[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 PATHBy Georg EbersVolume 10. CHAPTER XXVIII. The amphitheatre was soon emptied, amid the flare of lightning and thecrash and roll of thunder. Caracalla, thinking only of the happy omen ofTarautas's wonderful escape, called out to Melissa, with affectionateanxiety, to fly to shelter as quickly as possible; a chariot was inwaiting to convey her to the Serapeum. On this she humbly representedthat she would rather be permitted to return under her brother's escortto her father's house, and Caracalla cheerfully acceded. He had businesson hand this night, which made it seem desirable to him that she shouldnot be too near him. He should expect her brother presently at theSerapeum. With his own hand he wrapped her in the caracalla and hood which oldAdventus was about to put on his master's shoulders, remarking, as he didso, that he had weathered worse storms in the field. Melissa thanked him with a blush, and, going close up to her, hewhispered: "To-morrow, if Fate grants us gracious answers to thequestions I shall put to her presently after this storm--tomorrow thehorn of happiness will be filled to overflowing for you and me. Thethrifty goddess promises to be lavish to me through you. "Slaves were standing round with lighted lanterns; for the torches in thetheatre were all extinguished, and the darkened auditorium lay like anextinct crater, in which a crowd of indistinguishable figures were movingto and fro. It reminded him of Hades and a troop of descending spirits;but he would not allow anything but what was pleasant to occupy his mindor eye. By a sudden impulse he took a lantern from one of theattendants, held it up above Melissa's head, and gazed long and earnestlyinto her brightly illuminated face. Then he dropped his hand with a sighand said, as though speaking in a dream: "Yes, this is life! Now I beginto live. "He lifted the dripping laurel crown from his head, tossed it into thearena, and added to Melissa: "Now, get under shelter at once, sweetheart. I have been able to see you this whole evening, even when the lamps wereout; for lightning gives light. Thus even the storm has brought me joy. Sleep well. I shall expect you early, as soon as I have bathed. "Melissa wished him sound slumbers, and he replied, lightly:"If only all life were a dream, and if to-morrow I might but wake up, nolonger the son of Severus, but Alexander; and you, not Melissa, butRoxana, whom you so strongly resemble! To be sure I might find myselfthe gladiator Tarautas. But, then, who would you be? And your stalwartfather, who stands there defying the rain, certainly does not look like avision, and this storm is not favorable to philosophizing. "He kissed his hand to her, had a dry caracalla thrown over his shoulders, ordered Theocritus to take care of Tarautas and carry him a purse of gold--which he handed to the favorite--and then, pulling the hood over hishead, led the way, followed by his impatient courtiers; but not till hehad answered Heron, who had come forward to ask him what he thought ofthe mechanical arts of the Alexandrians, desiring him to postpone thatmatter till the morrow. The storm had silenced the music. Only a few stanch trumpeters hadremained in their places; and when they saw by the lanterns that Caesarhad left the Circus, they sounded a fanfare after him, which followed theruler of the world with a dull, hoarse echo. Outside, the streets were still crowded with people pouring out of theamphitheatre. Those of the commoner sort sought shelter under thearchways of the building, or else hurried boldly home through the rain. Heron stood waiting at the entrance for his daughter, though the purple-hemmed toga was wet, through and through. But she had, in fact, hurriedout while he was pushing forward to speak to Caesar, and in hisexcitement overlooked everything else. The behavior of his fellow-citizens had annoyed him, and he had an obscure impression that it wouldbe a blunder to claim Caesar's approval of anything they had done; still, he had not self-control enough to suppress the question which hadfluttered on his lips all through the performance. At last, in highdudgeon at the inconsiderateness of young people and at the rebuff he hadmet with--with the prospect, too, of a cold for his pains--he made hisway homeward on foot. To Caracalla the bad weather was for once really an advantage, for it puta stop to the unpleasant demonstrations which the "Green" party hadprepared for him on his way home. Alexander soon found the closed carruca intended for Melissa, and placedher in it as soon as he had helped Euryale into her harmamaxa. He wasastonished to find a man inside it, waiting for his sister. This wasDiodoros, who, while Alexander was giving his directions to thecharioteer, had, under cover of the darkness, sprung into the vehiclefrom the opposite side. An exclamation of surprise was followed byexplanations and excuses, and the three young people, each with a heartfull almost to bursting, drove off toward Heron's house. Theirconveyance was already rolling over the pavement, while most of themagnates of the town were still waiting for their slaves to find theirchariots or litters. For the lovers this was a very different scene from the terrible one theyhad just witnessed in the Circus, for, in spite of the narrow space andtotal darkness in which they sat, and the rain rattling and splashing onthe dripping black leather hood which sheltered them, in their heartsthey did not lack for sunshine. Caracalla's saying that the lightning, too, was light, proved true more than once in the course of their drive, for the vivid flashes which still followed in quick succession enabledthe reunited lovers to exchange many confidences with their eyes, forwhich it would have been hard to find words. When both parties to aquarrel are conscious of blame, it is more quickly made up than when oneonly needs forgiveness; and the pair in the carruca were so fullyprepared to think the best of each other that there was no need forAlexander's good offices to make them ready and willing to renew theirbroken pledges. Besides, each had cause to fear for the other; forDiodoros was afraid that the lady Euryale's power was not far-reachingenough to conceal Melissa from Caesar's spies, and Melissa trembled atthe thought that the physician might too soon betray to Caesar that shehad been betrothed before he had ever seen her, and to whom; for, in thatcase, Diodoros would be the object of relentless pursuit. So she urgedon her lover to embark, if possible, this very night. Hitherto Alexander had taken no part in the conversation. He could not forget the reception he had met with outside theamphitheatre. Euryale's presence had saved his sister from evilimputations, but had not helped him; and even his gay spirits couldmake no head against the consciousness of being regarded by his fellow-citizens as a hired traitor. He had withdrawn to one of the back seatsto see the performance; for as soon as the theatre was suddenly lightedup, he had become the object of dark looks and threatening gestures. For the first time in his life he had felt compassion for the criminalstorn by wild beasts, and for the wounded gladiators, whose companion inmisfortune he vaguely felt himself to be. But, what was worst of all, he could not regard himself as altogether free from the reproach ofhaving accepted a reward for the service he had so thoughtlesslyrendered. Nor did he see the remotest possibility of ever making those whoseopinion he cared for understand how it had come to pass that he shouldhave acceded to the desire of the villain in the purple, now that hisfather, by showing himself to the people in the 'toga pretexta', had setthe seal to their basest suspicions. The thought that henceforth hecould never hope to feel the grasp of an honest man's hand gnawed at hisheart. The esteem of Diodoros was dear to him, and, when his young comrade spoketo him, he felt at first as though he were doing him an unexpected honor;but then he fell back into the suspicion that this was only for hissister's sake. The deep sigh that broke from him induced Melissa to speak a fewwords of comfort, and now the unhappy man's bursting heart overflowed. In eloquent words he described to Diodoros and Melissa all he had felt, and the terrible consequences of his heedless folly, and as he spokeacute regret filled his eyes with tears. He had pronounced judgment on himself, and expected nothing of his friendbut a little pity. But in the darkness Diodoros sought and found hishand, and grasped it fervently; and if Alexander could but have seen hisold playfellow's face, he would have perceived that his eyes glistened ashe said what he could to encourage him to hope for better days. Diodoros knew his friend well. He was incapable of falsehood; and hisdeed, which under a false light so easily assumed an aspect of villainy, had, in fact, been no more than an act of thoughtlessness such as he hadhimself often lent a hand in. Alexander, however, seemed determined notto hear the comfort offered him by his sister and his friend. A flash oflightning revealed him to them, sitting with a bent head and his handsover his brow; and this gloomy vision of one who so lately had been thegayest of the gay troubled their revived happiness even more than thethought of the danger which, as each knew, threatened the others. As they passed the Temple of Artemis, which was brightly illuminated, reminding them that they were reaching their destination, Alexander atlast looked up and begged the lovers to consider their immediate affairs. His mind had remained clear, and what he said showed that he had not lostsight of his sister's future. As soon as Melissa should have effected her escape, Caesar wouldundoubtedly seize, not only her lover, but his father as well. Diodorosmust forthwith cross the lake and rouse Polybius and Praxilla, to warnthem of the imminent danger, while Alexander undertook to hire a ship forthe party. Argutis would await the fugitives in a tavern by the harbor, and conduct them on board the vessel which would be in readiness. Diodoros, who was not yet able to walk far, promised to avail himself ofone of the litters waiting outside the Temple of Artemis. Just before the vehicle stopped, the lovers took leave. They arrangedwhere and how they might have news of each other, and all they said, inbrief words and a fervent parting kiss, in this moment, when death orimprisonment might await them, had the solemn purport of a vow. The swift horses stopped. Alexander hastily leaned over to his friend, kissed him on both cheeks, and whispered:"Take good care of her; think of me kindly if we should never meet again, and tell the others that wild Alexander has played another fool's trick, at any rate, not a wicked one, however badly it may turn out for him. "For the sake of the charioteer, who, after Melissa's flight, would becertainly cross-examined, Diodoros could make no reply. The carrucarattled off by the way by which it had come; Diodoros vanished in thedarkness, and Melissa clasped her hands over her face. She felt asthough this were her last parting from her lover, and the sun would nevershine on earth again. It was now near midnight. The slaves had heard the approach of thechariot, and received them as heartily as ever, but in obedience toHeron's orders they added the most respectful bows to their usual well-meant welcome. Since their master had shown himself to Dido, in theafternoon, with braggart dignity, as a Roman magnate, she had felt asthough the age of miracles had come, and nothing was impossible. Splendid visions of future grandeur awaiting the whole family, includingherself and Argutis, had not ceased to haunt her; but as to the empress, something seemed to have gone wrong, for why had the girl wet eyes and sosad a face? What was all this long whispering with Argutis? But it wasno concern of hers, after all, and she would know all in good time, nodoubt. "What the masters plot to-day the slaves hear next week, " was afavorite saying of the Gauls, and she had often proved its truth. But the cool way in which Melissa received the felicitations which theold woman poured out in honor of the future empress, and her tear-reddened eyes, seemed at any rate quite comprehensible. The child wasthinking, no doubt, of her handsome Diodoros. Among the splendors of thepalace she would soon forget. And how truly magnificent were the dressand jewels in which the damsel had appeared in the amphitheatre!"How they must have hailed her!" thought the old woman when she hadhelped Melissa to exchange her dress for a simpler robe, and the girl satdown to write. "If only the mistress had lived to see this day! And allthe other women must have been bursting with envy. Eternal gods! But, after all, who knows whether the good luck we envy others is greator small? Why, even in this house, which the gods have filled to theroof with gifts and favors, misfortune has crept in through the key hole. Poor Philip!"Still, if all goes well with the girl. Things have befallen her such asrarely come to any one, and yet no more than her due. The fairest andbest will be the greatest and wealthiest in the empire. "And she clutched the amulets and the cross which hung round her arm andthroat, and muttered a hasty prayer for her darling. Argutis, for his part, did not know what to think of it all. He, if anyone, rejoiced in the good fortune of his master and Melissa; but Heron'spromotion to the rank of praetor had been too sudden, and Heron demeanedhimself too strangely in his purple-bordered toga. It was to be hopedthat this new and unexpected honor had not turned his brain! And thestate in which his master's eldest son remained caused him the greatestanxiety. Instead of rejoicing in the honors of his family, he had at hisfirst interview with his father flown into a violent rage; and though he, Argutis, had not understood what they were saying, he perceived that theywere in vehement altercation, and that Heron had turned away in greatwrath. And then--he remembered it with horror, and could hardly tellwhat he had seen to Alexander and Melissa in a reasonable and respectfulmanner--Philip had sprung out of bed, had dressed himself without help, even to his shoes, and scarcely had his father set out in his litterbefore Philip had come into the kitchen. He looked like one risen fromthe grave, and his voice was hollow as he told the slaves that he meantto go to the Circus to see for himself that justice was done. ButArgutis felt his heart sink within him when the philosopher desired himto fetch the pipe his father used to teach the birds to whistle, and atthe same time took up the sharp kitchen knife with which Argutisslaughtered the sheep. The young man then turned to go, but even on the threshold he hadstumbled over the straps of his sandals which dragged unfastened, andArgutis had had to lead him, almost to carry him in from the garden, fora violent fit of coughing had left him quite exhausted. The effort ofpulling at the heavy oars on board the galley had been too much for hisweak chest. Argutis and Dido had carried him to bed, and he had soonfallen into a deep sleep, from which he had not waked since. And now what were these two plotting? They were writing; and not on waxtablets, but with reed pens on papyrus, as though it were a matter ofimportance. All this gave the slave much to think about, and the faithful soul didnot know whether to weep for joy or grief when Alexander told him, with agravity which frightened him in this light-hearted youth, that, partly asthe reward of his faithful service and partly to put him in a position toaid them all in a crisis of peculiar difficulty, he gave him his freedom. His father had long since intended to do this, and the deed was alreadydrawn out. Here was the document; and he knew that, even as a freedman, Argutis would continue to serve them as faithfully as ever. With this hegave the slave his manumission, which he was in any case to have receivedwithin a month, at the end of thirty years' service, and Argutis took itwith tears of joy, not unmixed with grief and anxiety, while only a fewhours since it would have been enough to make him the happiest ofmortals. While he kissed their hands and stammered out words of gratitude, hisuncultured but upright spirit told him that he had been blind ever tohave rejoiced for a moment at the news that Melissa had been chosen to beempress. All that he had seen during the last half-hour had convincedhim, as surely as if he had been told it in words, that his beloved youngmistress scorned her imperial suitor, and firmly intended to evade him--how, Argutis could not guess. And, recognizing this, a spirit ofadventure and daring stirred him also. This was a struggle of the weakagainst the strong; and to him, who had spent his life as one of theoppressed, nothing could be more tempting than to help on the side of theweak. Argutis now undertook with ardent zeal to get Diodoros and his parentssafely on board the ship he was to engage, and to explain to Heron, assoon as he should have read the letter which Alexander was now writing, that, unless he could escape at once with Philip, he was lost. Finally, he promised that the epistle to Caesar, which Melissa was composing, should reach his hands on the morrow. He could now receive his letter of freedom with gladness, and consentedto dress up in Heron's garments; for, as a slave, he would have beenforbidden to conclude a bargain with a ship's captain or any one else. All this was done in hot haste, for Caesar was awaiting Alexander, andEuryale expected Melissa. The ready zeal of the old man, free for thefirst time to act on his own responsibility in matters which would havebeen too much for many a free-born man, but to which he felt quite equal, had an encouraging effect even on the oppressed hearts of the other two. They knew now that, even if death should be their lot, Argutis would befaithful to their father and sick brother, and the slave at once showedhis ingenuity and shrewdness; for, while the young people were vainlytrying to think of a hiding-place for Heron and Philip, he suggested aspot which would hardly be discovered even by the sharpest spies. Glaukias, the sculptor, who had already fled, was Heron's tenant. Hiswork-room, a barn-like structure, stood in the little vegetable-gardenwhich the gem-cutter had inherited from his father-in-law, and none butHeron and the slave knew that, under the flooring, instead of a cellar, there was a vast reservoir connected with the ancient aqueductsconstructed by Vespasian. Many years since Argutis had helped his masterto construct a trap-door to the entrance to these underground passages, of which the existence had remained unknown even to Glaukias during allthe years he had inhabited the place. It was here that Heron kept hisgold, not taking his children even into his confidence; and only a fewmonths ago Argutis had been down with him and had found the old reservoirdry, airy, and quite habitable. The gem-cutter would be quite content toconceal himself where his treasure was, and the garden and work-room wereonly distant a few hundred paces from his own home. To get Philip therewithout being seen was to Argutis a mere trifle. Alexander, too, oldDido, and, if needful, Diodoros, could all be concealed there. But forMelissa, neither he nor Alexander thought it sufficiently secure. As she took leave of him the young girl once more charged the newlyfreed man to greet her father from her a thousand times, to beseech hisforgiveness of her for the bitter grief she must cause him, and to assurehim of her affection. "Tell him, " she added, as the tears streamed down her cheeks, "that Ifeel as if I were going to my death. But, come what may, I am always hisdutiful child, always ready to sacrifice anything--excepting only the manto whom, with my father's consent, I pledged my heart. Tell him that forlove of him I might have been ready even to give my hand to the blood-stained Caesar, but that Fate--and perhaps the manes of her we loved, andwho is dead--have ordered it otherwise. "She then went into the room where her mother had closed her eyes. Aftera short prayer by that bed, which still stood there, she hastened toPhilip's room. He lay sleeping heavily; she bent over him and kissed thetoo high brow, which looked as though even in sleep the brain within werestill busy over some difficult and painful question. Her way led her once more through her father's work-room, and she hadalready crossed it when she hastily turned back to look once more--forthe last time-at the little table where she had sat for so many years, busy with her needle, in modest contentment by the artist's side, dreaming with waking eyes, and considering what she, with her smallresources and great love, could do that would be of use to those sheloved, or relieve them if they were in trouble. Then, as though she knewthat she was bidding a last farewell to all the pleasant companionship ofher youth, she looked at the birds, long since gone to roost in theircages. In spite of his recent curule honors Heron had not forgottenthem, and, before quitting the house to display himself to the populacein the 'toga pretexa', he had as usual carefully covered them up. Andnow, as Melissa lifted the cloth from the starling's cage, and the birdmuttered more gently than usual, and perhaps in its sleep, the cry, "Olympias!" a shudder ran through her; and, as she stepped out into theroad by Alexander's side, she said, dejectedly:"Everything is coming to an end! Well, and so it may; for what has comeover us all in these few days? Before Caesar came, what were you--whatwas Philip? In my own heart what peace reigned!"And my father? There is one comfort, at any rate; even as praetor hehas not forgotten his birds, and he will find feathered friends go wherehe may. "But I--And it is for my sake that he must hide like a criminal!"But here Alexander vehemently broke in: "It was not you, it was I whobrought all this misery on us!" And he went on to accuse himself sobitterly that Melissa regretted having alluded to the misfortunes oftheir family, and did her best to inspire him with courage. As soon as Caesar should have left the city and she had evaded hispursuit, the citizens would be easily persuaded of his innocence. Theywould see then how little she had cared for the splendor and wealth ofempire; why, he himself knew how quickly everything was forgotten inAlexandria. His art, too, would be a comfort to him, and if he only hadthe chance of making his way in his career he would have no difficulty inwinning Agatha. He would have her on his side, and Diodoros, and thelady Euryale. But to all these kind speeches the young man only sadly shook his head. How could he, despised and contemned, dare to aspire to the daughter ofsuch a man as Zeno? He ended with a deep sigh; and Melissa, whose heartgrew heavier as they approached the Serapeum through the side streets, still forced herself to express her confidence as though the ladyEuryale's protection had relieved her of every anxiety. It was sodifficult to appear calm and cheerful that more than once she had to wipeher eyes; still, their eager talk shortened the way, and she stood still, surprised to find herself so near her destination, when Alexander showedher the chain which was stretched across the end of the street of Hermesto close in the great square in front of the Serapeum. The storm had passed away and the rain had ceased; the sky was clear andcloudless, and the moon poured its silvery light in lavish splendor, asthough revived, on the temple and on the statues round the square. Herethey must part, for they saw that it was impossible that they shouldcross the open space together. It was almost deserted, for the populace were not allowed to go there. Of the hundreds of tents which till lately had covered it, only those ofthe seventh cohort of the praetorian guard remained; for these, having toprotect the person of the emperor, had not been quartered in the town. If Alexander and Melissa had crossed this vast square, where it was nowas light as clay, they would certainly have been seen, and Melissa wouldhave brought not herself only but her protectress also into the greatestdanger. She still had so much on her mind that she wanted to say to her brother, especially with regard to her father's welfare; and then--what aleavetaking was this when, as her gloomy forebodings told her, they wereparting never to meet again But Euryale must have been long and anxiouslywaiting for her, and Alexander, too, was very late for his appointment. It was impossible to let the girl cross the square alone, for it wasguarded by soldiers. If she could but reach the side of the sanctuarywhere she was expected, and where the road was in the shadow of theriding-school opposite, all would be well, and it seemed as though therewas no alternative but for Alexander to lead his sister through by-waysto her destination. They had just made up their minds to this inevitablewaste of time, when a young woman was seen coming toward them from one ofthe tents with a swift, light step, winged with gladness. Alexandersuddenly released his sister's hand, and saying:"She will escort you, " he advanced to meet her. This was the wife ofMartialis, who had charge of the villa at Kanopus, and whose acquaintancethe artist had made when he was studying the Galatea in the merchant'scountry-house for the portrait of Korinna. Alexander had made friendswith the soldier's wife in his winning, lively way, and she was delightedto meet him again, and quite willing to escort his sister across thesquare, and hold her tongue about it. So, after a short grasp of thehand, and a fervent last appeal to her brother, "Never for a moment letus forget one another, and always remember our mother!" Melissa followedher companion. This evening the woman had sought her husband to tell him that she andher mother had got safely out of the Circus, and to thank him for theentertainment, of which the splendor, in spite of the variousdisturbances and interruption, had filled their hearts and minds. The first words she spoke to the girl led to the question as to whethershe, too, had been at the Circus; and when Melissa said yes, but that shehad been too frightened and horrified to see much, the chattering littlewoman began to describe it all. Quite the best view, she declared, had been obtained from the third tierof places. Caesar's bride, too, had been pointed out to her. Poorthing! She would pay dearly for the splendor of the purple. No onecould dispute Caracalla's taste, however, for the girl was lovely beyonddescription; and as she spoke she paused to look at Melissa, for shefancied she resembled Caesar's sweetheart. But she went on again quickerthan before, remarking that Melissa was not so tall, and that the otherwas more brilliant looking, as beseemed an emperor's bride. At this Melissa drew her kerchief more closely over her face; but it wasa comfort to her when the soldier's wife, after describing to her whatshe herself had worn, added that Caracalla's choice had fallen on amodest and well-conducted maiden, for, if she had not been, the high-priest's wife would never have been so kind to her. And the lady Euryalewas sister-in-law to the master she herself served, and she had known herall her life. Then, when Melissa, to change the subject, asked why the public wereforbidden to approach the Serapeum, her companion told her that since hisreturn from the Circus Caesar had been devoting himself to astrology, soothsaying, and other abstruse matters, and that the noise of the citydisturbed him. He was very learned in such things, and if she only hadtime she could have told Melissa wonderful things. Thus conversing, theycrossed the square, and when it lay behind them and they were under theshadow of the stadium, Melissa thanked her lively companion for herescort, while she, on her part, declared that it had been a pleasure todo the friendly painter a service. The western side of the immense temple stood quite detached from thetown. There were on that side but few bronze doors, and these, whichwere opened only to the inhabitants of the building, had long since beenlocked for the night and needed no guard. As the inhabitants wereforbidden to cross the space dividing the stadium from the Serapeum, allwas perfectly still. Dark shadows lay on the road, and the highstructures which shut it in like cliffs seemed to tower to the sky. Thelonely girl's heart beat fast with fears as she stole along, close underthe wall, from which a warm vapor breathed on her after the recent rain. The black circles which seemed to stare at her like dark, hollow eye-sockets from the wall of the stadium, were the windows of the stables. If a runaway slave, an escaped wild beast, or a robber were to rush outupon her! The owls swept across over her head on silent wings, and batsflitted to and fro, from one building to the other, almost touching thefrightened girl. Her terrors increased at every step, and the wall whichshe must follow to the end was so long--so endlessly long!Supposing, too, that the lady Euryale had been tired of waiting and hadgiven her up! There would then be nothing for it but to make her wayback to the town past the guards, or to enter the temple through thegreat gates--where that dreadful man was--and where she would at once berecognized! Then there could be no escape, none--and she must, yes, shemust evade her dreadful suitor. Every thought of Diodoros cried, "Youmust!"--even at the cost of her young life, of which, indeed, she saw theimminent end nearer and nearer with every step. She knew not whither herflight might take her, but a voice within declared that it would be to anearly grave. Only a narrow strip of sky was visible between the tall buildings, but, as she looked up to the heavens, she perceived that it was two hours pastmidnight. She hurried on, but presently checked her pace again. Fromthe square, three trumpet-calls, one after another, rang through thesilence of the night. What could these signals mean at so unwonted anhour?There could be but one explanation--Caesar had again condemned somehapless wretch to death, and he was being led to execution. When Vindexand his nephew were beheaded, three trumpet-calls had sounded; herbrother had told her so. And now, before her inward eye, rose the crowd of victims to Caracalla'sthirst for blood. She fancied that Plautilla, whom her imperial consorthad murdered, was beckoning her to follow her to an early grave. Theterrors of the night were too much for her; and, as when a child, at playwith her brothers, she flew on as fast as her feet would carryher. She fled as though she were pursued, her long dress hampering hersteps, along by the temple wall, till her gaze, fixed on her left, fellon the spot which had been designated to her. Here she stopped, out of breath; and, while she was identifying thelandmarks which she had impressed on her memory to guide her to the rightdoorway, the temple wall seemed to open before her as if by a charm, anda kind voice called her name, and then exclaimed, "At last!" and in amoment she had grasped Euryale's hand and was drawn into the building. Here, as if at the touch of a magician's wand, all fear and horrorvanished; and, although she still panted for breath, she would at oncehave explained to her beloved protectress what it was that had promptedher to run so fast, but that Euryale interrupted her, exclaiming: "Onlymake haste! No one must see that block of porphyry turn on itspin. It is invisible from the outside, and closes the passage by whichthe mystics and adepts find their way to the mysteries after dedication. All who know of it are sworn to secrecy. "With this she led the way into a dark vestibule adjoining the temple, andin a few moments the great block of stone which had admitted them hadturned into its place again. Those who passed by, even in broadsunshine, could not distinguish it from all the other blocks of which theground-floor of the edifice was built. CHAPTER XXIX. While the lady Euryale preceded her young charge with a lamp up a narrow, dark staircase, Alexander waited in one of the audience-rooms till theemperor should call him. The high-priest of Serapis, several soothsayersof the temple, Aristides, the new head of the night-watch, and other"friends" of the monarch had accompanied him thus far. But admittance tothe innermost apartments had not been permitted, for Caracalla hadordered the magician Serapion to call up spirits before him, and washaving the future declared to him in the presence of the prefect of thepraetorians and a few other trusty followers. The deputation of citizens, who had come to apologize to Caesar forthe annoying occurrences in the Circus, had been told to wait till theexorcisms were over. Alexander would have preferred to hold aloof fromthe others, but no one here seemed to think ill of him for histhoughtless behavior. On the contrary, the courtiers pressed round him--the brother of the future empress-with the greatest assiduity: thehigh-priest inquired after his brother Philip; and Seleukus, themerchant, who had come with the deputation, addressed many flatteringremarks to him on his sister's beauty. Some of the Roman senators whoseadvances he had received coldly enough at first, now took up his wholeattention, and described to him the works of art and the paintings in thenew baths of Caracalla; they advised him to offer himself as a candidatefor the ornamentation of some of the unfinished rooms with frescoes, andled him to expect their support. In short, they behaved toward the youngman as if he might command their services, in spite of their gray hairs. But Alexander saw through their purpose. Their discourse ceased suddenly, for voices were audible in theemperor's apartments, and they all listened with outstretched necksand bated breath if they might catch a word or two. Alexander only regretted not having either charcoal or tablets at hand, that he might fix their intent faces on the wood; but at last he stoodup, for the door was opened and the emperor entered from the tablinum, accompanied by the magician who had shown Caesar several spirits of thedeparted. In the middle of the demonstration, at Caracalla's desire, thebeheaded Papinian had appeared in answer to Serapion's call. Invisiblehands replaced his severed head upon his shoulders, and, having greetedhis sovereign, he promised him good fortune. Last of all great Alexanderhad appeared, and assured the emperor in verse, and with many a floweryphrase, that the soul of Roxana had chosen the form of Melissa to dwellin. Caracalla would enjoy the greatest happiness through her, as long asshe was not alienated from him by love for another man. Should thishappen, Roxana would be destroyed and her whole race with her, butCaesar's glory and greatness would reach its highest point. The monarchneed have no misgivings in continuing to live out his (Alexander's) life. The spirit of his godlike father Severus watched over him, and hadgiven him a counselor in the person of Macrinus, in whose mortal body thesoul of Scipio Africanus had awakened to a new life. With this, the apparition, which, like the others, had shown itself as acolored picture moving to and fro upon the darkened wall of the tablinum, vanished. The voice of the great Macedonian sounded hollow andunearthly, but what he said had interested the emperor deeplyand raised his spirits. However, his wish to see more spirits had remained unsatisfied. Themagician, who remained upon his knees with uplifted hands while theapparitions were visible, declared that the forces he was obliged toemploy in exercising his magic power over the spirits had exhausted him. His fine, bearded face was deathly pale, and his tall form trembled andshook. His assistants had silently disappeared. They had keptthemselves and their great scrolls concealed behind a curtain. Serapionexplained that they were his pupils, whose office it was to support hisincantations by efficient formulas. Caracalla dismissed him graciously, then turning to the assembledcompany, he gave with much affability a detailed account of the wondershe had seen and heard. "A marvelous man, this Serapion, " he exclaimed to the high-priestTimotheus--"a master in his art. What he said before proceeding to theincantations is convincing, and explains much to me. According to him, magic holds the same relation to religion as power to love, as thecommand to the request. Power! What magic effect it has in real life?We have seen its influence upon the spirits, and who among the childrenof men can resist it? To it I owe my greatest results, and hope to bestill further indebted. Even reluctant love must bow to it. "He gave a self-satisfied laugh, and continued: "As the pious worshiper ofthe gods can move the heavenly ones by prayer and sacrifice, so--thewondrous man declared--the magician can force them by means of his secretlore to do his will. Therefore, he who knows and can call the gods andspirits by the right name, him they must obey, as the slave his master. The sages who served the Pharaohs in the gray dawn of time succeeded infathoming the mystery of these names given to the everlasting ones attheir birth, and their wisdom has come down to him through thegenerations as a priceless secret. But it is not sufficient to murmurthe name to one's self, or be able to write it down. Every syllable hasits special meaning like every member of the human frame. It depends, too, on how it is pronounced and where the emphasis lies; and this truename, containing in itself the spiritual essence of the immortals, andthe outward sign of their presence, is different again from the names bywhich they are known among men. "Could I have any suspicion--and here Serapion addressed himself to me--which god he forced to obey him when he uttered the words, 'Abar BarbarieEloce Sabaoth Pachnuphis, ' and more like it! I have only remembered thefirst few words. But, he continued, it was not enough to be able topronounce these words. The heavenly spirits would submit only to thosemortals who shared in some of their highest characteristics. Before theMagian dared to call them, he must purify his soul from all sensualtaint, and sanctify his body by long and severe fasting. When the Magiansucceeded, as he had done in these days, in rendering himself imperviousto the allurements of the senses, and in making his soul, as far as washumanly possible, independent of the body, only then had he attained tothat degree of godliness which entitled him to have intercourse with theheavenly ones and the entire spirit-world as with his equals, and tosubdue them to his will. "He exerted his power, and we saw with our bodily eyes that the spiritscame to his call. But we discovered that it was not done by words alone. What a noble-looking man he is! And the mortifications that hepractices--these, too, are heroic deeds! The cavilers in the Museummight take example from him. Serapion performed an action and adifficult one. They waste their time over words, miserable words! Theywill prove to you by convincing argument that yonder lion is a rabbit. The Magian waved his hands and the king of beasts cringed before him. Like the worthies of the Museum, every one in this city is merely a mouthon two legs. Where but here would the Christians--I know theirdoctrines--have invented that term for their sublime teacher--The Wordbecome flesh? I have heard nothing here, " he turned to the deputation, "but words and again words--from you, who humbly assure me of your loveand reverence; from those who think that their insignificant persons mayslip through my fingers and escape me, paltry, would-be witty words, dipped in poison and gall. In the Circus, even, they aimed words at me. The Magian alone dared to offer me deeds, and he succeeded wonderfully;he is a marvelous man!""What he showed you, " said the high-priest, "was no more than what thesorcerers achieved, as the old writings tell us, under the builders ofthe Pyramids. Our astrologers, who traced out for you the path of thestars--""They, too, " interrupted Caesar, bowing slightly to the astrologers, "have something better to show than words. As I owe to the Magian anagreeable hour, so I thank you, my friends, for a happy one. "This remark had reference to the information which had been brought toCaesar, during a pause in the incantations, that the stars predictedgreat happiness for him in his union with Melissa, and that thisprediction was well-founded, was proved by the constellations whichthe chief astrologer showed and explained to him. While Caracalla was receiving the thanks of the astrologers, he caughtsight of Alexander, and at once graciously inquired how Melissa had gotback to her fathers house. He then asked, laughingly, if the wits ofAlexandria were going to treat him to another offering like the one onhis arrival. The youth, who had determined in the Circus to risk hislife, if need be, in order to clear himself of the taint of suspicion, judged that the moment had come to make good the mistake which had robbedhim of his fellow-citizens' esteem. The presence of so many witnesses strengthened his courage; and fullyexpecting that, like the consul Vindex, his speech would cost him hishead, he drew himself up and answered gravely, "It is true, great Caesar, that in a weak moment and without considering the results, I repeatedsome of those witticisms to you--""I commanded, and you had to obey, " retorted Caesar, and added, coldly, "But what does this mean?""It means, " began Alexander--who already saw the sword of execution leapfrom its scabbard--with pathetic dignity, which astonished the emperor ascoming from him, "it means that I herewith declare before you, and myAlexandrian fellow-citizens here present, that I bitterly repent myindiscretion; nay, I curse it, since I heard from your own lips how theirready wit has set you against the sons of my beloved native city. ""Ah, indeed! Hence these tears?" interposed Caesar, adopting a well-known Latin phrase. He nodded to the painter, and continued, in a toneof amused superiority: "Go on performing as an orator, if you like; onlymoderate the tragic tone, which does not become you, and make it short, for before the sun rises we all--these worthy citizens and myself--desireto be in bed. "Blushes and pallor alternated on the young man's face. Sentence of deathwould have been more welcome to him than this supercilious check to ahazardous attempt, which he had looked upon as daring and heroic. Amongthe Romans he caught sight of some laughing faces, and hurt, humiliated, confused, scarcely capable of speaking a word, and yet moved by thedesire to justify himself, he stammered out: "I have--I meant to assure--No, I am no spy! May my tongue wither before I--You can, of course--Itis in your power to take my life!""Most certainly it is, " interposed Caracalla, and his tone was morecontemptuous than angry. He could see how deeply excited the artist was, and to save him--Melissa's brother-from committing a folly which he wouldbe obliged to punish, he went on with gracious consideration: "But I muchprefer to see you live and wield the brush for a long time to come. Youare dismissed. "The young man bent his head, and then turned his back upon the emperor, for he felt that he was threatened now with what, to an Alexandrian, wasthe most unbearable fate-to appear ridiculous before so many. Caracalla allowed him to go, but, as he stepped across the threshold, hecalled after him: "Tomorrow, then, with your sister, after the bath!Tell her the stars and the spirits are propitious to our union. "Caesar then beckoned to the chief of the nightwatch, and, having laid theblame of the unpleasant occurrences in the Circus on his carelessness, cut the frightened officer short when he proposed to take every oneprisoner whom the lictors had marked among the noisy. "Not yet! On no account to-morrow, " Caracalla ordered. "Mark each onecarefully. Keep your eyes open at the next performance. Put down thenames of the disaffected. Take care that the rope hangs about the neckof the guilty. The time to draw it tight will come presently. When theythink themselves safe, the cowardly show their true faces. Wait till Igive the signal--certainly not in the next few days; then seize uponthem, and let none escape!"Caesar had given these orders with smiling lips. He wanted first to makeMelissa his, and, like a shepherd, to revel with her in the sweetness oftheir love. No moment of this time should be darkened for him by thetears and prayers of his bride. When she should hear, later on, of herhusband's bloody vengeance upon his enemies, she would have to accept itas an accomplished fact; and means, no doubt, would be found to sootheher indignation. Those who after the insulting occurrences in the Circus had expectedto see Caesar raging and storming, were hurried from one surprise toanother; for even after his conversation with the night-watch he lookedcheerful and contented, and exclaimed: "It is long since you have seen methus! My own mirror will ask itself if it has not changed owners. It isto be hoped it may have cause to accustom itself to reflect me as a happyman as often as I look in it. The two highest joys of life are beforeme, and I know not what would be left for me to desire if onlyPhilostratus were here to share the coming days with me. "The grave senator Cassius Dio here stepped forward and observed thatthere were advantages in their amiable friend's withdrawal from theturmoil of court life. His Life of Apollonius, to which all the worldwas looking forward, would come all the sooner to a close. "If only that I might talk to him of the man of Tyana, " cried theemperor, "I wish his biographer were here to-day. To possess little andrequire nothing is the wish of the sage; and I can well imaginecircumstances in which one who has enjoyed power and riches to satietyshould consider himself blessed as a simple countryman following out theprecept of Horace, 'procul negotiis, ' plowing his fields and gatheringthe fruit of his own trees. According to Apollonius, the wise man mustalso be poor, and, though the citizens of his state are permitted toacquire treasures, the wealthy are looked upon as dishonorable. There issome sense in this paradox, for the possessions that are to be obtainedwith money are but vulgar joys. I know by experience what it is thatpurifies the soul, that lifts it up and makes it truly blessed. It doesnot come of power or riches. Whoso has known it, he to whom it has beenrevealed--"He stopped short, surprised at himself; then laughed as he shook his headand exclaimed, "Behold, the tragedy hero in the purple with one foot inan idyl!" and wished the assembled company pleasant slumbers for theshort remains of the night. He gave his hand to a few favored ones; but, as he clasped that of theproconsul Julius Paulinus, who, with unheard-of audacity, had put onmourning garments for his brother-in-law Vindex, beheaded that day, Caesar's countenance grew dark, and, turning his back upon them all, he walked rapidly away. Scarcely had he disappeared when the mourningproconsul exclaimed in his dry manner, as if speaking to himself:"The idyl is to begin. Would it might be the satyr-play that closes thebloodiest of tragedies!""Caesar has not been himself to-day, " said the favorite Theocritus; andthe senator Cassius Dio whispered to Paulinus, "And therefore he was morebearable to look at. "Old Adventus gazed in astonishment as Arjuna, the emperor's Indian body-slave, disrobed him; for, though Caracalla had entered the apartment witha dark and threatening brow, while his sandals were being unfastened, helaughed to himself, and cried to his old servant with beaming eyes, "To-morrow!" and the chamberlain called down a blessing on the morrow, and on her who was destined to fill the coming years with sunshine formighty Caesar. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . Caracalla, generally an early riser, slept this time longer than on otherdays. He had retired very late to rest, and the chamberlain thereforeput off waking him, especially as he had been troubled by evil dreams, inspite of his happy frame of mind when he sought his couch. When at lasthe rose he first inquired about the weather, and expressed hissatisfaction when he heard that the sun had risen with burning rays, but was now veiled in threatening clouds. His first visit led him to the court of sacrifice. The offerings hadfallen out most favorably, and he rejoiced at the fresh and healthyappearance of the bullocks' hearts and livers which the augurs showedhim. In the stomach of one of the oxen they had found a flint arrow-head, and, on showing it to Caracalla, he laughed, and observed to thehigh-priest Timotheus: "A shaft from Eros's quiver! A hint from the godto offer him a sacrifice on this happy day. "After his bath he caused himself to be arrayed with peculiar care, andthen gave orders for the admittance, first, of the prefect of thepraetorians, and then of Melissa, for whom a mass of gorgeous flowersstood ready. But Macrinus was not to be found, although Caesar had commanded himyesterday to give in his report before doing anything else. He had twicecome to the antechamber, but had gone away again shortly before, and hadnot yet returned. Determined to let nothing damp his spirits, Caesar merely shrugged hisshoulders, and gave orders to admit the maiden, and--should they haveaccompanied her--her father and brother. But neither Melissa nor themen had appeared as yet, though Caracalla distinctly remembered havingcommanded all three to visit him after the bath, which he had takenseveral hours later than usual. Vexed, and yet endeavoring to keep his temper, he went to the window. The sky was overcast, and a sharp wind from the sea drove the first rain-drops in his face. In the wide square at his feet a spectacle presented itself which wouldhave delighted him at another time, when in better spirits. The younger men of the city--as many as were of Greek extraction--weretrooping in. They were divided into companies, according to thewrestling-schools or the Circus and other societies to which theybelonged. The youths marched apart from the married men, and one couldsee that they came gladly, and hoped for much enjoyment from the eventsof the day. Some of the others looked less delighted. They wereunaccustomed to obey the orders of a despot, and many were ill-pleased tolose a whole day from their work or business. But no one was permittedto absent himself; for, when the chief citizens had invited the emperorto visit their wrestling-schools, he replied that he preferred to inspectthe entire male youths of Alexandria in the Stadium. This was situatedclose by his residence in the Serapeum, and in this great space aspectacle would be afforded to him at one glance, which he couldotherwise only enjoy by journeying laboriously from one gymnasium toanother. He loved the strong effects produced by great masses; and beingon the race-course, the wrestlers and boxers, the runners and discus-throwers, could give proof of their strength, dexterity, and endurance. It occurred to him at the moment that among these youths and men theremight be some of the descendants of the warriors who, under the commandof the great Alexander, had conquered the world. Here, then, was anopportunity of gathering round him--rejuvenated and, so to speak, bornanew--those troops who, under the guidance of the man whose mission onearth he was destined to accomplish, had won such deathless victories. That was a pleasure he had every right to permit himself, and he wishedto show to Melissa the re-created military forces of him to whom, in aformer existence, as Roxana, she had been so dear. Quick as ever to suit the deed to the word, he at once ordered the headcitizens to assemble the youth of Alexandria on the morning of the day inquestion, and to form them into a Macedonian phalanx. He wished toinspect them in the stadium, and they were now marching thither. He had ordered helmets, shields, and lances to be made after well-knownMacedonian patterns and to be distributed to the new Hellenic legion. Later on they might be intrusted with the guarding of the city, shouldthere be a Parthian war; and he required the attendance of theAlexandrian garrison. The inspection of this Greek regiment would be certain to give pleasureto Melissa. He expected, too, to see Alexander among them. When oncehis beloved shared the purple with him, he could raise her brother to thecommand of this chosen phalanx. Troop after troop streamed on to the course, and he thought he had seldomseen anything finer than these slender youths, marching along withelastic step, and garlands in their black, brown, or golden locks. When the young noblemen who belonged to the school of Timagetes filedpast him, he took such delight in the beauty of their heads, thewonderful symmetry of their limbs strengthened by athletic games, and thesupple grace of most of them, that he felt as if some magic spell hadcarried him back to the golden age of Greece and the days of the Olympiangames in the Altis. What could be keeping Melissa? This sight would assuredly please her, and for once he would be able to say something flattering about herpeople. One might easily overlook a good deal from such splendid youths. Carried away by his admiration he waved his scarf to them, which beingremarked by the gymnasiarch, who with his two assistants-herculeanathletes--walked in front, was answered by him with a loud "Hail, Caesar!"The youths who followed him imitated his example, and the troop that cameafter them returned his greeting loud and heartily. The young voicescould be heard from afar, and the news soon spread to the last ranks ofthe first division to whom these greetings were addressed. But, amongthe men who already were masters of households of their own, there weremany who deemed it shameful and unworthy to raise their voices ingreeting to the tyrant whose heavy hand had oppressed them more thanonce; and a group of young men belonging to the party of the "Greens, "who ran their own horses, had the fatal audacity to agree amongthemselves that they would leave Caesar's greeting unanswered. A many-headed crowd is like a row of strings which sound together as soon as thenote is struck to which they are all attuned; and so each one now feltsure that his acclamation would only increase the insolence of thisfratricide, this bloodstained monster, this oppressor and enemy of thecitizens. The succeeding ranks of "Greens" followed the example, andfrom the midst of a troop of young married men, members in the gymnasiumof the society of the Dioscuri, one foolhardy spirit had the recklesstemerity to blow a shrill, far-sounding whistle between his fingers. He found no imitators, but the insulting sound reached the emperor's ear, and seemed to him like the signal-call of Fate; for, before it had diedaway, the clouds broke, and a stream of brilliant sunshine spread overthe race-course and the assembled multitude. The cloudy day that wasto have brought happiness to Caesar had been suddenly transformed by thesun of Africa into a bright one; and the radiant light which cheered thehearts of others seemed to him to be a message from above to warn himthat, instead of the highest bliss, this day would bring himdisappointment and misfortune. He said nothing of this, for there was noone there in whom it would be any relief to confide, or of whose sympathyhe could be sure. But those who watched him as he retired from thewindow saw plainly that the idyl, which he had promised them should beginto-day, would assuredly not do so for the next few hours at least, unlesssome miracle should occur. No, he would have to wait awhile for thepastoral joys he had promised himself. And it seemed as if, instead ofthe satyr-play of which old Julius Paulinus had spoken, that fatalwhistle had given the signal for another act in Caracalla's terriblelife-tragedy. The "friends" of the emperor looked at him anxiously as, with furrowedbrow, he asked, impatiently: "Macrinus not here yet?"Theocritus and others who had looked with envy upon Melissa and herrelatives, and with distrust upon her union with the emperor, nowheartily wished the girl back again. But the prefect Macrinus came not; and while the emperor, having sentmessengers to fetch Melissa, turned with darkly boding brow to hisstation overlooking the brightly lighted race-course, still hoping theaugury would prove false, and the sunny day turn yet in his favor, Macrinus was in the full belief that the gate of greatness and power wasopening to him. Superstitious as the emperor himself and every one elseof his time, he was to-day more firmly persuaded than ever of theexistence of men whose mysterious wisdom gave them powers to which evenhe must bend--the hard-headed man who had raised himself from the lowestto the highest station, next to the Caesar himself. In past nights the Magian Serapion had caused him to see and hear muchthat was incomprehensible. He believed in the powers exerted by thatremarkable man over spirits, and his ability to work miracles, for he hadproved in the most startling manner that he had perfect control even oversuch a determined mind as that of the prefect. The evening before, themagician had bidden Macrinus come to him at the third hour after sunriseof the next day, which he had unhesitatingly promised to do. But theemperor had risen later than usual this morning, and the prefect mightexpect to be called to his master at any moment. In spite of this, andalthough his absence threatened to rouse Caesar to fury, and everythingpointed to the necessity of his remaining within call, Macrinus, drawn byan irresistible craving, had followed the invitation, which sounded morelike a command. This, indeed, had seemed to him decisive; for, as theseer ruled over his stern spirit, albeit he was alive, even so must thespirits of the departed do his bidding. His every interest urged him nowto believe in the prophecy made to him by Serapion, to-day for the thirdtime, which foretold that he, the prefect, should mount the throne of theCaesars, clad in the purple of Caracalla. But it was not alone to repeatthis prophecy that the seer had called Macrinus to him, but to inform himthat the future empress was betrothed to a young Alexandrian, and thatthe tender intercourse between the lovers had not been interrupted duringCaracalla's courtship. This had come to Serapion's ears yesterdayafternoon, through his adroit assistant Kastor, and he had takenadvantage of the information to prepare Caesar during the night for thefaithlessness of his chosen bride. The Magian assured the prefect that what the spirit of the greatMacedonian had hinted at yesterday had since been confirmed by the demonsin his service. It would now be easy for Macrinus to possibly hinderMelissa, who might have been all-powerful, from coming between him andthe great goal which the spirits had set before him. Serapion then repeated the prophecy, which came with such convincingpower from the bearded lips of the sage that the prudent statesman casthis last doubts from him, and, exclaiming, "I believe your words, andshall press forward now in spite of every danger!" he grasped theprophet's hand in farewell. Up to this point Macrinus, the son of a poor cobbler, who had haddifficulty in rearing his children at all, had received these propheticutterances with cool deliberation, and had ventured no step nearer to theexalted aim which had been offered to his ambition. In all good faith hehad done his best to perform the duties of his office as an obedientservant to his master and the state. This had all changed now, and, firmly resolved to risk the struggle for the purple, he returned to theemperor's apartments. Macrinus had no reason to expect a favorable reception when he enteredthe tablinum, but his great purpose upheld his courage. He, the upstart, was well aware that Fortune requires her favorites to keep their eyesopen and their hands active. He therefore took care to obtain a fullaccount of what had happened from his confidential friend the senatorAntigonus, a soldier of mean birth, who had gained favor with Caesar bya daring piece of horsemanship. Antigonus closed his report with theimpudent whistle of the Greek athlete; he dwelt chiefly on hisastonishment at Melissa's absence. This gave food for thought to theprefect, too; but before entering the tablinum he was stopped by thefreedman Epagathos, who handed over to him a scroll which had been givento him for the emperor. The messenger had disappeared directlyafterward, and could not be overtaken. Might it not endanger the life ofthe reader by exhaling a poisonous perfume?"Nothing is impossible here, " answered the prefect. "Ours it is towatch over the safety of our godlike master. "This letter was that which Melissa had intrusted to the slave Argutis forCaesar, and with unwarrantable boldness the prefect and Epagathos nowopened it and ran rapidly over its contents. They then agreed to keepthis strange missive from the emperor till Macrinus should send to askwhether the youths were assembled in their full number on the race-course. They judged it necessary to prepare Caesar in some sort, toprevent a fresh attack of illness. Caracalla was standing near a pillar at the window whence he might seewithout being seen. That whistle still shrilled in his ears. Butanother idea occupied him so intensely that he had not yet thought ofwiping out the insult with blood. What could be delaying Melissa and her father and brother?The painter ought to have joined the other Macedonian youths on the race-course, and Caracalla was engaged in looking out for him, stretchingforward every time he caught sight of some curly head that rose above theothers. There was a bitter taste in his mouth, and at every fresh disappointmenthis rebellious, tortured heart beat faster; and yet the idea that Melissamight have dared to flee from him never entered his mind. The high-priest of Serapis had informed him that his wife had seennothing of her as yet. Then it suddenly occurred to him that she mighthave been wet through by the rain yesterday and now lay shaken by fever, and that this must keep her father away, too; a supposition which cheeredthe egoist more than it pained him, and with a sigh of relief he turnedonce more to the window. How haughtily these boys carried their heads; their fleet, elastic feetskimmed over the ground; how daringly they showed off the strength anddexterity that almost seemed their birthright! This reminded him that, prematurely aged as he was by the wild excesses of his younger years, with his ill-set broken leg and his thin locks, he must make a lamentablecontrast to these others of his own age; and he said to himself thatperhaps the whistle had come from the lips of one of the strongest andhandsomest, who had not considered him worth greeting. And yet he was not weaker than any single individual down there; aye, andif he chose he could crush them all together, as he would the glow-wormcreeping on that window-sill. With one quick squeeze of his fingers heput an end to the pretty little insect, and at that moment he heardvoices behind him. Had his beloved come at last?No, it was only the prefect. He should have been there long ago, if hewere obedient to his sovereign's commands. Macrinus was therefore aconvenient object on which to vent his anger. How mean was the face ofthis long-legged upstart, with its small eyes, sharp nose, and furrowedbrow! Could the beautiful Diadumenianus really be his son? No matter!The boy, the apple of his father's eye, was in his power, and was asurety for the old man's loyalty. After all, Macrinus was a capable, serviceable officer, and easier to deal with than the Romans of the oldnoble families. Notwithstanding these considerations, Caracalla addressed the prefect asharshly as if he had been a disobedient slave, but Macrinus received theflood of abuse with patience and humility. When the emperor reproachedhim with never being at hand when he was wanted, he replied submissivelythat it was just because he found he could be of service to Caesar thathe had dared to absent himself. The refractory young brood down therewere being kept well in hand, and it was entirely owing to his effectualmeasures that they had contented themselves with that one whistle. Lateron it would be their duty to punish such audacity and high-treason withthe utmost rigor. The emperor gazed in astonishment at the counselor, who till now had everadvised him to use moderation, and only yesterday had begged him toascribe much to Alexandrian manners, which in Rome would have had to betreated with severity. Had the insolence of these unruly citizens become unbearable even to this prudent, merciful man?Yes, that must be it; and the grudge that Macrinus now showed against theAlexandrians hastened the pardon which Caesar silently accorded him. Caracalla even said to himself that he had underrated the prefect'sintellect, for his eyes flashed and glowed like fire, notwithstandingtheir smallness, and lending a force to his ignoble face which Caracallahad never noticed before. Had Caesar no premonition that in the lastfew hours this man had grown to be such another as himself?--for in hisunyielding mind the firm resolve had been strengthened to hesitate atnothing--not even at the death of as many as might come between him andhis high aim, the throne. Macrinus knew enough of human nature to observe the miserable disquietudethat had seized upon the emperor at his bride's continued absence, but hetook good care not to refer to the subject. When Caracalla, however, could no longer conceal his anxiety, and asked after her himself, theprefect gave the appointed sign to Epagathos, who then handed Melissa'sfreshly re-sealed letter to his master. "Let me open it, great Caesar, " entreated Macrinus. "Even Homer calledEgypt the land of poison. "But the emperor did not heed him. No one had told him, and he had neverin his life received a letter in a woman's hand, except from his mother;and yet he knew that this delicate little roll had come from a woman--from Melissa. It was closed with a silken thread, and the seal with which Epagathos hadreplaced the one they had broken. If Caracalla tore it open, the papyrusand the writing might be damaged. He called impatiently for a knife, andthe body physician, who had just entered with other courtiers, handed himhis. "Back again?" asked Caracalla as the physician drew the blade from itssheath. "At break of day, on somewhat unsteady legs, " was the jovial answer. Caracalla took the knife from him, cut the silk, hastily broke the seal, and began to read. Till now his hands had performed their office steadily, but suddenly theybegan to tremble, and while he ran his eye over Melissa's refusal--therewere but a few lines-his knees shook, and a sharp, low cry burst fromhim, like no sound that lies by nature in the throat of man. Rent in twopieces, the strip of papyrus fluttered to the ground. The prefect caught the despot, who, seized with giddiness, stretched outhis hands as if seeking a support. The physician hurriedly brought outthe drug which Galenus had advised him to use in such cases, and which healways carried with him, and then, pointing to the letter, asked theprefect:"In the name of all the gods, from whom?""From the gem-cutter's fair daughter, " replied Macrinus, with acontemptuous shrug. "From her?" cried the physician, indignantly. From that light Phryne, who kissed and embraced my rich host's son down there in his sick-room?"At this the emperor, who had not lost consciousness for one moment, started as if stung by a serpent, and sprang at the physician's throatscreaming while he threatened to strangle him:"What was that? What did you say? Cursed babbler! The truth, villain, and the whole truth, if you love your life!"The half-choked man, ever prone to talking, had no reason for concealingfrom Caesar what he had seen with his own eyes, and had subsequentlyheard in the Serapeum and at the table of Polybius. When life was at stake a promise to a freedman could be of no account, so he gave free rein to his tongue, and answered the questions Caracallahoarsely put to him without reserve, and--being a man used to the ways ofa court--with insinuations that were doubly welcome to a judge so eagerfor damning evidence. Yesterday, the day before, and the day before that--every day on whichMelissa had pretended to feel the mysterious ties that bound her heart tohis, every day that she had feigned love and led him on to woo her, shehad--as he now learned--granted to another what she had refused to himwith such stern discretion. Her prayer for him, the sympathy she saidshe felt, the maidenly sensibility which had charmed him in her--all, allhad been lies, deceit, sham, in order to attain an object. And that oldman and the brothers to serve whom she had dared to approach him--theyall knew the cruel game she was playing with him and his heart'slove. The lips that had lured him into the vilest trap with lying wordshad kissed another. He seemed to hear the Alexandrians laughing at theforsaken bridegroom, to see them pointing the finger of derision at theman whom cunning woman had deceived even before marriage. What a feastfor their ribald wit!And yet--he would have willingly borne it all, and more, for thecertainty that she had really loved him once; that her heart had beenhis, if only for one short hour. On those shreds of papyrus scattered over the floor she confessed she wasnot able to accede to his wishes, because she had already given her faithto another before she ever saw Caracalla. It was true she had feltherself drawn to him as to no other but her betrothed; and had he beencontent to let her be near him as a faithful servant and sicknurse, thenindeed . . . In short, he was informed in so many words that everytie that bound her to him must be broken in favor of another, and thehypocritical regret with which she sought to cover up the hard factsonly made him doubly indignant. Lies, lies--even in this letter nothing but lies and heartlessdissimulation!How it stabbed his heart! But he possessed the power to wound her inreturn. Wild beasts should tear her fair body limb from limb, as she hadtorn his soul in this hour. One wish alone filled his heart--to see her whom he had loved above allothers, to whom he had revealed his inmost soul, for whose sake he hadamended his actions as he had never done for his own mother--to see herlying in the dust before him, and to inflict upon her such tortures as nomortal had ever endured before. And not only she, but all whom she lovedand who were her accomplices, should atone for the torment of this hour. The time of reckoning had come, and every evil instinct of his naturemingled its exulting voice with the anguished cries of his bleedingheart. The prefect knew his master well, and watched his every expression whileapparently listening to the voluble physician, but in reality absorbed ina train of thought. By the twitching of his eyelids, the sharplyoutlined red patches on his cheeks, the quivering nostrils, and the deepfurrows between his eyes, he must be revolving some frightful plan in hismind. Yesterday, had he found him in this condition, Macrinus would haveendeavored by every means in his power to calm his wrath; but to-day, if Caesar had set the world in flames, he would only have added fuel tothe fire, for who could more surely upset the firmly established powerof this emperor and son of emperors as Caracalla himself? The people ofRome had endured unimaginable sufferings at his hands; but the cup wasfull, and, judging from Caesar's looks, he would cause it to overflowthis day. Then the rising flood which tore the son of an idolized fatherfrom the throne, might possibly bear him, the child of lowliness andpoverty, into the palace. But Macrinus remained silent. No word from him should change the tenorof the emperor's thoughts. The plan he was thinking out must be allowedto ripen to its full horror. The lowering, uncertain glance thatCaracalla cast round the tablinum at the close of the physician'snarrative showed that the prefect's reticence was an unnecessaryprecaution. Caesar's mind and tongue still seemed paralyzed; but at that momentsomething occurred which recalled him to himself and brought firmness tohis wandering gaze. There was a sudden disturbance in the antechamber, with a confused soundof cries and shouting. Those friends of Caesar who wore swords drewthem, and Caracalla, who was unarmed, called to Antigonus to give himhis. "A revolt?" he asked Macrinus with flashing eyes, and as if he wishedthe answer to be in the affirmative; but the prefect had hastened to thedoor with drawn sword. Before he reached it, it was thrown open, andJulius Asper, the legate, burst into the tablinum as if beside himself, crying: "Cursed den of murderers! An attempt on your life, great Caesar;but we have him fast!""Assassination!" interrupted Caracalla with furious joy. "That was theonly thing left undone! Bring the murderer! But first"--and headdressed himself to Aristides--"close the city gates and the harbor. Not a man, not a ship must be let through without being searched. Thevessels that have weighed anchor since daybreak must be followed andbrought back. Mounted Numidians under efficient officers must scour thehigh-roads as soon as the gate-keepers have been examined. Every housemust be open to your men, every temple, every refuge. Seize Heron, thegem-cutter, his daughter, and his two sons. Also--Diodoros is the youngvillain's name?--him, his parents, and everybody connected with them!The physician knows where they are to be found. Alive, do you hear?--not dead! I will have them alive! I give you till midnight! Your head, if you let the jade and her brothers escape!"With drooping head the unhappy officer departed. On the threshold he wasmet by Martialis, the praetorian centurion. After him, his hands boundbehind his back, walked the criminal. A deep flush overspread hishandsome face, his eyes glowed under the too lofty brow with the fiercelight of fever, his waving locks stood out in wild confusion round hishead, while the finely cut upper lip with its disdainful curl seemed thevery seat of scorn and bitterest contempt. Every feature wore that sameexpression, and not a trace of fear or regret. But his panting breastbetrayed to the physician's first glance that they had here to deal witha sick man in raging fever. They had already torn off his mantle and discovered beneath its folds thesharp-edged butcher's knife which plainly betrayed his intentions. Hehad penetrated to the first antechamber when a soldier of the Germanicbody-guard laid hold on him. Martialis had him by the girdle now, andthe emperor looked sharply and mistrustfully at the praetorian, as heasked if it were he who had captured the assassin. The centurion replied that he had not. Ingiomarus, the German, hadnoticed the knife; he, Martialis, was here only in right of his privilegeas a praetorian to bring such prisoners before great Caesar. Caracalla bent a searching gaze upon the soldier; for he thought herecognized in him the man who had aroused his envy and whose happiness hehad once greatly desired to damp, when against orders he had received hiswife and child in the camp. Recollections rose in his mind that drovethe hot blood to his cheek, and he cried, disdainfully:"I might have guessed it! What can be expected beyond the letter oftheir service from one who so neglects his duties? Did you not disportyourself with lewd women in the camp before my very eyes, setting atnaught the well-known rules? Hands off the prisoner! This is your lastday as praetorian and in Alexandria. As soon as the harbor is opened--to-morrow, I expect--you go on board the ship that carries reinforcementsto Edessa. A winter on the Pontus will cool your lascivious blood. "This attack was so rapid and so unexpected to the somewhat dull-wittedcenturion, that he failed at first to grasp its full significance. Heonly understood that he was to be banished again from the loved ones hehad so long been deprived of. But when he recovered sufficiently toexcuse himself by declaring that it was his own wife and children who hadvisited him, Caesar cut him short by commanding him to report his changeof service at once to the tribune of the legion. The centurion bowed in silence and obeyed. Caracalla then went up to theprisoner, and dragging him, weakly resisting, from the dark back groundof the room to the window, he asked with a sneer:"And what are assassins like in Alexandria? Ah, ha! this is not theface of a hired cut-throat! Only thus do they look whose sharp wit Iwill answer with still sharper steel. ""For that answer at least you are not wont to be at a loss, " camecontemptuously from the lips of the prisoner. The emperor winced as if he had been struck, and then exclaimed"You may thank your bound hands that I do not instantly return you theanswer you seem to expect of me. "Then turning to his courtiers, he asked if any of them could give himinformation as to the name and history of the assassin; but no oneappeared to know him. Even Timotheus, the priest of Serapis, who as headof the Museum had so often delighted in the piercing intellect of thisyouth, and had prophesied a great future for him, was silent, and lookedat him with troubled gaze. It was the prisoner himself who satisfied Caesar's curiosity. Glancing round the circle of courtiers, and casting a grateful lookat his priestly patron, he said:"It would be asking too much of your Roman table-companions that theyshould know a philosopher. You may spare yourself the question, Caesar. I came here that you might make my acquaintance. My name is Philippus, and I am son to Heron, the gem-cutter. ""Her brother!" screamed Caracalla, as he rushed at him, and thrustinghis hand into the neck of the sick youth's chiton--who already couldscarcely stand upon his feet--he shook him violently, crying, with ascoffing look at the high-priest:"And is this the ornament of the Museum, the free-thinker, the profoundskeptic Philippus?"He stopped suddenly, and his eyes flashed as if a new light had burstupon him; he dropped his hand from the prisoner's robe, and bending hishead close to the other, he whispered in his ear, "You have come fromMelissa?""Not from her, " the other answered quickly, the flush deepening on hisface, "but in the name of that most unhappy, most pitiable maiden, and asthe representative of her noble Macedonian house, which you would defilewith shame and infamy; in the name of the inhabitants of this city, whomyou despoil and tread under foot; in the interests of the whole world, which you disgrace!"Trembling with fury Caracalla broke in:"Who would choose you for their ambassador, miserable wretch?"To which the philosopher replied with haughty calm:"Think not so lightly of one who looks forward with longing to that ofwhich you have an abject fear. ""Of death, do you mean?" asked Caracalla, sneering, for his wrath hadgiven place to astonishment. And Philip answered: "Yes, Death--with whom I have sworn friendship, andwho should be ten times blessed to me if he would but atone for myclumsiness and rid the world of such a monster!"The emperor, still spell-bound by the unheard-of audacity of the youthbefore him, now felt moved to keep step with the philosopher, whom fewcould equal in sharpness of wit; and, controlling the raging fury of hisblood, he cried, in a tone of superiority:"So that is the boasted logic of the Museum? Death is your dearestdesire, and yet you would give it to your enemy?""Quite right, " replied Philip, his lip curling with scorn. "For thereis something which to the philosopher stands higher than logic. It is astranger to you, but you know it perhaps by name--it is called justice. "These words, and the contemptuous tone in which they were spoken, burstthe flood-gates of Caracalla's painfully restrained passion; his voicerose harsh and loud, till the lion growled angrily and dragged at hischain, while his master flung hasty words of fury in the face of hisenemy:"We shall soon see, my cunning fencer with words, whether I know how tofollow your advice, and how sternly I can exercise that virtue denied tome by an assassin. Will any one accuse me now of injustice if I punishthe accursed brood that has grown up in this den of iniquity with all therigor that it deserves? Yes, glare at me with those great, burning eyes! Alexandrian eyes, promising all and granting nothing--persuading him who trusts in them to believe in innocence and chastity, truth and affection. But let him look closer, and he finds nothing butdeep corruption, foul cunning, despicable self-seeking, and atrociousfaithlessness!"And everything else in this city is like those eyes! Where are there somany gods and priests, where do they sacrifice so often, where do theyfast and apply themselves so assiduously to repentance and the cleansingof the soul? And yet, where does vice display itself so freely and sounchecked? This Alexandria--in her youth as dissolute as she was fair--what is she now but an old hag? Now that she is toothless, now thatwrinkles disfigure her face, she has turned pious, that, like the wolf insheep's clothing, she may revenge herself by malice for the loss of joyand of the admiration of her lovers! I can find no more strikingcomparison than this; for, even as hags find a hideous pleasure in emptychatter and spiteful slanderings, so she, once so beautiful and renowned, has sunk deeper and deeper in the mire, and can not endure to seeanything that has achieved greatness or glory without maliciouslybespattering it with poison. "Justice!--yes, I will exercise justice, oh, sublime and virtuous hero, going forth to murder--a dagger hidden in your bosom! I thank you forthat lesson!"Pride of the Museum!--you lead me to the source whence all yourcorruption flows. It is that famous nursery of learning where you, too, were bred up. There, yes, there they cherish the heresy that makes thegods into puppets of straw, and the majesty of the throne into an owl forpert and insignificant birds to peck at. Thence comes the doctrine thatteaches men and women to laugh at virtue and to break their word. There, where in other days noble minds, protected by the overshadowing favor ofprinces, followed out great ideas, they now teach nothing but words--empty, useless words. I saw and said that yesterday, and now I know itfor certain--every poison shaft that your malice has aimed at me wasforged in the Museum. "He paused for breath, and then continued, with a contemptuous laugh:"If the justice which you rate higher than logic were to take its course, nothing would be juster than to make an end this day of this hot-bed ofcorruption. But your unlearned fellow-citizens shall taste of myjustice, too. You yourself will be prevented by the beasts in the Circusfrom looking on at the effect your warning words have produced. But asyet you are alive, and you shall hear what the experiences are which makethe severest measures the highest justice. "What did I hope to find, and what have I really found? I heard theAlexandrians praised for their hospitality--for the ardor with which theypursue learning--for the great proficiency of their astronomers--for thepiety which has raised so many altars and invented so many doctrines;and, lastly, for the beauty and fine wit of their women. "And this hospitality! All that I have known of it is a flood ofmalicious abuse and knavish scoffing, which penetrated even to the gatesof this temple, my dwelling. I came here as emperor, and treason pursuedme wherever I went--even into my own apartments; for there you stand, whom a barbarian had to hinder from stabbing me with the knife of theassassin. And your learning? You have heard my opinion of the Museum. And the astrologers of this renowned observatory? The very opposite ofall they promised me has come to pass. "Religion? The people, of whom you know as little from the mustyvolumes of the Museum as of 'Ultima Thule'--the people indeed practiceit. The old gods are necessary to them. They are the bread of life tothem. But instead of those you have offered them sour, unripe fruit, with a glittering rind-from your own garden, of your own growing. Thefruit of trees is a gift from Nature, and all that she brings forth hassome good in it; but what you offer to the world is hollow and poisonous. Your rhetoric gives it an attractive exterior, and that, too, comes fromthe Museum. There they are shrewd enough to create new gods, which startup out of the earth like mushrooms. If it should only occur to them, they would raise murder to the dignity of god of gods, and you to be hishigh-priest. ""That would be your office, " interposed the philosopher. "You shall see, " returned the emperor, laughing shrilly, "and the witlingsof the Museum with you! You use the knife; but hear the words of themaster: The teeth of wild beasts and their claws are weapons not to bedespised. Your father and brother, and she who taught me what to thinkof the virtue and faith of Alexandrian women, shall tell you this inHades. Soon shall every one of those follow you thither who forgot, even by a glance of the eye, that I was Caesar and a guest of this city!After the next performance in the Circus the offenders shall tell you inthe other world how I administer justice. No later than the day afterto-morrow, I imagine, you may meet there with several companions fromthe Museum. There will be enough to clap applause at the disputations!"Caracalla ended his vehement speech with a jeering laugh, and lookedround eagerly for applause from the "friends" for whose benefit his lastwords had been spoken; and it was offered so energetically as to drownthe philosopher's reply. But Caracalla heard it, and when the noise subsided he asked hiscondemned victim:"What did you mean by your exclamation, 'And yet I would that deathmight spare me'?""In order, if that should come true, " returned the philosopher quickly, his voice trembling with indignation, "that I might be a witness of thegrim mockery with which the all-requiting gods will destroy you, theirdefender. ""The gods!" laughed the emperor. "My respect for your logic grows lessand less. You, the skeptic, expect the deeds of a mortal man from thegods whose existence you deny!"Then cried Philip, and his great eyes burning with hatred and indignationsought the emperor's: "Till this hour I was sure of nothing, andtherefore uncertain of the existence of a god; but now I believe firmlythat Nature, by whom everything is carried out according to everlasting, immutable laws, and who casts out and destroys anything that threatens tobring discord into the harmonious workings of all her parts, would of herown accord bring forth a god, if there be not one already, who shouldcrush you, the destroyer of life and peace, in his all-powerful hand!"Here his wild outburst of indignation was brought to an abrupt close, fora furious blow from Caracalla's fist sent his enfeebled enemy staggeringback against the wall near the window. Mad with rage, Caracalla shrieked hoarsely"To the beasts with him! No, not to the beasts--to the torture! He andhis sister! The punishment I have bethought me of--scum of the earth--"But the wild despair of the other, in whose breast hatred and feverburned with equal strength, now reached the highest pitch. Like a hunteddeer which stays its flight for a moment to find an outlet or to turnupon his pursuers, he gazed wildly round him, and before the emperorcould finish his threat; leaning against the pillar of the window as ifprepared to receive his death-blow, he interrupted Caracalla:"If your dull wit can invent no death to satisfy your cruelty, the blood-hound Zminis can aid you. You are a worthy couple. Curses on you!. .. . "At him!" yelled the emperor to Macrinus and the legate, for nosubstitute had appeared for the centurion he had dismissed. But while the nobles advanced warily upon the madman, and Macrinus calledto the Germanic body-guard in the anteroom, Philip had turned likelightning and disappeared through the window. The legates and Caesar came too late to hold him back, and from belowcame cries of: "Crushed!--dead! . . What crime has he committed? . They cast him down! . . . He can not have done it himself . . . Impossible! . . . His arms are bound. . . A new manner of deathinvented specially for the Alexandrians!"Then another whistle sounded, and the shout, "Down with the tyrant!"But no second cry followed. The place was too full of soldiers andlictors. "Caracalla heard it all. He turned back into the room, wiped theperspiration from his brow, and said in a voice of studied unconcern, yetwith horrible harshness:"He deserved his death-ten times over. However, I have to thank him fora good suggestion. I had forgotten the Egyptian Zminis. If he is stillalive, Macrinus, take him from his dungeon and bring him here. Butquickly--in a chariot! Let him come just as he is. I can make use ofhim now. "The prefect bowed assent, and by the rapidity with which he departed hebetrayed how willingly he carried out this order of his master's. ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:Possess little and require nothing