CHAPTER XVIII.
There entered a stately woman, taller and of coarser frame than thesmall and delicate Empress; not so seductively beautiful, but youngerand more blooming, with a fresh complexion and natural manners.
"Welcome, Antonina, sister of my heart! Come to my arms!" cried theEmpress to the new-comer, who humbly bent before her.
Antonina obeyed in silence.
"How hollow her eyes have become," she thought, as she rose from theembrace.
"How bony is the soldier's wife!" said the delicate Empress to herself,and looked at her friend.
"You are as blooming as Hebe!" she said aloud, "and how well the whitesilk becomes your fresh complexion. Have you anything to tell me of--ofhim?" she asked indifferently, and took from the wash-stand amuch-dreaded instrument, a sharp lancet with an ivory handle, withwhich clumsy, or even only unfortunate, slaves were often pricked bytheir angry mistress.
"Not to-day," whispered Antonina, blushing. "I did not see himyesterday."
"I believe it!" said Theodora to herself, with a hidden smile.
"Oh, how painfully I shall miss you soon!" she added aloud, strokingAntonina's full round arm. "Perhaps Belisarius will sail next week, andyou, most faithful of all wives, will go with him. Which of yourfriends will accompany you?"
"Procopius," answered Antonina, "and--" she added, casting down hereyes--"the two sons of Boethius."
"Ah, indeed," remarked the Empress, smiling, "I understand. In thefreedom of the camp you hope to please yourself with the handsomeyouth, undisturbed; and while our hero, Belisarius, fights battles andconquers cities----"
"You guess rightly. But I have a request to make. You are fortunate.Alexandros, your handsome friend, has returned; he remains near you,and is his own master; but Anicius, you know, is still under the strictguardianship of his elder brother, Severinus. Never would he--whothinks of nothing but fighting for freedom and revenge--suffer thistender friendship. He would repeatedly disturb our intimacy. Thereforedo me a favour: do not let Severinus follow us! When we are on boardwith Anicius, keep the elder brother in Byzantium, either by cunning orby force. You can do it easily--you are the Empress!"
"That is not bad," laughed Theodora. "What stratagems! One can see thatyou have learned from Belisarius."
Antonina blushed violently.
"Oh, do not name him! Do not mock me! You know best from whom I learntto do that for which I must blush."
Theodora shot a fierce glance at her friend, who, without noticing it,continued: "Heaven knows that Belisarius himself was not more faithfulthan I, until I came to this court! It was you, Empress, who taught methat these selfish men, occupied with affairs of state, war, andambition, neglect us when they have become our husbands, and no longervalue us when they possess us. You taught me that it is no sin toaccept the innocent homage, the flattering devotion which is denied tous by our husbands, from friends who court us because they still hope.God is my witness, that it is nothing but this sweet incense whichBelisarius denies me, and which my vain weak heart sorely needs, that Iexpect from Anicius."
"Fortunately for me, it will soon tire him out," said Theodora toherself.
"And yet," continued Antonina, "even this, I fear, is a sin againstBelisarius. Oh, how great, how noble he is! If only he were not toogreat for this little heart." And she buried her face in her hands.
"The pitiful creature!" thought the Empress, "too weak for vice, as forvirtue."
At this moment Agave, the beautiful Thessalian slave, entered the roomwith a large bunch of splendid roses.
"From him," she whispered to her mistress.
"From whom?" asked Theodora.
But Antonina just then looked up, and Agave made a sign of warning. TheEmpress, in order to occupy her, gave Antonina the roses.
"If you please, put them into that marble vase."
As Antonina turned her back upon them to obey, Agave whispered: "Fromhim whom you kept hidden here all day yesterday; from the handsomeAnicius," the pretty girl added, blushing.
But she had scarcely uttered the imprudent words, than she gave a loudcry, and held her left arm to her lips.
The Empress struck her in the face with the still bloody lancet.
"I will teach you to notice whether men are handsome or ugly," shecried furiously. "You will keep to the spinning-room for four weeks. Goat once! and do not show yourself again in my ante-rooms."
The weeping girl left the room, hiding her face in her dress.
"What has she done?" asked Antonina, coming forward.
"She let the scent-bottle fall," answered Galatea quickly, and pickedone up from the floor. "Mistress, I have finished."
"Then let the dressers in, and whoever else waits in the ante-room.Will you, meanwhile, look at these verses, Antonina? They are thenewest poems of Arator, 'The Deeds of the Apostles,' and very edifying.This particularly, 'The Stoning of St. Stephen.' But read, and judgefor yourself."
Galatea opened wide the doors of the principal entrance. A whole troopof slaves and freed-women streamed in. Some occupied themselves withclearing away the articles of toilet hitherto used; others swungcensers with aromatic incense, or sprinkled balsam about the room fromnarrow-necked flasks. But most of them were busy about the person ofthe Empress, who now completed her toilet.
Galatea took off the rose-coloured tunic.
"Berenice," she cried, "bring the Milesian tunic, with the purplestripe and gold tassels. To-day is Sunday ."
While the experienced old woman was artfully fastening into the knot ofthe Empress's hair a costly gold needle, its head formed of a gem,engraved with a head of Venus, the Empress asked: "What news, from thecity, Delphine?"
"You have won, mistress!" answered Delphine, kneeling down with thegilded sandals; "your colours, the blue, have beaten the green; bothwith the horses and the chariots!"
"What a triumph!" cried Theodora joyfully. "A bet of two centenaria ofgold; it is mine! News? Whence? from Italy?" she cried to a slave whojust entered with letters.
"Yes, mistress, from Florence; from the Gothic Princess, Gothelindis. Iknow the Gorgon-seal; and from Silverius, the archdeacon."
"Give me them," said Theodora, "I will take them with me to church. Themirror, Elpis."
A young slave came forward with an oval plate of brilliantly-polishedsilver, in a gold frame, richly set with pearls, and standing on astrong foot of ivory.
Poor Elpis had a hard service.
During the completion of the toilet she had to hold the heavy plate,and, following every movement of her restless mistress, turn it, sothat the latter could always look at her own reflection, and woe toElpis if she were too late in turning!
"What is there to buy, Zephyris?" the Empress asked a dark-skinnedLybian freed-woman, who just then brought her a tame snake to caress,which lay in a small basket upon soft moss.
"Oh, nothing particular," answered the Lybian. "Come, Glauke," sheadded, taking a snowy white chlamys, embroidered with gold, from aclothes-press, and carefully spreading it out upon her arms, waiteduntil Glauke took it from her, and, at one throw, arranged it ingraceful folds upon the shoulders of the Empress, clasping it with thewhite girdle, and fastening one end upon her pearly shoulder with agolden brooch, which, formed in the shape of the dove of Venus, nowrepresented the sign of the Holy Ghost.
Glauke, the daughter of an Athenian sculptor, had studied the folds ofthe chlamys for years, and for this reason had been bought by theEmpress at a cost of many thousand solidi. The whole day long this washer sole occupation.
"Sweet-scented soap-balls," said Zephyris, "have just arrived fromSpain. A new Milesian fairy-tale has just come out. And the oldEgyptian is there again, with his Nile-water," she added in a low tone;"he says it is unfailing. The Persian Queen, who was childless foreight years----"
Theodora turned away sighing; a shadow passed across her smooth face.
"Send him away," she said; "this hope is past forever." And, for amoment, it seemed as if s
he would have sunk into a melancholy reverie.
But she roused herself, and, beckoning to Galatea, she went back to herbed, took a crushed wreath of ivy which lay upon the pillow, and gaveit to the old woman, whispering:
"For Anicius, send it to him. The jewels, Erigone!"
Erigone, with the help of two other slaves, brought forward, with greattrouble, a heavy bronze casket, the lid of which, representing theworkshop of Vulcan in embossed figures, was closed with the seal of theEmpress.
Erigone showed that the seal was intact, and then opened the lid. Manya girl stood upon her tiptoes to catch a glance at the shiningtreasures.
"Will you wear the summer rings, mistress?" asked Erigone.
"No," said Theodora, looking into the casket, "the time for those isover. Give me the heavy ones, the emeralds."
Erigone handed to her rings, earrings, and bracelet.
"How beautifully," said Antonina, looking up from her pious verses,"how beautifully the white of the pearls contrasts with the green ofthe stones."
"It was one of Cleopatra's treasures," said the Empress indifferently;"the Jew swore to its pedigree."
"But you linger long," said Antonina. "Justinian's litter was alreadywaiting as I came up."
"Yes, mistress," said a young slave anxiously, "the slave at thesundial has already announced the fourth hour. Hasten, mistress!"
A prick with the lancet was the only answer.
"Would you teach your Empress!" but she whispered to Antonina: "We mustnot spoil the men; they must always wait for us, never we for them. Myostrich fan, Thais. Go, Ione, tell the Cappadocian slaves to come to mylitter." And she turned to go.
"Oh, Theodora!" cried Antonina quickly, "do not forget my request."
"No," answered Theodora, suddenly standing still, "certainly not! Andthat you may be quite sure, I will give the order into your own hands.My wax-tablets and the stylus!"
Galatea brought them in haste.
Theodora wrote, and whispered to her friend:
"The Prefect of the harbour is one of my old friends. He blindly obeysme. Read what I write."
"To Aristarchus the Prefect, Theodora the Empress.
"When Severinus, the son of Boethius, is about to go on board the shipof Belisarius, keep him back, if necessary, by force; and send him tomy rooms. He is appointed my chamberlain."
"Is that right, dear sister?" she whispered.
"A thousand thanks!" said Antonina, with beaming eyes.
"But," said the Empress suddenly, putting her hand to her neck, "havewe forgotten the principal thing? My amulet! the Mercury. Please,Antonina; there it hangs."
Antonina turned hastily to fetch the little golden Mercury, which hung,by a silk cord, on the bed of the Empress.
Meanwhile Theodora quickly crossed out the word "Severinus," and wroteinstead "Anicius." She closed the tablets, tied them, and fastened thestring with her seal.
"Here is the amulet," said Antonina, returning.
"And here is the order," said the Empress, smiling. "You can give it toAristarchus yourself at the moment of departure. Now," she cried, "letus go. To the church!"