CHAPTER X.
THE WANTON.
Duri magno sed amore dolores Pollute, notumque furens quid femina possit. AEN. V. 6. VIRGIL.
It was not till a late hour on the following day, that Catiline awoke fromthe heavy and half lethargic slumber, which had fallen upon him after thesevere and stunning blow he received in the grotto of Egeria.
His head ached fearfully, his tongue clove to his palate parched withfever, and all his muscular frame was disjointed and unstrung, soviolently had his nerves been shattered.
For some time after he awoke, he lay tossing to and fro, on his painfulcouch, scarce conscious of his own identity, and utterly forgetful of theoccurrences of the past evening.
By slow degrees, however, the truth began to dawn upon him, misty at firstand confused, until he brought to his mind fairly the attack on Arvina,and the affray which ensued; with something of an indistinct consciousnessthat he had been stricken down, and frustrated in his murderous attempt.
As soon as the certainty of this was impressed on him, he sprang up fromhis bed, with his wonted impetuosity, and inquired vehemently of afreedman, who sat in his chamber motionless as a statue in expectation ofhis waking--
"How came I home, Chaerea? and at what hour of night?"
"Grievously wounded, Catiline; and supported in the arms of the sturdyGermans, Geta and Arminius; and, for the time, it was past the eighthhour."
"The eighth hour! impossible!" cried the conspirator; "why it was but thefifth, when that occurred. What said I, my good Chaerea? What said theGermans? Be they here now? Answer me quick, I pray you."
"There was but one word on your lips, Catiline; a constant cry for water,water, so long as you were awake; and after we had given you of it, asmuch as you would take, and you had fallen into a disturbed and feverishsleep, you still muttered in your dreams, 'water!' The Germans answerednothing, though all the household questioned them; and, in good truth,Catiline, it was not very long that they were capable of answering, for assoon as you were in bed, they called for wine, and in less than an hourwere thoroughly besotted and asleep. They are here yet, I think, sleepingaway the fumes of their potent flagons."
"Call me Arminius, hither. Hold! What is the time of day?"
"The sun is high already; it must be now near the fourth hour!"
"So late! you did ill, Chaerea, to let me lie so long. Call me Arminiushither; and send me one of the boys; or rather go yourself, Chaerea, andpray Cornelius Lentulus the Praetor, to visit me before he take his seat onthe Puteal Libonis. It is his day, I think, to take cognizance of criminalmatters. Begone, and do my bidding!"
Within a moment the Athenian freedman, for he was of that proud thoughfallen city, returned conducting the huge German gladiator, whosebewildered air and bloodshot eyes seemed to betoken that he had not as yetrecovered fully from the effect of his last night's potations.
No finer contrast could be imagined by poet or painter, than was presentedby those three men, each eminently striking in his own style, andcharacteristic of his nation. The tall spare military-looking Roman, withhis hawk nose and eagle eye, and close shaved face and short black hair,his every attitude and look and gesture full of pride and dominion; theversatile and polished Greek, beautiful both in form and face, as a marbleof Praxiteles, beaming with intellect, and having every feature eloquentof poetry and imagination, and something of contempt for the sterner andharder type of mind, to which he and his countryman were subjugated; andlast, the wild strong-limbed yet stolid-looking German, glaring out withhis bright blue eyes, full of a sort of stupid fierceness, from the longcurls of his auburn hair, a type of man in his most primitive state, thehunter and the warrior of the forest, enslaved by Rome's insatiateambition.
Catiline looked at him fiercely for a moment, and then nodded his head, asif in assent to some of his own meditations; then muttering to himself,"the boar! the mast-fed German boar!" he turned to the Greek, sayingsharply--
"Art thou not gone to Lentulus? methought thou hadst been thither, andreturned ere this time! Yet tarry, since thou art here still. Are any ofmy clients in the atrium--any, I mean, of the trustiest!"
"Rufinus, surnamed Lupus, is without, and several others. Stolo, whom youpreserved from infamy, when accused of _dolus malus_, in the matter ofassault with arms on Publius Natro, is waiting to solicit you, I fancy,for some favor."
"The very man--the Wolf is the very man! and your suitor for favors cannotrefuse to confer what he requests. Stay my Chaerea. Send Glycon to summonLentulus, and go yourself and find out what is Stolo's suit. Assure him ofmy friendship and support; and, hark you, have him and Rufinus into aninner chamber, and set bread before them and strong wine, and return to mepresently. Now, then, Arminius," he continued, as the Greek left the room,"what did we do last night, and what befel us?--for I can remember nothingclearly."
The giant shook his tawny locks away from his brow, and gazed into hisemployer's face with a look of stolid inquiry, and then answered--
"Do! we did nothing, that I know! We followed thee as in duty bound tothat cave by the Almo; and when we had stayed there awhile, we broughtthee back again, seeing thou couldst not go alone. What can I tell? youknow yourself why you took us thither."
"Thou stupid brute!" retorted Catiline, "or worse than brute, rather--forbrutes augment not their brutishness by gluttony and wine-bibbing--thou artasleep yet! see if this will awaken thee!"
And with the word he snatched up a large brazen ewer full of cold water,which stood on a slab near him, and hurled it at his head. The gladiatorstood quite still, and merely bent his neck a little to avoid the heavyvessel, which almost grazed his temples, and then shook himself like awater spaniel, as the contents flashed full into his face and eyes.
"Do not do that again," he grunted, "unless you want to have your throatsqueezed."
"By Pollux the pugilist! he threatens!" exclaimed Catiline, laughing athis dogged anger. "Do you not know, cut-throat, that one word of mine canhave your tough hide slashed with whips in the common gaol, till your verybones are bare?"
"And do you know what difference it makes, whether my hide be slashed withdog-whips in the gaol, or with broadswords in the amphitheatre? A man canonly die! and it were as well, in my mind, to die having killed a Roman inhis own house, as a countryman on the arena."
"By all the Gods!" cried Catiline, "he is a philosopher! but, look youhere, my German Solon, you were better regard me, and attend to what Itell you; so may you escape both gaol and amphitheatre. Tell me, briefly,distinctly, and without delay, what fell out last evening."
"You led us to assault that younker, whom you know; and when we would haveset upon him, and finished his business easily, he blew a hunting horn,and fifteen or sixteen stout fellows in full armor came down the bank frombehind and shut up the cave's mouth--you know as well as I do."
"So far I do, most certainly," replied the conspirator, "but what then?"
"Why, then, thou wouldest not hear reason; but, though the youth swore hewould not betray thee, must needs lay on, one man against sixteen; and so,as was like, gottest thine head broken by a blow of a boar-spear from agreat double-handed Thracian. For my part, I wondered he did not put thespear-head through and through you. It was a great pity that he did not;it would have saved us all, and you especially, a world of trouble."
"And you, cowardly dogs, forsook me; and held back, when by a bold rush wemight easily have slain him, and cut our way through the dastard slaves."
"No! no! we could not; they were all Thracians, Dacians, and Pannonians;and were completely armed, too. We might have killed him, very likely, butwe could never have escaped ourselves."
"And he, he? what became of him when I had fallen?"
"He bade us take you up," replied the German, "and carry you home, andtell you 'to fear nothing, he would betray no man, least of all you.' Heis a fine young fellow, in my judgment; for he might just as well havekilled us all, as not, if he had been so minded; an
d I can't say but thatit would have served us rightly, for taking odds of four to one upon asingle man. That is, I know, what you Romans call fighting; beyond theRhine we style it cowardly and murder! Then, after that he went off withhis men, leaving us scratching our heads, and looking as dastardly andcrest-fallen as could be. And then we brought you home hither, after ithad got late enough to carry you through the streets, without making anuproar; and then Lydon and Chaerea put you to bed; and I, and Geta, andArdaric, as for us, we got drunk, seeing there was no more work to do lastnight, and not knowing what might be to do, to-day. And so it is all well,very well, as I see it."
"Well, call you it, when he has got off unscathed, and lives to avengehimself, and betray me?"
"But he swore he would do neither, Catiline," answered the simple-mindedson of the forest.
"Swore!" replied the conspirator, with a fell sneer.
"Ay did he, master! swore by all that was sacred he would never betray anyman, and you least of all; and I believe he will keep his promise."
"So do I," answered Catiline, bitterly, "I swear he shall; not for thelack of will, but of means to do otherwise! You are a stupid brute,Arminius; but useful in your way. I have no need of you to-day, so go andtell the butler to give you wine enough to make all three of you drunkagain; but mind that ye are sound, clear-headed, and alert at day-breakto-morrow."
"But will he give it to me at my bidding?"
"If not, send him to me for orders; now, begone."
"I ask for nothing better," replied the gladiator, and withdrew, withoutany word or gesture of salutation, in truth, despising the Roman in hisheart as deeply for what he deemed his over-craftiness andover-civilization, as the more polished Greek did, for what on his side heconsidered the utter absence of both.
Scarce had the German left the room, before the Greek returned, smiling,and seemingly well satisfied with the result of his mission.
Catiline looked at him steadily, and nodding his head, asked him quietly--
"Are they prepared, Chaerea?"
"To do anything you would have them, Catiline. Stolo, it seems, is againemperilled--another charge of attempt to murder--and he wants you to screenhim."
"And so I will; and will do more. I will make him rich and great, if he domy bidding. Now go, and make them understand this. They must swear thatthey came hither this morning to claim my aid in bringing them to speechwith Lentulus, the Praetor, and then thou must be prepared to swear,Chaerea, that I have had no speech or communication with them at all--whichis quite true."
"That is a pity," answered the Greek, coolly; "for any one can swearsteadily to the truth, but it requires genius to carry out a lie bravely."
"Oh! never fear, thou shalt have lies enough to swear to! Now mark me,when Lentulus comes hither, they must accuse to him Paullus CaeciliusArvina, whose person, if they know him not, you must describe to them--himwho dined with me, you know, the day before yesterday--of subornation tocommit murder. The place where he did so, the top of the Caelian hill. Thetime, sunrise on that same day. The person whom he desired them to slay,Volero the cutler, who dwelt in the Sacred Way. They must make up the taletheir own way, but to these facts they must swear roundly. Do youunderstand me?"
"Perfectly; they shall do it well, and both be in one tale. I will helpthem to concoct it, and dress it up with little truthful incidents thatwill tell. But are you sure that he cannot prove he was not there?"
"Quite sure, Chaerea. For he _was_ there."
"And no witnesses who can prove to whom he spoke?"
"Only one witness, and he will say nothing, unless called upon byPaullus."
"And if so called upon?"
"Will most reluctantly corroborate the tale of Stolo and Rufinus!"
"Ha! ha!" laughed the freedman, "thou shouldst have been a Greek,Catiline, thou art too shrewd to be a mere Roman."
"A _mere_ Roman, hang-dog!" answered Catiline, "but thou knowest thineopportunity, and profitest by it! so let it pass! Now as for thee, seeingthou dost love lying, thou shalt have thy part. Thou shalt swear that thenight before that same morning, at a short time past midnight, thou wertreturning by the Wicked street, from the house of Autronius upon theQuirinal, whither I sent thee to bid him to dinner the next day--he shallconfirm the tale--when thou didst hear a cry of murder from the Plebeiangraveyard on the Esquiline; and hurrying to the spot, didst see Arvina,with his freedman Thrasea bearing a torch, conceal a fresh bleeding bodyin a broken grave; and, hidden by the stem of a great tree thyself, didsthear him say, as he left the ground, 'That dog will tell no tales!' Thoumust swear, likewise, that thou didst tell me the whole affair the nextmorning, and that I bade thee wait for farther proof ere speaking of thematter. And again, that we visited the spot where thou saw'st the deed,and found the grass trampled and bloody, but could not find the body.Canst thou do this, thinkest thou?"
"Surely I can," said the Athenian, rubbing his hands as if well pleased,"so that no one shalt doubt the truth of it! And thou wilt confirm thetruth?"
"By chiding thee for speaking out of place. See that thou blurt it outabruptly, as if unable to keep silence any longer, as soon as the othershave finished their tale. Begone and be speedy. Lentulus will be hereanon!"
The freedman withdrew silently, and Catiline was left alone in communionwith his own bad and bitter thoughts; and painful, as it seemed, andterrible, even to himself, was that communion, for he rose up from hisseat and paced the room impetuously, to and fro, gnashing and grinding histeeth, and biting his lips till the blood sprang out.
After a while, however, he mastered his passions, and began to dresshimself, which he did by fits and starts in a manner perfectlycharacteristic of the man, uttering hideous imprecations if the leastthing ran counter to his wishes, and flinging the various articles of hisattire about the chamber with almost frantic violence.
By the time he had finished dressing himself, Lentulus was announced, andentered with his dignified and haughty manner, not all unmixed with an airof indolence.
"All hail, my Sergius," he exclaimed, as he crossed the threshold. "Whathast thou of so grave importance, that thou must intercept me on my way tothe judgment seat? Nothing has gone wrong in our councils--ha?"
"Nothing that I know," answered Catiline, "but here are two of mytrustiest clients, Stolo and Rufinus, have been these three hours waitingfor my awakening, that I might gain your ear for them. They sent me wordthey had a very heavy charge to make to you; but for my part, I have notseen them, and know not what it is."
"Tush! tush! man; never tell me that," replied Lentulus, with a grimsmile. "Do you think I will believe you have sent for me all the wayhither this morning, without some object of your own to serve? No! no! myfriend; with whomsoever that may pass, it will not go current withCornelius Lentulus!"
"Just as you please," said the traitor; "you may believe me or not exactlyas you choose; but it is true, nevertheless, that I have neither seen themen, nor spoken with them. Nor do I know at all what they want."
"I would, then, you had not sent for me," answered the other. "Come, letus have the knaves in. I suppose they have been robbing some one'shen-roost, and want to lay the blame on some one else!"
"What ho! Chaerea."
And as he spoke the word, the curtain which covered the door-way waswithdrawn, and the keen-witted freedman made his appearance.
"Admit those fellows, Stolo and Rufinus. The praetor is prepared to givethem a hearing."
It would have been difficult, perhaps, to have selected from the wholepopulation of Rome at that day, a more murderous looking pair ofscoundrels.
"Well, sirrahs, what secrets of the state have you that weigh soponderously on your wise thoughts?" asked Lentulus, with a contemptuoussneer.
"Murder, most noble Lentulus--or at least subornation thereof," answeredone of the ruffians.
"Most natural indeed! I should have thought as much. Well, tell us in aword--for it is clear that nobody has murdered either of you--whom have youmurdered?"
/> "If we have murdered no one, it was not for the lack of prompting, or ofbribes either."
"Indeed! I should have thought a moderate bribe would have arranged thematter easily. But come! come! to the point! whom were ye bribed orinstigated to get rid of? speak! I am in haste!"
"The cutler, Caius Volero!"
"Volero! Ha!" cried Lentulus, starting. "Indeed! indeed! that may well be.By whom, then, were you urged to the deed, and when?"
"Paullus Caecilius Arvina tempted us to the deed, by the offer of tenthousand sesterces! We met him by appointment upon the Caelian hill, at thehead of the Minervium, a little before sunrise, the day before yesterday."
"Ha!" and for a moment or two Lentulus fixed his eyes upon the ground, andpondered deeply on what he had just heard. "Have ye seen Volero since?"
"No, Praetor."
"Nor heard anything concerning him?"
"Nothing!" said Stolo. But he spoke with a confused air and in anundecided tone, which satisfied the judge that he was speaking falsely.Rufinus interposed, however, saying--
"But I have, noble Lentulus. I heard say that he _was_ murdered in his ownbooth, that same night!"
"And having heard this, you told it not to Stolo?"
"I never thought about it any more," answered Rufinus doggedly, seeingthat he had got into a scrape.
"That was unfortunate, and somewhat strange, too, seeing that you camehither together to speak about the very man. Now mark me. Volero _was_that night murdered, and it appears to me, that you are bringing thisaccusation against a young patrician, in order to conceal your own basehandiwork in the deed. Fellows, I grievously suspect you."
"Wrongfully, then, you do so," answered Stolo, who was the bolder and moreready witted of the two. "Rufinus ever was a forgetful fool; and I trow Iam not to be brought into blame for his folly."
"Well for you, if you be not brought into more than blame! Now, mark mewell! can you prove where you were that night of the murder, excellentStolo?"
"Ay! can I," answered the man boldly. "I was with stout Balatro, thefisherman, helping to mend his nets until the fourth hour, and all hisboys were present, helping us. And then we went to a cookshop to get somesupper in the ox forum, and thence at the sixth hour we passed across toLydia's house in the Cyprian lane, and spent a merry hour or two carousingwith her jolly girls. Will that satisfy you, Lentulus?"
"Ay, if it can be proved," returned the Praetor. "And you, Rufinus; can youalso show your whereabout that evening?"
"I can," replied the fellow, "for I was sick abed; and that my wife canshow, and Themison the druggist, who lives in the Sacred Way. For she wentto get me an emetic at the third hour; and I was vomiting all night. Apoor hand should I have made that night at murder."
"So far, then," replied Lentulus, "you have cleared yourselves fromsuspicion; but your charge on Arvina needs something more of confirmation,ere I dare cite a Patrician to plead to such a crime! Have you gotwitnesses? was any one in sight, when he spoke with you on the Minervium?"
"There was one; but I know not if he will choose to speak of it?"
"Who was it?" exclaimed Lentulus, growing a little anxious on the subject,for though he cared little enough about Arvina, he was yet unwilling tosee a Patrician arraigned for so small a matter, as was in his eyes themurder of a mechanic.
"Why should he not speak? I warrant you I will find means to make him."
"It was my patron, Lentulus."
"Your patron! man!" he cried, much astonished. "What, Catiline, here?"
"Catiline it was! my Praetor."
"And have you consulted with him, ere you spoke with me?"
"Not so! most noble, for he would not admit us!"
"Speak, Sergius. Is this so? did you behold these fellows in deep conversewith Caecilius Arvina, in the Minervium? But no! it must be folly! for whatshould you have been doing there at sunrise?"
"I prithee do not ask me, Lentulus," answered Catiline, with an air ofwell feigned reluctance. "I hate law suits and judicial inquiries, and Ilove young Arvina."
"Then you did see them? Nay! nay! you must speak out. I do adjure you,Catiline, by all the Gods! were you, at sunrise, on the Caelian, and didyou see Arvina and these two?"
"I was, at sunrise, on the Caelian; and I did see them."
"And heard you what they said?"
"No! but their faces were grave and earnest; and they seemed angry as theyseparated."
"Ha! In itself only, this were a little thing; but when it turns out thatthe man _was_ slain that same night, the thing grows serious. You,therefore, I shall detain here as witnesses, and partially suspected. Someof your slaves must guard them, Catiline, and I will send a lictor to citePaullus, that he appear before me after the session at the Puteal Libonis.I am in haste. Farewell!"
"Me! me! hear me! good Lentulus--hear me!" exclaimed Chaerea, springingforward, all vehemence and eagerness to speak, as it would seem, ere heshould be interrupted.
"Chaerea?" cried Catiline, looking sternly at him, and shaking his finger,"Remember!"
"No! no!" replied Chaerea--"no! no! I will not hold my peace! No! Catiline,you may kill me, if you choose, but I will speak; to keep this secret anylonger would kill me, I tell you."
"If it do not, I will," answered his master, angrily.
"This must not be, my Sergius," interposed Lentulus, "let the man speak ifhe have any light to throw on this mysterious business. Say on, my goodfellow, and I will be your mediator with your master."
The freedman needed no more exhortation, but poured out a flood of eager,anxious narrative, as had been preconcerted between himself and Catiline,speaking with so much vehemence, and displaying so much agitation in allhis air and gestures, that he entirely imposed his story upon Lentulus;and that Catiline had much difficulty in restraining a smile at the skillof the Greek.
"Ha! it is very clear," said Lentulus, "he first slew the slave with hisown hand, and then would have compassed--nay! I should rather say, _has_compassed--Volero's slaughter, who must some how or other have become privyto the deed. I must have these detained, and him arrested! There can be nodoubt of his guilt, and the people will be, I think, disposed to make anexample; there have of late been many cases of assassination!"
As soon as they were left alone, Lentulus looked steadily into the face ofhis fellow-conspirator for a moment, and then burst into a hoarse laugh.
"Why all this mummery, my Sergius?" he added, as soon as he had ceasedfrom laughing, "Or wherefore would you have mystified me too?"
"I might have wished to see whether the evidence was like to seem valid tothe Judices, from its effect upon the Praetor!" answered the other.
"And are you satisfied?"
"I am."
"You may be so, my Sergius, for, of a truth, until Chaerea swore as he didtouching Medon, I was myself deceived."
"You believe, then, that this will be sufficient to secure hiscondemnation?"
"Beyond doubt. He will be interdicted fire and water, if these men stickto their oaths only. It would be well, perhaps, to convict one of Arvina'sslaves of the actual death of Volero. That might be done easily enough,but there must be care taken, that you select one who shall not be able toprove any alibi. But wherefore are you so bent on destroying this youth,and by the law, too, which is ever both perilous and uncertain?"
"He knows too much, to live without endangering others."
"What knows he?"
"Who slew Medon--Who slew Volero--What we propose to do, ere long, in theCampus!" answered Catiline, steadily.
"By all the Gods?" cried Lentulus, turning very pale, and remaining silentfor some moments. After which he said, with a thoughtful manner, "it wouldbe better to get rid of him quietly."
"That has been tried too."
"Well?"
"It failed! He is now on his guard. He is brave, strong, wary. It cannotbe done, save thus."
"He will denounce us. He will declare the whole, ere we can spring themine beneath him."
"No! he wil
l not; he dares not. He is bound by oaths which--"
"Oaths!" interrupted Lentulus, with a sneer, and in tones of contemptuousridicule. "What are oaths? Did they ever bind you?"
"I do not recollect," answered Catiline; "perhaps they did, when I was aboy, and believed in Lemures and Lamia. But Paullus Arvina is not LuciusCatiline, nor yet Cornelius Lentulus; and I say that his oaths shall bindhim, until--"
"And I say, they shall not!" A clear high voice interrupted him, coming,apparently, through the wall of the chamber.
Lentulus started--his very lips were white, and his frame shook withagitation, if it were not with fear.
Catiline grew pale likewise; but it was rage, not terror, that blanchedhis swarthy brow. He dashed his hand upon the table--
"Furies of Hell!"
While the words were yet trembling on his lips, the door was thrownviolently open, the curtains which concealed it torn asunder, and, withher dark eyes gleaming a strange fire, and two hard crimson spots gleaminghigh up on her cheek bones--the hectic of fierce passion--her bosomthrobbing, and her whole frame dilated with anger and excitement, youngLucia stood before them.
"And I say," she repeated, "that they shall not bind him! By all the Gods!I swear it! By my own love! my own dishonor! I swear that they shall not!Fool! fool! did you think to outwit me? To blind a woman, whose every fearand passion is an undying eye? Go to! go to! you shall not do it."
Audacious, as he was, the traitor was surprised, almost daunted; and whileLentulus, a little reassured, when he saw who was the interlocutor, gazedon him in unmitigated wonder, he faltered out, in tones strangelydissimilar to his accustomed accents of indomitable pride and decision--
"You mistake, girl; you have not heard aright, if you have heard at all; Iwould say, you are deceived, Lucia!"
"Then would you lie!" she answered, "for I am not deceived, though youwould fain deceive me! Not heard? not heard?" she continued. "Think youthe walls in the house of Catiline have no eyes nor ears?" using the verywords which he had addressed to her lover; "Lucius Catiline! I know all!"
"You know all?" exclaimed Lentulus, aghast.
"And will prevent all!" replied the girl, firmly, "if you dare cross mypurposes!"
"Dare! dare!" replied Catiline, who now, recovering from his momentarysurprise, had regained all his natural haughtiness and vigor. "Who areyou, wanton, that dare talk to us of daring?"
"Wanton!" replied the girl, turning fiery red. "Ay! But who made me thewanton that I am? Who fed my youthful passions? Who sapped my youthfulprinciples? Who reared me in an atmosphere, whose very breath was luxury,voluptuousness, pollution, till every drop of my wholesome blood wasturned to liquid flame? till every passion in my heart became a fetteredearthquake? Fool! fool! you thought, in your impotence of crime, to makeLucia Orestilla your instrument, your slave! You have made her yourmistress! You dreamed, in your insolence of fancied wisdom, that, like thehunter-cat of the Persian despots, so long as you fed the wanton'sappetite, and basely pandered to her passions, she would leap hood-winkedon the prey you pointed her. Thou fool! that hast not half read thyvillain lesson! Thou shouldst have known that the very cat, thouthoughtest me, will turn and rend the huntsman if he dare rob her of herportion! I tell you, Lucius Catiline, you thought me a mere wanton! a meresensual thing! a soulless animal voluptuary! Fool! I say, double fool!Look into thine own heart; remember what blood runs in these female veins!Man! Father! Vitiator! My spirit is not female! my blood, my passions, mycontempt of peril, my will indomitable and immutable, are, like my mortalbody, your begetting! My crimes, and my corruption, are your teaching!Beware then, as you know the heat of your own appetites, how you presumeto hinder mine! Beware, as you know your own recklessness in doing andcontempt in suffering, how you stir me, your child, to do and sufferlikewise! Beware, as you know the extent of your own crimes, the depth ofyour own pollution, how you drive me, your pupil, to out-do her master!Beware! I say! beware! This man is mine. Harm but one hair upon his head,and you shall die, like a dog, with the dogs who snarl at your bidding,and your name perish with you. I have spoken!"
There needed not one tenth part of the wisdom, which the arch-traitorreally possessed, to shew him how much he had miscalculated the range ofhis daughter's intellect; the fierce energies of her powerful butmisdirected mind.
He felt, for a moment, as the daring archimage whose spells, too potentfor their master's safety, have evoked and unchained a spirit that defiestheir guidance. But, like that archimage, conscious that all depends onthe exertion of his wonted empire, he struggled hard to regain his lostauthority.
"Girl," he replied, in those firm deep tones of grave authority, which hedeemed the best calculated to control her excitement, "You are mad! Mad,and ungrateful; and like a frantic dog would turn and rend the hand thatfeeds you, for a shadow. I never thought of making you an instrument; foolindeed had I been, to think I could hoodwink such an intellect as yours!If I have striven to clear away the mists of prejudice from before youreyes, which, in your senseless anger, you now call corrupting you, it wasbecause I saw in you a kindred spirit to mine own, capable to soarfearless and undazzled into the very noon of reason. If I have taught youto indulge your passions, opened a universe of pleasures to your ken, itwas that I saw in you a woman of mind so manly, that all the weaknesses,which fools call affections, would be but powerless to warp it from itspurpose. I would have made you"--
"The world's scorn!" she interrupted him, bitterly; but he went on,without noticing the interruption--
"The equal of myself in intellect, in energy, and wisdom; else how had youdared to brave me thus, whom never man yet braved and lived to boast ofit! And now for a mere girlish fancy, a weak feminine caprice for a man,who cares not for you; who has betrayed you; who, idiot and inconsistentthat he is, fresh from your fiery kisses, was whimpering within an hour atthe feet of his cold Julia; who has, I doubt not, boasted of your favors,while he deplored his own infatuation, to her, his promised wife!--For afond frivolous liking of a moment, you would forego gratification, rank,greatness, power, and vengeance! Is this just toward me, wise towardyourself? Is this like Lucia Orestilla? You would preserve a traitor whodeserts you, nay, scorns you in his easy triumph! You would destroy allthose who love you; you would destroy yourself, to make the traitor andhis minion happy! Awake! awake, my Lucia, from this soft foolish fancy!Awake, and be yourself once more! Awake to wisdom, to ambition, torevenge!"
His words were spirited and fiery; but they struck on no kindred chord inthe bosom of his daughter. On the contrary, the spark had faded from hereye and the flush from her cheek, and her looks were dispirited anddowncast. But as he ceased, she raised her eye and met his piercing gazefirmly, and replied in a sorrowful yet resolute tone.
"Eloquent! aye! you are eloquent! Catiline, would I had never learned itto my cost; but it is too late now! it is all too late! for the rest, I amawake; and so far, at least, am wise, that I perceive the folly of thepast, and decipher clearly the sophistry of your false teaching. As forthe future, hope is dead, and ambition. Revenge, I seek not; if I did so,thou art there, on whom to wreak it; for saving thou, and myself only,none have wronged me. More words are needless. See that thou lay aside thyplans, and dare not to harm him, or her. He shall not betray thee orthine; for that will I be his surety and hostage! Injure them, by deed orby word, and, one and all, you perish! I ask no promise of you--promisesbind you not!--but let fear bind you, for _I_ promise _you_, and be surethat my plight will be kept!"
"Can this be Lucia Orestilla?" exclaimed Catiline, "this puling love-sickgirl, this timorous, repentant--I had nearly called thee--maiden! Why, thoufool, what would'st thou with the man farther? Dost think to be his wife?"
"Wife!" cried the wretched girl, clasping her hands together, and lookingpiteously in her destroyer's face. "Wife! wife! and me!--alas! alas! thatholy, that dear, honored name!--Never! never for me the sweet sacred rites!Never for me the pure chaste kiss, the seat by the happy hearth, theloving children at the knee,
the proud approving smile of--Oh! ye gods! yejust gods!--a loved and loving husband!--Wife! wife!" she continued, lashingherself, as she proceeded, into fresh anger; "there is not in the gaols ofRome the slave so base as to call Lucia Orestilla wife! And wherefore,wherefore not?--Man! man! if that thou be a man, and not a demon, but forthee, and thy cursed teachings, I might have known all this--pure bliss,and conscious rectitude, and the respect and love of men. I might havebeen the happy bride of an honorable suitor, the cherished matron of arespected lord, the proud glad mother of children, that should not haveblushed to be sprung from the wanton Lucia! Thou! it is thou, thou onlythat hast done all this!--And why, I say, why should I not revenge? Beware!tempt me no farther! Do my bidding! Thou slave, that thought'st but now tobe the master, obey my bidding to the letter!" And she stamped her foot onthe ground, with the imperious air of a despotic queen. And in truth,crest-fallen and heavy in spirit, were the proud men whom she so superblythreatened.
She gazed at them contemptuously for a moment, and then, shaking her forefinger menacingly, "I leave ye," she said, "I leave ye, but imagine not,that I read not your councils. Me, you cannot deceive. With yourselvesonly it remains to succeed or to perish. For if ye dare to disobey me, thegods themselves shall not preserve you from my vengeance!"
"I fear you not, my girl," cried Catiline, "for all that you are now madwith disappointment, and with anger. So you may go, and listen if youwill," he added, pointing to the secret aperture concealed in themouldings of the wall. "We shall not speak the less freely for yourhearing us."
"There is no need to listen now," she answered, "for I know everythingalready."
"Every thing that we _have_ said, Lucia."
"Everything that you _will_ do, Sergius Catiline!"
"Aye?"
"Aye! and everything that I shall do, likewise!" and with the word sheleft the room.
"A perilous girl, by all the Gods!" said Lentulus, in Greek, as shedisappeared. "Will she do as she threatens?"
"Tush!" replied Catiline in Latin, "she speaks Greek like an Athenian. Iam not sure, however, that she could understand such jargon as that is.No! she will do none of that. She is the cleverest and best girl living,only a little passionate, for which I love her all the more dearly. No!she will do none of that. Because she will not be alive, to do it, thistime to-morrow," he added, putting his mouth within half an inch of theear of Lentulus, and speaking in the lowest whisper.
Lentulus, bold as he was and unscrupulous, started in horror at his words,and his lips were white as he faltered--"Your own daughter, Lucius!"
"Ha! ha!" laughed the fierce conspirator, aloud; "ha! ha! yes, she is myown daughter, in everything but beauty. She is the loveliest creature inall Rome! But we must yield, I suppose, to her wishes; the women rule us,after all is said, and I suppose I was alarmed needlessly. DoubtlessArvina will be silent. Come, I will walk with you so far on your way tothe Forum. What ho! Chaerea, see that Rufinus and Stolo lack nothing. Iwill speak with them, when I return home; and hark you in your ear. Suffernot Lucia Orestilla to leave the house a moment; use force if it beneeded; but it will not. Tell her it is my orders, and watch her veryclosely. Come, Lentulus, it is drawing toward noon."
They left the house without more words, and walked side by side in silencefor some distance, when Catiline said in a low voice, "This is unpleasant,and may be dangerous. We must, however, trust to fortune till to-morrow,when my house shall be void of this pest. Then will we proceed, as we hadproposed."
Lentulus looked at him doubtfully, and asked, with a quick shudder runningthrough his limbs, as he spoke: "And will you really?--" and there hepaused, unable to complete the question.
"Remove her?" added Catiline, completing the sentence which he had leftunfinished, "Ay! will I. Just as I would a serpent from my path!"
"And that done, what is to follow?" Lentulus inquired, with an assumptionof coolness, which in truth he did not feel.
"We will get rid of Arvina. And then, as it wants but four days of theelections, we may keep all things quiet till the time."
"Be it so!" answered the other. "When do we meet again to settle thesethings finally?"
"To-morrow, at the house of Laeca, at the sixth hour of night."
"Will all be there?"
"All the most faithful; until then, farewell!"
"Farewell."
And they parted; Lentulus hurrying to the Forum, to take his seat on thepraetor's chair, and there preside in judgment--fit magistrate!--on men, theguiltiest of whom were pure as the spotless snow, when compared with hisown conscious guilt; and Catiline to glide through dark streets, visitingdiscontented artizans, debauched mechanics, desperate gamblers, scatteringdark and ambiguous promises, and stirring up that worthless rabble--who,with all to gain and nothing to lose by civil strife and tumult, abound inall great cities--to violence and thirst of blood.
Three or four hours at least he spent thus; and well satisfied with hisprogress, delighted by the increasing turbulence of the fierce andirresponsible democracy, and rejoicing in having gained many new andfitting converts to his creed, he returned homeward, ripe for freshvillainy. Chaerea met him on the threshold, with his face pale and haggardfrom excitement.
"Catiline," he exclaimed, "she had gone forth already, before you bade mewatch her!"
"She!--Who, slave? who?" and knowing perfectly who was meant, yet hoping,in his desperation, that he heard not aright, he caught the freedman bythe throat, and shook him furiously.
"Lucia Orestilla," faltered the trembling menial.
"And has not returned?" thundered the traitor.
"Catiline, no!"
"Liar! and fool!" cried the other, gnashing his teeth with rage, as hegave way to his ungovernable fury, and hurling him with all his mightagainst the marble door-post.
The freedman fell, like a dead man, with the blood gushing from his noseand mouth; and Catiline, striding across the prostrate body, retiredsullenly and slowly to muse on the disappointment of this his mostatrocious project, in the darkness and solitude of his own private chamberwhither none dared intrude unsummoned.