_ VINICIUS, on leaving the Apostle, went to the prison with a heart
renewed by hope. Somewhere in the depth of his soul, despair and
terror were still crying; but he stifled those voices. It seemed to
him impossible that the intercession of the vicegerent of God and
the power of his prayer should be without effect. He feared to
hope; he feared to doubt. "I will believe in His mercy," said he to
himself, "even though I saw her in the jaws of a lion." And at this
thought, even though the soul quivered in him and cold sweat
drenched his temples, he believed. Every throb of his heart was a
prayer then. He began to understand that faith would move
mountains, for he felt in himself a wonderful strength, which he
had not felt earlier. It seemed to him that he could do things which
he had not the power to do the day before. At moments he had an
impression that the danger had passed. If despair was heard
groaning again in his soul, he recalled that night, and that holy
gray face raised to heaven in prayer.
"No, Christ will not refuse His first disciple and the pastor of His
flock! Christ will not refuse him! I will not doubt!" And he ran
toward the prison as a herald of good news.
But there an unexpected thing awaited him.
All the pretorian guards taking turn before the Mamertine prison
knew him, and generally they raised not the least difficulty; this
time, however, the line did not open, but a centurion approached
him and said, --
"Pardon, noble tribune, to-day we have a command to admit no
one."
"A command?" repeated Vinicius, growing pale.
The soldier looked at him with pity, and answered, --
"Yes, lord, a command of Caesar. In the prison there are many
sick, and perhaps it is feared that visitors might spread infection
through the city."
"But hast thou said that the order was for to-day only?"
"The guards change at noon."
Vinicius was silent and uncovered his head, for it seemed to him
that the pileolus which he wore was of lead.
Meanwhile the soldier approached him, and said in a low voice,
"Be at rest, lord, the guard and Ursus are watching over her."
When he had said this, he bent and, in the twinkle of an eye, drew
with his long Gallic sword on the flag stone the form of a fish.
Vinicius looked at him quickly.
"And thou art a pretorian?"
"Till I shall be there," answered the soldier, pointing to the
prison.
"And I, too, worship Christ."
"May His name be praised! I know, lord, I cannot admit thee to the
prison, but write a letter, I will give it to the guard."
"Thanks to thee, brother."
He pressed the soldier's hand, and went away. The pileolus ceased
to weigh like lead. The morning sun rose over the walls of the
prison, and with its brightness consolation began to enter his heart
again. That Christian soldier was for him a new witness of the
power of Christ. After a while he halted, and, fixing his glance on
the rosy clouds above the Capitol and the temple of Jupiter Stator,
he said, --
"I have not seen her to-day, O Lord, but I believe in Thy mercy."
At the house he found Petronius, who, making day out of night as
usual, had returned not long before. He had succeeded, however,
in taking his bath and anointing himself for sleep.
"I have news for thee," said he. "To-day I was with Tullius
Senecio, whom Caesar also visited. I know not whence it came to
the mind of the Augusta to bring little Rufius with her, -- perhaps
to soften the heart of Caesar by his beauty. Unfortunately, the
child, wearied by drowsiness, fell asleep during the reading, as
Vespasian did once; seeing this, Ahenobarbus hurled a goblet at
his step-son, and wounded him seriously. Poppaea fainted; all
heard how Caesar said, 'I have enough of this brood!' and that,
knowest thou, means as much as death."
"The punishment of God was hanging over the Augusta," answered
Vinicius; "but why dost thou tell me this?"
"I tell thee because the anger of Poppaea pursued thee and Lygia;
occupied now by her own misfortune, she may leave her
vengeance and be more easily influenced. I will see her this
evening and talk with her."
"Thanks to thee. Thou givest me good news."
"But do thou bathe and rest. Thy lips are blue, and there is not a
shadow of thee left."
"Is not the time of the first 'ludus matutinus' announced?" inquired
Vinicius.
"In ten days. But they will take other prisons first. The more time
that remains to us the better. All is not lost yet."
But he did not believe this; for he knew perfectly that since to the
request of Aliturus, Caesar had found the splendidly sounding
answer in which he compared himself to Brutus, there was no
rescue for Lygia. He hid also, through pity, what he had heard at
Senecio's, that Caesar and Tigellinus had decided to select for
themselves and their friends the most beautiful Christian maidens,
and defile them before the torture; the others were to be given, on
the day of the games, to pretorians and beast-keepers.
Knowing that Vinicius would not survive Lygia in any case, he
strengthened hope in his heart designedly, first, through sympathy
for him; and second, because he wished that if Vinicius had to die,
he should die beautiful, -- not with a face deformed and black from
pain and watching.
"To-day I will speak more or less thus to Augusta," said he: " 'Save
Lygia for Vinicius, I will save Ruflus for thee.' And I will think of
that seriously.
One word spoken to Ahenobarbus at the right moment may save or
ruin any one. In the worst case, we will gain time."
"Thanks to thee," repeated Vinicius.
"Thou wilt thank me best if thou eat and sleep. By Athene! In the
greatest straits Odysseus had sleep and food in mind. Thou hast
spent the whole night in prison, of course?"
"No," answered Vinicius; "I wished to visit the prison to-day, but
there is an order to admit no one. Learn, O Petronius, if the order is
for to-day alone or till the day of the games."
"I will discover this evening, and to-morrow morning will tell thee
for what time and why the order was issued. But now, even were
Helios to go to Cimmerian regions from sorrow, I shall sleep, and
do thou follow my example."
They separated; but Vinicius went to the library and wrote a letter
to Lygia. When he had finished, he took it himself to the Christian
centurion. who carried it at once to the prison. After a while he
returned with a greeting from Lygia, and promised to deliver her
answer that day.
Vinicius did not wish to return home, but sat on a stone and waited
for Lygia's letter. The sun had risen high in the heavens, and
crowds of people flowed in, as usual, through the Clivus
Argentarius to the Forum. Hucksters called out their wares,
soothsayers offered their services to passers-by, citizens walked
with deliberate steps toward the rostra to hear orators of the day, or
tell the latest news to one another. As the heat increased, crowds
of idlers betook themselves to the porticos of the temples, from
under which flew from moment to moment, with great rustle of
wings, flocks of doves, whose white feathers glistened in the
sunlight and in the blue of the sky.
From excess of light and the influence of bustle, heat, and great
weariness, the eyes of Vinicius began to close. The monotonous
calls of boys playing mora, and the measured tread of soldiers,
lulled him to sleep. He raised his head still a number of times, and
took in the prison with his eyes; then he leaned against a Stone,
sighed like a child drowsy after long weeping, and dropped asleep.
Soon dreams came. It seemed to him that he was carrying Lygia in
his arms at night through a strange vineyard. Before him was
Pomponia Graecina lighting the way with a lamp. A voice, as it
were of Petronius called from afar to him, "Turn back!" but he did
not mind the call, and followed Pomponia till they reached a
cottage; at the threshold of the cottage stood Peter. He showed
Peter Lygia, and said, "We are coming from the arena, lord, but we
cannot wake her; wake her thou." "Christ himself will come to
wake her," answered the Apostle.
Then the pictures began to change. Through the dream he saw
Nero, and Poppaea holding in her arms little Ruflus with bleeding
head, which Petronius was washing and he saw Tigellinus
sprinkling ashes on tables covered with costly dishes, and Vitelius
devouring those dishes, while a multitude of other Augustians
were sitting at the feast. He himself was resting near Lygia; but
between the tables walked lions from out whose yellow manes
trickled blood. Lygia begged him to take her away, but so terrible a
weakness had seized him that he could not even move. Then still
greater disorder involved his visions, and finally all fell into
perfect darkness.
He was roused from deep sleep at last by the heat of the sun, and
shouts given forth right there around the place where he was
sitting. Vinicius rubbed his eyes. The street was swarming with
people; but two runners, wearing yellow tunics, pushed aside the
throng with long staffs, crying and making room for a splendid
litter which was carried by four stalwart Egyptian slaves.
In the litter sat a man in white robes, whose face was not easily
seen, for he held close to his eyes a roll of papyrus and was reading
something diligently.
"Make way for the noble Angustian!" cried the runners.
But the street was so crowded that the litter had to wait awhile.
The Augustian put down his roll of papyrus and bent his head,
crying, --
"Push aside those wretches! Make haste!"
Seeing Vinicius suddenly, he drew back his head and raised the
papyrus quickly.
Vinicius drew his hand across his forehead, thinking that he was
dreaming yet.
In the litter was sitting Chio.
Meanwhile the runners had opened the way, and the Egyptians
were ready to move, when the young tribune, who in one moment
understood many things which till then had been
incomprehensible, approached the litter.
"A greeting to thee, O Chio!" said he.
"Young man," answered the Greek, with pride and importance,
endeavoring to give his face an expression of calmness which was
not in his soul, "be greeted, but detain me not, for I am hastening
to my friend, the noble Tigellinus."
Vinicius, grasping the edge of the litter and looking him straight in
the eyes, said with a lowered voice, --
"Didst thou betray Lygia?"
"Colossus of Memnon!" cried Chio, with fear.
But there was no threat in the eyes of Vinicius; hence the old
Greek's alarm vanished quickly. He remembered that he was under
the protection of Tigellinus and of Caesar himself, -- that is, of a
power before which everything trembled, -- that he was
surrounded by sturdy slaves, and that Vinicins stood before him
unarmed, with an emaciated face and body bent by suffering.
At this thought his insolence returned to him. He fixed on Vinicius
his eyes, which were surrounded by red lids, and whispered in
answer, --
"But thou, when I was dying of hunger, didst give command to flog
me." For a moment both were silent; then the dull voice of
Vinicius was heard, --
"I wronged thee, Chio."
The Greek raised his head, and, snapping his fingers which in
Rome was a mark of slight and contempt, said so loudly that all
could hear him, --
"Friend, if thou hast a petition to present, come to my house on the
Esquiline in the morning hour, when I receive guests and clients
after my bath."
And he waved his hand; at that sign the Egyptians raised the litter,
and the slaves, dressed in yellow tunics, began to cry as they
brandished their staffs, --
"Make way for the litter of the noble Chilo Chionides! Make way,
make way!" _