[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of thefile for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making anentire meal of them. D. W. ]

A THORNY PATH

By Georg Ebers

Volume 4. 

CHAPTER XI. 

Melissa, too, would probably have found herself a prisoner, but thatZminis, seeing himself balked of a triumph, and beside himself with rage, rushed after the fugitive with the rest. She had no further occasion toseek the house where her lover was lying, for Agatha knew it well. Itsowner, Proterius, was an illustrious member of the Christian community, and she had often been to see him with her father. 

On their way the girls confided to each other what had brought them outinto the streets at so unusual an hour; and when Melissa spoke of hercompanion's extraordinary resemblance to the dead daughter of Seleukus--which, no doubt, had been Alexander's inducement to follow her--Agathatold her that she had constantly been mistaken for her uncle's daughter, so early lost. She herself had not seen her cousin for some few years, for Seleukus had quarreled with his brother's family when they hadembraced Christianity. The third brother, Timotheus, the high-priest ofSerapis, had proved more placable, and his wife Euryale was of all womenthe one she loved best. And presently it appeared that Agatha, too, hadlost her mother, and this drew the girls so closely together, that theyclasped hands and walked on like sisters or old and dear friends. 

They were not kept long waiting outside the house of Proterius, forAndreas was in the vestibule arranging the litter for the conveyance ofDiodoros, with the willing help of Ptolemaeus. The freedman was indeedamazed when he heard Melissa's voice, and blamed her for this freshadventure. However, he was glad to see her, for, although it seemedalmost beyond the bounds of possibility, he had already fancied more thanonce, as steps had approached and passed, that she must surely be comingto lend him a helping hand. 

It was easy to hear in his tone of voice that her bold venture was atleast as praiseworthy as it was blameworthy in his eyes, and the graveman was as cheerful as he commonly was only when among his flowers. Never before had Melissa heard a word of compliment from his lips, butas Agatha stood with one arm round Melissa's shoulders, he said to thephysician, as he pointed to the pair, "Like two roses on one stem!"

He had good reason, indeed, to be content. Diodoros was no worse, andGalen was certainly expected to visit the sick in the Serapeum. Heregarded it, too, as a dispensation from Heaven that Agatha and Melissashould have happened to meet, and Alexander's happy escape had taken aweight from his mind. He willingly acceded to Melissa's request that hewould take her and Agatha to see the sick man; but he granted them only ashort time to gaze at the sleeper, and then requested the deaconess tofind a room for the two damsels, who needed rest. 

The worthy woman rose at once; but Melissa urgently entreated to beallowed to remain by her lover's side, and glanced anxiously at the keysin the matron's hand. 

At this Andreas whispered to her: "You are afraid lest I should preventyour coming with us? But it is not so; and, indeed, of what use would itbe? You made your way past the guards to the senator's coach; you cameacross the lake, and through the darkness and the drunken rabble in thestreets; if I were to lock you in, you would be brave enough to jump outof the window. No, no; I confess you have conquered my objections--indeed, if you should now refuse your assistance, I should be obliged tocrave it. But Ptolemaeus wishes to leave Diodoros quite undisturbed tilldaybreak. He is now gone to the Serapeum to find a good place for him. You, too, need rest, and you shall be waked in good time. Go, now, withDame Katharine. --As to your relations, " he added, to Agatha, "do not beuneasy. A boy is already on his way to your father, to tell him whereyou are for the night. "

The deaconess led the two girls to a room where there was a large doublebed. Here the new friends stretched their weary limbs; but, tired asthey were, neither of them seemed disposed to sleep; they were so happyto have found each other, and had so much to ask and tell each other! Assoon as Katharine had lighted a three-branched lamp she left them tothemselves, and then their talk began. 

Agatha, clinging to her new friend, laid her head on Melissa's shoulder;and as Melissa looked on the beautiful face, and remembered the fondpassion which her heedless brother had conceived for its twin image, oras now and again the Christian girl's loving words appealed to her moreespecially, she stroked the long, flowing tresses of her brown hair. 

It needed, indeed, no more than a common feeling, an experience gonethrough together, an hour of confidential solitude, to join the hearts ofthe two maidens; and as they awaited the day, shoulder to shoulder inuninterrupted chat, they felt as though they had shared every joy andsorrow from the cradle. Agatha's weaker nature found a support in thecalm strength of will which was evident in many things Melissa said; andwhen the Christian opened her tender and pitying heart to Melissa withtouching candor, it was like a view into a new but most inviting world. 

Agatha's extreme beauty, too, struck the artist's daughter as somethingdivine, and her eye often rested admiringly on her new friend's pure andregular features. 

When Agatha inquired of her about her father, Melissa briefly replied, that since her mother's death he was often moody and rough, but that hehad a good, kind heart. The Christian girl, on the contrary, spoke withenthusiasm of the warm, human loving-kindness of the man to whom she owedher being; and the picture she drew of her home life was so fair, thatthe little heathen could hardly believe in its truth. Her father, Agathasaid, lived in constant warfare with the misery and suffering of hisfellow-creatures, and he was, in fact, able to make those about him happyand prosperous. The poorest were dearest to his loving heart, and on hisestate across the lake he had collected none but the sick and wretched. The care of the children was left to her, and the little ones clung toher as if she were their mother. She had neither brother nor sister. --And so the conversation turned on Alexander, of whom Agatha could neverhear enough. 

And how proud was Melissa to speak of the bright young artist, who tillnow had been the sun of her joyless life! There was much that was goodto be said about him: for the best masters rated his talent highly inspite of his youth; his comrades were faithful; and none knew so well ashe how to cheer his father's dark moods. Then, there were many amiableand generous traits of which she had been told, or had herself known. With his very first savings, he had had the Genius with a reversed torchcast in bronze to grace his mother's grave, and give his father pleasure. Once he had been brought home half dead after saving a woman and childfrom drowning, and vainly endeavoring to rescue another child. He mightbe wild and reckless, but he had always been faithful to his art and tohis love for his family. 

Agatha's eyes opened widely when Melissa told her anything good about herbrother, and she clung in terror to her new friend as she heard of herexcited orgy with her lover. 

Scared as though some imminent horror threatened herself, she claspedMelissa's hand as she listened to the tale of the dangers Alexander hadso narrowly escaped. 

Such things had never before reached the ears of the girl in her retiredChristian home beyond the lake; they sounded to her as the tales of somebold seafarer to the peaceful husbandman on whose shores the storm haswrecked him. 

"And do you know, " she exclaimed, "all this seems delightful to me, though my father, I am sure, would judge it hardly! When your brotherrisks his life, it is always for others, and that is right--that is thehighest life. I think of him as an angel with a flaming sword. But youdo not know our sacred scriptures. "

Then Melissa would hear more of this book, of which Andreas hadfrequently spoken; but there was a knock at the door, and she sprang outof bed. 

Agatha did the same; and when a slave-girl had brought in fresh, coldwater, she insisted on handing her friend the towels, on plaiting herlong hair, pinning her peplos in its place, and arranging its folds. Shehad so often longed for a sister, and she felt as though she had foundone in Melissa! While she helped her to dress she kissed her preserver'ssister on the eyes and lips, and entreated her with affectionate urgencyto come to see her, as soon as she had done all she could for her lover. She must be made acquainted with her father, and Agatha longed to showher her poor children, her dogs, and her pigeons. And she would go tosee Melissa, when she was staying with Polybius. 

"And there, " Melissa put in, "you will see my brother, too. "

On which the Christian girl exclaimed: You must bring him to our house. My father will be glad to thank him--" Here she paused, and then added, "Only he must not again risk his life so rashly. "

"He will be well hidden at the house of Polybius, " replied Melissa, consolingly. "And Andreas has him fast by this time. "

She once more kissed Agatha, and went to the door, but her friend heldher back, and whispered "In my father's grounds there is a famous hidingplace, where no one would ever find him. It has often been a refuge forweeks and months for persecuted members of our faith. When he isseriously threatened, bring him to us. We will gladly provide for hissafety, and all else. Only think, if they should catch him! It would befor my sake, and I should never be happy again. Promise me that you willbring him. "

"Yes, certainly, " cried Melissa, as she hurried out into the vestibule, where Andreas and the leech were waiting for her. 

They had done well to enlist the girl's services, for, since nursing hermother, she knew, as few did, how to handle the sick. It was not tillthey had fairly set out that Melissa observed that Dame Katharine was ofthe party; she had no doubt become reconciled to the idea of the sickman's removal to the Serapeum, for she had the same look of kindly calmwhich had so much attracted the girl at their first meeting. 

The streets along which they passed in the pale morning light were nowdeserted, and a film of mist, behind which glowed the golden light of thenewly risen sun, shrouded the horizon. The fresh air of morning wasdelicious, and at this early hour there was no one to avoid--only thepeasants and their wives carrying the produce of their gardens and fieldsto market on asses, or wagons drawn by oxen. The black slaves of thetown were sweeping the roadway. Here there were parties of men, women, and children on their way to work in factories, which were at rest butfor a few hours in the bustling town. The bakers and other provision-dealers were opening their shops; the cobblers and metalworkers werealready busy or lighting fires in their open stalls; and Andreas noddedto a file of slave-girls who had come across from the farm and gardens ofPolybius, and who now walked up the street with large milk-jars andbaskets of vegetables poised on their heads and supported with onegracefully raised arm. 

They presently crossed the Aspendia Canal, where the fog hung over thewater like white smoke, hiding the figure of the tutelary goddess of thetown on the parapet of the bridge from those who crossed by the roadway. The leaves of the mimosa-trees by the quay--nay, the very stones of thehouses and the statues, wet with the morning dew--looked revived andnewly washed; and a light breeze brought up from the Serapeum brokentones of the chant, sung there every morning by a choir of priests, tohail the triumph of light over darkness. 

The crisp morning air was as invigorating to Melissa as her cold bath hadbeen, after a night which had brought her so little rest. She felt asthough she, and all Nature with her, had just crossed the threshold of anew day, bidding her to fresh life and labor. Now and then a flame fromLucifer's torch swallowed up a stretch of morning mist, while the Hoursescorted Phoebus Apollo, whose radiant diadem of beams was just risingabove the haze; Melissa could have declared she saw them dancing forthbefore him and strewing the path of the sun with flowers. All this wasbeautiful--as beautiful as the priest's chant, the aromatic sweetness ofthe air, and the works of art in cast bronze or hewn marble which were tobe seen on the bridge, on the temple to Isis and Anubis to the right ofthe street, under the colonnades of the handsomest houses, on the publicfountains--in short, wherever the eye might turn. Her lover, bornebefore her in a litter, was on the way to the physician in whose handslay the power to cure him. She felt as though Hope led the way. 

Since love had blossomed in her breast her quiet life had become aneventful one. Most of what she had gone through had indeed filled herwith alarms. Serious questions to which she had never given a thoughthad been brought before her; and yet, in this brief period of anxiety shehad gained the precious sense of youthfulness and of capacity for actionwhen she had to depend on herself. The last few hours had revealed toher the possession of powers which only yesterday she had neversuspected. She, who had willingly yielded to every caprice of herfather's, and who, for love of her brothers, had always unresistinglydone their bidding, now knew that she had a will of her own and strengthenough to assert it; and this, again, added to her contentment thismorning. 

Alexander had told her, and old Dido, and Diodoros, that she was fair tolook upon--but these all saw her with the eyes of affection; so she hadalways believed that she was a well-looking girl enough, but by no meanshighly gifted in any respect--a girl whose future would be to bloom andfade unknown in her father's service. But now she knew that she wasindeed beautiful; not only because she had heard it repeatedly in thecrowd of yesterday, or even because Agatha had declared it while braidingher hair--an inward voice affirmed it, and for her lover's sake she washappy to believe it. 

As a rule, she would have been ready to drop with fatigue after so manysleepless hours and such severe exertions; but to-day she felt as freshas the birds in the trees by the roadside, which greeted the sun withcheerful twitterings. 

"Yes, the world is indeed fair!" thought she; but at that very momentAndreas's grave voice was heard ordering the bearers to turn down a darkside alley which led into the street of Hermes, a few hundred paces fromthe Rhakotis Canal. 

How anxious the good man looked! Her world was not the world of theChristian freedman; that she plainly understood when the litter in whichDiodoros lay was carried into one of the houses in the side street. 

It was a large, plain building, with only a few windows, and those highup-in fact, as Melissa was presently informed, it was a Christian church. Before she could express her surprise, Andreas begged her to have a fewminutes' patience; the daemons of sickness were here to be exorcised anddriven out of the sufferer. He pointed to a seat in the vestibule to thechurch, a wide but shallow room. Then, at a sign from Andreas, theslaves carried the litter into a long, low hall with a flat roof. 

From where she sat, Melissa could now see that a Christian in priest'srobes, whom they called the exorcist, spoke various invocations over thesick man, the others listening so attentively that even she began to hopefor some good effect from these incomprehensible formulas; and at thesame time she remembered that her old slave-woman Dido, who worshipedmany gods, wore round her neck, besides a variety of heathen amulets, a little cross which had been given her by a Christian woman. To herquestion why she, a heathen, wore this about her, the old woman replied, "You can never tell what may help you some day. " So perhaps theseexorcisms might not be without some effect on her lover, particularly asthe God of the Christians must be powerful and good. 

She herself strove to uplift her soul in prayer to the manes of her lostmother; but the scene going on around her in the vestibule distracted hermind with horror. Men, young and old, were slashing themselves withvehement scourgings on their backs. One white-haired old man, indeed, handed his whip of hippopotamus-hide to a stalwart lad whose shoulderswere streaming with blood, and begged him as a brother, as fervently asthough it were the greatest favor, to let him feel the lash. But theyounger man refused, and she saw the weak old fellow trying to apply itto his own back. 

All this was quite beyond her comprehension, and struck her as, disgusting; and how haggard and hideous were the limbs of these peoplewho thus sinned against their own bodies--the noble temples of the DivineSpirit!

When, a few minutes later, the litter was borne out of the church again, the sun had triumphed over the mists and was rising with blindingsplendor in the cloudless sky. Everything was bathed in light; but thedreadful sight of the penitents had cast a gloom over the clear gladnessshe had been so full of but just now. It was with a sense of oppressionthat she took leave of the deaconess, who left her with cheerfulcontentment in the street of Hermes, and followed the litter to the opensquare in front of the Serapeum. 

Here every thought of gloom vanished from her mind as at the touch of amagician, for before her stood the vast Temple of Serapis, founded, as itwere, for eternity, on a substructure of rock and closely fitted masonry, the noblest building on earth of any dedicated to the gods. The greatcupola rose to the blue sky as though it fain would greet the sistervault above with its own splendor, and the copper-plating which coveredit shone as dazzling as a second sun. From the wide front of the temple, every being to whom the prayers and worship of mortals could be offeredlooked down on her, hewn in marble or cast in bronze; for on the roof, onbrackets or on pedestals; in niches or as supporting the parapets andbalconies, were statues of all the guests at the Olympian banquet, withimages or busts of every hero or king, philosopher, poet, or artist whosedeeds or works had earned him immortality. 

From infancy Melissa had looked up at this temple with admiration andpride, for here every art had done its utmost to make it without parallelon earth. It was the work of her beloved native city, and her mother hadoften taken her into the Serapeum, where she herself had found comfort inmany a sorrow and disappointment, and had taught the child to love it. That it had afterward been spoiled for her she forgot in her presentmood. 

Never had she seen the great temple surrounded by so much gay and busylife. The front of the building, toward the square, had in the earlyhours of the morning been decked with garlands and heavy wreaths offlowers, by a swarm of slaves standing on ladders and planks and bencheslet down from the roof by ropes. The inclined ways, by which vehiclesdrove up to the great door, were still deserted, and on the broad stepsin the middle no one was to be seen as yet but a few priests in galarobes, and court officials; but the immense open space in front of thesanctuary was one great camp, where, among the hastily pitched canvastents, horses were being dressed and weapons polished. Several maniplesof the praetorians and of the Macedonian phalanx were already drawn up incompact ranks, to relieve guard at the gate of the imperial residence, and stand at Caesar's orders. 

But more attractive to the girl than all this display were a number ofaltars which had been erected at the extreme edge of the great square, and on each of which a fire was burning. Heavy clouds of smoke went upfrom them in the still, pure atmosphere, like aerial columns, while theflames, paling in the beams of the morning sun, flew up through the reekas though striving to rise above it, with wan and changeful gleams of redand yellow, now curling down, and now writhing upward like snakes. Ofall these fires there was not one from which the smoke did not mountstraight to heaven, though each burned to a different god; and Melissaregarded it as a happy sign that none spread or failed to rise. Theembers were stirred from time to time by the priests and augurs of everygod of the East and West, who also superintended the sacrifices, whilewarriors of every province of the empire stood round in prayer. 

Melissa passed by all these unwonted and soul-stirring sights without aregret; her hope for the cure soon to be wrought on her lover cast allelse into the shade. Still, while she looked around at the thousands whowere encamped here, and gazed up at the temple where so many men werebusied, like ants, it struck her that in fact all this belonged to oneand was done for one alone. Those legions followed him as the dustfollows the wind, the whole world trembled at his nod, and in his handlay the life and happiness of the millions he governed. And it was atthis omnipotent being, this god in human form, that her brother hadmocked; and the pursuers were at his heels. This recollection troubledher joy, and when she looked in the freedman's grave and anxious face herheart began to beat heavily again. 

CHAPTER XII. 

Melissa had supposed that, according to custom, the litter would becarried up the incline or the steps, and into the Serapeum by the greatdoor; but in consequence of the emperor's visit this could not be. Thesick man was borne round the eastern side of the huge building, whichcovered a space on which a whole village might have stood. The door atthe back, to the south, through which he was finally admitted, openedinto a gallery passing by the great quadrangle where sacrifice was made, and leading to the inner rooms of the temple, to the cubicles amongothers. 

In these it was revealed to the sick in dreams by what means or remediesthey might hope to be healed: and there was no lack of priests tointerpret the visions, nor of physicians who came hither to watchpeculiar cases, to explain to the sufferers the purport of the counselof the gods--often very dark--or to give them the benefit of their own. 

One of these, a friend of Ptolemaeus, who, though he had been secretlybaptized, still was one of the pastophori of the temple, was awaiting thelittle party, and led the way as guide. 

The bellowing of beasts met them on the very threshold. These were to beslaughtered at this early hour by the special command of Caracalla; and, as Caesar himself had promised to be present at the sacrificial rites, none but the priests or "Caesar's friends" were admitted to the court-yard. The litter was therefore carried up a staircase and through a longhall forming part of the library, with large windows looking down on theopen place where the beasts were killed and the entrails examined. Diodoros saw and heard nothing, for the injury to the skull had deprivedhim of all consciousness; Ptolemaeus, however, to soothe Melissa, assuredher that he was sleeping soundly. 

As they mounted the stairs she had kept close to her lover's side; but onthis assurance she lingered behind and looked about her. 

As the little procession entered the gallery, in which the rolls ofmanuscript lay in stone or wooden cases on long rows of shelves, theshout was heard of "Hail, Caesar!" mingling with a solemn chant, andannouncing the sovereign's approach. 

At this the physician pointed to the court-yard, and said to the girl, whose beauty had greatly attracted him: "Look down there if you want tosee Caesar. We must wait here, at any rate, till the crowd has gone pastin the corridor beyond that door. " And Melissa, whose feminine curiosityhad already tempted her to the window, looked down into the quadrangleand on to the steps down which a maniple of the praetorian guard weremarching, with noble Romans in togas or the uniform of legates, augurswearing wreaths, and priests of various orders. Then for a few minutesthe steps were deserted, and Melissa thought she could hear her own heartbeating, when suddenly the cry: "Hail, Caesar!" was again heard, loudtrumpets rang out and echoed from the high stone walls which surroundedthe inclosure, and Caracalla appeared on the broad marble steps which leddown into the court of sacrifice. 

Melissa's eyes were riveted as if spell-bound on this figure, which wasneither handsome nor dignified, and which nevertheless had a strangeattraction for her, she knew not why. What was it in this man, who wasshort rather than tall, and feeble rather than majestic, which soimperatively forbade all confident advances? The noble lion which walkedby his side, and in whose mane his left hand was buried, was not moreunapproachable than he. He called this terrible creature, which hetreated with as much familiarity as if it were a lapdog, his "Persiansword"; and as Melissa looked she remembered what fate might be in storefor her brother through this man, and all the crimes of which he wasaccused by the world--the murders of his brother, of his wife, and ofthousands besides. 

For the first time in her life she felt that she could hate; she longedto bring down every evil on that man's head. The blood mounted to hercheeks, and her little fists were clinched, but she never took her eyesoff him; for everything in his person impressed her, if not as fine, still as exceptional--if not as great, still as noteworthy. 

She knew that he was not yet thirty, but yesterday, as he drove past her, he had looked like a surly misanthropist of more than middle age. To-dayhow young he seemed! Did he owe it to the laurel crown which rested onhis head, or to the white toga which fell about him in ample folds, leaving only the sinewy arm bare by which he led the lion?

From where she stood she could only see his side-face as he came down thesteps, and indeed it was not ill-favored; brow, nose, and chin werefinely and nobly formed; his beard was thin, and a mustache curled overhis lips. His eyes, deeply set under the brows, were not visible to her, but she had not forgotten since yesterday their sinister and terriblescowl. 

At this moment the lion crept closer to his master. 

If only the brute should spring on that more blood-stained and terriblebeast of prey who could kill not only with claws and teeth but with aword from his lips, a wave of his hand!--the world would be rid of theferocious curse. Ay, his eye, which had yesterday scorned to look at themultitudes who had hailed his advent, was that of a cruel tyrant. 

And then--she felt as if he must have guessed her thoughts--while hepatted the lion and gently pushed him aside he turned his face full onher, and she knew not whether to be pleased or angry, for the odious, squinting eyes were not now terrible or contemptuous; nay, they hadlooked kindly on the beast, and with a somewhat suffering expression. The dreadful face of the murderer was not hideous now, but engaging--the face of a youth enduring torments of soul or of body. 

She was not mistaken. On the very next step Caracalla stood still, pressed his right hand to his temples, and set his lips as if to controlsome acute pain. Then he sadly shook his head and gazed up at the wallsof the court, which had been decorated in his honor with hangings andgarlands of flowers. First he studied the frieze and the festal displayon his right, and when he turned his head to look at the side whereMelissa stood, an inward voice bade her withdraw, that the gaze of thismonster might not blight her. But an irresistible attraction held herfast; then suddenly she felt as if the ground were sinking from under herfeet, and, as a shipwrecked wretch snatches at a floating spar, she clungto the little column at the left of the window, clutching it with herhand; for the dreadful thing had happened-Caracalla's eye had met hersand had even rested on her for a while! And that gaze had nothingbloodthirsty in it, nor the vile leer which had sparkled in the eyes ofthe drunken rioters she had met last night in the streets; he only lookedastonished as at some wonderful thing which he had not expected to see inthis place. But presently a fresh attack of pain apparently made himturn away, for his features betrayed acute suffering, as he slowly sethis foot on the next step below. 

Again, and more closely, he pressed his hand to his brow, and thenbeckoned to a tall, well-built man with flowing hair, who walked behindhim, and accepted the support of his offered arm. 

"Theocritus, formerly an actor and dancer, " the priest whispered toMelissa. "Caesar's whim made the mimic a senator, a legate, and afavorite. "

But Melissa only knew that he was speaking, and did not take in thepurport of his speech; for this man, slowly descending the steps, absorbed her whole sympathy. She knew well the look of those who sufferand conceal it from the eyes of the world; and some cruel disease wascertainly consuming this youth, who ruled the earth, but whose purplerobes would be snatched at soon enough by greedy hands if he should ceaseto seem strong and able. And now, again, he looked old and worn--poorwretch, who yet was so young and born to be so abundantly happy! He was, to be sure, a base and blood-stained tyrant, but not the less a miserableand unhappy man. The more severe the pain he had to endure, the hardermust he find it to hide it from the crowd who were constantly about him. There is but one antidote to hatred, and that is pity; it was with theeager compassion of a woman's heart that Melissa marked every movement ofthe imperial murderer, as soon as she recognized his sufferings, and whentheir eyes had met. Nothing now escaped her keen glance which could addto her sympathy for the man she had loathed but a minute before. Shenoticed a slight limp in his gait and a convulsive twitching of hiseyelids; his slender, almost transparent hand, she reflected, was that ofa sick man, and pain and fever, no doubt, had thinned his hair, which hadleft many places bald. 

And when the high--priest of Serapis and the augurs met him at thebottom of the steps and Caesar's eye again put on the cruel scowl ofyesterday, she would not doubt that it was stern self-command which gavehim that threatening glare, to seem terrible, in spite of his anguish, tothose whose obedience he required. He had really needed his companion'ssupport as they descended the stair, that she could plainly see; and shehad observed, too, how carefully his guide had striven to conceal thefact that he was upholding him; but the courtier was too tall to achievethe task he had set himself. Now, she was much shorter than Caesar, andshe was strong, too. Her arm would have afforded him a much bettersupport. 

But how could she think of such a thing?--she, the sister of Alexander, the betrothed of Diodoros, whom she truly loved!

Caesar mingled with the priests, and her guide told her that the corridorwas now free. She peeped into the litter, and, seeing that Diodorosstill slept, she followed him, lost in thought, and giving short andheedless answers to Andreas and the physicians She had not listened tothe priest's information, and scarcely turned her head to look out, whena tall, thin man with a bullet-head and deeply wrinkled brow was pointedout to her as Macrinus, the prefect of the body-guard, the most powerfulman in Rome next to Caesar; and then the "friends" of Caracalla, whom shehad seen yesterday, and the historian Dion Cassius, with other senatorsand members of the imperial train. 

Now, as they made their way through halls and passages where the foot ofthe uninitiated rarely intruded, she looked about her with more interestwhen the priest drew her attention to some particularly fine statue orpicture, or some symbolical presentment. Even now, however, thoughassociation with her brothers had made her particularly alive toeverything that was beautiful or curious, she glanced round with lessinterest than she otherwise might have done, for she had much else tothink of. In the first place, of the benefits Diodoros was to derivefrom the great Galen; then of her father, who this day must dispense withher assistance; and, finally, of the state of mind of her grave brotherPhilip. He and Alexander, who usually were such united friends, now bothwere in love with Agatha, and what could come of that? And from time totime her thoughts flew back to Caesar, and she felt as though some tie, she knew not what, linked them together. 

As soon as the litter had to be carried up or down steps, she kept an eyeon the bearers, and gave such help as was needed when the sleeper'sposition was changed. Whenever she looked in his handsome face, flushedas it was by fever and framed in tumbled curls, her heart swelled, andshe felt that she had much to thank the gods for, seeing that her loverwas so full of splendid youth and in no respect resembled the prematurelydecrepit and sickly wearer of the purple. Nevertheless, she thought agood deal of Caracalla, and it even occurred to her once that if it werehe who was being carried instead of Diodoros, she would tend him no lesscarefully than her betrothed. Caesar, who had been as far out of her kenas a god, and of whose overwhelming power she had heard, had suddenlycome down to her. She involuntarily thought of him as one of those fewwith whom she had come into personal contact, and in whose weal or woeshe had some sympathetic interest. He could not be altogether evil andhardened. If he could only know what pain it caused her to see himsuffer, he would surely command Zminis to abandon the pursuit of herbrother. 

Just as they were reaching the end of their walk, the trumpets rang outonce more, reminding her that she was under the same roof with him. Shewas so close to him--and yet how far he was from guessing the desires ofa heart which beat with compassion for him!

Several sick persons, eager for some communication from the gods, andsome who, without being sick, had slept in the Serapeum, had by this timeleft their beds, and were taking counsel in the great hall withinterpreters and physicians. The bustle was like that of a market-place, and there was one old man with unkempt hair and fiery eyes who repeatedagain and again in a loud voice, "It was the god himself who appeared tome, and his three-headed dog licked my cheeks. " And presently a hideousold woman plucked at Melissa's robe, whispering: "A healing draught foryour lover; tears from the eyes of the infant Horus. I have them fromIsis herself. The effect is rapid and certain. Come to Hezron, thedealer in balsams in the street of the Nekropolis. Your lover'srecovery--for five drachmae. "

But Melissa, who was no stranger here since her mother's last sickness, went on without pausing, following the litter down the long hall full ofbeds, a room with a stone roof resting on two rows of tall columns. Familiar to her too was the aromatic scent of kyphi, --[incense]--whichfilled the hall, although fresh air was constantly pouring in fromoutside through the high windows. Red and green curtains hung in frontof them, and the subdued light which came through fell in tinted twilighton the colored pictures in relief of the history of the gods, whichcovered the walls. Speech was forbidden here, and their steps fellnoiseless on the thick, heavy mats. 

Most of the beds were already empty; only those between the long wall andthe nearest row of columns were still for the most part occupied by thesick who sought the help of the god. On one of these Diodoros was laid, Melissa helping in silence, and with such skill as delighted even thephysicians. Still, this did not wake him, though on the next bed lay aman who never ceased speaking, because in his dream he had been bidden torepeat the name of Serapis as many times as there were drops in a cup ofwater filled from the Agathodaemon Canal. 

"A long stay in this strong perfume will be bad for him, " whisperedPtolemaeus to the freedman. "Galenus sent word that he would visit thesick early to-day; but he is not here yet. He is an old man, and inRome, they say, it is the custom to sleep late. "

He was interrupted by a stir in the long hall, which broke in on thesilence, no one knew from whence; and immediately after, officious handsthrew open the great double doors with a loud noise. 

"He is coming, " whispered their priestly guide; and the instant after anold man crossed the threshold, followed by a troop of pastophori, asobsequious as the courtiers at the heels of a prince. 

"Gently, brothers, " murmured the greatest physician of his age in a lowvoice, as, leaning on a staff, he went toward the row of couches. It waseasy to see the traces of his eighty years, but his fine eyes stillgleamed with youthful light. 

Melissa blushed to think that she could have mistaken Serenus Samonicusfor this noble old man. He must once have been a tall man; his back wasbent and his large head was bowed as though he were forever seekingsomething. His face was pale and colorless, with a well-formed nose andmouth, but not of classic mold. Blue veins showed through the clearwhite skin, and the long, silky, silvery hair still flowed in unthinnedwaves round his massive head, bald only on the crown. A snowy beard fellover his breast. His aged form was wrapped in a long and ample robe ofcostly white woolen stuff, and his whole appearance would have beenstriking for its peculiar refinement, even if the eyes had not sparkledwith such vivid and piercing keenness from under the thick brows, and ifthe high, smooth, slightly prominent forehead had not borne witness tothe power and profundity of his mind. Melissa knew of no one with whomto compare him; he reminded Andreas of the picture of John as an old man, which a wealthy fellow-Christian had presented to the church of SaintMark. 

If this man could do nothing, there was no help on earth. And howdignified and self-possessed were the movements of this bent old man ashe leaned on his staff! He, a stranger here, seemed to be showing theothers the way, a guide in his own realm. Melissa had heard that thestrong scent of the kyphi might prove injurious to Diodoros, and her onethought now was the desire that Galenus might soon approach his couch. He did not, in fact, begin with the sick nearest to the door, but stoodawhile in the middle of the hall, leaning against a column and surveyingthe place and the beds. 

When his searching glance rested on that where Diodoros was lying, ananswering look met his with reverent entreaty from a pair of beautiful, large, innocent eyes. A smile parted his bearded lips, and going up tothe girl he said: "Where beauty bids, even age must obey. Your lover, child, or your brother?"

"My betrothed, " Melissa hastened to reply; and the maidenly embarrassmentwhich flushed her cheek became her so well that he added:

"He must have much to recommend him if I allow him to carry you off, fairmaid. "

With these words he went up to the couch, and looking at Diodoros as helay, he murmured, as if speaking to himself and without paying any heedto the younger men who crowded round him:

"There are no true Greeks left here; but the beauty of the ancestral raceis not easily stamped out, and is still to be seen in their descendants. What a head, what features, and what hair!"

Then he felt the lad's breast, shoulders, and arms, exclaiming in honestadmiration, "What a godlike form!"

He laid his delicate old hand, with its network of blue veins, on thesick man's forehead, again glanced round the room, and listened toPtolemaeus, who gave him a brief and technical report of the case; then, sniffing the heavy scent that filled the hall, he said, as the Christianleech ceased speaking:

"We will try; but not here--in a room less full of incense. This perfumebrings dreams, but no less surely induces fever. Have you no other roomat hand where the air is purer?"

An eager "Yes, " in many voices was the reply; and Diodoros was forthwithtransferred into a small cubicle adjoining. 

While he was being moved, Galenus went from bed to bed, questioning thechief physician and the patients. He seemed to have forgotten Diodorosand Melissa; but after hastily glancing at some and carefully examiningothers, and giving advice where it was needful, he desired to see thefair Alexandrian's lover once more. 

As he entered the room he nodded kindly to the girl. How gladly wouldshe have followed him! But she said to herself that if he had wished herto be present he would certainly have called her; so she modestly awaitedhis return. She had to wait a long time, and the minutes seemed hourswhile she heard the voices of men through the closed door, the moaningand sighing of the sufferer, the splashing of water, and the clatter ofmetal instruments; and her lively imagination made her fancy thatsomething almost unendurable was being done to her lover. 

At last the physician came out. His whole appearance betokened perfectsatisfaction. The younger men, who followed him, whispered amongthemselves, shaking their heads as though some miracle had beenperformed; and every eye that looked on him was radiant with enthusiasticveneration. Melissa knew, as soon as his eyes met hers, that all waswell, and as she grasped the old man's hand she concluded from its coolmoisture that he had but just washed it, and had done with his own handall that Ptolemaeus had expected of his skill. Her eyes were dim withgrateful emotion, and though Galenus strove to hinder her from pressingher lips to his hand she succeeded in doing so; he, however, kissed herbrow with fatherly delight in her warmhearted sweetness, and said:

"Now go home happy, my child. That stone had hit your lover's brain-roofa hard blow; the pressure of the broken beam--I mean a piece of bone--hadrobbed him of his consciousness of what a sweet bride the gods havebestowed on him. But the knife has done its work; the beam is in itsplace again; the splinters which were not needed have been taken out; theroof is mended, and the pressure removed. Your friend has recoveredconsciousness, and I will wager that at this moment he is thinking of youand wishes you were with him. But for the present you had better deferthe meeting. For forty-eight hours he must remain in that little room, for any movement would only delay his recovery. "

"Then I shall stay here to nurse him, " cried Melissa, eagerly. ButGalenus replied, decisively:

"That must not be if he is to get well. The presence of a woman for whomthe sufferer's heart is on fire is as certain to aggravate the fever asthe scent of incense. Besides, child, this is no place for such as you. "

Her head drooped sadly, but he nodded to her cheeringly as he added:

"Ptolemaeus, who is worthy of your entire confidence, speaks of you as agirl of much sense, and you will surely not do anything to spoil my work, which was not easy. However, I must say farewell; other sick require mycare. "

He held out his hand, but, seeing her eyes fixed on his and glitteringthrough tears, he asked her name and family. It seemed to him of goodaugury for the long hours before him which he must devote to Caesar, thathe should, so early in the day, have met so pure and fair a flower ofgirlhood. 

When she had told him her own name and her father's, and also mentionedher brothers, Philip the philosopher, and Alexander the painter, who wasalready one of the chief masters of his art here, Galenus answeredheartily:

"All honor to his genius, then, for he is the one-eyed king in the landof the blind. Like the old gods, who can scarce make themselves heardfor the new, the Muses too have been silenced. The many really beautifulthings to be seen here are not new; and the new, alas! are not beautiful. But your brother's work, " he added, kindly, "may be the exception. "

"You should only see his portraits!" cried Melissa. 

"Yours, perhaps, among them?" said the old man, with interest. "That isa reminder I would gladly take back to Rome with me. "

Alexander had indeed painted his sister not long before, and how glad shewas to be able to offer the picture to the reverend man to whom she owedso much! So she promised with a blush to send it him as soon as sheshould be at home again. 

The unexpected gift was accepted with pleasure, and when he thanked hereagerly and with simple heartiness, she interrupted him with theassurance that in Alexandria art was not yet being borne to the grave. Her brother's career, it was true, threatened to come to an untimely end, for he stood in imminent danger. On this the old man--who had taken hisseat on a bench which the attendant physicians of the temple had broughtforward-desired to know the state of the case, and Melissa brieflyrecounted Alexander's misdemeanor, and how near he had been, yesterday, to falling into the hands of his pursuers. Then she looked up at the oldman beseechingly; and as he had praised her beauty, so now--she herselfknew not how she had such courage--the praises of his fame, his greatnessand goodness, flowed from her lips. And her bold entreaties ended with aprayer that he would urge Caesar, who doubtless revered him as a father, to cease from prosecuting her brother. 

The old man's face had grown graver and graver; he had several timesstroked his white beard with an uneasy gesture; and when, as she spokethe last words, she ventured to raise her timidly downcast eyes to his, he rose stiffly and said in regretful tones:

"How can I be vexed with a sister who knocks at any door to save abrother's life? But I would have given a great deal that it had not beenat mine. It is hard to refuse when I would so gladly accede, and yet soit must be; for, though Claudius Galenus does his best for BassianusAntoninus as a patient, as he does for any other, Bassianus the man andthe emperor is as far from him as fire from water; and so it must ever beduring the short space of time which may yet be granted to him and meunder the light of the sun. "

The last words were spoken in a bitter, repellent tone, and yet Melissafelt that it pained the old man to refuse her. So she earnestlyexclaimed:

"Oh, forgive me! How could I guess--" She suddenly paused and added, "Then you really think that Caesar has not long to live?"

She spoke with the most anxious excitement, and her question offendedGalenus. He mistook their purport, and his voice was wrathful as hereplied, "Long enough yet to punish an insult!"

Melissa turned pale. She fancied that she apprehended the meaning ofthese stern words, and, prompted by an earnest desire not to bemisunderstood by this man, she eagerly exclaimed:

"I do not wish him dead--no, indeed not; not even for my brother's sake!But just now I saw him near, and I thought I could see that he wassuffering great pain. Why, we pity a brute creature when it is inanguish. He is still so young, and it must be so hard to die!"

Galenus nodded approvingly, and replied:

"I thank you, in the name of my imperial patient. --Well, send me yourportrait; but let it be soon, for I embark before sunset. I shall liketo remember you. As to Caesar's sufferings, they are so severe, yourtender soul would not wish your worst enemy to know such pain. My arthas few means of mitigating them, and the immortals are little inclinedto lighten the load they have laid on this man. Of the millions whotremble before him, not one prays or offers sacrifice of his own free-will for the prosperity of the monarch. "

A flash of enthusiasm sparkled in Melissa's eye, but Galenus did not heedit; he briefly bade her farewell and turned away to devote himself toother patients. 

"There is one, at any rate, " thought she, as she looked after thephysician, "who will pray and sacrifice for that unhappy man. Diodoroswill not forbid it, I am sure. "

She turned to Andreas and desired him to take her to her lover. Diodoroswas now really sleeping, and did not feel the kiss she breathed on hisfore head. He had all her love; the suffering criminal she only pitied. 

When they had quitted the temple she pressed her hand to her bosom anddrew a deep breath as if she had just been freed from prison. 

"My head is quite confused, " she said, "by the heavy perfume and so muchanxiety and alarm; but O Andreas, my heart never beat with such joy andgratitude! Now I must collect my thoughts, and get home to do what isneedful for Philip. And merciful gods! that good-natured old Roman, Samonicus, will soon be expecting me at the Temple of Aphrodite; see howhigh the sun is already. Let us walk faster, for, to keep him waiting--"

Andreas here interrupted her, saying, "If I am not greatly mistaken, there is the Roman, in that open chariot, coming down the incline. "

He was right; a few minutes later the chariot drew up close to Melissa, and she managed to tell Samonicus all that had happened in so courteousand graceful a manner that, far from being offended, he could wish everysuccess to the cure his great friend had begun. And indeed his promisehad somewhat weighed upon his mind, for to carry out two undertakings inone day was too much, at his age, and he had to be present in the eveningat a banquet to which Caesar had invited himself in the house of Seleukusthe merchant. "

"The high-priest's brother?" asked Melissa, in surprise, for death hadbut just bereft that house of the only daughter. 

"The same, " said the Roman, gayly. Then he gave her his hand, with theassurance that the thought of her would make it a pleasure to rememberAlexandria. 

As she clasped his hand, Andreas came up, bowed gravely, and askedwhether it would be overbold in him, as a faithful retainer of themaiden's family, to crave a favor, in her name, of Caesar's illustriousand familiar friend. 

The Roman eyed Andreas keenly, and the manly dignity, nay, the defiantself-possession of the freedman--the very embodiment of all he hadexpected to find in a genuine Alexandrian--so far won his confidence thathe bade him speak without fear. He hoped to hear something sufficientlycharacteristic of the manners of the provincial capital to make ananecdote for Caesar's table. Then, when he understood that the matterconcerned Melissa's brother, and a distinguished artist, he smiledexpectantly. Even when he learned that Alexander was being hunted downfor some heedless jest against the emperor, he only threatened Melissasportively with his finger; but on being told that this jest dealt withthe murder of Geta, he seemed startled, and the tone of his voicebetrayed serious displeasure as he replied to the petitioner, "Do yousuppose that I have three heads, like the Cerberus at the feet of yourgod, that you ask me to lay one on the block for the smile of a prettygirl?"

He signed to his charioteer, and the horses whirled the light vehicleacross the square and down the street of Hermes. 

Andreas gazed after him, and muttered, with a shrug

"My first petition to a great man, and assuredly my last. "

"The coward!" cried Melissa; but Andreas said, with a superior smile. 

"Let us take a lesson from this, my child. Those who reckon on the helpof man are badly off indeed. We must all trust in God, and each inhimself. "

CHAPTER XIII. 

Andreas, who had so much on his shoulders, had lost much time, and wasurgently required at home. After gratifying Melissa's wish by describinghow Diodoros had immediately recovered consciousness on the completion ofthe operation performed by Galen, and painting the deep amazement thathad fallen on all the other physicians at the skill of this fine old man, he had done all he could for the present to be of use to the girl. Hewas glad, therefore, when in the street of Hermes, now swarming againwith citizens, soldiers, and horsemen, he met the old nurse, who, afterconducting Agatha home to her father, had been sent back to the town toremain in attendance, if necessary, on Diodoros. The freedman left it toher to escort Melissa to her own home, and went back to report toPolybius--in the first place, as to his son's state. 

It was decided that Melissa should for the present remain with herfather; but, as soon as Diodoros should be allowed to leave the Serapeum, she was to go across the lake to receive the convalescent on his returnhome. 

The old woman assured her, as they walked on, that Diodoros had alwaysbeen born to good luck; and it was clear that this had never been truerthan now, when Galenus had come in the nick of time to restore him tolife and health, and when he had won such a bride as Melissa. Then shesang the praises of Agatha, of her beauty and goodness, and told her thatthe Christian damsel had made many inquiries concerning Alexander. She, the speaker, had not been chary of her praise of the youth, and, unlessshe was much mistaken, the arrow of Eros had this time pierced Agatha'sheart, though till now she had been as a child--an innocent child--as sheherself could say, who had seen her grow up from the cradle. Her faithneed not trouble either Melissa or Alexander, for gentler and more modestwives than the Christian women were not to be found among the Greeks--andshe had known many. 

Melissa rarely interrupted the garrulous old woman; but, while shelistened, pleasant pictures of the future rose before her fancy. She sawherself and Diodoros ruling over Polybius's household, and, close athand, on Zeno's estate, Alexander with his beautiful and adored wife. There, under Zeno's watchful eye, the wild youth would become a nobleman. Her father would often come to visit them, and in their happinesswould learn to find pleasure in life again. Only now and then thethought of the sacrifice which the vehement Philip must make for hisyounger brother, and of the danger which still threatened Alexander, disturbed the cheerful contentment of her soul, rich as it was in gladhopes. 

The nearer they got to her own home, the more lightly her heart beat. She had none but good news to report there. The old woman, panting forbreath, was obliged to beg her to consider her sixty years and moderateher pace. 

Melissa willingly checked her steps; and when, at the end of the streetof Hermes, they reached the temple of the god from whom it was named andturned off to the right, the good woman parted from her, for in thisquiet neighborhood she could safely be trusted to take care of herself. 

Melissa was now alone. On her left lay the gardens of Hermes, where, onthe southern side, stood her father's house and that of their neighborSkopas. Though the old nurse had indeed talked of nothing that was notpleasant, it was a comfort not to have to listen to her, but to be freeto follow her own thoughts. Nor did she meet with anything to distractthem, for at this hour the great public garden was left almost entirelyto children and their attendants, or to the inhabitants of the immediateneighborhood who frequented the temples of Hermes or Artemis, or thelittle shrine of Asklepios, which stood in a grove of mimosas on theskirt of the park, and to which Melissa herself felt attracted. It hadbeen a familiar spot at the time when her mother was at the worst. Howoften had she flown hither from her home near at hand to pour oil on thealtar of the god of healing--to make some small offering and find comfortin prayer!

The day was now hot, she was tired, and, when she saw the white marblecolumns gleaming among the greenery, she yielded to the impulse to enjoya few minutes' rest in the cool cella and accomplish the vow she hadtaken an hour or two since. She longed, indeed, to get home, that herfather might share the happiness which uplifted her heart; but then shereflected that she would not soon have the opportunity of carrying out, unobserved, the purpose she had in her mind. Now, if ever, was the timeto offer sacrifice for Caesar and for the mitigation of his sufferings. The thought that Galenus perhaps was right, and that of Caracalla'smyriad subjects she might be the only one who would do so much for hissake, strengthened her resolve. 

The chief temple of Asklepios, whom the Egyptians called Imhotep, was atthe Serapeum. Imhotep was the son of Ptah, who, at Alexandria, wasmerged in Serapis. There he was worshiped, conjointly with Serapis andIsis, by Egyptians, Greeks, and Syrians alike. The little sanctuary nearher father's house was the resort of none but Greeks. PtolemaeusPhiladelphus, the second Macedonian King of Egypt, had built it as anappendage to the Temple of Artemis, after the recovery from sickness ofhis wife Arsinoe. 

It was small, but a masterpiece of Greek art, and the statues of Sleepand of A Dream, at the entrance, with the marble group behind the altar, representing Asklepios with his sister Hygeia and his wife Epione theSoother, was reckoned by connoisseurs as among the noblest and mostnoteworthy works of art in Alexandria. 

The dignity and benevolence of the god were admirably expressed in thefeatures of the divinity, somewhat resembling the Olympian Zeus, wholeaned on his serpent staff; and the graceful, inviting sweetness ofHygeia, holding out her cup as though she were offering health to thesufferer, was well adapted to revive the hopes of the despondent. Thegod's waving locks were bound with a folded scarf, and at his feet was adog, gazing up at his lord as if in entreaty. 

The sacred snakes lay coiled in a cage by the altar; they were believedto have the power of restoring themselves, and this was regarded as apromise to the sick that they should cast off their disease as a serpentcasts its skin. The swift power of the reptile over life and death, wasan emblem to the votaries of the power of the god to postpone the deathof man or to shorten his days. 

The inside of the little sanctuary was a cool and still retreat. Tabletshung on the white marble walls, inscribed with the thanksgivings or vowsof those who had been healed. On several, the remedies were recordedwhich had availed in certain cases; and on the left of the little hall, behind a heavy hanging, a small recess contained the archives of thetemple, recipes, records of gifts, and documents referring to the historyof the sanctuary. 

In this deserted, shady spot, between these thick marble walls, it wasmuch cooler than outside. Melissa lifted her hands in prayer before thestatue of the god. She was alone, with the exception of the priest incharge. The temple-servant was absent, and the priest was asleep, breathing heavily, in an arm-chair in a dark nook behind the marblegroup. Thus she was free to follow the impulse of her heart, and pray, first for her sick lover, and then for the sufferer to whom the wholesubservient world belonged. 

For Diodoros, indeed, as she knew, other hands and hearts were upliftedin loving sympathy. But who besides herself was praying for the hatedsovereign who had at his command the costliest and rarest gifts offortune, all poisoned by bitter anguish of mind and body? The worldthought only of the sufferings he had inflicted on others; no one dreamedof the pangs he had to endure--no one but herself, to whom Galenus hadspoken of them. And had not his features and his look betrayed to herthat pain was gnawing at his vitals like the vulture at those ofPrometheus? Hapless, pitiable youth, born to the highest fortune, andnow a decrepit old man in the flower of his age! To pray and sacrificefor him must be a pious deed, pleasing to the gods. Melissa besought themarble images over the altar from the very bottom of her heart, nevereven asking herself why she was bestowing on this stranger, this crueltryant, in whose name her own brother was in danger of the law, anemotion which nothing but her care for those dearest to her had everstirred. But she did not feel that he was a stranger, and never thoughthow far apart they were. Her prayers came easily, too, in this spot;the bonds that linked her to these beautiful marble beings were familiarand dear to her. While she gazed up into the face of Asklepios, imploring him to be gracious to the imperial youth, and release him fromthe pain but for which he might have been humane and beneficent, thestony features seemed to live before her eyes, and the majesty anddignity that beamed on the brow assured her that the god's power andwisdom were great enough to heal every disease. The tender smile whichplayed on his features filled her soul with the certainty that he wouldvouchsafe to be gracious; nay, she could believe that he moved thosemarble lips and promised to grant her prayer. And when she turned to thestatue of Hygeia she fancied the beautiful, kind face nodded to her witha pledge of fulfillment. 

She raised her beseeching arms higher still, and addressed her sculpturedfriends aloud, as though they could hear her:

"I know that nothing is hidden from you, eternal gods, " she began, "andwhen it was your will that my mother should be taken from me my foolishheart rebelled. But I was then a child without understanding, and mysoul lay as it were asleep. Now it is different. You know that I havelearned to love a man; and many things, and, the certainty that the godsare good, have come to me with that love. Forgive the maid the sins ofthe child, and make my lover whole, as he lies under the protection andin the sanctuary of the great Serapis, still needing your aid too. He ismending, and the greatest of thy ministers, O Asklepios, says he willrecover, so it must be true. Yet without thee even the skill of Galenusis of little avail; wherefore I beseech you both, Heal Diodoros, whom Ilove!--But I would fain entreat you for another. You will wonder, perhaps--for it is Bassianus Antoninus, whom they call Caracalla andCaesar. 

"Thou, Asklepios, dost look in amazement, and great Hygeia shakes herhead. And it is hard to say what moves me, who love another, to pray forthe blood-stained murderer for whom not another soul in his empire wouldsay a word to you. Nay, and I know not what it is. Perhaps it is butpity; for he, who ought to be the happiest, is surely the most wretchedman under the sun. O great Asklepios, O bountiful and gracious Hygeia, ease his sufferings, which are indeed beyond endurance! Nor shall youlack an offering. I will dedicate a cock to you; and as the cockannounces a new day, so perchance shall you grant to Caracalla the dawnof a new existence in better health. 

"Alas, gracious god! but thou art grave, as though the offering were toosmall. How gladly would I bring a goat, but I know not whether my moneywill suffice, for it is only what I have saved. By and by, when theyouth I love is my husband, I will prove my gratitude; for he is as richas he is handsome and kind, and will, I know, refuse me nothing. Andthou, sweet goddess, dost not look down upon me as graciously as before;I fear thou art angry. Yet think not"--and she gave a low laugh--"that Ipray for Caracalla because I care for him, or am in love with him. No, no, no, no! my heart is wholly given to Diodoros, and not the smallestpart of it to any other. It is Caesar's misery alone that brings mehither. Sooner would I kiss one of those serpents or a thorny hedgehogthan him, the fratricide in the purple. Believe me, it is true, strangeas it must seem. 

"First and last, I pray and offer sacrifice indeed for Diodoros and hisrecovery. My brother Alexander, too, who is in danger, I would faincommend to you; but he is well in body, and your remedies are of noeffect against the perils which threaten him. "

Here she ceased, and gazed into the faces of the statues, but they wouldnot look so friendly as before. It was, no doubt, the smallness of heroffering that had offended them. She anxiously drew out her littlemoney-bag and counted the contents. But when, after waking the priest, she had asked how much a goat might cost for sacrifice, her countenancecleared, for her savings were enough to pay for it and for a young cockas well. All she had she left with the old man, to the last sesterce;but she could only wait to see the cock sacrificed, for she felt she mustgo home. 

As soon as the blood of the bird had besprinkled the altar, and she hadtold the divinities that a goat was also to be killed, she fancied thatthey looked at her more kindly; and she was turning to the door, as lightand gay as if she had happily done some difficult task, when the curtainscreening off the library of archives was lifted, and a man came outcalling her by name. She turned round; but as soon as she saw that hewas a Roman, and, as his white toga told her, of the upper class, shetook fright. She hastily exclaimed that she was in a hurry, and flewdown the steps, through the garden, and into the road. Once there, shereproached herself for foolish shyness of a stranger who was scarcelyyounger than her own father; but by the time she had gone a few steps shehad forgotten the incident, and was rehearsing in her mind all she had totell Heron. She soon saw the tops of the palms and sycamores in theirown garden, her faithful old dog Melas barked with delight, and thehappiness which the meeting with the stranger had for a momentinterrupted revived with unchecked glow. 

She was weary, and where could she rest so well as at home? She hadescaped many perils, and where could she feel so safe as under herfather's roof? Glad as she was at the prospect of her new and handsomehome on the other side of the lake, and of all the delights promised herby Diodoros's affection, her heart still clung fondly to the pretty, neatlittle dwelling whose low roof now gleamed in front of her. In thegarden, whose shell-strewn paths she now trod, she had played as a child;that window belonged to the room where her mother had died. And then, coming home was in itself a joy, when she had so much to tell that waspleasant. 

The dog leaped along by her side with vehement affection, jumping roundher and on her, and she heard the starling's cry, first "Olympias!" andthen "My strength!"

A happy smile parted her rosy lips as she glanced at the work-room; butthe two white teeth which always gleamed when she was gay were presentlyhidden, for her father, it would seem, was out. He was certainly not atwork, for the wide window was unscreened, and it was now nearly noon. He was almost always within at this hour, and it would spoil half hergladness not to find him there. 

But what was this? What could this mean? The dog had announced herapproach, and old Dido's gray head peeped out of the house-door, tovanish again at once. How strangely she had looked at her--exactly asshe had looked that day when the physician had told the faithful creaturethat her mistress's last hour was at hand!

Melissa's contentment was gone. Before she even crossed the threshold, where the friendly word "Rejoice" greeted her in brown mosaic, she calledthe old woman by name. No answer. 

She went into the kitchen to find Dido; for she, according to herinvariable habit of postponing evil as long as possible, had fled to thehearth. There she stood, though the fire was out, weeping bitterly, andcovering her wrinkled face with her hands, as though she quailed beforethe eyes of the girl she must so deeply grieve. One glance at the woman, and the tears which trickled through her fingers and down her lean armstold Melissa that something dreadful had happened. Very pale, andclasping her hand to her heaving bosom, she desired to be told all; butfor some time Dido was quite unable to speak intelligibly. And beforeshe could make up her mind to it, she looked anxiously for Argutis, whomshe held to be the wisest of mankind, and who, she knew, would reveal thedreadful thing that must be told more judiciously than she could. Butthe Gaul was not to be seen; so Dido, interrupted by sobs, began themelancholy tale. 

Heron had come home between midnight and sunrise and had gone to bed. Next morning, while he was feeding the birds, Zminis, the captain of thenight-watch, had come in with some men-at-arms, and had tried to take theartist prisoner in Caesar's name. On this, Heron had raved like abull, had appealed to his Macedonian birth, his rights as a Romancitizen, and much besides, and demanded to know of what he was accused. He was then informed that he was to be held in captivity by the specialorders of the head of the police, till his son Alexander, who was guiltyof high-treason, should surrender to the authorities. But her master, said Dido, sobbing, had knocked down the man who had tried to bind himwith a mighty blow of his fist. At last there was a fearful uproar, andin fact a bloody fight. The starling shouted his cry through it all, thebirds fluttered and piped with terror, and it was like the abode of thedamned in the nether world; and strangers came crowding about the house, till Skopas arrived and advised Heron to go with the Egyptian. 

"But even at the door, " Dido added, "he called out to me that you, Melissa, could remain with Polybius till he should recover his liberty. Philip was to appeal for help to the prefect Titianus, and offer him thegems--you know them, he said. And, last of all, " and again she began tocry, "he especially commended to my care the tomb--and the birds; and thestarling wants some fresh mealworms. " Melissa heard with dismay; thecolor had faded from her cheeks, and as Dido ended she asked gloomily:

"And Philip--and Alexander?"

"We have thought of everything, " replied the old woman. "As soon as wewere alone we held a council, Argutis and I. He went to find Alexander, and I went to Philip. I found him in his rooms. He had come home verylate, the porter said, and I saw him in bed, and I had trouble enough towake him. Then I told him all, and he went on in such mad talk--it willbe no wonder if the gods punish him. He wanted to rush off to theprefect, with his hair uncombed, just as he was. I had to bring him tohis senses; and then, while I was oiling his hair and helping him intohis best new mantle, he changed his mind, for he declared he would comehome first, to talk with you and Argutis. Argutis was at home again, buthe had not found Alexander, for the poor youth has to hide himself as ifhe were a murderer. " And again she sobbed; nor was it till Melissa hadsoothed her with kind speeches that she could go on with her story. 

Philip had learned yesterday where Alexander was concealed, so heundertook to go across the lake and inform him of what had occurred. But Argutis, faithful and prudent, had hindered him, representing thatAlexander, who was easily moved, as soon as he heard that his father wasa prisoner would unhesitatingly give himself up to his enemies as ahostage, and rush headlong into danger. Alexander must remain in hidingso long as Caesar was in Alexandria. He (Argutis) would go instead ofPhilip, who, for his part, might call on the prefect later. He wouldcross the lake and warn Melissa not to return home, and to tell Alexanderwhat he might think necessary. The watch might possibly follow Argutis;but he knew every lane and alley, and could mislead and avoid them. Philip had listened to reason. The slave went, and must now soon be backagain. 

Of how different a home-coming had Melissa dreamed! What new andterrible griefs were these! Still, though distressed at the thought ofher vehement father in prison, she shed no tears, but told herself thatmatters could only be mended by rational action on behalf of the victims, and not by lamentations. She must be alone, to collect her strength andconsider the situation. So she desired Dido, to her great amazement, toprepare some food, and bring her wine and water. Then, seating herself, with a melancholy glance at her embroidery where it lay folded together, she rested her elbow on the table and her head in her hand, consideringto whom she could appeal to save her father. 

First she thought of Caesar himself, whose eye had met hers, and for whomshe had prayed and offered sacrifice. But the blood fired her cheeks atthe thought, and she repelled it at once. Yet her mind would linger atthe Serapeum, where her lover, too, still rested his fevered head. Sheknew that the high-priests' spacious lodgings there, with their splendidrooms and banqueting halls, had been prepared for the emperor; and sheremembered various things which her brother had told her of Timotheus, who was at the head not only of the heathen priesthood, but also of themuseum. He was said to be a philosopher, and Philip had more than oncebeen distinguished by him, and invited to his house. Her brother mustapply to him. He, who was in a way Caracalla's host, would easilysucceed in obtaining her father's release, from his imperial guest. 

Her grave face brightened at this thought, and, while she ate and drank, another idea struck her. Alexander, too, must be known to the high-priest; for Timotheus was the brother of Seleukus, whose daughter theartist had just painted, and Timotheus had seen the portrait and praisedit highly. Thus it was not improbable that the generous man would, ifPhilip besought him, intercede for Alexander. So all might turn outbetter than she had ventured to hope. 

Firmly convinced that it was her part to rescue her family, she once morereviewed in her mind every acquaintance to whom she might look for aid;but even during her meditations her tired frame asserted its rights, andwhen Dido came in to remove the remains of the meal and the empty wine-cup, she found Melissa sunk in sleep. 

Shaking her head, and saying to herself that it served the old man rightfor his cruel treatment of a dutiful child--though, for Alexander's sake, she might have tried to keep awake--the faithful soul pushed a cushionunder the girl's head, drew the screen across the window, and stoodwaving off the flies which buzzed about her darling's flushed face, tillpresently the dog barked, and an energetic knock shook the house-door. Melissa started from her slumbers, the old woman threw aside the fan, and, as she hurried to admit the vehement visitor, cried out to Melissa:

"Be easy, dear child--be easy. It is nothing; depend upon that. I knowthe knock; it is only Philip. "

CHAPTER XIV. 

Dido was right. Heron's eldest son had returned from his errand. Tired, disappointed, and with fierce indignation in his eyes, he staggered inlike a drunken man who has been insulted in his cups; and, withoutgreeting her--as his mother had taught her children to greet even theirslaves--he merely asked in hoarse tones, "Is Melissa come in?"

"Yes, yes, " replied Dido, laying her finger to her lips. "You roused herfrom a nap. And what a state you are in! You must not let her see youso! It is very clear what news you bring. The prefect will nothelp us?"

"Help us!" echoed Philip, wrathfully. "In Alexandria a man may drownrather than another will risk wetting his feet. "

"Nay, it is not so bad as that, " said the old woman. "Alexander himselfhas burned his fingers for others many a time. Wait a minute. I willfetch you a draught of wine. There is some still in the kitchen; for ifyou appear before your sister in that plight--"

But Melissa had recognized her brother's voice, and, although Philip hadsmoothed his hair a little with his hands, one glance at his face showedher that his efforts had been vain. 

"Poor boy!" she said, when, in answer to her question as to what his newswas, he had answered gloomily, "As bad as possible. "

She took his hand and led him into the work-room. There she reminded himthat she was giving him a new brother in Diodoros; and he embraced herfondly, and wished her and her betrothed every happiness. She thankedhim out of a full heart, while he swallowed his wine, and then she beggedhim to tell her all he had done. 

He began, and, as she gazed at him, it struck her how little he resembledhis father and brother, though he was no less tall, and his head wasshaped like theirs. But his frame, instead of showing their stalwartbuild, was lean and weakly. His spine did not seem strong enough for hislong body, and he never held himself upright. His head was always bentforward, as if he were watching or seeking something; and even when hehad seated himself in his father's place at the work-table to tell histale, his hands and feet, even the muscles of his well-formed butcolorless face, were in constant movement. He would jump up, or throwback his head to shake his long hair off his face, and his fine, large, dark eyes glowed with wrathful fires. 

"I received my first repulse from the prefect, " he began, and as hespoke, his arms, on whose graceful use the Greeks so strongly insisted, flew up in the air as though by their own impulse rather than by thespeaker's will. 

"Titianus affects the philosopher, because when he was young--long ago, that is very certain--his feet trod the Stoa. "

"Your master, Xanthos, said that he was a very sound philosopher, "Melissa put in. 

"Such praise is to be had cheap, " said Philip, by the most influentialman in the town. But his methods are old-fashioned. He crawls afterZeno; he submits to authority, and requires more independent spirits todo the same. To him the divinity is the Great First Cause. In thisworld of ours he can discern the working of a purposeful will, andconfuses his mind with windy, worn-out ideals. Virtue, he says--but towhat end repeat such stale old stuff?"

"We have no time for it, " said Melissa, who saw that Philip was on thepoint of losing himself in a philosophical dissertation, for he had begunto enjoy the sound of his own voice, which was, in fact, unusuallymusical. 

"Why not?" he exclaimed, shrugging his shoulders, and with a bittersmile. "When he has shot away all his arrows, the bowman may rest; and, as you will soon hear, our quiver is empty--as empty as this cup which Ihave drained. "

"No, no!" exclaimed Melissa, eagerly. "If this first attempt has failed, that is the very reason for planning another. I, too, can use figures ofspeech. The archer who is really eager to hit the object on which he hasspent his arrows, does not retire from the fight, but fetches more; andif he can find none, he fights with his bow, or falls on the enemy withstones, fists, and teeth. "

Philip looked at her in astonishment, and exclaimed in pleased surprise, without any of the supercilious scorn which he commonly infused into histone when addressing his humble sister:

"Listen to our little girl! Where did those gentle eyes get thatdetermined flash? From misfortune--from misfortune! They rob the gentledove of her young--I mean her splendid Alexander--and lo, she becomes avaliant falcon! I expected to find you a heart-broken lamb, over yourtear-stained stitching, and behold it is you who try to fire me. Well, then, tell me what arrows we have left, when you have heard me out. But, before I proceed, is Argutis at home again? No? He must go acrossagain, to take various things to Alexander--linen, garments, and thelike. I met Glaukias the sculptor, and he begged me not to forget it;for he knows where the lad is hidden, and was on the point of going overto see him. The man had made himself perfectly unrecognizable. He is atrue friend, if such a thing there be! And how grieved he was to hearof my father's ill fortune! I believe he is envious of Diodoros. "

Melissa shook a finger at him; but she turned pale, and curiouslyinquired whether her brother had remembered to warn Glaukias on noaccount to tell Alexander that it was in his power to release his father. 

Philip struck his brow, and, with a helpless fall of the mouth, which wasusually so firmly set and ready to sneer, he exclaimed, like a boy caughtin mischief: "That, that--I can not imagine how I forgot it, but I didnot mention it. What strange absence of mind! But I can remedy it atonce on the spot. Argutis--nay, I will go myself. "

He sprang up, and was on the point of carrying out his sudden purpose, but Melissa detained him. With a decisiveness which again amazed him, she desired him to remain; and while he paced the workroom with rapidstrides, heaping abuse on himself, now striking his breast, and nowpushing his fingers through his disordered hair, she made it clear to himthat he could not reach Alexander in time to prevent his knowing all, andthat the only result of his visit would be to put the watch on the track. Instead of raving and lamenting, he would do better to tell her whitherhe had been. 

First, he hastily began, he had gone to the prefect Titianus, who was anelderly man of a noble family, many of whose members had ere now occupiedthe official residence of the prefect in Alexandria, and in other townsof Egypt. He had often met Philip at the disputations he was wont toattend in the Museum, and had a great regard for him. But of lateTitianus had been out of health, and had kept his house. He hadundergone some serious operation shortly before Caesar's arrival atAlexandria had been announced, and this had made it impossible for him tobe present at the grand reception, or even to pay his respects toCaracalla. 

When Philip had sent in his name, Titianus had been very ready toreceive him; but while the philosopher was still waiting in the anteroom, wondering to find it so empty--for it was usually crowded with theclients, petitioners, and friends of the most important man in theprovince--a bustle had arisen behind him, and a tall man had been usheredin past him, whom he recognized as the senator on whose arm Caracalla hadleaned in the morning. This was the actor, whom the priest of Serapishad pointed out to Melissa as one of Caesar's most powerful favorites. From being a mere dancer he had risen in the course of a few years tothe highest dignities. His name was Theocritus, and although he wasdistinguished by great personal beauty and exceptional cleverness, hisunbridled greed had made him hated, and he had proved equally incompetentas a statesman and a general. 

As this man marched through the anteroom, he had glanced haughtily abouthim, and the look of contempt which fell on the philosopher probablyreflected on the small number of persons present, for at that hour theanterooms of Romans of rank were commonly thronged. Most visitors hadbeen dismissed, by reason of the prefect's illness, and many of theacquaintances and supplicants who were generally to be found here wereassembled in the imperial quarters, or in the rooms of the praetorianprefect and other powerful dignitaries in Caracalla's train. Titianushad failed to be present at the emperor's arrival, and keen courtiernoses smelled a fall, and judged it wise to keep out of the way of atottering power. 

Besides all this, the prefect's honesty was well known, and it wasstrongly suspected that he, as steward of all the taxes of this wealthyprovince, had been bold enough to reject a proposal made by Theocritusto embezzle the whole freight of a fleet loaded with corn for Rome, andcharge it to the account of army munitions. It was a fact that this baseproposal had been made and rejected only the evening before, and thescene of which Philip became the witness was the result of this refusal. 

Theocritus, to whom an audience was always indispensable, carefully leftthe curtains apart which divided the prefect's sick-room from theantechamber, and thus Philip was witness of the proceedings he nowdescribed to his sister. 

Titianus received his visitor, lying down, and yet his demeanor revealedthe self-possessed dignity of a high-born Roman, and the calm of a Stoicphilosopher. He listened unmoved to the courtier, who, after the usualformal greetings, took upon himself to overwhelm the older man with thebitterest accusations and reproaches. People allowed themselves to takestrange liberties with Caesar in this town, Theocritus burst out;insolent jests passed from lip to lip. An epigram against his sacredperson had found its way into the Serapeum, his present residence--aninsult worthy of any punishment, even of death and crucifixion. 

When the prefect, with evident annoyance, but still quite calmly, desiredto know what this extraordinary insult might be, Theocritus showed thateven in his high position he had preserved the accurate memory of themime, and, half angry, but yet anxious to give full effect to the linesby voice and gesture, he explained that "some wretch had fastened a ropeto one of the doors of the sanctuary, and had written below it theblasphemous words:

 'Hail! For so welcome a guest never came to the sovereign of Hades. Who ever peopled his realm, Caesar, more freely than thou? Laurels refuse to grow green in the darksome abode of Serapis; Take, then, this rope for a gift, never more richly deserved. '"

"It is disgraceful!" exclaimed the prefect. 

"Your indignation is well founded. But the biting tongue of thefrivolous mixed races dwelling in this city is well known. They havetried it on me; and if, in this instance, any one is to blame, it is notI, the imprisoned prefect, but the chief and captain of the night-watch, whose business it is to guard Caesar's residence more strictly. "

At this Theocritus was furious, and poured out a flood of words, expatiating on the duties of a prefect as Caesar's representative in theprovinces. "His eye must be as omniscient as that of the all-seeingDeity. The better he knew the uproarious rabble over whom he ruled, themore evidently was it his duty to watch over Caesar's person as anxiouslyas a mother over her child, as a miser over his treasure. "

The high-sounding words flowed with dramatic emphasis, the sentimentalspeaker adding to their impressiveness by the action of his hands, tillit was more than the invalid could bear. With a pinched smile, he raisedhimself with difficulty, and interrupted Theocritus with the impatientexclamation, "Still the actor!"

"Yes, still!" retorted the favorite, in a hard voice. "You, however, havebeen even longer--what you have, indeed, been too long--Prefect of Egypt!"With an angry fling he threw the corner of his toga over his shoulder, and, though his hand shook with rage, the pliant drapery fell in gracefulfolds over his athletic limbs. He turned his back on the prefect, and, with the air of a general who has just been crowned with laurels, hestalked through the anteroom and past Philip once more. 

The philosopher had told his sister all this in a few sentences. He nowpaused in his walk to and fro to answer Melissa's question as to whetherthis upstart's influence were really great enough to turn so noble andworthy a man out of his office. 

"Can you ask?" said Philip. "Titianus had no doubts from the first; andwhat I heard in the Serapeum--but all in good time. The prefect wassorry for my father and Alexander, but ended by saying that he himselfneeded an intercessor; for, if it were not to-day, at any rate to-morrow, the actor would inveigle Caesar into signing his death-warrant. "

"Impossible!" cried the girl, spreading out her hands in horror; butPhilip dropped into a seat, saying:

"Listen to the end. There was evidently nothing to be hoped for fromTitianus. He is, no doubt, a brave man, but there is a touch of theactor in him too. He is a Stoic; and where would be the point of that, if a man could not appear to look on approaching death as calmly as ontaking a bath?

"Titianus plays his part well. However, I next went to the Serapeum--itis a long way, and it was very hot in the sun--to ask for help from myold patron, the high-priest. Caesar is now his guest; and the prefect, too, had advised me to place my father's cause in his hands. "

Here Philip sprang up again, and rushed up and down, sometimes stoppingfor a moment in front of his sister while he went on with his story. 

Theocritus had long since reached the Serapeum in his swift chariot whenthe philosopher at last arrived there on foot. He was well known as afrequent visitor, and was shown at once into the hall of that part of hisabode which Timotheus had reserved for himself when he had given up allthe best rooms to his imperial visitor. 

The anteroom was crowded, and before he got any farther he heard thatthe favorite's accusations had already led to serious results, and rumorswere rife concerning the luckless witticisms of some heedless youth, which would bring grief upon the peaceable citizens. But before he couldask what was meant, he was admitted to the high-priest's room. 

This was a marked favor on such a day as this, and the benevolence withwhich he was received by the head of the priesthood of the whole cityfilled him with good hopes of a successful issue. But hardly had Philipbegun to speak of his brother's misdemeanor, than Timotheus laid his handon his bearded lips, as a hint to be cautious, and whispered in his ear, "Speak quickly and low, if you love your life!"

When Philip had hastily explained that Zminis had imprisoned his father, the old man started to his feet with a promptitude to which his majesticperson was unaccustomed, and pointed to a curtained doorway on one sideof the room. 

"Through that door, " he whispered, "you will reach the western steps, andthe passage leading out of the precincts to the stadium. You are knownto the Romans in the anteroom. It is not the god to whom this buildingis dedicated who now rules within these walls. Your brother's rash wordsare repeated everywhere, and have even come to Caesar's knowledge; and hehas been told that it was the same traitor--who has for the momentescaped Zminis and his men--who nailed a rope on one of our doors, andwith it an audacious inscription. To speak a single word in behalf ofAlexander or your father would be to fling myself into the fire withoutputting it out. You do not know how fiercely it is burning. Theocritusis feeding the flame, for he needs it to destroy the prefect. Now, notanother word; and, come what may, so long as the Roman visitors dwellunder this roof, beware of it!"

And the high-priest opened the door with his own hand. 

"I hurried home, " Philip added, "and if I forgot, in my dismay at thisfresh disaster, to warn Glaukias to be careful--But, no, no! It isunpardonable!--Alexander is by this time crossing the lake, perhaps. I am like Caracalla--my brother's murderer!"

But Melissa laid her arm on his shoulder and besought the poor fellow tobe comforted; and her loving words of excuse seemed to have some goodeffect. But why was he always so reserved? Why could not Philip be asfrank with her as Alexander was? She had never been very near to him;and now he was concealing from her something which moved him deeply. 

She turned away sadly, for she could not even comfort him. But thenagain Philip sighed from the bottom of his heart, and she could containher self no longer. More tenderly than she had ever addressed himbefore, she besought her brother to open his heart to her. She wouldgladly help him to endure what oppressed him; and she could understand, for she herself had learned what the joys and sorrows of love were. 

She had found the right clew. Philip nodded, and answered gloomily:

"Well, then, listen. It may do me good to speak. " And thereupon hebegan to tell her what she had already heard from Alexander; and, covering her tingling cheeks with her hands, she listened with breathlessattention, not missing a word, though the question rose to her mind againand again whether she should tell him the whole truth, which he as yetcould not know, or whether it would be better to spare his alreadyburdened soul. 

He described his love in glowing colors. Korinna's heart, he said, musthave gone forth to him; for, at their last meeting on the northern shoreof the lake, her hand had rested in his while he helped her out of theboat; he could still feel the touch of her fingers. Nor had the meetingbeen pure accident, for he had since seen and recognized the presence onearth of her departed soul in her apparently living form. And she, too, with the subtle senses of a disembodied spirit, must have had a yearningtowards him, for she had perceived all the depth and fervor of hispassion. Alexander had given him this certainty; for when he had seenKorinna by the lake, her soul had long since abandoned its earthlytenement. Before that, her mortal part was already beyond his reach; andyet he was happy, for the spirit was not lost to him. Only last nightmagic forces had brought her before him--his father, too, had beenpresent, and no deception was possible. He had gone to bed in rapturousexcitement, full of delicious hopes, and Korinna had at once appeared tohim in a dream, so lovely, so kind, and at the same time so subtle avision, ready to follow him in his thoughts and strivings. But just ashe had heard a full assurance of her love from her own lips, and wasasking her by what name he should call her when the craving to see heragain should wax strong in him, old Dido had waked him, to cast him outof elysium into the deepest earthly woes. 

But, he added--and he drew himself up proudly--he should soon possess theMagian's art, for there was no kind of learning he could not master; evenas a boy he had proved that to his teachers. He, whose knowledge had butyesterday culminated in the assurance that it was impossible to knowanything, could now assert with positive conviction, that the human soulcould exist apart from the matter it had animated. He had thus gainedthat fixed footing outside the earth which Archimedes had demanded toenable him to move it; and he should soon be able to exert his power overdeparted souls, whose nature he now understood as well as--ay, and betterthan--Serapion. Korinna's obedient spirit would help him, and when oncehe should succeed in commanding the souls of the dead, as their master, and in keeping them at hand among the living, a new era of happinesswould begin, not only for him and his father, but for every one who hadlost one dear to him by death. 

But here Melissa interrupted his eager and confident speech. She hadlistened with increasing uneasiness to the youth who, as she knew, hadbeen cheated. At first she thought it would be cruel to destroy hisbright illusions. He should at least in this be happy, till the anguishof having thoughtlessly betrayed his brother to ruin should be a thing ofthe past! But when she perceived that he purposed involving his fatherin the Magian's snares by calling up his mother's Manes, she could nolonger be silent, and she broke out with indignant warning: "Leave myfather alone, Philip! For all you saw at the Magian's was meretrickery. "

"Gently, child, " said the philosopher, in a superior tone. "I was ofexactly the same opinion till after sundown yesterday. You know that thetendency of the school of philosophy to which I belong insists, aboveall, on a suspension of judgment; but if there is one thing which may beasserted with any dogmatic certainty--"

But Melissa would hear no more. She briefly but clearly explained to himwho the maiden was whose hand he had held by the lake, and whom he hadseen again at Serapion's house; and as she went on his interruptionsbecame fewer. She did her utmost, with growing zeal, to destroy hisluckless dream; but when the blood faded altogether from his colorlesscheeks, and he clasped his hand over his brow as if to control somephysical suffering, she recovered her self-command; the beautiful fear ofa woman's heart of ever giving useless pain, made her withhold fromPhilip what remained to be told of Agatha's meeting with Alexander. 

But, without this further revelation, Philip sat staring at the ground asif he were overwhelmed; and what hurt him so deeply was less the painfulsense of having been cheated by such coarse cunning, than theannihilation of the treasured hopes which he had founded on theexperiences of the past night. He felt as though a brutal foot hadtrampled down the promise of future joys on which he had counted; hissister's revelations had spoiled not merely his life on earth, but alleternity beyond the grave. Where hope ends despair steps in; and Philip, with reckless vehemence, flung himself, as it were, into its arms. Hiswas an excitable nature; he had never thought of any one but himself, butlabored with egotistical zeal to cultivate his own mind and outdo hisfellows in the competition for learning. The sullen words in which hecalled himself the most wretched man on earth, and the victim of theblackest ill-fortune, fell from his lips like stones. He rudely repelledhis sister's encouraging words, like a sick child whose pain is thegreater for being pitied, till at last she appealed to his sense of duty, reminding him that something must be done to rescue her father andAlexander. 

"They also! They also!" he cried. "It falls on us all. Blind Fatedrives us all, innocent as we are, to death and despair, like theTantalides. What sin have you committed, gentle, patient child; or ourfather, or our happy-hearted and gifted brother; or I--I myself? Havethose whom we call the rulers of the universe the right to punish mebecause I make use of the inquiring spirit they have bestowed on me? Ah, and how well they know how to torture us! They hate me for my learning, and so they turn my little errors to account to allow me to be cheatedlike a fool! They are said to be just, and they behave like a father whodisinherits his son because, as a man, he notes his parent's weakness. With tears and anguish have I striven for truth and knowledge. There isnot a province of thought whose deepest depths I have not tried tofathom; and when I recognized that it is not given to mortals toapprehend the essence of the divinity because the organs bestowed on usare too small and feeble; when I refused to pronounce whether that whichI can not apprehend exists or not, was that my fault, or theirs? Theremay be divine forces which created and govern the universe; but nevertalk to me of their goodness, and reasonableness, and care for humancreatures! Can a reasonable being, who cares for the happiness ofanother, strew the place assigned to him to dwell in with snares andtraps, or implant in his breast a hundred impulses of which thegratification only drags him into an abyss? Is that Being my friend, whosuffers me to be born and to grow up, and leaves me tied to the martyr'sstake, with very few real joys, and finally kills me, innocent or guilty, as surely as I am born? If the divinity which is supposed to bestow onus a portion of the divine essence in the form of reason were constitutedas the crowd are taught to believe, there could be nothing on earth butwisdom and goodness; but the majority are fools or wicked, and the goodare like tall trees, which the lightning blasts rather than the creepingweed. Titianus falls before the dancer Theocritus, the noble Papinianbefore the murderer Caracalla, our splendid Alexander before such awretch as Zminis; and divine reason lets it all happen, and allows humanreason to proclaim the law. Happiness is for fools and knaves; for thosewho cherish and uphold reason--ay, reason, which is a part of thedivinity--persecution, misery, and despair. "

"Have done!" Melissa exclaimed. "Have the judgments of the immortals notfallen hardly enough on us? Would you provoke them to discharge theirfury in some more dreadful manner?"

At this the skeptic struck his breast with defiant pride, exclaiming:"I do not fear them, and dare to proclaim openly the conclusions of mythoughts. There are no gods! There is no rational guidance of theuniverse. It has arisen self-evolved, by chance; and if a god createdit, he laid down eternal laws and has left them to govern its coursewithout mercy or grace, and without troubling himself about the puling ofmen who creep about on the face of the earth like the ants on that of apumpkin. And well for us that it should be so! Better a thousand timesis it to be the servant of an iron law, than the slave of a capriciousmaster who takes a malignant and envious pleasure in destroying thebest!"

"And this, you say, is the final outcome of your thoughts?" askedMelissa, shaking her head sadly. "Do you not perceive that such anoutbreak of mad despair is simply unworthy of your own wisdom, of whichthe end and aim should be a passionless, calm, and immovable moderation?"

"And do they show such moderation, " Philip gasped out, "who pour thepoison of misfortune in floods on one tortured heart?"

"Then you can accuse those whose existence you disbelieve in?" retortedMelissa with angry zeal. "Is this your much-belauded logic? Whatbecomes of your dogmas, in the face of the first misfortune--dogmas whichenjoin a reserve of decisive judgment, that you may preserve yourequanimity, and not overburden your soul, in addition to the misfortuneitself, with the conviction that something monstrous has befallen you?I remember how much that pleased me the first time I heard it. For yourown sake--for the sake of us all--cease this foolish raving, and do notmerely call yourself a skeptic--be one; control the passion that isrending you. For love of me--for love of us all--"

And as she spoke she laid her hand on his shoulder, for he had sat downagain; and although he pushed her away with some petulance, she went onin a tone of gentle entreaty: "If we are not to be altogether too late inthe field, let us consider the situation calmly. I am but a girl, andthis fresh disaster will fall more hardly on me than on you; for whatwould become of me without my father?"

"Life with him has at any rate taught you patient endurance, " her brotherbroke in with a sullen shrug. 

"Yes, life, " she replied, firmly: "life, which shows us the right waybetter than all your books. Who can tell what may have detained Argutis?I wilt wait no longer. The sun will have set before long, and thisevening Caesar is to sup with Seleukus, the father of Korinna. I happento know it from Samonicus, who is one of the guests. Seleukus and hiswife have a great regard for Alexander, and will do for him all that liesin their power. The lady Berenike, he told me, is a noble dame. Itshould be your part to entreat her help for our father and brother; butyou must not venture where Caesar is. So I will go, and I shall have norest till Korinna's mother listens to me and promises to aid us. "

At this Philip exclaimed, in horror: "What! you will dare to enter thehouse where Caracalla is feasting with the rabble he calls his friends?You, an inexperienced girl, young, beautiful, whose mere appearance isenough to stir their evil passions? Sooner than allow that, I willmyself find my way into the house of Seleukus, and among the spies whosurround the tyrant. "

"That my father may lose another son, and I my only remaining brother?"Melissa observed, with grave composure. "Say no more, Philip. I amgoing, and you must wait for me here. "

The philosopher broke out at this in despotic wrath:

"What has come over you, that you have suddenly forgotten how to obey?But I insist; and rather than allow you to bring on us not troublemerely, but shame and disgrace, I will lock you into your room!"

He seized her hand to drag her into the adjoining room. She struggledwith all her might; but he was the stronger, and he had got her as far asthe door, when the Gaul Argutis rushed, panting and breathless, into thework-room through the anteroom, calling out to the struggling couple:

"What are you doing? By all the gods, you have chosen the wrong time fora quarrel! Zminis is on the way hither to take you both prisoners; hewill be here in a minute! Fly into the kitchen, girl! Dido will hideyou in the wood-store behind the hearth. -You, Philip, must squeeze intothe henhouse. Only be quick, or it will be too late!"

"Go!" cried Melissa to her brother. "Out through the kitchen windowyou can get into the poultry-yard!"

She threw herself weeping into his arms, kissed him, and added, hastily:"Whatever happens to us, I shall risk all to save my father andAlexander. Farewell! The gods preserve us!"

She now seized Philip's wrist, as he had before grasped hers, to drag himaway; but he freed himself, saying, with an indifference which terrifiedher: "Then let the worst come. Ruin may take its course. Death ratherthan dishonor!"

"Madman!" the slave could not help exclaiming; and the faithful fellow, though wont to obey, threw his arms round his master's son to drag himaway into the kitchen, while Philip pushed him off, saying:

"I will not hide, like a frightened woman!"

But the Gaul heard the approach of marching men, so, paying no furtherheed to the brother, he dragged Melissa into the kitchen, where old Didoundertook to hide her. 

Philip stood panting in the studio. Through the open window he could seethe pursuers coming nearer, and the instinct of self-preservation, whichasserts itself even in the strongest, prompted him to follow the slave'sadvice. But before he could reach the door, in fancy he saw himselfjoining the party of philosophers airing themselves under the arcades inthe great court of the Museum; he heard their laughter and their bitterjests at the skeptic, the independent thinker, who had sought refugeamong the fowls, who had been hauled out of the hen-house; and thispicture confirmed his determination to yield to force rather than bringon himself the curse of ridicule. But at the same time other reasons forsubmitting to his fate suggested themselves unbidden--reasons more worthyof his position, of the whole course and aim of his thoughts, and of thesorrow which weighed upon his soul. It beseemed him as a skeptic toendure the worst with equanimity; under all circumstances he liked to bein the right, and he would fain have called out to his sister that thecruel powers whose enmity he had incurred still persisted in driving himon to despair and death, worthy as he was of a better fate. 

A few minutes later Zminis came in, and put out his long lean arms toapprehend him in Caesar's name. Philip submitted, and not a muscle ofhis face moved. Once, indeed, a smile lighted it up, as he reflectedthat they would hardly have carried him off to prison if Alexander werealready in their power; but the smile gave way only too soon to gloomygravity when Zminis informed him that his brother, the traitor, had justgiven himself up to the chief of the night-watch, and was now safe underlock and ward. But his crime was so great that, according to the law ofEgypt, his nearest relations were to be seized and punished with him. Only his sister was now missing, but they would know how to find her. 

"Possibly, " Philip replied, coldly. "As justice is blind, Injustice hasno doubt all the sharper eyes. "

"Well said, " laughed the Egyptian. "A pinch of the salt which they giveyou at the Museum with your porridge--for nothing. "

Argutis had witnessed this scene; and when, half an hour later, the men-at-arms had left the house without discovering Melissa's hiding-place, heinformed her that Alexander had, as they feared, given himself up of hisown free-will to procure Heron's release; but the villains had kept theson, without liberating the father. Both were now in prison, loaded withchains. The slave had ended his tale some minutes, and Melissa stillstood, pale and tearless, gazing on the ground as though she were turnedto stone; but suddenly she shivered, as if with the chill of fever, andlooked up, out through the windows into the garden, now dim in thetwilight. The sun had set, night was falling, and again the words of theChristian preacher recurred to her mind: "The fullness of the time iscome. "

To her and hers a portion of life had come to an end, and a new one mustgrow out of it. Should the free-born race of Heron perish in captivityand death?

The evening star blazed out on the distant horizon, seeming to her as asign from the gods; and she told herself that it must be her part, as thelast of the family who remained free, to guard the others fromdestruction in this new life. 

The heavens were soon blazing with stars. The banquet in Seleukus'shouse, at which Caesar was to appear, would begin in an hour. Irresolution and delay would ruin all; so she drew herself up resolutelyand called to Argutis, who had watched her with faithful sympathy:

"Take my father's blue cloak, Argutis, to make you more dignified; anddisguise yourself, for you must escort me, and we may be followed. You, Dido, come and help me. Take my new dress, that I wore at the Feast ofAdonis, out of my trunk; and with it you will see my mother's blue filletwith the gems. My father used to say I should first wear it at mywedding, but--Well, you must bind my hair with it to-night. I am goingto a grand house, where no one will be admitted who does not look worthyof people of mark. But take off the jewel; a supplicant should make nodisplay. "

ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:

Begun to enjoy the sound of his own voiceCast off their disease as a serpent casts its skin