_ EVERY drop of blood quivered in the young patrician at sight of
her. He forgot the crowd, the old man, his own astonishment at the
incomprehensible things which he had heard, -- he saw only her.
At last, after all his efforts, after long days of alarm, trouble, and
suffering, he had found her! For the first time he realized that joy
might rush at the heart, like a wild beast, and squeeze it till breath
was lost. He, who had supposed hitherto that on "Fortuna" had
been imposed a kind of duty to accomplish all his wishes, hardly
beJieved his own eyes now and his own happiness. Were it not for
that disbelief, his passionate nature might have urged him to some
unconsidered step; but he wished to convince himself first that that
was not the continuation of those miracles with which his head
was filled, and that he was not dreaming. But there was no doubt,
-- he saw Lygia, and an interval of barely a few steps divided them.
She stood in perfect light, so that he could rejoice in the sight of
her as much as he liked. The hood had fallen from her head and
dishevelled her hair; her mouth was open slightly, her eyes raised
toward the Apostle, her face fixed in listening and delighted. She
was dressed in a dark woollen mantle, like a daughter of the
people, but never had Vinicius seen her more beautiful; and
notwithstanding all the disorder which had risen in him, he was
struck by the nobility of that wonderful patrician head in
distinction to the dress, almost that of a slave. Love flew over him
like a flame, immense, mixed with a marvellous feeling of
yearning, homage, honor, and desire. He felt the delight which the
sight of her caused him; he drank of her as of life-giving water
after long thirst. Standing near the gigantic Lygian, she seemed to
him smaller than before, almost a child; he noticed, too, that she
had grown more slender. Her complexion had become almost
transparent; she made on him the impression of a flower, and a
spirit. But all the more did he desire to possess that woman, so
different from all women whom he had seen or possessed in Rome
or the Orient. He felt that for her he would have given them all,
and with them Rome and the world in addition.
He would have lost himself in gazing, and forgotten himself
altogether, had it not been for Chilo, who pulled the corner of his
mantle, out of fear that he might do something to expose them to
danger. Meanwhile the Christians began to pray and sing. After a
while Maranatha thundered forth, and then the Great Apostle
baptized with water from the fountain those whom the presbyters
presented as ready for baptism. It seemed to Vinicius that that
night would never end. He wished now to follow Lygia as soon as
possible, and seize her on the road or at her house.
At last some began to leave the cemetery, and Chilo whispered, --
"Let us go out before the gate, lord, we have not removed our
hoods, and people look at us."
Such was the case, for during the discourse of the Apostle all had
cast aside their hoods so as to hear better, and they had not
followed the general example. Chilo's advice seemed wise,
therefore. Standing before the gate, they could look at all who
passed; Ursus it was easy to recognize by his form and size.
"Let us follow them," said Chio; "we shall see to what house they
go. To-morrow, or rather to-day, thou wilt surround the entrances
with slaves and take her."
"No!" said Vinicius.
"What dost thou wish to do, lord?"
"We will follow her to the house and take her now, if thou wilt
undertake that task, Croton?"
"I will," replied Croton, "and I will give myself to thee as a slave if
I do not break the back of that bison who is guarding her."
But Chilo fell to dissuading and entrcating them by all the gods not
to do so. Croton was taken only f or clef ence against attack in
case they were recognized, not to carry off the girl. To take her
when there were only two of them was to expose themselves to
death, and, what was worse, they might let her out of their hands,
and then she would hide in another place or leave Rome. And what
could they do? Why not act with certainty? Why expose
themselves to destruction and the whole undertaking to failure?
Though Vinicius restrained himself with the greatest effort from
seizing Lygia in his arms at once, right there in the cemetery, he
felt that the Greek was right, and would have lent ear, perhaps, to
his counsels, had it not been for Croton, to whom reward was the
question.
"Lord, command that old goat to be silent," said he, "or let me drop
my fist on his head. Once in Buxentum, whither Lucius Saturnius
took me to a play, seven drunken gladiators fell on me at an inn,
and none of them escaped with sound ribs. I do not say to take the
girl now from the crowd, for they might throw stones before our
feet, but once she is at home I will seize her, carry her away, and
take her whithersoever thou shalt indicate."
Vinicius was pleased to hear those words, and answered, -- "Thus
let it be, by Hercules! To-morrow we may not find her at home; if
we surprise them they will remove, the girl surely."
"This Lygian seems tremendously strong!" groaned Chio.
"No one will ask thee to hold his hands," answered Croton.
But they had to wait long yet, and the cocks had begun to crow
before dawn when they saw Ursus coming through the gate, and
with him Lygia. They were accompanied by a number of other
persons. It seemed to Chilo that he recognized among them the
Great Apostle; next to him walked another old man, considerably
lower in stature, two women who were not young, and a boy, who
lighted the way with a lantern. After that handful followed a
crowd, about two hundred in number; Vinicius, Chio, and Croton
walked with these people.
"Yes, lord," said Chio, "thy maiden is under powerful protection.
That is the Great Apostle with her, for see how passing people
kneel to him."
People did in fact kneel before him, but Vinicius did not look at
them. He did not lose Lygia from his eyes for a moment; he
thought only of bearing her away and, accustomed as he had been
in wars to stratagems of all sorts, he arranged in his head the whole
plan of seizure with soldierly precision. He felt that the step on
which he had decided was bold, but he knew well that bold attacks
give success generally.
The way was long; hence at moments he thought too of the gulf
which that wonderful religion had dug between him and Lygia.
Now he understood everything that had happened in the past, and
why it had happened. He was sufficiently penetrating for that.
Lygia he had not known hitherto. He had seen in her a maiden
wonderful beyond others, a maiden toward whom his feelings were
inflamed: he knew now that her religion made her different from
other women, and his hope that feeling, desire, wealth, luxury,
would attract her he knew now to be a vain illusion. Finally he
understood this, which he and Petronius had not understood, that
the new religion ingrafted into the soul something unknown to that
world in which he lived, and that Lygia, even if she loved him,
would not sacrifice any of her Christian truths for his sake, and
that, if pleasure existed for her, it was a pleasure different
altogether from that which he and Petronius and Caesar's court and
all Rome were pursuing. Every other woman whom he knew might
become his mistress, but that Christian would become only his
victim. And when he thought of this, he felt anger and burning
pain, for he felt that his anger was powerless. To carry off Lygia
seemed to him possible; he was almost sure that he could take her,
but he was equally sure that, in view of her religion, he himself
with his bravery was nothing, that his power was nothing, and that
through it he could effect nothing. That Roman military tribune,
convinced that the power of the sword and the fist which had
conquered the world, would command it forever, saw for the first
time in life that beyond that power there might be something else;
hence he asked himself with amazement what it was. And he could
not answer distinctly; through his head flew merely pictures of the
cemetery, the assembled crowd, and Lygia, listening with her
whole soul to the words of the old man, as he narrated the passion,
death, and resurrection of the God-man, who had redeemed the
world, and promised it happiness on the other shore of the Styx.
When he thought of this, chaos rose in his head. But he was
brought out of this chaos by Chilo, who fell to lamenting his own
fate. He had agreed to find Lygia. He had sought for her in peril of
his life, and he had pointed her out. But what more do they want?
Had he offered to carry the maiden away? Who could ask anything
like this of a maimed man deprived of two fingers, an old man,
devoted to meditation, to science, and virtue? What would happen
were a lord of such dignity as Vinicius to meet some mishap while
bearing the maiden away? It is true that the gods are bound to
watch over their chosen ones, -- but have not such things happened
more than once, as if the gods were playing games instead of
watching what was passing in the world? Fortune is blindfold, as is
well known, and does not see even in daylight; what must the case
be at night? Let something happen, -- let that Lygian bear hurl a
millstone at the noble Vinicius, or a keg of wine, or, still worse,
water, -- who will give assurance that instead of a reward blame
will not fall on the hapless Chio? He, the poor sage, has attached
himself to the noble Vinicius as Aristotle to Alexander of
Macedon. If the noble lord should give him at least that purse
which he had thrust into his girdle before leaving home, there
would be something with which to invoke aid in case of need, or to
influence the Christians. Oh, why not listen to the counsels of an
old man, counsels dictated by experience and prudence?
Vinicius, hearing this, took the purse from his belt, and threw it to
the fingers of Chilo.
"Thou hast it; be silent!"
The Greek felt that it was unusually heavy, and gained confidence.
"My whole hope is in this," said he, "that Hercules or Theseus
performed deeds still more arduous; what is my personal, nearest
friend, Croton, if not Hercules? Thee, worthy lord, I will not call a
demigod, for thou art a full god, and in future thou wilt not forget a
poor, faithful servant, whose needs it will be necessary to provide
for from time to time, for once he is sunk in books, he thinks of
nothing else; sonic few stadia of garden land and a little house,
even with the smallest portico, for coolness in summer, would
befit such a donor. Meanwhile I shall admire thy heroic deeds
from afar, and invoke Jove to befriend thee, and if need be I will
make such an outcry that half Rome will be roused to thy
assistance. What a wretched, rough road! The olive oil is burned
out in the lantern; and if Croton, who is as noble as he is strong,
would bear me to the gate in his arms, he would learn, to begin
with, whether he will carry the maiden easily; second, he would
act like IEneas, and win all the good gods to such a degree that
touching the result of the enterprise I should be thoroughly
satisfied."
"I should rather carry a sheep which died of mange a month ago,"
answered the gladiator; "but give that purse, bestowed by the
worthy tribune, and I will bear thee to the gate."
"Mayst thou knock the great toe from thy foot," replied the Greek;
"what profit hast thou from the teachings of that worthy old man,
who described poverty and charity as the two foremost virtues?
Has he not commanded thee expressly to love me? Never shall I
make thee, I see, even a poor Christian; it would be easier for the
sun to pierce the walls of the Mamertine prison than for truth to
penetrate thy skull of a hippopotamus."
"Never fear!" said Croton, who with the strength of a beast had no
human feeling. "I shall not be a Christian! I have no wish to lose
my bread."
"But if thou knew even the rudiments of philosophy, thou wouldst
know that gold is vanity."
"Come to me with thy philosophy. I will give thee one blow of my
head in the stomach; we shall see then who wins."
"An ox might have said the same to Aristotle," retorted Chilo.
It was growing gray in the world. The dawn covered with pale
light the outlines of the walls. The trees along the wayside, the
buildings, and the gravestones scattered here and there began to
issue from the shade. The road was no longer quite empty.
Marketmen were moving toward the gates, leading asses and
mules laden with vegetables;, here and there moved creaking carts
in which game was conveyed. On the road and along both sides of
it was a light mist at the very earth, which promised good weather.
People at some distance seemed like apparitions in that mist.
Vinicius stared at the slender form of Lygia, which became more
silvery as the light increased.
"Lord," said Chio, "I should offend thee were I to foresee the end
of thy bounty, but now, when thou hast paid me, I may not be
suspected of speaking for my own interest only. I advise thee once
more to go home for slaves and a litter, when thou hast learned in
what house the divine Lygia dwells; listen not to that elephant
trunk, Croton, who undertakes to carry off the maiden only to
squeeze thy purse as if it were a bag of curds."
"I have a blow of the fist to be struck between the shoulders, which
means that thou wilt perish," said Croton.
"I have a cask of Cephalonian wine, which means that I shall be
well," answered Chio.
Vinicius made no answer, for he approached the gate, at which a
wonderful sight struck his eyes. Two soldiers knelt when the
Apostle was passing; Peter placed his hand on their iron helmets
for a moment, and then made the sign of the cross on them. It had
never occurred to the patrician before that there could be
Christians in the army; with astonishment he thought that as fire in
a burning city takes in more and more houses, so to all
appearances that doctrine embraces new souls every day, and
extends itself over all human understandings. This struck him also
with reference to Lygia, for he was convinced that, had she wished
to flee from the city, there would be guards willing to facilitate her
flight. He thanked the gods then that this had not happened.
After they had passed vacant places beyond the wall, the
Christians began to scatter. There was need, therefore, to follow
Lygia more from a distance, and more carefully, so as not to rouse
attention. Chilo fell to complaining of wounds, of pains in his legs,
and dropped more and more to the rear. Vinicius did not oppose
this, judging that the cowardly and incompetent Greek would not
be needed. He would even have permitted him to depart, had he
wished; but the worthy sage was detained by circumspection.
Curiosity pressed him evidently, since he continued behind, and at
moments even approached with his previous counsels; he thought
too that the old man accompanying the Apostle might be Glaucus,
were it not for his rather low stature.
They walked a good while before reaching the Trans-Tiber, and
the sun was near rising when the group surrounding Lygia
dispersed. The Apostle, an old woman, and a boy went up the
river; the old man of lower stature, Ursus, and Lygia entered a
narrow vicus, and, advancing still about a hundred yards, went into
a house in which were two shops, -- one for the sale of olives, the
other for poultry.
Chilo, who walked about fifty yards behind Vinicius and Croton,
halted all at once, as if fixed to the earth, and, squeezing up to the
wall, began to hiss at them to turn.
They did so, for they needed to take counsel.
"Go, Chio," said Vinicius, "and see if this house fronts on another
street." Chio, though he had complained of wounds in his feet,
sprang away as quickly as if he had had the wings of J~Iercury on
his ankles, and returned in a moment.
"No," said he, "there is but one entrance."
Then, putting his hands together, he said, "I implore thee, lord, by
Jupiter, Apollo, Vesta, Cybele, Isis. Osiris, Mithra Baal, and all the
gods of the Orient and the Occident to drop this plan. Listen to
me --"
But he stopped on a sudden, for he saw that Vinicius's face was
pale from emotion, and that his eyes were glittering like the eyes
of a wolf. It was enough to look at him to understand that nothing
in the world would restrain him from the undertaking. Croton
began to draw air into his herculean breast, and to sway his
undeveloped skull from side to side as bears do when confined in a
cage, but on his face nut the least fear was evident.
"I will go in first," said he.
"Thou wilt follow me," said Vinicius, in commanding tones.
And after a while both vanished in the dark entrance.
Chilo sprang to the corner of the nearest alley and watched from
behind it, waiting for what would happen. _