by Georg Ebers
CHAPTER XX.
Keraunus and his daughter reached their rooms less quickly than usual,for the steward dreaded a fresh attack from the blood-hound, which,to-night however, was sharing Antinous' room. They found the oldslavewoman up, and in great excitement, for she loved Selene, she wasfrightened at her absence, and in the children's sleeping-room all wasnot as it should be.
Arsinoe went without delay to see the little ones, but the blackwoman remained with her master, and told him with many tears, while heexchanged his saffron-colored pallium for an old cloak, that the joy ofher heart, little blind Helios had been ill, and could not sleep, evenafter she had given him some of the drops which Keraunus himself wasaccustomed to take.
"Idiotic animal!" exclaimed Keraunus, "to give my medicine to thechild," and he kicked off his new shoes to replace them with shabbierones. "If you were younger I would have you flogged."
"But you did say the drops were good," stammered the old woman.
"For me," shouted the steward, and without fastening his shoe-strapsround his ankles, so that they flapped and pattered on the ground, hehurried off into the children's room. There sat his darling blind child,his 'neir' as he liked to call him, with his pretty, fair, curly headresting on Arsinoe's breast. The child recognized his step, and beganhis little lament:
"Selene was away, and I was frightened, and I feel so sick, so sick."
The steward laid his hand on the child's forehead, and feeling how hotit was he began to walk restlessly up and down by the little bed.
"That is just how it always happens," he said. "When one misfortunecomes another always follows. Look at him Arsinoe. Do you rememberhow the fever took poor Berenice? Sickness, uneasiness, and a burninghead.--Have you any pain in your head my boy?"
"No," answered Helios, "but I feel so sick."
The steward opened the child's little shirt to see if he had any spotson his breast, but Arsinoe said, as she bent over him:
"It is nothing much, he has only overloaded his stomach. The stupid oldwoman gives him every thing he asks for, and she let him have half ofthe currant cake, which we sent her to fetch before we went out."
"But his head is burning," repeated Keraunus.
"He will be quite well again by to-morrow morning," replied Arsinoe."Our poor Selene needs us far snore than he does. Come father. The oldwoman can stay with him."
"I want Selene to come," whimpered the child. "Pray, pray, do not leaveme alone again."
"Your old father will stay with you my pet," said Keraunus tenderly, forit cut him to the soul to see this child suffer. "You none of you knowwhat this boy is to us all."
"He will soon go to sleep," Arsinoe asserted. "Do let us go, or it willbe too late."
"And leave the old woman to commit some other stupid blunder?" criedKeraunus. "It is my duty to stay with the poor little boy. You can go toyour sister and take the old woman with you."
"Very good, and to-morrow early I will come back."
"To-morrow morning?" said Keraunus surprised. "No, no, that will not do.Doris said just now that Selene will be well nursed by the Christians.Only see how she is, give her my love, and then come back."
"But father--"
"Besides you must remember that the prefect's wife expects you to-morrowat noon to choose the stuff for your dress, and you must not look as ifyou had been sitting up all night."
"I will rest a little while in the morning."
"In the morning? And how about curling my hair? And your new frock? Andpoor little Helios?--No child, you are only just to see Selene and thencome back again. Early in the morning too the holiday will have begun,and you know what goes on then; the old woman would be of no use to youin the throng. Go and see how Selene is, you are not to stay."
"I will see--"
"Not a word about seeing--you come home again. I desire it; in two hoursyou are to be in bed."
Arsinoe shrugged her shoulders, and two minutes after she was standingwith the old slave-woman in front of the gate-house.
A broad beam of light still fell through the half-open door of thebowery little room, so Euphorion and Doris had not retired to rest andcould at once open the palace-gate for her. The Graces set up a bark asArsinoe crossed the threshold of her old friends' house, but they didnot leave their cushion for they soon recognized her.
It was several years since Arsinoe, in obedience to her father's strictprohibition had set foot in the snug the house, and her heart was deeplytouched as she saw again all the surroundings she had loved as a child,and had not forgotten as she grew into girlhood. There were the birds,the little dogs, and the lutes on the wall near the Apollo. On worthydame Doris' table there had always been something to eat, and there,now, good a lovely, golden-brown cake, by the side of the wine-jar. Howoften as a child had she sneaked in to beg a sweet morsel, how often tosee whether tall Pollux were not there, Pollux, whose bold devices andoriginal suggestions, gave his work and his play alike, the stampof genius, and lent them a peculiar charm. And there sat her saucyplayfellow in person, his legs stretched at full length in front of him,and talking, eagerly. Arsinoe heard him relating the end of the historyof her being chosen for Roxana, and caught her own name, graced withsuch epithets as brought the blushes to her cheeks, and gave her doublepleasure because he could not guess that she could overhear them. Froma boy he had grown to a man, and a fine man, and a great artist--but hewas still the old kind and audacious Pollux.
The sudden leap with which he sprang from his seat to welcome her, thefrank laughter with which he several times interrupted her speech, thechildlike loving way in which he held his arm round his little motherwhile he greeted her, and asked why she was going out so late, thewinning, touching tone of his voice as he expressed his regret atSelene's mishaps--all went home to Arsinoe as a thing known and loved,of which she had long been deprived, and she clung to the two stronghands he held out to her. If at that moment he had taken her up, andclasped her to his heart before the very eyes of Eupliorion and hismother she really would have been incapable of resisting him.
It was with a heavy heart that Arsinoe had gone into dame Doris, but inthe gate-keeper's house there reigned an atmosphere in which care andanxiety could not breathe, and the light-hearted girl's vision of hersister as tormented with pain and threatened with danger was changed ina wonderfully short time to that of a sufferer comfortably in bed, withonly a severely-injured foot. In the place of consuming anxiety she feltonly hearty sympathy, and this sounded in her voice as she begged thesinger Euphorion to open the gate for her, because she wanted to go outwith her slave-woman to ascertain how Selene was.
Doris soothed her, repeating her assurance that the patient would benursed with the utmost care in dame Hannah's hands; still, she thoughther wish to see her sister very justifiable, and eagerly seconded Polluxwhen he entreated Arsinoe to accept his escort; for the festival wouldbe beginning soon after midnight, the streets would be full of roughand impudent people, and a bunch of feathers would be about as much useagainst the drunken slaves as her black scarecrow, who had been fallinginto decrepitude even before she had done the stupidest deed of her lifeand roused the steward's anger against herself.
So they went along the dark streets which grew full of people thefarther they went, side by side in silence. Presently Pollux said:
"Put your arm through mine; you ought to feel that I am protecting you,and I--I should like to feel at every step that I have found you oncemore, and am allowed to be near you--so sweet a creature."
The words did not sound impertinent, on the contrary, they sounded verymuch in earnest, and the sculptor's deep voice trembled with emotionas he spoke them with deep tenderness. They knocked at the door of thegirl's heart with the urgent hand of love; she unhesitatingly put herhand through his arm and answered softly:
"You will take care of me now."
"Yes," said he, and he took her little hand, which rested on his rightarm, in his left hand. She did not draw it away, and after they had goneon thus for a f
ew paces he sighed and said:
"Do you know how I feel?"
"Well!"
"Nay, I myself cannot put it into words. Rather as if I had triumphedin the Olympian games, or as if Caesar had invested me with thepurple!--But who cares for the wealth or the purple! You are hangingon my arm, and I have hold of your hand; compared with this, all isas nought. If it were not for the people about I--I do not know what Icould do."
She looked up at him with happy content, but he lifted her hand to hislips and pressed it to them long and fervently. Then he let it go againand said, with a sigh that came up from the bottom of his heart:
"Oh Arsinoe, my sweet Arsinoe, how I love you!"
As the words came softly yet hotly from his lips the girl clasped hisarm closely to her bosom, leaned her head on his shoulder, looked up athim with a wide-eyed, tender gaze, and said softly:
"Oh Pollux, I am so happy, the world is so good!"
"Nay, I could hate it!" cried the sculptor. "To hear this--and to havean old mother wide awake at home, and to be obliged to walk steadily onin a street crowded with men--it is unendurable! I shall not hold outmuch longer--sweetest of girls--here it is quiet and dark."
Yes, in a little nook made by two contiguous houses, and into whichPollux drew Arsinoe, it was pitch dark, as he hastily pressed his firstkiss on her innocent lips; but in their hearts it was light-radiantsunshine.
She had thrown her arms round his neck and would willingly have clungto him till day should end; but they heard the approach of a noisyprocession of slaves. These unfortunate creatures began soon aftermidnight singing and shouting so as to avail themselves to the extremistlimit of the holiday, which released them for a short time from theirtasks and duties; Pollux knew well how unbounded the license of theirpleasures could be, and as he walked on with Arsinoe he enjoined her tokeep with him as close as possible to the houses.
"How jolly they are!" he said pointing to the merry-makers. "Theirmasters will wait on themselves a little to-day, and the best day inthe year is just beginning for them, but for us the best day in all ourlives."
"Yes, yes," cried Arsinoe, and she clasped his strong arm with both herhands.
Then they both laughed merrily, for Pollux had noticed that the oldslave-woman had gone on past them with her head sunk on her breast, andwas following another pair.
"I will call her," Arsinoe said.
"No, no, let her be," said the artist. "The couple in front certainlyrequire her protection more than we do."
"But how could she possibly mistake that little man for you?" laughedArsinoe.
"I wish I were a little smaller," replied Pollux with a sigh. "Onlypicture to yourself the vast amount of burning love and tormentinglonging that can be contained in so large a body as mine!" She slappedhim on the arm, and to punish her he hastily pressed his lips on herforehead.
"Don't--think of the people," she said reprovingly, but he gailyanswered:
"It is not a misfortune to be envied."
Here the streets came to an end, and they found themselves in front ofthe garden belonging to Pudeus' widow; Pollux knew it, for Paulina whoowned it was the sister of Pontius, the architect, who himself owned amagnificent house in the city. But could it be possible? Had invisiblehands brought them here already? The gate of the enclosure was locked.Pollux roused a porter, told him what he wanted, and was conducted byhim with Arsinoe to apart of the grounds where a bright light shone outfrom dame Hannah's little abode, for he had had instructions to admitthe sick girl's friends even during the night.
A crescent moon lighted the paths, which were strewed with shells; theshrubs and trees in the garden threw sharply-defined shadows on theirgleaming whiteness, the sea sparkled brightly, and as soon as the porterhad left the happy young pair together, and they found themselves in ashadowy alley, Pollux said, opening his arms to the girl:
"Now--one more kiss, just for a remembrance, while I wait."
"Not now," begged Arsinoe.
"I am no longer happy since we came in here. I cannot help thinking ofpoor Selene."
"I have not a word to say against that," replied Pollux submissively."Then when waiting is over may I have my reward?"
"No, no, now, at once," cried Arsinoe throwing herself on his breast,and then she hurried towards the house.
He followed her, and when she paused in front of a brightly-lightedwindow on the ground floor, he stopped also. They both looked in on alofty and spacious room, kept in the most perfect order and cleanliness;it had one door only opening on the roofless forecourt of the house; thewalls of the room were plainly painted of a light green color, and theonly ornament it contained was one piece of carved work over the door.
On the farther side stood the bed on which Selene was lying; a few pacesfrom it sat the deformed girl asleep, while dame Hannah softly went upto the patient with a wet compress in her hand which she carefully laidon her head.
Pollux touched Arsinoe and whispered to her:
"Your sister lies there in her sleep like an Ariadne deserted byDionysus. How wretched she will feel when she comes to herself."
"She looks to me less pale than usual."
"Look now, how she bends her arm, and what a lovely attitude as she putsher hand to her head!"
"Go--" said Arsinoe. "You ought not to be spying here."
"Directly, directly--but if you were lying there no power should stir mefrom the spot. How carefully Hannah lifts the wet wrapper from her poorbroken ankle. You could not touch your eye more gently than the goodwoman handles Selene's foot."
"Go back, she is looking straight this way."
"What a wonderful face! It would do for a Penelope, but there issomething singular in her eyes. Now if I had to make another star-gazingUrania, or a Sappho full of the deity, and with eyes fixed on theheavens in poetic rapture, that is what I would put into her! She is nolonger young, but how pure her face is! It is like a sky when the windhas swept it clear of clouds."
"Seriously you must go now," said Arsinoe drawing away her hand, whichhe had again taken. Pollux saw that his praise of another woman's beautyannoyed her, and he said soothingly:
"Be easy child. You have not your match here in Alexandria, no, nor sofar as Greek is spoken. A perfectly clear sky is certainly not the mostbeautiful to my taste. Pure light, and pure blue, give no satisfactionto the artist, it is only behind a few moving clouds, lighted up bychanging gleams of gold and silver, that the firmament has any truecharm, and though your face too is like heaven to me it does not lacksweet movement, never twice alike. Now this matron--"
"Only look," interrupted Arsinoe, "how tenderly dame Hannah bends overSelene, and now she is gently kissing her brow. No mother could tendher own daughter more lovingly. I have known her for a long time; she isgood, very good; it is hardly credible for she is a Christian."
"The cross up there over the door," said Pollux "is the token by whichthese extraordinary people recognize each other."
"And what is signified by the dove and fish and anchor round it?" askedArsinoe.
"They are emblems of the mysteries of the Christians," replied Pollux."I do not understand them; the things are wretchedly painted; theadherents of the crucified God contemn all art, and particularly mybranch of it, for they hate all images of the gods."
"And yet among such blasphemers we find such good men; I will go in atonce; Hannah is wetting another handkerchief."
"And how unwearied and kind she looks as she does it; still there issomething strange, deserted, and graceless in this large bare room. Ishould not like to live there."
"Have you noticed the faint scent of lavender that comes through thewindow?"
"Long since--there your sister is moving and has opened her eyes--nowshe has shut them again."
"Go back into the garden and wait till I come," Arsinoe commanded himdecidedly. "I will only see how Selene is going on; I will not stop longfor my father wishes me to return soon, and no one can nurse her betterthan Hannah!"
The girl drew her
hand out of her lover's and knocked at the door ofthe little house; it was opened and the widow herself led Arsinoe tothe bedside of her sister. Pollux at first sat a while on a bench inthe garden, but soon sprang up and paced with long steps the path he hadpreviously trodden with Arsinoe. A stone table across the path, broughthim to a stand-still, and he took a fancy for leaping it. The third timehe came up to it he sprang over it with a long jump. But no sooner hadhe done the frolicsome deed than he paused, shook his head at himselfand muttered to himself: "Like a boy!"--He felt indeed like a happychild. But as he waited he became calmer and graver. He acknowledgedto himself, with sincere thankfulness, that he had now found the idealwoman, of whom he had dreamed in his hours of best inspiration, and thatshe was his, wholly and alone. And after all, what was he? A poor rascalwho had many mouths to fill, and was no more than two fingers of hismaster's hand. This must be altered. He would not reduce his sister'scomforts in any way but he must break with Papias, and stand henceforthon his own feet. His courage mounted fast, and when at last, Arsinoereturned from her sister, he had resolved that he must first finishBalbilla's bust with all diligence in his own workshop, and that thenhe would model his beloved; these two female heads he could not fail in.Caesar must see them, they must be exhibited, and already in his mind'seye, he saw himself refusing order after order, and accepting only themost splendid where all were good.
Arsinoe went home comforted. Selene's sufferings were certainly lessthan she had pictured them; she did not wish to be nursed by any onebesides dame Hannah. She might perhaps have a little fever, but any onewho was capable of discussing every little question of house-keeping,and all that related to the children could not be--as Arsinoe thoughtwhile she walked back through the garden, leaning on the artist'sarm--really and properly ill.
"It must revive and delight her to have Roxana for a sister!" criedPollux; but his pretty companion shook her head and said: "She is alwaysso odd; what most delights me is averse to her."
"Well Selene is of course the moon, and you are the sun."
"And what are you?" asked Arsinoe.
"I am tall Pollux, and to-night I feel as if I might some day be greatPollux."
"If you succeed I shall grow with you."
"That will be your right, since it is only through you that I can eversucceed in that which I propose to do.
"And how should a simple little thing, such as I am, be able to help anartist?"
"By living, and by loving him," cried the sculptor, lifting her up inhis arms before she could prevent him.
Outside the garden-gate the old slave-woman was sitting asleep. She hadlearnt from the porter that her young mistress had been admitted withher companion, but she herself had been forbidden to enter the grounds.A curbstone had served her for a seat, and as she waited her eyes hadclosed, in spite of the increasing noise in the street. Arsinoe did notwaken her, but asked Pollux, with a roguish laugh:
"We shall find our way alone, shall we not?"
"If Eros does not lead us astray," answered the artist. And so, as theywent on their way, they jested and exchanged little tender speeches.
The nearer they got to Lochias and to the main lines of traffic whichintersected at right angles the Canopic way--the widest and longest roadin the city--the fuller was the stream of people that flowed onwards inthe direction in which they were going; but this circumstance favoredthem, for those who wish to be unobserved, when they cannot beabsolutely alone, have only to mix with the crowd. As they were bornetowards the focus and centre of the festive doings, they clung closelytogether, she to him, and he to her, so that they might not be tornapart by any of the rushing and tumultuous processions of excitedThracian women who, faithful to their native usages, came storming bywith a young bull, on this particular night of the year, that followingthe shortest day. They had hardly gone a hundred paces beyond theMoon-street when they heard proceeding from it a wild roving song oftipsy jollity, and loud above it the sound of drums and pipes, cymbalsand noisy shouting, and at the same time in the King's street, a roadwhich crossed the Bruchiom and opened on Lochias, a merry troup cametowards them.
At their head, among other acquaintances, came Teuker, the gem-cutter,the younger brother of Pollux. Crowned with ivy, and flourishing athyrsus he came dancing on, and behind him, leaping and shouting, atrain of men and women, all excited to the verge of folly, singing,hollooing, and dancing.
Garlands of vine, ivy and asphodel fluttered from a hundred heads;poplar, lotus, and laurel wreaths overhung their heated brows;panther-skins, deer and goatskins hung from their bare shoulders andwaved in the wind as their bearers hurried onwards. This procession hadbeen first formed by some artists and rich youths returning with somewomen from a banquet, with a band of music; every one who met thisfestal party had joined it or had been forced to enlist with it.Respectable citizens and their wives, laborers, maid-servants,slaves, soldiers and sailors, officers, women flute-players, artisans,ship-captains, the whole chorus of a theatre invited by a friend of art,excited women who dragged with them a goat that was to be slaughteredto Dionysus--none had been able to resist the temptation to join theprocession. It turned down the Moon-street, keeping to the middle of theroad which was planted with elms, and had on each side of it a raisedfoot-way, which at this time of night no one used. How clear was thesound of the double-pipes, how bravely the girls hit the calf-skin ofthe tambourines with their soft fists, how saucily the wind tossed andtangled the dishevelled hair of the riotous women and played with thesmoke of the torches which were wielded in the air by audacious youths,disguised as Pan or as Satyrs, and shouting as they went.
Here a girl, holding her tambourine high in the air, rattled the littlebells on its hoop, as she flew along, as violently as though she wantedto shake the hollow metal balls out of their frame, and send themwhistling through the air on their own account-there, side by side withhis comrades, who were excited almost to madness, a handsome lad cameskipping along in elaborately graceful leaps, but carrying over his arm,with comic care, a long bull's-tail that he had tied on, and blowingalternately up and down the short scale from the shortest to the longestof the reeds composing his panpipes. Through the noisy crowd as theyrushed by, sounded, now and again, a loud roar, that might as easilyhave been caused by pain as joy; but it was each time hastily drowned inmad laughter, extravagant singing and jubilant music.
Old and young, great and small, all in short that came near this rabbletrain, were carried off with irresistible force to follow it with shoutsof triumph. Even Pollux and Arsinoe had for some time ceased to walksoberly side by side, but moved their feet, laughingly in time to themerry measure.
"How nice it sounds," cried the artist. "I could dance and be merry tooArsinoe, dance and make merry with you like a madman!"
Before she could find time to say 'yes' or 'no,' he shouted a loud "To,To, Dionysus," and flung her up in the air. She too was caught by thespirit of the thing, and waving her hand above her head she joined inhis shout of triumph, and let him drag her along to a corner of theMoon-street where a seller of garlands offered her wares for sale. Thereshe let him wreathe her with ivy, she stuck a laurel wreath on his head,twisted a streamer of ivy round his neck and breast, and laughed loudlyas she flung a large silver coin into the flower-woman's lap and clungtightly to his arm. It was all done in swift haste without reflection,as if in a fit of intoxication, and with trembling hands.
The procession was drawing to an end. Six women and girls in wreathsclosed it, walking arm in arm with loud singing. Pollux drew hissweetheart behind this jovial crew, threw his arm around Arsinoe oncemore, while she put hers round him, and then both of them stepped outin a brisk dance-step flinging their arms left free, throwing back theirheads, shouting and singing loudly, and forgetting all that surroundedthem; they felt as though they were bound to each other by a glory ofsunbeams, while some god lifted them above the earth and bore them upthrough a realm of delight and joy beyond the myriad stars and throughthe translucent ether; thus they let the
mselves be led away through theMoon-street into the Canopic way and so back to the sea, and as far asthe temple of Dionysus.
There they paused breathless and it suddenly struck them that he wasPollux and she Arsinoe, and that she must get back again to her fatherand the children.
"Come home," she said softly, and as she spoke she dropped her arm andbegan to gather up her loosened hair.
"Yes, yes," he said as if in a dream. He released her, struck his handagainst his brow, and turning to the open cella of the temple he said:
"Long have I known that thou art mighty O Dionysus, and that thouO Aphrodite art lovely, and that thou art sweet O Eros! but howinestimable your gifts, that I have learnt to-day for the first time."
"We were indeed full of the deity," said Arsinoe. "But here comesanother procession and I must go home."
"Then let us go by the Little Harbor," answered Pollux.
"Yes--I must pick the leaves out of my hair and no one will see usthere."
"I will help you--"
"No, you are not to touch me," said Arsinoe decidedly. She grasped herabundant soft and shiny hair, and cleared it of the leaves that had gotentangled in it, as tiny beetles do in a double flower. Finally she hidher hair under her veil, which had slipped off her head long since, but,almost by a miracle, had caught and remained hanging on the brooch ofher peplum. Pollux stood looking at her, and overmastered by the passionthat possessed him, he exclaimed:
"Eternal gods! how I love you! Till now my soul has been like a carelesschild, to-day it is grown to heroic stature.--Wait--only wait, it willsoon learn to use its weapons."
"And I will help it in the fight," she said happily, as she put her handthrough his arm again, and they hurried back to the old palace, dancingrather than walking.
The late December sun was already giving warning of his approachingrising by cold yellowish-grey streaks in the sky as Pollux and hiscompanion entered the gate, which had long since been opened for theworkmen. In the hall of the Muses they took a first farewell, in thepassage leading to the steward's room, a second--sad and yet most happy;but this was but a short one for the gleam of a lamp made them startapart, and Arsinoe instantly fled.
The disturber was Antinous who was waiting here for the Emperor who wasstill gazing at the stars from the watch-tower Pontius had erected forhim. As she vanished he turned to Pollux and said gaily:
"I need your forgiveness for I have disturbed you in an interview withyour sweetheart."
"She will be my wife," said the sculptor proudly.
"So much the better!" replied the favorite, and he drew a deep breath,as though the artist's words had relieved his mind of a burden.
"Ah! so much the better. Can you tell me where to find the fairArsinoe's sister?"
"To be sure," replied the artist, and he felt pleased that the youngBithynian should cling to his arm. Within the next hour, Pollux, fromwhose lips there flowed a stream of eager and enthusiastic words, likewater from a spring, had completely won the heart of the Emperor'sfavorite.
The girl found both her father and Helios, who no longer looked likea sick patient--fast asleep. The old slave-woman came in a few minutesafter her, and when at last, after unbinding her hair, Arsinoe threwherself on her bed she fell asleep instantly, and in her dreams foundherself once more by the side of her Pollux, while they both were flyingto the sound of drums, flutes, and cymbals high above the dusty ways ofearth, like leaves swept on by the wind.