CHAPTER XVIII.
The mysterious old sage had no sooner left the judgment-hall with theVekeel than he begged for a private interview. Obada did not hesitateto turn the keeper of the prison, with his wife and infant, out of hisroom, and there he listened while Horapollo informed him of the fateto which he destined the condemned girl. The old man's scheme certainlyfound favor with the Negro; still, it seemed to him in many respectsso daring that, but for an equivalent service which Horapollo was in aposition to offer Obada, he would scarcely have succeeded in obtaininghis consent.
All the Vekeel aimed at was to make it very certain that Orion had had ahand in the flight of the nuns, and chance had placed a document in theold man's hands which seemed to set this beyond a doubt.
He had effected his removal to the widow's dwelling in the cool hoursof early morning. He had taken with him, in the first instance, only themost valuable and important of his manuscripts, and as he was placingthese in a small desk--the very same which Rufinus had left for Paula'suse--Horapollo found in it the note which the youth had hastily writtenwhen, after waiting in vain for Paula as she sat with little Mary,he had at last been obliged to depart and take leave of Amru. Thiswax-tablet, on which the writing was much defaced and partly illegible,could not fail to convince the judges of Orion's guilt, and theproduction of this piece of evidence enabled the old man to extortObada's consent to his proposal as to the mode of Paula's death. Whenthey finally left the warder's room, the Negro once more turned to thekeeper of the prison and told him with a snort, as he pointed to hispretty wife and the child at her breast, that they should all three dieif he allowed Orion to quit his cell for so much as an instant.
He then swung himself on to his horse, while Horapollo rode off to theCuria to desire the president of the council to call a meeting for thatevening; then he betook himself to his new quarters.
There he found his room carefully shaded, and as cool as was possiblein such heat. The floor had been sprinkled with water, flowers stoodwherever there was room for them, and all his properties in scrolls andother matters had found places in chests or on shelves. There was nota speck of dust to be seen, and a sweet pervading perfume greeted hissensitive nostrils.
What a good exchange he had made! He rubbed his withered hands withsatisfaction as he seated himself in his accustomed chair, and when Marycame to call him to dinner, it was a pleasure to him to jest with her.
Pulcheria must lead him through the viridarium into the dining-room; heenjoyed his meal, and his cross, wrinkled old face lighted up amazinglyas he glanced round at his feminine associates; only Eudoxia was absent,confined to her room by some slight ailment. He had something pleasantto say to each; he frankly compared his former circumstances with hispresent position, without disguising his heartfelt thankfulness; then,with a merry glance at Pulcheria, he described how delightful it wouldbe when Philippus should come home to make the party complete--a trueand perfect star: for every Egyptian star must have five rays. Theancients had never painted one otherwise nor graven it in stone; nay,they had used it as the symbol for the number five.
At this Mary exclaimed: "But then I hope--I hope we shall make asix-rayed star; for by that time poor Paula may be with us again!"
"God grant it!" sighed Dame Joanna. Pulcheria, however, asked the oldman what was wrong with him, for his face had suddenly clouded. Hischeerfulness had vanished, his tufted eyebrows were raised, and hispinched lips seemed unwilling to part, when at length he reluctantlysaid:
"Nothing--nothing is wrong.... At the same time; once for all--I loathethat name."
"Paula?" cried the child in astonishment. "Oh! but if you knew..."
"I know more than enough," interrupted the old man. "I love youall--all; my old heart expands as I sit in your midst; I am comfortablehere, I feel kindly towards you, I am grateful to you; every littleattention you show me does me good; for it comes from your hearts: if Icould repay you soon and abundantly--I should grow young again with joy.You may believe me, as I can see indeed that you do. And yet," and againhis brows went up, "and yet, when I hear that name, and when you try towin me over to that woman, or if you should even go so far as to assailmy ears with her praises--then, much as it would grieve me, I would goback again to the place where I came from."
"Why, Horapollo, what are you saying?" cried Joanna, much distressed.
"I say," the old man went on, "I say that in her everything isconcentrated which I most hate and contemn in her class. I say that shebears in her bosom a cold and treacherous heart; that she blights mydays and my nights; in short, that I would rather be condemned tolive under the same roof with clammy reptiles and cold-blooded snakesthan..."
"Than with her, with Paula?" Mary broke in. The eager little thingsprang to her feet, her eyes flashed lightnings and her voice quiveredwith rage, as she exclaimed: "And you not only say it but mean it? Is itpossible?"
"Not only possible, but positive, sweetheart," replied the old man,putting out his hand to take hers, but she shrank back, exclaimingvehemently:
"I will not be your sweetheart, if you speak so of her! A man as old asyou are ought to be just. You do not know her at all, and what you sayabout her heart..."
"Gently, gently, child," the widow put in; and Horapollo answered withpeculiar emphasis.
"That heart, my little whirlwind!--it would be well for us all if wecould forget it, forget it for good or for evil. She has been triedto-day, and that heart is sentenced to cease beating."
"Sentenced! Merciful Heaven!" shrieked Pulcheria, and as she started upher mother cried out:
"For God's sake do not jest about such things, it is a sin.--Is ittrue?--Is it possible? Those wretches, those... I see in your face it istrue; they have condemned Paula."
"As you say," replied Horapollo calmly. "The girl is to be executed."
"And you only tell us now?" wept Pulcheria, while Mary broke out:
"And yet you have been able to jest and laugh, and you--I hate you! Andif you were not such a helpless, old, old man..." But here Joanna againsilenced the child, and she asked between her sobs:
"Executed?--Will they cut off her head? And is there no mercy for herwho was as far away from that luckless fight as we were--for her, agirl, and the daughter of Thomas?"
To which the old man replied:
"Wait a while, only wait! Heaven has perhaps chosen her for great ends.She may be destined to save a whole country and nation from destructionby her death. It is even possible..."
"Speak out plainly; you make me shudder with your oracular hints," criedthe widow; but he only shrugged his shoulders and said coolly:
"What we foresee is not yet known. Heaven alone can decide in such acase. It will be well for us all--for me, for her, for Pulcheria, andeven our absent Philip, if the divinity selects her as its instrument.But who can see into darkness? If it is any comfort to you, Joanna, Ican inform you that the soft-hearted Kadi and his Arab colleagues, outof sheer hatred of the Vekeel, who is immeasurably their superior intalent and strength of will, will do everything in their power...." "Tosave her?" exclaimed the widow.
"To-morrow they will hold council and decide whether to send a messengerto Medina to implore pardon for her," Horapollo went on with a horriblesmile. "The day after they will discuss who the messenger is to be, andbefore he can reach Arabia fate will have overtaken the prisoner. TheVekeel Obada moves faster than they do, and the power lies in his handsso long as Amru is absent from Egypt. He, they say, perfectly dotes onthe Mukaukas' son, and for his sake--who knows? Paula as his betrothed."
"His betrothed?"
"He called her by that name before the judges, and congratulated himselfon his promised bride."
"Paula and Orion!" cried Pulcheria, jubilant in the midst of her tears,and clapping her hands for joy.
"A pair indeed!" said the old man. "You may well rejoice, my girl!Feeble hearts as you all are, respect the experience of the aged,and bless Fate if it should lame the horse of the Kadi'smessenger!--However, you will
not listen to anything oracular, so itwill be better to talk of something else."
"No, no," cried Joanna. "What can we think of but her and her fate? Oh,Horapollo, I do not know you in this mood. What has that poor soul doneto you, persecuted as she is by the hardest fate--that noble creaturewho is so dear to us all? And do you forget that the judges who havesentenced her will now proceed to enquire what Rufinus, and we all ofus..."
"What you had to do with that mad scheme of rescue?" interruptedHorapollo. "I will make it my business to prevent that. So long as thisold brain is able to think, and this mouth to speak, not a hair of yourheads shall be hurt."
"We are grateful to you," said Joanna. "But, if you have such power, setto work--you know how dear Paula is to us all, how highly your friendPhilip esteems her--use your power to save her."
"I have no power, and refuse to have any," retorted the old man harshly.
"But Horapollo, Horapollo!--Come here, children!--We were to find in youa second father--so you promised. Then prove that those were no emptywords, and be entreated by us."
The old man drew a deep breath; he rose to his feet with such vigor ashe could command, a bright, sharply-defined patch of color tinged eachpale cheek, and he exclaimed in husky tones:
"Not another word! No attempt to move me, not a cry of lamentation!Enough, and a thousand times too much, of that already. You have heardme, and I now say again--me or Paula, Paula or me. Come what may in thefuture, if you cannot so far control yourselves as never to mention herin my presence, I--no, I do not swear, but when I have said a thing Ikeep to it--I will go back to my old den and drag out life the richer bya disappointment--or die, as my ruling goddess shall please."
With this he left the room, and little Mary raised her clenched rightfist and shook it after him, exclaiming: "Then let him go, hard-hearted,unjust, old scarecrow! Oh, if only I were a man!" And she burst outcrying aloud. Heedless of the widow's reproof, she went on quite besideherself: "Oh, there is no one more wicked than he is, Dame Joanna!He wants to see her die, he wishes her to be dead; I know it, he evenwishes it! Did you hear him, Pul, he would be glad if the messenger'shorse went lame before he could save her? And now she is my Orion'sbetrothed--I always meant them for each other--and they want to killhim, too, but they shall not, if there is still a God of justice inheaven! Oh if I--if I..." Her voice failed her, choked with sobs. Whenshe had somewhat recovered she implored Pulcheria and her mother to takeher to see Paula, and as they shared her wish they prepared to start forthe prison before it should grow dark.
The nearer they went to the market-place, which they must cross, themore crowded were the streets. Every one was going the same way; thethrong almost carried the women with it; yet, from the market came, asit were, a contrary torrent of shouts and shrieks from a myriad of humanthroats. Dame Joanna was terrified in the press by the uproarious doingsin the market, and she would gladly have turned back with the girls, orhave made her way through by-streets, but the tide bore her on, and itwould have been easier to swim against a swollen mountain stream thanto return home. Thus they soon reached the square, but there they werebrought to a standstill in the crush.
The widow's terrors now increased. It was dreadful to be kept fast withthe young people in such a mob. Pulcheria clung closely to her, andwhen she bid Mary take her hand the child, who thoroughly enjoyed theadventure, exclaimed: "Only look, Mother Joanna, there is our Rustem. Heis taller than any one."
"If only he were by our side!" sighed the widow. At this the little girlsnatched away her hand, made her way with the nimbleness of a squirrelthrough the mass of men, and soon had reached the Masdakite. Rustem hadnot yet quitted Memphis, for the first caravan, which he and his littlewife were to join, was not to start for a few days. The worthyPersian and Mary were very good friends; as soon as he heard that hisbenefactress was alarmed he pushed his way to her, with the child, andthe widow breathed more freely when he offered to remain near her andprotect her.
Meanwhile the yelling and shouting were louder than ever. Every face,every eye was turned to the Curia, in the evident expectation ofsomething great and strange taking place there.
"What is it?" asked Mary, pulling at Rustem's coat. The giant saidnothing, but he stooped, and to her delight, a moment later she had herfeet on his arms, which he folded across his chest, and was settlingherself on his broad shoulder whence she could survey men and things asfrom a tower. Joanna laid her hand in some tremor on the child's littlefeet, but Mary called down to her: "Mother--Pulcheria--I am quite sureour old Horapollo's white ass is standing in front of the Curia, andthey are putting a garland round the beast's neck--a garland of olive."
At this moment the blare of a tuba rang out from the Senate-house acrossthe square, through the suffocatingly hot, quivering air; a suddensilence fell and spread till, when a man opened his mouth to shout or tospeak, a neighbor gave him a shove and bid him hold his tongue. At thisthe widow held Mary's ankles more tightly, asking, while she wiped thedrops from her brow:
"What is going on?" and the child answered quickly, never taking hereyes off the scene:
"Look, look up at the balcony of the Curia; there stands the chief ofthe Senate--Alexander the dyer of purple--he often used to come to seemy grandfather, and grandmother could not bear his wife. And by hisside--do you not see who the man is close by him?
"It is old Horapollo. He is taking the laurel-crown off hiswig!--Alexander is going to speak."
She was interrupted by another trumpet call, and immediately after aloud, manly voice was heard from the Curia, while the silence was soprofound that even the widow and her daughter lost very little of thespeech which followed:
"Fellow-citizens, Memphites, and comrades in misfortune," the presidentbegan in slow, ringing tones, "you know what the sufferings are which weall share. There is not a woe that has not befallen us, and even worseloom before us."
The crowd expressed their agreement by a fearful outcry, but they werereduced to silence by the sound of the tuba, and the speaker went on:
"We, the Senate, the fathers of the city, whom you have entrusted withthe care of your persons and your welfare..."
At this point he was interrupted by wild yells, and cries could bedistinguished of: "Then take care of us--do your duty!"
"Money bags!"
"Keep your pledge!"
"Save us from destruction!"
The trumpet call, however, again silenced them, and the speaker went on,almost beside himself with vehement excitement.
"Hearken! Do not interrupt me! The dearth and misery fall on our headsas much as on yours. My own wife and son died of the plague last night!"
At this only a low murmur ran through the crowd, and it died away of itsown accord as the dignified old man on the balcony wiped his eyes andwent on:
"If there is a single man among you who can prove us guilty ofneglect--a man, woman, or child--let him accuse us before God, beforeour new ruler the Khaliff, and yourselves, the citizens of Memphis; butnot now, my fellow-sufferers, not now! At this time cease your cries andlamentations; now when rescue is in sight. Listen to me, and let us knowwhat you feel with regard to the last and uttermost means of deliverancewhich I now come to propose to you."
"Silence! Hear him! Down with the noisy ones!" was heard on all sides,and the orator went on:
"We, as Christians, in the first instance addressed ourselves to ourFather in Heaven, to our one and only divine Redeemer, and to His HolyChurch to aid us; and I ask you: Has there been any lack of prayers,processions, pilgrimages, and pious gifts? No, no, my belovedfellow-citizens! Each one be my witness--certainly not! But Heaven hasremained blind and deaf and dumb in sight of our need, yea as thoughparalyzed. And yet no; not indeed paralyzed, for it has been powerfuland swift to move only to heap new woes upon us. Not a thing that humanforesight and prudence could devise or execute has remained untried.
"The time-honored arts of the magicians, sorcerers, and diviners, whichaforetime have often availed to break the powers of ev
il spirits, haveproved no less delusive and ineffectual. So then we remembered ourglorious forefathers and ancestors, and we recollected that a man livesin our midst who knew many things which we others have lost sight of inthe lapse of years. He has made the wisdom of our forefathers his own inthe course of a long life of laborious days and nights. He has the keyto the writing and the secrets of the ancients, and he has communicatedto us the means of deliverance to which they resorted, when theysuffered from such afflictions as have befallen us in these dreadfuldays; and this venerable man at my side, the wise and truthfulHorapollo, will acquaint us with it. You see the antique scrolls in hishand: They teach us the wonders it wrought in times past."
Here the speaker was interrupted by a cry of: "Hail Horapollo, theDeliverer!" and thousands took it up and expressed their satisfactionand gratitude by loud shouting.
The old man bowed modestly, pointed to his narrow chest and toothlessmouth and then to the head of the Council as the man who had undertakento transmit his opinion to the populace; so Alexander went on:
"Great favors, my friends and fellow-citizens, must be purchased bygreat gifts. The ancients knew this, and when the river--on which, as weknow only too well, the weal or woe of this land solely depends--refusedto rise, and its low ebb brought evils of many kinds upon its banks,they offered in sacrifice the thing they deemed most noble of all theearth has to show a pure and beautiful maiden.
"It is just as we expected: you are horrified! I hear your murmur, I seeyour horror-stricken faces; how can a Christian fail to be shocked atthe thought of such a victim? But is it indeed so extraordinary? Havewe ever wholly given up everything of the kind? Which of us does notentreat Saint Orion, either at home or under the guidance of the priestsin church, whenever he craves a gift from our splendid river; and thisvery year as usual, on the Night of Dropping, did we not cast into thewaters a little box containing a human finger.
[So late as in the XIV. century after Christ the Egyptian Christians still threw a small casket containing a human finger into the Nile to induce it to rise. This is confirmed by the trustworthy Makrizi.]
"This lesser offering takes the place of the greater and more precioussacrifice of the heathen; it has been offered, and its necessityhas never at any time been questioned; even the severest and holiestluminaries of the Church--Antonius and Athanasius, Theophilus andCyrillus had nothing to say against it, and year after year it has beenthrown into the waters under their very eyes.
"A finger in a box! What a miserable exchange for the fairest and purestthat God has allowed to move on earth among men. Can we wonder if theAlmighty has at last disdained and rejected the wretched substitute, andclaims once more for His Nile that which was formerly given? But whereis the mother, where is the father, you will ask, who, in our selfishdays, is so penetrated with love for his country, his province, hisnative town, that he will dedicate his virgin daughter to perish in thewaters for the common good? What daughter of our nation is ready of herown free will to die for the salvation of others?
"But be not afraid. Have no fears for the growing maiden, the very appleof your eye, in your women's rooms. Fear not for your granddaughters,sisters, playfellows and betrothed: From the earliest ages a stringentlaw forbade the sacrifice of Egyptian blood; strangers were to perish,or those who worshipped other gods than those in Egypt.
"The same law, citizens and fellow-believers, is incumbent on us. Andmark me well, all of you! Would it not seem as though Fate desired tohelp us to bring to our blessed Nile the offering which for so manycenturies has been withheld? The river claims it; and, as if by amiracle, it has been brought to our hand. For a crime which does nottaint her purity our judges have to-day condemned to death a beautifuland spotless maiden--a stranger, and at the same time a Greek and aheretic Melchite.
"This stirs you, this fills your souls with joyful thankfulness; I seeit! Then make ready for thy bridal, noble stream, Benefactor of our landand nation! The virgin, the bride that thou hast longed for, we deck forthee, we lead to thine embrace--she shall be Thine!
"And you, Memphites, citizens and fellow-sufferers," and the oratorleaned far over the parapet towards the crowd, "when I ask you for yoursuffrages, when I appeal to you in the name of the senate, and of thisvenerable sage...."
But here he was interrupted by the triumphant shout of the assembledmultitude; a thousand voices went up in a mighty, heaven-rending cry:
"To the Nile with her--the maiden to the Nile!"
"Marry the Melchite to the river! Bring wreaths for the bride of theNile, bring flowers for her marriage."
"Let us abide by the teaching of our fathers!"
"Hail to the councillor! Hail to the sage, Horapollo! Hail to our chiefSenator!"
These were the glad and enthusiastic shouts that rose in loud confusion;and it was only on the north side, where the money-changers' tablesnow stood deserted-for gold and silver had long since been placed insafety--that a sinister murmur of dissent was heard. The little girlin the Persian's arms had long since been breathing hard and deep.She thought she knew whom that fiend up there had his eye upon for hiscursed heathen sacrifice; and as Mary bent down to Dame Joanna to seewhether she shared her hideous suspicion, she perceived that her eyesand Pulcheria's were full of tears.--That was enough; she asked noquestions, for a new act in the drama claimed her attention.
Close to the money-changer's stalls a hand was lifted on high, holdinga crucifix, and the child could see it steadily progressing through thecrowd towards the Curia. Every one made way for the sacred symbol andthe bearer of it; and to Mary's fancy the throng parted on each side ofthe advancing image of the Redeemer, as the waters of the Red Sea hadparted at the approach of the people of God. The murmurs in that part ofthe square grew louder; the acclamations of the populace waxed fainter;every voice seemed to fail, and presently a frail figure in bishop'srobes, small but rigidly dignified, was seen to mount the steps andfinally disappear within the portals of the Curia.
The turmoil sank like an ebbing wave to a low, enquiring mutter, andeven this died away when the diminutive personage, who looked thetaller, however, for the crucifix which he still held, came out on thebalcony, approached the parapet, and stretched forth the arm that heldthe image above the heads of the foremost rows of the people.
At this Horapollo stepped up to Alexander, his eyes flashing with rage,and demanded that the intruder should be forbidden to speak; but thecommanding eye of the new-comer rested on the dyer, who bowed his headand allowed him to proceed. Nor did one of the senators dare tohinder him, for every one recognized him as the zealous, learned, anddetermined priest who had, since yesterday, filled the place of thedeceased bishop.
Their new pastor began, addressing his flock in as loud a voice as hecould command:
"Look on this Cross and hearken to its minister! You languish for theblessing of Christ, and you follow after heathen abominations. Thesuperstitious triumph, through which I have struggled to reach you, willbe turned to howls of anguish if you stop your ears and are deaf to thewords of salvation.
"Yea, you may murmur! You will not reduce me to silence, for Truthspeaks in me and can never be dumb. I say to each of you that knows itnot: The staff of the departed Plotinus has been placed in my hands.I would fain bear it with gentleness and mercy; but, if I must, Iwill wield it as a sword and a scourge till your wounds bleed and yourbruises ache.
"Behold in my right hand the image of your Redeemer! I hold it up as awall between you and the heathen abomination which you hail with joy inyour blindness.
"Ye are accursed and apostate. Lift up your hearts, and look at Him whodied on the cross to save you. Verily He will not let him perish whobelieveth in Him; but you! where is your faith? Because it is night yelament and cry: The Light is dead!' Because ye are sick ye say: 'Thephysician cannot heal!'
"What are these blasphemies that I hear: 'The Lord and His Churchare powerless! Magic, enchantments, and heathen abominations may saveus.'--But, inasmuch as ye trust not in the true
Saviour and Redeemer,but in heathen wickedness, magic, and enchantments, punishment shall beheaped on punishment; and so it will be,--I see it coming--till ye arechoked in the mud and seek with groans the only Hand that is able tosave.
"That whereby the blinded sons of men hope to escape from the evil,that, and that only, is the source of their sufferings and I stand hereto stay that spring and dig a channel for its overflow.
"Children of Moloch ye try to be and I hope to make you Christiansagain. But the maiden whom your fury would cast into the abyss of theriver is under the merciful protection of the supreme Church, for thedeath of her body will bring death to your souls. Saint Orion turns fromyou with horror! Away from the hapless victim! Away, I say, with youraccursed desires and sacrilegious hands!"
"And sit with them in our laps and wring them in prayer till they ache,while want and the plague snatch away those that are left!" interruptedthe old man's voice, thin and feeble, but audible at a considerabledistance, and from the market-place thousands proclaimed their approvalby loud shouts.
The president of the senate had listened with a penitent mien andbowed head, but now he recovered his presence of mind and exclaimedindignantly:
"The people die, the town and country are going to ruin, plague andhorrors rise up from the river. Show us some other way of escape, or letus trust to our forefathers and try this last means."
But the little man drew himself up more stiffly, pointed with his lefthand to the crucifix, and cried with unmoved composure:
"Believe, hope, and pray!"
"Perhaps you think that no evil is come upon us!" cried Alexander. "You,to be sure, have seen no wife with glazing eyes, no child strugglingfor breath...." And a fresh tumult came up from below, wilder and louderthan ever. Each one whose home or beasts had been blighted by death,whose gardens and fields had perished of drought, whose dates haddropped one by one from the trees, lifted up his voice and shrieked:
"The victim, the victim!"
"To the river with the maiden!"
"All hail to our deliverer, the wise Horapollo!" But others shoutedagainst them:
"Let us remain Christians! Hail to Bishop John!"
"Think of our souls!"
The prelate made an effort once more to rivet the attention of thepopulace, and failing in this he turned to the senators and thetrumpeters, whom at length he succeeded in persuading to blow again andagain, and more loudly through their brazen tuba. But the call producedno effect, for in the market square groups had formed on opposite sides,and blows and wrestling threatened to end in a sanguinary street-riot.
The women succeeded in getting away from the scene of action under theprotection of the Masdakite, before the Arab cavalry rode across toseparate the combatants; but in the Curia Bishop John explained to theFathers that he would make every effort to prevent this inhuman andunchristian sacrifice of a young girl, even though she was a Melchiteand under sentence of death. This very day a carrier pigeon should bedispatched to the patriarch in Upper Egypt, and bring back his decision.
When, on this, Horapollo replied that the Khaliff's representative herehad signified his consent to the proceedings, and that even against thewill of the clergy the misery of the people must be put an end to, theBishop broke out vehemently and threatened all who had first suggestedthis hideous scheme with the anathema of the Church. But Horapolloretorted again with flaming eloquence, the desperate Senators took hispart, and the Bishop left the Curia in the highest wrath.