CHAPTER XXVII
"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of themorning!"--ISAIAH XIV. 12.
He had a score or so of his guard with him and they remained at somelittle distance, in a compact group, with their short, bronze-hiltedswords naked in their hands.
Caligula was livid. He had donned a dark woollen robe and his head wasuncovered. His knees, arms and hands were shaking and his mouth openedand closed as if he were gasping for breath. His eyes were bloodshot andstaring out of his head like those of a man who is being strangled.
"Gracious Caesar!" exclaimed Dea Flavia as soon as she was before him,and with the instinct born of long usage, she bent the knee before him.
"They have trapped me," he murmured inarticulately whilst weird chokingsounds escaped his throat. "They have trapped me, hast heard?"
"Alas!"
"The miscreants! the sacrilegious miscreants! the hideous monsters! thevillainous reptiles! Aye! punishment will overtake them; they shall ruethis day! All Rome shall rue this day: her streets shall flow with bloodand I'll invent such tortures for every man as will turn the firmamentred with horror ... I'll...."
His mouth was twitching convulsively and his hands clutchedspasmodically at his throat. Dea Flavia had risen to her feet, she stoodbefore this raging madman erect and calm, with eyes downcast, for thesight of him filled her with loathing.
Suddenly he ceased in his ravings; a loud crash as of crumbling wallshad rent the air, followed by shrieks and loud hissing sounds and thatperpetual cry, awesome in its weird monotony:
"Death to the Caesar! Death!"
Caligula's face was contorted with terror, his cheeks were grey likethose of the dead. He made a quick movement forward and suddenlyclutched Dea's wrist.
"Dost hear them?" he said in a hoarse whisper.
And she nodded in response.
"They want to kill me ... they have set fire to my house ... I escapedthrough the crypta.... But they were hard on my heels...."
And as if to confirm his words, the cries of "Death!" again rose in theair; the tramping of feet, the angry murmurs became more loud andappeared to be filling the street close by and tending toward the verydoor of Dea Flavia's house.
"Ah, monsters! miserable monsters!" shouted the Caesar, crazy with fear,"to-morrow will come the awful reprisals ... to-morrow ..."
"To-day," broke in Dea Flavia coldly, "the Caesar is in danger of hislife."
"They'll kill me," he cried, whilst once more trembling--akin topalsy--seized his limbs. "They'll kill me, Augusta ... hide me, hide meere they come."
And he fell on his knees, grovelling on the floor like a fawning beast,with quivering hands clutching the young girl's robe, his foreheadbeating the ground at her feet.
"Hide me, Augusta," he murmured through his groans, "hide me!... Do notlet them kill me."
She drew back in horror and disgust, closing her eyes lest she shouldsee this degradation of the Caesarship, this breaking down of her highestideals.
But two days ago this same abject creature had stood beside her,demanding from her obedience and loyalty which she was fully prepared toaccord to him. He had called on her fealty in the very name of thatCaesarship which she worshipped and which he was now degrading andlowering to the dust.
Then as now Jove's thunders from afar had proclaimed the wrath of thegods. Then as now Jove thundered his warnings to that man not to defilethe majesty of the Caesars. But two days ago she had still believed inand acknowledged that majesty, she had bent her will, curbed herinclinations, smothered her every girlish inspiration, her every womanlyinstinct to the dictates of that power which came straight from thehands of the gods; now she felt actual physical nausea at the sight ofthis pitiable coward, who--wallowing in his own cruelty--had not eventhe unreasoning pluck of a brute defending its life.
Involuntarily her thoughts flew back to the man who was lying helplessin her house. She saw him in her mind as she had seen him yesterday,bounding into the arena to save another's life: strong anddetermined--measuring and accepting every risk, looking neither to rightnor left whilst he carried his self-imposed burden to safety, and thenfalling without a groan, felled to the ground by the claws of thepanther.
And outside the cries had become quite distinct.
"Death to the Caesar! Hail Taurus Antinor! Hail!"
The people, in their fury and their exultation, had condemned one manand exalted another. Truly the gods themselves had guided them in theirchoice. And now it seemed as if the final choice rested with her: as ifin some distant shrine, mysterious oracles had spoken and told her thatthe future of Rome lay in her hands.
And involuntarily she looked down on her hands and saw that they weretiny and weak, and yet one of them would within the next few secondspoint the way to Destiny, show her whither she should go, carrying onher giant shoulders the whole empire of the world.
At her feet a cowardly and inhuman creature grovelled, abjectly prayingfor a life which by its continuance could only bring more sorrow, morehorrors and more misery to thousands upon thousands of human beingsdependent on this half-crazy monster.
Behind her, beyond two walls there lay a man amongst men, for whom thepeople clamoured, whose very presence betokened strength and whose everyglance diffused peace. A man born to rule a people and to guide thedestinies of an empire, and whose life of simple integrity had yesterdaybeen crowned by an act of sublime sacrifice.
And the choice rested with her.
Her ears were buzzing with the hoarse cries from without: the cry of"Death!" mingling with that of "Hail!"--the name of Caesar blended withthat of the praefect of Rome; and through it all, drowning them by theirhideous sound, the groans and shrieks of a bloodthirsty tyrant, broughtdown to the dust by his own cruelties, and even now thirsting for more.
The choice did rest with her.
She had but to run a few steps to the vestibule and there to call loudlyto the populace that even now was invading the slope of the hill towardher house. She had but to rush to her door and to shout boldly:
"The Caesar is here, and the praefect of Rome is nigh!"
And the twenty men who were waiting with naked swords would be as naughtbefore the onslaught of the people.
She looked round her helpless and dazed whilst the fawning creature onthe ground embraced her ankles and kissed her feet, and repeated withfrantic persistence:
"Save me, Augusta ... save me ... do not let them kill me.... I havebeen good to thee.... I am thy guardian--thy Caesar ... save me...."
"Save thee?" she repeated mechanically, "how can I?"
"Hide me somewhere--where they cannot find me"--he murmured, halfraising himself from the ground. "Thou wouldst not give up thy Caesar tothe fury of the populace ... thou wouldst not soil thy hands with theblood of thy kinsman..."
Now he was embracing her knees and his hideous, distorted face waslooking up appealingly at her.
"Thou wouldst not soil thy hands with the blood of thy kinsman...."
Even as these words escaped his flaccid lips a roll of thunder louderthan any previous one came echoing from behind the Aventine Hill. DeaFlavia shuddered. Was it Jove's warning, or already Jove's curse, thecurse of the gods on her for the treachery of her thoughts?
"Thou wouldst not soil thy hands with the blood of thy kinsman...." herepeated pitiably.
"No! no!" she said hurriedly. "Not that.... I'll help thee!... What canI do?"
"Let me hide in thy house...."
"Where?"
He pointed to the studio.
"There!" he said.
"No! no!" she exclaimed, and instinctively her arms were held out, as ifshe would protect a sacred shrine.
"Thy workroom is private," he urged in tones of abject entreaty; "no onewould venture there ... only thy women slaves ever cross itsthreshold.... I should be quite safe in the inner room ... thy womenwould not betray me ... thou hast some that are mute ... they couldattend on me there, and no one would know of my presence until thisoutrage hat
h subsided.... In a few hours mayhap the praetorian guardwill succeed in forcing a passage through the raging mob ... my legionstoo are on their way from Germany ... they will be here soon ... theywere only four days' march behind me and my convoy ... they are but acouple of days' march now from the city gates ... I could stay in there... in thy private room ... with a few men to protect me ... and thywomen to attend on me ... no one else would know...."
He talked volubly, at times incoherently, with hoarse voice and quakinglips. She tried with all her might to free herself from his convulsiveclutch--but he clung to her like a dying man would cling to the lastbreath of life--like a drowning man would cling to the raft on which hemight find safety.
"In there----" he entreated.
"No--no----"
"I should be safe and nobody would know."
And now he raised himself to his feet, and swaying like a drunken man heturned toward the studio, calling to his guard to follow him. But shewas still between him and that door, between this raving, bloodthirstymaniac and a helpless man who was lying wounded and in a drugged sleepon a bed of sickness.
The oracle had not yet finished speaking. The last word still hung inthe air. Her choice had not yet been made: but at this moment whenCaligula and his guard turned toward the studio door, she knew that itwould not be long in the making. Never should that demented tyrant crossthe threshold of her studio and wreak his hatred and revenge upon thefallen hero. Rather than that should happen she would call to thepeople, and hand over the Caesar--her kinsman--to an infuriated mob.Better that than to deliver a wounded man into the claws of a ragingbrute.
Then mayhap the blood of her kinsman would stain her hands for ever;then, too, no doubt would come horror, remorse and the malediction ofthe gods. Then so be it. That would she take upon herself. What must besuffered, that she would suffer: the torments of remorse would beinfinitesimal compared with the awful sacrilege which the Caesar's handwould perpetrate, were he allowed access to the praefect of Rome.
And even as the resolve became firmly implanted in her heart, she foundherself murmuring softly words which she had heard in the Forum a veryfew days ago.
"I have but one soul and that is in the hand of God!"
Something of the serenity which had then shone from the man's face nowentered into her heart. Horror and excitement fell away from her like auseless mantle. She felt herself absolutely calm and unswerving in herdetermination.
Therefore she did not make a rush for the studio door, she did not withdramatic gesture interpose her body between it and the Caesar: she merelyput her hand out and let it rest upon his arm.
"I should be safe in there--and nobody would know...." he murmured.
"My slaves would know," she said coldly, "and would betray thee."
"I only fear the men and they need not know," he said eagerly, eventhough at her words he had paused and turned back towards her.
"Many of them have seen and heard thee."
"Tell them I have escaped to the Palace of Augustus, through thecrypta."
"They would not believe it--they would know it was not true."
"Canst thou not trust thy slaves?" he snarled.
"Couldst thou trust thine?" she retorted.
"I can change robes with one of my guard," he urged, "and he could thenpretend to be the Caesar escaping through the crypta to the House ofAugustus."
"'Twere safest not to make pretence," she rejoined coolly; "rather letthe Caesar do what he suggests."
"What is that?"
"The Palace of Augustus would be the safest stronghold for the Caesaruntil the arrival of the legions. It would be safer than the house ofhis servant, for prying eyes may have seen him enter it, andears--sharpened by hate--may have heard his cries."
"Then am I lost!" he exclaimed.
"Not if my gracious lord will take counsel of his servant. Theunderground way is clear and safe. The Palace of Augustus would affordample shelter. Twenty men well armed will watch over the Caesar and thehouse of Dea Flavia will furnish the necessary food."
Caligula hesitated a moment, his shifty eyes wandered restlessly overthe face of the young girl.
"Thou'lt not betray me?" he murmured.
"I could betray thee now an I would," she said simply. "The mob is at mygate. One call from me and the Caesar is in the hands of those who desirehis death."
"Hush! hush!" he said, once more clutching her wrist and gazingfearfully around him, "speak not of this, Dea! The very words might calldown the decree of the gods.... I'll trust thee," he added, bringing hislivid face close to her own and speaking with a fever of maddened fury,"but if thou shouldst fail me...."
"No need of threats, great Caesar," she said, calmly disengaging herwrist from his grasp and stepping back from him, "if I failed theeto-day neither I nor thou would be alive on the morrow."
The truth of what she said must have struck his dulled mind, for thelook of savage ferocity quickly died from his face, leaving it once morepale with abject fear. He must have realised that his own unreasoningcowardice had placed him entirely in this girl's hands, and that havingfeared to meet his people a few hours ago, he had cut off from beneathhis own feet the bulwark of dignity and of unapproachable sanctity onwhich he should have stood.
"I'll to the House of Augustus," he said more quietly, "while the rabblevent their rage upon my palace and search for their Caesar that theymight murder him, I'll remain there in peace. Do thou send thy mosttrusted slave into the streets, and let him endeavour to reach thepraetorian guard who are holding their ground behind the crowd ofrebels. They might effect a flank movement, which, if unexpected, mightput the miscreants to rout sooner than we anticipate. Hast a slave whomthou canst trust thus far?"
"I have two freedmen," she replied, "free since yesternight, who wouldgive their life for me."
"Let them do it then," he retorted cynically. "And do thou lead the wayto the triclinium. I am anhungered, and a halt at thy table will throwdust in the eyes of thy slaves. I can reach the crypta from therewithout being seen again."
"As the Caesar commands," she said calmly, "but there is little time tobe lost."