CHAPTER VII.
The next day, after the sun had passed the meridian and it was beginningto grow cool, Hermas and Paulus yielded to Stephanus' wish, as he beganto feel stronger, and carried him out into the air. The anchorites satnear each other on a low block of stone, which Hermas had made into asoft couch for his father by heaping up a high pile of fresh herbs. Theylooked after the youth, who had taken his bow and arrows, as he wentup the mountain to hunt a wild goat; for Petrus had prescribed astrengthening diet for the sick man. Not a word was spoken by either ofthem till the hunter had disappeared. Then Stephanus said, "How much hehas altered since I have been ill. It is not so very long since I lastsaw him by the broad light of day, and he seems meantime to have grownfrom a boy into a man. How self-possessed his gait is."
Paulus, looking down at the ground, muttered some words of assent. Heremembered the discus-throwing and thought to himself, "The Palaestracertainly sticks in his mind, and he has been bathing too; andyesterday, when he came up from the oasis, he strode in like a youngathlete."
That friendship only is indeed genuine when two friends, withoutspeaking a word to each other, can nevertheless find happiness in beingtogether. Stephanus and Paulus were silent, and yet a tacit intercoursesubsisted between them as they sat gazing towards the west, where thesun was near its setting.
Far below them gleamed the narrow, dark blue-green streak of the RedSea, bounded by the bare mountains of the coast, which shone in ashimmer of golden light. Close beside them rose the toothed crown ofthe great mountain which, so soon as the day-star had sunk behind it,appeared edged with a riband of glowing rubies. The flaming glow floodedthe western horizon, filmy veils of mist floated across the hillycoast-line, the silver clouds against the pure sky changed their hueto the tender blush of a newly opened rose, and the undulating shorefloated in the translucent violet of the amethyst. There not a breath ofair was stirring, not a sound broke the solemn stillness of the evening.Not till the sea was taking a darker and still darker hue, till the glowon the mountain peaks and in the west had begun to die away, and thenight to spread its shades over the heights and hollows, did Stephanusunclasp his folded hands and softly speak his companion's name. Paulusstarted and said, speaking like a man who is aroused from a dream andwho is suddenly conscious of having heard some one speak, "You areright; it is growing dark and cool and you must go back into the cave."
Stephanus offered no opposition and let himself be led back to his bed;while Paulus was spreading the sheepskin over the sick man he sigheddeeply.
"What disturbs your soul?" asked the older man. "It is--it was--whatgood can it do me!" cried Paulus in strong excitement. "There we sat,witnesses of the most glorious marvels of the Most High, and I, inshameless idolatry, seemed to see before me the chariot of Helios withits glorious winged-horses, snorting fire as they went, and Helioshimself in the guise of Hermas, with gleaming golden hair, and thedancing Hours, and the golden gates of the night. Accursed rabble ofdemons!--"
At this point the anchorite was interrupted, for Hermas entered thecave, and laying a young steinbock, that he had killed, before the twomen, exclaimed, "fine fellow, and he cost me no more than one arrow. Iwill light a fire at once and roast the best pieces. There are plenty ofbucks still on our mountain, and I know where to find them."
In about an hour, father and son were eating the pieces of meat, whichhad been cooked on a spit. Paulus declined to sup with them, for afterhe had scourged himself in despair and remorse for the throwing of thediscus, he had vowed a strict fast.
"And now," cried Hermas, when his father declared himself satisfied,after seeming to relish greatly the strong meat from which he had solong abstained, "and now the best is to come! In this flask I have somestrengthening wine, and when it is empty it will be filled afresh."Stephanus took the wooden beaker that his son offered him, dranka little, and then said, while he smacked his tongue to relish theafter-taste of the noble juice, "That is something choice!--Syrian wine!only taste it, Paulus."
Paulus took the beaker in his hand, inhaled the fragrance of the goldenfluid, and then murmured, but without putting it to his lips, "Thatis not Syrian; it is Egyptian, I know it well. I should take it to beMareotic."
"So Sirona called it," cried Hermas, "and you know it by the mere smell!She said it was particularly good for the sick."
"That it is," Paulus agreed; but Stephanus asked in surprise, "Sirona?who is she?"
The cave was but dimly lighted by the fire that had been made at theopening, so that the two anchorites could not perceive that Hermasreddened all over as he replied, "Sirona? The Gaulish woman Sirona? Doyou not know her? She is the wife of the centurion down in the oasis."
"How do you come to know her?" asked his father.
"She lives in Petrus' house," replied the lad, "and as she had heard ofyour wound--"
"Take her my thanks when you go there to-morrow morning," saidStephanus. "To her and to her husband too. Is he a Gaul?"
"I believe so--nay, certainly," answered Hermas, "they call him thelion, and he is no doubt a Gaul?"
When the lad had left the cave the old man laid himself down to rest,and Paulus kept watch by him on his son's bed. But Stephanus could notsleep, and when his friend approached him to give him some medicine, hesaid, "The wife of a Gaul has done me a kindness, and yet the wine wouldhave pleased me better if it had not come from a Gaul."
Paulus looked at him enquiringly, and though total darkness reigned inthe cave, Stephanus felt his gaze and said, "I owe no man a grudge andI love my neighbor. Great injuries have been done me, but I have forgiven--from the bottom of my heart forgiven. Only one man lives to whomI wish evil, and he is a Gaul."
"Forgive him too," said Paulus, "and do not let evil thoughts disturbyour sleep."
"I am not tired," said the sick man, "and if you had gone through suchthings as I have, it would trouble your rest at night too."
"I know, I know," said Paulus soothingly. "It was a Gaul that persuadedyour wretched wife into quitting your house and her child."
"And I loved, oh! how I loved Glycera!" groaned the old man. "She livedlike a princess and I fulfilled her every wish before it was uttered.She herself has said a hundred times that I was too kind and tooyielding, and that there was nothing left for her to wish. Then the Gaulcame to our house, a man as acrid as sour wine, but with a fluent tongueand sparkling eyes. How he entangled Glycera I know not, nor do I wantto know; he shall atone for it in hell. For the poor lost woman I prayday and night. A spell was on her, and she left her heart behind in myhouse, for her child was there and she loved Hermas so fondly; indeedshe was deeply devoted to me. Think what the spell must be that canannihilate a mother's love! Wretch, hapless wretch that I am! Did youever love a woman, Paulus?"
"You ought to be asleep," said Paulus in a warning tone. "Who ever livednearly half a century without feeling love! Now I will not speak anotherword, and you must take this drink that Petrus has sent for you." Thesenator's medicine was potent, for the sick man fell asleep and did notwake till broad day lighted up the cave.
Paulus was still sitting on his bed, and after they had prayed together,he gave him the jar which Hermas had filled with fresh water beforegoing down to the oasis.
"I feel quite strong," said the old man. "The medicine is good; I haveslept well and dreamed sweetly; but you look pale and as if you had notslept."
"I," said Paulus, "I lay down there on the bed. Now let me go out in theair for a moment." With these words he went out of the cave.
As soon as he was out of sight of Stephanus he drew a deep breath,stretched his limbs, and rubbed his burning eyes; he felt as if therewas sand gathered under their lids, for he had forbidden them to closefor three days and nights. At the same time he was consumed by a violentthirst, for neither food nor drink had touched his lips for the samelength of time. His hands were beginning to tremble, but the weaknessand pain that he experienced filled him with silent joy, and he wouldwillingly have retired into his cave and have indulg
ed, not for thefirst time, in the ecstatic pain of hanging on the cross, and bleedingfrom five wounds, in imitation of the Saviour.
But Stephanus was calling him, and without hesitation he returned to himand replied to his questions; indeed it was easier to him to speak thanto listen, for in his ears there was a roaring, moaning, singing, andpiping, and he felt as if drunk with strong wine.
"If only Hermas does not forget to thank the Gaul!" exclaimed Stephanus.
"Thank--aye, we should always be thankful!" replied his companion,closing his eyes.
"I dreamed of Glycera," the old man began again. "You said yesterdaythat love had stirred your heart too, and yet you never were married.You are silent? Answer me something."
"I--who called me?" murmured Paulus, staring at the questioner with afixed gaze.
Stephanus was startled to see that his companion trembled in every limb,he raised himself and held out to him the flask with Sirona's wine,which the other, incapable of controlling himself, snatched eagerly fromhis hand, and emptied with frantic thirst. The fiery liquor revived hisfailing strength, brought the color to his cheeks, and lent a strangelustre to his eyes. "How much good that has done me!" he cried with adeep sigh and pressing his hands on his breast.
Stephanus was perfectly reassured and repeated his question, but healmost repented of his curiosity, for his friend's voice had an utterlystrange ring in it, as he answered:
"No, I was never married--never, but I have loved for all that, andI will tell you the story from beginning to end; but you must notinterrupt me, no not once. I am in a strange mood--perhaps it is thewine. I had not drunk any for so long; I had fasted since--since but itdoes not matter. Be silent, quite silent, and let me tell my story."
Paulus sat down on Hermas' bed; he threw himself far back, leaned theback of his head against the rocky wall of the cavern, through whosedoorway the daylight poured, and began thus, while he gazed fixedly intovacancy, "What she was like?--who can, describe her? She was tall andlarge like Hera, and yet not proud, and her noble Greek face was lovelyrather than handsome.
"She could no longer have been very young, but she had eyes like thoseof a gentle child. I never knew her other than very pale; her narrowforehead shone like ivory under her soft brown hair; her beautiful handswere as white as her forehead-hands that moved as if they themselveswere living and inspired creatures with a soul and language of theirown. When she folded them devoutly together it seemed as if they wereputting up a mute prayer. She was pliant in form as a young palm-treewhen it bends, and withal she had a noble dignity, even on the occasionwhen I first saw her.
"It was a hideous spot, the revolting prison-hall of Rhyakotis. She woreonly a threadbare robe that had once been costly, and a foul old womanfollowed her about--as a greedy rat might pursue an imprisoned dove--andloaded her with abusive language. She answered not a word, but largeheavy tears flowed slowly over her pale cheeks and down on to her hands,which she kept crossed on her bosom. Grief and anguish spoke from hereyes, but no vehement passion deformed the regularity of her features.She knew how to endure even ignominy with grace, and what words theraging old woman poured out upon her!
"I had long since been baptized, and all the prisons were open to me,the rich Menander, the brother-in-law of the prefect--those prisons inwhich under Maximin so many Christians were destined to be turned fromthe true faith.
"But she did not belong to us. Her eye met mine, and I signed myforehead with the cross, but she did not respond to the sacred sign. Theguards led away the old woman, and she drew back into a dark corner, satdown, and covered her face with her hands. A wondrous sympathy for thehapless woman had taken possession of my soul; I felt as if she belongedto me, and I to her, and I believed in her, even when the turnkey hadtold me in coarse language that she had lived with a Roman at the oldwoman's, and had defrauded her of a large sum of money. The next dayI went again to the prison, for her sake and my own; there I found heragain in the same corner that she had shrunk into the day before; by herstood her prison fare untouched, a jar of water and a piece of bread.
"As I went up to her, I saw how she broke a small bit off the thin cakefor herself, and then called a little Christian boy who had come intothe prison with his mother, and gave him the remainder. The childthanked her prettily, and she drew him to her, and kissed him withpassionate tenderness, though he was sickly and ugly.
"'No one who can love children so well is wholly lost,' said I tomyself, and I offered to help her as far as lay in my power.
"She looked at me not without distrust, and said that nothing hadhappened to her, but what she deserved, and she would bear it. Before Icould enquire of her any further, we were interrupted by the Christianprisoners, who crowded around the worthy Ammonius, who was exhorting andcomforting them with edifying discourse. She listened attentively to theold man, and on the following day I found her in conversation with themother of the boy to whom she had given her bread.
"One morning, I had gone there with some fruit to offer as a treat tothe prisoners, and particularly to her. She took an apple, and said,rising as she spoke, 'I would now ask another favor of you. You area Christian, send me a priest, that he may baptize me, if he does notthink me unworthy, for I am burdened with sins so heavily as no otherwoman can be.' Her large, sweet, childlike eyes filled again with bigsilent tears, and I spoke to her from my heart, and showed her as wellas I could the grace of the Redeemer. Shortly after, Ammonius secretlybaptized her, and she begged to be given the name of Magdalen, and so itwas, and after that she took me wholly into her confidence.
"She had left her husband and her child for the sake of a diabolicalseducer, whom she had followed to Alexandria, and who there hadabandoned her. Alone and friendless, in want and guilt, she remainedbehind with a hard-hearted and covetous hostess, who had brought herbefore the judge, and so into prison. What an abyss of the deepestanguish of soul I could discover in this woman, who was worthy of abetter lot! What is highest and best in a woman? Her love, her mother'sheart, her honor; and Magdalen had squandered and ruined all these byher own guilt. The blow of overwhelming fate may be easily borne, butwoe to him, whose life is ruined by his own sin! She was a sinner, shefelt it with anguish of repentance, and she steadily refused my offersto purchase her freedom.
"She was greedy of punishment, as a man in a fever is greedy of thebitter potion, which cools his blood. And, by the crucified Lord! Ihave found more noble humanity among sinners, than in many just men inpriestly garb. Through the presence of Magdalen, the prison recoveredits sanctity in my eyes. Before this I had frequently quitted it full ofdeep contempt, for among the imprisoned Christians, there were too oftenlazy vagabond's, who had loudly confessed the Saviour only to be fedby the gifts of the brethren; there I had seen accursed criminals,who hoped by a martyr's death to win back the redemption that they hadforfeited; there I had heard the woeful cries of the faint-hearted, whofeared death as much as they feared treason to the most High. There werethings to be seen there that might harrow the soul, but also examples ofthe sublimest greatness. Men have I seen there, aye, and women, whowent to their death in calm and silent bliss, and whose end was, indeed,noble--more noble than that of the much-lauded Codrus or Decius Mus.
"Among all the prisoners there was neither man nor woman who was morecalmly self-possessed, more devoutly resigned, than Magdalen. The words,'There is more joy in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth than overninety and nine that need no repentance,' strengthened her greatly,and she repented--yea and verily, she did. And for my part, God is mywitness that not an impulse as from man to woman drew me to her, and yetI could not leave her, and I passed the day by her side, and at nightshe haunted my soul, and it would have seemed to me fairer than all inlife besides to have been allowed to die with her.
"It was at the time of the fourth decree of persecution, a few monthsbefore the promulgation of the first edict of toleration.
"He that sacrifices, it is said, shall go unpunished, and he thatrefuses, shall by some means or
other be brought to it, but thosewho continue stiff-necked shall suffer death. For a long time muchconsideration had been shown to the prisoners, but now they were alarmedby having the edict read to them anew. Many hid themselves groaning andlamenting, others prayed aloud, and most awaited what might happen withpale lips and painful breathing.
"Magdalen remained perfectly calm. The names of the Christian prisonerswere called out, and the imperial soldiers led them all together to onespot. Neither my name nor hers was called, for I did not belong to theprisoners, and she had not been apprehended for the faith's sake. Theofficer was rolling up his list, when Magdalen rose and stepped modestlyforward, saying with quiet dignity, 'I too am a Christian.'
"If there be an angel who wears the form and features of man, his facemust resemble hers, as she looked in that hour. The Roman, a worthy man,looked at her with a benevolent, but searching gaze. I do not find yourname here,' he said aloud, shaking his head and pointing to the roll;and he added in a lower voice, 'Nor do I intend to find it.'
"She went closer up to him, and said out loud, Grant me my place amongthe believers, and write down, that Magdalen, the Christian, refuses tosacrifice.'
"My soul was deeply moved, and with joyful eagerness I cried out, 'Putdown my name too, and write, that Menander, the son of Herophilus, alsorefuses.' The Roman did his duty.
"Time has not blotted out from my memory a single moment of that day.There stood the altar, and near it the heathen priest on one side,and on the other the emperor's officer. We were taken up two by two;Magdalen and I were the last. One word now--one little word--would giveus life and freedom, another the rack and death. Out of thirty of usonly four had found courage to refuse to sacrifice, but the feeblehearted broke out into lamentations, and beat their foreheads, andprayed that the Lord might strengthen the courage of the others. Anunutterably pure and lofty joy filled my soul, and I felt, as if we wereout of the body floating on ambient clouds. Softly and calmly we refusedto sacrifice, thanked the imperial official, who warned us kindly, andin the same hour and place we fell into the hands of the torturers. Shegazed only up to heaven, and I only at her, but in the midst of themost frightful torments I saw before me the Saviour beckoning to me,surrounded by angels that soared on soft airs, whose presence filled myeyes with the purest light, and my ears with heavenly music. She borethe utmost torture without flinching, only once she called out the nameof her son Hermas; then I turned to look at her, and saw her gazing upto Heaven with wide open eyes and trembling lips-living, but alreadywith the Lord--on the rack, and yet in bliss. My stronger body clung tothe earth; she found deliverance at the first blow of the torturer.
"I myself closed her eyes, the sweetest eyes in which Heaven was evermirrored, I drew a ring from her dear, white, blood-stained hand, andhere under the rough sheepskin I have it yet; and I pray, I pray, Ipray--oh! my heart! My God if it might be--if this is the end--!"
Paulus put his hand to his head, and sank exhausted on the bed, ina deep swoon. The sick man had followed his story with breathlessinterest. Some time since he had risen from his bed, and, unobserved byhis companion, had sunk on his knees; he now dragged himself, all hotand trembling, to the side of the senseless man, tore the sheep's fellfrom his breast, and with hasty movement sought the ring; he found it,and fixing on it passionate eyes, as though he would melt it with theirfire, he pressed it again and again to his lips, to his heart, to hislips again; buried his face in his hands and wept bitterly.
It was not till Hermas returned from the oasis that Stephanus thoughtof his exhausted and fainting friend, and with his son's assistancerestored him to conscious ness. Paulus did not refuse to take some foodand drink, and in the cool of the evening, when he was refreshed andinvigorated, he sat again by the side of Stephanus, and understood fromthe old man that Magdalen was certainly his wife.
"Now I know," said Paulus, pointing to Hermas, "how it is that from thefirst I felt such a love for the lad there."
The old man softly pressed his hand, for he felt himself tied to hisfriend by a new and tender bond, and it was with silent ecstasy that hereceived the assurance that the wife he had always loved, the mother ofhis child, had died a Christian and a martyr, and had found before himthe road to Heaven.
The old man slept as peacefully as a child the following night, andwhen, next morning, messengers came from Raithu to propose to Paulusthat he should leave the Holy Mountain, and go with them to becometheir elder and ruler, Stephanus said, "Follow this high call with allconfidence, for you deserve it. I really no longer have need of you, forI shall get well now without any further nursing."
But Paulus, far more disturbed than rejoiced, begged of the messengers adelay of seven days for reflection, and after wandering restlessly fromone holy spot to another, at last went down into the oasis, there topray in the church.