CHAPTER XII.
Orion went down stairs scowling and clenching his fists. His heart achedto bursting.
What had he done, what had befallen him? That a woman should dare totreat him so!--a woman whom he had deigned to love--the loveliest andnoblest of women; but at the same time the haughtiest, most vengeful,and most hateful.
He had once read this maxim: "When a man has committed a base action, ifonly one other knows of it he carries the death-warrant of his peace inthe bosom of his garment." He felt the full weight of this sentence; andthe other--the one who knew--was Paula, the woman of all others whom hemost wished should look up to him. But yesterday it had been a vision ofheaven on earth to dream of holding her in his arms and calling her his;now he had but one wish: that he could humble and punish her. Oh, thathis hands should be tied, that he should be dependent on her mercy likea condemned criminal! It was inconceivable--intolerable!
But she should be taught to know him. He had passed through lifehitherto as white as a swan; if this luckless hour and this woman madehim appear as a vulture, it was not his fault, it was hers. She shouldsoon see which was the stronger of the two. He would punish her in everyway in which a woman can be punished, even if the way to it ledthrough crime and misery! He was not afraid that the leech bad won heraffections, for he knew, with strange certainty that, in spite of thehostility she displayed, her heart was his and his alone. "The gold coincalled love," said he to himself, "has two faces: tender devotion andbitter aversion; just now she is showing me the latter. But, howeverdifferent the image and superscription may be on the two sides, if youring it, it always gives out the same tone; and I can hear it even inher most insulting words."
When the family met at table he made Paula's excuses; he himself ateonly a few mouthfuls, for the judges had assembled some time since andwere waiting for him.
The right of life and death had been placed in the hands of theancestors of the Mukaukas, powerful princes of provinces; they hadcertainly wielded it even in the dynasty of Psammitichus, whose powerhad been put to a terrible end by Cambyses the Persian. And still theUraeus snake--the asp whose bite caused almost instant death, reared itshead as the time-honored emblem of this privilege, by the side of St.George the Dragon-slayer, over the palaces of the Mukaukas at Memphis,and at Lykopolis in Upper Egypt. And in both these places the headof the family retained the right of arbitrary judgment and capitalpunishment over the retainers of his house and the inhabitants ofthe district he governed, after Justinian first, and then the EmperorHeraclius, had confirmed them in their old prerogative. The chivalrousSt. George was placed between the snakes so as to replace a heathensymbol by a Christian one. Formerly indeed the knight himself had hadthe head of a sparrow-hawk: that is to say of the god Horus, who hadoverthrown the evil-spirit, Seth-Typhon, to avenge his father; but abouttwo centuries since the heathen crocodile-destroyer had been transformedinto the Christian conqueror of the dragon.
After the Arab conquest the Moslems had left all ancient customs andrights undisturbed, including those of the Mukaukas.
The court which assembled to sit in judgment on all cases concerningthe adherents of the house consisted of the higher officials of thegovernor's establishment. The Mukaukas himself was president, and hisgrown-up son was his natural deputy. During Orion's absence, Nilus, thehead of the exchequer, a shrewd and judicious Egyptian, had generallyrepresented his invalid master; but on the present occasion Orion wasappointed to take his place, and to preside over the assembly.
The governor's son hastened to his father's bedroom to beg him tolend him his ring as a token of the authority transferred to him; theMukaukas had willingly allowed him to take it off his finger, and hadenjoined him to exercise relentless severity. Generally he inclined toleniency; but breaking into a house was punishable with death, and inthis instance it was but right to show no mercy, out of deference to theArab merchant. But Orion, mindful of his covenant with Paula, begged hisfather to give him full discretion. The old Moslem was a just man, whowould agree to a mitigated sentence under the circumstances; besides,the culprit was not in strict fact a member of the household, but in theservice of a relation.
The Mukaukas applauded his son's moderation and judgment. If only he hadbeen in rather better health he himself would have had the pleasure ofbeing present at the sitting, to see him fulfil for the first time soimportant a function, worthy of his birth and position.
Orion kissed his father's hand with heart-felt but melancholy emotion,for this praise from the man he so truly loved was a keen pleasure; andyet he felt that it was of ill-omen that his duties as judge, of whichhe knew the sacred solemnity, should be thus--thus begun.
It was in a softened mood, sunk in thought as to how he could best saveHiram and leave Paula's name altogether out of the matter, that he wentto the hall of justice; and there he found the nurse Perpetua in eagerdiscussion with Nilus.
The old woman was quite beside herself. In the clatter of her loom shehad heard nothing of what had been going on till a few minutes ago; nowshe was ready to swear to the luckless Hiram's innocence. The stone hehad sold had belonged to his young mistress, and thank God there was nolack of evidence of the fact; the setting of the emerald was lyingsafe and sound in Paula's trunk. Happily she had had an opportunity ofspeaking to her; and that she, the daughter of Thomas, should be broughtbefore the tribunal, like a citizen's daughter or slave-girl, wasunheard of, shameful!
At this Orion roughly interfered; he desired the old gate-keeper toconduct Perpetua at once to the storeroom next to the tablinum, wherethe various stuffs prepared for the use of the household were laid by,and to keep her there under safe guard till further notice. The tonein which he gave the order was such that even the nurse did notremonstrate; and Nilus, for his part obeyed in silence when Orion bidhim return to his place among the judges.
Nilus went back to the judgment-hall in uneasy consternation. Neverbefore had he seen his young lord in this mood. As he heard the nurse'sstatement the veins had swelled in his smooth youthful forehead, hisnostrils had quivered with convulsive agitation, his voice had lost allits sweetness, and his eyes had a sinister gleam.
Orion was now alone; he ground his teeth with rage. Paula had betrayedhim in spite of her promise, and how mean was her woman's cunning! Shecould be silent before the judges--yes. Silent in all confidence now, tothe very last; but the nurse, her mouthpiece, had already put Nilus,the keenest and most important member of the court, in possession ofthe evidence which spoke for her and against him. It was shocking,disgraceful! Base and deliberately malicious treachery. But the end wasnot yet: he still was free to act and to ward off the spiteful strokeby a counterthrust. How it should be dealt was clear from Perpetua'sstatement; but his conscience, his instincts and long habits ofsubmission to what was right, good, and fitting held him back. Not onlyhad he never himself done a base or a mean action; he loathed it inanother, and the only thing he could do to render Paula's perfidyharmless was, as he could not deny, original and bold, but at the sametime detestable and shameful.
Still, he could not and he would not succumb in this struggle. Timepressed. Long reflection was impossible; suddenly he felt carried awayby a fierce and mad longing to fight it out--he felt as he had felt on arace-day in the hippodrome, when he had driven his own quadriga ahead ofall the rest.
Onwards, then, onwards; and if the chariot were wrecked, if the horseswere killed, if his wheels maimed his comrades overthrown in thearena-still, onwards, onwards!
A few hasty steps brought him to the lodge of the gate-keeper, a sturdyold man who had held his post for forty years. He had formerly been alocksmith and it still was part of his duty to undertake the repairs ofthe simple household utensils. Orion as a youth had been a beautiful andengaging boy and a great favorite with this worthy man; he had delightedin sitting in his little room and handing him the tools for his work.He himself had remarkable mechanical facility and had been the old man'sapt pupil; nay, he had made such progress as to be able to carve p
rettylittle boxes, prayer-book cases, and such like, and provide them withlocks, as gifts to his parents on their birth days--a festival alwayskept with peculiar solemnity in Egypt, and marked by giving andreceiving presents. He understood the use of tools, and he now hastilyselected such as he needed. On the window-ledge stood a bunch offlowers which he had ordered for Paula the day before, and which he hadforgotten to fetch this terrible morning. With this in one hand, and thetools in the breast of his robe he hastened upstairs.
"Onwards, I must keep on!" he muttered, as he entered Paula's room,bolted the door inside and, kneeling before her chest, tossed theflowers aside. If he was discovered, he would say that he had gone intohis cousin's chamber to give her the bouquet.
"Onwards; I must go on!" was still his thought, as he unscrewed thehinge on which the lid of the trunk moved. His hands trembled, hisbreath came fast, but he did his task quickly. This was the right wayto work, for the lock was a peculiar one, and could not have been openedwithout spoiling it. He raised the lid, and the first thing his handcame upon in the chest was the necklace with the empty medallion--itwas as though some kind Genius were aiding him. The medallion hung butslightly to the elegantly-wrought chain; to detach it and conceal itabout his person was the work of a minute.
But now the most resolute. "On, on...." was of no further avail. Thiswas theft: he had robbed her whom, if she only had chosen it, he wasready to load with everything wherewith fate had so superabundantlyblessed him. No, this--this....
A singular idea suddenly flashed through his brain; a thought whichbrought a smile to his lips even at this moment of frightful tension.He acted upon it forth with: he drew out from within his under-garment agem that hung round his neck by a gold chain. This jewel--a masterpieceby one of the famous Greek engravers of heathen antiquity--had beengiven him in Constantinople in exchange for a team of four horses towhich his greatest friend there had taken a fancy. It was in fact ofgreater price than half a dozen fine horses. Half beside himself, and asif intoxicated, Orion followed the wild impulse to which he had yielded;indeed, he was glad to have so precious a jewel at hand to hang in theplace of the worthless gold frame-work. It was done with a pinch; butscrewing up the hinge again was a longer task, for his hands trembledviolently--and as the moment drew near in which he meant to let Paulafeel his power, the more quickly his heart beat, and the more difficulthe found it to control his mind to calm deliberation.
After he had unbolted the door he stood like a thief spying the longcorridor of the strangers' wing, and this increased his excitement toa frenzy of rage with the world, and fate, and most of all with her whohad compelled him to stoop to such base conduct. But now the charioteerhad the reins and goad in his hand. Onwards now, onwards!
He flew down stairs, three steps at a time, as he had been wont whena boy. In the anteroom he met Eudoxia, Mary's Greek governess, who hadjust brought her refractory pupil into the house, and he tossed herthe nosegay he still held in his hands; then, without heeding thelanguishing glances the middle-aged damsel sent after him with herthanks, he hastened back to the gate-keeper's lodge where he hurriedlydisburdened himself of the locksmith's tools.
A few minutes later he entered the judgment-hall. Nilus the treasurershowed him to the governor's raised seat, but an overpoweringbashfulness kept him from taking this position of honor. It was with aburning brow, and looks so ominously dark that the assembly gazed athim with timid astonishment, that he opened the proceedings with a fewbroken sentences. He himself scarcely knew what he was saying, and heardhis own voice as vaguely as though it were the distant roar of waves.However, he succeeded in clearly stating all that had happened: heshowed the assembly the stone which had been stolen and recovered; heexplained how the thief had been taken; he declared Paula's freedman tobe guilty of the robbery, and called upon him to bring forward anythinghe could in his own defence. But the accused could only stammer out thathe was not guilty. He was not able to defend himself, but his mistresscould no doubt give evidence that would justify him.
Orion pushed the hair from his forehead, proudly raised his aching head,and addressed the judges:
"His mistress is a lady of rank allied to our house. Let us keep herout of this odious affair as is but seemly. Her nurse gave Nilus someinformation which may perhaps avail to save this unhappy man. We willneglect nothing to that end; but you, who are less familiar with theleading circumstances, must bear this in mind to guard yourselvesagainst being misled: This lady is much attached to the accused; sheclings to him and Perpetua as the only friends remaining to her fromher native home. Moreover, there is nothing to surprise me or you in thefact that a noble woman, as she is, should assume the onus of another'scrime, and place herself in a doubtful light to save a man who hashitherto been honest and faithful. The nurse is here; shall she becalled, or have you, Nilus, heard from her everything that her mistresscan say in favor of her freedman?"
"Perpetua told me, and told you, too, my lord, certain credible facts,"replied the treasurer. "But I could not repeat them so exactly as sheherself, and I am of opinion that the woman should be brought before thecourt."
"Then call her," said Orion, fixing his eyes on vacancy above the headsof the assembly, with a look of sullen dignity.
After a long and anxious pause the old woman was brought in. Confidentin her righteous cause she came forward boldly; she blamed Hiramsomewhat sharply for keeping silence so long, and then explained thatPaula, to procure money for her search for her father, had made thefreedman take a costly emerald out of its setting in her necklace, andthat it was the sale of this gem that had involved her fellow-countrymanin this unfortunate suspicion.
The nurse's deposition seemed to have biased the greater part of thecouncil in favor of the accused; but Orion did not give them time todiscuss their impressions among themselves. Hardly had Perpetua ceasedspeaking, when Orion took up the emerald, which was lying on the tablebefore him, exclaiming excitedly, nay, angrily:
"And the stone which is recognized by the man who sold it--an expert ingems--as being that which was taken from the hanging, and unique of itskind, is supposed, by some miracle of nature, to have suddenly appearedin duplicate?--Malignant spirits still wander through the world, butwould hardly dare to play their tricks in this Christian house. You allknow what 'old women's tales' are; and the tale that old woman has toldus is one of the most improbable of its class. 'Tell that to Apelles theJew,' said Horace the Roman; but his fellow-Israelite, Gamaliel'--andhe turned to the jeweller who was sitting with the other witnesses willcertainly not believe it; still less I, who see through this tissue offalsehood. The daughter of the noble Thomas has condescended to weave itwith the help of that woman--a skilled weaver, she--to spread it beforeus in order to mislead us, and so to save her faithful servant fromimprisonment, from the mines, or from death. These are the facts.--Do Ierr, woman, or do you still adhere to your statement?"
The nurse, who had hoped to find in Orion her mistress' advocate, hadlistened to his speech with growing horror. Her eyes flashed as shelooked at him, first with mockery and then with vehement disgust; but,though they filled with tears at this unlooked-for attack, she preservedher presence of mind, and declared she had spoken the truth, and nothingbut the truth, as she always did. The setting of her mistress' emeraldwould prove her statement.
Orion shrugged his shoulders, desired the woman to fetch her mistress,whose presence was now indispensable, and called to the treasurer:
"Go with her, Nilus! And let a servant bring the trunk here that theowner may open it in the presence of us all and before any one elsetouches the contents. I should not be the right person to undertakeit since no one in this Jacobite household--hardly even one ofyourselves--has found favor in the eyes of the Melchite. She hasunfortunately a special aversion for me, so I must depute to othersevery proceeding that could lead to a misunderstanding.--Conduct herhither, Nilus; of course with the respect due to a maiden of high rank."
While the envoy was gone Orion paced the room with swift
, restlesssteps, Once only he paused and addressed the judges:
"But supposing the empty setting should be found, how do you accountfor the existence of two--two gems, each unique of its kind? It isdistracting. Here is a soft-hearted girl daring to mislead a seriouscouncil of justice for the sake, for the sake of...." he stamped hisfoot with rage and continued his silent march.
"He is as yet but a beginner," thought the assembled officials as theywatched his agitation. "Otherwise how could he allow such an absurdattempt to clear an accused thief to affect him so deeply, or disturbhis temper?"
Paula's arrival presently put an end to Orion's pacing the room. Hereceived her with a respectful bow and signed to her to be seated.Then he bid Nilus recapitulate the results of the proceedings up to thepresent stage, and what he and his colleagues supposed to be her motivefor asserting that the stolen emerald was her property. He would as faras possible leave it to the others to question her, since she knew fullwell on what terms she was with himself. Even before he had come intothe council-room she had offered her explanation of the robbery toNilus, through her nurse Perpetua; but it would have seemed fairer andmore friendly in his eyes--and here he raised his voice--if she hadchosen to confide to him, Orion, her plan for helping the freedman. Thenhe might have been able to warn her. He could only regard this mode ofaction, independently of him, as a fresh proof of her dislike, and shemust hold herself responsible for the consequences. Justice must nowtake its course with inexorable rigor.
The wrathful light in his eyes showed her what she had to expect fromhim, and that he was prepared to fight her to the end. She saw that hethought that she had broken the promise she had but just now given him;but she had not commissioned Perpetua to interfere in the matter; on thecontrary, she had desired the woman to leave it to her to produce herevidence only in the last extremity. Orion must believe that she haddone him a wrong; still, could that make him so far forget himself asto carry out his threats, and sacrifice an innocent man--to divertsuspicion from himself, while he branded her as a false witness? Aye,even from that he would not shrink! His flaming glance, his abruptdemeanor, his laboring breath, proclaimed it plainly enough.--Then letthe struggle begin! At this moment she would have died rather than havetried to mollify him by a word of excuse. The turmoil in his whole beingvibrated through hers. She was ready to throw herself at his feetand implore him to control himself, to guard himself against furtherwrong-doing--but she maintained her proud dignity, and the eyes that methis were not less indignant and defiant than his own.
They stood face to face like two young eagles preparing to fight, withfeathers on end, arching their pinions and stretching their necks. She,confident of victory in the righteousness of her cause, and far moreanxious for him than for herself; he, almost blind to his own danger,but, like a gladiator confronting his antagonist in the arena, far moreeager to conquer than to protect his own life and limb.
While Nilus explained to her what, in part, she already knew, andrepeated their suspicion that she had been tempted to make a falsedeclaration to save the life of her servant, whose devotion, no doubt,to his missing master had led him to commit the robbery; she kept hereye on Orion rather than on the speaker. At last Nilus referred to thetrunk, which had been brought from Paula's room under her own eyes,informing her that the assembly were ready to hear and examine intoanything she had to say in her own defence.
Orion's agitation rose to its highest pitch. He felt that the bloodhad fled from his cheeks, and his thoughts were in utter confusion. Thecouncil, the accused, his enemy Paula--everything in the room lay beforehim shrouded in a whirl of green mist. All he saw seemed to be tintedwith light emerald green. The hair, the faces, the dresses of thosepresent gleamed and floated in a greenish light; and not till Paula wentup to the chest with a firm, haughty step, drew out a small key, gaveit to the treasurer, and answered his speech with three words: "Open thebox!"--uttering them with cold condescension as though even this weretoo much--not till then did he see clearly once more: her bright brownhair, the fire of her blue eyes, the rose and white of her complexion,the light dress which draped her fine figure in noble folds, and hertriumphant smile. How beautiful, how desirable was this woman! A fewminutes and she would be worsted in this contest; but the triumph hadcost him not only herself, but all that was good and pure in his soul,and worthy of his forefathers. An inward voice cried it out to him, buthe drowned it in the shout of "Onwards," like a chariot-driver. Yes--on;still on towards the goal; away over ruins and stones, through blood anddust, till she bowed her proud neck, crushed and beaten, and sued formercy.
The lid of the trunk flew open. Paula stooped, lifted the necklace, heldit out to the judges, pulling it straight by the two ends.... Ah! whata terrible, heartrending cry of despair! Orion even, never, neverwished to hear the like again. Then she flung the jewel on the table,exclaiming: "Shameful, shameful! atrocious!" she tottered backwards andclung to her faithful Betta; for her knees were giving way, and she feltherself in danger of sinking to the ground.
Orion sprang forward to support her, but she thrust him aside, witha glance so full of anguish, rage and intense contempt that he stoodmotionless, and clasped his hand over his heart.--And this deed, whichwas to work such misery for two human beings, he had smiled in doing!This practical joke which concealed a death-warrant--to what fearfulissues might it not lead?
Paula had sunk speechless on to a seat, and he stood staring in silence,till a burst of laughter broke from the assembly and old Psamtik, thecaptain of the guard, who had long been a member of the council ofjustice, exclaimed:
"By my soul, a splendid stone! There is the heathen god Eros with hiswinged sweetheart Psyche smiling in his face. Did you never read thatpretty story by Apuleius--'The Golden Ass' it is called? The passage isin that. Holy Luke! how finely it is carved. The lady has taken out thewrong necklace. Look, Gamaliel, where could your green pigeon's egg havefound a place in that thing?" and he pointed to the gem.
"Nowhere," said the Jew. "The noble lady..." But Orion roughly bid thewitness to be silent, and Nilus, taking up the engraved gem, examinedit closely. Then he--he the grave, just man, on whose support Paula hadconfidently reckoned--went up to her and with a regretful shrug askedher whether the other necklace with the setting of which she had spokenwas in the trunk.
The blood ran cold in her veins. This thing that had happened was asstartling as a miracle. But no! No higher Power had anything to dowith this blow. Orion believed that she had failed in her promise ofscreening him by her silence, and this, this was his revenge. By whatmeans--how he had gone to work, was a mystery. What a trick!--and it hadsucceeded! But should she take it like a patient child? No. A thousandtimes no! Suddenly all her old powers of resistance came back; hatredsteeled her wavering will; and, as in fancy, he had seen himself inthe circus, driving in a race, so she pictured herself seated at thechess-board. She felt herself playing with all her might to win; butnot, as with his father, for flowers, trifling presents or mere glory;nay, for a very different stake Life or Death!
She would do everything, anything to conquer him; and yet, no--come whatmight--not everything. Sooner would she succumb than betray him asthe thief or reveal what she had discovered in the viridarium. She hadpromised to keep the secret; and she would repay the father's kindnessby screening the son from this disgrace. How beautiful, how noblehad Orion's image been in her heart. She would not stain it with thisdisgrace in her own eyes and in those of the world. But every otherreservation must be cast far, far away, to snatch the victory from himand to save Hiram. Every fair weapon she might use; only this treacheryshe could not, might not have recourse to. He must be made to feelthat she was more magnanimous than he; that she, under all conceivablecircumstances, kept her word. That was settled; her bosom once more roseand fell, and her eye brightened again; still it was some little timebefore she could find the right words with which to begin the contest.
Orion could see the seething turmoil in her soul; he felt that she wasarming herself
for resistance, and he longed to spur her on to dealthe first blow. Not a word had she uttered of surprise or anger, not asyllable of reproach had passed her lips. What was she thinking of, whatwas she plotting? The more startling and dangerous the better; the morebravely she bore herself, the more completely in the background mighthe leave the painful sense of fighting against a woman. Even heroes hadboasted of a victory over Amazons.
At last, at last!--She rose and went towards Hiram. He had been tied tothe stake to which criminals were bound, and as an imploring glancefrom his honest eyes met hers, the spell that fettered her tongue wasunloosed; she suddenly understood that she had not merely to protectherself, but to fulfil a solemn duty. With a few rapid steps she went upto the table at which her judges sat in a semi-circle, and leaning on itwith her left hand, raised her right high in the air, exclaiming:
"You are the victims of a cruel fraud; and I of an unparalleled andwicked trick, intended to bring me to ruin!--Look at that man at thestake. Does he look like a robber? A more honest and faithful servantnever earned his freedom, and the gratitude Hiram owed to his master, myfather, he has discharged to the daughter for whose sake he quitted hishome, his wife and child. He followed me, an orphan, here into a strangeland.--But that matters not to you.--Still, if you will hear the truth,the strict and whole...."
"Speak!" Orion put in; but she went on, addressing herself exclusivelyto Nilus, and his peers, and ignoring him completely:
"Your president, the son of the Mukaukas, knows that, instead of theaccused, I might, if I chose, be the accuser. But I scorn it--forlove of his father, and because I am more high-minded than he. He willunderstand!--With regard to this particular emerald Hiram, my freedman,took it out of its setting last evening, under my eyes, with his knife;other persons besides us, thank God! have seen the setting, empty, onthe chain to which it belonged. This afternoon it was still in the placeto which some criminal hand afterwards found access, and attached thatgem instead. That I have just now seen for the first time--I swear itby Christ's wounds. It is an exquisite work. Only a very rich man--therichest man here, can give away such a treasure, for whatever purposehe may have in view--to destroy an enemy let us say.--Gamaliel," and sheturned to the Jew--"At what sum would you value that onyx?"
The Israelite asked to see the gem once more; he turned it about, andthen said with a grin: "Well, fair lady, if my black hen laid me littlethings like that I would feed it on cakes from Arsinoe and oysters fromCanopus. The stone is worth a landed estate, and though I am not a richman, I would pay down two talents for it at any moment, even if I had toborrow the money."
This statement could not fail to make a great impression on the judges.Orion, however, exclaimed: "Wonders on wonders mark this eventful day!The prodigal generosity which had become an empty name has revived againamong us! Some lavish demon has turned a worthless plate of gold into acostly gem.--And may I ask who it was that saw the empty setting hangingto your chain?" Paula was in danger of forgetting even that last reserveshe had imposed on herself; she answered with trembling accents:
"Apparently your confederates or you yourself did. You, and you alone,have any cause...."
But he would not allow her to proceed. He abruptly interrupted her,exclaiming: "This is really too much! Oh, that you were a man! How faryour generosity reaches I have already seen. Even hatred, the bitteresthostility...."
"They would have every right to ruin you completely!" she cried, rousedto the utmost. "And if I were to charge you with the most horriblecrime. ..."
"You yourself would be committing a crime, against me and against thishouse," he said menacingly. "Beware! Can self-delusion go so far thatyou dare to appeal to me to testify to the fable you have trumpedup...."
"No. Oh, no! That would be counting on some honesty in you yet," sheloudly broke in. "I have other witnesses: Mary, the granddaughter of theMukaukas," and she tried to catch his eye.
"The child whose little heart you have won, and who follows you aboutlike a pet dog!" he cried.
"And besides Mary, Katharina, the widow Susannah's daughter," she added,sure of her triumph, and the color mounted to her cheeks. "She is nolonger a child, but a maiden grown, as you know. I therefore demand ofyou--" and she again turned to the assembly--"that you will fulfil yourfunctions worthily and promote justice in my behalf by calling in boththese witnesses and hearing their evidence."
On this Orion interposed with forced composure: "As to whether asoft-hearted child ought to be exposed to the temptation to save thefriend she absolutely worships by giving evidence before the judges, beit what it may, only her grandparents can decide. Her tender years wouldat any rate detract from the validity of her evidence, and I am averseto involving a child of this house in this dubious affair. With regardto Katharina, it is, on the contrary, the duty of this court to requesther presence, and I offer myself to go and fetch her."
He resolutely resisted Paula's attempts to interrupt him again: sheshould have a patient hearing presently in the presence of her witness.The gem no doubt had come to her from her father. But at this herrighteous indignation was again too much for her; she cried out quitebeside herself:
"No, and again no. Some reprobate scoundrel, an accomplice ofyours--yes, I repeat it--made his way into my room while I was in thesick-room, and either forced the lock of my trunk or opened it with afalse key."
"That can easily be proved," said Orion. In a confident tone he desiredthat the box should be placed on the table, and requested one of thecouncil, who understood such matters, to give his opinion. Paula knewthe man well. He was one of the most respected members of the household,the chief mechanician whose duty it was to test and repair thewater-clocks, balances, measures and other instruments. He at onceproceeded to examine the lock and found it in perfect order, thoughthe key, which was of peculiar form, could certainly not have found asubstitute in any false key; and Paula was forced to admit that she hadleft the trunk locked at noon and had worn the key round her neck eversince. Orion listened to his opinion with a shrug, and before going toseek Katharina gave orders that Paula and the nurse should be conductedto separate rooms. To arrive at any clear decision in this matter,it was necessary that any communication between these two should berendered impossible. As soon as the door was shut on them he hastenedinto the garden, where he hoped to find Katharina.
The council looked after him with divided feelings. They were hereconfronted by riddles that were hard to solve. No one of them felt thathe had a right to doubt the good intentions of their lord's son, whomthey looked up to as a talented and high-minded youth. His dispute withPaula had struck them painfully, and each one asked himself how itwas that such a favorite with women should have failed to rouse anysentiment but that of hatred in one of the handsomest of her sex. Themarked hostility she displayed to Orion injured her cause in the eyesof her judges, who knew only too well how unpleasant her relations werewith Neforis. It was more than audacious in her to accuse the Mukaukas'son of having broken open her trunk; only hatred could have prompted herto utter such a charge. Still, there was something in her demeanor whichencouraged confidence in her assertions, and if Katharina could reallytestify to having seen the empty medallion on the chain there wouldbe no alternative but to begin the enquiry again from a fresh point ofview, and to inculpate another robber. But who could have lavishedsuch a treasure as this gem in exchange for mere rubbish? It wasinconceivable; Ammonius the mechanician was right when he said that awoman full of hatred was capable of anything, even the incredible andimpossible.
Meanwhile it was growing dusk and the scorching day had turned to thetempered heat of a glorious evening. The Mukaukas was still in his roomwhile his wife with Susannah and her daughter, Mary and her governess,were enjoying the air and chatting in the open hall looking out on thegarden and the Nile. The ladies had covered their heads with gauze veilsas a protection against the mosquitoes, which were attracted in swarmsfrom the river by the lights, and also against the mists that rosefrom the shallowing Nile; they were
in the act of drinking somecooling fruit-syrup which had just been brought in, when Orion made hisappearance.
"What has happened?" cried his mother in some anxiety, for she concludedfrom his dishevelled hair and heated cheeks that the meeting had goneanything rather than smoothly.
"Incredible things," he replied. "Paula fought like a lioness for herfather's freedman..."
"Simply to annoy us and put us in a difficulty," replied Neforis.
"No, no, Mother," replied Orion with some warmth. "But she has a will ofiron; a woman who never pauses at anything when she wants to carry herpoint; and at the same time she goes to work with a keen wit that isworthy of the greatest lawyer that I ever heard defend a cause in thehigh court of the capital. Besides this her air of superiority, and herdivine beauty turn the heads of our poor household officers. It is fineand noble, of course, to be so zealous in the cause of a servant; butit can do no good, for the evidence against her stammering favorite isoverwhelming, and when her last plea is demolished the matter is ended.She says that she showed a necklace to the child, and to you, charmingKatharina."
"Showed it?" cried the young girl. "She took it away from us--did notshe, Mary?"
"Well, we had taken it without her leave," replied the child.
"And she wants our children to appear in a court of justice to bearwitness for her highness?" asked Neforis indignantly.
"Certainly," replied Orion. "But Mary's evidence is of no value in law."
"And even if it were," replied his mother, "the child should not bemixed up with this disgraceful business under any circumstances."
"Because I should speak for Paula!" cried Mary, springing up in greatexcitement.
"You will just hold your tongue," her grandmother exclaimed.
"And as for Katharina," said the widow, "I do not at all like the notionof her offering herself to be stared at by all those gentlemen."
"Gentlemen!" observed the girl. "Men--household officials and such like.They may wait long enough for me!"
"You must nevertheless do their bidding, haughty rosebud," said Orionlaughing. "For you, thank God, are no longer a child, and a court ofjustice has the right of requiring the presence of every grown personas a witness. No harm will come to you, for you are under my protection.Come with me. We must learn every lesson in life. Resistance is vain.Besides, all you will have to do will be to state what you have seen,and then, if I possibly can, I will bring you back under the tenderescort of this arm, to your mother once more. You must entrust yourjewel to me to-day, Susannah, and this trustworthy witness shall tellyou afterwards how she fared under my care."
Katharina was quite capable of reading the implied meaning of thesewords, and she was not ill-pleased to be obliged to go off alone withthe governor's handsome son, the first man for whom her little hearthad beat quicker; she sprang up eagerly; but Mary clung to her arm, andinsisted so vehemently and obstinately on being taken with them to bearwitness in Paula's behalf, that her governess and Dame Neforis had thegreatest difficulty in reducing her to obedience and letting the pair gooff without her. Both mothers looked after them with great satisfaction,and the governor's wife whispered to Susannah: "Before the judgesto-day, but ere long, please God, before the altar at Church!"
To reach the hall of judgment they could go either through the house orround it. If the more circuitous route were chosen, it lay first throughthe garden; and this was the course taken by Orion. He had made a verygreat effort in the presence of the ladies to remain master of theagitation that possessed him; he saw that the battle he had begun, andfrom which he, at any rate, could not and would not now retire, wasraging more and more fiercely, obliging him to drag the young creaturewho must become his wife--the die was already cast--into the course ofcrime he had started on.
When he had agreed with his mother that he was not to prefer his suitfor Katharina till the following day, he had hoped to prove to her inthe interval that this little thing was no wife for him; and now--oh!Irony of Fate--he found himself compelled to the very reverse of what helonged to do: to fight the woman he loved--Yes, still loved--as if shewere his mortal foe, and pay his court to the girl who really did notsuit him. It was maddening, but inevitable; and once more spurringhimself with the word "Onwards!" he flung himself into theaccomplishment of the unholy task of subduing the inexperienced childat his elbow into committing even a crime for his sake. His heart wasbeating wildly; but no pause, no retreat was possible: he must conquer."Onwards, then, onwards!"
When they had passed out of the light of the lamps into the shade hetook his young companion's slender hand-thankful that the darknessconcealed his features--and pressed the delicate fingers to his lips.
"Oh!--Orion!" she exclaimed shyly, but she did not resist.
"I only claim my due, sunshine of my soul!" he said insinuatingly. "Ifyour heart beat as loud as mine, our mothers might hear them!"
"But it does!" she joyfully replied, her curly head bent on one side.
"Not as mine does," he said with a sigh, laying her little hand on hisheart. He could do so in all confidence, for its spasmodic throbbingthreatened to suffocate him.
"Yes indeed," she said. "It is beating..."
"So that they can hear it indoors," he added with a forced laugh. "Doyou think your dear mother has not long since read our feelings?"
"Of course she has," whispered Katharina. "I have rarely seen her insuch good spirits as since your return."
"And you, you little witch?"
"I? Of course I was glad--we all were.--And your parents!"
"Nay, nay, Katharina! What you yourself felt when we met once more, thatis what I want to know."
"Oh, let that pass! How can I describe such a thing?"
"Is that quite impossible?" he asked and clasped her arm more closelyin his own. He must win her over, and his romantic fancy helped him topaint feelings he had never had, in glowing colors. He poured out sweetwords of love, and she was only too ready to believe them. At a signfrom him she sat down confidingly on a wooden bench in the old avenuewhich led to the northern side of the house. Flowers were opening onmany of the shrubs and shedding rich, oppressive perfume. The moonlightpierced through the solemn foliage of the sycamores, and shimmeringstreaks and rings of light played in the branches, on the trunks, and onthe dark ground. The heat of the day still lingered in the leafy roofsoverhead, sultry and heavy even now; and in this alley he called herfor the first time his own, his betrothed, and enthralled her heart inchains and bonds. Each fervent word thrilled with the wild and painfulagitation that was torturing his soul, and sounded heartfelt andsincere. The scent of flowers, too, intoxicated her young andinexperienced heart; she willingly offered her lips to his kisses, andwith exquisite bliss felt the first glow of youthful love returned.
She could have lingered thus with him for a lifetime; but in a fewminutes he sprang up, anxious to put an end to this tender dalliancewhich was beginning to be too much even for him, and exclaimed:
"This cursed, this infernal trial! But such is the fate of man! Dutycalls, and he must return from all the bliss of Paradise to the worldagain. Give me your arm, my only love, my all!"
And Katharina obeyed. Dazzled and bewildered by the extraordinaryhappiness that had come to meet her, she allowed him to lead her on,listening with suspended breath as he added: "Out of this beatitude backto the sternest of duties!--And how odious, how immeasurably loathesomeis the case in question! How gladly would I have been a friend to Paula,a faithful protector instead of a foe!"
As he spoke he felt the girl's left hand clench tighter on his arm,and this spurred him on in his guilty purpose. Katharina herself hadsuggested to his mind the course he must pursue to attain his end.He went on to influence her jealousy by praising Paula's charm andloftiness, excusing himself in his own eyes by persuading himself that alover was justified in inducing his betrothed to save his happiness andhis honor.
Still, as he uttered each flattering word, he felt that he was loweringhimself and doing a fresh in
justice to Paula. He found it only too easyto sing her praises; but as he did so with growing enthusiasm Katharinahit him on the arm exclaiming, half in jest and half seriously vexed:
"Oh, she is a goddess! And pray do you love her or me? You had betternot make me jealous! Do you hear?"
"You little simpleton!" he said gaily; and then he added soothingly:"She is like the cold moon, but you are the bright warming sun. Yes,Paula!--we will leave Paula to some Olympian god, some archangel. Irejoice in my gladsome little maiden who will enjoy life with me, andall its pleasures!"
"That we will!" she exclaimed triumphantly; the horizon of her futurewas radiant with sunshine.
"Good Heavens!" he exclaimed as if in surprise. "The lights are alreadyshining in that miserable hall of justice! Ah, love, love! Under thatenchantment we had forgotten the object for which we came out.--Tell me,my darling, do you remember exactly what the necklace was like that youand Mary were playing with this afternoon?"
"It was very finely wrought, but in the middle hung a rubbishy brokenmedallion of gold."
"You are a pretty judge of works of art! Then you overlooked the fineengraved gem which was set in that modest gold frame?"
"Certainly not."
"I assure you, little wise-head!"
"No, my dearest." As she spoke she looked up saucily, as though she hadachieved some great triumph. "I know very well what gems are. My fatherleft a very fine collection, and my mother says that by his will theyare all to belong to my future husband."
"Then I can set you, my jewel, in a frame of the rarest gems."
"No, no," she cried gaily. "Let me have a setting indeed, for I am but afugitive thing; but only, only in your heart."
"That piece of goldsmith's work is already done.--But seriously mychild; with regard to Paula's necklace: it really was a gem, and youmust have happened to see only the back of it. That is just as youdescribe it: a plain setting of gold."
"But Orion...."
"If you love me, sweetheart, contradict me no further. In the futureI will always accept your views, but in this case your mistake mightinvolve us in a serious misunderstanding, by compelling me to give into Paula and make her my ally.--Here we are! But wait one momentlonger.--And once more, as to this gem. You see we may both be wrong--Ias much as you; but I firmly believe that I am in the right. If you makea statement contrary to mine I shall appear before the judges as aliar. We are now betrothed--we are but one, wholly one; what damages ordignifies one of us humiliates or elevates the other. If you, who loveme--you, who, as it is already whispered, are soon to be the mistress ofthe governor's house--make a statement opposed to mine they are certainto believe it. You see, your whole nature is pure kindness, but you arestill too young and innocent quite to understand all the duties of thatomnipotent love which beareth and endureth all things. If you do notyield to me cheerfully in this case you certainly do not love me asyou ought. And what is it to ask? I require nothing of you but thatyou should state before the court that you saw Paula's necklace at noonto-day, and that there was a gem hanging to it--a gem with Love andPsyche engraved on it."
"And I am to say that before all those men?" asked Katharina doubtfully.
"You must indeed, you kind little angel!" cried Orion tenderly. "Anddo you think it pretty in a betrothed bride to refuse her lover's firstrequest so grudgingly, suspiciously, and ungraciously? Nay, nay. Ifthere is the tiniest spark of love for me in your heart, if you do notwant to see me reduced to implore Paula for mercy...."
"But what is it all about? How can it matter so much to any one whethera gem or a mere plate of gold...?"
"All that I will explain later," he hastily replied.
"Tell me now...."
"Impossible. We have already put the patience of the judges to toosevere a test. We have not a moment to lose."
"Very well then; but I shall die of confusion and shame if I have tomake a declaration...."
"Which is perfectly truthful, and by which you can prove to me that youlove me," he urged.
"But it is dreadful!" she exclaimed anxiously. "At least fasten my veilclosely over my face.--All those bearded men...."
"Like the ostrich," said Orion, laughing as he complied. "If you reallycannot agree with your... What is it you called me just now? Say itagain."
"My dearest!" she said shyly but tenderly.
She helped Orion to fold her veil twice over her face, and did notthrust him aside when he whispered in her ear: "Let us see if a kisscannot be sweet even through all that wrapping!--Now, come. It will beall over in a few minutes."
He led the way into the anteroom to the great hall, begged her to waita moment, and then went in and hastily informed the assembly that DameSusannah had entrusted her daughter to him only on condition that heshould escort her back again as soon as she had given her testimony.Then Paula was brought in and he desired her to be seated.
It was with a sinking and anxious heart that Katharina had entered theanteroom. She had screened herself from a scolding before now by trivialsubterfuges, but never had told a serious lie; and every instinctrebelled against the demand that she should now state a directfalsehood. But could Orion, the noblest of mankind, the idol of thewhole town, so pressingly entreat her to do anything that was wrong? Didnot love--as he had said--make it her duty to do everything that mightscreen him from loss or injury? It did not seem to her to be quite as itshould be, but perhaps she did not altogether understand the matter; shewas so young and inexperienced. She hated the idea, too, that, if sheopposed her lover, he would have to come to terms with Paula. She hadno lack of self-possession, and she told herself that she might holdher own with any girl in Memphis; still, she felt the superiority of thehandsome, tall, proud Syrian, nor could she forget how, the day beforeyesterday, when Paula had been walking up and down the garden with Orionthe chief officer of Memphis had exclaimed: "What a wonderfully handsomecouple!" She herself had often thought that no more beautiful, elegantand lovable creature than Thomas' daughter walked the earth; she hadlonged and watched for a glance or a kind word from her. But sincehearing those words a bitter feeling had possessed her soul againstPaula, and there had been much to foster it. Paula always treated herlike a child instead of a grown-up girl, as she was. Why, that verymorning, had she sought out her betrothed--for she might call him sonow--and tried to keep her away from him? And how was it thatOrion, even while declaring his love for her, had spoken more thanwarmly--enthusiastically of Paula? She must be on her guard, and thoughothers should speak of the great good fortune that had fallen to herlot, Paula, at any rate, would not rejoice in it, for Katharina felt andknew that she was not indifferent to Orion. She had not another enemyin the world, but Paula was one; her love had everything to fear fromher--and suddenly she asked herself whether the gold medallion she hadseen might not indeed have been a gem? Had she examined the necklaceclosely, even for a moment? And why should she fancy she had sharpersight than Orion with his large, splendid eyes?
He was right, as he always was. Most engraved gems were oval in form,and the pendant which she had seen and was to give evidence about, wasundoubtedly oval. Then it was not like Orion to require a falsehood ofher. In any case it was her duty to her betrothed to preserve from evil,and prevent him from concluding any alliance with that false Siren. Sheknew what she had to say; and she was about to loosen a portion of herveil from her face that she might look Paula steadfastly in the eyes,when Orion came back to fetch her into the hall where the Court wassitting. To his delight--nay almost to his astonishment--she stated withperfect confidence that a gem had been hanging to Paula's necklace atnoon that day; and when the onyx was shown her and she was asked if sheremembered the stone, she calmly replied:
"It may or it may not be the same; I only remember the oval gold backto it: besides I was only allowed to have the necklace in my hands for avery short time."
When Nilus, the treasurer, desired her to look more closely at thefigures of Eros and Psyche to refresh her memory, she evaded it bysaying: "I d
o not like such heathen images: we Jacobite maidens weardifferent adornments."
At this Paula rose and stepped towards her with a look of stern reproof;little Katharina was glad now that it had occurred to her to cover herface with a double veil. But the utter confusion she felt under theSyrian girl's gaze did not last long. Paula exclaimed reproach fully:"You speak of your faith. Like mine, it requires you to respect thetruth. Consider how much depends on your declaration; I implore you,child..."
But the girl interrupted her rival exclaiming with much irritation andvehement excitement:
"I am no longer a child, not even as compared with you; and I thinkbefore I speak, as I was taught to do."
She threw back her little head with a confident air, and said verydecidedly:
"That onyx hung to the middle of the chain."
"How dare you, you audacious hussy!" It was Perpetua, quite unable tocontain herself, who flung the words in her face. Katharina started asthough an asp had stung her and turned round on the woman who had daredto insult her so grossly and so boldly. She was on the verge of tears asshe looked helplessly about her for a defender; but she had not long towait, for Orion instantly gave orders that Perpetua should be imprisonedfor bearing false witness. Paula, however, as she had not perjuredherself, but had merely invented an impossible tale with a good motive,was dismissed, and her chest was to be replaced in her room.
At this Paula once more stepped forth; she unhooked the onyx from thechain and flung it towards Gamaliel, who caught it, while she exclaimed:
"I make you a present of it, Jew! Perhaps the villain who hung it to mychain may buy it back again. The chain was given to my great-grandmotherby the saintly Theodosius, and rather than defile it by contact withthat gift from a villain, I will throw it into the Nile!--You--you,poor, deluded judges--I cannot be wroth with you, but I pity you!--MyHiram..." and she looked at the freedman, "is an honest soul whomI shall remember with gratitude to my dying day; but as to thatunrighteous son of a most righteous father, that man..." and she raisedher voice, while she pointed straight at Orion's face; but the young maninterrupted her with a loud:
"Enough!"
She tried to control herself and replied:
"I will submit. Your conscience will tell you a hundred times over whatI need not say. One last word..." She went close up to him and said inhis ear:
"I have been able to refrain from using my deadliest weapon againstyou for the sake of keeping my word. Now you, if you are not the basestwretch living, keep yours, and save Hiram."
His only reply was an assenting nod; Paula paused on the thresholdand, turning to Katharina, she added: "You, child--for you are but achild--with what nameless suffering will not the son of the Mukaukasrepay you for the service you have rendered him!" Then she left theroom. Her knees trembled under her as she mounted the stairs, but whenshe had again taken her place by the side of the hapless, crazy girla merciful God granted her the relief of tears. Her friend saw her andleft her to weep undisturbed, till she herself called him and confidedto him all she had gone through in the course of this miserable day.
Orion and Katharina had lost their good spirits; they went back to thecolonnade in a dejected mood. On the way she pressed him to explain toher why he had insisted on her making this declaration, but he put heroff till the morrow. They found Susannah alone, for his mother had beensent for by her husband, who was suffering more than usual, and she hadtaken Mary with her.
After bidding the widow good-night and escorting her to her chariot,he returned to the hall where the Court was still sitting. There herecapitulated the case as it now stood, and all the evidence against thefreed man. The verdict was then pronounced: Hiram was condemned to deathwith but one dissentient voice that of Nilus the treasurer.
Orion ordered that the execution of the sentence should be postponed; hedid not go back into the house, however, but had his most spirited horsesaddled and rode off alone into the desert. He had won, but he felt asthough in this race he had rushed into a morass and must be choked init.