CHAPTER XXI.
The high-priest of Serapis presided over the sacrifices to be offeredthis morning. Caesar had given beasts in abundance to do honor to thegod; still, the priest had gone but ill-disposed to fulfill his part;for the imperial command that the citizens' houses should be filled withthe troops, who were also authorized to make unheard-of demands on theirhosts, had roused his ire against the tyrant, who, in the morning, afterhis bath, had appeared to him unhappy indeed, but at the same time agifted and conscientious ruler, capable of the highest and grandestenterprise.
Melissa, in obedience to the lady Euryale, had taken an hour's rest,and then refreshed herself by bathing. She now was breakfasting with hervenerated friend, and Philostratus had joined them. He was able to tellthem that a swift State galley was already on its way to overtake andrelease her father and brother; and when he saw how glad she was to hearit, how beautiful, fresh, and pure she was, he thought to himself withanxiety that it would be a wonder if the imperial slave to his ownpassions should not desire to possess this lovely creature.
Euryale also feared this, and Melissa realized what filled themwith anxiety; yet she by no means shared the feeling, and the happyconfidence with which she tried to comfort her old friends, at the sametime pacified and alarmed them. It seemed to her quite foolish and vainto suppose that the emperor, the mighty ruler of the world, should fallin love with her, the humble, obscure gem-cutter's child, who aspired toone suitor alone. It was merely as a patient wishes for thephysician, she assured herself, that the emperor wished for herpresence--Philostratus had understood that. During the night she hadcertainly been seized with great fears, but, as she now thought, withoutany cause. What she really had to dread was that she might be falselyjudged by his followers; still, she cared nothing about all theseRomans. However, she would beg Euryale to see Diodoros, and to tell himwhat forced her to obey the emperor's summons, if he should send forher. It was highly probable that the sick man had been informed of herinterview with Caracalla, and, as her betrothed, he must be told how shefelt toward Caesar; for this was his right, and jealous agitation mightinjure him.
Her face so expressed the hope and confidence of a pure heart that when,after a little time, she withdrew, Euryale said to the philosopher:
"We must not alarm her more! Her trustful innocence perhaps may protecther better than anxious precautions."
And Philostratus agreed, and assured her that in any case he expectedgood results for Melissa, for she was one of those who were the electof the gods and whom they chose to be their instruments. And then herelated what wonderful influence she had over Caesar's sufferings, andpraised her with his usual enthusiastic warmth.
When Melissa returned, Philostratus had left the matron. She was againalone with Euryale, who reminded her of the lesson conveyed in theChristian words that she had explained to her yesterday. Every deed,every thought, had some influence on the way in which the fulfillmentof time would come for each one; and when the hour of death was over,no regrets, repentance, or efforts could then alter the past. A singlemoment, as her own young experience had taught her, was often sufficientto brand the name of an estimable man. Till now, her way through lifehad led along level paths, through meadows and gardens, and others hadkept their eyes open for her; now she was drawing near to the edge ofa precipice, and at every turning, even at the smallest step, she mustnever forget the threatening danger. The best will and the greatestprudence could not save her if she did not trust to a higher guidance;and then she asked the girl to whom she raised her heart when sheprayed; and Melissa named Isis and other gods, and lastly the manes ofher dead mother.
During this confession, old Adventus appeared, to summon the girl to hissovereign. Melissa promised to follow him immediately; and, when the oldman had gone, the matron said:
"Few here pray to the same gods, and he whose worship my husband leadsis not mine. I, with several others, know that there is a Father inheaven who loves us men, his creatures, and guards us as his children.You do not yet know him, and therefore you can not hope for anythingfrom him; but if you will follow the advice of a friend, who was alsoonce young, think in the future that your right hand is held firmly bythe invisible, beloved hand of your mother. Persuade yourself that sheis by you, and take care that every word, yes, every glance, meets withher approval. Then she will be there, and will protect you whenever yourequire her aid."
Melissa sank on the breast of her kind friend, embracing her as closelyand kissing her as sincerely as if she had been the beloved mother towhose care Euryale had commended her.
The counsels of this true friend agreed with those of her own heart, andso they must be right. When at last they had to part, Euryale wished tosend for one of the gentlemen of the court, whom she knew, that he mightescort her through the troops of Caesar's attendants and friends whowere waiting, and of the visitors and petitioners; but Melissa felt sohappy and so well protected by Adventus, that she followed him withoutfurther delay. In fact, the old man had a friendly feeling for her,since she had covered his feet so carefully the day before; she knew itby the tone of his voice and by the troubled look in his dim eyes.
Even now she did not believe in the dangers at which her friendstrembled for her, and she walked calmly across the lofty marble halls,the anteroom, and the other vast rooms of the imperial dwelling. Theattendants accompanied her respectfully from door to door, in obedienceto the emperor's commands, and she went on with a firm step, lookingstraight in front of her, without noticing the inquisitive, approving,or scornful glances which were aimed at her.
In the first rooms she needed an escort, for they were crowded withRomans and Alexandrians who were waiting for a sign from Caesar toappeal for his pardon or his verdict, or perhaps only wishing to seehis countenance. The emperor's "friends" sat at breakfast, of whichCaracalla did not partake. The generals, and the members of his courtnot immediately attached to his person, stood together in the variousrooms, while the principal people of Alexandria--several senators andrich and important citizens of the town--as well as the envoys of theEgyptian provinces, in magnificent garments and rich gold ornaments,held aloof from the Romans, and waited in groups for the call of theusher.
Melissa saw no one, nor did she observe the costly woven hangings on thewalls, the friezes decorated with rare works of art and high reliefs,nor the mosaic floors over which she passed. She did not notice the humand murmur of the numerous voices which surrounded her; nor could sheindeed have understood a single coherent sentence; for, excepting theushers and the emperor's immediate attendants, at the reception-hour noone was allowed to raise his voice. Expectancy and servility seemed hereto stifle every lively impulse; and when, now and then, the loud call ofone of the ushers rang above the murmur, one of those who were waitingspontaneously bowed low, or another started up, as if ready to obey anycommand. The sensation, shared by many, of waiting in the vicinity ofa high, almost godlike power, in whose hands lay their well-being ormisery, gave rise to a sense of solemnity. Every movement was subdued;anxious, nay, fearful expectation was written on many faces, and onothers impatience and disappointment. After a little while it waswhispered from ear to ear that the emperor would only grant a few moreaudiences; and how many had already waited in vain yesterday, for hours,in the same place!
Without delay Melissa went on till she had reached the heavy curtainwhich, as she already knew, shut off Caesar's inner apartments.
The usher obligingly drew it back, even before she had mentioned hername, and while a deputation of the town senators, who had been receivedby Caracalla, passed out, she was followed by Alexandrian citizens, thechiefs of great merchant-houses, whose request for an audience hehad sanctioned. They were for the most part elderly men, and Melissarecognized among them Seleukus, Berenike's husband.
Melissa bowed to him, but he did not notice her, and passed by without aword. Perhaps he was considering the enormous sum to be expended on theshow at night which he, with a few friends, intended to arrange at thecircus in Ca
esar's honor.
All was quite still in the large hall which separated the emperor'sreception-room from the anteroom. Melissa observed only two soldiers,who were looking out of window, and whose bodies were shaking as thoughthey were convulsed with profound merriment.
It happened that she had to wait here some time; for the usher beggedher to have patience until the merchants' audience was over. They werethe last who would be received that day. He invited her to rest on thecouch on which was spread a bright giraffe's skin, but she preferredto walk up and down, for her heart was beating violently. And while theusher vanished from the room, one of the warriors turned his head tolook about him, and directly he caught sight of Melissa he gave hiscomrade a push, and said to him, loud enough for Melissa to hear:
"A wonder! Apollonaris, by Eros and all the Erotes, a precious wonder!"
The next moment they both stepped back from the window and stared at thegirl, who stood blushing and embarrassed, and gazed at the floor whenshe found with whom she had been left alone.
They were two tribunes of the praetorians, but, notwithstanding theirhigh grade, they were only young men of about twenty. Twin brothersof the honorable house of the Aurelia, they had entered the army ascenturions, but had soon been placed at the head of a thousand men, andappointed tribunes in Caesar's body-guard. They resembled one anotherexactly; and this likeness, which procured them much amusement, theygreatly enhanced by arranging their coal-black beards and hair inexactly the same way, and by dressing alike down to the rings on theirfingers. One was called Apollonaris, the other Nemesianus Aurelius. Theywere of the same height, and equally well grown, and no one could saywhich had the finest black eyes, which mouth the haughtiest smile, orto which of them the thick short beard and the artistically shavedspot between the under lip and chin was most becoming. The beautifullyembossed ornaments on their breast-plates and shirts of mail, and on thebelt of the short sword, showed that they grudged no expense; in fact,they thought only of enjoyment, and it was merely for the honor of itthat they were serving for a few years in the imperial guard. By andby they would rest, after all the hardships of the campaign, in theirpalace at Rome, or in the villas on the various estates that they hadinherited from their father and mother, and then, for a change, holdhonorary positions in the public service. Their friends knew that theyalso contemplated being married on the same day, when the game of warshould be a thing of the past.
In the mean time they desired nothing in the world but honor andpleasure; and such pleasure as well-bred, healthy, and genial youths,with amiability, strength, and money to spend, can always command, theyenjoyed to the full, without carrying it to reckless extravagance. Twomerrier, happier, more popular comrades probably did not exist in thewhole army. They did their duty in the field bravely; during peace, andin a town like Alexandria, they appeared, on the contrary, like mereeffeminate men of fashion. At least, they spent a large part of theirtime in having their black hair crimped; they gave ridiculous sums tohave it anointed with the most delicate perfumes; and it was difficultto imagine how effectively their carefully kept hands could draw asword, and, if necessary, handle the hatchet or spade.
To-day Nemesianus was in the emperor's anteroom by command, andApollonaris, of his own freewill, had taken the place of anothertribune, that he might bear his brother company. They had carousedthrough half the night, and had begun the new day by a visit to theflower market, for love of the pretty saleswomen. Each had a half-openedrose stuck in between his cuirass and shirt of mail on the left breast,plucked, as the charming Daphnion had assured them, from a bush whichhad been introduced from Persia only the year before. The brothers, atany rate, had never seen any like them.
While they were looking out of the window they had passed the time byexamining every girl or woman who went by, intending to fling one roseat the first whose perfect beauty should claim it, and the other flowerat the second; but during the half-hour none had appeared who was worthyof such a gift. All the beauties in Alexandria were walking in thestreets in the cool hour before sunset, and really there was no lack ofhandsome girls. The brothers had even heard that Caesar, who seemed tohave renounced the pleasures of love, had yielded to the charms of alovely Greek.
Directly they saw Melissa they were convinced that they had met thebeautiful plaything of the imperial fancy, and each with the same actionoffered her his rose, as if moved by the same invisible power.
Apollonaris, who had come into the world a little sooner than hisbrother, and who, by right of birth, had therefore a more audaciousmanner, stepped boldly up to Melissa and presented his, while Nemesianusat the same instant bowed to her, and begged her to give his thepreference.
Though their speeches were flattering and well-worded, Melissa repulsedthem by remarking sharply that she did not want their flowers.
"We can easily believe that," answered Apollonaris, "for are you notyourself a lovely, blooming rose?"
"Vain flattery," replied Melissa; "and I certainly do not bloom foryou."
"That is both cruel and unjust," sighed Nemesianus, "for that whichyou refuse to us poor fellows you grant to another, who can obtaineverything that other mortals yearn for."
"But we," interrupted his brother, "are modest, nay, and pious warriors.We had intended offering up these roses to Aphrodite, but lo! thegoddess has met us in person."
"Her image at any rate," added the other.
"And you should thank the foam-born goddess," continued Apollonaris;"for she has lent you, in spite of the danger of seeing herselfeclipsed, her own divine charms. Do you think she will be displeased ifwe withdraw the flowers and offer them to you?"
"I think nothing," answered Melissa, "excepting that your honeyedremarks annoy me. Do what you like with your roses, I will not acceptthem."
"How dare you," asked Apollonaris, approaching her--"you, to whom themother of love has given such wonderfully fresh lips--misuse them byrefusing so sternly the humble petition of her faithful worshipers? Ifyou would not have Aphrodite enraged with you, hasten to atone for thistransgression. One kiss, my beauty, for her votary, and she will forgiveyou."
Here Apollonaris stretched out his hand toward the girl to draw her tohim, but she motioned him back indignantly, declaring that it would bereprehensible and cowardly in a soldier to use violence toward a modestmaid.
At this the two brothers laughed heartily, and Nemesianus exclaimed,"You do not belong to the Temple of Vesta, most lovely of roses, andyet you are well protected by such sharp thorns that it requires a greatdeal of courage to venture to attack you."
"More," added Apollonaris, "than to storm a fortress. But what camp orstronghold contains booty so well worth capturing?"
Thereupon he threw his arm round Melissa and drew her to him.
Neither he nor his brother had ever conducted themselves badly towardsan honorable woman; and if Melissa had been but the daughter of a simplecraftsman, her reproachful remarks would have sufficed to keep them ata distance. But such immunity was not to be granted to the emperor'ssweetheart, who could so audaciously reject two brothers accustomed toeasy conquests; her demure severity could hardly be meant seriously.Apollonaris therefore took no notice of her violent resistance, but heldher hands forcibly, and, though he could not succeed in kissing her forher struggling, he pressed his lips to her cheek, while she endeavoredto free herself and pushed him off, breathless with real indignation.
'Till now, the brothers had taken the matter as a joke; but whenApollonaris seized the girl again, and she, beside herself with fear,cried for help, he at once set her free.
It was too late; for the curtains of the audience-room were alreadywithdrawn, and Caracalla approached. His countenance was red anddistorted; he trembled with rage, and his angry glance fell like a flashof lightning on the luckless brothers. Close by his side was the prefectMacrinus, who feared lest he should be attacked by a fresh fit; andMelissa shared his fears, as Caracalla cried to Apollonaris in an angryvoice, "Scoundrel that you are, you shall repent of this!"
Still, Aurelius had, by various wanton jokes, incurred the emperor'swrath before now, and he was accustomed to disarm it by some insinuatingconfession, so he answered him with a roguish smile, while raising hiseyes to him humbly:
"Forgive me, great Caesar! Our poor strength, as you well know, iseasily defeated in conflicts against overpowering beauty. Dainties aresweet, not only for children. Long ago Mars was drawn to Venus; and ifI--"
He had spoken these words in Latin, which Melissa did not understand;but the color left the emperor's face, and, pale with excitement, hestammered out laboriously:
"You have--you have dared--"
"For this rose," began the youth again, "I begged a hasty kiss from thebeauty, which certainly blooms for all, and she--" He raised his handsand eyes imploringly to the despot; but Caracalla had already snatchedMacrinus's sword from its sheath, and before Aurelius could defendhimself he was struck first on the head with the flat of the blade, andthen received a series of sharp cuts on his brow and face.
Streaming with blood from the gaping wounds which the victim, tremblingwith fear and rage, covered with his hands, he surrendered himself tothe care of his startled brother, while Caesar overwhelmed them bothwith a flood of furious reproaches.
When Nemesianus began to bind up his wounded brother's head with ahandkerchief handed to him by Melissa, and Caracalla saw the gapingwounds he had inflicted, he became quieter, and said:
"I think those lips will not try to steal kisses again for some timefrom honorable maidens. You and Nemesianus have forfeited your lives;how ever, the beseeching look of those all-powerful eyes has savedyou--you are spared. Take your brother away, Nemesianus. You are not toleave your quarters until further orders."
With this he turned his back on the twins, but on the threshold he againaddressed them and said:
"You were mistaken about this maiden. She is not less pure and noblethan your own sister."
The merchants were dismissed from the tablinum more hastily than was dueto the importance of their business, in which, until this interruption,the sovereign had shown a sympathetic interest and intelligence whichsurprised them; and they left Caesar's presence disappointed, but withthe promise that they should be received again in the evening.
As soon as they had retired, Caracalla threw himself again on the couch.
The bath had done him good. Still somewhat exhausted, though his headwas clear, he would not be hindered from receiving the deputation forwhich he had important matters to decide; but this fresh attack of ragerevenged itself by a painful headache. Pale, and with slightly quiveringlimbs, he dismissed the prefect and his other friends, and desiredEpagathos to call Melissa.
He needed rest, and again the girl's little hand, which had yesterdaydone him good, proved its healing power. The throbbing in his headyielded to her gentle touch, and by degrees exhaustion gave way to thecomfortable languor of convalesence.
To-day, as yesterday, he expressed his thanks to Melissa, but hefound her changed. She looked timidly and anxiously down into her lapexcepting when she replied to a direct question; and yet he had doneeverything to please her. Her relations would soon be free and inAlexandria once more, and Zminis was in prison, chained hand and foot.This he told her; and, though she was glad, it was not enough to restorethe calm cheerfulness he had loved to see in her.
He urged her, with warm insistence, to tell him what it was that weighedon her, and at last, with eyes full of tears, she forced herself to say:
"You yourself have seen what they take me for."
"And you have seen," he quickly replied, "how I punish those who forgetthe respect they owe to you."
"But you are so dreadful in your wrath!" The words broke from her lips."Where others blame, you can destroy; and you do it, too, when passioncarries you away. I am bound to obey your call, and here I am. But Ifancy myself like the little dog--you may see him any day--which in thebeast-garden of the Panaeum, shares a cage with a royal tiger. The hugebrute puts up with a great deal from his small companion, but woe betidethe dog if the tiger once pats him with his heavy, murderous paw--and hemight, out of sheer forgetfulness!"
"But this hand," Caesar broke in, raising his delicate hand covered withrings, "will never forget, any more than my heart, how much it owes toyou."
"Until I, in some unforeseen way--perhaps quite unconsciously--exciteyour anger," sighed Melissa. "Then you will be carried away by passion,and I shall share the common fate."
Caracalla was about to reply indignantly, but just then Adventus enteredthe room, announcing the chief astrologer of the Temple of Serapis.Caracalla refused to receive him just then, but he anxiously askedwhether he had any signs to report. The reply was in the affirmative,and in a few minutes Caesar had in his hand a wax tablet covered withwords and figures. He studied it eagerly, and his countenance cleared;still holding the tablets, he exclaimed to Melissa:
"You, daughter of Heron, have nothing to fear from me, you of all theworld! In some quiet hour I will explain to you how my planet yearns toyours, and yours--that is, yourself--to mine. The gods have created usfor each other, child; I am already under your influence, but your heartstill hesitates, and I know why; it is because you distrust me."
Melissa raised her large eyes to his face in astonishment, and he wenton, pensively:
"The past must stand; it is like a scar which no water will washout. What have you not heard of my past? What did they feel, in theirself-conscious virtue, when they talked of my crimes? Did it ever occurto any one, I wonder, that with the purple I assumed the sword, toprotect my empire and throne? And when I have used the blade, howeagerly have fingers pointed at me, how gladly slanderous tongues havewagged! Who has ever thought of asking what compulsion led me to shedblood, or how much it cost me to do it? You, fair child--and the starsconfirm it--you were sent by fate to share the burden that oppressesme, and to you I will ease my heart, to you I will confide all, unasked,because my heart prompts me to do so. But first you must tell me withwhat tales they taught you to hate the man to whom, as you yourselfconfessed, you nevertheless felt drawn."
At this Melissa raised her hands in entreaty and remonstrance, andCaesar went on:
"I will spare you the pains. They say that I am ever athirst for freshbloodshed if only some one is rash enough to suggest it to me. You weretold that Caesar murdered his brother Geta, with many more who did butspeak his victim's name. My father-in-law, and his daughter Plautilla,my wife, were, it is said, the victims of my fury. I killed Papinian,the lawyer and prefect, and Cilo--whom you saw yesterday--nearly sharedthe same fate. What did they conceal? Nothing. Your nod confessesit--well, and why should they, since speaking ill of others is theirgreatest delight? It is all true, and I should never think of denyingit. But did it ever occur to you, or did any one ever suggest to you, toinquire how it came to pass that I perpetrated such horrors; I--whowas brought up in the fear of the gods and the law, like you and otherpeople?"
"No, my lord, never," replied Melissa, in distress. "But I beg you, Ibeseech you, say no more about such dreadful things. I know full wellthat you are not wicked; that you are much better than people think."
"And for that very reason," cried Caesar, whose cheeks were flushed withpleasure in the hard task he had set himself, "you must hear me. I amCaesar. There is no judge over me; I need give account to none for myactions. Nor do I. Who, besides yourself, is more to me than the flieson that cup?"
"And your conscience?" she timidly put in.
"It raises hideous questions from time to time," he replied, gloomily."It can be obtrusive, but we can teach ourselves not to answer--besides,what you call conscience knows the motives for every action, and,remembering them, judges leniently. You, child, should do the same; foryou--"
"O my lord, what can my poor judgment matter?" Melissa panted out; butCaracalla exclaimed, as if the question pained him:
"Must I explain all that? The stars, as you know, proclaim to you, asto me, that a higher power has joined us as light an
d warmth are joined.Have you forgotten how we both felt only yesterday? Or am I mistaken?Has not Roxana's soul entered into that divinely lovely form because itlonged for its lost companion spirit?"
He spoke vehemently, with a quivering of his eyelids; but feeling herhand tremble in his own, he collected himself, and went on in a lowertone, but with urgent emphasis:
"I will let you glance into this bosom, closed to every other eye; formy desolate heart is inspired by you to fresh energy and life; I am asgrateful to you as a drowning man to his deliverer. I shall suffocateand die if I repress the impulse to open my heart to you!"
What change was this that had come over this mysterious being? Melissafelt as though she was gazing on the face of a stranger, for, though hiseyelids still quivered, his eyes were bright with ecstatic fire and hisfeatures looked more youthful. On that noble brow the laurel wreathhe wore looked well. Also, as she now observed, he was magnificentlyattired; he wore a close-fitting tunic, or breast-plate made of thickwoolen stuff, and over it a purple mantle, while from his bare throathung a precious medallion, shield-shaped, and set in gold and gems, thecenter formed by a large head of Medusa, with beautiful though terriblefeatures. The lion-heads of gold attached to each corner of the shortcloak he wore over the sham coat of mail, were exquisite works of art,and sandals embroidered with gold and gems covered his feet and ankles.He was dressed to-day like the heir of a lordly house, anxious to charm;nay, indeed, like an emperor, as he was; and with what care had hisbody-slave arranged his thin curls!
He passed his hand over his brow and cast a glance at a silver mirror onthe low table at the head of his couch. When he turned to her again hisamorous eyes met Melissa's.
She looked down in startled alarm. Was it for her sake that Caesarhad thus decked himself and looked in the mirror? It seemed scarcelypossible, and yet it flattered and pleased her. But in the next instantshe longed more fervently than she ever had before for a magic charmby which she might vanish and be borne far, far away from this dreadfulman. In fancy she saw the vessel which the lady Berenike had inreadiness. She would, she must fly hence, even if it should part her fora time from Diodoros.
Did Caracalla read her thought? Nay, he could not see through her; soshe endured his gaze, tempting him to speak; and his heart beat highwith hope as he fancied he saw that she was beginning to be affected byhis intense agitation. At this moment he felt convinced, as he oftenhad been, that the most atrocious of his crimes had been necessary andinevitable. There was something grand and vast in his deeds of blood,and that--for he flattered himself he knew the female heart--must winher admiration, besides the awe and love she already felt.
During the night, at his waking, and in his bath, he had felt thatshe was as necessary to him as the breath of life and hope. What heexperienced was love as the poets had sung it. How often had he laughedit to scorn, and boasted that he was armed against the arrows of Eros!Now, for the first time, he was aware of the anxious rapture, the ardentlonging of which he had read in so many songs. There stood the object ofhis passion. She must hear him, must be his--not by compulsion, not byimperial command, but of the free impulse of her heart.
His confession would help to this end.
With a swift gesture, as if to throw off the last trace of fatigue, hesat up and began in a firm voice, with a light in his eyes:
"Yes, I killed my brother Geta. You shudder. And yet, if at this day,when I know all the results of the deed, the state of affairs were thesame as then, I would do it again! That shocks you. But only listen, andthen you will say with me that it was Fate which compelled me to act so,and not otherwise."
He paused, and then mistaking the anxiety which was visible in Melissa'sface for sympathetic attention, he began his story, confident of herinterest:
"When I was born, my father had not yet assumed the purple, but healready aimed at the sovereignty. Augury had promised it to him; mymother knew this, and shared his ambition. While I was still at mynurse's breast he was made consul; four years later he seized thethrone. Pertinax was killed, the wretched Didius Julianus bought theempire, and this brought my father to Rome from Pannonia. Meanwhile hehad sent us children, my brother Geta and me, away from the city; norwas it till he had quelled the last resistance on the Tiber that herecalled us.
"I was then but a child of five, and yet one day of that time I remembervividly. My father was going through Rome in solemn procession. Hisfirst object was to do due honor to the corpse of Pertinax. Richhangings floated from every window and balcony in the city. Garlands offlowers and laurel wreaths adorned the houses, and pleasant odors werewafted to us as we went. The jubilation of the people was mixed with thetrumpet-call of the soldiers; handkerchiefs were waved and acclamationsrang out. This was in honor of my father, and of me also, the futureCaesar. My little heart was almost bursting with pride; it seemed tome that I had grown several heads taller, not only than other boys, butthan the people that surrounded me.
"When the funeral procession began, my mother wished me to go with herinto the arcade where seats had been placed for the ladies to view, butI refused to follow her. My father became angry. But when he heard medeclare that I was a man and the future Emperor, that I would rather seenothing than show myself to the people among the women, he smiled. Heordered Cilo, who was then the prefect of Rome, to lead me to the seatsof the past consuls and the old senators. I was delighted at this; butwhen he allowed my younger brother Geta to follow me, my pleasure wasentirely spoiled."
"And you were then five years old?" asked Melissa, astonished.
"That surprises you!" smiled Caracalla. "But I had already traveledthrough half the empire, and had experienced more than other boysof twice my age. I was, at any rate, still child enough to forgeteverything else in the brilliant spectacle that unfolded before my eyes.I remember to this day the colored wax statue which represented Pertinaxso exactly that it might have been himself risen from the grave. And theprocession! It seemed to have no end; one new thing followed another.All walked past in mourning robes, even the choir of singing boys andmen. Cilo explained to me who had made the statues of the Romans who hadserved their country, who the artists and scholars were, whose statuesand busts were carried by. Then came bronze groups of the people ofevery nation in the empire, in their costumes. Cilo told me what theywere called, and where they lived; he then added that one day they wouldall belong to me; that I must learn the art of fighting, in case theyresisted me, and should require suppressing. Also, when they carriedthe flags of the guilds past, when the horse and foot soldiers, therace-horses from the circus and several other things came by, hecontinued to explain them. I only remember it now because it made me sohappy. The old man spoke to me alone; he regarded me alone as the futuresovereign. He left Geta to eat the sweets which his aunts had given him,and when I too wanted some my brother refused to let me have any. ThenCilo stroked my hair, and said: 'leave him his toys. When you are a manyou shall have the whole Roman Empire for your own, and all the nationsI told you of.' Geta meanwhile had thought better of it, and pushed someof the sweetmeats toward me. I would not have them, and, when he triedto make me take them, I threw them into the road."
"And you remember all that?" said Melissa.
"More things than these are indelibly stamped on my mind from that day,"said Caesar. "I can see before me now the pile on which Pertinax was tobe burned. It was splendidly decorated, and on the top stood the giltchariot in which he had loved to ride. Before the consuls fired the logsof Indian wood, my father led us to the image of Pertinax, that we mightkiss it. He held me by the hand. Wherever we went, the senate and peoplehailed us with acclamations. My mother carried Geta in her arms.This delighted the populace. They shouted for her and my brother asenthusiastically as for us, and I recollect to this day how that went tomy heart. He might have the sweets and welcome, but what the people hadto offer was due only to my father and me, not to my brother. At thatmoment I first fully understood that Severus was the present and I thefuture Caesar. Geta had only t
o obey, like every one else.
"After kissing the image, I stood, still holding my father's hand, towatch the flames. I can see them now, crackling and writhing as theygained on the wood, licking it and fawning, as it were, till it caughtand sent up a rush of sparks and fire. At last the whole pile was onehuge blaze. Then, suddenly, out of the heart of the flames an eaglerose. The creature flapped its broad wings in the air, which was goldenwith sunshine and quivering with heat, soaring above the smoke andfire, this way and that. But it soon took flight, away from the furnacebeneath. I shouted with delight, and cried to my father: 'Look at thebird! Where is he flying?' And he eagerly answered: 'Well done! Ifyou desire to preserve the power I have conquered for you alwaysundiminished, you must keep your eyes open. Let no sign pass unnoticed,no opportunity neglected.'
"He himself acted on this rule. To him obstacles existed only to beremoved, and he taught me, too, to give myself neither peace nor rest,and not to spare the life of a foe.--That festival secured my father thesuffrages of the Romans. Meanwhile Pescennius Niger rose up in the Eastwith a large army and took the field against Severus. But my fatherwas not the man to hesitate. Within a few months of the obsequies ofPertinax his opponent was a headless corpse.
"There was yet another obstacle to be removed. You have heard of ClodiusAlbinus. My father had adopted him and raised him to share his throne.But Severus could not divide the rule with any man.
"When I was nine years old I saw, after the battle of Lugdunum, the deadface of Albinus's head; it was set up in front of the Curia on a lance.
"I now was the second personage in the empire, next to my father; thefirst among the youth of the whole world, and the future emperor. WhenI was eleven the soldiers hailed me as Augustus; that was in the waragainst the Parthians, before Ktesiphon. But they did the same to Geta.This was like wormwood in the sweet draught; and if then--But what can agirl care about the state, and the fate of rulers and nations?"
"Yes, go on," said Melissa. "I see already what you are coming to. Youdisliked the idea of sharing your power with another."
"Nay," cried Caracalla, vehemently, "I not only disliked it, it wasintolerable, impossible! What I want you to see is that I did not grudgemy brother his share of my father's inheritance, like any petty trader.The world--that is the point--the world itself was too small for two ofus. It was not I, but Fate, which had doomed Geta to die. I am certainof this, and so must you be. Yes, it was Fate. Fate prompted the child'slittle hand to attempt its brother's life. And that was long beforemy brain could form a thought or my baby-lips could stammer his hatedname."
"Then you tried to kill your brother even in infancy?" asked Melissa,and her large eyes dilated with horror as she gazed at the terriblenarrator. But Caracalla went on, in an apologetic tone:
"I was then but two years old. It was at Mediolanum, soon after Geta'sbirth. An egg was found in the court of the palace; a hen had laid itclose to a pillar. It was of a purple hue-red all over like the imperialmantle, and this indicated that the newly born infant was destined tosovereignty. Great was the rejoicing. The purple marvel was shown evento me who could but just walk. I, like a naughty boy, flung it down; theshell cracked, and the contents poured out on the pavement. My mothersaw it, and her exclamation, 'Wicked child, you have murdered yourbrother!' was often repeated to me in after-years. It never struck me asparticularly motherly."
Here he paused, gazing meditatively into vacancy, and then asked thegirl, who had listened intently:
"Were you never haunted by a word so that you could not be rid of it?"
"Oh, yes," cried Melissa; "a striking rhythm in a song, or a line ofpoetry--"
Caracalla nodded agreement, and went on more vehemently: "That is whatI experienced at the words, 'You have murdered your brother!' I not onlyheard them now and then with my inward ear, but incessantly, like thedreary hum of the flies in my camp-tent, for hours at a time, by dayand by night. No fanning could drive these away. The diabolical voicewhispered loudest when Geta had done anything to vex me; or if thingshad been given him which I did not wish him to have. And how often thathappened! For I--I was only Bassianus to my mother; but her youngest washer dear little Geta.
"So the years passed. We had, while still quite young, our own teamsin the circus. One day, when we were driving for a wager-we were stillboys, and I was ahead of the other lads--the horses of my chariot shiedto one side. I was thrown some distance on the course. Geta saw this. Heturned his horses to the right where I lay. He drove over his brother ashe would over straw and apple-parings in the dust; and his wheelbroke my thigh. Who knows what else it crushed in me? One thing iscertain--from that date the most painful of my sufferings originated.And he, the mean scoundrel, had done it intentionally. He had sharpeyes. He knew how to guide his steeds. He had never driven his wheelover a hazel-nut in the sand of the arena against his will; and I waslying some distance from the driving course."
Caesar's eyelids blinked spasmodically as he uttered this accusation,and his very glance revealed the raging fire that was burning in hissoul. Melissa's sad cry of:
"What terrible suspicion!" he answered with a short, scornful laugh andthe furious assertion:
"Oh, there were friends enough who informed me what hope Geta hadfounded on this act of treachery. The disappointment made him irritableand listless, when Galenus had succeeded in curing me so far that I wasable to throw away my Crutch; and my limp--at least so they tell me--ishardly perceptible."
"Not at all, most certainly not at all," Melissa sympathetically assuredhim. He, however, went on:
"Yet what I endured meanwhile!--and while I passed so many long weeks ofpain and impatience on a couch, the words my mother had said about thebrother whom I murdered rang constantly in my ears as though a reciterwere engaged by day and night to reiterate them.
"But even this passed away. With the pain, which had spoiled manygood hours for me, the quiet had brought me something more to thepurpose-thoughts and plans. Yes, during those peaceful weeks the thingsmy father and tutor had taught me became clear and real for the firsttime. I realized that I must become energetic if I meant ever to be athorough sovereign. As soon as I could use my foot again I became anindustrious and docile pupil under Cilo. From a child up to the time ofthis cruel experience, my youthful heart had clung to my nurse. She wasa Christian from my father's African home--I knew she loved me beston earth. My mother knew of no higher destiny than that of being theDomna,--[Domna, lady or mistress, in corrupt Latin. Hence her name ofJulia Domna] the lady of the soldiers, the mother of the camp, and thelady philosopher among the sages. What she gave me in the way of lovewas but copper alms. She threw golden solidi of love into Geta's lap inlavish abundance. And her sister and her nieces, who often lived withus, treated me exactly as she did. They were distantly civil, orthey shunned me; but my brother was their spoiled plaything. I was asincapable as Geta was master of the art of stealing hearts; but in mychildhood I needed none of them: for, if I wished for a kind word, asweet kiss, or the love of a woman, my nurse's arms were open to me. Norwas she an ordinary woman. As the widow of a tribune who had fallen inmy father's service, she had undertaken to attend on me. She loved meas no one else ever did. She was also the only person whom I wouldwillingly obey. I came into the world full of wild instincts, but sheknew how to tame them kindly. My aversion to my brother was the onething she checked but feebly, for he was a thorn in her side too. Ilearned this when she, who was so gentle, explained to me, with asperityin her tone, that there was but one God in heaven, and on earth butone emperor, who should govern the world in his name. She also impartedthese convictions to others, and this turned to her disadvantage. Mymother parted us, and sent her back to her African home. She died soonafter." He was silent, and gazed pensively into vacancy; soon, however,he collected his thoughts and said, lightly:
"Well, I became Cilo's diligent pupil."
"But," asked Melissa, "did you not say that at one time you attemptedhis life?"
"I did so," replied
Caracalla darkly; "for a moment arrived when Icursed his teaching, and yet it was certainly wise and well meant. Yousee, child, all of you who go through life humbly and without power aretrained to submit obediently to the will of Heaven. Cilo taught me toplace my own power, and the greatness of the realm which it would beincumbent on me to reign over, above everything, even above the gods. Itwas impressed upon you and yours to hold the life of another sacred; tous, our duty as the sovereign transcends this law. Even the blood of abrother must flow if it is for the good of the state intrusted to us. Mynurse had taught me that being good meant doing unto others as we wouldbe done by; Cilo cried to me: 'Strike down, that you may not be struckdown--away with mercy, if the welfare of the state is threatened!' Andhow many hands are raised against Rome, the universal empire, whichI rule over! It needs a strong hand to keep its antagonistic partstogether. Otherwise it would fall apart like a bundle of arrows when thestring that bound them is broken. And I, even as a boy, had sworn to myfather, by the Terminus stone in the Capitol, never to abandon a singleinch of his ground without fighting for it. He, Severus, was the wisestof the rulers. Only the blind love for his second son, encouraged by thewomen, caused him to forget his moderation and prudence. My brother Getawas to reign together with me over the empire, which ought to havebeen mine alone as the first-born. Every year festivals were kept, withprayers and sacrifices, to the 'love of the brothers.' You have perhapsseen the coins, which show us hand in hand, and have on them theinscription, 'Eternal union'!
"I in union--I hand in hand with the man I most hated under the sun! Italmost maddened me only to hear his voice. I would have liked best ofall to spring at his throat when I saw him with his learned fellowssquandering their time. Do you know what they did? They invented thenames by which the voices of different animals were to be known. OnceI snatched the pencil out of the hand of the freedman as he was writingthe sentences, 'The horse neighs, the pig grunts, the goat bleats, thecow lows, the sheep baas.' 'He, himself,' I added, 'croaks like a hoarsejay.'
"That I should share the government with this miserable, faint-hearted,poisonous nobody could never be,--this enemy, who, when I said 'Yes,'cried 'No!' Who frustrated all my measures,--it was impossible! It wouldhave caused the destruction of the state, as certainly as it was theunfairest and unwisest of the deeds of Severus, to place the youngerbrother as co-regent with the first-born, the rightful heir to thethrone. I, whom my father had taught to watch for signs, was remindedevery hour that this unbearable position must come to an end.
"After the death of Severus, we lived at first close to one another inseparate parts of the same palace like two lions in a cage across whicha partition has been erected, so that they may not reciprocally mangleeach other.
"We used to meet at my mother's.
"That morning my mastiff had bitten Geta's wolfhound and killed him, andthey had found a black liver in the beast he had sent for sacrifice.I had been informed of this. Destiny was on my side. This indolentinactivity must be brought to a close. I myself do not know how I feltas I mounted the steps to my mother's rooms. I only remember distinctlythat a demon cried continually in my ear, 'You have murdered yourbrother!' Then I suddenly found myself face to face with him. It was inthe empress's reception-room. And when I saw the hated flat-shaped headso close to me, when his beardless mouth with its thick underlip smiledat me so sweetly and at the same time so falsely, I felt as if I againheard the cry with which he had cheered on his horse. And I felt ... Ieven felt the pain-as if he broke my thigh again with his wheel. And atthe same time a fiend whispered in my ear: 'Destroy him, or he will killyou, and through him Rome will perish!'
"Then I seized my sword. In his odious, peevish voice he saidsomething--I forget what nonsense--to me. Then it appeared to me asif all the sheep and goats over which he had squandered his time werebleating at me. The blood rushed to my head. The room spun round me in acircle. Black spots on a red ground danced before my eyes.
"And then--What flashed in my right hand was my own naked sword! Ineither heard nor said anything further. Nor had I planned, nor everthought of, what then occurred.... But suddenly I felt as if a mountainof oppressive lead had fallen from my breast. How easily I could breatheagain! All that had just before turned round me in a mad, whirling dancestood still. The sun shone brightly in the large room; a shaft of light,showing dancing dust, fell on Geta. He sank on his knees close to me,with my sword in his breast. My mother made a fruitless effort to shieldhim. His blood trickled over her hand. I can still see every ring onthose slender, white fingers. I also remember distinctly how, when Iraised my sword against him, my mother rushed in between us to protecther favorite. The sharp blade, as she tried to seize it, accidentallygrazed her hand--I know not how--only the skin was slightly cut. Yetwhat a scream she gave over the wound which the son had given hismother! Julia Maesa, her daughter Mammara, and the other women, rushedin. How they exaggerated! They made a river out of every drop of blood.
"So the dreadful deed was done; and yet, had I let the wretch live, Ishould have been a traitor to Rome, to myself, and to my father's life'swork. That day, for the first time, I was ruler of the world. Those whoaccuse me of fratricide no doubt believe themselves to be right. Butthey certainly are not. I know better. You also know now with me thatdestiny, and not I, struck Geta out from among the living."
Here he sat for some time in breathless silence. Then he asked Melissa:
"You understand now how I came to shed my brother's blood?"
She started, and repeated gently after him: "Yes, I understand it."
Deep compassion filled her heart, and yet she felt she dare not sanctionwhat she had heard and deplored. Torn by deep and conflicting feelingsshe threw back her head, brushed her hair off her face, and cried: "Letme go now; I can bear it no longer!"
"So soft-hearted?" asked he, and shook his head disapprovingly. "Liferages more wildly round the throne than in an artist's home. You willhave to learn to swim through the roaring torrent with me. Believe me,even enormities can become quite commonplace. And, besides, why does itstill shock you when you yourself know that it was indispensable?"
"I am only a weak girl, and I feel as if I had witnessed these fearfuldeeds, and had to bear the terrible blood-guiltiness with you!" brokefrom her lips.
"That is what you must and shall do! It is to that end that I haveconfided to you what no one else has ever heard from my mouth!" criedCaracalla, his eyes flashing more brightly. She felt as though this crycalled her from her slumbers and revealed the precipice to which she hadstrayed in her sleepwalking.
When Caracalla had begun telling her of his youth, she had only listenedwith half an ear; for she could not forget Berenike's rescuing ship. Butsoon his confessions completely attracted her attention, and the lamentof this powerful man on whom so many injuries and wrongs had fallen, whoeven in childhood had been deprived of the happiness of a mother's love,had touched her tender heart. That which was afterward told to her shehad identified with her own humble life; she heard with a shudder thatit was to the malice of his brother that this unhappy being owed theinjury which, like a poisonous blight, had marred for him all the joysof existence, while she owed all that was loveliest and best in heryoung life to a brother's love.
The grounds on which Caracalla had based the assertion that destiny hadcompelled him to murder Geta appeared to her young and inexperiencedmind as indisputable. He was only the pitiable victim of his birth andof a cruel fate. Besides, the humblest and most sober-minded can notresist the charm of majesty; and this hapless man, who had honoredMelissa with his confidence, and who had assured her so earnestly thatshe was of such importance to him and could do so much for him, was theruler of the universe.
She had also felt, after Caesar's confession, that she had a right tobe proud, since he had thought her worthy to take an interest in thetragedy in the imperial palace, as if she had been a member of thecourt. In her lively imagination she had witnessed the ghastly act towhich he--as she had certainly believed,
even when she had replied tohis question--had been forced by fate.
But the demand which had followed her answer now recurred to her. Thepicture of Diodoros, which had completely vanished from her thoughtswhile she had been listening, suddenly appeared to her, and, as shefancied, he looked at her reproachfully.
Had she, then, transgressed against her betrothed?
No, no, indeed she had not!
She loved him, and only him; and for that very reason, her uprightjudgment told her now, that it would be sinning against her lover tocarry out Caracalla's wish, as if she had become his fellow-culprit,or certainly the advocate of the bloody outrage. She could think ofno answer to his "That is what you must and shall do!" that would notawaken his wrath. Cautiously, and with sincere thanks for his confidencein her, she begged him once more to allow her to leave him, because sheneeded rest after such a shock to her mind. And it would also do himgood to grant himself a short rest. But he assured her he knew thathe could only rest when he had fulfilled his duty as a sovereign. Hisfather had said, a few minutes before he drew his last breath:
"If there is anything more to be done, give it me to do," and he, theson, would do likewise.
"Moreover," he concluded, "it has done me good to bring to light thatwhich I had for so long kept sealed within me. To gaze in your face atthe same time was, perhaps, even better physic."
At this he rose and, seizing the startled girl by both hands, he cried:
"You, child, can satisfy the insatiable! The love which I offer youresembles a full bunch of grapes, and yet I am quite content if you willgive me back but one berry."
At the very commencement, this declaration was drowned by a loud shoutwhich rang through the room in waves of sound.
Caracalla started, but, before he could reach the window, old Adventusrushed in breathless; and he was followed, though in a more dignifiedmanner, with a not less hasty step and every sign of excitement, byMacrinus, the prefect of the praetorians, with his handsome young sonand a few of Caesar's friends.
"This is how I rest!" exclaimed Caracalla, bitterly, as he releasedMelissa's hand and turned inquiringly to the intruders.
The news had spread among the praetorians and the Macedonian legions,that the emperor, who, contrary to his custom, had not shown himselffor two days, was seriously ill, and at the point of death. Feelingextremely anxious about one who had showered gold on them, and giventhem such a degree of freedom as no other imperator had ever allowedthem, they had collected before the Serapeum and demanded to see Caesar.Caracalla's eyes lighted up at this information, and, excitedly pleased,he cried:
"They only are really faithful!"
He asked for his sword and helmet, and sent for the 'paludamentum',the general's cloak of purple, embroidered with gold, which he neverotherwise wore except on the field. The soldiers should see that heintended leading in future battles.
While they waited, he conversed quietly with Macrinus and the others;when, however, the costly garment covered his shoulders, and when hisfavorite, Theocritus, who had known best how to support him during hisillness, offered him an arm, he answered imperiously that he required noassistance.
"Nevertheless, you should, after so serious an attack--" the physicianin ordinary ventured to exhort him; but he interrupted him scornfully,and, glancing toward Melissa, exclaimed:
"Those little hands there contain more healing power than yours and thegreat Galenus's put together."
Thereupon he beckoned to the young girl, and when she once more besoughthis permission to go, he left the room with the commanding cry, "You areto wait!"
He had rather far to go and some steps to mount in order to reach thebalcony which ran round the base of the cupola of the Pantheon which hisfather had joined to the Serapeum, yet he undertook this willingly, asthence he could best be seen and heard.
A few hours earlier it would have been impossible for him to reach thispoint, and Epagathos had arranged that a sedan-chair and strong bearersshould be waiting at the foot of the steps; but he refused it, for hefelt entirely restored, and the shouts of his warriors intoxicated himlike sparkling wine.
Meanwhile Melissa remained behind in the audience-chamber. She must obeyCaesar's command. Yet it frightened her; and, besides, she was womanenough to feel it as an offense that the man who had assured her sosincerely of his gratitude, and who even feigned to love her, shouldhave refused so harshly her desire to rest. She foresaw that, as long ashe remained in Alexandria, she would have to be his constant companion.She trembled at the idea; yet, if she tried to fly from him, all sheloved would be lost. No, this must not be thought of! She must remain.
She threw herself on a divan, lost in thought, and as she realized theconfidence of which the unapproachable, proud emperor had thoughther worthy, a secret voice whispered to her that it was certainly adelightful thing to share the overwhelming agitations of the highestand greatest. And was he then really bad, he who felt the necessity ofvindicating himself before a simple girl, and to whom it appeared sointolerable to be misjudged and condemned even by her? Besides beingthe emperor and a suffering man, Caracalla had also become her wooer.It never once entered her mind to accept him; but still it flattered herextremely that the greatest of men should declare his love for her. Why,then, need she fear him? She was so important to him, she could do somuch for him, that he would surely take care not to insult or offendher. This modest child, who till quite lately had trembled before herown father's temper, now, in the consciousness of Caesar's favor,felt herself strong to triumph over the wrath and passions of the mostpowerful and most terrible of men. In the mean time she dared not riskconfessing to him that she was another's bride, for that might determinehim to let Diodoros feel his power. The thought that the emperor couldcare about her good opinion greatly pleased her; it even had the effectof raising the hope in her inexperienced mind that Caracalla wouldmoderate his passion for her sake--when old Adventus came into the room.
He was in a hurry; for preparations had to be made in the dining-hallfor the reception of the ambassadors. But when at his appearance Melissarose from the divan he begged her good-naturedly to continue resting.No one could tell what humor Caracalla might be in when he returned. Shehad often seen how rapidly that chameleon could change color. Who thathad seen him just now, going to meet his soldiers, would believe thathe had a few hours before sent away, with hard words, the widow of theEgyptian governor, who had come to beg mercy for her husband?
"So that wretch, Theocritus, has really carried out his intention ofruining the honest Titianus?" asked Melissa, horrified.
"Not only of ruining him," answered the chamberlain; "Titianus is bythis time beheaded."
The old man bowed and left the room; but Melissa remained behind,feeling as if the floor had opened in front of her. He, whose ardentassurance she had just now believed, that he had been forced to shed theblood of an impious wretch, in obedience to an overpowering fate, wascapable of allowing the noblest of men to be beheaded, unjudged, merelyto please a mercenary favorite! His confession, then, had been nothingbut a revolting piece of acting! He had endeavored to vanquish thedisgust she felt for him merely to ensnare her and her healing hand moresurely--as his plaything, his physic, his sleeping draught. And shehad entered the trap, and acquitted him of the most horribleblood-guiltiness.
He had that very day rejected, without pity, a noble Roman lady whopetitioned for her husband's life, and with the same breath he hadafterwards befooled her!
She started up, indignant and deeply wounded. Was it not ignominiouseven to wait here like a prisoner in obedience to the command of thiswretch? And she had dared for one moment to compare this monster withDiodoros, the handsomest, the best, and most amiable of youths!
It seemed to her inconceivable. If only he had not the power to destroyall that was dearest to her heart, what pleasure it would have been toshout in his face:
"I detest you, murderer, and I am the betrothed of another, who is asgood and beautiful as you are vile and odious!"
Then the question occurred to her whether it was only for the sake ofher healing hands that he had felt attracted to her, and had made her anavowal as if she were his equal.
The blood mounted to her face at this thought, and with a burning browshe walked to the open window.
A crowd of presentiments rushed into her innocent and, till then,unsuspecting heart, and they were all so alarming that it was a reliefto her when a shout of joy from the panoplied breasts of severalthousand armed men rent the air. Mingling with this overpoweringdemonstration of united rejoicing from such huge masses, came the blareof the trumpets and horns of the assembled legions. What a maddeningnoise!
Before her lay the square, filled with many legions of warriors whosurrounded the Serapeum in their shining armor, with their eagles andvexilla. The praetorians stood by the picked men of the Macedonianphalanx, and with these were all the troops who had escorted theimperial general hither, and the garrisons of the city of Alexander whohoped to be called out in the next war.
On the balcony, decorated with statues which surrounded the colonnadeof the Pantheon on which the cupola rested, she saw Caracalla, and ata respectful distance a superb escort of his friends, in red and whitetogas, bordered with purple stripes, and wearing armor. Having taken offhis gold helmet, the imperial general bowed to his people, and at everynod of his head, and each more vigorous movement, the enthusiasticcheers were renewed more loudly than ever.
Macrinus then stepped up to Caesar's side, and the lictors who followedhim, by lowering their fasces, signaled to the warriors to keep silence.
Instantly the ear-splitting din changed to a speechless lull.
At first she still heard the lances and shields, which several of thewarriors had waved in enthusiastic joy, ringing against the ground, andthe clatter of the swords being put back in their sheaths; then thisalso ceased, and finally, although only the superior officers hadarrived on horseback, the stamping of hoofs, the snorting of the horses,and the rattle of the chains at their bits, were the only sounds.
Melissa listened breathlessly, looking first at the square and thesoldiers below, then at the balcony where the emperor stood. In spiteof the aversion she felt, her heart beat quicker. It was as if thisimmeasurable army had only one voice; as if an irresistible force drewall these thousands of eyes toward one point--the one little man upthere on the Pantheon.
Directly he began to speak, Melissa's glance was also fixed onCaracalla.
She only heard the closing sentence, as, with raised voice, he shoutedto the soldiers; and from it she gathered that he thanked his companionsin arms for their anxiety, but that he still felt strong enough to shareall their difficulties with them. Severe exertions lay behind them. Therest in this luxurious city would do them all good. There was still muchto be conquered in the rich East, and to add to what they had alreadywon, before they could return to Rome to celebrate a well-earnedtriumph. The weary should make themselves comfortable here. The wealthymerchants in whose houses he had quartered them had been told to attendto their wants, and if they neglected to do so every single warriorwas man enough to show them what a soldier needed for his comfort.The people here looked askance at him and his soldiers, but too muchmoderation would be misplaced.
There certainly were some things even here which the host was not boundto supply to his military; he, Caesar, would provide them with these,and for that purpose he had put aside two million denarii out of his ownpoverty to distribute among them.
This speech had several times been interrupted by applause, but now sucha tremendous shout of joy went up that it would have drowned the loudestthunder. The number of voices as well as their power seemed to havedoubled.
Caracalla had added another link to the golden chain which alreadybound him to these faithful people; and, as he smiled and nodded to thedelighted crowd from the balcony, he looked like a happy, light-heartedyouth who had prepared a great treat for himself and several belovedfriends.
What he said further was lost in the confusion of voices in the square.The ranks were broken up, and the cuirasses, helmets, and arms of themoving warriors caught the sun and sent bright beams of light crossingone another over the wide space surrounded with dazzling white marblestatues.
When Caracalla left the balcony, Melissa drew back from the window.
The compassionate impulse to lighten the lot of a sufferer, which hadbefore drawn her so strongly to Caracalla, had now lost its sense andmeaning for this healthy, high-spirited man. She considered herselfcheated, as if she had been fooled by sham suffering into givingexcessively large alms to an artful beggar.
Besides, she loved her native town, and Caracalla's advice to thesoldiers to force the citizens to provide luxurious living for them,had made her considerably more rebellious. If he ever put her again ina position to speak her mind freely to him, she would tell him allundisguisedly; but instantly it again rushed into her mind that she mustkeep guard over her tongue before the easily unchained wrath of thisdespot, until her father and brothers were in safety once more.
Before the emperor returned, the room was filled with people, of whomshe knew none, excepting her old friend the white-haired, learnedSamonicus. She was the aim and center of all eyes, and when even thekindly old man greeted her from a distance, and so contemptuously, thatthe blood rushed to her face, she begged Adventus to take her into thenext room.
The Chamberlain did as she wished, but before he left her he whisperedto her: "Innocence is trusting; but it is not of much avail here. Takecare, child! They say there are sand-banks in the Nile which, like softpillows, entice one to rest. But if you use them they become alive,and a crocodile creeps out, with open jaws. I am talking already inmetaphor, like an Alexandrian, but you will understand me."
Melissa bowed acknowledgment to him, and the old man went on:
"He may perhaps forget you; for many things had accumulated during hisillness. If the mass of business, as it comes in, is not settled fortwenty four hours, it swells like a mill-stream that has the sluicedown. But when work is begun, it quite carries him away. He forgets thento eat and drink. Ambassadors have arrived also from the Empress-mother,from Armenia, and Parthia. If he does not ask for you in half an hour,it will be suppertime, and I will let you out through that door."
"Do so at once," begged Melissa, with raised, petitioning hands; but theold man replied: "I should then reward you but ill for having warmedmy feet for me. Remember the crocodile under the sand! Patience, child!There is Caesar's zithern. If you can play, amuse yourself with that.The door shuts closely and the curtains are thick. My old ears just nowwere listening to no purpose."
But Caracalla was so far from forgetting Melissa that although he hadattended to the communication brought to him by the ambassadors, and thevarious dispatches from the senate, he asked for her even at the doorof the tablinum. He had seen her from the balcony looking out on thesquare; so she had witnessed the reception his soldiers had given him.The magnificent spectacle must have impressed her and filled her withjoy. He was anxious to hear all this from her own lips, before hesettled down to work.
Adverntus whispered to him where he had taken her, to avoid thepersecuting glances of the numerous strangers, and Caracalla nodded tohim approvingly and went into the next room.
She sat there with the zithern, letting her fingers glide gently overthe strings.
On his entering, she drew back hastily; but he cried to her brightly:"Do not disturb yourself. I love that instrument. I am having a statueerected to Mesomedes, the great zithern-player--you perhaps know hissongs. This evening, when the feast and the press of work are over, Iwill hear how you play. I will also playa few airs to you."
Melissa then plucked up courage and said, decidedly: "No, my lord; I amabout to bid you farewell for to-day."
"That sounds very determined," he answered, half surprised and halfamused. "But may I be allowed to know what has made you decide on thisstep?"
"There is a great deal of work waiting for you," she repl
ied, quietly.
"That is my affair, not yours," was the crushing answer.
"It is also mine," she said, endeavoring to keep calm; "for you havenot yet completely recovered, and, should you require my help again thisevening, I could not attend to your call."
"No?" he asked, wrathfully, and his eyelids began to twitch.
"No, my lord; for it would not be seemly in a maiden to visit you bynight, unless you were ill and needed nursing. As it is, I shall meetyour friends--my heart stands still only to think of it--"
"I will teach them what is due to you!" Caracalla bellowed out, and hisbrow was knit once more.
"But you can not compel me," she replied, firmly, "to change my mindas to what is seemly," and the courage which failed her if she met aspider, but which stood by her in serious danger as a faithful ally,made her perfectly steadfast as she eagerly added: "Not an hour sinceyou promised me that so long as I remained with you I should need noother protector, and might count on your gratitude. But those were merewords, for, when I besought you to grant me some repose, you scorned myvery reasonable request, and roughly ordered me to remain and attend onyou."
At this Caesar laughed aloud.
"Just so! You are a woman, and like all the rest. You are sweet andgentle only so long as you have your own way."
"No, indeed," cried Melissa, and her eyes filled with tears. "I onlylook further than from one hour to the next. If I should sacrifice whatI think right, merely to come and go at my own will, I should soon benot only miserable myself, but the object of your contempt."
Overcome by irresistible distress, she broke into loud sobs; butCaracalla, with a furious stamp of his foot, exclaimed:
"No tears! I can not, I will not see you weep. Can any harm come to you?Nothing but good; nothing but the best of happiness do I propose foryou. By Apollo and Zeus, that is the truth! Till now you have beenunlike other women, but when you behave like them, you shall--I swearit--you shall feel which of us two is the stronger!"
He roughly snatched her hand away from her face and thereby achieved hisend, for her indignation at being thus touched by a man's brutal handgave Melissa strength to suppress her sobs. Only her wet cheeks showedwhat a flood of tears she had shed, as, almost beside herself withanger, she exclaimed:
"Let my hand go! Shame on the man who insults a defenseless girl! Youswear! Then I, too, may take an oath, and, by the head of my mother,you shall never see me again excepting as a corpse, if you ever attemptviolence! You are Caesar--you are the stronger. Who ever doubted it? Butyou will never compel me to a vile action, not if you could inflict athousand deaths on me instead of one!"
Caracalla, without a word, had released her hand and was staring at herin amazement.
A woman, and so gentle a woman, defying him as no man would have daredto do!
She stood before him, her hand raised, her bosom heaving; a flame ofanger sparkled in her eyes through their tears, and he had never beforethought her so fair. What majesty there was in this girl, whose simplegrace had made him more than once address her as "child"! She was like aqueen, an empress; perhaps she might become one. The idea struck him forthe first time. And that little hand which now fell--what soothing powerit had, how much he owed to it! How fervently he had wished but just nowto be understood by her, and to be thought better of by her than bythe rest! And this wish still possessed him. Nay, he was more stronglyattracted than ever to this creature, worthy as she was of the highestin the land, and made doubly bewitching by her proud willfulness. Thathe should see her for the last time seemed to him as impossible as thathe should never again see daylight; and yet her whole aspect announcedthat her threat was serious.
His aggrieved pride and offended sense of absolute power struggled withhis love, repentance, and fear of losing her healing presence; but thestruggle was brief, especially as a mass of business to be attended tolay before him like a steep hill to climb, and haste was imperative.
He went up to her, shaking his head, and said in the superior tone of asage rebuking thoughtlessness:
"Like all the rest of them--I repeat it. My demands had no object inview but to make you happy and derive comfort from you. How hot must theblood be which boils and foams at the contact of a spark! Only too likemy own; and, since I understand you, I find it easy to forgive you.Indeed, I must finally express myself grateful; for I was in danger ofneglecting my duties as a sovereign for the sake of pleasing my heart.Go, then, and rest, while I devote myself to business."
At this, Melissa forced herself to smile, and said, still somewhattearfully: "How grateful I am! And you will not again require me toremain, will you, when I assure you that it is not fitting?"
"Unluckily, I am not in the habit of yielding to a girl's whims."
"I have no whims," she eagerly declared. "But you will keep your wordnow, and allow me to withdraw? I implore you to let me go!"
With a deep sigh and an amount of self-control of which he wouldyesterday have thought himself incapable, he let go her hand, and shewith a shudder thought that she had found the answer to the question hehad asked her. His eyes, not his words, had betrayed it; for a woman cansee in a suitor's look what color his wishes take, while a woman's eyesonly tell her lover whether or no she reciprocates his feelings.
"I am going," she said, but he remarked the deadly paleness whichoverspread her features, and her colorless cheeks encouraged him in thebelief that, after a sleepless night and the agitations of the last fewhours, it was only physical exhaustion which made Melissa so suddenlyanxious to escape from him. So, saying kindly:
"'Till to-morrow, then," he dismissed her.
But when she had almost left the room, he added: "One thing more!To-morrow we will try our zitherns together. After my bath is the timeI like best for such pleasant things; Adventus will fetch you. I amcurious to hear you play and sing. Of all sounds, that of the humanvoice is the sweetest. Even the shouting of my legions is pleasing tothe ear and heart. Do you not think so, and does not the acclamation ofso many thousands stir your soul?"
"Certainly," she replied hastily; and she longed to reproach him forthe injustice he was doing the populace of Alexandria to benefit hiswarriors, but she felt that the time was ill chosen, and everything gaveway to her longing to be gone out of the dreadful man's sight.
In the next room she met Philostratus, and begged him to conduct her tothe lady Euryale; for all the anterooms were now thronged, and she hadlost the calm confidence in which she had come thither.