CHAPTER II
OF THE COMING OF CHARMION; AND OF THE WRATH OF SEPA
That same night, while we sat at supper in the house, there came a knockupon the door. It was opened, and a woman passed in wrapped from head tofoot in a large dark peplos or cloak in such fashion that her face couldnot be clearly seen.
My uncle rose, and as he did so the woman uttered the secret word.
"I am come, my father," she said in a sweet clear voice, "though of atruth it was not easy to escape the revels at the palace yonder. ButI told the Queen that the sun and the riot in the streets had made mesick, and she let me go."
"It is well," he answered. "Unveil thyself; here thou art safe."
With a little sigh of weariness she unclasped the peplos and let it slipfrom her, giving to my sight the face and form of that beauteous girlwho had stood to fan Cleopatra in the chariot. For she was very fairand pleasant to look upon, and her Grecian robes clung sweetly about hersupple limbs and budding form. Her wayward hair, flowing in a hundredlittle curls, was bound in with a golden fillet, and on her feet weresandals fastened with studs of gold. Her cheeks blushed like a flower,and her dark soft eyes were downcast, as though with modesty, but smilesand dimples trembled about her lips.
My uncle frowned when his eyes fell upon her dress.
"Why comest thou in this garb, Charmion?" he asked sternly. "Is not thedress of thy mothers good enough for thee? This is no time or place forwoman's vanities. Thou art not here to conquer, but to obey."
"Nay, be not wroth, my father," she answered softly; "perchance thouknowest not that she whom I serve will have none of our Egyptiandress; it is out of fashion. To wear it would have been to courtsuspicion--also I came in haste." And as she spoke I saw that all thewhile she watched me covertly through the long lashes which fringed hermodest eyes.
"Well, well," he said sharply, fixing his keen glance upon her face,"doubtless thou speakest truth, Charmion. Be ever mindful of thy oath,girl, and of the cause to which thou art sworn. Be not light-minded, andI charge thee forget the beauty with which thou hast been cursed. Formark thou this, Charmion: fail us but one jot, and vengeance shall fallon thee--the vengeance of man and the vengeance of the Gods! To thisservice," he continued, lashing himself to anger as he went on till hisgreat voice rang in the narrow room, "thou hast been bred; to this endthou hast been instructed and placed where thou art to gain the ear ofthat wicked wanton whom thou seemest to serve. See thou forget it not;see that the luxury of yonder Court does not corrupt thy purity anddivert thy aim, Charmion," and his eyes flashed and his small formseemed to grow till it attained to dignity--nay, almost to grandeur.
"Charmion," he went on, advancing towards her with outstretched finger,"I say that at times I do not trust thee. But two nights gone I dreamedI saw thee standing in the desert. I saw thee laugh and lift thy hand toheaven, and from it fell a rain of blood; then the sky sank down on theland of Khem and covered it. Whence came the dream, girl, and what isits meaning? I have naught against thee as yet; but hearken! On themoment that I have, though thou art of my kin, and I have loved thee--onthat moment, I say, I will doom those delicate limbs, which thou lovestso much to show, to the kite and the jackal, and the soul within thee toall the tortures of the Gods! Unburied shalt thou lie, and bodiless andaccursed shalt thou wander in Amenti!--ay, for ever and ever!"
He paused, for his sudden burst of passion had spent itself. But by it,more clearly than before, I saw how deep a heart this man had beneaththe cloak of his merriness and simplicity of mien, and how fiercely themind within him was set upon his aim. As for the girl, she shrank fromhim terrified, and, placing her hands before her sweet face, began toweep.
"Nay, speak not so, my father," she said, between her sobs; "for whathave I done? I know nothing of the evil wandering of thy dreams. I am nosoothsayer that I should read dreams. Have I not carried out all thingsaccording to thy desire? Have I not been ever mindful of that dreadoath?"--and she trembled. "Have I not played the spy and told thee all?Have I not won the heart of the Queen, so that she loves me as a sister,refusing me nothing--ay, and the hearts of those about her? Why dostthou affright me thus with thy words and threats?" and she wept afresh,looking even more beautiful in her sorrow than she was before.
"Enough, enough," he answered; "what I have said, I have said. Bewarned, and affront our sight no more with this wanton dress. Thinkestthou that we would feed our eyes upon those rounded arms--we whose stakeis Egypt and who are dedicated to the Gods of Egypt? Girl, behold thycousin and thy King!"
She ceased weeping, wiping her eyes with her chiton, and I saw that theyseemed but the softer for her tears.
"Methinks, most royal Harmachis, and beloved Cousin," she said, as shebent before me, "that we are already made acquainted."
"Yea, Cousin," I answered, not without shamefacedness, for I hadnever before spoken to so fair a maid; "thou wert in the chariot withCleopatra this day when I struggled with the Nubian?"
"Assuredly," she said, with a smile and a sudden lighting of the eyes,"it was a gallant fight and gallantly didst thou overthrow that blackbrute. I saw the fray and, though I knew thee not, I greatly feared forone so brave. But I paid him for my fright, for it was I who put itinto the mind of Cleopatra to bid the guards strike off his hand--now,knowing who thou art, I would I had said his head." And she looked upshooting a glance at me and then smiled.
"Enough," put in my uncle Sepa, "the time draws on. Tell thou thymission, Charmion, and be gone."
Then her manner changed; she folded her hands meekly before her andspoke:
"Let Pharaoh hearken to his handmaiden. I am the daughter of Pharaoh'suncle, the brother of his father, who is now long dead, and therefore inmy veins also flows the Royal blood of Egypt. Also I am of the ancientFaith, and hate these Greeks, and to see thee set upon the throne hasbeen my dearest hope now for many years. To this end I, Charmion, haveput aside my rank and become serving-woman to Cleopatra, that I mightcut a notch in which thou couldst set thy foot when the hour came forthee to climb the throne. And, Pharaoh, the notch is cut.
"This then is our plot, royal Cousin. Thou must gain an entrance to theHousehold and learn its ways and secrets, and, so far as may be, subornthe eunuchs and captains, some of whom I have already tempted. Thisdone, and all things being prepared without, thou must slay Cleopatra,and, aided by me with those whom I control, in the confusion that shallensue, throw wide the gates, and, admitting those of our party who arein waiting, put such of the troops as remain faithful to the sword andseize the Bruchium. Which being finished, within two days thou shalthold this fickle Alexandria. At the same time those who are sworn tothee in every city of Egypt shall rise in arms, and in ten days fromthe death of Cleopatra thou shalt indeed be Pharaoh. This is the counselwhich has been taken, and thou seest, royal Cousin, that, though ouruncle yonder thinks so ill of me, I have learned my part--ay, and playedit."
"I hear thee, Cousin," I answered, marvelling that so young a woman--shehad but twenty years--could weave so bold a plot, for in its origin thescheme was hers. But in those days I little knew Charmion. "Go on; howthen shall I gain entrance to the palace of Cleopatra?"
"Nay, Cousin, as things are it is easy. Thus: Cleopatra loves to lookupon a man, and--give me pardon--thy face and form are fair. To-dayshe noted them, and twice she said she would she had asked where thatastrologer might be found, for she held that an astrologer who couldwellnigh slay a Nubian gladiator with his bare hands, must indeed be amaster of the fortunate stars. I answered her that I would cause inquiryto be made. So hearken, royal Harmachis. At midday Cleopatra sleeps inher inner hall which looks over the gardens to the harbour. At that hourto-morrow, then, I will meet thee at the gates of the palace, whitherthou shalt come boldly asking for the Lady Charmion. I will makeappointment for thee with Cleopatra, so that she shall see thee alonewhen she wakes, and the rest shall be for thee, Harmachis. For much sheloves to play with the mysteries of magic, and I have known her standwhole nights watching the stars
and making a pretence to read them. Andbut lately she has sent away Dioscorides the physician, because, poorfool! he ventured on a prophecy from the conjunction of the stars, thatCassius would defeat Mark Antony. Thereon Cleopatra sent orders to theGeneral Allienus, bidding him add the legions she had sent to Syriato help Antony to the army of Cassius, whose victory, forsooth,was--according to Dioscorides--written on the stars. But, as it chanced,Antony beat Cassius first and Brutus afterwards, and so Dioscorides hasdeparted, and now he lectures on herbs in the museum for his bread, andhates the name of stars. But his place is empty, and thou shalt fill it,and then we will work in secret and in the shadow of the sceptre. Ay,we will work like the worm at the heart of a fruit, till the time ofplucking comes, and at thy dagger's touch, royal Cousin, the fabric ofthis Grecian throne crumbles to nothingness, and the worm that rotted itbursts his servile covering, and, in the sight of empires, spreads hisroyal wings o'er Egypt."
I gazed at this strange girl once more astonished, and saw that her facewas lit up with such a light as I had never seen in the eyes of woman.
"Ah," broke in my uncle, who was watching her, "ah, I love to see theeso, girl; there is the Charmion that I knew and I bred up--not the Courtgirl whom I like not, draped in silks of Cos and fragrant with essences.Let thy heart harden in this mould--ay, stamp it with the fervid zealof patriot faith, and thy reward shall find thee. And now cover up thatshameless dress of thine and leave us, for it grows late. To-morrowHarmachis shall come, as thou hast said, and so farewell."
Charmion bowed her head, and, turning, wrapped her dark-hued peplosround her. Then, taking my hand, she touched it with her lips and wentwithout any further word.
"A strange woman!" said Sepa, when she had gone; "a most strange woman,and an uncertain!"
"Methought, my uncle," I said, "that thou wast somewhat harsh with her."
"Ay," he answered, "but not without a cause. Look thou, Harmachis;beware of this Charmion. She is too wayward, and, I fear me, may be ledaway. In truth, she is a very woman; and, like a restive horse, willtake the path that pleases her. She has brain and fire, and she lovesour cause; but I pray that the cause come not face to face with herdesires, for what her heart is set on that will she do, at any cost shewill do it. Therefore I frightened her now while I may: for who can knowbut that she will pass beyond my power? I tell thee, that in this onegirl's hand lie all our lives: and if she play us false, what then?Alas! and alas! that we must use such tools as these! But it wasneedful: there was no other way; and yet I misdoubted me. I pray that itmay be well; still, at times, I fear my niece Charmion--she is too fair,and the blood of youth runs too warm in those blue veins of hers.
"Ah, woe to the cause that builds its strength upon a woman's faith;for women are faithful only where they love, and when they love theirfaithlessness becomes their faith. They are not fixed as men are fixed:they rise more high and sink more low--they are strong and changeful asthe sea. Harmachis, beware of this Charmion: for, like the ocean, shemay float thee home; or, like the ocean, she may wreck thee, and, withthee, the hope of Egypt!"