by Felix Dahn
CHAPTER XIX.
Having reached it he pushed carefully aside the yellow curtain of theouter door, letting the moonlight fall into the dark room.
At the entrance to the sleeping-room, before its red curtain, layHaduwalt, snoring; by him, lying on its side, empty, was the amphora.Lightly, on tip-toe and with a beating heart, the young man advancedand cautiously divided the two halves of the red curtain. He thenperceived, with a smile, the cunning arrangement of the thread; it wasstill fastened to the leathern belt of the guard; but the hand of thesleeper had opened; the ball lay on a stool by her couch. With a widestride Liuthari stepped across the old man into the sleeping-room.
Above the head of the bed, in a niche in the wall, stood the littleearthen lamp; it threw its mild light over the pillow. By its redglimmer, he perceived the infant near the bed of the mother in a wickercradle.
The beautiful sleeper had loosened her abundant light-brown hair; itflowed over her naked shoulders and splendidly curved, though delicatebosom, from which the woollen covering had half slipped.
The dazzlingly white left arm she had placed behind her head and neck;the right hand covered, as if protecting, the left breast. The intruderstepped quite close. So ravishingly beautiful he had not seen her, whenawake; and the serious eyes now closed no longer maintained a strictwatch.
The full lips were half opened; he inhaled the sweet breath of hermouth. The young man trembled from head to foot.
"Only one kiss," thought he, "and it shall not awake her."
He was already bending softly over her face. The beautiful lips thenmoved, and in her sleep she said tenderly:
"Come, O my Fulvius; kiss me!"
With the speed of lightning, Liuthari turned, sprang lightly acrossHaduwalt on the threshold, then down the steps into the garden, claspedhis two hands before his eyes, and murmured:
"Oh, what wickedness might I not have done!"
He fell on his knees, and hid his feverish head in the dewy grass.Repentance, pain, unstilled longing, surged together within him, andwere at length dissolved in a salutary stream of tears. Long lay hethus. At last the youth of the exhausted, wounded man asserted itselfbeneficially; he sank into a deep, dreamless sleep.
CHAPTER XX.
When the next morning the summer sun rose magnificently over Juvavum,and the golden oriole began its flute-like song, young Liuthari sprangup, a healed and a wiser man.
The wound in his arm no longer pained, and his imagination, which hadbeen much more excited than his heart, was stilled.
No longer dissatisfied with himself, joyful and composed, he firstcooled his face in the spring, and then, carefully hiding the woundedarm under his mantle, he walked up the steps into the outer room.Haduwalt, yawning and stretching up both his arms, received him withthe words:
"But thou hast long slept. And I--I think I have not closed my eyes thewhole night."
"But perhaps the ears!" laughed Liuthari. "Where is the mistress? I amhungry."
"Here am I," cried Felicitas. "I will bring you directly fresh-laideggs, and milk, and honey. Philemon is now milking the cow in themeadow behind the house."
"Only think," said she, now stepping from behind the curtain andoffering a hand to each guest: "very early, as soon as the gates wereagain opened, the old slave came back from the town by the meadow-path,and awoke me knocking at the outer door. I had slept so firmly."
"And very sweetly dreamt?" said Liuthari, smiling.
"Yes--as always, _if_ I dream: of Fulvius. Certainly Philemon has notfound his master; but still I am of good cheer. The good Johannes hadcaused the dead and the wounded to be brought together--the former infront of, and the latter into the church. Philemon carefully inspectedthem. Thanks to the God of heaven, the saints and the good Genii, myFulvius is not among them." And she sat down with her guests.
Philemon brought an immense jug fall of foaming warm milk. He threw awondering look on the two Germans, whom his mistress had represented tohim as protectors, not enemies, and he went again to the back of thehouse. Felicitas followed him to fetch the child, which seemed to bewaking.
"Tell me now, grim teacher and armour-master," began Liuthari, "wiltthou in thine old age learn woman's handiwork, and the art of usingthread? What hast thou there trailing at thy girdle?"
Quite taken aback the old giant looked down at his portly person, andat the long, long thread which was entangled about his clumsy feet.
"That? Oh, that is only something between the mistress and myself. Shehas become so fond of me--much more so than of thee--and that I shouldnot escape her, she bound me fast to her couch."
"Thou wouldest complain of me to my mother----!"
"Yes; if I had not kept watch, who knows----!"
"Now I will accuse _thee_ to thy wife, the strict Grimmtrud, that thoudidst bind thyself to the couch of a young beauty."
The young man stooped down, picked up the ball, and put it in his vest.
"I shall keep the thread," continued he gravely, "as a remembrance ofthe hour when Haduwalt slept, the thread lay loose on the ground, butLiuthari watched--for three."
Felicitas after a while again came in, the child on her arm.
"The day advances," sighed she, "and I begin to be very anxious. MyFulvius, where mayest thou be?"
"Here I am," cried a joyous, clear voice, and the longed-for husbandrushed in through the open doorway.
With a cry of happiness Felicitas sprang up. He folded mother and childtenderly in his arms.
Liuthari rose. He looked at them without pain, and regarded the husbandwith a frank, happy look, who, however, astonished, drew back a step,and measured the handsome young man with his eyes. Hot fear flashedthrough him in an instant; but the alarm disappeared, fleeing like acloud-shadow, when he looked into His wife's face, so peaceful, soradiantly happy.
"What has happened to me, my darling? The day before yesterday shut upin the debtor's tower, early yesterday set free by Severus, taken byhim to the battle--we were defeated--I fled, was pursued, fell into theriver, was carried away by the stream--half stupefied I at last reachedthe bank--was taken prisoner by other horsemen, led into the town, andthis morning--saved by a miracle of the Lord or the holy Saint Peter, Iknow not which."
"A miracle! Oh, thank the mercy of the God of heaven! He heard myprayer! But what miracle?"
"Johannes, who never wearies in the care of his people, had alreadyyesterday evening besought the barbarian Duke to release all thecitizens of Juvavum who were prisoners of war. The powerful princeanswered that he would willingly set free all that fell to his share ofthe booty, but those that fell to his warriors he had not the power torelease, only to redeem--quite a different law prevails with theGermans than with us--and he could not exhaust his treasure to do that.So last night many of us were set at liberty, but the largerproportion, and amongst them myself, remained in bondage. Then in theearly morning Johannes appeared again in the Capitol, where the Dukehad fixed his abode, and--redeemed us all! Thou art astonished. Thoumayest well ask whence the man, who possesses nothing but his robe andstaff, procured so much money! Yes, that is the miracle! When, sad atthe fate of the prisoners, he returned to his Basilica, he found, in anold vault under the church-floor, a bag full of gold pieces, and also alittle purse of precious stones, abundantly sufficient to ransom usall. But whence came this treasure? Nobody knows. The angel of the Lordmanifestly heard the prayer of Johannes, and brought the treasure. Thewhole of Juvavum is amazed at the miracle. And I vow to thee, thougodly one, I will henceforth listen more devoutly to the words ofJohannes. But thee, my beloved! what alarm has threatened thee!"
"But has not reached me, thanks be to God, and also to our guests; andperhaps," added she smiling, "to the inscription on the entrance-slab,that kept back misfortune."
"Dost thou know _who_ wished to step across it?"
"How should I? I have not left the house."
"Then thou hast no idea how truly thou didst s
peak! Listen and breatheagain. As I just now was hastening here from the town, on approachingthe hill, I saw fastened to the milestone three horses, and amongthem--I know him too well--the black steed of the Tribune! Full ofalarm, I sprang to our gate; there lay--oh, horrible!--two slain Moors,and, directly across the threshold, stretched on his back, the terribleTribune, with a shattered skull! His face was half covered with theinscription-slab, and the corner-piece, broken off, was deeply embeddedin his skull. _This_ stone has felled him who was never conquered. Butwhat arm hurled it?"
The old Haduwalt, who at the first mention of conflict hadinstinctively looked into the averted face of his young master, nowdrew the white mantle from his shoulder, showed the bloody bandage, andsaid: "This arm--And I!--Oh, Liuthari, my darling!--I meanwhile lay andslept!"
"Tolerably firmly," said the young man smiling, and continued, turningto the master of the house: "Yes, I slew him, that very bold man; hewished to force his way in, and"----
"Steal Felicitas!" cried the husband, pressing his wife, now terriblyalarmed, to his breast. "Oh, sir, how can we thank thee?" he exclaimed.
But Felicitas could not utter a word; she could only direct her eyes,swimming in tears, towards her preserver. She had not appeared sobeautiful even in the night.
"Thanks!" laughed Liuthari, "I fought for my life. But listen! whocomes here?"
The steps of armed men were heard in the garden, and there entered,accompanied by five followers, Garibrand the Duke.
"A good piece of work have you two done out there before the entrance.The Tribune, whom we have sought everywhere, he fell certainly by thyhand. I have found thee at last, young hero! Welcome news I bring thee.A messenger from thy father is seeking thee. The Roman fortress on theRegan stream has fallen. My cousin, Duke Agilolf, and thy father, havesettled the betrothal: Agilolf invites thee to his halls. Adalagardis,the most beautiful princely daughter of the Germans, is awaiting thee."
"Hail to thee, thou son of my king! this is thy reward for this night,"cried Haduwalt.
"Betrothal! I have never seen her!" cried Liuthari, hesitating.
"Betrothal! yes, if you please each other," said the Duke.
"_He_ will certainly please _her_." said Haduwalt, clapping theblushing youth on the shoulder; "and I hope," whispered he quietly inhis ear, "that _she_, the beauty whom thou _mayest_ love, will rightwell please _thee_."
"Choose now," continued the Duke, "what thou wilt of the booty. To youAlemanni, to thee above all, do we owe the victory."
"I will follow thee," said Liuthari, rising hastily. "Help me, oldfriend!"
The armour-master helped him to buckle on his breastplate; the youngman raised the beautifully-shaped Roman helmet with the toweringheron's plume to his head. Magnificent stood the king's son, his joyfulcountenance radiant with the noblest sentiments.
"Oh, now all is well," rejoiced Fulvius. "The Tribune is slain; Zenothe usurer is dead, murdered by an unknown hand, without doubt by hisslaves, so Johannes tells me. There is no longer an Emperor in Ravenna;we were assured of this yesterday morning by this young hero. Now am Ifree from all debts to the Fiscus."
"And no less do I assure thee," laughed Liuthari, "that this powerfulDuke here has stepped into the Emperor's place--_his_ debtor art thounow."
Fulvius anxiously put his hand to his right ear, and looked dismayed atthe mighty man.
"Fear not," continued Liuthari. "I ask, Duke Garibrand, as a part of myshare of the booty, this villa and the land belonging to it. And freefrom all debt."
"It shall be as thou hast said," answered the Bajuvaren.
"And to you both, Fulvius and Felicitas, I give this free property,before these seven free men as witnesses. Their oath will be of serviceto you if anyone should contest your right and warrant."
"Thanks, sir; thanks."
"Thou art, then, Fulvius the stone-mason?" interposed the Duke. "Thepriest Johannes commended thee to me as faithful and brave; if thoudost prove thyself so, I will place thee as steward over my landsoutside this gate."
Felicitas, after a short whispering with her husband, now steppedtowards Liuthari, with the child on her arm. She blushed faintly, andsaid:
"Sir, he who gives so much as thou--must give still more. Our littleson has not yet a name. Next Sunday I shall take him to Johannes, tothe font. How shall the boy be named?"
"Felix Fulvius," said the king's son, deeply moved, laying his handon the tiny head, "and--_Liuthari_, in order that my name may yetstrike many times on your ear. But he who gives a name, gives also apresent--that is German custom. Here, young housewife, take this ring.I stripped it from the finger of a patrician some years ago, whom Islew in battle. In Augusta Vindelicorum the dealers say it is worth asmuch as half their town. That is a bit of treasure in case of need. Andnow, both of you, farewell!"
"Stop!" here cried Haduwalt; "we do not thus bid farewell--farewell forlife! Thou didst ask, stone-mason, how thou couldst thank the hero. Letthy young wife give him one kiss; believe me, he has deserved it--he isa gallant youth!"
Fulvius led his blushing wife towards him.
Liuthari pressed a kiss on the white brow, and cried: "Farewell, thoulovely one, for ever!"
And already he was gone: the curtain rustled behind him. The otherGermans followed; at the garden entrance they mounted their horses andgalloped quickly back towards the Porta Vindelica.
The first thing that Fulvius did, after he had with Philemon removedthe dead bodies, was carefully to reset the stone with the inscription,into the pavement of the entrance; the broken-off corner he left unset.
"It shall," said he, "for ever be to us a proof how effectual the adagehas been."
And the adage, it proved itself true to the wedded pair through theirwhole life.
No misfortune crossed that threshold while they dwelt there. Bloomingsons and daughters grew up after Felix Fulvius Liuthari. Sickness neverbefell them, parents or children, although the pestilence might beraging in Juvavum and in the villas round about.
The Ivarus often overflowed, spreading its waves and destruction overmen, animals, horses, and grain. Before this gate, before the MercuriusHill, it each time stopped.
A landslip overwhelmed the neighbours' gardens right and left. Animmense piece of rock rebounded from the inscription stone, and wasshattered into a thousand fragments. Fulvius became "Villicus" of allthe ducal property in Juvavum, and stood, on account of his prudenceand fidelity, high in the favour of Duke Garibrand.
When he and Felicitas had become quite old people, fully eighty yearsof age, but active and vigorous, they were sitting one June eveninghand in hand in the garden. They had had a seat made just within theentrance, so that their feet rested on the adage-stone.
Thus they sat, and thought of past times. Sweetly sang the goldenoriole in the neighbouring beech forest. But it gradually becamesilent, for the air had become very sultry; a storm was approaching.
There was a vivid flash of lightning, and a tremendous peal of thunder.The children hastened to bring their old parents into the house.
But when Felix Fulvius Liuthari, hurrying in advance of the others,reached them, he found them both dead.
A flash of lightning had killed them both.
They still held each other hand in hand, and smiled, as if to say:"Death, which comes thus, is no misfortune, but a blessing."
THE END.
CHARLES DICKENS AND EVANS, CRYSTAL PALACE PRESS.