CHAPTER IV
THE LOVING CUP
As he opened his dreamy eyes she started to her feet, for voices now brokein on the silence that had hitherto reigned throughout the household, andthe tread of slaves bustling to and fro announced the return of theirlord, a master who brooked no neglect, as well they knew, from those whowere in his service. She had scarcely risen from her posture of soothingand devoted affection; scarcely had time to shake the long hair off herface, when Julius Placidus entered the court and stood before her withthat inscrutable expression of countenance which most she hated, and whichleft her in complete ignorance as to whether or not he had been in time towitness the caresses she had lavished on the captive. And now Valeriavindicated the woman's nature of which, with all her faults, she partookso largely. At this critical moment her courage and presence of mind rosewith the occasion; and though, womanlike, she had recourse todissimulation, that refuge of the weak, there was something on her browthat argued, if need were, she would not shrink from the last desperateresources of the strong. Turning to the tribune with the quiet dignity andthe playful smile that she knew became her so well, she pointed to therecumbent figure of the Briton, and said gently--
"You gave him to me, and I am here to fetch him. Why is it that of late Ivalue your lightest gift so much? Placidus, what must you think of me, tohave come unbidden to your house?"
Then she cast down her eyes and drooped her stately head, as though readyto sink in an agony of love and shame. Deceiver, intriguer, as he had beenever since the down was on his chin, he was no match for her. He shot,indeed, one sharp inquisitive glance at Esca, but the slave's bewilderedgaze reassured him. The latter, worn out with trouble and privation, wasonly half awake, and almost imagined himself in a dream. Then thetribune's looks softened as they rested on his mistress; and, althoughthere was a gleam of malicious triumph on his brow, the hard unmeaningexpression left his face, which brightened with more of kindness andcordiality than was its wont.
"It is no longer house of mine," said he, "but of yours, beautifulValeria! Here you are ever welcome, and here you will remain, will younot, with him who loves you better than all the world besides?"
Even while he spoke she had run over in her mind the exigencies anddifficulties of her position. In that instant of time she could think ofEsca's danger--of the necessity that she should herself be present to savehim from the fate with which, for some special reason that she was alsodetermined to find out, he was obviously threatened--of the tribune'sinfamous character, and her own fair fame; for Cornelia might not haveleft such a house as that with her reputation unscathed, and Valeria couldfar less afford to tamper with so fragile and shadowy a possession thanthe severe mother of the Gracchi. Yet her brow was unclouded, and therewas nothing but frank good-humour in her tone while she replied--
"Nay, Placidus. You know that even we of the patrician order cannot doalways as we would. Surely I have risked enough already; because--because Ifancied you left me in anger, and I could not bear the thought even for anhour. I will but ask you for a cup of wine and begone. Myrrhinaaccompanied me here, and we can return, unknown and unsuspected, as wecame."
He wished nothing better. A cup of wine, a sumptuous feast spread on themoment, garlands of flowers, heavy perfumes loading the sultry air; softmusic stealing on the senses gently as the faint breeze that whisperedthrough the drowsy shade. All the voluptuous accessories so adapted to apleading tongue and so dangerous to a willing ear. He had never known themfail; it should not be the fault of master or household if they proveduseless now.
He took Valeria respectfully by the hand, and led her to the largebanqueting-hall with as much deference as though she had been Caesar'swife. None knew better than the tribune how scrupulously all the honoursof war must be paid to a fortress about to capitulate. As he bent beforeher, the phial he had purchased from Petosiris peeped forth in the bosomof his tunic, and her quick eye did not fail to detect it. In an instantshe turned back as though stumbling on the skirt of her robe, and in theaction made a rapid sign to Esca by raising her hand to her mouth,accompanied by a warning shake of the head and a glance from her eloquenteyes, that she trusted he would understand as forbidding him to tasteeither food or drink till her return. Once more, whilst she made thiscovert signal, the set and passionless look came over the tribune's face.Cunning, cautious as she might think herself, his snake-like eye had seenenough. At that moment Placidus had resolved Esca should die within thehour. Then those two walked gracefully into the adjoining hall, and seatedthemselves at the banquet with a scrupulous courtesy and strict observanceof the outward forms of good breeding; while the slaves who waitedbelieved that the whole proceeding was but one of their lord's usualaffairs of gallantry, and that the noble pair before them loved each otherwell.
The tribune, like the rest of his sex, was no large eater when makinglove; and an appetite that could accompany Vitellius through the mostelaborate banquets of the gluttonous Caesar was satisfied with a handful ofdates and a bunch or two of grapes in the presence of Valeria. She, too,in her anxiety and agitation, felt as if every morsel would choke her; butshe pledged her host willingly in a goblet of red Falernian, with a vagueidea that every moment she could keep his attention employed was ofpriceless value, clingingly almost hopelessly to the chance of obtainingby some means the possession of the fatal phial before it was too late.
He was in high spirits,--voluble, witty, eloquent, sarcastic, but devotedto her. In the moment, as he hoped, of his triumph he could afford toshow, or rather to affect, more of delicacy and generosity than she hadbelieved him to possess, and she loathed and hated him all the more. Once,when, after enunciating a sentiment of the warmest regard and attachment,she caught the expression of his eyes as they looked into her own, sheglanced wildly round the room, and clenched her hand with rage to observethat the walls were bare of weapons. He was no stately, high-spiritedAgamemnon, this supple intriguer, yet had there been sword, axe, or daggerwithin reach of that white arm, she would have asked nothing better thanto enact the part of Clytemnestra. How she wished to be a man for themoment--ay, and a strong one! She felt she could have strangled him there,hateful and smiling on the couch! Oh! for Esca's thews and sinews! Esca--sofair, and brave, and honest! Her brain swam when she thought of himchained, like a beast, within ten paces of her. An effort must be made tosave him at any risk and at any sacrifice.
Placidus talked gaily on, broaching in turn those topics of luxury,dissipation, and even vice, which constituted the everyday life of thepatrician order at Rome, and she forced herself to reply with an affectedlevity and indifference that nearly drove her mad. Caesar's banquets;Galeria's yellow head-gear, and the bad taste in which her jewels wereset, so inexcusable in an emperor's wife; the war in Judaea; the lastchariot race; and the rival merits of the Red and Green factions, werecanvassed and dismissed with a light word and a happy jest. Such subjectsinevitably led to a discussion on the arena and its combatants, themagnificence of the late exhibition, and the tribune's own prowess in thedeadly game. Placidus turned suddenly, as if recollecting himself, calledfor a slave, whispered an order in his ear, and bade him begone. The manhastened from the room, leaving lover and mistress once more alone.
The presence of mind and self-command on which she prided herself nowcompletely deserted Valeria. In an agony of alarm for Esca, she jumped atonce to the conclusion that his doom was gone forth. The tribune, turningto her with some choice phrase, half-jest, half-compliment, was startledto observe her face colourless to the very lips, while her large eyesshone with a fierce, unnatural light. Uttering a low stifled cry, likethat of some wild animal in its death-pang, she fell at his feet, claspinghim round the knees, and gasped out--
"Spare him! spare him! Placidus--beloved Placidus! spare him--for _my_sake!"
Her host, whose whole mind at that moment was occupied with thoughts veryforeign to bloodshed, and whose whispered mandate had reference to nothingmore d
eadly than orders for a strain of unexpected music, gazed inastonishment at the proud woman thus humbled before him to the dust. Hehad, indeed, intended to despatch Esca quietly by poison before nightfall,and so get rid at once of an inconvenient witness and a possible rival;but for the present he had dismissed the slave completely from his mind.If, an hour ago, he had allowed himself to harbour such a wild fancy, asthat a mere barbarian should have captivated the woman on whom he had sethis affections, her voluntary acceptance of his hospitality and hercordial demeanour since, had dispelled so foolish and unjust a suspicion,which he wondered he could have entertained even for a moment. Now,however, a chill seemed to curdle the blood about his heart. Very quietlyhe raised her from the floor; but, though he was not conscious of it, hisgrasp left a mark upon her wrist. Very distinct and steady were the tonesin which he soothed her, asking courteously--
"Whom do you wish me to spare? What is it, Valeria? Surely you are notstill dwelling on that barbarian slave? What is he, to come between youand me? It is too late--too late!"
"Never! never!" she gasped out, seizing his hand in both her own, andfolding it to her breast. "It is no time now for concealment; no time forchoice phrases, and mock reserve, and false shame! I love him, Placidus! Ilove him!--do you hear? Grant me but his life, and ask me for everything Ihave in return!"
She looked beautiful as she knelt before him once more, so dishevelled anddisordered, with upturned face and streaming hair. It seemed to thetribune as though a knife had been driven home to his heart; but hecollected all his energies for a revenge commensurate to the hurt, as hethrew himself indolently on the couch, a worse man by a whole age ofmalice than he had risen from it a few seconds before.
"Why did you not tell me sooner?" said he, in accents of the calmestcourtesy and self-command. "Fair Valeria! not more bargains are drivenevery day in the Forum than in the courts of Love! You offer liberalterms. It seems to me we have nothing left to do but to settle theremainder of the agreement."
What a price was she paying for her interference! Not a woman in Romecould have felt more deeply the degradation she was accepting, the insultto which she was submitting; and through it all she was miserablyconscious of a false move in the game she had the temerity to play againstthis formidable adversary. Still she had resolved that she would shrinkfrom no humiliation to save Esca, and she blushed blood-red with anger andshame as she rose from her knees, hid her face in her hands, while shesummoned her woman's wit and her woman's powers of endurance to help herin the emergency.
He, too, had bethought him of an appropriate revenge. The tribune neverforgave; for such an offence as the present it was his nature to seekreprisals, exceeding, in their subtle cruelty, the injury they were toatone. There is no venom so deadly as a bad man's love turned to gall. Itwould be fine sport, thought Placidus, to make her slay this yellow-haireddarling of hers with her own hand. The triumph would be complete, when hehad outwitted her at every point, and could sneer politely over the deadbody of the man, and the passionate reproaches of the woman. The firststep to so tempting a consummation was, of course, to put her off herguard, and for this it would be necessary to assume some naturaldispleasure and pique; too open a brow would surely arouse suspicions, sohe spoke angrily, in the harsh excited tones of a generous man who hasbeen wronged.
"I have been deceived," said he, striking his hand against the board;"deceived, duped, scorned, and by you, Valeria, from whom I did notdeserve it. Shame on the woman who could thus wring an honest heart forthe mere triumph of her vanity! And yet," he added, with an admirableappearance of wounded feeling in his lowered voice and relenting accents,"I can forgive, because I would not others should suffer as I do now. Yes,Valeria's wishes are still laws to me; I _will_ spare him for your sake,and you shall bear the news to him yourself. But he must be half dead erethis, of thirst and exhaustion; take him a cup of wine with your own fairhands, and tell him he will be a free man before sunset!"
While he spoke, he turned from her to a sideboard, on which stood a talljar of Falernian, flanked by a pair of silver goblets. She had sunk fromthe couch beside him, and was resting her head upon the table; but shelooked up quickly for a moment, and saw his back reflected in theburnished surface of a gold vase that stood before her. By the motion ofhis shoulders she was aware that he had taken something from his bosomwhile he filled the wine. The whole danger of the situation flashed uponher at once; she felt intuitively that one of the cups was poisoned; shecould risk her life to find out which. Her tears were dried, her nerveswere strung, as if by magic; like a different being she rose to her feetnow, pale and beautiful, but perfectly calm and composed.
"You do love me, Placidus," said she, raising one of the goblets from thesalver on which they stood. "Such truth as yours might win any woman. Ipledge you, to show that we are friends again at least, if nothing more!"
She was in the act of putting it to her lips, when he interposed, somewhathurriedly, and with a voice not so steady as usual--
"One moment!" he exclaimed, taking it from her hand, and setting it downagain in its place, "we have not made our terms yet; the treaty must besigned and sealed; a libation must be poured to the gods. It is a strongrough wine, that Falernian: I have some Coan here you would like better.You see I have not forgotten your tastes."
He laughed nervously, and his lip twitched; she knew now that it was theright-hand goblet which held the poison. Both were equally full, and theystood close together on the salver.
"And this man could not slay me after all," was the thought that for amoment softened her heart, and bade her acknowledge some shadow ofcompunction for her admirer. Bad as he was, she could not help reflectingthat to her influence he owed the only real feeling his life had everknown, and it made her waver, but not for long. Soon the image of Esca,chained and prostrate, passed before her, and the remembrance of herodious bargain goaded her into the bitterest hatred once more.
She placed her hand in the tribune's with the abandonment of a woman whoreally loves, she turned her eyes on his with the swimming glance of whichshe had not miscalculated the power.
"Forgive me," she murmured. "I have never valued you, never known you tillnow. I was heartless, unfeeling, mad; but I have learned a lesson to-daythat neither of us will ever forget. No, we will never quarrel again!"
He clasped her in his arms, he took her to his heart, his brain reeled,his senses failed him, that bewitching beauty seemed to pervade his being,to surround him with its fragrance like some intoxicating vapour; andwhilst his frame thrilled, and his lips murmured out broken words offondness, the white hand thrown so confidingly across his shoulder hadshifted the position of the goblets, and the heart that beat so wildlyagainst his own had doomed him remorselessly to die.
She extricated herself from his embrace, she put her hair back from herbrow; love is blind, indeed, or it must have struck him that instead ofblushing with conscious fondness, her cheek was as white and cold asmarble, though she kept her eyes cast down as if they dared not meet hisown.
"Pledge me," said she, in a tone of the utmost softness, and forcing aplayful smile that remained, carved as it were, in fixed lines round hermouth; "drink to me in token of forgiveness; it will be the sweetestdraught I have ever tasted when your lips have kissed the cup."
He reached his hand out gaily to the salver. Her heart stood still in theagony of her suspense, lest he should mark the change she had made sowarily; but the goblets were exactly alike, and he seized the nearestwithout hesitation, and half-emptied it ere he set it down. Laughing, hewas in the act of handing to her what remained, when his eye grew dull,his jaw dropped, and, stammering some broken syllables, he sank backsenseless upon the couch.
She would have almost given Esca's life now to undo the deed. But it wasno time for repentance or indecision; keeping her eyes off the whitevacant face, which yet seemed ever before her, she felt resolutely in thebosom of the tribune's tunic for the precious key, and having found it,walked steadily to the door and listened. It was we
ll she did so, for aslave's step was heard rapidly approaching, and she had but time toreturn, on tiptoe, and take her place upon the couch ere the domesticentered; disposing of the tribune's powerless head upon her lap as thoughhe had sunk to sleep in her embrace. The slave discreetly retired, butshort as was its duration, the torture of those few seconds was hardlyinadequate to the guilt that had preceded them. Then she hurried throughthe well-known passages, and reached the court in which Esca was confined.Not a word of explanation, not a syllable of fondness escaped her lips asshe calmly liberated the man for whom she had risked so much.Mechanically, and like a sleep-walker, she unlocked the collar round hisneck, signing to him at the same time, for she seemed incapable of speech,to rise and follow her. He obeyed, scarce knowing what he did, astonishedat the apparition of his deliverer, and almost scared by her ghastly looksand strange imperious gestures. Thus they threaded, without interruption,the passages of the house, and emerged from the private entrance into thenow silent and deserted street. Then came the reaction; Valeria could bearup no longer, and trembling all over while she clung to Esca, but forwhose arm she must have fallen, she burst into a passion of sobs upon hisbreast.