CHAPTER XXXV.
A week later Caracalla quitted Alexandria to make war on the Parthians.What finally drove the unhappy man to hurry from the hated place was thetorturing fear of sharing his lion's fate, and of being sent after themurdered Tarautas by the friends who had heard his appeal to fate.
Quite mad he was not, for the illusions which haunted him were oftenabsent for several hours, when he spoke with perfect lucidity, receivedreports, and gave orders. It was with peculiar terror that his soulavoided every recollection of his mother, of Theokritus, and allthose whose opinion he had formerly valued and whose judgment was notindifferent to him.
In constant terror of the dagger of an avenger--a dread which, withmany other peculiarities, the leech could hardly ascribe to the diseasedphenomena of his mental state--he only showed himself to his soldiers,and he might often be seen making a meal off a pottage he himself hadcooked to escape the poison which had been fatal to his lion. He wasnever for an instant free from the horrible sense of being hated,shunned, and persecuted by the whole world.
Sometimes he would remember that once a fair girl had prayed for him;but when he tried to recall her features he could only see the charredarm with the golden snake held up before him as he had pictured it thatnight after the most hideous of his massacres; and every time, at thesight of it, that word came back to him which still tortured his soulabove all else--"The deed." But his attendants, who heard him repeatingit day and night, never knew what he meant by it.
When Zminis met his end by the wild beasts in the arena, it was beforehalf-empty seats, though several legions had been ordered into theamphitheatre to fill them. The larger number of the citizens were slain,and the remainder were in mourning for relatives more or less near; andthey also kept away from the scene to avoid the hated despot.
Macrinus now governed the empire almost as a sovereign, for Caesar,formerly a laborious and autocratic ruler, shrank from all business.Even before they left Alexandria the plebeian prefect could see thatSerapion's prophecy was fulfilling itself. He remained in close intimacywith the soothsayer; but only once more, and just before Caesar'sdeparture, could the magian be induced to raise the spirits of the dead,for his clever accomplice, Castor, had fallen a victim in the massacrebecause, prompted by the high price set on Alexander's head, and his ownfierce hatred of the young painter, he would go out to discover where heand his sister had concealed themselves.
When at last the unhappy monarch quitted Alexandria one rainy morning,followed by the curses of innumerable mourners--fathers, mothers,widows, and orphans--as well as of ruined artisans and craftsmen, theill-used city, once so proudly gay, felt itself relieved of a crushingnightmare. This time it was not to Caesar that the cloudy sky promisedwelfare--his life was wrapped in gloom--but to the people he had sobitterly hated. Thousands looked forward hopefully to life once more, inspite of their mourning robes and widows' veils, and notwithstanding theserious hindrances which the malice of their "afflicted" sovereign hadplaced in the way of the resuscitation of their town, for Caracalla hadcommanded that a wall should be built to divide the great merchant cityinto two parts.
Nay, he had intended to strike a death-blow even at the learning towhich Alexandria owed a part of her greatness, by decreeing that theMuseum and schools should be removed and the theatres closed.
Maddening alike to heart and brain was the memory that he left behindhim, and the citizens would shake their fists if only his name werespoken. But their biting tongues had ceased to mock or jest. Most of theepigramatists were silenced forever, and the nimble wit of the survivorswas quelled for many a month by bitter curses or tears of sorrow.
But now--it was a fortnight since the dreadful man had left--the shopsand stores, which had been closed against the plunderers, were beingreopened. Life was astir again in the deserted and silent baths andtaverns, for there was no further fear of rapine from insolent soldiers,or the treacherous ears of spies and delators. Women and girls couldonce more venture into the highways, the market was filled with dealers,and many an one who was conscious of a heedless speech or suspected ofwhistling in the circus, or of some other crime, now came out of hiswell-watched hiding-place.
Glaukias, the sculptor, among others, reopened his work-rooms in Heron'sgarden-plot. In the cellar beneath the floor the gem-cutter had remainedhidden with Polybius and his sister Praxilla, for the easy-going old mancould not be induced to embark in the vessel which Argutis had hired forthem. Sooner would he die than leave Alexandria. He was too muchpetted and too infirm to face the discomforts of a sea voyage. And hisobstinacy had served him well, for the ship in which they were to havesailed, though it got out before the harbor was closed, was overtakenand brought back by an imperial galley.
Polybius was, however, quite willing to accept Heron's invitation toshare his hiding-place.
Now they could both come out again; but these few weeks had affectedthem very differently. The gem-cutter looked like the shadow of himself,and had lost his upright carriage. He knew, indeed, that Melissa wasalive, and that Alexander, after being wounded, had been carried byAndreas to the house of Zeno, and was on the way to recovery; butthe death of his favorite son preyed on his mind, and it was a greatgrievance that his house should have been wrecked and burned. His hiddengold, which was safe with him, would have allowed of his building afar finer one in its stead, but the fact that it should be hisfellow-citizens who had destroyed it was worst of all. It weighed on hisspirits, and made him morose and silent.
Old Dido, who had risked her life more than once, looked at him withmournful eyes, and besought all the gods she worshiped to restore hergood master's former vigor, that she might once more hear him curseand storm; for his subdued mood seemed to her unnatural and alarming--aportent of his approaching end.
Praxilla, too, the comfortable widow, had grown pale and thin, but oldDido had learned a great deal from her teaching. Polybius only was morecheerful than ever. He knew that his son and Melissa had escaped themost imminent dangers. This made him glad; and then his sister haddone wonders that he might not too greatly miss his cook. His meals hadnevertheless been often scanty enough, and this compulsory temperancehad relieved him of his gout and done him so much good that, whenAndreas led him out into daylight once more, the burly old manexclaimed: "I feel as light as a bird. If I had but wings I could flyacross the lake to see the boy. It is you, my brother, who have helpedto make me so much lighter." He laid his arm on the freedman's shoulderand kissed him on the cheeks. It was for the first time; and neverbefore had he called him brother. But that his lips had obeyed theimpulse of his heart might be seen in the tearful glitter of his eyes,which met those of Andreas, and they, too, were moist.
Polybius knew all that the Christian had done for his son and forMelissa, for him and his, and his jest in saying that Andreas had helpedto make him lighter referred to his latest achievement. Julianus, thenew governor of the city, who now occupied the residence of the prefectTitianus, had taken advantage of the oppressed people to extract money,and Andreas, by the payment of a large sum, had succeeded in persuadinghim to sign a document which exonerated Polybius and his son from allcriminality, and protected their person and property against soldiersand town guards alike. This safe-conduct secured a peaceful futureto the genial old man, and filled the measure of what he owed to thefreedman, even to overflowing. Andreas, on his part, felt that hisformer owner's kiss and brotherly greeting had sealed his acceptance asa free man. He asked no greater reward than this he had just received;and there was another thing which made his heart leap with gladness. Heknew now that the fullness of time had come in the best sense for thedaughter of the only woman he had ever loved, and that the Good Shepherdhad called her to be one of His flock. He could rejoice over thiswithout a pang, for he had learned that Diodoros, too, had entered onthe path which hitherto he had pointed out to him in vain.
A calm cheerfulness, which surprised all who knew him, brightenedthe grave man; for him the essence of Christian love lay in theRe
surrection, and he saw with astonishment that a wonderful new vitalitywas rising out of death. For Alexandria, too, the time was fulfilled.Men and women crowded to the rite of baptism. Mothers brought theirdaughters, and fathers their sons. These days of horror had multipliedthe little Christian congregation to a church of ten thousand members.Caracalla turned hundreds from heathenism by his bloody sacrifices, hislove of fighting, his passion for revenge, and the blindness which madehim cast away all care for his eternal soul to secure the enjoyment of abrief existence. That the sword which had slain thousands of theirsons should have been dedicated to Serapis, and accepted by the god,alienated many of the citizens from the patron divinity of the town.Then the news that Timotheus the high-priest had abdicated his officesoon after Caesar's departure, and, with his revered wife Euryale, hadbeen baptized by their friend the learned Clemens, confirmed many intheir desire to be admitted into the Christian community.
After these horrors of bloodshed, these orgies of hatred and vengeance,every heart longed for love and peace and brotherly communion. Whoof all those that had looked death in the face in these days was notanxious to know more of the creed which taught that the life beyond thegrave was of greater importance than that on earth?--while those whoalready held it went forth to meet, as it were, a bridegroom. They hadseen men trodden down and all their rights trampled on, and now everyear was open when a doctrine was preached which recognized the supremevalue of humanity, by ascribing, even to the humblest, the dignity of achild of God. They were accustomed to pray to immortal beings who livedin privileged supremacy and wild revelry at the golden tables ofthe Olympian banquet; and now they were told that the church of theChristians meant the communion of the faithful with their fatherly God,and with His Son who had mingled with other mortals in the form of manand who had done more for them than a brother, inasmuch as He had takenupon Himself to die on the cross for love of them.
To a highly cultured race like the Alexandrians it had long seemed anabsurdity to try to purchase the favor of the god; by blood-offerings.Many philosophical sects, and especially the Pythagoreans, had forbiddensuch sacrifices, and had enjoined the bringing of offerings not topurchase good fortune, but only to honor the gods; and now they saw theChristians not making any offerings at all, but sharing a love-feast.This, as they declared, was to keep them in remembrance of theirbrotherhood and of their crucified Lord, whose blood, once shed, Hisheavenly Father had accepted instead of every other sacrifice. Thevoluntary and agonizing death of the Redeemer had saved the soul ofevery Christian from sin and damnation; and many who in the late scenesof horror had been inconsolable in anticipation of the grave, felt movedto share in this divine gift of grace.
Beautiful, wise, and convincing sentences from the Bible went from lipto lip; and a saying of Clemens, whose immense learning was well known,was especially effective and popular. He had said that "faith wasknowledge of divine things through revelation, but that learningmust give the proof thereof"; and this speech led many men of highattainments to study the new doctrines.
The lower classes were no doubt those most strongly attracted, the poorand the slaves; and with them the sorrowing and oppressed. There weremany of these now in the town; ten thousand had seen those dearestto them perish, and others, being wounded, had within a few days beenruined both in health and estate.
As to Melissa in her peril, so to all these the Saviour's call to theheavy-laden that He would give them rest had come as a promise of newhope to car and heart. At the sound of these words they saw the budsof a new spring-time for the soul before their eyes; any one who knewa Christian improved his intimacy that he might hear more about thetender-hearted Comforter, the Friend of children, the kind and helpfulPatron of the poor, the sorrowful, and the oppressed.
Assemblies of any kind were prohibited by the new governor; but the lawof Aelius Marcianus allowed gatherings for religious purposes, and thelearned lawyer, Johannes, directed his fellow-Christians to rely onthat. All Alexandria was bidden to these meetings, and the text withwhich Andreas opened the first, "Now the fullness of time is come,"passed from mouth to mouth.
Apart from that period which had preceded the birth of Christ, thesewords applied to none better than to the days of death and terror whichthey had just gone through. Had a plainer boundary-stone ever beenerected between a past and a future time? Out of the old vain andcareless life, which had ended with such fearful horrors, a new lifewould now proceed of peace and love and pious cares.
The greater number of the citizens, and at their head the wealthy andproud, still crowded the heathen temples to serve the old gods andpurchase their favor with offerings; still, the Christian churches weretoo small and few to hold the faithful, and these had risen to higherconsideration, for the community no longer consisted exclusively of thelower rank of people and slaves. No, men and women of the best familiescame streaming in, and this creed--as was proclaimed by Demetrius, theeloquent bishop; by Origen, who in power and learning--was the superiorof any heathen philosopher; by the zealous Andreas, and many anotherchosen spirit--this creed was the religion of the future.
The freedman had never yet lived in such a happy and elevated frame ofmind; as he looked back on his past existence he often remembered withthankful joy the promise that the last should be first, and that thelowly should be exalted. If the dead had risen from their graves beforehis eyes it would scarcely have surprised him, for in these latterdays he had seen wonder follow on wonder. The utmost his soul hadso fervently desired, for which he had prayed and longed, had foundfulfillment in a way which far surpassed his hopes; and through whatblood and fear had the Lord led His own, to let them reach the highestgoal! He knew from the lady Euryale that his desire to win Melissa'ssoul to the true faith had been granted, and that she craved to bebaptized. This had not been confirmed by the girl herself, for, attackedby a violent fever, she had during nine days hovered between life anddeath; and since then Andreas had for more than a week been detained inthe town arranging affairs for Polybius.
The task was now ended which he had set himself to carry through. Hecould leave the city and see once more the young people he loved. Heparted from Polybius and his sister at the garden gate, and led Heronand old Dido to a small cottage which his former master had given him tolive in.
The gem-cutter was not to be allowed to see his children till theleech should give leave, and the unfortunate man could not get over hissurprise and emotion at finding in his new home not only a work-table,with tools, wax, and stones, but several cages full of birds, and amongthese feathered friends a starling. His faithful and now freed slave,Argutis, had, by Polybius's orders, supplied everything needful; butthe birds were a thought of the Christian girl Agatha. All this was aconsolation in his grief, and when the gem-cutter was alone with oldDido he burst into sobs. The slave woman followed his example, but hestopped her with loud, harsh scolding. At first she was frightened; butthen she exclaimed with delight from the very bottom of her faithfulheart, "The gods be praised!" and from the moment when he could storm,she always declared, Heron's recovery began.
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The sun was setting when Andreas made his way to Zeno's house--a long,white-washed building.
The road led through a palm-grove on the Christian's estate. His anxietyto see the beloved sufferers urged him forward so quickly that hepresently overtook another man who was walking in the same direction inthe cool of the evening. This was Ptolemaeus, the physician.
He greeted Andreas with cheerful kindness, and the freedman knew what hemeant when, without waiting to be asked, he said:
"We are out of the wood now; the fever has passed away. The deliriousfancies have left her, and since noon she has slept. When I quitted heran hour ago she was sleeping soundly and quietly. Till now the shakensoul has been living in a dream; but now that the fever has passedaway, she will soon be herself again. As yet she has recognized no one;neither Agatha nor the lady Euryale; not even Diodoros, whom I allowedto look at her yesterday
for a moment. We have taken her away from thelarge house in the garden, on account of the children, to the littlevilla opposite the place of worship. It is quiet there, and the airblows in on her through the open veranda. The Empress herself could notwish for a better sick-room. And the care Agatha takes of her! You areright to hasten. The last glimmer of sunshine is extinct, and divineservice will soon begin. I am satisfied with Diodoros too; youth is asoil on which the physician reaps easy laurels. What will it not healand strengthen! Only when the soul is so deeply shaken, as with Melissaand her brother, matters go more slowly, even with the young. However,as I said, we are past the crisis."
"God be praised!" said Andreas. "Such news makes me young again. I couldrun like a boy." They now entered the well-kept gardens which lay behindZeno's house. Noble clumps of tall old trees rose above the green grassplots and splendid shrubs. Round a dancing fountain were carefully keptbeds of beautiful flowers. The garden ended at a palm-grove, whichcast its shade on Zeno's little private place of worship--an openplot inclosed by tamarisk hedges like walls. The little villa in whichMelissa lay was in a bower of verdure, and the veranda with the widedoor through which the bed of the sufferer had been carried in, stoodopen in the cool evening to the garden, the palm-grove, and the place ofworship with its garland, as it were, of fragile tamarisk boughs.
Agatha was keeping watch by Melissa; but as the last of the figures,great and small, who could be seen moving across the garden, all inthe same direction, disappeared behind the tamarisk screen, the youngChristian looked lovingly down at her friend's pale and all too delicateface, touched her forehead lightly with her lips, and whispered to thesleeper, as though she could hear her voice:
"I am only going to pray for you and your brother."
And she went out.
A few moments later the brazen gong was heard--muffled out of regard forthe sick--which announced the hour of prayer to the little congregation.It had sounded every evening without disturbing the sufferer, butto-night it roused her from her slumbers.
She looked about her in bewilderment and tried to rise, but she was tooweak to lift herself. Terror, blood, Diodoros wounded, Andreas, the asson which she had ridden that night, were the images which first crowdedon her awakening spirit in bewildering confusion. She had heard thatpiercing ring of smitten brass in the Serapeum. Was she still there? Hadshe only dreamed of that night-ride with her wounded lover? Perhaps shehad lost consciousness in the mystic chambers, and the clang of the gonghad roused her.
And she shuddered. In her terror she dared not open her eyes for fearof seeing on all hands the hideous images on the walls and ceiling.Merciful gods! If her flight from the Serapeum and the rescue ofDiodoros by Andreas had really been but a dream, then the door mightopen at any moment, and the Egyptian Zminis or his men might come in todrag her before that dreadful Caesar.
She had half recovered consciousness several times, and as thesethoughts had come over her, her returning lucidity had vanished anda fresh attack of fever had shaken her. But this time her head seemedclearer; the cloud and humming had left her which had impeded the use ofher ears and eyes.
Her brain too had recovered its faculties. As soon as she tried tothink, her restored intelligence told her that if she were indeed stillin the Serapeum and the door should open, the lady Euryale might come into speak courage to her and take her in her motherly arms, and--Andshe suddenly recollected the promise which had come to her from theScriptures of the Christians. It stood before her soul in perfectclearness that she had found a loving comforter in the Saviour; sheremembered how gladly she had declared to the lady Euryale that thefullness of time had now indeed come to her, and that she had no morefervent wish than to become a fellow-believer with her kind friend--abaptized Christian. And all the while she felt as though light werespreading in her and around her, and the vision she had last seen whenshe lost consciousness rose again before her inward eye. Again shesaw the Redeemer as He had stood before her at the end of her ride,stretching out His arms to her in the darkness, inviting her, who wasweary and heavy laden, to be refreshed by him. A glow of thankfulnesswarmed her heart, and she closed her eyes once more.
But she did not sleep; and while she lay fully conscious, with her handson her bosom as it rose and fell regularly with her deep breathing,thinking of the loving Teacher, of the Christians, and of all theglorious promises she had read in the Sermon on the Mount, and whichwere addressed to her too, she could fancy that her head rested onEuryale's shoulder, while she saw the form of the Saviour robed in lightand beckoning to her.
Her whole frame was wrapped in pleasant languor. Just so had she feltonce before-she remembered it well--and she remembered when it was.She had felt just as she did now after her lover had for the first timeclasped her to his heart, when, as night came on, she had sat by hisside on the marble bench, while the Christian procession passed. She hadtaken the chanting train for the wandering souls of the dead and--howstrange! No--she was not mistaken. She heard at this moment the selfsamestrain which they had then sung so joyfully, in spite of its solemnmode. She did know when it had begun, but again it filled her with abitter-sweet sense of pity. Only it struck deeper now than before, forshe knew now that it applied to all human beings, since they were allthe children of the same kind Father, and her own brethren and sisters.
But whence did the wonderful music proceed--Was she--and a shock ofalarm thrilled her at the thought--was she numbered with the dead? Hadher heart ceased to beat when the Saviour had taken her in His armsafter her ride through blood and darkness, when all had grown dim to hersenses? Was she now in the abode of the blest?
Andreas had painted it as a glorious place; and yet she shuddered at thethought. But was not that foolish? If she were really dead, all terrorand pain were at an end. She would see her mother once more; andwhatever might happen to those she loved, she might perhaps be sufferedto linger near them, as she had done on earth, and hope with assuranceto meet them again here, sooner or later.
But no! Her heart was beating still; she could feel how strongly itthrobbed. Then where was she?
There certainly had not been any such coverlet as this on her bed in theSerapeum, and the room there was much lower. She looked about her andsucceeded in turning on her side toward the evening breeze which blewin on her, so pure and soft and sweet. She raised her delicate emaciatedhand to her head and found that her thick hair was gone. Then she musthave cut it off to disguise herself.
But where was she? Whither had she fled?
It mattered not. The Serapeum was far away, and she need no longerfear Zminis and his spies. Now for the first time she raised her eyesthankfully to Heaven, and next she looked about her; and while she gazedand let her eyes feed themselves full, a faint cry of delight escapedher lips. Before her, in the silvery light of the bright disk of theyoung moon lay a splendid blooming garden, and over the palms whichtowered above all else, in shadowy masses, in the distance the eveningstar was rising just in front, the moonlight twinkled and flashed in therising and falling drops of the fountain; and as she lay, stirred to thedepths of her soul by this silent splendor, thinking of kindly Selenemoving on her peaceful path above, of Artemis hunting in the moonlight,of the nymphs of the waters, and the dryads just now perhaps stealingout of the great trees to dance with sportive fauns, the chant suddenlybroke out again in solemn measure, and she heard, to deep manly voices,the beginning of the Psalm:
"Give thanks unto the Lord and declare his name; proclaim his wondersamong the nations.
"Sing of him and praise him; tell of all his wonders; glorify his holyname; their hearts rejoice that seek the Lord."
Here the men ceased and the women began as though to confirm theirpraise of the most High, singing the ninetieth Psalm with enthusiasticjoy:
"O Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations.
"Before the mountains were brought forth, or, ever thou hadst formed theearth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
"For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it ispassed, and as a watch in the night."
Then the men's voices broke in again
"The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth hishandiwork.
"Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge."
And the women in their turn took up the chant, and from their gratefulbreasts rose clear and strong the Psalm of David:
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holyname.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
"Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.
"Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee withloving-kindness and tender mercies."
Melissa listened breathlessly to the singing, of which she could hearevery word; and how gladly would she have mingled her voice with theirsin thanksgiving to the kind Father in heaven who was hers as well astheirs! There lay His wondrous works before her, and her heart echoedthe verse:
"Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee withloving-kindness and tender mercies," as though it were addressedespecially to her and sung for her by the choir of women.
The gods of whom she had but just been thinking with pious remembranceappeared to her now as beautiful, merry, sportive children, as gracefulcreatures of her own kind, in comparison with the Almighty Creator andRuler of the universe, whose works among the nations, whose holy name,whose wonders, greatness, and loving-kindness these songs of praisecelebrated. The breath of His mouth dispersed the whole world of godsto whom she had been wont to pray, as the autumn wind scatters themany-tinted leaves of faded trees. She felt as though He embraced thegarden before her with mighty and yet loving arms, and with it the wholeworld. She had loved the Olympian gods; but in this hour, for the firsttime, she felt true reverence for one God, and it made her proud tothink that she might love this mighty Lord, this tender Father, and knowthat she was beloved by Him. Her heart beat faster and faster, and shefelt as though, under the protection of this God, she need never morefear any danger.
As she looked out again at the palm-trees beyond the tamarisks, abovewhose plumy heads the evening star now rode in the azure blue of thenight sky, the singing was taken up again after a pause; she heardonce more the angelic greeting which had before struck her soul as socomforting and full of promise when she read it in the Gospel:
"Glory to God on high, on earth peace, good-will toward men."
That which she had then so fervently longed for had, she thought, cometo pass. The peace, the rest for which she had yearned so miserablyin the midst of terror and bloodshed, now filled her heart-all thatsurrounded her was so still and peaceful! A wonderful sense of home cameover her, and with it the conviction that here she would certainly findthose for whom she was longing.
Again she looked up to survey the scene, and she was now aware ofa white figure coming toward her from the tamarisk hedge. This wasEuryale. She had seen Agatha among the worshipers, and had quitted thecongregation, fearing that the sick girl might wake and find no one nearher who cared for her or loved her. She crossed the grass plot witha swift step. She had passed the fountain; her head came into themoonlight, and Melissa could see the dear, kind face. With gladexcitement she called her by name, and as the matron entered the verandashe heard the convalescent's weak voice and hastened to her side.Lightly, as if joy had made her young again, she sank on her knees bythe bed of the resuscitated girl to kiss her with motherly tendernessand press her head gently to her bosom. While Melissa asked a hundredquestions the lady had to warn her to remain quiet, and at last to bidher to keep silence.
First of all Melissa wanted to know where she was. Then her lipsoverflowed with thankfulness and joy, and declarations that she felt asshe was sure the souls in bliss must feel, when Euryale had told her insubdued tones that her father was living, that Diodoros and her brotherhad found a refuge in the house of Zeno, and that Andreas, Polybius, andall dear to them were quite recovered after those evil days. Thetown had long been rid of Caesar, and Zeno had consented to allow hisdaughter Agatha to marry Alexander.
In obedience to her motherly adviser, the convalescent remained quietfor a while; but joy seemed to have doubled her strength, for shedesired to see Agatha, Alexander, and Andreas, and--she colored, and abeseeching glance met Euryale's eyes--and Diodoros.
But meanwhile the physician Ptolemaeus had come into the room, and hewould allow no one to come near her this evening but Zeno's daughter.His grave eyes were dim with tears as, when taking leave, he whisperedto the Lady Euryale:
"All is well. Even her mind is saved."
He was right. From day to day and from hour to hour her recoveryprogressed and her strength improved. And there was much for her to seeand hear, which did her more good than medicine, even though she hadbeen moved to fresh grief by the death of her brother and many friends.
Like Melissa, her lover and Alexander had been led by thorny paths tothe stars which shine on happy souls and shed their light in the heartsof those to whom the higher truth is revealed. It was as Christians thatDiodoros and Alexander both came to visit the convalescent. That whichhad won so many Alexandrians to the blessings of the new faith hadattracted them too, and the certainty of finding their beloved among theChristians had been an added inducement to crave instruction from Zeno.And it had been given them in so zealous and captivating a manner that,in their impressionable hearts, the desire for learning had soon beenturned to firm conviction and inspired ardor.
Agatha was betrothed to Alexander.
The scorn of his fellow-citizens, which had fallen on the innocent youthand which he had supposed would prevent his ever winning her love, hadin fact secured it to him, for Agatha's father was very ready to trusthis child to the man who had rescued her, whom she loved, and in whom hesaw one of the lowly who should be exalted.
Alexander was not told of Philip's death till his own wounds werehealed; but he had meanwhile confided to Andreas that he had made up hismind to fly to a distant land that he might never again see Agatha, andthus not rob the brother on whom he had brought such disaster of thewoman he loved. The freedman had heard him with deep emotion, and withina few hours after Andreas had reported to Zeno the self-sacrificingyouth's purpose, Zeno had gone to Alexander and greeted him as his son.
Melissa found in Agatha the sister she had so long pined for; and howhappy it made her to see her brother's eyes once more sparkle withgladness! Alexander, even as a Christian and as Agatha's husband,remained an artist.
The fortune accumulated by Andreas--the solidi with which he hadformerly paid the scapegrace painter's debts included--was appliedto the erection of a new and beautiful house of God on the spot whereHeron's house had stood. Alexander decorated it with noble pictures, andas this church was soon too small to accommodate the rapidly increasingcongregation, he painted the walls of yet another, with figures whoseextreme beauty was famous throughout Christendom, and which werepreserved and admired till gloomy zealots prohibited the arts inchurches and destroyed their works.
Melissa could not be safe in Alexandria. After being quietly married inthe house of Polybius, she, with her young husband and Andreas, movedto Carthage, where an uncle of Diodoros dwelt. Love went them, and, withlove, happiness. They were not long compelled to remain in exile; a fewmonths after their marriage news was brought to Carthage that Caesarhad been murdered by the centurion Martialis, prompted by the tribunesApollinaris and Nemesianus Aurelius. Immediately on this, Macrinus, thepraetorian prefect, was proclaimed emperor by the troops.
The ambitious man's sovereignty lasted less than a year; still, theprophecy of Serapion was fulfilled. It cost the Magian his life indeed;for a letter written by him to the prefect, in which he reminded himof what he had foretold, fell into the hands of Caracalla's mother, whoopened the letters addressed to her ill-fated son at Antioch, where shewas then residing. The warning it contained did not arrive, however,till
after Caesar's death, and before the new sovereign couldeffectually protect the soothsayer. As soon as Macrinus had mounted thethrone the persecution of those who had roused the ire of the unhappyCaracalla was at an end. Diodoros and Melissa, Heron and Polybius, couldmingle once more with their fellow-citizens secure from all pursuit.
Diodoros and other friends took care that the suspicion of treacherywhich had been cast on Heron's household should be abundantly disproved.Nay, the death of Philip, and Melissa's and Alexander's evil fortunes,placed them in the ranks of the foremost foes of tyranny.
Within ten months of his accession Macrinus was overthrown, after hisdefeat at Immae, where, though the praetorians still fought for himbravely, he took ignominious flight; Julia Domna's grandnephew was thenproclaimed Caesar by the troops, under the name of Heliogabalus, andthe young emperor of fourteen had a statue and a cenotaph erected atAlexandria to Caracalla, whose son he was falsely reputed to be. Thesetwo works of art suffered severely at the hands of those on whom thehated and luckless emperor had inflicted such fearful evils. Still, oncertain memorial days they were decked with beautiful flowers; and whenthe new prefect, by order of Caracalla's mother, made inquiry as to whoit was that laid them there, he was informed that they came from thefinest garden in Alexandria, and that it was Melissa, the wife of theowner, who offered them. This comforted the heart of Julia Domna, andshe would have blessed the donor still more warmly if she could haveknown that Melissa included the name of her crazed son in her prayers toher dying day.
Old Heron, who had settled on the estate of Diodoros and lived thereamong his birds, less surly than of old, still produced his miniatureworks of art; he would shake his head over those strange offerings, andonce when he found himself alone with old Dido, now a freed-woman, hesaid, irritably: "If that little fool had done as I told her she wouldbe empress now, and as good as Julia Domna. But all has turned outwell--only that Argutis, whom every one treats as if our old Macedonianblood ran in his veins, was sent yesterday by Melissa with finerflowers for Caracalla's cenotaph than for her own mother's tomb--Mayher new-fangled god forgive her! There is some Christian nonsense at thebottom of it, no doubt. I stick to the old gods whom my Olympias served,and she always did the best in everything."
Old Polybius, too, remained a heathen; but he allowed the children toplease themselves. He and Heron saw their grandchildren brought upas Christians without a remonstrance, for they both understood thatChristianity was the faith of the future.
Andreas to his latest day was ever the faithful adviser of old and youngalike. In the sunshine of love which smiled upon him his austere zealturned to considerate tenderness. When at last he lay on his death-bed,and shortly before the end, Melissa asked him what was his favoriteverse of the Scriptures, he replied firmly and decidedly:
"Now the fullness of time is come."
"So be it," replied Melissa with tears in her eyes. He smiled andnodded, signed to Diodoros to draw off his signet ring--the only thinghis father had saved from the days of his wealth and freedom--anddesired Melissa to keep it for his sake. Deeply moved, she put it onher finger; but Andreas pointed to the motto, and said with failingutterance:
"That is your road--and mine--my father's motto: Per aspera ad astra.It has guided me to my goal, and you--all of you. But the words are inLatin; you understand them? By rough ways to the stars--Nay what theysay to me is: Upward, under the burden of the cross, to bliss here andhereafter--And you too," he added, looking in his darling's face. "Youtoo, both of you; I know it."
He sighed deeply, and, laying his hand on Melissa's head as she knelt byhis bed, he closed his faithful eyes in the supporting arms of Diodoros.
ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:
Begun to enjoy the sound of his own voice Cast off their disease as a serpent casts its skin For what will not custom excuse and sanctify? Force which had compelled every one to do as his neighbors Galenus--What I like is bad for me, what I loathe is wholesome He has the gift of being easily consoled He only longed to be hopeful once more, to enjoy the present It is the passionate wish that gives rise to the belief Man, in short, could be sure of nothing Misfortunes commonly come in couples yoked like oxen Never to be astonished at anything Obstacles existed only to be removed Possess little and require nothing Speaking ill of others is their greatest delight The past must stand; it is like a scar
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