A THORNY PATH

(PER ASPERA)

G E O R G EB E R SAUTHOR O Ir UARDA, AN EGYPTIAN PRINCESS , SERAP IS , JOSHUA, ETC.

TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN

BY CLARA BELL

IN TWO VOLUMES

VOL. I

N EW YO R K

D . A P P L E T O N AND COM PA NY

A THORNY PATH .

CHAPTER I .

Tm: green screen slowly rose, covering thelower portion of the broad studio windo whereHeron, the gem cutter, was at work It wz Melissa

,the artist '5 daughter

,who had pulled i t up

,with

bended knees and outstretched arms,pan ting for

breath .

“ That is enough ! cried her father’s impatientvoice. He glanced up at the flood of l ight whichthe blinding sun of Alexandria was pou ring intothe room

,as i t did every autumn afternoon but as

soon as the shadow fel l on his work - table the o ldman 's busy fingers were at work again

,and he heed

ed his daughter no more .

An hour later Melissa again,and without any

bidding,pulled up the screen as before

,but i t was

so much too heavy for her that the effort bro ughtthe blood into her calm

,fair face

,as the deep

,

rough That is enough was again heard from thework- table.

Then si lence reigned once more . Only the artist

’

s low whistl ing as he worked,or the patter and

pipe of the birds in their cages by the window,broke

the sti l lness of the spacious room,ti l l the voice and

step of a man were presently heard in the anteroom.

4A THORNY PATH .

Heron laid by his graver and Melissa her go ldembroidery, and the eyes of father and daughtermet for the first time for some hours . The verybirds seemed excited

,and a starling

,which had sat

moping since the screen had shut the sun out,now

cried out,Olympias ! Melissa rose

,and after a

swift glance round the room she went to the d oor,

come who might .Ay, even if the brother she was expecting should

bring a companion,or a patron of art who desired

her father’s work , the room need not fear a critical

eye ; and she was so wel l assured of the faultlessneatness of her own person

,that she on ly passed a

hand over her brown ha ir,and with an invo luntary

movement pul led her simple white robe more tightly through her girdle .

Heron ’s studio was as clean and as simple as hisdaughter’s attire

,though it seemed larger than

enough for the purpose it served,for on ly a very

smal l part of it was occupied by the artist,who sat

as if in exil e behind the work- table on which hisbelongings were laid out : a set of small instrumentsin a case

,a tray fi l led with shell s and bits of onyx

and other agates,a yel low ball o f Cyrenian model

ing-wax,pumice stone

,bott les

,boxes

,and bowls.

Mel issa had no sooner crossed the threshold,than the sculptor drew up his broad shoulders andbrawny person

,and raised his hand to fl ing away

the slender stylus he had been using ; however, hethought better of it

,and laid it carefu l ly aside with

the other too ls . But this act o f self-contro l musthave cost the hot-headed

,powerfu l man a great

effort ; fo r he shot a fierce look at the instrumentwhich had had so narrow an escape

,and gave it a

push of vexation with the back of his hand .

Then he turned towards the door,his sunburnt

A THORNY PATH. 5

face looking surly enough, in its frame of tangledgray hair and beard ; and, as he waited for the visitorwhom Melissa was greeting outside

,he tossed back

his big head,and threw out his broad

,deep chest

,

as though preparing to wrestle .

Melissa presently returned,and the youth whose

hand she sti ll held was, as might be seen in everyfeature

,none other than the sculptor ’s son . Both

were dark-eyed,with noble and splendid heads

,and

in stature perfectly equal ; but while the son’s coun

tenance beamed with hearty enjoyment, and seemedby its peculiar attractiveness to be made—and to beaccustomed— to charm men and women alike

,his

father ’s face was expressive of disgust and misanthropy . It seemed

,indeed

,as though the new

comer had roused his ire,for Heron answered his

son ’s cheerfu l greeting with no word but a reproachful “At last ! ” and paid no heed to the hand theyouth held out to him .

Alexander was no doubt inured to such a re

ception ; he did not disturb himself about the oldman ’s i l l -humor

,but slapped him on the shoulder

with rough geniality,went up to the work -table

with easy composure,took up the vice which held

the nearly finished gem,and

,after holding it to the

l ight and examining it carefu l ly,exclaimed .

“Wel ldone, father ! You have done noth ing better thanthat for a long time .

Poor stuff said his father.But his son laughed .

If you wil l have it so . But I wil l give one ofmy eyes to see the man in Alexandria who can dothe l ike !

At thi s the o ld man broke out,and shaking his

fist he cried : Because the man who can find anything worth doing, takes good care not to waste

6 A THORNY PATH .

his time here,making divine art a mere mockery by

such trifl ing with toys ! By Sirius ! I shou ld like tofl ing al l those pebbles into the fire

,the onyx and

shel l s and jasper and what not,and smash al l those

wretched too ls with these fi sts,which were certain ly

made for other work than this .”

The youth laid an arm round his father’s stalwart neck

,and gayly interrupted his wrath .

“ Ohyes

,Father Heron

,Phil ip and I have felt often

enough that they know how to hit hard .

”

Not near ly often enough,growled the artist

,

and the young man went on :That I grant

,though every blow from you was

equal to a dozen from the hand of any other fatherin A lexandria. But that those mighty fists on human arms should have evoked the bewitching smileon the sweet l ips of this Psyche

,if it is not a miracle

of art,is

“ The degradation of art, the old man put in ;but A lexander hastily added :

The victory of the exquisite over the coarse .

A victory ! exclaimed Heron,with a scornful

flourish of his hand .

“ I know,boy

,why you are

trying to garland the oppressive yoke with flowersof flattery . So long as your surly o ld father sitsover the vice

,he only whistles a song and spares

you his complaints. And then,there is the money

his work brings inHe laughed bitterly

,and as Mel issa looked aux

iously up at him,her brother exclaimed

“ If I d id not know you wel l,master

,and if it

wou ld not be too great a pity,I wou ld throw that

lovely Psyche to the ostrich in Scopas’

s court-yard ;for

,by Herakles ! he would swal low your gem more

easi ly than we can swal low such cruel taunts . Wed o indeed bless the Muses that work brings you

A THORNY PATH. 7

some surcease of gloomy thoughts. But for therest—I hate to speak the word gold . We want it nomore than you , who, when the coffer is fu l l, buryit or hide it with the rest. Apollodorus forced a

whole talent of the yellow curse upon me for painting his men ’s room . The sailor’s cap

,into which I

tossed it with the rest, wil l burst when Seleukuspays me for the portrait o f h is daughter ; and if ath ief robs you

,and me too

,we need not fret over

it. My brush and your stylus wil l earn us more inno t ime. And what are our needs We do not beton quai l -fights ; we do not run races ; I always hada loathing for purchased love ; we do not want towear a heap of garments bought merely becausethey take our fanty— indeed, I am too hot a s i t i sunder this scorching sun . The house is your own .

The rent paid by Glauk ias,for the work-room and

garden you inherited from your father,pays for

half at least of what we and the birds and theslaves eat. As for Phil ip

,he l ives on air and philos

ophy ; and , besid es, ‘

he i s fed out of the great breadbasket of the Museum .

”

At this po int the starl ing interrupted the youth’svehement speech with the appropriate cry

,My

strength ! my strength ! The brother and sisterlooked at each other

,and Alexander went on with

genu ine enthusiasm :

“ But it is not in you to believe us capable ofsuch meanness. Dedicate your next fin ished workto Isis or Serapis. Let your masterpiece gracethe goddess’s head-gear

,o r the god’s robe. We

shal l be quite content,and perhaps the immortals

may restore your joy in l ife as a reward .

The bird repeated its lamentable cry,“ My

strength ! and the youth proceeded with increasedvehemence :

3 A THoRNv PATH.

It would real ly be better that you should throwyour vice and your graver and your burnisher

,and

al l that heap of dainty tools,into the sea, and carve

an Atlas such as we have heard you talk aboutever since we could fi rst speak Greek . Come

,set

to work on a colossus ! You have but to speak theword

,and the finest clay shal l be ready on your

modeling- table by to-morrow,either here or in Glau

k ias’

s work-room,which is indeed your own . I know

where the best is to be found,and can bring it to

you in any quantity . Scopas wil l lend me his wagon .

I can see it now,and you valiantly struggling with

it til l your mighty arms ache. You wil l not whistleand hum over that

,but sing out with al l your might

,

as you used when my mother was al ive,when you

and your apprentices j o ined Dionysus ’s drunken rout .Then your brow wil l grow smooth again and if themodel is a success

,and you want to buy marble

,o r

pay the founder,then out with your gold

,out of the

coffer and its hiding-place ! Then youcan make useof al l your strength

,and your dream of producing

an Atlas such as the world has not seen—yourbeautiful dream— wil l become a real ity !Heron had l istened eagerly to his son

’s rhapsody ; but he now cast a timid glance at the tablewhere the wax and tools lay

,pushed the rough hair

from his brow,and broke in with a bitter laugh

My dream,do you say— my dream ? As if I did

not know too wel l that I am no longer the man tocreate an Atlas ! As i f I did not feel, without yourwords that my strength for it is a thing of thepast !

Nay, father, exclaimed the pain ter . “ Is itright to cast away the sword befo re the battle ? And

even if you did not succeedYou would be all the better pl eased, the sculp

A THORNY PATH . 9

tor put in . What surer way could there be toteach the old simpleton

,once for al l

,that the time

when he cou ld do great work is over and gone ? ”

That is unj ust,father ; that is unworthy of you ,

the young man interrupted in great excitement ; buthis father went on

,raising his vo ice ; Silence

,boy !

One thing at any rate is left to me,as you know—my

keen eyes ; and they did not fail me when you twolooked at each other as the starl ing cried, Mystrength ! ’ Ay, the bird is in the right when hebewails what was once so great and is now a merelaughing- stock . Bu

‘

t you—you ought to reverencethe man to whom you owe your existence and al lyou know ; you allow yourself to shrug your shoulders over your own father ’s humbler art

,since your

first pictures were fairly successfu l — How puffedup he is

,since

,by my devoted care

,he has been a

pain ter ! How he looks down on the poor wretchwho

,by the pinch of necessity

,has come down from

being a sculptor of the highest promise to being amere gem-cutter ! In the depths of your sou l— andI know it— you regard my laborious art as half ahandicraft . Wel l

,perhaps it deserves no better

name ; but that you— both of you— should makecommon cause with a bird

,and mock the sacred

fire which sti l l burns in an o ld man,and moves him

to serve true and noble art and to mold somethinggreat— an Atlas such as the world has never seen ona heroic scale ; thatHe covered his face with his hands and sobbed

aloud . An d the strong man ’s passionate grief cuthis children to the heart

,though

,since their mother’s

death,their father’s rage and discontent had many

a time ere now broken down into chi ldish lamentation .

To-day no doubt the old man was in worse spir its

10 A THORNY PATH.

than usual,for it was the day of the Nekysia—the

feast of the dead kept every autumn ; and he hadthat morning v isited his wife’s grave

,accompanied

by his daughter,and had anointed the tombstone

and decked it with flowers. The young people tr iedto comfort him ; and when at last he was more composed and had dried his tears

,he said

,in so melan

choly and subdued a tone that the angry blusterer was scarcely recognizable : “ There— leave mealone ; it wi l l soon be over. I wi l l finish this gemto -morrow

,and then I must do the Serapis I prom

ised Theophilu s,the high -pr iest . Nothing can come

of the At las. Perhaps you meant it in al l sincerity,

A lexander ; but since your mother left me , children ,since then—my arms are no weaker than they were ;but in here—what it was that shriveled

,broke

,

leaked away— I can not find words for it. If youcare for me— and I know you do— you must notbe vexed with me if my gall r ises now and then ;there is too much bitterness in my soul . I can notreach the goal I strive after and was meant to win ;I have lo st what I loved best and where am I tofind comfort or compensation ?His chi ldren tenderly assured him of their affec

tion,and he al lowed Mel issa to kiss him

,and stroked

Alexander’s hair.Then he inquired for Phil ip

,his eldest son and

his favorite ; and on learn ing that he , the only person who , as he bel ieved, could understand him,

would not come to see him this day above al l others,he again broke out in wrath

,abusing the degener

acy of the age and the ingratitude of the young .

Is it a v isi t which detains him again ?”he in

quired,and when Alexander thought not, he ex

claimed contemptuously : Then it i s some war ofwords at the Museum . And for such poor stuff as

A THORNY PATH.

that a son can forget his duty to his father andmother ! ”

“But you,too

,used to enjoy these confl icts of

intel lect,his daughter humbly remarked ; but the

old man broke in“ Only because they help a miserable world to

forget the torments of existence,and the hideous

certainty of having been born only to d ie somehorrible death. But what can you know of this

“ By my mother’s death-bed,replied the girl

we, too , had a gl impse into the terrible mystery .

And A lexander gravely added,

And since we lastmet

,father

,I may certainly account myself as one

of the initiated .

”

“ You have painted a dead body ? ” asked hisfather.

Yes,father

,repl ied the lad with a deep breath .

I warned you,said Heron

,in a tone of superlor

experience.

And then,as Melissa rearranged the folds of his

blue robe,he said he should go for a walk . He

sighed as he spoke,and his children knew whither

he would go . It was to the grave to which Mel issahad accompanied him that morning ; and he wouldvisit it alone

,to meditate undisturbed on the wife

he had lo st .

CHAPTER II.

THE brother and sister were left together . Melissa sighed deeply ; but her brother went up to her ,laid his arm round her shoulder

,and said : “ Poor

child you have indeed a hard time of it . Eighteenyears old

,and as pretty as you are

,to be kept locked

up as if in prison ! No one would envy you,even

if your fel low-captive and keeper were younger andless gloomy than your father is Butwe know whatit al l means . His grief eats into his sou l

,and it

does him as much good to storm and scold,as it does

us to laughf’

If only the world could know how kind hisheart real ly is said the gir l .

“ He is not the same to his friends as to us,

said A lexander ; but Meli ssa shook her head , andsaid sadly : He broke out yesterday against Apion

,

the dealer,and it was dreadfu l . For the fi ftieth

time he had waited supper for you two in vain,and

in the twil ight , when he had done work , his griefovercame him

,and to see him weep is quite heart

breaking ! The Syrian dealer came in and foundhim al l tearful

,and being so bo ld as to j est about it

in his flippant way“ The old man wou ld give him his answer , I

know ! ” cried her brother w ith a hearty laugh Hewil l not again be in a hurry to stir up a woundedlion .

”

A THORNY PATH; 1 3

That is the very word , said Melissa, and herlarge eyes sparkled .

“ At the fight in the Circus,I could no t help thinking of my father, when the

huge king of the desert lay with a broken spearin his lo ins, whining loudly, and burying his manedhead between his great paws. The gods are pitiless ! ”

Indeed they are,repl ied the youth , with deep

conviction ; but his sister looked up at him in surpr1se .

Do you say so,Alexander ? Yes

,indeed— you

looked just now as I never saw you before . Hasmisfortune overtaken you too ? ”

“Misfortune ? ” be repeated,and he gently

stroked her hair . No,not exactly ; and you know

my woes sit lightly enough on me . The immortalshave indeed shown me very plainly that it is the irwil l sometimes to spo il the feast of l ife with a rightbitter draught . But

,l ike the moon itself

,all it

shines on is doomed to change— happily ! Manythings here below seem strangely ordered . Likeears and eyes

,hands and feet

,many things are by

nature double,and misfortunes

,as they say, com

mon ly come in couples yoked like oxen .

Then you have had some twofo ld blow ?asked Mel issa

,clasping her hands over her anxious

ly throbbing bosom .

I,child ! No

,indeed . Nothing has befal len

your father’s younger son ; and if I were a philosopher

,l ike Phi l ip

,I shou ld be moved to wonder

why a man can on ly be wet when the rain fal l s onhim

,and yet can be so wretched when disaster fal ls

on another. But do not look at me with such terror in your great eyes. I swear to you that, as aman and an artist

,I never fel t better, and so I ought

properly to be in my usual frame of mind . But the

14 A THORNY PATH .

skeleton at life’s festival has been shown to me .

What sort of thing is that ? It is an image—theimage of a dead man which was carried round by theEgyptians, and is to this day by the Romans, to re

mind the feasters that they should fi l l every hourwith enjoyment

,since enjoyment is al l too soon at

an end . Such an image,chi ld

“ You are thinking of the dead girl—Seleukus’sdaughter—whose po rtrait you are painting ? askedMel issa .

A lexander nodded, sat down on the bench byhis sister

,and

,taking up her needlework

,exclaimed :

Give us some light,chi ld . I want to see your

pretty face. I want to be sure that Diod orus didnot perj ure himself when

,at the Crane

,

’

the otherday

,he swore that it had not its match in Alexan

dria. Besides,I hate the darkness.”

When Mel i ssa returned with the lighted lamp,

she found her bro ther,who was not wont to keep

stil l,sitting in the place where she had left him .

But he sprang up as she entered, and prevented herfurther greeting by exclaiming :

Patience ! patience ! You shal l be told al l .Only I did not want to worry you on the day of thefestival of the dead . And besides, to-morrow perhaps he wil l be in a better frame of mind

,and next

dayMel issa became urgent . If Phi lip is i l l

put in .

Not exactly il l,said be. He has no fever

,

no ague-fit,no aches and pains. He i s not in bed

,

and has no bitter draughts to swal low . Yet is henot we l l

,any more than I

,though but j ust now

,in

the dining-hal l at the Elephant, I ate l ike a starvingwolf

,and could at this moment j ump over this table.

Shall I prove it

A THORNY PATH. 1 5

No, no , said his sister, in growing distress.“ But, if you love me, tel l me

‘

at once and plainlyAt once and plainly

,

” sighed the painter.“ That, in any case, will not be easy. But I wil l domy best . You knew Korinna

Seleukus’s daughterShe herself— the maiden from whose co rpse I

am painting her portrait."

No . But you wantedI wanted to be brief, bu t I care even more to

be understood ; and if you have never seen withyour own eyes

,if you do not yourself know what a

mi racle of beauty the gods wrought when theymolded that maiden

,you are indeed j ustified in re

garding me as a fool and Phil ip as a madmanwhich , thank the gods, he certain ly is not yet.

”

Then he too has seen the dead maiden ?No

,no . An d yet—perhaps. That at present

remains a mystery . I hardly know what happenedeven to mysel f. I succeeded in control l ing myselfin my father ’s presence ; but now,

when it al l risesup before me

,before my very eyes

,so distinct

,so

real,so tangible

,now— by Sir ius ! Melissa, if you

interrupt me again“ Begin again . I wil l be silent

,she cried . I

can easi ly picture your Korinna as a divinely beautifu l creature .

”

Alexander raised his hands to heave11, ex claim

ing with passionate vehemence : “ Oh,how would I

praise and glorify the gods, who formed that marvelo f their art

,and my mouth should be ful l of their

grace and mercy, if they had but al lowed the worldto sun itself in the charm of that glor ious creature

,and to worship their everlasting beauty in her

who was the ir image ! But they have wantonly d estroyed their own masterpiece, have crushed the

16 A THORNY PATH .

scarce-opened bud , have darkened the star ere it

has r isen ! If a man had done it, Me li ssa a manwhat would his doom have been If he

Here the youth hid his face in his hands inpassionate emotion ; but, feel ing his sister

’s armround his shoulder he recovered himself

,and went

on more calmly : Well,you heard that she was

dead . She was of j ust your age ; she is dead ateighteen

,and her father commissioned me to paint

her in death—Pour me out some water ; then Iwi l l proceed as coldly as a man crying the d escript ion of a runaway slave .

”He drank a deep draught

,

and wandered restlessly up and down in front ofhis sister

,while he told her al l that had happened

to him during the last few days.The day before yesterday

,at noon

,he had left

the inn where he had been carousing with friends,

gay and careless,and had obeyed the cal l of Seleu

kus. Just before raising the knocker he had beensinging cheerfu l ly to himself. Never had he feltmore fu l ly content— the gayest of the gay. Oneof the fi rst men in the town

,and a connoisseur

,had

honored him with a fine commission,and the pros

peet of painting something dead had pleased him .

His old master had often admired the exqu isite de l icacy of the flesh -tones of a recently deceased body .

As his glance fel l on the implements that his slavecarried after him ,

he had drawn himself up with theproud feel ing of having before him a noble task, towhich he felt equal . Then the porter

,a gray-beard

ed Gaul,had opened the door to him , and as he

looked into his care-worn face and received fromhim a silent permission to step in

,he had already

become more serious .He had heard marvel s of the magnificence of the

house that he now entered ; and the lofty vestibule

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1 3 A THORNY PATH .

plained to the lady who he was and wherefore he hadcome . But the only answer was a dumb assenting ~

bow of the head .

He had not far to go with his stately gu ide ;their walk ended in a spacious room . It had beenmade a perfect flower-garden with hundreds of magn ificent plants ; piles of garlands strewed the floor

,

and in the midst stood the couch on which lay thedead girl . In this hal l

,too

,reigned the same

gloomy twil ight which had startled him in the vestibu le .

The dim,shrouded form lying motionless on the

couch before him,with a heavy wreath of lotus

flowers and white roses encircl ing it from head tofoot

,was the subject for his brush . He was to

paint here,where he could scarcely distinguish one

plant from another,or make out the form of the

vases which stood round the bed of death . The

white blossoms alone gleamed l ike pale lights in thegloom

,and with a sister radiance something smooth

and round which lay on the couch— the bare arm ofthe dead maiden .

His heart began to throb ; the artist’s love of his

art had awaked within him ; he had col lected hi swits

,and explained to the matron that to paint in

the darkness was impossible.

Again she bowed in reply,but at a signal two

wa iting women,who were squatting on the floor

behind the couch,started up in the twil ight

,as if

they had sprung from the earth,and approached

thei r mistress .A fresh shock chil led the painter’s blood

,for at

the same moment the lady ’s voice was suddenlyaudible close to his ear

,almost as deep as a man ’s

but not unmelodious,o rdering the gir ls to draw back

the curtain as far as the painter shou ld desi re .

A THORNY PATH . 19

Now,he fel t

,the spel l was broken ; curiosity and

eagerness took the place of reverence fo r death .

He quietly gave his orders for the necessary arrangements

,lent the women the help of his stronger

arm,took out his painting implements

,and then

requested the matron to unvei l the dead girl,that

he might see from which side it would be best totake the portrait . But then again he was near losi ng his composure

,for the lady raised her vei l

,and

measured him with a glance as though he had askedsomething strange and audacious indeed .

Never had he met so piercing a glance from anywoman ’s eyes ; and yet they were red with weepingand fu l l o f tears. Bitter grief spoke in every l1neof her stil l youthful features

,and thei r stern , ma

jestic beauty was in keeping with the deep tones ofher speech . Oh that he had been so happy as to seethis woman in the bloom of youthfu l love l iness !She did not heed his admiring su rprise ; before

acceding to his demand,her regal fo rm trembled

from head to foot,and she sighed as she l ifted the

shroud from her daughter’s face . Then,with a

groan,she dropped on her knees by the couch and

l aid her cheek against that of the dead ma iden . At

l ast she rose,and murmured to the painter that if he

were successful in his task her gratitude would bebeyond expression .

“What more she said,Alexander went on

,

“ Icould but ha l f understand

,fo r she wept al l the time,

an d I could not collect my thoughts . It was nott il l afterward that I learned from her-waiting -woman—a Christian— that she meant to tel l me that therelations and wail ing women were to come to -morrow morning. I could paint on ti l l nightfal l

,but

no longer . I had been chosen for the task becauseSeleukus had heard from my o ld teacher, Bion , that

20 A THORNY PATH.

I should get a faithfu l l ikeness of the original morequickly than any one else. She may have said more

,

but I heard nothing ; I on ly saw . For when thevei l no longer hid that face from my gaze

,I felt as

though the gods had revealed a mystery to me whichti l l now only the immortals had been permitted toknow . Never was my soul so steeped in devotion

,

never had my heart beat in such solemn upl ifting asat that moment . What I was gaz ing at and had torepresent was a thing neither human nor divine ; itwas beauty itself— that beauty of which I have oftendreamed in blissful rapture.

“ An d yet— do not misapprehend me— I neverthought of bewail ing the maiden

,or griev ing over her

early death . She was but sleeping— I could fancyI watched one I loved in her slumbers . My heartbeat high ! Ay, chi ld, and the work I did was purej oy

,such joy as on ly the gods on Olympus know at

their golden board. Every feature,every line was

of such perfection as only the artist’s sou l can conceive of

,nay

,even dream of. The ecstasy remained

,

but my unrest gave way to an indescribable andwordless bl i ss . I drew with the red chalk

,and

mixed the colors with the grinder,and all the while

I cou ld not feel the painful sense o f painting acorpse . If she were slumbering, she had fal len asleepwith bright images in her memory . I even fanciedagain and again that her l ips moved her exquisitelychiseled mouth

,and that a fain t breath played with

her abundant,waving

,shin ing brown hair

,as it does

with yours .The Muse sped my hand and the portrait—Bion

and the rest wi l l praise it,I think

,though it is no

more l ike the unapproachable\original than thatlamp is like the evening star yonder.”

And shal l we be al lowed to see it ? asked Me

l

A THORNY PATH. 2 1

lissa, who had been l istening breathlessly to herbrother ’s narrative .

The words seemed to have snatched the artistfrom a dream . He had to pause and consider wherehe was and to whom he was speaking. He hasti lypushed the curling hair off his damp brow

,and said :

I do not understand . What is it you askI only asked whether we should be allowed to

see the portrait,

”she answered timidly “ I was

wrong to interrupt you . But how hot your headis ! Drink again before you go on . Had you reallyfin ished by sundown

A lexander shook his head,drank

,and then went

on more calmly : No,no ! It is a pity you spoke .

In fancy I was painting her sti l l . There is the moonrising already . I must make haste. I have toldyou all this for Phi l ip ’s sake

,not for my own .

I wil l not interrupt you again,I assure you

,

said Mel issa .

We l l,wel l , said her brother . There is not

much that is pleasant left to tel l . Where was IPaint ing

,so long as it was l ight

To be sure—I remember. I t began to growdark . Then lamps were brought in

,large ones

,and

as many as I wished for . Just before sunset Seleukus

,Korinna

’

s father,came in to look upon his

daughter once more . He bore his grief with digh ified composure ; yet by his child

’s bier he found ithard to be calm . But you can imagine al l that .He invited me to eat

,and the food they brought

might have tempted a fu ll man to excess, but Icould only swal low a few mouthfuls . Berenikethe mother—did no t even moisten her l ips

,but

Seleukus did duty for us both , and this I could see

displeased his wife. During supper the merchantmade many inqu iries about me and my father ; for

22 A THORNY PATH.

he had heard Phi l ip’s praises from his brother Theoph ilus, the high-priest . I learned from him thatKorinna had caught her sickness from a slave gir lshe had nursed

,and had died of the fever in three

days. But while I sat l istening to him,as he talked

and ate,I could not keep my eyes off his wife who

reclined opposite to me si lent and motionless,for

the gods had created Korinna in her very image.

The lady Beren ike’s eyes indeed sparkle with alur id

,I might almost say an alarming

,fire

,but they

are shaped like Korinna’

s. I said so,and asked

whether they were of the same color ; I wanted toknow for my portrait . On this Seleukus referredme to a picture painted by old Sosibius

,who has

lately gone to Rome to work in Caesar ’s new baths .He last year painted the wal l of a room in the merchant’s country house at Kanopus . In the center ofthe pictu re stands Galatea, and I know it now to bea good and true likeness .

“ The picture I finished that even ing is to beplaced at the head of the young g1rl

’

s sarcophagus ;but I am to keep it two days longer

,to reproduce a

second likeness more at my leisure, with the helpof the Galatea

,which is to remain in Seleukus’s town

house .

Then he left me alone with his wife .

What a del ightful commission ! I set to workwith renewed pleasure

,and more composure than at

fi rst . I had no need to hurry,for the fi rst picture

is to be hidden in the tomb,and I could give al l

my care to the second . Besides,Korinna

’

s featureswere indel ibly impressed on my eye .

I generally can not paint at al l by lamp- l ight ;but thi s time I found no diffi culty

,and I soon re

co vered that bli ssful,so lemn mood wh ich I had fel t

in th e p resen ce of the dead . Only n ow an d then

A THORNY PATH. 23

it was clouded by a sigh,or a faint moan from

Berenike Gone,gone ! There is no comfort

none,none !

’

“ And what could I answer ? When did Deathever give back what he has snatched away ?

“ ‘I can not even picture her as she was,

’

she

murmured sadly to herself— but this I might remedvby the help of my art

,so I painted on with in creas

ing zeal ; and at last her lamentations ceased totrouble me

,for she fel l asleep

,and her handsome

head sank on her breast . The watchers,too

,had

dropped asleep,and only their deep breathing broke

the sti l lness.Suddenly it flashed upon me that I was alone

with Korinna,and the feellng grew stronger and

stronger ; I fancied her love ly lips had moved,

that a smile gently parted them,inviting me to k iss

them . As often as I looked at them— and they bewitched me— I saw and felt the same

,and at last

every impulse within me drove me toward her,and

I could no longer resist : my lips pressed hers in akiss !Melissa softly sighed

,but the artist did no t hear ;

he went on : “ And in that kiss I became hers ; shetook the heart and sou l of me . I can no longer escape from her ; awake or asleep, her image is beforemy eyes

,and my spiri t i s in her power.”

Again he drank,emptying the cup at one deep

gulp. Then he went on : So be it ! Who sees agod

,they say

,must d ie. And it i s wel l

,for he has

known something more glorious than other men .

Our brother Phil ip,too

,lives with his heart in bonds

to that one alone,unless a demon has cheated his

senses. I am troubled about him,and you must

help me.

He sp rang up , pacing the room agai n \m\%

24 A THORNY PATH .

strides,but his sister clung to his arm and besought

him to shake off the bewitching vision . How earnest was her prayer

,what eager tenderness rang in

her every word,as she entreated him to tel l her

when and where her elder brother, too, had met thedaughter of Seleukus !

The artist’s soft heart was easily moved . Strok

ing the hair o f the loving creature at his side— so

helpful as a rule,but now bewildered— he tried to

calm her by affecting a lighter mood than he real lyfel t

,assuring her that he shou ld soon recover his

usual good spirits. She knew fu ll well,he said

,that

his l iving loves changed in frequent succession,and

it would be strange indeed if a dead one cou ld bindhim any longer. And his adventure

,so far as i t

concerned the house of Seleukus,ended with that

k iss ; for the lady Berenike had presently waked,and urged him to fin ish the portrait at his ownhouse.

Nex t morn ing he had completed it with the helpof the Ga latea in the vil la at Kanopus

,and he had

heard a great deal about the dead maiden . A youngwoman who was left in charge of the vil la had suppl ied him with whatever he needed . Her prettyface was swollen with weeping

,and it was in a voice

choked w ith tears that she had told him that herhusband

,who was a centurion in Caesar ’s pretorian

guard,would arr ive to -morrow or next day at A lex

andria,with his imper ial master. She had not seen

him for a long time,and had an infant to show him

which he had not yet seen ; and yet she could no tbe glad

,for her young mi stress’s death had ex tin

guished al l her joy .

“ The affection which breathed in every word ofthe centurion’s wife

,

”A lexander said

,

“ helped mein my work . I could be satisfied with the result .

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26 A THORNY PATH.

He threw off the veil from the picture with a

hasty movement,but

,instead of gazing at it calmly

,

as he is wont,and snapping out h is sharp criticisms.

he staggered backward,as though the noonday sun

had dazz led his sight . Then,bending forward

,he

stared at the painting,panting as he might after

racing for a wager . He stood in perfect S i lence,

for I know not how long,as though it were Medusa

he was gaz ing on,and when at last he clasped his

hand to his brow,I cal led him by name . He made

no reply,but an impatient Leave me alone ! ’ and

then he sti l l gazed at the face as though to devourit with his eyes

,and without a sound .

I did not disturb him ; for, thought I , he too isbewitched by the exquisite beauty of those virginfeatures. So we were both si lent

,ti l l he asked

,in a

choked voice : ‘And did you paint that ? Is that,

do you say,the daughter that Seleukus has j ust

lost ? ’

“ Of course I said ‘Yes ’

; but then he turnedon me in a rage

,and reproached me bitterly for d e

ceiv ing and cheating him,and jesting with things

that to him were sacred, though I might think thema subject for spor t .

I assured him that my answer was as earnestas it was accurate

,and that every word of my story

was true.

“ This only made him more furious . I , too , beganto get angry , and as he, evidently deeply agitated,sti l l persisted in saying that my pictu re could nothave been pain ted from the dead Korinna

,I

/ sworeto h im solemnly, with the most sacred oath I couldthink of

,that i t was really so .

On this he declared to me in words so tendera n d touch ing as I never before heard from his l ips,tb a t i f I were d eceiv ing himhis peace of min d wou ld

A THORNY PATH. 27

be forever destroyed—nay,that he feared for his

reason ; and when I had repeatedly assured him,by

the memory of our departed mother,that I had

never dreamed of playing a trick upon him,he

shook his head,grasped his brow

,and turned to

leave the room without another word .

”

“And you let him go ? cried Mel issa,in anxious

alarm .

“ Certainly not,repl ied the painter . On the

contrary,I stood in his way

,and asked him whether

he had known Korinna,and what al l this might mean .

But he would make no reply,and tr ied to pass me

and get away . It must have been a strange scene,

for we two big men struggled as if we were at awrestl ing-match . I got him down with one handbehind his knees

,and so he had to remain ; and

when I had promised to let him go,he confessed

that he had seen Korinna at the house of her uncle,the high-priest

,without knowing who she was or

even speaking a word to her . And he, who usuallyflees from every creature wearing a woman ’s robe,had never forgotten that maiden and her noblebeauty ; and, though he did not say so , i t was obv ious

,from every word

,that he was madly in love .

Her eyes had fol lowed him wherever he went, andthis he deemed a great misfortune

,for it had dis

turbed his power of thought. A month since he wentacross Lake Mareotis to Polybius to visit Andreas

,

and while, on his return, he was standing on the shore,he saw her again

,with an old man in white robes .

But the last time he saw her was on the morning ofthe very day when al l this happened ; and if he i sto be bel ieved

,he not only saw her but touched her

hand. That,again

,was by the lake ; she was j ust

stepping out of the ferry -boat . The obolus sh e ‘wadready to p ay the oarsman dropped on th e gmxmh ,

23 A THORNY PATH .

and Phil ip picked it up and returned it to her. Thenhis fingers touched hers. He could feel it st i l l

,he

declared,and yet she had then ceased to walk among

the living.

Then it was my turn to doubt h is word ; but hemaintained that his story was true in every detail ;he would hear nothing said about some one resembling her, or anything of the kind

,and spoke of

daimons showing him false visions,to cheat h im

and hinder him from working out his invest igationso f the real nature of things to a successfu l i ssue .

But this is in direct antagonism to his views of daimons ; and when at last he rushed out of the house,he looked like one possessed of evil spirits .

I hurr ied after him,but he disappeared down

a dark alley . Then I had enough to do to finishmy copy

,and yesterday I carried it home to Seleu

kus .Then I had time to look for Ph i l ip

,but I cou ld

hear nothing of him,either in his own lodgings or at

the Museum . To -day I have been hunting for himsince early in the morning . I even forgot to layany flowers on my mother ’s grave

,as usual on the

day of the Nekysia, because I was th inking on ly ofhim . But he no doubt is gone to the city of thedead ; fo r, on my way hither , as I was ordering agarland in the flower-market

,pretty l ittle Dox ion

showed me two beauties which she had woven -forhim

,and which he i s presently to fetch . So hemust

now be in the Nekropol is ; and I know for whom he

in tends the second ; fo r the door-keeper at Seleukus’s house told me that a man

,who said he was my

brother,had twice cal led , and had eagerly inquired

whether my picture had yet been attached to Kon

’

n n a’

s sarcophagus . The o ld man told him it hadn o t

, because, of course, th e embahning couk i n ot be

A THORNY PATH. 29

complete as yet. But the picture was to be displayedto -day

,as being the feast of the dead

,in the hal l of

the embalmers . That was the plan,I know . So

,

now,child

,set your wise l itt le woman ’s head to work

,

and dev ise something by which he may be broughtto his senses

,and released from these crazy imagin

1ngs.”

The first thing to be done,Mel issa exclaimed,

“ i s to fo l low him and talk to him .—Wait a moment ;

I must speak a word to the slaves. My father’snight-draught can be mixed in a minute. He mightperhaps return home before us

,and I must leave his

couch I wi ll be with you in a minute .

”

CHAPTER III.

THE brother and sister had walked some distance . The roads were ful l of people

,and the near

er they came to the Nekropo lis the denser was thethrong .

As they skirted the town wal ls they took counsel together .

Being perfectly agreed that the girl who hadtouched Phi l ip’s hand could certainly be no daimonwho had assumed Korinna’

s form,they were 1nclined

to accept the view that a strong resemblance haddeceived thei r brother . They final ly decided thatA lexander should try to discover the maiden whoso strangely resembled the dead ; and the artist wasready for the task

,fo r he could only work when his

heart was l ight,and had never felt such a weight

on it before . The hope of meet ing with a l iv ingcreature who resembled that fair dead maiden

,

combined with his wish to rescue his brother fromthe disorder of mind which threatened him ; andMel issa perceived with glad surprise how quick lythis new object in l ife restored the youth ’s happytemper .I t was she who spoke most

,and A lexander

,

whom nothing escaped that had any form of beauty, feasted his ear on the pearly r ing of her vo ice.

An d h er face is to match,

” thought he as theywen t on in the d arkn ess ; an d may th e. Ch ar ites

A THORNY PATH. 3 1

who have endowed her with every charm,forgive

my father for burying her as he does his gold .

”

It was not in his nature to keep anything thatstirred him deeply to himsel f

,when he was in the

society of another,so he murmured to h is sister :

“ It is j ust as wel l that the Macedonian youths ofthis city should not be able to see what a jewe l ourold man’s house contains— Look how brightly Selene shines on us, and how glor iously the stars burnNowhere do the heavens blaze more bri l l iantly thanhere. As soon as we come out of the shadow thatthe great walls cast on the road we shal l be inbroad l ight . There is the Serapeum rising out ofthe darkness . They are rehearsing the great il lumination which 15 to dazz le the eyes of Caesar whenhe comes . But they must show

,too

,that to night,

at least,the gods of the nether world and d eatn are

al l awake . You can never have been in the Nekropolis at so late an hour before .

”

How shou ld I ? ” replied the girl . And he expressed the pleasure that it gave him to be able toshow her for the first t ime the wonderfu l n ight sceneo f such a festival . And when he heard the deepdrawn “Ah ! with which she hai led the sight of the

greatest temple of al l , blaz ing in the midst of thedarkness with tar-pans

,torches

,and lamps inh umer

able, he repl ied with as much pride and satisfactionas though she owed the display to him

,

“ Ay, whatdo you think of that ?

Above the huge stone edifice 'which was thusl ighted up

,the dome of the Serapeum rose high into

the air,its summit appearing to touch the sky .

Never had the gigantic structure seemed so beaut ifu l to the girl

,who had only seen it by dayl ight ; for

under the i l lumination,arranged by a master -h an d ,

every lin e stood out more clearly th an i n th e sum

32A THORNY PATH .

light ; and in the presence of this wonderfu l sightMel issa

’s impressionable young sou l forgot thetrouble that had weighed on i t

,and her heart beat

higher .Her lonely l ife with her father had hitherto fu l ly

satisfied her,and she had never yet dreamed of any

thing better in the future than a quiet and modestex istence, caring for h im and her brothers ; but nowshe thankful ly experienced the pleasure of seeingfor once something real ly grand and fine

,and re

joiced at having escaped fo r a whi le from the monotony of each day and hour.Once

,too

,she had been with her brothers and

Diodoros, Alexander’

s greatest friend,to see a wild

beast fight,followed by a combat of gladiators ; but

she had come home frightened and sorrowful,fo r

what she had seen had horr ified more than it hadinterested her . asome of the k il led and to rtured beings haunted her mind ; and, besides, sitting in thelowest and best seats belonging to Diodoros’swealthyfather

,she had been stared at so bold ly and de

fiantly whenever she raised her eyes,by a young

gallant opposite,that she had felt vexed and insu lt

ed ; nay, had wished above al l things to get homeas soon as possible. And yet she had loved Diodoros from her chi ldhood

,and she would have en

j oyed sitting quietly by his side more than lookingon at the show .

But on this occasion her curiosity was gratified,

and the hope of being able to help one who wasdear to her fi l led her with quiet gladness . It was acomfort to her

,too

,to find hersel f once more by

her mother’s grave with A lexander, who was herespecial friend . She could never come here oftenen ough, an d the blessing wh ich emanated from itof th a t she was convinced—must surely {all on her

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34 A THORNY PATH.

of the beloved dead ; others hoped to leave theirgrief and pain behind them,

and find fresh courageand contentment in the City of the Dead ; for ton ight the gates of the nether world stood open, andnow

,if ever

,the gods that reigned there would

accept the offerings and hear the prayers of the

d evoutThose lean Egyptians

,who pushed past in silence

and hanging their heads, were no doubt bent oncarrying offerings to Osiri s and Anubis—for the festival of the gods of death and resurrection coincided with the Nekysia—and on winn ing their favorsby magical formulas and spell s.Everything was plainly visible

,for the desert

tract of the Nekropo lis, where at this hour utterd arkness and si lence usual ly reigned, was brightlylighted up . Sti l l

,the blaze failed to ban i sh entirely

the thril l of fear which pervaded the spot at n ight ;for the unwonted glare dazz led and bewildered thebats and night-birds

,and they fluttered about over

the heads o f the intruders in dark,ghostly fl ight .

Many a one bel ieved them to be the unresting soulsof condemned sinners, and looked up at them withawe.

Melissa drew her vei l closer and cl ung moretightly to her brother

,for a sound of singing and

wild cries,which she had heard behind her. for some

time, was now coming closer . They were no longertreading the paved street

,but the hard-beaten soi l

of the desert. The crush was over,for here the

crowd could spread abroad ; but the uproarioustroop

,which she did not even dare to look at

,came

rushing past quite close to them . They were Greeks,

of al l ages and of both sexes. The men flourishedtorches, and were shouting a song with unbridledVebenmn ce ; the women , wearing gar lands, kept up

A THORNY PATH. 35

with them . What they carried in the baskets ontheir heads could not be seen, nor did Alexanderknow ; for so many rel igious brotherhoods andmystic societies existed here that it was impossibleto guess to which this noisy troop might belong.

The pair had presently overtaken a little trainof white-robed men moving forward at a so lemnpace

,whom the painter recognized as the phi lo

sophical and rel igious fratern ity of the Neo-Pytha

gorean s, when a smal l knot of men and women inthe greatest excitement came rushing past as if theywere mad . The men wore the loose red caps oftheir Phrygian land ; the women carr ied bowls ful lof fruits. Some beat small drums, o thers clangedcymbals

,and each hau led his neighbor along with

deafen ing cr ies,faster and faster , ti l l the dust hid

them from sight and a new din drowned the last,for

the votaries of Dionysos were already close uponthem

,and vied with the Phrygians in upro ariousness.

But this wild tr00p remained behind ; for one of thel ight-colored oxen

,covered with deco rations, which

was being driven in the procession by a party ofmen and boys

,to be presently sacrificed

,had broken

away,maddened by the l ights and the shouting

,and

had to be caught and led again .

At last they reached the graveyard . But evennow they cou ld not make their way to the long row

of houses where the embalmers dwelt,for an im

penetrable mass of human beings stood pent up infront o f them

,and Mel issa begged her brother to

give her a moment’s breathing space.All she had seen and heard on the way had ex

cited her greatly ; but she had scarcely for a moment forgotten what it was that had brought herout so late

,who it was that she sought , or that it

would n eed her utmost endeavor to tree him h ere.

36 A THORNY PATH.

the delusion that had foo led him. In this densethrong and deafening tumult it was scarcely possibl eto recover that col lected calm which she had foundin the morning at her mother’s tomb . In that

,

doubt had had no part,and the delightfu l feel ing of

freedom which had shone on her soul,now shrank

deep into the shade before a growing curiosity andthe longing for her usual repose.If her father were to find her here ! When she

saw a tal l figure resembling his cross the torchl ight,

all clouded as it was by the d ust,she drew her

brother away behind the stal l of a sel ler of drinksand other refreshments. The father

,at any rate

,

must be spared the distress she felt about Phil ip,

who was his favor ite. Besides,she knew ful l wel l

that, i f he met her here, he w0 1ild at once take herhome .

The question now was where Phil ip might befound .

They were standing close to the booths whereitinerant dealers sold food and l iquors o f every description

,flowers and wreaths, amulets and papyrus

leaves,with strange charms written on them to se

cure health for the l iving and salvation for thesoul s of the dead . An astrologer

,who foretold the

course of a man ’s life from the position of the planets

,had erected a high platform with large tables

displayed to view,and the instrument wherewith he

aimed at the stars as it were with a bow ; and hisSyrian slave, accompanying himself on a gaylypainted drum

,proclaimed his master’s powers .

There were closed tents in which magical remedieswere to be obtained, though their open sale wasforbidden by the authorities

,from love-philters to

th e wondrous fluid which,i f rightly appl ied

,would

turn lead, copper, or silver to gold . Here, o ld wom

A THORNY PATH . 37

en invited the passer-by to try Thracian and otherspel ls ; there, magicians stalked to and fro in paintedcaps and flowing

,gaudy robes

,most of them cal l ing

themselves priests of some god of the abyss. Men

of every race and tongue that dwelt in the north of

Afr ica,or on the shores of the Mediterranean, were

packed in a noisy throng.

The greatest press was behind the houses of themen who buried the dead . Here sacrifices wereoffered on the altars of Serapis

,I sis

,and Anubis

here the sacred sistrum of Isis might be k issed ;here hundreds of priests performed so lemn ceremonies

,and half o f those who came hither for the

festival of the dead col lected about them . The

mysteries were also performed here,beginn ing be

fore midnight ; and a dramatic representat ion mightbe seen of the woes of Isis

,and the resurrection of

her husband Osiris . But neither here,nor at the

stal ls,nor among the graves

,where many families

were feasting by torchl ight and pouring libationsin the sand for the souls of the dead

,did Alexander

expect to find his brother . Nor would Phil ip beattending the mysterious so lemnit ies of any of thefraternities. He had witnessed them often enoughwith his friend Diodoros

,who never missed the

procession to Eleusis,because

,as he declared, the

mysteries of Demeter alone could assure a man ofthe immortali ty of the soul . The wild ceremoniesof the Syrians

,who maimed themselves in their

mad ecstasy,repel led him as being coarse and bar

barous.As she made her way through this medley of

cults,this worship of gods so different that they

were in some cases hosti le, but more often mergedinto each other

,Melissa wondered to which she

ought to turn in her present need . Hermoth et h afi

38 A THORNY PATH.

best loved to sacrifice to Serapis and I sis. But s ince,in her last sickness

,Mel issa had offered everyth ing

she possessed to these divin ities of healing,and al l

in vain , and since she had heard things in the Serapeum itself which even now brought a blush to hercheek, she had turned away from the great god ofthe Alexandrians. Though he who had offendedher by such base proposals was but a priest of thelower grade—and indeed

,though she knew it not

,

was since dead—she feared meeting him again,and

had avoided the sanctuary where he offi ciated .

She was a thorough Alexandrian,and had been

accustomed from childhood to l isten to the phi losophical disputations of the men about her. So sheperfectly understood her brother Phil ip

,the skeptic

,

when he said that he by no means denied the existence of the immortals

,but that

,on the other hand

.

he cou ld not bel ieve in it ; that thought brought himno conviction ; that man, in short, cou ld be sureof nothing

,and so cou ld know nothing whatever

of the divinity . He had even d en ied,on logical

grounds,the goodness an d omnipotence o f the gods

,

the wisdom and fi tness of the ordering of the universe

,and Mel issa was proud of her brother’s acu

men ; but what appeals to the brain on ly, and notto the heart

,can not move a woman to anything

great— least of al l to a decisive change of l ife orfeeling. So the girl had remained constant to hermother ’s faith in some mighty powers outside herself

,which guided the l ife of Nature and of human

beings. Only she did not feel that she had foundthe true god

,either in Serapis or I sis

,and so she

had sought others . Thus she had formulated a

worship of ancesto rs, which, as she had learned fromthe slave-woman of her friend Ino, was not unfamiller to the Egyp t ians.

A THORNY PATH .

39

In Alexandria there were altars to every god,

an d worship in every form. Hers, however, was notamong them , for the genius of her creed was theenfranchised sou l of her mother

,who had cast off

the burden of thi s perishable body . Nothing hadever come from her that was not good and lovely ;and she knew that if her mother were permitted

,

even in some other than human form,she would

never cease to watch over her with tender care .

And those initiated into the Eleusin ian myster ies,

as Diodoros had to ld her,desired the immortal ity

o f the soul,to the end that they might continue to

participate in the li fe of those whom they had leftbehind . What was it that brought such multitudesat this time out to the Nekropo l is, with the ir handsful l of offerings

,but the consciousness of their near

ness to the dead,and of being cared for by them so

long as they were not forgotten ? And even if theglorified spirit of her mother were not permitted tohear her prayers

,she need not therefore cease to

turn to her ; for it comforted her unspeakably to bewith her in spirit

,and to confide to her all that

moved her sou l . And so her mother’s tomb hadbecome her favorite place of rest. Here

,if any

where,she now hoped once more to find comfo rt,

some happy suggestion,and perhaps some definite

assistance .

She begged Alexander to take her thither , andhe consented

,though he was of opin ion that Phil ip

would be found in the mortuary chamber, in the

presence of Korinna’

s portrait .I t was no t easy to force their way through the

thousands who had come out to the great showthis n igh t ; however, most of the visitors were attracted by the mysteries far away from the Mace

don ian burial-ground, and there was little to dis turb

40A THORNY PATH.

the si lence near the fine marble monument whichA lexander

,to gratify his father

,had erected with

his first large earn ings. I t was hung with variousgarlands

,and Mel issa

,before she prayed and anoint

ed the stone , examined them with eye and hand .

Those which she and her father had placed thereshe recognized at once . That humble garland ofreeds with two lotus-flowers was the gift of their oldslave Argutis and his wife Dido . This beautifu lwreath of cho ice flowers had come from the gardenof a neighbor who had loved her mother wel land that splendid basketful of lovely roses

,which

had not been there this morning,had been placed

here by Andreas, steward to the father o f her youngfr iend Diodoros

,although he was o f the Christ ian

sect . And these were al l . Phil ip had not been herethen

,though it was now past midnight .

For the fi rst time in his l ife he had let this daypass by without a thought for their dead . Howbitterly this gr ieved Mel issa

,and even added to her

anx iety for him !It was with a heavy heart that she and Alexan

der ano inted the tombstone ; and while Melissauplifted her hands in prayer

,the painter stood in

s ilence,his eyes fixed on the ground . But no sooner

had she let them fal l,than he exclaimed :

He is here,I am sure

,and in the house of the

embalmers. That he ordered two wreaths is perfectly certain ; and if he meant one for Korinna

’

s

picture,he surely intended the other for our mother .

If he has offered both to the young girlNo

,no ! Melissa put in . He wil l bring his

gift . Let us wait here a l ittle while,and do you

,

too,pray to the manes of our mother . Do i t to

p lease me.

But her brother interrupted her eagerly :

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42 A THORNY PATH.

ander’

s shoulder. It was Glaukias the sculpto r, her

father’

s tenant ; for his work-room stood on the plotof ground by the garden of Hermes

,which the gem

cutter had inherited from his father-in - law .

The man’s bold, manly features were flushedwith wine and revelry ; his twinkl ing eyes spark led,and the ivy-leaves sti l l clinging to his curly hai rshowed that he had been one in the Dionysiacrevel lers ; but the Greek blood which ran in hisveins preserved his grace even in drunkenness.He bowed gayly to the young girl

,and exclaimed

to his companions :“ The youngest pearl in Alexandr ia’s crown of

beauties ! while Bion , A lexander’s now gray-haired

master,clapped the youth on the arm

,and added :

“ Yes,indeed

,see what the l ittle thing has grown !

-Do you remember, pretty one, how you oncehow many years ago , I wonder —spotted your l ittlewhite garments al l over with red dots ! I can seeyou now

,your t iny finger plunged into the po t o f

paint,and then careful ly printing off the round pat

tern al l over the white l inen . Why,the l ittle paint

er has become a Hebe, a Charis, or, better sti l l, asweetly dreaming Psyche.

”

“ Ay, ay !” said Glauk ias again . My worthy

landlord has a charming model . He has not far toseek fo r a head for his best gems. His son , a Helios,or the great Macedonian whose name he bears ; hisdaughter—you are right, Bion—the maid belovedof Eros. Now,

if you can make verses,my young

friend of the Muses,give us an epigram in a line o r

two which we may bear in mind as a compliment toour imperial v isitor.”

“ But not here— not in the burial-ground, Me

l issa urged once more.Among Glaukias

'

s compan ions was Argeios, a

A THORNY PATH. 43

vain and handsome young poet, with scented locksbetraying him from afar

,who was fain to display

the promptness of his poetical powers ; and, evenwhile the elder artist was speaking, he had runA lexander’s sat irical remarks into the mo ld ofrhythm. Not to save his l ife could he have suppressed the hasti ly conceived distich

,or have let

sl ip such a justifiable claim to applause . So,w ith

out heeding Melissa’s remonstrance,he flung his

sky-blue mantle about him in fresh fo lds, and declaimed with comical emphasis :

Down to earth d id the god cast his son : butw ith mightier handThrough it, to Hades, Caesar flung his brother the dwarf.

”

The versifier was rewarded by a shout of laughter

,and

,spurred by the approval of his fr iends, he

declared he had hit on the mode to which to sing hisl ines, as he d id in a fine

,ful l voice .

But there was another poet,Mentor, also of the

party,and as he cou ld not be happy under his rival

’

striumph

,he exclaimed : “ The great dyer— fo r you

know he uses blood instead of the Tyrian shel l—hasnothing of Father Zeus about him that I can see,but far more of the great A lexander

,whose mau

soleum he is to visit to-morrow . And if you wouldl ike to know wherein the son of Severus resemblesthe giant of Macedon

,you shal l hear .”

He thrummed his thyrsus as though he struckthe strings of a lyre, and, having ended the dumbprelude

,he sang

Wherein hath the knave Caracalla outdone Alexand er ?He k illed a brother, the hero a friend , in his rage.

These l ines,however

,met with no applause ; for

they were not so l ightly improvised as the formerdist ich

,and it was clumsy and tasteless

,as well as

44A THORNY PATH.

dangerous thus to name,in connection with such a

j est,the potentate at whom i t was aimed . And the

fears of the j ov ial party were only too wel l fo unded,

for a tal l,lean Egyptian suddenly stood among the

Greeks as if he had sprung from the earth . Theywere sobered at once

,and

,l ike a swarm of pigeons

on which a hawk swoops down,they dispersed in all

directions.Melissa beckoned to her brother to fo l low her ;

but the Egyptian intruder snatched the mantle,

quick as lightning, from Alexander’s shoulders,

and ran off with it to the nearest pine -torch . The

young man hurried after the thief,as he supposed

him to be,but there the spy flung the cloak back

to him,saying

,in a tone of command

,though not

loud,for there were stil l many persons among the

graves :Hands off

,son of Heron

,unless you want me

to cal l the watch ! I have seen your face by thel ight, and that

‘

is enough for this time. Now weknow each other

,and we shall meet again in an

other p lace !”

With these words he vanished in the darkness,

and Mel issa asked,in great alarm

In the name of al l the gods,who was that ?

“ Some rascal ly carpenter,or scribe

,probably

,

who is in the service of the n ight -watch as a spy .

At least those sort of folks are often bui lt askew,as

that scoundrel was,replied A lexander

,l ightly.

But he knew the man only too wel l . It wasZmin is

,the chief of the spies to the night patro l

a man who was particularly inimical to Heron,and

whose hatred includ ed the son , by whom he hadbeen befooled and misled in more than one wildploy with his boon companions. This spy

,whose

cruelty and cunning were universally feared,might

A THORNY PATH . 45

do him a serious mischief, and he therefore did notte l l his sister

,to whom the name of Zmin is was well

known,who the l istener was.

He cut short all further questioning by desiringher to come at once to the mortuary hal l .

“ And if we do not find him there,

” she said,

“ letus go home at once ; I am so frightened .

"

“ Yes,yes

,said her brother

,vaguely.

- If onlywe cou ld meet some one you cou ld join .

”

No,we wil l keep together

,replied Melissa

,

decisively ; and simply assenting, with a brief All

right,

" the painter drew her arm through his,and

theydmade

their way thro ugh the now thinningcrow

CHAPTER IV.

THE houses of the embalmers,which earl ier in

the evening had shone brightly out of the darkness,

now made a less splendid display . The dust kickedup by the crowd dimmed the few lamps and torcheswhich had not by this time burned out or been extinguished , and an oppressive atmosphere of balsamic resin and spices met the brother and sister onthe very threshold . The vast hal l which they nowentered was one of a long row of buildings of nuburned bricks ; but the Greeks insisted on some ornamentation of the simplest structure

,if i t served

a public purpose,and the embalming-houses had a

colonnade along their fron t,and their walls were

covered with stucco,painted in gaudy co lors

,here

in the Egyptian and there in the Greek taste .

There were scenes from the Egyptian realm of thedead

,and others from the Hellenic myths ; fo r the

painters had been enjo ined to satisfy the requirements and views of visito rs of every race . The

chief attraction,however

,this n ight was within ; fo r

the men whose duties were exercised on the deadhad displayed the finest and best of what they hadto offer to their customers .

The ancient Greek practice of burning the deadhad died out under the Antoninos. Of o ld

,the ob

jects used to deck the pyre had also been on showh ere ; n ow there was nothing to be seen but whatr elated to in termen t or entombment.

A THORNY PATH . 47

S ide by side with the marble sarcophagus, or

those of coarser stone, were wooden coffi ns and

mummy-cases, with a place at the head for the portrait o f the deceased . Vases and jars of every k ind

,

amulets of var ious forms, spices and balsams invials and boxes

,l ittle images in burned clay of the

gods and of men , of which none but the Egyptiansknew the al legor ica l meaning, stood in long rows onlow wooden shelves. On the higher shelves weremummy bands and shrouds, some coarse, others ofthe very finest texture

,wigs for the bald heads

of shaven corpses, or woolen fi l lets,and simply

or elaborately embro idered r ibbons for the Greekdead.

Nothing was lack ing of the vario us things inuse for decking the corpse of an A lexandrian, whatever his race or faith .

Some mummy-cases,too

,were there

,ready to be

packed off to other towns . The most cost ly werecovered with fine red lin en

,wound about with

strings of beads and gold ornaments, and with the

name of the dead painted on the upper side . In along

,narrow room apart hung the portraits, wait

ing to be attached to the upper end of the mummycases of those lately deceased

,and sti l l in the hands

of embalmers . Here,too

,most of the lamps were

out, and the upper end of the room was alreadydark . Only in the middle

,where the best pictures

were on show,the l ights had been renewed .

The portraits were painted on thin panels ofsycamore or of cypress

,and in most of them the

execution betrayed that their destiny was to be

h idden in the gloom of a tomb .

A lexander 's portrait of Korinna was in the midd le of the gallery

,in a good l ight, and stood out.

from the pain tings on each sid e of it as a gemime

48 A THORNY PATH.

emerald amid green glass. It was constan tly surrounded by a crowd of the curious and conno is

seurs. They po inted out the beautifu l work to eachother ; but, though most of them acknowledged theski l l o f the master who had painted i t, many ascribed its superiority to the magical charm of themodel . One cou ld see in those wonderful ly harmon ious features that Aristotle was right when hediscerned beauty in order and proportion ; whileanother declared that he found there the evidenceof Plato’s doctr ine of the identity of the good andthe beautiful—for this face was so lovely becauseit was the mirror of a soul which had been d isembodied in the plen itude of maiden purity and virtue,unjarred by any disco rd ; and this gave rise to a

vehement discussion as to the essential nature of

beauty and of virtue .

Others longed to know more about the earlydead original of this enchanting portrait .Korinna

’

s wealthy father and his brothers wereamong the best-known men of the city. The elder,T imotheus

,was high-priest of the Temple of Sera

pis ; and Zeno, the younger, had set the who leworld talking when he, who in his youth had beennotoriously dissipated, had retired from any concern in the corn-trade carried on by his family, the

greatest business of the kind in the world, perhaps,and—for this was an open secret—had been baptiz ed .

The body of the maiden,when embalmed and

graced with her portrait, was to be transported tothe family tomb in the district of Arsinoe

,where

they had large possessions,and the gossip of the

embalmer was eagerly swal lowed as he expatiatedon the splendor with which her l iberal father proposed to escort her thither.

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50 A THORNY PATH.

philosopher,somewhat inaccessible in his pr ide of

learning, so long in talk in that half-dark corner ?He was not one of the learned society at the Mn

seum ; A lexander knew them al l . Besides,he was

not dressed l ike them ,in the Greek fashion

,but in

the flowing robe o f a Magian . And the strangerwas a man of con sequence

,for he wore his splen

did garment with a superior air,and as A lexander

approached him he remembered having somewhereseen this tal l

,bearded figure

,with the powerful head

garnished with flowing and carefully o i led blackcurls . Such handsome and well -chiseled features

,

such fine eyes,and such a lordly

,waving beard were

not easily forgotten ; his memory sudden ly awokeand threw a light on the man as he sat in the gloom

,

and on the surroundings in which he had met h imfor the fi rst time .

I t was at the feast of Dionysos . Among a drunken crowd

,which was rushing wildly along the streets

,

and which Al exander had joined,himsel f one of the

wi ldest,this man had marched , sober and dignified

as he was at thi s moment,in the same flowing ra i

ment . This had provoked the feasters,who

,being

ful l of wine and of the god , would have nothing thatcou ld remind them of the serious sid e of l ife . Suchsul len reserve on a day o f rejo icing was an insul t tothe j o l ly giver of the fru its o f the earth

,and to wine

itself,the care -kil ler ; and the mad troop of artists,

disguised as Si lenus,satyrs

,and fauns

,had crowded

round the stranger to compel him to jo in their ro utand empty the wine- j ar which a burly Si lenus wascarrying before him on his ass.

At first the man had paid no heed to the youths’

l ight mockery but as they grew bolder,he sudden

ly stood sti l l , seized the tal l faun , who was trying toforce the wine - j ar on him

,by both arms

,and

,ho ld

A THORNY PATH. 5;

ing him firmly, fixed his grave, dark eyes on thoseof the youth . A lexander had not fo rgotten thehalf-comical

,half-threatening incident

,bu t what he

remembered most clearly was the strange scene thatfol lowed : for, after the Magian had released hisenemy

,he bade him take the j ar back to Silenus

,and

proceed on his way,l ike the ass

,on al l -fours. And

the tal l faun,a headstrong

,irascible Lesbian

,had

actual ly obeyed the stately despot,and crept along

on his hands and feet by the side of the donkey.

No threats nor mockery of his companions couldpersuade him to rise . The high spirits of the bo isterous crew were quite broken

,and before they

could turn on the magician he had vanished.

A lexander had afterward learned that he wasSerapion

,the star -gazer and thaumaturgist

,whom al l

the spiri ts of heaven and earth obeyed .

When,at the time

,the painter had to ld the story

to Phil ip,the philosopher had laughed at him

,

though A lexand er had reminded him that P latoeven had spoken of the daimons as being the guardian spirits of men ; that in Alexand ria, great and

smal l al ike bel ieved in them as a fact to be reckonedwith ; and that he—Phil ip himself— had told him thatthey played a prominent part in the newest systemsof phi losophy .

But to the skeptic nothing was sure : and i f hewould deny the existence of the Div inity

,he natu

rally must disbelieve that of any beings in a spherebetween the supersensual immortals and sentienthuman creatures. That a man

,the weaker nature,

could have any power over daimons,who, as having

a nearer affinity to the gods,must

,if they existed,

be the stronger,he could refute with convincing ar

guments ; and when he saw others n ibbl ing whitethorn - leaves

,or daubing their thresholds with pitch

52 A THORNY PATH.

to preserve themselves and the house from evi lspirits

,he shrugged his shou lders contemptuously

,

though his father often did such things .Here was Phil ip

,deep in conversation with the

man he had mocked at,and Alexander was flattered

by seeing that wise and famous Serapion,in whose

powers he himself bel ieved,was talking almost

humbly to his brother,as though to a superior.

The magician was standing, while the philosopher,as though it were his right, remained seated.

Of what cou ld they be conversing ?A lexander himself was anxious to be going

,and

on ly his desire to hear at any rate a few sentencesof the talk of two such men detained him longer .As he expected, it bore on Serap ion

’

s magical powers ; but the bearded man spoke in a very low tone,and if the painter ventured any nearer he would beseen . He cou ld on ly catch a few incoherent words

,

til l Phil ip exclaimed in a louder voice :“ All that is

wel l -reasoned. But you wil l be able to write an en

during inscript ion outhe shifting wave sooner thanyou wil l shake my conviction that for our spirit,such as Nature has made it

,there is nothing in fal

lible or certain .

The painter was familiar with this postulate,

and was curious to hear the Magian ’s reply ; but hecou ld not fol low his argument ti l l he ended by saying

,rather more emphatical ly : You

,even

,do not

deny the physical connection of things ; but I knowthe power that causes it . I t is the magical sym

pathy which d isplays itself more powerful ly in theuniverse

,and among human beings

,than any other

forcef’

“ That is j ust what remains to be proved,was

the reply . But as the other declared in al l confidence

,

“ And I can prove it, and was proceeding

A THORNY PATH. 53

to do so, Serapion

’

s companion , a stunted,sharp

featured l ittle Syrian,caught sight of A lexander.

The discourse was interrupted , and Al exander,

pointing to Melissa,begged his brother to grant

them a few minutes’ speech with him . Phil ip,how

ever,scarcely spared a moment fo r greeting his

brother and sister ; and when, in answer to his request that they be brief in what they had to say

,

they repl ied that a few words would not suffice,

Philip was for putting them off til l the morrow,as

he did not choose to be disturbed j ust now .

At thi s Mel issa took courage ; she turned toSerapion and mod estly addressed him :

You,sir

,look l ike a grave

,kind man

,and seem

to have a regard for my brother. You,then

,wil l

help us,no doubt

,to cure him of an i l lusion which

troubles us. A dead girl,he says

,met him

,and be

touched her hand .

”

“ And do you, sweet child, think that impos

sible ? ” the Magian asked with gentle gravity.

Have the thousands who bring not merely fruitand wine and money for their dead

,but who even

burn a black sheep for them—you,perhaps

,have

done the same—have they , I ask , done this so longin vain ? I can not bel ieve it. Nay, I know fromthe ghosts themselves that th is gives them pleasure ;so they must have the organs of sense .

”

“ That we may rejoice departed soul s by foodand drink

,

” said Mel issa,eagerly

,

“ and that daimons at times mingle with the l iving

,every one of

co urse,bel ieves ; but who ever heard that warm

blood stirred in them ? And how can it be possiblethat they should remunerate a service with money,which certainly was not co ined in their airy realm,

but in the mint here ? ”“Not too fast, fair maid, repl ied the Magian,

54 A THORNY PATH.

raising a warning hand There is no fo rm wh ichthese intermediate beings can not assume. Theyhave the contro l of al l and everything which mortal smay u se, so the soul of Korinna revisiting thesescenes may quite well have paid the ferryman withan obolus.

“ Then you know of it ? asked Mel issa in surprise ; but the Magian broke in , saying :

Few such things remain hidden from him who

knows,not even the smal lest

,if he strives after such

knowledge.

”

As he spoke he gave the girl such a look as madeher eyel ids fal l

,and he went on with greater warmth

There would be fewer tears shed by death-beds,my

child,if we could but show the world the mean s by

which the initiated hold converse with the sou ls ofthe dead.

”

Mel issa shook her pretty head sadly, and the

Magian k ind ly stroked her waving hair ; then , looking her straight in the eyes

,he said : “ The dead

l ive. What once has been can never cease to

be,any more than out of nothing can anything

come . I t i s so simple ; and so , too , are the workings of magic

,which amaze you so much . What

you cal l magic,when I practice it, Eros, the great

god of love,has wrought a thousand times in your

breast. When your heart leaps at your brother’scaress

,when the god’s arrow pierces you, and the

glance of a lover fi l ls you with gladness, when thesweet harmonies of fine music wrap your soul abovethis earth

,or the wai l of a child moves you to com

passion,you have fe lt the magic power sti rr ing in

your own sou l . You feel it when some mysteriouspower

,without any wil l of your own , prompts you

to some act,be it what it may . And

, besides al lthis

,if a leaf flutters off the table without being

A THORNY PATH. 55

touched by any v isible hand, you do not doubt thata d raughtof air, which you can neither hear nor see,has swept through the room . If at noon the worldis sudden ly darkened, you know ,

without lookingup at the sky, that it is overcast by a cloud. In thevery same way you can feel the nearness of a soulthat was dear to you without being able to see it.All that is necessary is to strengthen the facultywhich knows its presence

,and give it the proper

training,and then you wil l see and hear them. The

Magians have the key which un locks the door ofthe world of spirits to the human senses. Yournoble brother

,in whom the claims of the spir it have

long since triumphed over those of sense,has found

this key without seeking it,since he has been per

mitted to see Korinna ’

s soul . And if he fol lows acompetent guide he wil l see her again .

“ But why ? What good wil l i t do him ? askedMelissa

,with a reproachful and anxious lbok at the

man whose influence,as she divined

,would be per

n icious to her brother,in spite of his knowledge.

The Magian gave a compassionate shrug,and in

the look he cast at the philo sopher, the questionwas legible

,

“What have such as these to do withthe highest things ?

Phi l ip nodded in impatient assent,and

,without

paying any further heed to his brother and sister,besought his friend to give him the proofs of thetheory that the physical causation of things is weaker than the sympathy which connects them .

Melissa knew ful l well that any attempt now toseparate Phil ip from Serapion would be futi le ; however

,she would not leave the last chance untried,

and asked him gravely whether he had forgottenhis mother 's tomb .

He hast ily assured her that he fu l ly intended to

56 A THORNY PATH.

v isit it p resently . Fru it and fragrant o i l cou ld behad here at any hour of the night.

“ And your two wreaths ? ” she said,in mild te

proach,for she had observed them both below the

portrait o f Korinna .

I had another use for them,he said

,evasive

ly ; and then he added, apologetical ly : Youhavebrought flowers enough, I know. If I can find time,I wil l go to -morrow to see my father.” He noddedto them both

,turned to the Magian

,and wen t on

eagerly :Then that magical sympathyThey did not wait to hear the discussion ; A lex

ander signed to his sister to fol low him .

He,too, knew that his brother

’s ear was deafnow to anything he could say. What Serapion hadsaid had riveted even his attention

,and the question

whether it might indeed be vouchsafed to l iv ingmortals to see the sou ls of the departed, and heartheir voices

,exercised his mind so greatly that he

could not forbear asking his sister ’s opinion on suchmatters.But Melissa’s good sense had felt that there was

something not quite sound in the Magian ’s argument ; nor did she conceal her conv iction that Phil ip,who was always hard to convince

,had accepted Se

tapion’s v iews,not because he yielded to the weight

of his reasons,but because he—and A lexander

,too

,

for that matter—hoped by his mediation to see the

beautifu l Korinna again .

This the artist admitted ; but when he jested ofthe danger of a j ealous quarrel between him and hisbrother

,for the sake of a dead girl

,there was some

thing hard in his tone,and very unl ike him

,which

Melissa did not l ike .

They breathed more freely as they got out into

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CHAPTER V.

THE crowds on the road were now homewardbound, and they were all in such wi ld, high spiritsthat

,from what was to be seen an d heard

,i t could

never have been supposed that they had come fromso mournful a scene. They took the road by thesea leading from the Nekropolis to Eleusis, wandering on in the glowing moonlight .

A great procession of Greeks had been to Eleusis

,to celebrate the mysteries after the manner of

the Greek Eleusis,on which that of A lexandria was

modeled. The newly in itiated,and the e lder adepts,

whose duty it was to superintend their reception,

had remained in the temple ; but the other mysticsnow swel led the train of those who were comingfrom the city of the dead.

Here,indeed

,Serapis took the place of P luto

,

and much that was Greek had assumed strange andEgyptian forms : even the order of the ceremonieshad been entirely changed ; sti l l , on the African , ason the Attic shore

,the Greek cry wen t up

,To the

sea, 0 mystics !

” and the bidding to Iakchos :“ Be

with us,0 Iakchos

It could be heard from afar,but the voices of the

shouters were already weary , and most of the torcheshad burned low. The wreaths of ivy and myrtle intheir hair were l imp ; the singers of the hymn no

longer kept their ranks ; and even Iambe , whose

A THORNY PATH. 59

j ests had cheered the mourn ing Demeter, and whoselips at Eleusis had overflowed with witt icisms, wasexhausted and si len t. She sti l l held in her hand thejar from which she had given the bereaved goddessa reviving draught

,but it was empty and she longed

for a drink . She was indeed a he for it was a youthin woman’s dress who played the rol l icking part ofIambe

,and i t was Alexander’s friend and comrade

Diodoros who had represented the daughter of Panand Echo

,who

,the legend said

,had acted as slave

in the house of Metaneira, the Eleusin ian queen ,when Demeter took refuge there. H 1s sturdy legshad good reason to be as weary as his tongue, whichhad known no rest for five hours.

But he caught sight of the large vehicle drawnby four horses, in which the vast co rn -measure, thekalathos

,which Serapis wore as his dist ingu ishing

head-gear,had been conveyed to Eleusis. I t was

empty now,for the contents had been offered to the

god,and the four black horses had an easy task

with the great wagon . N0 one had as yet thoughtof using it as a conveyance back to the town ; butDiodoros

, who was both ingenious and tired, ranafter it and l eaped up . Several now wanted to fo llow h is example

,but he pushed them off, even

thrust ing at them with a newly l ighted torch , forhe could not be quiet in spite of his fatigue. In themidst of the skirmishing be perceived his friend andMelissa.

His heart had been given to the gentle girl eversince they had been playmates in his father

’s garden

,and when he saw her

,walking along downcast,

while her brother sported with his neighbor’s daugh

ters,he beckoned to her

,and

,as she refused to ac

company him in the wagon,he nimbly sprang off,

l ifted her up in his arms,made strong by exercise in

60 A THORNY PATH .

the Palaestra, and gently deposited her, in spite ofher struggles

,on the flat floor of the car

,by the side

of the empty kalathos.The rape of Persephone ! ” he cried .

second performance in one n ight ! ”

Then the old reckless spirit seized Alexander

With as much gay audacity as though he were freeof every care and grief

,and had signed a compact

with Fortune,he picked up pretty Ino

,l ifted her

into the wagon , as Diodoros had done with his sister

,and exclaiming

,The third performance !

seated himself by her side .

His bold example found immediate imitators.A fourth A fifth ! ” cried one and another

,

shouting and laughing,with loud calls on Iakchos.

The horses found it hard work,for all along the

edge of the car,and ro und the kalathos of the

great Serapis,sat the merry young couples in close

array . A lexander and Melissa soon were wreathedw ith myrtle and ivy . In the vehicle and among thecrowd there were none but radian t and fro licsomefaces, and no sound but triumphant revelry .

Fatigue was forgotten i t might have been supposed that the sin ister sisters

,Care and Sorrow

,had

been ban ished from earth .

There was a smile even on Mel issa's sweet, calmface . At first her old friend ’s audacious j est hadoffended her maidenly coyn ess ; but if Diodo roshad always loved her; so had she always loved himand as other wel l-conducted girls had been contentto have the like done to them

,and her companion

so confidently and roguishly sued for pardon, she

gave him a smile which fi l led his heart with rapture,

and said more than words .It was a comfo rt, too, to sit sti l l and rest.

A THORNY PATH. 61

She spoke but l ittle, but even she forgot whattroubled her when she felt her friend

’s hand on hers,

and he whispered to her that this was the most del ightful night he had ever known

,and that

,of al l

the sweets the gods had created, she was to him the

sweetest ?The blue sea spread before them

,the fu l l moon

m irrored on its scarcely heaving surface l ike a

tremulous column of pure and shining si lver . The

murmur of the r ipples came up from the strandas soothing and inviting as the song of the Nereid s ;and if a white crest of foam rose on a wave, shecould fancy it was the arm of Thetis or Galatea .

There,where the blue was deepest

,the sea-

god

Glaukos must dwel l,and his heart be gladdened by

the merry do ings on shore .

Nature is so great ; and as the thought came toher that her heart was not too smal l to take its greatn ess in , even to the farthest horizon , it fi l led herwith glad surprise .An d Nature was bountifu l too . Melissa could

see the happy and gracious face of a div in ity ineverything she looked upon . The immortals whohad affl icted her, and whom she had often bitter lyaccused

,could be kind and mercifu l too. The sea,

on whose shin ing surface the blue vault of heavenw ith the moon and stars rocked and twink led, thsoft breeze which fanned her brow,

the new del iciouslonging which filled her heart—all she felt and wasconscious of, was a d ivin ity or an emanation of thed ivine. Mighty Pose idon and majestic Zeus, gentleSelene

,and the sportive children of the god of winds,

seemed to be strangely near her as she rode along.

And it was the omn ipotent son of Kypris, no doubt,who stirred her heart to beat higher than it hadever done before.

52 A THORNY PATH.

Her visit to her mother’s grave,too

,her prayer

and her offerings there,had perhaps moved the

spirit of the beloved dead to hover near her now as

a guardi‘

an genius.Stil l

,now and again the memory of something

terrible passed over her soul l lke a sweepingshadow but what it was which threatened her andthose dear to her she did not see, and would notnow inquire . What the morrow might bring shouldnot cloud the enchantment of this ho ur. For oh

,

how fair the world was,and how blessed might mor

tals beIakchos ! Iakchos ! the vo ices about her shout

ed,and it sounded as gleeful as though the breasts

o f the revelers were overflowing with gladness ; andas the scented curls of Diodoros bent over her head

,

as his hand clo sed on hers,and his whispered words

of love were in her ear,she murmured : Alexander

is r ight ; the world is a banqueting-hal l,and life is

fair .“ So fair ! ” echoed the youth , pensively . Then

he shouted aloud to his companions : The worldis a banquet ing-hal l ! Bring roses, bring wine, thatwe may sacrifice to Eros, and pour l ibations to Dionysos. Light the flaming to rches ! Iakchos ! come

,

Iakchos,and sanctify our glad festival

“ Come,Iakchos, come !

” cried one and another,

and soon the enthusiastic youth’s cry was taken upon al l sides. But wine- skin and jar were long sinceemptied .

Hard by,below the clifl’

,and close to the sea

,

was a tavern,at the sign of the Cock . Here cool

drink was to be had ; here the horses might rest—forthe drivers had been grumbling bitterly at the heavyload added to the car over the deep sand— and herethere was a level plot

,under the shade of a spread

A THORNY PATH. 63

ing sycamore, which had often before now served as

a floor for the choric dance .

The vehicle soon drew up in front of the whitewashed inn

,surrounded outhree sides by a trel l ised

arbor,overgrown with figs and vine . The young

couples sprang to the ground ; and, while the hostand his slave dragged up a huge wine-jar with twoears

,ful l of the red j uice of the grape

,fresh torches

were l ighted and stuck on poles or fastened to thebranches of the sycamore

,the youths took their

places eager for the dance,and sudden ly the festal

song went up from their clear throats unbidden, andas though inspired by some myster ious power :

Iakchos,come ! oh , come, Iakchos

H ither come, to the scene of our revel,The glad some band of the faithful.

Shake the fra rant, berried garland ,

Myrtle-tw ine that crowns thy love- locks,Shed d ing its odors

Tread the measure, w ith fearless stamp ,

Of th is our reck less, rapturous d ance,In holy rejoicing

Hand in hand , thrice beatified ,Lo we thread the rhythmic, fanciful,

Mystical maz es !

And the dance begins. Youths and maidens advance to meet each other with gracefu l movements .Every step must be a thing of beauty

,every bend

and r ising,while the double flutes play faster and

faster,and the measured rhythm becomes a wild

whirl . They al l know the dance,and the music is

a guide to the feel ing to be expressed ; the dancingmust be suited to it . Every gesture is a stroke ofcolor which may beautify or mar the picture. Bodyand spir it are in perfect harmony, combining to te

present the feel ings that stir the soul . It i s a workof art

,the art of the arms and feet . Even when

64 A THORNY PATH.

passion is at the highest the guiding law is observed .

Nay, when the dancers fly wildly apart,they no t

merely come together again with unerring certainty,

but form in new combination another del ightful andperfectly harmonious picture .

Seek and find this dance might be cal led,for

the first idea is to represent the wandering of Demeter in search of her daughter Persephone , whomP lu to has carried off to the nether world

,ti l l she finds

her and clasps her in her motherly arms once more .

Thus does the earth bewail the reaped fruit of thefield

,which is buried in the ground in the w inter

sowing,to rise again in the spring ; thus does a

faithfu l heart pine during absence ti l l i t is reunitedto the beloved one ; thus do we mourn our dead t i l lour soul is assured of their resurrection and this bel ief is the end and clew to the mystery.

All this grief and search,this longing and cry ing

for the absent,this final restoration and the bl iss of

new possession,i s set forth by the youths and dam

sels— now in slow and now in vehement action , butalways with infinite grace .

Melissa threw her whole sou l into the dance :while Demeter was seeking the lost Persephone

,her

thoughts were with her brothers ; and she laughedas hearti ly as any one at the j ests with which Iambecheered the stricken mother. And when the joy ofmeeting was to find expression

,she need not think

of anything but the fact that the youth who heldout his hand to her loved her and cared for her.

In this,fo r the moment

,lay the end of al l her long

ing and seeking,the fulfi l lment of every wish ; and

as the chorus shouted,

“ Iakchos !” again and again

,

her soul seemed to have taken wings.The reserve of her calm and maidenly nature

broke down ; in her ecstasy she snatched from her

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66 A THORNY PATH.

There stood pretty Ino, who had danced the

mazy measure with Alexander. Panting for breath,

she stood lean ing her weary head and tangled hairagainst the trunk of the tree, a wine-cup upsidedown in her right hand. It must be empty ; butwhere was he who had emptied it ?Her neighbor’s daughter would surely know.

Had the reck less youth quarreled with the girl ?No

,noOne of the tavern-keeper’s slaves, Ino told her,

bad whispered something to Al exander , whereuponhe had instantly fo l lowed the man into the house.

Melissa knew that it could be no trivia l matterwhich detained him there

,and hurried after him

into the tavern .

The host, a Greek , and his buxom wife,affected

not to know for whom she was inquiring ; but, perceiving the anxiety which spoke in every l ine o f thegirl’s face, when she explained that she was Alexander’s sister

,they at first looked at each other

doubtingly,and then the woman, who had chi ldren

of her own,who fondly loved each other

,fel t her

heart swell w ithin her,and she whispered

,with her

finger on her l ips : Do not be uneasy,prettymaid ;

my husband wil l see him wel l through .

And then Melissa heard that the Egyptian , whohad alarmed her in the Nekropol is, was the spyZmin is

,who

,as her old slave Dido had once to ld

her,had been a rejected suitor of her mother’s be

fore she had married Heron , and who was thereforealways glad to bring trouble on all who belonged toher father’s house. How often had she heard ofthe annoyances in which this man had invo lved herfather and Alexander

,who were apt to be very short

with the man !This tale-bearer, who held the highest position

A THORNY PATH. 57

as guard ian of the peace under the captain of then ight-watch, was of al l men in the ci ty the mosthated and feared ; and he had heard her brotherspeaking of Caesar in a tone of mockery which wasenough to bring him to prison

,to the quarries

,nay

,

to death. Glaukias,the sculptor

,had previously

seen the Egyptian on the bridge,where he had de

tained those who were returning home from the cityof the dead. He and his fo l lowers had alreadystopped the poet Argeios on his way, but the thyrsus staves of the Dionysiac revelers had somewhatspoiled the game for him and his satell ites. He wasprobably stil l standing on the bridge. Glaukias hadimmediately run back

, at any risk, to warn Alexander . He and the painter were now in hiding, andwould remain in safety

,come what might

,in the

cel lar at the Cock,ti l l the coast was clear again .

The tavern-keeper strongly advised no one to gomeddl ing with his wine-skins and j ars.

Much less that Egyptian dog !” cried his wife

,

doubling her fist as though the hated mischief-makerstood before her already .

Poor,helpless lamb ! she murmured to herself,

as she looked compasionately at the fragile, townbred girl

,who stood gazing at the ground as if she

had been struck by l ightning. She remembered, too,how hard l ife had seemed to her in her own youngd ays

,and glanced with pride at her brawny arms

,

which were able indeed to work and manage .

But what nowThe drooping flower suddenly raised her head,

as i f moved by a spring, exclaiming : Thank youhearti ly

,thank you ! But that wi l l n ever do . If

Zmin is searches your premises he wi l l certain ly gointo the cel lar ; for what can he not do in Caesar ’sname ? I will not part frommy brother.

”

53 A THORNY PATH.

Then you,too

,are a welcome guest at the

Cock,interrupted the woman

,and her husband

bowed low,assuring her that the Cock was as

much her house as it was his.But the helpless town-bred damsel decl ined this

friendly invitation ; for her shrewd l ittl e head haddevised another plan for saving her brother, thoughthe tavern -keepers

,to whom she confided it in a

whisper,laughed and shook their heads over it .

Diodoros was waiting outside in anx ious impatience ; he loved her, and he was her brother

’

s bestfriend . All that he could do to save Alexander hewould gladly do

,she knew . On the estate which

would some day be his,there was room and to spare

to hide the fugitives, for on e of the largest gardensin the town was owned by his father. His extensivegrounds had been famil iar to her from her chi ldhood

,for her own mother and her lover’s had been

friends ; and Andreas, the freedman , the overseer ofPolybius

’

s gardens and plantations, was dearer to herand her brothers than any one else in Alexandria .

Nor had she deceived herself,for Diodoros made

A lexander ’s cause his own , in his eager, vehemen tway ; and the plan fo r his del iverance seemed doubly admirable as proceeding from Melissa. In a fewminutes A lexander and the sculptor were releasedfrom their hiding-place

,and all further care for them

was left to Diodoros.They were both very crafti ly disguised . No

one wou ld have recognized the artists in two sai lors

,whose Phrygian caps completely hid their hair

,

whi le a heavy fisherman ’

s apron was girt abouttheir lo ins ; stil l less would any one have suspectedfrom their laughing faces that imprisonment

,i f

nothing worse,hung over them . Their change of

garb had given rise to so much fun ; and now, on

A THORNY PATH . 69

hearing how they were to be smuggled into thetown

,their merriment grew higher

,and proved

catching to those who were taken into the secret.Only Melissa was oppressed with anxious care

,in

spite of her lover’s eager consolation .

Glauk ias,a man of scarcely middle height

,was

sure of not being recognized,and he and his com

rades looked forward to whatever might happen asmerely an amusing j est . At the same time they hadto balk the hated chief of the city guards and hismenials o f their immediate prey ; but they hadplayed them a trick or two ere now. It might turnout real ly badly for Alexander ; stil l, i t was onlyneedful to keep him concealed ti l l Caesar shou ld arriye ; then he would be safe, for the Empero r wouldcertainly absorb all the thoughts and time of thecaptain of the n ight-watch and his chief officers.

In Alexandria,anything once past was so soon for

gotten When once Caracalla was gone—and it wasto be hoped that he wou ld not stay long—no onewould ever think again o f any b i ting speech madebefore his arrival .

The morning must bring what it might,so long

as the present moment was gaySo

,refreshed and cheered by rest and wine, the

party of mystics prepared to set out again and, asthe procession started

,no one who did not know it

had observed that the two artists,disguised as sai l

ors, were, by Melissa’s advice

,hidden inside the ka

lathos of Serapis,which would easi ly have held six ,

and was breast-high even for Alexander, who was atal l man . They squatted on the floor of the hugevessel

,with a jar of wine between them, and peeped

over now and then with a laugh at the girls, whohad again seated themselves on the edge of the

car.

70 A THORNY PATH.

When they were fair ly on their way oncemore,Alexander and his companions were so daring that

,

whenever they cou ld do itunobserved, they peltedthe damsels with the remains of the corn

,or sprin

kled them with wine-drops. Glauk ias had the artof imitating the pattering of rain and the hummingo f a fly to perfection with his lips ; and when the

gi rls complained of the tiresome insect buzz ing intheir faces, or declared, when a drop fel l on them,

that in spite of the blue and cloudless sky it was certain ly beginning to rain, the two men had to coverthei r mouths with their hands, that their laughtermight not betray them .

Mel issa, who had comforted Ino with the assurance that Alexander had been called away quite unexpectedly

,was now sitting by her side

,and per

ceived , of course , what tricks the men in the kalathos were playing ; but, instead of amusing her,they on ly made her anxious.Every one about her was laughing and j oking

,

but for her al l mirth was at an end . Fear,indeed

,

weighed on her l ike an incubus, when the car

reached the bridge and rattled across it. It was

l ined with so ldiers and l ictors,who looked closely

at each one,even at Melissa herself. But no one

spoke to her,and when the water lay behind them

she breathed more fr eely . But only for a momentfor she suddenly remembered that they would presently have to pass through the gate leading pastHadrian ’s western wall into the town . If Zmin iswere waiting there instead of on the bridge, andwere to search the vehicle

,then al l would be lost

,

fo r he had looked her, too, in the face with thosestrange

,fixed eyes of his ; and that where he saw

the sister he wou ld also seek the brother, seemedto her qu ite certain . Thus her presence was a

A THORNY PATH.

source of peri l to Alexander, and she must at anycost avert that .She immediately put out her hand to Diodo

ros,who was walking at her side

,and wi th his help

slipped down from her seat . Then she whisperedher fears to him

,and begged him to quit the party

and conduct her home .

This was a surprising and del ightful task for herlover. With a jesting word he leaped on to the car,and even succeeded in murmuring to A lexander

, umobserved

,that Melissa had placed hersel f under h is

protection . When they got home,they cou ld tel l

Heron and Andreas that the youths were safe inhiding. Melissa could explain , to -morrow morn ing

,

how everything had happened . Then he drew Mel issa’s arm through his

,loudly shouted

,Iakchos

and with a swift dance-step soon outstripped the

wagon .

Not fi fty paces beyond, large pine torches sentbright flames up Skyward

,and by their l ight the girl

cou ld see the dreaded gateway,with the statues of

Hadrian and Sabina,and in front o f them

,in the

middle of the road,a horseman

,who

,as they ap

proached , came trotting forward to meet them onhis tal l steed . His head towered above every oneelse in the road ; and as she looked up at him herheart almost ceased beating

,fo r her eyes met those

of the dreaded Egyptian their white bal ls showedplain ly in his brown

,lean face

,and their cruel

,evil

sparkle had stamped them clearly on her memory .

On her right a street turned off from the road,and saying in a low tone

,This way

,

” she led Diodoros

,to his surprise

,into the shadow . His heart

beat high. Did she,whose coy and maidenly au

sterity before and after the intoxication of the dancehad vouchsafed him ha rdly a k ind look or a c lasp

72 A THORNY PATH.

of the hand—did she even yearn for some tenderembrace alone and in darkness ? Did the quiet

,

modest girl,who

,since she had ceased to be a

chi ld,had but rarely given him a few poor words

,

long to tel l him that which hitherto only her brighteyes and the kiss of her pu re young lips had betrayed ?

He drew her more closely to him in bl issful ex

pectation ; but she shyly shrank from his touch,

and before he could murmur a single word of loveshe exclaimed in terror, as though the hand of thepersecutor were already laid on her : “ Fly

,fly

'

That house wi ll give us shelter.And she dragged him after her into the open

doorway of a large bu ilding. Scarcely had theyentered the dark vestibule when the sound of hoofswas heard

,and the glare of torches dispel led the

darkness outside.

Zmin is ! It is he—he is fo l lowing us ! ” shewhispered

,scarcely able to speak ; and her alarm

was wel l founded,for the Egyptian had recognized

her,and supposed her companion to be Alexander.

He had ridden down the street with his torchbearers

,but where she had hidden herself his keen

eyes could not detect,for the departing sound of

hoofs betrayed to the breathless l i steners that thepursuer had left their hiding-place far behind him.

Presently the pavement in front o f the house whichsheltered them rang again with the tramp of thehorse

,ti l l i t died away at last in the direction of

Hadrian ’s gate . Not til l then did Mel issa l ift herhand from her painful ly throbbing heart .But the Egyptian wou ld, no doubt, have left his

Spies in the street,and Diodoros went out to see if

the road was clear. Melissa remained alone in thed ark entrance, and began to be anxious as to how

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74 A THORNY PATH .

n ificance. I t came back to her again and again,l ike a melody which haunts the inward ear againstour wil l ; and her meditative fancy was trying tosolve its meaning

,when Diodoros returned to tel l

her that the street was quite empty . He knew nowwhere they were

,and

,i f she liked

,he could lead her

by a way which would not take them through thegate . Only Christians

,Egyptians

,and other com

mon folks dwelt in this quarter ; however, since hisduty as her protector had this day begun

,he would

fulfi l l it to the best of his abil i ty.

She went with him out into the street,and when

they had gone a little way he clasped her to himand kissed her hair .His heart was ful l . He knew now that she

,

whom he had loved when she walked in his father ’s

garden in her l ittle child’s tun ic

,holding her moth

er’s hand,returned his passion . Now the time was

come for asking whether she would permit him tobeg her father’s leave to woo her.He stopped in the shadow of a house near

,and

,

while be poured out to her al l that stirred his breast,

carried away by tender passion,and describing in

his vehement way how great and deep his love was,

in spite of the utter fatigue which weighed on herbody and sou l after so many agitations

,she felt

with deep thankfulness the immense happiness o fbeing more precious than aught else on earth to adear

,good man . Love

,which had so long lain dor

mant in her as a bud,and then opened so quick ly

on ly to close again under her alarms,unfo lded once

more and blo ssomed for him again—not as i t haddone j ust now in passionate ecstasy

,but, as be

seemed her calm,transparent nature, with moder

ated joy,which

,however

,did not lack due warmth

and winning tenderness.

A THORNY PATH. 75

Happiness beyond words po ssessed them both.

She suffered him to seal his vows with kisses, herself offering him her lips, as her heart swel led withfervent thanksgiving for so much joy and such a

fu l l measure of love .

She was indeed a precious j ewel,and the passion

of his stormy heart was tempered by such genuinereverence that he gladly kept within the bounds whichher maiden ly modesty prescribed. And how muchthey had to say to each other in this fi rst openingof their hearts

,how many hopes fo r the future

found utterance in words ! The minutes flew on

and became hours,til l at last Melissa begged him

to qui t the marble seat on which they had so longbeen resting

,if indeed her feet could sti l l carry her

home.Little as it pleased him, he did her bidding. But

as they went on he felt that she hung heavy on hisarm and could only l ift her l ittle feet with thegreatest d ifli culty. The street was too dark for himto see how pale she was ; and yet he never took h iseyes off her dear but scarcely distinguishable features. Sudden ly he heard a faint whisper as in adream

,I can go no farther

,

” and at once led herback to the marble seat.He fi rst careful ly spread his mantle over the

stone and then wrapped her in it as tenderly as amother might cover her shivering child

,for a coo ler

breeze gave warn ing of the coming dawn . Hehimself crept close under the wall by her side, so asnot to be seen

,for a long train of people, with serv

ants carrying lanterns before them. now came outof the house they had j ust left and down the street.Who these could be who walked at so late an hourin such so lemn si lence neither of them knew. Theycertain ly sen t up no joyful shout of Iakchos no

76 A THORNY PATH.

wild lament ; no cheerfu l laughter nor sounds of

mourn ing were to be heard from the long procession which passed along the street, two and two , ata slow pace. As soon as they had passed the lasthouses

,men and women alike began to sing ; no

leader started them,nor lyre accompanied them

,and

yet their song went up as though with one voice.

Diodoros and Melissa knew every note sung bythe Greeks or Egyptians of Alexandr ia

,at this o r

any other festival,but this melody was strange to

them ; and when the young man whispered to thegirl, “What is i t that they are singing ? ”

she re

pl ied,as though startled from sleep

,They are no

mere mortals !Diodoros shuddered ; he fancied that the pro

cession was floating above the earth ; that, i f theyhad been indeed men of flesh and blood

,their steps

would have been more distinctly audible on thepavement . Some of them appeared to him to betal ler than common mortals

,and their chant was

certain ly that of another world than this where hedwelt . Perhaps these were daimons

,the sou ls of

departed Egyptians, who, after a midnight visit tothose they had left behind them , were returning tothe rock tombs

,of which there were many in the

stony hi ll s to which this street led . They werewalking toward these tombs , and not toward thegate ; and Diodoro s whispered his suspicion to hiscompanion

,clasping his hand on an amulet in the

semblance of an eye, which his Egyptian nurse hadfastened round his neck long ago with an Anubicthread

,to protect him against the ev i l - eye and

magic spel ls.But Melissa was l istening w ith such devout at

tention to the chant that she did not hear him. The

fat igue which had reached such a painful cl imax

A THORNY PATH. 77

had,during this peaceful rest

, given way to a bl issfulunconsciousness of self. I t was a kind of happinessto feel no longer the burden of exhaustion

,and the

song of the wanderers was l ike a cradle-song, lul ling her to sweet dreams. I t fi lled her with gladness

,and yet it was not glad

,not even cheerful . I t

went to her heart , and yet it was not mournful—notin the least l ike the passionate lament of Isis forOsir i s

,or that of Demeter bewail ing her daughter.

The emotion it aroused in her was a sweetly sorrowful compassion

,which included herself

,her

brothers,her father

,her lover

,al l who were doomed

to suffering and death,even the utter stranger

,for

whom she had hitherto felt no sympathy .

And the compassion bore within it a sense ofcomfort which she could not explain

,or perhaps

would not inquire into. I t struck her,too

,now and

then,that the strain had a ring as of thanksgiving.

I t was,no doubt

,addressed to the gods

,and for

that reason it appealed to her,and she would gladly

have joined in it,fo r she

,too

,was grateful to the

immortals,and above al l to Eros, for the love which

had been born in her heart and had found such anardent return . She sighed as she l istened to everynote of the chant

,and it worked upon her l ike a

heal ing draught .The struggle of her wil l against bodi ly fatigue,

and finally against the mental exhaustion of somuch bliss

,the conv iction that her heavy, weary

feet would perhaps fail to carry her home , and thatshe must seek shelter somewhere for the night , haddisturbed her greatly. Now she was quite calm,

and as much at ease as she was at home sittingwith her father

,her stitching in her hand, while she

dreamed of her mother and her childhood in thepast. The singing had fal len on her agitated sou l

73 A THORNY PATH .

l ike the oi l poured by the mar iner on the sea to

sti l l the foaming breakers. She fel t it so .

She could not help think ing of the time whenshe cou ld fal l asleep on her mother’s bosom in thecertainty that tender love was watching over her .The happiness of chi ldhood

,when she loved every

thing she knew— her family,the slaves

,her father’s

birds,the flowers in the li ttle garden

,the altar of

the godde ss to whom she made offering, the verystars in the sky—seemed to come over her, andthere she sat in dreamy lassitude , her head on herlover’s shoulder

,ti l l the last stragglers of the pro

cession,who were women

,many of them carrying

little lamps in their hands,had almost all gon e

past.Then she sudden ly felt an eager jerk in the

shou lder on which her head was resting.

Look— look there ! he whispered ; and as hereyes fo l lowed the direction of his finger

,she too

started,and exclaimed

,Korinna -Did you know

her ? ”

She had often come to my father’s garden,he

replied,

“ and I saw her portrait in Alexander’sroom . These are souls from Hades that we haveseen . We must offer sacrifice

,for those to whom

they show themselves they draw after them .

”At

this Melissa,too

,shuddered

,and exclaimed in hor

ror : O Diodoros,not to death ! We wil l ask the

priests tom orrow morning what sacrifice may re

deem us. Anything rather than the grave and thedarkness of Hades —Come

,I am strong again now .

Let us get away from hence and go home .

But we must go through the gate now,repl ied

the youth . It i s not well to fo l low in the footstepso f the dead .

Melissa, however, insi sted on go ing on through

A THORNY PATH. 79

the street. Terrified as she was of the nether worldand the disembodied souls, she would on no accountr isk fal l ing into the hands of the horrible Egyptian

,who might compel her to betray her brother

’sh iding-place ; and Diodoros, who was ashamed to

show her the fears which sti l l possessed him,did as

she desired.

But i t was a comfort to him in this horro r ofdeath

,which had come over him now for the fi rst

time in his l i fe, to kiss the maid once more, andho ld her warm hand in his as they walked on ; whilethe strange chant of the nocturnal procession sti l lrang in her ears

,and now and then the words re

curred to her mind which she had heard in the housewhere the departed souls had gathered together

The fu l lness of the t ime was come.Did this refer to the hour when the dead came

to the end of their l ife on earth ; or was there somegreat event impending on the city and its 1nhabitants

,for which the time had now come ? Had the

words anything to do with Ca sar’s v isit ? Had thedead come back to life to witness the scenes whichthey saw approaching with eyes clearer than thoseof mortals

And then she remembered Korinna,whose fair

,

pale face had been strangely l ighted up by the lampshe carried ; and, again, the Magian

’s assurancethat the souls of the departed were endowed withevery facu lty possessed by the l iving

,and that

“ those who knew could see them and conversewith them.

Then Serapion had been right in saying this ;and her hand trembled in her lover

’s as she thoughtto herself that the danger which now threatenedPhi l ip was estrangement from the l iving throughin tercourse with the dead . Her own dead mother,

80 A THORNY PATH.

perhaps,had floated past among these wandering

souls, and she grieved to think that she had neglected to look for her and give her a loving greeting. Even Diodoros

,who was not general ly given

to silent meditation,had his own thoughts to pursue ;

and so they walked on in si lence til l sudden ly theyheard a dul l murmur of voices. This startled them

,

and looking up they saw before them the rocky cl iffsin which the Egyptians long since

,and now in later

t imes the Christians,had hewn caves and tombs.

From the door of one of these,only a few paces be

yond where they stood,l ight streamed out ; and as

they were about to pass i t a large dog barked . Immediately on this a man came out

,and in a rough

,

deep vo ice asked them the pass-word. Diodoros,

seized with sudden terror of the dark figure,which

he believed to be a risen gho st,took to his hee ls

,

dragging Mel issa with him . The dog flew afterthem

,barking lo udly ; and when the youth stooped

to pick up a stone to scare him off, the angry brutesprang on himand dragged him down .

Melissa screamed for help,but the gruff vo ice

angri ly bade her be silen t . Far from obeying him,

the girl shouted louder than ever ; and now ,out of

the entrance to the cave, close behind the scene ofthe disaster

,came a number of men with lamps and

tapers. They were the same daimons whose songshe had heard in the street ; she could not be mistaken . On her knees, by the side of her lover as helay on the ground

,she stared up at the apparitions .

A stone flew at the dog to scare him off,and a

second, larger than the fi rst,whisked past her and

h it Diodoros on the head ; she heard the dull blow.

At this a co ld hand seemed to clutch her heart ;everything about her melted into one whirling, colorless cloud . Pale as death

,she threw up her arms to

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CHAPTER VI .

THE sun had r isen an hour since . Heron hadbetaken himself to his workshop

,whist l ing as he

went,and in the kitchen his old slave Argutis was

standing over the hearth prepar ing his master’smorn ing meal . He dropped a pinch of dil l in tothe barley-porridge, and shook his gray head so lemnly.

His compan ion Dido,a Syrian

,whose wavy white

hair contrasted strangely with her dark skin,pres

ently came in and,starting up, he hasti ly inqu ired,

Not in yetNo, said the other woman , whose eyes were

ful l o f tears. And you know what my dream was.Some evil has come to her

,I am certain ; and when

the master hears of it Here she sobbed aloud ;but the slave reproved her fo r useless weeping.

“ You never carried her in your arms,

” whimpered the woman .

“ But often enough on my shoulder, retortedthe Gaul

,for Argutis was a n ative of Augusta

Trevirorum, on the Moselle . As soon as the porridge is ready yo u must take it in and prepare themaster .”

“That his first fury may fal l on me !”said the

old woman,peevi shly. I l i ttle thought when I was

young ! ”

That is a very old story, said Argutis, and

A THORNY PATH.

we both know what the master’s temper is. Ishould have been off long ago if only you couldmake his porridge to his mind . As soon as I haved ished it I wi l l go to seek Alexander—there isnothing to prevent me—for i t was with him thatshe left the house .

”

At this the o ld woman dried her tears,and cried

Yes,only go

,and make haste . I wil l do every

thing else . Great gods,if she shou ld be brought

home dead ! I know how it is ; she could bearthe old man ’s temper and this moping life nolonger

,and has thrown herself into the water .

My dream,my dream ! Here—here is the dish

,

and now go and find the boy . Stil l,Phil ip is the

elder .”“ He ! ” exclaimed the slave in a scornful tone .

Yes, if yo u want to know what the fl ies are talking about ! Alexander for me . He has his headscrewed on the right way

,and he wil l find her if

any man in Egypt can,and bring her back

,al ive or

dead f’

Dead ! ” echoed Dido,with a fresh burst o f

sobs, and her tears fel l in the porr idge , which Argutis, indeed, in his distress of mind had forgottento salt .While this conversation was going on the gem

cutter was feeding his birds. Can this man,who

stands there l ike any girl,tempting his favorites to

feed,with fond words and whistling

,and the offer

of attractive dainties,be the stormy blusterer of

last n ight ? There is not a coaxing name that hedoes not lav ish on them

,while he fi l ls their cups

w ith fresh seed and water ; and how carefu l ly hemoves his big hand as he strews the l i tt le cageswith clean sand ! He would not for worlds scarethe poo r l ittle prisoners who cheer his lonely hours,

84A THORNY PATH.

and who have long since ceased to fear him . A

turtle -dove takes peas, and a hedge- sparrow picksants’ eggs from his l ips ; a white- throat perches onh is left hand to snatch a caterpil lar from his r ight .The huge man was in his garden soon after sunrisegathering the dewy leaves for h is feathered pets .

But he talks and plays longest with the starl ingwhich his lo st wife gave him . She had bought itin secret from the Bedouin who for many yearshad brought shells for sale from the Red Sea

,

to surprise her husband with the gift . The cleverbird had first learned to cal l her name , Olympias ;and then

,without any teaching, had picked up

his master’s favorite lament,

“ My strength,my

strength ! ”

Heron regarded this bird as a friend who und erstood him

,and

,l ike him

,remembered the never

to-be-forsaken dead . For three years had the gemcutter been a widower

,and he sti l l thought more

constantly and fondly of his lost wife than of thechildren she had left him . Heron scratched the

bird’s knowing li ttle head,say ing in a tone which

betrayed his pity both for himself and his pet :Yes, o ld fellow, youwould rather have a softwhite finger to stroke you down . I can hear hernow, when she would cal l you

‘sweet l i ttle pet,

’

or dear l ittle creature .

’ We shal l neither of us everhear such gen tle

,loving words again . Do youre

member how she wou ld look up with her dearsweet face—and was it not a lovely face -when

you cal led her by her name‘Olympias ’ ? How

many a time have her rosy l ips blown up yourfeathers

,and cried

,

‘Well done,l ittle fel low ! —Ay ,

and she would say ‘Well done ’ to me too,when

I had fin ished a piece of work wel l . Ah,and what

an eye she had,particularly for art ! But now

A THORNY PATH . 35

well, the chi ldren give me a good word too, nowthat her lips are si lent !

“Olympias ! cried the b ird loudly and articulately

,and the clouds that shadowed the gem-cut

ter’s brow l ifted a l itt le, as with an affect ionatesmile he went on

“ Yes,yes ; you would be glad, too , to have her

back again . You cal l her now,as I did yesterday

,

standing by her grave—and she sends you her love.

Do you hear,l ittle one ? Peck away at the o ld

man ’s finger ; he knows you mean it kindly, and i tdoes not hurt. I was al l alone out there, and Selene looked down on us i n si lence. There wasrioting and shouting all round

,but I could hear the

vo ice of our dead. She was very near me,and

her sad soul showed me that she stil l cared for me .

I had taken a j ar of our best wine of Byblos undermy cloak ; as soon as I had poured oil on her gravestone and shed some of the noble l iquor

,the earth

drank it up as though it were thirsty. Not a dropwas left. Yes

,l i tt le fel low,

she accepted the gift ;and when I fel l on my knees to med itate on her,she vouchsafed repl ies to many of my questions.We talked together as we used—you know . And

we remembered you,too ; I gave you her love.

You understand me, l itt le fel low, don’t you ? And

,

I tel l you,better times are coming now.

He turned from the bird with a sharp movementof annoyance

,for the slave-woman came in with the

bowl of barley-porridge .

“ You ! ” excla imed Heron , in surprise. Whereis Melissa ? ”

She wil l come presently,said the old woman,

i n a low and doubtfu l tone .

Oh,thanks for the oracle !

”sa id the artist,

iron ically.

36 A THORNY PATH.

How youmock at a body !” said the o ld woman.

I meant But eat first—eat . Anger and grief arei l l food for an empty stomach.

Heron sat down to the table and began to eathis porridge

,but he presently to ssed away the spoon ,

exclaiming :“ I do not fancy it

,eating by myself.

Then,with a puzz led glance at Dido, he asked in

a tone of vexation :

“Well,why are you waiting here ? And what

is the meaning of all that ni pp i ng and tugging atyour dress ? Have you broken another dish ? NoThen have done with that cursed head-shaking

,and

speak out at once !Eat, eat, repeated Dido, retreating to the door,

but Heron called her back with vehement abuse r,but when she began again her usual complaint, In ever thought , when I was young Heron recovered the good temper he had been rejo icing inso lately

,and retorted : “ Oh ! yes, I know, I have

the daughter of a great potentate to wait on me.

And if it had only occurred to Caesar, when he wasin Syria

,to marry your sister, I should have had

his sister-in - law in my service . But at any rate Iforbid howl ing. You might have learned in thecourse of thirty years, that I do not eat my fel lowcreatures. So

,now

,confess at once what is wrong

in the kitchen,and then go and fetch Melissa.

”

The woman was,perhaps

,wise to defer the ev i l

moment as long as possible . Matters might soonchange fo r the better

,and good or evi l could come

only from without. So Dido clung to the l iteralsense of her master’s question

,and something note

worthy had actual ly happened in the kitchen . Shedrew a deep breath

,and told him that a subordinate

of the n ight-watch had come in and asked whether

A THORNY PATH. 37

A lex ander were in the house,and where his paint

ing- room was.And yougave him an exact description ? asked

Heron .

But the slave shook her head ; she again beganto fidget with her dress, and said, t imid ly :

“Argutis was there, and he says no good cancome of the n ight-watch . He told the man what hethought fi t, and sen t him about his business.

”

At this Heron interrupted the o ld woman withsuch a mighty blow of his fist on the table that theporridge j umped in the bowl

,and he exclaimed in

a fury :“ That is what comes of treating slaves as our

equals ! They begin to think for themselves. A

stupid blunder can spoi l the best day ! The captainof the night-watch, I would have you to know,

is avery great man

,and very l ikely a friend of Seleu

kus’s,whose daughter A lexander has j ust painted.

The picture is attracting some attention—Attention ? What am I saying ? Every one who hasbeen al lowed to see it is quite crazy about it.Everything else that was on show in the embalmers’ hall was mere trash by comparison . Oftenenough have I grumbled at the boy

,who would

rather be anywhere than here ; but, this time, I hadsome ground for being proud to be his father ! Andnow the captain of the watch sends his secretary

,o r

something of the kind , no doubt, in order to havehis portrait

,or his wife’s or daughter ’s—if he has

one—painted by the artist who did Korinna’

s ; andhis own father’s slave— it drives me mad to thinkof it—makes a face at the messenger and sends h imall astray . I wil l give Argutis a lesson ! But bythis time

,perhaps Just go and fetch him in .

With these words Heron again dropped his spoon,

33 A THORNY PATH.

w iped his beard,and then

,seeing that Dido was sti ll

standing before him as though spel lbound,twitch

ing her slave’s gray gown,he repeated his order in

such angry tones— though before he had spokento her as gently as if she were one of his ownchildren—that the o ld woman started vio len t ly andmade for the door, crouching low and whimperingbitterly .

The soft-hearted tyrant was real ly sorry for thefaithful old servant he had bought a generationsince for the home to which he had brought his fairyoung wife

,and he began to speak kindly to her

,as

he had previously done to the birds.This comforted the old woman somuch that again

she could not help crying ; but, notwithstandingthe sincerity of her tears

,being accustomed of o ld

to take advantage of her master’s moods,she felt

that now was the time to tel l her melancholy story .

First of all she would at any rate see whether Melissa had not meanwhi le retu rned ; so she humblykissed the hem of his robe and hurried away .

Send Argutis to me !” Heron roared after her,

and he returned to his breakfast with renewedenergy.

He thought,as he ate

,of his son’s beautiful

work,and the fool ish self-importance of Argutis, so

faithful,and usual ly

,it must be owned

,so shrewd .

Then his eyes fel l on Mel issa’s vacant place oppositeto him

,and he sudden ly pushed away his bowl and

rose to seek his daughter .At this moment the starl ing cal led , in a clear,

inviting tone,Olympias and this cheered him

,

reminding him of the happy hour he had passed athis wife’s grave and the good augury he had hadthere . The bel ief in a better time at hand, of whichhe had spoken to the b ird, again took possession of

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90A THORNY PATH.

and at al l hours she had been the same in her qu iet,

useful,patient way

,always thinking of her brothers

,

and caring fo r him rather than for herself.I t had never entered into his head to suppose that

she could alter ; and now,instead of the gentle

,con

tented face with faintly rosy cheeks,he saw a pal l id

c ountenance and quivering lips. What mysteriousfire had this night kindled in those calm eyes

,which

A lexander was fond of comparing to those of a

gazel le ? They were sunk,and the dark shadows

that encircled them were a shock to his arti st ic eye.

These were the eyes of a girl who had raved l ike amaenad the n ight through . Had she not slep t inher quiet l ittle room ; had she been ru shing withAlexander in the wild Bacchic rout ; or had something dreadful happened to his sonNothing cou ld have been so great a rel ief to him

as to rave and rage as was his wont, and he feltstrongly prompted to do so but there was somethingin her which moved him to pity or shyness

,he knew

not which,and kept him quiet . He silently fol lowed

her with his eyes while she folded her mantle and

kerchief in her orderly way,and hastily gathered

together the stray,curly locks of her hair

,smoothed

them, and bound them round her head.

Some one,however

,must break the silence, and

he gave a sigh of rel ief when the girl came up tohim and asked him

,in a voice so husky as to give

him a fresh shock :I s it true that a Scythian

,one of the n ight

watch,has been here already

Then he broke out,and it real ly did him good

to give vent to his repressed feelings in an angryspeech :

There again—the wisdom of slaves ! The so

called Scythian brought a message from his master.

A THORNY PATH .

9 1‘

The captain of the n ight-watch—you will see

wi shes to honor Alexander with a commission .

”

No, no ,” in terrupted the girl . “ They are hunt

ing my brother down . I thank the gods that theScythian should have come ; it shows that Alexander is sti l l free.

The gem-cutter clasped his bushy hai r in bothh ands

,for it seemed to him that the room was

whirl ing round. But his old habits st il l got thebetter of him ; he roared out with al l the power ofhis mighty lungs :

“What is that ? What do yousay What has Alexander d one ? Where have you

-both of you—been With two long strides theangry man came close up to the terrified gir l ; thebi rds fluttered in thei r cages, and the starl ing re

peated his cries in melancho ly tones. Heron stoodsti l l, pushing his fingers through his thick grayhair

,and with a sharp laugh exclaimed : I came

away from her grave ful l of fresh hopes for betterdays

,and this is how they are fulfil led ! I looked

for fame,and I find disgrace ! And you

,hussy !

where have youspent this n ight—where have youcome from I ask you once more ! ”

He ra ised his fist and shook it close in front ofMel issa’s eyes.

She stood before him as pale as death, and wi thwide-open eyes, from which the heavy tears droppedslowly

,one by one

,tr ickl ing down her cheeks as i f

they were t ired. Heron saw them,and his rage

melted . He staggered to a seat l ike a drunkenman

,and

,hiding his face in his hands, moaned

a loud,

“Wretch,wretch that I am ! ” But his

child ’s soft hand was laid on his head ; warm, girlish l ips kissed his brow ; and Melissa whisperedbeseechingly : “ Peace, father, peace. All may yetbe wel l . I have something to tel l you that wi ll

92A THORNY PATH.

make you glad too ; yes, I am sure it w i ll makeyou glad .

”

Her father shrugged his shoulders incredulously,but wanted to know immediately what the miraclewas that co u ld smooth his brow . Melissa

,how

ever,would not tel l him til l it came in its place in

her story . So he had to submit ; he drew his seatup to the table

,and took up a lump of model ing

wax to keep his restless fingers employed while hel istened. She

,too

,sat down ; she cou ld scarcely

stand .

At first he l istened calmly to her narrative ; andwhen she to ld him of A lexander’s jest at Caesar ’sexpense his face brightened. His Alexandrian bloodand his rel ish for a biting speech got the upper hand ;he gave a sounding slap on his mighty leg

,and ex

claimed : “ A cursed good thought ! But the boyforgot that when Zeus only lamed h is son it wasbecause he is immortal ; while Caesar

’s brother wasas feeble a mortal as Caracalla himself is said to beat th is day.

”

He laughed noisi ly ; but it was for the last timethat morn ing ; for hardly had he heard the name of

Zmin is,and learned that it was he who had over

heard A lexander,than he threw down the wax and

started to his feet in horror, crying :That dog

,who dared to cast his eyes on your

mother,and persecuted her long after she had

shown him the door ! That sly mischief-makerMany a time has he set snares in our path . I f hesucceeds in tightening the noose into which the boyhas so heedlessly thrust his head But fi rst tel lme

,has he caught him already

,or is Alexander sti l l

at l ibertyBut no one

,not even Argutis, who was stil l outon the search

,cou ld tel l him this ; and he was now

A THORNY PATH. 93

so greatly di sturbed that, during the rest of Mel issa’s narrative

,he perpetual ly paced the room , inter

rupting her now and then with questions or with outbursts of indignation . And then it occurred to himthat he ought himsel f to seek his son , and he occupied himself with getting ready to go out .Even when she spoke of the Magian

,and his

conviction that those who know are able to holdintercourse with the soul s of the dead

,he shrugged

his shoulders incredu lously,and went on lacing his

sandals. But when Melissa assured him that notshe alone

,but Diodoros with her

,had seen the

wandering soul o f the departed Korinna in thetrain of ghosts

,he dropped the straps he had bound

round his ankle,and asked her who this Magian

was,and where he might be found . However

,she

knew no more than that his name was Serapion,and

she briefly described his dignified presence .

Heron had already seen the man,and he seemed

sti l l to be thinking of him, when Melissa, with ablush and downcast eyes, confessed that, as soon ashe was wel l again, Diodoros was coming to her

father to ask her of him in marriage .

It was a long story before she came at last toher own concerns, but it was always her way notto think of herself ti l l every one else had had hisdue.

But what about her father ? Had she spokeninaudibly

,or was he real ly unable to -day to be

glad ? or what ailed him,that he paid no heed to the

news which, even for him,was not without i ts im

portance,but

,without a word of consent or d isap

proval,merely bade her go on with her story ?

Melissa cal led him by name,as if to wake a man

from sleep,and asked whether it were indeed pos

sible that he real ly felt no pleasure in the happy

94A THORNY PATH.

prospect that lay before her,and that she had con

fessed to him. And now Heron lent an ear,and

gave her to understand the satisfaction of his

fatherly heart by kissing her. This news,in fact

,

made up for much that was evi l,for Diodoros was

a son - in -law after his own heart,and not merely

because he was rich,or because his mother had

been so great a friend of Olympias’

s. No,the young

man ’s father was,l ike himself, one of the old

Macedon ian stock ; he had seen his daughter’s lover

grow to manhood,and there was not in the city a

youth he could more hearti ly welcome. This hefreely admitted ; he only regretted that when she

shou ld set up house with her husband on the otherside of the lake

,he (Heron) would be left as lonely

as a statue on its pedestal . His sons had alreadybegun to avoid him like a leper !

Then,when he heard of what had befal len Dio

doros,and Mel issa went on to say that the people

who had thrown the stone at the dog were Christ ians

,and that they had carried the wound ed youth

into a large,clean dwelling

,where he was being

carefully attended when she had left him,Heron

broke out into violent abuse . They were unpatriotic worshipers of a crucified Jew, who multipl iedl ike vermin

,and only wanted to turn the good o ld

order of things upside down . But this time theyshould see—the hypocrites, who pretended to somuch humanity

,and then set ferocious dogs on

peaceful folk —they should learn that they couldnot fal l on a Macedonian cit izen wi thout pay ingfor it.He indignantly refused to hear Mel issa’s assur

ance that none of the Christians had set the dog onher lover ; she, however, maintained stoutly that i twas merely by an unfortunate accident that the

A THORNY PATH.

95

stone had hit Diodoros and cut his head so badly . She wou ld not have quitted her lover but thatshe feared lest her pro longed absence should havealarmed her father.Heron at last stood sti l l for a minute or two

,

lo st in thought, and then brought out of his chest acasket

,from which he took a few engraved gems.

He held them carefu l ly up to the l ight,and asked

his daughter :“ If I learn from Po lybius

,to whom

I am now going, that they have already caughtAlexander, shou ld I venture now,

do you think,to

offer a couple of cho ice gems to Titianus, the prefeet

,to set him free again ? He knows what is

good, and the capta in of the watch is his subord inate.

"

But Melissa besought him to give up the ideaof seeking out A lexander in his hiding-place ; forHeron

,the gem-cutter

,was known to every one

,

and if a man-at-arms should see him he wou ld cer

fainly fol low him . As regarded the prefect, hewould not apprehend any one this day, for, as herfather knew

,Caesar was tb arrive at Alexandria at

noon, and Titianusmust be on the spot to meet himwith all his train .

“ But if you want to be out of doors and do ing,she added

,

“ go to see Phi l ip. Bring h im to reason,and discuss with him what is to be done .

She spoke with fi rm decision,and Heron looked

with amazement at the giver of this counsel . Melissa had hitherto cared for his comfort in si lence,without expressing any opin ions of her own, andsubmitting to be the l ightn ing-conductor for all

his evil tempers. He did not rate her girl ish beautyvery high

,for there were no ugly faces in his family

nor in that of his deceased Olympias. And al l theother consolat ions she offered him he took as a

96A THORNY PATH .

matter of course—nay,he sometimes mad e them

a ground of compla int ; for he would occasionallyfancy that she wanted to assume the p l ace of hisbeloved lo st wife

,and he regarded it as a du ty to

her to show his daughter,and often very harshly

and unk indly,how far she was from fi l l ing hermoth

er’s place .

Thus she had accustomed herself to do her dutyas a daughter

,with quiet and wordless exactitude

,

looking for no thanks ; while he thought he wasdo ing her a k indness merely by suffering herconstant presence. That he shou ld ever exchangeideas with his daughter

,or ask her opinion

,would

have seemed to Heron abso lutely impossible ; yetit had come to this

,and for the second time this

morning he looked in her face with utter amazement .He could not but approve her warning not to

betray A lexander’s hiding-place,and her suggestion

that he shou ld go to see his eldest son coincidedwith an unspoken desire which had been lurking inhis mind ever since she had to ld him of her havingseen a disembodied soul . The possibi l ity of seeingher once more

,whose memory was dearer to him

than all e lse on ear th,had such a charm

,that it

moved him more deeply than the danger of his son,who was

,nevertheless

,very dear to his strangely

tempered heart.So he answered Mel issa cool ly, as if he were

tel l ing her of a decision already fo rmed :Of course ! I meant to see Phi l ip too ; only

and he paused,for anx iety about A lexander again

came to the front I can not bear to remain in suchuncertainty about the boy .

”

At this instant the door opened . The new-comerwas Andreas

,the man to whom Diodoros had ad

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93A THORNY PATH.

d reas, decisively . Then he inquired whether Heronhad any message or news to send to his son ; andwhen the gem-cutter repl ied that he had not

,the

freedman was about to go . Melissa,however

,de

tained him,saying :

I wil l go with you if you wi ll al low me .

And I ? ” said Heron , irr itably .

“ It seems tome that children are learn ing to care less and lesswhat their fathers’ views and requirements may be.

I have to go to Phil ip . Who knows what may happen in my absence ? Besides—no offense to you

,

Andreas—what concern has my daughter among theChristian s

To visit her lover, repl ied Andreas,sharply.

And he added, more quietly : I t wil l be a pleasureto me to escort her ; and your Argutis i s a faithfulfel low

,and in case of need would be of more use

here than an inexperienced gir l . I see no reasonable ground for detaining her

,Heron . I should l ike

afterwards to take her home with me,across the

lake ; i t would be a comfort to Po lybius and soothehis pain to have his favorite with him

,his future

daughter.—Get ready,my child .

”

The artist had listened with growing anger,and

a swift surge of rage made him long to give thefreedman a sharp lesson . But when his glaring eye

met the Christian ’s steady,grave gaze

,he control led

himself,and only said

,with a shrug which sufli

c iently expressed his feeling that he was surrendering his veto against his better j udgment

,addressing

himself to Mel issa and ignoring Andreas :“ You are betrothed

,and of age. Go

,for aught

I care,in obedience to him whose wishes evidently

putweigh mine . Polybius

’

s son is your master henceorth .

”

He folded his mantle, and when the girl hastened

A THORNY PATH. 99

to help him he al lowed her to do it ; but he wenton

,to the freedman : “ And for aught I care

,you

may take her across the lake, too. I t is naturalthat Polybius should wish to see his future daughter .But one th ing I may ask for myself : You haveslaves and to spare ; if anything happens to Alexander

,let me hear of it at once

He kissed Melissa on the head , nodded patron izingly to Andreas, and left the house.His soft-hearted devotio n

“

to a vision had weakened h is combativeness ; still, he would have yieldedless readi ly to a man who had once been a slave,but that the invitation to Melissa released him ofher presence for a while.

He was not,indeed

,afraid of his d aughter ; but

she need not know that he wanted Phi l ip to makehim acqua inted with Serapion

,and that through his

mediation he hoped at least to see the spirit of thewife he mourned . When he was fairly out of thehouse he smiled with satisfaction l ike a schoo l-boywho had escaped his master.

CHAPTER VI I .

MELISSA, .too, had a sense of freedom when shefound herselfgwalking by fthe side of Andreas .In the garden of Hermes

,where her father’s house

stood,there were ’

few signs of the excitement withwhich the citizens awaited Caesar’s arrival . Mostof those who were out and about were going in theopposite direction ; they meant to await the grand teception of Caracal la at the eastern end of the city , onhis way from the KanOpic Gate to the Gate of theSun . Sti l l

,a good many—men

,women and children

-were,l ike themselves

,walk ing westward

,for it was

known that Caesar would al ight at the Serapeum .

They had scarcely left the house when Andreasasked the girl whether she had a kerchief or a vei lin the basket the slave was carrying behind her ; andon her replying in the afli rmative

,he expressed his

satisfaction ; for Caracal la’s soldiery

, in consequenceo f the sovereign’s weakened discipl ine and reckless l iberal ity

,were l ittle better than an unbridled

rabble.

Then let us keep out of their way,urged Me ~

Certainly,as much as possible, said her com

panion .

“At any rate, let us hurry, so as to getback to the lake before the crowd stops the way.

You have passed an eventfu l and anxio us n ight,my

chi ld,and are tired

,no doubt .”

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102 A THORNY PATH.

c lass of l i fe for al l . Yea,the day is beginn ing to

dawn even now. The fu l lness of the time is come !Melissa looked up at him in amazement

,exclaim

ing : How strange ! I have heard those words onceto -day already

,and can not get them out of my

head . Nay, when you confi rmed my father’s report

,

I made up my mind to ask you to explain them .

”

What words ? asked Andreas,in surprise.

The fu l lness of the time is come.

”

And where did you hear them ? ”

In the house where Diodoros and I took refugefrom Zmin is.

”

“ A Christian meeting-house,repl ied Andreas

,

and his expressive face d arkened . But those whoassemble there are al iens to me ; they fo l low evilheresies . But never mind—they also cal l themselvesChristians

,and the words which led you to ponder

,

stand to me at the very gate of the doctrine of ourd ivine master

,l ike the obel isks before the door of

an Egyptian temple . Paul,the great preacher o f

the faith,wrote them to the Galatians. They are

easy to understand ; nay , any one who looks abouthim with his eyes Open

,or searches his own soul

,can

scarcely fai l to see their meaning,if only the desire

i s roused in him for something better than whatthese cursed times can give us

y

who l ive in them .

Then it means that we are on the eve of greatchanges

Yes ! cried Andreas, only the word youuseis too feeble . The o ld dul l sun must set

,to r ise

again with greater glory .

Il l at ease,and by no means conv inced

,Mel issa

looked her excited companion in the face as sherepl ied

Of course I know,Andreas

,that you speak

figuratively,for the sun which l ights the day seems

A THORNY PATH. {03

tome b right enough ; and is not everything flourishing in this gay

,busy city ? Are not its citizens

under the protection of the law ? Were the godsever more zealously worshiped ? Is my fatherwrong when he says that it is a proud thing tobelong to the mightiest realm on earth

,before

whose power barbarians tremble ; a great thing tofeel and cal l yourself a Roman citizenSo far Andreas had listened to her with com

posure, but he here interrupted, in a tone of scorn“ Oh

,yes ! Cae sar has made your father, and

your neighbor Skopas, and every free man in thecountry a Roman citizen ; but it is a pity that,while he gave each man his patent of cit i zenship

,

he should have filched the money out of hispurse.

”

“ Apion,the dealer

,was saying something to

that effect the other day, and I dare say it is true.But I can not be persuaded against the evidenceof my own eyes

,and they light on many good and

pleasant things. If on ly you had been with u s tothe Nekropolis yesterday ! Every man was honoring the gods after his own manner. Some

,indeed

,

were grave enough ; sti l l , cheerfulness won the dayamong the people . Most of them were ful l of thegod . I myself

,who general ly l ive so quietly, was

infected as the mystics came back from Eleusis,

and we joined their ranks.Ti l l the spy Zmin is spoi led your happiness

and imperiled your brother’s l ife for a carelessspeechf

’

Very true !And what your brother heedlessly proclaimed,

Andreas went on,with flashing eyes

,

“ the verysparrows twitter on the house-tops . It is the truth .

The sovereign of the Roman Empire is a thousand

104A THORNY PATH.

t imes a murderer. Some he sent to precede hisown brother

,and they were fol lowed by al l— twenty

thousand,it i s said—who were attached to the hap

less Geta,or who even spoke his name. This i s

the lord and master to whom we owe obediencewhom God has set over us for our sins. And whenthis wretch in the purple shal l close his eyes

,he

,

l ike the rest of the criminals who have precededhim on the throne, wil l be proclaimed a god ! A

noble company ! When your beloved mother diedI heard you

,even you , revi le the gods for their

cruelty ; others cal l them kind. It is only a quest i on of how they accept the blood of the sacrificed beasts, their own creatures, which you shedin thei r honor. If Serapis does not grant some foolthe thing he asks

,then he turns to the altar of

Isis,of Anubis

,of Zeus

,of Demeter . At last he

cries to Sabazios,or one of the new d eities of Olym

pus,who owe their ex istence to the decisions of

the Roman Senate,and who are for the most part

scoundrels and vil lains . There certainly neverwere more gods than there are now ; and amongthose of whom the myths tel l us things strangeenough to bring those who worship them into contempt

, or to the gal lows,is the countless swarm

of good and evi l daimons . Away with your Olympians ! They ought to reward virtue and punish vice ;and they are no better than corruptible j udges ; foryou know beforehand j ust what and how much wil lavai l to purchase their favors.

”

You paint with dark colors,the girl broke in .

I have learned from Phil ip that the Pythagoreansteach that not the sacrifice

,but the Spirit of the

offering,i s what real ly matters.

”

Quite right . He was th inking,no doubt

,of

the miracle-monger of Tyana, Apollonius, who cer

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106 A THORNY PATH .

And astronomers,the Christian went on

,can

calcu late for years to come exactly where his steedswil l be at each minute of the time . So no one canbe more completely a slave than he to whom somany mortals pray that he wil l

,of his own free-will

,

guide circumstances to suit them. I,therefore

,re

gard the sun as a star,l ike any other star ; and wor

ship should be given , not to those rol l ing spheresmoving across the sky in prescribed paths

,but to

Him who created them and gu ides them by fixedlaws. I real ly pity your Apol lo and the who le hostof the Olympian gods

,since the world has become

possessed by the mad idea that the gods and daimons may be moved

,or even compel led

,by forms

of prayer and sacrifices and magic arts,to grant

to each worshiper the particular th ing on whichhe may have set his covetous and changeablefancyf

’

“ And yet,exclaimed Melissa

,you yourself

to ld me that you prayed for my mother when theleech saw no further hope . Every one hopes fora miracle from the immortals when his own powerhas come to an end ! Thousands think so . And

in our city the people have n ever been morerel igious than they are now . The singer of theIalemos at the feast of Adonis particu larly praisedus for it.”

Because they have never been more ferventlyaddicted to pleasure

,and therefore have never more

deeply dreaded the terrors of hades. The greatand Splendid Zeus of the Greeks has been transformed into Serapis here

,on the banks of the Ni le,

and has become a god of the nether world . Mostof the ceremonies and mysteries to which the people crowd are connected with death . They hopethat the fo l ly over which they waste so many hours

A THORNY PATH. 107

wil l smooth their way to the fields o f the b lest,and

yet they themselves close the road by the pleasuresthey indulge in . But the fullness Of time is nowcome ; the straight road l ies Open to all mankind

,

cal led as they are to a higher l ife in a new worldand he who fo l lows it may await death as gladly asthe bride awaits the bridegroom on her marriageday . Yes

,I prayed to my God for your dying

mother,the sweetest and best of women . But what

I asked for her was not that her l ife might be preserved

,or that she might be permitted to l inger

longer among us,but that the next world might be

opened to her in al l its glory .

”

At this point the speaker was interrupted by anarmed troop which thrust the crowd aside to makeway for the steers which were to be slaughtered inthe Temple of Serapis at the approach of Caesar .There were several hundred of them, each with agarland about its neck

,and the handsomest which

led the train had its horns gilded .

When the road was clear again,Andreas pointed

to the beasts,and whispered to his companion

“ Their blood wi l l be shed in honor of the futuregod Caracal la. He once kil led a hundred bears inthe arena with his own hand . But I tel l yo u

,chi ld

,

when the ful lness of time is come, innocent bloodshal l no more be shed . You were speaking withenthusiasm of the splendor of the Roman Empire.

But,l ike certain fru it- trees in our garden which we

manure with blood,it has grown great on blood

,on

the life -j uice of its v ictims. The mightiest realmon earth owes its power to murder and rapine ; butnow sudden destruction is coming on the insatiatec i ty

,and visitation for her sins .”

And if you are right—if the barbarians Shouldind eed destroy the armies of Caesar, asked Melissa,

108 A THORNY PATH.

looking up in some alarm at the enthusiast, whatthen ?

Then we may thank those who help to d emolish the crumbling house ! ” cried Andreas

,with

flashing eyes.And i f it should be so

,said the girl

,with

tremulous anxiety,what

’

un iversal ru in ! What isthere on earth that could fi l l its place ? I f the empire fal l s into the power of the barbarians

,Rome

wil l be made desolate,and al l the provinces laid

waste which thrive under her protection .

”

Then,

said Andreas,wil l the k ingdom of the

Spirit arise, in which peace and love Shal l reign ihstead of hatred and murder and wars . There Shal lbe one fo ld and one Shepherd

,and the least shal l be

equal with the greatest.“ Then there wi ll be no more slaves ? ” asked

Melissa,in growing amazement .

Not one,

” repl ied her companion,and a gleam

Of inspiration seemed to l ight up his stern features .“ All shal l be free

,and all un ited in love by the

grace of Him who hath redeemed us.

”

But Mel issa Shook her head,and Andreas

,un

d erstand ing what was passing in her mind, tried tocatch her eye as he went on :

You think that these are the impossible wishesof one who has himself been a S lave

,or that it i s

the remembrance of past suffering and unutterablewrong which speaks in me ? For what right-mindedman would no t desire to preserve others from themisery which once crushed him to earth with itsbitter burden —But you are mistaken . ThousandsOf free-born men and women think as I do

,for to

them,too

,a higher Power has revealed that the

fu l lness of time is now come. He, the Greatest andBest, who made al l the woes of the world His own ,

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1 10 A THORNY PATH.

which to him is bitter mockery : to bear his woeswith patience . He is only a slave

,bought

,or per

haps inherited . Which of you ever thinks of askingwho gave you

,who are free

,the right to enslave

half of al l the inhabitants Of the Roman Empire,

and to rob them of the highest prerogative of humanity ? I know that many ph i losophers haveSpoken of slavery as an inj ustice d one by the strongto the weak : but they shrugged their shouldersover it nevertheless

,and excused it as an inev ita

ble evil ; for, thought they, who wil l serve meif my slave i s regarded as my equal ? You on lysmile at this confusion of the meditative recluses

,

but you forget —and a S in ister fi re glowed in hiseyes that the S lave

,too

,has a soul

,in which

the same feelings stir as in your own . You neverthink how a proud man may feel whose arm youbrand

,and whose very breath of l ife is indignity ;

or what a slave thinks who is spurned by his master ’s foot

,though noble blood may run in his ve ins .

All l iv ing things,even the plants in the garden

,

have a right to happiness,and on ly develop ful ly in

freedom,and und er loving care ; and yet one half

of mankind robs the other half of this right. The

sum total of suffering and sorrow to which Fate haddoomed the race is recklessly multipl ied and in

creased by the gui lt of men themselves. But thecry of the poor and wretched has gone up toheaven

,and now that the ful lness Of time is come

,

‘Thus far,and no farther

,i s the word. No wild

revolutionary has been endowed wi th a giant’sstrength to burst the bonds of the v ict ims asunder .No

,the Creator and Preserver of the world sent

his Son to redeem the poor in spirit,and

,above al l

,

the brethren and the sisters who are weary andheavy laden . The magical word which shall break

A THORNY PATH. I I I

the bars of the prisons where the chains of theslaves are heard is Love . But you

,Melissa

,can

but half comprehend al l this,

” he added,interrupt

i ng the ardent flow of his enthusiastic speech .

You can not understand it al l . For you,too

,chi ld

,

the fu llness o f t ime is coming ; fo r you , too, freeborn though you are, are, I know,

one of the heavyladen who patiently suffer the burden laid uponyou . You too But keep close to me we shallfind it difficu lt to get through this throng.

It was,in fact

,no easy matter to get acro ss the

crowd which was pouring noisi ly down the streetof Hermes

,into which this narrow way led . How

ever,they achieved it

,and when Melissa had re

covered her breath in a qu iet lane in Rhakotis,she

turned to her companion again with the question,

“ And when do you suppose that your predict ionswil l be fulfi l led ? ”

AS soon as the breeze blows which shall shakethe overripe fruit from the tree. It may be tmorrow

,or not yet

,according to the long -suffer

ing of the Most H igh . But the entire co l lapseof the world in which we have been l iv ing is as

certain to come as that you are wa lking here withme !Melissa walked on with a quaking heart

,as she

heard her friend’s tone of conviction ; he, however,was aware that the inmost meaning of his wordswas sealed to her. To his inqu iry, whether she

could not rejo ice in the coming of the glo rioust ime in store fo r redeemed humanity

,She answered,

tremulously“All you hope for is glorious

,no doubt, but

what shal l lead to it must be a terror to al l . Wereyou told of the k ingdom of which you speak by an

oracle,or is it only a picture drawn by your im

1 12 A THORNY PATH .

agination , a vision , and the offspring of your sou l’

s

d esire ? ”

Neither, said Andreas, d ecidedly ; and he wenton in a louder vo ice : I know it by revelat ion .

Bel ieve me,child

,i t is as certainly true as that the

sun wil l set th is n ight. The gates of th e heaven lyJerusalem stand Open

,and if yo u

,too

,would fain

be blessed But more of this later. Here we areat o ur journey ’s end .

”

They entered the Christian home,where they

found Diodoros, on a comfortable couch , in a spac ious

,shady room

,and in the care of a fr iendly

matron .

But he was in an evi l case . The su rgeonthought his wound a serious one ; for the heavystone which had hit him had inj ured the sku l l

,and

the unhappy youth was trembling with fever . Hishead was burning

,and it was with diffi culty that he

spoke a few coherent word s. But his eyes betrayedthat he recogn ized Mel issa, and that it was a joyto him to see her again ; and when he was to ldthat A lexander had so far escaped

,a bright look

lighted up his countenance It was ev idently a

comfort to him to gaze on Mel issa’s pretty face ;her hand lay in his

,and he understood her when she

greeted him from her father,and Spoke to him of

various matters ; but the l ids ere long closed overhis aching eyes.Melissa felt that she must leave him to rest.

She gently released his hand from her grasp andlaid it across his breast

,and moved no more

,ex

cepting to wipe the d rops from his brow . So lemnsti l lness had reigned for some time in the large

,

clean house,faintly smell ing of lavender ; but, on

a sudden,doors opened and shut ; steps were heard

in the ant eroom,seats were moved

,and a loud con

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1 14A THORNY PATH.

the readmission into this congregation of a manwho had been turned out by some other sect . Somewou ld have him rej ected

,and commended him to

the mercy of God ; others, less rigid , were wil l ingto receive him

,since he was ready to submit to any

penance.

Then the quarrel began again . High aboveevery other vo ice rose the shril l tones of a man whohad j ust arrived from Carthage, and who boasted o fpersonal friendship with the venerable Tertu l l ian .

The l isten ing gir l could no longer fol low the connection of the discussion , but the same names againmet her ear ; and, though she understood nothing ofthe matter

,it annoyed her

,because the turmoil dis

turbed her lover ’s rest .I t was not ti l l the S ick -nurse came back that the

tumult was appeased ; for, as soon as she learnedhow seriously the loud disputes of her fel low-be

lievers were disturbing the sick man’s rest

,she ih

terfered so effectual ly, that the house was as si lentas befo re.

The deaconess Katharine was the name bywhich She was known

,and in a few minutes she re

turned to her patient’s bedside .

Andreas fo l lowed her,with the leech

,a man of

middle height,whose shrewd and wel l - formed head

,

bald but for a l ittle hair at the sides,was set on a

somewhat ungainly body . His sharp eyes lookedhither and thither, and there was something j erkyin his quick movements ; st i l l, their grave d ecisiveness made up for the lack of grace . He paidno heed to the bystanders

,but threw himsel f

forward rather than bent over the patien t,felt

him,and with a l ight hand renewed his band

ages ; and then he looked round the room, ex amining it as curiously as though he proposed to take

A THORNY PATH.

up his abode there,ending by fixing his prominen t

,

round eyes on Mel issa. There was something so

ruthlessly inquisi tive in that look that it might,uh

der other circumstances,have angered her. How

ever, as it was, she submitted to it, for she saw that itwas shrewd , and she would have cal led the wisestphysician on earth to her lover ’s bedside if she hadhad the power.When Ptolemaeus—for so he was cal led—had, in

reply to the question,who is that learned who

she was,he hasti ly murmured : “ Then she can do

nothing but harm here. A man in a fever wantsbut one thing

,and that is per fect qu iet.

And he beckoned Andreas to the window,and

asked him shortly, Has the gir l any sensePlenty

,repl ied the freedman

,decisively .

As much,at any rate

,as she can have at her

age,

” the o ther retorted. Then it is to be hopedthat she wil l go without any leave- taking or tears .That fine lad is in a bad way . I have known al lalong what might do him good, but I dare not attempt it alone

,and there is no one in Alexandria.

But Galen has come to jo in Caesar. If he,Old

as he is But it i s not for the likes of us to intrude into Caesar ’s quarters Sti l lHe paused, laying his hand on his brow,

andrubbing it thoughtfu l ly with his short middle finger.Then he suddenly exclaimed : The Old man wouldnever come here . But the Serapeum

,where the sick

l ie awaiting divine or diabo lical counsel in dreamsGalen wi l l go there. I f on ly we cou ld carry the

boy thither .His nurse here would hardly al low that

,said

Andreas,doubtful ly .

He is a heathen,replied the leech, hotly.

Besides,what has faith to do with the inj ury to the

1 16 A THORNY PATH .

body ? How many Caesars have employed Egyptian and Jewish physicians ? The lad would get thetreatment he needs

,and

,Christian as I am

,I wou ld

,

i f necessary,convey him to the Serapeum

,though

it is of all heathen temples the most heathen . Iwil l find out by hook or by crook at what time Galen is to v isi t the cubicles. To-morrow

,or next day

at latest ; and to-night, or, better sti l l, to-morrowmorning before sunrise

,I wil l have the youth car

ried there . If the deaconess refusesAnd she wil l

,

”Andreas put in .

Very wel l .—Come here,maiden , he beckoned

to Mel issa,and went on loud enough for the dea

coness to hear : “ If we can get your betrothed tothe Serapeum early to-morrow

,he may probably be

cured ; otherwise I refuse to be responsible. Te l lyour friends and his that I wi l l be here before sunrise to-morrow

,and that they must provide a cov

ered l itter and good bearers .He then turned to the deaconess

,who had fo l

lowed him in si lence,with her hands clasped l ike a

deserter,laid his broad

,square hand on her Shoul

d er, and added :SO it must be, Widow Katharine . Love en

dures and suffers al l th ings,and to save a neighbor’s

l ife,i t is well to suffer in si lence even things that

displease us . I wil l explain it al l to you afterwards. Quiet, only perfect quiet—NO melancholyleave- taking

,child ' The sooner you are ou t of the

house the better .He went back again to the bed

,laid his hand for

a moment on the S ick man ’s fo rehead,and then left

the room .

Diodoros lay sti l l and indifferent on the couch .

Mel i ssa kissed him on the brow , and withdrew without his observing i t, her eyes ful l o f tears.

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1 13 A THORNY PATH .

and,as they could learn nothing from him that was

not good and worth knowing,Olympias had gladly

al lowed them to remain in his society , and herselffound a teacher and fr iend in the worthy steward .

She knew that Andreas had j o ined the Christ ians ;she had made h im tel l her much about hi s faith ;stil l

,as the daughter and wife of artists

,she was

firmly attached to the old god s,and could on ly te

gard the Christ ian doctrine as a new system of philosophy in which many things attracted her, butmany

,on the other hand

,repel led her At that

t ime his passion for Mel issa ’s mother had possessed him so who l ly that his life was a con stantstruggle against the temptat ion to covet his neighbor’s wife . And he had conquered

,doing severe

penance for every glance which might for an instant betray to her the weakness Of his soul . Shehad loved flowers

,and he knew the plant-world so

wel l, and was so absolutely master over everythingwhich grew and bloomed in the gardens Of whichhe had charge

,that he could Often intrust his speech

less favorites to tel l her things which lips and eyesmight not reveal . Now she was no more, and theculture of plants had lost half its charm sin ce hereyes could no longer watch their thr iving . Henow left the gardens for the most part to his men

,

while he devoted himself to other cares withdouble di l igence

,and to the strictest ex erc ises

'

of

his faith .

But,as many a man adores the children of the

woman he might not marry,A lexander and Melissa

dai ly grew dearer to Andreas. He took a father’sinterest in their welfare

,and

,needing little himself

,

he carefu lly hoarded his ample income to promotethe cause of Christ ianity and encourage good wo rks ;but he had paid A lexander ’s debts when his t ime

A THORNY PATH .

9

of apprenticeship was over,for they were so con

siderable that the reckless youth had not dared confess the sum to his stern father.Very soon after this

,Alexander had become one

of the most popular painters of the town ; and whenhe proposed to repay his friend the money he hadlent him

,Andreas accepted it ; but he added it to a

capital of which the purpo se was his secret,but

which,i f his prayers were heard

,might return once

more to benefit Alexander. Diodoros,too

,was as

dear to the freedman as a son of his own couldhave been

,though he was a heathen . In the gym

nasium and the race-course,or in the practice of

the mysteries,the good seed which he sowed in the

lad ’s heart was trodden down . Polybius,too, was

an utter heathen ; indeed, he was one Of the priestsOf Dionysos and Demeter

,as his wealth and posi

tion in the senate requ i red .

Then,Diodoros had confessed to him that he

hoped to win Melissa for his wife,and this had been

adverse to And reas’s hope and purpose of making aChristian of the girl ; fo r he knew by experiencehow easily married happiness was wrecked whenman and wife worship different gods. But whenthe freedman had again seen the gem-cutter’s brutal i ty and the gir l’s fi l ial patience

,an inward vo ice

had cal led to him that this gentle,gifted creature

was one of those elect from among whom the Lordchose the martyrs for the faith ; and that it washis part to lead her into the fold of the Redeemer .He had begun the work of converting her with thezeal he put into everyth ing. But fresh doubts hadcome upon him on the thresho ld of the sick -room,

after seeing the lad who was so dear to him, andwhose eye had met his with such a trustfu l , suffering look . Could it be right to sow the seed of dis

120 A THORNY PATH .

cord between him and his future wife ? And supposing Diodoros

,too , Should be converted by Me

lissa,could he thus al ienate from his father the son

and heir o f Po lybius—his benefactor andmaster ?Then

,he remembered

,too

,to what a position he

had risen through that master’s confidence in him.

Polybius knew nothing of the concerns of his housebut from the reports laid before him by Andreas ;for the steward controlled not merely the estatebut the fo rtune of the family

,and for years had

been at the head of the bank which he himself hadfounded to increase the already vast income Of theman to whom he owed his freedom . Polybius paidhim a considerable portion of each year’s profi ts

,

and had said one day at a banquet,with the epi

grammatic wit of an A lex andrian,that hi s freedman

,

Andreas, served his interests as only one other mancou ld do— namely

,himself—but with the industry

of ten . The Christian greatly appreciated his confidence ; and as he walked on by the side of Mel issa,he told himsel f again and again that it would bedishonorable to betray it .If only the sweet girl might find the way alone

If she were chosen to salvation,the Lord himself

would lead and gu ide her . Had he indeed notbeckoned her already by impressing on her hear tthose “words

,The fu l lness of the time is now

comeThat he was j ustified in keeping this remem

brance al ive he had no doubt ; and he was about tospeak of it again

,when she prevented him by rais

ing her large eyes beseechingly to his,and asking

him :

Is Diodoros in real danger ? Tel l me thetruth . I would rather endure the worst than thisdreadful anxiety .

”

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1 22 A THORNY PATH .

strength of wil l spark led in the qu iet,modest

maiden ’s eyes ! And the closely set l ips,which

usual ly were sl ightly parted,and hardly covered

two of her pearly white teeth,gave her a look of

such determination,that Andreas could see that no

Obstacle would check her.Sti ll

,love and duty al ike required him to use

every means in his power to keep her from takingsuch a step . He lavished all his eloquence ; butshe adhered to her purpose with steadfast persistency

,and none of the reason s he could adduce to

prove the impossibil ity of the undertaking convincedher . The only point which staggered her was theinformation that the great leech was an old man

,who

walked with d ifli culty ; and that Galen , as a heathenand a disciple of Aristotle

,would never be induced to

enter a Christian dwel l ing. Both these facts mightbe a serious hindrance to her scheme ; yet she wouldnot now stop to reflect . They had got backto the great street of Hermes

,leading from the

temple of that god to the Serapeum,and must cross

it to reach the lake,their immediate destination .

As in al l the principal streets of A lexandria,a co l

onnad e bordered the street in front of the houseson each side of the wide and handsome roadway .

Under these arcades the foot-passengers were closely packed , awaiting Caesar

’s passage . He mustsoon be coming

,for the reception

,fi rst at the Kan

Opie Gate,and then at the Gate of the Sun

,was long

since over ; and, even if he had carried out hispurpose o f halting at the tomb of A lexander theGreat

,he could not be detained much longer . The

d 1stance hither down the Kanopic Way was not

great,and sw1ft horses would

.quickly bring h im

down the Aspend ia street to that of Hermes, l eading straight to the Serapeum . His train was not

A THORNY PATH. 1 23

to fo l low him to the Soma,the mausoleum of the

founder of the city, but to turn Off to the southward by the Paneum

,and make a round into the

street of Hermes .The praetorians

,the German body-

guard , theimperial Macedonian phalanx

,and some mounted

standard-bearers had by this time reached the spotwhere Mel issa was proceeding up the street ho lding And reas’s hand . Close by them came also atrain of S laves

,carrying baskets fu ll of palm - leaves

and fresh branches of ivy,myrtle

, pOplar, and pine,from the gardens of the Paneum,

to be carried tothe Serapeum . They were escorted by lictors

, en

d eavoring with their axes and fasces to make a wayfor them through the liv ing wal l which barred thei rway.

By the help of the mounted troops , who keptthe main road clear

,space was made for them ; and

Andreas,who knew one of the overseers of the gar

den -slaves,begged him as a favor to al low Mel issa

and himself to walk among his people . This waswil l ingly granted to so wel l -known a man ; and theway was quite free for the moment

,because the im

perial tort/gt: had not fol lowed immediately on the

so ldiers who had now al l marched past . Thus,

among the flower-bearers, they reached the middleof the street ; and while the slaves proceeded ontheir way to the Serapeum

,the freedman tried to

cross the road,and reach the continuation of the

street they had come by,and which led to the lake .

But the attempt was frustrated,for some Roman

l icto rs who had j ust come up stood in their way,and sent them to the southern side of the street ofHermes

,to mingle with the gaping crowd under

the arcade .

They were,of course

,but il l received by these,

124 A THORNY PATH.

since they n aturally found themselves in front ofthe foremost rank ; but the stalwart frame anddetermined face of Andreas, and the exceptionalbeauty of his young companion , over whose prettyhead most o f the gazers cou ld easily see , protectedher from rough treatment .

Andreas spoke a few words of apology to thosestanding nearest to them

,and a young goldsmith

at once courteously made way,so that Mel issa

,who

had taken a place behind a co lumn,might see

better .And in a few minutes there was that to see

which made every one forget the intruders. Ve

hiel es and outriders,l i tters swung between mules

,

and a long train of imperial footmen,in red tunics

embroidered with go ld,huntsmen with leashes of

noble dogs,baggage-wagons and loaded elephants

,

came trooping down toward the Serapeum ; whilesuddenly, from the Aspend ia into the Hermes Way,the Numidian horse rushed out

,fo l lowed by a

troop of mounted l ictors,who galloped up the

street,shout ing their orders in loud tones to the

imperial train,in a mixture Of Latin and Greek

,of

which Mel issa understood only the words Caesar !and “ Make way to the right ! ”

The command was instantly obeyed . Vehicles,

foot-passengers,and riders alike crowded to the

southern or left-hand side of the road,and the

many-headed throng, of which Andreas and Melissaformed a part

,drew as far back as possible under

the co lonnade ; for on the edge of the footway therewas the risk of being trampled on by a horse orcrushed by a wheel . The back rows of the populace

,who had collected under the arcades

,were

severely squeezed by this fresh pressure from without, and their outcries were loud of anger , alarm,

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1 26 A THORNY PATH.

wave from every house and arch,and sways the

garlands hung across the street. Mel issa can seenone but flushed faces

,eyes swimming in tears

,part

ed lips,wildly waving arms and hand s. Then sud

d en ly a mysterious power hushes the loud tonesclose round her ; she hears only here and there thecry of “ Caesar ! ” He is coming ! “ Here heis —and the swift tramp of hoofs and the clatterOf wheel s sounding l ike the rattle of an iron bui lding after a peal of thunder

,above the shouts of ten

thousand human beings . Closer it comes and closer,

without a pause,and fol lowed by fresh Shouting

,

as a flock of daws follow an owl flying across thetwi l ight

,swel l ing again to irrepressible triumph as

the expected potentate rushes past Melissa and herneighbors. They only see Caesar as a form scarcelydiscerned by the eye during the space of a lightningflash in a dark night .Four tawny bay horses of medium S ize

,d appled

with black,harnessed abreast and wide apart

,fly

along the cleared road like hunted foxes, the lightGal l ic chariot at their heels. The wheels seemscarcely to touch the smooth flags of the A lexandrian pavement . The charioteer wears the red -bordered toga of the highest Roman ofli c ials. He iswel l known by repute

,and the subject of many a

sharp j est ; for this is Pandion , formerly a stableboy

,and now one Of “ Caesar’s friends, a praetor

,

and one of the great men of the empire . But he ~

knows his business ; and what does Caracal la carefor tradition or descen t

,for the murmurs and dis

content of high or low ?Pandion holds the reins with elegant composure,

and urges the ho rses to a frantic pace by a merewhistle

,without ever using the whip . But why is it

that he whirls the mighty monarch of half a world,

A THORNY PATH. 1 27

before whose bloodthirsty power every one quakes,

so swift ly past these eager spectators Sunk in thecushions on one side

,BassianusAntoninus is reclin

ing rather than sitting in the four-wheeled Openchariot of Gal l ic make which sweeps past . He doesnot vouchsafe a glance at the j ubilant crowd

,but

gazes down at the road, his well-shaped brow sodeeply furrowed with gloom tha t he might be meditating some evil deed.

I t i s easy to discern that he is of middle height ;that his upper l ip and checks are unshaven , andhis chin smooth ; that his hair is already thin, thoughhe lacks two years o f thirty ; and that his complextion is pale and sal low ; indeed, his aspect is familiar from statues and co ins

,many of which are of

base metal .Most of those who thus beheld the man who held

in his hand the fate of each individual he passed,as of the empire at large

,involuntar ily asked them

selves afterward what impression he had made onthem ; and Caracalla himself would have rejoicedin the answer

,for he aimed not at being attract ive

or admired,but on ly at being feared . But

,indeed

,

they had long Since learned that there was nothingtoo horrible to be expected of him ; and, now thatthey had seen him

,they were Of opin ion that his ap

pearance answered to his deeds . It would be hardto p i cture a more sinister and menacing lookingman than this emperor

,with his averted looks and

his haughty contempt for the world and mankind ;and yet there was something about him which madeit d ifli cult to take him seriously, especial ly to an

A lexandrian . There was a touch Of the grotesquein the Gall ic robe with a red hood in which thisominous looking contemner of humanity waswrapped . It was cal led a Caracalla , and i t was

123 A THORNY PATH .

from this garment that Bassianus Antoninus hadgained his n ickname.

The tyrant who wore this gaudy cloak was,no

d oubt,devoid al ike of truth and conscience ; but, as

to his being a phi losopher,who knew the worthless

ness of earthly things and turned his back upon theworld

,those who could might bel ieve it ! He was

no more than an actor,who played the part of Timon

not amiss,and who made use of his public to work

upon their fears and enj oy the sight of their an

guish . There was something lacking in him to makeone of those thorough-going haters of their k ind atwhose mere aspect every knee must bend . The ap

pearance, in short, of this false philosopher was notcalcu lated to subdue the rash tongues of the A lexand rians.

To this many of them agreed ; sti l l , there was notime for such reflections ti l l the dust had Shroudedthe chariot

,which van ished as quickly as i t had

come,ti l l the Shouting was sti l led

, and the crowdhad spread over the roadway again . Then theybegan to ask themselves why they had jo ined inthe acclamations

,and had been so wildly excited ;

how it was that they had so promptly surrenderedtheir self-possession and dign ity for the sake of thisw icked l ittle man . Perhaps it was his un l imited control over the weal and woe of the world

,over the l ife

and death of mill ions,which raised a mortal

,not

otherwise formed for greatness,so far above com

mon human ity to a semblance of divinity . Perhaps it was the instinctive craving to take part i nthe grand impulsive expression of thousands ofothers that had carried away each individual . Itwas beyond a doubt a mysterious force which hadcompel led every one to do as his neighbors did assoon as Caesar had appeared.

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1 30 A THORNY PATH.

The town had done its utmost to make itselffine enough to receive the empero r. Statues hadbeen erected of himself

,of his father

,his mother

,

and even of his favorite heroes,above al l of A lex

ander the Great ; tr iumphal arches without numberhad been constructed . The vast halls o f the Serapeum

,through which he was to pass

,had been

magnificently decorated ; and in front of the newtemple

, outside the Kanopic Gate, dedicated tohis father

, who now ranked among the gods, theelders of the town had been received by Caesar

,to

do him homage and offer him the gifts of the city.

All this had cost many talents,a who le heap of

gold ; but A lexandria was wealthy , and ready to

make even greater sacrifices if only they had beenaccepted with thanks and conde scension . But ayoung acto r

,who had been a spectator of the

scene at the Kanopic Gate, and had then hurriedh ither

,declared

,with dramatic indignation

,that

Caesar had only repl ied in a few surly words tothe address of the senate

,and even while be ac

cepted the gift had looked as if he were being il lused . The delegates had retired as though theyhad been condemned to death . To none but Timotheus, the high-priest of Serapis

,had be spoken

graciously.

Others confirmed this report ; and d issatisfaction found expression in muttered abuse or satiricalremarks and bitter witticisms .

“ Why did he drive past so quickly ? asked a

tai lor’s wife ; and some one repl ied :“ Because the Eumenides

,who haun t him for

murdering his brother,lash him on with their whips

of snakesA spice-merchant, who was not less indignant

butmore cautious,hearing a neighbor inquire why

A THORNY PATH. 1 3 1

Tarautas drove panther-spotted horses, replied thatsuch beasts of prey had spotted skin s

,and that

l ike to l ike was a common rule . A cynical philosopher

,who proclaimed his sect by his ragged gar

ment , unkempt hair, and rough mode o f speech, declared that Caesar had a senator to gu ide his chariotbecause he had long since succeeded in turn ing thesenate-house into a stable.

To al l thi s,however

,Mel issa turned a deaf ear

,

for the thought of the great Roman leech possessedher mind entirely . She l istened earnestly to themosaic-worker

,who had come close up to her

,and

ofli ciously mentioned the names of the most important personages as they went past . Caesar ’strain seemed endless. I t included not merely horseand foot so ldiers

,but numberless baggage -wagons

,

cars,elephants—which Caracalla especial ly affected

,

because Alexander the Great had been fond of thesehuge beasts—horses

,mules

,and asses

,loaded with

bales, cases, tents, and camp and kitchen furni ture .

Mingling with these came sutlers,attendants

,pages

,

heralds,musicians

,and slaves of the imperial house

ho ld,in knots and parties

,looking boldly about

them at the bystanders. When they caught sightof a young and pretty woman on the edge of thepath

,they would wave a greeting ; and many ex

pressed their admiration of Mel issa in a very insolent manner. Woolly-headed negroes and swarthynatives of north Africa mixed with the fairer dwellers on the Mediterranean and the yellow or redhaired sons of northern Europe . Roman lictors

,

and Scythian,Thracian

,or Keltic men -at-arms

kept every one out of the way who did not belongto the imperial train

,with relentless determina

t ion . Only the Magians,wonder-workers

,and

street wenches were suffered to push their way in

1 32 A THORNY PATH.

among the horses, asses, elephants, dogs, vehicles,and mounted troops.Each time that one of the unwieldy travel ing

carriages,drawn by several horses, came in sight, in

which the wealthy Roman was wont to take his easeon a long journey, or whenever a particu larly splendid l itter was borne past

,Melissa asked the mosaic

worker for info rmation . In some few instancesAndreas could satisfy her curiosity , for he hadSpent some months at Antioch on a matter of business

,and had there come to know by sight some of

Caesar’s most il lustrious companions.So far the great Galenus was not of the num

ber ; for Caracalla, who was ail ing, had but latelycommanded his presence The famous physicianhad sailed for Pelusium

,in spite of his advanced

age,and had only j u st j oined the sovereign ’s su ite .

The Old man’s chariot had been pointed out to themosaic-worker at the Kanopic Gate, and he wascertain that he cou ld not mistake it for any other ;it was one of the largest and handsomest ; the sidedoors o f it were decorated with the [Esculap iusstaff and the cup of Hygeia in si lver

,and on the

top were statuettes in wood of Minerva and ofE sculap ius. On hearing al l this, Melissa

’s facebeamed with happy and hopeful anticipation . Withone hand pressed to her throbbing bosom

,She

watched each vehicle as it drove past with such inten se expectan cy that She paid no heed to And reas’shint that they might now be able to make their waythrough the crowd .

Now—and the freedman had called her oncemore— here was another monstrous conveyance

,

belonging to Julius Paulinus,the former consu l

,

whose keen face,with its bright

,merry eyes, looked

out between the si lken curtains by the side of the

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1 34 A THORNY PATH .

her brain that Fate itself had brought about th ispause j ust at th is spot ; and when She heard themosaic-worker exclaim

,

“ The great Roman physician ! ” horses

,coach

,and everything swam before

her eyes ; she snatched her hand away from that ofAndreas

,and stepped out on the roadway . In an

instant she was standing face to face with the vencrable leech .

She heard the warn ing voice of her companion,

she saw the crowd staring at her, she had, no doubt,a brief struggle with her maiden ly shyness, but shecarried out her purpose. The thought that the

gods themselves were helping her to appeal to theon ly man who could save her lover

,encouraged her

to defy every obstacle.She was standing by the vehicle ; and scarcely

had she raised her sweet, innocent, blushing facewith pathetic and touching entreaty to the whitehaired Roman

,her large

,tear-filled eyes meeting

his,when he beckoned her to him ,

and in pleasan t,

sympathetic tones desired to know what she wanted .

Then she made bo ld to ask whether he were thegreat Roman physician

,and he repl ied with a flat

tered and kindly smile that he was sometimes socalled . Her thankful glance to heaven revealedwhat a comfort his words were

,and now her rosy

l ips moved freely,and she hurriedly

,but with grow

ing courage,gave him to understand that her be

trothed,the son of a respected Roman cit iz en o f

Alexandria,was lying badly wounded in the head

by a stone,and that the leech who was treating

him had said that none but he,the great Galenus

,

could save the young man ’s l ife . She also ex

p lained that Pto lemaeus, though he had said thatDiodoros needed quiet above al l things

,had pro

posed to carry him to the Serapeum,and to com

A THORNY PATH . 1 35

mend him there to the care of his greater col league,

but that She feared the worst results from the move.She glanced pleadingly into the Roman ’s eyes

,

and added that he looked so kind that she hopedthat he would go instead to see the sufferer

, who

had, quite by chance, been taken into a Christianhouse not very far from the Serapeum

,where he

was being taken good care of,and— as a matter of

cou rse—cure her lover.The old man had only interrupted her tale with

a few sly questions as to her love -affair and herreligion ; for when she had told him that Diodoroswas under the care of Christians

,i t had occurred to

him that this S imply but not poor ly dressed girl,

with her modest ways and sweet,calm face

,might

herself be a Christ ian . He was almost surprisedwhen She den ied it

,and yet he seemed pleased

,and

promised to grant her request. I t was not fittingthat a girl so young should enter any house whereCaesar and his train took up their abode ; he wouldwait for her

,

“ there —and he po inted to a smal l,

round temple to Aphrodite,on the left-hand side of

the street of Hermes,where the road was rather

wider— for the coach had meanwhi le slowly movedon .

Next day,at three hours after the rising of the

fierce Afr ican sun—for he could no t bear its meridian heat—he would go thither in his l itter. And

be sure you are there in good time ! ” he added,shaking h is finger at her.

If you come an hour too soon,you wil l find me

waiting ! She cried .

He laughed,and said

,

“What pretty maid,in

d eed,would dare to be late for an appointment un

der the very eyes of the goddess of Love ! He badeher a friendly farewel l, and lay back in the chariot .

1 36 A THORNY PATH .

Mel issa,radian t with happiness, looked about

her for the place where she had left her companion .

However,in spite of the l ictors

,Andreas had fo l

lowed her ; he drew her hand under his arm,and

led her through the now-thinning crowd into a sidelane which led to the lake

,opening out of the col

onnad ed street opposite the little temple .

Melissa’s steps were winged . Her joy at havinggained her end so quickly and so easily was uppermost in her mind

,and as they threaded their way

among the people she tried to tel l Andreas whatthe great physician had promised . But the no isedrowned her speech

,for at this moment Caesar’s

tame lion,named the Sword of Persia was being

led through the street by some Numidian slaves .Every one was looking at the splendid beast

and,as she too turned to gaze

,her eye met the ar

dent glance Of a tal l,bearded man standing at the

window of a house j ust behind the round temple toAphrodite . She at once recogniz ed Serapion , theMagian

,and whispered his name to Andreas ; be,

however,without looking round

,only drew her

along more quickly,and did not breathe easi ly ti l l

they found themselves in the narrow,deserted

al l ey .

The Magian had observed her whil e she stoodby the Roman’s chariot

,and h is conversation with

a Syrian of middle age in his company had been ofher. His companion’s appearance was as insign ificant as his own was stately and commanding. Nothing distingu ished the Syrian from a thousand of hisfel lows but the cunn ing stamped on his sharply-cutfeatures ; sti l l , the great Magian

’

seemed to hold himin some esteem

,fo r be readi ly repl ied to the l itt le

man ’s questions and remarks.At this moment the Syrian waved his hand in the

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133 A THORNY PATH.

Magians w i l l crowd round Ce sar,and the fame of

Sosibius, Hanan ja, and Kaimis, is not much behindmine. Each plies his art by his own formu las

,

tho ugh he may cal l himself a Pythagorean or whatnot . None dare claim to belong to any recognizedschool

,since the philosophers of the guild pride

themselves on condemning the miracle - mongers .Now

,in his youth

,Caracalla went through his courses

of philosophy . He detests Aristotle, and has alwaysattached himself to P lato and the Pythagoreans. Youyourself told me that by his desire Philostratus i swrit ing a li fe of Apo l lonius o f Tyana ; and, thoughhe may turn up his nose at the hair-spl itting andfrittering of the sages of the Museum

,it is in his

blood to look for marvels from those privi legedphilosophers. His mother has made courtiers of

them again ; and he, who looks for everything fromthe magic arts

,has never yet met a Magian who

could have been one of them.

”

At this the Syrian clapped his hands, exclaiming :And you propose to use Phil ip as your S ign

bearer to talk to the emperor of a thaumaturgistwho 15 hand in hand with al l the learning of theMuseum ? A cursed good idea ! But the gem-cutter’s son does not look l ike a simpleton ; and he isa skeptic into the bargain

,and believes in nothing.

I f you catch him,I Shal l real ly and truly bel ieve in

your miraculous powers.”“ There are harder things than catching him

,

said the Magian .

You mean to break his wil l,said the Syrian

,

looking down at the ground,

“ by your eye and thelaying on of hands

,as you did mine and Triph is

’

s

two years ago ? ”

That,no doubt

,formed the first bond between

us, said Serapion .

“ I now need only your ven o

A THORNY PATH. 1 39

triloquism. Phil ip h imself wil l come half-way tomeet me on the main po int .

And what is thatYou cal led him a skeptic

,and he does

,in fact

,

pride himsel f on going further than the o ld masters of the schoo l . Diligent study has broughthim to the point o f regarding nothing as certain

,

but,on the other hand

,everything as possible.

The last result he can arrive at is the probabi l ity- S ince certain ty there is none—that it is impossibleever to know anything

,be it what it may . He is

always ready to listen with sympathetic attentionto the arguments for the reappearance of the soulsof the dead in the earthly form they have quitted

,

to visit and converse with the l iv ing. He considersi t a fal lacy to say that anything is impossible ; andmy arguments are substantial . Korinna wil l appear to him . Castor has discovered a gir l who isher very image . Your arts wil l convince him thatit is she who speaks to him

,for he never heard her

voice in l ife,and al l this must rouse his desire to see

her again and again . And thus the skeptic wil l beconvinced

,in Spite of his own doctrine. In this

,as

in every other case,it i s the passionate wish that

gives rise to the belief.”“ And when you have succeeded in getting him

to thi s point asked the Syrian,anxiously .

Then,

” repl ied the Magian,

“ he wil l help me,

with his triumphant dialectics, to win Caesar over tothe same conviction ; and then we shall be able tosatisfy the emperor’s desire to hold intercoursewith the dead ; and for that I count on your powerof making voices proceed from any person present .

”

He said no more . The l ittle man looked up ath im approvingly

,and said, modestly You are in

deed wise,Serapion

,and I wil l do my best to help

140A THORNY PATH.

you . The next thing to be done is to seek repre

sentatives of the great A lexander , of Apo l lonius ofTyana

,and of Caesar’s brother, father-in - law

,and

wife .

”

Not forgetting Papinian the noblest of his v ict ims

,add ed the Magian . Back again already

,

Castor ?These words were addressed to a tal l and ap

parently elderly man in a long white robe , who hadslipped in without a sound . His demeanor was sograve and dign ified that he looked precisely l ike aChrist ian priest impressed with the sanctity of hisoffice ; but hardly had he got into the room,

andgreeted the Magian with much unction

,than he

pulled the white garment off over his head,rubbed

from his checks the l ines which gave him twentyadded years

,stretched his li the l imbs

,and exclaimed

with delight :I have got her ! Old Dorothea wil l bring her

to your theatre ! ”—and the young fellow’s mobile

face beamed with the happy radiance of success .It almost seemed as though fermenting wine flowedin the man ’s veins instead of blood ; for, when hehad made his report to the Magian

,and had been

rewarded with a handful o f go ld-pieces,be tossed

the coins in the air,caught them like fl ies in the

ho llow of his hand,and then pitched wheel fash ion

over head and heels from one end of the room tothe other. Then

,when he stood on his feet once

more,he went on

,without a sign of breathlessness :

“ Forgive me,my lord ! Nature asserts her

rights. T0 play the pious for three whole hours !Eternal gods

,that is a hard task

,and a man

must“ I know al l about it, Serapion broke in with

a smile and a threatening finger. “ Now go and

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CHAPTER IX .

WHILE this conversation was taking place, Melissa and her compan ion had reached the Shore ofthe lake

,the large in land sea which washed the

southern S ide of the city and afforded anchoragefor the Ni le-boats. The ferry-boat which wouldconvey them to the garden s of Po lybius startedfrom the Agathodaemon Canal , an enlarged branchof the Ni le

,which connected the lake with the

royal harbor and the Mediterranean ; they had,therefore

,to walk some distance along the Shore.

The setting sun shot slanting rays on the glittering surface of the glassy waters in which thenumberless masts of the Ni le-boats were mirrored .

Vessels large and small,with white or gayly-painted

lateen sails gleaming in the even ing glow, largegal leys

,l ight skiffs

,and restless

,skimming pleasure

boats,were fl itting to and fro ; and among them,

l ikeloaded wagons among chariots and ho rsemen , thelow corn -barges scarcely seemed to move, piled asthey were with pyramids of straw and grain as highas a house.

The bustle on the quay was less conspicuousthan usual

,for al l who were free to fo l low their

curiosity had gone into the city. There were, however

,many slaves

,and Caesar’s visit no more af

fected their day’s toi l than it did the course of thesun . To-day

,as every other day

,they had to pack

A THORNY PATH. 143

and un load ; and though few ships were sai l ing,

numbers were arriv ing from the south,and throw

ing out the landing-bridges which connected themw ith the shore .

The number o f pleasure-boats, on the otherhand

,was greater than usual ; for business was

suspended , and many who hated the crowd foundpleasure in rowing in their own boats. Others hadcome to see the imperial barge, which had beennewly furn i shed up

,and which was splendid enough

to attract even the luxurious Alexandrians. Goldand ivory

,purple sails

,bronze and marble statues

at the prow and stern,and in the l itt le Shrines on

the after-deck,combined in a gorgeous display,

made al l the more bri l l iant by the low sun,which

added v1v id ness to every hue.

It was pleasant to linger on the strand at thishour. Spreading sycamores and plumed palms casta pleasant Shade ; the heat of the day had abated,and a light air

,which always blew in from the lake

fanned Mel issa’

s brow . There was no crushingmob

,and no dust came up from the well -watered

roadway,and yet the girl had lost her cheerful

looks,in spite of the success of her bo ld venture ;

and Andreas walked by her side, si lent and il lp leased .

She could not understand him ; for, as long asshe cou ld remember

,his grave looks had always

brightened at anything that had brought gladnessto her or to her mother. Besides

,her success with

the Roman would be to the advantage of Diodoros,an d the freedman was devoted to him. Every nowand then She perceived that his eye rested on herwith a compassionate expression

,and when she in

quired whether he were anx ious about the sufferer,he gave her some evasive answer, quite unl ike his

144 A THORNY PATH .

usual decisive speech . This added to her alarm.

At last his dissatisfied and unsatisfactory repliesvexed the usual ly patient girl

,and She told him SO

fo r she cou ld not suspect how painfu l ly her triumph in her hasty deed jarred on her truth- lovingfriend. He knew that it was not to the greatGalenus

,but to the wealthy Serenus Samon icus

,

that She had spoken ; for the physician’s noble and

thoughtfu l featu res were famil iar to him from medals

,statues

,and busts . He had seen Samon icus

,too

,

at Antioch , and held his medical lore, as expressedin verse

,very cheap. How worthless wou ld this

man ’s help be ! In spite of his promise, Diodoroswould after al l have to be conveyed to the Serapeum and yet Andreas cou ld not bear to crush h isdarl ing’s hopes.He had hitherto known her as a patient , duti

fu l chi ld ; to -day he had seen with what unhesitating determination she could carry out a purpose ;and he feared that

,if he to ld her the truth

,She

would at once make her way into Caesar’s quarters,

in defiance of every obstacle,to crave the assist

ance of the true Galen . He must leave her inerror

,and yet he co uld not bear to do so ; for

there was no art in which he was so inexpert asthat of deceit . How hard it was to find the r ightanswer

,when she asked him whether he did not

hope everything from the great physician ’s intervention ,

or when she inquired what were the worksto which Galen owed his chief fame !

AS they came near to the landing-stage whencethe ferry started

,she wanted to know how old he

should suppose the Roman leech to be ; and againhe avoided answering

,for Galen was above eighty

,

and Serenus scarcely seventy .

She looked up at him with large , mournful eyes,

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146 A THORNY PATH.

on al l that bears the name of humanity—on me andyou . Happy

,gir l ? None of us can ever be happy

ti l l the Kingdom shal l arise for which the ful lnessof the time is come .

”

But they dropped the column ; I saw them myself urged Melissa.

Did you,indeed ? said Andreas. Well

,wel l

,

the whip,no doubt

,can revive exhausted powers.

And that is how you look upon such deeds —you ,who wou ld not crush a worm in the garden

,think

this is right and j ust !It suddenly struck Melissa that Andreas

,too

,had

once been a S lave,and the feel ing that she had hurt

him gr ieved her to the heart. She had often heardhim speak stern ly and gravely, but never in scornas he did now

,and that

,too

,d 1stressed her ; and as

she cou ld not th ink of the r ight thing to say inatonement for the wrong she had done , she cou ldon ly look up with tearfu l entreaty and murmur,Forgive me !I have nothing to forgive

,he repl ied in an al

tered tone. “ You have grown up among the unj ust who are now in power. How should you seemore clearly than they

,who al l walk in darkness ?

But if the l ight Should be shown to you by one towhom it hath been revealed

,i t would not be ex tin

guished again —Does it not seem a beautifu l thingto you to l ive among none but brethren and S i sters,instead of among oppressors and their scourged victims ; or is there no place in a woman

’

s sou l for theho ly wrath that came upon Moses the HebrewBut who would ever have spoken his great name toyou ? ”

Melissa was about to interrupt his vehementspeech, for, in a town where there were so manyJews

,alike among the citizens and the S laves

,even

A THORNY PATH. 147

she had heard that Moses had been their lawgiver ;but he prevented her

,by adding hasti ly : This

only, child , I would have you remember—fo r here .

is the ferry - the worst i l ls that man ever infl ictson his fel low-man are the outcome of self- interest ; and, of al l the good he may do , the best is theresu lt of his achievmg self- forgetfu lness to securethe happiness and welfare of others .”

He said no more,fo r the ferry-boat was about

to put off,and they had to take their places as

quickly as possible.The large flat barge was almost unoccupied ; for

the multitude sti l l l ingered in the town,and more

than one seat was empty for the weary gir l to reston . Andreas paced to and fro

,for he was restless ;

but when Melissa beckoned to him he came close toher

,and

,whi le he leaned against the l i tt le cabin, re

ceived her assurance that she now quite understoodhis desire to see al l slaves made free. He

,if any

one,must know what the feel ings of those unhappy

creatures were.Do I not know ! he exclaimed

,with a Shake

o f the head . Then,glancing round at the few per

sons who were sitting at the other end of the boat,he went on sadly : To know that

,a man must him

self have been branded with the marks of his humi liation .

" He showed her his arm,which was usually

hidden by the long sleeve of his tun ic, and Melissaexclaimed in sorrowful surprise :

“ But youwerefree-born ! and none of our slaves bear such a

brand . You must have fal len into the hands ofSyrian pi rates .”

He nodded,and added

,I and my father.

But he,the gir l eager ly put in , was a great

i

Till Fate overtook him,Andreas said .

148 A THORNY PATH .

Melissa’s tearfu l eyes showed the warm sympathy She felt, as she asked

But how could it have happened that you werenot ransomed by your relations Your father was

,

no doubt,a Roman citiz en ; and the law

The law forbids that such a one Should besold into slavery

,

”Andreas broke in

,and yet the

authorities of Rome left him in misery— leftAt this

,her large, gentle eyes flashed with ind ig

nation,and

,stirred to the depths o f her nature

,She

exclaimed :How was such horrible inj ustice possible Oh

,

let me hear. You know how truly I love you,and

no one can hear you .

”

The wind had risen,the waves splashed noisi ly

against the broad boat,and the song of the slaves

,

as they pl ied their oars,would have drowned a

stronger voice than the freedman ’s ; so he sat downby her side to do her bidding.

And the tale he had to tel l was sad indeed .

His father had been of knightly rank,and in the

reign of Marcus Aurel iu s he had been in the serv iceof Avidin s Cassius

,his fel low-coun tryman

,the il lus

trious governor of Asia as proturator ab tyzlctolt'

s.

As holding this high post,he found himsel f involved

in the conspiracy of Avidins against the emperor .After the a ssa ssination of his patron , who had alreadybeen procla imed emperor by the troops, And reas

'

s

father had been depr ived of his offices,his citizenship

,

and his honor s ; his possessions were confi scated,and he was exiled to the i sland of Anaphe. It wasto Caesar’s c lemency that he owed his l i fe.On their voyage into exile the father and son

fel l into the hands of Syrian pirates,and were so ld

in the slave-market of Alexandria to two separatemasters. Andreas was bought by a tavern -keeper ;

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150 A THORNY PATH.

couple who watched him with so much uneasinesssoon understood that he was striv ing to overtakeanother and larger bark which was at soine distance in fron t of him. I t was being pulled byS laves

,whose stalwart arms made the pace a good

one,and under the l inen awning which shaded the

middle part of it two women were seated.

The rays of the sun,whose fiery globe was now

sinking behind the palm-groves on the westernshore

,flooded the sky with ruby light

,and t inged

the white robes of these women , the l ight canopyover their heads

,and the whole face of the lake

,

with a rosy hue ; but neither Andreas nor his companion heeded the glorious farewell of departing day .

Melissa pointed out to her friend the strangeness of her brother ’s att ire

,and the hood which

,in

the evening light, seemed to be bordered with gold .

He had on,in fact

,a Gallic mantle

,such as that

which had gained Caesar the nickname of Caracal la,

and there was in this disgu ise something to reassure them ; for, i f Alexander pul led the hood lowenough

,it would hide the greater part of his face

,

and make it diffi cul t to recognize him. Whence hehad procured this garment was not hard to divine

,

for imperial servants had distributed them in numbers among the crowd . Caesar was anxious to bringthem into fashion

,and it might safely be expected

that those A lexandrians who had held out theirhands to accept them would appear in them on themorrow, as no order required that they should beworn . A lexander could no t do better than wearone, i f only by such means he cou ld escape Zin in isand his men .

But who were the women he was pursu ing ?Before Melissa could ask the question , Andreas

pointed to the foremost boat, and said

A THORNY PATH . 151

Those are Christian women,and the bark they

are in belongs to Zeno,the brother of Seleukus and

of the high-priest of Serapis. That is his landingcreek . He lives with his family

,and those of the

faith to whom he affords refuge,in the long, white

house you can j ust see there among the palm-trees.Those vineyards

,too

,are his . I f I am not mis

taken , one of the ladies in that boat is his daughter,Agatha.

”

But what can Alexander want of two Christianwomen ? ” asked Melissa.

Andreas fired up,and a vein started on his high

forehead as he retorted angrily“What should he not want ! He and those who

are l ike him—the bl ind—th ink nothing so preciousas what satisfies the eye—There ! the brightness hasvanished which turned the lake and the shore togold . Such is beauty -a vain show

,which only

gli tters to disappear,and is to foo ls

,nevertheless

,

the supreme object of adoration !Then

,is Zeno’s daughter fair ? asked the

She is said to be,repl ied the other ; and after

a moment’s pause he added Yes,Agatha is a

rarely accompl ished woman ; but I know be tterthings of her than that . It stirs my gall to thinkthat her sacred purity can arouse unho ly thoughts .I love your brother dearly ; for your mother

’s sakeI can forgive him much ; but if he tries to ensnareAgatha

“ Have no fear,said Melissa

,interrupting his

wrathful speech . Alexander is indeed a butterfly,fluttering from flower to flower, and apt to be frivolous over serious matters, but at this moment he isenslaved by a vision—that of a dead girl and onlylast night, I bel ieve, he pledged himself to Ino, the

52 A THORNY PATH .

pretty daughter o f our neighbor Skopas. Beautyi s to him the highest thing in l ife ; and how shou ldi t be otherwise, for he i s an artist ! For the sake ofbeauty he defies every danger. I f you saw rightly

,

he i s no doubt in pursuit of Zeno’s daughter,but

most l ikely not to pay court to her,but for some

other reason .

”

“ No praiseworthy reason , you may be sure,said Andreas. “ Here we are. Now take yourkerchief out of the basket . It is damp and coo lafter sundown

,especial ly over there where I am

draining the bog . The land we are reclaiming bythis means wil l br1ng your future husband a fineincome some day .

”

They disembarked,and ere long reached the

littl e haven belonging to Polybius’

s estate . Therewere boats moored there

,large and small

,and

Andreas hailed the man who kept them,and who

sat eating his supper,to ask him whether he had

unmoored the green skiff for Al exander.At this the old fellow laughed

,and said : “ The

jol ly painter and his friend,the sculptor

,met Zeno ’s

daughter just as she was gett ing into her boat withMariamne. Down they came

,running as if they

had gone mad . The girl must have turned theirheads . My lord A lexander would have it that hehad seen the spirit of one who was dead

,and he

would gladly give his l ife to see her once again .

”

I t was now dark,or it would have alarmed

Mel issa to see the ominous gravity with whichAndreas l istened to this tale ; but she herself wassufficiently startled

,for she knew her brother wel l

,

and that no risk,however great

,would stop him

if his arti st ic fancy were fired . He,whom she had

believed to be in safety,had gone straight in to the

hands of the pursuers ; and with him caution and

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54 A THORNY PATH.

Andreas also shared the supper ; and not the

attendant slaves on ly,but Dame Prax illa

,the sis

ter of their host , whose house She managed,paid

h im particular honor . She was a widow and childless, and

,even during the l ifetime of Diodoros’s

mother, she had given her heart,'

no longer young,to the freedman

,without finding her love returned

or even observed . For his sake She would havebecome a Christian

,though she regarded herself as

so indispensable to her brother that she had rarelyleft him to ho ld in tercourse with other Christians.Nor did Andreas encourage her ; he doubted hervocation . Whatever happened in the house

, the

excitable woman made it her own concern ; and ,although she had known Melissa from childhood

,

and was as fond of her as she cou ld be of the chi ldof strangers

,

” the news that Diodoros was tomarrythe gem-cutter ’s daughter was displeasing to her.

A second woman in the house might interfere w ithher supremacy ; and, as an excuse fo r her an noyance

,She had represented to her brother that Dio

doros might look higher fo r a wife . Agatha,the

beauti fu l daughter of their rich Christian neighborZeno

,was the r ight bride for the boy.

But Polybius had rated her sharply,declaring

that he hoped for no Sweeter daughter than Melissa,

who was quite pretty enough, and in whose veins aspure Macedonian blood flowed as in his own . Hisson need look for no wealth

,he added with a laugh

,

since he would some day inherit his aunt’s.In fact

,Prax illa owned a fine fortune

,increasing

daily under the care of Andreas, and she repl ied :I f the young couple behave so wel l that I do

got rather choose to bestow my pittance on worthiere1rs.But the implied threat had not disturbed PO

A THORNY PATH . 155

lybius, for he knew his S ister’s ways. The shriveled

,

irritable o ld lady often spoke words hard to be forgiven

,but she had not a bad heart ; and when She

learned that Diodoros was in danger,she felt only

how much she loved him,and her proposal to go to

the town n ext morning to n urse him was S incerelymean t.But when her brother retorted Go

,by al l

means ; I do not prevent you she started up,ex

claiming :And you

,and your aches and pains ! How you

get on when once my back is turned,we know by

experience . My presence alone is medicine to you .

And a bitter dose it is very o ften,

” repl ied the

o ld man,with a laugh ; but Prax illa promptly te

torted : Like all effectual remedies. There is youringratitude again

The last words were accompanied by a whimper,so Polybius

,who could not bear to see any but

cheerfu l faces,raised his cup and drank her heal th

w ith kindly words. Then refi l l ing the tankard,be

poured a l ibation,and was about to empty it to Me

l issa’s health,but P rax illa’

s lean frame was standing by his S ide as quickly as though a serpent hadstung her . She was drawing a stick of asparagusbetween her teeth

,but she hasti ly dropped it on her

p late, and with both hands snatched the cup fromher brother

,exclaiming :

I t is the fo urth ; and if I al low you to empty it,you are a dead man !

“ Death is not so swift,repl ied Polybius, sign

ing to a slave to bring him back the cup . But hedrank only half of it

,and

,at his sister’s pathetic

entreaties,had more water mixed with the wine .

An d while Prax illa careful ly prepared his crayfishfor gout had crippled even his fingers—he beckoned

1 56 A THORNY PATH.

to his white-haired body-slave,and with a cunning

smile made him add more wine to the washy fluid .

He fixed his twinkling glance on Mel issa, to inviteher sympathy in his successful trick, but her appearance startled him . How pale the child was— howdejected and weary her sweet face

,with the usual ly

bright,expressive eyes !

It needed not the intuition of his kind heart totel l him that she was completely exhausted

,and he

desired his sister to take her away to bed . ButMel issa was already sound asleep

,and Prax illa

would not wake her . She gently placed a pil lowunder her head, laid her feet easi ly on the couch ,and covered them with a wrap . Polybius feastedhis eyes on the fair sleeper ; and, indeed, nothingpurer and more tender can be imagined than thegirl ’s face as she lay in dreamless slumber.

The conversation was now carried on in subdued tones

,so as not to d isturb her

,and Andreas

completed the history of the day by informing themthat Mel issa had

,by mistake

,engaged the assist

ance not of the great Galen but of another Romanpracticed in the heal ing art

,but of less i l lustrio us

proficiency . He must,therefore

,st il l have Dio

doros conveyed to the Serapeum,and this cou ld

be done very easi ly in the morning,before the

populace should again besiege the temple . Hemust forthwith go back to make the necessary arrangements . Prax illa whispered tenderly :

Devoted man that you are,you do not even

get your n ight’s rest.” But Andreas turned awayto discuss some further matters w ith Po lybius ;and

,in spite of pain

,the o ld man could express his

views clearly and intel l igently .

At last he took his leave ; and now Prax illa hadto direct the slaves who were to carry her bro ther

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1 53 A THORNY PATH.

sel f-control. It was far too late,and when the

housekeeper came into the room and gladly volunteered to accompany Mel issa to the town

,Prax illa

threatened to rouse her brother,that he might in

sist on their remaining at home ; but at last sherelented

,for the girl

,she saw

,would take her own

way against any opposition .

,The housekeeper had been nurse to Diodoro s

,

and had been longing to help in tending him. Whenshe left the house with Mel issa

,her eyes were moist

with tears o f joy and thankfulness.

CHAPTER X.

THE Nubian boat-keeper and his boy had soonferried them across the lake . Melissa and her companion then turned off from the shore into a streetwhich must surely lead into that where the Christians dwelt. Sti ll

,even as She went on

,she began

to be doubtfu l whether She had taken the right one ;and when she came out by a smal l temple

,which she

certain ly had not seen before , She knew not whichway to go

,for the streets here crossed each other

in a perfect labyrinth , and she was soon obliged toconfess to her companion that She had lo st herroad . In the morning She had trusted herself toAnd reas

’

s knowledge of the town,and while talk ing

eagerly to him had paid no heed to anything else .

What was to be done ? She stood meditating ;and then she remembered the spot where she had

seen Caesar dr ive past. This she thought she cou ldcertainly recognize

,and from thence make her way

to the street She sought .I t was quite easy to find the street of Hermes,

for the noise of the revelers,who were to-n ight

even more numerous than usual in this busy highway, could be heard at a considerable distance.They must fol low its gu idance t i l l they should cometo the l itt le temple of Aphrodite ; and that was a

bold enterprise,for the crowd of men who haunted

the spot at this hour might possibly hinder and an .

150 A THORNY PATH .

noy two unescorted women . However, the e lderwoman was sturdy and determined

,and sixty years of

age ; while Mel issa feared nothing, and thought herself sufli ciently protected when she had arranged herkerchief so as to hide her face from curious eyes .

As She made her way to the wide street with athrobbing heart

,but qu ite resolved to find the house

she sought at any cost,she heard men ’s vo ices on

a side street ; however, she paid no heed to them,

for how,indeed

,could she guess that what they were

saying cou ld nearly concern her ?The conversation was between a woman and a

man in the white robe of a Christian priest . Theywere standing at the door of a large house ; andclo se to the wal l

,in the shadow of the porch of a

building opposite,stood a youth

,his hair covered

by the hood of a long caracal la, l istening withbreathless attention .

This was Alexander.He had been standing here for some time al

ready,waiting for the return of Agatha

,the fair

Christian whom he had fo llowed across the lake,

and who had van ished into that house under theguidance of a deaconess. The door had not longclosed on them when several men had also been ad

mitted,whom he could not distinguish in the dark

ness,for the street was narrow and the moon stil l

low .

It was Sheer fo l ly—and yet he fancied that oneof them was his father

,for his deep

,loud vo ice was

precisely l ike that of Heron ; and, what was evenmore strange

,that o f the man who answered him

seemed to proceed from his brother Phi l ip. But,at

such an hour,he cou ld more easily have supposed

them to be on the top of Mount Etna than in thisquarter of the town .

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162 A THORNY PATH.

wind ; for no sooner had a woman jo ined him,whom

he evidently expected,than she blamed him for his

want of caution . To this he laughingly rep l 1ed thathe was too hot in his disgu ise, and, pul l ing out afalse beard , he showed it to the woman, who wasdressed as a Christian deaconess

,exclaim ing, That

wil l do it !

He went on to tel l her,in a quick

,low tone

,

much of which escaped the l istener,that Serapion

had dared much that day,and that the performance

had ended badly,for that the Christian girl he had

SO cleverly persuaded to come from the o ther S ideo f the lake had taken fright

,and had insisted on

knowing where she was .At this the deaconess seemed somewhat dis

mayed,and poured out endless questions in a low

voice. He, however, cast al l the blame on the philosopher, whom his master had got ho ld of the daybefore . Then

,as the woman desired more partien

lar information,he briefly told her the story .

The fair Agatha, he said, after being inv ited byhim

,at noon

,in the name of Bishop Demetrius

, to

a meeting that evening, had reached the ferryhouse at about sunset. She had been to ld thatmany things of immediate importance were to beannounced to the maidens of the Christian congregation ; more especially , a discussion was to be heldas to the order issued by the prefect for their tak ~

ing part in a procession in Caesar’s honor when heshou ld qu it Alexandria. Old Dorothea had metthe girl at the ferry-house, and had brought herhither. The woman who had attended her acrossthe lake was certainly none of the wisest , for Dorothea had easily persuaded her to remain in her housedur ing the meeting .

“ Once there,

the sham priest went on,

A THORNY PATH . 1630

girl’s wait ing-woman must have had some dose in

wine or sirup and water,for she is fast asleep at

this moment in the ferry-house,or wherever Doro

thea took her, as she could not be al lowed to wakeunder Dorothea’s roof.

Thus every one was out of the way who cou ldmake any mischief ; and when the Syrian

,dressed

as a Christian priest, had explained to Agatha whatthe patriarch required of his maidens

,I led her on

to the stage, on which the spectators were to see the

ghosts through a small opening.

The Syrian had desired her to put up so manyand such prayers for the congregation in its peri lfrom Caesar ; and, by Aphrodite ! she was as doci leas a lamb . She fel l on her knees

,and with hands

and eyes to heaven entreated her god . But hark !Did you hear anything ? Something is stirringwithin . Well

,I have nearly done.

The philosopher was to see her thus, and whenhe had gazed at her as if bewitched fo r some littletime through the smal l window

,he sudden ly cr ied

out,Korinna ! Korinna and all sorts of non

sense, although Serapion had strict ly forbidden himto utter a sound . Of course

,the curtain instantly

dropped . But Agatha had heard him cal l,and in a

great fright She wan ted to know where She was,and asked to go home—Serapion was real ly grand.

You should have heard how the fox soothed thedove

,and at the same time whispered to me what

you now are to do !“ I ? ” said the woman

,with some annoyance.

If he thinks that I wil l r isk my good name in the

congregation for the sake of his long beardJust be qu iet,

” said Castor,in a pacifying tone .

The master’s beard has nothing to do with the

case,but something much more substantial . Ten

154 A THORNY PATH.

sol idi , ful l weight, shall be yours if you wil l takeAgatha home with you , or safe across the lakeagain

,and pretend to have saved her from mystics

or magicians who have decoyed her to some evi lend . She knows you as a Christian deaconess, andwil l go with you at once. If you restore her to herfather

,he is rich , and wil l not send you empty

away . Tel l him that you heard her vo ice out inthe street

,and with the help of a worthy old man

-that am I—rescued her from any peril you mayinvent . If he asks you where the heroic deed wasdone

,name any house you please

,only not this .

Your best plan is to lay it all on the shou lders Of ‘

Hanan ja, the thaumaturgist ; we have owed him agrudge this many a day . However

,I was not to

teach you any lesson,for your wits are at least a

match for ours .Flattery wil l not win me

,the woman broke

Where is the go ld ?Casto r handed her the sol idi wrapped in a papy

rus leaf,and then added

Stay one moment ! I must remove this whiterobe. The girl must on no account recogn ize me .

I am going to force my way into the house withyou— you found me in the street

,an o ld man

,a tota l

stranger,and appealed to me for help . No harm

is done,nothing lost but Dorothea’s credit among

the Christians . We may have to get her safe outof the town . I must escort you and Agatha

,for

nothing unpleasant must happen to her on the wayhome . The master is imperative on that po in t, andso much beauty w il l certainly not get through thecrowded streets without remark . And for my part

,

I,of course

,am thinking of yours .

Here Castor laughed aloud, and rol led the whiterobe into a bundle . Alex ander peeped out of his nook

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166 A THORNY PATH.

must go back to her own boat,waiting at the ferry

,

and return home,the deaconess represented that

this was impossible by reason of the drunken seamen

,who at this hour made the strand unsafe ; she

could only advise Agatha to come home with herand remain til l daybreak .

“ This k ind o ld man,

”

and she pointed to Castor,would no doubt go and

tel l the oarsmen that they were not to be uneasy at

her absence .

”

The two women stood talking in the broadmoonlight

,and the pale beams fell on Agatha’s

beautiful unveiled features,giv ing them that un

earthly,corpse- l ike whiteness which Alexander had

tried to represent in his picture of Korinna . Againthe thought that she was r isen from the dead sent achil l through his blood—that She would make himfo l low her

,perhaps to the tomb she had qu itted .

He cared not ! If his senses had cheated him— if, inspite of what he had heard

,that pale, unspeakably

lovely image were indeed a lamia,a gobl in Shape

from Hecate ’s dark abode,yet would he fol low

wherever she might lead,as to a festival

,on ly to

be with her.Agatha thanked the deaconess

,and as she spoke

raised her eyes to the woman’

s face ; and they weretwo large

,dark orbs sparkl ing through tears

,and

as unlike as possible to the eyes which a ghostmight snatch from their sockets to fl ing l ike bal lsor stones in the face of a pursuer . Oh

,if on ly

those eyes might look into his own as warmly andgratefu l ly as they now gazed into the face of thattreachero us womanHe had a hard struggle with himself to subdue

the impulse to put an end, now and here, to the fiendish tricks which guile was playing on the purest innocence ; but the street was deserted, and if he had to

A THORNY PATH. 157

struggle with the bent o ld man , whose powerfu l andsupple limbs he had already seen

,and if the vi l lain

should plant a kn ife in his ribs—for as a wrestlerhe felt himself his match—Agatha would be bereftof a protector and who lly in the deceiver’s power.

This, at any rate, must no t be ; and he evencontrol led himself when he heard the music of herwords

,and saw her grasp the hand of the pretended

graybeard, who, with an assumption of paternalkindness

,dared to kiss her hair

,and then helped

her to draw her kerchief over her face. The streetof Hermes

,he explained

,where the deaconess dwel t

,

was full of people,and the div ine gift of beauty

,

wherewith Heaven had blessed her,would attract

the baser kind,as a flame att racts bats and moths.

The hypocrite’s vo ice was ful l of unction ; the d eaconess spoke with pious gravity. He could see thatshe was a woman of middle age

,and he asked him

sel f with rising fury whether the gods were not

gui lty who had lent mean wretches l ike these suchwinning graces as to enable them to lay traps fo rthe gui leless ? For

,in fact

,the woman ’s face was

wel l-favo red,gentle

,and attractive.

A lexander never took his gaze off Agatha, andhis artist-eye reveled in her elastic step and hersl ender

,shapely form . Above al l

,he was bewitched

by the way her head was set, with a little forwardbend and as long as the way led through the si lentlanes he was never weary of comparing her withlovely images—with a poppy, whose flower bows thestem with a wil low

,whose head leans over the wa

ter ; with the huntress Artemis, who, chasing in themoonlight

,bends to mark the game.

Thus,unwearied and unseen, he had fo l lowed

them as far as the street of Hermes ; there his taskbecame more diffi cult, for the road was swarming

153 A THORNY PATH.

with people. The older men were walk ing in groupsof five or six

,going to or coming from some even

ing assembly,and talking as they walked ; or priests

and temple servants on their way home,t ired from

night services and ceremon ies ; but the greaternumber were young men and boys

,some wearing

wreaths,and al l more or less intoxicated

,with street

wenches on the lookout for a companion o r surrounded by suitors, and trying to attract a favoriteor dismiss the less fortunate .

The flare of the torches which il luminated thestreet was mirrored in eager eyes glowing with wineand passion

,and in the glittering weapons of the

Roman soldiery . Most of these were attached toCaesar’s train . As in the field

,so in the peacefu l

town,they aimed at conquest

,and many a Greek

sulki ly resigned his claims to some fickle beauty infavor of an irresistible tr ibune or centurion . Wherethe courteous Alexandrians made way , they pushedin or thrust aside whatever came in their path, Securely confident of being Ca sar

’s favorite pro tectors

,and unassailable while he was near . Their

coarse,barbaric tones shook the air

,and reduced

the Greeks to si lence ; for, even in his drunken andmost reck less moods

,the Greek never lost his sub

tle refinement . The warriors rarely met a friendlyglance from the eye of a nat ive ; sti l l , the gold ofthese lav ish revelers was as welcome to the womenas that of a fel low-countryman .

The blaze of light shone, too, on many a fray,

such as flared up in an instan t whenever Greek andRoman came into contact . The l ictors and townwatch could general ly succeed in parting the combatants, for the orders of the authorities were thatthey should in every case side with the Romans.The shouts and squabbling of men, the laughing

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J70 A THORNY PATH .

very early and escort her to the lake . Agathathanked him warmly . At this a storm of rage b lewA lexander ’s self-command to the four winds

,and

,

before he knew what he was doing, he stood between the rascal and the Christian damsel

,snatched

their hands asunder,gripping Castor’s wrist with

his strong right hand,while he held Agatha’s firmly

in his left,and exclaimed :

“ You are being foul ly tricked,fair maid ; the

woman,even

,i s deceiv ing you . This fel low is a

base v il lainAn d

,releasing the armwhich Castor was desper

ately but vain ly trying to free from his clutch,he

snatched off the false beard .

Agatha,who had also been endeavor ing to

escape from his grasp,gave a shriek of terror and

indignation . The unmasked rogue,with a swift

movement snatched the hood of the caracal la off

Alexander 5 head,flew at his throat with the fury

and agi l ity of a panther,and with much presence of

mind cal led for help . And Castor was strong too :while Alexander tr ied to keep him off with his righthand

,holding on to Agatha with his left

,the shouts

of the deaconess and her accomplice soon co llecteda crowd . They were instantly surrounded by aninqu isit ive mob

,laughing o r scolding the comba

tants,and urging them to fight or beseeching them

to separate . But j ust as the artist had succeededin twisting his opponent’s wrist so effectual ly as tobring him to his knees

,a loud vo ice of mal ignant

triumph,j ust behind him

,exclaimed :

Now we have snared our scoffer ! The fo xshould not stop to ki l l the hare when the huntersare at his heels !

“ Zmin is !” gasped Al exander . He understood

in a flash that l ife and liberty were at stake.

A THORNY PATH. 17 1

Like a stag hemmed in by dogs,he turned his

head to this side and that, seeking a way of escape ;and when he looked again where his antagonist hadstood

,the spot was clear ; the n imble rascal had

taken to his heels and vanished among the throng .

But a pair of eyes met the painter’s gaze, which atonce restored him to self-possession

,and reminded

him that he must co l lect his wits and presence o fmind . They were those of his sister Mel issa

,who

,

as she made her way onward with her companion,

had recognized her brother'

s voice. In spite of theold woman ’s earnest adv ice not to mix in the crowd

,

she had pushed her way through,and

,as the men

at-arms dispersed the mob,she came nearer to her

favorite but too reckless brother .A l exander sti l l held Agatha’s hand . The poor

girl herself,trembl ing with terror, did not know

what had befal len her. Her venerable escort was ayoung man—a l iar. What was she to think of thedeaconess

,who was his confederate ; what of this

handsome youth who had unmasked the deceiver,

and saved her perhaps from some fearful fate ?As in a thunder -storm flash fol lows flash

,so

,in

this dreadful night,one horror had fo llowed an

other,to bewilder the brain of a maiden who had

always l ived a quiet l ife among good and qu iet menand women . And now the guardians of the peacehad laid hands on the man who had so bravelytaken her part

,and whose bright eyes had looked

into her own with such truth and devotion . Hewas to be dragged to prison ; so he, too, no doubt ,was a criminal . At this thought she tr ied to releaseher hand

,but he would not let it go ; fo r the dea

coness had come close to Agatha, and, in a tone ofsanctimonious wrath

,desired her to qu it th is scene

of scandal, and fol low her under her peaceful roof.

1 72 A THORNY PATH .

What was she to do ? Terrified and undec ided,

with deceit on one hand and on the other peri l andperhaps disaster, she looked fi rst at El izabeth andthen at Alexander, who, in spite of the threats ofthe man -at-arms

,gazed in turns at her and at the

spot where his sister had stood .

The l ictors who were keeping off the mob hadstopped Mel issa too ; but while A lexander had beengazing into Agatha’s imploring eyes, fee l ing asthough all his blood had rushed to his heart andface

,Melissa had contrived to creep up close to

him . And again the sight of her gave him the com

posure he so greatly needed . He knew,indeed

,

that the hand which sti l l held Agatha’s wou ld in amoment be fettered

,for Zmin is had ordered hi s

S laves to br ing fresh ropes and chains,S in ce they

had already found use for those they had firstbrought out. It was to this circumstance alone thathe owed it that he sti ll was free. And

,above al l

things,he must warn Agatha against the deaconess

,

who wou ld fain persuade her to go with her .It struck his alert wit that Agatha would trust

his sister rather than himself,whom the Egyptian

had several times abused as a criminal ; and seeingthe old woman of Polybius

’

s househo ld making herway up to Mel issa

,out of breath

,indeed

,and with

disordered hair,he felt l ight dawn on his soul

,fo r

this worthy woman was a fresh instrument to hishand . She must know Agatha wel l

,if the girl were

indeed the daughter of Zeno .

He lost not an instant . With swift decision,while

Zmin is and his men were disputing as to whitherthey should conduct the traitor as soon as the fetters were brought , he released the maiden

’s hand,

placing it in Mel issa’s,and exclaiming :

“ This is my Sister, the betrothed of Diodoros,

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174 A THORNY PATH.

of his friends Jason and Pappus,of the sculptor

Glauk ias,and of several other fel low artists ; they

understood the appeal,and

,before the night-watch

cou ld use the rope on their captive,the troop of

young men had forced their way through the circleof armed men under the leadership of Glauk ias

,had

surrounded A lex ander,and run off with him in their

midst, S inging and Shouting.

“ Follow h im ! Catch him ! Stop him — l ivingor dead

,bring him back ! A price is on his head—a

splendid price to any one who wil l take him ! ”

cried the Egyptian,foaming with rage and setting

the example. But the youth of the town,many of

whom knew the artist,and who were at al l times

ready to spoi l sport fo r the sycophants and sp ies,crowded up between the fugitive and his pursurersand barred the way .

The l ictors and their under l ings did indeed, atlast

,get through the sol id wal l of Shouting and

scolding men and women ; but by that time thetroop of artists had disappeared down a side street.

CHAPTER XI .

MELISSA, too , would probably have found herself a prisoner , but that Zmin is, seeing himselfbalked of a triumph , and beside himself with rage,rushed after the fugitive with the rest . She had nofurther occasion to seek the house where her loverwas lying

,for Agatha knew it well . Its owner

,

Proterius,was an i l lustrio us member of the Chris

tian community , and she had often been to see himwith her father.On thei r way the gir ls confided to each other

what had brought them out into the streets at sounusual an hour ; and when Melissa spoke of hercompanion ’s extraordinary resemblance to the deaddaughter of Seleukus—which

,no doubt

,had been

Alexander’s inducement to fo l low her—Agatha to ldher that she had constantly been mistaken for heruncle’s daughter, so early lost. She herself hadnot seen her cousin fo r some few years, for Seleukus had quarreled with his brother’s family whenthey had embraced Christianity . The third brother,Timotheus, the high-priest of Serapis, had provedmore placable , and his wife Euryale was of al lwomen the one she loved best . And presently itappeared that Agatha, too, had lost her mother, andthis drew the g i rls so closely together, that theyclasped hands and walked on l ike S isters or o ld anddear fr iends .

A THORNY PATH .

They were not kept long waiting outside thehouse of Proterius, for Andreas was in the vestibule arranging the l itter for the conveyance of Diodoros

,with the wil l ing help of Ptolemaeus. The

freedman was indeed amazed when he heard Melissa’s voice, and blamed her for this fresh adventure. However, he was glad to see her, for, althoughit seemed almost beyond the bounds of possibi l i ty

,

he had already fancied more than once,as steps

had approached and passed, that she must surelybe coming to lend him a helping hand .

I t was easy to hear in his tone of vo ice that herbold venture was at least as praiseworthy as it wasblameworthy in his eyes

,and the grave man was as

cheerful as he commonly was only when among hisflowers. Never before had Melissa heard a wordof compliment from his l ips

,but as Agatha stood

with one arm round Mel issa’s shoulders,he said to

the physician,as he pointed to the pair

,Like two

roses on one stem !He had good reason

,indeed

,to be content . Dio

doros was no worse,and Galen was certain ly ex

pected to visit the sick in the Serapeum . He te

garded it,too

,as a dispensation from Heaven that

Agatha and Melissa shou ld have happened to meet,

and A lexander ’s happy escape had taken a weightfrom his mind . He wil l ingly acceded to Mel issa’srequest that he would take her and Agatha to see

the S i ck man ; but be granted them only a short timeto gaze at the sleeper

,and then requested the dea

coness to find a room for the two damsels, who needed rest.

The worthy woman rose at once ; but Melissaurgently entreated to be allowed to remain by herlover’s side and glanced anxiously at the keys inthe matron 5 hand.

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1 73 A THORNY PATH .

of confidential sol itude,to jo in the hearts of the

two maidens ; and as they awaited the day, shoulder to shoulder in uninterrupted chat

,they felt as

though they had shared every joy and sorrow fromthe cradle . Agatha’s weaker nature found a support in th e ca lm strength of wil l which was evidentin many things Mel issa said ; and when the Christian opened her tend er and pity ing heart to Mel issa with touch ing candor, i t was l ike a v iew into anew but most inviting wor ld .

Agatha’s extreme beauty, too, struck the artist’

s

daughter as something divine, and her eye oftenrested admir ingly on her new friend’s pure and regular features.When Agatha inqu ired of her about her father

,

Melissa briefly replied,that since her mother’s

death he was often moody and rough,but that he

had a good,kind heart. The Christian gir l, on the

contrary,spoke with enthusiasm of the warm

,human

lov ing-kindness of the man to whom she owed herbeing ; and the picture She drew of her home l ifewas so fair , that the l ittle heathen cou ld hardly bel ieve in its truth . Her father

,Agatha said, l ived in

constant warfare with the misery and suffering of hisfel low-creatures

,and he was

,in fact

,able to make

those about him happy and prosperous. The poorest were dearest to his loving heart

,and on his es

tate acro ss the lake he had col lected none but thesick and wretched . The care of the children wasleft to her

,and the l ittle ones clung to her as if she

were their mother . She had neither brother nor

S ister .—And so the conversation turned on A lexander

,of whomAgatha cou ld never hear enough.

And how proud was Melissa to speak of thebrigh t young artist

,who ti l l now had been the sun

of her joyless l ife There was much that was good

A THORNY PATH.

to be said about h im for the best masters rated histalen t highly in spite of his youth ; his comradeswere faithfu l ; and none knew so wel l as he how tocheer his father ’s dark moods. Then

,there were

many amiable and generous traits of which she hadbeen to ld

,or had herself known . With his very

first savings,he had had the Genius with a reversed

torch cast in bronze to grace his mother’s grave,and

give his father pleasure . Once he had been broughthome half dead after saving a woman and chi ldfrom drown ing

,and vain ly endeavoring to rescue

another chi ld . He might be wi ld and reckless,but

he had always been faithful to his art and to his lovefor his family .

Agatha’s eyes opened widely when Melissa toldher anything good about her brother

,and She clung

in terror to her new friend as she heard of her excited orgy with her lover.Scared as though some imminent horror threat

ened herself,she clasped Melissa’s hand as she list

ened to the tale of the dangers A lexander had sonarrowly escaped.

Such things had never before reached the earsof the girl in her retired Christian home beyond thelake they sounded to her as the tales of some bo ldseafarer to the peaceful husbandman on whoseshores the storm has wrecked him .

“ And do you know,

” she ex claimed,“ al l this

seems del ightful to me,tho ugh my father

,I am sure

,

would j udge it hardly ! When your brother risks h isl ife

,it is always for others

,and that is right—that is

the highest l ife . I th ink of him as an angel with a

flaming sword . But you do not know our sacredscriptures .”

Then Mel issa would hear more of th is book,o f

which Andreas had frequently spoken ; but there

30 A THORNY PATH.

was a knock at the door,and She sprang out of

bed.

Agatha did the same ; and when a slave-girl hadbrought in fresh

,co ld water

,she insisted on handing

her friend the towels,on plaiting her long hair

,pin

n ing her peplos in its place, and arranging its folds.She had so often longed for a sister

,and she fel t as

though she had found one in Mel issa ! While shehelped her to dress she kissed her preserver’s sisteron the eyes and lips, and entreated her with affec

tionate urgency to come to see her, as soon as shehad done all she could for her lover . She must bemade acquainted with her father, and Agatha longedto show her her poor chi ldren

,her dogs

,and her

pigeons. And She would go to see Mel issa, whenshe was staying with Polybius.

“And there,” Melissa put in,

“youwil l see my

brother,too .

”

On which the Christian girl exclaimed : “ Youmust bring him to our house . My father wil l be gladto thank him Here she paused , and then added,Only he must not again risk his l ife so rashly .

"

He will be wel l hidden at the house of Polybins

,

” repl ied Mel issa,consol ingly . And Andreas

has him fast by this t ime .

”

She once more kissed Agatha,and went to the

door,but her friend held her back

,and whispered

In my father’s grounds there is a famous hidingplace

,where no one would ever find h im. I t has

often been a refuge for weeks and months for persecuted members of our faith . When he is seriouslythreatened

,bring him to us . We wil l gladly provide

for his safety,and al l else. Only think

,if they

shou ld catch him ! I t would be for my sake, and Ishould never be happy again . Pr

'

omise me that youwil l bring him.

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182 A THORNY PATH.

of the town on the parapet of the bridge from thosewho crossed by the roadway . The leaves of themimosa-trees by the quay—nay, the very stones o fthe houses and the statues

,wet with the morn ing

dew— looked rev ived and newly washed ; and a

l ight breeze brought up from the Serapeum brokentones of the chant

,sung there every morning by a

cho ir of priests,to hai l the triumph of l ight over

darkness.The crisp morning air was as invigorating to

Melissa as her cold bath had been,after a n ight

which had brought her so l itt l e rest . She felt as

though she,and al l Nature with her

,had just cro ssed

the threshold of a new day,bidding her to fresh l ife

and labor . Now and then a flame from Lucifer’storch swallowed up a stretch of morning mist

,while

the Hours escorted Phoebus Apollo , whose rad iantdiadem of beams was j ust rising above the hazeMel issa could have declared she saw them dancingforth befo re him and strewing the path of the sunwith flowers. All this was beautifu l—as beautifu las the priest’s chant

,the aromatic sweetness of

the air,and the works of art in cast bronze or hewn

marble which were to be seen on the bridge,on the

temple to Isis and Anubis to the right of the street,

under the colonnades of the handsomest houses,on

the public fountains— in short,wherever the eye

might turn . Her lover, borne before her in a l itter,was on the way to the physician in whose hands laythe power to cure him . She fel t as though Hopeled the way .

Since love had blossomed in her breast her quietl ife had become an eventful one. Most of what shehad gone through had indeed fi l led her with alarms.Serious questions to which she had never given a

thought had been brought before her ; and yet, in

A THORNY PATH. 183

this brief period of anxiety she had gained theprecious sense of youthfulness and of capacity foraction when she had to depend on herself. The

last few hours had revealed to her the possessionof powers which on ly yesterday She had never sus

pected . She,who had wi llingly yielded to every

caprice of her father’s,and who

,for love o f her

brothers,had always unresistingly done their bid

d ing,now knew that she had a wil l of her own and

strength enough to assert i t ; and this, again, addedto her contentment this morning.

Alexander had told her,and o ld Dido

,and Diodo

ros,that she was fair to look upon—but these al l

saw her with the eyes o f affection ; so she had al

ways believed that she was a wel l-look ing gir lenough

,but by no means high ly gifted in any re

spect—a girl whose future would be to bloom andfade un known in her father’s service. But now sheknew that she was indeed beautifu l ; not only because she had heard it repeatedly in the crowd ofyesterday

,or even because Agatha had declared it

while braiding her hair—an inward vo ice affi rmedit, and fo r her lover

’s sake She was happy to bel ieve it .As a rule

,she wou ld have been ready to drop

with fatigue after so many S leepless hours and suchsevere exertions ; but to -day She fel t as fresh asthe birds in the trees by the roadside

,which greeted

the sun with cheerful twitter ings.“ Yes

,the world is indeed fair ! ” thought She ;

but at that very moment And reas’s grave vo ice washeard ord ering the bearers to turn down a darkside al ley which led into the street of Hermes, a

few hundred paces from the Rhakotis Canal .How anxious the good man looked ! Her world

was not the world of the Christian freedman ; that

184 A THORNY PATH .

She plainly understood when the l itter in which Diodoros lay was carried into one of the houses in theside street .It was a large

,plain bui lding

,with only a few

windows,and those high up—in fact , as Me l issa

was presently informed,i t was a Christian church .

Before She could express her surprise,Andreas

begged her to have a few minutes’ patience ; thed aimons of sickness were here to be exorcised anddriven out of the sufferer . He pointed to a seat inthe vestibule to the church

,a wide but shallow

room. Then, at a S ign from Andreas,the slaves

carried the l itter into a long,low hal l with a flat

roof.From where She sat

,Melissa could now see that

a Christian in priest’s robes,whom they called the

exorcist,spoke various invocation s over the sick

man,the others l isten ing so attentively that even

she began to hope for some good effect from theseincomprehensible formulas ; and at the same timeshe remembered that her o ld S lave-woman Dido

,

who worshiped many gods, wore round her neck ,besides a variety of heathen amulets

,a l ittle cross

which had been given her by a Christian woman .

To her question why She,a heathen

,wore this

about her,the o ld woman repl ied

,You can n ever

tel l what may help you some day . So perhapsthese exorcisms might no t be without some effecton her lover, particu larly as the God of the Christians must be powerfu l and good .

She herse lf strove to upl ift her soul in prayer tothe manes of her lost mother ; but the scene go ing onaround her in the vestibu le distracted her mindwith horror. Men

,young and o ld

,were slashing

themselves with vehement scourgings on theirbacks. One white-haired o ld man

,indeed

,handed

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186 A THORNY PATH.

supporting the parapets and balcon ies,were statues

of al l the guests at the Olympian banquet,with

images or busts of every hero or k ing,phi losopher

,

poet,or artist whose deeds or works had earned him

immortal ity .

From infancy Mel issa had looked up at th is temple with admiration and pride, for here every arthad done its utmost to make it without paral le l onearth . It was the work of her beloved native city

,

and her mother had often taken her into the Serapeum

,where she herself had found comfort in many

a sorrow and disappointment,and had taught the

child to love it. That it had afterward been spo i ledfor her she forgot in her present mood .

Never had she seen the great temple surroundedby so much gay and busy l ife . The front of thebu ilding

,toward the square

,had in the early hours

of the morning been decked with garlands andheavy wreaths of flowers, by a swarm of slavesstanding on ladders and planks and benches letdown from the roof by ropes . The incl ined ways

,

by which vehicles drove up to the great door,were

stil l deserted,and on the broad steps in the middle

no one was to be seen as yet but a few priests ingala robes

,and court ofli cials ; but the immense

open space in front of the sanctuary was one greatcamp

,where

,among the hasti ly pitched canvas tents

,

horses were being dressed and weapons po lished.

Several maniples of the praeto rians and of theMacedonian phalanx were already drawn up incompact ranks

,to rel ieve guard at the gate of the

imperial residence,and stand at Caesar ’s orders.

But more attractive to the girl than al l th is display were a number of altars which had been erectedat the extreme edge of the great square

,and on

each of which a fi re was burning . Heavy clouds of

A THORNY PATH. 1 37

smoke went up from them in the sti l l,pure atmos

phere, l ike aérial columns,while the flames

,pal ing

in the beams of the morning sun , flew up throughthe reek as though str iving to rise above it

,with

wan and changeful gleams of red and yel low,now

curl ing down,and now writhing upward like snakes.

Of all these fires there was not one from which thesmoke did not moun t straight to heaven , thougheach burned to a different god ; and Mel issa re

garded it as a happy S ign that none spread or failedto rise . The embers were stirred from time to timeby the priests and augurs of every god of the Eastand West

,who also superintended the sacrifices

,

whi le warrio rs of every prov ince of the empire stoodround in prayer .Melissa passed by al l these unwonted and soul

stirring sights without a regret ; her hope for thecure soon to be wrought on her lover cast all elseinto the shade. Stil l

,while she looked around at

the thousands who were encamped here, and gazedup at the temple where so many men were busied

,

l ike ants,it struck her that in fact all this belonged

to one and was done for one alone . Those legionsfol lowed him as the dust fol lows the wind

,the whole

wor ld trembled at his nod,and in his hand lay the

l i fe and happiness o f the mil l ions he governed .

And it was at this omnipotent being, this god in‘

human form,that her brother had mocked ; and the

pursuers were at his heels. This recol lection troubled her joy

,and when she looked in the freedman

’

sgrave and anx ious face her heart began to beatheav ily again .

CHAPTER XI I.

MELISSA had supposed that, accord ing to custom,

the l i tter would be carried up the incl ine or the steps,and into the Serapeum by the great door ; but inconsequence of the emperor’s visit this co uld not

be. The sick man was borne round the eastern sideof the huge build ing, which covered a space on whicha whole vil lage might have stood. The door at theback

,to the south

,through which he was final ly

admitted,opened in to a gal lery passing by the great

quadrangle where sacr ifice was made,and leading

to the inner rooms of the temple,to the cubicles

among others.In these it was revealed to the sick in d reams

by what means or remedies they might hope to behealed : and there was no lack of priests to interpretthe visions

,nor o f physician s who came hither to

watch peculiar cases,to explain to the sufferers the

purport of the coun sel of the gods—often very dark—or to give them the benefit of their own .

One of these, a friend of Ptolemaeus,who , thoughhe had been secretly baptized

,sti l l was one of the

pastophori of the temple, was awaiting the li ttleparty

,and led the way as guide.

The bel l owing of beasts met them on the verythreshold . These were to be slaughtered at thisearly hour by the special command of Caracal la ; and,as Caesar himsel f had promised to be present at the

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190A THORNY PATH .

Mel issa’s eyes were r iveted as if spel l-bound on

this figure,which was neither handsome nor d ign i

fied , and which nevertheless had a strange attraetion for her

,she knew not why. What was it in this

man,who was short rather than tal l, and feeble rather

than maj estic,wh ich so imperat ively forbade al l con

fid ent advances ? The noble l ion which walked byhis side

,and in whose mane his left hand was buried

,

was not more unapproachable than he. He cal ledthis terrible creature

,which he treated with as much

famil iarity as if i t were a lapdog, his“ Persian

sword and as Melissa looked she rememberedwhat fate might be in store for her bro ther throughth is man

,and al l the crimes of which he was accused

by the world—the murders of h is brother,of his wife

,

and of thousands besides .For the first time in her l ife she felt that she

could hate ; she longed to bring down every evi lon that man ’s head . The blood mounted to hercheeks

,and her l ittle fists were cl inched

,but she

never took her eyes off him ; for everything in hisperson impressed her

,if no t as fine, sti l l as ex cep

tional—if no t as great,stil l as noteworthy .

She knew that he was not yet thirty, but yesterday

,as he drove past her

,he had looked l ike a surly

misanthropist of more than middle age . To -dayhow young he seemed Did he owe it to the laure lcrown which rested on his head

,or to the white toga

which fel l about him in ample folds,leaving only

the sinewy arm bare by which he led the l ionFrom where She stood she cou ld only see h is

S ide-face as he came down the steps,and indeed it

was not il l-favored ; brow,nose

,and chin were fine

ly and nobly formed ; his beard was thin, and amustache curled over his l ips. His eyes

,deeply set

under the brows, were not visib le to her, but she

A THORNY PATH . 19 1

had not fo rgotten since yesterday their sinister andterr ible scowl .

At this moment the lion crept closer to his

master .I f only the brute should spring on that more

blood -stained and terrible beast of prey who cou ldki l l not only with claws and teeth but with a wordfrom his lips

,a wave of his hand — the world would

be rid of the ferocious curse. Ay, his eye, whichhad yesterday scorned to look at the multitudeswho had hailed his advent, was that of a crue ltyrant .And then— she felt as if he must have guessed

her thoughts—while he patted the l ion and gentlypushed him aside he turned his face ful l on her

,and

she knew not whether to be pleased or angry,for

the odious,squinting eyes were not now terrible or

contemptuous ; nay , they had looked kindly on thebeast

,and with a somewhat suffering expression .

The dreadful face of the murderer was not hideousnow

,but engaging— the face of a youth enduring

torments of soul or of body .

She was not mistaken . On the very next stepCaracal la stood sti ll

,pressed his right hand to his

temples,and set his l ips as if to contro l some acute

pain . Then he sadly shook his head and gazed upat the walls of the court

,which had been decorated

in his honor with hangings and garlands of flowers.First he studied the frieze and the festal display onhis right

,and when he turned his head to look at

the side where Mel issa stood,an inward voice bade

her withdraw,that the gaze of this monster might

not bl ight her. But an irresistible attraction heldher fast ; then sudden ly she felt as if the groundwere sinking from under her feet

,and

,as a ship

wrecked wretch snatches at a floating spar,she

192A THORNY PATH .

clung to the l ittle column at the left of the window,

clutching i t with her hand ; for the dreadfu l thinghad happened—Caracalla’s eye had met hers andhad even rested on her fo r a while ! And that gazehad nothing bloodthirsty in it

,nor the v i le leer

which had sparkled in the eyes of the drunken rioters she had met last night in the streets ; he onlylooked astonished as at some wonderfu l thing wh ichhe had not expected to see in this place . But presently a fresh attack of pain apparently made himturn away

,for his features betrayed acute suffer ing

,

as he slowly set his foot on the next step below .

Again,and more closely

,he pressed his hand to

his brow,and then beckoned to a tall

,wel l -buil t

man with flowing hair,who walked behind him

,and

accepted the support of his offered arm .

Theocritus,formerly an actor and dancer

,the

priest whispered to Mel issa. Caesar’

s whim madethe mimic a senator

,a legate

,and a favorite.”

But Melissa only knew that he was speaking,

and did not take in the purport of his speech ; forthis man

,slowly descending the steps

,absorbed her

whole sympathy . She knew wel l the look o f thosewho suffer and conceal it from the eyes of theworld ; and some cruel disease was certainly consuming this youth, who ru led the earth, but who sepurple robes would be snatched at soon enough bygreedy hands if he should cease to seem strong andable . And now

,again

,he looked old and worn

poor wretch,who yet was so young and born to be

so abund antly happy ! He was, to be sure, a baseand blood-stained tyrant

,but not the le ss a miser

able and unhappy man . The more severe the painhe had to endure

,the harder must he find it to hide

it from the crowd who were constantly about him .

There is but one antidote to hatred, and that is

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194A THORNY PATH .

mation,and scarcely turned her head to look out

,

when a tal l,thin man with a bullet-head and deeply

wrinkled brow was pointed out to her as Macrinus,

the prefect of the body -guard,the most powerfu l

man in Rome next to Caesar ; and then the“ friends ”

of Caracal la,whom she had seen yesterday, and the

histor ian Dion Cassius,with other senators and

members of the imperial train .

Now,as they made their way through hal ls and

passages where the foot of the un initiated rarelyintruded

,she looked about her with more interest

when the priest drew her attention to some particularly fine statue or picture

,or some symbo l ical

presentment. Even now,however, though associa

tion with her brothers had made her particularlyal ive to everything that was beautifu l or curious

,

She glanced round with less interest than she otherwise might have done

,for she had much else to

think of. In the fi rst p lace,of the benefits Diodo

ros was to derive from the great Galen ; then ofher father

,who this day must dispen se w ith her

assistance ; and, final ly, of the state of mind of hergrave brother Phi l ip. He and Alexander

,who usu

ally were such united friends,now both were in

love with Agatha,and what could come of that ?

And from time to time her thoughts flew back to

Caesar,and she fel t as though some tie

,she knew

not what,l inked them together.

As soon as the l itter had to be carried up ordown steps

,she kept an eye on the bearers

,and

gave such help as was needed when the sleeper’sposition was changed. Whenever she looked in hishandsome face

,flushed as it was by fever and

framed in tumbled curls,her heart swel led

,and She

fe lt that She had much to thank the gods for , seeing that her lover was so ful l of splendid youth and

A THORNY PATH. 195

in no respect resembled the prematurely decrepitand sickly wearer of the purple. Nevertheless

,she

thought a good deal of Caracalla,and it even oc

curred to her once that if it were he who'

was beingcarried instead of Diodoros, she would tend him noless carefu lly than her betro thed . Caesar

,who had

been as far out of her ken as a god,and of whose

overwhelming power she had heard,had suddenly

come down to her. She invo lun tari ly thought of h imas one of those few with whom she had come intopersonal contact

,and in whose weal or woe she had

some sympathetic interest. He could not be altogether evil and hardened . If he could only knowwhat pain it caused her to see him suffer

,he would

surely command Zmin is to abandon the pursuit ofher brother.Just as they were reaching the end of their walk

,

the trumpets rang out once more,reminding her

that she was under the same roof with him . She

was so close to him—and yet how far he was fromguessing the desires of a heart which beat with compassion for him !

Several sick persons,eager for some communi

cation from the gods,and some who , without being

S ick,had slept in the Serapeum

,had by this time

left their beds,and were taking counsel in the great

hall with interpreters and physicians. The bustlewas l ike that of a market-place

,and there was one

old man with unkempt hai r and fiery eyes who re

peated again and again in a loud voice, I t was the

god himself who appeared to me, and his threeheaded dog l icked my cheeks.” And presently a

hideous Old woman plucked at Melissa’s robe, whis

pering : “ A healing draught for your lover ; tearsfrom the eyes of the infant Horus. I have themfrom Isis herself. The effect i s rapid and certain .

196 A THORNY PATH.

Come to Hezron,the dealer in balsams in the street

of the Nekropo l is . Your lover ’s recovery—for fivedrachmae.

But Mel issa,who was no stranger here since her

mother’s last sickness,went on without pausing

,

fo l lowing the l itter down the long hal l full of beds,

a room with a stone roof resting on two rows oftal l columns. Famil iar to her too was the aromaticscent of kyph i,

* which fi l led the hall,although fresh

air was constantly pouring in from outside throughthe high windows. Red and green curtains hungin front of them

,and the subdued light which came

through fel l in tinted twi l ight on the colored picturesin rel ief Of the history of the gods

,which covered the

wal ls. Speech was forbidden here,and their step s

fel l noiseless on the thick,heavy mats .

Most of the beds were already empty only thosebetween the long wall and the nearest row of columus were sti l l for the most part occupied by thesick who sought the help of the god . On one ofthese Diodoros was laid

,Melissa helping in si lence

,

and with such ski l l as del ighted even~ the physicians .

Stil l,this did not wake him

,though on the next

bed lay a man who never ceased speaking,because

in his dream he had been bidden to repeat the nameof Serapis as many times as there were - drops in a

cup of water fi l led from the Agathodaemon Canal.A long stay in this strong perfume wil l be bad

for him,

” whispered Ptolemaeus to the freedman .

Galenus sent word that he wou ld visit the sickearly to-day ; but he is not here yet . He is an o ldman

,and in Rome

,they say

,it i s the custom to sleep

latef’

A mingled incense common ly used in the Egyptian tem

ples, and also known to the Greeks ; various recipes for it havecome d own to us from both sources.

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193A THORNY PATH .

I f this man cou ld do nothing,there was no help

on earth . And how dignified and self-possessedwere the movements of this bent old man as heleaned on his staff ! He, a stranger here, seemedto be showing the others the way

,a guide in his

own realm . Meli ssa had heard that the strong scentof the kyphi might prove injurious to Diodoros,and her one thought now was the desire that Galenus might soon approach his couch . He did not

,

in fact,begin with the sick nearest to the door

,but

stood awhi le in the middle of the hall,leaning

against a column and surveying the place and thebeds.When his searching glance rested on that where

Diodoros was lying,an an swering look met his

with reverent entreaty from a pair o f beauti ful,large

,

innocent eyes. A smile parted his bearded l ips,

and going up to the girl he said : Where beautybids

,even age must obey. Your lover

,child

,or

your brother“ My betrothed

,Melissa hasten ed to reply ; and

the maidenly embarrassment wh ich flushed her cheekbecame her so wel l that he added :

“ He must have much to recommend him if Ial low him to carry you off , fair maid .

”

With these words he went up to the couch,and

looking at Diodoros as he lay,he murmured

,as if

speaking to himself and without pay ing any heed tothe younger men who crowded ro und him :

There are no true Greeks left here ; but thebeauty of the ancestral race is not easily stampedout

,and is stil l to be seen in their descendants.

What a head what features,and what hair !

Then he felt the lad’s breast

,shoulders

,and

arms,exclaiming in honest admiration,

“What a

godl ike form !

A THORNY PATH . 199

He laid his del icate Old hand,with its network

of blue veins, on the S ick man’s forehead,again

glanced round the room, and listened to Pto lemaeus,who gave him a brief and technical report of thecase ; then, sn iffing the heavy scent that fi l led thehall he said

,as the Christ ian leech ceased speaking :

We wil l try ; but not here— in a room less ful lof incense . This perfume brings dreams

,but no

less surely induces fever. Have you no other roomat hand where the air i s purer ?

An eager “ Yes,

” in many voices was the reply ;and Diodoros was forthwith transferred into a smal lcubicle adjo in ing.

While he was being moved,Galenus went from

bed to bed,question ing the chief physician and the

patien ts. He seemed to have forgotten Diodorosand Melissa ; but after hastily glancing at someand carefully examin ing others

,and giving advice

where it was needful,he desired to see the fair Al

ex and rian’

s lover once more.As he entered the room he nodded kindly to the

girl . How gladly would she have fol lowed him !But she said to herself that if he had wished her tobe present he wou ld certainly have called her ; soshe modest ly awa ited his return . She had to waita long time

,and the minutes seemed hours wh i le

she heard the voices of men through the closeddoor

,the moaning and sighing of the sufferer, the

Splashing of water, and the clatter of metal instruments ; and her l ively imaginat ion made her fancythat something almost unendurable was being doneto her lover.

At last the physician came out . His wholeappearance betokened perfect satisfaction . The

younger men , who followed him,whispered among

themselves,shaking their heads as though some

200 A THORNY PATH .

miracle had been performed ; and every eye thatlooked on himwas rad ian t with enthusiastic veneration . Mel issa knew,

as soon as his eyes met hers,that all was wel l, and as She grasped the old man ’

s

hand she concluded from its cool moisture that hehad but j ust washed it, and had done with his own

hand all that Ptolemmus had expected of his sk i l l .Her eyeswere d imwith gratefu l emotion , and thoughGalenus strove to hinder her from pressing her l ipsto his hand she succeeded in doing so ; be, however ,k issed her brow with fatherly del ight in her warmhearted sweetness, and said

Now go home happy, my child . That stonehad hit your lover

’

s brain-roof a hard blow ; thepressure of the broken beam—I mean a piece ofbone—had robbed him of his consciousness of whata sweet bride the gods have bestowed on him . Butthe knife has done its work ; the beam is in its

place again ; the spl inters which were not neededhave been taken out ; the roof i s mended, and thepressure removed . Your friend has recovered consciousness, and I wi l l wager that at this momenthe is think ing of youand wishes you were withhim. But for the present you had better defer themeeting. For forty -eight hours he must remain inthat l ittle room,

for any movement would onlydelay his recovery .

”

Then I shal l stay here to nurse him,cried Me

lissa, eager ly . But Galenus replied, decisively“ That must not be if he is to get wel l . The

presence of a woman for whom the sufferer’s heart .

is on fire is as certain to aggravate the fever as thescent of incense. Besides, chi ld, this i s no place forsuch as you.

”

Her head drooped sadly, but he nodded to hercheeringly as he added :

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202 A THORNY PATH .

heartiness,she interrupted him with the assurance

that in Alexandr ia art was not yet being borne tothe grave . Her brother’s career

,it was true

,threat

ened to come to an untimely end, for he stood inimminent danger. On this the o ld man—who hadtaken his seat on a bench which the attendant physicians of the temple had brought forward—desiredto know the state of the case

,and Melissa briefly

recounted Alexander ’s misdemeanor,and how near

he had been,yesterday

,to fal l ing into the hands of

his pursuers. Then she looked up at the o ld manbeseechingly ; and as he had praised her beauty ,so now— she herself knew not how she had suchcourage— the praises of hi s fame, his greatness andgoodness

,flowed from her l ips. And her bold eu

treaties ended with a prayer that he would urgeCaesar

,who doubtless revered him as a father

,to

cease from prosecuting her brother .The o ld man ’s face had grown graver and graver ;

he had several times stroked his white beard with anuneasy gesture ; and when , as she spoke the lastWords, she ventured to raise her. timidly downcasteyes to his

,he rose stiflly and said in regretfu l

tones :How can I be vex ed with a sister who knocks at

any door to save a brother ’s l ife But I would havegiven a great deal that it had not been at mine . Itis hard to refuse when I would so gladly accede

,

and yet so it must be ; for, though Claudius Galenu sdoes his best for Bassianus Antoninus as a patient

,

as he does for any other,Bassianus the man and the

emperor is as far from him as fi re from water ; andso i t must ever be during the short space of timewhich may yet be granted to him and me under thel ight of the sun .

The last words were spoken in a bitter,repel lent

A THORNY PATH . 203

tone, and yet Mel issa felt that it pained the old manto refuse her. So she earnestly exclaimed :

Oh, forgive me ! How could I guess Shesuddenly paused and added

,Then youreally think

that Caesar has not long to l ive ? ”

She spoke with the most anxious excitement,

and her question offended Galenus. He mistooktheir purport

,and his voice was wrathful as he re

pl ied,Long enough yet to punish an insu lt !

Melissa turned pale . She fancied that she apprehended the meaning of these stern words

,and

,

prompted by an earnest desi re no t to be misund erstood by this man , she eagerly exclaimed :

“ I do not wish him dead— no,indeed not ; not

even for my brother’s sake ! But j ust now I sawhim near

,and I thought I could see that he was

suffering great pain . Why,we pity a brute creature

when it is in angu ish . He is sti ll so young,and it

must be so hard to die !Galenus nodded approvingly

,and repl ied :

I thank you,in the name of my imperial patient .

-Well,send me your portrait ; but let it be soon, fo r

I embark before sunset . I shall l ike to rememberyou . As to Caesar ’s sufferings

,they are so severe,

your tender soul would not wish your worst enemyto know such pain . My art has few means of mitigating them

,and the immortals are little inclined to

l ighten the load they have laid on this man . Of themil l ions who tremble before him,

not one prays oroffers sacrifice of his own free-wil l fo r the prosperity of the monarch .

”

A flash of enthusiasm spark led in Mel issa’s eye,but Galenus did not heed it ; he briefly bade herfarewell and turned away to devote himsel f to otherpatients.

There is one,at any rate

,thought She, as She

204 A THORNY PATH.

looked after the physician,who wil l pray and sac

rifice for that unhappy man . Diodoros w il l not forbid it

,I am sure.

She turned to Andreas and desired him to takeher to her lover. Diodoros was now real ly sleeping

,

and did not feel the kiss she breathed on his forehead. He had all her love ; the suffering criminalshe only pitied .

When they had quitted the temple she pressedher hand to her bosom and drew a deep breath as ifshe had j ust been freed from prison .

My head is quite confused,

” she said,

“ bythe heavy perfume and so much anxiety and alarm ;but 0 Andreas

,my heart never beat with such joy

and gratitude ! Now I must col lect my though ts,

and get home to do what is needful for Phil ip .

And merciful gods that good-natured old Ro

man,Samon icus

,will soon be expecting me at

the Temple of Aphrodite ; see how high the sunis already . Let us walk faster

,for

,to keep him

waitingAndreas here interrupted her, saying, If I am

not greatly mistaken,there is the Roman

,in that

open chariot,coming down the incl ine.”

He was right ; a few minutes later the char iotdrew up close to Mel issa

,and she managed to tel l

Samon icus all that had happened in so courteous andgracefu l a manner that

,far from being offended

,he

could wish every success to the cure his great fr iendhad begun . And indeed his promise had Somewhatweighed upon his mind

,fo r to carry out two und er

takings in one day was too much,at his age

,and he

had to be presen t in the evening at a banquet towhich Caesar had invited himself in the house o fSeleukus the merchant .”

The high-priest’s brother ? asked Melissa

,in

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206 A THORNY PATH .

My first petition to a great man,and assuredly

my last.”

The coward cried Mel issa ; but Andreas said ,with a superior smile :

Let us take a lesson from this,my chi ld . Those

who reckon on the help of man are badly off indeed.

We must al l trust in God,and each in himself.”

CHAPTER ! I II.

ANDREAS,who had so much on his shoulders

,had

lost much time,and was urgently required at home.

After gratifying Melissa’s wish by describing howDiodoros had immediately recovered consciousnesson the completion of the operation performed byGalen

,and painting the deep amazement that had

fal len on al l the o ther physicians at the ski l l of thisfine o ld man

,he had done all he could for the pres

ent to be of use to the girl . He was glad,therefore

,

when in the street of Hermes, now swarming againwith citizens

,soldiers

,and horsemen

,he met the o ld

nurse,who

,after conducting Agatha home to her

father,had been sent back to the town to remain in

attend ance,if necessary

,on Diodoros. The freed

man left it to her to escort Melissa to her own home,and went back to report to Po lybius— in the fi rstplace

,as to his son ’s state.

It was decided that Mel issa Should for the present remain with her father ; but, as soon as Diodoros should be allowed to leave the Serapeum,

shewas to go across the lake to receive the convalescent on his return home .

The old woman assured her,as they walked on ,

that Diodoros had always been born to good luck ;and it was clear that this had never been truer thannow

,when Galenus had come in the n ick of time to

restore him to life and health,and when he had won

203 A THORNY PATH.

such a bride as Mel issa. Then she sang the praisesof Agatha

,of her beauty and goodness, and told

her that the Christian damsel had made many in

quiries concerning A lexander. She,the speaker

,

had not been chary of her praise of the youth, and,unless she was much mistaken

,the arrow of Eros

had this time pierced Agatha’s heart, though ti l lnow she had been as a child— an innocent child—asshe herself co u ld say

,who had seen her grow up

from the cradle . Her faith need not tro uble eitherMelissa or A lexander

,for gentler and more mod

est wives than the Christian women were not to befound among the Greeks—and she had known many .

Mel i ssa rarely interrupted the garrulous oldwoman ; but, while She l istened, pleasant pictures ofthe future rose before her fancy . She saw herselfand Diodo ros ru l ing over Polybius

’

s household, and,close at hand

,on Zeno ’s estate

,A lexander with his

beautiful and adored wife. There,under Zeno’s

watchful eye. the wi ld youth wou ld become a nobleman . Her father would often come to visit them

,

and in thei r happiness would learn to find pleasurein l ife again . Only now and then the thought of thesacrifice which the vehement Ph i l ip must make forhis younger brother

,and of the danger which sti ll

threatened Alexander,disturbed the cheerfu l con

tentment of her soul,r ich as it was in glad hopes.

The n earer they got to her own home,the more

l ightly her heart beat. She had none but goodnews to report there. The old woman , pan ting forbreath

,was obliged to beg her to consider her sixty

years and moderate her pace .

Melissa wil lingly checked her steps ; and when ,at the end of the street of Hermes, they reachedthe temple of the god from whom it was namedan d turned ofl to the right, the good woman parted

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2 10 A THORNY PATH.

The chief temple of Asklepios, whomthe Egypt ians cal led Imhotep

,was at the Serapeum. Im

hotep was the son of Ptah, who, at A lexandria, wasmerged in Serapis. There he was worshiped

,con

jo intly with Serapis and Isis,by Egyptians

,Greeks

,

and Syrians a l ike. The l itt le sanctuary near herfather’s house was the resort of non e but Greeks.Pto lemaeus Philadelphus

,the second Macedonian

King of Egypt,had bui l t it as an appendage to the

Temple of Artemis,after the recovery from sick

ness of his wife Arsinoe.

It was smal l, but a masterpiece of Greek art

,

and the statues of Sleep and of A Dream,at the en

trance, with the marble group behind the a ltar,

representing Asklepios with his sister Hygeia andhis wife Epione the Soother

,was reckoned by con

noisseurs as among the noblest and most noteworthy works of art in Alexandria.

The dign ity and benevolence of the god wereadmirably expressed in the features of the div inity

,somewhat resembl ing the Olympian Zeus, who

leaned on his serpent staff ; and the gracefu l, inv iting sweetness of Hygeia, holding out her cup as

though she were offering health to the sufferer,was

wel l adapted to revive the hopes of the despondent .The god’s waving locks were bound with a fo ldedscarf

,and at his feet was a dog

,gaz ing up at his

lord as if in entreaty .

The sacred snakes lay coi led in a cage by the

altar ; they were bel ieved to have the power of restoring themselves

,and this was regarded as a

promise to the sick that they should cast off theirdisease as a serpent casts its skin . The swift powerof the repti le over l ife and death

,was an emblem to

the votaries of the power of the god to postponethe death of man or to shorten his days.

A THORNY PATH. 2 ; 1

The inside of the little sanctuary was a cool and

still retrea t. Tablets hung on the white marblewa l ls, inscribed w ith the thanksgivings or vows of

those who had been healed. On several,the reme

d 1es were recorded which had avai led in certain

cases ; and on the left of the litt le hall,behind a

heavy hanging,a small recess conta ined the archives

of the temple,recipes, records of gifts, and docu

ments referri ng to the history o f the sanctuary .

In this deserted,shady spot

,between these thick

marble walls,it was much cooler than outside. Me

li ssa lifted her hands in prayer before the statue of

the god. She was alone,w i th the exception of the

priest in charge . The temple-servan t was absen t,

and the priest was asleep,breathing heavi ly, in an

arm-chair in a dark nook behind the marble group .

Thus she was free to fo llow the impulse of her heart,and pray

,first for her sick lover

,and then for the

sufferer to whom the whole subservient world belonged .

For Diodoros,indeed

,as she knew

,other hands

and hearts were uplifted in loving sympathy . Butwho besides herself was praying for the hated sovereign who had at his command the costl iest andrarest gifts of fortune

,al l poisoned by bitter anguish

of mind and body ? The world thought only of thesufferings he had infl icted on others ; no one dreamedof the pangs he had to endure—no one but herself,to whom Galenus had spoken of them . And hadnot his features and his look betrayed to her thatpain was gnawing at his vitals l ike the vulture atthose of Prometheus ? Hapless, pitiable youth, bornto the highest fo rtune

,and now a decrepit o ld man

in the flower of his age ! To pray and sacrifice forhimmust be a pious deed

,pleasing to the gods .

Mel issa besought the marble images over the

2 1 2 A THORNY PATH.

altar from the very bottom of her heart,never

even asking herself why she was bestowing on thisstranger

,this cruel tryant, in whose name her own

brother was in danger of the law , an emotion whichnothing but her care for those dearest to her had everstirred. But She did not feel that he was a stranger,and never thought how far apart they were. Herprayers came easily

,too

,in this spot ; the bonds

that l inked her to these beautifu l marble beingswere familiar and dear to her. While she gazed upinto the face of Asklep ios, imploring him to be gracions to the imperial youth

,and release him from

the pain but for which he might have been humaneand beneficent, the stony features seemed to l ivebefore her eyes

,and the maj esty and dignity that

beamed on the brow assured her that the god’spower and wi sdom were great enough to healevery disease. The tender smile which played onhis features fi l led her sou l with the certainty that hewould vouchsafe to be gracious ; nay, she could believe that he moved those marble l ips and promisedto grant her prayer. And when she turned to thestatue of Hygeia she fancied the beautiful

,kind face

nodded to her with a pledge of fulfi l lment .She raised her beseeching arms higher sti l l

,and

addressed her scu lptured friends aloud,as though

they cou ld hear her :1

I know that nothing is hidden from you,

eternal gods,

She began , “ and when it was yourwil l that my mother should be taken from me myfoo l ish heart rebell ed. But I was then a chi ldwithout understanding

,and my sou l lay as it were

asleep. Now it is d ifferent You know that Ihave learned to love a man ; and many things, andthe certainty that the gods are good

, have cometo me with that love. Forgive themaid the sins o f

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214 A THORNY PATH .

for him,or am in love with him. No

,no

,no

,no !

my heart is Who lly given to Diodoros, and not the

smal lest part of it to any other. I t is Caesar’s misery alone that brings me hither . Sooner would Ikiss one of those serpents or a thorny hedgehogthan him

,the fratr icide in the purple. Believe me

,

i t is true,strange as it must seem.

First and last,I pray and offer sacrifice indeed

for D iodoros and his recovery . My brother Alexander

,too

,who is in danger

,I wou ld fa in commend

to you ; but he i s wel l in body, and your remediesare of no effect against the peri ls which th reatenhim .

Here She ceased,and gazed into the faces of the

statues,but they would not look so friendly as be

fore . I t was, no doubt, the smal lness of her offeringthat had offended them . She anxiously drew outher l ittle money-bag and counted the contents.

But when,after waking the priest

,she had asked

how much a goat might cost for sacrifice,her coun

tenance cleared,for her sav ings were enough to pay

for it and for a young cock as well . All she hadShe left with the o ld man

,to the last sesterce but

she could on ly wait to see the cock sacrificed,for

she felt She must go home .

As soon as the blood of the bird had besprinkledthe altar

,and she had to ld the divin it ies that a

goat was also to be kil l ed,she fan cied that they

looked at her more kindly ; and she was turn ing tothe door

,as light and gay as if she had happi ly done

some diffi cult task,when the curtain screening off

the l ibrary of archives was l ifted,and a man came

out cal l ing her by name . She turned round but assoon as she saw that he was a Roman

,and

,as his

white toga told her,of the upper class

,she took

fright . She hasti ly exclaimed that she was in a

A THORNY PATH. 215

hurry,and flew down the steps

,through the garden

,

and into the road . Once there,she reproached her

self for foo lish shyness of a stranger who was scarcely younger than her own father ; but by the time shehad gone a few steps she had forgotten the incident

,

and was rehearsing in her m i nd al l she had to tel lHeron . She soon saw the tops of the palms and sycamores in their own garden

,her faithfu l old dog

Melas barked with del ight,and the happiness which

the meeting with the stranger had for a moment interrupted revived with unchecked glow.

She was weary,and where cou ld she rest so wel l

as at home ? She had escaped many peri ls,and

where cou ld She feel so safe as under her father’sroof Glad as she was at the prospect of her new andhandsome home on the other S ide of the lake

,and

of al l the del ights promised her by Diod oros’s affection

,her heart sti l l clung fondly to the pretty

,neat

l itt le dwe l l ing whose low roof now gleamed in frontof her. In the garden

,whose shel l - strewn paths She

now trod,She had played as a chi ld ; that window

belonged to the room where her mother had died .

And then,coming home was in itself a joy

,when she

had so much to tel l that was pleasant .The dog leaped along by her side with vehement

affection,j umping round her and on her

,and she

heard the starling’s cry, first Olympias and thenMy strength !A happy smile parted her rosy lips as she glanced

at the work -room ; but the two white teeth whichalways gleamed when she was gay we re presentlyhidden

,for her father

,i t would seem

,was out . He

was certainly not at work,for the wide window

was unscreened, and it was now nearly noon . Hewas almost always within at this hour, and it wouldspoil half her gladness not to find him there .

A THORNY PATH.

But what was this What could this meanThe dog had announced her approach, and old

Dido ’s gray head peeped out of the house-door, tovanish again at once. How strangely She hadlooked at her—exactly as she had looked that daywhen the physician had to ld the faithful creaturethat her mistress’s last hour was at hand !Melissa’s contentment was gone . Before she even

crossed the thresho ld,where the fr iendly word Re

joice greeted her in brown mosaic,she called the

old woman by name. No answer.She went into the kitchen to find Dido for she

,

according to her invariable habit of postponing evi las long as possible

,had fled to the hearth . There

she stood,though the fire was out

,weeping bitterly

,

and covering her wr inkled face with her hands,as

though She quai led before the eyes of the girl shemust so deeply grieve . One glance at the woman

,

and the tears which trick led through her fingers anddown her lean arms told Melissa that somethingdreadful had happened . Very pale

,and clasping

her hand to her heaving bosom,she desired to be

to ld al l ; but fo r some time Dido was qu ite unableto speak intel ligibly . And before She could makeup her mind to it

,she looked anxiously for Argutis,

w hom she held to be the wisest of mankind,and who

,

She knew,would reveal the dreadfu l thing that

must be told more j ud i ciously than she could . Butthe Gaul was not to be seen ; so Dido , interruptedby sobs

,began the melancholy tale .

Heron had come home between midn ight andsun rise and had gone to bed . Next morning

,while

he was feeding the birds,Zmin is

,the captain of

the night-watch,had come in with some men -at

arms,and had tried to take the artist prisoner in

Caesar’s name . On this,Heron had raved l ike a

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A THORNY PATH .

h im. He wanted to rush off to the prefect, with hishair uncombed

,j ust as he was. I had to bring him

to his senses ; and then , while I was oi l ing his haiand helping him into his best new mantle, he changedhis mind

,for he declared he would come home first

,

to talk with you and Argutis. Argutis was athome again

,but he had no t found Alexander

,fo r

the poor youth has to hide himsel f as if he were amurderer.” And again she sobbed ; nor was it ti l lMelissa had soothed her with kind Speeches thatshe could go on with her story .

Phil ip had learned yesterday where Alexanderwas concealed

,so he undertook to go across the

lake and inform him of what had occurred . ButArgutis, faithfu l and prudent, had hindered him,

representing that Alexander,who was easi ly moved

,

as soon as he heard that his father was a prisonerwould unhesi tatingly give himself up to his enemiesas a hostage, and rush headlong into danger. A lexander must remain in hiding so long as Caesar wasin A lexandria . He (Argutis) would go instead ofPhil ip

,who

,for his part

,might cal l on the prefect

later . He would cross the lake and warn Mel issanot to return home

,and to tel l Alexander what he

might think necessary . The watch might possiblyfollow Argutis ; but he knew every lane and alley,and could mislead and avoid them . Phil ip had listened to reason . The slave went, and must nowsoon be back again .

Of how different a home-coming had Mel issadreamed ! What new and terrible griefs were these !Stil l

,though d istressed at the thought of her

vehement father in prison,She shed no tears, but

to ld herself that matters could on ly be mended byrational action on behalf of the v ictims

,and not by

lamentations. S he must be alone,to collect her

A THORNY PATH. 219

strength and consider the situation . So she desiredDido

,to her great amazement

,to prepare some food

,

and bring her wine and water. Then,seating her

self, with a melancholy glance at her embro idery

where it lay fo lded together,she rested her elbow

on the table and her head in her hand,considering

to whom she could appeal to save her father .First she thought of Caesar himself

,whose eye

had met hers,and for whom she had prayed and

offered sacrifice . But the blood fired her cheeks atthe thought, and she repel led it at once . Yet hermind wou ld linger at the Serapeum

,where her lover

,

too,stil l rested his fevered head . She knew that

the high-pr iests’ spacious lodgings there,with their

sp lendid rooms and banqueting hal ls,had been pre

pared for the emperor ; and she remembered various things which her brother had to ld her of Timotheus

,who was at the head not on ly of the heathen

priesthood,but also of the museum . He was said

to be a phi lo sopher,and Phi l ip had more than once

been distinguished by him,and inv ited to his house .

Her brother must apply to him . He,who was in a

way Caracal la’s host,would easily succeed in ob

taining her father ’s release,from his imperial guest .

Her grave face brightened at this thought, and,while she ate and drank

,another idea struck her .

Alexander,too

,must be known to the high

priest ; for Timotheus was the brother of Seleukus

,whose daughter the artist had j ust painted. and

Timotheus had seen the portrait and praised i thighly . Thus it was not improbable that the generousman would

,if Phil ip besought him

,intercede

for Alexander. So al l might turn out better thanShe had ventured to hope .

Firmly convinced that it was her part to rescueher family, she once more reviewed in her mind

220 A THORNY PATH .

every acquaintance to whom she might look for

aid ; but even during her meditations her tiredframe asserted its r ights, and when Dido came into remove the remains of the meal and the emptywine-cup

,she found Melissa sunk in S leep.

Shaking her head,and saying to herself that i t

served the old man right for his cruel treatment o fa dutiful child—though

,for A lexander ’s sake

,she

might have tried to keep awake—the faithful sou lpushed a cushion under the girl ’s head

,drew the

screen across the window,and stood waving off the

fl ies which buzzed about her darl ing’s flushed face,

ti l l presently the dog barked,and an energetic knock

shook the house-door. Melissa started from herslumbers

,the old woman threw aside the fan

,and

,

as she hurried to admit the vehement visitor,cried

out to Melissa :Be easy

,dear child—be easy. It i s nothing ;

depend upon that . I know the knock ; it i s on lyPhil ip .

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222 A THORNY PATH .

question as to what his news was,he had answered

gloomily,

As bad as possible .

”

She took his hand and led him into the work-room .

There she reminded him that She was giving him anew brother in Diodoros ; and he embraced her fondly, and wished her and her betrothed every happiness. She thanked him out of a ful l heart

,while he

swal lowed his wine,and then she begged him to

tel l her al l he had done .

He began,and

,as she gazed at him

,it struck her

how l itt le he resembled his father and brother,

though he was no less tal l,and his head was shaped

l ike theirs. But his frame,instead of showing their

stalwart bui ld,was lean and weak ly. His Spine did

not seem strong enough for his long body,and he

never held himself upright . His head was alwaysbent forward

,as if he were watching or seeking

something ; and even when he had seated himselfin hi s father ’s place at the work - table to tel l h is tale

,

hi s hands and feet,even the muscels of his well

formed but colorless face,were in constant move

ment . He would j ump up,or throw back his head

to shake his long hair off his face, and his fine, large,dark eyes glowed with wrathful fires.

I received my fi rst repu lse from the prefect,

he began,and as he spoke

,his arms

,on whose grace

ful use the Greeks so strongly insisted, flew up inthe air as though by their own impu lse rather thanby the speaker’s wil l .

Titianus affects the philosopher, because whenhe was young— long ago

,that is very certain—his

feet trod the Stoa.

”

Your master,Xanthos

,said that he was a very

sound philosopher,Melissa put in .

Such praise is to be had cheap, said Phil ip,

by the most influential man in the town . But h is

A THORNY PATH. 223

methods are o ld-fashioned . He crawls after Zeno ;he submits to authority

,and requ ires more ind epend

ent spirits to do the same . To him the div inity isthe Great First Cause . In this world of o urs he cand iscern the working of a purposefu l wil l

,and con

fuses his mind with windy,worn -out ideals. Virtue,

he says—but to what end repeat such stale old

stuffWe have no time for it

,said Mel issa

,who saw

that Phil ip was on the point of losing himself in aphilosophical dissertation , for he had begun to enjoythe sound of his own voice

,which was

,in fact

,un

usual ly musical .Why not ? he exclaimed

,shrugging his shoul

d ers,and with a bitter smile . When he has Shot

away al l his arrows,the bowman may rest ; and, as

you wi ll soon hear,our quiver is empty—as empty

as this cup which I have drained.

No,no exclaimed Melissa

,eagerly . If this

fi rst attempt has fa i led, that is the very reason forplanning another . I

,too

,can use figures of speech.

The archer who is real ly eager to hit the object onwhich he has spent his arrows

,does not retire from

the fight,but fetches more and if he can find none

,

he fights with his bow,or fal ls on the enemy with

stones,fists

,and teeth .

”

Phil ip looked at her in astonishment,and ex

claimed in pleased surpr ise, without any of the su

percilious scorn which he commonly infused intohis tone when addressing his humble sister

Listen to our little girl ! Where did those gentle eyes get that determined flash ? From misfortune— from misfortune They rob the gentle doveof her young— I mean her splendid A lexander—and10, she becomes a val iant falcon I expected to findyou a heart-broken lamb

,over your tear-stained

224 A THORNY PATH.

stitching, and behold it is you who try to fire me.Well

,then

,tel l me what arrows we have left, when

youhave heard me out . But,before I proceed

,is

Argutis at home again No ? He must go acrossagain, to take various things to Alexander—l inen,garments, and the l ike . I met Glauk ias the sculptor, and he begged me not to fo rget it for he knowswhere the lad is hidden, and was on the po int of

going over to see him . The man had made himself

perfectly unrecognizable . He is a true friend,if such

a thing there be ! And how grieved he was to hearof my father’s i l l fortune I bel ieve he is enviousof Diodoros .” Melissa shook a finger at him ; butshe turned pale

,and curiously inqui red whether her

brother had remembered to warn Glauk ias on no

account to tel l A l exander that itwas in his powerto release his father .

Phil ip struck his brow,and

,with a helpless fal l

of the mouth,which was usually so fi rmly set and

ready to sneer,he exclaimed

,l ike a boy caught in

mischief : That,that I can not imagine how I

forgot it,but I did not mention it . What strange

absence o f mind ! But I can remedy it at once onthe spot. Argutis—nay, I wil l go myself.He sprang up

,and was on the po int of carrying

out his sudden purpose, but Mel issa detained him .

With a decisiveness which again amazed him,She de

sired him to remain ; and while he paced the workroom with rapid strides

,heaping abuse on himself

,

now str iking his breast,and now pushing his fingers

through h is diso rdered hair,she made it clear to

him that he could not reach Alexander in time to

prevent his knowing all , and that the only resu lt ofhis visit would be to put the watch on the track .

Instead o f raving and lamenting, he would do better to tell her whither he had been.

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226 A THORNY PATH.

were commonly thronged. Most visito rs had beend i smissed

,by reason of the prefect’s i l lness, and

many of the acquaintances and supplicants whowere general ly to be found here were assembled inthe imperial quarters, or in the rooms of the praetorian prefect and other powerful dignitaries inCaracalla’s train. Titianus had fai led to be presentat the emperor’s arrival

,and keen courtier noses

smelled a fal l,and j udged it wise to keep out of the

way of a tottering power.Besides al l this

,the prefect’s honesty was wel l

known,and it was strongly suspected that he

,as

steward of al l the taxes of this wealthy province,

had been bo ld enough to reject a proposal made byTheocritus to embezz le the whole freight of a fleetloaded with corn fo r Rome

,and charge it to the

account o f army munitions. It was a fact that thisbase proposal had been made and rej ected only theevening before

,and the scene of which Phil ip be

came the witness was the resu lt o f this refusal .Theocritus

,to whom an audience was always

indispensable,careful ly left the curtains apart which

divided the prefect’s sick-room from the antechamber

,and thus Phil ip was witness of the proceedings

he now described to his sister .Titianus received his visitor

,lying down

,and yet

his demeanor revealed the self-possessed dignity of ahigh-born Roman

,and the calm of a Sto ic philoso

pher . He l istened unmoved to the courtier,who

,

after the usual formal greetings,took upon himself

to overwhelm the older man with the bitterest accusations and reproaches. People al lowed themselvesto take strange liberties with Caesar in this town

,

Theocritus burst o ut ; insolent j ests passed from lipto l ip . An epigram against his sacred person hadfound i ts way 1nto the Serapeum

,his present resi

A THORNY PATH.

d ence—an insul t worthy of any punishment, even ofdeath and crucifixion .

When the prefect,with eviden t annoyance, but

sti l l quite calmly,desired to know what this ex

traord inary insult might be, Theocritus showed thateven in his high position he had preserved the accurate memory of the mime

,and

,half angry

,but yet

anxious to give ful l effect to the l ines by voice andgesture

,he explained that some wretch had fast

ened a rope to one of the doors o f the sanctuary,and had written below it the blasphemous words

Hail ! For so welcome a guest never came to the sovereign of

Hades.

Who ever peopled his realm, Caesar, more freely than thouLaurels refuse to grow green in the d arksome abod e of Sera is ;Take, then , thismmfor a gift, nevermore richly d eserved .

It i s d isgracefu l exclaimed the prefect .Your indignation is wel l founded . But the bitingtongue of the frivolous mixed races dwell ing in thiscity is wel l known . They have tried it on me ; andif, i n this instance, any one is to blame, it is not I,the imprisoned prefect

,but the chief and captain

of the night-watch,whose business it is to guard

Caesar’s residence more strictly .

”

At thi s Theocritus was furious,and poured out

a flood of words,expatiating on the duties of a pre

feet as Caesar’s representative in the provinces .His eye must be as omniscient as that of the al lseeing Deity . The better he knew the uproariousrabble over whom he ruled

,the more evidently was

it his duty to watch over Caesar ’s person as anxiously as a mother over her child, as a miser over histreasure.The high-sounding words flowed with dramatic

emphasi s, the sentimental speaker adding to their

223 A THORNY PATH .

impressiveness by the action of his hands, till i t wasmore than the inval id could bear . With a pinchedsmile

,he raised himself with difficulty , and inter

rupted Theocritus with the impatient exclamation ,Sti l l the actor !Yes, sti l l ! retorted the favorite, in a hard voice.

You,however

,have been even longer—what you

have,indeed

,been too long— Prefect of Egypt !

With an angry fl ing he threw the corner of histoga over his shoulder, and, though his hand Shookwith rage

,the pliant drapery fel l in gracefu l folds

over his athletic l imbs. He turned his back on theprefect

,and

,with the air of a general who has j ust

been crowned with laurels,he stalked through the

anteroom and past Phil ip once more .

The philosopher had told his sister all this in afew sentences . He now paused in his walk to andfro to answer Melissa’s question as to whether thisupstart’s influence were real ly great enough to turnso noble and worthy a man out of his Ofli ce.

Can you ask ? ” said Philip . Titianus had nodoubts from the fi rst ; and what I heard in the Serapeum— but al l in good time . The prefect was sorryfo r my father and Alex ander

,but ended by saying

that he himself needed an intercessor ; for, i f it werenot to -day

,at any rate to -morrow

,the actor would

inveigle Caesar into signing his death -warrant .”

Impossible ! cried the gir l,spreading out her

hands in horror ; but Phil ip dropped into a seat,saying

Listen to the end. There was evidently nothing to be hoped for from Titianus. He is

,no doubt

,

a brave man,but there is a touch of the actor in

him too . He is a Sto ic ; and where would be thepoin t of that

,if a man could not appear to look on

app roaching death as calmly as on taking a bath ?

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230 A THORNY PATH .

person was unaccustomed,and po inted to a cur

tained doorway on one side of the room .

“ Through that door,he whispered

,

“ you wil lreach the western steps

,and the passage leading

out of the precincts to the stadium . You are knownto the Romans in the anteroom . It is not the godto whom this bui lding is dedicated who now ruleswithin these wal ls. Your brother ’s rash words arerepeated everywhere

,and have even come to Caesar’s

knowledge ; and he has been told that it was thesame traitor—who has for the moment escapedZmin is and his men—who nailed a rope on one ofour doors

,and with it an audacious inscription . To

speak a single word in behalf o f Alexander or yourfather would be to fl ing myself into the fi re withoutputting it out . You do not know how fiercely it isburn ing. Theocritus is feeding the flame

,for he

n eeds it to destroy the prefect . Now,not another

word ; and, come what may, so long as the Romanv isito rs dwell under this roof

,beware of it ! ”

And the high-priest opened the door with hisown hand .

I hurried home,Phil ip added

,and if I forgot

,

in my dismay at this fresh disaster,to warn Glaukias

to be careful But,no

,no ! I t i s unpardonable !

Al exander is by this time crossing the lake,per

haps. I am like Caracal la—my brother’s mur

dererBut Mel issa laid her arm on his shoulder and

besought the poor fel low to be comforted and herloving words of excuse seemed to have some goodeffect . But why was he always so reserved ? Whycould not Phi l ip be as frank with her as Alexanderwas ? She had never been very near to him ; andnow he was conceal ing from her something whichmoved him deeply .

A THORNY PATH. 23 1

She turned away sadly,for she cou ld not even

comfort him . But then again Phil ip sighed fromthe bottom of his heart

,and she could contain her

self no longer . More tenderly than She had everaddressed him before

,she besought her brother to

open his heart to her. She would gladly help himto endure what oppressed him ; and she cou ld und erstand

,for she herself had learned what the j oys

and sorrows of love were .

She had found the right clew. Phil ip nodded,

and answered gloomily :Well

,then

,l isten . It may do me good to speak .

And thereupon he began to tel l her what shehad already heard from Alexan der ; and, coveringher tingling cheeks with her hands

,she l i stened with

breathless attention,not missing a word

,though the

question rose to her mind aga in and aga in whethershe should tel l him the whole truth, which he as yetcou ld not know. or whether it would be better tospare his al ready burdened soul .He described his love 1n glowing co lors. Korin

na’s heart,he said , must have gone forth to him ;

for,at their last meeting on the northern shore of the

lake,her hand had rested in his whi le he helped her

out of the boat ; he could sti l l feel the touch of herfingers . Nor had the meeting been pure accident,for he had since seen and recognized the presenceon earth o f her departed soul in her apparently l iving fo rm . And she

,too

,with the subtle senses o f a

disembodied spir it,must have had a yearn ing to

wards him,for she had perceived all the depth and

fervor of his passion . A lexander had given himthis certainty ; fo r when he had seen Korinna bythe lake

,her soul had long since abandoned its

earthly tenement . Before that,her mortal part was

al ready beyond his reach ; and yet he was happy,

232 A THORNY PATH .

for the spirit was not lost to him . Only last n ightmagic forces had brought her before him— his father

,

too,had been present

,and no deception was pos

sible . He had gone to bed in rapturous excitement,

ful l of del icious hopes,and Korinna had at once ap

peared to him in a dream ,so lovely

,so kind , and at the

same time so subtle a vision,ready to fo l low him in

his thoughts and str ivings. But j ust as he had hearda ful l assurance of her love from her own l ips

,and

was asking her by what name he should call herwhen the craving to see her again sho uld wax strongin him

,old Dido had waked him

,to cast him out of

e lysium into the deepest earthly woes.But

,he added—and he drew himself up proudly

he shou ld soon possess the Magian ’s art,for there

was no kind of learning he cou ld not master evenas a boy he had proved that to his teachers . He

,

whose knowledge had but yesterday cu lminated inthe assurance that it was impossible to know anything, could now assert with positive conviction,that the human sou l cou ld exist apart from the matter it had an imated . He had thus gained that fixedfooting outside the earth which Archimedes haddemanded to enable him to move it ; and he shouldsoon be able to exert h is power over departed souls

,

whose nature he now understood as wel l as—ay, andbetter than—Serapion . Korinna

’

s obedient spiritwould help him

,and when once he should succeed

in commanding the souls of the dead,as their mas

ter,and in keeping them at hand among the l iving

,

a new era of happiness would begin,not on ly fo r

him and his father,but for every one who had lost

one dear to him by death .

But here Melissa interrupted his eager and confid ent speech . She had listened with increasing umeasiness to the youth who

,as she knew

,had been

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234 A THORNY PATH.

night . He felt as though a brutal foot had trampleddown the promise of future joys on which he hadco unted ; his sister

’s revelations had spoi led notmerely his l ife on earth

,but al l etern ity beyond the

grave . Where hope ends despair steps in ; and Phil ip,with reckless vehemence

,flung himsel f

,as it were

,

into its arms. His was an exci table nature ; he hadnever thought of any one but himself

,but labored

with egotistical zeal to cultivate his own mind andoutdo his fel lows in the competition for learn ing.

The sul len words in which he cal led himself themost wretched man on earth

, and the victim of theblackest i ll - fortune

,fel l from his l ips l ike stones.

He rudely repel led his sister ’s encouraging words,

l ike a sick child whose pain is the greater for bein gpitied, t il l at last she appealed to his sense of duty,reminding him that something must be done to rescue her father and Al exander.

“ They also ! They also ! ” he cried .

“ It fal lson us al l . Blind Fate drives us al l

,innocent as we

are,to death and despair

,like the Tantalides. What

sin have you committed,gentle

,patient chi ld ; or

our father,or our happy-hearted and gifted brother ;

or I—I myself Have those whom we cal l therulers of the universe the right to punish me because I make use of the inqu1ring spir it they havebestowed on me ? Ah

,and how well they know

how to torture us ! They hate me for my learn ing,

and so they turn my little errors to account to al lowme to be cheated l ike a foo l ! They are said to bej ust

,and they behave l ike a father who disinherits

his son because, as a man , he notes his parent’s

weakness. With tears and anguish have I strivenfor truth and knowledge. There i s not a provinceof thought whose deepest depths I have not triedto fathom ; and when I recognized that it is not

A THORNY PATH .

given to mortals to apprehend the essence of thedivinity because the organs bestowed on us are toosmal l and feeble ; when I refused to pronouncewhether that which I can not apprehend exists ornot

,was that my fault

,or theirs ? There may be

divine forces which created and govern the un iverse ; but never talk to me of their goodness, andreasonableness

,and care for human creatures ! Can

a reasonable being,who cares for the happiness of

another,strew the place assigned to him to dwel l in

with snares and traps,or implant in his breast a

hundred impulses of which the gratification on lydrags him into an abyss ? I S that Being my friend

,

who suffers me to be born and to grow up,and

leaves me tied to the martyr ’s stake,with very few

real joys,and final ly kil ls me

,innocent or guil ty

,as

surely as I am born If the divinity which is sup

posed to bestow on us a portion of the div ine es

sence in the form of reason were constituted as thecrowd are taugh t to believe

,there could be nothing

on earth but wisdom and goodness ; but the majority are foo ls or wicked

,and the good are l ike tal l

trees,which the l ightning blasts rather than the

creeping weed. Titianus fal ls before the dancerTheocritus

,the noble Papinian before the murderer

Caracal la,our splendid A lexander before such a

wretch as Zmin is ; and divine reason lets it all happen

,and allows human reason to proclaim the law .

Happiness is for foo ls and knaves ; for those whocherish and upho ld reason—ay, reason , which is apart of the div in ity—persecution

,misery

,and de

Spa1r .Have done ! Melissa exclaimed . Have the

judgments o f the immortals no t fallen hardlyenough on us ? Would you provoke them to discharge their fury in some more dreadful manner

236 A THORNY PATH.

At this the skeptic struck his breast with defiantpride

,exclaiming I do not fear them

,and dare to

proclaim openly the conclusions of my thoughts.There are no gods ! There is no rational guidanceof the un iverse. It has arisen sel f-evo lved , bychance ; and if a god created it, he laid down eternal laws and has left them to govern i ts cou rsewithout mercy or grace

,and without troub l ing him

self about the pul ing of men who creep about onthe face of the earth l ike the ants on that of a

pumpkin . And well for us that it Should be so !Better a thousand times is it to be the servan t of ani ron law ,

than the slave of a capriciou s master whotakes a mal ignant and envious pleasure in destroying the best

And this,you say

,is the final outcome of your

thoughts ? asked Mel issa,shaking her head sadly .

Do you not perceive that such an outbreak ofmad despair i s simply unworthy of your own wisdom

,of which the en d and aim should be a passion

less,calm

,and immovable moderation ? ”

“An d do they Show such moderation,Phil ip

gasped out,who pour the poison of misfortune in

floods on one tortu red heart ? ”

Then you can accuse those whose ex istence youd isbel ieve in ? ” retorted Mel i ssa with angry zeal .I s thi s your much-belauded logic ? What becomesof you r dogmas

,in the face of the fi rst misfor tune

dogmas which enjo in a reserve of decisive j udgment,

that you may preserve your equanimity,and not

overburden your soul,in addition to the misfortune

itself,with the conv iction that something monstrous

has befal len you I remember how much thatpleased me the fi rst time I heard it. For your own

sake— for the sake of us al l—cease this foolish raving , and do not merely ca l l yourself a skeptic

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233 A THORNY PATH.

That my father may lose another son,and I ;

my only remaining brother ? ” Melissa observed,

with grave composure . Say no more,Phil ip . I

am going,and you must wait for me here.

The philosopher broke out at this in despoticwrath :

“What has come over you,that you have sud

d enly forgotten how to obey ? But I in sist ; andrather than allow you to bring on us not troublemerely

,but shame and disgrace

,I will

“

lock you intoyour room !He seized her hand to drag her into the ad jo in

ing room . She struggled with all her might ; bu the was the stronger, and he had got her as far asthe door

,when the Gaul Argutis iushed , panting

and breathless,into the work -room through the ante

room,cal l ing out to the struggling couple

“ What are you doing ? By al l the gods,you

have chosen the wrong time for a quarrel ! Zmin isi s on the way hither to take you both prisoners ; hewil l be here in a minute ! Fly into the kitchen, girl !Dido wil l hide you in the wood-store behind the

hearth—You , Phil ip, must squeeze into the henhouse. Only be quick

,or it wil l be too late !

Go cried Mel issa to her brother . Outthrough the kitchen window you can get into the

poultry-yardShe threw hersel f weeping into his arms

,kissed

him,and added

,hasti ly : Whatever happens to uS

,

I shal l risk al l to save my father and A lexander.Farewell The gods preserve us !She now seized Phi lip ’s wrist

,as he had before

grasped hers,to drag him away ; but be freed him

self,saying

,with an indifference which terrified her

Then let the worst come. Ru in may take itscourse. Death rather than d ishonor ! ”

A THORNY PATH. 239

Madman ! ” the slave cou ld not help exclaiming ; and the faithful fel low,

though wont to obey,

threw his arms round his master’s son to drag himaway into the kitchen

,whi le Phi l ip pushed him off

,

say1ng :

I wil l not h ide,l ike a frightened woman ! ”

But the Gau l heard the approach of marchingmen

,so

,paying no further heed to the brother

,he

dragged Mel issa into the kitchen, where old Didoundertook to hide her.

Phil ip stood panting in the studio . Throughthe open window he could see the pursuers comingnearer

,and the instinct of self-preservation

,which

asserts itself even in the strongest, prompted him tofollow the S lave’s advice. But before he cou ldreach the door

,in fancy he saw himself joining the

party of philosophers air ing themselves under thearcades in the great court of the Museum ; heheard their laughter and their bitter j ests at theSkeptic

,the independent thinker

,who had sought

refuge among the fowls,who had been hauled out

of the hen-house ; and this picture confi rmed hisdetermination to yield to force rather than bring onhimself the curse of ridicu le. But at the same timeother reasons for submi tting to his fate suggestedthemselves unbidden—reasons more worthy of hisposition

,of the whole co urse and aim of his

thoughts,and o f the sorrow which weighed upon

his sou l . It beseemed him as a skeptic to endurethe worst with equanimity ; under al l circumstanceshe liked

'

to be in the right,and he would fain have

called out to his sister that the cruel powers whoseenmity he had incurred sti l l persisted in drivinghim on to despair and death

,worthy as he was of a

better fate.

A few minutes later Zmin is came in,and put out

240A THORNY PATH.

his long lean arms to apprehend him in Caesar’sname. Phil ip submitted

,and not a muscle of his

face moved. Once,indeed

,a smile l ighted it up

,as

he reflected that they would hardly have carriedhim ofl to prison if Alexander were already in theirpower ; but the smile gave way on ly too soon togloomy gravity when Zmin is informed him that hisbrother

,the traitor

,had j ust given himself up to

the chief of the n ight-watch,and was now safe

under lock and ward. But his crime was so greatthat

,according to the law of Egypt

,his nearest

relations were to be seized and punished with him .

Only his sister was now missing,but they would

know how to find her .Possibly

,

” Phi lip repl ied,coldly. AS Justice

is bl ind,Inj ustice has no doubt al l the Sharper

eyesf’

“Well said,laughed the Egyptian . A pinch

of the salt which they give you at the Museum w i thyour porridge— for nothing.

”

Argutis had witnessed this scene ; and when ,half an hour later

,the men -at-arms had left the

house without discovering Mel issa'

s h iding-place,

he informed her that Alexander had,as they feared

,

given himself up of his own free-wil l to procureHeron’s release ; but the vil lains had kept the son ,without l iberating the father . Both were now inprison

,loaded with chains. The slave had ended

his tale some minutes,and Mel issa sti l l stood

,pale

and tearless,gaz ing on the ground as though She

were turned to stone ; but suddenly she shivered,as if with the chil l of fever

,and looked up

,out

through the windows into the garden,now dim in

the twil ight. The sun had set, night was fall ing, andagain the words of the Christian preacher recurredto h er mind : The ful lness of the time is come.”

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CHAPTER XV .

NOTH ING delighted o ld Dido more than to dressthe daughter of her beloved mistress in all her best

,

for she had helped to bring her up ; but to-day i twas a cruel task ; tears dimmed her o ld eyes. Itwas not ti l l she had put the finishing touches tobraiding the girl ’s abundant brown hair

,pinned her

peplos on the shoulders with brooches,and set the

girdle straight , that her face cleared, as she looked atthe resul t. Never had she seen her darling look sofair . Nothing

,indeed

,remained of the child- l ike ti

mid ity and patient submissiveness which had touchedDido only two days since

,as she plaited Mel issa’s

hair . The maiden’s brow was grave and thoughtful ,the l ips firmly set ; but She seemed to Dido to havegrown

,and to have gained something of her mother ’s

mature dignity. She looked, the old woman to ldher

,l ike the image of Pal las Athene ; adding, to

make her smile,that if she wanted an owl

,she

,

Dido,could fi l l the part. Jesting had never been

the o ld woman ’s strong point,and to-day itwas less

easy than ever ; for, if the worst befel l, and She weresent in her old age to a strange house—and Argutis,no doubt

,to another— she would have to turn the

bandmi l l for the rest of her days .But it was a hard task which the motherless

and now fatherless—girl had set herself,and she

must try to cheer her darl ing. While she was dress

A THORNY PATH.

i

43

ing her, she never ceased praying to all the godsand goddesses she cou ld think of to come to themaiden ’s aid and move the so u ls of those who couldhelp her. And though she was

,as a rule

,ready to

expect the worst,this time She hoped for the best ;

for Seleukus’s wife must have a heart of stone if shecou ld close it to such innocence, such beauty, andthe pathetic glance of those large

,imploring eyes.

When at length Melissa quitted the house,deeply

veiled, with Argutis to escort her, she took his arm ;and he, wearing his master

’s mantle,and exempted

long since from keeping his hair cropped, was soproud of this that he walked with al l the dignity ofa freeman

,and no one could have guessed that

he was a slave. Mel issa’s face was completely hidden

,and she

,l ike her compan ion

,was safe from

recognition . Argutis, nevertheless, led her throughthe quietest and darkest lanes to the Kanopic

way. Both were silent,and looked straight before

them . Melissa,as she walked on , co uld not think

with her usual calm . Like a sufi ering man whogoes to the physician ’

s house to die or be curedby the knife, she felt that she was on her way tosomething te rrible in itsel f

,to remedy

,if possible

,

something sti l l more dreadful . Her father—Al exander

,so reckless and so good-hearted—Phil ip,

whom she pitied—and her S ick lover, came in turnbefore her fancy. But she cou ld not contro l hermind to dwell on either for long. Nor could she

,as

usual,when she had any ser ious purpose in hand,

put up a prayer to her mother’s manes or the immortals ; and al l the while an inner voice made itself heard

,confident ly promising her that Caesar

,for

whom she had sacrificed,and who might be kinder

and more merciful than others fancied, would atonce grant all she shou ld ask . But she would not

244 A THORNY PATH.

listen and when she nevertheless ventured to consider how she cou ld make her way into Caesar’spresence

,a cold shiver ran down her back

,and

again Phil ip’s last words sounded in her ears,Death

rather than dishonorOther thoughts and feelings fi l led the S lave ’s

soul . He,who had always watched over his mas

ter’s children with far more anxious care thanHeron himself

,had not said a word to dissuade

Mel issa from her perilous expedition . Her planhad

,indeed

,seemed to him the only one which

promised any success. He was a man of S ixtyyears, and a shrewd fel low,

who might easi ly havefound a better master than Heron had been ; buthe gave not a thought to his own prospects—on lyto Mel issa’s

,whom he loved as a child of his own .

She had placed herself under his protection,and he

felt responsible for her fate . Thus be regarded itas great good fortune that he cou ld be of use inprocuring her admission to the house of Seleukus

,

for the door-keeper was a fellow-coun tryman of h is,

whom Fate had brought hither from the banks ofthe Moselle . At every festival, which secured a fewhou rs’ l iberty to al l the slaves

,they had for years

been boon companions,and Argutis knew that h is

friend would do for him and his young mistress al lthat lay in his power . It wou ld

,of course

,be d iffi

cult to get an audience of the mistress of a housewhere Caesar was a guest

,but the door-keeper was

clever and ingenious,and would do anything short

of the impossible.So he walked with h is head h igh and his heart

ful l of pride,and it confirmed his courage when one

of Zmin is’s men,whom they passed in the brightly

i l l uminated Kanop ic street, and who had helped tosecure Phil ip

,looked at him without recogniz ing him .

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245 A THORNY PATH .

Very wel l,repl ied the musician ; and he si

lenced the singers, who were hazarding various im

pertinent guesses as to the arrival of so pretty a

gi rl j ust when Caesar was expected .

As Melissa dropped her vei l the splendor of thescene

,l ighted up by numberless tapers and lamps

,

forced itself on her attention . She now perceivedthat the porphyry co lumns of the great hal l werewreathed with flowers

,and that garlands swung in

graceful curves from the open roof ; while at thefarther end, statues had been placed of Sept imusSeveru s and Ju lia Domna

,Caracal la’s parents. On

each side of these works of art stood bowers ofplants

,in which gay -plumaged birds were flutterin g

about,excited by the l ights . But al l these glories

swam before her eyes,and the first question which

the artist ’s daughter was wont to ask herself,Is i t

real ly beautifu l or no never occurred to her mind.

She did not even notice the smell o f incense,unti l

some fresh powder was thrown on , and it becameOppressive .

She was fu lly conscious only of two facts,when

at last Argutis returned : that she was the object ofmuch curious examination . and that every one waswondering what de tained Caesar so long.

At last,after she had waited many long minutes

,

the door-keeper approached her with a young womanin a rich but simple dress

,in whom she recognized

Johanna,the Christian waiting-maid of whom A lex

ander had spoken . She did not speak,but beckoned

her to come.Breathing anxiously

,and bending her head low

,

Melissa,fol lowing her guide

,reached a handsome

impluvium,where a fountain played in the midst of

a bed of ro ses. Here the moon and starl ight ming led with that of lamps W i thout number, and the

A THORNY PATH. 247

ruddy glare of a blaze ; for al l round the basin, fromwhich the playing waters danced Skyward

,stood

marble gen ii, carrying in their hands or on theirheads si lver dishes

,in which the leaping flames

consumed cedar chips and aromatic resins.At the back of this court

,where it was as l ight

as day, at the top of three steps, stood the statuesof Alexander the Great and Caracal la. They wereof equal size ; and the artist, who had wrought thesecond in great haste out of the sl ightestmaterials

,

had been enjoined to make Caesar as l ike as possiblein every respect to the hero he most revered . Thusthey looked like brothers. The figures were l ighted up by the fires which burned on two altars o fivory and gold . Beautiful boys, dressed as armedErotes

,fed the flames .

The whole efl ect was magical and bewildering ;but, as she fo l lowed her guide

,Melissa only felt

that she was in the midst of a new world, such as

she might perhaps have seen in a dream ; ti l l , asthey passed the fountain

,the cool drops sprinkled

her face .

Then She sudden ly remembered what had broughther hither. In a minute she must appear as a sup

plicant in the presence of Korinna’

smother—perhapseven in that of Caesar himself—and the fate of alldear to her depended on her demeano r . The senseof fu lfi l l ing a serious duty was uppermost in hermind. She drew herself up, and replaced a straylock of hair ; and her heart beat almost to burstingas she saw a number of men standing on the platform at the top of the steps

,round a lady who had

just risen from her ivory seat . Giving her hand toa Roman senator

,distingu ished by the purple edge

to his toga,she descended the steps, and advanced

to meet Mel issa.

243 A THORNY PATH.

This dignified matron,who was awaiting the

ru ler of the world and yet cou ld condescend to comeforward to meet a humble artist’s daughter

,was

tal ler by half a head than her i l lustr ious compan ion ;and the few minutes during which Berenike wascoming toward her were enough to fi l l Melissa withthankfulness

,confidence

,and admiration . And even

in that short time,as she gazed at the magn ifi

cen t dress of blue brocade shot with go ld andsparkl ing with preciou s stones which draped thelady ’s maj estic figure

,she thought how keen a pang

it must cost the mother,so lately bereft of her on ly

child,to maintain a kindly

,nay

,a genial aspect

,in

the midst of this display,toward Caesar and a

troop of noisy guests.The sincerest pity for thi s woman , rich and pre

eminent as she was,fi l led the soul of the gir l

,who

herself was so much to be pitied. But when thelady had come up to her

,and asked

,in her deep

voice,what was the danger that threatened her

brother,Melissa

,with unembarrassed grace

,and al

though it was the fi rst time she had ever addresseda lady of such high degree, answered simply, with aful l sense of the business in hand :

“ My name is Meli ssa ; I am the S ister ofAlexander the painter. I know it is overbo ld toventure into your presence j ust now

,when you

have so much else to think of ; but I saw no

other way of saving my brother’s l ife

,which is in

peril .At this Berenike seemed surprised. She turned

to her companion,who was her sister

’

s husband,

and the first Egyptian who had been admitted to

the Roman Senate, and said, in a tone of gen tlereproach :

“ D id not I say so, Coeranus ? Noth ing but the

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250 A THORNY PATH .

She unclasped her hands from her heavingbosom, and said to the steward who had fo l lowedthe messengers :

Caesar wi ll not be present . Inform your lord,

but so that no one else may hear . He must comehere and receive the imperial representatives withme . Then have my couch quietly removed and thebanquet served at once . 0 Coeranus

,you can not

imagine the misery I am thus spared ! ”

Beren ike said the senator,in a warning

voice,and he laid his finger on his l ips. Then turn

ing to the young supplicant, he said to her in a toneof regret : So your walk is for nothing

,fair maid.

If you are as sensible as you are pretty, you willunderstand that it is too much to ask any one tostand between the lion and the prey which has

roused his i re .

”

The lady, however, did not heed the cautionwhich her brother-in - law intended to convey . As

Melissa’s imploring eyes met her own, she said, withclear decision

Wait here. We shal l see who i t i s that Caesarsends. I know better than my lord here what it isto see those dear to us in peri l. How old are you

,

child ? ”

Eighteen,repl ied Melissa.

Eighteen ? ” repeated Berenike, as if the wordwere a pain to her

,for her daughter had been j ust

o f that age. Then She said,louder and with en

couraging kindness :All that l ies in my power shal l be done for you

and yours—And you, Coeranus, must help me .

”

I f I can,

” he repl ied,with al l the zeal of my

reverence for you and my admiration for beauty.

But here come the envoys. The elder,I see

,is our

learn ed Philostratus, whose works are known to

A THORNY PATH. 251

you ; the younger is Theocritus, the favorite offortune of whom I was tel l ing you . If the charmof that face might but conquer the omnipotentyouth

Coeranus ! she exclaimed,with stern reproof ;

but she failed to hear the senator’s excuses,for her

husband,Seleukus, fol lowed her down the steps,

and with a hasty S ign to her,advanced to meet his

guests.Theocritus was spokesman

,and notwithstanding

the mourning toga which wrapped him in fine fo lds,his gestures did not belie his origin as an actor anddancer . When Seleukus presented him to his wife

,

Theocritus assured her that when,but an hour

since,his sovereign lord

,who was already dressed

and wreathed for the banquet,had learned that the

gods had bereft o f their on ly chi ld the couple whosehospitality had promised him such a del ightfuleven ing

,he had been equally shocked and grieved .

Caesar was deeply distressed at the unfortunate circumstance that he Should have happened in hisignorance to intrude on the seclusion which was theprerogative of grief. He begged to assure her andher husband of the high favo r o f the ruler of theworld . As for himself

,Theocritus

,he would not

fail to describe the splendor with which they haddecorated their princely resid ence in Caesar

’s honor .His imperial master would be touched, indeed , tohear that even the bereaved mother

,who

,l ike

Niobe,mourned fo r her offspr ing

,had broken the

stony spell which held her to S ipylos, and haddecked herself to receive the greatest of al l earthlyguests as radiant as Juno at the golden table o fthe gods.

The lady succeeded in control ling herself andlisten ing to the end of these pompous phrases without

252 A THORNY PATH.

interrupting the speaker. Every word which flowedso glibly from his tongue fel l on her ear as bittermockery ; and he himself was so repugnant to her,that She fel t it a release when , after exchanging afew words with the master of the house

,he begged

leave to retire,as important business cal led him

away. And this,indeed

,was the truth . For no

considerat ion would he have left this duty to an

other,for it was to communicate to Titianus

,who

had offended him,the intel l igence that Caesar had

deprived him of the office of prefect,and intended

to examine into certain complaints of his admin istration .

The second envoy,however

,remained

,though

he refused Seleukus’s invitati on to fi l l his place atthe banquet. He exchanged a few words with thelady Berenike

,and presently found himself taken

aside by the senator,and

,after a short explanation

,

l ed up to Melissa,whom Coeranus desired to appeal

for help to Philostratus,the famous philosopher

,

who enjoyed Caesar ’s closest confidence.Coeranus then obeyed a S ign from Berenike

,who

wished to know whether he would be answerablefor introducing this rarely pretty gir l

,who had

placed herself under their protection— and whom she,

for her part,meant to protect— to a courtier of whom

she knew nothing but that he was a w r iter of taste.The question seemed to amuse Coeranus, but ,

seeing that his sister-in - law was very much in earn est

,he dropped his fl ippant tone and admitted that

Ph ilostratus, as a young man, had been one of thelast with whom he would trust a girl . His farfamed letters suffi ciently proved that the witty phiIOSOpher had been a devoted and successfu l courtiero f women . But that was all a thing of the past .H e sti l l, no doubt, did homage to female beauty ,

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254 A THORNY PATH.

can fire at the sight of an image, or the mere aspectof a man ?

To this she answered hasti lyWhat an idea ! No

,no . Certainly not.

No said her new fr iend,with greater surprise.

Then perhaps your hopeful young soul expectsthat

,being sti ll but a youth

,he may, by the help of

the gods,become

,l ike Titus

, a benefactor to thewhole world ? ”

Melissa looked timidly at the matron,who was

sti l l talking with her brother - in -law,and hastily re

pliedThey al l cal l him a murderer ! But I know for

certain that he suffers fearfu l to rments of mind andbody ; and one who knows many things to ld methat there was not one among al l the mil lions whomCaesar governs who ever prays for him ; and I wasso sorry—I can not tel l you

And so,

” interrupted the philosopher,you

thought it praiseworthy and pleasing to the godsthat you should be the first and on ly one to offersacrifice fo r him

,in secret

,and of your own free

w i l l ? That was how it came about ? Wel l,child

,

you n eed not be ashamed of it.”

But then suddenly his face clouded, and he asked,in a grave and altered voice

Are you a ChristianN0

,she repl ied

,fi rmly. We are Greeks.

How could I have offered a sacrifice of blood to ASklepios i f I had bel ieved in the crucified god ?

“Then,said Philostratus, and his eyes flashed

brightly,

“ I may promise you,in the name of the

gods,that your prayer and offering were pleasing in

the ir eyes. I myself,noble girl

,owe you a rare

pleasure. But,tel l me—how d id you feel as you

left the sanctuary

A THORNY PATH. 255

Light-hearted,my lord

,and content

, she an

swered , with a frank, glad look in her fine eyes . Icou ld have sung as I went down the road

,though

there were people about .”

I shou ld have l iked to hear you,he said

,kind

ly, and he sti l l held her hand, which he had graspedwith the amiable genial ity that characterized him

,

when they were joined by the senator and his sister-in -law .

“ Has she won your good ofli ces ? asked Coeranns ; and Philostratus replied

,quickly

,Any

thing that it l ies in my power to do fo r her shallcertainly be done.

”

Beren ike bade them both to jo in her in her ownrooms

,for everything that had to do with the ban

quet was odious to her ; and as they went, Mel issato ld her new friend her brother’s story . She ended it in the quiet si tting-room of the mistress ofthe house

,an artistic but not splendid apartment,

adorned on ly with the choicest works of ear ly Alexandr1an art. Ph ilostratus l istened attent ively, but,before she cou ld put her petition for help intowords, he exclaimed

Then what we have to do is,to move Caesar

to mercy,and that Child

, youknow not whatyou ask ! ”

They were interrupted by a message from Seleukus, desiring Coeranus . to jo in the other guests

,

and as soon as he had left them Berenike withdrewto take off the splendor She hated . She promisedto retu rn immediately and join their discussion , andPhilostratus sat for a while lo st in thought. Thenhe turned to Mel issa

,and asked her :

Would you for their sakes be able to make upyour mind to face bitter humil iation

,nay

,perhaps

imminent danger ?

255 A THORNY PATH.

Anything ! I would give my l ife for them ! ”

replied the girl , with spir it, and her eyes gleamedwith such enthusiastic self-sacrifice that his heart

,

though no longer young,warmed under their glow

,

and the principle to which he had stern ly adheredsince he had been near the imperial person , neverto address a word to the sovereign but in reply

,

was blown to the winds .Holding her hand in his

,with a keen look into

her eyes,he went on :

“ And if you were required to do a thing fromwhich many a man even would recoi l—you wou ldventure ? ”

And again the answer was a ready Yes.Philostratus released her hand

,and said :

Then we wi l l dare the worst . I wil l smooththe way for you

,and to-morrow—do not start— to .

morrow you yourself,under my protection

,shal l

appeal to Caesar.”

The color faded from the girl ’s cheeks,which

had been flushed with fresh hopes,and her coun

selor had j ust expressed his wish to talk the matterover with the lady Berenike

,when she came into

the room . She was now dressed in mourning,and

her pale,beautifu l face showed the traces of the

tears she had j ust shed . The dark shadows which,

when they surround a woman ’s eyes,betray past

storms of grief,as the halo round the moon— the

eye of night— gives warn ing of storms to come,

were deeper than ever ; and when her sorrowfu l

gaze fel l on Melissa, the girl felt an almost irresistible longing to throw herself in to her arms and weepon her motherly bosom .

Ph ilostratus, too , was deeply touched by the appearance of this mother, who possessed so much,but fo r whom everything dearest to a woman ’s

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253 A THORNY PATH .

l iving can contro l it ; and not even the noble Ju liacan shield those who provoke it from a cruel end .

I f you do not know it , chi ld, I can tel l you that hehad his brother Geta ki l led, though he took refugein the arms of the mother who bore them both .

You must understand the worst ; and again I askyou

,are you ready to risk al l fo r those you love ?

Have you the courage to venture into the l ion ’sden ? ”

Melissa clung more closely to the motherlywoman

,and her pale l ips answered faintly but

fi rmly,I am ready , and he wil l grant my prayer .

”

Child,child

,cried Berenike in horror

, youknow not what lies befo re you You are dazz led bythe happy confidence of inexperienced youth . Iknow what l ife is . I can see you

,in your heart’s

blood,as red and pure as the blood of a lamb ! I

see Ah,chi ld ! you do not know death and its

terr ible real ity .

“ I know it ! ” Melissa broke in with feverishexcitement . My dearest—my mother— I saw herdie with these eyes . What did I not bury in hergrave ! And yet hope stil l l ived in my heart ; andthough Caracalla may be a reckless murderer

,he

wi l l do nothing to me, precisely because I am sofeeble. And

,lady, what am 1 ? Of what account is

my l ife if I lose my father,and my brothers, who are

both on the high -road to greatness ?But you are betrothed

,Berenike eagerly put

in .

“ And your lover,you to ld me

,is dear to you.

What of him ? He no doubt loves you, and, if youcome to harm

,sor row wil l mar his young l ife.

”

At this Mel issa clasped her hands over her faceand sobbed aloud . Show me

,then

,any other

way— any ! I wil l face the worst . But there isn one ; and if Diodoros were here he would not stop

A THORNY PATH . 259

me ; for what my heart prompts me to do is right ,i s my duty. But he is lying sick and with a cloudedmind

,and I can not ask him. 0 noble lady

,kind

ness looks out of your eyes ; cease to rub salt intomy wounds ! The task before me is hard enoughalready. But I would do it

,and try to get speech

with that terrible man , even if I had no one to proteet me.”

The lady had listened with varying feel ings toth is o utpouring of the young girl ’s heart . Everyinstinct rebel led against the thought of sacrificingthis pure

,sweet creature to the fury of the tyrant

whose wickedness was as unl imited as his power,

and yet she saw no other chance of sav ing theartist

,whom she held in affectionate regard . Her

own noble heart understood the girl ’s reso lve topurchase the li fe of those she loved

,even with her

blood ; she, in the same place, would have done thesame thing ; and she thought to herself that itwould have made her happy to see such a spirit inher own child . Her resistance melted away

,and

almost invo luntari ly she exclaimed,Wel l

,do what

you feel to be right .Melissa flew into her arms again with a gratefu l

sense of release from a load,and Beren ike did al l

she could to smooth the thorny way for her. Shediscussed every point with Philostratus as thoroughly as though for a chi ld of her own ; and, whilethe tumul t came up from the banquet in the men ’srooms

,they settled that Beren ike herself should

conduct the gir l to the wife of the high-pr iest ofSerapis

,the brother of Seleukus, and there await

Melissa’s return . Philostratus named the hour andother detai ls

,and then made further inquiries con

cern ing the young artist whose mocking spiri t hadbrought so much trouble on his family .

260 A THORNY PATH.

On this the lady led him into an ad jo ining room,

where the portrait of her adored daughter was hanging. I t was surrounded by a thick wreath of v iolets

,the dead girl ’s favorite flower . The beauti fu l

picture was l ighted up by two three-branched lampson high stands ; and Philostratus, a conno isseur whohad described many paintings with great taste andvividness, gazed in absorbed si lence at the lovelyfeatures

,which were represented with rare mastery

and the inspired devotion of loving admiration . At

last he turned to the mother,exclaiming

Happy artist, to have such a subject ! It i s awork worthy of the early

,best period

,and of a

master of the time of Apel les. The daughter whohas been snatched from you

,noble lady

,was indeed

matchless,and no sorrow is too deep to do her jus

tice . But the divinity who has taken her knowsalso how to give ; and this portrait has preserved foryou a part of what you loved . This picture

,too

,

may influence Mel issa’s fate ; for Caesar has a fine

taste in art,and one of the wants of our time which

has helped to embitter him is the paralyzed state ofthe imitative arts . It wil l be easier to win hisfavor for the painter who did this portrait than fora man of noble birth . He needs such painters asthis Alexander for the Pinakothek in the splendidbaths he has bu ilt at Rome. If you would but lendme this treasure to -morrowBut she interrupted him with a decisive Never

and laid her hand on the frame as if to protect it .Philostratus

,however

,was not to be put off ; he

went on in a tone of the deepest disappointment :

This portrait is yours,and no one can wonder at

your refusal . We must,therefore

,consider how to

a ttain our end without this important al ly .

”

Beren ike’

s gaze had l ingered calmly on the Sweet

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262 A THORNY PATH.

He did not make use of the imper ial chariot inwaiting for him

,but returned to his lodgings on

foot,in such good spirits, and so wel l satisfied with

himself,as he had not been before S ince leaving

Rome.

When Berenike had rested in sol itude for somelitt le time she recalled Mel issa

,and took as much

care of her young guest as though she were her lo stdarl ing

,restored to her after a brief absence . First

she allowed the girl to send for Argutis ; and whenShe had assured the faithful slave that al l promi sedwel l

,she dismissed himwith instructions to await at

home his young mistress’s o rders,for that Mel issa

wou ld for the present find Shelter under her roof.When the Gaul had departed

,she desi red her

waiting woman,Johanna

,to fetch her brother.

During her absence the lady explained to Mel issathat they both were Christians. They were freeborn

,the children of a freedman of Beren ike

’

s house.

Johannes had at an early age shown so much intelligence that they had acceded to his wish to be cd

ucated as a lawyer. He was now one of the mostsuccessfu l pleaders in the city ; but he always usedhis eloquence

,which he had perfected not only at

Alexandria but also at Carthage,by preference in

the service of accused Christians . In h is lei surehours he would visit the condemned in prison

,speak

comfort to them,and give them presents out of the

fine profits he derived from his business among thewealthy . He was the very man to go and see herfather and brothers ; he would revive their spirits,and carry them her greeting.

When,presently

,the Christian arrived he ex

pressed himself as very ready to undertake thiscommission . His sister was already busied in packing wine and other comforts for the captives—more,

A THORNY PATH. 253

no doubt,as Johannes to ld Berenike

,than the three

men could possibly consume,even i f their impr1son

ment shou ld be a long one. His smile showed howconfidently he counted on the lady’s l iberal ity

,and

Mel issa quickly put her faith in the young Christian,

who would have reminded her o f her brother Phi l ip,

but that his sl ight figure was more upright,and his

long hair quite smooth,without a wave or curl . His

eyes,above al l

,were un l ike Phil ip’s ; for they looked

out on the wor ld with a gaze as mild as Phil ip ’swere keen and inquiring.

Melissa gave him many messages for her fatherand brothers

,and when the lady Berenike begged

him to take care that the portrait of her daughterwas safely carried to the Serapeum

,where it was to

contr ibute to moll ify Caesar in the painter’s favor,

he praised her determination,and modestly added :

For how long may we call our own any of theseperishable joys ? A day

,perhaps a year

,at most a

lustrum. But eternity is long,and those who

,for

its sake,fo rget t ime and set all their hopes on eter

n ity—which is indeed time to the soul— soon cease

to bewail the loss of any transitory treasure,were it

the noblest and dearest. Oh,would that I could

lead you to place your hopes on eternity,best of

women and most true- hearted mother ! Eterni ty,which no t the wisest brain can conceive of — I tel lyou

,lady

,for you are a phi lo sopher— that i s the

hardest and therefore the grandest idea for humanthought to compass. Fix your eye on that

,and in

its infinite realm,which must be your future home

,

you wil l meet her again whom you have lost— nother image returned to you

,but herself.”

Cease,

” interrupted the matron,with impatient

Sharpness . I know what you are aiming at . Butto conceive of eternity is the prerogative of the im

264 A THORNY PATH.

mortals ; our intellect is wrecked in the attempt .Our wings melt l ike those of Ikarus

,and we fal l

into the ocean—the ocean of madness,to which I

have often been near enough . You Christians fancyyou know all about etern ity

,and if you are right in

that But I wil l not reopen that o ld discussion .

Give me back my child for a year,a month

,a day

even,as she was before murderous disease laid hands

on her,and I wil l make you a free gift of your

cuckoo -cloud- land of etern ity,and of the remain

d er of my own l ife on earth into the bargain .

The vehement woman trembled with renewedsorrow , as if shiver ing with ague ; but as soon asShe had recovered her sel f-command enough tospeak calmly

,she exclaimed to the lawyer :

I do not really wish to vex you,Johannes . I

esteem you,and you are clear to me. But if you

wish our friendship to continue,give up these fool

ish attempts to teach tortoises to fly . Do all youcan for the poor prisoners ; and if you

By daybreak to-morrow I wil l be with them,

Johannes said,and he hasti ly took leave .

As soon as they were alone Berenike observed :There he goes

,qui te offended

,as if I had done him

a wrong. That is the way with al l these Christians.They think it their duty to force on others whatthey themselves think right

,and any one who turns

a deaf ear to their questionable truths they at onceset down as narrow-minded, or as hosti le to what i s

good . Agatha,of whom you were j ust now speak

ing, and Zeno her father, my husband

’

s brother,are

Christians. I had hoped that Korinna’

s death wouldhave brought the ch i ld back to us ; I have longedto see her, and have heard much that is sweet abouther : but a common sorrow,

which so often br ings divided hearts together, has only widened the gulf be

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266 A THORNY PATH .

the majestic woman in her dark robes an aspectwhich terrified Mel issa .

She,too

,thought this Rejoice

,under such cir

cumstances, unseemly and insu lting ; but she kepther opinion to herself

,partly out o f modesty and

partly because she did not wish to encourage theestrangement between this unhappy lady and theniece whose mere presence would have been so

great a comfort to her .When Johanna returned to lead her to a bed

room,she gave a S igh of rel ief ; but the lady ex

pressed a wish to keep Mel issa near her,and in a

low voice desired the waiting-woman to prepare abed for her in the adjoining room

,by the side of

Korinna’

s,which was never to be disturbed. Then

,

sti l l greatly excited,she invited Melissa into her

daughter ’s pretty room .

There she showed her everything that Korinnahad especial ly cared fo r . Her bird hung in thesame place ; her lap-dog was sleeping in a basket,on the cushion which Berenike had embroidered forher chi ld. Melissa had to admire the dead gir l ’slute

,and her fi rst piece of weaving, and the elegant

loom of ebony and ivory in which she had wovenit . And Berenike repeated to the girl the verseswhich Korinna had composed

,in imitation of Catul

lu s,on the death of a favorite bird. And although

Melissa’s eyes were almost closing with fatigue,she

forced herself to attend to it al l,for she saw now

how much her sympathy pleased her kind friend .

Meanwhi le the voices of the men,who had done

eating and were now drinking,came louder and

louder into the women’s apartments . When themerriment of her guests rose to a higher pitch thanusual

,or something amusing gave rise to a shout

of laughter, Berenike shrank, and either muttered

A THORNY PATH . 67

some unintel l igible threat or besought the forgiveness of her daughter ’s manes.It seemed to be a rel ief to her to rush from one

mood to the other ; but neither in her gr ief, norwhen her motherly feel ing led her to talk

,nor yet

in her wrath,did she lose her perfect dignity. All

Melissa saw and heard moved her to pity or to horro r. And meanwhile she was worn out with anx ietyfor her family

,and with increasing fatigue.

At last,however, she was released . A gay

chorus of women ’s vo ices and flutes came up fromthe banqueting-hal l . With a haughty mien anddilated nostril s Berenike l istened to the first fewbars. That such a song should be heard in her

house o f woe was too much ; with her own handShe closed the shutters over the window n ext her ;then she bade her young guest go to bed .

Oh,how glad was the overtired gir l to stretch

herself on the soft couch ! As usual,before going

to sleep,she told her mother in the spir it all the

history of the day. Then she prayed to the manesof the departed to lend her aid in the heavy taskbefore her ; but in the midst of her prayer sleepovercame her , and her young bosom was alreadyrising and fal l ing in regular breathing when she wasroused by a visit from the lady Beren ike.

Melissa suddenly beheld her at the head of the

bed,in a flowing white n ight-dress

,with her hair

unpinned,and holding a si lver lamp in her hand ;

and the girl involuntari ly put up her arms as i f toprotect herself

,for she fancied that the daemon of

madness stared out of those large black eyes. Butthe unhappy woman ’s expression changed, and she

looked down kindly on Melissa. She quietly set

the lamp on the table,and then

,as the cool night

breeze blew in through the open window,to which

68 A THORNY PATH.

there was no Shutter,She tenderly wrapped the

white woolen blanket round Melissa, and mutteredto herself

,She l iked it so .

Then she knel t down by the side of the bed,

pressed her lips on the brow of the girl,now fu l ly

awake,and said :

And you,too

,are fair to look upon . He w il l

grant your prayer !Then she asked Mel issa about her lover

,her

father,her mother

,and at last she

,unexpectedly

,

asked her in a whisper :“ Your brother A lexander

,the painter My

daughter,though in death, inspired his soul with

love . Yes,Korinna was dear to him . Her image

is l iving in his sou l . Am I right ? Tel l me thetruth ! ”

On this Mel issa confessed how deeply thepain ter had been impressed by the dead gir l’sbeauty

,and that he had given her his heart and

sou l wi th a fervor of devotion of which she hadnever imagined him capable . And the poor mothersr

f

n iled as she heard it,and murmured

,I was sure

0 i t.”

But then she shook her head,sadly

,and said :

Fool that I amAt last she bade Mel issa good-night

,and went

back to her own bedroom. There Johanna wasawaiting her

,and whi le she was plaiting her mis

tress'

s hair the matron said,threateningly :

If the wretch should not spare even herShe was interrupted by loud shouts of mirth

from the banquet ing-hal l,and among the laughing

voices she fancied that she recognized her husband ’s. She started up with a vehement movement

,

an d exclaimed, in angry excitementSeleukus might have prevented such an out

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CHAPTER XVI .

BEFORE sunrise the wind changed. Heavy cloudsbore down from the north

,darken ing the clear sky

of A lexandria. By the time the market was fi l l ingit was rain ing in torrents

,and a co ld breeze blew

over the town from the lake . Philostratus had onlyal lowed himself a short time for sleep

,sitting ti l l

long after midn ight over his history of Apo llon iu so f Tyana . His aim was to prove

,by the example

of thi s man,that a character not less worthy of imi

tation than that of the lord o f the Ch r istians mightbe formed in the faith of the ancients, and nourishedby doctrines produced by the many -branched treeof Greek rel igion and philosophy . Jul ia Domna

,

Caracalla’s mother,had encouraged the phi losopher

in this task,which was to Show her passionate and

criminal son the dignity of moderation and virtue .

The book was also to bring home to Caesar the religion of his forefathers and his country in al l i tsbeauty and elevating power ; for h itherto he hadvaci l lated from one form to another

,had not even

rej ected Christian ity,wi th which his nu rse had tried

to inoculate him as a child,and had devoted him

self to every superstition o f his time in a way whichhad disgusted those about him . I t had been particularly interesting to the writer

,with a view to

the purpose of this work,to meet with a girl who

p racticed al l the virtues the Christians most highly

A THORNY PATH. 27 1

prized, without belonging to that sect , who werealways boasting of the constraining power of theirrel igion in conducing to pure moral i ty .

In his work the day before he had taken occasionto regret the small recogn ition his hero had metwith among those nearest to him . In this

,as in

other respects,he seemed to have shared the fate of

Jesus Christ, whose name, however, Philostratuspurposely avo ided mention ing. Now,

to-night,he

reflected on the sacrifice offered by Melissa for Cmsarwhom she knew not

,and he wrote the fo llowing

words as though proceeding from the pen of Apo llon ius himself I know well how good a thing itis to regard al l the world as my home

,and al l man

kind as my brethren and friends ; for we are al lof the same divine race

,and have all one Father.”

Then,lo oking up from the papyru s

,he murmured

to himself “ From such a poin t of view as this Mel issa might see in Caracalla a friend and a brother.If on ly now it were possible to rouse the conscienceof that imperial criminal !He took up the written sheet on which he had

begun a d issertation as to what conscience is,as

exerting a choice between good and evil . He hadwritten Understanding governs what we purpose ;consciousness governs what our understanding re

solves upon . Hence,if our understanding choose

the good,consciousness is satisfied .

”

How flat it sounded ! It could have no effect inthat form.

Mel issa had confessed with far greater warmthwhat her feel ings had been after she had sacrificedfor the suffering sinner. Every one, no doubt, wouldfeel the same who

,when cal led on to choose be

tween good and evil,should prefer the good ; so he

altered and expanded the last words : “ Thus con

272 A THORNY PATH .

sciousness sends a man with song and gladness intothe sanctuaries an d groves

,into the roads

,and

wherever mortals l ive. Even in sleep the song makesitsel f heard

,and a happy choir from the land of

dreams l ift up their voices about his bed .

That was better ! This pleasing pictu re m ightperhaps leave some impression on the sou l of theyoung criminal

,in whom a preference for good

could st il l,though rarely

,be fanned to a flame .

Caesar read what Philostratus wrote,because he

took pleasure in the form of his work ; and this sentence would not have been written in vain if onlyi t shou ld prompt Caracalla in some cases

,however

few,to choose the good .

The phi lo sopher was ful ly determined to do hisutmost for Mel issa and her brothers. He had oftenbrought pictures under Caesar’s notice

,for he was

the fi rst l iving authority as a connoisseur of pain ting

,and as having written many descriptions of pict

ures. He built some hopes,too

,on Mel issa’s inno

cen ce ; and so the worthy man , when he reti red torest

,looked forward with confidence to the work

of mediation,which was by no means devo id of

d angen

But nex t morning it presented itself in a lesspromising light . The clouded sky, the sto rm,

an d

rain might have a fatal effect on Caesar’s temper ;and when he heard that old Galen

,after examin ing

his patient and prescr ibing certain remedies,had

yesterday evening taken sh ip,leaving Caracal la in a

frenzy of rage which had culminated in sl ight convulsions, he almost repented of h is promise. However

,he felt himself pledged ; so as early as possible

he went to Caesar’s rooms. prepared for the worst .His gloomy anticipations were aggravated by

the scene which met his eyes.

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274 A THORNY PATH.

anything else . The heads of the town are waitingoutside ; they must give up their palaces to the body

guard ; if they murmur, l et them try for themselveshow they l ike sleeping on the soaking ground underd ripping tents. I t may coo l their hot blood

,and

perhaps di lute the salt of their wit—Show themin

,Theocritus .He signed to the actor, and when he humbly

asked whether Caesar had forgotten to exchangehis morning wrapper for another dress

,Caracal la

laughed contemptuously, and repl ied :Why

,an empty corn-sack over my shoulders

would be dress enough for this rabble of tradersHe stretched his smal l but muscu lar frame out atful l length

,resting his head on his hand

,and his

comely face,which had lost the suffering look it had

worn the day before, sudden ly changed in expression . As was his habit when he wished to inspireawe or fear

,he knit his brows in deep furrows

,set

h is teeth tightly,and assumed a suspicious and

sin ister scowl .The deputation entered, bowing low ,

headed bythe exegetes

,the head of the city

,and Timotheus

,

the chief-priest of Serapis. After these came thecivic authorities

,the members of the senate, and

then,as representing the large Jewish co lony in the

city,their alabarch or head-man . It was easy to

see in each one as he came in,that the presence of

the l ion,who had raised his head at their approach,

was far from encouraging ; and a faint, scornfulsmile parted Caracalla’s l ips as he noted the cowering knees of these gorgeously habited courtiers.

The high-priest alone,who

,as Caesar’s host, had

gone up to the side of the throne,and two or three

o thers, among them the governor of the town , a

tall, elderly man of Macedonian descent, paid no

A THORNY PATH. 275

heed to the brute . The Macedon ian bowed to h issovereign with calm dignity

,and in the name of the

municipal ity hoped he had rested well . He theninformed Caesar what Shows and performances wereprepared in his honor

,and finally named the con

sid erable sum which had been voted by the town ofAlexandria to express to h im their joy at his visit.Caracalla waved his hand

,and said

,carelessly :

The priest of A lexander, as id iologos, wil l receive the gold with the temple tribute . We can finduse for it. We knew that you were rich . But whatdo you want for your money ? What have you toask

“Nothing,noble Caesar replied the governor.

Thy gracious presenceCaracalla interrupted him with a long-drawnIndeed ! Then

,lean ing forward

,he gave him a

keen,obl ique look .

“ No one but the gods hasnothing to wish for ; so it must be that you areafraid to ask . What can that avai l

,unless to

teach me that you look for nothing but evi l fromme ; that you are suspicious of me ? And if thatis so

,you fear me ; and if you fear, you hate me.

The insults I have received in this house sufl‘icientlyprove the fact . And if you hateme

,and he Sprang

up and shook his fist,I must protect myself

“ Great Caesar,the exegetes began

,in humble

deprecation , but Caracal la went on , wrathful ly :“ I know when I have to protect myself, and

from whom . I t is not well to trifle with me ! An

insolent tongue is easi ly hidden behind the l ips ;but heads are less easy to hide, and I shal l be content wi th them . Tel l that to your Alexandrianwits ! Macrinus wil l info rm yo u of al l el se. Youmay go .

During this speech the lion , excited by his mas

276 A THORNY PATH.

ter’s furious gestures,had risen on his feet and

showed his terrible teeth to the delegates. At thistheir courage sank . Some laid their hands on theirbent knees, as if to shield them ; others had gradually sidled to the door before Caesar had uttered thelast word . Then

,in spite of the efforts of the gov

cruor and the alabarch to detain them,in the hope

of pacifying the potentate,as soon as they heard

the word “ go,

” they hurried out ; and, for bettero r for worse

,the few bolder spir its had to fol low.

As soon as the door was closed upon them ,

Caesar’s features lost their cruel look . He pattedthe lion with soothing words of praise, and exclaimed

,contemptuously

These are the descendants of the Macedonians,

w ith whom the greatest of heroes conquered theworld ! Who was that fat o ld fel low who shrankinto h imself so miserably

,and made for the door

while I was yet speakingKimon

,the chief of the night -watch and guard

ian of the peace of the ci ty,repl ied the high-priest

o f Alexander,who as a Roman had kept his place

by the throne ; and Theocritus put inThe people must sleep bad ly under the ward

of such a coward . Let him follow the prefect,

noble Caesar.Send him his dismissal at once

,said Cara

calla ;“ but see that his successor is a man .

He then turned to the high -priest,and pol itely

requested him to assist Theocri tus in choosing an ew head for the town -guard

,and Timotheus and

the favori te qu itted the room together.Philostratus took ingenious advantage of the

incident,by at once informing the emperor tha t it

had come to his knowledge that this coward, so

worthi ly dismissed from office, had, on the merest

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278 A THORNY PATH.

What ai ls you, Bassianus ? Just now youbore al l the appearance of a healthy

,nay

,and of a

terrible man“ It is better again already

,repl ied the sover

eign .

“ And yetHe groaned again

,and then confessed that only

yesterday he had in the same way been tortu redwith pain .

“ The attack came on in the morning, as youknow

,he went on, and when it was past I went

down into the court of sacrifice ; my feet wouldscarcely carry me. Curiosity—and they were wai ting for me ; and some great sign might be shown !Besides

,some excitement helps me through this

torment. But there was nothing—noth ing ! Heart,

lungs,l iver

,al l in their r ight place—And then

, Ga

lenus—What I l ike is bad for me,what I loathe is

wholesome. And again and again the same fool i shquestion

,Do you wish to escape an early death

And al l with an air as though Death were a slave athis command—He can , no doubt, do more thano thers, and has preserved his own l ife I know nothow long. Wel l, and it is his duty to pro long mine.I am Caesar. I had a right to insist on his remaining here. I d id so ; for he knows my malady, an ddescribes it as i f he felt it himself. I ordered h im—nay

,I entreated him . But he adhered to his own

way . He went—he is gone !But he may be of use to you, even at a dis

tance,

"Philostratus said .

“ Did he do anything for my father,or for me

in Rome,where he saw me every day retorted

Caesar. He can mitigate and relieve the suffering,

but that is al l ; and of al l the others, i s there one fitto hand him a cup of water ? Perhaps he would bewilling to cure me, but he can not ; for I tel l you,

A THORNY PATH. 279

Philostratus,the gods wi ll not have i t so .

“

Youknow what sacrifices I have offered

,what gifts I

have brought . I have prayed, I have abased mysel fbefore them

,but none will hear . One or another

of the gods, indeed, appears to me not infrequentlyas Apo llo d id last n ight . But is it because hefavors me First

,he laid his hand on my shoulder

,

as my father used to do but his was so heavy,that

the weight pressed me down til l I fel l on my knees,crushed. This is no good S ign, you think ? I seeit in your face. I do not myself think so. And

how loudly I have called on him,of all the gods !

The whole empire, they say, men and women al ike,besought the immortals unbidden for the welfare ofTitus. I

,too

,am their lord but —and he laughed

bitterly who has ever raised a hand in prayer forme of his own impulse ? My own mother alwaysnamed my brother first . He has paid for it. -Butthe rest

“ They fear rather than love you,repl ied the

philosopher . He to whom Phoebus Apo llo appears may always expect some good to fo llow .

And yesterday—a happy omen , too—I overheardby chance a young Greek girl

,who bel ieved hersel f

unobserved,who of her own prompting fervently

entreated Asklepios to heal you . Nay, she col lectedal l the coins in her l ittle purse

,and had a goat and

a cock sacrificed in your behalf.”“ And you expect me to bel ieve that !

”said

Caracal la,with a sco rnful laugh .

But Philostratus eagerly repl iedI t is the pure truth . I went to the l ittle temple

because it was said that Apo l lon ius had left somedocuments there . Every word from his pen is, asyou know

,of value to me in writing h is history.

The l i ttle l ibrary was screened off from the cel la

230 A THORNY PATH.

by a curtain,and whi le I was hunting through the

manuscripts I heard a woman ’s voice.”

It spoke for some other Bassianus,Anton inus

,

Tarautus, or whatever they choose to cal l me,”

Caesar broke in .

Nay, my lord, not so . She prayed for you,the

son of Severus. I spoke to her afterwards. She hadseen you yesterday morning

,and fancied She had

noted how great and severe your sufferings were.

This had gone to her heart. So She went thither topray and sacrifice for you

,although she knew that

you were prosecuting her brother,the very painter

of whom I spoke. I wou ld you too could haveheard how fervently She addressed the god

,and

then HygeiaA Greek

,you say ? ” Caracal la remarked .

And she real ly did not know you , or dream thatyou could hear her ?

No,my lord ; assuredly not . She is a sweet

maid,and if you wou ld care to see her

Caesar had listened to the tale with great attention and evident expectancy ; but suddenly his faceclouded

,and

,heedless of the slaves who

,under the

guidance of his chamberlain Ad ventus,had now

brought in the portrait,he sprang up

,went close to

Philostratus,and stormed out

Woe to you if you l ie to me ! You want to getthe brother out of pr ison

,and then

,by chance

,you

come across the sister who is praying for me ! A

fable to cheat a ch ild withI am speaking the truth

,repl ied Philostratus

,

coo lly,though the rapid winking of Caesar

’

s eyel idswarned him that his blood was bo il ing with wrath.

It was from the sister,whom I overheard in the

temple,that I learned of her brother’s peril, and I

afterward saw that portrait .”

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232 A THORNY PATH .

dimmer than it yet is before I fai l to see the con

nection of ideas which led you to swear by yourmother. You were thinking of mine when youSpoke. To please her

,you wou ld deceive her son .

But as soon as he touches the l ie it vanishes intothin air

,fo r it has no more substance than a soap

bubble ! The last words were at once sad,angry

,

and scornfu l but the philo sopher,who had listened

at first with aston ishment and then with indignation

,could no longer contain himself.Enough ! he cried to the angry potentate

,in

an imperious tone . Then,drawing himsel f up

,he

went on with offended dignity :I know what the end has been of so many who

have aroused your wrath,and yet I have courage

enough to tel l you to your face, that to inj ustice,the outcome of distrust

,you add the most senseless

insu lt . Or do you really think that a just manfor so you have cal led me more than once—wouldoutrage the manes of the beloved woman who borehim to please the mother of another man , eventhough she be Caesar’s ? What I swear to by the

head of my mother,friend and foe al ike must be

l ieve and he who does not,must hold me to be the

vilest wretch on earth my presence can only be anoffense to him . So I beg you to al low me to returnto Rome.

The words were manly and spoken firmly, andthey pleased Caracal la ; for the j oy of believing inthe philosopher’s statement outweighed every otherfeeling. And since he regarded Philostratus as theincarnation of goodness—though he had lo st faithin that—his threat of leaving disturbed him greatly.

He laid his hand on his brave adviser’s arm, andassured him that he was only too happy to believe athing so incredible .

A THORNY PATH. 283

Any witness of the scene would have supposedthis ruthless fatricide, thi s tyrant—whose intercourse with the visions of a crazed and unbridledfancy made him capable of any fol ly

,and who loved

to assume the aspect of a cruel misanthrope—to be adoci le disciple

,who cared for nothing but to recover

the favor and forgiveness of his master. And Philostratus

,knowing this man

,and the human heart

,

did not make it too easy for him to achieve his end.

When he at last gave up his purpose o f return ing toRome

,and had more fu lly explained to Caesar how

and where he had met Mel is sa,and what he had

heard about her brother the painter,he l ifted the

wrapper from Korinna ’

s portrait , placed it in a goodlight

,and po inted out to Caracal la the particular

beauties of the purely Greek features.It was with sincere enthusiasm that he expatiated

On the Skil l with which the artist had reproduced incolor the noble l ines which Caracalla so much ad

mired in the scu lpture of the great Greek masters ;how warm and tender the flesh was ; how radiantthe l ight of those glorious eyes ; how liv ing thewaving hair

,as though it stil l breathed of the

scented Oil And when Philostratus explained thatthough Alexander had no doubt spoken some rashand treasonable words

,he could not in any case be

the author of the insulting verses which had beenfound at the Serapeum with the rope

,Caracal la

echoed his praises of the picture,and desired to see

both the painter and his sister.That morning

,as he rose from his bed

,he had

been informed that the planets which had beenseen during the past night from the Observatoryof the Serapeum

,promised him fortune and happi

ness in the immediate future . He was himself a

practiced star-reader, and the chief astrologer of the

284 A THORNY PATH.

temple had po inted out to him how pecu l iar ly favorable the constel lation was whence he had deducedhis prediction . Then

,Phoebus Apo llo had appeared

to him in a dream ; the auguries from the morn ing’s

sacrifices had all been favorable ; and, befo re he dispatched Philostratus to fetch Melissa

,he added :

“ It is strange ! The best fortune has alwayscome to me from a gloomy sky. How brightly thesun shone on my marr iage with the odious P laut i l la ! It has rained, on the contrary, on almost al lmy victories ; and it was under a heavy storm thatthe oracle assured me the soul of Alexander theGreat had selected this tortured frame in which tolive out his too early ended years on earth . Cansuch coincidence be mere chance ? Phoebus Apol lo

,

your favorite divinity— and that,too

,of the sage o f

Tyana— may perhaps have been angry with me .

He who purified himself from blood-guiltiness afterkil l ing the Python is the god of expiation . I willaddress myself to him

,l ike the noble hero of your

book . This morn ing the god visited me again ; soI w i l l have such sacrifice slain before him as neveryet was offered. Will that satisfy you

,O phi

losopher hard to be appeased“ More than satisfy me

,my Bassianus

,repl ied

Philostratus.

“ Yet remember that,according to

Apol lonius,the sacrifice is effective on ly through

the Spiri t in which it is Offered .

Always a but and an ‘ i f exclaimed Caracal la

,as his friend left the room to cal l Mel issa

from the high -priest'

s quarters,where she was wait

1ng.

For the first time for some days Caesar foundhimself alone. Leading the l ion by the collar

,he

went to the window. The rain had ceased,but

black clo uds stil l covered the heavens . Below h im

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35 A THORNY PATH .

his arrival without prayers go ing up to Heavenfor his preservation

,from his mother

,his w ife , and

his chi ldren . And he, the ru ler of the world , hadthought it impossible that one

,even one of h is

mil l ions of subjects,should have prayed for him .

Who awa1ted him with a longing heart ? Where washis home ?He had first seen the l ight in Gaul . His father

was an African ; his mother was born in Syria. The

palace at Rome, his residence, he did not care toremember. He traveled about the empire, leavingas wide a space as possible between himself andthat house of doom, from which he could never wipeout the stain of his brother ’s blood .

And his mother She feared— perhaps she hatedh im—her first-born son

, S ince he had kil led her

younger darl ing. What did she care fo r him, so

long as she had her phi losophers to argue with,

who knew how to ply her with del icate flatteryThen P lauti l la, his wife ? His father had com

pelled him to marry her, the richest heiress in the

world,whose dowry had been larger than the co l

lected treasure of a dozen queens ; and as he thoughtof the sharp features of that insignificant

,sour-faced

,

and unspeakably pretentious creature,he shuddered

with aversion .

He had ban ished her,and then had her mur

dered . Others had done the deed,and i t did not

str ike him that he was responsible for the crimecommitted in his serv ice ; but her loveless heart,without a care for him—her bird-sharp face

,looking

out l ike a wel l -made mask from her abundant hairand her red

,pinched l ips

,were very present to h im.

What cutting words those l ips co u l d Speak ; whatsenseless demands they had uttered ; and nothingmore insolent could be imagined than her way of

A THORNY PATH .

pursing them up if at any time he had suggested ak iss !His child ? One had been born to him

,but it

had fo l lowed its mother in to exile and to the grave.The l itt le thing, which he had scarcely known , wasso inseparable from its detested mother that hehad mourned it no more than her . I t was well thatthe assassins

,without any orders from him

,shou ld

have cut short that wretched l ife . He could notlong for the embraces o f the monster which Shouldhave united Plautilla ’

s v ices and his own .

Among the men about his person,there was not

one for whom other hearts beat warmer ; no creaturethat loved him excepting his l ion no spot on earthwhere he was looked for with gladness. He waited

,

as for some marvel,to see the one human being

who had spontaneously entreated the gods for him .

The girl must probably be a poor, tearfu l creature,as weak of brain as she was soft-hearted.

There stood the centurion at the head of hismaniple

,and raised his staff. Enviable man ! How

content he looked ; how clearly he spoke the wordof command ! And how healthy the vulgar creature must be—while he

,Caesar

,was suffering that

acute headache again ! He gnashed his teeth, andfelt a strong impu lse to spoil the happiness ofthat shameless upstart. If he were sent packing toSpain

,now

,or to Pontus

,there would be an end of

his gladness. The centurion should know what itwas to be a sol itary soul .

Acting on this mal ignant impulse,he had rai sed

his hand to his mouth to shout the cruel order to a

tribune,when sudden ly the clouds parted

,and the

glorious sun of Africa appeared in a blue islandamid the ocean of gray

,cheering the earth with

glowing sheaves of rays. The beams were blinding

233 A THORNY PATH.

as they came reflected from the armor and weaponsof the men

,reminding Caesar of the god to whom

he had just vowed an unparal leled sacrifice.

Philostratus had Often praised Phoebus Apol loabove al l gods

,because wherever he appeared there

was l ight,i rradiating not the earth alone but men ’s

souls ; and because, as the lord of music and harmony

,he aided men to arrive at that morally pu re

and equable frame of mind which was accordantand pleasing to his glorious nature. Apol lo had

conquered the dark heralds of the storm,and Cara

calla looked up. Before this radiant witness he wasashamed to carry out his dark purpose

,and he said

,

addressing the sun“ For thy sake, Phoebus Apo l lo, I spare theman .

Then, pleased w ith himself,he looked down

again . The restraint he had laid upon himsel fstruck him as in fact a great and noble effort

,ao

customed as he was to yie ld to every impu lse. Butat the same time he observed that the clo uds

,which

had so often brought him good fortune,were dis

persing,and this gave him fresh uneasiness. Dazz led

by the flood of sun shine which poured in at thew indow ,

he withdrew discontentedly into the room .

If this br ight day were to bring disaster ? If thegod disdain ed his offering ?But was not Apo llo

,perhaps

,l ike the rest o f the

immortals,an idol of the fancy

,l iving only in the

imagination of men who had devised it ? Sternthinkers and pious folks

,l ike the skeptics and the

Christ ians,laughed the whole tribe of the Olym

pians to scorn . Stil l,the hand of Phoebus Apol lo

had rested heavily on his shoulders in his dream .

His power,after al l

,might be great . The god must

have the promised sacrifice,come what might .

Bitter wrath rose up in his soul at this thought, as

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CHAPTER XVII .

THE philosopher announced the visitor to Caesar,

and as some l ittl e time elapsed before Mel i ssacame i n

,Caracalla forgot hi s theatrical assumption

,

and sat with a drooping head ; fo r, in consequence ,no doubt

,of the sunshine which beat on the top o f

his head,the pain had sudden ly become almost un

endurably vio lent .Without vouchsafing a glance at Mel issa,

be

swal lowed one of the alleviating pil ls left him byGalenus

,and hid his face in his hands . The girl

came forward,fearless of the l ion

,for Philostratos

had assured her that he was tamed,and most ani

mals were wil l ing to let her touch them . Nor wasShe afraid o f Caesar himself

,for she saw that he was

in pain,and the alarm with which she had crossed

the threshold gave way to p ity . Philostratus keptat her side

,and anxiously watched Caracal la .

The courage the simple gir l showed in the presence of the ferocious brute

,and the not less terrible

man,struck him favorably

,and his hopes rose as a

sunbeam fel l on her shining hair,which the lady

Berenike had arranged with her own hand,twining

it with strands of white Bombyx . She must appear,

even to this ruthless profligate, as the very type ofpure and innocent grace .

Her long robe and peplos,of the finest white

wool,a lso gave her an air of dist inction which

A THORNY PATH . 291

suited the circumstances . It was a costly garment,

which Beren ike had had made for Korinna,and she

had chosen it from among many instead of the plainerrobe in which o ld Dido had dressed her young mistress . With admirable taste the matron had aimedat giving Mel issa a simple

,dignified aspect

,un

adorned and almost priestess- l ike in its severity.

Nothing should suggest the desire to attract,and

everything must exclude the idea of a petitioner ofthe poorer and commoner sort .

Ph ilostratus saw that her appearance had beenj udiciously cared for ; but Caesar

’s long silence,of

which he knew the reason,began to cause him some

uneasiness : for,though pain sometimes softened

the despot’s mood,it more often prompted him to

revenge himsel f,as it were

,for his own sufferings

,

by brutal attacks on the comfort and happiness ofothers. And

,at last

,even Mel issa seemed to be

losing the presence of mind he had admired, for hesaw her bosom heave faster and higher

,her lips

quivered,and her large eyes sparkled through tears .

Caesar’s countenance presently cleared a little .

He raised his head,and as his eye met Mel i ssa’s she

pronounced in a low,sweet vo ice the pleasant Greek

greeting,Rejo ice !

At this moment the philosopher was seized witha panic of anxiety ; he felt for the fi rst time

'

the

weight of responsibi li ty he had taken on himself.Never had he thought her so lovely

,so enchantingly

bewitching as now,when she looked up at Caracalla

in sweet confusion and timidity, but who lly possessed by her desire to win the favor of the manwho

,with a word

,could make her so happy or so

wretched . If this slave of his passions,whom a

mere whim perhaps had moved to insist on thestrictest moral ity in his court

,shou ld take a fancy

292A THORNY PATH.

to this del ightful young creature, she was doomedto ruin . He turned pale

,and his heart throbbed

painfu l ly as he watched the development of thecatastrophe for which he had himself prepared the

way .

But,once more

,the unexpected upset the philoso

pher’

s anticipations . Caracal la gazed at the girl inamazement

,utterly discomposed

,as though some

miracle had happened,or a ghost had started from

the ground before him. Springing up,while he

clutched the back of his chair,he exclaimed :

What is thi s ? Do my senses deceive me,or is

it some base tr ickery N0,no ! My eyes and my

memory are good . This gir lWhat ails thee

,Caesar ? ” Philostratus broke in

,

with increasing anxiety .

Something— something which wil l silence yourfoolish doubts Caesar pan ted out . Pat1ence

wait . Only a minute,and you shal l see.

—But,

fi rst —and he turned to Mel i ssa what is yourname

,girl ?

“ Mel issa, she repl ied, in a low and tremulou svo ice .

And your father’S and your mother’s .

Heron Is my father’s name,and my mother

she i s dead—was cal led Olympias,the daughter of

Phi l ip .

And you are of Macedon ian raceYes, my lord . My father and mother both

were of pure Macedon ian descent .”

The emperor glanced triumphantly at Ph ilosfratus and briefly exclaiming

,That w ill do

,I

think , he clapped his hands, and instantly his oldchamber lain

,Ad ventus, hurried i n from the adjo in

ing room,fo l lowed by the whole band of Caesar ’s

friends. Caracal la,however

,only said to them

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94A THORNY PATH .

the hero ; and now,in the bosom of this simple

maiden,i t i s d rawn to the unforgotten fel low-sou l

which has found its home in my breast .He spoke with enthusiastic and firm conviction

of the truth of his strange imagining,as though he

were delivering a revelation from the gods. Hebade Philostratus approach and compare the features of Roxana

,as carved in the onyx

,with those

of the young suppl icant .The fair Persian stood facing Al exander ; they

were clasping each other ’s hands in pledge of marriage, and a winged Hymen fluttered above theirheads with his flaming torch .

Philostratus was,in fact

,startled as he looked at

the gem,and expressed his surprise i n the livel iest

terms,for the features of Roxana as carved in the

cameo,no larger than a man ’s palm

,were

,l ine for

l ine,those of the daughter of Heron . And thi s

Sport of chance cou ld not but be amazing to anyone who did not know— as ne ither o f the three whowere examining the gem knew— that it was a workof Heron ’s youth

,and that he had given Roxana

the features of his bride Olymp i as,whose l iving

image her daughter Meli ssa had grown to be .

An d how long have you had this work of art ?asked Philostratus.

“ I inherited it,as I tel l you

,from my father

,

repl ied Caracal la. Severus sometimes wore it .But wait . After the battle of I ssos

,in his triumph

over Pescenn ius N iger— I can See him now—he wo rei t on his shoulder

,and that was

“ Two-and-twenty years ago,

” the phi losopherput in ; and Caracalla, turn ing to Mel issa , askedher .

How old are you,chi ld ?

Eighteen,my lord . And the reply delighted

A THORNY PATH. 295

Caesar ; he laughed aloud, and looked triumphantlyat Philostratus.

The philosopher wi ll ingly admitted that therewas something strange in the incident

,and he con

gratulated Caesar on having met with such strongconfi rmation of his inward conviction . The soulof Alexander might now do great things throughhim .

During this conversation the alarm which hadcome over Melissa at Caesar’s silence had entirelydisappeared . The despot whose suffering had appealed to her sympathetic soul

,now struck her as

singular rather than terrible. The idea that she,

the humble artist’s daughter,cou ld harbor the sou l

of a Persian princess,amused her ; and when the

lion l ifted his head and lashed the floor with histai l at her approach

,She fe lt that she had won his

approbation . Moved by a sudden impu lse,she laid

her hand on his head and boldly stroked it . The

light, warm touch soothed the fettered prince ofthe desert

,and

,rubbing his brow against Mel issa’s

round arm,he muttered a low

,contented growl .

At this Caesar was enchanted ; it was to him afurther proof of his strange fancy . The “ Sword ofPersia was rarely so friendly to any one ; andTheocritus owed much of the favor shown him byCaracalla to the fact that at their first meetingthe lion had been on particu larly good terms w ithhim . Stil l

,the brute had never shown so much

l ik ing for any stranger as for this young girl,and

never responded with such eager swinging of histail excepting to Caesar ’s own endearments. Itmust be instinct which had revealed to the beastthe o ld and singular bond which l inked his masterand this new acquaintance. Caracalla, who, in al lthat happened to him, traced the hand of a supe

295A THORNY PATH .

rior power,pointed this out to Philostratus

,an d

asked him whether, perhaps, the attack of pain h ehad j ust suffered might not have yielded so quick lyto the presence of the rev ived Roxana rather thanto Galen’s pil ls.

Ph ilostratus thought it wise not to dispute thisassumption

,and soon diverted the conversation to

the subj ect of Melissa’

s imprisoned relations. H e

quiet ly represented to Caracalla that his noblesttask must be to satisfy the spirit of her who hadbeen so dear to the hero whose l ife he was to fulfi l l ; and Caesar, who was del ighted that the ph ilosopher shou ld recogn ize as a fact the i l l u sionwhich flattered him

,at once agreed. He quest ion ed

Mel i ssa about her brother A lexander with a gentleness of which few would have thought h im capable ; and the sound of her voice, as she answeredhim modestly but frankly and with sisterly affec

t ion,pleased him so wel l that he al lowed her to

speak without interruption longer than was h is

wont. Finally,he promised her that he would

question the painter,and

,if possible

,be gracious to

him .

He again clapped his hands,and ordered a freed

man named Epagathos, who was one of his favoritebody-servants

,to send immediately for Alexander

from the prison .

As before,when Ad ventus had been summoned

,

a crowd fo l lowed Epagathos, and, as Caesar did notdismiss them

,Melissa was about to withdraw ; the

despot,however

,desired her to wa it .

Blushing,and confused with shyness

,she re

mained standing by Caesar’s seat ; and though sheonly ventured to raise her eyes now and then for a

sto len look,She felt hersel f the object of a hundred

curio us,defiant

,bo ld

,or con temptuous glances.

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293A THORNY PATH .

worthy and determined man . Now,Zmin is the

Egyptian,the right hand of the man who has

been turned out,is,i t must be said

,a wretch with

out ruth or conscience .

But here the discussion was interrupted. Me l issa , whose ears had tingled as She l istened, had started with horror as she heard that Zmin is

,the in

former,was to be appointed to the command of the

whole watch of the city . I f this should happen,her

brothers and father were certainly lo st . This mustbe prevented . AS the high-pri est ceased speaking

,

She laid her hand on Caesar’s, and , when he lookedup at her in su rpr ise

,she whispered to him , so low

and so quickly that hardly any one observed it

Not Zmin is he is our mortal enemy !Caracal la scarcely glanced at the face of the

daring girl,but h e saw how pale she had turned .

The del icate co lor in her cheeks, and the dimplehe had seen while She stroked the l ion , had struckhim as particu larly fascinating. This had helped tomake her so l ike the

,Roxana on the gem,

and the

change in her roused his pity . She must smile againand so

,accustomed as he was to visit his annoyance

on others,he angri ly exclaimed to his Friends

“ Can I be everywhe re at once ? Can not theS implest matter be settl ed without me ? I t was th epraetorian prefect ’s business to report to me concern ing the two candidates

,if you cou ld not agree ;

but I have not seen him since last evening. The

man who has to be sought when I need him neglect shis duty ! Macrinus usual ly knows his. Does anyone know what has detained him ? ”

The question was asked in an angry, nay, in an

ominous tone,but the praetorian prefect was a pow

erful personage,whose importance made him almost

invulnerable . Yet the praetor Lucius Priscillianus

A THORNY PATH. 299

was ready with an answer . He was the most malic ious and il l-natured scandal-monger at court ; andhe hated the prefect

,for he himself had coveted the

post,which was the highest in the state next to

Caesar’s. He had always some S laves set to spy uponMacrinus

,and he now said

,with a contemptuous

shrug :“ It is a marvel to me that so zealous a man

though he is al ready beginning to break down underhis heavy dut ies—should be so late . However

,be

here spends his even ings and n ights in special ocen

pations, which must of course be far from beneficialto the hea lth and peace of mind which his office demands .

What can those be asked Caracalla ; butthe praeto r added without a pause :

Mercifu l gods ! Who would not crave to glanceinto the future ?

“ And i t is that which makes him late ? sa idCaesar

,with more curiosity than anger.

Hardly by broad dayl ight,repl ied Priscillianus.

The spiri ts he wou ld fain evoke shun the l ightof day

,it i s said. But he may be weary with late

watching and painful agitations.Then he cal ls up spirits at nightUndoubtedly

,great Caesar . But

,in this capital

of philosophy,spirits are i l logical it would seem .

How can Macrinus interpret the prophecy that he,who is already on the highest step attainable to uslower mortals, Shall rise yet higher

We wil l ask him,said Caesar

,ind lfferently .

But you—guard your tongue . It has already costsome men their heads, whom I would gladly see yetamong the l iving. Wishes can not be pun ished .

Who does not wish to stand on the step next abovehis own You

,my friend

,would like that of Maori

300A THORNY PATH .

nus— But deeds ! You know me ! I am safe fromthem

,so long as each of yo u so S incerely grudges his

neighbor every promotion . You,my Lucius

,have

again proved how keen your sight is,and

,if it were

not too great an honor for this refractory city to havea Roman in the toga praetexta at the head of itsadministration

,I shou ld l ike to make you the guard

i an of the peace here . You see me,he went on

,

“ in an elated mood to-d ay .—Cilo

,you know this

gem which came to me from my father . Look at it,

and at this maiden .— Come nearer

,priest of the di

vine Alexander ; and you too consider the marvel ,Theocritus

,Antigonus, Dio, Pandion

,Paulinus .

Compare the face of the female figure with this gir lby my side . The master carved this Roxana longbefore she was born . You are surprised ? As Alexander ’s soul dwel ls in me

,SO she is Roxana

,restored

to l ife. It has been proved by irrefragable ev idencein the presence of Ph ilostratus.

"

The priest of A lexander here exclaimed,in a

tone of firm conviction :A marvel indeed We bow down to the noble

vessel of the soul of Alexander . I,the priest of that

hero,attest that great Caesar has found that in which

Roxana’s sou l now exists.” And as he spoke hepressed his hand to his heart

,bowing low before

Caesar ; the rest imitated his example . Even Jul iu sPaulinus

,the satirist

,fo l lowed the Roman priest ’s

lead ; but he whispered in the ear of Cassius Dio :“ Alexander’s sou l was inqu isitive

,and wanted to

see how it could l ive in the body which,of al l mor

tal tenements on earth , least resembles his own .

”

A mocking word was on the ex -consul’s l ips asto the amiable frame of mind which had so sudden lycome over Caesar ; but he preferred to watch andl isten

,as Caracalla beckoned Theocritus to him and

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92 A THORNY PATH .

which had recovered their roses. Her imploringeyes met his

,and the happy expectation of seeing

her brother lent them a light which brought joy tothe friendless sovereign . During his last speech hehad looked at her from time to time ; but in the

presence of so many strangers she had avoidedmeeting his gaze . Now she thought that she mightfreely Show him that his favor was a happiness toher. Her soul

,as Roxana must of course feel

drawn to his ; in that he o

firmly bel ieved . H er

prayer and sacrifice for him suffi ciently proved itas he to ld himself once more.

When Alexander was brought in,it did not anger

him to see that the brother,who held out his arms

to Melissa in his habitual eager way, had to be

reminded by her of the imper ial presence . Everyhomage was due to this fair being

,and he was

,

besides,much struck by A lexander ’s splendid ap

pearance. It was long since any youthful figurehad so viv idly reminded him of the marble statuesof the great A thenian masters. Mel issa’s brotherstood before him

,the very embodiment of the idea l

of Greek strength and manly beauty . H is mant lehad been taken from him in prison

,and he wore

only the short chiton,which also left bare his

powerfu l but softly modeled arms. He had beenal lowed no time to arrange and ano in t his hair

,and

the l ight-brown curls were tossed in disorderlyabundance about his shapely head . This favoriteof the gods appeared in Caesar’s eyes as an Olympicvictor

,who had come to claim the wreath with al l

the traces of‘

the struggle upon him .

No sign of fear, either of Caesar or his l ion ,marred this impression . His bow

,as he approached

the potentate,was neither abject nor awkward

,and

Caesar felt bitter wrath at the thought that this

A THORNY PATH . 39 3

splendid youth,of al l men

,shou ld have selected

him as the butt of his irony . He would have re

garded it as a pecu l iar gift of fortune if this man— such a brother of such a sister—could but lovehim

,and

,with the eye of an artist

,discern in the

despot the great qual ities which,in spite of his

many crimes,he bel ieved he cou ld detect in himself.

And he hoped,with an admixture of anxiety such

as,

he had never known before,that the painter ’s

demeanor would be such as Should al low him toshow mercy.

When Alexander besought him with a trustfu lmien to consider h is youth

,and the A lexandrian

manners which he had inherited both from his parents and his grandparents

,i f indeed his tongue had

wagged too boldly in speak ing of the al l -powerfu lCaesar

,and to remember the fable of the l ion and

the mouse,the scowl he had put on to impress the

youth with his awfu lness and power vanished fromCmsar’s brow . The idea that this great artist ,whose sharp eye cou ld so sure ly distingu ish the

hideous from the beautifu l,should regard him as

il l - favored,was odious to him . He had l istened to

him in silence ; but suddenly he inquired‘of A lex

ander whether it was indeed he,whom he had never

inj ured,who had written the horrible epigram

nailed with the rope to the door of the Serapeum ;and when the painter empha tical ly denied i t

,Caesar

breathed as though a burden had fal len from hissoul . He nevertheless insisted on hearing from the

youth’s own lips what it was that he had actual lydared to say . After some hesitation

,during which

Mel issa besought Caesar in vain to spare her and herbrother this confession

,A lexander exclaimed :

Then the hunted creature must walk into thenet

,and

,unless your clemency interferes

,on to

304 A THORNY PATH .

death ! What I said referred partly to the wonderful strength that you

,my lord, have so often dis

played in the field and in the circus ; and also toanother thing

,which I mysel f now truly repent of

having alluded to. I t i s said that my lord kil l edhis brother.

That—ah ! that was it ! said Caesar,and his

face,involuntari ly this time

,grew dark .

“ Yes,my lord

,A lexander went on

,breathing

hard . To deny it would be_to add a second crime

to the former on e,and I am one of those who woul d

rather j ump into cold water both feet at once,when

it has to be done. All the world knows what yourstrength is ; and I said that it was greater than thatof Father Zeus ; for that he had cast his son Hephtes

tos only on the earth,and your strong fist had cast

your brother through the earth into the depths o fHades . That was all . I have not added nor concealed anything.

”

Mel issa had l istened in terror to this bold confession . Papinian

,the brave praetorian prefect

,one

of the most learned lawyers of his t ime,had in

curred Caracalla’s fury by refusing to say that the

murder o f Geta was not without excuse ; and hisnoble answer

,that it was easier to commit fratri

cide than to defend it,cost him his l ife .

So long as Caesar had been kind to her,Melissa

had fel t repel led by him ; but now,when he was

angry,she was once more attracted to him .

As the wounds of a murdered man are said to

bleed afresh when the murderer approaches,Cara

calla’s irritable soul was wont to break out in a

frenzy of rage when any one was so rash as to al

lude to this,his fou lest crime . This reference to his

brother’s death had as usual stirred his wrath,bu t

he control led it ; for as a to rrent of rain ex tin

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395A THORNY PATH.

Then you are a phi losopher,a contemner o f

Neither. I value l ife above all else ; for, i f it istaken from me

,there is an end of enjoying its best

ifts.gBest gifts ! ” echoed Caesar. I Should l ike to

know which you honor with the epithet .Love and art .”

Indeed ? said Caracal la,with a swift glan ce

at Melissa. Then,in an altered vo ice

,he added

,

And revenge“ That

,said the artist

,boldly

,

“ is a pleasure Ihave not yet tasted . N0 one ever did me a real inj ury t il l the vil lain Zminis robbedmy guiltless father o f his l iberty and he is n ot worthy to do suchmischief

,as a finger of your imperial hand .

At this,Caesar looked at him suspiciously

,and

said in stem tones :But you have now the opportunity of trying

the fine flavor of vengeance. If I were t imid— S in cethe Egyptian acted only as my instrument— I shou ldhave cause to protect mysel f against you .

“ By no means,

” said the painter,with an en

gaging smile,

“ i t l ies in your power to do me thegreatest benefit. Do it

,Caesar ! It would be a

j oy to me to show that,though I have been reck

less beyond measure,I am nevertheless a gratefu l

man .

Grateful ? repeated Caracalla,with a crue l

laugh . Then he rose slowly,and looked keenly at

A le xander,exclaiming :

I should almost l ik e to try you .

An d I wi ll answer for it that you wil l never tegret it ! ” Melissa put in . Greatly as he ha s erred

,

he is worthy of your clemency .

”

Is he ? said Caesar,looking down at her k ind

A THORNY PATH . 307

ly. What Roxana ’s soul affi rms by those rosyl ips I can not but‘

believe.

”

Then again he paused,studying Alexander with

a searching eye, and addedYou think me strong ; but you wil l change that

Opinion—which I value— if I forgive you l ike apoor-spirited girl . You are in my power . Your i sked your l ife . If I give it you

,I must have a

gift in return,that I may not be cheated .

”

“ Set my father free,and he wil l do whatever

you may require of him ,

” Melissa broke out . ButCaracalla stopped her

,saying :

“ No one makesconditions with Caesar. Stand back , girl .

”

Meli ssa hung her head and obeyed ; but shestood watching the eager discussion between thesetwo dissimilar men

,at first with anxiety and then

with surprise .

Alexande r seemed to resist Caesar ’s demands ;but presently the despot must have proposed someth ing which pleased the artist

,for Melissa heard the

low,musical laugh which had Often cheered her in

moments of sadness . Then the conversation wasmore serious

,and Caracal la said

,so loud that Me

lissa could hear him :

“ Do not forget to whom you speak . If myword is not enough, you can go back to prison .

Then again she trembled for her brother ; butsome soft word of his mollified the fury of the terrible man

,who was never the same for two minutes

together. The l ion,too

,which lay unchained by

his master’s seat,gave her a fright now and then ;

for if Caesar raised his voice in anger,he growled

and stood up .

How fearfu l were th is beast and his lord !Rather wou ld she spend her whole l ife on a ship ’sdeck, tossed to and fro by the surges, than Share

39 3 A THORNY PATH.

this man ’s fate . And yet there was in him something which attracted her ; nay, and it nett led herthat he shou ld forget her presence.

At last A lexander humbly asked Caracal lawhether he might not tel l Melissa to what he hadpledged his word .

That shall be my business,repl ied Cmsar.

You think that a mere gir l is a better witness thannone at al l . Perhaps you are r ight . Then let it beunderstood : whatever you may have to report tome

,my wrath shal l not turn against you . This fel

low—why shou ld you not be told,child — is go ing

into the town to co l lect al l the j ests and witty ep igrams which have been uttered in my honor.

A lexander ! cried Mel issa,clasping her han ds

and turning pale with horror. But Caracal lalaughed to himself, and went on cheerful ly

“ Yes,it is dangerous work

,no doubt ; and fo r

that reason I pledged my word as Caesar not torequire him to pay for the sins of o thers. On thecontrary

,he is free

,i f the posy he cul ls for me is

sufficient .Ay, said A lexander

,on whom his sister’s

white face and warning looks were having effect.But you made me another promise on which I laygreat stress . You wil l not compel me to tel l you

,

nor try to discover through any other man,who

mav have spoken o r written any particu lar satire .

”

Enough ! said Caracal la,impatiently ; but

A lexander was not to be checked . He went on

vehemently : “ I have not forgotten that you saidconditions were not to be made with Caesar but

,in

spite of my impotence,I maintain the right of return

ing to my prison and there await ing my doom,nu

less you once more assure me,in this girl ’s presence

,

that you wil l neither inqu ire as to the names of the

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3 1 9 A THORNY PATH.

That means that yo u are l eaving me askedCaracal la.

How can it be otherwise ? said Mel issa,

timidly . I am but a girl,and the men whom yo u

expectBut when they are gone Caesar insisted .

Even then you can not want me,

”She mur

mured .

You mean,said Caracal la

,b itterly

,that you

are afraid to come back . You mean that yo uwould rather keep out of the way of the man yo uprayed for

,so long as he is well. And if the pain

which fi rst aroused your sympathy attacks himagain

,even then wil l you leave the irascible sov

ereign to himself or the care of the gods ?’

Not so,not so

,said Melissa

,humbly

,looking

into his eyes w ith an expression that pierced him tothe heart

,so that he added

,with gentle entreaty :

Then Show that you are She whom I bel ieveyou to be . I do no t compel you . Go whither youwil l

,stay away even if I send for you ; but — and

here his brow clouded again why should I try tobe merciful to her from whom . I looked for sympathy and kindliness

,when she flees from me lik e

the restO my lord ! Melissa sighed distressfu lly .

Go Caesar went on . I do not need

No,no

,the girl cried

,in great trouble . Call

me,and I wi ll come . Only Shelter me from the

others,and from their looks of scorn ; only 0 im

mortal gods - If you need me,I wi l l serve you

,and

wi l l ingly,with al l my heart . But if you real ly care

for me,if you desire my presence

,why let me suffer

the worst Here a sudden flood of tears chokedher utterance . A smile of triumph passed over

A THORNY PATH . 3 1 1

Caesar ’s features,and drawing Mel i ssa’s hands away

from her tearful face,he said

,kindly

“ A lexander’s soul pines for Roxana’s ; that iswhat makes your presence so dear to me. Nevershall you have cause to rue coming at my call . Iswear it by the manes of my divine father— you

,

Phi lostratus,are witness .

The philo sopher,who thought he knew Cara

calla,gave a sigh of rel ief ; and A lexander gladly

reflected that the danger he had feared for his sisterwas averted . This craze about Roxana, of whichCaracalla had j ust now spoken to him as a certainfact

,he regarded as a monstrous i l lusion of th is

strange man ’s,which would

,however

,be a better

safeguard for Melissa than pledges and oaths .He clasped her hand

,and said with cheerful con

fid ence : Only send for her when you are i l l , mylord

,as long as you remain here . I know from

your own l ips that there is no passion which canbetray Caesar into perj ury . Wil l you permit her tocome with me for the present

N0,said Caracalla

,sharply

,and he bade him

go about the business he had in hand . Then,turn

ing to Ph ilostratus, he begged him to conduct Me

l issa to Euryale,the high -priest’s noble wife, fo r she

had been a kind and never -forgotten fr iend of hi smother’s.The philosopher gladly escorted the young girl

to the matron,who had long been anxiously await

ing her return .

CHAPTER XVIII .

THE statue of Serapis,a figure of colo ssal size

,

carved by the master-hand of Bryax is, out of ivoryoverlaid with go ld, sat enthroned in the innerchamber of the great Temple of Serapis, with thekalathos crowning his bearded face

,and the three

headed Cerberus at his feet, gaz ing down in supremesilence on the scene around . He did not lack fo rpious votaries and enthusiastic admi rers

,for

,so

long as Caesar was his guest,the curtain was with

drawn which usual ly hid his majestic form from the i reyes . But his most devoted worshipers thought thatthe god ’s noble

,benevolent

,grave countenance had a

wrathful look ; for, though nothing had been alteredin this

,the finest pi l lared hal l in the wor ld ; though

the beautiful pictures in rel ief on the wall s and ce i ling

,the statues and altars of marble

,bronze

,and

precious metals between the co lumns, and the cost lymosaic-work of many co lors which decked the floo rin regular patterns

,were the same as of yore

,th is

splendid pavement was trodden to -day by thousandsof feet which had no concern with the service ofthe god .

Before Caesar’s v isit,solemn S i lence had ever

reigned in this worthy home of the deity, fragrantwith the scarcely v isible fumes of kyph i ; and theworshipers gather ed without a sound round the foo tof his statue

,and before the numerous altars and

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3 14 A THORNY PATH.

Magians,astrologers

,and magicians by the dozen

,

who considered this sacred spot the most su itableplace in which to offer their services to the Romans

,

always inqu isitive for S igns and charms . They knewhow highly Egyptian magic was esteemed throughout the empire ; though their arts were in fact proh ibited

,each outdid the other in urgency

,and not

less in a style of dress which should excite curio sityand expectancy .

Serapion held aloof. Excepting that he wore abeard and robe

,his appearance even had nothing in

common with them ; and his talar was not l ikethe i rs

,embroidered with hieroglyphics

,tongues

,and

flames,but of plain white stuff, which gave him the

aspect of a learned and pr iestly sage.

As Alexander, on his way through the temple tofu lfi l l Caesar ’s commission , went past the Magian ,Castor

,h is supple accompl ice, stole up behind a

statue,and

,when the artist disappeared in the

crowd,whispered to his master :

The rascal ly painter is at l ibertyTi l l further notice ! ” was the reply , and Sera

pion was about to give h is satel l ite some instructions

,when a hand was laid on his shoulder

,and

Zmin is said in a low voice :

“ I am glad to have found you here . Accusations are multiplying against you

,my friend ; and

though I have kept my eyes shut ti l l now,that can

not last much longer.Let us hope you are mistaken

,replied the

Magian,firmly . And then he went on in a hurried

whisper : I know what your ambition i s,and my

support may be of use to you . But we must not beseen together. We wil l meet again in the instrument - room

,to the left of the fi rst stairs up to the

observatory . You wil l find me there .

A THORNY PATH . 5

At once,then

,said the other . I am to be in

Caesar’s presence in a quarter of an hour. ”

The Magian , as being one of the most ski l lfu lmakers of astronomical in struments

,and attached

to the sanctuary,had a key of the room he had des

ignated . Zmin is found him there,and their busi

ness was quickly settled . They knew each otherwel l

,and each knew things of the other which in

spired them with mutual fear . However,as time

pressed,they set aside al l useless antagon isms, to

unite against the common foe .

The Magian knew already that Zmin is had beennamed to Caesar as a possible successor to the chiefof the n ight-watch

,and that he had a powerful

rival . By the help of the Syrian , whose ventrilo

quismwas so perfect that he never failed to producethe illu sion that his feigned voice proceeded fromany de51red person or thing

,Serapion had enmeshed

the praetorian prefect,the greatest magnate in the

empire next to Caesar himself,and in the course of

the past night had gained a firm hold over him .

Macrinus,a man of humble birth

,who owed his

promotion to Severus,the father of Caracalla

,had

,

the day before,been praying in the Pantheon to

the statue of his deceased patron . A vo ice hadproceeded from the image

,tel ling him that the

divine Severus needed him for a great work . A

pious seer was charged to tel l him more exactlywhat this was ; and he wou ld meet him if he went atabout sunset to the shrine of Isis, and cal led threetimes on the name of Severus before the altar ofthe goddess .

The Syrian ventriloquist had, by Serapion’

s

o rders,hidden behind a pil lar and spoken to the

prefect from the statue ; and Macrinus had,of

course,obeyed his instructions . He had met the

3 16 A THORNY PATH .

Magian in the Temple of Isis, and what he hadseen

,heard

,and felt during the night had so deep

ly affected him that he had promised to rev isi tSerapion the next evening. What means he hadused to enslave so powerfu l a man the Magian d id

not tel l his al ly ; bu t he declared that Macrinus wasas wax in his hands

,and he came to an agreement

with the Egyptian that if he,Serapion

,Shou ld bring

about the promotion for which Zmin is sighed,

Zmin is, on his part, shou ld give him a free hand,

and commend his arts to Caesar .It needed but a few minutes to conclude th is

compact ; but then the Magian proceeded to insi stthat Alexander ’s father and brother should be madeaway with .

Impossible,repl ied Zmin is. I should be

only too glad to wring the necks of the who lebrood ; but , as it is, I am represented to Caesar astoo stern and ruthless. And a pretty l ittle S l ut

,old

Heron ’s daughter,has entangled him in her to i ls.

No, said Serapion , posit ively“ I have seen

the girl,and she is as innocent as a child . But I

know the force of contrast : when depravity meetspurity

“ Come,no philosophizing ! mterrupted the

other. “ We have better things to attend to andone or the other may tu rn to your advantage .

And he to ld him that Caesar,whose whim it was

to spare Alexander’s l ife,regarded Mel issa as an

incarnation of Roxana.

“ That is worth con sidering,sa id the Magian

,

stroking his beard meditatively ; then he sudden lyexclaimed :

By the law,as you know

,al l the relat ives of a

state criminal are sent to the quarries o r the mines .Dispatch Heron and his philosopher son forthwith .

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3 18 A THORNY PATH.

knew that within an hour or so one would be supreme over the other ; but of this they thought itbest to say nothing . Zmin is

,as was his custom

when he wished to assume an appearance of respectwhich he d id not feel

,was alternately abject an d

pressingly confidential ; while Arist ides calmly ac

cepted his hypocrit ical serv il ity, and answered itwith d ignified condescension . Nor had they anylack of subjects

,for their interests were the same

,

and they both had the sati sfaction of reflectingwhat injury must ensue to public safety throughtheir long and useless detention here.

But when two ful l hours had elapsed withouttheir being bidden to Caesar’s presence

,or taken

any notice of by their supporters,Zmin is grew wroth

,

and the Greek frowned in displeasure . Meanwhi l ethe anteroom was every moment more crowded

,

and neither chose to give vent to his anger. Sti l l,

when the door to the inner chambers was openedfor a moment

,and loud laughter and the ring of

wine -cups fel l on thei r ears,Aristides Shrugged his

shoulders,and the Egyptian ’s eyes showed an omi

nous white r ing glaring out of his brown face .

Caracalla had meanwhile received the praetorianprefect ; he had forgiven him his long delay, whenMacrinus

,of his own accord

,had told him of the

wonderful things Serapion had made known tohim . The prefect’s son

,too

,had been invited to

the banquet of Seleukus ; and when Caracal la heardfrom him and others of the splendor of the feast

,he

had begun to feel hungry . Even with regard to food,

Caesar acted only on the impu lse of the moment andthough

,in the field

,he would

,to please his soldiers,

be content with a morsel of bread and a l i ttl e porridge

,at home be highly appreciated the pleasures

of the table. Whenever he gave the word, an abun

A THORNY PATH. 19

dant meal must at once be ready . It was all thesame to him what was kept wa iting or postponed

,so

long as something to his taste was set before him .

Macrinus,indeed

,humbly reminded him that the

guardians of‘

the peace were awaiting him ; but heon ly waved his hand with c ontempt

,and proceeded

to the dining-room,which was soon fi l led with a

large number of guests. Within a few minutes thefirst dish was set before his couch

,and

,as plenty of

good stories were told,and an admirable band of

flute-playing and singing gir ls fi l led up the pausesin the conversation

,he enjoyed his meal . In spite

,

too,of the warning which Galenus had impressed on

his Roman physician,he drank freely of the fine

wine which had been brought out for him from theairy lofts of the Serapeum

,and those about him

were surprised at their master ’s unwonted goodspirits.He was especial ly gracious to the high -priest

,

whom he bade to a place by his side ; and he evenaccepted his arm as a support

,when

,the meal being

over,they returned to the tabl inum.

There he flung himself on a couch,with a burn

ing head, and began feeding the lion, without paying any heed to his company . I t was a pleasure tohim to see the huge brute rend a young lamb.

When the remains Of this introductory morsel hadbeen removed and the pavement washed

,he gave

the Sword of Persia ” pieces of raw flesh,teasing

the beast by snatching the daintiest bits out of hismouth

,and then offer ing them to him again

,ti l l the

satiated brute stretched himself yawning at his feet.During this entertainment

,he had a letter read to

him from the senate, and dictated a reply to a secretary . His eyes twinkled with a tipsy leer in hisflushed face, and yet he was perfectly competent ;

320A THORNY PATH.

and his instructions to the senate,though imperious

indeed,were neither more nor less rational than in

his soberest moods .Then

,after washing his hands in a go lden basin

,

he acted on Macrinus’s suggestion,and the two

candidates who had so long been waiting were atlast admitted . The prefect of the praetorians had

,

by the Magian ’s desire , recommended the Egyptianbut Caesar wished to see for himself, and then to decide . Both the appl icants had received hints fromtheir supporters : the Egyptian

,to mod erate h is

rigor the Greek,to express himself in the severest

terms . And this was made easy for him,for the

annoyance which had been pent up during his threehours’ waiting was suffi cient to lend his handsome

face a stern look . Zmin is strove to appear mild byassuming servi le humi l ity ; but this so i l l becamehis cunning features that Caracal la saw with secre tsatisfaction that he could accede to Mel issa’s wishe s

,

and confirm the cho ice of the high-priest,in whose

god he had placed his hopes .Sti l l

,his own safety was more precious to him

than the wishes of any l iving mortal ; so he beganby pouring out

,on both

,the vials of his wrath at

the bad management of the town . Their blundering tools had not even succeeded in captur ing themost gui le less of men

,the painter A lexander . The

report that the men -at-arms had seized him hadbeen a fabrication to deceive , for the artist hadgiven himself up . Nor had he as yet heard of anyother traitor whom they had succeeded in lay inghands on

,tho ugh the town was flooded with i nso

lent epigrams directed against the imperial person .

An d,as he spoke

,he glared with fury at the two

candidates before him.

The Greek bowed his head in silence, as if con

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322A THORNY PATH.

At this the emperor wrathful ly asked himwhetherhis opinion had been inv ited ; and the cunn ingEgyptian said to himsel f that Caracal la was anxiousto spare the father and his sons for the daughter ’ssake. And yet Caesar would surely wish to keepthem in safety

,to have some hold over the gir l ; so

he l ied with a bo ld face,affi rming that

,in obedience

to the law of the land,he had removed Heron and

Phi l ip,at any rate for the moment

,beyond the

reach of Caesar ’s mercy . They had in the course ofthe night been placed on board a galley and werenow on the way to Sardin ia . But a swift vesse lshould presently be sent to overtake it and bringthem back .

And the in former was right , fo r Caesar’s coun

tenance brightened . He d id,ind eed ,blame the Egyp

t ian ’s overhasty action but he gave no orders forfo l lowing up the gal ley .

Then,after reflecting for a short time

,he said :

I do not find in either of you what I require ;but at a pinch we are fain to eat mo ldy bread, soI must need choose between you two . The one

who fi rst brings me that clay figure,and the man

who modeled it,in chains and bonds

,Shall be ap

pointed chief of the night-watch .

Meanwhi le A lexander had entered the room .

As soon as Caracal la saw him,he beckoned to him

,

and the artist informed him that he had made gooduse of his time and had much to communicate . Thenhe humbly inqu ired as to the clay figure of whichCaesar was speaking

,and Caracalla referred him to

Zmin is. The Egyptian repeated what the Magianhad told him .

A lexander l istened calmly ; but when Zmin isceased speaking

,the artist took a deep breath

,drew

himself up,and po in ting a contemptuous finger at

A THORNY PATH. 23

the spy, as if his presence poisoned the air, he said :It is that fel low ’s fau lt

,great Caesar

,if the citizens

of my native town dare commit such crimes. Hetorments and persecutes them in your name . Howmany a felony has been committed here

,merely to

scoff at him and his creatures,and to keep them on

the alert ! We are a light-headed race . Like children

,we love to do the forbidden thing

,so long as

it is no stain on our honor . But that wretch treatsall laughter and the most innocent fun as a crime

,

or so interprets it that it seems so . From thismal ignant delight in the woes of others

,and in the

hope of rising higher in ofli ce,that wicked man has

brought misery on hundreds . I t has al l been donein thy great name

,0 Caesar ! No man has raised

you up more foes than this wretch,who undermines

your security instead of protecting it .Here Zmin is

,whose swarthy face had become of

ashy paleness,broke out in a hoarse tone I wil l

teach you,and the who le rabble of traitors at your

backBut Caesar wrathfu lly commanded him to be si

lent,and A lexander quietly went on : You can

threaten,and you wil l array al l yo ur slanderous arts

against us ; I know you . But here sits a sovereignwho protects the innocent—and I and mine are

innocent . He will set his heel on your head whenhe knows you— the curse of this city— for the adderthat you are ! He is deceiving you now in smallthings

,great Caesar

,and later he wi l l deceive you

in greater ones . Listen now how he has l ied to you .

He says he discovered a caricature of your i l lustrions person in the guise of a so ldier . Why

,then

,

did he not bring it away from the place where i tcould only excite disaffection , and might even mislead those who should see it into the belief that

324A THORNY PATH.

your noble person was that of a dwarf The an

swer'

is se lf -ev ident . He left it to betray others intofurther mockery, to bring them to ru in .

Caesar had l istened with -approval,and now stern

ly asked the Egyptian :Did you see the image ?In the Elephant tavern ! yelled the man .

But A lexander shook his head doubtfu l ly,and

begged permission to ask the Egyptian a question .

This was granted, and the artist inqu ired whetherthe soldier stood alone.

“ So far as I remember,yes

,repl ied Zmin is

,

almost beside himself.Then your memory is as false as your sou l ! ”

Alexander shouted in hi s face,“ for there was an

other figure by the so ldier ’s side. The clay,st i l l

wet,clung to the same board as the figure of the

soldier,modeled by the same hand . No , no, my

crafty fe l low,you wil l not catch the workman ; fo r ,

being warned,he is already on the high- seas."

It is false shrieked Zmin is.

That remains to be proved,said Alexander

,

scornful ly. A l low me now,great Caesar

,to Show

you the figures. They have been brought by myorders, and are in the anteroom— carefully coveredup

,of course, for the fewer the persons who see

them the better.Caracal la nodded his consent

,and Alex ander

hurr ied away ; the despot heaping abuse on Zmin 1s,and demanding why he had not at once had the

images removed . The Egyptian now confessed thathe had on ly heard of the caricature from a frie d

,

and d eclared that if he had seen it he should havedestroyed it on the spot . Macrinus here tr ied toexcuse the spy , by remarking that this zealous oflic ial had only tried to set his services in a favor

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326 A THORNY PATH.

when the philosopher assented conditional ly,he de

elated that he saw some resemblance to himsel f inthe features of the apple-dealer. And then hepointed to his own straight legs

,only slightly dis

figured by an in jury to the ank le,to Show how

shameful ly unfair it was to compare them with thelower l imbs of a misshapen dwarf. Finally

,the fig

ure of the apple -dealer— a hideous pygmy form,

with the head of an old man,l ike enough to his

own— roused his curiosity . What'

was the point o fthis image ? Wha t pecul iarity was i t intended to

satirize ? The basket which hung about the neckof the figure was ful l of fru it

,and the object he

held in his hand might be an apple,or might be

anything e lse .

With eager and constrained cheerfu lness, he inquired the opin ion of his “ friends

,treating as

sheer flattery a suggestion from his favorite,Theo

critus,that this was not an apple-dealer

,but a hu

man figure,who

,though but a dwarf in comparison

with the gods,nevertheless endowed the world with

the gifts of the immortals .A lexander and Ph ilostratus could offer no ex

planat ion but when the proconsul,Jul ius Paul inus

,

observed that the figure was offering the apples fo rmoney

,as Caesar offered the Roman citizensh ip to

the provincials,he knew for what

,Caracal la nodded

agreement .He then provisionally appointed Aristides to the

coveted ofli ce. The Egyptian should be informedas to his fate . When the prefect was about to te

move the figures,Caesar hasti ly forbade it, and or

dered the bystanders to withdraw . A lexander alonewas commanded to remain . As soon as they weretogether

,Caesar sprang up and vehemently demand

ed to know what news he had brought . But the

A THORNY PATH .

young man hesitated to begin his report . Caracal la,of his own accord

,pledged his word once more to

keep his oath,and then A lexander assured him that

he knew no more than Caesar who were the authorsof the epigrams which he had picked up here and

there ; and, though the satire they contained wasvenomous in some cases

,sti l l he

,the sovereign of

the world,stood so high that he could laugh them

to scorn , as Socrates had laughed when Ar istophanesplaced him on the stage .

Caesar declared that he scorned these fl ies,but

that their buzz ing annoyed him .

Alexander rejoiced at this,and only expressed

h is regret that most of the epigrams he had co l lected turned on the death of Caesar’s brother Geta . Heknew now that it was rash to condemn a deed whichHere Caesar interrupted him,

for he could notlong remain quiet

,saying sternly :

The deed was needful,not for me

,but fo r the

empire,which is dearer to me than father

,mother

,

or a hundred brothers,and a thousand times dearer

than men ’s opin ions. Let me hear in what fo rmthe witty natives of this city express their d isapproval .

This sounded so dignified and gracious thatAlexander ventured . to repeat a distich which hehad heard at the publ ic baths

,whither he had first

directed his steps . It did not,however

,refer to the

murder of Geta,but to the mantle- l ike garment

to which Caesar owed the n ickname of Caracal la.

It ran thus :

Why should my lord Caracalla affect a garment so ample ?’Tis that the d eed s are many of evil he need s to conceal.

”

At thi s Caesar laughed,saying : Who is there

that has riothing to conceal ? The l ines are not

A THORNY PATH.

amiss. Hand me your tablets ; i f the others are noworse

But they are,Alexander exclaimed

,anxiou sly

,

and I only regret that I shou ld be the instrumen tof your tormenting yourself

Tormenting echoed Caesar , disdainfu l ly .

The verses amuse me, and I find them most edifying. That i s al l . Hand me the tablets .

The command was so positive , that Alexanderdrew out the l ittle diptych, with the remark thatpainters wrote badly

,and that what he had no ted

down was only intended to aid his memory . The

idea that Caesar Should hear a few home- tru thsthrough him had struck him as pleasant

,but now

the greatness of the risk was clear to him . Heglanced at the scrawled characters

,and it occurred

to him that he had intended to change the wo rddwarf in one l ine to Ce sar

,and to keep the th ird

and most trenchant epigram from the emperor . The

fourth and last was very innocent,and he had meant

to read it last,to mol l ify him . So he did not wish

to Show the tablets. But,as he was about to take

them back , Caracal la snatched them from his handand read with some difficu lty

Fraternal love was once esteemedA virtue even in the great,

And P hi ladelphos then was d eemedA name to grace a potentate.

But now the d warf upon the throne,By murd er of h ismother

'

s son ,

As fil isadelp/zos must be known .

”

Indeed ! ” murmured Caesar, with a pale face,and then he went on in a low

,su llen tone : A lways

the same story—my brother, and my small stature.

In this town they fo l low the example of the barbarians

,it would seem

,who choose the tal lest and

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339 A THORNY PATH .

with a roar,and the young man would have had no

chance of his l ife i f the beast had not happi ly beenchained down after his meal . With much presenceof mind

,Alexander sprang behind the chair and

dragged it,with the unconscious man who served

him as a shield, away from the angry brute.

Ga len had urged Caesar to avoid excess in wineand violent emotions, and the wisdom of the warning was sufl

‘i ciently proved by the attack which hadseized him with such fearfu l v iolence , j ust whenCaracal la had neglected it in both particu lars .

A lexander had to exert al l the strength of hismuscles

,practised in the wrestling-school

,to hold

the sufferer on his seat, for his strength, which wasnot smal l

,was doubled by the demons of epilepsy .

In an instant the whole Court had rushed to thespot O11 hearing the l ion

’s roar o f rage,which grew

louder and louder,and could be heard at no smal l

distance,and then Alexander ’s shout for help . But

the private physician and Epagathos, the chamberlain

,would allow no one to enter the room ; only

o ld Ad ventus,who was half bl ind , was permitted to

assist them in succoring the sufferer. He had beenraised by Caracal la from the humble offi ce of lettercarrier to the highest dign ities and the offi ce o f hisprivate chamberlain ; but the leech avai led himsel fby preference of the assistance of this experiencedand qu iet man

,and between them they soon brought

Caesar to his senses . Caesar then lay pale and ex

hansted on a couch which had hasti ly been arranged,

his eyes fixed on vacancy,scarcely able to move a

finger. Alexander held his trembling hand,and

when the physician,a stout man of midd le age, took

the artist’s place and bade him retire,Caracal la

, in

a low voice,desired h im to remain .

As soon as Caesar ’s suspended facu lties were

A THORNY PATH. 331

ful ly awake again,he turned to the cause of his at

tack . With a look of pain and entreaty he desiredA lexander to give him the tablets once more ; butthe artist assured him—and Caracalla seemed notsorry to believe— that he had crushed the wax in hisconvulsion . The S ick man himself no doubt fe l t thatsuch food was too strong for him . After he had re

mained staring at nothing in silence for some time,

he began again to speak of the gibes of the A lexan d rians. Surrounded as he was by servi le favorites

,whose superior he was in gifts and intel lect

,

what had here come under his notice seemed tointerest him above measure .

He desired to know where and from whom thepainter had got these epigrams . But again Alexander declared that he did not know the names ofthe authors ; that he had found one at the publicbaths

,the second in a tavern

,and the th1rd at a hair

dresser ’s Shop . Caesar looked sadly at the youth ’sabundant brown curls which had been freshly o iled

,

and said : Hair is like the o ther good gifts o f l ife .

I t remains fine only with the healthy . You,happy

rascal,hardly know what S ickness means ! Then

again he sat staring in silence,ti l l he suddenly

started up and asked Al exander,as Philostratus

had yesterday asked Melissa :“ Do you and your sister belong to the Chris

t iansWhen he vehemently denied it

,Caracal la went

on : And yet these epigrams Show plain ly enoughhow the Alexandrians feel toward me . Melissa, too,is a daughter of this town

,and when I remember

that she could bring herself to pray for me, thenMy nurse

,who was the best of women

,was a

Christian . I learned from her the doctrine of lov ingour enemies and pray ing fo r those who despitefu l ly

332A THORNY PATH .

treat us. I always regarded it as impossible ; butnow— your sister What I was saying j ust nowabout the hair and good health reminds me o f another speech of the Crucified one which my nurseoften repeated—how long ago To him that hathshal l be given

,and from him that hath not shal l be

taken even that which he hath .

’ How cruel and

yet how wise, how terribly str iking and true ! A

healthy man ! What more can he want , and whatabundant gifts that best o f al l gifts wil l gain forhim! If he is visited by infirmity— on ly look atme — how much misery I have suffered from th iscurse

,terrible enough in itself, and taint ing every

thing with the bitterness of wormwoodHe laughed softly but scornful ly

,and continued

“ But I ! I am the sovereign of the un iverse .

I have so much—oh yes,so much —and for that

reason more shall be given to me,and my wildest

wishes shal l be satisfiedYes

,my liege ! interrupted Alexander, eagerly .

After pain comes pleasure

L ive, love ,d rink , and rejoice,

An d w reath thyself w ith me

sings Sappho,and it is not a bad plan to fol low

Anakreon’

s advice,even at the present day . Th ink

of the short suffering which now and then embittersfor you the sweet cup of l ife

,as being the ring of

Polykrates, with which you appease the envy of thegods who have given you so much . In your place

,

eternal gods ! how I would enjoy the happy hoursof health

,and Show the immortals and mortals

al ike how much true and real pleasure power andr iches can procure !

The emperor ’s weary eyes brightened, and withthe cry

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34 A THORNv PATH .

face so finely formed by Nature and so pathetic tolook at . No thoroughly depraved miscreant couldlook l ike that . Yet it was l ike a peaceful sea : whenthe hurricane should break loo se

,what a boil ing

whirl of gray,hissing

,tossing

,foaming waves wou ld

d isfigure the peaceful , smooth, gl itter ing surfaceAnd suddenly the emperor’s features began to

Show s1gns of animation . His eye, but now so du l l ,shone more brightly

,and he cried out

,as if the l o ng

silence had scarcely broken the thread of his ideas,

but in a sti l l husky vo ice :I should like to get up and go with you, bu t I

am sti l l too weak . Do you go now,my friend

,and

bring me back fresh news .”

Alexander then begged h im to consider howdangerous every excitement would be for him ; yetCaracalla exclaimed

,eagerly

It wil l strengthen me and do me good ! Everything that surrounds me is so ho llow

,so insipid

,so

contemptible— what I hear is so small . A strong,

highly spiced word,even if it i s Sharp

,refreshes

me When you have finished a picture,d o you

like to hear nothing but how wel l your friends canflatter

The artist thought he understood Caesar. Trueto h is nature

,always hoping for the best , he thought

that,as the severe j udgment of the envio us had

often done him (Alexander) good, so the sharp satireof the Alexandrians wou ld lead Caracal la to in trospection and greater moderation ; he only reso lvedto tel l the sufferer nothing further that was merelyinsult1ng.

When he bade him farewel l,Caracal la glanced

up at him with such a look of pain that the artistlonged to give him his hand

,and speak to him with

real affection . The tormenting headache which fo l

A THORNY PATH .

335

lowed each convu lsion had again come on,and Caesar

submitted without resistance to what the physicianprescribed .

Alexander asked o ld Ad ventus at the door if hed id not think that the terr1ble attack had beenbrought on by annoyance at the A lexandrians’

satire,and if it would not be advisable in the fu

ture not to al low such things to reach the emperor ’s ear ; but the man , looking at him in surprisewith his half-blind eyes

,repl ied with a brutal want

of sympathy that disgusted the youthDrinking brought on the attack . What makes

him i l l are stronger things than words. If youyourself

,young man

,do not suffer fo r A lexandrian

wit,it wil l certainly not hurt CaesarA lexander turned his back indignantly on the

chamberlain,and he became so absorbed in wonder

ing how it was possible that the emperor,who was

cultivated and appreciated what was beau tifu l,could

have dragged out of the dust and kept near himtwo such miserable creatures as Theocritus and thisold man

,that Philostratus

,who met him in the next

room,had almost to shout at him .

Philostratus informed him that Melissa was staying with the chief priest’s wife ; but j ust as he wasabout to inquire curiously what had passed betweenthe audacious painter and Caesar— for even Philo stratus was a courtier—he was cal led away to Caracal la.

CHAPTER XIX .

IN one of the few rooms of his vast palace whichthe ch ief priest had reserved for the accommo

dation of the members of his own househo ld,the

youth was received by Mel issa,Timotheus’s w i fe

Euryale,and the lady Berenike.

This lady was pleased to see the arti st again towhom she was indebted for the portrai t of herdaughter . She had it now in her possession oncemore

,for Ph ilostratus had had it taken back to her

house while the emperor was at his meal .She rested on a sofa, quite worn out . She had

passed through hours of torment ; for her concernabout Mel issa

,who had become very dear to her

,

had given her much more anxiety than even the lossof her beloved picture . Besides

,the young girl was

to her for the moment the representative of her sex,

and the danger of seeing this pure,sweet creature

exposed to the wil l of a l icentious tyrant drove herout of her senses

,and her l ively fancy had resu lted

in violent outbreaks of indignation . She now proposed al l sorts of schemes, of wh ich Euryale , themore prudent but not less warm -hearted wife of thechief priest , demonstrated the impossmility.

Like Berenike, a tender-hearted woman,whose

smooth,brown hair had already begun to turn gray

,

she had also lost her only child . But years hadpassed since then

,and she had accustomed herse lf

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333A THORNY PATH .

H e,who

,at the Museum

,was counted among

the skeptics,l iked bibl ical sentences

,such as All

i s vanity,and “We know but in part .” The com

mand to love your neighbor,to seek peace

,to th irst

after tru th,the inj unction to j udge the tree by its

frui t,and to fear more for the sou l than the body

,

were quite to his mind .

He was so rich that the gifts of the visitors tothe temple

,which his predecessors had insisted o n

,

were of no importance to him . Thus he mingled agreat deal that was Christian with the faith of whichhe was chief min ister and guardian . Only the co nv iction with which men like Clemens and Origen

,

who were friends of his wife,declared that the

doctrine to which they adhered was the on ly rightone—was

,in fact

,the truth itsel f— seemed to the

skeptic “ fool ishness.His wife’s friends had converted his brother

Zeno to Christianity ; but he had no need to fearlest Euryale shou ld fol low them. She loved h imtoo much

,and was too quiet and sensible

,to be bap

tiz ed,and thus expose him

,the heathen high-prie st

,

to the danger of being deprived of the power whi chshe knew to be necessary to his happiness .Every Alexandrian was free to belong to any

other than the heathen creeds, and no one had takenoffence at his skeptical writings. When Euryaleacted like the best o f the Christian women , he co uldno t take it amiss ; and he would have scorned toblame her preference for the teaching of the cruc ified God .

As to Ca sar’s character he had not yet made uphis mind .

He had expected to find him a half-crazy villa in,

and his rage after he had heard the epigram aga in sthimsel f

,left with the rope

,had strengthen ed the

A THORNY PATH . 339

chief priest’s Opin ion . But since then he had heardof much that was good in him ; and Timotheusfel t sure that his j udgment was unbiased by the

high esteem Caesar showed to him,while he treated

others l ike slaves. His improved Opin ion had beenraised by the intercourse he had held with Caesar .The much-abused man had on these occasions shownthat he was not only wel l educated but also thoughtfull; and yesterd ay

'

even ing,beforeCaracal la had gone

to rest ex hausted,the high -

priest,with hisw ise ex peri

ence,had received exactly the same impressions as

the easily influenced artist ; for Caesar had bewailedhis sad fate in pathetic terms

,and confessed him

sel f indeed deeply gui lty,but d eclared that he had

intended to act for the best,had sacrificed fortune

,

peace of mind,and comfort to the wel fare of the

state . His keen eye had marked the ev i ls of thetime

,and he had acknowledged that his effo rts to

extirpate the old maladies in order to make roomfor better things had been a fa i lure, and that, instead of earn ing thanks

,he had drawn down on

himself the hatred of mill ions .I t was for thi s reason that Timotheus, on rej o in

ing his househo ld,had assured them that , as he

thought over this interview,he expected something

good— yes, perhaps the best— from the young criminal in the purple .

But the lady Berenike had declared with scornfu l decision that Caracalla had deceived her brotherin - law ; and when Alexander l ikewise tried to say aword for the sufferer

,she got into a rage and ac

cused him of foo lish credulity .

Mel issa,who had already spoken in favor of the

empero r,agreed

,in spite of the matron

,with her

brother . Yes,Caracalla had sinned greatly

,and his

conviction that Alexander’s soul l ived in him and

349A THORNY PATH .

Roxana’s in her was foo l ish enough ; but the marvelons l ikeness to her of the portrait on the gemwould aston ish any one. That good and noble impulses stirred his soul she was certain . But Berenike on ly shrugged her shou lders contemptuo u sly ;and when the chief priest remarked that yesterdayevening Caracal la had in fact not been in a posit ionto attend a feast

,and that a portion

,at least

,of hi s

o ther offenses might certain ly be put down to the

charge of his severe suffer ing,the lady exclaimed :

An d is i t also his bodi ly condition that causeshim to fi l l a h ouse of mourn ing with festive uproar ?I am indifferent as to what makes him a malefactor. For my part

,I wou ld sooner abandon thi s clear

chi ld to the care o f a criminal than to that o f amadman .

But the chief priest and the brother and sisterboth declared Caesar’s mind to be as sound andsharp as any one ’s ; and Timotheus asked who , atthe present time

,was without superstition

,and the

desire of communicating with departed soul s. Sti l lthe matron wou ld not al low herself to be per

suad ed , and after the chief priest had been cal ledaway to the service of the god

,Euryale reproved

her sister- in - law for her too great zeal . When thewisdom of hoary o ld age and impetuous youth agreein one Opin ion , i t i s commonly the right one .

And I maintain , cried Berenike— and her largeeyes flamed angri ly it i s criminal to ignore myadvice. Fate has robbed you as well as me of adear chi ld. I wil l no t also lose this one

,who is as

precious to me as a daughter .Melissa bent over the lady

’s hands and k issedthem gratefu lly

,exclaiming with tearful eyes

,But

he has been very good to me, and has assuredme

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342A THORNY PATH.

And she raised her arm,as if she would throw

a stone in to the distance .

She impetuously embraced the young girl,took

leave of her sister-in - law,and left the room with

A lexander .Directly Euryale was alone with Mel issa

,she

comforted the gir l in her kind,composed manner ;

for the unhappy matron’s gloomy presentimentshad fi l led Melissa with fresh anxieties .

And what had she not gone through during thedaySoon after her peri lo us interview with Caracal la

,

T imotheus,with the chief of the astrologers from

the Serapeum,and the emperor’s astronomer

,had

come to her, to ask her on what day and at whathour she was born . They also inquired con cern ingthe birthdays of her parents

,and other events o f

her l ife. Timotheus had informed her that the emperot had ordered them to cast her nativ ity .

Soon after dinner She had gone,accompan ied by

the lady Berenike,who had found her at the ch ief

priest’s house,to visit her lover in the sick -rooms of

the Serapeum. Thankful and happy,she had fo und

him with fu l ly recovered consciousness,but the phy

sician and the freedman Andreas, whom She met atthe door of the chamber

,had impressed on her the

importance of avoiding al l excitement . So it hadnot been possible for her to tel l h im what had happened to her people, or of the per ilous step she hadtaken in order to save them. But Diodoros hadtalked of their wedding

,and Andreas could confi rm

the fact that Polybius wished to see it celebrated assoon as possible.

Several pleasant subjects were discussed ; butbetween whi les Melissa had to dissemble and giveevasive answers to Diodoros

’

s questions as to

A THORNY PATH. 343

whether she had already arranged with her brotherand friends who Should be the youths and maidensto form the wedding procession

,and sing the

hymeneal song .

As the two whispered to one another and lookedtenderly at each other— for Diodo ros had insistedon her al lowing him to kiss not on ly her hands butalso her sweet red l ips—Berenike had pictured herdead daughter in Meli ssa’s place . What a couplethey would have been ! How proudly and gladlyshe would have led them to the lovely vi l la atKanopus

,which her husband and she had rebuilt

and decorated with the idea that some day Khrinna

,her husband

,and— if the gods should grant

it— their chi ldren,might inhabit it ' But even

Mel issa and Diodoros made a fine couple,and

She tried with all her heart not to grudge heral l the happiness that she had wished for her ownchi ld .

When it was time to depart , she joined the handsof the betro thed pair

,and cal led down a blessing

from the gods .Diodoros accepted this grateful ly .

He only knew that this majestic lady had madeMelissa’s acquaintance through Alexander

,and had

won her affection,and he encou raged the impression

that thi s woman,whose Juno - l ike beauty haunted

him,had visited him on his bed of sickness in the

place of his long- lost mother .Outside the s ick - room Andreas again met Mel is

sa, and , after she had told him of her visit to the

emperor,he impressed on her eager ly on no account

to obey the tyrant’s cal l again . Then he hadpromised to hide her securely

,either on Zeno ’s

estate o r else in the house of another friend,which

was diffi cult o f access . When Dame Berenike had

344A THORNY PATH.

again,and with particular eagerness

,suggested her

ship,Andreas had exclaimed :In the garden

,on the ship

,under the earth

on ly not back to CaesarThe last question of the freedman ’s

,as to

whether she had meditated further on his disco urse,

had reminded her of the sentence, The ful lness ofthe time is come ”

; and afterward the thought occurred to her

,again and again

,that in the cou rse

of the next few hours some decisive event wo u ldhappen to her

,

“ fulfi l l ing the time,

” as Andreas expressed it .When

,therefo re

,somewhat later

,she was alone

with the chief priest’s wife,who had concluded her

comforting,pious exhortations

,Mel issa asked the

lady Euryale whether she had ever heard the senten ce

,

“When the fullness of the time is come .

At this the lady cried,gaz ing at the girl w ith

surprised inquiry :Are you

,then

,after al l

,connected with the

ChristiansCerta in ly not

,answered the young girl , firmly .

I heard it accidental ly,and Andreas

,Polyb ius

’

s

freedman,explained it to me .

A good interpreter,

” repl ied the elder lady .

I am only an ignorant woman ; yet, chi ld, even Ihave experienced that a day , an hour, comes to everyman in the course of his l ife in which he afte

\rward

sees that the time was fulfi l led . As the drops become mingled with the stream ,

so at that momentthe things we have done and thought un ite to carryu s on a new current

,either to salvation or perdit ion .

Any moment may bring the crisis ; for that reasonthe Christians are right when they call on one ahother to watch . You also must keep your eyesop en . When the time—who knows how soon — i s

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346A THORNY PATH.

ing her,she was reminded of the farewell she had

taken,many years ago

,of a Christian fr iend befo re

she was led away by the lictors to martyrdom inthe circus. Finally, she whispered somethmg in thephilosopher’s ear

,and received from him the promise

to return with Melissa as soon as possible.

Philostratus was,in fact

,quite easy . Just be

fore,Caracal la’s helpless glance had met h is sym

path iz ing gaze, and the suffering Caesar had saidnothing to him but

0 Philostratus, I am in such pain and thesewords sti l l rang in the ears of this warm -heartedman .

While he was endeavoring to comfort the em

peror, Caesar’s eyes had fal len on the gem

,and he

asked to see it . He gazed at i t attentively fo rsome time

,and when he returned it to the philoso

pher he had ordered him to fetch the prototype ofRoxana .

Closely enveloped in the vei l which Euryale hadplaced on her head

,Mel i ssa passed from room to

room,keeping near to the philo sopher.

Wherever she appeared she heard murmuringand whispering that troubled her

,and titter ing fo l

lowed her from several of the rooms as she leftthem ; even from the large hal l where the emperor

’sfr iends awaited his orders in numbers

,she heard a

loud laugh that frightened and annoyed her.

She no longer felt as unconstrained as she hadbeen that morn ing when she had come befo reCaesar . She knew that she would have to be on herguard ; that anything, even the worst , might be ex

pected from him . But as Philostratus describedto her

,on the way

,how terribly the unfortunate

man su ffered,her tender heart was again drawn to

him,to whom—as she now fel t— she was bound by

A THORNY PATH .

an ind efinable tie . She,if any one

,as she repeated

to herself, was able to help him ; and her desire toput the tru th of this conviction to the proof— fo rshe could only regard it as too amazing to begrounded in fact—was seconded by the less disinterested hope that, while attend ing on the sufferer,she might find an opportuni ty of effecting the release of her father and brother.

Ph ilostratus went on to announce her arr ival,

and she,while waiting

,tr ied to pray to the manes

of her mother ; but, befo re she could suffi cientlycol lect her thoughts, the door opened . Ph ilostra

tus silently beckoned to her, and she stepped intothe tablinum

,which was but dimly l ighted by a few

lamps.Caracal la was stil l rest ing here ; for every move

ment increased the pain that tormented him .

How quiet it was ! She thought she could hearher own heart beating .

Ph ilostratus remained standing by the door, butshe went on t iptoe toward the couch , fearing herlight footsteps might disturb the emperor . Yet before she had reached the divan she stopped sti l l

,

and then she heard the plaintive rattle in the sufferer ’s throat

,and from the background of the room

thQ easy breathing of the burly physician and ofo ld Ad ventus

,both of whom had fal len asleep ; and

then a pecul iar tapping. The l ion beat the floorwith his tai l with pleasure at recogniz ing her.

This noise attracted the invalid’s attention,and

when he Opened his c losed eyes and saw Mel issa,

who was anxiously watching al l hi s movements,he

called to her l ight ly with his hand on his brow :

“ The animal has a good memory , and greets

youin my name. You were sure to come : I knewit !

343A THORNY PATH .

The young girl stepped nearer to him,and an

swered , kindly , Since you needed me,I gladly fol

lowed Ph ilostratus.

”

Because I needed you asked the empero r .Yes

,

” she repl ied,because you requ ire n urs

Then,to keep you

,I shal l wish to be i l l Often

,

he answered,qu ick ly ; but he added, sadly,

“on ly

not so dreadful ly i l l as I have been to -day .

One cou ld hear how laborious talking was tohim

,and the few words he had sought and found

,

in order to say something kind to Mel issa , had sohurt his shattered nerves and head that he sankback , gasping, on the cushions .

Then for some time al l was qu iet,until Cara

calla took his hand from his forehead and continued

,as if in excuse :

“ No one seems to know what it is. And i f Italk ever so softly

,every word vibrates through

my brain .

Then you must not speak,interrupted Me

lissa,eagerly . If you want anything

,only make

S igns . I shal l understand you without words,and

the quieter it i s here the better .”“No

,no ; you must speak ,

” begged the inval id .

When the others talk,they make the beatin? in

my head ten times worse, and excite me ; but I l iketo hear your vo ice .

The beating ? interrupted Mel issa,in whom

this word awoke o ld memories Perhaps you feelas if a hammer was hitting you over the left eye ?If you move rapidly

,does it not pierce your sku l l

,

and do you not feel as sick as if you were on therocking sea ? ”

Then you also know this torment ? askedCaracal la

,surprised ; but she answered , qu ietly,

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359 A THORNY PATH

Mel issa slowly withdrew her hand,and w ith

drooping eyes answered gently :You are the emperor

,a man . and I

But Caracal la interrupted her eager ly,and w ith

a clear voiceNot so

,Mel issa Do not you feel

,l ike me

,that

something else draws us to one another,l ike what

binds a man to h is wife —There li es the gem .

Look at it once again No,child

,no This re

semblance is not mere accident . The short- sighted,

might cal l i t supersti tion or a vain illusion ; I knowbetter. At least a portion of A lexander’s soul l ivesin this breast . A hundred signs— I wil l tel l youabout i t later—make it a certain ty to me. An d

yesterday morn ing. I see it al l again beforeme. You stood above me

,on the left

,at a w in

dow . .

’

I looked up ; Our eyes met,an d I

felt in the depths of my heart a strange emotion .

I asked myse lf, si lently, where I had seen thatlovely face before . And the answer rang

,you have

already often met her ; you know her !”

“My face reminded youof the gem,interrupted

Mel issa,disquieted .

“ NO,no

,

” continued Caesar . “ It was something else . Why had none of my many gems everreminded me before of living people ? Why didyour picture, I know not how often , recur to mymind ? And yo u ? Only reco l lect what you havedone for me . How marvelo usly we were broughttogether ! And al l this m the course of a single

,

short day . And you also . I ask you,by all

that is holy to you . Did you,after yo u saw

me in the court of sacrifice,not think of me so often

and so vividly that it aston ished youYou are Caesar

,answered Mel issa

,with ih

creasing anxiety .

A THORNY PATH. 351

“ So you thought of my purple robes ? ” askedCaracalla

,and his face clouded over ; or perhaps

on ly of my power that might be fatal to your familyI wi l l know . Speak the truth

,girl

,by the head of

your father !Then Mel issa poured forth this confession from

her oppressed heart“ Yes

,I cou ld not help remember ing you con

stantly, and I never saw you in purple, butj ust as you had stood there on the steps ; andthen— ah ! I have told you already how sorry I wasfor your sufferings . I felt as if but how canI describe it truly — as if you stood much nearerto me than the ruler of the world could to a poor

,

humble girl . It was eternal gods '

She stopped short ; for she sudden ly reco llectedanxiously that this confession might prove fatal toher. The sentence about the time which should befulfi l led for each was ringing in her ears

,and it

seemed to her that she heard for the second timethe lady Beren ike’

s warning .

But Caracalla al lowed her no time to think ; forhe interrupted her

,greatly pleased

,with the cry :

It is true,then ! The immortals have wrought

as great a miracle in youas in me. We both owe

them thanks,and I wil l Show them how grateful I

can be by rich sacrifices . Our so uls,which d es

t iny had already once un ited,have met again . That

portion of the universal soul which of yore dwelt inRoxana

,and now in you

,Mel i ssa

,has a l so vanquished

the pain which has embittered my life. Youhave proved it —And now it is beginn ing tothrob again more vio lently— now— beloved and re

stored one,help me once more !

Melissa perceived anxiously how the emperor’sface had flushed again during this last vehement

352 A THORNY PATH .

speech, and at the same time the pain had aga incontracted his forehead and eyes . And she obeyedhis command

,but this time only in shy submissio n .

When She found that he became quieter,and the

movement of her hand once more did him good,

she recovered her presence of mind . She remembered how often the quiet appl1cation of her handhad helped her mother to sleep .

She therefo re explained to Caracal la,in a l ow

whisper directly he began to speak again,that her

desire to give him relief would be vain if he did notkeep his eyes and lips closed . And Caracal la y ie lded

,

while her hand moved as lightly over the brow ofthe terrible man as when years ago it had soo thedher mother to sleep .

When the sufferer,after a l ittle time

,murmu red

,

with closed eyesPerhaps I could sleep

,she fel t as if great

happiness had befal len her .

She l istened attentively to every breath,and

looked as if spel l -bound into his face,until she was

quite sure that sleep had completely overcome Caesar .

She then crept gently on tiptoe to Ph ilostratus,

who had looked on in silent surprise at al l that hadpassed between his sovereign and the girl . H e

,who

was always incl ined to bel ieve in any miracu louscure

,of which so many had been wrought by his

hero Apo llon ius,thought he had actual ly witnessed

one,and gazed with an admiration bordering on

awe at the young creature who appeared to him tobe a gracious instrument of the gods .

Let me go now,Mel i ssa whispered to her

friend . He S leeps,and wil l not wake for some

t1me.

At your command,answered the phi losopher

,

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354 A THORNY PATH .

What had happened to his modest S ister duringthe last few days ? Melissa giving him or ers whichhe feebly obeyed ! It seemed impossible ! But therewas someth ing reassuring in her manner. She mustcertainly have thought it right to act thus

,and it

must have been worthy of her, or she would not

have carried her charming head so high,or looked

him so freely and calmly in the face .

But how had she dared to come between himand his duty to his father and brotherWhile he fol lowed her closely and S i len t ly

through the imper ial rooms, the impl icit obediencehe had shown her became more and more difficu ltto comprehend ; and when at last they stood in theempty corridor which div ided Caesar’s quarters fromthose of the high-priest

,and Philostratus had re

turned to his post at the‘

sid e of his sovereign,he

could hold out no longer,and cried to her ih

d ignantly :“ So far

,I have fo l lowed you like a boy ; I d o

not myself know why . But it is not yet too late toturn round ; and I ask you , what gave you the r ightto prevent my doing my best for our people

Your loud talking,that threatened to wake

Caesar,

”she repl ied

,seriously . His sleeping cou ld

alone save me from watching by him the wholen ight .”

Alexander then fel t sorry he had been so foolishly turbulent

,and after Mel i ssa had told him in a

few words what she had gone through in the lastfew hours he info rmed her of what had brought himto visit the empero r so late.Johannes the lawyer

,Beren ike

’

s Christian freedman

,he began

,had v isited thei r father in prison and

had heard the order given to place Heron and Phi l ipas state prisoners and oarsmen on board a gal ley.

A THORNY PATH .

355

This had taken place in the afternoon,and the

Christian had further learned that the prisonerswould be led to the harbor two hours before sunset . This was the truth

,and yet the infamous

Zmin is had assured the empero r,at noon

,that their

father and Phil ip were already far on the ir way toSardin ia. The worthless Egyptian had

,then , l ied

to the empero r ; and it would most l ikely cost thescoundrel his neck . But for this

,there would have

been time enough next day . What had broughthim there at so late an hour was the desire to prevent the departure of the gal ley ; for John hadheard

,from the Christian harbor -watch that the

anchor was not yet weighed . The Ship cou ld therefore only get out to sea at sunrise ; the chain thatclosed the harbor would not be opened til l then .

If the order to stop the gal ley came much after daybreak

,She would certainly be by that time wel l

under way,and their father and Phil ip might have

succumbed to the hard rowing befo re a swift tr iremecou ld overtake and release them.

Mel issa had l istened to this information withmixed feel ings. She had perhaps precipitated herfather and brother into misery in order to save herself ; for a terr ible fate awaited the state-prisonersat the oars . And what could she do, an ignorantchi ld

,who was of so l ittle use ?

Andreas had to ld her that it was the duty of aChristian and of every good man

,i f his neighbor ’s

welfare were concerned,to sacrifice his own for

tunes ; and for the h appiness and l ives of those dearest to her—for they

,of al l others

,were her neigh

bors — she fel t that she could do so . Perhaps shemight yet succeed in repairing the mischief she haddone when she had allowed the emperor to sleepwithout giving one thought to her father. Instead

359 A THORNY PATH .

of waking him,she had misused her new power over

her brother,and

,by preventing his speaking, had

perhaps frustrated the rescue of her people.

But idle lamenting was of as l itt le use here as atany other time ; so She reso lutely drew her ve i lcloser round her head and ca l led to her brother

,

Wait here til l I return !“What are you going to do asked Alexander

,

startled.

I amgoing back to the inval id,she explained

,

decisively .

On this her brother seized her arm,and

,wild ly

excited,forbade this step in the name of h is

father .But at his vehement Shout

,

“ I wil l not al lowit she struggled to free hersel f

,and cried out to

him :

And you ? Did not you,whose l ife is a thou

sand times more important than mine,of your own

free-wil l go into captiv ity and to death in order tosave o ur father ?

I t was for my sake that he had been robbed o fhis freedom

,

” interrupted Alexander ; but she added ,qu ick ly :

“ An d if I had not thought on ly of mysel f,the

command to release him and Phil ip would by thistime have been at the harbor. I am going.

”

Alexander then took his hand from her arm,and

exclaimed,as if urged by some internal fo rce

,

Well,then

,go

And you,continued Mel issa

,hasti ly

,go

and seek the lady Euryale . She i s expecting me .

Tel l her al l,and beg her in my name to go to rest .

A lso tel l her I remembered’

the sentence about thet ime

,which was fulfi l led . Mark the words . If

I am runn ing again into danger,tel l her that I d o

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CHAPTER XX.

THE waiting room was empty when Mel issacrossed it for the second time. Most of the emperor ’s friends had retired to rest or in to the city whenthey had heard that Caesar slept ; and the few whohad remained behaved quiet ly when She appeared

,

for Ph ilostratus had to ld them that the emperor he ldher in high esteem

,as the only person who was able

to give h im comfort in his suffering by her pecu l iarand wonderful healing power .In the tablinum,

which had been converted intoa sick - room

,nothing was heard but the breath ing

and gentle snoring of the sleeping man . Even Philostratus was asleep on an arm -chair at the back o fthe room .

When the philosopher had returned,Caracal la

had noticed him,and d oz ing,or perhaps in his dreams,

he had ordered him to remain by him . So thelearned man fel t bound to spend the night there .

Epagathos, the freedman , was lying on a mat

tress from the dining- room the corpulent physicianslept soundly

,an d if he snored too loudly, old Ad

ventus poked him and quietly spoke a word of warning to him . This man

,who had formerly been a

post messenger,was the on ly person who was con

scious of Mel issa ’s entrance ; but he on ly bl inkedat her through his dim eyes

,and

,after he had si lent

ly considered why the young girl should have re

A THORNY PATH . 359

turned,he turned over in o rder to S leep himsel f ;

for he had come to the conclusion that this young,active creature would be awake and at hand if hismaster required anything.

His wondering as to why Mel i ssa had returned,

had led to many guesses,and had proved fru it less .

You can know nothing of women,was the end of

his reflections, if you do not know that what seemsmost improbable is what is most l ikely to be true .

This maid is certain ly not one of the flute-playersor the l ike . Who knows what incomprehensiblewhim or freak may have bro ught her here ? At

any rate,it wil l be easier for her to keep her eyes

open than it is fo r me.

”

He then signed to her and asked her quietly tofetch his cloak out of the next room

,for his o ld

body needed warmth ; and Mel issa gladly complied,

and laid the caracalla over the old man ’s co ld feetwith obl iging care.

She then returned to the side of the sick -bed,to

wait fo r the emperor’s awaking. He slept soundlyhis regular breathing indicated this The othersalso slept

,and Ad ventus

’

s l ight snore,mingl ing

W1th the louder snoring of the physician,showed

that he too had ceased to watch . The slumberingPhilostratus now and then murmured incomprehensible words to himself ; and the l ion

,who perhaps

was dreaming of his freedom in his sandy home,

whined low in his sleep .

She watched alone .

It seemed to her as if She were in the habitationof sleep

,and as if phantoms and dreams were float

ing around her on the unfamil iar noises.She was afraid

,and the thought of being the

only woman among so many men caused her extreme uneasiness.

360A THORNY PATH.

She could not S it sti ll.Inaudibly as a shadow She approached the

head of the sleeping emperor, holding her breathto l isten to him . How soundly he S lept An d shehad come that she might talk to him . I f his sleeplasted til l sunrise

,the pardon for her people would

be too late,and her father and Phi l ip, cha ined to a

hard bench,would have to ply heavy oars as gal ley

slaves by the S ide of robbers and murderers . Howterr ibly then would her father

’s wish to use hisstrength be granted Was Phil ip

,the narrow -chest

ed philo sopher,capable of bearing the strain which

had so often proved fatal to stronger men ?She must wake the dreaded man , the only man

who could possibly help her.

She now raised her hand to lay it on his shou lder

,but she half withdrew it .It seemed to her as if it was not much less wick

ed to rob a sleeping man of his rest,his best cure

,

than to take the l i fe of a l iv ing being. It was nottoo late yet; for the harbor-chain would not beopened t il l the October sun had risen . He mightenjoy h is sl umber s a l ittle longer.With this concl usion She once more sank down

and l istened to the noises which broke the sti l lnessof the night .How hideous they were

,how revolt ing they

sounded ! The vulgarest of the sleepers, old Adventus

,absolutely sawed the air with h is snoring .

The emperor’s breathing was scarcely perceptible

,

and how nobly cut was the profi le which she couldsee

,the other side of his face lean ing on the p i l low !

Had She any real reason to fear his awaken ing ?Perhaps he was quite unl ike what Beren ike thoughthim to be . She remembered the sympathy she hadfelt for him when they had first met

,and

,in spite

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352 A THORNY PATH.

wife of the centurion Martiali s, who had been separated fo r some time from her husband , had at h isentreaty come secret ly from Kanopus

,where she

had charge of Seleukus’s vil la,to see him

,as his

services prevented his going so far away . Theynow stood whispering and making love in the

shadow of the temple. Melissa could not hearwhat they said

, yet it reminded her of the sacrednight hour when she confessed her love to Diodoro s .She felt as if she were standing by his bedside

,and

his faithful eyes met hers . She would not,fo r al l

that was best in the world,have awakened h im yes

terd ay at the Christian’s house

,though the awaken

ing would have brought her fresh promises of lov e ;and yet she was on the point of robbing another ofhis only cure, the sleep the gods had sent him . Butthen she loved Diodoros

,and what was Caesar to

her ? I t had been a matter of l ife and death withher lover

,whi le disturbing Caracal la would on ly

postpone his recovery a few hours at the utmost.

I t was she who had procured the imperial sleeperhis rest

,which she could certainly restore to him .

even if she now woke him . Just now she hadvowed for the future not to care about her ownwel fare

,and that had at first made her do ubtfu l

about Caracal la ; but had it not really been exceedingly selfish to lose the time which cou ld bringfreedom to her father an d brother

,only to protect

her own sou l from the reproach of an easi ly forgiven wrong ? With the question

“What is your duty ? all doubts left her,and

no longer on tiptoe,but with a firm

,determined

tread,she wa lked toward the sl umberer ’s couch

,

and the outrage which she shrank from committing wou ld

,she saw

,be a deed of kindness ; for

she found the emperor with perspiring brow groan

A THORNY PATH. 363

ing and frightened by a severe nightmare . Hecried with the dul l , toneless voice of one talking inhis sleep

,as if he saw her close by

Away,mother

,I say ! He or I ! Out of the

way ! You wil l not ? But I,I I f you

At the same he threw up his hands and gave adull

,painful cry .

He is dreaming of his brother’s murder,

rushed through Melissa ’s mind,and in the same in

stant she laid her hand on his arm and with urgententreaty cried in his ear “Wake up

,Caesar

,I im

plore you ! Great Caesar, awake !”

Then he opened his eyes. and a low,pro longed

Ah ! rang from his tortured breast .He then

,with a deep breath and perplexed

glance,looked round him ; and as his eyes fel l on

the young girl his features brightened , and soonwore a happy expression

,as if he experienced a

great joy .

You ? he asked,with pleased surprise . You

,

maiden,sti l l here ! I t must be nearly dawn I slept

wel l t i l l j ust now . But then at the last Oh,it

was fearfu l Ad ventus !Melissa

,however

,interrupted this cry

,exhort ing

the emperor to be quiet by putt ing her finger to herhps ; and he understood her and wil l ingly obeyed,especial ly as she had guessed what he required fromthe chamberlain

,Ad ventus. She handed him the

cloth that lay on the table fo r h im to wipe hisstreaming forehead . She then bro ught him drink

,

and after Caracalla had sat up refreshed , and feltthat the pain

,which

,after a sharp attack

,lasted

sometimes for days,had now already left him,

he

sa id,quite gently

,mindfu l of her sign

How much better I feel already ; and for this Ithank you

,Roxana ; yes, you know . I l ike to feel

364 A THORNY PATH.

l ike Alexander,but usually I t is certainly a

pleasan t thing to be ru ler of the un iverse,for if we

wish to pun ish or reward,no one can l imit us. Yo u

,

child,shal l learn that it is Caesar whom you have

laid under such obl igations . Ask what you wil l,an d

I wil l grant it you .

”

She whispered eagerly to himRelease my father and brother .Always the same thing

,answered Caracal la

,

peevishly . Do you know of nothing better to wishfor ? ”

No, my lord, no cried Mel issa,with impor

tunate warmth . If you wil l give me what I mostcare for

I wil l,yes

,I wil l

,interrupted the emperor in a

softer voice’

; but suddenly shrugging his shoulders,he continued

,regretful ly But you must have pa

tience ; for, by the Egyptian’s orders

,your people

have been for some time afloat and at sea .

”

No !” the gir l assured him .

“ They are sti l lhere . Zmin is has shameful ly deceived you ; andthen she informed him of what she had learnedfrom her brother.Caracal la

,in obedience to a softer impulse

,had

w i shed to show himself gratefu l to Melissa . Buther demand displeased him ; for the sculptor andhis son

,the philo sopher

,were the security that

shou ld keep Mel issa and the painter attached tohim . But though his distrust was so strong

,offended

d ignity and the tormenting sense of being dece ivedcaused him to forget everything else ; he flew in toa rage

,and cal led loudly the names of Epagathos

and Ad ventus.

His voice,quavering with fury

,awakened the

others also out of their sleep ; and after he hadshortly and severely rebuked them for their laz i

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366 A THORNY PATH .

Mel i ssa then bade him a grateful farewel l ; butas she was approaching the doorway he ca l led againafter her

,and asked her w ith an altered vo ice

,

shortly and stern ly :You wil l agree with your father if he abuses

What an idea ! ” she answered,energet ical ly .

He knows who robbed him of his l iberty,and from

me shal l he learn who has restored it to him .

Good ! murmured the emperor . “ Yet re

member this also : I need your assistance an d thatof your brother’s

,the painter. If your father at

tempts to a l ienate youHere he sudden ly let fa l l h is arm

,which he had

ra ised threaten ingly,and continued in a confidential

whisper : “ But how can I ever show you anythingbut kindness ? Is it no t so ? You already fee l thesecret tie You know ? Am I mistaken when Ifan cy that it grieves you to be separated fromme

“ Certain ly not,she replied

,gently

,and bowed

her head .

“ Then go,he cont inued

,kindly . The d ay

wil l come yet when you wil l feel that I am as mecessary to your soul as you are to mine. But you donot yet know how impatient I can be. I must beable to think of you with pleasure— always withpleasure— always .

Thereupon he nodded to her,and his eyel ids

remained for some time in spasmodic movement .Philostratus was prepared to accompan y the

young girl , but Caracal la prevented him by cal l1ng .

Lead me to my bath . If it does me good,as I

trust i t will,I have many things to talk over with

you.

A THORNY PATH . 67

Mel issa did not hear the last words . Gladlyand quickly she hurried through the empty

,dimly

lighted rooms, and found A lexander in a sitt ingpos1tion , half asleep and half awake, with clo sedeyes . Then she drew near to him on tiptoe

,an d

,as

his nodding head fel l on his breast,she laughed and

woke him with a kiss .The lamps were not yet burned out , and, as he

looked into her face with surprise,his also bright

ened,and j umping up quickly he exclaimedA l l ’s well ; we have you back again , and you

have succeed ed ! Our father— I see it in your faceand Phil ip al so

,are at l iberty !

“ Yes,yes

,yes

,

” she answered,gladly ; and

now we wil l go together and fetch them ourselvesfrom the harbor .”

Alexander raised his eyes and arms to heaven inrapture

,and Mel issa imitated him ; and thus, with

out words,though with fervent devotion , they with

one accord thanked the gods for the ir mercifulru l ing.

They then set out together,and Alexander said :

I feel as if noth ing but gratitude flowed through allmy veins . At any rate

,I have learned for the fi rst

t ime what fear is . That evi l guest certainly hauntsthis place . Let us go now . On the way you shal ltel l me everything .

Only one moment’s patience,she begged ,

cheerful ly,and hurried into the chief priest’s rooms .

The lady Euryale was sti l l expecting her, and asshe kissed her she looked with sincere pleasure intoher bright but tearful eyes .

At first she was bent on making Mel issa restfor she would yet require al l her strength . But shesaw that the girl ’s wish to go and meet her fatherwas j ustifiable ; she placed her own mantle over her

368A THORNY PATH .

shoulders—for the air was cool before sunrise—and

at last accompanied her into the anteroom .

Directly the girl had d isappeared,she tu rned to

her sister- in-law’s slave, who had waited there thewhole night by order of h is mistress

,and desi red

h im to go and report to her what he had learnedabout Mel issa.

The brother and sister met the slave Argutisoutside the Serapeum. He had heard at Seleukus

’

s

house where his young mist ress was stay ing, andhad made fr iends with the chief priest’s servants .When

,late in the evening

,he heard that Mel issa

was stil l with Caesar,he had become so uneasy that

he had waited the whole night through,fi rst on the

steps of a staircase,then walking up and down out

side the Serapeum . With a l ight heart he now ao

companied the couple as far as the Aspend ia quarterof the town

,and he then only parted from them in

order that he might inform poor o ld Dido of hisgood news

,and make preparation s for the reception

of the home-comers .After that Melissa hurried along

,arm in arm

with her brother,through the qu iet streets.

Youth,to whom the present belongs en t i rel y

,

on ly cares to know the bright side of the future ;and even Melissa in her joy at being able to restoreliberty to her beloved relations, hardly thought atal l of the fact that

,when this was done and Caesar

should send for her again,there would be n ew

dangers to surmount .Delighted with her grand success

,she first to ld

her brother what her experiences had been with thesuffering emperor. Then she started on the recollections of her visit to her lover

,and when A l ex

ander opened his heart _to her and assured her w ithfi ery ardor that he would not rest t il l he had won

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370 A THORNY PATH.

So long ask ed Mel issa,start led ; but Alex

ander soon p acified her with the assurance thatseven days flew speed i ly by

,and when one looked

back on them they seemed to shrink into on ly asmany hours .

“ But do not,he continued

,cheerful ly

,

“ lookinto the futu re ! We wil l rejo ice , for everyth ing isgoing so wel l now

He stopped here suddenly and gazed anxiou slyat the sea

,which was no longer completely obscured

by the vanishing shadows of night . Mel issa lookedin the direction o f his po inting hand

,and when he

cried with great excitemen t,“ That is no l i ttle

boat,it i s a ship

,and a large one

,too ! Mel issa

added,eagerly :

It is already near the Diabathra . It wil l r eachthe Alveus Steganus in a moment, and pass thepharos .”

But yonder is the morning star in the heavens,

and the fire is st il l blazing on the tower,i n ter

rupted her brother .“ Not til l i t has been ex tin

gu 1shed wil l they open the outside chain . And yetthat ship is steer ing in a northwesterly direction .

It certain ly comes out of the royal harbor. H e

then drew his sister on faster, and when , in a fewminutes

,they reached the harbor gate, he cried

out much rel ieved :Look there ! The chain is stil l across the en

trance . I see i t clearly.

And so do I,said Mel issa

,decidedly ; and whi le

her brother knocked at the gate-house of the l i t t l eharbor

,she continued

,eagerly :

N0 ships dare go out before sunrise,on account

of the rocks—Epagathos said so j ust now— an dthat one near the pharosBut there was no time to put her thoughts i n to

A THORNY PATH. 37 1

words ; for the broad harbor gate was thrown noisi lyopen , and a troop of Roman soldiers streamed out,fo l lowed by several Alexandrian men-at-arms . Afterthem came a prisoner loaded with chains

,with whom

a leading Roman in warr i or’s dress was conversing.

Both were tal l and haggard,and when they ap

proached the brother and sister they recognizedin them Macrinus the praeto rian prefect

,while the

prisoner was Zmin is the informer .But the Egyptian also noticed the artist and his

companion . His eyes sparkled brightly,and with

triumphant scorn he po inted out to sea.

The magician Serapion had persuaded the prefectto let the Egyptian go free . Nothing was yet knownin the harbor of Zmin is’s disgrace, and he had beenpromptly obeyed as usual

,when

,spurred on by the

magician and his o ld hatred,he gave the order for

the gal ley which carried the sculptor and his son onboard to weigh anchor in spite of the early hour .Heron and Phil ip

,with chains on their feet

,were

now rowing on the same bench with the worst criminals ; and the old artist

’s two remaining childrenstood gaz ing after the ship that carried away thei rfather and brother into the distance. Melissa stoodmute

,with tearful eyes

,while Alexander

,quite beside

himself,tried to rel ieve his rage and grief by empty

threats .Soon

,however

,his sister’s remonstrances caused

him to restrain himself,and make inquiry as to

whether Macrinus, in obedience to the emperor’s

orders, had sent a State ship after the gal ley .

This had been done,and comforted

,though sadly

disappointed,they started on their way home.

The sun in the mean time had risen,and the

streets were fi l l ing with people.

They met the old sculptor Lysander,who had

372 A THORNY PATH.

been a friend of their father ’s,outside the magn ifi

cent pile of bui ldings of the Caesareum. The o ldman took a deep interest in Heron ’s fate ; and, whenA lexander asked him modestly what he was doingat that early hour

,he po inted to the interior of the

bui lding,where the statues of the emperors and

empresses stood i n a wide circle surround ing a largecourt yard

,and invited them to come in with him .

He had not been able to complete his work— a

marble statue of Jul ia Domna,Caracal la’s mother

before the arrival of the emperor. It,

had beenplaced here yesterday evening. He had come tosee how it looked in its new position .

Mel issa had often seen the portrait of Jul ia oncoins and in vario us pictu res

,but to -day she was

far more strongly attracted than she had ever beenbefore to look in the face of the mother of the manwho had so powerfu lly influenced her own existenceand that of her people .

The old master had seen Ju l ia many years agoin her own home at Emesa, as the daughter o fBassianus the high -priest of the Sun in that town ;and later

,after she had become empress

,he had

been commanded to take her portrait fo r her huS ~

band,Septimus Severus. While Mel issa gazed on

the countenance of the beautifu l statue,the old

artist related how Caracal la’s mother had in heryouth won al l hearts by her wealth of intellect

,and

the extrao rdinary knowledge which she had easi lyacquired and continually added to

,through inter

course with learned men . They learned from himthat his heart had not remained undisturbed by thecharms of h is royal model , and Melissa became moreand more absorbed in her contemplation of thisbeautifu l work of art .Lysand er had represented the imper ial w idow

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