Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero

  Chapter LXVI

  FOUR Bithynians carried Lygia carefully to the house of Petronius.Vinicius and Ursus walked at her side, hurrying so as to give her intothe hands of the Greek physician as quickly as possible. They walked insilence, for after the events of the day they had not power to speak.Vinicius so far was as if half conscious. He kept repeating to himselfthat Lygia was saved; that she was threatened no longer by imprisonment,or death in the Circus; that their misfortunes had ended once andforever; that he would take her home and not separate again from her.This appeared to him the beginning of some other life rather thanreality. From moment to moment he bent over the open litter to lookon the beloved face, which in the moonlight seemed sleeping, and herepeated mentally, "This is she! Christ has saved her!" He rememberedalso that while he and Ursus were carrying her from the spoliarium anunknown physician had assured him that she was living and would recover.At this thought delight so filled his breast that at moments he grewweak, and being unable to walk with his own strength leaned on the armof Ursus. Ursus meanwhile was looking into the sky filled with stars,and was praying.

  They advanced hurriedly along streets where newly erected whitebuildings shone brightly in the moonlight. The city was empty, savehere and there where crowds of people crowned with ivy, sang and dancedbefore porticos to the sound of flutes, thus taking advantage of thewonderful night and the festive season, unbroken from the beginning ofthe games. Only when they were near the house did Ursus stop praying,and say in a low voice, as if he feared to waken Lygia,--

  "Lord, it was the Saviour who rescued her from death. When I saw heron the horns of the aurochs, I heard a voice in my soul saying, 'Defendher!' and that was the voice of the Lamb. The prison took strength fromme, but He gave it back in that moment, and inspired that cruel peopleto take her part. Let His will be done!"

  And Vinicius answered,--

  "Magnified be His name!"

  He had not power to continue, for all at once he felt that a mightyweeping was swelling his breast. He was seized by an overpowering wishto throw himself on the earth and thank the Saviour for His miracles andHis mercy.

  Meanwhile they had come to the house; the servants, informed by a slavedespatched in advance, crowded out to meet them. Paul of Tarsus had sentback from Antium the greater part of those people. The misfortune ofVinicius was known to them perfectly; therefore their delight at seeingthose victims which had been snatched from the malice of Nero wasimmense, and increased still more when the physician Theocles declaredthat Lygia had not suffered serious injury, and that when the weaknesscaused by prison fever had passed, she would regain health.

  Consciousness returned to her that night. Waking in the splendid chamberlighted by Corinthian lamps, amidst the odor of verbena and nard,she knew not where she was, or what was taking place with her. Sheremembered the moment in which she had been lashed to the horns of thechained bull; and now, seeing above her the face of Vinicius, lighted bythe mild rays of the lamp, she supposed herself no longer on earth. Thethoughts were confused in her weakened head; it seemed to her natural tobe detained somewhere on the way to heaven, because of her tortures andweakness. Feeling no pain, however, she smiled at Vinicius, and wantedto ask where they were; but from her lips came merely a low whisper inwhich he could barely detect his own name.

  Then he knelt near her, and, placing his hand on her forehead lightly,he said,--

  "Christ saved thee, and returned thee to me!"

  Her lips moved again with a meaningless whisper; her lids closed aftera moment, her breast rose with a light sigh, and she fell into a deepsleep, for which the physician had been waiting, and after which shewould return to health, he said.

  Vinicius remained kneeling near her, however, sunk in prayer. His soulwas melting with a love so immense that he forgot himself utterly.Theocles returned often to the chamber, and the golden-haired Euniceappeared behind the raised curtain a number of times; finally cranes,reared in the gardens, began to call, heralding the coming day, butVinicius was still embracing in his mind the feet of Christ, neitherseeing nor hearing what was passing around him, with a heart turned intoa thanksgiving, sacrificial flame, sunk in ecstasy, and though alive,half seized into heaven.