Callista : a Tale of the Third Century

by John Henry Newman

  CHAPTER XXI.

  STARTLING RUMOURS.

  When Jucundus rose next morning, and heard the news, he considered it tobe more satisfactory than he could have supposed possible. He was azealous imperialist, and a lover of tranquillity, a despiser of thenatives and a hater of the Christians. The Christians had suffered enoughto vindicate the Roman name, to deter those who were playing atChristianity, and to show that the people of Sicca had their eyes aboutthem. And the mob had received a severe lesson too; and the cause ofpublic order had triumphed, and civic peace was re-established. Hisanxiety, too, about Agellius had terminated, or was terminating. He hadprivately denounced him to the government, come to an understanding withthe military authorities, and obtained the custody of him. He had met himat the very door to which the boy Firmian brought him, with an apparitorof the military staff (or what answered to it), and had clapped him intoprison in an underground cellar in which he kept damaged images, and thosewhich had gone out of fashion, and were otherwise unsaleable. He was notat all sorry, by some suffering, and by some fright, to aid the morepotent incantation which Callista was singing in his ears. He did not,however, at all forget Juba's hint, and was careful not to overdo therack-and-gridiron dodge, if we may so designate it; yet he thought just aflavour or a thought of the inconveniences which the profession ofChristianity involved might be a salutary reflection in the midst of thepersuasives which the voice and eyes of Callista would kindle in hisheart. There was nothing glorious or heroic in being confined in a lumbercellar, no one knowing anything about it; and he did not mean to keep himthere for ever.

  As the next day wore on towards evening, rumour brought a piece of newswhich he was at first utterly unable to credit, and which for the momentseemed likely to spoil the appetite which promised so well for his eveningrepast. He could hardly believe his ears when he was told that Callistawas in arrest on a charge of Christianity, and at first it made him lookas black as some of those Egyptian gods which he had on one shelf of hisshop. However, he rallied, and was very much amused at the report. Theimprisonment indeed was a fact, account for it as one could; but who_could_ account for it? "Varium et mutabile:" who could answer for thewhims and fancies of womankind? If she had fallen in love with the owl ofMinerva, or cut off her auburn tresses, or turned rope-dancer, there mighthave been some shrugging of shoulders, but no one would have tried toanalyze the motive; but so much his profound sagacity enabled him to see,that, if there was one thing more than another likely to sicken Agelliusof Christianity, it was to find one who was so precious to him sufferingfrom the suspicion of it. It was bad enough to have suffered one's self insuch a cause; still he could conceive, he was large-minded enough togrant, that Agellius might have some secret satisfaction in the antagonistfeeling of resentment and obstinacy which that suffering might engender:but it was carrying matters too far, and no comfort in any point of view,to find Callista, his beloved, the object of a similar punishment. It wasall very well to profess Christianity as a matter of sentiment, mystery,and singularity; but when it was found to compromise the life or limbs ofanother, and that other Callista, why it was plain that Agellius would bethe very first to try and entreat the wayward girl to keep her good looksfor him, and to be loyal to the gods of her country; and he chuckled overthe thought, as others have done in other states of society, of alove-scene or a marriage being the termination of so much high romance andfine acting.

  However, the next day Aristo came down to him himself, and gave him anaccount at once more authentic and more extended on the matter whichinterested him. Callista had been called up before the tribunal, and hadnot been discharged, but remanded. The meaning of it was as obscure asever; Aristo could give no account of it; it almost led him to believe inthe evil eye; some unholy practices, some spells such as only potentwizards know, some deplorable delusion or hallucination, had for the timegot the mastery of his sister's mind. No one seemed quite to know how shehad found her way into the hands of the officers; but there she was, andthe problem was how to get her out of them.

  However, whatever mystery, whatever anxiety, attached to the case, it wasonly still more urgent to bring the matter home to Agellius without delay.If time went on before the parties were brought together, she might growmore obstinate, and kindle a like spirit in him. Oh that boys and girls_would_ be giving old people, who wish them well, so much trouble!However, it was no good thinking of that just then. He considered that, atthe present moment, they would not be able to bear the sight of each otherin suffering and peril; that mutual tenderness would make them plead witheach other in each other's behalf, and that each would be obliged to setthe example to each of a concession, to which each exhorted each; and onthis fine philosophical view he proceeded to act.