CHAPTER V
OF THE COMING OF CLEOPATRA TO THE CHAMBER OF HARMACHIS; OF THE THROWINGFORTH OF THE KERCHIEF OF CHARMION; OF THE STARS; AND OF THE GIFT BYCLEOPATRA OF HER FRIENDSHIP TO HER SERVANT HARMACHIS
"At length thou art come, Charmion," I said. "It is over-late."
"Yea, my Lord; but by no means could I escape Cleopatra. Her mood isstrangely crossed to-night. I know not what it may portend. Strangewhims and fancies blow across it like light and contrary airs upon asummer sea, and I cannot read her purpose."
"Well, well; enough of Cleopatra. Hast thou seen our uncle?"
"Yes, royal Harmachis."
"And hast thou the last lists?"
"Yes; here they are," and she drew them from her bosom. "Here is thelist of those who, after the Queen, must certainly be put to the sword.Among them thou wilt note is the name of that old Gaul Brennus. I grievefor him, for we are friends; but it must be. It is a heavy list."
"It is so," I answered conning it; "when men write out their count theyforget no item, and our count is long. What must be must be. Now for thenext."
"Here is the list of those to be spared, as friendly or uncertain;and here that of the towns which will certainly rise as soon as themessenger reaches their gates with tidings of the death of Cleopatra."
"Good. And now"--and I paused--"and now as to the manner of Cleopatra'sdeath. How hast thou settled it? Must it be by my own hand?"
"Yea, my Lord," she answered, and again I caught that note of bitternessin her voice. "Doubtless Pharaoh will rejoice that his should be thehand to rid the land of this false Queen and wanton woman, and at oneblow break the chains which gall the neck of Egypt."
"Talk not thus, girl," I said; "thou knowest well that I do not rejoice,being but driven to the act by deep necessity and the pressure of myvows. Can she not, then, be poisoned? Or can no one of the eunuchs besuborned to slay her? My soul turns from this bloody work! Indeed, Imarvel, however heavy be her crimes, that thou canst speak so lightly ofthe death by treachery of one who loves thee!"
"Surely Pharaoh is over-tender, forgetting the greatness of the momentand all that hangs upon this dagger-stroke that shall cut the thread ofCleopatra's life. Listen, Harmachis. _Thou_ must do the deed, and _thou_alone! Myself I would do it, had my arm the strength; but it has not.It cannot be done by poison, for every drop she drinks and every morselthat shall touch her lips is strictly tasted by three separate tasters,who cannot be suborned. Nor may the eunuchs of the guard be trusted.Two, indeed, are sworn to us; but the third cannot be come at. He mustbe cut down afterwards; and, indeed, when so many men must fall, whatmatters a eunuch more or less? Thus it shall be, then. To-morrow night,at three hours before midnight thou dost cast the final augury of theissue of the war. And then thou wilt, as is agreed, descend alone withme, having the signet, to the outer chamber of the Queen's apartment.For the vessel bearing orders to the Legions sails from Alexandria atthe following dawn; and alone with Cleopatra, since she wills thatthe thing be kept secret as the sea, thou wilt read the message of thestars. And as she pores over the papyrus, then must thou stab her inthe back, so that she dies; and see thou that thy will and arm fail theenot! The deed being done--and indeed it will be easy--thou wilt takethe signet and pass out to where the eunuch is--for the others will bewanting. If by any chance there is trouble with him--but there will beno trouble, for he dare not enter the private rooms, and the soundsof death cannot reach so far--thou must cut him down. Then I will meetthee; and, passing on, we will come to Paulus, and it shall be my careto see that he is neither drunk nor backward, for I know how to hold himto the task. And he and those with him shall throw open the side gate,when Sepa and the five hundred chosen men who are in waiting shall pourin and cast themselves upon the sleeping legionaries, putting them tothe sword. Why, the thing is easy so thou rest true to thyself, and letno womanish fears creep into thy heart. What is this dagger's thrust? Itis nothing, and yet upon it hang the destinies of Egypt and the world."
"Hush!" I said. "What is that?--I hear a sound."
Charmion ran to the door, and, gazing down the long, dark passage,listened. In a moment she came back, her finger on her lips. "It is theQueen," she whispered hurriedly; "the Queen who mounts the stair alone.I heard her bid Iras to leave her. I may not be found alone with theeat this hour; it has a strange look, and she may suspect. What wants shehere? Where can I hide?"
I glanced round. At the further end of the chamber was a heavy curtainthat hid a little place built in the thickness of the wall which I usedfor the storage of rolls and instruments.
"Haste thee--there!" I said, and she glided behind the curtain, whichswung back and covered her. Then I thrust the fatal scroll of death intothe bosom of my robe and bent over the mystic chart. Presently I heardthe sweep of woman's robes and there came a low knock upon the door.
"Enter, whoever thou art," I said.
The latch lifted, and Cleopatra swept in, royally arrayed, her darkhair hanging about her and the sacred snake of royalty glistening on herbrow.
"Of a truth, Harmachis," she said with a sigh, as she sank into a seat,"the path to heaven is hard to climb! Ah! I am weary, for those stairsare many. But I was minded, my astronomer, to see thee in thy haunts."
"I am honoured overmuch, O Queen!" I said bowing low before her.
"Art thou now? And yet that dark face of thine has a somewhat angrylook--thou art too young and handsome for this dry trade, Harmachis.Why, I vow thou hast cast my wreath of roses down amidst thy rustytools! Kings would have cherished that wreath along with their choicestdiadems, Harmachis! and thou dost throw it away as a thing of noaccount! Why, what a man art thou! But stay; what is this? A lady'skerchief, by Isis! Nay, now, my Harmachis, how came _this_ here? Are ourpoor kerchiefs also instruments of thy high art? Oh, fie, fie!--have Icaught thee, then? Art thou indeed a fox?"
"Nay, most royal Cleopatra, nay!" I said, turning; for the kerchiefwhich had fallen from Charmion's neck had an awkward look. "I know not,indeed, how the frippery came here. Perhaps, some one of the women whokeeps the chamber may have let it fall."
"Ah! so--so!" she said dryly, and still laughing like a rippling brook."Yes, surely, the slave-women who keep chambers own such toys as this,of the very finest silk, worth twice its weight in gold, and broidered,too, in many colours. Why, myself I should not shame to wear it! Of atruth it seems familiar to my sight." And she threw it round her neckand smoothed the ends with her white hand. "But there; doubtless, it isa thing unholy in thine eyes that the scarf of thy beloved should restupon my poor breast. Take it, Harmachis; take it, and hide it in thybosom--nigh thy heart indeed!"
I took the accursed thing, and, muttering what I may not write, steppedon to the giddy platform whence I watched the stars. Then, crushing itinto a ball, I threw it to the winds of heaven.
At this the lovely Queen laughed once more.
"Nay, think now," she cried; "what would the lady say could she see herlove-gauge thus cast to all the world? Mayhap, Harmachis, thou wouldstdeal thus with my wreath also? See, the roses fade; cast it forth," and,stooping, she took up the wreath and gave it to me.
For a moment, so vexed was I, I had a mind to take her at her word andsend the wreath to join the kerchief. But I thought better of it.
"Nay," I said more softly, "it is a Queen's gift, and I will keep it,"and, as I spoke, I saw the curtain shake. Often since that night I havesorrowed over those simple words.
"Gracious thanks be to the King of Love for this small mercy," sheanswered, looking at me strangely. "Now, enough of wit; come forth uponthis balcony--tell me of the mystery of those stars of thine. For Ialways loved the stars, that are so pure and bright and cold, and so faraway from our fevered troubling. There I would wish to dwell, rocked onthe dark bosom of the night, and losing the little sense of self as Igazed for ever on the countenance of yon sweet-eyed space. Nay--who cantell, Harmachis?--perhaps those stars partake of our very substance,and, linked to us by Nature's invisible chain, do, indeed,
draw ourdestiny with them as they roll. What says the Greek fable of him whobecame a star? Perchance it has truth, for yonder tiny sparks may be thesouls of men, but grown more purely bright and placed in happy rest toillume the turmoil of their mother-earth. Or are they lamps hung highin the heavenly vault that night by night some Godhead, whose wingsare Darkness, touches with his immortal fire so that they leap out inanswering flame? Give me of thy wisdom and open these wonders to me, myservant, for I have little knowledge. Yet my heart is large, and I wouldfill it, for I have the wit, could I but find the teacher."
Thereon, being glad to find footing on a safer shore, and marvellingsomewhat to learn that Cleopatra had a place for lofty thoughts, I spokeand willingly told her such things as are lawful. I told her how thesky is a liquid mass pressing round the earth and resting on the elasticpillars of the air, and how above is the heavenly ocean Nout, in whichthe planets float like ships as they rush upon their radiant way. I toldher many things, and amongst them how, through the certain never-ceasingmovement of the orbs of light, the planet Venus, that was called Donaouwhen she showed as the Morning Star, became the planet Bonou when shecame as the sweet Star of Eve. And while I stood and spoke watching thestars, she sat, her hands clasped upon her knee, and watched my face.
"Ah!" she broke in at length, "and so Venus is to be seen both in themorning and the evening sky. Well, of a truth, she is everywhere, thoughshe best loves the night. But thou lovest not that I should use theseLatin names to thee. Come, we will talk in the ancient tongue of Khem,which I know well; I am the first, mark thou, of all the Lagidae who knowit. And now," she went on, speaking in my own tongue, but with a littleforeign accent that did but make her talk more sweet, "enough of stars,for, when all is said, they are but fickle things, and perhaps mayeven now be storing up an evil hour for thee or me, or for both of ustogether. Not but what I love to hear thee speak of them, for then thyface loses that gloomy cloud of thought which mars it and grows quickand human. Harmachis, thou art too young for such a solemn trade;methinks that I must find thee a better. Youth comes but once; why wasteit in these musings? It is time to think when we can no longer act. Tellme how old art thou, Harmachis?"
"I have six-and-twenty years, O Queen," I answered, "for I was born inthe first month of Shomou, in the summer season, and on the third day ofthe month."
"Why, then, we are of an age even to a day," she cried, "for I too havesix-and-twenty years, and I too was born on the third day of the firstmonth of Shomou. Well, this may we say: those who begot us need have noshame. For if I be the fairest woman in Egypt, methinks, Harmachis, thatthere is in Egypt no man more fair and strong than thou, ay, or morelearned. Born of the same day, why, 'tis manifest that we were destinedto stand together, I, as the Queen, and thou, perchance, Harmachis, asone of the chief pillars of my throne, and thus to work each other'sweal."
"Or maybe each other's woe," I answered, looking up; for her sweetspeeches stung my ears and brought more colour to my face than I lovedthat she should see there.
"Nay, never talk of woe. Be seated here by me, Harmachis, and let ustalk, not as Queen and subject, but as friend to friend. Thou wastangered with me at the feast to-night because I mocked thee with yonderwreath--was it not so? Nay, it was but a jest. Didst thou know how heavyis the task of monarchs and how wearisome are their hours, thou wouldstnot be wroth because I lit my dulness with a jest. Oh, they weary me,those princes and those nobles, and those stiff-necked pompous Romans.To my face they vow themselves my slaves, and behind my back they mockme and proclaim me the servant of their Triumvirate, or their Empire,or their Republic, as the wheel of Fortune turns, and each rises on itsround! There is never a man among them--nothing but fools, parasites,and puppets--never a man since with their coward daggers they slew thatCaesar whom all the world in arms was not strong enough to tame. And Imust play off one against the other, if maybe, by so doing, I cankeep Egypt from their grip. And for reward, what? Why, this is myreward--that all men speak ill of me--and, I know it, my subjects hateme! Yes, I believe that, woman though I am, they would murder me couldthey find a means!"
She paused, covering her eyes with her hand, and it was well, for herwords pierced me so that I shrank upon the seat beside her.
"They think ill of me, I know it; and call me wanton, who have neverstepped aside save once, when I loved the greatest man of all the world,and at the touch of love my passion flamed indeed, but burnt a hallowedflame. These ribald Alexandrians swear that I poisoned Ptolemy, mybrother--whom the Roman Senate would, most unnaturally, have forced onme, his sister, as a husband! But it is false: he sickened and died offever. And even so they say that I would slay Arsinoe, my sister--who,indeed, would slay me!--but that, too, is false! Though she will havenone of me, I love my sister. Yes, they all think ill of me without acause; even thou dost think ill of me, Harmachis.
"O Harmachis, before thou judgest, remember what a thing is envy!--thatfoul sickness of the mind which makes the jaundiced eye of pettinessto see all things distraught--to read Evil written on the open face ofGood, and find impurity in the whitest virgin's soul! Think what a thingit is, Harmachis, to be set on high above the gaping crowd of knaves whohate thee for thy fortune and thy wit; who gnash their teeth and shootthe arrows of their lies from the cover of their own obscureness, whencethey have no wings to soar; and whose hearts' quest it is to drag downthy nobility to the level of the groundling and the fool!
"Be not, then, swift to think evil of the Great, whose every word andact is searched for error by a million angry eyes, and whose most tinyfault is trumpeted by a thousand throats, till the world shakes withechoes of their sin! Say not: 'It is thus, 'tis certainly thus'--say,rather: 'May it not be otherwise? Have we heard aright? Did she thisthing of her own will?' Judge gently, Harmachis, as wert thou I thouwouldst be judged. Remember that a Queen is never free. She is, indeed,but the point and instrument of those forces politic with which the ironbooks of history are graved. O Harmachis! be thou my friend--my friendand counsellor!--my friend whom I can trust indeed!--for here, in thiscrowded Court, I am more utterly alone than any soul that breathes aboutits corridors. But _thee_ I trust; there is faith written in those quieteyes, and I am minded to lift thee high, Harmachis. I can no longer bearmy solitude of mind--I must find one with whom I may commune and speakthat which lies within my heart. I have faults, I know it; but I am notall unworthy of thy faith, for there is good grain among the evil seed.Say, Harmachis, wilt thou take pity on my loneliness and befriend me,who have lovers, courtiers, slaves, dependents, more thick than Ican count, but never one single _friend_?" and she leant towards me,touching me lightly, and gazed on me with her wonderful blue eyes.
I was overcome; thinking of the morrow night, shame and sorrow smote me._I_, her friend!--_I_, whose assassin dagger lay against my breast! Ibent my head, and a sob or a groan, I know not which, burst from theagony of my heart.
But Cleopatra, thinking only that I was moved beyond myself by thesurprise of her graciousness, smiled sweetly, and said:
"It grows late; to-morrow night when thou bringest the auguries we willspeak again, O my friend Harmachis, and thou shalt answer me." And shegave me her hand to kiss. Scarce knowing what I did, I kissed it, and inanother moment she was gone.
But I stood in the chamber, gazing after her like one asleep.
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