me, and, as sure as I stand -here, in you go.” - -Caliphronas trembled with mingled fear and rage, for he had seen the man -before him box with Boatswain Dick, and knew he had but small chance -against such pugilistic science. He was as careful of his beauty as a -lady, and dreaded lest some sledge-hammer blow should mar his perfect -features, therefore he deemed it wise to restrain his temper, and -laughed derisively. - -“Bah! to-day for you, to-morrow for me,” he said jeeringly. “You cannot -hold yourself against the future ruler of Melnos. I will have the island -and Helena! You will have nothing.” - -“Don’t be too sure of that, Caliphronas! I don’t want Melnos, but I -certainly do want Helena, and shall certainly refuse to give her up -without a struggle.” - -“Try!” sneered the Greek, snapping his fingers under Royland’s nose; -“try!” - -Hitherto Maurice had kept his temper well under control; but this last -insult was too much, so, lifting up the light frame of the Greek in his -athletic grasp, in spite of his struggles, he calmly sent him splash -into the nearest pool, which was fortunately but tepid in character, -otherwise the Count might have run a chance of being parboiled. - -“Next time you dare to use your vile tongue on me, I will sling you down -the grand staircase,” said Maurice quietly; then, without waiting to -hear the bad language of his enemy, calmly strolled away towards the -scene of the festival, smoking with great enjoyment. - -Caliphronas, considerably cowed, crawled out of the pool, looking like a -drowned rat; and few would have recognized in this despicable object the -daring, handsome Hermes of the morning. Had he possessed a knife, he -would certainly have pursued Maurice, and done his best to kill him; -but, being without a weapon, he had a wholesome dread of the -Englishman’s fists, so, swallowing his rage for the time being, went off -in search of dry garments. - -As Maurice approached the vineyard, he heard shouts of laughter, and -found it was owing to the latest amusement, that of dancing on the -slippery surface of a skin of wine,—a pastime as old as the days of the -Dionysia itself. Many skilful dancers fell off; and it was long before -any one succeeded in carrying off the prize, which was the skin of wine -itself; but ultimately it fell to the lot of the handsome young Palikar -who had sung the song about St. Dionysius. - -Helena looked apprehensively at him when he appeared, as she was afraid -there had been a quarrel between her two suitors; but Maurice calmed her -fears by a smile, and together they watched a sailor’s hornpipe danced -by Dick to the music supplied by old Andronico, who had picked up the -air from Gurt’s whistling. - -Justinian was in ecstasies over the dance, and made Dick sing some -sea-songs, which, with the rude but tuneful chorus of his messmates, -made the old man’s eyes flash with patriotic fire. - -“I’m only Greek on the surface, you see,” he said to Crispin, with a -somewhat sad smile; “but my heart is English still.” - -“Hearts of oak!” replied Crispin gayly. “After all, there is no place -like England; for you see Melnos, with all its tropical loveliness, is -still unsatisfying when memories of white-cliffed Albion awaken in your -heart.” - -“Bravo, Crispin!” cried Maurice, who had heard this speech; “you are a -true patriot, and must confirm your views by singing ‘Home, sweet -Home.’” - -Crispin, nothing loath, did so; and the Greeks, attracted by the -beautiful air, crowded round to listen. The darkness was falling fast, -for the long day was nearly at an end, and through the still night -sounded the liquid notes of a cock nightingale calling to his mate; but -higher than the voice of the bird arose that tender old melody, which -brings tears to the eyes of those absent from their own fireside. -Justinian, leaning his white head on his hand, listened intently; and -when the song was ended, Maurice could have sworn in the dim light that -a sudden tear flashed like a jewel down his withered cheek. It was -extraordinary to see this man of iron, astute, keen ruler as he was, so -touched by the simple little song, which he had heard perchance at his -mother’s knee; and from that moment Maurice always believed in -Justinian, whom he was certain must have a good heart, when so affected -by that pleading air. - -Torches were now brought, the wild music burst out anew, and the -revellers prepared to escort their Demarch back to the Acropolis. -Caliphronas, apparently as merry as ever, made his appearance in new -clothes, and resumed his sceptre and vineleaf crown. Along the street -danced the procession, with clash of cymbal and throb of drum; torches -flaring in the windless air on the excited faces of their bearers; and -it was like a confused dream, with the flash of white robes, the tossing -red lights, the barbaric pomp, and the swaying, restless, dancing crowd. - -At the foot of the grand staircase Maurice burst out laughing. - -“What is the matter?” asked Crispin, who walked near him. - -“I am thinking of Caliphronas, whom I flung into one of the hot -springs.” - -“The deuce you did! It’s a pity he was not drowned.” - -“He is not born to be drowned,” retorted Roylands sardonically; “he is -born to be hanged.” - -At the Acropolis the Bacchanalians left them; and they saw the long -procession stream like a serpent of light along the road, down the -staircase, with glimmer of white robes and distant sounds of mirth. A -last flash of innumerable torches, a last burst of frenzied mirth, then -darkness and quiet—the Dionysia was ended. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - THESPIAN. - - The silvery smoothness of sweet Sophocles, - The rolling thunder of Æschylean verse, - The subtle twistings of Euripides - - To prove the better reason by the worse;— - Such poets gained the light Athenian’s praise - By daring dealings with the universe, - - And yearly won the envied crown of bays; - But not on Attic shores alone,—for we - Yet know their greatness in these modern days, - - In alien lands across the stormy sea, - Where with much painful learning do we dare - In pristine splendor to revive the three, - - Till, foiled by antique genius high and rare, - We quit the task with unalloyed despair. - - -The theatre of Melnos was crowded the next day to witness the one -performance of the year, and the whole semicircle of seats was occupied -by a chattering throng, resembling, doubtless, the gossip-loving -Athenians of old. All were in gala dresses, the men brilliant in -Albanian costumes of fustanelli, embroidered jackets, gaudy gaiters, and -vivid red silk sashes; while the women, in accordance with the edict of -the Demarch, still wore their graceful, antique robes of white; indeed, -the male bird here had the more splendid plumage of the two, but what -the female lacked in color, she made up for in grace. The population of -Melnos were, indeed, fine specimens of humanity, as, owing to the -selective genius of Justinian, none but the physically perfect were -admitted to the privileges of the island, and in the case of births he -exercised an almost Spartan rigor. Certainly he departed so far from the -laws of Lycurgus as to permit any child born with a blemish to live, but -it was sent away from Melnos at the moment of its birth, and provided -for elsewhere. In consequence, therefore, of this untiring care in such -matters, the Melnosians were all strong, healthy, and beautiful; while -their constant out-door life and congenial occupations kept them in a -wonderfully vitalized condition, which was eminently calculated to form -a race as physically perfect in form and health as is possible on this -earth. - -“I am a great believer in the _mens sana in corpore sano_ theory,” said -the Demarch to Maurice, who sat beside him. “The first law of this new -Athens is, that all the citizens shall be healthy in every way; and the -body being thus perfected by degrees, who knows but what the intellect -may not ripen the sooner to the first-fruits of genius?” - -“Is that not rather against the Homeric line you quoted the other day, -sir?” observed Maurice thoughtfully. “I mean as regarding Caliphronas; -he is physically perfect, thoroughly healthful, and yet you can hardly -call him intellectual.” - -“Andros,” said Justinian emphatically, “is not a true Greek, but a -mongrel from the island of that name, where I found him a shepherd lad. -I have no faith in mixed races, as their genius, if they have any, is -apt to be confusing. We English are essentially a mixed race, therefore -our literature, although marked by great versatility, lacks that -dominant note which denotes the special characteristic of a pure-blooded -race. Look at the Jew and the Hellene, which are, perhaps, the sole -examples of unmixed blood we have,—at least in the West,—and you will -see that their works of genius, however different in outward form, are -still instinct with the individuality of their particular race-nature. -The Psalms of David, the tragedies of the Greek dramatists, could only -have been written by men of unmixed blood, steeped in the color of their -peculiar branch of the human family.” - -“What about Shakespeare?” - -“None but a mixed race could have produced an all-comprehensive mind -like his; and though you may perhaps think me narrow in desiring the -formation of pure-blooded nations, which may be barren of such versatile -genius, yet, believe me, Maurice, every plant should bear its own -natural flowers. Now, my Melnosians have been carefully selected from -the most untainted blood of the insular Greeks, who are the real -survivors of the old Attic stock. I allow no mixed marriages—I protect -them from all outward influence—I encourage them to develop their -inherent characteristics of race, so, in all human probability, they, in -years to come, will produce a blossom of genius entirely their own.” - -“Is that not rather a hot-house forcing style?” - -“Well, yes; but such artificiality is needed in these days of easy -communication and cosmopolitan races. The tribes of mankind are not now -isolated each from each as in former times, when that very isolation -forced them, uninfluenced by contact with alien tribes, to develop their -own special race-nature in literature, music, and art. Mixed races -produce mixed results, splendid, I own, in many cases, but not so -severely unique and classic as would be the case with untamed tribes.” - -“Did not Disraeli discuss this question in ‘Coningsby’?” - -“Touching the Semitic race,—yes, I think so; but it is so long since I -have read the book that I almost forget his line of argument. But we -have strayed from our subject, which was physical and not intellectual -perfection; and I verily believe that if as much attention were given to -the breeding of humanity as is given to the rearing of race-horses, the -race of mankind would be much benefited thereby.” - -Justinian had quite a mania regarding this question of race, and Maurice -would gladly have continued the interesting argument, but the play was -shortly about to begin, so he deferred the discussion until a more -fitting occasion, and meanwhile examined the theatre with careful -attention. - -The stage facing the semicircle was long and narrow, with slender -columns on either side supporting the pediment, which, unfortunately, -was quite plain, as Justinian’s theories had not yet developed a -Pheidias to sculpture the red limestone into god-like forms of hero and -deity. A broad flight of steps led downward to the orchestra, which had -entrances to the right and left for the convenience of the chorus; while -a veritable altar of Dionysius, wreathed with sculptured grapes and nude -figures of dancing faun and nymph, taken, doubtless, from some ruined -temple, stood on a raised platform fronting the stage, and on it burned -a small fire, whereon incense was occasionally flung. - -“Is that not rather pagan?” asked Maurice, referring to the altar. - -“Everything herein is ideal, not real,” replied the Demarch wisely. -“When you see the chorus throw incense on the altar, think not that they -are sacrificing to the wine-god of their ancestors. No, they are all of -the Orthodox Church, and obey devoutly the precepts of Papa Athanasius; -but I like to carry out the old ceremonies, even to this altar, which -means nothing, and is highly characteristic of the antique festival.” - -As Crispin, Helena, and Caliphronas were all actors for the day, the -Demarch and Maurice sat alone in the centre of the semicircle, -surrounded by the sailors, who were much puzzled at the strangeness of -this stately, open-air theatre, so different from the air-tight boxes to -which they had been accustomed in London. - -“If it was only an Adelphi melodrama!” said Dick, whose inclinations -leaned to the bloodthirsty play; “but I suppose it will be something -like that squalling they called singing yesterday.” - -“Or a moosic ’all,” observed Gurt, chewing his quid reflectively. “I -seed a gal in one of ’em down Wappin’ way as guv a song called, ‘Tap me -on the shoulder, Bill.’ My eyes, but it were a good un, that ’ere.” - -Decidedly this unique dramatic representation, which many English -scholars would have beheld with delight, was quite thrown away on these -conservative tars, who preferred melodrama and comic songs to the solemn -splendors of ancient tragedy, which was, naturally enough, Greek to them -in more senses than one. - -In accordance with the instructions of Justinian, the poet had composed -a play embodying an allegory of the aims of this island colony of -Melnos, and, forsaking to a great extent the severe classicism of -Æschylean tragedy, had modelled his drama on the loose-flying splendors -of Shelley’s Hellas. This piece, entitled ‘The Phœnix,’ was intended -to represent the degradation of Greece under the Turkish yoke, her -escape from such bondage, her material civilization, and her subsequent -rise to intellectual supremacy, which end the formation of the colony of -Melnos was supposed to foster. Crispin had no fear of his allegorical -drama not being understood by his audience, for the Greeks are a -singularly keen-witted people, and, besides, Justinian had so imbued the -whole population with his hopes of reviving the ancient glories of the -Athenian genius, that all present were quite able to comprehend the -hidden meaning of the play. The Phœnix was to occupy the whole -morning, and, after an interval of two hours for rest and refreshment, -the satiric pendant to the more solemn piece was to be represented in -the afternoon, consisting, in this instance, of a local incident, -developed and expanded by Crispin into a wild Aristophanic farce, -blending wit with irony, laughter with tears, and stately chorus with -clownish play of rustic actors. - -Crispin, moreover, was not only author, actor, and stage manager, but -also an accomplished musician, therefore had made use of his Western -training in this respect, to get together an orchestra, and, with the -aid of Andronico, had adapted the plaintive music of the Hellenic -folk-songs to his choruses. The quick-eared Greeks speedily picked up -the airs, many of which they already knew, and thus the drama followed -closely in the footsteps of its Athenian prototype; and the wild, rude -music, sounding at intervals between the long speeches of the principal -characters, prevented the monotony which otherwise would have certainly -prevailed. With violin, flute, pipe, drum, symbols, and sabouna, the -musicians therefore took their places unseen by the audience; for -Crispin, adopting Wagner’s theory, did not want the attention of his -audience distracted in any way by the presence of the orchestra between -stage and auditorium. - -The back of the stage represented a smooth, white marble wall, fronted -by a range of Corinthian pillars wreathed with milky blossoms, and in -the centre, great folding doors ready to be flung open when required by -the exigencies of the play. Against this absolutely colorless background -moved the brilliant figures of the performers in measured fashion, with -stately gestures, as moved those serene, side-faced figures on the -marble urn dreamed of by Keats. The clear light of the sun burned on the -great half-circle of eager faces with steady effulgence, and left in -delicate shadow that wide white stage, whereon was to be enacted a drama -such as we in England, lacking all things necessary to such colossal -majesty, can never hope to see. - -All being read, the curtain arose, or rather fell, for Crispin, with -strict fidelity to Athenian usages, had adopted this curious mode of -withdrawing the veil between audience and performers. - -The stage is empty, but a wild chant sounds in the distance, and a long -train of Moslems, headed by their Sultan, sweeps in, bearing with them -Hellas, a captive in her own land to the barbaric power. Helena, draped -in black and manacled with chains, represented Hellas, who stands with -melancholy mien amid the gaudily dressed chorus of Moslems, listening to -their songs of triumph over her downfall. “We have chained you to our -chariot,” they sing tauntingly, “yet thou need’st not look so downcast, -for a slave hast thou been before, and a slave thou wilt be hereafter. -Thy shrines, thy palaces, thy city walls have fallen, and fallen too art -thou.” - -The chorus having ended their exalting strains, the Sultan addresses -Hellas, and offers to make her his wife, thus incorporating the ancient -land of loveliness with the newly constructed power of the Turk; but -Hellas, who is Athena incarnate, scorns his offer to make her an -odalisque of the harem. “Virgin I was, virgin I am, virgin I remain,” -says the fallen queen, with haughty grace; “my body you may chain with -iron, but the soul is under the protection of Zeus, the Supreme; -therefore will I sit here in desolation rather than partake of the -splendors you offer me.” Furious with rage, the barbarian smites her, -but she, still smiling, repeats constantly, “The body is thine, but the -soul is mine;” so in wrath he leaves her, with a promise that her woes -shall never end, and the Moslem chorus follow him from the stage, with -triumphant shouts of joy at the success of their arms. - -Left alone, chained and desolate, amid the ruins of her temples, Hellas -bewails her downfall, which contrasts so darkly with her former -brilliance in classic times. Crispin afterwards translated the play into -blank verse for the benefit of Maurice, but the English verse gives but -a poor idea of the fire and majesty of the sonorous Greek original. “Woe -is me!” cries the fallen queen— - - For I am but the sport of jealous gods, - Who, envious of Athenian gloriousness, - Have crushed the city of the Violet Crown - Beneath the force of overwhelming hordes; - Thus blotting out my heaven-aspiring sons, - Who, burning with a new Promethean fire, - Would fain have scaled god-crowned Olympus high - To match themselves ’gainst gods in equal strife. - -Then, with the sudden energy of despair, she calls upon the heroes of -Salamis, of Thermopylæ, of Marathon, to aid their mother in the time of -need. Alas! no voice answers to her cry of anguish, and, overcome with a -sense of hopelessness, Hellas, discrowned and chained, sinks weeping on -the broken column of her fallen shrine. - -Now enters the chorus proper of young Greek maidens, dressed in black -stoles, to denote the sorrowful condition of their country. They sweep -into the orchestra, and, having sprinkled the altar with incense, begin -to question their fallen queen, as though they were ignorant of the -cause of her grief. - - CHORUS. - - What madness drives thee, queen, to rend thine hair? - - HELLAS. - - Curst Ate bides upon the threshold stone. - - CHORUS. - - Now see I plainly thou art bound with chains. - - HELLAS. - - In this no fatal blindness dims thine eyes. - - CHORUS. - - Say whence these chains which check free-moving limbs? - - HELLAS. - - The Eastern hordes have bound me helpless thus. - -Question and answer thus goes on for some time, and then the chorus -break out into a wailing song, in which they remind Hellas that, having -forsaken the old gods who helped her in her need, she is now reaping the -reward of such folly. “The curse of Ate is on thee,” they cry pitifully, -“nor will the goddess be satisfied until she has exacted her due penalty -for neglect of the Olympians.” They relate the former woes of Hellas, -how she first was slave to the Macedonians, then to the Roman power; how -the Latins set their mailed feet on her neck; and now the Moslems have -again reduced her to the position of bondswoman. Ever a slave, ever -desired, she is thrown from the one to the other, as it pleases them, -unable to free herself from such degradation. When this chorus of -reproach is ended, Hellas calls upon the tutelar genius of Greece to -help her ere she perish. - -In answer to her cry, Apollo (represented by Caliphronas) appears, and -blames her for foolishly forsaking the old gods for the new, and thus -falling into the hands of Nemesis. His power, which was engendered and -kept alive solely by belief, has departed, and he cannot help her, much -as he desires to do so. “I myself,” he says— - - E’en I whose fanes were ever reverenced, - Am now bereft of shrine and oracle; - No longer do I hear the Delian hymn, - Nor taste the savors of the sacrifice, - But, lyre in hand, go wandering through the night, - Lamenting for my skyey chariot, - Wherein I bore the fierceness of the sun - Up eastern hills and down to western seas. - -Finally, Apollo tells his renegade worshipper that she must sing the -battle-songs of Tyrtæus, which may perhaps awaken thoughts of freedom in -the breasts of her degenerated sons, and then departs, promising to -return again when she is once more the stainless Hellas of old. Fired by -the speech of the god, Hellas rises, and, assisted by the chorus, begins -to sing fierce battle-songs, and call upon her sons to remember the -heroes of the past. A clamor is heard without as of men fighting, then -the chains of Hellas fall off, and with them her dark robe. Now she is -free once more, and clad in purest white, so, while rejoicing in her -liberty, a herald (Crispin) appears, and tells how well the Greeks have -fought for their independence. This gave the poet an opportunity for a -stirring speech, descriptive of the modern Greek heroes, Canaris, -Botzaris, and Conduriottis, which names were received with shouts by the -audience, fired with patriotic fervor. - -Once more Apollo, the genius of Greece, appears, and declares that no -longer can Hellas dwell in desecrated Athens, but that, even as his -mother Latona, she must seek shelter in an Ægean isle, and there, after -long years, give birth to a supreme race, who will revive the ancient -glories of violet-crowned Athens. Leading her by the hand, the god then -conducts the newly liberated Hellas up the steps of the temple. The -great doors are flung open to the sound of trumpets! and lo! appears the -Acropolis of Melnos in all its beauty. Here is Hellas to dwell in -seclusion, until her antique glory is revived by a new race of her sons, -instinct with genius; and down the steps come strings of white-robed -youths and girls, bearing fruits, to welcome this Phœnix of Greece, -new risen from the ashes of the past. Then the chorus, wreathing in a -mystic dance round the altar of Bacchus, sing the coming glories of New -Hellas, which are soon to be realized in the Island of Melnos. - - Long, long hast thou lain as in prison, our mother, our goddess, our - queen, - But lo! to the eastward hath risen a splendor serene, - And glorious day follows darkness, the darkness of hundreds of years, - Reviving thy corpse from its starkness, with laughter and tears, - Ay, tears for the past and its anguish, and laughter for glories to - come, - For never again wilt thou languish, a bondswoman dumb. - The trumpets of triumph are blowing, their clangor swells north from thy - south, - And jubilant music is flowing anew from thy mouth. - Man, dazzled, obedient shall render his homage to thee as of yore, - And thou wilt stand forth in thy splendor, a goddess once more. - -After this introductory chant in unison, the chorus divided in twain, -and semi-chorus replied to semi-chorus, in fiery speech and jubilant -music, that rang like a pæan through the wide theatre. Ever moving -figures, kneeling youths and maidens, soft radiance of sunlight, and -triumphant bursts of choral song, while Hellas, serene in her freedom, -stands beside tutelary genius, with the light of the glorious future on -her face, listening to the eagle flight of liquid words, greeting her as -queen of the world. - -The play being ended, all the lively Greeks streamed out of the theatre, -loudly praising the entertainment, and, having had an intellectual -feast, now proceeded to the tables set in the open air, which were -covered with all kinds of food to satisfy their physical wants. Maurice -and the Demarch waited in the theatre alone for the actors, and very -shortly Crispin came to see how they liked his play. He received warm -congratulations of his success from the two men, while Helena and -Caliphronas also received their due meed of praise. The Greek was -radiant with self-complacent delight, for his vanity had been much -gratified by the approval of the audience, and for the rest of the day -he regarded himself as the hero of the hour, quite forgetting both -Crispin and Helena in his serene egotism. - -“I hope I have succeeded in showing your aims clearly, Justinian?” said -the poet, as they sat down to a comfortable meal. - -“You have succeeded admirably, especially in that last chorus. I only -hope that all will see the piece is meant for more than the amusement of -an hour.” - -“If you heard how the villagers are talking,” remarked Caliphronas, with -a laugh, “I do not think you would have any doubt on that score, for -they already regard themselves as the saviours of Hellas, -intellectually, physically, and politically.” - -“Did you intend your genius of Greece for Lord Byron, Crispin?” asked -Maurice, who had understood and admired the allegory. - -“Well, the character was supposed to blend both the god and the poet,” -replied Crispin, after a pause; “let us say it was the Olympian -incarnate in the body of the Englishman.” - -“And both the Olympian and Englishman incarnate in a Greek,” said the -Demarch graciously. - -Caliphronas smiled at receiving this compliment, which was intended to -further blind him to the reality of Justinian’s feelings towards him. - -“There is nothing I should like better than to become a leader in -reality,” he said gayly; “to inspire my countrymen with the desire of -once more making Hellas supreme queen of the world.” - -“Of the intellectual world?” - -“Or the material—it matters not which.” - -“Pardon me, but it matters a great deal,” replied Justinian quickly. -“Politically, Greece has a place among the Powers—she has a constitution -and a king. So, as far as material prosperity goes, I wish not to meddle -with her, but my aim is to revive her intellectuality, and Crispin’s -play was entirely written to illustrate that point. Hellas will never be -a modern Roman empire—she never was an all-conquering power, and her -strength lay in the brains, not in the hands of her sons. After all, is -it not greater to control the minds than the bodies of men?” - -“You want to turn Hellas into a school.” - -“The pen is mightier than the sword,” rejoined Justinian sententiously. -“Let other nations be merchants and warriors, while Greece reasserts her -ancient vocation of teacher. An aptitude for a special line is as true -of the many as of the one. You would not give the lyre to the soldier -nor the sword to the poet, so every race should exercise the talents -with which it is especially gifted; not, of course, to the exclusion of -others, but make its peculiar gift its greatest aim. At present, the -great human family of Europe is in a state of transition, and, unaware -of each other’s aims, are watchfully in arms the one against the other. -Let us hope that before the end of the twentieth century they will -recognize that one special faculty predominates in every nation, and -permit each other to cultivate that special faculty.” - -“What!” exclaimed Maurice, somewhat astonished, “would you have the -English nothing but shopkeepers and colonizers—the French, a nation of -warriors—the Germans, philosophers only, and the Italians, musicians? -That, indeed, would narrow down the talents of the world to one special -field each.” - -“You do not understand me, Maurice,” said Justinian impatiently. “I -quite agree that every nation should have its own literature, art, -music, philosophy, and drama, but the one special gift of the race -should be cultivated more than the others; it should be made a state -law—a political necessity. However, this question admits of much -argument, and we have no time to argue now, but, in illustration that I -am not so narrow-minded as you think, I will merely point out, that I -educate my Greeks in military and civil occupations quite as much as I -attend to their intellectuality.” - -“After all,” said Caliphronas pointedly, “only civil occupations, such -as touch agriculture, are necessary, for intellectuality is yet in the -future with us, and it is not likely Melnos will ever require to resort -to arms.” - -“I trust not,” replied Justinian, looking steadily at the Count. “But if -she does, I am quite sure you will find her sons able to defend their -island, even against enmity and treachery.” - -Caliphronas smiled uneasily, and held his peace, upon which there ensued -a rather embarrassing pause, which was only ended by the departure of -Crispin to look after the afternoon’s entertainment. Maurice strolled -off in the pleasant company of Helen, much to the disgust of -Caliphronas, who now pointedly avoided the company of the Englishman, -owing to the fracas which had occurred during the previous day. Truth to -tell, Roylands was pleased with such avoidance, as, now that open war -was declared between himself and the Greek, he had no need to cloak his -distaste for the society of this precious scamp. - -The satiric comedy of “The Honey Bees,” was a fantastic piece based upon -an incident which had lately occurred in Melnos. Justinian had lately -imported a potter to teach his people the ceramic art, but this new -acquisition turned out to be but an idle scoundrel, who spent his time -in drinking and making love to his neighbors’ wives. On this basis the -poet had worked out an amusing plot, not devoid of point, in which -Aristides, an idle scamp, forces himself into an industrious hive of -honey bees, whose queen he desires to marry, in order to be independent -for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, he falls a victim to a -counter-plot of the bees themselves, who, in order to disillusionize the -queen, get a pretty young girl called Myrtis to pay court to the -adventurer. He makes love to Myrtis, and is discovered by the enraged -queen, who orders her bees to drive him forth from the hive. - -This slight framework was filled with pointed allusions to passing -events, and the weaknesses of many of the Melnosians were slyly pointed -out, so that the gossip-loving audience enjoyed every stinging remark to -the full, nor, indeed, failed to laugh when the irony was directed at -themselves. The scene was the public square of the village, with the -lake and the bronze statue of Jupiter, so that, with such a well-known -setting, every local point was understood and applauded. The chorus -consisted of the “Honey Bees,” dressed somewhat after the fashion of -Aristophanic Wasps, with pinched waists, yellow black-banded bodies, and -spears for stings. Alternating with the rude buffoonery of the play, -were bursts of choric song lauding the community of Melnos and the -industry of its inhabitants, with many sly hits at the idle lives of the -adjacent islanders. In fact, with great judgment the poet had -constructed the whole comedy to glorify the Melnosians at the expense of -their labors, and thus render them the more resolved to work hard at -their appointed tasks, and thus fulfil the aims of their Demarch. - -The following scene of the arrival of Aristides and the entrance of the -chorus will give, some idea of the play, though, of course, what with -local allusions and the flexibility of the Greek language, the comedy is -more amusing in the original. - -_Aristides._ O Pan, to what land of honey have I come! Truly, I see -naught but wild thyme and yellow comb. Poseidon, has thou then girdled -Hymettus with the azure scarf of ocean? - -_Queen._ No hill of Attic fame do you here behold, but the sky-piercing -Melnos, beloved of the gods. - -_Aristides._ Jupiter! I behold a graceful creature. Have I then been -thrown on the alluring coast of fatal Circe? - -_Queen._ Sun-god’s daughter I am not, but one who rules over -honey-seeking bees in this hollow island. Cleverly do they extract the -sweet juices of flowers to fill the emptiness of many-celled combs. - -_Aristides_ (_running away_). Ah me, I fear the sharpness of their -stings. - -_Queen._ In no wise will they hurt thee save at my behest. Be still, O -handsome stranger, and I will invoke for thee the industrious tribe, -whose ambrosia is sweeter than the food of undying gods. - -_Aristides._ Already I shake in my cowardly knees. - -_Queen._ O Pan, inspirer of vague fears, do I call on thee to send -hither the swift-flying bees. Whether ye lurk in honey-throated flowers -industrious, or speed lightly through the measureless sky, do I summon -ye hither, O sting-bearers. - - ENTER CHORUS OF BEES. - - - Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! - Indeed I heard thy cry, O queen, - When seeking on a mount serene - Sweet-tasting honey for our store, - Drawn from the core - Of rose and daisy, violet, - In sparkling dews of meadows set, - With patient labor do I strive - To fill the hive, - Alas! too often plundered, when - Espied by all-devouring men. - Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! - But lo! whom see I lurking here? - The form of man, whom much I fear. - Buz—z—z—z—z! - Let me prepare my angry sting - To slay this greedy-passioned thing, - Who would devour - Our honey in a single hour. - Buz—z—z—z—z. - -The audience, lovers of laughter as they were, much preferred this -amusing play to the solemn teachings of the morning, and yet from both -they learned something necessary to their well-being. From the one, how -Justinian wished to make them the centre of a new intellectual force; -and from the other, how his aim could be achieved by industry and -perseverance: so, grave or gay, the performance instilled the policy of -the Demarch into their minds. - -On the conclusion of the comedy, the rest of the evening was devoted to -feasting, while Justinian and his guests returned to the Acropolis, well -pleased with the success of the performances. - -“Well, what do you think of my sermons from the stage?” asked Crispin, -as he strolled along beside Maurice. - -“I think very highly of them,” answered the Englishman. “It is a pity we -dare not be so out-spoken in our own land. But if you set forth the -foibles of Londoners as plainly as you did in ‘The Honey Bees,’ I am -afraid you would have half a dozen libel cases.” - -“It would be impossible to transplant the Aristophanic comedy to -England, for modern civilization is too complicated to admit of such -free speaking. Besides, the average Briton is too serious and too -practical to relish the truth, even when uttered by the comic muse, and -only the light-hearted Athenians could have appreciated and enjoyed such -plain speaking. The French are more given to open criticism, and I -daresay a political comedy constructed on these lines would appeal -greatly to their sense of humor.” - -“When one is in Rome one must not speak evil of the Pope!” - -“And every nation has its pope of conventionality. I agree with you -there. After all, it is impossible to revive the past, and even a new -Shakespeare would be as out of place in these post-revolutionary days as -a new Aristophanes. The modern world deals with the drama of little -things, and the individual idiosyncrasy is caricatured instead of the -national policy. We have only one plain-speaking Aristophanes nowadays, -and his name is _Punch_.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - OLYMPIAN. - - Like statues fair the naked runners stand, - Poised for the start on Elis’ sacred plain, - Their limbs resplendent shine with fragrant oil, - And every eager athlete is fain - To win the wreath of olives for his toil, - In honor of his laud. - Like flying arrows from a stretchèd bow, - They onward speed with every muscle strained. - A breathless pause—then shouts to heaven go - In token of the victory hardly won. - - A triple cry of “Hail, Victorious!” sounds; - With dance and choral song the victor goes - To bend before the statue of the god. - Then one with glad rejoicing proudly throws - A robe of triumph o’er his shoulders broad, - And with wild olives crowned, - The athlete unconquered, in his state - Waits silent in the awful god’s abode - To hear, with pride of victory elate, - The rushing splendor of Pindaric ode. - - -Owing to the comparatively small size of the valley, which was much -taken up with the dwelling-houses, manufactories, and public buildings, -the place wherein the yearly games took place was not very large. Still, -with a sparse population, the arena was large enough, and when all were -assembled it was comfortably filled, leaving a large open space in the -centre for the runners, leapers, boxers, and other athletes who took -part in the sports. Despite his dislike to anachronisms, Justinian was -obliged to deviate from the special sports of Elis, and introduce a -number of modern pastimes, in order to keep his men in an efficient -state of training for the defence of the island. To this end, shooting -matches were arranged, and the Demarch supplied the Melnosians with guns -for the day, which were afterwards returned to the armory of the -Acropolis, and many of the villagers were excellent marksmen. Justinian -also, who appeared to know something of military tactics, drilled and -manœuvred his men in fine style; and last, but not least, Gurt, who -was an old man-of-war’s man, had taught a special number the cutlass -drill of the British navy. - -The arena was a large open space near the grand staircase, surrounded -with many trees of the beech, elm, pine, and plane sort; and thus, to -some extent, shaded the ground agreeably from the sun, which beat -fiercely down at noonday. There was no amphitheatre, but rows of stone -benches on which the women could seat themselves, while their husbands, -fathers, sons, and brothers stood around, or lay luxuriously on the -grass. Justinian himself, however, had a kind of stone throne, rudely -carved, and all his guests were supplied with seats adjacent, so that -they could view the games quite comfortably. The athletes were clothed -in their tight-fitting dancing costumes, which gave free play to their -bodies, and were comfortably cool, while their feet only were bare, so -as not to impede their speed in the racing. On this final day of the -festival, the colors changed sexes, for most of the men were garbed in -white for the sports, while the women had decked their snowy chitons -with brilliant ribbons and gold coins, while they wreathed their dark -locks with fragrant chaplets of flowers. Only Helena was in pure -white—Helena, who sat near her father like a queen, and wore a robe the -hue of milk, a snowy wreath of delicate cyclamen, yet who looked the -fairest of all the fair women assembled. In spite of the attractions, -vine-feast and goat-song, which had occupied the two previous days, -these Olympian games were the favorites with the lively Melnosians, as -all could take part in them, and win the praises of the Demarch, and the -smiles of the women, which was greatly flattering to the harmless vanity -of the Greek nature. - -Maurice, in common with Crispin, was arrayed in the white wool athletic -dress, as Caliphronas had challenged him to compete in jumping, and for -the honor of his country he accepted the glove so insultingly thrown -down. Insultingly, because Caliphronas, confident of his superb physical -perfection, had taunted the Englishman with not being able to hold his -own in athletic sports, save in boxing, which taunt had stung Maurice so -much, that he had wagered himself against Caliphronas in the running -jump. At college, Maurice had been a famous athlete, and though six -years of idleness in London had impaired his powers, yet the pure -atmosphere of Melnos, the constant open-air life of mountain-climbing -and swimming had completely reinvigorated him; and what he lacked of his -former skill was counterbalanced by the endurance of his spare frame, -the hardness of his muscles, and his general feeling of exuberant -vitality. He was all in white, save for the colors of his college, and a -wreath of red roses, which Helena had woven round his gray sombrero, in -which headgear he looked like the Sicilian shepherd, Acis, when he went -a-courting Galatea by the sea. - -Seated by Justinian, they all watched the progress of the games with -great interest, which was fully shared by their surrounding guard of -sailors, who thought this festival the most sensible of the three. All -the ambitious mariners had entered themselves for every game, running, -wrestling, leaping, boxing, and shooting; nor did they fail to uphold -the honor of England, for if the Greeks had the speed, the Britons had -the strength, and, in their dogged determination that an Englishman -could not be beaten, managed to secure a respectable number of victories -over the nimble-stepping islanders. - -“I think I like the games best myself,” said Justinian, as he surveyed -the races from his throne, like one of the old Olympian Hellanodikai; -“for I know that strength is what Melnos now requires from her sons. -Amusement and intellectuality are in the future, but, with the chances -of a probable war, we need as many skilled athletes and trained soldiers -as possible.” - -“I notice you make everything subservient to your schemes,” observed -Maurice, who every day was more and more impressed with the -administrative capabilities of the Demarch. - -“Of course. I think the entire life of a people should be the means to -an end, and thus they will be able to live healthfully, mirthfully, and -intellectually, yet be able to guard themselves in time of dangers.” - -“Quite like Sparta!” - -“No; I have told you I never did approve of Sparta, which destroyed the -individuality of every man, and turned her nation into nothing but a -warlike machine. A plant will not grow in a pot too small for it, nor -will a child constantly confined in swaddling clothes develop its -physical nature freely. Mankind requires four things,—amusement, -education, work, and physical exercise; and on these requirements I base -my system of rule. All the year round, my people work for the well-being -of the community, and these festivals, although they please them, are -not without their objects. The first day is the pure amusement only of -the vintage feast; during the second day, I educate their minds to -understand the reason of their existence; and now, on this third day, -they indulge in physical exercises, which keep them healthy, and also -train them to defend their land from outside dangers.” - -“You are a modern Solon!” - -“The Solon of an unnoticed island,” replied Justinian, with a smile. -“Well, you see, owing to the exigencies of modern life, I am forced to -go in for quality rather than quantity—to rule a tribe instead of a -nation—to govern an island rather than a continent. Nevertheless, you -know the saying, ‘From small events, what mighty causes spring;’ so, -perchance, my miniature government, when it develops into a larger one, -may not be without some influence in this often misgoverned world.” - -“Justinian,” said Maurice, with irrepressible curiosity, “who are you?” - -“Demarch of Melnos.” - -“Forgive me!” replied Maurice, flushing, as he noticed the pointed -rebuke. “I know the question I have asked is a breach of good-breeding; -but you are such a wonderful man, that I must be excused for wondering -where you came from.” - -“I am not angry at your question,” returned Justinian, touched by the -frankness of the young man; “the spectacle of an old Englishman with -such projects is, perhaps, calculated to arouse curiosity. However, I -will promise to tell you all about myself when a certain event, which I -dearly desire, comes to pass.” - -“And that event?” - -Justinian smiled meaningly, and let his eyes fall upon Helena, upon -which Maurice flushed red with delight, and would have spoken, but that -the wary old man shook his head, as a sign that he was to keep silence. - -“Andros!” he whispered significantly; “another time.” - -Maurice saw that Caliphronas was walking towards them, and wisely held -his peace, although it was difficult for him to repress the delight -which the hint of Justinian had awakened in his breast. To have this -queen among women as his own, to pass his life by her side, to always -have her beautiful face before his eyes,—it was too good to be true. Yet -true it was, for Justinian had unmistakably shown his approbation of the -match. As to Caliphronas, the young Englishman had no fear; he had given -his rival plainly to understand that he would strive his hardest to win -Helena, and the Greek could not say that he was involved in any way in -Justinian’s crafty diplomacy. Maurice Roylands was essentially an -honorable man, and, despite the necessity for such treachery, the -underhanded dealings of the Demarch were revolting to his sense of -honesty, and he was glad he had come to a complete understanding with -the Count, so that, when Justinian showed his hand in the deep game he -was playing, Caliphronas could not accuse his rival of underhand -dealings in any way. As to Helena, this straightforward lover was not so -ignorant of the ways of women as not to know she liked him best, in -spite of her coquettings with Caliphronas; therefore he felt quite -confident that Helena would not be cruel enough to refuse him. - -His meditations were put an end to by Crispin, who approached with Dick, -on whose behalf he proffered a challenge to Mr. Roylands. - -“Here you are, Maurice,” said the poet cheerily. “Dick wishes to know if -you will be his antagonist in a boxing contest.” - -“Certainly, I will be delighted; but I am afraid, Dick, you will have -the best of it, as I haven’t touched the gloves for the last six -months.” - -“I’m not in good training myself, sir,” replied Dick modestly; “but I’d -dearly love to have a turn with you, sir, if I may make so bold, just to -show these darned Greeks how to use their fists.” - -“Don’t you speak contemptuously of these darned Greeks, my friend,” said -Crispin dryly; “some of Justinian’s men have no small skill in boxing, I -can tell you.” - -“Not Caliphronas,” remarked Maurice, recalling his contest with the -Count on the first day of the feast. - -“Caliphronas!” echoed Crispin scornfully. “No; he is too much afraid of -his beauty being spoiled to go in for hard knocks; but he is a good -leaper, Maurice, so you will have to look to your University laurels.” - -“‘And can I fail before my lady’s eyes?’” quoted Maurice jestingly. - -“Perhaps not; but remember Caliphronas is also exhibiting his prowess in -his lady’s eyes: so you are like two knights of the Middle Ages tilting -before the Queen of Beauty. If you fail, my poor Maurice”— - -“_Væ victis_”, retorted Roylands, with a laugh; “keep your lamentations -till after the contest, Mr. Aristophanes. Jove! how that fellow scuds!” - -A one-mile race was going on, four times round the arena, which was a -quarter of a mile in circumference, and about half a dozen men had -started, among whom was Temistocles, the young Greek who had won the -wine-skin dance on the first day of the festival. He had shot slightly -ahead of his competitors, who were making great efforts to catch him up, -but Maurice, an adept in such things, saw that he was exhausting himself -in the effort to keep the lead, and, as it was only the first lap, would -not be able to hold out to the end going at such a pace. - -“Crispin, tell that fellow leading to reserve himself for the last -round.” - -“What for?” - -“Because he’s taking too much out of himself, stupid. Quick, shout as he -passes.” - -The runners were now flying past the winning-post, which was directly in -front of Justinian’s throne, so Crispin sang out loudly in Greek to -Temistocles as Maurice had instructed him. The young Palikar was no -fool, and saw that the advice was good, so he let the two behind him -gain his side, and took a second place between them and the ruck. Only -these three men were in the race, for the remaining three were already -well blown, and Temistocles, acting on the wary advice given, wanted his -two most dangerous opponents to exhaust themselves. During the second -lap, one of the last three men threw up the sponge, as also did another -at the third round, and as the hinder man was completely out of it, the -interest in the race centred in the two leading runners and Temistocles, -who followed closely behind. Neck and neck ran the first two, making -violent efforts to pass one another, quite unaware of the danger behind -them, so that at the final lap they were getting somewhat stale. -Half-way round the arena, one gained slightly on the other, and, -thinking he was now pretty certain of the victory, ran home at full -speed, but Temistocles, who had been mustering his strength, saw that -the decisive moment had come, and, shooting past him like an arrow, -gained the goal four lengths ahead. The applause during this exciting -race was tremendous, and the onlookers cheered themselves hoarse when -Temistocles won; while that grateful young man came to thank Crispin for -the hint which had gained him the victory. - -“Do not thank me,” said Crispin, smiling, as he drew Roylands forward; -“Kyrios Maurice told me what to say.” - -Temistocles expressed himself much beholden to the lord, and went off to -receive the congratulations of his friends, while the next item on the -programme, which was a boxing contest, began. Both Maurice and Dick -watched this exhibition of pugilistic science critically, and came to -the conclusion that while the islanders were active enough in dodging -and hitting, they had not sufficient strength to make their blows -effective enough when they hit home. It was all dexterity and avoidance -with them, which made the fight pretty enough to look on, but scarcely -exciting from an English point of view. Still, one of these light-weight -Greeks was enough to tire out any ordinary boxer, and, once having -exhausted his antagonist, could hope to tap him pretty freely, and thus -come off victor. - -At last, after several contests, Maurice and Dick put on the gloves and -stepped into the arena, and, after shaking hands in time-honored -fashion, began to spar warily at one another. Both were heavier-built -men than the spare-framed Greeks, but were pretty equally matched in -point of weight and science. If anything, Dick had the quicker eye of -the two, while Roylands possessed the longer reach. Justinian, an old -boxing man himself, was as keen as a needle over this glove match, and -came down from his seat, in order to get a closer view of the battle, -while the Melnosians, equally interested, crowded round eagerly to watch -the contest. - -After sparring lightly for a time, Maurice made a feint, and led out -straight home, but Dick was on his guard, and parried the blow with his -right, catching his antagonist a lifter on the jaw with his left. -Secretly annoyed at this, Roylands made rapid play, and succeeded in -landing a stunner on Dick’s eye before the active sailor could dodge. -Maurice got the worst of the first round, Dick of the second, so it -seemed difficult to foresee who would finally triumph. In the third -Maurice got a nasty one in the ribs, but, feinting with his left, -extended his right rapidly in that dexterous blow known as “the -policeman’s knock,” which, catching Dick full on the face, had the -effect of tumbling him over on the grass. In the fourth round, however, -Dick recovered his lost ground by blowing his antagonist first, then -coming home with a tremendous rap on the left ear which made Maurice see -stars. The Greeks were frenzied with excitement, and even Justinian, -Caliphronas, and Crispin caught the contagion, and yelled as loudly as -the rest at every successful blow. Not so active as the cat-like sailor, -Maurice was getting a trifle blown, and thought he was going to disgrace -himself in Helena’s eyes, and, what was worse, in Caliphronas’, by being -beaten, so, when the fifth round began, made up his mind to come off -best. By this time he was pretty well versed in Dick’s tactics, and when -the sailor closed in with a right-hand feint, in order to come home with -his left, Maurice dodged like lightning, and, breaking down Dick’s -guard, punished him severely on the nose. Both men’s blood was up now, -and indeed Dick’s was showing, as it streamed from what is called, in -the graceful language of the prize ring, “his smeller,” and at the sixth -round the onlookers saw that the final bout would be severe. - -All the women were rather nervous at this savage contest, and Helena, -pale as a lily at the sight of blood, was clinging to her father’s arm, -inwardly breathing prayers for the success of her hero, for so she now -regarded Maurice. Dick had now quite lost his head, and was quite -reckless, while Maurice was as cool and calm as ever, his self-control -standing him in good stead in parrying Dick’s furious onslaughts. Still -the sailor managed to draw blood freely, much to the secret joy of -Caliphronas, who would have liked nothing better than to see Maurice’s -handsome face spoiled, when Roylands, setting his teeth like a vise, -tried to close in with his opponent for the final tussle. For a minute -the two men dodged rapidly, feinted, parried, sparred, and did their -best to break down one another’s guard, when Dick, losing his -self-control, hit out recklessly in a wild fashion, upon which Maurice -sent one blow after another home like a sledge-hammer, and ended the -fight with a tremendous left-hander, which levelled Dick almost -insensible on the ground. - -Every man on the ground, aroused by the sight of blood, fairly went mad, -and when Dick went off, supported by two of his messmates, wanted to -carry the victor in schoolboy fashion round the ground on their -shoulders, a triumph which Maurice declined, and retired to cleanse -himself of blood. Long after was that fight remembered, and the local -poet made a kind of Iliad out of the struggle, which was one compared to -the triumph of Achilles over Hector, Maurice of course being the son of -silver-footed Thetis. - -The sports went on during the whole of the long day, as if the -competitors would never tire, and there were flat-racing, hurdle-racing, -jumping, wrestling, and further boxing, until late in the afternoon. -Then Gurt put his men through their cutlass drill, and Justinian -manœuvred the whole male population of the island, much to his own -satisfaction and that of Maurice, who saw that the Melnosians were -capitally drilled. - -“Where did you learn all your military science?” he asked Justinian when -the drill was over. - -“I was in the army once,” replied the old Demarch, with great pride. - -“What regiment, may I ask?” - -“I cannot tell you that yet.” - -“You are as mysterious as Crispin.” - -“There are a good many mysteries in this Island of Fantasy, Mr. -Roylands,” retorted Justinian good-humoredly, “and when they are all -solved, you will be surprised in more ways than one. Have you been a -soldier yourself?” - -“No! I am a man of peace, but my Uncle Rudolph was a lieutenant in a -line regiment, the —th.” - -“Ah, your lost uncle!” said the Demarch, with an ambiguous smile. “You -must tell me your family history some day.” - -“I am afraid it will be necessary soon,” replied Maurice, glancing at -Helena. - -“Ah, you think so? Well, remember my desire about you being my -successor, Maurice. I wish your answer shortly.” - -“You will have it as soon as I hear from England.” - -“Well, that will be soon. I have a boat waiting at Syra for your -letters, so I trust you will your reply, and Crispin his yacht, -shortly.” - -“Then you still anticipate trouble?” - -“I do! Remember we have one possessing the fatal name of Helena here. -She is the firebrand, as you well know; but we will talk of these things -another time, my son. Meanwhile, let us come and look at the shooting.” - -As Maurice turned to accompany the old man, he felt a soft touch on his -arm, and, on looking down, saw that Helena, with an expression of pity -on her beautiful face, was looking at him. - -“Are you hurt, Maurice?” she said anxiously. - -“No, not at all!” he replied, laughing. “Dick gave me a nasty one on the -nose, which is rather painful, but nothing to speak of. But to-morrow, I -will be such a sight, as you will shudder to look on me.” - -“I would rather see a brave man disfigured, than a handsome coward,” -retorted Helena, with disdain, casting a side look at the distant form -of Caliphronas. - -“Oh, and you think Caliphronas is”— - -“Very nice,” interrupted Helena cruelly. “Yes, he is delightful!” - -“I believe you are very fond of Caliphronas,” said Maurice, displeased -at this speech. - -“I don’t think you are, Maurice,” pouted the girl, looking down. - -“Assuredly I’m not, and to prove this, I will do my best to beat him at -the high jump!” - -“If you do,” said Helena gayly, “I will give you a rose.” - -“Of what color, you coquette,—red for love, or white for silence?” - -“Neither! Yellow for jealousy!” - -She ran away after her father with a silvery laugh, in which Maurice, in -spite of his vexation, could not help joining, as the charming coquetry -of this young girl was delightful enough to fascinate him, and annoying -enough to pique his pride, of which Mr. Roylands had no small share. - -“She is the loveliest woman in the world,” he said to himself, -sauntering towards the shooting party, “and if I win her I will be the -most fortunate of beings. But I am afraid she is a coquette, or else it -is a woman’s way of provoking love. Hullo, Dick! is this you?” he added -aloud, as the boatswain, considerably battered, approached him. “I’m -afraid I’ve knocked you up a bit.” - -“Not a bit of it, sir,” replied Dick, heartily grasping the young -Englishman’s extended hand. “I’ll be as right as a trivet to-morrow; -but, my word, sir, I shouldn’t like to meet you without the gloves!” - -“I don’t know so much about that, Dick. You were a pretty tough -antagonist, I can tell you!” - -“So Zoe thought, sir, when she saw me,” grinned Dick, displaying his -white teeth; “she thought it was Gurt, sir!” - -“And was sorry it wasn’t, perhaps?” - -“I’m blest if she was, Mr. Roylands! I’m the white-haired boy in that -quarter, sir.” - -“And Gurt?” - -“Oh, he don’t mind, sir. He’s not a marrying man—I am.” - -“And you intend to marry Zoe?” - -“If she’ll have me, sir.” - -“I don’t think there’s much fear of that, Dick,” replied Maurice -genially. - -“I hope not, sir, but women are queer creatures.” - -“They are, indeed, Dick,” answered Maurice, with a sigh, thinking of -Helena and her dexterity in avoiding his wooing, yet keeping him a fast -captive in her chains. - -“What I’d like you to do, sir,” said Dick reflectively, “is to have the -gloves on with Mr. Caliphronas.” - -“Why so?” - -For answer Dick pointed to his own swollen face, and grinned meaningly, -whereupon Maurice walked away, laughing to think of the Count’s handsome -countenance in such a scarred condition. - -The shooting was going on splendidly, and all the Melnosians proved -themselves good marksmen, more or less, while Justinian himself was a -crack shot, and made one centre after the other in a most surprising -manner. - -“Will you have a try, Maurice?” he said, when the young man reached him. - -“Not to-day, sir. I’m too shaky after that fight, and wish to keep up -all my strength for the high jump.” - -“You have a tough antagonist in Caliphronas.” - -“I know that,” rejoined Maurice uneasily, “but I’m hanged if I’ll let -him beat me. His bragging would never cease. Bravo, Crispin!” - -Crispin had just made a bull’s eye, and was rejoicing in a modest way -over his success, so Maurice, to encourage him, patted his shoulder. - -“What a pity Eunice is not here to see!” said Roylands, laughing. - -“I’m afraid Eunice would not appreciate my skill!” - -“My dear lad, she would appreciate anything you did.” - -“I don’t think her mother would!” - -“As long as you have twelve thousand a year, Mrs. Dengelton will think -you an Admirable Crichton.” - -“Not without a name!” - -“You have a name as good as any in England,” said Justinian, touching -the poet on the shoulder, “and what it is I will tell you, when all -these troubles are over.” - -This was the first time the Demarch had spoken so plainly, and Crispin -was much rejoiced thereat. - -“I am quite content, for I know you will keep your promise.” - -“You are right!” rejoined Justinian proudly. “I never break a promise, -unless with regard to Punic faith.” - -Caliphronas heard this saying, but of course did not understand the -significance of the remark, and strolled away in order to look at the -high jump, which was being put up near the throne of Justinian. The -shooting being at an end, the rest of the party followed, and took their -seats for the final contest of the day, which was to be the competition -of the Greek and the Englishman in the high jump. - -The two competitors came forward, as lightly clad as possible, in order -to give themselves every advantage in the contest, and two finer -specimens of manly grace it would have been hard to find. Caliphronas -was as lithe and sinewy as a panther, with a sinuous grace in every -movement; while Maurice, who was the heavier-built of the two, had not a -spare ounce of flesh on his body, thanks to his active athletic training -during his residence in Melnos. Both were fair-haired and handsome, but -the delicately moulded face of the graceful Greek had a cunning -expression which was quite absent from the more manly looks of the -Englishman. With supreme conceit Caliphronas quite expected to gain the -victory, while Maurice in spite of his University record, could not help -feeling a trifle uneasy as he looked at the springy grace of his -antagonist, besides which he still felt a trifle shaken by the -glove-fight, even though it had taken place during the earlier part of -the day. - -Caliphronas jumped first, and, poising himself on the ball of his foot -about ten yards off, made for the tape, which was extended between two -upright poles, with the speed of a deer. It was four feet ten high, and, -presenting no obstacle to an accomplished leaper like himself, he -cleared it easily with the lightness of a flying bird. Maurice followed, -and also went over without the least difficulty, amid the applause of -the spectators, much to the Greek’s secret vexation, as he saw his -antagonist was fresher than he thought, and no mean athlete to be -scorned. Four eleven was also cleared cleanly by both, though in the air -Maurice’s feet were perilously near the tape, a fact which Caliphronas, -who was eagerly watching, noted with delight. The height was now five -feet, at which Caliphronas, unfortunately for himself, went with -over-confidence, so that he touched the tape lightly. Intensely vexed at -his failure, he could only hope that Maurice also would touch, but the -Englishman set his teeth determinedly, and cleared the five feet with -the bound of a deer. The Greek, mad with anger at thus being beaten, and -furious at the applause of the spectators, loudly swore that the jump -was a chance one, whereupon Maurice walked straight up to him, with an -angry face. - -“Count Caliphronas, you forget yourself, and you forget me, to make such -a statement. There was no fluke about the matter, and, to prove it to -you, we will both jump the five over again.” - -Justinian disapproved of this, but Maurice was firm, and Caliphronas was -only too delighted to have another chance of beating his hated enemy; -so, once more going to the start, he made a rapid run, and cleared the -jump, by a hair’s breadth, it is true—still he cleared it. - -“Now, Mr. Maurice,” he said ungenerously, forgetting the noble way in -which the Englishman had acted. “Let us see if you can do that twice.” - -“I will not do it twice, sir.” - -“I thought not!” retorted the Greek exultantly; “so I have won.” - -“Not yet! you forget I also have cleared the five; but, to prove to you -that my jump was no fluke, I challenge you to five one.” - -“You’ll never do it, Maurice,” whispered Crispin in alarm. “Jump the -five again, and let the match be a tie.” - -“I’m hanged if I will!” retorted the Englishman fiercely; “I have done -better than five one at Oxford, and if it had not been for the gloves, -I’d do it again. At all events, I’ll try this jump, Count Caliphronas.” - -In fair play the Count could not refuse the challenge, although he was -pale with anger, so, knowing he would never clear that extra inch, went -half-heartedly towards the start. Such a faint spirit is not conducive -to victory, and Caliphronas not only touched, but fell heavily on the -ground, much to his chagrin. Then it was Maurice’s turn, and, measuring -the distance with his eye, he placed himself a little more than ten -yards from the tape. Helena clasped her hands with nervous fear, the -spectators held their breath, as Maurice, pale in face, but stout in -heart, came flying forward, and, soaring upward like a bird, cleared the -five one with consummate ease. There was a wild cheer from the crowd, -especially from the British tars, who rejoiced greatly at the way in -which Maurice was upholding the honor of England, and the victor found -his two hands nearly shaken off by Crispin and Justinian. As soon as he -could get free, he looked for Caliphronas, but the Greek, too -petty-souled to bear his defeat, had vanished, nor was he seen in the -arena for the rest of the afternoon. - -The games being concluded, Helena distributed the prizes, which were -useful articles, especially selected by Justinian for these occasions. -Caliphronas had won several races, and also the wrestling contest, but -could not receive his prize, owing to his non-appearance, concerning -which no one seemed sorry, so universally was he hated for his -arrogance. Temistocles, Dick, Gurt, and others were duly rewarded for -their prowess in the athletic field, and then Maurice knelt before -Helena to receive his prize. Justinian had been somewhat puzzled what to -give his guest, as the simple articles loved by the villagers were -hardly acceptable to the travelled Englishman. Helena, however, solved -the problem, and hastily twisted together a wreath of wild olives, which -she placed lightly on his bent head. - -“For you,” said Justinian, as he arose a crowned victor, and kissed the -hand of Helena, “we can have no fairer prize than the Olympian wreath of -old.” - -“You should now have a Pindaric ode,” exclaimed Crispin gayly; “but -alas! I am not Pindar, and you must be content with the old Archilochian -shout, ‘Hail, Victorious!’” - -The valley rang with the cries of the delighted Greeks; and Caliphronas, -seated on a summit of the grand staircase, heard the triumphal shouts -with wrath in his heart. - -“He has beaten me in the games,” he hissed between his clinched teeth, -“but he shall not beat me in love. I will ask Helena to be my wife, and -then, my Englishman!” - -A third shout came from the valley below, but Caliphronas only laughed -scornfully. - -“And then, my Englishman!” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - BEAUTIFUL PARIS, EVIL-HEARTED PARIS. - - What! wouldst thou force me to thine evil will, - And bear me far away in benchèd ships, - A second Helen to a second Troy, - Whose flight would raise a second ten years’ war? - Nay, sir! the gods are dead! and not in me - Beholdest thou proud Aphrodite’s slave. - My judgment’s as I will, and uncontrolled - By Venus, who would fain bestow on thee - The fairest woman, so that thou proclaim - Her fairest of Olympian goddesses. - Go hence alone! I’ll none of thee or thine. - Troy’s fallen, and Helen dead,—so Paris loses - The game which Ate’s cursed fruit began. - - -“You beat me fairly,” said Caliphronas frankly to Maurice that night. -“It was foolish of me to be angry, but you must admit defeat is hard to -bear.” - -The Greek did not mean a word of this very pretty speech, as Maurice was -well aware; still he could not but accept it as meant in good faith, and -thus a hollow truce was made between the two young men which either was -ready to break on the slightest provocation. However, it was a pity to -mar the pleasantness of the evening by continuous bickering; so, with -smiles on their faces and distrust in their hearts, Caliphronas and his -declared enemy sat down to table on apparently the best of terms with -one another. - -On their return from the games, all had enjoyed the delights of the -bath, no small pleasure after a fatiguing day, and now, in their loose -indoor robes, were partaking of refreshment. All was going merrily, and, -from an outside point of view, a more united party could scarcely be -found; yet one and all felt that this was but the ominous calm before -the breaking of the storm. The Demarch, astute in the interpreting of -signs, saw that matters were approaching a crisis which could not be -averted, and that the disaffection of Caliphronas, consequent on his -refusal by Helena, would take place sooner than had been anticipated. -That the Count would propose to his daughter that evening he had but -little doubt, as he saw that, smarting under his defeat in the games, -Caliphronas was determined to equalize himself in the eyes of all by -gaining Helena’s consent to the marriage, as a set-off against the -Englishman’s triumph. This being the case, Justinian was equally sure -that Helena would promptly refuse the Greek, whom she so much disliked; -in which case Caliphronas would call upon him to enforce the marriage, -and then the whole truth would have to be revealed, after which the -Demarch had little doubt but that the Count’s next step would be to -leave the island and range himself openly on the side of Alcibiades. - -Truth to tell, the old man was rather anxious for the storm to burst, as -the suspense was rapidly becoming unbearable; and as, judging from the -review that day, all the Melnosians were well prepared for war, he did -not mind if Caliphronas, out of wounded vanity, precipitated the affair -quicker than was expected. Again, as the Greek had told him all the -plans of Alcibiades, he had no further use for him; so, being prepared -in every way for trouble, Justinian was in no wise sorry that affairs -should come to a head, and that Alcibiades and his threatened invasion -should be crushed at once. The insolence of Caliphronas also was -becoming unbearable to the proud old Demarch, therefore he desired to -hasten rather than retard the explosion; and, had he not seen that -Caliphronas was bent upon bringing matters to a crisis himself, would -have doubtless hinted the necessity of a marriage proposal being made at -once. - -With Maurice and Caliphronas veiling their hatred of each other under -artificial smiles, with Justinian watchful for the expected catastrophe, -with Helena anxious, she knew not why, at the Greek’s burning glances, -it will be easily seen that the merriment over the supper-table was -rather forced. The only truly happy member of the party was Crispin, -who, unsuspicious of ill, and rejoicing in having the promise of the -Demarch to reveal all about his parentage, was laughing and jesting -gayly in the highest of spirits. - -“I think you can congratulate yourself on the three days of the festival -being a perfect success,” he said to Justinian, who sat veiling his real -feelings under a quiet smile. - -“Yes; everything went off very well. Andros, you, as the god of wine, -were the hero of the first day.” - -“And Crispin, as Æschylus-Aristophanes, of the second,” cried Maurice -brightly. - -“Not forgetting Maurice, as the athlete Milo of the third,” replied the -poet, raising his glass. - -“Oh dear, dear!” said Helena, with a merry smile; “I am afraid this is a -mutual admiration society. God, poet, athlete; you are all flattering -yourselves, but no one says a good word for me.” - -“It is impossible to flatter perfection,” remarked Caliphronas with one -of his burning glances; “besides, you have been the queen of the three -days, and we are all secondary characters. The stars are not the rivals -of the sun.” - -“Why did you not say the moon?” said Helena, fastening a red rose in the -breast of her robe. “I love the moon better than the sun.” - -“You are the inviolate Artemis!” - -“Without an Endymion.” - -It was an unlucky remark, and Helena regretted having made it when she -saw how fiercely her two lovers glanced at one another. - -“Artemis waited a long time for her shepherd, but he came at last,” said -the Greek significantly. - -“And did nothing but sleep when he did come,” cried Maurice angrily; “a -pretty lover truly! Helena, you are no moon-goddess, but your namesake -of Troy—the world’s desire.” - -“Yet even Helen had her Paris,” interposed Caliphronas quickly. - -“Every woman has her Paris nowadays,” said Crispin quickly, to forestall -the angry reply of the rival lover; “only it is a city instead of a man, -which is just as charming and more manageable. If Menelaus had been -ruler of Lutetia, Helen would never have been persuaded to leave it for -a dull provincial town like Troy.” - -“‘Beautiful Paris, evil-hearted Paris!’” observed Justinian quietly. -“Tennyson’s line would apply equally to the son of Priam or the city of -pleasure. There, Crispin, is the subject for a song, which idea I will -make you a present of for nothing.” - -“Sing of Paris the city,” cried Helena vivaciously. - -“No, Paris the man,” said Maurice, with a glance at Caliphronas. - -“Sing of both,” rejoined that gentleman quickly, out of sheer -contradiction. - -“It is a hard task to improvise on so difficult a subject as ‘the Paris -of Paris,’” remarked Crispin jestingly; “however, I will try, although I -have no lyre.” - -“Take this myrtle,” said Helena, tossing him a twig across the table, -“and sing to it in the Greek fashion.” - -“Maurice, you ought to give me your crown, so that myrtle and olive -inspire me with the breath of the god.” - -“‘King Pandion he is dead,’” rejoined Maurice lightly. “The gods inspire -no songs to-day, nor would they be answerable for a mixture of the -classic and romantic, such as your ‘Paris of Paris’ is bound to be.” - -“Judge for yourself, Thersites,” retorted the poet; and, holding the -sprig of myrtle in his hand, after a few moments’ thought, he began to -sing in his pleasant voice the following words to a lively French air. - - “Paris came to Helen when - Earth was younger; - He was handsomest of men, - She was fairest woman then; - And love’s hunger - Made them long to run away, - Which they did one pleasant day— - So, at least, does Homer say— - Scandal-monger! - - Helen comes to Paris now - Earth is older. - But no love shines on her brow, - Nor breaks she a marriage-vow, - Love is colder. - She but comes for triumphs here, - Dressed by Worth in costumes dear, - Lets existence gay _pour rire_ - Lightly mould her. - - Yet if Paris, town of joy, - Holds a Paris, - Charming as the Trojan boy, - Life is bliss without alloy; - There no bar is - To indulge in love once more; - So with Paris, as of yore, - Flies she as she fled before, - But she marries.” - -“Oh, ‘Roses of Shiraz!’” sighed Maurice comically, “what would your -admirers say if they heard such _vers de société_?” - -“Improvisation is hardly serious work!” retorted Crispin coolly, -drinking his wine. - -“And your sentiments!” cried Caliphronas in mock horror. “You have made -Helen prim.” - -“’Tis in keeping with this virtuous century.” - -“For my part,” said Helena of Melnos playfully, “I think your modern -reading of the story is charming. Crispin, I appoint you my poet -laureate.” - -“And my wages?” - -“A wreath of artificial laurels, for, indeed, your song is but worthy of -such.” - -“Cruel! And I always thought you so soft-hearted.” - -“Never judge by outward appearances,” said Helena, rising from her seat. -“I am as hard-hearted as papa—on occasions.” - -“I hope not on all occasions?” observed Caliphronas, with emphasis. - -“Entirely depends upon the situation. To you, now, I could refuse -nothing—if I were inclined to grant your request.” - -She vanished, laughing, through the curtains, and Maurice looked at -Justinian, to see if he had espied any hidden meaning in his daughter’s -words; but the face of the old Demarch was as expressionless as a mask, -while the Count’s, bright with joy, betrayed the certainty he felt of -receiving an answer in the affirmative to his proposal of marriage. -Truly, women are queer creatures, as Dick had observed the previous day. -And if Helena did not intend to marry Caliphronas, it was curious that -she should thus raise up his hopes, only to dash them down again. -Juliet, with her simile of a silk-gyved bird, trying to fly away, yet -ever drawn back again by the detaining thread, is a typical woman, who -scorns her lover, so that he departs angrily, yet, when she sees him -leaving her, woos him back with tender words, only to repeat her former -cruelty. Helena, in spite of her girlish simplicity, yet knew these two -men were in love with her, and tortured the one and was kind to the -other, turn and turn about, just as it suited her humor—why, it is -impossible to say, unless the legend that every woman was once a cat be -true, and they yet retain a sufficiency of the feline nature to make -them love such cruel mouse play. Yesterday Helena said she disliked the -Greek, now she roundly asserted she could refuse him nothing; and, -whether she was in earnest or fun, there was no doubt that the Count was -about to take her at her word, and ask her to become his wife. - -In spite of Crispin’s valiant efforts, the conversation languished after -the departure of Helena, the Demarch being somewhat preoccupied, and -Maurice too cross to talk; while Caliphronas, after replying -mechanically for a time, finally went off in search of the lady he had -made up his mind to marry. All the three men left at the table looked -meaningly at one another, for they guessed the reason of his sudden -exit, yet none of them made any reference to the affair, as it would be -quite time enough to discuss it when Caliphronas was refused. - -Meanwhile, Caliphronas rushed onward to his fate, in utter ignorance of -the real feelings which Helena entertained towards him, and found her -leaning against one of the pillars in the court, listening to the -singing of a nightingale, much in the same position she had occupied -when first seen by Maurice, two months previous. She turned with a smile -when the Greek entered the court, but he held up his hand for her to -keep silence, and both of them for some time continued to listen to the -delicious music. The passionate song of the distant bird flooding the -warm night with melody, the thin, pale light of the moon pouring in -white radiance on the white marble court, the intoxicating perfume of -the flowers around, and the delicate noise of the falling fountain, all -thrilled the heart of the impressionable Greek with a sensuous feeling -of delight, and stretching out his hand gently, he laid it lightly on -the bare arm of the girl he loved. - -Startled by the touch, Helena rather indignantly turned round to reprove -him for taking such a liberty, but the words died on her lips, as she -saw the handsome face of this man, irradiated with passionate love, -bending towards her. Tall and straight as a cypress, his lithe figure -gracefully draped in a white robe, he looked like some gracious deity of -the past, wooing a mortal maiden, while the burning gaze of his eyes -seemed to scorch her with its ardor. It was the animal look in them that -thus made her flush hotly, and, with a sudden movement of outraged -virginal dignity, she retreated slowly towards the silver pool of the -fountain. - -“Do not shrink from me like that, Helena!” murmured Caliphronas in -Greek, as he came towards her lightly as a fawn. “I wish to tell you the -meaning of the bird’s song.” - -“What do you mean, Andros?” she asked uneasily. - -“Do you think Aristophanes understood it?” pursued the Greek, taking no -notice of her question; “he put it into words, you know. Tio! tio! -tio-tiolix—No, that is not the song, but a mere assemblage of words. -What is the divine nightingale now singing? Can you not guess? It is of -love—of love—of love! My love for you—your love for me, my queen. Hark! -out the strains gush rapturously through the night—it is speaking of -love eternal—my love for thee, joy of my heart!” - -“You jest, Andros!” said Helena faintly, not at all liking the tone of -this poetical rhapsody. - -“Jest!” cried Caliphronas, ardently seizing her hand; “no, I speak true -to you, rose of this isle! I love you! I worship you! I desire you for -my wife!” - -“Your wife!” she echoed, snatching her hand away. “Are you mad?” - -“With love of thee—yes!” - -“Do not touch me, sir. How dare you insult me!” - -“Insult!” said Caliphronas, starting as if he were stung. “What do you -mean, girl? Is the offer of a man’s heart an insult?” - -“You are surely not in earnest,” said the girl, much perplexed what to -say. “I had no idea you loved me!” - -“I am in earnest, and I do love you,” declared Caliphronas with fiery -energy, coming so close to her that she could feel his hot breath on her -cheek. “You must have seen my passion long since. I want you to be my -wife—your father and I have settled it between us.” - -It was the worst speech that he could have made, for Helena, with a cry -of rage, pushed him fiercely back, and stood before him with clinched -hands, her eyes bright with indignation. - -“How dare you! how dare you! Am I not to be consulted in the matter—do -you think I will allow myself to be handed over to you like a slave? -Never! I would rather die! I will not be your wife! I refuse to listen -to you!” - -“But you do not understand,” said Caliphronas, rather crestfallen at -this sudden outburst of anger. - -“I do understand. You have spoken to my father, and he has permitted you -to ask me to be your wife, but, as to its being settled—how dare you! I -will not be your wife! Don’t you dare to suggest such a thing to me!” - -“I mean to be heard,” began the Greek, but she cut him short with a -sudden stamp of her foot. - -“You can mean what you like,” she said imperiously, “but heard you will -not be!” - -“You beautiful fury!” - -“Go away and leave me!” - -“Helena,” cried the Count, falling on his knees, “I love you! I adore -you! Do not refuse to be my wife.” - -“I do refuse!” - -“But your father?” - -“Leave my father out of the question, Andros. You have asked me to be -your wife, and I tell you plainly, No. Perhaps I have been rather angry, -but when you ask a woman to honor you by becoming your wife, you should -not treat her as if she were a bundle of goods to be handed from one man -to another.” - -“You refuse me?” asked Caliphronas, hardly able to believe his own ears. - -“I do, once and for all! Come, Andros, stop talking such nonsense, and -forget all this scene.” - -“Why will you not be my wife?” asked the Count doggedly, rising from his -knees. - -“Because I do not love you.” - -“Not love me!” - -“No, my sultan. Do you think I am a woman to fall at your feet when you -thus throw the handkerchief?” - -Caliphronas, who had suppressed his rage with difficulty, now burst out -in a passion of furious anger, hardly knowing what he was saying. - -“I know the reason you refuse me. Yes, you do well to turn away your -head. You love this cursed Englishman. Ah, you cannot deny it! you are -afraid to look me in the face.” - -“I am not afraid—there!” - -She faced him boldly, and the Greek, maddened beyond control, seized her -by the wrist with a grasp like iron, yet she neither winced nor cried. - -“Is it thus a woman should proffer her love?” hissed Caliphronas, white -with passion; “this Englishman loves you not, and yet you throw yourself -at his feet.” - -“I do not. Let go my hand!” she cried, wincing with pain, yet keeping a -bold front, upon which he flung her from him with a furious oath. - -“I will marry you, in spite of your refusal.” - -“Never! I will die rather than be your wife.” - -The young man tried to speak, but, choking with passion, could say -nothing, so, stamping with impotent fury, he rushed to the principal -entrance of the court and tore aside the curtains. - -“You have refused to marry me,” he cried in a strangled voice. “I accept -your refusal, but you will be mine soon. I will storm the island, I will -drag you in chains away, and when I tire of you then will I sell you as -a slave to the Turk!” - -He dashed out of the court with a scream of rage, leaving Helena -standing white as a marble statue, with her hands across her breast, -which was heaving tempestuously with rage at the Greek’s insolence. If -she had, girl as she was, refused the offer of Caliphronas in a somewhat -undignified manner, she was now every inch a woman, who, not knowing the -meaning of the word “fear,” was fiercely angered at the insult to her -womanly pride. The soft, graceful girl had disappeared, and in her place -stood Clytemnestra, fearlessly daring the dagger of Orestes. Suddenly -she felt a touch on her arm. - -“Father!” - -“I know what has occurred. You are worn out with excitement, so go at -once to bed.” - -“But Andros”— - -“I will deal with him.” - -“You know I refused him.” - -“Yes, I heard you say so.” - -“Was it your wish I should marry him, as he said?” - -“Girl, I would rather see you dead than the wife of that despicable -coward,” retorted the Demarch fiercely. “Now retire at once, and leave -me to settle the matter. Good-night.” - -“Good-night, father.” - -She turned to go with an air of utter lassitude, but the strain of the -last half hour had completely broken her down, and suddenly, with a low -cry, she burst into tears. Justinian caught her in his arms, and began -to soothe her tenderly with endearing words, which moved the girl -strangely, for she was quite unused to such caresses from her -iron-natured father. - -“My girl, my little child, you must not weep!” whispered the old man, -kissing her white face. “All will yet be well, and never shall you see -this vile Andros again. He shall leave the island at once. You did well -to refuse him, and I am proud of the spirit you displayed. Come, come! -you must weep no more. I know all.” - -“You know?” she faltered, looking at him in astonishment. - -“Yes, I know, and I approve. Now, good-night, my darling, and sleep -well.” - -He led her slowly to the door, and, having summoned Zoe, sent the girl -to bed at once in charge of her maid, then returned to the centre of the -court and looked frowningly at the entrance through which Caliphronas -had disappeared. - -“You dared to speak like that to my child!” he murmured fiercely. “It is -well you fled, or, old as I am, you would not have left this court -alive. It is war between us now, Andros, and if I gain the victory, you -had better have died than spoken as you have done to-night.” - -Maurice, whistling gayly, came into the court, having left Crispin -behind at the table, but, when he caught sight of Justinian’s face, -stopped short in dismay. - -“What is the matter, Justinian?” - -“Nothing more than what I expected.” - -“About Caliphronas?” - -“Yes; he has proposed to Helena, and she has refused him.” - -Maurice drew a long breath of relief. - -“I am glad of that; now there will be a chance for me.” - -“You love my daughter?” asked the Demarch suddenly. - -“Yes, I love her,” replied Roylands simply; “I have always loved her.” - -“I am glad of that, Maurice.” - -“You will permit me to ask Helena to be my wife?” - -“Willingly. It is my dearest wish; in fact, it was for that reason I -brought you here.” - -“Brought me here, sir!” said Roylands in amazement. “Why, did you know I -was coming?” - -“Yes; I sent Caliphronas to England to persuade you if possible to pay -me a visit.” - -“But how did you know such a person as I was in existence?” - -The old Demarch took Maurice by the hand and spoke solemnly. - -“When you propose to and are accepted by my daughter, I will tell you -all, and the mysteries which have so perplexed you shall do so no -longer.” - -“I will speak to Helena to-morrow.” - -“Good. Then to-morrow I will tell you who I am, and how I was able to -know all about you.” - -“But suppose Helena refuses me?” - -Justinian smiled slightly. - -“She has refused Andros, but you—ah, that is quite a different thing.” - -“Still”— - -“Tush, my son, you are too modest! In my days young men were not so -faint-hearted. Helena’s a woman, therefore may be wooed.” - -“True, but the question is, may she be won?” - -“My good Mr. Roylands, did I not promise to tell you all about myself -when you presented yourself as my future son-in-law?” - -“Yes.” - -“Well, by this time to-morrow you will know all, so as to what will -occur in the mean time, I will leave to your imagination.” - -“And Caliphronas?” - -“Caliphronas,” repeated the Demarch slowly, “means mischief, so, like -the knights of old, you will win your bride at the point of the sword.” - -“Oh, Justinian, if you only knew how I love her!” - -The nightingale, hitherto silent, now began its song, upon which the old -man good-humoredly pushed Maurice to the door. - -“Go to bed, my son; that bird will tell me the tale of love much better -than you will.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII. - THE ALTAR INSCRIBED ΘΕΌΝ. - - By this altar stone I swear - Never more to part from thee; - Thine in life and death to be, - And thy future fortunes share - - Be the weather wild or fair, - Dry on land or wet at sea, - This vow shall be kept by me, - By this altar stone I swear. - - -The next morning neither Helena nor Caliphronas was present at -breakfast, as the girl, in company with Zoe, had gone up the mountain -shortly after sunrise in quest of flowers, and the Greek had not been -near the Acropolis since he had left it the previous night. - -“Can he have left the island?” said Maurice anxiously to the Demarch. - -“Hardly,” replied the old man grimly; “unless he has borrowed the wings -of Icarus, for I alone have the key of the tunnel.” - -“There is the western pass,” suggested Crispin thoughtfully. - -“True; but even supposing he did get to the sea-beach, he will find it -difficult to obtain a boat,” said Justinian calmly. “All the boats are -fast chained and padlocked to the rocks; so, unless his friend -Alcibiades finds him waiting, like a second Ulysses, on the beach, I -hardly see how he can take French leave.” - -“What are you going to do about him, Justinian?” asked Maurice -curiously. - -“I am waiting until you and Helena come to an understanding, and then I -will tell Caliphronas that he has been beaten with his own weapons of -treachery.” - -“Helena has gone up the mountain. Will I await her return?” - -“By no means. Follow her at once to her favorite haunt. There is a -narrow path leading to it—a glade near the western pass, in the center -of which is an altar inscribed Θεόν.” - -“Oh, I know it! Helena showed it to me some time ago. Crispin, I am -going a-wooing!” - -“I wish you every success.” - -“Do you think my fortunate star is in the ascendant?” - -“You are as faint-hearted as you were last night,” said the Demarch, -laughing. “Do you think, if I were not sure of Helena’s answer, I would -send you on a fruitless errand? Go, my son; and when you and Helena come -to ask my blessing, I will deal with Andros.” - -“Punic faith!” remarked Crispin a trifle sadly. - -“Well! what would you?” demanded the Demarch with energy. “Had I not -made use of Andros, he would have made use of me. It is a mistake in -being too honest when dealing with a scoundrel. One cannot go straight -on a crooked road. If I were dealing with you, or with Maurice, I might -not stoop to diplomatic lies; but as to that serpent of an -Andros—pah!—the end justifies the means.” - -“Do you think he will come and see you again?” - -“Of course! He will come to demand the fulfilment of my promise, and ask -me to force Helena into this distasteful marriage. Then I will reveal -all, and drive him from the island.” - -“But is it wise to let him go free, seeing he is our declared enemy?” - -“What! you wish me to keep him as a hostage?” said Justinian -good-humoredly. “Nothing would be gained by such an act. Alcibiades -intends to attack the island, with or without Andros; and the only thing -this scamp can do is to urge his friend to assault Melnos at once. -Everything is ready: the men are in splendid training; I have arms in -plenty; and we are thirteen Englishmen, so the sooner the strife is -decided the more satisfied I will be.” - -“Well, I will leave you to talk over your military schemes with -Crispin,” said Maurice, as he arose to go, “and meanwhile will go in -search of Helena.” - -“Good luck go with you!” cried Crispin, as he left the room; and Maurice -heartily seconded the kindly wish. - -It was an exquisite morning, and the sun was just below the eastern -peaks of the island; but as Maurice lightly climbed up the slopes behind -the Acropolis, the luminary came into view, and flooded the high -elevation of snowy pine forest, and olive trees, with yellow radiance. -The cup of the valley lay in shadow; but amid these lofty solitudes all -was luminous light and brilliant sunshine. The little path which led to -the glade had been worn into a narrow earthen track by the light feet of -Helena; but on either side grew the long lush grass, starred with -primrose, violet, anemone, and cyclamen—all delicately blooming in the -warm atmosphere. From this floral carpet arose stately plane-trees, -arbutus, and here and there lance-shaped cypresses; while, between the -luxuriant foliage, Maurice could catch glimpses at intervals of the -terraced vineyards, yellowish-green with the autumnal tints of the -vine-leaves, and purple with bunches of grapes; sometimes the white -gleam of a winepress, from whence arose the merry song of peasants -treading the ripe clusters; and far overhead, seen like a vision through -the ragged framework of leaves, the serrated peaks of milky hue cutting -the intense azure of the sky. All this loveliness was irradiated with -the strong sunlight, and steeped in the luminosity of the atmosphere, so -that the variety of tints, the infinite delicacy of the colors, the -almost imperceptible blendings of the one into the other, made a picture -enchanting to the most careless observer. Added to this, the air, rising -warm from the valley below, yet coolly tempered by the higher snows, -produced an atmosphere exhilarating in the extreme; and a pleasant -murmur of song of bird and peasant sounded on all sides, blending with -the rustle of the boughs, and the gentle sigh of the wind moving -innumerable leaves to airy whisperings. - -It was truly wonderful how rapidly Maurice had adapted himself to the -mountaineering life of Melnos; and he breasted the steep path with a -vigor which had been quite foreign to him, when listless, enervated, and -melancholic, in England. The artificial life of six years in London, -amid a deleterious atmosphere, surrounded by ugly houses and stony -streets, had saddened and depressed his spirits; but now that he had -returned to Nature for cure, her calm and soothing medicines had stilled -his fretful spirit, had smoothed the wrinkles from his brow, removed the -haggard anguish of his heart; and now, reinvigorated and vitalized, he -felt that it was good to live. Doctors can do much, but Nature can do -more; for, while physical ills are to a certain extent under the control -of the former, only the latter can minister to the mind; and the -intangible influence of landscape, mountain air, rustic quiet, and -woodland music, on the diseased mental faculties, cannot be -over-estimated in their curative powers. Wise, indeed, were the Greeks -to fable how the giant Antæus drew fresh vigor for his frame from his -mother Tellus; and if we in modern days did but apply this parable of -nature-cure to our crowded city populations, how infinitely less would -be the physical and mental ills to be endured by our worn-out, exhausted -toilers of this over-anxious age! - -What wonder if the Hellenes were a joyous race, dwelling as they did in -a radiant climate, amid scenes of undying beauty, in healthful communion -with the Earth-spirit! They exercised the body in the palæstra, the mind -in the portico, and, ever drinking in health, beauty, and the music of -leaves, winds, and waves, were therefore easily able to attain and -preserve that serene calm of existence, which we see stamped in vivid -beauty on the faces of their marble masterpieces. The countenances of -Egyptian sphinx and granite king express the awful solemnity of -communion with the unseen; the rapt faces of mediæval saints a spiritual -unrest to escape from the world they despised; but in the frieze of the -Parthenon, in the statues of god, goddess, hero, and nymph, we but see -the calm of contentment, of serene satisfaction, arising from the -healthful minds and bodies of the race, whose joyous tranquillity was -the gift of Nature to her believing children. Yet we, while envying -their beatitude, and desirous of emulating their intense calm, make no -effort to do so; for we leave the country, and rush to the already -overcrowded cities, wrangling, toiling, worrying, striving to attain an -unsatisfying end. Wiseacres talk of the complexity of modern -civilization, of the over-population of the world, of the survival of -the fittest; but this is, so to speak, merely laying the blame of our -own mistakes on the stars, for we ourselves have produced this age of -unrest, which we profess to loathe. When the humors of the body run to -one spot, a tumor ensues, which throws the whole system out of order; -and it is the same with the misdirected way in which we govern our -modern nations. If, instead of rushing to cities, and thus begetting -what may be called geographical tumors, our rustics and wearied toilers -stayed in the open country, then would our civilization become less -restless, and more akin to the envied calm of Hellenic life. Food would -be more plentiful, minds would be more at peace, bodies would be more -healthy, and the world happier. But we will not do this;—fired by -ambition, by desire for gold, by longings for luxury, we crowd together -in noisy multitudes, and turn away from the calm serenity of Nature, who -would take us to her breast and make us happy, even as she did those -wiser children of old. Nature sent her herald, Wordsworth, to proclaim -this truth, but alas! he piped in vain; and his songs of purity were -drowned in the jingle of gold and the shouts of ambition. - -These were Maurice’s thoughts as he clambered up the mountain-path; and -so rapt was he in his dreamings of Nature-worship, that, all -unconsciously, he emerged into the glade near the western pass. - -It was encircled by ilex, tamarisk, beech, and elm, woven together as in -brotherhood by straggling creepers, festooned gracefully from bough to -bough, from branch to branch; and in the centre, amid the flowing grass, -was placed a small marble altar, on a low flight of steps. In front the -trees had been cut down, and there was a glimpse of the white houses in -the valley, the waving red line of the grand staircase; and, high above, -the bizzarre colors of the volcanic rocks, fringed by a dark green belt -of forest, from which luxuriance the arid peaks shot up into the blue -sky like white marble cones. But not at valley, nor forest, nor aerial -peaks looked Maurice, for his eyes were fixed on Helena, who, robed in -her favorite white, crowned with a wreath of roses, stood by the altar -with a mass of brilliant flowers thereon, looking like the nymph of the -place. - -She flushed red with delight as Maurice drew near, and paused in her -dainty task of arranging the blossoms with the air of some startled shy -thing of the woodlands. Like stars her eyes, like sunshine her glinting -hair, and as for her face, the roses in her wreath were scarce so -delicate in hue. The lovely glade, the solemn, flower-piled altar, the -beautiful priestess—it was not Melnos, it was not the nineteenth -century, for this was Arcadia; and in this bird-haunted dell was Flora -discovered, weaving flowers for future summer’s adornment. - -“Are you Nymph, Dryad, or Oread?” he asked, pausing with one foot on the -lowest step. - -“No; I am Chloris, the goddess of flowers,” she answered, entering into -the spirit of his jesting speech. - -“Give me, then, O goddess, of your treasures!” - -“Violet, rose, and cyclamen! take them all,” she cried merrily, and -threw a rain of many-colored flowers on the laughing, upturned face of -the young man. Then, while he bent to pick up one crimson bud which had -fallen at his feet, she burst out into one of those old English songs -her father had taught her:— - - “Rose and myrtle all are twining, - In their beauty thus combining, - To become a chaplet fair - For my shepherd’s golden hair. - Fa la! la! la! - My Colin dear.” - -“Clearly,” quoth Maurice, with a smile, “this wreath is meant for me, -for I have golden hair.” - -Helena smiled, and continued both her garland-weaving and her song. - - “If you ask who is my dearest, - It is he who loiters nearest; - And for him this chaplet fair - Do I weave with flowerets rare. - Fa la! la! la! - My Colin dear.” - -“Better and better!” said the lover, mounting the steps. “I am nearest! -I have yellow locks, so I decidedly am Colin dear!” - -They were now standing on either side of the altar, with the rainbow -heap of flowers between them; and, despite Maurice’s boldness in thus -coming so close to his goddess, he was now seized with a fit of shyness, -which communicated itself to the sympathetic Helena, so they gazed with -embarrassment at one another, tongue-tied, with burning cheeks. - -“Where is Zoe?” asked Maurice, breaking the awkward silence. - -“Zoe,” replied Helena demurely, “is assisting Dick to find more -flowers.” - -“And, pray, what is Dick doing here?” - -“Aha! you must ask Zoe.” - -“I would rather ask you.” - -Helena glanced at him with a laugh, then suddenly flushed crimson, and -sat down on the steps, with the white lap of her gown full of flowers. - -“I am no oracle to give answers,” she replied, carefully selecting some -buds. - -“That means you are no goddess,” said Maurice, sitting down a step -lower, and looking up into her charming face. “Well, I prefer you as a -mortal maiden. But what about Colin’s wreath?” - -“I am weaving it now.” - -“Roses for love, myrtle for joy, violets for modesty. What a charming -wreath!” - -“Ah, you know the language of flowers!” - -“I know what this wreath means—‘Modest love is a joy.’ Am I right?” - -“Yes—no—yes—that is—Oh dear me! Is it not a lovely day?” - -“Is it not a lovely face? Very lovely.” - -“I speak of the day.” - -“And I of you.” - -Decidedly Maurice was getting on capitally in the art of saying nothings -which mean somethings, and Helena was woman enough to know what he was -hinting at, yet also woman enough to indulge in a little coquetry. She -had burnt her fingers with Caliphronas; yet, quite forgetful of the -warning, began to tease Maurice with charming persistence. - -“Am I very lovely?” - -“You are as beautiful as Helen,” replied Maurice, rather taken aback at -the directness of this question. - -“I am as beautiful as Helen! Well, I am Helen; so you mean I am as -beautiful as myself. That is not a compliment.” - -“What a vain child you are! I am speaking of the Trojan Helen.” - -“I am not a child. I am nineteen years of age—and a woman.” - -“I believe that, for you possess all the art of a woman in tormenting a -man. Where did you learn it?” - -“Learn what?” - -“The art of being cruel, kind, merry, sad, delightful, yet tormenting.” - -“Do you mean to say I possess all these contradictory qualities at one -and the same time?” - -“Well, you are capricious at times.” - -“Oh, indeed!” said Helena pettishly, resuming her task. “Then I must be -full of faults.” - -“They are very charming faults, at all events.” - -“I am not listening, Maurice. I am too busy with this wreath.” - -“My wreath.” - -“I did not say it was yours.” - -“Not in words, perhaps; but then, you see, I can read the language of -the eyes.” - -Helena blushed at this, but, purposely misunderstanding the hint, made -demure reply. - -“Ah, you see my education has been neglected in that particular branch.” - -“Shall I teach you?” - -“I am afraid you will find me a bad pupil.” - -“I don’t mind taking that risk, Helena.” - -He laid his hand on one of hers with a caressing gesture, upon which she -let it remain, but snatched up a cornflower with the other. - -“Look what a beautiful blossom!” - -“It is the color of your eyes.” - -“No, no; I mean this red rose.” - -“The tint of your cheeks.” - -“I hate compliments,” said Helena in a dignified way, trying to release -her hand from his warm grasp. - -“Always?” - -“Yes, always; unless I like the person who pays them.” - -“And in this case?” - -“I—I—don’t know.” - -“Let me read the truth in your eyes.” - -She looked up with a pretty gesture of mock despair, but, meeting the -tenderness of his look, dropped her eyes in confusion, while Maurice, -shifting his seat, slipped his left arm round her slender waist, still -holding her hand gently. - -“Helena!” - -No answer. - -“Helena, do you know what your eyes tell me?” - -No answer. - -“They say that you will not be cruel enough to refuse me your love.” - -“My love!” she murmured confusedly. - -“Yes,” he whispered passionately. “I said you were capricious. You are -not capricious, but true, loving, and charming beyond expression—a very -woman, whom I love, and who loves me in return. Helena!” - -All the virginal passion of this island maiden burned like red roses in -her cheeks, as Maurice drew her slender form closer to his breast, and -murmured broken sentences of love in her ear. - -“I love, you! I love you, Helena! I saw your face in a picture, and I -loved the face; now I see the woman, and I love the woman. My dearest! -my darling! say you love me just a little!” - -“I cannot say that,” she whispered, hiding her face on his shoulder. - -“Oh, Helena!” - -“Because I love you a great deal.” - -“My darling!” - -She lay in his strong arms, with her head on his shoulder, blushing with -maidenly fear at the ardor of his passion; then Maurice, bending down -his comely head, pressed a kiss on her lips. - -“My dearest! my own!” he murmured rapturously; “how I love you! love -you! love you!” - -Lost in the overwhelming deeps of each other’s affection, they remained -silent, filled with feelings too deep for words, too inexplicable to be -translated otherwise than by sighs and glances. The delicate voices of -the woodlands sounded in their ears, the brilliant colors blazed in the -luminous light, the sun shone, the birds sang, but they heard nothing, -saw nothing; for, with their hearts beating, their souls blending, their -lips meeting, they were far away from this earth in the heaven of love. - -There was something sacred about this outburst of passion, which sent a -thrill of fear through their breasts; for this was no vulgar affection, -no sensual desire, no mere adoration of outward beauty, but a chaste -union of two souls, in which the woman’s melted into the man’s as a -dream into a dream. The virginal purity of the young girl experienced no -repulsion in this case, as it had felt when near to the frank animal -passion of the handsome Greek; and Helena, exquisite blossom of -maidenhood, lay in her lover’s arms without shame or dread, for she knew -that this clinging clasp, these broken sighs, this vivid ardor, were the -outcome of a love as pure and chaste as was her own; so there she lay, -cradled on his beating heart, and the birds around sang their betrothal -song, as doubtless they carolled to our first parents in the garden of -Eden. Time was not, earth had vanished, humanity was but an empty name, -for, clinging together with passionate ardor, they were all in all to -one another, and the divinity which clothed them with his splendors was -no rosy, mischievous urchin, with his bundle of arrows, but a terrible, -unseen, unknown, unfelt deity, who now, for the first time, had -permitted them to enter into his Holy of holies, and touched with their -lips the burning coals of his sacred altar. - -Alas! mighty as are the pinions of Love, they weary in that divine -atmosphere of transcendentalism; so, folding his wings, he ceased his -song of bliss, and dropped like a tired lark to the earth. The lovers -awoke from their mystic trance, and looked at one another with wide-eyed -rapture; then Helena, with a happy sigh, once more laid her head on her -lover’s shoulder, and began to talk of earthly matters. - -“My father!” - -“Your father will be delighted, my dearest. He told me that this was the -dearest wish of his heart.” - -“Ah! is he so anxious, then, to lose me?” - -“No, he will not lose you, my sweet queen. For when we are married we -will still dwell in Melnos, and reign over it through years of -happiness.” - -“My father wants you to be his successor?” - -“Yes; and to marry you. So if you fulfil the first, I will accept the -second.” - -“I will marry you whenever you like,” said beautiful Helena, smiling -through her tears. “But will you not weary of staying here?” - -“With you? never!” - -“Ah, it is I who am the attraction—not Melnos!” - -“It is both; but in my eyes you are before everything else in the -world.” - -“And if you grow tired of me?” - -“I will never grow tired of you!” - -Helena picked up a rose from her lap and held it up to him. - -“This rose is very beautiful, but it fades. Is your love like the rose?” - -“Yes; but not because the rose fades. My love is like the rose-plant -itself, which renews itself afresh with every coming of summer. In this -island it blooms all the year round; and my love will be the same.” - -“Will you not regret your home, your money, your position?” - -“My dearest, none of those things brought me happiness. I was a weary, -mournful man, tired of life, tired of myself, tired of all around me; -then by chance I saw your face, and it was as a star in the darkness of -my night. I followed that star, and it led me to happiness, and to you!” - -“So we will live here?” - -“Till our days be ended. You will be queen, and I your very humble slave -and lover. No; I do not desire to return to the world, with all its -tumult, ambitions, and fret. I am weary of the crowded cities, the -haggard faces, the gray skies of England. I only care to live in this -lotus-land with you, my angel, to wander with you amid the fair flowers, -yourself the fairest of all; to sleep at dusk with your loving arms -around me, to awake at dawn under your caress; and thus to live in -paradise until we meet in a still brighter paradise beyond the grave.” - -“Will we meet beyond the grave?” - -“Helena!” - -“I know nothing of religion, my dearest. Indeed, it is not my fault, for -my father has always refused to answer my questions. He would not allow -old Athanasius to speak to me of sacred things, and I know nothing, save -that there is an Almighty Being called God.” - -“And your father?” - -“Believes the same. Look!” - -She pointed to the majestic block of white marble behind her, and there -was deeply sculptured the one word “Θεόν.” - -“So of old the Athenians erected an altar to πρὸς τὸν ἀγναστον Θεόν,” -said Maurice sadly, rather puzzled to know what to do. “My dearest, I am -no saint, to be able to instruct you in such things; and I am afraid my -views are not what the Church would approve of. However, my dear old -friend and tutor, Mr. Carriston, is, I trust, coming out here to see me; -and he will marry us, and tell you all you wish to know of sacred -things.” - -They had risen to their feet, and were standing looking at that solemn -altar, so noble in its hugeness amid the encircling green. No relic of -paganism sculptured with nude figures, with wreathes and nymphs and -long-drawn pomp of Panhellenic festival, but a severely plain mass of -stainless stone, with no other indication of its meaning than the mystic -word “Θεόν” cut thereon. After looking at it in silence for a few -minutes, Helena gathered up her flowers in order to return home, for the -sun was now at his zenith, and the heat intolerable. - -“Oh, not yet!” entreated Maurice, anxious to prolong the sweet -communion; “you must make me my wreath.” - -“Are you Colin?” - -“I think so,” he said, kissing her fondly. - -“So do I,” she replied demurely; “therefore, Colin, I will finish your -garland.” - -Once more she sat down on the steps and began busily wreathing the -flowers together in long fragrant strings, while Maurice, lying -lover-like at her feet on the flowery turf, looked ever up into the -delicate beauty of her face, and wondered at his good fortune in being -loved by such an enchanting divinity. - -Zoe and Dick came back armed with flowers, and Dick grinned somewhat -sheepishly as he saw Maurice smile. A fellow-feeling, however, makes us -wondrous kind, so Maurice made no remark, but sent Zoe and her swain -with their newly gathered flowers down to the Acropolis. - -“Do you think Dick is in love with Zoe?” asked Helena, when the laughter -of the sailor and his companion had died away. - -“Do I think you are in love with me?” retorted Maurice lazily. “My -dearest, Dick is as much in love with that wicked little brunette, as I -am with a certain charming blonde.” - -“I’m glad of that,” said Helena complacently. “I do not wish to lose -Zoe.” - -“You must when she marries.” - -“Oh no! If Dick becomes her husband, he will stay here. I’m sure he -would not mind, as he is very fond of you.” - -“That’s very kind of him, considering the battering I gave him -yesterday.” - -“Oh, Maurice, it was terrible!” - -“For Dick?” - -“No; for you.” - -“Poor Dick! he got the worst of it, yet you pity me.” - -“Ah, but you see I’m not engaged to Dick,” said Helena gravely, holding -out a wreath to him. - -“No; but Zoe is. At least, if she is not now, she soon will be. But -come, Helena, fasten this wreath round my hat.” - -Helena obediently did so, and then placed it on her lover’s head, upon -which he gave her a kiss, and insisted that she should deck herself with -the remaining flowers. Nothing loath, Helena did so, and was shortly one -mass of delicious bloom, from which her face peered out like some -laughing Dryad. Rose-wreath on her golden head, green myrtle girding her -slender waist, and flowers of myriad hues bedecking her dress, she -looked indeed like Chloris, the goddess of flowers, to whom Maurice had -so often compared her. - -“Come, my dearest,” he said, taking her hand, “and I will lead the -Spring down to the valley. We are not Maurice and Helena, but Florizel -and Perdita, shepherd and shepherdess; so come, my dearest, adown the -mountain.” - -They walked slowly along, talking all kinds of charming nonsense, and -laughing merrily, he rose-wreathed like an ancient Hellene, she decked, -like a goddess of the spring, with delicate blossoms, and both full of -mirth and joy and happiness, which bubbled from their lips in gushes of -liquid song. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - PUNIC FAITH. - - ’Tis difficult, when dealing with a knave, - To know what course of conduct to pursue, - Yet if to win the victory you crave, - Strict honesty you must perforce eschew; - Like him, all craftily you must behave, - Or else he certainly will conquer you. - This golden rule remember when you meet him, - A scoundrel’s weapons must be used to beat him. - - -It took Caliphronas some considerable time to recover his usual serenity -of temper, as never during his whole life had his vanity received such a -blow as this refusal of Helena’s to marry him. Hitherto the Greek had -been so much petted by all on account of his beauty, especially by -women, that he had become quite a spoiled child, and looked upon it as -his right that every whim he took into his handsome head should be -gratified. To express a wish, and have it at once fulfilled, appeared to -him to be the proper mode of behaving towards him, and it was a severe -wound to his arrogant self-complacency to find that the only woman he -cared about should refuse to yield to the dearest wish of his heart. - -His love for Helena was purely a sensual feeling, based on the feminine -beauty of the girl, so, when he found himself scorned in such a way, -this animal affection speedily merged in the stronger feeling of intense -hatred. Formerly he had regarded Helena as a charming toy, who would do -him credit as his wife, and satisfy his artistic requirements by her -womanly grace; but now he regarded her in the light of a bitter enemy, -one who deserved to be punished for the infamous way in which she had -slighted his addresses. Nothing would have given Caliphronas greater -gratification than to mar that lovely face he had so much admired, and -he would have liked to drag Helena through the gutter, and render her an -object of pity and derision to all the world, in order to satiate his -vengeance against her. - -Had he been a Turkish Bashaw, he would doubtless have tied the offending -beauty up in a sack and dropped her into the Bosphorus; had he been a -Russian boyar, he would have done his best to get her exiled to Siberia; -but, as he was neither the one nor the other, and was in his present -position quite unable to treat her as cruelly as he wished, with -devilish ingenuity he hit upon the only mode in which he could hope to -gratify his petty spite against a woman, whose only crime was that she -did not admire him as much as he admired himself. - -The Count’s little scheme of revenge was not complex, as he merely -intended to call upon Justinian to keep his word, and force his daughter -into the marriage, and, once she was his wife, punish her in a way of -which he felt himself thoroughly capable, that is, by worrying her to -death. A petty, spiteful, narrow-minded man like the Greek had quite a -gift in annoying those people whom he disliked, and by assiduously -exercising this ignoble talent, could hope to render unbearable the life -of even the happiest and most long-suffering person. Besides, if he grew -tired of Helena, he could easily force her to leave Melnos, for her -father was so old that he would soon be in his dotage, and thus could -not protect the girl, in which case Caliphronas would be free to act as -his spiteful nature dictated. - -As to Justinian’s breaking faith with him, such a thing never entered -into the Count’s mind for a moment, and, scoundrel as he was himself, he -hardly dreamed that any one would be astute enough to beat him with his -own weapons, least of all the Demarch, who had hitherto acted towards -him in a strictly honorable way. Strong diseases, however, require -strong remedies, and, had the deceiving of Caliphronas not been -imperative for the salvation of the island, Justinian would certainly -not have stooped to such duplicity. Caliphronas, therefore, ready to -betray the Demarch if the fancy took him, never thought the Demarch -would betray him, and thus relied blindly on the promise of the forced -marriage being fulfilled, in which case this consummate scamp decided to -sacrifice Helena in the most painful manner which he could devise, for -the gratification of his wounded pride. - -That Maurice loved Helena he knew well enough, for had not the mere -sight of that lovely face brought the young man from England to this -semi-civilized island of the Ægean; but as to whether the passion was -reciprocal, Caliphronas felt doubtful, as he had never espied anything -in the girl’s demeanor towards his rival to inspire him with such a -belief. But whether she loved this young Englishman or not, the Count -was quite indifferent, as he had Justinian’s promise that, with her -consent or without it, Helena should be his. As it turned out, the -marriage, if it took place, would be without her consent, but this the -Greek deemed a small matter, and therefore repaired to the Acropolis -with the full determination to force the Demarch to keep his word. It -was in this rosy light that Caliphronas looked at the circumstances of -the case, and he never thought of what he should do in the event of -things turning out otherwise, for the simple reason that, in his blind -arrogance, he deemed himself too powerful to be thwarted in any way; so, -disguising his chagrin under an air of triumph, he went in the afternoon -to meet Justinian, and his fate. - -Strolling along the mulberry-tree avenue, Caliphronas, anticipating -quite a brilliant career of scoundrelism, began to build castles in the -air, which were all inhabited by one person—himself. Justinian was old, -and would soon die, or, at all events, putting his much-desired death -out of the question, would shortly become incapable of managing the -affairs of the island, therefore this goodly heritage would soon revert -to Count Constantine Caliphronas, better known as Andros, the shepherd -boy. This humble birth, however, he would sink in oblivion, and become -widely known as Prince Caliphronas, the sole survivor of a famous -Fanariot family. Helena, of course, he would marry, in order to revenge -himself, and when he grew weary of her beauty and his revenge, there -were plenty of ways of getting her shipped off to Stamboul, where she -could be finally disposed of in some jealously guarded harem. Then he -would be sole ruler of the Isle of Melnos, and make it a dwelling after -his own heart, for, after turning both Crispin and the Englishman off -the island, he would set up a princely establishment in this Ægean -paradise. - -What with the exports of wines, silks, pottery, olives, and grapes, he -would be able to realize a magnificent income, which he would apply, not -to the aid and assistance of the Melnosians, but to his own enjoyment. -He would build a palace, have troops of servants, a pleasure yacht, and -could also give rein to his sensuality in the matter of the most -beautiful women. As to carrying out Justinian’s foolish dream of a new -Hellas, of course that was ridiculous, and his first act on becoming -Demarch of Melnos would be to abolish the three days’ festival, so that -the Melnosians could live like other insular Greeks, on such amusements -as they could provide for themselves. Besides, the title Demarch only -meant Mayor, and was hardly lordly enough for such a magnificent person -as he intended to be. He would call himself Prince of Melnos, and who -knows but what, with the assistance of Alcibiades and a few other -scoundrels of the same kidney with whom he was acquainted, he would not -be able to extend his principality so as to include all the surrounding -islands. Then Crete, under Turkish misrule, would be glad to come under -his protection, and Rhodes also—in fact, a few years might see the whole -Cyclades acknowledging him as their sovereign. In that case, he would be -powerful enough to measure himself against the Greek Government, who, -perhaps, weary of a foreign king, might be persuaded or forced to drive -away King George, and place the Prince of Melnos on the vacant throne. - -In fact, while indulging in these Alnaschar-like visions, Caliphronas -was rapidly foreseeing the conquest of Constantinople, and himself -seated on the golden throne of the Palæologi, as Emperor of the East, -when the sight of the Acropolis, directly in front of him, dispelled -these glowing dreams, and he ascended the steps rather dolefully, with -the conviction that, as yet, all his fine schemes were in the clouds. - -Pausing a moment on the threshold, in order to quite recover his usual -jaunty manner, the future Emperor, but present adventurer, drew aside -the curtain and entered the court, to find himself confronted by -Justinian, his daughter, and their two guests. The old Demarch reclined -in a capacious chair beside the fountain, smoothing the golden hair of -Helena, who was seated at his feet. On the back of the chair leaned -Maurice, laughing at some trivial remark, and Crispin, balanced -perilously on the marble rim of the pool, was irritating Argos, who -strutted near with his gorgeous tail spread out to its fullest extent. -All of them looked remarkably happy, especially Justinian, whose stern -face was glowing with pleasure, and in Helena’s eyes shone the light of -undying love as she glanced shyly, from time to time, at her joyous -lover, so strong, so handsome, and so noble. - -When Caliphronas appeared at the entrance, however, all this merriment -vanished; for Helena, mindful of the previous night, sprang to her feet, -with an indignant look at the advancing Greek, and the faces of Maurice -and the poet assumed a cold expression of keen disapproval. Not so -Justinian, who, quite enjoying the situation, received his enemy with a -bland smile, which, had Caliphronas but known it, boded ill for the -success of his mission. - -“Helena, my child,” said the Demarch quietly, “will you leave us for a -little while. I have some business with Count Caliphronas.” - -Helena needed no second bidding, but, with an angry glance at her -rejected lover, walked quickly to the curtains, through which she -vanished, but not before sending a sweet smile in the direction of -Maurice. Caliphronas saw that smile, and felt uneasy as to the meaning -of it, but he became still more uneasy, when the Demarch, without asking -him to be seated, addressed him formally as Count Caliphronas. - -“Why do you not call me Andros?” asked the Greek apprehensively. - -“I understood you called yourself Count Caliphronas,” replied Justinian -smoothly, “and, naturally, I give you that title. Of course, I thought -you were but a shepherd boy, who, in default of god-parents, had to be -called by the name of your birthplace. However, I am wrong, as it seems -you are the offspring of a noble family, and have a title.” - -“I don’t know what you mean by talking to me like this!” said the Count -in rather a cowed manner, feeling that the speech of the Demarch was -decidedly hostile in tone. “I wish to speak to you alone.” - -“You can speak to me in the presence of these gentlemen,” retorted the -old man coolly; “they know all my secrets.” - -“All?” said Caliphronas in a meaning tone. - -“As far as you are concerned—yes!” - -“Beware, Justinian!” cried the Count in Greek, whereupon the Demarch -ruthlessly interrupted him. - -“You had better speak English. I prefer it.” - -This was quite the dictatorial Demarch of old, strangely unlike the -yielding Justinian of the last few weeks, so Caliphronas, feeling more -and more uneasy, burst out into a torrent of rapid English. - -“What do you mean? Why do you talk like this? Have you forgotten your -promise to me?” - -“What promise?” - -“Your promise that I should marry Helena!” - -“Oh yes, yes! I remember something about that. Well, have you asked her -to marry you?” - -“I have, and she has refused me,” said Caliphronas sullenly. - -“In that case, I am afraid you cannot marry her.” - -“Cannot marry her!” stammered Caliphronas, the rich color of his face -fading to a dull gray; “but you promised to make her marry me.” - -“Did I? then I break that promise!” - -“You break it! And what about my succeeding you as Demarch of Melnos.” - -“I break that also!” - -Caliphronas, too startled to speak, stood looking blankly at the -Demarch, pale as the marble pillar against which he leaned. Much as he -disliked him, Maurice could not but feel sorry for the shame and agony -felt by the baffled schemer. Twice, thrice, he tried to answer -Justinian, but the words died away feebly on his parched lips, while the -Demarch, relentless in his anger, spoke cruelly and deliberately, as if -to torture still further the wretched man before him. - -“You are astonished at my thus acting so dishonorably. I am astonished -myself, as never before have I broken a promise once made, even to the -meanest person. However, in this case, necessity demanded that I should -make use of you as a tool, in order to gain my own ends, and I have done -so, with the fullest intention of defeating your schemes. Ah yes, my -dear friend, I know perfectly well that you would have betrayed me to -Alcibiades, had I not, by a stroke of diplomacy, secured you to my -interests, by promising to give you my daughter and make you my -successor. Had I not done so, you would have joined the ranks of my -enemies, and I, being ignorant of their schemes, would have been at a -disadvantage in defending my property. Therefore, knowing you were ready -to play the traitor, unless bribed to remain true to your benefactor, -you can hardly wonder that I made use of you, to learn the plans of -those who were dangerous to me in every way. A man cannot serve two -masters, and as the question of whose side you would embrace was simply -one of bribery, I took advantage of your baseness. I bribed you! I -promised you all you wished, without the slightest intention of -fulfilling such promise. From you I have learned all I wish to know, and -am now in a position to baffle both your ambition and that of -Alcibiades. Between two stools you have fallen ignominiously to the -ground; and now, having no further use for you, traitor and ingrate as -you are, I command you to leave my island this very day.” - -During this long speech the Greek made neither sound nor movement, but, -like a beaten hound, cowered before the lash of Justinian’s scornful -words. When the Demarch ended, he raised his head with a bitter smile on -his pallid face, and flung out his hand threateningly towards the -speaker. - -“You do well, Justinian, to say you are prepared,” he said in a hoarse -voice; “you do well to be on your guard; for I swear by the Panagia -herself to ruin you and your schemes before the end of another month. -Had you been true to me, I would have remained true to you; but now”— - -“Most virtuous scoundrel!” cried Justinian scornfully; “you were anxious -to guard what you thought was already your own, and now make a boast of -doing that which you were bribed to do. As to your threat to ruin me, go -and do your worst! I defy both you and your precious friend Alcibiades!” - -“You have every reason to be grateful to me. I have told you all the -schemes of your enemies.” - -“Yes; you betrayed them as you would have betrayed me, had their bribe -been the larger. Gratitude! gratitude! you dare to speak of that to me, -to whom you owe everything! Who were you? Nobody! What were you? -Nothing! I found you a poor rustic in the Island of Andros, and trained -you up to be my successor—which you would have been, had I not -discovered in time your heartless, fickle, scoundrelly nature. -Gratitude, forsooth! and you, ingrate, turning to bite the hand that has -fed you all these years. You owe me everything, I owe you nothing, save -the contempt that an ungrateful hound like you deserves for such -treachery as you meditated. You would have sold me, you Judas! you would -have betrayed a man who has been a father to you! But I have baffled -you! I have tricked you! and you are now reaping the reward of your own -vile actions. Go! quit my sight, ungrateful wretch! lest I pass from -words to actions, and spurn you from the threshold which your very -presence pollutes.” - -“I will go,” cried the Greek, with venomous spitefulness; “but I will -return, with an army at my back, to ruin you and yours. I will wreck -your island, I will make of you a slave; and as for your daughter”— - -“Not a word about that lady,” said Maurice firmly, stepping forward and -taking part in the conversation for the first time; “she is to be my -wife!” - -“Your wife!” hissed the Greek furiously. “Never! never! I will drag that -fine piece of purity from your arms to the gutter. I will”— - -“You d—d reptile!” cried the Englishman, white with passion; “say -another word, and I’ll break your neck!” - -Caliphronas, having had some experience of Royland’s strength, judged it -wise not to say another word; but, turning on his benefactor, poured out -the vials of his wrath on the old man’s head. - -“So this is why you brought him from England!” he said fiercely; “to -marry Helena! You promised that if I fulfilled your desire, and lured -him to Melnos, I would be your daughter’s husband”— - -“If she accepted you, yes—if she refused you, no!” - -“So you say now. Oh, I have been your tool and slave all along!” - -“You have. I have met treachery with treachery, and baffled you.” - -“I have obeyed your wishes,” hissed the Greek venomously; “I have kept -your secrets, but I will do so no longer. Whom you are, and what you -are, I will tell this man.” - -“Be silent, wretch!” - -“I will not be silent; I have been silent too long. You have betrayed -me, so now I will betray you. Maurice Roylands, look at this so-called -Justinian. Do you know whom he is? An outcast Englishman, a renegade -adventurer—your uncle Rudolph!” - -“My uncle Rudolph!” replied Maurice, aghast. - -“Yes. It was he who sent me to England for you; it is he who is heir to -your fine estate; and you—you are nothing but a pauper!” - -“Crispin, turn that man out!” commanded the Demarch, rising. “Go to the -western pass, Count Caliphronas, and there you will find a boat in -charge of Alexandros. Leave this island before nightfall, or, by heaven, -I will have you drowned like the rat you are!” - -“I go,” retorted the Greek fiercely, retreating before Crispin, and -clutching the curtains. “I go; but when I return, I swear by all the -saints that you shall suffer agonies for every word you have uttered -to-day. Scoundrel! wretch! renegade! outcast! _Và và!_” - -And, uttering the bitterest malediction he could think of, the beaten -schemer vanished from the Acropolis, and later on from the island -itself; from whence he doubtless went to Kamila, in search of -Alcibiades, to assist him in his plans of revenge. - -“Thank heaven, that is all over!” said Justinian, when they were once -more alone. “Now, at least, it will be open war, and not hidden -treachery, Maurice!” - -“And you are really my uncle Rudolph?” said Roylands, grasping the -outstretched hand of the Demarch. - -“Really and truly! Now you know the meaning of so many things which have -so often puzzled you. Did you never suspect the truth?” - -“Never!” answered his nephew emphatically; “but Crispin”— - -“Crispin knew it all along,” said the poet quickly; “but, as I had given -my sacred word to keep silence, of course I could say nothing.” - -“I am glad you are my uncle, Justinian.” - -“Oh, I am still Justinian, then!” said Rudolph, with a smile, as he -shook his nephew heartily by the hand. “Well, it is better so; I am too -old to learn new tricks, and, after forty years of Greek life, I cannot -turn Englishman in one moment.” - -“Of course Roylands Grange is now yours.” - -“Boy, boy,” observed the old Demarch, laying his hand on the young man’s -shoulder, “do you think so meanly of me as that? Were I a pauper, I -would not deprive you of a single acre; but, being as I am, rich and -happy, I would indeed be base to take your estate when I have all this.” - -“Still, you are the head of our house.” - -“A head that will soon be in the grave. No, no, my son, the property is -yours; and if you have any scruples, why, then, are you not going to -marry your cousin? so the Grange will still belong to you, and yet -remain with the elder branch of the family.” - -“Why, Helena is my first cousin!” - -“Of course she is!” - -“A second Eunice,” said Crispin, smiling, “only not so charming.” - -“Crispin! Helena is the most beautiful woman in the world.” - -“So is Eunice.” - -“Come, that’s nonsense, you know!” objected Maurice warmly; “there can’t -be two most beautiful women in the world.” - -Justinian settled the matter by bursting out laughing. - -“Every one thinks his own crow the whitest,” he said gayly; “but come, -leave off arguing about the merits of your respective lady-loves. We -have other things to think of.” - -“The coming war, eh?” - -“Yes. Andros will do as he says, and bring Alcibiades here with his band -of scoundrels. Well,” added the Demarch, with a grim smile, “they will -get a rather warm reception when they do come. The Roylands are a -fighting family.” - -“Ah, now I understand how you made that allusion before,” said Maurice -quickly; “and now I come to think of it, what with the many hints you -dropped, I must have been blind not to guess the truth.” - -“When a man has been numbered with the dead forty years, it is hard to -believe that he is alive,” said the Demarch philosophically. - -“You must have had a strange life, uncle.” - -“Very,” replied Justinian, gratified by the title. “To-night, when -Helena has retired to bed, I will tell you all my adventures since -leaving the Grange.” - -“Does Helena know I am her cousin?” - -“She knows nothing beyond the fact that I am Demarch of Melnos. No, my -son, you have wooed and won your bride entirely on your merits, so now -you can understand how delighted I am at the prospect of this marriage, -which will blend both the elder and younger branch of the family in one -common line.” - -“Can I tell Helena?” - -“Certainly, whenever you please.” - -“Here is Helena now,” said Crispin, as the girl, looking rather pale, -entered the court. “Come here, sister Helena; Maurice has something to -tell you.” - -“About Caliphronas?” asked Helena, coming up close to her father. - -“No, my dear,” said her father, kissing her fondly. “Caliphronas has -received the reward of his treachery, and has left Melnos forever.” - -“I am glad of that, father,” said the girl, with a sigh of relief. “You -can have no idea how I disliked him. But has he been treacherous?” - -“Very; he wanted to give up Melnos to Alcibiades.” - -“Did he dare?” - -“Yes; and was only deterred from doing so by being promised both -yourself and the island.” - -“But, father,” cried Helena in great distress, “you did not want me to -marry Caliphronas?” - -“Never! I wished you to marry Maurice.” - -“Well, your wishes are going to be fulfilled,” said Helena, with a -lovely smile, turning to her lover. - -“Helena,” remarked Maurice, with mock solemnity, taking her hands, “look -at me carefully.” - -“I am doing so with both eyes.” - -“Do you know who I am?” - -“Of course—Maurice Roylands.” - -“And what else?” - -“My—my future husband,” said the girl, with an amused smile. - -“Still, I am something even more.” - -“I don’t understand,” began Helena in bewilderment, when Justinian -interposed. - -“Do not tease the child so, Maurice. Helena, this is your future husband -and your first cousin.” - -“My cousin!” - -“By all the laws of the Medes and Persians,” said Maurice, kissing her. -“Your father is my long-lost uncle Rudolph, of whom I have spoken, and -you, my sweet bride to be, are my dear coz Helena.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX. - A ROLLING STONE. - - In olden days folks mostly stayed at home, - Nor e’er in quest of unknown lands departed, - And tho’ some ne’er-do-weels at times would roam, - They came back poorer than the day they started: - From which disastrous lives there comes alone - That foolish proverb of a rolling stone. - - If such advice in earnest we obeyed, - Its narrow views would certainly benumb us; - The progress of the world would be delayed, - For lack of Marco Polo and Columbus! - They tore aside the veil which hid our eyes, - And showed us unknown worlds and unknown skies. - - So now that proverb trite is obsolete; - Our enterprise has made far lands alluring, - And north and south our fellow-men we meet, - With Cook and Gaze in restless parties touring, - A rolling stone gains something for its loss, - And polish is more valuable than moss. - - -In due time Alexandros came back to the Acropolis, and reported that -Caliphronas had left the island in a small boat, and when last seen his -craft was running before the wind in the direction of Kamila. On hearing -this, Justinian had no doubt but that the Greek was on his way to stir -up Alcibiades to immediate action; therefore resolved to lose no time in -putting Melnos in a thorough state of defence. In the meantime, he -placed a strong guard at the gate of the tunnel and in the western pass, -so as to prevent the island being taken by surprise. At all events, -there was no special necessity for prompt action, as Caliphronas had -only departed that day, and in all probability Alcibiades would not -attack Melnos for at least one week. - -Privately, Maurice wondered if the Greek, adrift in a small boat, would -succeed in reaching land safely, as, judging from his terror on the -night of the shipwreck, he had not much pluck in foul weather. The sky, -however, was perfectly clear, and there was no chance of the castaway -being caught in a storm, so Justinian laughed at the fears of his -nephew, and bade him set his mind at peace. Caliphronas, he said, knew -the waters of the Ægean Sea well, he had but a few miles to sail before -reaching Kamila, and once there he would doubtless meet with some of -Alcibiades’ followers to guide him to their chief. In his innermost -heart, the old Demarch rather regretted that Caliphronas should thus -escape safely, and would not have grieved much had the treacherous scamp -been drowned in the sea, instead of reaching Alcibiades without harm, -and stirring up that accomplished cut-throat to immediate war. There was -no chance, however, of such an event happening, and Justinian quite -expected within the week to see the Melnosian waters covered with the -boats of his bitter enemies. - -Helena was much astonished and delighted to find that Maurice was her -cousin, and though she could scarcely be more in love with him than she -already was, yet felt that this bond of blood-relationship bound him to -her by a nearer and dearer tie than even that of her future husband. -They talked of a thousand things in connection with their future life, -but neither of them dreamed of returning to the family seat in England, -but hoped, when this war-cloud had blown over, to pass the rest of their -lives untouched by sorrow in this lotus-land of the East. Maurice, in -common with Crispin, was anxiously expecting letters from home, but as -yet none had reached them; so to all appearances it looked as though -they would be blockaded in the island by the pirates before any -communication arrived at Syra. - -On the day of Caliphronas’ departure, however, they were thinking but -little of these things, as Maurice was anxious to learn the history of -his uncle; while Rudolph Roylands on his part—now being able to talk -freely of himself, owing to the revelation of his identity—was desirous -of hearing all about his late brother, the ancestral estate, and the -present position of the Roylands family. He did not want to speak of -these things before Helena, as he judged the girl had undergone quite -enough excitement for the present, and, besides, there were many things -in his own career which he did not care about speaking of before this -innocent child. - -Justinian was not a bad man; but, having one of those restless, -adventurous spirits, whose impulsiveness leads them into strange -scrapes, had during his sojourn in the Levant indulged in many -escapades, which, if not exactly criminal, were yet daring and lawless -enough to startle a sober-minded person. The serious Justinian of the -present was very different from the dashing Rudolph of the past; and as -his daughter knew him only in his reverend old age, and respected him as -the wisest, kindest, and best of men, he naturally did not want to -disturb that feeling by a narration of the wild adventures of his -somewhat scampish youth. - -Therefore it was not until Helena had retired to rest that he told -Maurice his story; and the three men sat up till nearly morning; the -eldest talking in the Arabian Nights vein, and the two younger listening -with rapt attention to the fascinating career of this free-lance of the -Middle Ages, born by some strange chance among the respectabilities of -the nineteenth century. Passionate as Benvenuto Cellini, ambitious as -the first Napoleon, reckless as Cæsar Borgia, and fascinating as Lord -Byron, this extraordinary being possessed all those vices, virtues, -charm, and astuteness, we find, not in our military machines of to-day, -but in those brilliant adventurers of the Renaissance, who burned -fiercely over the troubled world of those days like wandering stars; -terribly grand to look upon, but carrying destruction and dread -everywhere as they swept onward in their fatal path. - -After supper Helena retired, and Justinian went with his guests into the -cool court, where they comfortably seated themselves under the -star-strewn sky with coffee and tobacco. But the coffee grew cold and -the tobacco burned untasted to ashes, as Maurice and Crispin, with their -elbows on their knees, leaned forward to listen to the wondrous story of -this modern Ulysses, who had seen many lands, knew many people, and had -done many reckless, wild deeds during his stormy career. - -Justinian himself grew excited like an old war-horse, as he told of his -early life; and it was easily seen that his spirit was as dauntless as -ever, that a thirst for adventure still possessed his soul, and that he -chafed bitterly at the inglorious ease to which his frail body condemned -him. His bright eyes flashed at the memories of his hot youth, and his -grand voice pealed trumpet-like through the still air, as he strode up -and down before his enthralled listeners, reciting deeds of derring-do -done in the times that had been. - -“Yes, those were grand days in Bolivia,” he said, resuming his seat, -after an outburst of stormy passion, as old memories awoke in his brain. -“I feel carried away to the past when I talk of them. If Jumez had only -brought his troops up in time, I might have been President of a South -American Republic instead of Demarch of Melnos. Well, at all events, my -late years have been peaceful enough; and as President I would have had -but a stormy time, ending, very likely, in a violent death.” - -“And after you left South America, uncle?” - -“I came back to England in a sailing vessel. There was a mutiny on board -of her, which I and three other fellows managed to quell; but we held -our lives in our hands all the way until we got to England. When I left -the ship, I went down to Roylands in disguise, to look after my people, -and found them all happy. I had not killed your father, as I had feared; -and he was now married to Rose. They seemed happy enough, so I had not -the heart to disturb them. It would have been no pleasure to me to take -the estate from Austin, as I had plenty of that treasure I found in -Bolivia, and the life of a country gentleman was irksome to me. Besides, -the woman I had loved so fondly was now my brother’s wife; so I had -nothing to gain by revealing myself. I strayed about the old place for a -time, and then returned to London, in order to think of my future. I was -very wealthy, in the prime of life, and anxious for adventure, so at -first I thought of returning to the army, but on reflection I decided -that my first experience of soldiering had been quite enough, so turned -my attention to travelling, and went all over Europe, which tour I found -but tame work. Asia was more exciting, however; and I had some good -tiger-hunting in India. When I left that place, I went down Cape Town -way, and explored the southern wilds of Africa, which were even more -savage than they are now. I got this wound there in a row with the -niggers.” - -He drew up his sleeve, and showed a white cicatrice on his arm, which -must have been a dangerous wound; and then began to tell of his African -adventures, of battles with savage tribes, of explorings in unknown -wilds, fights with wild beasts, elephant hunts, witchcraft ceremonies of -the Obi kind, until the listeners did not know at which to marvel most, -his memory or the bizarre existence he had led. - -“I had five years of that sort of thing,” he went on, after a pause, -“and it became rather tiresome. Besides, I was now thirty-five years of -age, and thought it was best to settle down, but where I could not make -up my mind. He who has prairie fever once always gets it again, and it -sends him off on his travels into the wilds as if he were stung by the -gadfly of Io. What I wanted was some big work to keep my mind and body -busy; but, with all my wealth, I really did not see where I could find -such occupation. True, I might have remained in Africa, and become a -kind of savage king; but, with all my buccaneering leanings, I had -intellect enough to despise such rusting away in tropical forests beyond -the reach of civilization. I wished to exercise my brain as well as my -body; yet, in spite of all my hard thinking, no scheme appeared feasible -enough to give me work, interest, and pleasure when I had passed the -meridian of life. England I disliked returning to, as a cramped -existence in that gray little island would have sent me mad; and unless -I had asserted my right to Roylands, and entered Parliament, I did not -see how I could employ my time. Besides, I was averse to disturbing -Austin; and the prejudices I would meet with on all sides from -narrow-minded stay-at-homes would have sent me back again to a savage -life. Unlike the Genii in the “Arabian Nights,” I could not go back to -my jar after once being released therefrom. - -“England, therefore, being out of the question, I had serious thoughts -of returning to South America, and exploring up the Orinoco river, where -they say all sorts of buried cities, civilized Indians, and golden -temples are to be found. Then, changing my mind, I almost decided to go -to San Francisco, and have a try at gold-digging. Feeling doubtful of -this being worth undertaking, I fancied Australia, where fortunes were -being made up Ballarat way, would suit me; but this idea I also -abandoned. I did not wish to make my fortune, as I already had more -money than I knew what to do with; and it was all safely invested in -England. You see, Maurice, I had the price of my army commission, which -was no great sum, my mother’s fortune, which was considerable, and also -that enormous Incas treasure I dug up near Lake Titicaco, which nearly -cost me my life, as I told you; so you can fancy I was quite a -millionnaire long before the days of Chicago pig-sticking and -Pennsylvanian oil wells.” - -“How did you decide to come to the Ægean?” - -“Well, that came about in a queer sort of way,” said the Demarch, -lighting his pipe. “When I was up at Zanzibar, which was about as far -north as I had then got, I met a poor devil of a Greek who was starving, -so took him about with me as a kind of companion. He had been mixed up -in the War of Independence, and got on the bad side of King Otho, who -was, at that time, ruling Greece about as badly as it could be ruled. My -Greek had a dream of reviving the old Hellenic learning; but with the -country under a Bavarian king, and overrun with brigands, he did not see -how this could be done. I told him of my desire to find something to -occupy my mind and body; so he suggested, as I had such a lot of money, -I ought to try to start a little kingdom of my own on an intellectual -basis. The idea took my fancy greatly, as I was always of an -administrative turn of mind; and then he told me about this island of -Melnos, and how it could be cultivated, fortified, and made into a kind -of Elysium by a man with capital. After some deliberation I decided to -do this, and pose as a second Lord Byron; therefore, with my Greek, I -went up the coast in a trading vessel, and into the Red Sea. It was very -uncivilized in those days, and we had all kinds of adventures, in one of -which my poor Hellene was knocked on the head; so I was left to battle -my way on alone over the isthmus to the Mediterranean.” - -“I wonder you were not killed.” - -“I was pretty nearly,” rejoined Justinian grimly; “especially up Suez -way. Of course, at that time, there was no canal, and no Suez; but I -managed somehow to get across the isthmus to Alexandria. I need not tell -you all my adventures from the time I left Zanzibar, as it would take -too long; but they were just as exciting as the Bolivian escapades, if -not quite as bloodthirsty.” - -“You ought to publish a book of your career.” - -“My dear Crispin, they would call me a second Baron Munchausen, for many -of my adventures would seem impossible in these tame days of Cook’s -tourist parties. The thirties were a great falling off from the -buccaneering times, but in these days the thirties seem quite -bloodthirsty; and where the next generation of born adventurers, such as -I was, will find scope for the exercise of their talents, I am sure I do -not know.” - -“Well, uncle, and what did you do after Alexandria?” - -“I came on to Athens to see about my new Hellas. There I hired a kind of -small schooner, and, with picked men, went down among the islands, until -I came across Melnos. I recognized it from the description of the Greek -at Zanzibar; and, having landed, climbed up over the peaks. When I saw -this valley, I was enchanted, for it was indeed a fortress, formed by -the hand of Nature herself. True, at first, I hesitated about -establishing a colony in the crater of an extinct volcano, for one would -never know when it would break out again. However, when I saw this -Temple of Hephaistos, I felt pretty safe, as the crater must have been -extinct when it was built by the old Hellenes, thousands of years -before. So I thought, if the volcano had kept quiet since the days of -Pericles, it would surely keep quiet for the next thousand years.” - -“And probably will!” - -“I hope so; at least I have seen no signs of eruption; besides, there is -a vent for the volcanic forces at Santorin, so that ought to preserve -Melnos intact forever. Well, as I said, I saw this island, found it -suitable for my proposed scheme, and went back to Athens, to buy it of -the Greek Government. There I was told the island belonged to Turkey, as -the Greek tributary islands only extend as far down as Santorin. Nothing -daunted, I went to Stamboul, and, after about a year’s hard work, -managed to buy Melnos for a good round sum—it was a pretty stiff price, -I can tell you, but my Incas treasure proved equal to it, and even when -I had paid down the money, I still found myself with plenty in hand with -which to start my colony.” - -“So Melnos is absolutely your own?” - -“Absolutely! I can leave it to whom I please. It is my private estate, -and, as I have always kept friends with the Sublime Porte, there is no -chance of it being taken from me. When you succeed me here, Maurice, you -will find everything drawn out, fair and square, with my lawyers in -London.” - -“What! have you not the Sultan’s firman here?” - -“No. London is safer; for even if Alcibiades were to take the island, I -can still prove my right to it by my papers in London. I paid too -sweetly for it to those greedy Turks, not to take all precautions to -keep my title safely stowed away, where it would meet with no accidents. -London is the safest city in the world for the preservation of such -things; so in London I placed all papers recognizing my right to the -ownership of this island.” - -“Well, uncle, now you had your new Rome, but what about the citizens?” - -“Oh, as to that, I did not find any difficulty in obtaining plenty of -men eager to settle down under my protection. In those days, what with -Turkish misrule, pirates at sea, and brigands on land, the islanders -fared badly enough, and when I promised such as became my subjects -absolute immunity from such ills, the difficulty I found was as to -quality, not quantity. It was the pure Hellenic stock I wanted, from -which to develop my new learning, and there is a good deal of mixed -blood, even among these insular Greeks. However, by careful selection, I -managed to get together a goodly number of pure-blooded males, and these -brought their wives and sweethearts to my island colony. Children and -old men I would not have, as the latter were useless for my purpose; and -with regard to children, I wanted to regulate the births myself, so as -to keep the new race up to my standard. In time, I populated Melnos -accorded to my mind, and then set my new subjects to work on dwellings -and industries. First, I repaired this temple for my own accommodation, -and arranged my system of government; planted mulberry trees, obtained -silkworms, built factories, and so on. Olives, vineyards, and currant -vines, I also planted, and after a few years they began to flourish -greatly, so gradually I established a commerce with the surrounding -islands, and thus Melnos, by its exports, was able to earn an income for -itself. What with keeping the island going in its infancy, buying what -was required for my people, and carrying out engineering occupations, my -capital, large as it was, had dwindled considerably, and I was delighted -when I found that from all my outlay I was now realizing an income -sufficient not only to carry out further works, but also to leave a -surplus, which I saved up against bad seasons. Every year I devote part -of the income derived from my industries to public works in connection -with the place and the people, and the balance I place out at interest -in London.” - -“Still London!” - -“Well, you would not have me risk all my hard earnings in Athens, would -you? A commercial crisis, a revolution, a war, and where would my money -be; while London, though liable to social depression, is at least safe -as regards the other two contingencies. No! year after year, I have sent -my money to England, and now Melnos has an assured income which would -keep her going, even though she earned nothing for many years.” - -“And have you been to England since you settled here?” - -“Yes,” replied the Demarch, with a half sigh. “I went once, in order to -arrange about the safe investment of my Melnosian moneys, and remained -in London some months. When I returned, I brought back your mother, -Crispin, and you.” - -“My mother!” echoed Crispin, with a deep flush; “and her name?” - -“I cannot tell you that now,” answered Justinian, a trifle sadly; “but -when all these troubles are over, I will do so.” - -“Why not now?” - -“I have a reason for not doing so.” - -Crispin did not like this further putting off, but he knew Justinian was -iron when once he had made up his mind, so submitted to the further -procrastination of the important secret with a sufficiently good grace, -although he made one objection. - -“You might be killed in the mean time.” - -“If that happens, you will find all papers necessary to establish your -legitimacy with my London solicitors. You think I am harsh and unkind, -Crispin, in not telling you what you wish to know now, but, when I -reveal all, you will see I have a good reason for my not doing so. One -thing I can comfort you with, however,—your father is alive, and I will -restore you to his arms.” - -“And my mother?” - -“She is dead. You know she died here, my boy. It is a sad story I will -have to tell you, but, at all events, you will have a father, and a name -as good as any in England.” - -“With that promise I am content,” said Crispin gladly; “as you have -brought me up from infancy, I would be indeed ungrateful if I did not -trust you to the end.” - -“Yet you left me in anger!” - -“I think you must blame Caliphronas for that. It was his machinations -that caused you to misjudge me, as I misjudged you.” - -“Caliphronas has been the bad genius of us all,” said Justinian -decisively; “but now, thank heaven, he is gone, and will trouble us no -more.” - -“My faith!” cried Maurice lightly, “he will trouble us a good deal, if -he brings Alcibiades here.” - -“Ah, that is open war! I do not mind that. It was his hidden treachery -to which I referred.” - -“By the way,” said Roylands meditatively, “I suppose that Caliphronas -thinks you have untold treasures in this Acropolis?” - -“He does; and that is one of the reasons he desires to plunder Melnos. -Fortunately, all my money derived from the island is in London.” - -“What a disappointment for Alcibiades & Company when they find no -treasure here!” cried Crispin, laughing. - -“They must never get here!” said the Demarch resolutely; “I will defend -the island to the bitter end, and, in spite of their strength, I fancy -they will find it difficult to force either the western pass or the -tunnel.” - -“If you had the western pass as an entrance to Melnos, why did you -pierce the tunnel?” asked Maurice curiously; “would it not have been -better to have only one entrance?” - -“Decidedly. But you see the western side of Melnos is exposed to the -gales; and, in spite of the harbor, its anchorage is hardly safe; so I -was forced to build a breakwater on the eastern side of the island. Of -course, this being the case, when ships were loaded or unloaded there, -the goods could not be taken round to the western pass,—hence the -tunnel.” - -“I think your scheme is a wonderful one,” said Maurice, with great -admiration; “and wonderfully carried out.” - -“It is yet only in its infancy, and needs a wise ruler to carry it on to -ripe fruition. That ruler, Maurice, I expect to find in you.” - -“I trust you will not be disappointed in my administrative ability.” - -“Well, I am satisfied so far. You have courage, judgment, and -self-control, which are the main things needed to control these -excitable Greeks. But let us not go too fast, for I know not yet if you -intend to stay in Melnos.” - -“Assuredly I do; especially now I have discovered you are my uncle. Why -did you not tell me of our relationship before?” - -“Because I wished you to fall in love with your cousin on your own -account. Had I revealed myself, and suggested the marriage, with the -natural dislike of a young man to be forced into matrimony, you might -have objected. Oh, my dear nephew, I have had these plans in my head for -a long time. Long ago I saw that neither Crispin nor Andros, whom I had -trained as my successors, would suit the post. You, Crispin, are a poet, -and not a ruler, while as for Andros, whom you know better as -Caliphronas, he is but an idle scamp, who would undo all my forty years’ -work. When I saw my failure in this respect, I married a Greek girl, -more from policy than love, in order to beget an heir, but she died when -Helena was born, and thus I was disappointed of a son.” - -“But you surely do not regret it, uncle, when you have Helena.” - -“No; I do not now, as I love my child dearly, but I did then, as I was -at my wits’ end whom to select as a successor. Then I heard all about -you, Maurice, from my agents in England, and resolved to send for you -here, and, before revealing myself, ascertain for myself whether you -were fit for such a responsible post as ruler of Melnos. The task of -bringing you in ignorance here was a delicate one, and I entrusted it to -Andros, who promised to fulfil it on the ground that I would permit him -to pay his addresses to Helena. I agreed to this, and the result you -see; but there was no question of a forced marriage until lately, when -it was rendered necessary to mislead Caliphronas, out of policy. He -brought you here, Maurice, and the rest you know, as everything has -turned out better than I expected. You are going to marry Helena, and -succeed me here,—that is, if you have quite decided to stay.” - -“I have decided,” replied Maurice, grasping his uncle’s hand warmly. “I -hesitated at first, but now do so no longer. There is nothing to keep me -in England, and when Crispin marries Eunice, they can stay at the Grange -and look after the estate, while Helena and myself stay here.” - -“But your old tutor?” - -“If my old tutor comes out, I am sure he will be delighted for me to -stay here and forward your plans of a new Hellas. He is an ardent Greek -scholar, and will approve thoroughly of my undertaking a good work like -the revival of learning, rather than idling away a discontented -existence in England.” - -“Good!” said Justinian, with great satisfaction; “all this sets my mind -at rest. Never fear about this Alcibiades trouble, Maurice, for Melnos -is strong, and I think we can defend her stanchly. When all these storms -are at an end, I will devote the remainder of my days to teaching you -all the necessary rules of my policy, so that you can carry it out -completely when I die. You, as my heir, Maurice, will inherit this -island, and all the invested moneys in London; so you will find -everything smooth before you to carry on the work which I have begun.” - -“Well, after all this conversation, I think we had better go to bed,” -said Crispin, rising with a yawn. - -“I am afraid it will be morning soon,” replied Justinian, with a smile, -as he followed his example, “so you will not get much sleep; but I am -glad I have told you all my history.” - -“It is wonderful!” cried Maurice enthusiastically; “and quite gives the -lie to the proverb, that ‘A rolling stone gathers no moss.’” - -“Stones that rest in inglorious ease gain moss,” said Justinian wisely; -“but rolling stones which circle the world gather polish. Marco Polo, -Columbus, Drake, Napoleon, Cæsar, were all rolling stones, and I think -have been of more benefit to the world than those wiseacres who remain -gathering moss in the dulness of their homes, in the belief that such -vegetating is the true aim of existence.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXX. - KEEPING VIGIL. - - All day, all night, with anxious eyes, - I vigil keep, - To watch the ever-changing skies, - The changeless deep; - Yet though for rest the spirit sighs, - I dare not sleep. - - For in the skies will comets pale - Burn warningly, - When filled with foes black vessels sail - Across the sea. - To wake upon our shores the wail - Of misery. - - Yet though such ships and stars appear - As portents vile, - Our faces will devoid of fear - With courage smile, - For Greek and Englishman will here - Defend the isle. - - -Two weeks passed since the departure of Caliphronas to stir up war -against Melnos. Yet Alcibiades made no sign of attacking the island, so -doubtless his plans had not yet matured sufficiently to permit of the -assault, or else he was trying to lull the Melnosians into a false -security, so as to storm them unawares. Justinian himself thought this -latter supposition the more likely, but was too old a campaigner to be -thus caught napping, and day and night had sentinels posted on the -highest peaks of the island to give notice of the approach of the enemy -by lighting watch-fires which were all ready prepared. - -As before stated, the defenders of Melnos, inclusive of the Englishmen, -numbered about a hundred and twenty; certainly a small force to hold the -island against three hundred enemies, which, as Caliphronas had told -Justinian, was the strength of Alcibiades’ army. Melnos, however, -strongly fortified by nature, was quite the Gibraltar of the Ægean, and, -owing to the ruggedness and height of the surrounding peaks, no enemy -could gain the crater of the volcano save by the western pass or the -tunnel, both of which were skilfully defended by wooden palisades. -Maurice himself thought it a mistake that these barriers were not -constructed of stone, but Justinian explained that they were thus built -so as to admit of the approach of the enemy being seen, when a few -determined men intrenched behind could keep at bay a large force in the -narrowness of the tunnel or of the pass, whereas, if a stone wall -intervened, an outside foe could perhaps batter it down without hurt -from the defenders. - -Another advantage which Justinian had over a hostile force was the fact -of the tunnel being a staircase, as his men posted on the heights could -sweep down the enemy climbing slowly upward. In order to do away with -the necessity of fighting in the dark, or by the feeble glare of -torches, Justinian had a powerful electric search light placed at the -inner entrance of the -tunnel, so as to command the palisade. Indeed, the Demarch, having -unlimited money at his disposal, had the latest European inventions -obtainable for the defence of his island, and much regretted that he had -been unable to obtain the new magazine rifle which had lately been -served out to the English army. This rifle holds six cartridges, which -can be fired one after the other, and, unlike the revolver, has no -barrel, as the cartridges lie in a line one at the back of the other; -but as Justinian was not able to obtain this efficient weapon, he was -obliged to put up with the Martini-Henry rifle, which was a deadly -enough weapon in the hands of his excellent marksmen. - -The western pass was a narrow, winding gorge, created by some primeval -convulsion of the volcano, which severed the low semicircle of mountains -in a deep cleft; and at the inner entrance was commanded by two old -brass cannon which the Demarch had found in some dismantled tower of the -Venetians. These cannon, however, in spite of their age, were in an -excellent state of preservation, and could do a deal of damage when -sweeping down the narrow pass. The middle of the cleft was fortified by -a strong wooden palisade, and at the outer entrance was another of -similar construction; thus the defenders, intrenched behind these -barriers, held the invading enemy at considerable disadvantage. -Justinian had also another search light sweeping the pass in the event -of a night surprise, and thus, the two entrances being so well defended -by nature and art, it was feasible enough that the little band could -keep at bay even a larger host than that which Alcibiades was bringing -against them. - -Even if the beleaguerment of the island lasted for months, there was no -danger as long as the pass and tunnel were defended, for there was -plenty of provision, and all food eaten by the inhabitants was grown on -the fertile sides of the crater; so it was likely Alcibiades, despairing -of taking the place by storm, would retire his men after a few weeks. -The Demarch was perfectly satisfied that he occupied too strong a -position to be dislodged, and the only chance of capture lay in inside -treachery, or the enemy scaling the peaks and coming down unawares in -the rear. Neither of these things was likely to happen, as there was no -chance of treachery from the Melnosians, who were all devoted to -Justinian; and the enemy, consisting of all the scum of the Levant, had -neither the engineering skill nor the courage to climb over the -forbidding-looking mountains which enclosed the central crater of the -volcano. - -During the two weeks the watchmen on the heights kept a constant watch -for the foe, and Justinian, assisted by Maurice and Dick, looked after -the military preparations with right good will. The rifles were duly -served out to the men, who practised shooting daily, also swords and -cutlasses, in the use of which Dick instructed them; yet all this time -they went on with their work, and only after it was over did they attend -to their military duties. There was no fear of the ammunition giving -out, as the Demarch had constructed a magazine in a lonely part of the -valley, which was filled with cartridges, cannon balls, and plenty of -powder. - -All this elaborate military preparation to defend a rocky little island -may sound childish enough in Western ears accustomed to the gigantic -military powers of Europe; but the coming assault on Melnos was no -holiday battle, but would probably involve a good deal of hard fighting, -as the desperadoes of Alcibiades were by no means to be despised. They -thought that Melnos was full of treasure, quite unaware of Justinian’s -wise precaution of sending the public revenue of Melnos to London to be -in safety; and, lusting for gold, they were ready to fight like demons -in order to plunder the island. The defenders, on their side, valued -their homes, wives, and children too much to permit a loose band of -absolute wretches to gain entrance into their stronghold; so it seemed -as though the fight on both sides would be fought with dogged -determination to the bitter end. - -Maurice and Dick were the principal assistants of Justinian at this -juncture, as Crispin knew nothing about military matters, and the testy -old Demarch said he was more trouble than use; so he wandered about a -good deal with Helena, quite the idler of the community. In spite of -this, however, all knew that Crispin was as keen as any one on fighting, -and would defend the island with the best of them; besides which, being -the minstrel of the party, he wrote war-songs after the mode of Tyrtæus, -to fire the Melnosians with martial enthusiasm. - -The old fighting blood of the Roylands showed itself plainly in the -Demarch and his nephew, for they both looked anxiously forward to the -anticipated invasion, and would have been seriously annoyed had it not -come off. Justinian himself quite renewed his youth at the idea of once -more smelling powder, and his fiery energy, overriding all obstacles, -occupying itself ceaselessly with all military matters, at times even -tired out his muscular nephew. Yet Maurice worked bravely, and showed -himself to be made of the stuff required for leaders of men, and, -despite his ignorance of matters military, made several valuable -suggestions from a common-sense point of view, which were greatly -approved of by the Demarch. - -“Egad, Maurice!” he said, grimly surveying his nephew, “if I had only -had you instead of Caliphronas, I would have made a man of you.” - -“Meaning I’m not a man now,” said Maurice, rather nettled. - -“By no means. You’ve got the Roylands spirit, my boy, and will fight -like the devil himself when needs be; but when I think of all those -years of idleness in England, it makes me angry. Such a loss of good -material which could be made use of, and I dare say there are hundreds -of fellows of your physique and stamina, who write their lives away in -offices instead of going in for an adventurous career and dying rich. -What I mean is that you are made of the same stuff as I, and had I -possessed you as my right hand when I started this scheme, egad, I’d -have had a kingdom instead of an island!” - -“You forget, I was not born forty years ago.” - -“No more you were—more’s the pity! Those were glorious times, and, in -spite of my years, I do not regret having been born early in the -century. Life is too tame now, all bread and butter and explosive -machines. Give me the good old days of hand-to-hand combat, lots of -adventure, rows galore, and the devil take the hindmost.” - -“I never met such a man as you, uncle.” - -“Then you never met yourself. I don’t mean your _doppelganger_, but your -inner self, for you are exactly what I was, though how the deuce your -father ever came to have such a son, I do not know. He was as mild as -milk, my brother Austin.” - -“Was he?” said Maurice grimly, thinking of the many family rows that had -taken place. - -“Oh, I don’t deny he had a spice of the Roylands temper, but as to -ambition and enterprise, he might as well have been born a carrot. Why, -he nearly ruined you, my boy, with neglecting to put you on the right -track—no wonder you got melancholia and all that rubbish. You are a -worker, not a dreamer.” - -“I have brains, I suppose?” - -“Yes, and so has Crispin; but he uses his brains in the right way, you -don’t. Crispin is born to sit down and tinkle a lute, you are born to -handle a sword and lead an exciting career. Why didn’t you go into the -army?” - -“My father wouldn’t let me.” - -“Of course!” said Justinian, with a snort of disdain; “he wanted to make -you a mollycoddle like himself. I wonder you did not go out of your mind -in that smoky London, chipping away at marble and cutting it out. Why, -you have been here only a couple of months, and already you are in your -right mind. Go back to England indeed!—you are a fool if you do. Like -myself, you are born to be a ruler, not a unit in English civilization. -I’m glad I got you to myself before it was too late.” - -“Well, if my career has begun late, I am at least young, and have a long -life before me.” - -“Yes; I envy you that, Maurice. Look at me! youthful in spirit, old in -years. I shall die in the prime of my spiritual strength, just because -my wretched body is of an inferior quality to my soul.” - -“Still you are good for a few years yet. And, uncle, don’t you think it -would be wise of you not to expose yourself in battle?” - -“What!” roared the old Demarch in a voice of thunder; “stay in the -background! Never while I can handle a sword. I’m not going to let every -one else have the fun, and leave myself out of it. Why, this coming war -in a teacup is the first bit of amusement I have had for years, and yet -you grudge it to me.” - -“I don’t want you to be killed, uncle.” - -“Oh, I’ll look after myself, never you be afraid! I won’t live any the -longer for wrapping myself up in cotton wool, and if I die, why, like -Tennyson’s farmer, I die, but I’ll have one stirring fight before I give -up the ghost.” - -“You have the Baresark fury in you, uncle.” - -“An inheritance from our Norman ancestors, my boy. You are more of -courtly old Sir Guyon, who went to the Crusades, but I resemble Jarl -Hagon, who came sailing to Normandy with Rollo. Indeed, if the theory of -transmigration be true, I believe the spirit of that old Norse savage is -incarnate in my body. I am born too late! I am an anachronism in this -dull, peaceful century, all gas and steam engines. I ought to have -fought with Drake and Frobisher. However, I have done my best to make my -surroundings agree with my nature, and the result is—Melnos.” - -“Which is the result, not of war, but of peace!” - -“Eh!—oh, I daresay—it is a toy with which I can amuse myself; but you -forget that before I colonized Melnos, I had battled all over the world, -and thus expended a good deal of my Baresark fit.” - -“And now it comes again!” - -“The last upleaping of the flame, my boy,” said Justinian sadly; “and -then death. But there, I talk so much about myself, that you must think -me egotistical. What about that electric light I wish to try?” - -“Alexandros and Gurt are fitting it up on the platform.” - -“Good! but say Gurt and Alexandros in future. An Englishman goes before -every one else.” - -“How patriotic you are, uncle! Yet you have forsaken England.” - -“England was an unjust stepmother to me, but absence makes the heart -grow fonder, and, in spite of my residence here, I have as patriotic a -spirit as any of your jingoists, who shout War! war! war! on the least -provocation. Come, let us go and look at this search light on the -terrace.” - -Justinian, during the last few years, had dabbled considerably in -electric matters, and had sent Alexandros to England in order to learn -all about the science. Alexandros, keen-witted in all things, had soon -picked up all that was necessary, and was quite an accomplished -electrician; so when he returned to Melnos, he brought with him, by -Justinian’s instructions, all machines necessary for the production of -the light. The powerful engine for working the dynamo was placed at the -back of the Acropolis, under the eye of the Demarch himself, and from -this centre the wires were laid to the tunnel and the western pass. Thus -the machine, being, so to speak, in the heart of the island, was safe -from being captured by enemies, and the lighting of both places was -quite under the control of Alexandros. The Demarch had also a third -apparatus rigged up on the terrace, in order to make a trial of the -power of the light, which was to be tried that night; for Justinian -wished everything to be in thorough working order against the arrival of -Alcibiades and his army. - -While they were examining the electric apparatus on the terrace in front -of the Acropolis, Helena, in company with Dick and Zoe, came to them in -a great state of excitement. - -“Papa, give me the key of the tunnel, for Crispin says the boat has -arrived from Syra with letters!” - -“By Jove, that’s good news!” cried Maurice, as the Demarch handed the -key to his daughter. “Now we will know all about the new yacht, uncle, -and if Melnos is taken, we can go to Syra, and escape on board of her.” - -“Melnos won’t be taken,” said Justinian with a frown. “I am quite -astonished at your suggesting such a thing, Maurice. Besides, the yacht -is going to Athens.” - -“Yes, but Crispin sent a letter to the telegraph office there, telling -them to wire to the agents that the yacht was to stop at Syra.” - -“Humph! well, that is not bad news. As you say, it is as well to be -prepared for emergencies. Here is the key, Helena. Where is Crispin?” - -“Waiting at the tunnel entrance!” replied Helena brightly, and went away -with the key of the island, guarded by Dick and Zoe. - -There was every sign that these two were following in the footsteps of -their master and mistress, for as Zoe, tutored by Helena, could speak -English very well, there was no obstacle to Dick’s wooing. The bos’n was -a handsome young fellow, with a masterful manner about him, which the -Greek maiden found very pleasant, so she was not at all indisposed to -yield to his solicitations, and become Mrs. Dick, the more so, as she -thought this marriage would not part her from Helena, whom she loved -dearly. Her early flame, Gurt, had quite vacated the field in favor of -his handsome young rival, and now took a paternal interest in the match. -As yet, Zoe, with innate coquetry, had not given Dick a direct answer, -but there was little doubt, in the end, she would accept this assiduous -lover who worshipped her very shadow. - -While the three had departed to take Crispin the key of the gate, -Justinian continued examining the electric apparatus, and questioning -Alexandros concerning the mode of working. - -“The moon is not up till late to-night,” said the Demarch, looking at -the sky, “so in the darkness we will be able to test it splendidly. Are -the lights at the tunnel and the western pass in order, Alexandros?” he -added in Greek. - -“Yes, Kyrion. I attended to them to-day, myself.” - -“And the engine?” - -“Works perfectly, Kyrion.” - -“Capital!” said Justinian in English, turning to Maurice. “I think our -electric powers will rather startle Alcibiades!” - -“No doubt; but do you know, uncle, I think it is a pity you did not -place a search light on one of those peaks, so as to sweep the ocean, -and thus reveal their approach if they try to steal in to the beach -under the cover of darkness.” - -“True, true!” said the Demarch thoughtfully, nursing his chin, “we will -think of that, but meanwhile try this light to-night. As to the watchmen -on the peaks, Maurice, you know there are also two on the beach, one on -each side of the island, so if they see Alcibiades’ approach first, they -will light their fires to signal to the peaks, and those above will fire -theirs to warn us. It is easier to see from the beach than from above, -where everything looks flat. Besides, the nights are so still, that the -sound of oars can easily be heard a long way off, especially by men -trained to hear like my Greeks.” - -“But suppose Alcibiades uses no oars?” - -“Oh, well, in any case we will be warned in time. But in case of a night -attack, the men can muster rapidly, I suppose?” - -“In a few minutes.” - -“And the guard?” - -“There is a strong one in the tunnel, under the command of Gurt, and -another in the pass, commanded by Temistocles.” - -“Good! With such precautions we cannot very well be surprised. But here -is Crispin.” - -“In a state of great excitement, too,” said Maurice, laughing. “He has -got a satisfactory answer to his letter.” - -“It’s all right!” called out Crispin, mounting the steps, waving an open -letter in his hand; “the yacht has left England for Syra, with Mrs. -Dengelton, the Rector, and Eunice!” - -“Is there a letter for me?” asked Maurice, nodding his satisfaction at -this intelligence. - -“Yes, one from the Rector. See if it encloses one from Eunice to me.” - -Maurice tore open the letter of his old tutor, and out dropped an -envelope, directed to “Crispin,” in dainty feminine handwriting, of -which the poet at once took greedy possession. On the balustrade of the -terrace, Maurice sat down to read his letter, and Crispin, after -glancing at Eunice’s private note, rattled on to Justinian about the -contents of his own correspondence, which he had read on the way hither -from the tunnel. - -“The agents got my letter all right, sir,” he said gayly, “and had no -difficulty in securing the yacht I wanted, which was still in the -market. She left England a week ago.” - -“For Athens?” - -“Why, no. As there was danger of a row, I thought it best she should be -near at hand, so wired to the agents that she was to stop at Syra, where -she ought to arrive shortly.” - -“She left Southampton after your letters, I presume?” - -“Yes, a day or so after. Of course they came overland to Brindisi, which -gained them five days, or thereabouts, and then caught the boat to Syra, -and came straight on here with Georgios. The Eunice!” - -“Oh, is that the name of the yacht?” cried Helena roguishly. - -“Yes; the old Eunice is under water, but I call the new boat by the old -name.” - -“So The Eunice is carrying her namesake?” - -“Exactly. Well, The Eunice will run down to Syra in about twelve days; a -week has already gone by, so we may expect her there in a few days.” - -“When she arrives, what do you propose to do?” - -“With your permission, go over to Syra and bring her here.” - -“By all means, if we are not blockaded in the mean time; but if we are, -you will have to stay here.” - -“And The Eunice at Syra!” rejoined Crispin in a vexed tone. “Well, -perhaps it will be for the best, as your sister, niece, and Mr. -Carriston are on board, and won’t care about being mixed up in a -battle.” - -“My sister!” repeated Justinian thoughtfully; “she was born after I left -England, and I only caught a glimpse of her when I went back, so she is -quite a stranger to me. Is she a—a pleasant sort of person?” - -“Well, she talks a good deal,” said Crispin, with some hesitation. - -“Then I am afraid she will tire me dreadfully,” said the Demarch dryly, -“for I do not like chatterboxes. However, Helena will be glad to see her -aunt. Will you not, child?” - -“Of course, papa. I will be glad to see all my relations if they are as -charming as Cousin Maurice.” - -“Eunice is an angel.” - -“Of course,” said Helena mockingly; “that is because you love her. Why, -Maurice says the same thing about me.” - -“What does Maurice say?” asked that gentleman, looking up from his -letter. - -“That I am the dearest girl in the world,” laughed Helena, going up to -him. - -“I will find that out when your milliner’s bills come in.” - -“Milliner!” said the child of Nature; “what is a milliner?” - -They all laughed at this, particularly Justinian, who pinched his -daughter’s ear gently. - -“Ah, a milliner is a very important person, my child. She makes gowns.” - -“Like this white one of mine?” - -“No, more’s the pity,” said Crispin, with a laughing glance at the -simple white garment; “if all gowns were of that style, the bills would -not be so large, and husbands would frown less. Well, Maurice, and what -says the Rector?” - -“He declines to commit himself to an opinion until he sees Melnos with -his own eyes,” said Maurice, putting the letter in his pocket, “and is -coming out especially to see the new Hellas. There, uncle, is that not a -compliment?” - -“I will be glad to see Mr. Carriston,” observed Justinian a little -stiffly, as Maurice thought. “Crispin, did Georgios see anything of -Alcibiades?” - -“No, nothing.” - -“Or hear anything?” - -“Not a word.” - -“They must be keeping all their preparations very quiet,” muttered the -Demarch to himself as he went inside; “but, for all that, I believe an -attack will take place within the week.” - -The party on the terrace broke up after his withdrawal, leaving -Alexandros still busy at his electric apparatus, which was in complete -order by night-time. After a merry supper, every one came out again on -to the terrace to make experiments with the light, and Alexandros went -away to look after his dynamo. - -Such a still night as it was, with not a breath of air to cool the hot -atmosphere, and the sky in the shimmering heat seemed closer to the -earth than usual. No moon was yet in the heavens, but the dark blue -vault was bright with innumerable stars, large and mellow, like tropical -constellations. The valley below was in complete shadow, not the glimmer -of a white-walled house being visible, and the sides of the gigantic cup -which formed the crater of the volcano were veiled in diaphanous -darkness. So intensely quiet was everything, that even the nightingales -were silent, and there seemed something awesome in this breathless -stillness of Nature, as though the whole earth were dead, and only the -handful of people assembled there alive. - -“I don’t like this sultry night,” whispered Helena to Maurice uneasily, -as he stood by one of the pillars with his arm round her waist. “I hope -nothing is wrong with the volcano!” - -“What! after thousands of years’ quiet?” laughed Maurice gently. “My -dear child, the volcano is as extinct as the dodo.” - -“I don’t know what a dodo is,” replied Helena, panting; “but the whole -place seems so unnaturally still that it gives me the idea of some -coming trouble.” - -“Perhaps Alcibiades!” - -“Oh, we can fight against him, but we can’t fight against an eruption.” - -“Who is talking about an eruption?” said Justinian, turning round from -the electric apparatus he was examining. - -“Helena. She is afraid there will be one soon.” - -“Nonsense, nonsense!” said the old man testily, yet with an anxious -frown on his face. “If there was danger of an upheaval, we would be -warned by the hot springs, but they are just bubbling as usual. Besides, -Georgois tells me there is an eruption at Santorin, so with that vent -for the volcanic forces we are quite safe. Why, I have lived here for -forty years in safety, and the crater has been extinct for thousands of -years, so we need not be afraid of anything going wrong now.” - -Thus pacified, Helena, in common with the rest, turned her attention to -the electric light, which at this moment flashed out from the carbon -points in terrible splendor. Alexandros began to move it about, and like -the flaming sword of St. Michael, or the tail of a comet, it swept in a -tremendous arc across the dark sky. Turned down on the valley, it -revealed everything as if it were day, the lake, the houses, the trees, -the streets—all sprang out of the darkness with the minuteness of a -photograph. Then the intolerable brilliance began to move slowly round -the sides of the crater, the black pine forests, the arid rocks, and -then the rugged peaks, white with chill snows. But, lo! as it travelled -eastward along the jagged heights, on one burned a huge red star. - -“The watchfire!” cried Maurice, springing to his feet. - -“Turn off the light!” commanded Justinian hastily. - -Alexandros did so, and there on the cold peak, amid the luminous -twilight, flamed the bonfire of the watch like a baneful star, telling -of destruction, war, and death. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI. - THE BATTLE OF TROGLODYTES. - - I hear the noise of battle tumultuous! - It is not on the earth, nor do spectral hosts contend in the cloudy sky; - Under my feet it is raging, in the heart of the globe skirmish the - struggling armies. - The cries of horror, the clash of weapons, the sharp crack of the deadly - rifle, - Strike dully on my ear, as though the crust of the earth intervened - between them fighting, and I listening. - Yes, the battle is subterranean! Do the gnomes assault one another - Over some new vein of gold but lately discovered? - Or do the dead, not rising from stone-sealed sepulchres, - Renew those quarrels below, which on earth ended their existence? - I know not indeed whether it be the dead or the gnomes, - But I hear the noise of battle tumultuous! - - -There was no doubt that a night attack was intended, and that -Alcibiades, hoping to take Justinian by surprise, trusted he would be -able to break in through the tunnel before his secret arrival was -discovered. Unfortunately for himself, he did not know the military -alertness of the Demarch, who, warned by the watchfires, marshalled his -men with the greatest rapidity, and in the space of half an hour every -man on the island was drawn up, under arms, in the space before the -Acropolis. The powerful electric light flooded the whole crater, so that -the little army manœuvred as though it were day, and in profound -silence every man took his place in the ranks, ready to march to the -front. - -Justinian held a hurried council of war with Maurice, Crispin, and Dick, -as to the disposal of the troops, for the question was whether -Alcibiades would concentrate his forces in the tunnel, and make one bold -dash for the island, or, dividing his men into two bodies, attack both -entrances simultaneously. Messengers had now arrived from the watchmen -on the heights and on the beach, from whose report it appeared that the -advancing enemy were all making in a body for the eastern side of the -island, therefore the Demarch came to the conclusion that for the -present only the tunnel was threatened by the invader. However, to -obviate any chance of the western pass being taken by surprise, about -thirty men, under the command of Crispin and Dick, marched in that -direction, and the remaining eighty-six, with Justinian and his nephew -as leaders, took up their station inside the tunnel palisade. -Alexandros, of course, remained behind at the Acropolis to attend to the -working of the electric lights, which were burning with full power at -the western pass and in the tunnel, the middle apparatus being turned -off after the departure of the men, so as to increase the brilliance of -the other two. Temistocles was employed as a messenger between the two -forces, so as to keep the four leaders thoroughly cognizant of what -occurred either on the western or eastern side of the island. - -The watchmen on the beach had waited until the boats of Alcibiades were -near shore, then rapidly fled up the tunnel to the palisade, through the -door of which they were admitted by Justinian, who listened to their -excited report concerning the number of the enemy with the greatest -calmness. Indeed, the Roylands capability for command showed itself in -both the Demarch and his nephew, for the more perilous did the situation -become, the cooler they were, and never for a moment lost their heads in -giving orders to their men. This self-control had a wonderful effect on -the nerve of the Melnosians, who, thoroughly efficient as regards drill, -and absolutely blind in their implicit obedience to their leaders, -carried out all commands with the utmost skill and promptitude. - -At the entrance of the tunnel burned the great round of the electric -light, like a full moon, illuminating the neighborhood of the palisade -with steady splendor, so that the defensive operations could be carried -out to the minutest detail without the slightest difficulty. Earthen -works had been built half-way up the wooden structure to the height of a -man’s shoulders, and now on top of this the Melnosians laid bags of sand -diagonally, the one overlapping the other, to either side of the tunnel, -with interstices between them at intervals for the barrels of the -rifles. All this was arranged so as to afford those inside a good view -of the attack, while protecting them in a great measure from the fire of -the stormers. The electric light also gained them a considerable -advantage, as, being at their backs, they could carry on their -operations with ease, while it dazzled the eyes of the enemy, who in -front of them would see but the black mass of the palisade, and at -intervals catch a glimpse of the defenders like silhouettes against the -bright glare, which would have a considerable influence on the fire of -the attacking party. - -Both Maurice and the Demarch were armed with revolvers and sabres, while -the sailors had their cutlasses, and the Melnosians their Martini-Henry -rifles; thus, what with these and the protecting palisade, everything -was in their favor, especially as the steepness of the ascent hampered -the enemy considerably in their dash to carry the barrier by storm. Thus -intrenched, they waited in absolute silence, with calm courage, for the -onslaught, and shortly heard the tramp of approaching feet, the ring of -guns and swords, and the exclamations of astonishment uttered by the -invaders, when the powerful rays of the electric light flashed on their -advancing mass. - -Alcibiades might be a good commander, but he was a confoundedly bad -drill-sergeant, for his men came up the staircase in a singularly -disorderly fashion, rushing forward pell-mell, as though they -anticipated an easy victory. However, at the sight of the electric -light, and the barricade, from which protruded the deadly barrels of the -rifles, their impetus received a decided check, and the foremost, -recoiling on those in the rear, threw the whole body into confusion. -Hesitating thus for a second in bewilderment, they offered a fair mark -to the defenders, who, at a given signal by Justinian, poured a heavy -fire into the huddled mass of human beings. Some fell dead, many -wounded, and the yells of the discomfited assailants vibrated under the -vaulted roof of the tunnel, as they retired in disorder. - -Then the stentorian voice of Alcibiades was heard urging them forward, -and with sudden resolution they dashed forward like a wave on a rock, -only to retire again before the deadly volley of the Melnosians. The -ground was cumbered with the dead and dying, while the air was so thick -with gunpowder smoke that it hung like a veil between the contending -parties, and not even the powerful rays of the electric light could -break through the opaque cloud. As yet, protected by their earthworks, -the Melnosians had not lost one man, for the bullets of the enemy passed -harmlessly over their heads or buried themselves in the sand and turf. -Justinian ordered his men to reserve their fire, as the attacking party -were now retreating for the third time in confusion, and therefore, -being considerably scattered, did not offer so good a mark as when they -rushed forward in a dense mass. - -Evidently they were holding a consultation, for when they again -assaulted the barricade, one party dashed forward under a heavy fire, -with hatchets to cut away the timbers, while the others remained behind -and kept up a fusillade at a safe distance. In order to avert this -danger, and save the palisade from being cut down, the marksmen returned -the fire of the rear rank, while, using the bayonets at close quarters, -their comrades stabbed the stormers whenever they could get a chance. -Notwithstanding this warm reception, the assaulting party still stuck to -their work, and amid the infernal din of yells from wounded and -fighters, could be heard the steady blows of the hatchets, the sharp -crack of the guns, and the ping, ping, ping of the bullets whizzing -through the smoky air. At last, in spite of their valor, the stormers -were forced to retire, but not without doing considerable damage, for -they had cut through a considerable number of the barrier posts, so that -the palisade was now in a somewhat shaky condition. - -“Egad! they’ll have this down in no time, Maurice,” said Justinian to -his nephew, with a grim smile, “and then it will be hand-to-hand -fighting.” - -“All the better!” replied Maurice, coolly examining the edge of his -sword. “I fancy they will find it hard to drive us back from this -position. Here they come again. The devil!” - -“What’s the matter?” - -“They are going to fire the barricade! that is Caliphronas’ idea, I’ll -bet!” - -A party of men now surged forward, bearing huge bundles of brushwood, -smeared with tar and inflammable oils, which they threw at the foot of -the barrier, and ignited without a moment’s delay. The Melnosians, -adopting their former tactics, shot and stabbed with right good will, -but the advantage was with the enemy, for, in the space of a few -minutes, the wooden poles and crossbars of the barricade were in flames. -Against this new peril nothing could be done, as, not anticipating this -stratagem, Justinian had not provided himself with water; so the flames, -leaping redly out of the thick smoke, roared upward to the roof of the -tunnel, while the little band, some with bayonets fixed, others with -guns loaded, awaited the assault which would follow the downfall of the -protective palisade. - -As if to hasten this catastrophe, the enemy, with infinite labor, -dragged a small cannon up the steep stairs, and, having placed it in -position, fired recklessly into the centre of the blazing mass, with the -hope of the ball cutting a lane through the Melnosians. Luckily, owing -to the irregularity of the ground, they were unable to depress the -muzzle of the gun sufficiently, and the shot passed innocuously -overhead, having no other effect than to bring down a small shower of -stones from the roof of the tunnel. Justinian was rather dismayed when -he found they had succeeded in bringing up a gun, but when he saw the -effect of the shot, he smiled contemptuously. - -“That’s no good,” he said confidently; “they can’t get the muzzle low -enough to be effective.” - -“Nevertheless, if the roof”— - -The end of his sentence was lost in a tremendous explosion, which nearly -stunned them all, for, in their eagerness to fire, Alcibiades’ men had -overloaded their cannon, with the result that it burst at the -application of the light, and killed five men. - -“Glory! glory!” yelled Gurt, when he heard the row; “they can’t do much -now, d—n them!” - -“No!” cried Maurice rapidly; “the barricade will soon be down, and it -will be a hand-to-hand fight. If they bring up another gun, we’ll take -it by storm.” - -The heat by this time was something intense, owing to the near -neighborhood of the fierce flames, while the thick white smoke, rolling -upward in clouds, nearly choked them with its pungent odor. The -Melnosians were getting the worst of it in this case, as the draught -blowing upward from the sea drove the eddying wreaths of acrid vapor -full against their faces, while the enemy was quite free from such -annoyance. Headed by Alcibiades and Caliphronas, who, for a wonder, had -pluck enough to place himself in front of his men, they awaited with -impatience the fall of the barricade, and, quite anticipating that the -Melnosians would be choked by the pungent smoke, were prepared to dash -forward and carry the earthworks by storm while the defenders were yet -stupefied. Justinian saw this danger, made up his mind, and acted -thereon with promptitude and decision. - -“Maurice, we must make a sally, and get into the clear air beyond, else -this smoke will suffocate us, and thus give them the advantage.” - -“Right!” replied his nephew, recognizing the necessity for immediate -action. “The flames are now pretty low, so let us dash through at once -and take them by surprise. I will lead. You stay here, sir.” - -“I’m hanged if I will!” - -“You must, uncle, so as to help me if I need it. Tell the men to follow -me, as I am not well enough up in Greek.” - -At this moment, the barricade fell down with a crash, amid a sudden -shower of sparks and rolling vapors. They could hear the triumphant -shouts of Alcibiades at the achievement of this result, and Maurice -ground his teeth with anger, as he caught the taunting tones of -Caliphronas’ voice, rejoicing over this catastrophe. - -“You wait here with some men, uncle, and build up the earthwork higher, -while I make a dash with a handful, and see if I cannot drive them down -the staircase.” - -This suggestion was more palatable to Justinian than the former one, as -it gave him something to do, so he hastily told the men of Maurice’s -suggestion. A number of the Melnosians, who were lying on the ground -with their heads wrapped in their cloaks to escape the stifling smoke, -sprang up, on hearing this, with a joyous shout; so, hastily selecting -his men, Maurice unsheathed his sword, grasped his revolver, and made -ready for a dash. Owing to the fall of the palisade, the flames were now -very low, but the smoke still rolled upward in blinding clouds, thus -effectively concealing their movements from the enemy. - -“Good-by, my lad! God bless you!” said the old lion, grasping his -nephew’s hand. “Drive them down as far as you can, and, while you keep -them at bay, I will have the barricade built up again, with sand-bags -and turf.” - -Followed by Gurt and about twenty men, Maurice leaped up on the -earthwork, and dashed downward through the smouldering ruins of the -beams with a fierce cry. In a moment they were out of the smoke and into -the clear atmosphere, while the enemy, thrown into confusion by their -unexpected sally, recoiled in confusion. Alcibiades, however, seeing the -smallness of the party, soon rallied them with curses and prayers, so -the next instant Maurice and his men were in the thick of the fight. - -It was now a hand-to-hand struggle, maintained with equal fierceness on -either side, but, fortunately, the narrowness of the tunnel prevented -the small band of the Melnosians being overwhelmed by their enemies, -while the fact that they were on the higher ground gave them a decided -advantage, which made up somewhat for lack of numbers. The electric -light again pierced the now thin veil of smoke, so that they could see -what they were doing, and the Melnosians used their cutlasses with -deadly effect, while those who had bayonets fixed to their guns stabbed -the enemy relentlessly, as they dashed forward again and again. Gurt -kept close beside Maurice, fighting like the old sea-dog he was, and got -a nasty stab in the thigh, which brought him to the ground. Alcibiades -saw this, and sprang forward to finish the unfortunate sailor, when -Maurice, having cut down a wiry Greek, who was pressing him closely, -turned just in time to see Alcibiades lift his sword for the blow. As -quickly as possible, he raised his revolver to firing level, and broke -the captain’s arm near the elbow, causing him to drop his weapon with a -yell of pain. - -Hitherto the fighting had all been in one place, as neither party would -give way an inch; but now, disturbed by the reverse of their leader, the -enemy began to fall slowly back. Caliphronas indeed tried to rally them, -but, on seeing this, Maurice sprang forward to encounter him, clearing a -space for the fight by whirling his sabre round and round his head; but -the Greek, seized with sudden panic, flung himself into the centre of -his men, so that Roylands’ efforts to reach him were futile. - -Maurice’s band was now much diminished, and he had serious thoughts of -retreating back to the barricade, which Justinian by this time must have -almost rebuilt, but seeing that the advantage was now on his side, he -was unwilling to lose it; so, with his men stretched out into a single -line from side to side, he continued advancing, driving the enemy step -by step down the staircase. Alcibiades, who was a brave man in spite of -his villany, had now shifted his sword to his left hand, as his right -arm hung useless at his side, and with many prayers, curses, entreaties, -and taunts, strove to rally his forces, but all to no purpose, for -slowly but surely they retreated before that devoted little band, who, -with flashing eyes and clinched teeth, pressed them steadily downward. -Gurt, having bound up his thigh with a piece torn from his shirt, was -again by Maurice’s side, fighting with a dogged determination, in spite -of all entreaties to retreat back to the barricade. - -“Go back, Gurt! go back and tell Justinian to send more men.” - -“What! and leave you with these devils? Not if I know it, sir. Hurrah! -England for ever!” - -“But you are wounded.” - -“Only a prod in the thigh. Look out, sir, for that black wretch!” - -Maurice sprang aside, just in time to avoid a slashing-down blow, and, -turning on his foe, made a dash at him with his sabre. He managed to run -him through the left shoulder, but the Greek like lightning cut at his -defenceless head, and, but for Gurt, who intervened with his cutlass, -Maurice’s career would have been ended. As it was, the Greek’s weapon -smashed against the sailor’s sword, and before he could recover himself -for another blow, Maurice had slashed him through the neck, so that he -fell dead at once. - -The enemy were fighting like demons, and, the electric light having been -shut off by the angle of the tunnel, the battle was raging in complete -darkness, save for the fitful glare of the torches held by Alcibiades’ -men, and the pale glimmer of daylight forcing itself in at the cliff -entrance of the tunnel. As long as Maurice could keep his enemies in -front, and his line steadily advancing, he had no fear, while, owing to -the confusion of the retreat, the foe kept fighting the one with the -other in the semi-darkness. Step by step they fell backward, until -nearly the lowest platform of the staircase, when Maurice, having thus -accomplished his object, began to think of turning back, especially as -he had now but ten men left. - -At the entrance of the tunnel, however, he saw the cowardly Caliphronas -in the rear, keeping out of harm’s way, and, forgetting his caution of -keeping the enemy in front, sprang forward to battle with the Greek. -Alcibiades saw the false move, and, when Maurice’s men followed him -rashly forward, dashed back with a handful of his troops, and in a -moment the little band was surrounded by a horde of howling savages. -This was immediately under the entrance of the tunnel, on level ground, -so, the advantage being with the enemy in every way, it seemed as though -the Englishman and his handful would be cut to pieces. Seeing his -mistake, Maurice, with his devoted followers, strove to fight his way -back up the stair, but, environed on all sides by a tumultuous crowd, -gave himself up for lost. - -“My God! if Justinian would only come!” he prayed, as he fought back to -back with Gurt and surrounded by his band. “Will nothing save us?” - -At that moment, as if in answer to his prayer, a low moaning sound came -sweeping over the ocean, making every heart sink with fear. The island -began to tremble, and for the moment so terrible was the suspense, that -the fighting ceased. Friend and foe stood alike pallid with fear, as the -ground began to shake convulsively, and the whole host looked as though -turned into stone. The ground, heaving convulsively, hurled every one to -the ground, including Maurice and his band, who were just beyond the -entrance of the tunnel. Suddenly there was a sound like thunder, and on -the prostrate mass of humanity lying on the quivering earth, a great -mass of rock fell from above. What with the dust, the noise, the yells -of fear, and the imprecations, Maurice was almost stunned, and when he -arose to his feet, he saw that the enormous slip caused by the -earthquake had not only killed a number of the enemy, but had also -blocked up the entrance to the tunnel. - -Seeing that there was no hope to return that way, and well aware that -Alcibiades and those of his men who still survived would kill him as -soon as they recovered from their fright, Maurice sprang to his feet and -seized Gurt by the arm. - -“To the boats! the boats!” he gasped, hurrying the astonished sailor -down to the water’s edge. “Tunnel closed. We must try the western pass.” - -About four Melnosians had followed him, and these, with superhuman -strength, pushed off a boat from shore. When all six were afloat, the -islanders took the oars and commenced to pull outward, so as to skirt -the breakwater. By this time the enemy had recovered from their first -terror, and, seeing the escape of the fugitives, came rushing down to -the sea. There seemed to be about two hundred of them left, and being -pretty well used to such trifles as earthquakes, especially those who -came from Santorin, now that the danger was past, they were determined -to follow and kill the little band. - -Luckily, Maurice, by his prompt action, had gained a good start, and was -already outside the breakwater, making for the western side of the -island, where he hoped to re-enter through the western pass. He could -see Alcibiades and Caliphronas gesticulating fiercely on the beach and -urging their companions to follow, so, just as the fugitives came in -sight of the wreck of The Eunice, their enemies started in pursuit. - -“Thank God for that earthquake!” said Maurice thankfully, taking off his -cap. “It saved our lives.” - -“Don’t holler till you’re out of the wood, sir,” said Gurt dryly, -pointing to the sea. “I’ve seed that sort o’ thing at Thera, and it -ain’t no child’s play.” - -The waters around them were boiling like a furnace, and had changed from -their normal blue tint to the color of milk. Maurice, in astonishment, -dipped his hand over the side of the boat into this opalescent sea, but -withdrew it immediately with a cry of pain. - -The water was boiling hot! - -“Bless you, sir, there’s lots of that sort of thing about here.” said -Gurt in a philosophical tone. “I’ve seed it a-bilin’ round Santorin like -a kittle. These Greeks don’t mind it much.” - -“Don’t they?” replied Maurice in a disbelieving tone. “Well, Alcibiades -and his lot seemed pretty sick.” - -“While it lasts they’re frightened enough, but they soon get over it, -sir. Look at ’em follering.” - -By this time they were rounding the angle of Melnos, and the breakwater -of the western harbor was in sight; but the boat containing Alcibiades, -manned by able rowers, was gradually gaining on them. Two of the -Melnosians, though they tugged away pluckily, were yet in great pain -from wounds, while Gurt, feeble from loss of blood, could hardly rise to -his feet. - -“Give way, men!” cried Maurice in Greek, as he examined his revolver. -“I’ve got two shots left, Gurt, so, if that boat comes too near, I’ll -try to pick off one of the rowers.” - -“We’re not far from home now, sir,” said Gurt hopefully; “and Mr. -Crispin will be at the gate.” - -“I hope he will, Gurt; but this earthquake must have demoralized -everything, and perhaps Mr. Crispin went back to see Justinian.” - -“Not he, sir; he’d send Temistocles. But Mr. Justinian must think us -dead.” - -“It’s not improbable. However, we will soon show him we’re alive, though -the tunnel is closed up forever.” - -“Good job too, sir,” replied Gurt cheerfully; “there’s no getting in -that way now; so if these villains want to take Melnos, they’ll only -have the western pass to enter by. I guess that there rock, sir, killed -a few.” - -“What with the battle and the earthquake, they must have lost at least a -hundred men, while our deaths are comparatively small.” - -“We’ve got nigh on a hundred left, I think, sir; but if it weren’t fur -you, sir, gittin’ that idear of the boat, we’d be all dead men, for -sure.” - -“Egad, we’ll be dead men now, if we don’t look out!” said Maurice, as -the foremost boat of their pursuers came within pistol shot. “Look out, -Gurt; I’m going to pick off that fellow standing up in the prow.” - -The Melnosians, in their sudden rush for the boat, had naturally enough -dropped their guns; but Maurice, with an Englishman’s determination to -stick to anything he has once got a grip of, had carried off his sword, -and still possessed his revolver. Gurt also had his cutlass, so, in the -event of their foes catching them on land before they could gain the -shelter of the stockade, Maurice and one of the Melnosians would have to -defend the three wounded men and the remaining one, who had no weapon. -Meanwhile, their boat, impelled by the rowers with the energy of -despair, had rounded the breakwater, and was rapidly sweeping inward to -the land. Some little distance above they could see the narrow entrance -of the pass, but, as Crispin and his men were intrenched behind the -palisade, farther up the gorge, of course the fugitives could not hope -for their help. Maurice, however, thought that the pistol-shots might -attract attention, as the sound carries far in that rarefied atmosphere, -and he also told his Melnosians to shout loudly, so as to let their -friends know they were in peril. - -Just as the boat was nearly touching the land, a bullet from the rifle -of the man standing up in the prow whizzed past Maurice’s ear; but, -fortunately, being widely aimed, did not touch him. The Englishman, -resting his revolver muzzle on his left arm, fired carefully, and, -luckily, hit his enemy full in the chest; whereupon the man flung up his -hands and fell splash into the water. The rowers, startled at this, -paused for a moment; and in that time Maurice ran his boat ashore, and -giving Gurt, who could not walk, into the care of the two Melnosians, -one of whom was unhurt, and the other only wounded in the arm, thrust -Gurt’s cutlass into the hand of the remaining one, and began to retreat -slowly up the hill. - -Alcibiades’ boat was yet far distant, but the one near shore, its rowers -having recovered from their surprise at the loss of their leader, landed -as quickly as possible, and began to run as fast as possible after the -fugitives. The Melnosians shouted with right good will for help, and, -while retreating slowly, Maurice managed to drop one of his pursuers -with his remaining cartridge. They had now nothing left to fight with -but a sword and cutlass, both of which were useless against the rifles -carried by their pursuers, and the look-out was all the worse, as -Captain Alcibiades, with a new crew of cut-throats, had now landed on -the beach. - -The two Melnosians hurried Gurt along as quickly as possible, the other -wounded man ran ahead, shouting for help, and Maurice, with the -remaining islander, covered the retreat with stern determination. -Several shots sung past them, but their pursuers were evidently bad -marksmen, and they gained the entrance of the gorge without being hurt. - -The palisade now could be seen some little distance away, and the -foremost fugitive had nearly reached it, so Maurice took heart, in spite -of the near proximity of Alcibiades and his men. In his heart, however, -he was praying that Crispin might be still at his post, as, if he were -not, the whole four of them would certainly be murdered on the spot. - -One of his pursuers was now close at hand, and raised his rifle to the -shoulder; but Maurice, with sudden inspiration, threw himself flat on -his face, and the ball passed over his head. Then, springing to his -feet, he commenced to run rapidly after his companions, followed by the -baffled marksman, who did not wait to reload. - -Maurice heard a shout of joy from the palisade, so knew that Crispin was -at his post, and would bring him help; but at this moment the foremost -man caught up with him. The Englishman slashed at his neck with his -sabre, but the wily Greek dodged lightly, and, clubbing his musket, -brought it down on Roylands’ head with tremendous force. Instinctively -Maurice put up his sword to guard himself, but the weapon shivered to -pieces under the blow, and, stunned by the stroke, he fell insensible to -the ground. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII. - THE WARNING OF HEPHAISTOS. - - Hence, ye mortals! hence away! - Dare not on this isle to stay; - For in grim seclusion here - I a mighty forge would rear, - So that in this sea-girt grove - I can work for mighty Jove. - Thunder-bolts doth he require, - Swift to follow lightning’s fire, - When his wrath he would assuage, - And on mortals wreak his rage. - Never more will Melnos isle - With the corn of Ceres smile; - From its crater flames will rise, - Roaring to the frighted skies; - Bubbling from the depths below, - In its cup will lava glow; - And the sea around will boil - At my never-ceasing toil: - Therefore, mortals, haste away! - Dare not on this isle to stay. - - -When Maurice came to himself, he was lying on the grass inside the -palisade, and Crispin was bending over him with the greatest solicitude. -His head ached dully with the effects of the blow, and the blood was -clotted in a nasty scalp-wound on the right side of his skull, where the -butt of the musket had struck him. Dizzy as he was, yet by a violent -effort he managed to sit up and inquire in a feeble voice what had -become of the companions of his flight. - -“Oh, they are all right, Maurice!” said Crispin, holding out his -brandy-flask. “Take a drink of this, and lie down again for a time.” - -Maurice did as he was told, and resumed his recumbent attitude on the -grass; but, anxious to know everything, looked inquiringly at Crispin, -who at once replied to his mute questioning. - -“I have been here ever since you left for the tunnel this morning,” -explained the poet quickly, “as Justinian sent word by Temistocles that -I was on no account to forsake my post. We heard your pistol-shots and -cries for help, but thought it was some stratagem on the part of the -enemy. Then Theodore, whom you sent on for aid, made his appearance at -the barricade, and gasped out some incoherent story. As soon as I -ascertained it was you, I sallied out with some men, and saw Gurt being -helped up the hill, and yourself, with Basil, protecting the rear. -Alcibiades and some others were scrambling up after you; and then we saw -you engage with that foremost blackguard. He knocked you over, and would -have finished you, but for Dick, who took a pot shot, and bowled him -over like a ninepin. Then we rushed up, and brought you here, with -Alcibiades and his friends yelling like fiends at the escape of their -prey.” - -“And Alcibiades?” - -“Oh, he and the other fellows have gone back in the boats to the eastern -harbor, I suppose. Jove! I was never so surprised in my life as when I -saw you scudding up that hill, for both Justinian and myself thought you -were dead!” - -“Does Justinian know I am alive?” - -“Yes. I sent Temistocles off to tell him as soon as you were in safety; -I expect he’ll be here every minute.” - -“What about the earthquake?” - -“Oh, we felt it, I can tell you. It was a tremendous shock, and has -filled up the tunnel completely.” - -“At which, I suppose, my uncle is heart-broken?” - -“No fear. He never thought about the tunnel while you were in danger. -But how did you manage to escape?” - -“That is a long story,” said Maurice faintly, for he felt sick with -fatigue. “Give me some more brandy.” - -“Here you are. Don’t talk any more till Justinian comes.” - -“But tell me, where is Gurt?” - -“Oh, he and the rest have gone off to the Acropolis to be looked after. -Now, do be quiet, Maurice, or you’ll be fainting again.” - -Roylands closed his eyes, and obeyed; while Crispin, with a sponge and -water, brought by the swift-footed Temistocles, carefully bathed the -wound, and dexterously bound it up with lint and linen, so that Maurice -felt more comfortable. - -“It’s only a flesh wound,” he said in a satisfied tone; “but it is a -mercy you did not get your head smashed.” - -“What is the time?” - -“Nearly ten o’clock in the morning. You’ve been fighting all night, so I -don’t wonder you are dead beat. The sun will be up over the eastern -peaks soon.” - -It was indeed long after dawn, for in the darkness of the tunnel no one -had taken any count of the hours; and when the earthquake had occurred -it was just that time between the fading night and the coming day. So -upset and excited had Maurice been with the fight, the earthquake, and -the escape, that neither he nor any one else remembered that the -fighting had begun at midnight, and lasted till sunrise. And now he -remembered that the sun had risen while they were rounding the angle of -the island; but, having forgotten the flight of time, he had not thought -this strange. It was a great blessing that they had escaped in the boat -at daylight; else even in the luminous night it would have been -difficult, with the sea in such a perturbed condition, to have made the -voyage safely. - -Very shortly Justinian arrived, full of thankfulness for Maurice’s -escape, and fear concerning his wound; but by this time the young man, -though much shaken, was quite himself again; and, leaning on the -Demarch’s arm, with occasional assistance from Crispin, managed to crawl -along as far as the Acropolis, where they were joyously received by -Helena. - -As the tunnel was now completely closed up, there was no chance of the -pirates getting in that way; so Justinian sent all his men over to the -western pass, where, under the command of Dick, they remained on guard. -The women from the village came up the first thing in the morning with -provisions and wine to minister to their wants; so, thus, everything -being in order for the present, the Demarch was anxious to hear all the -details of his nephew’s miraculous escape. - -He told them the whole story over the breakfast table, with occasional -help from Gurt, who was admitted to the symposium on account of his -bravery during the battle. The old Demarch, self-contained both by -nature and training, did not say much during the recital, beyond -expressing his heartfelt joy at the escape of his nephew, but it could -easily be seen that he was inordinately proud of Maurice’s prowess and -promptitude of action; for, though the hero himself modestly suppressed -such details as tended to self-glorification, Gurt, in his blunt sailor -way, came out with the true unvarnished facts of the case, which caused -Maurice to blush, and his audience to exclaim admiringly. - -“By Jove, Maurice, you ought to be a V.C.!” cried Crispin, when the -story came to an end. “If you hadn’t had your wits about you, and seized -that boat, you would have been a dead man to a certainty!” - -“It is the Roylands’ blood!” said Justinian proudly. “I knew I was not -mistaken in my estimate of your character, Maurice. You will make an -admirable ruler of Melnos!” - -“That is, if there is any Melnos to rule over,” replied Maurice, with an -uneasy laugh; “for, by Jove, uncle, when that earthquake came, I thought -everything had gone to kingdom come.” - -“Ah, you see, father, I was right about the earthquake last night!” said -Helena in triumph; “I felt that something was going to happen!” - -“Yes, but you thought it would be an eruption,” answered Justinian, with -apparent indifference, though there was an anxious look on his face; “as -to an earthquake, why, these Greek islands are all volcanic, so that -means nothing.” - -“How did you get on after I left you, uncle?” - -“Why, I set my men to work, to build up the barricade again, with turf -and bags of sand. You were a long time gone, my son, and I became afraid -that you had been cut to pieces, so, when the work was done, I intended -taking some men and going after you. Then the earthquake occurred, and -we heard the fall of the roof at the cliff entrance. I thought you were -dead for sure, and cannot tell you of the anguish I felt at your loss. -However, Temistocles brought me the news of your safe arrival at the -western pass, and I breathed freely again. Oh, my dear Maurice,” -continued the Demarch, taking his nephew’s hand, “how fervently do I -thank God that you are alive! for if those scoundrels had killed you, -indeed I do not think I would have had the heart to continue living in -Melnos.” - -Maurice was greatly touched with his uncle’s emotion, which was a rare -thing for the iron old Demarch to display, for as a rule he took both -good and bad fortune with the utmost equanimity, and seldom gave any -outward signs of his feelings on such occasions. His nephew, however, -was very dear to his heart, and he looked upon him with great pride, -both as his future son-in-law and successor, so it had been a terrible -blow to him, to think he had lost a young man on whom all his future -hopes depended. - -As for Helena, she said nothing, but, genuine offspring of her father as -she was, bore up pluckily, though it could be plainly seen that she had -suffered much during the absence of her lover. Fortunately, the time -which had elapsed between Maurice’s supposed death and subsequent -reappearance had been too short to permit of her knowing of the -calamity, else, brave as she was, she would certainly have given way -under such a cruel misfortune. As it was, however, he now sat beside her -safe and sound, so all the terrible events which he detailed with such -coolness only seemed to be some hideous nightmare which had vanished at -the coming of morning. - -She insisted upon Maurice’s going to bed for a good sleep after -breakfast, in which insistence she was supported by her father, who saw -that Maurice was more shaken by his late fatigue than he chose to -acknowledge. - -“You can sleep for a few hours at all events, my son,” he said -affectionately, “for Alcibiades has lost too many men to think about -making another attack, at least for some time.” - -“Are you not going to sleep yourself?” - -“No, I am going down to the valley to look at those hot springs. This -earthquake has rather unnerved me, and I wish to see for myself if there -is any probability of an eruption. Crispin, will you come with me?” - -“If you desire it; but, to tell you the truth, I also am rather tired.” - -“Pshaw!” said the man of iron, with good-humored scorn; “you have no -stamina, Crispin. If you had been through all that Maurice has -undergone, you might talk. However, take your sleep for an hour or so.” - -Crispin really was very delicately constituted, and could not do without -that sleep which Justinian despised, but, in order to be ready for any -emergency, he curled himself up on a divan in the court, and rested -there without removing his clothes. Maurice, on the contrary, completely -worn out with fatigue and anxiety, to say nothing of his scalp wound, -went straight to bed, and slept soundly most of the day, while Helena, -tenderly solicitous of his comfort, watched beside him the whole time, -with her little hand lying in his warm grasp. - -Meanwhile, Justinian, who, in spite of his age, scarcely seemed to feel -the effect of the previous night’s vigil, took a cold bath to freshen -himself up, and then started on a journey of inspection round the -island. Like a careful general, his first visit was to the outposts at -the western pass, where he found everything in an extremely satisfactory -condition. Part of the men were sleeping, while the others kept guard, -waiting to take their turn of rest when their comrades awoke. -Notwithstanding the hard fighting, all those who had been engaged in the -defence of the tunnel seemed in a wonderfully good condition, while Dick -and his nine sailors, hardened by a seafaring life, seemed to feel no -fatigue whatsoever, in spite of constant watchfulness and anxiety. - -With a view to seeing the position of the enemy, Justinian climbed up a -small path which led to the hills from the inner side of the outward -palisade, and, using his field-glass, soon discovered that Alcibiades -was concentrating his forces below in order to storm the pass. Boat -after boat filled with desperadoes came sweeping round the breakwater -into the smooth sea of the harbor, and tents were being erected on the -beach by the besiegers. Evidently they had discovered that there was no -chance of entering by the tunnel, which was completely blocked up by the -fallen rocks, so were determined to effect an entrance by the western -pass, where at least they would have the advantage of fighting in -daylight. Carefully surveying the disorderly host, Justinian calculated -that there still remained about two hundred men, against which he could -only bring ninety-five or thereabouts. Still, intrenched behind his -barricades, and having the pass swept by two cannon, he thought the -invaders would find it somewhat difficult to dislodge him from such a -strong position, the more so as they lacked discipline, and their -leaders were quite ignorant of military tactics. - -Having ascertained all this, Justinian descended into the gorge again, -where he gave Dick his final instructions, which were simply to keep a -sharp lookout on the enemy, and, in the event of seeing any movement -uphill towards the mouth of the pass, to at once send off Temistocles to -the Acropolis with the information. - -Dick having promised faithfully to obey these instructions, the Demarch, -escorted by a couple of his men, went along the mulberry avenue, in -order to survey the tunnel, which he had not entered since driven from -thence by the earthquake some hours previous. The electric light was -turned off, as the Demarch, now that the danger lay more in the west -than the east, judged it advisable to reserve all the power of the -dynamo for the one light which swept the western pass, and therefore, -bidding his men take torches, went downward into the darkness of the -tunnel with such illumination only. - -Passing down to the ruins of the palisade, where so fierce a fight had -taken place, he crossed that boundary, and, turning the angle of the -staircase, came in sight of the landslip caused by the earthquake. The -red flare of the torches but feebly showed the amount of damage done, -but Justinian saw sufficient to assure him that there was no chance of -the tunnel being made use of again for at least some months. Extending -from the cliff entrance to some considerable distance back, the whole -roof had collapsed, and tons of débris piled upward from floor to vault -completely sealed up the mouth of the passage. It would take a goodly -amount of dynamite and blasting powder to remove those massive blocks; -and, now that he knew Maurice was safe, the Demarch had time to grieve -over the damage done to his beloved tunnel. Justinian, however, was too -practical a man to waste time in useless lamentation, and promptly -decided that, as soon as Alcibiades was beaten back,—an event which he -was assured would come off without much difficulty,—he would set gangs -of men to clear away the obstruction, and restore, with as little delay -as possible, the tunnel to its pristine excellence. The burning of the -palisade also had taught him a lesson, and, to obviate the chances of -such defence being destroyed by fire, he decided to build a kind of -stone bastion in the same place, with loopholes for guns, and also to -fortify it with two field-pieces, which would simply mow down an enemy -advancing up the staircase like ripe corn. - -The inspection of the tunnel being concluded, Justinian returned upward -to the light of day, and descended the grand staircase in order to pay a -visit to the springs. He looked upon these as a kind of thermometer, -useful in warning him of seismic disturbances, for, in spite of the long -silence of the volcano, Justinian knew that the subterranean forces were -still at work under the crust which covered the crater; and with the -remembrance of the great eruption of Vesuvius, in the year 79, -constantly in his mind, was not without certain fears that this -long-slumbering monster might reawaken from the sleep of centuries. The -volcanic forces, however, having a vent in the adjacent island of -Santorin, he had hitherto calculated that Melnos would remain quiescent, -but the terrible earthquake which had so unexpectedly occurred inspired -him with great uneasiness, and he was in deadly fear lest it should -prelude the renewed activity of the mountain. - -As before described, the hot springs of Melnos somewhat resembled the -geysers of Iceland, save that they were less active, and did not send up -jets of water to any great height from their uncanny mouths. On this -day, however, when the Demarch approached the desolate gorge where they -had hitherto rested as slightly bubbling pools of water, he was -astonished and dismayed to find them in full activity. Clouds of thin -steam almost obscured the yellow, red, and green lava of the rocks -behind, and amid this ominous vapor the springs were spouting furiously -at intervals. Thick jets of boiling water would gush up from the ragged -clefts in the sulphur-streaked blocks to a considerable height, and, -after expending their fury, would sink down again into the bowels of the -earth. After a time the muttered bellowing of the monsters would be -heard, and amid groanings and gurglings, which told of the colossal -forces at work beneath, the great columns of water would again shoot -skyward with hideous roars. - -The Demarch noticed this unusual disturbance of the springs with great -uneasiness, as during his whole forty years’ residence on the island -never had there been such signs of danger. Even where he stood, the -earth was cracked in many places, and little jets of steam escaped with -a whistling noise, which could be heard shrilly when the bellowing of -the geysers ceased. All the Melnosians were in a terrible state of -alarm, and it took all Justinian’s eloquence to persuade them that this -was simply a local disturbance caused by the earthquake, and that there -was no danger of an outbreak on the part of the long-sleeping volcano. - -Truth to tell, in spite of his speech, he was not at all easy in his -mind as he climbed up the staircase to the Acropolis, for these ominous -signs boded but ill for the safety of the island, and he dreaded lest -without further warning the crater should burst out into full fury, in -which case every being therein would certainly be killed. He was -unwilling, however, to communicate his fears to Helena or to Maurice, -and thus disturb their minds at this critical period of the siege; but, -feeling that he must have some one with whom to talk, awoke Crispin from -his siesta, and, taking him into his own room, gave him a description of -the geysers’ activity. - -“The deuce!” said Crispin in dismay, when he heard this unpleasant -recital. “I hope we are not going to have the destruction of Pompeii -over again; but I must say it looks uncommonly like it!” - -“Do you think Melnos will break out again?” - -“Those spouting geysers certainly don’t bode any good, sir, nor that -earthquake either. Perhaps it is a warning from Hephaistos that we had -better leave the island.” - -“I won’t leave the island,” said Justinian obstinately, drawing his -iron-gray brows together: “after forty years of incessant toil, I would -indeed be a coward to leave Melnos simply because things look a trifle -ominous.” - -“Yes; but volcanoes are delicate things to deal with. These signs are -slight; but who knows but what they may be followed by a blowing up of -the crater’s crust, in which case I am afraid everything in connection -with Melnos will be at an end.” - -“But the volcano has been extinct for thousands of years!” - -“So was Vesuvius,” replied Crispin coolly, “and that mountain in New -Zealand—Tarawera, was it not?—that awoke to activity after centuries of -quiescence. You can’t trust volcanoes, sir. They are most treacherous -monsters, and when least expected break out in full fury.” - -“An eruption is going on at Thera.” - -“All the more reason that the volcanic action will extend to Melnos.” - -“There I don’t agree with you. If the subterranean forces find vent in -one place, there is less chance of them breaking out in another. -Besides, Thera has always been active. Herodotus, Appollonius, and -Plutarch all speak of previous eruptions. Then there was one in 1457, -when the Venetians occupied the island; another in 1707; and I think the -last outburst took place in 1866.” - -“Well, according to Georgios, there is one going on now, which is a bad -sign for us.” - -“On the contrary, a very good sign. Don’t you see, Crispin, that, -whereas Thera has burst out every hundred years or so for many -centuries, there is no record of Melnos being active. This temple of -Hephaistos was built long before Christ, during the supremacy of Hellas -in these seas, and had the crater not been extinct then, it could not -have been built on the inner cup, nor could any eruption have taken -place since, as it would have been destroyed; so as the mountain, to all -appearances, has been extinct for thousands of years, and the volcanic -forces find vent at Thera, I really do not see why, because of an -earthquake and a spouting geyser, we should think it likely the crater -will break out again.” - -“Still, you see the Hellenes must have known this was a volcanic island, -and, perhaps, put up this temple to the god of fire in memory of an -eruption. If I remember rightly, the Rhodians built a temple to Poseidon -Asphalios after some early eruption, in order to propitiate the gods; so -this shrine may have been erected for a similar reason.” - -“Scarcely, if the volcano was active then. I don’t think even the pious -Hellenes would have risked their lives in building a temple under the -very nose of Vulcan in full work. But what do you think is best to be -done?” - -“Well, certainly it would be foolish to leave Melnos, after all the work -you have expended upon it, without very good reason, and, until -something more serious occurs, I should be inclined to remain. In spite -of these signs, the volcano has been as quiet as a lamb for thousands of -years; so I do not see why it should break out now, save out of sheer -contrariness. We had better go on defending Melnos from Alcibiades, and -take no notice of the volcano; but if anything serious occurs, we must -get away as quickly as possible.” - -“But how? Alcibiades has destroyed all our boats.” - -“Well, we will seize his; or else, as soon as I can guess The Eunice is -at Syra, I will go over and bring her to Melnos; so that in case of -danger I can save every one.” - -“Over a hundred and fifty people! Impossible!” - -“There won’t be a hundred and fifty people by the time Alcibiades is -beaten,” replied Crispin dryly. “It is not that I am afraid of; but if -such a contingency as the volcano becoming active does arise, my -difficulty will be to get through the besieging army out into the open -sea.” - -“I’m afraid there’s no chance of that,” replied the Demarch gloomily. - -“Well, it certainly looks impossible, but there’s nothing like trying. -However, there may be no necessity for such daring. Don’t trouble about -the volcano, Justinian; I’ve no doubt Hephaistos will warn us again -before proceeding to extremities.” - -“I am of the same opinion myself. Still, your words have given no great -comfort, Crispin; for, after all the money and labor expended on this -island, it would indeed be a terrible thing if it became nothing but a -smoking mass of black lava, to say nothing of the destruction of my -schemes.” - -“You won’t tell Maurice or Helena of this?” - -“No. Maurice has quite enough on his mind already, and it would only -frighten Helena to death. She is brave enough at most dangers, but I -think a volcanic eruption would frighten the most stout-hearted. I have -to a great extent calmed the feelings of those in the village, so it -will be best for you and I to keep our own counsel, and not uselessly -alarm our friends.” - -“I hope it is a useless alarm,” said Crispin uneasily. “But it is a very -unpleasant idea to think that one is living on top of a powder-magazine -which may explode at any moment.” - -“As far at that goes,” answered the Demarch dryly, “the whole globe is -nothing but an egg full of fire, and we all live on the surface of an -explosive bombshell whirling through space, which may burst at any -moment. My island is only a sample of the whole earth.” - -“I wish you wouldn’t look at things in such an unpleasant light,” cried -Crispin, laughing. “My nerves will be destroyed before I leave this -island. However, I am going to finish my sleep.” - -“And Maurice?” - -“He also is asleep, and I’ve no doubt will wake up quite fit for another -midnight attack.” - -“Egad, and he’ll get it!” said the Demarch grimly. “That villain -Alcibiades is getting ready for another assault.” - -“Well, in spite of the benefits conferred, it is to be hoped Hephaistos -won’t interfere this time with his earthquakes.” - -“He has warned us twice,” replied Justinian, as he walked out into the -court with the poet; “once by the earthquake, again by the springs. -Heaven help us when the third warning comes!” - -“Oh, there’s luck in odd numbers,” said Crispin flippantly. “And, in any -case, if we come to grief, our enemies will be in the same plight as -ourselves.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII. - THE INVOCATION OF ARTEMIS. - - O Moon! thou risest from the western seas, - A virgin Aphrodite fair and chaste, - And by thy votaress on bended knees - These stainless flowers are on thine altar placed: - Pale lilies, roses wan, and cyclamen, - Whose petals have ensnared thy pallid rays; - Frail hyacinth as chill as mountain snows - Beneath thy wintry ken; - With many blossoms plucked in dewy ways, - For thee, O goddess! who canst end my woes. - - O Moon! I pray thee in thy tenderness, - Watch with thy silver eye my lover gone, - And soothe him with thy virginal caress, - For thou hadst also an Endymion. - Astarte! Dian! Tanith! Artemis! - Whate’er men name thee in thy mystic might, - With sacrifice and songs I worship thee: - So grant, O Moon! the bliss - Of feeling in my heart the pure delight, - Which tells my love is coming back to me. - - -Evidently Alcibiades had but little stomach for midnight fighting, for -he made no attempt to storm the pass under the cover of darkness, and -was apparently making preparations to begin the fight at the first flush -of the dawn. In thus deciding, he was wiser than he knew, for many of -his men had been killed in the tunnel by their own friends, owing to the -confusion which prevailed during the retreat down the staircase. -Moreover, with the electric light showing the position of the enemy to -the defenders, and dazzling their eyesight when they advanced to the -attack, there was nothing to be gained by a night sortie, and Alcibiades -thought it best to storm the pass by day, so that he, at least in the -matter of light, might have the same advantage as Justinian. - -All day long, the Demarch and his nephew posted themselves on the -heights above the gorge, and from their vantage, with the aid of strong -field-glasses, saw the preparations which were being made for the final -attack. Alcibiades, with more military precision than of yore, had -divided his two hundred men into two bodies, one of which was commanded -by himself and the other by Count Caliphronas. Under these two leaders -were four other commanders responsible for fifty troops each, but these -deferred to Caliphronas and Alcibiades, while the Count in his turn took -his orders from the old pirate as the supreme head of the whole army. - -Without doubt, Alcibiades desired to attack the island in two separate -places, for he knew, thanks to the treachery of Caliphronas, that -Justinian’s force was too few in numbers to admit of division, and thus, -while the one body was attacking the palisade in the gorge, the other -could get at the rear of the Melnosians by another way. Unfortunately -for this daring scheme, the cliffs on either side of the pass were -perfectly inaccessible, as they arose smooth and arid from the beach to -the height of two hundred feet, and as the besiegers had not wings, they -could scarcely hope to climb up these sterile steeps, which would not -have afforded foothold even for a goat. The only path available for this -plan was perfectly well known to Caliphronas, but, unluckily for the -besiegers, was inside the outer palisade, from whence it wound up to the -heights where the Demarch and his nephew were seated, and from thence -went through the altar glade, down to the back of the Acropolis. - -Once the outer defence was taken, Caliphronas intended to lead his -century of men up this secret way, which he knew thoroughly, and thus -gain the heart of the island as exemplified by the Acropolis, while the -Demarch was keeping back the feigned attack at the stockade. This -stratagem was very clever and very feasible, but the difficulty in -carrying it out consisted in the fact that, before the path could be -ascended, the outer defence would have to be taken, which was no easy -task, when defended by such determined men as the Melnosians. However, -it was to all appearances the only chance of gaining speedy possession -of the island, without risking prolonged fighting; so Alcibiades adopted -the plan without hesitation, and arranged with his subordinates to -assault the palisade at early dawn, carry it with a dash, and then, -while he made a feigned attack at the inner defence, Caliphronas and his -men, gaining the interior of the island by this path, could attack the -defending party in the rear. - -It never for a moment struck Messrs. Alcibiades & Company that Justinian -was far too wide awake not to have thought of this contingency, and had -made his preparations in consequence. The entrance of the path from the -gorge was up a narrow, winding staircase, cut in the live rock, which -could only hold two men abreast, so, in the event of the outer defence -being beaten down, this staircase could be easily defended by a dozen or -so of men. Added to this, an iron gate closely locked was placed at the -entrance; therefore, even if the enemy did gain an entrance into the -pass, they had considerable difficulties to overcome before marching in -triumph into the Acropolis. Justinian would, indeed, have been a bad -general had he not foreseen this danger, but even though he thus guarded -against it to the best of his ability, he trusted that his men would be -able to hold the outer defence until Alcibiades retired in discomfiture. - -As a matter-of-fact, the fiery old adventurer would have liked nothing -better than to sally forth at the head of his handful of men and drive -his enemy into the sea, but he was no longer the reckless Rudolph -Roylands of the past, and judged it best to be cautious, nor risk the -chance of a pitched battle in the open with unequal numbers. Intrenched -in the strong outworks of the pass, his little band could hope to face -their enemies with more than a fair chance of victory, but if he was -foolish enough to make a sally, his ninety-five men would, in spite of -their bravery, be quickly cut to pieces by more than double the number. -Of course their military precision would doubtless tell against the -undisciplined hordes of Alcibiades; still the risk was too great, and -Justinian, much as he desired to make a bold dash for victory, deemed it -best to take advantage of all the shelter and advantage his -fortifications afforded. - -The western pass was not unlike the tunnel in conformation, for, -extending from inside to outside, a distance of a quarter of a mile, it -ran upward from the cliffs of the beach for some little way, then, -turning in an abrupt angle, pursued a straight way into the interior of -the crater. Evidently created by a volcanic eruption for the outlet of -lava, the sides, rent apart by some convulsion, arose precipitous and -sterile to the height of over two hundred feet. No vegetation softened -the nakedness of these rugged rocks, which, streaked with green, yellow, -and red, presented a singularly forbidding appearance. On the top grew -ancient pines, whose sombre branches, nearly touching one another as -they stretched across the gulf, only permitted a thin streak of sky to -be seen; so that the depths below were singularly gloomy, and to the -imaginative Hellenes might well have suggested the thought that it was -the Gate of Hades, by which name it was traditionally known. Justinian, -however, abandoned such cognomen as of evil omen, and called it “The -Western Pass,” by which title it was generally called by the Melnosians. -It was indeed a remarkably eerie place even on the brightest day, and -the light which filtered downward from between the branches of the pines -but half revealed, in a glimmering gloom, the horrent rocks, the lack of -flowers and grasses, and the chill, vault-like seeming of the whole -tremendous cleft. - -Maurice, having slept all day, felt wonderfully refreshed when he awoke, -just as the sun set, and, though his head was still painful with the -wound, yet his brain was perfectly bright and clear; so, after making a -hearty meal, he started with his uncle and Crispin for the western pass, -where he was to remain all night. The enemy might, or might not, make a -night attack, and Justinian rather inclined to the belief that they -would wait till daylight. Nevertheless, to guard against any chance of -such a thing occurring, he resolved that every one, both leaders and -men, should remain in the pass during the hours of darkness. - -The men thus being at the front, a number of the women were sleeping up -at the Acropolis with Helena, so as to be near their relations, and the -interior of the island was thus given over entirely to feminine -influence; while the extreme end of the pass, near to the outer -palisade, was occupied by the male defenders. At times the sunlight came -into this cliff entrance, so there was a scanty vegetation for some -distance inward, so on this sparse grass Justinian and his men made -themselves comfortable. Many of the soldiers, wearied out with watching, -were sleeping around, but there was a strong guard at the barricade, -under the command of Gurt, who was much better, and had insisted upon -coming to the front. - -Round a fire sat the Demarch, his nephew, Crispin, and Dick, all talking -earnestly about the coming struggle, for the bos’n, having snatched a -few hours of sleep during the afternoon, was now quite alert and active. -The fire was lighted more for the sake of comfort than because of cold, -though, indeed, the bottom of this abyss was chilly enough, and the -cheerful flames flickered redly in the intense darkness, while high -above glimmered the pale stars, and to the right arose the frowning mass -of the palisade black against the faint gleam of the luminous night. To -their nostrils came the salt savor of the sea, and at intervals they -could hear the songs and revelry of their foes on the beach below. What -with the recumbent forms of the sleeping men, the firelight hollowing -out a space for itself in the blackness, and the intense stillness of -the night, broken only by the pacing of the sentries, and the fitful -snatches of song from the near distance, the whole scene was -extraordinarily weird, so much so, that Crispin, with his impressionable -poet’s nature, soon relapsed into silence. - -“Crispin, why don’t you think of business?” said Maurice mischievously, -as he noticed the poet’s abstraction. - -“I was thinking of—of—other things.” - -“My niece for instance,” observed the Demarch, with a grave smile. - -“It’s not improbable,” replied Crispin, reddening a trifle; “but, after -all, I am in good company, for Maurice is doubtless thinking of Helena.” - -Maurice, smiling, did not deny this remarkably accurate guess, and his -uncle, smoothing his silver beard, laughed silently. - -“I’m afraid Dick and myself are the only persons who are thinking of -war.” - -“I’m certain of it as far as you are concerned, but I will not answer -for Dick there.” - -“Dick, Dick!” said Justinian, shaking his head gravely; “what is this I -hear?” - -“About Zoe, sir,” answered the bos’n innocently. - -“Oh, it is my daughter’s maid!” - -“Well, you see, sir,” said Dick bashfully, “it was like this, sir. Zoe, -you see, gentlemen, likes me, and I like Zoe; so, with your permission, -Mr. Justinian, we were thinking of marriage.” - -“My permission!” echoed the Demarch, with a lurking smile; “as far as -that goes, it doesn’t seem to be needed. This is surely pairing time, -for you three young men seem to be all choosing mates. Eunice, Helena, -Zoe! Maurice, when your old tutor arrives, we must have a triple -marriage.” - -“We’ve got to drive away Alcibiades first, uncle.” - -“No doubt; but that, though difficult, is not impossible.” - -“I hope not. Crispin, wake up, sir! You are thinking about Eunice -again.” - -“Indeed I am not,” answered Crispin, with some dismay. “I am thinking of -my revolver, which I have left behind at the Acropolis.” - -“There’s a warrior for you,” said the Demarch, with a hearty laugh; “he -forgets the modern substitute for a shield. Well, my lad, as your -revolver is an important matter, you had better go back and get it.” - -Crispin jumped gayly to his feet. - -“I’ll go at once,” he said, putting on his sombrero; “but I hope the -battle will not begin without me.” - -“I think you may make up your mind there will be no row till dawn, sir,” -said Dick, who was peering between the bars of the palisade; “there -would not be all that kick-up going on down there if they meant -business.” - -“In that case,” observed Maurice, rising slowly, “I think I’ll go back -for your revolver, Crispin.” - -“Or for your heart,” replied the poet, laughing. - -“Oh, I don’t wish to bring that back, especially in wartime. It is safer -with Helena. Uncle, can I go?” - -“By all means. I agree with Dick, and do not think there is any chance -of a night attack. However, you had better make haste to come back to -your post.” - - “So Paris flies harsh war’s alarms - For dalliance in fair Helen’s arms.” - -“Crispin, keep your rude couplets to yourself, or I’ll forget to bring -back your revolver. Adieu, gentlemen. I will return anon.” - -Maurice stalked away up the gorge, like a tragedy actor, much to the -amusement of Justinian. Indeed, this light-hearted, desultory -conversation did a good deal to keep up their spirits, and, in spite of -the serious danger at their gates, all the Englishmen were wonderfully -merry. It is characteristic of the British, that, if they take their -pleasures solemnly, they keep the balance even by being gay in the -presence of danger, and he who doubts the truth of this statement has -only to read Kinglake’s account of the battle of the Alma, in order to -assure himself of its truth. - -As before mentioned, the gorge was very dark, but Maurice knew every -inch of the way, and, being sure-footed as a goat, never stumbled in his -step, but strode merrily along in the darkness, whistling “Garryowen.” -It was curious, amid all this Greek life, revival of paganism, and -piratical invasion, to hear the quaint Irish air, but Maurice found it -an admirable melody to which to march, and moved his legs so rapidly to -the tune, that in a very short space of time he emerged from the pass -into the moonlit road skirting the crater. - -It was only about ten o’clock in the evening, and the moon, full and -round, burned like a lamp in the sky near the Milky Way, which she was -slowly drawing near. Brightly gleamed Sirius amid the feebler twinkle of -minor stars, and eastward like a ruby glittered Mars, the planet of the -soldier, foreboding war and blood. The wind gently moved the branches of -the mulberry-trees above the head of the pedestrian, and, moderating his -pace, he strolled lazily along the shadow-strewn road, while the -nightingales sang in every thicket, thrilling his heart with their -delicious notes. - -Soon, however, another song mingled with theirs, a strange, wild melody, -which, chanted in a clear, high voice, arose and fell sadly in the chill -moonlight; then an imploring chorus of voices sounded in unison. Again -the one singer cried in an appealing manner; then silence and the -hurried notes of the hidden birds. - -Curious to know the meaning of this strange singing, Maurice walked -rapidly onward, bounded up the steps of the Acropolis, and entered into -the vestibule. The music, shrill and fitful, sounded close at hand, so, -stealthily approaching the curtains hanging before the entrance of the -court, Roylands peered in, to discover the reason of such fantastic -melodies. He was evidently disturbing the mysteries of the Bona Dea, for -the court was thronged with women, and they seemed to be engaged in the -performance of some rite—a kind of invocation to the moon, which -appeared shining brilliantly in the sky through the hypæthral opening of -the building. - -A small brazier filled with burning coals, and elevated on a tripod, -stood near the fountain, before which stood Helena, in her long white -robe, with loosely flowing hair and slender arms outstretched towards -the serene planet above. Around the court knelt a number of Melnosian -women in their long chitons; but Maurice’s eyes were fastened on that -beautiful central figure which stood so motionless before the tripod. -The moonlight softly fell on her lovely upturned face, on her snowy -robe, her milky arms, and touched with chilly beam the disordered gold -of her hair. Maurice, who felt that he was looking on at some ceremony -not meant for masculine eyes, would have stepped forward and announced -his presence, but at that moment, Helena broke out into a song so wild -and thrilling, that he involuntarily paused in amazement. The words were -in Greek, but he was now sufficiently master of the language to -understand them. They were evidently some antique invocation to the -inviolate Artemis, and he wondered where she could have discovered them, -as they rippled from her lips, rising and falling with fitful sobbings, -like the voice of some complaining wind on a lonely beach. - - HELENA. - - Oh, waning moon! why hidest thou thy face? - Fair is the night, but less fair than my lover absent; - Unveil thyself from the jealous cloud-woof, - And thou wilt see how fair is he I worship. - - CHORUS. - - O Dian! sun of the lovers’ night, I call thee. - - HELENA. - - Thou canst control the tides of ocean, - The tides obedient, who are slaves to thee, - Surely then thou canst control the heart of my lover, - And make him long to return to my arms so loving. - - CHORUS. - - O Baalit! mistress of the tides, I call thee. - - HELENA. - - Save him from danger, for he is daring, my lover, - He rides the surges of battle as thou ridest the flying clouds. - Save him, Tanith! - And bring him safely to the arms of her who calleth. - - CHORUS. - - O Ashtoreth! thou also hast loved! I call thee. - -At this moment, Helena took something from her bosom, and, throwing a -few grains of incense on the coals, held it in the thick white smoke -which arose. Afterwards she advanced to the fountain and dipped it -thrice, singing all the time that strange melody. - - HELENA. - - This amber heart I place in the rising odors, - So that thy virtues may pass into it; - Thrice do I dip it in lustrous water in which thou hast beheld thine - image; - - - For thus will it draw the magic from thy breast, - On my lover’s neck will I place it—on his beating heart will it rest, - And it will save him when red runs the blood of battle. - - CHORUS. - - Hecate! controller of spells, I call thee. - -When she ended, the chorus of women arose to their feet, and slowly -filed out of one of the side doors, leaving the court empty, and Helena -still standing by the brazier, from whence the burning incense still -rolled skyward. Maurice, quite astonished at this strange scene of -magical incantation, stole quietly forward, and, looking over her -shoulder, saw that she was gazing at the amber heart, which she had -converted into an amulet by her moon spells. - -“Helena!” - -She turned with a cry of astonishment, and then fell into his arms with -a joyous laugh. - -“Oh, Maurice! my dearest! my darling! Are the old stories true, and have -my spells drawn you back to my side?” - -She was much excited, so Maurice drew her gently to one of the chairs -near the fountain, and, placing her therein, knelt at her feet, -smoothing her two hands, which he held between his own, to quieten her -alarm at his sudden appearance. - -“My dearest Helena, I came back to fetch Crispin’s revolver, which he -has left behind. Hearing you singing, I looked in.” - -“Oh!” cried Helena, with a blush; “and what did you see?” - -“Nothing very dreadful,” he replied, laughing, “I only saw a symposium -of women, and felt like Clodius surveying the mysteries of the Bona Dea. -What on earth were you doing?” - -“Oh, it was only a game, Maurice,” she replied, burying her head on his -shoulder. “I am ashamed you should have seen me acting so childishly, -but, the fact is, there is a woman here who told me about it.” - -“About what?” - -“This incantation to the moon. In spite of father’s being so particular -about purity of blood, some of the women are of Arab descent. This one -who told me how to make a talisman, comes from Africa, and, I believe, -is a descendant of the old Carthaginians.” - -“Nonsense! they were all stamped out by the Romans. Well, what about -this modern Dido?” - -“Well, she saw how anxious I was about you, and told me if I invoked the -moon, and bathed some small article in moon-water and incense, it would -become endowed with powerful virtues, and protect its wearer from -danger.” - -“You foolish child!” said Maurice, tenderly stroking her loose hair; -“and was all this mummery on my account?” - -“Yes; but if you laugh at it, the talisman will lose its power.” - -“Then I’ll be as grave as a judge. Where is this wonderful amulet?” - -Helena held out the amber heart which lay in the centre of her little -white palm, from which Maurice lifted it daintily, and pressed his -mustache against her hand. - -“And am I to wear this?” - -“Round your neck.” - -“But there is nothing to fasten it there.” - -“Oh dear me, I must get some string, or silk, or—Oh,” she cried, struck -with a sudden thought, “have you a knife?” - -“No.” - -“Then lend me your sword.” - -“What! are you going to cut my head off for overlooking your Bona Dea -ceremonies?” he said laughingly, drawing the keen weapon from its -sheath. - -For answer, she arose to her feet, and shook the loose gold of her hair -over her shoulders. Carefully selecting one long tress, she smoothed it -down with her hands, and held it out towards her lover. - -“Cut it off.” - -“What! your beautiful hair!” cried Maurice, who stood before her with -his sword gleaming in the moonlight. “Oh, Helena, I could not do that.” - -“Then give me your sword, and I’ll do it myself.” - -“My dearest, you would hurt yourself. Why do you want to cut this lock?” - -“To make a chain for the heart.” - -“There’s a chain round my heart already,” said her lover, still -hesitating. “Won’t it spoil your hair?” - -“Maurice! how tiresome you are! Cut it off at once.” - -She stamped her foot with pretty petulance, so, seeing she was -obstinate, he carefully sheared off the tress close to her head. This -being done, she shook her locks over the shorn place, and, sitting down -in her chair once more, began to weave the shining hair into a delicate -chain. - -“You silly child, making me despoil you of your glory!” said Maurice, -touched by her action. “There, let me put my sword up again, and I will -help you.” - -“Hold the end of the chain then, and do not talk, or you will break the -charm.” - -Maurice, sheathing his sword, knelt down before her, and, taking one end -of the glittering coil daintily between finger and thumb, watched her -weaving the threads rapidly together, crooning the while a strange old -song in a low voice. - - “Weave the threads of golden hair, - Golden future also weaving. - Happy be thy fortunes fair, - Plenteous joy but scanty grieving. - In and out, and out and in, - Thus thy coming life I spin. - - Bind the chain to golden heart, - Golden heart to thee be binding, - Meet together ne’er to part, - Love will come with little finding. - In and out and out and in, - Thus thy future life I spin.” - -“There!” said Helena, having finished the chain; “now let me tie up the -ends—give me the heart.” - -“My heart?” - -“I have that already,” she answered mischievously. “The amber heart, -please; I must bind it to the chain.” - -“Where did you learn that song?” - -“I made it up all by myself,” said Helena triumphantly, dangling the -chain before him. “Do you think that only Crispin is a poet?” - -“No, my Sappho.” - -“There is a chain of my hair and a talisman attached to keep you from -harm, so bend your head, my knight, and I will give it to you.” - -Maurice, entering into the spirit of her charming humor, bowed his head, -over which she flung the slender chain of hair, then, kissing him on the -forehead, leaned back and clapped her hands gayly. - -“There! now you are safe. Nothing can harm you while you wear that.” - -“Nothing can harm me while I think of you,” he whispered tenderly, -taking her in his arms; “your love is my safeguard both in peace and -war.” - -“Oh dear me!” sighed Helena, as she pillowed her head on his shoulder; -“what nonsense it is, Maurice! Still, it’s very pleasant nonsense.” - -“Very pleasant.” - -“And I am very nice?” - -“You are very vain,” he said, kissing her and rising to his feet. -“There, you charming sorceress!” - -“A new Circe.” - -“Precisely; but I must not stay with Circe any longer. Let me go to -Crispin’s room for his revolver, and then good-by.” - -As quickly as possible he ran into the poet’s bedroom, and found the -weapon on the bed, where the neglectful poet had left it. Slipping it -into his belt, he came back to say good-by to Helena. - -“Now mind you go to bed, dear,” he said, kissing her tenderly; “no more -magical ceremonies to-night.” - -“No, I will go to bed. Oh, do take care of yourself, Maurice!” - -“I will, both for your sake and my own. Besides, your talisman.” - -Helena threw her arms impulsively round his neck. - -“I give you the talisman, and I give you my love.” - -He bent down and kissed her, then without a word went away into the -moonlit night on his way to battle, and perhaps—death. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIV. - A MODERN THERMOPYLÆ. - - In the gap say fifty fighters waiting for the coming shock, - Guns and sabres, pikes and bayonets holding tight, - And two hundred stormers dashing up, like surges on a rock, - With a grim determination for their foes’ extermination - In the fight. - - Clash of weapons, cannon’s thunder, and the rifle’s deadly crack, - Mingle fiercely with the shrieking of the wounded in their pain, - Till, in spite of all their toiling, - Valor stanch their efforts foiling, - Down the slope again recoiling, - Reels the shattered column back, - All their dauntlessness in vain, - And the battle-ground is cumbered with a multitude unnumbered - Of the slain. - - -At the first flush of dawn in the gray eastern skies, the Melnosians -were on the alert and ready for the fight. Owing to the early hour, and -the fact of their having passed the night in the open air, many of the -men were shivering with cold, on noticing which, Justinian ordered hot -coffee to be served out all round. They also took a light meal, then -went through a few evolutions on the narrow space of their bivouac -ground, which suppled their limbs, and sent the lethargic blood once -more speeding rapidly through their veins. Both Crispin and Maurice felt -somewhat stiff, especially the latter, owing to his wound, but the hot -coffee, the food, and an indulgence in a few gymnastic exercises soon -brought them back to their normal condition of physical fitness. Unlike -their less seasoned frames, Justinian’s iron constitution never seemed -to feel the strain to which it was subjected, and, in spite of his -years, he was as brisk and active as the youngest member of his band. - -As it was imperative that this outer defence should be held against all -odds, owing to the proximity of the side path, the Demarch had the two -cannons which were planted inside the second barricade brought down as -rapidly as possible, and placed them on either side of the entrance to -the gorge, in order to sweep down the enemy as they dashed up the -sloping ground from the beach. Their muzzles, protruding from the -earthworks, could pour confusion into the ranks of the stormers in a -most effective fashion, especially as they were loaded with grape-shot, -which would scatter widely in the discharge. As in the tunnel palisade, -a thick wall of turf was built half-way up against the beams, while on -this sand-bags and gabions, with loopholes for the rifle barrels, were -also laid. The whole front of the battery was therefore bristling with -danger to the besiegers, while the garrison, intrenched behind their -outworks, were in comparative safety. The inner palisade farther up the -pass was defended in a similar manner, saving in the matter of cannon; -but Justinian determined to use his best endeavors finally to crush the -enemy in his present position, so as to do away with the danger of their -gaining possession of the side path which led into the heart of the -island. - -Directly in front of the battery, the ground sloped away down to the -beach in a gentle declivity, and up this a winding road was cut by -slight gradations which afforded a sufficiently easy approach. Still, so -undisciplined were the troops of Alcibiades, that the Demarch thought, -instead of marching along the road in a regular line, they would -scramble confusedly upward either by the path or by the slope, so that -his guns could play on their scattered ranks with deadly effect. - -Maurice and his uncle took their field-glasses up to the point of -vantage above the side path, from whence they could survey the -preparations of the enemy, who were now deploying in irregular lines -under the amateur leadership of Alcibiades and the traitor Greek. -Justinian laughed contemptuously as he saw the confusion into which -Caliphronas was throwing his men, and, without removing the glass from -his eyes, remarked on this bad generalship to Maurice. - -“I always thought Andros had a certain amount of brains, but, seeing -what a mess he is making of things after all my training, I am wrong in -believing him capable of anything except grinning in the mirror.” - -“Well, he has very bad soldiers, uncle. They seem to be ignorant of the -simplest rules of discipline.” - -“And no wonder! The very scum of the Levant. Peasants, sailors, Turkish -scamps, and stupid islanders. Still, even out of the most hopeless -materials a good commander can form a disciplined corps, and I am sure -they have had plenty of time to drill their men; but Andros has not the -slightest capability for military matters. As for Alcibiades”— - -The Demarch’s opinion of Alcibiades’ generalship was so bad that he -could not find words sufficiently contemptuous to express his scorn; but -as at this moment the enemy began to move irregularly towards the road -which led to the mouth of the pass, he shut up his glass and went down -to his men, followed by Maurice. - -“The dance is about to begin,” said Crispin, when the garrison were all -in order at their several posts. “I expect it will be a merry one.” - -“Faith! we will be the pipers,” replied Justinian grimly, pointing to -his cannon; “they will caper gayly enough when these play the tune.” - -“We had better lose no time in beginning then,” said Maurice, who was -looking at the approaching enemy, “for here come the dancers.” - -As Justinian had foreseen, the stormers, instead of advancing by the -road in a compact body, and thus neutralizing the danger of the opening -fire, rushed irregularly up the slope in hopeless confusion, yelling -wildly in order to keep up their courage. - -“Scum!” cried Justinian scornfully, as he saw the motley crowd climbing -upward. “Give it ’em, lads!” - -Dick presided over one of the guns, Gurt at the other, as both of them, -having been in the English navy, knew all the necessary business for -loading, adjusting the sight, and firing the cannon. The Demarch’s -finances had not run to the expense of importing cannon of the new type, -so these brass guns were somewhat old-fashioned; still, loaded with -grape-shot, they were very effective when fired, especially when sighted -with considerable science by the old men-of-war’s-men. - -Up came the enemy, shrieking like fiends, and broken into irregular -bands, dotting the green slope with patches of blue topped by the red of -their Turkish headgear. Dick, who was to fire first, waited till they -were within an easy distance, and then put the lighted match to the -touch-hole of his cannon. There was a roar as the deadly grape-shot -splashed among the advancing crowd, and then a shriek of rage as the -column reeled, wavered, and for the moment paused. Encouraged by -Alcibiades, they still advanced, only to be mown down by the dozen with -the discharge of Gurt’s cannon, upon which, dismayed at the carnage, -they retreated down the hill in confusion, leaving the ground thick with -the slain. - -On seeing this, the sailors set up a hearty British cheer, in which all -joined but Justinian, who smiled grimly at the effective work done by -his guns. Alcibiades was stamping with rage, for his little scheme of -firing the barricade, as on the previous occasion, was quite -impracticable, owing to those deadly muzzles which gaped through the -palisade. - -With considerable caution, however, he scattered his men so as to avert -the danger of huddled masses being cut down by the grape-shot, and kept -up a continuous fire at the frowning front of the battery. The -Melnosians returned the fire with their Martini-Henry rifles, and -managed to pick off a few of the sharp-shooters, while, protected by -their gabions, they managed to escape without the loss of a single man; -for the bullets either buried themselves with a dull thud in the -sand-bags or else went ripping above their heads to flatten themselves -harmlessly against the lava walls of the pass. - -“They can’t last long against our cannon, uncle,” said Maurice, who was -watching Dick reloading his gun; “that first dash has lost them nearly -twenty men.” - -“It will take some time to polish off two hundred,” replied Justinian, -who had his glass to his eyes; “besides, Alcibiades has some scheme in -his head. All this sharp-shooting is done to divert our attention. I -thought so!” - -“What’s up now?” - -“He’s bringing up a field-piece to that hill.” - -“The deuce!” cried Maurice, hastily focussing his glasses. “We must -silence that. Dick, do you think you could bring one of the guns to bear -on that hill to the right?” - -Dick, after some consideration, thought he could, and did; for, with the -assistance of his sailors, he wheeled round the gun-carriage to an angle -of thirty-five degrees, so as to bring the muzzle of his piece in a -direct line with the conical-shaped mound up which the enemy were -dragging their battery. This hill, which was slightly to the right of -the pass, would have been utilized long before for his guns by any able -commander; but not until the loss of twenty men had taught Alcibiades -experience, did he think of making use of the position. The crest of the -mound was slightly lower than the palisade; but, by depressing the -muzzle of his gun, Dick got a fair opportunity of disabling the battery -of the enemy. Owing to their numbers, they soon succeeded in dragging -the field-piece up to the top, and, placing it in position, raised the -mouth slightly, so as to aim at the upper part of the barricade. Just as -they were preparing to fire, Dick, who had loaded with round shot, -discharged his cannon, and the great mass of iron went hurtling -viciously through the air. - -“Badly aimed, Dick,” said Maurice, who had his glasses up. “Your eye is -not quite in. Look out, they are returning the compliment.” - -There was a puff of smoke, a sudden flash, an infinitesimal pause, and a -ball came ripping along at tremendous speed, only to strike the ground -in front of the battery, and ricochet harmlessly down the hill. - -“Their gunner isn’t much better than myself, sir,” cried Dick, carefully -training the sight of his piece; “but I won’t miss this time.” - -His aim was much better, for the second shot, while not touching the -cannon, knocked over two men standing near, who dropped down quickly -over the brow of the hill. - -“Egad! I wish those two had been the leaders,” said Justinian -cheerfully; “both the scamps are there. Here’s the return fire.” - -This time the ball struck the palisade fair in the top centre, and -smashed down several of the cross-beams. The sharp-shooters, seeing -this, gave a cry of triumph, which was echoed by those on the hill, and -the gunner rapidly loaded again, so as to follow up the advantage -gained. Dick, however, was already prepared, and before the cannon of -the enemy could be fired again, a shot from his gun struck it on the -carriage, causing it to fall out of position. The besiegers set at once -to work about restoring it to its former level; but by this time Gurt -also had directed his gun towards the battery, and shot after shot from -the two cannon followed so rapidly that in a short time the enemy had to -vacate their position. - -“I wish I could make a dash, and spike that gun,” said Maurice, as the -Melnosians cheered loudly. - -“You’ll do nothing of the sort, sir,” replied Justinian sharply. “I -don’t want to run the chance of losing you again. Besides, Alcibiades is -going to make a dash for the gate.” - -“Old fool!” said Crispin scornfully. “He can’t bring his men up against -our guns.” - -“He’s going to try, at all events, as he evidently thinks his shot has -told heavily on our defences.” - -All this time there was a constant flash, flash, flash along the line of -sharp-shooters, as they kept up a continuous fire; and, in spite of all -precautions, two Melnosians were killed. Under cover of this musketry it -was apparent that Alcibiades was about to make a dash; but, having -learned a lesson from the previous advance, he led his men along the -right side, close under the cliffs, where the cannon could not reach -them. Justinian saw this manœuvre, and, rapidly serving out fresh -ammunition, told his men to be in readiness. - -Round the right corner of the battery came a furious crowd, headed by a -huge negro, for Alcibiades had no liking for heading such a forlorn -hope. The attack was received by the garrison with a volley from their -muskets; but, in spite of many dropping off dead and wounded, the -besiegers still continued to struggle fiercely up the outward beams, in -order to reach the upper gap made by the cannon. The sharp-shooters had, -of course, to cease fire, lest they should hit their comrades; and, -seeing that they had swarmed up nearly to the top of the barrier, ran -forward to help them. The Melnosians, in two lines, one kneeling, the -other standing at the back, fired continuously at the writhing mass, -while those behind the gabions stabbed with bayonet and cutlass with -right good will. Both cannon were discharged, cutting two lanes of blood -through the furious throng; yet, notwithstanding their losses, the -stormers still stuck to their intention, and it became evident that -nothing now remained to the garrison but to beat them back in a -hand-to-hand fight. - -One pirate leaped from the parapet through the gap, but was speedily -despatched by a bayonet-thrust in the chest. Others, however, followed -like a flock of sheep, and there was little doubt but that the -Melnosians would have been driven back had they not been so expert in -the use of the bayonet. Justinian, an old army man, had taught them the -exercise splendidly, and, raising the bayonets first high, and then back -over the right shoulder, their weapons told in every thrust; so they -were thus enabled to keep the foe at bay. - -While the top of the barrier was thus being assaulted, a number of men, -under Caliphronas, were hacking away at the lower beams; for, unwilling -to harm his men, Alcibiades refrained from setting fire to the palisade -as he had done before. The weight of the stormers on the top made the -now weakened lower portion rock ominously, and it was evident the whole -structure would soon be in ruins. When this happened, the danger would -be imminent, as Justinian knew that the enemy far exceeded in numbers -his own little band, and, even with the advantage of the narrow gorge, -it was doubtful if he could hold his ground. Giving way, however, meant -that the side path would be left to Alcibiades, and, however bravely -defended, would be certain to be captured at once. Besides, he dared not -leave the guns in possession of the enemy, as they would at once use -them with deadly effect against his own men. - -Rendered reckless by despair, the Melnosians fought like demons against -the enemy, and, though Alcibiades hurled body after body of men against -them, they stood their ground, and did not give way one inch. At any -moment, however, the barrier might fall, and Justinian lost no time in -rendering the guns innocuous, if he were forced to retreat up the gorge. - -“Dick! Gurt! spike the guns! spike the guns!” he roared in English, and -the Greeks, not understanding the language, did not guess how important -was the order. Caliphronas, however, heard it on the other side of the -barrier, and made immediate report to Alcibiades, who grasped the idea -at once. - -“Make for the guns! capture the guns!” he yelled in Greek; “they will -spike them!” - -A body of men leaped down from the parapet and made for the gun held by -Dick, but Maurice sprang in front of it, and, while the bos’n was busy -putting in the spike, kept the enemy at bay. He soon emptied his -revolver, and thus had to fight solely with the sword, but the Demarch, -seeing his danger, re-enforced him with four Melnosians, who speedily -beat back the assailants. However, Dick’s task was accomplished, and, -Gurt having also obeyed orders, both guns were now spiked and perfectly -useless, should the enemy gain possession of them. The only danger -remaining was the side path, which, in spite of its iron door, might be -forced; so the Demarch and his men stanchly held their ground, in spite -of the havoc which was being made in their ranks by the overwhelming -force of the enemy. - -Fighting fiercely, with obstinate determination not to give way one -inch, slowly but surely the Melnosians drove back the stormers to the -barrier, clambering up over the heaps of slain in their efforts to force -the enemy to vacate their position. The air was blinding with gunpowder -smoke; the clash of the swords, the fierce shouts of the besiegers, and -the cheers of the Melnosians created a most infernal din; but high above -this was heard the crash of the palisade, as, yielding to the axes of -the enemy, it fell outward. Many were unable to retreat in time, owing -to the crush behind,—for Alcibiades had long ago given up every attempt -to keep order,—and in its fall a great number were crushed to death, -while their comrades, not heeding their death agonies, rushed forward -across the platform thus formed, in order to follow up their advantage -as speedily as possible. - -At this critical juncture Justinian bethought himself of the stratagem -of scaring the enemy by a fictitious force, and hastily bade Temistocles -to run to the Acropolis and tell all the women to come down the gorge -with drums beating and colors flying. There were plenty of kettledrums -and flags at the Acropolis, which Justinian had not cared to use, so -these, used by the women advancing down the pass, might inspire the -enemy with fear that re-enforcements had arrived. The only proviso that -Justinian made was that the women, on their arrival, should keep out of -musket-shot and not risk their lives. - -Temistocles sped away like a deer, and Justinian hastily advanced to the -front, in order to assist Maurice and Crispin, who were both fighting -with the desperation of despair. The Melnosians, two deep, extending -right across the gorge, and, being at close quarters, were using their -bayonets for stabbing, and their clubbed muskets for dealing blows. The -sailors were almost in a ring round Maurice and Crispin, slashing away -vigorously with their cutlasses, cutting principally at the faces and -necks of their assailants, so as not to transfix their blades in the -bodies, and thus render themselves defenceless. - -Maurice, whose stature gave him considerable advantage over his -opponents, was sweeping his sword as rapidly as possible among the -enemy, cutting, thrusting, slashing, and stabbing; but he was much -encumbered by one of the wounded enemy, who was clutching his leg, and -thus impeding his movements. Justinian saw this, and, firing at the -wretch, knocked his brains out; while Maurice, thus freed, sprang -resolutely forward, followed by his sailors, in order to get at -Alcibiades, who was urging on his men to the attack from the -vantage-ground of the fallen palisade. Justinian and Crispin, thus left -alone in front of their line, fought vigorously to keep back the enemy, -while the old Demarch, seeing his nephew’s aim, shouted out words of -encouragement. - -“Cut off the head and the body will follow!” he cried in English, then -rapidly added in Greek, “Close up, men! close up! give them no chance of -getting to the rear.” - -In obedience to this command, as soon as a man in the front rank fell, -another stepped in from the rear to fill up a gap, or else the foremost -soldiers closed up shoulder to shoulder so as to preserve an unbroken -front. By this means they kept the enemy in front, and, notwithstanding -the fierceness of the fight, held their ground stanchly, waiting the -signal to advance. Between them and the fallen palisade was a furious -crowd heaving like a stormy sea, and at the back Alcibiades giving his -orders, which, however, were not heeded. Justinian was waiting until -Maurice killed Alcibiades, when he determined to advance with all his -force, and thus drive the disheartened enemy over the verge of the -barrier. - -It was with some difficulty that Maurice managed to fight his way -through the crowd, but, protected in the rear by Dick and his sailors, -he at length managed to get clear, and, leaping on the parapet, -confronted Alcibiades, bare-headed, but waving his sword with a stern -resolve to kill the pirate. Alcibiades was no coward, but had kept in -the background, as he deemed his life too valuable to risk, as indeed it -was, for lacking a head the invading army would be worse than useless. -Face to face with the Englishman, however, he did not shirk the combat, -but, whirling his sword with a fierce cry, dashed boldly at his enemy. -He could not call upon his followers to aid him, as the sailors with -their cutlasses kept a clear ring for the combat; so he saw plainly it -was a duel to the death, and one upon which depended the whole issue of -the battle. - -Not having the reach of arm or the stature of the Englishman, he found -himself at considerable disadvantage, but nevertheless fought on -bravely, and, adopting stabbing tactics more than slashing, tried his -best to give his opponent a mortal wound. Maurice, however, having a -quick eye, was enabled to ward off his blows by a dexterous use of his -now emptied revolver, and made rapid play with his sword firmly grasped -in his right hand. The pirate captain managed to wound him in the left -arm just below the elbow, but at that moment Maurice passed his sword -through his chest. Alcibiades, though not fatally wounded, gasped out -“Christos!” and fell back over the palisade into the outward mass of his -men, who would have carried him off, but Justinian, hearing the distant -roll of a drum, and seeing that Maurice was alone on the parapet, gave -the order to advance. - -On observing his uncle’s action, Maurice cried out in Greek, “Alcibiades -is dead!” whereupon the intervening enemy were filled with alarm, and -began to retreat before the advancing Melnosians. Dick, the sailors, and -Maurice leaped down to take Alcibiades prisoner, and, while busily -engaged in fighting, the whole inward crowd, driven forward, came -rolling pell-mell over the fallen barrier, carrying those who would have -fain stayed with them. Maurice had enough to do to keep his feet against -the torrent, but managed to divide it into two streams with the use of -his sword and the aid of his sailors. - -In another moment Justinian and Crispin were by his side, and down the -slope fled the foe in headlong confusion, with the Melnosians in full -chase. - -“Keep together, men! keep together!” yelled the Demarch, as he raced -down the slope like a school-boy; but the Melnosians had been too long -held back to pay any attention to his orders. Right and left fled the -enemy, making for the boats, but Gurt, seeing this, tried to intercept -them with a few sailors. Unfortunately he could not run, owing to his -wound, so he had to abandon the pursuit, and the foremost fugitives -managed to get afloat. Justinian had forbidden all useless killing, but -his islanders, frenzied at the loss of their comrades, and elated by -their victory, were quite beyond control. Those who could not reach the -boats were slaughtered on the spot, and the Demarch, in despair of -saving the lives of any, could do nothing but stand on the beach with -Maurice and Crispin beside him. A goodly number of the fugitives, -however, were now pulling for the open sea, among them Caliphronas, who, -standing up in the boat, shook his two hands with despair on beholding -the rout. In a short space of time, what with the fierceness of the -Melnosians, who gave no quarter, and the flight of the fugitives, there -remained not a single enemy on the island, except the wounded men who -had been unable to fly. - -There was a roll of many drums, a shrill cry of delight, and, turning -their faces landward, the three men saw Helena, with a company of women, -standing on the ruins of the palisade. The setting sun illumined the -group, and, grasping the staff whence floated the victorious folds of -the Union Jack, she seemed to be the Goddess of Victory come down to -sanctify with her presence the triumph of the Melnosians. Her women -behind her, the blackened ruins of the barrier beneath her feet, and the -Englishmen below on the beach, she lifted up the staff proudly, and the -great flag flung out its mighty folds to the breeze, as if it too -rejoiced in the triumph of success. The three Englishmen’s hearts -thrilled with patriotic pride as they saw the symbol of victory -flaunting in the wind, and the British sailors, uncovering their heads, -saluted the invincible flag with three ringing cheers. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXV. - A COUNCIL OF WAR. - - The snake is scotched, but is not dead, - Beware! the snare! - Soon will it lift again its head, - Beware! nor dare! - The fangs contain their poison still, - The wounded creature yet may kill, - Beware! take care! - - With cautious speech, good council take, - Beware! the snare! - Nor trust the seeming lifeless snake, - Beware! nor dare! - For unexpected it may spring, - And slay thee with its venomed sting, - Beware! take care! - - -The immediate danger was over, but Justinian was by no means inclined to -think that, even with the death of Alcibiades, the island would be left -in peace, particularly as Caliphronas was still alive. That the foiled -Greek would tamely submit to be beaten thus, was out of the question, -and the Demarch was quite certain that he would again gather an army to -assault Melnos. If such an event took place, matters would become very -serious, as, notwithstanding their loss was less than that of the enemy, -scarcely fifty Melnosians survived, and many of these were severely -hurt. Four sailors had also been killed, so the total of able men left -to defend the island, making allowance for those incapable through -wounds, amounted to scarcely forty souls, or thereabouts. Even with the -carnage which had ensued during the battle, Justinian felt sure that -nearly a hundred men had escaped in boats, and, as Caliphronas must know -that the garrison was considerably weakened by loss of men, the Demarch -feared lest he should return almost immediately with added numbers and -risk another battle, in which case it seemed impossible for the -Melnosians escaping total extermination. - -This belief was confirmed in a strange way on his return to the -palisade, for Alcibiades was found under a heap of corpses, apparently -lifeless, and though for a short time he was revived with brandy, had -died immediately afterwards, assuring Justinian that re-enforcements -were on their way to avenge his death. Whether this was mere bravado or -not, Justinian was not quite sure, yet, in spite of his intimate -knowledge of the dead smuggler’s rascality, he hardly thought even such -a scamp would die with a deliberate falsehood on his lips, therefore at -once hastened to rebuild the barrier, in case of invasion by possible -foes. Some of the women went back to the village for provisions, while -others remained behind to look after the wounded. There was no time to -bury the dead, present safety being the great question of the hour, so -the bodies of friend and foe were laid gently down on the beach under -the cliffs, to be buried as soon as possible, when all danger was past. -The gorge thus being cleared of the slain, Justinian made his men sit -down to refresh themselves with wine and food, after which, wearied as -they were, all hands went bravely forward to rebuild the barrier. Even -the women helped in this important task, and by the time it was ten -o’clock in the evening, a goodly portion of the desired barricade was -erected. - -As soon as he heard about the approaching re-enforcements from the dying -Alcibiades, the Demarch foresaw that, to be prepared for such an -emergency as a fresh attack, his men would have to work all night, -therefore desired Alexandros to bring down the electric light, so as to -permit the toil to be carried on continuously until the battery was -finished. This was easily done, by the electrician joining other wires -on to those already at the head of the pass, and then fixing the -apparatus near the outer entrance. So speedily did he perform this -difficult task, that in a few hours all was in order, and the powerful -rays flooded not only the immediate neighborhood of the works, but even -the beach and a portion of the harbor inside the breakwater. - -Helena had obstinately refused to go back to the Acropolis, and, as the -other women remained to help, her father did not insist on her return, -so she attended to Maurice’s wound, which, after all, was a mere -scratch. In common with the rest, she also took her turn at nursing, and -aided to carry the wounded into the interior of the island, for so busy -were the men at the repairing of the barrier, that none could be spared, -so the women, proving themselves thorough heroines, took all the -hospital work on their shoulders. - -“I wonder, in your scheme, you did not include a doctor, uncle,” said -Maurice, as he stood by the Demarch, superintending the rebuilding of -the palisade. “A medical man would have come in handy now.” - -“That is true! Had Crispin not left me as he did, I would have sent him -to study medicine, but, as it is, I put off the affair from time to -time, and now, when I most need one, I find myself without a surgeon.” - -“I could never have been a surgeon, Justinian,” said Crispin, with a -shudder; “cutting up people makes me feel quite ill.” - -“You cut up a good many to-day without being much disturbed,” said the -Demarch, with a laugh; “but, of course, I know that was in hot blood. -However, it is no use longing for the impossible, so it is to be hoped -my Melnosians will recover without the aid of medical science.” - -“Is your wound hurting you, Maurice?” asked Helena, who, though -tender-hearted as a rule, seemed on this occasion to think solely of her -lover, despite the fact that so many men had been killed. - -“Pooh! not a bit—a mere scratch!” - -“You’ve got to thank my amber heart for your safety.” - -“Or your golden hair,” he retorted, smiling; “but, in faith, Helena, I -fancy my good luck has had most to do with my safety.” - -“Don’t undervalue your fighting powers, Maurice,” said the Demarch, who -overheard this remark; “your tussle with Alcibiades was no light one.” - -“Well, I certainly got the better of him, but his wound was only a -trifle, and, had he not tumbled over the parapet, the fight would have -lasted much longer. As it was, the poor devil was really trampled to -death during the retreat of the enemy. Still, if you like, Helena, we -will put it all down to your amber heart.” - -“What amber heart are you talking about?” asked Justinian inquiringly. - -“Ah, that is a secret between Helena and myself,” said Maurice, with a -meaning look at the blushing girl,—“a very charming secret indeed. Well, -Gurt, and how do you find yourself?” - -The sailor, who had been working outside the palisade, gave his trousers -a hitch and pulled his forelock. - -“I’m as right as a trivet, sir. I hop a little with that there dig I got -yesterday, but Lor’ bless you, sir! ’tain’t nothin’. But if I may make -so bold, Mr. Justinian, I wants to speak, sir.” - -“What is it, Gurt?” - -“Growin’ tired of bricklayin’, sir, I goes down a bit for a breath of -air, and there, sir, as I’m a sinner, I hears the dip of oars.” - -“Boats coming!” cried the Demarch and Maurice in one breath. - -“Yes, sir. I jest came up like a shot. Turn on the light, sir, t’ th’ -north, an’ if you don’t see them lubbers comin’ back, I’m a Dutchman!” - -Maurice ran off to tell Alexandros, who at once sent the white glare -across the sea, and there, pulling straight for the breakwater, they saw -a long string of boats. The men therein guessed by the sudden flash of -the light that they were discovered, and gave a yell of anger, for they -had hoped to pull in under cover of darkness, and take the Melnosians by -surprise. Thanks, however, to Gurt’s quick ear, and the serviceable -electric light, their little scheme was frustrated at nearly the moment -of its fulfilment. - -“Ten boats!” cried Justinian, counting them rapidly. “Push on the work, -my men. Here, some of you, take up your guns. What about those cannon, -Dick?” - -“All right now, sir,” said the sailor, saluting; “got the spikes out.” - -“See if you can knock a few of those boats to splinters. Helena, you and -the women go back to the Acropolis.” - -“Oh no, no, father! let me remain here. And see! all the women are -helping to build the wall.” - -“Well, well, we need all hands; but, for God’s sake, my child, keep in a -place of safety!” - -“Do you think they will attack to-night?” asked Crispin, who had raced -full speed down the gorge, and was out of breath. - -“No. In the first place, they have had a good thrashing to-day, and in -the second, Caliphronas is too much of a coward to lead them on until he -has recovered his nerve. They’ve got re-enforcements, however. I expect -those flying met the new men coming, and persuaded them to come back. Is -that gun ready, Dick?” - -“In a minute, sir. Just turn the light on the water so as I can train -the gun.” - -Alexandros did so, and Dick carefully sighted the piece, so as to allow -for the way the boats were making through the water. Evidently unaware -of their danger, instead of keeping widely apart, and thus neutralizing -the chance of the shot hitting them, they all made for the beach in a -dense bunch. The electric light showed their position as clearly as if -it were day, and the round shot went with a roar right into the -conglomerate mass, doing considerable damage. The advancing Greeks -yelled with fear, but, seeing their only chance of safety was to get -under the level of the guns, pulled in like madmen to the beach. Then by -the white radiance of the light, it was seen that two boats had been -sunk, and many of their occupants killed, but the survivors, fish in the -water, like all insular Greeks, were swimming rapidly to land. - -Caliphronas, foolish though he was in military matters, yet knew -sufficient of the formation of the ground and the nature of cannon to be -aware that it was impossible the muzzles of the guns could be depressed -sufficiently to do damage to his men on the beach, therefore, feeling -themselves comparatively safe, the newly-landed pirates hastened to put -up tents, evidently intending to rest that night and continue the -assault in the morning. Knowing that the little garrison must be worn -out with the long fight during the day, they did not trouble themselves -in any way to guard against an attack, not even placing sentries at the -outposts. - -As all their movements were revealed by the glare of the search light, -Justinian noted this fact, and regretted bitterly that he had not a -sufficient force at his command to sally forth against this ill-guarded -camp. - -“Egad, Maurice!” he said in vexation; “with fifty men at our backs we -could sweep them off the island before dawn. The rascals evidently know -how weak we are in numbers, else they would not be so careless of their -camp. How is that work going on?” - -“Nearly finished, sir,” reported Dick, who was overseer. “They won’t get -over that wall in a hurry, I’ll bet.” - -“Transfer your command to one of your men and come here; I wish to hold -a council of war.” - -Dick saluted, and having instructed one of his messmates to attend to -the final details of the parapet, came forward as Justinian desired. -Helena, in company with some of the women, had gone up the gorge, in -order to attend to the wounded, so the five men, for Gurt was also -included in the council, sat down on the grass some little distance away -from the workers, and began to discuss the situation in low tones. -Sentries had been posted at the barrier, and the electric light was full -on the camp of the enemy, so in the event of any movement being made for -an assault, which was not likely, Justinian knew he would be informed at -once. After all, with the barrier, the heavy guns, and their muskets, -they could hope to hold the pass for some time, but in the end it was -doubtful if they would not have to give in, which catastrophe would mean -death to every soul on the island. - -“You can see for yourselves, gentlemen, that the danger is very grave,” -said the Demarch anxiously; “we are only forty in number, and with these -re-enforcements the enemy must be at least one hundred and fifty. It -took us all our time to beat them off to-day when we were stronger and -not fatigued, but to-morrow, with such a small force, all worn out with -fighting and want of sleep, I dread the worst.” - -“There is one thing in our favor,” observed Maurice in a satisfied tone; -“bad leader as Alcibiades was, he had more pluck than Caliphronas; and, -as he is the general now, he will not inspire his men with confidence. -However brave the followers are, unless the leader is equally so, their -valor is not of much use, as it lacks discipline and trust in the -general.” - -“There’s one thing, sir,” remarked Dick, addressing Justinian,—“there is -one thing I’d like to say. All these Greeks have bare feet, so I think -it ’ud be a good plan to strew the front of the palisade with broken -glass, which would cut them up a bit.” - -“That’s a good idea, Dick; and then, when they are in confusion, we can -do some damage with our cannon. By the way, what about that gun? we -should have brought that in.” - -“It’s a pity we didn’t, sir; but it ain’t much good to them, for I’ve -spiked it proper.” - -“You’ve got dynamite, Justinian, have you not?” said Crispin, who had -been thinking. - -“Yes; plenty.” - -“Then why not make a mine on the slope of the hill, and blow it up with -electricity when the enemy are coming up?” - -“Egad! I’ll do that at once. The dynamite can be brought down in about -half an hour; it won’t take long to dig a trench and lay a wire: so we -ought to have the whole thing ready by the time they assault the battery -at dawn. Dick, take Temistocles and some other men up to the magazine.” - -Dick went off to obey this order with alacrity; and Justinian, whose -spirits were rising at the feasibility of these schemes to conquer his -enemies, went on talking hopefully of the future. - -“What with cannon, dynamite, and broken bottles to cut their bare feet, -I fancy those scoundrels will get a warm reception. Ah, if I only had -the full strength of my Melnosians again, I would soon drive these -scoundrels back to the ocean!” - -“If we smash them up to-morrow with dynamite, they won’t come again, -uncle.” - -“I trust not; but Alcibiades seems to have made extensive preparations -in the way of re-enforcements, and for all I know, a fresh batch may -arrive to-morrow; while at every assault our numbers diminish. If we -only could get more men! but I fear that is impossible.” - -“Not so impossible as you think,” said Crispin deliberately. “Suppose I -go to Syra, and get the Eparch there to send you re-enforcements?” - -“True; he’s a friend of mine; and if he did not send regular soldiers, -he could at least let me have some men of the same fighting powers as -these scoundrels. But how are you to get to Syra? and how are you going -to bring the troops back?” - -“As to bringing them back, by this time my yacht must be there, so it -would not take long for me to steam here with a good number of men.” - -“Well, but you can’t go. We are beleaguered.” - -“All the enemy are asleep; so if Gurt here, who knows these waters -thoroughly, will come with me, I think we could steal down to the -breakwater and obtain one of their boats. A good breeze is blowing; so, -if we put up the sail, we could soon cut across the course of one of -those Cretan steamers which sail to Syra from Khanea, in which case it -would take but a little time to reach the yacht. Once at Syra, I would -get as many men as possible, and come back at once.” - -“It is a wild scheme, but not impossible,” said Justinian thoughtfully. -“You’d have to sail about thirty miles; and then there is the chance of -your getting picked up by a steamer.” - -“With this ’ere breeze, sir,” remarked Gurt, who was not averse to the -adventure, “I guess we’d get in the track of one of them Cretans in -about twelve hours, more or less. Once in the line, and there’s lots of -’em plying to and fro, so the chances are we’d soon be picked up. I’m -game for it, if Mr. Crispin is, sir.” - -“But are you not too tired?” - -“I am not,” said the poet, stretching himself; “besides anything is -better than this suspense. The only thing I’m afraid of is Gurt’s -wound.” - -“Don’t you be afeared o’ that, sir,” replied Gurt bluntly. “I’ve lost -some blood, but ’tain’t nothin’. I ain’t no babby to squake fur nothin’. -If we kin git a boat, I’m ready to start this minit.” - -“What do you say, Maurice?” - -Roylands had been listening to these propositions not without a certain -amount of approval, which was, however, mingled with a feeling that such -a scheme was somewhat foolhardy. - -“I hardly know what to say,” he observed at length. “There is one thing -certain, if we wish to hold the island, we must have more men; and, as -far as I can see, Crispin’s scheme is the only way of getting them. The -mere sight of the yacht filled with troops would frighten the life out -of these scoundrels, and cause them to clear out; but the difficulty is -how to get a boat without being seen by the enemy.” - -“I think we can manage that,” said Justinian, indicating points with his -finger; for, of course, with the electric light, there was no difficulty -in following his actions. “You see, the camp of the enemy is here, to -the right of the harbor. I noticed that several of the larger boats were -tied to the breakwater; so if Crispin and Gurt get down there, and walk -along the breakwater itself, they can loosen one of the boats and tow it -outward to the mouth of the harbor. There they can get in, and row off -to the west, without any chance of the dip of their oars being heard by -the enemy.” - -“That is all very well, uncle; but how are they to get down to the -beach? No doubt the enemy are all asleep, and, as we know, have not -posted sentries; still, if Crispin goes out by the palisade, he might be -seen, in spite of all precautions. Caliphronas is sure to be on the -alert.” - -“I expect Caliphronas is too weary with his day’s work to keep awake,” -replied the Demarch dryly; “and he is not the man to deny himself rest, -let the consequences be what they may. However, if you don’t object to a -little danger, Crispin, I think we can get you out by another way.” - -“In any case there is danger, so a little more makes no difference.” - -“Then we will go up to the point above the side path; and, from there, -you know, the cliff slopes down sheer two hundred feet. We can let you -and Gurt down there by ropes, and you can steal along in the darkness -down to the breakwater. Once there, and the rest will be easy.” - -“It’s a risk.” - -“Certainly; the whole enterprise is risky; but we will keep the electric -light full on the camp, so, while you can see all the movements of the -enemy, they can see nothing of you in the darkness. To tell you the -truth, however, they have such a belief that we can do nothing, that -they are all sound asleep; so I don’t think you will run much risk. -Well, what do you say?” - -“I’ll do it.” - -“So will I, sir.” - -“Good! We will trust to Providence for the rest. Let me see, Crispin. It -is now past midnight; so, if you can catch one of those steamers before -to-morrow night, you will be in Syra by the next day. In twenty-four -hours, I have no doubt, the Eparch will give you plenty of men; and it -will not take a very long time for a steamer to reach here. Altogether, -if all goes well, you ought to be back in four or five days. The -question is, can we hold the island till then?” - -“We must!” said Maurice decisively. “If the worst comes to the worst, we -can blast those overhanging rocks yonder with dynamite, and thus close -up the pass entirely. True, we will shut ourselves up as in a prison; -still, we will be safe until aid arrives; for, once the gorge is closed -up, no enemy can possibly get into the interior without almost -superhuman exertions.” - -“We must hope for the best,” answered Justinian, rising to his feet. -“Well, Crispin, I thank you for your offer, and will accept it. When -will you start?” - -“At once. There is nothing to be gained by waiting. We will take enough -of these provisions to last us for three days, in case we miss the -steamer; and, for the rest, trust to Providence.” - -“There is a good deal of trusting in Providence about the whole scheme,” -said Justinian, with a sigh. “You may run the gantlet to the breakwater -successfully, you may get safely off in a boat without being seen by the -enemy, you may be picked up by a Cretan steamer, and you may find your -yacht lying at Syra. It’s all chance, my boy; and really I think it -would be better for us to adopt Maurice’s plan in closing up the pass, -so as the enemy can’t possibly get in.” - -“And we can’t possibly get out,” replied Crispin significantly; “it is -too dangerous. Remember our conversation the other day about the -volcano: if you blow up the pass, all means of exit will be cut off; -and, should the crater burst out, no one of us would be left alive.” - -“Then go, and God speed you!” cried the Demarch, who saw plainly that it -was a case of Scylla and Charybdis. - -Maurice had not heard this conversation about the volcano, much to his -uncle’s satisfaction, having gone forward to meet Dick, who had just -come back from the magazine with the dynamite. The bos’n expressed great -satisfaction when he heard of the proposed scheme, and would dearly have -liked to go himself in place of Gurt, only he knew Justinian could not -spare him. However, he was well aware that Crispin could not have a -better companion than Gurt, for the old sailor was well acquainted with -the course they would have to take towards the west; and, moreover, -having had something to do with the line of steamers between Khanea and -Syra, knew better than any one as to the possibility of being picked up -by one of them without loss of time. - -The scheme was put into working order at once, and a sufficiency of -provisions was made ready for the adventurers. Crispin filled his -brandy-flask and took his revolver, in case he might be stopped on the -beach by the enemy; and both himself and Gurt took heavy woollen cloaks -to protect them from the chill sea-breeze. It was agreed that Justinian -and Maurice only should go up with the rope to let down their companions -to the beach below, as it was necessary for Dick to remain, in order to -attend to the dynamite mine. Nothing was told to the Melnosians about -the proposed scheme, lest they, seeing how desperate affairs were, -should lose heart; and, beyond the four leaders, Gurt, and Helena, every -one was in ignorance of the daring attempt about to be made. - -After Helena, who was deeply affected by Crispin’s bravery, had said -good-by to him and Gurt, she went back to the Acropolis with a number of -women to obtain some rest, having arranged with her father to come down -at early morning with plenty of broken glass, in order to protect the -front of the palisade. Dick and his men were already hard at work just -on the brow of the slope, about one hundred yards away, digging the mine -for the dynamite; so, all things going on thus fairly well, and there -being no sign of movement in the camp of the enemy, the Demarch, with -his nephew and the two adventurers, unlocked the iron gate, in order to -ascend to the top of the cliff, from whence Crispin and Gurt were to be -lowered to the beach below. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVI. - THE FORLORN HOPE. - - The night is dark, - The cliff is high, - No moon illumes - The cloudy sky; - Below we mark - The fearful glooms - Which in their night - Hide sombrely the way of flight. - - To slender rope - We cling with dread, - And hanging there - As by a thread, - With fearful hope - We downward fare, - Till on the strand - In safety for a time we land. - - -Fortunately for the success of the enterprise, the sky was cloudy, so -that the moon, thickly veiled by vapors, was unable to betray the -adventurers by her tell-tale light. A strong breeze was blowing seaward -from the land and ruffling the surface of the black water to ragged caps -of white, which promised anything but a pleasant journey to Crispin and -his companion. - -They were warmly clothed in thick garments of blue-dyed wool, consisting -of tight-fitting jackets and loose trousers, tucked into high boots of -untanned leather. In his belt Crispin carried a dagger and his revolver, -while Gurt’s cutlass dangled by his side, and both men also wore those -red fishermen’s caps common to the Ægean, with ample woollen capotes to -protect them from the keen winds. Standing on the height of the lofty -cliff, they could not see the beach for the profound gloom below, but to -the left saw the camp of the enemy clearly defined in the fierce rays of -the electric light. Everything there seemed to be as still as the grave, -and the pirates were evidently sound asleep under canvas, for not a -sound broke the stillness, save the whistle of the breeze and the sullen -rolling of the waves on the sands below. - -Maurice and the poet had brought up two coils of strong rope, each over -a hundred feet in length; so, as the cliff measured but two hundred, -there would be no difficulty about the ropes being too short. They tied -these firmly together, then, making one end fast to a strong pine tree -which grew some distance back from the verge, flung the other into the -abyss below. The rope paid itself out rapidly, until, when only a few -coils were left, it ceased running, which showed that it had touched -bottom. Now the two adventurers prepared to descend, and shook hands -with the Demarch and his nephew, both of whom were much affected. None -of the four knew if they would meet again, for two were bound on a -perilous voyage, and the others were beleaguered in a dangerous volcanic -island by bloodthirsty enemies. If they reached the boat safely, and -managed to push off into the open sea unseen by their enemies, they were -to send up a rocket as a signal of success to the watchers on land. Gurt -carried this useful article, and was the first to descend the slender -rope, to which he clung like a spider to its thread, and dropped swiftly -down until the thickening gloom hid him from their anxious eyes. After a -time the rope slacked, and a gentle vibration stealing up it showed that -Gurt had landed safely. - -“Good-by, my dear lad,” said Justinian, as he embraced the brave poet. -“You are sure you have everything?” - -“My revolver, cartridges, cloak, a satchel filled with food, your letter -to the Eparch. Yes, I think that is all. Gurt has the water-bottles and -the rocket. Good-by, Maurice.” - -“Good-by, old fellow,” replied Maurice, and then they grasped each -other’s hand in token of farewell, with that stolid composure with which -Englishmen in trying circumstances conceal their emotion. “Take care of -yourself for the sake of Eunice.” - -“Certainly I will, and for yours also. If all goes well, you will see -the white wings of The Eunice off this coast in a few days. But don’t -surrender the island before then.” - -“Not much,” retorted Maurice grimly. “I’ll blow up all the rocks in the -pass first, and if the enemy want to get in, they will have to fly over -such a barrier. Good-by once more, my boy. Over you go!” - -Crispin, even at this supreme moment of parting, could not restrain a -merry laugh at his friend’s coolness, and, laying himself down on the -brow of the cliff, grasped the rope, and prepared to descend. As soon as -Gurt, below, felt from the quiver that his master was fairly on his way -down, he pulled the rope taut with all his strength, so as to render the -descent easier. - -“Look out for the rocket,” cried Crispin, as he dropped slowly downward -into the blackness; “and keep the light turned on the camp, so that we -can see what those wretches are up to.” - -“All right,” shouted Maurice, who, lying flat on his stomach, was -peering over. “Good-by.” - -A faint farewell floated up through the intense gloom, as Crispin, with -his hands tightly grasping the rope, and his legs twisted round it, went -sliding down like a spider on his self-spun thread. Thanks to Gurt, who -was holding out the cord widely from the rugged face of the cliff, he -found no difficulty in descending, and soon landed safely beside the -sailor on the damp sand. - -Shaking the rope vigorously as a sign to those on top that they were now -on _terra firma_, they walked carefully forward in the darkness towards -the land end of the breakwater. Gradually their eyes, now relieved from -the dazzle of the electric light, became accustomed to the gloom, and -they could see to some extent a good distance ahead. Stealing along -silently, their boots made no sound in the dead sand, and they arrived -without mischance at the rocky wall of the harbor. Against this several -boats were floating, tied to iron rings welded into the masonry, but -rejecting the first three or four, which were too cumbersome for two -people to manage, they selected a small light caique, with masts, sail, -and oars, which lay nearest to the sea. - -Gurt pulled this in easily by the painter, and then bade Crispin get -into it, so as to keep it off from the wall as it was towed along. As -the sailor was the more powerful of the two, Crispin obeyed without -hesitation, and, with the aid of an oar, kept the craft out from the -masonry, while Gurt, with the rope over his shoulder and bent form, -pulled it with some difficulty towards the entrance. All this time -things had gone smoothly with them, for the electric light kept up a -steady glare on the camp of their sleeping enemies, and they could see -no movement to lead them to suspect that the pirates were aware of their -daring attempt. - -At the end of the breakwater they placed their provisions, -water-bottles, and cloaks in the boat, and after making fast the boat to -an iron ring, proceeded to let off the rocket in token of their success. -Crispin placed it in position, applied the match, then hastily got into -the boat with Gurt and pushed off to sea. Just as they were a few yards -from the shore, the rocket flashed skyward with a sharp whizz, -scattering trains of sparks in its ascent. Alarmed by the unexpected -sound, the pirates rushed out of their tents to ascertain the cause, but -the rocket, having expended its fire, had fallen back into the water, so -they could see nothing to account for the explosion. - -After rowing out a little way, Gurt shipped the oars, and with the -assistance of Crispin, hoisted the sail, which bellied out with a groan -to the wind and made them glide rapidly forward. Then the sailor took -the helm. Crispin, wrapped in his cloak, laid himself down to sleep for -a few hours, and the little craft sped away lightly over the -white-crested waves into the profound darkness. When they were out some -considerable distance, the electric light suddenly flashed out a long -ray into the sea, in token of farewell, then reverted to its original -position, and the boat with its two brave occupants was swallowed up in -the night. - -On the cliff those left behind waited and watched until the welcome -rocket shot its long trail of golden fire through the darkness, then -both simultaneously heaved a sigh of relief. - -“Well, they are safe so far,” said the Demarch thankfully; “but, by -Jupiter, Maurice, those rascals have heard the rocket go!” - -“Oh, they’ve seen nothing,” replied his nephew indifferently, as the few -men who had rushed out retired again to their tents; “the fire died out -before they caught even a glimpse of it. I’m glad Crispin is safely -away; his boat will be flying like a stormy petrel before this stiff -breeze. Let us go down, uncle, and send them a farewell flash of the -light.” - -“But it might reveal the boat to those scamps,” said Justinian, as they -rapidly descended the narrow staircase. - -“Oh, they’ve all gone inside again; besides, Crispin has got too much of -a start by this time. I’ll go and see Alexandros.” - -Which he accordingly did, and the light, after flashing for a second on -the flying boat, was again turned on the camp, after which Maurice and -his uncle went to see how Dick and his dynamite mine were getting on. -Without doubt these amateur sappers had been working hard, for the -trench was dug, the dynamite cartridges placed therein, and the hole -filled up. Wires attached to each cartridge ran underground through the -palisade to the interior of the battery, and none of the enemy would -have suspected that the whole of that broad space in front was one -deadly mine, which, when exploded, would blow them to pieces by the -dozen. - -“There, sir,” said Dick, wiping his heated brow; “now when Miss Helena -brings those broken bottles, we’ll smash ’em up on this ground between -the mine and the palisade, so if any of those beggars escape being cut -to pieces or blown to atoms it’ll be a miracle.” - -“It’s splendid, Dick,” answered Justinian, clapping him on the shoulder. -“And now, my lad, you had better go and have some sleep.” - -“D’ye think it ’ull be safe, sir?” - -“Quite safe! All those scamps are sound asleep, and will not attack -before dawn. The barrier is built up as strongly as we can do it, your -cannon are all right, and, what with the mine and the broken glass, I -think they’ll find it pretty hard to get even as far as they did -to-day.” - -“Is Mr. Crispin all right, sir?” - -“Yes; he got safely into the boat, sent up a rocket to tell us of his -success, and by this time is on his way to Syra for help.” - -“I saw the rocket, sir, so I guessed it ’ud be all right. D’ye think, -sir, we’ll hold out till he brings the yacht here?” - -“Of course we will,” said Maurice, who had joined the pair; “our defence -here, even with our small numbers, is quite strong enough to stand one -storming. If some of them get their feet cut to pieces by the glass, and -others blown up sky-high by the mine, I wouldn’t be surprised if they -gave up the attempt and sailed away.” - -“Suppose they don’t, sir?” questioned Dick dubiously. - -“Then, my Richard, I have a plan for closing up this pass.” - -“How, sir?” - -“You see those overhanging rocks up there? Well, as they are just over -the entrance of the pass, to-morrow, so soon as we have beaten back -those wretches, we’ll go up and bore holes along the narrowest part for -dynamite cartridges. Then we’ll attach wires as in the mine, and if we -find that we can’t stand against a second assault, all we have to do is -to inveigle our friends under those rocks, explode the charge, and then, -my Richard—oh, what a time they will have!” - -“But that ’ull shut us up in the island, sir.” - -“Well, what of that? It’s a pleasant place to dwell in. But you needn’t -be afraid, Dick; it’s easier to get out than get in, and when the yacht -arrives we’ll not have much difficulty in getting on board.” - -“Leave Melnos, sir!” - -“No!” said Justinian angrily. “I’ve no doubt, if we are forced to fill -up the pass, those scoundrels will leave us. If they don’t, the arrival -of the yacht with fresh troops will drive them away. Then, we’ll go to -work to open up both the pass and tunnel.” - -“Not enough men, Mr. Justinian.” - -“Ah, my poor Melnosians! Well, we’ll have to get more settlers, that’s -all. The difficulty is not in getting men and women, but in getting -pure-blooded Greeks.” - -Dick did not understand this latter remark, so wisely left it -unanswered, and, touching his cap, went off with his messmates to snatch -a few hours’ sleep before the grand assault which all anticipated would -take place at dawn. Justinian and his nephew made an inspection of all -the defences, saw that the sentries were posted, and then went to talk -to Alexandros about the small battery he was rigging up for the purpose -of exploding the mine when necessary. - -“There will be no difficulty about this affair, Alexandros?” - -“No, Kyrion. I have attached the wires leading to the cartridges to this -battery, and will have it under my charge to-morrow behind this rock, -which will protect me from the fire of the enemy. You wave your hand as -a signal, and I touch this button, when the mine will explode in a -second.” - -“Excellent!” said Justinian, with great satisfaction. “And if we wanted -to close up the pass by bringing down those rocks above you?” - -“In the same way, Kyrion. Make holes above for your cartridges and -attach wires of any length. With my battery at one end of those wires, -and the dynamite at the other, I could blow up the whole of this gorge -from the Acropolis.” - -“You can trust your man in charge of the engine?” - -“Yes, Kyrion. That is all he has to do, for the dynamo works by itself -without my being present.” - -“All seems going smoothly,” said the Demarch to Maurice, as they turned -away. “That mine ought to do considerable damage.” - -“I’m certain it will. But, uncle, you must be quite worn out for want of -rest; so you go to sleep, and I will watch.” - -“I will sleep later on; but meanwhile I am going up to the Acropolis to -tell Helena that Crispin and Gurt have left the island safely. She will -be very anxious.” - -“Give her a kiss for me,” cried Maurice, as his uncle walked away up the -pass. - -“I am afraid it will be horribly damaged on the transit,” replied the -Demarch, smiling. “Good-by, my lad. Keep a sharp look-out, and if -anything goes wrong, send Temistocles to the Acropolis. I will be back -in an hour.” - -He went away slowly; for, in spite of his iron spirit and determination -to keep up, the incessant fatigue was beginning to tell on his frame. At -seventy-five, one cannot play with a constitution; and hardened as was -the body of Justinian by temperate living and constant exercise, he yet -felt that he was not the man he was. Another thing which worried him -mentally, and thus acted on him physically, was the thought of the -volcano; for, in spite of the way in which he reassured Crispin, he felt -by no means easy in his mind regarding the safety of the island. Not -until he was absolutely forced to, would he close up the pass, and thus -shut himself up in a crater apparently on the verge of eruption. True, -if the worst came, he could escape with his people over the cliff, but -such a method would take some time; and, with the volcano spouting fire, -there would be but a small chance of any one escaping alive. Full of -these thoughts, he walked leisurely along, pondering over matters -volcanic and matters military; for with the treacherous crater on one -side, and the cruel enemy on the other, he could not but see that -matters were approaching a crisis. - -Even if the volcano remained quiescent, and the enemy were beaten back, -still things were in anything but a satisfactory position; for he had -lost many of his men, and he knew how difficult it would be to supply -their places with Greeks of the old Hellenic stock. Those who were dead -had been trained up under his eye; they knew his aims and aspirations, -and were already developing greatly: but now all that was at an end; -they had been cut off by death, and even if he got new blood, it would -mean that the whole task of training up a new generation would have to -begin all over again. Justinian was a man of great self-control, but -when he thought of all he had lost, in the darkness of night he gave -free vent to his emotion, and wept bitterly at the downfall of his -hopes. Still all was not yet lost, for the island still remained, and -many of the old inhabitants; so he dried his eyes when he left the -gorge, and determined, notwithstanding his bad fortune, still to bear up -bravely in his efforts to reconstruct the old Hellenic civilization. - -As he neared the Acropolis, he was astonished to see Helena, attended by -Zoe, come hastily along the road, with a face expressive of great fear. - -“What is the matter?” he asked hurriedly, as she fell into his arms. -“Are you ill?—is the”— - -“The lake! the lake, father!” - -A terrible fear seized Justinian’s heart, but he nevertheless controlled -his feelings and spoke calmly. - -“What do you mean, Helena?” - -“The lake! it is dried up.” - -In the dark Justinian could not see the lake at the bottom of the -valley, but he guessed what had happened. The lake’s bottom, shattered -by the subterranean convulsions, had been unable to hold the water in -its cup, and the whole body had been drained off into the bowels of the -earth. This, then, was the third warning of Hephaistos, and a very -terrible one it was, for if the crust of the crater was so convulsed, -the next thing that would happen would be an outburst of fire. - -Justinian foresaw all this in a moment, but, without saying a word, led -his terrified daughter back to the Acropolis, where they sat down on the -steps. The moon, lately obscured by cirrus-shaped clouds, now burst out -in full splendor through the thin woof, and the Demarch with a pang saw -that his beautiful valley was bereft of its gleaming silver eye. Where -the calm expanse of water had been was now an ugly black gulf of rugged -rock, and Justinian half expected to see fire burst fiercely from those -black depths. - -“It is nothing, it is nothing, my child,” he said, with a confidence he -was far from feeling; “the earthquake has shattered the lake, and of -course the water has drained off. Silly child, of what are you afraid?” - -“I dread lest the crater should burst into fire.” - -“There is no sign of that; we would have had warnings long ago.” - -“But, father, the earthquake! the lake!” - -“Those mean nothing. Look how frequent are earthquakes at Santorin, yet -people continue to live there. As to the lake, as soon as this war is -over, I will stop up the cracks at the bottom, and it will soon be -filled again. Are the women afraid?” - -“Some of them; still they are all sleeping down below with the children, -so I don’t think they attach much importance to the disappearance of the -lake.” - -“And are you less brave than these poor things? Helena, I thought you -were braver.” - -“I told Miss Helena there was no danger,” said Zoe in English, with her -pretty foreign accent. - -“There, you see, Helena! Zoe is not afraid.” - -“Oh, I am better now you are with me,” said Helena, smiling through her -tears; “but it is so lonely here with no one but Zoe and that man who -drives the engine.” - -“Where are the servants?” - -“I sent them down to look after the wounded who are in the village. But, -papa—Maurice?” - -“He is all right, and sends you this kiss—there!” - -“Dear Maurice, he never forgets me!—and Crispin?” - -“Has safely left the island with Gurt, so, you see, help will soon -arrive. You must be brave, Helena; things are not so bad as you think.” - -“I am glad to hear you say so, father.” - -“I do say so. You have not spoken of this volcano business to any -one—and you, Zoe?” - -“No, no!” cried both the girls in chorus; “not a word.” - -“That is right; I do not wish any one to be frightened unnecessarily, -and you will think of neither war nor volcanoes in a few days. But come, -Helena, give me something to eat.” - -“Will you stay here, father?” asked the girl, as she led the way into -the Acropolis. - -“No, I am a soldier, and must live as the other soldiers. Let me have a -meal here, and then you can go to bed, while I return to the front.” - -“Can I come down to-morrow?” - -“No, you have acted the heroine quite enough. There will be some tough -work to-morrow, and I don’t want to risk losing you, my treasure.” - -“I may lose Maurice.” - -“Don’t think of such a thing. He is a true Roylands, and bears a charmed -life; something to do with that amber heart, I suppose.” - -“Did Maurice tell you, father?” - -“No; some magical nonsense, I suppose. Well, well, come and give your -poor father something to eat, for, war or no war, I must have supper.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVII. - UNDER THE UNION JACK. - - The cross of St. Andrew, the cross of St. George, - Are blent in the folds which are flung to the air, - And proud floats the flag at the head of the gorge, - Proclaiming the presence of Englishmen there. - - Red tint for the blood which is shed for the brave, - White, symbol of honor no cowardice taints, - With blue as a sign of the circling wave, - And crosses that witness our faith and our saints. - - It streams o’er the battle, forbidding retreat, - Reminding us ever of Albion’s name; - Brave banner of England, unsoiled by defeat, - The token of victory, valor, and fame. - - Shot-ragged with bullets on numberless plains, - It’s folds with the hearts’ blood of Englishmen red, - Unbeaten, undaunted it ever remains, - A sign for the living, a shroud for the dead. - - -“It must remain here,” said Justinian proudly; “once the English flag -has been brought to the front, it cannot retreat.” - -“Let us hoist it by all means,” replied Maurice cheerfully; “but, -remember, only seven Englishmen fight under its folds.” - -“Well, I guess, Mr. Roylands, half a dozen Englishmen are worth fifty -Greeks!” cried Dick, with great confidence. “Once we get that Union Jack -up, and I’d like to see who’d pull it down.” - -It was early morning, and they were talking about the flag which Helena -had brought down on the previous day. As the bulk of their army -consisted of Melnosians, who did not understand the sacred feeling with -which it was regarded by the English, Maurice thought it hardly worth -while to plant it on the palisade; but the Demarch, in spite of his -independent sovereignty, was patriotic to the core of his brave old -heart, and, with a touch of sentiment, insisted that the attack should -be repelled under the unconquered banner. Maurice therefore humored his -uncle, and agreed to his wish, so the five sailors planted a stout pole -just inside the barricade, and in a few minutes the flag of England was -floating proudly at the mouth of the gorge. - -As yet the enemy had made no move, so Justinian had plenty of time to -complete his defensive preparations. In spite of her father’s veto, -Helena, mindful of Maurice’s instructions regarding broken glass, had -come down at dawn with her women, all bearing bottles, crockery, and -earthen jars, which were speedily smashed to atoms and strewn -plentifully on the ground between the mine and the barrier. Alexandros -had his battery in good working order, and had ensconced himself behind -a rock some little distance away, from which, on being signalled to by -the Demarch, he could explode the mine at the proper time. The -Melnosians had managed to snatch a few hours’ sleep, and, encouraged by -their victory of the previous day, were ready for the fight, so a sense -of great hopefulness was diffused among the valiant little garrison. -What with the mine to blow up the enemy, the broken glass to cut their -bare feet,—no ineffective defence,—the guns ready loaded to sweep them -down as they swarmed up, and the stern determination of the defenders to -fight to the bitter end, Justinian felt that, in spite of being -outnumbered, he would be able to hold the island until the return of -Crispin with re-enforcements. The more perilous became the position, the -higher arose the spirits of the defenders, especially those of the -sailors, on whose patriotic feelings the presence of their country’s -flag had a wonderfully inspiring effect. - -“Now then, Helena,” said her father, when all preparations were -complete, “you had better return to the Acropolis with the women.” - -“Very well, father; but I will be very anxious for your safety.” - -“What about me?” asked Maurice reproachfully. - -“Oh, you’ve got your talisman,” she replied, with an attempt at -lightness, “so you will be quite safe; but I am not so sure about -father.” - -“Don’t trouble your head about me,” said the Demarch, kissing her; “if I -die I die, and if I live I live—it’s the fortune of war. The best thing -you can do, Helena, is to go down to the valley and attend to those poor -fellows who are wounded. I know you will be very anxious, my dear, so I -will send Temistocles to you every now and then with information as to -how the fight is getting on. Now, good-by, my dear child, and keep up -your spirits.” - -“I will walk up with you to the head of the pass,” said Maurice, turning -away from the palisade; “there is no sign of the enemy getting under -arms yet, so I can easily spare a few minutes.” - -Helena of course was delighted at thus having her lover all to herself -for even a quarter of an hour, and walked beside him up the gorge, -followed by the women, who had taken an affectionate farewell of their -sons, husbands, and brothers. Zoe also was weeping bitterly, as she had -just parted from Dick, and dreaded lest she should never see him again. -Indeed, despite the danger, the men at the front were less to be pitied -than those women remaining behind in the interior of the island, for -while the former were at least too occupied to fret over their troubles, -the latter, with nothing to take their minds off the disasters -surrounding them, were in a state of suspense pitiable to behold. - -“Do you think Crispin will come back within the week, Maurice?” asked -Helena, as she walked arm in arm with her lover. - -“I hope so! If he is picked up by the Cretan steamer, and his yacht is -now lying at Syra, I have no doubt he will; but it is all the merest -chance. However, come what may, I think we can defend the island to the -end.” - -“It is not of the danger without, but of the danger within I am -thinking.” - -“Why, what do you mean?” - -“This volcano”—began Helena, upon which Maurice interrupted her with a -merry laugh of scorn. - -“My dear one, do not fright yourself with false fire. I suppose you are -thinking of the earthquake?” - -“Yes; and of the lake and the springs.” - -“What is the matter with them?” - -“The springs are spouting furiously, and the lake has disappeared.” - -“Great heavens! that does sound ominous,” said Maurice anxiously. “Does -your father know?” - -“Of course he does, but he told me not to speak of it, lest the people -should become panic-stricken, but of course such prohibition does not -extend to you.” - -“The lake gone! the springs active!” repeated Roylands in a musing tone. -“I am afraid there is danger of the volcano breaking out again.” - -“So I think; but father laughs at all my fears.” - -“It would be a terrible catastrophe should such a thing happen, for not -one of us could hope to escape. Besides, if Melnos became an active -volcano, all your father’s forty years of hard work would go for -nothing.” - -“Do you think it is likely an eruption will take place, Maurice?” asked -Helena in a tremulous voice. “You have no idea how afraid I am.” - -“Egad! it is enough to make any one afraid; however, I think you can set -your mind at rest, Helena. The eruption, if there is to be one, cannot -possibly take place for a week, and by that time Crispin’s yacht will -have arrived; so if there are any signs of an outbreak, we can escape at -once.” - -“Oh, I hope so! I trust so!” - -“What does worry me,” pursued Maurice meditatively, “is all this war -going on for what may turn out to be nothing but a heap of cinders. It -would be the very irony of fate, if, after beating back the foe, this -volcano should start, and drive us away from the very place we have -defended.” - -“If such a thing happened, I do not think my father would survive.” - -“It would be a blow, certainly,” replied Roylands, affecting a -cheerfulness he was far from feeling; “but one can do nothing against -the giant forces of nature. However, Helena, remember all the wealth of -Melnos is safe in London, thanks to the wisdom of my uncle; so if -Hephaistos did start a forge here, which he seems inclined to do, we -would simply have to abandon this island, and start our scheme of a new -Hellas on another; but this time we would select one less dangerous from -a volcanic point of view.” - -“But think of forty years’ work thrown away!” - -“And think of leaving this paradise! However, if the archangel waves his -flaming sword, we must; still, if I go, my Eve will be with me, and that -will comfort me greatly.” - -“Ah, my dear, dear Maurice!—Oh, what is that?” - -“The roll of a drum,” cried Roylands, stopping abruptly. “The enemy must -have begun the attack, so I will have to return to my post. Good-by, my -dearest, and don’t trouble yourself. Remember, I have your amber heart.” - -“And my real heart also.” - -“Well, I leave mine with you for safety; so I can’t be shot through the -heart, can I? Jove! there’s the drum again. Give me a kiss. There, -good-by, my dear one.” - -Down the gorge he tore at full speed, for he already heard the sharp -crack of a musket-shot; and Helena, remaining where she was, sank on her -knees, which example was followed by all her women; and the whole -company, with uplifted hands, implored the protection of Heaven for -their dear ones at the front. - -Maurice arrived at the barrier just in time, for the enemy were already -scrambling up the slope; and Justinian, catching sight of his nephew, -shouted out to him to redouble his speed. - -“Quick, quick, Maurice! Confound it, sir! they’ll be on us in a few -minutes!” - -“Well, that will be just time for me to recover my breath,” said the -young man good-humoredly. “All in order, uncle?” - -“Yes. We’ll meet them with rifle-shots first, and give them a chance of -cutting their feet to pieces.” - -“But if we let them get so near, they will assault the barrier.” - -“What! after crossing those broken bottles barefooted? Don’t you believe -it, my lad. They will be jumping about like cats on hot bricks shortly!” - -All the Melnosians were in a high state of glee over this snare for the -enemy, which was so simple, yet dangerous, and yelled with laughter as -the foremost stormers dashed with their bare feet right into the centre -of the sharp points. Of course, the vigor with which they rushed forward -rendered the glass all the more effective; and, after receiving them -with a volley of musket-shot, the garrison paused to roar with laughter -at the sight of the bare-legged islanders hopping in agony over the -broken points. Is was not dignified, it was not particularly dangerous, -and could hardly be called legitimate war; yet, by this simple means, -the first rush was effectually checked; and streaming with blood, the -enraged stormers retired, leaving a few of their dead, who had been -killed and wounded by the volley, lying on the field. - -The information concerning this stratagem soon passed from mouth to -mouth, and those of the enemy who were not yet climbing up the hill, -dashed back to their tents, from whence, after a time, they emerged, -wearing tough leathern sandals, with the hair still on, bound round -their feet by strong thongs. Those who had been wounded in this novel -manner had, regardless of safety, sat down within rifle range to tie up -their bleeding feet; and Justinian, with more generosity than they would -have displayed in like circumstances, refrained from firing on them thus -defenceless. - -Caliphronas, who, since the death of Alcibiades, now held supreme -command of this irregular army, saw his forbearance, and, sneering at -Justinian for a soft-hearted fool, with, for him, exceptional courage, -led those of his men who were booted across the dangerous ground. -Apparently he had quite forgotten how Alcibiades had carried forward his -stormers the previous day under the shelter of the cliff, for, advancing -thus in a compact body full in front of the palisade, they were exposed -to a raking fire from the muskets of the garrison. - -“Lions led by a deer are not dangerous,” quoth Justinian grimly, on -seeing this bad generalship. “I don’t think we’ll have such a bad time -of it as we did yesterday.” - -“Certainly not, while Caliphronas is general of the enemy,” replied -Maurice, laughing; “but he has some courage, I see, for he leads the -stormers.” - -“I’ll soon frighten him back, sir,” said Dick, who hated Caliphronas for -his treachery on the night of the wreck; “will I fire?” - -“Wait a minute, till they are more conglomerate. Now!” - -The gun roared, and a shower of grape-shot splashed over the advancing -body, which did considerable damage in their ranks, that is, if such -disorderly huddling could be dignified by such a name. They still -continued to come on, however, on noting which, Justinian, who, in -default of Gurt, had charge of the other gun, sent another shower of -grape among them. - -They wavered for a moment, but, as their leader still urged them to come -on, Maurice snatched a rifle from the man nearest him, and aimed -deliberately at Caliphronas, not with the intention of killing him, but -merely forcing him to retire wounded. The ball struck Caliphronas on the -elbow of his sword-arm, and with a yell of pain he dropped his weapon -and ran away, followed as a matter of course, by his soldiers. - -“At this rate, Maurice, we can hold the island for a year,” said the -Demarch, with a jeering laugh; “it’s child’s play compared with -yesterday.” - -“If we can get them on that mine, and explode it in good time, the siege -will be over,” replied his nephew decisively. - -“I am averse to useless massacre.” - -“So am I, but if we don’t put the fear of God into their souls, they -will wear us out by these puny attacks. One bold stroke, and they will -fly.” - -“Well, do what you will. I have every confidence in your generalship.” - -The enemy again charged up the hill, but this time Caliphronas was -conspicuous by his absence, as he was evidently in the camp attending to -his wound. A huge man in an Albanian dress was leading this time, and -had at least the virtue of brute courage, for, in spite of the -musket-shots and double discharge of the cannon, which killed many, he -still advanced with his men right up to the palisade. - -“Hand-to-hand again,” said Dick, as the Melnosians began to use their -bayonets, “but they won’t get over the barricade this time.” - -As the barrier was now built of nothing but turf overlaid with sank-bags -and gabions, the besiegers found their axes of no use, and were reduced -to try to swarm up to the top of the parapet in overwhelming numbers. -The garrison, however, shot freely into the struggling mass, but in -doing this had to expose themselves greatly, and in consequence lost -many men. Still, they managed to drive back the besiegers, and the two -cannon belched forth grape-shot alternately, so that at length the enemy -were forced to retreat over the brow of the hill. Thus relieved from -immediate danger, the Melnosians busied themselves with their dead and -wounded, carrying both to the rear, so that their fighting might not be -hampered by the cumbering of the ground with bodies. In front of the -barrier, the ground right over the brow of the hill was thick with the -fallen of the enemy, and some of the wounded were trying to crawl to a -place of safety, while others, lifting up their hands, cried out on -“Christos.” - -In a remarkably short space of time, the pirates re-formed into -something like order, and, still led by the Albanian, came once more to -the point of attack. This time, however, instead of assaulting the -barricade, they lay down on the crest of the hill, and began to pick off -the garrison with their rifles, while every now and then a small body -would make a sally forward, only to be beaten back with bayonet and -cutlass. Quite unaware of the danger they were in, the whole of the -firing party were camped right on top of the mine, and Justinian, -wishing to end this desultory warfare, waited until they were pretty -well massed before giving the signal to explode. - -Twice he raised his hand to give the sign, and twice he dropped it -again, from a sentiment of regret, for, scum though the besiegers were, -it yet seemed a terrible thing to hurl into fragments the fifty or sixty -men who were so calmly seated over the mine. Still it was a case of -necessity, for the garrison, worn out with incessant fighting, were not -fit to stand another assault such as had taken place the day before, -and, if the pirates captured the island, every living person would be -ruthlessly put to death. - -Justinian was not a uselessly cruel man, and would fain have been spared -the necessity of such a wholesale massacre, but when he thought of his -child, and the defenceless women who would be left to the mercy of these -savages in case of capture, all feelings of pity died in his breast, so -when the enemy were massed in a great number above the mine, he gave the -signal. - -Alexandros at once sent the electric spark along the buried wires, the -ground in front of the barrier heaved like a convulsed serpent, and in -the concussion which followed the roar of the explosion, every one of -the garrison was thrown to the ground. When they arose to their feet, -the sight which met their eyes was frightful, for the ground was strewn -with fragments of human bodies, legs, arms, trunks, heads, all lying -about in ghastly confusion. The sky seemed to have rained blood, for -their garments were splashed with the crimson fluid; and the whole space -of ground on the crest of the hill was rent and riven into huge holes. -Of all the human beings resting there a few minutes before, hardly one -was left alive, and down the hill fled the frightened survivors, yelling -out that an earthquake had taken place. Those still in the camp caught -the alarm, and ran for the boats, so in a few minutes the harbor was -dotted with craft pulling hard for the entrance. Not one pirate, save -those who were wounded, remained on the beach, for this frightful -catastrophe, which they ascribed to natural causes, had completely -routed the whole host which had stormed the palisade so confidently a -few hours before. - -“The war is over,” said Maurice, who was very pale, for the shocking -sight of the bodies in fragments was enough to make the bravest shudder; -“they have had a lesson, and won’t come back again.” - -“I trust not,” said Justinian, who stood sternly under the drooping -folds of the Union Jack, “but I doubt it while Caliphronas is alive. -Still, we have gained the victory this time, and, though I am ashamed of -having perpetrated such a wholesale massacre under this flag, yet -necessity knows no law or mercy either.” - -“If we had not beaten them by that time, they would have beaten us,” -said Maurice, taking a pull at his brandy-flask, “for all our men are -about worn out, and could not have stood another assault. We have lost a -good few too, and I doubt, uncle, if, out of your hundred and twenty -subjects, you have more than thirty left.” - -“It has indeed been a severe struggle,” replied Justinian sadly, “but -now, thank God, it is over—at least, for a time; but, as sure as you -stand there, Maurice, Caliphronas will come back with a fresh set of -blackguards.” - -“By that time, Crispin and his re-enforcements will have arrived, so we -will soon be able to drive them back. Dick!” - -“Yes, sir?” - -“We must repair damages, and bury the dead.” - -“Right, sir!” - -It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they began this task, -and not until nightfall were the dead buried decently in shallow graves -dug in the sea-shore sand. Papa Athanasius came down with all the women -from the village, and read the service of the Greek Church over the -remains of friend and foe alike, so that when the moon arose above the -peaks of Melnos, there was no sign of a struggle having taken place, -save in the battered barricade and the rent ground. - -When all was completed, Justinian held a consultation with his nephew -and Dick as to the probability of the foe returning soon, as, if there -was a possibility of such an event happening, it would be unwise to -leave the barrier unguarded. Ultimately, it was decided to leave -sentries on guard, with cannon and muskets loaded, and Alexandros -directed the search light full on the entrance of the harbor, so that in -the event of the enemy returning, they could be seen before reaching -shore, and the alarm given at once. Temistocles, who was still in good -condition, as he had done no fighting, was left behind also, in order -that if an attack were made, he might run to the Acropolis to alarm -Justinian. - -These arrangements having been made, the survivors of the fierce -fighting returned to the village, in order to take the rest they so much -needed. Loud were the wailings for the dead from the Melnosian women, -many of whom were now alone in the world, and all that night, those -sleeping in the Acropolis heard the sounds of bitter sorrow rising from -the valley below. It had been a tough fight, many had been lost, and -much damage had been done; still, the foe had been forced to retreat, -and Melnos was still under the rule of the Demarch. - -That night the leaders were all gathered round the supper-table, to make -the first good meal they had tasted for days, and Helena and Zoe waited -on them, for all the rest of the servants were down in the village -looking after the wounded men. All of them looked worn out and haggard, -for the strain, both physical and mental, had been something terrible; -and even now, like Justinian, Maurice and Dick, gifted as they were with -iron constitutions, were nearly broken down by the terrible experiences -they had undergone. - -“My poor Helena, you look fit to drop,” said Maurice tenderly, drawing -her down beside him. “Rest yourself for a time, and do not be so afraid. -All danger is now past.” - -“But think of the many lives that have been lost.” - -“I do, and regret them; still, selfish as it may sound, remember we are -all safe, and, after all, that is a great thing.” - -“I am sure I don’t know how long we will be safe with this volcano.” - -“Nonsense, Helena!” said her father in a vexed tone; “I tell you there -is no danger there. Nothing new has happened that I know of. The island -is quite safe, but if there are any chances of an outburst, we will get -away in Crispin’s yacht.” - -“That is what I was saying to Helena this morning. But will you abandon -the new Hellas?” - -“I must if Hephaistos bids me. The bravest man can do nothing against a -burning mountain. No, Maurice, if I am driven from Melnos, I will no -longer fight against fate; already, by the death of so many, a great -deal of my forty years’ labor has proved futile, so if the crowning -touch is put to it by the outbreak of the volcano, I will throw up the -game.” - -“And return to England?” - -“Yes. I am old now, and want rest, so I have no doubt you and Helena -will give me a corner at the Grange. It will be a great blow to me -should things turn out in this way; still, I may be too pessimistic, and -all may yet be well.” - -“If I may make so bold, sir,” said Dick, who had been talking in a -whisper to Zoe, “what, may I ask, is to become of me? Zoe, here, says, -if Miss Helena goes to England, she will go too.” - -“Well, you will accompany her, Dick,” said Maurice genially; “and I have -no doubt that, when you are married, I will be able to give you a billet -at the Grange.” - -“Buy a yacht, sir?” - -“No, I leave that to Mr. Crispin, so you can still take service under -him, and make Zoe stewardess. But we are all looking at the black side -of things; the mountain may remain quiet, in which case I will still -stay here and carry out Justinian’s scheme of the new Hellas.” - -“Hear! hear!” cried Dick, lifting his glass. “Beggin’ pardon, sir, but -here’s to the health of Mr. Justinian!” - -“Coupled with the name of Mr. Roylands, who is a hero,” said Justinian, -bowing his thanks for the compliment. - -“And add Helena’s name also, for she is a heroine,” cried Maurice gayly. -“Now then, uncle, Dick, Helena, Zoe! three cheers for our noble selves!” - -These were given, and after that, quite worn out, all retired to rest. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVIII. - THE PREY OF THE GODS. - - Far down the valley the altars are reared, - The off’ring no power can delay; - For gods never honored, yet gods ever feared, - Claim their prey. - - The fire that springs from the womb of the earth - Will flame on these altars of fear; - The songs of the living, the laughter and mirth, - None will hear. - - For weepings and wailings of hundreds afraid - Roll up ’neath the sting of the rods; - The worship is ended, the sacrifice made - To the gods. - - -Things went along very smoothly for the next two days, as there was no -sign of the pirates returning, nor did the volcano hint at any near -outbreak of fire. Gradually the diminished population settled down to -their old occupations, for Justinian, in spite of the terrible events -which had lately taken up the attention of every one, judged it wisest -to prevent any disorganization of his social system. The few men -surviving returned to their work, and did their best by constant -industry to make up for their lack of numbers, though, indeed, a dismal -silence had settled down on this rural population, once so gay and -mirthful. Later on, when all fear of an invasion had passed away, -Justinian intended to make an excursion round the Archipelago in search -of new colonists, and had but little fear that he would be able to -obtain as many as he wished, for many islanders would be only too glad -to place themselves under the protection of the wealthy, eccentric -Englishman. - -Thanks to the Demarch’s wisdom in placing his money with his London -solicitors, he had plenty of capital on which to draw, and when things -were once more quiet, and Melnos repopulated from the adjacent islands, -he made up his mind at once to restore the tunnel to its former -perfection. Certainly it would take some time to gather a number of -pure-blooded Hellenes for his colony, but with plenty of capital at his -back, and the productions of the island in a flourishing condition, he -could afford to wait. Besides, he had Maurice now beside him, and the -young fellow was a man after his own heart, for, in contrast to his -former listlessness when in England, he flung himself into Justinian’s -schemes with an ardor which delighted the old man. With himself to -conceive, and his nephew to carry out, the Demarch was quite jubilant in -spite of his late reverses, for he foresaw that in such capable hands -Melnos would soon be restored to its pristine glory. - -The only thing, therefore, which agitated his mind, was the dread he -felt lest Caliphronas should again assault Melnos with another army of -cut-throats. Calmly as Justinian had taken the treachery of the Greek, -yet in his own soul he felt deeply hurt that his years of kindness had -met with so base a return. He had found Caliphronas a poor shepherd lad -on the island of Andros, he had educated, clothed, and fed him for many -years, and now, when perilous times came, not only was the ungrateful -scamp absent from his side, but actually arrayed against him, being in -every way an active agent in bringing ruin on his benefactor. However, -if the pirates, headed by this accomplished villain, did appear again, -the Demarch knew well that he could not hope to hold out against them -for any lengthy period, as, owing to the smallness of his garrison, -incessant watching, fighting, and suspense would wear out even the -bravest among them. - -In this dilemma there was only one thing left to do, should the pirates -reappear, and that was to close up the pass by means of the overhanging -rocks at the cliff entrance. True, it would shut all within the island -up in a crater which threatened to break out; still, from all -appearances, such a volcanic outburst did not seem likely to take place, -therefore, if the pass were firmly sealed, they would at least be free -from their dangerous enemies without, until such time as Melnos could be -repeopled, and thus defend itself. Notwithstanding the earthquake, the -disappearance of the lake, the activity of the hot springs, the Demarch -could not believe that this crater, extinct for so many thousands of -years, would break out in eruption without giving, at least, some -serious warning; therefore, with this idea, he determined, if the worst -came to the worst, to shut himself and his people in, by closing up the -gorge, rather than abandon his forty years of work to the mercy of a -band of Levantine black-guards. - -As to Helena and Maurice, they were perfectly happy in making love to -each other; and, in the intervals of such a delightful occupation, the -young Englishman looked after the palisade, at which two sentries were -constantly posted, wandered about the village with his uncle, attending -to local matters, and twice or thrice a day went to the vantage-point -above the side staircase, in order to watch for the appearance of -Crispin and his yacht. Daily both Maurice and his uncle swept the offing -with their glasses, but no thin line of smoke or glancing white sail -showed that The Eunice was on her way to aid these unfortunates. - -Nor during all this time was Dick idle, for, with a small body of men, -he had posted himself above the overhanging rocks at the entrance of the -pass, and there they drilled holes in the soft volcanic soil for the -reception of dynamite cartridges. When these were placed sufficiently -deep, Alexandros attached his wires to them, and then threw these -thread-like conductors across the abyss to the opposite side of the -pass. At the point where Crispin had gone over the cliff a few nights -previously, he established a small battery and fixed the wires thereto, -so, in the event of the pirates approaching the island, the man who was -on the look-out at the vantage-point had simply to touch the button of -the battery, when the enormous rocks on the other side of the gorge -would crash down in Titanic fragments, closing up the narrow way -irretrievably. Still, as before stated, the Demarch, on account of a -lurking suspicion of the extinct volcano, was unwilling to avail himself -of this aid until the last moment, but in any event, if that last moment -did come, the rocks could be exploded from the vantage-point with the -greatest ease. The ropes which had been used to let down Crispin and -Gurt were still attached to the trunk of the pine tree, but had been -carefully drawn up, lest by chance, if the pirates arrived, they could -enter the island by ascending such a convenient ladder, notwithstanding -the closing of the pass. - -On the early morning of the fourth day after Crispin had departed, -Justinian and his nephew, ascending the path at the back of the -Acropolis, went down to the vantage-point through the altar glade, -according to custom, in order to look for signs of the poet’s return. -The east was yet rosy with the dawn, and the great expanse of ocean -slept below them in serene calm. The long white waves broke gently on -the sandy beach, there was not a breath of wind, and when the sun arose -suddenly out of the sea, his long yellow rays shot like bridges of gold -across the water, while his orb, invisible to the watchers, projected -the shadow of the island on the liquid plain in front. - -Temistocles had been on the watch for some considerable time, and as the -electric light was kept all night constantly sweeping the surface of the -sea in search of strange boats, Justinian asked the runner if there had -been any indications of approaching danger. Receiving a reply in the -negative, he put up his glass in hopes of discovering some signs of the -long-expected and much-desired yacht, but not a speck could he behold, -in spite of the power of his glasses and the keenness of his eyesight. - -“It’s four days since he went away,” said the Demarch to Maurice, with a -sigh, as he put down his glass; “yet he does not seem to be coming -back.” - -“You must allow him more time, uncle,” replied Maurice comfortingly; -“you know everything may not have gone exactly as we thought. He may -have cruised about some time before being picked up by the Cretan -steamer, and even if he were fortunate in meeting a boat at once on his -arrival at Syra, the yacht may not have been lying there.” - -“The yacht has had plenty of time to get to Syra, Maurice; but either he -has missed the steamer, or else he finds some difficulty in obtaining -men from the Eparch of Syra.” - -“But surely in an urgent case like this the Eparch will send you help at -once. You say he is your friend.” - -“Certainly he says he is, but my belief is that he is jealous of my -independent sovereignty, and would not be sorry to see my little -government come to an end.” - -“What a nice old gentleman he must be! But tell me, uncle, what is the -difference between a Demarch and an Eparch?” - -“One rules over one island, the other over many. As a matter of fact, a -Demarch is a kind of mayor, and really it is too small a title for me, -seeing I have a whole island to myself. Still, I am quite satisfied with -it, as King of Melnos is out of the question, and Prince of Melnos -sounds like the hero of a penny novelette.” - -“And what islands does the Eparch of Syra rule over?” - -“Well, really, I quite forget; but the Eparch of Santorin rules over -Amorgos, Anapli, Santorin, and Ios.” - -“Of course all these Epachs—or what is it?—Eparchs—are subject to the -government of King George?” - -“Certainly.” - -“Then I don’t wonder they envy you this island. I suppose you are the -only independent prince in the Ægean?” - -“I am now, but in former times there were many. An Italian family ruled -as Dukes of Naxos, another line governed Seriphos, but those potentates -were somewhere about the fifteenth century. I think the ruler likest to -myself was one Capsi, a kind of ancient pirate, of the Alcibiades type, -who became ruler of Melos.” - -“Melnos?” - -“No; the island of Melos, without the ‘n.’ It is a curious coincidence, -is it not, the similarity of name and rule?” - -“Very; but what became of King Capsi?” - -“Oh, the Turks invited him to Stamboul, and then cut off his head for -presuming to set himself up as a rival to the Sultan. But such a fate is -not likely to happen to me, as I am very good friends with Abdul Hamid.” - -“I think we had better establish a line of princes, uncle,” said Maurice -in a joking tone. “You will take the title of Justinian I.; when I -succeed to the throne, I will be Justinian II.; and if Helena and myself -are fortunate enough to present you with a grandson, he will be -Justinian III. So, you see, we have an excellent beginning for a royal -family.” - -“I do not see why it should not be so,” replied the Demarch seriously; -“look at the Brookes, who became Rajahs of Sarawak, and the Bernadottes, -now Kings of Sweden, and then again the Bonaparte family. My dear -Maurice, believe me, there are still kingdoms to be gained, if he who -seeks has the nerve, judgment, and fortune of a born adventurer.” - -“Such as yourself.” - -“Exactly; and you are of the same type. Oh, that I were younger, -Maurice, and with you by my side, we would go to South America and carve -out a kingdom. You smile, but I tell you it can be done.” - -“It has been done in Melnos.” - -“Oh, that is nothing! an intellectual training school only; but I mean a -real large kingdom on a continent.” - -“I may be like you in some things, uncle, but I do not think I have your -ambition, as I will be quite content with my island sovereignty of -Melnos.” - -“I daresay you are wise. But, Maurice, what a story all your and my -adventures would make—the way you were brought here by Andros—the -description of the crater—the attack on the island—why, it would make a -capital romance!” - -“Which nobody would believe. They would look upon it as an embroidered -lie of the ‘Alroy’ species.” - -“Ah, the author of that book—Disraeli—what a man!” - -“‘The wondrous boy wot wrote “Alroy,”’” said Maurice. “Yes, he certainly -was clever; a little too fond in his books of Oriental splendor perhaps, -but a genius as a statesman.” - -“If Disraeli had been an Eastern vizier, he would have become a king.” - -“What a desultory conversation!” said his nephew, laughing; “we began -with Eparchs and end with possible sovereigns. Well, as far as I am -concerned, this island is big enough for me and the Princess Helena.” - -“Who is talking of the Princess Helena?” cried a gay voice behind them, -and, on turning, they saw the princess herself, with her arms as usual -full of flowers, looking at them both with a smile in her eyes. - -“I am the culprit, your highness,” said Maurice, bowing. “When did you -arrive?” - -“This very moment; so if you have been saying nice things about me, you -may as well repeat them.” - -“Vanity! vanity!” - -“All is vanity! If that is the only thing you have to say to me, I will -go.” - -“I think we had better all go,” said Justinian, turning away from the -cliff. “I am anxious for breakfast, but you young people, I suppose, are -content to live on love.” - -“Not in this keen morning air, father. But have you seen any sign of the -yacht?” - -“Not the slightest!” - -“What a bad thing! and the pirates?” - -“No appearance of those gentlemen either.” - -“What a good thing! I wonder who will arrive first, Crispin or -Caliphronas!” - -“I trust the former,” answered her father hopefully; “but I dread the -latter.” - -“Oh dear me!” said Helena, with a sigh; “I do wish he would leave us -alone. Why cannot he get an island of his own?” - -“Ah, that’s just it, my child! He does not desire an island so much as -you.” - -“He will never get me,” she answered resolutely. “Sooner than become the -wife of that traitor, I would throw myself over the cliff.” - -“You can rest quite content, Helena,” said Maurice, with quiet -determination; “if Caliphronas overwhelms Melnos with his forces, he -shall not obtain the prize he desires. If he captures you, it will be -over my dead body.” - -“Then he’ll never capture me, for you can easily conquer such a coward,” -retorted the girl, with great spirit; “and, after all, I don’t believe -he’ll have the courage to come back.” - -“Uncle,” exclaimed Roylands suddenly, as he saw Justinian stumble, “what -is the matter? Do you feel ill?” - -“Not exactly ill,” replied the Demarch, taking his nephew’s arm; “but, -to tell you the truth, I awoke this morning feeling very sick and -faint.” - -“Why, papa, so did I!” exclaimed Helena in surprise; “that is why I came -down to the cliffs to obtain a breath of fresh air.” - -“I also had a headache when I awoke,” said Maurice, after a pause; “so, -as we have all felt the same thing, there must be some malaria in the -air.” - -Justinian gave a cry of alarm, and his face blanched white under its -bronze. - -“Oh, Maurice! I dread to think what it may be!” - -“Why, uncle, what do you mean?” - -“The vapors of the volcano!” - -Both Helena and her lover grew pale at these ominous words. - -“Still,” said the latter anxiously, “if they do nothing but give -headaches”— - -“You forget,” replied Justinian in a sombre tone, as they entered the -Acropolis; “we are half-way up the crater, but if the vapors are rising -from the volcano, think of all my people in the valley.” - -Without waiting a moment, the three, in a state of great alarm, hurried -to the platform in front of the temple, and looked anxiously down to the -village. Although it was now seven o’clock, and the Melnosians were -early risers, there was no appearance of life in the valley below, no -sound of labor or voices ascended, no smoke curled upward from the -chimneys; but in the still morning the cup of the crater lay spread out -before them, a scene of exquisite beauty, yet terribly, ominously calm. - -“Great God!” cried Justinian, with a strangled sob; “can it be as I -feared?” - -A man came staggering along the mulberry avenue, waving his arms wildly, -and when he came sufficiently near, they saw it was the bos’n Dick, pale -and haggard, reeling in his gait like a drunken man. - -Maurice ran forward to help him as he advanced, and ultimately had to -carry him to the steps of the Acropolis, while Helena, by her father’s -direction, ran inside for brandy and smelling-salts. With these they -revived the almost insensible sailor, who opened his eyes with a -shudder, only to find three faces scarcely less haggard than his own -bending over him. None of them asked what had happened, for the intense -quiet of that valley told its own terrible story, and Justinian knew -that in one night he had lost the whole of his subjects through the -deadly vapors breathed by the awakening volcano. - -“Oh, Mr. Justinian! Mr. Roylands! it is horrible—horrible!” said Dick, -sitting up with difficulty. “They are all dead!—not one left alive; and -my poor messmates are gone also. Let us leave this cursed place, sir, or -we will die also.” - -Dick had fought bravely all through the campaign, and was a man but -little given to emotion, yet so unnerved was he by the fearful -catastrophe that had happened, that he buried his face in his hands and -almost wept in the intensity of his agony. Maurice and Helena also were -paralyzed with dread, for, however daring human beings may be, the most -resolute quail before the gigantic powers of nature, and, high-spirited -as they all were, their hearts thrilled with fear as they recognized in -what a death-trap they were snared. - -Only Justinian preserved a certain amount of calmness,—Justinian, who -suffered more than the others, for this was the crowning blow, and his -whole untiring labor of forty years had been swept away as naught in a -single hour. - -“It is not a valley,” he cried, looking downward in despair; “it is a -tomb enclosing many dead. Oh, my poor Melnosians!” - -“How did you discover it, Dick?” asked Maurice in an awed tone. - -“After you went away this morning, sir. I walked down to the valley, in -order to get my messmates to go on with that mining work in the pass; -but I felt a bit headachy and queer. However, I did not think about it, -and went down the stair. Just as I got down half-way, I felt a poisonous -breath of air wafted up from below, which seized me by the throat, and -made me fall down insensible by that statue of Apollo. I don’t know how -long I lay; but it was lucky I was not farther down, or else I would -have been stifled; as it was, little breaths of the gases floated up, -but the cool air above revived me somewhat, and I managed to crawl up -higher. Then I came along, sir; and you helped me here.” - -“And are they all dead?” - -“They must be,” said Justinian in a tone of despair. “I see how it is we -escaped. You know the Grotto del Cane at Naples, Maurice, where a man -can enter freely, but a dog dies? that is because the vapors only rise a -certain height. Down below there, when all were sleeping, the gases must -have been breathed slowly from the mouth of the volcano, and stifled -every soul. They could not rise higher on account of their weight, so we -managed to escape death. Look at that valley!” cried the Demarch, with a -passionate gesture; “it is a smiling death-trap. We can see nothing; but -half-way up the cup it is filled with deadly poison, which would kill us -were we to descend. Oh, my poor people! dead! dead! all dead!” - -He hid his face in his hands, overcome with horror at the sight; and -Dick, somewhat cured of the poisonous vapors he had inhaled, arose to -his feet with an effort. - -“We must get away from here, Mr. Maurice. We dare not stay another -night, for even if that volcano does not burst out, the gases will rise -and rise until the Acropolis will be below their level. We must fly.” - -“And how can we fly?” asked Justinian abruptly. “We have no boats—those -scoundrels of Caliphronas’ have destroyed them all. The only thing we -can do is to abandon the Acropolis, and go to the sea-shore, in order to -wait the arrival of Crispin to save us.” - -“But if the volcano breaks out, uncle?” - -“In that case we must die. The island is so small, that, with this -crater in full fury, we would be crushed under the weight of the stones -thrown out, or burned to death by the streams of lava. Our only hope is -Crispin; and as to this death-trap we must leave it at once. Helena!” - -Helena did not answer. She was crouching down with her head on the lap -of Zoe, who had joined the group; and the two girls were too terrified -to speak, but lay silent with horror, a mere huddled mass of humanity. - -“How many of us are left alive?” asked Maurice, raising the girl to her -feet. - -“About ten, sir,” replied Dick, making a rapid calculation. “Those two -who are on the sentry-go at the palisade, Alexandros, who is down there -attending to the mine, Temistocles, who is on the look-out, the man here -who drives the engine, myself, Zoe, Miss Helena, yourself, and Mr. -Justinian.” - -The Demarch flung up his hands with a cry of horror. - -“Ten survivors out of nearly two hundred people! Oh, there is a curse on -me and mine! It is useless to fight against fate, Maurice. We must fly -this very minute, and trust to Providence to be spared until the arrival -of the yacht. Hark! what is that?” - -There was a low moan, which seemed to come from the lips of the crater, -and a moment afterwards the earth trembled slightly. It was the dreaded -voice of the earthquake, as they knew only too well; and, with a sudden -impulse, all turned to fly. The valley smiled peaceful and serene in the -brilliant sunshine, the white peaks glittered like Pentelican marble -against the sky, the delicate green of the foliage, the myriad hues of -the flowers met their eyes on all sides; yet under this mask of smiling -loveliness raged fierce subterranean fires, which were already pressing -furiously upward to shatter the whole beautiful scene into Titantic -fragments of stone. - -“Let us take provisions, water, wine—what we can,” said Justinian -rapidly, as he led the way into the Acropolis. “There is not a moment to -be lost. We must fly without delay.” - -The unfortunates made as much speed as they could, and collected all the -food they could find, assisted by Argyropoulos, who had been called by -the Demarch from his engine. Fortunately there were but few valuables to -take away, as Justinian had always lived with great simplicity, and all -his money was safe in London. The Demarch hastily gathered up a few of -his papers, some money, and a little jewelry which belonged to Helena; -while the others loaded themselves only with necessaries, such as -provisions, wine, water, and cloaks to protect them should they have to -pass the night on the beach. Helena, weeping bitterly, took leave of all -her beloved flowers; and never had the court, with its snowy pillars, -sporting fountain, and mass of blossoms, looked so beautiful as it did -on this fatal morning. Argos, poor bird, was strutting proudly about, -quite unaware of his danger; and Helena, touched by a feeling of -compassion, impulsively spoke to Maurice. - -“Shall we take Argos with us?” - -“I am afraid we cannot, my dear girl. See, we are all heavily laden. -Where is my uncle?” - -“He has gone to take a last look at the valley,” said Helena, bursting -into tears. - -“Poor uncle!” - -At that moment Justinian reappeared in the court, with a haggard face, -his shoulders bent with the weight of his grief. In a few hours he had -aged years, and now this terrible blow had broken him down completely. -He had taken one last farewell of the valley he loved so much, of his -dead people who were there sleeping in their terrible tomb, of all his -schemes for reviving the old Hellas of the past; and now took up his -burden, in common with the rest, to abandon the Acropolis forever. - -The little band sadly left the beautiful home in which they could no -longer hope to dwell, and took their melancholy way up the winding path -which led up to the altar glade. Argyropoulos went first, then Dick -came, supporting the weeping Zoe, and finally Justinian, with his nephew -on one side and his daughter on the other, came slowly walking along, -overcome with grief. All his schemes, all his expenditure, all his works -were now at an end; and, as far as results went, the last forty years of -his busy life had been absolutely wasted. - -Just as they reached the altar inscribed Θεόν, which had witnessed of -late the birth of young love, Temistocles, in a state of great -excitement, came running up the path which led from the cliffs. - -“Kyrion! Kyrion! the pirates! pirates!” he cried in Greek. - -“Another blow!” said Justinian, with a harsh cry. “Are we not to escape -with our lives? How many boats?” - -“Eight, Kyrion, crowded with men.” - -“What misfortune!” muttered the Demarch, letting his chin sink on his -breast. “Pirates without—fire within. We are lost!” - -“On the contrary, we are saved,” cried Maurice, with a sudden -inspiration. “Don’t give way, uncle. Caliphronas has arrived at a most -opportune moment, for we will use their boats in order to escape.” - -“Impossible!” - -“Not at all. I will explain my scheme when we get down to the verge of -the cliff. Come, Temistocles, Dick, Argyropoulos. Forward all. We will -hoist those scoundrels on their own petard.” - -“If I can,” cried Justinian in a rage, raising his hands to heaven, “I -will make a holocaust of them to the infernal gods!” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIX. - JUSTINIAN’S REVENGE. - - The past is shattered, - The future lost. - Now tempest-battered, - My soul is tossed - From billow to billow on life’s wild sea, - With nothing but sorrow and care for me. - - The gods have spoken, - My prayers they spurn, - Yet tho’ thus broken, - I make return - Of holocausts high on their altars bare, - An offering bitter of my despair. - - -The saying, “It never rains but it pours,” was fully exemplified by the -series of calamities which had befallen the once peaceful Isle of -Fantasy and its inhabitants. First the treachery of Caliphronas, then -the war which had killed so many people, now a threatened eruption of an -apparently extinct volcano, and, to crown all, a band of pirates waiting -at the only outlet of escape, to massacre the survivors as they fled -from the perils within. Evidently the sins of Rudolph Roylands’ youth -were now bearing fruit, and his ancestral Ate was now exacting her full -penalty for those half-forgotten episodes of his early life, by -depriving him of all he valued most in the world. One thing after -another had been torn from his reluctant grasp, and now it seemed as if -his life itself was to crown the measure of repayment. Standing on the -lofty cliff, with his nephew, daughter, and dependants beside him, -Justinian watched the pirates landing from their boats with cynical -despair, feeling that the end of all things had come as far as he was -concerned. - -Owing to the mental and physical trials of the last few weeks, the -Demarch had lost to a great extent his iron nerve, and could no longer -conceive, decide, and execute his projects with his former promptitude. -The loss of his island had turned him from a vigorous, determined leader -into a feeble old man, and although now and then his spirits did flash -up with a gleam of brilliancy, it was apparent to every eye that he was -no longer fitted either to lead or control matters at this final crisis -of affairs. It was then that Maurice showed himself a capable commander, -and, leaving his worn-out uncle to the care of the women, instinctively -took affairs into his own hands without further loss of time. - -Of course he still deferred to Justinian as ostensible head of all -things, but it was he who made all suggestions, and the Demarch did -little else than agree to all his propositions. First of all, Maurice, -getting from Justinian the key of the iron gate, sent Temistocles down -the staircase to call up Alexandros and the two Melnosians, in order to -concentrate in one spot all the survivors of the island, and decide upon -a course of action. When they came up to the vantage-point, Temistocles -locked the iron gate again, and restored the key to his master, after -which all the men sat down to consider the position of affairs. - -It was now noon, and the sun at his zenith was blazing hotly down on the -lava rocks of Melnos, which, flinging back the glare, rendered the heat -almost intolerable. The pirates, having drawn up their boats on the -beach inside the harbor, had retreated to their old camp, the tents of -which, untouched by the Melnosians, were still standing. There they -evidently intended to remain until it grew cooler, in order to assault -the palisade, quite ignorant that the inhabitants of Melnos were all -dead, and that the volcano was on the point of bursting out in eruption. -Had they known this latter fact, they would speedily have fled away from -the ill-omened spot; but Maurice was glad they were thus ignorant, as he -wished to use one of their boats, in order that himself and his party -might escape from the coming explosion of the mountain. - -“Do you think the pirates will assault the palisade this afternoon, -uncle?” asked Maurice, anxious for the old warrior’s opinion. - -“No, I don’t think so,” replied Justinian, shaking his head. “They have -evidently been rowing here all the morning, and are tired out. It is -probable they will sleep all the afternoon, and attack us just when it -grows dusk. What do you propose to do, Maurice?” - -“First, pull down the palisade.” - -“What! and thus lose our only defence! You are mad!” - -“There is some method in my madness, as you will see, uncle. I wish to -pull down the barrier, so that when the pirates come up to assault, they -will find no difficulty in passing up the gorge. Of course, suspecting -nothing, they will make their way right into the interior of the island, -while we, who are in their rear, can go down the side staircase, on to -the beach, and then push off in a boat before they return.” - -“It’s a good idea, sir,” said Dick, scratching his head; “but suppose, -when they get inside the palisade, they should come up the stair and -find us here.” - -“They won’t do that, Dick, for we will lock the gate; and you can depend -upon it, when they find the pass open, they will not waste their time in -trying to force this side path. If they can gain the interior of the -island by an open way, they certainly won’t try to pass in by a blocked -one.” - -“Don’t you think they will suspect treachery, Maurice?” - -“No, uncle. In the first place, most of these are new arrivals, and, in -spite of what their comrades have told them, won’t believe we are—or -rather were—so strong. And in the second place, they will think we have -retreated up to the second palisade, so even if they stop there, we will -have time to get to sea.” - -“What about this, Kyrion?” said Alexandros, pointing to the battery, -which stood near; “will we not wait till the enemy are under the rocks, -and then bring them down to crush all?” - -“By no means, Alexandros; for by so doing we would close up the only -avenue of escape left to us. It will not be much gratification crushing -the enemy, if we only attain that by letting ourselves be blown up by -the volcano.” - -Alexandros looked rather unhappy at this, as he was proud of his work, -and would have liked to show how skilfully his battery worked; but he -recognized the force of Roylands’ reasoning, so said no more about it. -Justinian was also silent, but simply because he had conceived a plan -for punishing his enemies; and looking at the battery, the rocks -frowning over the pass, and the coils of rope near the pine tree, he -glanced suddenly at Alexandros with a significant smile, whereupon the -quick-witted Greek saw that the Demarch had some scheme in his head, and -that his battery would yet be utilized. Accordingly, when all the men -descended to the gorge for the purpose of levelling the palisade, -Alexandros lingered behind with Justinian to receive his orders. - -“What is it, Kyrion?” he asked in Greek. - -“Alexandros,” replied the Demarch fiercely, “I am leaving this island -forever, for, as you know, all our friends are dead; but I will leave -behind me an offering to their manes of all those scoundrels who have -given me such trouble. You must carry out my wish.” - -“I will, Kyrion.” - -“By those coils of rope up there you can escape down the face of the -cliff?” - -“Easily, Kyrion; I am a monkey in climbing.” - -“Good! Well, when the pirates have gone up the pass, and we have gained -the boat on the beach, you remain behind, and, when I give the signal, -explode the mine. Thus the pass will be closed up, sealing the pirates -up in the crater, so if the volcano does burst out, they will be blown -to pieces.” - -“I will do it, Kyrion,” said Alexandros, who liked this scheme -immensely; “and then I can escape down the cliff.” - -“Keep it to yourself,” said the Demarch in a whisper, as they went out -of the iron gate; “Mr. Maurice is too tender-hearted, and might not like -it.” - -How Justinian could reconcile this proposed massacre with the aversion -he had felt the previous day in exploding his mine, it is hard to say, -but the fact is, with all his troubles, his brain was becoming slightly -affected, and he now deemed it a point of honor to sacrifice his enemies -to the manes of his dead subjects. After all, as he considered, and very -truly, these pirates were but dangerous desperadoes, which the Ægean -could very well spare, so the sooner they were cut short in their -nefarious careers the better for the islanders of the Cyclades. Besides, -Rudolph Roylands had, even in his old age, a wild and lawless spirit, -only curbed by his wonderful powers of self-control, and in thus -avenging himself on the enemies who had destroyed his cherished schemes, -he was indulging in a burst of that Baresark fury which he inherited -from his Norse ancestors. - -With hard work the eight men managed to make a breach in the earthworks -through which the enemy could pass, and all the carefully-built -fortifications were levelled to the ground. It was growing dusk when -they finished, and already they could hear a stir in the camp of the -enemy, so, rapidly completing their work of devastation, they returned -to the vantage-point, where they had left the women. Only the Demarch -and his nephew lingered behind, the one to lock the iron gate, and the -other to carry away the Union Jack, which still floated proudly over the -ruined barricade. - -“They won’t get this, at all events, uncle,” said Maurice gleefully, as -he hauled down the flag; “I wouldn’t have it fall into their hands for a -thousand pounds.” - -“Sooner burn it,” retorted the Demarch fiercely; “but hurry up, Maurice, -for, judging from the noise they are making, I suspect their forces are -being drawn up.” - -Roylands, with the folds of the flag wrapped round his body, ran through -the iron gate with his uncle, and the latter having locked it carefully, -they ascended the staircase in order to wait events. - -It was just at that hour after sunset, when the day blending with the -night produces that luminous twilight so noticeable in the -Mediterranean. The little band, concealed from sight on the high cliff, -could easily see in the warm glow how rapidly the enemy were gathering -their forces together, but, in spite of all endeavors, none of them -could see Caliphronas. - -“I don’t expect he has come back, uncle.” - -“Oh yes, he has,” replied the Demarch grimly; “but, on the plea of his -wound, he will remain behind in the camp, and let his army do the work. -Once they conquer, he will come out and crow. That is Andros all over; -he likes to be the monkey, and use others as cats to pull the chestnuts -out of the fire.” - -“I am very glad he is not leading them,” said Maurice thoughtfully, “for -he would be keen enough to mistrust appearances, and refrain from -entering the pass in case of treachery, in which case we would be kept -prisoners up here.” - -Helena uttered a low cry of fright, and hid her face on Maurice’s -shoulder, for at this moment the earth began to tremble slightly. The -shock, however, was not a severe one, and did no damage, still it made -the whole party feel uneasy, and wish they were relieved from their -perilous position. The four Melnosians, who had lost all their friends -and relatives, looked like statues of despair; still, so selfish is man -for himself, that, though all their pleasure in life was gone, they were -as uneasy and anxious to be saved as the rest of the party. - -Luckily, owing to the ardor with which the enemy were forming their -lines, they had not noticed the ominous warning of the earthquake, and -were evidently about to make a grand assault on the barrier. At a given -signal, they rushed wildly up the hill, shrieking like fiends, but -recoiled in dismay as they saw the ruins of the palisade. Evidently -suspecting treachery, they consulted together for a moment, then -cautiously went forward into the pass. Finding no foe there to confront -them, they became more confident, and as Caliphronas, who could have -shown them the way, was not present, they took no notice of the iron -gate, but marched boldly up the gorge, firing their rifles at intervals, -until there was not a single man left either at the palisade or on the -beach. - -There was not a moment to be lost, so, Justinian leading, with Maurice -and Dick following with the women and the Melnosians, they went down to -the foot of the stair, unlocked the door, and as rapidly as possible ran -down the hill to the beach. Placing Helena, Zoe, and all their bundles -in the best boat they could select in their hurry, Dick and Argyropoulos -pushed it off into deep water. - -“Where is Alexandros?” asked Maurice, noticing the absence of the -electrician for the first time. - -Justinian, with a grim smile, turned his face towards the cliffs and -raised his hand, both to point out Alexandros to Maurice, and to give -the signal for the exploding of the mine. Maurice stared aghast for a -moment, and would have spoken, but before he could open his mouth there -was a tremendous roar, and the great rocks at the mouth of the pass -crashed down with a noise like thunder, blocking up the entrance for -ever. - -“You have shut the pirates in, uncle!” - -“Yes,” said the Demarch fiercely; “I have triumphed over my enemies.” - -“But Alexandros?” - -“Is safe. See! he is sliding down the rope.” - -“And the volcano!” - -Even while the words were on his lips, the ground began to shake -convulsively, and with a cry, Helena fell back in the boat in a dead -faint. Maurice and Justinian were thrown to the ground, and high above, -amid the encircling peaks, shot up a mighty column of smoke, streaked -with red fire. - -“The volcano!” cried Maurice, dragging his uncle to his feet. “Quick! -quick! get into the boat. Dick! Alexandros!” - -They were both beside him, and assisted to take the Demarch towards the -boat, but, to their dismay, found it had been left high and dry by the -receding waters, which were curling backward from the land in streaks of -livid white. The volcano now began to cast out great stones, and at -intervals showers of boiling water, while lurid flames flashed fiercely -through the gigantic column of smoke which loomed terrible and vague -above the fatal island. - -“God! we will be killed!” cried Maurice, as, with the aid of Dick and -Alexandros, he began to push the boat slowly towards the sea. “Helena! -Helena! lie down at the bottom of the boat.” - -In order to push the craft to sea, Maurice had been forced to leave his -uncle, but the old man was now on his feet running towards him. Suddenly -there was a shriek of agony, and through the falling stones, through the -blinding dust, through the rain of fire, rushed Caliphronas, making for -the boat. - -“Save me, save me, Justinian! Maurice, help!” - -“Traitor!” cried Justinian, turning fiercely on the Greek; “now you -shall reap the reward of your treachery.” - -A thick, sulphurous smoke was spread around, and in this the two men -were struggling, locked in a deathly grip. Temistocles and his three -countrymen were already afloat, pulling away as hard as they could; but -Maurice gave himself up for lost, as, in spite of all his efforts and -those of Dick, the boat was too firmly imbedded in the sand to be moved. -Great bombs came shooting up into the sky from the heart of the volcano, -and, bursting in the lurid air, huge rocks and showers of stones came -crashing down on all sides; and, to add to the horror of the night, -Maurice, with a cry of despair, saw the sea rushing violently up to the -land. - -“Uncle! uncle! the boat! the boat!” - -Dick and Alexandros scrambled in, while Maurice ran to help Justinian; -but, before he could reach him, he was ingulfed in the waves of the sea, -and half blindly saw a huge stone fall from heaven on his uncle and the -struggling Greek. The waves foamed around the pair, but, without a cry, -Caliphronas had been struck down, a bleeding, smashed-up mass, under the -cruel rock; while Justinian, also struck on the chest, could make no -effort to save himself. Borne up by the force of the sea, Maurice felt -rather than saw the boat rush past him towards the beach, but with an -almost superhuman effort he managed to clutch his insensible uncle and -keep afloat. The waters around were seething furiously, great stones -kept splashing down on all sides, and above he could but see a sky of -intense black smoke, through which played forked flashes of red fire. - -The sea, having dashed right up to the cliffs, began to retire, upon -which Dick and Alexandros leaped out of the boat to lighten her, and -thus try to float her back into deep water. Maurice staggered to his -feet, with his uncle in his arms, and strove to reach the boat. Borne -outward by the retreating waters, the light craft swept past him, but he -also, abandoning himself to the waves, was carried seaward. In another -second the boat was in deep water, and Dick, who had never let go the -gunwale, leaped in with Alexandros. They looked anxiously through the -gloom for Maurice and the Demarch, and as at this moment a flash of -scarlet fire lighted up the furious sea, they caught a glimpse of them, -and, in spite of the still outward-rushing water, tried to row obliquely -towards the pair. For a moment it looked as if they could not be saved, -but fortunately, Maurice, though half stunned, still retained his -senses, and was able to clutch the oar which Dick held out towards him. -By this he was drawn gradually to the boat, which was rocking violently -in the disturbed sea. - -“Take—uncle!—uncle first!” - -Dick, with the assistance of Alexandros, managed to pull the insensible -man on board, after which, Maurice, half dead with exhaustion, also -scrambled into the boat, and, the sea now being calmer, they rowed -rapidly out to sea. - -The volcano was now spouting fire furiously, and by the glare they were -able to see the entrance of the breakwater. By a miracle, they escaped -the falling stones, but, just as they were gliding past the massive -masonry, they saw the boat of Temistocles dashed to pieces, and all on -board go down in the crimson flood. Much as they wished to save the -unfortunate men, they were unable to do so, for every second they -expected to be dashed to pieces, so, with the strength of despair, they -shot out of the harbor far into the sea beyond. Justinian, Helena, and -Zoe were all lying insensible at the bottom of the boat, Maurice was at -the helm, and Alexandros, with Dick, was pulling for dear life, so as to -get beyond the range of the projectiles shot from the volcano. - -Alas, the beautiful Island of Fantasy! it was now nothing but a pillar -of fire, and all the dead Melnosians, the living pirates, had been -reduced to ashes in that terrible furnace. Already streaks of glowing -lava began to move slowly down the sides of the mountain, colossal -tongues of fire shot upward to the silent stars, and explosions, like -distant cannonading, shook the mountain to its base. The noise was -something deafening, but, luckily for the fugitives, they were now -beyond the rain of stones, rocks, and bombs, while the sea, though still -disturbed, was comparatively quiet. - -They were floating on an ocean of blood, for the crimson glare of the -spouting fire smote sky and sea alike with its fiery blaze, and away in -the distance arose the deserted Melnos, with its peaks crowned with -thick vapors, from whence flashed streaks of fire. - -The ever-turning wheel of time had come full circle, and the long -extinct volcano was once more a burning mountain, vomiting death and -destruction on all sides; while far beyond, on the scarlet waters, -floated the little boat containing five human beings, all that remained -of the inhabitants who had dwelt in the beautiful valley of Melnos. - - - - - CHAPTER XL. - DEATH PAYS ALL DEBTS. - - The day is ended, the night is near— - That’s how I look at my end. - The night is over, the day breaks clear— - Such is your creed, my friend. - But, yours or mine, does it matter much - Which of our faiths is the true one— - Mine, with its failure a future to touch, - Or yours, so sure of a new one? - - We both know nothing of what comes next, - For that is my firm belief; - ’Tis waste to preach on an unproved text, - And harrow our souls with grief. - My life has not been what you call pure, - Yet when drops this vexed life’s curtain, - I think my future is quite as sure - As yours with its heaven certain. - - -Without doubt Crispin’s star was in the ascendant when he left Melnos on -that perilous voyage to Syra, for in a very short space of time he was -picked up by a Cretan steamer, and, on his arrival at his destination, -found the yacht lying in the harbor. Owing to her likeness to the -unfortunate Eunice which had been wrecked, he had no difficulty in -recognizing her among the gay-colored caiques and steamers from all -countries which thronged in the bay below the white town of Syra. -Hurrying at once on board, he was met by the Rector, Mrs. Dengelton, and -Eunice, who were both surprised and delighted to see him so soon after -their arrival in the Ægean. A long conversation at once ensued between -the four, and Crispin described the perilous position in which he had -left Justinian, much to the astonishment of the Rector, who could not -understand that pirates still existed. As for Mrs. Dengelton, she -asserted that no power on earth would induce her to go to Melnos, where -there were so many dangers; but in this selfish determination she was -overruled by her daughter and Mr. Carriston. - -It having been settled that all on board would remain, Crispin, in -company with Gurt, hurried off to see the Eparch, and, on explaining the -state of Melnos to him, managed to obtain about fifty men in order to -assist the besieged. They were marched on board at once; and late next -day the yacht set sail for the Island of Fantasy, with every one in a -fearful state of excitement at the prospect of coming adventures. - -During the voyage they met with a head wind, but this made but little -difference to The Eunice, which, beating the water with her powerful -screw, forged steadily ahead in spite of wind and wave. The Hon. Mrs. -Dengelton had long since recovered from sea-sickness, and was now as -lively as ever, chatting gayly with Mr. Carriston, while Crispin, now -being for the time at leisure, made love to Eunice. Both the lovers were -in the seventh heaven of happiness at thus being reunited, and, had it -not been for the state of uncertainty he felt about Melnos, Crispin -would have been perfectly happy. For a wonder, Mrs. Dengelton had kept -her promise, and not persuaded Eunice to marry any one else; for which -honorable conduct she deserved no praise, for as yet Crispin was the -wealthiest suitor The Parrot had secured for her daughter. The lady, -however, made a virtue of necessity, and frequently pointed out to -Crispin how straightforwardly she had behaved, for which meritorious -conduct the poet was duly thankful. - -“Yes,” said Mrs. Dengelton, recovering her breath after a long harangue; -“when I make a promise I keep it. I said, Find out whom you are, and you -shall have my daughter. Well, here is Eunice, and here am I, both -waiting for the promised explanation. Now, then, Mr. Crispin, who are -you?” - -“I don’t know yet.” - -“Do you mean to say you cannot find out?” screamed the lady. - -“No, I don’t say so, Mrs. Dengelton. As soon as we arrive at Melnos, -Justinian will tell me everything I and you desire to know.” - -“Justinian!” echoed Mrs. Dengelton crossly, determined not to be -satisfied. “Oh, dear Mr. Crispin, do not call my brother by that -heathenish name!” - -“It is an honorable name!” said the Rector good-naturedly. “You know it -was Justinian, the Emperor of the East, who built St. Sophia, and was -the author of the Pandects. My old friend Rudolph could scarcely have -chosen a more suitable name for a lawgiver.” - -“It is really wonderful to think of Rudolph still being alive,” mused -Mrs. Dengelton, taking no notice of the Rector’s historical explanation. -“It will be like meeting a stranger, for I was a child in long clothes -when he left England.” - -“Yes; fifty years does make a difference.” - -“Fifty years!” shrieked Mrs. Dengelton, seeing he had made a mistake. -“Oh, quite impossible, my dear Rector!—why, I am only forty-five, and as -I was born when Rudolph left, it really cannot—it cannot”— - -She was unable to utter that nauseous statement of fifty years, so the -Rector good-humoredly came to her relief. - -“Of course not—of course not, my dear lady. Time flies so quickly that -we are apt to make mistakes. Your age, of course, is—is—?” - -“Forty-five,” murmured the lady bashfully. “Ah, I am indeed growing old. -But I will be glad to see Rudolph again, and my niece. You say she is -beautiful, Mr. Crispin?” - -“Lovely!—as lovely as Eunice here.” - -“Good looks run in our family,” said Mrs. Dengelton complacently. “I -myself—well, there, I was just like Eunice at her age. Yes, I will be -glad to see Helena!” - -“And I will be glad to see Melnos!” interposed the Rector. “You can have -no idea, my dear Crispin, how interested I was in Maurice’s letter -concerning this scheme of reconstituting Hellas. It is a noble dream, -which may turn out into a reality.” - -“Always provided there is no trouble from the pirates or the volcano, -Mr. Carriston.” - -“Oh, I trust that the volcano is quiescent; and as for the pirates, I -judge, from your description of the defences, that Maurice will be able -to keep them at bay until we arrive.” - -“Certainly as a last resource they can close up the pass,” said Crispin -thoughtfully; “but that would leave them at the mercy of the volcano.” - -“They may be all burnt up,” observed Mrs. Dengelton in a sepulchral -tone; “and instead of Rudolph I may meet a cinder.” - -“I don’t think so, Mrs. Dengelton. Whatever happens, I have full faith -in Justinian’s powers of extricating himself from any dilemma; besides, -Maurice also is ingenious in ideas.” - -“My dear lad!” said the Rector, with emotion. “I am so anxious to see -him. This siege seems to have made a new man of him.” - -“I don’t think you would recognize him, Rector. He is not listless now, -but full of life and spirits. Love, open-air life, and responsibility -have wrought wonders.” - -“And when do you think we will be in sight of Melnos?” - -“To-morrow morning, I think, but Gurt will know.” - -Leaving Mrs. Dengelton and Eunice in the cabin, the two gentlemen went -on deck to see Gurt, who gave it as his opinion that they certainly -would sight Melnos at dawn. - -“I hope we will find them alive, Gurt.” - -“Don’t you fear, Mr. Crispin, sir. Why, I’d back Mr. Roylands against -the Dook of Wellingtin himself for fightin’.” - -The Rector was much delighted with Gurt, especially when he saw how the -sailor worshipped Maurice; and the tale of the siege of the island, as -told by Gurt, with Maurice as the hero, was as brilliant and unreliable -as “The Arabian Nights Entertainments.” Never being able to hear enough -about his dear lad, Mr. Carriston asked Gurt to once more recite his -Iliad, which the sailor was nothing loath to do, and the story lasted -until all retired to rest. - -The next morning at dawn they were in Cretan waters, and the Rector, -Crispin, and Gurt were all on the lookout for the island. Just about -sunrise they saw its conical shape dimly on the horizon, and Crispin, -who had his glasses up, uttered a cry of dismay. - -“Why, there’s smoke!” he said anxiously. “Can the volcano have broken -out?” - -“I hope not! I trust not!” cried Carriston, turning pale. “Let me look, -Crispin. You surely must be mistaken.” - -Alas! there was no mistake, for, as they drew nearer, even without the -aid of the lengthy tube of the binocle, the crest of the island appeared -to be topped by a dark cloud of smoke, and they could hear at intervals -the muffled roar of the volcano breathing fire and fury. - -“O God! O God! my poor friends!” groaned Crispin, sinking down in deep -despair; while the Rector, stunned with the magnitude of the calamity, -could say nothing—not even a word of comfort. Both Mrs. Dengelton and -Eunice were weeping bitterly at the thought of their terrible loss; but -Gurt, in spite of the smoking volcano before his eyes, sturdily refused -to believe that Justinian and his company were dead. - -“Don’t ’ee believe it, Mr. Crispin! Mr. Maurice knows a thing or two. If -any one’s frizzled, I guess it’ll be them pirates; but Mr. Justinian and -Miss Helena!—Lor’, sir, Mr. Maurice ’ull see to ’em!” - -At this moment the man on the lookout cried out that there was a boat in -sight to the eastward, on which cheering intelligence the hearts of all -revived, in the hope that it would prove to be their friends escaped -from the fatal island. The yacht’s head was turned towards the speck in -the distance, and she steamed ahead at full speed, so as to put an end -to all suspense, while every one crowded to the taffrail, in order to -catch the first glimpse of the occupants. - -“Glory! glory!” yelled Gurt, dancing about in a state of great -excitement. “There’s Mr. Maurice, sir! and Dick! What did I tell ’ee, -Mr. Crispin! Glory! glory!” - -“I don’t see Justinian,” said Crispin anxiously; “but see, there are two -women. Those will be Helena and Zoe!” - -“Sum’at lyin’ in the boat,” cried Gurt, who had climbed up the weather -rigging; “maybe it’s Mr. Justinian. Get her ahead, sir, an’ we’ll soon -have ’em on board.” - -The Eunice slowed down her engines when she approached the caique, and -the anxious faces bending over the side saw that it contained Maurice, -Dick, Helena, and Zoe, all frightfully haggard-looking objects, and that -at the bottom of the boat lay the form of a man covered with the folds -of the Union Jack. The two young men, who seemed quite worn out with -fatigue, brought the caique alongside the yacht, and, having passed up -the women and the insensible Justinian, climbed on board themselves. -Then ensued a scene of heartfelt welcome and congratulations, in which -Maurice especially was nearly overwhelmed by the embraces of Crispin and -the Rector. - -“Is Justinian dead?” asked Crispin, when the first excitement had -somewhat subsided. - -“No; but I am afraid he is dying!” - -“My poor lad!” said the Rector pityingly; “you are quite worn out. -Crispin, are you still going on to Melnos?” - -“What is the use, sir?” said Dick bitterly; “it’s nothing but a heap o’ -cinders.” - -“Any one still left on the island?” - -“Crispin,” said Maurice solemnly, “with the exception of those you see, -every soul on the island is dead. I will tell you all soon, but -meanwhile I must have something to eat, a bath, and a sleep.” - -The women had already carried off Helena and Zoe, to attend to them in -their cabin, Justinian was taken down and put to bed, and the yacht’s -head was turned back to Syra without delay, in order to obtain a doctor -for the dying Demarch. - -“Where is Alexandros, Dick?” asked Gurt, as he attended to the wants of -the boatswain. - -“Fell overboard!” replied Dick sadly; “he got away with us from that -cursed island, but, being weak with all his work, tumbled into the -water. We tried to save him, but he was so weak that before we could -reach him he went down.” - -“And that ’ere Count?” - -“Oh, a stone from the volcano smashed him up.” - -“Served him jolly well right!” said Gurt cruelly. “My eye, Dick, ’ow -glad I am t’ see ye, and Zoe too!” - -“If it hadn’t been for Mr. Roylands, we’d all have been lost, Gurt!” - -“Didn’t I say so!” cried Gurt, bringing his fist down on the table with -a mighty thump. “Wot a man he is! Lord Nelsing and the Dook of -Wellingtin were nothin’ to him—nothin’!” - -In spite of the speed of the yacht, she was unable to reach Syra in time -to save the life of the Demarch, for the stone from the volcano had so -crushed in his chest, that internal hemorrhage had taken place, and -there was no hope of saving his life. He revived, however, shortly after -being taken on board, and was conscious to the last, not without some -gleams of his former grim humor at the cause of his death. - -“That ungrateful Melnos!” he said feebly, as he lay back in his berth, -clasping his daughter’s hand; “I gave it bread, and it returns me a -stone—a stone to crush me to death. Well, at all events it killed -Andros, and of that I am glad.” - -“Hush, hush, my dear friend!” said the Rector gently; “you must not talk -like that. Forgive your enemies.” - -“What! forgive that monster of ingratitude, who brought so many troubles -on me, and ruined my schemes.” - -“Yes,” said Carriston firmly; “the greater the sinner, the more need has -he of forgiveness. If you forgive not your enemies their sins, how can -you expect God to forgive you?” - -“What about yourself, Rector?” - -“I have no enemies,” replied Carriston, with great dignity; “but even if -I had, I would forgive them freely.” - -“Very well,” said the Demarch, with a cynical smile, which but ill -became his pallid face; “I will put you to the test. Call in every one.” - -Considerably puzzled at this remark, the Rector did as he was bidden, -and in a short space of time, Maurice, Crispin, Mrs. Dengelton, and -Eunice were gathered round the bed of the dying man. Helena still sat -near him, holding his hot hand; and the Demarch, thus having got his -audience together, began to make his last confession. - -“You say, Hector, you have no enemies.” - -“No, not that I know of!” - -“Think a little, Mr. Carriston. What about thirty years back?” - -“Thirty years back!” repeated Carriston, growing pale. - -“And Captain Malcolm, who ran off with your wife and child!” - -“How do you know that?” asked the Rector, with a reproachful glance at -Roylands. “Has Maurice”— - -“I have said nothing, sir,” cried Maurice, flushing deeply; “how can you -suspect me of such a thing?” - -“I beg your pardon, my dear lad,” replied the Rector penitently; “I was -wrong to do so. Still, how does Mr. Justinian know”— - -“For the very simple reason that he was Captain Malcolm,” said the -Demarch faintly. - -“You!” cried Carriston, recoiling with a shudder,—“you! Are you the man -who wrecked my life, and stole my dear ones from me?” - -“I am that man!” said Justinian, looking at him with weak defiance. -“Come now, where is your forgiveness?” - -The Rector was deeply moved, and sat on the edge of the berth, with his -hands clasped, and great drops of perspiration rolling down his pale -face. A terrible struggle was going on in his mind, for it appeared to -him almost impossible to forgive this man, who had wronged him so -bitterly. Justinian, observer of human nature to the last, looked at him -with a faint sneer on his dying lips. - -“I thought you would not practise what you preached.” - -“You are wrong! you are wrong!” cried the Rector, springing to his feet. -“God forgive me! I should not have hesitated a moment. I do forgive you! -I forgive you freely.” - -Justinian was so moved to sudden emotion at this noble behavior on the -part of the man he had wronged, that for the moment he was deprived of -speech. - -“I see there are some good men still on earth,” he said at length in a -faltering voice. “Mr. Carriston, I thank you for your noble conduct, -which has taken me quite by surprise. I acknowledge I have wronged you -deeply, and cannot palliate my conduct, but I can and will make -reparation.” - -“My wife?” groaned the Rector bitterly. - -“Is dead; but your son is by your side.” - -The Rector turned suddenly round and found himself face to face with -Crispin, whose countenance was as pallid as his own. They gazed for a -moment at one another, suffocated with emotion, then, casting all -restraint to the winds, fell into one another’s arms. - -“You will find all the necessary papers to convince you of this truth -with my lawyers in London,” said the Demarch, with evident pleasure at -this meeting of long parted father and son. - -“I am convinced now,” replied Carriston, as he stood with his hand on -Crispin’s shoulder. “Yes! this is indeed my son.” - -“Still, you had better see the papers,” said Justinian faintly. “There -is a letter for you from your wife, which will tell you all you wish to -know. Rector, I have been a great sinner, I know, still I don’t think -there are many actions I regret so much as robbing you of your wife. -However, I have done my best to make amends, and you have forgiven me. -But Crispin?” - -“I also forgive you freely,” said Crispin, clasping the hand of the -dying man; “for by this confession you have not only given me a father, -but a wife.” - -“Yes, take her!” sobbed Mrs. Dengelton, pushing her daughter towards the -poet. “I always liked you, Crispin,—or shall I say Mr. Carriston?” - -“I think it must be Crispin Carriston,” said the Rector, drawing Eunice -towards him, “for I love the name of Crispin too well to part with it.” - -“My dear father!” - -“Maurice!” said Justinian, who was getting weaker. - -“Yes, uncle?” - -“You will find my will at my lawyer’s; it leaves all the money to you -and Helena, who is to be your wife.” - -“My dear wife!” repeated Maurice, kissing the weeping girl. “As to your -money, uncle, I do not require it.” - -“You must take it, my son. Helena is my heiress, and alas! now Melnos -has vanished in smoke and fire, there is no use for it there. You will -return to England, Maurice, and, with all this wealth, do what good you -can in the world. Crispin is already rich, so it would be useless to -leave him anything.” - -“I have Eunice, and that is enough for me.” - -“Well, now all is arranged, we must drop the curtain on this comedy of -life,” said Justinian, with a flash of his old cynicism. “After all, I -have played my part to the best of my ability on this life’s stage, but -Fate has been too strong for me.” - -“It is the will of God,” observed the Rector solemnly. - -Justinian said nothing, as he did not wish to offend the firm faith of -the old clergyman, but he could not, for the life of him, think that it -was the will of God that forty years of hard work to raise up a new -civilization should be blotted out for no reason whatsoever. - -“Life’s a problem!” he said, with a faint sigh; “we do our best, and -remain poor, we do our worst, and become rich. However, it is all over -now, and of all my schemes nothing remains. Dust, ashes, smoke, fire, -have they all come to, and I, after seventy-five years of life, die -foiled and beaten by Fate.” - -“Oh, father, do not talk so! You will not die! you will live!” - -“I am afraid not, my child!” replied the dying man faintly; “the parting -gift of Melnos has crushed the life out of me. Oh, my island, my -beautiful island! that bloomed like a rose on the waters! how your glory -has departed! The forge of Hephaistos hath supplanted the garden of -Cytherea.” - -“Will I not pray for you?” asked the Rector gently. - -“To whom? God? Well, a good man’s prayers can do no harm, and, if there -is truth in your belief, may do some good. But we are all in the dark, -you with your Christianity, I with my paganism. The comedy is ended, -drop the curtain.” - -“Oh, father, father! do not talk so!” sobbed Helena, burying her face in -her hands. - -“Hush, my child! I am not afraid. Rector, you can pray for me, but, now -all is told and done, leave me with my child. Good-by, my sister; I -never knew you, so we are almost strangers—good-by. Kiss me, Eunice, and -be a good wife to Crispin, who loves you so dearly. Crispin, I have -wronged you, but made reparation. Dick! Gurt! you have been true men, -and Maurice will look after your future. Maurice, my dear son, good-by. -Be a kind husband to my child, and comfort her in her sorrow. Bury me at -sea, for I will have no meaner grave than the mighty ocean. Good-by, one -and all—good-by!” - -They took leave of him in silence, one by one, and then left the cabin -quietly, leaving him alone with Helena and the Rector, who was already -on his knees reciting the service for the dying. On deck, the sun was -setting in splendor, leaving trails of glory in the heavens, and sadly -they remained there, waiting for the end. In about half an hour, the -Rector, pale and sad, appeared on the deck. - -“It is all over!” - -The next day, the yacht arrived at Syra, with her ensign half-mast, as a -token of the dead on board. Here the men whom Crispin had recruited for -the defence of Melnos were paid off and dismissed. No one on board cared -to remain longer in the Archipelago, now so fraught with sad -associations, so, after a few hours’ stay, The Eunice steamed out of the -harbor on her way to old England once more. - -Off the island of Cerigo, to the extreme south of the Peloponnesus, -Justinian’s body was committed to the deep, wrapped in no meaner shroud -than that ragged Union Jack, shot nearly into tatters, which had floated -so proudly over the well-defended stockade. The Rector, in a voice -broken by emotion, read the burial service over the body of the dead -Demarch, who, whatever his faults might have been, was a great man. The -engines were slowed down, the body, wrapped in its glorious pall, shot -with a sullen splash into the sea, and then the yacht, with set sails -and beating screw, plunged on, through the purple seas, towards England. - -Helena was almost broken-hearted with her loss, and shut herself up in -her cabin to lament in solitude. This, however, Maurice would not allow, -as he was afraid of her becoming ill, and one evening, when all were at -dinner, he persuaded her to come up on deck, where the glory of the -sunset was burning with splendor in the far west. - -“My dearest,” he said tenderly, taking her in his arms, as they stood -facing the keen sea breeze, “you must not break your heart like this. -Your father would never have survived the loss of Melnos, so he had his -wish, and died when all his hopes of a new Hellas were at an end. I must -be your comforter now, Helena, and when you are my dear wife, I trust to -make you so happy, that you will be able to look back with calmness on -this loss, which you now think—and justly—so bitter. Hush, hush, my dear -love! We will face the future together, and live down our past sorrows.” - -Helena, drying her eyes, put her cold little hand into his, and looked -trustfully up into his face, but was too overcome by her feelings to -trust herself to speech. - -The sun, dying in the west, was flooding the heavens with gold, and just -above the intolerable brilliance on the horizon appeared a fantastically -shaped cloud, like an isle all broken into bays, capes, peaks, and -plains. In the glowing splendor it looked so frail and ethereal, that, -even as they gazed, it melted away before their eyes like a fairy -vision. - -“The Island of Fantasy!” murmured Helena. - -“My love! The real Island of Fantasy has vanished; the cloud Island of -Fantasy has disappeared; but in our hearts, my Helena, there is a land -of fairy loveliness, which will endure forever, and some day, my child, -when we leave this world, we will find our beautiful island once again, -more glorious than of yore, with your father to welcome us there.” - - FINIS. - - “Down where the living waters flow.” - -==HOT SPRINGS,== -==ARKANSAS.== - - The best patronized Winter resort in the United States. - All the hotels now open. Golf, lawn tennis, cricket, - base ball, the best of saddle and driving horses, and - other outdoor sports. The - - ==Iron Mountain Route== - - Is the old reliable and most direct line. Less than - twelve hours from St. Louis and twenty-one hours from - Chicago, with through Compartment and Standard Sleeping - Cars and Free Reclining Chair Cars. Pamphlets telling - all about it from any agent of the Company. - - W. E. HOYT - G. E. P. AGENT, 335 BROADWAY - NEW YORK, N. Y. - - H. C. TOWNSEND, - GENERAL PASSENGER AND TICKET AGENT - ST. LOUIS, MO. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: - - A Typical Dining Car on the Southern’s Limited Trains. - Famous for its Unexcelled Service and Cuisine. Meals Equal to those of - Any First-Class Hotel. -] - - The highest development of LUXURIOUS TRAVEL has been attained by the - - SOUTHERN RAILWAY - -with its “_Southern’s Palm Limited_,” (during the tourist season) the -_Washington and Southwestern Limited_, the _Sunset Limited_, the -Washington and Florida Limited and U. S. Fast Mail. Daily the year -round. - - For the Cities of the South - -[Sidenote: FLORIDA] - -=New Orleans, Mexico, California, Asheville, Pinehurst, Hot Springs, -Toxaway, N. Carolina, Augusta, Aiken, Camden, Summerville, Charleston, -Jekyl Island, Nassau and Cuba.= - -The land of Flowers and Fruits (Florida and California), the mountains -of North Carolina, and practically all the important points in the Sunny -South are reached with speed and in luxurious comfort by the superbly -appointed trains of this Peerless Route. - -=The Washington and Southwestern Limited= leaves New York daily, 4 25 p. -m. The train is one of the most luxurious in the world, consisting -entirely of Pullman club, drawing room, sleeping cars, library, -observation and Southern Railway dining cars, reaching all of the -principal cities of the South. - - _For full particulars and free illustrated booklets apply to_ - -=THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY,= ==New York Offices, 271 and 1185 Broadway.== - - A. S. THWEATT, Eastern Pass’r Agt. - W. H. TAYLOR, Gen’l Pass’r Ag’t. S. H. HARDWICK, Pass’r Traffic Mgr. - WASHINGTON, D. C. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Transcriber’s Note - -Compound words which appear on page or line breaks either retain or -forgo the hyphen depending on usage elsewhere in the text. -Inconsistencies of hyphenation in words appearing midline are retained, -unless there is a clear preponderance of one or the other. - -Errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, and -are noted here. The references are to the page and line in the original. - - 15.23 such arid chips of wi[ds/sd]om Transposed. - - 16.4 which renders your life so bitter[./?] Replaced. - - 30.26 said Mrs. Den[e]gelton Removed. - - 46.35 I learned [Greek/English] from a roving Confused. - Englishman - - 104.8 —misnamed a palace[./,]— Replaced. - - 129.30 [“]I must think it over. Added. - - 130.34 [“]I talk very confidently, but I am doubtful. Removed. - - 136.46 To bitterness.[’] Removed. - - 137.40 any national songs of your country.[”] Added. - - 162.2 such as ‘a hungry beast,’ ‘a ravenous Added. - monster,[’] - - 191.35 with the most appalling cynicism.[”] Added. - - 211.34 I should like nothing better[?/.] Replaced. - - 237.40 with this accomplished cut-throat.[”] Removed. - - 238.37 with Crispin a[u/n]d Maurice on either side of Inverted. - him. - - 251.25 his chair a little nearer.[”] Removed. - - 251.35 Decide[d]ly these two young people Inserted. - - 254.2 his offer to make her an[ ]odalisque of the Inserted. - harem. - - 279.8 in these post-revolu[n]tionary days Removed. - - 282.28 [“]who are you?” Inserted. - - 286.16 well versed in Dick’s ta[c]tics Inserted. - - 287.8 there were flat-racing[,] hurdle-racing Inserted. - - 289.1 [“]she thought it was Gurt, sir!” Added. - - 304.16 to her favorite haunt[-/.] Replaced. - - 317.1 [“]As to Justinian’s breaking faith Removed. - - 325.1 now you can understand how [de]delighted I am Redundant. - - 327.28 now being able to talk f[r]eely of himself Inserted. - - 373.32 However, it was to[ to] all appearances Redundant. - - 403.6 [“]it is too dangerous. Added. - - 417.24 like cats on hot bricks shortly![”] Added. - - 420.4 who were so calm[l]y seated over the mine Inserted. - - 429.6 “Not the sligh[t]est!” Inserted. - - 431.2 their hearts thrilled with[,] fear Removed. - - 452.33 he said tenderly, taking[,] her in his arms Removed. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Island of Fantasy, by Fergus Hume - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ISLAND OF FANTASY *** - -***** This file should be named 56177-0.txt or 56177-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/6/1/7/56177/ - -Produced by KD Weeks, Suzanne Shell and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. 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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 -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: The Island of Fantasy - A Romance - -Author: Fergus Hume - -Release Date: December 13, 2017 [EBook #56177] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ISLAND OF FANTASY *** - - - - -Produced by KD Weeks, Suzanne Shell and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Transcriber’s Note:</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Please -see the transcriber’s <a href='#endnote'>note</a> at the end of this text -for details regarding the handling of any textual issues encountered -during its preparation.</p> - -<div class='htmlonly'> - -<p class='c001'>Any corrections are indicated using an <ins class='correction' title='original'>underline</ins> -highlight. Placing the cursor over the correction will produce the -original text in a small popup.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -</div> -<div class='epubonly'> - -<p class='c001'>Any corrections are indicated as hyperlinks, which will navigate the -reader to the corresponding entry in the corrections table in the -note at the end of the text.</p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<hr class='c002' /> -<hr class='c002' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='xlarge'><span class="blackletter">The Island of Fantasy</span></span></div> - <div>A Romance</div> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class='c002' /> -<hr class='c002' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>By FERGUS HUME</div> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class='c002' /> -<p class='c001'><span class='small'><i>Author of “When I Lived In Bohemia,” “The Mystery -of a Hansom Cab,” “The Man Who Vanished,” etc</i>.</span></p> -<hr class='c002' /> -<div class='lg-container-b c003'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Sorrow and weariness,</div> - <div class='line'>Heartache and dreariness,</div> - <div class='line in2'>None should endure;</div> - <div class='line'>Scale ye the mountain peak,</div> - <div class='line'>Vale ’o the fountain seek,</div> - <div class='line in2'>There is the cure.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class='c004' /> -<hr class='c002' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><em class='gesperrt'><span class='xlarge'>R. F. FENNO & COMPANY</span></em></div> - <div>9 and 11 East Sixteenth Street, New York</div> - <div>1905</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c005'> - <div><span class='sc'>Copyright</span>, 1892,</div> - <div class='c000'>BY</div> - <div class='c000'>UNITED STATES BOOK COMPANY</div> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class='c006' /> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='small'>[<i>All rights reserved</i>]</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c005' /> -</div> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span> - <h1 class='c007'><span class='xxlarge'>THE ISLAND OF FANTASY.</span></h1> -</div> - -<hr class='c008' /> - -<div> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER I. <br /> <span class='fss'>A MIND DISEASED.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Your Eastern drugs, your spices, your perfumes,</div> - <div class='line'>Are all in vain;</div> - <div class='line'>They cannot snatch my soul from out its glooms,</div> - <div class='line'>Nor soothe the brain.</div> - <div class='line'>My mind is dark as cycle-sealèd tombs,</div> - <div class='line'>And must remain</div> - <div class='line'>In darkness till the light of God illumes</div> - <div class='line'>Its black inane.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>It was eight o’clock on a still summer evening, and, the -ladies having retired, two men were lingering in a pleasant, -indolent fashion over their wine in the dining-room of Roylands -Grange. To be exact, only the elder gentleman was -paying any attention to his port, for the young man who sat -at the head of the table stared vaguely on his empty glass, -and at his equally empty plate, as if his thoughts were miles -away, which was precisely the case. Youth was moody, age -was cheerful, for, while the former indulged in a brown study, -the latter cracked nuts and sipped wine, with a just appreciation -of the excellence of both. Judging from this outward -aspect of things, there was something wrong with Maurice -Roylands, for if reverend age in the presentable person of -Rector Carriston could be merry, there appeared to be no -very feasible reason why unthinking youth should be so ineffably -dreary. Yet woe was writ largely on the comely -face of the moody young man, and he joined but listlessly in -the jocund conversation of his companion, which was punctuated -in a very marked manner by the cracking of filberts.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Outside, a magical twilight brooded over the landscape, -and the chill odors of eve floated from a thousand sleeping -<span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>flowers into the mellow atmosphere of the room, which was -irradiated by the soft gleam of many wax candles rising -white and slender from amid the pale roses adorning the -dinner-table. All was pleasant, peaceful, and infinitely -charming; yet Maurice Roylands, aged thirty, healthy, -wealthy, and not at all bad-looking, sat moodily frowning -at his untasted dessert, as though he bore the weight of the -world on his shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In truth, Mr. Roylands, with the usual self-worship of -latter-day youth, thought he was being very hardly treated -by Destiny, as that all-powerful goddess had given him -everything calculated to make a mortal happy, save the capability -of being happy. This was undeniably hard, and might -be called the very irony of fate, for one might as well offer -a sumptuous banquet to a dyspeptic, as give a man all the -means of enjoyment, without the faculty of taking advantage -of such good fortune. Roylands had considerable artistic -power, an income of nearly six thousand a year, a fine house, -friends innumerable—of the summer season sort; yet he -neither cared about nor valued these blessings, for the simple -reason that he was heartily sick of them, one and all. He -would have been happier digging a patch of ground for his -daily bread, than thus idling through life on an independent -income, for Ennui, twin sister of Care, had taken possession -of his soul, and in the midst of all his comforts he was thoroughly -unhappy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The proverb that “The rich are more miserable than the -poor,” is but a trite one on which to preach a sermon, for did -not Solomon say all that there was to be said in the matter? -It was an easier task to write a new play on the theme of -Hamlet, than to compose a novel discourse on the “All is vanity” -text; for on some subjects the final word has been said, -and he who preaches thereon says nothing new, but only repeats -the ideas of former orators, who in their turn doubtless -reiterated the sayings of still earlier preachers, and so on -back to Father Adam, to whom the wily serpent possibly -delivered a sermon on the cynically wise saying illustrated so -exhaustively by Solomon ben David. Therefore, to remark -that Maurice was miserable amid all his splendors is a plagiarism, -and they who desire to study the original version -for themselves must read Ecclesiastes, which gives a minute -analysis of the whole question, with cruelly true comments -thereon.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Roylands ten years before had gone to London, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span>against the desire of his father, to take up the profession—if -it can be called so—of a sculptor, he was full of energy -and ambition. He had fully determined to set the Thames -on fire by the creation of statues worthy of Canova, to make -a great name in the artistic world, to become a member of -the Academy, to inaugurate a new era in the history of -English sculpture; so, with all this glory before him, he -turned his back on the flesh-pots of Egypt and went to dwell -in the land of Bohemia. In order to bring the lad to his -senses, Roylands senior refused to aid him with a shilling -until he gave up the pitiful trade—in this country squire’s -opinion—of chipping figures out of marble. Supplies being -thus stopped, Maurice suffered greatly in those artistic days -for lack of an assured income; yet in spite of all his deprivations, -he was very happy in Bohemia until he lived down -his enthusiasms. When matters came to that pass, the -wine of life lost its zest for this young man, and he became -a victim to melancholia, that terrible disease for which -there is rarely—if any cure. He lived because he did not -agree with Addison’s Cato regarding the virtues of self-destruction, -but as far as actual dying went it mattered to -him neither one way nor the other. If he had done but -little good during his life, at least he had done but little -harm, so, thinking he could scarcely be punished severely -for such a negative existence, he was quite willing to leave -this world he found so dreary, provided the entrance into -the next one was not of too painful a nature.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It is a bad thing for a young man to thus take to the pessimistic -school of philosophy as exemplified by Schopenhauer, -as, having nothing to look back at, nothing to look forward -to, and nothing to hold on by, the scheme of his life falls -into a ruinous condition, so, being without the safety anchor -of Hope, he drifts aimlessly through existence, a nuisance to -himself and to every one around him. Maurice, listless and -despairing, did no more work than was absolutely necessary -to earn a bare subsistence, and lived his life in a semi-dreamy, -semi-lethargic condition, with no very distinct idea -as to what was to be the ultimate end of all this dreariness. -When night fell he was then more at rest, for in sleep he -found a certain amount of compensation for the woes of his -waking hours. As to his modelling, he took a positive dislike -to it, and for this reason improved but little in his work -during the last years of his Bohemian existence. Profoundly -disgusted, without any positive reason, with himself, his art, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>the world, and his fellow-men, heaven only knows what -would have become of him, had not an event happened -which, by placing him in a new position, seemed to promise -his redemption from the gloomy prison of melancholia.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The event in question was none other than the death of -his father, and Maurice, as in duty bound, came down to the -funeral. When the will of the late Squire was read, it was -discovered that, with the exception of one or two trifling -bequests, all the real and personal property was left to his -only son; thus this fortunate young man at the age of thirty -found himself independent of the world for the rest of his -days, provided always he did not squander his paternal acres, -a thing he had not the slightest intention of doing. Maurice -had no leanings towards what is vulgarly termed a “fast -life,” for he detested horse-racing, cared but little for wine, -and neither cards nor women possessed any fascination for -him. Not that he was a model young man by any means, -but his tastes were too refined, his nature too intellectual, to -admit of his finding pleasure in drinking, gaming, and their -concomitants. As to love, he did not know the meaning of -the word,—at least not the real meaning,—which was -rather a mistake, as it would certainly have given him an -interest in life, and perhaps have prevented him yielding -so readily to the influence of “black care,” which even the -genial Venusian knew something about, seeing he made her -an equestrian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Of course, he was sorry for the death of his father, but -there had been so little real sympathy between them, that -he could not absolutely look upon the event as an irreparable -calamity. Maurice had always loved his mother more -than his father, and when she died as he was leaving home -for college he was indeed inconsolable; but he saw the -remains of the late Mr. Roylands duly committed to the -family vault without any violent display of grief, after -which he returned to live the life of a country gentleman at -the Grange, and wonder what would be the upshot of this -new phase of his existence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Solitude was abhorrent to him, as his thoughts were so -miserable; therefore, for the sake of having some one to -drive away the evil spirit, he invited his aunt, the Hon. Mrs. -Dengelton, to stay at the Grange for a week or so. She -came without hesitation, and brought her daughter Eunice -also, upon which Maurice, finding two women more than an -unhappy bachelor could put up with, asked the new poet -<span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>Crispin, for whom he had a great liking, to come down to -Roylands, which that young man did very willingly, as he -was in love with Eunice, a state of things half guessed and -wholly hated by Mrs. Dengelton, who much desired her -daughter to marry the new Squire.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On this special evening, the Rev. Stephen Carriston, Rector -of Roylands, had come to dinner, and, Crispin having -retired to the drawing-room with the ladies, he found himself -alone with his former pupil, much to his satisfaction, as he -wished greatly to have a quiet talk with Maurice. Mr. Carriston -was the oldest friend the young man had, having been -his tutor in the long ago, and prepared him for college. -Whatever success Maurice gained at Oxford—and such -success was not inconsiderable—was due to the admirable -way in which he had been coached by the rubicund divine.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Certainly the Rector loved the good things of this life, -and looked as if he did, which is surely pardonable enough, -especially in a bachelor; for at sixty-five years of age the -Rector was still single, and much beloved by his parishioners, -to whom he preached short, pithy sermons on the actions -of their daily lives, which was assuredly much better than -muddling their dull brains with theological hair-splitting. -Being very fond of Maurice, he was greatly concerned to -see the marked change which six years of London life had -made in the young fellow. The merry, ambitious lad, who -had departed so full of resolution to succeed, had now returned -a weary-looking, worn-out man; and as the Rector, -during the intervals of his nut-cracking, glanced at his former -pupil, he was struck by the extreme melancholy which -pervaded the whole face. Comely it was certainly, of the -fresh-colored Saxon type, but the color had long since left -those haggard cheeks, there were deep lines in the high forehead, -the mouth was drawn downward in a dismal fashion -under the trim mustache, and from the eyes looked forth -an unhappy soul.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yes, the Rector was considerably puzzled to account for -this change, and resolved to find out what ailed the lad, but -he hardly knew how to set about this delicate task, the -more so, as he feared the consolations of religion would do -but little good in this case; for Maurice, without being absolutely -a sceptic, yet held opinions of a heterodox type, quite -at variance with the declarations of the Thirty-Nine Articles -in which the good Rector so firmly believed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At length Mr. Carriston grew weary of cracking nuts and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>sipping port wine without the digestive aid of pleasant conversation, -and therefore began to talk to his quondam pupil, -with the firm determination to keep on talking until he discovered -the secret of the young man’s melancholy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you not going to fill your glass, Maurice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, thank you, sir. I am rather tired of port.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Inexplicable creature!” said the Rector, holding up his -glass to the light. “Ah, well, ‘<span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><i>De gustibus</i></span>,’ my dear lad. -I have no doubt you can finish the quotation. Why not -try claret?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m tired of claret.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It seems to me, sir,” observed Mr. Carriston leisurely, -“that you are tired of all things.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am—including myself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Strange! A young man of thirty years of age, sound of -mind and body, who is fortunate enough to inherit six thousand -a year, ought to be happy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Money does not bring happiness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, that proverb is quite worn out,” replied the Rector -cheerily; “try another, my boy, try another.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice, leaning forward with a sigh, took a handful of -nuts, which he proceeded to crack in a listless fashion. The -Rector said nothing, but waited for Maurice to speak, which -he was obliged to do out of courtesy, although much disinclined -to resume the argument.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ve tried everything, and I’m tired of everything.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Even of that marble-chipping you call art?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am more tired of that than of anything else,” said -Maurice emphatically.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A bad case,” murmured the Rector, shaking his gray head; -“a very bad case, which needs curing. ‘Nothing’s new! -nothing’s true! and no matter,’ says my Oxford fine gentleman. -Maurice, I must assert my privilege as an old friend, -and reason with you in this matter. I am sadly afraid, my -dear lad, that you need whipping.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The ghost of a smile played over the tired face of the -young man, and he assented heartily to the observation of -his old tutor—nay, even added an amendment thereto.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do, sir, I do!” he said sombrely; “we all need whipping -more or less—men, women, and children.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid the last-named get the most of it,” replied -Carriston, with dry humor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“With the birch, yes. But ’tis not so pleasant to be -whipped by Fate.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span>“My dear lad, you cannot say she has whipped you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To continue your illustration, Rector, there are several -modes of whipping,—the birch which pains the skin, poverty -which pains the body, and despair which pains the soul. -The latter is my case. I have health, wealth, and youth; -but I feel the stings of the rod all the same.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes?” queried Carriston interrogatively; “in what -way?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have not the capability of enjoying the blessings I -possess.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How so? Explain this riddle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot explain it. I simply take no pleasure in life. -Rich or poor, old or young, well or ill, I would still be as -miserable as I am now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hum! Let us look at the question from three points of -view—comprehensive points. The legal, the medicinal, the -religious. One of these, if properly applied, will surely -solve the enigma.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I doubt it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, that is because you have made up your mind to -doubt. ‘None so blind as those who won’t see.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who is quoting proverbs now, Mr. Carriston?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am, sir, even I who dislike such arid chips of <a id='corr15.23'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='widsom'>wisdom</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_15.23'><ins class='correction' title='widsom'>wisdom</ins></a></span>; -but ’tis an excellent proverb, which has borne the wear and -tear of centuries. Come now, Maurice, are you in any -trouble connected with money? are you involved in any -law-suit, or—or—well,” said the Rector, delicately eying -his glass, “I hardly know how to put it,—er—er—are -you involved in any love affair?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; my worldly position is all right, and I am not -mixed up in any feminine trouble.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good! that settles the legal point. Now for the medical. -Your liver must be out of order.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I assure you, sir, I never felt better in my life.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Carriston’s face now assumed a grave expression as -he put the last question to his host.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And the religious point?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not troubled on that score, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Rev. Stephen looked doubtful.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Whatever my religious views may be,” resumed Maurice, -seeing the Rector was but half convinced, “and I am afraid -they can hardly be called orthodox, I at least can safely say -that my past life is not open to misconstruction.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good! good! I always had confidence in you, Maurice. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>Yours is not the nature to find pleasure in gutter-raking. -Well, it seems that none of those three points meet the case. -Can you not give me some understandable reason for this -melancholy which renders your life so <a id='corr16.4'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='bitter.'>bitter?</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_16.4'><ins class='correction' title='bitter.'>bitter?</ins></a></span>”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No. I went to London full of joy, energy, and ambition; -but in some way—I cannot tell you how—I lost all -those feelings. First joy departed, then ambition fled away, -and with these two feelings absent I felt no further energy -to do anything. It may be satiety, certainly. I have explored -the heights and depths of London life, I have read -books new and old, I have studied as far as in me lay my -fellow-men, I have tried to fall in love with my fellow-women—and -failed dismally. In fact, Mr. Carriston, I -have exhausted the world, and find it as empty as this.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He held up a nut which he had just cracked, and it contained -no kernel—an apt illustration of his wasted life.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The rector shook his head again in some perplexity, and -filled himself another glass of port, while Maurice, rising -from his seat, sauntered to the window, and looked absently -at the peaceful scene before him. The moon, rising slowly -over the tree-tops, flooded the landscape with her pale gleam, -so that the gazer could see the glimmer of the white marble -statues far down in the dewy darkness of the lawn, the sombre -woods black against the clear sky, and away in the distance -the thin streak of silver, which told of the restless -ocean. A salt wind was blowing overland from thence, and, -dilating his nostrils, opening his mouth, he inhaled the vivifying -breeze in long breaths, while dully in his ears sounded -the sullen thunder of the far-away billows rolling backward -in sheets of shattered foam.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Mother Nature! Demeter! Tellus! Isis!” he murmured, -half closing his eyes; “tis only from thee I can hope -to gain a panacea for this gnawing pain of life. I am weary -of the world, tired of this aimless existence, but to thee will -I fly to seek solace in thine healing balms.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Maurice!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was the rector who spoke, and the sound of his mellow -voice roused the young man from his dreaming; therefore, -resuming his normal manner, he lighted a cigarette and prepared -to listen to the conversation of his old tutor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you still as good a German scholar as you used to -be?” asked the rector deliberately.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not quite. My German, like myself, has grown somewhat -rusty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span>“Can you translate the word <span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><i>Selbstschmerz</i></span>?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Self-sickness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; that is about as good an English equivalent as can -be found. Well, that is what you are suffering from.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, wise physician,” retorted Roylands, with irony. “I -know the cause of the disease myself, but what of the -cure?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must fall in love.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No one can fall in love to order.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you must make the attempt at all events,” said -Carriston, with a genial laugh; “it is the only cure for your -disease.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why do you think so?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because it is your egotism makes you miserable. You -care for no one but yourself, and are therefore bound to suffer -from such selfishness. True happiness lies in self-abnegation, -a virtue which all men preach, but few men practise. -‘Every man,’ says Goethe, ‘thinks himself the centre of the -universe.’ This is true—particularly true in your case. -You have been so much taken up with your own woes and -troubles that you have had no time to see those of your fellow-creatures, -and such exclusive analysis of one’s inner life -leads naturally to self-sickness. You are torturing yourself -by yourself; you have destroyed the sense of pleasure, and -can therefore see nothing good on God’s earth. You would -like to cut the Gordian knot by death, but have neither the -courage nor resolution to make away with yourself. Oh, I -know the reason of such hesitation.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘’Tis better to endure the ills we have,</div> - <div class='line'>Than fly to others that we know not of.’</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>I have no doubt that is your feeling about the hereafter. -Well, with all this you feel you are in prison and cannot -escape, because a last remnant of manliness forbids you opening -the only door by which you can go hence. Therefore you -are forced to remain on earth, and condemned yourself to -supply the tortures from which you suffer. Have I not described -your condition accurately?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have,” replied Maurice, rather astonished at the rector’s -penetration. “I do torture myself, I know, but that is -because I cannot escape from my own thoughts. Pin-pricks -hurt more than cannon balls, and incessant worries are far -more painful than great calamities. But all you have said -touches on the disease only, it does not say how the cure -you propose will benefit me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>He had come back to his seat, and was now leaning forward -with folded arms, looking at the benevolent face of his -friend. The discussion, having roused his interest, made him -forget himself for the moment, and with such forgetfulness -the moody look passed away from his face. The rector -saw this, and immediately made use of it as a point in his -favor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, if you could but behold yourself in the glass at this -moment,” he said approvingly, “you would see the point I -am aiming at without need of further discussion. I have -interested you, and consequently you have forgotten for the -moment your self-torture. That is what love will do. If -you love a woman, she will fill your whole soul, your whole -being, and give you an interest in life. What she admires -you will admire, what she takes an interest in you will take -an interest in; and thus, being busy with other things, you -will forget to worry your brains about your own perfections -or imperfections. And if you are happy enough to become a -father, children will give you a great interest in life, and you -will find that God has appointed you work to do which is -ready to your hand. When you discover the work, aided by -wife and children, you will do it, and thus be happy. Remember -those fine words of Burns,—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘To make a happy fireside clime</div> - <div class='line in2'>For weans and wife,</div> - <div class='line'>That’s the true pathos and sublime</div> - <div class='line in2'>Of human life.’”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“What you say sounds fine but dull. I don’t care about -such wearisome domesticity.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What you call wearisome domesticity,” said the Rector -in a voice of emotion, “is the happiest state in which a man -can find himself. Home, wife, children, domestic love, domestic -consolations—what more can the heart of man desire? -Laurel crowns cure no aching head, but the gentle kiss of a -loved wife in time of trouble is indeed balm in Gilead.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice looked at the old man in amazement, for never -had he seen him so moved.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You speak feelingly, Rector,” he said at length, with a -certain hesitation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I speak as I feel,” replied Carriston with a sigh. “I -also have my story, old and unromantic-looking as I am. -Come over to the Rectory to-morrow, my dear lad, and I will -<span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>tell you something which will make you see how foolish it is -to be miserable in God’s beautiful world.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid it will give you pain.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; it will not give me pain. What was my greatest -sorrow is now my greatest consolation. You will come and -see me to-morrow?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you wish it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do wish it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then I will come.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was silence for a few moments, each of them being -occupied with his own thoughts. The Rector was evidently -thinking of that old romance which had stirred him to such -an unwonted display of emotion; and Maurice saw for the -first time in his selfish life that other men had sorrows as -well as he, and that he was not the only person in the -world who suffered from <span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><i>Selbstschmerz</i></span>.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But come, Maurice,” said the Rector, after a pause, “I -was talking about curing you by marriage.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Love!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, marriage in your case, I hope, will be love,” observed -Carriston, a trifle reproachfully. “I would be sorry -indeed to see you make any woman your wife unless it was -for true love’s sake.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, whom do you want me to love?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, that is for you to decide. But, if I may make a -suggestion, I should say, Eunice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eunice!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She is a charming girl. Highly educated, good-looking”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But so prim.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, that is but a suspicion of old maidism, which will -wear off after a month or two of married life.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think she would make me a good wife?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am sure of it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So am I,” said Maurice, with a faint sneer. “She would -look well at the head of my table; she would always be -dressed to perfection; she would doubtless be an excellent -mother; but there is one great bar to our union.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And that is?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We only love each other as cousins.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It may grow into a warmer feeling.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m certain it won’t; and, Rector,” continued Maurice, -laying his hand on the old man’s arm, “could you advise me -to have a mother-in-law like Mrs. Dengelton?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>The Rector laughed heartily, and Maurice joined in his -mirth, much to Carriston’s delight.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, now you are more like the boy I knew!” he said, -slipping his arm into that of Roylands, and leading him to -the door; “did I not tell you I would cure you? I will -complete the cure to-morrow.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But it might give you pain.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, no; don’t think about that,” said Carriston hastily. -“If I can do you a service, I don’t mind a passing twinge of -regret. But here we are at the drawing-room door. Let us -join the ladies.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Crispin.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By the way,” said the Rector, placing his hand on Roylands -as he was about to open the door, “who is Crispin?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Every one in London has been trying to find that out for -the last two years.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is he?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The new poet; the coming Tennyson, the future Browning. -No one knows who he is, or where he comes from. -He is called Crispin <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>tout court</i></span>.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A most perplexing person. Are you quite sure”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If he is fit for respectable society? Oh yes. He goes -everywhere in London. Like Disraeli, he stands on his head, -for his genius—and he has great genius—has opened all -the drawing-rooms of Belgravia to him. Oh, he is quite -proper.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Still, still!” objected the Rector.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, what objection have you yet to him, my dear sir?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m afraid, I’m afraid,” whispered Carriston, looking -apprehensively at Maurice, “that he loves Eunice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Impossible!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I’m not so old but what I can see the signs and -tokens of love; and, placed on my guard by a casual glance, -I noticed Eunice and your poet particularly at dinner.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In that case,” said Maurice coolly, “I’m afraid Crispin -will have to put up with Mrs. Dengelton as a mother-in-law.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Rector laughed again, and they entered the drawing-room.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER II. <br /> <span class='fss'>DE RERUM PARVULA.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>The smallest actions in a life</div> - <div class='line'>Betray the calm or inward strife:</div> - <div class='line'>From idle straws, as persons know,</div> - <div class='line'>One learns the way the breezes blow;</div> - <div class='line'>You love those Florentine mosaics,</div> - <div class='line'>Yet tiny stones the picture makes.</div> - <div class='line'>Complying with this rule’s demand,</div> - <div class='line'>Whate’er is meant you’ll understand,</div> - <div class='line'>So follow carefully this chatter,</div> - <div class='line'>And you’ll discover what’s the matter.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The three persons who occupied the drawing-room were -all employed according to their different natures, for Crispin, -being an ardent musician, was seated at the piano, playing -softly. Eunice, who rarely spoke, was listening, and the -Hon. Mrs. Dengelton was talking as usual. She was always -talking, but never by any chance said anything worth listening -to. With her it was all quantity and no quality. For, -wherever she was, in drawing-room, theatre, or park, her -sharp strident voice could be heard all over the place. Certainly -she was silent in church, but it must have been an -effort for her to hold her tongue, and she fully made up for -it when she was outside the door, by chattering all the way -home. Scandal said she had talked her husband dead and -her daughter silent; and certainly the Hon. Guy Dengelton -was safe in the family vault, while Eunice, as a rule, said -very little. Mrs. Dengelton knew every one and everything, -and, were it the fashion to write memoirs, after the -mode of the eighteenth century, she could have produced a -book which would have made a sensation, and been suppressed—after -the first edition. Owing to her incessant -stream of small talk, she was known in society as “The -Parrot,” a name which exactly fitted her, as she had a hook -nose, beady eyes, and always dressed in gay colors. Add -to this description her <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>esprit</i></span>, as she called it, but which -scandal said was French for the vulgar American word -“jaw,” and you have a faithful portrait of the most dreaded -woman in London.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Reasons? two! She knew stories about every one, which -she retailed to their friends at the pitch of her voice; and -she was always hunting for a husband for Eunice. Eldest -<span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>sons had a horror of her, and the announcement that Mrs. -Dengelton was to be at any special ball was sufficient to keep -all the eligible young men away. Consequently, no one asked -“The Parrot” to a dance unless the invitation was dragged -out of them; but Mrs. Dengelton was skilful at such work, -and went out a good deal during the season. Hitherto she -had not been successful in her husband-hunting, as no one -would marry Eunice, with the chance of having Mrs. Dengelton -as mother-in-law. Crispin certainly was daring enough -to pay his addresses, but Crispin had neither name, title, -nor family, nothing but his genius, and Mrs. Dengelton -therefore frowned on his suit. When Maurice came in for -the Roylands estate, his aunt thought it would be splendid -for Eunice to marry her first cousin, “just to keep the -property in the family,” as Mrs. Dengelton put it, though -how such a saying applied in this case it is rather difficult -to see. However, The Parrot gladly accepted her nephew’s -invitation,—when she arrived, he regretted having asked -her—and came down with Eunice, with the firm determination -to talk Maurice into matrimony.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She was very angry when Crispin arrived, and forbade -Eunice to encourage the young man, but she could scarcely -turn him out of the house, as she would have liked to do, -so put up with his presence as best she could, and never -lost an opportunity of saying disagreeable things to him in -a covert fashion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Eunice herself was a charmingly pretty girl, who very -much resented the way in which her mother put her up to -auction, but, being rather weak-willed, could not combat -Mrs. Dengelton’s determination, and submitted quietly to be -dragged about all over the place, with the hope that some -day a modern St. George would deliver her from this dragon.</p> - -<p class='c001'>St. George, long looked for, unexpectedly appeared one -day in the person of Crispin, and, though Mrs. Dengelton -laughed at the idea of her daughter throwing herself away -on a pauper, Eunice, nevertheless, fell in love with the -poet. Crispin would have married her at once, but, in spite -of her anxiety to get beyond the clack of Mrs. Dengelton’s -tongue, she was too much afraid of that strong-willed lady -to break out into open mutiny, so poor St. George had to -adore her in secret, lest the dragon should pounce down on -him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin! who ever heard of such a name? being the -more singular as it had neither head nor tail. If he had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>been Henry Crispin, or Crispin Jones, people could have -put up with the oddness of the sound; but Crispin, all alone -by itself, sounded heathenish, to say the least of it. No one -knew who Crispin was, or where he came from, for he had -suddenly flashed like a meteor into literary London, two -years previous, with a book of brilliant poems, which made -a great success. For once the critics were unanimous in -praising good work, and pronounced “The Roses of Shiraz, -and Other Poems” to be the finest series of poetical Eastern -tales since Lord Byron had enchanted the world with “The -Giaour” and “The Bride of Abydos.” For the critics’ praise -or blame Crispin seemed to care but little, nor did he satisfy -the curiosity of those up to date people who desired to meet -him. Sometimes he would appear in a Belgravian drawing-room, -but only for a moment, and would then leave England -for a tour in his beloved East. Just when the world would -begin to forget him, he would suddenly reappear in society, -and fascinate one and all by his charming manners. Handsome -some he was not, being small and dark, but he was as lithe -as a serpent, and his dark eyes flashed with the fierce fire of -genius. All sorts of stories were told about him, and none -of them were correct, though Mrs. Dengelton was ready to -swear to the truth of at least half a dozen. In fact, he -puzzled society very much, and, as society always takes to -that which is not understandable, Crispin was quite the lion -of the season.</p> - -<p class='c001'>An article called “The Lord Byron of our days” appeared -in a leading society paper, which retailed wonders about -this unknown poet; but Crispin neither contradicted nor -affirmed the truth of these statements, therefore became -more of a puzzle than ever. He was a brilliant musician; -he talked several languages, and seemed to have been all -over the world; but beyond this he was a mystery. To no -one, not even to Maurice, who was his closest friend, did he -tell the story of his life, and even Mrs. Dengelton, who was -an adept at finding out things people did not want known, -could make nothing of him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then Crispin met Eunice, and all his heart went out to -this dainty, dark-haired girl, who spoke so seldom, but whose -eyes and gestures were so eloquent. “The Fairy of Midnight,” -he called her, and often wondered how such a -woman as Mrs. Dengelton ever came to have so silent and -lovely a daughter. To Crispin, steeped in the lore of the -East, she was like a Peri, and her love inspired him with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>wondrous love poems, some of which appeared in <cite>The Nineteenth -Century</cite> and <cite>The Fortnightly Review</cite>. Whether he -told her who he was is doubtful—if he did, Eunice never -betrayed his confidence, for she was a woman who could -keep a secret, which was a miracle, seeing her mother was -such a gossip. They loved and suffered in silence with such -discretion, that even keen-eyed Mrs. Dengelton did not guess -the understanding which existed between them, and was -hard at work trying to arrange a marriage with Maurice, -quite unaware that her meek daughter had made up her -mind to marry no one but this mysterious Crispin.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sitting at the piano, Crispin was playing a wild Eastern -air with the soft pedal down, and looking at Eunice, whose -eyes responded eloquently to his glances. Neither of them -paid much attention to the chatter of The Parrot, who was -quite ignorant of the love-making going on under her nose, -for both Eunice and Crispin had arrived at the stage of complete -union of souls which renders words superfluous while -eyes can talk.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Dengelton was doing a parrot in beadwork for a -screen, and the gaudy bird might have passed for her portrait, -so like her did it seem. Luckily, the beadwork parrot -could not talk, but its creator could, and did, with as few -pauses as possible.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As I was saying, my dear Eunice, there is something -very strange about this silence of my dear nephew. I’ve no -doubt it is smoking too much,—so many young men smoke -in that dreadful place, Bloomsbury, where he lived,—or perhaps -he feels a little out of society after living so long away -from it. Oh, I know Bloomsbury! yes! I sometimes visit -the poor there. How strange I never came across poor dear -Maurice! He is so sadly altered, not gay like he used to be. -I do not really think he knows how to laugh, and”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>At this moment, as if to give the lie to Mrs. Dengelton’s -assertion, her nephew entered the room, laughing, in company -with the Rector; but the good lady did not know that -she was the cause of this hilarity, and at once began to deluge -the new-comers with the fountain of her small talk.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now, my dear Rector and my dear Maurice, what are you -laughing at? Is it some amusing joke? Oh, I am sure it -is! Eunice, Mr. Crispin, we are going to be told something -funny”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But really, my dear lady,” began the Rector, with uplifted -hand, “I”—</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>“Now you need not tell me it is not funny, because it has -made Maurice laugh, and he has been as grave as a judge -since we came down. I was just saying to Eunice when you -came in”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear aunt, the joke is not worth telling you,” said -Maurice, in desperation cutting her short.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, I knew there was a joke! Do tell it to Eunice! she -is so fond of amusing stories, especially from you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice flushed angrily.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t tell amusing stories,” he said curtly, and walked -across to the piano.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Such a bad temper!” sighed the Parrot, shaking her head; -“so like his poor dear father, who foamed at the mouth when -in a rage.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, come, not so bad as that,” said the Rector good-naturedly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear Rector, I assure you I have seen Austin”—And -then Mrs. Dengelton began a long, rambling story, which -had no beginning and certainly did not appear to have an -end, for she droned on until the poor Rector was quite weary, -and was much put to to conceal his yawns.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile, Maurice, remembering what the Rector had -told him about the young couple, looked keenly at the poet -and then at his cousin, at which inspection they naturally -felt somewhat embarrassed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes?” said Eunice at length, in an interrogative fashion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, nothing, nothing!” he responded hastily; “I was -only wondering what you were talking about.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We were not talking at all,” said Crispin, running his -fingers over the keys; “on the contrary, we were listening to -Mrs. Dengelton.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice smiled absently, and tugged moodily at his mustache.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have a charming place here, Roylands,” remarked -Crispin, more for the sake of saying something than for the -importance of the remark; “I would like to settle down in -this quiet village.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You!” said Maurice in astonishment; “the bird of passage -who is never off the wing! Why, you would die of ennui -in a week.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, that depends on the company,” answered Crispin, -stealing a glance at Eunice, who sat silently playing with her -fan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid I am not very lively company,” observed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>Maurice, with a sigh, not noticing the glance; “there is so -little to talk about nowadays.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Poetry.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m tired of poetry.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Music.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Too much music is dreary. I heard such a lot in London.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then you must love scandal.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, that is a hint that my dear aunt can amuse me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Maurice!” said Eunice, with a frown.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now don’t be angry, my dear cousin. Talking scandal -is a very harmless occupation, and, as the Rector seems -interested, I think I will go and hear the latest story of Belgravia. -But, Crispin, I wish you would take my cousin on -to the terrace—the sky is worth looking at with moon and -clouds.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin darted a look of gratitude at him, and Maurice, -delighted at thus foiling his aunt’s schemes, went off to hear -that lady’s conversation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The two lovers at the piano were afraid to move for a time, -lest they should attract Mrs. Dengelton’s attention, and thus -be stopped from leaving the room; but when they saw her -deep in conversation with the two gentlemen, they stole -quietly to the French window at the end of the room, through -which they speedily gained the terrace.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you feel cold, Eunice?” asked Crispin, noticing his -companion shiver.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A little.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wait a moment, then. Your mother left a shawl near -the window, I’ll fetch it to you at once.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Take care she does not see you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not much fear of that; she has an audience, and is -happy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He went off laughing quietly; and Eunice, leaning on the -balustrade of the terrace, stared at the wonderful beauty of -the sky. Away in the west shone the silver round of the -moon, and below her were gigantic black clouds, the edges -of which were tipped with light. They looked like gigantic -rocks piled up from earth to heaven, and above them shone -the serene planet in an expanse of blue, as if she scorned -their efforts to veil her face. Far below Eunice heard the -musical splash of the fountains, and the chill odors of -flowers floated upward, as though drawn by the spell of her -beauty. She looked wonderfully lovely with her delicate -face turned upward to the moon, and so thought Crispin, as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>he came lightly along the terrace with the fleecy shawl over -his arm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I shall no longer call you the Fairy of Midnight,” he -whispered, wrapping the shawl round her shoulders; “your -name will be the ‘Moon Elf.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, what a charming title for a fairy story!” said -Eunice, who was anything but silent when away from her -mother. “Why do you not write a fairy story?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because I am living one now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Flatterer!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; I am speaking the truth. I adore a lovely princess, -who is guarded by an elderly dragon breathing the fire of -scandal”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must not talk of my mother like that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then I will not. She is the most charming lady I -know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! you are not pleased at that? My dearest -Eunice, how cruel you are! But indeed I do not love your -mother. She will not let me marry you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; she wants me to marry Maurice,” said Eunice, with -a sigh.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid that ambition will never be gratified. -Maurice is our friend.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think he knows we love one another?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am sure he does. But he knows to-night for the first -time; I saw it in his eyes when he looked at us.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How can he have guessed?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He did not guess. No; Roylands has never been in -love, and only a lover can recognize the silent eloquence of -love. But I think that keen-eyed old Rector”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! Mr. Carriston? Impossible! How could he -tell we loved one another?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, going by the theory I have propounded, he must -have at one time of his life been in love himself, and therefore -intuitively guessed our hidden romance.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But he is a bachelor.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, then he has had a romance also! An extinct volcano -perhaps.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Maurice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is not a volcano at all—at least, not so far as I know. -He has never been in love yet, but he will be some day.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pardon me, I cannot lift the veil of the future. But I -admit Maurice with his melancholia puzzles me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>“Well, you puzzle every one yourself. They call you the -riddle of London.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will explain my riddle self to you when we marry.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid that will never be.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Indeed it will,” he said gayly. “But you need not be -afraid of my mystery; I have no Bluebeard chamber to keep -locked, I assure you. Do you hesitate to marry me on -account of my so-called mystery?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; I trust you too much for that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dearest!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>At this moment the moon veiled her face discreetly behind -a wandering cloud, and their lips met in a kiss—a kiss of -pure and enduring love. Then Crispin tenderly wrapped the -shawl closer round the shoulders of Eunice, and arm in arm -they strolled up and down the terrace, talking of their present -despairs, their future hopes, and their possible marriage.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile, Mrs. Dengelton, quite unaware of the way in -which all her matrimonial schemes were being baffled by this -audacious poet, was holding forth to Maurice and the Rector -on the subject of a family romance. For once in her life she -proved interesting, for Maurice only knew the skeleton of -Roylands by name, and was quite unaware of the reason it -was locked up in the cupboard. It was wonderful what a -lot of good the conversation of the Rector had done him, and -now, having been once roused out of his melancholia, he was -quite interested by the story which his aunt was telling. -The Rev. Stephen Carriston noticed the bright look on his -usually sad face, and was delighted thereat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will complete the cure to-morrow,” he repeated to himself; -and then prepared to listen to Mrs. Dengelton’s story, -which interested him very much, the more so as he knew the -principal actor concerned therein.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course I only speak from hearsay, my dear Rector,” -she said, laying aside her beadwork so as to give her eloquence -every chance; “at the time these events took place -I was just a baby in long clothes. You, Rector, perhaps -know the story better than I do.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; I had just left college when Rudolph Roylands ran -away, but I knew him at the university.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah yes; of course. You were very friendly with both -my brothers, I believe, so it is curious they never told you of -their love for Rose Silverton.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well—I heard something about it,” said the Rector, -with a hesitating glance at Maurice.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>“Oh, my dear Rector, I am going to say nothing against -my sister-in-law. She was a very charming woman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She was all that was good and pure,” remarked Maurice -abruptly; annoyed, he knew not why, at the tone adopted -by Mrs. Dengelton in speaking of his dead mother.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I know she was. Still, my dear Maurice, you must -pardon my plain speech, but she did flirt terribly with Rudolph.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My lost uncle? Ridiculous!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is not ridiculous at all,” said the lady, drawing herself -up; “it was on your mother’s account Rudolph left England.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who said so?” demanded Maurice indignantly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Every one; even your father.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice was about to make some remark, when he caught -sight of a warning look on Carriston’s face, therefore held -his peace.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What I was about to remark,” pursued Mrs. Dengelton, -choosing her words carefully, “was that, when my brothers, -Rudolph and Austin, came home,—the first from his regiment, -the second from college,—they both fell in love with -Rose Silverton, whose father was a retired captain in the -army. Rudolph, as you know, Rector, was the heir to Roylands, -and Captain Silverton naturally wanted Rose to marry -him, as the match was such a good one. She, however, preferred -Austin.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Love <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><i>versus</i></span> Money, and Love was triumphant,” said -Maurice, smiling.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you put it like that, I suppose it was,” replied his -aunt frigidly. “Well, Rose, as I have said, flirted considerably -with Rudolph, though she loved my brother Austin -best. Oh, you need not shake your head, Rector—Rose did -flirt!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear aunt, spare the dead,” observed Maurice, with a -groan, for this old lady was really terrible with her malignant -tongue.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope I am too good a churchwoman to speak evil of -any one, dead or alive,” said Mrs. Dengelton, with dignity. -“But I will make no further remarks if they are so displeasing -to you, though why they should be displeasing I cannot -conceive. Well, to gratify her father, Rose appeared to favor -Rudolph, but in secret she met Austin. Such duplicity! -I beg your pardon, Maurice, but it was duplicity.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Rector sighed, and Mrs. Dengelton looked curiously at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>him, as if she guessed the meaning of the sigh, then resumed -her story without commenting thereon, to Carriston’s -evident relief.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Rudolph in some way came to hear of these stolen meetings, -and surprised Austin walking with Rose one June -evening. The brothers came, I regret to say, to blows, -while Rose looked on in horror. Austin, being the younger -and weaker, could not stand against the furious onslaught of -Rudolph, who stunned him with a blow, then, thinking he -had killed him, kissed Rose, who had fainted, and disappeared -forever. He returned to London, left the army, and -went away to the East, with a considerable sum of money -which he inherited from his mother.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And my father and mother?” asked Maurice breathlessly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Were found by some laborers insensible; the one from -fear, the other from the blow given to him by his brother. -They were taken to their respective homes, and when Austin -got well again, he married Rose in due course. I believe -your father and mother were very happy in their married -life, Maurice, but they were singularly unfortunate in the -fate of their children. Your brothers and sisters, four of -them born during the early period of the marriage, all died; -and you, who came into the world nearly twenty years after -the marriage, were the only child who lived.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And how long ago did all this happen, aunt?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Cannot you think it out for yourself?” said Mrs. <a id='corr30.26'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Denegelton'>Dengelton</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_30.26'><ins class='correction' title='Denegelton'>Dengelton</ins></a></span> -tartly. “You are now thirty-five; you were born—let -me see—about fifteen years after the marriage, so altogether -Rudolph disappeared fifty years ago.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And has not been heard of since?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; all inquiries were made, but nothing came of them,” -replied the lady, shaking her head. “I suppose Rudolph -thought he had killed Austin, and left England to avoid arrest. -At all events, not a soul has heard of him since. -Where he went, no one knows; but by this time, I have no -doubt he is dead.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Poor Uncle Rudolph, what an unhappy fate!” said -Maurice thoughtfully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, I always did blame Rose for that quarrel!” cried -Mrs. Dengelton sourly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My mother”—began Maurice indignantly, when the Rector -stopped him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your mother was not to blame, my dear Maurice,” he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>said, rising to his feet. “I know more about this story than -Mrs. Dengelton thinks.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A sniff was the Hon. Mrs. Dengelton’s only reply, which -was vulgar, but eloquent of disbelief.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Carriston’s face, generally ruddy, looked somewhat pale, -and Maurice wondered what could be the reason for such a -loss of color. The old man saw his inquiring look, and arose -to take his leave.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I must say good-night, my dear Maurice,” he said, giving -his hand to Mrs. Dengelton. “I am not so young as I -once was, and keep early hours.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>At this moment, as if guided by some happy fate, Eunice, -in company with Crispin, entered the room at the back of -Mrs. Dengelton, and returned to their seats without her having -noticed their absence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good-night, sir,” said Crispin, coming forward to shake -hands with the Rector.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How quiet you have been!” remarked Mrs. Dengelton -suspiciously. “Where is my daughter?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Here, mamma;” and Eunice came forward in the demurest -manner.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Were you listening to my story?” asked her mother inquiringly,—“my -story about your Uncle Rudolph leaving -England?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No,” interposed Crispin quickly, before Eunice could -speak; “we were discussing photographs on yonder sofa.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Photographs, eh?” said Mrs. Dengelton, with a frown, -for she knew what looking over a photograph album meant -in this case, but did not see her way to make further remark.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Rector said good-night to every one, and then departed, -accompanied by Maurice, who walked with him as -far as the park gates. Here they separated, after Maurice -had promised faithfully to call at the Rectory the next day, -and the old clergyman went home, while his pupil returned -to the Grange in a thoughtful manner.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wonder,” he said to himself, pausing for a moment in -the shadowy avenue,—“I wonder if my uncle is still alive. -If he is, I am wrongfully in possession of Roylands. Suppose -he came back and claimed it, I would once more be -penniless. Well,” he sighed, resuming his walk, “perhaps -that would be the best thing that could happen, for work -means happiness, and earning one’s bread forces a man to -take a deep interest in life whether he will or no.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER III. <br /> <span class='fss'>THE RECTOR’S ROMANCE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>In pity for our painful strife</div> - <div class='line in2'>God aids us from above,</div> - <div class='line'>And every mortal in his life</div> - <div class='line in2'>Plucks once the rose of love.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>The flower may bloom, the flower may fade,</div> - <div class='line in2'>As love brings joys or woes,</div> - <div class='line'>Still in the heart of youth and maid</div> - <div class='line in2'>That sacred blossom grows.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>’Tis cherished through declining years,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Amid death’s coming glooms,</div> - <div class='line'>And watered by regretful tears,</div> - <div class='line in2'>The flower eternal blooms.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Nor death that rose from us can part,</div> - <div class='line in2'>For when the body dies,</div> - <div class='line'>All broken on the broken heart,</div> - <div class='line in2'>That bud of heaven lies.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>Roylands Rectory was a comfortable-looking house, distant -about a mile from the Grange, and near the village, -which was an extremely small one. Indeed, although the -parish was large, the Rector’s congregation was not, and his -clerical occupation did not entail much work. Nevertheless, -Stephen Carriston did his best to attend to the spiritual welfare -of the souls under his charge; and if the hardest day’s -work still left him with plenty of spare time on his hands, -that could hardly be called his fault. The Rector abhorred -idleness, which is said to be the mother of all the vices, and -managed to fill up his unoccupied hours in a sufficiently -pleasant manner by indulging in occupations congenial to -his tastes. He was now engaged in translating the comedies -of Aristophanes into English verse, and found the biting -wit of the great Athenian playwright very delightful after -the dull brains of his parishioners. For the rest, he pottered -about his garden and attended to his roses, which were the -pride of his heart, as well they might be, seeing that his -small plot of ground was a perfect bower of loveliness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It is at this point that the pen fails and the brush should -come in; for it would be simply impossible to give in bald -prose an adequate description of the paradise of flowers contained -within the red brick walls which enclosed the garden -<span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>on three sides. The fourth side was the house, a quaint, low-roofed, -old-fashioned place, with deep diamond-paned lattices, -and stacks of curiously-twisted chimneys. Built in -the reign of the Second Charles, it yet bore the date of its -erection, 1666, the <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><i>annus mirabilis</i></span> of Dryden, when half -London was swept away by the fire, and half its inhabitants -by the plague. Rector Carriston liked this house,—nay, -like is too weak a word, he loved it,—as its antiquity, matching -with his own, pleased him; and besides, having resided -within its red-tiled roof for over thirty years, it was natural -that he should be deeply attached to its quaint walls and -still quainter rooms.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But the garden! oh, the garden was a miracle of beauty! -and only Crispin, who deals in such lovelinesses, could -describe its perfections, as he did indeed long afterwards, -when the good Rector was dead, and could not read the -glowing verse which eulogized his roses. Three moderately -high brick walls, one running parallel to the high road, so -that the Rector could keep a vigilant eye on the incomings -and outgoings of his villagers, fenced in this modern garden -of Alcinous, and these three walls were almost hidden by -the foliage of peach and apricot and nectarine, for it was -now midsummer, and nature was decked out in her gayest -robes. A dial in the middle of the smooth lawn, with -its warning motto, which the Rector did not believe, as -Time only sauntered with him; a noble elm, wherein -the thrush fluted daily, and a bower of greenery, in which -the nightingale piped nightly: it was truly an ideal retreat, -rendered still more perfect by the roses. The roses! -oh, the red, white, and yellow roses! how they bloomed in -profusion under the old red wall, which drew the heat of the -sun into its breast, and then showered it second-hand on the -delicate, warmth-loving flowers. Great creamy buds, trembling -amid their green leaves at the caress of the wind, -gorgeously crimson blossoms burning incense to the hot sun, -pale-tinted flowers, which flushed delicately at the dawn -hour, and bright yellow orbs, which looked as though the touch -of Midas had turned them into gold. All the bees for miles -around knew that garden, and the finest honey in the neighborhood -owed its existence to the constant visits they paid -to that wilderness of sweets.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Such a bright morning as it was! Above, the blue sky, -in which the sun burned lustily, below, the green earth, -pranked with flowers, and between these two splendors, the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>Rector, armed with a pair of scissors, strolling contentedly -about his small domain. From the adjacent fields, where -the corn was yet young, sprang a brown-feathered lark, -which arose higher and higher in spiral circles, singing as -though his throat would burst with melody, until, the highest -point attained, he ceased his liquid warblings, and fell -earthward like a stone. Indeed, the Rector had no lack of -music, for the larks awoke him in the morning, the thrushes -piped to him at noon, and when night fell the divine nightingale -pouring forth her impassioned strains wooed him from -his study, where he was reading the Aristophanic rendering -of her song, to listen to the reality, before which even the -magical Greek verse seemed harsh. ’Twas an ideal place, -and in it the Rector lived an ideal existence, far away from -the noise and restlessness of our modern civilization. In his -study he had the books of genius, which he greatly loved, -but in his garden he possessed the book of God, which he -loved still more; and even had not he been a devout believer -in the goodness of the Almighty, surely that garden would -have converted him with its dewy splendors.</p> - -<p class='c001'>An odd figure looked Mr. Carriston, shuffling about in a -pair of comfortable old slippers, a very raven in blackness, -save for the wide-brimmed straw hat shading his gray hairs, -his benevolent-looking face. With a green watering-pan in -one hand, and the scissors in the other, he pried and peered -among his beloved flowers, with his two pets—a cat and a -magpie—at his heels, and clipped off a dead leaf here, -plucked a withered blossom there, with the tenderest anxiety -for the well-being of the roses.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Dear, dear!” sighed the Rector, pausing before a drooping-looking -Gloire de Dijon; “this does not seem at all -healthy. It needs rain—in fact, I think the flowers would -be none the worse of a shower or so; but there’s no sign of -rain,” looking anxiously up to the cloudless sky. “I wonder -if a little manure”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>Down went the Rector on his knees, and began grubbing -about the roots of the plant, much to the discomfort of the -magpie, who hopped about near him in an agitated manner.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A brass thimble,” said Mr. Carriston, making a discovery, -“a copper, and three blue beads. The roots of the -plant wounded, too, with scratching. This is your work, -Simon. I wish you would hide your rubbish somewhere -else.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The magpie, otherwise Simon, made a vicious peck at the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>Rector’s hand, to revenge himself for the discovery of his -treasure; then, anxious to save something, snatched up the -thimble and made off hastily.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Too bad of Simon,” murmured Mr. Carriston, rubbing his -nose in a vexed manner. “I will have to ask Mukle to keep -him in the back yard. Ah, Mukle! what is it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mukle—to the rector, Mrs. Mukle to her friends—was a -hard-featured, bony woman, who looked as if she had been -cut out of a deal board. Her cooking was much more agreeable -than her appearance, and, having been with the rector—whom -she adored—for many years, she knew to a turn -what he liked and what he did not like, therefore suited him -admirably in her double capacity of cook and housekeeper.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mr. Roylands, sir!” announced Mukle grimly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, where is he?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Study, sir,” responded Mukle, who was a lady with a -firm belief in the golden rule of silence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ask him to come here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>An assenting sniff was Mukle’s only reply, and, turning on -her heel in a military fashion,—the late Mr. Mukle had been -a soldier,—she strode back to the house like a grenadier.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile, Mr. Carriston, having risen to his feet, was -dusting his knees, and, while thus engaged, saw Maurice -coming towards him. Assuredly the master of the Grange -was a fine specimen of humanity, for he was over six feet in -height, and, being arrayed in shooting-coat, knickerbockers, -and deerstalker’s hat, looked a remarkably striking figure. -He would have looked better had his face borne a smile, but, -as it was, he came solemnly forward and took the rector’s -outstretched hand as if he was chief mourner at a funeral.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You shouldn’t be a country gentleman, Maurice,” said -Mr. Carriston, after the usual greetings had been exchanged. -“The occupation of a monk would suit you better.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice said nothing, but sighed wearily.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come now, my dear lad; if you sigh in that fashion, I -shall suspect you of being a lover, in spite of your asseveration -to the contrary.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A man can’t marry his aunt, and as Crispin wants to -marry Eunice, no one is left for me but my honorable relation.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Try Mukle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Too much of a grenadier.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think you are the same—in height,” said the Rector, -looking approvingly at his tall friend. “If old Father Fritz -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>had seen the pair of ye, I think he would have insisted upon -the marriage, so as to breed a race of giants. But, dear, -dear! what nonsense we talk! Come and sit down, my lad. -Will you smoke?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, thank you, sir. I’m tired of smoking.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Maurice, if you go on in this fashion, I will be angry -with you. It’s a beautiful day, so you ought to have a beautiful -smile on your face. Listen to that lark! Does not its -gush of song thrill your heart? Admire my roses! Where, -even in the gorgeous East, will you see such splendor? The -birds sing, the sun shines, the flowers bloom, and yet you are -as discontented as if you were shut up between four bare -walls. Maurice, I’m really and truly ashamed of your ingratitude -to God for His many gifts.” Maurice made no reply, -but punched holes in the gravel with his walking-stick. -“Now you wait here, my lad,” said the Rector, recovering -breath after his little lecture, “and see if yon lark will sing -you into a better frame of mind. It may be the David to -your Saul, and drive the evil spirit out of you. I am going -away to wash my hands, which are somewhat grubby with -my gardening, and will return in a few moments.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Off went the Rector with a light step, as springy as that -of a young man, and Maurice looked after him in sheer envy -of such light-heartedness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why cannot I be happy like that?” he sighed, baring -his head to the cool breeze.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Did ever a man ask himself so ridiculous a question? -Here was a healthy young man, of good personal appearance, -with a superfluity of the gifts of fortune, yet he commiserated -himself for nothing at all, and propounded riddles to -himself which he was unable to answer. But all such misery -came from incessant brooding and self-analysis, which is -bound to make even the most complacent person dissatisfied -with his advantages in the long-run. If Maurice, throwing -aside his books, art, broodings, and everything else, had gone -in for fishing, hunting, dancing, rowing, as he did in his -earlier youth, his mind would soon have resumed its normal -healthiness. Unluckily, the ten years’ life in Bohemia, -where he had no money nor time to indulge in such sports, -had weakened his interest in them, and he by no means -seemed inclined to take up the broken thread of his life. -This was a great mistake, as, had he reverted to his earlier -mode of living, he would in a short time have come to look -upon that weary decade as but a bad dream, and ultimately -<span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>have recovered this <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><i>mens sana in corpore sano</i></span> condition, -which is so essential to the happiness of one’s existence. If -there is a person to be envied, ’tis a healthy man with an -average stock of brains, for he does not live with shadows, -he has no torturing dreams, he does not rack his soul with -thinking out the problems of life; but simply takes the -goods the gods provide, enjoys them to the full measure of -his capacity, and throws all disturbing influences to the -winds. Maurice Roylands was a man of this sort in many -respects, but he had a trifle too much brain power, and therefore, -in accordance with the great law of compensation, suffered -from the excess, by using it to torture his otherwise -healthy mind. Unfortunately, he did not reason in this way, -but, feeling that he was miserable, hastily decided that such -misery was incurable. Not a wise way of looking at the -matter certainly, but then Maurice, though no fool in many -ways, was not a Solomon for wisdom; and besides, Melancholia, -who places all things in a dull light, had him in her -grip, which prevented him from giving his diseased mind -the medicine it required.</p> - -<p class='c001'>However, in accordance with his old tutor’s instructions, -he sat there in silence, drinking in the odors of the flowers, -and listening to the music of the lark. Not only that, -but a thrush in the tree above him began to pour forth his -mellow notes; and though it was nigh mid-June, he heard -the quaint call of the cuckoo sound in the distance. Nature -and Nature’s voices exercised their benign influence on his -restless spirit, and even in that short space of time soothed -him so much that, when Mr. Carriston returned, he missed -the frowning face with which Maurice had greeted him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah,” said the Rector, with a nod of satisfaction, “you -have benefited by the music of the birds already. I would -undertake to cure you, if you would only let me be your -physician. Now your soul is more at rest, but I have no -doubt your nerves need soothing, so try this churchwarden -and this excellent tobacco.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice burst out laughing at this odd cure for melancholy, -but did not refuse the Rector’s hospitality; and -any one who entered the garden a few minutes afterwards, -would have discovered the venerable Rector and the youthful -Squire puffing gravely at long clays, like two cronies in -a village taproom.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They chatted in a desultory manner of little things, such -as Mrs. Dengelton,—who would have been very angry to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>find herself placed in such a category,—Eunice, love-making, -Crispin, the home farm, and such like trifles, when, after -a short pause, Maurice abruptly turned to the Rector, who, -lying back in luxurious ease, was watching the trembling of -the leaves above his head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And the story, Rector?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This question brought Mr. Carriston from heaven to earth, -and he looked at the young man with a grave smile on his -face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, the story,” he repeated, laying aside his pipe. “Yes, -I promised to tell you the one romance of my life. I am -afraid it is a very prosaic romance, still it may show you -how a man can find life endurable even after his heart is -broken.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, Rector, is your heart broken?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I thought it was once, but I’m afraid ’twas mended long -ago. <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><i>Et ego in Arcadia fui</i></span>, Maurice, although you would -never think so to look at me. Tush! what has an old man -pottering about among his flowers in common with Cupid, -god of love? Yet I, too, have sported with Amaryllis in -the shade, and piped love-songs to the careless ear of -Neæra.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He sighed a trifle sadly, very probably somewhat regretful -of that dead and gone romance which still looked bright -through the mists of forty years, and glanced sorrowfully at -the wrinkled hands which had once played with the golden -tresses of Chloe. Ah, Chloe was old now, and her famous -golden locks were white with the snows of many winters; -or perchance she was dead, with the gentle winds blowing -across her daisied grave, and piping songs as beautiful as -those of her faithful shepherd. Is it not a painful thing to -be old and gray and full of sad memories of our fine days? -yet, mingled with such melancholics, we recall many bright -dreams which then haunted our youthful brains. Alas, -Arcady! why are we not permitted to dwell forever in thy -flowery meadows, beneath thy blue sky, instead of being -driven forth by the whip of Fate to crowded cities and -desolate wastes, wherein sound no gleeful melodies.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It was at Oxford that I first met her,” said the Rector in -his mellow voice, which was touched with vague regret; -“for she, too, dwelt in that grave scholastic city. I was not -in holy orders then! No; my ambition was to be a soldier, -and win the V.C.; but, alas! such dreams came to naught. -You may not believe it, Maurice, but I was wild and light-hearted -<span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>in those days—to be sure, it was Consula Planco, -and youth is ever foolish. Her name was Miriam, and she -was a dressmaker. Ah, you are astonished that I, Stephen -Carriston, fixed my eyes on such a lowly damsel; but then, -you see, I loved her dearly, and that, I think, is a sufficient -answer to your unspoken objection. Love knows nothing of -rank or position, and sees beauty in the wayside daisy as -well as in the costly hothouse plant. I need not tell you -she was very beautiful, for that is the common saying of -lovers, who see no loveliness save in the nymph of their -affections. What is it the poet says about a lover seeing -Helen’s beauty in the brow of Egypt? Sure, my memory -is weak with age, and I misquote. Still, the saying is true. -Miriam was very beautiful, and I think must have had some -Jewish blood in her veins, for her dark, imperial beauty was -that of the East. Her hair was as dark as the wing of a -raven, her eyes liquid wells of light, and her mouth was as -the thread of scarlet spoken of in the song of the wise king. -You see, Maurice, old as I am, I can still rhapsodize on -Chloe’s perfections, though she basely deceived me. Alas, -Strephon! how the years have destroyed thy goddess!—nay, -she destroyed herself by her own act.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I did not know you were a poet, Rector.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Carriston, whose brow was dark with bitter memories, -aroused himself with a forced laugh, and strove to speak -lightly of the past.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Live and learn, Maurice. I no poet? Why, my dear -lad, I am even now courting the Nine, and turning Aristophanes -into good English verse. No poet? Why, every -man is a poet when in love; and if he does not write a poem, -he at least lives a poem. I, alas, have been in love these -many years with a shadow—the shadow of Miriam before -she left me!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Left you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. I call it my romance, but it is a painful story. A -deceitful woman, a wronged man, a treacherous friend—a -common enough tale, I think. Though, indeed, I need not -include ‘friend,’ for to this day I know not for whom she -left me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She was your wife?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. Wild as I was in those days, I was too honorable -to deceive a woman. In spite of the difference of our position, -I married her, and we were happy together for ten -years.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>“Ten years!” replied Maurice in surprise. “Surely she -did not leave you after all that time of married happiness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who knows the ways of women?” said the Rector bitterly. -“Yes, she left me—took from me all I loved in the -world, herself and her child.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Was there a child?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. He was born in the tenth year of our marriage, -just when I had given up all hope of being a father. If he -is still alive, Maurice, he will be just five years younger than -you,—thirty years old,—and for that I love you, my dear -lad; you stand to me in the place of the son I have lost.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Did you not suspect any one of taking her away?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; one man,” answered the Rector gloomily. “He -was a tall, black-bearded fellow, who had just come back -from the East; but I only saw him once. I was a hard-worked -London curate in those days, and had but little time -to spare. My wife met him—I think his name was Captain -Malcolm—at the house of a mutual friend; but perhaps I -am wrong, and it was not he who destroyed my happiness. -She had so many friends. I can hardly wonder at that, for -she was then in the full pride of her womanly beauty. There -was a Frenchman, the Count de la Tour, I also suspected, -but I was sure of no one. I suppose she grew tired of our -poor life; for, in spite of the way in which she went into society, -we were poor—that is, comfortable for a quiet life, -but too poor for a social one. I, never suspecting any evil, -was only too glad that she should go out and enjoy herself, -although at times I remonstrated with her, saying that such -gayety was not suited for the wife of a poor clergyman. She -said she would give up such frivolities shortly, and I, like a -fool, believed her. Then I was called down to see my father, -who was very ill. At length he died, and I remained to attend -to the funeral; but when I came back to London after -a three weeks’ absence, I found she had gone with the child. -She left no letter behind her to palliate her guilt; all I knew -was that she had gone with some gentleman who had called -for her in a brougham. The servants could not describe the -man, as he did not enter the house, but remained in the carriage. -My false wife told the servants she was called away -by me, as her father-in-law was dying; and it was only when -I returned that they learned the truth.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Did you ever see this Captain Malcolm again?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, nor the Count de la Tour; so that is why I suspect -one of those men as being the ruin of my life. Besides, I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>heard afterwards that she went a great deal about with -them, sometimes with one, sometimes with the other. One -of them I am sure it was, but I know not which. So you -see, at one blow, Maurice, I was bereft of wife, child, home, -and happiness. Afterwards I was offered this living, and, -wishing to leave the scene of my former happiness, my -former sorrow, my former disgrace, I accepted it, and came -down here, where I have lived in peace for thirty years.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Did you get a divorce?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; for the sake of my guilty wife. I did not wish to -marry again myself, but I desired to leave her free, so that -she might marry the partner of her guilt. I hope he behaved -honorably to her and did so; but, alas! I know not.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And the boy?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have never heard of him since. I was left rich by the -death of my father, and all that money could do was done, -but I heard nothing of either wife or child. Is it not a sad -story, Maurice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, very sad! You must have suffered terribly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I did suffer terribly; but I tell you this, dear lad, to -show you how a man can force himself to be cheerful, even -when he thinks life has no further joys for him. Look at -me! When my wife left me, I thought that the sun of my -life had set forever. I looked forward to years of misery; -and probably my existence would have been miserable, had -I not, with the aid of God, resisted the evil one. I did resist -him, by accustoming myself to take an interest in all things; -and, by schooling myself into patience, I found life, if not -blissful, at least endurable. I now love my work among my -parishioners, I enjoy my Greek studies, I interest myself in -my garden, and am thus able to live a comparatively happy -life. Had I given way weakly to my misery, I would have -been an unhappy man all my life, and have done no good in -my generation; but I fought against the evil spirit, with the -aid of God I conquered him, and now can look back with -thankfulness to the calamity which tried and chastened my -soul.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you are happy now?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” said the Rector firmly. “I am as happy as any -mortal can hope to be. ‘Man is born to trouble as the -sparks fly upward,’ says Job; but if we did not fight against -these troubles they would overwhelm us. So, my dear lad, -do as I have done, fight against the evil spirit, and, with -God’s grace, you will be victorious.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>“I thank you for your advice, sir, and I will try and follow -it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My story is but a dull one, I am afraid,” resumed the -Rector, after a pause,—“dull and prosaic, with no romance -to render it captivating; but I only told it to show to you -what a man can do if he fights against his troubles, and does -not yield weakly at the first attack of the enemy. You have -no unhappy love, you have no regrets; therefore, my dear -lad, show yourself to be a man, and do not thus weakly yield -to a phantom of your own creation. Try to be interested in -life, fall in love and marry if you can, and I promise you all -will yet be well with you. Your troubles are but dreams of -a disordered brain, which can be banished by an effort of -will; so rouse yourself, Maurice, conquer your weak spirit, -and with God’s help you will be a happy man.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you, sir,” said Maurice, grasping the Rector’s -hand; “I will do what you say. I have been weak, but I -will be so no longer. I will take up the duties of life, and -do my best to perform them well. Your sermon, your story, -has done me good, Mr. Carriston; and I feel that I would be -indeed a coward to flinch from the fray in which you have -so bravely fought and conquered.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good lad! good lad!” replied the delighted Rector. “I -knew you would see things in their right light. But come, -the lesson is over, and now is the time for play. You must -look round at my roses, and the finest bud of the garden will -adorn your buttonhole as ‘a reward for your determination.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice gladly fell in with the Rector’s humor, and -together they strolled round the garden to examine and -admire his floral treasures. Carriston was like a child in his -garden, and his bursts of delight at this or that particular -rose tree would have made many a person smile. But -Maurice did not smile; he loved his old tutor too well to -smile at his simple pleasures, and took scarcely less interest -than the Rector himself in the momentous question of transferring -this tree over there, or ingrafting a hardy shoot in -this sickly-looking plant. Suddenly the Rector stopped, and -began to rummage in the pockets of his long black coat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Dear dear!” he said in a vexed tone; “it is not here, and -yet I am sure I placed it in this pocket.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Placed what, sir?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A letter! a letter! No, I can’t find it. Maurice, I wish -you to stay to luncheon. I have a friend coming.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Indeed?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>“Well, not exactly a friend; but, the fact is, a young man -has arrived in the village with a letter of introduction to me -from a mutual friend in London. He is at present staying -at the Royland Arms, and sent his letter this morning, so I -wrote back and asked him to come to luncheon. You must -stay and meet him, Maurice, for I hear he is a most delightful -man.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is his name?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot remember. He is a Greek. The letter must -be in my study, so we will go and look for it. This young -Greek is a great traveller, and is now on a visit to England. -He had a letter of introduction to my friend, the Archdeacon -of Eastminster, who gave him one to me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But what does he come to this out-of-the-way place for?” -asked Maurice, with that inherent suspicion he had acquired -in Bohemia.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t know. I expect he will answer that question for -himself at luncheon. Ah, here is the letter—I left it on the -table.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, what is his name?” asked Maurice again.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The rector adjusted his <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>pince-nez</i></span>, and, smoothing open the -letter, read the name aloud:—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Count Constantine Caliphronas.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER IV. <br /> <span class='fss'>A MASTERPIECE OF NATURE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in12'>The pride of the human</div> - <div class='line in14'>Does nature diminish,</div> - <div class='line in12'>With spiteful acumen,</div> - <div class='line in14'>She roughly will finish</div> - <div class='line in12'>A man or a woman,</div> - <div class='line in14'>He stout and she thinnish,</div> - <div class='line'>Till one is not fair, nor the other a true man.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in12'>But Nature’s conception</div> - <div class='line in14'>May not be pernicious,</div> - <div class='line in12'>For know her perception</div> - <div class='line in14'>At times is capricious;</div> - <div class='line in12'>Her work bears inspection,</div> - <div class='line in14'>In manner judicious,</div> - <div class='line'>For sometimes she turns out a man near perfection.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The above jingle of verses may sound somewhat abstruse, -but he who has the patience to search until he discovers the -kernel of this rhyming nut, will certainly find it to be a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>truism. Nature does finish the mass of humanity in a somewhat -rough and ready fashion; true, she may equip them -with all the necessary limbs and organs necessary to the enjoyment -of life, but she does not trouble herself to put in those -delicate touches which go to the making of a perfectly handsome -man, or a faultlessly beautiful woman. At times, however, -just to show what she can do in the way of creative -beauty, she gives her whole mind to the task, and lo! Achilles, -and Helen of Troy. But such perfect specimens of humanity -are few and far between; therefore when Maurice, who -had an artistic eye, met Count Constantine Caliphronas for -the first time, he recognized with delight that he saw before -him one of Nature’s masterpieces.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There is nothing more detestable than that society horror, -“a beauty man,” who resembles a wax figure in his unnatural -perfectibility of face and form. Flawless he may be in -every part, but the ensemble is nevertheless unpleasing both -to eye and mind, for, in aiding Nature to show herself at her -best, he soon becomes a mere artificial figure, which ought to -be placed in a glass case for the edification of school misses -and gushing society ladies. This man, however, did not -belong to that over-civilized class, as at a glance one could -see he was a child of Nature, a nursling of the winds and -waves, whose physical perfections were kept in their pristine -beauty by the constant care of the great mother herself. -Caliphronas had all the grace and untamed beauty of a wild -animal, looking as if he claimed kinship with the salt sea, -the fresh woods, the strong sunlight, and the bracing air of -snow-clad mountain-tops. His physical beauty was truly -wonderful, and was as much the outcome of perfect health, -as of perfect creation. He lacked that self-restrained air -which is stamped on the face of every civilized man, and in -the modest little dining-room of the Rectory looked like some -graceful panther caged against its will. Nature’s child was -only in his right place with Nature herself, and in our dull -respectable England he seemed an exile from the healthful -solitudes which had given him birth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is impossible to describe Caliphronas,” said Maurice -many years afterwards, in speaking of this man. “I can tell -you that his figure was as perfect as the Apollo Belvedere, -and say that his face was as flawless in its virile beauty as -the Antinous of the Vatican, but this will give you no idea -of his physical perfection. His body seemed to be instinct -with the lawless fierceness of wind and wave; he moved -<span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>with the stately grace of a nude savage unaccustomed to -the restraint of clothing. I never understood the phrase -‘child of Nature’ until I saw Caliphronas, and it is the only -way in which he can be explained. I believe his mother -was a Nereid and his father a hunter, for he was the offspring -of earth and ocean—the consummate flower of both. -Yet I do not think he had what we call brains—true, he -possessed the cunning and instinct of a wild animal, but that -was all. I think, myself, brains and culture would have -spoiled him; he was born to be a wild, free thing, happy -only on the hills, a type, a visible incarnation of Nature in a -male form. If you ask me whom he resembled in real life, -I cannot tell you, as I never saw any one in the least like -him. But in fiction—well, study the character of Margrave -in ‘A Strange Story,’ and Donatello in Hawthorne’s ‘Marble -Faun,’ and by blending the two you may arrive at some -conception of Count Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Such was the man who now sat at the table of the Rector, -chatting gayly with his host and Maurice Roylands. Being -a hot day, the Rector had wisely provided a cold luncheon, -and himself presided over a noble piece of beef, which looked -as though it had been taken from one of Apollo’s oxen. -There was also a capital salad,—the Rector was famous -for his salads,—fruit, wine, cheese, and bread. A simple -repast, truly, but then the Rector was simple in his tastes, -and detested those highly-spiced dishes, which but create -thirst, and whose chief merit seems to be that the diner -cannot tell of what they are composed. An artificial life -creates artificial tastes, and the principal mission of cookery -now seems to lie in the direction of tickling the palate, not -of satisfying the stomach, with the result that gout and -dyspepsia have it all their own way. If half, nay, if the -whole of the French cooks now engaged in ruining the -healths of Englishmen and Englishwomen were bundled -back to their beloved Paris, the income of every doctor in -London would decrease with the rapidity of lightning. As -before mentioned, the Rector liked the good things of this -life, but he thought the simplest food the most enjoyable, -in which he was right, though epicures may doubt the truth -of such an opinion. Yet, after all, do not epicures hold the -simplicity of a well-roasted leg of mutton to be a dish fit for -a king.</p> - -<p class='c001'>If the Rector was simple in his eating, however, Count -Constantine was still simpler, for he hardly touched his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>meat, and confined his attention to bread, cheese, salad, and -wine—the latter being some excellent claret, on which the -Rector prided himself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear sir,” he said in agony, as he saw Caliphronas -about to mingle water with his wine, “you will spoil the -flavor of the claret.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pardon me, sir,” replied the Count, who spoke English -admirably, “but we Greeks are partial to such mingling. -We worship the Naiad with her urn as well as Bacchus with -his flask, and the union of both produces a drink fit for -Father Zeus.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You don’t seem to care much for meat,” said the Rector, -relinquishing the point about the wine, though it went to -his soul to see such a spoiling of the finest qualities of his -claret.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No,” answered Caliphronas carelessly; “oddly enough, I -do not care much for flesh. I live so much in the open air -that, like Nature, I live on the simplest things. Bread, -cheese, and wine I love; add honey, and I want nothing -better to satisfy my appetite. Country fare for a country -man, you know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are a shepherd of Theocritus,” said Maurice, with a -smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; save in such tastes perhaps; otherwise I am no -Sicilian of the Idylles.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You speak English wonderfully well, Count,” remarked -the Rector politely.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you for the compliment, sir; yet it is the first -time I have been in England.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! do they teach English in the schools of Athens?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Alas, no. The schools of modern Athens are not those -of the old Greek days. Socrates, Plato, Pythagoras, have -gone to the blessed isles in company with the heroes of -Salamis, and our Greek culture of to-day is primitive in the -extreme. No; I learned <a id='corr46.35'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Greek'>English</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_46.35'><ins class='correction' title='Greek'>English</ins></a></span> from a roving Englishman—a -scholar and a gentleman who grew weary of this respectable -England of yours, and came back to the freer life of -the Greek islands.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He taught you admirably,” said Roylands, wondering -why the Greek eyed him so keenly while making this speech. -“Do you come from Athens?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have been there,” answered Caliphronas, pushing away -his plate, “but I am an islander. Yes, I was born in Ithaca, -therefore am I a countryman of Ulysses.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>“Achilles, perhaps,” observed the Rector, fascinated by -the clear-cut features of the young man,—“the godlike -Achilles.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah no,” replied the Greek, with a shade of melancholy -in his tone; “I am like no hero of those times. Our ancestors -have transmitted to us their physical forms, but not -their brains, not their heroism.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come now,” remonstrated Maurice. “I am sure your -countrymen behaved bravely in the War of Independence.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I agree with you there. Canaris, Mavrocordato, -Botzaris, were all brave men. I accept the rebuke, for I have -no right to run down my own countrymen. Perhaps in England -I may learn the meaning of the word patriotism.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Or Jingoism.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your pardon?” queried the Count, a trifled puzzled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Jingoism,” explained Maurice gravely, “is a spurious -patriotism, composed of music-hall songs, the Union Jack, -and gallons of beer—it begins with a chorus and ends with -a riot. Tom, Dick, and Harry are very fond of it, as it expands -their lungs and quenches their thirst. But there, I am -only jesting. Do you stay long in England?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Again the Greek eyed Maurice keenly, and hesitated a -moment before replying.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can hardly tell yet,” he said, with emphasis. “Mr. -Carriston, will you show me your garden?” he added, turning -to the Rector.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will be delighted,” said Carriston eagerly; “we will -stroll round it. Do you smoke?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, thank you,” returned the count, waving away with a -gesture of repugnance the cigarette Maurice held out to -him. “I never smoke.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is strange.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps so, sir. For myself, I do not care about it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Curious creature,” murmured Maurice reflectively, as he -followed the Rector and his guest into the garden. “I -wonder why he looks at me so keenly, and what he is doing -down here. Humph! I would like to find out your little -game, my friend.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ten years of fighting with the world had turned Maurice -from a frank, open-hearted fellow into a cold, suspicious -man, and he always doubted the motives of every one. -This is a disagreeable way of looking at things, but in many -cases it is a very necessary one, owing to the double lives -<span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>which most people seem nowadays to live. Social intercourse, -whether for pleasure or business, is no longer as -simple as it used to be in the old days, and our complex civilization -has introduced into every action we perform that -element of distrust which is at once disagreeable and necessary. -Maurice knew nothing about Caliphronas, and had he -met him in London would doubtless have accepted him for -what he appeared to be—a foreign nobleman on his travels; -but for this man to visit a quiet village like Roylands was -peculiar, and there must be some motive for his doing so.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ll ask him how he likes England, and lead up to his -unexpected arrival here,” thought Maurice, as he walked -along smoking his cigarette. “He seems sharp, but I think -I’m able to distinguish between the real and the false.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas was loud in his expressions of admiration for -the Rector’s roses, and his delight seemed genuine enough -even to Maurice, who stood listening to his raptures with a -grim smile, as if he would like to cast over this bright being -the shadow of his own melancholy nature.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have a perfect passion for flowers,” said the Count, with -a gay smile, as he placed a red bud in his coat, “and roses -are my favorites. Were they not the flowers of pleasure -in classical times? did they not wreathe the brows of revellers -at festivals?—the flowers of love and of silence!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am pleased you like flowers,” observed the Rector, -looking at the joyous figure before him, which was bathed -in sunshine; “’tis an innocent pleasure.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I love all that is of Nature,” cried Caliphronas, throwing -himself on the smooth sward; “Nature is my mother—my -true mother. Yes, I am a man born of woman, but such -maternity does not appeal to me. Nature is at once my -mother, my nurse, my goddess.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You were born in Ithaca,” said Maurice quietly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Was I born at all?” replied Caliphronas, throwing himself -back with a joyous laugh and letting the sun blaze on -his uncovered head. “I do not know! I cannot tell. Perchance -some nymph bore me to one of the old gods, who -Heine says yet walk the earth in other forms.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you know of Heine?” asked the Rector in some -surprise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nothing!—absolutely nothing. I never heard his name -till the other day, when some one told me a story of the -Gods in Exile, and said one Heine had written it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you fond of reading?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>“I never read. I care not for books—all my knowledge -comes from the mouth of my fellow-men and from Nature. -Such culture is enough for me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You will get a sunstroke if you don’t cover your head,” -said Maurice, somewhat tired of this pseudo-classicism.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No! I am a friend of Apollo’s. He will hurl no darts at -me, and your pale sun in England is but a shadow of the -glorious Helios of our Greek skies.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And, lying on his back, he began to sing a strange, wandering -melody, of which the words (roughly translated) were -as follows:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“The sun is my father:</div> - <div class='line'>He kissed my mother the sea,</div> - <div class='line'>And of their wooing the fruit am I.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Both the Englishmen were strangely fascinated by this -stranger. He conducted himself in quite an unconventional -fashion, and seemed to follow the last thought that suggested -itself to his capricious brain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come!” he cried, springing to his feet with a bound like -a deer. “Come, Mr. Maurice—are you a runner? I will -race you round this garden.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Really, Count,” said the Rector, somewhat startled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eh! Am I wrong, sir?” replied Caliphronas apologetically. -“I ask your pardon! I do not know your English -ways; you must teach me. I act as I feel. Is it wrong to -do so?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, we English like to see a little more self-restraint,” -said Maurice, looking at the graceful figure of the young -man. “By the way, are you going to stay here long?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The smile faded from the bright face of the Count, and he -turned half away with an abrupt movement.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who can tell?” he said lightly. “I am a bird of passage. -I alight here and there, but fly when I am weary of -the bough. You wonder at my coming down here, do you -not, Mr. Maurice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Thus addressed directly, Roylands was rather taken aback, -and reddened perceptibly through the tan of his skin.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, for a gay young man like you, Count, I thought -London would have pleased you better.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas burst out laughing, and, putting his hands -behind his head, leant back against the trunk of the elm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you hear your friend, sir?” he said to the Rector. -“He thinks that I prefer that dull, smoky town to the country. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>Why, Athens is too narrow for me! I love the open -lands, the plains, the mountains, the seas. Up in that city -of yours I was weary, and I spoke to the priest of my friend. -‘Oh,’ I cried, ‘I will die of want of air in this place. Take -me to the woods, where I can breathe and see the sun.’ So -he gave me that letter to you,” addressing the Rector, “and -I came here at once.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>So this was the explanation of his presence in the little -village—a very natural one surely, and Maurice felt somewhat -ashamed of his late suspicions; but a new thought had -entered his head, suggested by the statuesque pose of the -Greek leaning against the tree, and he came forward eagerly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Count Caliphronas,” he said quickly, “I am a sculptor, -and I have the idea for a statue of Endymion—would you—would -you”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, you want me to be a model, sir?” said the Count, -laughing. “Eh, well, I do not mind in the least—you may -command me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you very much, if I”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you could only introduce me to a Diana, that would -indeed be perfect.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I suppose you are a kind of general lover, Count,” said -the rector, turning round from a rose-tree with a smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not as bad as that, sir. No! I love! I love!” He -stopped abruptly, and a shade came over his face. “Yes, I -love,” he resumed quickly; “but my love is unfortunate.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! is any woman cold-hearted enough to refuse -you?” observed Maurice, looking at him in amazement; for -indeed a woman would be hard to please were she not satisfied -with this splendid-looking youth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There are women and women,” said Caliphronas enigmatically. -“This one does not love me yet, but she will.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Greek shot a keen glance at Maurice, and then observed, -in an indifferent voice,—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When I do what I am requested to do.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Both men looked steadily at one another, and it seemed to -Maurice as though there were a certain amount of menace -visible on the face of Caliphronas, but such look speedily -passed away, and he bounded lightly across the turf to where -the cat was sitting.</p> - -<p class='c001'>To the surprise of both the Rector and Maurice, she let -this stranger take her up in his arms and smooth her fur.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Dear, dear!” said the Rector in an astonished tone; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>“what power do you possess over the animal world, Count? -That cat will not let any one touch her as a rule.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, all animals take to me,” replied Caliphronas lightly, -letting the cat down gently on the ground. “I can do anything -with horses and dogs.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Donatello!” whispered Maurice to himself. “He looks -innocent enough, and yet that look—I must speak to Crispin, -and ask his opinion of this man.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile the Count was giving Carriston a description -of his miseries at the Royland Arms.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Such a small room to sleep in,” he said in a disgusted -tone. “I know I will be smothered if I stay in it. No; I -shall wrap myself up in a blanket and sleep under the moon -like Endymion, which will be training for your friend’s -statue.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That will be dangerous,” objected the Rector.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not at all! In Greece—I mean my native islands—I -sleep out very often. Oh, there is nothing more beautiful -than slumber in the open air. I cannot bear houses; they -stifle me; they crush me. I love no roof lower than the sky. -And then to wake at dawn, to see the east glow with rosy -tints, to watch the dew moisten every blade of grass, the -awakening of the animals, the first songs of the birds, and -the rising of the sun. Oh, I worship the sun! I worship -him!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Rector was a trifle shocked at this peroration, as he -was not quite sure whether this fantastic being was not a -sun-worshipper in downright earnest; the more so as in a sudden -freak he flung himself down on his knees and held out -his arms to the glorious luminary.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are joking,” he said gravely.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not I,” replied Caliphronas, springing to his feet. “You -are not angry, are you, sir? Eh! I forgot myself you were -a priest in this country. I must explain. I am of the Greek -Church—yes! oh, I have been baptized.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Rector smiled, and said no more, for it was impossible -to talk seriously with a man who possessed so childish a soul. -Meanwhile, Maurice, who had been thinking over matters, -came to the conclusion that he would ask Caliphronas to stay -at the Grange for a few days. At first sight this seemed -rather injudicious, but when he remembered the high character -of the man who vouched for the respectability of the -Greek, all his scruples vanished. Besides, Caliphronas was -such a peculiar character that he desired a closer acquaintance -<span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>with him; and, above all, he could not hope anywhere -to find such a perfect model for his Endymion. Taking, -then, all these facts into consideration, he speedily made up -his mind to ask the Count to be his guest, and did so without -delay.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Count,” he said politely, “I am afraid you will find that -inn very uncomfortable, so I would be glad to see you at the -Grange for a week or so, where I think you will find yourself -in more civilized quarters.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Count’s eyes flashed with what looked uncommonly -like triumph, but he dropped the lids over them rapidly for -the moment, so as to prevent this look being seen, and shook -Maurice heartily by the hand.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you very much! oh, very much indeed!” he said -effusively. “I hope I will not trouble you. I will be glad -to come—yes, that place in the village would kill me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That’s all right,” replied Maurice, who had an Englishman’s -horror of a scene. “I will send over for your traps, -and you can come to the Grange in time for dinner. We -dine at seven o’clock.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you, sir. I will be at your home to-night.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Rector, who had fully intended to ask Caliphronas to -be his guest, was rather startled by Maurice’s precipitancy, -but, on the whole, was not ill-pleased, for two reasons: the -first being that he did not much care about burdening himself -with this eccentric foreigner; and the second, that he -was delighted that, during the stay of the Count at the -Grange, Maurice would take to his modelling again.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By the way,” said Maurice, turning suddenly to the -Count, “do you know any one called Crispin?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Creespeen!” repeated Caliphronas, with his foreign -accent; “no, I do not know that name.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He is a gentleman who is staying with me,” replied -Roylands carelessly; “and, as he is pretty well acquainted -with your part of the world, I thought you might have met -him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Greek smilingly denied that he had the honor of -Crispin’s acquaintance, but it seemed to Maurice as though -there was a shade of apprehension on his face which somewhat -puzzled the young man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Can’t make this fellow out,” was his mental comment. -“Hope I’m not making a mistake in asking him to the -Grange. Still, the Archdeacon’s letter to Carriston is a -sufficient guarantee that he is not a swindler, so I will -chance it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>“I must now say good-by,” said Caliphronas to the Rector, -“and thank you for your kindness. Of course I will see you -soon again.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh yes. You must come here as often as you can.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That will not be much if I am to sit for this artist,” -laughed Caliphronas, turning to Maurice. “Good-by, sir; I -will see you to-night at six o’clock.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He turned away gayly and left the garden, followed by the -admiring eyes of the two men, especially of Maurice, who -congratulated himself on his good fortune in obtaining such -a perfect model.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile Caliphronas was walking swiftly in the direction -of the Royland Arms.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good!” he muttered to himself in Greek. “The first -step is taken, so I have no fear now.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER V. <br /> <span class='fss'>CRISPIN IS PUZZLED.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>I’ve seen you before</div> - <div class='line'>But where I forget,</div> - <div class='line'>Yet somewhere of yore</div> - <div class='line'>I’ve seen you before;</div> - <div class='line'>You meet me once more,</div> - <div class='line'>A stranger—and yet</div> - <div class='line'>I’ve seen you before,</div> - <div class='line'>But where I forget.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>Up and down the long terrace in front of the Grange -walked Crispin, and, from the rapt expression of his face, -it would seem as though he were composing poetry; but, as -a matter of fact, he was thinking about Eunice. The course -of their true love did not run smooth by any means, for Mrs. -Dengelton, having found her daughter in the company of the -poet, had marched off the former in order to lecture her -about the latter. The substance, therefore, having been -taken away, Crispin was left with only the shadow; in -other words, from speaking to Eunice, he was reduced to -thinking of Eunice, which was not by any means so pleasant -a position of affairs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This uncomfortable state of things was due to the discovery -made by Mrs. Dengelton, that her daughter had the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>previous evening been engaged in moongazing with the poet, -a fact which the astute Parrot extracted with wonderful dexterity -from her reluctant daughter. Mrs. Dengelton had -talked a good deal about the family romance, as related to -the Rector and Maurice, whereupon Eunice, having been -asked questions concerning the same, was forced to admit -that she had been absent during the recital. Her mother at -once pounced down on this damaging admission like a hawk, -and pressed the poor girl so mercilessly with questions, that -she was obliged to tell of that pleasant half-hour on the -terrace in company with Crispin.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On making this discovery, Mrs. Dengelton was too wise to -reproach her daughter, and thereby run the risk of making -her deaf to the voice of the charmer, <i>i.e.</i>, resist her mother’s -desires in connection with matrimony. No, the elder lady -said nothing about what she considered to be an act of madness, -but privately determined to keep Crispin and Eunice -apart by every means in her power. She was on the watch -this morning, and, having finished the daily papers,—for -Mrs. Dengelton prided herself on her universal knowledge -of what was going on in the world,—went out to look for -Eunice, who had disappeared. As she expected, she found -her in the company of the poet, whereupon she made some -ladylike excuse,—Mrs. Dengelton was an adept at telling -white lies,—and took Eunice away to her room, where she -kept her busy with letter-writing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin, therefore, deprived of the company of his inamorata, -was by no means in a cheerful mood, and regretted -that Eunice had not sufficient strength of mind to defy her -mother, and end all his trouble by marrying him without -delay. He had a very impulsive nature, and would have -liked to sweep away these obstacles by sheer force of insistence -that the marriage should take place at once; but his -impulses were in a great measure restrained by experience -in the school of the world, and he saw that it would be wiser -to watch and wait. Already he was seriously thinking of ending -his visit, and returning to town, in order to enlist his great -friend, Lady Bentwitch, on his side, as such a fashionable -personage might be able to talk Mrs. Dengelton into assenting -to the marriage; but in spite of his strength of character -he was reluctant to leave Eunice even for the short space of -a week. So, like the ass between two bundles of hay, he -could not quite make up his mind which course to take, -when he saw Maurice coming leisurely along the terrace, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>and the conversation which ensued between them enabled -him to at once settle his future movements.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the master of Roylands reached his side, Crispin -was struck with the unusual vivacity of his face. The -gloomy look which it generally wore had quite disappeared, -and in its place was an alert, eager expression, which showed -that Maurice was deeply interested in some important matter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear Roylands,” cried Crispin in astonishment, “why -this transformation? Yesterday you were plunged in gloom, -to-day Romeo on his way to Juliet looked not so happy. -Who is the enchanter—or shall I say enchantress—who -has worked this miracle?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The Rector has been giving me a lecture,” said Maurice -gayly, lighting a cigarette; “a terrible lecture, which reminded -me of the days when I made false quantities in Latin -verse, and translated good Greek into bad English.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, you ought to have a lecture every day if it benefits -you in this way. You are much pleasanter as Sancho Panza -than as Don Quixote.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Explain!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, the squire was always merry, and the knight doleful; -so I like you as the former more than the latter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid we have changed characters, Crispin. You -are the Knight of the Rueful Countenance now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eunice”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>Cela va sans dire</i></span>,” said Maurice, leaning his elbows on -the balustrade. “Oh, do not look so astonished, Monsieur -Cupid! I am not so blind but what I can see how things -stand between you and Psyche.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You take credit to yourself when none is due,” replied -Crispin significantly. “Mr. Carriston drew your attention -to our position. You did not see it for yourself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is true enough; but how did you guess that the -Rector told me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because you were too much wrapped up in yourself to -notice unhappy lovers.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Unhappy lovers?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. I love Eunice, and my affection is returned; but -there is an obstacle which prevents our marriage.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And this obstacle?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is yourself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You! Mrs. Dengelton wants Eunice to marry you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There’s always two to a bargain,” said Maurice grimly. -“I don’t want to marry Eunice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>“Oh, you don’t love her?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As a cousin, yes; as a possible wife, no.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then there is some chance for me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I should say there was every chance for you,” remarked -Roylands in a friendly manner. “You are young and -famous, you know every one, you go everywhere, you are the -adored of the gentle sex; so what more can Eunice or her -mother desire.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eunice desires nothing—except myself; but as for Mrs. -Dengelton, she thinks I am poor.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh! and are you poor?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; on the contrary, I am very well off.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then why don’t you place all your perfections before my -dear aunt, and persuade her into consenting to the match.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t want to do so—yet,” said Crispin, with some -hesitation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why all this mystery?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot tell you just now, but you may be certain there -is nothing wrong about the mystery. I will satisfy Mrs. -Dengelton on all points shortly, and then, perhaps, I will -have the felicity of being your cousin-in-law.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wish you good luck.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You would not object to my marrying your cousin?” -asked Crispin timidly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I?” said Maurice in amazement. “Certainly not! I -believe in love matches; but, of course,—though I have but -little to say in the matter,—I would like to know who you -are, where you come from, and all that, before you become -the husband of Eunice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will explain everything to your satisfaction—shortly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The sooner the better for your own sake.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t understand you,” said Crispin, with some hauteur.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I mean as regards Eunice,” explained Maurice quickly. -“If you don’t tell my aunt of your intentions, and put yourself -right as regards money and position in her eyes, she will -marry Eunice to some one else. Failing me,—and I have -not the slightest intention of marrying my dear cousin,—she -will angle for another rich man, who will probably not -be so blind to the charms of Eunice as I am. In that case, -my poor Crispin, I am afraid it will be all up with you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What you say is very true,” replied Crispin reflectively. -“I will speak to Mrs. Dengelton before I leave the Grange.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot understand what you are making all this -mystery about.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>“Because I am proud,” rejoined the poet, with a flush on -his dark cheek. “I cannot explain myself now, but I will -some day, and then you will see I have a good reason for my -reticence.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So be it. But at present you are a riddle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I suppose I am,” said Crispin smilingly; “but one -which will shortly be explained, and, like all riddles, turn -out to be very disappointing. By the way, you might offer -me one of those excellent cigarettes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly,” answered Maurice, holding out his open case. -“Unlike Caliphronas, you are fond of smoking.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas! Who is he? what is it? man, woman, or -child, or something to eat?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The first—a Greek. Count Constantine Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Phœbus! what a name!” ejaculated Crispin, lighting his -cigarette. “Who is he?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A Greek nobleman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Humph! I mistrust Greek noblemen.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, they have got a bad name,” said Maurice quite -apologetically; “but I don’t think this one is a <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>chevalier -d’industrie</i></span>.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The exception which proves the rule, perhaps,” replied -Crispin idly; “but really I have no right to call the Greeks -names, as on the whole they are not bad. I have a good -many friends among the countrymen of Plato.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you know Caliphronas?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, that I cannot tell until I see him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you will see him soon, as he is coming to stay here -for a few days.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Stay here!” said Crispin in some surprise. “My dear -Roylands, is not this a very sudden friendship?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is not a friendship at all.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, when a man asks another to his house to stay—to -be introduced to his relatives—it is uncommonly like -friendship.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not so conventional as most Englishmen,” said -Maurice impatiently, “and therefore do not act by rule. I -daresay I should have made inquiries about the past of this -Greek before asking him to my house; but, as far as that -goes, you are a riddle yourself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin’s sallow cheek flushed at this home thrust, but he -had great self-command, and replied quietly enough,—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is rather a hard thing to say of me. I thought you -were my friend.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>“Pardon me, old fellow,” said Roylands penitently. “I -did not mean to be so rude. I have an abominable temper, -and should be kicked for saying such a thing in my own -house.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will let you off the kicking,” replied Crispin, recovering -his good-humor. “As you very truly say, I am a riddle; -but I will explain myself soon. Still, this Count Caliphronas”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you know the name?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have a faint idea I have heard it before.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In Greece?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Most probably. I know the isles of Greece very well.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, is that a quotation from Byron, or a pointed remark? -In other words, is it serious or a chance shot?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The latter—I only quoted from ‘Don Juan.’ Why do -you ask?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because this Count does come from the isles of Greece. -He says he was born in Ithaca.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, he is not reticent about himself,” said Crispin dryly. -“I will tell you what I think of him when I see him. At -present I cannot recall the name precisely, though I fancy I -have heard it before. Meanwhile, tell me all you know -about him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid that is but little. He arrived this morning -at Roylands, with a letter of introduction to the Rector from -the Archdeacon of Eastminster, and came to luncheon at the -Rectory. During our conversation, he complained of how -badly he was put up at the Royland Arms, and as I knew -Carriston would ask him to stay at the Rectory, a thing I -know he dislikes doing, as he hates strangers in his house, -I took the bull by the horns, and asked Caliphronas to come -here for a time. He accepted, and is coming with his traps -this evening.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Was it only for the sake of taking the burden off Mr. -Carriston’s shoulders that you gave your invitation?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not exactly. This Caliphronas is a splendid-looking -fellow, and I asked him to sit to me for my statue of -Endymion.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh! is he worthy to be a model?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear Crispin, he has the most perfect figure for a -man I ever saw in my life; wonderfully handsome, and with -a wild, untamed air about him that is quite unique.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin listened to this speech without moving a muscle, -but a strange look came into his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>“Have you ever read ‘A Strange Story,’ by Lytton?” he -asked abruptly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, several times,” replied Maurice, somewhat astonished -at the irrelevancy of the question.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then does this man resemble Margrave, the hero of the -book?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In what way?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In every way except the mysticism. Is he an ardent -lover of Nature? Does he talk a lot about classical times? -Is he impulsive and utterly selfish?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As to the last quality, I have not yet had an opportunity -of judging, but for the rest, you have described him exactly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas!” murmured Crispin in a pondering manner.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you know him?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin did not answer at once, and seemed to be making -up his mind as to what he would say. At last he turned to -Maurice with an enigmatic smile on his face, and shrugged -his shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not as far as I can recollect. That description I have -given as applied to Margrave would suit a good many -Greeks. They are mostly handsome, and, especially among -the islands, from living so much in the open air, imbibe a -great love for Nature. Naturally, as they have no modern -glories to talk about, they boast of ancient times and ancient -heroism. They are all impulsive, so you see I simply described -the Greek at large, not this one in particular.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But you have described him exactly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I tell you the description suits any Greek, as I have -explained.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then you don’t know this man?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; I know no one of the name of Caliphronas,” replied -Crispin, with a slight emphasis on the last word.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice did not notice the quibble, and with cheerful -good-humor dismissed the subject from his mind, as, after -all, this mystery, with which he enveloped the Count, might -turn out to be but an unworthy suspicion. Plenty of Greeks -come to England, and one more or less did not matter. He -would trouble his head no more about this man who had -dropped from the clouds into this dull little village, but -make use of him as a model, and then say good-by to him -with the best grace in the world. Once he left the Grange, -it was unlikely he would ever cross his path again, as Maurice -<span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>had not the slightest intention of going to Greece, and -looked forward to a humdrum life at Roylands for the next -few years. How little did he know what was in store for -him, and that from this appearance of Count Caliphronas -dated a new era in his life.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile, Crispin, who in reality knew a good deal more -than he chose to tell, was watching him keenly. “You -must not relapse into your gloomy fits again,” he said, laying -his hand lightly on his friend’s arm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not intend to,” replied Maurice cheerfully. “No; -I now see the excellence of the Rector’s advice. Take an -interest in life, and you will be happy. I am taking an interest -in life—in your wooing of Eunice, and in Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why Caliphronas?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because he is my Endymion in the flesh. I am going to -create a wonderful statue, Crispin, the like of which has not -been seen since the days of Canova. As to this riddle of -Caliphronas, we will solve him together.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps the solution may be easier than you think.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Crispin, you know something about this man!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nonsense! I tell you I know no one called Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Names may be assumed,” said Maurice shrewdly, “and -I am sure you have met the owner of this one before.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I meet so many people,” replied Crispin carelessly, “it -is probable I may have seen him; but really I can tell you -nothing about him—yet.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah! then you will some day?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear Roylands,” said Crispin impatiently, “Caliphronas -and his past life is becoming quite a mania with -you. I don’t know the man, but from your description, I -fancy I have met him, though, as I said before, such description -would apply to dozens of other Levantine Greeks. -When I see him I will tell you if I recognize him; but what -then? he may be only a casual acquaintance, and therefore -I will not know his history. If you mistrusted his looks, -you should not have asked him to the Grange.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear fellow, it was on account of his looks I did ask -him. He is my Endymion, remember. But you are right; -I am making a mountain out of a molehill, still, there is -some excuse for me. A unique specimen of humanity like -Caliphronas does not appear every day in a village like Roylands, -so it is natural I should be curious about him. But -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>there, we will say no more about your brother mystery. -I am going to have an interview with my bailiff, and you -may thank your stars, my friend, you are a poet, and not a -landed proprietor.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice sauntered away laughing, looking by no means the -kind of man to overburden himself with work; but Crispin -remained leaning over the balustrade of the terrace, gazing -absently at the silver spray of the fountain glittering in the -sunlight, and thinking deeply.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wonder what he wants here,” thought the poet, with a -frown on his expressive face. “A man like that does not -come down to a quiet village for nothing. Can it be to see -me? No! that is impossible, as he could not know I was -here. Curious I never saw him in London, for he must have -been there at the same time as myself, unless, indeed, he has -just arrived in England. He has some scheme in his head, -I am certain—if I could only see him alone and fathom his -motives! Oh, you fox you! Cunning as you are, I will foil -you. It is no good. You are after my friend, I’m sure of -that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He walked forward a few paces, still pondering, then resumed -his soliloquizing in a muttered tone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Roylands said this Caliphronas was coming over about -six o’clock. He is staying at the Royland Arms, so I think -I will walk over there and see him; but no, that will attract -attention, and I wish to tell Roylands nothing yet. I will -send a note; no, that will not do. Ah! I have it. I will wait -at the park gates and speak to him before he comes up -to the house. No one will know, and I can find out the -reason of his presence here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Decidedly this poet was a remarkably mysterious person, -not only as concerned his own personality, but also as regarded -this brilliant stranger who was so equally enigmatic. If -Maurice found his life dull now, it evidently was not going -to be so for any length of time; and, although he knew it -not, the elements of romance had come into it in the most -unexpected way in the persons of Crispin and Constantine -Caliphronas.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Having made up his mind, the poet thought no more -about the Greek, but strolled round the side of the house -to see if Eunice was at her window. He knew that Mrs. -Dengelton especially affected a small boudoir in the left -wing of the Grange, the window of which was only slightly -raised above the terrace, and at this window Crispin felt sure -<span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>Eunice would be. Fortunately for himself, he was right in -his conjecture, for on arriving in sight of the casement, he -saw Eunice sitting at it in a dejected attitude, evidently -expectant of a visit from her lover.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Miss Dengelton!” he said cautiously, not knowing but -that the dragon might be within hearing, and therefore -adopting society manners.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She has gone out of the room for a few minutes,” said -his lady in a frightened whisper. “Do go away.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! when the coast is clear! Not if I know it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I expect her back every minute.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very well; till she arrives we can talk about ourselves, -and even when she does we can surely chat about the -weather.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I heard you laughing with Maurice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; he is quite gay to-day. He has found a model for -his statue of Endymion.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Some village bumpkin?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, a Greek gentleman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A Greek! and pray what is a Greek doing down here?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m sure I don’t know. You will see him to-night, so -don’t fall in love with him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why should I?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He is very handsome.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t care for handsome men, they are so conceited.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Humph! that is not a compliment to me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you are not conceited, are you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nor handsome.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are handsome enough for me, at all events,” said -Eunice coquettishly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What a charming compliment!” replied Crispin gayly; -“for that I will give you a rose.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hush! here comes my mother.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>But Crispin, alas! had not heard the warning, and, having -plucked the finest rose he could see, returned to the window, -to find himself confronted by the gaudy figure of The -Parrot, whose beady eyes sparkled maliciously as he -approached.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! a rose for me, dear Mr. Crispin?” she said, -stretching out her hand, in which Crispin was unwillingly -compelled to place his flower; “how kind of you! The -young men of to-day are gallant after all. Look, Eunice, is -not this flower charming? almost as charming as you are, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>Mr. Crispin. The Rose of Sharon—oh, Shiraz—you see -I’ve read your book. Now, I have no time to talk, my dear -Mr. Crispin, so you must go away for the present at all -events. We will meet at luncheon, and if you are very good -you may bring me in another rose.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Dengelton, having thus vanquished the enemy, disappeared -with her daughter and shut the window, upon which -poor Crispin walked away in a rage.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Old cat!” he said, which was certainly neither polite nor -poetical.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER VI. <br /> <span class='fss'>SUB ROSA.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Secrets absurd</div> - <div class='line'>Leading to woes,</div> - <div class='line'>Only are heard</div> - <div class='line'>Under the rose.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Maidens refuse,</div> - <div class='line'>Lovers propose,</div> - <div class='line'>Just as they choose,</div> - <div class='line'>Under the rose.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>How scandals spread</div> - <div class='line'>Nobody knows,</div> - <div class='line'>For they are said</div> - <div class='line'>Under the rose.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>When anything marvellous occurs in real life, wiseacres -shake their heads, and say, “Wonderful! extraordinary! -Truth is stranger than fiction.” But when a novel contains -any incident out of the common, these same inconsistent -people refuse to believe it on the plea that “Fiction is not -stranger than truth.” They entirely forget that fiction is -but a reflection of real life, and that man can imagine nothing, -but merely reproduces what he sees around him. The -sceptic will object,—“Fairy tales!” Well, my dear -doubter, how do you know that fairy tales do not contain a -germ of truth? there may have been fairies in the earlier -ages of the world, and if so, the chronicles of Fairyland are -as authentic as those of England—perhaps more so, seeing all -histories are tinctured more or less with partisanship. Who -would have believed in the mammoth, had not the huge beast -been reconstructed by Cuvier? or in the moa, had not the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>skeleton of that gigantic bird been discovered in New Zealand? -Nay, there is doubtless much truth in those extravagant -travels of Marco Polo, Sir John Mandeville, and such-like -wanderers. The middle ages were times of improbability, -not of impossibility, for but little was known of the geographical -world. Well, we of this nineteenth century have -discovered all possible continents, and assume that we -know everything; but such is not the case, for, though we -may have exhausted the geographical world, we know -comparatively few of the secrets of Nature. The pebble -parable of Sir Isaac Newton will here occur to many minds, -and it applies as truly to our times as to his own. Earth, -sky, and water are full of secrets, many of which yet defy -our efforts to learn and catalogue them. This century has -been prolific of discoveries, but even add another hundred -years of fresh revelations, and Nature will still give us -riddles to solve out of her exhaustless store.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Therefore, when a coincidence occurs in a fiction, though -it may be improbable, it is not impossible, and he who takes -the trouble to keep his eyes open, his mental as well as his -physical eyes, will, in nearly every case, find the counterpart -of the ideal in the real. Here, then, are two mysterious -individuals, who, masquerading under the names of -Crispin and Caliphronas, meet one another in the most -unexpected manner in the most unexpected place. Wiseacres -will at once say “Impossible!” but, going on the theory -set forth as before, such a meeting is not impossible, but -probable. Fate, Destiny, Fortune,—whatever be the name -of the power which guides our circumstances,—delights in -surprises quite as much as does the novelist; therefore, why -should we believe the first and doubt the second? This is -inconsistent! Therefore, if you who read are wise in your -generation, and broad in your views of probability, you will -see nothing impossible in this unexpected meeting of poet -and adventurer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas was an adventurer pure and simple, of course, -as regards his vocation as free lance, but not as touching his -moral or physical qualities. He had come to England with -a distinct end in view, and already had made the first step -to the accomplishment of that end. Whether his intentions -were good or bad remains to be seen, and if, my dear reader, -you cannot tell the quality of his designs from the character -of the man as before described, you must perforce remain in -ignorance, even as Crispin remained, for, truth to tell, that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>astute individual was for once in his life really and truly -puzzled. He knew Caliphronas in Greek waters, under -another name, and, having had considerable experience of -his character, was quite confident that he had some object in -view for thus making his appearance at Roylands. With -the determination of finding out that object, and thwarting -it if he could,—for Crispin had no very great love for the -Greek,—our poet walked down to the park gates between -the hours of five and six, with the intention of having an -interview with this mysterious stranger.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In his own mind he was by no means certain of the identity -of this Caliphronas with the person he thought he was, -and such a doubt could only be solved by a personal view of -the Greek himself; but the description given by Maurice so -tallied with the image of a certain individual, that Crispin -felt sure that the conclusion he had arrived at was a correct -one. In order, however, to end all doubt on the subject, he -wanted to personally interview the Count before he set foot -in Roylands Grange, and had with considerable dexterity -carried out his plan without exciting suspicion, a thing -which he was anxious to avoid if possible.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pleading a headache,—that convenient excuse,—he had -managed to give his friend the slip, though, truth to tell, he -took more trouble over securing such secrecy than was absolutely -necessary, for Maurice, fired by the idea of recommencing -work, had retreated to his studio, and remained -there all the afternoon. Mrs. Dengelton still kept a watchful -eye upon her daughter, and, on one plea or another, kept -her away from the too-fascinating poet: so, in reality, Crispin -was left entirely to his own devices, therefore utilized such -good fortune by seeking this important interview with the -unknown Greek.</p> - -<p class='c001'>So hot had been the day, that Crispin felt a certain sense -of relief when the coolness of night approached, and, lingering -under the mighty oaks which bordered the avenue, -luxuriated in that delightful twilight, which is neither -wholly of night nor day, but partakes equally of both. The -air was still warm, and there was a pleasant shade over the -sky, as Night gradually drew her dusky veil across the glaring -blue from east to west. Shafts of crimson light shot -through the wood and through the dense foliage. Crispin -could see at times the rosy flames of the setting sun. Still -vocal were the birds, for they were now singing their good-night -to day, and in a short time nothing would be heard -<span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>but occasional chirps from some belated thrush, until with -the moon came the divine nightingale to flood the thickets -with song. Restless gnats were dancing in front of his face -as he strolled down the avenue, and at times a bat would flit -noiselessly through the warm air, while, mellowed by distance, -the chimes of Roylands church rang musically on his -ear.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Six o’clock,” said the poet to himself, glancing at his -watch. “I suppose this Caliphronas will be here shortly. -Roylands sent the dog-cart, but if this is the man I imagine, -he will send on his traps in charge of the groom, and walk -over to the Grange on such a perfect evening.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>At this moment he heard the noise of approaching wheels, -and shortly afterwards the dogcart, drawn by a fast-trotting -mare, flashed past him, containing only the groom and some -luggage. Finding his conjecture thus prove correct, Crispin -did not trouble himself to go farther on his way to seek -Caliphronas, as that gentleman was bound to meet him in -the avenue; so, lounging against the mighty trunk of an oak, -he lazily waited the approach of the individual concerning -whose intentions he entertained such doubts.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“I will crown myself with roses</div> - <div class='line'>To meet thee, beloved.</div> - <div class='line'>Why dost thou fly at the sight of my wreath?</div> - <div class='line'>The hot sun hath withered it truly.</div> - <div class='line'>And my heart is burnt up by thine eyes.</div> - <div class='line'>Dead heart! dead roses! but love undying.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Caliphronas was singing these words in Greek, and Crispin -at once recognized the voice of the singer, a recognition -which immediately confirmed his suspicions as to the identity -of this gentleman.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“We will live in the woods, my beloved,</div> - <div class='line'>And berries will be our food;</div> - <div class='line'>On berries and kisses could I live always,</div> - <div class='line'>Till Fate destroyed us,</div> - <div class='line'>And robbed us of berries, and kisses, and life forever.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“I’ve heard him singing that song at Melnos,” muttered -Crispin quietly to himself. “It is he! What can he be -doing here?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>At this moment the singer came in sight, walking rapidly -up the avenue with a springy step, swinging his stick to and -fro as he sang. He was indeed a sight worth looking at, as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>he bounded lightly over the earth, Antæus-like, drawing -fresh vigor at every pressure of his foot on the ground; yet -his undeniable beauty but excited a feeling of repulsion in -the breast of Crispin, who now knew him only too well. -They were a strange contrast, these two men: the poet small, -dark, and unhandsome, but the fire of intellect in his eyes; -the adventurer a splendid animal, with nothing but his -physical perfections to recommend him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas did not notice the poet leaning against the -tree, and came on, carelessly singing as he walked,—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“What will I do for thee, beloved?</div> - <div class='line'>Oh, I will do many deeds of daring!</div> - <div class='line'>I will slay the Turk in his pride,</div> - <div class='line'>And his head will be my wedding gift.</div> - <div class='line'>Behold I”—</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Here he stopped suddenly, catching sight of Crispin, but, -instead of being astonished at the unexpected meeting, as the -poet expected, he simply stood still, leaning on his stick, and -laughing at the look on the other’s face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, ah, Creespeen!” he said in Greek, with a smile; -“you did not expect to see me in this place.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly I did not,” retorted Crispin in the same language, -marvelling at the self-possession of the man; “and -I’ve no doubt the meeting is unexpected on both sides.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not with me; oh no! That priest—the Papa I saw this -morning told me you were here, and your friend also informed -me of your presence.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What are you doing here?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, that is a long story, my good Creespeen,” replied -Caliphronas coolly, “and one I do not choose to tell.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have some design in your head.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Assuredly,” said the Count mockingly; “I would not -come to this cold island for pleasure.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, I see you are as great a scoundrel as ever!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas laughed, and seemed in no wise offended at the -scornful tone of the other. For such an epithet an Englishman -would have struck its utterer, but Caliphronas did not -even frown. The only notice he took of Crispin’s rudeness -was to raise his eyebrows in mocking surprise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have still a bad opinion of me, I see.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The very worst!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What a truly good young man you are!” said the Count -sardonically. “I regret that you should be forced to keep -<span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>company with such a scamp as I am; but I am afraid you -will have to make up your mind to that or—go away.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I shall certainly not do the latter until I find out the -reason of your presence in this place.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then, my dear friend, you will have to stay here forever.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you going to stay here forever?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I! no. I am down here on business.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“With the Rector?—with Roylands? with whom?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Count looked at him with a provoking smile, and -flung himself on the grass at the foot of the oak against -which Crispin was leaning.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps with both; perhaps with neither.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now you listen to me, Caliphronas,—as that is the name -you choose to go by; both Mr. Carriston and Mr. Roylands -are friends of mine, and if you have come down here with -any bad design in your head against either of them, I will -make it my business to thwart you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do so by all means, if you can.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can do so by a very simple means, though you seem to -doubt it,” said Crispin quietly. “You brought an excellent -letter of introduction to Mr. Carriston, though how you -came by it I do not know. You have made friends with -Roylands, who is a simple fellow, by consenting to be his -model for Endymion”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And a very good model too,” interrupted Caliphronas, -looking at himself complacently.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t deny your outward goodliness;—it is a pity your -mind is not in keeping. But to come back to what I was -saying. You have made friends with both the gentlemen I -speak of, and perhaps such friendship is necessary to your -plans; if so. I will end it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How will you manage that?” said the Count coolly, but -with a nasty glitter in his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Simply by telling them who you are and what you are.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You will not do that!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will, if your designs are bad.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How do you know my designs are bad?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because to a man of your nature goodness is impossible.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I would not go so far as to say it is impossible,” said -Caliphronas, with a sneer, “but I agree with you that it is -improbable. To my mind, goodness is a weakness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“One you don’t possess, I’m afraid.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not; nor do I wish to possess it,” replied the Count -<span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>insolently. “But may I not draw your attention to the fact -that it is long past six, that Roylands dines at seven, and -that I am terribly hungry?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You can call my attention to all these facts,” retorted -Crispin promptly, “but you don’t enter that house until I -know what you are going to do.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pay a visit. Sit for the Endymion.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am tired of this fencing. Don’t go on like this with -me, An”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas,” said the other quickly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, one name is as good as another; but you needn’t -waste all this diplomacy on me, my friend. I know you -too well to believe you would waste your time in coming -here for nothing. Now tell me what your schemes are, or I -will reveal all I know of you to Maurice Roylands.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Count was thus driven into a corner, and all his suave -manner vanished as he sat up on the turf with a scowl on -his handsome face, and a significant movement of his right -hand toward his waist.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I’m not afraid of that, you scamp,” said Crispin -quickly; “you wear not the fusanella here, nor have you -knife or pistol with you. You are in a civilized country, my -noble Count, so must act in a civilized manner.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Greek, recovering his temper, burst out laughing, and -beckoned Crispin to sit down beside him on the soft green -turf.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have the whip-hand of me, Creespeen,” he said -lightly; “and I am too wise a man to waste time in argument, -so I will tell you the reason of my presence here. -You were quite right in thinking I did not come for pleasure; -on the contrary, I wish to carry out a very delicate -affair, and perhaps it is as well you should know, as I may -want your assistance in the matter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will help you in none of your villanies.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By St. Theodore, how pious you have become! Oh, I -forgot! you are Misterr Creespeen, the famous poet, the new -Chrysostom of the Golden Mouth. Eh yes; I heard all about -you in London. No one would think this great poet was -ever”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hold your tongue!” said Crispin, roughly grasping the -Greek by the wrist; “whatever I have been, whatever I am, -I have done nothing to be ashamed of.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Indeed! would you like them to know all?” retorted -the Count, jerking his hand in the direction of the house.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>“I intend to tell them all when I choose; but not before.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Suppose I anticipate you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do so, by all means. You will relate the story of my -life, and I will relate the story of your life. I wonder which -will prove the more interesting.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I wonder,” rejoined Caliphronas, with consummate -impudence; “but do not let us quarrel, as I may want your -assistance. Oh, you need not frown; I have no ill intentions -towards your precious friends. In fact, to put you -completely at your ease, I may as well tell you Justinian -sent me to England.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Justinian!” repeated Crispin, with a start. “Well, -what of that?” he resumed carelessly. “You know I am -not now friends with Justinian,—I have not seen him for -nearly”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Three years, eh?” said Caliphronas quickly; “of -course, that is just about the time you came here. Oh, I -heard all about you in London; and Justinian will have -heard also by this time, for I wrote and told him all.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I trust he is pleased,” said Crispin grimly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As to that, I don’t know. True, his goose has turned out -a swan, and now, unlike a swan, sings songs the world listens -to; but such glory can hardly compensate him for the ungrateful -manner in which you treated him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Enough!” cried Crispin hotly, his dark face flushing with -anger; “I can justify my conduct amply, but I do not choose -to do so to you. Leave Justinian, and Melnos, and all the -old life alone. I want to know the reason of your presence -in Roylands.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you shall know. But do not get furious over -nothing,” said Caliphronas mockingly. “I am afraid you -have lost all your old Hellenic calm, and now resemble one -of these bad-tempered Englishmen, devoured with the spleen, -and greedy of money.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not greedy of money.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eh? oh, I see! you sing your songs for the smiles of -women, not for the gold of their husbands, fathers, and -brothers. Well, I agree with you; the smiles of women are -very delightful, but one cannot live on them, so I would like -to know how you exist.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Would you, indeed?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; and so would Justinian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you will neither of you be told. Come, now, it is -growing late, and I wait for your confession.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>“No one will hear us?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course not; besides, we speak in Greek, which is not -so common in England as in Hellas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas let the smile die away from his lips, and looked -keenly at Crispin.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You will not reveal what I have now to tell you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not unless it is some villany.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is no villany. It is an act of justice. Listen.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The story, which did not take long to tell, drew forth many -exclamations of surprise from Crispin, who for once in his -life was astonished at the revelations of Caliphronas, and -believed he was speaking the truth. Indeed, he could hardly -help believing it, as many points of the story coincided with -what he himself knew in connection with the Roylands -family. When Caliphronas finished his recital, he flung himself -back on the turf, and waited for Crispin to speak, which -the young man did after a long pause.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What you have stated astonishes me very much,” he said -deliberately; “but, as far as I can see, there does not seem -to be any harm intended to my friend.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“None in the least,” said the Count eagerly. “You do -not like Justinian now, for some mysterious reason, but I -think you know enough about him to trust him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know enough about him not to trust him overmuch,” -replied Crispin coolly; “but with regard to your scheme and -his scheme”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes?” cried the Count breathlessly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will remain neutral.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas drew a long breath of relief, and sprang to his -feet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is better than nothing; but I wish you would help -me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; I will remain neutral.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You can see for yourself there is no harm intended.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I tell you I will remain neutral,” said Crispin for the -third time, also rising from his recumbent attitude. “I will -neither help you nor thwart you; so you can do as you please, -but I don’t think you’ll succeed in your schemes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t you?” replied Caliphronas provokingly, as they -walked up to the house together. “Well, that remains to be -seen. If a man of my capacity”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Cunning.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, cunning if you like. If a man of my cunning cannot -circumvent this dull-headed”—</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>“Cautious.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, is he cautious? Well, I will make this cautious -Englishman do as I wish. But here we are nearly at the -house, and I wait to know on what footing we stand.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are an acquaintance of mine. I met you at Athens. -Talk of the best-known Athenians as our mutual friends.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you will say nothing about Melnos?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nor about Justinian?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nor Alcibiades?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I tell you I won’t say a word about any one or anything,” -said Crispin impatiently. “You can carry out your plan if -you like. It does no harm to Roylands as far as I can see; -but if I find you playing double, my friend, I’ll put an end -to your games.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I always play fair when it is to my benefit to do so,” -retorted the Greek, with an unpleasant smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What a pity it is not always to your benefit to do so!” -said the poet cruelly; “you would then be an honest man.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am what I am,” answered Caliphronas sullenly; “had I -created myself, I might have made an improvement.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not in your appearance,” observed Crispin, looking at the -splendid beauty of the man beside him. “I suppose you are -as vain as ever?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Possibly; but I never let my vanity interfere with my -business.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, there is some sense in that splendid head of yours, -but precious little.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Quite enough to accomplish my wishes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I doubt it. However, here we are, and here is Mr. -Roylands.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was indeed Maurice, who, arrayed in evening dress, -advanced to meet them, and greeted Caliphronas with a -smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I had quite given you up, Count,” he said, shaking hands -with the Greek; “your luggage arrived, but not you, and -the dinner is now due. However, as neither of you gentlemen -is ready, I have just put it off for half an hour, so -you will just have time to dress. You know Mr. Crispin, -Count?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; you must blame him for my unpunctuality,” said -Caliphronas gracefully. “I walked over here, and sent on -my luggage by your groom. In the avenue I met Mr. Creespeen, -and we talked of old times.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span>“Ah, you know one another!” cried Maurice, flashing a -keen glance at Crispin, which that gentleman sustained -without blenching.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh yes,” answered the poet calmly; “I was afraid I did -not know the name of Count Caliphronas, but my memory -played me false. I know it and him very well. We met -at Athens.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Three years ago,” continued the Count, laughing. “You -have no idea, Mr. Maurice, how astonished I was to meet my -friend here. By the way, you must allow me to call you -Mr. Maurice; I make such a mess of your English names.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think you speak English wonderfully well, Count. -Where did you learn, may I ask, if it is not a rude question?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I had an English tutor,” replied Caliphronas, stealing a -glance at Crispin; “and I have been accustomed to your -tongue since a lad.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, that accounts for it. Well, come with me, Count, -and I will show you your room. Crispin, Mrs. Dengelton -and her daughter are already in the drawing-room, so you -had better make haste.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin went off as quickly as possible, and Maurice hospitably -conducted his guest to the room prepared for him, -where Roylands’ valet was already spreading out the Count’s -evening dress. This duty having been performed, Mr. -Roylands hurried away to his guests in the drawing-room, -and the Count was left alone with the valet, whom he -speedily dismissed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you; I won’t require anything else,” he said, -when the servant had arranged all his clothes. “I am -accustomed to wait on myself. Dinner is in half an hour?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, sir,” replied the valet, and retired quietly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The fact is, Caliphronas had a habit of thinking aloud, -and, as he had a good many matters to consider, he was -afraid of committing himself if a second person were in the -room; therefore, having got rid of the servant, he began to -dress slowly for dinner, thinking deeply all the time.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not think Creespeen will say anything,” he said -aloud in Greek, as he arranged his white tie; “very likely -he will help me, if I can manage him. How upright he is -now—how very upright, and to think”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>Here the Count went into a fit of silent laughter, which -lasted until he arrived at the door of the drawing-room, -when he controlled his risible muscles, and went in gravely -to be introduced to the ladies.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER VII. <br /> <span class='fss'>SOUVENT FEMME VARIE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Woman’s a weathercock,</div> - <div class='line'>Full of frivolity.</div> - <div class='line'>Men may together mock</div> - <div class='line'>At her heart’s quality.</div> - <div class='line'>But if a heart she steals,</div> - <div class='line'>Worth all the smart she feels,</div> - <div class='line'>There then her place is;</div> - <div class='line'>Lo, then the nether rock</div> - <div class='line'>Less firm of base is.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>Needless to say, Count Constantine Caliphronas was -much admired by the two ladies, which was scarcely to be -wondered at, seeing his charm of manner was almost as -great as his physical perfection. Attracted in the first -instance by his good looks, they were quite prepared to find -the kernel of such a handsome nut somewhat disappointing; -in other words, they fancied that Nature could scarcely be -so profuse in her gifts, as to give this man great mental -powers in addition to his comely exterior. To their surprise, -they found the Greek to be a charming conversationalist, -and were much astonished at the purity with which he spoke -the English tongue.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It would be ridiculous to say that Caliphronas was a man -of any great intellectual powers; for, as before stated, he -was gifted with more cunning than brains, still, such cunning -enabled him to conceal his educational deficiencies, and -by a dexterous use of the little knowledge he possessed, he -managed to pass for a very intelligent man. Shallow Caliphronas -was, without doubt, and his education in many ways -had been wofully neglected; but he had travelled a great -deal, he was acute enough in picking up unconsidered trifles -of general information, he had plenty of small talk, so all -these advantages, in conjunction with his undeniable good -looks and ready wit, enabled him to fascinate the ordinary -run of people. A clever man or a brilliant woman would -have discovered the smallness of his intellectual powers at -once; but every-day folk are not so difficult to please, and -both Mrs. Dengelton and her daughter, being ordinary folk, -gifted with ordinary brains, found the flashy, frivolous chatter -of the Count infinitely charming.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>Maurice, having got over his first suspicions of the Greek, -soon liked him extremely, as he was a pleasant companion, -and always in a good humor. On the other hand, Crispin, -who knew what Caliphronas really was, and how mean and -vile a soul inhabited that splendid body, was much put to in -order to conceal his distaste for the society of this brilliant -stranger. He saw through the thin veneer of good manners -and facile accomplishments, into the true nature of the man, -and was well aware that this apparently charming child of -Nature, all impulse and simplicity, was in reality a crafty, -selfish, sensual scoundrel, whose only aim in life was to -benefit himself at the expense of others.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If we were only in the Palace of Truth now!” thought -the poet, as he sat silently watching the dexterous way in -which Caliphronas was using his small stock of accomplishments. -“I wonder what they would say were that man compelled -to give utterance to his real thoughts. They would -fly in horror from him as a vile thing, a beautiful flower, -whose appearance is exquisite, yet whose odor is death. -Still, he has improved wonderfully since the old days. I -wonder where he picked up these good manners—not from -Justinian or Alcibiades, I’ll be bound; but perhaps he has -been learning the art of pleasing from Helena.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>As this thought came into his mind, and he remembered -the charming woman who bore that name, knowing what -Caliphronas was, he could not restrain a shudder, which, -immediately drew the eyes of the Greek towards him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eh, my friend, Mr. Creespeen,” he said slowly; for Caliphronas, -in spite of his intimate acquaintance with the English -tongue, picked up, heaven only knows where, could -never pronounce proper names without a strong foreign -accent,—“eh, my friend, you shudder. Some one is walking -over your grave.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, what a horrible idea!” cried Mrs. Dengelton in her -liveliest manner, for the Count’s good looks had made a deep -impression on her elderly heart. “I declare, my dear Count, -you make me shudder also. It is exactly the kind of thing -my brother Rudolph would say. Ghouls, vampires, omens, -dreams, and all those grewsome things, he used to revel in. -Yes, positively revel in. Never shall I forget being told -how he brought some lady friend a book to read, called ‘Footprints -on the Borders of Another World.’ It nearly frightened -her into convulsions, and she threw it out of the -window.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>“My Uncle Rudolph must have been an interesting kind -of person,” said Maurice dryly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, my dear Maurice, he was so terribly wild! Yes! -Why, in the old days, he would have been a buccaneer or a -pirate—it is just the kind of thing he would have liked to -be.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>At this last remark, Crispin looked straight at the Count, -who met his gaze with an uneasy laugh, and tried to turn the -conversation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This gentleman, madam? He was very adventurous, I -presume?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh dear me, yes! Your uncle, Eunice, I am speaking -of—your uncle, Maurice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, mamma—yes, aunt,” said both the cousins together.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He had a fiery eye, and was over six feet in height. I -always thought him the image of the Templar in ‘Ivanhoe;’ -but, of course, I speak from hearsay, as I was a babe when -he left England. Is there not a portrait of him somewhere, -Maurice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is just behind you, aunt, over the piano.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Both Caliphronas and Crispin arose with a simultaneous -movement, and strolled across the room to look at this -modern Captain Kidd, for that style of man he appeared to -have been, judging from Mrs. Dengelton’s highly-colored -description.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The portrait was a full-length one of a handsome young -man in the old-fashioned costume <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>à la d’Orsay</i></span> of the early -Victorian age, and assuredly he appeared to be a dandy of -the first water. But his strong commanding face, his eagle -glance, firm mouth, and prominent nose marked him at once -as a born leader of men. A man who, in Elizabethan times, -would have sailed the Spanish main and thrashed the Dons; -who, in later years, would have delighted in Jacobite conspiracies; -who would have fought his way to a marshal’s -baton when Napoleon led the armies of France: in fact, one -of those men who find no outlet for their energies in the -leading-strings of civilization, but who, in a lawless life, -develop those qualities whereof heroes are made. Maurice -was good-looking enough in an ordinary fashion, but he had -none of the power and daring in his face, such as showed so -conspicuously in his uncle’s countenance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Count and Crispin remained looking at the portrait -an unconscionably long time, considering the original was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>unknown to them, and glanced meaningly at one another as -they went back to their seats.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your description is an admirable one, Mrs. Dengelton,” -said Crispin, as that lady evidently desired his opinion of -the portrait; “the face is that of a man who would be either -a hero or a scoundrel according to circumstances, but always -brave.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear Mr. Crispin!” cried the lady, somewhat scandalized -at the epithet applied to a Roylands.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I beg your pardon, Mrs. Dengelton; I am speaking of -the type more than the man. Rudolph Roylands has the -bearing of a born leader of men, and I do not wonder he -left England for wider fields. He must have been stifled -in this narrow island.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How do you know he left England?” asked the lady -sharply.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, your story of last night”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But you were not here when I told it. Ah, my dear Mr. -Crispin, I am indeed very angry at you for taking my -daughter out onto the terrace. She might have caught her -death of cold—but we will not speak of that. At all -events, you could not have heard my story.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin looked rather uncomfortable, as if he feared he -had committed himself; but, as Mrs. Dengelton’s beady eyes -were fastened shrewdly on his face, he had to make some -answer, though, truth to tell, he did not know what to say.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, really, Mrs. Dengelton, I hardly know how to -reply,” he said, coloring. “I did not hear all your story; -but, if you remember, just before the Rector said good-night, -you talked about your brother leaving England.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Dear me, yes, so I did!” said Mrs. Dengelton, and -would have liked to add something anent the story of the -photographs, the falsehood of which she had discovered. -Maurice, however, guessed how the land lay, and feeling -sorry for Crispin, who was really very uncomfortable, made -the first remark that came into his head. Caliphronas, tired -of the conversation, had gone to the piano, where Eunice -was playing softly, and talked to her in an undertone. This -attention, however, was not noticed by Crispin, who was too -busy trying to extricate himself from his dilemma with Mrs. -Dengelton, to think about anything else. How he would -have managed to evade the photograph question, which Mrs. -Dengelton was bent on asking, it is difficult to say, but that -Maurice came to his aid with the apparently irrelevant -remark,—</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>“My dear Crispin, you say that, judging from his face, my -uncle would either be a hero or a scoundrel. Now what do -you mean by that remark?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I hope I haven’t offended you by making it,” said -Crispin, with a grateful smile, for he saw through Roylands’ -stratagem; “but if a man like your uncle has such qualities -as he seems to possess, strongly developed, they are bound -to break out in some direction. Place him in the army, and -he will be a hero in time of war, but supposing he was born -in Whitechapel, I am afraid his heroic qualities would be -dangerous to society.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then you think a hero and a thief are composed of the -same qualities?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will not say a thief, but use the milder term, ‘adventurer.’ -If the great Napoleon had not been an adventurer -of that quality, he would never have mounted the throne -of France. Sforza, the Duke of Milan, was of the same -species; so was William the Conqueror, and Roger de -Hauteville, King of Sicily. All these men, through force -of circumstances which aided the development of their -commanding qualities, obtained thrones—they were adventurers -who became kings. On the other hand, look at -Benvenuto Cellini. He had the same instincts for fighting, -commanding, and daring, the same longing for fame, riches, -adventures; yet, to the end of his life, he was but a quarrelsome -swashbuckler, simply because his circumstances did -not permit his qualities developing in the right direction. -Cromwell had these qualities and mounted a throne, Rienzi -had them and died on the scaffold—all through circumstances. -Believe me, my dear Maurice, whatever qualities a -man may possess, the development of them in the right or -the wrong direction depends on his surroundings. It is a -common saying that genius can override all obstacles—a -mistake which anyone who reads history can perceive. Circumstances -are sometimes too strong for the greatest soul, -and that genius which should have created empires dies in -obscurity.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Quite a historical lecture, I declare,” tittered Mrs. Dengelton, -who found this long speech a trifle wearisome; “but, -how does all this apply to my brother?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If your brother, Mrs. Dengelton, went to South America, -he probably rose to be president of one of those petty republics; -if he went as a free lance into the service of some -Eastern potentate, he very likely ended his life as a pasha of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>three tails; but if he stayed in England, I feel certain that -his violent temperament, his adventurous longings, must -have brought him into trouble.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t think he stayed in England,” replied Mrs. Dengelton, -shaking her head, “or we certainly would have heard -of his death. Probably he is a president, or a pasha, or some -of those dreadful things you speak of.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think he is dead, aunt?” asked Maurice, who -had been listening quietly to this argument.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m sure I don’t know. I haven’t heard of him for years -and years; but the Roylands are always long-living people, -so perhaps he is still alive. It is now fifty years since he -went away, at the age of twenty-five, so if he is still alive -he must be quite seventy-five years of age.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Seventy-five years of age,” repeated Crispin, and relapsed -into silence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who is seventy-five years of age?” asked Caliphronas, -overhearing the remark.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My Uncle Rudolph, if alive,” said Maurice lazily.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, indeed!” replied Caliphronas carelessly, but his -words conveyed volumes as he tried to catch the eye of -Crispin. In this, however, he was not successful, as Crispin -was wrapt up in a brown study, so the Greek turned towards -Eunice and asked her to sing something.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am passionately fond of music,” he said, turning over -some songs, “and nothing so delights me as to hear a -woman’s voice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Eunice blushed at this compliment to her sex, and, not -knowing how to answer it,—for she was still afflicted with -the shyness of the bread-and-butter age,—took up the first -song that came to hand.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you know this song?” she said, placing the music -before her—“‘The Star Sirius;’ it is the new scientific style -of song, now all the rage.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A scientific song,” repeated Caliphronas, rather puzzled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, blending instruction with pleasure,” said Crispin, -rousing himself out of his revery and walking over to the -piano. “The public are tired of love-songs, sea-songs, sacred -songs, comic songs, and sentimentalities of all kinds; so -some ingenious person has invented the scientific song. In -this song astronomy is brought to the aid of eroticism, and -the result is peculiar, to say the least of it. I presume such -ditties are written for musically-inclined Girton girls. Shall -I play your accompaniment, Miss Dengelton?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>“If you would be so kind,” said Eunice, vacating her seat -at the piano, which action brought a frown to the face of -her watchful mother. “I can sing better standing up.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin played the prelude in sufficiently good style, and -Caliphronas, sinking into a chair near the singer, looked up -into her face in a somewhat bold fashion, as she sang the -latest up-to-date song of the day.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in10'>THE STAR SIRIUS.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in16'>I.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in4'>A glowing star of ardent ray</div> - <div class='line in6'>In midnight skies we trace,</div> - <div class='line in4'>It is a central sun, they say,</div> - <div class='line in6'>Enshrined in distant space.</div> - <div class='line in4'>Around it giant planets turn,</div> - <div class='line in6'>In motion constant roll,</div> - <div class='line in4'>With fiery force its splendors burn,</div> - <div class='line in6'>As for thee burns my soul.</div> - <div class='line'>Oh, star ascendant at my birth!</div> - <div class='line'>For tears, for sadness, or for mirth,</div> - <div class='line'>You rule my destiny on earth.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in15'>II.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in4'>Oh, star of stars! in thee no flaw</div> - <div class='line in6'>The telescopes reveal;</div> - <div class='line in4'>Thine orbs obey attraction’s law,</div> - <div class='line in6'>And round thy centre wheel.</div> - <div class='line in4'>Beloved, thou and I are one,</div> - <div class='line in6'>Nor parted e’er can be;</div> - <div class='line in4'>I am thy planet, thou my sun,</div> - <div class='line in6'>For all eternity.</div> - <div class='line'>Oh, star ascendant at my birth!</div> - <div class='line'>For tears, for sadness, or for mirth,</div> - <div class='line'>You rule my destiny on earth.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“Thank you, Miss Dengelton,” said Caliphronas, when -the song ended; “I like your singing much better than the -words. They are somewhat perplexing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They are up-to-date words,” remarked Crispin calmly; -“the music is also up to date, of the most advanced school, -a blending of Dvoräk and Rubinstein.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What awful names!” cried Caliphronas, with a shudder; -“they grate on the ear.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So does their music in some cases; there is nothing like -consistency. Still, some of the advanced school of music’s -efforts are delightful. This dance of Dvoräk’s, for instance.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>Bringing down his hands on the keys with a crash, he -played one of those weird gypsy dances of the Bohemian -musician, which thrill the listener with their wild capriciousness, -and conjure up pictures of a mode of life quite alien -to our prosaic respectability. That strange chord resounds -loudly through the room, and at once we see the wild horses -flying across the illimitable gray plain, the fierce voices of -their gypsy riders pealing up to the sombre sky of midnight. -That rapid medley of sounds, and lo! the fires burn redly -under the trees, while round them bound tawny women with -flashing eyes, tossing their arms and clashing their tambourines -to the wild rhythm of the music. Death on the -cards, love in the stars, and the muttered prophecies of -crouching hags, terrified at the omen of flying bat, of shrieking -night-bird. Another whirl of glittering notes scatter -themselves through the air, crash, crash, crash, chord upon -chord sounds fiercely, with intervals of sparkling chromatic -runs like the falling of broken spray, and then one final -chord, bringing the red of the dawn, the chill winds of morning, -and the uprising of the cheerful sun.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wonderful!” cried Mrs. Dengelton, who knew nothing -about music, but admired Dvoräk because he was the fashion, -and not intelligible to the ordinary mind.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So fantastic,” added Eunice, whose accomplishments did -not soar above the mild singing of a mild drawing-room -ballad, such as “Daddy’s Dancing,” or “Oh, if to thee my -heart is Welcome!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, for my part,” said the Count, shrugging his shoulders, -“I think your new music is horrible.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, it does not appeal to your Hellenic spirit,” replied -Crispin carelessly. “Mephistopheles felt out of place at the -classical Walpurgis Night, so you, my dear Caliphronas, feel -equally at sea among this diablerie of a Northern composer, -so suggestive of the festival on the Bröcken.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t know what you are taking about,” said the Count -uneasily, having a vague idea he was being laughed at.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course you don’t,” replied Crispin coolly. “You -have never read ‘Faust,’ either the first or the second -part.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas knew that Crispin did not like him, and, thinking -he wanted to ridicule him in the presence of the ladies, -would have made some angry answer, but that Eunice, quite -unaware of this storm in a teacup, asked him to sing a Greek -song.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>“Yes, do, dear Count!” said Mrs. Dengelton gushingly. -“I do so love foreign songs! They go to the soul.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And the soul—at least the English soul—does not -understand them,” observed Maurice, with a yawn, for he -was growing somewhat tired of this musical discussion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If the song is in Italian, French, or German, I can certainly -understand it,” said the lady, with dignity; “but -Greek I can hardly be expected to know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not think you would care much for the words if you -did understand modern Greek,” remarked Crispin with a -smile. “The sonorous tongue of Hellas invests the most -commonplace poems with a dignity and a charm which they -would lose if translated. Come, Count, and sing that love-song -you used to be so fond of in Athens.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Athens!” repeated the Count, with a significant smile, as -he rose to comply with this request.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, Athens!” repeated Crispin, with emphasis. “I was -accustomed to play your accompaniment. How does it -go?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He began playing a simple melody, which, wild though it -was, sounded quite poverty-stricken after the wealth of harmonies -which had so distinguished the music of Dvoräk. -Caliphronas watched the player’s fingers for a little time, -and then began to sing in an uncommonly fine tenor voice, -though of course somewhat rough for want of training. -What he lacked in delicacy, however, he made up in force -and fire; and the wonderful language he sang in also assisted -him greatly, though, as regards the song itself, neither melody -nor words were particularly striking.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Daphne, this summer night is full of singing;</div> - <div class='line'>I hear my comrades sigh at the windows of those they worship;</div> - <div class='line'>The windows are open, but thy lattice is closed.</div> - <div class='line'>“Love!” calls the lover to his beloved.</div> - <div class='line'>“Love!” answers the beloved with smiling lip.</div> - <div class='line'>But from your window you call not “Love!”</div> - <div class='line'>Wherefore the night is empty of singing to me:</div> - <div class='line'>Lean from your lattice, capricious one,</div> - <div class='line'>And I will sing the strain of the nightingale to the rose.</div> - <div class='line'>Yes! you have heard me: you open your window,</div> - <div class='line'>I can see the silver daggers gleam in your hair;</div> - <div class='line'>And you throw me a rose, which sighs “I love thee.”</div> - <div class='line'>Ah, you have spoken to the rose, and the message is told.</div> - <div class='line'>Good-night, my Daphne, sleep with the sound of my voice in thine ears;</div> - <div class='line'>But for me there is no slumber,</div> - <div class='line'>For all night will I demand of the rose your message,</div> - <div class='line'>And the rose will reply, “I love thee! I love thee!”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'><span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span>“Thank you so much,” said Eunice, coming over to the -piano. “I do not know what it means, but it sounds wonderfully -charming.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is a love-song.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wish I had a translation of it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will translate it if you wish, Miss Dengelton,” said -Crispin, by no means relishing the attention which Eunice -was paying to the Greek.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! do you know Greek?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Modern Greek; yes. I have been in Greece a great -deal.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A great deal,” echoed Caliphronas, with an evil smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin faced round abruptly, and was about to say something -in an undertone, but, after a moment’s deliberation, -turned slowly away. The Count looked after him with a -smiling face, and then devoted himself to Eunice, who was -by no means averse to receiving his attentions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Now, Eunice must not be misjudged. It is true that she -felt flattered by the attentions of such a strikingly handsome -man as Caliphronas; but she was not, as Crispin in his -jealousy thought, attracted in any marked degree by this -stranger. In fact, she was playing a little comedy for the -blinding of her lynx-eyed mother; for, afraid lest that lady -should discover that she was secretly engaged to Crispin, -with the instinctive craft of womankind, Eunice pretended -to be more taken up with the Greek than with the poet. -By following this course, she thought her mother’s mind -would be set at rest concerning the rivalry of Crispin with -Maurice. Alas! the plan was a good one, and excellently -well carried out; but such diplomacy met with but an ill -reward, as in avoiding Charybdis she fell into the clutches -of Scylla; for, in place of an angry mother, she had to put -up with an angry lover.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin was puzzled to account for her sudden desertion -of him and this marked attention to Caliphronas, so at once -with masculine stupidity, deemed that the outward graces of -the Count had rendered her false to him. Had Crispin been -fortunate enough to possess a female friend to whom he -could have talked on such a serious matter, his suspicions -would speedily have been lulled to rest; for no one but a -woman can understand a woman, and, as Crispin was of the -masculine gender, he therefore failed to grasp the situation. -Eunice chatted gayly with Caliphronas, smiled on him, sang -songs to him, and quite neglected poor Crispin, who grew -<span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>towards the end of the night almost as melancholy as -Maurice, in his despair at such unlooked-for behavior on -the part of the girl he loved.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As to Caliphronas, that gentleman, who possessed a considerable -amount of vanity, and an overweening sense of his -own perfections, saw nothing in the conduct of Miss Dengelton -otherwise than what should be. He was so accustomed -to be petted and made much of by women, that it became a -matter of habit with him, and he would have been considerably -astonished had Eunice acted otherwise than she did. -At the same time, he was secretly very pleased at making -an impression in this quarter, as he saw at once from intercepted -glances that the poet was violently enamoured of -this fair English maiden. Caliphronas hated Crispin with -all the strong venomosity of a little soul, and if he could do -him an ill turn would certainly take advantage of the opportunity. -Thinking Eunice had succumbed to his fascinations, -he was quite prepared to take advantage of his conquest, -and deprive the poet of his ewe lamb, the more so as -Crispin’s ill-concealed jealousy added considerably to the -charm of the flirtation. Poor Eunice, who never thought her -motives would be misconstrued by her jealous lover, was -quite astonished when he permitted Caliphronas to present -her with her bedroom candle, and wished her a frosty good-night. -She would have liked to obtain an explanation, -but Mrs. Dengelton was at her heels, so she was obliged -to retire to bed, considerably disconcerted over the strange -behavior of this stupidly-jealous poet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas also went to bed very shortly, as he did not -smoke, and, alleging that it was his custom to retire early -and rise early, went off to his room, leaving Crispin alone -with Maurice. As soon as they were by themselves, Crispin -turned at once to his friend.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Did you see Eunice to-night?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice leisurely filled his pipe.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; I saw her. You are jealous of our friend Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I certainly think Eunice gave me good cause to be. -What is the reason of this sudden change?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Roylands shrugged his shoulders and lighted his pipe.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t know; unless Francis I. was right,” he said -calmly,—“‘<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>Souvent femme varie</i></span>.’”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER VIII. <br /> <span class='fss'>ENDYMION.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Oh, goddess wise,</div> - <div class='line'>Disdainful of the sultry sun,</div> - <div class='line'>Thou waitest till his course is run</div> - <div class='line'>Then stealing where Endymion</div> - <div class='line'>In slumber lies,</div> - <div class='line'>With am’rous sighs</div> - <div class='line'>Awake him in that secret nest,</div> - <div class='line'>All drowsy with enchanted rest,</div> - <div class='line'>To lie upon thy silver breast;</div> - <div class='line'>While daylight dies,</div> - <div class='line'>In western skies,</div> - <div class='line'>And shyly peering one by one,</div> - <div class='line'>The stars gaze on that meeting blest.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>For the next week or so life passed very agreeably at the -Grange, and its inmates, becoming habituated to one another’s -society, settled down into a lotus-eating existence, -which, if not a useful one, was at least infinitely charming. -Caliphronas played his part in this country house comedy in -the most admirable manner, and, owing to his good looks, his -good manners, and his good temper, soon established himself -as a universal favorite. This splendid flower of humanity -which had bloomed to such beauty under the serene skies of -the East fascinated Maurice greatly, and he took a genuine -pleasure in modelling the Endymion from the Count; though -at times, in spite of his artistic capabilities, he almost despaired -of being able to mould the soft clay into a perfect -representation of this virile perfection. At the same time -the intercourse between the sculptor and his model was very -pleasant, as Caliphronas was a most delightful companion, -and told stories of his adventures in a manner worthy of -Ulysses or Munchausen. Yet, though he seemed to grow -quite confidential over his past life, he nevertheless withheld -many episodes which might have prejudiced his host against -him. Maurice, who was simple in many ways, despite his -ten years’ experience of Bohemia, thought Caliphronas was -laying bare his whole soul, whereas the wily Greek only revealed -the best side of that very complex article. This setting -forth of his moral excellences was of course in keeping -with the impression he was anxious to produce, and he thus -made himself very agreeable to Maurice, who took the Count -<span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>for what he represented himself to be, not for what he -really was.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas was an excellent conversationalist, and during -the sittings beguiled the time with many stories of his -countrymen, and not infrequently of his countrywomen, for -this Apollo had achieved many conquests in the fields of -Venus, and seemed very proud of his prowess during some -charming campaigns. Probably most of his stories were exaggerations, -and at times even simple Maurice doubted their -truth, but so gracefully were these lies told that they sounded -as delightful as the tales of Boccaccio. The Count, with -considerable imaginative power, supplied to his host a charming -history of himself and his early life, which was more or -less fictitious; but, of course, his listener never dreamed -that a man could string together such a quantity of consistent -lies, and therefore believed those romances worthy of -Dumas the Elder. Maurice was no fool, but his own nature -was so simple and honorable, that he thought every one else -was like himself, and at the worst only deemed that these -histories were perhaps highly colored, but true in the main.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile, Eunice had demanded at the most convenient -opportunity an explanation from Crispin, regarding his inexplicable -behavior on that first night of the Greek’s visit, -and had received one which considerably startled her, as it -plainly showed that Crispin was disposed to be jealous. This -rather pleased Eunice, as no woman cares about a meek lover, -and the more jealousy a man displays, the more his beloved -feels complimented at the power she exercises over his -affections. However, the situation between her and Crispin -being somewhat strained, Eunice, deeming honesty to be the -best policy, confessed all about her little scheme of misleading -Mrs. Dengelton regarding the true position of affairs. -On learning the truth, Crispin felt very much ashamed of his -groundless suspicions, and apologized profusely for having -doubted his intended, whereat, being satisfied with this humbling -of the proud, she took him into favor again, so the -course of true love once more ran smooth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Notwithstanding the unpleasantness of such a thing, -Crispin rather approved of Eunice treating him with coldness -in the presence of Mrs. Dengelton, as it would probably -lull the suspicions of that lady, but he was not so sure about -his intended accepting the very pointed attentions of Caliphronas. -Crispin knew the Greek thoroughly. Eunice was -absolutely ignorant of his real character; but as, owing to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>his being behind the scenes, he could make Caliphronas to a -certain extent do what he desired, he hinted very plainly to -this Hellenic Don Juan that his attentions were unwelcome -to Miss Dengelton, and that he was to give up the <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>rôle</i></span> he -had elected to play. At first the Count was disposed to -rebel against this fiat, which put an end to a very pleasant -flirtation, but as he really did not care about Eunice, and -moreover Crispin was too dangerous to be provoked lightly, -he made a virtue of necessity, and ceased to overwhelm the -shy English girl with his florid compliments. At the same -time he promised himself to be revenged on Crispin at the -first opportunity, and Crispin, knowing this, could not help -feeling a trifle uneasy, for it was a difficult matter to fight -with an absolutely unscrupulous scoundrel like the Count, -whose laws were neither those of God nor man, but of his -own making. However, Crispin’s knowledge of his errand -to Roylands proved an effective weapon, and he was satisfied -that the Greek would do nothing to jeopardize the success -of his mission, even though his vanity demanded some -revenge for being thus slighted.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Of course, Mrs. Dengelton still contemplated a match -between her daughter and nephew, but Maurice evaded her -hints with great dexterity, yet at the same time, to protect -Crispin from a less complaisant rival, made such pointed -remarks about the necessity of marriage as led Mrs. Dengelton -to believe that he seriously contemplated entering into -the matrimonial state. Never was the good lady so puzzled -in her life, for she could not make up her mind as to what -Maurice really meant, with his blowing hot one day and cold -the next, but, being a great believer in the efficacy of time, -deemed it the wisest plan to wait the development of events, -and in order to watch the same kept her beady eyes wide -open. Owing to the neglectful manner in which Eunice had -lately treated Crispin, she apprehended no danger from that -quarter, and, as Maurice was very attentive to his cousin, -the Hon. Mrs. Dengelton felt sure that in the end she would -obtain her heart’s desire, and install Eunice as mistress of -Roylands Grange.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Rector sometimes came over to the Grange, and was -friendly with every one saving Caliphronas, as for some inexplicable -reason he professed to heartily dislike that brilliant -gentleman. It was certainly a kind of Dr. Fell-ish aversion, -of which Mr. Carriston felt rather ashamed, as he could give -no plausible reason for such distrust. In reply to a question -<span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>of Maurice’s he simply said that, much as he admired the -physical beauty of the Greek, he was by no means sure that -his soul corresponded to the perfection of the body. Indeed, -on one occasion, while Mrs. Dengelton was eulogizing the -charms of Caliphronas from a feminine point of view, the -Rector pointedly quoted that line from the <cite>Odyssey</cite> which -says,—“Faultlessly fair bodies are not always the temples -of a godlike soul;” but as this remark was made in Homeric -Greek, the significance of it was lost upon the lady. It may -be that some subtle instinct warned him against this man, -whose evil nature was concealed under the semblance of -good; but at all events the Rector was always on his guard -against the Count, and delicately warned Maurice against -trusting him too far. Evidently Mr. Carriston had studied -the character of Ulysses to no small purpose, and found in -Caliphronas a reproduction, body, brain, and soul, of the most -crafty of the Greeks.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Regarding the outward appearance of Caliphronas, the -Rector was too deeply steeped in the serene literature of -Hellas to be unimpressed with the physical splendor of the -man. Making allowances for the subduing influence of -modern clothing, which detracts from the most perfect -beauty either in man or woman, Mr. Carriston at times, seeing -Caliphronas in the dazzling sunlight, thought he beheld, -as in a vision, the phantom of some joyous Hellenic divinity -untouched by sorrow or care. This man, gifted with exceptional -beauty, might have been Hylas, Hyacinth, or Theoxenos, -and strayed by chance from some unknown Arcadian -vale into the rush and turmoil of the modern world, with its -worship of money and position, so alien to the adoration of -Beauty and Genius which formed the cult of antique Hellas. -In truth, Caliphronas was out of place in England;—our -gray rainy skies, smoky air, stifling cities, and domesticated -Nature, formed but a dark background for this strongly -vitalized being, tingling from head to foot with the healthfulness -of wild life. He should have dwelt in the burning -south, beside the tideless ripples of serene seas, under the -cloudless blue of Attic skies, with the silver-gray olives, the -shining temples of the gods, and headland, mountain peak, -and island melting into phantom forms of aërial grace far -beyond the expanse of the laughing ocean. He was an -anachronism in this nineteenth century, the physical survivor -of Hellas as Keats was the mental survivor—one had the -body of Alcibiades, the other the brain of Theocritus, and -both were equally alien to the modern world.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>Well was it for the Rector that he could see only the splendid -casket, and not the soul contained therein, for, in spite of -his instinctive distrust, the fancy he had that this Count was -not to be trusted fell far below the actual moral degradation -of the man. Caliphronas was as vain as a peacock, absolutely -ignorant of the morality of right or wrong, lazy in every -way save what touched his own desires, and crafty as a -fox. Crispin could have pointed out to the Rector all these -flaws, but Crispin had promised to hold his peace so long as -Caliphronas abstained from actual harm; therefore he remained -quiescent, and only reminded the Greek now and -then that there was a watchful eye on his doings.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice believed in the Greek, the Rector doubted him, -and Crispin knew his worthlessness thoroughly, so among -the three of them the character of Caliphronas was pretty -well analyzed. From Maurice, the steady, respectable Englishman, -with occasional lapses of artistic wildness, to Caliphronas, -the brilliant cosmopolitan adventurer, was a long -step. Crispin stood midway between the two, as he had a -certain amount of British phlegmatism, with at times those -wild impulses which come from a wandering life and an -intellectual nature. Still, he could control his spontaneity, -while Caliphronas, obeying his own undisciplined mind, did -whatever came into his head; yet, if any one was scandalized -by such unconventionality, he would at once obtain forgiveness -by the graceful way in which he apologized.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is impossible to be angry with you,” said Maurice to -him one day, when the Count had been guilty of some ridiculous -escapade, “and yet you deserve to be sharply spoken to. -But you are a child in many ways, and we cannot be angry -with a child.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There you are right, my dear Mr. Maurice,” replied -Caliphronas, smiling. “I am a child, but that is as much as -to say, I am a Greek. You remember what the Egyptian -priest said to Solon,—‘You Greeks are always children.’ -Therefore, if I am a child, and act impulsively like a child, -blame my nationality, not myself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I expect you could be a very bad child if you wanted -to!” said Crispin, overhearing this defence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas darted a spiteful look at the speaker.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very likely,” he replied in a meaning tone; “but those -who dread stings should not disturb the wasps’ nest.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was a distinct menace in his tone, but Crispin felt -too confident of having the upper hand to take much notice -<span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>of this venom, and merely laughed, much to the wrath of the -Greek. However, as the time was not yet ripe for action, -he restrained his anger, and behaved so amiably to Crispin -that it was only the knowledge the poet possessed of his true -character that made him mistrust the suave smiles and kindly -actions of this Greek Machiavelli.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas was an amphibious creature, and lived quite -as much in the water as on the shore. Whenever he had the -time to spare, he went off to Brasdimir for a dip in the sea, -and would plunge and wallow in the water like a dolphin. -Fortunately that summer at Roylands was unusually hot, -and what with the cloudless skies, the burning sun, and the -delicate emerald tints of foliage, grass, and herb, Caliphronas -might well have imagined that he was still in his beloved -Greece, bathing off some pebbly beach of the Ægean.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Brasdimir was a somewhat peculiar place, and was in -reality an arm of the sea (<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>bras de mer</i></span>) which ran up like a -long tongue into the land, where it met the waters of the -Roy river. In olden times, Roylands, which was its Norman-French -name, had been the property of the crown, and had -been used by the Plantagenets for their favorite pastime of -hunting. Henry II. bestowed it on one of his barons who was -strongly suspected of being a son of the king, but who on -receiving this royal gift dropped his former name of Fitzroy -and took that of Roylands. It was certainly a splendid property, -and through all the turbulence of succeeding reigns -the descendants of the first Roylands had succeeded in keeping -their hold on these rich acres; so it was very little diminished -in size from the time of its bestowal on Fitzroy. -Brasdimir, which was a kind of estuary, ran about half a -mile up into the estate, and into it flowed the little river -Roy, which was a placid stream of no great beauty. All -round Brasdimir lay fat meadows containing some of the -finest land in the country, and clumps of beech and elm and -oak, remnants of the old hunting-forest of Plantagenet kings, -dotted their broad expanse of daisied sward.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Near the upper part of Brasdimir, where it met the waters -of the Roy and blended salt with fresh, stood a quincunx of -noble oaks which grew close to the bank. From thence the -smooth turf of the meadow sloped down to the turbulent -waters, and it was here that Caliphronas came to bathe, not -only every morning, but often three times a day. Being in -the middle of the estate, Brasdimir was far away from all -human habitation, and might have been the navel of some -<span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>great wilderness, so lonely it was. The Greek loved this -blending of fresh and salt water, as the softness of the one -assuaged the harshness of the other, and under the hot sun -would frequently cool himself in this unique pool, which was -neither river nor stream, but a mixture of both.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Very often Crispin and Maurice would come with him for -a morning dip just before sunrise, and then walk back to the -Grange with a tremendous appetite for breakfast.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One morning they set out for their usual walk, just as the -east was flushing redly with the dawn, and the chill morning -air nipped them keenly as they strolled along in the direction -of Brasdimir. That is to say, the poet and the sculptor -strolled, for Caliphronas simply danced along, as if to rid -himself of his superabundant energy. Across the dewy -meadows he bounded fawn-like, singing as gayly as the lark -already saluting the sun in the fresh blue sky. Like some -wild being of the woods, he leaped here and there from very -light-heartedness, with his head bare and his arms tossing in -the air. A number of horses pasturing in the field rushed -away at his approach, nor, though he called them loudly, -did they pause in their wild career.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What a child he is!” said Maurice, watching the graceful -figure of the Greek bounding lightly towards the water.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, a nice child truly,” sneered Crispin, with strong -disfavor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You don’t seem to like Caliphronas?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, no, I cannot say I do. As an acquaintance he is -all very well, but as a friend”—Here Crispin shrugged his -shoulders in lieu of words.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I suppose all he says about himself is true?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I suppose so,” replied the poet curtly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think he will stay long down here? I hope he -will not go away before I finish modelling my Endymion.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think you can safely depend on his staying till then,” -rejoined Crispin significantly, and the conversation ended—a -conversation which left an odd feeling of discomfort in the -mind of Maurice, which—why he could not tell—seemed to -revive his old distrust of this fascinating Greek. He would -have questioned Crispin further, but as they were now on the -edge of the bank, and Caliphronas was within hearing, he -had no opportunity of so doing, therefore put off such examination -till a more convenient season.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas was already in the water, swimming like a -fish, and indeed he was as much at home there as on the land. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>The two gentlemen undressed leisurely on the bank, Maurice -making fun of the Greek as he revelled in his favorite -element.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You had better beware, Caliphronas, as the nymphs -might take a fancy to you as they did to Hylas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“River nymphs, sea nymphs, I do not mind in the least!” -cried the Greek gayly; “ladies are always charming, whether -they have tails or limbs.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>At this moment he reached the opposite bank and climbed -on the fallen trunk of a tree. As he stood there with his -arms raised above his head, the first yellow ray of the sun -flashed on his white body and enveloped him in glory, as -though he were indeed a stray Olympian. Then, with a -shout of glee, he shot downward like an arrow, cleaving the -blue water with a dash of snowy spray, which sprang upwards -glittering like diamonds in the yellow sunlight. By -this time Maurice and his friend were also enjoying their -bath in the cool element, and the three rollicked about like -schoolboys. Crispin swam down the estuary in the direction -of the sea with Maurice, and soon the surface of the water -roughened by the wind began to dash salt spray in their -faces. Caliphronas stayed where he was, amusing himself -with fancy strokes, but after a time he became tired, and -when the others came back, breathless with their long swim, -they found the Count standing on the bank drying himself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As they also were tired, they also sought the bank, but at -this moment one of the horses, a powerful black one, came -timidly near them. Caliphronas, with that wonderful power -he had over all animals, advanced, nude as he was, up the -bank, and called to the horse in a coaxing tone. The animal -let him get quite close to it and lay his hand on the mane, -when with a sudden spring the Greek leaped on its back, -and the horse, startled by the action and by his shout, galloped -away at full speed. Round and round the meadow -went horse and man, forming so striking a sight that Maurice -and Crispin paused in their dressing to look at it. As the -horse at full gallop came sweeping past, with Caliphronas -laughing and holding on by the mane, Maurice involuntarily -thought of the frieze of the Parthenon, where nude youths -ride fiery steeds in a long serene procession of marble figures. -The Greek rode like a Red Indian, with the most consummate -ease, and as the horse for the third time darted past -the quincunx of oaks, he dropped lightly off, by some trick -known only to himself, and the steed galloped wildly away, -while the Greek came back laughing to his friends.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>“What a child you are, Caliphronas!” said Maurice in a -vexed tone; “riding a bare-backed steed in that reckless -manner. You might have broken your neck.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Small loss if he had,” muttered Crispin under his breath.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I can stick on anything,” answered Caliphronas carelessly, -taking no notice of Crispin’s remark, which his keen -ears immediately heard; “besides, that gallop has done me -good. See, I am quite dry.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>When they were dressed, the three of them walked quickly -back to breakfast, for the morning air had developed their -appetites enormously. Mrs. Dengelton and Eunice awaited -them on the terrace, and they were soon seated round the -well-spread table. Caliphronas, touching neither coffee nor -tea, drank water only, and confined his eating to bread, -honey, and eggs. His were the tastes of primeval man, and -he strongly disliked elaborate dishes which were pleasing to -the cultured palates of his more civilized neighbors.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not know how you can eat such things,” he said in -some disgust, as Eunice took some curry. “Does it not -make you ill?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not in the least, Count,” she replied, laughing. “It is a -very depraved taste, I suppose, but I am very fond of curry.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And tea—hot tea,” retorted Caliphronas quickly. “I -have heard it said that tea is bad for the nerves. Ladies -always complain of nerves, yet they drink tea.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I could not do without my tea,” said Mrs. Dengelton, -who was given to surreptitious cups of tea at odd hours of -the day, “and yet I have nerves. Oh, those dreadful nerves! -You don’t know what it is to be so afflicted, Count.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, I do not. I never had an illness in my life, but then -that is because I live a natural life, whereas all you highly -civilized people live an artificial existence. If you gave up -your highly-spiced dishes, your strong wines, your late hours, -your breathing of poisonous air, you would be as healthy as -I am.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you can hardly call the air of Roylands poisonous,” -said Maurice indolently.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, the air here is delightful because you live near the -sea. I could not dwell inland myself. I would die. I must -breathe the sea air, see the wide waste of waters, hear the -thunder of waves on the beach. That is the only life for a -healthy man.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You could not live in London, I suppose,” said Mrs. -Dengelton, frowning on Eunice, who was talking in a quiet -tone to Crispin.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>“London!” cried the Count, with scorn. “I would as -soon live at the bottom of the sea. Indeed, I believe it -would be healthier there. London, that crushed-up mass of -houses inhabited by pale-faced people—I wonder they can -exist. Oh, I saw and heard a good deal of London when I -was there. Your people in the East End never leave those -narrow streets from one year to the other. They know nothing -of sunrise or sunset, for they only see those marvels -through a smoky veil. They cannot tell a bird by its song—they -know nothing of animals or their habits. Of the -wonderful life of Nature which is born and lives and dies in -the woods, in the seas, in the mountains, they are ignorant. -They are born blind, they live blind, they die blind, and call -such blindness life.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But what about the people in the West End?” asked -Mrs. Dengelton, with the air of making a crushing remark.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They are scarcely better,” retorted Caliphronas promptly; -“they sit half the night in theatres breathing hot air, they -go to balls where there is such a crowd of people that no one -can dance, they walk for an hour in the Park and call it -exercise, they poison themselves at the clubs with cigarettes, -and in the boudoirs with tea—and all this feverish, unreal -life is called ‘the season.’ When they go abroad it is to -Monte Carlo and those sorts of places, where they lead the -same life on a smaller scale. No, the West End is no better -than the East End!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But you forget,” said Crispin, more from a desire to contradict -the Count than because he disagreed with him, -“plenty of people go mountaineering, game-shooting, yachting, -exploring.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know all that, my dear friend, but the number of -people who do those things is very small. I am talking of -the great mass of the English people, and as far as I can see, -whether they are rich or poor, the life they lead is in both -cases equally opposed to health and enjoyment.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Here endeth the first reading,” said Maurice, rising from -the table, his example being followed by all his guests. -“Caliphronas, you are quite eloquent on the subject.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes! I am not usually so eloquent,” replied the Count, -going out on to the terrace, “but on all sides I hear from -your people complaints of being ill. Well, the remedy is in -their own hands. Why don’t they use it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My good sir,” remarked Crispin, who had lighted a cigarette, -“you cannot overturn the whole complex civilization -<span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>of the West in that manner. Man can no more go back to -the simplicity of the existence you eulogize, than you could -settle down to a fashionable life in London and enjoy it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you at least can be cured easily,” said the Count, -with emphasis, for, as they were now beyond earshot of the -rest of the party, he could talk freely; “you all your life have -lived the life of a natural man, but now you smoke that horrible -tobacco, drink all kinds of wines, eat all kinds of dishes, -and will soon become as artificial as those people around you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps I will come back to the primeval existence you -praise.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“With that young lady, I suppose?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, she is very charming! She is”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you, I don’t want to hear your opinion of Miss -Dengelton,” said Crispin haughtily; “your primeval simplicity -at times verges on rudeness. How long are you -going to stay here?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can’t tell you that; but I am going to take my first -step to-day.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In order to get Roylands to Melnos?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. Oh, I have a lure, my friend. Yes; I have described -the fairyland of the islands, and that it is fairyland -you must admit. He is even now seized with a desire of -going there, so to-day I will get him to make up his mind to -go to the Levant with me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will show him this.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin looked at the portrait the Count held out, which -was that of a marvellously beautiful woman in a Greek -dress.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena!” cried the poet, recognizing the face. “When -did she get this taken? Has she been to Athens?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No. I took it myself. Oh, I am not absolutely the barbarian -you think me. I have gone in for photography. -Yes; this is one of my best efforts.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And do you think that face will lure Maurice to the -East?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It ought to,” said Caliphronas, gazing at the picture with -a burning light in his eyes; “she is as lovely as her namesake -of Troy, and I love her, oh, how I love her!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is it wise, do you think, to introduce a possible rival?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That does not matter to me,” replied the Count, slipping -the picture into his pocket. “I have Justinian’s promise.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>“Yes, but you have not got Helena’s.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, she won’t refuse to marry me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“For the sake of her happiness, I hope she will.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are very complimentary,” retorted the Greek ironically, -turning away. “Well, I must leave your delightful -society, my friend. It is time for me to go to the studio.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wait a minute! I have not thwarted your plans, because, -as far as I can see, they are innocent, but if you induce -Maurice to go to the Levant”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well?” demanded Caliphronas insolently.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will go also.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And your reason?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A very simple one. I do not trust the scamp called -Andros.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Better known, at least in England, as Constantine Caliphronas,” -replied the Count coolly. “Well, come if you like, -to watch over your precious friend. I do not wish him -harm, but he, and you also, had better beware of Justinian.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER IX. <br /> <span class='fss'>THE PORTRAIT.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in8'>Dreary life,</div> - <div class='line in8'>Aching fears,</div> - <div class='line in8'>Endless strife,</div> - <div class='line in8'>Bitter tears,</div> - <div class='line'>Lo, a lovely face I see,</div> - <div class='line'>Changing all the world to me.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in8'>Love’s delight,</div> - <div class='line in8'>Beauty’s face,</div> - <div class='line in8'>Smilings bright,</div> - <div class='line in8'>Woman’s grace,</div> - <div class='line'>Thus beholding these in thee,</div> - <div class='line'>Thou hast changed the world to me.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The studio which Maurice had fitted up for himself at the -Grange was a very workmanlike apartment, as it was quite -barren of the artistic frippery with which painters love to -decorate their rooms. Sculpture is a much more virile art -than painting, and, scorning frivolous adornments of all kinds, -the artist of the chisel devotes himself to the severest and -highest forms of beauty, so that, he finds quite enough loveliness -<span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>in his coldly perfect marble figures, without furnishing -his studio like a Wardour Street toy-shop. Of course, he -who works in colors loves to gaze on colors; and therefore -a fantastic Eastern carpet, a quaint figured tapestry, a gold-broidered -curtain of Indian silk, a yellow shield of antique -workmanship, a porous red jar from Egypt, and such like -brilliances, are pleasing to the artistic eye, and the constant -sight of their blended hues keeps the sense of color, so to -speak, up to the mark. The sculptor, however, has but one -color, white, which is not a color; and the less luxurious his -studio, the more likely is he to concentrate his attention on -the statue growing to perfection under his busy chisel.</p> - -<p class='c001'>These sentiments, which would seem to narrow down a -sculptor to the severest and least graceful form of art, were -uttered by Crispin in approval of that bare barn attached -to the Grange which Maurice called his studio. But then -Crispin knew nothing about art, and a painter or a sculptor -reading the above views of their profession will probably -laugh to scorn such fanciful notions. Yet it is true that the -sculptor by his art is shut off from the world of color, unless, -like the old Greeks,—according to some critics,—he tints -his statues, and thereby turns them into wax figures. But -doubtless those Hellenic sculptors who wrought nude gods -and draped goddesses from the marbles of Paros and Pentelicus, -did not fail to notice how the background of the blue -Attic sky enhanced the beauty of their creations, and therefore -must have concluded that the world of color, to which -they were strangers, could accentuate the fairness and beauty -of their statues. Again these are the artistic sentiments of -Crispin the poet, delivered to Maurice with much daring, -seeing the speaker was ignorant of the world of art, and but -promulgated his ideas in a purely poetical fashion. But -Crispin’s crude view of art and artists may doubtless fail to -interest many people; therefore, to come back in a circle -to the starting-point of the disquisition, Maurice’s studio was -a very workmanlike apartment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The floor consisted merely of bare boards, although at one -end, in front of the fireplace, there was an oasis of carpet, -on which rested a table for pipes and tobacco, together with -two comfortable arm-chairs. Scattered here and there were -statues finished and unfinished, some completed in marble, -others incomplete in clay. Maurice had gratified his artistic -desires for the perfection of sculpture by surrounding -himself with copies in marble of some famous statues, for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>now, as he was wealthy, he could afford to do so. Here -danced the Faun with his grotesque visage and lissome pose; -there smiled Hebe, holding her cup for the banquet of the -gods; Bacchus with his crown of vine-leaves gazed serenely -on the sad face of the draped Ariadne in the distance; -Apollo watched the lizard crawling up the tree-trunk; and -Hermes, with winged feet, poised himself on his pedestal as -if for flight. The whole studio was filled with the fair and -gracious forms of Greek art, and no wonder at times Maurice -despaired of producing anything worth looking at beside -these immortal productions of the Hellenic brain and hands. -The great necessity now is, not to know what one can do, -but what one cannot do; and if these complacent artists, -poets, sculptors, novelists, only abode by this rule, the world -would be spared the perpetration of many an atrocity in -marble, verse, or on canvas, which the conceited creators -think perfection. Maurice Roylands had a pretty taste for -chipping marble, but he was by no means a genius, and his -statues, while perfectly wrought in accordance with the -canons of art, yet lacked that soul which only the true sculptor -can give to his creations. It was a fortunate thing for -him that he was a rich man, for assuredly he would never -have become a great sculptor. His ideas were excellent, but -he could not carry them out in accordance with the figment -of his brain, as he lacked the divine spark of genius which -alone can fully accomplish what it conceives.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At present, clad in a blouse, he was standing in front of a -mass of wet clay, manipulating the soft material with dexterous -fingers into a semblance of the fanciful Endymion -of his brain and the real Endymion of Caliphronas. That -gentleman was posed on the model’s platform in the distance, -and was beguiling the time by incessant chattering of this, -that, and the other thing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The artist had based his conception of this statue of Endymion -on these lines of Keats, poet laureate to Dian herself,—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“What is there in the Moon that thou shouldst move</div> - <div class='line'>My heart so potently?”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>He intended to represent the shepherd sitting on Latmos -top, chin on hand, gazing at the moon with dreamy eyes, his -mortal heart thrilling at the thought that he would see the -inviolate Artemis incarnate in the flesh. In accordance with -the Greek ideas of nudity, Maurice did not drape his statue; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>but the shepherd sat on his chlamys, which was lightly -thrown over a rock, while beside him lay scrip, and flask, -and pastoral crook. Caliphronas was seated thus,—with his -elbow resting on his knee and his chin on his hand, gazing -presumably at the moon, in reality at Maurice, while the -other hand lightly hung down by his side, and his right leg -was drawn back so that the foot bent in a delicate curve -calculated to show its full beauty. This pose showed all the -perfect lines of his figure, and with his nude body, his clean-shaven -face, and dreaming eyes, he looked the veritable Endymion -who was waiting the descent of the goddess from high -Olympus. Though it was a warm day, a fire burned in the -grate, for the Greek was very susceptible to cold, and after -working for some time Maurice was fain to rest, so great -was the heat; whereupon Caliphronas flung himself back on -the chlamys, placed his hands behind his head, and began to -talk.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will you be long at your work to-day, Mr. Maurice?” -he asked with a yawn.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, not if you are tired,” replied Roylands, throwing a -cloak over the Count. “You had better wrap yourself up, -or you will catch cold. If you don’t care to sit any more -to-day, we can leave off now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I have some letters to write, but I will wait -another half-hour.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All right!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice lighted his favorite pipe and established himself -in a comfortable chair, upon which the Count, finding the -rock of Endymion somewhat hard, forsook the platform, and, -wrapping the cloak closely round him, sat down opposite the -sculptor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wonder you don’t smoke, Caliphronas,” said Maurice, -idly watching the Greek with half-closed eyes. “You will -find it an excellent way of passing the time.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of killing time, I suppose you mean; but I have no need -to do that. At least, not when I am at home in Greece. -Here, yes, it is rather difficult to get through the day -comfortably; if it were not for these sittings, I really do not -know what I would do with myself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid I will never be able to carry out my conception -of Endymion,” said Maurice, paying no attention to this -remark.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, your work is very good,” he said politely, “very -good indeed; but of course it is not perfect.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>“I know that, but practice makes perfect.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not in the world of art. You may learn to paint in -strict accordance with the rules of art. You may sculpture -to the inch every portion of the human body, but that is only -the outward semblance of the picture or the statue. The -great thing which makes a great work is the soul.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Quite true. And you think I cannot create the soul of -my statues?” said Maurice, rather nettled at the outspoken -criticism.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I say nothing, my friend. I know but little of art, so it -would be an impertinence of me to talk about that of which -I am ignorant.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The longer we live the less we discover we know,” said -Roylands sententiously.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I suppose that is true,” replied Caliphronas indolently; -“but, thank heaven, I have not the soul of an artist, for it -seems to cause its owner perpetual anxiety. No; I live -healthy, joyous, and free, like the other animals of Nature, -and I am quite satisfied.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is that not rather ignoble?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps; but that is nothing to me. I am happy, which -is, to my mind, the main aim of life. Why should I slave -for money? I do not wish it. Why should I toil for years -at art, and gain at the end but ephemeral fame? Besides, -when one dies, what good does fame do? A large marble -tomb would not please me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Still, the fame of being spoken of by succeeding generations.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who would do nothing but wrangle over their different -opinions regarding one’s work. Present happiness is what -I wish, not future praise; but in this narrow island of yours -you cannot understand the joy of life. Come with me to the -isles of Greece, and you will be so fascinated with the free, -wild life that you will never return to your prison-house.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If all men thought like you, the world would not progress.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t want all men to think the same as I do,” replied -the Count selfishly. “I suppose there must be slaves as -well as freemen. I prefer to be the last.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Slaves!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. I do not mean the genuine article, but all men are -slaves more or less, if they don’t follow my mode of life. -Slaves to gain, slaves to art, slaves to conventionality, slaves -to everything; and what do they gain by such slavery? -Nothing but what I do—a tomb—annihilation.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>“Well, you are a slave to your passions.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You mean I obey my impulses. Well, I do; but it is a -very pleasant kind of slavery.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you believe in that horrible theory of annihilation?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I don’t know what I believe. I trouble myself in -no-wise about the hereafter. I am alive, I am strong, I am -happy. The sun is bright, the winds are inspiriting,—I -draw delight from mountain and plain,—so why should -I trouble myself about what I know nothing? The present is -just enough for me. Let the future take care of itself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A selfish philosophy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A very enjoyable one. Come with me to the East, and -you will adopt my creed. Are you happy here?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can see that. You are melancholy at times, you are -devoured with spleen, you find the life you lead too dreary -for your soul. If you let me be your physician, I will cure -you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And how?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By a very simple means. I will make you lead the same -life as I do myself,—open-air life,—and in a few months -you will find these nightmares of the soul completely disappear. -No prisoner can be happy; and as you are a prisoner -in this dungeon of conventionality, and are swathed in the -mummy cloths of civilization, you cannot hope to be happy -unless you go out into the wilderness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The life you describe is purely an animal one. What -about the intellect?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Intellect! pshaw! I know more about Nature than half -your scientific idiots with their books.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What an inconsistent being you are, Caliphronas!” said -Maurice in an amused tone. “You say you love art, admire -pictures, adore statues; yet, if every man followed the life -you eulogize, such things would not be in existence.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I tell you, I don’t want all the world to follow my example. -I would be very sorry to lose all these delights of -the senses, so I am glad there are men sufficiently self-denying -to slave at such things for my delight; but as regards -myself, I desire to live as a natural man—an animal, as you -say. It is ignoble—yes; but it is pleasant.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This speech somewhat opened the eyes of Maurice to the -kind of soul which was enshrined in the splendid body of -this man; and he saw plainly that the sensual part of Caliphronas -had completely conquered the spiritual. But with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span>what result?—that this ignoble being was happy. What an -ironical comment of Fate on the strivings of great beings to -subordinate the senses to the soul. The soul agitated by a -thousand fears, the brain striving ever after the impossible—what -do these give their possessor, but a feeling of unrest, -of unsatisfied hunger; whereas the body, untortured by an -inquiring spirit, brought contentment, happiness—ignoble -though they were—to the animal man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>By this time, Caliphronas, having made up his mind to sit -no more that day, was slowly dressing himself, singing a -Greek song in his usual gay manner.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Three girls crossed my path in the twilight;</div> - <div class='line'>One did I love, but the others were nothing to me:</div> - <div class='line'>She frowned at my greeting, but her friends smiled sweetly,</div> - <div class='line'>Yet was she the loveliest of them all,</div> - <div class='line'>And I loved her frown more than their smiles inviting.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“How happy you are, Caliphronas!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thoroughly. I have not a care in the world. Come with -me to the Island of Fantasy, and you also will be happy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The Island of Fantasy!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; that is what Justinian calls it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who is Justinian? anything to do with the Pandects?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pandects?” reiterated Caliphronas, puzzled by the word.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. Is he a ruler—a law-giver?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh yes; he is the king of the Island of Fantasy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Which, I presume, exists only in your brain,” said Roylands -jestingly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pardon me, no,” replied the Count seriously, resuming -his seat. “The Island of Fantasy, or, to call it by its real -name, Melnos, does exist in the Ægean Sea. It is a but little -known island, and Justinian, who is my very good friend, -rules over it as a kind of Homeric king. Ulysses was just -such another; and there you will find the calm, patriarchal -life of those antique times, which you of the modern world -think has vanished forever. My friend, the Golden Age -still exists in Melnos, and if you come with me, you will -dwell in Arcady.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear Count,” said Maurice, much impressed by the -fluency of the man’s speech, “I have never yet heard a foreigner -speak our tongue with such ease as you do. Where -did you learn such fluency—such a good accent?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, I will tell you that when we arrive at Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are almost as much a riddle as is Crispin,” said -<span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>Maurice, chafing at this secrecy, which seemed to be so -senseless.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Doubtless; but if you are curious to know about us both, -come to the Ægean with me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“About you both?” repeated the Englishman: “why, do -you know anything of Crispin?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas knew a good deal about Crispin, but he was -too wise to say that he did. Silence regarding the past on -his part was the only way to secure silence on the part of -Crispin; and much as Caliphronas, in his enmity to the -poet, would have liked to reveal what Crispin desired to be -kept secret, he had too much at stake to risk such a gratification -of his spite, and therefore passed off the question -with a laugh.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Know anything about Creespeen?” he reiterated, smiling. -“I’m afraid I know nothing more than you do. I met -him at Athens, truly, but we were but acquaintances, so I never -made any inquiries about him. He was as much a riddle -there as here. Oh yes, I heard all the romances about him -in London; and no doubt one story is as true as another. -The reason I made such a remark as I did, was that, as -Crispin says himself, he came from the East like a wise man -of to-day; you will probably learn his past history in those -parts.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And as to yourself?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eh! I have told you all my past life, with the exception -of Melnos, and that I did not think worth while relating. -But it is a charming place, I assure you; and if you come -with me, I am sure you will find a community under the rule -of Justinian, which is quite foreign to this century.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have a good mind to accept your offer,” said Maurice -musingly; “there is nothing to keep me in England, and a -glimpse of new lands would do me good. Besides, Count, -one does not get such an excellent guide as you every day.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I know every island in the Ægean,” replied Caliphronas, -smiling his thanks for the compliment. “I have -sailed all over the Archipelago, and am quite a sailor in a -small way. Lesbos, Cythera, Samos, Rhodes,—I know -them all intimately; so if you are fond of ruins, and the -remains of old Greece, I can show you plenty, tell you the -legends, arrange about the inns, and, in fact, act as a dragoman; -but, of course, without his greed for money.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It seems worth considering.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It will be a visit to paradise,” cried Caliphronas enthusiastically, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>springing to his feet. “Here you do not know the -true meaning of the word beauty. Only under the blue sky, -above the blue waves of the Ægean, is it to be seen. Aphrodite -arose from those waters, and she was but an incarnation -of the beauty which meets the eye on all sides. You have -been my host in England. I will be your host in Greece, -and will entertain you in my ruined abode,—misnamed a -<a id='corr104.8'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='palace.'>palace,</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_104.8'><ins class='correction' title='palace.'>palace,</ins></a></span>—which is all that remains to me of my forefathers. -Together we will sail over those laughing waters, and see the -sun-kissed islands bloom on the wave. Paradise! It is the -Elysian fields of foam where rest the spirits of wearied -mariners. What says the song of the Greek sailors?</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘I will die! but the earth will not hold me in her breast,</div> - <div class='line'>For the blue sea will clasp me in its arms.</div> - <div class='line'>I will die! but let my soul not find the heaven of the orthodox.</div> - <div class='line'>Nay, let it wander among the flowery islands,</div> - <div class='line'>Where I can see my home and the girl who mourns me.</div> - <div class='line'>That only is the paradise I long for.’”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“You forget I do not know modern Greek,” said Maurice, -smiling at the enthusiasm of the Count; “nor indeed much -ancient Greek, for the matter of that. But see, Count, you -have dropped a photograph.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You can look at it,” said the Count, who had let it fall -purposely; “I have no secrets.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, you think it a charming face?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Charming is too weak a word. It is Aphrodite herself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Alas!” cried Caliphronas. with a merry laugh; “that goddess -lived before the days of sun-pictures, else Apollo might -have photographed her. No; that is no deity, but a mortal -maiden whom I saw at Melnos. It is not bad for an amateur -effort, is it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, very good, very good!” replied Maurice hurriedly; -“but the face—what a heavenly face!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, you see my paradise has got its Eve.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And its Adam, doubtless?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, there is no Adam to that Eve,” said Caliphronas, -shaking his head; “at least, there was not when I was in -Melnos six months ago. Why should there be? You will -find plenty of women as beautiful as Helena.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena—is that her name? Yes, I have no doubt you -will find beautiful women in Greece,—’tis their heritage -from Phryne, Lais, and Aspasia; but none can be as beautiful -as Helen of Troy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>“Possibly not; but that woman is Helena of Melnos, not -of Troy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ll swear she is as beautiful as the wife of Menelaus, -whom Paris loved.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You seem quite in raptures over this face,” said Caliphronas, -with but ill-concealed anger. “Pray, do you propose -to be Menelaus or Paris!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, are you in love with her yourself?” asked Maurice, -looking at the Greek in some surprise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This question touched Caliphronas more nearly than Maurice -guessed, but, whatever passion he may have felt for the -lady of the picture, he said nothing about it, but laughed in -a somewhat artificial manner.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I in love with her, my friend? No; she is beautiful, I -grant you, but I look upon her as I would an exquisite picture. -She is nothing to me. Did I not tell you I have a -future bride in the East? Yes—in Constantinople; a daughter -of the old Byzantine nobles, a Fanariot beautiful as the -dawn, who dwells at Phanar.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then I need fear no rivalry from you, Caliphronas?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly not. But you seem to have fallen in love with -this pictured Helena.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will not go so far as to say that; but you know I -have the artistic temperament, and therefore admire beauty -always.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course—the artistic sense,” sneered Caliphronas in -such a disagreeable way, that Maurice again looked at him -in astonishment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The fact is, that Roylands’ admiration of the portrait -seemed to ruffle Caliphronas very much, and quite altered -his usual nonchalance of manner. Never before had Maurice -seen his joyous nature so changed, for he had now a frown on -his usually smiling face, and appeared to be on the verge of -an angry outbreak. All the wild beast in his nature, which -was so carefully hidden by the civilized mask, seemed to -show in the most unexpected manner, and with flashing eyes, -tightly drawn lips, and scowling countenance, he looked -anything but the serene Greek with whom Roylands was -acquainted. Maurice was astonished and rather annoyed at -this exhibition of temper, so, rising from his seat, he gave -the picture back to his guest with a dignified gesture.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have no wish to pry into your secrets, Count,” he said -quietly, walking towards the door; “you showed me that -portrait of your own free will, and if I admire it somewhat -<span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>warmly, surely the beauty of the face is my excuse. At -present I will say <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>au revoir</i></span>, as I have some business to do, -and will be in my study till luncheon.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Maurice disappeared, the Greek stamped about the -room in sheer vexation at having betrayed himself, for he -could not but see that for once this simple Englishman had -caught a glimpse of his real nature, hitherto so carefully -concealed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am a fool, a fool!” he said savagely in Greek; “everything -was going well, and I spoil all by letting my temper -get the better of me. Why did I not let him admire Helena -and say nothing? When we get to Melnos, that will be a -different thing, for Justinian cannot go back from his word; -and if I perform my part of the bargain, and bring this fool -to Melnos, he must perform his, and give me his daughter. -I must recover my lost ground if possible,—bah! it will not -be difficult. I can see he is in love with Helena, so that will -smooth everything. In love with my goddess!” he said -ardently, gazing at the lovely face. “Ah, how can he help -being so?—there is much excuse; but he can only worship -you at a distance, my Venus, for you are mine—mine—mine!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He thrust the picture into his pocket, and, recovering his -serene joyousness of mood, pondered for a few moments as -to what was the best course to pursue. At last he decided, -and walked towards the door of the studio with the air of a -man who had made up his mind.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will give him the picture,” he said, with a great effort, -“and I feel sure he will make peace on those terms.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice was sitting at his desk, wondering why the even-tempered -Greek had thus given way to anger over the -picture.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If he is engaged to a lady of Stamboul, he cannot be in -love with this Helena,” he said to himself. “Perhaps he -was jealous of my admiring the beauty of a woman more -than his own. All Greeks are vain, but, as far as I can see, -Caliphronas is simply mad with vanity. Come in.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In answer to his invitation, the Count entered smiling, -and laid the picture on the desk before Maurice.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must not be angry with me, my friend,” he said -volubly; “I am like a child, and grow bad-tempered over -nothing. This Helena is nothing to me, and, to prove this, -I give you her portrait, which I do not care to keep. Come, -am I forgiven?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>“Of course you are,” said Roylands hastily; “and I will -not deprive you of your picture.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, no, I do not want it back,” replied Caliphronas, -spreading out his hands in token of refusal; “you love the -face, so keep it by all means.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She is very beautiful,” said Maurice, gazing longingly at -this modern Helen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is she worth a journey to the East?” asked Caliphronas -in a soft voice, like the sibilant hiss of a serpent.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice made no reply; he was looking at the portrait.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER X. <br /> <span class='fss'>A MODERN IXION.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Oh, beware</div> - <div class='line'>Of a snare!</div> - <div class='line'>’Tis a phantom fair</div> - <div class='line'>Who will tangle your heart in her golden hair.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Tho’ he vowed</div> - <div class='line'>Would be bowed</div> - <div class='line'>Heaven’s Hera proud,</div> - <div class='line'>Ixion was duped by a treacherous cloud.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>But in sooth,</div> - <div class='line'>Fate hath ruth,</div> - <div class='line'>And this dream of youth</div> - <div class='line'>May change from a dream to immutable truth.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>“What is truth?” asked Pilate, but to this perplexing -question received no answer, not even from the Divine Man, -who was best able to give a satisfactory reply. In the same -way we may ask, “What is love?” and receive many -answers, not one of which will be correct. The reason is -simply, no one knows what love is, though every one has -felt it. The commonest things are generally the most perplexing, -and surely love is common enough, seeing it is the -thing upon which the welfare, the pleasure, nay, the continuity, -of the human race depends. Yet no one can define -this every-day passion, because it is undefinable. “’Tis the -mutual feeling which draws man and maid together.” True, -but that may be affection, which is a lesser passion than love. -“’Tis the admiration of a man or a woman for each other’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>beauty.” Nay, that is but sensuality. “’Tis the longing of -two people of the opposite sexes to dwell together all their -life.” Why, that is only companionship. Affection, sensuality, -companionship, all three very pleasant, very comforting, -but Love is greater than such a trinity. He may not -give pleasure, he may not bring comfort, but, on the contrary, -may make those to whose hearts he comes very -unhappy. Love is no mischievous urchin, who plays with -his arrows; no, he is a great and terrible divinity, who -comes to every mortal but once in life. We desire him, we -name him, we delight in him; but we know not what he is, -where he comes from, or when he will leave us.</p> - -<p class='c001'>These reflections were suggested to Maurice by the extraordinary -feelings with which this dream-face of Helena -inspired him. Never before had he felt the sensation of -love—not affection, not admiration, not desire, but strong, -passionate love, which pervaded his whole being, yet which -he could not describe. He had not seen this woman in the -flesh, he was hardly certain if she existed, for all the evidences -he had to assure him that there was such a being -were the portrait and the name, yet he felt, by some subtle, -indescribable instinct, that this was the one woman in the -world for him. Maurice, who had hitherto doubted the -existence of love, was now being punished for such scepticism -and was as love-sick as ever was some green lad fascinated -by a pretty face. “He jests at scars who never felt a -wound;” but Maurice did not jest at scars now, for the -arrow of Cupid, shot from some viewless height, had made a -wound in his heart which would heal not till he died; or, -even granting it would heal, would leave a scar to be seen of -all men.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was the old story of Ixion over again. Here was a man -embracing a cloudy phantom of his own imagination, for, -granting that this beautiful face belonged to a real woman, -Maurice knew nothing about her, yet dowered her with all -the exquisite perfections of feminality. He dreamed she -would be loving, tender, and womanly, yet, for aught he -knew, the owner of that lovely face might be a very Penthesilea -for daring and masculine emulation. But no; he -could not believe that she would unsex herself by taking -upon her nature the rival attributes of manly strength, for -the whole face breathed nothing but feminine delicacy. -That broad white brow, above which the hair was smoothed -in the antique fashion; those grave, earnest eyes, so full of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>sympathy and purity; that beautifully shaped mouth, like a -scarlet flower, speaking of reticence and womanly shrinking. -No; he was quite sure that she was an ideal woman, so -therefore worshipped her—unseen, unheard—with all the -chivalrous affection of a mediæval knight.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Day and night that faultless face haunted his brain like -some perfect poem, and, waking or sleeping, he seemed to -hear her voice, full and rich as an organ-note, calling on him -to seek her in that Island of Fantasy whereof the Greek -had spoken. Was she indeed some fairy princess, detained -in an enchanted castle against her will? was this mysterious -Justinian, whose personality seemed so vague, indeed her -jailer, guarding her as the dragon did the golden fruit of -the Hesperides? and was Caliphronas a messenger sent to -tell him of the reward awaiting him should he take upon -him vows of releasing her from such thraldom, and accomplish -his quest successfully? Curious how the classic legends -and the mediæval romances mixed together in his brain, yet -one and all, however diverse in thought, pointed ever to -that beautiful woman dwelling in an enchanted island sea-encircled -by the murmurous waves of the blue Ægean.</p> - -<p class='c001'>True, he had fallen in love, and thus regained in one -instant the interest in life which he had lost erstwhile; but -the object of his adoration seemed so far away, her personality, -about which he could only obscurely conjecture, -was so lost in dream-mists, that the cure of his melancholia -seemed worse than the disease itself. He again became sad -and absent-minded, grieving—not, as formerly, for a vague -abstraction, for something, he knew not what—but for an -actual being, for an unfulfilled passion which seemed in -itself as elusive a thing as had tormented him formerly. -The indistinct phantom which had engendered melancholia -had taken shape—the shape of a beautiful, smiling face, -which mocked him with the promise of delight probably -never destined to be fulfilled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All his guests noticed this lapse into his former melancholy, -but none of them guessed the reason save Caliphronas, who -was beside himself with rage at the discovery. The stratagem -with which he proposed to draw Maurice to Melnos had -succeeded beyond his highest expectations, but he was very -dissatisfied with his success, and began to wonder if Crispin -was not right after all concerning the folly of presenting a -possible rival to the woman he desired for himself. The -woman was to be the reward of his success; he had made -<span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>use of that woman’s pictured loveliness to achieve that -success, and by so doing had complicated the simplicity of -the affair by introducing a third element, that of a rival’s -love, which might place an obstacle in the way of his receiving -the reward. It was Mephistopheles showing Faust the -phantom of Gretchen, and the same result of love for an -unseen woman had ensued; but then, Mephistopheles was -not enamoured of the loveliness he used as a bait to catch -his victim, whereas Caliphronas was. However, it was too -late now to alter the matter, for the Greek could see that -Maurice had almost made up his mind to go in search of this -new Helen of Troy, and if he succeeded in gaining her -heart, circumstances might arise with which it would be -difficult to grapple.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After all, when Caliphronas compared the Englishman’s -every-day comeliness with his own glorious beauty, he felt -that no woman would refuse him for such a commonplace -individual as his possible rival. But, again, Caliphronas was -aware that Helena valued the inward more than the outward -man, in which case he suspected he had but little chance in -coming off best. Pose as he might to the world, Caliphronas -knew the degradation of his own soul, and when this -was contrasted with the honest, proud, straightforward nature -of Maurice Roylands, it could be easily seen which of them -the woman would choose as best calculated to insure her -happiness. Besides, the love which had been newly born in -Maurice’s heart was a highly spiritual passion, with no touch -of grossness, whereas the desires of Caliphronas were purely -animal ones for physical beauty. In point of outward semblance, -he would have been a fitter husband for the exquisite -beauty of this woman, but as to a marriage of souls, which -after all is the only true marriage, the one was as different -from the other as is day from night.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice said nothing to Crispin about the portrait, and -though the latter guessed from his abstraction that Caliphronas -had played his last card with that hidden loveliness, he -made no remark, for the time was not yet ripe to unfold the -past. If, however, Maurice went to Melnos, Crispin, as he -had told Caliphronas, determined to accompany him, as much -on his own account as on that of his friend. Truly this poet -was a riddle, and so also was the Greek; but it is questionable -if Maurice, with his open and above-board English life, -was not a greater riddle than either of these mysterious men, -seeing that his perplexity was a thing of the soul, vague and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>intangible, the solving of which meant the settling of his -whole spiritual life; whereas the lighting of the darkness -with which Caliphronas and Crispin chose to enshroud themselves -was simply a question of material existence. The -Parcæ held the three tangled skeins in their hands: Clotho -now grasped the intricate threads; Lachesis was spinning -the actions which were to lead to the unravelling of these -riddles of spiritual and material things; and Atropos was -waiting grimly with her fatal scissors to clip the life-thread -of one of the three. But the question was, which? Ah, -that was yet to be seen! for the middle Destiny was yet -weaving woof and warp of words, actions, and desires, the -outcome of which would determine the judgment of the -Destroying Fate.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Of all this intrigue, in which he was soon to be involved, -Roylands was quite ignorant, as he already had his plan of -action sketched out. He would go to Melnos with Constantine -Caliphronas, he would see this dream-woman in the -flesh, and if she came up to his ideal, he would marry her, at -whatever cost. Alas for the schemes of clever Mrs. Dengelton! -they were all at an end, simply because a man had seen -a pretty face, which he elevated into the regions of romance, -and made attractive with strange mysteries of fanciful attributes. -But Mrs. Dengelton did not know this, and, ignorance -being bliss, still hinted to Maurice of matrimony, still -threw him into the company of Eunice; while, as a checkmate -to her plans, and to aid Crispin, Maurice still puzzled -the good lady with hints of marriage one day, and neglect of -Eunice the next. Eunice herself saw through it all, and -was duly grateful to Maurice; so the only blind person was -Mrs. Dengelton, who but perceived the delightful future -which might be, not the disturbing present that was; if she -had, her lamentations would have surpassed those of Jeremiah -in bitterness and violence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On such an important matter as going to the East in search -of a mistress for Roylands Grange, Maurice felt naturally -anxious to consult his old tutor, and accordingly one morning -walked over to the Rectory, where he found Mr. Carriston -as usual pottering about among his rose-trees. The hot -sun of July blazed down on that garden of loveliness, and -the sweet-smelling roses burned like constellations of red -stars amid the cool green of their surrounding leaves.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This is decidedly a rose-year,” said the good Rector approvingly, -as he looked at the brilliance around him; “I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>have never seen such a fine show of flowers. My nightingales -should sing their sweetest here, if the tale of their -love for the rose be true. Did you ever see such a glow of -color, Maurice?</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">‘Vidi Paestano candere rosaria cultu</span></div> - <div class='line'><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">Exoriente novo roscida Lucifero.’</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>But I don’t think the poet saw finer roses than mine, even -in Southern Italy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“‘<span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><i>Rosa regina florum</i></span>,’” remarked Maurice, smiling.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eh! you match my quotation from Ausonius with a -wretched little saying culled from your first Latin reading-book. -My dear lad, I am afraid my labor has been in vain, -for your Latin is primitive.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No doubt it is,” assented Maurice cordially, “but I have -not the gift of tongues. I would that I had, as it will be -necessary in the East.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The East!” repeated Carriston, sitting down under his -favorite elm-tree. “What is this? Are you thinking of -visiting the cradle of humanity?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; the summer is nearly over, so like a swallow I wish -to fly south to the blue seas of Greece.”</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">“‘Tous les ans j’y vais et je niche</span></div> - <div class='line'><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Aux mētopes du Parthenon,’”</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>quoted the Rector genially. “Do you know Gautier’s charming -poem? I wish I could go with you to see the land of -Aristophanes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why not come?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nay, I am too old a tree to be transplanted. The comedies -alone must take me on the wings of fancy to Athens. -What would my parishioners do without me? or my roses, -for the matter of that? Still, I would like to be your travelling -companion, and we could visit together those places -which we read of in your days of pupilage. You will see -Colonos, where the Sophoclean nightingales still sing; and -the Acropolis of Athena Glaucopis, the ringing plains of -windy Troy, and the birthplace of the Delian Apollo. Truly -the youth of to-day are to be envied, seeing how easy travel -has been made by steam. Happy Maurice! the Iron Age -will enable you to view the Golden Age with but small -difficulty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I will be delighted to see all those famous places -you have mentioned, sir; but I have a stronger reason.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>“Indeed! And that reason?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is this.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice placed the portrait of Helena in the hands of his -old tutor, and awaited in silence his next remark. Mr. -Carriston adjusted his <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>pince-nez</i></span>, and gazed long and earnestly -at the perfect beauty of the woman’s countenance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“‘Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?’” he -quoted from Marlowe; “upon my word, I would not be surprised -to hear it was. A beautiful woman, Maurice; she has -the loveliness of the Argive Helen.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And the name also; she is called Helena.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah! then I understand she is a real woman?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Flesh and blood, according to Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Rector put down the picture with a sudden movement -of irritation quite foreign to his usual courtly manner.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not like Count Caliphronas,” he said abruptly. -“Did he give you this portrait?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Humph! And may I ask whom it is intended to represent?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A Greek girl, called Helena, who lives in the Island of -Fantasy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The Island of Fantasy?” repeated the Rector in a puzzled -tone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I mean the Island of Melnos, in the southern archipelago -of Greece.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How did it come by the extraordinary name of Fantasy?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas called it so,” said Maurice carelessly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was silence for a few moments, and the Rector -rubbed his nose in a vexed manner, as he by no means approved -of the frequent introduction of the Greek’s name -into the conversation, but hardly saw his way how to prevent -it. At length he determined to leave the matter in abeyance -for the present, and reverted to the question of Helena.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is it for the sake of this woman you are going to the -Levant?” he asked, picking up the picture and tapping it -with his <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>pince-nez</i></span>.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is this not rather a mad freak?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice did not answer for a moment, but moved uneasily -in his seat; for, although he was quite prepared to be discouraged -in his project by the Rector, he by no means liked -the displeased tone in which he spoke. Mr. Carriston waited -<span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>for an answer to his question, so Maurice was at length -forced to give him one, and burst out into a long speech, so -as to give his tutor no opportunity of making any remark -until he had heard all the views in favor of such Quixotism.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I daresay it is a mad freak, sir, but not so very insane if -you look upon it from my point of view. You know I have -never been in love—true, I have always been fond of women -and delighted in their society, but I have never had what -you would call a passionate attachment in my life, nor did I -think, until a few days ago, I was capable of such a thing. -But when Caliphronas was sitting to me for Endymion, he -happened to let fall that portrait, and told me it was one he -had taken of a Greek girl at Melnos. As I admired the -beauty of the face, he made me a present of the picture, -and my admiration has merged itself in a deeper feeling, -that of love. Oh, I know, sir, what you will say, that such -a passion is chimerical, seeing I have never beheld this -woman in the flesh, but I feel too strongly on the subject to -think I am the victim of a heated imagination. I love this -woman—I adore her! she is present with me day and night. -Not only her face—no! It is very beautiful, but I can see -below that beauty. She has a soul, a lovely pure soul, which -I worship, and I am anxious to see the actual living, breathing -woman, so as to make her my wife.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your wife! Are you mad, boy?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, I am not mad, unless you call love a madness. Oh, -I know it is easy for one to advise calmly on the woes of -others. But can you not feel for me? You have been in -love, Mr. Carriston, and you know how such a passion overwhelms -the strongest man. Caution, thought, restraint, -prudence, are all swept away by the torrent. It is no use -saying that this passion I feel will pass, for I know it will -not; it is part of my life. Till I die I will see that face -before me, sleeping or waking. Why, then, should I pass -the rest of my days in torture when I can alleviate such -mental suffering? I am going to this unknown island, I will -see this unknown woman, and if she comes up to the ideal -being I have created from the picture in my mind, I will -marry her. It may not be wise, it may not be suitable; but -it is, and will be inevitable.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The old man listened in astonishment to this lava-torrent -of words which swept everything before it. He could hardly -recognize his former calm-tempered pupil in this young man, -whose flashing eyes, eloquent gestures, and rapid speech -betrayed the strength of the passion which consumed him.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>“‘<span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><i>Ira brevis est</i></span>,’” quoth the Rector wisely; “I think love -is the same.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My madness of love will last all my life—yes, forever!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Forever is a long time.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Rector,” said Maurice entreatingly, “what do you advise?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I advise nothing, dear lad,” replied Carriston quietly; -“what is the use of my giving advice which is opposed to -your own desires, and therefore will be rejected?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“True! true!” muttered Maurice, frowning. “I must go -to Melnos and convince myself of the truth of the matter. -See here, sir, at present I am worshipping a creature of my -own creation, with the face of that picture, but with the -attributes of fancy. This chimera of the brain, as you will -doubtless term her, haunts me night and day, so the only way -to lay this feminine ghost is to see her incarnate in the flesh. -She may be quite different from what I conceive, in which case -I will be cured of my fancy; on the other hand, she may -realize entirely my conception of beauty, purity, and womanliness: -if she does, I will make her my wife, that is, of -course, if she will have me for her husband.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As you put the matter in that light,” said Mr. Carriston, -after a pause, “I advise you to go to Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You do?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Decidedly! It is best to end this torture of the imagination, -which I also know only too well. See this woman, if -you like, but be sure she is all you desire her to be before -making her your wife.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is no fear that I will let my heart govern my brain -in such an important matter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is a great fear,” replied the Rector gravely, glancing -at the picture; “a young man’s heart is not always under -his control, and this woman has the beauty which inspires -madness. Helen of Troy, Cleopatra of Egypt, Mary of Scotland, -Ninon de l’Enclos of France, they were all Lamiæ, and -their beauty was ever fatal to their victims.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Lovers,” corrected Maurice quickly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Victims,” reiterated Carriston firmly; “or, if you will, -lovers, for the terms are synonymous.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I will take your advice, sir, and go to the East in -search of this lovely Helena of Melnos, but I promise you I -will not be a victim.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope not, but I fear so.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You need not,” said Roylands gayly, delighted to have -won over the Rector to his side. “I will come back alone, -cured, or with a wife, and more in love than ever.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>“How will you find this island?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Caliphronas”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As beautiful and as false as Paris of Troy,” interrupted -the Rector quickly, whereat Maurice shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Possibly he is, but I do not think I have anything to -fear from him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is certainly no reason why he should be your -enemy, yet I feel convinced he is so.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot tell you unless I advance the Dr. Fell theory as -an argument; but, to speak openly, my dear Maurice, this -Greek seems to me to be like a sleek, soft-footed panther, -beautiful to look on, but dangerous to meddle with.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not going to meddle with him. He is simply returning -to his home in Greek waters, and I will go with him. -After we reach Melnos, very likely he will return to Ithaca.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear old tutor,” cried the young man, laughing, “you -are full of fears, first of this Helena, again of this Greek. -Ten to one I will find both equally harmless.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I trust so; but I do not like your travelling alone with -this Count Constantine.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not going to do so. Crispin is coming also.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah!” said Carriston in a satisfied tone; “I am glad of -that, for I like that young man very much. I am sure he is -an honorable, straightforward fellow.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are inconsistent. His life is as mysterious as that -of Caliphronas, yet you trust the one and mistrust the other.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do; it is a matter of instinct. Well, here is your -Helena; I hope you will find the original as beautiful as the -picture.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope so too,” answered Maurice, restoring the photograph -to his pocket.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By the way,” observed the Rector abruptly, “what about -Eunice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, she will not mourn me, for she has already consoled -herself with Crispin.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Humph! I thought as much; and what does your aunt -say?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She says nothing because she knows nothing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think that is wise?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, I do not; so I am going to ask Crispin to explain -who he is, what he is, and all about himself, before he leaves -with me for the East. If his replies are satisfactory, I will -<span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>try and persuade my dear aunt to consent to the match; but -you may depend upon it, my dear Rector, if I find anything -wrong with our poet, I will do my best to prevent his marriage -with my cousin.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is as it should be, but I fancy you will find Crispin -an honest man.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You seem quite taken with him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; I am curiously drawn to that young man. Why, I -do not know; but, from the frequent conversations I have -had with him, he seems very honest and good-hearted, -whereas your handsome Greek is, I am convinced, a worthless -scamp.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, we will see how your predictions are fulfilled. But -I must be off,” continued Maurice, glancing at his watch, -“it is past one o’clock. Will you not come over to luncheon -with me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! and leave my roses, which need water in this hot -sun! Go away, sir, and don’t ask impossibilities.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice laughed and went away, while the Rector returned -to his roses, and thought over the interview. He was doubtful -as to the result of Maurice’s quest for a wife, but, knowing -the sterling good sense and honorable nature of his pupil, -judged it best to let him take his own way.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Everyman must dree his weird,” said Carriston, watering-pot -in hand. “However this journey turns out, it will do -Maurice good, for if it does not gain him a wife, it will at -least banish the evil spirit which is spoiling his youth.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile the object of this soliloquy was striding up the -avenue of the Grange at a rapid pace, and whistling gayly, -out of sheer light-heartedness. Never before had he felt so -happy, a circumstance which suddenly made him pause in -his lilting, as he thought of the saying of an old Scotch -nurse.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope I am not fey,” he said to himself; “surely this -joy does not prognosticate sorrow. No; I will not look on it -in that gloomy light. I am going in search of Helen,—Cœlebs -in search of a wife,—and if I find her as lovely as -she seems to be, why, then”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>And he began whistling again, from sheer inability to -express his feelings in cold, measured words. As he neared -the house, the rich tenor voice of Caliphronas rang vibrating -through the still air. His song was, as usual, one of those -Greek fragments he was so fond of singing, and even the -modern Greek tongue, debased as it was by centuries of foreign -<span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>influences, sounded pliable and liquid as the vowelled -words soared upward like swift-darting swallows. How -bare and bleak seems the translation, bereft of its Hellenic -sonorousness of speech!—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“I will sail in a beakèd ship, impelled by rowers,</div> - <div class='line'>Over the waters to westward, where Helios sinks nightly in splendor,</div> - <div class='line'>And there in a hidden island of dreams</div> - <div class='line'>Will I see ray belovèd smiling with starry eyes.</div> - <div class='line'>Her arms will enfold me—oh, they will clasp me so closely,</div> - <div class='line'>I will kiss her lips which burn like scarlet of sunset,</div> - <div class='line'>Till the nest of our love will flow over—flow over,</div> - <div class='line'>With delicate singing, and sighings of lover to lover.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Caliphronas was standing on the steps of the terrace, with -his classic face uplifted to the serene sky, and, as he sang the -song, with his hand resting lightly on the white marble vase -near him, he looked the incarnation of blooming adolescence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ha!” he cried, as Roylands nimbly mounted the steps; -“I was just wondering where you were. What have you -been doing, Mr. Maurice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have been talking to the Rector, and for the last few -moments I have been watching you, my Attic nightingale. -Modern costume spoils you, Caliphronas, as it would spoil -any one, so hideous is it. You should be draped in white -robes, bear an ivory lyre, and minister to Apollo the Far-Darter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Alas!” sighed the Greek, with sudden sadness in his -eyes; “Pan is dead, and with him Apollo. I have been born -too late, for my soul is Athenian, and longs for the plane-trees -of Ilissus. But enough of this classicism, and tell me -why you look so merry.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because I have made up my mind to go with you to -Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas smiled in an enigmatic manner, and sang two -lines from his song,—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“And there in a hidden island of dreams</div> - <div class='line'>Will I see my belovèd smiling with starry eyes.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“What do those words mean?” asked Maurice abruptly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, that you will discover when we reach Melnos!”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XI. <br /> <span class='fss'>THE CREED OF A MOTHER-IN-LAW.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>In all good faith I do believe</div> - <div class='line'>That sons-in-law their wives deceive;</div> - <div class='line'>So, seeing marriage is a snare,</div> - <div class='line'>My daughter needs her mother’s care;</div> - <div class='line'>And if this couple young be wise,</div> - <div class='line'>Their life they’ll let me supervise.</div> - <div class='line'>For I can show the wife the way</div> - <div class='line'>To make the servants her obey,</div> - <div class='line'>Nor fail the husband’s acts to see,</div> - <div class='line'>And rob him of his midnight key,</div> - <div class='line'>Improve his faults with frown and snub,</div> - <div class='line'>Insist he should give up his club;</div> - <div class='line'>And if he’s an obedient boy,</div> - <div class='line'>His home will be a place of joy.</div> - <div class='line'>Thus ruling husband, home, and wife,</div> - <div class='line'>I will secure a home for life.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>“So you have decided upon Eastward Ho?” said Crispin, -as Maurice enveloped himself in clouds of smoke.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They were seated in the smoking-room by themselves, for -the ladies had long since retired; and Caliphronas, unable -to bear the fumes of nicotine, which, he averred, made his -eyes sore and his head swim, had just gone off to bed. Thus, -left to that sweetest hour of the night which is somewhere -about the stroke of twelve <span class='fss'>P.M.</span>, the poet and his host had -established themselves in two comfortable arm-chairs, and, -each armed with a pipe, were incensing the Muse of Fancy, -who is frequently invoked by such worship. But the talk -of the two was anything but fanciful, as they were engaged -in discussing their projected tour in Levantine waters. -Maurice was rather glad Caliphronas retired so early, as he was -anxious to have a quiet conversation with Crispin, and what -better time or place could he have, than nearly midnight in -the smoking-room, with the soothing weed, and the exhilarating -whiskey diluted with soda, to stimulate the drowsy -brain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It is wonderful how men at this mystic hour unbosom -themselves the one to the other, and tell secrets which they -certainly would not reveal in the daytime. Maurice knew -this peculiarity of midnight confabulations, and perhaps -thought that Crispin would take him into his confidence; -but if he did think so he was disappointed, for Crispin kept -<span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>his own counsel and held his tongue, save indeed to talk -generally about things Maurice was well acquainted with.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So you have decided upon Eastward Ho?” said Crispin -for the second time, finding that Maurice did not reply immediately, -which negligence was due to the fact that he -wished to speak to the poet about Eunice, and was doubtful -of the wisdom of such a step. The second time of asking -this question, however, aroused him from his musings, and -he answered at once.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. I had a conversation with the Rector this morning, -and I have decided to travel abroad for a year or so.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you mean a general tour of the world, or a special -part?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A special part. I am going to Greece.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh! The mainlands or the islands?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The latter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In that case, I know where you are going,” said Crispin, -carefully shaking the ashes out of his pipe; “your destination -is the Island of Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is,” replied Maurice in some surprise. “Do you know -Melnos?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very well. I also know the woman you are going to -see.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena? How do you know that? I have told you -nothing about it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; but Caliphronas mentioned something about your -spiritual passion for that picture.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This was mere guess-work, as Caliphronas had mentioned -nothing of the sort; but Crispin was so well aware of the -deep game which the Greek was playing, that he had no -difficulty in arriving at a fair conclusion concerning his -tactics. Maurice was, however, ignorant of Crispin’s knowledge, -and at once assumed that Caliphronas had been discussing -his passion for this pictured Helena with the poet, -perhaps laughing at it, and his pride was up in arms at once.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas has no right to speak to you about my -private affairs,” he said angrily. “I intended to tell you -myself, but now he has forestalled me. I did not know he -was such a gossip.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nor is he. I said he told me, and so he did, indirectly; -but if I did not know Caliphronas, Helena, and Melnos, I -would still be in the dark concerning your projected journey.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where is this Island of Fantasy?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>Crispin looked up with a quick smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, he told you the name Justinian calls it! The Island -of Fantasy in imagination, and Melnos in reality, is situated -in the southern portion of the Ægean Sea, beyond Paros, -beyond Amorgos, nay, even beyond Anapli. As a matter of -fact, it is a little-known island, hidden, to speak exactly, in -the Cretan Sea, between Telos and Crete.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I thought I was rather good at geography, but I never -heard of the Island of Melnos before. Has it anything to -do with the Island of Melos?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; that is more to the north. But I do not wonder at -your ignorance, as Melnos is known only to the sailors and -shepherds who are thoroughly acquainted with that portion -of the Archipelago.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What kind of an island is it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A mountain—a volcanic mountain, extinct of course for -the present, though I would not be surprised if it blew up -one day and sent Justinian flying in the air with all his -subjects.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is this Justinian a king, that you talk about his subjects?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, a kind of minor king, such as Odysseus might have -been. I know him very well.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Helena?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is his daughter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“His daughter!” repeated Maurice gravely. “Is she as -beautiful as this portrait shows her to be?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I should say more so,” replied Crispin, taking the photograph. -“Here you only get absolute stillness; the great -charm of Helena lies in the changeful expression of her face, -and in her bright manner. Yes, she is altogether charming, -and I do not wonder you have fallen in love with her face, -even though this photograph fails to do justice to the -original.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In spite of his passion for Helena, which should have made -him delight in these praises of her beauty, Maurice did not -pay much attention to Crispin’s speech, as he was thinking -deeply, and the current of his thoughts was indicated by his -next remark.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Crispin, you said Caliphronas was merely a chance acquaintance -you met at Athens; but, as far as I can judge -from the hints you drop, I believe you know him very well.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is the real truth,” replied Crispin, without flinching. -“I did meet this Greek at Athens, but I knew him before -<span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>that—in Melnos. Oh, I can tell you many things which -would astonish you, but I cannot do so yet.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why not?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because I have strong reasons for such reticence,” said -the poet coldly; “either trust me in all or not at all. -This journey you are undertaking means more than you -think, but I will not fail you, and as long as I am by your -side you will take no hurt.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are we in the Middle Ages? Is Caliphronas a freebooter, -that you talk as if I were in danger?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will explain all some day, and you will be rather astonished -at my story.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I suppose there is nothing wrong in your story?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No. When I tell all about myself and my past life, I -think it will satisfy not only you—but Mrs. Dengelton.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is on her account that I made that rather rude remark, -for, unless you can prove your name, your position, and your -income to be satisfactory, she will never consent to your -marriage with Eunice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As to my name,” said Crispin, coloring a little at such -plain speaking, “I hope to prove that spotless, my position -will be beyond reproach, and my income is larger than your -own.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are wealthy, then?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am certainly well off, and I will give you my story at -some later date, but at present I will answer no more of your -questions.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Mrs. Dengelton?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am going to speak to her to-morrow morning, so as to -put things right before I leave England. Oh, I am not afraid -of being absent. Eunice loves me, and will be true, while as -to her mother, I can win that lady on to my side, and will do -so to-morrow.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are an enigma, Crispin.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am; but, as I said before, I can explain myself to your -satisfaction, and intend doing so when I consider it wise. -But you must trust me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do trust you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid you ask too many questions for absolute -trust,” said the poet dryly, relighting his pipe.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will ask you no more—save one.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is Caliphronas to be trusted?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As long as I am with you, yes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>“Ah, you have some power over him?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now you are asking questions again.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I beg your pardon; but do tell me about Caliphronas!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin paused for a moment, as if to consider how he -would reply to this remark.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas,” he said at length slowly, “is a man who is -a slave to his own vices, and gratifies himself at all costs. -He lets no one stand in the way of such self-gratification; -but whether you are an obstacle or not remains to be seen. -At all events, you have elected to trust me, mysterious as I -am, and I promise you on my word of honor that you shall -have no reason to regret that trust. I foresee difficulties -ahead, but these you need not be afraid of as long as I am -by your side. You will leave Roylands with me, and you -will return with me, and I give you my word you will not be -a bit the worst for your journey, nay, I hope you will be -the better.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“One would think we were going to Timbuctoo, the way -you talk,” said Maurice crossly. “You have no idea how -these enigmatic speeches pique my curiosity.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, such curiosity I will gratify—shortly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You said you would trust me, and ask no more questions.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do trust you, and I will not.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Certainly he could not complain of a lack of interest in -life now: this mysterious woman Helena, these equally mysterious -individuals, Crispin and Caliphronas,—all three -riddles. Surely the son of Laius was never so bothered by -enigmas as was this young country squire. However, it -added new zest to the wine of life, and gave him something -to look forward to, so on the whole Maurice was enjoying -himself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By the way,” said Crispin lazily, after a pause, “how are -you going to Melnos?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I don’t know exactly. Go by train to Venice, I suppose, -and take an Austrian Lloyd steamer from there, or -leave Marseilles by the French packet which goes to Athens. -Once at the Piræus, and there won’t be much difficulty in -exploring the Archipelago in search of your Island of Fantasy. -To tell you the truth, however, as I only made up my -mind this morning, I have not yet looked up routes, steamers, -and all that sort of thing, but intend to go to town next -week and find out all about them.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>“There will be no need,” said Crispin quietly; “you can -come to Greece in my yacht.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your yacht! Why, I did not know you had one.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know you didn’t. Because I am a poet, you necessarily -think I am poor, which is a mistake. I am sufficiently well -off to keep a hundred and fifty ton steam yacht, which is at -present lying at Southampton, ready to start when I wish. -A poet and a yacht sound incongruous, I admit; and I suppose -I am the first rhyme-stringer who ever possessed such -an article, unless you except Shelley’s boat partnership with -Trelawny. But that was a small boat; my craft is a genuine -steam yacht, and in it I explore unknown seas. You look -astonished.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am astonished. You are a poet-millionnaire.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not quite as wealthy as that, and I need hardly tell you -I did not pay for the yacht out of my poems. But, of course, -you will come with me to Greece in The Eunice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eunice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; she was called The Aphrodite, but I rechristened -her The Eunice out of compliment to you know whom.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Have you any more surprises in store?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Plenty,” replied Crispin, rising with a yawn; “but this -one is quite enough to keep you awake for a night. Oh -dear, I am so sleepy!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wait a minute. Does Caliphronas know you are a yacht-owner?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; I expect he will be surprised and confoundedly -jealous.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Jealous! Why?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because he thinks all the good things of this life should -go his way. But you have not yet given me your answer.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I will come by all means.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And so will our mutual friend, the Greek. What a -happy family we will be! Well, good-night. I wish Eunice -was coming in her namesake.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Mrs. Dengelton,” said Maurice mischievously, lighting -his candle.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; in my wildest dreams I never wished that. She -would want to be captain of the ship. However, I am going -to astonish my future mother-in-law to-morrow; so I must -take a good night’s rest, and husband my strength for the -encounter. Good-night, once more.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good-night, Crispin.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>They both retired to their respective rooms, and Maurice -<span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>fell asleep wondering who Crispin was, from what source he -derived wealth enough to keep a yacht, and what connection -he had with Caliphronas. All these things mixed together -in his drowsy brain until the real world faded away, and he -dreamed he was at Melnos, trying, like another Paris, to -carry off Helena, while Caliphronas, in the guise of Menelaus, -prevented such elopement.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Next day the brilliant sun had disappeared, and there was -a gray veil of clouds drawn across the sky, which neutralized -the brilliant tints of the summer’s luxuriance of foliage and -flowers. Caliphronas, ever impressionable to atmospheric -changes, shivered at the dreary look which now spread over -the earth, and it needed all his animal spirits to sustain his -normal condition of careless joy. Even then he lacked his -ordinary exuberance of life, and it appeared as if a great -portion of his vitality disappeared with the sun.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“St. Theodore!” he said to Mrs. Dengelton, as they looked -out of the window at the gray landscape; “do you often have -this weather here?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, not often,” she replied, in a tone of regret; “I wish -we did.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! this dulness, this melancholy, this want of -color!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, my dear Count, it is a most beautiful day!” cried -the lady, with great vivacity; “what have you to complain -of?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Complain of?” The Greek’s face was a study as he -repeated her words, and he stared at her in surprise. “Why, -I complain of this want of sunlight; it is not like yesterday, -which was passable.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Passable!” echoed Mrs. Dengelton, surprised in her turn. -“Why, Count, since you have come to Roylands, the weather -has been simply perfection. How long have you been in -England?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Two months.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then you must have had this lovely weather all along. -You are an exceptionally lucky man, Count Constantine, for -you have seen England at her best.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, have you worse days than this?” asked Caliphronas, -with a shudder.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Infinitely worse,” said Eunice, who at this moment joined -them with Crispin: “fog, snow, rain, hail, mist—oh, you -don’t know the capabilities of the English climate!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am glad I am going away,” observed Caliphronas, with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>a sigh of relief; “this place would kill me. Gray skies, -small cultivated landscapes, ugly cities, sad-looking men and -women. Oh, great saints! what do you know of life or -pleasure?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I assure you, my dear Count,” began Mrs. Dengelton -sweetly, “that in the season”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is the season?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The London season, which begins in May.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, that is what I have seen. Up all night, tired all -day, crowded rooms, unhealthy dinners, plenty of talk about -nothing, and no rest—is that what you call the season? is -that what you term life? St. Theodore! let me go back to -Greece, there at least I can live.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But Greece is not like London,” said Crispin, with the -intention of provoking the Greek.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, thank the saints, it is not, as you know well, Mr. -Crispin; there, at least, are fresh air, laughing seas, wide -plains, lofty mountains—one can breathe there—one can -live and delight in living, but here—oh, pardon me, I cannot -talk of it. I must go to Mr. Maurice for the Endymion, -and I am glad I leave your dull grayness soon.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Caliphronas with this parting shot had vanished, -Mrs. Dengelton turned to Crispin with a pitying smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What an impulsive creature, is he not, Mr. Crispin? To -talk about such barbaric lands, and call existence there life! -Ah, he does not know what enjoyment is.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think he does in his own way,” replied Crispin dryly, -thinking of the difference between the free, open-air existence -of the one, and the narrow, petty life of the other.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, of course, you know a blind man never misses -color because he does not know what he loses,” said the lady -apologetically. “That poor dear Count is in exactly the -same plight. Eunice, my dear, I wish you would go and -write that letter to Lady Danvers at once. I want it to catch -the noonday post. We go to Lady Danvers when we leave -here,” she added, as Eunice left the room. “For my part, I -would have been glad to stay here till the autumn, but -dear Maurice has been ordered abroad for his health.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I know he is going,” said Crispin coolly; “he is -coming with me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Coming with you?” repeated Mrs. Dengelton, indignantly, -wondering at the presumption of this, as she thought, -poor poet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” replied Crispin equably, as he prepared to startle -the lady; “he is going to the East in my yacht.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>“Your yacht!” gasped Mrs. Dengelton, in the same tones -in which she would have said, “Your throne!” “I did not -know you—you”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Were rich enough to possess one,” said Crispin dryly, -seeing the lady hesitated. “Oh, I have had a yacht for -many years. I hope you and Miss Dengelton will do me the -favor of coming a cruise in her some day.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I should be delighted!” cried Mrs. Dengelton, with -a shudder, for she was a very bad sailor; “but does it not -take a great deal of money to keep up such an expensive -luxury?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A great deal,” assented the poet, suppressing a smile as -he saw the dexterous way in which Mrs. Dengelton was -trying to find out the extent of his income; “but, fortunately, -I can afford it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How lucky you are!” sighed the lady, now adopting a -more polite tone towards this wealthy young man. “Ah, it -is a splendid thing to be rich. My late husband was of good -birth, but poor, and he did not leave me very well off. However, -I have a sufficiently good income to live comfortably, -and of course my dear daughter for a companion.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What will you do when Miss Dengelton marries?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I will live with her still. You see, young wives are -inexperienced, and I could take all that sort of thing on my -shoulders.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin shuddered, for the prospect of living under the -same roof with this lady was anything but an inviting one.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course, I do not mind speaking freely to you, dear -Mr. Crispin,” pursued Mrs. Dengelton, determined to crush -all thoughts Crispin might have regarding Eunice, “because -you are such a friend of dear Maurice. You know I wish -him to marry his cousin, it would be a perfect match.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Would it?” said Crispin grimly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; it would keep the property in the family,” said -Mrs. Dengelton, who had arrived at this remarkable conclusion -by some means known only to herself; “and then, of -course, this would be my home, and I could live here with -my dear children. You see, I speak openly to you, because -I know you would like to see dear Maurice happily married.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I would indeed, Mrs. Dengelton, but not to your -daughter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Indeed, Mr. Crispin! and why not?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because I want to marry her myself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mr. Crispin!”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>If a bombshell had dropped through the roof, Mrs. Dengelton -could not have been more astonished. She half -guessed that this audacious poet admired Eunice, but to -speak thus so boldly, and after she had given her views as to -the future settlement of her daughter in matrimony—it was -too horrible! Who was this man? Nobody knew. He had -not even two names like respectable people, and to propose -to bestow the only one he possessed on her daughter, was -too much for Mrs. Dengelton’s powers of endurance. She -was actually dumb with astonishment, and those who had -once heard this lady’s tongue could have seen from that -alone how she was thunderstruck. For a minute she gazed -at Crispin with horror-struck eyes, but as he did not turn -into stone before that Medusa gaze, or even have the grace -to blush, Mrs. Dengelton recovered her powers of speech -with a weak laugh.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, of course you are jesting!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not jesting. I wish to marry your daughter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Impossible!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why is it impossible?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, because—because”—Mrs. Dengelton could not -really bring herself to give the real reasons, so fenced dexterously,—“Because -you see, I wish her to marry her -cousin, and keep the property in the family.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The property will remain in the family without such a -marriage,” said Crispin provokingly; “and as for your -daughter, she does not love Maurice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not love Maurice!” screamed Mrs. Dengelton wrathfully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, she loves me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Loves you!” gasped the good lady faintly, feeling for -her smelling-salts. “Oh, this is some horrible dream!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By no means,” replied Crispin quietly; “I really do not -see why you should make such an uncomplimentary remark. -I love your daughter, and I wish to marry her. Is there -anything extraordinary in that?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eunice could marry any one.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No doubt, but she will not. I am the only man she will -marry.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Indeed! You forget her mother’s consent is necessary.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“At present, yes, because she is under age—but afterwards”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eunice Dengelton will obey me all her life,” said the lady -<span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>furiously; “and I will never, never consent to her marriage -with you, sir!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why not?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because I do not know who you are,” retorted Mrs. -Dengelton tartly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will satisfy you on that point before the marriage.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then I do not know if you can support a wife.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If I can support a yacht, I can certainly support a wife,” -said Crispin ironically; “but if you want me to be exact as -to figures, my income is twelve thousand a year.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Twelve thousand a year!” gasped Mrs. Dengelton in -amazement; “why, you are richer than Maurice!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, twice as rich. Is there any other question you -would like to ask?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I would like to know about your parents.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have no parents. I am an orphan.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And where do you come from, Mr. Crispin?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“From the East”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Heavens!” cried Mrs. Dengelton, as a dreadful thought -struck her; “you are not a Hindoo, or a negro, or a -Hottentot?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I am certainly dark,” replied the poet, laughing, -“but I am, as it happens, a pure-blooded Englishman. But -come now, Mrs. Dengelton, I have answered your questions, -so in common fairness you must answer mine. Will you let -me marry your daughter?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I—I—really I don’t know what to say,” said Mrs. -Dengelton, unwilling to let the chance of such a wealthy -match slip, and yet doubtful as to the position of the suitor. -<a id='corr129.30'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='I'>“I</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_129.30'><ins class='correction' title='I'>“I</ins></a></span> must think it over. Tell me who you are.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not now. I will satisfy you fully concerning my family -when I return from Greece.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah! am I right in saying you are going to the East to -see your relatives about this marriage?” said Mrs. Dengelton -archly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Partly right. I am going as much on your nephew’s -account as my own.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And what is <em>he</em> going for?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That I cannot tell you, Mrs. Dengelton,” replied Crispin -mendaciously, “you must ask him that yourself. But as to -this marriage”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot give you an answer now—really I cannot.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will you give me an answer when I return from the -East?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span>“When will you return?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In three months.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I will give you an answer then,” said Mrs. Dengelton -glibly, having quite determined to throw Crispin over, -should she meet with a more desirable match for her daughter. -Crispin guessed this double dealing, and at once met the -feminine plot by a masculine counterplot.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mrs. Dengelton,” he said solemnly, “I love your daughter, -and she loves me. When I return in three months from the -East, I will satisfy you on all points you desire to know. If -those questions you ask are answered to your complete satisfaction, -will you agree to our marriage?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” replied Mrs. Dengelton, all the volubility frightened -out of her, “I will.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then give me your word that during my absence you -will not try to induce your daughter to marry any one -else.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hardly think it is necessary to ask that,” said the lady, -with dignity, though in her heart of hearts she knew it was -very necessary, as also did Crispin, who still pressed his -request.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps it is not necessary; still I would like your word -for it that such a thing will not occur.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, well, I promise,” remarked Mrs. Dengelton peevishly, -rising to her feet. “What a pertinacious man you are, -Mr. Crispin! Mind, I will not consent to this marriage -unless I am thoroughly satisfied about your position, income, -and family.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will satisfy you on all those points,” rejoined Crispin, -with a bow, as he held the door open for her to pass through.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I feel quite upset,” said the good lady, as she hastily -departed. “I am sure I don’t know what Maurice will say.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do,” thought Crispin, as he closed the door; “he will -be delighted. <a id='corr130.34'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='“I talk'>I talk</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_130.34'><ins class='correction' title='“I talk'>I talk</ins></a></span> very confidently, but I am doubtful. -Position—yes, that is all right, I am a poet; money—well, -she can hardly complain of twelve thousand a year, safely -invested; family—ah, that is the difficulty! I wonder if I -can get the truth out of Justinian, he alone knows. I cannot -marry with only one name, but I will have two before I -return from Melnos, or else”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>He paused, and struck his fist hard against his open hand.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will force Justinian to tell me,” he muttered between -his clinched teeth. “I also hold cards in this game he is -playing, and even with him and Caliphronas as adversaries -<span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>I will win. Maurice Roylands is Justinian’s stake, Helena -is the stake of Caliphronas, as he chooses to call himself, but -Eunice is mine, and with such a prize to gain I am desperate.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>His eyes fell on an open volume of Thomas à Kempis, -which Mrs. Dengelton, in strange contrast to her usual -worldliness, was fond of reading, and he saw the following -sentence:—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Love desires to be aloft, and will not be kept back by -anything low and mean.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I accept the omen,” he said, closing the book slowly. -“I desire Eunice, and no lowness or meanness of Justinian -and Andros will keep me back. I accept the omen.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XII. <br /> <span class='fss'>THE NEW ARGONAUTS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>From distant isles of tropic blooms,</div> - <div class='line'>Enthroned on seas of hyaline,</div> - <div class='line'>Across the waters smaragdine,</div> - <div class='line'>The weak winds waft us faint perfumes</div> - <div class='line'>Of incense, musk, and fragrant balms,</div> - <div class='line'>That shed their scents ’mid lasting calms,</div> - <div class='line'>Beneath the shade of bending palms.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>These perfumes rouse lethargic brains</div> - <div class='line'>From idle dreams and visions pale.</div> - <div class='line'>As modern Argonauts we sail</div> - <div class='line'>Far o’er the vast mysterious main;</div> - <div class='line'>We wish no golden fleeces sleek,</div> - <div class='line'>But in these islands of the Greek,</div> - <div class='line'>A woman’s lovely face we seek.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>All preparations having been made, it was decided to -start for Greece about the end of July; and these modern -Argonauts were in the highest spirits at the prospect of the -coming voyage,—Caliphronas because his object was gained, -and Roylands would soon be on his way to the island of -Melnos; Crispin because he had come to a comfortable understanding -with Mrs. Dengelton; and Maurice for the simple -reason that he was going to see in the flesh this beautiful -vision of fancy which haunted his brain. The Grange was -to be left to the guardianship of the housekeeper, and its -master, giving up, at least for the present, a life of ease, was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>about to embark on one of those adventurous expeditions so -dear to the hearts of our restless young Englishmen. Mrs. -Dengelton and Eunice had arranged to stay with Lady Danvers -in London, and the good old Rector still remained in -his sleepy village, looking after his parishioners, his Aristophanic -translation, and his beloved roses.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In company with Maurice, the poet had taken a journey -to Southampton to see if the yacht was all in order for the -projected voyage, and had stayed there three days to attend -to all necessary matters. The Eunice was a beautiful little -craft, schooner-rigged fore and aft, and was manned by an -excellent crew; so with all this luxury the three adventurers -looked forward to having a very pleasant time. It was -now the season when the halcyon broods on the waves, so -they expected a smooth passage to Melnos, and as all three -were capital sailors, even if they did have stormy weather -they cared very little for such a possibility. Caliphronas, -delighted at leaving this dull island for his own brilliant -skies, was beside himself with delight, and talked incessantly -of the pleasures in store for them on the Island of -Melnos.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the evening before they left England, Maurice invited -the Rector to a farewell dinner; and the company assembled -round the hospitable table of the Grange were very merry -indeed, perhaps with the exception of Eunice, who was somewhat -sad at the prospect of parting from her poet. The -weather was still dull and gray, and it was only the prospect -of a speedy departure that kept Caliphronas bright; but as -that departure took place next day, he was in the gayest -spirits.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We are the New Argonauts,” he said merrily, with the -affectation of classicism which distinguished him; “we sail -for the Colchian strand.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is to be hoped we find no Medea there,” observed -Crispin with a smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; our Medea is no sorceress, but a daughter of Venus, -the modern Helen of Troy. Mr. Maurice is her Jason. You, -Crispin, are Orpheus.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you, Count?” asked Maurice, amused at this fancy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I?” said Caliphronas lightly. “Well, I hardly know. -Shall I say Hercules?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Or Hylas,” suggested the Rector idly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Neither!” interposed Crispin pointedly. “We will take -a passenger from another famous ship, and call him Ulysses, -the craftiest of the Greeks.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>Caliphronas frowned at this somewhat uncomplimentary -remark, but immediately recovered his gayety, and burst out -laughing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I do not mind in the least. Ulysses, by all means. -After all, he had some very pleasant times with Circe, -Calypso, and such-like ladies.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You seem to know your Homer, Count,” said the Rector, -rather surprised at the classical knowledge of this ignorant -young man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Or his Lemprière,” muttered Crispin significantly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Decidedly Crispin was not polite; but, truth to tell, the -prospect of a voyage in company with a man he disliked was -almost too much for him, and it took all his self-restraint -to prevent him breaking out into open war against the Greek. -Caliphronas knew this, but, appearing to take no notice of -such a hostile attitude, resolved to bide his time, and make -Crispin suffer for such insolence at the first opportunity. It -seemed as though poor Maurice would not have a very pleasant -time of it, cooped up in a vessel with these two enemies; -but, doubtless, when Crispin played host in his own yacht, -he would treat the Count in a more courteous fashion. This -was exactly the view Crispin took of the matter; and as he -knew, according to the laws of hospitality, he would have to -be scrupulously polite to Caliphronas on board The Eunice, -he was taking advantage of the present time, and giving his -humor full rein in the direction of his real feelings. If he -could only have prevented Caliphronas coming by such a -display of hostility, he would have been very glad, as he -mistrusted the Greek very much; but Caliphronas was impervious -to the shafts of irony, and, as long as he gained his -ends, did not care what was said to him or of him. This -brilliant stranger was a man entirely without pride, and -would put up with any insults rather than jeopardize his -plans by resenting such discourtesy. It was the last opportunity -Crispin would have of showing his real feelings, so he -took advantage of it; and though it was scarcely gentlemanly -of him to do so, the Count was such an unmitigated scoundrel -that honorable and courteous treatment was entirely -lost on him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>However, Eunice overheard his ironical remarks, and -looked reproachfully at him, whereon Crispin restrained his -temper, and strove to be delightfully amiable, no very easy -task in his present frame of mind. With this good resolve -he talked as pleasantly as he was able, and heard Caliphronas -<span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>romance about his fictitious life without contradicting him, -which he felt sorely inclined to do. It must not be forgotten -that Crispin had hitherto led a semi-civilized life, and had -not acquired that knack of concealing his likes or dislikes so -necessary in our artificial society; besides which he was a -very honest-minded man, and, knowing the true story of -Caliphronas, the deliberate lies, flashy manner, and snake-like -subtlety of the Greek annoyed him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice also distrusted the Count, especially after his -conversation with Crispin regarding the real name, career, -and character of the man; but, being more versed in the -science of deception, behaved admirably towards his guest in -every way, thereby deceiving Caliphronas to take all this -enforced suavity for actual good-fellowship. As to the Rector, -he was extremely punctilious in his behavior, and neither -by word nor deed showed his dislike of this sleek-footed -panther, who was about to bear away his favorite Maurice -into unknown dangers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must bring us all kinds of things from Greece, -Maurice,” said Mrs. Dengelton in her usual gushing manner. -“I adore foreign ornaments—those silver pins, you know, -like Italian women wear, and Moorish veils, and Algerian -lamps—so delightful—they fill up a room wonderfully.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, and make it look like a curiosity-shop,” replied -Maurice, laughing. “Oh, my dear aunt, you may depend I -will bring you all kinds of outlandish things; but as to Italian -pins, Moorish veils, Algerian lamps, I don’t suppose I will -find any of those sort of things in Greece.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What will I bring you?” asked Crispin, as he held open -the door for Eunice to pass through.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They were beyond the hearing of the table, Mrs. Dengelton -had sailed on ahead to the drawing-room, so they were -virtually alone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What will I bring you?” he asked in a whisper.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yourself,” she replied in the same tone. And Crispin -returned to his seat with the delightful conviction that -Eunice was the most charming girl in the world, and he -was certainly the most fortunate of poets.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Rector poured himself out a glass of his favorite port, -and began to converse with Caliphronas; while Maurice and -Crispin, lighting their cigarettes, chatted about the yacht, -her sea-going powers, the question of stores, the anticipated -time she would take to run down to the Ægean, and such-like -marine matters.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>“Will you pay us another visit, Count?” asked the -Rector, more for the sake of starting a conversation than -because he really cared about such a possibility.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, I do not think so. I am going to be married and -settle down in my own island.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ithaca?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas laughed a little on hearing the name.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; on Ithaca.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you a politician?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I? No. I care not two straws for the reconstruction of -the Greek Empire, the recovery of Byzantium from the -Turks, or any of those things which agitate my countrymen. -No. I am a terribly selfish man, sir, as you will doubtless -think. I only want to live in happiness, and for the good of -my fellow-creatures I care nothing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is that not rather an egotistical way of looking at -life?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Doubtless, sir, from your point of view, but not from -mine. You are a priest of your Church, what we call a -Papa in my country, and live the life of the soul, while I -live the life of the body. You believe in self-abnegation—I -in self-satisfaction. With this beautiful world I am content, -but you rack your soul with longings for the life beyond the -grave. In a word, I am real, you are ideal; but I am the -happiest.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The happiness of the beasts which perish!” said the -Rector emphatically.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, the beasts, as a rule, have a very good time of it -during their lives; as to the rest, we all perish at last.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The body, but not the soul.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, that I do not know. I may have a soul, but I am not -certain; but I have a body, and as long as that is at ease, -why should I trouble about things in the next life?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you ever think of the hereafter?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never! If I die, I die! While I live, I live! I prefer -present certainty to future doubt.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Carriston was silent, as he did not care about arguing -theology with this subtle Greek, whose religion, whose philosophy, -assumed Protean forms to meet every objection. -He was full of sophistry and double dealing, an unfair -adversary in every sense of the word, and was so encased in -his armor of self-complacency and egotism, that he could -never be brought to look at things either spiritual or material -in any light than that which satisfied the selfishness of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>his own soul. The Rector, therefore, avoided the threatened -argument, and applied himself to his wine, which was a -much more agreeable task than attempting to convince this -egoist that the supreme aim of life was not the pampering -of the passions of the individual man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Apart from the theological aspect of the case,” said -Carriston good-humoredly, “it is rather a mistaken thing to -live only for one’s self. Where ignorance is bliss, I grant; -but, because you know no higher life than that of the body, -you at once assume that there can be no happier existence.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I do not say that,” answered Caliphronas lightly. -“No doubt you people who mortify the flesh, who listen to -the voice of conscience, who consider the soul more than the -body, and who look upon this life as a preparation for a -future existence, are happy in your self-torturings. All -that sort of thing came in with Anno Domini, and made the -mediæval ages a hell of anguish; but I—I am a Greek—a -pagan, if it pleases you—who looks on this world not as a -prison, but as a garden wherein to live happily. Your -mourning Man of Sorrows is entirely opposed to our joyous -Apollo, your gloomy views of life to our serenity of temperament. -The difference is plain: for you, a Christian, cannot -understand the joyous songs of Paganism; I, a pagan, -shudder at your penitential psalms of Christianity. We -would neither of us ever convince the other, therefore an -argument which has not a common basis from which to start -is unprofitable.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not going to argue,” replied Carriston, smiling, -“and I agree with you that arguments are unprofitable. -Unless the change takes place in your own breast, it would -be worse than useless for me to attempt to reason with you. -But you are evidently not of the opinion of an Elizabethan -ancestor of mine, among whose papers I discovered the following -lyric:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Oh, shall we pass contented days,</div> - <div class='line'>Unheeding Fortune’s crown of bays,</div> - <div class='line'>Which decks the brows</div> - <div class='line'>Of those whose vows</div> - <div class='line'>Compel them to incessant strife</div> - <div class='line'>And restless life?</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Ah no; tho’ pleasing to the sense,</div> - <div class='line'>This cloying life of indolence</div> - <div class='line'>But fills the soul</div> - <div class='line'>With weary dole,</div> - <div class='line'>And turns the sweet, which doth us bless,</div> - <div class='line'>To <a id='corr136.46'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='bitterness.’'>bitterness.</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_136.46'><ins class='correction' title='bitterness.’'>bitterness.</ins></a></span>”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'><span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>“Your Elizabethan ancestor was not healthy-minded,” said -Caliphronas coolly; “if he had been he would never have -written such silly verses. It is your unhealthy life, your unhealthy -bodies, which breed such restlessness in you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“At all events, that restlessness has made England what -she is,” replied the Rector, rather nettled at the rudeness of -the Greek.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A land of money-worship, a land of noisy steam-engines, a -land of poverty and wealth—extremes in both cases. Yes, -I quite believe your restless spirit has brought you to this -satisfactory state of things. Come, sir,” added the Count, -with a charming smile, seeing the Rector was rather annoyed, -“let us agree to differ. For me, Greece—for you, England; -for me, Nature—for you, Art. Two parallel straight lines -cannot meet.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Carriston laughed at this way of settling the question, but -made no further remarks, and after a desultory conversation -between all four gentlemen had ensued, they went into the -drawing-room to join the ladies.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Dengelton was engaged on her everlasting fancywork; -and Eunice, with a rather disconsolate look on her -face, was idly turning over the pages of a book. Crispin -stole quietly behind her and glanced over her shoulder. It -was a volume of his poems, and he felt flattered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And to think,” said Mrs. Dengelton, without further -prelude, “that you will be so far away from home to-morrow.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The world is my home,” cried Caliphronas gayly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We Englishmen are narrower in our ideas,” observed -Maurice dryly; “we look on England as our home.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, there’s no place like home,” sighed the Honorable -Mrs. Dengelton sentimentally.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If by home you mean England, I am very glad of it,” -retorted the Count audaciously; “I would rather live in -exile in Greece. But come, I will say no more evil things -about your beloved island of fogs.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you do, I will sing ‘Rule Britannia,’” said Maurice, -laughing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is that?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Our national song. Do you know any national songs of -your <a id='corr137.40'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='country.'>country.”</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_137.40'><ins class='correction' title='country.'>country.”</ins></a></span></p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas smiled with an expression of supreme indifference.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; I know nothing of patriotism. I have never given -it a thought. All my songs are of love and wine.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>“Oh!” said Mrs. Dengelton in a shocked tone; “really, -Count, you say the most dreadful things!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Other times other manners,” observed the Rector humorously. -“Horace, for instance, said things which would shock -you, my dear Mrs. Dengelton.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ve no doubt about it,” retorted the lady viciously; -“but, thank heaven, I do not know Latin.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But you know French, aunt,” said Maurice wickedly; -“and I am afraid Gyp, George Sand, and Belot, are quite as -bad, if not worse, than the Latin poet.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Maurice,” replied Mrs. Dengelton severely, unable to -parry this attack, “remember your cousin is in the room.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I beg your pardon, aunt.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And now, Count Caliphronas,” said the good lady, thus -appeased, “suppose you sing us one of your songs.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid it will shock you,” replied the Count slyly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh dear no! none of us know Greek.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is hardly complimentary to me, who have given up -all my life to the study of the Greek poets.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t mean you, Rector, but the young people.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I do not mind singing,” said Caliphronas, going to -the piano; “if the words of my songs were translated, you -would find them very harmless. They only contain the language -of love known to all the world.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will I play for you?” asked Crispin, looking up from -the poem he was reading to Eunice.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you would be so kind.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What will you sing?” said the poet, sitting down at the -piano. “No love, no wine to-night. It is our last meeting -in England, so sing some song of farewell.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will I sing ‘The Call to Arms’?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, that will be stirring enough.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Whereupon Caliphronas sang that patriotic song, which -was written by some modern Hellenic Tyrtæus during the -War of Independence. Crispin afterwards translated it into -the metre of Byron’s famous “Isles of Greece” for the benefit -of Eunice, who was anxious to know the words which, -clothed in their Greek garb, rang through the room like the -inspiriting blare of a trumpet.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Thermopylæ! Thermopylæ!</div> - <div class='line in2'>Give back your Spartan sons of yore,</div> - <div class='line'>To raise the flag of liberty,</div> - <div class='line in2'>And dye its folds in Turkish gore;</div> - <div class='line'>Then will the crimson banner wave</div> - <div class='line'>Above the freeman, not the slave.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>Arise, ye Greeks, and break your chains!</div> - <div class='line in2'>By daring hearts is freedom won.</div> - <div class='line'>Behold, the Moslem crescent wanes</div> - <div class='line in2'>Before the rising Attic sun;</div> - <div class='line'>Oh, let its golden beams be shed</div> - <div class='line'>On chainless Greeks, and tyrants dead!</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Your fathers’ swords were laurel-wreathed,</div> - <div class='line in2'>And wielded well by freemen brave;</div> - <div class='line'>Why are your swords so idly sheathed,</div> - <div class='line in2'>While Greece is still a Turkish slave?</div> - <div class='line'>Shall Hellas, Mother of the West,</div> - <div class='line'>In servitude ignoble rest?</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Oh, shame! that it should come to this,</div> - <div class='line in2'>When by your side hang idle swords;</div> - <div class='line'>Arise, ye sons of Salamis,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Whose fathers quelled the Persian hordes,</div> - <div class='line'>And drive the Moslem to the sea,</div> - <div class='line'>Till Hellas and her sons be free.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>When the song was finished, Caliphronas turned away -silently, and Carriston, who was seated near, saw to his -astonishment that the eyes of the emotional Greek were suffused -with tears.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That man has some noble traits,” he said to himself -as he noticed this; “he is moved by the wrongs of his -country.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What a fine ringing melody!” cried Eunice, whose eyes -were flashing with excitement.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is like ‘Chevy Chase,’” said Maurice quickly, “and -stirs the heart like the sound of a trumpet.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The poet was evidently inspired by Byron,” remarked -Crispin, idly fingering the piano keys; “I expect he wrote -it after the ‘Isles of Greece,’ song. Ah, a Greek should -have written that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid the days of Alcæus are past,” replied the -Rector, who had understood a considerable portion of the -song, owing to his acquaintance with the ancient Attic -tongue; “Greece prefers Anacreon. Still she won her freedom -bravely.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And to what gain?” said Caliphronas bitterly; “to be -ruled by a Danish prince. Better the republics of Athens, -Sparta, and Thebes, than such playing at monarchy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To revive the ancient government you must have the -ancient patriots, poets, and scholars.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That I am afraid is impossible. No, the glory has departed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span>from Greece. Centuries of oppression have crushed -the creative faculty out of her.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, let us hope, when the Greek Empire is reconstructed, -we will have a new Pindar, a new Sophocles, a new Plato.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is a dream of the lyre, not of the sword,” replied -Caliphronas, carelessly glancing at his watch. “By the way, -it is very late, and, as we have to be up early, I suppose we -ought to retire early.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am quite with you, Count,” said Mrs. Dengelton, rolling -up her work. “Come, Eunice, we must get our beauty -sleep.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Humph! the mother needs it more than the daughter,” -thought Crispin, but did not give vent to this very uncomplimentary -remark, and hastened to give the ladies their -candles.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you going to bed, Caliphronas?” asked Maurice, -when the ladies had gone. “We intend to smoke.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Going to shorten your lives,” replied the Count, smiling. -“No; I am like Mrs. Dengelton, I require my beauty sleep;” -and at that he also departed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Rector, in company with his two young friends, went -to the smoking-room, and had a pleasant conversation, but it -was noticeable that all three gentlemen carefully avoided -mentioning the name of Caliphronas. Decidedly the Greek -was not in favor, and, in spite of the good impression he had -created in the Rector’s mind by his patriotic emotion, that -gentleman showed how deeply rooted was his distrust by his -parting words to Crispin.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Remember, I leave Maurice in your hands, Mr. Crispin,” -he said in a faltering voice; “he is very dear to me, and you -must protect him from all danger.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear Rector, I am not a child,” interposed Maurice, -rather nettled; “nor are we going to the wilds of Africa.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You may meet with worse enemies than the savage -beasts of Africa,” replied the Rector obstinately. “I do not -trust your friend Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Be content,” said Crispin, shaking the Rector warmly by -the hand, “I will watch over Maurice; and as to Caliphronas -you need not be afraid of him. I know the man.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And know any good of him?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, that is a secret at present; but you may be sure he -will not harm Maurice while I am near.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“One would think we were going into danger, the way you -talk,” said Roylands impatiently, “instead of a pleasant -cruise in Greek waters.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>“The New Argonauts,” observed the Rector, laughing. -“Good-night, Mr. Crispin. Good-night, my dear lad; come -over and say good-by to-morrow.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Argonauts promised, and the Rector, quite at peace -concerning his dear pupil, departed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You doubt Caliphronas; the Rector doubts Caliphronas,” -said Maurice, when the old man had gone. “I am getting -rather wearied of such doubts.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I will set your doubts at rest in—say a week’s -time.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And are your revelations startling?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not very; it all depends upon what you call startling. -Really I have made by my talk this molehill of a Caliphronas -into a mountain of dissimulation and deceit. He is not -a good man, but I have no doubt he is as good as his neighbors.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The mystery which environs him fascinates me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No doubt; the unknown is always attractive,” replied -Crispin sententiously. “But after all, when I tell you -everything, you may be disappointed. The mountain may -only bring forth a mouse, you know. But, at all events, I -look forward to some pretty lively times.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In the Island of Melnos. My dear innocent Englishman, -you are being drawn into a network of intrigue and duplicity, -but, as I hold all the threads in my hand, you will come out -all right in the end.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You puzzle me! I hope I <em>will</em> come all right out of this -mystery.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I heard a vulgar saying at a music hall which applies to -this case and to you,” said Crispin gayly; “it was, ‘Keep -your eye on your father, and your father will pull you -through.’”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XIII. <br /> <span class='fss'>THE PAST OF A POET.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>We all have histories. The meanest hind</div> - <div class='line'>Who turns the steaming furrow can unfold</div> - <div class='line'>Some story in his uneventful life,</div> - <div class='line'>Which stirs the wonderment of him who hears,</div> - <div class='line'>To thoughts bewildered, how so small a stage</div> - <div class='line'>Can thus contain so great a tragedy.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The Eunice left Southampton on an unpleasantly wet -day, and standing on the deck, under a dull gray sky, the -three adventurers felt quite dispirited as they watched the -receding shores of England veil themselves in chilly mists. -Going down the Channel they had moderately fair weather, -but no sunlight, and Caliphronas, who was a wretchedly bad -sailor, in spite of his Levantine cruisings, retreated to his -cabin in a very miserable frame of mind. Both Crispin and -Maurice, however, were in good health and spirits, mostly -remaining on deck to watch the gray sea heaving dully under -the gray sky. In the Bay of Biscay bad weather prevailed -as a matter of course, and the yacht tossed about a good -deal in the choppy waters. Not until they passed the -Straits did they have fine weather, for the first burst of sunlight -showed them the giant rock of Gibraltar frowning on -the left as they steamed rapidly into the blue waters of the -Mediterranean.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Had Maurice so desired, Crispin was quite willing to put -in for a day, but the young man was anxious to proceed to -Melnos, and the yacht soon left the picturesque sentinel of -the Mediterranean behind. The weather now became warm -and bright, bringing Caliphronas out of his cabin again, like a -brilliant butterfly, to bask in the sunshine. The arid island -of Malta came in sight, and they saw its precipitous shores -rising sternly from the tideless waters. For a few hours -they cast anchor in the Grand Harbor, and went on shore -to explore Valetta, with its steep streets, quaint houses, and -mongrel population. An afternoon spent in leisurely strolling -along the Strada Reale, and looking at the bizarre -mixture of Turks, Jews, Arabs, Italians, and red-coated -English soldiers, proved an agreeable change after their nine -days’ run from Southampton, and they re-embarked in much -<span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>better spirits than when they left England. Now they were -in tropical heat, with a cloudless sky above, and the brave -little yacht steamed merrily across the glittering waters, -leaving a trail of white foam behind her. Nearer and nearer -they drew to the enchanted shores of Greece, and to glowing -days succeeded warm nights lighted by mellow constellations -and delicately silver moons.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was when they were in Adria, the ancient name of the -sea between Sicily and Greece, that Crispin told Maurice the -story of his life. Dinner was long since over, and the three -gentlemen lounged on deck smoking the pipes of peace—that -is, Crispin and Maurice smoked and lounged, for Caliphronas -did neither the one thing nor the other, but paced -restlessly about the deck, looking up into the darkly blue -sky, and singing snatches of Greek songs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you see Taygetus, Mr. Maurice?” he said, pointing -to the lofty snow-crowned range of mountains in the distance. -“This is your first glimpse of Greece, is it not? Yes, of -course it is. I am sorry you do not find our shores bathed -in sunlight to greet you; still yonder snowy mountain, this -calm sea, that serene sky, is beautiful, is it not?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very beautiful.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Whereat Caliphronas, leaning over the taffrail and looking -dreamily at the shores of his native land, broke out into song.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“I would I were hunting on rocky Taygetus,</div> - <div class='line'>Which kisses the starry sky with snows of chastity,</div> - <div class='line'>Then might I meet the lost nymph</div> - <div class='line'>Who beloved by a god was set as a star on high,</div> - <div class='line'>But fell from thence, and was lost in the snowy wilderness.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“Taygeta!” said Crispin, who knew the song well. “Yes; -she was one of the Pleiades, certainly; but I don’t think she -was the lost Pleiad, nor do I think she had anything to do -with yonder mountain. If you hunted there, Caliphronas, -you would meet Bacchus and his crew, but no nymph.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I sing the song as ’twas sung to me,” said the Count -blithely, balancing himself on one foot. “This is a land of -fancy, not of fact; so why bring in your hard truths to -destroy the glory of tradition? No; Taygeta haunts those -hills, and if I wandered upward to the snows I would meet -her.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you saw a nymph you would go mad,” remarked -Maurice, alluding to the old Greek superstition.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am mad now, Mr. Maurice,—mad with the scent of wind -<span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>and wave and shore. Can you not smell the perfumes blowing -from the land?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; I’m sure I cannot, nor you either.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are no believer. See, from the moonlit waters arise -the Nereides to welcome us to the seas of Poseidon. Arethusa, -Asia, and Leucothoe are all waving their white arms, -and singing songs of the wondrous caves beneath the -waves.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ridiculous!” retorted Maurice stolidly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are no idealist,” said Caliphronas petulantly. -“Dull Englishman as you are, the land of romance spreads -her wonders in vain for you. Creespeen, you are a poet; -behold the daughters of the sea!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin smiled absently, and tossed his cigarette into the -waters which rushed past, glittering in the moonlight with -the grayish glint of steel.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You forget that this is no galley of Ulysses, my friend. -A modern steamer, with a noisy screw beating the waters, is -enough to scare away all the nymphs in the vicinity.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And this is a poet!” cried the Greek indignantly, addressing -the stars; “this dull-eyed being who can see no -wonders in the seas! Oh, shade of Homer, conjure up for -him the island nymph, Calypso, and her lovely train; conjure”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think Homer will have to conjure up himself first,” -said Crispin flippantly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Which he certainly will not do on the ocean,” added -Maurice lazily; “your mighty poet was a land-lubber.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas looked indignantly at them both, then went -off in a rage.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will go and have a talk to the sailors.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t addle their English brains with your classical rubbish,” -shouted Crispin satirically; “if you do, they may -wreck us.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wreck you!” said the Greek to himself, with a start. -“There is many a true word spoken in jest, my friend; perhaps -you will be wrecked before we reach Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Caliphronas had gone. Maurice relighted his pipe, -which had gone out; and, freed from the chattering of the -Count, enjoyed the quiet beauty of the night, while Crispin -hummed softly a ballad which Eunice used to sing,—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Oh, winds and waves, oh, stars and sea,</div> - <div class='line'>I would I were as blithe and free.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'><span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>Above, the sky was almost of a purple color in the sultry -night, and the stars, brilliant and large, burned like lamps in -the still air. A serene moon, half veiled in fleecy clouds, -arose above the chill snows of Taygetus, and a long glittering -bridge of light extended from the land to the yacht. -The steady beat of the screw, which impelled the vessel -through the silent waters, sounded in their ears, blending -with the rich voice of Caliphronas, who had climbed up the -mast, and was clinging to the weather rigging like a spectral -figure in the shadowy glimmer of moon and star.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“The earth breathes fragrant breaths to-night,</div> - <div class='line'>And the perfume blows from the land.</div> - <div class='line'>Oh, I can see the waters kissing her shores,</div> - <div class='line'>Even as I would kiss thee, my belovèd,</div> - <div class='line'>With thy breath more fragrant than these languid scents,</div> - <div class='line'>Floating from the distant isles of rose-filled gardens.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“I wish I knew Greek,” said Maurice, as the Count paused -for a moment; “those snatches of song sound so beautiful.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They are beautiful,” replied Crispin idly; “I have often -thought of translating some of them into English. Listen!”</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“I see Dione rising from the waters,</div> - <div class='line'>A Venus of the moonlight night.</div> - <div class='line'>Why wavest thou thy arms as ivory gleaming?</div> - <div class='line'>Why do I see thine eyes flash as the evening star?</div> - <div class='line'>Thy voice is as the murmur of breathing waves</div> - <div class='line'>In twilight on a sandy beach.</div> - <div class='line'>Callest thou me to thy home below?</div> - <div class='line'>Ah, I will come, and beneath the placid waters</div> - <div class='line'>Coldly white will I lie on thy cold white breast.</div> - <div class='line'>But thro’ the door of death must I pass to gain such blisses.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“’Tis like the lyrics of Callicles in Arnold’s poem,” said -Crispin, taking off his cap; “stray fragments of song scattered -by the winds.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Or like the songs in ‘Pippa Passes,’” suggested Maurice -speculatively; “but I am afraid the singing of Caliphronas -will not do so much good as Pippa’s.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A long sigh floated past them on the still waters, like the -melancholy cry of a bird, and died away sadly in the distance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Calypso sighing for Ulysses,” observed Crispin, without -altering his position; “though I dare say it is only the wind -moaning through the ropes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Let us think it is the voice calling, Pan is dead!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We are classical to-night. Caliphronas has inoculated us -<span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>with his antique dreams. Well, when one is in fairyland, -one must dream romances.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Suppose you tell me your romance,” said Maurice -abruptly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of my past life? Yes; I will do so; but you must promise -to keep it secret.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I promise.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid you will think but little of it when you know -all; but I promised to tell you, so I will now fulfil my promise. -In the first place, you know my name is Crispin.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; and have often wondered at its terseness. Have -you no surname?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No legal surname.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why not?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because I am a natural son.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Illegitimate!” said Maurice, startled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. Now you see the reason for my returning to -Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You wish to find out who you really are.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do; from Justinian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But who is this mysterious Justinian?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And this equally mysterious Caliphronas, and Alcibiades, -and Crispin. You are in a world of mystery here, and will -see many things on Melnos which will excite your wonderment. -But come, I will lift a portion of the veil, and place -you in possession of facts which may be of use to you in the -future.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am all attention.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin settled himself more comfortably, and, fixing his -earnest eyes upon Maurice, began his story without further -remark.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My first memories are of the Island of Melnos, where I -was <em>not</em> born. No; I was taken there with my mother when -I was an infant; but the land of my birth I do not know. -English I am, certainly; but for all I know, ocean may have -witnessed my coming into the world. As I grew up, I -thought Justinian was my father, for my mother always led -me to believe such was the case, and certainly he was very -kind to me. This Justinian, of whom you have often heard -me speak, is not a Greek, but an Englishman; but of his real -name I am ignorant, nor do I know the reason that he lives -in this island exile. Now you can see the reason I speak -English so well, for from my earliest years I was brought up -with the sound of it in my ears; so also was Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>“Is he related to Justinian?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; nor was he born in Ithaca; nor is he a count; nor -is his name Caliphronas. Count Constantine Caliphronas, -better known in these waters as Andros, comes from the -island of the name; and Justinian, struck by his beauty as -a child, adopted him as a son, and brought him up with me. -The English tongue we were both taught from our cradles; -so you now know the reason we both speak it so well. In those -early days I always thought Justinian was my father, and -Caliphronas was my brother; but as I grew up I was undeceived -on these points. My mother died when I was still -a child, and I was therefore left to the sole guardianship of -this pseudo-Englishman. As I told you, he rules over a -kind of patriarchal community in this little-known island; -and the life seems to suit him, for he is a kind of freebooter -in his way, fierce and lawless, though years have now tamed -his spirit to a considerable extent. Caliphronas, or rather -Andros, and myself were brought up in a wild sort of fashion,—always -in the open air, on the waters, fishing, riding, -sailing, fighting”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Fighting!” cried Maurice in surprise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. Oh, there are strange things in these Greek waters, -I assure you! On an adjacent island lived a kind of semi-pirate -called Alcibiades, who was, and is, a thorough blackguard. -He used to cruise about in a small craft in order to -levy blackmail on the inhabitants of the other islands, and -in these cruises Andros and myself very often joined. There -was no killing, you understand; but sometimes the peasants -objected to be robbed, so there was often a fight, ending in -broken heads.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But the law?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, there is precious little law in these parts. Brigandism -is not yet extinct, whatever you English may think. Besides, -Alcibiades was a moderate sort of pirate, and was cunning -enough not to go too far. He would rob a poor man of his -last drachma, but he would not cut his throat. I don’t think -Justinian blamed him for this piratical existence; indeed, I -think he rather envied his wild life, and, had he been young -enough, would certainly have joined him in partnership. -As it was, he allowed Andros and myself to form part of the -band of Alcibiades, which we, wild, uncultured scamps as we -were, regarded as a great privilege.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And how long did this buccaneering go on?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As far as I am concerned, for some years; but as regards -Caliphronas, I dare say he is at it yet.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>“What! is he a thief?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, no; a thief is a vulgar thing. Caliphronas is a picturesque -freebooter, and simply plunders on a large scale. -I’ve no doubt his visit to England was paid for out of his -ill-gotten gains.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And is this Alcibiades still living?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh yes; you will see him, I have no doubt, for he is a -great friend of Justinian’s.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But who is this Justinian?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin paused for a moment and seemed to consider, then -replied with great deliberation,—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can hardly tell you. He is an Englishman, so you -must be content with knowing only that. Later on I may -tell you something about him, but not now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, and how did you escape from this piratical existence?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Caliphronas was the main cause of my leaving Melnos. -After my mother died, I made several discoveries—one, -that Andros was not my brother, as I had hitherto -supposed; and another, that Justinian was not my father. -Being a comparative child, I did not pay much attention to -these facts; but when I was about eighteen years of age, I -began to ask Justinian questions as to who I really was, -but he refused to tell me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Were you always called Crispin?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, always. Justinian, in spite of his fierce, wild -nature, has a vein of romance in him, and, as he arrived at -Melnos with myself and my mother on St. Crispin’s day, -called me after that saint. My mother fell in with his -humor, and from the time I landed at Melnos I was called -nothing else but Crispin.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Or Creespeen, as the Count calls you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; Caliphronas is a good English speaker, but he -makes mistakes in proper names. You observe he never -risks saying Roylands, but always addresses you as Mr. -Maurice—Maurice is of course a Greek name.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And how was Caliphronas responsible for your leaving -Melnos?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, it was a kind of Esau and Jacob business. I was -Esau, and Andros Jacob, the favored one. Justinian thought -me rather a milksop, because I did not care about our piratical -excursions with Alcibiades, in which Caliphronas, born -scamp as he was, delighted. At all events, Caliphronas, in -order to curry favor with Justinian, and secure his own well-being, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>did his best to estrange us still further, and very soon -my adopted father broke out into open hatred of me. One -day, when I refused to join in one of Alcibiades’ little trips -in search of plunder, he taunted me with being a man of -peace, like my father; and, when I demanded who my -father was, refused to tell me anything more than that I was -illegitimate. From words we came to blows, for both of us -were very hot-tempered, and the end of it was that Justinian -ordered me to leave the island, much to the delight of Caliphronas, -who wanted to secure it to himself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you left Melnos?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; I could not help myself, as Justinian had plenty of -scoundrels to do his bidding; and, had he given the word, I -have no doubt Alcibiades would have put a stone round my -neck, and dropped me into the sea.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But, my dear Crispin, all this lawlessness nowadays!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin shrugged his shoulders with a smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear fellow, you gentlemen of England, who live at -home in ease, do not know what lawlessness still exists in -the East. To be sure, I speak of over ten years ago, and -things are better now; still, I think a good many things go -on in the vicinity of Melnos which Justice would scarcely -approve of; but, as long as nothing very bad happens, why, -she winks at small crimes. If I had been dropped into the -sea, who would have been a bit the wiser? no one except -the islanders, and they would not have troubled themselves -over such a trifle, especially as I was not popular among -them. Caliphronas, Justinian, and Alcibiades are all their -divinities, not a poor poet like me, who shrinks from their -scampish ways.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So you left Melnos in the end?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; like the boy in the fairy tale, I went out into the -wide, wide world to seek my fortune. I managed to work -my passage to Athens, and arrived there without even the -traditional penny. Fortunately, I knew modern Greek and -English thoroughly well, so was fortunate enough to obtain -a situation as a corresponding clerk in a firm of merchants -who traded with England, but I did not remain there long.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where did you make all your money?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, that is what I am now going to tell you. Fortune -evidently wished to make reparation for having brought me -into the world with a stigma on my name, so threw me into -the way of a rich Englishman, whom I met at the house of -my employer. He heard my story, and was much impressed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span>with it; and then discovered that I had the talent to string -verses together, and also a faculty for music. Being passionately -fond of such things he made up his mind that he -had discovered a genius; and, being without a relative in -the world, he adopted me as his son and made me his heir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You seem to have passed your life in being adopted,” -said Maurice, who was deeply interested in this romantic -history.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Only twice. First Justinian, then my English father. -I need not tell you his name, as I did not take it, preferring -to be called Crispin until such time as I discovered my real -parent. Well, my benefactor, who was very learned, began -to educate me, and also placed me at school. I suppose I -made good use of my time, as I soon became sufficiently -accomplished to win his approval. We travelled all over -the Continent—a great deal in the East—until I was about -twenty-seven years of age, when he died at Damascus, and -left me heir to all his property, amounting to about twelve -thousand a year.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Fortunate man!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; I thought I was too fortunate, and had some compunction -in taking so large an income, fearing lest I might -be robbing some relative of my benefactor more entitled to -it. When I buried my adopted father at Damascus, I came -to England and saw his lawyers, who were quite satisfied -with my identity, owing to the papers which I produced. The -will, of course, was in their possession, as my benefactor had -returned to England when I was at school, and made his will -in my favor. The lawyers told me that there were no relatives -alive, and that I was justly entitled to spend the -money, so that is how I became rich. The rest of my life -you know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You published a volume of poems, became the mystery -of London, saw Eunice, fell in love with her, and came down -to the Grange—yes, I know all that; but have you made -no effort to discover who you are?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. I went to Melnos three years ago and saw Justinian, -but he refused to help me in any way; so I returned to -England in despair. Now, however, I am going back with -certain knowledge of Justinian’s past life, which I will -make use of to force him to tell me what I wish to know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You don’t believe his story about your illegitimacy?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No. If I can get the truth out of him I believe I will find -I have a right to a legal surname, and I am anxious to establish -<span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>this fact in order to marry Eunice. As it is, I cannot -marry her without inflicting on her the disgrace I feel myself; -besides, her mother would not consent to the marriage, -nor would you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear fellow, I am not so narrow-minded as all that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Still, I know your English prejudices. You say that -out of kindness, but if your cousin marries, you would prefer -her husband to have a spotless name.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then I am going to make Justinian give me one. I -know, if he tells the truth, I will discover I have been born -in wedlock. Of his own free will he refuses to tell me; now, -however, owing to my knowledge of his past, I can force his -confidence.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And what about Helena?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She is Justinian’s daughter. There is no stain on her -birth; so if you love her, as I am sure you will, you can -marry her without fear.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Her father seems rather a terrible old person.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He is a scamp, I am afraid. Still, he is a man of good -family.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How do you know?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have made certain discoveries while in England, and -now know more about Justinian than he thinks.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is Helena as charming as she looks?” asked Maurice -anxiously.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” replied Crispin emphatically. “She is a pure, -good woman, and will make you an excellent wife; but you -have a rival.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Alcibiades?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I thought as much,” said Maurice, with a start, remembering -the Greek’s jealousy concerning the portrait. “But -if he loves Helena, why did he show me her picture, which -has been my sole reason for this journey?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wheels within wheels!” replied Crispin significantly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“More mystery?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; there are still some things for you to learn, but I -cannot tell you of them now, as I have made a promise.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To whom?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas!” cried that gentleman, who had approached -them quietly; “and what are you saying about Caliphronas?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span>“A good many things,” said Crispin rapidly, in Greek. -“I have been telling him who I am.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Greek flushed with rage, and then he laughed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is your business, but I trust you did not break -faith?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“About Justinian, no; about Helena, no; but I have told -him all your early life.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas made a dart at Crispin with uplifted hand, but -Maurice sprang up and caught him in his arms, where he -writhed like an eel.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Traitor!” he hissed in Greek; “traitor!”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XIV. <br /> <span class='fss'>THE DEVIL’S PHILOSOPHY.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Why should I call mankind my brothers,</div> - <div class='line'>Or live but for the good of others?</div> - <div class='line'>’Twould bring me neither pain nor pleasure,</div> - <div class='line'>Nor give me comfort, joy, or treasure.</div> - <div class='line'>Myself by Nature’s law I cherish;</div> - <div class='line'>If I am saved, let others perish;</div> - <div class='line'>For if ill luck Dame Fortune gave me,</div> - <div class='line'>None would stretch out a hand to save me.</div> - <div class='line'>While life to me means wealth or laughter,</div> - <div class='line'>Themselves all paupers can look after;</div> - <div class='line'>Than me for hardships they are fitter,</div> - <div class='line'>I taste the sweet and they the bitter.</div> - <div class='line'>But if such selfish maxims hurt you,</div> - <div class='line'>Then live your life of silly virtue.</div> - <div class='line'>Let men defraud you in life’s barter,</div> - <div class='line'>And you will be—a social martyr.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The two men stood looking at one another in silence for -quite a minute, Crispin cool and composed, the Greek fuming -with anger. At length Caliphronas burst out laughing, and -Maurice, seeing he was now master of his actions, let him go, -whereon he flung himself into a chair, with a cynical smile -on his handsome face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So this dear Creespeen has told you who I am, and what -I am,” he said, looking insolently at Maurice. “Well, and -what do you think of me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You would hardly feel flattered if I told you,” retorted -Roylands, lighting his cigarette once more.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, bah! Praise or blame is all the same to me. Oh, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>I know your dull English respectability which shudders at -the truth. Yet I dare say, with my little excursions with -Alcibiades, my assuming of a false name, my philosophy of -enjoying myself at the expense of others, I am no worse than -many of your holy people, who go to church, and, under the -guise of self-denial, enjoy all that life can give. I may be -what you call bad, but I am at least not a hypocrite.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By which remark I presume you infer I am one.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, I do not. You have not enough character to make -you either bad or good. You lead a dull, respectable life, -because you like dull respectability. If you had leanings in -the other direction, I will do you the justice to say that I -have no doubt you would not have concealed them from the -world.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you,” replied Maurice dryly; “your opinion of -my character is most gratifying.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As to you, Creespeen,” said Caliphronas, turning to the -poet with an evil smile, “I knew you were prudish in many -ways, a milksop as Justinian called you, and a man afraid -of going against the opinion of the world, but I did not -know you were an oath-breaker nor a tale-bearer.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nor am I,” answered Crispin, keeping his temper wonderfully -under the insults of the Greek, for, after all, it -would have been worse than useless to quarrel with him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I did not tell about Justinian, or of anything connected -with your visit to England. All I revealed was my own life -and your real character, which it is only right my friend -should know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As for that,” retorted Caliphronas carelessly, “I do not -mind. Mask on, mask off, it is all the same to me; but, as -regards what I told you in confidence, I am glad you were -wise enough not to reveal it, as you would have to settle -accounts with Justinian, not with me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not afraid of Justinian,” said Crispin, with supreme -contempt.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is this secret?” asked Maurice quickly; “if it -refers to me, I have a right to know it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It does not refer to you,” replied Caliphronas mendaciously; -“it concerns Justinian, and what it is you will learn -before you are many days on Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not generally boast about myself,” said Maurice -quickly, “but if you and your precious Justinian are up to -any tricks, you will find me an awkward customer to deal -with.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>“No harm is intended, Mr. Maurice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Upon my word, sir, your insolence is unbounded,” said -Roylands, sitting upright in his indignation. “I am going -to make a tour of the Greek islands, yet you talk as if I were -coming on a visit to you—being decoyed, as it were, into a -robber’s cave. I don’t care two straws about your ‘no harm -is intended,’ and you may be certain if there is any trouble -it will be for you, not for me. Really,” continued Maurice, -laughing at the comicality of the situation, “one would think -we lived in the days of filibusters and buccaneers the way you -talk.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas was not put out in the least by this speech, -and, leaning back in his chair, looked at Maurice with a lazy -smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is no pleasure without an element of danger,” he -said coolly, placing his hands behind his head, “and you -may have adventures before you leave Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Struck by the significance of his tone, Maurice looked -keenly at him, and then turned to Crispin with a puzzled -air.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear fellow, will you explain this riddle?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is nothing to explain,” said Crispin, with a yawn; -“you know the way Caliphronas exaggerates. I suppose he -wants to make out that Melnos is a barbaric place, and that -this cruise partakes of the nature of a journey into Darkest -Africa.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have heard more nonsense to-night than I ever heard -before in my life,” said Maurice, still ruffled. “Pseudo-counts, -patriarchal knights, islands of fantasy, hintings of -dangers. It is like a novel of adventure.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas laughed, but said nothing, while Crispin -knocked the ashes out of his pipe and refilled it finally for a -last smoke before turning in.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I suppose you are very shocked at Creespeen’s flattering -description of me,” remarked the Count calmly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hm! I hardly know. You are a picturesque scamp, but -only a scamp for all that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This candor is delightful.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas,” observed Crispin, settling himself into a -more comfortable attitude, “is a gentleman who believes -that Number One is the greatest number.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Every one in the world does that, my dear Creespeen.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Probably, but they don’t show it so openly as you do.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hypocrites!”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>“I dare say, but a certain amount of hypocrisy is necessary -in this world of shams.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice looked at Count Constantine with an amused -smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas, you are a most unique person, and I would -like to know your views of life.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Make money honestly if you can—but make money.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I thought you were a child of Nature, who cared nothing -for money.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are right in one way, Mr. Maurice. For money as -money I care nothing, but I like luxuries which only money -can buy, and therefore desire money.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Epigrammatic, decidedly! but your free, open-air life—your -love of mountains, waves, winds, skies?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly I love all those things very much. Still, I go -to Athens sometimes for amusement, and amusement requires -money.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are certainly candid.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am; when I have nothing to gain, I am always -candid.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you have nothing to gain now?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No. I paid a visit to England—out of curiosity,” said -Caliphronas, hesitating over the last words. “I met there -my dear old friend Creespeen, and also yourself. Both of -you are returning with me to the land I love—so, what with -your company and my home-coming, I have absolutely nothing -to wish for.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So you are that <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><i>rara avis</i></span>, a thoroughly satisfied man?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I suppose so,” replied Caliphronas coolly. “No—stay—I -do desire one thing which I hope to obtain.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can guess what that one thing is.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Indeed! pray tell me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, it is not your mythical Fanariot at Constantinople.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mythical?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. Oh, don’t be angry, Count Caliphronas! I now -know the reason you were so angry over that photograph.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you do,” said the Greek, restraining himself with difficulty, -“you will know how to act wisely.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Possibly; I have already arranged my plan of action.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Really?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas had a fleeting smile on his lips as he said this, -but looked so dangerous that Crispin touched Maurice on the -arm.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>“Do not irritate him any more; remember he is my guest, -and I cannot be impolite.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice took the hint, and addressed himself to the Count -with an air of elaborate politeness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t let us talk any more about possibilities, Count,” -he said, laughing. “After all, I have some right to be angry, -considering how you masqueraded as a count in England.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And now I am a wolf, eh?” said Caliphronas, showing -his white teeth; “bah! a wolf may be a very pleasant -animal.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Maybe, but from all accounts he is not.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is as you take him; but then I know Creespeen has -prejudiced you against me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have done nothing of the sort,” protested the poet -quietly; “I only told him how you were accustomed to -associate with Alcibiades.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eh, and why not? My friend Alcibiades is not a bad -man,—a good honest trader who sails about among the -islands of the Ægean. I will introduce you to him, Mr. -Maurice, and I am sure you will like him. After all, our -little piratical excursions are very innocent—no bloodshed—no -violence—no burning of houses; we—we only levy -toll, so to speak.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What a pleasant way of putting it!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What does it matter if you take openly or take secretly? -the thing is the same, but only the mode of doing it is different. -What we do in Greece, you do in England, but, -simply because the latter is done under the rose and the -former is not, your robbers of London are good, honest men, -whereas we poor Greeks of the islands are scamps. Never -mind, when we become as civilized as you, we also will mask -our wickedness under the cloak of sanctity.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh,” cried Crispin, suddenly rising to his feet, “I am -tired of this discussion! it is all aimless—about no one and -no thing. I am going to turn in.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I—am not,” added Caliphronas, springing to his -feet; “fancy going down to a close cabin with such glories -as this outside!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He waved his arms aloft, where the brilliant sky smiled -down on the still waters. Indeed, so placid was the sea that -the stars, moon, and clouds were all reflected therein as in a -mirror, and the yacht seemed to hang passive in the centre -of a scintillating, hollow ball.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When do we reach Melnos?” asked Maurice abruptly, -as Caliphronas strolled away to the other end of the ship.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>“To-morrow evening,” replied Crispin, pausing at the door -of the cabin. “We will sleep on board, and visit Justinian -in the morning.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Crispin, is there anything in those veiled threats of -Caliphronas?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps,” replied the poet vaguely. “Caliphronas is a -dangerous man, and is, as I have told you, a favorite of -Justinian’s. However, I would not be surprised if Justinian -dismissed Andros and put you in his place.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you,” said Maurice in haughty surprise, “but I -have no ambition to occupy such a position.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Maurice,” said Crispin suddenly, “I wish I could tell you -all I know, but, unfortunately, I gave my word to Caliphronas -not to do so as long as you were not harmed in any way.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you mean?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot tell you, but only this, which may perhaps serve -as a warning,—Caliphronas came to Roylands on purpose to -get you to journey to Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And his reason?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know it, but I cannot tell you. However, if you should -be in any danger,—and I will not conceal from you that -there may be danger,—I will consider my promise void and -tell you all.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All what?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All about Caliphronas, Justinian, and Helena.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is she in this plot also?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Plot! yes, it is a plot, the reason of which I know not. -Helena is to a certain extent mixed up in it, but innocently, -you may be sure.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot understand all this.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never mind, as long as I understand it you will not suffer. -Caliphronas, as I have told you, is a scamp, and will pause -at nothing to gratify his own desire. He lured you to Melnos -for a purpose, but he did not count on my presence. -Listen! he thinks we have gone below, and is telling his -secrets to the stars.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And at this moment, as if Caliphronas knew the subject-matter -of their conversation, in the far distance he broke out -into a rich burst of song, the gist of which Crispin rapidly -translated to Maurice.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“The net is spread and the prey is near,</div> - <div class='line'>Drive him into the entanglement.</div> - <div class='line'>Ho! my noble stag of Olympus, you are helpless,</div> - <div class='line'>And the spear of the hunter will drink your blood</div> - <div class='line'>Before the dawn sets rosy foot on blushing mountain-top.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'><span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>“You see,” said Crispin significantly, after translating -this, “he talks in parables, but you can guess his meaning; -but do not be afraid. You trust me, do you not?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I trust you,” replied Maurice, grasping the hand -held out to him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is right, my friend—good-night.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Crispin disappeared, Maurice went to the stern of -the ship, and, leaning over the taffrail, fell into deep meditation -over the strange circumstances in which he was environed. -Caliphronas, sitting by the bowsprit, was swaying -up and down with the pitching of the yacht, singing songs, -now soft, now loud, but this was the only sound of humanity -heard. The sough of the wind through the rigging, the -dreary wash of the sea, as the ship cut her way through the -glittering plain; the rustle of the cordage, the beating of -the screw,—he could hear all these blending with the fitful -voice of the Greek. The moon had retired behind a thick -bank of black clouds, which foreboded storm, and the moonlit -world was now shadowy, vast, vague, and strange,—a world -of shadows and ghosts, with the swift steamer gliding -onward into the unknown seas—into the unknown future.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice Roylands was not what one might call a strong-minded -man, for, as a matter of fact, he had that subtle touch -of indecision which is often found in artistic natures. He -was very impressionable, and surrounding circumstances had -a great effect on his temperament—still, when he saw his -way clearly before him, he was quite capable of making up -his mind, and carrying out his determination to the end. -But he could never make up his mind promptly, as he -wavered this way, that way, according as he was biassed by -circumstances. Had he been of a firm, decisive nature, he -would never have yielded to that pitiable melancholia which -seized him in London, and would thus have been spared much -suffering. Still, in spite of this latent weakness of character, -which always developed itself in time of trouble, he was -a brave man, with plenty of pluck. In England, notwithstanding -his Bohemian existence, his life had gone on too -smoothly to call his moral characteristics into any special -prominence, but now, surrounded as he was by vague mysteries, -he felt doubtful.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hitherto his existence had been but prosaic, but now the -element of romance had entered into it, and he felt that he -was being passively drawn into a series of strange adventures, -the subsequent termination of which, either for good -<span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>or evil, lay not in his own hands. Caliphronas had come to -England with the deliberate intention of luring him to -Melnos; but what was his reason for this strange conduct? -Certainly Crispin knew, but Crispin, fettered by his promise -of secrecy, was unable to solve the problem. The strangest -thing of all was that Caliphronas had made use of the picture -of a girl he loved, to decoy Maurice to the East, which -line of conduct struck the young man as most unaccountable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>If Caliphronas was in love with Helena, it was foolish of -him to encourage, as he had undoubtedly done, the love of a -rival; and the result of two men loving one woman must be -unsatisfactory to one of them. Of course, Maurice saw that -Caliphronas, confident in his beauty of person and powers of -fascination, never for a moment doubted the final result; -still, what was the reason of his taking a trip to England -especially to bring a rival into the presence of the woman? -The more Maurice thought about this, the more extraordinary -did it seem, and, as the whole was a decided enigma, his -doubts arose as to what was the best course to pursue under -these very extraordinary circumstances.</p> - -<p class='c001'>True, Crispin, being in possession of the true facts of the -case, would help him, for the poet was an honest man, -and would not stand idly by in time of trouble; still, -there was something in the affair of which even Crispin -was ignorant, as he had confessed, and this mysterious -something was connected in some way with Justinian. Maurice, -after long pondering, came to the conclusion that with -Justinian lay the whole solution of the matter, and, as he -could decide on no course of action until he had seen Justinian -himself, all he could do was to remain passive and -trust to Providence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“One thing is certain,” he said to himself, as he watched -the gray waters swirling past, “I can depend on Crispin, and -as he knows Caliphronas thoroughly, that consummate scamp -will hesitate before he takes any action adverse to my interests. -But Justinian seems so mixed up in the affair, and apparently -without any reason whatsoever. He has lived in -this Greek island all his life, Englishman though he is, so -why he should desire to see a complete stranger like myself -I do not know. Well, the only thing I can do is to trust -blindly in Crispin, for I am sure he will not fail me. Apart -from his friendship for me, it would be against his own interests -to play false, as he would then never be able to marry -Eunice. Time alone will unravel all this perplexity, so to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>time will I trust. After all, I am young and strong, so can -defend myself if necessary. And then there is Helena; -whatever happens I shall see her—I will see Helena, -and”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eh, Mr. Maurice,” said the voice of Caliphronas behind -him, “you have not gone to bed.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, I am thinking.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can guess your thoughts.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice made no reply to this invitation to argue, but, -with a curt “Good-night,” went below, while in his ears rang -the cruel, mocking laugh of the Greek, as he repeated rapidly -in a singing tone the name of his mistress,—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena, Helena, Helena!”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XV. <br /> <span class='fss'>THE STORM.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Dark storm-clouds spread from pole to pole,</div> - <div class='line'>The lightnings flash, the thunders roll,</div> - <div class='line'>And lo, the sea, in mountains high,</div> - <div class='line'>With giant billows storms the sky,</div> - <div class='line'>While all the vast disturbèd main</div> - <div class='line'>Is veiled in whirling mist and rain.</div> - <div class='line'>Betwixt the flying scud and spume,</div> - <div class='line'>A ship drifts onward to her doom;</div> - <div class='line'>She flies before the raging gale,</div> - <div class='line'>With broken mast and tattered sail;</div> - <div class='line'>While up through pitchy darkness rolls</div> - <div class='line'>Despairing cries of drowning souls.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>Having passed the Island of Cythera during the night, by -next morning the yacht was ploughing the placid waters of -the Cretan Sea. Placid waters these generally are, especially -during the months of the halcyon, but now a stiff breeze was -blowing steadily from the north, which by noon increased to -a fierce gale. As far as the eye could see, there appeared -nothing but a vast expanse of tumbling waves, their whiteness -above accentuated by the green blackness below, as they -flung their shattered spray as in derision against the grim -sky. Threatening masses of gloomy clouds lay along the -northern horizon, fronted by the bleak island of Santorin, -which scowled in savage grandeur in the cloudy distance. -Gray sky, gray sea, driving rain, and sudden gusts of wind, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>making the streaming sails crack like pistol-shots with the -violent lurching of the vessel;—it was like a North Sea picture; -nor would any one surveying the dreary scene have believed -the boat was sailing over the enchanting waters of the -Mediterranean.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The three gentlemen, after an uncomfortable breakfast, -owing to the rolling of the yacht, which upset everything on -the table in spite of the fiddles, were now on deck, holding -on to whatever they could support themselves by, for The -Eunice tossing about like a cork in the yeasty surge, made it -no small difficulty for those on board to retain their equilibrium. -Wrapped up in oilskins, they were sufficiently dry -and warm, for, in spite of the mist and drenching rain, the -weather was not in the least chilly—a thing to be thankful -for in such a predicament. The yacht schooner, rigged fore -and aft, was a capital sea boat; so, apprehending no danger, -they joked and laughed during the lulls of the gale at their -hardships, and gazed with interest on the wild spectacle -afforded by the seething waters. Maurice and the poet were -comforting themselves with tobacco, while Caliphronas, excited -by the wildness of the scene, was clinging to the -weather rigging, and facing the keen whips of wind, rain, -and spray like some antique sea-god. Occasionally he would -shout out a few sentences to his companions, but, owing to -the tumult around, they could only catch his meaning every -now and then.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Often like this—Ægean!—sudden gales—have no -fear.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Confound that man!” growled Maurice, who was standing -shoulder to shoulder with Crispin; “he thinks no one -has any pluck but himself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“On the contrary, he is trying to keep up his spirits,” -replied Crispin, steadying himself with difficulty as the -yacht took a big dip into the trough of the sea; “there is a -good deal of brag about Caliphronas, but if we were in any -real danger he would not crow so loudly. These Greeks are -all afraid of the sea; and if the colonization of the world -had been left to them, I am afraid America would never -have been discovered.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why not?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because they are always afraid of venturing out of sight -of the land. They slip about boldly enough among these -isles of Elishah, as Ezekiel calls them, but if they lose sight -of Mother Earth, all their courage leaves them. Their Hellenic -<span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>ancestors were just the same, for all their poets call -Ocean names, such as ‘a hungry beast,’ ‘a ravenous <a id='corr162.2'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='monster,'>monster,’</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_162.2'><ins class='correction' title='monster,'>monster,’</ins></a></span> -and similar pleasant titles. I think Homer, with his -‘multitudinous laughter of the sea,’ is the only poet who -pays Ocean a compliment.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yet the Greek genius has produced a great sea drama in -the ‘Odyssey.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A voyage of necessity, not pleasure—Man the sport of -the unjust gods; but I fancy Ulysses had a touch of the adventurous -Phœnician in his blood. Besides, Greek bravery -produced a great sea drama at Salamis; yet, withal, I decline -to believe the Hellenes, ancient or modern, were -sailors.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yet Arnold calls them ‘The young, light-hearted masters -of the wave.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A charming line, which applies but to Ægean waters. -Masters of the wave, forsooth! Why, they were never masters -of anything liquid larger than a puddle. The Greeks -never loved Nature in her grandest moods, and—saving -Æschylus—both shaggy mountain and roaring waters were -alien to their genius.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yet they loved Nature.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nature the Mother, not Nature the Enemy. Hill, -meadow, wood, fountain, river, they loved; but mountain -and ocean they feared.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Would a Greek Wordsworth have been possible?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, now you open up a large field of inquiry! No; I do -not think the actual spirituality of Wordsworth would have -appealed to a Greek. The Hellenic poet of that class would -have been like Keats—he would have sung exquisitely of vitalized -Nature, of her incarnate forces, Pan and Demeter, nymphs -and satyrs; but none but a modern poet, conversant with -the haggardness of modern life, with his soul steeped in the -religion of the unseen, could have produced those ‘thoughts -too deep for tears’ such as we find in Wordsworth. Theocritus -and Bion are your Nature poets of external loveliness, -but Arnold and Wordsworth sang deeper strains, and -sought the naked soul of Nature, which was but a veiled Isis -to the Greek.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hallo! what island is that?” cried Maurice, who had -been idly listening to such fragments of this discourse as he -had caught. “Look to your left.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the misty distance a great black mass loomed vague -and indistinct on the lee side of the vessel, apparently about -<span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>seven miles off, though the magnifying vapor seemed to -bring it nearer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not sure,” replied Crispin, straining his eyes; “we -are in the middle of a number of islets.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The deuce! isn’t that rather dangerous?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It would be to any one who did not know these waters; -but Martin has been here with me often before, and knows -every rock in the vicinity. Besides, we are comparatively -safe, as the engines are of large horse-power compared with -the size of the boat.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Martin was the captain of the yacht, and at present was -personally attending to the wheel, with an anxious expression -on his weather-beaten face, for it was no light task to -steer the boat safely through these clusters of islands, especially -when the magnifying properties of the mist cause -them to appear in dangerous proximity to the ship, thus deceiving -the eye into thinking she was entangled among hidden -reefs. Luckily Captain Martin had a clear head, and, -being a splendid seaman, knew the capabilities of The Eunice -thoroughly; so Crispin felt quite content to leave affairs in -his hands, so long as he was at the helm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kamila!” shouted Caliphronas, alluding to the misty -island.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No,” shouted back Crispin; “Kamila too far off.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kamila!” cried the Greek for the second time, whereupon -Crispin was much impressed with his insistence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas knows these seas thoroughly,” he said to -Maurice quietly; “he has sailed all over them with his rascal -friend; so if this is Kamila, we must be nearer Melnos -than I thought.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Had you not better see Martin?” suggested Maurice, -shaking himself like a huge water-dog, as a shower of spray -flew over him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin nodded an assent, and began to struggle towards -the wheel, where Martin was standing. It was rather difficult, -owing to the slipperiness of the wet deck and the tossing -of the yacht, which one moment would be poised on the -crest of a wave, and the next ingulfed in a foam-streaked -valley of green water, which threatened to swamp her. -However, by holding on to anything he could seize, Crispin -managed to get close to the captain, who, in his efforts to -keep the ship’s head right, was straining every muscle to -hold the wheel, which was almost torn out of his grasp in a -retrograde direction, every time a wave smashed against her -helm.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>“Kamila!” screamed Crispin in Martin’s ear, as he pointed -to the dim mass.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Martin shook his head doubtfully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Too far south’ard. We’re nigher Anapli, I reckon.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Melnos?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Straight ahead. Who says ’tis Kamila?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Count Caliphronas!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hum! he knows these parts too. I’ll go and have another -look at the chart.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If it’s Kamila, Melnos is just round the shoulder.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Can’t believe we’ve got so far out of the course. Why, -if”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>At this moment a tremendous wave struck the yacht midships, -making her reel and strain under the irresistible -blows of the sea, and the jolly-boat on the port side was -smashed up like matchwood, the iron davits being twisted -out of all shape in the giant grip of the water. The Eunice -shuddered under the stroke, paused almost imperceptibly, -then sprung forward like a spur-touched horse, and in another -second was out of danger, riding lightly on the frothing -crest of a huge wave, from whence she slid down -smoothly into the smaragdine hollow beyond.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Boat gone!” quoth the captain, regaining his breath; -“bad loss.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin thought so too, but had no time to reply, for at -this moment the raucous voice of the captain was heard -shouting to the second officer as he passed by,—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Send Gurt here! look sharp!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Gurt was a grizzled old salt with one eye, and an unlimited -capacity for rum, who, having knocked about in these -latitudes all his sinful life, knew the Archipelago like a -book. When he arrived, the captain put him in charge of -the wheel, and went off, not to his cabin to look at the chart, -but down to the engine-room, as he feared for the safety of -the propeller. Crispin followed him, and they staggered -like drunken men along the streaming decks towards the -hatch. Down the iron ladder leading to the engine-room -they scrambled, holding on like grim death, for the yacht -was now rolling at an angle of twenty-five degrees, an uncomfortable -motion which she occasionally varied by dipping -her bows so deeply into the water that her stern was -sticking nearly straight up in the air; in fact, to use a nautical -expression, she stood on her head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The screw beat the waves regularly enough when in its -<span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>normal position, but the moment the yacht lifted, it was out -of the water, whirling round and round with tremendous -velocity, coming down again with a resonant smash, which -threatened to snap off short the huge fans of the propeller. -To obviate this danger, Martin spoke to the chief engineer, -who, at once recognizing the perilous position, took his station -beside the throttle-valve, and immediately the yacht dipped -her nose, shut off steam, so that, when she plunged her stern -again into the waters, the down-stroke was not so dangerous -to the motionless blades.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The enormous steel bars of the cranks, shining with oil in -the dim lamplight, arose and fell irregularly, owing to the -pitching of the vessel, one moment slowing down to half -speed, the next beating the air as rapidly as the wings of a -swallow. Round and round swept the giant wheels with -noiseless speed, and nothing could be heard but the lash of -the waves thrashing the sides of the yacht, the intermittent -throbbing of the machinery, and the sharp hiss of escaping -steam, but the moment the engineer put his hand to the -throttle-valve, in an instant the screw, already spinning like -a top, hung motionless, until, with the recurring lurch, the -great pistons again began to slide smoothly in and out of the -cylinders. It was wonderful to see the absolute command -this one man had over the colossal mass of machinery, which -worked or rested as he let on or shut off steam at every -plunge of the ship.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As Martin and the poet returned to the deck, they heard -the smashing of dishes in the pantry, the subsequent bad -language of the stewards, and The Eunice groaned, creaked, -strained, and shrieked like a living being as she strove to -make headway against the furious blast.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All right!” yelled Crispin when they were once more -on the streaming decks.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Right enough, as long as we’re in the open sea,” retorted -Martin gloomily, “but Lord help us if we touch any of them -darned reefs.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The islands of the Ægean are very dangerous to ships, as -their ragged reefs, running out to sea like roots, can scarcely -be noticed save in calm weather, when the thin line of white -breaking on the smooth surface of the water betrays the hidden -teeth below. It was of these treacherous reefs the captain -was afraid, as in such a furious gale there was every -chance of the ship striking, in spite of the utmost care being -taken to navigate her properly. Fortunately, with her helm -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>and screw, which were to her as a bridle is to a horse. The -Eunice could skirt these perils with the greatest dexterity, -and the real danger lay in the chance of her running on some -sunken rock not set down in the chart. Martin, doubtful as -to the island on the lee side, went off to his cabin for the -chart, knowing he could safely leave the steering to Gurt, -who indeed was better than any chart, and knew more of -these seas than all the Admiralty put together.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin returned to Maurice, and reported all that had -been done, much to Roylands’ satisfaction, for, however -brave a man may be, it is not pleasant to think that every -moment he may be hurled into eternity. Caliphronas was -still clinging to the weather rigging, but his face was graver -than of yore, for he too knew the dangers of these waters, -and good ship though The Eunice was, an unknown rock -piercing her bottom would sink her rapidly, while the furious -waves dashing against her, thus firmly held, would not -leave enough of her stout timbers to make a cigar-box.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All that afternoon they continued beating about in that -weary sea near the Island of Kamila, for Kamila it proved -to be on examination of the chart, much to the vexation of -Captain Martin, who was considerably startled to find he was -out of his course. However, such ignorance was not unpardonable, -as the divergence from the course arose from the fact -that, owing to the captain being constantly at the wheel, -and only hastily glancing at the chart when he was able, he -did not notice sufficiently the constant sagging of the vessel, -and she had therefore, unknown to him, drifted more to -the south than he fancied.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Contrary to his expectation, the gale, instead of abating, -increased in fury, and great masses of blinding rain came -sweeping down in torrents on the ship, while the gusty wind, -straining the wet sails to their utmost tension, tautened the -weather rigging like bars of steel. The crew were all picked -men, forty in number, the captain was a first-class sailor, the -engines powerful, the boat stanch, yet all these could avail -but little against the colossal force of wind and wave, which -seemed resolved to conquer this brave little craft struggling -so gallantly against their Titanic forces.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meals that day they had none, for it was impossible to sit -at the table, but the steward cut some sandwiches, with -which, in conjunction with brandy and water, they were -able to sustain themselves. Even Caliphronas, quite contrary -to his usual custom, was so overwhelmed by the peril -<span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>of their position, that he took some spirits, which brought -the color back to his pale cheeks. Maurice was not at all -afraid, having plenty of British pluck, and, but for Helena, -would have cared but little if his unhappy life was ended by -the seething mass of waters raging on all sides.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Owing to the cloudy sky, the incessant rain, and the -absence of sunlight, the darkness fell sooner than usual, with -sudden transition from day to night. No more the enchanted -twilight of the previous evening, the calm sea, silver -moon, and glittering stars; nothing but pitchy gloom, -with roaring waves rising in liquid masses to the black sky, -and black sky raining down torrents on roaring waves, while -between the welkin and the spume flew The Eunice like a -stormy petrel, keeping afloat only through the dexterity with -which she was managed. At times a jagged flash of lightning -gleaming blue as steel divided the solid blackness with -sabre-like stroke, but the succeeding thunder, loud as it was, -hardly added to the deafening clamor of the storm, which -stunned the ears of those human beings, fighting so determinedly -for their lives against the appalling forces of Nature.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“‘Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre -of barren ground,’” quoted Crispin grimly, as he clung to a -stout rope. “My faith, I don’t think we are born to be -hanged, Maurice!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think there is danger, Creespeen?” cried Caliphronas, -whose teeth were chattering in his head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Rather; we might go to the bottom any moment,” replied -Maurice, who, despite the peril of the position, could not -help smiling at the cowardice of the Greek. “Be a man, -Caliphronas!—you aren’t afraid of death, I suppose?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, but I am!—I am!” shivered the Count in abject -fear. “To leave this world I love for I know not what. -Oh, what comes after?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“God!” said Crispin solemnly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“God!” echoed the Greek in a tone of despairing conviction. -“What is God? I know nothing beyond this world—what -I see!—what I feel!—nothing else. But you say -there is a God!—there is a God! Oh, what will He say to -me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ask your own conscience.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Conscience!” cried Caliphronas, with a sneer, which but -ill became his ghastly face; “what do I know of conscience? -I have been wicked, but no worse than my neighbors. After -<span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>all, it is death and then—annihilation. It is that I fear—to -no longer see the sun, nor feel the wind, nor life in the -veins. Life is so glad, death so terrible! But I will undo -some of my work that you saints call wicked. Yes, I will -tell you, Mr. Maurice, the reason I brought you to Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, tell me, tell me!” cried Maurice eagerly; “you -brought me here to”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>He did not finish the sentence, for at this moment a gust -of unexampled strength tore past them with a shriek, and -snapped the mainmast by the board, crashing it downward -with tremendous force. Falling over the side, it impeded -the yacht’s course, and brought her gunwale dangerously -near the water. The black smoke poured in volumes from -her funnel, the screw beat the water with enormous power, -but the heavy mass, the huge canvas, the entanglement of -ropes, all held her back, and down on one side, to the great -imperilling of her safety.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Axes!” roared Martin, in a voice of thunder; “cut away -the ropes! Look smart, my lads, for your lives! If she -pitches to wind’ard, and brings the mast against the bilge, -it’s all Davy Jones for sure!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The sailors flew to do his bidding, and though, owing to -the perpetual pitching of the vessel, they could not work -continuously, yet in the space of half an hour they managed -to clear away the wreckage, which fell over into the boiling -waters, while the yacht righted herself like a trembling deer. -The man at the wheel of course kept the set course indicated -by the captain, but, the engines being slowed down during -the clearance episode, the ship sagged gradually to leeward, -until she drifted dangerously near to the rocks of Kamila.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All were so busily engaged clearing away the wreckage, -that this new peril was unnoticed, until the moon, half-obscured -by the flying scud, shone out palely on the wild scene. -Attracted by the glimmer of the planet, Martin looked up -suddenly from his work, only to see the towering cliffs of -the island near at hand, and the caps of the sea rising like -fountains of spouting foam over the cruel-looking rocks.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Roaring to pass the word to the engineer to give her every -inch of steam she was worth, in order to shoot her far enough -ahead to clear the rocks, Martin sprang with one bound to -the wheel, wrenched it out of the sailor’s hands, and put the -helm hard down, so that the yacht’s head flew up in the wind -just in time to avert a frightful catastrophe. Immediately on -the increased speed of the vessel, she plunged forward into -<span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>every wave, and all on board feared that each new dive into -the rough sea would be the last, for she shipped seas freely, and -tons of water swept her deck fore and aft. At the last fearful -dive, there was the sound of a sudden snap, as if the boat -had touched a rock; she shuddered through her whole length, -and after the engines had whirled for a minute with inconceivable -velocity, they suddenly stopped.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My God!” cried Martin, guessing the reason of the stoppage; -“the propeller has gone! God help us now!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fortunately, the way the ship ran through the water shot -her to the windward sufficiently to clear the Kamila reef, -but, as she could not be kept ahead to sea, owing to the fury -of the gale, she had again to be kept off, so that the remaining -sails would tend to steady her from the violent lurching. -All this time the steam was blowing off; and then, the fires -being drawn, all the sooty inhabitants of the engine-room, -like so many Cyclops, poured on deck, to do what they could -in saving the vessel.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During the time she was clearing the reef, the moon had -withdrawn her light, but now she shone forth in her full -splendor through a rent in a cloud, whereupon a sight was -revealed which struck terror into the hearts of all on board.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Melnos!” cried Crispin and the Greek in one breath.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s all over!” said Martin gloomily. “No screw—only -one mast—we’ll never clear that island.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice, straining his eyes through the glimmer of moon -and star half-obscured by flying clouds, saw a high, conical-shaped -mountain, rising sheer out of the sea, at a distance -of about three miles. The snows of the summit gleamed -pale in the moonlight, below was darkness, but at the base -of the peak spouted fountains of white surf on the jagged -rocks running seaward.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s kingdom come, gentlemen,” said the captain, with a -grim smile, as he looked at that sky-piercing peak looming -hugely in the vague light.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The boats”—began Caliphronas, who was quite pale; -whereupon Martin turned on him sharply.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The boats, sir! what boats could live in that sea? The -jolly-boat is gone—the steam pinnace is pretty well smashed -up, so there are only the gig and the lifeboat to save forty-five -lives.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You’ll try to launch the boats, at all events,” said -Crispin quickly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh yes! all that can be done will be done, you can -depend, sir; but it’s a poor look-out.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>With these dispiriting words, the captain went away to -see after the life-belts, and served out one to each man, -which gave them at least some chance of floating to land. -Martin neglected no chance of saving the ship, and put the -helm up, whereon the fierce wind filled the remaining canvas, -and drove The Eunice slowly ahead. For fully an hour she -drifted to leeward, now being quite unmanageable, owing to -the loss of screw and mast. Straight ahead lay Melnos, -with the fierce surf thundering at its base, and the ship, -unable to be guided, was drifting slowly but surely on to the -rocks. Maurice, with considerable forethought, took Crispin -with him below, and they filled their travelling-flasks with -brandy. Meanwhile, the crew, utterly demoralized by the -hopelessness of the situation, made for the spirit-room; but -the captain placed himself in front of it with a revolver, and -swore to shoot the first man who came forward. Still, as the -men were weary from work, and wet and cold with long -exposure, he ordered rum to be served out, which reconciled -them somewhat to his prohibition of too much drinking.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Die like men, not beasts,” said Martin, thrusting the -revolver back again when the crew were more manageable; -“there is still a chance of saving our lives by the boats, and -that will be gone if drink is in you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>By this time the yacht was so near the island that they -could hear the roar of the surf, and see the white tongues of -the waves running up the black rocks. Overhead heavy -masses of clouds were moving like battalions across the sky, -but the rain had ceased, and at intervals the moon shone out, -which gave them but small comfort, as it enabled them to -see only too clearly the perils which awaited them. The -wind was still furious, and the sea rolling mountains high; -its huge billows, topped with ragged fringes of foam glimmering -in the fitful light, kept sweeping over the deck. Several -men were swept overboard into the trough of the sea, but no -assistance could be rendered by those on board, and with -despairing cries they sank in the furious waters.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin, pitying the terror of Caliphronas, in spite of his -dislike for the wily Greek, took him below and gave him -some brandy. The Count was just raising the glass to his -lips, when they were both levelled by a tremendous shock, -which made the ship tremble from stem to stern.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“God! she has struck!” cried Crispin, and tore up the -stairs as hard as he was able, followed by Caliphronas, who -was now nerved by despair.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>The Eunice had struck about a quarter of a mile from the -shore, but so fierce were the waves between her and the land, -that it seemed as though no boat could live in that hell of -waters. However, as a last hope, the captain ordered the -lifeboat to be lowered, which was accordingly done; but the -moment it touched the water all discipline was at an end, -for the men, seeing the means of safety, rushed in a tumultuous -crowd to take advantage of it. In a few minutes the -lifeboat was filled with a black mass of human beings, in -spite of the captain’s efforts to maintain order, and cutting -the ropes they made for the shore. Hardly had the boat -left the ship, when, caught by a huge wave, she capsized, -and the waves were black with shrieking masses of humanity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“O God! O God!” groaned Crispin, hiding his face; -“they will all be drowned.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And so they were, for, in spite of their life-belts, the waves -griped the drowning men with irresistible force, and dashed -them mangled corpses against the rocks. Of the crowd of -living, breathing creatures that had gone off a few minutes -before, not one remained alive, and the survivors felt that -their fate would be the same.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Lower away the gig!” shouted Martin, going up to -where the boat was hanging; “and if you cowards rush her, -I’ll shoot freely.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Cowed by his revolver, which was covering them with its -six deadly cartridges, the men did as they were ordered, -and, placing the boat in charge of the mate, the captain -made them all get in in orderly fashion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now, gentlemen,” said Martin to the three who stood -near him, “get in quick—the yacht will soon be under -water.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But yourself?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s my duty to stick to the ship,” said the brave old -man; “if she goes down, I go down—if she doesn’t, there -will be hope of safety; but I will be the last to leave her.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There’s room in the boat,” called the mate; “quick, for -your lives.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas needed no urging, but sprang into the boat, -then, either from treachery or terror, cut the rope which -held her to the yacht with a knife he had in his hand. -There was a shout of execration from the crew, but the act -was irremediable, and the gig plunged away into the darkness; -the last seen by the four survivors on deck being -Caliphronas, furiously fighting with two of the men, who -were trying to hurl him overboard.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>The yacht was now nearly under water, and on her deck -stood Martin, Maurice, Crispin, and Gurt.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Only one hope,” cried Martin, furiously shaking his fist -at the retreating boat; “climb up the mast!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>They flew to the weather rigging, and Maurice, Crispin, -and Gurt managed to climb up, but just as Martin was -springing for the rope, a heavy sea swept the yacht fore and -aft, and he was carried overboard. They heard his despairing -cry as he went down into the trough of the sea, but -there was no time to say anything, for with one final plunge -the yacht went down, and the three human beings scrambled -up the rigging as fast as they could, followed by the water, -which seemed loath to surrender its prey. Fortunately The -Eunice had sunk near the shore, so, when she finally settled -down, about thirty feet of the remaining mast was sticking -up out of the water, and to this clung the three survivors in -desperate anxiety, expecting every moment to be shaken off -into the depths below. At any moment the mast might -break off, or a roll of the submerged yacht send it into the -water; so, with this terrible dread in their hearts, these -three human beings clung madly to their only refuge.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Below raged the fierce waters, around was the darkness, -above the clouded sky and the veiled moon, while amid all -this horror hung those three unfortunates to their slender -spar, waiting with dread and hope for the morning’s light.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XVI. <br /> <span class='fss'>MELNOS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Magic isles of beauty glowing</div> - <div class='line in2'>Far in tideless sapphire seas;</div> - <div class='line'>Wanton winds, low breathing, blowing</div> - <div class='line in2'>Perfumes from balsamic trees.</div> - <div class='line in2'>Here no wintry waters freeze;</div> - <div class='line'>But the streamlets ever flowing,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Murmur drowsy lullabies,</div> - <div class='line'>Which the eyelids close unknowing,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Till the soul in slumber lies,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Peaceful under peaceful skies.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>Nature is fond of contrasts, and delights in the unexpected; -therefore, after the gloom and tumult of the previous -night, the morning showed the three castaways a scene -<span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>of peaceful beauty so enchanting, that they thought they -were in fairyland. The sea had gone down after midnight, -and only a heavy ground-swell remained to tell of the fury -of the storm which had wrecked The Eunice. All around -lay an expanse of sapphire sea, touched here and there with -white foam, which turned to crimson as the morn dawned -redly in the gray eastern skies. Far into the cloudless blue -arose the giant peak of Melnos, its lofty summit swathed in -snows already bathed in the heavy yellow beams of the rising -sun. Below its white cap appeared a green mantle of -foliage, which quite hid the bare rock with a profusion of -myrtles, plane-trees, arbutus, ilex, and branching heather; -and lower still the red tint of rugged cliffs, the black -chaotic bowlders of the beach scattered in huge masses, and -in and out of these the white threads of the surf like fairy -lacework. Far away to the north arose the Island of Kamila, -faint and cloud-like in the midst of the blue seas, and on the -murmuring waters played gentle breezes, breathing fragrant -balms robbed from aromatic trees. It was a scene of unexampled -beauty, and even the three unfortunates clinging to -the mast could not withhold their admiration, in spite of the -discomforts from which they were suffering.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Once we are on shore,” said Crispin, with confidence, -“I will take you into the interior of the island, where we -will be well looked after by Justinian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Has the island an interior?” asked Maurice sceptically, -for he saw nothing but a huge mountain resting on the azure -sea.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course! Did I not tell you it was the Island of -Fantasy, and therefore full of wonders? But the first thing -is to get to land. What do you say, Gurt?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Swim, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I feel too stiff,” said Crispin, shaking his head. “I -could not swim a yard—and you, Maurice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am in the same plight,” replied Roylands, whose joints -were aching with the exposure to the night. “If it’s a question -of swimming, I will have to remain here till doomsday.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I kin swim, gentlemen,” said Gurt stoutly. “Bless ye, -this ain’t nothin’, this ain’t. Why, I’ve bin wrecked in the -nor’ard, and precious cold it were. I kin get ashore all safe, -but I dunno ’bout you, sirs.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Gurt’s face assumed the rapt expression of one who was -thinking out a deep problem, and Maurice, knowing the -inventiveness of sailors, did not interrupt him, having every -<span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>confidence that this mariner would hit upon some plan of -extricating them from this dilemma.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There are plenty of ropes,” suggested Crispin hopefully, -“and if”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Right y’are, sir,” said Gurt energetically, his one eye -flashing with satisfaction. “I’ll tie ‘em together and swim -ashore. Fust I’ll tie the rope t’ th’ mast an’ then t’ th’ -beach, an’ you two kin skip along like monkeys. D’ye see, -sirs?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>No sooner was the plan thought of than the energetic Gurt -proceeded to put it into practice, and spliced all the ropes -he could get hold of, being armed with that useful implement, -a jack-knife, which no sailor is ever without.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s ’bout quart’r mile fro’ shore,” said Gurt, fastening -one end of the rope to the mast and the other round his waist; -“but if rope ain’t long ’nough, you gents tie on more, an’ -pay out. Here’s knife.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin took the knife, so as to be ready for such emergency, -and then gave Gurt his spirit-flask, from which the -mariner drew new life, although he was pleased to regret -that the contents were not rum, instead of brandy. Having -thus revivified himself, Gurt, with the rope round his waist, -scrambled down into the calm water, and was soon striking -out boldly for the shore. Maurice and the poet watched his -black head bobbing up and down in the blue, and kept paying -out the rope carefully, lest any entanglement should -hamper the swimmer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank Heaven, he’s all right!” cried Crispin in a tone -of relief, as they saw the white figure of the sailor clambering -over the black rocks. “Now it’s our turn.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In order to swim freely, Gurt had stripped naked, so the -two left on the mast had to carry his clothes to shore, a thing -easy enough, as all Gurt wore was a shirt and a pair of blue -serge trousers. Crispin took one article, Maurice the other, -and waited for Gurt to signal from the shore that the rope -was made fast. Soon they saw him waving his hand and -shouting to intimate all was right; whereupon they examined -the knot of the rope to see that it was fast to the mast, -and then slid down into the sea.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The rope was pretty well taut, as it ran from the mast to -the shore, so Crispin and Maurice, holding on to it, struggled -along towards the land. Their limbs ached with pain, owing -to their long exposure to the night-air, but a drink of spirits -each put new vigor into their wearied frames, and, after a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>toilsome journey, aided by the rope, they managed to reach -the beach, up which they scrambled with thankful hearts.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All right, sirs?” asked Gurt, dressing himself rapidly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Stiff,” replied Crispin ruefully. “I feel as creaky as an -old door!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ain’t used t’ it,” grinned Gurt, shifting his quid; for, -during all the trouble and danger, he had retained that as -his only solace. “Well, I guess, sirs, we’d best take more -rum, an’ then explore this here island.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I know all about it,” said Crispin cheerfully. “But -see, the sun is up, so, as it is no use trudging about in wet -clothes, we had better dry them.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The two gentlemen stripped at once, and spread their -clothing out to dry on the black rocks; but Gurt, disdaining -such luxury, perched himself in a sunny place, and watched -them swimming in the shallow waters near shore to refresh -their weary limbs. The sun was now considerably above the -horizon, burning hotly in a cloudless blue sky, and the sultry -rays soon dried the clothes spread out on the rocks, so in a -short time they were soon dressed again, and ready to start -out in search of Justinian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>True, they were very hungry, but Crispin had some biscuits -in his pocket, which appeased their appetites in some -measure, and, after a good drink of brandy each, they began -to trudge along the stony beach, guided by the poet, to whom -every inch of the island was as familiar as his own face. -The reddish cliffs and white sand of the beach, catching the -hot sunlight, threw out intense heat, and, from being cold, -the three adventurers soon became uncomfortably warm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think Caliphronas is safe?” asked Maurice hesitatingly, -as they walked along.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas has nine lives, like a cat,” retorted Crispin -savagely; “but, after his treachery of last night, I hope he -will meet the doom he deserves. If it had not been for his -cutting that rope, Martin would have been alive now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is, if the gig reached shore safely.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course! The sea was wild, and she might have been -swamped, like the lifeboat; still, we must hope for the best.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I seed Bulk a-chuckin’ of that ’ere gent inter the water,” -said Gurt, addressing the air with elaborate indifference.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope Bulk succeeded,” replied Crispin grimly; “but -what’s that?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A dark object was lying on the white beach, and, as they -raced up to it, Crispin gave a cry of anguish.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>“Why, it’s poor Stokins!” he said, recognizing the features -of the mate. “He was in charge of the boat. I’m -afraid she was smashed up like the other.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And ’ere’s Jimson and Bildge,” cried Gurt, from a distance, -where he had discovered two corpses. “They’ve all -gone t’ kingdom come, gents!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas also, I suppose!” said Maurice sadly; for, -in spite of his dislike to the wily Greek, it seemed terrible -that his joyous youth should be ended so suddenly by the -cruel sea.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It looks as if we were the only survivors,” remarked -Crispin moodily, as they resumed their journey. “We must -have those poor fellows buried. I will speak to Justinian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where is Justinian?” asked Maurice a little irritably. -“Does he live on this arid peak?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; but do not judge by external appearances. This -rocky mountain, so sparsely clothed with trees, is only the -uninviting shell of a very fine kernel.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You speak in riddles.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I seem to have been doing that ever since I knew you, -judging from your frequent mention of the fact. However, -we will soon come to the tunnel, and then you will see.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What tunnel?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, a wonderful piece of engineering skill carried out -by Justinian thirty years ago,—a tunnel which pierces the -side of this mountain, and will admit us into its interior.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where we will find—what?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The patriarchal community of which Justinian is king!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! does he rule over Troglodytes, like a Norwegian -gnome?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Gnomes have nothing to do with the south,” said Crispin -provokingly. “I tell you this is the Island of Fantasy—the -only fairyland yet remaining on earth. You anticipate -the realms of Pluto, but you will find Arcadia.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m hanged if I understand you!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, your curiosity will soon be satisfied. <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>En avant, -messieurs</i></span>, for I am hungry, and wish to be seated at the -hospitable board of Justinian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>High above, over the terra-cotta-colored cliffs, hung the -fresh green foliage which clothed the slopes of the mountain -high up to the verge of the eternal snows;—tall, dark -cypresses, funereal-looking even in the bright sunshine, the -silver-gray glimmer of olive trees, chestnuts, beeches, plane-trees, -and, nearest to the summit, gloomy pines accentuating -<span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>the whiteness of the snows, which, clinging to the rocky -peak, stood out in cold relief against the warm blue sky. -Ahead of them was a reddish promontory running out into -the calm waters, the trees fringing its crest like the mane of -some wild animal. Turning round the shoulder of this, they -saw in the distance a similar promontory, and between these -two headlands a range of reddish cliffs topped by vegetation, -a white sandy beach scattered over with bowlders, and a huge -arch in the middle of the cliff, which apparently led into -the bowels of the mountain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Here we are at the palace gate,” said Crispin gayly, as he -led the way towards the subterranean entrance. “We will -soon be in safety.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Standing in front of this mighty arch, they saw a broad -flight of steps leading up into the darkness, so that it looked -like the entrance into the hall of Eblis. Outside, the brilliant -sunshine, the many-colored land, the sparkling sea; -but within, darkness, dank and unwholesome, which inspired -the two strangers with anything but hope. Crispin, however, -knowing the place well, sprang lightly up the steps, followed -hesitatingly by his companions, but suddenly he stopped and -held up his finger, the action being visible in the bright light -pouring in through the arch into this artificial cave.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Listen! Maurice, do you recognize that voice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a man singing, and his clear high tones echoed in -the dark vault overhead, coming nearer and nearer as the -vocalist slowly descended the steps.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Blow, wind, and swell the sail,</div> - <div class='line'>So that my boat may fly—may fly</div> - <div class='line'>As a swallow to its nest across the foam.</div> - <div class='line'>I am a swallow, and so am flying</div> - <div class='line'>To that dear nest of love, which is her heart.</div> - <div class='line'>Blow, wind! for I am filled with longing.</div> - <div class='line'>Her heart is empty till me she kisses.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“Caliphronas!” cried Maurice and Crispin in one breath.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was indeed Caliphronas who came slowly down the steps -and paused in alarm just where the light began to mingle -with the darkness;—a new and brilliant Caliphronas, arrayed -in all the bravery of the Greek national garb, with -gold-broidered leggings, snowy fustanella, gaudy jacket, and -red skull-cap. In this picturesque dress he looked handsomer -than ever, and had quite recovered his bombastic air, which -terror had deprived him of during the storm.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span>“Creespeen! Mr. Maurice!” he cried in a startled voice, -placing his hand on one of the pistols stuck in his belt, for he -was quite aware that his treachery deserved a warm reception -from those whom he had doomed to death.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You needn’t do that,” said Crispin, curling his lip as he -observed the action; “we are not going to punish you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Punish me!” jeered the Greek, recovering his insolent -manner. “Oh, never fear, I can defend myself. Punish me! -and for why? Because I chose to save my own life!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, and nearly caused us to lose ours!” said Maurice -grimly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You know my philosophy, Mr. Maurice; so why expect -me to be false to it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are an infernal scoundrel, Caliphronas!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Greek smilingly showed his white teeth, as if a compliment -had been paid to him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We are all scoundrels more or less, only some are cleverer -at concealing it than other people,” he said carelessly. “So -you are all safe? I made sure you were drowned.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And wished too, I dare say,” replied Crispin dryly. -“Well, you see we have survived your amiable intention -of leaving us to die. What about the boat?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The boat! oh, that was swamped,” said Caliphronas in -a satisfied tone. “Two of your infernal sailors threw me -overboard.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I seed ’em a-chuckin’ of yer,” remarked Gurt in a pleasant -tone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Did you, indeed? Well, they were very soon chucked -themselves, and of the whole twenty in the boat, only half a -dozen are alive now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where are they?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“With Justinian. He sent me to look for your corpses, -but I suppose he will be rather astonished when he finds you -can still use your own legs.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How did you escape?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I was tossed into the sea near the shore, and, buoyed -up by my life-belt, I managed to keep myself afloat till the -waves landed me on the beach.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Naught was never in danger,” quoth Crispin coolly. “I -suppose all your repentance of yesterday has passed.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Gone to the winds, my friend,” replied Caliphronas airily. -“Poof! what would you? There is a time for all things. -Yesterday I was nearly dead, and talked nonsense; to-day -I am dry and well, so it is evident I am not born to be -drowned.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>“Born to be hanged, more like,” said Maurice viciously, -hardly able to conceal his dislike of this heartless, cowardly, -beautiful animal before him. “Well, it is cold here, and we -are hungry, so I think you had better conduct us to Justinian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come, then,” answered Caliphronas, leading the way. -“But tell me, how did you escape?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“With the help of God!” said Crispin, resolved not to -gratify the Greek’s curiosity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, He helps the sinner as well as the saint; for you see -I also am alive and well.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You deserved death for your treachery!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The mocking laughter of the Count rang through the -darkness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Neither virtue nor vice is rewarded in every case! I see -you are safe, and the poor good captain is dead.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He is; and you are to blame.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No doubt I will survive that accusation. Well, you have -lost your beautiful ship, Crispin.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s my loss, not yours.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hark to this philosopher! Ha! how can you leave this -island again?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! does Justinian intend to keep us prisoners?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Justinian will do what he thinks fit,” replied Caliphronas -significantly. “You are both rich, and can pay large ransoms.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You scoundrel, you have been putting these brigand -ideas into the old man’s head.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas laughed disagreeably.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps I have. At all events, if you escape Justinian, -you won’t get away so easily from Alcibiades.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You forget six sailors still survive,” said Maurice sternly, -“and we are three, so I think nine Englishmen can hold their -own against a hundred cowards like yourself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Count made a clutch at his pistol, and muttered an -execration, but, thinking better of it, recovered his temper, -and burst out laughing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, well, we will see! I regret, Mr. Maurice, I did not -bring a torch for this darkness, but you see I know this passage -well, and do not require it. Had I known you three -were coming, I would have brought men, torches, food, wine, -and all the rest of it, to make you comfortable.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you for your hospitality,” retorted Maurice angrily, -for the mocking tone of this scamp was intolerable; “but -‘<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>Timeo Danaos</i></span>.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span>“I don’t understand Latin,” said Caliphronas coldly; “but -I’ve no doubt you’ve said something uncomplimentary. However, -we need not wrangle any more, for here we are at the -gate of Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The gate was a huge structure of wood, formed by interlacing -beams into a kind of barred defence, which completely -closed up the tunnel, and in the centre of this was a small -heavy iron door. Through the interstices they could see the -faint glimmer of daylight, a still ascending staircase, the red -flare of burning torches, and in the doubtful lights three or -four men moving about.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This is to guard against people like my friend Alcibiades,” -said Caliphronas, seeing the amazement of Maurice and Gurt -at this mediæval entrance. “Like the Pass of Thermopylæ, -this tunnel could be defended by four against many, so -Melnos is thus a city of refuge.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ay, if treachery does not gain an entrance,” retorted -Crispin significantly; “and that is always possible when -there is a traitor within the walls.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Meaning myself?” rejoined Caliphronas tranquilly. -“There you are wrong, and I think, my dear Crispin, you -must have forgotten that, in or out, I can do nothing, as Justinian -alone possesses the key of this door. We must send -Alexandros for it. Oh la there, Alexandros!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>One of the men, bearing a burning torch, came to the bars -of the framework, and Caliphronas spoke to him in Greek, -while Crispin, understanding the language thoroughly, listened -attentively, as, after the Count’s conduct of last night, -he was quite prepared for further treachery, and desired to -guard against it. As soon as Caliphronas finished, the man -went off up the staircase, and the Count turned round to his -companions with a reassuring smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He has gone to get the key from Justinian,” he explained -courteously. “This key, you must know, Mr. Maurice, is -the emblem of sovereignty in Melnos—the sceptre of the -island!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But it must be rather a trouble going to Justinian for the -key every time you want to go in or out!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is not much of that,” said Crispin quickly; “the -people of Melnos stay at home in the heart of the mountain. -’Tis only wanderers like myself and the Count who are restless.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The heart of the mountain!” echoed Maurice, in a -puzzled tone; “is it a cavern?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>“No; fresh air and blue skies.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot understand your Island of Fantasy. It is most -perplexing, and well deserves its name.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So Justinian thought, and that is why he called it so.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who made this ’ere, gents all?” asked Gurt, who had -been surveying his nether world surroundings with much awe.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Justinian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, sir, arskin’ yer pardin, but I niver thought a lazy -Greek ’ud have had it in him to do sich a thing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas laughed at the indolent character ascribed to -his countrymen, which, however, he could not deny with any -great show of reason.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Justinian is not a Greek, but an Englishman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I thought so, sir,” said Gurt triumphantly; “but ’eavins, -sir! wot’s he a-doin’ of in this ’ere lay?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, that is a mystery!” replied the Count, smiling.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Blest if ’tain’t all queer,” muttered Gurt in bewilderment, -and thereupon relapsed into silence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The house of Justinian was evidently some distance away, -as they had to wait a considerable time before Alexandros -returned, much to the discomfort of the three shipwrecked -men, who were beginning to feel their privations keenly. -Maurice would have liked to ask after Helena, but the -knowledge that Caliphronas was his rival forbade him to -risk an inquiry. He now began to see that the anticipations -of Crispin regarding possible dangers were not without -some foundation, for, trapped in this mountain heart, -which appeared to his fancy to be a most extraordinary -place, he saw that Justinian could hold them prisoners as -long as he pleased. Besides, this scamp of a Caliphronas, -who hated both himself and Crispin thoroughly, was evidently -the right hand of Justinian, and thoughts of the -cruelties of Greek brigands began to pass unpleasantly -through his mind. Here, towards the end of the civilized -nineteenth century, was a genuine robber’s cave, into which -he was blindly walking, and, despite the presence of Crispin, -who stood beside him, Maurice did not feel quite at his ease -regarding their reception by this renegade Englishman who -was called Justinian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At length rapid steps were heard descending the staircase, -and Alexandros came in sight, holding his torch in one hand -and the wished-for key in the other. Having unlocked the -door, he held it open for them to enter, and, when the four -men were inside, locked it carefully again, and thrust the key -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>into his belt in order to take it back to his master. As he -did so, he spoke to Caliphronas in Greek, upon which the -Count translated the speech for the benefit of Maurice and -the seaman.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Justinian will see you at the Acropolis.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The Acropolis?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes! it is a fancy he has for calling his house so. ’Tis -too small for a palace, and too large for an ordinary house, -so the intermediate term Acropolis fits it exactly. Come, -Mr. Maurice. Crispin, you know the way, don’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Considering I have lived all my life in Melnos, I should -think it highly probable,” retorted the poet in an annoyed -tone, for the patronage of Caliphronas was insufferable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Conducted by Caliphronas and Alexandros, they walked -slowly up the giant staircase, and in a short time arrived -at a huge archway similar to the one into which they had -entered. Through this Maurice, to his astonishment, saw a -smiling landscape, and paused thunderstruck under the great -arch.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, Melnos is in the cup of the mountain.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Exactly,” replied Crispin, who was enjoying his astonishment. -“Melnos is an extinct volcano, and this is the -crater. You see we have plenty of room for buildings, fields, -cultivation, and all such desirable things. We are two hundred -feet above the sea-level here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice did not reply, being too much amazed for speech, -and standing there feasted his eyes on the beautiful picture -framed by the archway, of which he was only able to gain a -general idea. It was a vision of snowy hills, miniature forests, -yellow fields of corn, terraced vineyards, and a mass of -white houses in the hollow, while clinging to the mountain -side were other buildings showing white against the pale -green of the foliage. High above, encircled by the top rim -of the crater, which was broken into a dazzling circle of -snow-white peaks, was the blue sky, with the burning sun -blazing down into the hollow, wherein, like a mirror, flashed -a small lake, encircled by trees. Below, palms waved their -feathery fans, above, the light green of the pine trees burned -like emeralds in the hot sunshine, and over all this enchanted -scene brooded an intense rest, an air of serene calm, which -made it seem to Maurice like that sleepy land of the lotus-eaters.</p> - -<p class='c001'>And this was Melnos.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XVII. <br /> <span class='fss'>AN ISLAND KING.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Oh, I know naught of the work-a-day world!</div> - <div class='line in2'>This is the land of eternal quiet,</div> - <div class='line'>Where I can nestle in indolence curled,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Far from the clamor of modern riot.</div> - <div class='line'>Here are my wings of ambition close furled,</div> - <div class='line'>For I know naught of the work-a-day world.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>I am the king of an indolent race,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Working with pleasure, and not with regret;</div> - <div class='line'>Never the phantom of Money they chase,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Never they feel in their bosoms a fret;</div> - <div class='line'>Nothing to alter, for all is in place.</div> - <div class='line'>I am the king of an indolent race.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>From the archway of the tunnel stretched two roads, one -to the left, leading down to the valley below by easy gradations, -the other to the right, running round the cup of the -mountain on a level with the place where they were now -standing. Along this latter road they walked, the three -gentlemen abreast, and Gurt, considerably bewildered, rolling -behind in his nautical way. Maurice’s admiration was -strongly excited by the perfection of this road, which was -level and broad, being apparently hewn out of the living -rock, while the side nearest the valley was bordered by cyclopean -masses of dressed stone, and a long line of mulberry -trees, now heavily foliaged. On the other side also, where -the rocks arose steep and smooth, was a corresponding line -of trees, so that they walked through a leafy arcade, formed -by the meeting of the branches overhead, and their path was -checkered with sunlight shadows moving restlessly under -their feet, as the wind rustled the leaves above. Through the -slim trunks of the trees, set some little distance apart, they -caught glimpses of the town below on the verge of the blue -lake, its white houses embosomed in trees, and straight -streets intersecting each other at right angles, so that it -looked like a miniature chess-board. Maurice was in ecstasies -over this Eden of the South, and could not express his -delight in high enough terms to his companions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is a place to dream in!” he said enthusiastically; “a -land of the lotos! I don’t wonder Justinian desires to keep -all outside influences away from this paradise. Upon my -<span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span>word, Caliphronas, with such a beautiful spot as this to dwell -in, I do not wonder you were discontented with our gray -island of the West. My only astonishment is that you -should ever wish to go beyond this enchanted circle of -mountains.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, it’s pretty enough,” said Caliphronas carelessly, casting -a glance at the lovely valley below: “but one grows tired -of lovely places, the same as one wearies of the most beautiful -woman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Every one is not so fickle as you are,” cried Crispin -sharply.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you did not stay in this paradise yourself, Creespeen.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I was banished from it, and you were the serpent who -caused my banishment.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Bah! do not lay the blame on me. You ate of the Tree -of Knowledge, and wanted to know too much; so Justinian -got rid of you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I only wanted to know about myself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then you never will.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Won’t I? You forget that I am equal with Justinian -now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you really?” said Caliphronas mockingly. “I -think not. Justinian has the wisdom of sixty years against -your thirty. The half is not equal to the whole.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you have something to gain as well as I,” flashed -out Crispin fiercely; “so if I am beaten, you will not be in -a much better condition.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eh! you think so? I have Justinian’s promise, remember.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have; and if I know anything of Justinian he’ll -break it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He dare not! Melnos is not impregnable.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Probably not; but you cannot storm it single-handed.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What about my dear Alcibiades?” sneered the Greek -significantly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin stopped, and looked Caliphronas up and down with -scorn.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You had better not say any more, Andros, or I may be -tempted to tell Justinian of your intention.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All I say is not meant,” cried Caliphronas in evident -alarm; “but Justinian cannot go back from his word about -Helena.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena!” said Maurice, who had hitherto kept silence. -“What about Helena?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>“Nothing to do with you, sir,” retorted Caliphronas rudely, -and walked on quickly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What does he mean?” asked Maurice, turning to Crispin -with a frown.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nothing more than what I told you on The Eunice, when -we were off Taygetus.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You told me Caliphronas loved Helena; but this -promise”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That has to do with Justinian,” said Crispin hastily; -“you must ask him for information. After all, Maurice, -you had better wait and see how things turn out before you -cross swords with Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah! you think, then, we will cross swords?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I fancy it is extremely probable. This Helena will be -an apple of discord, as was her predecessor of Troy. But, -however much you two men fight for her, remember it is the -lady herself who decides whom she will take.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If she is the woman I judge her to be from her pure -face, she will never take that scamp of a Greek.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh ho! that is as much as to say she will take you, my -Lord Conceit; but never mind Helena just now. We have -to get into the good graces of Justinian, or else”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well?” asked Maurice, seeing Crispin paused significantly; -“what will happen?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can’t tell yet; but, after all, why anticipate evil?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Crispin, you are as ambiguous as a Delphic oracle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And about as doubtful,” retorted the poet, laughing. -“But here we are at the Acropolis.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I’m darned!” observed Gurt in astonishment; -and his exclamation of surprise was certainly pardonable, -for no one would have expected to find so splendid a building -in this lonely island of the Ægean Sea.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A broad flight of fine-grained red limestone stairs led up -to a lofty platform of the same material, this splendid ascent -being bordered on both sides by masses of dark green laurel -trees, which accentuated the roseate tint of the staircase. -On the platform, some distance back, arose a large edifice, -somewhat after the model of the Parthenon at Athens, with -graceful slender pillars of white marble supporting the -weighty entablature, the frieze of which was delicately -carved with god-like forms of nude youths, white-draped -maidens, severe-faced old men, rearing horses, and seated -deities. Above this the pediment, in the centre of which -was sculptured a life-sized figure of Hephaistos, with his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>anvil and raised hammer, while the bas-reliefs on either side -represented long trains of unclothed men, with their faces -turned to the god, coming towards him with supplicating -hands, as if for the gift of fire. The Pentelican marble of -this temple was now toned down by the weather to a delicate -gray hue, which contrasted charmingly with the red staircase, -the dark laurels, and the faint green of the foliage -which clothed the mountain at the back of the building.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Justinian never built this!” cried Maurice, transfixed -in amazement at the suave beauty of the whole building; -“no architects of to-day could have designed such perfection.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No,” replied Crispin, as they ascended the steps; “only -this staircase and the platform are modern, for the temple is -an old Greek one, built in Heaven knows what year of Hellenic -art, and Justinian, finding it in a ruinous condition, -restored it as you see. The front was fortunately intact, but -he has arranged the interior as a dwelling-house. It is a -shrine to Vulcan, and, I presume, was built here because this -island is volcanic in character, though indeed it is far away -from the Hephæstiades.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not wonder Justinian calls it the Acropolis, for it is -a magnificent building, and worthy of the name. Oh, Crispin, -look at that nude youth struggling with the rearing horse!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You can look at all that another time,” replied the poet, -laughing at the sculptor’s enthusiasm; “meanwhile, Justinian -is waiting us.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>They entered the great door of the building, followed by -the awestruck Gurt, who was too much astonished to speak, -and advanced along a lofty hall towards an archway draped -with heavy blue curtains. Drawing these aside, they entered -into an open court, bordered by ranges of white marble columns, -for the temple was hypæthral in character, and the -sun shone brightly through the opening of the roof. Between -these snow-white pillars hung heavy curtains of azure tint, -embroidered with bizarre figures in yellow silk. The pavement -was of smooth white marble, and there was a small -fountain in the middle, splashing musically into a broad pool -which brimmed nearly to the verge of its marble marge. A -number of Turkish mats, comfortable-looking cane chairs, -silk-covered cushions, and dainty bamboo tables were scattered -about, and finally, the whole court was one mass of -flowers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Slender palms, bowing their feathery fronds, stood in huge -<span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>red jars, which added a bright touch of color to the general -whiteness; while there were oblong boxes filled with heterogeneous -masses of violets, pansies, golden crocus, anemones, -gladioli, and cyclamen, all glowing in one dazzling blaze of -color. There were also cytisus trees with their bright yellow -blossoms, great bushes of roses red with flowers, delicate -white lilies springing virgin-like from amid their green -leaves, and the pink buds of the gum cistus with its aromatic -odors, while between stood the myrtles, sacred to love. All -this gorgeous mass of colors was blended skilfully with a -prevailing tint of green foliage, and what with the blue curtains, -the dazzling white of the pillars and pavement, even -under the hot southern sun it did not pain the artistic eye -with a sense of incongruous hues, but rather pleased and -satisfied it by its bright beauty and variety of hue.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What flowers! what flowers!” cried Maurice, with genuine -admiration. “Why, this is finer even than the Rector’s -rose-garden.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“These are Helena’s flowers,” said Crispin, smiling; “she -is so fond of them that she ought to be called Chloris. -Hush! here is Justinian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was a grating sound of rings being drawn along a -rod, and Maurice turned to the left, to see the blue draperies -held to one side by an exceptionally tall man, with a long -gray beard and keen black eyes, who was dressed in a graceful -robe of soft white wool, falling in classic folds to his -feet. Maurice himself was over the ordinary height, but this -ancient, holding himself erect as a dart, seemed to tower -above him, and, as he moved towards Maurice with outstretched -hand, the Englishman involuntarily thought of -the Homeric description of Nestor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mr. Roylands,” said Justinian, taking the young man’s -hand, and looking keenly at him, “you are welcome to my -island. I am the Demarch of Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Behind Justinian came Caliphronas, who looked rather -dismayed when he saw the courtesy with which the island -king received his guest; and even Crispin made a gesture of -surprise, which movement at once drew the old man’s eyes -towards him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You also, truant!” he said, taking the poet’s hand, but -without releasing his hold of Maurice; “you have come back -to Melnos?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, for a purpose,” said Crispin boldly, evidently not to -be duped by the suave greeting of Justinian.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>As a flash of lightning leaps from the heart of a dark -cloud, so gleamed a glance from Justinian’s dark eyes, and -he was evidently about to make some fierce retort to the -bold poet, when he restrained himself with wonderful self-command, -and released the hands of both the young men.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Before I ask you any questions, gentlemen,” he said, -striking a silver bell that stood on one of the small tables -near, “I must attend to the rites of hospitality.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A man made his appearance, and bowed submissively to -Justinian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The bath! the meal! for these guests,” said the old man -in tones of command, speaking in Greek. “You can attend -to Mr. Crispin—tell Georgios to see to the other gentleman. -When you are quite refreshed,” he added in English, turning -to his guests, “I will speak to you here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But Gurt?” said Maurice, pausing a moment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, the sailor!” observed Justinian, carelessly looking -at him; “let him follow you, and Anasthasius can look after -him. Go now! I will await your return here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young men, astonished at the courtesy of their reception, -Crispin being not less so than Maurice, went out with -Gurt after the man; and Justinian, flinging himself into a -chair, with a deep sigh, covered his face with his hands. -Caliphronas, leaning gracefully against one of the pillars, -looked at this exhibition of what he considered weakness -with disdain, but did not dare to break upon the revery of -Justinian, of whom he had a wholesome dread. He picked -a pink oleander blossom and placed it in his belt, then, after -walking about for a few minutes with a frown on his face, -sat down on a stone margin of the fountain and began to -dabble in the water with his hands. After a time, Justinian -looked up with a second sigh.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, what do you think of him?” asked the Count in -Greek, at the sound of which the old man made a gesture of -annoyance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Speak English, you fool! I love to hear my own language.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You will get plenty of it shortly, then,” said Caliphronas -coolly. “Nine Englishmen already on the island,—bah! it -is a British possession.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are right, Andros. I am British, and as this island -is mine, it is a British possession.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas frowned, as if this way of looking at things -was distasteful to him, but, not caring to argue about such a -delicate matter, repeated his first remark.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>“Well, what do you think of him?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Maurice Roylands?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian pondered a moment, and was about to reply, -when, catching sight of the eager gleam in the Greek’s eyes, -he altered his mind at once.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will tell you when I know him better; I never make -up my mind in a hurry. You ought to be aware of that by -this time.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The other, ill-contented with this reticence, would have -persisted in his questioning, but the old man, seeing this, -shut him up sharply.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Be silent, Andros! I will give you my opinion in my -own good time. Meanwhile, mind you treat my guests with -all courtesy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Even Creespeen?” said Caliphronas, with a sneer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, even Crispin,” reiterated Justinian in a fiery tone. -“I have my reasons for acting as I do now. If you dare to -disobey my orders, I have a way to silence you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas turned pale, for he knew that Justinian was -absolute ruler of Melnos, while he was thoroughly well -hated by the inhabitants, one and all.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have no intention of acting contrary to your desires,” -he replied sulkily, rising to his feet; “but I cannot understand -the meaning of your actions. However, I have done -what you desired, and Mr. Maurice is in Melnos. Now, I -presume, you will fulfil your part of the bargain.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly; you have my permission to pay your addresses -to my daughter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you will make her marry me?” asked Caliphronas -eagerly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The King sprang from his seat with a gesture of anger.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will force my daughter in no way!” he roared fiercely. -“I forbade you to think of Helena as a bride, but, provided -you brought Roylands here, I gave you permission to woo -her. As to forcing her into a marriage with you, there was -no question of such a thing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I thought there was,” retorted the Greek, who was white -with rage.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You put your own base construction on my motives. -How dare you question me, Andros! Am I master here, or -are you? Helena is free to marry you if she wishes; but, -as far as I am concerned, I would rather you were drowned -in the sea than become my son-in-law.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>The Count went alternately red and white as Justinian -spoke, and when the speech was ended tried to answer, but -his rage was such that he could say nothing, so, with a -choking cry of anger, he turned on his heel and darted out -of the court; while the King, much agitated, walked up and -down hurriedly, his white robe sweeping the pavement.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What does the boy mean?” he muttered angrily. “I -do not like these veiled threats. Melnos is well defended, -but I mistrust Andros—he is too much a friend of that -rascal Alcibiades. Bah! I have no fear—treachery for -treachery!—and if Andros dares”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>He paused abruptly, and, raising his hands, shook them -impotently at the sky, then resumed his seat with a frown, -which boded ill for Caliphronas in the event of any double -dealing on his part being discovered. A peacock came walking -proudly along the court, with his splendid tail erect, -shining like some rich product of the Eastern loom, with -its manifold colors, fantastic moons, and iridescent sheen, -which flashed gloriously in the sunshine. Evidently irritated -at not being noticed, the vain bird uttered a discordant -shriek, which had the effect of making his master look up -suddenly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ha, Argos!” he said, with a sardonic smile; “you are -like Andros, my friend, fine to look at and nothing else. -But it would be as easy to wring your neck, with all your -bravery, as it would that of my handsome scamp yonder.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The bird strutted proudly along, the feathers of its neck -glistening with every movement of its head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have many eyes, my Argos,” resumed Justinian, -after a pause, “but your human prototype has none at all. -He sees no farther than his own straight nose, else he would -be more cautious in his deeds, and less daring in his words. -It looks as if he were going to dispute my will; well, he -can do so, and we will see who will come off best—Andros -or Justinian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>At this moment Maurice and the poet entered the court, -whereupon Argos fled in dismay.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“An omen!” thought Justinian, as he arose to receive -them; “with these I need not fear the machinations of Peacock -Andros.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The two gentlemen, refreshed by their bath and a hearty -meal, were now arrayed in loose, flowing robes of white -wool, similar to that of Justinian. Crispin wore this antique -garb gracefully enough, very evidently used to managing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>such draperies; but Maurice found them awkward, and as -he sat down seemed rather ashamed of the effeminacy of -the dress. The King noticed this, and smiled broadly at the -Englishman’s want of dexterity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You do not like these?” he said, touching his own robe -lightly; “but, believe me, they are very comfortable within -doors in this climate. When you go out to look at my island, -I will supply you with a less embarrassing dress—more -adapted for walking and climbing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I like my legs to be free, sir,” observed Maurice, striving -to look at his ease in these long white draperies, whereon -Justinian laughed again at this naïve confession.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; we English are an active race,” he said, leaning -back in his chair, “and like all clothing to be tight and trig; -but indoors you will find these flowing robes more adaptable -than a shooting suit would be. When one is in the East, -one should adopt Eastern customs. For myself, I have become -a Sybarite in luxury since dwelling in Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where is Caliphronas?” asked Crispin, looking about -him for the Greek.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas? Oh yes; I forgot his travelling-name. A -count, is he not, of the Greek Empire? He took a fine name -to match his fine feathers. Well, Andros has just left me in -a fit of bad temper.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You do not appear to like Andros so much as you did, -Justinian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Greco-Englishman smiled significantly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Andros is—Andros,” he replied dryly, “and is anything -but reliable. What do you think of my handsome Greek, -Mr. Roylands?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think he is a scamp,” retorted Maurice briefly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How long did it take you to find that out?” asked Justinian, -without showing any sign of surprise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I did not find it out at all. He confessed his scampishness -himself with the most appalling <a id='corr191.35'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='cynicism.'>cynicism.”</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_191.35'><ins class='correction' title='cynicism.'>cynicism.”</ins></a></span></p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, as far as cynicism goes, Andros might be a boulevardier -soaked in absinthe. It is the soul makes the man, -not the surroundings. But never mind this scamp; I wish -to hear all about your cruise.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hasn’t Caliphronas told you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas has told me his version of the story, which -is all to his own credit; but those six sailors who are at -present in Melnos seemed to disagree with his praises of -himself, so I would like to hear what you two gentlemen -have to say.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>Whereupon Crispin, being the more fluent of speech, told -the whole story, from the time of the Greek’s arrival at Roylands,—narrated -the beginning of the voyage, the arrival in -Greek waters, the storm, the loss of the yacht, and the subsequent -treachery of Caliphronas. Daring the recital, Justinian, -with compressed lips, listened to it in silence, only -uttering a smothered exclamation of rage when he heard how -Caliphronas had cut the rope, and left those on board the -yacht to perish.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you, Crispin,” he said, when the poet brought his -narrative to a close; “your story is worthy of being told by -Ulysses at the court of Alcinous. I am glad you escaped -the fate intended you by Andros; but if he had succeeded, -I don’t think he would have dared to show his face here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin glanced at Maurice significantly, and Justinian -caught the look with his accustomed keen-sightedness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I speak for you as well as Mr. Roylands,” he said quickly. -“We did not get on well in the past, Crispin, but let us hope -we will be more friendly in the future.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The poet, considerably astonished at this unwonted emotion -of Justinian, accepted the proffered hand of the old -man,—although he did so with a somewhat doubtful air.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot forget you were kind to me in my youth, Justinian, -and brought me up; but I cannot understand these -sentiments, now so different from those you expressed when -we last met.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You were yourself to blame in the matter, Crispin. -Force is of no avail with me, and you came in a rage to -demand what I refused to tell you. I have been a wild man -in my day, but I am not so absolutely bad as you think me, -and it depends upon yourself as to whether I tell you what -you wish to learn.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have a right to know!” cried the poet impetuously.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That I question,” retorted Justinian, with a flash of his -keen eyes. “I will tell you or not entirely at my own pleasure; -but the tone you adopt will not make me answer your -questions. The storm cannot bend the oak, but the gentlest -breeze will make its branches quiver. Lay that parable to -heart in your demeanor towards me, Crispin, and all will yet -be well; otherwise—well, you know how you left last time.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man made no reply, but relapsed into moody -silence, whereupon Justinian turned to Maurice with a -winning smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must bring this obstinate boy to reason, Mr. Roylands. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>Believe me, it is as well we should be all firm friends -and allies, as I have reason to believe there will be trouble.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“From Caliphronas?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Exactly. He has made a demand of me which I refuse -to grant.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“About Helena?” said Crispin, suddenly looking up.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; did he tell you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He said you had made him a promise to give him Helena -for his wife, if he carried out your plans.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That’s a lie!” cried Justinian impetuously. “I said he -could pay his addresses to Helena, but the question of marriage -I left entirely in her own hands.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh,” said Crispin quickly, “that puts quite a different -face on the affair.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“At all events, Helena will never marry him,” said Maurice -abruptly, whereon the King turned on him in surprise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you know of Helena?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Only this,” replied Maurice, handing the portrait of the -girl to her father. “Caliphronas showed me that face, and -I fell in love with it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, you fell in love with it!” remarked Justinian in a -tone of satisfaction.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; in fact, it was that which brought me to Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian smiled in a satisfied way, but suddenly frowned.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So Andros dared to use this as a lure!” he muttered in -Greek; “well, he has succeeded to his own undoing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I thought you would think so,” said Crispin, who overheard -the speech; “as soon as I heard the reason of Andros’ -coming to Roylands, I guessed your intention.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How could you do that?” asked the old man quickly; -“you knew nothing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know all—Andros told me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Traitor!” said Justinian fiercely. “Well, Crispin, if -you do know, keep your own counsel until such time as I -choose to tell my own story.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I promise you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And in return I will, at my own convenience, tell you -what you desire to know about your parentage.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do this,” cried Crispin, springing up and clasping Justinian -by the hand, “and I will be your friend for life!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You had better be my friend for your own sake,” retorted -the King angrily; “united we stand, divided we fall. Remember, -Andros is your and my enemy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Alcibiades?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span>“Alcibiades would like nothing better than an excuse to -plunder Melnos. However, we are nine Englishmen, not -counting my Greeks, and I think with all we will be a match -for Andros, Alcibiades, and their brother blackguards.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This conversation took place in Greek, so was therefore -quite unintelligible to Maurice, who looked from the one to -the other in astonishment. On seeing this, Justinian turned -towards him with a courteous apology, and restored the -portrait.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As Andros gave you this, I will not deprive you of it, -Mr. Roylands,” he said politely; “but shortly I hope to present -you to the original.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now?” asked Maurice eagerly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; you must go and sleep this afternoon,” replied Justinian -authoritatively; “and you also, Crispin. After your -dangers of last night, you must be quite worn out.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, the bath and a meal have done wonders,” said -Crispin, yawning; “but I must say a few hours’ sleep would -complete the cure.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And when will we see Helena?” demanded Roylands -persistently.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This evening,” answered Justinian, taking him by the -hand. “We must be good friends, Mr. Roylands, for I like -your face. Tell me, do you resemble your father or your -mother most?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My mother,” said Maurice, rather astonished at this -strange question.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian looked at him steadily, then, dropping his hand -with a sigh, turned away, as if to conceal some sudden emotion. -After a time he recovered himself, and spoke sharply, -as if to atone for his faint-heartedness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come, come, gentlemen, be off to your rooms!” he said -testily; “sleep is what you need.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Helena!” said Crispin, as he and Maurice left the -court.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Helena!” repeated Justinian in a satisfied tone; -“yes, this is her husband, not Andros.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XVIII. <br /> <span class='fss'>VENUS URANIA.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>To rose-red sky, from rose-red sea,</div> - <div class='line in2'>At rose-red dawn she came,</div> - <div class='line'>A fiery rose of earth to be,</div> - <div class='line in2'>And light the dark with flame;</div> - <div class='line'>Then earth and sky triumphantly</div> - <div class='line in2'>Rang loud with men’s acclaim.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>A rose art thou, O goddess fair,</div> - <div class='line in2'>And bloom as men aspire,—</div> - <div class='line'>Red rose to those whom passions snare,</div> - <div class='line in2'>White rose to chaste desire;</div> - <div class='line'>Yet red rose wanes with pale despair,</div> - <div class='line in2'>And white rose burns as fire.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>After all that he had come through, Maurice found no -difficulty in inducing sleep to come to his pillow. The room -he occupied was one of those built by Justinian when he -renovated this antique fane, and the walls, floor, and ceiling -were of that fine-grained red sandstone of which the staircase -was built. The pavement was bare, save for Turkish -rugs scattered here and there, which lack of carpeting made -the apartment wonderfully cool and pleasant, but the walls -were draped with a heavy kind of woollen tapestry similar -to those in the court, saving that the color was a pale gray, -and the embroideries terra-cotta color to match the floor. -A wide window, shaded by Indian beadworked blinds, looked -out on to a pleasant prospect of forest which clothed the -side of the mountain, and the cool wind, heavy with aromatic -scents, stole into the room. It was also furnished in a -somewhat antique fashion, though here and there an anachronism -betrayed the nineteenth century, but the couch -whereon Maurice rested was purely Greek in design, and -lying on this in his white robe, with a purple coverlet flung -carelessly over his feet, he might have been taken for some -dweller in ancient Athens. True, the mustache on his lip -savored somewhat of the barbarian, but in all other respects -the comparison was close enough, for if his features were -not quite so classic in outline as those of Caliphronas, they -were sufficiently so to pass muster in the carrying out of -such fancy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Lying there with his eyes half closed, the young Englishman -<span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>in a drowsy fashion felt the balmy odors permeating -the warm air, and saw as in a dream the antique room, the -pleasant prospect beyond, which was but mistily seen -through the veiling beadwork blind. He was puzzled over -the kind reception accorded to him by this strange Justinian, -who he had been led to believe was a kind of modern -freebooter. No swarthy, fantastically-dressed, savage marauder -was this island king, but a gracious, courteous gentleman, -arrayed in the white robe of Socrates, with a winning -smile on his face, and polite words on his lips. Crispin -seemed to mistrust him indeed, but even Crispin seemed -somewhat astonished at the suavity of his greeting, and now -appeared inclined to recant his former dislike of the old -man. Maurice longed to have a confidential chat with -Crispin, and find out his feelings on the subject, as it was -evident that, far from inclining to Caliphronas, their host -seemed more disposed to side with them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Again, Maurice found it difficult to account for the old -man’s sudden liking for himself, for the satisfaction with -which he had received the information that his daughter’s -face had lured the young Englishman to his island retreat, -and for many other things.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mystery, mystery, nothing but mystery!” said Maurice -to himself, as he closed his aching eyes. “I cannot -make these folks out; but, at all events, King Justinian -does not seem to disapprove of my passion, and is inclined -to give Crispin the information he desires, so I trust all will -go well. Sooner or later I will solve all these problems -which are now so tantalizing; but, come what may, one -good thing is in store for me. I shall see Helena to-night!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A wave of sleep seemed to roll over his weary brain, now -relaxed from the terrible tension of the previous night, and -he gradually sank into a deep slumber, with the name of his -unseen goddess still on his lips.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then he dreamed strange dreams of romance, filled with -the serenity of Hellenic calm, which floated magically -through his brain, and made his slumber delightful with -forms of exquisite beauty. He was standing with Helena -in the temple of Athena, and together they touched the -knees of the undying goddess; but the face of Helena was -veiled, and he could see but vaguely the perfect features -which had hitherto been so clear in his dreams. Again, they -were wandering like lovers beneath the serene Attic sky, -beside the bright, gushing Ilissus, and he strove to kiss -<span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>her, the kiss of betrothal, but she faded away as did the -cloud-Juno in the arms of Ixion, and a voice blown by some -faint winds cried, “Love, but win.” Then he was on board -a galley, putting off from the green shore towards the purple -mists of sea, and Helena was lying in his arms, while the -Greek Caliphronas strove fiercely to snatch her from him. -Arrows rattled on the shields of his men, the watch-fires -blazed on the high mountain tops, and the air was hot with -the flame of battle. In his dream he saw the phantom of -himself lay down the cloudy Helena, and dash on the phantom -Greek with a mighty sword. A strident cry, a flash as -of flame dividing the night, then the phantom Caliphronas -vanished, and the galley was sailing, sailing far into the purple -night, while, clasped in each other’s arms, Helena and -himself murmured the songs of love, until they melted -ghost-like into the misty splendor of the sinking sun.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When he awoke, it was quite dark, and, springing from -his couch, he hastily took his watch to the window, and found -it was nearly eight o’clock, so his sleep had lasted over six -hours. Feeling greatly refreshed by this rest, he bathed his -face and hands in cold water, with the intention of going -outside into the delicious night air. That the moon was up -he could see by the doubtful glimmer of her pale light, but, -the shadow of the house being in front of her, she could not -be seen in her full splendor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Wondering where he would find Crispin, and whether that -gentleman was yet awake, Maurice stole quietly from his -room, and, drawing aside the curtains, looked out into the -middle court, where he saw a sight which chained him to the -earth. Not Paris sitting in judgment on Mount Ida saw -such a vision of loveliness as now appeared to the enraptured -eyes of Roylands. The picture—ah, that was but a pale -reflection of this rich, ripe, glowing beauty! Venus, the -goddess of love herself, yet with a touch of the chaste -purity of Artemis—not Venus Pandemos, with flushed face -and wanton glance, but Venus Urania, chaste, cold, pure, and -serene as the moon-huntress herself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The moon, hanging like a great silver sphere in the darkly -blue sky, shone serenely through the hypæthral opening of -the court, and in her pale light the ranges of white columns -glimmered like faint ghosts in the doubtful gloom.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Like a silver rod the fountain’s jet shot up to meet her -kiss, and the splashed waters of the pool trembled restlessly -with faint flashes within the marble marge. The cold, sweet -<span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>odors of the flowers made the night air drowsy with their -perfumes, and a distant nightingale began to trill deliciously -in the still beauty of the evening. But the onlooker saw -not the moon, the fountain, or the solemn range of pillars; -he had no ears for the liquid notes of the unseen bird; for -his eyes were fixed in an enamoured gaze on a tall, beautiful -woman, who stood with upturned face gazing at the sky.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In that tremulous light she looked more than mortal in -her spiritual loveliness—some goddess of ancient Hellas -once more visiting the dear-loved islands of the Ægean—perchance -Aphrodite herself, haunting the fane of her husband -Hephaistos. To add to the plausibility of this fantastic -idea, this girl was draped in the long white chiton of -antique times, and her golden hair, dressed after the fashion -of the Venus of Cnidos, was bound with triple bands of silver, -while her slender arms, bare to the shoulder, were devoid -of any ornament. So fair, so pure, so ethereal she appeared, -that Maurice might well be pardoned for deeming her some -pale sweet spirit of classic times, haunting the scenes of her -former life, and listening, as she had done in the past, to the -golden notes of the divine nightingale, thrilling to ecstasy -the heart of the dusk.</p> - -<p class='c001'>For a few minutes Maurice stood spellbound in the contemplation -of this lovely incarnation of Venus Urania, then -inadvertently made a movement which made the girl start -from her rapt attitude, and look in his direction. Being thus -discovered, he came forward to meet the awakened divinity, -looking himself, in his sweeping robe, like some young -disciple of Plato or Parmenides. To his surprise and delight, -this beautiful woman, with a smile on her exquisite -face, came forward to meet him half-way with outstretched -hands.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are Mr. Roylands,” she said in English, with a delicate -sweetness in her voice that seemed to shame the notes -of the nightingale, at least, Maurice thought so; but then, -in his amazement, he was scarcely capable of cool reflection.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I am Maurice Roylands,” he replied, taking both -her outstretched hands within his own; “and you are -Helena.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am Helena,” she repeated gravely, drawing him a little -to the left, so that the moonlight fell on his face. “You -can have no idea how anxious I was to see you, Mr. Roylands. -I do so love to see one of my countrymen.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you English?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span>“Yes,” said Helena proudly, dropping his hands, much to -his regret; “my father is English, so I am also, although -my mother was a Greek. Still, I have spoken your language -all my life, and have been brought up like an English girl, -so I must be English.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She spoke in a tone of such conviction that Maurice -began to laugh, in which merriment she joined freely.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My father would not tell me anything about you,” she -resumed gayly; “and as you are the first Englishman that -has come to Melnos, I was anxious to see what you were -like.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope your anxiety has been repaid,” observed Maurice, -with a smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, indeed it has. You are very good-looking, especially -when you smile.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Roylands was rather taken aback by this naïveté, and, -being unaccustomed to such direct compliments, blushed like -a girl, much to the amusement of Helena, who stood looking -at him with clear, truthful eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you not like me saying that?” she observed innocently. -“Andros always likes to be told he’s good-looking.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I am not so conceited as Andros—at least, I trust -I am not,” answered Maurice, quite touched by her rustic -innocence; “but, you know, ladies in England do not speak -so—so—very plainly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do they not? Why, do they tell their friends they are -ugly?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice roared in spite of her presence, upon which she -looked at him rather reproachfully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is too bad of you to laugh at me, Mr. Roylands,” she -said pettishly; “you can’t expect me to be like an English -lady after living all my life at Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are much more charming than any English lady I -know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A charming smile dimpled the corners of her mouth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Really! Ah, I see it is the custom for the gentlemen to -pay compliments to the ladies, not the other way about. I -must not tell you you are good-looking, but it is quite proper -for you to say I am charming.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well—that is—really, you know, I hardly know what -to say,” said Maurice, finding himself somewhat in a dilemma. -“The fact is, neither English men nor women pay each other -compliments at all—at least, it’s not supposed to be good -form.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span>“What is good form?” asked Helena innocently.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I must undertake your education, Miss Justinian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not Miss Justinian. You must call me Helena.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, is that so? then you must know, Helena, I am not -Mr. Roylands—you must call me Maurice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Maurice! Maurice! Ah, that is much nicer to say than -Mr. Roylands. Yes, I will call you Maurice. I like Maurice,” -she continued reflectively; “yes, I like Maurice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am very glad you like me,” he said artfully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I mean the name,” replied Helena, laughing at what -she thought was his mistake. “But tell me, Maurice, do -you now feel quite well?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, thank you. The sleep of this afternoon has quite -cured my fatigues of last night.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, it must have been terrible!” said Helena, with a -shudder; “papa told me all about it. I was so glad when -Andros told us of your safety.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My safety, or that of Crispin?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I was glad for both your sakes, and indeed I am very -fond of Crispin. You know, we are just like brother and -sister.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you? Well, will we be brother and sister?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh yes,” she answered, frankly putting her hand into -his; “I will be very glad to have another brother.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice felt a trifle disappointed at this calm acquiescence -in his audacious proposal, but, finding her little hand within -his own, clasped it warmly; whereupon she suddenly seemed -to feel a touch of maiden modesty, and withdrew her hand, -blushing shyly. Certainly she was the most ingenuous, -delightful woman in the world, and Maurice was quite fascinated -by this timid audacity, which was so different from -the artificial modesty of many girls he had met. She was -Undine without a soul, she did not know the meaning of life -in any way whatsoever, yet, like some gentle wild thing, she -started back with an instinct of caution when his touch thrilled -her virgin soul with a deeper feeling than friendship. Both of -them felt tongue-tied and awkward, Helena at the strange, -unexpected feeling which made her heart beat and her -cheek burn, Maurice with regret for having even unconsciously -permitted his touch to convey anything further than -the brotherly friendship of a man for a pure young woman.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fortunately for them both, Crispin, alert and cheery, -entered the court with Justinian, and they came towards the -couple with careless unconsciousness. Justinian, indeed, did -<span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>cast a rapid glance at the flushed faces of the pair, which -betrayed their late emotion, but, far from being angry, an -imperceptible smile passed over his lips, as if he were quite -satisfied that this should be so.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena!” said Crispin, coming forward and kissing her -hand; “I am so delighted to see you again! You are more -lovely than ever.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Maurice says English gentlemen do not pay ladies compliments.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t they?” answered Crispin humorously. “My dear -Maurice, that storm last night must have destroyed your -memory. So you two have met?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Quite unexpectedly,” declared Maurice hastily. “I came -to look for you, Crispin, and, glancing into this court, I saw -Helena, so we have been talking ever since.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Maurice has been telling me about England,” said -Helena, clapping her hands together with a burst of girlish -laughter, delicious as the carol of a thrush.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Maurice! Helena!” repeated Justinian, smiling. -“Really, you young people are getting on very well together.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your daughter had some difficulty in saying Roylands,” -said Maurice apologetically.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you do not know Helena’s other name, eh?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is her other name, sir? If you don’t like me to -call her Helena, shall I say Miss”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You can say Helena,” answered Justinian shortly; “she -has no other name.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; we are simple people here,” observed Crispin mischievously, -“and dispense with such cumbersomeness as two -names;—Justinian, Helena, Crispin, Andros; so you, Roylands, -will drop your harsh English surname, and be henceforth -known as Maurice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am quite content to be so as long as Helena speaks the -name!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Another compliment!” laughed Crispin gayly; “I -thought, according to you, gentlemen never paid ladies -compliments?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This is the exception to prove the rule.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena,” said her father suddenly, “where is Andros?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not know. He was here an hour ago, and said he -would be back to supper.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is supper-time now,” said Justinian, moving towards -the side entrance. “You must be hungry, gentlemen. I -trust you feel quite recovered?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span>“Speaking for myself, I do,” answered Maurice brightly; -“that sleep has quite set me up. And Crispin”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Subscribes to all you have said, and feels as hungry as a -hunter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hark! there is Andros,” observed Helena, placing one -white finger on her lips, in which attitude she looked like -some exquisite statue of Silence; “do you hear him singing?”</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“The rose is shedding its crimson leaves,</div> - <div class='line'>Sadly they fall at the caress of Zephyrus;</div> - <div class='line'>And I, O beloved, shed tears in plenty,</div> - <div class='line'>Feeling thy kiss on my mouth;</div> - <div class='line'>For I must lose thee—ah, I must lose thee!</div> - <div class='line'>Another richer than I desires to wed thee,</div> - <div class='line'>Therefore do I shed tears, as the rose sheds her crimson petals.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“An omen!” breathed Justinian under his breath, as the -Greek drew aside the curtain of the main entrance; “he will -not marry Helena!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Against the dark draperies veiling the archway the slender -figure of the handsome Greek stood out in bold relief. He -also had assumed a robe of white, and, with his clear-cut -features and graceful pose, looked the incarnation of that -delicate Greek adolescence whereof Pindar sings in his -Olympian Odes. As he caught sight of Maurice standing -near Helena, he frowned perceptibly, and advanced hastily, -as if to come between them, but, meeting the keen, significant -look of Justinian, he faltered in his hasty step, and broke -into a charming smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you waiting for me?” he said cheerfully, as they all -went to have supper. “I have been down in the valley -speaking to your sailors.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are they all right?” asked Crispin anxiously, for carelessly -gay though he seemed to be, he was terribly disturbed -at the loss of so many lives in the storm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, they are quite happy. All your subjects, Justinian, -are making heroes of them, especially the women, much to -the dismay of the men of Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope they won’t be getting into trouble,” said Justinian, -with a frown. “I want no quarrels here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then you had better go and see about them to-morrow, -for if this hero-worship goes on, trouble there certainly will -be.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And doubtless you would be very glad to see such -trouble,” thought Justinian to himself, as he eyed Caliphronas -<span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span>with a doubtful face. “I must lose no time in putting -things to rights. Trouble at this juncture would play -into your hands, my friend.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was a very merry party that night, as even Caliphronas -seemed to forget all his jealous feelings with regard -to Maurice, and lay himself out to be entertaining. The stern -face of Justinian relaxed, and Helena, full of girlish glee, -was evidently quite charmed with this handsome Englishman -who had arrived so unexpectedly in Melnos. As for Crispin, -he was very happy, for he now began to hope that Justinian -would tell him all he wanted to know, and thus sweep away -all obstacles to his union with Eunice. In fact, one and all -laid aside their secret cares and plans to indulge in light-hearted -merriment at the simple meal. Simple it was in -every way, and yet infinitely charming, consisting as it did -of goat’s flesh, white bread, golden honey, fresh cheese; and -for drink, that strong resinous Greek wine, which Maurice -found so rich for his palate, that he was fain to follow the -temperate example of Caliphronas, and mingle it with water.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After supper they all went out into the court, and with -the exception of Caliphronas, began to smoke Turkish tobacco -provided by Justinian, who was rather proud of his Latakia, -while Helena, seating herself on the marge of the fountain, -joined gayly in the trifling conversation in which all indulged -out of sheer light-heartedness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the end of the court a charcoal fire burned in a kind of -tripod, and, perfumes being cast thereon, a thick white -smoke ascended like incense to the clear sky. Near this -stood Caliphronas, and the red light streaming on his statuesque -face, his white garb, made him a very striking figure. -The other gentlemen were seated decorously in chairs, and -the moon streaming down on their snowy robes, on the -exquisite upturned face of Helena, produced an effect quite -antipathetical to their excessively modern conversation. -Pale moon, glittering stars, solemn court, soaring incense;—they -should have been a company of philosophers talking of -the destiny of the soul, of the sacred festivals, and unseen -deities; but, by the law of contrast, they talked nothing but -frivolity, and laughed at their own light badinage; Helena’s -girlish laugh ringing clear above the deep tones of the men.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I was wrong,” said Maurice to himself, as he watched -this perfect girlish picture; “she is not Venus, but Nausicaa, -and I am a modern Ulysses at the court of Alcinous.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you worshipping at the altar of Vulcan, Caliphronas?” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span>called out Crispin to the Greek, who stood almost -veiled in the clouds of incense.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No,” said Caliphronas, walking forward in his stately -fashion; “I have no love for the swarthy god of the Cyclops. -For me, Venus!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pandemos!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Or Urania, I care not which, provided the goddess is -herself,” replied the Greek coolly. “Ah, we all worship -those old pagan gods, who were but the incarnation of our -own desires. You, Crispin, bow to Apollo; Mr. Maurice, -you adore the Muse of Sculpture, of whose name I am ignorant; -and Justinian loves the supreme Zeus, who gives power -and dominion.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I?” asked Helena gayly; “whom do I worship, -Andros?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The inviolate Artemis!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There’s a good deal of truth in what you say,” observed -Justinian serenely; “but I should have thought your deity -was Hermes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The remark was so pointed that Caliphronas winced, but -at once smiled gayly and replied in the same vein,—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Venus and Hermes—Love and Trickery! Well, doubtless -the one helps the other.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Such aid is not always effectual,” said Justinian significantly, -whereat the Greek shrugged his shoulders, but made -no reply.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, for my part,” observed Helena reflectively, “I do -not worship Artemis so much as I do Demeter. There is -something grand about the earth goddess who causes the -earth to break into the glory of flowers.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think she must have been here,” said Maurice, looking -round at the profusion of flowers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, these are all my treasures, Maurice. I adore flowers, -and there is not a nook in Melnos where I have not hunted -for blossoms. Yes, even up to the verge of the snows, -where grow tiny saxifragas. Wait till you see our harvest—our -vintage—then you will see Mother Demeter in her -glory.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you celebrate those festivals?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” said Justinian quickly; “I keep up all the old -Greek customs, though, of course, I adapt them to the needs -of my people. The Bacchanalia of Melnos do not include -the debauchery of Athens, nor are the Anthesphoria anything -more than innocent flower festivals.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>“In honor of Proserpina,” exclaimed Helena gayly. -“Crispin, do you remember the Flower Hymn to Demeter -you wrote long ago?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, very well; but I’m afraid my poems were very bad -in those days. Can you remember it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course; but not in Greek, in English, I translated it -myself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sing it, Helena,” said her father, and his request was -eagerly seconded by the whole company, especially by -Maurice, who was anxious to hear a voice which he was sure -would outvie the nightingale.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena clasped her hands round her knees, and, lifting up -her face to the stars, began to sing in a clear, sweet voice, -which, though entirely untrained, had a trill in it like the -liquid notes of a bird.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in14'>I.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Wild roses red as dawn</div> - <div class='line in2'>When nymphs awaken,</div> - <div class='line'>Frail lilies white and wan</div> - <div class='line in2'>As love forsaken.</div> - <div class='line'>With primrose pale and daffodil,</div> - <div class='line'>Forget-me-nots from hidden rill,</div> - <div class='line in2'>And blossoms shaken</div> - <div class='line'>By wintry breezes thin and chill,</div> - <div class='line'>From orchards on the distant hill,</div> - <div class='line'>With flowerets richer, rarer still,</div> - <div class='line in2'>From thy breast taken,—</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in14'>II.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Brave marigolds who in the fields</div> - <div class='line in2'>Outstay the swallow,</div> - <div class='line'>Sunflowers whose burning shields</div> - <div class='line in2'>Do eye Apollo,</div> - <div class='line'>With pansies dark as honeyed wine,</div> - <div class='line'>And reeds beloved by Pan divine</div> - <div class='line in2'>For pipings hollow;</div> - <div class='line'>Wild olive, laurel, scented pine,</div> - <div class='line'>All these I offer at thy shrine,</div> - <div class='line'>If thou wilt smile on me and mine,</div> - <div class='line in2'>And blessings follow.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>When her sweet voice died away, an emulous nightingale -began to sing as if in rivalry, and Helena burst out into girlish -laughter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you like my translation, Crispin?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is charming—much better than the words.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span>“No, indeed!” said Maurice, who was enchanted with the -song and the singer; “as Wordsworth would say, it is a very -pretty piece of paganism.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, that faint praise is worse than blame.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, gentlemen,” said Justinian, rising from his seat, “I -am going to retire to rest, as I cannot do without my sleep. -Old age is not like youth, you know. Helena!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am going, father,” she cried, springing to her feet. -“Good-night, Andros—Crispin! good-night, Maurice!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“‘Good-night, and sweet dreams be thine,’” murmured -Maurice from some poet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Their departure was a sign of breaking up, for Caliphronas, -not feeling inclined for a conversation with two men he disliked -so much, went off immediately; and after they had -finished a last pipe, Maurice and Crispin sought their repose.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well,” said Crispin, as they parted, “what do you think -of Helena?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Think of her!” echoed Maurice in an indescribable tone. -“That she is simply perfection, far above what you told me. -If your poetry is not better than your description, Crispin, it -must be poor stuff.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are bewitched, Maurice. Beware the spells of -Circe.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Circe! No! she is no malignant enchantress, but a beautiful -girlish angel.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nausicaa!” said Crispin gayly, and went off to bed.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XIX. <br /> <span class='fss'>A MODERN ARCADIA.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Courage, my poet!</div> - <div class='line'>The age of iron is not yet supreme,</div> - <div class='line'>For youth still throbs in the old veins of Mother Earth, wan and weary with sorrowful centuries.</div> - <div class='line'>Tho’ girdled our world by wires multitudinous transmitting the swift message</div> - <div class='line'>of electricity;</div> - <div class='line'>Tho’ the straight and curved lines of the railway run parallel along the immensity of continents for the advancement of culture;</div> - <div class='line'>Tho’ ships, steam-driven, even against storms, plough the waters of perilous oceans;—</div> - <div class='line'>Yet somewhere beyond the confines of our selfish civilization</div> - <div class='line'>There lies an Arcadia among the lone mountains, or perchance encircled by tideless seas,</div> - <div class='line'>Wherein dwell delicate beings who know not ambition or avarice,</div> - <div class='line'>And work but for bread—for bread alone, tempering such toil with singing melodious, and merry pipings at sundown.</div> - <div class='line'>Therefore, courage, my poet!</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>They were early risers in Melnos, for in that invigorating -climate it was impossible, even for the most indolent, to lie -sluggishly in bed, and the sun was hardly above the eastern -horizon before Justinian, his household and guests, were -seated at breakfast. Helena was not present, having already -gone out in the deliciously fresh morning air on some expedition -connected with flowers; so the meal was a strictly -masculine one, and the four men made their plans for the -day. Crispin and Caliphronas decided to remain at the -Acropolis, as they were already well acquainted with the lions -of the island, the one to write letters, the other to await -the return of Helena, over whose movements he kept watch -with all the jealous solicitude of a doubtful lover; and Maurice, -in company of Justinian, went down to the valley, in -order that the Englishman might be shown all the wonders -of this unique place.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The white indoor robes of the previous evening were now -discarded in favor of a serviceable costume similar to that -worn by the rough Cretan mountaineers,—long boots of -brown leather, loose blue trousers thrust therein at the -knees, a red sash, white shirt of wool, and blue jackets, -together with a flowing capote and hood to cover the head -when the sun grew unpleasantly strong. Justinian wore a -red fisherman’s cap with a gold tassel on his white locks, but -Maurice was supplied with a large gray felt sombrero, the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>shade of which was very grateful. The island king looked -truly regal in this picturesque dress, with his long gray -beard, his sun-tanned skin, fierce black eyes, and reverend -locks; lithe and active as a young man, he carried his burden -of sixty-five years with the greatest of ease, and as he walked -beside Maurice, with a light springy step, the sculptor began -to think that his companion must have discovered the secret -of perpetual youth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They walked leisurely along the mulberry avenue, in the -direction of the entrance to the tunnel, and enjoyed the exquisite -coolness of the morning, for the sun was not yet over -the shoulder of the mountain, and the cup was still in comparative -shadow. Notwithstanding this, however, the air -was warm, and balmy with the scent of aromatic herbs, -which delightful temperature rather puzzled Maurice, as it -did not agree with the marked absence of sunlight for a -greater part of the morning, and he mentioned this to -Justinian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly we do not get much of the sun in the morning -owing to the mountain,” answered the old man, stroking his -silver beard; “but in the middle of the day, and most of the -afternoon, his beams are very powerful, for at noon he is -right above our heads, and the western side of the Melnos -Peak is so low, that until near sunset his rays stream on the -valley.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He pointed to the west, and Maurice saw that the high -peaks fell away into a kind of low semicircle, which enabled -them, from their position, to catch a glimpse of blue sea and -distant island. On each side of this gap, however, the jagged -summits stood up stern, rigid, and snow-clad against the -delicately blue sky, girding the valley at the same height all -round, save at the western side before mentioned.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Still,” said Maurice pertinently, “the sun is still below -the eastern side of the mountain, yet the air is quite warm.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Cannot the temple to Hephaistos solve the riddle?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, you mean that the island is volcanic!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; this is the crater of an extinct volcano, extinct for -thousands of years, for even when the temple was built, the -fires must have died out, or its builders could hardly have -placed it on the inner side of the crater. It is the volcanic -character of Melnos that makes it so warm and fertile. You -see the slopes are covered with corn, vine, olive, in profusion, -while dates, lemons, orange-trees, citrons, and all such delicate -plants grow wild without cultivation. This valley is the -veritable Horn of Plenty so lauded by the Hellenes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span>“If we are to believe the ancient historians,” said Maurice -gravely, as he looked at the fertile sides of the mountain so -admirably cultivated, “this was also the case with the crater -of Vesuvius, yet it proved to be still active.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! do you think Melnos will break out again?” -observed Justinian, with a shade of thought on his fine face. -“Indeed we have earthquakes occasionally, but not much to -speak of. I fancy the islands of the north are more of a -volcanic centre than these; still the volcano may break out -again—in that case I am afraid all my work will go for -nothing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is this island entirely your work?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Every bit of it,” answered the old man emphatically. -“Forty years ago, I came into these waters to look for this -extinct volcanic island, of which I had received full information -from a wandering Greek, who knew Melnos well. I -duly sighted it, and, having landed, I climbed up to the summit, -when I discovered this enchanting valley, also the -Temple of Hephaistos still in a tolerably good state of preservation. -I had left England smarting under a sense of -injury, from—from—well, it was about a woman; and I -swore never to return to it. Always of an uncivilized disposition, -I determined to fix my home here, and, being possessed -of plenty of money, I bought this island of the -Turkish Government at a pretty heavy price. They were -anxious for money, especially as it was after the Greek War -of Independence, which had emptied the coffers of the Sublime -Porte; besides which, the Ottomans did not care about -this barren rock, which was of no use to them in any way; -so I bought it, and settled in the old temple, where I have -now dwelt for forty long years.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But this community—the tunnel?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All my works! I have, so to speak, carried out the projects -of Goethe’s Faust. Ah, you are astonished at my referring -to that, but I am a University man, Mr. Roylands, -and have not yet forgotten my learning. <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><i>Et ego in Arcadia -fui</i></span>, and know the ancient colleges of Cambridge, the oozy -Cam, and the delights of a town and gown row.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have had a strange career.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A very happy one at all events. It was fortunate my -superabundant energy found vent in the direction of making -this island blossom like a rose, otherwise I would have remained -a restless adventurer to the end of my days. I could -not settle down to the placid life of an English gentleman; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>I wanted room to breathe, opportunities for daring, work—gigantic -work—to do; and I found them all in Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have carried out your self-imposed task nobly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am glad you think so. Yes; I trust I have been of -some use in my generation. And, at all events, I have -erected one thoroughly happy, peaceful spot,—a modern -Eden,—and that is no easy thing to do in this riotous -century.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is a modern miracle!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And it was little else, seeing that all these gigantic works -had been planned and carried out by a solitary human being; -for by this time they were at the entrance to the tunnel, and -as Maurice looked down the enormous flights of red limestone -steps, which led to the valley below, he was truly -amazed at the engineering science displayed by the man -beside him. Flight after flight, now to right, now to left, -stretched down the gentle slope of the mountain, and these -mighty stairs were all carefully finished with heavy balustrades -of the same material, neatly joined together. At certain -platforms, statues of white marble, pedestalled on red -blocks, stood up in proud beauty, and, seeing his guest’s eyes -fixed on these heroic forms, Justinian laughed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am a bit of an antiquarian, Mr. Roylands,” he explained -as they descended, “and all over these islands I pay men -to dig among ancient ruins for statues, which I do my best to -restore, and then place here. This Apollo, for instance,” he -said, as they paused before a life-sized nude figure holding a -lyre, “was found at Delos and brought to me. True, the -Greek Government claim all these things, but I do not see -why I should not secure them if possible, and I am sure they -look better in this enchanted valley than in some stuffy -museum.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice, with sculptor-like enthusiasm, would fain have -lingered before this masterpiece of Greek art, but Justinian -hurried him impatiently away.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You will have plenty of time to look at them again,” he -said as they resumed their descent, “but at present I have -plenty to show you. I am glad you like my staircase.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is wonderful, but I think the tunnel is still more -so.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; it is a fine piece of engineering,” said Justinian -complacently. “You see it was impossible to constantly -climb up over the peaks, which involved waste of time, and -a weary ascent, so I got an engineer from England, supplied -<span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>him with plenty of Greeks, and they finished that tunnel in -five years. I am very proud of it, I assure you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What about the gate in the middle of it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is absolutely necessary, not so much now as -formerly, but forty years ago the Ægean was very lawless, -and the government could not put down the pirates. -Of course, hearing a rich Englishman had bought Melnos, -those rascals thought it contained all kinds of treasures, and -have made frequent assaults on it. Fortunately I have -always managed to beat them off. I think the rascals have -a wholesome dread of me now,” finished the old man grimly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now I suppose there is no danger of any attack being -made.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not so sure about that. King George’s Government -is more feared by these scamps than was King Otho’s; but, -though the majority of them have disappeared, there are -still some left who would like to storm Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Alcibiades?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you know of Alcibiades?” asked Justinian -sharply.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nothing more than that he is an equivocal character. -Caliphronas told me so much.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Andros! Yes, he is far too friendly with that scamp of -an Alcibiades, who is an excessively dangerous man. I do -not trust Andros, and he knows it; so, out of sheer anger, -he may urge Alcibiades to assault the island. An enemy -without, a traitor within—it is very dangerous.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you distrust Caliphronas, why don’t you turn him -out?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have no proof against him yet, but I fancy he has -some scheme in his mind. Believe me, Mr. Roylands, if you -have a stomach for fighting, I fancy there will be plenty of -opportunity for you to indulge in it shortly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, as for that, I should like nothing <a id='corr211.34'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='better?'>better.</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_211.34'><ins class='correction' title='better?'>better.</ins></a></span>”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I like that,” said Justinian decisively; “you are a true -Roylands!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I trust so. But how do you know the Roylands are a -fighting family?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All Englishmen fight, more or less,” answered Justinian -carelessly; “besides your name is a Norman one, and -descendants of William the Conqueror’s vassals are always -soldiers. Hitherto you have led a quiet and peaceful life, -but if we do have an island war, I don’t think you will be -the last to help me defend my kingdom.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>“You can rely on that—nor Crispin either!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Crispin!” replied Justinian, a trifle disdainfully; -“he is too much a man of peace to suit my fancy. But here -we are at the village.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By the way, how did you populate this new Rome of -yours?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, in the old days I was rather a celebrity in the islands,—a -kind of insular Lord Byron,—and of course had my -followers. When I settled here, I made all my followers -come also, and admitted none but young men. They brought -their sweethearts and wives, so gradually the community -grew up here. Recruits come from time to time, but I -admit none but those who are physically perfect and passably -moral. We now number, with women and children, two -hundred souls, and you will not find a deformed or lame person -among the lot.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then you have no old people?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh yes. I am old myself, and many of my followers are -of the same age. We were all young men in those days of -colonization, but now age has come upon us, as you see. -Some of my old comrades have died, but many are well and -hearty, thanks to the salubrity of this climate. They are the -sages of the village.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Local rulers, I suppose?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No,” retorted Justinian, with fiery earnestness; “there -is only one ruler in Melnos—myself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>They were now walking down the principal street of the -village, a broad thoroughfare, running between two rows of -red limestone houses, from the foot of the grand staircase to -the blue lake, the distance in all being about a quarter of a -mile. On each side, between the pathways and the road itself, -ran two lines of elm trees, the foliage of which formed a -pleasant shade, while the houses, built in a tropical fashion, -with wide verandas, were gay with flowers. Helena had evidently -inoculated her father’s subjects with a love for flowers, -as on every side the eye was dazzled with a profusion of bright -tints. At the lower end of the street was a wide semicircle, -facing the lake, and planted with lines of beech, elm, and -plane trees, while in the middle of this pleasantness stood a -tall pedestal of white marble, bearing a huge bronze Zeus, -seated half-draped, with thunderbolt and eagle beside him. -Indeed, the statues of gods and goddesses were so frequent, -that Maurice began to think his eccentric host, in order to -complete his revival of ancient Athens, had re-established -<span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span>the hierarchy of Olympus, with himself as Pontifex Maximus. -Evidently his face betrayed his thoughts, for, seeing his eyes -fixed on the garlands decorating the base of the statue, the -King laughed in an amused manner.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, no, Mr. Roylands, we are not pagans, in spite of the -presence of the gods,” he said, with a smile. “All my -people belong to the Orthodox Church, and we have a priest, -a sacred building, and everything necessary for such religion.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you also of the Greek Church?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, I am no renegade,” replied Justinian haughtily; -“but, at the same time, I am not what you would call a -Christian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But I trust your religious principles are not those of -Caliphronas?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; I believe in working for the good of others, as you -can see. Morally speaking, I am what you call an agnostic, -though truly I believe in a supreme power. I erect my altar -to τὸν ἄγναστον Θεόν, Mr. Roylands, and strive to propitiate -him by helping my fellow-creatures.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The conversation now becoming rather delicate in its -trenching on religious beliefs, Maurice turned it dexterously -by remarking on the number of mulberry trees.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Those are for the silkworms,” explained Justinian, striking -the trunk of one of these trees with his staff; “we export -a great number of cocoons, and do a large trade with the -mainland. We also weave silks for ourselves; the factory is -to the right.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>There were a great number of people in the streets, all in -a similar dress to their own—that is, the men, for the -women were mostly arrayed in the graceful Greek dress of -the Cretans, which consisted of full white trousers reaching -to the ankle, brightly colored tunics, embroidered jackets, -gaudy handkerchiefs twisted round the head, and long white -veils, though the latter were but assumed for festive occasions. -Both men and women were very fine-looking, with -oval faces, olive skins, somewhat pointed chins, and aquiline -noses, and their gait was remarkably graceful, with the -stately bearing of a free race. The adults all saluted Justinian -respectfully, and he acknowledged their greetings -with haughty condescension, although he unbent somewhat -towards the children, who crowded round him with cries of -“Kalli imera Kyrion!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are as populous as a hive of bees,” said Maurice, as -they walked down to the lake; “soon the island will be too -small.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span>“Not for many years I hope and trust,” answered Justinian, -casting a look round at the now sunny sides of the -mountain, which encircled them like a cup. “There is -plenty of room yet; for my colony, in spite of its forty years, -is only yet in its infancy. Lots of room yonder for dwellings; -the soil is fertile, and affords plenty of food, and as to -necessaries from the outside world, we export olives, cocoons, -silks, wine, and dittany, receiving in return what we require -from more advanced civilization.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Dittany! what is that?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid you don’t know your Virgil, Mr. Roylands. -Dittany is an herb of rare medicinal power, which is found -in Crete, and also in Melnos. It is excellent for illness of -all kinds, especially fevers, and is as valued now as it was in -the days of Pliny. Plenty of it up in the mountain yonder, -as the goats are very fond of it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Have you goats?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course! and also sheep, though I am afraid the goats -are the more numerous. Indeed, I have imported here some -of the rare Cretan breed—a kind of ibex, which grows to a -great size. These, of course, I will not allow to be killed; -but for food we have plenty of the smaller wild goats, such -as exist in many places in Greece, particularly on the summits -of Olympus. You probably forget we had goat’s flesh -for supper last night.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And the lake, sir?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Artificial purely.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sea-water?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh dear no. The level of this valley is considerably -above that of the sea. I should be sorry were it otherwise, -as, were it lower, we might run a chance of being swamped -by the influx of waters. I am sure Alcibiades and his friends -would be delighted to drown us like rats if they could. This -lake comes from the snows yonder.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The snows?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Precisely. I have had a reservoir constructed far below -the snow-line, and a shoot into it from the summit of the -mountain. At certain intervals I send men up, who detach -great masses of snow and send them down the shoot into the -reservoir. There the heat of the sun soon melts them to -water, and from thence the water is taken down to the -lake.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But water always rises to its own level.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hence you think my valley should be an entire lake; but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span>there is no danger of such a catastrophe happening, as my -reservoir is filled in a purely artificial manner, and I take -care to keep it within bounds. The pipes also down to this -lake are contrived so as to regulate the influx of water, therefore -there is no fear of a flood. Now you must come and -see the theatre.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The theatre! Have you playwrights and actors here?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Our playwrights date from old Hellenic days, and are -called Æschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides; the actors are -my Greeks. Sometimes Crispin writes us a play bearing on -local events, which he satirizes after the style of Aristophanic -comedy—at least he did so when he lived here, but -since his departure we have fallen back on Hellas for our -plays.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How often do you give performances?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Only once a year, at the vintage feast. Oh, we follow -old customs closely here, and I hope to show you a veritable -Dionysiade before you leave us. We have a three days’ festival -of simple mirth, without any of the coarse elements -which were introduced by the later Hellenes. The first day -we have the vintage festival, the second our plays, and on -the third there are Olympian games.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“With what prizes?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As of yore, the laurel wreath. I am particularly anxious -to keep up these games, as it makes my Greeks athletes, -and hardens them by muscular exercises, else in this lotus-eating -valley they would be apt to become indolent, and -then where would Melnos be without brave men to defend -her?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are a perfect Spartan!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I believe in the Spartan training to a great extent, but I -do not think the body should be trained exclusively and the -mind neglected; therefore I have the tragedies performed -which were unknown to Sparta. The Spartans were a fine -nation of materialists.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are right!” said Maurice earnestly; “one should -never let the material nature overpower the spiritual.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You speak warmly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As I was taught. My mother was a religious woman, -and trained me carefully. One cannot rid one’s self of -youthful teachings; we may forget them for a time, but -they always force themselves before the mind sooner or -later.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not always. I also was taught as you, but forty years -<span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span>of solitude—comparative solitude—and pondering have -turned me into what I am—an agnostic. So your mother -was a good woman? is she alive?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; she died many years ago.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And your father?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is also dead. I am an orphan. No relations in the world—at -least, none I care about.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian gazed at the young man as if he would read his -very soul, then, turning away with a half-suppressed sigh, -entered the theatre.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was modelled on that of Athens,—a large semicircle -hewn out of the volcanic rock, with seats of the red limestone -so frequent in Melnos. The stage faced the mountain, -and had an altar beautifully sculptured in front of it, and -life-sized statues of Dionysius and Phœbus on either side.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This is our Temple of Thespis,” said Justinian, as they -stood in the centre of the semicircle, which was at a moderate -distance from the stage. “You see it is not very large, and -suitable to the size of the island and the number of population; -so, as the actors can easily be seen, we need neither -cothurnus nor mask. Our plays, I am afraid, are not so -gigantic as those of ancient Hellas; but there is one advantage, -the face is seen, and the Greeks are wonderfully expressive -in revealing their feelings by the countenance.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All Melnos seems to be built of this red stone.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; I get it from the cliffs of the island. The tint is -pleasing, and warms up the landscape. I am sorry we cannot -see the ocean from the theatre, as I am very fond of the -sea; but, shut in by this circle of mountains, of course that -is impossible. Now we must go and see the silk factory.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>After they had gone through this thoroughly,—for Justinian -insisted upon Maurice taking notice of every detail,—the -King showed him some hot springs just outside the village, -which bubbled up from the earth, amid rugged blocks -of black lava, streaked fantastically with sulphur.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“These springs are full of medicinal properties, which are -useful for the cure of many diseases,” he said, as they -watched the light clouds of steam rising; “but we of Melnos -are so healthy, that we rarely use them. Plenty of work, -plenty of physical exercise, careful attention to births, and -fresh air and water in abundance, keep the whole population -in splendid health. It is a case of quality, not quantity.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Have you any poets, painters, sculptors?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not yet. True, sometimes rude songs are made, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>rude pictures painted, but I am afraid centuries of slavery -have crushed all the creative power out of the Hellenic race. -However, they are free here, and have a city of refuge in this -island; so, in the future, who knows but what Melnos may -become a second Attica, and have her Plato, her Sophocles, -her Phidias!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It will take years to develop all that genius,” said Maurice, -as they once more began to climb up the staircase.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid so. And I dread who may come after me. -I am old, and cannot live long; so when I die, unless my successor -is actuated by the same desire to found a miniature -Attica, as I have been, he may turn this place into a nest of -robbers, in which case, I am afraid, King George’s Government -would interfere, and the aspirations of Melnos to revive -Hellenic culture would be at an end.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who is to be your successor?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That I do not know. True, I have a daughter, but it -needs a man to manage my Greeks. I took Crispin and -Andros, in order to train them up as my heirs, but Crispin -has become wealthy, and prefers to live in England; while -Andros, or, as he now calls himself, Caliphronas, is nothing -but a scamp. If he succeeded me, all my work would go for -nothing. He would be a tyrant, a robber, a selfish seeker -after pleasure, who would destroy the simplicity of Melnos, -break all my laws, and transform it into a nest of criminals.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Surely you have some clever men among your people?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Clever to serve, but bad to rule. None of them have the -administrative power required for even so small a community -as this. No; to succeed me, I must have an Englishman. -We are a dominating race, fit to rule; and a glance round -the world will show you our colonizing capabilities. By a -cool head and a firm hand, I have transformed a barren island -into a centre of prosperity; and if my successors only follow -my policy, in a few hundred years, this little unknown island -may become the centre of a great intellectual power. The -Athenians, you know, were small in number, yet see the intellectual -effect they produced in the world’s history. These -Greeks of mine are descendants of the ancient Hellenes, and -the spark of genius, nearly trampled out by centuries of -Turkish misrule, is still within them. Place a plant in the -dark, and it grows not; give it plenty of air and sunlight, -and first the green leaves appear, then the bud, lastly the -flower. These are my green leaves, which I have placed in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>the light; and let them be tended and looked after, who -knows but what a glorious flower may be produced.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is a splendid—dream!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A dream which may yet turn out truth,” answered Justinian, -with energy. “See how well I have prepared the -ground. My people here are physically perfect; their morality -is much above what is to be found in the islands of the -Ægean. I have taught them to love work and loathe idleness. -The island they dwell in contains all the beauties of -nature in a small space. ‘Infinite riches in a little room,’ -to quote Marlowe. They are starting fairly under my guidance, -and they will develop, as their prototypes of Athens, -into a keen, cultured, intellectual race, who may give this -modern world as splendid gifts of genius as did their fathers -of old. But the plant needs fostering, and I, the gardener, -alas! am growing old; so when I die, who will attend to this -delicate flower of artificiality. What I want is to find a successor -who will do as I have done.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He will be difficult to find.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I fear so; unless”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>Here Justinian paused abruptly, and walked rapidly along -the mulberry avenue, in which they were now. Maurice -waited to hear him speak, but he said nothing until he stood -under the graceful Corinthian capitals of the temple pillars, -when he suddenly came to a full stop, and looked at Maurice -keenly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mr. Roylands, do you know what I think?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That it would be an excellent thing for you to give up -your country-gentleman life in England, and come here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But for what reason?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To be my successor.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice stared at him in open-mouthed astonishment, but -in another moment Justinian vanished.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XX. <br /> <span class='fss'>A DIFFICULT QUESTION.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>If you this question strange decide,</div> - <div class='line'>This way, that way, at your pleasure,</div> - <div class='line'>It surely cannot be denied,</div> - <div class='line'>If you this question strange decide,</div> - <div class='line'>That Fate’s prerogative’s defied,</div> - <div class='line'>And thus may grudge your self-won treasure,</div> - <div class='line'>If you this question strange decide,</div> - <div class='line'>This way, that way, at your pleasure.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>Certainly Maurice felt in a somewhat embarrassing position, -on hearing of Justinian’s offer to instal him as future -King of Melnos, and he hardly knew what decision to make -in the matter. At present the affair was so unexpected and -bewildering that he hardly grasped the fact of its reality, -and remained where he was, leaning against a pillar, wondering -if he was asleep or awake. He had come to an unknown -island of the Ægean Sea, and therein had beheld a -miniature civilization of a most unique character, which in -itself by its very fancifulness was enough to unsettle his -calm reasoning powers, when lo! the man who had created -this vision of dead classicism proposed to bestow it on him -as a gift. There was something singularly tempting in this -offer, especially to a man of Roylands’ artistic temperament; -for here, in this sea-girt island, he could lead a life of dreamy -seclusion, and work at his art amid these rejuvenated Hellenic -times, which breathed all the serenity and calm necessary -to foster the craving soul of genius. In the riotous -modern world of England he had often felt like an alien, -and his work, imbued with modernisms, seemed feeble and -meretricious after those masterpieces of Greek art which -still remain to remind us of the supremacy of Attic sculptors -in delineating the human figure. Devoted to his art, had -Maurice been asked by some fairy to name his desire, he -would certainly have demanded to be placed in kindred circumstances, -calm, untroubled, serene, to those masterly -Athenian creators who adorned the Parthenon with god-like -forms. Lo! without the intervention of an unseen power, -his wish had been unexpectedly gratified, yet, now that the -boon long dreamed of was gratified, he hesitated as to the -advisability of accepting it.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_220'>220</span>It was difficult for him to make up his mind, from the -very contrast of the two existences which lay before him, -either of which he could begin from that moment, by a mere -acceptance of the one or the other. On the one hand was the -turbulent nineteenth century, full of invention, discovery, -feverishness, anguish, ambition, like a terrible yet fascinating -dream, which involved the straining of every nerve to attain -a thankless end; and on the other hand were years of quietness, -of dwelling in a modern paradise under a serene sky, -with all the incentives to awaken and foster his artistic soul, -a reconstruction of that calm Attic existence which seemed -so far off and mist-like beyond the stormy waters of mediævalism -and modern restlessness. Maurice, always impressionable -to his surroundings, felt as did the Ulyssean sailors in -the lotus-land, when they were loath to leave the drowsy -island for fruitless toilings on the main; he thought this -serene existence of Melnos, unvexed by the tumults of nations, -was perfect: yet the ambitious spirit of the nineteenth-century -interest in his being called out to him to come forward -and take his place in the fierce fight for fame, for gold, for -bread, which vexed the world of to-day. Peace or war—for -social war it was in this modern struggle for existence—he -did not know which to choose, and, leaning against that relic -of the old classic times, when earth was young, fresh, and -joyous, he dreamily pondered over the choice offered to him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Had Keats, that born Greek, been offered the chance of -dwelling in this Hellenic Elysium, how eagerly would he -have accepted, and revelled in the serenity of the life, like -one of his own young deities, who live so joyously in his -delicate verse. Perhaps Heine, longing for the infinite -charm of the antique on his mattress-grave in the Rue -d’Amsterdam, might have accepted with joy this opportunity -to dwell in the placid Greek world he loved so well, and -of which he sang so mournfully, so exquisitely. But no!—Heine, -bitter, dual soul as he was, had too much of Judaism -in his soul to accept gladly a serene existence, unflavored by -that bitter irony, those pen and ink wars, those modern -sophistries in which his spirit delighted. Keats—yes! for -he was a born Hellene. Heine—no! for the genius of the -Jew fought ever with the genius of the Greek to master his -soul, and his irony, his orientalism, his Shiraz roses, and -blue Ganges, would have rendered him restless even under -the changeless blue of the Attic skies, amid the divine -beauty of serene Hellenic art.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_221'>221</span>Maurice was neither Keats nor Heine, yet partook of the -nature of both. He was not a genius, having just escaped -the fatal gift of artistic supremacy, still, he had a strong -craving for the beautiful, a wish to create, a desire to know; -but in his soul the blind craving of Keats for Beauty and -Truth was marred by that fatal scepticism which blighted -the genius of Heine. He had the faith of the one, the doubt -of the other, and, drawn strongly either way by these opposing -forces, paused irresolutely between the two. First he -would accept and live the old Hellenic life, then he would -refuse, lest such life should lack the sharp, salt flavor of -modern existence. An ass between two bundles of hay was -Maurice, but, unlike that animal, he knew that each bundle -contained what the other lacked, and, greedy of both, doubtful -of both, afraid of both, he was quite unable to make up -his extremely unstable mind.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A man in such an embarrassing position always makes up -his otherwise wavering mind to one thing, and that is, to -ask advice, though in nine cases out of ten he never means -to take it when given. Maurice was not sure if he would -accept advice, yet nevertheless went to seek Crispin, in -order to lay the matter before him, and ask what he thought -was the best course for him to pursue. Crispin was wise, -Crispin was friendly, and, moreover, had tried both the ancient -and the modern modes of existence, as his youth had -been spent in Melnos, his early manhood in civilized Europe; -so surely Crispin, with a knowledge of both sides of the -question, was the best to decide for the one or the other.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All the morning Crispin had been hard at work on a formidable-looking -epistle to Eunice, in which he told all his -perils and adventures, the departure from Southampton, the -voyage down the Mediterranean, the wreck of The Eunice, -and their safe arrival at Melnos. In addition to this narrative, -worthy of Marco Polo at his best, he related the comforts -in which he and Maurice were now dwelling, in order -to set the mind of that gentleman’s friends at rest; but, with -considerable craft, the wily poet did not put in any words of -loverly affection, as he knew well the Hon. Mrs. Dengelton -would read the letter before giving it to her submissive -daughter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In order to circumvent his future mother-in-law, Crispin -intended to write a separate letter to Eunice, full of his passion, -and then slip it into an epistle by Maurice, whom he -intended to get to write to the Rector. Mr. Carriston was a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_222'>222</span>friend to the lovers, and would doubtless be able to deliver -the letter unseen by the dragon; thus Mrs. Dengelton would -be thwarted should she try to destroy Eunice’s affection -for the poet by keeping back his letters.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Near Crispin sat Gurt, at the open window, chewing the -quid of reflection, and looking excessively dismal, as he -found this semi-classical existence somewhat dull, and moreover, -true seaman as he was, viewed a prolonged sojourn on -land with much disgust. He brightened up, however, when -Maurice came in, and twisted his forelock in approved forecastle -fashion with a scrape of his foot.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Which I ses t’ this ’ere gent,” growled Gurt in his raucous -voice, “‘w’ere is he?’ meanin’ you, sir, and Mr. Crispin -ses he, ‘Oh, he’s gone down t’ valley,’ so ses I, ‘He’ll -see the crew,’ and ses he, ‘It’s werry likely.’“</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m very sorry, Gurt,” said Maurice in some dismay, -“but the fact is, I’ve been exploring the village with Justinian, -and quite forgot to see after our mariners.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wish you had done so, Maurice,” said Crispin in a -vexed tone, looking up from his writing; “the poor fellows -will think we have forgotten all about them.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, we will go down this afternoon,” replied Maurice -hastily. “I’ve no doubt they are all right down there. Lots -of food and liquor and pretty girls! eh, Gurt?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin laughed and stroked his chin thoughtfully, while a -gleam of humor shone in the solitary eye of the mariner.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I seed,” said Gurt, addressing no one in particular, “as -light a little craft as I ever clapped eyes on, gents. Her -deck lights raked me fore and aft, they did.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Justinian will rake you fore and aft,” observed Crispin -dryly, “especially if you make eyes at his womankind. -This is a virtuous island, Gurt.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, sir, I ain’t a-goin’ agin’ it, sir,” growled Gurt -reproachfully. “I care nothin’ for the petticoats. I don’t. -Now if it was Dick, now”—here the old sinner cast up his -eyes, as if unable to guess at Dick’s enormities.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, that is the smart young boatswain,” said Maurice -quickly. “I’m glad he is all right. Why don’t you go -down and see him, Gurt?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Beggin’ your pardon, gents both, but I dunno the bearin’s -of this ’ere island.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Go along the mulberry avenue,” said Crispin, as Gurt -waited for an explanation, “and when you come to a flight -of steps near the tunnel, go down them. When you’re -<span class='pageno' id='Page_223'>223</span>in the village, you’ll soon find out your comrades, and tell -them Mr. Roylands and myself will come down to see them -this afternoon.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Right y’ are, sir,” answered the seaman, going to the -door with another nautical salutation. “I don’t want Dick -a-comin’ up here to cast anchor aside my little craft.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You’ve begun early, Gurt,” observed Maurice, taking a -seat. “What is the name of your little craft?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Zoe, sir; she’s maid to Miss Helena.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you can go away with a contented heart, Gurt,” -said Crispin, laughing. “Dick won’t see her if he comes here -in your absence. She’s gone up the mountain with her -mistress.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Right y’ are, sir,” said Gurt again, all of him except his -head behind the curtains of the doorway. “I don’t trust -Dick. He’s a fly-away chap, gents both, and a deal sight too -handsome for my idea, sirs.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The head vanished, and Crispin laughed uproariously.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That mahogany image is jealous, Maurice,” he said, throwing -himself back in his chair. “Behold the power of love! -Why, Zoe wouldn’t look at him; and if that good-looking -young bo’swain comes on the scene, I’m afraid old Cyclops’ -chance will be but a poor one.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Zoe’s gone up the mountain with Helena?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; on some flower-gathering expedition. They have -been absent some hours, so Caliphronas has gone to look for -them.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Confound his impudence!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, you are as jealous of the mistress as Cyclops is of -the maid! However, you need not be afraid, for Helena -hates our Greek friend, and I shrewdly suspect she has taken -an uncommon liking to you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nonsense!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s a fact, I assure you. Love in her eyes sits playing, -so if you love her, and she loves you, no power can cut your -love in two.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Except Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, he is rather in the way; but I’ve no doubt Justinian -will settle him. By the way, where is Justinian?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He left me at the steps, after making me a most extraordinary -proposal.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Indeed! and this proposal?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ll tell you all about it shortly. What are you doing?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Writing to Eunice. This,” laying his hand on the letter, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_224'>224</span>“is a proper epistle which might be published to all the -world, and is prepared especially for the pacification of my -dear mother-in-law that is to be. I, however, want you to -write to our mutual friend, Mr. Carriston, and enclose a note -of mine meant for the eyes of Eunice alone. The Rector is -our friend, and will manage to give it to her unknown to -Mrs. Dengelton.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I will write with the greatest of pleasure, and enclose -your letter. Besides, I wish to ask the Rector’s advice -on a very important matter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can guess what that important matter is,” said Crispin -gayly; “but why not ask my advice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am going to, in a few minutes. By the way, to revert -to the letters, how are you going to get them posted?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Justinian has a felucca laden with currants, silks, -and what not, going to Syra to-morrow,—Syra, you know, -is the great mercantile station of the Cyclades,—and these -letters will go in charge of the skipper. From Syra they will -easily go to England by the French packet, via Marseilles.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Have you any other letters to write—I mean about the -shipwreck?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course; I have written to my solicitors, telling them -all about the wreck, and instructing them to see the insurance -people; but I suppose nothing can be done till I go -back to town myself, and take all the survivors with me. -They, I suppose, will have to give all kinds of evidence -about the smash-up of The Eunice before the insurance -money will be paid.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What about Martin’s relations and the dead sailors’?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am writing about that also. By the way, Maurice, we -must get Justinian this afternoon to take his men and go -down to the sea-shore to look after the bodies of those poor -fellows. It seems horribly heartless of us talking and laughing -like we did last night, when so many human beings have -lost their lives.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It does rather, Crispin; but if we had mourned it would -not have made much difference. Hang it! that sounds -rather cruel. Crispin, I am afraid a semi-barbaric life is -making me heartless.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The poet said nothing, but, with a sad expression on his -face, stared at the table. It did seem heartless for them -both to be light-hearted and merry when Martin and the majority -of his brave crew had gone to the bottom; but there -was some excuse, for they themselves had narrowly escaped -<span class='pageno' id='Page_225'>225</span>a similar fate, and that in itself was enough to make them -buoyant. After all, the dead are dead, and crying will not -bring them back; but both the Englishmen determined to -search for the bodies that very afternoon, and give them -Christian burial, which was the only thing they could really -do for their lost comrades.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What about those sailors?” asked Maurice, suddenly -looking up.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, they must remain here until we can find some chance -of sending them to Syra. In fact, I’m not sure if I won’t -tell my agents to send me out another yacht to replace The -Eunice, and then they can all ship on board of her.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You extravagant fellow; another yacht! Even twelve -thousand a year will not stand such reckless use of money.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I won’t lose anything,” replied Crispin cheerfully. -“I am not too much of a poet to neglect business, and The -Eunice was heavily insured. When the money is paid by -the underwriters, as it must be on my return to England, it -will go a long way towards the purchase of another boat.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So much for the buying; but can you trust your agents -to get you a yacht as good as the one you have lost?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps not in an ordinary case, but fortunately the twin -ship to The Eunice is in the market, and resembles her in all -respects. That was a few months ago, so if she is still to be -had, I will instruct Danton & Slabe to purchase her on my -behalf, and send her to the Piræus. Then, when we are tired -of Melnos, we can cross over to the mainland, and have a -cruise up the Black Sea before returning to England.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That does not sound as if you were anxious to see -Eunice,” said Maurice dryly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will be very glad to see Eunice again,” answered Crispin, -reddening slightly; “but the fact is, I have a small -scheme in my head to get Eunice and her mother, in company -with Mr. Carriston, to come out to Athens in my new -yacht.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But with what idea?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well,” said Crispin, looking down, “the fact is, Maurice, -I do not trust your aunt.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As to that, I don’t blame you,” answered that lady’s affectionate -nephew quietly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If she sees a better match for Eunice than I am,” resumed -Crispin calmly, “she will force the poor child into a -marriage, and give me the go-by. Mind you, Maurice, I love -Eunice dearly, and in my eyes she is nearly perfect, but I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_226'>226</span>cannot conceal from myself that she has a somewhat weak -nature, and is dominated by her terrible mother. Once she -is my wife, and away from that influence, she will learn to -be more self-reliant, and less biassed by other people. Now, -I see perfectly well that there is going to be trouble here -about Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I agree with you there. Caliphronas evidently wants to -marry Helena, who does not like him; and, moreover, Justinian -refuses to favor the marriage in any marked degree, -so Caliphronas is just the kind of sneaking scamp to go -over to Alcibiades, and, if possible, make trouble.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If that is the case, we are here for some time, and as I -see you take the same view of it as I do, you must perceive -that we are here for some months. If, then, I am -away from England all that time, Mrs. Dengelton will certainly -try to persuade Eunice that I will not come back, and -marry her to some one else. However, if I can get Eunice -out here, I think I can trump Mrs. Dengelton’s best trick. -Do you think, if I instruct my agents about the yacht, and -write to Mrs. Dengelton and the Rector, that they will come -out to Athens?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As to that, I am not sure,” replied Maurice slowly, “but -I trust so, with all my heart, as I wish to ask the Rector’s -advice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So you mentioned before, and promised to ask mine. I -will be delighted to give it to you, so tell me what is the -matter. Helena?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Partly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hum! Caliphronas?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Partly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ho, ho! and Justinian?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A very pretty trinity,” said Crispin, lighting a cigarette. -“Well, what’s to do?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice tilted his chair back against the wall, and followed -Crispin’s example with regard to tobacco, and prepared for -a long talk on—to him—a serious subject, viz. the settlement -of his future life in one way or the other.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“First of all,” said Maurice slowly, “I have been all over -the village with Justinian, and I cannot tell you how amazed -I am. That such a community, that such great works, should -owe their origin to one man, is, I think, a miracle. This -dream of Justinian’s regarding a new Hellas may or may not -come to pass, but he has certainly laid the foundations of a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_227'>227</span>small independent state in a wonderfully judicious manner. -What his real name is, I, of course, do not know, but the one -he has taken certainly suits him admirably; he is a Justinian—a -born law-giver, and his system meets all the requirements -of this simple community. As he says himself, so -long as he is at the helm, things will go on all right, but -should he die—which at his age is not unlikely—the success -or failure of this infant intellectual state depends on his -successor. A wise, clear-headed man will carry out the -scheme to a successful issue; but a hot-tempered, selfish -ruler would doom the whole thing to destruction. Justinian -told me that he had brought up both you and Caliphronas as -his successors; but as to yourself, you went in search of fame -and love in England, and severed yourself entirely from his -island community.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I did not know Justinian desired me to succeed him,” -said Crispin in a tone of wonderment; “but even had I -known, I hardly think things would have gone differently. I -am a poet, not a ruler; and Napoleons are made of stronger -stuff than mere bards piping their idle song, and letting the -world go by. No; Justinian never hinted at such a thing; -and I always thought that he favored Caliphronas as the heir -to his island throne.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas!” echoed Maurice in a tone of deep disdain. -“No; Justinian is too keen a judge of character to mistake -our Greek goose for a swan. He told me himself that -he does not trust Caliphronas, and more than suspects him -of having an understanding with that rascal Alcibiades -regarding the capture of Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The deuce!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; you may well be astonished; but, from what I -have seen of Caliphronas, I believe it is quite likely to happen, -the more so as this handsome Greek’s vanity will receive -a severe blow when he is refused—as he certainly will be—by -Helena. Well, you can see that Justinian will not have -Caliphronas to succeed him on his island throne, so, you two -candidates for the purple being thus disposed of”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes?” asked Crispin curiously, as Roylands hesitated.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He wants me to ascend the throne when vacant.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Myself! Are you not astonished?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin twirled his cigarette in his fingers, looked thoughtfully -at the red tip as if consulting it as an oracle, and then -made slow reply.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_228'>228</span>“Yes, and no. Justinian evidently sees in you a clear-headed -man, who would carry out his scheme if you honorably -promised to do so. He is English, you are English, and -he trusts none but his own countrymen, so I cannot say that -his offer to make you his successor startles me very much.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But, my dear Crispin, granted I have these capabilities -you so kindly gift me with, of which I am doubtful, Justinian -has only known me two days, and a clever man as he is -could scarcely come to a conclusion so quickly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Justinian is a good judge of character, and can tell the -nature of a man in five minutes, where you or I would take -five years in the search. Besides,” added the poet, with -an imperceptible smile, “he may have another and stronger -reason.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You mean Helena, I suppose?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Now Crispin did not mean Helena at all; but as what he -did allude to was not his own secret, he let Maurice believe -that his supposition regarding Helena was the right one.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, yes; I suppose Helena is a reason.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think he would let me marry her?” asked Maurice -breathlessly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am certain he would,” answered Crispin, looking straight -at his companion; “quite positive. But you—what about -yourself?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I love her dearly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Two days’ acquaintance—you love her dearly! Is that -not rather sharp work?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Two days!” echoed Maurice contemptuously. “I have -known her longer than that. I fell in love with her portrait, -as you know, and resolved, if she had the qualities I -thought she had from her face, I would marry her. From -what I have seen of her, I am certain she has those qualities, -and would make me a good wife, provided always she consents -to marry me. Beautiful, pure, charming, simplicity -itself; oh, my friend, she is indeed a prize I may think -myself lucky in winning!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When a man is in love,” said Crispin intensively, “it is -no use reasoning with him; and, as regards Helena, I quite -approve of all you say. She will make you an admirable -wife; but, think to yourself, how will this uncultured, simple -girl look beside the cultured ladies of England?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is the very point about which I desire to ask your -and the Rector’s advice,” said Maurice eagerly. “Will I -marry Helena, and accept the post of governing this island? -or will I marry Helena, and go back to Roylands?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_229'>229</span>“In any case, I see it is ‘marry Helena,’” rejoined his -companion dryly; “but really I hardly know what to say. -Life here is charming and indolent. You like charm and -indolence, so why not stay here? On the other hand, you -have your ancestral acres, your position in the world, to think -of, and if you value these more than a life in this delightful -Castle of Indolence—well, go back.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t know what to do.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I have given you my advice, and, as is usual in -such cases, you will not take it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is such a difficult question.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Granted! but you will have to decide one way or the -other shortly. One thing is certain, that it would be beneficial -to your art.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is true enough.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“After all,” said Crispin seductively, “what better life -can you desire? A ready-made kingdom, small and compact—a -delightful climate—obedient subjects—a lotus-eating -existence—and Helena!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is delightful—but duty?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh!” cried Crispin, shrugging his shoulders, “of course, -if you are going to invoke that bogie, I have nothing further -to say. Ask the Rector.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you think he will say?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin burst out laughing, and, sauntering to the window, -threw his burnt-out cigarette into the green grass beyond.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Did ever any one hear such a man? My dear fellow, I -cannot tell you what the Rector will say. He is an ardent -Hellenist, with his Aristophanic studies, and may say, ‘Stay, -by all means!’ On the other hand, he is an English Church -clergyman, with strong opinions as to the absenteeism of -landlords, and the duties they owe their tenants, in which -case he will certainly make you come back. But in either -event you will have your dear Helena.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m not so sure of that, Crispin. If I refuse Justinian’s -request, he may refuse me Helena.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly; that is not impossible,” replied Crispin, returning -to his writing. “However, I will write to my agents -about the yacht, to Mrs. Dengelton and the Rector about -their joining us at Athens. At my invitation the Rector -may not come, at yours he will.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because you, my dear, simple old Maurice, are the apple -of his eye; and if you write him on the question of your -<span class='pageno' id='Page_230'>230</span>staying here, he will certainly hurry out at once, so as to see -for himself how matters stand, and advise you for the best.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will you write as you intend? and I will also send a -letter to Carriston.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t forget to enclose mine,” said Crispin warningly. -“Remember you are to that extent responsible for my wooing -with Eunice. Will you write your letter now?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A delicious burst of girlish laughter sounded from the -court.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena!” cried Maurice, rising up so quickly as to upset -his chair.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Go away! go away!” said Crispin resignedly; “no chance -of your writing now with that sound in your ears. But, as -the boat does not go till to-morrow, you can have a holiday -with Helena this afternoon; therefore, go away.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas is with her,” said Maurice, hesitating.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And has been all the morning. Faint heart never won -fair lady, so if you don’t oust your rival, I am afraid she will -be married by him under your nose.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m hanged if she will!” cried Maurice angrily.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was a second burst of laughter, upon which Crispin, -with raised eyebrows, shrugged his shoulders, pointed to the -door, and resumed his writing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice paused irresolutely, looked at the poet, and then -darted out of the door like a swallow, to find Helena standing -alone in the court, with her arms full of flowers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have been flower-hunting on the mountains,” said -Helena graciously; “and this wild rose is for you.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_231'>231</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXI. <br /> <span class='fss'>CAPTAIN ALCIBIADES.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Sir! there are three degrees of robbery,</div> - <div class='line'>With different names, but meanings similar:</div> - <div class='line'>For he who does his thievish work himself</div> - <div class='line'>Is but a common foot-pad! quite unfit</div> - <div class='line'>To mix in gentlemen’s society.</div> - <div class='line'>A bandit, brigand, robber chief, is he</div> - <div class='line'>Who has a dozen men or so to rule,</div> - <div class='line'>And steals your daughter, burns your tenement,</div> - <div class='line'>Or holds you prisoner till a ransom’s paid.</div> - <div class='line'>But he who, having armies at command,</div> - <div class='line'>Robs brother monarchs of their territories,</div> - <div class='line'>Is called a conqueror, because he thieves</div> - <div class='line'>Upon a large and comprehensive scale.</div> - <div class='line'>Thief, brigand, conqueror! believe me, sir,</div> - <div class='line'>The size o’ the theft is all the difference;</div> - <div class='line'>For, call them what you please, they’re criminals.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>Justinian, having ascertained all particulars about the -wreck of The Eunice the previous day, had sent a number -of men to look after the bodies of those unfortunates who -had been cast up on the beach of Melnos, and now, in company -with the three young men, and the surviving sailors, -went to the sea-shore in order to give the corpses decent -burial. Conducted by a body of his Greeks, bearing torches, -he went down through the tunnel, and speedily arrived at the -outer entrance, from which a sandy beach sloped down to -the harbor. Not that it was exactly a harbor, but Justinian -had aided Nature to form one, by erecting a breakwater -from the end of a jutting promontory, which breakwater, -built of huge undressed stones, ran out in a curve into the -tideless sea, and thus embraced a calm pool of water, which -sufficiently protected ships at anchorage. Beyond, the ocean -at times was rough enough, and at stormy seasons dashed its -white waves over the rocky mole, but within that charmed -circle there was no danger, and the smallest boat was as safe -there as it would have been on the serene waters of a mountain -lake. This was the work of the English engineer who -had planned and carried out the piercing of the tunnel, and -Maurice could not withhold his admiration at the perfection -of the whole scheme, for without this breakwater it would -have been impossible for any sized craft to cast anchor off -the craggy coast of the island.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_232'>232</span>“I have two harbors of this kind,” said Justinian, as they -looked at the small boats, feluccas, and caïques which filled -the pool; “one you see, the other is on the opposite side of -the island. As it faces to the west, of course it suffers more -from storms than this one, but I built it in order to facilitate -escape in time of trouble should the tunnel be taken by -assault.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hardly understand.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There are only two ways of getting into the interior of -Melnos. The one is by this tunnel, the other is a pass which -cuts through the western side of the mountain where it falls -away in a semicircle, as I showed you. Owing to the height -of the peaks around, their ruggedness, their being covered -all the year round with snow, it is impossible for any outside -enemy to climb over them. This tunnel and the western -pass are the only modes of ingress and egress, as I have -explained. Should this tunnel therefore be forced, and we -find ourselves unable to defend the island, all we have to do -is to retreat through the pass I told you of, down to the harbor -on the other side, where there are plenty of boats ready -to take us to a place of safety. Of course I trust in the -courage of my Greeks, and the difficulties an enemy would -encounter in capturing the tunnel, so I hardly expect such a -contingency as flight by the western pass would occur; still, -it is always as well to be prepared for emergencies.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have thought of everything,” said Maurice admiringly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Danger sharpens a man’s wits,” replied Justinian coolly; -“and when I first came to Melnos, I was surrounded on all -sides by rascals of the Alcibiades type.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Alcibiades is only a smuggler,” observed Caliphronas, -who was listening to this discourse.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Alcibiades is whatever pays him best,” retorted the king -in great ire; “it is only fear of King George’s Government -that keeps him from hoisting the black flag, and making -these islands of the Ægean a nest of iniquity. I believe you -are a filibuster at heart yourself, Andros.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Greek laughed consciously, but did not contradict the -old man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am like Alcibiades, sir,” he said at length, “and go in -for what pays me best—Mr. Maurice there knows my sentiments -regarding life.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do; and very bad sentiments they are!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wonder what you would say to the views of Alcibiades!”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_233'>233</span>“He may carry his views more into practice than you do,” -retorted Maurice warmly, “but I defy them to be worse.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian laughed at the blunt way in which Maurice -spoke, so Caliphronas, having his own reasons for keeping a -fair face to the old man, discreetly held his peace, and they -all trudged along the beach, towards the place where the -bodies of the ill-fated sailors lay.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The mast of The Eunice was still above water, but the -yacht herself lay far below the blue sea, where she would -probably remain until there remained nothing of her save the -engines, which would of course defy time and the ocean, -until between them these mighty destroyers rusted them -to nothing. From the position in which she lay, and the -general calmness of the water, it is probable the yacht -could have been set afloat again; but the Greeks of the -Cyclades have not sufficient energy for such a task, and the -underwriters would no doubt rather pay the insurance money -than waste more in an attempt to raise the wreck from the -depths below.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Twelve bodies had been thrown up by the sea, but the -rest of the crew—with the exception of the ten sailors, including -Gurt—were buried deep in the ocean. Far up in -a sheltered nook, under the red cliffs, twelve graves had been -dug in the soft sand, and in these were the ill-fated seamen -laid. Martin’s body was not among them, and it doubtless -lay in a sailor’s grave nigh the island, encircled by sand, -seaweed, and many-colored shells. The funeral ceremony -did not take long, but, as Justinian refused the office, -Maurice undertook the task of chaplain, and, with a voice -full of emotion, read the beautiful burial service of the -Church of England over the remains of the dead sailors, -which were then covered up, and roughly-made wooden -crosses placed at the head of each humble grave, with the -name of each and date of death carved thereon. All those -present stood bareheaded during the ceremony, even the -Melnosians, who were gentlemen enough not to offend the -prejudices of the strangers wrecked on their rugged shores.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Everything having thus been done, in order to show -respect to the dead, Justinian and his party returned to the -entrance of the tunnel, and Dick, the smart young boatswain -before mentioned, attached himself to Maurice, for whom he -had a great admiration. Dick had received an education -much above that of the average British tar, and Maurice -found him a very companionable fellow, but one who bore a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_234'>234</span>great hatred for Caliphronas, as he seemed to think the -lively Greek was the cause of all the misfortunes which had -overtaken The Eunice.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A kind of Jonah, sir!” said Dick in a whisper, for Caliphronas -was walking just ahead of them with Justinian; -“if we’d a-chucked him overboard, I don’t believe the boat -would have gone ashore.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come, Dick, you cannot say the Count had anything to -do with the storm.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I don’t know, sir,” replied Dick doubtfully, “but -I don’t believe in him one bit. Why, sir, he cut that rope -on purpose!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know he did!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“D—n him!” muttered the boatswain in a tone of suppressed -rage; “why don’t you have it out with him, sir?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can’t very well, Dick. Doubtless he cut that rope, as -you say, on purpose; but he was so overcome by terror that -he might not have known what he was doing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He’s a coward, sir—a miserable coward! and he wasn’t -overcome so much by terror, as not to save his own life. -How long do we stop here, sir?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can hardly tell you. Mr. Crispin has sent to England -for a new yacht, which will proceed to Athens. I expect -we will be here at least a month.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Lord bless you, sir, I don’t mind! It’s a jolly sort of -place, though I can’t say I like their sour wine, but the girls -are pretty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Dick, Dick, you are too inflammable! Take care you -don’t get into trouble over these women. Greeks are jealous, -you know!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Dick grinned, as much as to say he considered jealousy of -little moment where a pretty woman was concerned, and -then asked Maurice a question which made that gentleman -laugh heartily.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You don’t happen to know a girl here called Zoe, sir?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Gurt has been speaking about her,” said Roylands -with a smile; “she is Miss Helena’s maid, and Gurt has laid -his heart at her feet.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She won’t have anything to say to a battered old hulk -like that, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps you think a tight young craft like you would -succeed better. Now, Dick, you behave yourself. I’ve no -doubt all the girls in the island are in love with you, so leave -Gurt’s ewe lamb alone.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_235'>235</span>“Oh, I’m not going to poach on Gurt’s preserves, sir,” -said Dick apologetically; “but the way he brags about Zoe -is sickening, and I want to have a look at her. She must be -the beauty of the island.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice had his own opinion as to who was the beauty of -the island, but, of course, did not impart such information to -Dick, who, after respectfully saluting, fell back among his -brother sailors, and began to tease the one-eyed Gurt about -Zoe, a proceeding which had but little effect on that hardened -mariner.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The boat which was going to Syra that day was now lying -in the harbor ready to start, and Justinian went on board to -give some final orders to her captain, while Crispin also -accompanied him, in order to place his bundle of letters in -charge of the skipper. He had told Justinian about his proposed -purchase of another yacht, a proceeding of which the -astute ancient much approved, as, if any of the anticipated -troubles came to pass, the yacht would be useful to bring -soldiers from Syra to aid him in defending the island.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your sailors can stay here until the new boat comes out,” -said Justinian thoughtfully; “for if Caliphronas, as you call -him, plays the traitor, we will require as many men as we -can to defend ourselves.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But Alcibiades has not an army.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Alcibiades knows all the scum of the Levant, and I have -no doubt can get a few hundred scamps together. They have -no fear of the Government, for if they stormed and took -Melnos, after plundering the island, they would only have to -dissolve again among the population in order to escape. No -one could accuse them of their teacup war.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But have we weapons for our men?” asked Crispin, -with considerable trepidation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian smiled grimly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When we go back to the Acropolis, I will show you my -armory. I have plenty of guns and pistols of the most modern -construction, and many of my Greeks are good shots too. -Oh, I haven’t neglected the useful for the ornamental, I -assure you. What are you looking at?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Alcibiades.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Alcibiades!” cried Justinian, with a roar like a lion, -looking towards the shore, where a number of men were -standing, among them a heavy-looking fellow talking eagerly -to Caliphronas. “So it is. I wonder what brings the rascal -here! I must get him away from Melnos at once. Crispin, -Roylands, get into the boat—there is no time to lose!”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_236'>236</span>The active old man rapidly delivered his final orders to -Captain Georgios, and then hastily scrambled down to the -boat, followed by the two young men. They were speedily -pulled ashore, and Justinian, springing on to the rocks, strode -up with a frowning face to the group surrounding Alcibiades -and Caliphronas, pushing the men on either side with haughty -roughness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now, then, Captain Alcibiades, what do you want at -Melnos?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice looked curiously at this celebrated individual, of -whom he had heard so much, and beheld a squat, heavily-built -man, with fiery eyes, an evil countenance, and a long -black beard. He was clad in the usual dress of Greek sailors, -consisting of rough blue trousers and jacket, boots of untanned -leather, a red shirt, and a tasselled cap of the same -color. To mark his rank, however, he wore a handsome -gold-embroidered belt round his waist, in which were placed -a rusty-looking knife and a brace of pistols. This, then, was -the renowned Captain Kidd of these waters, who, had he -lived fifty years earlier, would have been a declared pirate, -but who now, owing to the establishment of New Hellas, -had to carry on his rascally calling under the pious guise of -smuggling and peaceful trading. With his rough dress, his -squat figure, his tangled black beard, he formed a great contrast -to the slender form of Caliphronas, with his clean-shaven -face and dandy costume of an Albanian Palikar. Yet, -in spite of the difference in good looks, the two men had the -same cunning expression in their shifty eyes, and there was -but little doubt that the rough blackguardism of the one was -only refined into the astute scoundrelism of the other.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, Alcibiades!” demanded Justinian, imperiously -stamping his foot; “what do you want with me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kyrion Justinian,” said the smuggler in a cringing manner, -“I but landed here to see you and the Kyrion Andros -about a cargo of wine I wish to obtain for Crete. I will -pay you a good price for it, as the grapes of Melnos are -much thought of at Khanea.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian, on receiving this diplomatic answer, ran his -fingers thoughtfully through his silver beard, and pondered -as to what answer to give. He was never averse to turning -an honest penny by trading, and he knew Alcibiades would -pay a good price, as the wine of Melnos was much liked by -the Cretans on account of its resinous taste, for the insular -Greeks do not as a rule preserve their vintage in this way, -which is peculiar to the mainland.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_237'>237</span>“How much do you want?” he said abruptly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Two hundred skins,” replied Alcibiades glibly; and -named what he considered a fair price.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think I desire to make you a present of the -wine?” retorted Justinian scornfully. “Double your offer.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kyrion! impossible!” cried Alcibiades, throwing up his -hands with a look of dismay on his crafty-looking face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You won’t get it for less.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Alcibiades cast a stealthy look at Caliphronas, and considered -a few moments.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Effendi, I will do it,” he replied, with the air of one -who has made a great sacrifice; “but I will be ruined—yes, -ruined!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian nodded curtly, and, turning on his heel, went -towards the tunnel, followed by all. Maurice, of course, had -not understood a word of the preceding conversation, conducted -as it was in Greek; and even Crispin found the -speech of Alcibiades a little difficult at times, as that piratical -individual was in the habit of mixing up his own tongue -with Turkish, French, Italian, and sometimes a scrap of -English.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Crispin, walk with me—I wish to speak to you,” said -Justinian; and, the poet having obeyed this command, -Maurice was left in the congenial company of Alcibiades and -the Count.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Captain Alcibiades kept casting curious glances at Maurice, -for Caliphronas had told him about this rich Englishman, -and the agreeable old pirate was wondering, in his guileless -way, if it would not be possible to kidnap this wealthy foreigner, -and hold him in his own little rocky island until -such time as his relatives paid a good ransom. Alcibiades -was a genuine brigand of the type described by M. About, -and, but that he had fallen on evil times of peace and quietness, -would doubtless have risen to high rank in his adored -profession. With a view to satisfying himself personally as -to the wealth of this traveller, Alcibiades, guessing Maurice -did not know Greek, spoke to him in French, with which -Maurice was sufficiently well acquainted to enable him to -hold an interesting conversation with this accomplished -<a id='corr237.40'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='cut-throat.”'>cut-throat.</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_237.40'><ins class='correction' title='cut-throat.”'>cut-throat.</ins></a></span></p> - -<p class='c001'>“Monsieur is staying here?” asked Alcibiades, blinking -his little eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“For a time—yes!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Aha! Monsieur is the friend of my dear Andros, so to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_238'>238</span>myself he is also a dear friend. I lay myself at your feet, -monsieur.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very kind of you,” retorted Maurice, who was not at all -pleased by the implied friendship.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Monsieur is rich?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What’s that to do with you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eh, my faith! do not be angry, monsieur. All Englishmen -are rich.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is a common delusion with you foreigners. All -Englishmen are not rich.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Alcibiades shrugged his shoulders and spread out his hands -in the French fashion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Monsieur is disposed to be witty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>By this time they had arrived at the entrance to the tunnel, -and Justinian who had been in earnest conversation with -Crispin, turned round sharply to Alcibiades.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You will wait here,” he said imperiously.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will not my men come up in order to carry down the -wine?” said Alcibiades, looking as black as thunder at this -peremptory order.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No. I will send my men down with it, and you can pay -the money to Andros here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But, Effendi”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Enough! I have spoken!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Holy St. Elmo! you will not let me visit your island?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No farther than this,” retorted Justinian significantly. -“You know the proverb, Captain Alcibiades,—‘Ill to him -who shows his treasure freely.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He turned his back on the baffled cut-throat, and ascended -the stairs, followed by his own men, while Alcibiades and -his ruffians remained below, evidently mad with anger at -having admittance refused them. Rumor said Melnos was -full of treasure, and the crafty smuggler wanted to convince -himself of the truth of this with his own eyes, so the prohibition -against passing the palisade made him very wrathful. -The king, however, paid no attention to his black looks, but -resumed his journey, with Crispin <a id='corr238.37'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='aud'>and</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_238.37'><ins class='correction' title='aud'>and</ins></a></span> Maurice on either -side of him. Caliphronas, on the weak pretext of asking -Alcibiades some question about the wine, remained behind, -a fact which was at once noted by the lynx-eyed Justinian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Traitor!” he growled in his deep voice, stroking his -beard, as was his habit when angered; “the fox to the fox. -Ah, well I know those two rascals are hatching plots against -me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_239'>239</span>“If you think so, why do you want Caliphronas to go with -Alcibiades?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Cannot you see, Crispin. You will never make a diplomatist. -I will tell Roylands here, and I am sure he will -discover my reason. Roylands, I am going to deliver this -wine to Alcibiades, although I know he does not want it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why does he buy it then?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because he thought it would be a good pretext to get -into Melnos and spy out the weak points of our defence. -Oh, I know this is so, else he would not have given me my -price so freely. I knew his plan the moment he agreed to -give me what I asked, which was a very large price, and one -which no honest trader could afford to give. Andros also -knows of this scheme. Can you guess how I found that -out?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; because Alcibiades, looked at Caliphronas before -agreeing to your price.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Exactly!” said Justinian, with great satisfaction. “Roylands -is quicker than you, my dear Crispin. When I refused -to sell him the wine unless at my own price, that look to -Andros was one of inquiry, and the answer was, ‘Give him -what he asks, or you will not see the interior of Melnos.’ -The rascals! I know their scheme, and will baffle them.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yet, with all this, you propose to send Caliphronas on a -trip with Alcibiades, when they will be able to bring their -plot to a head,” said Crispin impatiently.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Blind, blind, my poet! You forget Andros has not yet -made up his mind on which side to be. If I give him -Helena, and make him my successor, he will betray Alcibiades -as readily as he would betray me if I refused. Well, -the only way to meet treachery is by treachery, so I intend -to lead Andros to believe that I will do what he wishes, and -will then send him to cruise about with Alcibiades, quite -devoted to my interest. Alcibiades, thinking Andros is on -his side, will tell him all about his plans, the number of his -army, and when he proposes to assault the island, all of -which my good Andros will repeat to me. Once I have that -information, Andros will find out that I neither trust nor like -him, and that he will have neither my child nor my island.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>On hearing this treacherous scheme, Justinian fell in the -estimation of Maurice, who, true Englishman as he was, -liked everything to be done openly; whereas this Greco-Briton -partook more of Ulyssean craft than honest, fair -fighting.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_240'>240</span>“Punic faith,” he said at length, not knowing quite what -remark to make.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Punic faith with Punic neighbors,” retorted Justinian as -they paused at the gate. “If I don’t baffle Andros by turning -his own weapons against him, the chances are that he -will side with Alcibiades, and one fine day Melnos will be -attacked unawares, and we will all have our throats cut.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Still, your mode of defeating Caliphronas is hardly English.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My good sir,” said the old man, with quiet irony, -“Englishmen in their time have had to do just such underhand -work. You forget Lord Clive and his false treaty with -the Hindoo Omichund, which bound that slippery rascal to -the British interest at the time of the battle of Plassy. It -promised him everything before the battle, and gave him -nothing after it. That is Punic faith, and is necessary in -such cases. Straightforward honesty doesn’t pay in these -waters.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, do what you think best, sir,” replied Maurice, who -saw Justinian was right. “It’s a case of ‘When Greek meets -Greek,’ I suppose.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“‘Then comes the tug of war,’” finished Crispin gayly. -“My dear Maurice, you will be happier in the actual battle -than in all the statecraft which leads to it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope my statecraft will avert the struggle,” said -Justinian sombrely; “but with an enemy like Andros to -deal with, I fear for the worst.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What are you waiting for here?” asked Maurice, seeing -they still lingered at the gate.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“For Andros,” replied Justinian quietly. “I alone possess -the key, and the gate is never left unlocked. Ah, here -is my Carthaginian. Now, you two gentlemen, go on, and -leave me to Andros and my Punic faith.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice and the poet, followed by all the English sailors, -entered the gate and resumed their ascent, while the wily -Justinian waited with an inscrutable face to entrap the -equally wily Caliphronas, who this time, however, had found -his master in treachery.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you think of Justinian, Maurice?” asked -Crispin, when they were once more in the open air, standing -at the head of the staircase, and watching the sailors -descending to the village below.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To speak frankly, I like Justinian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In spite of his Punic faith?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_241'>241</span>“As for that,” replied Maurice, coloring a little, “necessity -knows no law; and Caliphronas is such a consummate -scoundrel, that I can hardly blame Justinian for trying to -beat him with his own weapons.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Justinian is a serpent of wisdom,” said the poet reflectively, -taking off his sombrero. “You can have no idea how -dexterously he manages these slippery Greeks. They have -a wholesome respect for him, as they well may have, seeing -that not one of them has ever yet had the better of the King -of Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You used to speak bitterly of Justinian yourself, Crispin. -Are your opinions changed?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; I must admit they have changed, and for the better. -What you told me the other day about Justinian desiring -me for his successor has opened my eyes. It was a -fear of losing me that made him refuse to tell me my real -name, for he thought I would forsake him and go back to -my kinsfolk.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you have certainly forsaken him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; but I don’t think he regrets it, as he sees I am not -made of the stuff necessary to rule this colony of serpents; -so now he has no further reason to keep me in the dark, and -will, I feel sure, tell me what I wish to know before we -leave Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But you said Justinian thought you were not brave -enough.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So he did! so he does! But I fancy I am indebted to -my dear friend the Count for that. In all our expeditions -with Alcibiades, Justinian was absent, so he could not have -personally seen me fighting, and I can only think that Caliphronas, -to oust me out of the possible throne, told this -about me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am sure you are not a coward,” said Maurice warmly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, I don’t think I am,” replied Crispin equably. “I -fancy if Justinian had seen the storm he would have changed -his opinion about Caliphronas; but, as to myself, I hope yet -to right myself in the eyes of the old man. I am glad you -have such a good opinion of me, Maurice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear fellow,” cried Roylands, grasping him by the -hand, “I have the best possible opinion of you in every way, -and always had!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Even when I was a mystery?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; though I own you were puzzling at times. But -you are a coward in one way, Crispin.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_242'>242</span>The poet flushed redly, and Maurice hastened to finish his -sentence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In the presence of Mrs. Dengelton.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He would be a bold man who felt no fear in the presence -of that lady,” answered Crispin, his face clearing again. “But -here comes Caliphronas with a smiling face.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A sign that Justinian has succeeded.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Greek advanced towards them with a merry laugh, -and looked triumphantly at Maurice, who bore his insolent -self-complacency with wonderful composure.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will not see you two gentlemen for a few days,” he -said gayly. “I am going on a cruise with Alcibiades.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“More piracy?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps,” answered Caliphronas mysteriously. “Good-by -for the present. I must go down to look after the wine, -and if you go back to the Acropolis, tell Helena I will see -her before I go.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>With a jeering look at Maurice the duped scoundrel sprang -down the steps, his snowy fustanella fluttering in the breeze, -and he glittered down the descent like a brilliant falling -star.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You fool!” said a voice behind them, and they turned to -behold Justinian with a complacent smile on his face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you have succeeded, sir,” observed Maurice -doubtfully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have. Caliphronas thinks he has it all his own way. -I see you don’t yet like my tactics.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, sir”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Tush!” replied Justinian coolly. “Punic foes—Punic -faith!”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_243'>243</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXII. <br /> <span class='fss'>THE APPLE OF DISCORD.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>A woman caused the fall of man,</div> - <div class='line'>A woman caused the fall of Troy;</div> - <div class='line'>An apple both these woes began,</div> - <div class='line'>Which brought beneath pale Sorrow’s ban</div> - <div class='line'>All earthly joy.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>For Eve was fair, and Helen fair,</div> - <div class='line'>Each wrought destruction by her face;</div> - <div class='line'>They captured hearts in beauty’s snare,</div> - <div class='line'>And made mankind the burden bear</div> - <div class='line'>Of their disgrace.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>To-day the story we repeat:</div> - <div class='line'>A woman wins or loses all;</div> - <div class='line'>She plucks the fruit for us to eat,</div> - <div class='line'>We taste and find the apples sweet,</div> - <div class='line'>And then we fall.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The ill-fated Eunice had been wrecked about the middle -of August, and it was now nearly the end of September, -close on the celebration of the vintage feast, which Justinian -determined to celebrate with great splendor, so as to gratify -Maurice with an accurate representation of the ancient -Dionysia of Athens.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin for the moment had resumed his old occupation of -playwright, and had furbished up one of his old dramas, not -having the time to write an absolutely new one. In this -play both Caliphronas and Helena were to take part, and the -author himself, like a modern Æschylus, acted as stage -manager, drilling the chorus, arranging the scenery, attending -to the music, and coaching the principal actors in their -parts. The people of Melnos were also busily preparing for -the vintage feast of the first day, and for the Olympian -games of the third; but amid all these peaceful occupations -Justinian kept a watchful eye on Caliphronas, and neglected -nothing that might guard the island against a sudden assault -by Captain Alcibiades and his gang.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Completely deceived by the manner of the Demarch, which -was Justinian’s local title among his people, Caliphronas, -now assured both of Helena and Melnos, eagerly entered into -the plans of the cunning old man, and, on returning from -a week’s cruise with Alcibiades, revealed a wide-stretching -<span class='pageno' id='Page_244'>244</span>conspiracy among the Levantine Greeks for the capture of -Melnos. Far and wide Alcibiades with great art had instilled -a belief into the minds of all the idlers, vagabonds, -and scamps of the Ægean, that Melnos contained immense -treasures, and weekly, leaders of bands of men repaired to -Alcibiades’ rocky little island to receive instructions as to -how their plans were to be carried out. Of course, the wily -old pirate was the leader, and arranged all his schemes in the -most dexterous manner, for he gave his commands to those -chief men who came to see him, and they, returning to their -own islands, communicated such orders to their own followers. -By this means Alcibiades had collected quite an army, -all eager for plunder, and they had arranged among themselves -to attack Melnos, either by the tunnel or the western -pass, at the first convenient opportunity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It may seem strange in the eyes of civilized people that -such a conspiracy should be planned and carried out under -the very nose of the Greek Government, but all the operations -were conducted with great caution; the different portions -of the proposed army were scattered piecemeal over -the islands of the Ægean, so there was really nothing to -arouse the suspicion of the authorities that any revolutionary -movement was in course of formation. Besides, Melnos -being in the extreme south of the Archipelago and close to -Crete, that home of Turkish misrule, any local disturbance -would be taken comparatively little notice of, as such disturbances -were quite common; so it seemed as though Alcibiades -and his brother scamps were going to have things all their -own way. Once they captured and plundered Melnos, they -had no fear of the future, as, once they dissolved into small -companies and returned to their own islands, it would be -quite impossible for the Greek Government, even if they did -interfere, to punish a body of men which to all appearances -had no existence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The plans of Alcibiades were very simple, for, having -arranged with the leaders of the several bodies of men that -they would join in his schemes, he commanded that they -should all meet on his own island on a certain day,—as yet -unfixed,—when in the aggregate they would number quite -three hundred men, and could thus storm Melnos, which -could only be defended, as they knew, by two hundred, -inclusive of women. In fact, the population of Justinian’s -island capable of bearing arms, even including the English -sailors and his guests, scarcely numbered more than one -<span class='pageno' id='Page_245'>245</span>hundred and twenty men; so when the fiery old Englishman -heard from Caliphronas of the strength of the enemy, he saw -that the danger was indeed serious.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Melnos, however, was strongly fortified against the inroads -of these ill-armed pirates, for the tunnel, defended by its -palisade, could hardly be forced if held by a small body of -resolute men, and the western pass was commanded by two -pieces of ordnance, one on either side, which would sweep -down the stormers by the score should they attempt to carry -this natural entrance by assault. As to the rest of the -island, it was quite impossible for the marauders to climb -over the rugged, snow-clad peaks; so what with his cannon, -defences, arms of the most modern construction, and his -resolute men, Justinian felt that he could defy Captain -Alcibiades and his ill-armed crew.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The old Demarch still permitted Caliphronas to remain in -his fool’s paradise, as matters were in a delicate position, -and he resolved to wait until after the three days’ festival -before coming to a perfect understanding with the treacherous -Greek. Caliphronas, therefore, regarding himself as entirely -favored by fortune, became almost unbearable in his -insolence, and had not Maurice known the real facts of the -case, a serious quarrel would certainly have taken place between -them. As it was, however, the young Englishman -saw that the Greek was completely duped by his false prosperity, -and would almost have pitied his blind confidence in -his good fortunes, had not the arrogance, insolence, and spite -of the Count inspired him with the utmost contempt.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas, indeed, was hated by every one in the island: -by the common people, owing to the haughtiness and scorn -he invariably displayed towards them; by the English sailors, -who thought him a coward, and had never forgiven his -treachery on the night of the wreck, which had cost their -captain his life; and by all the inmates of the Acropolis, -who despised this brilliant butterfly heartily. Quite unaware -of the delicate ground on which he was treading, Caliphronas, -in his gorgeous Albanian costume, swaggered about -the place in a most offensive manner, and quite assumed the -demeanor of a despot, much to the amusement of Justinian, -who chuckled grimly as he saw the blind confidence of the -Greek. However, it was the calm before the storm, and -everything went along smoothly enough, save for an occasional -outbreak between Maurice and the Count about -Helena, who was a veritable apple of discord between these -fiery young men.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_246'>246</span>Helena herself disliked Caliphronas intensely, as she was -only too well aware of the mean, petty soul contained in -that splendid body, and his outward beauty had no effect -upon her, knowing as she did what a truly despicable wretch -the man was. His admiration for her was purely a sensual -one, for he knew nothing about true, pure love, and all he -wanted was to have this lovely woman to himself, to be his -mistress and slave. Doubtless this was the same animal -passion as was cherished by Paris, son of Priam, for that -other Helen, whose beauty could scarcely have been greater -than that of her namesake of Melnos; and Caliphronas as -his Trojan prototype was inspired by no purer deity than -Venus Pandemos. When the Count paid her compliments, -Helena shuddered, so instinctively did her virginal soul feel -the impurity of this persistent suitor, and treated him with -marked coldness, much to the anger of Caliphronas, who complained -bitterly to Justinian of the scorn with which his -advances were met.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My good Andros,” said Justinian one day, when he had -been inveighing against the caprices of women, “why do -you come to me for assistance? If that handsome face, that -fine figure, that smooth tongue, cannot win the affections of -a woman, nothing else will.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I believe she likes that Englishman,” muttered the -Greek, in no wise pleased at the ironical tone of the -Demarch.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not responsible for her likes and dislikes,” retorted -Justinian coldly, although he heard this remark with much -inward satisfaction. “However, you have my promise.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you will keep it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Only on condition that you keep me informed of the -schemes of Alcibiades.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I will do that. I will do anything to win Helena, -but if you deceive me, it will be the worst day’s work you -ever did.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is no necessity to threaten without cause,” replied -Justinian, bridling his anger at the insolence of the Count; -“you will have both Helena and Melnos, but before announcing -this publicly, I wish to wait until after the Dionysia.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very well,” answered Caliphronas, turning on his heel; -“a week or so will make no difference to me. But when I -am publicly acknowledged as your son-in-law and successor, -the first thing I will do will be to turn Crispin and this insolent -Englishman out of the island.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_247'>247</span>“Well, well, we’ll see about that,” said Justinian, with -great indifference; “wait till after the Dionysia.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>After this conversation. Caliphronas went away perfectly -satisfied that everything was going in his favor, which was -extremely foolish, as he might have guessed something was -wrong from the unnatural calmness of Justinian. Formerly -the old Demarch had been given to outbursts of fiery wrath -when his will was crossed, however slightly; but now he -bore the insolence of the Greek so quietly, that a less astute -man than Caliphronas would have been placed on his guard -by this unusual suavity. The Count, however, blinded by -his good fortune, rushed madly forward, unseeing the abyss -yawning before him, and deemed that the self-restraint of -his proposed father-in-law arose from the feebleness of age. -If he could have seen the passion of Justinian when he was -once more alone, he would have changed his mind; but this -he was unaware of, and his self-conceit and egotistical blindness -kept him in perfect ignorance of the approaching storm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was with great satisfaction that Justinian saw the great -admiration Maurice Roylands had for Helena, and with still -greater, when he noticed that his daughter was disposed to -look favorably on the suit of the handsome young Englishman. -Helena, indeed, in spite of her real simplicity, was a -born reader of character, which happy trait she inherited -from her father, as she inherited the fair beauty of her -Greek mother; and the more she saw of Maurice, the more -she loved him for his kindly heart, his honorable nature, and -the delicacy with which he treated her. Caliphronas, confident -in his manly beauty, paid his addresses with the air -of a conqueror,—a mode of wooing which no woman likes, -and Helena least of all, as it fired her proud soul with indignation; -and when she saw how deferential was Maurice in -his courting, she naturally enough preferred the diffident -Englishman to the over-confident Greek. True daughter of -Eve, however, she was, for, in spite of her dislike to Caliphronas, -she could not resist at times the temptation of -speaking kindly to him, in order to arouse the jealousy of -Maurice. In this she was quite successful; and though -Roylands could not but deem her wise to lull Caliphronas -into a false security at the present crisis, still he was madly -jealous of every look she bestowed on the Greek, and the -two suitors were always on terms of ill-concealed enmity -with one another.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Of course Helena was quite ignorant of all her father’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_248'>248</span>plans, and merely treated Caliphronas with unexpected kindness -out of pure coquetry, being quite delighted when she -saw how such caprice annoyed the man she truly loved. -A woman may worship a man, and look upon him as the -sole object of her adoration, yet even the wisest, the purest, -the kindest woman cannot help teasing her god a little, out -of sheer capriciousness. It is playing with fire, certainly, -and many women burn their fingers at this perilous game -of “I-love-you-to-day-and-you-to-morrow,” yet they will indulge -in such coquettish triflings, either to make the man -they love value them the more, or out of pure malicious -desire to see his anger. Women instinctively know that -what is won with difficulty is more valued than that which -is gained with ease; and besides, it flatters a man into thinking -he is superior to his fellow-creatures in fascinations, when -he secures an affection which has fluttered doubtfully here -and there before centring finally in his precious self. Think -you Cleopatra would have kept Antony so long her slave, -had she not stimulated his love occasionally by giving him -cause for jealousy? By no means. Octavia was humble, -faithful, true, and loving, so Marcus Antonius grew weary -of such domestic virtues, and turned to Cleopatra, who kept -him in a constant state of alarm lest her fickle nature should -choose another lover. Helena knew nothing of Cleopatra’s -wiles, but she instinctively knew that the way to win a man -is to place a prize almost, but not quite within his reach; -so she flirted with Caliphronas, and would have flirted with -Crispin, had he given her a chance, yet cared more for Maurice, -whom she thus tortured, than for all the rest put together.</p> - -<p class='c001'>To-day she was on her best behavior, however, and was -seated with Maurice in the court, weaving a coronal of flowers -for her adornment at dinner. Helena was fond of wreaths, -and rarely made her appearance at any meal without a chaplet -of roses, or ivy and violets, or delicate white lilies adorning -her golden tresses. Crispin was in his room, engaged -in writing his drama. Caliphronas was holding the above-mentioned -conversation with Justinian; and the two young -people sat lazily in the sunshine, Maurice smoking cigarettes, -and Helena weaving her wreath with myrtle and roses and -sweet-smelling violets.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The sun shone brightly on the white marble court, with -its treasures of many-colored blossoms, the fountain flashed -like fire in the lustrous light, and the white pigeons whirling -<span class='pageno' id='Page_249'>249</span>aloft in the cloudless brilliance of the sky, at times -settled down on the roof in milky lines with gentle cooings. -Helena, with her hands buried in flowers and many-colored -ribbons, was humming a quaint little song of the madrigal -type, set to a simple, sweet melody, which rendered it very -charming.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Chloe, take you rose and myrtle,</div> - <div class='line'>Weave them in a dainty fashion,</div> - <div class='line'>Deck with such your rustic kirtle,</div> - <div class='line'>They are type of Colin’s passion.</div> - <div class='line'>For with roses do I woo thee,</div> - <div class='line'>Sue thee! woo thee! woo thee! sue thee!</div> - <div class='line'>Hey, pretty maiden, I come a-courting,</div> - <div class='line'>Join me, I pray, in such merry, merry sporting,</div> - <div class='line'>With a fa-la-la-la, pretty maiden.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Colin, take you pansies only,</div> - <div class='line'>From your dream of love awaken,</div> - <div class='line'>Deck with such your cottage lonely,</div> - <div class='line'>They are type of love forsaken.</div> - <div class='line'>For with pansies do I flout thee,</div> - <div class='line'>Doubt thee! flout thee! flout thee! doubt thee!</div> - <div class='line'>Hey, jolly shepherd, come not a-courting,</div> - <div class='line'>Join will I not in such silly, silly sporting,</div> - <div class='line'>With a fa-la-la-la, jolly shepherd.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“Where did you learn that pretty song?” asked Maurice, -whom the air struck as familiar.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My father taught it to me,” replied Helena, putting her -head on one side to observe the effect of a newly added rose. -“Is it not dainty? Ribbons, and silks, and flowers, and -pipings; quite unlike the real shepherds and shepherdesses -of Melnos, but deliciously delicate for all that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wonder where your father picked it up?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, father knows plenty of old tunes, and I am so fond -of them. Why do you ask?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because, curiously enough, that song was written by a -Carolean ancestor of mine, and I cannot think how Justinian -came to know it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is strange, certainly,” said Helena thoughtfully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena, who is your father?” asked Maurice impulsively.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Demarch of Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I know that; but what is his English name?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That I cannot tell you,” replied Helena, shaking her -pretty head. “I know nothing beyond that he is Justinian, -that I am his daughter, and that this is our island.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_250'>250</span>“It’s like ‘The Tempest,’ is it not? You are Miranda, -Justinian Prospero, and I”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you?” queried Helena, with a slight blush.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Cannot you guess?” asked Maurice significantly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girl laughed, and looked down at her flowers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I suppose Ferdinand.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, you know ‘The Tempest!’” said the young man, -with some surprise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know all Shakespeare’s plays. Do you think I am so -very ignorant?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think you are very delightful.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Maurice! I thought English gentlemen did not pay compliments.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am the exception that proves the rule,” he replied -audaciously. “However, I might have guessed Justinian -would have an odd volume of Shakespeare about with him. -The Englishman believes in the Bible and Shakespeare, the -Englishwoman in the Bible and Burke.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who is Burke?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The man that wrote the ‘English Peerage.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is a peerage?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have read Shakespeare, and do not know what a -peerage is! Helena, I’m ashamed of you!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you talk like that, Maurice, I will certainly not give -you this rose.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then I won’t talk like that; so give me the rose.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not yet; you must win it first.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena! you are as hard-hearted as the Chloe of your -song.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Am I? but if I don’t give pansies”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He made a sudden movement towards her of ill-suppressed -eagerness, whereupon she, having betrayed herself more -than she wished to do, feigned anger to escape from -the declaration which she saw was trembling on his lips. -Why she did this, it was hard to say, as she loved Maurice -very much, and longed to hear him tell of his passion, yet -she nipped his declaration in the bud. Why? Ask a -woman to solve the mystery; for it is beyond the power of -any man to unravel.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“See!” she said playfully; “you have upset all my flowers. -Pick them up at once.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The obedient Maurice went down on his knees before this -pretty tyrant and began to collect the flowers. The position -<span class='pageno' id='Page_251'>251</span>was worse than the words, so Helena, seeing the danger, -hastily began to talk of the first thing that came into her -head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Talking about ‘The Tempest’—who is Andros?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ariel for looks, Caliban for wickedness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Crispin?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Crispin is Gonzalo, the honest old counsellor.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena made a pretty grimace, and ordered Maurice back -to his chair, which was at a safe distance, and did not admit -of any embarrassing endearments.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Miranda was very fond of Ariel, wasn’t she?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I suppose so, but she hated Caliban. Do you like -Caliban?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I like Ariel.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then what about Ariel-Caliban—Caliphronas?” asked -Maurice, vexed at her fencing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can’t bear him—and yet,” continued Helena reflectively, -with a certain spice of malice, “there is something -nice about him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You can’t bear him, and yet there is something nice -about him!” echoed Maurice bitterly. “I don’t understand -you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t understand myself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Can I explain you?” asked Roylands eagerly, drawing -his chair a little <a id='corr251.25'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='nearer.”'>nearer.</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_251.25'><ins class='correction' title='nearer.”'>nearer.</ins></a></span></p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena hesitated, blushed, then made a very irrelevant -remark.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Tell me about Roylands.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice very nearly uttered a bad word, he was so angered -at her coquetry, but, thinking the best way to pique her was -to meet her with the same weapons as she used, at once -acceded to her request, much to her secret dismay.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Stupid!” thought the lady.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Flirt!” thought the gentleman.</p> - -<p class='c001'><a id='corr251.35'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Decidely'>Decidedly</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_251.35'><ins class='correction' title='Decidely'>Decidedly</ins></a></span> these two young people were at cross-purposes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Roylands,” said Maurice, pushing back his chair into its -former place, “is a large park formerly owned by one of the -Plantagenet kings.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is a Plantagenet king?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I shall have to give you a book of Mangnall’s Questions -to learn,” said Roylands in despair. “<span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><i>Planta genista</i></span> is the -Latin name for broom. Do you know what broom is?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; the mountains are sometimes quite yellow with it. -Father told me it was called broom.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_252'>252</span>“Well, some of the English kings used to wear it in their -helmets as a badge, so that is how they got the name of -Plantagenet.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are quite a dictionary.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am glad to be so when my pages are turned by so fair -a hand.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This answer nonplussed Helena, and for once she was fain -to hold her peace.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The park,” resumed Maurice, observing this with inward -satisfaction, “was given to one of my ancestors by the then -sovereign of England, and has been in our family ever since.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is it a pretty place?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, it has not the exquisite beauty of Melnos, but it is -very lovely in my eyes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is the house like this?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; quite different. Such magnificence would not do -for a poor country gentleman like myself. It is an old -Tudor house, built in the reign of Henry VIII.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know Henry VIII.,” said Helena vivaciously.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Shakespeare, I suppose? What a charming way of -learning history! Yes, Roylands Grange is a Henry VIII. -house of red brick, and is covered with ivy. Green lawns -with flower-beds are before the terrace, and the whole is -encircled by the park.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How lovely it must be, Maurice! And is it all your -own?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; at least, it is unless my uncle Rudolph turns up.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your Uncle Rudolph!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, that is our one family romance. Rudolph Roylands -was my father’s elder brother, and they were both in love -with my mother. She favored my father, Austin, and the -brothers had a quarrel which ended in blows. Austin got -the worst of it, and Rudolph, thinking he had killed him, -fled. Since then, nothing has been heard of him, and that -is quite forty years ago.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But how does this affect your owning the Grange?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because I am only the second branch. Uncle Rudolph -was the heir to the Grange, not my father; so if he turns up -alive, or if he has left heirs, I will have to give up all my -property to them.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Would you mind very much?” asked Helena in a pitying -manner.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not at all. I would have once, but now I have a chance -of staying in this delightful island, I don’t think it would be -such a great loss after all.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_253'>253</span>Maurice had hardly said these words when he heard a -grunt of satisfaction behind him, and on turning his head -saw Justinian standing beside him, in company with Caliphronas.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So you don’t mind if you lose your English property,” -said the Demarch in a peculiar tone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; not when I can stay here. Did you hear the story -I was telling to Helena?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Some of it. Do you think your Uncle Rudolph is -alive?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hardly, after forty years.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is forty years to a long-living race like the Roylands?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How do you know we are long living?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, you told me so yourself,” said Justinian hastily; -“but, after all, your uncle may be alive, and claim the property, -in which case you will be penniless.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, then, I shall stay here as sculptor to your public -works.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The old man laughed approvingly, and nodded his head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will be glad of that. None of my Greeks can sculpture. -It is a lost art with the Hellenes since the days of -Praxiteles.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will make a statue of Helena here as Venus Urania.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Better as Chloris,” remarked Caliphronas, with a forced -smile, coming forward; “Chloris, the goddess of flowers.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“For that charming suggestion,” cried Helena, rising to -her feet, “I will give you a rose, Andros!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will treasure it as my life,” he replied in a low, passionate -voice, as she fastened the flower in his embroidered -jacket.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What about my rose, Helena?” asked Maurice, who -viewed this proceeding with silent rage.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Here is one for you,” answered Helena quickly; “both -roses are red, so you can’t complain I don’t treat you fairly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps you had better make the roses white, in order -to mean silence,” said Caliphronas, pale with anger as he -saw Maurice receive a flower; “the red rose means love, -you know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sisterly love,” retorted Helena, looking at him with an -undeniable frown.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas, with a sudden outburst of rage, tore the flower -from his breast, flung it on the pavement, and walked out of -the court without a word. Helena in astonishment turned -<span class='pageno' id='Page_254'>254</span>to Maurice, only to find that he also had vanished, but, with -more self-restraint than the Greek, had taken his rose with -him. Only Justinian was left, and he, looking sadly at his -daughter, placed his hand reproachfully on her shoulder.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My child,” he said reprovingly, “do not make ill blood -between these two men by your woman’s wiles. Ate flung -the apple of discord on the table of the gods, but it would -have done no harm but for woman’s jealousy. Your name -is Helena: you are, I doubt not, as fair as she of Troy, so -beware lest your beauty be as fatal to Melnos as it was to -Ilium.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXIII. <br /> <span class='fss'>BACCHANALIA.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Clash of cymbals, beat of drum,</div> - <div class='line'>O’er the mountain peaks we come,</div> - <div class='line'>Far from parchèd Hindostan</div> - <div class='line'>To these laughing realms of Pan.</div> - <div class='line'>Nymphs and satyrs reel about,</div> - <div class='line'>Frenzied in the frenzied rout,</div> - <div class='line'>Crowned with ivy, fir, and vine,</div> - <div class='line'>Leading on the god of wine.</div> - <div class='line'>Far and near, and near and far,</div> - <div class='line'>Flock ye to his conquering car;</div> - <div class='line'>Lo! he comes in merry mood,</div> - <div class='line'>O’er the hills and thro’ the wood,</div> - <div class='line'>While the startled Dryads see</div> - <div class='line'>From their trees our revelry;</div> - <div class='line'>As we shout so loud and free,</div> - <div class='line'>Io Bacche! Evohë!</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>“We celebrate the <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>fête</i></span> of St. Dionysius to-day,” said Justinian, -as they stood, in the early morning, on the platform -of the Acropolis, awaiting the arrival of the Bacchanalian -band from below.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“St. Dionysius!” repeated Maurice, with emphasis. “I -thought the gentleman of that name was an Olympian!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He was,” interposed Crispin before Justinian could -speak; “but have you forgotten Heine’s account of how the -heathen divinities were transformed into mediæval saints. -St. Dionysius is our old friend Bacchus in a new guise; -Athena has given place to the Virgin Mary—the Panagia, -as they call her in Attica;—Zeus is still the Supreme -Being, with awful locks and thunderbolt, while Apollo the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_255'>255</span>Far-Darter masquerades in classical adolescence as St. -Sebastian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Venus, Mr. Professor?” asked Helena, with a gay -smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Venus,” answered Crispin, with a profound bow, “still -lives in the Ægean Seas as Helena of Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What a charming compliment!” cried the girl, who, -in her plain white chiton, purple-edged peplum, and silver-banded -hair, looked indeed like Aphrodite incarnate. -“What about Andros here?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hermes!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas, poising himself lightly on the verge of the -staircase, certainly was the herald of Olympus, the divinized -athlete, the more so, as, instead of his voluminous fustanella, -he wore a simple tunic of fine white wool, which displayed -his fine figure to the greatest advantage. His curls, yellow -as those of Achilles, a true Achaian color, were bare, as he -never wore a head covering unless forced to do so, and thus, -stripped of all artificial aids to beauty, he looked the incarnation -of Hellenism, the genius of Greece, ever fair and -blooming in eternal adolescence. Even Justinian was struck -with the manly grace and perfect vitality of the young man, -yet, after an admiring glance at this physical perfection, -turned to Maurice, and quoted a line of Homer,—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“‘Faultlessly fair bodies are not always the temples of a -godlike soul.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is curious you should say that, sir,” observed Maurice; -“for my old tutor, Mr. Carriston, said the same thing about -the same man.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Carriston!” echoed Justinian hoarsely.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The Rev. Stephen Carriston, Rector of Roylands,” -replied Maurice, amazed at this emotion; “did you know -him?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Know him?” said the Demarch, with a forced smile; -“no. I have been absent from England these many years. -Rector of Roylands!” he muttered in an undertone; “strange, -strange!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is strange?” asked Roylands curiously.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nothing, nothing!” answered Justinian, turning away -with a frown. “I was thinking of something which you -would not understand. But here come our Bacchanalians, -Maurice. Now you will see a glimpse of ancient Hellas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice pondered over the strange emotion of Justinian, -which he found himself quite unable to explain, and, coming -<span class='pageno' id='Page_256'>256</span>to the conclusion that the Demarch must have met some one -of the same name under unpleasant circumstances, he dismissed -the subject from his mind as trivial, and concentrated -his attention on the rapidly approaching procession.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian had closely followed the old lines of the -Dionysian ceremonies, saving that he expurgated all the -coarser elements of drinking and debauchery, and during -the whole three days’ festival, modelled on the ancient feasts -of Hellas, Maurice did not espy one offensive thing, which -could bring a blush to the cheek of modesty. Indeed, -Helena and all the women of the island were present, so -their mingling in the ceremonies would alone have prevented -any coarseness, even without the stern interdiction of the -Demarch; for the Greeks have a great sense of delicacy, -being especially careful not to offend the delicacy of women -in any way whatsoever. This modern Bacchanalia, then, -represented the antique solemnity, as it was in the earlier -Attic days, before later worshippers defiled the rites of the -god with their vile orgies.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a perfect day, but, as there had been a slight rainfall -in the morning, in the east loomed a sombre cloud, -which, however, foreboded nothing, as across its darkness, -like a many-hued scarf, was flung a splendid rainbow. -Helena caught sight of this first, and clapped her hands -merrily.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, father, see how red is the rainbow!—that is a good -sign for the vintage.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How so?” asked Roylands, somewhat puzzled at this -Iris prophecy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is an old Greek superstition,” answered Justinian, -smiling at his daughter’s glee; “if red prevails in the rainbow, -there will be plenty of grapes; if yellow, a fine harvest; -and when green it will be a year for olives. This one is -reddish, as you see, so our Bacchanalia will turn out successfully.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In front of the procession marched the musicians, men -playing on pipes, flutes, drums, and goat-skin sabounas, a -kind of bagpipe, while beside them danced young ivy-crowned -girls, clashing cymbals together. All the men were -dressed in their dancing costumes, similar to that of Caliphronas, -save that all the colors of the rainbow were represented, -though the women, still in their loose white chitons, -neutralized to some extent the vivid tints of the male dresses. -Behind the musicians came lads garlanded with wreaths of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_257'>257</span>intermingled violets and ivy, bearing thyrsi. Afterwards a -number of maidens, with vine-leaf-decorated amphoras of -wine, baskets of figs, and bunches of grapes. A goat, with -a child on its back, was led by two elderly women waving -pine branches. Then came the elders of the village, in white -robes, with tall linen mitres, followed by a joyous band of -young men, profusely bedecked with flowers, who capered -round a sedate ass, on which rode the wit of the village, -representing Silenus. An empty chariot, drawn by goats as -a substitute for panthers, then appeared, and in this was to -be installed the Count, who undertook the <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>rôle</i></span> of Bacchus. -The procession finally closed with the ten sailors walking -two abreast, their stiff march contrasting strangely with the -acrobatic dancing and careless grace of their fellow revellers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Arriving at the foot of the steps, the chief elder made a -speech in sonorous Greek, in which he invited Justinian and -his friends to come down to the village festival, and bring -good fortune to the vintage. Justinian graciously accepted -the invitation, and, in company with his guests, placed himself -in the rear of the procession; while Caliphronas, who -had been crowned with vine leaves, arrayed in a leopard skin, -and bearing a pine-cone tipped sceptre, sprang into his chariot -with a laughing glance, as the revellers saluted him—“Evohë -Bacche!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Back to the head of the grand staircase returned the procession, -with its wild music and merry dancers, while the -god, lightly brandishing his sceptre, looked benignly on his -motley crew. Some had fawn skins, all were crowned, and -before the procession ran children strewing the road with -flowers, while the company sang songs in praise of St. -Dionysius, whom Caliphronas was supposed to represent, -rather than the genuine son of Semele. Silenus, by his -drunken gestures, and difficulty in keeping his seat, evoked -roars of laughter, and was quite the hero of the hour.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I never did see sich tomfoolery,” growled Gurt, who was -enjoying himself hugely; “this Baccus is all tommy rot. -Like a Lor’ Mayor’s show it is.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, it’s a great spree,” said Dick cheerfully, who was -Gurt’s companion in the march. “Ain’t these girls like the -ballet at the Alhambra?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never was there,” growled Gurt, who, when not absent -from England, generally remained in the neighborhood of -the docks; “but I’m blessed if I ever did hear sich music, -with their Hi ho Baccus! Who’s Baccus?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_258'>258</span>“The god of wine.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wish he was the god of rum,” said the old toper; “for -this ’ere sour stuff as th’ give us is ’nough to give us all cold -in our insides. Lor’, wot music! Let’s give ’em a shanty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The skippers might not like it,” objected Dick anxiously.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, they don’t mind. I ain’t going to let these coves -have it all their own way.” Whereupon Gurt, in a raucous -voice, struck up, “Rule, Britannia,” much to the amusement -of Justinian. His messmates joined in the chorus, and -though the wild orgiastic music still continued, it was almost -drowned in the lusty chorus of “Britons never shall be -slaves,” roared out by ten pairs of lusty lungs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The chariot of the god had perforce to be left at the head -of the staircase, and Caliphronas, descending, led the way -down to the valley, followed by all his barbaric crew. Shrill -sounded the pipes, loud clashed the cymbals, and the bright -sunshine shone on as merry a company of wine-worshippers -as ever it did in the Athens of Æschylus.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The vineyards of Melnos were planted on the sides of the -mountain, where they rose terrace by terrace nearly up to -the dark pine woods, which divided the vegetation from the -snow with a broad green band. A wine-press was placed in -nearly every one of these vineyards, but the place where the -ceremonies were to take place lay near to the theatre, and -was a particularly large enclosure, filled with long straggling -vines, in the centre of which a huge whitewashed tank, piled -with purple grapes, stood ready to be tramped out to the -lower tank into which the juice flowed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian and his guests were conducted to a kind of raised -daïs, on which were placed seats tastefully wreathed with -flowers, the most elaborate of all being reserved for Caliphronas, -who, as the presiding deity of the feast, ranked for -the day higher than the lord of the island. The scene was -singularly picturesque: far above, piercing the blue sky, -arose the snowy peaks, lower down the pine forests, then -fields of yellow corn, divided by belts of gray olive trees and -grape-laden vineyards, while the near slopes near the scene -of the festival were covered with red-berried mastic bushes, -delicate white cyclamens, rose-blossomed oleanders, pomegranate -trees, and beds of strongly-scented thyme, filling the -still warm air with aromatic odors. Amid all this beauty -were the Bacchanalians with their many-colored garbs, the -whiteness of the women’s dresses predominating, and the -whole laughing throng swaying, leaping, whirling, bounding, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_259'>259</span>gyrating to the wild music, shrill and plaintive as the wind, -of their rude instruments. In such a vineyard might Dionysius -appear to some modern Æschylus, and command him to -kindle anew, with the breath of genius, the fire of the ancient -goat-song, with its solemn splendors, gigantic scenes, and -majestic figures of god, goddess, and hero.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As a rule, the vintage of the insular Greeks begins early -in August, but this year, for some unexplained reason, the -grapes had ripened slowly, hence the Melnosians feared a -bad year of the vine, and were much delighted to find that -it was one of the most prolific ever known, a fact which was -further confirmed in their eyes by the prophetic red of the -rainbow.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Papa Athanasius, the priest of the island, arrayed in the -gorgeous sacerdotal vestments of his Church, now came forward, -surrounded by a number of acolytes, bearing censers -and sacred ichons, in order to pronounce a blessing on the -first-fruits of the vine year. The ceremony did not last long, -and at its conclusion the Papa retired, while, amid cries of -rejoicing and noisy music, a dozen men with bare feet sprang -into the vat and began to tread the grapes. Their white -tunics and naked feet were soon stained red with the juice -of the vine, which shortly afterwards began to gush freely -into the lower vat, amid the songs of the onlookers. Soon -afterwards cups of last year’s wine were passed round to all -present, and, though the Greeks as a rule are a very temperate -people, yet the thin, sour liquor speedily rendered them -slightly intoxicated, and the singing became more vociferous -than ever.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope they will give us some national dances,” said -Maurice to Helena, who sat beside him—who looked lovely -as the Queen of Love herself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Indeed they will!” she answered vivaciously: “you -will see the syrtos, which has a good deal of the Pyrrhic dance -in its steps; the moloritis, in which Zoe, Andros, Crispin, -and myself will take part. Then there is the dancing on the -slippery wine-skin, which is very amusing. See, this is the -syrtos!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A party of young men in their tight-fitting white dancing-costumes -now came forward, saluted Caliphronas as the -master of the revels, and, placing their arms round one another’s -necks, began to sway slowly backward and forward, -with a kind of mazourka step, to the inspiriting music of -tabor and pipe. These evolutions increased in rapidity, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_260'>260</span>were interspersed with wild acrobatic boundings by single -dancers, until Maurice became quite giddy watching their -whirlings.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Afterwards the women, linked together with handkerchiefs, -in order to make the line more flexible, danced gracefully -to a slow melody, with frequent genuflexions of the -body and bendings of the head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Greek dances are rather monotonous, I am afraid,” said -Roylands, who found this incessant swaying a trifle wearisome. -“Why don’t the men and women dance with one -another?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They do sometimes, as in the moloritis,” replied Helena, -rising from her seat. “We will dance it now, and I think -you will like it better than the syrtos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a graceful dance, and the music was more melodious. -First, the four people danced together, then separately, -and finally Crispin and Caliphronas indulged in wild -saltatory leapings, while Helena and Zoe stood still, swaying -from side to side, like nautch dancers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think a waltz would be jollier than that,” said Maurice, -when she returned to her seat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A waltz! what is that?” asked Helena innocently.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will show you some time during the day—that is, if -we can get any one to play us the music.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Andronico, that old man with the violin, can pick up -anything by ear. But see, we are now going to have some -singing!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A handsome young fellow stepped forward, escorted by a -number of women, who joined in the chorus of the song, -which was in praise of Dionysius and the vineyards. Maurice, -owing to the skilful tuition of Helena, now knew enough -Greek to understand the words, which, irregularly translated, -were as follows:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in11'><span class='sc'>Solo.</span></div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Oh, my love, we went to the vineyards,</div> - <div class='line'>And there beheld bunches of purple wine fruit,</div> - <div class='line'>Full of the milk of earth our mother.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in11'><span class='sc'>Women.</span></div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Wine, like thee, is my heart-gladdener.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in11'><span class='sc'>Solo.</span></div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Thro’ the vine leaves peeped St. Dionysius,</div> - <div class='line'>Who laughed when he heard the sound of our kisses:</div> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_261'>261</span>“These are not mad with wine,”</div> - <div class='line'>So cried St. Dionysius;</div> - <div class='line'>“Not with wine are they mad, but with love and kisses.”</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in11'><span class='sc'>Women.</span></div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Wine, like thee, is my heart-gladdener.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>There were about twenty verses of this delectable song, -interlarded at times with the rude music of the sabouna. -Maurice grew tired of this dreariness, and went off, in company -with Helena, to where the feasting was going on. -Tables were spread out in the open air with cheeses, bread, -honey, goats’ flesh, piles of grapes, and other rustic dainties, -to which the hungry revellers were doing full justice. Some -of them were dancing the Smyriote, others singing interminable -songs; but Roylands by this time had quite enough of -Greek dance and song, so asked Helena to show him the hot -springs, which were near at hand.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They were at the base of a little cliff, volcanic in character, -with curiously-twisted streaks of red, green, and black lava, -which presented a bizarre appearance. The water, owing to -the presence of oxide of iron, was of a yellow tint and boiling -hot, while occasional puffs of steam rising skyward veiled -the variegated tints of the rock behind, so that it looked -strangely weird and horrible.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wonder you are not afraid to live here, Helena!” said -the Englishman, going down on his knees to examine these -Ægean geysers. “I don’t believe this crater is an extinct -one.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It has been quiet enough for over a thousand years,” -replied the girl carelessly, “so I don’t see why it should -break out now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If it did, the loss of life would be terrible.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, don’t, Maurice! The idea is too frightful. Why, not -one of us would escape alive, and then good-by to father’s -idea of a new Athens.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your new Athens has other things to fear besides volcanoes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you mean?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That if Caliphronas is appointed your father’s heir, it -were better for this crater to become full of seething lava -once more, than the hot-bed of scoundrels such as that scamp -will surely make it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t think you need be afraid of that,” replied Helena, -with great scorn; “Andros is not likely to rule Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_262'>262</span>“You don’t like him?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hate him!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And why? He is very handsome.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think I am a woman likely to be taken with mere -good looks in a man?” she answered, with an angry light -in her eyes. “I thought you knew me better than that, -Maurice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Forgive me, Helena; but indeed I am glad you do not -like Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena knew the reason of this pointed remark, and, looking -down with a blush, was about to reply, when the man -they were talking about came quickly along the narrow path, -with a savage scowl on his handsome face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena, your father is asking for you,” he said abruptly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I will go at once,” replied the girl lightly, in order -to conceal her confusion; and rapidly left the spot, where -Caliphronas still remained looking angrily at Maurice.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Englishman saw that the Count was in a terrible rage, -and ready to overwhelm him with invective, but, nevertheless, -was not sorry to come to a complete understanding with -this treacherous scamp, who had no regard for truth, honor, -or daring. Caliphronas was a thorough bully by nature; -and, having succeeded in browbeating his own countrymen -by arrogance, thought he would try the same plan with -Maurice, quite unaware that the seemingly easy-going young -man was made of sterner stuff than yielding Hellenes, and -would hold his own against all odds with true British doggedness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, Bacchus,” said Maurice, trying to pass the matter -off lightly at first, “why have you deserted your revellers?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To punish a scoundrel,” burst out the furious Greek, -stamping his foot.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice looked around serenely; and then, sitting down -on a block of black lava, streaked with sulphur, began to roll -a cigarette, which innocent proceeding irritated Caliphronas -beyond all powers of self-control.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you hear me?” he cried, mad with rage. “I came -here to punish a scoundrel!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In a quarrel the victory is generally to him who keeps his -temper, as Maurice knew very well; so, in this case, the -more enraged grew the Greek, the calmer became the Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So I see,” he replied phlegmatically; “but, as I see no -scoundrel here but yourself, I hardly understand you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_263'>263</span>“Understand this, Mr. Maurice—you are the scoundrel!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Really!” said Roylands, lighting his cigarette with provoking -coolness; “and your reason for applying such a name -to me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You make love to the lady who is to be my wife.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I was not aware your offer of marriage had been accepted.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have her father’s consent.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“True; but you have not the lady’s consent.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Bah! what of that? Women and dogs are born to -obey.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear Count Constantine Caliphronas,” said Maurice -deliberately, “you have called me a scoundrel, for which -epithet, coming from a despicable wretch like yourself, I care -nothing. But if you dare to speak disrespectfully of Miss -Helena, I will certainly throw you into that boiling spring -over there.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Greek was young, strong, and athletic, and could -doubtless have held his own against the Englishman to a -considerable extent,—although he would have been beaten in -the end, owing to his ignorance of boxing, an art in which -Maurice excelled,—but so craven was his soul that he did -not dare to resent this calmly insulting speech, but merely -stood his ground, quivering with fury.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>Và!</i></span>” he hissed through his clinched teeth, and shaking -five fingers at Maurice, which is about the strongest imprecation -a Greek can use. “I will be even with you, pig, English -as you are!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I see you want pitching into that stream,” replied -Maurice, rising. “You dare to apply such another epithet -to me, and, as sure as I stand here, in you go.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas trembled with mingled fear and rage, for he -had seen the man before him box with Boatswain Dick, and -knew he had but small chance against such pugilistic science. -He was as careful of his beauty as a lady, and dreaded lest -some sledge-hammer blow should mar his perfect features, -therefore he deemed it wise to restrain his temper, and -laughed derisively.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Bah! to-day for you, to-morrow for me,” he said jeeringly. -“You cannot hold yourself against the future ruler -of Melnos. I will have the island and Helena! You will -have nothing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t be too sure of that, Caliphronas! I don’t want -Melnos, but I certainly do want Helena, and shall certainly -refuse to give her up without a struggle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_264'>264</span>“Try!” sneered the Greek, snapping his fingers under -Royland’s nose; “try!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hitherto Maurice had kept his temper well under control; -but this last insult was too much, so, lifting up the -light frame of the Greek in his athletic grasp, in spite of his -struggles, he calmly sent him splash into the nearest pool, -which was fortunately but tepid in character, otherwise the -Count might have run a chance of being parboiled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Next time you dare to use your vile tongue on me, I will -sling you down the grand staircase,” said Maurice quietly; -then, without waiting to hear the bad language of his enemy, -calmly strolled away towards the scene of the festival, -smoking with great enjoyment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas, considerably cowed, crawled out of the pool, -looking like a drowned rat; and few would have recognized -in this despicable object the daring, handsome Hermes of -the morning. Had he possessed a knife, he would certainly -have pursued Maurice, and done his best to kill him; but, -being without a weapon, he had a wholesome dread of the -Englishman’s fists, so, swallowing his rage for the time -being, went off in search of dry garments.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As Maurice approached the vineyard, he heard shouts of -laughter, and found it was owing to the latest amusement, -that of dancing on the slippery surface of a skin of wine,—a -pastime as old as the days of the Dionysia itself. Many -skilful dancers fell off; and it was long before any one -succeeded in carrying off the prize, which was the skin of -wine itself; but ultimately it fell to the lot of the handsome -young Palikar who had sung the song about St. Dionysius.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena looked apprehensively at him when he appeared, -as she was afraid there had been a quarrel between her two -suitors; but Maurice calmed her fears by a smile, and -together they watched a sailor’s hornpipe danced by Dick to -the music supplied by old Andronico, who had picked up the -air from Gurt’s whistling.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian was in ecstasies over the dance, and made Dick -sing some sea-songs, which, with the rude but tuneful chorus -of his messmates, made the old man’s eyes flash with patriotic -fire.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m only Greek on the surface, you see,” he said to -Crispin, with a somewhat sad smile; “but my heart is English -still.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hearts of oak!” replied Crispin gayly. “After all, -there is no place like England; for you see Melnos, with all -<span class='pageno' id='Page_265'>265</span>its tropical loveliness, is still unsatisfying when memories of -white-cliffed Albion awaken in your heart.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Bravo, Crispin!” cried Maurice, who had heard this -speech; “you are a true patriot, and must confirm your -views by singing ‘Home, sweet Home.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin, nothing loath, did so; and the Greeks, attracted -by the beautiful air, crowded round to listen. The darkness -was falling fast, for the long day was nearly at an end, and -through the still night sounded the liquid notes of a cock -nightingale calling to his mate; but higher than the voice -of the bird arose that tender old melody, which brings tears -to the eyes of those absent from their own fireside. Justinian, -leaning his white head on his hand, listened intently; -and when the song was ended, Maurice could have sworn in -the dim light that a sudden tear flashed like a jewel down -his withered cheek. It was extraordinary to see this man -of iron, astute, keen ruler as he was, so touched by the -simple little song, which he had heard perchance at his -mother’s knee; and from that moment Maurice always -believed in Justinian, whom he was certain must have a -good heart, when so affected by that pleading air.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Torches were now brought, the wild music burst out anew, -and the revellers prepared to escort their Demarch back to -the Acropolis. Caliphronas, apparently as merry as ever, -made his appearance in new clothes, and resumed his sceptre -and vineleaf crown. Along the street danced the procession, -with clash of cymbal and throb of drum; torches flaring in -the windless air on the excited faces of their bearers; and it -was like a confused dream, with the flash of white robes, -the tossing red lights, the barbaric pomp, and the swaying, -restless, dancing crowd.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the foot of the grand staircase Maurice burst out -laughing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is the matter?” asked Crispin, who walked near him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am thinking of Caliphronas, whom I flung into one of -the hot springs.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The deuce you did! It’s a pity he was not drowned.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He is not born to be drowned,” retorted Roylands sardonically; -“he is born to be hanged.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the Acropolis the Bacchanalians left them; and they -saw the long procession stream like a serpent of light along -the road, down the staircase, with glimmer of white robes -and distant sounds of mirth. A last flash of innumerable -torches, a last burst of frenzied mirth, then darkness and -quiet—the Dionysia was ended.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_266'>266</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXIV. <br /> <span class='fss'>THESPIAN.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>The silvery smoothness of sweet Sophocles,</div> - <div class='line'>The rolling thunder of Æschylean verse,</div> - <div class='line'>The subtle twistings of Euripides</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>To prove the better reason by the worse;—</div> - <div class='line'>Such poets gained the light Athenian’s praise</div> - <div class='line'>By daring dealings with the universe,</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>And yearly won the envied crown of bays;</div> - <div class='line'>But not on Attic shores alone,—for we</div> - <div class='line'>Yet know their greatness in these modern days,</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>In alien lands across the stormy sea,</div> - <div class='line'>Where with much painful learning do we dare</div> - <div class='line'>In pristine splendor to revive the three,</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Till, foiled by antique genius high and rare,</div> - <div class='line'>We quit the task with unalloyed despair.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The theatre of Melnos was crowded the next day to witness -the one performance of the year, and the whole semicircle -of seats was occupied by a chattering throng, resembling, -doubtless, the gossip-loving Athenians of old. All were in -gala dresses, the men brilliant in Albanian costumes of -fustanelli, embroidered jackets, gaudy gaiters, and vivid red -silk sashes; while the women, in accordance with the edict -of the Demarch, still wore their graceful, antique robes of -white; indeed, the male bird here had the more splendid -plumage of the two, but what the female lacked in color, she -made up for in grace. The population of Melnos were, -indeed, fine specimens of humanity, as, owing to the selective -genius of Justinian, none but the physically perfect were -admitted to the privileges of the island, and in the case of -births he exercised an almost Spartan rigor. Certainly he -departed so far from the laws of Lycurgus as to permit any -child born with a blemish to live, but it was sent away from -Melnos at the moment of its birth, and provided for elsewhere. -In consequence, therefore, of this untiring care in -such matters, the Melnosians were all strong, healthy, and -beautiful; while their constant out-door life and congenial -occupations kept them in a wonderfully vitalized condition, -which was eminently calculated to form a race as physically -perfect in form and health as is possible on this earth.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_267'>267</span>“I am a great believer in the <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><i>mens sana in corpore sano</i></span> -theory,” said the Demarch to Maurice, who sat beside him. -“The first law of this new Athens is, that all the citizens -shall be healthy in every way; and the body being thus perfected -by degrees, who knows but what the intellect may -not ripen the sooner to the first-fruits of genius?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is that not rather against the Homeric line you quoted -the other day, sir?” observed Maurice thoughtfully. “I -mean as regarding Caliphronas; he is physically perfect, -thoroughly healthful, and yet you can hardly call him intellectual.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Andros,” said Justinian emphatically, “is not a true -Greek, but a mongrel from the island of that name, where I -found him a shepherd lad. I have no faith in mixed races, -as their genius, if they have any, is apt to be confusing. We -English are essentially a mixed race, therefore our literature, -although marked by great versatility, lacks that dominant -note which denotes the special characteristic of a pure-blooded -race. Look at the Jew and the Hellene, which are, -perhaps, the sole examples of unmixed blood we have,—at -least in the West,—and you will see that their works of -genius, however different in outward form, are still instinct -with the individuality of their particular race-nature. The -Psalms of David, the tragedies of the Greek dramatists, could -only have been written by men of unmixed blood, steeped in -the color of their peculiar branch of the human family.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What about Shakespeare?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“None but a mixed race could have produced an all-comprehensive -mind like his; and though you may perhaps -think me narrow in desiring the formation of pure-blooded -nations, which may be barren of such versatile genius, yet, -believe me, Maurice, every plant should bear its own natural -flowers. Now, my Melnosians have been carefully selected -from the most untainted blood of the insular Greeks, who -are the real survivors of the old Attic stock. I allow no -mixed marriages—I protect them from all outward influence—I -encourage them to develop their inherent characteristics -of race, so, in all human probability, they, in years -to come, will produce a blossom of genius entirely their -own.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is that not rather a hot-house forcing style?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, yes; but such artificiality is needed in these days -of easy communication and cosmopolitan races. The tribes -of mankind are not now isolated each from each as in former -<span class='pageno' id='Page_268'>268</span>times, when that very isolation forced them, uninfluenced by -contact with alien tribes, to develop their own special race-nature -in literature, music, and art. Mixed races produce -mixed results, splendid, I own, in many cases, but not so -severely unique and classic as would be the case with untamed -tribes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Did not Disraeli discuss this question in ‘Coningsby’?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Touching the Semitic race,—yes, I think so; but it is so -long since I have read the book that I almost forget his line -of argument. But we have strayed from our subject, which -was physical and not intellectual perfection; and I verily believe -that if as much attention were given to the breeding of -humanity as is given to the rearing of race-horses, the race of -mankind would be much benefited thereby.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian had quite a mania regarding this question of -race, and Maurice would gladly have continued the interesting -argument, but the play was shortly about to begin, so he -deferred the discussion until a more fitting occasion, and -meanwhile examined the theatre with careful attention.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The stage facing the semicircle was long and narrow, with -slender columns on either side supporting the pediment, -which, unfortunately, was quite plain, as Justinian’s theories -had not yet developed a Pheidias to sculpture the red limestone -into god-like forms of hero and deity. A broad flight -of steps led downward to the orchestra, which had entrances -to the right and left for the convenience of the chorus; while -a veritable altar of Dionysius, wreathed with sculptured -grapes and nude figures of dancing faun and nymph, taken, -doubtless, from some ruined temple, stood on a raised platform -fronting the stage, and on it burned a small fire, whereon -incense was occasionally flung.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is that not rather pagan?” asked Maurice, referring to -the altar.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Everything herein is ideal, not real,” replied the Demarch -wisely. “When you see the chorus throw incense on the -altar, think not that they are sacrificing to the wine-god of -their ancestors. No, they are all of the Orthodox Church, -and obey devoutly the precepts of Papa Athanasius; but I -like to carry out the old ceremonies, even to this altar, which -means nothing, and is highly characteristic of the antique -festival.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>As Crispin, Helena, and Caliphronas were all actors for the -day, the Demarch and Maurice sat alone in the centre of the -semicircle, surrounded by the sailors, who were much puzzled -<span class='pageno' id='Page_269'>269</span>at the strangeness of this stately, open-air theatre, so different -from the air-tight boxes to which they had been accustomed -in London.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If it was only an Adelphi melodrama!” said Dick, whose -inclinations leaned to the bloodthirsty play; “but I suppose -it will be something like that squalling they called singing -yesterday.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Or a moosic ’all,” observed Gurt, chewing his quid reflectively. -“I seed a gal in one of ’em down Wappin’ way -as guv a song called, ‘Tap me on the shoulder, Bill.’ My -eyes, but it were a good un, that ’ere.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Decidedly this unique dramatic representation, which -many English scholars would have beheld with delight, was -quite thrown away on these conservative tars, who preferred -melodrama and comic songs to the solemn splendors of ancient -tragedy, which was, naturally enough, Greek to them -in more senses than one.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In accordance with the instructions of Justinian, the poet -had composed a play embodying an allegory of the aims of -this island colony of Melnos, and, forsaking to a great extent -the severe classicism of Æschylean tragedy, had modelled -his drama on the loose-flying splendors of Shelley’s Hellas. -This piece, entitled ‘The Phœnix,’ was intended to represent -the degradation of Greece under the Turkish yoke, her escape -from such bondage, her material civilization, and her subsequent -rise to intellectual supremacy, which end the formation -of the colony of Melnos was supposed to foster. Crispin had -no fear of his allegorical drama not being understood by his -audience, for the Greeks are a singularly keen-witted people, -and, besides, Justinian had so imbued the whole population -with his hopes of reviving the ancient glories of the Athenian -genius, that all present were quite able to comprehend -the hidden meaning of the play. The Phœnix was to occupy -the whole morning, and, after an interval of two hours for -rest and refreshment, the satiric pendant to the more solemn -piece was to be represented in the afternoon, consisting, in -this instance, of a local incident, developed and expanded by -Crispin into a wild Aristophanic farce, blending wit with -irony, laughter with tears, and stately chorus with clownish -play of rustic actors.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin, moreover, was not only author, actor, and stage -manager, but also an accomplished musician, therefore had -made use of his Western training in this respect, to get -together an orchestra, and, with the aid of Andronico, had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_270'>270</span>adapted the plaintive music of the Hellenic folk-songs to his -choruses. The quick-eared Greeks speedily picked up the -airs, many of which they already knew, and thus the drama -followed closely in the footsteps of its Athenian prototype; -and the wild, rude music, sounding at intervals between -the long speeches of the principal characters, prevented the -monotony which otherwise would have certainly prevailed. -With violin, flute, pipe, drum, symbols, and sabouna, the -musicians therefore took their places unseen by the audience; -for Crispin, adopting Wagner’s theory, did not want -the attention of his audience distracted in any way by the -presence of the orchestra between stage and auditorium.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The back of the stage represented a smooth, white marble -wall, fronted by a range of Corinthian pillars wreathed with -milky blossoms, and in the centre, great folding doors ready -to be flung open when required by the exigencies of the -play. Against this absolutely colorless background moved -the brilliant figures of the performers in measured fashion, -with stately gestures, as moved those serene, side-faced -figures on the marble urn dreamed of by Keats. The clear -light of the sun burned on the great half-circle of eager faces -with steady effulgence, and left in delicate shadow that wide -white stage, whereon was to be enacted a drama such as we -in England, lacking all things necessary to such colossal -majesty, can never hope to see.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All being read, the curtain arose, or rather fell, for Crispin, -with strict fidelity to Athenian usages, had adopted this -curious mode of withdrawing the veil between audience and -performers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The stage is empty, but a wild chant sounds in the distance, -and a long train of Moslems, headed by their Sultan, -sweeps in, bearing with them Hellas, a captive in her own -land to the barbaric power. Helena, draped in black and -manacled with chains, represented Hellas, who stands with -melancholy mien amid the gaudily dressed chorus of Moslems, -listening to their songs of triumph over her downfall. -“We have chained you to our chariot,” they sing tauntingly, -“yet thou need’st not look so downcast, for a slave hast thou -been before, and a slave thou wilt be hereafter. Thy -shrines, thy palaces, thy city walls have fallen, and fallen -too art thou.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The chorus having ended their exalting strains, the Sultan -addresses Hellas, and offers to make her his wife, thus incorporating -the ancient land of loveliness with the newly constructed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_271'>271</span>power of the Turk; but Hellas, who is Athena -incarnate, scorns his offer to make her <a id='corr254.2'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='anodalisque'>an odalisque</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_254.2'><ins class='correction' title='anodalisque'>an odalisque</ins></a></span> of the -harem. “Virgin I was, virgin I am, virgin I remain,” says -the fallen queen, with haughty grace; “my body you may -chain with iron, but the soul is under the protection of Zeus, -the Supreme; therefore will I sit here in desolation rather -than partake of the splendors you offer me.” Furious with -rage, the barbarian smites her, but she, still smiling, repeats -constantly, “The body is thine, but the soul is mine;” so in -wrath he leaves her, with a promise that her woes shall -never end, and the Moslem chorus follow him from the -stage, with triumphant shouts of joy at the success of their -arms.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Left alone, chained and desolate, amid the ruins of her -temples, Hellas bewails her downfall, which contrasts so -darkly with her former brilliance in classic times. Crispin -afterwards translated the play into blank verse for the benefit -of Maurice, but the English verse gives but a poor idea -of the fire and majesty of the sonorous Greek original. -“Woe is me!” cries the fallen queen—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>For I am but the sport of jealous gods,</div> - <div class='line'>Who, envious of Athenian gloriousness,</div> - <div class='line'>Have crushed the city of the Violet Crown</div> - <div class='line'>Beneath the force of overwhelming hordes;</div> - <div class='line'>Thus blotting out my heaven-aspiring sons,</div> - <div class='line'>Who, burning with a new Promethean fire,</div> - <div class='line'>Would fain have scaled god-crowned Olympus high</div> - <div class='line'>To match themselves ’gainst gods in equal strife.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Then, with the sudden energy of despair, she calls upon -the heroes of Salamis, of Thermopylæ, of Marathon, to aid -their mother in the time of need. Alas! no voice answers -to her cry of anguish, and, overcome with a sense of hopelessness, -Hellas, discrowned and chained, sinks weeping on -the broken column of her fallen shrine.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Now enters the chorus proper of young Greek maidens, -dressed in black stoles, to denote the sorrowful condition of -their country. They sweep into the orchestra, and, having -sprinkled the altar with incense, begin to question their -fallen queen, as though they were ignorant of the cause of -her grief.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in20'>CHORUS.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>What madness drives thee, queen, to rend thine hair?</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in20'>HELLAS.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Curst Ate bides upon the threshold stone.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in20'><span class='pageno' id='Page_272'>272</span>CHORUS.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Now see I plainly thou art bound with chains.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in20'>HELLAS.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>In this no fatal blindness dims thine eyes.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in20'>CHORUS.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Say whence these chains which check free-moving limbs?</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in20'>HELLAS.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>The Eastern hordes have bound me helpless thus.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Question and answer thus goes on for some time, and then -the chorus break out into a wailing song, in which they -remind Hellas that, having forsaken the old gods who helped -her in her need, she is now reaping the reward of such folly. -“The curse of Ate is on thee,” they cry pitifully, “nor will -the goddess be satisfied until she has exacted her due penalty -for neglect of the Olympians.” They relate the former woes -of Hellas, how she first was slave to the Macedonians, then -to the Roman power; how the Latins set their mailed feet -on her neck; and now the Moslems have again reduced her -to the position of bondswoman. Ever a slave, ever desired, -she is thrown from the one to the other, as it pleases them, -unable to free herself from such degradation. When this -chorus of reproach is ended, Hellas calls upon the tutelar -genius of Greece to help her ere she perish.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In answer to her cry, Apollo (represented by Caliphronas) -appears, and blames her for foolishly forsaking the old gods -for the new, and thus falling into the hands of Nemesis. -His power, which was engendered and kept alive solely by -belief, has departed, and he cannot help her, much as he -desires to do so. “I myself,” he says—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>E’en I whose fanes were ever reverenced,</div> - <div class='line'>Am now bereft of shrine and oracle;</div> - <div class='line'>No longer do I hear the Delian hymn,</div> - <div class='line'>Nor taste the savors of the sacrifice,</div> - <div class='line'>But, lyre in hand, go wandering through the night,</div> - <div class='line'>Lamenting for my skyey chariot,</div> - <div class='line'>Wherein I bore the fierceness of the sun</div> - <div class='line'>Up eastern hills and down to western seas.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Finally, Apollo tells his renegade worshipper that she -must sing the battle-songs of Tyrtæus, which may perhaps -awaken thoughts of freedom in the breasts of her degenerated -sons, and then departs, promising to return again when -<span class='pageno' id='Page_273'>273</span>she is once more the stainless Hellas of old. Fired by the -speech of the god, Hellas rises, and, assisted by the chorus, -begins to sing fierce battle-songs, and call upon her sons to -remember the heroes of the past. A clamor is heard without -as of men fighting, then the chains of Hellas fall off, -and with them her dark robe. Now she is free once more, -and clad in purest white, so, while rejoicing in her liberty, -a herald (Crispin) appears, and tells how well the Greeks -have fought for their independence. This gave the poet an -opportunity for a stirring speech, descriptive of the modern -Greek heroes, Canaris, Botzaris, and Conduriottis, which -names were received with shouts by the audience, fired with -patriotic fervor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Once more Apollo, the genius of Greece, appears, and -declares that no longer can Hellas dwell in desecrated -Athens, but that, even as his mother Latona, she must seek -shelter in an Ægean isle, and there, after long years, give -birth to a supreme race, who will revive the ancient glories -of violet-crowned Athens. Leading her by the hand, the god -then conducts the newly liberated Hellas up the steps of the -temple. The great doors are flung open to the sound of -trumpets! and lo! appears the Acropolis of Melnos in all its -beauty. Here is Hellas to dwell in seclusion, until her -antique glory is revived by a new race of her sons, instinct -with genius; and down the steps come strings of white-robed -youths and girls, bearing fruits, to welcome this Phœnix of -Greece, new risen from the ashes of the past. Then the -chorus, wreathing in a mystic dance round the altar of Bacchus, -sing the coming glories of New Hellas, which are soon -to be realized in the Island of Melnos.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Long, long hast thou lain as in prison, our mother, our goddess, our queen,</div> - <div class='line'>But lo! to the eastward hath risen a splendor serene,</div> - <div class='line'>And glorious day follows darkness, the darkness of hundreds of years,</div> - <div class='line'>Reviving thy corpse from its starkness, with laughter and tears,</div> - <div class='line'>Ay, tears for the past and its anguish, and laughter for glories to come,</div> - <div class='line'>For never again wilt thou languish, a bondswoman dumb.</div> - <div class='line'>The trumpets of triumph are blowing, their clangor swells north from thy south,</div> - <div class='line'>And jubilant music is flowing anew from thy mouth.</div> - <div class='line'>Man, dazzled, obedient shall render his homage to thee as of yore,</div> - <div class='line'>And thou wilt stand forth in thy splendor, a goddess once more.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>After this introductory chant in unison, the chorus divided -in twain, and semi-chorus replied to semi-chorus, in -fiery speech and jubilant music, that rang like a pæan through -<span class='pageno' id='Page_274'>274</span>the wide theatre. Ever moving figures, kneeling youths and -maidens, soft radiance of sunlight, and triumphant bursts of -choral song, while Hellas, serene in her freedom, stands beside -tutelary genius, with the light of the glorious future on -her face, listening to the eagle flight of liquid words, greeting -her as queen of the world.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The play being ended, all the lively Greeks streamed out -of the theatre, loudly praising the entertainment, and, having -had an intellectual feast, now proceeded to the tables set in -the open air, which were covered with all kinds of food to -satisfy their physical wants. Maurice and the Demarch -waited in the theatre alone for the actors, and very shortly -Crispin came to see how they liked his play. He received -warm congratulations of his success from the two men, while -Helena and Caliphronas also received their due meed of -praise. The Greek was radiant with self-complacent delight, -for his vanity had been much gratified by the approval of -the audience, and for the rest of the day he regarded himself -as the hero of the hour, quite forgetting both Crispin and -Helena in his serene egotism.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope I have succeeded in showing your aims clearly, -Justinian?” said the poet, as they sat down to a comfortable -meal.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have succeeded admirably, especially in that last -chorus. I only hope that all will see the piece is meant for -more than the amusement of an hour.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you heard how the villagers are talking,” remarked -Caliphronas, with a laugh, “I do not think you would have -any doubt on that score, for they already regard themselves -as the saviours of Hellas, intellectually, physically, and -politically.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Did you intend your genius of Greece for Lord Byron, -Crispin?” asked Maurice, who had understood and admired -the allegory.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, the character was supposed to blend both the god -and the poet,” replied Crispin, after a pause; “let us say it -was the Olympian incarnate in the body of the Englishman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And both the Olympian and Englishman incarnate in a -Greek,” said the Demarch graciously.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas smiled at receiving this compliment, which -was intended to further blind him to the reality of Justinian’s -feelings towards him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is nothing I should like better than to become a -leader in reality,” he said gayly; “to inspire my countrymen -<span class='pageno' id='Page_275'>275</span>with the desire of once more making Hellas supreme queen -of the world.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of the intellectual world?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Or the material—it matters not which.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pardon me, but it matters a great deal,” replied Justinian -quickly. “Politically, Greece has a place among the Powers—she -has a constitution and a king. So, as far as material -prosperity goes, I wish not to meddle with her, but my -aim is to revive her intellectuality, and Crispin’s play was -entirely written to illustrate that point. Hellas will never -be a modern Roman empire—she never was an all-conquering -power, and her strength lay in the brains, not in the -hands of her sons. After all, is it not greater to control -the minds than the bodies of men?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You want to turn Hellas into a school.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The pen is mightier than the sword,” rejoined Justinian -sententiously. “Let other nations be merchants and warriors, -while Greece reasserts her ancient vocation of teacher. -An aptitude for a special line is as true of the many as of the -one. You would not give the lyre to the soldier nor the -sword to the poet, so every race should exercise the talents -with which it is especially gifted; not, of course, to the -exclusion of others, but make its peculiar gift its greatest -aim. At present, the great human family of Europe is in a -state of transition, and, unaware of each other’s aims, are -watchfully in arms the one against the other. Let us hope -that before the end of the twentieth century they will recognize -that one special faculty predominates in every nation, -and permit each other to cultivate that special faculty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What!” exclaimed Maurice, somewhat astonished, -“would you have the English nothing but shopkeepers -and colonizers—the French, a nation of warriors—the Germans, -philosophers only, and the Italians, musicians? That, -indeed, would narrow down the talents of the world to one -special field each.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You do not understand me, Maurice,” said Justinian -impatiently. “I quite agree that every nation should have -its own literature, art, music, philosophy, and drama, but the -one special gift of the race should be cultivated more than -the others; it should be made a state law—a political -necessity. However, this question admits of much argument, -and we have no time to argue now, but, in illustration -that I am not so narrow-minded as you think, I will merely -point out, that I educate my Greeks in military and civil -<span class='pageno' id='Page_276'>276</span>occupations quite as much as I attend to their intellectuality.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“After all,” said Caliphronas pointedly, “only civil occupations, -such as touch agriculture, are necessary, for intellectuality -is yet in the future with us, and it is not likely -Melnos will ever require to resort to arms.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I trust not,” replied Justinian, looking steadily at the -Count. “But if she does, I am quite sure you will find her -sons able to defend their island, even against enmity and -treachery.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas smiled uneasily, and held his peace, upon -which there ensued a rather embarrassing pause, which was -only ended by the departure of Crispin to look after the -afternoon’s entertainment. Maurice strolled off in the -pleasant company of Helen, much to the disgust of Caliphronas, -who now pointedly avoided the company of the -Englishman, owing to the fracas which had occurred during -the previous day. Truth to tell, Roylands was pleased with -such avoidance, as, now that open war was declared between -himself and the Greek, he had no need to cloak his distaste -for the society of this precious scamp.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The satiric comedy of “The Honey Bees,” was a fantastic -piece based upon an incident which had lately occurred in -Melnos. Justinian had lately imported a potter to teach his -people the ceramic art, but this new acquisition turned out -to be but an idle scoundrel, who spent his time in drinking -and making love to his neighbors’ wives. On this basis the -poet had worked out an amusing plot, not devoid of point, -in which Aristides, an idle scamp, forces himself into an -industrious hive of honey bees, whose queen he desires to -marry, in order to be independent for the rest of his life. -Unfortunately, he falls a victim to a counter-plot of the bees -themselves, who, in order to disillusionize the queen, get a -pretty young girl called Myrtis to pay court to the adventurer. -He makes love to Myrtis, and is discovered by the -enraged queen, who orders her bees to drive him forth from -the hive.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This slight framework was filled with pointed allusions to -passing events, and the weaknesses of many of the Melnosians -were slyly pointed out, so that the gossip-loving audience -enjoyed every stinging remark to the full, nor, indeed, -failed to laugh when the irony was directed at themselves. -The scene was the public square of the village, with the lake -and the bronze statue of Jupiter, so that, with such a well-known -<span class='pageno' id='Page_277'>277</span>setting, every local point was understood and applauded. -The chorus consisted of the “Honey Bees,” -dressed somewhat after the fashion of Aristophanic Wasps, -with pinched waists, yellow black-banded bodies, and spears -for stings. Alternating with the rude buffoonery of the play, -were bursts of choric song lauding the community of Melnos -and the industry of its inhabitants, with many sly hits at -the idle lives of the adjacent islanders. In fact, with great -judgment the poet had constructed the whole comedy to -glorify the Melnosians at the expense of their labors, and -thus render them the more resolved to work hard at their -appointed tasks, and thus fulfil the aims of their Demarch.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The following scene of the arrival of Aristides and the -entrance of the chorus will give, some idea of the play, -though, of course, what with local allusions and the flexibility -of the Greek language, the comedy is more amusing in -the original.</p> - -<p class='c001'><i>Aristides.</i> O Pan, to what land of honey have I come! -Truly, I see naught but wild thyme and yellow comb. -Poseidon, has thou then girdled Hymettus with the azure -scarf of ocean?</p> - -<p class='c001'><i>Queen.</i> No hill of Attic fame do you here behold, but the -sky-piercing Melnos, beloved of the gods.</p> - -<p class='c001'><i>Aristides.</i> Jupiter! I behold a graceful creature. Have -I then been thrown on the alluring coast of fatal -Circe?</p> - -<p class='c001'><i>Queen.</i> Sun-god’s daughter I am not, but one who rules -over honey-seeking bees in this hollow island. Cleverly do -they extract the sweet juices of flowers to fill the emptiness -of many-celled combs.</p> - -<p class='c001'><i>Aristides</i> (<i>running away</i>). Ah me, I fear the sharpness of -their stings.</p> - -<p class='c001'><i>Queen.</i> In no wise will they hurt thee save at my behest. -Be still, O handsome stranger, and I will invoke for thee -the industrious tribe, whose ambrosia is sweeter than the -food of undying gods.</p> - -<p class='c001'><i>Aristides.</i> Already I shake in my cowardly knees.</p> - -<p class='c001'><i>Queen.</i> O Pan, inspirer of vague fears, do I call on thee -to send hither the swift-flying bees. Whether ye lurk in -honey-throated flowers industrious, or speed lightly through -the measureless sky, do I summon ye hither, O sting-bearers.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in6'><span class='pageno' id='Page_278'>278</span>ENTER CHORUS OF BEES.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in6 c014'>Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!</div> - <div class='line'>Indeed I heard thy cry, O queen,</div> - <div class='line'>When seeking on a mount serene</div> - <div class='line'>Sweet-tasting honey for our store,</div> - <div class='line'>Drawn from the core</div> - <div class='line'>Of rose and daisy, violet,</div> - <div class='line'>In sparkling dews of meadows set,</div> - <div class='line'>With patient labor do I strive</div> - <div class='line'>To fill the hive,</div> - <div class='line'>Alas! too often plundered, when</div> - <div class='line'>Espied by all-devouring men.</div> - <div class='line in6'>Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!</div> - <div class='line'>But lo! whom see I lurking here?</div> - <div class='line'>The form of man, whom much I fear.</div> - <div class='line'>Buz—z—z—z—z!</div> - <div class='line'>Let me prepare my angry sting</div> - <div class='line'>To slay this greedy-passioned thing,</div> - <div class='line'>Who would devour</div> - <div class='line'>Our honey in a single hour.</div> - <div class='line'>Buz—z—z—z—z.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>The audience, lovers of laughter as they were, much preferred -this amusing play to the solemn teachings of the -morning, and yet from both they learned something necessary -to their well-being. From the one, how Justinian -wished to make them the centre of a new intellectual force; -and from the other, how his aim could be achieved by industry -and perseverance: so, grave or gay, the performance -instilled the policy of the Demarch into their minds.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the conclusion of the comedy, the rest of the evening -was devoted to feasting, while Justinian and his guests -returned to the Acropolis, well pleased with the success of -the performances.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, what do you think of my sermons from the -stage?” asked Crispin, as he strolled along beside Maurice.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think very highly of them,” answered the Englishman. -“It is a pity we dare not be so out-spoken in our own land. -But if you set forth the foibles of Londoners as plainly as -you did in ‘The Honey Bees,’ I am afraid you would have -half a dozen libel cases.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It would be impossible to transplant the Aristophanic -comedy to England, for modern civilization is too complicated -to admit of such free speaking. Besides, the average -Briton is too serious and too practical to relish the truth, even -when uttered by the comic muse, and only the light-hearted -Athenians could have appreciated and enjoyed such plain -speaking. The French are more given to open criticism, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_279'>279</span>I daresay a political comedy constructed on these lines -would appeal greatly to their sense of humor.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When one is in Rome one must not speak evil of the -Pope!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And every nation has its pope of conventionality. I -agree with you there. After all, it is impossible to revive -the past, and even a new Shakespeare would be as out of -place in these <a id='corr279.8'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='post-revoluntionary'>post-revolutionary</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_279.8'><ins class='correction' title='post-revoluntionary'>post-revolutionary</ins></a></span> days as a new Aristophanes. -The modern world deals with the drama of little -things, and the individual idiosyncrasy is caricatured instead -of the national policy. We have only one plain-speaking -Aristophanes nowadays, and his name is <em>Punch</em>.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXV. <br /> <span class='fss'>OLYMPIAN.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Like statues fair the naked runners stand,</div> - <div class='line'>Poised for the start on Elis’ sacred plain,</div> - <div class='line'>Their limbs resplendent shine with fragrant oil,</div> - <div class='line'>And every eager athlete is fain</div> - <div class='line'>To win the wreath of olives for his toil,</div> - <div class='line'>In honor of his laud.</div> - <div class='line'>Like flying arrows from a stretchèd bow,</div> - <div class='line'>They onward speed with every muscle strained.</div> - <div class='line'>A breathless pause—then shouts to heaven go</div> - <div class='line'>In token of the victory hardly won.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>A triple cry of “Hail, Victorious!” sounds;</div> - <div class='line'>With dance and choral song the victor goes</div> - <div class='line'>To bend before the statue of the god.</div> - <div class='line'>Then one with glad rejoicing proudly throws</div> - <div class='line'>A robe of triumph o’er his shoulders broad,</div> - <div class='line'>And with wild olives crowned,</div> - <div class='line'>The athlete unconquered, in his state</div> - <div class='line'>Waits silent in the awful god’s abode</div> - <div class='line'>To hear, with pride of victory elate,</div> - <div class='line'>The rushing splendor of Pindaric ode.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>Owing to the comparatively small size of the valley, -which was much taken up with the dwelling-houses, manufactories, -and public buildings, the place wherein the yearly -games took place was not very large. Still, with a sparse -population, the arena was large enough, and when all were -assembled it was comfortably filled, leaving a large open -space in the centre for the runners, leapers, boxers, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_280'>280</span>other athletes who took part in the sports. Despite his dislike -to anachronisms, Justinian was obliged to deviate from -the special sports of Elis, and introduce a number of modern -pastimes, in order to keep his men in an efficient state of -training for the defence of the island. To this end, shooting -matches were arranged, and the Demarch supplied the -Melnosians with guns for the day, which were afterwards -returned to the armory of the Acropolis, and many of the -villagers were excellent marksmen. Justinian also, who -appeared to know something of military tactics, drilled and -manœuvred his men in fine style; and last, but not least, -Gurt, who was an old man-of-war’s man, had taught a special -number the cutlass drill of the British navy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The arena was a large open space near the grand staircase, -surrounded with many trees of the beech, elm, pine, and -plane sort; and thus, to some extent, shaded the ground -agreeably from the sun, which beat fiercely down at noonday. -There was no amphitheatre, but rows of stone benches -on which the women could seat themselves, while their husbands, -fathers, sons, and brothers stood around, or lay luxuriously -on the grass. Justinian himself, however, had a kind -of stone throne, rudely carved, and all his guests were supplied -with seats adjacent, so that they could view the games -quite comfortably. The athletes were clothed in their tight-fitting -dancing costumes, which gave free play to their -bodies, and were comfortably cool, while their feet only were -bare, so as not to impede their speed in the racing. On this -final day of the festival, the colors changed sexes, for most -of the men were garbed in white for the sports, while the -women had decked their snowy chitons with brilliant ribbons -and gold coins, while they wreathed their dark locks -with fragrant chaplets of flowers. Only Helena was in pure -white—Helena, who sat near her father like a queen, and -wore a robe the hue of milk, a snowy wreath of delicate -cyclamen, yet who looked the fairest of all the fair women -assembled. In spite of the attractions, vine-feast and goat-song, -which had occupied the two previous days, these -Olympian games were the favorites with the lively Melnosians, -as all could take part in them, and win the praises of -the Demarch, and the smiles of the women, which was -greatly flattering to the harmless vanity of the Greek -nature.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice, in common with Crispin, was arrayed in the -white wool athletic dress, as Caliphronas had challenged -<span class='pageno' id='Page_281'>281</span>him to compete in jumping, and for the honor of his country -he accepted the glove so insultingly thrown down. Insultingly, -because Caliphronas, confident of his superb -physical perfection, had taunted the Englishman with not -being able to hold his own in athletic sports, save in boxing, -which taunt had stung Maurice so much, that he had -wagered himself against Caliphronas in the running jump. -At college, Maurice had been a famous athlete, and though -six years of idleness in London had impaired his powers, -yet the pure atmosphere of Melnos, the constant open-air -life of mountain-climbing and swimming had completely -reinvigorated him; and what he lacked of his former skill -was counterbalanced by the endurance of his spare frame, -the hardness of his muscles, and his general feeling of -exuberant vitality. He was all in white, save for the colors -of his college, and a wreath of red roses, which Helena had -woven round his gray sombrero, in which headgear he looked -like the Sicilian shepherd, Acis, when he went a-courting -Galatea by the sea.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Seated by Justinian, they all watched the progress of the -games with great interest, which was fully shared by their -surrounding guard of sailors, who thought this festival the -most sensible of the three. All the ambitious mariners had -entered themselves for every game, running, wrestling, leaping, -boxing, and shooting; nor did they fail to uphold the -honor of England, for if the Greeks had the speed, the -Britons had the strength, and, in their dogged determination -that an Englishman could not be beaten, managed to secure a -respectable number of victories over the nimble-stepping -islanders.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think I like the games best myself,” said Justinian, as -he surveyed the races from his throne, like one of the old -Olympian Hellanodikai; “for I know that strength is what -Melnos now requires from her sons. Amusement and intellectuality -are in the future, but, with the chances of a probable -war, we need as many skilled athletes and trained -soldiers as possible.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I notice you make everything subservient to your -schemes,” observed Maurice, who every day was more and -more impressed with the administrative capabilities of the -Demarch.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course. I think the entire life of a people should be -the means to an end, and thus they will be able to live healthfully, -mirthfully, and intellectually, yet be able to guard -themselves in time of dangers.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_282'>282</span>“Quite like Sparta!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; I have told you I never did approve of Sparta, which -destroyed the individuality of every man, and turned her -nation into nothing but a warlike machine. A plant will not -grow in a pot too small for it, nor will a child constantly confined -in swaddling clothes develop its physical nature freely. -Mankind requires four things,—amusement, education, work, -and physical exercise; and on these requirements I base my -system of rule. All the year round, my people work for the -well-being of the community, and these festivals, although -they please them, are not without their objects. The first -day is the pure amusement only of the vintage feast; during -the second day, I educate their minds to understand the -reason of their existence; and now, on this third day, they -indulge in physical exercises, which keep them healthy, and -also train them to defend their land from outside dangers.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are a modern Solon!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The Solon of an unnoticed island,” replied Justinian, -with a smile. “Well, you see, owing to the exigencies of -modern life, I am forced to go in for quality rather than -quantity—to rule a tribe instead of a nation—to govern an -island rather than a continent. Nevertheless, you know the -saying, ‘From small events, what mighty causes spring;’ -so, perchance, my miniature government, when it develops -into a larger one, may not be without some influence in this -often misgoverned world.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Justinian,” said Maurice, with irrepressible curiosity, -<a id='corr282.28'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='who'>“who</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_282.28'><ins class='correction' title='who'>“who</ins></a></span> are you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Demarch of Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Forgive me!” replied Maurice, flushing, as he noticed -the pointed rebuke. “I know the question I have asked is -a breach of good-breeding; but you are such a wonderful -man, that I must be excused for wondering where you came -from.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not angry at your question,” returned Justinian, -touched by the frankness of the young man; “the spectacle -of an old Englishman with such projects is, perhaps, calculated -to arouse curiosity. However, I will promise to tell -you all about myself when a certain event, which I dearly -desire, comes to pass.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And that event?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian smiled meaningly, and let his eyes fall upon -Helena, upon which Maurice flushed red with delight, and -would have spoken, but that the wary old man shook his -head, as a sign that he was to keep silence.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_283'>283</span>“Andros!” he whispered significantly; “another time.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice saw that Caliphronas was walking towards them, -and wisely held his peace, although it was difficult for him -to repress the delight which the hint of Justinian had -awakened in his breast. To have this queen among women -as his own, to pass his life by her side, to always have her -beautiful face before his eyes,—it was too good to be true. -Yet true it was, for Justinian had unmistakably shown his -approbation of the match. As to Caliphronas, the young -Englishman had no fear; he had given his rival plainly to -understand that he would strive his hardest to win Helena, -and the Greek could not say that he was involved in any way -in Justinian’s crafty diplomacy. Maurice Roylands was -essentially an honorable man, and, despite the necessity for -such treachery, the underhanded dealings of the Demarch -were revolting to his sense of honesty, and he was glad he -had come to a complete understanding with the Count, so -that, when Justinian showed his hand in the deep game he -was playing, Caliphronas could not accuse his rival of underhand -dealings in any way. As to Helena, this straightforward -lover was not so ignorant of the ways of women as not -to know she liked him best, in spite of her coquettings with -Caliphronas; therefore he felt quite confident that Helena -would not be cruel enough to refuse him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>His meditations were put an end to by Crispin, who approached -with Dick, on whose behalf he proffered a challenge -to Mr. Roylands.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Here you are, Maurice,” said the poet cheerily. “Dick -wishes to know if you will be his antagonist in a boxing contest.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly, I will be delighted; but I am afraid, Dick, -you will have the best of it, as I haven’t touched the gloves -for the last six months.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m not in good training myself, sir,” replied Dick modestly; -“but I’d dearly love to have a turn with you, sir, if I -may make so bold, just to show these darned Greeks how to -use their fists.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t you speak contemptuously of these darned Greeks, -my friend,” said Crispin dryly; “some of Justinian’s men -have no small skill in boxing, I can tell you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not Caliphronas,” remarked Maurice, recalling his contest -with the Count on the first day of the feast.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas!” echoed Crispin scornfully. “No; he is -too much afraid of his beauty being spoiled to go in for hard -<span class='pageno' id='Page_284'>284</span>knocks; but he is a good leaper, Maurice, so you will have to -look to your University laurels.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“‘And can I fail before my lady’s eyes?’” quoted Maurice -jestingly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps not; but remember Caliphronas is also exhibiting -his prowess in his lady’s eyes: so you are like two -knights of the Middle Ages tilting before the Queen of -Beauty. If you fail, my poor Maurice”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“<span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><i>Væ victis</i></span>”, retorted Roylands, with a laugh; “keep your -lamentations till after the contest, Mr. Aristophanes. Jove! -how that fellow scuds!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A one-mile race was going on, four times round the arena, -which was a quarter of a mile in circumference, and about -half a dozen men had started, among whom was Temistocles, -the young Greek who had won the wine-skin dance on the -first day of the festival. He had shot slightly ahead of his -competitors, who were making great efforts to catch him up, -but Maurice, an adept in such things, saw that he was exhausting -himself in the effort to keep the lead, and, as it was -only the first lap, would not be able to hold out to the end -going at such a pace.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Crispin, tell that fellow leading to reserve himself for -the last round.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What for?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because he’s taking too much out of himself, stupid. -Quick, shout as he passes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The runners were now flying past the winning-post, which -was directly in front of Justinian’s throne, so Crispin sang -out loudly in Greek to Temistocles as Maurice had instructed -him. The young Palikar was no fool, and saw that the advice -was good, so he let the two behind him gain his side, -and took a second place between them and the ruck. Only -these three men were in the race, for the remaining three -were already well blown, and Temistocles, acting on the wary -advice given, wanted his two most dangerous opponents to -exhaust themselves. During the second lap, one of the last -three men threw up the sponge, as also did another at the -third round, and as the hinder man was completely out of it, -the interest in the race centred in the two leading runners -and Temistocles, who followed closely behind. Neck and -neck ran the first two, making violent efforts to pass one -another, quite unaware of the danger behind them, so that at -the final lap they were getting somewhat stale. Half-way -round the arena, one gained slightly on the other, and, thinking -<span class='pageno' id='Page_285'>285</span>he was now pretty certain of the victory, ran home at -full speed, but Temistocles, who had been mustering his -strength, saw that the decisive moment had come, and, shooting -past him like an arrow, gained the goal four lengths -ahead. The applause during this exciting race was tremendous, -and the onlookers cheered themselves hoarse when -Temistocles won; while that grateful young man came to -thank Crispin for the hint which had gained him the victory.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do not thank me,” said Crispin, smiling, as he drew Roylands -forward; “Kyrios Maurice told me what to say.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Temistocles expressed himself much beholden to the lord, -and went off to receive the congratulations of his friends, -while the next item on the programme, which was a boxing -contest, began. Both Maurice and Dick watched this exhibition -of pugilistic science critically, and came to the conclusion -that while the islanders were active enough in dodging -and hitting, they had not sufficient strength to make their -blows effective enough when they hit home. It was all dexterity -and avoidance with them, which made the fight pretty -enough to look on, but scarcely exciting from an English -point of view. Still, one of these light-weight Greeks was -enough to tire out any ordinary boxer, and, once having exhausted -his antagonist, could hope to tap him pretty freely, -and thus come off victor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At last, after several contests, Maurice and Dick put on -the gloves and stepped into the arena, and, after shaking -hands in time-honored fashion, began to spar warily at -one another. Both were heavier-built men than the spare-framed -Greeks, but were pretty equally matched in point of -weight and science. If anything, Dick had the quicker eye -of the two, while Roylands possessed the longer reach. -Justinian, an old boxing man himself, was as keen as a -needle over this glove match, and came down from his seat, -in order to get a closer view of the battle, while the Melnosians, -equally interested, crowded round eagerly to watch -the contest.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After sparring lightly for a time, Maurice made a feint, -and led out straight home, but Dick was on his guard, and -parried the blow with his right, catching his antagonist a -lifter on the jaw with his left. Secretly annoyed at this, -Roylands made rapid play, and succeeded in landing a stunner -on Dick’s eye before the active sailor could dodge. -Maurice got the worst of the first round, Dick of the second, -so it seemed difficult to foresee who would finally triumph. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_286'>286</span>In the third Maurice got a nasty one in the ribs, but, feinting -with his left, extended his right rapidly in that dexterous -blow known as “the policeman’s knock,” which, catching -Dick full on the face, had the effect of tumbling him over -on the grass. In the fourth round, however, Dick recovered -his lost ground by blowing his antagonist first, then coming -home with a tremendous rap on the left ear which made -Maurice see stars. The Greeks were frenzied with excitement, -and even Justinian, Caliphronas, and Crispin caught -the contagion, and yelled as loudly as the rest at every successful -blow. Not so active as the cat-like sailor, Maurice -was getting a trifle blown, and thought he was going to disgrace -himself in Helena’s eyes, and, what was worse, in Caliphronas’, -by being beaten, so, when the fifth round began, -made up his mind to come off best. By this time he was -pretty well versed in Dick’s <a id='corr286.16'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='tatics'>tactics</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_286.16'><ins class='correction' title='tatics'>tactics</ins></a></span>, and when the sailor closed -in with a right-hand feint, in order to come home with his -left, Maurice dodged like lightning, and, breaking down -Dick’s guard, punished him severely on the nose. Both -men’s blood was up now, and indeed Dick’s was showing, as -it streamed from what is called, in the graceful language of -the prize ring, “his smeller,” and at the sixth round the onlookers -saw that the final bout would be severe.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All the women were rather nervous at this savage contest, -and Helena, pale as a lily at the sight of blood, was clinging -to her father’s arm, inwardly breathing prayers for the success -of her hero, for so she now regarded Maurice. Dick had -now quite lost his head, and was quite reckless, while -Maurice was as cool and calm as ever, his self-control standing -him in good stead in parrying Dick’s furious onslaughts. -Still the sailor managed to draw blood freely, much to the -secret joy of Caliphronas, who would have liked nothing -better than to see Maurice’s handsome face spoiled, when -Roylands, setting his teeth like a vise, tried to close in with -his opponent for the final tussle. For a minute the two men -dodged rapidly, feinted, parried, sparred, and did their best -to break down one another’s guard, when Dick, losing his -self-control, hit out recklessly in a wild fashion, upon which -Maurice sent one blow after another home like a sledge-hammer, -and ended the fight with a tremendous left-hander, -which levelled Dick almost insensible on the ground.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Every man on the ground, aroused by the sight of blood, -fairly went mad, and when Dick went off, supported by two -of his messmates, wanted to carry the victor in schoolboy -<span class='pageno' id='Page_287'>287</span>fashion round the ground on their shoulders, a triumph -which Maurice declined, and retired to cleanse himself of -blood. Long after was that fight remembered, and the local -poet made a kind of Iliad out of the struggle, which was one -compared to the triumph of Achilles over Hector, Maurice -of course being the son of silver-footed Thetis.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The sports went on during the whole of the long day, as -if the competitors would never tire, and there were <a id='corr287.8'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='flat-racing'>flat-racing,</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_287.8'><ins class='correction' title='flat-racing'>flat-racing,</ins></a></span> -hurdle-racing, jumping, wrestling, and further boxing, until -late in the afternoon. Then Gurt put his men through their -cutlass drill, and Justinian manœuvred the whole male population -of the island, much to his own satisfaction and that -of Maurice, who saw that the Melnosians were capitally -drilled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where did you learn all your military science?” he asked -Justinian when the drill was over.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I was in the army once,” replied the old Demarch, with -great pride.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What regiment, may I ask?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot tell you that yet.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are as mysterious as Crispin.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There are a good many mysteries in this Island of Fantasy, -Mr. Roylands,” retorted Justinian good-humoredly, -“and when they are all solved, you will be surprised in more -ways than one. Have you been a soldier yourself?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No! I am a man of peace, but my Uncle Rudolph was -a lieutenant in a line regiment, the —th.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, your lost uncle!” said the Demarch, with an ambiguous -smile. “You must tell me your family history some -day.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid it will be necessary soon,” replied Maurice, -glancing at Helena.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, you think so? Well, remember my desire about -you being my successor, Maurice. I wish your answer -shortly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You will have it as soon as I hear from England.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, that will be soon. I have a boat waiting at Syra -for your letters, so I trust you will your reply, and Crispin -his yacht, shortly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then you still anticipate trouble?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do! Remember we have one possessing the fatal name -of Helena here. She is the firebrand, as you well know; -but we will talk of these things another time, my son. -Meanwhile, let us come and look at the shooting.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_288'>288</span>As Maurice turned to accompany the old man, he felt a -soft touch on his arm, and, on looking down, saw that Helena, -with an expression of pity on her beautiful face, was looking -at him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you hurt, Maurice?” she said anxiously.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, not at all!” he replied, laughing. “Dick gave me -a nasty one on the nose, which is rather painful, but nothing -to speak of. But to-morrow, I will be such a sight, as you -will shudder to look on me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I would rather see a brave man disfigured, than a handsome -coward,” retorted Helena, with disdain, casting a side -look at the distant form of Caliphronas.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, and you think Caliphronas is”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very nice,” interrupted Helena cruelly. “Yes, he is delightful!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I believe you are very fond of Caliphronas,” said Maurice, -displeased at this speech.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t think you are, Maurice,” pouted the girl, looking -down.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Assuredly I’m not, and to prove this, I will do my best -to beat him at the high jump!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you do,” said Helena gayly, “I will give you a rose.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of what color, you coquette,—red for love, or white for -silence?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Neither! Yellow for jealousy!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She ran away after her father with a silvery laugh, in -which Maurice, in spite of his vexation, could not help joining, -as the charming coquetry of this young girl was delightful -enough to fascinate him, and annoying enough to pique -his pride, of which Mr. Roylands had no small share.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She is the loveliest woman in the world,” he said to himself, -sauntering towards the shooting party, “and if I win -her I will be the most fortunate of beings. But I am afraid -she is a coquette, or else it is a woman’s way of provoking -love. Hullo, Dick! is this you?” he added aloud, as the -boatswain, considerably battered, approached him. “I’m -afraid I’ve knocked you up a bit.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not a bit of it, sir,” replied Dick, heartily grasping the -young Englishman’s extended hand. “I’ll be as right as a -trivet to-morrow; but, my word, sir, I shouldn’t like to meet -you without the gloves!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t know so much about that, Dick. You were a -pretty tough antagonist, I can tell you!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So Zoe thought, sir, when she saw me,” grinned Dick, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_289'>289</span>displaying his white teeth; <a id='corr289.1'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='she'>“she</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_289.1'><ins class='correction' title='she'>“she</ins></a></span> thought it was Gurt, -sir!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And was sorry it wasn’t, perhaps?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m blest if she was, Mr. Roylands! I’m the white-haired -boy in that quarter, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Gurt?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, he don’t mind, sir. He’s not a marrying man—I -am.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you intend to marry Zoe?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If she’ll have me, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t think there’s much fear of that, Dick,” replied -Maurice genially.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope not, sir, but women are queer creatures.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They are, indeed, Dick,” answered Maurice, with a sigh, -thinking of Helena and her dexterity in avoiding his wooing, -yet keeping him a fast captive in her chains.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What I’d like you to do, sir,” said Dick reflectively, “is -to have the gloves on with Mr. Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why so?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>For answer Dick pointed to his own swollen face, and -grinned meaningly, whereupon Maurice walked away, laughing -to think of the Count’s handsome countenance in such a -scarred condition.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The shooting was going on splendidly, and all the Melnosians -proved themselves good marksmen, more or less, -while Justinian himself was a crack shot, and made one -centre after the other in a most surprising manner.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will you have a try, Maurice?” he said, when the young -man reached him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not to-day, sir. I’m too shaky after that fight, and wish -to keep up all my strength for the high jump.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have a tough antagonist in Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know that,” rejoined Maurice uneasily, “but I’m -hanged if I’ll let him beat me. His bragging would never -cease. Bravo, Crispin!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin had just made a bull’s eye, and was rejoicing in a -modest way over his success, so Maurice, to encourage him, -patted his shoulder.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What a pity Eunice is not here to see!” said Roylands, -laughing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m afraid Eunice would not appreciate my skill!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear lad, she would appreciate anything you did.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t think her mother would!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As long as you have twelve thousand a year, Mrs. Dengelton -will think you an Admirable Crichton.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_290'>290</span>“Not without a name!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have a name as good as any in England,” said Justinian, -touching the poet on the shoulder, “and what it is I -will tell you, when all these troubles are over.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This was the first time the Demarch had spoken so plainly, -and Crispin was much rejoiced thereat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am quite content, for I know you will keep your -promise.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are right!” rejoined Justinian proudly. “I never -break a promise, unless with regard to Punic faith.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas heard this saying, but of course did not understand -the significance of the remark, and strolled away -in order to look at the high jump, which was being put up -near the throne of Justinian. The shooting being at an -end, the rest of the party followed, and took their seats for -the final contest of the day, which was to be the competition -of the Greek and the Englishman in the high jump.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The two competitors came forward, as lightly clad as possible, -in order to give themselves every advantage in the -contest, and two finer specimens of manly grace it would -have been hard to find. Caliphronas was as lithe and sinewy -as a panther, with a sinuous grace in every movement; -while Maurice, who was the heavier-built of the two, had -not a spare ounce of flesh on his body, thanks to his active -athletic training during his residence in Melnos. Both -were fair-haired and handsome, but the delicately moulded -face of the graceful Greek had a cunning expression which -was quite absent from the more manly looks of the Englishman. -With supreme conceit Caliphronas quite expected to -gain the victory, while Maurice in spite of his University -record, could not help feeling a trifle uneasy as he looked at -the springy grace of his antagonist, besides which he still -felt a trifle shaken by the glove-fight, even though it had -taken place during the earlier part of the day.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas jumped first, and, poising himself on the ball -of his foot about ten yards off, made for the tape, which was -extended between two upright poles, with the speed of a -deer. It was four feet ten high, and, presenting no obstacle -to an accomplished leaper like himself, he cleared it easily -with the lightness of a flying bird. Maurice followed, and -also went over without the least difficulty, amid the applause -of the spectators, much to the Greek’s secret vexation, as he -saw his antagonist was fresher than he thought, and no mean -athlete to be scorned. Four eleven was also cleared cleanly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_291'>291</span>by both, though in the air Maurice’s feet were perilously -near the tape, a fact which Caliphronas, who was eagerly -watching, noted with delight. The height was now five feet, -at which Caliphronas, unfortunately for himself, went with -over-confidence, so that he touched the tape lightly. Intensely -vexed at his failure, he could only hope that Maurice -also would touch, but the Englishman set his teeth determinedly, -and cleared the five feet with the bound of a deer. -The Greek, mad with anger at thus being beaten, and furious -at the applause of the spectators, loudly swore that the jump -was a chance one, whereupon Maurice walked straight up to -him, with an angry face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Count Caliphronas, you forget yourself, and you forget -me, to make such a statement. There was no fluke about the -matter, and, to prove it to you, we will both jump the five -over again.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian disapproved of this, but Maurice was firm, and -Caliphronas was only too delighted to have another chance -of beating his hated enemy; so, once more going to the start, -he made a rapid run, and cleared the jump, by a hair’s -breadth, it is true—still he cleared it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now, Mr. Maurice,” he said ungenerously, forgetting the -noble way in which the Englishman had acted. “Let us -see if you can do that twice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will not do it twice, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I thought not!” retorted the Greek exultantly; “so I -have won.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not yet! you forget I also have cleared the five; but, to -prove to you that my jump was no fluke, I challenge you to -five one.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You’ll never do it, Maurice,” whispered Crispin in alarm. -“Jump the five again, and let the match be a tie.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m hanged if I will!” retorted the Englishman fiercely; -“I have done better than five one at Oxford, and if it had -not been for the gloves, I’d do it again. At all events, I’ll -try this jump, Count Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In fair play the Count could not refuse the challenge, -although he was pale with anger, so, knowing he would -never clear that extra inch, went half-heartedly towards the -start. Such a faint spirit is not conducive to victory, and -Caliphronas not only touched, but fell heavily on the ground, -much to his chagrin. Then it was Maurice’s turn, and, -measuring the distance with his eye, he placed himself a -little more than ten yards from the tape. Helena clasped -<span class='pageno' id='Page_292'>292</span>her hands with nervous fear, the spectators held their breath, -as Maurice, pale in face, but stout in heart, came flying forward, -and, soaring upward like a bird, cleared the five one -with consummate ease. There was a wild cheer from the -crowd, especially from the British tars, who rejoiced greatly -at the way in which Maurice was upholding the honor of -England, and the victor found his two hands nearly shaken -off by Crispin and Justinian. As soon as he could get free, -he looked for Caliphronas, but the Greek, too petty-souled -to bear his defeat, had vanished, nor was he seen in the -arena for the rest of the afternoon.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The games being concluded, Helena distributed the prizes, -which were useful articles, especially selected by Justinian -for these occasions. Caliphronas had won several races, and -also the wrestling contest, but could not receive his prize, -owing to his non-appearance, concerning which no one seemed -sorry, so universally was he hated for his arrogance. Temistocles, -Dick, Gurt, and others were duly rewarded for their -prowess in the athletic field, and then Maurice knelt before -Helena to receive his prize. Justinian had been somewhat -puzzled what to give his guest, as the simple articles loved -by the villagers were hardly acceptable to the travelled -Englishman. Helena, however, solved the problem, and -hastily twisted together a wreath of wild olives, which she -placed lightly on his bent head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“For you,” said Justinian, as he arose a crowned victor, -and kissed the hand of Helena, “we can have no fairer -prize than the Olympian wreath of old.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You should now have a Pindaric ode,” exclaimed Crispin -gayly; “but alas! I am not Pindar, and you must be content -with the old Archilochian shout, ‘Hail, Victorious!’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The valley rang with the cries of the delighted Greeks; -and Caliphronas, seated on a summit of the grand staircase, -heard the triumphal shouts with wrath in his heart.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He has beaten me in the games,” he hissed between his -clinched teeth, “but he shall not beat me in love. I will -ask Helena to be my wife, and then, my Englishman!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A third shout came from the valley below, but Caliphronas -only laughed scornfully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And then, my Englishman!”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_293'>293</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXVI. <br /> <span class='fss'>BEAUTIFUL PARIS, EVIL-HEARTED PARIS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>What! wouldst thou force me to thine evil will,</div> - <div class='line'>And bear me far away in benchèd ships,</div> - <div class='line'>A second Helen to a second Troy,</div> - <div class='line'>Whose flight would raise a second ten years’ war?</div> - <div class='line'>Nay, sir! the gods are dead! and not in me</div> - <div class='line'>Beholdest thou proud Aphrodite’s slave.</div> - <div class='line'>My judgment’s as I will, and uncontrolled</div> - <div class='line'>By Venus, who would fain bestow on thee</div> - <div class='line'>The fairest woman, so that thou proclaim</div> - <div class='line'>Her fairest of Olympian goddesses.</div> - <div class='line'>Go hence alone! I’ll none of thee or thine.</div> - <div class='line'>Troy’s fallen, and Helen dead,—so Paris loses</div> - <div class='line'>The game which Ate’s cursed fruit began.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>“You beat me fairly,” said Caliphronas frankly to Maurice -that night. “It was foolish of me to be angry, but you -must admit defeat is hard to bear.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Greek did not mean a word of this very pretty speech, -as Maurice was well aware; still he could not but accept it -as meant in good faith, and thus a hollow truce was made -between the two young men which either was ready to -break on the slightest provocation. However, it was a pity -to mar the pleasantness of the evening by continuous bickering; -so, with smiles on their faces and distrust in their -hearts, Caliphronas and his declared enemy sat down to -table on apparently the best of terms with one another.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On their return from the games, all had enjoyed the -delights of the bath, no small pleasure after a fatiguing day, -and now, in their loose indoor robes, were partaking of -refreshment. All was going merrily, and, from an outside -point of view, a more united party could scarcely be found; -yet one and all felt that this was but the ominous calm before -the breaking of the storm. The Demarch, astute in the -interpreting of signs, saw that matters were approaching a -crisis which could not be averted, and that the disaffection -of Caliphronas, consequent on his refusal by Helena, would -take place sooner than had been anticipated. That the Count -would propose to his daughter that evening he had but little -doubt, as he saw that, smarting under his defeat in the games, -Caliphronas was determined to equalize himself in the eyes -of all by gaining Helena’s consent to the marriage, as a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_294'>294</span>set-off against the Englishman’s triumph. This being the -case, Justinian was equally sure that Helena would promptly -refuse the Greek, whom she so much disliked; in which case -Caliphronas would call upon him to enforce the marriage, and -then the whole truth would have to be revealed, after which -the Demarch had little doubt but that the Count’s next step -would be to leave the island and range himself openly on -the side of Alcibiades.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Truth to tell, the old man was rather anxious for the storm -to burst, as the suspense was rapidly becoming unbearable; -and as, judging from the review that day, all the Melnosians -were well prepared for war, he did not mind if Caliphronas, -out of wounded vanity, precipitated the affair quicker than -was expected. Again, as the Greek had told him all the -plans of Alcibiades, he had no further use for him; so, -being prepared in every way for trouble, Justinian was in -no wise sorry that affairs should come to a head, and that -Alcibiades and his threatened invasion should be crushed at -once. The insolence of Caliphronas also was becoming unbearable -to the proud old Demarch, therefore he desired to -hasten rather than retard the explosion; and, had he not -seen that Caliphronas was bent upon bringing matters to a -crisis himself, would have doubtless hinted the necessity of -a marriage proposal being made at once.</p> - -<p class='c001'>With Maurice and Caliphronas veiling their hatred of each -other under artificial smiles, with Justinian watchful for the -expected catastrophe, with Helena anxious, she knew not -why, at the Greek’s burning glances, it will be easily seen that -the merriment over the supper-table was rather forced. The -only truly happy member of the party was Crispin, who, -unsuspicious of ill, and rejoicing in having the promise of -the Demarch to reveal all about his parentage, was laughing -and jesting gayly in the highest of spirits.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think you can congratulate yourself on the three days -of the festival being a perfect success,” he said to Justinian, -who sat veiling his real feelings under a quiet smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; everything went off very well. Andros, you, as -the god of wine, were the hero of the first day.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Crispin, as Æschylus-Aristophanes, of the second,” -cried Maurice brightly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not forgetting Maurice, as the athlete Milo of the third,” -replied the poet, raising his glass.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh dear, dear!” said Helena, with a merry smile; “I -am afraid this is a mutual admiration society. God, poet, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_295'>295</span>athlete; you are all flattering yourselves, but no one says a -good word for me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is impossible to flatter perfection,” remarked Caliphronas -with one of his burning glances; “besides, you have -been the queen of the three days, and we are all secondary -characters. The stars are not the rivals of the sun.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why did you not say the moon?” said Helena, fastening -a red rose in the breast of her robe. “I love the moon -better than the sun.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are the inviolate Artemis!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Without an Endymion.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was an unlucky remark, and Helena regretted having -made it when she saw how fiercely her two lovers glanced at -one another.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Artemis waited a long time for her shepherd, but he -came at last,” said the Greek significantly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And did nothing but sleep when he did come,” cried -Maurice angrily; “a pretty lover truly! Helena, you are no -moon-goddess, but your namesake of Troy—the world’s -desire.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yet even Helen had her Paris,” interposed Caliphronas -quickly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Every woman has her Paris nowadays,” said Crispin -quickly, to forestall the angry reply of the rival lover; -“only it is a city instead of a man, which is just as charming -and more manageable. If Menelaus had been ruler of -Lutetia, Helen would never have been persuaded to leave it -for a dull provincial town like Troy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“‘Beautiful Paris, evil-hearted Paris!’” observed Justinian -quietly. “Tennyson’s line would apply equally to -the son of Priam or the city of pleasure. There, Crispin, is -the subject for a song, which idea I will make you a present -of for nothing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sing of Paris the city,” cried Helena vivaciously.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, Paris the man,” said Maurice, with a glance at -Caliphronas.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sing of both,” rejoined that gentleman quickly, out of -sheer contradiction.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is a hard task to improvise on so difficult a subject as -‘the Paris of Paris,’” remarked Crispin jestingly; “however, -I will try, although I have no lyre.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Take this myrtle,” said Helena, tossing him a twig across -the table, “and sing to it in the Greek fashion.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Maurice, you ought to give me your crown, so that myrtle -and olive inspire me with the breath of the god.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_296'>296</span>“‘King Pandion he is dead,’” rejoined Maurice lightly. -“The gods inspire no songs to-day, nor would they be -answerable for a mixture of the classic and romantic, such -as your ‘Paris of Paris’ is bound to be.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Judge for yourself, Thersites,” retorted the poet; and, -holding the sprig of myrtle in his hand, after a few moments’ -thought, he began to sing in his pleasant voice the following -words to a lively French air.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Paris came to Helen when</div> - <div class='line in2'>Earth was younger;</div> - <div class='line'>He was handsomest of men,</div> - <div class='line'>She was fairest woman then;</div> - <div class='line in2'>And love’s hunger</div> - <div class='line'>Made them long to run away,</div> - <div class='line'>Which they did one pleasant day—</div> - <div class='line'>So, at least, does Homer say—</div> - <div class='line in2'>Scandal-monger!</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Helen comes to Paris now</div> - <div class='line in2'>Earth is older.</div> - <div class='line'>But no love shines on her brow,</div> - <div class='line'>Nor breaks she a marriage-vow,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Love is colder.</div> - <div class='line'>She but comes for triumphs here,</div> - <div class='line'>Dressed by Worth in costumes dear,</div> - <div class='line'>Lets existence gay <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>pour rire</i></span></div> - <div class='line in2'>Lightly mould her.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Yet if Paris, town of joy,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Holds a Paris,</div> - <div class='line'>Charming as the Trojan boy,</div> - <div class='line'>Life is bliss without alloy;</div> - <div class='line in2'>There no bar is</div> - <div class='line'>To indulge in love once more;</div> - <div class='line'>So with Paris, as of yore,</div> - <div class='line'>Flies she as she fled before,</div> - <div class='line in2'>But she marries.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, ‘Roses of Shiraz!’” sighed Maurice comically, -“what would your admirers say if they heard such <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>vers de -société</i></span>?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Improvisation is hardly serious work!” retorted Crispin -coolly, drinking his wine.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And your sentiments!” cried Caliphronas in mock horror. -“You have made Helen prim.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“’Tis in keeping with this virtuous century.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“For my part,” said Helena of Melnos playfully, “I think -your modern reading of the story is charming. Crispin, I -appoint you my poet laureate.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And my wages?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_297'>297</span>“A wreath of artificial laurels, for, indeed, your song is but -worthy of such.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Cruel! And I always thought you so soft-hearted.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never judge by outward appearances,” said Helena, -rising from her seat. “I am as hard-hearted as papa—on -occasions.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope not on all occasions?” observed Caliphronas, with -emphasis.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Entirely depends upon the situation. To you, now, I -could refuse nothing—if I were inclined to grant your -request.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She vanished, laughing, through the curtains, and Maurice -looked at Justinian, to see if he had espied any hidden -meaning in his daughter’s words; but the face of the old -Demarch was as expressionless as a mask, while the Count’s, -bright with joy, betrayed the certainty he felt of receiving -an answer in the affirmative to his proposal of marriage. -Truly, women are queer creatures, as Dick had observed the -previous day. And if Helena did not intend to marry -Caliphronas, it was curious that she should thus raise up his -hopes, only to dash them down again. Juliet, with her -simile of a silk-gyved bird, trying to fly away, yet ever -drawn back again by the detaining thread, is a typical -woman, who scorns her lover, so that he departs angrily, yet, -when she sees him leaving her, woos him back with tender -words, only to repeat her former cruelty. Helena, in spite -of her girlish simplicity, yet knew these two men were in -love with her, and tortured the one and was kind to the -other, turn and turn about, just as it suited her humor—why, -it is impossible to say, unless the legend that every -woman was once a cat be true, and they yet retain a sufficiency -of the feline nature to make them love such cruel -mouse play. Yesterday Helena said she disliked the Greek, -now she roundly asserted she could refuse him nothing; and, -whether she was in earnest or fun, there was no doubt that -the Count was about to take her at her word, and ask her to -become his wife.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In spite of Crispin’s valiant efforts, the conversation languished -after the departure of Helena, the Demarch being -somewhat preoccupied, and Maurice too cross to talk; -while Caliphronas, after replying mechanically for a time, -finally went off in search of the lady he had made up his -mind to marry. All the three men left at the table looked -meaningly at one another, for they guessed the reason of his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_298'>298</span>sudden exit, yet none of them made any reference to the -affair, as it would be quite time enough to discuss it when -Caliphronas was refused.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile, Caliphronas rushed onward to his fate, in -utter ignorance of the real feelings which Helena entertained -towards him, and found her leaning against one of -the pillars in the court, listening to the singing of a nightingale, -much in the same position she had occupied when -first seen by Maurice, two months previous. She turned -with a smile when the Greek entered the court, but he held -up his hand for her to keep silence, and both of them for -some time continued to listen to the delicious music. The -passionate song of the distant bird flooding the warm night -with melody, the thin, pale light of the moon pouring in -white radiance on the white marble court, the intoxicating -perfume of the flowers around, and the delicate noise of the -falling fountain, all thrilled the heart of the impressionable -Greek with a sensuous feeling of delight, and stretching out -his hand gently, he laid it lightly on the bare arm of the -girl he loved.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Startled by the touch, Helena rather indignantly turned -round to reprove him for taking such a liberty, but the -words died on her lips, as she saw the handsome face of this -man, irradiated with passionate love, bending towards her. -Tall and straight as a cypress, his lithe figure gracefully -draped in a white robe, he looked like some gracious deity -of the past, wooing a mortal maiden, while the burning gaze -of his eyes seemed to scorch her with its ardor. It was -the animal look in them that thus made her flush hotly, and, -with a sudden movement of outraged virginal dignity, she -retreated slowly towards the silver pool of the fountain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do not shrink from me like that, Helena!” murmured -Caliphronas in Greek, as he came towards her lightly as a -fawn. “I wish to tell you the meaning of the bird’s song.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you mean, Andros?” she asked uneasily.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think Aristophanes understood it?” pursued the -Greek, taking no notice of her question; “he put it into -words, you know. Tio! tio! tio-tiolix—No, that is not the -song, but a mere assemblage of words. What is the divine -nightingale now singing? Can you not guess? It is of -love—of love—of love! My love for you—your love for -me, my queen. Hark! out the strains gush rapturously -through the night—it is speaking of love eternal—my love -for thee, joy of my heart!”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_299'>299</span>“You jest, Andros!” said Helena faintly, not at all liking -the tone of this poetical rhapsody.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Jest!” cried Caliphronas, ardently seizing her hand; -“no, I speak true to you, rose of this isle! I love you! I -worship you! I desire you for my wife!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your wife!” she echoed, snatching her hand away. -“Are you mad?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“With love of thee—yes!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do not touch me, sir. How dare you insult me!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Insult!” said Caliphronas, starting as if he were stung. -“What do you mean, girl? Is the offer of a man’s heart an -insult?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are surely not in earnest,” said the girl, much perplexed -what to say. “I had no idea you loved me!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am in earnest, and I do love you,” declared Caliphronas -with fiery energy, coming so close to her that she could feel -his hot breath on her cheek. “You must have seen my passion -long since. I want you to be my wife—your father -and I have settled it between us.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was the worst speech that he could have made, for Helena, -with a cry of rage, pushed him fiercely back, and stood -before him with clinched hands, her eyes bright with indignation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How dare you! how dare you! Am I not to be consulted -in the matter—do you think I will allow myself to -be handed over to you like a slave? Never! I would -rather die! I will not be your wife! I refuse to listen to -you!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But you do not understand,” said Caliphronas, rather -crestfallen at this sudden outburst of anger.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do understand. You have spoken to my father, and -he has permitted you to ask me to be your wife, but, as to -its being settled—how dare you! I will not be your wife! -Don’t you dare to suggest such a thing to me!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I mean to be heard,” began the Greek, but she cut him -short with a sudden stamp of her foot.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You can mean what you like,” she said imperiously, -“but heard you will not be!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You beautiful fury!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Go away and leave me!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena,” cried the Count, falling on his knees, “I love -you! I adore you! Do not refuse to be my wife.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do refuse!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But your father?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_300'>300</span>“Leave my father out of the question, Andros. You have -asked me to be your wife, and I tell you plainly, No. Perhaps -I have been rather angry, but when you ask a woman -to honor you by becoming your wife, you should not treat -her as if she were a bundle of goods to be handed from one -man to another.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You refuse me?” asked Caliphronas, hardly able to -believe his own ears.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do, once and for all! Come, Andros, stop talking such -nonsense, and forget all this scene.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why will you not be my wife?” asked the Count doggedly, -rising from his knees.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because I do not love you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not love me!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, my sultan. Do you think I am a woman to fall at -your feet when you thus throw the handkerchief?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas, who had suppressed his rage with difficulty, -now burst out in a passion of furious anger, hardly knowing -what he was saying.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know the reason you refuse me. Yes, you do well to -turn away your head. You love this cursed Englishman. -Ah, you cannot deny it! you are afraid to look me in the -face.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not afraid—there!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She faced him boldly, and the Greek, maddened beyond -control, seized her by the wrist with a grasp like iron, yet -she neither winced nor cried.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is it thus a woman should proffer her love?” hissed -Caliphronas, white with passion; “this Englishman loves -you not, and yet you throw yourself at his feet.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not. Let go my hand!” she cried, wincing with -pain, yet keeping a bold front, upon which he flung her from -him with a furious oath.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will marry you, in spite of your refusal.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never! I will die rather than be your wife.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man tried to speak, but, choking with passion, -could say nothing, so, stamping with impotent fury, he -rushed to the principal entrance of the court and tore aside -the curtains.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have refused to marry me,” he cried in a strangled -voice. “I accept your refusal, but you will be mine soon. -I will storm the island, I will drag you in chains away, and -when I tire of you then will I sell you as a slave to the -Turk!”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_301'>301</span>He dashed out of the court with a scream of rage, leaving -Helena standing white as a marble statue, with her hands -across her breast, which was heaving tempestuously with -rage at the Greek’s insolence. If she had, girl as she was, -refused the offer of Caliphronas in a somewhat undignified -manner, she was now every inch a woman, who, not knowing -the meaning of the word “fear,” was fiercely angered at the -insult to her womanly pride. The soft, graceful girl had -disappeared, and in her place stood Clytemnestra, fearlessly -daring the dagger of Orestes. Suddenly she felt a touch on -her arm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Father!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know what has occurred. You are worn out with -excitement, so go at once to bed.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But Andros”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will deal with him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You know I refused him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I heard you say so.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Was it your wish I should marry him, as he said?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Girl, I would rather see you dead than the wife of that -despicable coward,” retorted the Demarch fiercely. “Now -retire at once, and leave me to settle the matter. Good-night.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good-night, father.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She turned to go with an air of utter lassitude, but the -strain of the last half hour had completely broken her down, -and suddenly, with a low cry, she burst into tears. Justinian -caught her in his arms, and began to soothe her tenderly -with endearing words, which moved the girl strangely, for -she was quite unused to such caresses from her iron-natured -father.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My girl, my little child, you must not weep!” whispered -the old man, kissing her white face. “All will yet be well, -and never shall you see this vile Andros again. He shall -leave the island at once. You did well to refuse him, and I -am proud of the spirit you displayed. Come, come! you -must weep no more. I know all.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You know?” she faltered, looking at him in astonishment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I know, and I approve. Now, good-night, my darling, -and sleep well.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He led her slowly to the door, and, having summoned Zoe, -sent the girl to bed at once in charge of her maid, then -returned to the centre of the court and looked frowningly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_302'>302</span>at the entrance through which Caliphronas had disappeared.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You dared to speak like that to my child!” he murmured -fiercely. “It is well you fled, or, old as I am, you would not -have left this court alive. It is war between us now, Andros, -and if I gain the victory, you had better have died than -spoken as you have done to-night.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice, whistling gayly, came into the court, having left -Crispin behind at the table, but, when he caught sight of -Justinian’s face, stopped short in dismay.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is the matter, Justinian?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nothing more than what I expected.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“About Caliphronas?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; he has proposed to Helena, and she has refused -him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice drew a long breath of relief.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am glad of that; now there will be a chance for me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You love my daughter?” asked the Demarch suddenly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I love her,” replied Roylands simply; “I have -always loved her.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am glad of that, Maurice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You will permit me to ask Helena to be my wife?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Willingly. It is my dearest wish; in fact, it was for -that reason I brought you here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Brought me here, sir!” said Roylands in amazement. -“Why, did you know I was coming?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; I sent Caliphronas to England to persuade you if -possible to pay me a visit.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But how did you know such a person as I was in existence?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The old Demarch took Maurice by the hand and spoke -solemnly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When you propose to and are accepted by my daughter, -I will tell you all, and the mysteries which have so perplexed -you shall do so no longer.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will speak to Helena to-morrow.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good. Then to-morrow I will tell you who I am, and -how I was able to know all about you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But suppose Helena refuses me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian smiled slightly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She has refused Andros, but you—ah, that is quite a -different thing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Still”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Tush, my son, you are too modest! In my days young -<span class='pageno' id='Page_303'>303</span>men were not so faint-hearted. Helena’s a woman, therefore -may be wooed.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“True, but the question is, may she be won?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My good Mr. Roylands, did I not promise to tell you all -about myself when you presented yourself as my future son-in-law?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, by this time to-morrow you will know all, so as to -what will occur in the mean time, I will leave to your imagination.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Caliphronas?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas,” repeated the Demarch slowly, “means -mischief, so, like the knights of old, you will win your bride -at the point of the sword.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Justinian, if you only knew how I love her!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The nightingale, hitherto silent, now began its song, upon -which the old man good-humoredly pushed Maurice to the -door.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Go to bed, my son; that bird will tell me the tale of love -much better than you will.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXVII.<br /> <span class='fss'>THE ALTAR INSCRIBED ΘΕΌΝ.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>By this altar stone I swear</div> - <div class='line in2'>Never more to part from thee;</div> - <div class='line in2'>Thine in life and death to be,</div> - <div class='line'>And thy future fortunes share</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Be the weather wild or fair,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Dry on land or wet at sea,</div> - <div class='line in2'>This vow shall be kept by me,</div> - <div class='line'>By this altar stone I swear.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The next morning neither Helena nor Caliphronas was -present at breakfast, as the girl, in company with Zoe, had -gone up the mountain shortly after sunrise in quest of -flowers, and the Greek had not been near the Acropolis since -he had left it the previous night.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Can he have left the island?” said Maurice anxiously to -the Demarch.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hardly,” replied the old man grimly; “unless he has -<span class='pageno' id='Page_304'>304</span>borrowed the wings of Icarus, for I alone have the key of the -tunnel.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is the western pass,” suggested Crispin thoughtfully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“True; but even supposing he did get to the sea-beach, -he will find it difficult to obtain a boat,” said Justinian calmly. -“All the boats are fast chained and padlocked to the rocks; -so, unless his friend Alcibiades finds him waiting, like a second -Ulysses, on the beach, I hardly see how he can take -French leave.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What are you going to do about him, Justinian?” asked -Maurice curiously.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am waiting until you and Helena come to an understanding, -and then I will tell Caliphronas that he has been -beaten with his own weapons of treachery.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena has gone up the mountain. Will I await her return?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By no means. Follow her at once to her favorite <a id='corr304.16'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='haunt-'>haunt.</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_304.16'><ins class='correction' title='haunt-'>haunt.</ins></a></span> -There is a narrow path leading to it—a glade near the western -pass, in the center of which is an altar inscribed Θεόν.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I know it! Helena showed it to me some time ago. -Crispin, I am going a-wooing!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wish you every success.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think my fortunate star is in the ascendant?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are as faint-hearted as you were last night,” said -the Demarch, laughing. “Do you think, if I were not sure -of Helena’s answer, I would send you on a fruitless errand? -Go, my son; and when you and Helena come to ask my -blessing, I will deal with Andros.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Punic faith!” remarked Crispin a trifle sadly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well! what would you?” demanded the Demarch with -energy. “Had I not made use of Andros, he would have -made use of me. It is a mistake in being too honest when -dealing with a scoundrel. One cannot go straight on a -crooked road. If I were dealing with you, or with Maurice, -I might not stoop to diplomatic lies; but as to that serpent -of an Andros—pah!—the end justifies the means.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think he will come and see you again?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course! He will come to demand the fulfilment of -my promise, and ask me to force Helena into this distasteful -marriage. Then I will reveal all, and drive him from the -island.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But is it wise to let him go free, seeing he is our declared -enemy?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_305'>305</span>“What! you wish me to keep him as a hostage?” said -Justinian good-humoredly. “Nothing would be gained by -such an act. Alcibiades intends to attack the island, with -or without Andros; and the only thing this scamp can do is -to urge his friend to assault Melnos at once. Everything is -ready: the men are in splendid training; I have arms in -plenty; and we are thirteen Englishmen, so the sooner the -strife is decided the more satisfied I will be.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I will leave you to talk over your military schemes -with Crispin,” said Maurice, as he arose to go, “and meanwhile -will go in search of Helena.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good luck go with you!” cried Crispin, as he left the -room; and Maurice heartily seconded the kindly wish.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was an exquisite morning, and the sun was just below -the eastern peaks of the island; but as Maurice lightly -climbed up the slopes behind the Acropolis, the luminary -came into view, and flooded the high elevation of snowy pine -forest, and olive trees, with yellow radiance. The cup of the -valley lay in shadow; but amid these lofty solitudes all was -luminous light and brilliant sunshine. The little path which -led to the glade had been worn into a narrow earthen track -by the light feet of Helena; but on either side grew the long -lush grass, starred with primrose, violet, anemone, and -cyclamen—all delicately blooming in the warm atmosphere. -From this floral carpet arose stately plane-trees, arbutus, and -here and there lance-shaped cypresses; while, between the -luxuriant foliage, Maurice could catch glimpses at intervals -of the terraced vineyards, yellowish-green with the autumnal -tints of the vine-leaves, and purple with bunches of grapes; -sometimes the white gleam of a winepress, from whence -arose the merry song of peasants treading the ripe clusters; -and far overhead, seen like a vision through the ragged framework -of leaves, the serrated peaks of milky hue cutting the -intense azure of the sky. All this loveliness was irradiated -with the strong sunlight, and steeped in the luminosity of -the atmosphere, so that the variety of tints, the infinite delicacy -of the colors, the almost imperceptible blendings of the -one into the other, made a picture enchanting to the most -careless observer. Added to this, the air, rising warm from -the valley below, yet coolly tempered by the higher snows, -produced an atmosphere exhilarating in the extreme; and a -pleasant murmur of song of bird and peasant sounded on all -sides, blending with the rustle of the boughs, and the gentle -sigh of the wind moving innumerable leaves to airy whisperings.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_306'>306</span>It was truly wonderful how rapidly Maurice had adapted -himself to the mountaineering life of Melnos; and he breasted -the steep path with a vigor which had been quite foreign to -him, when listless, enervated, and melancholic, in England. -The artificial life of six years in London, amid a deleterious -atmosphere, surrounded by ugly houses and stony streets, -had saddened and depressed his spirits; but now that he had -returned to Nature for cure, her calm and soothing medicines -had stilled his fretful spirit, had smoothed the wrinkles from -his brow, removed the haggard anguish of his heart; and -now, reinvigorated and vitalized, he felt that it was good to -live. Doctors can do much, but Nature can do more; for, -while physical ills are to a certain extent under the control -of the former, only the latter can minister to the mind; and -the intangible influence of landscape, mountain air, rustic -quiet, and woodland music, on the diseased mental faculties, -cannot be over-estimated in their curative powers. Wise, -indeed, were the Greeks to fable how the giant Antæus drew -fresh vigor for his frame from his mother Tellus; and if we -in modern days did but apply this parable of nature-cure to -our crowded city populations, how infinitely less would be -the physical and mental ills to be endured by our worn-out, -exhausted toilers of this over-anxious age!</p> - -<p class='c001'>What wonder if the Hellenes were a joyous race, dwelling -as they did in a radiant climate, amid scenes of undying -beauty, in healthful communion with the Earth-spirit! They -exercised the body in the palæstra, the mind in the portico, -and, ever drinking in health, beauty, and the music of leaves, -winds, and waves, were therefore easily able to attain and -preserve that serene calm of existence, which we see stamped -in vivid beauty on the faces of their marble masterpieces. -The countenances of Egyptian sphinx and granite king express -the awful solemnity of communion with the unseen; -the rapt faces of mediæval saints a spiritual unrest to escape -from the world they despised; but in the frieze of the Parthenon, -in the statues of god, goddess, hero, and nymph, we -but see the calm of contentment, of serene satisfaction, -arising from the healthful minds and bodies of the race, -whose joyous tranquillity was the gift of Nature to her -believing children. Yet we, while envying their beatitude, -and desirous of emulating their intense calm, make no effort -to do so; for we leave the country, and rush to the already -overcrowded cities, wrangling, toiling, worrying, striving to -attain an unsatisfying end. Wiseacres talk of the complexity -<span class='pageno' id='Page_307'>307</span>of modern civilization, of the over-population of the -world, of the survival of the fittest; but this is, so to speak, -merely laying the blame of our own mistakes on the stars, -for we ourselves have produced this age of unrest, which we -profess to loathe. When the humors of the body run to one -spot, a tumor ensues, which throws the whole system out of -order; and it is the same with the misdirected way in which -we govern our modern nations. If, instead of rushing to -cities, and thus begetting what may be called geographical -tumors, our rustics and wearied toilers stayed in the open -country, then would our civilization become less restless, -and more akin to the envied calm of Hellenic life. Food -would be more plentiful, minds would be more at peace, -bodies would be more healthy, and the world happier. But -we will not do this;—fired by ambition, by desire for gold, -by longings for luxury, we crowd together in noisy multitudes, -and turn away from the calm serenity of Nature, who -would take us to her breast and make us happy, even as she -did those wiser children of old. Nature sent her herald, -Wordsworth, to proclaim this truth, but alas! he piped in -vain; and his songs of purity were drowned in the jingle of -gold and the shouts of ambition.</p> - -<p class='c001'>These were Maurice’s thoughts as he clambered up the -mountain-path; and so rapt was he in his dreamings of -Nature-worship, that, all unconsciously, he emerged into the -glade near the western pass.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was encircled by ilex, tamarisk, beech, and elm, woven -together as in brotherhood by straggling creepers, festooned -gracefully from bough to bough, from branch to branch; and in -the centre, amid the flowing grass, was placed a small marble -altar, on a low flight of steps. In front the trees had been -cut down, and there was a glimpse of the white houses in -the valley, the waving red line of the grand staircase; and, -high above, the bizzarre colors of the volcanic rocks, fringed -by a dark green belt of forest, from which luxuriance the -arid peaks shot up into the blue sky like white marble -cones. But not at valley, nor forest, nor aerial peaks looked -Maurice, for his eyes were fixed on Helena, who, robed in -her favorite white, crowned with a wreath of roses, stood by -the altar with a mass of brilliant flowers thereon, looking -like the nymph of the place.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She flushed red with delight as Maurice drew near, and -paused in her dainty task of arranging the blossoms with -the air of some startled shy thing of the woodlands. Like -<span class='pageno' id='Page_308'>308</span>stars her eyes, like sunshine her glinting hair, and as for her -face, the roses in her wreath were scarce so delicate in hue. -The lovely glade, the solemn, flower-piled altar, the beautiful -priestess—it was not Melnos, it was not the nineteenth -century, for this was Arcadia; and in this bird-haunted dell -was Flora discovered, weaving flowers for future summer’s -adornment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you Nymph, Dryad, or Oread?” he asked, pausing -with one foot on the lowest step.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; I am Chloris, the goddess of flowers,” she answered, -entering into the spirit of his jesting speech.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Give me, then, O goddess, of your treasures!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Violet, rose, and cyclamen! take them all,” she cried -merrily, and threw a rain of many-colored flowers on the -laughing, upturned face of the young man. Then, while he -bent to pick up one crimson bud which had fallen at his feet, -she burst out into one of those old English songs her father -had taught her:—</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Rose and myrtle all are twining,</div> - <div class='line'>In their beauty thus combining,</div> - <div class='line'>To become a chaplet fair</div> - <div class='line'>For my shepherd’s golden hair.</div> - <div class='line'>Fa la! la! la!</div> - <div class='line'>My Colin dear.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“Clearly,” quoth Maurice, with a smile, “this wreath is -meant for me, for I have golden hair.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena smiled, and continued both her garland-weaving -and her song.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“If you ask who is my dearest,</div> - <div class='line'>It is he who loiters nearest;</div> - <div class='line'>And for him this chaplet fair</div> - <div class='line'>Do I weave with flowerets rare.</div> - <div class='line'>Fa la! la! la!</div> - <div class='line'>My Colin dear.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“Better and better!” said the lover, mounting the steps. -“I am nearest! I have yellow locks, so I decidedly am Colin -dear!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>They were now standing on either side of the altar, with -the rainbow heap of flowers between them; and, despite -Maurice’s boldness in thus coming so close to his goddess, -he was now seized with a fit of shyness, which communicated -itself to the sympathetic Helena, so they gazed with -embarrassment at one another, tongue-tied, with burning -cheeks.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_309'>309</span>“Where is Zoe?” asked Maurice, breaking the awkward -silence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Zoe,” replied Helena demurely, “is assisting Dick to -find more flowers.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And, pray, what is Dick doing here?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Aha! you must ask Zoe.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I would rather ask you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena glanced at him with a laugh, then suddenly flushed -crimson, and sat down on the steps, with the white lap of -her gown full of flowers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am no oracle to give answers,” she replied, carefully -selecting some buds.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That means you are no goddess,” said Maurice, sitting -down a step lower, and looking up into her charming face. -“Well, I prefer you as a mortal maiden. But what about -Colin’s wreath?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am weaving it now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Roses for love, myrtle for joy, violets for modesty. -What a charming wreath!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, you know the language of flowers!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know what this wreath means—‘Modest love is a -joy.’ Am I right?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes—no—yes—that is—Oh dear me! Is it not a -lovely day?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is it not a lovely face? Very lovely.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I speak of the day.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I of you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Decidedly Maurice was getting on capitally in the art of -saying nothings which mean somethings, and Helena was -woman enough to know what he was hinting at, yet also -woman enough to indulge in a little coquetry. She had -burnt her fingers with Caliphronas; yet, quite forgetful of -the warning, began to tease Maurice with charming persistence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Am I very lovely?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are as beautiful as Helen,” replied Maurice, rather -taken aback at the directness of this question.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am as beautiful as Helen! Well, I am Helen; so you -mean I am as beautiful as myself. That is not a compliment.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What a vain child you are! I am speaking of the Trojan -Helen.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not a child. I am nineteen years of age—and a -woman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_310'>310</span>“I believe that, for you possess all the art of a woman in -tormenting a man. Where did you learn it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Learn what?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The art of being cruel, kind, merry, sad, delightful, yet -tormenting.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you mean to say I possess all these contradictory -qualities at one and the same time?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you are capricious at times.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, indeed!” said Helena pettishly, resuming her task. -“Then I must be full of faults.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They are very charming faults, at all events.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not listening, Maurice. I am too busy with this -wreath.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My wreath.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I did not say it was yours.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not in words, perhaps; but then, you see, I can read the -language of the eyes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena blushed at this, but, purposely misunderstanding -the hint, made demure reply.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, you see my education has been neglected in that particular -branch.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Shall I teach you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid you will find me a bad pupil.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t mind taking that risk, Helena.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He laid his hand on one of hers with a caressing gesture, -upon which she let it remain, but snatched up a cornflower -with the other.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Look what a beautiful blossom!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is the color of your eyes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, no; I mean this red rose.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The tint of your cheeks.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hate compliments,” said Helena in a dignified way, trying -to release her hand from his warm grasp.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Always?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, always; unless I like the person who pays them.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And in this case?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I—I—don’t know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Let me read the truth in your eyes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She looked up with a pretty gesture of mock despair, but, -meeting the tenderness of his look, dropped her eyes in confusion, -while Maurice, shifting his seat, slipped his left arm -round her slender waist, still holding her hand gently.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>No answer.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_311'>311</span>“Helena, do you know what your eyes tell me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>No answer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They say that you will not be cruel enough to refuse me -your love.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My love!” she murmured confusedly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” he whispered passionately. “I said you were -capricious. You are not capricious, but true, loving, and -charming beyond expression—a very woman, whom I love, -and who loves me in return. Helena!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>All the virginal passion of this island maiden burned like -red roses in her cheeks, as Maurice drew her slender form -closer to his breast, and murmured broken sentences of love -in her ear.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I love, you! I love you, Helena! I saw your face in a -picture, and I loved the face; now I see the woman, and I -love the woman. My dearest! my darling! say you love -me just a little!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot say that,” she whispered, hiding her face on -his shoulder.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Helena!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because I love you a great deal.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My darling!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She lay in his strong arms, with her head on his shoulder, -blushing with maidenly fear at the ardor of his passion; -then Maurice, bending down his comely head, pressed a kiss -on her lips.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dearest! my own!” he murmured rapturously; “how -I love you! love you! love you!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Lost in the overwhelming deeps of each other’s affection, -they remained silent, filled with feelings too deep for words, -too inexplicable to be translated otherwise than by sighs and -glances. The delicate voices of the woodlands sounded in -their ears, the brilliant colors blazed in the luminous light, -the sun shone, the birds sang, but they heard nothing, saw -nothing; for, with their hearts beating, their souls blending, -their lips meeting, they were far away from this earth in the -heaven of love.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was something sacred about this outburst of passion, -which sent a thrill of fear through their breasts; for -this was no vulgar affection, no sensual desire, no mere -adoration of outward beauty, but a chaste union of two -souls, in which the woman’s melted into the man’s as a -dream into a dream. The virginal purity of the young girl -experienced no repulsion in this case, as it had felt when -<span class='pageno' id='Page_312'>312</span>near to the frank animal passion of the handsome Greek; -and Helena, exquisite blossom of maidenhood, lay in her -lover’s arms without shame or dread, for she knew that this -clinging clasp, these broken sighs, this vivid ardor, were the -outcome of a love as pure and chaste as was her own; so -there she lay, cradled on his beating heart, and the birds -around sang their betrothal song, as doubtless they carolled -to our first parents in the garden of Eden. Time was not, -earth had vanished, humanity was but an empty name, for, -clinging together with passionate ardor, they were all in all -to one another, and the divinity which clothed them with -his splendors was no rosy, mischievous urchin, with his -bundle of arrows, but a terrible, unseen, unknown, unfelt -deity, who now, for the first time, had permitted them to -enter into his Holy of holies, and touched with their lips -the burning coals of his sacred altar.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Alas! mighty as are the pinions of Love, they weary in -that divine atmosphere of transcendentalism; so, folding his -wings, he ceased his song of bliss, and dropped like a tired -lark to the earth. The lovers awoke from their mystic -trance, and looked at one another with wide-eyed rapture; -then Helena, with a happy sigh, once more laid her head on -her lover’s shoulder, and began to talk of earthly matters.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My father!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your father will be delighted, my dearest. He told me -that this was the dearest wish of his heart.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah! is he so anxious, then, to lose me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, he will not lose you, my sweet queen. For when we -are married we will still dwell in Melnos, and reign over it -through years of happiness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My father wants you to be his successor?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; and to marry you. So if you fulfil the first, I will -accept the second.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will marry you whenever you like,” said beautiful -Helena, smiling through her tears. “But will you not weary -of staying here?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“With you? never!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, it is I who am the attraction—not Melnos!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is both; but in my eyes you are before everything -else in the world.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And if you grow tired of me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will never grow tired of you!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena picked up a rose from her lap and held it up to -him.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_313'>313</span>“This rose is very beautiful, but it fades. Is your love -like the rose?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; but not because the rose fades. My love is like -the rose-plant itself, which renews itself afresh with every -coming of summer. In this island it blooms all the year -round; and my love will be the same.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will you not regret your home, your money, your -position?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dearest, none of those things brought me happiness. -I was a weary, mournful man, tired of life, tired of myself, -tired of all around me; then by chance I saw your face, and -it was as a star in the darkness of my night. I followed -that star, and it led me to happiness, and to you!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So we will live here?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Till our days be ended. You will be queen, and I your -very humble slave and lover. No; I do not desire to return -to the world, with all its tumult, ambitions, and fret. I am -weary of the crowded cities, the haggard faces, the gray -skies of England. I only care to live in this lotus-land with -you, my angel, to wander with you amid the fair flowers, -yourself the fairest of all; to sleep at dusk with your loving -arms around me, to awake at dawn under your caress; and -thus to live in paradise until we meet in a still brighter -paradise beyond the grave.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will we meet beyond the grave?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know nothing of religion, my dearest. Indeed, it is -not my fault, for my father has always refused to answer -my questions. He would not allow old Athanasius to speak -to me of sacred things, and I know nothing, save that there -is an Almighty Being called God.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And your father?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Believes the same. Look!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She pointed to the majestic block of white marble behind -her, and there was deeply sculptured the one word “Θεόν.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So of old the Athenians erected an altar to πρὸς τὸν -ἀγναστον Θεόν,” said Maurice sadly, rather puzzled to know -what to do. “My dearest, I am no saint, to be able to instruct -you in such things; and I am afraid my views are not what the -Church would approve of. However, my dear old friend and -tutor, Mr. Carriston, is, I trust, coming out here to see me; -and he will marry us, and tell you all you wish to know of -sacred things.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>They had risen to their feet, and were standing looking at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_314'>314</span>that solemn altar, so noble in its hugeness amid the encircling -green. No relic of paganism sculptured with nude -figures, with wreathes and nymphs and long-drawn pomp of -Panhellenic festival, but a severely plain mass of stainless -stone, with no other indication of its meaning than the -mystic word “Θεόν” cut thereon. After looking at it in -silence for a few minutes, Helena gathered up her flowers in -order to return home, for the sun was now at his zenith, and -the heat intolerable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, not yet!” entreated Maurice, anxious to prolong the -sweet communion; “you must make me my wreath.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you Colin?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think so,” he said, kissing her fondly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So do I,” she replied demurely; “therefore, Colin, I will -finish your garland.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Once more she sat down on the steps and began busily -wreathing the flowers together in long fragrant strings, -while Maurice, lying lover-like at her feet on the flowery -turf, looked ever up into the delicate beauty of her face, -and wondered at his good fortune in being loved by such an -enchanting divinity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Zoe and Dick came back armed with flowers, and Dick -grinned somewhat sheepishly as he saw Maurice smile. A -fellow-feeling, however, makes us wondrous kind, so Maurice -made no remark, but sent Zoe and her swain with their -newly gathered flowers down to the Acropolis.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think Dick is in love with Zoe?” asked Helena, -when the laughter of the sailor and his companion had died -away.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do I think you are in love with me?” retorted Maurice -lazily. “My dearest, Dick is as much in love with that -wicked little brunette, as I am with a certain charming -blonde.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m glad of that,” said Helena complacently. “I do not -wish to lose Zoe.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must when she marries.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh no! If Dick becomes her husband, he will stay here. -I’m sure he would not mind, as he is very fond of you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That’s very kind of him, considering the battering I -gave him yesterday.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Maurice, it was terrible!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“For Dick?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; for you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Poor Dick! he got the worst of it, yet you pity me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_315'>315</span>“Ah, but you see I’m not engaged to Dick,” said Helena -gravely, holding out a wreath to him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; but Zoe is. At least, if she is not now, she soon -will be. But come, Helena, fasten this wreath round my -hat.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena obediently did so, and then placed it on her lover’s -head, upon which he gave her a kiss, and insisted that she -should deck herself with the remaining flowers. Nothing -loath, Helena did so, and was shortly one mass of delicious -bloom, from which her face peered out like some laughing -Dryad. Rose-wreath on her golden head, green myrtle girding -her slender waist, and flowers of myriad hues bedecking -her dress, she looked indeed like Chloris, the goddess of -flowers, to whom Maurice had so often compared her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come, my dearest,” he said, taking her hand, “and I -will lead the Spring down to the valley. We are not -Maurice and Helena, but Florizel and Perdita, shepherd and -shepherdess; so come, my dearest, adown the mountain.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>They walked slowly along, talking all kinds of charming -nonsense, and laughing merrily, he rose-wreathed like an -ancient Hellene, she decked, like a goddess of the spring, -with delicate blossoms, and both full of mirth and joy and -happiness, which bubbled from their lips in gushes of liquid -song.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XVIII. <br /> <span class='fss'>PUNIC FAITH.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>’Tis difficult, when dealing with a knave,</div> - <div class='line in2'>To know what course of conduct to pursue,</div> - <div class='line'>Yet if to win the victory you crave,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Strict honesty you must perforce eschew;</div> - <div class='line'>Like him, all craftily you must behave,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Or else he certainly will conquer you.</div> - <div class='line'>This golden rule remember when you meet him,</div> - <div class='line'>A scoundrel’s weapons must be used to beat him.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>It took Caliphronas some considerable time to recover his -usual serenity of temper, as never during his whole life had -his vanity received such a blow as this refusal of Helena’s to -marry him. Hitherto the Greek had been so much petted -by all on account of his beauty, especially by women, that -he had become quite a spoiled child, and looked upon it as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_316'>316</span>his right that every whim he took into his handsome head -should be gratified. To express a wish, and have it at once -fulfilled, appeared to him to be the proper mode of behaving -towards him, and it was a severe wound to his arrogant self-complacency -to find that the only woman he cared about -should refuse to yield to the dearest wish of his heart.</p> - -<p class='c001'>His love for Helena was purely a sensual feeling, based on -the feminine beauty of the girl, so, when he found himself -scorned in such a way, this animal affection speedily merged -in the stronger feeling of intense hatred. Formerly he had -regarded Helena as a charming toy, who would do him -credit as his wife, and satisfy his artistic requirements by -her womanly grace; but now he regarded her in the light -of a bitter enemy, one who deserved to be punished for the -infamous way in which she had slighted his addresses. -Nothing would have given Caliphronas greater gratification -than to mar that lovely face he had so much admired, and -he would have liked to drag Helena through the gutter, and -render her an object of pity and derision to all the world, -in order to satiate his vengeance against her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Had he been a Turkish Bashaw, he would doubtless have -tied the offending beauty up in a sack and dropped her into -the Bosphorus; had he been a Russian boyar, he would -have done his best to get her exiled to Siberia; but, as he -was neither the one nor the other, and was in his present -position quite unable to treat her as cruelly as he wished, -with devilish ingenuity he hit upon the only mode in which -he could hope to gratify his petty spite against a woman, -whose only crime was that she did not admire him as much -as he admired himself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Count’s little scheme of revenge was not complex, as -he merely intended to call upon Justinian to keep his word, -and force his daughter into the marriage, and, once she was -his wife, punish her in a way of which he felt himself thoroughly -capable, that is, by worrying her to death. A petty, -spiteful, narrow-minded man like the Greek had quite a gift in -annoying those people whom he disliked, and by assiduously -exercising this ignoble talent, could hope to render unbearable -the life of even the happiest and most long-suffering person. -Besides, if he grew tired of Helena, he could easily force her -to leave Melnos, for her father was so old that he would soon -be in his dotage, and thus could not protect the girl, in which -case Caliphronas would be free to act as his spiteful nature -dictated.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_317'>317</span><a id='corr317.1'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='“As'>As</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_317.1'><ins class='correction' title='“As'>As</ins></a></span> to Justinian’s breaking faith with him, such a thing -never entered into the Count’s mind for a moment, and, -scoundrel as he was himself, he hardly dreamed that any one -would be astute enough to beat him with his own weapons, -least of all the Demarch, who had hitherto acted towards him -in a strictly honorable way. Strong diseases, however, require -strong remedies, and, had the deceiving of Caliphronas -not been imperative for the salvation of the island, Justinian -would certainly not have stooped to such duplicity. -Caliphronas, therefore, ready to betray the Demarch if the -fancy took him, never thought the Demarch would betray -him, and thus relied blindly on the promise of the forced -marriage being fulfilled, in which case this consummate -scamp decided to sacrifice Helena in the most painful manner -which he could devise, for the gratification of his -wounded pride.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That Maurice loved Helena he knew well enough, for had -not the mere sight of that lovely face brought the young man -from England to this semi-civilized island of the Ægean; -but as to whether the passion was reciprocal, Caliphronas -felt doubtful, as he had never espied anything in the girl’s -demeanor towards his rival to inspire him with such a belief. -But whether she loved this young Englishman or not, the -Count was quite indifferent, as he had Justinian’s promise -that, with her consent or without it, Helena should be his. -As it turned out, the marriage, if it took place, would be -without her consent, but this the Greek deemed a small matter, -and therefore repaired to the Acropolis with the full determination -to force the Demarch to keep his word. It was -in this rosy light that Caliphronas looked at the circumstances -of the case, and he never thought of what he should -do in the event of things turning out otherwise, for the -simple reason that, in his blind arrogance, he deemed himself -too powerful to be thwarted in any way; so, disguising his -chagrin under an air of triumph, he went in the afternoon to -meet Justinian, and his fate.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Strolling along the mulberry-tree avenue, Caliphronas, anticipating -quite a brilliant career of scoundrelism, began to -build castles in the air, which were all inhabited by one person—himself. -Justinian was old, and would soon die, or, -at all events, putting his much-desired death out of the question, -would shortly become incapable of managing the affairs -of the island, therefore this goodly heritage would soon revert -to Count Constantine Caliphronas, better known as Andros, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_318'>318</span>the shepherd boy. This humble birth, however, he would -sink in oblivion, and become widely known as Prince Caliphronas, -the sole survivor of a famous Fanariot family. -Helena, of course, he would marry, in order to revenge himself, -and when he grew weary of her beauty and his revenge, -there were plenty of ways of getting her shipped off to Stamboul, -where she could be finally disposed of in some jealously -guarded harem. Then he would be sole ruler of the -Isle of Melnos, and make it a dwelling after his own heart, -for, after turning both Crispin and the Englishman off the -island, he would set up a princely establishment in this -Ægean paradise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>What with the exports of wines, silks, pottery, olives, and -grapes, he would be able to realize a magnificent income, -which he would apply, not to the aid and assistance of the -Melnosians, but to his own enjoyment. He would build a -palace, have troops of servants, a pleasure yacht, and could -also give rein to his sensuality in the matter of the most -beautiful women. As to carrying out Justinian’s foolish -dream of a new Hellas, of course that was ridiculous, and his -first act on becoming Demarch of Melnos would be to abolish -the three days’ festival, so that the Melnosians could live like -other insular Greeks, on such amusements as they could provide -for themselves. Besides, the title Demarch only meant -Mayor, and was hardly lordly enough for such a magnificent -person as he intended to be. He would call himself Prince -of Melnos, and who knows but what, with the assistance of -Alcibiades and a few other scoundrels of the same kidney -with whom he was acquainted, he would not be able to extend -his principality so as to include all the surrounding -islands. Then Crete, under Turkish misrule, would be glad -to come under his protection, and Rhodes also—in fact, a -few years might see the whole Cyclades acknowledging him -as their sovereign. In that case, he would be powerful -enough to measure himself against the Greek Government, -who, perhaps, weary of a foreign king, might be persuaded or -forced to drive away King George, and place the Prince of -Melnos on the vacant throne.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In fact, while indulging in these Alnaschar-like visions, -Caliphronas was rapidly foreseeing the conquest of Constantinople, -and himself seated on the golden throne of the -Palæologi, as Emperor of the East, when the sight of the -Acropolis, directly in front of him, dispelled these glowing -dreams, and he ascended the steps rather dolefully, with the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_319'>319</span>conviction that, as yet, all his fine schemes were in the -clouds.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pausing a moment on the threshold, in order to quite recover -his usual jaunty manner, the future Emperor, but present -adventurer, drew aside the curtain and entered the court, to -find himself confronted by Justinian, his daughter, and their -two guests. The old Demarch reclined in a capacious chair -beside the fountain, smoothing the golden hair of Helena, -who was seated at his feet. On the back of the chair leaned -Maurice, laughing at some trivial remark, and Crispin, balanced -perilously on the marble rim of the pool, was irritating -Argos, who strutted near with his gorgeous tail spread out -to its fullest extent. All of them looked remarkably happy, -especially Justinian, whose stern face was glowing with -pleasure, and in Helena’s eyes shone the light of undying -love as she glanced shyly, from time to time, at her joyous -lover, so strong, so handsome, and so noble.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Caliphronas appeared at the entrance, however, all -this merriment vanished; for Helena, mindful of the previous -night, sprang to her feet, with an indignant look at the -advancing Greek, and the faces of Maurice and the poet -assumed a cold expression of keen disapproval. Not so Justinian, -who, quite enjoying the situation, received his enemy -with a bland smile, which, had Caliphronas but known it, -boded ill for the success of his mission.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena, my child,” said the Demarch quietly, “will you -leave us for a little while. I have some business with Count -Caliphronas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena needed no second bidding, but, with an angry -glance at her rejected lover, walked quickly to the curtains, -through which she vanished, but not before sending a sweet -smile in the direction of Maurice. Caliphronas saw that -smile, and felt uneasy as to the meaning of it, but he became -still more uneasy, when the Demarch, without asking him to -be seated, addressed him formally as Count Caliphronas.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why do you not call me Andros?” asked the Greek -apprehensively.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I understood you called yourself Count Caliphronas,” -replied Justinian smoothly, “and, naturally, I give you that -title. Of course, I thought you were but a shepherd boy, -who, in default of god-parents, had to be called by the name -of your birthplace. However, I am wrong, as it seems you -are the offspring of a noble family, and have a title.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t know what you mean by talking to me like this!” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_320'>320</span>said the Count in rather a cowed manner, feeling that the -speech of the Demarch was decidedly hostile in tone. “I -wish to speak to you alone.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You can speak to me in the presence of these gentlemen,” -retorted the old man coolly; “they know all my secrets.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All?” said Caliphronas in a meaning tone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As far as you are concerned—yes!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Beware, Justinian!” cried the Count in Greek, whereupon -the Demarch ruthlessly interrupted him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You had better speak English. I prefer it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This was quite the dictatorial Demarch of old, strangely -unlike the yielding Justinian of the last few weeks, so -Caliphronas, feeling more and more uneasy, burst out into a -torrent of rapid English.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you mean? Why do you talk like this? Have -you forgotten your promise to me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What promise?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your promise that I should marry Helena!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh yes, yes! I remember something about that. Well, -have you asked her to marry you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have, and she has refused me,” said Caliphronas sullenly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In that case, I am afraid you cannot marry her.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Cannot marry her!” stammered Caliphronas, the rich -color of his face fading to a dull gray; “but you promised -to make her marry me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Did I? then I break that promise!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You break it! And what about my succeeding you as -Demarch of Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I break that also!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas, too startled to speak, stood looking blankly -at the Demarch, pale as the marble pillar against which he -leaned. Much as he disliked him, Maurice could not but -feel sorry for the shame and agony felt by the baffled schemer. -Twice, thrice, he tried to answer Justinian, but the words -died away feebly on his parched lips, while the Demarch, -relentless in his anger, spoke cruelly and deliberately, as if -to torture still further the wretched man before him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are astonished at my thus acting so dishonorably. -I am astonished myself, as never before have I broken a -promise once made, even to the meanest person. However, -in this case, necessity demanded that I should make use of -you as a tool, in order to gain my own ends, and I have done -so, with the fullest intention of defeating your schemes. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_321'>321</span>Ah yes, my dear friend, I know perfectly well that you -would have betrayed me to Alcibiades, had I not, by a stroke -of diplomacy, secured you to my interests, by promising to -give you my daughter and make you my successor. Had I -not done so, you would have joined the ranks of my enemies, -and I, being ignorant of their schemes, would have been at a -disadvantage in defending my property. Therefore, knowing -you were ready to play the traitor, unless bribed to -remain true to your benefactor, you can hardly wonder that -I made use of you, to learn the plans of those who were dangerous -to me in every way. A man cannot serve two masters, -and as the question of whose side you would embrace -was simply one of bribery, I took advantage of your baseness. -I bribed you! I promised you all you wished, without -the slightest intention of fulfilling such promise. From -you I have learned all I wish to know, and am now in a -position to baffle both your ambition and that of Alcibiades. -Between two stools you have fallen ignominiously to the -ground; and now, having no further use for you, traitor and -ingrate as you are, I command you to leave my island this -very day.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>During this long speech the Greek made neither sound nor -movement, but, like a beaten hound, cowered before the lash -of Justinian’s scornful words. When the Demarch ended, -he raised his head with a bitter smile on his pallid face, and -flung out his hand threateningly towards the speaker.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You do well, Justinian, to say you are prepared,” he said -in a hoarse voice; “you do well to be on your guard; for I -swear by the Panagia herself to ruin you and your schemes -before the end of another month. Had you been true to me, -I would have remained true to you; but now”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Most virtuous scoundrel!” cried Justinian scornfully; -“you were anxious to guard what you thought was already -your own, and now make a boast of doing that which you -were bribed to do. As to your threat to ruin me, go and do -your worst! I defy both you and your precious friend -Alcibiades!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have every reason to be grateful to me. I have told -you all the schemes of your enemies.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; you betrayed them as you would have betrayed me, -had their bribe been the larger. Gratitude! gratitude! you -dare to speak of that to me, to whom you owe everything! -Who were you? Nobody! What were you? Nothing! I -found you a poor rustic in the Island of Andros, and trained -<span class='pageno' id='Page_322'>322</span>you up to be my successor—which you would have been, -had I not discovered in time your heartless, fickle, scoundrelly -nature. Gratitude, forsooth! and you, ingrate, turning -to bite the hand that has fed you all these years. You -owe me everything, I owe you nothing, save the contempt -that an ungrateful hound like you deserves for such treachery -as you meditated. You would have sold me, you Judas! you -would have betrayed a man who has been a father to you! -But I have baffled you! I have tricked you! and you are -now reaping the reward of your own vile actions. Go! quit -my sight, ungrateful wretch! lest I pass from words to -actions, and spurn you from the threshold which your very -presence pollutes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will go,” cried the Greek, with venomous spitefulness; -“but I will return, with an army at my back, to ruin you and -yours. I will wreck your island, I will make of you a slave; -and as for your daughter”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not a word about that lady,” said Maurice firmly, stepping -forward and taking part in the conversation for the first -time; “she is to be my wife!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your wife!” hissed the Greek furiously. “Never! -never! I will drag that fine piece of purity from your arms -to the gutter. I will”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You d—d reptile!” cried the Englishman, white with -passion; “say another word, and I’ll break your neck!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas, having had some experience of Royland’s -strength, judged it wise not to say another word; but, turning -on his benefactor, poured out the vials of his wrath on -the old man’s head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So this is why you brought him from England!” he said -fiercely; “to marry Helena! You promised that if I fulfilled -your desire, and lured him to Melnos, I would be your -daughter’s husband”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If she accepted you, yes—if she refused you, no!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So you say now. Oh, I have been your tool and slave all -along!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have. I have met treachery with treachery, and baffled -you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have obeyed your wishes,” hissed the Greek venomously; -“I have kept your secrets, but I will do so no -longer. Whom you are, and what you are, I will tell this -man.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Be silent, wretch!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will not be silent; I have been silent too long. You -<span class='pageno' id='Page_323'>323</span>have betrayed me, so now I will betray you. Maurice Roylands, -look at this so-called Justinian. Do you know whom -he is? An outcast Englishman, a renegade adventurer—your -uncle Rudolph!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My uncle Rudolph!” replied Maurice, aghast.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. It was he who sent me to England for you; it is -he who is heir to your fine estate; and you—you are nothing -but a pauper!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Crispin, turn that man out!” commanded the Demarch, -rising. “Go to the western pass, Count Caliphronas, and -there you will find a boat in charge of Alexandros. Leave -this island before nightfall, or, by heaven, I will have you -drowned like the rat you are!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I go,” retorted the Greek fiercely, retreating before Crispin, -and clutching the curtains. “I go; but when I return, -I swear by all the saints that you shall suffer agonies for -every word you have uttered to-day. Scoundrel! wretch! -renegade! outcast! <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"><i>Và và!</i></span>”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And, uttering the bitterest malediction he could think of, -the beaten schemer vanished from the Acropolis, and later -on from the island itself; from whence he doubtless went to -Kamila, in search of Alcibiades, to assist him in his plans of -revenge.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank heaven, that is all over!” said Justinian, when -they were once more alone. “Now, at least, it will be open -war, and not hidden treachery, Maurice!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you are really my uncle Rudolph?” said Roylands, -grasping the outstretched hand of the Demarch.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Really and truly! Now you know the meaning of so -many things which have so often puzzled you. Did you never -suspect the truth?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never!” answered his nephew emphatically; “but Crispin”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Crispin knew it all along,” said the poet quickly; “but, -as I had given my sacred word to keep silence, of course I -could say nothing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am glad you are my uncle, Justinian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I am still Justinian, then!” said Rudolph, with a -smile, as he shook his nephew heartily by the hand. “Well, -it is better so; I am too old to learn new tricks, and, after -forty years of Greek life, I cannot turn Englishman in one -moment.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course Roylands Grange is now yours.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Boy, boy,” observed the old Demarch, laying his hand on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_324'>324</span>the young man’s shoulder, “do you think so meanly of me as -that? Were I a pauper, I would not deprive you of a single -acre; but, being as I am, rich and happy, I would indeed be -base to take your estate when I have all this.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Still, you are the head of our house.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A head that will soon be in the grave. No, no, my son, -the property is yours; and if you have any scruples, why, -then, are you not going to marry your cousin? so the Grange -will still belong to you, and yet remain with the elder branch -of the family.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, Helena is my first cousin!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course she is!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A second Eunice,” said Crispin, smiling, “only not so -charming.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Crispin! Helena is the most beautiful woman in the -world.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So is Eunice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come, that’s nonsense, you know!” objected Maurice -warmly; “there can’t be two most beautiful women in the -world.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian settled the matter by bursting out laughing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Every one thinks his own crow the whitest,” he said -gayly; “but come, leave off arguing about the merits of your -respective lady-loves. We have other things to think of.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The coming war, eh?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. Andros will do as he says, and bring Alcibiades -here with his band of scoundrels. Well,” added the Demarch, -with a grim smile, “they will get a rather warm -reception when they do come. The Roylands are a fighting -family.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, now I understand how you made that allusion before,” -said Maurice quickly; “and now I come to think of it, what -with the many hints you dropped, I must have been blind not -to guess the truth.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When a man has been numbered with the dead forty -years, it is hard to believe that he is alive,” said the Demarch -philosophically.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must have had a strange life, uncle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very,” replied Justinian, gratified by the title. “To-night, -when Helena has retired to bed, I will tell you all my -adventures since leaving the Grange.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Does Helena know I am her cousin?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She knows nothing beyond the fact that I am Demarch -of Melnos. No, my son, you have wooed and won your bride -<span class='pageno' id='Page_325'>325</span>entirely on your merits, so now you can understand how <a id='corr325.1'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='dedelighted'>delighted</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_325.1'><ins class='correction' title='dedelighted'>delighted</ins></a></span> -I am at the prospect of this marriage, which will -blend both the elder and younger branch of the family in -one common line.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Can I tell Helena?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly, whenever you please.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Here is Helena now,” said Crispin, as the girl, looking -rather pale, entered the court. “Come here, sister Helena; -Maurice has something to tell you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“About Caliphronas?” asked Helena, coming up close to -her father.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, my dear,” said her father, kissing her fondly. “Caliphronas -has received the reward of his treachery, and has -left Melnos forever.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am glad of that, father,” said the girl, with a sigh of -relief. “You can have no idea how I disliked him. But has -he been treacherous?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very; he wanted to give up Melnos to Alcibiades.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Did he dare?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; and was only deterred from doing so by being -promised both yourself and the island.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But, father,” cried Helena in great distress, “you did not -want me to marry Caliphronas?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never! I wished you to marry Maurice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, your wishes are going to be fulfilled,” said Helena, -with a lovely smile, turning to her lover.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena,” remarked Maurice, with mock solemnity, taking -her hands, “look at me carefully.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am doing so with both eyes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you know who I am?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course—Maurice Roylands.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And what else?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My—my future husband,” said the girl, with an amused -smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Still, I am something even more.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t understand,” began Helena in bewilderment, -when Justinian interposed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do not tease the child so, Maurice. Helena, this is your -future husband and your first cousin.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My cousin!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By all the laws of the Medes and Persians,” said Maurice, -kissing her. “Your father is my long-lost uncle -Rudolph, of whom I have spoken, and you, my sweet bride -to be, are my dear coz Helena.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_326'>326</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXIX. <br /> <span class='fss'>A ROLLING STONE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>In olden days folks mostly stayed at home,</div> - <div class='line'>Nor e’er in quest of unknown lands departed,</div> - <div class='line'>And tho’ some ne’er-do-weels at times would roam,</div> - <div class='line'>They came back poorer than the day they started:</div> - <div class='line'>From which disastrous lives there comes alone</div> - <div class='line'>That foolish proverb of a rolling stone.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>If such advice in earnest we obeyed,</div> - <div class='line'>Its narrow views would certainly benumb us;</div> - <div class='line'>The progress of the world would be delayed,</div> - <div class='line'>For lack of Marco Polo and Columbus!</div> - <div class='line'>They tore aside the veil which hid our eyes,</div> - <div class='line'>And showed us unknown worlds and unknown skies.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>So now that proverb trite is obsolete;</div> - <div class='line'>Our enterprise has made far lands alluring,</div> - <div class='line'>And north and south our fellow-men we meet,</div> - <div class='line'>With Cook and Gaze in restless parties touring,</div> - <div class='line'>A rolling stone gains something for its loss,</div> - <div class='line'>And polish is more valuable than moss.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>In due time Alexandros came back to the Acropolis, and -reported that Caliphronas had left the island in a small boat, -and when last seen his craft was running before the wind in -the direction of Kamila. On hearing this, Justinian had no -doubt but that the Greek was on his way to stir up Alcibiades -to immediate action; therefore resolved to lose no time -in putting Melnos in a thorough state of defence. In the -meantime, he placed a strong guard at the gate of the tunnel -and in the western pass, so as to prevent the island being -taken by surprise. At all events, there was no special necessity -for prompt action, as Caliphronas had only departed -that day, and in all probability Alcibiades would not attack -Melnos for at least one week.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Privately, Maurice wondered if the Greek, adrift in a small -boat, would succeed in reaching land safely, as, judging from -his terror on the night of the shipwreck, he had not much -pluck in foul weather. The sky, however, was perfectly clear, -and there was no chance of the castaway being caught in a -storm, so Justinian laughed at the fears of his nephew, and -bade him set his mind at peace. Caliphronas, he said, knew -the waters of the Ægean Sea well, he had but a few miles to -sail before reaching Kamila, and once there he would doubtless -<span class='pageno' id='Page_327'>327</span>meet with some of Alcibiades’ followers to guide him to -their chief. In his innermost heart, the old Demarch rather -regretted that Caliphronas should thus escape safely, and -would not have grieved much had the treacherous scamp -been drowned in the sea, instead of reaching Alcibiades without -harm, and stirring up that accomplished cut-throat to -immediate war. There was no chance, however, of such an -event happening, and Justinian quite expected within the -week to see the Melnosian waters covered with the boats of -his bitter enemies.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena was much astonished and delighted to find that -Maurice was her cousin, and though she could scarcely be -more in love with him than she already was, yet felt that -this bond of blood-relationship bound him to her by a nearer -and dearer tie than even that of her future husband. They -talked of a thousand things in connection with their future -life, but neither of them dreamed of returning to the family -seat in England, but hoped, when this war-cloud had blown -over, to pass the rest of their lives untouched by sorrow in -this lotus-land of the East. Maurice, in common with Crispin, -was anxiously expecting letters from home, but as yet -none had reached them; so to all appearances it looked as -though they would be blockaded in the island by the pirates -before any communication arrived at Syra.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the day of Caliphronas’ departure, however, they were -thinking but little of these things, as Maurice was anxious -to learn the history of his uncle; while Rudolph Roylands -on his part—now being able to talk <a id='corr327.28'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='feely'>freely</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_327.28'><ins class='correction' title='feely'>freely</ins></a></span> of himself, owing -to the revelation of his identity—was desirous of hearing -all about his late brother, the ancestral estate, and the present -position of the Roylands family. He did not want to -speak of these things before Helena, as he judged the girl -had undergone quite enough excitement for the present, and, -besides, there were many things in his own career which he -did not care about speaking of before this innocent child.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian was not a bad man; but, having one of those -restless, adventurous spirits, whose impulsiveness leads them -into strange scrapes, had during his sojourn in the Levant -indulged in many escapades, which, if not exactly criminal, -were yet daring and lawless enough to startle a sober-minded -person. The serious Justinian of the present was very different -from the dashing Rudolph of the past; and as his -daughter knew him only in his reverend old age, and respected -him as the wisest, kindest, and best of men, he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_328'>328</span>naturally did not want to disturb that feeling by a narration -of the wild adventures of his somewhat scampish youth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Therefore it was not until Helena had retired to rest that -he told Maurice his story; and the three men sat up till -nearly morning; the eldest talking in the Arabian Nights vein, -and the two younger listening with rapt attention to the -fascinating career of this free-lance of the Middle Ages, born -by some strange chance among the respectabilities of the -nineteenth century. Passionate as Benvenuto Cellini, ambitious -as the first Napoleon, reckless as Cæsar Borgia, and -fascinating as Lord Byron, this extraordinary being possessed -all those vices, virtues, charm, and astuteness, we find, -not in our military machines of to-day, but in those brilliant -adventurers of the Renaissance, who burned fiercely over -the troubled world of those days like wandering stars; terribly -grand to look upon, but carrying destruction and dread -everywhere as they swept onward in their fatal path.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After supper Helena retired, and Justinian went with his -guests into the cool court, where they comfortably seated -themselves under the star-strewn sky with coffee and tobacco. -But the coffee grew cold and the tobacco burned untasted to -ashes, as Maurice and Crispin, with their elbows on their -knees, leaned forward to listen to the wondrous story of -this modern Ulysses, who had seen many lands, knew many -people, and had done many reckless, wild deeds during his -stormy career.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian himself grew excited like an old war-horse, as -he told of his early life; and it was easily seen that his -spirit was as dauntless as ever, that a thirst for adventure -still possessed his soul, and that he chafed bitterly at the inglorious -ease to which his frail body condemned him. His -bright eyes flashed at the memories of his hot youth, and his -grand voice pealed trumpet-like through the still air, as he -strode up and down before his enthralled listeners, reciting -deeds of derring-do done in the times that had been.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, those were grand days in Bolivia,” he said, resuming -his seat, after an outburst of stormy passion, as old -memories awoke in his brain. “I feel carried away to the -past when I talk of them. If Jumez had only brought his -troops up in time, I might have been President of a South -American Republic instead of Demarch of Melnos. Well, -at all events, my late years have been peaceful enough; and -as President I would have had but a stormy time, ending, -very likely, in a violent death.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_329'>329</span>“And after you left South America, uncle?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I came back to England in a sailing vessel. There was -a mutiny on board of her, which I and three other fellows -managed to quell; but we held our lives in our hands all -the way until we got to England. When I left the ship, I -went down to Roylands in disguise, to look after my people, -and found them all happy. I had not killed your father, as -I had feared; and he was now married to Rose. They -seemed happy enough, so I had not the heart to disturb them. -It would have been no pleasure to me to take the estate -from Austin, as I had plenty of that treasure I found -in Bolivia, and the life of a country gentleman was irksome -to me. Besides, the woman I had loved so fondly was now -my brother’s wife; so I had nothing to gain by revealing myself. -I strayed about the old place for a time, and then -returned to London, in order to think of my future. I was -very wealthy, in the prime of life, and anxious for adventure, -so at first I thought of returning to the army, but on reflection -I decided that my first experience of soldiering had -been quite enough, so turned my attention to travelling, and -went all over Europe, which tour I found but tame work. -Asia was more exciting, however; and I had some good tiger-hunting -in India. When I left that place, I went down -Cape Town way, and explored the southern wilds of Africa, -which were even more savage than they are now. I got this -wound there in a row with the niggers.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He drew up his sleeve, and showed a white cicatrice on -his arm, which must have been a dangerous wound; and -then began to tell of his African adventures, of battles with -savage tribes, of explorings in unknown wilds, fights with -wild beasts, elephant hunts, witchcraft ceremonies of the Obi -kind, until the listeners did not know at which to marvel -most, his memory or the bizarre existence he had led.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I had five years of that sort of thing,” he went on, after -a pause, “and it became rather tiresome. Besides, I was -now thirty-five years of age, and thought it was best to settle -down, but where I could not make up my mind. He who -has prairie fever once always gets it again, and it sends him -off on his travels into the wilds as if he were stung by the -gadfly of Io. What I wanted was some big work to keep -my mind and body busy; but, with all my wealth, I really -did not see where I could find such occupation. True, I -might have remained in Africa, and become a kind of savage -king; but, with all my buccaneering leanings, I had intellect -<span class='pageno' id='Page_330'>330</span>enough to despise such rusting away in tropical forests -beyond the reach of civilization. I wished to exercise my -brain as well as my body; yet, in spite of all my hard thinking, -no scheme appeared feasible enough to give me work, -interest, and pleasure when I had passed the meridian of -life. England I disliked returning to, as a cramped existence -in that gray little island would have sent me mad; and -unless I had asserted my right to Roylands, and entered -Parliament, I did not see how I could employ my time. Besides, -I was averse to disturbing Austin; and the prejudices -I would meet with on all sides from narrow-minded stay-at-homes -would have sent me back again to a savage life. Unlike -the Genii in the “Arabian Nights,” I could not go back -to my jar after once being released therefrom.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“England, therefore, being out of the question, I had serious -thoughts of returning to South America, and exploring -up the Orinoco river, where they say all sorts of buried -cities, civilized Indians, and golden temples are to be found. -Then, changing my mind, I almost decided to go to San -Francisco, and have a try at gold-digging. Feeling doubtful -of this being worth undertaking, I fancied Australia, where -fortunes were being made up Ballarat way, would suit me; -but this idea I also abandoned. I did not wish to make my -fortune, as I already had more money than I knew what to -do with; and it was all safely invested in England. You see, -Maurice, I had the price of my army commission, which was -no great sum, my mother’s fortune, which was considerable, -and also that enormous Incas treasure I dug up near Lake -Titicaco, which nearly cost me my life, as I told you; so you -can fancy I was quite a millionnaire long before the days of -Chicago pig-sticking and Pennsylvanian oil wells.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How did you decide to come to the Ægean?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, that came about in a queer sort of way,” said the -Demarch, lighting his pipe. “When I was up at Zanzibar, -which was about as far north as I had then got, I met a poor -devil of a Greek who was starving, so took him about with -me as a kind of companion. He had been mixed up in the -War of Independence, and got on the bad side of King -Otho, who was, at that time, ruling Greece about as badly as -it could be ruled. My Greek had a dream of reviving the old -Hellenic learning; but with the country under a Bavarian -king, and overrun with brigands, he did not see how this -could be done. I told him of my desire to find something to -occupy my mind and body; so he suggested, as I had such a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_331'>331</span>lot of money, I ought to try to start a little kingdom of my -own on an intellectual basis. The idea took my fancy -greatly, as I was always of an administrative turn of mind; -and then he told me about this island of Melnos, and how it -could be cultivated, fortified, and made into a kind of Elysium -by a man with capital. After some deliberation I decided -to do this, and pose as a second Lord Byron; therefore, with -my Greek, I went up the coast in a trading vessel, and into -the Red Sea. It was very uncivilized in those days, and we -had all kinds of adventures, in one of which my poor Hellene -was knocked on the head; so I was left to battle my -way on alone over the isthmus to the Mediterranean.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wonder you were not killed.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I was pretty nearly,” rejoined Justinian grimly; “especially -up Suez way. Of course, at that time, there was no -canal, and no Suez; but I managed somehow to get across -the isthmus to Alexandria. I need not tell you all my adventures -from the time I left Zanzibar, as it would take too -long; but they were just as exciting as the Bolivian escapades, -if not quite as bloodthirsty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You ought to publish a book of your career.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear Crispin, they would call me a second Baron -Munchausen, for many of my adventures would seem impossible -in these tame days of Cook’s tourist parties. The -thirties were a great falling off from the buccaneering times, -but in these days the thirties seem quite bloodthirsty; and -where the next generation of born adventurers, such as I was, -will find scope for the exercise of their talents, I am sure I -do not know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, uncle, and what did you do after Alexandria?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I came on to Athens to see about my new Hellas. There -I hired a kind of small schooner, and, with picked men, went -down among the islands, until I came across Melnos. I recognized -it from the description of the Greek at Zanzibar; -and, having landed, climbed up over the peaks. When I saw -this valley, I was enchanted, for it was indeed a fortress, -formed by the hand of Nature herself. True, at first, I hesitated -about establishing a colony in the crater of an extinct -volcano, for one would never know when it would break out -again. However, when I saw this Temple of Hephaistos, I -felt pretty safe, as the crater must have been extinct when -it was built by the old Hellenes, thousands of years before. -So I thought, if the volcano had kept quiet since the days -of Pericles, it would surely keep quiet for the next thousand -years.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_332'>332</span>“And probably will!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope so; at least I have seen no signs of eruption; besides, -there is a vent for the volcanic forces at Santorin, so that -ought to preserve Melnos intact forever. Well, as I said, -I saw this island, found it suitable for my proposed scheme, -and went back to Athens, to buy it of the Greek Government. -There I was told the island belonged to Turkey, -as the Greek tributary islands only extend as far down as -Santorin. Nothing daunted, I went to Stamboul, and, after -about a year’s hard work, managed to buy Melnos for a good -round sum—it was a pretty stiff price, I can tell you, but -my Incas treasure proved equal to it, and even when I had -paid down the money, I still found myself with plenty in -hand with which to start my colony.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So Melnos is absolutely your own?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Absolutely! I can leave it to whom I please. It is my -private estate, and, as I have always kept friends with the -Sublime Porte, there is no chance of it being taken from me. -When you succeed me here, Maurice, you will find everything -drawn out, fair and square, with my lawyers in -London.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! have you not the Sultan’s firman here?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No. London is safer; for even if Alcibiades were to -take the island, I can still prove my right to it by my papers -in London. I paid too sweetly for it to those greedy Turks, -not to take all precautions to keep my title safely stowed -away, where it would meet with no accidents. London is -the safest city in the world for the preservation of such -things; so in London I placed all papers recognizing my -right to the ownership of this island.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, uncle, now you had your new Rome, but what about -the citizens?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, as to that, I did not find any difficulty in obtaining -plenty of men eager to settle down under my protection. In -those days, what with Turkish misrule, pirates at sea, and brigands -on land, the islanders fared badly enough, and when I -promised such as became my subjects absolute immunity from -such ills, the difficulty I found was as to quality, not quantity. -It was the pure Hellenic stock I wanted, from which to -develop my new learning, and there is a good deal of mixed -blood, even among these insular Greeks. However, by careful -selection, I managed to get together a goodly number of -pure-blooded males, and these brought their wives and sweethearts -to my island colony. Children and old men I would -<span class='pageno' id='Page_333'>333</span>not have, as the latter were useless for my purpose; and -with regard to children, I wanted to regulate the births -myself, so as to keep the new race up to my standard. In -time, I populated Melnos accorded to my mind, and then set -my new subjects to work on dwellings and industries. First, -I repaired this temple for my own accommodation, and -arranged my system of government; planted mulberry trees, -obtained silkworms, built factories, and so on. Olives, vineyards, -and currant vines, I also planted, and after a few -years they began to flourish greatly, so gradually I established -a commerce with the surrounding islands, and thus -Melnos, by its exports, was able to earn an income for itself. -What with keeping the island going in its infancy, buying -what was required for my people, and carrying out engineering -occupations, my capital, large as it was, had dwindled -considerably, and I was delighted when I found that from all -my outlay I was now realizing an income sufficient not only -to carry out further works, but also to leave a surplus, which -I saved up against bad seasons. Every year I devote part of -the income derived from my industries to public works in -connection with the place and the people, and the balance I -place out at interest in London.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Still London!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you would not have me risk all my hard earnings -in Athens, would you? A commercial crisis, a revolution, a -war, and where would my money be; while London, though -liable to social depression, is at least safe as regards the -other two contingencies. No! year after year, I have sent -my money to England, and now Melnos has an assured -income which would keep her going, even though she earned -nothing for many years.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And have you been to England since you settled here?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” replied the Demarch, with a half sigh. “I went -once, in order to arrange about the safe investment of my -Melnosian moneys, and remained in London some months. -When I returned, I brought back your mother, Crispin, and -you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My mother!” echoed Crispin, with a deep flush; “and -her name?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot tell you that now,” answered Justinian, a trifle -sadly; “but when all these troubles are over, I will do so.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why not now?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have a reason for not doing so.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin did not like this further putting off, but he knew -<span class='pageno' id='Page_334'>334</span>Justinian was iron when once he had made up his mind, so submitted -to the further procrastination of the important secret -with a sufficiently good grace, although he made one objection.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You might be killed in the mean time.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If that happens, you will find all papers necessary to -establish your legitimacy with my London solicitors. You -think I am harsh and unkind, Crispin, in not telling you -what you wish to know now, but, when I reveal all, you will -see I have a good reason for my not doing so. One thing I -can comfort you with, however,—your father is alive, and I -will restore you to his arms.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And my mother?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She is dead. You know she died here, my boy. It is a -sad story I will have to tell you, but, at all events, you will -have a father, and a name as good as any in England.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“With that promise I am content,” said Crispin gladly; -“as you have brought me up from infancy, I would be indeed -ungrateful if I did not trust you to the end.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yet you left me in anger!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think you must blame Caliphronas for that. It was -his machinations that caused you to misjudge me, as I misjudged -you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Caliphronas has been the bad genius of us all,” said Justinian -decisively; “but now, thank heaven, he is gone, and -will trouble us no more.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My faith!” cried Maurice lightly, “he will trouble us a -good deal, if he brings Alcibiades here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, that is open war! I do not mind that. It was his -hidden treachery to which I referred.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By the way,” said Roylands meditatively, “I suppose -that Caliphronas thinks you have untold treasures in this -Acropolis?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He does; and that is one of the reasons he desires to -plunder Melnos. Fortunately, all my money derived from -the island is in London.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What a disappointment for Alcibiades & Company when -they find no treasure here!” cried Crispin, laughing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They must never get here!” said the Demarch resolutely; -“I will defend the island to the bitter end, and, in spite of -their strength, I fancy they will find it difficult to force -either the western pass or the tunnel.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you had the western pass as an entrance to Melnos, -why did you pierce the tunnel?” asked Maurice curiously; -“would it not have been better to have only one entrance?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_335'>335</span>“Decidedly. But you see the western side of Melnos is -exposed to the gales; and, in spite of the harbor, its anchorage -is hardly safe; so I was forced to build a breakwater -on the eastern side of the island. Of course, this being the -case, when ships were loaded or unloaded there, the goods -could not be taken round to the western pass,—hence the -tunnel.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think your scheme is a wonderful one,” said Maurice, -with great admiration; “and wonderfully carried out.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is yet only in its infancy, and needs a wise ruler to -carry it on to ripe fruition. That ruler, Maurice, I expect -to find in you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I trust you will not be disappointed in my administrative -ability.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I am satisfied so far. You have courage, judgment, -and self-control, which are the main things needed to control -these excitable Greeks. But let us not go too fast, for -I know not yet if you intend to stay in Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Assuredly I do; especially now I have discovered you -are my uncle. Why did you not tell me of our relationship -before?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because I wished you to fall in love with your cousin on -your own account. Had I revealed myself, and suggested -the marriage, with the natural dislike of a young man to be -forced into matrimony, you might have objected. Oh, my -dear nephew, I have had these plans in my head for a long -time. Long ago I saw that neither Crispin nor Andros, -whom I had trained as my successors, would suit the post. -You, Crispin, are a poet, and not a ruler, while as for Andros, -whom you know better as Caliphronas, he is but an idle -scamp, who would undo all my forty years’ work. When I -saw my failure in this respect, I married a Greek girl, more -from policy than love, in order to beget an heir, but she died -when Helena was born, and thus I was disappointed of a -son.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But you surely do not regret it, uncle, when you have -Helena.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; I do not now, as I love my child dearly, but I did -then, as I was at my wits’ end whom to select as a successor. -Then I heard all about you, Maurice, from my agents in England, -and resolved to send for you here, and, before revealing -myself, ascertain for myself whether you were fit for -such a responsible post as ruler of Melnos. The task of -bringing you in ignorance here was a delicate one, and I entrusted -<span class='pageno' id='Page_336'>336</span>it to Andros, who promised to fulfil it on the ground -that I would permit him to pay his addresses to Helena. I -agreed to this, and the result you see; but there was no -question of a forced marriage until lately, when it was rendered -necessary to mislead Caliphronas, out of policy. He -brought you here, Maurice, and the rest you know, as everything -has turned out better than I expected. You are going -to marry Helena, and succeed me here,—that is, if you -have quite decided to stay.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have decided,” replied Maurice, grasping his uncle’s -hand warmly. “I hesitated at first, but now do so no -longer. There is nothing to keep me in England, and when -Crispin marries Eunice, they can stay at the Grange and -look after the estate, while Helena and myself stay -here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But your old tutor?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If my old tutor comes out, I am sure he will be delighted -for me to stay here and forward your plans of a new Hellas. -He is an ardent Greek scholar, and will approve thoroughly -of my undertaking a good work like the revival of learning, -rather than idling away a discontented existence in England.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good!” said Justinian, with great satisfaction; “all this -sets my mind at rest. Never fear about this Alcibiades -trouble, Maurice, for Melnos is strong, and I think we can -defend her stanchly. When all these storms are at an end, -I will devote the remainder of my days to teaching you all -the necessary rules of my policy, so that you can carry it out -completely when I die. You, as my heir, Maurice, will inherit -this island, and all the invested moneys in London; so -you will find everything smooth before you to carry on the -work which I have begun.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, after all this conversation, I think we had better -go to bed,” said Crispin, rising with a yawn.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid it will be morning soon,” replied Justinian, -with a smile, as he followed his example, “so you will not -get much sleep; but I am glad I have told you all my history.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is wonderful!” cried Maurice enthusiastically; “and -quite gives the lie to the proverb, that ‘A rolling stone -gathers no moss.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Stones that rest in inglorious ease gain moss,” said Justinian -wisely; “but rolling stones which circle the world -gather polish. Marco Polo, Columbus, Drake, Napoleon, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_337'>337</span>Cæsar, were all rolling stones, and I think have been of more -benefit to the world than those wiseacres who remain gathering -moss in the dulness of their homes, in the belief that -such vegetating is the true aim of existence.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXX. <br /> <span class='fss'>KEEPING VIGIL.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>All day, all night, with anxious eyes,</div> - <div class='line in2'>I vigil keep,</div> - <div class='line'>To watch the ever-changing skies,</div> - <div class='line in2'>The changeless deep;</div> - <div class='line'>Yet though for rest the spirit sighs,</div> - <div class='line in2'>I dare not sleep.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>For in the skies will comets pale</div> - <div class='line in2'>Burn warningly,</div> - <div class='line'>When filled with foes black vessels sail</div> - <div class='line in2'>Across the sea.</div> - <div class='line'>To wake upon our shores the wail</div> - <div class='line in2'>Of misery.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Yet though such ships and stars appear</div> - <div class='line in2'>As portents vile,</div> - <div class='line'>Our faces will devoid of fear</div> - <div class='line in2'>With courage smile,</div> - <div class='line'>For Greek and Englishman will here</div> - <div class='line in2'>Defend the isle.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>Two weeks passed since the departure of Caliphronas to stir -up war against Melnos. Yet Alcibiades made no sign of -attacking the island, so doubtless his plans had not yet matured -sufficiently to permit of the assault, or else he was trying -to lull the Melnosians into a false security, so as to storm -them unawares. Justinian himself thought this latter supposition -the more likely, but was too old a campaigner to be thus -caught napping, and day and night had sentinels posted on -the highest peaks of the island to give notice of the approach -of the enemy by lighting watch-fires which were all ready -prepared.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As before stated, the defenders of Melnos, inclusive of -the Englishmen, numbered about a hundred and twenty; -certainly a small force to hold the island against three hundred -enemies, which, as Caliphronas had told Justinian, was -the strength of Alcibiades’ army. Melnos, however, strongly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_338'>338</span>fortified by nature, was quite the Gibraltar of the Ægean, -and, owing to the ruggedness and height of the surrounding -peaks, no enemy could gain the crater of the volcano save -by the western pass or the tunnel, both of which were skilfully -defended by wooden palisades. Maurice himself -thought it a mistake that these barriers were not constructed -of stone, but Justinian explained that they were thus built -so as to admit of the approach of the enemy being seen, when -a few determined men intrenched behind could keep at bay -a large force in the narrowness of the tunnel or of the pass, -whereas, if a stone wall intervened, an outside foe could -perhaps batter it down without hurt from the defenders.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Another advantage which Justinian had over a hostile -force was the fact of the tunnel being a staircase, as his men -posted on the heights could sweep down the enemy climbing -slowly upward. In order to do away with the necessity -of fighting in the dark, or by the feeble glare of torches, -Justinian had a powerful electric search light placed at the -inner entrance of the tunnel, so as to command the palisade. -Indeed, the Demarch, having unlimited money at his disposal, -had the latest European inventions obtainable for the -defence of his island, and much regretted that he had been -unable to obtain the new magazine rifle which had lately -been served out to the English army. This rifle holds six -cartridges, which can be fired one after the other, and, unlike -the revolver, has no barrel, as the cartridges lie in a line one -at the back of the other; but as Justinian was not able to -obtain this efficient weapon, he was obliged to put up with -the Martini-Henry rifle, which was a deadly enough weapon -in the hands of his excellent marksmen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The western pass was a narrow, winding gorge, created by -some primeval convulsion of the volcano, which severed the -low semicircle of mountains in a deep cleft; and at the inner -entrance was commanded by two old brass cannon which the -Demarch had found in some dismantled tower of the Venetians. -These cannon, however, in spite of their age, were -in an excellent state of preservation, and could do a deal of -damage when sweeping down the narrow pass. The middle -of the cleft was fortified by a strong wooden palisade, and -at the outer entrance was another of similar construction; -thus the defenders, intrenched behind these barriers, held -the invading enemy at considerable disadvantage. Justinian -had also another search light sweeping the pass in the event -of a night surprise, and thus, the two entrances being so -<span class='pageno' id='Page_339'>339</span>well defended by nature and art, it was feasible enough that -the little band could keep at bay even a larger host than -that which Alcibiades was bringing against them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Even if the beleaguerment of the island lasted for months, -there was no danger as long as the pass and tunnel were -defended, for there was plenty of provision, and all food -eaten by the inhabitants was grown on the fertile sides of -the crater; so it was likely Alcibiades, despairing of taking -the place by storm, would retire his men after a few weeks. -The Demarch was perfectly satisfied that he occupied too -strong a position to be dislodged, and the only chance of -capture lay in inside treachery, or the enemy scaling the -peaks and coming down unawares in the rear. Neither of -these things was likely to happen, as there was no chance -of treachery from the Melnosians, who were all devoted to -Justinian; and the enemy, consisting of all the scum of the -Levant, had neither the engineering skill nor the courage to -climb over the forbidding-looking mountains which enclosed -the central crater of the volcano.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During the two weeks the watchmen on the heights kept -a constant watch for the foe, and Justinian, assisted by -Maurice and Dick, looked after the military preparations -with right good will. The rifles were duly served out to -the men, who practised shooting daily, also swords and cutlasses, -in the use of which Dick instructed them; yet all -this time they went on with their work, and only after it -was over did they attend to their military duties. There -was no fear of the ammunition giving out, as the Demarch -had constructed a magazine in a lonely part of the valley, -which was filled with cartridges, cannon balls, and plenty of -powder.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All this elaborate military preparation to defend a rocky -little island may sound childish enough in Western ears -accustomed to the gigantic military powers of Europe; but -the coming assault on Melnos was no holiday battle, but -would probably involve a good deal of hard fighting, as the -desperadoes of Alcibiades were by no means to be despised. -They thought that Melnos was full of treasure, quite unaware -of Justinian’s wise precaution of sending the public -revenue of Melnos to London to be in safety; and, lusting -for gold, they were ready to fight like demons in order to -plunder the island. The defenders, on their side, valued -their homes, wives, and children too much to permit a loose -band of absolute wretches to gain entrance into their stronghold; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_340'>340</span>so it seemed as though the fight on both sides would -be fought with dogged determination to the bitter end.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice and Dick were the principal assistants of Justinian -at this juncture, as Crispin knew nothing about military -matters, and the testy old Demarch said he was more -trouble than use; so he wandered about a good deal with -Helena, quite the idler of the community. In spite of this, -however, all knew that Crispin was as keen as any one on -fighting, and would defend the island with the best of them; -besides which, being the minstrel of the party, he wrote -war-songs after the mode of Tyrtæus, to fire the Melnosians -with martial enthusiasm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The old fighting blood of the Roylands showed itself -plainly in the Demarch and his nephew, for they both looked -anxiously forward to the anticipated invasion, and would -have been seriously annoyed had it not come off. Justinian -himself quite renewed his youth at the idea of once more -smelling powder, and his fiery energy, overriding all obstacles, -occupying itself ceaselessly with all military matters, at -times even tired out his muscular nephew. Yet Maurice -worked bravely, and showed himself to be made of the -stuff required for leaders of men, and, despite his ignorance -of matters military, made several valuable suggestions from -a common-sense point of view, which were greatly approved -of by the Demarch.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Egad, Maurice!” he said, grimly surveying his nephew, -“if I had only had you instead of Caliphronas, I would -have made a man of you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Meaning I’m not a man now,” said Maurice, rather -nettled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By no means. You’ve got the Roylands spirit, my boy, -and will fight like the devil himself when needs be; but -when I think of all those years of idleness in England, it -makes me angry. Such a loss of good material which could -be made use of, and I dare say there are hundreds of fellows -of your physique and stamina, who write their lives away -in offices instead of going in for an adventurous career and -dying rich. What I mean is that you are made of the same -stuff as I, and had I possessed you as my right hand when -I started this scheme, egad, I’d have had a kingdom instead -of an island!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You forget, I was not born forty years ago.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No more you were—more’s the pity! Those were glorious -times, and, in spite of my years, I do not regret having -<span class='pageno' id='Page_341'>341</span>been born early in the century. Life is too tame now, all -bread and butter and explosive machines. Give me the -good old days of hand-to-hand combat, lots of adventure, -rows galore, and the devil take the hindmost.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I never met such a man as you, uncle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then you never met yourself. I don’t mean your <span lang="de" xml:lang="de"><i>doppelganger</i></span>, -but your inner self, for you are exactly what I was, -though how the deuce your father ever came to have such a -son, I do not know. He was as mild as milk, my brother -Austin.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Was he?” said Maurice grimly, thinking of the many -family rows that had taken place.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I don’t deny he had a spice of the Roylands temper, -but as to ambition and enterprise, he might as well have -been born a carrot. Why, he nearly ruined you, my boy, -with neglecting to put you on the right track—no wonder -you got melancholia and all that rubbish. You are a worker, -not a dreamer.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have brains, I suppose?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, and so has Crispin; but he uses his brains in the -right way, you don’t. Crispin is born to sit down and tinkle -a lute, you are born to handle a sword and lead an exciting -career. Why didn’t you go into the army?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My father wouldn’t let me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course!” said Justinian, with a snort of disdain; -“he wanted to make you a mollycoddle like himself. I -wonder you did not go out of your mind in that smoky London, -chipping away at marble and cutting it out. Why, you -have been here only a couple of months, and already you -are in your right mind. Go back to England indeed!—you -are a fool if you do. Like myself, you are born to be -a ruler, not a unit in English civilization. I’m glad I got -you to myself before it was too late.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, if my career has begun late, I am at least young, -and have a long life before me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; I envy you that, Maurice. Look at me! youthful -in spirit, old in years. I shall die in the prime of my spiritual -strength, just because my wretched body is of an -inferior quality to my soul.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Still you are good for a few years yet. And, uncle, -don’t you think it would be wise of you not to expose yourself -in battle?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What!” roared the old Demarch in a voice of thunder; -“stay in the background! Never while I can handle a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_342'>342</span>sword. I’m not going to let every one else have the fun, -and leave myself out of it. Why, this coming war in a teacup -is the first bit of amusement I have had for years, and -yet you grudge it to me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t want you to be killed, uncle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I’ll look after myself, never you be afraid! I won’t -live any the longer for wrapping myself up in cotton wool, -and if I die, why, like Tennyson’s farmer, I die, but I’ll -have one stirring fight before I give up the ghost.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have the Baresark fury in you, uncle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“An inheritance from our Norman ancestors, my boy. -You are more of courtly old Sir Guyon, who went to the -Crusades, but I resemble Jarl Hagon, who came sailing to -Normandy with Rollo. Indeed, if the theory of transmigration -be true, I believe the spirit of that old Norse savage -is incarnate in my body. I am born too late! I am an -anachronism in this dull, peaceful century, all gas and -steam engines. I ought to have fought with Drake and -Frobisher. However, I have done my best to make my surroundings -agree with my nature, and the result is—Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Which is the result, not of war, but of peace!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eh!—oh, I daresay—it is a toy with which I can -amuse myself; but you forget that before I colonized Melnos, -I had battled all over the world, and thus expended a -good deal of my Baresark fit.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And now it comes again!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The last upleaping of the flame, my boy,” said Justinian -sadly; “and then death. But there, I talk so much about -myself, that you must think me egotistical. What about -that electric light I wish to try?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Alexandros and Gurt are fitting it up on the platform.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good! but say Gurt and Alexandros in future. An Englishman -goes before every one else.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How patriotic you are, uncle! Yet you have forsaken -England.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“England was an unjust stepmother to me, but absence -makes the heart grow fonder, and, in spite of my residence -here, I have as patriotic a spirit as any of your jingoists, -who shout War! war! war! on the least provocation. Come, -let us go and look at this search light on the terrace.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian, during the last few years, had dabbled considerably -in electric matters, and had sent Alexandros to -England in order to learn all about the science. Alexandros, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_343'>343</span>keen-witted in all things, had soon picked up all that was -necessary, and was quite an accomplished electrician; so -when he returned to Melnos, he brought with him, by Justinian’s -instructions, all machines necessary for the production -of the light. The powerful engine for working the -dynamo was placed at the back of the Acropolis, under the -eye of the Demarch himself, and from this centre the wires -were laid to the tunnel and the western pass. Thus the -machine, being, so to speak, in the heart of the island, was -safe from being captured by enemies, and the lighting of -both places was quite under the control of Alexandros. The -Demarch had also a third apparatus rigged up on the terrace, -in order to make a trial of the power of the light, which was -to be tried that night; for Justinian wished everything to -be in thorough working order against the arrival of Alcibiades -and his army.</p> - -<p class='c001'>While they were examining the electric apparatus on the -terrace in front of the Acropolis, Helena, in company with -Dick and Zoe, came to them in a great state of excitement.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Papa, give me the key of the tunnel, for Crispin says the -boat has arrived from Syra with letters!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By Jove, that’s good news!” cried Maurice, as the Demarch -handed the key to his daughter. “Now we will know -all about the new yacht, uncle, and if Melnos is taken, we -can go to Syra, and escape on board of her.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Melnos won’t be taken,” said Justinian with a frown. -“I am quite astonished at your suggesting such a thing, -Maurice. Besides, the yacht is going to Athens.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, but Crispin sent a letter to the telegraph office -there, telling them to wire to the agents that the yacht was -to stop at Syra.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Humph! well, that is not bad news. As you say, it is -as well to be prepared for emergencies. Here is the key, -Helena. Where is Crispin?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Waiting at the tunnel entrance!” replied Helena -brightly, and went away with the key of the island, guarded -by Dick and Zoe.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was every sign that these two were following in the -footsteps of their master and mistress, for as Zoe, tutored by -Helena, could speak English very well, there was no obstacle -to Dick’s wooing. The bos’n was a handsome young fellow, -with a masterful manner about him, which the Greek maiden -found very pleasant, so she was not at all indisposed to yield -to his solicitations, and become Mrs. Dick, the more so, as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_344'>344</span>she thought this marriage would not part her from Helena, -whom she loved dearly. Her early flame, Gurt, had quite -vacated the field in favor of his handsome young rival, and -now took a paternal interest in the match. As yet, Zoe, -with innate coquetry, had not given Dick a direct answer, -but there was little doubt, in the end, she would accept this -assiduous lover who worshipped her very shadow.</p> - -<p class='c001'>While the three had departed to take Crispin the key of -the gate, Justinian continued examining the electric apparatus, -and questioning Alexandros concerning the mode of -working.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The moon is not up till late to-night,” said the Demarch, -looking at the sky, “so in the darkness we will be able to -test it splendidly. Are the lights at the tunnel and the -western pass in order, Alexandros?” he added in Greek.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, Kyrion. I attended to them to-day, myself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And the engine?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Works perfectly, Kyrion.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Capital!” said Justinian in English, turning to Maurice. -“I think our electric powers will rather startle Alcibiades!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No doubt; but do you know, uncle, I think it is a pity -you did not place a search light on one of those peaks, so as -to sweep the ocean, and thus reveal their approach if they -try to steal in to the beach under the cover of darkness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“True, true!” said the Demarch thoughtfully, nursing his -chin, “we will think of that, but meanwhile try this light -to-night. As to the watchmen on the peaks, Maurice, you -know there are also two on the beach, one on each side of -the island, so if they see Alcibiades’ approach first, they will -light their fires to signal to the peaks, and those above will -fire theirs to warn us. It is easier to see from the beach -than from above, where everything looks flat. Besides, the -nights are so still, that the sound of oars can easily be heard -a long way off, especially by men trained to hear like my -Greeks.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But suppose Alcibiades uses no oars?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, well, in any case we will be warned in time. But in -case of a night attack, the men can muster rapidly, I suppose?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In a few minutes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And the guard?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is a strong one in the tunnel, under the command -of Gurt, and another in the pass, commanded by Temistocles.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_345'>345</span>“Good! With such precautions we cannot very well be -surprised. But here is Crispin.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In a state of great excitement, too,” said Maurice, laughing. -“He has got a satisfactory answer to his letter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s all right!” called out Crispin, mounting the steps, -waving an open letter in his hand; “the yacht has left England -for Syra, with Mrs. Dengelton, the Rector, and Eunice!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is there a letter for me?” asked Maurice, nodding his -satisfaction at this intelligence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, one from the Rector. See if it encloses one from -Eunice to me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice tore open the letter of his old tutor, and out -dropped an envelope, directed to “Crispin,” in dainty feminine -handwriting, of which the poet at once took greedy -possession. On the balustrade of the terrace, Maurice sat -down to read his letter, and Crispin, after glancing at -Eunice’s private note, rattled on to Justinian about the -contents of his own correspondence, which he had read on -the way hither from the tunnel.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The agents got my letter all right, sir,” he said gayly, -“and had no difficulty in securing the yacht I wanted, which -was still in the market. She left England a week ago.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“For Athens?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, no. As there was danger of a row, I thought it -best she should be near at hand, so wired to the agents that -she was to stop at Syra, where she ought to arrive shortly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She left Southampton after your letters, I presume?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, a day or so after. Of course they came overland to -Brindisi, which gained them five days, or thereabouts, and -then caught the boat to Syra, and came straight on here with -Georgios. The Eunice!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, is that the name of the yacht?” cried Helena -roguishly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; the old Eunice is under water, but I call the new -boat by the old name.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So The Eunice is carrying her namesake?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Exactly. Well, The Eunice will run down to Syra in -about twelve days; a week has already gone by, so we may -expect her there in a few days.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When she arrives, what do you propose to do?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“With your permission, go over to Syra and bring her -here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By all means, if we are not blockaded in the mean time; -but if we are, you will have to stay here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_346'>346</span>“And The Eunice at Syra!” rejoined Crispin in a vexed -tone. “Well, perhaps it will be for the best, as your sister, -niece, and Mr. Carriston are on board, and won’t care about -being mixed up in a battle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My sister!” repeated Justinian thoughtfully; “she was -born after I left England, and I only caught a glimpse of -her when I went back, so she is quite a stranger to me. Is -she a—a pleasant sort of person?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, she talks a good deal,” said Crispin, with some -hesitation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then I am afraid she will tire me dreadfully,” said the -Demarch dryly, “for I do not like chatterboxes. However, -Helena will be glad to see her aunt. Will you not, child?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course, papa. I will be glad to see all my relations -if they are as charming as Cousin Maurice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eunice is an angel.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course,” said Helena mockingly; “that is because -you love her. Why, Maurice says the same thing about -me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What does Maurice say?” asked that gentleman, looking -up from his letter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That I am the dearest girl in the world,” laughed -Helena, going up to him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will find that out when your milliner’s bills come in.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Milliner!” said the child of Nature; “what is a milliner?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>They all laughed at this, particularly Justinian, who -pinched his daughter’s ear gently.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, a milliner is a very important person, my child. -She makes gowns.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Like this white one of mine?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, more’s the pity,” said Crispin, with a laughing -glance at the simple white garment; “if all gowns were of -that style, the bills would not be so large, and husbands -would frown less. Well, Maurice, and what says the -Rector?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He declines to commit himself to an opinion until he -sees Melnos with his own eyes,” said Maurice, putting the -letter in his pocket, “and is coming out especially to see the -new Hellas. There, uncle, is that not a compliment?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will be glad to see Mr. Carriston,” observed Justinian -a little stiffly, as Maurice thought. “Crispin, did Georgios -see anything of Alcibiades?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, nothing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_347'>347</span>“Or hear anything?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not a word.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They must be keeping all their preparations very quiet,” -muttered the Demarch to himself as he went inside; “but, -for all that, I believe an attack will take place within the -week.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The party on the terrace broke up after his withdrawal, -leaving Alexandros still busy at his electric apparatus, which -was in complete order by night-time. After a merry supper, -every one came out again on to the terrace to make experiments -with the light, and Alexandros went away to look after -his dynamo.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Such a still night as it was, with not a breath of air to -cool the hot atmosphere, and the sky in the shimmering heat -seemed closer to the earth than usual. No moon was yet in -the heavens, but the dark blue vault was bright with innumerable -stars, large and mellow, like tropical constellations. -The valley below was in complete shadow, not the glimmer -of a white-walled house being visible, and the sides of the -gigantic cup which formed the crater of the volcano were -veiled in diaphanous darkness. So intensely quiet was -everything, that even the nightingales were silent, and there -seemed something awesome in this breathless stillness of -Nature, as though the whole earth were dead, and only the -handful of people assembled there alive.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t like this sultry night,” whispered Helena to -Maurice uneasily, as he stood by one of the pillars with his -arm round her waist. “I hope nothing is wrong with the -volcano!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! after thousands of years’ quiet?” laughed Maurice -gently. “My dear child, the volcano is as extinct as the -dodo.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t know what a dodo is,” replied Helena, panting; -“but the whole place seems so unnaturally still that it gives -me the idea of some coming trouble.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps Alcibiades!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, we can fight against him, but we can’t fight against -an eruption.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who is talking about an eruption?” said Justinian, turning -round from the electric apparatus he was examining.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena. She is afraid there will be one soon.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nonsense, nonsense!” said the old man testily, yet with -an anxious frown on his face. “If there was danger of an -upheaval, we would be warned by the hot springs, but they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_348'>348</span>are just bubbling as usual. Besides, Georgois tells me there -is an eruption at Santorin, so with that vent for the volcanic -forces we are quite safe. Why, I have lived here for forty -years in safety, and the crater has been extinct for thousands -of years, so we need not be afraid of anything going -wrong now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Thus pacified, Helena, in common with the rest, turned -her attention to the electric light, which at this moment -flashed out from the carbon points in terrible splendor. -Alexandros began to move it about, and like the flaming -sword of St. Michael, or the tail of a comet, it swept in a -tremendous arc across the dark sky. Turned down on the -valley, it revealed everything as if it were day, the lake, -the houses, the trees, the streets—all sprang out of the -darkness with the minuteness of a photograph. Then the -intolerable brilliance began to move slowly round the sides -of the crater, the black pine forests, the arid rocks, and then -the rugged peaks, white with chill snows. But, lo! as it -travelled eastward along the jagged heights, on one burned -a huge red star.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The watchfire!” cried Maurice, springing to his feet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Turn off the light!” commanded Justinian hastily.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Alexandros did so, and there on the cold peak, amid the -luminous twilight, flamed the bonfire of the watch like a -baneful star, telling of destruction, war, and death.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_349'>349</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXXI. <br /> <span class='fss'>THE BATTLE OF TROGLODYTES.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>I hear the noise of battle tumultuous!</div> - <div class='line'>It is not on the earth, nor do spectral hosts contend in the cloudy sky;</div> - <div class='line'>Under my feet it is raging, in the heart of the globe skirmish the struggling armies.</div> - <div class='line'>The cries of horror, the clash of weapons, the sharp crack of the deadly rifle,</div> - <div class='line'>Strike dully on my ear, as though the crust of the earth intervened between them fighting, and I listening.</div> - <div class='line'>Yes, the battle is subterranean! Do the gnomes assault one another</div> - <div class='line'>Over some new vein of gold but lately discovered?</div> - <div class='line'>Or do the dead, not rising from stone-sealed sepulchres,</div> - <div class='line'>Renew those quarrels below, which on earth ended their existence?</div> - <div class='line'>I know not indeed whether it be the dead or the gnomes,</div> - <div class='line'>But I hear the noise of battle tumultuous!</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>There was no doubt that a night attack was intended, and -that Alcibiades, hoping to take Justinian by surprise, trusted -he would be able to break in through the tunnel before his -secret arrival was discovered. Unfortunately for himself, -he did not know the military alertness of the Demarch, who, -warned by the watchfires, marshalled his men with the greatest -rapidity, and in the space of half an hour every man on -the island was drawn up, under arms, in the space before the -Acropolis. The powerful electric light flooded the whole -crater, so that the little army manœuvred as though it were -day, and in profound silence every man took his place in the -ranks, ready to march to the front.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian held a hurried council of war with Maurice, -Crispin, and Dick, as to the disposal of the troops, for the -question was whether Alcibiades would concentrate his forces -in the tunnel, and make one bold dash for the island, or, -dividing his men into two bodies, attack both entrances simultaneously. -Messengers had now arrived from the watchmen -on the heights and on the beach, from whose report it appeared -that the advancing enemy were all making in a body -for the eastern side of the island, therefore the Demarch -came to the conclusion that for the present only the tunnel -was threatened by the invader. However, to obviate any -chance of the western pass being taken by surprise, about -thirty men, under the command of Crispin and Dick, marched -in that direction, and the remaining eighty-six, with Justinian -<span class='pageno' id='Page_350'>350</span>and his nephew as leaders, took up their station inside -the tunnel palisade. Alexandros, of course, remained behind -at the Acropolis to attend to the working of the electric -lights, which were burning with full power at the western -pass and in the tunnel, the middle apparatus being turned off -after the departure of the men, so as to increase the brilliance -of the other two. Temistocles was employed as a messenger -between the two forces, so as to keep the four leaders thoroughly -cognizant of what occurred either on the western or -eastern side of the island.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The watchmen on the beach had waited until the boats of -Alcibiades were near shore, then rapidly fled up the tunnel -to the palisade, through the door of which they were admitted -by Justinian, who listened to their excited report concerning -the number of the enemy with the greatest calmness. -Indeed, the Roylands capability for command showed itself -in both the Demarch and his nephew, for the more perilous -did the situation become, the cooler they were, and never for -a moment lost their heads in giving orders to their men. -This self-control had a wonderful effect on the nerve of the -Melnosians, who, thoroughly efficient as regards drill, and -absolutely blind in their implicit obedience to their leaders, -carried out all commands with the utmost skill and promptitude.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the entrance of the tunnel burned the great round of -the electric light, like a full moon, illuminating the neighborhood -of the palisade with steady splendor, so that the -defensive operations could be carried out to the minutest -detail without the slightest difficulty. Earthen works had -been built half-way up the wooden structure to the height of -a man’s shoulders, and now on top of this the Melnosians -laid bags of sand diagonally, the one overlapping the other, -to either side of the tunnel, with interstices between them at -intervals for the barrels of the rifles. All this was arranged -so as to afford those inside a good view of the attack, while -protecting them in a great measure from the fire of the -stormers. The electric light also gained them a considerable -advantage, as, being at their backs, they could carry on their -operations with ease, while it dazzled the eyes of the enemy, -who in front of them would see but the black mass of the -palisade, and at intervals catch a glimpse of the defenders -like silhouettes against the bright glare, which would have a -considerable influence on the fire of the attacking party.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Both Maurice and the Demarch were armed with revolvers -<span class='pageno' id='Page_351'>351</span>and sabres, while the sailors had their cutlasses, and the Melnosians -their Martini-Henry rifles; thus, what with these and -the protecting palisade, everything was in their favor, especially -as the steepness of the ascent hampered the enemy -considerably in their dash to carry the barrier by storm. -Thus intrenched, they waited in absolute silence, with calm -courage, for the onslaught, and shortly heard the tramp of -approaching feet, the ring of guns and swords, and the exclamations -of astonishment uttered by the invaders, when the -powerful rays of the electric light flashed on their advancing -mass.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Alcibiades might be a good commander, but he was a confoundedly -bad drill-sergeant, for his men came up the staircase -in a singularly disorderly fashion, rushing forward -pell-mell, as though they anticipated an easy victory. However, -at the sight of the electric light, and the barricade, -from which protruded the deadly barrels of the rifles, their -impetus received a decided check, and the foremost, recoiling -on those in the rear, threw the whole body into confusion. -Hesitating thus for a second in bewilderment, they offered a -fair mark to the defenders, who, at a given signal by Justinian, -poured a heavy fire into the huddled mass of human -beings. Some fell dead, many wounded, and the yells of the -discomfited assailants vibrated under the vaulted roof of the -tunnel, as they retired in disorder.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then the stentorian voice of Alcibiades was heard urging -them forward, and with sudden resolution they dashed forward -like a wave on a rock, only to retire again before the deadly -volley of the Melnosians. The ground was cumbered with -the dead and dying, while the air was so thick with gunpowder -smoke that it hung like a veil between the contending -parties, and not even the powerful rays of the electric -light could break through the opaque cloud. As yet, protected -by their earthworks, the Melnosians had not lost one man, for -the bullets of the enemy passed harmlessly over their heads -or buried themselves in the sand and turf. Justinian ordered -his men to reserve their fire, as the attacking party were now -retreating for the third time in confusion, and therefore, -being considerably scattered, did not offer so good a mark as -when they rushed forward in a dense mass.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Evidently they were holding a consultation, for when they -again assaulted the barricade, one party dashed forward -under a heavy fire, with hatchets to cut away the timbers, -while the others remained behind and kept up a fusillade at -<span class='pageno' id='Page_352'>352</span>a safe distance. In order to avert this danger, and save the -palisade from being cut down, the marksmen returned the -fire of the rear rank, while, using the bayonets at close -quarters, their comrades stabbed the stormers whenever -they could get a chance. Notwithstanding this warm reception, -the assaulting party still stuck to their work, and amid -the infernal din of yells from wounded and fighters, could be -heard the steady blows of the hatchets, the sharp crack of the -guns, and the ping, ping, ping of the bullets whizzing through -the smoky air. At last, in spite of their valor, the stormers -were forced to retire, but not without doing considerable -damage, for they had cut through a considerable number of -the barrier posts, so that the palisade was now in a somewhat -shaky condition.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Egad! they’ll have this down in no time, Maurice,” said -Justinian to his nephew, with a grim smile, “and then it -will be hand-to-hand fighting.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All the better!” replied Maurice, coolly examining the -edge of his sword. “I fancy they will find it hard to drive -us back from this position. Here they come again. The -devil!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What’s the matter?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They are going to fire the barricade! that is Caliphronas’ -idea, I’ll bet!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A party of men now surged forward, bearing huge bundles -of brushwood, smeared with tar and inflammable oils, which -they threw at the foot of the barrier, and ignited without a -moment’s delay. The Melnosians, adopting their former -tactics, shot and stabbed with right good will, but the advantage -was with the enemy, for, in the space of a few minutes, -the wooden poles and crossbars of the barricade were in -flames. Against this new peril nothing could be done, as, -not anticipating this stratagem, Justinian had not provided -himself with water; so the flames, leaping redly out of the -thick smoke, roared upward to the roof of the tunnel, while -the little band, some with bayonets fixed, others with guns -loaded, awaited the assault which would follow the downfall -of the protective palisade.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As if to hasten this catastrophe, the enemy, with infinite -labor, dragged a small cannon up the steep stairs, and, having -placed it in position, fired recklessly into the centre of -the blazing mass, with the hope of the ball cutting a lane -through the Melnosians. Luckily, owing to the irregularity -of the ground, they were unable to depress the muzzle of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_353'>353</span>gun sufficiently, and the shot passed innocuously overhead, -having no other effect than to bring down a small shower of -stones from the roof of the tunnel. Justinian was rather -dismayed when he found they had succeeded in bringing up -a gun, but when he saw the effect of the shot, he smiled -contemptuously.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That’s no good,” he said confidently; “they can’t get the -muzzle low enough to be effective.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nevertheless, if the roof”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>The end of his sentence was lost in a tremendous explosion, -which nearly stunned them all, for, in their eagerness to fire, -Alcibiades’ men had overloaded their cannon, with the result -that it burst at the application of the light, and killed five -men.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Glory! glory!” yelled Gurt, when he heard the row; -“they can’t do much now, d—n them!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No!” cried Maurice rapidly; “the barricade will soon -be down, and it will be a hand-to-hand fight. If they bring -up another gun, we’ll take it by storm.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The heat by this time was something intense, owing to -the near neighborhood of the fierce flames, while the thick -white smoke, rolling upward in clouds, nearly choked them -with its pungent odor. The Melnosians were getting the -worst of it in this case, as the draught blowing upward from -the sea drove the eddying wreaths of acrid vapor full against -their faces, while the enemy was quite free from such -annoyance. Headed by Alcibiades and Caliphronas, who, -for a wonder, had pluck enough to place himself in front of -his men, they awaited with impatience the fall of the barricade, -and, quite anticipating that the Melnosians would be -choked by the pungent smoke, were prepared to dash forward -and carry the earthworks by storm while the defenders -were yet stupefied. Justinian saw this danger, made up his -mind, and acted thereon with promptitude and decision.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Maurice, we must make a sally, and get into the clear -air beyond, else this smoke will suffocate us, and thus give -them the advantage.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Right!” replied his nephew, recognizing the necessity -for immediate action. “The flames are now pretty low, so -let us dash through at once and take them by surprise. I -will lead. You stay here, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m hanged if I will!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must, uncle, so as to help me if I need it. Tell the -men to follow me, as I am not well enough up in Greek.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_354'>354</span>At this moment, the barricade fell down with a crash, amid -a sudden shower of sparks and rolling vapors. They could -hear the triumphant shouts of Alcibiades at the achievement -of this result, and Maurice ground his teeth with anger, as -he caught the taunting tones of Caliphronas’ voice, rejoicing -over this catastrophe.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You wait here with some men, uncle, and build up the -earthwork higher, while I make a dash with a handful, and -see if I cannot drive them down the staircase.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This suggestion was more palatable to Justinian than the -former one, as it gave him something to do, so he hastily -told the men of Maurice’s suggestion. A number of the -Melnosians, who were lying on the ground with their heads -wrapped in their cloaks to escape the stifling smoke, sprang -up, on hearing this, with a joyous shout; so, hastily selecting -his men, Maurice unsheathed his sword, grasped his revolver, -and made ready for a dash. Owing to the fall of the palisade, -the flames were now very low, but the smoke still -rolled upward in blinding clouds, thus effectively concealing -their movements from the enemy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good-by, my lad! God bless you!” said the old lion, -grasping his nephew’s hand. “Drive them down as far as -you can, and, while you keep them at bay, I will have the -barricade built up again, with sand-bags and turf.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Followed by Gurt and about twenty men, Maurice leaped -up on the earthwork, and dashed downward through the -smouldering ruins of the beams with a fierce cry. In a moment -they were out of the smoke and into the clear atmosphere, -while the enemy, thrown into confusion by their -unexpected sally, recoiled in confusion. Alcibiades, however, -seeing the smallness of the party, soon rallied them with -curses and prayers, so the next instant Maurice and his men -were in the thick of the fight.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was now a hand-to-hand struggle, maintained with equal -fierceness on either side, but, fortunately, the narrowness of -the tunnel prevented the small band of the Melnosians being -overwhelmed by their enemies, while the fact that they were -on the higher ground gave them a decided advantage, which -made up somewhat for lack of numbers. The electric light -again pierced the now thin veil of smoke, so that they -could see what they were doing, and the Melnosians used -their cutlasses with deadly effect, while those who had bayonets -fixed to their guns stabbed the enemy relentlessly, as -they dashed forward again and again. Gurt kept close beside -<span class='pageno' id='Page_355'>355</span>Maurice, fighting like the old sea-dog he was, and got a nasty -stab in the thigh, which brought him to the ground. Alcibiades -saw this, and sprang forward to finish the unfortunate -sailor, when Maurice, having cut down a wiry Greek, who was -pressing him closely, turned just in time to see Alcibiades -lift his sword for the blow. As quickly as possible, he raised -his revolver to firing level, and broke the captain’s arm near -the elbow, causing him to drop his weapon with a yell of -pain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hitherto the fighting had all been in one place, as neither -party would give way an inch; but now, disturbed by the -reverse of their leader, the enemy began to fall slowly back. -Caliphronas indeed tried to rally them, but, on seeing this, -Maurice sprang forward to encounter him, clearing a space -for the fight by whirling his sabre round and round his head; -but the Greek, seized with sudden panic, flung himself into -the centre of his men, so that Roylands’ efforts to reach him -were futile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice’s band was now much diminished, and he had -serious thoughts of retreating back to the barricade, which -Justinian by this time must have almost rebuilt, but seeing -that the advantage was now on his side, he was unwilling to -lose it; so, with his men stretched out into a single line from -side to side, he continued advancing, driving the enemy step -by step down the staircase. Alcibiades, who was a brave -man in spite of his villany, had now shifted his sword to -his left hand, as his right arm hung useless at his side, and -with many prayers, curses, entreaties, and taunts, strove to -rally his forces, but all to no purpose, for slowly but surely -they retreated before that devoted little band, who, with -flashing eyes and clinched teeth, pressed them steadily -downward. Gurt, having bound up his thigh with a piece -torn from his shirt, was again by Maurice’s side, fighting -with a dogged determination, in spite of all entreaties to -retreat back to the barricade.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Go back, Gurt! go back and tell Justinian to send more -men.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! and leave you with these devils? Not if I know -it, sir. Hurrah! England for ever!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But you are wounded.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Only a prod in the thigh. Look out, sir, for that black -wretch!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice sprang aside, just in time to avoid a slashing-down -blow, and, turning on his foe, made a dash at him with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_356'>356</span>his sabre. He managed to run him through the left shoulder, -but the Greek like lightning cut at his defenceless head, -and, but for Gurt, who intervened with his cutlass, Maurice’s -career would have been ended. As it was, the Greek’s -weapon smashed against the sailor’s sword, and before he -could recover himself for another blow, Maurice had slashed -him through the neck, so that he fell dead at once.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The enemy were fighting like demons, and, the electric -light having been shut off by the angle of the tunnel, the -battle was raging in complete darkness, save for the fitful -glare of the torches held by Alcibiades’ men, and the pale -glimmer of daylight forcing itself in at the cliff entrance -of the tunnel. As long as Maurice could keep his enemies -in front, and his line steadily advancing, he had no fear, -while, owing to the confusion of the retreat, the foe kept -fighting the one with the other in the semi-darkness. Step -by step they fell backward, until nearly the lowest platform -of the staircase, when Maurice, having thus accomplished -his object, began to think of turning back, especially as he -had now but ten men left.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the entrance of the tunnel, however, he saw the cowardly -Caliphronas in the rear, keeping out of harm’s way, -and, forgetting his caution of keeping the enemy in front, -sprang forward to battle with the Greek. Alcibiades saw -the false move, and, when Maurice’s men followed him rashly -forward, dashed back with a handful of his troops, and -in a moment the little band was surrounded by a horde of -howling savages. This was immediately under the entrance -of the tunnel, on level ground, so, the advantage being with -the enemy in every way, it seemed as though the Englishman -and his handful would be cut to pieces. Seeing his mistake, -Maurice, with his devoted followers, strove to fight his way -back up the stair, but, environed on all sides by a tumultuous -crowd, gave himself up for lost.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My God! if Justinian would only come!” he prayed, as -he fought back to back with Gurt and surrounded by his -band. “Will nothing save us?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>At that moment, as if in answer to his prayer, a low moaning -sound came sweeping over the ocean, making every heart -sink with fear. The island began to tremble, and for the -moment so terrible was the suspense, that the fighting -ceased. Friend and foe stood alike pallid with fear, as the -ground began to shake convulsively, and the whole host -looked as though turned into stone. The ground, heaving -<span class='pageno' id='Page_357'>357</span>convulsively, hurled every one to the ground, including -Maurice and his band, who were just beyond the entrance -of the tunnel. Suddenly there was a sound like thunder, -and on the prostrate mass of humanity lying on the quivering -earth, a great mass of rock fell from above. What with -the dust, the noise, the yells of fear, and the imprecations, -Maurice was almost stunned, and when he arose to his feet, -he saw that the enormous slip caused by the earthquake -had not only killed a number of the enemy, but had also -blocked up the entrance to the tunnel.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Seeing that there was no hope to return that way, and well -aware that Alcibiades and those of his men who still survived -would kill him as soon as they recovered from their -fright, Maurice sprang to his feet and seized Gurt by the -arm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To the boats! the boats!” he gasped, hurrying the -astonished sailor down to the water’s edge. “Tunnel -closed. We must try the western pass.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>About four Melnosians had followed him, and these, with -superhuman strength, pushed off a boat from shore. When -all six were afloat, the islanders took the oars and commenced -to pull outward, so as to skirt the breakwater. By this time -the enemy had recovered from their first terror, and, seeing -the escape of the fugitives, came rushing down to the sea. -There seemed to be about two hundred of them left, and -being pretty well used to such trifles as earthquakes, especially -those who came from Santorin, now that the danger -was past, they were determined to follow and kill the little -band.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Luckily, Maurice, by his prompt action, had gained a good -start, and was already outside the breakwater, making for -the western side of the island, where he hoped to re-enter -through the western pass. He could see Alcibiades and -Caliphronas gesticulating fiercely on the beach and urging -their companions to follow, so, just as the fugitives came in -sight of the wreck of The Eunice, their enemies started in -pursuit.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank God for that earthquake!” said Maurice thankfully, -taking off his cap. “It saved our lives.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t holler till you’re out of the wood, sir,” said Gurt -dryly, pointing to the sea. “I’ve seed that sort o’ thing at -Thera, and it ain’t no child’s play.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The waters around them were boiling like a furnace, and -had changed from their normal blue tint to the color of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_358'>358</span>milk. Maurice, in astonishment, dipped his hand over the -side of the boat into this opalescent sea, but withdrew it -immediately with a cry of pain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The water was boiling hot!</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Bless you, sir, there’s lots of that sort of thing about -here.” said Gurt in a philosophical tone. “I’ve seed it -a-bilin’ round Santorin like a kittle. These Greeks don’t -mind it much.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t they?” replied Maurice in a disbelieving tone. -“Well, Alcibiades and his lot seemed pretty sick.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“While it lasts they’re frightened enough, but they soon -get over it, sir. Look at ’em follering.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>By this time they were rounding the angle of Melnos, and -the breakwater of the western harbor was in sight; but the -boat containing Alcibiades, manned by able rowers, was -gradually gaining on them. Two of the Melnosians, though -they tugged away pluckily, were yet in great pain from -wounds, while Gurt, feeble from loss of blood, could hardly -rise to his feet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Give way, men!” cried Maurice in Greek, as he examined -his revolver. “I’ve got two shots left, Gurt, so, if that -boat comes too near, I’ll try to pick off one of the rowers.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We’re not far from home now, sir,” said Gurt hopefully; -“and Mr. Crispin will be at the gate.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope he will, Gurt; but this earthquake must have -demoralized everything, and perhaps Mr. Crispin went back -to see Justinian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not he, sir; he’d send Temistocles. But Mr. Justinian -must think us dead.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s not improbable. However, we will soon show him -we’re alive, though the tunnel is closed up forever.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good job too, sir,” replied Gurt cheerfully; “there’s no -getting in that way now; so if these villains want to take -Melnos, they’ll only have the western pass to enter by. I -guess that there rock, sir, killed a few.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What with the battle and the earthquake, they must -have lost at least a hundred men, while our deaths are comparatively -small.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We’ve got nigh on a hundred left, I think, sir; but if it -weren’t fur you, sir, gittin’ that idear of the boat, we’d be -all dead men, for sure.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Egad, we’ll be dead men now, if we don’t look out!” -said Maurice, as the foremost boat of their pursuers came -within pistol shot. “Look out, Gurt; I’m going to pick off -that fellow standing up in the prow.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_359'>359</span>The Melnosians, in their sudden rush for the boat, had -naturally enough dropped their guns; but Maurice, with an -Englishman’s determination to stick to anything he has once -got a grip of, had carried off his sword, and still possessed -his revolver. Gurt also had his cutlass, so, in the event of -their foes catching them on land before they could gain the -shelter of the stockade, Maurice and one of the Melnosians -would have to defend the three wounded men and the -remaining one, who had no weapon. Meanwhile, their boat, -impelled by the rowers with the energy of despair, had -rounded the breakwater, and was rapidly sweeping inward to -the land. Some little distance above they could see the narrow -entrance of the pass, but, as Crispin and his men were -intrenched behind the palisade, farther up the gorge, of -course the fugitives could not hope for their help. Maurice, -however, thought that the pistol-shots might attract attention, -as the sound carries far in that rarefied atmosphere, and -he also told his Melnosians to shout loudly, so as to let their -friends know they were in peril.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Just as the boat was nearly touching the land, a bullet -from the rifle of the man standing up in the prow whizzed -past Maurice’s ear; but, fortunately, being widely aimed, -did not touch him. The Englishman, resting his revolver -muzzle on his left arm, fired carefully, and, luckily, hit his -enemy full in the chest; whereupon the man flung up his -hands and fell splash into the water. The rowers, startled -at this, paused for a moment; and in that time Maurice ran -his boat ashore, and giving Gurt, who could not walk, into -the care of the two Melnosians, one of whom was unhurt, -and the other only wounded in the arm, thrust Gurt’s cutlass -into the hand of the remaining one, and began to retreat -slowly up the hill.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Alcibiades’ boat was yet far distant, but the one near -shore, its rowers having recovered from their surprise at the -loss of their leader, landed as quickly as possible, and began -to run as fast as possible after the fugitives. The Melnosians -shouted with right good will for help, and, while -retreating slowly, Maurice managed to drop one of his pursuers -with his remaining cartridge. They had now nothing -left to fight with but a sword and cutlass, both of which were -useless against the rifles carried by their pursuers, and the -look-out was all the worse, as Captain Alcibiades, with a new -crew of cut-throats, had now landed on the beach.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The two Melnosians hurried Gurt along as quickly as possible, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_360'>360</span>the other wounded man ran ahead, shouting for help, and -Maurice, with the remaining islander, covered the retreat -with stern determination. Several shots sung past them, but -their pursuers were evidently bad marksmen, and they gained -the entrance of the gorge without being hurt.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The palisade now could be seen some little distance away, -and the foremost fugitive had nearly reached it, so Maurice -took heart, in spite of the near proximity of Alcibiades and -his men. In his heart, however, he was praying that Crispin -might be still at his post, as, if he were not, the whole four -of them would certainly be murdered on the spot.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One of his pursuers was now close at hand, and raised his -rifle to the shoulder; but Maurice, with sudden inspiration, -threw himself flat on his face, and the ball passed over his -head. Then, springing to his feet, he commenced to run -rapidly after his companions, followed by the baffled marksman, -who did not wait to reload.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice heard a shout of joy from the palisade, so knew -that Crispin was at his post, and would bring him help; but -at this moment the foremost man caught up with him. The -Englishman slashed at his neck with his sabre, but the wily -Greek dodged lightly, and, clubbing his musket, brought it -down on Roylands’ head with tremendous force. Instinctively -Maurice put up his sword to guard himself, but the -weapon shivered to pieces under the blow, and, stunned by -the stroke, he fell insensible to the ground.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_361'>361</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXXII. <br /> <span class='fss'>THE WARNING OF HEPHAISTOS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Hence, ye mortals! hence away!</div> - <div class='line'>Dare not on this isle to stay;</div> - <div class='line'>For in grim seclusion here</div> - <div class='line'>I a mighty forge would rear,</div> - <div class='line'>So that in this sea-girt grove</div> - <div class='line'>I can work for mighty Jove.</div> - <div class='line'>Thunder-bolts doth he require,</div> - <div class='line'>Swift to follow lightning’s fire,</div> - <div class='line'>When his wrath he would assuage,</div> - <div class='line'>And on mortals wreak his rage.</div> - <div class='line'>Never more will Melnos isle</div> - <div class='line'>With the corn of Ceres smile;</div> - <div class='line'>From its crater flames will rise,</div> - <div class='line'>Roaring to the frighted skies;</div> - <div class='line'>Bubbling from the depths below,</div> - <div class='line'>In its cup will lava glow;</div> - <div class='line'>And the sea around will boil</div> - <div class='line'>At my never-ceasing toil:</div> - <div class='line'>Therefore, mortals, haste away!</div> - <div class='line'>Dare not on this isle to stay.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>When Maurice came to himself, he was lying on the grass -inside the palisade, and Crispin was bending over him with -the greatest solicitude. His head ached dully with the -effects of the blow, and the blood was clotted in a nasty -scalp-wound on the right side of his skull, where the butt of -the musket had struck him. Dizzy as he was, yet by a -violent effort he managed to sit up and inquire in a feeble -voice what had become of the companions of his flight.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, they are all right, Maurice!” said Crispin, holding -out his brandy-flask. “Take a drink of this, and lie down -again for a time.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice did as he was told, and resumed his recumbent -attitude on the grass; but, anxious to know everything, -looked inquiringly at Crispin, who at once replied to his mute -questioning.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have been here ever since you left for the tunnel this -morning,” explained the poet quickly, “as Justinian sent -word by Temistocles that I was on no account to forsake my -post. We heard your pistol-shots and cries for help, but -thought it was some stratagem on the part of the enemy. -Then Theodore, whom you sent on for aid, made his appearance -at the barricade, and gasped out some incoherent story. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_362'>362</span>As soon as I ascertained it was you, I sallied out with some -men, and saw Gurt being helped up the hill, and yourself, -with Basil, protecting the rear. Alcibiades and some others -were scrambling up after you; and then we saw you engage -with that foremost blackguard. He knocked you over, and -would have finished you, but for Dick, who took a pot shot, -and bowled him over like a ninepin. Then we rushed up, -and brought you here, with Alcibiades and his friends yelling -like fiends at the escape of their prey.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Alcibiades?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, he and the other fellows have gone back in the boats -to the eastern harbor, I suppose. Jove! I was never so -surprised in my life as when I saw you scudding up that hill, -for both Justinian and myself thought you were dead!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Does Justinian know I am alive?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. I sent Temistocles off to tell him as soon as you -were in safety; I expect he’ll be here every minute.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What about the earthquake?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, we felt it, I can tell you. It was a tremendous -shock, and has filled up the tunnel completely.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“At which, I suppose, my uncle is heart-broken?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No fear. He never thought about the tunnel while you -were in danger. But how did you manage to escape?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is a long story,” said Maurice faintly, for he felt -sick with fatigue. “Give me some more brandy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Here you are. Don’t talk any more till Justinian -comes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But tell me, where is Gurt?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, he and the rest have gone off to the Acropolis to -be looked after. Now, do be quiet, Maurice, or you’ll be -fainting again.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Roylands closed his eyes, and obeyed; while Crispin, with -a sponge and water, brought by the swift-footed Temistocles, -carefully bathed the wound, and dexterously bound it up -with lint and linen, so that Maurice felt more comfortable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s only a flesh wound,” he said in a satisfied tone; “but -it is a mercy you did not get your head smashed.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is the time?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nearly ten o’clock in the morning. You’ve been fighting -all night, so I don’t wonder you are dead beat. The sun -will be up over the eastern peaks soon.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was indeed long after dawn, for in the darkness of the -tunnel no one had taken any count of the hours; and when -the earthquake had occurred it was just that time between -<span class='pageno' id='Page_363'>363</span>the fading night and the coming day. So upset and excited -had Maurice been with the fight, the earthquake, and the escape, -that neither he nor any one else remembered that the -fighting had begun at midnight, and lasted till sunrise. And -now he remembered that the sun had risen while they were -rounding the angle of the island; but, having forgotten the -flight of time, he had not thought this strange. It was a -great blessing that they had escaped in the boat at daylight; -else even in the luminous night it would have been difficult, -with the sea in such a perturbed condition, to have made the -voyage safely.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Very shortly Justinian arrived, full of thankfulness for -Maurice’s escape, and fear concerning his wound; but by this -time the young man, though much shaken, was quite himself -again; and, leaning on the Demarch’s arm, with occasional -assistance from Crispin, managed to crawl along as far as the -Acropolis, where they were joyously received by Helena.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As the tunnel was now completely closed up, there was no -chance of the pirates getting in that way; so Justinian sent -all his men over to the western pass, where, under the command -of Dick, they remained on guard. The women from -the village came up the first thing in the morning with provisions -and wine to minister to their wants; so, thus, everything -being in order for the present, the Demarch was anxious -to hear all the details of his nephew’s miraculous escape.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He told them the whole story over the breakfast table, -with occasional help from Gurt, who was admitted to the -symposium on account of his bravery during the battle. -The old Demarch, self-contained both by nature and training, -did not say much during the recital, beyond expressing his -heartfelt joy at the escape of his nephew, but it could easily -be seen that he was inordinately proud of Maurice’s prowess -and promptitude of action; for, though the hero himself -modestly suppressed such details as tended to self-glorification, -Gurt, in his blunt sailor way, came out with the true -unvarnished facts of the case, which caused Maurice to blush, -and his audience to exclaim admiringly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By Jove, Maurice, you ought to be a V.C.!” cried Crispin, -when the story came to an end. “If you hadn’t had your -wits about you, and seized that boat, you would have been a -dead man to a certainty!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is the Roylands’ blood!” said Justinian proudly. “I -knew I was not mistaken in my estimate of your character, -Maurice. You will make an admirable ruler of Melnos!”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_364'>364</span>“That is, if there is any Melnos to rule over,” replied -Maurice, with an uneasy laugh; “for, by Jove, uncle, when -that earthquake came, I thought everything had gone to -kingdom come.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, you see, father, I was right about the earthquake -last night!” said Helena in triumph; “I felt that something -was going to happen!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, but you thought it would be an eruption,” answered -Justinian, with apparent indifference, though there was an -anxious look on his face; “as to an earthquake, why, these -Greek islands are all volcanic, so that means nothing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How did you get on after I left you, uncle?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, I set my men to work, to build up the barricade -again, with turf and bags of sand. You were a long time -gone, my son, and I became afraid that you had been cut to -pieces, so, when the work was done, I intended taking some -men and going after you. Then the earthquake occurred, -and we heard the fall of the roof at the cliff entrance. I -thought you were dead for sure, and cannot tell you of the -anguish I felt at your loss. However, Temistocles brought -me the news of your safe arrival at the western pass, and I -breathed freely again. Oh, my dear Maurice,” continued -the Demarch, taking his nephew’s hand, “how fervently do -I thank God that you are alive! for if those scoundrels had -killed you, indeed I do not think I would have had the heart -to continue living in Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice was greatly touched with his uncle’s emotion, -which was a rare thing for the iron old Demarch to display, -for as a rule he took both good and bad fortune with the -utmost equanimity, and seldom gave any outward signs of -his feelings on such occasions. His nephew, however, was -very dear to his heart, and he looked upon him with great -pride, both as his future son-in-law and successor, so it had -been a terrible blow to him, to think he had lost a young -man on whom all his future hopes depended.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As for Helena, she said nothing, but, genuine offspring of -her father as she was, bore up pluckily, though it could be -plainly seen that she had suffered much during the absence -of her lover. Fortunately, the time which had elapsed between -Maurice’s supposed death and subsequent reappearance -had been too short to permit of her knowing of the -calamity, else, brave as she was, she would certainly have -given way under such a cruel misfortune. As it was, however, -he now sat beside her safe and sound, so all the terrible -<span class='pageno' id='Page_365'>365</span>events which he detailed with such coolness only seemed to -be some hideous nightmare which had vanished at the coming -of morning.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She insisted upon Maurice’s going to bed for a good sleep -after breakfast, in which insistence she was supported by -her father, who saw that Maurice was more shaken by his -late fatigue than he chose to acknowledge.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You can sleep for a few hours at all events, my son,” he -said affectionately, “for Alcibiades has lost too many men -to think about making another attack, at least for some -time.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you not going to sleep yourself?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, I am going down to the valley to look at those hot -springs. This earthquake has rather unnerved me, and I -wish to see for myself if there is any probability of an eruption. -Crispin, will you come with me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you desire it; but, to tell you the truth, I also am -rather tired.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pshaw!” said the man of iron, with good-humored scorn; -“you have no stamina, Crispin. If you had been through -all that Maurice has undergone, you might talk. However, -take your sleep for an hour or so.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin really was very delicately constituted, and could -not do without that sleep which Justinian despised, but, in -order to be ready for any emergency, he curled himself up -on a divan in the court, and rested there without removing -his clothes. Maurice, on the contrary, completely worn out -with fatigue and anxiety, to say nothing of his scalp wound, -went straight to bed, and slept soundly most of the day, -while Helena, tenderly solicitous of his comfort, watched -beside him the whole time, with her little hand lying in his -warm grasp.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile, Justinian, who, in spite of his age, scarcely -seemed to feel the effect of the previous night’s vigil, took a -cold bath to freshen himself up, and then started on a journey -of inspection round the island. Like a careful general, his -first visit was to the outposts at the western pass, where he -found everything in an extremely satisfactory condition. -Part of the men were sleeping, while the others kept guard, -waiting to take their turn of rest when their comrades awoke. -Notwithstanding the hard fighting, all those who had been -engaged in the defence of the tunnel seemed in a wonderfully -good condition, while Dick and his nine sailors, hardened by -a seafaring life, seemed to feel no fatigue whatsoever, in spite -of constant watchfulness and anxiety.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_366'>366</span>With a view to seeing the position of the enemy, Justinian -climbed up a small path which led to the hills from -the inner side of the outward palisade, and, using his field-glass, -soon discovered that Alcibiades was concentrating his -forces below in order to storm the pass. Boat after boat -filled with desperadoes came sweeping round the breakwater -into the smooth sea of the harbor, and tents were being -erected on the beach by the besiegers. Evidently they had -discovered that there was no chance of entering by the -tunnel, which was completely blocked up by the fallen rocks, -so were determined to effect an entrance by the western -pass, where at least they would have the advantage of fighting -in daylight. Carefully surveying the disorderly host, -Justinian calculated that there still remained about two -hundred men, against which he could only bring ninety-five -or thereabouts. Still, intrenched behind his barricades, and -having the pass swept by two cannon, he thought the invaders -would find it somewhat difficult to dislodge him from such a -strong position, the more so as they lacked discipline, and -their leaders were quite ignorant of military tactics.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Having ascertained all this, Justinian descended into the -gorge again, where he gave Dick his final instructions, which -were simply to keep a sharp lookout on the enemy, and, in -the event of seeing any movement uphill towards the mouth -of the pass, to at once send off Temistocles to the Acropolis -with the information.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Dick having promised faithfully to obey these instructions, -the Demarch, escorted by a couple of his men, went along -the mulberry avenue, in order to survey the tunnel, which he -had not entered since driven from thence by the earthquake -some hours previous. The electric light was turned off, as -the Demarch, now that the danger lay more in the west than -the east, judged it advisable to reserve all the power of the -dynamo for the one light which swept the western pass, and -therefore, bidding his men take torches, went downward into -the darkness of the tunnel with such illumination only.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Passing down to the ruins of the palisade, where so fierce -a fight had taken place, he crossed that boundary, and, turning -the angle of the staircase, came in sight of the landslip -caused by the earthquake. The red flare of the torches but -feebly showed the amount of damage done, but Justinian saw -sufficient to assure him that there was no chance of the tunnel -being made use of again for at least some months. -Extending from the cliff entrance to some considerable distance -<span class='pageno' id='Page_367'>367</span>back, the whole roof had collapsed, and tons of débris -piled upward from floor to vault completely sealed up the -mouth of the passage. It would take a goodly amount of -dynamite and blasting powder to remove those massive -blocks; and, now that he knew Maurice was safe, the -Demarch had time to grieve over the damage done to his -beloved tunnel. Justinian, however, was too practical a man -to waste time in useless lamentation, and promptly decided -that, as soon as Alcibiades was beaten back,—an event -which he was assured would come off without much difficulty,—he -would set gangs of men to clear away the obstruction, -and restore, with as little delay as possible, the tunnel -to its pristine excellence. The burning of the palisade also -had taught him a lesson, and, to obviate the chances of such -defence being destroyed by fire, he decided to build a kind -of stone bastion in the same place, with loopholes for guns, -and also to fortify it with two field-pieces, which would -simply mow down an enemy advancing up the staircase like -ripe corn.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The inspection of the tunnel being concluded, Justinian -returned upward to the light of day, and descended the grand -staircase in order to pay a visit to the springs. He looked -upon these as a kind of thermometer, useful in warning him -of seismic disturbances, for, in spite of the long silence of -the volcano, Justinian knew that the subterranean forces -were still at work under the crust which covered the crater; -and with the remembrance of the great eruption of Vesuvius, -in the year 79, constantly in his mind, was not without certain -fears that this long-slumbering monster might reawaken -from the sleep of centuries. The volcanic forces, however, -having a vent in the adjacent island of Santorin, he had -hitherto calculated that Melnos would remain quiescent, but -the terrible earthquake which had so unexpectedly occurred -inspired him with great uneasiness, and he was in deadly -fear lest it should prelude the renewed activity of the mountain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As before described, the hot springs of Melnos somewhat -resembled the geysers of Iceland, save that they were less -active, and did not send up jets of water to any great height -from their uncanny mouths. On this day, however, when -the Demarch approached the desolate gorge where they had -hitherto rested as slightly bubbling pools of water, he was -astonished and dismayed to find them in full activity. -Clouds of thin steam almost obscured the yellow, red, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_368'>368</span>green lava of the rocks behind, and amid this ominous vapor -the springs were spouting furiously at intervals. Thick jets -of boiling water would gush up from the ragged clefts in the -sulphur-streaked blocks to a considerable height, and, after -expending their fury, would sink down again into the bowels -of the earth. After a time the muttered bellowing of the -monsters would be heard, and amid groanings and gurglings, -which told of the colossal forces at work beneath, the great -columns of water would again shoot skyward with hideous -roars.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Demarch noticed this unusual disturbance of the -springs with great uneasiness, as during his whole forty -years’ residence on the island never had there been such -signs of danger. Even where he stood, the earth was -cracked in many places, and little jets of steam escaped with -a whistling noise, which could be heard shrilly when the bellowing -of the geysers ceased. All the Melnosians were in a -terrible state of alarm, and it took all Justinian’s eloquence -to persuade them that this was simply a local disturbance -caused by the earthquake, and that there was no danger of -an outbreak on the part of the long-sleeping volcano.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Truth to tell, in spite of his speech, he was not at all easy -in his mind as he climbed up the staircase to the Acropolis, -for these ominous signs boded but ill for the safety of the -island, and he dreaded lest without further warning the crater -should burst out into full fury, in which case every being -therein would certainly be killed. He was unwilling, however, -to communicate his fears to Helena or to Maurice, and -thus disturb their minds at this critical period of the siege; -but, feeling that he must have some one with whom to talk, -awoke Crispin from his siesta, and, taking him into his own -room, gave him a description of the geysers’ activity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The deuce!” said Crispin in dismay, when he heard this -unpleasant recital. “I hope we are not going to have the -destruction of Pompeii over again; but I must say it looks -uncommonly like it!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think Melnos will break out again?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Those spouting geysers certainly don’t bode any good, -sir, nor that earthquake either. Perhaps it is a warning -from Hephaistos that we had better leave the island.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I won’t leave the island,” said Justinian obstinately, -drawing his iron-gray brows together: “after forty years of -incessant toil, I would indeed be a coward to leave Melnos -simply because things look a trifle ominous.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_369'>369</span>“Yes; but volcanoes are delicate things to deal with. -These signs are slight; but who knows but what they may -be followed by a blowing up of the crater’s crust, in which -case I am afraid everything in connection with Melnos will -be at an end.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But the volcano has been extinct for thousands of -years!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So was Vesuvius,” replied Crispin coolly, “and that -mountain in New Zealand—Tarawera, was it not?—that -awoke to activity after centuries of quiescence. You can’t -trust volcanoes, sir. They are most treacherous monsters, -and when least expected break out in full fury.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“An eruption is going on at Thera.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All the more reason that the volcanic action will extend -to Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There I don’t agree with you. If the subterranean -forces find vent in one place, there is less chance of them -breaking out in another. Besides, Thera has always been -active. Herodotus, Appollonius, and Plutarch all speak of -previous eruptions. Then there was one in 1457, when the -Venetians occupied the island; another in 1707; and I -think the last outburst took place in 1866.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, according to Georgios, there is one going on now, -which is a bad sign for us.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“On the contrary, a very good sign. Don’t you see, Crispin, -that, whereas Thera has burst out every hundred years -or so for many centuries, there is no record of Melnos being -active. This temple of Hephaistos was built long before -Christ, during the supremacy of Hellas in these seas, and -had the crater not been extinct then, it could not have been -built on the inner cup, nor could any eruption have taken -place since, as it would have been destroyed; so as the -mountain, to all appearances, has been extinct for thousands -of years, and the volcanic forces find vent at Thera, I really -do not see why, because of an earthquake and a spouting -geyser, we should think it likely the crater will break out -again.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Still, you see the Hellenes must have known this was a -volcanic island, and, perhaps, put up this temple to the god -of fire in memory of an eruption. If I remember rightly, -the Rhodians built a temple to Poseidon Asphalios after -some early eruption, in order to propitiate the gods; so -this shrine may have been erected for a similar reason.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Scarcely, if the volcano was active then. I don’t think -<span class='pageno' id='Page_370'>370</span>even the pious Hellenes would have risked their lives in -building a temple under the very nose of Vulcan in full -work. But what do you think is best to be done?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, certainly it would be foolish to leave Melnos, -after all the work you have expended upon it, without very -good reason, and, until something more serious occurs, I -should be inclined to remain. In spite of these signs, the -volcano has been as quiet as a lamb for thousands of years; -so I do not see why it should break out now, save out of -sheer contrariness. We had better go on defending Melnos -from Alcibiades, and take no notice of the volcano; but if -anything serious occurs, we must get away as quickly as -possible.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But how? Alcibiades has destroyed all our boats.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, we will seize his; or else, as soon as I can guess -The Eunice is at Syra, I will go over and bring her to Melnos; -so that in case of danger I can save every one.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Over a hundred and fifty people! Impossible!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There won’t be a hundred and fifty people by the time -Alcibiades is beaten,” replied Crispin dryly. “It is not that -I am afraid of; but if such a contingency as the volcano -becoming active does arise, my difficulty will be to get -through the besieging army out into the open sea.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m afraid there’s no chance of that,” replied the -Demarch gloomily.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, it certainly looks impossible, but there’s nothing -like trying. However, there may be no necessity for such -daring. Don’t trouble about the volcano, Justinian; I’ve no -doubt Hephaistos will warn us again before proceeding to -extremities.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am of the same opinion myself. Still, your words -have given no great comfort, Crispin; for, after all the -money and labor expended on this island, it would indeed be -a terrible thing if it became nothing but a smoking mass of -black lava, to say nothing of the destruction of my schemes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You won’t tell Maurice or Helena of this?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No. Maurice has quite enough on his mind already, and -it would only frighten Helena to death. She is brave -enough at most dangers, but I think a volcanic eruption -would frighten the most stout-hearted. I have to a great -extent calmed the feelings of those in the village, so it will -be best for you and I to keep our own counsel, and not uselessly -alarm our friends.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope it is a useless alarm,” said Crispin uneasily. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_371'>371</span>“But it is a very unpleasant idea to think that one is living -on top of a powder-magazine which may explode at any -moment.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As far at that goes,” answered the Demarch dryly, “the -whole globe is nothing but an egg full of fire, and we all live -on the surface of an explosive bombshell whirling through -space, which may burst at any moment. My island is only -a sample of the whole earth.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wish you wouldn’t look at things in such an unpleasant -light,” cried Crispin, laughing. “My nerves will be destroyed -before I leave this island. However, I am going to finish -my sleep.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Maurice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He also is asleep, and I’ve no doubt will wake up quite -fit for another midnight attack.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Egad, and he’ll get it!” said the Demarch grimly. -“That villain Alcibiades is getting ready for another -assault.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, in spite of the benefits conferred, it is to be hoped -Hephaistos won’t interfere this time with his earthquakes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He has warned us twice,” replied Justinian, as he -walked out into the court with the poet; “once by the -earthquake, again by the springs. Heaven help us when the -third warning comes!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, there’s luck in odd numbers,” said Crispin flippantly. -“And, in any case, if we come to grief, our enemies -will be in the same plight as ourselves.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_372'>372</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXXIII. <br /> <span class='fss'>THE INVOCATION OF ARTEMIS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>O Moon! thou risest from the western seas,</div> - <div class='line'>A virgin Aphrodite fair and chaste,</div> - <div class='line'>And by thy votaress on bended knees</div> - <div class='line'>These stainless flowers are on thine altar placed:</div> - <div class='line'>Pale lilies, roses wan, and cyclamen,</div> - <div class='line'>Whose petals have ensnared thy pallid rays;</div> - <div class='line'>Frail hyacinth as chill as mountain snows</div> - <div class='line'>Beneath thy wintry ken;</div> - <div class='line'>With many blossoms plucked in dewy ways,</div> - <div class='line'>For thee, O goddess! who canst end my woes.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>O Moon! I pray thee in thy tenderness,</div> - <div class='line'>Watch with thy silver eye my lover gone,</div> - <div class='line'>And soothe him with thy virginal caress,</div> - <div class='line'>For thou hadst also an Endymion.</div> - <div class='line'>Astarte! Dian! Tanith! Artemis!</div> - <div class='line'>Whate’er men name thee in thy mystic might,</div> - <div class='line'>With sacrifice and songs I worship thee:</div> - <div class='line'>So grant, O Moon! the bliss</div> - <div class='line'>Of feeling in my heart the pure delight,</div> - <div class='line'>Which tells my love is coming back to me.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>Evidently Alcibiades had but little stomach for midnight -fighting, for he made no attempt to storm the pass -under the cover of darkness, and was apparently making -preparations to begin the fight at the first flush of the dawn. -In thus deciding, he was wiser than he knew, for many of -his men had been killed in the tunnel by their own friends, -owing to the confusion which prevailed during the retreat -down the staircase. Moreover, with the electric light showing -the position of the enemy to the defenders, and dazzling -their eyesight when they advanced to the attack, there was -nothing to be gained by a night sortie, and Alcibiades -thought it best to storm the pass by day, so that he, at least -in the matter of light, might have the same advantage as -Justinian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All day long, the Demarch and his nephew posted themselves -on the heights above the gorge, and from their vantage, -with the aid of strong field-glasses, saw the preparations -which were being made for the final attack. Alcibiades, -with more military precision than of yore, had -divided his two hundred men into two bodies, one of which -was commanded by himself and the other by Count Caliphronas. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_373'>373</span>Under these two leaders were four other commanders -responsible for fifty troops each, but these deferred -to Caliphronas and Alcibiades, while the Count in his turn -took his orders from the old pirate as the supreme head of -the whole army.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Without doubt, Alcibiades desired to attack the island in -two separate places, for he knew, thanks to the treachery of -Caliphronas, that Justinian’s force was too few in numbers -to admit of division, and thus, while the one body was attacking -the palisade in the gorge, the other could get at the -rear of the Melnosians by another way. Unfortunately for -this daring scheme, the cliffs on either side of the pass were -perfectly inaccessible, as they arose smooth and arid from -the beach to the height of two hundred feet, and as the besiegers -had not wings, they could scarcely hope to climb up -these sterile steeps, which would not have afforded foothold -even for a goat. The only path available for this plan was -perfectly well known to Caliphronas, but, unluckily for the -besiegers, was inside the outer palisade, from whence it -wound up to the heights where the Demarch and his nephew -were seated, and from thence went through the altar glade, -down to the back of the Acropolis.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Once the outer defence was taken, Caliphronas intended to -lead his century of men up this secret way, which he knew -thoroughly, and thus gain the heart of the island as exemplified -by the Acropolis, while the Demarch was keeping back -the feigned attack at the stockade. This stratagem was -very clever and very feasible, but the difficulty in carrying it -out consisted in the fact that, before the path could be -ascended, the outer defence would have to be taken, which -was no easy task, when defended by such determined men as -the Melnosians. However, it was <a id='corr373.32'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='to to'>to</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_373.32'><ins class='correction' title='to to'>to</ins></a></span> all appearances the -only chance of gaining speedy possession of the island, without -risking prolonged fighting; so Alcibiades adopted the -plan without hesitation, and arranged with his subordinates -to assault the palisade at early dawn, carry it with a dash, -and then, while he made a feigned attack at the inner defence, -Caliphronas and his men, gaining the interior of the -island by this path, could attack the defending party in the -rear.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It never for a moment struck Messrs. Alcibiades & Company -that Justinian was far too wide awake not to have -thought of this contingency, and had made his preparations -in consequence. The entrance of the path from the gorge -<span class='pageno' id='Page_374'>374</span>was up a narrow, winding staircase, cut in the live rock, -which could only hold two men abreast, so, in the event of -the outer defence being beaten down, this staircase could be -easily defended by a dozen or so of men. Added to this, an -iron gate closely locked was placed at the entrance; therefore, -even if the enemy did gain an entrance into the pass, -they had considerable difficulties to overcome before marching -in triumph into the Acropolis. Justinian would, indeed, -have been a bad general had he not foreseen this danger, but -even though he thus guarded against it to the best of his -ability, he trusted that his men would be able to hold the -outer defence until Alcibiades retired in discomfiture.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As a matter-of-fact, the fiery old adventurer would have -liked nothing better than to sally forth at the head of his -handful of men and drive his enemy into the sea, but he was -no longer the reckless Rudolph Roylands of the past, and -judged it best to be cautious, nor risk the chance of a pitched -battle in the open with unequal numbers. Intrenched in -the strong outworks of the pass, his little band could hope -to face their enemies with more than a fair chance of victory, -but if he was foolish enough to make a sally, his ninety-five -men would, in spite of their bravery, be quickly cut to pieces -by more than double the number. Of course their military -precision would doubtless tell against the undisciplined hordes -of Alcibiades; still the risk was too great, and Justinian, -much as he desired to make a bold dash for victory, deemed -it best to take advantage of all the shelter and advantage -his fortifications afforded.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The western pass was not unlike the tunnel in conformation, -for, extending from inside to outside, a distance of a -quarter of a mile, it ran upward from the cliffs of the beach -for some little way, then, turning in an abrupt angle, pursued -a straight way into the interior of the crater. Evidently -created by a volcanic eruption for the outlet of lava, -the sides, rent apart by some convulsion, arose precipitous -and sterile to the height of over two hundred feet. No vegetation -softened the nakedness of these rugged rocks, which, -streaked with green, yellow, and red, presented a singularly -forbidding appearance. On the top grew ancient pines, -whose sombre branches, nearly touching one another as they -stretched across the gulf, only permitted a thin streak of sky -to be seen; so that the depths below were singularly gloomy, -and to the imaginative Hellenes might well have suggested -the thought that it was the Gate of Hades, by which name it -<span class='pageno' id='Page_375'>375</span>was traditionally known. Justinian, however, abandoned -such cognomen as of evil omen, and called it “The Western -Pass,” by which title it was generally called by the Melnosians. -It was indeed a remarkably eerie place even on the -brightest day, and the light which filtered downward from -between the branches of the pines but half revealed, in a -glimmering gloom, the horrent rocks, the lack of flowers and -grasses, and the chill, vault-like seeming of the whole tremendous -cleft.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice, having slept all day, felt wonderfully refreshed -when he awoke, just as the sun set, and, though his head was -still painful with the wound, yet his brain was perfectly -bright and clear; so, after making a hearty meal, he started -with his uncle and Crispin for the western pass, where he -was to remain all night. The enemy might, or might not, -make a night attack, and Justinian rather inclined to the -belief that they would wait till daylight. Nevertheless, to -guard against any chance of such a thing occurring, he -resolved that every one, both leaders and men, should remain -in the pass during the hours of darkness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The men thus being at the front, a number of the women -were sleeping up at the Acropolis with Helena, so as to be -near their relations, and the interior of the island was thus -given over entirely to feminine influence; while the extreme -end of the pass, near to the outer palisade, was occupied by -the male defenders. At times the sunlight came into this -cliff entrance, so there was a scanty vegetation for some distance -inward, so on this sparse grass Justinian and his men -made themselves comfortable. Many of the soldiers, wearied -out with watching, were sleeping around, but there was a -strong guard at the barricade, under the command of Gurt, -who was much better, and had insisted upon coming to the -front.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Round a fire sat the Demarch, his nephew, Crispin, and -Dick, all talking earnestly about the coming struggle, for the -bos’n, having snatched a few hours of sleep during the afternoon, -was now quite alert and active. The fire was lighted -more for the sake of comfort than because of cold, though, -indeed, the bottom of this abyss was chilly enough, and the -cheerful flames flickered redly in the intense darkness, while -high above glimmered the pale stars, and to the right arose -the frowning mass of the palisade black against the faint -gleam of the luminous night. To their nostrils came the salt -savor of the sea, and at intervals they could hear the songs -<span class='pageno' id='Page_376'>376</span>and revelry of their foes on the beach below. What with the -recumbent forms of the sleeping men, the firelight hollowing -out a space for itself in the blackness, and the intense -stillness of the night, broken only by the pacing of the sentries, -and the fitful snatches of song from the near distance, -the whole scene was extraordinarily weird, so much so, that -Crispin, with his impressionable poet’s nature, soon relapsed -into silence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Crispin, why don’t you think of business?” said Maurice -mischievously, as he noticed the poet’s abstraction.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I was thinking of—of—other things.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My niece for instance,” observed the Demarch, with a -grave smile.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s not improbable,” replied Crispin, reddening a trifle; -“but, after all, I am in good company, for Maurice is doubtless -thinking of Helena.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice, smiling, did not deny this remarkably accurate -guess, and his uncle, smoothing his silver beard, laughed -silently.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m afraid Dick and myself are the only persons who are -thinking of war.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m certain of it as far as you are concerned, but I will -not answer for Dick there.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Dick, Dick!” said Justinian, shaking his head gravely; -“what is this I hear?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“About Zoe, sir,” answered the bos’n innocently.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, it is my daughter’s maid!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you see, sir,” said Dick bashfully, “it was like this, -sir. Zoe, you see, gentlemen, likes me, and I like Zoe; so, -with your permission, Mr. Justinian, we were thinking of -marriage.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My permission!” echoed the Demarch, with a lurking -smile; “as far as that goes, it doesn’t seem to be needed. -This is surely pairing time, for you three young men seem to -be all choosing mates. Eunice, Helena, Zoe! Maurice, when -your old tutor arrives, we must have a triple marriage.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We’ve got to drive away Alcibiades first, uncle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No doubt; but that, though difficult, is not impossible.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope not. Crispin, wake up, sir! You are thinking -about Eunice again.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Indeed I am not,” answered Crispin, with some dismay. -“I am thinking of my revolver, which I have left behind at -the Acropolis.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There’s a warrior for you,” said the Demarch, with a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_377'>377</span>hearty laugh; “he forgets the modern substitute for a shield. -Well, my lad, as your revolver is an important matter, you -had better go back and get it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin jumped gayly to his feet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ll go at once,” he said, putting on his sombrero; “but -I hope the battle will not begin without me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think you may make up your mind there will be no -row till dawn, sir,” said Dick, who was peering between the -bars of the palisade; “there would not be all that kick-up -going on down there if they meant business.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In that case,” observed Maurice, rising slowly, “I think -I’ll go back for your revolver, Crispin.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Or for your heart,” replied the poet, laughing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I don’t wish to bring that back, especially in wartime. -It is safer with Helena. Uncle, can I go?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By all means. I agree with Dick, and do not think -there is any chance of a night attack. However, you had -better make haste to come back to your post.”</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“So Paris flies harsh war’s alarms</div> - <div class='line'>For dalliance in fair Helen’s arms.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“Crispin, keep your rude couplets to yourself, or I’ll forget -to bring back your revolver. Adieu, gentlemen. I will -return anon.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice stalked away up the gorge, like a tragedy actor, -much to the amusement of Justinian. Indeed, this light-hearted, -desultory conversation did a good deal to keep up -their spirits, and, in spite of the serious danger at their -gates, all the Englishmen were wonderfully merry. It is -characteristic of the British, that, if they take their pleasures -solemnly, they keep the balance even by being gay in -the presence of danger, and he who doubts the truth of this -statement has only to read Kinglake’s account of the battle -of the Alma, in order to assure himself of its truth.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As before mentioned, the gorge was very dark, but Maurice -knew every inch of the way, and, being sure-footed as a -goat, never stumbled in his step, but strode merrily along in -the darkness, whistling “Garryowen.” It was curious, amid -all this Greek life, revival of paganism, and piratical invasion, -to hear the quaint Irish air, but Maurice found it an -admirable melody to which to march, and moved his legs so -rapidly to the tune, that in a very short space of time he -emerged from the pass into the moonlit road skirting the -crater.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_378'>378</span>It was only about ten o’clock in the evening, and the -moon, full and round, burned like a lamp in the sky near the -Milky Way, which she was slowly drawing near. Brightly -gleamed Sirius amid the feebler twinkle of minor stars, and -eastward like a ruby glittered Mars, the planet of the soldier, -foreboding war and blood. The wind gently moved the -branches of the mulberry-trees above the head of the pedestrian, -and, moderating his pace, he strolled lazily along the -shadow-strewn road, while the nightingales sang in every -thicket, thrilling his heart with their delicious notes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Soon, however, another song mingled with theirs, a strange, -wild melody, which, chanted in a clear, high voice, arose and -fell sadly in the chill moonlight; then an imploring chorus -of voices sounded in unison. Again the one singer cried in -an appealing manner; then silence and the hurried notes of -the hidden birds.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Curious to know the meaning of this strange singing, -Maurice walked rapidly onward, bounded up the steps of the -Acropolis, and entered into the vestibule. The music, shrill -and fitful, sounded close at hand, so, stealthily approaching -the curtains hanging before the entrance of the court, Roylands -peered in, to discover the reason of such fantastic melodies. -He was evidently disturbing the mysteries of the -Bona Dea, for the court was thronged with women, and they -seemed to be engaged in the performance of some rite—a -kind of invocation to the moon, which appeared shining -brilliantly in the sky through the hypæthral opening of the -building.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A small brazier filled with burning coals, and elevated on -a tripod, stood near the fountain, before which stood Helena, -in her long white robe, with loosely flowing hair and slender -arms outstretched towards the serene planet above. Around -the court knelt a number of Melnosian women in their long -chitons; but Maurice’s eyes were fastened on that beautiful -central figure which stood so motionless before the tripod. -The moonlight softly fell on her lovely upturned face, on -her snowy robe, her milky arms, and touched with chilly -beam the disordered gold of her hair. Maurice, who felt -that he was looking on at some ceremony not meant for masculine -eyes, would have stepped forward and announced his -presence, but at that moment, Helena broke out into a song -so wild and thrilling, that he involuntarily paused in amazement. -The words were in Greek, but he was now sufficiently -master of the language to understand them. They were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_379'>379</span>evidently some antique invocation to the inviolate Artemis, -and he wondered where she could have discovered them, -as they rippled from her lips, rising and falling with fitful -sobbings, like the voice of some complaining wind on a lonely -beach.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in16'>HELENA.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Oh, waning moon! why hidest thou thy face?</div> - <div class='line'>Fair is the night, but less fair than my lover absent;</div> - <div class='line'>Unveil thyself from the jealous cloud-woof,</div> - <div class='line'>And thou wilt see how fair is he I worship.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in15'>CHORUS.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>O Dian! sun of the lovers’ night, I call thee.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in15'>HELENA.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Thou canst control the tides of ocean,</div> - <div class='line'>The tides obedient, who are slaves to thee,</div> - <div class='line'>Surely then thou canst control the heart of my lover,</div> - <div class='line'>And make him long to return to my arms so loving.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in15'>CHORUS.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>O Baalit! mistress of the tides, I call thee.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in15'>HELENA.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Save him from danger, for he is daring, my lover,</div> - <div class='line'>He rides the surges of battle as thou ridest the flying clouds.</div> - <div class='line'>Save him, Tanith!</div> - <div class='line'>And bring him safely to the arms of her who calleth.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in15'>CHORUS.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>O Ashtoreth! thou also hast loved! I call thee.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>At this moment, Helena took something from her bosom, -and, throwing a few grains of incense on the coals, held it -in the thick white smoke which arose. Afterwards she advanced -to the fountain and dipped it thrice, singing all the -time that strange melody.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in15'>HELENA.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>This amber heart I place in the rising odors,</div> - <div class='line'>So that thy virtues may pass into it;</div> - <div class='line'>Thrice do I dip it in lustrous water in which thou hast beheld thine image;</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_380'>380</span>For thus will it draw the magic from thy breast,</div> - <div class='line'>On my lover’s neck will I place it—on his beating heart will it rest,</div> - <div class='line'>And it will save him when red runs the blood of battle.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in15'>CHORUS.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Hecate! controller of spells, I call thee.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>When she ended, the chorus of women arose to their feet, -and slowly filed out of one of the side doors, leaving the -court empty, and Helena still standing by the brazier, -from whence the burning incense still rolled skyward. -Maurice, quite astonished at this strange scene of magical -incantation, stole quietly forward, and, looking over her -shoulder, saw that she was gazing at the amber heart, which -she had converted into an amulet by her moon spells.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Helena!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She turned with a cry of astonishment, and then fell into -his arms with a joyous laugh.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Maurice! my dearest! my darling! Are the old -stories true, and have my spells drawn you back to my -side?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She was much excited, so Maurice drew her gently to one -of the chairs near the fountain, and, placing her therein, -knelt at her feet, smoothing her two hands, which he held -between his own, to quieten her alarm at his sudden appearance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dearest Helena, I came back to fetch Crispin’s revolver, -which he has left behind. Hearing you singing, I -looked in.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh!” cried Helena, with a blush; “and what did you -see?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nothing very dreadful,” he replied, laughing, “I only -saw a symposium of women, and felt like Clodius surveying -the mysteries of the Bona Dea. What on earth were you -doing?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, it was only a game, Maurice,” she replied, burying -her head on his shoulder. “I am ashamed you should have -seen me acting so childishly, but, the fact is, there is a -woman here who told me about it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“About what?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This incantation to the moon. In spite of father’s being -so particular about purity of blood, some of the women are -of Arab descent. This one who told me how to make a talisman, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_381'>381</span>comes from Africa, and, I believe, is a descendant of -the old Carthaginians.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nonsense! they were all stamped out by the Romans. -Well, what about this modern Dido?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, she saw how anxious I was about you, and told me -if I invoked the moon, and bathed some small article in -moon-water and incense, it would become endowed with -powerful virtues, and protect its wearer from danger.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You foolish child!” said Maurice, tenderly stroking her -loose hair; “and was all this mummery on my account?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; but if you laugh at it, the talisman will lose its -power.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then I’ll be as grave as a judge. Where is this wonderful -amulet?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena held out the amber heart which lay in the centre -of her little white palm, from which Maurice lifted it daintily, -and pressed his mustache against her hand.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And am I to wear this?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Round your neck.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But there is nothing to fasten it there.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh dear me, I must get some string, or silk, or—Oh,” -she cried, struck with a sudden thought, “have you a -knife?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then lend me your sword.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! are you going to cut my head off for overlooking -your Bona Dea ceremonies?” he said laughingly, drawing -the keen weapon from its sheath.</p> - -<p class='c001'>For answer, she arose to her feet, and shook the loose gold -of her hair over her shoulders. Carefully selecting one long -tress, she smoothed it down with her hands, and held it out -towards her lover.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Cut it off.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! your beautiful hair!” cried Maurice, who stood -before her with his sword gleaming in the moonlight. “Oh, -Helena, I could not do that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then give me your sword, and I’ll do it myself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dearest, you would hurt yourself. Why do you want -to cut this lock?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To make a chain for the heart.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There’s a chain round my heart already,” said her lover, -still hesitating. “Won’t it spoil your hair?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Maurice! how tiresome you are! Cut it off at once.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She stamped her foot with pretty petulance, so, seeing she -<span class='pageno' id='Page_382'>382</span>was obstinate, he carefully sheared off the tress close to her -head. This being done, she shook her locks over the shorn -place, and, sitting down in her chair once more, began to -weave the shining hair into a delicate chain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You silly child, making me despoil you of your glory!” -said Maurice, touched by her action. “There, let me put -my sword up again, and I will help you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hold the end of the chain then, and do not talk, or you -will break the charm.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice, sheathing his sword, knelt down before her, and, -taking one end of the glittering coil daintily between finger -and thumb, watched her weaving the threads rapidly together, -crooning the while a strange old song in a low voice.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Weave the threads of golden hair,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Golden future also weaving.</div> - <div class='line'>Happy be thy fortunes fair,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Plenteous joy but scanty grieving.</div> - <div class='line'>In and out, and out and in,</div> - <div class='line'>Thus thy coming life I spin.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Bind the chain to golden heart,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Golden heart to thee be binding,</div> - <div class='line'>Meet together ne’er to part,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Love will come with little finding.</div> - <div class='line'>In and out and out and in,</div> - <div class='line'>Thus thy future life I spin.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“There!” said Helena, having finished the chain; “now let -me tie up the ends—give me the heart.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My heart?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have that already,” she answered mischievously. “The -amber heart, please; I must bind it to the chain.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where did you learn that song?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I made it up all by myself,” said Helena triumphantly, -dangling the chain before him. “Do you think that only -Crispin is a poet?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, my Sappho.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is a chain of my hair and a talisman attached to -keep you from harm, so bend your head, my knight, and I -will give it to you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice, entering into the spirit of her charming humor, -bowed his head, over which she flung the slender chain of -hair, then, kissing him on the forehead, leaned back and -clapped her hands gayly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There! now you are safe. Nothing can harm you while -you wear that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_383'>383</span>“Nothing can harm me while I think of you,” he whispered -tenderly, taking her in his arms; “your love is my -safeguard both in peace and war.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh dear me!” sighed Helena, as she pillowed her head -on his shoulder; “what nonsense it is, Maurice! Still, it’s -very pleasant nonsense.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very pleasant.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I am very nice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are very vain,” he said, kissing her and rising to his -feet. “There, you charming sorceress!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A new Circe.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Precisely; but I must not stay with Circe any longer. -Let me go to Crispin’s room for his revolver, and then good-by.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>As quickly as possible he ran into the poet’s bedroom, and -found the weapon on the bed, where the neglectful poet had -left it. Slipping it into his belt, he came back to say good-by -to Helena.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now mind you go to bed, dear,” he said, kissing her -tenderly; “no more magical ceremonies to-night.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, I will go to bed. Oh, do take care of yourself, -Maurice!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will, both for your sake and my own. Besides, your -talisman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena threw her arms impulsively round his neck.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I give you the talisman, and I give you my love.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He bent down and kissed her, then without a word went -away into the moonlit night on his way to battle, and perhaps—death.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_384'>384</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXXIV. <br /> <span class='fss'>A MODERN THERMOPYLÆ.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>In the gap say fifty fighters waiting for the coming shock,</div> - <div class='line'>Guns and sabres, pikes and bayonets holding tight,</div> - <div class='line'>And two hundred stormers dashing up, like surges on a rock,</div> - <div class='line'>With a grim determination for their foes’ extermination</div> - <div class='line'>In the fight.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Clash of weapons, cannon’s thunder, and the rifle’s deadly crack,</div> - <div class='line'>Mingle fiercely with the shrieking of the wounded in their pain,</div> - <div class='line'>Till, in spite of all their toiling,</div> - <div class='line'>Valor stanch their efforts foiling,</div> - <div class='line'>Down the slope again recoiling,</div> - <div class='line'>Reels the shattered column back,</div> - <div class='line'>All their dauntlessness in vain,</div> - <div class='line'>And the battle-ground is cumbered with a multitude unnumbered</div> - <div class='line'>Of the slain.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>At the first flush of dawn in the gray eastern skies, the -Melnosians were on the alert and ready for the fight. Owing -to the early hour, and the fact of their having passed the -night in the open air, many of the men were shivering with -cold, on noticing which, Justinian ordered hot coffee to be -served out all round. They also took a light meal, then -went through a few evolutions on the narrow space of their -bivouac ground, which suppled their limbs, and sent the -lethargic blood once more speeding rapidly through their -veins. Both Crispin and Maurice felt somewhat stiff, especially -the latter, owing to his wound, but the hot coffee, the -food, and an indulgence in a few gymnastic exercises soon -brought them back to their normal condition of physical -fitness. Unlike their less seasoned frames, Justinian’s iron -constitution never seemed to feel the strain to which it was -subjected, and, in spite of his years, he was as brisk and -active as the youngest member of his band.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As it was imperative that this outer defence should be -held against all odds, owing to the proximity of the side -path, the Demarch had the two cannons which were planted -inside the second barricade brought down as rapidly as possible, -and placed them on either side of the entrance to the -gorge, in order to sweep down the enemy as they dashed up -the sloping ground from the beach. Their muzzles, protruding -from the earthworks, could pour confusion into the ranks -of the stormers in a most effective fashion, especially as they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_385'>385</span>were loaded with grape-shot, which would scatter widely in -the discharge. As in the tunnel palisade, a thick wall of turf -was built half-way up against the beams, while on this sand-bags -and gabions, with loopholes for the rifle barrels, were -also laid. The whole front of the battery was therefore -bristling with danger to the besiegers, while the garrison, -intrenched behind their outworks, were in comparative -safety. The inner palisade farther up the pass was defended -in a similar manner, saving in the matter of cannon; but -Justinian determined to use his best endeavors finally to -crush the enemy in his present position, so as to do away -with the danger of their gaining possession of the side path -which led into the heart of the island.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Directly in front of the battery, the ground sloped away -down to the beach in a gentle declivity, and up this a winding -road was cut by slight gradations which afforded a sufficiently -easy approach. Still, so undisciplined were the troops -of Alcibiades, that the Demarch thought, instead of marching -along the road in a regular line, they would scramble -confusedly upward either by the path or by the slope, so that -his guns could play on their scattered ranks with deadly -effect.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice and his uncle took their field-glasses up to the -point of vantage above the side path, from whence they -could survey the preparations of the enemy, who were now -deploying in irregular lines under the amateur leadership of -Alcibiades and the traitor Greek. Justinian laughed contemptuously -as he saw the confusion into which Caliphronas -was throwing his men, and, without removing the glass from -his eyes, remarked on this bad generalship to Maurice.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I always thought Andros had a certain amount of brains, -but, seeing what a mess he is making of things after all my -training, I am wrong in believing him capable of anything -except grinning in the mirror.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, he has very bad soldiers, uncle. They seem to be -ignorant of the simplest rules of discipline.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And no wonder! The very scum of the Levant. Peasants, -sailors, Turkish scamps, and stupid islanders. Still, -even out of the most hopeless materials a good commander -can form a disciplined corps, and I am sure they have had -plenty of time to drill their men; but Andros has not the -slightest capability for military matters. As for Alcibiades”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Demarch’s opinion of Alcibiades’ generalship was so -<span class='pageno' id='Page_386'>386</span>bad that he could not find words sufficiently contemptuous -to express his scorn; but as at this moment the enemy began -to move irregularly towards the road which led to the mouth -of the pass, he shut up his glass and went down to his men, -followed by Maurice.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The dance is about to begin,” said Crispin, when the -garrison were all in order at their several posts. “I expect -it will be a merry one.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Faith! we will be the pipers,” replied Justinian grimly, -pointing to his cannon; “they will caper gayly enough when -these play the tune.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We had better lose no time in beginning then,” said -Maurice, who was looking at the approaching enemy, “for -here come the dancers.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>As Justinian had foreseen, the stormers, instead of advancing -by the road in a compact body, and thus neutralizing -the danger of the opening fire, rushed irregularly up the -slope in hopeless confusion, yelling wildly in order to keep -up their courage.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Scum!” cried Justinian scornfully, as he saw the motley -crowd climbing upward. “Give it ’em, lads!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Dick presided over one of the guns, Gurt at the other, as -both of them, having been in the English navy, knew all the -necessary business for loading, adjusting the sight, and firing -the cannon. The Demarch’s finances had not run to the -expense of importing cannon of the new type, so these brass -guns were somewhat old-fashioned; still, loaded with grape-shot, -they were very effective when fired, especially when -sighted with considerable science by the old men-of-war’s-men.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Up came the enemy, shrieking like fiends, and broken -into irregular bands, dotting the green slope with patches of -blue topped by the red of their Turkish headgear. Dick, -who was to fire first, waited till they were within an easy distance, -and then put the lighted match to the touch-hole of -his cannon. There was a roar as the deadly grape-shot -splashed among the advancing crowd, and then a shriek of -rage as the column reeled, wavered, and for the moment -paused. Encouraged by Alcibiades, they still advanced, -only to be mown down by the dozen with the discharge of -Gurt’s cannon, upon which, dismayed at the carnage, they -retreated down the hill in confusion, leaving the ground -thick with the slain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On seeing this, the sailors set up a hearty British cheer, -in which all joined but Justinian, who smiled grimly at the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_387'>387</span>effective work done by his guns. Alcibiades was stamping -with rage, for his little scheme of firing the barricade, as -on the previous occasion, was quite impracticable, owing to -those deadly muzzles which gaped through the palisade.</p> - -<p class='c001'>With considerable caution, however, he scattered his men -so as to avert the danger of huddled masses being cut down -by the grape-shot, and kept up a continuous fire at the frowning -front of the battery. The Melnosians returned the fire -with their Martini-Henry rifles, and managed to pick off a -few of the sharp-shooters, while, protected by their gabions, -they managed to escape without the loss of a single man; -for the bullets either buried themselves with a dull thud in -the sand-bags or else went ripping above their heads to -flatten themselves harmlessly against the lava walls of the -pass.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They can’t last long against our cannon, uncle,” said -Maurice, who was watching Dick reloading his gun; “that -first dash has lost them nearly twenty men.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It will take some time to polish off two hundred,” replied -Justinian, who had his glass to his eyes; “besides, -Alcibiades has some scheme in his head. All this sharp-shooting -is done to divert our attention. I thought so!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What’s up now?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He’s bringing up a field-piece to that hill.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The deuce!” cried Maurice, hastily focussing his glasses. -“We must silence that. Dick, do you think you could bring -one of the guns to bear on that hill to the right?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Dick, after some consideration, thought he could, and did; -for, with the assistance of his sailors, he wheeled round the -gun-carriage to an angle of thirty-five degrees, so as to bring -the muzzle of his piece in a direct line with the conical-shaped -mound up which the enemy were dragging their battery. -This hill, which was slightly to the right of the pass, -would have been utilized long before for his guns by any -able commander; but not until the loss of twenty men had -taught Alcibiades experience, did he think of making use of -the position. The crest of the mound was slightly lower -than the palisade; but, by depressing the muzzle of his gun, -Dick got a fair opportunity of disabling the battery of the -enemy. Owing to their numbers, they soon succeeded in -dragging the field-piece up to the top, and, placing it in position, -raised the mouth slightly, so as to aim at the upper part -of the barricade. Just as they were preparing to fire, Dick, -who had loaded with round shot, discharged his cannon, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_388'>388</span>the great mass of iron went hurtling viciously through the -air.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Badly aimed, Dick,” said Maurice, who had his glasses -up. “Your eye is not quite in. Look out, they are returning -the compliment.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was a puff of smoke, a sudden flash, an infinitesimal -pause, and a ball came ripping along at tremendous speed, -only to strike the ground in front of the battery, and ricochet -harmlessly down the hill.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Their gunner isn’t much better than myself, sir,” cried -Dick, carefully training the sight of his piece; “but I won’t -miss this time.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>His aim was much better, for the second shot, while not -touching the cannon, knocked over two men standing near, -who dropped down quickly over the brow of the hill.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Egad! I wish those two had been the leaders,” said Justinian -cheerfully; “both the scamps are there. Here’s the -return fire.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This time the ball struck the palisade fair in the top centre, -and smashed down several of the cross-beams. The -sharp-shooters, seeing this, gave a cry of triumph, which was -echoed by those on the hill, and the gunner rapidly loaded -again, so as to follow up the advantage gained. Dick, however, -was already prepared, and before the cannon of the -enemy could be fired again, a shot from his gun struck it on -the carriage, causing it to fall out of position. The besiegers -set at once to work about restoring it to its former level; but -by this time Gurt also had directed his gun towards the battery, -and shot after shot from the two cannon followed so -rapidly that in a short time the enemy had to vacate their -position.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wish I could make a dash, and spike that gun,” said -Maurice, as the Melnosians cheered loudly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You’ll do nothing of the sort, sir,” replied Justinian -sharply. “I don’t want to run the chance of losing you -again. Besides, Alcibiades is going to make a dash for the -gate.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Old fool!” said Crispin scornfully. “He can’t bring his -men up against our guns.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He’s going to try, at all events, as he evidently thinks -his shot has told heavily on our defences.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>All this time there was a constant flash, flash, flash along -the line of sharp-shooters, as they kept up a continuous fire; -and, in spite of all precautions, two Melnosians were killed. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_389'>389</span>Under cover of this musketry it was apparent that Alcibiades -was about to make a dash; but, having learned a lesson from -the previous advance, he led his men along the right side, -close under the cliffs, where the cannon could not reach them. -Justinian saw this manœuvre, and, rapidly serving out fresh -ammunition, told his men to be in readiness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Round the right corner of the battery came a furious -crowd, headed by a huge negro, for Alcibiades had no liking -for heading such a forlorn hope. The attack was received -by the garrison with a volley from their muskets; but, in -spite of many dropping off dead and wounded, the besiegers -still continued to struggle fiercely up the outward beams, in -order to reach the upper gap made by the cannon. The -sharp-shooters had, of course, to cease fire, lest they should -hit their comrades; and, seeing that they had swarmed up -nearly to the top of the barrier, ran forward to help them. -The Melnosians, in two lines, one kneeling, the other standing -at the back, fired continuously at the writhing mass, -while those behind the gabions stabbed with bayonet and -cutlass with right good will. Both cannon were discharged, -cutting two lanes of blood through the furious throng; yet, -notwithstanding their losses, the stormers still stuck to their -intention, and it became evident that nothing now remained -to the garrison but to beat them back in a hand-to-hand fight.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One pirate leaped from the parapet through the gap, but -was speedily despatched by a bayonet-thrust in the chest. -Others, however, followed like a flock of sheep, and there -was little doubt but that the Melnosians would have been -driven back had they not been so expert in the use of the -bayonet. Justinian, an old army man, had taught them the -exercise splendidly, and, raising the bayonets first high, -and then back over the right shoulder, their weapons told in -every thrust; so they were thus enabled to keep the foe at -bay.</p> - -<p class='c001'>While the top of the barrier was thus being assaulted, a -number of men, under Caliphronas, were hacking away at -the lower beams; for, unwilling to harm his men, Alcibiades -refrained from setting fire to the palisade as he had done -before. The weight of the stormers on the top made the -now weakened lower portion rock ominously, and it was evident -the whole structure would soon be in ruins. When this -happened, the danger would be imminent, as Justinian knew -that the enemy far exceeded in numbers his own little band, -and, even with the advantage of the narrow gorge, it was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_390'>390</span>doubtful if he could hold his ground. Giving way, however, -meant that the side path would be left to Alcibiades, and, -however bravely defended, would be certain to be captured -at once. Besides, he dared not leave the guns in possession -of the enemy, as they would at once use them with deadly -effect against his own men.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Rendered reckless by despair, the Melnosians fought like -demons against the enemy, and, though Alcibiades hurled -body after body of men against them, they stood their -ground, and did not give way one inch. At any moment, -however, the barrier might fall, and Justinian lost no time -in rendering the guns innocuous, if he were forced to retreat -up the gorge.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Dick! Gurt! spike the guns! spike the guns!” he roared -in English, and the Greeks, not understanding the language, -did not guess how important was the order. Caliphronas, -however, heard it on the other side of the barrier, and made -immediate report to Alcibiades, who grasped the idea at -once.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Make for the guns! capture the guns!” he yelled in -Greek; “they will spike them!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A body of men leaped down from the parapet and made -for the gun held by Dick, but Maurice sprang in front of it, -and, while the bos’n was busy putting in the spike, kept the -enemy at bay. He soon emptied his revolver, and thus had -to fight solely with the sword, but the Demarch, seeing his -danger, re-enforced him with four Melnosians, who speedily -beat back the assailants. However, Dick’s task was accomplished, -and, Gurt having also obeyed orders, both guns were -now spiked and perfectly useless, should the enemy gain -possession of them. The only danger remaining was the -side path, which, in spite of its iron door, might be forced; -so the Demarch and his men stanchly held their ground, in -spite of the havoc which was being made in their ranks by -the overwhelming force of the enemy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fighting fiercely, with obstinate determination not to give -way one inch, slowly but surely the Melnosians drove back -the stormers to the barrier, clambering up over the heaps of -slain in their efforts to force the enemy to vacate their position. -The air was blinding with gunpowder smoke; the -clash of the swords, the fierce shouts of the besiegers, and -the cheers of the Melnosians created a most infernal din; -but high above this was heard the crash of the palisade, as, -yielding to the axes of the enemy, it fell outward. Many -<span class='pageno' id='Page_391'>391</span>were unable to retreat in time, owing to the crush behind,—for -Alcibiades had long ago given up every attempt to keep -order,—and in its fall a great number were crushed to death, -while their comrades, not heeding their death agonies, -rushed forward across the platform thus formed, in order to -follow up their advantage as speedily as possible.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At this critical juncture Justinian bethought himself of -the stratagem of scaring the enemy by a fictitious force, and -hastily bade Temistocles to run to the Acropolis and tell all -the women to come down the gorge with drums beating and -colors flying. There were plenty of kettledrums and flags at -the Acropolis, which Justinian had not cared to use, so these, -used by the women advancing down the pass, might inspire -the enemy with fear that re-enforcements had arrived. The -only proviso that Justinian made was that the women, on -their arrival, should keep out of musket-shot and not risk -their lives.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Temistocles sped away like a deer, and Justinian hastily -advanced to the front, in order to assist Maurice and Crispin, -who were both fighting with the desperation of despair. -The Melnosians, two deep, extending right across the gorge, -and, being at close quarters, were using their bayonets for -stabbing, and their clubbed muskets for dealing blows. The -sailors were almost in a ring round Maurice and Crispin, -slashing away vigorously with their cutlasses, cutting principally -at the faces and necks of their assailants, so as not to -transfix their blades in the bodies, and thus render themselves -defenceless.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice, whose stature gave him considerable advantage -over his opponents, was sweeping his sword as rapidly as -possible among the enemy, cutting, thrusting, slashing, and -stabbing; but he was much encumbered by one of the -wounded enemy, who was clutching his leg, and thus impeding -his movements. Justinian saw this, and, firing at the -wretch, knocked his brains out; while Maurice, thus freed, -sprang resolutely forward, followed by his sailors, in order -to get at Alcibiades, who was urging on his men to the attack -from the vantage-ground of the fallen palisade. Justinian -and Crispin, thus left alone in front of their line, fought -vigorously to keep back the enemy, while the old Demarch, -seeing his nephew’s aim, shouted out words of encouragement.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Cut off the head and the body will follow!” he cried in -English, then rapidly added in Greek, “Close up, men! close -up! give them no chance of getting to the rear.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_392'>392</span>In obedience to this command, as soon as a man in the -front rank fell, another stepped in from the rear to fill up a -gap, or else the foremost soldiers closed up shoulder to -shoulder so as to preserve an unbroken front. By this -means they kept the enemy in front, and, notwithstanding -the fierceness of the fight, held their ground stanchly, waiting -the signal to advance. Between them and the fallen -palisade was a furious crowd heaving like a stormy sea, and -at the back Alcibiades giving his orders, which, however, -were not heeded. Justinian was waiting until Maurice killed -Alcibiades, when he determined to advance with all his force, -and thus drive the disheartened enemy over the verge of the -barrier.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was with some difficulty that Maurice managed to fight -his way through the crowd, but, protected in the rear by -Dick and his sailors, he at length managed to get clear, and, -leaping on the parapet, confronted Alcibiades, bare-headed, -but waving his sword with a stern resolve to kill the pirate. -Alcibiades was no coward, but had kept in the background, -as he deemed his life too valuable to risk, as indeed it was, -for lacking a head the invading army would be worse than -useless. Face to face with the Englishman, however, he did -not shirk the combat, but, whirling his sword with a fierce -cry, dashed boldly at his enemy. He could not call upon his -followers to aid him, as the sailors with their cutlasses kept -a clear ring for the combat; so he saw plainly it was a duel -to the death, and one upon which depended the whole issue -of the battle.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Not having the reach of arm or the stature of the Englishman, -he found himself at considerable disadvantage, but -nevertheless fought on bravely, and, adopting stabbing -tactics more than slashing, tried his best to give his opponent -a mortal wound. Maurice, however, having a quick -eye, was enabled to ward off his blows by a dexterous use of -his now emptied revolver, and made rapid play with his -sword firmly grasped in his right hand. The pirate captain -managed to wound him in the left arm just below the elbow, -but at that moment Maurice passed his sword through his -chest. Alcibiades, though not fatally wounded, gasped out -“Christos!” and fell back over the palisade into the outward -mass of his men, who would have carried him off, but Justinian, -hearing the distant roll of a drum, and seeing that -Maurice was alone on the parapet, gave the order to advance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On observing his uncle’s action, Maurice cried out in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_393'>393</span>Greek, “Alcibiades is dead!” whereupon the intervening -enemy were filled with alarm, and began to retreat before -the advancing Melnosians. Dick, the sailors, and Maurice -leaped down to take Alcibiades prisoner, and, while busily -engaged in fighting, the whole inward crowd, driven forward, -came rolling pell-mell over the fallen barrier, carrying those -who would have fain stayed with them. Maurice had enough -to do to keep his feet against the torrent, but managed to -divide it into two streams with the use of his sword and the -aid of his sailors.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In another moment Justinian and Crispin were by his side, -and down the slope fled the foe in headlong confusion, with -the Melnosians in full chase.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Keep together, men! keep together!” yelled the Demarch, -as he raced down the slope like a school-boy; but the -Melnosians had been too long held back to pay any attention -to his orders. Right and left fled the enemy, making for -the boats, but Gurt, seeing this, tried to intercept them with -a few sailors. Unfortunately he could not run, owing to his -wound, so he had to abandon the pursuit, and the foremost -fugitives managed to get afloat. Justinian had forbidden all -useless killing, but his islanders, frenzied at the loss of their -comrades, and elated by their victory, were quite beyond -control. Those who could not reach the boats were slaughtered -on the spot, and the Demarch, in despair of saving the -lives of any, could do nothing but stand on the beach with -Maurice and Crispin beside him. A goodly number of the -fugitives, however, were now pulling for the open sea, among -them Caliphronas, who, standing up in the boat, shook his -two hands with despair on beholding the rout. In a short -space of time, what with the fierceness of the Melnosians, -who gave no quarter, and the flight of the fugitives, there -remained not a single enemy on the island, except the wounded -men who had been unable to fly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was a roll of many drums, a shrill cry of delight, -and, turning their faces landward, the three men saw Helena, -with a company of women, standing on the ruins of the palisade. -The setting sun illumined the group, and, grasping -the staff whence floated the victorious folds of the Union -Jack, she seemed to be the Goddess of Victory come down -to sanctify with her presence the triumph of the Melnosians. -Her women behind her, the blackened ruins of the barrier -beneath her feet, and the Englishmen below on the beach, -she lifted up the staff proudly, and the great flag flung out -<span class='pageno' id='Page_394'>394</span>its mighty folds to the breeze, as if it too rejoiced in the -triumph of success. The three Englishmen’s hearts thrilled -with patriotic pride as they saw the symbol of victory flaunting -in the wind, and the British sailors, uncovering their -heads, saluted the invincible flag with three ringing cheers.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXXV. <br /> <span class='fss'>A COUNCIL OF WAR.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>The snake is scotched, but is not dead,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Beware! the snare!</div> - <div class='line'>Soon will it lift again its head,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Beware! nor dare!</div> - <div class='line'>The fangs contain their poison still,</div> - <div class='line'>The wounded creature yet may kill,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Beware! take care!</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>With cautious speech, good council take,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Beware! the snare!</div> - <div class='line'>Nor trust the seeming lifeless snake,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Beware! nor dare!</div> - <div class='line'>For unexpected it may spring,</div> - <div class='line'>And slay thee with its venomed sting,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Beware! take care!</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The immediate danger was over, but Justinian was by no -means inclined to think that, even with the death of Alcibiades, -the island would be left in peace, particularly as Caliphronas -was still alive. That the foiled Greek would tamely -submit to be beaten thus, was out of the question, and the -Demarch was quite certain that he would again gather an -army to assault Melnos. If such an event took place, matters -would become very serious, as, notwithstanding their -loss was less than that of the enemy, scarcely fifty Melnosians -survived, and many of these were severely hurt. Four -sailors had also been killed, so the total of able men left to -defend the island, making allowance for those incapable -through wounds, amounted to scarcely forty souls, or thereabouts. -Even with the carnage which had ensued during the -battle, Justinian felt sure that nearly a hundred men had -escaped in boats, and, as Caliphronas must know that the -garrison was considerably weakened by loss of men, the Demarch -feared lest he should return almost immediately with -added numbers and risk another battle, in which case it -<span class='pageno' id='Page_395'>395</span>seemed impossible for the Melnosians escaping total extermination.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This belief was confirmed in a strange way on his return -to the palisade, for Alcibiades was found under a heap of -corpses, apparently lifeless, and though for a short time he -was revived with brandy, had died immediately afterwards, -assuring Justinian that re-enforcements were on their way to -avenge his death. Whether this was mere bravado or not, -Justinian was not quite sure, yet, in spite of his intimate -knowledge of the dead smuggler’s rascality, he hardly thought -even such a scamp would die with a deliberate falsehood on -his lips, therefore at once hastened to rebuild the barrier, in -case of invasion by possible foes. Some of the women went -back to the village for provisions, while others remained -behind to look after the wounded. There was no time to -bury the dead, present safety being the great question of the -hour, so the bodies of friend and foe were laid gently down -on the beach under the cliffs, to be buried as soon as possible, -when all danger was past. The gorge thus being cleared of -the slain, Justinian made his men sit down to refresh themselves -with wine and food, after which, wearied as they -were, all hands went bravely forward to rebuild the barrier. -Even the women helped in this important task, and by the -time it was ten o’clock in the evening, a goodly portion of the -desired barricade was erected.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As soon as he heard about the approaching re-enforcements -from the dying Alcibiades, the Demarch foresaw that, to be -prepared for such an emergency as a fresh attack, his men -would have to work all night, therefore desired Alexandros -to bring down the electric light, so as to permit the toil to -be carried on continuously until the battery was finished. -This was easily done, by the electrician joining other wires -on to those already at the head of the pass, and then fixing -the apparatus near the outer entrance. So speedily did he -perform this difficult task, that in a few hours all was in -order, and the powerful rays flooded not only the immediate -neighborhood of the works, but even the beach and a portion -of the harbor inside the breakwater.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena had obstinately refused to go back to the Acropolis, -and, as the other women remained to help, her father did -not insist on her return, so she attended to Maurice’s wound, -which, after all, was a mere scratch. In common with the -rest, she also took her turn at nursing, and aided to carry the -wounded into the interior of the island, for so busy were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_396'>396</span>the men at the repairing of the barrier, that none could be -spared, so the women, proving themselves thorough heroines, -took all the hospital work on their shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wonder, in your scheme, you did not include a doctor, -uncle,” said Maurice, as he stood by the Demarch, superintending -the rebuilding of the palisade. “A medical man -would have come in handy now.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is true! Had Crispin not left me as he did, I -would have sent him to study medicine, but, as it is, I put -off the affair from time to time, and now, when I most need -one, I find myself without a surgeon.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I could never have been a surgeon, Justinian,” said -Crispin, with a shudder; “cutting up people makes me feel -quite ill.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You cut up a good many to-day without being much disturbed,” -said the Demarch, with a laugh; “but, of course, I -know that was in hot blood. However, it is no use longing -for the impossible, so it is to be hoped my Melnosians will -recover without the aid of medical science.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is your wound hurting you, Maurice?” asked Helena, -who, though tender-hearted as a rule, seemed on this occasion -to think solely of her lover, despite the fact that so -many men had been killed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pooh! not a bit—a mere scratch!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You’ve got to thank my amber heart for your safety.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Or your golden hair,” he retorted, smiling; “but, in -faith, Helena, I fancy my good luck has had most to do with -my safety.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t undervalue your fighting powers, Maurice,” said -the Demarch, who overheard this remark; “your tussle with -Alcibiades was no light one.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I certainly got the better of him, but his wound -was only a trifle, and, had he not tumbled over the parapet, -the fight would have lasted much longer. As it was, the -poor devil was really trampled to death during the retreat -of the enemy. Still, if you like, Helena, we will put it all -down to your amber heart.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What amber heart are you talking about?” asked Justinian -inquiringly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, that is a secret between Helena and myself,” said -Maurice, with a meaning look at the blushing girl,—“a very -charming secret indeed. Well, Gurt, and how do you find -yourself?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The sailor, who had been working outside the palisade, -gave his trousers a hitch and pulled his forelock.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_397'>397</span>“I’m as right as a trivet, sir. I hop a little with that -there dig I got yesterday, but Lor’ bless you, sir! ’tain’t -nothin’. But if I may make so bold, Mr. Justinian, I wants -to speak, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is it, Gurt?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Growin’ tired of bricklayin’, sir, I goes down a bit for a -breath of air, and there, sir, as I’m a sinner, I hears the dip -of oars.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Boats coming!” cried the Demarch and Maurice in one -breath.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, sir. I jest came up like a shot. Turn on the light, -sir, t’ th’ north, an’ if you don’t see them lubbers comin’ -back, I’m a Dutchman!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice ran off to tell Alexandros, who at once sent the -white glare across the sea, and there, pulling straight for the -breakwater, they saw a long string of boats. The men therein -guessed by the sudden flash of the light that they were discovered, -and gave a yell of anger, for they had hoped to pull -in under cover of darkness, and take the Melnosians by surprise. -Thanks, however, to Gurt’s quick ear, and the serviceable -electric light, their little scheme was frustrated at -nearly the moment of its fulfilment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ten boats!” cried Justinian, counting them rapidly. -“Push on the work, my men. Here, some of you, take up -your guns. What about those cannon, Dick?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All right now, sir,” said the sailor, saluting; “got the -spikes out.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“See if you can knock a few of those boats to splinters. -Helena, you and the women go back to the Acropolis.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh no, no, father! let me remain here. And see! all the -women are helping to build the wall.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, well, we need all hands; but, for God’s sake, my -child, keep in a place of safety!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think they will attack to-night?” asked Crispin, -who had raced full speed down the gorge, and was out of -breath.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No. In the first place, they have had a good thrashing -to-day, and in the second, Caliphronas is too much of a -coward to lead them on until he has recovered his nerve. -They’ve got re-enforcements, however. I expect those flying -met the new men coming, and persuaded them to come back. -Is that gun ready, Dick?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In a minute, sir. Just turn the light on the water so as -I can train the gun.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_398'>398</span>Alexandros did so, and Dick carefully sighted the piece, so -as to allow for the way the boats were making through the -water. Evidently unaware of their danger, instead of keeping -widely apart, and thus neutralizing the chance of the -shot hitting them, they all made for the beach in a dense -bunch. The electric light showed their position as clearly -as if it were day, and the round shot went with a roar right -into the conglomerate mass, doing considerable damage. The -advancing Greeks yelled with fear, but, seeing their only -chance of safety was to get under the level of the guns, -pulled in like madmen to the beach. Then by the white -radiance of the light, it was seen that two boats had been -sunk, and many of their occupants killed, but the survivors, -fish in the water, like all insular Greeks, were swimming -rapidly to land.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas, foolish though he was in military matters, -yet knew sufficient of the formation of the ground and the -nature of cannon to be aware that it was impossible the -muzzles of the guns could be depressed sufficiently to do -damage to his men on the beach, therefore, feeling themselves -comparatively safe, the newly-landed pirates hastened to put -up tents, evidently intending to rest that night and continue -the assault in the morning. Knowing that the little garrison -must be worn out with the long fight during the day, -they did not trouble themselves in any way to guard against -an attack, not even placing sentries at the outposts.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As all their movements were revealed by the glare of the -search light, Justinian noted this fact, and regretted bitterly -that he had not a sufficient force at his command to sally -forth against this ill-guarded camp.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Egad, Maurice!” he said in vexation; “with fifty men -at our backs we could sweep them off the island before dawn. -The rascals evidently know how weak we are in numbers, -else they would not be so careless of their camp. How is -that work going on?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nearly finished, sir,” reported Dick, who was overseer. -“They won’t get over that wall in a hurry, I’ll bet.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Transfer your command to one of your men and come -here; I wish to hold a council of war.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Dick saluted, and having instructed one of his messmates -to attend to the final details of the parapet, came forward as -Justinian desired. Helena, in company with some of the -women, had gone up the gorge, in order to attend to the -wounded, so the five men, for Gurt was also included in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_399'>399</span>the council, sat down on the grass some little distance away -from the workers, and began to discuss the situation in low -tones. Sentries had been posted at the barrier, and the -electric light was full on the camp of the enemy, so in the -event of any movement being made for an assault, which was -not likely, Justinian knew he would be informed at once. -After all, with the barrier, the heavy guns, and their muskets, -they could hope to hold the pass for some time, but in -the end it was doubtful if they would not have to give in, -which catastrophe would mean death to every soul on the -island.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You can see for yourselves, gentlemen, that the danger -is very grave,” said the Demarch anxiously; “we are only -forty in number, and with these re-enforcements the enemy -must be at least one hundred and fifty. It took us all our -time to beat them off to-day when we were stronger and not -fatigued, but to-morrow, with such a small force, all worn -out with fighting and want of sleep, I dread the worst.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is one thing in our favor,” observed Maurice in a -satisfied tone; “bad leader as Alcibiades was, he had more -pluck than Caliphronas; and, as he is the general now, he -will not inspire his men with confidence. However brave -the followers are, unless the leader is equally so, their valor is -not of much use, as it lacks discipline and trust in the -general.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There’s one thing, sir,” remarked Dick, addressing Justinian,—“there -is one thing I’d like to say. All these -Greeks have bare feet, so I think it ’ud be a good plan to -strew the front of the palisade with broken glass, which -would cut them up a bit.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That’s a good idea, Dick; and then, when they are in -confusion, we can do some damage with our cannon. By the -way, what about that gun? we should have brought that in.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s a pity we didn’t, sir; but it ain’t much good to them, -for I’ve spiked it proper.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You’ve got dynamite, Justinian, have you not?” said -Crispin, who had been thinking.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; plenty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then why not make a mine on the slope of the hill, and -blow it up with electricity when the enemy are coming -up?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Egad! I’ll do that at once. The dynamite can be brought -down in about half an hour; it won’t take long to dig a -trench and lay a wire: so we ought to have the whole thing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_400'>400</span>ready by the time they assault the battery at dawn. Dick, -take Temistocles and some other men up to the magazine.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Dick went off to obey this order with alacrity; and Justinian, -whose spirits were rising at the feasibility of these -schemes to conquer his enemies, went on talking hopefully -of the future.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What with cannon, dynamite, and broken bottles to cut -their bare feet, I fancy those scoundrels will get a warm -reception. Ah, if I only had the full strength of my -Melnosians again, I would soon drive these scoundrels back -to the ocean!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If we smash them up to-morrow with dynamite, they -won’t come again, uncle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I trust not; but Alcibiades seems to have made extensive -preparations in the way of re-enforcements, and for all I -know, a fresh batch may arrive to-morrow; while at every -assault our numbers diminish. If we only could get more -men! but I fear that is impossible.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not so impossible as you think,” said Crispin deliberately. -“Suppose I go to Syra, and get the Eparch there to -send you re-enforcements?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“True; he’s a friend of mine; and if he did not send regular -soldiers, he could at least let me have some men of the -same fighting powers as these scoundrels. But how are you -to get to Syra? and how are you going to bring the troops -back?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As to bringing them back, by this time my yacht must -be there, so it would not take long for me to steam here with -a good number of men.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, but you can’t go. We are beleaguered.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All the enemy are asleep; so if Gurt here, who knows -these waters thoroughly, will come with me, I think we could -steal down to the breakwater and obtain one of their boats. -A good breeze is blowing; so, if we put up the sail, we could -soon cut across the course of one of those Cretan steamers -which sail to Syra from Khanea, in which case it would take -but a little time to reach the yacht. Once at Syra, I would -get as many men as possible, and come back at once.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is a wild scheme, but not impossible,” said Justinian -thoughtfully. “You’d have to sail about thirty miles; and -then there is the chance of your getting picked up by a -steamer.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“With this ’ere breeze, sir,” remarked Gurt, who was not -averse to the adventure, “I guess we’d get in the track of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_401'>401</span>one of them Cretans in about twelve hours, more or less. -Once in the line, and there’s lots of ’em plying to and fro, so -the chances are we’d soon be picked up. I’m game for it, if -Mr. Crispin is, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But are you not too tired?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not,” said the poet, stretching himself; “besides -anything is better than this suspense. The only thing I’m -afraid of is Gurt’s wound.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t you be afeared o’ that, sir,” replied Gurt bluntly. -“I’ve lost some blood, but ’tain’t nothin’. I ain’t no babby to -squake fur nothin’. If we kin git a boat, I’m ready to start -this minit.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you say, Maurice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Roylands had been listening to these propositions not -without a certain amount of approval, which was, however, -mingled with a feeling that such a scheme was somewhat -foolhardy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hardly know what to say,” he observed at length. -“There is one thing certain, if we wish to hold the island, -we must have more men; and, as far as I can see, Crispin’s -scheme is the only way of getting them. The mere sight of -the yacht filled with troops would frighten the life out of -these scoundrels, and cause them to clear out; but the difficulty -is how to get a boat without being seen by the -enemy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think we can manage that,” said Justinian, indicating -points with his finger; for, of course, with the electric light, -there was no difficulty in following his actions. “You see, -the camp of the enemy is here, to the right of the harbor. -I noticed that several of the larger boats were tied to the -breakwater; so if Crispin and Gurt get down there, and -walk along the breakwater itself, they can loosen one of the -boats and tow it outward to the mouth of the harbor. -There they can get in, and row off to the west, without any -chance of the dip of their oars being heard by the enemy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is all very well, uncle; but how are they to get -down to the beach? No doubt the enemy are all asleep, -and, as we know, have not posted sentries; still, if Crispin -goes out by the palisade, he might be seen, in spite of all -precautions. Caliphronas is sure to be on the alert.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I expect Caliphronas is too weary with his day’s work to -keep awake,” replied the Demarch dryly; “and he is not the -man to deny himself rest, let the consequences be what they -may. However, if you don’t object to a little danger, Crispin, -I think we can get you out by another way.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_402'>402</span>“In any case there is danger, so a little more makes no -difference.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then we will go up to the point above the side path; and, -from there, you know, the cliff slopes down sheer two hundred -feet. We can let you and Gurt down there by ropes, -and you can steal along in the darkness down to the breakwater. -Once there, and the rest will be easy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s a risk.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly; the whole enterprise is risky; but we will -keep the electric light full on the camp, so, while you can -see all the movements of the enemy, they can see nothing of -you in the darkness. To tell you the truth, however, they -have such a belief that we can do nothing, that they are all -sound asleep; so I don’t think you will run much risk. -Well, what do you say?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ll do it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So will I, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good! We will trust to Providence for the rest. Let -me see, Crispin. It is now past midnight; so, if you can catch -one of those steamers before to-morrow night, you will be in -Syra by the next day. In twenty-four hours, I have no -doubt, the Eparch will give you plenty of men; and it will -not take a very long time for a steamer to reach here. Altogether, -if all goes well, you ought to be back in four or five -days. The question is, can we hold the island till then?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We must!” said Maurice decisively. “If the worst comes -to the worst, we can blast those overhanging rocks yonder -with dynamite, and thus close up the pass entirely. True, -we will shut ourselves up as in a prison; still, we will be -safe until aid arrives; for, once the gorge is closed up, no -enemy can possibly get into the interior without almost -superhuman exertions.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We must hope for the best,” answered Justinian, rising -to his feet. “Well, Crispin, I thank you for your offer, and -will accept it. When will you start?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“At once. There is nothing to be gained by waiting. -We will take enough of these provisions to last us for three -days, in case we miss the steamer; and, for the rest, trust to -Providence.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is a good deal of trusting in Providence about the -whole scheme,” said Justinian, with a sigh. “You may run -the gantlet to the breakwater successfully, you may get -safely off in a boat without being seen by the enemy, you -may be picked up by a Cretan steamer, and you may find -<span class='pageno' id='Page_403'>403</span>your yacht lying at Syra. It’s all chance, my boy; and -really I think it would be better for us to adopt Maurice’s -plan in closing up the pass, so as the enemy can’t possibly -get in.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And we can’t possibly get out,” replied Crispin significantly; -<a id='corr403.6'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='it'>“it</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_403.6'><ins class='correction' title='it'>“it</ins></a></span> is too dangerous. Remember our conversation -the other day about the volcano: if you blow up the pass, all -means of exit will be cut off; and, should the crater burst -out, no one of us would be left alive.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then go, and God speed you!” cried the Demarch, who -saw plainly that it was a case of Scylla and Charybdis.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice had not heard this conversation about the volcano, -much to his uncle’s satisfaction, having gone forward to -meet Dick, who had just come back from the magazine with -the dynamite. The bos’n expressed great satisfaction when -he heard of the proposed scheme, and would dearly have -liked to go himself in place of Gurt, only he knew Justinian -could not spare him. However, he was well aware that -Crispin could not have a better companion than Gurt, for the -old sailor was well acquainted with the course they would -have to take towards the west; and, moreover, having had -something to do with the line of steamers between Khanea -and Syra, knew better than any one as to the possibility of -being picked up by one of them without loss of time.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The scheme was put into working order at once, and a -sufficiency of provisions was made ready for the adventurers. -Crispin filled his brandy-flask and took his revolver, -in case he might be stopped on the beach by the enemy; -and both himself and Gurt took heavy woollen cloaks to -protect them from the chill sea-breeze. It was agreed that -Justinian and Maurice only should go up with the rope to -let down their companions to the beach below, as it was -necessary for Dick to remain, in order to attend to the -dynamite mine. Nothing was told to the Melnosians about -the proposed scheme, lest they, seeing how desperate affairs -were, should lose heart; and, beyond the four leaders, Gurt, -and Helena, every one was in ignorance of the daring attempt -about to be made.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After Helena, who was deeply affected by Crispin’s -bravery, had said good-by to him and Gurt, she went back -to the Acropolis with a number of women to obtain some -rest, having arranged with her father to come down at early -morning with plenty of broken glass, in order to protect the -front of the palisade. Dick and his men were already hard -<span class='pageno' id='Page_404'>404</span>at work just on the brow of the slope, about one hundred -yards away, digging the mine for the dynamite; so, all -things going on thus fairly well, and there being no sign of -movement in the camp of the enemy, the Demarch, with his -nephew and the two adventurers, unlocked the iron gate, in -order to ascend to the top of the cliff, from whence Crispin -and Gurt were to be lowered to the beach below.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXXVI. <br /> <span class='fss'>THE FORLORN HOPE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>The night is dark,</div> - <div class='line'>The cliff is high,</div> - <div class='line'>No moon illumes</div> - <div class='line'>The cloudy sky;</div> - <div class='line'>Below we mark</div> - <div class='line'>The fearful glooms</div> - <div class='line'>Which in their night</div> - <div class='line'>Hide sombrely the way of flight.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>To slender rope</div> - <div class='line'>We cling with dread,</div> - <div class='line'>And hanging there</div> - <div class='line'>As by a thread,</div> - <div class='line'>With fearful hope</div> - <div class='line'>We downward fare,</div> - <div class='line'>Till on the strand</div> - <div class='line'>In safety for a time we land.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>Fortunately for the success of the enterprise, the sky -was cloudy, so that the moon, thickly veiled by vapors, was -unable to betray the adventurers by her tell-tale light. A -strong breeze was blowing seaward from the land and ruffling -the surface of the black water to ragged caps of white, -which promised anything but a pleasant journey to Crispin -and his companion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They were warmly clothed in thick garments of blue-dyed -wool, consisting of tight-fitting jackets and loose trousers, -tucked into high boots of untanned leather. In his belt -Crispin carried a dagger and his revolver, while Gurt’s cutlass -dangled by his side, and both men also wore those red -fishermen’s caps common to the Ægean, with ample woollen -capotes to protect them from the keen winds. Standing on -the height of the lofty cliff, they could not see the beach for -the profound gloom below, but to the left saw the camp of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_405'>405</span>the enemy clearly defined in the fierce rays of the electric -light. Everything there seemed to be as still as the grave, -and the pirates were evidently sound asleep under canvas, -for not a sound broke the stillness, save the whistle of the -breeze and the sullen rolling of the waves on the sands -below.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice and the poet had brought up two coils of strong -rope, each over a hundred feet in length; so, as the cliff measured -but two hundred, there would be no difficulty about -the ropes being too short. They tied these firmly together, -then, making one end fast to a strong pine tree which grew -some distance back from the verge, flung the other into the -abyss below. The rope paid itself out rapidly, until, when -only a few coils were left, it ceased running, which showed -that it had touched bottom. Now the two adventurers prepared -to descend, and shook hands with the Demarch and -his nephew, both of whom were much affected. None of -the four knew if they would meet again, for two were bound -on a perilous voyage, and the others were beleaguered in a -dangerous volcanic island by bloodthirsty enemies. If they -reached the boat safely, and managed to push off into the -open sea unseen by their enemies, they were to send up a -rocket as a signal of success to the watchers on land. Gurt -carried this useful article, and was the first to descend the -slender rope, to which he clung like a spider to its thread, -and dropped swiftly down until the thickening gloom hid -him from their anxious eyes. After a time the rope slacked, -and a gentle vibration stealing up it showed that Gurt had -landed safely.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good-by, my dear lad,” said Justinian, as he embraced -the brave poet. “You are sure you have everything?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My revolver, cartridges, cloak, a satchel filled with food, -your letter to the Eparch. Yes, I think that is all. Gurt -has the water-bottles and the rocket. Good-by, Maurice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good-by, old fellow,” replied Maurice, and then they -grasped each other’s hand in token of farewell, with that -stolid composure with which Englishmen in trying circumstances -conceal their emotion. “Take care of yourself for -the sake of Eunice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly I will, and for yours also. If all goes well, -you will see the white wings of The Eunice off this coast in -a few days. But don’t surrender the island before then.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not much,” retorted Maurice grimly. “I’ll blow up all -the rocks in the pass first, and if the enemy want to get in, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_406'>406</span>they will have to fly over such a barrier. Good-by once -more, my boy. Over you go!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Crispin, even at this supreme moment of parting, could -not restrain a merry laugh at his friend’s coolness, and, laying -himself down on the brow of the cliff, grasped the rope, -and prepared to descend. As soon as Gurt, below, felt from -the quiver that his master was fairly on his way down, he -pulled the rope taut with all his strength, so as to render the -descent easier.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Look out for the rocket,” cried Crispin, as he dropped -slowly downward into the blackness; “and keep the light -turned on the camp, so that we can see what those wretches -are up to.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All right,” shouted Maurice, who, lying flat on his -stomach, was peering over. “Good-by.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A faint farewell floated up through the intense gloom, as -Crispin, with his hands tightly grasping the rope, and his -legs twisted round it, went sliding down like a spider on his -self-spun thread. Thanks to Gurt, who was holding out the -cord widely from the rugged face of the cliff, he found no -difficulty in descending, and soon landed safely beside the -sailor on the damp sand.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Shaking the rope vigorously as a sign to those on top that -they were now on <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"><i>terra firma</i></span>, they walked carefully forward -in the darkness towards the land end of the breakwater. -Gradually their eyes, now relieved from the dazzle of the -electric light, became accustomed to the gloom, and they -could see to some extent a good distance ahead. Stealing -along silently, their boots made no sound in the dead sand, -and they arrived without mischance at the rocky wall of the -harbor. Against this several boats were floating, tied to iron -rings welded into the masonry, but rejecting the first three -or four, which were too cumbersome for two people to manage, -they selected a small light caique, with masts, sail, and -oars, which lay nearest to the sea.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Gurt pulled this in easily by the painter, and then bade -Crispin get into it, so as to keep it off from the wall as it -was towed along. As the sailor was the more powerful of -the two, Crispin obeyed without hesitation, and, with the -aid of an oar, kept the craft out from the masonry, while -Gurt, with the rope over his shoulder and bent form, pulled -it with some difficulty towards the entrance. All this time -things had gone smoothly with them, for the electric light -kept up a steady glare on the camp of their sleeping enemies, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_407'>407</span>and they could see no movement to lead them to suspect that -the pirates were aware of their daring attempt.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the end of the breakwater they placed their provisions, -water-bottles, and cloaks in the boat, and after making fast -the boat to an iron ring, proceeded to let off the rocket in -token of their success. Crispin placed it in position, applied -the match, then hastily got into the boat with Gurt and -pushed off to sea. Just as they were a few yards from the -shore, the rocket flashed skyward with a sharp whizz, scattering -trains of sparks in its ascent. Alarmed by the unexpected -sound, the pirates rushed out of their tents to -ascertain the cause, but the rocket, having expended its -fire, had fallen back into the water, so they could see nothing -to account for the explosion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After rowing out a little way, Gurt shipped the oars, and -with the assistance of Crispin, hoisted the sail, which bellied -out with a groan to the wind and made them glide rapidly -forward. Then the sailor took the helm. Crispin, wrapped -in his cloak, laid himself down to sleep for a few hours, and -the little craft sped away lightly over the white-crested -waves into the profound darkness. When they were out -some considerable distance, the electric light suddenly flashed -out a long ray into the sea, in token of farewell, then reverted -to its original position, and the boat with its two -brave occupants was swallowed up in the night.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the cliff those left behind waited and watched until -the welcome rocket shot its long trail of golden fire through -the darkness, then both simultaneously heaved a sigh of -relief.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, they are safe so far,” said the Demarch thankfully; -“but, by Jupiter, Maurice, those rascals have heard the -rocket go!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, they’ve seen nothing,” replied his nephew indifferently, -as the few men who had rushed out retired again to -their tents; “the fire died out before they caught even a -glimpse of it. I’m glad Crispin is safely away; his boat will -be flying like a stormy petrel before this stiff breeze. Let -us go down, uncle, and send them a farewell flash of the -light.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But it might reveal the boat to those scamps,” said Justinian, -as they rapidly descended the narrow staircase.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, they’ve all gone inside again; besides, Crispin has -got too much of a start by this time. I’ll go and see -Alexandros.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_408'>408</span>Which he accordingly did, and the light, after flashing for -a second on the flying boat, was again turned on the camp, -after which Maurice and his uncle went to see how Dick and -his dynamite mine were getting on. Without doubt these -amateur sappers had been working hard, for the trench was -dug, the dynamite cartridges placed therein, and the hole -filled up. Wires attached to each cartridge ran underground -through the palisade to the interior of the battery, and none -of the enemy would have suspected that the whole of that -broad space in front was one deadly mine, which, when exploded, -would blow them to pieces by the dozen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There, sir,” said Dick, wiping his heated brow; “now -when Miss Helena brings those broken bottles, we’ll smash -’em up on this ground between the mine and the palisade, so -if any of those beggars escape being cut to pieces or blown -to atoms it’ll be a miracle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s splendid, Dick,” answered Justinian, clapping him -on the shoulder. “And now, my lad, you had better go and -have some sleep.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“D’ye think it ’ull be safe, sir?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Quite safe! All those scamps are sound asleep, and will -not attack before dawn. The barrier is built up as strongly -as we can do it, your cannon are all right, and, what with the -mine and the broken glass, I think they’ll find it pretty hard -to get even as far as they did to-day.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is Mr. Crispin all right, sir?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; he got safely into the boat, sent up a rocket to tell -us of his success, and by this time is on his way to Syra for -help.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I saw the rocket, sir, so I guessed it ’ud be all right. -D’ye think, sir, we’ll hold out till he brings the yacht here?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course we will,” said Maurice, who had joined the -pair; “our defence here, even with our small numbers, is -quite strong enough to stand one storming. If some of them -get their feet cut to pieces by the glass, and others blown up -sky-high by the mine, I wouldn’t be surprised if they gave -up the attempt and sailed away.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Suppose they don’t, sir?” questioned Dick dubiously.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then, my Richard, I have a plan for closing up this -pass.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How, sir?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You see those overhanging rocks up there? Well, as -they are just over the entrance of the pass, to-morrow, so -soon as we have beaten back those wretches, we’ll go up -<span class='pageno' id='Page_409'>409</span>and bore holes along the narrowest part for dynamite cartridges. -Then we’ll attach wires as in the mine, and if we -find that we can’t stand against a second assault, all we -have to do is to inveigle our friends under those rocks, explode -the charge, and then, my Richard—oh, what a time -they will have!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But that ’ull shut us up in the island, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, what of that? It’s a pleasant place to dwell in. -But you needn’t be afraid, Dick; it’s easier to get out than -get in, and when the yacht arrives we’ll not have much difficulty -in getting on board.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Leave Melnos, sir!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No!” said Justinian angrily. “I’ve no doubt, if we are -forced to fill up the pass, those scoundrels will leave us. If -they don’t, the arrival of the yacht with fresh troops will -drive them away. Then, we’ll go to work to open up both -the pass and tunnel.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not enough men, Mr. Justinian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, my poor Melnosians! Well, we’ll have to get more -settlers, that’s all. The difficulty is not in getting men and -women, but in getting pure-blooded Greeks.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Dick did not understand this latter remark, so wisely left -it unanswered, and, touching his cap, went off with his messmates -to snatch a few hours’ sleep before the grand assault -which all anticipated would take place at dawn. Justinian -and his nephew made an inspection of all the defences, saw -that the sentries were posted, and then went to talk to Alexandros -about the small battery he was rigging up for the -purpose of exploding the mine when necessary.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There will be no difficulty about this affair, Alexandros?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, Kyrion. I have attached the wires leading to the -cartridges to this battery, and will have it under my charge -to-morrow behind this rock, which will protect me from the -fire of the enemy. You wave your hand as a signal, and I -touch this button, when the mine will explode in a second.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Excellent!” said Justinian, with great satisfaction. -“And if we wanted to close up the pass by bringing down -those rocks above you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In the same way, Kyrion. Make holes above for your -cartridges and attach wires of any length. With my battery -at one end of those wires, and the dynamite at the other, I -could blow up the whole of this gorge from the Acropolis.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You can trust your man in charge of the engine?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_410'>410</span>“Yes, Kyrion. That is all he has to do, for the dynamo -works by itself without my being present.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All seems going smoothly,” said the Demarch to Maurice, -as they turned away. “That mine ought to do considerable -damage.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m certain it will. But, uncle, you must be quite worn -out for want of rest; so you go to sleep, and I will watch.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will sleep later on; but meanwhile I am going up to -the Acropolis to tell Helena that Crispin and Gurt have left -the island safely. She will be very anxious.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Give her a kiss for me,” cried Maurice, as his uncle -walked away up the pass.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid it will be horribly damaged on the transit,” -replied the Demarch, smiling. “Good-by, my lad. Keep -a sharp look-out, and if anything goes wrong, send Temistocles -to the Acropolis. I will be back in an hour.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He went away slowly; for, in spite of his iron spirit and -determination to keep up, the incessant fatigue was beginning -to tell on his frame. At seventy-five, one cannot play -with a constitution; and hardened as was the body of Justinian -by temperate living and constant exercise, he yet felt -that he was not the man he was. Another thing which worried -him mentally, and thus acted on him physically, was -the thought of the volcano; for, in spite of the way in -which he reassured Crispin, he felt by no means easy in his -mind regarding the safety of the island. Not until he was -absolutely forced to, would he close up the pass, and thus -shut himself up in a crater apparently on the verge of eruption. -True, if the worst came, he could escape with his people -over the cliff, but such a method would take some time; -and, with the volcano spouting fire, there would be but a -small chance of any one escaping alive. Full of these -thoughts, he walked leisurely along, pondering over matters -volcanic and matters military; for with the treacherous crater -on one side, and the cruel enemy on the other, he could -not but see that matters were approaching a crisis.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Even if the volcano remained quiescent, and the enemy -were beaten back, still things were in anything but a satisfactory -position; for he had lost many of his men, and he -knew how difficult it would be to supply their places with -Greeks of the old Hellenic stock. Those who were dead -had been trained up under his eye; they knew his aims and -aspirations, and were already developing greatly: but now -all that was at an end; they had been cut off by death, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_411'>411</span>even if he got new blood, it would mean that the whole task -of training up a new generation would have to begin all over -again. Justinian was a man of great self-control, but when -he thought of all he had lost, in the darkness of night he -gave free vent to his emotion, and wept bitterly at the downfall -of his hopes. Still all was not yet lost, for the island -still remained, and many of the old inhabitants; so he dried -his eyes when he left the gorge, and determined, notwithstanding -his bad fortune, still to bear up bravely in his -efforts to reconstruct the old Hellenic civilization.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As he neared the Acropolis, he was astonished to see -Helena, attended by Zoe, come hastily along the road, with -a face expressive of great fear.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is the matter?” he asked hurriedly, as she fell -into his arms. “Are you ill?—is the”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The lake! the lake, father!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A terrible fear seized Justinian’s heart, but he nevertheless -controlled his feelings and spoke calmly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you mean, Helena?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The lake! it is dried up.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the dark Justinian could not see the lake at the bottom -of the valley, but he guessed what had happened. The -lake’s bottom, shattered by the subterranean convulsions, -had been unable to hold the water in its cup, and the whole -body had been drained off into the bowels of the earth. -This, then, was the third warning of Hephaistos, and a -very terrible one it was, for if the crust of the crater was so -convulsed, the next thing that would happen would be an -outburst of fire.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian foresaw all this in a moment, but, without saying -a word, led his terrified daughter back to the Acropolis, -where they sat down on the steps. The moon, lately obscured -by cirrus-shaped clouds, now burst out in full splendor -through the thin woof, and the Demarch with a pang -saw that his beautiful valley was bereft of its gleaming silver -eye. Where the calm expanse of water had been was -now an ugly black gulf of rugged rock, and Justinian half -expected to see fire burst fiercely from those black depths.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is nothing, it is nothing, my child,” he said, with a -confidence he was far from feeling; “the earthquake has -shattered the lake, and of course the water has drained off. -Silly child, of what are you afraid?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I dread lest the crater should burst into fire.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is no sign of that; we would have had warnings -long ago.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_412'>412</span>“But, father, the earthquake! the lake!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Those mean nothing. Look how frequent are earthquakes -at Santorin, yet people continue to live there. As to -the lake, as soon as this war is over, I will stop up the cracks -at the bottom, and it will soon be filled again. Are the -women afraid?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Some of them; still they are all sleeping down below -with the children, so I don’t think they attach much importance -to the disappearance of the lake.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And are you less brave than these poor things? Helena, -I thought you were braver.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I told Miss Helena there was no danger,” said Zoe in -English, with her pretty foreign accent.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There, you see, Helena! Zoe is not afraid.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I am better now you are with me,” said Helena, -smiling through her tears; “but it is so lonely here with no -one but Zoe and that man who drives the engine.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where are the servants?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I sent them down to look after the wounded who are in -the village. But, papa—Maurice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He is all right, and sends you this kiss—there!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Dear Maurice, he never forgets me!—and Crispin?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Has safely left the island with Gurt, so, you see, help -will soon arrive. You must be brave, Helena; things are -not so bad as you think.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am glad to hear you say so, father.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do say so. You have not spoken of this volcano business -to any one—and you, Zoe?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, no!” cried both the girls in chorus; “not a word.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is right; I do not wish any one to be frightened -unnecessarily, and you will think of neither war nor volcanoes -in a few days. But come, Helena, give me something to -eat.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will you stay here, father?” asked the girl, as she led -the way into the Acropolis.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, I am a soldier, and must live as the other soldiers. -Let me have a meal here, and then you can go to bed, while I -return to the front.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Can I come down to-morrow?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, you have acted the heroine quite enough. There -will be some tough work to-morrow, and I don’t want to risk -losing you, my treasure.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I may lose Maurice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t think of such a thing. He is a true Roylands, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_413'>413</span>bears a charmed life; something to do with that amber heart, -I suppose.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Did Maurice tell you, father?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; some magical nonsense, I suppose. Well, well, come -and give your poor father something to eat, for, war or no war, -I must have supper.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXXVII. <br /> <span class='fss'>UNDER THE UNION JACK.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>The cross of St. Andrew, the cross of St. George,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Are blent in the folds which are flung to the air,</div> - <div class='line'>And proud floats the flag at the head of the gorge,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Proclaiming the presence of Englishmen there.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Red tint for the blood which is shed for the brave,</div> - <div class='line in2'>White, symbol of honor no cowardice taints,</div> - <div class='line'>With blue as a sign of the circling wave,</div> - <div class='line in2'>And crosses that witness our faith and our saints.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>It streams o’er the battle, forbidding retreat,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Reminding us ever of Albion’s name;</div> - <div class='line'>Brave banner of England, unsoiled by defeat,</div> - <div class='line in2'>The token of victory, valor, and fame.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Shot-ragged with bullets on numberless plains,</div> - <div class='line in2'>It’s folds with the hearts’ blood of Englishmen red,</div> - <div class='line'>Unbeaten, undaunted it ever remains,</div> - <div class='line in2'>A sign for the living, a shroud for the dead.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>“It must remain here,” said Justinian proudly; “once -the English flag has been brought to the front, it cannot -retreat.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Let us hoist it by all means,” replied Maurice cheerfully; -“but, remember, only seven Englishmen fight under its -folds.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I guess, Mr. Roylands, half a dozen Englishmen -are worth fifty Greeks!” cried Dick, with great confidence. -“Once we get that Union Jack up, and I’d like to see who’d -pull it down.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was early morning, and they were talking about the -flag which Helena had brought down on the previous day. -As the bulk of their army consisted of Melnosians, who did -not understand the sacred feeling with which it was regarded -by the English, Maurice thought it hardly worth -while to plant it on the palisade; but the Demarch, in spite -<span class='pageno' id='Page_414'>414</span>of his independent sovereignty, was patriotic to the core of -his brave old heart, and, with a touch of sentiment, insisted -that the attack should be repelled under the unconquered -banner. Maurice therefore humored his uncle, and agreed -to his wish, so the five sailors planted a stout pole just inside -the barricade, and in a few minutes the flag of England -was floating proudly at the mouth of the gorge.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As yet the enemy had made no move, so Justinian had -plenty of time to complete his defensive preparations. In -spite of her father’s veto, Helena, mindful of Maurice’s instructions -regarding broken glass, had come down at dawn -with her women, all bearing bottles, crockery, and earthen -jars, which were speedily smashed to atoms and strewn -plentifully on the ground between the mine and the barrier. -Alexandros had his battery in good working order, and had -ensconced himself behind a rock some little distance away, -from which, on being signalled to by the Demarch, he could -explode the mine at the proper time. The Melnosians had -managed to snatch a few hours’ sleep, and, encouraged by -their victory of the previous day, were ready for the fight, -so a sense of great hopefulness was diffused among the valiant -little garrison. What with the mine to blow up the -enemy, the broken glass to cut their bare feet,—no ineffective -defence,—the guns ready loaded to sweep them down -as they swarmed up, and the stern determination of the defenders -to fight to the bitter end, Justinian felt that, in spite -of being outnumbered, he would be able to hold the island -until the return of Crispin with re-enforcements. The more -perilous became the position, the higher arose the spirits of -the defenders, especially those of the sailors, on whose -patriotic feelings the presence of their country’s flag had a -wonderfully inspiring effect.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now then, Helena,” said her father, when all preparations -were complete, “you had better return to the Acropolis -with the women.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very well, father; but I will be very anxious for your -safety.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What about me?” asked Maurice reproachfully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, you’ve got your talisman,” she replied, with an attempt -at lightness, “so you will be quite safe; but I am not -so sure about father.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t trouble your head about me,” said the Demarch, -kissing her; “if I die I die, and if I live I live—it’s the -fortune of war. The best thing you can do, Helena, is to go -<span class='pageno' id='Page_415'>415</span>down to the valley and attend to those poor fellows who are -wounded. I know you will be very anxious, my dear, so I -will send Temistocles to you every now and then with information -as to how the fight is getting on. Now, good-by, -my dear child, and keep up your spirits.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will walk up with you to the head of the pass,” said -Maurice, turning away from the palisade; “there is no sign -of the enemy getting under arms yet, so I can easily spare a -few minutes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena of course was delighted at thus having her lover -all to herself for even a quarter of an hour, and walked -beside him up the gorge, followed by the women, who had -taken an affectionate farewell of their sons, husbands, and -brothers. Zoe also was weeping bitterly, as she had just -parted from Dick, and dreaded lest she should never see -him again. Indeed, despite the danger, the men at the front -were less to be pitied than those women remaining behind in -the interior of the island, for while the former were at least -too occupied to fret over their troubles, the latter, with nothing -to take their minds off the disasters surrounding them, -were in a state of suspense pitiable to behold.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think Crispin will come back within the week, -Maurice?” asked Helena, as she walked arm in arm with -her lover.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope so! If he is picked up by the Cretan steamer, -and his yacht is now lying at Syra, I have no doubt he will; -but it is all the merest chance. However, come what may, I -think we can defend the island to the end.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is not of the danger without, but of the danger within -I am thinking.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, what do you mean?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This volcano”—began Helena, upon which Maurice interrupted -her with a merry laugh of scorn.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear one, do not fright yourself with false fire. I -suppose you are thinking of the earthquake?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; and of the lake and the springs.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is the matter with them?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The springs are spouting furiously, and the lake has disappeared.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Great heavens! that does sound ominous,” said Maurice -anxiously. “Does your father know?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course he does, but he told me not to speak of it, lest -the people should become panic-stricken, but of course such -prohibition does not extend to you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_416'>416</span>“The lake gone! the springs active!” repeated Roylands -in a musing tone. “I am afraid there is danger of the volcano -breaking out again.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So I think; but father laughs at all my fears.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It would be a terrible catastrophe should such a thing -happen, for not one of us could hope to escape. Besides, if -Melnos became an active volcano, all your father’s forty years -of hard work would go for nothing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think it is likely an eruption will take place, -Maurice?” asked Helena in a tremulous voice. “You have -no idea how afraid I am.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Egad! it is enough to make any one afraid; however, I -think you can set your mind at rest, Helena. The eruption, -if there is to be one, cannot possibly take place for a week, -and by that time Crispin’s yacht will have arrived; so if -there are any signs of an outbreak, we can escape at -once.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I hope so! I trust so!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What does worry me,” pursued Maurice meditatively, -“is all this war going on for what may turn out to be nothing -but a heap of cinders. It would be the very irony of -fate, if, after beating back the foe, this volcano should start, -and drive us away from the very place we have defended.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If such a thing happened, I do not think my father -would survive.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It would be a blow, certainly,” replied Roylands, affecting -a cheerfulness he was far from feeling; “but one can do -nothing against the giant forces of nature. However, Helena, -remember all the wealth of Melnos is safe in London, -thanks to the wisdom of my uncle; so if Hephaistos did -start a forge here, which he seems inclined to do, we would -simply have to abandon this island, and start our scheme of -a new Hellas on another; but this time we would select one -less dangerous from a volcanic point of view.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But think of forty years’ work thrown away!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And think of leaving this paradise! However, if the -archangel waves his flaming sword, we must; still, if I go, -my Eve will be with me, and that will comfort me greatly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, my dear, dear Maurice!—Oh, what is that?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The roll of a drum,” cried Roylands, stopping abruptly. -“The enemy must have begun the attack, so I will have to -return to my post. Good-by, my dearest, and don’t trouble -yourself. Remember, I have your amber heart.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And my real heart also.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_417'>417</span>“Well, I leave mine with you for safety; so I can’t be -shot through the heart, can I? Jove! there’s the drum again. -Give me a kiss. There, good-by, my dear one.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Down the gorge he tore at full speed, for he already heard -the sharp crack of a musket-shot; and Helena, remaining -where she was, sank on her knees, which example was followed -by all her women; and the whole company, with uplifted -hands, implored the protection of Heaven for their -dear ones at the front.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice arrived at the barrier just in time, for the enemy -were already scrambling up the slope; and Justinian, catching -sight of his nephew, shouted out to him to redouble his -speed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Quick, quick, Maurice! Confound it, sir! they’ll be on -us in a few minutes!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, that will be just time for me to recover my breath,” -said the young man good-humoredly. “All in order, uncle?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. We’ll meet them with rifle-shots first, and give -them a chance of cutting their feet to pieces.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But if we let them get so near, they will assault the -barrier.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! after crossing those broken bottles barefooted? -Don’t you believe it, my lad. They will be jumping about -like cats on hot bricks <a id='corr417.24'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='shortly!'>shortly!”</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_417.24'><ins class='correction' title='shortly!'>shortly!”</ins></a></span></p> - -<p class='c001'>All the Melnosians were in a high state of glee over this -snare for the enemy, which was so simple, yet dangerous, -and yelled with laughter as the foremost stormers dashed -with their bare feet right into the centre of the sharp points. -Of course, the vigor with which they rushed forward rendered -the glass all the more effective; and, after receiving -them with a volley of musket-shot, the garrison paused to -roar with laughter at the sight of the bare-legged islanders -hopping in agony over the broken points. Is was not dignified, -it was not particularly dangerous, and could hardly be -called legitimate war; yet, by this simple means, the first -rush was effectually checked; and streaming with blood, the -enraged stormers retired, leaving a few of their dead, who had -been killed and wounded by the volley, lying on the field.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The information concerning this stratagem soon passed -from mouth to mouth, and those of the enemy who were not -yet climbing up the hill, dashed back to their tents, from -whence, after a time, they emerged, wearing tough leathern -sandals, with the hair still on, bound round their feet by -strong thongs. Those who had been wounded in this novel -<span class='pageno' id='Page_418'>418</span>manner had, regardless of safety, sat down within rifle range -to tie up their bleeding feet; and Justinian, with more generosity -than they would have displayed in like circumstances, -refrained from firing on them thus defenceless.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Caliphronas, who, since the death of Alcibiades, now held -supreme command of this irregular army, saw his forbearance, -and, sneering at Justinian for a soft-hearted fool, with, -for him, exceptional courage, led those of his men who were -booted across the dangerous ground. Apparently he had -quite forgotten how Alcibiades had carried forward his stormers -the previous day under the shelter of the cliff, for, advancing -thus in a compact body full in front of the palisade, -they were exposed to a raking fire from the muskets of the -garrison.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Lions led by a deer are not dangerous,” quoth Justinian -grimly, on seeing this bad generalship. “I don’t think we’ll -have such a bad time of it as we did yesterday.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly not, while Caliphronas is general of the enemy,” -replied Maurice, laughing; “but he has some courage, I see, -for he leads the stormers.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’ll soon frighten him back, sir,” said Dick, who hated -Caliphronas for his treachery on the night of the wreck; -“will I fire?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wait a minute, till they are more conglomerate. Now!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The gun roared, and a shower of grape-shot splashed over -the advancing body, which did considerable damage in their -ranks, that is, if such disorderly huddling could be dignified -by such a name. They still continued to come on, however, -on noting which, Justinian, who, in default of Gurt, had -charge of the other gun, sent another shower of grape among -them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They wavered for a moment, but, as their leader still urged -them to come on, Maurice snatched a rifle from the man -nearest him, and aimed deliberately at Caliphronas, not with -the intention of killing him, but merely forcing him to retire -wounded. The ball struck Caliphronas on the elbow of his -sword-arm, and with a yell of pain he dropped his weapon -and ran away, followed as a matter of course, by his soldiers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“At this rate, Maurice, we can hold the island for a year,” -said the Demarch, with a jeering laugh; “it’s child’s play -compared with yesterday.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If we can get them on that mine, and explode it in good -time, the siege will be over,” replied his nephew decisively.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am averse to useless massacre.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_419'>419</span>“So am I, but if we don’t put the fear of God into their -souls, they will wear us out by these puny attacks. One -bold stroke, and they will fly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, do what you will. I have every confidence in your -generalship.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The enemy again charged up the hill, but this time Caliphronas -was conspicuous by his absence, as he was evidently -in the camp attending to his wound. A huge man in an -Albanian dress was leading this time, and had at least the -virtue of brute courage, for, in spite of the musket-shots and -double discharge of the cannon, which killed many, he still -advanced with his men right up to the palisade.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hand-to-hand again,” said Dick, as the Melnosians began -to use their bayonets, “but they won’t get over the barricade -this time.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>As the barrier was now built of nothing but turf overlaid -with sank-bags and gabions, the besiegers found their axes of -no use, and were reduced to try to swarm up to the top of -the parapet in overwhelming numbers. The garrison, however, -shot freely into the struggling mass, but in doing this -had to expose themselves greatly, and in consequence lost -many men. Still, they managed to drive back the besiegers, -and the two cannon belched forth grape-shot alternately, so -that at length the enemy were forced to retreat over the -brow of the hill. Thus relieved from immediate danger, -the Melnosians busied themselves with their dead and -wounded, carrying both to the rear, so that their fighting -might not be hampered by the cumbering of the ground -with bodies. In front of the barrier, the ground right over -the brow of the hill was thick with the fallen of the enemy, -and some of the wounded were trying to crawl to a place of -safety, while others, lifting up their hands, cried out on -“Christos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In a remarkably short space of time, the pirates re-formed -into something like order, and, still led by the Albanian, -came once more to the point of attack. This time, however, -instead of assaulting the barricade, they lay down on the -crest of the hill, and began to pick off the garrison with -their rifles, while every now and then a small body would -make a sally forward, only to be beaten back with bayonet -and cutlass. Quite unaware of the danger they were in, the -whole of the firing party were camped right on top of the -mine, and Justinian, wishing to end this desultory warfare, -waited until they were pretty well massed before giving the -signal to explode.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_420'>420</span>Twice he raised his hand to give the sign, and twice he -dropped it again, from a sentiment of regret, for, scum -though the besiegers were, it yet seemed a terrible thing to -hurl into fragments the fifty or sixty men who were so <a id='corr420.4'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='calmy'>calmly</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_420.4'><ins class='correction' title='calmy'>calmly</ins></a></span> -seated over the mine. Still it was a case of necessity, for -the garrison, worn out with incessant fighting, were not fit -to stand another assault such as had taken place the day -before, and, if the pirates captured the island, every living -person would be ruthlessly put to death.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian was not a uselessly cruel man, and would fain -have been spared the necessity of such a wholesale massacre, -but when he thought of his child, and the defenceless women -who would be left to the mercy of these savages in case of -capture, all feelings of pity died in his breast, so when the -enemy were massed in a great number above the mine, he -gave the signal.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Alexandros at once sent the electric spark along the buried -wires, the ground in front of the barrier heaved like a convulsed -serpent, and in the concussion which followed the -roar of the explosion, every one of the garrison was thrown -to the ground. When they arose to their feet, the sight -which met their eyes was frightful, for the ground was -strewn with fragments of human bodies, legs, arms, trunks, -heads, all lying about in ghastly confusion. The sky seemed -to have rained blood, for their garments were splashed with -the crimson fluid; and the whole space of ground on the -crest of the hill was rent and riven into huge holes. Of all -the human beings resting there a few minutes before, hardly -one was left alive, and down the hill fled the frightened -survivors, yelling out that an earthquake had taken place. -Those still in the camp caught the alarm, and ran for the -boats, so in a few minutes the harbor was dotted with craft -pulling hard for the entrance. Not one pirate, save those -who were wounded, remained on the beach, for this frightful -catastrophe, which they ascribed to natural causes, had completely -routed the whole host which had stormed the palisade -so confidently a few hours before.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The war is over,” said Maurice, who was very pale, for -the shocking sight of the bodies in fragments was enough to -make the bravest shudder; “they have had a lesson, and -won’t come back again.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I trust not,” said Justinian, who stood sternly under the -drooping folds of the Union Jack, “but I doubt it while -Caliphronas is alive. Still, we have gained the victory this -<span class='pageno' id='Page_421'>421</span>time, and, though I am ashamed of having perpetrated such -a wholesale massacre under this flag, yet necessity knows no -law or mercy either.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If we had not beaten them by that time, they would have -beaten us,” said Maurice, taking a pull at his brandy-flask, -“for all our men are about worn out, and could not have -stood another assault. We have lost a good few too, and I -doubt, uncle, if, out of your hundred and twenty subjects, -you have more than thirty left.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It has indeed been a severe struggle,” replied Justinian -sadly, “but now, thank God, it is over—at least, for a time; -but, as sure as you stand there, Maurice, Caliphronas will -come back with a fresh set of blackguards.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By that time, Crispin and his re-enforcements will have -arrived, so we will soon be able to drive them back. Dick!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, sir?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We must repair damages, and bury the dead.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Right, sir!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they began -this task, and not until nightfall were the dead buried -decently in shallow graves dug in the sea-shore sand. Papa -Athanasius came down with all the women from the village, -and read the service of the Greek Church over the remains -of friend and foe alike, so that when the moon arose above -the peaks of Melnos, there was no sign of a struggle having -taken place, save in the battered barricade and the rent -ground.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When all was completed, Justinian held a consultation -with his nephew and Dick as to the probability of the foe -returning soon, as, if there was a possibility of such an event -happening, it would be unwise to leave the barrier unguarded. -Ultimately, it was decided to leave sentries on guard, with -cannon and muskets loaded, and Alexandros directed the -search light full on the entrance of the harbor, so that in the -event of the enemy returning, they could be seen before -reaching shore, and the alarm given at once. Temistocles, -who was still in good condition, as he had done no fighting, -was left behind also, in order that if an attack were made, -he might run to the Acropolis to alarm Justinian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>These arrangements having been made, the survivors of -the fierce fighting returned to the village, in order to take -the rest they so much needed. Loud were the wailings for -the dead from the Melnosian women, many of whom were -now alone in the world, and all that night, those sleeping in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_422'>422</span>the Acropolis heard the sounds of bitter sorrow rising from -the valley below. It had been a tough fight, many had been -lost, and much damage had been done; still, the foe had been -forced to retreat, and Melnos was still under the rule of the -Demarch.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That night the leaders were all gathered round the supper-table, -to make the first good meal they had tasted for days, -and Helena and Zoe waited on them, for all the rest of the -servants were down in the village looking after the wounded -men. All of them looked worn out and haggard, for the -strain, both physical and mental, had been something terrible; -and even now, like Justinian, Maurice and Dick, gifted -as they were with iron constitutions, were nearly broken -down by the terrible experiences they had undergone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My poor Helena, you look fit to drop,” said Maurice tenderly, -drawing her down beside him. “Rest yourself for a -time, and do not be so afraid. All danger is now past.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But think of the many lives that have been lost.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do, and regret them; still, selfish as it may sound, -remember we are all safe, and, after all, that is a great -thing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am sure I don’t know how long we will be safe with -this volcano.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nonsense, Helena!” said her father in a vexed tone; “I -tell you there is no danger there. Nothing new has happened -that I know of. The island is quite safe, but if there -are any chances of an outburst, we will get away in Crispin’s -yacht.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is what I was saying to Helena this morning. But -will you abandon the new Hellas?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I must if Hephaistos bids me. The bravest man can do -nothing against a burning mountain. No, Maurice, if I am -driven from Melnos, I will no longer fight against fate; already, -by the death of so many, a great deal of my forty -years’ labor has proved futile, so if the crowning touch is -put to it by the outbreak of the volcano, I will throw up the -game.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And return to England?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. I am old now, and want rest, so I have no doubt -you and Helena will give me a corner at the Grange. It -will be a great blow to me should things turn out in this -way; still, I may be too pessimistic, and all may yet be -well.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If I may make so bold, sir,” said Dick, who had been -<span class='pageno' id='Page_423'>423</span>talking in a whisper to Zoe, “what, may I ask, is to become -of me? Zoe, here, says, if Miss Helena goes to England, -she will go too.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, you will accompany her, Dick,” said Maurice genially; -“and I have no doubt that, when you are married, I -will be able to give you a billet at the Grange.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Buy a yacht, sir?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, I leave that to Mr. Crispin, so you can still take service -under him, and make Zoe stewardess. But we are all -looking at the black side of things; the mountain may remain -quiet, in which case I will still stay here and carry out -Justinian’s scheme of the new Hellas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hear! hear!” cried Dick, lifting his glass. “Beggin’ -pardon, sir, but here’s to the health of Mr. Justinian!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Coupled with the name of Mr. Roylands, who is a hero,” -said Justinian, bowing his thanks for the compliment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And add Helena’s name also, for she is a heroine,” cried -Maurice gayly. “Now then, uncle, Dick, Helena, Zoe! three -cheers for our noble selves!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>These were given, and after that, quite worn out, all -retired to rest.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXXVIII. <br /> <span class='fss'>THE PREY OF THE GODS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Far down the valley the altars are reared,</div> - <div class='line'>The off’ring no power can delay;</div> - <div class='line'>For gods never honored, yet gods ever feared,</div> - <div class='line'>Claim their prey.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>The fire that springs from the womb of the earth</div> - <div class='line'>Will flame on these altars of fear;</div> - <div class='line'>The songs of the living, the laughter and mirth,</div> - <div class='line'>None will hear.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>For weepings and wailings of hundreds afraid</div> - <div class='line'>Roll up ’neath the sting of the rods;</div> - <div class='line'>The worship is ended, the sacrifice made</div> - <div class='line'>To the gods.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>Things went along very smoothly for the next two days, -as there was no sign of the pirates returning, nor did the -volcano hint at any near outbreak of fire. Gradually the -diminished population settled down to their old occupations, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_424'>424</span>for Justinian, in spite of the terrible events which had lately -taken up the attention of every one, judged it wisest to prevent -any disorganization of his social system. The few -men surviving returned to their work, and did their best by -constant industry to make up for their lack of numbers, -though, indeed, a dismal silence had settled down on this -rural population, once so gay and mirthful. Later on, when -all fear of an invasion had passed away, Justinian intended -to make an excursion round the Archipelago in search of -new colonists, and had but little fear that he would be able -to obtain as many as he wished, for many islanders would -be only too glad to place themselves under the protection of -the wealthy, eccentric Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Thanks to the Demarch’s wisdom in placing his money -with his London solicitors, he had plenty of capital on -which to draw, and when things were once more quiet, and -Melnos repopulated from the adjacent islands, he made up -his mind at once to restore the tunnel to its former perfection. -Certainly it would take some time to gather a number -of pure-blooded Hellenes for his colony, but with plenty of -capital at his back, and the productions of the island in a -flourishing condition, he could afford to wait. Besides, he -had Maurice now beside him, and the young fellow was a -man after his own heart, for, in contrast to his former listlessness -when in England, he flung himself into Justinian’s -schemes with an ardor which delighted the old man. With -himself to conceive, and his nephew to carry out, the -Demarch was quite jubilant in spite of his late reverses, for -he foresaw that in such capable hands Melnos would soon be -restored to its pristine glory.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The only thing, therefore, which agitated his mind, was the -dread he felt lest Caliphronas should again assault Melnos with -another army of cut-throats. Calmly as Justinian had taken -the treachery of the Greek, yet in his own soul he felt deeply -hurt that his years of kindness had met with so base a -return. He had found Caliphronas a poor shepherd lad on -the island of Andros, he had educated, clothed, and fed him -for many years, and now, when perilous times came, not -only was the ungrateful scamp absent from his side, but -actually arrayed against him, being in every way an active -agent in bringing ruin on his benefactor. However, if the -pirates, headed by this accomplished villain, did appear -again, the Demarch knew well that he could not hope to -hold out against them for any lengthy period, as, owing to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_425'>425</span>the smallness of his garrison, incessant watching, fighting, -and suspense would wear out even the bravest among them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In this dilemma there was only one thing left to do, should -the pirates reappear, and that was to close up the pass by -means of the overhanging rocks at the cliff entrance. True, -it would shut all within the island up in a crater which -threatened to break out; still, from all appearances, such a -volcanic outburst did not seem likely to take place, therefore, -if the pass were firmly sealed, they would at least be -free from their dangerous enemies without, until such time -as Melnos could be repeopled, and thus defend itself. Notwithstanding -the earthquake, the disappearance of the lake, -the activity of the hot springs, the Demarch could not believe -that this crater, extinct for so many thousands of years, -would break out in eruption without giving, at least, some -serious warning; therefore, with this idea, he determined, if -the worst came to the worst, to shut himself and his people -in, by closing up the gorge, rather than abandon his forty -years of work to the mercy of a band of Levantine black-guards.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As to Helena and Maurice, they were perfectly happy in -making love to each other; and, in the intervals of such a -delightful occupation, the young Englishman looked after -the palisade, at which two sentries were constantly posted, -wandered about the village with his uncle, attending to local -matters, and twice or thrice a day went to the vantage-point -above the side staircase, in order to watch for the appearance -of Crispin and his yacht. Daily both Maurice and his uncle -swept the offing with their glasses, but no thin line of smoke -or glancing white sail showed that The Eunice was on her -way to aid these unfortunates.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Nor during all this time was Dick idle, for, with a small -body of men, he had posted himself above the overhanging -rocks at the entrance of the pass, and there they drilled holes -in the soft volcanic soil for the reception of dynamite cartridges. -When these were placed sufficiently deep, Alexandros -attached his wires to them, and then threw these -thread-like conductors across the abyss to the opposite side -of the pass. At the point where Crispin had gone over the -cliff a few nights previously, he established a small battery -and fixed the wires thereto, so, in the event of the pirates -approaching the island, the man who was on the look-out at -the vantage-point had simply to touch the button of the battery, -when the enormous rocks on the other side of the gorge -<span class='pageno' id='Page_426'>426</span>would crash down in Titanic fragments, closing up the narrow -way irretrievably. Still, as before stated, the Demarch, -on account of a lurking suspicion of the extinct volcano, was -unwilling to avail himself of this aid until the last moment, -but in any event, if that last moment did come, the rocks -could be exploded from the vantage-point with the greatest -ease. The ropes which had been used to let down Crispin -and Gurt were still attached to the trunk of the pine tree, -but had been carefully drawn up, lest by chance, if the pirates -arrived, they could enter the island by ascending such a convenient -ladder, notwithstanding the closing of the pass.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the early morning of the fourth day after Crispin had -departed, Justinian and his nephew, ascending the path at -the back of the Acropolis, went down to the vantage-point -through the altar glade, according to custom, in order to look -for signs of the poet’s return. The east was yet rosy with -the dawn, and the great expanse of ocean slept below them -in serene calm. The long white waves broke gently on the -sandy beach, there was not a breath of wind, and when the -sun arose suddenly out of the sea, his long yellow rays shot -like bridges of gold across the water, while his orb, invisible -to the watchers, projected the shadow of the island on the -liquid plain in front.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Temistocles had been on the watch for some considerable -time, and as the electric light was kept all night constantly -sweeping the surface of the sea in search of strange boats, -Justinian asked the runner if there had been any indications -of approaching danger. Receiving a reply in the negative, -he put up his glass in hopes of discovering some signs of the -long-expected and much-desired yacht, but not a speck could -he behold, in spite of the power of his glasses and the keenness -of his eyesight.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s four days since he went away,” said the Demarch to -Maurice, with a sigh, as he put down his glass; “yet he does -not seem to be coming back.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must allow him more time, uncle,” replied Maurice -comfortingly; “you know everything may not have gone -exactly as we thought. He may have cruised about some -time before being picked up by the Cretan steamer, and even -if he were fortunate in meeting a boat at once on his arrival -at Syra, the yacht may not have been lying there.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The yacht has had plenty of time to get to Syra, Maurice; -but either he has missed the steamer, or else he finds some -difficulty in obtaining men from the Eparch of Syra.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_427'>427</span>“But surely in an urgent case like this the Eparch will -send you help at once. You say he is your friend.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly he says he is, but my belief is that he is jealous -of my independent sovereignty, and would not be sorry -to see my little government come to an end.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What a nice old gentleman he must be! But tell me, -uncle, what is the difference between a Demarch and an -Eparch?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“One rules over one island, the other over many. As a -matter of fact, a Demarch is a kind of mayor, and really it is -too small a title for me, seeing I have a whole island to myself. -Still, I am quite satisfied with it, as King of Melnos -is out of the question, and Prince of Melnos sounds like the -hero of a penny novelette.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And what islands does the Eparch of Syra rule over?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, really, I quite forget; but the Eparch of Santorin -rules over Amorgos, Anapli, Santorin, and Ios.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course all these Epachs—or what is it?—Eparchs—are -subject to the government of King George?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then I don’t wonder they envy you this island. I suppose -you are the only independent prince in the Ægean?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am now, but in former times there were many. An -Italian family ruled as Dukes of Naxos, another line governed -Seriphos, but those potentates were somewhere about -the fifteenth century. I think the ruler likest to myself was -one Capsi, a kind of ancient pirate, of the Alcibiades type, -who became ruler of Melos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Melnos?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; the island of Melos, without the ‘n.’ It is a curious -coincidence, is it not, the similarity of name and rule?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very; but what became of King Capsi?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, the Turks invited him to Stamboul, and then cut off -his head for presuming to set himself up as a rival to the -Sultan. But such a fate is not likely to happen to me, as I -am very good friends with Abdul Hamid.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think we had better establish a line of princes, uncle,” -said Maurice in a joking tone. “You will take the title of -Justinian I.; when I succeed to the throne, I will be Justinian -II.; and if Helena and myself are fortunate enough to -present you with a grandson, he will be Justinian III. So, -you see, we have an excellent beginning for a royal family.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not see why it should not be so,” replied the -Demarch seriously; “look at the Brookes, who became -<span class='pageno' id='Page_428'>428</span>Rajahs of Sarawak, and the Bernadottes, now Kings of -Sweden, and then again the Bonaparte family. My dear -Maurice, believe me, there are still kingdoms to be gained, if -he who seeks has the nerve, judgment, and fortune of a born -adventurer.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Such as yourself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Exactly; and you are of the same type. Oh, that I were -younger, Maurice, and with you by my side, we would go to -South America and carve out a kingdom. You smile, but I -tell you it can be done.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It has been done in Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, that is nothing! an intellectual training school only; -but I mean a real large kingdom on a continent.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I may be like you in some things, uncle, but I do not -think I have your ambition, as I will be quite content with -my island sovereignty of Melnos.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I daresay you are wise. But, Maurice, what a story all -your and my adventures would make—the way you were -brought here by Andros—the description of the crater—the -attack on the island—why, it would make a capital -romance!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Which nobody would believe. They would look upon it -as an embroidered lie of the ‘Alroy’ species.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, the author of that book—Disraeli—what a man!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“‘The wondrous boy wot wrote “Alroy,”’” said Maurice. -“Yes, he certainly was clever; a little too fond in his books -of Oriental splendor perhaps, but a genius as a statesman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If Disraeli had been an Eastern vizier, he would have -become a king.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What a desultory conversation!” said his nephew, laughing; -“we began with Eparchs and end with possible sovereigns. -Well, as far as I am concerned, this island is big -enough for me and the Princess Helena.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Who is talking of the Princess Helena?” cried a gay -voice behind them, and, on turning, they saw the princess -herself, with her arms as usual full of flowers, looking at -them both with a smile in her eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am the culprit, your highness,” said Maurice, bowing. -“When did you arrive?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This very moment; so if you have been saying nice -things about me, you may as well repeat them.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Vanity! vanity!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All is vanity! If that is the only thing you have to say -to me, I will go.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_429'>429</span>“I think we had better all go,” said Justinian, turning -away from the cliff. “I am anxious for breakfast, but you -young people, I suppose, are content to live on love.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not in this keen morning air, father. But have you -seen any sign of the yacht?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not the <a id='corr429.6'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='slighest!'>slightest!</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_429.6'><ins class='correction' title='slighest!'>slightest!</ins></a></span>”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What a bad thing! and the pirates?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No appearance of those gentlemen either.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What a good thing! I wonder who will arrive first, -Crispin or Caliphronas!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I trust the former,” answered her father hopefully; -“but I dread the latter.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh dear me!” said Helena, with a sigh; “I do wish he -would leave us alone. Why cannot he get an island of his -own?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, that’s just it, my child! He does not desire an -island so much as you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He will never get me,” she answered resolutely. “Sooner -than become the wife of that traitor, I would throw myself -over the cliff.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You can rest quite content, Helena,” said Maurice, with -quiet determination; “if Caliphronas overwhelms Melnos -with his forces, he shall not obtain the prize he desires. If -he captures you, it will be over my dead body.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then he’ll never capture me, for you can easily conquer -such a coward,” retorted the girl, with great spirit; “and, -after all, I don’t believe he’ll have the courage to come -back.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Uncle,” exclaimed Roylands suddenly, as he saw Justinian -stumble, “what is the matter? Do you feel ill?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not exactly ill,” replied the Demarch, taking his nephew’s -arm; “but, to tell you the truth, I awoke this morning -feeling very sick and faint.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, papa, so did I!” exclaimed Helena in surprise; -“that is why I came down to the cliffs to obtain a breath of -fresh air.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I also had a headache when I awoke,” said Maurice, after -a pause; “so, as we have all felt the same thing, there must -be some malaria in the air.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian gave a cry of alarm, and his face blanched white -under its bronze.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Maurice! I dread to think what it may be!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, uncle, what do you mean?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The vapors of the volcano!”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_430'>430</span>Both Helena and her lover grew pale at these ominous -words.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Still,” said the latter anxiously, “if they do nothing but -give headaches”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You forget,” replied Justinian in a sombre tone, as they -entered the Acropolis; “we are half-way up the crater, but -if the vapors are rising from the volcano, think of all my -people in the valley.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Without waiting a moment, the three, in a state of great -alarm, hurried to the platform in front of the temple, and -looked anxiously down to the village. Although it was now -seven o’clock, and the Melnosians were early risers, there -was no appearance of life in the valley below, no sound of -labor or voices ascended, no smoke curled upward from the -chimneys; but in the still morning the cup of the crater -lay spread out before them, a scene of exquisite beauty, yet -terribly, ominously calm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Great God!” cried Justinian, with a strangled sob; -“can it be as I feared?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A man came staggering along the mulberry avenue, waving -his arms wildly, and when he came sufficiently near, they -saw it was the bos’n Dick, pale and haggard, reeling in -his gait like a drunken man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Maurice ran forward to help him as he advanced, and -ultimately had to carry him to the steps of the Acropolis, -while Helena, by her father’s direction, ran inside for -brandy and smelling-salts. With these they revived the -almost insensible sailor, who opened his eyes with a shudder, -only to find three faces scarcely less haggard than his -own bending over him. None of them asked what had happened, -for the intense quiet of that valley told its own terrible -story, and Justinian knew that in one night he had lost -the whole of his subjects through the deadly vapors breathed -by the awakening volcano.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Mr. Justinian! Mr. Roylands! it is horrible—horrible!” -said Dick, sitting up with difficulty. “They are all -dead!—not one left alive; and my poor messmates are gone -also. Let us leave this cursed place, sir, or we will die also.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Dick had fought bravely all through the campaign, and -was a man but little given to emotion, yet so unnerved was -he by the fearful catastrophe that had happened, that he buried -his face in his hands and almost wept in the intensity of -his agony. Maurice and Helena also were paralyzed with -dread, for, however daring human beings may be, the most -<span class='pageno' id='Page_431'>431</span>resolute quail before the gigantic powers of nature, and, -high-spirited as they all were, their hearts thrilled <a id='corr431.2'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='with,'>with</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_431.2'><ins class='correction' title='with,'>with</ins></a></span> -fear as they recognized in what a death-trap they were -snared.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Only Justinian preserved a certain amount of calmness,—Justinian, -who suffered more than the others, for this was -the crowning blow, and his whole untiring labor of forty -years had been swept away as naught in a single hour.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is not a valley,” he cried, looking downward in -despair; “it is a tomb enclosing many dead. Oh, my poor -Melnosians!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How did you discover it, Dick?” asked Maurice in an -awed tone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“After you went away this morning, sir. I walked down -to the valley, in order to get my messmates to go on with -that mining work in the pass; but I felt a bit headachy and -queer. However, I did not think about it, and went down -the stair. Just as I got down half-way, I felt a poisonous -breath of air wafted up from below, which seized me by the -throat, and made me fall down insensible by that statue of -Apollo. I don’t know how long I lay; but it was lucky I -was not farther down, or else I would have been stifled; as -it was, little breaths of the gases floated up, but the cool air -above revived me somewhat, and I managed to crawl up -higher. Then I came along, sir; and you helped me here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And are they all dead?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They must be,” said Justinian in a tone of despair. “I -see how it is we escaped. You know the Grotto del Cane -at Naples, Maurice, where a man can enter freely, but a -dog dies? that is because the vapors only rise a certain -height. Down below there, when all were sleeping, the -gases must have been breathed slowly from the mouth of -the volcano, and stifled every soul. They could not rise -higher on account of their weight, so we managed to escape -death. Look at that valley!” cried the Demarch, with a -passionate gesture; “it is a smiling death-trap. We can see -nothing; but half-way up the cup it is filled with deadly -poison, which would kill us were we to descend. Oh, my -poor people! dead! dead! all dead!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He hid his face in his hands, overcome with horror at the -sight; and Dick, somewhat cured of the poisonous vapors he -had inhaled, arose to his feet with an effort.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We must get away from here, Mr. Maurice. We dare -not stay another night, for even if that volcano does not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_432'>432</span>burst out, the gases will rise and rise until the Acropolis -will be below their level. We must fly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And how can we fly?” asked Justinian abruptly. “We -have no boats—those scoundrels of Caliphronas’ have -destroyed them all. The only thing we can do is to abandon -the Acropolis, and go to the sea-shore, in order to wait the -arrival of Crispin to save us.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But if the volcano breaks out, uncle?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In that case we must die. The island is so small, that, -with this crater in full fury, we would be crushed under the -weight of the stones thrown out, or burned to death by the -streams of lava. Our only hope is Crispin; and as to this -death-trap we must leave it at once. Helena!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena did not answer. She was crouching down with -her head on the lap of Zoe, who had joined the group; and -the two girls were too terrified to speak, but lay silent with -horror, a mere huddled mass of humanity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How many of us are left alive?” asked Maurice, raising -the girl to her feet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“About ten, sir,” replied Dick, making a rapid calculation. -“Those two who are on the sentry-go at the palisade, Alexandros, -who is down there attending to the mine, Temistocles, -who is on the look-out, the man here who drives the engine, -myself, Zoe, Miss Helena, yourself, and Mr. Justinian.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Demarch flung up his hands with a cry of horror.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ten survivors out of nearly two hundred people! Oh, -there is a curse on me and mine! It is useless to fight -against fate, Maurice. We must fly this very minute, and -trust to Providence to be spared until the arrival of the -yacht. Hark! what is that?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was a low moan, which seemed to come from the -lips of the crater, and a moment afterwards the earth -trembled slightly. It was the dreaded voice of the earthquake, -as they knew only too well; and, with a sudden impulse, -all turned to fly. The valley smiled peaceful and -serene in the brilliant sunshine, the white peaks glittered -like Pentelican marble against the sky, the delicate green -of the foliage, the myriad hues of the flowers met their eyes -on all sides; yet under this mask of smiling loveliness raged -fierce subterranean fires, which were already pressing furiously -upward to shatter the whole beautiful scene into -Titantic fragments of stone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Let us take provisions, water, wine—what we can,” said -Justinian rapidly, as he led the way into the Acropolis. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_433'>433</span>“There is not a moment to be lost. We must fly without -delay.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The unfortunates made as much speed as they could, and -collected all the food they could find, assisted by Argyropoulos, -who had been called by the Demarch from his engine. -Fortunately there were but few valuables to take away, as -Justinian had always lived with great simplicity, and all his -money was safe in London. The Demarch hastily gathered -up a few of his papers, some money, and a little jewelry -which belonged to Helena; while the others loaded themselves -only with necessaries, such as provisions, wine, water, -and cloaks to protect them should they have to pass the -night on the beach. Helena, weeping bitterly, took leave of -all her beloved flowers; and never had the court, with its -snowy pillars, sporting fountain, and mass of blossoms, -looked so beautiful as it did on this fatal morning. Argos, -poor bird, was strutting proudly about, quite unaware of his -danger; and Helena, touched by a feeling of compassion, -impulsively spoke to Maurice.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Shall we take Argos with us?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid we cannot, my dear girl. See, we are all -heavily laden. Where is my uncle?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He has gone to take a last look at the valley,” said -Helena, bursting into tears.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Poor uncle!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>At that moment Justinian reappeared in the court, with a -haggard face, his shoulders bent with the weight of his -grief. In a few hours he had aged years, and now this terrible -blow had broken him down completely. He had taken -one last farewell of the valley he loved so much, of his dead -people who were there sleeping in their terrible tomb, of all -his schemes for reviving the old Hellas of the past; and now -took up his burden, in common with the rest, to abandon the -Acropolis forever.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The little band sadly left the beautiful home in which -they could no longer hope to dwell, and took their melancholy -way up the winding path which led up to the altar -glade. Argyropoulos went first, then Dick came, supporting -the weeping Zoe, and finally Justinian, with his nephew on -one side and his daughter on the other, came slowly walking -along, overcome with grief. All his schemes, all his expenditure, -all his works were now at an end; and, as far as -results went, the last forty years of his busy life had been -absolutely wasted.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_434'>434</span>Just as they reached the altar inscribed Θεόν, which had -witnessed of late the birth of young love, Temistocles, in a -state of great excitement, came running up the path which -led from the cliffs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kyrion! Kyrion! the pirates! pirates!” he cried in -Greek.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Another blow!” said Justinian, with a harsh cry. “Are -we not to escape with our lives? How many boats?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eight, Kyrion, crowded with men.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What misfortune!” muttered the Demarch, letting his -chin sink on his breast. “Pirates without—fire within. -We are lost!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“On the contrary, we are saved,” cried Maurice, with a -sudden inspiration. “Don’t give way, uncle. Caliphronas -has arrived at a most opportune moment, for we will use -their boats in order to escape.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Impossible!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not at all. I will explain my scheme when we get down -to the verge of the cliff. Come, Temistocles, Dick, Argyropoulos. -Forward all. We will hoist those scoundrels on their -own petard.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If I can,” cried Justinian in a rage, raising his hands to -heaven, “I will make a holocaust of them to the infernal -gods!”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XXXIX. <br /> <span class='fss'>JUSTINIAN’S REVENGE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>The past is shattered,</div> - <div class='line'>The future lost.</div> - <div class='line'>Now tempest-battered,</div> - <div class='line'>My soul is tossed</div> - <div class='line'>From billow to billow on life’s wild sea,</div> - <div class='line'>With nothing but sorrow and care for me.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>The gods have spoken,</div> - <div class='line'>My prayers they spurn,</div> - <div class='line'>Yet tho’ thus broken,</div> - <div class='line'>I make return</div> - <div class='line'>Of holocausts high on their altars bare,</div> - <div class='line'>An offering bitter of my despair.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>The saying, “It never rains but it pours,” was fully exemplified -by the series of calamities which had befallen the -once peaceful Isle of Fantasy and its inhabitants. First the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_435'>435</span>treachery of Caliphronas, then the war which had killed so -many people, now a threatened eruption of an apparently -extinct volcano, and, to crown all, a band of pirates waiting -at the only outlet of escape, to massacre the survivors as -they fled from the perils within. Evidently the sins of -Rudolph Roylands’ youth were now bearing fruit, and his -ancestral Ate was now exacting her full penalty for those -half-forgotten episodes of his early life, by depriving him -of all he valued most in the world. One thing after another -had been torn from his reluctant grasp, and now it seemed -as if his life itself was to crown the measure of repayment. -Standing on the lofty cliff, with his nephew, daughter, and -dependants beside him, Justinian watched the pirates landing -from their boats with cynical despair, feeling that the -end of all things had come as far as he was concerned.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Owing to the mental and physical trials of the last few -weeks, the Demarch had lost to a great extent his iron nerve, -and could no longer conceive, decide, and execute his projects -with his former promptitude. The loss of his island -had turned him from a vigorous, determined leader into a -feeble old man, and although now and then his spirits did -flash up with a gleam of brilliancy, it was apparent to every -eye that he was no longer fitted either to lead or control -matters at this final crisis of affairs. It was then that -Maurice showed himself a capable commander, and, leaving -his worn-out uncle to the care of the women, instinctively -took affairs into his own hands without further loss of time.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Of course he still deferred to Justinian as ostensible head -of all things, but it was he who made all suggestions, and -the Demarch did little else than agree to all his propositions. -First of all, Maurice, getting from Justinian the key of the -iron gate, sent Temistocles down the staircase to call up -Alexandros and the two Melnosians, in order to concentrate -in one spot all the survivors of the island, and decide upon a -course of action. When they came up to the vantage-point, -Temistocles locked the iron gate again, and restored the key -to his master, after which all the men sat down to consider -the position of affairs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was now noon, and the sun at his zenith was blazing -hotly down on the lava rocks of Melnos, which, flinging back -the glare, rendered the heat almost intolerable. The pirates, -having drawn up their boats on the beach inside the -harbor, had retreated to their old camp, the tents of which, -untouched by the Melnosians, were still standing. There they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_436'>436</span>evidently intended to remain until it grew cooler, in order -to assault the palisade, quite ignorant that the inhabitants -of Melnos were all dead, and that the volcano was on the -point of bursting out in eruption. Had they known this -latter fact, they would speedily have fled away from the ill-omened -spot; but Maurice was glad they were thus ignorant, -as he wished to use one of their boats, in order that himself -and his party might escape from the coming explosion of the -mountain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you think the pirates will assault the palisade this -afternoon, uncle?” asked Maurice, anxious for the old warrior’s -opinion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, I don’t think so,” replied Justinian, shaking his -head. “They have evidently been rowing here all the -morning, and are tired out. It is probable they will sleep -all the afternoon, and attack us just when it grows dusk. -What do you propose to do, Maurice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“First, pull down the palisade.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! and thus lose our only defence! You are mad!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is some method in my madness, as you will see, -uncle. I wish to pull down the barrier, so that when the pirates -come up to assault, they will find no difficulty in passing -up the gorge. Of course, suspecting nothing, they will -make their way right into the interior of the island, while -we, who are in their rear, can go down the side staircase, on -to the beach, and then push off in a boat before they return.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s a good idea, sir,” said Dick, scratching his head; -“but suppose, when they get inside the palisade, they should -come up the stair and find us here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They won’t do that, Dick, for we will lock the gate; and -you can depend upon it, when they find the pass open, they -will not waste their time in trying to force this side path. -If they can gain the interior of the island by an open way, -they certainly won’t try to pass in by a blocked one.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t you think they will suspect treachery, Maurice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, uncle. In the first place, most of these are new arrivals, -and, in spite of what their comrades have told them, -won’t believe we are—or rather were—so strong. And in -the second place, they will think we have retreated up to the -second palisade, so even if they stop there, we will have -time to get to sea.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What about this, Kyrion?” said Alexandros, pointing to -the battery, which stood near; “will we not wait till the -enemy are under the rocks, and then bring them down to -crush all?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_437'>437</span>“By no means, Alexandros; for by so doing we would -close up the only avenue of escape left to us. It will not -be much gratification crushing the enemy, if we only attain -that by letting ourselves be blown up by the volcano.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Alexandros looked rather unhappy at this, as he was proud -of his work, and would have liked to show how skilfully -his battery worked; but he recognized the force of Roylands’ -reasoning, so said no more about it. Justinian was -also silent, but simply because he had conceived a plan for -punishing his enemies; and looking at the battery, the rocks -frowning over the pass, and the coils of rope near the pine -tree, he glanced suddenly at Alexandros with a significant -smile, whereupon the quick-witted Greek saw that the -Demarch had some scheme in his head, and that his battery -would yet be utilized. Accordingly, when all the men descended -to the gorge for the purpose of levelling the palisade, -Alexandros lingered behind with Justinian to receive -his orders.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is it, Kyrion?” he asked in Greek.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Alexandros,” replied the Demarch fiercely, “I am leaving -this island forever, for, as you know, all our friends are -dead; but I will leave behind me an offering to their manes -of all those scoundrels who have given me such trouble. -You must carry out my wish.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will, Kyrion.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“By those coils of rope up there you can escape down the -face of the cliff?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Easily, Kyrion; I am a monkey in climbing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good! Well, when the pirates have gone up the pass, -and we have gained the boat on the beach, you remain -behind, and, when I give the signal, explode the mine. Thus -the pass will be closed up, sealing the pirates up in the -crater, so if the volcano does burst out, they will be blown -to pieces.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will do it, Kyrion,” said Alexandros, who liked this -scheme immensely; “and then I can escape down the cliff.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Keep it to yourself,” said the Demarch in a whisper, as -they went out of the iron gate; “Mr. Maurice is too tender-hearted, -and might not like it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>How Justinian could reconcile this proposed massacre with -the aversion he had felt the previous day in exploding his -mine, it is hard to say, but the fact is, with all his troubles, -his brain was becoming slightly affected, and he now deemed -it a point of honor to sacrifice his enemies to the manes of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_438'>438</span>his dead subjects. After all, as he considered, and very -truly, these pirates were but dangerous desperadoes, which -the Ægean could very well spare, so the sooner they were -cut short in their nefarious careers the better for the islanders -of the Cyclades. Besides, Rudolph Roylands had, even -in his old age, a wild and lawless spirit, only curbed by his -wonderful powers of self-control, and in thus avenging himself -on the enemies who had destroyed his cherished schemes, -he was indulging in a burst of that Baresark fury which he -inherited from his Norse ancestors.</p> - -<p class='c001'>With hard work the eight men managed to make a breach -in the earthworks through which the enemy could pass, and -all the carefully-built fortifications were levelled to the -ground. It was growing dusk when they finished, and -already they could hear a stir in the camp of the enemy, so, -rapidly completing their work of devastation, they returned -to the vantage-point, where they had left the women. Only -the Demarch and his nephew lingered behind, the one to -lock the iron gate, and the other to carry away the Union -Jack, which still floated proudly over the ruined barricade.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They won’t get this, at all events, uncle,” said Maurice -gleefully, as he hauled down the flag; “I wouldn’t have it -fall into their hands for a thousand pounds.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sooner burn it,” retorted the Demarch fiercely; “but -hurry up, Maurice, for, judging from the noise they are making, -I suspect their forces are being drawn up.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Roylands, with the folds of the flag wrapped round his -body, ran through the iron gate with his uncle, and the latter -having locked it carefully, they ascended the staircase in -order to wait events.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was just at that hour after sunset, when the day blending -with the night produces that luminous twilight so -noticeable in the Mediterranean. The little band, concealed -from sight on the high cliff, could easily see in the warm -glow how rapidly the enemy were gathering their forces -together, but, in spite of all endeavors, none of them could -see Caliphronas.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t expect he has come back, uncle.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh yes, he has,” replied the Demarch grimly; “but, on -the plea of his wound, he will remain behind in the camp, -and let his army do the work. Once they conquer, he will -come out and crow. That is Andros all over; he likes to be -the monkey, and use others as cats to pull the chestnuts out -of the fire.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_439'>439</span>“I am very glad he is not leading them,” said Maurice -thoughtfully, “for he would be keen enough to mistrust appearances, -and refrain from entering the pass in case of -treachery, in which case we would be kept prisoners up -here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena uttered a low cry of fright, and hid her face on -Maurice’s shoulder, for at this moment the earth began to -tremble slightly. The shock, however, was not a severe one, -and did no damage, still it made the whole party feel uneasy, -and wish they were relieved from their perilous position. -The four Melnosians, who had lost all their friends and relatives, -looked like statues of despair; still, so selfish is man -for himself, that, though all their pleasure in life was gone, -they were as uneasy and anxious to be saved as the rest of -the party.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Luckily, owing to the ardor with which the enemy were -forming their lines, they had not noticed the ominous warning -of the earthquake, and were evidently about to make a -grand assault on the barrier. At a given signal, they rushed -wildly up the hill, shrieking like fiends, but recoiled in dismay -as they saw the ruins of the palisade. Evidently suspecting -treachery, they consulted together for a moment, -then cautiously went forward into the pass. Finding no foe -there to confront them, they became more confident, and as -Caliphronas, who could have shown them the way, was not -present, they took no notice of the iron gate, but marched -boldly up the gorge, firing their rifles at intervals, until -there was not a single man left either at the palisade or on -the beach.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was not a moment to be lost, so, Justinian leading, -with Maurice and Dick following with the women and the -Melnosians, they went down to the foot of the stair, unlocked -the door, and as rapidly as possible ran down the hill -to the beach. Placing Helena, Zoe, and all their bundles in -the best boat they could select in their hurry, Dick and Argyropoulos -pushed it off into deep water.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where is Alexandros?” asked Maurice, noticing the -absence of the electrician for the first time.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian, with a grim smile, turned his face towards the -cliffs and raised his hand, both to point out Alexandros to -Maurice, and to give the signal for the exploding of the -mine. Maurice stared aghast for a moment, and would have -spoken, but before he could open his mouth there was a tremendous -roar, and the great rocks at the mouth of the pass -<span class='pageno' id='Page_440'>440</span>crashed down with a noise like thunder, blocking up the entrance -for ever.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have shut the pirates in, uncle!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” said the Demarch fiercely; “I have triumphed -over my enemies.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But Alexandros?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is safe. See! he is sliding down the rope.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And the volcano!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Even while the words were on his lips, the ground began -to shake convulsively, and with a cry, Helena fell back -in the boat in a dead faint. Maurice and Justinian were -thrown to the ground, and high above, amid the encircling -peaks, shot up a mighty column of smoke, streaked with -red fire.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The volcano!” cried Maurice, dragging his uncle to his -feet. “Quick! quick! get into the boat. Dick! Alexandros!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>They were both beside him, and assisted to take the -Demarch towards the boat, but, to their dismay, found it had -been left high and dry by the receding waters, which were -curling backward from the land in streaks of livid white. -The volcano now began to cast out great stones, and at intervals -showers of boiling water, while lurid flames flashed -fiercely through the gigantic column of smoke which loomed -terrible and vague above the fatal island.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“God! we will be killed!” cried Maurice, as, with the aid -of Dick and Alexandros, he began to push the boat slowly -towards the sea. “Helena! Helena! lie down at the bottom -of the boat.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In order to push the craft to sea, Maurice had been forced -to leave his uncle, but the old man was now on his feet running -towards him. Suddenly there was a shriek of agony, -and through the falling stones, through the blinding dust, -through the rain of fire, rushed Caliphronas, making for the -boat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Save me, save me, Justinian! Maurice, help!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Traitor!” cried Justinian, turning fiercely on the Greek; -“now you shall reap the reward of your treachery.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A thick, sulphurous smoke was spread around, and in this -the two men were struggling, locked in a deathly grip. -Temistocles and his three countrymen were already afloat, -pulling away as hard as they could; but Maurice gave himself -up for lost, as, in spite of all his efforts and those of -Dick, the boat was too firmly imbedded in the sand to be -<span class='pageno' id='Page_441'>441</span>moved. Great bombs came shooting up into the sky from -the heart of the volcano, and, bursting in the lurid air, huge -rocks and showers of stones came crashing down on all sides; -and, to add to the horror of the night, Maurice, with a cry of -despair, saw the sea rushing violently up to the land.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Uncle! uncle! the boat! the boat!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Dick and Alexandros scrambled in, while Maurice ran to -help Justinian; but, before he could reach him, he was -ingulfed in the waves of the sea, and half blindly saw a huge -stone fall from heaven on his uncle and the struggling Greek. -The waves foamed around the pair, but, without a cry, Caliphronas -had been struck down, a bleeding, smashed-up mass, -under the cruel rock; while Justinian, also struck on the -chest, could make no effort to save himself. Borne up by -the force of the sea, Maurice felt rather than saw the boat -rush past him towards the beach, but with an almost superhuman -effort he managed to clutch his insensible uncle and -keep afloat. The waters around were seething furiously, -great stones kept splashing down on all sides, and above he -could but see a sky of intense black smoke, through which -played forked flashes of red fire.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The sea, having dashed right up to the cliffs, began to -retire, upon which Dick and Alexandros leaped out of the -boat to lighten her, and thus try to float her back into deep -water. Maurice staggered to his feet, with his uncle in his -arms, and strove to reach the boat. Borne outward by the -retreating waters, the light craft swept past him, but he -also, abandoning himself to the waves, was carried seaward. -In another second the boat was in deep water, and Dick, who -had never let go the gunwale, leaped in with Alexandros. -They looked anxiously through the gloom for Maurice and -the Demarch, and as at this moment a flash of scarlet fire -lighted up the furious sea, they caught a glimpse of them, -and, in spite of the still outward-rushing water, tried to row -obliquely towards the pair. For a moment it looked as if -they could not be saved, but fortunately, Maurice, though -half stunned, still retained his senses, and was able to clutch -the oar which Dick held out towards him. By this he was -drawn gradually to the boat, which was rocking violently in -the disturbed sea.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Take—uncle!—uncle first!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Dick, with the assistance of Alexandros, managed to pull -the insensible man on board, after which, Maurice, half dead -<span class='pageno' id='Page_442'>442</span>with exhaustion, also scrambled into the boat, and, the sea -now being calmer, they rowed rapidly out to sea.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The volcano was now spouting fire furiously, and by the -glare they were able to see the entrance of the breakwater. -By a miracle, they escaped the falling stones, but, just as -they were gliding past the massive masonry, they saw the -boat of Temistocles dashed to pieces, and all on board go -down in the crimson flood. Much as they wished to save the -unfortunate men, they were unable to do so, for every second -they expected to be dashed to pieces, so, with the strength -of despair, they shot out of the harbor far into the sea -beyond. Justinian, Helena, and Zoe were all lying insensible -at the bottom of the boat, Maurice was at the helm, and -Alexandros, with Dick, was pulling for dear life, so as to get -beyond the range of the projectiles shot from the volcano.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Alas, the beautiful Island of Fantasy! it was now nothing -but a pillar of fire, and all the dead Melnosians, the living -pirates, had been reduced to ashes in that terrible furnace. -Already streaks of glowing lava began to move slowly down -the sides of the mountain, colossal tongues of fire shot upward -to the silent stars, and explosions, like distant cannonading, -shook the mountain to its base. The noise was -something deafening, but, luckily for the fugitives, they were -now beyond the rain of stones, rocks, and bombs, while the -sea, though still disturbed, was comparatively quiet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They were floating on an ocean of blood, for the crimson -glare of the spouting fire smote sky and sea alike with its -fiery blaze, and away in the distance arose the deserted Melnos, -with its peaks crowned with thick vapors, from whence -flashed streaks of fire.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The ever-turning wheel of time had come full circle, and -the long extinct volcano was once more a burning mountain, -vomiting death and destruction on all sides; while far -beyond, on the scarlet waters, floated the little boat containing -five human beings, all that remained of the inhabitants -who had dwelt in the beautiful valley of Melnos.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_443'>443</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XL. <br /> <span class='fss'>DEATH PAYS ALL DEBTS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-b c010'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>The day is ended, the night is near—</div> - <div class='line in2'>That’s how I look at my end.</div> - <div class='line'>The night is over, the day breaks clear—</div> - <div class='line in2'>Such is your creed, my friend.</div> - <div class='line'>But, yours or mine, does it matter much</div> - <div class='line in2'>Which of our faiths is the true one—</div> - <div class='line'>Mine, with its failure a future to touch,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Or yours, so sure of a new one?</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>We both know nothing of what comes next,</div> - <div class='line in2'>For that is my firm belief;</div> - <div class='line'>’Tis waste to preach on an unproved text,</div> - <div class='line in2'>And harrow our souls with grief.</div> - <div class='line'>My life has not been what you call pure,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Yet when drops this vexed life’s curtain,</div> - <div class='line'>I think my future is quite as sure</div> - <div class='line in2'>As yours with its heaven certain.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c011'>Without doubt Crispin’s star was in the ascendant when -he left Melnos on that perilous voyage to Syra, for in a very -short space of time he was picked up by a Cretan steamer, -and, on his arrival at his destination, found the yacht lying -in the harbor. Owing to her likeness to the unfortunate -Eunice which had been wrecked, he had no difficulty in -recognizing her among the gay-colored caiques and steamers -from all countries which thronged in the bay below the -white town of Syra. Hurrying at once on board, he was met -by the Rector, Mrs. Dengelton, and Eunice, who were both -surprised and delighted to see him so soon after their arrival -in the Ægean. A long conversation at once ensued between -the four, and Crispin described the perilous position in which -he had left Justinian, much to the astonishment of the -Rector, who could not understand that pirates still existed. -As for Mrs. Dengelton, she asserted that no power on earth -would induce her to go to Melnos, where there were so many -dangers; but in this selfish determination she was overruled -by her daughter and Mr. Carriston.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It having been settled that all on board would remain, -Crispin, in company with Gurt, hurried off to see the Eparch, -and, on explaining the state of Melnos to him, managed to -obtain about fifty men in order to assist the besieged. They -were marched on board at once; and late next day the yacht -<span class='pageno' id='Page_444'>444</span>set sail for the Island of Fantasy, with every one in a fearful -state of excitement at the prospect of coming adventures.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During the voyage they met with a head wind, but this -made but little difference to The Eunice, which, beating the -water with her powerful screw, forged steadily ahead in spite -of wind and wave. The Hon. Mrs. Dengelton had long since -recovered from sea-sickness, and was now as lively as ever, -chatting gayly with Mr. Carriston, while Crispin, now being -for the time at leisure, made love to Eunice. Both the -lovers were in the seventh heaven of happiness at thus being -reunited, and, had it not been for the state of uncertainty he -felt about Melnos, Crispin would have been perfectly happy. -For a wonder, Mrs. Dengelton had kept her promise, and not -persuaded Eunice to marry any one else; for which honorable -conduct she deserved no praise, for as yet Crispin was -the wealthiest suitor The Parrot had secured for her daughter. -The lady, however, made a virtue of necessity, and frequently -pointed out to Crispin how straightforwardly she -had behaved, for which meritorious conduct the poet was -duly thankful.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” said Mrs. Dengelton, recovering her breath after a -long harangue; “when I make a promise I keep it. I said, -Find out whom you are, and you shall have my daughter. -Well, here is Eunice, and here am I, both waiting for the -promised explanation. Now, then, Mr. Crispin, who are -you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t know yet.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you mean to say you cannot find out?” screamed the -lady.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, I don’t say so, Mrs. Dengelton. As soon as we arrive -at Melnos, Justinian will tell me everything I and you desire -to know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Justinian!” echoed Mrs. Dengelton crossly, determined -not to be satisfied. “Oh, dear Mr. Crispin, do not call my -brother by that heathenish name!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is an honorable name!” said the Rector good-naturedly. -“You know it was Justinian, the Emperor of the East, who -built St. Sophia, and was the author of the Pandects. My -old friend Rudolph could scarcely have chosen a more suitable -name for a lawgiver.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is really wonderful to think of Rudolph still being -alive,” mused Mrs. Dengelton, taking no notice of the Rector’s -historical explanation. “It will be like meeting a -stranger, for I was a child in long clothes when he left -England.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_445'>445</span>“Yes; fifty years does make a difference.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Fifty years!” shrieked Mrs. Dengelton, seeing he had -made a mistake. “Oh, quite impossible, my dear Rector!—why, -I am only forty-five, and as I was born when Rudolph -left, it really cannot—it cannot”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>She was unable to utter that nauseous statement of fifty -years, so the Rector good-humoredly came to her relief.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course not—of course not, my dear lady. Time flies -so quickly that we are apt to make mistakes. Your age, of -course, is—is—?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Forty-five,” murmured the lady bashfully. “Ah, I am -indeed growing old. But I will be glad to see Rudolph -again, and my niece. You say she is beautiful, Mr. -Crispin?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Lovely!—as lovely as Eunice here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good looks run in our family,” said Mrs. Dengelton complacently. -“I myself—well, there, I was just like Eunice -at her age. Yes, I will be glad to see Helena!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I will be glad to see Melnos!” interposed the Rector. -“You can have no idea, my dear Crispin, how interested -I was in Maurice’s letter concerning this scheme of reconstituting -Hellas. It is a noble dream, which may turn out into -a reality.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Always provided there is no trouble from the pirates or -the volcano, Mr. Carriston.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I trust that the volcano is quiescent; and as for the -pirates, I judge, from your description of the defences, that -Maurice will be able to keep them at bay until we arrive.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly as a last resource they can close up the pass,” -said Crispin thoughtfully; “but that would leave them at the -mercy of the volcano.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They may be all burnt up,” observed Mrs. Dengelton in -a sepulchral tone; “and instead of Rudolph I may meet a -cinder.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t think so, Mrs. Dengelton. Whatever happens, -I have full faith in Justinian’s powers of extricating himself -from any dilemma; besides, Maurice also is ingenious in -ideas.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear lad!” said the Rector, with emotion. “I am so -anxious to see him. This siege seems to have made a new -man of him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t think you would recognize him, Rector. He is -not listless now, but full of life and spirits. Love, open-air -life, and responsibility have wrought wonders.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_446'>446</span>“And when do you think we will be in sight of Melnos?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To-morrow morning, I think, but Gurt will know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Leaving Mrs. Dengelton and Eunice in the cabin, the two -gentlemen went on deck to see Gurt, who gave it as his -opinion that they certainly would sight Melnos at dawn.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope we will find them alive, Gurt.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t you fear, Mr. Crispin, sir. Why, I’d back Mr. Roylands -against the Dook of Wellingtin himself for fightin’.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Rector was much delighted with Gurt, especially -when he saw how the sailor worshipped Maurice; and the -tale of the siege of the island, as told by Gurt, with Maurice -as the hero, was as brilliant and unreliable as “The Arabian -Nights Entertainments.” Never being able to hear enough -about his dear lad, Mr. Carriston asked Gurt to once more -recite his Iliad, which the sailor was nothing loath to do, -and the story lasted until all retired to rest.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The next morning at dawn they were in Cretan waters, -and the Rector, Crispin, and Gurt were all on the lookout -for the island. Just about sunrise they saw its conical -shape dimly on the horizon, and Crispin, who had his glasses -up, uttered a cry of dismay.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, there’s smoke!” he said anxiously. “Can the volcano -have broken out?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope not! I trust not!” cried Carriston, turning pale. -“Let me look, Crispin. You surely must be mistaken.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Alas! there was no mistake, for, as they drew nearer, even -without the aid of the lengthy tube of the binocle, the crest -of the island appeared to be topped by a dark cloud of -smoke, and they could hear at intervals the muffled roar of -the volcano breathing fire and fury.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“O God! O God! my poor friends!” groaned Crispin, -sinking down in deep despair; while the Rector, stunned -with the magnitude of the calamity, could say nothing—not -even a word of comfort. Both Mrs. Dengelton and -Eunice were weeping bitterly at the thought of their terrible -loss; but Gurt, in spite of the smoking volcano before -his eyes, sturdily refused to believe that Justinian and his -company were dead.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Don’t ’ee believe it, Mr. Crispin! Mr. Maurice knows a -thing or two. If any one’s frizzled, I guess it’ll be them -pirates; but Mr. Justinian and Miss Helena!—Lor’, sir, -Mr. Maurice ’ull see to ’em!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>At this moment the man on the lookout cried out that -there was a boat in sight to the eastward, on which cheering -<span class='pageno' id='Page_447'>447</span>intelligence the hearts of all revived, in the hope that it -would prove to be their friends escaped from the fatal -island. The yacht’s head was turned towards the speck in -the distance, and she steamed ahead at full speed, so as to -put an end to all suspense, while every one crowded to the -taffrail, in order to catch the first glimpse of the occupants.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Glory! glory!” yelled Gurt, dancing about in a state of -great excitement. “There’s Mr. Maurice, sir! and Dick! -What did I tell ’ee, Mr. Crispin! Glory! glory!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t see Justinian,” said Crispin anxiously; “but see, -there are two women. Those will be Helena and Zoe!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sum’at lyin’ in the boat,” cried Gurt, who had climbed -up the weather rigging; “maybe it’s Mr. Justinian. Get -her ahead, sir, an’ we’ll soon have ’em on board.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Eunice slowed down her engines when she approached -the caique, and the anxious faces bending over the side saw -that it contained Maurice, Dick, Helena, and Zoe, all frightfully -haggard-looking objects, and that at the bottom of the -boat lay the form of a man covered with the folds of the -Union Jack. The two young men, who seemed quite worn -out with fatigue, brought the caique alongside the yacht, -and, having passed up the women and the insensible Justinian, -climbed on board themselves. Then ensued a scene of -heartfelt welcome and congratulations, in which Maurice -especially was nearly overwhelmed by the embraces of Crispin -and the Rector.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is Justinian dead?” asked Crispin, when the first excitement -had somewhat subsided.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No; but I am afraid he is dying!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My poor lad!” said the Rector pityingly; “you are -quite worn out. Crispin, are you still going on to Melnos?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is the use, sir?” said Dick bitterly; “it’s nothing -but a heap o’ cinders.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Any one still left on the island?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Crispin,” said Maurice solemnly, “with the exception of -those you see, every soul on the island is dead. I will tell -you all soon, but meanwhile I must have something to eat, a -bath, and a sleep.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The women had already carried off Helena and Zoe, to -attend to them in their cabin, Justinian was taken down and -put to bed, and the yacht’s head was turned back to Syra -without delay, in order to obtain a doctor for the dying -Demarch.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_448'>448</span>“Where is Alexandros, Dick?” asked Gurt, as he attended -to the wants of the boatswain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Fell overboard!” replied Dick sadly; “he got away -with us from that cursed island, but, being weak with all his -work, tumbled into the water. We tried to save him, but -he was so weak that before we could reach him he went -down.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And that ’ere Count?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, a stone from the volcano smashed him up.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Served him jolly well right!” said Gurt cruelly. “My -eye, Dick, ’ow glad I am t’ see ye, and Zoe too!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If it hadn’t been for Mr. Roylands, we’d all have been -lost, Gurt!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Didn’t I say so!” cried Gurt, bringing his fist down on -the table with a mighty thump. “Wot a man he is! Lord -Nelsing and the Dook of Wellingtin were nothin’ to him—nothin’!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In spite of the speed of the yacht, she was unable to reach -Syra in time to save the life of the Demarch, for the stone -from the volcano had so crushed in his chest, that internal -hemorrhage had taken place, and there was no hope of saving -his life. He revived, however, shortly after being taken on -board, and was conscious to the last, not without some -gleams of his former grim humor at the cause of his death.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That ungrateful Melnos!” he said feebly, as he lay back -in his berth, clasping his daughter’s hand; “I gave it bread, -and it returns me a stone—a stone to crush me to death. -Well, at all events it killed Andros, and of that I am glad.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hush, hush, my dear friend!” said the Rector gently; -“you must not talk like that. Forgive your enemies.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! forgive that monster of ingratitude, who brought -so many troubles on me, and ruined my schemes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” said Carriston firmly; “the greater the sinner, the -more need has he of forgiveness. If you forgive not your -enemies their sins, how can you expect God to forgive -you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What about yourself, Rector?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have no enemies,” replied Carriston, with great dignity; -“but even if I had, I would forgive them freely.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very well,” said the Demarch, with a cynical smile, -which but ill became his pallid face; “I will put you to the -test. Call in every one.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Considerably puzzled at this remark, the Rector did as he -was bidden, and in a short space of time, Maurice, Crispin, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_449'>449</span>Mrs. Dengelton, and Eunice were gathered round the bed of -the dying man. Helena still sat near him, holding his hot -hand; and the Demarch, thus having got his audience together, -began to make his last confession.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You say, Hector, you have no enemies.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, not that I know of!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Think a little, Mr. Carriston. What about thirty years -back?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thirty years back!” repeated Carriston, growing pale.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Captain Malcolm, who ran off with your wife and -child!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How do you know that?” asked the Rector, with a reproachful -glance at Roylands. “Has Maurice”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have said nothing, sir,” cried Maurice, flushing deeply; -“how can you suspect me of such a thing?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I beg your pardon, my dear lad,” replied the Rector penitently; -“I was wrong to do so. Still, how does Mr. Justinian -know”—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“For the very simple reason that he was Captain Malcolm,” -said the Demarch faintly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You!” cried Carriston, recoiling with a shudder,—“you! -Are you the man who wrecked my life, and stole my dear -ones from me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am that man!” said Justinian, looking at him with -weak defiance. “Come now, where is your forgiveness?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Rector was deeply moved, and sat on the edge of the -berth, with his hands clasped, and great drops of perspiration -rolling down his pale face. A terrible struggle was -going on in his mind, for it appeared to him almost impossible -to forgive this man, who had wronged him so bitterly. -Justinian, observer of human nature to the last, looked at -him with a faint sneer on his dying lips.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I thought you would not practise what you preached.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are wrong! you are wrong!” cried the Rector, -springing to his feet. “God forgive me! I should not have -hesitated a moment. I do forgive you! I forgive you freely.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian was so moved to sudden emotion at this noble -behavior on the part of the man he had wronged, that for -the moment he was deprived of speech.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I see there are some good men still on earth,” he said at -length in a faltering voice. “Mr. Carriston, I thank you for -your noble conduct, which has taken me quite by surprise. -I acknowledge I have wronged you deeply, and cannot palliate -my conduct, but I can and will make reparation.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_450'>450</span>“My wife?” groaned the Rector bitterly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is dead; but your son is by your side.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Rector turned suddenly round and found himself face -to face with Crispin, whose countenance was as pallid as his -own. They gazed for a moment at one another, suffocated -with emotion, then, casting all restraint to the winds, fell -into one another’s arms.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You will find all the necessary papers to convince you of -this truth with my lawyers in London,” said the Demarch, -with evident pleasure at this meeting of long parted father -and son.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am convinced now,” replied Carriston, as he stood with -his hand on Crispin’s shoulder. “Yes! this is indeed my -son.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Still, you had better see the papers,” said Justinian -faintly. “There is a letter for you from your wife, which -will tell you all you wish to know. Rector, I have been a -great sinner, I know, still I don’t think there are many -actions I regret so much as robbing you of your wife. However, -I have done my best to make amends, and you have forgiven -me. But Crispin?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I also forgive you freely,” said Crispin, clasping the hand -of the dying man; “for by this confession you have not only -given me a father, but a wife.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, take her!” sobbed Mrs. Dengelton, pushing her -daughter towards the poet. “I always liked you, Crispin,—or -shall I say Mr. Carriston?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think it must be Crispin Carriston,” said the Rector, -drawing Eunice towards him, “for I love the name of Crispin -too well to part with it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear father!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Maurice!” said Justinian, who was getting weaker.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, uncle?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You will find my will at my lawyer’s; it leaves all the -money to you and Helena, who is to be your wife.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear wife!” repeated Maurice, kissing the weeping -girl. “As to your money, uncle, I do not require it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must take it, my son. Helena is my heiress, and -alas! now Melnos has vanished in smoke and fire, there is no -use for it there. You will return to England, Maurice, and, -with all this wealth, do what good you can in the world. -Crispin is already rich, so it would be useless to leave him -anything.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have Eunice, and that is enough for me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_451'>451</span>“Well, now all is arranged, we must drop the curtain on -this comedy of life,” said Justinian, with a flash of his old -cynicism. “After all, I have played my part to the best of -my ability on this life’s stage, but Fate has been too strong -for me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is the will of God,” observed the Rector solemnly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Justinian said nothing, as he did not wish to offend the -firm faith of the old clergyman, but he could not, for the life -of him, think that it was the will of God that forty years of -hard work to raise up a new civilization should be blotted -out for no reason whatsoever.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Life’s a problem!” he said, with a faint sigh; “we do -our best, and remain poor, we do our worst, and become rich. -However, it is all over now, and of all my schemes nothing -remains. Dust, ashes, smoke, fire, have they all come to, and -I, after seventy-five years of life, die foiled and beaten by -Fate.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, father, do not talk so! You will not die! you will -live!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am afraid not, my child!” replied the dying man -faintly; “the parting gift of Melnos has crushed the life out -of me. Oh, my island, my beautiful island! that bloomed -like a rose on the waters! how your glory has departed! -The forge of Hephaistos hath supplanted the garden of -Cytherea.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will I not pray for you?” asked the Rector gently.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To whom? God? Well, a good man’s prayers can do -no harm, and, if there is truth in your belief, may do some -good. But we are all in the dark, you with your Christianity, -I with my paganism. The comedy is ended, drop the curtain.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, father, father! do not talk so!” sobbed Helena, burying -her face in her hands.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hush, my child! I am not afraid. Rector, you can pray -for me, but, now all is told and done, leave me with my -child. Good-by, my sister; I never knew you, so we are -almost strangers—good-by. Kiss me, Eunice, and be a -good wife to Crispin, who loves you so dearly. Crispin, I -have wronged you, but made reparation. Dick! Gurt! you -have been true men, and Maurice will look after your future. -Maurice, my dear son, good-by. Be a kind husband to my -child, and comfort her in her sorrow. Bury me at sea, for I -will have no meaner grave than the mighty ocean. Good-by, -one and all—good-by!”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_452'>452</span>They took leave of him in silence, one by one, and then -left the cabin quietly, leaving him alone with Helena and -the Rector, who was already on his knees reciting the service -for the dying. On deck, the sun was setting in splendor, -leaving trails of glory in the heavens, and sadly they -remained there, waiting for the end. In about half an hour, -the Rector, pale and sad, appeared on the deck.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is all over!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The next day, the yacht arrived at Syra, with her ensign -half-mast, as a token of the dead on board. Here the men -whom Crispin had recruited for the defence of Melnos were -paid off and dismissed. No one on board cared to remain -longer in the Archipelago, now so fraught with sad associations, -so, after a few hours’ stay, The Eunice steamed out of -the harbor on her way to old England once more.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Off the island of Cerigo, to the extreme south of the -Peloponnesus, Justinian’s body was committed to the deep, -wrapped in no meaner shroud than that ragged Union Jack, -shot nearly into tatters, which had floated so proudly over -the well-defended stockade. The Rector, in a voice broken -by emotion, read the burial service over the body of the dead -Demarch, who, whatever his faults might have been, was a -great man. The engines were slowed down, the body, -wrapped in its glorious pall, shot with a sullen splash into -the sea, and then the yacht, with set sails and beating -screw, plunged on, through the purple seas, towards England.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena was almost broken-hearted with her loss, and shut -herself up in her cabin to lament in solitude. This, however, -Maurice would not allow, as he was afraid of her becoming -ill, and one evening, when all were at dinner, he persuaded -her to come up on deck, where the glory of the sunset was -burning with splendor in the far west.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dearest,” he said tenderly, <a id='corr452.33'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='taking,'>taking</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_452.33'><ins class='correction' title='taking,'>taking</ins></a></span> her in his arms, as -they stood facing the keen sea breeze, “you must not break -your heart like this. Your father would never have survived -the loss of Melnos, so he had his wish, and died when all his -hopes of a new Hellas were at an end. I must be your comforter -now, Helena, and when you are my dear wife, I trust -to make you so happy, that you will be able to look back -with calmness on this loss, which you now think—and justly—so -bitter. Hush, hush, my dear love! We will face the -future together, and live down our past sorrows.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Helena, drying her eyes, put her cold little hand into his, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_453'>453</span>and looked trustfully up into his face, but was too overcome -by her feelings to trust herself to speech.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The sun, dying in the west, was flooding the heavens with -gold, and just above the intolerable brilliance on the horizon -appeared a fantastically shaped cloud, like an isle all broken -into bays, capes, peaks, and plains. In the glowing splendor -it looked so frail and ethereal, that, even as they gazed, it -melted away before their eyes like a fairy vision.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The Island of Fantasy!” murmured Helena.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My love! The real Island of Fantasy has vanished; the -cloud Island of Fantasy has disappeared; but in our hearts, -my Helena, there is a land of fairy loveliness, which will -endure forever, and some day, my child, when we leave this -world, we will find our beautiful island once again, more -glorious than of yore, with your father to welcome us -there.”</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>FINIS.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div><span class='pageno' id='Page_454'>454</span></div> -<div class='box'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>“Down where the living waters flow.”</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='xxlarge'><span class='underline'>HOT SPRINGS,</span></span></div> - <div class='line'><span class='xxlarge'><span class='underline'>ARKANSAS.</span></span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>The best patronized Winter -resort in the United States. All -the hotels now open. Golf, -lawn tennis, cricket, base ball, -the best of saddle and driving -horses, and other outdoor -sports. The</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='xxlarge'><span class='underline'>Iron Mountain Route</span></span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>Is the old reliable and most -direct line. Less than twelve -hours from St. Louis and twenty-one -hours from Chicago, with -through Compartment and Standard -Sleeping Cars and Free -Reclining Chair Cars. Pamphlets -telling all about it from -any agent of the Company.</p> - -<div class='smallbox'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>W. E. HOYT</div> - <div>G. E. P. AGENT, 335 BROADWAY</div> - <div>NEW YORK, N. Y.</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='sanserif'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>H. C. TOWNSEND,</div> - <div>GENERAL PASSENGER AND TICKET AGENT</div> - <div>ST. LOUIS, MO.</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<span class='pageno' id='Page_455'>455</span> -<img src='images/ad.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p>A Typical Dining Car on the Southern’s Limited Trains.<br />Famous for its Unexcelled Service and Cuisine. Meals Equal to those of Any First-Class Hotel.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>The highest development of LUXURIOUS TRAVEL has been attained by the</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='xxlarge'>SOUTHERN RAILWAY</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c016'>with its “<em>Southern’s Palm Limited</em>,” (during the tourist season) the <em>Washington and Southwestern -Limited</em>, the <em>Sunset Limited</em>, the Washington and Florida Limited and U. S. Fast Mail. Daily the -year round.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='large'>For the Cities of the South</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='sidenote'><span class='xlarge'>FLORIDA</span></div> -<p class='c016'><b>New Orleans, Mexico, California, Asheville, Pinehurst, Hot Springs, -Toxaway, N. Carolina, Augusta, Aiken, Camden, Summerville, Charleston, -Jekyl Island, Nassau and Cuba.</b></p> - -<p class='c001'>The land of Flowers and Fruits (Florida and California), the mountains of North Carolina, and practically -all the important points in the Sunny South are reached with speed and in luxurious comfort by the -superbly appointed trains of this Peerless Route.</p> - -<p class='c001'><b>The Washington and Southwestern Limited</b> leaves New York daily, 4 25 p. m. The train is -one of the most luxurious in the world, consisting entirely of Pullman club, drawing room, sleeping cars, -library, observation and Southern Railway dining cars, reaching all of the principal cities of the South.</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><i>For full particulars and free illustrated booklets apply to</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c016'><span class='large'><b>THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY,</b></span> <span class='underline'>New York Offices, 271 and 1185 Broadway.</span></p> - -<div class='lg-container-r'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in20'>A. S. <span class='sc'>Thweatt</span>, Eastern Pass’r Agt.</div> - <div class='line'>W. H. <span class='sc'>Taylor</span>, Gen’l Pass’r Ag’t. S. H. <span class='sc'>Hardwick</span>, Pass’r Traffic Mgr.</div> - <div class='line in34'>WASHINGTON, D. C.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<p class='c001'><a id='endnote'></a></p> -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='large'>Transcriber’s Note</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Compound words which appear on page or line breaks either retain or -forgo the hyphen depending on usage elsewhere in the text. Inconsistencies -of hyphenation in words appearing midline are retained, unless there is -a clear preponderance of one or the other.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, and -are noted here. The references are to the page and line in the original.</p> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='12%' /> -<col width='69%' /> -<col width='18%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_15.23'></a><a href='#corr15.23'>15.23</a></td> - <td class='c017'>such arid chips of wi[ds/sd]om</td> - <td class='c018'>Transposed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_16.4'></a><a href='#corr16.4'>16.4</a></td> - <td class='c017'>which renders your life so bitter[./?]</td> - <td class='c018'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_30.26'></a><a href='#corr30.26'>30.26</a></td> - <td class='c017'>said Mrs. Den[e]gelton</td> - <td class='c018'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_46.35'></a><a href='#corr46.35'>46.35</a></td> - <td class='c017'>I learned [Greek/English] from a roving Englishman</td> - <td class='c018'>Confused.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_104.8'></a><a href='#corr104.8'>104.8</a></td> - <td class='c017'>—misnamed a palace[./,]—</td> - <td class='c018'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_129.30'></a><a href='#corr129.30'>129.30</a></td> - <td class='c017'>[“]I must think it over.</td> - <td class='c018'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_130.34'></a><a href='#corr130.34'>130.34</a></td> - <td class='c017'>[“]I talk very confidently, but I am doubtful.</td> - <td class='c018'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_136.46'></a><a href='#corr136.46'>136.46</a></td> - <td class='c017'>To bitterness.[’]</td> - <td class='c018'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_137.40'></a><a href='#corr137.40'>137.40</a></td> - <td class='c017'>any national songs of your country.[”]</td> - <td class='c018'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_162.2'></a><a href='#corr162.2'>162.2</a></td> - <td class='c017'>such as ‘a hungry beast,’ ‘a ravenous monster,[’]</td> - <td class='c018'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_191.35'></a><a href='#corr191.35'>191.35</a></td> - <td class='c017'>with the most appalling cynicism.[”]</td> - <td class='c018'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_211.34'></a><a href='#corr211.34'>211.34</a></td> - <td class='c017'>I should like nothing better[?/.]</td> - <td class='c018'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_237.40'></a><a href='#corr237.40'>237.40</a></td> - <td class='c017'>with this accomplished cut-throat.[”]</td> - <td class='c018'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_238.37'></a><a href='#corr238.37'>238.37</a></td> - <td class='c017'>with Crispin a[u/n]d Maurice on either side of him.</td> - <td class='c018'>Inverted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_251.25'></a><a href='#corr251.25'>251.25</a></td> - <td class='c017'>his chair a little nearer.[”]</td> - <td class='c018'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_251.35'></a><a href='#corr251.35'>251.35</a></td> - <td class='c017'>Decide[d]ly these two young people</td> - <td class='c018'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_254.2'></a><a href='#corr254.2'>254.2</a></td> - <td class='c017'>his offer to make her an[ ]odalisque of the harem.</td> - <td class='c018'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_279.8'></a><a href='#corr279.8'>279.8</a></td> - <td class='c017'>in these post-revolu[n]tionary days</td> - <td class='c018'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_282.28'></a><a href='#corr282.28'>282.28</a></td> - <td class='c017'>[“]who are you?”</td> - <td class='c018'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_286.16'></a><a href='#corr286.16'>286.16</a></td> - <td class='c017'>well versed in Dick’s ta[c]tics</td> - <td class='c018'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_287.8'></a><a href='#corr287.8'>287.8</a></td> - <td class='c017'>there were flat-racing[,] hurdle-racing</td> - <td class='c018'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_289.1'></a><a href='#corr289.1'>289.1</a></td> - <td class='c017'>[“]she thought it was Gurt, sir!”</td> - <td class='c018'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_304.16'></a><a href='#corr304.16'>304.16</a></td> - <td class='c017'>to her favorite haunt[-/.]</td> - <td class='c018'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_317.1'></a><a href='#corr317.1'>317.1</a></td> - <td class='c017'>[“]As to Justinian’s breaking faith</td> - <td class='c018'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_325.1'></a><a href='#corr325.1'>325.1</a></td> - <td class='c017'>now you can understand how [de]delighted I am</td> - <td class='c018'>Redundant.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_327.28'></a><a href='#corr327.28'>327.28</a></td> - <td class='c017'>now being able to talk f[r]eely of himself</td> - <td class='c018'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_373.32'></a><a href='#corr373.32'>373.32</a></td> - <td class='c017'>However, it was to[ to] all appearances</td> - <td class='c018'>Redundant.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_403.6'></a><a href='#corr403.6'>403.6</a></td> - <td class='c017'>[“]it is too dangerous.</td> - <td class='c018'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_417.24'></a><a href='#corr417.24'>417.24</a></td> - <td class='c017'>like cats on hot bricks shortly![”]</td> - <td class='c018'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_420.4'></a><a href='#corr420.4'>420.4</a></td> - <td class='c017'>who were so calm[l]y seated over the mine</td> - <td class='c018'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_429.6'></a><a href='#corr429.6'>429.6</a></td> - <td class='c017'>“Not the sligh[t]est!”</td> - <td class='c018'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_431.2'></a><a href='#corr431.2'>431.2</a></td> - <td class='c017'>their hearts thrilled with[,] fear</td> - <td class='c018'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c017'><a id='c_452.33'></a><a href='#corr452.33'>452.33</a></td> - <td class='c017'>he said tenderly, taking[,] her in his arms</td> - <td class='c018'>Removed.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Island of Fantasy, by Fergus Hume - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ISLAND OF FANTASY *** - -***** This file should be named 56177-h.htm or 56177-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/6/1/7/56177/ - -Produced by KD Weeks, Suzanne Shell and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. 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