CHAPTER XXIV.
The door of the tablinum flew open, and through it streamed the Parthianambassadors, seven stately personages, wearing the gorgeous costumeof their country, and followed by an interpreter and several scribes.Melissa noticed how one of them, a young warrior with a fair beardframing his finely molded, heroic face, and thick, curling locksescaping from beneath his tiara, grasped the hilt of his sword inhis sinewy hand, and how his neighbor, a cautious, elderly man, wasendeavoring to calm him.
Scarcely had they left the antechamber than Adventus called Melissa andPhilostratus to the emperor. Caracalla was seated on a raised throne ofgold and ivory, with bright scarlet cushions. As on the preceding day,he was magnificently dressed, and wore a laurel wreath on his head. Thelion, who lay chained beside the throne, stirred as he caught sight ofthe new-comers, which caused Caracalla to exclaim to Melissa: "You havestayed away from me so long that my 'Sword of Persia' fails to recognizeyou. Were it not more to my taste to show you how dear you are to me, Icould be angry with you, coy bird that you are!"
As Melissa bent respectfully before him, he gazed delighted into herglowing face, saying, as he turned half to her and half to Philostratus:"How she blushes! She is ashamed that, though I could get no sleepduring the night, and was tortured by an indescribable restlessness,she refused to obey my call, although she very well knows that the oneremedy for her sleepless friend lies in her beautiful little hand. Hush,hush! The high-priest has told me that you did not sleep beneath thesame roof as I. But that only turned my thoughts in the right direction.Child, child!--See now, Philostratus--the red rose has become a whiteone. And how timid she is! Not that it offends me, far from it--itdelights me.--Those flowers, Philostratus! Take them, Melissa; they addless to your beauty than you to theirs." He seized the splendid roseshe had ordered for her early that morning and fastened the finest in hergirdle himself. She did not forbid him, and stammered a few-low words ofthanks.
How his face glowed! His eyes rested in ecstatic delight upon his chosenone. In this past night, after he had called for her and waited invain with feverish longing for her coming, it had dawned on him withconvincing force that this gentle child had awakened a new, intensepassion in him. He loved her, and he was glad of it--he who till now hadtaken but a passing pleasure in beautiful women. Longing for her till itbecame torture, he swore to himself to make her his, and share his allwith her, even to the purple.
It was not his habit to hesitate, and at daybreak he had sent for hismother's messengers that they might inform her of his resolve. No onedared to gainsay him, and he expected it least of all from her whom hedesigned to raise so high. But she felt utterly estranged from him, andwould gladly have told him to his face what she felt.
Still, it was absolutely necessary that she should restrain herself andendure his insufferable endearments, and even force herself to speak.And yet her tongue seemed tied, and it was only by the utmost effort ofher will that she could bring herself to express her astonishment at hisrapid return to health.
"It is like magic," she concluded, and he heartily agreed. Attacks ofthat kind generally left their effects for four days or more. But themost astonishing thing was that in spite of being in the best of health,he was suffering from the gravest illness in the world. "I have fallena victim to the fever of love, my Philostratus," he cried, with a tenderglance at Melissa.
"Nay, Caesar," interrupted the philosopher, "love is not a disease, butrather not loving."
"Prove this new assertion," laughed the emperor; and the philosopherrejoined, with a meaning look at the maiden, "If love is born in theeyes, then those who do not love are blind."
"But," answered Caracalla, gayly, "they say that love comes not onlyfrom what delights the eye, but the soul and the mind as well."
"And have not the mind and the spirit eyes also?" was the reply, towhich the emperor heartily assented.
Then he turned to Melissa, and asked with gentle reproach why she, whohad proved herself so ready of wit yesterday, should be so reservedtoday; but she excused her taciturnity on the score of the violentemotions that had stormed in upon her since the morning.
Her voice broke at the end of this explanation, and Caracalla,concluding that it was the thought of the grandeur that awaited herthrough his favor which confused her and brought the delicate color toher cheeks, seized her hand, and, obedient to an impulse of his betternature, said:
"I understand you, child. Things are befalling you that would make astouter heart tremble. You have only heard hints of what must effectsuch a decisive change in your future life. You know how I feel towardyou. I acknowledged to you yesterday what you already knew withoutwords. We both feel the mysterious power that draws us to one another.We belong to each other. In the future, neither time nor space nor anyother thing may part us. Where I am there you must be also. You shallbe my equal in every respect. Every honor paid to me shall be offered toyou likewise. I have shown the malcontents what they have to expect.The fate which awaits the consul Claudius Vindex and his nephew, who bytheir want of respect to you offended me, will teach the others to havea care."
"O my lord, that aged man!" cried Melissa, clasping her hands,imploringly.
"He shall die, and his nephew," was the inexorable answer. "During myconference with my mother's messengers they had the presumption to raiseobjections against you and the ardent desire of my heart in a mannerwhich came very near to being treason. And they must suffer for it."
"You would punish them for my sake?" exclaimed Melissa. "But I forgivethem willingly. Grant them pardon! I beg, I entreat you."
"Impossible! Unless I make an example, it will be long before theslanderous tongues would hold their peace. Their sentence stands."
But Melissa would not be appeased. With passionate eagerness sheentreated the emperor to grant a pardon, but he cut her short with therequest not to interfere in matters which he alone had to decide andanswer for.
"I owe it to you as well as to myself," he continued, "to remove everyobstacle from the path. Were I to spare Vindex, they would never againbelieve in my strength of purpose. He shall die, and his nephew withhim! To raise a structure without first securing a solid foundationwould be an act of rashness and folly. Besides, I undertake nothingwithout consulting the omens. The horoscope which the priest ofthis temple has drawn up for you only confirms me in my purpose. Theexamination of the sacrifices this morning was favorable. It now onlyremains to be seen what the stars say to my resolve. I had not yet takenit when I last questioned the fortune-tellers of the sky. This night weshall learn what future the planets promise to our union. From the signson yonder tablet it is scarcely possible that their answer should beotherwise than favorable. But even should they warn me of misfortune atyour side, I could not let you go now. It is too late for that. Ishould merely take advantage of the warning, and continue with redoubledseverity to sweep away every obstacle that threatens our union. And onething more--"
But he did not finish, for Epagathos here reminded him of the deputationof Alexandrian citizens who had come to speak about the games inthe Circus. They had been waiting several hours, and had still manyarrangements to make.
"Did they send you to me?" inquired Caracalla, with irritation, and thefreedman answering in the affirmative, he cried: "The princes who waitin my antechamber do not stir until their turn comes. These tradesmen'ssenses are confused by the dazzle of their gold! Tell them they shall becalled when we find time to attend to them."
"The head of the night-watch too is waiting," said the freedman; and tothe emperor's question whether he had seen him, and if he had anythingof consequence to report, the other replied that the man was muchdisquieted, but seemed to be exercising proper severity. He ventured toremind his master of the saying that the Alexandrians must have 'Panemet circenses'; they did not trouble themselves much about anything else.In these days, when there had been neither games, nor pageants, nordistribution of corn, the Romans and Caesar had been their sole subjectsof conversation. However, t
here was to be something quite unusuallygrand in the Circus to-night. That would distract the attention of theimpudent slanderers. The night-watchman greatly desired to speak to theemperor himself, to prepare him for the fact that excitement ran higherin the Circus here than even in Rome. In spite of every precaution, hewould not be able to keep the rabble in the upper rows quiet.
"Nor need they be," broke in the emperor; "the louder they shout thebetter; and I fancy they will see things which will be worth shoutingfor. I have no time to see the man. Let him thoroughly realize that heis answerable for any real breach of order."
He signed to Epagathos to retire, but Melissa went nearer to Caesar andbegged him gently not to let the worthy citizens wait any longer on heraccount.
At this Caracalla frowned ominously, and cried: "For the second time,let me ask you not to interfere in matters that do not concern you! Ifany one dares to order me--" Here he stopped short, for, as Melissa drewback from him frightened, he was conscious of having betrayed that evenlove was not strong enough to make him control himself. He was angrywith himself, and with a great effort he went on, more quietly:
"When I give an order, my child, there often lies much behind it ofwhich I alone know. Those who force themselves upon Caesar, as thesecitizens do, must learn to have patience. And you--if you would fill theposition to which I intend to raise you--must first take care to leaveall paltry considerations and doubts behind you. However, all that willcome of itself. Softness and mercy melt on the throne like ice beforethe sun. You will soon learn to scorn this tribe of beggars who comewhining round us. If I flew in a passion just now, it was partly yourfault. I had a right to expect that you would be more eager to hear meout than to shorten the time of waiting for these miserable merchants."
With this his voice grew rough again, but as she raised her eyes to himand cried beseechingly, "O, my lord!" he continued, more gently:
"There was not much more to be said. You shall be mine. Should the starsconfirm their first revelations, I shall raise you to-morrow to my side,here in the city of Alexandria, and make the people do homage to you astheir empress. The priest of Alexandria is ready to conduct the marriageceremonial. Philostratus will inform my mother of my determination."
Melissa had listened to these arrangements with growing distress; herbreath came fast, and she was incapable of uttering a word; but Caesarwas delighted at the lovely confusion painted on her features, andcried, in joyful excitement:
"How I have looked forward to this moment--and I have succeeded insurprising her! This is what makes imperial power divine; by one wave ofthe hand it can raise the lowest to the highest place!"
With this he drew Melissa toward him, kissed the trembling girl upon thebrow, and continued, in delighted tones:
"Time does not stand still, and only a few hours separate us from theaccomplishment of our desires. Let us lend them wings. We resolvedyesterday to show one another what we could do as singers andlute-players. There lies my lyre--give it me, Philostratus. I know whatI shall begin with."
The philosopher brought and tuned the instrument; but Melissa had somedifficulty in keeping back her tears. Caracalla's kiss burned like abrand of infamy on her brow. A nameless, torturing restlessness had comeover her, and she wished she could dash the lyre to the ground, whenCaracalla began to play, and called out to Philostratus:
"As you are leaving us to-morrow, I will sing the song which you honoredwith a place in your heroic tale."
He turned to Melissa, and, as she owned to having read the work of thephilosopher, he went on "You know, then, that I was the model for hisAchilles. The departed spirit of the hero is enjoying in the island ofLeuke, in the Pontus, the rest which he so richly deserves, after alife full of heroic deeds. Now he finds time to sing to the lyre, andPhilostratus put the following verses--but they are mine--into hismouth.--I am about to play, Adventus! Open the door!"
The freedman obeyed, and the emperor peered into the antechamber to seefor himself who was waiting there.
He required an audience when he sang. The Circus had accustomed him tolouder applause than his beloved and one skilled musician could awardhim. At last he swept the strings, and began singing in a well-trainedtenor, whose sharp, hard quality, however, offended the girl's criticalear, the song to the echo on the shores of Pontus:
Echo, by the rolling waters Bathing Pontus' rocky shore, Wake, and answer to the lyre Swept by my inspired hand!
Wake, and raise thy voice in numbers Sing to Homer, to the bard Who has given life immortal To the heroes of his lay.
He it was from death who snatched me; He who gave Patroclus life; Rescued, in perennial glory, Godlike Ajax from the dead!
His the lute to whose sweet accents, Ilion owes undying fame, And the triumph and the praises Which surround her deathless name.
The "Sword of Persia" seemed peculiarly affected by his master's song,which he accompanied by a long-drawn howl of woe; and, before theimperial virtuoso had concluded, a discordant cry sounded for a shorttime from the street, in imitation of the squeaking of young pigs. Itarose from the crowd who were waiting round the Serapeum to see Caesardrive to the Circus; and Caracalla must have noticed it, for, when itwaxed louder, he gave a sidelong glance toward the place from which itcame, and an ominous frown gathered upon his brow.
But it soon vanished, for scarcely had he finished when stormy shouts ofapplause rose from the antechamber. They proceeded from the friends ofCaesar, and the deep voices of the Germanic bodyguard, who, joining inwith the cries they had learned in the Circus, lent such impetuous forceto the applause, as even to satisfy this artist in the purple.
Therefore, when Philostratus spoke words of praise, and Melissa thankedhim with a blush, he answered with a smile: "There is something frankand untrammeled in their manner of expressing their feelings outside.Forced applause sounds differently. There must be something in mysinging that carries the hearers away. My Alexandrian hosts, however,are overready to show me what they think. It did not escape me, and Ishall add it to the rest."
Then he invited Melissa to make a return for his song by singingSappho's Ode to Aphrodite. Pale, and as if obeying some strangecompulsion, she seated herself at the instrument, and the preludesounded clear and tuneful from her skillful fingers.
"Beautiful! Worthy of Mesomedes!" cried Caracalla, but Melissa could notsing, for at the first note her voice was broken by stormy sobs.
"The power of the goddess whom she meant to extol!" said Philostratus,pointing to her; and the tearful, beseeching look with which she met theemperor's gaze while she begged him in low tones--"Not now! I can not doit to-day!"--confirmed Caracalla in his opinion that the passion he hadawakened in the maiden was in no way inferior to his own-perhapseven greater. He relieved his full heart by whispering to Melissa apassionate, "I love you," and, desiring to show her by a favor howkindly he felt toward her, added: "I will not let your fellow-citizenswait outside any longer--Adventus! The deputation from the Circus!"
The chamberlain withdrew at once, and the emperor throwing himself backon the throne, continued, with a sigh:
"I wonder how any of these rich tradesmen would like to undertake whatI have already gone through this day. First, the bath; then, while Irested, Macrinus's report; after that, the inspection of the sacrifices;then a review of the troops, with a gracious word to every one. Scarcelyreturned, I had to receive the ambassadors from my mother, and thencame the troublesome affair with Vindex. Then the dispatches from Romearrived, the letters to be examined, and each one to be decided on andsigned. Finally the settling of accounts with the idiologos, who, ashigh-priest of my choosing, has to collect the tribute from all thetemples in Egypt.... Next I gave audience to several people--to yourfather among the rest. He is strange, but a thorough man, and a trueMacedonian of the old stock. He repelled both greeting and presents, buthe longed to be revenged--heavi
ly and bloodily--on Zminis, who denouncedhim and brought him to the galleys.... How the old fellow must haveraged and stormed when he was a prisoner! I treated the droll oldgray-beard like my father. The giant pleases me, and what skillfulfingers he has on his powerful hands! He gave me that ring with theportraits of Castor and Pollux."
"My brothers were the models," remarked Melissa, glad to find somethingto say without dissembling.
Caracalla examined the stone in the gold ring more closely, andexclaimed in admiration: "How delicate the little heads are! At thefirst glance one recognizes the hand of the happily gifted artist. Yourfather's is one of the noblest and most refined of the arts. If I canraise a statue to a lute-player, I can do so to a gem-cutter."
Here the deputation for the arrangement of the festival was announced,but the emperor, calling out once more, "Let them wait," continued:
"You are a handsome race--the men powerful, the women as lovely asAphrodite. That is as it should be! My father before me took the wisestand fairest woman to wife. You are the fairest--the wisest?--well, thattoo, perhaps. Time will show. But Aphrodite never has a high forehead,and, according to Philostratus, beauty and wisdom are hostile sisterswith you women."
"Exceptions," interposed the philosopher, as he pointed to Melissa,"prove the rule."
"Describe her in that manner to my mother," said Caracalla. "I would notlet you go from me, were you not the only person who knows Melissa. Imay trust in your eloquence to represent her as she deserves. And now,"he continued, hurriedly, "one thing more. As soon as the deputationis dismissed and I have received a few other persons, the feast isto begin. You would perhaps be entertained at it. However, it will bebetter to introduce you to my 'friends' after the marriage ceremony.After dark, to make up for it, there is the Circus, to which you will,of course, accompany me."
"Oh, my lord!" exclaimed the maiden, frightened and unwilling. ButCaracalla cried, decisively: "No refusal, I must beg! I imagine that Ihave proved sufficiently that I know how to shield you from what is notfitting for a maiden. What I ask of you now is but the first step on thenew path of honor that awaits you as future empress."
Melissa raised both voice and hands in entreaty, but in vain. Caracallacut her short, saying in authoritative tones:
"I have arranged everything. You will go to the Circus. Not alone withme-that would give welcome work to scandalous tongues. Your father shallaccompany you--your brothers, too, if you wish it. I shall not join youtill after the performance has begun. Your fellow-citizens will divinethe meaning of this visit. Besides, Theocritus and the rest have ordersto acquaint the people with the distinction that awaits you and theAlexandrians. But why so pale? Your cheeks will regain their colorin the Circus. I know I am right--you will leave it delightedand enthralled. You have only to learn for the first time how theacclamations of tens of thousands take hold upon the heart andintoxicate the senses. Courage, courage, Macedonian maiden! Everythinggrand and unexpected, even unforeseen happiness, is alarming andbewildering. But we become accustomed even to the impossible. A strongspirit like yours soon gets over anything of the kind. But the time isrunning on. One word more: You must be in the Circus by sunset. In anycase, you must be in your place before I come. Adventus will see thatyou have a chariot or a litter, whichever you please. Theocritus will bewaiting at the entrance to lead you to your seats."
Melissa could restrain herself no longer, and, carried away by the wildconflict of passions in her breast, she threw control and prudence tothe winds, and cried:
"I will not!" Then throwing back her head as if to call the heavens towitness, she raised her great, wide-open eyes and gazed above.
But not for long. Her bold defiance had roused Caesar's utmost fury, andhe broke out with a growl of rage:
"You will not, you say? And you think, unreasoning fool, that thissettles the matter?"
He uttered a wild laugh, pressed his hand firmly on his left eyelid,which began to twitch convulsively, and went on in a lower but defiantlycontemptuous tone:
"I know better! You shall! And you will not only go to the Circus, butyou will do it willingly, or at least with smiling lips. You will startat sunset! At the time appointed I shall find you in your place. Ifnot!--Must I begin so soon to teach you that I can be serious? Have acare, girl! You are dear to me; yet--by the head of my father!--if youdefy me, my Numidian lion-keepers shall drag you to the place you belongto!"
Thus far Melissa had listened to the emperor's raging with panting bosomand quivering nostrils, as at a performance, which must sooner or latercome to an end; and now she broke in regardless of the consequences:
"Send for them," she cried, "and order them to throw me to the wildbeasts! It will doubtless be a welcome surprise to the lookers-on. Whichof them can say they have ever seen the daughter of a free Roman citizenwho never yet came before the law, torn to pieces in the sand ofthe arena? They delight in anything new! Yes, murder me, as you didPlautilla, although I never offended either you or your mother! Betterdie a hundred deaths than parade my dishonor before the eyes of themultitude in the open Circus!"
She ceased, incapable of further resistance, threw herself weeping onthe divan, and buried her face in the cushions.
Confounded and bewildered by such audacity, the emperor had heard herout. The soul of a hero dwelt in the frail body of this maiden! Majesticas all-conquering Venus she had resisted him for the second tune, andnow how touching did she appear in her tears and weakness! He loved her,and his heart yearned to raise her in his arms, to beg her forgiveness,and fulfill her every wish. But he was a man and a monarch, and hisdesire to show Melissa to the people in the Circus as his chosen bridehad become a fixed resolve during the past sleepless night. And indeedhe was incapable of renouncing any wish or a plan, even if he feltinclined to do so. Yet he heartily regretted having stormed at thegentle Greek girl like some wild barbarian, and thus himself thrownobstacles in the way of attaining his desire. His hot blood had carriedhim away again. Surely some demon led him so often into excesses whichhe afterward repented of. This time the fiend had been strong in him,and he must use every gentle persuasion he knew of to bend the deeplyoffended maiden to his will.
He was relieved not to meet her intense gaze as he advanced toward herand took Philostratus's place, who whispered to her to control herselfand not bring death and ruin upon them all.
"I Truly I meant well toward you, dearest," he began, in alteredtones. "But we are both like overfull vessels--one drop will make themoverflow. You--confess now that you forgot yourself. And I--On thethrone we grow unaccustomed to opposition. It is fortunate that theflame of my anger dies out so quickly. But it lies with you to preventit from ever breaking out; for I should always endeavor to fulfill akindly expressed wish, if it were possible. This time, however, I mustinsist--"
Melissa turned toward the emperor, and stretching out beseeching hands,she cried:
"Bid me do anything, however hard, and it shall be done, but do notforce me to go with you to the Circus. If my mother were only alive!Wherever I could go with her was right. But my father, not to speak ofmy madcap brother Alexander, do not know what befits a maiden, nor doesanybody expect it of them."
"And rightly," interposed Caracalla. "Now I understand your opposition,and thank you for it. But it fortunately lies in my power to remove yourobjection. The women have to obey me, too. I shall at once issue thenecessary orders. You shall appear in the Circus surrounded by thenoblest matrons of the city. The wives of these citizens shall accompanyyou. Even my mother will be sure to approve of this arrangement.Farewell, then, till we meet again in the Circus!"
He spoke the last words with proud satisfaction, and with the gravedemeanor that Cilo had taught him to adopt in the curia.
He then gave the order to admit the Alexandrian citizens, and the wordsof entreaty died upon the lips of the unfortunate imperial bride, forthe folding doors were thrown open and the deputation advanced throughthem.
Old Adventus signed to Melissa, and with drooping he
ad she followedhim through the rooms and corridors that led to the apartments of thehighpriest.