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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Saronia, by Richard Short
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Saronia
+       A Romance of Ancient Ephesus
+
+Author: Richard Short
+
+Release Date: September 25, 2008 [EBook #26700]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SARONIA ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Brownfox and the Online Distributed Proofreading
+Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: [_From an oil painting by the Author in the possession of
+Edwin Jenkins, Esq._]]
+
+
+
+
+                                SARONIA
+
+
+                      A Romance of Ancient Ephesus
+
+                                   BY
+
+                              RICHARD SHORT
+
+                              [Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+                                 LONDON
+                 ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C.
+                                  1900
+
+
+
+
+                                CONTENTS
+
+          CHAPTER                                   PAGE
+                I. THE AGORA                          1
+               II. THE MESSENGER OF EROS              4
+              III. THE CURSE OF HECATE                9
+               IV. SANCTUARY                         18
+                V. THE TEMPLE OF DIANA               23
+               VI. LUCIUS                            28
+              VII. CAUGHT                            34
+             VIII. PAYING THEIR VOWS                 38
+               IX. THE STUDIO OF CHIOS               41
+                X. THE RIBBON OF GOLD                46
+               XI. THE PRIESTESS OF DIANA            50
+              XII. THE FESTIVAL OF ARTEMIS           53
+             XIII. CHIOS THE GREEK                   60
+              XIV. THE GROVE OF HECATE               66
+               XV. AT VENUSTA'S HOUSE                76
+              XVI. A GARDEN ON CORESSUS              83
+             XVII. THE PICTURE                       85
+            XVIII. WARNING                           91
+              XIX. THE DAWN OF FAITH                 97
+               XX. PLEADING                         105
+              XXI. THE WITCH                        108
+             XXII. THE LOVE-PHILTRE                 111
+            XXIII. THE CHARMED WINE                 120
+             XXIV. THE MINSTREL                     125
+              XXV. THE SACRED HOUNDS                131
+             XXVI. ON THE VERGE                     135
+            XXVII. ONE FOR ANOTHER                  145
+           XXVIII. SPIRITS OF THE DEEP              153
+             XXIX. MYRTLE AND OLEANDER              162
+              XXX. BY THE RIVER CAYSTER             165
+             XXXI. THE DOOMED CITY                  171
+            XXXII. ENDORA                           175
+           XXXIII. NIKA                             180
+            XXXIV. THE HOROSCOPE                    184
+             XXXV. THE VIRGIN CAVE                  191
+            XXXVI. REVERIE                          195
+           XXXVII. THE MESSAGE                      199
+          XXXVIII. THE DEAD PRIEST                  204
+            XXXIX. CONSTERNATION                    209
+               XL. TWO MASTER MINDS                 212
+              XLI. DAYBREAK                         221
+             XLII. VARRO                            227
+            XLIII. MYSTERY                          231
+             XLIV. ACRATUS, THE TEMPLE SPOILER      235
+              XLV. REVELATION                       238
+             XLVI. THE CROWN OF LIFE                249
+            XLVII. PARTING                          253
+
+
+
+
+                            SARONIA
+
+
+                           CHAPTER I
+
+                           THE AGORA
+
+
+The sun had risen in all its splendour, and was flooding the bay and
+mountains with silvery light. The river Cayster moved on its course, and
+mixed its waters with the blue of the Ægean Sea, and washed the shores
+of Samos, appearing like a purple vision on the ocean. Boats and ships
+of quaint form and gorgeous colouring, propelled by a gentle breeze,
+moved to and fro, and glided up the shining way which led to the great
+city of Ephesus, the chief of Ionia, and the home of the goddess. Not
+far away was shining like a brilliant star the marble pillars of the
+Temple of Diana. Ephesus was now fully awake, and the people were moving
+along its streets, some wending their way to the temples to offer their
+morning devotions, others hastening to the great theatre, and many more
+directing their course towards their daily toil; for men must work, even
+within the precincts of a city where all is splendour. The city, with
+its wealth of art and stores of gold, was envied of conquerors. Situated
+between the mountains, its inhabitants had a noble chance of making it
+beautiful, and, being skilled in art and endowed with learning, they
+built temples of the noblest design, erected statues of the richest
+order, painted pictures of the grandest conception. Odeum and theatre
+all sprang forth in magical beauty and power, whilst villas replete with
+elegance combined to make it one of the loveliest cities, surrounded
+with hills and groves and the traditions of a line of centuries.
+
+The great market was being filled with men and women offering the most
+tempting products of the land. Groups were selling and buying fruits,
+flowers and perfumes, bread, fish and wine. Ribbon-sellers,
+chaplet-weavers, money-changers--all were there; and the people
+purchased for their daily needs, whilst others bought rich offerings for
+the temples of their goddess and their gods.
+
+Here and there the ground was covered with flowers of richest shades and
+sweetest fragrance, and great branches with clustering blossoms of
+crimson oleander and myrtle lay around.
+
+From the house of the Roman Lady Venusta the slave Saronia had come to
+buy. She was clothed in the simplest manner, tall and beautifully
+formed, with eyes speaking a tale of sadness and a weariness of life; a
+dignified slave, but a slave nevertheless, purchased but a year ago, and
+brought hither by a trading-barque from Sidon, in Phoenicia, where she
+had served as a slave from childhood.
+
+She gathered together her pomegranates, citrons, almonds, olives, and
+flowers, placed them in her basket of wickerwork, walked out of the
+market, and passed up the way which led to the home of her mistress. But
+the splendour to which she hastened was a prison to her. She so full of
+young life, she who felt within her the rising for supremacy (an
+unquenchable spirit), she with a mystic flame burning up her soul, felt
+it was not a home but a waiting-place until the Fates passed by and led
+her on.
+
+True, Venusta treated Saronia fairly well, but Nika, her daughter, hated
+her--from the first she hated her. And why this hate? Nika herself could
+scarcely say; but who has not felt this subtle power to love or hate at
+first sight--an intuitive something which draws or repels without our
+reason or consent? Perhaps it was the great sadness of Saronia's eyes,
+the overflowing influence of a mighty spirit, that Nika disliked so
+much; or perhaps it was that when Chios, the Greek, came to visit the
+Romans, he spoke kindly to the slave, and thus Nika detested her. It may
+be so.
+
+Passing by the great theatre and the Odeum, she went up the shaded way
+over the side of Mount Coressus, and came to the beautiful home of
+Venusta, passed in laden with fruit and flowers, great clusters of
+sweet-scented blossoms falling from the basket as she raised it from her
+head. For a moment she stood as in a dream, with girdled drapery falling
+to her feet, and her gaze firmly fixed upon the great temple appearing
+full in view as she looked through the window, which allowed the
+sunlight to penetrate into her room.
+
+That night, when her work was done, she mounted the marble steps
+surrounding the house, and breathed the pleasant, perfumed air which
+came down the mountain-side and danced through the myrtle groves.
+
+The moon had well-nigh reached her meridian and sent forth her pale,
+cool light, bathing the city in its glory, making the great hills look
+so strange and lonely, as star after star struggled to show their
+quivering rays; but the light of the Queen of Heaven, the great Moon
+Goddess, absorbed them all.
+
+'Twas then the spirit of the girl was moved, and she said to herself:
+
+'Ah! what am I, most Holy Mother, most chaste Luna, great Orb which
+symbols forth all Nature's mother, thou great Ashtoreth whom I was
+taught to adore in childhood when in Sidon? Well do I remember when I
+raised my tiny hand and kissed it unto thee. And they tell me here,
+also, thou art the same mother, but under another name; that in Ionia
+they call thee Diana instead of Ashtoreth, and that yonder mighty temple
+is thy dwelling-place, around whose sacred pillars spreads a sanctuary
+where those who flee are safe. Holy Mother! May I flee to thee? They say
+even a slave may come to thy sanctuary, and once there with a just
+cause, is ever safe from the fiercest Roman or the rudest Greek.'
+
+And thus she spoke until a flock of night-birds flew along and like a
+cloud obscured the moon, and a voice, sounding like a silver lute,
+seemed to say:
+
+'My face is veiled with earth-born things; those birds are dark to thee,
+but every wing before my gaze is tipped with light and silver sheened.
+So shalt thou see thy sorrows when thou fully knowest me.'
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER II
+
+                     THE MESSENGER OF EROS
+
+
+The great theatre at Ephesus was thronged; over fifty thousand people
+had gathered together to witness a new play. Amongst them were Nika and
+Chios.
+
+'Dost thou like the play?' she asked. 'They tell me the tragedy was
+wrought in Phoenicia, and has been played with great success in Sidon,
+from thence to Cyprus, and now here. It pleases thee, Chios?'
+
+'Yes, fairly so; and would do so more were it not that through it runs a
+vein of suffering, making one wish he could fit disjointed elements so
+properly together as to make the poor richer, the weak stronger, and the
+mighty less tyrannical.'
+
+'Chios, again thou art a dreamer. Thou shouldst have a planet all thine
+own, and, after setting up thy kings governing each particular section
+of thine orb, thou then shouldst sit enthroned above them all and play
+the mighty demigod.'
+
+'Nay, Nika, stay thy wit; thou makest sport of my poor sympathies.'
+
+'Yes, yes; it is well, perchance, that thou shouldst bridle in my
+tongue. But, after all, thou art too kind; there are those of meaner
+dust who would build upon thy kindness until thou be but the hidden
+foundation for their super-structure of selfishness. Look, for instance,
+at that slave-girl of mine, Saronia the Sidonian, naturally haughty,
+arrogant--if I were to free her, she would spit at me. No, no, a place
+for everything. A serpent crawls the earth; let it crawl. Dost thou
+know, Chios, methinks that girl, with her deep unfathomable eyes of
+night-gloom, is not quite so innocent as one might imagine. I suspect
+her----'
+
+'Of what?'
+
+'Of what? Why, the old story. She has a lover, and meets him
+secretly--so speaks the rumour of our other household slaves. What
+thinkest thou?'
+
+'Think? Think it is a base slander on a defenceless maid. She is as pure
+as the first dawn of day--a mighty spirit is she, as wild as the north
+wind and as untamable as the winged lightning, but as chaste as the snow
+on the mountains of Tmolus.'
+
+'Thy words are so sweet for this scornful girl that surely the power of
+her magical love encircles thy heart and will eat out thy life. What
+next? Wilt thou offer Lucius, my father, a ransom and wed her?'
+
+'Nay, Nika, what thou sayest is not so, may not be; nevertheless, am I
+not free to love anything the gods have created and blessed?'
+
+'Yes, yes, go thy ways; but, for all that, it is more seemly for an
+eagle to mate with an eagle than with a screech-owl. Thou wilt see her
+anon; thy pet slave waiteth without for her mistress. Now go to her for
+me and bid her come; and, love-sick boy, be sure she does not fascinate
+thee that thou be so transfixed to her side that passers-by think they
+see two statues by Scopas, dressed by some wanton wit to imitate the
+life.'
+
+'Ah, Nika, thou wert always merry; would thou wert as tender-hearted as
+humorous. I obey thee.'
+
+And leaving her, he passed out, and saw Saronia--saw her leaning, tired
+and thoughtful, against a pillar, and around its base were richly carved
+in strong relief the stories of the gods. Stepping towards her, he said:
+
+'Sleepest thou, or art thou thinking of thy far-away Sidon, or perchance
+peering into the future to divine thy fortune? What are the omens? Have
+fair ones passed thee as thou standest here?'
+
+'Nay, good sire, I was thinking of neither the past nor the future, but
+of the present. I know I am but a slave, a thing who has no right to
+speak or move or scarcely think without my mistress's bidding.'
+
+'I pity thee, and have tried to befriend thee.'
+
+'Thou art kind, but it will serve me little; they hate me--they all hate
+me, and make my life a misery--but it will not ever be thus. Just now a
+woman of peculiar mien stood before me--a woman skilled, she told me, in
+the mysteries of fate. Looking at me, she said my star was rising full
+of splendour, and would lead me by its power into a knowledge deep and
+high--deep as death, high as the heavens. Think you, master, there be
+any truth in such woman's talk?'
+
+'I cannot say, Saronia. Of those hidden things I am not given to
+understand. I lean towards the new faith, whose founder is one Christ.
+Of Him I know little, but 'tis said He is both God and man. What
+thinkest thou of this?'
+
+'I know not what to think. I do not know the faith, neither does it seem
+to rise for a hearing in my soul. No; born within me is the faith of
+Ashtoreth, and as it seems akin to much that is worshipped here, I think
+I should feel more at home were I to understand the mysteries of Hecate
+and worship at her shrine.'
+
+'Thou dost not know what thou askest, Saronia. The way to those
+mysteries is dark and to thee impenetrable. Thou art too good to load
+thy spirit with such things of gloom, too young to sacrifice thee there.
+Around her darkness hovers--night, everlasting night, abides. I have
+heard those who know say this. Are there no brighter hopes for thee? If
+not, slave art thou indeed--slave in body, slave in soul.'
+
+'True,' said the girl. 'Slaves are we either in body or spirit,
+whomsoever we serve--men or women, goddesses or gods; to such must we
+submit and lose our will in that of the greater. Serve, then, the one
+thou likest best. For myself, I think I like Diana as Hecate. She, I am
+told, rules the underworld. I aspire no higher; my pinions were shorn
+away, and I now grovel on the earth, and wish to worship in her bosom.'
+
+'Of what mould art thou, Saronia? I understand thee not. I fear thee
+somewhat; my soul quails before the power thou already wieldest. What
+wouldst thou be with that great dark spirit of thine if thou only moved
+out upon the great ocean of the Ephesian faith? Verily thou wouldst be a
+bird of ill-omen to those thou didst hate. Didst thou ever love,
+Saronia?'
+
+'What is love?' said she. 'I know it not. Is it a new god?'
+
+'Yes, girl, call it a god if thou pleasest. Call it Eros, call it Venus,
+call it what thou mayest, thou wilt fall before it one day and
+worship--worship madly and perchance too well. Haste thee now to thy
+mistress, Nika; I have already kept thee too long.'
+
+That night, when all were asleep, Saronia stood looking again towards
+the great Temple of Artemis. Dimly could she see it by the stars. Two
+great passions were arranging themselves within her bosom--not two
+passions joined in common sympathy, but each one striving for itself,
+and both against the great citadel of her heart. One she recognised,
+that which drew her on like some great master mind beseeching her to
+grasp the key and unlock the great secrets of Nature's goddess. The
+other she knew not; it was a strange passion to her. It was wild,
+tumultuous, and then calm as a summer's eve--like a storm which bows
+down the lofty pines on Mount Coressus, and yet as gentle and melodious
+as the softest Ionian music which ever broke the stillness of the
+evening air. And as the maid stood there with her long tresses falling
+over her graceful form, visions rose before her, visions of the future
+stretching down the great highway leading into eternity, and a voice
+rang through her soul, crying, 'What is love?'
+
+And she said within herself: 'Can this strange passion be the messenger
+of Eros?' A form rose before her mind like unto Chios. The great clouds
+rolled up from the west, the lightnings flashed across the sky,
+illuminating for a moment the great white marble Temple with its roof of
+cedar and its plates of gold. The frightened, shivering girl drew her
+garments tightly around her and hid her face.
+
+How long she remained there she knew not, but when she awoke from a
+swoon and raised herself from the ground, the scarlet shafts of sunrise
+were moving up the eastern sky, and the birds were singing from the
+myrtle groves.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER III
+
+                       THE CURSE OF HECATE
+
+
+The day had well-nigh lost its youth. Nika and her mother had retired to
+the room called 'Golden,' because of the rich chasings of gold on its
+walls of purest marble, and the threads of gold and vermilion which
+interlaced in chaste design the polished floor of malachite and aqua
+marine.
+
+Across the entrance to this room hung a richly embroidered curtain, dyed
+twice in Tyrian purple, which being drawn back exposed to view a
+colonnade of varied beauty and richly carved, many of the carvings being
+the work of Venusta's friends.
+
+Behind the peristyle the walls were hung with beautiful pictures created
+by artists long since dead, Parrhasius and Apelles, Evenor and Zeuxis;
+each painting was framed with a panel of exquisite mosaic. Statuary of
+rarest loveliness by Phidias, Praxiteles and Scopas, Thrason, Myron,
+Pharax and Phradmon, stood between the pillars. Within the court were
+fragrant flowers of every shade, and in the centre towered one grand
+design in fountain form, from which came sprays of perfumed water,
+hiding the sultry sky and falling back with musical rhythm into the
+many-coloured marble basin. Slaves with fans of gorgeous plumage wafted
+the perfumed air into the Golden Room.
+
+In this retiring room, on a couch of citrus-wood inlaid with precious
+stones and pearls, reclined Venusta. She was clothed in a linen robe of
+saffron-yellow, with delicate pattern interwoven, and embroidered
+borders from Phrygia and Babylon. Her face spoke plainly that the Romans
+ruled the Ionians.
+
+Close by her was Nika, standing like a beautiful dream. She was draped
+in white silk from the Isle of Cos, and through this diaphanous dress
+the outlines of her lovely form were seen. Around her waist circled a
+zone of gems--ruby, sapphire, emerald, hyacinth, garnet, topaz, aqua
+marine--blended together in magnificent confusion. A splendid opal
+glinted above her brow, and her hair, like sunlight mixed with gold,
+came forward shading eyes of loveliest blue, then flowed back like
+rippling wavelets move towards the shore.
+
+'Take the cithra and play one of thy sweetest melodies,' said Venusta.
+'Play that soft Ionian air I heard from thee but yester eve.'
+
+Nika did not respond, but restlessly plucked the petals of a lovely
+oleander, and as she flung them to the floor murmured:
+
+'Thus would I pluck her life--her life, and end it in nothingness.'
+
+'What ails thee, girl? Art thou ill?'
+
+'No; but impatient for revenge.'
+
+'On whom?'
+
+'On the slave Saronia, who stands yonder in the court, dressed in golden
+brown, looking like a dark fiend as she rests her head against the
+porphyry pillar that Scopas carved.'
+
+'Wherein has she offended, Nika?'
+
+'In this wise. Thou knowest, mother, I never liked her, and ever as I
+know her I like her less. And now she poisons with her charms the mind
+of Chios; not that I care for Chios, but why should such a scorpion
+stand between us, even if the obstruction be as thin as the mountain
+mist which flees before the first blush of day? Listen, mother. 'Twas
+but yesterday, at the great theatre, I sent Chios to bid her come to me.
+His lengthened stay, his silent mood when he returned, her haughty
+bearing, all told me another drama had been enacted outside the theatre
+to which I dare not be bidden. But I will hear of it. I will clearly
+understand it. She shall speak it again before us, and besides her own
+she shall act the part of Chios.'
+
+'Do you believe this being is treacherous?'
+
+'I do, mother.'
+
+'Then we will bid her come to us.'
+
+Venusta touched a silver bell. Saronia entered and stood before
+them--stood without one quiver on her beautiful lips, although she could
+see by the countenance of her mistress that a storm was at hand. There
+she stood, pale and self-contained, a smouldering fire burning within
+her, and the voice of the wise woman ringing in her ears: 'Thy star is
+rising, full of splendour.'
+
+'Slave, my daughter says thy conduct is uncertain. Knowest thou the
+penalty of this?'
+
+'Were it true, I know some of the penalties. But wherein have I
+disobeyed?'
+
+'It is not that thou failest to obey--that would be rebellion, and I
+myself would probably slay thee, as my husband is away from Ephesus. No!
+It is this: thou presumest too much--and this, mark you, is the least
+can be said of it. 'Tis said thou art given to converse freely with our
+beloved friend Chios, and if this be true 'tis inconsistent with thy
+position as my slave. But tell us, what hast thou said to him? what did
+he say to thee during the long interview yesterday outside the great
+theatre? What passed between you? Tell it quickly; our spirits are of
+that nature which cannot entertain delay. Now tell it quickly and
+begone.'
+
+'He told me nothing I may say again; nor will it interest my mistress.'
+
+'How dost thou know?'
+
+'If thou wouldst know, my lady mistress, it comes to this only. I
+bemoaned my state of slavery, and he, true open-hearted man, did
+sympathize with me. I deem this matter no offence.'
+
+'Reptile which thou art! Mistress of lies! Thou liest now. Dost think to
+make believe that he would stoop to sympathize with carrion? Didst thou
+not entice him? Speak out, or, by the gods, I promise I will have thee
+tied to the wheel and whipped with rods until thou shalt not even know
+thyself. Speak, slave! or I will take that tongue of thine from out thy
+poisonous mouth, and brand thee on thy forehead as a wretch. Once more I
+speak to thee: tell me the truth!'
+
+Then answered Saronia:
+
+'Lady of Rome, I spoke the truth--the gods can do no better. Thou mayest
+torture me, and I may die. I have, perchance, lived long enough, and it
+would be well to pass where I may serve the gods only.'
+
+'Who art thou, slave, and what art thou, who speakest thus?'
+
+'I know not who I am. What I am thou mayest know hereafter.'
+
+'Understand I have power to torture thee!'
+
+'I know all, and have dared to reply.'
+
+'Hast thou no fear? Beware!'
+
+'I have none, for the gods are with me, and my cause is just.'
+
+'Just? Thou mockest. What justice canst thou demand, perjured one of
+Hades? Leave me, or I may be tempted to slay thee where thou standest;
+but that would not do. Sorceress, thy foul blood might haunt the Golden
+Room!'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Saronia went out, and wept great tears of sorrow.
+
+When she had gone, Nika spoke:
+
+'Now seest thou, mother, what she is: she dares even thee! What canst
+thou do but punish? A fine episode--a Sidonian slave defies her
+mistress, a Roman matron. Speak quickly; I am burning to hear what thou
+thinkest. Speak, great Venusta, wife of Lucius!'
+
+'Silence, Nika! It is not becoming thou shouldst use thy satire even in
+playfulness to such an one as I.'
+
+'Thou knowest my tongue from veriest childhood was ever the same. It is
+my dagger. It is better than thy jewelled blade of steel. I can wound
+the heart without shedding one drop of blood. Come, mother, forgive me,
+and say what shall be done to punish Saronia.'
+
+'She must be tortured until she speaks the truth.'
+
+'But if she should die, we should never know.'
+
+'True! That is a condition we cannot alter.'
+
+'Listen. Give me a day or two and let me try what I may do with guile.'
+
+'Let it be so, Nika. But see I lose not dignity. Make her know it is
+through thy intercession I relent. Give her two short periods of the
+sun, and charm with thy music from her that which Venusta cannot wrench
+by threatenings. If thou canst, girl; but, for my own part, I should as
+surely expect a fisher to take fish by casting net on a barren rock as
+that thou wilt be successful with thine undertaking.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The next day the Roman girl made it convenient that the slave should be
+alone with her, and commenced her plan of deceit, saying:
+
+'Sidonian, why dost thou look so sad? Thou art unhappy. Dost fear the
+Lady Venusta? Trust in me. A mother's love is great towards her child.
+Trust thou in me, girl, make me thy confidant. I know it is not seemly
+for the high-born daughter of thy mistress to converse with thee in this
+manner, but I have read somewhere that "All flesh is as grass; the wind
+passeth over it and it is gone." So, after all, it may be but the force
+of circumstances which makes me mistress and thee slave. Come, now,
+tell me what Chios said to thee, and relieve thy mind from anxious
+thought.'
+
+'My mistress Nika, I cannot tell thee more.'
+
+'Did not Chios speak some sweet words of love into thine ear? Did he not
+praise thy lovely form, those clustering tresses, those liquid eyes, and
+did he not taste thy lips? Now, Saronia, tell me, and one day I may tell
+thee all of my own love story.'
+
+Then spoke the slave:
+
+'I know not of love. If kind words be love, then spake he kindly to me.'
+
+'Didst thou speak of me to him?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'And what didst thou say?'
+
+'It may wound thee sore to know.'
+
+'No, no! It will leave no lasting impression on my mind; it will be as a
+cloud-shadow passing over a granite rock, leaving no trace behind. What
+didst thou say?'
+
+'Thou hatest me.'
+
+'I hate thee! How dost thou know?'
+
+'I scarcely know how to frame my words to form reply.'
+
+'Thou shalt.'
+
+'I cannot! But surely as I feel the throbbing of my heart, so certain am
+I of thine hatred, and expect no mercy from my mistress or her daughter;
+yet still I feel thou canst not harm me, and I shall not fail beneath
+thine hand. My destiny is dark, but not broken. I am not like water
+spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. No; my path lies
+onward through the ages, perchance where thou mayest not follow. I know
+not why I speak in this manner to thee. A fire seems eating up my very
+vitals, my brain whirls, and a power which possesses me bids me defy
+thee, and say: "The slave Saronia is as good as thou, and the time is
+not distant--yea, well within the span of this brief mortal life--when
+thou shalt seek me out for help, when thou shalt call for the Sidonian,
+when thou shalt beg for aid from dark Saronia!"'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When Venusta returned, she found her daughter lying on the citrous couch
+with head buried between her beautiful hands; but oh the horror depicted
+on that lovely face as she raised it and gazed into her mother's eyes!
+
+'Thou art suffering, Nika.'
+
+'Thou sayest truly; my whole being seems to have been lashed into a
+fury, like unto when the winds of winter sweep over the moaning sea, and
+break the mast from out the noble ship, scatter her cordage, sever the
+silver cord of her mariners, and leave her an abandoned wreck, the sport
+of every yawning wave; and after this the mockery of calm and sunny sky.
+And I, too, have now the calm, and I may truly call it mockery. 'Tis a
+calm of awful stillness without a ray of hope--a calm so still, so
+death-like, leaden, which leaves no room for doubt that I am left alone.
+The spirits of the gods have left me. I am accursed!'
+
+'By whom art thou accursed? What meanest thou, child?'
+
+'I have received the curse of Hecate. In what form my destiny for ill
+will work out, I know not; but as surely as the dying one gasping for
+breath knows his end draws nigh, so feel I the power of this great curse
+upon me.'
+
+'Nonsense, poor girl: it is some quaint fantasy of the mind.'
+
+'Nay, mother, would it were so; then time would rid me of this frightful
+living death!'
+
+'But speak plainly, Nika; tell me all.'
+
+'It was thus. I spoke to Saronia; I tried to win from her by honeyed
+words that which thou requested her to tell me. Then did she disclose to
+me her knowledge of my hate, and after other words had passed she broke
+forth like a chained lion, and, snapping her chains as if they were
+threads of finest silk, she defied me. Standing with hair dishevelled
+and eyes aflame, I saw her face take form like unto the face of the
+resplendent statue of the goddess, and I knew she was possessed of
+Hecate, and I cursed before the words of dreadful meaning had passed her
+lips. Then spake she words aglow with fire, which burnt into me far
+deeper than the brand of iron burns into the brows of slaves. Those
+scars pass with death, mine must go with me through the gateway into
+Hades, into Tartarus, into my wandering 'midst the darkness, where my
+unclothed, starving spirit shall move through the sable gloom of a
+destiny that shall stretch out into the great hereafter. Oh, mother,
+mother, my agony is great!'
+
+'And where is this fiend gone?' asked Venusta. 'She was not in her
+accustomed place when I entered, and at that I wondered. Dost thou know
+where she is, daughter?'
+
+'No, I know not. For when that fearful being had spoken, as I have told
+thee, I hid my eyes for very fear. Only once did I raise them and see
+her like a black death still standing by my couch; but she had grasped
+thy jewelled dagger which lay upon the table, and held it with
+outstretched hand towards the ground, and with upturned gaze and
+frightful calm she seemed to plead an answer from the goddess. Then fell
+I into a deep swoon, and in vision seemed to fall from dark abyss to
+dark abyss, until my soul was torn asunder, and its portions rent again
+and dissolved into nothingness, and for ever lost.
+
+'It is horrible to think of; and when I awoke, I was alone--yea, alone.
+It is an awful thing to feel such loneliness. Glad was I when the shadow
+of the great cypress-tree yonder came through the open window and lay
+upon the marble floor; even such as that was company to my cursed
+soul.'
+
+'Lie still, Nika. I will find her, and ere yon red-globed sun hath sunk
+behind the purple hills she shall suffer for this power which she
+pretends to possess. A braying ass within a lion's skin! I will brand
+her with hot irons, and pour strong ink into the furrows! I will work
+her like a beast, and, when torn and wrinkled with toil and pain, cast
+her out upon the hills to die! Such is my right to do, and all my powers
+shall be enforced.'
+
+'Art thou not afraid?'
+
+'No! I respect the faith of Hecate, and by report well know her power;
+but this young hag is not elect of such a goddess. That she tortures
+thee with fearful harrowings shows all this is but a slave's device to
+make escape from the punishment I threaten!'
+
+'No, no! She is true--I am guilty. Would I were not! I have pained her
+to the verge of death. I have lied against her, and with cruel words and
+threatenings made her life a wretched misery! Oh, could I but recall the
+past! But all is dark. I know a great fate of ill-omen hangs over me.
+When it will descend, I know not. When it will enwrap me, I know not.
+But it will come, and at a time I am least ready, that I feel;' and Nika
+wept like a child.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Venusta kissed her daughter and passed out of the Golden Room.
+
+On arriving at the place where the slaves dwelt, she found Saronia had
+fled, and no one knew whither. She was seen to take her mantle and leave
+hurriedly, and that was all.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER IV
+
+                           SANCTUARY
+
+
+When Saronia saw that Nika had fallen overpowered, and knew her lot was
+cast, she felt herself a new creature. Her young blood coursed wildly,
+and great thoughts trooped through her brain like a force of armed men
+hastening to war. For a moment reason staggered, but did not fall.
+
+When the tumult of her soul was stayed, she said:
+
+'Has the goddess spoken through me? Am I her beloved? If this be so, why
+not fly to her sanctuary and trust to her great power? I will away
+now--even now! I will not question with myself. Farewell, cruel Nika!
+Farewell, merciless girl! Thou wilt stand in thy lot at the end. I go my
+way, whither I know not--gloom, night, darkness envelops me. But, chaste
+Diana, show by thy kindly light the way--I am thine! Behold this tiny
+crescent graven on my hand when yet a child--true sign my loved ones
+were the worshippers of Ashtoreth; and now I come to thee, great Goddess
+Luna, Hecate, Diana, the mother of Nature, adored in Ionia!'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Having passed the threshold of the house, she came down the shaded way,
+along the side of Mount Coressus.
+
+The tall pines murmured softly their evening hymn; the roadside was
+covered with great bunches of pink and white flowers; clusters of ripe
+grapes hung from the trellised vines, and the pomegranate-trees were
+laden with fruit.
+
+A flock of birds of varied hue flew around her, and an eagle, sporting
+in the air and clapping its wings, swooped down and sailed from right to
+left, fairest of omens the gods could give. This she saw, and recognised
+its import, but the flowers and murmuring pines she heeded not.
+
+Down the lovely way she trod and came to the valley beneath, and joined
+the crowd passing along the city streets.
+
+From the Odeum came the richest music, pealing forth upon the sultry
+air, and, breaking into softest harmony, melted into the light.
+
+On, further, until the great theatre burst upon her sight, and then for
+a moment she stood and rested against the sculptured shaft of a mighty
+pillar and thought of Chios. Suddenly she was confronted with the wise
+woman who spoke with her not long ago.
+
+'Whither goest thou, pretty slave? Art thou on a mission for thy
+mistress? or does that star of thine so quickly lead thee to thy fate?
+Tell me, girl, whither art thou steering?'
+
+'I cannot tell thee; but I pray thee point the nearest way to the pine
+and cypress grove nigh to the Temple of Diana.'
+
+'Ah, now I know, and will not betray! Sanctuary! Thou seekest sanctuary,
+and thou shalt have it if I can aid thee; but no time is to be lost.
+Rush on as if thy life hung on a single thread. Turn to the right, pass
+the Stadium, wind quickly around the hill Pion, and thou shalt see the
+Temple bathed in glorious light, and close to it the sacred grove; but I
+fear the hour has passed to gain access, and the planet Saturn rules.
+Hide thee among the trees to-night, and when the sun's first rays appear
+haste thee to thy refuge. That hour is the hour of Jupiter, the next is
+that of the Sun; thou shalt prevail, and when thou flourisheth, remember
+me.'
+
+She moved away, and stealing around the hill with its great Acropolis
+and fortress walls of iron brick, gained the sacred port, at the head of
+which, standing broadly against the dying day, appeared the mighty
+Temple--that Temple which she had so often gazed on from Venusta's
+home.
+
+It was not far away, but she could not reach it in time to claim
+security that day. If she ran she would be suspected, and her feet
+seemed weighted with sandals of lead.
+
+She passed the smaller temples, saw the great ships with gorgeous sails
+and swinging pendants pass up and down the sacred way, and heard the
+chant of evening song float forth from many a shrine. Still, on she
+went, footsore and weary, to find, alas! the door of her asylum closed;
+then, gazing for a moment at the mighty structure within the parabolus
+walls, she uttered a faint cry and burst into a flood of tears. Nothing
+could she do but fly to the grove and pass the night there, and,
+creeping stealthily away, she moved towards the pines and cypress-trees.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+That night there raged a storm. The great clouds in wild masses sailed
+across the sky like leviathans in the blue-tinted darkness of ocean
+depths. No moon nor star. The mighty winds swayed the trees, and bent
+the stoutest of them like reeds. Saronia crouched beneath a giant pine,
+whose summit seemed to pierce the sky. Faint and shivering, she drew her
+garments closely around her and fell asleep, only to be awakened by the
+thunderings which seemed to break the universe in twain with echoes like
+the voices of the gods in combat. A lightning flash flew down like a
+haunted fiend and blasted her tree from top to base, but it hurt her
+not.
+
+And after hours had passed, and the furious winds had sailed out over
+the deep, the rains descended and drenched her flimsy garment. The
+stormy winds sank down to a melancholy wail, and played their dirge
+amongst the branches of the cluster-pine, and the dawn came up from the
+east and struggled between the dark-green foliage.
+
+Saronia arose and staggered through the long wet grass, heeding not the
+masses of yellow iris or the flaming poppies. When she arrived at the
+confines of the grove the light had broken through the gray, and soon
+she saw the sun, and knew it was her hour.
+
+On she went, with her thin brown garments clinging to her lovely form.
+For a moment, like a thief, she hung around the entrance gate, and with
+a wild convulsive moan passed within--to sanctuary!
+
+When the priests went by they saw the fallen form, and thought her dead.
+They raised her tenderly and led her away.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+'Who art thou?' said the chief of the priests.
+
+The girl looked beseechingly at him, and said:
+
+'I am the slave of the Roman Venusta, whose home is on the Mount
+Coressus. Faithfully have I served her, and would have continued but for
+her cruelty. Before I saw this city my home was Sidon, in Phoenicia.
+There also I was a slave as far back as my memory serves me. Who I am I
+know not----'
+
+'What is thy name?'
+
+'Saronia; and hither have I fled to throw myself on the mercy of the
+goddess, with the hope that I may serve her.'
+
+Then answered he of the Megalobyzi:
+
+'Thou speakest plainly, and we will inquire into the matter;' and,
+turning to a priestess standing near, he requested her to protect the
+girl and give her food.
+
+The young priestess was of exquisite beauty, and her face beamed with
+rarest charity. Her voice was full of sweetness as she said:
+
+'Maiden, lean on my arm, and let me lead thee to thy rest;' and Saronia
+heard the chanting of the morning hymn, and felt she had reached her
+goal--the dearest to her heart.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+At Venusta's house, just after the morning meal, a slave delivered to
+her mistress a message. The Roman autocrat broke the ominous seal, and,
+turning deathly pale, read out the following:
+
+     'Great is Diana of the Ephesians, whom all Asia and the
+     inhabited earth worshippeth.
+
+     'UNTO THE NOBLE LADY VENUSTA,
+
+     'Whereas thy slave-girl Saronia is now within the sacred
+     precincts of the Temple of our Lady Saviour, and claims
+     sanctuary, alleging that by your cruel treatment she has fled
+     your abode;
+
+     'And this Notice, in accordance with the Law, demands that you
+     appear at our Tribunal, and if by proof you show her
+     allegations false, she shall forthwith be handed back, you
+     releasing her from all punishment for thus submitting her case
+     to this our High and Sacred Court.
+
+     'On the other hand, if she be in the right, then she shall be
+     free to consecrate herself unto the service of the Ephesian
+     goddess, and observe the rites as practised in the Temple of
+     Artemis.'
+
+For a moment Venusta was silent. What was to be done? Her Roman blood
+ran riot through her veins. Recovering herself, she said to her
+daughter:
+
+'I will pursue her even to the jaws of death. Shall I thus be taunted by
+a slave? No; the wife of Lucius will not submit to be taught her duty to
+a hag such as she! I will reply immediately and use the law to win her
+back.'
+
+'Leave her,' said Nika. 'See, will it avail thee to have thy name
+blazoned abroad among the noble ones of Ephesus? She is not worth
+much--never was, and would be worthless were she back again. Let her
+go!'
+
+'No, child, my dignity is hurt. Thou knowest the high position held by
+us in this city, and to remain silent, I fear, in this case is to admit
+guilt. This would not do.'
+
+'Mother dear, let me speak again, and plainly. I fear her. Should she
+return, soon must thou prepare the marble urn to receive the ashes of
+Nika. What could we do with her? She is far too terrible for us. If she
+spake never a word, her look would kill me. Thou knowest she cannot now
+be punished, for after having sought sanctuary the law provides a
+shelter against torture, and think of the scandal were the case tried,
+and her name in any way coupled with our beloved friend Chios. No, no;
+let her go. Were it not an insult to offer thee, I would sell my jewels,
+all, all I possess--everything--and pay her ransom. Say, dearest mother,
+say to Nika, say for the torn fragment of peace left me, that my request
+is granted.'
+
+'I will let her go,' said the Roman. 'I think it best as thou hast said.
+Her destiny seems to lie outside our reach. To bring her back is wrong
+to thee after what thou hast now said. To let her remain may be
+humiliation. However, one thing we know: whilst within the Temple she
+cannot trouble us. To free her and let her wander abroad--well, it would
+be worse than playing with a deadly serpent. Discussion further may only
+hamper our best policy. She shall circle in her own orbit.' And Venusta
+framed reply, stating the slave's assertions quite untrue; but, being
+desirous of making an offering to the Queen of Heaven, she set her free.
+
+And thus does fate work out our destiny, and prove
+
+    'Man's goings are not of his own ways;
+    How then can he direct his paths?'
+
+
+
+
+                            CHAPTER V
+
+                       THE TEMPLE OF DIANA
+
+
+Bathed in the sunlight of an azure sky, the Temple of Diana raised its
+lovely head and shone the fairest mistress of the ancient East. Boasting
+a long list of ancestors, she, the last of a line of temples, the
+Mighty One that should fight against the coming Christ, a strong
+fortress wherein her devotees should defend their faith against all
+detractors--this the last, the eighth, the proudest Temple, the wonder
+of the world, was now in all its splendour, enthroned at the head of the
+sacred port, and shone out like a silvery sun.
+
+Built on sure foundations of the Ionic order, with symmetrical
+proportions, it towered high in majesty, with double rows of fluted
+marble pillars carved magnificently, many of which were the gifts of
+kings.
+
+Its pronaos and pediments were resplendent with marble, whilst the
+vestibule and peristyle were adorned with the richest friezes and the
+noblest statues.
+
+The roof of cedar was covered with marble and gold, and the staircases
+were of vine. Around it on every side great flights of marble steps led
+up to the sacred shrine.
+
+The entrance doors to this mighty Temple were of cypress wood, with
+ivory panels of richest sculpture set in gold.
+
+Within, the place was full of rarest beauty, and strength abounded on
+every hand.
+
+Pillars rose on pillars, and the choicest workmanship adorned them. The
+friezes and the painted walls were all that art could furnish, and the
+sky appeared through the open roof like a circle of fairest blue.
+
+In the Temple stood the altar, behind the altar the great statue of the
+Moon Goddess, Diana of the Ephesians, the Lady Saviour, the Resplendent
+One, the Mother of Nature. This symbol of deity was hidden from the
+vulgar gaze by a lovely veil of costly make, coloured with purple of
+Tyre, adorned with figures and arabesques and embroideries from Babylon,
+and edged with a fringe of purest gold. Behind the statue was the
+opisthodomus, or retiring chamber.
+
+The Temple floor was of white marble, the purest kind, and polished, the
+joining of the slabs faced with golden wire.
+
+The quiet splendour of this mighty edifice baffles description. Not only
+was it magnificent in itself, but it was the grand storehouse for all
+that was beautiful and costly. It abounded in the sculptured works of
+Praxiteles and Thrason, and there were the statues of the Amazons, and
+that by Rhoecus, which the Ephesians called 'Night,' and those by
+Phidias and Scopas, silver wrought by Mentor, vases made of gold.
+
+The cella walls were hung with costly paintings--pictures by Timarete,
+the daughter of Nicon; others by Callithon of Samos, portraying 'Discord
+raising the Battle' and the 'Binding on of the Armour of Patroclus.'
+There was Euphonor's 'Ulysses feigning Madness,' and that great painting
+by Timanthes which caused a shudder to pass through the mighty
+Alexander, and the majestic portrait of that mighty conqueror painted by
+Apelles.
+
+In it were stored the strangest books, and there hung the finest
+instruments of music.
+
+It was the common treasury for all Asia; all nations deposited their
+treasures there for safety, and the world wondered at its riches.
+Deposits were made of all kinds--honorary statues, votive offerings,
+spoils, and actual treasure--and the people invoked the blessing of the
+goddess whose presence filled the golden shrine of Ephesus.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+An awful stillness reigned within the sacred pile--silence soon to be
+lightly broken by the entrance of a few priestesses, who led a girl
+within the folding doors of the great sanctuary.
+
+This was the night prior to initiation, and the novice was taken there
+that she might recognise solemnly what she was about to do on the
+morrow.
+
+The moonlight streamed faintly through the open roof, casting shadows on
+the marble floor.
+
+As Saronia--for it was she who accompanied the priestesses--moved on,
+she drew her cloak lightly around her, for the night-winds were chill,
+and her spirit nature was strained to its highest point. They stopped in
+front of the great altar. The moon threw off her veil of clouds, and the
+light from her glorious body shone forth, illuminating the veil that hid
+the statue of the goddess.
+
+'See thou that glorious orb, Saronia--for thou shalt ever retain thy
+name, a favour granted to few--seest thou that globe of light? 'Tis the
+symbol of our goddess--the symbol set in the blue heavens--and behind
+this purple veil her image stands, shadowing her forth, the mother of
+nature, protector of cities, and dispenser of all good gifts to men. On
+earth we worship her as such; above she is Luna, the Queen of Heaven;
+and when the time comes that thou canst bear it, thou shalt know her as
+Hecate, the goddess of the underworld, she who governs the shades and
+rules the spirits in Hades with an eternal power. This goddess--the
+Triformis--thou art about to serve with all thy soul. Is it not so?
+Canst thou be true to her, forsaking all, follow where her great spirit
+leads? She will speak to thee, maiden--she will speak to thee; and,
+having once spoken, that voice will ever reverberate through the deepest
+recesses of thy being, will live on for ever to bless thee, or wind
+around thy soul to curse thee down to Tartarus as thou art faithful or
+false.
+
+'Saronia! Saronia! it is not yet too late to withdraw and throw thyself
+into the mighty throe of the great world's agony. Which shall it be? It
+is for thee to decide. No one is pressed into the service of the great
+goddess Diana, neither may any follow her as a matter of convenience.'
+
+A cloud passed o'er the moon, and they were shrouded in darkness. Then
+as suddenly passed those cloudlets away, and Saronia, trembling with
+fear, said:
+
+'Great priestess of the goddess, fear not; my mind is settled. Long,
+long have I wished for this hour, the hour of joy. My soul thrills with
+anticipation; my whole being is like one grand instrument tuned to the
+hand of my lady goddess, Diana Trivia. Let the night hasten; let the
+darkness be driven with power of the storm-wind; may the night speed on,
+and make way for the morning. Oh, chaste moon, flee thy way to the west,
+that the scarlet shafts may appear and I may pour my soul out before
+thee. My spirit longeth for thee, oh gracious one, that I may dwell in
+thy Temple evermore.'
+
+Then deep silence fell on all, and the pillars and roof cast great
+ghostly shadows on the floor, conjuring up mighty forms of weirdness,
+and the priestesses murmured reverently:
+
+'The goddess is here! Hecate is here!'
+
+The winds were rising and whistling with strange meaning through the
+sacred pines; the moon sailed down the west as a barque on the wings of
+a favouring gale; the stars looked down from their distant thrones; the
+song of the waves came up from the strand; and the night wore on.
+
+The next day's sun arose, mounted the heavens in beauty, and smiled down
+its splendour on mountain and sea. Saronia breathed the fresh morning
+air. All nature was alive; the flowers seemed to cast a richer perfume;
+the birds, to her, warbled their choicest strains; life and joy were
+everywhere; night and death were asleep.
+
+The great highway to peace was unclouded, and she could look straight
+down the golden road, until it melted into the altar-steps of heaven.
+
+This was her bridal morn; why should she not be happy? And that day she
+was wedded to her faith, initiated into the mysteries of Diana, and
+became a priestess of the goddess.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER VI
+
+                             LUCIUS
+
+
+Ephesus was a scene of gaiety.
+
+Great arches decorated with choice foliage and festooned with lovely
+flowers spanned the public way; banners of strange beauty waved on the
+morning breeze; jubilant strains of martial music floated on the
+perfumed air.
+
+The day was young, yet vast crowds were astir. This was a festive
+day--the day of the home-coming of Lucius, whose wife was Venusta.
+
+Yes, he was to arrive in port to-day in command of a Roman squadron. Had
+he not been to far-off Britain and brought a British chieftain captive
+to Rome?
+
+Already the powerful ships were seen between the Isle of Samos and the
+main. Soon they drew nearer. Their great square sails set to catch the
+favouring gale urged them onwards like homesick birds until they drew
+close to the entrance of the port, and the people flocked to meet them.
+For Lucius was a valiant commander, and he should have a hearty welcome.
+Besides, had he not from time to time made costly offerings to their
+city protectoress, and was there not a tablet in the great theatre
+recounting the noble deeds of Lucius Erastus?
+
+The fleet had entered the channel leading up to the city port. First
+came, like flying scouts, groups of gaily painted boats and splendid
+barges, with sails of many hues, vermilion, azure, golden-coloured, and
+white, some with stripes, and many-formed devices, others with curious
+mystic signs.
+
+Streamers hung lazily aloft from masts and yards, prows and sterns,
+whilst flutes and lyres, syrinx and clarionet, kithra and aulos sent
+forth the soft Ionian music until the shores were wrapt in softest
+harmony. Some of the welcomers had ventured beyond the margin of the
+strand, and now returned in haste to lead the way.
+
+Then came the biremes with their double rows of oars, and clewed-up
+sails, swinging on the yards. Then the triremes followed with their
+treble banks of oars, and one among the last of those great ships was
+greatest. She was commanded by the Roman favourite. Yes, there she comes
+with beaked prow, projecting ram, castellated cabin, and great oars
+sweeping the silver sea. Above her gunwale rose a line of polished
+shields and rows of glittering spears--spears handled by warriors who
+knew their work.
+
+Flags flew out from end to end, blazoning in wild profusion along the
+yards and up the mast, gambolling with the cordage and the mighty sail.
+Following the warships came a host of vessels and boats, and along the
+banks of the great canal multitudes hastened, shouting as they went
+great shouts of welcome.
+
+The Roman fleet with its hosts of followers moored within the harbour
+with the city full in view, and Lucius thought he saw a silvery scarf
+waving from a house on Mount Coressus.
+
+When he had landed and was near the great theatre, many were the friends
+who surrounded him, giving greeting; foes also, with envy at heart,
+time-servers, cried 'Welcome!'
+
+Just then the joyous acclamations for a moment ceased. A cluster of
+priestesses going from temple to temple passed that way, and the hardy
+sailor bared his head as the little procession went by. Two eyes met
+his, and a feeling as if the dead were there crept through his soul;
+they were dark unfathomable eyes, and the girl was tall and beautiful,
+with clustering hair. And he said within him: 'Where have I seen that
+face ere now?'
+
+When she had passed he went his way, but his brow was dark with
+thought; something had crossed his track leaving a trail of gloom, why,
+he could not say. Again sweet voices chimed pleasantly, and the softest
+Ionian cadences floated out from the roofless Odeum. A carpet of bruised
+and dying roses strewed the ground.
+
+He had soon forgotten the girl with the dark eyes and clustering hair,
+and entered his princely home on the slopes of Coressus. Around it the
+pine-trees waved a greeting, and the wind sighed through the branches of
+the cypress.
+
+That evening the residence of Lucius was a scene of gaiety and
+splendour.
+
+Venusta welcomed her husband with the true feelings of a loyal wife, and
+Nika was glad at the return of her father; she could now repose on his
+protective presence.
+
+Many of the nobles of Ephesus had gathered there--artists and sculptors,
+philosophers and warriors, lovely women, Greeks and Romans, maidens of
+Caria, Priene, and girls from Samos blended in one great mass of power
+and beauty.
+
+The sweet day still cast its soft light, and lit up the lovely flowers
+and beautiful trees of olive, cypress, pine, and myrtle. The sun had
+lost its power, the atmosphere was deliciously cool, and many came from
+within to breathe the refreshing air ere the dew bathed the grass and
+the night-birds sang from the grove, or the twilight heralded the night
+and the stars encircled the moon.
+
+Nika, leaning on the arm of Lucius, stood by a great white marble
+fountain--he the bronzed sea-warrior, and she like a dream of spring.
+
+'Tell me, child--for many seasons have rolled away since I left thee and
+thy mother to visit those lovely isles in the far-off west--is thy young
+heart sound like thy father's barque after the battling of the stormy
+seas, or has Cupid laid siege and thou capitulated?'
+
+'Nay, father, Nika's heart is free, neither could it be otherwise, for
+it is hard as the marble of this fountain, colder than the water which
+springs from each chaste design.'
+
+'Ah, girl, thou art, I fear, like others of thy sex, prone to sail under
+false colours when a lover is in chase. Tell me, where is Chios? I
+thought he would have been here. Was he not bidden?'
+
+'He was, but there is no written law for him. He moves in his own
+eccentric orbit. He will come when most unexpected, suddenly, like an
+eagle from the clear blue depths of the sky, or as a comet from out the
+midnight gloom.'
+
+'Why, daughter, there he is, conversing with that sweet maid of Smyrna!
+Let us crowd all sail, and bear down on his weather. Quickly! I like
+that boy, and, if my reckoning be correct, thou dost not dislike him. Am
+I right?'
+
+'Well, I like him, and I like him not. He has mixed much with the people
+of the new faith, and ever as he goes that way his mind becomes
+o'erclouded with gloom. He is strangely abstracted, scarce a word
+escapes his lips. Were it not for this strange faith which spells him, I
+should say he loved, and, if 'twere love, I should not be the idol of
+his choice.'
+
+'Who, then?'
+
+'I know not;' and a painful sorrow passed across her brow, but Lucius
+saw it not.
+
+The night came down, and beacon fires glared out on every hill and
+mountain-top. Coressus and Pion were aflame, great torches whirled and
+rushed wildly up and down the mountain-side, and moved in fiery lines
+throughout the city streets.
+
+The lamps were lit within, and windows made of richly-coloured glass,
+amber, blue, and ruby, shone forth in lovely harmony and glorious hues,
+until the myrtle-trees, with their great white blossoms and perfumed
+breath, seemed quivering with delight. Merry songs, with laughter and
+rippling music, floated on the lazy air. Joy ran riot in the house of
+Lucius, and the meanest slave had for a time a share of happiness. The
+hours rolled on in pleasure, like a stately ship on a sunny sea.
+
+Down deep in the heart of Nika joy was mockery.
+
+The guests departed, and she retired to her chamber. Throwing herself on
+a couch, she wept great tears of anguish, a tide of tears no joy could
+stay.
+
+She arose and gazed out into the darkness, and saw the looming of the
+great Temple rearing its majestic form in sable gloom, darker than the
+night; and she looked into the great unfathomable depths of the skies,
+and sighed like the deep moaning of the wind. But the heavens were as
+brass, and the great sigh died without becoming a prayer.
+
+Moving back silently to her couch, she lay down, but not to sleep, for
+she heard strange sounds arise from the sacred grove, and she knew the
+songs of the night came up from the Temple of Hecate.
+
+The morning came, and with it the springs of life revived, and she said:
+'Why this sadness? why this harvest of gloom? I will awaken myself, tear
+this veil of night from around my spirit. I will lay bare my soul to the
+glorious sunlight, drink in its glory until I am saturated with delight.
+I will not weep; I will not mourn; I defy this spell; I challenge this
+curse--this brand of hell! Oh that it were always day, that the sun
+never set, and my mind were as strong as now!' and she flung the great
+masses of wavy hair back from her stately forehead, and it fell to the
+ground, enshrouding her form till she looked like a goddess on earth.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+'Why art thou so late, dear, to thy morning meal?' said Venusta. 'Come,
+sit by my side, and tell me what thinkest thou of last night's innocent
+revelry? Was it not a right hearty welcome to thy father, most fitting
+to receive him? and didst thou note that noble Roman who stood next but
+one to thee when those dancing-girls came forward to dance to us? I know
+thou sawest him, Nika, for I saw your eyes meet. Well, he has come from
+Rome to govern. He is the new Proconsul. His influence in the imperial
+city is great. Besides, he is positively a favourite with the Emperor. I
+tell thee all this that thou mayest know of him. Moreover, Lucius has
+bidden him to spend this evening here, and thou wilt have ample time to
+satisfy thy curious mind respecting him, and, fortunately or
+unfortunately, as the Fates may determine, Chios also will be here.
+Nika, take care; this Roman is not a child or a fool! They say he is
+impetuous, firm, resolute when need be. Now let us join my husband. I
+see him yonder gathering flowers.'
+
+Lucius came to them, smiling as he came. He offered a rose to Nika, but
+Venusta said: 'No, no; let me choose first! I will take the rose. Give
+her an unthorned flower; the emblem of evil and good, pleasure and pain,
+shall be mine, for we twain are one, husband, and if this flower
+presages aught than happiness, then may I, thy loving wife, rest on thy
+strong arm, as this rose clung to the oak from which thou pluckedst it.'
+
+Nika was walking solitary, alone.
+
+'Give her a bloom which speaks the language of hope;' and he approached
+and gave her the pink-white almond flower.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER VII
+
+                             CAUGHT
+
+
+'Venusta,' said Lucius, 'I have been thinking of that slave girl, the
+dark Phoenician maid, Saronia; I see her not in her accustomed place. I
+feel a keen interest in that weird beauty. What of her? Is she dead, or
+what?'
+
+'She is as good as dead to us, dear. She is at the Temple, and has been
+initiated as a priestess for the presiding goddess.'
+
+'Priestess! priestess! What does it all mean? Light dawns! I saw
+her--yes, I saw her--as I passed through the city yesterday. Now I
+understand. Hear me. As I passed near the great theatre some maidens of
+the Temple came that way. I stood still, with bared head; the sounds of
+greeting were stayed until they went with solemn tread; and, as they
+passed, one with eyes deep-looking like the ocean's depths, turned them
+full on me, and gazed into my inner soul, and, like a barque which
+strikes a sunken rock and staggers, so did my spirit. I did my best to
+divine who she was, but all was dark, and I moved on with clouded mind.
+Now I know. Why is she there? Some great mystery hangs over it. I am not
+usually given to fear, but somehow I feel a sorrow of this event.'
+
+Then did Venusta tell him of what had occurred--told him that only which
+she thought would screen herself and Nika.
+
+The old commander saw too plainly that one side only of the story had
+been told, and felt confirmed in his suspicions when he saw his
+daughter's eyes suffused with tears. He, with that true manliness which
+permeated him, said but little, for fear he might know too much, and
+deeper wound the pent-up feelings of his child.
+
+That evening the Roman nobleman arrived, and was warmly welcomed by
+Lucius, and introduced to Venusta and Nika; and Varro was soon at home,
+for at first sight he loved the sailor's daughter, and at once made up
+his mind to lay siege; but, Roman-like, he would mature his plans before
+declaring war. Besides, he knew not if a rival were in the field and
+would join the girl as firm ally.
+
+It is well known how difficult it is to entertain a stranger the first
+quarter of an hour. One would know his pet theories and touch on them,
+so that the newcomer might lead off and rejoice; but even the astute
+mind of the wife of Lucius was puzzled to divine the inclinations of the
+Roman--he was impenetrable, a perfect blank; but the truth was this: the
+Roman tactician had but one thought just then, and that was of Nika, and
+it developed so rapidly that it was undiscovered. Had it been, it were
+not food for conversation; so Venusta opened fire with the beauties of
+the city, for the weather at that season of the year was nearly always
+fine.
+
+'Well, how dost thou like our noble city, the envied of the world? Hast
+seen the great Gymnasium, the Serapion, the theatre?'
+
+'Yea, my lady, I have, as much as one can in so short a time as I have
+lived within the great heart of this beautiful place. Rome is great, but
+Ephesus is lovely--the very air seems laden with rejoicings. Surely this
+must be the Elysian city on earth!'
+
+'Thou art too complimentary; but, as thou sayest, it is lovely. Didst
+thou notice the double colonnade around the Agora, and the many mighty
+statues there? And what thinkest thou of the lovely little Odeum
+nestling at the feet of Mount Pion, and the great Stadium around the
+hillside to the west? Is it not noble?'
+
+'Yes, it is fine, a magnificent racecourse; and I am told seventy
+thousand people will not fill it to overflowing. Is this so?'
+
+'Yes; and you should see the charioteers in full swing.'
+
+'But thou hast not spoken of the gem of the city, the great Temple of
+Diana?'
+
+'No, I have not.'
+
+'I passed the Temple on my way hither, and I shall not soon forget when
+I stood without the Parabolus walls, and, looking through the entrance
+gate, gazed on the flight of marble steps leading up to the mighty
+building. I have seen nothing like it in my splendid Rome. Not only is
+the Temple great, but the very place on which it stands, surrounded with
+its sacred groves, seems a fit place for the birth of a goddess. I saw
+the shrine of Hecate lifting its head behind the mightier home of Diana,
+and heard songs of worship coming forth from both, sometimes low, as the
+murmur of a sinless child, then rising in great waves--billowy waves of
+jubilant harmony--until I seemed bound to the place by an invisible
+chain.'
+
+Just then Chios was announced, and Varro saw by Nika's eyes that she had
+something more than respect for the Greek. Venusta was glad Chios had
+come, for she feared the Roman might continue to speak of the Temple,
+and that the conversation might drift towards the priestesses, and the
+name of Saronia be mentioned.
+
+Chios appeared happy, save for the far-away look in his eyes. Nika was
+the only one who could read him and solve his abstraction. She spoke
+kindly to him, and gradually allowed her manner to change to
+freezing-point. This was strategic: she showed the Roman she valued
+little the friendship of the Greek, and Varro was deceived, and thought
+it true. There was no need for battle against this Ephesian artist. He
+could even use him to further his own ends to win the girl. No, Nika
+had slighted Chios--treated him coldly. He could now treat him
+courteously and fraternize; but, could he have looked into the girl's
+heart, he would have seen the image of Chios engraved there.
+
+'How long,' said Varro, 'hast thou been in Ephesus?'
+
+'From childhood,' replied Chios.
+
+'And hast thou followed thy profession from youth?'
+
+'Yes, and I love it--am wedded to it for life.'
+
+'What meanest thou? Wilt thou never wed some sweet Ionian girl?'
+
+'Never! As I tell thee, I am wedded to my art. I shall never wed again.
+Why should I, seeing I love it dearly, as strongly as yonder priesthood
+love their faith and are content? So am I.'
+
+At this saying of Chios the beautiful mouth of the Roman girl was
+slightly agitated, and her hand closed tightly on an almond flower, and
+its petals fell to the ground.
+
+Then came Lucius and his wife, and all joined in pleasant gossip. Varro
+spoke proudly of Rome, and Lucius of Britain, and the time sped on. The
+young noble left, but Chios remained.
+
+Nika was ill at ease, her mind was a storm, and, throwing a mantle over
+her shoulders, she said playfully:
+
+'Come, Chios; take me to the balcony, that we may breathe the fresh
+night air.'
+
+She was impatient to get at the mind of the Greek. Quick-sighted, she
+had already read the mind of the Roman. What did she care? She would be
+bold.
+
+'Chios, why didst thou say thou wilt never wed? Is it really so?'
+
+'Yes, Nika, it is true.'
+
+'Chios, we have known each other long, and have been more than friends.
+We have been like children of one mother! Thou hast ever spoken freely
+and kindly to me, and I would ask thee one question--one little
+question--that is all.'
+
+'Say on, Nika.'
+
+'Didst thou ever love?'
+
+'I may have.'
+
+'I thought so much,' replied she; 'and where is that love? Does it live
+on, or is it--dead?'
+
+'It lives, but I am trying to kill it.'
+
+'Wouldst thou be a murderer, Chios?'
+
+'No, I mean well.'
+
+'Tell me thy secret, and I will bury it in the grave of my heart.
+Whom--dost--thou--love?'
+
+'I cannot tell thee, but she is not a Roman.'
+
+'Then I _know_--it is Saronia. Let me lean upon thy arm, Chios. Lead me
+within--the night is chill.'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER VIII
+
+                       PAYING THEIR VOWS
+
+
+From morn to eve great songs of praise and adoration went up before the
+shrine of Diana, and soft music echoed through the great Temple,
+sometimes swelling like the martial notes of the Persian hosts when they
+marched through the vales of Ionia to Abydos, and then sweet melodies
+sank back into the faintest strains, like a weeping lute or the sighs of
+a broken heart.
+
+Those plaintive sounds suited one spirit, and that one was the
+storm-clad soul of Saronia. She had seen her old master on his arrival
+at Ephesus; he had done her no harm, and her heart went out towards him
+that she might speak and thank him for his kindness. After all, she had
+the true instinct of a woman, and must love something: she loved the
+goddess, but she had a spiritual and a human existence, and both must
+love. True, her nature was somewhat seared, battling as she had done for
+existence. There was a time when a kiss, a simple kiss, would have
+thrilled her very soul; but that was long ago. Since those happy times
+she had hardened herself against the world--the cold, selfish world made
+her so. But a nature with true instinctive love cannot long remain in
+such a state when conditions change; and now Saronia was coming to her
+former self, removed from the world and surrounded by those who really
+loved her. Her heart softened, and she felt a keen affection for Lucius.
+
+There were but two men in the teeming millions of the world she cared
+for; of those two, one had been passively kind, the other an active
+friend. The latter was Chios, of whom she dared not think. No, she could
+not even breathe a sigh o'er the remembrances of him, for fear a
+smouldering dead past might break into a living flame. All this she
+knew--knew it now when she had passed from death to life, when the night
+had fled and the day dawned; so she conjured up a mighty gulf between
+her and the Greek, a gulf over which she would not pass, neither could
+he come unto her. But of Lucius she felt no fear, and this is the
+distinction between friendship and love.
+
+Lucius was to visit the Temple of Diana to render thanks for her
+protecting grace to him whilst he had been battling with many storms;
+and his mariners had promised a votive offering to the goddess when the
+winds whistled through the cordage and the waves tossed their ship until
+it reeled and staggered like a drunken man. And now they came to fulfil
+their vows. This was not a vain show. Those sons of the ocean had warm
+hearts, and would lay them there before the shrine. Neither did Lucius
+desire pomp or show; he would come with his men and worship simply,
+manly. So, when the sun was low and the winds were hushed, they drew
+nigh and bowed before the altar, and, offering their libations,
+whispered forth their prayers. Around the flower-strewn altar stood the
+priests and priestesses. The chanting songs went upward in deep sonorous
+rhythm, and as the sacred hymn died out in echoes through the columned
+sanctuary, the toilers of the sea bent low and sang:
+
+    Thanks to Thee, O Lady Saviour.
+    Thanks to Thee, O great Dispenser.
+    Mercy have, and keep us lowly
+    In the hollow of Thine hand.
+    Hail! O hail! Thou mighty Mother.
+    Hail! Thou Giver of all good.
+    Mercy have and keep us lowly,
+    Ever bring us safe to Thee.
+
+Then in deep unison priests and mariners joined in one grand anthem of
+thanksgiving, and cheeks were wet with the tears of men whose sinews
+were like iron, and whose hearts were proof against fear.
+
+When they moved away, Lucius looked lovingly towards the shrine, and
+beheld Saronia, with her robe of purest white, standing in bold relief
+against the rich colour of the great veil which hid the statue of the
+goddess from their view; and their eyes met, and from her came a look of
+sweetest thanks, filling his soul with unfathomable calm, and he knew
+their hearts were tuned in strange resemblance, and that the priestess
+of Diana would offer prayer for him whether he dwelt in his lovely home
+or paced the poop of his lofty ship when the gale grew loud and the
+storm-birds flew.
+
+For a while stillness reigned, and the priests and priestesses were
+alone, singing their evening hymns; the great censor swung, and the
+burning incense filled the Temple with odour. Then they passed through
+the portals to their rest, and the Temple watchers stood at the gates
+and kept guard within the Parabolus walls.
+
+The dark eyes of Saronia were filled with tears of joy, for she had seen
+Lucius; she was at peace, though the sun had set and the shadows fell.
+
+And thus peace cometh to the mind of the tempest-tossed, but such a
+being as Saronia could not long sustain it. Her soul was a spirit in
+chase, pursuing something undefinable which she longed to obtain, that
+she might be for ever satisfied and her measure of happiness complete. A
+calm to her was like a summer day in winter-time, the harbinger of
+coming storm.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER IX
+
+                      THE STUDIO OF CHIOS
+
+
+The studio of Chios was very beautiful, and an artist is pretty well
+known by the place in which he paints, provided he has means to gratify
+his tastes. It was not a great room filled with materials, leaving him
+just a dozen square feet to walk about, but a studio of ample
+proportions, and kept as it should be with space to move around. Nothing
+of it could be seen from the road, for great clusters of myrtle-trees,
+gigantic rose-bushes, and crimson oleanders hid it most effectually; but
+those of his friends who went that way knew when they had passed through
+the quiet gateway and between the flower-trees that not far away was
+one of the sweetest little studios in Ephesus. Yes, there it was close
+to the pond of water-lilies, with the bees humming from blossom to
+blossom, and the birds singing cheerfully from the foliage which
+surrounded it; the birds were quite tame, for Chios was kind to them,
+and some would light upon his shoulders, and others on his arm.
+
+A few steps led up to the marble portico, with its ceiling of blue
+decked with little silver stars and a crescent moon. At the entrance
+stood two small statues by Euphranor and Phidias.
+
+Within all was beauty: the studio, circular in form, with alcoves lit
+with light which filtered in through the thinnest sheets of coloured
+marble; the furniture, simple, but choice; a kline or two of cedar-wood,
+enriched with gold, to recline on when weary; a few chairs of ebony,
+cypress, and rosewood were placed in the alcoves; a marble thronos for
+his sitters; a few small tables, three-legged and four-legged,
+beautifully carved, stood about to hold his brushes and palettes and the
+choicest flowers, which a good old servant brought him every morning.
+
+These things, with his easels, made up the contents of his studio. It
+was not so famous for its furniture as for the beauty of its
+construction, with domed roof and circular opening to the sky, and its
+floor of marble enriched with precious stones. For Chios was wealthy,
+and could lavish money as he pleased in decorating his studio.
+
+Behind this working-room were retiring-rooms, and a small but valuable
+library of choice manuscripts by Callinus, the Elegiac poet; Batalus,
+the musician; Dion, Andron, Delias, and Daphnus, the philosophers; with
+works by Phavorinus, Zenodotus, Menander, and many others.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It was a quiet afternoon; the winds were too lazy to stir and had fallen
+asleep.
+
+Varro passed that way, and said: 'I will drop in and see Chios.'
+
+The artist was outside, painting into his picture some apple-blossoms
+hanging gracefully from a tree which grew against a piece of old Greek
+wall. Looking up from his work with a smile, he welcomed the noble
+Roman.
+
+'I am glad thou art come, for my hand is weary and my brain tired. It is
+so sultry within that I felt quite unfitted to work there, and sought
+refuge beneath those shading trees, whilst, as thou seest, a gleam of
+light comes down between the foliage and strikes upon those blossoms of
+the apple-tree.'
+
+'I really hope I am not intruding too much, Chios?'
+
+'Oh dear no; I am glad to see thee. Wilt thou sit? Make thyself at
+home.'
+
+The two men talked of Ephesus and its people until the conversation was
+of the ladies, and soon the name of Nika was heard, for the Roman could
+not but speak of her.
+
+'What thinkest thou of her?' said Chios. 'Thou hast seen her?'
+
+'Well, truthfully, I may say, during the interview referred to, my mind
+was more concerned to think of Chios until I clearly perceived that he
+had the blank face given him by that beautiful girl. Then my heart grew
+hopeful, for, to tell thee all, I think I love that maid.'
+
+'Think thou lovest--is that all? A man who loves is sure. A man has no
+such sure knowledge of anything else on this earth or in the beyond. I
+am afraid thy love is of the morning cloud thinness, and will soon pass
+away.'
+
+'No, no. Believe me, it is not so. I spake not so freely, truthfully,
+as I should. I love her, and am certain of it; but tell me, Chios, that
+thou lovest her not.'
+
+'Why asketh thou such a question? Did she not give me the cut direct in
+thy presence?'
+
+'Because I am skilled in the ways of women, and know they frequently act
+directly opposite to that they mean. I saw her coldness to thee, and saw
+no reason for it, and at once, in my mind, questioned the proceeding.
+Say, dost thou love her--hast tried to win her? Is she sporting with thy
+manly heart? Speak, on the honour of a Greek, and, if such be the case,
+I leave the field.'
+
+'I love her not.'
+
+'Hast thou failed, and stifled the dawn of love?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Is it, then, Nika loves Chios, and Chios is adamant?'
+
+'I am not skilled in the mysteries to be able to read her thoughts.'
+
+'Perhaps not; but, as a man, like myself, thou canst read actions, and
+they are the outcome of thoughts.'
+
+'Thou forgettest, noble friend, but a moment or so ago thou saidst that
+frequently actions were contrary to what was really meant. How, then,
+can I divine her meaning more than thyself?'
+
+'True, thou hast me rather firmly; and such skill in fencing demands my
+admiration and consideration. I will not press further on thee, Chios,
+and I have now naught to do but to make love, and make her love me more
+than ever she loved another.'
+
+'That will be an easy matter, for I saw how satisfied she was with Varro
+when last we passed the evening together at the house of Lucius. An
+Ephesian painter would stand no chance against the Proconsul of
+Ephesus.'
+
+'Come, come, Chios; thou art already jealous of thy rival!'
+
+'No; thou art free to conquer and annex. I am a friend of Nika, and
+trust may remain so, but I am nothing more, or ever may be.'
+
+'Then I may take thee to be a man callous to the beauty of women, if
+thou art not charmed with her loveliness, for there is no girl in
+Ephesus as beautiful as she.'
+
+'That may be so, but thou must not take me to be indifferent to the
+charms of the fair sex because I do not admire Nika's loveliness and
+think it beyond compare. I may find loveliness in another form; it may
+be in the virtues of the soul, or spirit, whichever you may choose to
+name that awful thing. Behind a less lovely face than hers may be
+enshrined a splendid harmony of thinking, active life, which is building
+up its destiny, and will continue so to do through the great æons, down
+the grand vista of the future, when the face once so fair to look upon
+has passed into base mould, and been blown hither and thither, the sport
+of every breeze. To love beauty only is like plucking an apple of Sodom,
+which has a fair rind to look at, but when pressed sends out little
+clouds of dust and leaves you nothing but the broken shell.'
+
+'Chios, my friend, I thought thou wert an artist, but lo, thou art a
+philosopher also! And, if thou art not in love, well, I have never been
+in Rome! I shall wait; it will develop. I shall know. Well, good-bye,
+Chios. I have too long kept thee from thy work. The world waits for thy
+beautiful picture--I must not hinder. Good-bye. We meet at the house of
+Lucius, where I know thou at least art ever welcome.'
+
+When he had gone, Chios went within, and threw himself upon a seat,
+clasping his head with both hands. It seemed as if some great agony
+would rend his being.
+
+'What am I,' he cried, 'to be made the sport of fate? Why this great
+conflict within me? Why this uprising of my nature to war? He was
+true--I love hopelessly, and would to the gods I could quench it! If it
+would lie peacefully in my heart like a loving child upon its mother's
+bosom I would not care; but it is not so. A year or so ago that love was
+like a summer wind, but now it rushes through me with the terrible roar
+of a mighty storm, and tosses me to and fro like a ship whirled in a
+hurricane. What raises this great tempest? It is not I, Saronia! It is
+not Chios! I could have loved thee deeply when thou wert a slave, and
+would have at all hazard plucked thee from thy low estate, and lived for
+thee; but now I know thou never canst be mine, and fain would let thee
+rest, and never trouble, but for this mighty power which forces me
+onwards to declare to thee a love as pure as angels ever knew, but which
+would be a sacrilege both damned and deep were I to whisper such into
+thy soul. No, no; it must not be so! I will rise above it: bring into
+the arena all the might of my manhood, and in this holy war will fight
+against my star, against my fate, and may the greatest God, whoever He
+be, look down on this unequal combat and assist the right.'
+
+Chios sank back upon the couch of cedar-wood. The shadows fell upon the
+marble floor. The night crept on, and he slept.
+
+
+
+
+                            CHAPTER X
+
+                       THE RIBBON OF GOLD
+
+
+Saronia had been sent on an errand of mercy, and was returning,
+disguised, towards the Temple, when, as she was passing close to the
+garden of Chios, a crowd of brawlers, inflated with wine, came towards
+her. Wishing to avoid them, she turned within the gate left open by
+Varro; but the fellows were too quick-sighted for her, saw her
+movements, guessed her mind, and followed her to have some sport, not
+knowing who she was. She ran quickly down the pathway to hide behind the
+foliage, and, not daring to follow, they let her go. She heard the
+shouting of the ribald crew as they passed down the road.
+
+The moon shone out its full, and the silver light lit up the marble
+building. In passing the steps, she beheld the statue by Phidias, and
+her love for the beautiful prompted her to steal forward and take a
+hasty look. Standing near the doorway, she turned her eyes upwards
+towards the moonlit sky, and, in so doing, caught sight of the word
+'Chios' carved over the splendid entrance. For a moment her heart failed
+her, and she nearly fell to the ground, but, leaning against the statue
+of Dawn, she recovered herself, and determined to hurry away. But the
+door of the studio was partly open, and she gazed within. She stepped
+noiselessly forward another step, and saw the light of the moon falling
+through the open roof. The light fell full on the face of a man, who
+seemed as dead. And she knew it was Chios.
+
+Then came back the true nature of the woman who was destined to become
+great as a priestess of Diana. Old love sprang up anew. The smouldering
+embers of the almost dead past burst into life. Here was the man she
+would have loved--perhaps silently--had her course turned otherwise.
+Here was the man who had befriended her in deepest misery. Here was
+Chios lying stretched death-like before her. Should she at all hazard go
+within and see if he lived? Yes, by the goddess whom she worshipped she
+would venture! She passed noiselessly over the polished floor, step by
+step, like a night-thief treads; one step more, and she was beside him!
+She threw back her black mantle, displaying a garment of purest white
+clasped round the waist with a girdle of gold. Her massive tresses of
+rich dark hair floating over her brow shadowed her face until she looked
+like some great spirit queen, the Spirit Queen of Night.
+
+She stooped; she placed her lips close to those of Chios, but they did
+not touch. She felt his warm breath on her cheeks. He lived! He sighed
+like the soughing of the wind amongst the reeds. He murmured, 'Saronia.'
+
+She started up; stood near him. He still slept. She stood erect, with
+arms crossed over her bosom and head bowed, looking sweetly on his manly
+face. Then, taking from her neck a little silver shrine, in form like
+unto the Temple, she laid it on his bosom, fled noiselessly as she came,
+and passed up the road which led towards the great Temple.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Chios awoke, and for a moment was bewildered. He had slept when the
+golden sunlight smiled, and now the silver moon lit up the sky, lit up
+the garments of the night, and he said:
+
+'Sleep is a blessed thing. Its mysteries, who can know? Dreams, they
+say, are fables of the mind. Would to Heaven I could have dreamt on, and
+have slipped through the thin gauze of mortality, and never more entered
+this vile clay supposed to be the temple of the soul!
+
+'I wandered on and on into infinite space--without light, without the
+faintest dawn; no beloved hand led me. Weary and sad I flew from star to
+star, looking for my rest, but finding none. No chain of sympathy bound
+me until I drew nigh unto a world as one suspended glory. Then my whole
+soul stretched out to reach it, and I knew I had found sanctuary. I
+stood before the gates of a great city whose walls shone forth like a
+thousand suns, and I essayed to enter; but a being of transcendent
+loveliness stood before me, and I knew it was Saronia! She said: "Not
+yet, Chios. Thy humanity still lives, and the silver cord still binds
+thee to it. Thou must return and work out thy destiny. This city shalt
+thou dimly see, and then go back to earth."
+
+'And we twain floated upwards, and stood on the diamond floor on the
+summit of the massive walls.
+
+'And I looked on the great city until its loveliness bewildered, dazzled
+my comprehension, and I shuddered at my own deformity, and said: "Let us
+go!"
+
+'Then, with a love radiant with eternal life, she pressed her lips to
+mine, saying: "My soul shall strengthen thine. Thou hast seen the city
+wherein is built a home for Saronia and Chios. Go, now, to earth whilst
+thou hast power. Make use of thy life that thou mayest be found meet to
+inherit the plane where our palace stands."
+
+'I awoke to find myself lying on this couch, and to hear the whisperings
+of the evening breeze.
+
+'Ah, me! I will go out and gaze up into the deep blue of the heavens.
+Perchance I may see the star on which is the City of Light.' And, as he
+arose, there slipped from the folds of his dress the little silver
+temple placed there by Saronia. It fell to the ground like a silver
+bell. Stooping, he took it in his hand. A cloudlet passed from the face
+of the moon. He grew deathly pale, and said: 'What meaneth this? Whence
+this charm? Great gods! Its ribbon is marked with the sign of a
+priestess, and another which tells me 'tis blessed by the goddess! Whose
+can it be? Has she been here? Is this the kiss of my dream? Is this
+emblem of faith the symbol of strength to me?
+
+'My brain whirls with a strange delight. But, no, it cannot be! I
+neither can foster a love for Saronia nor may I embrace her faith.
+
+'Why shall I not do both? No, no, Chios will kill the thought. I am
+seeking the truth to walk to the great life beyond. It shall be so.
+Saronia is too pure to miss her way, by whatever coloured light she may
+be led. She may worship Diana, I the Christ. We shall join hands on the
+diamond floorway which circles the city of God.
+
+'Little silver shrine, little ribbon of gold, what shall I do with thee?
+Shall I cast thee from me, and bid farewell with longing eyes, as the
+mariner bids adieu to the last low streak of misty land ere he launches
+out on the trackless deep? or shall I wear thee on my breast, hid from
+the vulgar gaze, in memory of whom--of whom? Saronia? Perchance 'twas
+her! It shall remain. It cannot harm, and shall be near me until I know
+the giver.'
+
+So he placed the golden ribbon around his neck, and hid the symbol on
+his heart, and stood like one drunken with new wine, until the shriek of
+the night-bird awoke him from his reverie.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XI
+
+                     THE PRIESTESS OF DIANA
+
+
+Saronia was now a priestess of Diana Triformis, and initiated into the
+mysteries of Hecate. She had grown rapidly in favour with her
+companions, and was looked on as one of the most devoted women of
+Ephesus.
+
+Her great strength of character eminently fitted her for the position in
+which she had been placed, and those around looked on the beautiful girl
+as one destined in due time to fill the mightiest position of honour in
+the great Temple, and prophesied that she would soon reach the proud
+eminence of High Priestess.
+
+Saronia was not an ordinary being; one look at the rounded forehead
+which shone over dark eyebrows and the unfathomable eyes would convince
+the most sceptical. The mysteries had a charm for her, and now that she
+had been taught the hidden secrets of Nature, she craved to understand
+the powers which worked the will, to dive deeply into the sympathies
+governing the soul, and to become skilled in the magical rites observed
+in the worship of the goddess of the underworld.
+
+Hers was an exceptional case, and her companions, knowing a great spirit
+was in their midst, hastened her career until, moving rapidly forwards,
+she stood inferior in knowledge and power to none save the
+Arch-Priestess of Diana. Thus the slave became a spiritual princess, and
+won the confidence of the people; they loved her for her goodness. Ever
+ready with words of kindness, she won the deepest regard from the
+suffering and the outcast.
+
+Those duties were but one part of her priestly call--that part which
+reflected the purest nature of her goddess.
+
+She worshipped one goddess, yet three: Luna in heaven, Diana on earth,
+Hecate in hell--a terrible gathering together of good and evil, a
+trinity in unity, but not a trinity in purity, a broken circle
+representing Morn, Noon, Night, Birth, Life, Death.
+
+It was when Saronia moved into the great darkness of Hecate that the
+gloom and passion of the priestess were aroused, and the constant
+warring of evil against goodness within awakened new aspirations for
+another experience when she might revolve in a circle of truth and
+unsullied purity.
+
+And thus it is that when we would do good, evil will present itself; so
+men set up the symbol of fire as the symbol of deity. Its active
+elements represent the bad; the light from the flame, the flower of the
+fire, designates the good.
+
+The mystery of evil worked mightily on the sensitive mind of the girl,
+and she stretched forth through the darkness for a solution of this
+great problem which has harassed the minds of men through the
+ever-changing past. But no answer came, not a voice was heard, and she
+settled herself as well as she could to penetrate deeper into the hidden
+things, that perchance she might emerge into the glories of a nobler
+life.
+
+She, by virtue of her occupation, believed in the great underworld of
+Hades--in Tartarus, in the Elysian--and knew that Hecate, her mistress,
+her goddess, presided over the depths where the unclothed spirits wailed
+and wandered, and over the starving ones who waited at the sacrifice to
+drink in the rich aroma arising from the altar fire. She knew of the
+pleadings of the lost for mercy from those they wronged on earth, and
+the pitiless refusals they met with from the unforgiving shades. In the
+dark, mysterious nature of Saronia were deep yearnings to set the
+unforgiven entombed ones free, that they might move upward on the arc of
+their ascending life, and go forward until they glistened with a glory
+of purity.
+
+Frequently there arose within her mind the question, 'Is there a God of
+perfect goodness? Do I know all? Is there in the great and mighty
+universe a Central Throne, on which the All Perfect rules? Is there far
+away in the depths of yon gray-blue a King above all other gods and
+goddesses? And will He ever reveal Himself to man and teach a rule of
+life by which we may ascend to hold communion with Him?'
+
+And as she meditated a joy unspeakable overwhelmed her soul, and tears,
+joyful tears, trickled down her beautiful face. But no voice or light
+came to say if other than Diana heard, and the great Temple shone before
+her in the sunlight. She said:
+
+'This joy is from my goddess, Queen of Heaven; there is no goddess or
+god greater than she who speaks to me, and Hecate will control the evil
+which exists. I must bow before her and worship at her shrine, be
+co-worker with her, and afterwards she may explain to me those deep
+mysteries, things which sadden my soul. I shall know later that which to
+me is now impenetrable, dark, and lonely. O sweet goddess, hear me! O
+saviour, Queen, Protectress, hear me! O mighty Luminant, I adore thee!
+Queen of the Lower World, Queen of the Earth, Queen of the Skies, I
+adore, I worship thee! My being comes from thee, my life is held and led
+by thee, my future spreads out before thee. The great unfathomable
+eternity of the hereafter is known to thee. O mighty Lover, guard me!
+Generous Dispenser, protect me! Great, far-reaching goddess, lead me
+through the æons, purify my mind from those thoughts which would reach
+out after some other love! Wrest from my spirit those dark forebodings,
+those wild clamourings for light, when thou art the light of the ages,
+the glory of the visible, the multitudinous glory of the invisible, the
+great centre on which the universe revolves.'
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XII
+
+                     THE FESTIVAL OF ARTEMIS
+
+
+The day was glorious, and the hearts of the Ephesian people were
+brimming over with joy, for was not this the first day of the month
+Artemision? Eager crowds of people read the great inscription, which ran
+as follows:
+
+                     'TO THE EPHESIAN DIANA.
+
+'Inasmuch as it is notorious that not only among the people of Ionia,
+but everywhere among the Greek nations, temples are dedicated to her,
+on account of her plain manifestations of herself; and that, moreover,
+in token of the great veneration paid to her, a month is called after
+her name, by us Artemisiona, by the Macedonians and other Greek nations,
+Artemision, in which general assemblies and hieromenia are celebrated.
+
+'Now, inasmuch as these sacred honours are not observed in the holy
+city, the nurse of its own, the Ephesian goddess; the people of Ephesus
+deem it proper that the whole month called by her name be sacred and set
+apart for the goddess; and have determined by this decree that the
+observation of it by them be improved.
+
+'THEREFORE, IT IS ENACTED that in the whole month Artemision the days be
+holy, and nothing be attended to in them but the yearly feastings, the
+Artemisial panegyrics and the hieromenia, the entire month being sacred
+to the goddess; for, from this improvement in her worship, her cities
+shall receive additional lustre and be permanent in their prosperity for
+ever.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Little crowds coming up from Smyrna and Thyatira, Sardis and Laodicea,
+from Militus on the coast and Samos on the sea, gathered around and read
+this proclamation. The people of Ephesus felt themselves honoured by
+their city being the Temple-home of the great goddess, and all gave
+themselves up to rejoicing. And the day wore on.
+
+From the great theatre, all the way through the city gate to the finest,
+largest, and richest Temple ever reared, thousands of people in holiday
+attire awaited with ardent desire for the great procession which was
+heralded as it left the Temple.
+
+And now it moves in all its magnificence and music, and symbols of the
+ceremonies. First came choirs of the most beautiful youths and lovely
+maidens clothed in white robes, singing responsively the praises of
+their protecting deity. The procession moved along regularly. Some
+carried the holy utensils, others torches, others, again, baskets of
+flowers which were strewn in the way. Perfumes were scattered amongst
+the people until the air was redolent with sweet odours. Next followed
+the horses, hounds, and hunting accoutrements, as well for attack as
+defence; after this came a train of virgins led by a lovely girl dressed
+in a purple robe. The skin of a fawn girded it round, on which hung a
+quiver and arrows. She symbolized Diana the Huntress, and was followed
+by her faithful hounds.
+
+Then came choirs of youths and maidens singing the sacred chants, one
+choir answering the other, and then unitedly sending forth a peal in
+unison.
+
+After them a multitude of Ephesian children. Then, with flying feet and
+swinging, voluptuous forms, the dancing-girls of Ionia.
+
+Now rose on the perfumed air the sound of instruments, from the sweet,
+low tones of the flute and golden notes of the magadis, to the
+resounding clang of the cymbals and the beat of the timbrels, playing
+the 'March of Hell.' Whoever has heard such notes may never forget
+them--music set to the shrieks of the lost in Tartarus--the wild
+imploring of the forsaken pleading for forgiveness, as the songs from
+the dwellers in the Elysian fields break on their sinking souls like a
+ray of golden hope, too soon to be drowned by the cries of the Furies.
+
+And thus did the Ephesians play the 'March of the Goddess Hecate,' and
+the sound of the queenly tread of the Infernal Goddess seemed to follow
+the ranks of her devotees, ranks of priests and priestesses dressed in
+black raiment bestud with stars of gold, a crescent moon on every brow.
+They held their hands towards the earth. Now came banners waving in the
+air, and standards of silver and gold bestud with precious stones. The
+Temple way blazed out with gorgeous colouring and glittering sheen.
+
+Then rose to view the golden statue of the goddess, with many symbols of
+earth and sky and sea, supported by bars of gold and borne on the
+shoulders of stalwart men, all priests of the Temple, followed by a
+train of virgin priestesses with heads erect, wearing fillets of gold
+and myrtle-blossoms, each carrying the insignia of her office. These
+were followed by priests and choirs of singers, and others carrying
+smaller images of the goddess and silver shrines set with diamonds and
+emeralds. A company of lovely girls played music like the Dawn of Love.
+
+Men of culture, men of noble rank, followed: all were greeted with loud
+acclaim. Then came again the tones of tibia, cithara, and many-sounding
+instruments playing the music of Diana, no fierce trumpetings, but
+sweetest melody, soft, peaceful, and joyful. In the rhythm were the fall
+of dew, the swing of the sickle, the song of the reapers, the lowing of
+cattle and laughter of children at play, and the mother's murmur of love
+as she hushed her babe to rest.
+
+The vast procession moved onward with songs and hymns innumerable, and
+music and melody mingled in harmony to the Queen of Nature, Queen of
+Hades, Queen of Heaven, telling the story of her many attributes.
+
+The vast pageant had gone--gone by the way of the great theatre, around
+Mount Pion and the Stadium to the Sacred Grove and the Temple.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Two men remained behind; they were strangers to each other.
+
+One was Chios, the other a man short in stature, roughly clad, with eyes
+full of fire and possessed of great intelligence. He neither knelt nor
+applauded whilst the procession passed, but stood a stern spectator.
+One could see at a glance he was not a worshipper of the mighty Diana.
+Possessed of a firm, steadfast, thoughtful look, it stamped him as a
+character of no mean order. Who could he be? And why there at such a
+time, neither accepting nor opposing the worship of the city goddess?
+
+He was one of the chief of the sect who followed the Christ of Nazareth,
+and had come to Ephesus to war against the Old with a New Creed.
+
+Seeing him alone, and apparently poor, Chios, with that kindness ever
+characteristic of him, drew nigh, saying:
+
+'Hail, fellow voyager! How didst thou like the mighty gathering of all
+that is power, truth, and loveliness in Ephesus?'
+
+Then replied he:
+
+'The kingly power and loveliness passed by in yonder show, but the truth
+was not there.'
+
+'How sayest thou this, friend? Art thou not a worshipper of our great
+goddess Diana?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'What, then, dost thou worship?'
+
+'I worship God.'
+
+'And canst thou not worship God and adore her?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Why?'
+
+'Because God is a spirit and demands spiritual worship. He is a jealous
+God, and will have no other gods before Him.'
+
+'Now, pray tell me,' said Chios, 'why of necessity should we worship
+your Deity? In what particular does He differ from Diana? She also is a
+great spirit. Why multiply gods and worship another?'
+
+'Listen, young man. There is but one eternal past and future, and one
+Eternal God only can reign. There is no division of eternal power; so
+infinite is He, the universe is but a point compared to Him. He dwells
+above, below, beyond it. No man can follow His presence into the
+unfathomable abyss, no princely spirit could wing its way to find Him
+out. Ye worship ye know not what. You have set up the symbols of nature
+and named it deity. There is no God behind those symbols to answer when
+you call. You answer yourselves--believe a lie; custom gilds it as a
+truth.'
+
+'Thou speakest strongly, good man. Dost thou bring proof of thy
+teachings?'
+
+'My proof is within me: communion with the Spirit of my God. He speaks
+to me, believe it who may; it is sufficient for me.'
+
+'But what if thou hast lulled thyself into a sweet calm, a calm born of
+content, worshipping a spiritual ideal? May it not be thus?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'How shall I know that what thou sayest is true?'
+
+'By worshipping my God.'
+
+'And what will follow?'
+
+'The same conscious calm and communion, and thou shalt be the judge.'
+
+'Tell me more of Him. Does He work by love or command?'
+
+'Both. Those who serve Him find His commands encircled with love. He
+commands as a father for the good of his children. He is our Father,
+created our being; as when He said, "Let there be light," and the light
+flashed through the darkness.'
+
+'What is the name of thy sect?'
+
+'Christian.'
+
+'Ah well, I have heard much of them, and desire to hear of their creed.
+Now I remember--yes, I remember the Father. Is there not wrapped up in
+the mysteries some teaching respecting a Son?'
+
+'Yes, that is true--the Christ. He was slain by Pilate of Judea. Hast
+thou not heard of it?'
+
+'Yes, I have heard as thou sayest; but I must confess I know little or
+nothing of the mysteries which surround thy faith.'
+
+'Wouldst thou know?'
+
+'I would.'
+
+'Then thou shalt; but not now. This is not a place to expound the hidden
+things of God; moreover, if seen with me, evil may befall thee. Go now
+thy way. Let my prayers go with thee. We shall meet again. I will send
+for thee.'
+
+'Thou mayest not find me.'
+
+'I shall, fear not. I am not a magician, but my spirit is in sympathy
+with thine; we cannot travel far asunder without thou break the bond of
+union.'
+
+'Dost understand Ephesian magic?'
+
+'Yea, I understand, but practise not. Ere long it shall be shaken to its
+very roots.'
+
+'Thou speakest as one with authority.'
+
+'I do. Go in peace, and forget not the aged man who promises to reveal
+the truth to thee. Farewell!'
+
+And as the stranger moved slowly away with downcast head and thoughtful
+mien, Chios felt as if a thick darkness surrounded him. Even Saronia
+faded from his mind before the burning words of that man. Chios
+perceived that the new teacher possessed immense spiritual and
+intellectual power, and felt his own weakness. He knew the sayings he
+had heard were but the outriders of a mighty army; that, in fact, this
+man had treated him as if he were a child. Who could he be? And whence
+came the great storehouse of wisdom which lay behind that impressive
+brow? From whence came the influence with which he spoke? His voice was
+low, but every word struck home and flashed forth strong conviction. Was
+he a god in disguise? Was he one of the gods come down to witness the
+festivities of the great goddess Diana?
+
+'No, no; I believe not those vain imaginings. I will wait and wish for
+the time to meet again this great spirit. I will sit at his feet and
+learn, and perchance receive light and perhaps rest. Certainly I require
+it. Creed of my own I have not, or believe not what I have. Saronia's
+love can never be mine. Truth and love I must obtain. Truth this man
+offers me, and a promise of love from the God of Love. If thus it comes
+to pass, I will live well and move onward to the great Dream City, and
+stand upon the diamond floorway which leads to the altar steps of the
+Father God.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+By this time the great procession had moved around the south of Mount
+Pion, and was returning towards the Temple by way of the Serapion.
+
+Slowly it went with majestic tread, passing by the harbour, and sailors
+on the ships bowed down in lowly adoration.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XIII
+
+                        CHIOS THE GREEK
+
+
+Day after day passed in festive manner until half the Month of Joy had
+sped, still Chios had not heard from the wise man. Where was he? Had he
+forgotten his promise? Was it all a dream? or was it, as he thought, a
+visitation from heaven, one of the gods on earth? Neither. He was
+confident he had met a human being, a man more powerful than any he had
+ever met before. There was but one other spirit like him, and that one
+dwelt in the form of a woman, and her name was Saronia.
+
+To Chios both spirits appeared of the highest order, showing different
+phases, both giants in their faiths; one he loved, the other he somewhat
+feared, for he knew not what that strange man would tell to him, and
+Chios was like a ship on the stormy seas, tossed to and fro without sail
+or rudder to guide him. So he said, 'I will go to the Temple; there is
+worship at this hour.' As he moved slowly onwards Saronia passed him.
+Their eyes met, but she dared not speak.
+
+The Greek felt all the old love revive the moment he beheld the
+beautiful girl. Moreover, he thought he read on her face the blush of a
+hidden love. What should he do? To go now to the Temple where she had
+entered would be useless, for his thoughts, his mind, his whole soul had
+gone out again to her, and he could worship no other deity, even were
+damnation the penalty. He would return to his studio, to his work on his
+great picture--the picture of his love, of the one being who haunted his
+life, of Saronia as High Priestess of Diana.
+
+Oh, if he could speak to her; could draw near and drink deeply of those
+mysterious eyes! Even that might pacify him. How could it be done? He
+had influence in the city; he would use it. Could he not obtain entrance
+to the Sacred Grove?--for there he knew she nightly went to pay her vows
+on the altar of the Infernal Goddess. Yes, his mind was fully made up.
+He would find the hour she frequented the place, would hazard his life
+to speak with her, and if but one sentence came from those lips he would
+be satisfied, even if those words were the curse of Hecate.
+
+On the way to the studio, and just as he was about to enter the
+gateway, he saw a woman leaning against a pillar. She addressed him,
+asking for alms. He replied:
+
+'What dost thou here, woman? Why not take part in this day of joy?'
+
+She said:
+
+'My heart cannot feel joy. It is dead; it is incapable of throbbing to
+the pleasure of the world or the joy of religion.'
+
+'Why?'
+
+'Because I am an outcast; my sins are so great that I dare not pray. I
+am past feeling, and would die.'
+
+'Art thou in such a state?'
+
+'Yea, and worse: I am let alone by the gods and man.'
+
+'Thou art, then, a wandering star?'
+
+'Yes, thou sayest truly, for I shall soon shoot into the darkness of the
+unknown and be for ever lost.'
+
+'Hast thou no occupation?'
+
+'None.'
+
+'Canst thou do anything to earn an honest livelihood?'
+
+'I am skilled in magic, having learnt it in my youth; but the art is so
+common in Ephesus that my gains are very small.'
+
+'Come, now, canst thou read my fate for a piece of gold?'
+
+'I know thee.'
+
+'Who am I?'
+
+'He whom they call Chios the Greek, the Ephesian artist, and----'
+
+'Go on, woman, do not fear!'
+
+'The lover of Saronia.'
+
+'Thou art mad.'
+
+'No. Would that I had been born such!'
+
+'How dost thou know my name?'
+
+'Know thy name! I inquired for it after thou didst take away the slave
+girl Saronia, when she leant against the pillar outside the great
+theatre, waiting the bidding of her haughty mistress Nika. My curse rest
+on Nika!'
+
+'Silence! Curse her not.'
+
+'Say on, Chios: what dost thou want of me?'
+
+'Nothing.'
+
+'Then pass thy way and leave me as thou didst find me, unless thou, too,
+would whip me like a cur for resting against thy piece of marble.'
+
+'Nay, woman; I will not go until I help thee. Here is a golden
+piece--another and another. Take them all; I have more. Go thou and get
+food, and hope on. Thou art earth's side of the great threshold, and may
+yet do well with the remnant of thy life.'
+
+'No, no; I know the faith. Thou art wrong. The cursed of Hecate are
+doomed!'
+
+'Listen, woman! Thou knowest Saronia?'
+
+'Ah! ah! Thou canst not leave that name. I knew I was right. Thou lovest
+her?'
+
+'Silence, I tell thee again! Thou art more profane than I imagined.
+Think you I am perilous enough to venture the curse of hell by daring to
+love a priestess of Hecate?'
+
+'Yes. Thou art of the mould to dare anything for love. Not only to risk
+the curse of hell, but to wear it as thou wearest that ribbon around thy
+neck, the ribbon which suspends the silver shrine Saronia placed upon
+thy breast when thou didst slumber as the dead.'
+
+'Witch as thou art, how dost thou know of this?'
+
+'Magic does not aid me in this case. I saw her do it.'
+
+'Saw Saronia--do--it?'
+
+'Yes, I saw her.'
+
+'Thou liest; it is thy dreadful sorcery!'
+
+'Nay, nay, not so. I saw her enter thy gateway to escape a band of
+drunken ruffians. I stood by this very pillar where I often stand. I
+knew Saronia, and followed to protect, if needs be, and hid behind the
+myrtle-trees until she entered. Then I gazed within, saw her bend over
+thy sleeping form and put her sweet face close to thine, saw her take
+the trinket from her bosom, kiss it, and place it on thy breast. Then
+again did she stoop over, and drank in one long draught of thy
+breath--thy life, as if to mingle soul with soul.'
+
+'Hast thou spoken of this to any other?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Darest thou?'
+
+'I will not.'
+
+'And why so true?'
+
+'Because if ever the fire is lit again within this wreck it will be she
+who will kindle the first spark.'
+
+'How thinkest thou so?'
+
+'It was I who befriended her, pointing the way when she fled from the
+house of Venusta. Besides, I met her before that, near the great
+theatre; there I read her fate, and told her her star was rising full of
+splendour. Besides, I love her as much as I can, and have begged of her
+to think of this poor hag when she cometh into great power--and she
+shall! Yes, she shall rise higher and higher, for the great spirit of
+the goddess leads her. Hear what Endora says: "Saronia's star is still
+in the ascendant. She has been priestess of spirits before this
+earth-life, and she shall rise to be queen of the priestesses
+here--first amongst women who serve the great goddess at the shrine of
+Artemis."'
+
+'Art thou sure?'
+
+'I know it.'
+
+'By what?'
+
+'By my power, which never fails. Would Chios know further?'
+
+'No; but, stay, dost thou think Saronia is past loving other than the
+goddess?'
+
+'I tell thee she loves Chios, and thou knowest it as well as I. She
+cannot rend the chain which binds ye twain together. The position is
+perilous in the extreme. Thou knowest she is bound to chastity, and
+wouldst thou try to break her sacred vows?'
+
+'No; Heaven stay the thought! This I swear; but--can I trust thee?'
+
+'Yes, Chios, thou art safe. Thy spirit comes towards me, but it cannot
+blend with mine, and for want of this thou mayest mistrust the need of
+perfect sympathy. But thou art good; I am dark and foul as Tartarus!
+Evil and good cannot make one unbroken circle of harmony. Nevertheless,
+trust me, Chios--trust me.'
+
+'Very well, I will. At what hour does Saronia visit the Sacred Grove of
+Hecate to offer sacrifice?'
+
+'This very night at midnight.'
+
+'Are there means of access to that grove?'
+
+'Yes, for those who dare, but few would.'
+
+'Which is the way?'
+
+'Go thou to the wood outside the Temple, pass a furlong to the north;
+there is a low wall which thou canst easily vault. Once within the
+sacred enclosure, push on westward another furlong, and thou wilt see
+the Hecatesium, the little temple shaded with gigantic pines and
+cypress-trees. Yellow iris stud the ground, and crimson and white
+oleander grow between. Heed not the mighty thunderings proceeding from
+the temple, or the livid, glare-like lightning's flash springing forth
+between the pillars of the portico--on swiftly by it, lest thy heart
+faileth and thou diest. Having passed this temple, take the winding road
+at its rear. This will bring thee to where three roads meet, and there
+thou wilt see, by the light of the waning moon and the flickering stars,
+an altar, and, rising above it, the three-figured statue of the Triple
+Goddess. She, as Hecate, holding in her hands the keys of hell and of
+death, facing the pit in which the altar is reared for to-night's
+incantations and sacrifice. Secrete thyself before midnight behind the
+base of one of the tall trees. Thou wilt not have long to wait ere the
+light of a torch will stream upon the dark green foliage and a woman's
+form will appear, and, later, as she approaches, dark tresses waving in
+the breeze, and, if light enough, two eyes like stars of night,
+o'ershadowed by eyebrows like cloudlets of gloom. Those are the eyes of
+Saronia, the priestess of Hecate. Darest thou to be there and speak to
+her? I think not. Weigh well thy intentions, Chios, before setting out
+on such an awful journey. Let me entreat thee, good man; let me beg of
+thee--forswear this enterprise!'
+
+'Farewell, Endora--that is thy name, is it not?'
+
+'Yes, my lord.'
+
+'Farewell, Endora--farewell. Keep the secret, as thou hast said.'
+
+'I will, and perchance some power may save thee from the vengeance of
+earth and hell.'
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XIV
+
+                       THE GROVE OF HECATE
+
+
+The evening sun had set behind great frowning clouds of crimson and
+gray; dark masses like funeral steeds moved slowly through the sky. The
+night came, dark and dreary; a sable mantle of clouds hung from east to
+west like a wall of gloom, and when from noon ten hours had sped Chios
+went forth, following the highway to the Temple. He was clad in a mantle
+of azure blue, shrouded from head to foot; his most intimate friends
+would have passed without knowing him. The Temple was at his right hand,
+and he had gained the outskirts of the great forest of pine-trees. He
+saw the river Cayster winding towards the sea like a river of death.
+
+He entered the grove; the tall trees shook their mighty foliage, warning
+him in accents deep as the voice of judgment. What did he care? Forward
+he went. If all the trees of that wood had voices loud as the
+thunderings of the gods and spoke to him, he would not stay one step
+towards the goal.
+
+No, as he penetrated further his courage grew stronger and his mind
+firmer. At last, through the darkness, he saw the wall which surrounded
+the Sacred Grove. For a moment he stood still, but to think of the
+commands of Endora. Then, with a bound, he was over, and stood on ground
+unlawful for him to tread; but what cared he? On he moved carefully, for
+fear the rustling shrubs might betray him, until he saw the looming of
+the Temple of Hecate. He heard weird sounds issuing forth, and fierce
+fires seemed to burn within the sacred shrine of the Infernal Goddess.
+Ever and anon from between the pillars of the portico, guarding it like
+a flaming sword, there flashed forth bars of light, and mighty
+thunderings came bellowing from that most dreadful fane, followed by
+shrieks like the cries of drowning men when they founder with their
+barque. All was as Endora had said. But Chios heeded nothing. Such he
+expected, and was prepared to meet them as a man who had determined to
+hazard all; and, passing stealthily by the marble pile, he gained the
+footpath at the rear, and followed on; gained the site where stood the
+trench and its awful altar of the goddess. Then, for the first time, he
+freely drew breath, and sat down at the foot of the statue of Diana
+Triformis. Presently he hid behind a wide-spreading tree, and waited for
+Saronia.
+
+Several forms like men or women or demons passed by towards the Temple;
+he heard their mutterings, but saw not their faces. The time hung
+heavily on his hands. 'Twas still half an hour to midnight, and the
+waning moon was hid--not a star shone forth to comfort him. The wild
+beasts of the grove howled from their distant lair.
+
+Then came a convulsion in the heavens--the gathering storm-clouds spoke
+to each other and exchanged lightning glances until the sky was a sea of
+fire. Great clouds whirled up from the west, and others bore down from
+the east, and they mingled around the moon in one great aerial war until
+the heavens were rent asunder, and the east wind gained the mastery,
+sweeping the surging war-clouds away to the western sky in the dark-blue
+depths. The waning moon shone out with sickly hue, and the diamond stars
+sprung forth, and soft clouds moving onwards like dark-stoled virgin
+priestesses bowed to the Queen of Heaven.
+
+Chios starts; he shrinks; he sees the glare of torches coming down the
+Sacred Way; he counts them as they wildly dance upon the midnight
+air--one, two--five--eight. He is undone! She cometh not alone! Towards
+him sweeps the fiery line until within a hundred paces it stops, and
+forms a circle, seven around, with one uplifted torch within the sacred
+zone. The circle breaks and forms two lines and the centre figure passes
+between, moving onward to the altar. The others in serpent form move
+sinuously back to the Temple of Hecate.
+
+The solitary figure, the haughty torch-bearer, draws nearer, until Chios
+sees by the lurid glare the dark masses of hair floating on the wind,
+and fancies he sees the mysterious eyes beneath the marble brow. He
+could not mistake her--he knew her too well. It was Saronia, the
+priestess, arrayed in her priestly robes.
+
+She was standing by the statue of the great goddess with head thrown
+back. The flame of the torch like a serpent of fire coiled and uncoiled
+like a living thing, and lit up the band of gold which circled her head,
+and shone on her mantle of sable hue.
+
+Then, stretching out her hands towards the earth, she addressed the
+goddess:
+
+              'Hail, Hecate!
+              Hail, Diana!
+              Luna, Hail!
+    Goddess of Heaven, the Earth, and the Underworld.
+      Thou rollest the heavens around the steady pole.
+      Thou illuminest the sun.
+      Thou governest the world.
+      Thou treadest on the dark realms of Tartarus.
+      The stars move responsive to thy command.
+      The gods rejoice in thy divinity.
+      The hours and the seasons return by thy appointment,
+      And the elements reverence thy decree.
+          Hear me, O Moon!
+          Hear me, great Saviour!
+          Listen, dread Hecate!
+          A black lamb I bring thee.'
+
+Then, seizing the lamb, she raised it to the altar and slew it, and the
+red blood danced o'er the marble shrine. And taking a golden vase filled
+with baneful oblation, she poured it over the victim, at the same time
+swinging the torch to and fro above her head, chanting:
+
+    'Come forth, thou moon, with propitious light.
+    Cold, silent goddess! at this witching hour
+    To thee I'll chant.
+
+           *       *       *       *       *
+
+    Hail, Hecate! prodigious demon, hail!
+    Come at the last, and make the work prevail,
+    That the strong brewage may perform its part,
+    No worse than that was made by Circe's art,
+    By bold Medea, terrible as fair,
+    Or Perimedea of the golden hair.'
+
+Then the earth shook, and spiral columns of vapour rose around the
+altar, and from each column came a spectre of fire and stood with
+outstretched hands.
+
+The priestess placed the resinous wood around the sacrifice, and
+applying her torch, the altar was crowned with flame, and the spirits
+drew nigh and drank up the odour, dancing in wild fury around the pyre.
+
+Then spoke Saronia:
+
+'Ye wandering spirits, ye starving, lonely shades destined to require
+the sustenance ye seldom receive, take this oblation, drink ye in the
+nurture as it arises, take it from the great queen goddess through the
+hands of her priestess;' and the spirits chanted:
+
+    'Hail, Saronia!
+    Hail, Saronia!
+    Princess born
+    And mighty priestess!
+    Hail, thou minister of Tartarus!
+    Feeder of the gods-forsaken ones!
+    Blessings ever be upon thee,
+    Blessings such as we can give,
+    Thin and faint as misty vapour,
+    Tinged with hell and cold damnation;
+    Yet we bless thee as we may,
+    For love a spark remains within us,
+    And we wait for our redemption,
+    Working out our fearful destiny,
+    Till those we injured grant release,
+    And the Mighty All Creative
+    Pass us to the fields Elysian.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+They disappeared, and Saronia, the fearful priestess, was alone.
+Shielding her eyes that she might not look again upon the sacrifice, she
+turned to move away.
+
+She had passed but a few steps from the altar when Chios came forth from
+his hiding-place and followed her. She heard his steps, and fearing to
+look around lest her sacrifice should be incomplete, kept on her way to
+the Temple of Hecate.
+
+Chios was soon by her side. She gazed for a moment on his face, and fell
+to the ground as dead.
+
+He raised her carefully, bore her to the foot of a great laurel-tree,
+and taking his cloak, placed her on it, and bent over her in agony.
+
+'O fool, what hast thou done? Thou hast slain her! O cursed hour! Shades
+of night, seize me, take me to your Hades, torture me, but, holy
+heavens, restore Saronia! O cruel fate! Most cruel destiny! What cause
+is there for this?'
+
+The talisman! the shrine he wore! the gift! He had heard of its wondrous
+power. He tore it from his neck, and placed it on her chilly brow.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Her eyes opened, and she essayed to rise.
+
+Chios moved to help her; but, no, she sprang to her feet, and stepping
+back from him, looked like a tigress at bay. For a moment words would
+not flow at her command, but her eyes burnt into his very soul, and
+still she spoke not.
+
+He wished a thousandfold he had never dared to confront her in such a
+dreadful place and against such fearful odds. He knew he was observed by
+troops of invisible beings thirsting for vengeance, and that one word of
+hers would loose them, those hounds of hell, in all their fury. He
+feared them not. 'Twas the scathing, burning eyes of the priestess which
+withered him--so changed from love to hate.
+
+All those thoughts passed through his mind with the force of a
+whirlwind. He felt he had penetrated like a robber within the magic
+circle of her power, taking mean advantage of her secret life, betraying
+all confidence. What was to be done? He would not pass like a dream--a
+horrid dream--to her; that would end all. No, he must finish his work,
+whatever might follow. He would speak to her.
+
+'Saronia, forgive me; I am mad. I know not what unknown power compels me
+to this wicked act. I could not stay from thee. As the stars vibrate to
+each other, so my soul to thine. Speak, Saronia! I have dared death to
+see thee, to speak to thee. Answer me, Saronia! Let me hear thy dear,
+sweet voice, even if it be a curse thou utterest.'
+
+She stood forth again in all her majesty; her great spirit had gained
+supremacy; her eyes shone forth like diamonds wet with dew, and she
+said:
+
+'What evil fate brings thee here? Death awaits both if mortal eye
+beholds us. For thy many acts of kindness I overlook thy madness. Thou
+knowest the way, return quickly, and never intrude thyself again. One
+word: thou hast been spectator of the rites and mysteries, hast seen my
+power. Understand, I could raise armies, if needs be, to destroy
+thee--could blast thee like a tree whose life has passed, by one fell
+stroke of lightning. Now away, no more!'
+
+'Saronia! Saronia! Bear with me but for one brief moment! Hear my story,
+then I go.'
+
+'Why should I? Thou knowest full well I am dedicated to my faith, to my
+goddess. Why tempt me to evil?'
+
+'Saronia, I have striven hard to avoid this, and before to-night have
+succeeded. I could no longer bear this worse than death, and have sought
+thee here to tell thee I love thee, have ever loved thee, even when thou
+wert a slave. I have thrown aside the glamour of the world for one sweet
+word from thee.'
+
+'How can I help thy love?'
+
+'Thou canst return it by one sweet smile of pity--pity is the twin
+sister of love.'
+
+'I will give thee no encouragement. I swear by the hosts above, around,
+and beneath that I repel Chios the lover, and make it known clearly to
+thee I stand pure and unsullied before the goddess I have just evoked.
+Shame on thee! Thou wouldst shake the strong foundation on which my
+spirit rests. Away, I say again, for fear she whom I serve may compel me
+to curse thee! Go!'
+
+'Before I say farewell, perchance for ever, is this thy shrine, this
+trinket thine?'
+
+'Yes. I sought shelter, not knowing whither. Two statues standing near
+the doorway caught my gaze, and through the open door I beheld thy
+prostrate form. Thinking death or sickness visited Chios, I entered,
+remembering thy goodness. Thou wert asleep and sighing forth my name. I
+foolishly placed that little token on thy breast, and the Fates have
+worked it well so far as it is concerned, for by its power thou hast
+brought back my life--not that my death would have been of great moment,
+but thy crime would have been magnified and thy suffering intense.
+Little did I think such small pretext as a simple act of gratitude from
+me would have brought thee here. Now I have told thee all. Go, for thy
+life!'
+
+'No, I will stay. My determination is strengthening, my mission is pure;
+no harm can come to thee. I think not of myself. Listen! There will come
+a time when thou wilt be free from this thraldom of priestcraft, when
+that spirit of thine will live on in the Elysian. I will live well and
+ever love thee, and this is my story to-night. I will love thee as
+lasting as the sun, wait on for thy emancipation, and meet thee in the
+spirit-world. When each shall have performed its earth-life, then thy
+spirit shall be united to mine through the depths of an everlasting
+life. Wilt thou betroth thyself to me in this wise? No harm can come of
+this spirit love, and it cannot fail to bless. Saronia of the great
+unfathomable soul, looking out of those eyes so full of mystic meaning,
+can this be so? Bind thyself to me! Be mine when death shall sever the
+silver chain! This is all I ask. I know thou lovest me; those silent
+tears betray thee, and thy eyes speak love--love filtering through the
+mystic faith, love that is stronger than death. Speak, Saronia! Dost
+thou hear me?'
+
+'I do. I hear all.'
+
+'Wilt thou wed me for the next life?'
+
+'What shall I do, Chios? Thou hast discovered my hidden love. I cannot
+lie. I will meet thee in the great hereafter. I am thine, when my
+mission here be accomplished--thine through all eternity!'
+
+'Shall I plant a kiss upon thy brow, Saronia, sealing our vows?'
+
+'Dost thou not fear this awful thing?'
+
+'No. I care not for death now. If I go, I will wait for thee and for
+love; thou wilt not long survive. Methinks our spirits have already been
+one. If I fall, thou wilt not remain long away. Death will hasten our
+union.'
+
+Then, taking her head between his hands, he kissed her, and kissed the
+silver shrine, and moved out into the gloom.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The night passed, the day came forth in rosy splendour, such a day as is
+only experienced in the beautiful Ionian land.
+
+The air was balmy and perfume laden, the winds scarcely stirred the
+trembling leaves, the birds sang with joyous notes--all Nature smiled.
+
+Chios passed through the myrtle garden to his studio, but the brush was
+powerless in his hand. Last night's adventure was uppermost in his
+thoughts, as well it might be. It was in his sober moments when judgment
+reigned, and love lay calmly on his soul, that he became fully aware of
+what he had done. He leant against a pillar, and reflected upon his
+position. He had entered into the fight, he had broken the ranks. He was
+a mariner who must weather the gale on the deck of his craft. There was
+no escape for him, neither did he desire one.
+
+He, like a master mind, surveyed his position. He had pledged his love
+to one who could never return it on earth. He would walk alone until his
+release. Joy in anticipation of their reunion was sufficient for him.
+True, he felt there was a great disparity in their relative
+positions--she a mighty priestess, he a sceptic of her faith. But what
+of that? He believed in Saronia, and she believed in him. Let the faiths
+go to the winds! If he found not a new god that he might worship--well,
+then he would make Saronia the goddess of his soul, and worship her with
+a love that would raise the jealousy of the gods. But if he found the
+great Spirit who demanded his love and service, then such should have
+his supreme adoration. But no god or goddess spoke to him. Therefore he
+knew no being superior to Saronia. She was his life; fearful as she was
+in her mighty incantations, he feared her not. Her mysteries he heeded
+not, the magic of her being satisfied his craving for union with that
+which completed the circle of his existence. He had found it in this
+lovely girl, and he measured this subtle, endless affinity against that
+which the world calls love, where men take wives for a fragment of time
+and think not, care not, whether that love continues in the great
+hereafter, and content themselves with the thought that they may be free
+when born anew from the womb of death. His love was a sacred love, a
+pure and perfect one, and he was happy amidst all the mazes of the
+circumstances by which he had made it known to Saronia.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XV
+
+                       AT VENUSTA'S HOUSE
+
+
+Day after day passed, and the friends of Chios were wont to note his
+thoughtfulness. It did not amount to moroseness; he was preoccupied, and
+his mind abstracted.
+
+It was while he was in one of his deepest moods that Varro called,
+accosting the Greek in a pleasant way:
+
+'How fares the world with thee, noble artist? Thou art in one of thy
+best humours--or art thou sad?'
+
+'Neither,' replied he.
+
+'Ah! I know: thou art grieving after Nika.'
+
+'Nika?'
+
+'Yes, Nika. Thou surely must have heard I wooed and won her?'
+
+'Indeed, I have not; but I congratulate thee, my lucky fellow.'
+
+'That is from thy heart and true, Chios?'
+
+'It is.'
+
+'Then we may be the fastest friends.'
+
+'And what say Lucius and Venusta?'
+
+'Delighted.'
+
+'Good, very good!'
+
+'And--yet another bit of news for you, Chios, for it seems thou art not
+a fruitful newsmonger.'
+
+'What is it?'
+
+'The sudden death of the High Priestess of Artemis.'
+
+'Is it so?' and a deathly pallor spread over the face of Chios.
+
+'Art thou ill?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'But I have not finished.'
+
+'What more--not of gloom, I hope?'
+
+'No; a sudden freak of fortune, if rumour speaks correctly.'
+
+'Speak out.'
+
+'Well, just this: it is commonly reported that the dark-eyed slave of
+Venusta will be elected to fill the place of the Arch-Priestess.'
+
+'What! Saronia?'
+
+'Yes, Saronia. Thou art her friend. True, her time as priestess has been
+very brief, but for that strange being it seems mortals suspend their
+laws just like the gods did theirs for the Hebrew, when the sun stood
+still that he might slay. Look at her! Just awhile since a slave. One
+fine day she took it into her head to run for sanctuary to the Temple,
+and got there--was received--commenced her studies. From this, in a most
+unprecedented way, bounded into the priesthood, and already, I am told,
+she stands out with fearful power and wonderful knowledge, inasmuch as
+the priestesses longest in the service stand back in awe and say: "She
+is the fittest to serve in chief the goddess, and command her servants."
+A High Priestess she will be, mark my words. There is a great destiny
+before that girl. I hear of her power from Nika. Somehow, she closely
+follows the course of Saronia, and speaks of her with dread. Why, I know
+not. Now, Chios, what thinkest thou of all this?'
+
+'I think it passing strange. 'Tis like a dream. This is her destiny. She
+is no ordinary being. Her spirit towers above its fellows, and must
+command---- I will call at Venusta's at sundown. Perhaps we may hear
+more on this subject.'
+
+'Do so, Chios, and I will meet thee. What art thou painting?'
+
+'But little.'
+
+'Ah, cunning dog! I saw thee turn thy picture quickly away as I
+entered, and, swiftly as thou didst it, I had time to catch a glimpse of
+a girl as High Priestess offering sacrifice to Hecate. Am I right?'
+
+'Thou speakest knowingly, good Varro.'
+
+'Chios, I am not wide of the mark, and shall I say the face was that of
+Saronia? Art thou a seer, Chios? After all, then, my news was not news
+to thee? Thou art a sly fellow!'
+
+'No, I am not a seer.'
+
+'Well, then, we will call thee painter; but one thing is certain, thou
+hast studied her closely, to remember her features so well. Thou hast a
+keen appreciation of the beautiful, and an excellent knowledge of the
+future, to paint Saronia as High Priestess. Farewell, Chios; I am off.
+We meet to-night, and may the gods be propitious!'
+
+That evening Chios visited Venusta's home, the house of his friend. The
+Roman was there. Lucius had sailed o'er sunny seas to Britain. Nika
+seemed happy, and laughed with joyous glee as if she had never one day
+of sorrow.
+
+Venusta was delighted to behold Chios, and said:
+
+'Why hast thou kept so long from us? We thought thou wouldst never
+return, and long since looked up our stray sayings to find if perchance
+we might have unwittingly offended thee. But naught could we find
+whereby we could pronounce ourselves guilty, so concluded thou hadst
+found some pretty maid during the Artemision month, and wert busy
+preparing for thy nuptials. Is it so, Chios?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Now, do not vex! Art grown thin-skinned, and cannot take this saying of
+mine as a joke?'
+
+'Nay,' replied he, 'I am emphatic because I mean it. So many falsehoods
+are told by lovers that if I were not in earnest thou wouldst perhaps
+doubt my answer.'
+
+'Ah! Thou hast not yet seen the ideal set up within thee. Never mind;
+persevere, Chios, and she may come to thee sooner than expected. Then we
+will take the laughing side, and thou must bear with all our points of
+wit. We will deal leniently; will not let an arrow fly when thy
+counterpart is near. No, we will be demure, as if we never spoke to thee
+of such a childish thing as love. Let us change the subject, Chios. Thou
+hast heard my dearest has left his home once more to visit foreign
+lands?'
+
+'Yes, I heard. Lucius could not leave Ephesus without the poorest Ionian
+youth knowing it. He belongs to the people; they watch his coming home
+and leaving. I should have come to say farewell, but at the time I was
+prostrated by a touch of Ephesian fever. Not serious, but just enough,
+as Lucius would say, to make me haul on shore.'
+
+'Yes, those beautiful savages have again rebelled against the Roman
+State, and the Emperor summoned Lucius with his fleet to the mouth of
+the Tiber to ship reinforcements for those distant parts. By this time
+he is well on his journey.'
+
+'How long will he remain?'
+
+'That is quite uncertain. I understand, after disembarking the soldiers,
+he will sail round the northern shores of the great island, and if the
+winds fail him the rowers will have a dreadful time, for by accounts the
+waters there are sluggish and leaden, inasmuch that strong winds driving
+on the shore make faint impressions on the lifeless seas. The gods speed
+him, and may he soon return. I have instructed him to bring a British
+girl for slave for Nika; and I truly hope, if he bring such, she may not
+be like that dark, mysterious one we owned, by name Saronia. She nearly
+frightened Nika out of her senses--did she not, girl?'
+
+Nika was silent, and a gloom spread over her face like a funeral pall,
+and the joy of her life grew faint and low.
+
+'I have been speaking of Saronia to Chios,' said Varro.
+
+'And what thinkest thou of her, Chios?'
+
+'Why should I say?' replied he.
+
+'Speak on; we know thou wilt favour her.'
+
+'What, then, do you wish me to say? I cannot speak as if I were
+delivering an oration on Saronia.'
+
+'To be plain, then,' said Venusta, 'dost thou think it meet that this
+slave-girl should fill the throne of the High Priestess of Diana?'
+
+'Yes, I do.'
+
+'By what right or reason? Say on.'
+
+'By being the fittest, if those who know her best speak the truth.'
+
+'Oh, Chios, why are you so fascinated by this snake-like creature?'
+
+'I am not fascinated, most noble Venusta. I speak as reason prompts me.
+If my reason is awry, then call me mad.'
+
+'No, no; thou art not mad. If any man in Ionia has a well-balanced and
+healthy mind, it is thou; but, nevertheless, although I alter the
+picture on my mind of an innocent bird drawn on to destruction by the
+piercing eye of a snake, yet the conditions are the same within me, and
+I must say I cannot for my life understand why such a sensible man can
+be led by the charming of such a wicked girl.'
+
+'She is not wicked; she is pure, and worthy of great consideration. All
+Ephesus speaks of her goodness.'
+
+'But dost thou not know her spirit is so deeply imbued with the
+mysteries of her worship that it is said she with impunity treads the
+dark realms of Tartarus? Wherein, then, lies all her boasted goodness?'
+
+'It may be so; but I warrant this, madam, if Saronia moves into those
+mysteries, and mixes with the spirits imprisoned, it is to minister to
+their wants, and not to add a pang to their unutterable woe.'
+
+'Thou art incorrigible; and it is useless, I perceive, to talk to thee
+on this matter. Thou wilt awaken one day from this cloudy dream and see
+her in all her horror. Dost thou not fear her?'
+
+'No; none need fear the good; it is the evil which haunts us.'
+
+'Oh, mother,' cried Nika, 'do change this most uninteresting subject!
+Saronia is no longer under our control, and we may not speak of her in
+this manner without fear. She serves the goddess; let her be. Should
+fate call her to wear the diamond crown, what is that to thee? What is
+that to me?'
+
+'So, so, pretty girl! Art thou taking to thyself the right to lecture
+me? Thou, above all, hast had more than enough of this foul serpent's
+venom thrust on thee; and I tell you all, if I have influence it shall
+be directed to drag her from the proud position to which her ambitious
+spirit soars, and I am certain Varro will aid me when I say Nika nearly
+paid with her life for the fright Saronia gave her. A wicked, designing
+enemy is she.'
+
+'Gracious lady,' replied the Roman, 'I fear I cannot move in matters of
+religion. I should bring down a swarm of bees about my ears and odium on
+the power of Rome;' and he looked sideways with a smile towards Chios,
+but the face of the Greek was like marble--not a muscle moved. Then
+Varro continued: 'No, no; let her be. None may break her faith, neither
+Greek nor Roman; if she be not called by the goddess, then this rumour
+will float away into nothingness.'
+
+'I suppose thou sayest truly; but one thing I know, were she priestess
+presiding, Venusta would not enter the Temple--no, not if it were the
+only pathway to the Elysian.'
+
+'But,' said Chios, 'the Lady Venusta would witness the installation,
+should such take place, and favour me with her company?'
+
+'Thanks; but that shall not be. I might cause thee perturbation;' and
+she smiled rather cynically, or Chios thought so.
+
+Chios was thoughtful, and his gaze was through the open window away over
+the city towards the grove of Hecate, where the great trees peeped from
+behind the mountain of Pion.
+
+A dead silence fell on all, which was broken by Nika saying:
+
+'I should so much like thee to paint a picture of myself. Say, wilt
+thou? And when may I give thee first sitting?'
+
+'When thou comest,' replied Chios, 'I will do my best.'
+
+'Good!' said Venusta; 'thou shalt do it. I am sure it will do thee no
+harm to look intently on a face like hers. It might perhaps soften thy
+too sage-like brow; and then--who knows?--thou mightst captivate some
+lovely girl--eh?--as lovely as Nika. What sayest thou, noble lord of
+Rome?'
+
+'True,' said he, 'it may be so; but I fear it is a hopeless case. He is
+a confirmed bachelor.'
+
+'Perhaps not,' said Nika's mother. 'Who can tell? He may now be madly in
+love. Chios does such strange things. During his absence from us he may
+have taken a wife, and at any moment herald her forth as the fairest of
+Ionia. May it be so, noble Greek?'
+
+'No; Samos may be levelled to the ocean bed, but thou wilt never--never
+see me wed.'
+
+'Thou art dark again, Chios. Move aside, girl,' said Venusta; 'let the
+sun shine upon him;' but the face of Nika became clouded. She knew her
+mother's wit was wounding the heart of the only man she really loved.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XVI
+
+                      A GARDEN ON CORESSUS
+
+
+The evening grew old, but the light still lingered in the sky, and
+Venusta suggested a walk in the garden, seeing her daughter was agitated
+and careworn.
+
+The soft winds moved the leaves of the silver poplar, the violet-scented
+air fanned their cheeks, the convolvuli were closing, and the narcissi
+nodded good-night; it seemed sacrilege to break in on the perfumed
+silence. Varro walked with Venusta, and Nika with the Greek. Chios was
+the first to speak:
+
+'Thou art unhappy to-night, Nika. What ails thee?'
+
+'Nothing. I am happy. The evening air is sweet and pleasant to my soul,
+and before thou didst speak I saw the first star glisten on the diadem
+of night--shining out like a Pharos to the mariner; and as he knows by
+it that land is nigh, so see I that star a beacon on the hills of a
+far-away haven which perchance I may never enter, but be shipwrecked at
+the last.'
+
+'Poor girl, thou art indeed sad!'
+
+'Yea, sad I am, yet happy in my sadness. Oftentimes I am sad and
+wretched withal; but to-night, I know not why, I am resigned--feeling as
+if some great, sad joy spread its wings around me for protection. Oh
+that I might ever continue so! I fear this is but a prelude to a
+storm-wind which shall rush over and break me as a hurricane would kill
+those lovely flowers.'
+
+As she spoke a night-hawk passed with a shriek, and the evening star was
+hid with a cloud.
+
+'Sawest thou that dreadful bird? Heard'st thou its wail, Chios?'
+
+'Yea. What of it? It goes to its home on the cliffs of Coressus.'
+
+'No, no! That is not all! It spoke as it flew--shrieked sounds of gloom,
+which the augurs understand; it means evil!'
+
+'Dost thou believe the augurs, Nika?'
+
+'I do, and the words of the priestess also.'
+
+'Which priestess?'
+
+'Saronia.'
+
+'What of her?'
+
+'Dost thou not know?'
+
+'Thy mother told me something respecting an uttered curse.'
+
+'What if she become High Priestess of Diana?'
+
+'She would deal justly.'
+
+'Thou dost not know how I fear that girl--how I fear her spell. I have
+tried to drown it, but it will not die. It mounts above the crested
+ocean of my pleasure, and, like the evil bird just passed, it wheels and
+shrieks around, and mars the joys that youth and the world give me.'
+
+Just then the notes of a bird singing out its soul came forth from the
+myrtle-trees.
+
+'Hearest that jubilant song? It compensates the evil omen. Light up,
+sweet face, with radiant smiles! Answer it back with joyous greeting!'
+
+'No, I cannot. This omen is for Chios. Thou wilt joy. Thy life is tinged
+with richest colour--mine is shadowed with darkness. Thou art good! I
+see it all when too late.'
+
+Venusta and Varro were returning, and met Nika and her companion. The
+Roman playfully remarked:
+
+'Ionian, dost thou mean to steal my love?'
+
+'No! If thou wert jealous, why quicken thy pace and leave us, like
+wounded birds or disabled ships, to follow in thy wake? Here she is
+safely brought, and as I have acted sea-pilot; thou shalt be the harbour
+guide, and take her into port. Do not miss your way, as lovers often do!
+Come, noble Venusta, let me be thy guide.'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XVII
+
+                          THE PICTURE
+
+
+The day arrived for the election of High Priestess of Diana, and, as was
+generally expected within the Temple, Saronia was chosen to occupy that
+exalted position. When the people heard of this they were amazed, for
+amongst them she was scarcely known, excepting for her kindly manner and
+beautiful presence. Few, if any, outside the Temple recognised in her
+any of those superior intellectual attainments which were expected in
+the person who undertook the highest and most sacred duties of the
+Temple. Consequent on the election of a comparatively unknown girl,
+inquiries were numerous, asking who she was and whence she came,
+springing like a comet out of the gray depths of the sky; and when reply
+was made that she had been a slave to the wife of Lucius, many
+marvelled, and said it was the hand of the goddess who raised one of low
+degree to sit upon the golden throne; whilst among the noble families of
+Rome great curiosity was manifested to glean from her former mistress
+what she was like--what was thought of her; in fact, they wished to know
+all about the former slave. And thus, in a brief period, Saronia became
+the most notable person in all Ephesus and throughout Ionia, into Lydia,
+Caria, Pamphylia and Phrygia, and over the sea to Greece.
+
+It was during this excitement Nika came to the studio of Chios. It was
+her first visit. Never did the girl look more beautiful. She greeted the
+artist with a smile, and sat down upon one of the lovely couches.
+Casting aside her richly-embroidered cloak, she revealed her snow-white
+garments clinging in folds around her graceful form. Her hair fell
+forward on either side, leaving an arched temple smooth as marble, and
+waved away over her ears till it was caught by an azure ribbon flecked
+with gold. Then she laughed a merry peal of laughter, and said:
+
+'Art thou glad to see me?'
+
+'I am, Nika. Thou bringest sunshine into the place. It lights up thy
+face and twinkles like stars in thy beautiful hair. One requires a
+cheerful sitter to make a good likeness, for, after all, the poor artist
+has only a few pigments to portray the loveliest of creatures.'
+
+'Now, now, silence, flatterer! To business. How intendest thou to treat
+the subject which may represent me? Say, wilt thou paint me as Ariadne
+in Naxos?'
+
+'No; the subject ill befits these joyous times. Ariadne lost her lover;
+thou hast gained one, and retainest him with chains of brass. I will
+paint thee as thou reclinest. Keep thou the cheerful mood, and Nika
+shall see how she looks when she is happy.'
+
+'Must I not rearrange those wandering locks?'
+
+'No; the light dances between the shadows like children at play. Let
+them remain.'
+
+'Very well, Chios. Thou art an obliging man. I will do my best to remain
+as steady as Olympus. May I converse?'
+
+'Freely, if thou pleasest.'
+
+After the sitting was completed, she felt that she had never spent a
+happier day, and said:
+
+'When may I come again?'
+
+'To-morrow, at the same hour. I will paint thee whilst in such merry
+mood. Good-bye, Nika; greetings to thy mother.'
+
+The next day, and from time to time, she came to Chios, until the
+painting was well-nigh finished.
+
+One evil day she came and reclined upon her accustomed couch. Chios was
+absent. After a while she arose, and moved around the room. Behind a
+curtain of splendid tapestry, half hid, she saw a picture o'er which was
+thrown a screen of yellow silk. She would see the painting on the hidden
+panel; she would lift the veil--see the goddess. What fun she would have
+with Chios! Perchance 'twas some Ionian beauty or Carian girl who had
+smitten him suddenly. Should she risk it? Yes--no--perhaps he might come
+swiftly and be annoyed. So she moved away--stood still for a moment.
+
+'See it I must. If caught, I will laugh away his censure--shine out on
+him in all my splendour and burn up his reproof.'
+
+So she stepped forward and raised the yellow silk concealing the picture
+of Saronia as High Priestess of Diana, and as that dark, mysterious face
+met her gaze, she uttered a piercing shriek, and fell to the ground.
+Chios heard it, and rushed within. Seeing the curtain disturbed, he took
+in the whole position, and, darting forward, found Nika lying
+unconscious. He raised her and laid her on the couch. Her flowing hair
+had burst its bands and fallen over her shoulders. He tried to rouse
+her, called her name, and said: 'Chios is here, Nika, awake!' But she
+lay as one who was dead.
+
+What could be done? Her bosom heaved--she was not dead--she would come
+to again. He could not leave her for assistance, for if she awoke and
+found herself alone, she might die. He knelt by her side, and chafed her
+hands; but it was of no avail. Just then a thought came into his mind.
+He would paint her as she slumbered in that death-like swoon. He seized
+his brushes, and quickly wrought a picture--sketchy, but true--and when
+it was drawn he called it 'Death.' Then came signs of awakening. Tears
+flowed from the half-opened eyes, and rushes of colour, like the morning
+sunrise, stole over her cheeks. Then the mists cleared away, and she saw
+Chios kneeling before her, and, with a wild, convulsive start, she fell
+upon his neck, crying, 'Save me! save me!'
+
+And Chios answered:
+
+'Thou art safe. What fearest thou?'
+
+'I fear the face of Saronia. I shall never forget it. It is like when I
+fell before her as she cursed me.'
+
+'Calm thyself! I tell thee again there is nothing to fear. I am with
+thee--no harm shall befall.'
+
+'Dost thou not fear her thyself?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Then--thou lovest her?'
+
+'What madness seizes thee? How can I love a sacred priestess of the holy
+Temple?'
+
+'A woman is quick to read a man. Whether thou knowest it fully or not, I
+tell thee thou lovest Saronia, the chief of the priestesses of the
+mighty goddess. Chios, thou hast power over this fearful being! Oh that
+she were not a priestess!'
+
+'Why so? What difference would it make to thee?'
+
+'All.'
+
+'Tell me what thou meanest.'
+
+'This. If it were possible for thee to approach her, thou couldst
+intercede for me. The curse might be removed from off this soul; bit by
+bit, as the sun darkens by eclipse, so my spirit grows more night-like,
+and soon my lamp shall go out in darkness. I know it is impossible for
+thee to speak to her, or I would ask thee, but canst thou not send to
+her privately? Love thee I am certain she does. This curse somehow
+sharpens my intellect, and my inner sight is clearer. I perceive things
+which wound me sorely. If she loves thee, she cannot deny thee. Wilt
+thou help me? Thou hatest me not, neither dost thou love me. All this I
+have seen long since; but I love thee dearly. What need have I to say
+this? Thou art already aware of it. It is not meet I should thus speak,
+seeing I am betrothed to Varro. It is not chaste to unburden my feelings
+in this manner, but my so doing will not injure the Roman or conjure up
+the fire of love in Chios for Nika. No, it will not harm.'
+
+'Nika!'
+
+'Listen, Chios. I would die for thee. Is not this love worthy of thy
+regard, worthy of an effort on thy part? Wilt thou not take pity on a
+poor outcast soul? And, Chios, if thou art vexed with me for divining
+thy love for Saronia--vexed with my love for thee--then, if I cannot
+banish such love--the curse of a love for thee without a love in
+return--then, forgive me, and I will bury it, that it may never rise
+again from the grave of my heart. Oh, help me--help me!'
+
+'Nika, hear me calmly. There was a time when I could speak to Saronia;
+but she now soars to an altitude unapproachable, and I can follow her
+only afar off. I dare not send a message to her. She, who stands first
+of Ionian women, Queen of the World next the goddess, how is it
+possible?'
+
+'Chios, all things are possible whilst life lasts. If death cut us down
+in the endeavour, then there is an end of it; but to dare unto death
+requires love stronger than life. Command me to see her on thy behalf,
+and I will speak to her or die in the attempt.'
+
+'Good girl, I do not require thine assistance. I have no message for
+her. How can I help thee? Would that I could! Let me think for a moment.
+I have a plan--the Roman! Thou hast influence with him, say?'
+
+'He adores me.'
+
+'Then propose to him that I paint Saronia. Thou hast seen the picture.
+It is like her, is it not?'
+
+'It is, truly so.'
+
+'Well, no one knows I am engaged on this work but Varro, and he caught a
+glimpse of it; we can make it necessary that I should see her at the
+Temple. If the Roman offer to present the picture, this will be granted.
+He is wealthy and can pay a large sum for the painting, but I will
+return every coin. If my greatest work can aid you, freely, freely will
+I give it; but, hear me, this will be a fruitless endeavour.'
+
+'How so?'
+
+'Because, if such a curse is on thee, it is not the curse of Saronia.
+She would not blast thee. If such a thing exists, it is the curse of
+Hecate. The priestess had never the power to conceive it, neither the
+strength to kill it; but hear me further. I do not believe thou art
+cursed. My view of a presiding demon or divinity runs not in such
+direction. Gods and goddesses roam not to and fro blasting spirits of
+mortals in such manner. It is an idea born of older times, and doubtless
+will survive down the ages until men grow wiser; then such nonsense will
+be looked upon with ridicule, and become a thing of the past.'
+
+Nika shuddered, and said:
+
+'Would I could think so! I know what I say is true--I am as certain of
+it as that I exist. Were I bereft of reason and madness clothed me as
+with a garment, yet this curse, burnt into my soul with letters of fire,
+would be understood in all its power to me.'
+
+'It is useless talking to thee, foolish girl. I will do as thou wishest
+with the picture of Saronia.'
+
+'And I will away and do my part, and hope, ere many days are ended, thy
+project may bear fruit.'
+
+Pale and agitated, she arose to go. Chios said:
+
+'I will accompany thee and pay my respects to thy mother;' and gathering
+a bunch of orange-blossom and roses, he gave them to Nika.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XVIII
+
+                             WARNING
+
+
+As they passed the gateway, Endora, the witch, stood by and gazed at the
+girl and Chios. The maiden pitied her, and gave her a coin of gold. The
+old woman looked up, first at Chios; then, turning to Nika, said:
+
+'May the choicest flowers of life ever strew thy pathway, fair lady, and
+may the goddess---- But stay, I cannot bless thee. I have no power to do
+so. Would that I could!'
+
+As they passed away, she muttered:
+
+'I cannot even try to bless her; she is accursed of Hecate--I read it
+too well. Ah, ah, ah! She is like unto me: both are outcasts; she in the
+heyday of youth and flowing over with wealth, I an old hag and poor as a
+barren rock, save for this bit of gold. The goddess is no respecter of
+persons. What can be the sin of this golden-haired beauty? Mine I know.
+I will unravel hers. Where does she go, I wonder? And with Chios? And he
+gave her the richest flowers. I will follow far behind. My sight is
+keen. I will know where she perches.'
+
+So Endora followed, and saw them enter the house of Venusta. The witch
+accosted a little child.
+
+'Knowest thou the lady of this dwelling, innocent one? I am seeking
+alms, and would know her name.'
+
+'The lady of the house?' replied the girl.
+
+'Yes, of this one,' pointing with her finger. 'This house,' and she
+pierced through the eye of the child, who started back with dread. 'Tell
+me, quickly, who resides within.'
+
+'Venusta, wife of Lucius, the Roman sailor.'
+
+'And who was that fair maid who passed in with the noble Greek?'
+
+'That was Nika, her daughter.'
+
+Endora moved off, murmuring, 'Nika! Nika!' A sudden frenzy seized her;
+her eyes glared out like spots of fire.
+
+'Nika, is it? Ah, I know her pride! She hunted the chosen of Hecate, and
+now she loves without being beloved, and the curse is strong upon her.
+She has her reward. Starving am I, and this coin would buy food; but I
+will never use it. No, back it shall go to the giver! The flying slave,
+starting eyes, haunted look, speak to me. I helped to save, encourage
+Saronia. I will never fatten on the alms of her enemy! No, no; outcast
+as thou art, poor soul of mine, I will not taint thee further by
+accepting such as this.'
+
+So she went back to the girl to whom she had spoken, and said:
+
+'Take thou this golden coin to the slave who stands in yonder vestibule
+and say it belongs to Mistress Nika, that she gave it to a woman at the
+gate of Chios, and that the woman has no use for it. Now go, quickly,
+and perhaps she may reward thee. I would, but have none to give.'
+
+For very fear the child took the money within, and the witch Endora
+passed on her way.
+
+As the woman went by the Temple, a company of priestesses passed the
+outer walls and made for the grand entrance. She hurried forward and
+overtook them, singling out a striking form, one whom she could not
+mistake, and, rushing to the front, fell prostrate at her feet, crying:
+
+'Mercy, lady, mercy; hear me! Do not turn aside. Rather would I ye
+should use me to clean the dust from off thy sandals ere ye enter the
+sacred courts.'
+
+'What hast thou to say?'
+
+'Mighty priestess, thou art Saronia.'
+
+'I am.'
+
+'Did I not tell thee, noble lady, thy star rode upwards in the Eastern
+sky? and now its light so strong, so splendid, beats upon thee, that
+thou art like a silver moon among the stars. Hear me, great priestess, I
+implore thee. Think of Endora, vile and steeped in iniquity. Pray for me
+that I may be forgiven--pray for me!'
+
+And with a cry she fell to the ground.
+
+'Take her within,' said Saronia, 'and see that she be cared for. I will
+follow.'
+
+Then they raised her, and the poor thing staggered through the great
+court.
+
+The priestess was soon at the side of the wretched woman, and two
+attendants ministered to her wants. When she revived, Saronia dismissed
+the girls, saying:
+
+'Alone I will listen to this tale of grief.'
+
+When they had departed, she took Endora's hand in hers.
+
+'Art thou better? Say on thy story.'
+
+'I am base, worse than thou dreamest. True, I was weak, faint for want
+of food; but I am not penitent. I have no desire to be forgiven. Deeper
+sunk is my soul by this pretending, this false asking pardon through thy
+intercession with the goddess. No, no, no; my spirit is too dark, too
+damned for cleansing! I have another motive.'
+
+'Vile woman, what dost thou mean?'
+
+'I come to tell thee of _Nika_.'
+
+'Nika? Nika of Lucius?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'Stay thy speech, then; she is dead to me. I have no desire to hear more
+of her.'
+
+'But, dreadful Saronia, thou _shalt_ hear _that I have to say_! Thou
+hast a woman's heart, and will listen as I go on. She has been thine
+enemy--still is--she lurks in thy pathway. Venusta is as bad, if not
+worse. Both would singe thy wings, sacred as thou art, and draw thee
+down to be the sport of Ephesus, nor stay their tongues at any lie.'
+
+'What meanest thou? How knowest thou this?'
+
+'How do I know? Do not slaves leave their homes by stealth and come to
+the wise woman Endora that she may read their fate? Such is the case.
+One night, under cover of darkness, a slave slid from the jewelled home
+of the Romans, and sought my wretched den. 'Twas then I plucked from out
+the bosom of the frightened one the secrets of Venusta's house. She
+overheard her mistress say that all in her power should be done to drag
+thee down, appealing at the same time for aid from the Roman Proconsul,
+who has just arrived from Rome to rule Ionia. But--I have more to tell
+thee. Thou knowest Chios, the Greek?'
+
+'Thou art growing too familiar, Endora.'
+
+'I am aware of it, august lady, but this familiarity is but the outcome
+of my strong desire to aid thee. I will say my say if cast to death for
+it. Remember we serve one goddess. Thou art blessed; I a rebel and
+cursed. But Hecate is our goddess. I say thou knowest Chios; I know it
+to be so, I noted his kindness when thou wert a slave. Rememberest thou
+the time when, standing without the great theatre, waiting the bidding
+of the Roman reptile, he came and spoke words of comfort to thee--to
+thee? And below, in the depths of thy heart, are many cherished windings
+of the past wherein he lit thee through the briars.'
+
+'Cease, woman: no more of this! I may arise and destroy thee. Darest
+thou insult the servant of Diana?'
+
+'I insult thee not; I tell the truth, and truth is a rare commodity with
+me. Thou canst slay me! If I lie, then would I fear, but, speaking the
+truth, I make thine hands weak and thy wings weary. Once more I say at
+that time thou lovedst him, and could not help doing so; and this also I
+assert: Chios loves Saronia--Chios is content to feed on those memories
+of the past, and so art thou. Thou art forbidden by thy office to love
+other than the goddess, but I tell thee woman must love, and in secret I
+know thou must keep this love aglow--_eternally_ so--like a vestal
+flame; and woe, I say, to the woman that crosses thy path to kill this
+light, to put out this flame! Now, such a being is Nika--Nika, the Roman
+girl; she attempts it. I have told thee; I have warned thee.'
+
+'Thou talkest madly. What have I to do with Nika or Chios?' And,
+pointing towards the great Temple, Saronia exclaimed: 'There is the
+gateway to my only love!'
+
+'No, no, lovely priestess! I am right, and thou must hear me to the end,
+and then, if thou desirest, may'st destroy me. 'Twas but to-day I stood
+at the gate of Chios asking charity, when he and Nika came forth. One
+could see by her face beaming with radiance that words of tenderest
+meaning clung like flowers of jasmine around her heart, and she bore in
+her hands richest blossoms of varied hue culled from the garden of
+Chios. Now, mark well what I am about to say. He loves her not--of this
+I am certain, but she has drawn him with her subtle wiles and may bind
+him as a slave--bind him with her web as a spider chains a fly. He is a
+good man being netted by an artful fowler; a part of their hate for thee
+would be gratified could they but take Chios in their snare, make him
+their tool in bringing forth their darkest designs on thee. I warn thee
+of this treacherous girl and her wolf-like dame. Take heed. Beware, lest
+Chios and Nika join them for thy destruction.'
+
+'How didst thou know Chios?'
+
+'Have I not told thee I saw him near the great theatre talking to thee
+when thou worest the robe of golden brown, the badge of slavery?'
+
+'True.'
+
+'Yes, Chios I knew well, but the girl I knew not. And, when they passed,
+she with the golden hair gave me a coin--a coin of gold. I would have
+blessed her, and commenced--but failed. Even if I had blessed her, my
+blessings would have been empty words; but even such I could not bestow,
+for, as I spoke, I looked into her eyes and read her accursed of
+Hecate.'
+
+'Hush! 'tis fearful!'
+
+'I hurried after to know her name, and saw her enter a sumptuous home on
+the slope of Coressus, and was told it was Venusta's place, and she who
+entered Nika, the daughter. I sent the golden disc within, saying I
+needed it not. I could not take alms from the accursed girl, the young
+tigress who would have maimed thee--killed thee! This is my story. I
+go.'
+
+'Hast thou more to say?'
+
+'No, noble priestess. Let me go. The truth is said. Now I am weak again,
+and thou couldst crush me as a moth between the fingers, or I might
+presumptuously fly too near the flaming lamp and be my own destroyer.'
+
+'I cannot let thee go as thou earnest, in poverty. Thou wilt, I am sure,
+take from my hands these bits of gold in place of that thou sacrificedst
+for me. They will buy thee food and wine and raiment, and help to give
+some little joy. Go thy unhappy way. I pity thee, Endora--I pity thee,
+and I tell thee I will care for myself; but no harm can come to me
+whilst I follow that which is good.'
+
+Saronia left her, retired to her private chamber, and threw herself down
+to rest awhile. She believed all the woman had said. She had faith in
+Chios, but would he be firm amidst the temptations which beset him? Then
+she arose, and walked to and fro the room like a caged lion. She could
+not move out and wage warfare; it was an unequal fight. What could she
+do? For a moment jealousy sat upon the throne of reason, and she became
+fearful to look upon. Should she, in the might of her fury, blast this
+girl before her time? Should she pour forth her mystic spells until they
+consumed her very vitals? No! She would, at any rate, if war must come,
+battle with her, spirit against spirit, woman against woman. For the
+present she would wait events.
+
+She wished now she had kept Endora, and bade her bring news from the hum
+of the busy world. Never mind; she could summon her at will. One thought
+could fetch her. She was mightier in will than the wise woman, and, as
+Hecate could summon her priestesses, so Saronia could call the witch.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XIX
+
+                        THE DAWN OF FAITH
+
+
+The day had arrived, and Varro and Chios were to meet the priests and
+priestesses concerning the picture of Saronia. Many eyes were turned
+upon them until they entered the Temple and were hidden from view.
+
+When the time came for the Roman to approach the High Priest, he
+addressed him thus:
+
+'Most noble of the Megalobyzi, most exalted among men, king of priests,
+High Priest of the great Diana, whose fame extends from Central Rome to
+Britain in the West, where stands a temple to her name--fame which
+extends not only from the centre to the West, but back again through the
+great world until it grasps the lands and islands of the far-off East,
+we, in all humility, and for the great veneration in which we hold the
+goddess, would help to honour the name of her great High Priestess,
+Saronia, before whom we bow lowly, and salute her first among women, by
+presenting to this holy shrine a picture truly painted of this noble
+virgin, that her goodness and beauty may ever appear before the eyes of
+the worshippers of her august mistress, Diana Triformis.'
+
+Then replied the chief Megabyzus:
+
+'Have we an artist in Ephesus who could do justice to our noble queen?'
+
+'We have,' said Varro; 'Chios the Greek. This is he.'
+
+'Good, most esteemed Proconsul, but remember it is enacted that the High
+Priestess cannot leave the precincts of the Temple to sit for this
+picture.'
+
+'That we know, and to this end have secured the help of Chios, who knows
+well the face of great Saronia, and he has almost finished the work.
+Wouldst thou, in the name of the goddess, accept it from my hands?'
+
+'We will, and mayest thou, good artist, prosper in thy work, and
+consider thyself fortunate that this honour is conferred on thee, the
+honour of immortalizing the loveliest woman since the time of Helen.'
+
+'Most noble priest, I am thine humble servant, and reverence thy creed.'
+
+But as Chios raised his eyes to those of Megabyzus, he saw them filled
+with a strange fire--eyes like those of an evil spirit, gleaming behind
+the living windows of darkling hue. It was but for a moment, and the
+priest turned to Saronia, saying:
+
+'Thy consent to us already has been given. Wouldst thou speak to these
+noble friends?'
+
+Then the girl, in her beauty and power, addressed the Roman in accents
+sweet and queenly, thanking him for the gift; and, looking on Chios as
+if she had never before seen him, said:
+
+'Noble artist of the Ephesian city, when wilt thou scan my features--say
+when--and in what part of this Temple may I linger that thy efforts may
+be complete?'
+
+'I purpose to trouble thee but little, mighty priestess. I will come
+when thou art offering sacrifice at the altar, and gaze on thy splendour
+afar off. As it has been said, the painting is well-nigh finished. I
+have beheld thee often when I worshipped here. Thy lineaments are graven
+on my memory. When word is sent me I will come.'
+
+'Well, it shall be quickly,' said she, adding, with a smile: 'Before my
+beauty fades, if any there be. Come to-morrow at the hour of sacrifice,
+and thou wilt see Saronia.'
+
+When they had retired, she meditated within: 'What meaneth this strange
+proceeding? The affianced of Nika presenting the picture of Saronia to
+the Temple, and Chios to paint it. There is evil afloat. The stormy
+petrel skims the waves. I will find from Chios the meaning of this
+secret work. No good for me can come from the house of Venusta. Be
+patient, Saronia, and thou shalt learn all. I will contrive to speak
+with Chios. Out of his heart of love he will tell me all. His eyes
+looked into mine: his mind was pure and shaped towards me. Good Chios, I
+trust thee, but I will try thee.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The next day when he arrived the Temple was full of song--white-robed
+priests and virgins stood around the altar offering their devotions,
+whilst the incense-cloud rose upward through the open roof like a
+morning mist hanging around the mountain.
+
+He was seated in a nook of the Temple where great pillars hid him from
+view. He heard not the morning song nor saw the incense-cloud ascend; he
+saw but one object, and that was Saronia, with uplifted eyes filled with
+radiant mystery, beseeching Heaven, the loose drapery hanging in snowy
+folds around her form and falling to her feet.
+
+One half-hour, with such intent as Chios had, was worth a lifetime to a
+meaner man. Every touch of the brush told, and ere the service ended he
+rested, and gazed passionately on her he loved so well.
+
+The song sank down to a whisper and died, burying its harmonies among
+the mighty marble pillars. Priestesses and priests moved away, leaving
+Saronia alone at the great altar, looking like the goddess of the
+shrine. For a moment she was silent, standing like a statue of Scopas;
+then she beckoned Chios to come forward, and moved away from the
+flower-strewn altar to meet him. The eyes of the girl spoke
+love--softest, tenderest love--but the face of Chios was like the
+granite rock of Bolerium. He knew he faced the opening through which the
+priests had passed, and feared to smile. Her lips parted, and she said:
+
+'Chios, what brings thee here? There is mystery in it all.'
+
+'Thou hast truly said. I have a mission to speak for Nika. My words must
+necessarily be few and to the point. She pines with the weight of the
+curse of Hecate, and asks thy intercession.'
+
+'Ah! I see through it all. Nika, the torturer, the serpent, would rob
+Saronia, and thou, half-hearted, art tottering on thy throne.'
+
+'No, Saronia. Hear me!'
+
+'I will _not_. Listen thou to me. If this curse were removed, thou
+wouldst marry her. She knows thou never wilt whilst it remains. I have
+not power to undo what my goddess binds. Had I, Saronia would _never_ be
+the one to feather an arrow for Nika. No, no; go thy way! Choose ye whom
+ye will love. I will never force thee to love me, neither will I help
+thee to love another. Farewell!' and, turning sharply, she went, and as
+she passed away turned again, and gave one look of love, so tenderly
+that the great tears swept down the cheeks of Chios. She saw them, and
+read his answering love.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+He was alone. The Temple, with all its grandeur, was a tomb. He
+staggered to a seat, and for a while seemed as if his soul had gone
+away. Then, arousing himself, he gazed long and lovingly at the spot
+where she had stood near the altar steps, and then went out into the
+fierce glare of the sun.
+
+Passing from the Temple, he espied a stranger coming towards him. As he
+approached, he discovered him to be the man he met very nearly at the
+same place when the great procession passed.
+
+'We have met again,' said Judah. 'How hast thou fared? Thou dost not
+seem happy.'
+
+'Thou hast rightly said. I suffer.'
+
+'Perhaps I may comfort thee. It will not be the first time I have
+ministered to such complaint.'
+
+'No, thou canst not. My sorrow is too deep to be fathomed, and too
+sacred to expose.'
+
+'I like thy thoughts, young man. Wert thou taught them yonder?' pointing
+towards the Temple.
+
+'No; they are the fruit of a mind that receives no impetus from such
+fraud as so-called worship is.'
+
+'Thou speakest strongly. What knowest thou of worship? A mind perturbed
+like thine is like a troubled sea, with never a place for calm. The
+worshipping soul is not thine.'
+
+'True, friend; I may not be a worshipper, neither wish to be one. This
+life is a mystery; the next a deeper one. If we cannot understand this
+earth-life, and are unable to trust mortals whom we see and know, how,
+then, can we trust those whom we have not seen?'
+
+'Shall we bestow our affections on the gods, who may not exist save in
+our imagination, or, if they be, for all we know, they may ridicule our
+adoration, make sport of us, tools of us to suit some purpose in pursuit
+of their own glory.'
+
+'Art thou a philosopher?'
+
+'I am an artist.'
+
+'Why followest thou this profession?'
+
+'Because I love it.'
+
+'Hast thou fame, riches?'
+
+'Yea, sufficient.'
+
+'Why dost thou work?'
+
+'That I may portray Nature in her beauteous forms, and give them forth
+to the people, that they may ever have the truth in trees and flowers
+and the ever-changing sea.'
+
+'Thou hast a benevolent spirit, and thy works betray such. Is it not
+so?'
+
+'Man should not herald every atom of good he possesses.'
+
+'That is true; but, nevertheless, a man's works reflect his inner being.
+What is thy name?'
+
+'Chios.'
+
+'A Greek?'
+
+'It is so.'
+
+'Then listen, Chios the Ionian. If thou canst be judged by thy works,
+judge ye the Creator of Nature by the same law. The God who made the
+pine-tree shoot forth from the darkling earth and grow upwards towards
+the vaulted heaven, clothing its foliage with the morning mist as with a
+garment; winged the great eagle which gazes on the sun, and made him a
+home amongst the rocks on yonder mountain-side; painted the petals of
+the rose which scatters perfume on the languid air--He who rolls the
+waves towards the shore, breaking eternally by His decree; the God who
+made the loveliest form in which a soul ere robed itself; fills the
+fruitful earth with food for men--judge Him, I say, by His works, as I
+have judged thee by thine. Are not His acts benevolent--are they not
+proofs of love? Thy acts are feeble attempts, and so are mine--little
+imitations, the outcome of His breath within us. His are boundless,
+eternal, and show forth His guardian care for all His creatures.'
+
+'I never looked at the matter in this way,' replied Chios. 'Thou seemest
+right. There must be a great First Cause behind all this, and it does
+appear His motive is unselfish.'
+
+'In that thou sayest truly, for God is love.'
+
+'What! So have the gods and goddesses of Greece that passion; and, if
+our traditions be correct, they loved too well, and made fools of
+themselves.'
+
+'Again, Chios, thou art wise. I say thou art also true; but the loves of
+the Grecian gods is not the love of my God. The traditions of your
+Ionian faith are lies. There are no gods but One. The passions imputed
+to them are but reflections of that which is impure in man. That which
+dwells in the bosom of the Infinite is purer than the river at its
+source, rising into light through the fissures of the rock. The best of
+man's love is selfish, and we exchange love for love. Men do not bestow
+their affections on those who hate them, but the Eternal One loves all
+with an amplitude beyond comprehension. "For God so loved the world that
+He gave His only begotten Son, that we might have life eternal."'
+
+'What dost thou mean by life eternal?'
+
+'This: that thy life may spread out into the great future, and the
+spirit be young when the stars grow dim and the sun be dead, and
+knowledge accumulate higher and deeper, joy broaden out as the æons on
+æons pass slowly behind thee, gathering in number like sands on the
+sea-shore; but never a shadow of death will lay on thee--never thy years
+will cease to be numberless. Thou wilt begin it, never wilt end it--end
+there is none.'
+
+'Thou art mighty in thy thoughts. I would know more of thee.'
+
+'Nay, it matters not to thee what of myself. My purpose will be served
+if I can lead thy mind into the channel of truth. I deem it fair to say,
+thy face being once set towards the goal, thou wilt pursue thy course
+till all is well.'
+
+'Thou thinkest too highly of me.'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Well, this I promise, good man: I will give fairest of hearing to thy
+teachings, and hope thou mayest implant the seed of a good faith, which
+may spring up and bear a bountiful harvest; but tell me ere we part, in
+the great life thou speakest of where is my future home? who are my
+companions?'
+
+'They shall kindred spirits be. What thou makest thyself here determines
+whom thou shalt dwell with yonder. Thine abode shall suit thy soul. Here
+men of evil build palaces and dwell therein, whilst others, as pure as
+the mountain breeze, crawl in and out a hovel or a rocky cave; but in
+the new life this shall not be. In what part of the mighty universe thou
+wilt begin thy course I cannot tell--perchance one of those bright orbs
+of light which shine forth so sweetly may be thy home. Then on and on,
+through space illimitable, but always nearer the infinite. Here mother
+and father greeted thee, but yonder, where there is no marrying or
+giving in marriage, God Himself shall be all in all, and meet thy
+coming. Take this parchment; I have written it for thee. Read it well;
+bend thine heart in prayer, seek communion with the Great Spirit that He
+may give thee light, for without such the words of man are useless. I
+wish thee well, Chios, and will see thee again.'
+
+As he passed away, Chios felt such a sense of loneliness as he had never
+before experienced. A faint dawn was breaking, and he murmured: 'Where
+there is no marrying or giving in marriage;' and the dark eyes of
+Saronia seemed to gaze steadily into his soul, until he cried: 'We must
+follow hand in hand through the life that is to be. Light without her
+would be darkness; life, however long, would be eternal death!'
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XX
+
+                            PLEADING
+
+
+When Chios next saw Nika there was a look of great anxiety on her
+beautiful face. She said:
+
+'Well, hast thou seen Saronia?'
+
+He knew not what to answer, and for a moment was silent; but the silence
+was soon broken by the girl muttering:
+
+'She has refused. Tell me, is it not so?'
+
+'Yes, she has, and I can do no more.'
+
+'What did she say?'
+
+'Her words were few, but to the point, to this effect: she had not
+cursed thee--if the goddess had, Saronia had not power to revoke it.'
+
+'As I thought. She would not stir as much as the quiver of a leaf to aid
+me; she hates me. Nevertheless, I am no worse by thy asking, rather
+better, for a fresh knowledge springs into my mind, whispering I was
+mistaken. Now I know she loves thee not, or would have granted thy
+request, Chios. No, there is no love in that great dark spirit. She has
+no counterpart, no affinity, and must move for ever feeding on herself;
+and thou, Chios, must see all this as well as I, and own if there were a
+love in thee for her it is a hopeless one, never to be returned.'
+
+A deep gloom clouded that lovely face, plunging her into deepest
+thought. Suddenly recollecting herself, she said:
+
+'What answer makest thou?'
+
+Chios looked into Nika's eyes.
+
+'The feud between thee and the priestess I may not judge, but Saronia is
+not a being who may revolve in an orbit moving in her eternal circle
+through the ages without passing the path of a kindred soul whom she may
+love. She will find her counterpart, and love as intensely as her mind
+is great and her faith strong. Thou knowest, girl, I would not for
+unnumbered worlds willingly cause thee a sting of heart--I never have;
+but I am compelled to speak as I have in vindication of Saronia.'
+
+'Thou ever didst it; it is no new phase.'
+
+'No; and it must remain so until this clay of mine is strewn to the
+winds, and after that, when my spirit is free to breathe the softer air
+of the summer land, even then would I vindicate her, if a myriad demons,
+dark and hellish, stood forth in fierce array to damn her!'
+
+'Oh, Chios, where hast thou learned to speak like this? It is so much
+like her that, if I knew thee less, I should count thee her affinity.
+Thy look is terrible. Calm thee, my noble brother, for more thou art to
+me--calm thee, Chios; I fear thee for the first time. Thou wilt not also
+curse me. Look at me! pity me! I have bared my very soul to thee. Spurn
+me not. Thy look tells me thou art on the verge of doing so. Let me
+cling a little to thee, Chios dear. Help Nika. Cheer her, if with only
+one tender look. I have somewhat learned to bear the curse of Hecate,
+the curse of loving thee without return of love, but can barely carry
+it, and often fall. If thou shouldst put out thy spark of coldest
+charity and leave me in darkness, Nika will fade and die.'
+
+'Cease, foolish maid! why speakest thou thus to me? It is not fair to
+the Roman to whom thou art betrothed.'
+
+'I know it all. What can I do? Can a maiden love two men? No, I love
+thee, Chios, and cannot help it. My love for thee grew from childhood. I
+cannot kill it. The Roman I respect, and may become his wife. Should he
+chide, I would meet him word for word, and the quarrel would not wound
+my soul, because I love him not; but with thee all--all is different.
+Say what thou wilt, raise thy jewelled dagger to slay me, my tongue
+would be as silent as the breaking dawn--ah, as silent!'
+
+And she bowed her head, for her eyes were wet with tears.
+
+'Come, Nika, no more of this. I am sorry for thee, but thou must not
+reproach Saronia, who is not here to defend herself.'
+
+'Let it be so, Chios. Thou art kind again. Thy voice bespeaks it, and my
+heart leaps up like a ship which scuds with the favouring gale on the
+crests of the foaming sea.'
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XXI
+
+                            THE WITCH
+
+
+It was night in the city of the Ephesian goddess. Gathered around the
+glare of a rude lamp sat Endora and a few who had come to consult her.
+Said one:
+
+'Thou hast heard of the new faith springing up around us?'
+
+'I have.'
+
+'Shall it prosper?'
+
+'I know not,' replied the witch.
+
+'I thought thou knewest everything, nothing being hid from thy
+scrutinizing gaze.'
+
+'Ah, my sons, there are mysteries which I cannot penetrate! Ask me to
+call spirits from the gloomiest hell, I might do so, but this new faith
+relates to a spirit-plane above this earth, where men, they say, are
+gods. Of this place I know nothing; over it I have no control.'
+
+'What is the emblem of this faith?'
+
+'A cross.'
+
+''Tis easily made. Let us form one and adjure.'
+
+'Nay, nay,' said the woman; 'let such things be.'
+
+'No, no; we will make it, and thou bring out thy potent spells. Let the
+faiths fight now! To-morrow we shall war with the new one before the
+sun. The people of Asia are gone mad over the new doctrines, and those
+infatuated by them will on the next day to this gather within the Agora,
+burn their charms and amulets, and fires will blaze with fuel formed
+from choicest books on Asian magic. Up quickly, we say, and to thy work!
+We fear not. Do thy best, and let the gods of this vile sect do theirs!'
+
+With a raven-clouded brow, the witch brought out her potions.
+
+'What hast thou, woman?'
+
+'Various kinds.'
+
+'Hast thou those which cast out demons?'
+
+'I have.'
+
+'Then stand forth Samo--Samo has a legion in him. Art thou ready,
+Endora? Proceed.'
+
+Then she chanted:
+
+    'Demon legion, listen, listen!
+    Hear the voice of Hecate,
+    Hear the thundering of her feet!
+    I, her minion, bid you tremble
+    Ere ye hasten back to Tartarus.
+
+    Seek ye bodies more befitting,
+    With your spirits more in union.
+
+    Come ye out, ye reeking fiends,
+    Never more return to hinder
+    This old man from groping forwards
+    To the radiant fields Elysian.'
+
+Putting her hands forward towards the man and lowering them towards the
+ground, she paused with greedy expectation, whilst the possessed stood
+still with vacant stare, and naught was heard but the barking of the
+night-hounds.
+
+'Thou hast failed, mother,' said Sceva--'thou hast failed!'
+
+'Yes, I know--I know! Look ye--look at the cross yonder! See how it
+streams with living light! 'Tis guarded by spirits of flame more
+powerful than Hecate--ah, more powerful than Hecate is here!'
+
+'Nonsense, woman! cease thy prattling! Thou hast drunk the Samian
+wine--thou art weak to-night. We will abjure. Eh? By Solomon! who left
+us incantations stronger than thine.'
+
+Sceva said: 'Set a basin full of water on the floor. It shall be
+upturned by unseen hands, that we may be assured of the departure of the
+demons.'
+
+Then, drawing from the folds of his dress a blood stone ring, he placed
+it near the nostrils of the demoniac, commanding the legion to come out
+of him, chanting:
+
+    'By the Jewish altar throne,
+    By the temple at fair Salem,
+    By the rites of Solomon,
+    By the sovereign power of Judah,
+    Children loved by God of gods,
+    Come ye forth, ye fiends rebellious,
+    Hasten with the waning hour
+    Back to hell, your endless house!'
+
+Still the look of Samo was one of blank despair. No voice came from him,
+no paroxysms, no falling to the ground, and the water was unspilt.
+
+Then the men gazed at each other, and Endora said with her sardonic
+smile:
+
+'What ails the gods to-night? They are powerless, and ye also have drunk
+the Samian wine.'
+
+'No, we will not yield,' said Sceva. 'Now for the test! Let us adjure by
+this Jesus whom the wandering Paul preaches, and, by Heaven, we will use
+the cross.'
+
+Rushing forward, he seized it and held the emblem before the man.
+
+Endora cried out: 'Stay! stay! Do it not! I see one by it who looks like
+a God!'
+
+But Sceva said, 'Nay!' and cried out:
+
+    'We, the holders of this symbol,
+    Bid you by the name of Jesus
+    Come ye forth, and ever be so
+    While eternal ages roll!'
+
+Then a voice came forth from Samo, 'Jesus I know, but who are ye?' and
+with the wild frenzy of madness he rushed upon them, tearing their
+garments to pieces until they fled the cave and down the steep sides of
+Mount Pion towards the city.
+
+The poor demoniac had clutched the radiant cross, and fell with it to
+the ground. As he pressed it to his lips, a joyous smile swept over his
+face. He was changed. The tempest-tossed soul was riding at anchor in a
+haven of calm, and the weary spirit shone with glorious sheen.
+
+Endora had fled with the rest. She hid herself behind some black poplars
+until the freed man departed. Then she crept back to her cave, and found
+utter confusion reigning. Things were soon put straight, for she had few
+luxuries.
+
+She sat down meditating on those passing strange events. Suddenly she
+started, crying, 'The Cross! the Cross!' and springing forward, she
+grasped it, broke it to pieces, and flung it from the cave.
+
+'No good can come to me whilst it remains within. It represents not
+Hecate--of that I am sure.'
+
+Then she sat down again, like a spider in its den, trusting some
+visitors might come to consult and bring her gain, for the night was
+clear and the stars shone out like children of the sun.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXII
+
+                        THE LOVE-PHILTRE
+
+
+'Foiled am I on every hand.
+
+'First, cursed by a slave once my slave, and she now the Queen Priestess
+of the Asian people, with myriads at her feet!
+
+'That is not all. She has refused to aid me, even when Chios pleads for
+me, and he--what of him? The only man I ever loved, or ever shall, turns
+from my love and pities me. Curse the pity! Is it come to this, that I,
+a high-born Roman of the Romans, seek shelter from an unknown slave, and
+beg for love from a Greek, and be refused? No, no, Nika! Thou must
+arouse thyself, and thou shalt.
+
+'What I cannot gain by pleadings shall be sought for otherwise. I will
+not be foiled. I will not die, and mix with every common dust borne
+hither and thither by the wanton breeze. Again I say no, it shall not
+be!
+
+'Well then, Nika, bold girl, what wilt thou do? Let me think.
+
+'Of one thing I am certain. Chios loves Saronia. Who knows but that she
+loves Chios? Of this I am not quite sure. No mortal knows the mind of
+that strange being. Ah! shall I say that she loves clandestinely and
+meets her lover?--whirl an arrow barbed perchance with lies and bring
+her down? That will be revenge, but I may in some way implicate Chios,
+and, besides, if I cannot prove my saying, I encounter death.
+
+'No, this is too wild. Cease thy flutterings, vain spirit mine! Oh that
+I had proof of such a thing! Then would I rush to the world, proclaim
+her fallen, and gloat over her wretchedness. It may come--who can say?
+But, for the present, I have another course that will strike home--I
+will do my utmost to bring Chios to my love, and wound to death Saronia.
+
+'I will seek the witch of Ephesus, Endora, and consult her. She will
+help me, for--gold. I will buy from her the costliest charms. She shall
+brew, doubly brew a philtre of love, strong enough to warm the icy Chios
+were he ten times colder than the snows on Tmolus. Neither will I lose
+time. I will meet her to-night. She lives in a darksome cave on the
+Temple side of Pion, and nothing shall daunt me, for, as soon as the
+veil of night is drawn, I will robe myself with courage, and go forth,
+fearing neither the howling beasts nor the shadowy gloom of the lofty
+pines. No, though a phalanx of fiends from the depths bar my passage,
+yet will I press forward like he who fights for life.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When darkness enveloped the city and mountains, she stole forth from her
+home on the lofty Coressus, down the mountain way.
+
+The sweet odours of the night-flowers blew gently against her cheeks.
+She drew her purple mantle around her, and hastened on unobserved.
+
+As she passed the studio gate of Chios, the nightingale sang to its
+mate, but a chill of horror shook her soul, for well she knew her way
+was evil.
+
+Moving away, her spirits rose. She left the great road to ascend the
+side of Mount Pion. Her step was light, and without weariness she drew
+near the cave of Endora. For the first time fear possessed her. She saw
+the witch at the entrance. She had, however, gone too far to retract,
+neither did she want to do so.
+
+Well knowing a girl's appearance in such a place at such an hour could
+point only to one intent, the woman addressed Nika:
+
+'Tell me, lady, dost thou seek the witch?'
+
+'Yes,' replied the girl, 'and thou art she.'
+
+'Come within, pretty maiden, for the winds are chill and the night-hawks
+violent. Nay, stay a moment, do not enter now. I will light the lamp.'
+
+As Endora entered she thought within her: 'This is Nika accursed of
+Hecate, the tyrant of Saronia, the lover of Chios. What darkness is
+abroad? What comes she for to-night? Shall I slay or play with her?
+Revenge is toothsome to me. I have her in my power, and could square
+accounts for Saronia, but what, I wonder, would the priestess say?
+Perhaps I should get blame or death for my work. So I will let her be,
+and will draw from her that which I know the dark girl of the Temple
+will not disdain to hear.
+
+'Now then, Endora, do thy work well. Fear not the Roman lady, and a mine
+of wealth is thine. But what do I care for gold?'
+
+Nika entered the cave, hewn directly out of the rock. An iron ring was
+driven into the roof, and a quaint old Phallic lamp hung down just clear
+of their heads; a winding fissure in the rock let out the smoke. A
+recess was in its inner part, and a time-worn curtain hid a pallet of
+corn-leaves. Two old chests, a few stools, a rude altar, cooking-pans,
+and some quaint trifles spread around made up the contents of the place.
+
+'Sit thee down, lady. Compose thyself. Thou art safe, although the place
+looks stormy. What seekest thou?'
+
+'To know my fate. I have heard thou art deeply skilled in magic, and I
+would know more than the present reveals.'
+
+'Wouldst thou know all?'
+
+'How far would it go?'
+
+'To thy life's end--and beyond.'
+
+'Tell me first. You know the old story. Shall I love? whom? when? and so
+on?'
+
+'Ah, girl, thou hast deeply loved, and he whom thou wilt wed thou lovest
+not.'
+
+'Go on. Gold I have in abundance, and thou shalt be well paid.'
+
+'No, I will not take thy gold.'
+
+'Why not?'
+
+'I wish it so.'
+
+'Thou shalt have it. I have it by me.'
+
+'I tell thee again, great lady, I will have none of it.'
+
+'Why callest thou me great lady? Dost thou know me?'
+
+'No, I know thee not, but see thy fate. Money from thee I will not
+take. Thou camest here safely; thou canst leave at once without
+hindrance.'
+
+'No, no, woman! I have braved the dangers of the night to meet thee, and
+ere I leave fresh light must shine upon my pathway.'
+
+'Ah, thou art a sharp maid! Now, then, what really is thy business?'
+
+'I require a love philtre. 'Tis true as thou hast said, I marry the man
+I love not. I would make the one I love love me. Now to thy work! Thou
+art mightily skilled. I take thee into my confidence. Make the brewage
+sure, quick, decisive; there must be no mistake about it. First, then,
+know who I am--Nika, the daughter of Lucius and Venusta, the Romans. You
+know them?'
+
+'Yes, lady.'
+
+'Hearken again. I love Chios the Greek; I wed the Roman Proconsul
+because Chios loves me not, but if thou wilt compel him, I sink the
+Roman and wed Chios. Now I have bared my soul. Thou hast my secret. Keep
+it and help me, and I will care for thee. Reveal it, and, as I am young
+and powerful, and by Diana, I swear I will slay thee! Seest thou this
+dagger with its glinting jewelled hilt? I draw it. See its quivering
+blade, and beware! Be careful; I am indifferent to all--desperate! We
+are alone. No wavering will I have. Fulfil quickly my behest, and once
+more remember: betray Nika, and like a sleuth-hound I will track thee,
+and like a fury slay thee!'
+
+'Thine eyes are full of fire, young woman, and thy tongue is free. Thou
+art impelled like a ship before the maddening gale. The witch Endora
+knows not coercion, and will not be commanded even by Nika the
+tyrant--tyrant as thou art!'
+
+The girl sprang from her seat, and, with a bound, rushed at Endora, and,
+raising her jewelled hand, struck with her dagger at the woman's heart;
+but the strong arm of the witch was swiftly uplifted, and she clutched
+the wrist of Nika until the dagger fell.
+
+'Fool that thou art to come here in thy madness to take my life! Hast
+thou not sense enough left to understand thou art but a sapling in my
+hands? What shall I do by thee? Shall I crush thee like a worm beneath
+my feet, or shall I let thee live and suffer?'
+
+'Kill me,' said the Roman, 'and end it all! I am tired.'
+
+'No, I will not--I cannot--I have no power to kill thee! Put up again
+thy tinselled weapon. A halo of darkness like a thousand nights envelops
+thy soul. Other hands than mine must slay accursed Nika!'
+
+With a shriek the girl fell to the ground, and the dark, fiendish eyes
+looked down upon her, and the rugged brow of Endora was furrowed like
+the waves of the sea.
+
+Nika had the glare of the lamp shining on her pale, frightened face, and
+the witch stood over her in shadow like a spirit of Hecate--a spirit of
+evil, of lies.
+
+'Thou knowest that dread secret also. Who told thee?'
+
+'No one told me; I read it in thee. My soul saw thine. When thou hast
+lived long enough, thou mayest see in others what I beheld in thee. Now
+sit thee on the seat, and let us converse together. My time is very
+precious; others come. I begin by saying defiance is not for me. Those I
+aid must be subjective. I am mistress when I deal out love-philtres. Let
+me clearly understand. Thou requirest one for Chios?'
+
+'Yes. Say, dost thou know him?'
+
+'Just a little; but methinks he is not the man to be trifled with. I
+advise thee cast adrift this hopeless love, and sow the seed of a new
+one for the Roman. Besides, Chios may love another.'
+
+'Dost thou think so?'
+
+'I think nothing--I know nothing; I simply suggest the very ordinary
+remark.'
+
+'Endora, thou art not far away from the truth. I dare not say what I
+think.'
+
+'Say on; nothing would surprise me after thy mad freak just now.'
+
+'Well, I have a suspicion. He loves a very high personage--a princess.'
+
+'Is it really so, lady?'
+
+'Of course, I am not sure, but Chios always was wide in his actions. I
+knew a time when I believed he loved a slave.'
+
+'To what slave referrest thou?'
+
+'My slave,' replied Nika--'rather, my slave that was, now the great
+Saronia, High Priestess to the Ephesian Diana.'
+
+'Nonsense, girl! thou art dreaming!'
+
+'No, I am not, though in dreams ofttimes the truth appears.'
+
+'But there is no truth in this,' replied Endora; 'and if there were, the
+mighty Saronia is incapable of love.'
+
+'Dost thou know her so intimately as to be able to speak so minutely?'
+
+'Who does not know her? Is she not the most prominent woman in Asia, and
+as good and lovely as she is famous? Thou canst scout the idea from thy
+mind of Saronia loving Chios or he loving her. Who is this princess thou
+hast referred to?'
+
+'A Roman of royal blood.'
+
+'Nika, circle of lies, canst thou think to deceive me, the magic centre
+of Ephesus? I divine thy thoughts, read thy soul to its very core.
+Again, let me advise thee, turn from this love business.'
+
+'No! The philtre, brew it, make it quickly, give it me, I beg of thee!
+I cannot live without Chios. Have some compassion on me. Thou art a
+woman and wise, and canst see in this I lie not--my soul consumes me! He
+rejects me; all this inflames me to grasp quickly at this heart I love.
+In my passion I tried to slay thee. Forgive me, Endora--forgive me; I
+was mad! If thou dost not help me to win him--mark my meaning--I will
+not fail to make him so that he shall never love another!'
+
+'Rash girl, thou art truly beside thyself! Philtre thou shalt have, but
+remember it often turns to madness those you seek to win. What then?'
+
+'What then? I slay myself as an atonement!'
+
+'Again, let me warn thee those philtres do not always take effect. It
+may be like so much water to Chios.'
+
+'Never mind. Let me try.'
+
+'Then have it thou shalt, but what of the Roman? With such intoxication
+for Chios, and if the Greek half equals thee, then it would be so
+apparent to the Proconsul.'
+
+'Never you care! Give me a philtre to cool his love.'
+
+So, without more words, Endora stepped into the gloom of the cave, and,
+opening one of the chests, took therefrom ingredients for the spell. On
+the altar the woman laid some embers of fire, and, pouring oil over
+them, they sent forth a little blaze, shining out and lighting up the
+faces with a lurid glare, casting dark shadows behind them. For a moment
+no voice broke the stillness of the place. After the woman had placed
+her crucible upon the fire, she turned to Nika, saying:
+
+'Listen while I brew.' Stretching forth her bony hands, she said, 'Take
+this, thou haughty Greek:
+
+      'Fish remora,
+      Brains of calf,
+      Hair of wolf and bones of toad,
+      Blood of doves and hippomanes,
+      Scarlet oak and bruised snake,
+      Screech-owl's feathers and marrow of men--
+      Men who have drowned at sea.
+
+    Crackle the laurels under the pot;
+    Thrice I stir, thrice I chant the mystic number three.
+    Who shall withstand the philtre Endora of Hecate brews?
+    Simmer, ye potion!
+    Brew, ye philtre!
+    Spirits of Hades, draw out the essence
+    Of fish and beasts, birds and men!
+    Make the broth strong so the sediment worthless may be.
+    Help ye the drawing of love by the lover
+    From Chios who drinks of this mixture of Hell!'
+
+Turning, she saw the girl pallid with fright and shading her eyes with
+her hands.
+
+'Ah, Mistress Nika, thou art terror-stricken! What if I should clear thy
+vision and let thee see the spirits surrounding the charmed vessel?'
+
+Endora blew out the light, and the twain were in darkness, except for
+the glare of the dying embers. The girl uttered a death-like wail, and
+fell to the ground like a corpse. When consciousness returned, she saw
+the witch sitting in a cleft of the rock, with a sardonic smile on her
+face and a small phial in her hand. But it was not filled with the
+brewage; its contents were harmless. Endora knew her rôle too well to
+join Nika and Chios.
+
+As the love-stricken maid grew fully awake, she cried:
+
+'Oh, woman, thou art terrible! Is it thus thou makest the philtre? Had I
+known so much, my heart would have failed me. Thou art truly of Hecate,
+and so is Saronia. Is your creed the same?'
+
+'No, proud daughter of Venusta. It is the same, yet not so. Saronia is
+blessed of Diana; I am the accursed of Hecate. Saronia commands those
+spirits by her goodness; I draw them by the evil within me. But those
+shades are the slaves of the priestess, slaves like she was a slave to
+thee, with this difference: she treats the most abject with compassion;
+thou treatedst her with----'
+
+'Hush, woman; no more of this! Let her be.'
+
+'Ah, let her be, indeed; thou dost not intend to. As soon as thou art
+hence, thou wilt do thy best to devour her, as the night-hawk a sleeping
+bird. But beware, girl! Thou art treading a great abyss, an unfathomable
+chasm. Be careful, or thou wilt regret thy undertaking! Shall I say
+more?'
+
+'No, no; the philtre! Give it me, and let me go.'
+
+'Here, take it! But wilt thou not also take this, a counter-one for the
+Roman, to make him, cool as Chios, burn with love? I have such ready.'
+
+'Let it be so,' said Nika.
+
+Then the witch said:
+
+'Be wise: the rose-coloured phial for Chios; the azure for the Roman.'
+
+But the azure one was the brewage of hell.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXIII
+
+                        THE CHARMED WINE
+
+
+There was great excitement in the city of Ephesus, so strong had the
+power of the Christians become.
+
+The story of the demoniac also filled the minds of the people, and a
+great crowd had gathered in the Agora, it being rumoured that converts
+to the new faith would at noon openly burn their mystic books and
+publicly renounce their magical rites.
+
+When the multitude of onlookers saw a vast concourse advancing, bearing
+symbols of the cross, all looked forward to unpleasant proceedings.
+
+As the Christians drew nigh in regular procession, many leading men and
+women were observed amongst them. They came on, singing hymns to their
+God and His Messiah, with heads uncovered in the presence of the sacred
+emblems.
+
+Judah was amongst them, leading a number of men carrying aged
+manuscripts--manuscripts on Asian magic, written by some of the
+cleverest men of ancient times.
+
+The books were piled together, each man laying down his load. A torch
+was applied, and the smoke went up against the cloudless sky. Volumes
+were thrown upon burning volumes, the flames leaped high, rising into a
+pyramid of fire, till the whole were consumed.
+
+Judah stood forward, and, bending over the blackened ashes, cried:
+
+'Thus may error die everywhere down the line of centuries, until good
+shall reign supreme! One God, one Lord, and His Christ, for ever and
+ever!'
+
+Amongst the spectators were Venusta, Nika, and the Proconsul; but they
+were not on the side of the Christians. Their policy was one of
+silence--silence mixed with scorn.
+
+There was, however, amongst that hated sect one whom they well
+knew--Chios the Greek; he saw them and passed greeting.
+
+All would have passed off peacefully but for a traitor Ephesian who had
+mixed himself amongst the Christians, and, to raise the ire of the
+populace, cried out:
+
+'Down with Diana of the Ephesians!'
+
+The mob rushed frantically upon the crowd of book-destroyers, and would
+have torn them to pieces but for the intervention of the law,
+represented by an Asiarch who was present. He calmed the tumult, and
+laughed to scorn the idea of a few misguided men and women trying to
+eclipse the goddess whom all the known world worshipped.
+
+From that hour Chios was a marked man amongst his fellows. They were
+somewhat indifferent as to how the rabble moved, backward or forward,
+but with the Greek it was different--he, the greatest artist of Ephesus,
+whose inspirations had gone to build up the faith! Had he not painted
+Saronia, the High Priestess? and did not the picture hang prominently
+within the sacred precincts of the mighty Temple?
+
+No, he must be watched, secured. If a true charge could not be made
+against him, then a false one must be born. Better for him to go to the
+lions and die than live to embody with his great genius the principles
+of a false faith. Thus did he stand on a volcano of hate.
+
+As the crowd dispersed Chios joined Nika and her friends, and was
+greeted with a covert sneer.
+
+'Did we not see thee amongst the unclean? Shame, good man, to be in such
+doubtful company! Soon thou wilt be at their midnight orgies, and come
+forth an advocate for this pernicious fraud. And who may say but that
+thou mayest be baptized and paint the Christian martyr in the throes of
+death by fire or sword, or caged beasts, eh?--and sign thy name "Chios
+the Christian" also?'
+
+'Come, Chios, put away this melancholy. Come with us; we will cheer
+thee--make thee Chios again. Thou shalt drown thy sorrows in good Ionian
+wine.'
+
+'Yes,' said Nika, 'thou shalt have a draught of rare old Chian wine.'
+And to herself she murmured: 'It shall be rose-coloured, and this day
+shall be the last he shall think of faith or Saronia. Ah! he shall love
+madly, and I shall win him.'
+
+Chios made no retaliation, but smilingly said:
+
+'I will accompany you to your lovely home. Come, sweet Nika, let me sail
+by you. And you, Roman, escort the Lady Venusta. Do not be jealous if I
+make your Nika happy.'
+
+And they walked the shaded way, passing the stately marble edifices,
+until they ascended the side of Mount Coressus, the tall pines nodding
+gracefully as their foliage danced on the breeze.
+
+'Dost thou believe much in this magic?' said the girl. 'I would like thy
+honest opinion.'
+
+'Well, yes, I cannot say I do not believe in it. Undoubtedly, during the
+ages man has accumulated knowledge which enables him to consort with the
+unseen; but at the beginning it was not so, and even now it is unholy to
+do so.'
+
+'That is quite different to what I expected from thee. I expected thy
+hand raised emphatically, and "Nonsense! Childish fancies!" to have been
+thy reply.'
+
+'No, Nika; I search after truth and goodness. Mark ye, all that is true
+is not good; and truth oftentimes is wrapped in error--wrapped in lies.
+I take the wheat and throw aside the chaff! I believe it is true. Man by
+certain peculiar laws may familiarize himself with spirits deeper sunk
+in misery than himself, and may work with them. Believing this, I do not
+practise it. It is not good to do so. 'Tis fraught with direst evil, for
+the spirit here who mixes with such wandering ones sinks to their level
+and joins them when he passes over the boundary. Men--yea, women!--are
+like unto their familiar companions; if not so at the outset, will
+gradually and surely become so. Understand, Nika?'
+
+'Yes, and should feel very timid to move within the magic circle. Thy
+teaching, thou knowest, is law to me. Therefore I promise I never
+shall. But was it not a pity to burn all those beautiful books?'
+
+'No; burn the old creed and start with the new, if the new be better.
+Burn a world if it be vile, and start with a new earth, peopled with a
+few who know what it is to live well.'
+
+'But tell me quickly, Chios, how wouldst thou screen Saronia? She is the
+mightiest sorceress in the land! Wilt thou condemn her also?'
+
+'I condemn no one--I condemn creeds which pilot men to evil, and I press
+forward to gain the purer light. Let each one do the same.'
+
+They passed into the house of Venusta, and, once within the open court,
+all was changed. On the cool, perfumed air floated the softest strains,
+flowing like rippling water from cithara, lute and lyre.
+
+'Nika, dear girl, wilt thou arrange that fruit and wine may be set? Give
+order to thy slave; bid them be brought.'
+
+'Nay, mother, I will see to it all myself. The rich juice of choicest
+grape stands yonder. Let me fetch it--let me be serving-maid to such
+noble guests.'
+
+'Wayward child! A whim of thine, I suppose. Go thy way;' and the girl
+danced off on the lightest foot to the Golden Room.
+
+She grasped the goblets of gold, poured into them the rarest essence of
+the vine, and looked down into their rosy depths, and saw mirrored there
+the consummation of her hopes.
+
+'One thing is needful,' said she, 'to complete the chain. Link after
+link have I forged it, and now for the last to form a chain of love so
+strong, so powerful as to bind the Greek to me for _ever_!'
+
+She placed her hand within her girdle of rubies, and drew forth two
+phials--one azure, the other rose. She held them aloft, one in each
+jewelled hand. The sunlight came through the windows of coloured marble,
+and the phials sparkled like the jewels round her waist.
+
+She gazed on them, a smile lighting up her face. On them hung her life's
+joy--if such a thing as joy could ever warm the heart of Nika, the Roman
+girl.
+
+Yes, if she were doomed, she would be damned beneath the shelter of
+Chios.
+
+The goblets lay on the ivory table. One had a serpent around its base,
+emblem of eternity; into that she poured the contents of the
+rose-coloured phial.
+
+'This for Chios,' said she.
+
+The other vessel had a chaste design of lilies, into which she poured
+the liquid from the azure phial.
+
+'This for the Roman. Eternity for Chios--the fading flowers for Varro!'
+
+On a golden plate begemmed with emeralds she placed them, and went forth
+from the Golden Room bearing the charmed wine.
+
+'Drink!' said Nika. 'Drink joy to the house of Venusta and Lucius!'
+
+And they pledged themselves in Ionian wine.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXIV
+
+                          THE MINSTREL
+
+
+Chios sat lazily in his studio. Work he could not; something had come
+over him--an influence unseen hovered near. He was not sad, nor was he
+joyous. There was a deep quiet reigning such as he had never before
+experienced. He seemed to be moving into a new faith; a serenity of
+softest light lingered around his spirit--a mild delight into which one
+would sink until it blossomed into ecstatic joy.
+
+The light streamed through the open doorway, and fell into the shadows
+which dwelt behind the marble pillars.
+
+He heard soft strains from a distant lyre, and they sweetly moved his
+soul. The melody of song floated on the evening breeze. He arose from
+his seat, and followed the strains down between the sweet-scented
+myrtles to the entrance-gate.
+
+There was a poor emaciated minstrel, singing for bread. The heart of
+Chios was touched; he beckoned to the man, and brought him within and
+set food before him.
+
+'I like thy voice, sweet singer. Now thou art refreshed, tell me of thy
+life.'
+
+'Thou art passing good, kind sir. I was born in Delos, of Greek parents,
+who died whilst I was yet a child. I was thrown upon the cold world. A
+sailor crew took me up, and on board a Phoenician ship I sailed the seas
+to Argos, Spain, and Gaul, and settled in the islands of the West named
+Britain. There I eked out an existence, a stranger on a foreign shore. I
+learned the customs of those strange people, accepted their faith, sang
+their songs, married, lived the life of a Briton until my wife died--I
+loved her--then my star waned. I fell sick, and pined for my Eastern
+home, came back to Sidon, roamed through Syria, Galatia, Phrygia, and
+here; and now, faint, weary, and tired of living, I fain would lay me
+down and die. But for this cherished lyre and the pleasure of song, I
+have no other joy save the memories of the past, and would like to rest
+and join my only love, the British girl of far Bolerium.'
+
+'Ah! a sad story. The same old tale. Love the leveller, affinity,
+fate--one gone, the other panting to follow. Man, thou hast a good score
+of summers before thee. Cheer up! Let us be joyous!'
+
+And Chios poured forth some refreshing wine, and bade the minstrel
+partake of it.
+
+'Now sing me one of thy love-songs, and thou shalt not want for a good
+meal for many a day.'
+
+'What wouldst thou like, good sir? Shall I sing to thee a British song,
+a legend of the Saronides?'
+
+'Sing on.'
+
+Then the wanderer rose and flung his worn mantle over his shoulders; his
+wealth of dark hair flowing from under his cap, and the shadows falling
+around like a veil of mystery, lowering the tone of his pale but
+beautiful face.
+
+Raising his lyre, he swept his fingers over the strings, and a burst of
+harmony arose and filled the marble room; and, as it died away in
+softest echoes, his sweet, clear, pathetic voice sang forth these words:
+
+    'Far away across the seas,
+    Borne by ever-favouring breeze,
+    Skim and plough the ocean's breast
+    To the islands of the West.
+
+    Where the blue waves kiss the land,
+    Where the pearls gleam on the strand,
+    Where the vales of Britain lie
+    Neath the ever-changing sky,
+
+    Lived a British maiden free--
+    Princess, priestess, both was she,
+    When a Roman with his art
+    Wooed and stole this maiden's heart.
+
+    Fled she with him o'er the seas,
+    Past the sea-girt Cyclades,
+    On to Sidon's murmuring shore,
+    But she smiled not evermore.
+
+    For the Roman went his way,
+    And was often heard to say
+    How he left beyond the seas
+    The bride of the Saronides.
+
+    Grew she sadder day by day,
+    Till the Reaper came that way;
+    Then she raised her eyes and smiled,
+    Died, and left behind a child.'
+
+As the last notes died away, the singer saw a great change come over the
+face of the Greek.
+
+His head rested on his right hand, and with the other he convulsively
+clutched a little silver shrine which hung from his neck. He was as pale
+as death; he moved not, spoke not, until the minstrel said:
+
+'What ails thee, noble lord?'
+
+Chios braced himself together, and replied:
+
+'I was deeply touched with thy tender tale. My soul flew out to Sidon.
+Tell me, is this story true?'
+
+'Yes, 'tis true. I knew the priestess princess, but the Roman I never
+saw.'
+
+'What was she like?'
+
+'Beautiful--rarely beautiful! She moved among the Druid bards the queen,
+like a queen of night--tall, commanding, with great dark eyes like dusky
+diamonds; deep, piercing were those eyes, set beneath eyebrows fit for
+Juno. Every lineament of her face spoke forth a soul of souls. When she
+walked, her robe of white fell like a summer cloud, and her dark, waving
+hair in masses of beauty moved over her shoulders down to her feet.
+Everyone knew her, feared her--everyone loved her. In an evil hour she
+fell, was punished, and died far, far away from her island home.'
+
+'What was her name?'
+
+'Saronia.'
+
+'Great God! Saronia?'
+
+'Yea, my lord. Thou art agitated?'
+
+'No, no, no! Go on!'
+
+'Nothing much remains to be told. This only: They mourned her fall, her
+loss, her death. The prophets in that land have cast a destiny of her
+child, and say she shall shine forth as the moon, terrible as the sun;
+that she shall tread with dignity the floorway of a great temple, and
+shall minister at its altar; that she shall rise to the greatest
+eminence, and----'
+
+'Stay! Say no more, man--say no more! Leave her there!'
+
+And a great pain passed over the face of Chios, and he pressed his head
+between his hands as if to hide from his gaze some hideous vision. Then,
+suddenly recovering, he said:
+
+'Hast thou that song written in words? If so, sell it to me.'
+
+'I have it,' replied the minstrel; and, taking from his bosom some
+time-worn parchments, selected one. 'This is it; thou art welcome--thou
+shalt not purchase. The parchment is naught to me; the words are written
+on my heart. This copy shall be thine.'
+
+Chios took it, and saw the song was written on the back of an old Celtic
+manuscript. He cared not for these unknown characters. What he wanted
+was the song only, and for that he would not take a thousand drachmas.
+
+Pressing some golden pieces into the hands of the minstrel, he said:
+
+'Come to-morrow and sing to me. We are friends. Go now to thine home,
+for the chill evening air is wedding the night, and thou mayest take
+hurt.'
+
+When Chios was alone the torrent of his mind was unloosed.
+
+He lit the silver lamp, threw himself on his couch, drew out the
+parchment, gazed long and intently on it, read it again and again--
+
+    'Princess, priestess, both was she,'
+
+until his eyes were suffused with tears, and, overcome with his
+feelings, he fell asleep.
+
+The next day he awaited the coming of the singer, but he came not. The
+day following did not bring him. Then he determined to seek him, and,
+after finding the place of his abode, found the spirit of the minstrel
+had moved to a far-away shore. The singer had sung his last song on
+earth.
+
+This was told to Chios by an old woman with whom the minstrel lodged.
+
+'What is thy name, good man?' said she.
+
+'Chios.'
+
+'Art thou Chios, the great artist of Ionia?'
+
+'They say so.'
+
+'Then take those parchments. The poor fellow wished it so. And, in
+dying, he uttered thy name and another. Poor man! he was only a
+strolling minstrel, but I verily believe he has gone to the Great. He
+was no ordinary man. Peace rest his soul!'
+
+Chios went his way, muttering to himself:
+
+'Ah! peace rest his soul. What of my own? Would I could reach Saronia!
+It is a long time since I met her. I dare not go again. Now my soul is
+greatly troubled. I am wavering in faith and in doubt as to what is
+truth. In danger for my doubt; in love with the being I may never meet.
+For aught I know, death may seal me in oblivion, and there shall be no
+more of me. All this confronts me, and more. I firmly believe I could
+place before Saronia strong evidence from the song and the words of the
+minstrel. See her I must. If I die, one is free--free if I live again! I
+_must_ survive! Though no light breaks over this great problem, no voice
+or echoes from the distant land, yet my soul, finer element of myself,
+whispers, "Thou shalt never die."
+
+'Well, Chios, another attempt. Without a pretext, I never could, but I
+have a strong case this time. Go I will, this very night. I know the
+way, and will venture all. The parchments I will not take--I will leave
+them at my studio.'
+
+He folded them carefully, sealed them with his signet, and addressed
+them to the High Priestess of the Temple of Diana at Ephesus.
+
+'That is right,' said he. 'If I fail, she will receive them.'
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XXV
+
+                        THE SACRED HOUNDS
+
+
+When the night advanced, Chios went his way to the Sacred Grove of
+Hecate. Once near the walls surrounding it, he sprang over and was soon
+among the trees.
+
+The night was still; no sound was heard save the shriek of the hawk and
+the cry of the hounds of the goddess.
+
+Which way should he take? Would she come to sacrifice? What should he
+do--should he give up this foolhardy expedition and retrace his steps?
+No; a strange fascination drew him onwards. Step by step he moved
+forward until he drew nigh to the marble Temple of the night goddess--a
+lonely man amidst the great solitude, and shadowed by the lofty pines.
+No thunderings or voices or lightnings came from the sombre pile; a
+great bird wheeled by, nearly touching him, shrieking as it flew like
+the spirit of a wandering soul.
+
+Whilst wondering what to do, he heard the sound of barking dogs; it came
+nearer, nearer still; they would soon be upon him. Escape there was
+none. He looked for refuge: the trees were tall and mighty, and no
+foothold to ascend. He hid behind the great trunk of the nearest, and
+was no sooner there than a pack of the fiercest hell-hounds came rushing
+down the gloomy way. Swiftly they came. The leaders went past him; troop
+after troop swept by in great masses, until they seemed to be without
+end.
+
+Verily they had an object, for the foremost ones turned and were coming
+back towards him. Some had left the beaten track and were scouring
+between the trees. Evidently they had scented him, and in a second or
+two the foremost brute stood near him with foaming mouth and eyes of
+fire.
+
+For a moment only it stood; the next it was upon Chios and received the
+dagger of the Greek firmly embedded in its heart. Rolling over, it
+uttered a dismal howl and died. Two others were upon him. He grasped his
+cloak, wound it around his arm over his hand and thrust it into one
+animal's mouth, and with one wrench dislocated its jaw. With the right
+hand free, he met the third and plunged his dagger into its side until
+it fell back goaded with pain, and in the throes of death sent forth
+terrific wails, at which the doors of the Temple were thrown open. A
+light streamed down the pathway, lighting up the fierce combat between
+man and beasts. The priests uttered a peculiar call, and every hound was
+immediately obedient; not one left its post, but drew up in a circle
+around Chios, preventing any chance of escape. Torches flamed, and many
+men came towards the place of conflict.
+
+One of the priests stepped forward, and beheld the Greek covered with
+blood, and still clutching his jewelled dagger.
+
+The priest cried:
+
+'What dost thou here on holy ground, surrounded by the hounds of the
+goddess and the slain around thee? Knowest thou the penalty is death?
+Surrender! or we let loose the hounds that they tear thee limb from
+limb. Surrender! we say. Thou shalt have trial, that justice may be
+done, and we may know whether or not thou camest hither by mischance.'
+
+'I surrender. Not that I fear your hounds or death--I surrender because
+I have no right here.'
+
+'Art thou a stranger?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Who art thou, then, besmeared with the blood of the consecrated
+beasts?'
+
+'I am Chios.'
+
+'Chios!' shouted the priests. 'What doest thou here?'
+
+'That is my business,' replied he.
+
+'Arrest Chios the Greek!' cried the chief.
+
+Chios put up his dagger into its sheath, and, surrounded by the
+torch-bearing priests and the hounds following, he walked towards the
+Temple of Hecate. They led him to the rear of the building, and opening
+the door of a cell cut into the solid rock, they thrust him in, and the
+hounds wailed and kept guard the long night through.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+How long he slept he knew not. When he awoke, a ray of light pierced
+through between the joints of the doorway, and he knew the day had come,
+and probably his fate.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It was about the ninth hour, and by this time the priests and
+priestesses of Diana's fane knew of the arrest of the Greek for
+penetrating the mysterious grove of Hecate, and slaying the sacred
+hounds.
+
+What could this strange proceeding mean? All were horror-stricken. None
+could solve the reason of his being there.
+
+Chios, above all others--Chios, one of the best beloved in Ephesus,
+guilty of such a thing!
+
+The news of this strange adventure flew from tongue to tongue until it
+penetrated the conversation of all the people, from the place where the
+philosophers gathered to the Acropolis on the summit of Mount Pion,
+where the Roman soldiers guarded the heights.
+
+From the Temple of Apollo at Claros to the shrines at Phygela nothing
+was so much spoken about as the sin of Chios the Greek.
+
+As the day grew this event gained in intensity, and many were the
+interpretations of his presence there.
+
+The people were divided. Those who were devout worshippers of the great
+goddess, jealous of his leanings toward the Christians, said it was a
+conspiracy on behalf of the hated sect to burn the Temple, and he ought
+to die. Others were more lenient, and looked suspiciously on his being
+within the Sacred Grove, and thought when on his trial all might be
+explained. But should it not, then he should stand to the death against
+the wild beasts within the common arena.
+
+The priests of the Temple would show no undue haste with the trial of
+such a citizen; but feeling ran high, and the ultra-devotees demanded
+immediate action.
+
+He was brought before the august tribunal. Many eminent men offered to
+speak for him. Chios was obdurate, and, when faced by his accusers, and
+asked to explain his position, he politely, but positively, refused.
+Nothing was left for him but death, and he was condemned to the lions.
+
+When the sentence became fully known, and, moreover, that he refused
+explanation, the populace were more than ever confounded, and desired to
+solve the problem. They well knew that, the decree having gone forth, he
+must die; and rightly, said many, or the Sacred Grove would never be
+safe from robbers or midnight prowlers, and the glory of the Lady
+Saviour be impaired.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Chios was handed over to the authorities and lodged in a cell within the
+walls of the great theatre, to be brought forth on a day near at hand,
+when many who were condemned should fight to the end.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXVI
+
+                          ON THE VERGE
+
+
+The judgment pronounced on Chios reached the house of Venusta, and
+daughter and mother were sore distressed, for the Greek was as one of
+themselves.
+
+Nika was broken-hearted, and resolved to save him. What should she do?
+To betray intense emotion might convince Varro of her love for the
+ill-fated man. The Roman was aflame with love, and wrapped in a mantle
+of jealousy, since he had received the philtre from her hands which was
+destined for Chios.
+
+She would approach him gently, and artful as a snake.
+
+When he came that day, she said:
+
+'Hast thou heard of the arrest of our friend?'
+
+'Heard of it? Why, nothing else occupies the Ephesians, and by this time
+all in Lydia, Phrygia, and Caria, as well as Ionia, have heard of the
+sad event. Whatever does it mean, Nika? Canst thou solve it, noble
+Venusta?'
+
+'We cannot,' they both exclaimed. ''Tis a most mysterious affair. We are
+as much at sea to understand as thou. Surely he must have had a motive
+for being in the Sacred Grove.'
+
+'I am dying to know,' added Nika. 'Our sex is full of curiosity. Could
+he not yet explain and stand a chance for his life?' said she. 'In one
+way he deserves his fate: he was always queer and headstrong; but it is
+a frightful thought to imagine him torn limb from limb and expiring
+before our eyes. Can anything be done? Perhaps if I saw him,' continued
+the girl, 'I might extract from him that which he refuses others. There
+was a time when I had some little influence with him, but that was long,
+very long ago. Nevertheless, if thou considerest it feasible, and get me
+audience--private audience, mark you, for he is not the man to unburden
+his mind to the public gaze--I will see him, weak creature as I am. I
+will do my best; and see what thou canst do, if thou dost value his
+life.'
+
+'Good! Well said, Nika! The Proconsul will do what he can. Hold thyself
+in readiness for the morrow. I will advise thee further on this matter.'
+
+The Roman was sad at heart, and soon took his departure, brooding deeply
+over that which Nika had advanced. True, he was the first in the land,
+but could he interfere? He would try. Chios was a noble fellow, and
+would lay down his life rather than be guilty of a mean act. There must
+be some great mystery behind it all. What could it be? Chios the
+generous, truthful, straightforward, faithful friend guilty of
+death--guilty of death for being within a grove called 'sacred,' and for
+killing a couple of infuriated dogs! Nonsense! He was not a robber or
+incendiary. Nothing of the kind; and he would never see the life-blood
+of such a man flow out to the earth, and his dying spasms make sport for
+the people of Ionia. No! To work! He knew by virtue of his rank he
+could see him, and see him he would, and extract from him sufficient to
+save him.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When the morning came, the Roman Proconsul saw the Greek in his cell. He
+was not depressed, nor did he display any fear. He rose to meet Varro
+with his usual courtesy, and, reaching out his hand, grasped firmly that
+of his visitor.
+
+'What doest thou here, Chios?'
+
+'Varro, thou art not a stranger in Ephesus, and hast heard all. Nay,
+more, thou knowest the seal stamped on the decree which bears my fate.'
+
+'Chios, noble friend, I have come to do my best to save thee. Thou dost
+not wish to die? art not tired of life--of the green fields, the summer
+sea, the fleeting clouds of the setting sun? Nature has still a charm
+for thee, I trust? Thou hast not darkened thy spirit with heinous sin,
+hast thou?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Then thou hast a friend in Varro.'
+
+'How canst thou help me?'
+
+'This way: give reason of thy being within that fatal Grove. I know thy
+reason will be good, and thou shalt appeal to Nero. I will see to it
+that it shall be so, and, further, that thou shalt live--free! Now, my
+dear fellow, speak out, and give me hope. Speak, Chios; the house of
+Venusta languisheth to aid thee. Nika would have come, but I thought it
+better to be here myself.'
+
+'Varro, friend in adversity, I have nothing to say. My life is
+forfeited. Let it go. Man dies, and it is well to die with conscience
+clear. Mine is so. No more have I to say but this: My studio--see it
+safely closed. Let no profane eye dwell upon my leavings. When I have
+passed, enter thou, take charge, sell all thou findest there; the
+proceeds give to the poor of this great city. My parchments are there,
+and, as directed by their superscription, deal with them.'
+
+'Chios, do not throw thy life away! This very direction now dropped from
+thy lips tells me thou couldst not be guilty of crime. There is some
+deep-hidden secret resting within thy bosom dearer than life. I respect
+thy courage, and will say no more. As a Roman soldier, I dare not.'
+
+'Thanks, Varro, thanks. Thou art right in being silent.'
+
+'Farewell, noble man; I leave thee to thy fate. It will do thee justice.
+Farewell, farewell, Chios!'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When the Roman had gone, and Chios was alone, the pent-up feelings of
+the Greek broke loose.
+
+'No,' cried he, 'I will never betray Saronia! A thousand deaths, but not
+that! She knows; she understands! When I die for her I can do nothing
+greater. She will feel lonely, but love me more intensely.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Varro went directly to Nika, and told her of his visit.
+
+'Fool!' said she. 'Let him die! If he count not his life worth having,
+why then should we trouble?'
+
+'Nay, child, do not be so rash,' said Venusta. 'Do not speak so lightly
+of his fate. We do not know all. Chios is never the man to act without
+great reason. He will weigh all consequences.'
+
+'Well, well; I will see him myself as a last effort,' said the girl.
+'May I, Varro?'
+
+'Do as thou wilt, but ere thou goest make oath on the honour of a Roman
+lady thou wilt give him nothing to frustrate the decree. The dishonour
+would be on me.'
+
+'Agreed! When may I go?'
+
+'At once. Every moment is precious.'
+
+She was soon ready, and without any apparent perturbation accompanied
+her lover to the place where Chios was confined.
+
+As she drew near her face became blanched with terror, and she leaned on
+the arm of Varro for support. Her courage gave way, and for the first
+time she betrayed a great agitation.
+
+They traversed the line of underground cells until they came to the one
+in which Chios lay. The Proconsul communicated his wishes to the guard,
+and Nika was conducted within, and left with Chios.
+
+When he saw her he started back as if stung with a poisoned arrow. His
+nature told him there was cause to fear. Did she suspect his secret? For
+a moment both were silent, then he exclaimed:
+
+'Nika, why comest thou to such a horrible place? Hearest thou the roar
+of the angry beasts calling for their prey? Art thou not afraid?'
+
+'No, Chios, I fear not, only for thee. That has brought me here. I mean
+to rescue thee. Have I not told thee aforetime that that love which
+would not dare to die for another is not worthy of the name of love?
+Thou hast ever known I love thee. Again, without I dissemble. Here I am
+once more unrestrained. I will speak freely to thee. No one will hear.
+My Roman has given me liberty to hold free and secret communion with
+thee. Now, Chios, we must not bandy words. My visit must necessarily be
+brief, and I have come to aid thee. What wert thou doing in the Sacred
+Grove? Tell me, dearest Chios. Tell me lies or truth, anything that I
+may have argument to plead for thee.'
+
+Then answered he:
+
+'Lies I cannot speak; the truth I will not.'
+
+'Then I know, and will answer for thee. I will say Saronia sent for
+thee, and thou wert there with thy full heart to do her bidding. That
+she deceived thee, or failed to come in time--hence thy position.'
+
+'Woman, thou liest basely! Thou wouldst tear down the honour of an
+innocent person, and build on the ruins the gratification of thy selfish
+passions. Leave me! leave me at once! Why hast thou come here like a
+sinuous serpent, gaudy and beautiful, but carrying a venom dipped in
+hell? Wert thou to attempt this base calumny, I would nevertheless die,
+and dying, shower my curses on thy head, on the head of a perjurer,
+murderess of the deepest blackness! Now go; thou hast had the mind of
+Chios. Chios can meet his fate. Let Saronia rest; she is innocent of my
+act.'
+
+'Dear Chios, do pacify thyself. I was probing only to know the truth.
+Forgive Nika!' And she threw herself upon his neck and wept as if her
+heart would break.
+
+Chios put her from him, saying:
+
+'A dying man cannot afford to carry with him a stormy spirit. When I was
+born, the day, the wise men say, was sunny, the leaves were green, and
+blossoms were on the citron-trees, the birds sang, the winds were
+hushed, and all nature smiled. On suchlike day my spirit came within the
+infant form. I came peacefully, and would leave the same, only with a
+purer soul. Our life here should be an evolution of goodness. Hast thine
+been so, Nika?'
+
+She started back in tears. It seemed but a few short years when she was
+a child, and with swiftness her mind flew back across the summers. She
+saw herself darkened and deformed, and she held down her head in
+silence.
+
+'Ah, girl! my words have touched thee. Let them be my legacy. Remember
+them when Chios is gone. Try and be a nobler girl.'
+
+'Oh, Chios, cease, or I shall die! What shall I do for thee?'
+
+'Nothing! Take my forgiveness, and go. Go to thy betrothed.'
+
+'Is this all? Am I also to be sent empty away? For the sake of all who
+love thee, for the sake of Ephesus, I beseech thee, speak out! Thou art
+not guilty, canst do no wrong. Thou art a sacrifice; thou shalt not
+die!'
+
+She fell upon her knees, grasped his hands in hers, bathed them in the
+tears which fell from her eyes, saying:
+
+'If thou dost die, I will die also. If I cannot lean upon thee here, I
+will pass with thee, follow thee like a faithful dog through the land
+they call spirit. I have no one but Chios--thou art a mighty soul. In
+the great beyond I can look to none but thee. Oh, Chios! oh, love!'
+
+The heart of the man was melting, but his spirit remained firm.
+
+'Poor Nika! would I could help thee! Were it in my power, I would place
+thee in a holier sphere when thy new life comes, but such is not for me
+to do. I cannot assert my own destiny, much less make thine. Thou
+wouldst not help thyself by dying. I fear our ways lie apart. Thou
+wouldst not care to follow me. My affinities are not thine, and beyond
+they would mingle less. Now let me dry thy tears;' and taking her
+richly-embroidered handkerchief, he brushed the pearly drops from her
+cheeks, raised her hand to his lips, and kissed it.
+
+'I will not leave thee, Nika, when I have passed through the vale, but
+will do my best to lead thee through the gloom.'
+
+He took her to the door of the cell and left her.
+
+She staggered forward, lost her consciousness, and fell. They took her
+to the fresh air, and after a while she looked upwards towards the
+skies, murmuring:
+
+'He is gone away. I saw him leave in the midst of a company of gods.
+There--there is the rift in the blue where he entered. Chios! Chios!
+Thou wilt come again--again,' and she fell back as one dead.
+
+Quickly they bore her home. Agonizing fever set in with fury on her
+until all hope of recovery was despaired of. They watched beside her.
+Still there came no turn for the better.
+
+One ever-recurring delirium was hers, and ever and anon she looked up
+with vacant stare, saying:
+
+'The pillar has fallen, the tree is stricken, but thou hast promised to
+return to me!'
+
+After the Roman had taken her to the house of Venusta, he went again to
+Chios, and told him of her unhappy condition, imploring him, for the
+sake of Nika, to free himself, as that seemed the only chance of saving
+her life, for his name was always on her lips.
+
+With profound sorrow Chios bent his head and groaned within, saying:
+
+'Merciless Fates! What have I done to cause such suffering?... My heart
+sorrows nigh to breaking yet my mind is fixed as a rock dashed upon by
+many waves. I cannot alter my decision. I die, even if my own eternal
+destiny were shattered by my refusing to live! All will be well with
+Nika. She will live, but I shall be led to death. Farewell! My farewell
+to Venusta, Nika, and glorious Ephesus with all its beauty! Remember my
+last testament, and, should thou see an aged man with deep intelligence
+stamped upon his brow--a foreigner, and chief of the Nazarenes (thou
+wilt recognise him; he is without counterpart)--tell him I die in peace.
+His God is mine. Again farewell!'
+
+The two men gazed at each other for a moment. The Roman spoke first:
+
+'Chios, thou art mad! Why, this alone would damn thee tenfold! Thou art
+lost! The die is cast, thy doom sealed. Unhappy friend, I pity thee,
+pity thee from my very heart. Farewell! Farewell--for ever!'
+
+And Chios was left to his fate.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The great day had come. Thousands were pouring into the city. It was the
+day when the Ephesian theatre would be filled with spectators to witness
+the slaughter of the condemned--slaves, felons, Christians, and
+Chios--to make sport for the people.
+
+The beasts had been kept without food the preceding day, and were
+ravenous. The multitude had been gathering since sunrise, and already
+the theatre was filled. Never in that generation had such a noble
+citizen as Chios been offered to the lions; and many hard-hearted and
+stoical ones said, 'He ought to die,' but when the testing time came,
+many, many of the people would have saved him.
+
+A rumour had floated, propagated by the witch Endora, that she had
+watched Chios going towards the grove, followed him, and saw him meet a
+Greek girl, a lady of Ephesus. Finding they were discovered, both hid
+within. She saw the girl leave, but Chios remained.
+
+The people, ready to believe almost anything for the sake of Chios,
+accepted this trumped-up story, saying: 'After all, it was a love
+affair, and Chios was not the man to reveal the lady's name.'
+
+Thus the feeling grew, and if the populace by vote could have saved him,
+they would have done so; but this was not possible.
+
+So the time wore on, and the multitude became more excited. The hour
+arrived. Soon the High Priest and Priestess would arrive and the
+slaughter commence.
+
+Chios was being brought forth to the arena just as the High Priestess
+Saronia passed him. Her garments nearly brushed the doomed man, and
+their eyes met. She halted and spoke to her escort, saying:
+
+'Who is that man?'
+
+They answered: 'Chios the Greek, the great Ionian artist.'
+
+With an unbending look she beckoned him towards her. With voice clear as
+a silver bell, she said:
+
+'Of what art thou accused?'
+
+'I am accused of being within the Sacred Grove of Hecate, and slaying
+the hounds.'
+
+'What brought thee there?'
+
+'Madam, that is a part of my crime, that I answer not such questions.'
+
+'Thou art a bold man, but courageous. Hear me, Chios the Greek! By
+virtue of my office, High Priestess of the Lady Saviour, I pardon thee.
+Thy crime is not of the State, but of the Temple. Release him! Let him
+go!'
+
+Those close at hand heard the words of Saronia, and the news passed
+round the great building like a flash of light, and a mighty shout of
+consent rang out like the sound of stranded waves, for they loved Chios
+at heart.
+
+Even the dignity of the Proconsul forsook him for once. He arose, rushed
+out, sprang into his chariot, and drove quickly to the house of Venusta.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Nika lay motionless in sleep, one hand hanging listlessly over the side
+of an ebony couch; her hair, glinted with sunlight, partly hid her face.
+
+The Roman whispered softly:
+
+'Nika, Nika dearest, art thou better?'
+
+Her eyes opened, and she looked up with a stolid gaze.
+
+'Yes. What didst thou say?'
+
+'Art thou better, Nika?'
+
+'Perhaps so. I dreamt a lovely dream.'
+
+'And what was it?'
+
+'I saw Chios walking unfettered amongst the sons of Jove. He said, "I am
+free; I will come to thee."'
+
+'But he is not dead, my sweet girl.'
+
+'Not dead? not dead?'
+
+'No; he is pardoned.'
+
+'Pardoned?' cried the maid, springing to her feet and looking around as
+if still in a dream. 'Pardoned? Pardoned? Why? By whom?'
+
+And her soul awoke to consciousness.
+
+'By Saronia, the Arch-Priestess of the Temple,' said he.
+
+'Saronia! Saronia again? Again?' Then the eyes of Nika fell, and a blush
+like the first crimson streak of morning swept over her cheeks, and she
+said: 'It must be so. Chios--Saronia.'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXVII
+
+                         ONE FOR ANOTHER
+
+
+'Now thou art well again, Nika. After thou hast rested, come with me,
+and see the sports. There will be rare tactics with the retiarii armed
+with nets. One of the swiftest, most agile, will to-day compete with a
+burly warrior. Beside, there will be a fight with beasts--a lion will be
+loosed on a Christian. Come with me into the chariot. Let me escort thee
+thither.'
+
+'No; I am weary. Free from the long dreary sleep, I would now remain
+here, thinking over the strange past. I wonder if Chios will call.'
+
+'I cannot say, dear. I left him near the arena pretty well exhausted.'
+
+'Well, go thou; enjoy the day. Thou lovest manly sports. As for me, I
+will remain here and drink in the sunlight.'
+
+'No; a little excitement may do thee good. The drive will invigorate
+thee.'
+
+'If I must, then let it be so,' replied the girl, and she ordered her
+slaves to prepare her.
+
+The sun was declining, more than half its course had run, when Varro and
+Nika left the house. Once fairly under way, they soon arrived at the
+scene of carnage.
+
+The Proconsul entered, and moved to his seat of honour; by his side sat
+his betrothed. Venusta was also there, and was surprised to see her
+daughter. A few words of explanation soon put matters right, and they
+settled down to enjoy the competitions.
+
+The day was sultry, but streams of water rippled along by the
+gorgeously-decked daïs of the Proconsul, and statue fountains on either
+hand at intervals poured out delicious perfumes, cooling the air, and
+making it fragrant as an orange grove when the trees are laden with
+blossoms.
+
+In a place of honour set aside for her sat the High Priestess of the
+Temple of Diana. Over her head was a canopy of gold, and great masses of
+fragrant flowers were piled up in tiers behind her.
+
+She wore a dress of silk dazzling in whiteness, with stars of gold. On
+her head rested a jewelled crown, and her forehead blazed with the
+diamond moon crescent. Her face was severely beautiful; her eyes were
+fixed gazing into illimitable space, bearing an expression akin to
+pain, plainly telling she was there in her official capacity and found
+no enjoyment.
+
+Two attendant priestesses stood by with fans of richest make; another
+held the insignia of the High Priestess, whilst many others, all
+beautiful girls of Ionia, waited for her whispered bidding.
+
+The eyes of the noble-born Roman Nika instinctively wandered in the
+direction of the priestess, and were riveted on the sublime splendour of
+Saronia.
+
+Nika feared, yet desired, to exchange glances. She was strangely
+fascinated, but the woman she hated with such deadly hate saw her not,
+or appeared to be ignorant of her presence.
+
+This aroused a deeper feeling in the daughter of Lucius, and she
+disliked Saronia more intensely. But for fear of those dark, mysterious
+eyes she would have by this time been using her as a point for
+criticism.
+
+The Proconsul wondered why she was so silent, and ventured to say:
+
+'Seest thou the great Saronia? Is she not a mighty being? And fancy,
+she, above all others, the saviour of the life of Chios! What a glorious
+thing is power, and charity to use it!'
+
+Then for the first time did she speak of her, saying:
+
+'Art thou too in love?'
+
+'Dearest Nika, explain.'
+
+'Explain? I mean what I say. The brilliancy of Saronia dazzles, shall I
+say, unhinges the mind of Varro? Remember, do not forget, thou admirest
+a woman who was once my slave.'
+
+'True; I understand it all, and wonder at thy speech.'
+
+'Thou needst not. Men are all alike; they worship every beautiful
+woman--Paris a Helen, Antony a Cleopatra, and Varro a Saronia, whilst I,
+for my own part, see in her only a deep, designing woman, part tiger,
+part serpent. The tiger hath a lovely sleek body with a furious heart;
+the serpent for its creeping artfulness is a byword for deceit. Do not
+get within her fatal circle, or she will sting thee to the very core,
+and then devour thee. I hate her! She has robbed me of my peace, and
+now, with deep conceit and hellish pride, she deigns not to turn her
+head this way. Oh that I had the power to curse her!'
+
+'Fear not, Lady Nika; she will not capture. Thine eyes of blue are
+sufficient magnets to hold me. Besides, she is bound to chastity, and is
+as cold as moonlight on a snow-clad mountain.'
+
+'Yes; and thou mayest add, "In her bosom is a hidden fire like an
+ice-capped volcano with a burning heart." Beware, beware of Saronia! she
+has two natures, extreme in both. Is Chios here?'
+
+'Yes, Nika; he has just entered.'
+
+'Canst thou point him out amongst the thousands?'
+
+'He sits by the arena-gate.'
+
+'I wonder why he is there. Ah, now I see him! He recognises! I will
+raise this crimson oleander to my lips, and greet him with a smile. I
+have a motive; do not be jealous, Varro. Wait!'
+
+Just then the eyes of Saronia turned, and she saw the girl salute Chios,
+and a darkness like storm-clouds on the top of the mountain spread over
+the face of the priestess.
+
+Nika looked defiantly--for a moment only; the withering glance of the
+Temple virgin blanched the Roman's cheeks with fear.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A great shout went up from the multitude; a man of sober mien was
+brought into the arena armed with a dagger only. Proclamation said this
+troublesome Christian would fight for his life and faith with one of the
+fiercest lions of Nubia. He was aged, and took little notice of the
+proceedings. The people said it was a murder, and not a fight. Even Nika
+pitied and Varro wondered.
+
+Presently a messenger came to the Proconsul, and handed to him a
+message. He read it hastily, and answered 'Yes.'
+
+'What news?' said Venusta.
+
+'A request only from some young athlete offering to do battle for yon
+poor aged man. It gladdens me; we shall see better fighting. The old man
+can offer no resistance.'
+
+'Who offers?' said Nika.
+
+'I know not. Some courageous fellow, well paid by the Christians, I
+presume.'
+
+They had not long to wait. The fighter stepped forward, cast a hasty
+glance around, bowed towards where Saronia sat, then to the audience.
+
+For a moment the people were speechless. Then a cry arose: 'Chios! noble
+Chios!'
+
+The Proconsul half arose in his seat by way of protestation, as if he
+would forbid. 'Twas too late. At that instant a lion was loosed, and
+rushed into the arena.
+
+Chios stood unmoved. The beast hesitated for a moment, the light
+striking his flaming eyes. Then, with a roar which reached afar, he
+crouched, he sprang, but missed his prey. Uttering discontent, he lashed
+his sides with fury, and sprang again; but the Greek was too quick for
+him, and a loud shout of applause went up from the mighty concourse.
+'Well done, Chios!' resounded from every side.
+
+One person only was unmoved--one only of that vast assembly was calm. On
+the face of Saronia was the calmness of death. Her eyes followed the
+infuriated brute, and when she caught its glance it drooped its head and
+pawed the earth.
+
+The third attack, and man and beast rolled over in mortal combat. For a
+while nothing could be ascertained for the dust which arose. Suddenly
+the lion fell, with a rivulet of blood issuing from his heart.
+
+Chios arose from the ground, covered with the life-stream of his foe.
+
+Then great shouts of acclaim rent the skies.
+
+'Well fought!' cried they. 'Long live Chios of Ephesus!' resounded
+through the mighty building.
+
+'Chios deserves a crown of gold,' said the Proconsul.
+
+A perfect reaction set in, occasioned by the heroic act of the Greek.
+Those who were loud in protestation turned like a summer wind from south
+to west. All antipathy had fled. The manliness portrayed, risking his
+life for another, brought full reward. Even the great Saronia approved
+the act, and admired the man.
+
+Chios took little heed of it all. He quietly slipped aside, and went to
+his beloved studio. There he always felt happy.
+
+And now he rested, musing upon the past.
+
+'I have not succeeded in my mission,' said he, 'but it shall be
+accomplished.'
+
+Outside his gate was a poor-looking aged man, inquiring the way to the
+studio of the great artist.
+
+'Yonder through the myrtle-trees it stands,' replied a passer-by; 'but
+do not intrude. Let him rest. He is weary from doing battle in the arena
+on behalf of a worn-out Christian. Do not trouble him for alms. If thou
+art hungry, here is a trifle to buy bread and fruit.'
+
+'Friend, I am not a beggar; I am he for whom he fought. I must see him.'
+
+'Well, go thy way; thou hast good need to thank him.'
+
+Up the path, through the rows of trees, up to the marble entrance,
+noiselessly moved the aged man, and gently tapped at the door.
+
+Chios arose and opened it, saw who was there, and cried:
+
+'Welcome, welcome, good fellow! Come within. Glad am I to see thee safe
+and well.'
+
+Judah, full of emotion, staggered rather than walked to a seat, weeping
+as if his heart would break, and, looking up through his tears,
+exclaimed:
+
+'Chios, blessed art thou! The blessing of one who was ready to perish,
+the blessing of one who speaks for his God, the blessing of God, rest
+ever on thee!'
+
+Chios spake never a word; his heart was full.
+
+'Speak to me, Chios the Greek; let me hear thy voice.'
+
+'I know not what to say,' replied Chios. 'I reckoned thy life worth a
+thousand of mine, and fought that thou mightst live and do work for thy
+Master.'
+
+'Chios, neither silver nor gold have I to give thee.'
+
+'I require neither.'
+
+'Good. Nevertheless, thy reward awaits thee; thou wilt receive it later
+on. We fight under the same banner; we shall meet in the same celestial
+city--the city whose builder is God. The dayspring will glint its glory
+over thy pathway, and the lustre of morning will bathe thee in heaven.
+The wings of thy spirit, now folded beside thee, shall spread out their
+pinions and waft thee o'er oceans of splendour illimitable, urging thee
+onward from brightness to brightness, raising thee higher and upward and
+higher till thou standest a messenger swift for the Deity, holding
+communion with God the Eternal. This is thy destiny. All will be well.
+Farewell, noble warrior; thou shalt war for the New Faith. 'Tis rumoured
+the Proconsul promises thee a crown for thy valour. Be thou faithful
+unto death, and thou shalt receive a crown of life. I have said my
+thanks. Good-bye--good-bye, noble Chios! My stay in Ephesus will be
+brief, but thou shalt ever remain in my thoughts, and my prayers shall
+go forward for my beloved friend.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Once more Chios was alone.
+
+'What a noble fellow is that old man--prophetic, powerful, good,' he
+mused. 'I believe in him. What he says is true. I am altered. A light
+steals through me--a river of peace winds kindly through my soul! May
+his blessing rest on me, and all his words be fulfilled.
+
+'But what of Saronia? We are no nearer by the advent of this strange
+faith. Shall we part? Must our communion end? Like two swift ships upon
+the ocean, greet with welcome hail and pass away across the trackless
+deep, each going its own particular way? No, no, no! this cannot be. We
+twain must sail the same course, and at night or in storm give aid. We
+must move together, the same pilot be ours, enter the same haven, dwell
+in the same invisible land.
+
+'But can this be? I am drifting, drifting from the old landmarks. She
+steers by her well-known beacon fires--I strike out alone across an
+unknown sea in search of a shore which may not exist, or, if it exists,
+I may never reach it.
+
+'Oh cruel doubt! Oh the struggle for truth! Oh to know what to do!'
+
+
+
+
+                         CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+                      SPIRITS OF THE DEEP
+
+
+Saronia the priestess was agitated. She had resolved in her mind the
+events of the past few days. 'Why was Chios within the grove?' She could
+solve the problem--foolish man! 'What demon prompted him--what fiend
+lured him to the verge of death? Could I but see him, warn him, for my
+prescience tells me he will attempt this thing again. Rash man! How can
+I save him? Whom can I trust? None!
+
+'Here am I surrounded by the glory of the mightiest Temple, with pillars
+rising to heaven, whose summit is crowned with the grandest sculptures
+of Greece; but the birds which nestle in their carvings are freer than
+Saronia. I walk in power; every behest is law and none dispute me--yet,
+for the one great thing I would do, that I dare not! What, then, is
+power--queenly power like mine? It is hateful. I sought it not. It was
+thrust on me, and I wear it like a band of iron. But cease--cease, my
+soul! Well dost thou know the smouldering fire of life's accumulated
+love for Chios pent up within thee. Why dost thou tempt blasphemous
+Saronia to further sin? Hush! Down, dark spirit! quail, ye rebel fires,
+smoulder till my days be spent--then, with the freedom I covet, I will
+luxuriate in joy. Until such time, let me fulfil my destiny. Come on, ye
+clouds of darkness, hide him from my view! Soul, hear me! Crush to the
+lowest ebb this fire which rises ever and anon into fiercest flame, and
+combats with my reason! I am divided against myself.
+
+'O goddess, hear me! Let my prayers like sweet incense rise! Bring me
+strength!...'
+
+A sullen roar of distant thunder broke on her ears, as if the gods were
+speaking from the mountains, looming landward past the Temple city.
+
+'Hark! Diana's voice! I will to augury.'
+
+She sped to the window. Naught through the darkness could she see.
+Suddenly forked lightning winged its course to the east, another flash
+swept nearer by, and the pillars of the great Temple stood out, lit up
+with fiery hue. The night-birds flew in wild commotion, shrieking as
+they went, crying with a solemn wail.
+
+She stood back. Too well she knew the meaning of those sounds, the
+language by which the invisible speaks to the mortal.
+
+A lightning-flash was seen across the Temple door, another line of fire
+crossed it from an opposite direction, as if a mighty guardian spirit
+stood there with sword aflame. A burst of thunder and a mighty crash,
+and she knew the building had been struck with an arrow from heaven.
+
+Her reason pointed a power at work who dared insult the sacred
+place--some god greater than Diana warred against her, degrading her
+home. This was the augury the priestess drew, and wondered greatly at
+the sign. It was a revelation to her--a spark of virgin light, dim as
+the faintest dawn. But it shook her faith, and she spread out her hands
+as one wandering in the night.
+
+Then she laid herself down in the gloom, and her spirit moved out to
+Chios. She longed to speak to him.
+
+Across the open window a shadow passed blacker than the darkness. She
+arose and looked out; naught could she see--all was silent. Then a faint
+voice like a whisper came from the parapet:
+
+'Saronia, it is Chios!'
+
+And in a moment he was beside her, and, throwing aside his mantle, stood
+before her in all his strength.
+
+She was appalled, but knew it would be death to both to utter the
+faintest cry, and with horrible calmness the priestess murmured:
+
+'What, by all the gods, brings thee here?'
+
+'Love! Life without seeing, speaking to thee, is worthless--worse than
+valueless! I scaled the Parabolus walls, I did the same by yonder
+parapet; and, by Jove! were they high as Mount Coressus, I would have
+come. I passed the guards, saw the Temple's frowning brow; the lightning
+lit my path, and the thundering echoes on the midnight winds were music
+to my soul. I gazed towards this resting-place, and, when the heavens
+were lit with flame, saw thee standing alone at the window. 'Twas enough
+for me. My spirit bounded here long before my body came. Didst thou not
+feel my influence?'
+
+'Yes, I thought of thee; but thy presence here is too awful to
+contemplate.'
+
+'No, no, dearest love! this is our fate. Thou art my complement; we
+cannot long remain asunder. Thine essence is a part of myself; thou art
+my affinity, my counterpart, that which makes my whole, my sun. Remove
+it, and the whole system is shaken, and wanders into chaos and oblivion.
+Had I a thousand lives, not one should be reserved; all should be thrown
+into the balance for thee.'
+
+He caught her in his arms, and his lips met hers.
+
+'Darling, art thou safe whilst I am here?'
+
+'I am safe from mortals, but not from the ire of the goddess. Her great
+invisible spirit cannot be deceived; all that is enacted here she knows
+and records.'
+
+'True, dearest; but even Venus loved.'
+
+'Yes; but Diana is cold and chaste. This night bespeaks my fall. To love
+is disobedience; for me to disobey is dire rebellion.'
+
+'No, no, girl! it is not so! it cannot be! The Being who created us
+implanted this love; it cannot be born of sin. Man makes laws, and man
+often breaks them, without calling down the anger of the gods. Lovest
+thou me, Saronia?'
+
+'Ah, Chios, that is my crime! What brought thee to the grove of Hecate?'
+
+'Thou.'
+
+'I?'
+
+'Yes, Saronia--to see thee on a most important errand. I strove to find
+thee in the wood.'
+
+'I thought as much. What was thy mission?'
+
+Resting himself beside her on a couch o'erlaid with gold, he said:
+
+'Canst bear surprise?'
+
+'I think so.'
+
+'Then hear;' and, whispering softly, he said: 'One day there came a man,
+a minstrel, to my home; sad as the waves telling story of storm were the
+strains of his song, and sweet as the clear running brook were the
+sounds from his lyre. He sang of a far-away land. Hast thou heard of the
+lonely West, where the isles of the Britons lie circled in purple
+mists?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'He sang of a princess priestess who stood at the shrine of their gods.
+He spoke of a Roman who came to that land and stole the pure heart and
+the hand of this beautiful girl, and bore her away to the Cyclades, and,
+further away, to the Tyrian Seas, to a resting-place in Sidon.'
+
+'And what became of her, Chios?'
+
+'Thou shalt hear. Their wedded life was brief. The Roman forsook her.
+She died of a broken heart, and her babe survived.'
+
+'How sad!' said Saronia.
+
+'Wouldst thou know the name of the British girl?'
+
+'I would.'
+
+''Twas Saronia.'
+
+'Saronia!' gasped the priestess, and, uttering a piercing shriek, she
+fell back into the arms of Chios.
+
+He heard footsteps approaching. He knew he must fly. Then, laying her on
+a couch, he kissed her lovingly, saying:
+
+'We must part, but will meet again. Saronia, dost hear me? I will see
+thee at the Temple service: an oleander in thy bosom, I come to thee; a
+myrtle flower, thou comest to me. Farewell, loved one!'
+
+And he plunged into the darkness, and the thunders roared as if the
+heavens would rend themselves in twain.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The priestess nerved herself and reclined listlessly. When the attendant
+priestesses entered, she was pale as the white silk enfolding her form.
+
+'What ails the noble lady?' said the foremost of the beautiful maidens.
+
+'It has passed,' said Saronia. 'Summon the guard; bid them go to the
+Temple and bring me word if disaster has fallen and smitten it. Hear ye
+the mighty voices of the gods! See the quivering messengers of fire!
+Haste away and bring me news!'
+
+Then, falling into one of her mysterious reveries, from which no
+priestess dared disturb her, they noiselessly glided from the room one
+by one, each bearing a lamp of gold, and Saronia was left alone.
+
+Soon the priestesses returned, with blanched cheeks, saying:
+
+'Lady of Diana, at thy bidding the priests, with escort, entered the
+sacred edifice, and discovered through the roof the fated bolt had
+flown, wrecked the altar, and rent the veil; but the statue of the great
+goddess remains unscathed. The watchmen are dead, blackened corpses. The
+High Priest, chief of the Megalobyzi, has gone to the Temple. What shall
+we do?'
+
+For a moment the mighty priestess was lost in thought--'twas but for a
+moment; then she raised herself and regained sublime dignity, saying:
+
+'Altar and veil, the work of men's hands, are resistless as man to their
+fate; but the image of she who is highest in heaven and strongest in
+hell is safe from the lightnings, the storm, and the warrings of all the
+invisible hosts which encircle us. And we, her own children, are safe in
+her keeping--safe in the shade of Diana Triformis. Pour out your
+prayers, let them rise to the heavens and spread round your homestead
+and down to the underworlds. Pour out oblations! Chant forth your
+praise-hymns for mercy on mercy rolling forth like the surging of
+mightiest billows! Farewell, maidens of the goddess, farewell!'
+
+Saronia that night was sleepless. She had again saved the life of Chios.
+She had dissembled. To have done otherwise would have been to be the
+murderess of Chios. Thus thought she.
+
+By the light of the dimly burning lamp she looked like a tigress at bay.
+Great clouds flitted sullenly across her face, and her eyes were dark as
+the night, and darker they grew till the shadows which fell on her were
+as light to them.
+
+The lamp burned low, but she heeded not. Its dying flame pleased her,
+and the shadows grew deeper, until her form sank into the darkness.
+
+A great war raged within her. It was a battle-ground on which were
+arrayed spirits, good and evil, fighting for the citadel of her soul.
+The light from her mistress goddess was hidden, and reason cold as snow
+sat enthroned upon that lofty mind.
+
+Her duty was to serve as heretofore, but lurking love rose up in mighty
+flame enveloping her. She could see Chios only, feel the pressure of his
+lips, hear the sound of his voice speaking of love, of the minstrel and
+of the bride of Britain.
+
+'Who was that mysterious woman named Saronia?
+
+'What caused that strange suspicion and the piercing cry? None other
+than that by some peculiar affinity I realized that it was she that bore
+me into this world.
+
+'Oh that I could have heard the end of the story! Cruel destiny
+shattered me at the harbour mouth, and I lie stranded a lonely wreck on
+a bleak shore and tainted with rebellion. Shall I fail now? No; Saronia
+shall build another self out of the shattered parts. I will arise, shake
+the stupor from me, stretch out my arms into the darkness. I will robe
+for divination,' and pointing her finger towards the dead lamp, it
+sprang into flame, casting a glare around the room.
+
+She arose, cast aside her snowy dress of whitened silk, draped herself
+in darkest shade, girt her waist with a diamond zone black as night,
+over her shoulders a mantle hung--a mantle of sable hue studded with
+stars of silver and gold. On her breast she wore the Ephesian symbols of
+Air and Water, Earth and Life, and Death. Her eyes shot glances like
+serpents at war, her bosom was upheaved with the strongest emotion, and
+she moved to the place where the burning lamp stood, seized it, and
+stood by an altar raised to the goddess of Hades.
+
+For a moment only was she motionless; then she raised high aloft her
+jewelled hands, brought them to her lips, kissed them to the Queen of
+Heaven, and stretched them earthwards to the underworld--to Hecate, the
+Queen of Hell. Her head lay back; her eyes shone out with mystic sheen;
+her raven tresses trailed the floor; her gloomy garments lay in graceful
+folds, dark as the midnight sky without a star or moon, and standing
+thus, she invoked the goddess Hecate.
+
+This done, she lit the altar's sacred fire, and incense burnt until the
+room was filled with odour and the light from the golden lamp grew dim.
+
+Her lips parted, and a silvery voice issued, murmuring softly:
+
+    Spirits of the mighty ocean,
+    Ye who lie beneath the waters,
+    Down--down--fathoms deep!
+    Ye who roam 'twixt here and Sidon,
+    Ye who lure the ships to ruin,
+    Ye who haunt the fated vessel,
+    Lighting up her masts and cordage
+    With your quenchless tongues of fire;
+    Stormy petrels of the sea-foam,
+    Swiftest of your countless legions,
+    Appear! Appear!
+
+'Ye are come! Hear me!
+
+'A Roman bore from Britons' land, stole from thence with artful wiles, a
+maiden blessed with rarest beauty--cheeks of olive, raven hair, eyes of
+darkest midnight hue, soul as pure as the morning light. He took her to
+Sidon. He left her--he left her and her child. Troop your way with speed
+to Sidon. Solve the story which I tell you. Bring me answer from
+Phoenicia.'
+
+The spirits of the deep bent low their shadowy forms; one by one quickly
+snatched a grain of burning incense from the altar fire, placed the
+sparks upon their awful brows, rose together, met the storm-wind howling
+fiercely, passed it faster than conception, skimmed the foaming crests
+of billows, swooped again o'er struggling biremes with their crews of
+doomed seamen. Flew they on with awful swiftness, till the air waves
+left behind them wound the earth in many circles, till the silent city
+Sidon slept beneath their hovering pinions; glanced their message to the
+spirit--Spirit Prince of Ashtoreth. Gained their answer, sailed they
+westward to Ionia, faster than the coming day-dawn; stood before the
+great Saronia; hailed her priestess of Diana; whispered forth with
+frightful meaning:
+
+'Thou thyself, from her begotten, standest first amongst all women. She,
+thy mother, princess, priestess, died uncared for, unbeloved--died a
+rebel to our goddess, worshipping the Jewish Christ--name we scarcely
+dare to mention.'
+
+Saronia beckoned them away, and when they had fled a tremor seized her;
+she staggered to a seat, muttering:
+
+'I, also, am a rebel, and worship Eros.'
+
+Starting to her feet, she said:
+
+'Who is this Christ?'
+
+Stretching her arms out into the darkness, she cried:
+
+'Saronia, Saronia, the Saronide, where art thou--my mother who bore me?
+Let me touch thy hand! Speak to me--to me!'
+
+But she grasped the empty space; not even the echo of a whisper fell.
+Then she cried again:
+
+'_Thou_ art _beyond_ my plane, or thou wouldst come to me. Thou art
+greater than I. Hear me, ye spirits of the air! Listen, spirits of lands
+and seas! Hearken, ye spirits of Elysium and Hades! Here in the
+darkness, here in the womb of night, here near the birth of the early
+dawn, here with a soul storm-tossed and driven, I swear I will find her.
+Her God shall be mine, and where she riseth I will follow. O light, O
+truth, O love, let me climb your ladders of gold!'
+
+The dawn appeared in the east, breaking the gray on the ocean's rim, and
+the birds sang forth from the trees in the Sacred Grove.
+
+
+
+
+                         CHAPTER XXIX
+
+                     MYRTLE AND OLEANDER
+
+
+'Varro, goest thou to the Temple to-day?' said Nika.
+
+'Yes, dearest; Chios is to receive the golden crown and freedom of this
+city.'
+
+'I trust those honours will sit lightly on him.'
+
+'Fear not, Nika. He is very stolid. Really, I do not know what has come
+to him.'
+
+'I do,' said she laughingly; 'he is in love.'
+
+'Nonsense! Nothing of the kind. He would never trouble about such a
+thing.'
+
+'How knowest thou?'
+
+'How do I know? Well, really, I cannot answer thee, but thou must know
+if a man loves there must be something to love. Chios is a confirmed
+bachelor. I believe he almost hates women; that is to say, as far as
+making himself a lover. I never even knew him to commit the crime of a
+weak flirtation.'
+
+'Ah, ah! So much for the reading of a man's mind by a man. Let a woman
+make up a man, and thou, mighty Roman, read the minds of women. 'Tis
+more natural.'
+
+'Well, Nika, I must away. I must leave thee. The time is short, and I
+have business of my own before I go to the Temple. There will be no
+public demonstration. Chios wishes it so.'
+
+'Before thou dost depart, listen. Something befitting the occasion
+comes to my mind. Send him a message of congratulation. Write it with
+thine own hand, and seal it with the stamp of Imperial Rome. He will
+cherish it more than many crowns.'
+
+'Very thoughtful of thee. It shall be done. The presentation takes place
+within the Temple. The great priestess will be there, and, if I can so
+arrange, she, his preserver, shall present it. Nice idea, is it not?'
+
+'Very.'
+
+'Wilt thou witness the ceremony, Nika?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Farewell, sweet one; I will return before sundown and tell thee all the
+news.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The crown and the congratulation were conveyed to the Temple. When the
+High Priest read the request of the Proconsul, that Saronia should
+present them, he smiled, saying:
+
+'Let it be so.'
+
+Saronia thought the request unusual, but the priest said:
+
+'Foster the whim; no harm can come of it.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It was past noon; the great sun shone out with refulgent glory. Not a
+cloud sailed the azure depths. The birds were sheltering from the heat
+between the branches of the citron-trees. An eagle flew by flapping its
+wings as Chios met the Roman at the gateway of the Sacred Shrine.
+
+They moved towards the marble steps, and, ascending past pronaos and
+vestibule, went within the gates of ivory and gold and stood near the
+altar, around which were gathered the High Priest and Priestess and
+their attendants.
+
+The Proconsul and Chios bowed lowly, and were saluted in return; and the
+proclamation ran:
+
+     'WHEREAS Chios, the Greek of Ephesus, has proved to the people
+     of this city that he possesses heroic courage, and used it well
+     on behalf of a fallen enemy of the Sacred Goddess:
+
+     'The PROCONSUL, the COUNCIL, and the PEOPLE request that he be
+     crowned with a crown of gold, and, FURTHER, that the Act be
+     proclaimed at the festival of Dionysus at the Great Theatre,
+     and a place be allotted to him in a Tribe and a Thousand:
+
+     'THAT he possesses the privilege of occupying a front seat at
+     the games, and is exempt from paying duty on all articles
+     imported or exported by him, and that he has right to leave or
+     enter the city in time of peace or war.
+
+     'THIS DECREE to be inscribed by the Temple Wardens in the Great
+     Temple of Artemis, where other grants of citizens have been
+     subscribed.
+
+     'THAT ALL MEN MAY KNOW the people of Ephesus delight to honour
+     such deeds of heroism, whether performed on behalf of a friend
+     or an enemy.'
+
+This read, Saronia the High Priestess bade Chios come to her, and taking
+the crown from an attendant, she placed it on the brow of the Greek,
+saying: 'Hail, honoured of the Ephesian people!' And at the same time
+she handed him the letter sealed with the seal of Rome.
+
+As she did so, she looked steadfastly into his eyes, conveying her
+thought to him: 'Open it not here.'
+
+He saw the oleander and the myrtle both entwined upon her bosom, and
+this he understood not.
+
+He placed the parchment within the folds of his robe, and after thanking
+the givers, he retired with the Proconsul.
+
+After passing the precincts of the Temple, the two men wished each other
+fortune and separated--the Roman to Nika, and Chios to wonder at the
+twin symbol which graced the bosom of Saronia.
+
+He broke the seal of the parchment; between the folds he saw a tiny
+scrap. He read it--the other was nothing to him.
+
+'To-morrow, when midnight has passed, haste to the bend of the river
+Cayster, which flows by the grove of Hecate. Fear nothing. The child of
+the Bride of Britain will be there.'
+
+It was from Saronia, and he feared for her. He kissed the tiny scrap
+passionately.
+
+'I will be there should all the Furies in Hades block the way....
+
+'By the bend of the river--by the bend of the Cayster which washes the
+fringe of the horrible grove. I know the place well, where the
+chrysophrus with golden-coloured head swims to and fro. I know the spot
+where the iris bends its yellow flowers, where the lordly swans glide
+past, and the cranes dwell, and the nightingale sings from the silvery
+leaves of the sacred trees.
+
+'I will be there, Saronia, my soul, my light, my love! I will be there
+to strike for thee with the strength of a lion if needs be!'
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XXX
+
+                      BY THE RIVER CAYSTER
+
+
+The grove of Hecate was filled with beautiful trees--palm and myrtle,
+cypress and pine, the rich springing laurel, and the holy shoot of the
+deep blue olive.
+
+Statues studded the wood, and the river Cenchrius watered the ground,
+and here had been heard the sound of the dance-loving lyre at the feasts
+of the gods.
+
+Through this tree-clustering wood the fair-haired Muses came to worship,
+and the Sybil let loose her golden locks when the gods breathed on her.
+
+The Cayster came south to the margin of the grove, moving rapidly
+northward and westward, sweeping by myriad blooms of the rose and iris,
+till it flowed from the land to the sea, carrying with it the snow-born
+waters of Cenchrius, Marnas, and Selinus--all goodly streams which
+watered the plain of Ephesus.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The priestess Saronia was thoughtful and calm. Not a ripple of agitation
+crossed her face as she gave her orders to a sacred slave:
+
+'Summon seven of the Melissæ--my bees, my virgin priestesses.'
+
+She said to them:
+
+'Prepare sacrifice for to-night. I offer to Hecate in the Sacred Grove.
+Take there a lamb, black as night, and honey of the rarest kind bear ye.
+Let the slaves dig a new pit, and place an altar therein, that all may
+be ready when I come. I leave the Temple gate when the watch tells out
+the hour before midnight. Merina and Smyrna shall accompany me to the
+confines of the grove.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+That night Chios quietly stole along under the stars until the old road
+to Smyrna intersected his path; but he did not swerve from his course
+until he reached the Cayster. Following its sinuous banks, disturbing
+the wild-fowl as he went, and treading on a carpeting of sweet-scented
+night-flowers, he soon reached the bend of the river which laved the
+grove.
+
+There he rested on a block of white marble, brought to be set up as a
+memorial.
+
+He gazed over the dark and silent stream. He arose, and paced to and
+fro. Not a sound was heard, save his own footfall and the nightingale's
+song.
+
+He did not wait long ere he saw the form of a woman moving towards him.
+
+Stealthily she came.
+
+His heart danced with joy, for well he knew who it was.
+
+'I am here,' cried Saronia.
+
+'Noble girl!' replied Chios, as he kissed her.
+
+'Art thou not fearful of this meeting?' said she.
+
+'No,' replied the Greek. 'I have been told that love which would not
+dare death is not worthy the name of love.'
+
+'It is death to both if discovered.'
+
+'So much the better,' said he. 'We should then be for ever free.'
+
+'Dost thou guess my mission to thee, Chios?'
+
+'Partly.'
+
+'Well, let me tell thee. I would hear more of the story--more of whom I
+am.'
+
+'Darling girl, would I could tell thee! I know no more. I have told thee
+all.'
+
+'Yet, I know more.'
+
+'How?'
+
+'By the power of divination.'
+
+'And what hast thou gained by thy magic?'
+
+'This: she whom thou spoke of is no other than my own mother. Further,
+she died unknown, uncared for, calling on the name of the Jewish
+Christ.'
+
+Chios gasped for breath, and started back as if stung by a serpent,
+exclaiming, with bated breath:
+
+'The Jewish Christ! Can it be true?'
+
+'As true as the morning sun shall rise. I know it true, and judge it
+passing strange. How such a faith grew in her I know not. The mysteries
+of this creed I cannot understand, although it grows apace in Ephesus;
+but this I know: when I called forth into the world of spirits no answer
+came from her, whereby I am convinced she has gained entrance into a
+kingdom where the least of its subjects is greater than the mightiest
+of Diana's followers. I am the Arch-Priestess of yonder sacred Temple.
+My mother is greater than I, for I could not reach her plane, but--I
+_will_!'
+
+'And how, Saronia?'
+
+'I know not.'
+
+'Wilt thou also turn Christian and follow the Nazarene?'
+
+'No; I hate the thought. That faith is darker to me than the rolling
+blackness of the Styx.'
+
+'What if thou sawest light in the darkness, and found a narrow path
+leading up to a plane of loveliness where, perchance, thy mother dwells?
+Wouldst thou not walk in it?'
+
+'Yea, that I would, and would lay down my life to commence the journey.
+I am not a traitor to my goddess. I have followed her with all my
+strength, believing her to be the source of my being, and to whom I may
+return; but conditions are changing in me. My faith tried--it does not
+totter. Mark well, I say it does not stagger--it trembles only! My soul
+cries for more light--light--more light! And I cannot satisfy its
+longings. I ask thee, dost thou know of this Christ?'
+
+'I do. I have sat at the feet of one of His greatest teachers, and he
+unfolded to me some of its mysteries.'
+
+'Chios, I fear! Go on.'
+
+'What shall I tell thee? I am not a teacher.'
+
+'Art thou a believer?'
+
+'I am, so far as I know; but its mysteries are great. I have scarcely
+touched the fringe of this new faith.'
+
+'Hast thou, then, cut thyself adrift from the worship of our sacred
+goddess?'
+
+'I have.'
+
+'Oh, Chios, Chios, this is worse than all! Let me lean upon thee; I am
+weary--I am weary and alone.'
+
+'No, dearest, thou art not alone, for the Father is with thee.'
+
+They sat down on the block of white marble. He laid her head upon his
+shoulder, and the warm tears fell upon his hands; then he whispered:
+
+'Dearest love, take courage. All will be well.'
+
+'No, no, Chios. The strings of the lyre are broken. Saronia is alone.'
+
+And, looking up, with her eyes melting with tenderness towards him, she
+said:
+
+'The slave became a priestess, and the priestess a broken reed. Thou in
+spirit hast left me.'
+
+'No, dearest, that is not so. We shall join hands when we fall, like
+leaves in the autumn time.'
+
+'That may not be so, my love, my Chios, my joy, my life, my soul!
+Farewell! I am lost to thee, and thou to me, for ever--for ever!'
+
+'No, no, Saronia; we will never part!'
+
+'But we must, unless one resigns the faith; and, if we both believe our
+own, which can be liar, traitor? Thou shalt keep thine own. To thee it
+is truth, mine falsehood! I have no call to follow thine--I know not the
+way. I have espoused myself to the faith of Diana; I adhere to it until
+a greater than she broods over my spirit, and begets a new light for a
+new creed; when such shall come to pass I will not fail to do my duty.
+Until then I follow by the light I possess. This is my determination,
+dearest Chios. This I will do, and no other.'
+
+'Saronia, this is more than I can bear. My soul sinks into a depth of
+woe unspeakable. Not that I fear, for, as light hath come to me, so also
+shall it shine on thee. I have not the gift of a seer, but I know we are
+one in spirit, must believe alike, worship the same God. As the light
+first strikes the tops of the mountains and afterwards floods the vale,
+so it broke first on me, and anon it shall burst on the soul of my
+Saronia.'
+
+'Chios, Chios, my spirit thirsteth! Give me this light if thou canst.
+Give me truth.'
+
+'And still thou lovest me, Saronia?'
+
+'Love thee! Ah! a thousandfold more for fear our love may end with life.
+I know thou art good. Go thy way; serve thy God. I go mine to the grove
+yonder, to offer sacrifice to my goddess. Saronia must be true to her
+trust; let Chios be the same.'
+
+He took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. Holding her head
+between his hands, he gazed lovingly into her eyes, saying:
+
+'Our love can never die. It is begotten from above. I will come again to
+thee, and teach thee of the new faith. I have with me a parchment,
+closely written, given to me by the holy man I saved from death. May I
+leave it with thee, Saronia? It may be of use. Thou dost not refuse it?
+May the Christ of God bless thee! And now good-bye. This is our
+meeting-place. It is unfrequented. Thou knowest how to signal me.'
+
+Drawing her mantle around her tightly, he kissed her again and again,
+and she vanished into the night.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXXI
+
+                        THE DOOMED CITY
+
+
+Two men were on the summit of the mountain which overlooked Ephesus.
+They had been earnestly engaged in conversation for some time, and, as
+they walked together, Chios said:
+
+'How glorious is the decline of day! How splendid looks the city bathed
+in the golden light of eve!'
+
+'Ay, true,' replied his companion; 'and I would that its fate led to
+peace, but it is not so.
+
+'Seest thou the great city as it lies beneath us, its shrines and
+palaces like polished silver and burnished gold, and its frowning walls
+and battlements like a mighty circle of adamant?
+
+'Look at its many terraced gardens of vine, olive, citron, and
+pomegranate, and gaze upon its purple-misted sea, and count, if thou
+canst, the multitude of white-winged ships bringing merchandise to pour
+into the lap of this mighty mart.
+
+'The many-toned instruments sending forth their plaintive strain come up
+upon the perfume-laden air, and the song of the priests from yonder
+mighty Temple, the wonder of the world, floats lazily by like a vessel
+drifting with the tide.
+
+'But, like the city of Salem, o'er which my Master wept, so this is
+doomed.
+
+'The time shall come, and ere long, when it shall sicken and die. Those
+mighty buildings shall be no more. Yea, the mightiest of them, the great
+Temple of the goddess, shall become a wreck, and its splendour be rent
+in pieces and distributed amongst the nations, its floorway be covered
+with the dust of centuries, and its very site be questioned in the minds
+of men.
+
+'The faith of Him I serve shall flourish here and grow until it blazes
+out like a forest of fire; but for a brief time only, for the place is
+accursed, and love will grow dim and the light depart. Amidst the din of
+war men will hurry to and fro in her beautiful streets and squares,
+pillaging and destroying as they conquer. Her splendid harbour will
+become a wild morass, a covert for the night-birds when the stormy winds
+rush over the plain from mountain to sea. Her streets will be deserted
+and silent, not a footfall be heard where the myriads trod. Nothing
+shall be left of her save a wilderness of marble ruins and tales of her
+former grandeur.'
+
+'How terrible!' exclaimed Chios. 'Is that the destiny of beautiful
+Ephesus?'
+
+'It is so; and well for thee light dawns into thy soul and thy spirit
+purifies, fitting thee for a brighter home. My time is well-nigh spent.
+I shall soon go hence.'
+
+'Dost thou leave us?'
+
+'Yes. I go to Rome to work, suffer, and die. Our ways diverge. Yet fear
+not. We enter the same haven at the right time. When once a man's face
+is set heavenward, God will not remove him until he be fit to enter His
+kingdom. I am glad I met thee, and, better still, my Lord and Master
+moulds thee for the future.'
+
+'Judah, hast thou ever come into contact with the priests of the great
+theatre?'
+
+'No. Why dost thou ask?'
+
+'I thought if such were the case thou mightest give thine opinion of
+their faith.'
+
+'That I can do.'
+
+'Well, what think thou of Diana?'
+
+'What think I? That the people who worship her are in earnest. They
+believe what is told them. Their forefathers did the same. It was good
+enough for them, so they follow--follow like dogs their master. Now and
+again those with keener insight step aside and utter protest, sniffing
+danger. Most of them are whipped into their place again, and all goes on
+as before.... The priests know their work, and are clever. The people
+may believe the myths and accept them as truths, but their teachers know
+they are fables, and use them as such to illustrate their faith.
+
+'The worship is one of the senses--ours is spiritual, and needs a
+spiritual sight only to know as much of God as the soul of man can
+comprehend. A dreary shore with the great darkness around is to the
+Christian a temple filled with light. Thou hast friends amongst the
+worshippers of Diana, Chios?'
+
+'Yes, one especially. She who gave me back my life--the great High
+Priestess Saronia.'
+
+'Saronia, the High Priestess! I know her. When thou offeredst thy life
+to preserve mine, I saw her save thee from the lion.'
+
+'What meanest thou?'
+
+'She killed the lion's strength. One look from her could quell many such
+beasts. Her gaze would stay an eagle in its flight, and bring it
+earthward to her feet, swifter and surer than an arrow winged with
+lightning. She is deadly with her power! A mighty foe to those within
+her sphere, but with a follower of my Master she is powerless. The least
+in the kingdom of heaven is greater than she, and thou, Chios, art
+greater than the mighty Saronia. The Spirit which leads thee is the
+first, the greatest, the Lord of Hosts. All principalities and powers
+are beneath Him. Before His gaze the rebel prince fell like lightning
+from heaven.
+
+'Listen, friend; I think I read thine heart. Thou lovest this terrific
+being--is it not so? Tell me. Thy secret shall be well kept. I may help
+thee.'
+
+'Thou speakest truly. I know I am safe in thine hands. I trust thee to
+lead the way for my eternal good, and I may confide this portion of my
+life's history to thee. 'Tis a passion which may never be realized, but
+I dare hope she may be won for our God--and what a mighty spirit for
+good she would be!'
+
+'Chios, her great spirit is of no common order. It has lived through the
+ages, and for the time is deeply buried in its prison of clay. We will
+awaken her, if we can, from out the cold and damp mists which surround
+her. This clay form to her is as Hades.'
+
+'How can it be done?'
+
+'This wise. The man who lives in harmony with God has the Deity on his
+side. He is a son; the Lord is his Father. Speak to Him as a child, and
+remember His power is infinite--and I will pray the Father and His Son
+that help may be given thee.'
+
+'Tell me of the Son.'
+
+'His Son is the Christ. To the Greeks this is foolishness, but be thou
+led by the Great Spirit, and He will teach thee all things, and thou
+wilt love the Son, and He will work with thee to win the desire of thy
+heart.'
+
+'I understand not. These mysteries are well known to thee, and I obey. I
+am young in the faith, and cannot run.'
+
+'For the present,' replied Judah, 'thou wilt do well in using thy faith;
+but the time will shortly arrive when thou wilt understand. Great is the
+mystery, clouds and darkness are around Him. Thou hast placed thy feet
+upon the ladder; as thou climbest thou wilt emerge into brightness.
+Trust and learn. As a pilot takes the helm at the harbour-mouth and
+shapes the course betwixt the sands, so mayst thou give way to the
+Great Pilot, and thus obtain abundant entrance into the haven whose
+promontories run out from the eternal shore.'
+
+'Thou speakest again with authority?'
+
+'I do. For awhile my spirit freed itself from the body, and moved into a
+sphere unseen, unknown to mortal eye. There I heard truths which no
+language can convey--not even your beautiful Grecian tongue could reveal
+them. I heard the language of Heaven, and was taught of God things
+mysterious and unlawful to utter; but I shall hear the grand rhythm
+again when I return home.... Now the sun is gone, and the west is banked
+with night-clouds. Let us depart.'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXXII
+
+                             ENDORA
+
+
+Where the river of Ephesus joins the sea the great rocks stand out as
+fortresses of the land, and the deep blue waters roll homewards to the
+shore, urged by a never-changing law bidding them kiss the strand and
+die.
+
+On the shrill breezy air the sea-birds wheel and soar until their white
+wings turn to silver as they circle round the sun and sink into its
+brightness as a star dies into day.
+
+The cliffs are abloom with blossoms of gold, like a garden of woodland
+flowers. On the summit overlooking the sea stands a temple and shrine to
+the goddess.
+
+Northward is the mountain of Gallesus, with its pine precipices and
+aerial summits piercing the clouds. At its feet the city of Claros, with
+temple and groves of ash and mighty oracle sacred to Apollo.
+
+Further away, from the Cilbianian, and turning west of the lake
+Selinusian, comes southward a river moving along midst bright oleander
+and blossoms of myrtle, murmuring adieu to the gods of the river as it
+passes on its course to the bosom of ocean.
+
+Away to the west and the south, like a misty dream, are the pale-blue
+tops of Pactyas; between them and the Gallessian range stands the city
+of Ephesus, Coressus and Pion like sentinel hills guarding its massive
+gates.
+
+Here on this rock-bound cliff, near the altar, stood Endora, the witch.
+
+The day was young and no one about, and she gazed far out at sea,
+straining her evil eyes until they seemed to start from their sockets.
+
+She turned with a disappointed air, and, gazing towards the city, cried:
+
+'Doomed art thou! Little did they know I was about. Had Chios known I
+was there, he would have been more careful. Turned Christian! Loves
+Saronia!
+
+'I will not betray him. Hag as I be, cursed as I am, all Hades shall not
+draw me to reveal. This blasted spirit of mine may drift, yet I swear by
+the father of the gods--no, no, I cannot swear by him! What shall I
+swear by?
+
+'I swear by Chios and Saronia, mortals like myself, that I will be true,
+true. Can I be true? No, no, no, I will not betray them. That is all!
+
+'What a curse hangs over this beautiful place! I heard that strange man
+tell Chios the great city shall die. I know a sibyl has spoken, "That
+the earth opening and quaking, the Temple of Diana would be swallowed
+like a ship in a storm into the abyss, and Ephesus, lamenting by the
+river banks, would inquire for it then inhabited no more." And, who
+knows, she may be true! What care I? Endora will be far hence. I have to
+do with the present. I have come to watch for the white sails of the
+Roman fleet bringing back the Proconsul. I know they are near, expected
+to-day.
+
+'Now one long gaze out over the great, cloud-mirroring sea. My eyes are
+keen. No, they come not, and I go hence.'
+
+She turned landward and saw Saronia.
+
+She cowered towards the sea-flower-blooming sward as the priestess said:
+
+'What doest thou here, woman?'
+
+'Naught, my lady, but for the gathering of fragrant herbs.'
+
+'Thou liest. The wild thyme and its fellows grow not upon this breezy
+crag, ever washed by the salt sea foam; but, stay, Endora--I know thy
+name. I would speak with thee. Once when I was a slave thou wert good to
+me, and told me my star was rising full of splendour. How didst thou
+know?'
+
+'Noble lady, I spoke not of my own knowledge, but as the spirit prompted
+me.'
+
+'Again, when thou helped me to escape my persecutors, what impelled
+thee?'
+
+'The knowledge I was aiding one beloved of Hecate! 'Twas not love--love
+in me is dead, dead and scentless. The curse--the curse! and it will
+weigh me down for ever.'
+
+'Art sure of this?'
+
+'Yes, Lady Saronia, I am sure I am accursed of Hecate. In me it takes
+the form of a dead love with hatred raging through my soul. In others
+love is rampant and reason dead. Such is the case with one I know. Her
+curse is to love madly without an echo of love to answer.'
+
+'What was thy crime, Endora?'
+
+'That which neither god nor man can forgive.'
+
+'Tell me.'
+
+'I dare not.'
+
+'I command thee!'
+
+'No, no; leave me quiet! I have lived in Ephesus these many years. No
+one knows me, where I came from, what my crime. Bid me leap into the
+great depths below and gurgle out my life beneath the waters, out of
+human sight--anything--anything, but grant me silence!'
+
+'I will not! Speak truthfully! The High Priestess of Hecate commands
+thee.'
+
+The woman's face grew pale as death.
+
+'Wilt thou bury my secret in thy heart, and close thy lips for ever on
+it?'
+
+'Be quick, say on! First, who art thou?'
+
+'The mother of Chios!'
+
+'_Thou!_'
+
+'Yes, I am.'
+
+'What art thou?'
+
+'I was a priestess at Delos, where Apollo and Diana came forth--a
+priestess of the Oracle. Broke my vows; wed; fell to what thou seest me:
+a priestess of high degree acting--acting the part of a hag. I was
+doomed to death. The people think me dead, but I live, deserted by the
+one who caused my fall. I live, thirsting for revenge--I, Endora the
+witch, eking a crust of bread by fortune-telling and love philtres,
+bearing the load of Hecate's curse. I they call Endora am no other than
+Myrtile of Delos! Now, noble Saronia, thou knowest how love is dead, and
+I the accursed. Oftentimes I come here and gaze across the Ægean Sea
+towards the far-off sunny isle of Delos, where it lies like a jewel in
+the sea--Delos, where the laurel trembled at the coming of the unseen
+gods, where temples, amphitheatres, and colonnades crowned every crest,
+and filled the vales of the lovely home of Latona.'
+
+For a moment, as Saronia thought of her own mother, a shudder passed.
+'Twas but a moment, and the priestess looked as calm as summer eve.
+
+'Hast thou ever told the story to another?'
+
+'No, no, and no human being but the mighty Saronia should ever have
+drawn it from me. Thou by thy power dost compel me to act unwillingly. I
+would far rather have buried it under those blue, seething waters and
+have ended my course.'
+
+'It is well. See thou dost guard it; see thou dost guard it. Now, what
+can I do for thee? When humble was my lot and thou sawest my exaltation
+nigh, thou saidst, "Remember me when thou enterest on thy high estate."
+What may be done for thee?'
+
+'Nothing. I go my way, leaving in thy keeping my awful secret, and trust
+thy silence. I go to my den on the mountain side, unwinding my fate. The
+thread will soon be broken, but ere it snaps my mission will be
+perfected.'
+
+'Hast thou a mission?'
+
+'As truly as yon passing ship glides on towards the harbour mouth, and
+until it be accomplished Endora is the witch of Ephesus, the blackened
+soul. After that, I know not what.'
+
+'Can I aid thee? Gold I have; take some.'
+
+'No. I am not thankless, but have sufficient. Can Endora be of service
+to _thee_?'
+
+'I fear not.'
+
+'Then adieu. I shall come to this loved spot again. It is the nearest I
+can come to my beloved Delos.'
+
+She crept away amongst the golden flowers down the side of the cliff.
+The seagull cried to its mate, the waves dashed up their foam till it
+mixed with the silvery light, and falling like showers of dew, lay on
+the lips of the flowers.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+And Saronia, the High Priestess of Diana, stood out against sky and sea,
+stood out against silver and blue, the great globed sun, a circle of
+light, forming a halo around her head.
+
+
+
+
+                         CHAPTER XXXIII
+
+                              NIKA
+
+
+'He is away, my lord and master, my wedded husband, the Proconsul of
+Ephesus. Gone to Rome on State matters. Let him go! There are other
+Romans here as good as he, perhaps better. I shall mix with them, and,
+doing so, further hate the man I am tied to, sold to. I hate him! There
+is but one love in my heart--the love for Chios, who spurns it. Stay! I
+wonder if there be another beside Chios who may quench this flame
+devouring me? There may be. And this I determine, wherever I find love
+in unison, thither will I advance, and that immediately before Varro's
+return. Varro! Varro! what care I for Varro? I will deceive him if it
+pleases me. The world will call me vile if they discover. What care I
+for the world? What care I for the worms which crawl? Many worse than
+Nika. No, what cares Nika, accursed of Hecate? Take thy pleasure; to
+love is life, and union of souls is strength even if we be but two--'tis
+better than one against the hosts of hell! Nika is single-handed; Nika
+has no kindred soul to join in the fight--Nika the doomed one, against
+whom the Fates war, around whom the Furies rage. Arouse thyself! Set thy
+face against what is called goodness, chastity! Defy those
+principalities and powers which torture thee, laugh at thee, shatter thy
+hopes, damn thee for the next life, before thou puttest aside the vile
+clay of this, make sport of thy soul ere half the circle of thy days is
+spent!
+
+'No, no! Enough, enough! I will fill my cup with every pleasure, if well
+deep enough be found. I will joy in the sunshine, if it be but for one
+day, like the many-coloured lily which opens to the morning sun and dies
+at eventide. Away, Nika, to the world of pleasure! But first drink deep
+of Grecian wine to brace thyself. What care I for peace? I shall be no
+worse than many of my Romans.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The sun went down like an angry god, the west was ablaze with lurid
+gleam, the winds rushed in from the sea and smote the land, burying it
+with a shroud of foam. The rain descended in torrents and deluged the
+shore. The storm passed through the great city and away over the
+mountain-tops. The streets were deserted and a gloom rested on the land.
+
+One solitary human being might have been seen winding her way from place
+to place, and up the mountain side towards the home of Nika. With wet
+and clinging garments she hesitated in front of the house. Watching an
+opportunity, she pushed through the hedgerow of myrtles and stood within
+the garden. Stealthily she crept from shrub to shrub, now under the
+shelter of a laurel, then tearing through a mass of roses and trampling
+under feet the loveliest flowers, scarcely knowing whither she went, but
+making for a light which filtered through a window of many-coloured
+glass, until at last she stood in front of it, and dimly saw the
+overhanging jasmine and the great, white flowers of the magnolia. For a
+moment the perfume, like an angel guardian, uttered protest and dared
+approach, but the spirit impelling that form enveloped in soaking garb
+was one not long to be brooked by sentiment, and she moved like a
+panther carefully forward, and peered through the casement left open to
+admit the perfumed air. She gazed anxiously through the opening, and saw
+the form of the beautiful Nika sitting on a low chair. The double tablet
+of wax lay upon her knees, and in her hand was an ivory point chased
+with diamonds. She had just written, and was evidently agitated.
+
+At the sight of this the soul of the woman without was moved to its very
+depths, and she longed to behold what was marked on the tablet. The
+divining power of her spirit asserted itself, and she knew by the
+writer's look that it was a message of importance, and probably one of
+love. She waited till Nika had finished it; then the Roman stretched out
+her white arms and flung herself back in a deep reverie.
+
+The eyes of the witch Endora were directed steadily on her, and as she
+gazed, Nika fell asleep, and her hands drooped listlessly by her side.
+
+Like a snake, Endora glided into the room, reached the sleeping Roman,
+then, gently raising the tablet from her knee, she moved as softly and
+serpent-like from the room, and stole back by the way she came--back
+through the deserted streets, up the hill Pion to her cave.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Once inside, she bolted the rough door, through the chinks of which the
+wind moaned.
+
+Lighting her lamp, she stripped off her saturated clothes. Before even
+she kindled a fire, she drew out the stolen thing, and, with straining
+eyes, read its contents. Then a hellish satisfaction lit up her haggard
+face, and she laughed with fiendish glee, murmuring to herself, fearful
+of listening ears:
+
+'Ha, ha, ha! My mistress Nika, thou hast a lover. Thou art safe now in
+the meshes of the fowler. The measure thou hast meted out to others
+shall be measured back to thee again--again, I say. And the house of
+Venusta shall sorrow, as they say the Egyptians did for their
+first-born. Not only shall they suffer on thine account; their own sins
+shall weigh mightily on them. Yea, root and branch shall suffer, and
+they shall wither away until not a footfall of theirs be heard, nor an
+echo of their voices resound through their marble home. The witch
+Endora, like a Cassandra, smells the past, and speaks of evil.
+
+'Day after day, night after night, have I been on the trail, tracked her
+like a bloodhound, haunted her to earth. I lie not; she is worse than I!
+The Roman shall know all, and Saronia, whom she tortured, be avenged. If
+her soul is too kind to feed upon such a rare morsel, then the witch of
+Ephesus--I, Endora--will do so, and gloat over the fate of Nika, proud,
+despicable daughter of Lucius the Roman! Now let me breathe the air; the
+stormy air, the sunlight, and the breeze belong to me as much as to the
+good.'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXXIV
+
+                          THE HOROSCOPE
+
+
+Nika was pale and worn, and scarcely spoke.
+
+'What ails thee, dearest wife?' said Varro.
+
+'Naught,' replied she; 'tired only. All night long have I watched
+through the storm. I knew by the signal-fires thou wert off the harbour
+mouth. Dost thou think I could rest when my lord rode on the top of
+crested waves, and the creaking timbers of the vessel sang omens fierce
+and loud? No, no; Nika is of different mould. My father is a warrior and
+a sailor, and ofttimes has he told me of the fearful perils of the
+seas.'
+
+'Nika, thou art my darling wife! How hast thou fared during my absence?
+Hast thou longed for my coming?'
+
+'Truly I have. And sometimes, when cloudy times were over me, I wished
+me dead rather than alone. Friends tried to cheer me; their work was but
+mockery, I well knowing naught but thy presence could fill the heart
+which has but room for one great joy--one which fills it to
+overflowing.'
+
+'Thou lovest me too much, Nika.'
+
+'Nika never loves but with all her soul,' replied she.
+
+'Tell me, girl, how is our old friend Chios?'
+
+'Chios? I have not seen him for many a day. I may say I have not seen
+him since thou left for Rome. I am told that strange being has turned
+voyager. It appears he took it into his head to visit Delos, and a
+trading-ship passing on its voyage thence called into this port, and
+Chios embarked.'
+
+'Has he returned?'
+
+'I believe so. I understand he arrived two days since.'
+
+'I will go and see him shortly.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A day or two had flown, and Varro was at the studio of Chios.
+
+'Well, my friend,' said the Proconsul, 'how has the time passed with
+thee since I deserted Ephesus? Hast seen yet the charming Ionian girl
+who is to smite thy heart like the sharpened beak of a war bireme when
+it sends its prow into the soft pinewood sides of an enemy's ship? No?
+Well, I am sorry for thee, Chios. Thou deservedst a better fate. Nika
+told me of thy wanderings to Delos. Didst thou have pleasure in that
+lovely isle?'
+
+'I enjoyed it immensely, and learned many quaint stories of the place. I
+saw the Temple and the rock-cleft chasm through which the priestesses
+derived inspiration. I heard the story of Myrtile, that she was
+beautiful and wise as she was lovely; how she broke her vows, and
+suffered death as a punishment for her crime.'
+
+'How sad those stories are, Chios!'
+
+'Yes, very, but the earth is full of such. Where dost thou spend this
+evening?'
+
+'Now, Chios, I am going to confide in thee. Guess what it is!'
+
+'I cannot.'
+
+'I have desired to get the horoscope of Nika. They tell me the witch
+Endora who lives in the side of yonder hill is one of the most eminent
+calculators of Ionia. Where she received her education 'tis a mystery.
+She has not been taught in Ephesus. I go to this poor old woman. What
+sayest thou, Chios?'
+
+'Don't go. No good will come of it.'
+
+'Art thou a seer?'
+
+'No; neither do I understand magic, but somehow I feel you will act
+wisely in keeping away.'
+
+'Lovest thou not the mysteries?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Neither those who love them?'
+
+'I love all my friends, whate'er their faith.'
+
+'Thou art a born diplomatist, Chios; but to-night will find me walking
+over the long grass leading to the cave of the wise woman of Ephesus.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+That night he did go, and with some intrepidity knocked at the door of
+the mysterious cave. It was answered by Endora, peering out into the
+starlit night.
+
+'Whom seekest thou?' said she.
+
+'Endora.'
+
+'I am Endora. What requirest thou?'
+
+'I wish to consult thee.'
+
+'My place is poor for thee. Come within. Now, what is thy requirement?'
+
+'Thou tellest the future?'
+
+'Well?'
+
+'Dost thou cast an horoscope truly?'
+
+'Likely enough.'
+
+'Wilt thou cast from this?'--handing the date and time of birth.
+
+Endora took it, sat down, and commenced her work. Presently she looked
+up, and said:
+
+'I see enough to assure me that it will fit but the life of one person.'
+
+'And that one?' said Varro.
+
+'A woman, the wife of the Proconsul of Ephesus, and thou art he.'
+
+'This augurs well. I have heard great worth attached to thy wisdom. Now
+pray tell me hast thou ever seen her?'
+
+'Yes, many times. What dost thou think of thy wife? Art thou jealous of
+her since thou art come to dive into her future and her past?'
+
+'No, my woman! No, no; why should I be jealous? She is chaste as she is
+beautiful, and kind as she is wise. I have fullest confidence in my
+wife. What seest thou, Endora?'
+
+'I fear,' replied the witch, 'I must have been mistaken; for now I see
+here a beautiful woman with rippling hair of golden hue flowing back
+from a snowy brow.'
+
+'Yes, yes; go on. That is right.'
+
+'No, it cannot be the Nika you call wife; she has eyes of blue, deep as
+the sea, and her cheeks are tinged with the glory of the pomegranate.
+She stands erect; she walks like a queen.'
+
+'Thou art right, Endora. 'Tis she! Thou art an artist; go further.'
+
+'She has ruby lips, and her teeth are white and smooth as pearl; but
+within she is a cauldron of----'
+
+'Stay, wretch!' cried Varro.
+
+'I will not. A cauldron of lies! A sink of deception! A tiger whelp! A
+soul drowning in iniquity, destined to wander in darkness for ages on
+ages!'
+
+'Stop--stop thy murderous tongue! It must be, as thou sayest, some
+other--not Nika!'
+
+'No, no. Thou shalt not stay me; I will go on. It--is--thy--wife! She is
+beautiful without, but within I see her as I say.'
+
+'Poor thing! thou art deceived. Thou art delirious; I pity thee, and
+will get physician's aid for thee. I go now. Here is some gold. Rest
+thyself. Thine is a case demanding pity.'
+
+'I take not your gold; I want not your pity. I am sane. Would I had been
+born a drivelling idiot, and remained so to this present!'
+
+'But surely, woman, thou canst not be other than mad to say such
+horrible things about Nika, my wife, my greatest treasure!'
+
+'I am not mad, noble man; but speak the truth, and speak it plainly. Thy
+wife deceives thee. She is vile!'
+
+'Curse your gray locks! I will smite you where you stand if you do not
+retract those blackened lies!'
+
+'Listen, Proconsul: I will not withdraw what I have said, but will
+further tear the veil from off thy deluded eyes. I have known her long,
+and watched her well--the reason, mine. I have followed in the groove of
+her life; but, to come to the present, thou hast been from Ephesus,
+leaving thy beautiful Nika behind--leaving thy soul's happiness with
+her. How has she repaid thee? How! By giving her love to----'
+
+'Silence, thou reptile of hell!' And he sprang forward, clutching the
+woman by the throat.
+
+Her face grew dark and her eyes started; her mouth twitched
+convulsively, as if she essayed to speak.
+
+Maddened with fury, Varro still clutched her with the grip of death,
+holding her out at arms' length, glaring at her like a tiger with its
+prey.
+
+With one supreme effort the woman gathered together her dying strength
+sufficiently to enable her to thrust her hand into the folds of her
+dress and draw forth a tablet and hold it out towards him.
+
+Instinctively he relaxed his grip, and the witch cried out:
+
+'Read! Read!'
+
+He grasped the tablet, opened it, and saw the signature of Nika.
+
+Endora fell, her face lying on the stony floor. He heeded her not, but,
+with a face as death-like as that of the witch, glanced down the lines
+of the tablet.
+
+Then, with a moan such as is heard when the weary storm tells its sad
+tale through the cypress-trees, he sat down and buried his face in his
+hands.
+
+For some time he remained in the same position, until a sigh came from
+the prostrate woman.
+
+He arose and went towards her, saying:
+
+'Whatever may be thy sins, in this I am the sinner for bruising thee.'
+
+He gave her wine, damped her furrowed, fevered brow, raised her from the
+floor, and watched by her until she had fully regained consciousness.
+
+She murmured:
+
+'I do not blame thee. Were I a man, I would have done likewise. Endora
+pities thee. Thou hast wedded a snake, and she has stung thee. What wilt
+thou do?'
+
+'Charge her.'
+
+'And should she deny?'
+
+'She shall be tried by the rites of the Virgin Cave of Hecate.'
+
+He arose, and, throwing his mantle around him, strode out into the night
+down the hillside to his home.
+
+On his arrival, Nika met him with honeyed words and sweetest smiles, but
+he passed her coldly, and went to his chamber--not to sleep. The room
+seemed filled with choking air. He opened the window and let in a
+cooling draught, and the moonlight, faint and low, stole softly across
+the floor.
+
+For a moment he rested, buried in thought, scarcely knowing what to do.
+His face betrayed great passion. He arose, and paced the room until the
+day dawned over the sea, when he fell upon a couch, and passed into a
+dreamy sleep.
+
+When the morning had fully come, he went out and breathed the cool
+virgin air, but soon returned.
+
+His wife met him again with all the ease that duplicity can command.
+
+'And where hast thou been, Varro? Why so cold yesternight to thy loving
+wife?'
+
+'Nika, thou art false, false! What hast thou been doing whilst I
+journeyed to Rome?'
+
+'What dost thou mean?'
+
+'Mean! Just what I say. I am not a man to bandy words. Thou art
+unfaithful to me. Dost thou deny it?'
+
+'I do. I swear by Jove I am guiltless! I have traducers, and they lie!'
+
+'Knowest thou this writing, Nika?' And, drawing the tablet from his
+bosom, he said: 'Dost thou recognise this?'
+
+For a moment, and just a moment only, as a bird flies past and hides the
+moon, her face assumed an ashen hue, but a crimson blush rushed in and
+retired, leaving sufficient colour to make her beauty more enchanting.
+Then, throwing her proud head back on her shoulders, she laughed,
+saying:
+
+'Dear old jealous husband! I can explain all, I see. I understand what
+has ruffled your pretty plumage. I remember the other night writing on
+that tablet--a great joke'--and again she laughed out merrily.
+
+'I will tell thee, Varro. For want of something to do, I sat down and
+read the love poems by Andros. Yes, Varro. Art thou listening? Well,
+what do you think? A sudden idea came into my mind to try if I could
+write an epistle to an imaginary lover. So I did, just for amusement,
+Varro. I laid the tablet in my lap and fell asleep, and lo! when I awoke
+it was gone; and, strangely enough, you, Varro, bring it to me. This is
+all, dear. Of course, thou believest me?'
+
+'No, I believe it not. Thou shalt no longer be wife of mine until thou
+provest thyself. This affair is not a secret in Ephesus, and men of
+Ionia and nobles of Rome shall never point the finger of scorn at Varro.
+If thou art true, fear not; if false, then take thy reward.'
+
+'What meanest thou, husband? Thou art not serious? How can I prove other
+than by my word?'
+
+'Thou forgettest there is a tribunal for such offences.'
+
+'True. Tell me.'
+
+'The Virgin Cave of Hecate.'
+
+'The cave! Saronia!' shrieked Nika, and fell to the floor a helpless
+form.
+
+The Roman took her up and laid her on a couch, her hair flowing in
+golden masses to the ground, and her face like the face of death when
+Chios painted her!
+
+He called a slave to attend to Nika, hurried to his apartment, and sent
+word to Venusta instructing her to come immediately, stating her
+daughter was ill.
+
+Venusta came, and was terror-stricken at her daughter's appearance, and
+that day the wife of the Proconsul was removed to her mother's home on
+the side of Mount Coressus.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXXV
+
+                        THE VIRGIN CAVE
+
+
+In the Sacred Grove of Hecate, where the sun lit up the cypress-trees,
+and the birds sang on the billowy branches of the cluster-pine, and
+laurels greeted the gods, waving their dark-green foliage on the
+whispering air; where roses twined like weary children round the
+olive-trees, and oleanders, white as snow and pink as rosy dawn, bent
+down and kissed the murmuring brook; where the pale narcissi mirrored
+themselves in silent pools like stars of silver on the solemn sea, and
+the maddening perfume of that lovely flower mingled with the odour of
+the sweet grass, wild thyme, and violets--here the blue celandine and
+hyacinth vied in colour with the saffron flower and scarlet poppy,
+sacred to Diana, and every bloom was the emblem of a god; and the nymphs
+kept guard o'er sacred trees, and naiades revelled in gayest dance the
+long night through.
+
+The Sacred Cave was here--the Virgin Cave of Hecate, around which, like
+lost souls out of place, grew alder, dark, deadly aconite, and branches
+green of juniper, waiting their call to burn as incense to the infernal
+goddess.
+
+A winding pathway led down to the cave, the cave of trial.
+
+Its doors were strong, of olive wood, with tracings wrought in gold. On
+either side uprose stout pillars of malachite; and over the entrance, in
+curious marble richly carved, were figures of Hecate in judgment.
+
+Within this cave none but the pure might enter. There was the sacred
+syrinx--should a woman go therein, the doors closed by invisible hands.
+If pure, a soft and heavenly strain was heard, and the doors opening of
+their own accord, the honoured woman appeared crowned with a garland of
+leaves of pine; but if guilty, sobs and disconsolate weeping were
+audible, and the people passed away, leaving her to her fate. And after
+three suns had risen and set, the High Priestess entered, found the cave
+empty, and the syrinx fallen to the ground.
+
+This was the day Nika would enter the cave. No hope had come. Day after
+day she had gazed over the blue sea with the vain thought that she might
+catch a glimpse of her father's fleet returning. Not a vestige of it
+hove in sight. To the last she buoyed herself with the hope that aid
+would come and save her from this frightful ordeal; but no. The sky was
+cloudless, the ocean calm--calm and unruffled as a sleeping child.
+
+The priests and priestesses of the Temple would accompany her in solemn
+procession, and Nika, clad in garments of black, would be taken to the
+Sacred Grove. Torch-bearers and heralds would lead them by the tufts of
+yellow iris down the winding path to the cave, outside which an altar
+stood, and the great Saronia waited, with head thrown back and hands
+outspread towards the ground; her raven hair flowed down and lay in
+waves on folds of costly yellow silk bestudded with stars; her face was
+calm as death, rigid as a marble statue; emotion showed no place in that
+mysterious being.
+
+Five beautiful girls, the loveliest of Ionia, priestesses of the
+goddess, bees of the Temple, waited on her; but the beauty and dignity
+of the great High Priestess outshone them all, as the rising sun puts
+out the light of the silvery stars.
+
+The black lamb had been sacrificed to Hecate, and its crimson blood
+streamed over the altar into the earth.
+
+The priestesses were hidden from view by a turning in the way, and it
+was only when the last tall lines of myrtles were passed that they could
+be seen. But the clanging of cymbals was near, the strains of the lyre
+broke in, and the low tones of the mellow flute kept up a sacred melody.
+
+The first of the heralds drew near the altar sacrifice, stood still a
+moment, then blew a blast which made the blossoms quiver; and the
+procession came with measured tread, carrying banners many-coloured, and
+bearing symbols of the goddess which glittered in the sunlight.
+
+Nika, pale and trembling, stood within a circle of the priests,
+enveloped by the many standards which they bore.
+
+Suddenly the silken shields were lowered, the circle broke in twain,
+and formed a guard on either side; and Nika, looking down between the
+lines, saw the dark face and towering form of Saronia standing by the
+altar.
+
+With one loud, piercing cry of anguish, the girl rushed madly towards
+her, and when within three paces plucked a jewelled dagger from her
+bosom, and made to plunge it into the heart of her former slave.
+
+One look from the mystic eyes of the High Priestess overawed her, and
+she shielded her face with her mantle of black.
+
+No tremor passed the face of the High Priestess. It was fixed like a
+cold, pale moon in the cloudless sky. She could have slain Nika had she
+chosen. Her glistening dagger remained untouched. She heeded it not, but
+moved solemnly towards the cowering girl, holding forth her hands as she
+approached her, saying:
+
+'Lean on me, fair woman of Rome. I may make thy burden less.'
+
+The eyes of Nika rolled back their maddening look, and gazed into those
+of the priestess.
+
+'O Saronia, Saronia, save me! or, if thou canst not, then forgive!'
+
+For the first time the face of the High Priestess relaxed, and it was
+veiled with a look of pity.
+
+'Would I could help thee, Nika! In this case I have not power. I stand
+here, not to punish, but to perform the sacred rites my office demands;
+but I forgive thee, forgive thee, Nika, whatever may be thy fate.'
+
+The low tones of Diana's hymn broke the stillness, and Saronia led the
+trembling woman to the Virgin Cave of Hecate.
+
+The great doors swung back, the doors of olive were wide apart, and soft
+Ionian music floated by like the rhythm of angels' wings.
+
+'Nika--let me kiss thee, Nika.'
+
+And Saronia took the face bestrewn with golden hair between her jewelled
+hands, and passionately kissed the trembling lips of the daughter of
+Lucius.
+
+Then she led the fated woman to the cave, and left her.
+
+The great doors flew back like the jaws of death, and in a moment or two
+sounds of weeping were heard, and the people turned away. Full well they
+knew the syrinx had fallen, and Nika was gone--for ever.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXXVI
+
+                             REVERIE
+
+
+The passing of Nika spoke strongly to Saronia. She had lived with her,
+served with her, felt the keen injustice of her nature, and now the end
+had come.
+
+Had it been woman against woman, she would not have crushed the Roman;
+but it was not so. It was a woman in conflict with the goddess. Saronia
+had been powerless to help, and dared not question the vengeance of
+Hecate.
+
+She sympathized with Lucius, her old master, always kind; pictured him
+returning to Ephesus, hastening to his home on the Coressian hill,
+expecting loving greeting, hearing the dreadful death of his only child
+from a broken-hearted wife. She saw the tears streaming down the face of
+the weather-beaten mariner, and watched the wrecked soul as it looked
+out through the lustreless eyes.
+
+It was horrible to think of all this, and to dwell on the thought that
+question after question would arise in his mind why the Fates did not
+sooner bring him home that he might have saved her--fought for her, if
+need be; and, above all, why did not Saronia protect her against the
+power of the Roman, Proconsul though he was? He would revert back to the
+time when he saw her at the altar steps looking sweetly on him and his
+sailors when they came to pray.
+
+All the agony of Lucius came before her, and her spirit was clouded with
+gloom.
+
+She threw herself down, and buried her beautiful face, sighing as if her
+heart would rend in twain. She was a woman, not a goddess--a woman with
+sympathies keen enough to feel for others, even to the binding up of the
+broken-hearted and offering forgiveness to her most violent foe.
+
+A mysterious link had suddenly snapped in her chain of destiny. What it
+was she could not divine.
+
+The death of Nika moved her in a peculiar manner, such as nothing else
+had done since the deep of her being was broken up by the call of the
+great spirit to follow the goddess.
+
+It was a dark chapter in her life's history, and she earnestly desired
+to know its hidden meaning; she would wait patiently until the time came
+when all should be revealed.
+
+She arose, looked towards the sea, and saw in vision the white sails of
+the fleet of Lucius bringing him to port.
+
+A storm crossed her face, as when the icy winds of winter furrow the
+waves and clouds swoop down to wed the foaming main. Her whole nature
+trembled like the shaken hull of a tempest-haunted ship. The spirit of
+Hecate was on her, and the voice of the terrible goddess rang out in her
+soul:
+
+'Tell him the curse hath killed her! Say the gods are avenged!'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When the evening had come, Saronia retired and lay on a couch of black
+marble. The windows of the room were thrown open to admit what little
+breeze there was; the honeysuckle and jasmine climbed the walls like
+rival lovers, and breathed their perfume on the priestess.
+
+She looked towards the Temple; the sun threw rays aslant the roof and
+pillars, and it shone resplendent in the dying day.
+
+In the rear of it sprang up against the sky tall trees of cluster-pine
+and ash, further away rose the great mountains, and behind them the
+golden gates of the setting sun, and beyond all, soft clouds cradled in
+light floated like temple domes of a great spiritual city.
+
+The soul of the priestess was drawn away towards the glorious vision,
+and for a while she had forgotten herself. Darkness had changed to
+light, and she longed to be beyond all the uncertainty of this troubled
+existence, and move into a sphere where hope might be lost in
+love--where she would see things as they are, see them with the truth of
+a risen soul, not as she now saw them, with a soul straining to gaze at
+spiritual beauty through a mass of corruption, a shroud of earthly
+mould.
+
+Her spirit struggled to free itself, to spread out its pinions and soar
+into an element of its own; but the time had not yet arrived for the
+prisoner to be free--her prison was bolted with bars of brass.
+
+As the shadows deepened on the floor of that sacred room, and the last
+flickering light of day played between her tresses, turning her silvery
+robes to gray, it was evident her mind was much agitated--influenced in
+a marked degree.
+
+She took from her bosom the parchment Chios had given--the manuscript
+which taught the Christian creed--and, grasping it firmly with her right
+hand, walked towards the window, looking lovingly and long at the great
+Temple. She moved away, murmuring:
+
+'I will see Chios. I will see him, and know more of his faith.'
+
+Thus was this magnificent spirit besieged by contending forces. She
+stood like a mountain peak encircled with storm, like a beacon on a rock
+lashed by the fury of the maddening seas, like a ship in a valley of
+waves, rudderless, shroudless, with creaking timbers and sailless yards.
+
+Her first thought was, under the cover of night, to fly to the studio of
+Chios. No, he would not be there. A better way suggested itself.
+
+She stood erect, with face towards where the city lay, and, stretching
+out both hands, she threw a wave of will forward in search of Endora. It
+reached her at her mountain home.
+
+The witch sprang to her feet, and the command of Saronia came to her:
+'Come to the Temple to-morrow morn. Bring me a gift of roses.'
+
+That night the priestess rested, slumbering till the sun arose and the
+mists on the mountains had cleared away. Then she awoke, and went forth
+to the morning service. As she passed by, many beasts were being
+sacrificed at the altar in front of the Temple, portions of the flesh
+and basins of blood were being carried within.
+
+She stood beside the sacrifice in the midst of the Temple, heard the
+crackling wood as it slowly burned up the pieces, watched the smoke
+until it ascended, freely passing out through the aperture in the roof;
+then she knew the sacrifice was accepted of the goddess.
+
+The omen at one time would have been to her one of great joy. Now
+another voice was echoing: 'Sacrifices and burnt-offerings I have no
+pleasure in. The true sacrifice is a broken and a contrite heart.'
+
+As soon as she could, she turned from the Temple and sought the quiet of
+her room, sitting by the window where the sunlight kissed the roses and
+the breezes fanned her cheeks.
+
+
+
+
+                         CHAPTER XXXVII
+
+                          THE MESSAGE
+
+
+As the day advanced a message was brought to the priestess that a woman
+was without who wished to speak to her, and that she carried roses in
+her hand, an offering to Diana.
+
+'Let her come to me,' said Saronia.
+
+'Come within and seat thyself. I have much to say to thee, mother of
+Chios. I know I may trust thee. Thou wilt never betray?'
+
+'No. By all that is left for my eternal salvation, I swear to be true!'
+
+'Then hear me. Take this message to Chios. I must see him.'
+
+'Thou knowest, lady, Chios is a Christian?'
+
+'I do. Dost thou know aught of this sect, seeing thou movest abroad
+among the people?'
+
+'O noble Saronia, 'tis a mighty God they serve.'
+
+'What meanest thou?'
+
+'I will tell thee. One day there came to my house the sons of Sceva;
+they came to cast out a spirit of evil from a tortured man.'
+
+'Did they succeed?'
+
+'No. Miserably failed! And I, by my power, tried by Hecate to draw him
+forth, but I could not.'
+
+'By what process did they attempt this?'
+
+'They invoked the name of the Jewish Christ, but the spirit rebelled
+against them, and disowned their power. They had made a cross, the
+symbol of that God, to carry out their plan, and when they had fled and
+I also looked back, I saw the cross all lit with glorious sheen in the
+hands of the man, and the spirit had come out of him. I fear this faith;
+Diana, Hecate are servants to it, and this Christ will prevail in
+Ephesus. I would this God would shield me from the curse, and I would
+lie at His feet in gratitude and joy.'
+
+'Endora, thou speakest strange sayings. Art thou certain of all those
+things, or are they phantasies of the mind?'
+
+'They are true, noble Saronia, as true as yonder Temple is the shrine of
+thy goddess; true as there is a central sun in the universe, around
+which all other suns revolve. And this Christ, they say, is the great
+spiritual orb, the grand Spirit of the whole around which every other
+intelligence moves, and to whom every spirit in the vast domains shall
+bow. It's a terrible thought, is it not?'
+
+'Why?'
+
+'Because, if this saying be true, Diana is no more. She is not supreme,
+and will fade away as the ages grow, dwindling into nothingness, and her
+teaching be but a beautiful story.'
+
+'Ah! Endora, thou speakest wisely. Truly thou art acting a part in
+assuming the craft of a low-born fortune-teller. I see thou art skilled
+in words, and still hast the soul and wisdom of a priestess; as a
+diamond thou wilt sparkle, begrimed as thou art with the adverse
+circumstances of thy life. Thou hast interested me. It is well one
+should know what is propagated around her. Hast thou any more respecting
+this strange belief?'
+
+'Only this: One day when on the mountain yonder two men were near. I
+hid, but close enough to listen.'
+
+'Who were they?'
+
+'One was Chios, the other his teacher, one of the chiefs of the
+Christians.'
+
+'What did they say?'
+
+'I heard the old man speak in prophecy, saying the time was not far away
+when the beautiful city beneath them should crumble to decay, the
+temples perish, and the altars be broken and buried deep in the earth,
+until men should seek for the glories and religion of Ephesus, but
+should search in vain--that the faith of the goddess should be but a
+broken note in the great hymn which the ages sing. More he said, but all
+of the same import.'
+
+'What kind of man was this prophet?'
+
+'He was mean in appearance, possessing an intellect like the mind of a
+god. His eyes were piercing, and his spirit consumed his flesh; his body
+was but a disguise. Surely within that frail and plainly-built structure
+there resided a soul which has circled around the central throne of the
+King of the universe. He is a messenger from Him, whoever He may be.'
+
+'Endora--Myrtile may I call thee?--go! Be careful of the message to
+Chios. My life--everything depends on its safe delivery. Place it
+carefully, and speed away. The message demands action this day.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Endora crept up the avenue of myrtles to the door of Chios, and timidly
+knocked at it.
+
+'I have a message for thee.'
+
+'From whom didst thou receive it?'
+
+'From the High Priestess, Saronia.'
+
+'What knowest thou of her? Thou mockest me.'
+
+'No, I do not. Read it. Thou wilt see her in every line.'
+
+He eagerly glanced at the message, and turned deadly pale.
+
+'Come within, Endora.'
+
+'Thou knowest my name. How so?'
+
+'It matters little. I know thy name.'
+
+As the old woman moved into the studio, a strange, weird light lit up
+her cold, sinister face, and she gazed around at the beauties displayed
+there.
+
+'Sit down and rest. Dost thou know the contents of this message?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Then I will tell thee. Saronia has trusted thee; I must. She cannot
+err; her judgment is good, and I abide by it.'
+
+'Ah, ah!' laughed Endora. 'I am safe, noble Greek. Thou canst trust me.
+The High Priestess confides in me; Chios may do the same. Shall I
+swear?'
+
+'No; but look into my eyes, and tell me thou wilt be true.'
+
+As she gazed into his eyes a shudder passed through her, and for an
+instant she reeled as if drunken. Recovering herself, she said:
+
+'Art thou satisfied?
+
+He made no reply.
+
+Endora cried:
+
+'Speak--speak out straight from thy heart, or I will not receive thy
+secret!'
+
+'Yes; I can trust thee,' replied Chios. 'Why, I do not know. I am safe
+in thine hands. Who art thou? What art thou?'
+
+'I? I am a poor castaway, cast aside on the dung-heap like a broken
+lamp! I am a reptile doomed to crawl the earth like the meanest snake. I
+am Endora of Ephesus, the witch of Mount Pion! Who art _thou_? What a
+foolish question, when all know thee to be Chios the Greek, the great
+artist of this mighty city!... Thou art safe in the hands of Endora.
+Thou art son of some mother who cherished thy young life. Hast thou a
+mother?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Where is she?'
+
+'Dead.'
+
+'Didst thou ever know her?'
+
+Chios was silent, and his eyes looked far away.
+
+'I have faint remembrance of her; she died when I was quite a child.'
+
+'Didst thou love her?'
+
+'Love her? Yes, passionately.'
+
+'Is thy father alive?'
+
+'I never knew him. But enough of this. Sufficient I trust thee in
+respect of this message. Speak to me on no other subject. It bids me
+meet the High Priestess to-night near the Sacred Grove, and she requests
+me to tell thee this and to command thee be there and stand sentinel, to
+give timely warning if strangers approach.
+
+'Why or how Saronia confides thus in thee 'tis passing strange. But it
+must be right. Thou knowest all now. Go thy way. Do thy part for thy
+mistress, and I will do mine.'
+
+'I will be there,' replied Endora, 'and, if necessary, die for thee.'
+
+And she went out to the great road beyond the garden gate.
+
+
+
+
+                         CHAPTER XXXVIII
+
+                         THE DEAD PRIEST
+
+
+That night, with none to question her, Saronia passed out from the
+Temple towards the Sacred Grove of Hecate.
+
+Arrived there, she offered sacrifice, and left the dying embers
+blackening the sacred altar. Perchance some priestess next day should
+secretly want proof of Saronia's visit. This done, she hastened to the
+meeting-place on the bank of the Cayster, where Chios awaited her, and,
+like a faithful hound, Endora stood guard a hundred paces off, the only
+access to the river's brink.
+
+Saronia and Chios were safe. He spoke first.
+
+'Why comest thou here, my love, and such a fearful night? How the winds
+search through the trees and tangle thy beautiful tresses!
+
+'What hast thou to say? Thou runnest fearful risk. And yonder
+woman--canst thou really trust her?'
+
+'Yes, trust her fully; she is safe. I have desired to see thee, Chios,
+and have dared everything. I would know more of this faith,' and her
+voice sank to a whisper. 'Since thou gavest me the parchment to read my
+mind ever reverts to the words of fire it contains. I would know their
+hidden meaning, trace them to their source, and plant them in my heart
+were I sure they were words of truth. Thou hast a noble teacher in the
+man who wrote them. Is it possible, Chios, I may meet him and learn
+fully? My brain, disorganized, reeling with doubt, will madden me to
+death. I cannot live without knowing the truth. Tell me, canst thou help
+me?'
+
+'Saronia, what thou askest is a fearful thing. I wish thee every good,
+and would pour out my life to serve thee; but hast thou considered--hast
+thou counted the cost?
+
+'Thou art the High Priestess of the Ephesian faith, steeped in the ways
+of Hecate, initiated into the mysteries of life and death, respected by
+thy followers, looked up to as a pattern for all the world to follow.
+Hast thou thought of the great sacrifice thou wilt make if perchance
+thou dost embrace the faith of the despised Nazarene? Consider what will
+become of thee--what thine end. Thou must fly the Temple, leave its
+altars, desert thy flock, be pursued until a merciful death blots out
+the life of the greatest, noblest woman in all Asia! Now, having told
+thee of this, I am ready to obey; but it shall never enter into thy
+mind, whatever befall thee, that Chios, who loves thee with a love that
+Heaven alone can understand, ever drew thee away from a faith which thou
+hast made thine own to one which perhaps thou mayest not understand.'
+
+'Dearest Chios, I have thought much of this. Many hours have I dwelt on
+it. I am decided. Saronia will not embrace a new faith until it eclipses
+the old one. Then, for such a faith, if such there be, Saronia is
+prepared to die. To gain knowledge of the greatest truth is my mission
+on earth, and, gaining this, I rise a step nearer the Divine Presence.'
+
+'Thou shalt meet Judah. When wilt thou come?'
+
+'Not too soon, lest suspicion arise. Say, let one week pass, and I will
+be where thou wilt.'
+
+'Then we meet on the side of Mount Pion at the cave of Endora.'
+
+'Good; it shall be so, Chios.'
+
+'Now let us go. I will see thee into the road leading to the Temple.
+Fear not detection. The night forbodes a gale. Already the winds whistle
+through the reeds, and the nodding trees answer to the outriders of the
+tempest.'
+
+Suddenly a shriek went up, and was borne on the winds of night.
+
+'What is that?' whispered Saronia. ''Tis like the cry of a parting
+life.'
+
+'List!' said Chios. ''Tis some bird of evil shrieking the advent of
+storm.'
+
+They had not long to wait ere another shriek, more deadly than the
+first, rose up towards the skies.
+
+'Hide thee between the rushes, Saronia. I will see what it means. Stay
+until I return, whate'er betides.'
+
+The priestess did as she was bidden, and Chios stole softly down the
+pathway until he saw Endora--the black form of the witch surrounded by
+the night--and at her feet lay the lifeless form of a man.
+
+For a moment the Greek was terror-stricken, and when his breath had
+returned he gasped:
+
+'Endora! Endora! what meaneth this?'
+
+'I slew him,' replied she.
+
+'Thou?'
+
+'Yes, I slew him. See, my dagger reeks with blood!' and she held it
+aloft, pointing it upwards towards the heaven, looking like the statue
+of a night-fiend.
+
+Then she spoke again:
+
+'Had he a thousand lives, and my arm would not prove weary, I would take
+them all. Hear me, Chios: I stood guard for thee and Saronia. This dead
+man tracked her--knew her.'
+
+'Knew her?' repeated Chios.
+
+'Yes, recognised her--and thou. He came, as I have said, and was
+well-nigh upon you, when the form of Endora stood in the path. He spoke
+to me; he had lost the scent, did not know which way you had taken--this
+path or the one that branches off. He asked if I had seen a woman go
+this way towards the river. I answered "No." "Thou liest!" said he.
+"Thou knowest her whereabouts; thou knowest who she is--Saronia, the
+High Priestess, and Chios her lover. Speak out, hag, or I will wrest thy
+life from out thy vile carcase! Where is she?" Then said I: "Go thy way,
+man! I know not, and care less." He seized me by the throat, relaxed his
+hold, bade me speak, gripped it again, bruised me until I felt my life
+gurgling away. I knew I was not fit to die, and he--_he should not
+murder me_! He held me by the throat at arms' length, and shook me like
+a dog; but when he drew me towards him, I used my dagger and let out his
+life's blood--yes, the life-blood of a traitor!' And, turning her head
+from Chios, she murmured: 'The life-blood of--thy--father!'
+
+'Endora! Endora! what hast thou done?'
+
+'Nothing but saved my life and thine and that of the great Saronia, by
+killing a brute who would have had no mercy had he succeeded. I should
+have died, thou also, or both banished, and Saronia would have been in
+the power of this man, who had a passion for her.'
+
+'He?'
+
+'Yes, he.'
+
+Chios stooped down, gently drawing back the mantle which had fallen over
+the dead man's face, when, to his horror, he discovered who the murdered
+man was.
+
+Standing erect, he looked into the eyes of Endora.
+
+'Woman, thou hast committed a frightful deed! Thou hast slain the High
+Priest of the Temple of Diana!'
+
+She stood motionless, silent. Then, raising herself to her full height,
+she said:
+
+'Chios, this may bring me death;' and she uttered a moan like the
+sighing of the doomed. 'Take thy dagger, plunge it into my heart! Do not
+let them torture me! Death from thine hand I would receive as a kiss of
+love! As for the death of this man, I repent not. I knew him well
+before I slew. Were he a god, and I could kill, I would have done so!'
+
+What was to be done? The first impulse of Chios was to call Saronia and
+tell her all. No; he dared not. She must be free from knowledge of the
+thing.
+
+He took the dead body and drew it on one side, that Saronia might not
+perceive it.
+
+Then, ordering Endora home, he went back to the priestess.
+
+'What ails thee, Chios? Thou art agitated. Has aught occurred?'
+
+'No; it must have been the wild bird's shriek. No being was about save
+Endora. Let us move away.'
+
+And they walked up the pathway past the corpse, and as she passed she
+shuddered.
+
+'Art thou cold, Saronia?'
+
+'No; but by some strange intuition I feel the presence of the dead.'
+
+'Banish the thought!' said he. ''Tis but the moaning winds which play
+upon thy soul.'
+
+'Where is Endora, Chios?'
+
+'Gone; I sent her home.'
+
+They arrived at the confines of the grove through which Saronia must
+pass.
+
+'One kiss, my love,' said the Greek--'one kiss from those sweet lips,
+and I go to feed upon the memories of Saronia. Do not forget next week
+at the home of Endora, on the Mountain of Pion. Good-night,
+dearest--good-night!'
+
+She passed through the Sacred Grove, took with her her implements of
+sacrifice, and went within the walls which surrounded the Temple. Great
+gusts of wind came roaring through the pine-trees of the grove, rushed
+onwards, striking the sacred pile, shrieking and crying with
+many-sounding voices around the marble pillars, until the mighty Temple
+was as a great harp on which the storm-winds played a solemn requiem for
+the dead priest.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXXIX
+
+                          CONSTERNATION
+
+
+Next morning some fishermen, who had come down the river Cayster in
+their boat of many colours and crooked prow, moored it near the spot
+where Chios and Saronia met the previous night. They lowered the sail,
+with long yard and streaming pendant, rolled it up carefully, placed it
+fore and aft across the thwarts, counted their fish, took them with
+their nets and gaily stepped on shore, singing as they went, with hearts
+as light as the morning breeze and hopes as bright as the sunlight. For
+had they not a good catch of golden mullet which would sell well?
+
+They moved happily along the pathway, stooping and gathering the yellow
+flowers covered with silvery dew. There was plenty of time: the day had
+just begun, and they would easily gain the market for the early sale.
+
+Suddenly the foremost of them saw the body of the High Priest. He stood
+aghast. By this time the others came up and stood around,
+horror-stricken at the sight.
+
+'Who has done this?' said a stalwart Ionian, with curly hair and
+sparkling eyes.
+
+'Great Jupiter!' cried another. 'Who has committed the foul deed?'
+
+'A priest--a priest of rank!' exclaimed the third. 'See the insignia of
+office!'
+
+For a moment they knew not what to do. Their position was critical. One
+suggested they might be suspected of the murder, and they had better get
+on board their boat and float lower down the stream, keeping silence.
+
+Others were for going to the city and publishing the calamity, and this
+prevailed. And they hastened on, and made it known to the guard.
+
+The news of the murder of the Chief Priest of the Temple burst like a
+thunder-cloud, and spread with great rapidity until Ephesus and its
+environs rang with the tidings. Messengers hastened along the coast from
+Teos and Claros to Priene, and over the Meander to the Carian Miletus,
+to Magnesia and Mysa through to Sardis and Smyrna, in hopes by spreading
+the news that the murderer, if fled the city, might be taken.
+
+The Agora, Gymnasium, Odeum, Theatre--all the public places were closed.
+Silence seemed dropping from the heavens and casting out the joys of the
+people as they hung in groups and spoke in whispers.
+
+As the day passed, the feeling of melancholy wore off, and intense
+excitement set in. The worshippers of Diana clamoured for instant
+action, and blamed those who held power for not already capturing the
+criminal.
+
+Those of sounder judgment cast about for a motive for this deed, but
+they also were baffled. What business had the priest at night by the
+river side? Again, a thief had not killed him: everything of value
+remained upon his person; his jewels were untouched, even to the sacred
+Ephesian letters set in diamonds and rubies, and the sacred symbol of
+the shrine in gold and opals fell over his breast in sight of all. There
+was a great mystery about it. Some few dared to think within themselves
+that love and jealousy might clear it.
+
+Then it was remembered a custom existed backwards in the years that when
+a new High Priest was intended to be, the new should slay the old and
+take his place. And this satisfied many, whilst others who had desired
+to persecute the Christians clearly saw their hands in the matter, and
+preached a general massacre.
+
+At the Temple there was sore distress. Priests went to and fro with
+silent tread, and the great building resounded with cries and
+lamentations. The great Priestess Saronia wore on her face a death-like
+calmness.
+
+She had heard of the fishermen finding the body, and remembered the
+shriek which arose on the gusty air. She dared not speak; it would sound
+her own death-knell. She could not confess her presence at the margin of
+the river that fatal night.
+
+Her lips were sealed, her tongue silenced. But dark suspicions floated
+through her burning brain. Endora knew of this foul matter. Chios was
+innocent, but during his absence from her the woman must have told him
+all, and both held the secret.
+
+All this was too horrible to Saronia. Wild, heaving waves of furious
+thought rushed through her soul, threatening to engulf her reason, but
+like a shivering barque she determined to struggle through the breakers
+to the open sea and know the end.
+
+The Temple was desolate, the High Priest gone away for ever; but little
+did she know his death had saved her life, and the life of her beloved.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XL
+
+                        TWO MASTER MINDS
+
+
+The stars were shining softly through the mists of a summer night; the
+moon had touched the western rim; the winds were sleeping low upon the
+pine-clad hills, and Nature, weary, lay in sweet repose.
+
+On such a night, a week since the High Priest met his fate, Saronia went
+up the side of Pion to the cave of Endora.
+
+Disguised as she was, Chios did not know her, and she might have passed
+by unknown had she not turned towards the place where he waited to
+receive her.
+
+She entered, and sat down wearily. There was great anxiety in her eyes.
+Chios unfastened the cloak which enveloped her and let it fall back over
+her shoulders.
+
+'What ails thee, Saronia?'
+
+'What ails me? My heart is rending; I am weary. The soul truly never
+grows old, but the flesh tires. I am tired of all, and would I were at
+rest. The surges ever move towards the strand, sometimes gently like the
+breaking of the day; but with me always the waves beat ruthlessly around
+my imprisoned spirit, until now, like a drowning man clinging to the
+last vestige of his wrecked ship, I would fain let go my hold, and sink
+backwards into the seething waves which wait to engulf me.'
+
+'Do not despair, Saronia.'
+
+'No, I do not despair. I have ever sought to do the right and know the
+truth, and fear not the future.
+
+'I must find the home best suited for this soul, as I have evolved it,
+but I feel I have no power to go forward, and I may as well cease my
+yearnings for light. Perchance more may be meted to me in the ages
+beyond. That I shall live again and move onwards I know. I know this: it
+is the jewel left me--it is the anchor of my soul. Break the cordage
+which fastens me to it, and I drift aimless, hopelessly.'
+
+'Nay, nay, Saronia, do not talk in such a strain. What weighs so heavily
+on thee?'
+
+'The death of the High Priest. Canst thou clear the mystery, Chios?'
+
+He looked towards Endora. The woman stood leaning against the side of
+the cave, with eyes aglow, and burning with desire to speak. She stood
+forth, firmly erect, with head thrown back.
+
+'I slew him, lady--slew him in self-defence; killed him to save the
+truest, noblest woman on earth, and the man who loveth her, Chios the
+Greek. He would have strangled me, would have wrenched thy whereabouts
+from me--did try--until his iron grip upon my throat well-nigh put out
+my life. Now listen, mighty priestess, and you cultured man of Ephesus.
+The man I slew killed my love and spirit's aspirations years ago--long
+ago. The dead priest, who rose to be the highest in Asia, was _my
+husband_--the husband of Endora!'
+
+'Thy husband?' exclaimed Saronia.
+
+'Yea, it is true. He left me to my fate. I followed him hither, watched
+his career, and saw the people of Ephesus fooled with his whining
+hypocrisy. He knew me not until the fated night. When he fell I stooped
+and whispered in his ear my name, but _it was not Endora_! Thou heard'st
+the second shriek? The whisper of my name caused it. He shattered my
+life and left me to die; but I did not die, neither will I for his
+death. My line of life is not broken. I wait events.'
+
+Saronia was speechless, and Chios quivered like a leaf on a restless
+tree. Gathering strength, he staggered towards the door to breathe the
+air, and the two women were left alone.
+
+Endora felt the power of the priestess, and dared not speak.
+
+'Hast thou told Chios who thou art? Does he know thou art his mother,
+and by thine own hand thou hast slain his sire?'
+
+'No, and the secret kills me. Oh that I could die, disappear from the
+gaze of my son! Thou canst fancy my bursting soul, how my heart aches to
+hear one loving word from my only child! No, no; this cannot be. Endora,
+Myrtile the false, accursed, bloodstained, must never be known to Chios,
+my son, my son! But when I am gone--it will not be long--when I have
+finished here, tell him--tell him all, and that to the last my longing
+soul yearned to behold his manly face. Tell him that a mother's
+instincts, a mother's love, deadened by the curse, still dwelt within
+me. Mighty Saronia, thou wilt be left to him. Give him the love which a
+mother could not reveal. As I have said, I shall soon be on my great
+journey--yea, before the leaves fall from the trees in autumn.
+
+'Now to business. Intendest thou to deliver me to be weighed in the
+scales of justice?'
+
+'No. I mourn over the fatal act. 'Twas done in self-defence. I will not
+interfere. Wert thou tried, no one would believe thee. I do. My betrayal
+of thee would rest a murder on my own soul. The Fates must rule. Go thy
+way, and render thine account in the great hereafter. The gods will
+judge thee, and mete out justice. Keep thy counsel. 'Tis better none
+should know who thou art. Should I outlive thee, I will tell him, and
+say, blackened as thou art, cursed and full of sin, there was yet a
+spark of the Divine in thee, a spark which anon shall fire and blaze and
+burn the dross, and leave thee pure and unsullied as the air in which
+the gods dwell.'
+
+Chios returned within the cave. The women were silent, until the silence
+was broken by the footfall of a stranger. It was Judah the Christian.
+
+'What a strange gathering!' murmured Chios, as he went forth to meet his
+friend.
+
+Endora glided out like a panther, leaving the two men alone with the
+priestess.
+
+Saronia drew her black cloak closely around her, covering her priestly
+robes.
+
+Judah knew her. 'Lady of the Temple, thou art safe. Speak; I will not
+betray thee. Thou art not the first who came in this way. A young ruler
+in Judea came to my Master by night and learned of Him, and what thou
+wilt hear from me are the echoes of that Master's voice. Say on.'
+
+Then answered Saronia. 'Behold in me a priestess of the goddess Diana,
+skilled in the mysteries of her faith, touching the fringe of knowledge
+as it emanates from my divine mistress, carrying with me a belief hoary
+with the ages. But a short time since it permeated every cranny of my
+being, leaving no room for doubt until I heard from Chios thou hadst won
+him to thy faith. Knowing Chios well, and observing his peace, the
+things thou hast told him now rise for hearing in my soul. Judah, if
+thou hast more of truth than I, then show it me! I have power--power to
+cast around us darkness--thick darkness--and anon fill this darkened
+cave with spirits of fire, so that it shall blaze with light! Believest
+thou this? I do not boast to show this power, but to prove I seek not
+power, but truth and peace. Speak.'
+
+Then said he: 'Thou hast no power here. Thou art shorn of thy strength.
+The presence of my God is too strong! Invoke thy goddess, or thy gods;
+they will be dumb to thee. I challenge thee, invoke thy spirits! Call
+them hither, they will be as dead men to thee!'
+
+She arose, towering with majestic beauty, and, stretching forth her
+arms, whispered, with a voice full of command:
+
+    Spirits of the Temple Altar,
+    Ye who guard the sacrifice,
+    Ye whose pinions never weary
+    Serving Hecate, Diana,
+    Serving Luna, Queen of Heaven,
+    Come ye, by my summons bidden,
+    Light your torches deep in Hades,
+    Wave your brightness in this darkness,
+    Fill this place with light and splendour!
+
+But Saronia was powerless. Her strength was gone, and she stood aghast.
+Looking first at Chios, then at Judah, she spoke not a word, and her
+eyes were filled with tears as she learned a greater than Diana was
+there, and the priestess was a broken reed.
+
+It was then Judah spoke:
+
+'Holy Father, by whose power the north was stretched over the empty
+space, whose o'ershadowing wings give shelter to unnumbered souls, whose
+mercy endureth for ever! Holy Son, reclining on the bosom of the Father
+when the morning stars sang together and the sons of God shouted for
+joy! Holy Spirit, dispensing peace! Holy Trinity, Great Eternal, Love
+illimitable--hear Thy servant, and show us Thy goodness!'
+
+Then a Presence passed between them, and Saronia knew the Christ of God
+was there; but He entered not into her soul.
+
+She saw by the smile of peace on the Christian's face that he recognised
+his God and was holding communion with Him. And the priestess hid her
+face, not daring to look upon that holy sight.
+
+'Saronia,' said Judah, 'thy God stands by! Wilt thou worship?'
+
+She raised her eyes upwards to the rugged roof of the cave, and,
+starting to her feet, cried:
+
+'God of gods, if such Thou be--Spirit of the Mighty Ages--hail! I feel
+Thy power; it encircles me! I fear Thee, but I do not love. No, no!
+Saronia came not here to be captured or fascinated by fleeting spasm of
+fear! My mind is wrought to think and judge dispassionately. No show of
+power, no tinge of joy or veil of peace, will hold me off from the
+circle of my faith, which hath taught me knowledge deep and high, all
+glinting with flames of truth, strong as the moon gives when
+harvest-time is here. What I ask for is more light--sunlight--that may
+show me the truth with radiant splendour of a summer day. Canst thou,
+holy man, bestow this?'
+
+For a moment the power of her mighty mind astounded Judah. Never before
+had he encountered such a being. He looked on her as she stood erect in
+all her loveliness, saying:
+
+'Thou art a princess amongst spirits! The wisdom of man will not
+convince thee. Thou must be taught of God! Thy knowledge is great,
+Saronia; but listen. Many mighty spirits have wheeled and circled around
+the throne of the Eternal, dashing from their wings the heavenly sheen,
+the brilliancy brighter than a myriad suns, as they touched the halo of
+splendour which surrounds Jehovah. Many of them fell--fell, I say--like
+lightning from heaven, shorn of their radiance through dire rebellion.
+They knew the very source of truth, gazed upon the very ocean of it,
+and fell, carrying knowledge with them and a mighty power, by which
+they now work evil instead of good, leaving peace and love behind.
+
+'Perchance thou hast been taught of them--filled thy pitcher at their
+polluted fountain. Wilt thou be satisfied with it, or rise and rise
+until thou ministereth to Deity? Thou, too, wilt be a rebel if thou
+closest thy gates against the truth. Thine eyes are clouded, and mercy
+waits with loving hands to take the veil away!
+
+'Thou seekest light, and even now, although thou knowest it not, thou
+art on the very verge of the kingdom. And, mark well, when the set time
+comes, and thy vision is purified, the glory of God will surround thee
+like a mighty ocean without a shore. The index of my mind points that I
+should say good-bye. The seed which has been sown must die, and from it
+rise life and beauty to be crowned with a harvest of flowers. Farewell,
+mighty Saronia! Farewell, beloved Chios!'
+
+And he passed out into the starlight, the angels of God guarding him in
+mighty phalanx, deep and broad like a river of glory.
+
+Endora saw him leave, and a shudder passed over her as she trod the
+ground sanctified by the footsteps of the holy man.
+
+'Where hast thou been, Endora?' said the priestess.
+
+'Listening,' said the witch. 'I did my best not to play eavesdropper,
+but by an irresistible power I was drawn to the half-open door, and
+heard the words of Judah, and, on my soul, I would I were as pure as
+he!'
+
+'Art thou also being tainted with this new faith, Endora?'
+
+'No, no; but what may I expect from mine own? I am borne on the outer
+circle of it, accursed, knowing my fate. Who can blame me if I strike
+from my orbit like a wandering star, with the hope of coming within the
+influence of some other God greater than Hecate? Perhaps He may take me
+to His care. Did I not hear Judah say the mercy of his God endureth for
+ever? If so, may I not taste of it? I will try, and ere to-morrow's sun
+will have arisen I will have burnt my charms, my books, my Ephesian
+spells, and stand out fearlessly, awaiting the passing by of the Great
+Spirit of that mighty God. Perchance, seeing a naked, starving soul, He
+may throw around me a garment of mercy, a mantle of love, and I may yet
+atone, and worship at His feet. There is a story told that He sheltered
+Magdalene--and why not me? Most noble priestess, I read thee well enough
+to know thy great mind, stored with the greater mysteries, is broad
+enough, high enough, deep enough to let a struggling spirit work out its
+best destiny. I know thou wilt consent that to Endora be allowed the
+fullest light she can get to lead on to something better than the cold
+doom which now awaits her. Say, noble priestess--say! I feel I am
+parting from thee. Some links in the mighty spell which binds me are
+already broken. Some great influence is at work moulding my soul to
+something good. I will let it work. I will be passive in the hands of
+this great Potter, and out of darkness--gross darkness and sin--He may
+bring forth a being clothed with radiant immortality. Already a new dawn
+upheaveth, and more peace than Endora hath experienced in a lifetime now
+broods over her.'
+
+And she fell on the cold, stony floor, and lay at the feet of the
+priestess.
+
+Saronia, the High Priestess, arose, looking lovingly towards Chios.
+
+'Go thy way, dear Chios; leave this woman to me. No good can now come of
+thy presence. Our mission is accomplished. We have spoken with him we
+came to see. His words are graven on my heart, and will have due
+consideration; and greater than all he said is the fact that here before
+me lies this Endora, a marvel to my soul--a being steeped in sin,
+accursed of the goddess, moved upon by this mighty spiritual influence,
+talking of peace, and a dawn of love, mercy, and radiant life! This to
+me is far greater miracle than if Mount Pion had changed places with
+Coressus, or the deep blue sea rolled over the Ephesian plain, making
+the great Temple of Diana an island of marble in the midst of the
+waters.'
+
+Chios and Saronia stood at the entrance of that lonely cave.
+
+'Let me kiss thee, Saronia; let me place my hand upon thy head. I have
+been silent, knowing a greater than I was present. I knew thee too well
+to meddle with the workings of thy mind. We shall meet again shortly,
+shall we not, loved one?'
+
+'Probably.'
+
+'Thou wilt send by the hand of Endora?'
+
+'Good-bye, Chios--good-bye! Take this flower of myrtle from me.'
+
+She plucked it from her bosom, kissed its fragrant petals, and gave it
+to him.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XLI
+
+                            DAYBREAK
+
+
+The meeting with Chios and the Christian in the cave of the Ephesian
+sorceress had worked on the mind of the priestess. She was agitated like
+a ship cast in the way where two seas meet. Two great tides were bearing
+on her, which should carry her on its bosom. On the one hand, she had
+the traditions of the goddess, like a mighty river coursing down the
+ages, backed by a power which could command the living and the dead; on
+the other, she had presented to her a God of love, and the teachings
+which brought her dead mother to the Christ of God, permeated the soul
+of her lover, and gave peace to Endora, the accursed of Hecate.
+
+Before her rose the great Temple, glistening white in the sunlight,
+rearing its majestic pillars skywards, throwing shadows to the west. She
+saw the train of priests move up the marble stairway and disappear
+within, and heard the hymn of morning rise on the trembling air.
+
+In striking contrast before her stretched out a vision of the hated
+sect, the followers of the despised Nazarene, the little band of
+outcasts, who for fear of the people worshipped their God in the silent
+watches of the night, when the city was asleep--worshipped Him without
+gorgeous ritual or templed home, and standing ready, well knowing that
+as each day dawned the setting sun might cast its rays upon their
+lifeless bodies lying uncared for in the Ephesian arena.
+
+All this floated before her, drifting by, dark and ominously, like the
+shadow of a great cloud on the face of the waters.
+
+She saw herself a fugitive, hiding on the mountain-sides of yonder
+snow-capped Tmolus, where many others of the Christians had already fled
+for safety from the cruel fate in store for them.
+
+She saw herself a wanderer, an outcast, pursued to the death. Which
+should it be? High Priestess of Diana, clothed with mystery, strong in
+power, standing on the loftiest peak of fame, with a nation at her feet,
+and the issues of life and death in her hands; or a child in the new
+kingdom of love and peace?
+
+A thousand spirit-voices sang chorus to her soul, bidding her beware,
+now flowing with soft cadence in winning measure and tones of entreaty,
+now rising in one vast tumultuous threatening as if they would break the
+earth asunder. She stood unawed, listening; then cried:
+
+'Stand back! Saronia is a free spirit! What are ye? If I seek the truth,
+what spirit amongst you dare bar the way to a soul which floats upwards
+to the source of its being? Nay, none of you! Not even the son of the
+morning who fell from heaven!'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Day after day hung wearily on Saronia; she was of such nature as no
+half-measure would satisfy. She was awakening from the mist of ages. She
+had heard of a great spiritual life which was without alloy, where the
+spirit evolved more and more into the likeness of the great First Cause,
+and her mind broadened out to seek the fuller light.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When the nightingale sang to its mate and the sweet-scented flowers gave
+perfume in exchange for the earth-born dew, when the winds of the night
+lay cradled, when the voice of the toiler was still, and the sheen of
+the star of the west melted into the cold, gray sea, when the city slept
+on in the darkness, Saronia looked out to the mountains, the mountains
+which sheltered the exiles, the fugitive followers of God.
+
+'Twas death before death to the priestess; 'twas the death of the old
+faith, the birth of the new--the new one awakening the soul from its
+slumber, refining the spirit, remoulding her nature, and bringing
+together the Christ and His loved one.
+
+The night-winds leapt from their slumbers, and shrieked like a soul in
+pain, trampled the flowers in their fury, flew round the pine-clad
+mountains, circled and circled again, till the girl was entombed in a
+whirlwind, a whirlwind with centre of calm.
+
+Within that sanctuary, guarded by the angel of the covenant, stood
+Saronia, undismayed, determined, decided to serve the Son of Jehovah.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Her next step was to break away from the Temple service. Many methods
+came to her--one such as to leave the place without disturbance, to
+quietly move away; to flee; to live and breathe the fresh air, until
+hunted down to meet death in the arena of the great theatre of Ephesus.
+But to Saronia this was cowardly, and she resolved to meet her fate at
+once. Life to her was valueless save for the good she might do. But what
+greater good could she do than to openly witness for the new faith
+before the priests and priestesses of the great Temple of Diana, and
+receive the martyr's crown? It was a fitting prelude to the entrance
+into the great life--to the life which ended never.
+
+She would call an assembly of the priests and priestesses, and tell them
+from her own lips the story of her new-born love. The time was fixed,
+and as it was no uncommon thing for the priests and priestesses to meet
+their chief in solemn assembly, no particular notice was taken of
+Saronia's action in calling such.
+
+So, at eventide, when the worship for the day was over, and the sun had
+set, and the outer gates leading into the Temple were closed, the
+priests and priestesses gathered before the great altar, to listen to
+the voice of their beloved priestess.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The scene was one of solemn grandeur, as the priests with garments of
+many-coloured textures ranged themselves in crescent rows on the right
+of the altar as you enter the massive gates at the chief entrance. On
+the left of the altar, in the same manner, stood the priestesses,
+loveliest of the Ionian women, draped in white, yellow, rose-coloured,
+and azure garments, with here and there a robe of black, sacred to
+Hecate; whilst other maidens, flower-bearers, libation-carriers, and
+incense-girls, stood between the priests and priestesses, ready to place
+their offerings on the altar in honour of Diana.
+
+All was ready, all were expectant, when the great High Priestess,
+Saronia, came forward in flowing robes of white, costly silk, and stood
+in all her magnificent beauty.
+
+The offering to the goddess was soon made, but Saronia stood in silent
+meditation; neither had the soft cadences of sweet Ionian music from the
+costliest instruments any charm. Then, when their harmonies fell low and
+died in plaintive echoes, Saronia looked upwards through the open roof
+towards the circle of azure sky, until a calm, a radiant calm,
+o'erspread her face, making her seem like a visitant from the
+heavens.... During this brief pause a profound solemnity pervaded the
+assembly--a quietude in which even the rustle of a leaf would have
+seemed discord.
+
+The people, spellbound by the force of her character and the beauty of
+the Priestess, held their breath and earnestly waited.
+
+Then spoke Saronia to them, in a voice full of love and hope, saying:
+
+     'Priestesses and priests, and all you gathered here, listen to
+     the words of Saronia. Me you found helpless at your gates, a
+     slave seeking shelter, seeking sanctuary at the shrine of great
+     Diana, whose image, hidden by a veil of purple and gold, towers
+     majestically behind me.
+
+     'You brought me within the precincts of this mighty Temple, and
+     cared for me tenderly.
+
+     'After awhile you thought me fit to serve your goddess.
+
+     'Step by step I rose until, with one bound, I became the High
+     Priestess.
+
+     'My spirit, yearning with desire to understand the hidden
+     meaning of your mystic faith, became a receptacle for all the
+     teachings of your goddess. My mind became permeated with your
+     creed, and every fibre of my nature shaken and respondent to
+     the spirit's voice, as leaves move to the breathings of the
+     winds.
+
+     'In this spiritual ecstasy I revelled and moved on from mystery
+     to mystery, diving into the deep ocean of your sacred
+     knowledge, satisfying my soul with draughts of wisdom from the
+     choicest fountains of your faith; and, as I swept into the
+     mysteries of your creed, my spirit became intoxicated with
+     delight, and seemed to purify by contact with the unseen
+     presence of your goddess.
+
+     'Light after light flooded my vision, and I, the poor wanderer
+     seeking for truth and rest, was carried onwards as a mighty
+     rushing wind, accumulating knowledge as I went, until I was
+     borne into a vale of peace and rested for a while drinking in
+     the delirious joys of my new-found life.
+
+     'Power was given to me, power of which I dare not speak, save
+     only to those who are initiated into the mysteries of your
+     veiled goddess Hecate.
+
+     'Wisdom and power were bestowed on me, and, with the power I
+     possessed, I dealt out beneficence in accordance with the
+     precepts of Diana--Diana Triformis; and thus from stage to
+     stage my life has moved. But the soul has an eternal longing
+     for greater knowledge and greater truths, and this was the case
+     with Saronia, your priestess.
+
+     'As a wild gazelle springs from crag to crag, over shadowed
+     chasms, in search of food, so I moved on, seeking joy and truth
+     and knowledge, until I in spirit reached a sea-girt shore, and
+     could no further go. Not that my desire failed, but aid came
+     not to ferry me over the darkling waters.
+
+     'I stood calling on my goddess to point a way to the other
+     shore, on which stood templed cities with domes and towers
+     rising high into the pearly sheen of a glorious light. But no
+     answer came.... From the spiritual city across the sea came a
+     flowing light like a moving star. It came, and resolved into
+     beauteous form, until a Spirit, priestly, kingly, clothed with
+     heaven, stood beside me, and spoke peace to my awakening soul,
+     saying, "I will guide thee."...
+
+     'But it was not a messenger of Diana.'
+
+'Of whom, then?' shouted the priests.
+
+''Twas the Angel of the new faith,' replied the priestess.
+
+'Traitor! traitor!' thundered the people. 'Hear! She defames the great
+Diana! Take her away--away quickly, lest she pollute the altar!'
+
+Gazing steadily on the multitude, her dark eyes flashing fire, she
+cried:
+
+'No, no! Back! Use not your force. 'Tis needless. I might have fled the
+Temple, sought refuge in the mountains, escaped your fury, but she who
+has been your High Priestess would not have the seal of cowardice
+stamped upon her soul. Saronia will go to her death, trusting in the
+Christ of God.'
+
+'Take her away,' shouted the priests, 'lest she speaks again that
+accursed name! She is beside herself; the spirit of Saronia has fled,
+another has entered, accursed--accursed!'
+
+'Kill the body,' said the people, 'lest it darken the Temple!'
+
+The priests closed around, ruthlessly dragging her from before the altar
+to the Temple cells, and thrust her in, dethroned, disgraced.
+
+The priests wailed:
+
+'Woe! Woe! Woe! O goddess! O goddess! O mighty goddess! The omens are
+grievous: the High Priest is dead; thy priestess denies thee. Thine
+altar is lonely. The Temple polluted. Arise! Arise! Scatter thy foes!
+Great goddess, arise! Deliver us! Forsake us not! Forsake us not!'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XLII
+
+                             VARRO
+
+
+'Thou hast heard,' said the Proconsul, 'that Saronia has abjured her
+faith in the great Diana, and is a prisoner within the Temple where once
+she reigned supreme, second only to the goddess?'
+
+'Yes,' replied Chios, 'I have, and my heart is nearly dead. Can anything
+be done to save her?'
+
+'I think not. The Roman State cannot interfere in such matters. The
+faiths of the empire are manifold. Beside, Nero has enough on his hands,
+and knows better than to stir up the passions of the Ionian people for
+the sake of a woman who in no way interferes with his caprice. No, my
+dear fellow; I am afraid all will be settled by the Temple custom, and
+Saronia must accept her fate.'
+
+'But, Varro, Proconsul, thou hast power here second only to the Emperor,
+and perhaps greater. The State allows great latitude. Where is Lucius?'
+
+'At sea.'
+
+'Where?'
+
+'I cannot tell thee, Chios.'
+
+'Where was he when last thou heardst?'
+
+'At Rome, receiving orders from Nero.'
+
+'Varro, thou canst tell me of his whereabouts, if thou carest.'
+
+'I can say only that ere long he will arrive at Ephesus, but he cannot
+help thee, noble Chios. A weightier charge than thou knowest awaits the
+priestess.'
+
+'What is it?'
+
+'Murder!'
+
+'Murder! Of whom?'
+
+'The High Priest.'
+
+''Tis a lie!' spoke out the Greek.
+
+'Perhaps so,' replied Varro; 'but circumstances are against her. After
+her arrest, in her room was found a pair of sandals, stained underneath
+with human blood.'
+
+'Merciful God!' exclaimed Chios.
+
+'Listen further. It is well known that on the fateful night she went to
+the Sacred Grove, close to the river Cayster, where the priest was
+found. Do not be jealous, good fellow. The prying eyes of an attendant
+priestess reports that a man supposed to be her lover was seen in the
+company of this beautiful woman, even in the company of Saronia, the
+haughty Saronia, priestess of Diana! Now, Chios, looking at such
+evidences, the conclusion drawn is that, afraid of being exposed by the
+priest, who also must have seen her, she or her lover slew him, and
+Saronia, conscience-stricken, knowing such an act could never be
+forgiven by her Lady Saviour, left her faith, and, with cunning
+hypocrisy, pretends the Christian, thinking perhaps she may gain
+sympathy or help from that hated crew. Now, Chios, does this satisfy
+thee?'
+
+'No,' said he; 'it is all untrue. Christian she may be;
+murderess--never!'
+
+'Then thou dost still believe in her?'
+
+'Yes; to shed the last drop of my life's blood, and may Heaven grant me
+such an opportunity!'
+
+'Nonsense--nonsense, Chios! Too long hast thou been infatuated by this
+mysterious being. Methought for some time past no good would come to
+thee by such a passion, and let me warn thee ere too late. Be careful,
+or thou wilt be netted in this sad event. Lie low, my friend, and let
+her meet her fate. Thou canst do no good, and may empty on thy head
+unmeasured ills.'
+
+'No, Varro. Were those looming ills more numerous than the hairs which
+grow upon my aching head I would meet them, embrace them, to save
+Saronia one pang of grief or pain. Nevertheless, I thank thee for thy
+kindly counsel, but the mind of the Greek is made up. If she suffer, I
+suffer with her. If she die, Chios dies. Not as the coward dies--I will
+die trying to save her life. No threats, no danger, no death will stop
+me. I am fixed to this purpose. I know she is as pure as heaven, and
+honoured from thence. Were Chios half so holy he would consider himself
+blessed.
+
+'Roman, thou hast no good blood for her, wouldst not move a finger to
+protect her; but I, with an unshaken belief in her goodness, will do my
+best. Good-bye, noble Proconsul. Saronia may yet appeal in Rome!'
+
+'What! Before Nero?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'Take care, Chios!'
+
+'Say on.'
+
+'Why, the fleeing slave taking shelter in the forest gloom and sleeping
+in the tiger's lair would fare as well. Ah, ah, Chios! Thou art
+short-sighted. Saronia, a lovely woman, and a Christian, seeking Nero as
+judge! Why, he would judge her meet for the arena or his mistress, and
+make thee a slave into the bargain if thou interfered!'
+
+The teeth of Chios were firmly set, and his face became livid. He dared
+not vent his rage on the chosen man of the Emperor and the Senate of
+Rome, but his looks spoke louder than words.
+
+Varro saw all at a glance, and said:
+
+'Thou dost not meet my words.'
+
+'No. Silent am I for her dear sake. Watch my actions. They may answer
+thee.'
+
+'I will, and be careful of the moonstruck lover. I wish thee well, old
+friend. Thou art a good fellow. I have done my best to tempt thee from
+this wild crusade, and would on my soul I had succeeded. But there is no
+cure for love, and thou art in love--a phantom love. Do not lose thyself
+in a wild morass.'
+
+'Fear not, Varro. If I love, so didst thou. Mine may grow, and joy with
+awakening purity and loveliness; thine is blighted and dead, and from
+thy dead love springs up the hate thou bearest towards Saronia, thinking
+she in some mysterious way o'ershadowed Nika.'
+
+'Silence, man!'
+
+'No, I will not be silent. I speak to thee as Varro. I speak not to the
+Proconsul of Ionia. I say, were Saronia not Saronia and I asked thy aid,
+thou wouldst give it; but now thy spirit reaches out for pretext to
+blast the one thy faithless wife abhorred. Is not thine a mad, dead
+love? Come, change thy mind, and help me. I tell thee, Saronia never
+hurt thy Nika, and she is as innocent of this murder as the truest
+spirit of God. Now, noble friend, wilt thou not help me?'
+
+'What can I do, Chios? I cannot interfere.'
+
+'Then, promise thou wilt not pursue.'
+
+'Is she really innocent?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'Dost thou know this?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'And swear it?'
+
+'I do.'
+
+'Then, if Varro cannot help Saronia, he will not pursue her.'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XLIII
+
+                             MYSTERY
+
+
+Chios sent for Endora. There was a calm light in her eyes such as he had
+never before seen. Ere he could speak, she said:
+
+'I know: it is of Saronia thou wouldst speak.'
+
+'True, woman. Dost thou know she is charged with the murder of the High
+Priest?'
+
+'I know all. Fear not, Chios. Saronia shall not suffer for the crime I
+have committed.'
+
+'Rash woman! how canst thou atone? She is a prisoner, and has abjured
+her faith.'
+
+'That may be, noble Chios; but take my word for once: the guilty shall
+suffer for their own sins. This vile body of mine shall be torn limb
+from limb rather than one hair of her head shall be plucked. No more of
+evil for me!'
+
+'Now, listen, Endora. Your heart is right, but your words are idle. She
+must be saved, but in another way. I will rescue her. Thou knowest the
+Temple, and must find where she is lodged. Find out if access is
+possible; bring me full account, and great reward shall be thine. Canst
+thou do this?'
+
+'Yes; but not for reward.'
+
+'What then?'
+
+'For love I bear to her.'
+
+'Very well. Be it so. Lose no time. She is already under a sentence of
+death, and will die. Go! go! Great God! what a death. Oh that I might
+die for her! The Ephesians gathered together to make sport--to make
+sport of Saronia the beautiful, my love! Polluted by the touch of a
+coarse gaoler. A sight to gratify the Romans, a jest for the rabble of
+Ephesus, and a cruel death ending all. She who has wielded the sceptre
+of power, highest and brightest among the women of Ionia, commanded
+spirits in legions from the underworld, stopped the eagles in their
+flight, turned the courses of the clouds, baring the face of the silvery
+moon; she who has dropped the sceptre of this power, and robed herself
+with a trust in God--shall she be forsaken? No, no! It cannot be so. If
+she could breathe out her life supported by these arms of mine; if I
+could but close her lovely eyes in death and kiss her whitening brow,
+then could I fall also asleep and awake to meet her on the other shore.'
+
+'Chios!' said the Proconsul, interrupting the Greek. 'How fares my
+friend? I have news for thee.'
+
+'Good, or evil?'
+
+'Judge thou. The Roman fleet, under the command of Lucius, is in the
+offing. Their numbers crowd the sea.'
+
+'Lucius! The fleet! Lucius!' exclaimed Chios.
+
+'True; Lucius is almost here.'
+
+'Why comes there such a multitude of ships?' said Chios. 'Is there
+reason?'
+
+'There may be. This much I confide in thee: ere many hours have passed,
+the mighty walls of this great city will glisten with the spears of
+Roman men, in number such as Ephesus has never seen since Claudian ruled
+or Nero wielded power. To-morrow will be a great day--the streets so
+full of Roman soldiers that standing-room will not be left for rioters.'
+
+'What does this portend?'
+
+'Nothing save a military show of Roman power. Nevertheless, thou wilt do
+well to keep within doors _to-morrow_.'
+
+'Why?'
+
+'Because I wish it so. Thou wilt be at home to-morrow, eh, Chios? Chios,
+dost hear me?'
+
+'I hear thee, but will not obey. Dost think I could remain here
+to-morrow, when it is the day for Saronia's murder? and thou, too, hast
+consented to this deed of shame. Roman, Roman, thou art false!'
+
+'Peace, Chios! Peace! What I have promised thee, I will do. Hast thou
+Chian wine? Bring it forth; let us quaff it together.
+
+'Now hark ye. I go back to Rome. I hate this place. The associations are
+not to my liking. She whom I once loved has gone. It is not congenial to
+me to meet Lucius. My story has reached Rome, reached Nero, but that
+does not affect me. Nothing pleases him better than to keep a
+respectable gulf between a Proconsul and Lucius, the fighting admiral,
+well knowing we shall not connive to rebel against him. But there must
+exist a feeling, a strong feeling, between Lucius and--_your friend_.
+Of course, Lucius is haughty; too much Roman blood runs in his veins to
+openly disapprove of what befell his daughter, well knowing, also, she
+deserved it. But a father cannot help feeling. I am better away. A Roman
+city draped in purple suits me better than Ephesus; and if I can close
+in with Nero's set, I gain more wealth in one year than in a lifetime
+here. I wonder how Lucius will receive the news of his wife's death?'
+
+'Venusta dead!'
+
+'Yes. I thought thou didst know of it.'
+
+'No. When did she die?'
+
+'She died on the day Saronia abjured her faith and was disgraced. The
+shock of joy killed her.'
+
+'This, too, is sad.'
+
+'Why so? Her loss will be felt by Lucius only. He is old, and will mourn
+briefly. Besides, he will have his hands full for awhile. Come, cheer
+up, man; thou shalt go with me to Rome, and I will make thee merry. Thou
+hast never really lived yet. I am away. Don't forget. Remain home
+to-morrow to receive me. I will come before thou art required at the
+arena; and, should I not, then do not stay. Be in time; there will be a
+goodly show, but--Saronia shall not be there. Hear ye, Chios?'
+
+'What dost thou mean?'
+
+'No more than I have said. Good-bye, good friend.'
+
+And Varro was gone.
+
+'What a strange being!' exclaimed Chios. 'What does he mean? I cannot
+understand him. I believe he means good, and knows more than he says,
+and intends to help. Some great mystery attaches itself to those warlike
+preparations. I must be patient until to-morrow, desist from going to
+the Temple to-night to rescue her. He goes to Rome. It is well known he
+is a staunch friend of Nero. Lucius is not. What can this great fleet
+of many thousand armed men mean? To-morrow will solve the problem, for
+what is to be done will be done quickly.'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XLIV
+
+                  ACRATUS, THE TEMPLE SPOILER
+
+
+The next day at early dawn the harbour was filled with shipping. There
+were the light-sailing laburnæ, the stately biremes, majestic triremes,
+and quadriremes, with sterns rising high and crowned with castellated
+cabins, each with its great square yard and spray-beaten sail. On every
+prow blazed forth a sign, and on each quarter shone the image of a
+tutelary god. The ship of Lucius was among them, with great red flag
+denoting rank, and bearing a murderous ram, the fiercest of them all.
+
+Masses of Roman troops, with polished shields and glittering arms,
+thronged the vessels. Two legions were there--one half of them Prætorian
+men, with tribunes and centurions, with Acratus, the freed man of Nero,
+to lead them.
+
+The great sails were closely furled, and the ships moored in regular
+order towards the quays. At the sound of trumpets the soldiers
+disembarked, and were hailed welcome by a host of Roman warriors who
+were stationed in Ephesus.
+
+Soon the city was crowded with armed men, and on the walls the silver
+eagles shone resplendent in the sunlight.
+
+The people were confounded. No tumult, no voice of war, yet the place
+was filled with martial strains, and Roman troops lined the ways from
+the city port, past the great Gymnasium, Forum, Theatre, away up the
+streets towards the city gates and onwards to the Temple Way. All was
+occupied with soldiers. A swift messenger had come into the Agora,
+telling the breathless people the Roman troops reached past the Temple
+and surrounded it, paying no respect to sacred groves or old traditions
+of the Temple's rights.
+
+'What could this mean?' exclaimed the Ephesians.
+
+They had not long to wait for an answer. Soon it was known that a body
+of priests, standing in the way of the Romans, guarding the precincts of
+the holy shrine, had been struck down--dead. And the swarming hosts of
+Nero had poured within, and finding the Temple closed, battered down the
+beautiful gates of gold and ivory, and were carousing within the sacred
+place.
+
+Nothing was too vile for the plunderers. They had received their orders
+from the arch-fiend Nero, and license for themselves. They were to sack
+the Temple, and take the spoils to Rome. Such must be accomplished, no
+matter how.
+
+The great space within the parabolus walls running around the Temple of
+Diana with the white brow was filled with laughing, jesting soldiers.
+They had not an enemy to fight against. 'Twas a cold-blooded affair.
+They were fighting-men, and in battle would have told well, but as
+robbers they were ashamed of their work. Acratus foresaw this, and gave
+them wine, and the wine brought forth lawlessness.
+
+Virgin priestesses ran to and fro with hair dishevelled, crying on their
+goddess, only to fall into the hands of Syrians, Africans, and
+Gauls--vile allies, a part of Nero's guard, sent with the regular Roman
+troops, to act as drunken jackals; and each of these, so far as he
+could, took a virgin priestess for his mate, and no restriction was put
+on them by Acratus.
+
+The beautiful veil concealing the image of the holy goddess was pulled
+down. The gold and the jewels adorning it and the great statue were torn
+from their strong settings, and piled up on the marble floor.
+
+On the sacred altar the soldiers lit their fires and cooked their
+rations, and washed themselves with the water of the holy fountain
+Hypelæus--the fountain ornamented by Thrason, and the altar sacred to
+the genius of Ionia. What cared those brutal marauders? Had not he who
+sent them desecrated everything, even the statue of the Syrian goddess,
+and laughed at it? What harm if they should do the same?
+
+Within, the Temple was one horrible scene of lewd riot and plunder;
+without, the people were rising in masses, and thousands from adjacent
+towns were gathering around the city walls, and all crying loudly for
+revenge; but none could enter. The Romans held the gates, and every
+tower and battlement along the great red-brick walls, hard as adamant,
+was crowded with glistening spears. Nothing could be done from without,
+and there was little chance of help to come from within. A scheme was
+proposed to burn the fleet, but this got noised abroad too early, and
+the ships were moved from the wharves to the centre of the city port.
+
+The day wore on in tumult and distress, and the people, seeing no chance
+of saving the treasures of their holy place, gave way to grief, loudly
+charging Saronia as the cause of all. The murder of the High Priest, her
+blasphemy in the Temple, and the want of action in not killing her right
+away, was the cause of the desertion of the goddess from her home.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XLV
+
+                           REVELATION
+
+
+In the Temple Varro, the Proconsul, and Acratus held counsel. They were
+standing near the altar, with the last light of evening falling upon
+them.
+
+Near to the fallen image of the goddess Diana were the smaller statues
+in marble, bronze, silver, and gold--lamps and paterii, vases richly
+chased and candelabrii, instruments of the Temple, costly golden,
+jewelled things, all were piled up in heaps.
+
+From behind this profusion of rarest art, now lying like so much
+rubbish, a Roman was dragging a woman who appeared quite dead. Her hair
+hung in masses over her face, hiding a part of it, hiding a face which
+was crimson with blood. Her garments were torn, and the soldier threw
+her down close to where the two chiefs stood.
+
+'Thank the gods!' muttered he.
+
+'What hast thou, fellow?' said Acratus.
+
+'A woman,' replied the man.
+
+'Yes, yes, I know; but where didst thou find her? I thought all those
+maidens netted long ago.'
+
+'I will tell my noble master. In hunting through those rooms behind the
+altar, I came quite by chance upon a cell which had escaped the notice
+of our soldiers when they threaded their way through the winding
+passages below. I burst open the door, looked in, and saw that beautiful
+creature. "Ah, ah!" said I. "By the gods, I have a royal prize!" But, as
+I advanced to take her, I found her a perfect demon of the bad type. I
+tried soft words. She replied: "Stand back! I know your mission." I
+threatened, and made to take her. She arose, flew at me with terrible
+menace, such as I shall carry with me. I seized her roughly, but, with
+lightning swiftness, she plucked the dagger from my belt, and would have
+pinned me to the wall had I not unhanded her. She flew through the
+winding passages like a forest-hound, up the stairway to the rooms
+behind. Then out she passed, and stood just there behind the statue. I
+followed, knowing I should capture her. I heard her cry, "Oh, woe! Oh,
+woe! Oh, woe!" Then she stretched up her arms, both of them, high aloft
+in the air, as if she would reach down something from the skies, and
+said, "My God! my God!" and fell to the ground. I took her up, thinking
+it was a faint; but, finding her dead, I dropped her there, and wish I
+had never seen her!'
+
+The man passed on, leaving Varro and Acratus in deep converse. The quick
+eye of the Proconsul saw the form of the woman move. He went towards
+her, actuated by some strange fascination, and spoke to her, but no
+voice came back. Then he lifted the waves of hair from her face and
+cried:
+
+'O ye gods, it is she! It is Saronia!'
+
+He bent low and whispered her name. Her eyes opened and gazed on him,
+and then at the desolation around her, and she closed them again as if
+in sleep.
+
+'Hi! Here fellow, fill yon golden bowl with water! Quick! quick! and
+follow me, or I will kill thee for delay!'
+
+Varro took Saronia in his arms, and bore her within one of the Temple
+rooms, bathed her cheeks, whispering softly:
+
+'Thou art safe, Saronia. Thou shalt go to Chios!'
+
+At these words, fresh life came back, and she took the hand of the
+Proconsul in hers, and, looking into his face, she said:
+
+'Tell me, is it all a dream, or am I mad?'
+
+'No, thou art not mad or dreaming. What thou seest is real. The Temple
+of thy goddess will be bereft of its riches to adorn the golden house of
+Nero. This now is nothing to thee. As I have said, thou shalt go to
+Chios--to Chios! Rest tranquilly; I will guard thee. When evening
+settles down, I have means of escape for thee.'
+
+He sent for wine and fruit and raiment. Having done this, he despatched
+two messengers, one to Endora (for Saronia wished it so) and another to
+Chios. He charged the soldiers:
+
+'Bring the old woman from the cave on the top of yonder hill! Be careful
+no evil befall her, or thou wilt suffer.'
+
+The night was now closing in, and fires were burning high upon the
+mountains and the plain, showing where the people had encamped, and on
+the stillness of the evening air ever and anon arose loud shouts and
+wailings.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+'Who is that beautiful woman in yonder room?' said Acratus.
+
+'That is naught to thee,' said the Proconsul.
+
+'I know, I know, but Nero would rather possess her than all the riches
+of Ephesus or Pergamos.'
+
+'Curse thee for the thought! Hold back thy words! Silence! In Ionia I am
+master.'
+
+'I hope no offence, most noble.'
+
+'No, not this time, but be careful for the future. Thou hast to sack
+Pergamos yet, and--well, never mind, enough has been said.'
+
+At this stage an aged woman came towards them; tottering with fear, and
+led by two Roman soldiers.
+
+Acratus turned away muttering:
+
+'He shall pay dearly for his speech.'
+
+'Thou hast brought her safely. Thanks for thy vigilance amidst the
+crowded streets. This way, woman--this way, Endora. Come with me. Here
+is Saronia; be careful of her; take her to Chios! Tell him I will follow
+as soon as I can. Again, on yonder couch sufficient raiment lies,
+brought from Saronia's own wardrobe. Divest her of those soiled
+garments, disguise her, and lead to where her lover lives.'
+
+'What of the rabble?' said Endora. 'The streets are filled with soldiers
+and rioters, the ground strewn with slain. May we stay here under thy
+protection during the night?'
+
+'No; I go hence shortly, and to-morrow it will be worse. Go. Tell it
+not--to-morrow will be worse! I will give you guard, but thou must be
+careful, nevertheless, that Saronia be not known, or the people will
+kill her. No harm shall come from my soldiers. They shall be faithful. I
+also will be faithful, for Chios's sake, as long as the grass grows and
+the rivers flow to the ocean. If any injury come, it will be from the
+hands of the furious mob. I give her into thy charge, and will send
+guard for both. I can do no more. Again, I say, be careful!'
+
+Out they went into the darkness--out into the storm of blood.
+
+For a while all went well as they passed between the lines of the
+watchful Romans. They had traversed most of the way and were close to
+the studio of Chios, where the troops were thinnest. There the people
+gathered together in angry crowds.
+
+Suddenly the ruffians saw the women, and cried out:
+
+'Here are two Ephesians in the pay of the Romans! Spies, traitors,
+guides to the Temple plunderers! Kill them!' And they fell on them with
+mad fury.
+
+Instantly they were surrounded by the soldiers and encircled as in a
+net.
+
+Exasperated and maddened by the day's proceedings, they would die in the
+attempt to kill the women. Roughly handled as they were, one of them had
+time to draw a dagger from his belt and aimed to plunge it into the
+bosom of Saronia. The glistening blade was falling towards her, but
+quicker than its descent was Endora, who threw herself between them and
+received the blow. She fell, crying:
+
+'She is young; take me!'
+
+And, as she lay dying, the murderer also fell, pierced by a dozen
+spears.
+
+The people fell back, shouting:
+
+'Great is Diana of the Ephesians!' Whilst the savage troops replied
+gruffly: 'But Nero of Rome is greater!'
+
+Endora spoke a few words--dying words--and her head fell back into the
+arms of Saronia, and all was over--Endora was dead.
+
+They were about to proceed and leave the body, but the queenly form of
+Saronia asserted itself as she stood with eyes dilated and form erect,
+crying:
+
+'Soldiers of Rome, bear carefully with you this dead body!'
+
+'No, no!' they replied. 'Hasten away to safety. The dead suffer not.'
+
+But still she stood transfixed, and, raising her voice, she said:
+
+'Do as I bid you, or I refuse to move; and if I remain, it is at your
+peril.'
+
+They saw in her no common person, and reluctantly obeyed, one taking his
+cloak and wrapping it round the corpse, whilst others took their scarves
+and bound their spears together, and placed her on them as a bier, the
+torches, reeking with flame, casting over her a lurid glow. And thus
+they hurriedly passed away, with a circle of shields and glittering
+spears protecting the living and the dead.
+
+The road became clearer, so that when the soldiers arrived at the garden
+of Chios no Ephesian eye witnessed them pass up the marble steps into
+the lonely sanctuary.
+
+As they entered, and laid the dead burden on the floor, Chios saw
+Saronia.
+
+'Great God, what is this? What does it mean?'
+
+'Hold thy peace,' said she. 'Not now. Later thou shalt know.'
+
+The soldiers withdrew, having accomplished the safety of one only. A
+deep silence for a moment reigned. Neither spoke. Both hearts were too
+full for speech. Chios took the hands of Saronia and clasped them within
+his own, and with silent joy gazed into her face.
+
+She broke the silence with an agonizing cry. Going towards the lifeless
+form, she uncovered the cold, dead face, and, stooping, kissed the snowy
+brow, sobbing:
+
+'Oh, Endora, Endora, thou hast proved thy love! Thou hast proved thy
+love to me!'
+
+'Endora!' exclaimed Chios. 'Is it Endora?'
+
+'Yes, it is Endora. She received the death intended for me. Look well at
+her, Chios. Gaze on her peaceful face. Gaze on her face. Dost thou
+recognise who she was? It is meet thou shouldst know, for she loved thee
+dearly.'
+
+Chios was like a man stupefied with wine.
+
+'What dost thou mean, Saronia? I know her not, save as the mountain
+sorceress.'
+
+'True, Chios. That is the answer I might have expected. But one day, not
+so very long ago, I visited the Ephesian shore, and on a rocky eminence
+where an altar stands---- Thou knowest the place where the seas dash
+up?'
+
+'Yes, I know, Saronia.'
+
+'Well, there I met Endora--quite by chance--and spoke to her, and found
+from her that she at one time lived at Delos.'
+
+'Delos?'
+
+'Yes, Chios, Delos. And thou hast heard of Myrtile the priestess?'
+
+'Yes, that I have. I heard fully of her when last I visited the isle. A
+sad story.'
+
+'Yes, 'twas sad, and strange to know that Endora was no other than
+Myrtile.'
+
+'But, Saronia, she died.'
+
+'No, no! She lived on unknown, and this lifeless form is she.'
+
+'Poor Myrtile!' said Chios. 'I wonder what became of her child. A boy it
+was.'
+
+'I wonder,' said Saronia. 'Didst thou ever know thy mother, Chios? I
+have never heard thee speak of her.'
+
+'Oh, Saronia, Myrtile--Endora--asked me the same. Is there meaning in
+all this? What may it portend?'
+
+'It means, Chios, that she is thy mother.'
+
+'Mine? Mine? My mother?'
+
+'Yes, thine, Chios.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+He went out amongst the myrtle-trees; he breathed the calm, cool air.
+Along the Temple Way he saw the lights of torches burning brightly. The
+people had thinned away, and exhaustion like a funeral pall hung over
+those remaining. Many slept in the streets, some overcome with rage,
+others with wine, whilst from distant quarters now and again rose the
+stifled cry of angry men and frantic women.
+
+Chios paced up and down, lost in reverie. He heard not the call of the
+Roman guard or the groaning of the city. He was absorbed, thinking of
+his dead mother and of the safety of Saronia. What could he best do for
+her? Should he go to Lucius and ask his help? He knew that quickly the
+Roman fleet would put to sea with the stolen treasures of the Temple,
+and Saronia would be sought for and slain. To stay in Ephesus was
+certain death for her. In Rome perhaps worse awaited her. Should he hire
+a trading ship and escape? He was a freed man, and could leave the city
+unquestioned in time of war or siege. No, that would not do. He could go
+himself, but could not take another. Besides, the mariners of the craft,
+if such proved available, would know her, and refuse to aid the fallen
+rebel priestess. Well he knew those sailors, fit for strife or storm,
+had the warmest corners of their hearts filled with admiration for their
+faith and their goddess. He saw no alternative. Go to Lucius he must.
+
+The day was dawning; the first light was uplifting. He went noiselessly
+within his apartment and gazed upon her face. She slept.
+
+Carefully retreating, as if an empire depended on his footfall, he left
+the room, secured the door, hastened down the streets. As yet the people
+were not astir. Until he reached well into the city near the Odeum, he
+had little opposition, but there the troops questioned him. He had
+special business with Lucius, the commander of the Roman fleet, and must
+see him.
+
+'Thou canst not,' replied the guard. 'He sleeps on board the warship,
+and will not come on shore until the sun is high.'
+
+'I tell thee,' said Chios, 'I must see Lucius immediately.'
+
+'And I tell thee it is impossible.'
+
+'Nothing is impossible to a soldier! Nothing shall be impossible to me!
+Let me pass to the wharves, or I will see the Tribune. Is he here?'
+
+Chios claimed from the Tribune a right, as a free citizen, to pass to
+the port, which was granted.
+
+He sent by boat a message to Lucius that he would speak with him, and a
+reply came back requesting the Greek to come at once.
+
+They met; their hearts went out to each other. Were they not old and
+dear friends?
+
+'What brings thee here, Chios? Art thou persecuted by this unseemly
+tumult?'
+
+'No, Lucius. Not so. I came to plead for a helpless woman.'
+
+'Who is she?'
+
+'Saronia. Once thy slave--thy----'
+
+'I cannot help thee.'
+
+The face of the sailor grew clouded, dark, and a fire rose up and
+glittered through his eyes.
+
+'No, no, no! I cannot help! This girl, like an evil star, has rested
+over my home--that home, once filled with joy, now desolate, the loved
+ones gone away. Would that I had never heard the name of this mysterious
+being, Saronia! She has engendered strife, murdered the High Priest, and
+cut adrift from her faith. Let her answer for her crimes as my child
+did.'
+
+'No, no!' exclaimed Chios. 'She did no murder. Oh, Lucius, my friend,
+listen! This slave girl was ever good to thee--good as thou wert kind.
+Hast thou not looked into her eyes, and, meeting thine, spoke they not
+sincere love for thee? Is this not so? True, she left thine home, but of
+this we will not now speak--she was born to rule, and could not serve as
+a slave. She chose not her destiny--it was written for her; she did not
+make it. I say again, she did not make it any more than she chose her
+dignity of birth! Born from a long line of warriors on the one side and
+a princess priestess on the other, how could she serve?'
+
+'Thou art rambling, Chios! The excitement of yesterday makes inroads on
+thy mind.'
+
+'Nay, noble Lucius. Chios is not mad, but soon will be. Help, Lucius!
+Help for Saronia!'
+
+The Roman remained stolid, silent.
+
+'Let me go on--let me speak,' said Chios. 'As I have said, of such noble
+descent, her soul awakened, arose, towered above all others. She, the
+slave, became the priestess of yonder mighty Temple, which Nero of Rome
+has sent the vile Acratus to plunder. Fortunately, before this robbery
+took place, Saronia had stepped from the old faith into the new. Had she
+not, her blood would have crimsoned the great altar of Diana--she would
+have laid down her life for her goddess! Now this precious life is in
+the hands of Lucius. Wilt thou loose the silver thread and let her go?
+
+'Were her father here--a warrior like unto thyself, armed, full of
+power, with hosts of warships under his command, the strongest sanctuary
+under heaven--say, Lucius, would he not clasp her in his arms, and,
+covering her with kisses, bear her away? What would you say of him if
+he, knowing she were his child, refused to save--sailed away with all
+his hosts, leaving her for brutal sport and a hideous death?'
+
+'He would be worthy of death,' said the Roman.
+
+'Now hear me, Lucius. Thou art the father--of--Saronia. She, thy
+child----'
+
+'By the gods, thou mockest me!'
+
+'No, I am serious. I know your secret. You sailed to Britain, tore the
+princess priestess from her island home, sailed across the seas to
+Sidon; there deserted wife and child. The mother died, the daughter
+lived--became a foundling, then a slave, Saronia! Afterwards thou didst
+take to wife the Roman, Venusta.'
+
+'Hold--hold, Chios! It is all true. It comes back to me!'
+
+'By a strange fate she met thy Roman daughter. How could there be
+peace--the first-born a slave, the second a tyrant? I, Chios, admired
+the nobleness, the beauty, of this slave, until I worshipped her and
+loved her beyond expression. I would have purchased her with all I had,
+not knowing who she was--would have wed her. The Fates ordered
+otherwise, and she arose, as you know, until she became the mightiest
+woman of the land; and because her great spirit towered beyond the faith
+which environed her, and she accepted the faith of the Highest, her
+goodness became a crime in the eyes of the Ephesian people. But again,
+Lucius, she is thy child! Wilt thou save her?'
+
+'Save her, Chios? 'Tis the least I can do. There shall be no mistake in
+this matter; and I will order guard enough to fetch her should all the
+soldiers in Ephesus be required.'
+
+And Chios went back to his studio to prepare for the removal of
+Saronia.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XLVI
+
+                       THE CROWN OF LIFE
+
+
+Acratus was at the head of his plunderers. Nothing was too small or
+great for his rapacious maw. He came up the marble steps of the studio
+of Chios and knocked violently.
+
+'Hast thou anything within?' said the tyrant.
+
+'Nothing for thee,' said Chios.
+
+'But we must see for ourselves,' and he pushed rudely by, followed by a
+dozen or more armed men, and as he rushed within he beheld Saronia.
+
+'By heavens!' said he. 'Here is a greater than all thy marbles. This is
+the second time I have fallen in the way of this beautiful tigress. Look
+ye here: is this thy wife?'
+
+'No,' said Chios.
+
+'Thou art her lover, then?'
+
+'That is my business. Mind thine own.'
+
+'Thou art in a jesting mood. We will see how we can instruct thee to
+respect Acratus. Take this woman; she is known to the Proconsul and must
+not stay here. Take her to the fortress, and say I sent her, and I will
+deal with her anon. No, no, that will not do. Take her to the ship of
+Lucius, commander of the fleet, and say, "Care for her; she belongs to
+Acratus." Take her away. What is her name, fellow?'
+
+'Saronia,' said Chios.
+
+'Eh, and a pretty name, too. Now away, soldiers, to Lucius!'
+
+Saronia looked appealingly to Chios.
+
+'Wilt thou let me speak with her before she leaves?' said Chios.
+
+'Yes, yes; thou canst speak to her.'
+
+Chios drew Saronia aside, saying:
+
+'Thou seest the position. They will take thee whither thou shouldst go,
+to Lucius. I will follow thee;' and he slipped into her bosom unseen a
+parchment sealed and addressed to Lucius. 'Now, do as I wish, my love,
+and Chios will soon be with thee, and Lucius thou canst trust.'
+
+'Oh, Chios, is not this fraught with danger?'
+
+'No; it is the only course, and it is well for thee,' and kissing her,
+he said, 'Just for an hour or so and we meet. This is ordered wisely.'
+
+Then they led her off, guarded by a body of armed men, Chios saying to
+himself:
+
+'Little does that villain know he sends her to her father.'
+
+As Acratus was turning to follow his men, he looked around to see if
+anything might satisfy his greed, when he discovered the dead body of
+Endora lying beneath a coverlet, and raising it, he saw the face of the
+murdered.
+
+'What is this?' said he. 'Another surprise. Killed! Who is she? What
+meaneth it?'
+
+'She is my mother, killed by one of the Ephesian mob. Wouldst thou also
+rob me of her dead body?'
+
+'Cease thy prating, fool! Men's mothers are not murdered in this way.
+There is foul play. Thou shalt answer for this. Ho there, men!' calling
+on those outside. 'Take this murderer away. Take him to the Temple. I
+shall be there shortly, and will see to this.'
+
+'Hands away!' cried Chios. 'I am not my mother's murderer.'
+
+'Seize him!' cried Acratus. 'Bring him forth!' and they dragged him from
+his mother's side to without the studio, where by this time many
+Ephesians had gathered, and when they saw him, they cried:
+
+'Chios the Christian! Down with him!'
+
+The fierce mob closed in, and the Romans cared not nor hindered--closed
+in around him till he was trampled under their feet, until one, perhaps
+more malignant than the rest, plunged a dagger in the bosom of the
+half-dead man. And Chios lifted up his feeble voice to heaven, crying:
+
+'My God! my God! Saronia!'
+
+The multitude laughed and jeered, and the sun shone down upon the fated
+city.
+
+'Take him up, men, and carry him within. Better he be out of sight.'
+
+And they laid him on the marble floor at the feet of his mother, Myrtile
+of Delos.
+
+Then Acratus chuckled within himself:
+
+'Thank the gods he is gone. Not a nice thing to have a lover prying
+about, disturbing one's happiness. I saw him kiss her. He had the last;
+the next shall be mine, not Nero's! I will take care the brute never
+sets eyes on such loveliness. No, no; I will tame those dark eyes to
+look into mine, and train those crimson, oleander lips to bear me rich
+kisses of love. Now then, men, away! Saronia by this time has almost
+reached the wharves. I will load the spoils to-day, and to-morrow they
+leave. I will take my prize, the gloomy-eyed girl, with me to Pergamos,
+where I have more temples to rifle, and then, overflowing with wealth,
+I'll back to Rome.' And he moved away towards the Temple, muttering to
+himself: 'What care I for Varro the Proconsul? He cannot stay me in my
+career, armed as I am with mandate from Nero. He will vex and threaten
+should he know I have that woman. But it must end there. Acratus is
+supreme in this expedition, and cannot be interfered with, for Nero's
+sake.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+That day was employed by thousands of men carrying away the wealth of
+the Temple. Great bronze statues and marbled loveliness were dragged
+through the streets and shipped--shipped with ivory and gorgeous
+draperies; large sacks filled with treasure, gold, silver, and precious
+stones, instruments of music of rarest workmanship and paintings
+priceless, worth many times their weight in gold, became the property of
+the spoilers, until the great Temple was left desolate like a ship
+stripped of her cordage and sails, masts, and yards; the crew gone--a
+lonely hull on an open shore.
+
+The people could not stop this tide of locusts. So they had it all their
+own way, save where some more noble than the rest were struck down for
+defending their goddess.
+
+Saronia was taken on board the ship to Lucius. When she was handed on to
+the deck, he was about to thank the guard, who said:
+
+'I deliver to you this woman, most noble Lucius. She belongs to Acratus,
+and he wishes you to care for her until he claims her.'
+
+'Does he? Go, tell that reptile that should he put foot on board this
+ship to claim this woman, I will order my men to throw him into the sea,
+and drown him like a dog. Now begone!'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XLVII
+
+                             PARTING
+
+
+'Saronia,' said Lucius, 'thou art here. Come this way; thou art safe at
+last. Rest calmly as to the future. Whilst brave sailors may defend
+thee, no harm can come. I go on shore to fetch thy beloved Chios, and
+procure what is needed for thee, and thou shalt have attendance from
+that home wherein thou didst once reside. I am rejoiced to see thee.
+Think not of the past, Saronia. The past is gone far behind, and thou
+must think only of the joys of the future--all stored up for thee. I am
+alone in this great wilderness, and thou shalt be unto me as a child,
+and Chios shall be my son.'
+
+'And Chios, thou wilt bring him, noble Lucius, kind as thou art
+valiant?'
+
+'Bring him, girl? Certainly! The ship would refuse her helm were the
+best man in Ephesus left behind. Retire within, and make thyself pleased
+with the apartments set aside for thee.'
+
+Then did Lucius with a light heart move to the shore, and hastened to
+the studio that he might greet Chios, and bring him with him to join
+Saronia. He went quietly up the way between the lines of flowers, heard
+the gentle breathings of the winds through the trees, and the song of
+birds which knew not of sorrow fell upon his ear.
+
+He knocked at the door, but no one came. 'Is he from home? I hope not.'
+Then he gently opened the door, looked in, and an ominous silence fell
+around. Presently he walked within, saying, 'I shall explore this little
+place myself. It seems plain sailing, and needs not a pilot.' But,
+horror-stricken, he fell back a pace or two on seeing the body of Chios
+lying dead upon the floor, and beside him his mother, with her pale face
+looking up towards the azure and gold-starred ceiling (for Saronia had
+warned him of Endora's death).
+
+For a moment Lucius was stricken as if a battle had gone against him.
+Then, gaining courage, he advanced, and, touching the body gently, said:
+
+'Chios, my boy, Chios, art thou really gone?'
+
+But no voice came back to him, and he knew too well that the noble
+spirit had fled. His first thought was of Saronia. What would she think
+of him? What would she do?
+
+Then he sped from that house of death to order burial of the mother and
+son upon the flower-crowned hill of Pion, and went his way, bowed down
+with grief.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When Lucius arrived on board, accompanied with maiden slaves carrying
+raiment, precious jewels, flowers and fruits for Saronia, he found her
+anxiously awaiting him, and she immediately asked for Chios.
+
+'He cannot come to-night,' replied he. 'He makes preparations to leave,
+and will not finish in time to join us. Thou must rest to-night, and
+gain strength after all the exciting events which have transpired. Thou
+hast here now trusty attendants who will minister to thy utmost wish.
+Rest thee to-night, child, and may the gods or thy God give thee sweet
+and pleasant dreams. Lucius will watch over thee, and the spirits of the
+good shield thee. Good-night, Saronia, and may to-morrow's sun rise full
+of joy for thee.'
+
+Lucius knew full well that at early dawn the ship would sail. What could
+he do to break this awful news to her? Kill her he feared it would. If
+he remained another day he could not bring back the dead, and a
+question arose in his mind that, if Chios did not come next morning,
+Saronia at all hazards would refuse to proceed. He considered the
+position, and, having his crew on board and all prepared, he determined
+to cast adrift.
+
+No, he could not do this. How could he face his daughter on the morrow
+without Chios? Would it not look like piracy to take her away? Could she
+believe otherwise than that it was all trickery? No; he must speak with
+her that very night. He knew the power of Saronia's mind, and it was
+best it should be done at once. He called one of the attendant slaves.
+
+'Go, see if thy lady sleeps, and, if not, ask her permission for Lucius
+to speak with her.'
+
+The girl came back and told him that Saronia sent word to Lucius saying
+she was too sorrowful to sleep, and would be happy to receive him.
+
+Then, for the first time in his life, the courage of the hardy sailor
+forsook him, and he moved forward tremblingly.
+
+'Good friend,' said she, 'in the hour of distress thou wouldst speak
+with Saronia?'
+
+'Yes, but my heart is too full.'
+
+'Say on. I may even comfort thee, although I myself am sad; but, stay,
+here is a little packet Chios gave me for thee. It is sealed. Perhaps it
+may be of great interest. Methinks it is, or Chios would not have sent
+it.'
+
+He took it from her, broke open the seals, and read it, saying:
+
+'It is all true. Thank the gods, she is safe at last, and where
+recompense may be made. Saronia, thou knowest of thy mother?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'And thou also knowest of thy father? He forsook her and thee.'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'Thou didst not know him?'
+
+'No, good sire.'
+
+'Couldst thou forgive him, Saronia? Couldst thou forgive him, if he
+sought forgiveness?'
+
+'Yea, for "mercy endureth for ever."'
+
+'Then let Lucius kiss his child!'
+
+'Art thou my father?'
+
+'I am. Read this parchment which thou hast brought from the hands of
+Chios. It tells its own story.'
+
+'Ah! now I see it all, and my life is no longer a mystery. Driven, as I
+have been, through a perilous maze of fate, I am on the verge of a
+brighter existence. It is well, father, we have met before I part from
+thee, perhaps for ever.'
+
+'What dost thou mean, child?'
+
+'I scarcely know, but a great vision stretches out into the future, a
+great life spreads out before me, but it is not an earth-life. This
+spirit of mine seems to be preparing to quit this form of clay; as a
+voyager standing on the strand ready to start on a long voyage, so
+stands my spirit.'
+
+'Oh, Saronia, do not speak thus! Nothing ails thee. Thou art young,
+lovely, and in the bloom of life, and must not give way to such
+forebodings. Rest now with thine aged father awhile; bear him company
+until he sails into the great distance, casts anchor, furls sails, in a
+peaceful haven.'
+
+'Would that I could! But our time here is limited to the beating of one
+heart's throb; and, as I have already said, my spirit, which is myself,
+stands ready to put out the lamp and leave. Where is Chios, father? Why
+is he not here? Where is my noble love? He is away, but yet I feel his
+presence near me. What does this mean, father? My sight grows dim, my
+breath fails me; too well I know the spirit's presence. Chios is dead,
+is he not? He is! He calls from beyond his body! Where does his body
+lie? Tell me! Tell me quickly, father! Thou wilt act the better part by
+letting me know all. Where is he? Speak, by the love thou bearest for
+thy only child! Where is Chios?'
+
+'Oh, Saronia, why wouldst thou know? Thou wilt see him soon.'
+
+'Yes; I shall see him soon;' and she fell back motionless.
+
+Lucius raised her up and called assistance. After awhile she rallied,
+and looked up into the face of her father, saying:
+
+'Kiss me, dearest one. It is well that Chios should have left first. We
+cannot remain apart; the great circle of our affinity will soon be
+completed. Watch over Saronia. It will soon end.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The mighty fleet prepared to leave the port of Ephesus. One by one they
+left the harbour, entered the canal which led to the sea, and, as they
+cleared the harbour mouth, ranged into two squadrons, one on either side
+of the entrance; and when the last came out, which bore the flag of
+Lucius, they formed into two great lines, with the flagship in the rear.
+
+A light breeze sprang up from the north-east, the braces were hauled in,
+and the ships danced merrily over the deep blue waters of the Ægean Sea
+windward of Samos, and Scios and Mount Coressus on the starboard hand.
+The wind was so favourable that the oars were little needed, save that
+some on the leeside kept stroke that the ships might make good
+weathering. Behind them rose the hills and mountains which guarded
+Ephesus, and the villas on their sides shone like spots of crystal; but
+the sun struck fiercely on the great white Temple of Diana, until it
+looked like molten silver. Away they sailed towards the Icarian Sea.
+
+On a couch inlaid with gold reclined Saronia, and the rich curtains of
+her cabin were thrown back to allow the sweet, fresh salt air,
+impregnated with the perfume of roses and myrtle-blossoms, to fan her
+pale, sad cheeks. The soft eyes were filled with a far-away lustre, as
+if she saw visions of the future which none else could see. She was
+looking out upon the setting sun, which cast its golden light along the
+waves. Suddenly she seemed to grow cheerful, and said:
+
+'Father, art thou here? Let me take thine hand. Where is Chios? He is
+not here. Is he dead? Thou art silent. He is gone, and I cannot stay.
+Come nearer to me, father. My bridal day is at hand. Bury me in the sea.
+Let no eye rest upon my grave. Let the ocean be my sepulchre, and the
+winds sing my requiem. This is _happiness; this is joy_! The eternal
+gates are uplifting. Farewell!'
+
+And the spirit of Saronia had fled.
+
+
+
+
+                             THE END
+
+
+           _Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row. London_
+
++----------------------------------------------------------------------+
+|                      TRANSCRIBERS' NOTES                             |
+|                                                                      |
+| General: corrections to punctuation have been made without           |
+| individual notes                                                     |
+| General: Spelling of Megalobyzi, Megabyzus not standardised as the   |
+| author has consistently spelt them that way.                         |
+| Page vi: Acratas standardised to Acratus                             |
+| Page 6: wil corrected to will                                        |
+| Page 10: cithra as in original                                       |
+| Page 24: opithodomus corrected to opisthodomus                       |
+| Page 132: spurious "the" removed after "terrible wails, at"          |
+| Page 208: hose corrected to those                                    |
+| Page 238: candelabrii as in original                                 |
+| Pages 83, 213, 228: Heard'st, heardst not standardised as it is      |
+| unclear whether the author intended them to be different             |
+| Pages 95, 174: May'st, mayst not standardised as it is unclear       |
+| whether the author intended them to be different                     |
++----------------------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Saronia, by Richard Short
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Saronia, by Richard Short
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Saronia
+       A Romance of Ancient Ephesus
+
+Author: Richard Short
+
+Release Date: September 25, 2008 [EBook #26700]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SARONIA ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Brownfox and the Online Distributed Proofreading
+Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 576px;">
+<img src="images/image0001.jpg" width="576" height="426" alt="[From an oil painting by the Author in the possession of
+Edwin Jenkins, Esq.]" title="From an oil painting by the Author" />
+[From an oil painting by the Author in the possession of
+Edwin Jenkins, Esq.]
+</div>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</a></span></p>
+
+<h1 class="gap3">SARONIA</h1>
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3">A Romance of Ancient Ephesus</h2>
+
+<h4 class="gap6">BY</h4>
+
+<h3>RICHARD SHORT</h3>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 154px;">
+<img src="images/image0002.jpg" width="154" height="280" alt="Decoration" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="center">LONDON</p>
+<p class="center">ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C.</p>
+<p class="center">1900</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</a></span></p>
+
+<h3 class="gap3">CONTENTS</h3>
+
+<table class="center" style="width:80%" summary="Table of Contents">
+<tr><th class="ralign" style="width:15%"><span class="smcap">chapter</span></th><th style="width:75%"></th><th class="ralign" style="width:10%"><span class="smcap">page</span></th></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">I.</td><td class="lalign">THE AGORA</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">1</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">II.</td><td class="lalign">THE MESSENGER OF EROS</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">4</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">III.</td><td class="lalign">THE CURSE OF HECATE</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">9</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">IV.</td><td class="lalign">SANCTUARY</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">18</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">V.</td><td class="lalign">THE TEMPLE OF DIANA</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">23</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">VI.</td><td class="lalign">LUCIUS</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">28</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">VII.</td><td class="lalign">CAUGHT</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">34</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">VIII.</td><td class="lalign">PAYING THEIR VOWS</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">38</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">IX.</td><td class="lalign">THE STUDIO OF CHIOS</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">41</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">X.</td><td class="lalign">THE RIBBON OF GOLD</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">46</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XI.</td><td class="lalign">THE PRIESTESS OF DIANA</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">50</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XII.</td><td class="lalign">THE FESTIVAL OF ARTEMIS</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">53</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XIII.</td><td class="lalign">CHIOS THE GREEK</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">60</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XIV.</td><td class="lalign">THE GROVE OF HECATE</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">66</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XV.</td><td class="lalign">AT VENUSTA'S HOUSE</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">76</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XVI.</td><td class="lalign">A GARDEN ON CORESSUS</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">83</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XVII.</td><td class="lalign">THE PICTURE</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">85</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XVIII.</td><td class="lalign">WARNING</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">91</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XIX.</td><td class="lalign">THE DAWN OF FAITH</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">97</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XX.</td><td class="lalign">PLEADING</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">105</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXI.</td><td class="lalign">THE WITCH</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">108</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXII.</td><td class="lalign">THE LOVE-PHILTRE</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">111</a><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</a></span></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXIII.</td><td class="lalign">THE CHARMED WINE</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">120</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXIV.</td><td class="lalign">THE MINSTREL</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">125</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXV.</td><td class="lalign">THE SACRED HOUNDS</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">131</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXVI.</td><td class="lalign">ON THE VERGE</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">135</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXVII.</td><td class="lalign">ONE FOR ANOTHER</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVII">145</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXVIII.</td><td class="lalign">SPIRITS OF THE DEEP</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVIII">153</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXIX.</td><td class="lalign">MYRTLE AND OLEANDER</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIX">162</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXX.</td><td class="lalign">BY THE RIVER CAYSTER</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXX">165</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXXI.</td><td class="lalign">THE DOOMED CITY</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXI">171</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXXII.</td><td class="lalign">ENDORA</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXII">175</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXXIII.</td><td class="lalign">NIKA</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXIII">180</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXXIV.</td><td class="lalign">THE HOROSCOPE</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXIV">184</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXXV.</td><td class="lalign">THE VIRGIN CAVE</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXV">191</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXXVI.</td><td class="lalign">REVERIE</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXVI">195</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXXVII.</td><td class="lalign">THE MESSAGE</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXVII">199</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXXVIII.</td><td class="lalign">THE DEAD PRIEST</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXVIII">204</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XXXIX.</td><td class="lalign">CONSTERNATION</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXIX">209</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XL.</td><td class="lalign">TWO MASTER MINDS</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XL">212</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XLI.</td><td class="lalign">DAYBREAK</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLI">221</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XLII.</td><td class="lalign">VARRO</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLII">227</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XLIII.</td><td class="lalign">MYSTERY</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLIII">231</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XLIV.</td><td class="lalign">ACRATUS, THE TEMPLE SPOILER</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLIV">235</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XLV.</td><td class="lalign">REVELATION</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLV">238</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XLVI.</td><td class="lalign">THE CROWN OF LIFE</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLVI">249</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td class="ralign rightmarg1">XLVII.</td><td class="lalign">PARTING</td><td class="ralign"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLVII">253</a></td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3">SARONIA</h2>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 35%;" />
+<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I</h2>
+
+<h3>THE AGORA</h3>
+
+
+<p>The sun had risen in all its splendour, and was flooding the bay and
+mountains with silvery light. The river Cayster moved on its course, and
+mixed its waters with the blue of the &AElig;gean Sea, and washed the shores
+of Samos, appearing like a purple vision on the ocean. Boats and ships
+of quaint form and gorgeous colouring, propelled by a gentle breeze,
+moved to and fro, and glided up the shining way which led to the great
+city of Ephesus, the chief of Ionia, and the home of the goddess. Not
+far away was shining like a brilliant star the marble pillars of the
+Temple of Diana. Ephesus was now fully awake, and the people were moving
+along its streets, some wending their way to the temples to offer their
+morning devotions, others hastening to the great theatre, and many more
+directing their course towards their daily toil; for men must work, even
+within the precincts of a city where all is splendour. The city, with
+its wealth of art and stores of gold, was envied of conquerors. Situated
+between the mountains, its inhabitants had a noble chance of making it
+beautiful, and, being skilled in art and endowed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span> with learning, they
+built temples of the noblest design, erected statues of the richest
+order, painted pictures of the grandest conception. Odeum and theatre
+all sprang forth in magical beauty and power, whilst villas replete with
+elegance combined to make it one of the loveliest cities, surrounded
+with hills and groves and the traditions of a line of centuries.</p>
+
+<p>The great market was being filled with men and women offering the most
+tempting products of the land. Groups were selling and buying fruits,
+flowers and perfumes, bread, fish and wine. Ribbon-sellers,
+chaplet-weavers, money-changers&mdash;all were there; and the people
+purchased for their daily needs, whilst others bought rich offerings for
+the temples of their goddess and their gods.</p>
+
+<p>Here and there the ground was covered with flowers of richest shades and
+sweetest fragrance, and great branches with clustering blossoms of
+crimson oleander and myrtle lay around.</p>
+
+<p>From the house of the Roman Lady Venusta the slave Saronia had come to
+buy. She was clothed in the simplest manner, tall and beautifully
+formed, with eyes speaking a tale of sadness and a weariness of life; a
+dignified slave, but a slave nevertheless, purchased but a year ago, and
+brought hither by a trading-barque from Sidon, in Ph&oelig;nicia, where she
+had served as a slave from childhood.</p>
+
+<p>She gathered together her pomegranates, citrons, almonds, olives, and
+flowers, placed them in her basket of wickerwork, walked out of the
+market, and passed up the way which led to the home of her mistress. But
+the splendour to which she hastened was a prison to her. She so full of
+young life, she who felt within her the rising for supremacy (an
+unquenchable spirit), she with a mystic flame burning up her soul, felt
+it was not a home but a waiting-place until the Fates passed by and led
+her on.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>True, Venusta treated Saronia fairly well, but Nika, her daughter, hated
+her&mdash;from the first she hated her. And why this hate? Nika herself could
+scarcely say; but who has not felt this subtle power to love or hate at
+first sight&mdash;an intuitive something which draws or repels without our
+reason or consent? Perhaps it was the great sadness of Saronia's eyes,
+the overflowing influence of a mighty spirit, that Nika disliked so
+much; or perhaps it was that when Chios, the Greek, came to visit the
+Romans, he spoke kindly to the slave, and thus Nika detested her. It may
+be so.</p>
+
+<p>Passing by the great theatre and the Odeum, she went up the shaded way
+over the side of Mount Coressus, and came to the beautiful home of
+Venusta, passed in laden with fruit and flowers, great clusters of
+sweet-scented blossoms falling from the basket as she raised it from her
+head. For a moment she stood as in a dream, with girdled drapery falling
+to her feet, and her gaze firmly fixed upon the great temple appearing
+full in view as she looked through the window, which allowed the
+sunlight to penetrate into her room.</p>
+
+<p>That night, when her work was done, she mounted the marble steps
+surrounding the house, and breathed the pleasant, perfumed air which
+came down the mountain-side and danced through the myrtle groves.</p>
+
+<p>The moon had well-nigh reached her meridian and sent forth her pale,
+cool light, bathing the city in its glory, making the great hills look
+so strange and lonely, as star after star struggled to show their
+quivering rays; but the light of the Queen of Heaven, the great Moon
+Goddess, absorbed them all.</p>
+
+<p>'Twas then the spirit of the girl was moved, and she said to herself:</p>
+
+<p>'Ah! what am I, most Holy Mother, most chaste Luna,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> great Orb which
+symbols forth all Nature's mother, thou great Ashtoreth whom I was
+taught to adore in childhood when in Sidon? Well do I remember when I
+raised my tiny hand and kissed it unto thee. And they tell me here,
+also, thou art the same mother, but under another name; that in Ionia
+they call thee Diana instead of Ashtoreth, and that yonder mighty temple
+is thy dwelling-place, around whose sacred pillars spreads a sanctuary
+where those who flee are safe. Holy Mother! May I flee to thee? They say
+even a slave may come to thy sanctuary, and once there with a just
+cause, is ever safe from the fiercest Roman or the rudest Greek.'</p>
+
+<p>And thus she spoke until a flock of night-birds flew along and like a
+cloud obscured the moon, and a voice, sounding like a silver lute,
+seemed to say:</p>
+
+<p>'My face is veiled with earth-born things; those birds are dark to thee,
+but every wing before my gaze is tipped with light and silver sheened.
+So shalt thou see thy sorrows when thou fully knowest me.'</p>
+
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II</h2>
+
+<h3>THE MESSENGER OF EROS</h3>
+
+
+<p>The great theatre at Ephesus was thronged; over fifty thousand people
+had gathered together to witness a new play. Amongst them were Nika and
+Chios.</p>
+
+<p>'Dost thou like the play?' she asked. 'They tell me the tragedy was
+wrought in Ph&oelig;nicia, and has been played with great success in Sidon,
+from thence to Cyprus, and now here. It pleases thee, Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, fairly so; and would do so more were it not that through it runs a
+vein of suffering, making one wish he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> could fit disjointed elements so
+properly together as to make the poor richer, the weak stronger, and the
+mighty less tyrannical.'</p>
+
+<p>'Chios, again thou art a dreamer. Thou shouldst have a planet all thine
+own, and, after setting up thy kings governing each particular section
+of thine orb, thou then shouldst sit enthroned above them all and play
+the mighty demigod.'</p>
+
+<p>'Nay, Nika, stay thy wit; thou makest sport of my poor sympathies.'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, yes; it is well, perchance, that thou shouldst bridle in my
+tongue. But, after all, thou art too kind; there are those of meaner
+dust who would build upon thy kindness until thou be but the hidden
+foundation for their super-structure of selfishness. Look, for instance,
+at that slave-girl of mine, Saronia the Sidonian, naturally haughty,
+arrogant&mdash;if I were to free her, she would spit at me. No, no, a place
+for everything. A serpent crawls the earth; let it crawl. Dost thou
+know, Chios, methinks that girl, with her deep unfathomable eyes of
+night-gloom, is not quite so innocent as one might imagine. I suspect
+her&mdash;&mdash;'</p>
+
+<p>'Of what?'</p>
+
+<p>'Of what? Why, the old story. She has a lover, and meets him
+secretly&mdash;so speaks the rumour of our other household slaves. What
+thinkest thou?'</p>
+
+<p>'Think? Think it is a base slander on a defenceless maid. She is as pure
+as the first dawn of day&mdash;a mighty spirit is she, as wild as the north
+wind and as untamable as the winged lightning, but as chaste as the snow
+on the mountains of Tmolus.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thy words are so sweet for this scornful girl that surely the power of
+her magical love encircles thy heart and will eat out thy life. What
+next? Wilt thou offer Lucius, my father, a ransom and wed her?'</p>
+
+<p>'Nay, Nika, what thou sayest is not so, may not be;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> nevertheless, am I
+not free to love anything the gods have created and blessed?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, yes, go thy ways; but, for all that, it is more seemly for an
+eagle to mate with an eagle than with a screech-owl. Thou wilt see her
+anon; thy pet slave waiteth without for her mistress. Now go to her for
+me and bid her come; and, love-sick boy, be sure she does not fascinate
+thee that thou be so transfixed to her side that passers-by think they
+see two statues by Scopas, dressed by some wanton wit to imitate the
+life.'</p>
+
+<p>'Ah, Nika, thou wert always merry; would thou wert as tender-hearted as
+humorous. I obey thee.'</p>
+
+<p>And leaving her, he passed out, and saw Saronia&mdash;saw her leaning, tired
+and thoughtful, against a pillar, and around its base were richly carved
+in strong relief the stories of the gods. Stepping towards her, he said:</p>
+
+<p>'Sleepest thou, or art thou thinking of thy far-away Sidon, or perchance
+peering into the future to divine thy fortune? What are the omens? Have
+fair ones passed thee as thou standest here?'</p>
+
+<p>'Nay, good sire, I was thinking of neither the past nor the future, but
+of the present. I know I am but a slave, a thing who has no right to
+speak or move or scarcely think without my mistress's bidding.'</p>
+
+<p>'I pity thee, and have tried to befriend thee.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art kind, but it will serve me little; they hate me&mdash;they all hate
+me, and make my life a misery&mdash;but it will not ever be thus. Just now a
+woman of peculiar mien stood before me&mdash;a woman skilled, she told me, in
+the mysteries of fate. Looking at me, she said my star was rising full
+of splendour, and would lead me by its power into a knowledge deep and
+high&mdash;deep as death, high as the heavens. Think you, master, there be
+any truth in such woman's talk?'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'I cannot say, Saronia. Of those hidden things I am not given to
+understand. I lean towards the new faith, whose founder is one Christ.
+Of Him I know little, but 'tis said He is both God and man. What
+thinkest thou of this?'</p>
+
+<p>'I know not what to think. I do not know the faith, neither does it seem
+to rise for a hearing in my soul. No; born within me is the faith of
+Ashtoreth, and as it seems akin to much that is worshipped here, I think
+I should feel more at home were I to understand the mysteries of Hecate
+and worship at her shrine.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou dost not know what thou askest, Saronia. The way to those
+mysteries is dark and to thee impenetrable. Thou art too good to load
+thy spirit with such things of gloom, too young to sacrifice thee there.
+Around her darkness hovers&mdash;night, everlasting night, abides. I have
+heard those who know say this. Are there no brighter hopes for thee? If
+not, slave art thou indeed&mdash;slave in body, slave in soul.'</p>
+
+<p>'True,' said the girl. 'Slaves are we either in body or spirit,
+whomsoever we serve&mdash;men or women, goddesses or gods; to such must we
+submit and lose our will in that of the greater. Serve, then, the one
+thou likest best. For myself, I think I like Diana as Hecate. She, I am
+told, rules the underworld. I aspire no higher; my pinions were shorn
+away, and I now grovel on the earth, and wish to worship in her bosom.'</p>
+
+<p>'Of what mould art thou, Saronia? I understand thee not. I fear thee
+somewhat; my soul quails before the power thou already wieldest. What
+wouldst thou be with that great dark spirit of thine if thou only moved
+out upon the great ocean of the Ephesian faith? Verily thou wouldst be a
+bird of ill-omen to those thou didst hate. Didst thou ever love,
+Saronia?'</p>
+
+<p>'What is love?' said she. 'I know it not. Is it a new god?'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Yes, girl, call it a god if thou pleasest. Call it Eros, call it Venus,
+call it what thou mayest, thou wilt fall before it one day and
+worship&mdash;worship madly and perchance too well. Haste thee now to thy
+mistress, Nika; I have already kept thee too long.'</p>
+
+<p>That night, when all were asleep, Saronia stood looking again towards
+the great Temple of Artemis. Dimly could she see it by the stars. Two
+great passions were arranging themselves within her bosom&mdash;not two
+passions joined in common sympathy, but each one striving for itself,
+and both against the great citadel of her heart. One she recognised,
+that which drew her on like some great master mind beseeching her to
+grasp the key and unlock the great secrets of Nature's goddess. The
+other she knew not; it was a strange passion to her. It was wild,
+tumultuous, and then calm as a summer's eve&mdash;like a storm which bows
+down the lofty pines on Mount Coressus, and yet as gentle and melodious
+as the softest Ionian music which ever broke the stillness of the
+evening air. And as the maid stood there with her long tresses falling
+over her graceful form, visions rose before her, visions of the future
+stretching down the great highway leading into eternity, and a voice
+rang through her soul, crying, 'What is love?'</p>
+
+<p>And she said within herself: 'Can this strange passion be the messenger
+of Eros?' A form rose before her mind like unto Chios. The great clouds
+rolled up from the west, the lightnings flashed across the sky,
+illuminating for a moment the great white marble Temple with its roof of
+cedar and its plates of gold. The frightened, shivering girl drew her
+garments tightly around her and hid her face.</p>
+
+<p>How long she remained there she knew not, but when she awoke from a
+swoon and raised herself from the ground, the scarlet shafts of sunrise
+were moving up the eastern sky, and the birds were singing from the
+myrtle groves.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III</h2>
+
+<h3>THE CURSE OF HECATE</h3>
+
+
+<p>The day had well-nigh lost its youth. Nika and her mother had retired to
+the room called 'Golden,' because of the rich chasings of gold on its
+walls of purest marble, and the threads of gold and vermilion which
+interlaced in chaste design the polished floor of malachite and aqua
+marine.</p>
+
+<p>Across the entrance to this room hung a richly embroidered curtain, dyed
+twice in Tyrian purple, which being drawn back exposed to view a
+colonnade of varied beauty and richly carved, many of the carvings being
+the work of Venusta's friends.</p>
+
+<p>Behind the peristyle the walls were hung with beautiful pictures created
+by artists long since dead, Parrhasius and Apelles, Evenor and Zeuxis;
+each painting was framed with a panel of exquisite mosaic. Statuary of
+rarest loveliness by Phidias, Praxiteles and Scopas, Thrason, Myron,
+Pharax and Phradmon, stood between the pillars. Within the court were
+fragrant flowers of every shade, and in the centre towered one grand
+design in fountain form, from which came sprays of perfumed water,
+hiding the sultry sky and falling back with musical rhythm into the
+many-coloured marble basin. Slaves with fans of gorgeous plumage wafted
+the perfumed air into the Golden Room.</p>
+
+<p>In this retiring room, on a couch of citrus-wood inlaid with precious
+stones and pearls, reclined Venusta. She was clothed in a linen robe of
+saffron-yellow, with delicate pattern interwoven, and embroidered
+borders from Phrygia and Babylon. Her face spoke plainly that the Romans
+ruled the Ionians.</p>
+
+<p>Close by her was Nika, standing like a beautiful dream.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> She was draped
+in white silk from the Isle of Cos, and through this diaphanous dress
+the outlines of her lovely form were seen. Around her waist circled a
+zone of gems&mdash;ruby, sapphire, emerald, hyacinth, garnet, topaz, aqua
+marine&mdash;blended together in magnificent confusion. A splendid opal
+glinted above her brow, and her hair, like sunlight mixed with gold,
+came forward shading eyes of loveliest blue, then flowed back like
+rippling wavelets move towards the shore.</p>
+
+<p>'Take the cithra and play one of thy sweetest melodies,' said Venusta.
+'Play that soft Ionian air I heard from thee but yester eve.'</p>
+
+<p>Nika did not respond, but restlessly plucked the petals of a lovely
+oleander, and as she flung them to the floor murmured:</p>
+
+<p>'Thus would I pluck her life&mdash;her life, and end it in nothingness.'</p>
+
+<p>'What ails thee, girl? Art thou ill?'</p>
+
+<p>'No; but impatient for revenge.'</p>
+
+<p>'On whom?'</p>
+
+<p>'On the slave Saronia, who stands yonder in the court, dressed in golden
+brown, looking like a dark fiend as she rests her head against the
+porphyry pillar that Scopas carved.'</p>
+
+<p>'Wherein has she offended, Nika?'</p>
+
+<p>'In this wise. Thou knowest, mother, I never liked her, and ever as I
+know her I like her less. And now she poisons with her charms the mind
+of Chios; not that I care for Chios, but why should such a scorpion
+stand between us, even if the obstruction be as thin as the mountain
+mist which flees before the first blush of day? Listen, mother. 'Twas
+but yesterday, at the great theatre, I sent Chios to bid her come to me.
+His lengthened stay, his silent mood when he returned, her haughty
+bearing, all told me another drama had been enacted outside the theatre
+to which I dare<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> not be bidden. But I will hear of it. I will clearly
+understand it. She shall speak it again before us, and besides her own
+she shall act the part of Chios.'</p>
+
+<p>'Do you believe this being is treacherous?'</p>
+
+<p>'I do, mother.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then we will bid her come to us.'</p>
+
+<p>Venusta touched a silver bell. Saronia entered and stood before
+them&mdash;stood without one quiver on her beautiful lips, although she could
+see by the countenance of her mistress that a storm was at hand. There
+she stood, pale and self-contained, a smouldering fire burning within
+her, and the voice of the wise woman ringing in her ears: 'Thy star is
+rising, full of splendour.'</p>
+
+<p>'Slave, my daughter says thy conduct is uncertain. Knowest thou the
+penalty of this?'</p>
+
+<p>'Were it true, I know some of the penalties. But wherein have I
+disobeyed?'</p>
+
+<p>'It is not that thou failest to obey&mdash;that would be rebellion, and I
+myself would probably slay thee, as my husband is away from Ephesus. No!
+It is this: thou presumest too much&mdash;and this, mark you, is the least
+can be said of it. 'Tis said thou art given to converse freely with our
+beloved friend Chios, and if this be true 'tis inconsistent with thy
+position as my slave. But tell us, what hast thou said to him? what did
+he say to thee during the long interview yesterday outside the great
+theatre? What passed between you? Tell it quickly; our spirits are of
+that nature which cannot entertain delay. Now tell it quickly and
+begone.'</p>
+
+<p>'He told me nothing I may say again; nor will it interest my mistress.'</p>
+
+<p>'How dost thou know?'</p>
+
+<p>'If thou wouldst know, my lady mistress, it comes to this only. I
+bemoaned my state of slavery, and he, true open-hearted<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> man, did
+sympathize with me. I deem this matter no offence.'</p>
+
+<p>'Reptile which thou art! Mistress of lies! Thou liest now. Dost think to
+make believe that he would stoop to sympathize with carrion? Didst thou
+not entice him? Speak out, or, by the gods, I promise I will have thee
+tied to the wheel and whipped with rods until thou shalt not even know
+thyself. Speak, slave! or I will take that tongue of thine from out thy
+poisonous mouth, and brand thee on thy forehead as a wretch. Once more I
+speak to thee: tell me the truth!'</p>
+
+<p>Then answered Saronia:</p>
+
+<p>'Lady of Rome, I spoke the truth&mdash;the gods can do no better. Thou mayest
+torture me, and I may die. I have, perchance, lived long enough, and it
+would be well to pass where I may serve the gods only.'</p>
+
+<p>'Who art thou, slave, and what art thou, who speakest thus?'</p>
+
+<p>'I know not who I am. What I am thou mayest know hereafter.'</p>
+
+<p>'Understand I have power to torture thee!'</p>
+
+<p>'I know all, and have dared to reply.'</p>
+
+<p>'Hast thou no fear? Beware!'</p>
+
+<p>'I have none, for the gods are with me, and my cause is just.'</p>
+
+<p>'Just? Thou mockest. What justice canst thou demand, perjured one of
+Hades? Leave me, or I may be tempted to slay thee where thou standest;
+but that would not do. Sorceress, thy foul blood might haunt the Golden
+Room!'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Saronia went out, and wept great tears of sorrow.</p>
+
+<p>When she had gone, Nika spoke:</p>
+
+<p>'Now seest thou, mother, what she is: she dares even thee! What canst
+thou do but punish? A fine episode&mdash;a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> Sidonian slave defies her
+mistress, a Roman matron. Speak quickly; I am burning to hear what thou
+thinkest. Speak, great Venusta, wife of Lucius!'</p>
+
+<p>'Silence, Nika! It is not becoming thou shouldst use thy satire even in
+playfulness to such an one as I.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou knowest my tongue from veriest childhood was ever the same. It is
+my dagger. It is better than thy jewelled blade of steel. I can wound
+the heart without shedding one drop of blood. Come, mother, forgive me,
+and say what shall be done to punish Saronia.'</p>
+
+<p>'She must be tortured until she speaks the truth.'</p>
+
+<p>'But if she should die, we should never know.'</p>
+
+<p>'True! That is a condition we cannot alter.'</p>
+
+<p>'Listen. Give me a day or two and let me try what I may do with guile.'</p>
+
+<p>'Let it be so, Nika. But see I lose not dignity. Make her know it is
+through thy intercession I relent. Give her two short periods of the
+sun, and charm with thy music from her that which Venusta cannot wrench
+by threatenings. If thou canst, girl; but, for my own part, I should as
+surely expect a fisher to take fish by casting net on a barren rock as
+that thou wilt be successful with thine undertaking.'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The next day the Roman girl made it convenient that the slave should be
+alone with her, and commenced her plan of deceit, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Sidonian, why dost thou look so sad? Thou art unhappy. Dost fear the
+Lady Venusta? Trust in me. A mother's love is great towards her child.
+Trust thou in me, girl, make me thy confidant. I know it is not seemly
+for the high-born daughter of thy mistress to converse with thee in this
+manner, but I have read somewhere that "All flesh is as grass; the wind
+passeth over it and it is gone." So, after all, it may be but the force
+of circumstances which makes me<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> mistress and thee slave. Come, now,
+tell me what Chios said to thee, and relieve thy mind from anxious
+thought.'</p>
+
+<p>'My mistress Nika, I cannot tell thee more.'</p>
+
+<p>'Did not Chios speak some sweet words of love into thine ear? Did he not
+praise thy lovely form, those clustering tresses, those liquid eyes, and
+did he not taste thy lips? Now, Saronia, tell me, and one day I may tell
+thee all of my own love story.'</p>
+
+<p>Then spoke the slave:</p>
+
+<p>'I know not of love. If kind words be love, then spake he kindly to me.'</p>
+
+<p>'Didst thou speak of me to him?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes.'</p>
+
+<p>'And what didst thou say?'</p>
+
+<p>'It may wound thee sore to know.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no! It will leave no lasting impression on my mind; it will be as a
+cloud-shadow passing over a granite rock, leaving no trace behind. What
+didst thou say?'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou hatest me.'</p>
+
+<p>'I hate thee! How dost thou know?'</p>
+
+<p>'I scarcely know how to frame my words to form reply.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou shalt.'</p>
+
+<p>'I cannot! But surely as I feel the throbbing of my heart, so certain am
+I of thine hatred, and expect no mercy from my mistress or her daughter;
+yet still I feel thou canst not harm me, and I shall not fail beneath
+thine hand. My destiny is dark, but not broken. I am not like water
+spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. No; my path lies
+onward through the ages, perchance where thou mayest not follow. I know
+not why I speak in this manner to thee. A fire seems eating up my very
+vitals, my brain whirls, and a power which possesses me bids me defy
+thee, and say: "The slave Saronia is as good as thou, and the time is
+not distant&mdash;yea, well within the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> span of this brief mortal life&mdash;when
+thou shalt seek me out for help, when thou shalt call for the Sidonian,
+when thou shalt beg for aid from dark Saronia!"'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>When Venusta returned, she found her daughter lying on the citrous couch
+with head buried between her beautiful hands; but oh the horror depicted
+on that lovely face as she raised it and gazed into her mother's eyes!</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art suffering, Nika.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou sayest truly; my whole being seems to have been lashed into a
+fury, like unto when the winds of winter sweep over the moaning sea, and
+break the mast from out the noble ship, scatter her cordage, sever the
+silver cord of her mariners, and leave her an abandoned wreck, the sport
+of every yawning wave; and after this the mockery of calm and sunny sky.
+And I, too, have now the calm, and I may truly call it mockery. 'Tis a
+calm of awful stillness without a ray of hope&mdash;a calm so still, so
+death-like, leaden, which leaves no room for doubt that I am left alone.
+The spirits of the gods have left me. I am accursed!'</p>
+
+<p>'By whom art thou accursed? What meanest thou, child?'</p>
+
+<p>'I have received the curse of Hecate. In what form my destiny for ill
+will work out, I know not; but as surely as the dying one gasping for
+breath knows his end draws nigh, so feel I the power of this great curse
+upon me.'</p>
+
+<p>'Nonsense, poor girl: it is some quaint fantasy of the mind.'</p>
+
+<p>'Nay, mother, would it were so; then time would rid me of this frightful
+living death!'</p>
+
+<p>'But speak plainly, Nika; tell me all.'</p>
+
+<p>'It was thus. I spoke to Saronia; I tried to win from her by honeyed
+words that which thou requested her to tell me. Then did she disclose to
+me her knowledge of my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> hate, and after other words had passed she broke
+forth like a chained lion, and, snapping her chains as if they were
+threads of finest silk, she defied me. Standing with hair dishevelled
+and eyes aflame, I saw her face take form like unto the face of the
+resplendent statue of the goddess, and I knew she was possessed of
+Hecate, and I cursed before the words of dreadful meaning had passed her
+lips. Then spake she words aglow with fire, which burnt into me far
+deeper than the brand of iron burns into the brows of slaves. Those
+scars pass with death, mine must go with me through the gateway into
+Hades, into Tartarus, into my wandering 'midst the darkness, where my
+unclothed, starving spirit shall move through the sable gloom of a
+destiny that shall stretch out into the great hereafter. Oh, mother,
+mother, my agony is great!'</p>
+
+<p>'And where is this fiend gone?' asked Venusta. 'She was not in her
+accustomed place when I entered, and at that I wondered. Dost thou know
+where she is, daughter?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, I know not. For when that fearful being had spoken, as I have told
+thee, I hid my eyes for very fear. Only once did I raise them and see
+her like a black death still standing by my couch; but she had grasped
+thy jewelled dagger which lay upon the table, and held it with
+outstretched hand towards the ground, and with upturned gaze and
+frightful calm she seemed to plead an answer from the goddess. Then fell
+I into a deep swoon, and in vision seemed to fall from dark abyss to
+dark abyss, until my soul was torn asunder, and its portions rent again
+and dissolved into nothingness, and for ever lost.</p>
+
+<p>'It is horrible to think of; and when I awoke, I was alone&mdash;yea, alone.
+It is an awful thing to feel such loneliness. Glad was I when the shadow
+of the great cypress-tree yonder came through the open window and lay
+upon the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> marble floor; even such as that was company to my cursed
+soul.'</p>
+
+<p>'Lie still, Nika. I will find her, and ere yon red-globed sun hath sunk
+behind the purple hills she shall suffer for this power which she
+pretends to possess. A braying ass within a lion's skin! I will brand
+her with hot irons, and pour strong ink into the furrows! I will work
+her like a beast, and, when torn and wrinkled with toil and pain, cast
+her out upon the hills to die! Such is my right to do, and all my powers
+shall be enforced.'</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou not afraid?'</p>
+
+<p>'No! I respect the faith of Hecate, and by report well know her power;
+but this young hag is not elect of such a goddess. That she tortures
+thee with fearful harrowings shows all this is but a slave's device to
+make escape from the punishment I threaten!'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no! She is true&mdash;I am guilty. Would I were not! I have pained her
+to the verge of death. I have lied against her, and with cruel words and
+threatenings made her life a wretched misery! Oh, could I but recall the
+past! But all is dark. I know a great fate of ill-omen hangs over me.
+When it will descend, I know not. When it will enwrap me, I know not.
+But it will come, and at a time I am least ready, that I feel;' and Nika
+wept like a child.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Venusta kissed her daughter and passed out of the Golden Room.</p>
+
+<p>On arriving at the place where the slaves dwelt, she found Saronia had
+fled, and no one knew whither. She was seen to take her mantle and leave
+hurriedly, and that was all.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV</h2>
+
+<h3>SANCTUARY</h3>
+
+
+<p>When Saronia saw that Nika had fallen overpowered, and knew her lot was
+cast, she felt herself a new creature. Her young blood coursed wildly,
+and great thoughts trooped through her brain like a force of armed men
+hastening to war. For a moment reason staggered, but did not fall.</p>
+
+<p>When the tumult of her soul was stayed, she said:</p>
+
+<p>'Has the goddess spoken through me? Am I her beloved? If this be so, why
+not fly to her sanctuary and trust to her great power? I will away
+now&mdash;even now! I will not question with myself. Farewell, cruel Nika!
+Farewell, merciless girl! Thou wilt stand in thy lot at the end. I go my
+way, whither I know not&mdash;gloom, night, darkness envelops me. But, chaste
+Diana, show by thy kindly light the way&mdash;I am thine! Behold this tiny
+crescent graven on my hand when yet a child&mdash;true sign my loved ones
+were the worshippers of Ashtoreth; and now I come to thee, great Goddess
+Luna, Hecate, Diana, the mother of Nature, adored in Ionia!'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Having passed the threshold of the house, she came down the shaded way,
+along the side of Mount Coressus.</p>
+
+<p>The tall pines murmured softly their evening hymn; the roadside was
+covered with great bunches of pink and white flowers; clusters of ripe
+grapes hung from the trellised vines, and the pomegranate-trees were
+laden with fruit.</p>
+
+<p>A flock of birds of varied hue flew around her, and an eagle, sporting
+in the air and clapping its wings, swooped down and sailed from right to
+left, fairest of omens the gods could give. This she saw, and recognised
+its import, but the flowers and murmuring pines she heeded not.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Down the lovely way she trod and came to the valley beneath, and joined
+the crowd passing along the city streets.</p>
+
+<p>From the Odeum came the richest music, pealing forth upon the sultry
+air, and, breaking into softest harmony, melted into the light.</p>
+
+<p>On, further, until the great theatre burst upon her sight, and then for
+a moment she stood and rested against the sculptured shaft of a mighty
+pillar and thought of Chios. Suddenly she was confronted with the wise
+woman who spoke with her not long ago.</p>
+
+<p>'Whither goest thou, pretty slave? Art thou on a mission for thy
+mistress? or does that star of thine so quickly lead thee to thy fate?
+Tell me, girl, whither art thou steering?'</p>
+
+<p>'I cannot tell thee; but I pray thee point the nearest way to the pine
+and cypress grove nigh to the Temple of Diana.'</p>
+
+<p>'Ah, now I know, and will not betray! Sanctuary! Thou seekest sanctuary,
+and thou shalt have it if I can aid thee; but no time is to be lost.
+Rush on as if thy life hung on a single thread. Turn to the right, pass
+the Stadium, wind quickly around the hill Pion, and thou shalt see the
+Temple bathed in glorious light, and close to it the sacred grove; but I
+fear the hour has passed to gain access, and the planet Saturn rules.
+Hide thee among the trees to-night, and when the sun's first rays appear
+haste thee to thy refuge. That hour is the hour of Jupiter, the next is
+that of the Sun; thou shalt prevail, and when thou flourisheth, remember
+me.'</p>
+
+<p>She moved away, and stealing around the hill with its great Acropolis
+and fortress walls of iron brick, gained the sacred port, at the head of
+which, standing broadly against the dying day, appeared the mighty
+Temple&mdash;that Temple which she had so often gazed on from Venusta's
+home.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>It was not far away, but she could not reach it in time to claim
+security that day. If she ran she would be suspected, and her feet
+seemed weighted with sandals of lead.</p>
+
+<p>She passed the smaller temples, saw the great ships with gorgeous sails
+and swinging pendants pass up and down the sacred way, and heard the
+chant of evening song float forth from many a shrine. Still, on she
+went, footsore and weary, to find, alas! the door of her asylum closed;
+then, gazing for a moment at the mighty structure within the parabolus
+walls, she uttered a faint cry and burst into a flood of tears. Nothing
+could she do but fly to the grove and pass the night there, and,
+creeping stealthily away, she moved towards the pines and cypress-trees.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>That night there raged a storm. The great clouds in wild masses sailed
+across the sky like leviathans in the blue-tinted darkness of ocean
+depths. No moon nor star. The mighty winds swayed the trees, and bent
+the stoutest of them like reeds. Saronia crouched beneath a giant pine,
+whose summit seemed to pierce the sky. Faint and shivering, she drew her
+garments closely around her and fell asleep, only to be awakened by the
+thunderings which seemed to break the universe in twain with echoes like
+the voices of the gods in combat. A lightning flash flew down like a
+haunted fiend and blasted her tree from top to base, but it hurt her
+not.</p>
+
+<p>And after hours had passed, and the furious winds had sailed out over
+the deep, the rains descended and drenched her flimsy garment. The
+stormy winds sank down to a melancholy wail, and played their dirge
+amongst the branches of the cluster-pine, and the dawn came up from the
+east and struggled between the dark-green foliage.</p>
+
+<p>Saronia arose and staggered through the long wet grass, heeding not the
+masses of yellow iris or the flaming poppies.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> When she arrived at the
+confines of the grove the light had broken through the gray, and soon
+she saw the sun, and knew it was her hour.</p>
+
+<p>On she went, with her thin brown garments clinging to her lovely form.
+For a moment, like a thief, she hung around the entrance gate, and with
+a wild convulsive moan passed within&mdash;to sanctuary!</p>
+
+<p>When the priests went by they saw the fallen form, and thought her dead.
+They raised her tenderly and led her away.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>'Who art thou?' said the chief of the priests.</p>
+
+<p>The girl looked beseechingly at him, and said:</p>
+
+<p>'I am the slave of the Roman Venusta, whose home is on the Mount
+Coressus. Faithfully have I served her, and would have continued but for
+her cruelty. Before I saw this city my home was Sidon, in Ph&oelig;nicia.
+There also I was a slave as far back as my memory serves me. Who I am I
+know not&mdash;&mdash;'</p>
+
+<p>'What is thy name?'</p>
+
+<p>'Saronia; and hither have I fled to throw myself on the mercy of the
+goddess, with the hope that I may serve her.'</p>
+
+<p>Then answered he of the Megalobyzi:</p>
+
+<p>'Thou speakest plainly, and we will inquire into the matter;' and,
+turning to a priestess standing near, he requested her to protect the
+girl and give her food.</p>
+
+<p>The young priestess was of exquisite beauty, and her face beamed with
+rarest charity. Her voice was full of sweetness as she said:</p>
+
+<p>'Maiden, lean on my arm, and let me lead thee to thy rest;' and Saronia
+heard the chanting of the morning hymn, and felt she had reached her
+goal&mdash;the dearest to her heart.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>At Venusta's house, just after the morning meal, a slave<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> delivered to
+her mistress a message. The Roman autocrat broke the ominous seal, and,
+turning deathly pale, read out the following:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot" style="font-size:smaller; margin-top:1.5em;"><p>'Great is Diana of the Ephesians, whom all Asia and the
+inhabited earth worshippeth.</p>
+
+<p style="margin-top:1.5em;">'<span class="smcap">Unto the noble Lady Venusta</span>,</p>
+
+<p>'Whereas thy slave-girl Saronia is now within the sacred
+precincts of the Temple of our Lady Saviour, and claims
+sanctuary, alleging that by your cruel treatment she has fled
+your abode;</p>
+
+<p>'And this Notice, in accordance with the Law, demands that you
+appear at our Tribunal, and if by proof you show her
+allegations false, she shall forthwith be handed back, you
+releasing her from all punishment for thus submitting her case
+to this our High and Sacred Court.</p>
+
+<p>'On the other hand, if she be in the right, then she shall be
+free to consecrate herself unto the service of the Ephesian
+goddess, and observe the rites as practised in the Temple of
+Artemis.' </p></div>
+
+<p>For a moment Venusta was silent. What was to be done? Her Roman blood
+ran riot through her veins. Recovering herself, she said to her
+daughter:</p>
+
+<p>'I will pursue her even to the jaws of death. Shall I thus be taunted by
+a slave? No; the wife of Lucius will not submit to be taught her duty to
+a hag such as she! I will reply immediately and use the law to win her
+back.'</p>
+
+<p>'Leave her,' said Nika. 'See, will it avail thee to have thy name
+blazoned abroad among the noble ones of Ephesus? She is not worth
+much&mdash;never was, and would be worthless were she back again. Let her
+go!'</p>
+
+<p>'No, child, my dignity is hurt. Thou knowest the high position held by
+us in this city, and to remain silent, I fear, in this case is to admit
+guilt. This would not do.'</p>
+
+<p>'Mother dear, let me speak again, and plainly. I fear her. Should she
+return, soon must thou prepare the marble urn to receive the ashes of
+Nika. What could we do with her? She is far too terrible for us. If she
+spake never a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> word, her look would kill me. Thou knowest she cannot now
+be punished, for after having sought sanctuary the law provides a
+shelter against torture, and think of the scandal were the case tried,
+and her name in any way coupled with our beloved friend Chios. No, no;
+let her go. Were it not an insult to offer thee, I would sell my jewels,
+all, all I possess&mdash;everything&mdash;and pay her ransom. Say, dearest mother,
+say to Nika, say for the torn fragment of peace left me, that my request
+is granted.'</p>
+
+<p>'I will let her go,' said the Roman. 'I think it best as thou hast said.
+Her destiny seems to lie outside our reach. To bring her back is wrong
+to thee after what thou hast now said. To let her remain may be
+humiliation. However, one thing we know: whilst within the Temple she
+cannot trouble us. To free her and let her wander abroad&mdash;well, it would
+be worse than playing with a deadly serpent. Discussion further may only
+hamper our best policy. She shall circle in her own orbit.' And Venusta
+framed reply, stating the slave's assertions quite untrue; but, being
+desirous of making an offering to the Queen of Heaven, she set her free.</p>
+
+<p>And thus does fate work out our destiny, and prove</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">'Man's goings are not of his own ways;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">How then can he direct his paths?'<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V</h2>
+
+<h3>THE TEMPLE OF DIANA</h3>
+
+
+<p>Bathed in the sunlight of an azure sky, the Temple of Diana raised its
+lovely head and shone the fairest mistress of the ancient East. Boasting
+a long list of ancestors, she,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> the last of a line of temples, the
+Mighty One that should fight against the coming Christ, a strong
+fortress wherein her devotees should defend their faith against all
+detractors&mdash;this the last, the eighth, the proudest Temple, the wonder
+of the world, was now in all its splendour, enthroned at the head of the
+sacred port, and shone out like a silvery sun.</p>
+
+<p>Built on sure foundations of the Ionic order, with symmetrical
+proportions, it towered high in majesty, with double rows of fluted
+marble pillars carved magnificently, many of which were the gifts of
+kings.</p>
+
+<p>Its pronaos and pediments were resplendent with marble, whilst the
+vestibule and peristyle were adorned with the richest friezes and the
+noblest statues.</p>
+
+<p>The roof of cedar was covered with marble and gold, and the staircases
+were of vine. Around it on every side great flights of marble steps led
+up to the sacred shrine.</p>
+
+<p>The entrance doors to this mighty Temple were of cypress wood, with
+ivory panels of richest sculpture set in gold.</p>
+
+<p>Within, the place was full of rarest beauty, and strength abounded on
+every hand.</p>
+
+<p>Pillars rose on pillars, and the choicest workmanship adorned them. The
+friezes and the painted walls were all that art could furnish, and the
+sky appeared through the open roof like a circle of fairest blue.</p>
+
+<p>In the Temple stood the altar, behind the altar the great statue of the
+Moon Goddess, Diana of the Ephesians, the Lady Saviour, the Resplendent
+One, the Mother of Nature. This symbol of deity was hidden from the
+vulgar gaze by a lovely veil of costly make, coloured with purple of
+Tyre, adorned with figures and arabesques and embroideries from Babylon,
+and edged with a fringe of purest gold. Behind the statue was the
+opisthodomus, or retiring chamber.</p>
+
+<p>The Temple floor was of white marble, the purest kind, and polished, the
+joining of the slabs faced with golden wire.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The quiet splendour of this mighty edifice baffles description. Not only
+was it magnificent in itself, but it was the grand storehouse for all
+that was beautiful and costly. It abounded in the sculptured works of
+Praxiteles and Thrason, and there were the statues of the Amazons, and
+that by Rh&oelig;cus, which the Ephesians called 'Night,' and those by
+Phidias and Scopas, silver wrought by Mentor, vases made of gold.</p>
+
+<p>The cella walls were hung with costly paintings&mdash;pictures by Timarete,
+the daughter of Nicon; others by Callithon of Samos, portraying 'Discord
+raising the Battle' and the 'Binding on of the Armour of Patroclus.'
+There was Euphonor's 'Ulysses feigning Madness,' and that great painting
+by Timanthes which caused a shudder to pass through the mighty
+Alexander, and the majestic portrait of that mighty conqueror painted by
+Apelles.</p>
+
+<p>In it were stored the strangest books, and there hung the finest
+instruments of music.</p>
+
+<p>It was the common treasury for all Asia; all nations deposited their
+treasures there for safety, and the world wondered at its riches.
+Deposits were made of all kinds&mdash;honorary statues, votive offerings,
+spoils, and actual treasure&mdash;and the people invoked the blessing of the
+goddess whose presence filled the golden shrine of Ephesus.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>An awful stillness reigned within the sacred pile&mdash;silence soon to be
+lightly broken by the entrance of a few priestesses, who led a girl
+within the folding doors of the great sanctuary.</p>
+
+<p>This was the night prior to initiation, and the novice was taken there
+that she might recognise solemnly what she was about to do on the
+morrow.</p>
+
+<p>The moonlight streamed faintly through the open roof, casting shadows on
+the marble floor.</p>
+
+<p>As Saronia&mdash;for it was she who accompanied the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> priestesses&mdash;moved on,
+she drew her cloak lightly around her, for the night-winds were chill,
+and her spirit nature was strained to its highest point. They stopped in
+front of the great altar. The moon threw off her veil of clouds, and the
+light from her glorious body shone forth, illuminating the veil that hid
+the statue of the goddess.</p>
+
+<p>'See thou that glorious orb, Saronia&mdash;for thou shalt ever retain thy
+name, a favour granted to few&mdash;seest thou that globe of light? 'Tis the
+symbol of our goddess&mdash;the symbol set in the blue heavens&mdash;and behind
+this purple veil her image stands, shadowing her forth, the mother of
+nature, protector of cities, and dispenser of all good gifts to men. On
+earth we worship her as such; above she is Luna, the Queen of Heaven;
+and when the time comes that thou canst bear it, thou shalt know her as
+Hecate, the goddess of the under world, she who governs the shades and
+rules the spirits in Hades with an eternal power. This goddess&mdash;the
+Triformis&mdash;thou art about to serve with all thy soul. Is it not so?
+Canst thou be true to her, forsaking all, follow where her great spirit
+leads? She will speak to thee, maiden&mdash;she will speak to thee; and,
+having once spoken, that voice will ever reverberate through the deepest
+recesses of thy being, will live on for ever to bless thee, or wind
+around thy soul to curse thee down to Tartarus as thou art faithful or
+false.</p>
+
+<p>'Saronia! Saronia! it is not yet too late to withdraw and throw thyself
+into the mighty throe of the great world's agony. Which shall it be? It
+is for thee to decide. No one is pressed into the service of the great
+goddess Diana, neither may any follow her as a matter of convenience.'</p>
+
+<p>A cloud passed o'er the moon, and they were shrouded in darkness. Then
+as suddenly passed those cloudlets away, and Saronia, trembling with
+fear, said:</p>
+
+<p>'Great priestess of the goddess, fear not; my mind is settled.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> Long,
+long have I wished for this hour, the hour of joy. My soul thrills with
+anticipation; my whole being is like one grand instrument tuned to the
+hand of my lady goddess, Diana Trivia. Let the night hasten; let the
+darkness be driven with power of the storm-wind; may the night speed on,
+and make way for the morning. Oh, chaste moon, flee thy way to the west,
+that the scarlet shafts may appear and I may pour my soul out before
+thee. My spirit longeth for thee, oh gracious one, that I may dwell in
+thy Temple evermore.'</p>
+
+<p>Then deep silence fell on all, and the pillars and roof cast great
+ghostly shadows on the floor, conjuring up mighty forms of weirdness,
+and the priestesses murmured reverently:</p>
+
+<p>'The goddess is here! Hecate is here!'</p>
+
+<p>The winds were rising and whistling with strange meaning through the
+sacred pines; the moon sailed down the west as a barque on the wings of
+a favouring gale; the stars looked down from their distant thrones; the
+song of the waves came up from the strand; and the night wore on.</p>
+
+<p>The next day's sun arose, mounted the heavens in beauty, and smiled down
+its splendour on mountain and sea. Saronia breathed the fresh morning
+air. All nature was alive; the flowers seemed to cast a richer perfume;
+the birds, to her, warbled their choicest strains; life and joy were
+everywhere; night and death were asleep.</p>
+
+<p>The great highway to peace was unclouded, and she could look straight
+down the golden road, until it melted into the altar-steps of heaven.</p>
+
+<p>This was her bridal morn; why should she not be happy? And that day she
+was wedded to her faith, initiated into the mysteries of Diana, and
+became a priestess of the goddess.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI</h2>
+
+<h3>LUCIUS</h3>
+
+
+<p>Ephesus was a scene of gaiety.</p>
+
+<p>Great arches decorated with choice foliage and festooned with lovely
+flowers spanned the public way; banners of strange beauty waved on the
+morning breeze; jubilant strains of martial music floated on the
+perfumed air.</p>
+
+<p>The day was young, yet vast crowds were astir. This was a festive
+day&mdash;the day of the home-coming of Lucius, whose wife was Venusta.</p>
+
+<p>Yes, he was to arrive in port to-day in command of a Roman squadron. Had
+he not been to far-off Britain and brought a British chieftain captive
+to Rome?</p>
+
+<p>Already the powerful ships were seen between the Isle of Samos and the
+main. Soon they drew nearer. Their great square sails set to catch the
+favouring gale urged them onwards like homesick birds until they drew
+close to the entrance of the port, and the people flocked to meet them.
+For Lucius was a valiant commander, and he should have a hearty welcome.
+Besides, had he not from time to time made costly offerings to their
+city protectoress, and was there not a tablet in the great theatre
+recounting the noble deeds of Lucius Erastus?</p>
+
+<p>The fleet had entered the channel leading up to the city port. First
+came, like flying scouts, groups of gaily painted boats and splendid
+barges, with sails of many hues, vermilion, azure, golden-coloured, and
+white, some with stripes, and many-formed devices, others with curious
+mystic signs.</p>
+
+<p>Streamers hung lazily aloft from masts and yards, prows and sterns,
+whilst flutes and lyres, syrinx and clarionet, kithra and aulos sent
+forth the soft Ionian music until the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> shores were wrapt in softest
+harmony. Some of the welcomers had ventured beyond the margin of the
+strand, and now returned in haste to lead the way.</p>
+
+<p>Then came the biremes with their double rows of oars, and clewed-up
+sails, swinging on the yards. Then the triremes followed with their
+treble banks of oars, and one among the last of those great ships was
+greatest. She was commanded by the Roman favourite. Yes, there she comes
+with beaked prow, projecting ram, castellated cabin, and great oars
+sweeping the silver sea. Above her gunwale rose a line of polished
+shields and rows of glittering spears&mdash;spears handled by warriors who
+knew their work.</p>
+
+<p>Flags flew out from end to end, blazoning in wild profusion along the
+yards and up the mast, gambolling with the cordage and the mighty sail.
+Following the warships came a host of vessels and boats, and along the
+banks of the great canal multitudes hastened, shouting as they went
+great shouts of welcome.</p>
+
+<p>The Roman fleet with its hosts of followers moored within the harbour
+with the city full in view, and Lucius thought he saw a silvery scarf
+waving from a house on Mount Coressus.</p>
+
+<p>When he had landed and was near the great theatre, many were the friends
+who surrounded him, giving greeting; foes also, with envy at heart,
+time-servers, cried 'Welcome!'</p>
+
+<p>Just then the joyous acclamations for a moment ceased. A cluster of
+priestesses going from temple to temple passed that way, and the hardy
+sailor bared his head as the little procession went by. Two eyes met
+his, and a feeling as if the dead were there crept through his soul;
+they were dark unfathomable eyes, and the girl was tall and beautiful,
+with clustering hair. And he said within him: 'Where have I seen that
+face ere now?'</p>
+
+<p>When she had passed he went his way, but his brow was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> dark with
+thought; something had crossed his track leaving a trail of gloom, why,
+he could not say. Again sweet voices chimed pleasantly, and the softest
+Ionian cadences floated out from the roofless Odeum. A carpet of bruised
+and dying roses strewed the ground.</p>
+
+<p>He had soon forgotten the girl with the dark eyes and clustering hair,
+and entered his princely home on the slopes of Coressus. Around it the
+pine-trees waved a greeting, and the wind sighed through the branches of
+the cypress.</p>
+
+<p>That evening the residence of Lucius was a scene of gaiety and
+splendour.</p>
+
+<p>Venusta welcomed her husband with the true feelings of a loyal wife, and
+Nika was glad at the return of her father; she could now repose on his
+protective presence.</p>
+
+<p>Many of the nobles of Ephesus had gathered there&mdash;artists and sculptors,
+philosophers and warriors, lovely women, Greeks and Romans, maidens of
+Caria, Priene, and girls from Samos blended in one great mass of power
+and beauty.</p>
+
+<p>The sweet day still cast its soft light, and lit up the lovely flowers
+and beautiful trees of olive, cypress, pine, and myrtle. The sun had
+lost its power, the atmosphere was deliciously cool, and many came from
+within to breathe the refreshing air ere the dew bathed the grass and
+the night-birds sang from the grove, or the twilight heralded the night
+and the stars encircled the moon.</p>
+
+<p>Nika, leaning on the arm of Lucius, stood by a great white marble
+fountain&mdash;he the bronzed sea-warrior, and she like a dream of spring.</p>
+
+<p>'Tell me, child&mdash;for many seasons have rolled away since I left thee and
+thy mother to visit those lovely isles in the far-off west&mdash;is thy young
+heart sound like thy father's barque after the battling of the stormy
+seas, or has Cupid laid siege and thou capitulated?'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Nay, father, Nika's heart is free, neither could it be otherwise, for
+it is hard as the marble of this fountain, colder than the water which
+springs from each chaste design.'</p>
+
+<p>'Ah, girl, thou art, I fear, like others of thy sex, prone to sail under
+false colours when a lover is in chase. Tell me, where is Chios? I
+thought he would have been here. Was he not bidden?'</p>
+
+<p>'He was, but there is no written law for him. He moves in his own
+eccentric orbit. He will come when most unexpected, suddenly, like an
+eagle from the clear blue depths of the sky, or as a comet from out the
+midnight gloom.'</p>
+
+<p>'Why, daughter, there he is, conversing with that sweet maid of Smyrna!
+Let us crowd all sail, and bear down on his weather. Quickly! I like
+that boy, and, if my reckoning be correct, thou dost not dislike him. Am
+I right?'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, I like him, and I like him not. He has mixed much with the people
+of the new faith, and ever as he goes that way his mind becomes
+o'erclouded with gloom. He is strangely abstracted, scarce a word
+escapes his lips. Were it not for this strange faith which spells him, I
+should say he loved, and, if 'twere love, I should not be the idol of
+his choice.'</p>
+
+<p>'Who, then?'</p>
+
+<p>'I know not;' and a painful sorrow passed across her brow, but Lucius
+saw it not.</p>
+
+<p>The night came down, and beacon fires glared out on every hill and
+mountain-top. Coressus and Pion were aflame, great torches whirled and
+rushed wildly up and down the mountain-side, and moved in fiery lines
+throughout the city streets.</p>
+
+<p>The lamps were lit within, and windows made of richly-coloured glass,
+amber, blue, and ruby, shone forth in lovely harmony and glorious hues,
+until the myrtle-trees, with their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> great white blossoms and perfumed
+breath, seemed quivering with delight. Merry songs, with laughter and
+rippling music, floated on the lazy air. Joy ran riot in the house of
+Lucius, and the meanest slave had for a time a share of happiness. The
+hours rolled on in pleasure, like a stately ship on a sunny sea.</p>
+
+<p>Down deep in the heart of Nika joy was mockery.</p>
+
+<p>The guests departed, and she retired to her chamber. Throwing herself on
+a couch, she wept great tears of anguish, a tide of tears no joy could
+stay.</p>
+
+<p>She arose and gazed out into the darkness, and saw the looming of the
+great Temple rearing its majestic form in sable gloom, darker than the
+night; and she looked into the great unfathomable depths of the skies,
+and sighed like the deep moaning of the wind. But the heavens were as
+brass, and the great sigh died without becoming a prayer.</p>
+
+<p>Moving back silently to her couch, she lay down, but not to sleep, for
+she heard strange sounds arise from the sacred grove, and she knew the
+songs of the night came up from the Temple of Hecate.</p>
+
+<p>The morning came, and with it the springs of life revived, and she said:
+'Why this sadness? why this harvest of gloom? I will awaken myself, tear
+this veil of night from around my spirit. I will lay bare my soul to the
+glorious sunlight, drink in its glory until I am saturated with delight.
+I will not weep; I will not mourn; I defy this spell; I challenge this
+curse&mdash;this brand of hell! Oh that it were always day, that the sun
+never set, and my mind were as strong as now!' and she flung the great
+masses of wavy hair back from her stately forehead, and it fell to the
+ground, enshrouding her form till she looked like a goddess on earth.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>'Why art thou so late, dear, to thy morning meal?' said<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> Venusta. 'Come,
+sit by my side, and tell me what thinkest thou of last night's innocent
+revelry? Was it not a right hearty welcome to thy father, most fitting
+to receive him? and didst thou note that noble Roman who stood next but
+one to thee when those dancing-girls came forward to dance to us? I know
+thou sawest him, Nika, for I saw your eyes meet. Well, he has come from
+Rome to govern. He is the new Proconsul. His influence in the imperial
+city is great. Besides, he is positively a favourite with the Emperor. I
+tell thee all this that thou mayest know of him. Moreover, Lucius has
+bidden him to spend this evening here, and thou wilt have ample time to
+satisfy thy curious mind respecting him, and, fortunately or
+unfortunately, as the Fates may determine, Chios also will be here.
+Nika, take care; this Roman is not a child or a fool! They say he is
+impetuous, firm, resolute when need be. Now let us join my husband. I
+see him yonder gathering flowers.'</p>
+
+<p>Lucius came to them, smiling as he came. He offered a rose to Nika, but
+Venusta said: 'No, no; let me choose first! I will take the rose. Give
+her an unthorned flower; the emblem of evil and good, pleasure and pain,
+shall be mine, for we twain are one, husband, and if this flower
+presages aught than happiness, then may I, thy loving wife, rest on thy
+strong arm, as this rose clung to the oak from which thou pluckedst it.'</p>
+
+<p>Nika was walking solitary, alone.</p>
+
+<p>'Give her a bloom which speaks the language of hope;' and he approached
+and gave her the pink-white almond flower.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII</h2>
+
+<h3>CAUGHT</h3>
+
+
+<p>'Venusta,' said Lucius, 'I have been thinking of that slave girl, the
+dark Ph&oelig;nician maid, Saronia; I see her not in her accustomed place.
+I feel a keen interest in that weird beauty. What of her? Is she dead,
+or what?'</p>
+
+<p>'She is as good as dead to us, dear. She is at the Temple, and has been
+initiated as a priestess for the presiding goddess.'</p>
+
+<p>'Priestess! priestess! What does it all mean? Light dawns! I saw
+her&mdash;yes, I saw her&mdash;as I passed through the city yesterday. Now I
+understand. Hear me. As I passed near the great theatre some maidens of
+the Temple came that way. I stood still, with bared head; the sounds of
+greeting were stayed until they went with solemn tread; and, as they
+passed, one with eyes deep-looking like the ocean's depths, turned them
+full on me, and gazed into my inner soul, and, like a barque which
+strikes a sunken rock and staggers, so did my spirit. I did my best to
+divine who she was, but all was dark, and I moved on with clouded mind.
+Now I know. Why is she there? Some great mystery hangs over it. I am not
+usually given to fear, but somehow I feel a sorrow of this event.'</p>
+
+<p>Then did Venusta tell him of what had occurred&mdash;told him that only which
+she thought would screen herself and Nika.</p>
+
+<p>The old commander saw too plainly that one side only of the story had
+been told, and felt confirmed in his suspicions when he saw his
+daughter's eyes suffused with tears. He, with that true manliness which
+permeated him, said but little, for fear he might know too much, and
+deeper wound the pent-up feelings of his child.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>That evening the Roman nobleman arrived, and was warmly welcomed by
+Lucius, and introduced to Venusta and Nika; and Varro was soon at home,
+for at first sight he loved the sailor's daughter, and at once made up
+his mind to lay siege; but, Roman-like, he would mature his plans before
+declaring war. Besides, he knew not if a rival were in the field and
+would join the girl as firm ally.</p>
+
+<p>It is well known how difficult it is to entertain a stranger the first
+quarter of an hour. One would know his pet theories and touch on them,
+so that the newcomer might lead off and rejoice; but even the astute
+mind of the wife of Lucius was puzzled to divine the inclinations of the
+Roman&mdash;he was impenetrable, a perfect blank; but the truth was this: the
+Roman tactician had but one thought just then, and that was of Nika, and
+it developed so rapidly that it was undiscovered. Had it been, it were
+not food for conversation; so Venusta opened fire with the beauties of
+the city, for the weather at that season of the year was nearly always
+fine.</p>
+
+<p>'Well, how dost thou like our noble city, the envied of the world? Hast
+seen the great Gymnasium, the Serapion, the theatre?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yea, my lady, I have, as much as one can in so short a time as I have
+lived within the great heart of this beautiful place. Rome is great, but
+Ephesus is lovely&mdash;the very air seems laden with rejoicings. Surely this
+must be the Elysian city on earth!'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art too complimentary; but, as thou sayest, it is lovely. Didst
+thou notice the double colonnade around the Agora, and the many mighty
+statues there? And what thinkest thou of the lovely little Odeum
+nestling at the feet of Mount Pion, and the great Stadium around the
+hillside to the west? Is it not noble?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, it is fine, a magnificent racecourse; and I am<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> told seventy
+thousand people will not fill it to overflowing. Is this so?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes; and you should see the charioteers in full swing.'</p>
+
+<p>'But thou hast not spoken of the gem of the city, the great Temple of
+Diana?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, I have not.'</p>
+
+<p>'I passed the Temple on my way hither, and I shall not soon forget when
+I stood without the Parabolus walls, and, looking through the entrance
+gate, gazed on the flight of marble steps leading up to the mighty
+building. I have seen nothing like it in my splendid Rome. Not only is
+the Temple great, but the very place on which it stands, surrounded with
+its sacred groves, seems a fit place for the birth of a goddess. I saw
+the shrine of Hecate lifting its head behind the mightier home of Diana,
+and heard songs of worship coming forth from both, sometimes low, as the
+murmur of a sinless child, then rising in great waves&mdash;billowy waves of
+jubilant harmony&mdash;until I seemed bound to the place by an invisible
+chain.'</p>
+
+<p>Just then Chios was announced, and Varro saw by Nika's eyes that she had
+something more than respect for the Greek. Venusta was glad Chios had
+come, for she feared the Roman might continue to speak of the Temple,
+and that the conversation might drift towards the priestesses, and the
+name of Saronia be mentioned.</p>
+
+<p>Chios appeared happy, save for the far-away look in his eyes. Nika was
+the only one who could read him and solve his abstraction. She spoke
+kindly to him, and gradually allowed her manner to change to
+freezing-point. This was strategic: she showed the Roman she valued
+little the friendship of the Greek, and Varro was deceived, and thought
+it true. There was no need for battle against this Ephesian artist. He
+could even use him to further his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> own ends to win the girl. No, Nika
+had slighted Chios&mdash;treated him coldly. He could now treat him
+courteously and fraternize; but, could he have looked into the girl's
+heart, he would have seen the image of Chios engraved there.</p>
+
+<p>'How long,' said Varro, 'hast thou been in Ephesus?'</p>
+
+<p>'From childhood,' replied Chios.</p>
+
+<p>'And hast thou followed thy profession from youth?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, and I love it&mdash;am wedded to it for life.'</p>
+
+<p>'What meanest thou? Wilt thou never wed some sweet Ionian girl?'</p>
+
+<p>'Never! As I tell thee, I am wedded to my art. I shall never wed again.
+Why should I, seeing I love it dearly, as strongly as yonder priesthood
+love their faith and are content? So am I.'</p>
+
+<p>At this saying of Chios the beautiful mouth of the Roman girl was
+slightly agitated, and her hand closed tightly on an almond flower, and
+its petals fell to the ground.</p>
+
+<p>Then came Lucius and his wife, and all joined in pleasant gossip. Varro
+spoke proudly of Rome, and Lucius of Britain, and the time sped on. The
+young noble left, but Chios remained.</p>
+
+<p>Nika was ill at ease, her mind was a storm, and, throwing a mantle over
+her shoulders, she said playfully:</p>
+
+<p>'Come, Chios; take me to the balcony, that we may breathe the fresh
+night air.'</p>
+
+<p>She was impatient to get at the mind of the Greek. Quick-sighted, she
+had already read the mind of the Roman. What did she care? She would be
+bold.</p>
+
+<p>'Chios, why didst thou say thou wilt never wed? Is it really so?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, Nika, it is true.'</p>
+
+<p>'Chios, we have known each other long, and have been more than friends.
+We have been like children of one<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> mother! Thou hast ever spoken freely
+and kindly to me, and I would ask thee one question&mdash;one little
+question&mdash;that is all.'</p>
+
+<p>'Say on, Nika.'</p>
+
+<p>'Didst thou ever love?'</p>
+
+<p>'I may have.'</p>
+
+<p>'I thought so much,' replied she; 'and where is that love? Does it live
+on, or is it&mdash;dead?'</p>
+
+<p>'It lives, but I am trying to kill it.'</p>
+
+<p>'Wouldst thou be a murderer, Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, I mean well.'</p>
+
+<p>'Tell me thy secret, and I will bury it in the grave of my heart.
+Whom&mdash;dost&mdash;thou&mdash;love?'</p>
+
+<p>'I cannot tell thee, but she is not a Roman.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then I <i>know</i>&mdash;it is Saronia. Let me lean upon thy arm, Chios. Lead me
+within&mdash;the night is chill.'</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII</h2>
+
+<h3>PAYING THEIR VOWS</h3>
+
+
+<p>From morn to eve great songs of praise and adoration went up before the
+shrine of Diana, and soft music echoed through the great Temple,
+sometimes swelling like the martial notes of the Persian hosts when they
+marched through the vales of Ionia to Abydos, and then sweet melodies
+sank back into the faintest strains, like a weeping lute or the sighs of
+a broken heart.</p>
+
+<p>Those plaintive sounds suited one spirit, and that one was the
+storm-clad soul of Saronia. She had seen her old master on his arrival
+at Ephesus; he had done her no<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> harm, and her heart went out towards him
+that she might speak and thank him for his kindness. After all, she had
+the true instinct of a woman, and must love something: she loved the
+goddess, but she had a spiritual and a human existence, and both must
+love. True, her nature was somewhat seared, battling as she had done for
+existence. There was a time when a kiss, a simple kiss, would have
+thrilled her very soul; but that was long ago. Since those happy times
+she had hardened herself against the world&mdash;the cold, selfish world made
+her so. But a nature with true instinctive love cannot long remain in
+such a state when conditions change; and now Saronia was coming to her
+former self, removed from the world and surrounded by those who really
+loved her. Her heart softened, and she felt a keen affection for Lucius.</p>
+
+<p>There were but two men in the teeming millions of the world she cared
+for; of those two, one had been passively kind, the other an active
+friend. The latter was Chios, of whom she dared not think. No, she could
+not even breathe a sigh o'er the remembrances of him, for fear a
+smouldering dead past might break into a living flame. All this she
+knew&mdash;knew it now when she had passed from death to life, when the night
+had fled and the day dawned; so she conjured up a mighty gulf between
+her and the Greek, a gulf over which she would not pass, neither could
+he come unto her. But of Lucius she felt no fear, and this is the
+distinction between friendship and love.</p>
+
+<p>Lucius was to visit the Temple of Diana to render thanks for her
+protecting grace to him whilst he had been battling with many storms;
+and his mariners had promised a votive offering to the goddess when the
+winds whistled through the cordage and the waves tossed their ship until
+it reeled and staggered like a drunken man. And now they came to fulfil
+their vows. This was not a vain show. Those sons<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> of the ocean had warm
+hearts, and would lay them there before the shrine. Neither did Lucius
+desire pomp or show; he would come with his men and worship simply,
+manly. So, when the sun was low and the winds were hushed, they drew
+nigh and bowed before the altar, and, offering their libations,
+whispered forth their prayers. Around the flower-strewn altar stood the
+priests and priestesses. The chanting songs went upward in deep sonorous
+rhythm, and as the sacred hymn died out in echoes through the columned
+sanctuary, the toilers of the sea bent low and sang:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Thanks to Thee, O Lady Saviour.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thanks to Thee, O great Dispenser.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Mercy have, and keep us lowly<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">In the hollow of Thine hand.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hail! O hail! Thou mighty Mother.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hail! Thou Giver of all good.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Mercy have and keep us lowly,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ever bring us safe to Thee.<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>Then in deep unison priests and mariners joined in one grand anthem of
+thanksgiving, and cheeks were wet with the tears of men whose sinews
+were like iron, and whose hearts were proof against fear.</p>
+
+<p>When they moved away, Lucius looked lovingly towards the shrine, and
+beheld Saronia, with her robe of purest white, standing in bold relief
+against the rich colour of the great veil which hid the statue of the
+goddess from their view; and their eyes met, and from her came a look of
+sweetest thanks, filling his soul with unfathomable calm, and he knew
+their hearts were tuned in strange resemblance, and that the priestess
+of Diana would offer prayer for him whether he dwelt in his lovely home
+or paced the poop of his lofty ship when the gale grew loud and the
+storm-birds flew.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>For a while stillness reigned, and the priests and priestesses were
+alone, singing their evening hymns; the great censor swung, and the
+burning incense filled the Temple with odour. Then they passed through
+the portals to their rest, and the Temple watchers stood at the gates
+and kept guard within the Parabolus walls.</p>
+
+<p>The dark eyes of Saronia were filled with tears of joy, for she had seen
+Lucius; she was at peace, though the sun had set and the shadows fell.</p>
+
+<p>And thus peace cometh to the mind of the tempest-tossed, but such a
+being as Saronia could not long sustain it. Her soul was a spirit in
+chase, pursuing something undefinable which she longed to obtain, that
+she might be for ever satisfied and her measure of happiness complete. A
+calm to her was like a summer day in winter-time, the harbinger of
+coming storm.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX</h2>
+
+<h3>THE STUDIO OF CHIOS</h3>
+
+
+<p>The studio of Chios was very beautiful, and an artist is pretty well
+known by the place in which he paints, provided he has means to gratify
+his tastes. It was not a great room filled with materials, leaving him
+just a dozen square feet to walk about, but a studio of ample
+proportions, and kept as it should be with space to move around. Nothing
+of it could be seen from the road, for great clusters of myrtle-trees,
+gigantic rose-bushes, and crimson oleanders hid it most effectually; but
+those of his friends who went that way knew when they had passed through
+the quiet<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> gateway and between the flower-trees that not far away was
+one of the sweetest little studios in Ephesus. Yes, there it was close
+to the pond of water-lilies, with the bees humming from blossom to
+blossom, and the birds singing cheerfully from the foliage which
+surrounded it; the birds were quite tame, for Chios was kind to them,
+and some would light upon his shoulders, and others on his arm.</p>
+
+<p>A few steps led up to the marble portico, with its ceiling of blue
+decked with little silver stars and a crescent moon. At the entrance
+stood two small statues by Euphranor and Phidias.</p>
+
+<p>Within all was beauty: the studio, circular in form, with alcoves lit
+with light which filtered in through the thinnest sheets of coloured
+marble; the furniture, simple, but choice; a kline or two of cedar-wood,
+enriched with gold, to recline on when weary; a few chairs of ebony,
+cypress, and rosewood were placed in the alcoves; a marble thronos for
+his sitters; a few small tables, three-legged and four-legged,
+beautifully carved, stood about to hold his brushes and palettes and the
+choicest flowers, which a good old servant brought him every morning.</p>
+
+<p>These things, with his easels, made up the contents of his studio. It
+was not so famous for its furniture as for the beauty of its
+construction, with domed roof and circular opening to the sky, and its
+floor of marble enriched with precious stones. For Chios was wealthy,
+and could lavish money as he pleased in decorating his studio.</p>
+
+<p>Behind this working-room were retiring-rooms, and a small but valuable
+library of choice manuscripts by Callinus, the Elegiac poet; Batalus,
+the musician; Dion, Andron, Delias, and Daphnus, the philosophers; with
+works by Phavorinus, Zenodotus, Menander, and many others.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span></p><hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>It was a quiet afternoon; the winds were too lazy to stir and had fallen
+asleep.</p>
+
+<p>Varro passed that way, and said: 'I will drop in and see Chios.'</p>
+
+<p>The artist was outside, painting into his picture some apple-blossoms
+hanging gracefully from a tree which grew against a piece of old Greek
+wall. Looking up from his work with a smile, he welcomed the noble
+Roman.</p>
+
+<p>'I am glad thou art come, for my hand is weary and my brain tired. It is
+so sultry within that I felt quite unfitted to work there, and sought
+refuge beneath those shading trees, whilst, as thou seest, a gleam of
+light comes down between the foliage and strikes upon those blossoms of
+the apple-tree.'</p>
+
+<p>'I really hope I am not intruding too much, Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>'Oh dear no; I am glad to see thee. Wilt thou sit? Make thyself at
+home.'</p>
+
+<p>The two men talked of Ephesus and its people until the conversation was
+of the ladies, and soon the name of Nika was heard, for the Roman could
+not but speak of her.</p>
+
+<p>'What thinkest thou of her?' said Chios. 'Thou hast seen her?'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, truthfully, I may say, during the interview referred to, my mind
+was more concerned to think of Chios until I clearly perceived that he
+had the blank face given him by that beautiful girl. Then my heart grew
+hopeful, for, to tell thee all, I think I love that maid.'</p>
+
+<p>'Think thou lovest&mdash;is that all? A man who loves is sure. A man has no
+such sure knowledge of anything else on this earth or in the beyond. I
+am afraid thy love is of the morning cloud thinness, and will soon pass
+away.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no. Believe me, it is not so. I spake not so<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> freely, truthfully,
+as I should. I love her, and am certain of it; but tell me, Chios, that
+thou lovest her not.'</p>
+
+<p>'Why asketh thou such a question? Did she not give me the cut direct in
+thy presence?'</p>
+
+<p>'Because I am skilled in the ways of women, and know they frequently act
+directly opposite to that they mean. I saw her coldness to thee, and saw
+no reason for it, and at once, in my mind, questioned the proceeding.
+Say, dost thou love her&mdash;hast tried to win her? Is she sporting with thy
+manly heart? Speak, on the honour of a Greek, and, if such be the case,
+I leave the field.'</p>
+
+<p>'I love her not.'</p>
+
+<p>'Hast thou failed, and stifled the dawn of love?'</p>
+
+<p>'No.'</p>
+
+<p>'Is it, then, Nika loves Chios, and Chios is adamant?'</p>
+
+<p>'I am not skilled in the mysteries to be able to read her thoughts.'</p>
+
+<p>'Perhaps not; but, as a man, like myself, thou canst read actions, and
+they are the outcome of thoughts.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou forgettest, noble friend, but a moment or so ago thou saidst that
+frequently actions were contrary to what was really meant. How, then,
+can I divine her meaning more than thyself?'</p>
+
+<p>'True, thou hast me rather firmly; and such skill in fencing demands my
+admiration and consideration. I will not press further on thee, Chios,
+and I have now naught to do but to make love, and make her love me more
+than ever she loved another.'</p>
+
+<p>'That will be an easy matter, for I saw how satisfied she was with Varro
+when last we passed the evening together at the house of Lucius. An
+Ephesian painter would stand no chance against the Proconsul of
+Ephesus.'</p>
+
+<p>'Come, come, Chios; thou art already jealous of thy rival!'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'No; thou art free to conquer and annex. I am a friend of Nika, and
+trust may remain so, but I am nothing more, or ever may be.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then I may take thee to be a man callous to the beauty of women, if
+thou art not charmed with her loveliness, for there is no girl in
+Ephesus as beautiful as she.'</p>
+
+<p>'That may be so, but thou must not take me to be indifferent to the
+charms of the fair sex because I do not admire Nika's loveliness and
+think it beyond compare. I may find loveliness in another form; it may
+be in the virtues of the soul, or spirit, whichever you may choose to
+name that awful thing. Behind a less lovely face than hers may be
+enshrined a splendid harmony of thinking, active life, which is building
+up its destiny, and will continue so to do through the great &aelig;ons, down
+the grand vista of the future, when the face once so fair to look upon
+has passed into base mould, and been blown hither and thither, the sport
+of every breeze. To love beauty only is like plucking an apple of Sodom,
+which has a fair rind to look at, but when pressed sends out little
+clouds of dust and leaves you nothing but the broken shell.'</p>
+
+<p>'Chios, my friend, I thought thou wert an artist, but lo, thou art a
+philosopher also! And, if thou art not in love, well, I have never been
+in Rome! I shall wait; it will develop. I shall know. Well, good-bye,
+Chios. I have too long kept thee from thy work. The world waits for thy
+beautiful picture&mdash;I must not hinder. Good-bye. We meet at the house of
+Lucius, where I know thou at least art ever welcome.'</p>
+
+<p>When he had gone, Chios went within, and threw himself upon a seat,
+clasping his head with both hands. It seemed as if some great agony
+would rend his being.</p>
+
+<p>'What am I,' he cried, 'to be made the sport of fate? Why this great
+conflict within me? Why this uprising of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> my nature to war? He was
+true&mdash;I love hopelessly, and would to the gods I could quench it! If it
+would lie peacefully in my heart like a loving child upon its mother's
+bosom I would not care; but it is not so. A year or so ago that love was
+like a summer wind, but now it rushes through me with the terrible roar
+of a mighty storm, and tosses me to and fro like a ship whirled in a
+hurricane. What raises this great tempest? It is not I, Saronia! It is
+not Chios! I could have loved thee deeply when thou wert a slave, and
+would have at all hazard plucked thee from thy low estate, and lived for
+thee; but now I know thou never canst be mine, and fain would let thee
+rest, and never trouble, but for this mighty power which forces me
+onwards to declare to thee a love as pure as angels ever knew, but which
+would be a sacrilege both damned and deep were I to whisper such into
+thy soul. No, no; it must not be so! I will rise above it: bring into
+the arena all the might of my manhood, and in this holy war will fight
+against my star, against my fate, and may the greatest God, whoever He
+be, look down on this unequal combat and assist the right.'</p>
+
+<p>Chios sank back upon the couch of cedar-wood. The shadows fell upon the
+marble floor. The night crept on, and he slept.</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X</h2>
+
+<h3>THE RIBBON OF GOLD</h3>
+
+
+<p>Saronia had been sent on an errand of mercy, and was returning,
+disguised, towards the Temple, when, as she was passing close to the
+garden of Chios, a crowd of brawlers, inflated with wine, came towards
+her. Wishing to avoid<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> them, she turned within the gate left open by
+Varro; but the fellows were too quick-sighted for her, saw her
+movements, guessed her mind, and followed her to have some sport, not
+knowing who she was. She ran quickly down the pathway to hide behind the
+foliage, and, not daring to follow, they let her go. She heard the
+shouting of the ribald crew as they passed down the road.</p>
+
+<p>The moon shone out its full, and the silver light lit up the marble
+building. In passing the steps, she beheld the statue by Phidias, and
+her love for the beautiful prompted her to steal forward and take a
+hasty look. Standing near the doorway, she turned her eyes upwards
+towards the moonlit sky, and, in so doing, caught sight of the word
+'Chios' carved over the splendid entrance. For a moment her heart failed
+her, and she nearly fell to the ground, but, leaning against the statue
+of Dawn, she recovered herself, and determined to hurry away. But the
+door of the studio was partly open, and she gazed within. She stepped
+noiselessly forward another step, and saw the light of the moon falling
+through the open roof. The light fell full on the face of a man, who
+seemed as dead. And she knew it was Chios.</p>
+
+<p>Then came back the true nature of the woman who was destined to become
+great as a priestess of Diana. Old love sprang up anew. The smouldering
+embers of the almost dead past burst into life. Here was the man she
+would have loved&mdash;perhaps silently&mdash;had her course turned otherwise.
+Here was the man who had befriended her in deepest misery. Here was
+Chios lying stretched death-like before her. Should she at all hazard go
+within and see if he lived? Yes, by the goddess whom she worshipped she
+would venture! She passed noiselessly over the polished floor, step by
+step, like a night-thief treads; one step more, and she was beside him!
+She threw back her black mantle,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> displaying a garment of purest white
+clasped round the waist with a girdle of gold. Her massive tresses of
+rich dark hair floating over her brow shadowed her face until she looked
+like some great spirit queen, the Spirit Queen of Night.</p>
+
+<p>She stooped; she placed her lips close to those of Chios, but they did
+not touch. She felt his warm breath on her cheeks. He lived! He sighed
+like the soughing of the wind amongst the reeds. He murmured, 'Saronia.'</p>
+
+<p>She started up; stood near him. He still slept. She stood erect, with
+arms crossed over her bosom and head bowed, looking sweetly on his manly
+face. Then, taking from her neck a little silver shrine, in form like
+unto the Temple, she laid it on his bosom, fled noiselessly as she came,
+and passed up the road which led towards the great Temple.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Chios awoke, and for a moment was bewildered. He had slept when the
+golden sunlight smiled, and now the silver moon lit up the sky, lit up
+the garments of the night, and he said:</p>
+
+<p>'Sleep is a blessed thing. Its mysteries, who can know? Dreams, they
+say, are fables of the mind. Would to Heaven I could have dreamt on, and
+have slipped through the thin gauze of mortality, and never more entered
+this vile clay supposed to be the temple of the soul!</p>
+
+<p>'I wandered on and on into infinite space&mdash;without light, without the
+faintest dawn; no beloved hand led me. Weary and sad I flew from star to
+star, looking for my rest, but finding none. No chain of sympathy bound
+me until I drew nigh unto a world as one suspended glory. Then my whole
+soul stretched out to reach it, and I knew I had found sanctuary. I
+stood before the gates of a great city whose walls shone forth like a
+thousand suns, and I essayed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> to enter; but a being of transcendent
+loveliness stood before me, and I knew it was Saronia! She said: "Not
+yet, Chios. Thy humanity still lives, and the silver cord still binds
+thee to it. Thou must return and work out thy destiny. This city shalt
+thou dimly see, and then go back to earth."</p>
+
+<p>'And we twain floated upwards, and stood on the diamond floor on the
+summit of the massive walls.</p>
+
+<p>'And I looked on the great city until its loveliness bewildered, dazzled
+my comprehension, and I shuddered at my own deformity, and said: "Let us
+go!"</p>
+
+<p>'Then, with a love radiant with eternal life, she pressed her lips to
+mine, saying: "My soul shall strengthen thine. Thou hast seen the city
+wherein is built a home for Saronia and Chios. Go, now, to earth whilst
+thou hast power. Make use of thy life that thou mayest be found meet to
+inherit the plane where our palace stands."</p>
+
+<p>'I awoke to find myself lying on this couch, and to hear the whisperings
+of the evening breeze.</p>
+
+<p>'Ah, me! I will go out and gaze up into the deep blue of the heavens.
+Perchance I may see the star on which is the City of Light.' And, as he
+arose, there slipped from the folds of his dress the little silver
+temple placed there by Saronia. It fell to the ground like a silver
+bell. Stooping, he took it in his hand. A cloudlet passed from the face
+of the moon. He grew deathly pale, and said: 'What meaneth this? Whence
+this charm? Great gods! Its ribbon is marked with the sign of a
+priestess, and another which tells me 'tis blessed by the goddess! Whose
+can it be? Has she been here? Is this the kiss of my dream? Is this
+emblem of faith the symbol of strength to me?</p>
+
+<p>'My brain whirls with a strange delight. But, no, it cannot be! I
+neither can foster a love for Saronia nor may I embrace her faith.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Why shall I not do both? No, no, Chios will kill the thought. I am
+seeking the truth to walk to the great life beyond. It shall be so.
+Saronia is too pure to miss her way, by whatever coloured light she may
+be led. She may worship Diana, I the Christ. We shall join hands on the
+diamond floorway which circles the city of God.</p>
+
+<p>'Little silver shrine, little ribbon of gold, what shall I do with thee?
+Shall I cast thee from me, and bid farewell with longing eyes, as the
+mariner bids adieu to the last low streak of misty land ere he launches
+out on the trackless deep? or shall I wear thee on my breast, hid from
+the vulgar gaze, in memory of whom&mdash;of whom? Saronia? Perchance 'twas
+her! It shall remain. It cannot harm, and shall be near me until I know
+the giver.'</p>
+
+<p>So he placed the golden ribbon around his neck, and hid the symbol on
+his heart, and stood like one drunken with new wine, until the shriek of
+the night-bird awoke him from his reverie.</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI</h2>
+
+<h3>THE PRIESTESS OF DIANA</h3>
+
+
+<p>Saronia was now a priestess of Diana Triformis, and initiated into the
+mysteries of Hecate. She had grown rapidly in favour with her
+companions, and was looked on as one of the most devoted women of
+Ephesus.</p>
+
+<p>Her great strength of character eminently fitted her for the position in
+which she had been placed, and those around looked on the beautiful girl
+as one destined in due time to fill the mightiest position of honour in
+the great Temple, and prophesied that she would soon reach the proud
+eminence of High Priestess.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Saronia was not an ordinary being; one look at the rounded forehead
+which shone over dark eyebrows and the unfathomable eyes would convince
+the most sceptical. The mysteries had a charm for her, and now that she
+had been taught the hidden secrets of Nature, she craved to understand
+the powers which worked the will, to dive deeply into the sympathies
+governing the soul, and to become skilled in the magical rites observed
+in the worship of the goddess of the underworld.</p>
+
+<p>Hers was an exceptional case, and her companions, knowing a great spirit
+was in their midst, hastened her career until, moving rapidly forwards,
+she stood inferior in knowledge and power to none save the
+Arch-Priestess of Diana. Thus the slave became a spiritual princess, and
+won the confidence of the people; they loved her for her goodness. Ever
+ready with words of kindness, she won the deepest regard from the
+suffering and the outcast.</p>
+
+<p>Those duties were but one part of her priestly call&mdash;that part which
+reflected the purest nature of her goddess.</p>
+
+<p>She worshipped one goddess, yet three: Luna in heaven, Diana on earth,
+Hecate in hell&mdash;a terrible gathering together of good and evil, a
+trinity in unity, but not a trinity in purity, a broken circle
+representing Morn, Noon, Night, Birth, Life, Death.</p>
+
+<p>It was when Saronia moved into the great darkness of Hecate that the
+gloom and passion of the priestess were aroused, and the constant
+warring of evil against goodness within awakened new aspirations for
+another experience when she might revolve in a circle of truth and
+unsullied purity.</p>
+
+<p>And thus it is that when we would do good, evil will present itself; so
+men set up the symbol of fire as the symbol of deity. Its active
+elements represent the bad; the light from the flame, the flower of the
+fire, designates the good.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The mystery of evil worked mightily on the sensitive mind of the girl,
+and she stretched forth through the darkness for a solution of this
+great problem which has harassed the minds of men through the
+ever-changing past. But no answer came, not a voice was heard, and she
+settled herself as well as she could to penetrate deeper into the hidden
+things, that perchance she might emerge into the glories of a nobler
+life.</p>
+
+<p>She, by virtue of her occupation, believed in the great underworld of
+Hades&mdash;in Tartarus, in the Elysian&mdash;and knew that Hecate, her mistress,
+her goddess, presided over the depths where the unclothed spirits wailed
+and wandered, and over the starving ones who waited at the sacrifice to
+drink in the rich aroma arising from the altar fire. She knew of the
+pleadings of the lost for mercy from those they wronged on earth, and
+the pitiless refusals they met with from the unforgiving shades. In the
+dark, mysterious nature of Saronia were deep yearnings to set the
+unforgiven entombed ones free, that they might move upward on the arc of
+their ascending life, and go forward until they glistened with a glory
+of purity.</p>
+
+<p>Frequently there arose within her mind the question, 'Is there a God of
+perfect goodness? Do I know all? Is there in the great and mighty
+universe a Central Throne, on which the All Perfect rules? Is there far
+away in the depths of yon gray-blue a King above all other gods and
+goddesses? And will He ever reveal Himself to man and teach a rule of
+life by which we may ascend to hold communion with Him?'</p>
+
+<p>And as she meditated a joy unspeakable overwhelmed her soul, and tears,
+joyful tears, trickled down her beautiful face. But no voice or light
+came to say if other than Diana heard, and the great Temple shone before
+her in the sunlight. She said:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'This joy is from my goddess, Queen of Heaven; there is no goddess or
+god greater than she who speaks to me, and Hecate will control the evil
+which exists. I must bow before her and worship at her shrine, be
+co-worker with her, and afterwards she may explain to me those deep
+mysteries, things which sadden my soul. I shall know later that which to
+me is now impenetrable, dark, and lonely. O sweet goddess, hear me! O
+saviour, Queen, Protectress, hear me! O mighty Luminant, I adore thee!
+Queen of the Lower World, Queen of the Earth, Queen of the Skies, I
+adore, I worship thee! My being comes from thee, my life is held and led
+by thee, my future spreads out before thee. The great unfathomable
+eternity of the hereafter is known to thee. O mighty Lover, guard me!
+Generous Dispenser, protect me! Great, far-reaching goddess, lead me
+through the &aelig;ons, purify my mind from those thoughts which would reach
+out after some other love! Wrest from my spirit those dark forebodings,
+those wild clamourings for light, when thou art the light of the ages,
+the glory of the visible, the multitudinous glory of the invisible, the
+great centre on which the universe revolves.'</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE FESTIVAL OF ARTEMIS</h3>
+
+
+<p>The day was glorious, and the hearts of the Ephesian people were
+brimming over with joy, for was not this the first day of the month
+Artemision? Eager crowds of people read the great inscription, which ran
+as follows:</p>
+
+<p class="center">
+'<span class="smcap">To the Ephesian Diana.</span>
+</p>
+
+<p>'Inasmuch as it is notorious that not only among the people of Ionia,
+but everywhere among the Greek nations,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> temples are dedicated to her,
+on account of her plain manifestations of herself; and that, moreover,
+in token of the great veneration paid to her, a month is called after
+her name, by us Artemisiona, by the Macedonians and other Greek nations,
+Artemision, in which general assemblies and hieromenia are celebrated.</p>
+
+<p>'Now, inasmuch as these sacred honours are not observed in the holy
+city, the nurse of its own, the Ephesian goddess; the people of Ephesus
+deem it proper that the whole month called by her name be sacred and set
+apart for the goddess; and have determined by this decree that the
+observation of it by them be improved.</p>
+
+<p>'<span class="smcap">Therefore, it is enacted</span> that in the whole month Artemision the days be
+holy, and nothing be attended to in them but the yearly feastings, the
+Artemisial panegyrics and the hieromenia, the entire month being sacred
+to the goddess; for, from this improvement in her worship, her cities
+shall receive additional lustre and be permanent in their prosperity for
+ever.'</p>
+
+<p class="gap3">Little crowds coming up from Smyrna and Thyatira, Sardis and Laodicea,
+from Militus on the coast and Samos on the sea, gathered around and read
+this proclamation. The people of Ephesus felt themselves honoured by
+their city being the Temple-home of the great goddess, and all gave
+themselves up to rejoicing. And the day wore on.</p>
+
+<p>From the great theatre, all the way through the city gate to the finest,
+largest, and richest Temple ever reared, thousands of people in holiday
+attire awaited with ardent desire for the great procession which was
+heralded as it left the Temple.</p>
+
+<p>And now it moves in all its magnificence and music, and symbols of the
+ceremonies. First came choirs of the most beautiful youths and lovely
+maidens clothed in white robes,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> singing responsively the praises of
+their protecting deity. The procession moved along regularly. Some
+carried the holy utensils, others torches, others, again, baskets of
+flowers which were strewn in the way. Perfumes were scattered amongst
+the people until the air was redolent with sweet odours. Next followed
+the horses, hounds, and hunting accoutrements, as well for attack as
+defence; after this came a train of virgins led by a lovely girl dressed
+in a purple robe. The skin of a fawn girded it round, on which hung a
+quiver and arrows. She symbolized Diana the Huntress, and was followed
+by her faithful hounds.</p>
+
+<p>Then came choirs of youths and maidens singing the sacred chants, one
+choir answering the other, and then unitedly sending forth a peal in
+unison.</p>
+
+<p>After them a multitude of Ephesian children. Then, with flying feet and
+swinging, voluptuous forms, the dancing-girls of Ionia.</p>
+
+<p>Now rose on the perfumed air the sound of instruments, from the sweet,
+low tones of the flute and golden notes of the magadis, to the
+resounding clang of the cymbals and the beat of the timbrels, playing
+the 'March of Hell.' Whoever has heard such notes may never forget
+them&mdash;music set to the shrieks of the lost in Tartarus&mdash;the wild
+imploring of the forsaken pleading for forgiveness, as the songs from
+the dwellers in the Elysian fields break on their sinking souls like a
+ray of golden hope, too soon to be drowned by the cries of the Furies.</p>
+
+<p>And thus did the Ephesians play the 'March of the Goddess Hecate,' and
+the sound of the queenly tread of the Infernal Goddess seemed to follow
+the ranks of her devotees, ranks of priests and priestesses dressed in
+black raiment bestud with stars of gold, a crescent moon on every brow.
+They held their hands towards the earth. Now came banners waving in the
+air, and standards of silver and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> gold bestud with precious stones. The
+Temple way blazed out with gorgeous colouring and glittering sheen.</p>
+
+<p>Then rose to view the golden statue of the goddess, with many symbols of
+earth and sky and sea, supported by bars of gold and borne on the
+shoulders of stalwart men, all priests of the Temple, followed by a
+train of virgin priestesses with heads erect, wearing fillets of gold
+and myrtle-blossoms, each carrying the insignia of her office. These
+were followed by priests and choirs of singers, and others carrying
+smaller images of the goddess and silver shrines set with diamonds and
+emeralds. A company of lovely girls played music like the Dawn of Love.</p>
+
+<p>Men of culture, men of noble rank, followed: all were greeted with loud
+acclaim. Then came again the tones of tibia, cithara, and many-sounding
+instruments playing the music of Diana, no fierce trumpetings, but
+sweetest melody, soft, peaceful, and joyful. In the rhythm were the fall
+of dew, the swing of the sickle, the song of the reapers, the lowing of
+cattle and laughter of children at play, and the mother's murmur of love
+as she hushed her babe to rest.</p>
+
+<p>The vast procession moved onward with songs and hymns innumerable, and
+music and melody mingled in harmony to the Queen of Nature, Queen of
+Hades, Queen of Heaven, telling the story of her many attributes.</p>
+
+<p>The vast pageant had gone&mdash;gone by the way of the great theatre, around
+Mount Pion and the Stadium to the Sacred Grove and the Temple.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Two men remained behind; they were strangers to each other.</p>
+
+<p>One was Chios, the other a man short in stature, roughly clad, with eyes
+full of fire and possessed of great intelligence. He neither knelt nor
+applauded whilst the procession<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> passed, but stood a stern spectator.
+One could see at a glance he was not a worshipper of the mighty Diana.
+Possessed of a firm, steadfast, thoughtful look, it stamped him as a
+character of no mean order. Who could he be? And why there at such a
+time, neither accepting nor opposing the worship of the city goddess?</p>
+
+<p>He was one of the chief of the sect who followed the Christ of Nazareth,
+and had come to Ephesus to war against the Old with a New Creed.</p>
+
+<p>Seeing him alone, and apparently poor, Chios, with that kindness ever
+characteristic of him, drew nigh, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Hail, fellow voyager! How didst thou like the mighty gathering of all
+that is power, truth, and loveliness in Ephesus?'</p>
+
+<p>Then replied he:</p>
+
+<p>'The kingly power and loveliness passed by in yonder show, but the truth
+was not there.'</p>
+
+<p>'How sayest thou this, friend? Art thou not a worshipper of our great
+goddess Diana?'</p>
+
+<p>'No.'</p>
+
+<p>'What, then, dost thou worship?'</p>
+
+<p>'I worship God.'</p>
+
+<p>'And canst thou not worship God and adore her?'</p>
+
+<p>'No.'</p>
+
+<p>'Why?'</p>
+
+<p>'Because God is a spirit and demands spiritual worship. He is a jealous
+God, and will have no other gods before Him.'</p>
+
+<p>'Now, pray tell me,' said Chios, 'why of necessity should we worship
+your Deity? In what particular does He differ from Diana? She also is a
+great spirit. Why multiply gods and worship another?'</p>
+
+<p>'Listen, young man. There is but one eternal past and future, and one
+Eternal God only can reign. There is no<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> division of eternal power; so
+infinite is He, the universe is but a point compared to Him. He dwells
+above, below, beyond it. No man can follow His presence into the
+unfathomable abyss, no princely spirit could wing its way to find Him
+out. Ye worship ye know not what. You have set up the symbols of nature
+and named it deity. There is no God behind those symbols to answer when
+you call. You answer yourselves&mdash;believe a lie; custom gilds it as a
+truth.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou speakest strongly, good man. Dost thou bring proof of thy
+teachings?'</p>
+
+<p>'My proof is within me: communion with the Spirit of my God. He speaks
+to me, believe it who may; it is sufficient for me.'</p>
+
+<p>'But what if thou hast lulled thyself into a sweet calm, a calm born of
+content, worshipping a spiritual ideal? May it not be thus?'</p>
+
+<p>'No.'</p>
+
+<p>'How shall I know that what thou sayest is true?'</p>
+
+<p>'By worshipping my God.'</p>
+
+<p>'And what will follow?'</p>
+
+<p>'The same conscious calm and communion, and thou shalt be the judge.'</p>
+
+<p>'Tell me more of Him. Does He work by love or command?'</p>
+
+<p>'Both. Those who serve Him find His commands encircled with love. He
+commands as a father for the good of his children. He is our Father,
+created our being; as when He said, "Let there be light," and the light
+flashed through the darkness.'</p>
+
+<p>'What is the name of thy sect?'</p>
+
+<p>'Christian.'</p>
+
+<p>'Ah well, I have heard much of them, and desire to hear of their creed.
+Now I remember&mdash;yes, I remember the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> Father. Is there not wrapped up in
+the mysteries some teaching respecting a Son?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, that is true&mdash;the Christ. He was slain by Pilate of Judea. Hast
+thou not heard of it?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, I have heard as thou sayest; but I must confess I know little or
+nothing of the mysteries which surround thy faith.'</p>
+
+<p>'Wouldst thou know?'</p>
+
+<p>'I would.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then thou shalt; but not now. This is not a place to expound the hidden
+things of God; moreover, if seen with me, evil may befall thee. Go now
+thy way. Let my prayers go with thee. We shall meet again. I will send
+for thee.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou mayest not find me.'</p>
+
+<p>'I shall, fear not. I am not a magician, but my spirit is in sympathy
+with thine; we cannot travel far asunder without thou break the bond of
+union.'</p>
+
+<p>'Dost understand Ephesian magic?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yea, I understand, but practise not. Ere long it shall be shaken to its
+very roots.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou speakest as one with authority.'</p>
+
+<p>'I do. Go in peace, and forget not the aged man who promises to reveal
+the truth to thee. Farewell!'</p>
+
+<p>And as the stranger moved slowly away with downcast head and thoughtful
+mien, Chios felt as if a thick darkness surrounded him. Even Saronia
+faded from his mind before the burning words of that man. Chios
+perceived that the new teacher possessed immense spiritual and
+intellectual power, and felt his own weakness. He knew the sayings he
+had heard were but the outriders of a mighty army; that, in fact, this
+man had treated him as if he were a child. Who could he be? And whence
+came the great storehouse of wisdom which lay behind that impressive<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span>
+brow? From whence came the influence with which he spoke? His voice was
+low, but every word struck home and flashed forth strong conviction. Was
+he a god in disguise? Was he one of the gods come down to witness the
+festivities of the great goddess Diana?</p>
+
+<p>'No, no; I believe not those vain imaginings. I will wait and wish for
+the time to meet again this great spirit. I will sit at his feet and
+learn, and perchance receive light and perhaps rest. Certainly I require
+it. Creed of my own I have not, or believe not what I have. Saronia's
+love can never be mine. Truth and love I must obtain. Truth this man
+offers me, and a promise of love from the God of Love. If thus it comes
+to pass, I will live well and move onward to the great Dream City, and
+stand upon the diamond floorway which leads to the altar steps of the
+Father God.'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>By this time the great procession had moved around the south of Mount
+Pion, and was returning towards the Temple by way of the Serapion.</p>
+
+<p>Slowly it went with majestic tread, passing by the harbour, and sailors
+on the ships bowed down in lowly adoration.</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII</h2>
+
+<h3>CHIOS THE GREEK</h3>
+
+
+<p>Day after day passed in festive manner until half the Month of Joy had
+sped, still Chios had not heard from the wise man. Where was he? Had he
+forgotten his promise? Was it all a dream? or was it, as he thought, a
+visitation from heaven, one of the gods on earth? Neither. He was
+confident he had met a human being, a man more powerful<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> than any he had
+ever met before. There was but one other spirit like him, and that one
+dwelt in the form of a woman, and her name was Saronia.</p>
+
+<p>To Chios both spirits appeared of the highest order, showing different
+phases, both giants in their faiths; one he loved, the other he somewhat
+feared, for he knew not what that strange man would tell to him, and
+Chios was like a ship on the stormy seas, tossed to and fro without sail
+or rudder to guide him. So he said, 'I will go to the Temple; there is
+worship at this hour.' As he moved slowly onwards Saronia passed him.
+Their eyes met, but she dared not speak.</p>
+
+<p>The Greek felt all the old love revive the moment he beheld the
+beautiful girl. Moreover, he thought he read on her face the blush of a
+hidden love. What should he do? To go now to the Temple where she had
+entered would be useless, for his thoughts, his mind, his whole soul had
+gone out again to her, and he could worship no other deity, even were
+damnation the penalty. He would return to his studio, to his work on his
+great picture&mdash;the picture of his love, of the one being who haunted his
+life, of Saronia as High Priestess of Diana.</p>
+
+<p>Oh, if he could speak to her; could draw near and drink deeply of those
+mysterious eyes! Even that might pacify him. How could it be done? He
+had influence in the city; he would use it. Could he not obtain entrance
+to the Sacred Grove?&mdash;for there he knew she nightly went to pay her vows
+on the altar of the Infernal Goddess. Yes, his mind was fully made up.
+He would find the hour she frequented the place, would hazard his life
+to speak with her, and if but one sentence came from those lips he would
+be satisfied, even if those words were the curse of Hecate.</p>
+
+<p>On the way to the studio, and just as he was about to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> enter the
+gateway, he saw a woman leaning against a pillar. She addressed him,
+asking for alms. He replied:</p>
+
+<p>'What dost thou here, woman? Why not take part in this day of joy?'</p>
+
+<p>She said:</p>
+
+<p>'My heart cannot feel joy. It is dead; it is incapable of throbbing to
+the pleasure of the world or the joy of religion.'</p>
+
+<p>'Why?'</p>
+
+<p>'Because I am an outcast; my sins are so great that I dare not pray. I
+am past feeling, and would die.'</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou in such a state?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yea, and worse: I am let alone by the gods and man.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art, then, a wandering star?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, thou sayest truly, for I shall soon shoot into the darkness of the
+unknown and be for ever lost.'</p>
+
+<p>'Hast thou no occupation?'</p>
+
+<p>'None.'</p>
+
+<p>'Canst thou do anything to earn an honest livelihood?'</p>
+
+<p>'I am skilled in magic, having learnt it in my youth; but the art is so
+common in Ephesus that my gains are very small.'</p>
+
+<p>'Come, now, canst thou read my fate for a piece of gold?'</p>
+
+<p>'I know thee.'</p>
+
+<p>'Who am I?'</p>
+
+<p>'He whom they call Chios the Greek, the Ephesian artist, and&mdash;&mdash;'</p>
+
+<p>'Go on, woman, do not fear!'</p>
+
+<p>'The lover of Saronia.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art mad.'</p>
+
+<p>'No. Would that I had been born such!'</p>
+
+<p>'How dost thou know my name?'</p>
+
+<p>'Know thy name! I inquired for it after thou didst take away the slave
+girl Saronia, when she leant against the pillar<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> outside the great
+theatre, waiting the bidding of her haughty mistress Nika. My curse rest
+on Nika!'</p>
+
+<p>'Silence! Curse her not.'</p>
+
+<p>'Say on, Chios: what dost thou want of me?'</p>
+
+<p>'Nothing.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then pass thy way and leave me as thou didst find me, unless thou, too,
+would whip me like a cur for resting against thy piece of marble.'</p>
+
+<p>'Nay, woman; I will not go until I help thee. Here is a golden
+piece&mdash;another and another. Take them all; I have more. Go thou and get
+food, and hope on. Thou art earth's side of the great threshold, and may
+yet do well with the remnant of thy life.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no; I know the faith. Thou art wrong. The cursed of Hecate are
+doomed!'</p>
+
+<p>'Listen, woman! Thou knowest Saronia?'</p>
+
+<p>'Ah! ah! Thou canst not leave that name. I knew I was right. Thou lovest
+her?'</p>
+
+<p>'Silence, I tell thee again! Thou art more profane than I imagined.
+Think you I am perilous enough to venture the curse of hell by daring to
+love a priestess of Hecate?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes. Thou art of the mould to dare anything for love. Not only to risk
+the curse of hell, but to wear it as thou wearest that ribbon around thy
+neck, the ribbon which suspends the silver shrine Saronia placed upon
+thy breast when thou didst slumber as the dead.'</p>
+
+<p>'Witch as thou art, how dost thou know of this?'</p>
+
+<p>'Magic does not aid me in this case. I saw her do it.'</p>
+
+<p>'Saw Saronia&mdash;do&mdash;it?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, I saw her.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou liest; it is thy dreadful sorcery!'</p>
+
+<p>'Nay, nay, not so. I saw her enter thy gateway to escape a band of
+drunken ruffians. I stood by this very pillar where I often stand. I
+knew Saronia, and followed to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> protect, if needs be, and hid behind the
+myrtle-trees until she entered. Then I gazed within, saw her bend over
+thy sleeping form and put her sweet face close to thine, saw her take
+the trinket from her bosom, kiss it, and place it on thy breast. Then
+again did she stoop over, and drank in one long draught of thy
+breath&mdash;thy life, as if to mingle soul with soul.'</p>
+
+<p>'Hast thou spoken of this to any other?'</p>
+
+<p>'No.'</p>
+
+<p>'Darest thou?'</p>
+
+<p>'I will not.'</p>
+
+<p>'And why so true?'</p>
+
+<p>'Because if ever the fire is lit again within this wreck it will be she
+who will kindle the first spark.'</p>
+
+<p>'How thinkest thou so?'</p>
+
+<p>'It was I who befriended her, pointing the way when she fled from the
+house of Venusta. Besides, I met her before that, near the great
+theatre; there I read her fate, and told her her star was rising full of
+splendour. Besides, I love her as much as I can, and have begged of her
+to think of this poor hag when she cometh into great power&mdash;and she
+shall! Yes, she shall rise higher and higher, for the great spirit of
+the goddess leads her. Hear what Endora says: "Saronia's star is still
+in the ascendant. She has been priestess of spirits before this
+earth-life, and she shall rise to be queen of the priestesses
+here&mdash;first amongst women who serve the great goddess at the shrine of
+Artemis."'</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou sure?'</p>
+
+<p>'I know it.'</p>
+
+<p>'By what?'</p>
+
+<p>'By my power, which never fails. Would Chios know further?'</p>
+
+<p>'No; but, stay, dost thou think Saronia is past loving other than the
+goddess?'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'I tell thee she loves Chios, and thou knowest it as well as I. She
+cannot rend the chain which binds ye twain together. The position is
+perilous in the extreme. Thou knowest she is bound to chastity, and
+wouldst thou try to break her sacred vows?'</p>
+
+<p>'No; Heaven stay the thought! This I swear; but&mdash;can I trust thee?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, Chios, thou art safe. Thy spirit comes towards me, but it cannot
+blend with mine, and for want of this thou mayest mistrust the need of
+perfect sympathy. But thou art good; I am dark and foul as Tartarus!
+Evil and good cannot make one unbroken circle of harmony. Nevertheless,
+trust me, Chios&mdash;trust me.'</p>
+
+<p>'Very well, I will. At what hour does Saronia visit the Sacred Grove of
+Hecate to offer sacrifice?'</p>
+
+<p>'This very night at midnight.'</p>
+
+<p>'Are there means of access to that grove?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, for those who dare, but few would.'</p>
+
+<p>'Which is the way?'</p>
+
+<p>'Go thou to the wood outside the Temple, pass a furlong to the north;
+there is a low wall which thou canst easily vault. Once within the
+sacred enclosure, push on westward another furlong, and thou wilt see
+the Hecatesium, the little temple shaded with gigantic pines and
+cypress-trees. Yellow iris stud the ground, and crimson and white
+oleander grow between. Heed not the mighty thunderings proceeding from
+the temple, or the livid, glare-like lightning's flash springing forth
+between the pillars of the portico&mdash;on swiftly by it, lest thy heart
+faileth and thou diest. Having passed this temple, take the winding road
+at its rear. This will bring thee to where three roads meet, and there
+thou wilt see, by the light of the waning moon and the flickering stars,
+an altar, and, rising above it, the three-figured statue of the Triple
+Goddess. She, as Hecate, holding in her<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> hands the keys of hell and of
+death, facing the pit in which the altar is reared for to-night's
+incantations and sacrifice. Secrete thyself before midnight behind the
+base of one of the tall trees. Thou wilt not have long to wait ere the
+light of a torch will stream upon the dark green foliage and a woman's
+form will appear, and, later, as she approaches, dark tresses waving in
+the breeze, and, if light enough, two eyes like stars of night,
+o'ershadowed by eyebrows like cloudlets of gloom. Those are the eyes of
+Saronia, the priestess of Hecate. Darest thou to be there and speak to
+her? I think not. Weigh well thy intentions, Chios, before setting out
+on such an awful journey. Let me entreat thee, good man; let me beg of
+thee&mdash;forswear this enterprise!'</p>
+
+<p>'Farewell, Endora&mdash;that is thy name, is it not?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, my lord.'</p>
+
+<p>'Farewell, Endora&mdash;farewell. Keep the secret, as thou hast said.'</p>
+
+<p>'I will, and perchance some power may save thee from the vengeance of
+earth and hell.'</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV</h2>
+
+<h3>THE GROVE OF HECATE</h3>
+
+
+<p>The evening sun had set behind great frowning clouds of crimson and
+gray; dark masses like funeral steeds moved slowly through the sky. The
+night came, dark and dreary; a sable mantle of clouds hung from east to
+west like a wall of gloom, and when from noon ten hours had sped Chios
+went forth, following the highway to the Temple. He was clad in a mantle
+of azure blue, shrouded from head to foot; his most intimate friends
+would have passed without knowing him. The Temple was at his right hand,
+and he had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> gained the outskirts of the great forest of pine-trees. He
+saw the river Cayster winding towards the sea like a river of death.</p>
+
+<p>He entered the grove; the tall trees shook their mighty foliage, warning
+him in accents deep as the voice of judgment. What did he care? Forward
+he went. If all the trees of that wood had voices loud as the
+thunderings of the gods and spoke to him, he would not stay one step
+towards the goal.</p>
+
+<p>No, as he penetrated further his courage grew stronger and his mind
+firmer. At last, through the darkness, he saw the wall which surrounded
+the Sacred Grove. For a moment he stood still, but to think of the
+commands of Endora. Then, with a bound, he was over, and stood on ground
+unlawful for him to tread; but what cared he? On he moved carefully, for
+fear the rustling shrubs might betray him, until he saw the looming of
+the Temple of Hecate. He heard weird sounds issuing forth, and fierce
+fires seemed to burn within the sacred shrine of the Infernal Goddess.
+Ever and anon from between the pillars of the portico, guarding it like
+a flaming sword, there flashed forth bars of light, and mighty
+thunderings came bellowing from that most dreadful fane, followed by
+shrieks like the cries of drowning men when they founder with their
+barque. All was as Endora had said. But Chios heeded nothing. Such he
+expected, and was prepared to meet them as a man who had determined to
+hazard all; and, passing stealthily by the marble pile, he gained the
+footpath at the rear, and followed on; gained the site where stood the
+trench and its awful altar of the goddess. Then, for the first time, he
+freely drew breath, and sat down at the foot of the statue of Diana
+Triformis. Presently he hid behind a wide-spreading tree, and waited for
+Saronia.</p>
+
+<p>Several forms like men or women or demons passed by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> towards the Temple;
+he heard their mutterings, but saw not their faces. The time hung
+heavily on his hands. 'Twas still half an hour to midnight, and the
+waning moon was hid&mdash;not a star shone forth to comfort him. The wild
+beasts of the grove howled from their distant lair.</p>
+
+<p>Then came a convulsion in the heavens&mdash;the gathering storm-clouds spoke
+to each other and exchanged lightning glances until the sky was a sea of
+fire. Great clouds whirled up from the west, and others bore down from
+the east, and they mingled around the moon in one great aerial war until
+the heavens were rent asunder, and the east wind gained the mastery,
+sweeping the surging war-clouds away to the western sky in the dark-blue
+depths. The waning moon shone out with sickly hue, and the diamond stars
+sprung forth, and soft clouds moving onwards like dark-stoled virgin
+priestesses bowed to the Queen of Heaven.</p>
+
+<p>Chios starts; he shrinks; he sees the glare of torches coming down the
+Sacred Way; he counts them as they wildly dance upon the midnight
+air&mdash;one, two&mdash;five&mdash;eight. He is undone! She cometh not alone! Towards
+him sweeps the fiery line until within a hundred paces it stops, and
+forms a circle, seven around, with one uplifted torch within the sacred
+zone. The circle breaks and forms two lines and the centre figure passes
+between, moving onward to the altar. The others in serpent form move
+sinuously back to the Temple of Hecate.</p>
+
+<p>The solitary figure, the haughty torch-bearer, draws nearer, until Chios
+sees by the lurid glare the dark masses of hair floating on the wind,
+and fancies he sees the mysterious eyes beneath the marble brow. He
+could not mistake her&mdash;he knew her too well. It was Saronia, the
+priestess, arrayed in her priestly robes.</p>
+
+<p>She was standing by the statue of the great goddess with head thrown
+back. The flame of the torch like a serpent<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> of fire coiled and uncoiled
+like a living thing, and lit up the band of gold which circled her head,
+and shone on her mantle of sable hue.</p>
+
+<p>Then, stretching out her hands towards the earth, she addressed the
+goddess:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i10">'Hail, Hecate!<br /></span>
+<span class="i10">Hail, Diana!<br /></span>
+<span class="i10">Luna, Hail!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Goddess of Heaven, the Earth, and the Underworld.<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Thou rollest the heavens around the steady pole.<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Thou illuminest the sun.<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Thou governest the world.<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Thou treadest on the dark realms of Tartarus.<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">The stars move responsive to thy command.<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">The gods rejoice in thy divinity.<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">The hours and the seasons return by thy appointment,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">And the elements reverence thy decree.<br /></span>
+<span class="i6">Hear me, O Moon!<br /></span>
+<span class="i6">Hear me, great Saviour!<br /></span>
+<span class="i6">Listen, dread Hecate!<br /></span>
+<span class="i6">A black lamb I bring thee.'<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>Then, seizing the lamb, she raised it to the altar and slew it, and the
+red blood danced o'er the marble shrine. And taking a golden vase filled
+with baneful oblation, she poured it over the victim, at the same time
+swinging the torch to and fro above her head, chanting:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">'Come forth, thou moon, with propitious light.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Cold, silent goddess! at this witching hour<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To thee I'll chant.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<hr style='width: 45%;margin-top:0em;margin-bottom:0em;' />
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Hail, Hecate! prodigious demon, hail!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Come at the last, and make the work prevail,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">That the strong brewage may perform its part,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">No worse than that was made by Circe's art,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">By bold Medea, terrible as fair,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Or Perimedea of the golden hair.'<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>Then the earth shook, and spiral columns of vapour rose<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> around the
+altar, and from each column came a spectre of fire and stood with
+outstretched hands.</p>
+
+<p>The priestess placed the resinous wood around the sacrifice, and
+applying her torch, the altar was crowned with flame, and the spirits
+drew nigh and drank up the odour, dancing in wild fury around the pyre.</p>
+
+<p>Then spoke Saronia:</p>
+
+<p>'Ye wandering spirits, ye starving, lonely shades destined to require
+the sustenance ye seldom receive, take this oblation, drink ye in the
+nurture as it arises, take it from the great queen goddess through the
+hands of her priestess;' and the spirits chanted:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">'Hail, Saronia!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hail, Saronia!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Princess born<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And mighty priestess!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hail, thou minister of Tartarus!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Feeder of the gods-forsaken ones!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Blessings ever be upon thee,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Blessings such as we can give,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thin and faint as misty vapour,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Tinged with hell and cold damnation;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Yet we bless thee as we may,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">For love a spark remains within us,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And we wait for our redemption,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Working out our fearful destiny,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Till those we injured grant release,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And the Mighty All Creative<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Pass us to the fields Elysian.'<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;margin-top:0em;margin-bottom:0em;' />
+
+<p>They disappeared, and Saronia, the fearful priestess, was alone.
+Shielding her eyes that she might not look again upon the sacrifice, she
+turned to move away.</p>
+
+<p>She had passed but a few steps from the altar when Chios came forth from
+his hiding-place and followed her. She heard his steps, and fearing to
+look around lest her sacrifice should be incomplete, kept on her way to
+the Temple of Hecate.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Chios was soon by her side. She gazed for a moment on his face, and fell
+to the ground as dead.</p>
+
+<p>He raised her carefully, bore her to the foot of a great laurel-tree,
+and taking his cloak, placed her on it, and bent over her in agony.</p>
+
+<p>'O fool, what hast thou done? Thou hast slain her! O cursed hour! Shades
+of night, seize me, take me to your Hades, torture me, but, holy
+heavens, restore Saronia! O cruel fate! Most cruel destiny! What cause
+is there for this?'</p>
+
+<p>The talisman! the shrine he wore! the gift! He had heard of its wondrous
+power. He tore it from his neck, and placed it on her chilly brow.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Her eyes opened, and she essayed to rise.</p>
+
+<p>Chios moved to help her; but, no, she sprang to her feet, and stepping
+back from him, looked like a tigress at bay. For a moment words would
+not flow at her command, but her eyes burnt into his very soul, and
+still she spoke not.</p>
+
+<p>He wished a thousandfold he had never dared to confront her in such a
+dreadful place and against such fearful odds. He knew he was observed by
+troops of invisible beings thirsting for vengeance, and that one word of
+hers would loose them, those hounds of hell, in all their fury. He
+feared them not. 'Twas the scathing, burning eyes of the priestess which
+withered him&mdash;so changed from love to hate.</p>
+
+<p>All those thoughts passed through his mind with the force of a
+whirlwind. He felt he had penetrated like a robber within the magic
+circle of her power, taking mean advantage of her secret life, betraying
+all confidence. What was to be done? He would not pass like a dream&mdash;a
+horrid dream&mdash;to her; that would end all. No, he must<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> finish his work,
+whatever might follow. He would speak to her.</p>
+
+<p>'Saronia, forgive me; I am mad. I know not what unknown power compels me
+to this wicked act. I could not stay from thee. As the stars vibrate to
+each other, so my soul to thine. Speak, Saronia! I have dared death to
+see thee, to speak to thee. Answer me, Saronia! Let me hear thy dear,
+sweet voice, even if it be a curse thou utterest.'</p>
+
+<p>She stood forth again in all her majesty; her great spirit had gained
+supremacy; her eyes shone forth like diamonds wet with dew, and she
+said:</p>
+
+<p>'What evil fate brings thee here? Death awaits both if mortal eye
+beholds us. For thy many acts of kindness I overlook thy madness. Thou
+knowest the way, return quickly, and never intrude thyself again. One
+word: thou hast been spectator of the rites and mysteries, hast seen my
+power. Understand, I could raise armies, if needs be, to destroy
+thee&mdash;could blast thee like a tree whose life has passed, by one fell
+stroke of lightning. Now away, no more!'</p>
+
+<p>'Saronia! Saronia! Bear with me but for one brief moment! Hear my story,
+then I go.'</p>
+
+<p>'Why should I? Thou knowest full well I am dedicated to my faith, to my
+goddess. Why tempt me to evil?'</p>
+
+<p>'Saronia, I have striven hard to avoid this, and before to-night have
+succeeded. I could no longer bear this worse than death, and have sought
+thee here to tell thee I love thee, have ever loved thee, even when thou
+wert a slave. I have thrown aside the glamour of the world for one sweet
+word from thee.'</p>
+
+<p>'How can I help thy love?'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou canst return it by one sweet smile of pity&mdash;pity is the twin
+sister of love.'</p>
+
+<p>'I will give thee no encouragement. I swear by the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> hosts above, around,
+and beneath that I repel Chios the lover, and make it known clearly to
+thee I stand pure and unsullied before the goddess I have just evoked.
+Shame on thee! Thou wouldst shake the strong foundation on which my
+spirit rests. Away, I say again, for fear she whom I serve may compel me
+to curse thee! Go!'</p>
+
+<p>'Before I say farewell, perchance for ever, is this thy shrine, this
+trinket thine?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes. I sought shelter, not knowing whither. Two statues standing near
+the doorway caught my gaze, and through the open door I beheld thy
+prostrate form. Thinking death or sickness visited Chios, I entered,
+remembering thy goodness. Thou wert asleep and sighing forth my name. I
+foolishly placed that little token on thy breast, and the Fates have
+worked it well so far as it is concerned, for by its power thou hast
+brought back my life&mdash;not that my death would have been of great moment,
+but thy crime would have been magnified and thy suffering intense.
+Little did I think such small pretext as a simple act of gratitude from
+me would have brought thee here. Now I have told thee all. Go, for thy
+life!'</p>
+
+<p>'No, I will stay. My determination is strengthening, my mission is pure;
+no harm can come to thee. I think not of myself. Listen! There will come
+a time when thou wilt be free from this thraldom of priestcraft, when
+that spirit of thine will live on in the Elysian. I will live well and
+ever love thee, and this is my story to-night. I will love thee as
+lasting as the sun, wait on for thy emancipation, and meet thee in the
+spirit-world. When each shall have performed its earth-life, then thy
+spirit shall be united to mine through the depths of an everlasting
+life. Wilt thou betroth thyself to me in this wise? No harm can come of
+this spirit love, and it cannot fail to bless. Saronia of the great
+unfathomable soul, looking out of those eyes<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> so full of mystic meaning,
+can this be so? Bind thyself to me! Be mine when death shall sever the
+silver chain! This is all I ask. I know thou lovest me; those silent
+tears betray thee, and thy eyes speak love&mdash;love filtering through the
+mystic faith, love that is stronger than death. Speak, Saronia! Dost
+thou hear me?'</p>
+
+<p>'I do. I hear all.'</p>
+
+<p>'Wilt thou wed me for the next life?'</p>
+
+<p>'What shall I do, Chios? Thou hast discovered my hidden love. I cannot
+lie. I will meet thee in the great hereafter. I am thine, when my
+mission here be accomplished&mdash;thine through all eternity!'</p>
+
+<p>'Shall I plant a kiss upon thy brow, Saronia, sealing our vows?'</p>
+
+<p>'Dost thou not fear this awful thing?'</p>
+
+<p>'No. I care not for death now. If I go, I will wait for thee and for
+love; thou wilt not long survive. Methinks our spirits have already been
+one. If I fall, thou wilt not remain long away. Death will hasten our
+union.'</p>
+
+<p>Then, taking her head between his hands, he kissed her, and kissed the
+silver shrine, and moved out into the gloom.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The night passed, the day came forth in rosy splendour, such a day as is
+only experienced in the beautiful Ionian land.</p>
+
+<p>The air was balmy and perfume laden, the winds scarcely stirred the
+trembling leaves, the birds sang with joyous notes&mdash;all Nature smiled.</p>
+
+<p>Chios passed through the myrtle garden to his studio, but the brush was
+powerless in his hand. Last night's adventure was uppermost in his
+thoughts, as well it might be. It was in his sober moments when judgment
+reigned, and love lay calmly on his soul, that he became fully aware<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> of
+what he had done. He leant against a pillar, and reflected upon his
+position. He had entered into the fight, he had broken the ranks. He was
+a mariner who must weather the gale on the deck of his craft. There was
+no escape for him, neither did he desire one.</p>
+
+<p>He, like a master mind, surveyed his position. He had pledged his love
+to one who could never return it on earth. He would walk alone until his
+release. Joy in anticipation of their reunion was sufficient for him.
+True, he felt there was a great disparity in their relative
+positions&mdash;she a mighty priestess, he a sceptic of her faith. But what
+of that? He believed in Saronia, and she believed in him. Let the faiths
+go to the winds! If he found not a new god that he might worship&mdash;well,
+then he would make Saronia the goddess of his soul, and worship her with
+a love that would raise the jealousy of the gods. But if he found the
+great Spirit who demanded his love and service, then such should have
+his supreme adoration. But no god or goddess spoke to him. Therefore he
+knew no being superior to Saronia. She was his life; fearful as she was
+in her mighty incantations, he feared her not. Her mysteries he heeded
+not, the magic of her being satisfied his craving for union with that
+which completed the circle of his existence. He had found it in this
+lovely girl, and he measured this subtle, endless affinity against that
+which the world calls love, where men take wives for a fragment of time
+and think not, care not, whether that love continues in the great
+hereafter, and content themselves with the thought that they may be free
+when born anew from the womb of death. His love was a sacred love, a
+pure and perfect one, and he was happy amidst all the mazes of the
+circumstances by which he had made it known to Saronia.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV</h2>
+
+<h3>AT VENUSTA'S HOUSE</h3>
+
+
+<p>Day after day passed, and the friends of Chios were wont to note his
+thoughtfulness. It did not amount to moroseness; he was preoccupied, and
+his mind abstracted.</p>
+
+<p>It was while he was in one of his deepest moods that Varro called,
+accosting the Greek in a pleasant way:</p>
+
+<p>'How fares the world with thee, noble artist? Thou art in one of thy
+best humours&mdash;or art thou sad?'</p>
+
+<p>'Neither,' replied he.</p>
+
+<p>'Ah! I know: thou art grieving after Nika.'</p>
+
+<p>'Nika?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, Nika. Thou surely must have heard I wooed and won her?'</p>
+
+<p>'Indeed, I have not; but I congratulate thee, my lucky fellow.'</p>
+
+<p>'That is from thy heart and true, Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>'It is.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then we may be the fastest friends.'</p>
+
+<p>'And what say Lucius and Venusta?'</p>
+
+<p>'Delighted.'</p>
+
+<p>'Good, very good!'</p>
+
+<p>'And&mdash;yet another bit of news for you, Chios, for it seems thou art not
+a fruitful newsmonger.'</p>
+
+<p>'What is it?'</p>
+
+<p>'The sudden death of the High Priestess of Artemis.'</p>
+
+<p>'Is it so?' and a deathly pallor spread over the face of Chios.</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou ill?'</p>
+
+<p>'No.'</p>
+
+<p>'But I have not finished.'</p>
+
+<p>'What more&mdash;not of gloom, I hope?'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'No; a sudden freak of fortune, if rumour speaks correctly.'</p>
+
+<p>'Speak out.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, just this: it is commonly reported that the dark-eyed slave of
+Venusta will be elected to fill the place of the Arch-Priestess.'</p>
+
+<p>'What! Saronia?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, Saronia. Thou art her friend. True, her time as priestess has been
+very brief, but for that strange being it seems mortals suspend their
+laws just like the gods did theirs for the Hebrew, when the sun stood
+still that he might slay. Look at her! Just awhile since a slave. One
+fine day she took it into her head to run for sanctuary to the Temple,
+and got there&mdash;was received&mdash;commenced her studies. From this, in a most
+unprecedented way, bounded into the priesthood, and already, I am told,
+she stands out with fearful power and wonderful knowledge, inasmuch as
+the priestesses longest in the service stand back in awe and say: "She
+is the fittest to serve in chief the goddess, and command her servants."
+A High Priestess she will be, mark my words. There is a great destiny
+before that girl. I hear of her power from Nika. Somehow, she closely
+follows the course of Saronia, and speaks of her with dread. Why, I know
+not. Now, Chios, what thinkest thou of all this?'</p>
+
+<p>'I think it passing strange. 'Tis like a dream. This is her destiny. She
+is no ordinary being. Her spirit towers above its fellows, and must
+command&mdash;&mdash; I will call at Venusta's at sundown. Perhaps we may hear
+more on this subject.'</p>
+
+<p>'Do so, Chios, and I will meet thee. What art thou painting?'</p>
+
+<p>'But little.'</p>
+
+<p>'Ah, cunning dog! I saw thee turn thy picture quickly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> away as I
+entered, and, swiftly as thou didst it, I had time to catch a glimpse of
+a girl as High Priestess offering sacrifice to Hecate. Am I right?'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou speakest knowingly, good Varro.'</p>
+
+<p>'Chios, I am not wide of the mark, and shall I say the face was that of
+Saronia? Art thou a seer, Chios? After all, then, my news was not news
+to thee? Thou art a sly fellow!'</p>
+
+<p>'No, I am not a seer.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, then, we will call thee painter; but one thing is certain, thou
+hast studied her closely, to remember her features so well. Thou hast a
+keen appreciation of the beautiful, and an excellent knowledge of the
+future, to paint Saronia as High Priestess. Farewell, Chios; I am off.
+We meet to-night, and may the gods be propitious!'</p>
+
+<p>That evening Chios visited Venusta's home, the house of his friend. The
+Roman was there. Lucius had sailed o'er sunny seas to Britain. Nika
+seemed happy, and laughed with joyous glee as if she had never one day
+of sorrow.</p>
+
+<p>Venusta was delighted to behold Chios, and said:</p>
+
+<p>'Why hast thou kept so long from us? We thought thou wouldst never
+return, and long since looked up our stray sayings to find if perchance
+we might have unwittingly offended thee. But naught could we find
+whereby we could pronounce ourselves guilty, so concluded thou hadst
+found some pretty maid during the Artemision month, and wert busy
+preparing for thy nuptials. Is it so, Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>'No.'</p>
+
+<p>'Now, do not vex! Art grown thin-skinned, and cannot take this saying of
+mine as a joke?'</p>
+
+<p>'Nay,' replied he, 'I am emphatic because I mean it. So many falsehoods
+are told by lovers that if I were not in earnest thou wouldst perhaps
+doubt my answer.'</p>
+
+<p>'Ah! Thou hast not yet seen the ideal set up within<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> thee. Never mind;
+persevere, Chios, and she may come to thee sooner than expected. Then we
+will take the laughing side, and thou must bear with all our points of
+wit. We will deal leniently; will not let an arrow fly when thy
+counterpart is near. No, we will be demure, as if we never spoke to thee
+of such a childish thing as love. Let us change the subject, Chios. Thou
+hast heard my dearest has left his home once more to visit foreign
+lands?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, I heard. Lucius could not leave Ephesus without the poorest Ionian
+youth knowing it. He belongs to the people; they watch his coming home
+and leaving. I should have come to say farewell, but at the time I was
+prostrated by a touch of Ephesian fever. Not serious, but just enough,
+as Lucius would say, to make me haul on shore.'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, those beautiful savages have again rebelled against the Roman
+State, and the Emperor summoned Lucius with his fleet to the mouth of
+the Tiber to ship reinforcements for those distant parts. By this time
+he is well on his journey.'</p>
+
+<p>'How long will he remain?'</p>
+
+<p>'That is quite uncertain. I understand, after disembarking the soldiers,
+he will sail round the northern shores of the great island, and if the
+winds fail him the rowers will have a dreadful time, for by accounts the
+waters there are sluggish and leaden, inasmuch that strong winds driving
+on the shore make faint impressions on the lifeless seas. The gods speed
+him, and may he soon return. I have instructed him to bring a British
+girl for slave for Nika; and I truly hope, if he bring such, she may not
+be like that dark, mysterious one we owned, by name Saronia. She nearly
+frightened Nika out of her senses&mdash;did she not, girl?'</p>
+
+<p>Nika was silent, and a gloom spread over her face like a funeral pall,
+and the joy of her life grew faint and low.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'I have been speaking of Saronia to Chios,' said Varro.</p>
+
+<p>'And what thinkest thou of her, Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>'Why should I say?' replied he.</p>
+
+<p>'Speak on; we know thou wilt favour her.'</p>
+
+<p>'What, then, do you wish me to say? I cannot speak as if I were
+delivering an oration on Saronia.'</p>
+
+<p>'To be plain, then,' said Venusta, 'dost thou think it meet that this
+slave-girl should fill the throne of the High Priestess of Diana?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, I do.'</p>
+
+<p>'By what right or reason? Say on.'</p>
+
+<p>'By being the fittest, if those who know her best speak the truth.'</p>
+
+<p>'Oh, Chios, why are you so fascinated by this snake-like creature?'</p>
+
+<p>'I am not fascinated, most noble Venusta. I speak as reason prompts me.
+If my reason is awry, then call me mad.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no; thou art not mad. If any man in Ionia has a well-balanced and
+healthy mind, it is thou; but, nevertheless, although I alter the
+picture on my mind of an innocent bird drawn on to destruction by the
+piercing eye of a snake, yet the conditions are the same within me, and
+I must say I cannot for my life understand why such a sensible man can
+be led by the charming of such a wicked girl.'</p>
+
+<p>'She is not wicked; she is pure, and worthy of great consideration. All
+Ephesus speaks of her goodness.'</p>
+
+<p>'But dost thou not know her spirit is so deeply imbued with the
+mysteries of her worship that it is said she with impunity treads the
+dark realms of Tartarus? Wherein, then, lies all her boasted goodness?'</p>
+
+<p>'It may be so; but I warrant this, madam, if Saronia moves into those
+mysteries, and mixes with the spirits imprisoned, it is to minister to
+their wants, and not to add a pang to their unutterable woe.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Thou art incorrigible; and it is useless, I perceive, to talk to thee
+on this matter. Thou wilt awaken one day from this cloudy dream and see
+her in all her horror. Dost thou not fear her?'</p>
+
+<p>'No; none need fear the good; it is the evil which haunts us.'</p>
+
+<p>'Oh, mother,' cried Nika, 'do change this most uninteresting subject!
+Saronia is no longer under our control, and we may not speak of her in
+this manner without fear. She serves the goddess; let her be. Should
+fate call her to wear the diamond crown, what is that to thee? What is
+that to me?'</p>
+
+<p>'So, so, pretty girl! Art thou taking to thyself the right to lecture
+me? Thou, above all, hast had more than enough of this foul serpent's
+venom thrust on thee; and I tell you all, if I have influence it shall
+be directed to drag her from the proud position to which her ambitious
+spirit soars, and I am certain Varro will aid me when I say Nika nearly
+paid with her life for the fright Saronia gave her. A wicked, designing
+enemy is she.'</p>
+
+<p>'Gracious lady,' replied the Roman, 'I fear I cannot move in matters of
+religion. I should bring down a swarm of bees about my ears and odium on
+the power of Rome;' and he looked sideways with a smile towards Chios,
+but the face of the Greek was like marble&mdash;not a muscle moved. Then
+Varro continued: 'No, no; let her be. None may break her faith, neither
+Greek nor Roman; if she be not called by the goddess, then this rumour
+will float away into nothingness.'</p>
+
+<p>'I suppose thou sayest truly; but one thing I know, were she priestess
+presiding, Venusta would not enter the Temple&mdash;no, not if it were the
+only pathway to the Elysian.'</p>
+
+<p>'But,' said Chios, 'the Lady Venusta would witness the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> installation,
+should such take place, and favour me with her company?'</p>
+
+<p>'Thanks; but that shall not be. I might cause thee perturbation;' and
+she smiled rather cynically, or Chios thought so.</p>
+
+<p>Chios was thoughtful, and his gaze was through the open window away over
+the city towards the grove of Hecate, where the great trees peeped from
+behind the mountain of Pion.</p>
+
+<p>A dead silence fell on all, which was broken by Nika saying:</p>
+
+<p>'I should so much like thee to paint a picture of myself. Say, wilt
+thou? And when may I give thee first sitting?'</p>
+
+<p>'When thou comest,' replied Chios, 'I will do my best.'</p>
+
+<p>'Good!' said Venusta; 'thou shalt do it. I am sure it will do thee no
+harm to look intently on a face like hers. It might perhaps soften thy
+too sage-like brow; and then&mdash;who knows?&mdash;thou mightst captivate some
+lovely girl&mdash;eh?&mdash;as lovely as Nika. What sayest thou, noble lord of
+Rome?'</p>
+
+<p>'True,' said he, 'it may be so; but I fear it is a hopeless case. He is
+a confirmed bachelor.'</p>
+
+<p>'Perhaps not,' said Nika's mother. 'Who can tell? He may now be madly in
+love. Chios does such strange things. During his absence from us he may
+have taken a wife, and at any moment herald her forth as the fairest of
+Ionia. May it be so, noble Greek?'</p>
+
+<p>'No; Samos may be levelled to the ocean bed, but thou wilt never&mdash;never
+see me wed.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art dark again, Chios. Move aside, girl,' said Venusta; 'let the
+sun shine upon him;' but the face of Nika became clouded. She knew her
+mother's wit was wounding the heart of the only man she really loved.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI</h2>
+
+<h3>A GARDEN ON CORESSUS</h3>
+
+
+<p>The evening grew old, but the light still lingered in the sky, and
+Venusta suggested a walk in the garden, seeing her daughter was agitated
+and careworn.</p>
+
+<p>The soft winds moved the leaves of the silver poplar, the violet-scented
+air fanned their cheeks, the convolvuli were closing, and the narcissi
+nodded good-night; it seemed sacrilege to break in on the perfumed
+silence. Varro walked with Venusta, and Nika with the Greek. Chios was
+the first to speak:</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art unhappy to-night, Nika. What ails thee?'</p>
+
+<p>'Nothing. I am happy. The evening air is sweet and pleasant to my soul,
+and before thou didst speak I saw the first star glisten on the diadem
+of night&mdash;shining out like a Pharos to the mariner; and as he knows by
+it that land is nigh, so see I that star a beacon on the hills of a
+far-away haven which perchance I may never enter, but be shipwrecked at
+the last.'</p>
+
+<p>'Poor girl, thou art indeed sad!'</p>
+
+<p>'Yea, sad I am, yet happy in my sadness. Oftentimes I am sad and
+wretched withal; but to-night, I know not why, I am resigned&mdash;feeling as
+if some great, sad joy spread its wings around me for protection. Oh
+that I might ever continue so! I fear this is but a prelude to a
+storm-wind which shall rush over and break me as a hurricane would kill
+those lovely flowers.'</p>
+
+<p>As she spoke a night-hawk passed with a shriek, and the evening star was
+hid with a cloud.</p>
+
+<p>'Sawest thou that dreadful bird? Heard'st thou its wail, Chios?'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Yea. What of it? It goes to its home on the cliffs of Coressus.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no! That is not all! It spoke as it flew&mdash;shrieked sounds of gloom,
+which the augurs understand; it means evil!'</p>
+
+<p>'Dost thou believe the augurs, Nika?'</p>
+
+<p>'I do, and the words of the priestess also.'</p>
+
+<p>'Which priestess?'</p>
+
+<p>'Saronia.'</p>
+
+<p>'What of her?'</p>
+
+<p>'Dost thou not know?'</p>
+
+<p>'Thy mother told me something respecting an uttered curse.'</p>
+
+<p>'What if she become High Priestess of Diana?'</p>
+
+<p>'She would deal justly.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou dost not know how I fear that girl&mdash;how I fear her spell. I have
+tried to drown it, but it will not die. It mounts above the crested
+ocean of my pleasure, and, like the evil bird just passed, it wheels and
+shrieks around, and mars the joys that youth and the world give me.'</p>
+
+<p>Just then the notes of a bird singing out its soul came forth from the
+myrtle-trees.</p>
+
+<p>'Hearest that jubilant song? It compensates the evil omen. Light up,
+sweet face, with radiant smiles! Answer it back with joyous greeting!'</p>
+
+<p>'No, I cannot. This omen is for Chios. Thou wilt joy. Thy life is tinged
+with richest colour&mdash;mine is shadowed with darkness. Thou art good! I
+see it all when too late.'</p>
+
+<p>Venusta and Varro were returning, and met Nika and her companion. The
+Roman playfully remarked:</p>
+
+<p>'Ionian, dost thou mean to steal my love?'</p>
+
+<p>'No! If thou wert jealous, why quicken thy pace and leave us, like
+wounded birds or disabled ships, to follow in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> thy wake? Here she is
+safely brought, and as I have acted sea-pilot; thou shalt be the harbour
+guide, and take her into port. Do not miss your way, as lovers often do!
+Come, noble Venusta, let me be thy guide.'</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE PICTURE</h3>
+
+
+<p>The day arrived for the election of High Priestess of Diana, and, as was
+generally expected within the Temple, Saronia was chosen to occupy that
+exalted position. When the people heard of this they were amazed, for
+amongst them she was scarcely known, excepting for her kindly manner and
+beautiful presence. Few, if any, outside the Temple recognised in her
+any of those superior intellectual attainments which were expected in
+the person who undertook the highest and most sacred duties of the
+Temple. Consequent on the election of a comparatively unknown girl,
+inquiries were numerous, asking who she was and whence she came,
+springing like a comet out of the gray depths of the sky; and when reply
+was made that she had been a slave to the wife of Lucius, many
+marvelled, and said it was the hand of the goddess who raised one of low
+degree to sit upon the golden throne; whilst among the noble families of
+Rome great curiosity was manifested to glean from her former mistress
+what she was like&mdash;what was thought of her; in fact, they wished to know
+all about the former slave. And thus, in a brief period, Saronia became
+the most notable person in all Ephesus and throughout Ionia, into Lydia,
+Caria, Pamphylia and Phrygia, and over the sea to Greece.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>It was during this excitement Nika came to the studio of Chios. It was
+her first visit. Never did the girl look more beautiful. She greeted the
+artist with a smile, and sat down upon one of the lovely couches.
+Casting aside her richly-embroidered cloak, she revealed her snow-white
+garments clinging in folds around her graceful form. Her hair fell
+forward on either side, leaving an arched temple smooth as marble, and
+waved away over her ears till it was caught by an azure ribbon flecked
+with gold. Then she laughed a merry peal of laughter, and said:</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou glad to see me?'</p>
+
+<p>'I am, Nika. Thou bringest sunshine into the place. It lights up thy
+face and twinkles like stars in thy beautiful hair. One requires a
+cheerful sitter to make a good likeness, for, after all, the poor artist
+has only a few pigments to portray the loveliest of creatures.'</p>
+
+<p>'Now, now, silence, flatterer! To business. How intendest thou to treat
+the subject which may represent me? Say, wilt thou paint me as Ariadne
+in Naxos?'</p>
+
+<p>'No; the subject ill befits these joyous times. Ariadne lost her lover;
+thou hast gained one, and retainest him with chains of brass. I will
+paint thee as thou reclinest. Keep thou the cheerful mood, and Nika
+shall see how she looks when she is happy.'</p>
+
+<p>'Must I not rearrange those wandering locks?'</p>
+
+<p>'No; the light dances between the shadows like children at play. Let
+them remain.'</p>
+
+<p>'Very well, Chios. Thou art an obliging man. I will do my best to remain
+as steady as Olympus. May I converse?'</p>
+
+<p>'Freely, if thou pleasest.'</p>
+
+<p>After the sitting was completed, she felt that she had never spent a
+happier day, and said:</p>
+
+<p>'When may I come again?'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'To-morrow, at the same hour. I will paint thee whilst in such merry
+mood. Good-bye, Nika; greetings to thy mother.'</p>
+
+<p>The next day, and from time to time, she came to Chios, until the
+painting was well-nigh finished.</p>
+
+<p>One evil day she came and reclined upon her accustomed couch. Chios was
+absent. After a while she arose, and moved around the room. Behind a
+curtain of splendid tapestry, half hid, she saw a picture o'er which was
+thrown a screen of yellow silk. She would see the painting on the hidden
+panel; she would lift the veil&mdash;see the goddess. What fun she would have
+with Chios! Perchance 'twas some Ionian beauty or Carian girl who had
+smitten him suddenly. Should she risk it? Yes&mdash;no&mdash;perhaps he might come
+swiftly and be annoyed. So she moved away&mdash;stood still for a moment.</p>
+
+<p>'See it I must. If caught, I will laugh away his censure&mdash;shine out on
+him in all my splendour and burn up his reproof.'</p>
+
+<p>So she stepped forward and raised the yellow silk concealing the picture
+of Saronia as High Priestess of Diana, and as that dark, mysterious face
+met her gaze, she uttered a piercing shriek, and fell to the ground.
+Chios heard it, and rushed within. Seeing the curtain disturbed, he took
+in the whole position, and, darting forward, found Nika lying
+unconscious. He raised her and laid her on the couch. Her flowing hair
+had burst its bands and fallen over her shoulders. He tried to rouse
+her, called her name, and said: 'Chios is here, Nika, awake!' But she
+lay as one who was dead.</p>
+
+<p>What could be done? Her bosom heaved&mdash;she was not dead&mdash;she would come
+to again. He could not leave her for assistance, for if she awoke and
+found herself alone, she might die. He knelt by her side, and chafed her
+hands;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> but it was of no avail. Just then a thought came into his mind.
+He would paint her as she slumbered in that death-like swoon. He seized
+his brushes, and quickly wrought a picture&mdash;sketchy, but true&mdash;and when
+it was drawn he called it 'Death.' Then came signs of awakening. Tears
+flowed from the half-opened eyes, and rushes of colour, like the morning
+sunrise, stole over her cheeks. Then the mists cleared away, and she saw
+Chios kneeling before her, and, with a wild, convulsive start, she fell
+upon his neck, crying, 'Save me! save me!'</p>
+
+<p>And Chios answered:</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art safe. What fearest thou?'</p>
+
+<p>'I fear the face of Saronia. I shall never forget it. It is like when I
+fell before her as she cursed me.'</p>
+
+<p>'Calm thyself! I tell thee again there is nothing to fear. I am with
+thee&mdash;no harm shall befall.'</p>
+
+<p>'Dost thou not fear her thyself?'</p>
+
+<p>'No.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then&mdash;thou lovest her?'</p>
+
+<p>'What madness seizes thee? How can I love a sacred priestess of the holy
+Temple?'</p>
+
+<p>'A woman is quick to read a man. Whether thou knowest it fully or not, I
+tell thee thou lovest Saronia, the chief of the priestesses of the
+mighty goddess. Chios, thou hast power over this fearful being! Oh that
+she were not a priestess!'</p>
+
+<p>'Why so? What difference would it make to thee?'</p>
+
+<p>'All.'</p>
+
+<p>'Tell me what thou meanest.'</p>
+
+<p>'This. If it were possible for thee to approach her, thou couldst
+intercede for me. The curse might be removed from off this soul; bit by
+bit, as the sun darkens by eclipse, so my spirit grows more night-like,
+and soon my lamp shall go out in darkness. I know it is impossible for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span>
+thee to speak to her, or I would ask thee, but canst thou not send to
+her privately? Love thee I am certain she does. This curse somehow
+sharpens my intellect, and my inner sight is clearer. I perceive things
+which wound me sorely. If she loves thee, she cannot deny thee. Wilt
+thou help me? Thou hatest me not, neither dost thou love me. All this I
+have seen long since; but I love thee dearly. What need have I to say
+this? Thou art already aware of it. It is not meet I should thus speak,
+seeing I am betrothed to Varro. It is not chaste to unburden my feelings
+in this manner, but my so doing will not injure the Roman or conjure up
+the fire of love in Chios for Nika. No, it will not harm.'</p>
+
+<p>'Nika!'</p>
+
+<p>'Listen, Chios. I would die for thee. Is not this love worthy of thy
+regard, worthy of an effort on thy part? Wilt thou not take pity on a
+poor outcast soul? And, Chios, if thou art vexed with me for divining
+thy love for Saronia&mdash;vexed with my love for thee&mdash;then, if I cannot
+banish such love&mdash;the curse of a love for thee without a love in
+return&mdash;then, forgive me, and I will bury it, that it may never rise
+again from the grave of my heart. Oh, help me&mdash;help me!'</p>
+
+<p>'Nika, hear me calmly. There was a time when I could speak to Saronia;
+but she now soars to an altitude unapproachable, and I can follow her
+only afar off. I dare not send a message to her. She, who stands first
+of Ionian women, Queen of the World next the goddess, how is it
+possible?'</p>
+
+<p>'Chios, all things are possible whilst life lasts. If death cut us down
+in the endeavour, then there is an end of it; but to dare unto death
+requires love stronger than life. Command me to see her on thy behalf,
+and I will speak to her or die in the attempt.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Good girl, I do not require thine assistance. I have no message for
+her. How can I help thee? Would that I could! Let me think for a moment.
+I have a plan&mdash;the Roman! Thou hast influence with him, say?'</p>
+
+<p>'He adores me.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then propose to him that I paint Saronia. Thou hast seen the picture.
+It is like her, is it not?'</p>
+
+<p>'It is, truly so.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, no one knows I am engaged on this work but Varro, and he caught a
+glimpse of it; we can make it necessary that I should see her at the
+Temple. If the Roman offer to present the picture, this will be granted.
+He is wealthy and can pay a large sum for the painting, but I will
+return every coin. If my greatest work can aid you, freely, freely will
+I give it; but, hear me, this will be a fruitless endeavour.'</p>
+
+<p>'How so?'</p>
+
+<p>'Because, if such a curse is on thee, it is not the curse of Saronia.
+She would not blast thee. If such a thing exists, it is the curse of
+Hecate. The priestess had never the power to conceive it, neither the
+strength to kill it; but hear me further. I do not believe thou art
+cursed. My view of a presiding demon or divinity runs not in such
+direction. Gods and goddesses roam not to and fro blasting spirits of
+mortals in such manner. It is an idea born of older times, and doubtless
+will survive down the ages until men grow wiser; then such nonsense will
+be looked upon with ridicule, and become a thing of the past.'</p>
+
+<p>Nika shuddered, and said:</p>
+
+<p>'Would I could think so! I know what I say is true&mdash;I am as certain of
+it as that I exist. Were I bereft of reason and madness clothed me as
+with a garment, yet this curse, burnt into my soul with letters of fire,
+would be understood in all its power to me.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'It is useless talking to thee, foolish girl. I will do as thou wishest
+with the picture of Saronia.'</p>
+
+<p>'And I will away and do my part, and hope, ere many days are ended, thy
+project may bear fruit.'</p>
+
+<p>Pale and agitated, she arose to go. Chios said:</p>
+
+<p>'I will accompany thee and pay my respects to thy mother;' and gathering
+a bunch of orange-blossom and roses, he gave them to Nika.</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII</h2>
+
+<h3>WARNING</h3>
+
+
+<p>As they passed the gateway, Endora, the witch, stood by and gazed at the
+girl and Chios. The maiden pitied her, and gave her a coin of gold. The
+old woman looked up, first at Chios; then, turning to Nika, said:</p>
+
+<p>'May the choicest flowers of life ever strew thy pathway, fair lady, and
+may the goddess&mdash;&mdash; But stay, I cannot bless thee. I have no power to do
+so. Would that I could!'</p>
+
+<p>As they passed away, she muttered:</p>
+
+<p>'I cannot even try to bless her; she is accursed of Hecate&mdash;I read it
+too well. Ah, ah, ah! She is like unto me: both are outcasts; she in the
+heyday of youth and flowing over with wealth, I an old hag and poor as a
+barren rock, save for this bit of gold. The goddess is no respecter of
+persons. What can be the sin of this golden-haired beauty? Mine I know.
+I will unravel hers. Where does she go, I wonder? And with Chios? And he
+gave her the richest flowers. I will follow far behind. My sight is
+keen. I will know where she perches.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>So Endora followed, and saw them enter the house of Venusta. The witch
+accosted a little child.</p>
+
+<p>'Knowest thou the lady of this dwelling, innocent one? I am seeking
+alms, and would know her name.'</p>
+
+<p>'The lady of the house?' replied the girl.</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, of this one,' pointing with her finger. 'This house,' and she
+pierced through the eye of the child, who started back with dread. 'Tell
+me, quickly, who resides within.'</p>
+
+<p>'Venusta, wife of Lucius, the Roman sailor.'</p>
+
+<p>'And who was that fair maid who passed in with the noble Greek?'</p>
+
+<p>'That was Nika, her daughter.'</p>
+
+<p>Endora moved off, murmuring, 'Nika! Nika!' A sudden frenzy seized her;
+her eyes glared out like spots of fire.</p>
+
+<p>'Nika, is it? Ah, I know her pride! She hunted the chosen of Hecate, and
+now she loves without being beloved, and the curse is strong upon her.
+She has her reward. Starving am I, and this coin would buy food; but I
+will never use it. No, back it shall go to the giver! The flying slave,
+starting eyes, haunted look, speak to me. I helped to save, encourage
+Saronia. I will never fatten on the alms of her enemy! No, no; outcast
+as thou art, poor soul of mine, I will not taint thee further by
+accepting such as this.'</p>
+
+<p>So she went back to the girl to whom she had spoken, and said:</p>
+
+<p>'Take thou this golden coin to the slave who stands in yonder vestibule
+and say it belongs to Mistress Nika, that she gave it to a woman at the
+gate of Chios, and that the woman has no use for it. Now go, quickly,
+and perhaps she may reward thee. I would, but have none to give.'</p>
+
+<p>For very fear the child took the money within, and the witch Endora
+passed on her way.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>As the woman went by the Temple, a company of priestesses passed the
+outer walls and made for the grand entrance. She hurried forward and
+overtook them, singling out a striking form, one whom she could not
+mistake, and, rushing to the front, fell prostrate at her feet, crying:</p>
+
+<p>'Mercy, lady, mercy; hear me! Do not turn aside. Rather would I ye
+should use me to clean the dust from off thy sandals ere ye enter the
+sacred courts.'</p>
+
+<p>'What hast thou to say?'</p>
+
+<p>'Mighty priestess, thou art Saronia.'</p>
+
+<p>'I am.'</p>
+
+<p>'Did I not tell thee, noble lady, thy star rode upwards in the Eastern
+sky? and now its light so strong, so splendid, beats upon thee, that
+thou art like a silver moon among the stars. Hear me, great priestess, I
+implore thee. Think of Endora, vile and steeped in iniquity. Pray for me
+that I may be forgiven&mdash;pray for me!'</p>
+
+<p>And with a cry she fell to the ground.</p>
+
+<p>'Take her within,' said Saronia, 'and see that she be cared for. I will
+follow.'</p>
+
+<p>Then they raised her, and the poor thing staggered through the great
+court.</p>
+
+<p>The priestess was soon at the side of the wretched woman, and two
+attendants ministered to her wants. When she revived, Saronia dismissed
+the girls, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Alone I will listen to this tale of grief.'</p>
+
+<p>When they had departed, she took Endora's hand in hers.</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou better? Say on thy story.'</p>
+
+<p>'I am base, worse than thou dreamest. True, I was weak, faint for want
+of food; but I am not penitent. I have no desire to be forgiven. Deeper
+sunk is my soul by this pretending, this false asking pardon through thy
+intercession with the goddess. No, no, no; my spirit is too dark, too
+damned for cleansing! I have another motive.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Vile woman, what dost thou mean?'</p>
+
+<p>'I come to tell thee of <i>Nika</i>.'</p>
+
+<p>'Nika? Nika of Lucius?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes.'</p>
+
+<p>'Stay thy speech, then; she is dead to me. I have no desire to hear more
+of her.'</p>
+
+<p>'But, dreadful Saronia, thou <i>shalt</i> hear <i>that I have to say</i>! Thou
+hast a woman's heart, and will listen as I go on. She has been thine
+enemy&mdash;still is&mdash;she lurks in thy pathway. Venusta is as bad, if not
+worse. Both would singe thy wings, sacred as thou art, and draw thee
+down to be the sport of Ephesus, nor stay their tongues at any lie.'</p>
+
+<p>'What meanest thou? How knowest thou this?'</p>
+
+<p>'How do I know? Do not slaves leave their homes by stealth and come to
+the wise woman Endora that she may read their fate? Such is the case.
+One night, under cover of darkness, a slave slid from the jewelled home
+of the Romans, and sought my wretched den. 'Twas then I plucked from out
+the bosom of the frightened one the secrets of Venusta's house. She
+overheard her mistress say that all in her power should be done to drag
+thee down, appealing at the same time for aid from the Roman Proconsul,
+who has just arrived from Rome to rule Ionia. But&mdash;I have more to tell
+thee. Thou knowest Chios, the Greek?'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art growing too familiar, Endora.'</p>
+
+<p>'I am aware of it, august lady, but this familiarity is but the outcome
+of my strong desire to aid thee. I will say my say if cast to death for
+it. Remember we serve one goddess. Thou art blessed; I a rebel and
+cursed. But Hecate is our goddess. I say thou knowest Chios; I know it
+to be so, I noted his kindness when thou wert a slave. Rememberest thou
+the time when, standing without the great theatre,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> waiting the bidding
+of the Roman reptile, he came and spoke words of comfort to thee&mdash;to
+thee? And below, in the depths of thy heart, are many cherished windings
+of the past wherein he lit thee through the briars.'</p>
+
+<p>'Cease, woman: no more of this! I may arise and destroy thee. Darest
+thou insult the servant of Diana?'</p>
+
+<p>'I insult thee not; I tell the truth, and truth is a rare commodity with
+me. Thou canst slay me! If I lie, then would I fear, but, speaking the
+truth, I make thine hands weak and thy wings weary. Once more I say at
+that time thou lovedst him, and could not help doing so; and this also I
+assert: Chios loves Saronia&mdash;Chios is content to feed on those memories
+of the past, and so art thou. Thou art forbidden by thy office to love
+other than the goddess, but I tell thee woman must love, and in secret I
+know thou must keep this love aglow&mdash;<i>eternally</i> so&mdash;like a vestal
+flame; and woe, I say, to the woman that crosses thy path to kill this
+light, to put out this flame! Now, such a being is Nika&mdash;Nika, the Roman
+girl; she attempts it. I have told thee; I have warned thee.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou talkest madly. What have I to do with Nika or Chios?' And,
+pointing towards the great Temple, Saronia exclaimed: 'There is the
+gateway to my only love!'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no, lovely priestess! I am right, and thou must hear me to the end,
+and then, if thou desirest, may'st destroy me. 'Twas but to-day I stood
+at the gate of Chios asking charity, when he and Nika came forth. One
+could see by her face beaming with radiance that words of tenderest
+meaning clung like flowers of jasmine around her heart, and she bore in
+her hands richest blossoms of varied hue culled from the garden of
+Chios. Now, mark well what I am about to say. He loves her not&mdash;of this
+I am certain, but she has drawn him with her subtle wiles and may bind
+him as a slave&mdash;bind him with her web as a spider chains a fly.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span> He is a
+good man being netted by an artful fowler; a part of their hate for thee
+would be gratified could they but take Chios in their snare, make him
+their tool in bringing forth their darkest designs on thee. I warn thee
+of this treacherous girl and her wolf-like dame. Take heed. Beware, lest
+Chios and Nika join them for thy destruction.'</p>
+
+<p>'How didst thou know Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>'Have I not told thee I saw him near the great theatre talking to thee
+when thou worest the robe of golden brown, the badge of slavery?'</p>
+
+<p>'True.'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, Chios I knew well, but the girl I knew not. And, when they passed,
+she with the golden hair gave me a coin&mdash;a coin of gold. I would have
+blessed her, and commenced&mdash;but failed. Even if I had blessed her, my
+blessings would have been empty words; but even such I could not bestow,
+for, as I spoke, I looked into her eyes and read her accursed of
+Hecate.'</p>
+
+<p>'Hush! 'tis fearful!'</p>
+
+<p>'I hurried after to know her name, and saw her enter a sumptuous home on
+the slope of Coressus, and was told it was Venusta's place, and she who
+entered Nika, the daughter. I sent the golden disc within, saying I
+needed it not. I could not take alms from the accursed girl, the young
+tigress who would have maimed thee&mdash;killed thee! This is my story. I
+go.'</p>
+
+<p>'Hast thou more to say?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, noble priestess. Let me go. The truth is said. Now I am weak again,
+and thou couldst crush me as a moth between the fingers, or I might
+presumptuously fly too near the flaming lamp and be my own destroyer.'</p>
+
+<p>'I cannot let thee go as thou earnest, in poverty. Thou wilt, I am sure,
+take from my hands these bits of gold in place of that thou sacrificedst
+for me. They will buy thee<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> food and wine and raiment, and help to give
+some little joy. Go thy unhappy way. I pity thee, Endora&mdash;I pity thee,
+and I tell thee I will care for myself; but no harm can come to me
+whilst I follow that which is good.'</p>
+
+<p>Saronia left her, retired to her private chamber, and threw herself down
+to rest awhile. She believed all the woman had said. She had faith in
+Chios, but would he be firm amidst the temptations which beset him? Then
+she arose, and walked to and fro the room like a caged lion. She could
+not move out and wage warfare; it was an unequal fight. What could she
+do? For a moment jealousy sat upon the throne of reason, and she became
+fearful to look upon. Should she, in the might of her fury, blast this
+girl before her time? Should she pour forth her mystic spells until they
+consumed her very vitals? No! She would, at any rate, if war must come,
+battle with her, spirit against spirit, woman against woman. For the
+present she would wait events.</p>
+
+<p>She wished now she had kept Endora, and bade her bring news from the hum
+of the busy world. Never mind; she could summon her at will. One thought
+could fetch her. She was mightier in will than the wise woman, and, as
+Hecate could summon her priestesses, so Saronia could call the witch.</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX</h2>
+
+<h3>THE DAWN OF FAITH</h3>
+
+
+<p>The day had arrived, and Varro and Chios were to meet the priests and
+priestesses concerning the picture of Saronia. Many eyes were turned
+upon them until they entered the Temple and were hidden from view.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When the time came for the Roman to approach the High Priest, he
+addressed him thus:</p>
+
+<p>'Most noble of the Megalobyzi, most exalted among men, king of priests,
+High Priest of the great Diana, whose fame extends from Central Rome to
+Britain in the West, where stands a temple to her name&mdash;fame which
+extends not only from the centre to the West, but back again through the
+great world until it grasps the lands and islands of the far-off East,
+we, in all humility, and for the great veneration in which we hold the
+goddess, would help to honour the name of her great High Priestess,
+Saronia, before whom we bow lowly, and salute her first among women, by
+presenting to this holy shrine a picture truly painted of this noble
+virgin, that her goodness and beauty may ever appear before the eyes of
+the worshippers of her august mistress, Diana Triformis.'</p>
+
+<p>Then replied the chief Megabyzus:</p>
+
+<p>'Have we an artist in Ephesus who could do justice to our noble queen?'</p>
+
+<p>'We have,' said Varro; 'Chios the Greek. This is he.'</p>
+
+<p>'Good, most esteemed Proconsul, but remember it is enacted that the High
+Priestess cannot leave the precincts of the Temple to sit for this
+picture.'</p>
+
+<p>'That we know, and to this end have secured the help of Chios, who knows
+well the face of great Saronia, and he has almost finished the work.
+Wouldst thou, in the name of the goddess, accept it from my hands?'</p>
+
+<p>'We will, and mayest thou, good artist, prosper in thy work, and
+consider thyself fortunate that this honour is conferred on thee, the
+honour of immortalizing the loveliest woman since the time of Helen.'</p>
+
+<p>'Most noble priest, I am thine humble servant, and reverence thy creed.'</p>
+
+<p>But as Chios raised his eyes to those of Megabyzus, he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> saw them filled
+with a strange fire&mdash;eyes like those of an evil spirit, gleaming behind
+the living windows of darkling hue. It was but for a moment, and the
+priest turned to Saronia, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Thy consent to us already has been given. Wouldst thou speak to these
+noble friends?'</p>
+
+<p>Then the girl, in her beauty and power, addressed the Roman in accents
+sweet and queenly, thanking him for the gift; and, looking on Chios as
+if she had never before seen him, said:</p>
+
+<p>'Noble artist of the Ephesian city, when wilt thou scan my features&mdash;say
+when&mdash;and in what part of this Temple may I linger that thy efforts may
+be complete?'</p>
+
+<p>'I purpose to trouble thee but little, mighty priestess. I will come
+when thou art offering sacrifice at the altar, and gaze on thy splendour
+afar off. As it has been said, the painting is well-nigh finished. I
+have beheld thee often when I worshipped here. Thy lineaments are graven
+on my memory. When word is sent me I will come.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, it shall be quickly,' said she, adding, with a smile: 'Before my
+beauty fades, if any there be. Come to-morrow at the hour of sacrifice,
+and thou wilt see Saronia.'</p>
+
+<p>When they had retired, she meditated within: 'What meaneth this strange
+proceeding? The affianced of Nika presenting the picture of Saronia to
+the Temple, and Chios to paint it. There is evil afloat. The stormy
+petrel skims the waves. I will find from Chios the meaning of this
+secret work. No good for me can come from the house of Venusta. Be
+patient, Saronia, and thou shalt learn all. I will contrive to speak
+with Chios. Out of his heart of love he will tell me all. His eyes
+looked into mine: his mind was pure and shaped towards me. Good Chios, I
+trust thee, but I will try thee.'</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span></p><hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The next day when he arrived the Temple was full of song&mdash;white-robed
+priests and virgins stood around the altar offering their devotions,
+whilst the incense-cloud rose upward through the open roof like a
+morning mist hanging around the mountain.</p>
+
+<p>He was seated in a nook of the Temple where great pillars hid him from
+view. He heard not the morning song nor saw the incense-cloud ascend; he
+saw but one object, and that was Saronia, with uplifted eyes filled with
+radiant mystery, beseeching Heaven, the loose drapery hanging in snowy
+folds around her form and falling to her feet.</p>
+
+<p>One half-hour, with such intent as Chios had, was worth a lifetime to a
+meaner man. Every touch of the brush told, and ere the service ended he
+rested, and gazed passionately on her he loved so well.</p>
+
+<p>The song sank down to a whisper and died, burying its harmonies among
+the mighty marble pillars. Priestesses and priests moved away, leaving
+Saronia alone at the great altar, looking like the goddess of the
+shrine. For a moment she was silent, standing like a statue of Scopas;
+then she beckoned Chios to come forward, and moved away from the
+flower-strewn altar to meet him. The eyes of the girl spoke
+love&mdash;softest, tenderest love&mdash;but the face of Chios was like the
+granite rock of Bolerium. He knew he faced the opening through which the
+priests had passed, and feared to smile. Her lips parted, and she said:</p>
+
+<p>'Chios, what brings thee here? There is mystery in it all.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou hast truly said. I have a mission to speak for Nika. My words must
+necessarily be few and to the point. She pines with the weight of the
+curse of Hecate, and asks thy intercession.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Ah! I see through it all. Nika, the torturer, the serpent, would rob
+Saronia, and thou, half-hearted, art tottering on thy throne.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, Saronia. Hear me!'</p>
+
+<p>'I will <i>not</i>. Listen thou to me. If this curse were removed, thou
+wouldst marry her. She knows thou never wilt whilst it remains. I have
+not power to undo what my goddess binds. Had I, Saronia would <i>never</i> be
+the one to feather an arrow for Nika. No, no; go thy way! Choose ye whom
+ye will love. I will never force thee to love me, neither will I help
+thee to love another. Farewell!' and, turning sharply, she went, and as
+she passed away turned again, and gave one look of love, so tenderly
+that the great tears swept down the cheeks of Chios. She saw them, and
+read his answering love.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>He was alone. The Temple, with all its grandeur, was a tomb. He
+staggered to a seat, and for a while seemed as if his soul had gone
+away. Then, arousing himself, he gazed long and lovingly at the spot
+where she had stood near the altar steps, and then went out into the
+fierce glare of the sun.</p>
+
+<p>Passing from the Temple, he espied a stranger coming towards him. As he
+approached, he discovered him to be the man he met very nearly at the
+same place when the great procession passed.</p>
+
+<p>'We have met again,' said Judah. 'How hast thou fared? Thou dost not
+seem happy.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou hast rightly said. I suffer.'</p>
+
+<p>'Perhaps I may comfort thee. It will not be the first time I have
+ministered to such complaint.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, thou canst not. My sorrow is too deep to be fathomed, and too
+sacred to expose.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'I like thy thoughts, young man. Wert thou taught them yonder?' pointing
+towards the Temple.</p>
+
+<p>'No; they are the fruit of a mind that receives no impetus from such
+fraud as so-called worship is.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou speakest strongly. What knowest thou of worship? A mind perturbed
+like thine is like a troubled sea, with never a place for calm. The
+worshipping soul is not thine.'</p>
+
+<p>'True, friend; I may not be a worshipper, neither wish to be one. This
+life is a mystery; the next a deeper one. If we cannot understand this
+earth-life, and are unable to trust mortals whom we see and know, how,
+then, can we trust those whom we have not seen?'</p>
+
+<p>'Shall we bestow our affections on the gods, who may not exist save in
+our imagination, or, if they be, for all we know, they may ridicule our
+adoration, make sport of us, tools of us to suit some purpose in pursuit
+of their own glory.'</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou a philosopher?'</p>
+
+<p>'I am an artist.'</p>
+
+<p>'Why followest thou this profession?'</p>
+
+<p>'Because I love it.'</p>
+
+<p>'Hast thou fame, riches?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yea, sufficient.'</p>
+
+<p>'Why dost thou work?'</p>
+
+<p>'That I may portray Nature in her beauteous forms, and give them forth
+to the people, that they may ever have the truth in trees and flowers
+and the ever-changing sea.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou hast a benevolent spirit, and thy works betray such. Is it not
+so?'</p>
+
+<p>'Man should not herald every atom of good he possesses.'</p>
+
+<p>'That is true; but, nevertheless, a man's works reflect his inner being.
+What is thy name?'</p>
+
+<p>'Chios.'</p>
+
+<p>'A Greek?'</p>
+
+<p>'It is so.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Then listen, Chios the Ionian. If thou canst be judged by thy works,
+judge ye the Creator of Nature by the same law. The God who made the
+pine-tree shoot forth from the darkling earth and grow upwards towards
+the vaulted heaven, clothing its foliage with the morning mist as with a
+garment; winged the great eagle which gazes on the sun, and made him a
+home amongst the rocks on yonder mountain-side; painted the petals of
+the rose which scatters perfume on the languid air&mdash;He who rolls the
+waves towards the shore, breaking eternally by His decree; the God who
+made the loveliest form in which a soul ere robed itself; fills the
+fruitful earth with food for men&mdash;judge Him, I say, by His works, as I
+have judged thee by thine. Are not His acts benevolent&mdash;are they not
+proofs of love? Thy acts are feeble attempts, and so are mine&mdash;little
+imitations, the outcome of His breath within us. His are boundless,
+eternal, and show forth His guardian care for all His creatures.'</p>
+
+<p>'I never looked at the matter in this way,' replied Chios. 'Thou seemest
+right. There must be a great First Cause behind all this, and it does
+appear His motive is unselfish.'</p>
+
+<p>'In that thou sayest truly, for God is love.'</p>
+
+<p>'What! So have the gods and goddesses of Greece that passion; and, if
+our traditions be correct, they loved too well, and made fools of
+themselves.'</p>
+
+<p>'Again, Chios, thou art wise. I say thou art also true; but the loves of
+the Grecian gods is not the love of my God. The traditions of your
+Ionian faith are lies. There are no gods but One. The passions imputed
+to them are but reflections of that which is impure in man. That which
+dwells in the bosom of the Infinite is purer than the river at its
+source, rising into light through the fissures of the rock. The best of
+man's love is selfish, and we exchange love for love. Men do not bestow
+their affections on those who hate<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> them, but the Eternal One loves all
+with an amplitude beyond comprehension. "For God so loved the world that
+He gave His only begotten Son, that we might have life eternal."'</p>
+
+<p>'What dost thou mean by life eternal?'</p>
+
+<p>'This: that thy life may spread out into the great future, and the
+spirit be young when the stars grow dim and the sun be dead, and
+knowledge accumulate higher and deeper, joy broaden out as the &aelig;ons on
+&aelig;ons pass slowly behind thee, gathering in number like sands on the
+sea-shore; but never a shadow of death will lay on thee&mdash;never thy years
+will cease to be numberless. Thou wilt begin it, never wilt end it&mdash;end
+there is none.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art mighty in thy thoughts. I would know more of thee.'</p>
+
+<p>'Nay, it matters not to thee what of myself. My purpose will be served
+if I can lead thy mind into the channel of truth. I deem it fair to say,
+thy face being once set towards the goal, thou wilt pursue thy course
+till all is well.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou thinkest too highly of me.'</p>
+
+<p>'No.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, this I promise, good man: I will give fairest of hearing to thy
+teachings, and hope thou mayest implant the seed of a good faith, which
+may spring up and bear a bountiful harvest; but tell me ere we part, in
+the great life thou speakest of where is my future home? who are my
+companions?'</p>
+
+<p>'They shall kindred spirits be. What thou makest thyself here determines
+whom thou shalt dwell with yonder. Thine abode shall suit thy soul. Here
+men of evil build palaces and dwell therein, whilst others, as pure as
+the mountain breeze, crawl in and out a hovel or a rocky cave; but in
+the new life this shall not be. In what part of the mighty universe thou
+wilt begin thy course I cannot tell&mdash;perchance<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> one of those bright orbs
+of light which shine forth so sweetly may be thy home. Then on and on,
+through space illimitable, but always nearer the infinite. Here mother
+and father greeted thee, but yonder, where there is no marrying or
+giving in marriage, God Himself shall be all in all, and meet thy
+coming. Take this parchment; I have written it for thee. Read it well;
+bend thine heart in prayer, seek communion with the Great Spirit that He
+may give thee light, for without such the words of man are useless. I
+wish thee well, Chios, and will see thee again.'</p>
+
+<p>As he passed away, Chios felt such a sense of loneliness as he had never
+before experienced. A faint dawn was breaking, and he murmured: 'Where
+there is no marrying or giving in marriage;' and the dark eyes of
+Saronia seemed to gaze steadily into his soul, until he cried: 'We must
+follow hand in hand through the life that is to be. Light without her
+would be darkness; life, however long, would be eternal death!'</p>
+
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a>CHAPTER XX</h2>
+
+<h3>PLEADING</h3>
+
+
+<p>When Chios next saw Nika there was a look of great anxiety on her
+beautiful face. She said:</p>
+
+<p>'Well, hast thou seen Saronia?'</p>
+
+<p>He knew not what to answer, and for a moment was silent; but the silence
+was soon broken by the girl muttering:</p>
+
+<p>'She has refused. Tell me, is it not so?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, she has, and I can do no more.'</p>
+
+<p>'What did she say?'</p>
+
+<p>'Her words were few, but to the point, to this effect:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> she had not
+cursed thee&mdash;if the goddess had, Saronia had not power to revoke it.'</p>
+
+<p>'As I thought. She would not stir as much as the quiver of a leaf to aid
+me; she hates me. Nevertheless, I am no worse by thy asking, rather
+better, for a fresh knowledge springs into my mind, whispering I was
+mistaken. Now I know she loves thee not, or would have granted thy
+request, Chios. No, there is no love in that great dark spirit. She has
+no counterpart, no affinity, and must move for ever feeding on herself;
+and thou, Chios, must see all this as well as I, and own if there were a
+love in thee for her it is a hopeless one, never to be returned.'</p>
+
+<p>A deep gloom clouded that lovely face, plunging her into deepest
+thought. Suddenly recollecting herself, she said:</p>
+
+<p>'What answer makest thou?'</p>
+
+<p>Chios looked into Nika's eyes.</p>
+
+<p>'The feud between thee and the priestess I may not judge, but Saronia is
+not a being who may revolve in an orbit moving in her eternal circle
+through the ages without passing the path of a kindred soul whom she may
+love. She will find her counterpart, and love as intensely as her mind
+is great and her faith strong. Thou knowest, girl, I would not for
+unnumbered worlds willingly cause thee a sting of heart&mdash;I never have;
+but I am compelled to speak as I have in vindication of Saronia.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou ever didst it; it is no new phase.'</p>
+
+<p>'No; and it must remain so until this clay of mine is strewn to the
+winds, and after that, when my spirit is free to breathe the softer air
+of the summer land, even then would I vindicate her, if a myriad demons,
+dark and hellish, stood forth in fierce array to damn her!'</p>
+
+<p>'Oh, Chios, where hast thou learned to speak like this? It is so much
+like her that, if I knew thee less, I should count thee her affinity.
+Thy look is terrible. Calm thee,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> my noble brother, for more thou art to
+me&mdash;calm thee, Chios; I fear thee for the first time. Thou wilt not also
+curse me. Look at me! pity me! I have bared my very soul to thee. Spurn
+me not. Thy look tells me thou art on the verge of doing so. Let me
+cling a little to thee, Chios dear. Help Nika. Cheer her, if with only
+one tender look. I have somewhat learned to bear the curse of Hecate,
+the curse of loving thee without return of love, but can barely carry
+it, and often fall. If thou shouldst put out thy spark of coldest
+charity and leave me in darkness, Nika will fade and die.'</p>
+
+<p>'Cease, foolish maid! why speakest thou thus to me? It is not fair to
+the Roman to whom thou art betrothed.'</p>
+
+<p>'I know it all. What can I do? Can a maiden love two men? No, I love
+thee, Chios, and cannot help it. My love for thee grew from childhood. I
+cannot kill it. The Roman I respect, and may become his wife. Should he
+chide, I would meet him word for word, and the quarrel would not wound
+my soul, because I love him not; but with thee all&mdash;all is different.
+Say what thou wilt, raise thy jewelled dagger to slay me, my tongue
+would be as silent as the breaking dawn&mdash;ah, as silent!'</p>
+
+<p>And she bowed her head, for her eyes were wet with tears.</p>
+
+<p>'Come, Nika, no more of this. I am sorry for thee, but thou must not
+reproach Saronia, who is not here to defend herself.'</p>
+
+<p>'Let it be so, Chios. Thou art kind again. Thy voice bespeaks it, and my
+heart leaps up like a ship which scuds with the favouring gale on the
+crests of the foaming sea.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI"></a>CHAPTER XXI</h2>
+
+<h3>THE WITCH</h3>
+
+
+<p>It was night in the city of the Ephesian goddess. Gathered around the
+glare of a rude lamp sat Endora and a few who had come to consult her.
+Said one:</p>
+
+<p>'Thou hast heard of the new faith springing up around us?'</p>
+
+<p>'I have.'</p>
+
+<p>'Shall it prosper?'</p>
+
+<p>'I know not,' replied the witch.</p>
+
+<p>'I thought thou knewest everything, nothing being hid from thy
+scrutinizing gaze.'</p>
+
+<p>'Ah, my sons, there are mysteries which I cannot penetrate! Ask me to
+call spirits from the gloomiest hell, I might do so, but this new faith
+relates to a spirit-plane above this earth, where men, they say, are
+gods. Of this place I know nothing; over it I have no control.'</p>
+
+<p>'What is the emblem of this faith?'</p>
+
+<p>'A cross.'</p>
+
+<p>''Tis easily made. Let us form one and adjure.'</p>
+
+<p>'Nay, nay,' said the woman; 'let such things be.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no; we will make it, and thou bring out thy potent spells. Let the
+faiths fight now! To-morrow we shall war with the new one before the
+sun. The people of Asia are gone mad over the new doctrines, and those
+infatuated by them will on the next day to this gather within the Agora,
+burn their charms and amulets, and fires will blaze with fuel formed
+from choicest books on Asian magic. Up quickly, we say, and to thy work!
+We fear not. Do thy best, and let the gods of this vile sect do theirs!'</p>
+
+<p>With a raven-clouded brow, the witch brought out her potions.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'What hast thou, woman?'</p>
+
+<p>'Various kinds.'</p>
+
+<p>'Hast thou those which cast out demons?'</p>
+
+<p>'I have.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then stand forth Samo&mdash;Samo has a legion in him. Art thou ready,
+Endora? Proceed.'</p>
+
+<p>Then she chanted:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">'Demon legion, listen, listen!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hear the voice of Hecate,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hear the thundering of her feet!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I, her minion, bid you tremble<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ere ye hasten back to Tartarus.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Seek ye bodies more befitting,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">With your spirits more in union.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Come ye out, ye reeking fiends,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Never more return to hinder<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">This old man from groping forwards<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To the radiant fields Elysian.'<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>Putting her hands forward towards the man and lowering them towards the
+ground, she paused with greedy expectation, whilst the possessed stood
+still with vacant stare, and naught was heard but the barking of the
+night-hounds.</p>
+
+<p>'Thou hast failed, mother,' said Sceva&mdash;'thou hast failed!'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, I know&mdash;I know! Look ye&mdash;look at the cross yonder! See how it
+streams with living light! 'Tis guarded by spirits of flame more
+powerful than Hecate&mdash;ah, more powerful than Hecate is here!'</p>
+
+<p>'Nonsense, woman! cease thy prattling! Thou hast drunk the Samian
+wine&mdash;thou art weak to-night. We will abjure. Eh? By Solomon! who left
+us incantations stronger than thine.'</p>
+
+<p>Sceva said: 'Set a basin full of water on the floor. It shall be
+upturned by unseen hands, that we may be assured of the departure of the
+demons.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then, drawing from the folds of his dress a blood stone ring, he placed
+it near the nostrils of the demoniac, commanding the legion to come out
+of him, chanting:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">'By the Jewish altar throne,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">By the temple at fair Salem,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">By the rites of Solomon,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">By the sovereign power of Judah,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Children loved by God of gods,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Come ye forth, ye fiends rebellious,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Hasten with the waning hour<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Back to hell, your endless house!'<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>Still the look of Samo was one of blank despair. No voice came from him,
+no paroxysms, no falling to the ground, and the water was unspilt.</p>
+
+<p>Then the men gazed at each other, and Endora said with her sardonic
+smile:</p>
+
+<p>'What ails the gods to-night? They are powerless, and ye also have drunk
+the Samian wine.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, we will not yield,' said Sceva. 'Now for the test! Let us adjure by
+this Jesus whom the wandering Paul preaches, and, by Heaven, we will use
+the cross.'</p>
+
+<p>Rushing forward, he seized it and held the emblem before the man.</p>
+
+<p>Endora cried out: 'Stay! stay! Do it not! I see one by it who looks like
+a God!'</p>
+
+<p>But Sceva said, 'Nay!' and cried out:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">'We, the holders of this symbol,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Bid you by the name of Jesus<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Come ye forth, and ever be so<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">While eternal ages roll!'<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>Then a voice came forth from Samo, 'Jesus I know, but who are ye?' and
+with the wild frenzy of madness he rushed upon them, tearing their
+garments to pieces until they fled the cave and down the steep sides of
+Mount Pion towards the city.</p>
+
+<p>The poor demoniac had clutched the radiant cross, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> fell with it to
+the ground. As he pressed it to his lips, a joyous smile swept over his
+face. He was changed. The tempest-tossed soul was riding at anchor in a
+haven of calm, and the weary spirit shone with glorious sheen.</p>
+
+<p>Endora had fled with the rest. She hid herself behind some black poplars
+until the freed man departed. Then she crept back to her cave, and found
+utter confusion reigning. Things were soon put straight, for she had few
+luxuries.</p>
+
+<p>She sat down meditating on those passing strange events. Suddenly she
+started, crying, 'The Cross! the Cross!' and springing forward, she
+grasped it, broke it to pieces, and flung it from the cave.</p>
+
+<p>'No good can come to me whilst it remains within. It represents not
+Hecate&mdash;of that I am sure.'</p>
+
+<p>Then she sat down again, like a spider in its den, trusting some
+visitors might come to consult and bring her gain, for the night was
+clear and the stars shone out like children of the sun.</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII"></a>CHAPTER XXII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE LOVE-PHILTRE</h3>
+
+
+<p>'Foiled am I on every hand.</p>
+
+<p>'First, cursed by a slave once my slave, and she now the Queen Priestess
+of the Asian people, with myriads at her feet!</p>
+
+<p>'That is not all. She has refused to aid me, even when Chios pleads for
+me, and he&mdash;what of him? The only man I ever loved, or ever shall, turns
+from my love and pities me. Curse the pity! Is it come to this, that I,
+a high-born Roman of the Romans, seek shelter from an unknown slave, and
+beg for love from a Greek, and be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> refused? No, no, Nika! Thou must
+arouse thyself, and thou shalt.</p>
+
+<p>'What I cannot gain by pleadings shall be sought for otherwise. I will
+not be foiled. I will not die, and mix with every common dust borne
+hither and thither by the wanton breeze. Again I say no, it shall not
+be!</p>
+
+<p>'Well then, Nika, bold girl, what wilt thou do? Let me think.</p>
+
+<p>'Of one thing I am certain. Chios loves Saronia. Who knows but that she
+loves Chios? Of this I am not quite sure. No mortal knows the mind of
+that strange being. Ah! shall I say that she loves clandestinely and
+meets her lover?&mdash;whirl an arrow barbed perchance with lies and bring
+her down? That will be revenge, but I may in some way implicate Chios,
+and, besides, if I cannot prove my saying, I encounter death.</p>
+
+<p>'No, this is too wild. Cease thy flutterings, vain spirit mine! Oh that
+I had proof of such a thing! Then would I rush to the world, proclaim
+her fallen, and gloat over her wretchedness. It may come&mdash;who can say?
+But, for the present, I have another course that will strike home&mdash;I
+will do my utmost to bring Chios to my love, and wound to death Saronia.</p>
+
+<p>'I will seek the witch of Ephesus, Endora, and consult her. She will
+help me, for&mdash;gold. I will buy from her the costliest charms. She shall
+brew, doubly brew a philtre of love, strong enough to warm the icy Chios
+were he ten times colder than the snows on Tmolus. Neither will I lose
+time. I will meet her to-night. She lives in a darksome cave on the
+Temple side of Pion, and nothing shall daunt me, for, as soon as the
+veil of night is drawn, I will robe myself with courage, and go forth,
+fearing neither the howling beasts nor the shadowy gloom of the lofty
+pines. No, though a phalanx of fiends from the depths bar my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> passage,
+yet will I press forward like he who fights for life.'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>When darkness enveloped the city and mountains, she stole forth from her
+home on the lofty Coressus, down the mountain way.</p>
+
+<p>The sweet odours of the night-flowers blew gently against her cheeks.
+She drew her purple mantle around her, and hastened on unobserved.</p>
+
+<p>As she passed the studio gate of Chios, the nightingale sang to its
+mate, but a chill of horror shook her soul, for well she knew her way
+was evil.</p>
+
+<p>Moving away, her spirits rose. She left the great road to ascend the
+side of Mount Pion. Her step was light, and without weariness she drew
+near the cave of Endora. For the first time fear possessed her. She saw
+the witch at the entrance. She had, however, gone too far to retract,
+neither did she want to do so.</p>
+
+<p>Well knowing a girl's appearance in such a place at such an hour could
+point only to one intent, the woman addressed Nika:</p>
+
+<p>'Tell me, lady, dost thou seek the witch?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes,' replied the girl, 'and thou art she.'</p>
+
+<p>'Come within, pretty maiden, for the winds are chill and the night-hawks
+violent. Nay, stay a moment, do not enter now. I will light the lamp.'</p>
+
+<p>As Endora entered she thought within her: 'This is Nika accursed of
+Hecate, the tyrant of Saronia, the lover of Chios. What darkness is
+abroad? What comes she for to-night? Shall I slay or play with her?
+Revenge is toothsome to me. I have her in my power, and could square
+accounts for Saronia, but what, I wonder, would the priestess say?
+Perhaps I should get blame or death for my work. So I will let her be,
+and will draw from her that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> which I know the dark girl of the Temple
+will not disdain to hear.</p>
+
+<p>'Now then, Endora, do thy work well. Fear not the Roman lady, and a mine
+of wealth is thine. But what do I care for gold?'</p>
+
+<p>Nika entered the cave, hewn directly out of the rock. An iron ring was
+driven into the roof, and a quaint old Phallic lamp hung down just clear
+of their heads; a winding fissure in the rock let out the smoke. A
+recess was in its inner part, and a time-worn curtain hid a pallet of
+corn-leaves. Two old chests, a few stools, a rude altar, cooking-pans,
+and some quaint trifles spread around made up the contents of the place.</p>
+
+<p>'Sit thee down, lady. Compose thyself. Thou art safe, although the place
+looks stormy. What seekest thou?'</p>
+
+<p>'To know my fate. I have heard thou art deeply skilled in magic, and I
+would know more than the present reveals.'</p>
+
+<p>'Wouldst thou know all?'</p>
+
+<p>'How far would it go?'</p>
+
+<p>'To thy life's end&mdash;and beyond.'</p>
+
+<p>'Tell me first. You know the old story. Shall I love? whom? when? and so
+on?'</p>
+
+<p>'Ah, girl, thou hast deeply loved, and he whom thou wilt wed thou lovest
+not.'</p>
+
+<p>'Go on. Gold I have in abundance, and thou shalt be well paid.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, I will not take thy gold.'</p>
+
+<p>'Why not?'</p>
+
+<p>'I wish it so.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou shalt have it. I have it by me.'</p>
+
+<p>'I tell thee again, great lady, I will have none of it.'</p>
+
+<p>'Why callest thou me great lady? Dost thou know me?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, I know thee not, but see thy fate. Money from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> thee I will not
+take. Thou camest here safely; thou canst leave at once without
+hindrance.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no, woman! I have braved the dangers of the night to meet thee, and
+ere I leave fresh light must shine upon my pathway.'</p>
+
+<p>'Ah, thou art a sharp maid! Now, then, what really is thy business?'</p>
+
+<p>'I require a love philtre. 'Tis true as thou hast said, I marry the man
+I love not. I would make the one I love love me. Now to thy work! Thou
+art mightily skilled. I take thee into my confidence. Make the brewage
+sure, quick, decisive; there must be no mistake about it. First, then,
+know who I am&mdash;Nika, the daughter of Lucius and Venusta, the Romans. You
+know them?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, lady.'</p>
+
+<p>'Hearken again. I love Chios the Greek; I wed the Roman Proconsul
+because Chios loves me not, but if thou wilt compel him, I sink the
+Roman and wed Chios. Now I have bared my soul. Thou hast my secret. Keep
+it and help me, and I will care for thee. Reveal it, and, as I am young
+and powerful, and by Diana, I swear I will slay thee! Seest thou this
+dagger with its glinting jewelled hilt? I draw it. See its quivering
+blade, and beware! Be careful; I am indifferent to all&mdash;desperate! We
+are alone. No wavering will I have. Fulfil quickly my behest, and once
+more remember: betray Nika, and like a sleuth-hound I will track thee,
+and like a fury slay thee!'</p>
+
+<p>'Thine eyes are full of fire, young woman, and thy tongue is free. Thou
+art impelled like a ship before the maddening gale. The witch Endora
+knows not coercion, and will not be commanded even by Nika the
+tyrant&mdash;tyrant as thou art!'</p>
+
+<p>The girl sprang from her seat, and, with a bound, rushed at Endora, and,
+raising her jewelled hand, struck with her<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> dagger at the woman's heart;
+but the strong arm of the witch was swiftly uplifted, and she clutched
+the wrist of Nika until the dagger fell.</p>
+
+<p>'Fool that thou art to come here in thy madness to take my life! Hast
+thou not sense enough left to understand thou art but a sapling in my
+hands? What shall I do by thee? Shall I crush thee like a worm beneath
+my feet, or shall I let thee live and suffer?'</p>
+
+<p>'Kill me,' said the Roman, 'and end it all! I am tired.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, I will not&mdash;I cannot&mdash;I have no power to kill thee! Put up again
+thy tinselled weapon. A halo of darkness like a thousand nights envelops
+thy soul. Other hands than mine must slay accursed Nika!'</p>
+
+<p>With a shriek the girl fell to the ground, and the dark, fiendish eyes
+looked down upon her, and the rugged brow of Endora was furrowed like
+the waves of the sea.</p>
+
+<p>Nika had the glare of the lamp shining on her pale, frightened face, and
+the witch stood over her in shadow like a spirit of Hecate&mdash;a spirit of
+evil, of lies.</p>
+
+<p>'Thou knowest that dread secret also. Who told thee?'</p>
+
+<p>'No one told me; I read it in thee. My soul saw thine. When thou hast
+lived long enough, thou mayest see in others what I beheld in thee. Now
+sit thee on the seat, and let us converse together. My time is very
+precious; others come. I begin by saying defiance is not for me. Those I
+aid must be subjective. I am mistress when I deal out love-philtres. Let
+me clearly understand. Thou requirest one for Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes. Say, dost thou know him?'</p>
+
+<p>'Just a little; but methinks he is not the man to be trifled with. I
+advise thee cast adrift this hopeless love, and sow the seed of a new
+one for the Roman. Besides, Chios may love another.'</p>
+
+<p>'Dost thou think so?'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'I think nothing&mdash;I know nothing; I simply suggest the very ordinary
+remark.'</p>
+
+<p>'Endora, thou art not far away from the truth. I dare not say what I
+think.'</p>
+
+<p>'Say on; nothing would surprise me after thy mad freak just now.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, I have a suspicion. He loves a very high personage&mdash;a princess.'</p>
+
+<p>'Is it really so, lady?'</p>
+
+<p>'Of course, I am not sure, but Chios always was wide in his actions. I
+knew a time when I believed he loved a slave.'</p>
+
+<p>'To what slave referrest thou?'</p>
+
+<p>'My slave,' replied Nika&mdash;'rather, my slave that was, now the great
+Saronia, High Priestess to the Ephesian Diana.'</p>
+
+<p>'Nonsense, girl! thou art dreaming!'</p>
+
+<p>'No, I am not, though in dreams ofttimes the truth appears.'</p>
+
+<p>'But there is no truth in this,' replied Endora; 'and if there were, the
+mighty Saronia is incapable of love.'</p>
+
+<p>'Dost thou know her so intimately as to be able to speak so minutely?'</p>
+
+<p>'Who does not know her? Is she not the most prominent woman in Asia, and
+as good and lovely as she is famous? Thou canst scout the idea from thy
+mind of Saronia loving Chios or he loving her. Who is this princess thou
+hast referred to?'</p>
+
+<p>'A Roman of royal blood.'</p>
+
+<p>'Nika, circle of lies, canst thou think to deceive me, the magic centre
+of Ephesus? I divine thy thoughts, read thy soul to its very core.
+Again, let me advise thee, turn from this love business.'</p>
+
+<p>'No! The philtre, brew it, make it quickly, give it me,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span> I beg of thee!
+I cannot live without Chios. Have some compassion on me. Thou art a
+woman and wise, and canst see in this I lie not&mdash;my soul consumes me! He
+rejects me; all this inflames me to grasp quickly at this heart I love.
+In my passion I tried to slay thee. Forgive me, Endora&mdash;forgive me; I
+was mad! If thou dost not help me to win him&mdash;mark my meaning&mdash;I will
+not fail to make him so that he shall never love another!'</p>
+
+<p>'Rash girl, thou art truly beside thyself! Philtre thou shalt have, but
+remember it often turns to madness those you seek to win. What then?'</p>
+
+<p>'What then? I slay myself as an atonement!'</p>
+
+<p>'Again, let me warn thee those philtres do not always take effect. It
+may be like so much water to Chios.'</p>
+
+<p>'Never mind. Let me try.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then have it thou shalt, but what of the Roman? With such intoxication
+for Chios, and if the Greek half equals thee, then it would be so
+apparent to the Proconsul.'</p>
+
+<p>'Never you care! Give me a philtre to cool his love.'</p>
+
+<p>So, without more words, Endora stepped into the gloom of the cave, and,
+opening one of the chests, took therefrom ingredients for the spell. On
+the altar the woman laid some embers of fire, and, pouring oil over
+them, they sent forth a little blaze, shining out and lighting up the
+faces with a lurid glare, casting dark shadows behind them. For a moment
+no voice broke the stillness of the place. After the woman had placed
+her crucible upon the fire, she turned to Nika, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Listen while I brew.' Stretching forth her bony hands, she said, 'Take
+this, thou haughty Greek:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i2">'Fish remora,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Brains of calf,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Hair of wolf and bones of toad,<br /></span><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span>
+<span class="i2">Blood of doves and hippomanes,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Scarlet oak and bruised snake,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Screech-owl's feathers and marrow of men&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Men who have drowned at sea.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Crackle the laurels under the pot;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Thrice I stir, thrice I chant the mystic number three.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Who shall withstand the philtre Endora of Hecate brews?<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Simmer, ye potion!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Brew, ye philtre!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Spirits of Hades, draw out the essence<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Of fish and beasts, birds and men!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Make the broth strong so the sediment worthless may be.<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Help ye the drawing of love by the lover<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">From Chios who drinks of this mixture of Hell!'<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>Turning, she saw the girl pallid with fright and shading her eyes with
+her hands.</p>
+
+<p>'Ah, Mistress Nika, thou art terror-stricken! What if I should clear thy
+vision and let thee see the spirits surrounding the charmed vessel?'</p>
+
+<p>Endora blew out the light, and the twain were in darkness, except for
+the glare of the dying embers. The girl uttered a death-like wail, and
+fell to the ground like a corpse. When consciousness returned, she saw
+the witch sitting in a cleft of the rock, with a sardonic smile on her
+face and a small phial in her hand. But it was not filled with the
+brewage; its contents were harmless. Endora knew her r&ocirc;le too well to
+join Nika and Chios.</p>
+
+<p>As the love-stricken maid grew fully awake, she cried:</p>
+
+<p>'Oh, woman, thou art terrible! Is it thus thou makest the philtre? Had I
+known so much, my heart would have failed me. Thou art truly of Hecate,
+and so is Saronia. Is your creed the same?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, proud daughter of Venusta. It is the same, yet not so. Saronia is
+blessed of Diana; I am the accursed of Hecate. Saronia commands those
+spirits by her goodness; I draw them by the evil within me. But those
+shades<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> are the slaves of the priestess, slaves like she was a slave to
+thee, with this difference: she treats the most abject with compassion;
+thou treatedst her with&mdash;&mdash;'</p>
+
+<p>'Hush, woman; no more of this! Let her be.'</p>
+
+<p>'Ah, let her be, indeed; thou dost not intend to. As soon as thou art
+hence, thou wilt do thy best to devour her, as the night-hawk a sleeping
+bird. But beware, girl! Thou art treading a great abyss, an unfathomable
+chasm. Be careful, or thou wilt regret thy undertaking! Shall I say
+more?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no; the philtre! Give it me, and let me go.'</p>
+
+<p>'Here, take it! But wilt thou not also take this, a counter-one for the
+Roman, to make him, cool as Chios, burn with love? I have such ready.'</p>
+
+<p>'Let it be so,' said Nika.</p>
+
+<p>Then the witch said:</p>
+
+<p>'Be wise: the rose-coloured phial for Chios; the azure for the Roman.'</p>
+
+<p>But the azure one was the brewage of hell.</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII"></a>CHAPTER XXIII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE CHARMED WINE</h3>
+
+
+<p>There was great excitement in the city of Ephesus, so strong had the
+power of the Christians become.</p>
+
+<p>The story of the demoniac also filled the minds of the people, and a
+great crowd had gathered in the Agora, it being rumoured that converts
+to the new faith would at noon openly burn their mystic books and
+publicly renounce their magical rites.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When the multitude of onlookers saw a vast concourse advancing, bearing
+symbols of the cross, all looked forward to unpleasant proceedings.</p>
+
+<p>As the Christians drew nigh in regular procession, many leading men and
+women were observed amongst them. They came on, singing hymns to their
+God and His Messiah, with heads uncovered in the presence of the sacred
+emblems.</p>
+
+<p>Judah was amongst them, leading a number of men carrying aged
+manuscripts&mdash;manuscripts on Asian magic, written by some of the
+cleverest men of ancient times.</p>
+
+<p>The books were piled together, each man laying down his load. A torch
+was applied, and the smoke went up against the cloudless sky. Volumes
+were thrown upon burning volumes, the flames leaped high, rising into a
+pyramid of fire, till the whole were consumed.</p>
+
+<p>Judah stood forward, and, bending over the blackened ashes, cried:</p>
+
+<p>'Thus may error die everywhere down the line of centuries, until good
+shall reign supreme! One God, one Lord, and His Christ, for ever and
+ever!'</p>
+
+<p>Amongst the spectators were Venusta, Nika, and the Proconsul; but they
+were not on the side of the Christians. Their policy was one of
+silence&mdash;silence mixed with scorn.</p>
+
+<p>There was, however, amongst that hated sect one whom they well
+knew&mdash;Chios the Greek; he saw them and passed greeting.</p>
+
+<p>All would have passed off peacefully but for a traitor Ephesian who had
+mixed himself amongst the Christians, and, to raise the ire of the
+populace, cried out:</p>
+
+<p>'Down with Diana of the Ephesians!'</p>
+
+<p>The mob rushed frantically upon the crowd of book-destroyers, and would
+have torn them to pieces but for the intervention of the law,
+represented by an Asiarch<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> who was present. He calmed the tumult, and
+laughed to scorn the idea of a few misguided men and women trying to
+eclipse the goddess whom all the known world worshipped.</p>
+
+<p>From that hour Chios was a marked man amongst his fellows. They were
+somewhat indifferent as to how the rabble moved, backward or forward,
+but with the Greek it was different&mdash;he, the greatest artist of Ephesus,
+whose inspirations had gone to build up the faith! Had he not painted
+Saronia, the High Priestess? and did not the picture hang prominently
+within the sacred precincts of the mighty Temple?</p>
+
+<p>No, he must be watched, secured. If a true charge could not be made
+against him, then a false one must be born. Better for him to go to the
+lions and die than live to embody with his great genius the principles
+of a false faith. Thus did he stand on a volcano of hate.</p>
+
+<p>As the crowd dispersed Chios joined Nika and her friends, and was
+greeted with a covert sneer.</p>
+
+<p>'Did we not see thee amongst the unclean? Shame, good man, to be in such
+doubtful company! Soon thou wilt be at their midnight orgies, and come
+forth an advocate for this pernicious fraud. And who may say but that
+thou mayest be baptized and paint the Christian martyr in the throes of
+death by fire or sword, or caged beasts, eh?&mdash;and sign thy name "Chios
+the Christian" also?'</p>
+
+<p>'Come, Chios, put away this melancholy. Come with us; we will cheer
+thee&mdash;make thee Chios again. Thou shalt drown thy sorrows in good Ionian
+wine.'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes,' said Nika, 'thou shalt have a draught of rare old Chian wine.'
+And to herself she murmured: 'It shall be rose-coloured, and this day
+shall be the last he shall think of faith or Saronia. Ah! he shall love
+madly, and I shall win him.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Chios made no retaliation, but smilingly said:</p>
+
+<p>'I will accompany you to your lovely home. Come, sweet Nika, let me sail
+by you. And you, Roman, escort the Lady Venusta. Do not be jealous if I
+make your Nika happy.'</p>
+
+<p>And they walked the shaded way, passing the stately marble edifices,
+until they ascended the side of Mount Coressus, the tall pines nodding
+gracefully as their foliage danced on the breeze.</p>
+
+<p>'Dost thou believe much in this magic?' said the girl. 'I would like thy
+honest opinion.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, yes, I cannot say I do not believe in it. Undoubtedly, during the
+ages man has accumulated knowledge which enables him to consort with the
+unseen; but at the beginning it was not so, and even now it is unholy to
+do so.'</p>
+
+<p>'That is quite different to what I expected from thee. I expected thy
+hand raised emphatically, and "Nonsense! Childish fancies!" to have been
+thy reply.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, Nika; I search after truth and goodness. Mark ye, all that is true
+is not good; and truth oftentimes is wrapped in error&mdash;wrapped in lies.
+I take the wheat and throw aside the chaff! I believe it is true. Man by
+certain peculiar laws may familiarize himself with spirits deeper sunk
+in misery than himself, and may work with them. Believing this, I do not
+practise it. It is not good to do so. 'Tis fraught with direst evil, for
+the spirit here who mixes with such wandering ones sinks to their level
+and joins them when he passes over the boundary. Men&mdash;yea, women!&mdash;are
+like unto their familiar companions; if not so at the outset, will
+gradually and surely become so. Understand, Nika?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, and should feel very timid to move within the magic circle. Thy
+teaching, thou knowest, is law to me.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> Therefore I promise I never
+shall. But was it not a pity to burn all those beautiful books?'</p>
+
+<p>'No; burn the old creed and start with the new, if the new be better.
+Burn a world if it be vile, and start with a new earth, peopled with a
+few who know what it is to live well.'</p>
+
+<p>'But tell me quickly, Chios, how wouldst thou screen Saronia? She is the
+mightiest sorceress in the land! Wilt thou condemn her also?'</p>
+
+<p>'I condemn no one&mdash;I condemn creeds which pilot men to evil, and I press
+forward to gain the purer light. Let each one do the same.'</p>
+
+<p>They passed into the house of Venusta, and, once within the open court,
+all was changed. On the cool, perfumed air floated the softest strains,
+flowing like rippling water from cithara, lute and lyre.</p>
+
+<p>'Nika, dear girl, wilt thou arrange that fruit and wine may be set? Give
+order to thy slave; bid them be brought.'</p>
+
+<p>'Nay, mother, I will see to it all myself. The rich juice of choicest
+grape stands yonder. Let me fetch it&mdash;let me be serving-maid to such
+noble guests.'</p>
+
+<p>'Wayward child! A whim of thine, I suppose. Go thy way;' and the girl
+danced off on the lightest foot to the Golden Room.</p>
+
+<p>She grasped the goblets of gold, poured into them the rarest essence of
+the vine, and looked down into their rosy depths, and saw mirrored there
+the consummation of her hopes.</p>
+
+<p>'One thing is needful,' said she, 'to complete the chain. Link after
+link have I forged it, and now for the last to form a chain of love so
+strong, so powerful as to bind the Greek to me for <i>ever</i>!'</p>
+
+<p>She placed her hand within her girdle of rubies, and drew<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> forth two
+phials&mdash;one azure, the other rose. She held them aloft, one in each
+jewelled hand. The sunlight came through the windows of coloured marble,
+and the phials sparkled like the jewels round her waist.</p>
+
+<p>She gazed on them, a smile lighting up her face. On them hung her life's
+joy&mdash;if such a thing as joy could ever warm the heart of Nika, the Roman
+girl.</p>
+
+<p>Yes, if she were doomed, she would be damned beneath the shelter of
+Chios.</p>
+
+<p>The goblets lay on the ivory table. One had a serpent around its base,
+emblem of eternity; into that she poured the contents of the
+rose-coloured phial.</p>
+
+<p>'This for Chios,' said she.</p>
+
+<p>The other vessel had a chaste design of lilies, into which she poured
+the liquid from the azure phial.</p>
+
+<p>'This for the Roman. Eternity for Chios&mdash;the fading flowers for Varro!'</p>
+
+<p>On a golden plate begemmed with emeralds she placed them, and went forth
+from the Golden Room bearing the charmed wine.</p>
+
+<p>'Drink!' said Nika. 'Drink joy to the house of Venusta and Lucius!'</p>
+
+<p>And they pledged themselves in Ionian wine.</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV"></a>CHAPTER XXIV</h2>
+
+<h3>THE MINSTREL</h3>
+
+
+<p>Chios sat lazily in his studio. Work he could not; something had come
+over him&mdash;an influence unseen hovered near. He was not sad, nor was he
+joyous. There was a deep quiet reigning such as he had never before
+experienced.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> He seemed to be moving into a new faith; a serenity of
+softest light lingered around his spirit&mdash;a mild delight into which one
+would sink until it blossomed into ecstatic joy.</p>
+
+<p>The light streamed through the open doorway, and fell into the shadows
+which dwelt behind the marble pillars.</p>
+
+<p>He heard soft strains from a distant lyre, and they sweetly moved his
+soul. The melody of song floated on the evening breeze. He arose from
+his seat, and followed the strains down between the sweet-scented
+myrtles to the entrance-gate.</p>
+
+<p>There was a poor emaciated minstrel, singing for bread. The heart of
+Chios was touched; he beckoned to the man, and brought him within and
+set food before him.</p>
+
+<p>'I like thy voice, sweet singer. Now thou art refreshed, tell me of thy
+life.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art passing good, kind sir. I was born in Delos, of Greek parents,
+who died whilst I was yet a child. I was thrown upon the cold world. A
+sailor crew took me up, and on board a Ph&oelig;nician ship I sailed the
+seas to Argos, Spain, and Gaul, and settled in the islands of the West
+named Britain. There I eked out an existence, a stranger on a foreign
+shore. I learned the customs of those strange people, accepted their
+faith, sang their songs, married, lived the life of a Briton until my
+wife died&mdash;I loved her&mdash;then my star waned. I fell sick, and pined for
+my Eastern home, came back to Sidon, roamed through Syria, Galatia,
+Phrygia, and here; and now, faint, weary, and tired of living, I fain
+would lay me down and die. But for this cherished lyre and the pleasure
+of song, I have no other joy save the memories of the past, and would
+like to rest and join my only love, the British girl of far Bolerium.'</p>
+
+<p>'Ah! a sad story. The same old tale. Love the leveller, affinity,
+fate&mdash;one gone, the other panting to follow. Man, thou hast a good score
+of summers before thee. Cheer up! Let us be joyous!'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And Chios poured forth some refreshing wine, and bade the minstrel
+partake of it.</p>
+
+<p>'Now sing me one of thy love-songs, and thou shalt not want for a good
+meal for many a day.'</p>
+
+<p>'What wouldst thou like, good sir? Shall I sing to thee a British song,
+a legend of the Saronides?'</p>
+
+<p>'Sing on.'</p>
+
+<p>Then the wanderer rose and flung his worn mantle over his shoulders; his
+wealth of dark hair flowing from under his cap, and the shadows falling
+around like a veil of mystery, lowering the tone of his pale but
+beautiful face.</p>
+
+<p>Raising his lyre, he swept his fingers over the strings, and a burst of
+harmony arose and filled the marble room; and, as it died away in
+softest echoes, his sweet, clear, pathetic voice sang forth these words:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">'Far away across the seas,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Borne by ever-favouring breeze,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Skim and plough the ocean's breast<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To the islands of the West.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Where the blue waves kiss the land,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Where the pearls gleam on the strand,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Where the vales of Britain lie<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Neath the ever-changing sky,<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Lived a British maiden free&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Princess, priestess, both was she,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">When a Roman with his art<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Wooed and stole this maiden's heart.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Fled she with him o'er the seas,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Past the sea-girt Cyclades,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">On to Sidon's murmuring shore,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">But she smiled not evermore.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">For the Roman went his way,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">And was often heard to say<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">How he left beyond the seas<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The bride of the Saronides.<br /></span><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Grew she sadder day by day,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Till the Reaper came that way;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Then she raised her eyes and smiled,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Died, and left behind a child.'<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>As the last notes died away, the singer saw a great change come over the
+face of the Greek.</p>
+
+<p>His head rested on his right hand, and with the other he convulsively
+clutched a little silver shrine which hung from his neck. He was as pale
+as death; he moved not, spoke not, until the minstrel said:</p>
+
+<p>'What ails thee, noble lord?'</p>
+
+<p>Chios braced himself together, and replied:</p>
+
+<p>'I was deeply touched with thy tender tale. My soul flew out to Sidon.
+Tell me, is this story true?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, 'tis true. I knew the priestess princess, but the Roman I never
+saw.'</p>
+
+<p>'What was she like?'</p>
+
+<p>'Beautiful&mdash;rarely beautiful! She moved among the Druid bards the queen,
+like a queen of night&mdash;tall, commanding, with great dark eyes like dusky
+diamonds; deep, piercing were those eyes, set beneath eyebrows fit for
+Juno. Every lineament of her face spoke forth a soul of souls. When she
+walked, her robe of white fell like a summer cloud, and her dark, waving
+hair in masses of beauty moved over her shoulders down to her feet.
+Everyone knew her, feared her&mdash;everyone loved her. In an evil hour she
+fell, was punished, and died far, far away from her island home.'</p>
+
+<p>'What was her name?'</p>
+
+<p>'Saronia.'</p>
+
+<p>'Great God! Saronia?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yea, my lord. Thou art agitated?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no, no! Go on!'</p>
+
+<p>'Nothing much remains to be told. This only: They mourned her fall, her
+loss, her death. The prophets in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> that land have cast a destiny of her
+child, and say she shall shine forth as the moon, terrible as the sun;
+that she shall tread with dignity the floorway of a great temple, and
+shall minister at its altar; that she shall rise to the greatest
+eminence, and&mdash;&mdash;'</p>
+
+<p>'Stay! Say no more, man&mdash;say no more! Leave her there!'</p>
+
+<p>And a great pain passed over the face of Chios, and he pressed his head
+between his hands as if to hide from his gaze some hideous vision. Then,
+suddenly recovering, he said:</p>
+
+<p>'Hast thou that song written in words? If so, sell it to me.'</p>
+
+<p>'I have it,' replied the minstrel; and, taking from his bosom some
+time-worn parchments, selected one. 'This is it; thou art welcome&mdash;thou
+shalt not purchase. The parchment is naught to me; the words are written
+on my heart. This copy shall be thine.'</p>
+
+<p>Chios took it, and saw the song was written on the back of an old Celtic
+manuscript. He cared not for these unknown characters. What he wanted
+was the song only, and for that he would not take a thousand drachmas.</p>
+
+<p>Pressing some golden pieces into the hands of the minstrel, he said:</p>
+
+<p>'Come to-morrow and sing to me. We are friends. Go now to thine home,
+for the chill evening air is wedding the night, and thou mayest take
+hurt.'</p>
+
+<p>When Chios was alone the torrent of his mind was unloosed.</p>
+
+<p>He lit the silver lamp, threw himself on his couch, drew out the
+parchment, gazed long and intently on it, read it again and again&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">'Princess, priestess, both was she,'<br /></span><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>until his eyes were suffused with tears, and, overcome with his
+feelings, he fell asleep.</p>
+
+<p>The next day he awaited the coming of the singer, but he came not. The
+day following did not bring him. Then he determined to seek him, and,
+after finding the place of his abode, found the spirit of the minstrel
+had moved to a far-away shore. The singer had sung his last song on
+earth.</p>
+
+<p>This was told to Chios by an old woman with whom the minstrel lodged.</p>
+
+<p>'What is thy name, good man?' said she.</p>
+
+<p>'Chios.'</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou Chios, the great artist of Ionia?'</p>
+
+<p>'They say so.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then take those parchments. The poor fellow wished it so. And, in
+dying, he uttered thy name and another. Poor man! he was only a
+strolling minstrel, but I verily believe he has gone to the Great. He
+was no ordinary man. Peace rest his soul!'</p>
+
+<p>Chios went his way, muttering to himself:</p>
+
+<p>'Ah! peace rest his soul. What of my own? Would I could reach Saronia!
+It is a long time since I met her. I dare not go again. Now my soul is
+greatly troubled. I am wavering in faith and in doubt as to what is
+truth. In danger for my doubt; in love with the being I may never meet.
+For aught I know, death may seal me in oblivion, and there shall be no
+more of me. All this confronts me, and more. I firmly believe I could
+place before Saronia strong evidence from the song and the words of the
+minstrel. See her I must. If I die, one is free&mdash;free if I live again! I
+<i>must</i> survive! Though no light breaks over this great problem, no voice
+or echoes from the distant land, yet my soul, finer element of myself,
+whispers, "Thou shalt never die."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Well, Chios, another attempt. Without a pretext, I never could, but I
+have a strong case this time. Go I will, this very night. I know the
+way, and will venture all. The parchments I will not take&mdash;I will leave
+them at my studio.'</p>
+
+<p>He folded them carefully, sealed them with his signet, and addressed
+them to the High Priestess of the Temple of Diana at Ephesus.</p>
+
+<p>'That is right,' said he. 'If I fail, she will receive them.'</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXV" id="CHAPTER_XXV"></a>CHAPTER XXV</h2>
+
+<h3>THE SACRED HOUNDS</h3>
+
+
+<p>When the night advanced, Chios went his way to the Sacred Grove of
+Hecate. Once near the walls surrounding it, he sprang over and was soon
+among the trees.</p>
+
+<p>The night was still; no sound was heard save the shriek of the hawk and
+the cry of the hounds of the goddess.</p>
+
+<p>Which way should he take? Would she come to sacrifice? What should he
+do&mdash;should he give up this foolhardy expedition and retrace his steps?
+No; a strange fascination drew him onwards. Step by step he moved
+forward until he drew nigh to the marble Temple of the night goddess&mdash;a
+lonely man amidst the great solitude, and shadowed by the lofty pines.
+No thunderings or voices or lightnings came from the sombre pile; a
+great bird wheeled by, nearly touching him, shrieking as it flew like
+the spirit of a wandering soul.</p>
+
+<p>Whilst wondering what to do, he heard the sound of barking dogs; it came
+nearer, nearer still; they would soon be upon him. Escape there was
+none. He looked for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span> refuge: the trees were tall and mighty, and no
+foothold to ascend. He hid behind the great trunk of the nearest, and
+was no sooner there than a pack of the fiercest hell-hounds came rushing
+down the gloomy way. Swiftly they came. The leaders went past him; troop
+after troop swept by in great masses, until they seemed to be without
+end.</p>
+
+<p>Verily they had an object, for the foremost ones turned and were coming
+back towards him. Some had left the beaten track and were scouring
+between the trees. Evidently they had scented him, and in a second or
+two the foremost brute stood near him with foaming mouth and eyes of
+fire.</p>
+
+<p>For a moment only it stood; the next it was upon Chios and received the
+dagger of the Greek firmly embedded in its heart. Rolling over, it
+uttered a dismal howl and died. Two others were upon him. He grasped his
+cloak, wound it around his arm over his hand and thrust it into one
+animal's mouth, and with one wrench dislocated its jaw. With the right
+hand free, he met the third and plunged his dagger into its side until
+it fell back goaded with pain, and in the throes of death sent forth
+terrific wails, at which the doors of the Temple were thrown open. A
+light streamed down the pathway, lighting up the fierce combat between
+man and beasts. The priests uttered a peculiar call, and every hound was
+immediately obedient; not one left its post, but drew up in a circle
+around Chios, preventing any chance of escape. Torches flamed, and many
+men came towards the place of conflict.</p>
+
+<p>One of the priests stepped forward, and beheld the Greek covered with
+blood, and still clutching his jewelled dagger.</p>
+
+<p>The priest cried:</p>
+
+<p>'What dost thou here on holy ground, surrounded by the hounds of the
+goddess and the slain around thee?<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> Knowest thou the penalty is death?
+Surrender! or we let loose the hounds that they tear thee limb from
+limb. Surrender! we say. Thou shalt have trial, that justice may be
+done, and we may know whether or not thou camest hither by mischance.'</p>
+
+<p>'I surrender. Not that I fear your hounds or death&mdash;I surrender because
+I have no right here.'</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou a stranger?'</p>
+
+<p>'No.'</p>
+
+<p>'Who art thou, then, besmeared with the blood of the consecrated
+beasts?'</p>
+
+<p>'I am Chios.'</p>
+
+<p>'Chios!' shouted the priests. 'What doest thou here?'</p>
+
+<p>'That is my business,' replied he.</p>
+
+<p>'Arrest Chios the Greek!' cried the chief.</p>
+
+<p>Chios put up his dagger into its sheath, and, surrounded by the
+torch-bearing priests and the hounds following, he walked towards the
+Temple of Hecate. They led him to the rear of the building, and opening
+the door of a cell cut into the solid rock, they thrust him in, and the
+hounds wailed and kept guard the long night through.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>How long he slept he knew not. When he awoke, a ray of light pierced
+through between the joints of the doorway, and he knew the day had come,
+and probably his fate.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>It was about the ninth hour, and by this time the priests and
+priestesses of Diana's fane knew of the arrest of the Greek for
+penetrating the mysterious grove of Hecate, and slaying the sacred
+hounds.</p>
+
+<p>What could this strange proceeding mean? All were horror-stricken. None
+could solve the reason of his being there.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Chios, above all others&mdash;Chios, one of the best beloved in Ephesus,
+guilty of such a thing!</p>
+
+<p>The news of this strange adventure flew from tongue to tongue until it
+penetrated the conversation of all the people, from the place where the
+philosophers gathered to the Acropolis on the summit of Mount Pion,
+where the Roman soldiers guarded the heights.</p>
+
+<p>From the Temple of Apollo at Claros to the shrines at Phygela nothing
+was so much spoken about as the sin of Chios the Greek.</p>
+
+<p>As the day grew this event gained in intensity, and many were the
+interpretations of his presence there.</p>
+
+<p>The people were divided. Those who were devout worshippers of the great
+goddess, jealous of his leanings toward the Christians, said it was a
+conspiracy on behalf of the hated sect to burn the Temple, and he ought
+to die. Others were more lenient, and looked suspiciously on his being
+within the Sacred Grove, and thought when on his trial all might be
+explained. But should it not, then he should stand to the death against
+the wild beasts within the common arena.</p>
+
+<p>The priests of the Temple would show no undue haste with the trial of
+such a citizen; but feeling ran high, and the ultra-devotees demanded
+immediate action.</p>
+
+<p>He was brought before the august tribunal. Many eminent men offered to
+speak for him. Chios was obdurate, and, when faced by his accusers, and
+asked to explain his position, he politely, but positively, refused.
+Nothing was left for him but death, and he was condemned to the lions.</p>
+
+<p>When the sentence became fully known, and, moreover, that he refused
+explanation, the populace were more than ever confounded, and desired to
+solve the problem. They well knew that, the decree having gone forth, he
+must die;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> and rightly, said many, or the Sacred Grove would never be
+safe from robbers or midnight prowlers, and the glory of the Lady
+Saviour be impaired.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Chios was handed over to the authorities and lodged in a cell within the
+walls of the great theatre, to be brought forth on a day near at hand,
+when many who were condemned should fight to the end.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXVI" id="CHAPTER_XXVI"></a>CHAPTER XXVI</h2>
+
+<h3>ON THE VERGE</h3>
+
+
+<p>The judgment pronounced on Chios reached the house of Venusta, and
+daughter and mother were sore distressed, for the Greek was as one of
+themselves.</p>
+
+<p>Nika was broken-hearted, and resolved to save him. What should she do?
+To betray intense emotion might convince Varro of her love for the
+ill-fated man. The Roman was aflame with love, and wrapped in a mantle
+of jealousy, since he had received the philtre from her hands which was
+destined for Chios.</p>
+
+<p>She would approach him gently, and artful as a snake.</p>
+
+<p>When he came that day, she said:</p>
+
+<p>'Hast thou heard of the arrest of our friend?'</p>
+
+<p>'Heard of it? Why, nothing else occupies the Ephesians, and by this time
+all in Lydia, Phrygia, and Caria, as well as Ionia, have heard of the
+sad event. Whatever does it mean, Nika? Canst thou solve it, noble
+Venusta?'</p>
+
+<p>'We cannot,' they both exclaimed. ''Tis a most mysterious affair. We are
+as much at sea to understand as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> thou. Surely he must have had a motive
+for being in the Sacred Grove.'</p>
+
+<p>'I am dying to know,' added Nika. 'Our sex is full of curiosity. Could
+he not yet explain and stand a chance for his life?' said she. 'In one
+way he deserves his fate: he was always queer and headstrong; but it is
+a frightful thought to imagine him torn limb from limb and expiring
+before our eyes. Can anything be done? Perhaps if I saw him,' continued
+the girl, 'I might extract from him that which he refuses others. There
+was a time when I had some little influence with him, but that was long,
+very long ago. Nevertheless, if thou considerest it feasible, and get me
+audience&mdash;private audience, mark you, for he is not the man to unburden
+his mind to the public gaze&mdash;I will see him, weak creature as I am. I
+will do my best; and see what thou canst do, if thou dost value his
+life.'</p>
+
+<p>'Good! Well said, Nika! The Proconsul will do what he can. Hold thyself
+in readiness for the morrow. I will advise thee further on this matter.'</p>
+
+<p>The Roman was sad at heart, and soon took his departure, brooding deeply
+over that which Nika had advanced. True, he was the first in the land,
+but could he interfere? He would try. Chios was a noble fellow, and
+would lay down his life rather than be guilty of a mean act. There must
+be some great mystery behind it all. What could it be? Chios the
+generous, truthful, straightforward, faithful friend guilty of
+death&mdash;guilty of death for being within a grove called 'sacred,' and for
+killing a couple of infuriated dogs! Nonsense! He was not a robber or
+incendiary. Nothing of the kind; and he would never see the life-blood
+of such a man flow out to the earth, and his dying spasms make sport for
+the people of Ionia. No! To work! He knew by virtue<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> of his rank he
+could see him, and see him he would, and extract from him sufficient to
+save him.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>When the morning came, the Roman Proconsul saw the Greek in his cell. He
+was not depressed, nor did he display any fear. He rose to meet Varro
+with his usual courtesy, and, reaching out his hand, grasped firmly that
+of his visitor.</p>
+
+<p>'What doest thou here, Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>'Varro, thou art not a stranger in Ephesus, and hast heard all. Nay,
+more, thou knowest the seal stamped on the decree which bears my fate.'</p>
+
+<p>'Chios, noble friend, I have come to do my best to save thee. Thou dost
+not wish to die? art not tired of life&mdash;of the green fields, the summer
+sea, the fleeting clouds of the setting sun? Nature has still a charm
+for thee, I trust? Thou hast not darkened thy spirit with heinous sin,
+hast thou?'</p>
+
+<p>'No.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then thou hast a friend in Varro.'</p>
+
+<p>'How canst thou help me?'</p>
+
+<p>'This way: give reason of thy being within that fatal Grove. I know thy
+reason will be good, and thou shalt appeal to Nero. I will see to it
+that it shall be so, and, further, that thou shalt live&mdash;free! Now, my
+dear fellow, speak out, and give me hope. Speak, Chios; the house of
+Venusta languisheth to aid thee. Nika would have come, but I thought it
+better to be here myself.'</p>
+
+<p>'Varro, friend in adversity, I have nothing to say. My life is
+forfeited. Let it go. Man dies, and it is well to die with conscience
+clear. Mine is so. No more have I to say but this: My studio&mdash;see it
+safely closed. Let no profane eye dwell upon my leavings. When I have
+passed,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> enter thou, take charge, sell all thou findest there; the
+proceeds give to the poor of this great city. My parchments are there,
+and, as directed by their superscription, deal with them.'</p>
+
+<p>'Chios, do not throw thy life away! This very direction now dropped from
+thy lips tells me thou couldst not be guilty of crime. There is some
+deep-hidden secret resting within thy bosom dearer than life. I respect
+thy courage, and will say no more. As a Roman soldier, I dare not.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thanks, Varro, thanks. Thou art right in being silent.'</p>
+
+<p>'Farewell, noble man; I leave thee to thy fate. It will do thee justice.
+Farewell, farewell, Chios!'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>When the Roman had gone, and Chios was alone, the pent-up feelings of
+the Greek broke loose.</p>
+
+<p>'No,' cried he, 'I will never betray Saronia! A thousand deaths, but not
+that! She knows; she understands! When I die for her I can do nothing
+greater. She will feel lonely, but love me more intensely.'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Varro went directly to Nika, and told her of his visit.</p>
+
+<p>'Fool!' said she. 'Let him die! If he count not his life worth having,
+why then should we trouble?'</p>
+
+<p>'Nay, child, do not be so rash,' said Venusta. 'Do not speak so lightly
+of his fate. We do not know all. Chios is never the man to act without
+great reason. He will weigh all consequences.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, well; I will see him myself as a last effort,' said the girl.
+'May I, Varro?'</p>
+
+<p>'Do as thou wilt, but ere thou goest make oath on the honour of a Roman
+lady thou wilt give him nothing to frustrate the decree. The dishonour
+would be on me.'</p>
+
+<p>'Agreed! When may I go?'</p>
+
+<p>'At once. Every moment is precious.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>She was soon ready, and without any apparent perturbation accompanied
+her lover to the place where Chios was confined.</p>
+
+<p>As she drew near her face became blanched with terror, and she leaned on
+the arm of Varro for support. Her courage gave way, and for the first
+time she betrayed a great agitation.</p>
+
+<p>They traversed the line of underground cells until they came to the one
+in which Chios lay. The Proconsul communicated his wishes to the guard,
+and Nika was conducted within, and left with Chios.</p>
+
+<p>When he saw her he started back as if stung with a poisoned arrow. His
+nature told him there was cause to fear. Did she suspect his secret? For
+a moment both were silent, then he exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>'Nika, why comest thou to such a horrible place? Hearest thou the roar
+of the angry beasts calling for their prey? Art thou not afraid?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, Chios, I fear not, only for thee. That has brought me here. I mean
+to rescue thee. Have I not told thee aforetime that that love which
+would not dare to die for another is not worthy of the name of love?
+Thou hast ever known I love thee. Again, without I dissemble. Here I am
+once more unrestrained. I will speak freely to thee. No one will hear.
+My Roman has given me liberty to hold free and secret communion with
+thee. Now, Chios, we must not bandy words. My visit must necessarily be
+brief, and I have come to aid thee. What wert thou doing in the Sacred
+Grove? Tell me, dearest Chios. Tell me lies or truth, anything that I
+may have argument to plead for thee.'</p>
+
+<p>Then answered he:</p>
+
+<p>'Lies I cannot speak; the truth I will not.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then I know, and will answer for thee. I will say<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span> Saronia sent for
+thee, and thou wert there with thy full heart to do her bidding. That
+she deceived thee, or failed to come in time&mdash;hence thy position.'</p>
+
+<p>'Woman, thou liest basely! Thou wouldst tear down the honour of an
+innocent person, and build on the ruins the gratification of thy selfish
+passions. Leave me! leave me at once! Why hast thou come here like a
+sinuous serpent, gaudy and beautiful, but carrying a venom dipped in
+hell? Wert thou to attempt this base calumny, I would nevertheless die,
+and dying, shower my curses on thy head, on the head of a perjurer,
+murderess of the deepest blackness! Now go; thou hast had the mind of
+Chios. Chios can meet his fate. Let Saronia rest; she is innocent of my
+act.'</p>
+
+<p>'Dear Chios, do pacify thyself. I was probing only to know the truth.
+Forgive Nika!' And she threw herself upon his neck and wept as if her
+heart would break.</p>
+
+<p>Chios put her from him, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'A dying man cannot afford to carry with him a stormy spirit. When I was
+born, the day, the wise men say, was sunny, the leaves were green, and
+blossoms were on the citron-trees, the birds sang, the winds were
+hushed, and all nature smiled. On suchlike day my spirit came within the
+infant form. I came peacefully, and would leave the same, only with a
+purer soul. Our life here should be an evolution of goodness. Hast thine
+been so, Nika?'</p>
+
+<p>She started back in tears. It seemed but a few short years when she was
+a child, and with swiftness her mind flew back across the summers. She
+saw herself darkened and deformed, and she held down her head in
+silence.</p>
+
+<p>'Ah, girl! my words have touched thee. Let them be my legacy. Remember
+them when Chios is gone. Try and be a nobler girl.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Oh, Chios, cease, or I shall die! What shall I do for thee?'</p>
+
+<p>'Nothing! Take my forgiveness, and go. Go to thy betrothed.'</p>
+
+<p>'Is this all? Am I also to be sent empty away? For the sake of all who
+love thee, for the sake of Ephesus, I beseech thee, speak out! Thou art
+not guilty, canst do no wrong. Thou art a sacrifice; thou shalt not
+die!'</p>
+
+<p>She fell upon her knees, grasped his hands in hers, bathed them in the
+tears which fell from her eyes, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'If thou dost die, I will die also. If I cannot lean upon thee here, I
+will pass with thee, follow thee like a faithful dog through the land
+they call spirit. I have no one but Chios&mdash;thou art a mighty soul. In
+the great beyond I can look to none but thee. Oh, Chios! oh, love!'</p>
+
+<p>The heart of the man was melting, but his spirit remained firm.</p>
+
+<p>'Poor Nika! would I could help thee! Were it in my power, I would place
+thee in a holier sphere when thy new life comes, but such is not for me
+to do. I cannot assert my own destiny, much less make thine. Thou
+wouldst not help thyself by dying. I fear our ways lie apart. Thou
+wouldst not care to follow me. My affinities are not thine, and beyond
+they would mingle less. Now let me dry thy tears;' and taking her
+richly-embroidered handkerchief, he brushed the pearly drops from her
+cheeks, raised her hand to his lips, and kissed it.</p>
+
+<p>'I will not leave thee, Nika, when I have passed through the vale, but
+will do my best to lead thee through the gloom.'</p>
+
+<p>He took her to the door of the cell and left her.</p>
+
+<p>She staggered forward, lost her consciousness, and fell.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> They took her
+to the fresh air, and after a while she looked upwards towards the
+skies, murmuring:</p>
+
+<p>'He is gone away. I saw him leave in the midst of a company of gods.
+There&mdash;there is the rift in the blue where he entered. Chios! Chios!
+Thou wilt come again&mdash;again,' and she fell back as one dead.</p>
+
+<p>Quickly they bore her home. Agonizing fever set in with fury on her
+until all hope of recovery was despaired of. They watched beside her.
+Still there came no turn for the better.</p>
+
+<p>One ever-recurring delirium was hers, and ever and anon she looked up
+with vacant stare, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'The pillar has fallen, the tree is stricken, but thou hast promised to
+return to me!'</p>
+
+<p>After the Roman had taken her to the house of Venusta, he went again to
+Chios, and told him of her unhappy condition, imploring him, for the
+sake of Nika, to free himself, as that seemed the only chance of saving
+her life, for his name was always on her lips.</p>
+
+<p>With profound sorrow Chios bent his head and groaned within, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Merciless Fates! What have I done to cause such suffering?... My heart
+sorrows nigh to breaking yet my mind is fixed as a rock dashed upon by
+many waves. I cannot alter my decision. I die, even if my own eternal
+destiny were shattered by my refusing to live! All will be well with
+Nika. She will live, but I shall be led to death. Farewell! My farewell
+to Venusta, Nika, and glorious Ephesus with all its beauty! Remember my
+last testament, and, should thou see an aged man with deep intelligence
+stamped upon his brow&mdash;a foreigner, and chief of the Nazarenes (thou
+wilt recognise him; he is without counterpart)&mdash;tell him I die in peace.
+His God is mine. Again farewell!'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The two men gazed at each other for a moment. The Roman spoke first:</p>
+
+<p>'Chios, thou art mad! Why, this alone would damn thee tenfold! Thou art
+lost! The die is cast, thy doom sealed. Unhappy friend, I pity thee,
+pity thee from my very heart. Farewell! Farewell&mdash;for ever!'</p>
+
+<p>And Chios was left to his fate.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The great day had come. Thousands were pouring into the city. It was the
+day when the Ephesian theatre would be filled with spectators to witness
+the slaughter of the condemned&mdash;slaves, felons, Christians, and
+Chios&mdash;to make sport for the people.</p>
+
+<p>The beasts had been kept without food the preceding day, and were
+ravenous. The multitude had been gathering since sunrise, and already
+the theatre was filled. Never in that generation had such a noble
+citizen as Chios been offered to the lions; and many hard-hearted and
+stoical ones said, 'He ought to die,' but when the testing time came,
+many, many of the people would have saved him.</p>
+
+<p>A rumour had floated, propagated by the witch Endora, that she had
+watched Chios going towards the grove, followed him, and saw him meet a
+Greek girl, a lady of Ephesus. Finding they were discovered, both hid
+within. She saw the girl leave, but Chios remained.</p>
+
+<p>The people, ready to believe almost anything for the sake of Chios,
+accepted this trumped-up story, saying: 'After all, it was a love
+affair, and Chios was not the man to reveal the lady's name.'</p>
+
+<p>Thus the feeling grew, and if the populace by vote could have saved him,
+they would have done so; but this was not possible.</p>
+
+<p>So the time wore on, and the multitude became more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> excited. The hour
+arrived. Soon the High Priest and Priestess would arrive and the
+slaughter commence.</p>
+
+<p>Chios was being brought forth to the arena just as the High Priestess
+Saronia passed him. Her garments nearly brushed the doomed man, and
+their eyes met. She halted and spoke to her escort, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Who is that man?'</p>
+
+<p>They answered: 'Chios the Greek, the great Ionian artist.'</p>
+
+<p>With an unbending look she beckoned him towards her. With voice clear as
+a silver bell, she said:</p>
+
+<p>'Of what art thou accused?'</p>
+
+<p>'I am accused of being within the Sacred Grove of Hecate, and slaying
+the hounds.'</p>
+
+<p>'What brought thee there?'</p>
+
+<p>'Madam, that is a part of my crime, that I answer not such questions.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art a bold man, but courageous. Hear me, Chios the Greek! By
+virtue of my office, High Priestess of the Lady Saviour, I pardon thee.
+Thy crime is not of the State, but of the Temple. Release him! Let him
+go!'</p>
+
+<p>Those close at hand heard the words of Saronia, and the news passed
+round the great building like a flash of light, and a mighty shout of
+consent rang out like the sound of stranded waves, for they loved Chios
+at heart.</p>
+
+<p>Even the dignity of the Proconsul forsook him for once. He arose, rushed
+out, sprang into his chariot, and drove quickly to the house of Venusta.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Nika lay motionless in sleep, one hand hanging listlessly over the side
+of an ebony couch; her hair, glinted with sunlight, partly hid her face.</p>
+
+<p>The Roman whispered softly:</p>
+
+<p>'Nika, Nika dearest, art thou better?'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Her eyes opened, and she looked up with a stolid gaze.</p>
+
+<p>'Yes. What didst thou say?'</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou better, Nika?'</p>
+
+<p>'Perhaps so. I dreamt a lovely dream.'</p>
+
+<p>'And what was it?'</p>
+
+<p>'I saw Chios walking unfettered amongst the sons of Jove. He said, "I am
+free; I will come to thee."'</p>
+
+<p>'But he is not dead, my sweet girl.'</p>
+
+<p>'Not dead? not dead?'</p>
+
+<p>'No; he is pardoned.'</p>
+
+<p>'Pardoned?' cried the maid, springing to her feet and looking around as
+if still in a dream. 'Pardoned? Pardoned? Why? By whom?'</p>
+
+<p>And her soul awoke to consciousness.</p>
+
+<p>'By Saronia, the Arch-Priestess of the Temple,' said he.</p>
+
+<p>'Saronia! Saronia again? Again?' Then the eyes of Nika fell, and a blush
+like the first crimson streak of morning swept over her cheeks, and she
+said: 'It must be so. Chios&mdash;Saronia.'</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXVII" id="CHAPTER_XXVII"></a>CHAPTER XXVII</h2>
+
+<h3>ONE FOR ANOTHER</h3>
+
+
+<p>'Now thou art well again, Nika. After thou hast rested, come with me,
+and see the sports. There will be rare tactics with the retiarii armed
+with nets. One of the swiftest, most agile, will to-day compete with a
+burly warrior. Beside, there will be a fight with beasts&mdash;a lion will be
+loosed on a Christian. Come with me into the chariot. Let me escort thee
+thither.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'No; I am weary. Free from the long dreary sleep, I would now remain
+here, thinking over the strange past. I wonder if Chios will call.'</p>
+
+<p>'I cannot say, dear. I left him near the arena pretty well exhausted.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, go thou; enjoy the day. Thou lovest manly sports. As for me, I
+will remain here and drink in the sunlight.'</p>
+
+<p>'No; a little excitement may do thee good. The drive will invigorate
+thee.'</p>
+
+<p>'If I must, then let it be so,' replied the girl, and she ordered her
+slaves to prepare her.</p>
+
+<p>The sun was declining, more than half its course had run, when Varro and
+Nika left the house. Once fairly under way, they soon arrived at the
+scene of carnage.</p>
+
+<p>The Proconsul entered, and moved to his seat of honour; by his side sat
+his betrothed. Venusta was also there, and was surprised to see her
+daughter. A few words of explanation soon put matters right, and they
+settled down to enjoy the competitions.</p>
+
+<p>The day was sultry, but streams of water rippled along by the
+gorgeously-decked da&iuml;s of the Proconsul, and statue fountains on either
+hand at intervals poured out delicious perfumes, cooling the air, and
+making it fragrant as an orange grove when the trees are laden with
+blossoms.</p>
+
+<p>In a place of honour set aside for her sat the High Priestess of the
+Temple of Diana. Over her head was a canopy of gold, and great masses of
+fragrant flowers were piled up in tiers behind her.</p>
+
+<p>She wore a dress of silk dazzling in whiteness, with stars of gold. On
+her head rested a jewelled crown, and her forehead blazed with the
+diamond moon crescent. Her face was severely beautiful; her eyes were
+fixed gazing into illimitable space, bearing an expression akin to
+pain,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span> plainly telling she was there in her official capacity and found
+no enjoyment.</p>
+
+<p>Two attendant priestesses stood by with fans of richest make; another
+held the insignia of the High Priestess, whilst many others, all
+beautiful girls of Ionia, waited for her whispered bidding.</p>
+
+<p>The eyes of the noble-born Roman Nika instinctively wandered in the
+direction of the priestess, and were riveted on the sublime splendour of
+Saronia.</p>
+
+<p>Nika feared, yet desired, to exchange glances. She was strangely
+fascinated, but the woman she hated with such deadly hate saw her not,
+or appeared to be ignorant of her presence.</p>
+
+<p>This aroused a deeper feeling in the daughter of Lucius, and she
+disliked Saronia more intensely. But for fear of those dark, mysterious
+eyes she would have by this time been using her as a point for
+criticism.</p>
+
+<p>The Proconsul wondered why she was so silent, and ventured to say:</p>
+
+<p>'Seest thou the great Saronia? Is she not a mighty being? And fancy,
+she, above all others, the saviour of the life of Chios! What a glorious
+thing is power, and charity to use it!'</p>
+
+<p>Then for the first time did she speak of her, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou too in love?'</p>
+
+<p>'Dearest Nika, explain.'</p>
+
+<p>'Explain? I mean what I say. The brilliancy of Saronia dazzles, shall I
+say, unhinges the mind of Varro? Remember, do not forget, thou admirest
+a woman who was once my slave.'</p>
+
+<p>'True; I understand it all, and wonder at thy speech.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou needst not. Men are all alike; they worship every beautiful
+woman&mdash;Paris a Helen, Antony a Cleopatra, and Varro a Saronia, whilst I,
+for my own part, see in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> her only a deep, designing woman, part tiger,
+part serpent. The tiger hath a lovely sleek body with a furious heart;
+the serpent for its creeping artfulness is a byword for deceit. Do not
+get within her fatal circle, or she will sting thee to the very core,
+and then devour thee. I hate her! She has robbed me of my peace, and
+now, with deep conceit and hellish pride, she deigns not to turn her
+head this way. Oh that I had the power to curse her!'</p>
+
+<p>'Fear not, Lady Nika; she will not capture. Thine eyes of blue are
+sufficient magnets to hold me. Besides, she is bound to chastity, and is
+as cold as moonlight on a snow-clad mountain.'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes; and thou mayest add, "In her bosom is a hidden fire like an
+ice-capped volcano with a burning heart." Beware, beware of Saronia! she
+has two natures, extreme in both. Is Chios here?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, Nika; he has just entered.'</p>
+
+<p>'Canst thou point him out amongst the thousands?'</p>
+
+<p>'He sits by the arena-gate.'</p>
+
+<p>'I wonder why he is there. Ah, now I see him! He recognises! I will
+raise this crimson oleander to my lips, and greet him with a smile. I
+have a motive; do not be jealous, Varro. Wait!'</p>
+
+<p>Just then the eyes of Saronia turned, and she saw the girl salute Chios,
+and a darkness like storm-clouds on the top of the mountain spread over
+the face of the priestess.</p>
+
+<p>Nika looked defiantly&mdash;for a moment only; the withering glance of the
+Temple virgin blanched the Roman's cheeks with fear.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>A great shout went up from the multitude; a man of sober mien was
+brought into the arena armed with a dagger only. Proclamation said this
+troublesome Christian would fight for his life and faith with one of the
+fiercest lions of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> Nubia. He was aged, and took little notice of the
+proceedings. The people said it was a murder, and not a fight. Even Nika
+pitied and Varro wondered.</p>
+
+<p>Presently a messenger came to the Proconsul, and handed to him a
+message. He read it hastily, and answered 'Yes.'</p>
+
+<p>'What news?' said Venusta.</p>
+
+<p>'A request only from some young athlete offering to do battle for yon
+poor aged man. It gladdens me; we shall see better fighting. The old man
+can offer no resistance.'</p>
+
+<p>'Who offers?' said Nika.</p>
+
+<p>'I know not. Some courageous fellow, well paid by the Christians, I
+presume.'</p>
+
+<p>They had not long to wait. The fighter stepped forward, cast a hasty
+glance around, bowed towards where Saronia sat, then to the audience.</p>
+
+<p>For a moment the people were speechless. Then a cry arose: 'Chios! noble
+Chios!'</p>
+
+<p>The Proconsul half arose in his seat by way of protestation, as if he
+would forbid. 'Twas too late. At that instant a lion was loosed, and
+rushed into the arena.</p>
+
+<p>Chios stood unmoved. The beast hesitated for a moment, the light
+striking his flaming eyes. Then, with a roar which reached afar, he
+crouched, he sprang, but missed his prey. Uttering discontent, he lashed
+his sides with fury, and sprang again; but the Greek was too quick for
+him, and a loud shout of applause went up from the mighty concourse.
+'Well done, Chios!' resounded from every side.</p>
+
+<p>One person only was unmoved&mdash;one only of that vast assembly was calm. On
+the face of Saronia was the calmness of death. Her eyes followed the
+infuriated brute, and when she caught its glance it drooped its head and
+pawed the earth.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The third attack, and man and beast rolled over in mortal combat. For a
+while nothing could be ascertained for the dust which arose. Suddenly
+the lion fell, with a rivulet of blood issuing from his heart.</p>
+
+<p>Chios arose from the ground, covered with the life-stream of his foe.</p>
+
+<p>Then great shouts of acclaim rent the skies.</p>
+
+<p>'Well fought!' cried they. 'Long live Chios of Ephesus!' resounded
+through the mighty building.</p>
+
+<p>'Chios deserves a crown of gold,' said the Proconsul.</p>
+
+<p>A perfect reaction set in, occasioned by the heroic act of the Greek.
+Those who were loud in protestation turned like a summer wind from south
+to west. All antipathy had fled. The manliness portrayed, risking his
+life for another, brought full reward. Even the great Saronia approved
+the act, and admired the man.</p>
+
+<p>Chios took little heed of it all. He quietly slipped aside, and went to
+his beloved studio. There he always felt happy.</p>
+
+<p>And now he rested, musing upon the past.</p>
+
+<p>'I have not succeeded in my mission,' said he, 'but it shall be
+accomplished.'</p>
+
+<p>Outside his gate was a poor-looking aged man, inquiring the way to the
+studio of the great artist.</p>
+
+<p>'Yonder through the myrtle-trees it stands,' replied a passer-by; 'but
+do not intrude. Let him rest. He is weary from doing battle in the arena
+on behalf of a worn-out Christian. Do not trouble him for alms. If thou
+art hungry, here is a trifle to buy bread and fruit.'</p>
+
+<p>'Friend, I am not a beggar; I am he for whom he fought. I must see him.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, go thy way; thou hast good need to thank him.'</p>
+
+<p>Up the path, through the rows of trees, up to the marble<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span> entrance,
+noiselessly moved the aged man, and gently tapped at the door.</p>
+
+<p>Chios arose and opened it, saw who was there, and cried:</p>
+
+<p>'Welcome, welcome, good fellow! Come within. Glad am I to see thee safe
+and well.'</p>
+
+<p>Judah, full of emotion, staggered rather than walked to a seat, weeping
+as if his heart would break, and, looking up through his tears,
+exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p>'Chios, blessed art thou! The blessing of one who was ready to perish,
+the blessing of one who speaks for his God, the blessing of God, rest
+ever on thee!'</p>
+
+<p>Chios spake never a word; his heart was full.</p>
+
+<p>'Speak to me, Chios the Greek; let me hear thy voice.'</p>
+
+<p>'I know not what to say,' replied Chios. 'I reckoned thy life worth a
+thousand of mine, and fought that thou mightst live and do work for thy
+Master.'</p>
+
+<p>'Chios, neither silver nor gold have I to give thee.'</p>
+
+<p>'I require neither.'</p>
+
+<p>'Good. Nevertheless, thy reward awaits thee; thou wilt receive it later
+on. We fight under the same banner; we shall meet in the same celestial
+city&mdash;the city whose builder is God. The dayspring will glint its glory
+over thy pathway, and the lustre of morning will bathe thee in heaven.
+The wings of thy spirit, now folded beside thee, shall spread out their
+pinions and waft thee o'er oceans of splendour illimitable, urging thee
+onward from brightness to brightness, raising thee higher and upward and
+higher till thou standest a messenger swift for the Deity, holding
+communion with God the Eternal. This is thy destiny. All will be well.
+Farewell, noble warrior; thou shalt war for the New Faith. 'Tis rumoured
+the Proconsul promises thee a crown for thy valour. Be thou faithful
+unto death, and thou shalt receive a crown of life. I have said my
+thanks. Good-bye&mdash;good-bye, noble Chios! My stay in Ephesus will be
+brief,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> but thou shalt ever remain in my thoughts, and my prayers shall
+go forward for my beloved friend.'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Once more Chios was alone.</p>
+
+<p>'What a noble fellow is that old man&mdash;prophetic, powerful, good,' he
+mused. 'I believe in him. What he says is true. I am altered. A light
+steals through me&mdash;a river of peace winds kindly through my soul! May
+his blessing rest on me, and all his words be fulfilled.</p>
+
+<p>'But what of Saronia? We are no nearer by the advent of this strange
+faith. Shall we part? Must our communion end? Like two swift ships upon
+the ocean, greet with welcome hail and pass away across the trackless
+deep, each going its own particular way? No, no, no! this cannot be. We
+twain must sail the same course, and at night or in storm give aid. We
+must move together, the same pilot be ours, enter the same haven, dwell
+in the same invisible land.</p>
+
+<p>'But can this be? I am drifting, drifting from the old landmarks. She
+steers by her well-known beacon fires&mdash;I strike out alone across an
+unknown sea in search of a shore which may not exist, or, if it exists,
+I may never reach it.</p>
+
+<p>'Oh cruel doubt! Oh the struggle for truth! Oh to know what to do!'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXVIII" id="CHAPTER_XXVIII"></a>CHAPTER XXVIII</h2>
+
+<h3>SPIRITS OF THE DEEP</h3>
+
+
+<p>Saronia the priestess was agitated. She had resolved in her mind the
+events of the past few days. 'Why was Chios within the grove?' She could
+solve the problem&mdash;foolish man! 'What demon prompted him&mdash;what fiend
+lured him to the verge of death? Could I but see him, warn him, for my
+prescience tells me he will attempt this thing again. Rash man! How can
+I save him? Whom can I trust? None!</p>
+
+<p>'Here am I surrounded by the glory of the mightiest Temple, with pillars
+rising to heaven, whose summit is crowned with the grandest sculptures
+of Greece; but the birds which nestle in their carvings are freer than
+Saronia. I walk in power; every behest is law and none dispute me&mdash;yet,
+for the one great thing I would do, that I dare not! What, then, is
+power&mdash;queenly power like mine? It is hateful. I sought it not. It was
+thrust on me, and I wear it like a band of iron. But cease&mdash;cease, my
+soul! Well dost thou know the smouldering fire of life's accumulated
+love for Chios pent up within thee. Why dost thou tempt blasphemous
+Saronia to further sin? Hush! Down, dark spirit! quail, ye rebel fires,
+smoulder till my days be spent&mdash;then, with the freedom I covet, I will
+luxuriate in joy. Until such time, let me fulfil my destiny. Come on, ye
+clouds of darkness, hide him from my view! Soul, hear me! Crush to the
+lowest ebb this fire which rises ever and anon into fiercest flame, and
+combats with my reason! I am divided against myself.</p>
+
+<p>'O goddess, hear me! Let my prayers like sweet incense rise! Bring me
+strength!...'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>A sullen roar of distant thunder broke on her ears, as if the gods were
+speaking from the mountains, looming landward past the Temple city.</p>
+
+<p>'Hark! Diana's voice! I will to augury.'</p>
+
+<p>She sped to the window. Naught through the darkness could she see.
+Suddenly forked lightning winged its course to the east, another flash
+swept nearer by, and the pillars of the great Temple stood out, lit up
+with fiery hue. The night-birds flew in wild commotion, shrieking as
+they went, crying with a solemn wail.</p>
+
+<p>She stood back. Too well she knew the meaning of those sounds, the
+language by which the invisible speaks to the mortal.</p>
+
+<p>A lightning-flash was seen across the Temple door, another line of fire
+crossed it from an opposite direction, as if a mighty guardian spirit
+stood there with sword aflame. A burst of thunder and a mighty crash,
+and she knew the building had been struck with an arrow from heaven.</p>
+
+<p>Her reason pointed a power at work who dared insult the sacred
+place&mdash;some god greater than Diana warred against her, degrading her
+home. This was the augury the priestess drew, and wondered greatly at
+the sign. It was a revelation to her&mdash;a spark of virgin light, dim as
+the faintest dawn. But it shook her faith, and she spread out her hands
+as one wandering in the night.</p>
+
+<p>Then she laid herself down in the gloom, and her spirit moved out to
+Chios. She longed to speak to him.</p>
+
+<p>Across the open window a shadow passed blacker than the darkness. She
+arose and looked out; naught could she see&mdash;all was silent. Then a faint
+voice like a whisper came from the parapet:</p>
+
+<p>'Saronia, it is Chios!'</p>
+
+<p>And in a moment he was beside her, and, throwing aside his mantle, stood
+before her in all his strength.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>She was appalled, but knew it would be death to both to utter the
+faintest cry, and with horrible calmness the priestess murmured:</p>
+
+<p>'What, by all the gods, brings thee here?'</p>
+
+<p>'Love! Life without seeing, speaking to thee, is worthless&mdash;worse than
+valueless! I scaled the Parabolus walls, I did the same by yonder
+parapet; and, by Jove! were they high as Mount Coressus, I would have
+come. I passed the guards, saw the Temple's frowning brow; the lightning
+lit my path, and the thundering echoes on the midnight winds were music
+to my soul. I gazed towards this resting-place, and, when the heavens
+were lit with flame, saw thee standing alone at the window. 'Twas enough
+for me. My spirit bounded here long before my body came. Didst thou not
+feel my influence?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, I thought of thee; but thy presence here is too awful to
+contemplate.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no, dearest love! this is our fate. Thou art my complement; we
+cannot long remain asunder. Thine essence is a part of myself; thou art
+my affinity, my counterpart, that which makes my whole, my sun. Remove
+it, and the whole system is shaken, and wanders into chaos and oblivion.
+Had I a thousand lives, not one should be reserved; all should be thrown
+into the balance for thee.'</p>
+
+<p>He caught her in his arms, and his lips met hers.</p>
+
+<p>'Darling, art thou safe whilst I am here?'</p>
+
+<p>'I am safe from mortals, but not from the ire of the goddess. Her great
+invisible spirit cannot be deceived; all that is enacted here she knows
+and records.'</p>
+
+<p>'True, dearest; but even Venus loved.'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes; but Diana is cold and chaste. This night bespeaks my fall. To love
+is disobedience; for me to disobey is dire rebellion.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no, girl! it is not so! it cannot be! The Being<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> who created us
+implanted this love; it cannot be born of sin. Man makes laws, and man
+often breaks them, without calling down the anger of the gods. Lovest
+thou me, Saronia?'</p>
+
+<p>'Ah, Chios, that is my crime! What brought thee to the grove of Hecate?'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou.'</p>
+
+<p>'I?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, Saronia&mdash;to see thee on a most important errand. I strove to find
+thee in the wood.'</p>
+
+<p>'I thought as much. What was thy mission?'</p>
+
+<p>Resting himself beside her on a couch o'erlaid with gold, he said:</p>
+
+<p>'Canst bear surprise?'</p>
+
+<p>'I think so.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then hear;' and, whispering softly, he said: 'One day there came a man,
+a minstrel, to my home; sad as the waves telling story of storm were the
+strains of his song, and sweet as the clear running brook were the
+sounds from his lyre. He sang of a far-away land. Hast thou heard of the
+lonely West, where the isles of the Britons lie circled in purple
+mists?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes.'</p>
+
+<p>'He sang of a princess priestess who stood at the shrine of their gods.
+He spoke of a Roman who came to that land and stole the pure heart and
+the hand of this beautiful girl, and bore her away to the Cyclades, and,
+further away, to the Tyrian Seas, to a resting-place in Sidon.'</p>
+
+<p>'And what became of her, Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou shalt hear. Their wedded life was brief. The Roman forsook her.
+She died of a broken heart, and her babe survived.'</p>
+
+<p>'How sad!' said Saronia.</p>
+
+<p>'Wouldst thou know the name of the British girl?'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'I would.'</p>
+
+<p>''Twas Saronia.'</p>
+
+<p>'Saronia!' gasped the priestess, and, uttering a piercing shriek, she
+fell back into the arms of Chios.</p>
+
+<p>He heard footsteps approaching. He knew he must fly. Then, laying her on
+a couch, he kissed her lovingly, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'We must part, but will meet again. Saronia, dost hear me? I will see
+thee at the Temple service: an oleander in thy bosom, I come to thee; a
+myrtle flower, thou comest to me. Farewell, loved one!'</p>
+
+<p>And he plunged into the darkness, and the thunders roared as if the
+heavens would rend themselves in twain.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The priestess nerved herself and reclined listlessly. When the attendant
+priestesses entered, she was pale as the white silk enfolding her form.</p>
+
+<p>'What ails the noble lady?' said the foremost of the beautiful maidens.</p>
+
+<p>'It has passed,' said Saronia. 'Summon the guard; bid them go to the
+Temple and bring me word if disaster has fallen and smitten it. Hear ye
+the mighty voices of the gods! See the quivering messengers of fire!
+Haste away and bring me news!'</p>
+
+<p>Then, falling into one of her mysterious reveries, from which no
+priestess dared disturb her, they noiselessly glided from the room one
+by one, each bearing a lamp of gold, and Saronia was left alone.</p>
+
+<p>Soon the priestesses returned, with blanched cheeks, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Lady of Diana, at thy bidding the priests, with escort, entered the
+sacred edifice, and discovered through the roof<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> the fated bolt had
+flown, wrecked the altar, and rent the veil; but the statue of the great
+goddess remains unscathed. The watchmen are dead, blackened corpses. The
+High Priest, chief of the Megalobyzi, has gone to the Temple. What shall
+we do?'</p>
+
+<p>For a moment the mighty priestess was lost in thought&mdash;'twas but for a
+moment; then she raised herself and regained sublime dignity, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Altar and veil, the work of men's hands, are resistless as man to their
+fate; but the image of she who is highest in heaven and strongest in
+hell is safe from the lightnings, the storm, and the warrings of all the
+invisible hosts which encircle us. And we, her own children, are safe in
+her keeping&mdash;safe in the shade of Diana Triformis. Pour out your
+prayers, let them rise to the heavens and spread round your homestead
+and down to the underworlds. Pour out oblations! Chant forth your
+praise-hymns for mercy on mercy rolling forth like the surging of
+mightiest billows! Farewell, maidens of the goddess, farewell!'</p>
+
+<p>Saronia that night was sleepless. She had again saved the life of Chios.
+She had dissembled. To have done otherwise would have been to be the
+murderess of Chios. Thus thought she.</p>
+
+<p>By the light of the dimly burning lamp she looked like a tigress at bay.
+Great clouds flitted sullenly across her face, and her eyes were dark as
+the night, and darker they grew till the shadows which fell on her were
+as light to them.</p>
+
+<p>The lamp burned low, but she heeded not. Its dying flame pleased her,
+and the shadows grew deeper, until her form sank into the darkness.</p>
+
+<p>A great war raged within her. It was a battle-ground on which were
+arrayed spirits, good and evil, fighting for the citadel of her soul.
+The light from her mistress goddess<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> was hidden, and reason cold as snow
+sat enthroned upon that lofty mind.</p>
+
+<p>Her duty was to serve as heretofore, but lurking love rose up in mighty
+flame enveloping her. She could see Chios only, feel the pressure of his
+lips, hear the sound of his voice speaking of love, of the minstrel and
+of the bride of Britain.</p>
+
+<p>'Who was that mysterious woman named Saronia?</p>
+
+<p>'What caused that strange suspicion and the piercing cry? None other
+than that by some peculiar affinity I realized that it was she that bore
+me into this world.</p>
+
+<p>'Oh that I could have heard the end of the story! Cruel destiny
+shattered me at the harbour mouth, and I lie stranded a lonely wreck on
+a bleak shore and tainted with rebellion. Shall I fail now? No; Saronia
+shall build another self out of the shattered parts. I will arise, shake
+the stupor from me, stretch out my arms into the darkness. I will robe
+for divination,' and pointing her finger towards the dead lamp, it
+sprang into flame, casting a glare around the room.</p>
+
+<p>She arose, cast aside her snowy dress of whitened silk, draped herself
+in darkest shade, girt her waist with a diamond zone black as night,
+over her shoulders a mantle hung&mdash;a mantle of sable hue studded with
+stars of silver and gold. On her breast she wore the Ephesian symbols of
+Air and Water, Earth and Life, and Death. Her eyes shot glances like
+serpents at war, her bosom was upheaved with the strongest emotion, and
+she moved to the place where the burning lamp stood, seized it, and
+stood by an altar raised to the goddess of Hades.</p>
+
+<p>For a moment only was she motionless; then she raised high aloft her
+jewelled hands, brought them to her lips, kissed them to the Queen of
+Heaven, and stretched them earthwards to the underworld&mdash;to Hecate, the
+Queen of Hell.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> Her head lay back; her eyes shone out with mystic sheen;
+her raven tresses trailed the floor; her gloomy garments lay in graceful
+folds, dark as the midnight sky without a star or moon, and standing
+thus, she invoked the goddess Hecate.</p>
+
+<p>This done, she lit the altar's sacred fire, and incense burnt until the
+room was filled with odour and the light from the golden lamp grew dim.</p>
+
+<p>Her lips parted, and a silvery voice issued, murmuring softly:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Spirits of the mighty ocean,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ye who lie beneath the waters,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Down&mdash;down&mdash;fathoms deep!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ye who roam 'twixt here and Sidon,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ye who lure the ships to ruin,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ye who haunt the fated vessel,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Lighting up her masts and cordage<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">With your quenchless tongues of fire;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Stormy petrels of the sea-foam,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Swiftest of your countless legions,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Appear! Appear!<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>'Ye are come! Hear me!</p>
+
+<p>'A Roman bore from Britons' land, stole from thence with artful wiles, a
+maiden blessed with rarest beauty&mdash;cheeks of olive, raven hair, eyes of
+darkest midnight hue, soul as pure as the morning light. He took her to
+Sidon. He left her&mdash;he left her and her child. Troop your way with speed
+to Sidon. Solve the story which I tell you. Bring me answer from
+Ph&oelig;nicia.'</p>
+
+<p>The spirits of the deep bent low their shadowy forms; one by one quickly
+snatched a grain of burning incense from the altar fire, placed the
+sparks upon their awful brows, rose together, met the storm-wind howling
+fiercely, passed it faster than conception, skimmed the foaming crests
+of billows, swooped again o'er struggling biremes<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span> with their crews of
+doomed seamen. Flew they on with awful swiftness, till the air waves
+left behind them wound the earth in many circles, till the silent city
+Sidon slept beneath their hovering pinions; glanced their message to the
+spirit&mdash;Spirit Prince of Ashtoreth. Gained their answer, sailed they
+westward to Ionia, faster than the coming day-dawn; stood before the
+great Saronia; hailed her priestess of Diana; whispered forth with
+frightful meaning:</p>
+
+<p>'Thou thyself, from her begotten, standest first amongst all women. She,
+thy mother, princess, priestess, died uncared for, unbeloved&mdash;died a
+rebel to our goddess, worshipping the Jewish Christ&mdash;name we scarcely
+dare to mention.'</p>
+
+<p>Saronia beckoned them away, and when they had fled a tremor seized her;
+she staggered to a seat, muttering:</p>
+
+<p>'I, also, am a rebel, and worship Eros.'</p>
+
+<p>Starting to her feet, she said:</p>
+
+<p>'Who is this Christ?'</p>
+
+<p>Stretching her arms out into the darkness, she cried:</p>
+
+<p>'Saronia, Saronia, the Saronide, where art thou&mdash;my mother who bore me?
+Let me touch thy hand! Speak to me&mdash;to me!'</p>
+
+<p>But she grasped the empty space; not even the echo of a whisper fell.
+Then she cried again:</p>
+
+<p>'<i>Thou</i> art <i>beyond</i> my plane, or thou wouldst come to me. Thou art
+greater than I. Hear me, ye spirits of the air! Listen, spirits of lands
+and seas! Hearken, ye spirits of Elysium and Hades! Here in the
+darkness, here in the womb of night, here near the birth of the early
+dawn, here with a soul storm-tossed and driven, I swear I will find her.
+Her God shall be mine, and where she riseth I will follow. O light, O
+truth, O love, let me climb your ladders of gold!'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The dawn appeared in the east, breaking the gray on the ocean's rim, and
+the birds sang forth from the trees in the Sacred Grove.</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXIX" id="CHAPTER_XXIX"></a>CHAPTER XXIX</h2>
+
+<h3>MYRTLE AND OLEANDER</h3>
+
+
+<p>'Varro, goest thou to the Temple to-day?' said Nika.</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, dearest; Chios is to receive the golden crown and freedom of this
+city.'</p>
+
+<p>'I trust those honours will sit lightly on him.'</p>
+
+<p>'Fear not, Nika. He is very stolid. Really, I do not know what has come
+to him.'</p>
+
+<p>'I do,' said she laughingly; 'he is in love.'</p>
+
+<p>'Nonsense! Nothing of the kind. He would never trouble about such a
+thing.'</p>
+
+<p>'How knowest thou?'</p>
+
+<p>'How do I know? Well, really, I cannot answer thee, but thou must know
+if a man loves there must be something to love. Chios is a confirmed
+bachelor. I believe he almost hates women; that is to say, as far as
+making himself a lover. I never even knew him to commit the crime of a
+weak flirtation.'</p>
+
+<p>'Ah, ah! So much for the reading of a man's mind by a man. Let a woman
+make up a man, and thou, mighty Roman, read the minds of women. 'Tis
+more natural.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, Nika, I must away. I must leave thee. The time is short, and I
+have business of my own before I go to the Temple. There will be no
+public demonstration. Chios wishes it so.'</p>
+
+<p>'Before thou dost depart, listen. Something befitting the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> occasion
+comes to my mind. Send him a message of congratulation. Write it with
+thine own hand, and seal it with the stamp of Imperial Rome. He will
+cherish it more than many crowns.'</p>
+
+<p>'Very thoughtful of thee. It shall be done. The presentation takes place
+within the Temple. The great priestess will be there, and, if I can so
+arrange, she, his preserver, shall present it. Nice idea, is it not?'</p>
+
+<p>'Very.'</p>
+
+<p>'Wilt thou witness the ceremony, Nika?'</p>
+
+<p>'No.'</p>
+
+<p>'Farewell, sweet one; I will return before sundown and tell thee all the
+news.'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The crown and the congratulation were conveyed to the Temple. When the
+High Priest read the request of the Proconsul, that Saronia should
+present them, he smiled, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Let it be so.'</p>
+
+<p>Saronia thought the request unusual, but the priest said:</p>
+
+<p>'Foster the whim; no harm can come of it.'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>It was past noon; the great sun shone out with refulgent glory. Not a
+cloud sailed the azure depths. The birds were sheltering from the heat
+between the branches of the citron-trees. An eagle flew by flapping its
+wings as Chios met the Roman at the gateway of the Sacred Shrine.</p>
+
+<p>They moved towards the marble steps, and, ascending past pronaos and
+vestibule, went within the gates of ivory and gold and stood near the
+altar, around which were gathered the High Priest and Priestess and
+their attendants.</p>
+
+<p>The Proconsul and Chios bowed lowly, and were saluted in return; and the
+proclamation ran:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="blockquot" style="font-size:smaller"><p>'<span class="smcap">Whereas</span> Chios, the Greek of Ephesus, has proved to the people
+of this city that he possesses heroic courage, and used it well
+on behalf of a fallen enemy of the Sacred Goddess:</p>
+
+<p>'The <span class="smcap">Proconsul</span>, the <span class="smcap">Council</span>, and the <span class="smcap">People</span> request that he be
+crowned with a crown of gold, and, <span class="smcap">further</span>, that the Act be
+proclaimed at the festival of Dionysus at the Great Theatre,
+and a place be allotted to him in a Tribe and a Thousand:</p>
+
+<p>'<span class="smcap">That</span> he possesses the privilege of occupying a front seat at
+the games, and is exempt from paying duty on all articles
+imported or exported by him, and that he has right to leave or
+enter the city in time of peace or war.</p>
+
+<p>'<span class="smcap">This Decree</span> to be inscribed by the Temple Wardens in the Great
+Temple of Artemis, where other grants of citizens have been
+subscribed.</p>
+
+<p>'<span class="smcap">That all men may know</span> the people of Ephesus delight to honour
+such deeds of heroism, whether performed on behalf of a friend
+or an enemy.' </p></div>
+
+<p>This read, Saronia the High Priestess bade Chios come to her, and taking
+the crown from an attendant, she placed it on the brow of the Greek,
+saying: 'Hail, honoured of the Ephesian people!' And at the same time
+she handed him the letter sealed with the seal of Rome.</p>
+
+<p>As she did so, she looked steadfastly into his eyes, conveying her
+thought to him: 'Open it not here.'</p>
+
+<p>He saw the oleander and the myrtle both entwined upon her bosom, and
+this he understood not.</p>
+
+<p>He placed the parchment within the folds of his robe, and after thanking
+the givers, he retired with the Proconsul.</p>
+
+<p>After passing the precincts of the Temple, the two men wished each other
+fortune and separated&mdash;the Roman to Nika, and Chios to wonder at the
+twin symbol which graced the bosom of Saronia.</p>
+
+<p>He broke the seal of the parchment; between the folds he saw a tiny
+scrap. He read it&mdash;the other was nothing to him.</p>
+
+<p>'To-morrow, when midnight has passed, haste to the bend of the river
+Cayster, which flows by the grove of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> Hecate. Fear nothing. The child of
+the Bride of Britain will be there.'</p>
+
+<p>It was from Saronia, and he feared for her. He kissed the tiny scrap
+passionately.</p>
+
+<p>'I will be there should all the Furies in Hades block the way....</p>
+
+<p>'By the bend of the river&mdash;by the bend of the Cayster which washes the
+fringe of the horrible grove. I know the place well, where the
+chrysophrus with golden-coloured head swims to and fro. I know the spot
+where the iris bends its yellow flowers, where the lordly swans glide
+past, and the cranes dwell, and the nightingale sings from the silvery
+leaves of the sacred trees.</p>
+
+<p>'I will be there, Saronia, my soul, my light, my love! I will be there
+to strike for thee with the strength of a lion if needs be!'</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXX" id="CHAPTER_XXX"></a>CHAPTER XXX</h2>
+
+<h3>BY THE RIVER CAYSTER</h3>
+
+
+<p>The grove of Hecate was filled with beautiful trees&mdash;palm and myrtle,
+cypress and pine, the rich springing laurel, and the holy shoot of the
+deep blue olive.</p>
+
+<p>Statues studded the wood, and the river Cenchrius watered the ground,
+and here had been heard the sound of the dance-loving lyre at the feasts
+of the gods.</p>
+
+<p>Through this tree-clustering wood the fair-haired Muses came to worship,
+and the Sybil let loose her golden locks when the gods breathed on her.</p>
+
+<p>The Cayster came south to the margin of the grove,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> moving rapidly
+northward and westward, sweeping by myriad blooms of the rose and iris,
+till it flowed from the land to the sea, carrying with it the snow-born
+waters of Cenchrius, Marnas, and Selinus&mdash;all goodly streams which
+watered the plain of Ephesus.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The priestess Saronia was thoughtful and calm. Not a ripple of agitation
+crossed her face as she gave her orders to a sacred slave:</p>
+
+<p>'Summon seven of the Meliss&aelig;&mdash;my bees, my virgin priestesses.'</p>
+
+<p>She said to them:</p>
+
+<p>'Prepare sacrifice for to-night. I offer to Hecate in the Sacred Grove.
+Take there a lamb, black as night, and honey of the rarest kind bear ye.
+Let the slaves dig a new pit, and place an altar therein, that all may
+be ready when I come. I leave the Temple gate when the watch tells out
+the hour before midnight. Merina and Smyrna shall accompany me to the
+confines of the grove.'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>That night Chios quietly stole along under the stars until the old road
+to Smyrna intersected his path; but he did not swerve from his course
+until he reached the Cayster. Following its sinuous banks, disturbing
+the wild-fowl as he went, and treading on a carpeting of sweet-scented
+night-flowers, he soon reached the bend of the river which laved the
+grove.</p>
+
+<p>There he rested on a block of white marble, brought to be set up as a
+memorial.</p>
+
+<p>He gazed over the dark and silent stream. He arose, and paced to and
+fro. Not a sound was heard, save his own footfall and the nightingale's
+song.</p>
+
+<p>He did not wait long ere he saw the form of a woman moving towards him.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Stealthily she came.</p>
+
+<p>His heart danced with joy, for well he knew who it was.</p>
+
+<p>'I am here,' cried Saronia.</p>
+
+<p>'Noble girl!' replied Chios, as he kissed her.</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou not fearful of this meeting?' said she.</p>
+
+<p>'No,' replied the Greek. 'I have been told that love which would not
+dare death is not worthy the name of love.'</p>
+
+<p>'It is death to both if discovered.'</p>
+
+<p>'So much the better,' said he. 'We should then be for ever free.'</p>
+
+<p>'Dost thou guess my mission to thee, Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>'Partly.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, let me tell thee. I would hear more of the story&mdash;more of whom I
+am.'</p>
+
+<p>'Darling girl, would I could tell thee! I know no more. I have told thee
+all.'</p>
+
+<p>'Yet, I know more.'</p>
+
+<p>'How?'</p>
+
+<p>'By the power of divination.'</p>
+
+<p>'And what hast thou gained by thy magic?'</p>
+
+<p>'This: she whom thou spoke of is no other than my own mother. Further,
+she died unknown, uncared for, calling on the name of the Jewish
+Christ.'</p>
+
+<p>Chios gasped for breath, and started back as if stung by a serpent,
+exclaiming, with bated breath:</p>
+
+<p>'The Jewish Christ! Can it be true?'</p>
+
+<p>'As true as the morning sun shall rise. I know it true, and judge it
+passing strange. How such a faith grew in her I know not. The mysteries
+of this creed I cannot understand, although it grows apace in Ephesus;
+but this I know: when I called forth into the world of spirits no answer
+came from her, whereby I am convinced she has gained entrance into a
+kingdom where the least of its subjects is greater than<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span> the mightiest
+of Diana's followers. I am the Arch-Priestess of yonder sacred Temple.
+My mother is greater than I, for I could not reach her plane, but&mdash;I
+<i>will</i>!'</p>
+
+<p>'And how, Saronia?'</p>
+
+<p>'I know not.'</p>
+
+<p>'Wilt thou also turn Christian and follow the Nazarene?'</p>
+
+<p>'No; I hate the thought. That faith is darker to me than the rolling
+blackness of the Styx.'</p>
+
+<p>'What if thou sawest light in the darkness, and found a narrow path
+leading up to a plane of loveliness where, perchance, thy mother dwells?
+Wouldst thou not walk in it?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yea, that I would, and would lay down my life to commence the journey.
+I am not a traitor to my goddess. I have followed her with all my
+strength, believing her to be the source of my being, and to whom I may
+return; but conditions are changing in me. My faith tried&mdash;it does not
+totter. Mark well, I say it does not stagger&mdash;it trembles only! My soul
+cries for more light&mdash;light&mdash;more light! And I cannot satisfy its
+longings. I ask thee, dost thou know of this Christ?'</p>
+
+<p>'I do. I have sat at the feet of one of His greatest teachers, and he
+unfolded to me some of its mysteries.'</p>
+
+<p>'Chios, I fear! Go on.'</p>
+
+<p>'What shall I tell thee? I am not a teacher.'</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou a believer?'</p>
+
+<p>'I am, so far as I know; but its mysteries are great. I have scarcely
+touched the fringe of this new faith.'</p>
+
+<p>'Hast thou, then, cut thyself adrift from the worship of our sacred
+goddess?'</p>
+
+<p>'I have.'</p>
+
+<p>'Oh, Chios, Chios, this is worse than all! Let me lean upon thee; I am
+weary&mdash;I am weary and alone.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, dearest, thou art not alone, for the Father is with thee.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>They sat down on the block of white marble. He laid her head upon his
+shoulder, and the warm tears fell upon his hands; then he whispered:</p>
+
+<p>'Dearest love, take courage. All will be well.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no, Chios. The strings of the lyre are broken. Saronia is alone.'</p>
+
+<p>And, looking up, with her eyes melting with tenderness towards him, she
+said:</p>
+
+<p>'The slave became a priestess, and the priestess a broken reed. Thou in
+spirit hast left me.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, dearest, that is not so. We shall join hands when we fall, like
+leaves in the autumn time.'</p>
+
+<p>'That may not be so, my love, my Chios, my joy, my life, my soul!
+Farewell! I am lost to thee, and thou to me, for ever&mdash;for ever!'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no, Saronia; we will never part!'</p>
+
+<p>'But we must, unless one resigns the faith; and, if we both believe our
+own, which can be liar, traitor? Thou shalt keep thine own. To thee it
+is truth, mine falsehood! I have no call to follow thine&mdash;I know not the
+way. I have espoused myself to the faith of Diana; I adhere to it until
+a greater than she broods over my spirit, and begets a new light for a
+new creed; when such shall come to pass I will not fail to do my duty.
+Until then I follow by the light I possess. This is my determination,
+dearest Chios. This I will do, and no other.'</p>
+
+<p>'Saronia, this is more than I can bear. My soul sinks into a depth of
+woe unspeakable. Not that I fear, for, as light hath come to me, so also
+shall it shine on thee. I have not the gift of a seer, but I know we are
+one in spirit, must believe alike, worship the same God. As the light
+first strikes the tops of the mountains and afterwards floods the vale,
+so it broke first on me, and anon it shall burst on the soul of my
+Saronia.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Chios, Chios, my spirit thirsteth! Give me this light if thou canst.
+Give me truth.'</p>
+
+<p>'And still thou lovest me, Saronia?'</p>
+
+<p>'Love thee! Ah! a thousandfold more for fear our love may end with life.
+I know thou art good. Go thy way; serve thy God. I go mine to the grove
+yonder, to offer sacrifice to my goddess. Saronia must be true to her
+trust; let Chios be the same.'</p>
+
+<p>He took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. Holding her head
+between his hands, he gazed lovingly into her eyes, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Our love can never die. It is begotten from above. I will come again to
+thee, and teach thee of the new faith. I have with me a parchment,
+closely written, given to me by the holy man I saved from death. May I
+leave it with thee, Saronia? It may be of use. Thou dost not refuse it?
+May the Christ of God bless thee! And now good-bye. This is our
+meeting-place. It is unfrequented. Thou knowest how to signal me.'</p>
+
+<p>Drawing her mantle around her tightly, he kissed her again and again,
+and she vanished into the night.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXXI" id="CHAPTER_XXXI"></a>CHAPTER XXXI</h2>
+
+<h3>THE DOOMED CITY</h3>
+
+
+<p>Two men were on the summit of the mountain which overlooked Ephesus.
+They had been earnestly engaged in conversation for some time, and, as
+they walked together, Chios said:</p>
+
+<p>'How glorious is the decline of day! How splendid looks the city bathed
+in the golden light of eve!'</p>
+
+<p>'Ay, true,' replied his companion; 'and I would that its fate led to
+peace, but it is not so.</p>
+
+<p>'Seest thou the great city as it lies beneath us, its shrines and
+palaces like polished silver and burnished gold, and its frowning walls
+and battlements like a mighty circle of adamant?</p>
+
+<p>'Look at its many terraced gardens of vine, olive, citron, and
+pomegranate, and gaze upon its purple-misted sea, and count, if thou
+canst, the multitude of white-winged ships bringing merchandise to pour
+into the lap of this mighty mart.</p>
+
+<p>'The many-toned instruments sending forth their plaintive strain come up
+upon the perfume-laden air, and the song of the priests from yonder
+mighty Temple, the wonder of the world, floats lazily by like a vessel
+drifting with the tide.</p>
+
+<p>'But, like the city of Salem, o'er which my Master wept, so this is
+doomed.</p>
+
+<p>'The time shall come, and ere long, when it shall sicken and die. Those
+mighty buildings shall be no more. Yea, the mightiest of them, the great
+Temple of the goddess, shall become a wreck, and its splendour be rent
+in pieces and distributed amongst the nations, its floorway be covered<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span>
+with the dust of centuries, and its very site be questioned in the minds
+of men.</p>
+
+<p>'The faith of Him I serve shall flourish here and grow until it blazes
+out like a forest of fire; but for a brief time only, for the place is
+accursed, and love will grow dim and the light depart. Amidst the din of
+war men will hurry to and fro in her beautiful streets and squares,
+pillaging and destroying as they conquer. Her splendid harbour will
+become a wild morass, a covert for the night-birds when the stormy winds
+rush over the plain from mountain to sea. Her streets will be deserted
+and silent, not a footfall be heard where the myriads trod. Nothing
+shall be left of her save a wilderness of marble ruins and tales of her
+former grandeur.'</p>
+
+<p>'How terrible!' exclaimed Chios. 'Is that the destiny of beautiful
+Ephesus?'</p>
+
+<p>'It is so; and well for thee light dawns into thy soul and thy spirit
+purifies, fitting thee for a brighter home. My time is well-nigh spent.
+I shall soon go hence.'</p>
+
+<p>'Dost thou leave us?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes. I go to Rome to work, suffer, and die. Our ways diverge. Yet fear
+not. We enter the same haven at the right time. When once a man's face
+is set heavenward, God will not remove him until he be fit to enter His
+kingdom. I am glad I met thee, and, better still, my Lord and Master
+moulds thee for the future.'</p>
+
+<p>'Judah, hast thou ever come into contact with the priests of the great
+theatre?'</p>
+
+<p>'No. Why dost thou ask?'</p>
+
+<p>'I thought if such were the case thou mightest give thine opinion of
+their faith.'</p>
+
+<p>'That I can do.'</p>
+
+<p>'Well, what think thou of Diana?'</p>
+
+<p>'What think I? That the people who worship her are<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> in earnest. They
+believe what is told them. Their forefathers did the same. It was good
+enough for them, so they follow&mdash;follow like dogs their master. Now and
+again those with keener insight step aside and utter protest, sniffing
+danger. Most of them are whipped into their place again, and all goes on
+as before.... The priests know their work, and are clever. The people
+may believe the myths and accept them as truths, but their teachers know
+they are fables, and use them as such to illustrate their faith.</p>
+
+<p>'The worship is one of the senses&mdash;ours is spiritual, and needs a
+spiritual sight only to know as much of God as the soul of man can
+comprehend. A dreary shore with the great darkness around is to the
+Christian a temple filled with light. Thou hast friends amongst the
+worshippers of Diana, Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, one especially. She who gave me back my life&mdash;the great High
+Priestess Saronia.'</p>
+
+<p>'Saronia, the High Priestess! I know her. When thou offeredst thy life
+to preserve mine, I saw her save thee from the lion.'</p>
+
+<p>'What meanest thou?'</p>
+
+<p>'She killed the lion's strength. One look from her could quell many such
+beasts. Her gaze would stay an eagle in its flight, and bring it
+earthward to her feet, swifter and surer than an arrow winged with
+lightning. She is deadly with her power! A mighty foe to those within
+her sphere, but with a follower of my Master she is powerless. The least
+in the kingdom of heaven is greater than she, and thou, Chios, art
+greater than the mighty Saronia. The Spirit which leads thee is the
+first, the greatest, the Lord of Hosts. All principalities and powers
+are beneath Him. Before His gaze the rebel prince fell like lightning
+from heaven.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Listen, friend; I think I read thine heart. Thou lovest this terrific
+being&mdash;is it not so? Tell me. Thy secret shall be well kept. I may help
+thee.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou speakest truly. I know I am safe in thine hands. I trust thee to
+lead the way for my eternal good, and I may confide this portion of my
+life's history to thee. 'Tis a passion which may never be realized, but
+I dare hope she may be won for our God&mdash;and what a mighty spirit for
+good she would be!'</p>
+
+<p>'Chios, her great spirit is of no common order. It has lived through the
+ages, and for the time is deeply buried in its prison of clay. We will
+awaken her, if we can, from out the cold and damp mists which surround
+her. This clay form to her is as Hades.'</p>
+
+<p>'How can it be done?'</p>
+
+<p>'This wise. The man who lives in harmony with God has the Deity on his
+side. He is a son; the Lord is his Father. Speak to Him as a child, and
+remember His power is infinite&mdash;and I will pray the Father and His Son
+that help may be given thee.'</p>
+
+<p>'Tell me of the Son.'</p>
+
+<p>'His Son is the Christ. To the Greeks this is foolishness, but be thou
+led by the Great Spirit, and He will teach thee all things, and thou
+wilt love the Son, and He will work with thee to win the desire of thy
+heart.'</p>
+
+<p>'I understand not. These mysteries are well known to thee, and I obey. I
+am young in the faith, and cannot run.'</p>
+
+<p>'For the present,' replied Judah, 'thou wilt do well in using thy faith;
+but the time will shortly arrive when thou wilt understand. Great is the
+mystery, clouds and darkness are around Him. Thou hast placed thy feet
+upon the ladder; as thou climbest thou wilt emerge into brightness.
+Trust and learn. As a pilot takes the helm at the harbour-mouth and
+shapes the course betwixt the sands, so mayst<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span> thou give way to the
+Great Pilot, and thus obtain abundant entrance into the haven whose
+promontories run out from the eternal shore.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou speakest again with authority?'</p>
+
+<p>'I do. For awhile my spirit freed itself from the body, and moved into a
+sphere unseen, unknown to mortal eye. There I heard truths which no
+language can convey&mdash;not even your beautiful Grecian tongue could reveal
+them. I heard the language of Heaven, and was taught of God things
+mysterious and unlawful to utter; but I shall hear the grand rhythm
+again when I return home.... Now the sun is gone, and the west is banked
+with night-clouds. Let us depart.'</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXXII" id="CHAPTER_XXXII"></a>CHAPTER XXXII</h2>
+
+<h3>ENDORA</h3>
+
+
+<p>Where the river of Ephesus joins the sea the great rocks stand out as
+fortresses of the land, and the deep blue waters roll homewards to the
+shore, urged by a never-changing law bidding them kiss the strand and
+die.</p>
+
+<p>On the shrill breezy air the sea-birds wheel and soar until their white
+wings turn to silver as they circle round the sun and sink into its
+brightness as a star dies into day.</p>
+
+<p>The cliffs are abloom with blossoms of gold, like a garden of woodland
+flowers. On the summit overlooking the sea stands a temple and shrine to
+the goddess.</p>
+
+<p>Northward is the mountain of Gallesus, with its pine precipices and
+aerial summits piercing the clouds. At its feet the city of Claros, with
+temple and groves of ash and mighty oracle sacred to Apollo.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Further away, from the Cilbianian, and turning west of the lake
+Selinusian, comes southward a river moving along midst bright oleander
+and blossoms of myrtle, murmuring adieu to the gods of the river as it
+passes on its course to the bosom of ocean.</p>
+
+<p>Away to the west and the south, like a misty dream, are the pale-blue
+tops of Pactyas; between them and the Gallessian range stands the city
+of Ephesus, Coressus and Pion like sentinel hills guarding its massive
+gates.</p>
+
+<p>Here on this rock-bound cliff, near the altar, stood Endora, the witch.</p>
+
+<p>The day was young and no one about, and she gazed far out at sea,
+straining her evil eyes until they seemed to start from their sockets.</p>
+
+<p>She turned with a disappointed air, and, gazing towards the city, cried:</p>
+
+<p>'Doomed art thou! Little did they know I was about. Had Chios known I
+was there, he would have been more careful. Turned Christian! Loves
+Saronia!</p>
+
+<p>'I will not betray him. Hag as I be, cursed as I am, all Hades shall not
+draw me to reveal. This blasted spirit of mine may drift, yet I swear by
+the father of the gods&mdash;no, no, I cannot swear by him! What shall I
+swear by?</p>
+
+<p>'I swear by Chios and Saronia, mortals like myself, that I will be true,
+true. Can I be true? No, no, no, I will not betray them. That is all!</p>
+
+<p>'What a curse hangs over this beautiful place! I heard that strange man
+tell Chios the great city shall die. I know a sibyl has spoken, "That
+the earth opening and quaking, the Temple of Diana would be swallowed
+like a ship in a storm into the abyss, and Ephesus, lamenting by the
+river banks, would inquire for it then inhabited no more." And, who
+knows, she may be true! What care I? Endora will be far hence. I have to
+do with the present.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> I have come to watch for the white sails of the
+Roman fleet bringing back the Proconsul. I know they are near, expected
+to-day.</p>
+
+<p>'Now one long gaze out over the great, cloud-mirroring sea. My eyes are
+keen. No, they come not, and I go hence.'</p>
+
+<p>She turned landward and saw Saronia.</p>
+
+<p>She cowered towards the sea-flower-blooming sward as the priestess said:</p>
+
+<p>'What doest thou here, woman?'</p>
+
+<p>'Naught, my lady, but for the gathering of fragrant herbs.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou liest. The wild thyme and its fellows grow not upon this breezy
+crag, ever washed by the salt sea foam; but, stay, Endora&mdash;I know thy
+name. I would speak with thee. Once when I was a slave thou wert good to
+me, and told me my star was rising full of splendour. How didst thou
+know?'</p>
+
+<p>'Noble lady, I spoke not of my own knowledge, but as the spirit prompted
+me.'</p>
+
+<p>'Again, when thou helped me to escape my persecutors, what impelled
+thee?'</p>
+
+<p>'The knowledge I was aiding one beloved of Hecate! 'Twas not love&mdash;love
+in me is dead, dead and scentless. The curse&mdash;the curse! and it will
+weigh me down for ever.'</p>
+
+<p>'Art sure of this?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, Lady Saronia, I am sure I am accursed of Hecate. In me it takes
+the form of a dead love with hatred raging through my soul. In others
+love is rampant and reason dead. Such is the case with one I know. Her
+curse is to love madly without an echo of love to answer.'</p>
+
+<p>'What was thy crime, Endora?'</p>
+
+<p>'That which neither god nor man can forgive.'</p>
+
+<p>'Tell me.'</p>
+
+<p>'I dare not.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'I command thee!'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no; leave me quiet! I have lived in Ephesus these many years. No
+one knows me, where I came from, what my crime. Bid me leap into the
+great depths below and gurgle out my life beneath the waters, out of
+human sight&mdash;anything&mdash;anything, but grant me silence!'</p>
+
+<p>'I will not! Speak truthfully! The High Priestess of Hecate commands
+thee.'</p>
+
+<p>The woman's face grew pale as death.</p>
+
+<p>'Wilt thou bury my secret in thy heart, and close thy lips for ever on
+it?'</p>
+
+<p>'Be quick, say on! First, who art thou?'</p>
+
+<p>'The mother of Chios!'</p>
+
+<p>'<i>Thou!</i>'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, I am.'</p>
+
+<p>'What art thou?'</p>
+
+<p>'I was a priestess at Delos, where Apollo and Diana came forth&mdash;a
+priestess of the Oracle. Broke my vows; wed; fell to what thou seest me:
+a priestess of high degree acting&mdash;acting the part of a hag. I was
+doomed to death. The people think me dead, but I live, deserted by the
+one who caused my fall. I live, thirsting for revenge&mdash;I, Endora the
+witch, eking a crust of bread by fortune-telling and love philtres,
+bearing the load of Hecate's curse. I they call Endora am no other than
+Myrtile of Delos! Now, noble Saronia, thou knowest how love is dead, and
+I the accursed. Oftentimes I come here and gaze across the &AElig;gean Sea
+towards the far-off sunny isle of Delos, where it lies like a jewel in
+the sea&mdash;Delos, where the laurel trembled at the coming of the unseen
+gods, where temples, amphitheatres, and colonnades crowned every crest,
+and filled the vales of the lovely home of Latona.'</p>
+
+<p>For a moment, as Saronia thought of her own mother, a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span> shudder passed.
+'Twas but a moment, and the priestess looked as calm as summer eve.</p>
+
+<p>'Hast thou ever told the story to another?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no, and no human being but the mighty Saronia should ever have
+drawn it from me. Thou by thy power dost compel me to act unwillingly. I
+would far rather have buried it under those blue, seething waters and
+have ended my course.'</p>
+
+<p>'It is well. See thou dost guard it; see thou dost guard it. Now, what
+can I do for thee? When humble was my lot and thou sawest my exaltation
+nigh, thou saidst, "Remember me when thou enterest on thy high estate."
+What may be done for thee?'</p>
+
+<p>'Nothing. I go my way, leaving in thy keeping my awful secret, and trust
+thy silence. I go to my den on the mountain side, unwinding my fate. The
+thread will soon be broken, but ere it snaps my mission will be
+perfected.'</p>
+
+<p>'Hast thou a mission?'</p>
+
+<p>'As truly as yon passing ship glides on towards the harbour mouth, and
+until it be accomplished Endora is the witch of Ephesus, the blackened
+soul. After that, I know not what.'</p>
+
+<p>'Can I aid thee? Gold I have; take some.'</p>
+
+<p>'No. I am not thankless, but have sufficient. Can Endora be of service
+to <i>thee</i>?'</p>
+
+<p>'I fear not.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then adieu. I shall come to this loved spot again. It is the nearest I
+can come to my beloved Delos.'</p>
+
+<p>She crept away amongst the golden flowers down the side of the cliff.
+The seagull cried to its mate, the waves dashed up their foam till it
+mixed with the silvery light, and falling like showers of dew, lay on
+the lips of the flowers.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span></p><hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>And Saronia, the High Priestess of Diana, stood out against sky and sea,
+stood out against silver and blue, the great globed sun, a circle of
+light, forming a halo around her head.</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXXIII"></a>CHAPTER XXXIII</h2>
+
+<h3>NIKA</h3>
+
+
+<p>'He is away, my lord and master, my wedded husband, the Proconsul of
+Ephesus. Gone to Rome on State matters. Let him go! There are other
+Romans here as good as he, perhaps better. I shall mix with them, and,
+doing so, further hate the man I am tied to, sold to. I hate him! There
+is but one love in my heart&mdash;the love for Chios, who spurns it. Stay! I
+wonder if there be another beside Chios who may quench this flame
+devouring me? There may be. And this I determine, wherever I find love
+in unison, thither will I advance, and that immediately before Varro's
+return. Varro! Varro! what care I for Varro? I will deceive him if it
+pleases me. The world will call me vile if they discover. What care I
+for the world? What care I for the worms which crawl? Many worse than
+Nika. No, what cares Nika, accursed of Hecate? Take thy pleasure; to
+love is life, and union of souls is strength even if we be but two&mdash;'tis
+better than one against the hosts of hell! Nika is single-handed; Nika
+has no kindred soul to join in the fight&mdash;Nika the doomed one, against
+whom the Fates war, around whom the Furies rage. Arouse thyself! Set thy
+face against what is called goodness, chastity! Defy those
+principalities and powers which torture thee, laugh at thee, shatter thy
+hopes, damn thee<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> for the next life, before thou puttest aside the vile
+clay of this, make sport of thy soul ere half the circle of thy days is
+spent!</p>
+
+<p>'No, no! Enough, enough! I will fill my cup with every pleasure, if well
+deep enough be found. I will joy in the sunshine, if it be but for one
+day, like the many-coloured lily which opens to the morning sun and dies
+at eventide. Away, Nika, to the world of pleasure! But first drink deep
+of Grecian wine to brace thyself. What care I for peace? I shall be no
+worse than many of my Romans.'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The sun went down like an angry god, the west was ablaze with lurid
+gleam, the winds rushed in from the sea and smote the land, burying it
+with a shroud of foam. The rain descended in torrents and deluged the
+shore. The storm passed through the great city and away over the
+mountain-tops. The streets were deserted and a gloom rested on the land.</p>
+
+<p>One solitary human being might have been seen winding her way from place
+to place, and up the mountain side towards the home of Nika. With wet
+and clinging garments she hesitated in front of the house. Watching an
+opportunity, she pushed through the hedgerow of myrtles and stood within
+the garden. Stealthily she crept from shrub to shrub, now under the
+shelter of a laurel, then tearing through a mass of roses and trampling
+under feet the loveliest flowers, scarcely knowing whither she went, but
+making for a light which filtered through a window of many-coloured
+glass, until at last she stood in front of it, and dimly saw the
+overhanging jasmine and the great, white flowers of the magnolia. For a
+moment the perfume, like an angel guardian, uttered protest and dared
+approach, but the spirit impelling that form enveloped in soaking garb
+was one not long to be brooked by sentiment, and she moved like a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span>
+panther carefully forward, and peered through the casement left open to
+admit the perfumed air. She gazed anxiously through the opening, and saw
+the form of the beautiful Nika sitting on a low chair. The double tablet
+of wax lay upon her knees, and in her hand was an ivory point chased
+with diamonds. She had just written, and was evidently agitated.</p>
+
+<p>At the sight of this the soul of the woman without was moved to its very
+depths, and she longed to behold what was marked on the tablet. The
+divining power of her spirit asserted itself, and she knew by the
+writer's look that it was a message of importance, and probably one of
+love. She waited till Nika had finished it; then the Roman stretched out
+her white arms and flung herself back in a deep reverie.</p>
+
+<p>The eyes of the witch Endora were directed steadily on her, and as she
+gazed, Nika fell asleep, and her hands drooped listlessly by her side.</p>
+
+<p>Like a snake, Endora glided into the room, reached the sleeping Roman,
+then, gently raising the tablet from her knee, she moved as softly and
+serpent-like from the room, and stole back by the way she came&mdash;back
+through the deserted streets, up the hill Pion to her cave.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Once inside, she bolted the rough door, through the chinks of which the
+wind moaned.</p>
+
+<p>Lighting her lamp, she stripped off her saturated clothes. Before even
+she kindled a fire, she drew out the stolen thing, and, with straining
+eyes, read its contents. Then a hellish satisfaction lit up her haggard
+face, and she laughed with fiendish glee, murmuring to herself, fearful
+of listening ears:</p>
+
+<p>'Ha, ha, ha! My mistress Nika, thou hast a lover. Thou art safe now in
+the meshes of the fowler. The<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> measure thou hast meted out to others
+shall be measured back to thee again&mdash;again, I say. And the house of
+Venusta shall sorrow, as they say the Egyptians did for their
+first-born. Not only shall they suffer on thine account; their own sins
+shall weigh mightily on them. Yea, root and branch shall suffer, and
+they shall wither away until not a footfall of theirs be heard, nor an
+echo of their voices resound through their marble home. The witch
+Endora, like a Cassandra, smells the past, and speaks of evil.</p>
+
+<p>'Day after day, night after night, have I been on the trail, tracked her
+like a bloodhound, haunted her to earth. I lie not; she is worse than I!
+The Roman shall know all, and Saronia, whom she tortured, be avenged. If
+her soul is too kind to feed upon such a rare morsel, then the witch of
+Ephesus&mdash;I, Endora&mdash;will do so, and gloat over the fate of Nika, proud,
+despicable daughter of Lucius the Roman! Now let me breathe the air; the
+stormy air, the sunlight, and the breeze belong to me as much as to the
+good.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXXIV"></a>CHAPTER XXXIV</h2>
+
+<h3>THE HOROSCOPE</h3>
+
+
+<p>Nika was pale and worn, and scarcely spoke.</p>
+
+<p>'What ails thee, dearest wife?' said Varro.</p>
+
+<p>'Naught,' replied she; 'tired only. All night long have I watched
+through the storm. I knew by the signal-fires thou wert off the harbour
+mouth. Dost thou think I could rest when my lord rode on the top of
+crested waves, and the creaking timbers of the vessel sang omens fierce
+and loud? No, no; Nika is of different mould. My father is a warrior and
+a sailor, and ofttimes has he told me of the fearful perils of the
+seas.'</p>
+
+<p>'Nika, thou art my darling wife! How hast thou fared during my absence?
+Hast thou longed for my coming?'</p>
+
+<p>'Truly I have. And sometimes, when cloudy times were over me, I wished
+me dead rather than alone. Friends tried to cheer me; their work was but
+mockery, I well knowing naught but thy presence could fill the heart
+which has but room for one great joy&mdash;one which fills it to
+overflowing.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou lovest me too much, Nika.'</p>
+
+<p>'Nika never loves but with all her soul,' replied she.</p>
+
+<p>'Tell me, girl, how is our old friend Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>'Chios? I have not seen him for many a day. I may say I have not seen
+him since thou left for Rome. I am told that strange being has turned
+voyager. It appears he took it into his head to visit Delos, and a
+trading-ship passing on its voyage thence called into this port, and
+Chios embarked.'</p>
+
+<p>'Has he returned?'</p>
+
+<p>'I believe so. I understand he arrived two days since.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'I will go and see him shortly.'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>A day or two had flown, and Varro was at the studio of Chios.</p>
+
+<p>'Well, my friend,' said the Proconsul, 'how has the time passed with
+thee since I deserted Ephesus? Hast seen yet the charming Ionian girl
+who is to smite thy heart like the sharpened beak of a war bireme when
+it sends its prow into the soft pinewood sides of an enemy's ship? No?
+Well, I am sorry for thee, Chios. Thou deservedst a better fate. Nika
+told me of thy wanderings to Delos. Didst thou have pleasure in that
+lovely isle?'</p>
+
+<p>'I enjoyed it immensely, and learned many quaint stories of the place. I
+saw the Temple and the rock-cleft chasm through which the priestesses
+derived inspiration. I heard the story of Myrtile, that she was
+beautiful and wise as she was lovely; how she broke her vows, and
+suffered death as a punishment for her crime.'</p>
+
+<p>'How sad those stories are, Chios!'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, very, but the earth is full of such. Where dost thou spend this
+evening?'</p>
+
+<p>'Now, Chios, I am going to confide in thee. Guess what it is!'</p>
+
+<p>'I cannot.'</p>
+
+<p>'I have desired to get the horoscope of Nika. They tell me the witch
+Endora who lives in the side of yonder hill is one of the most eminent
+calculators of Ionia. Where she received her education 'tis a mystery.
+She has not been taught in Ephesus. I go to this poor old woman. What
+sayest thou, Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>'Don't go. No good will come of it.'</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou a seer?'</p>
+
+<p>'No; neither do I understand magic, but somehow I feel you will act
+wisely in keeping away.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Lovest thou not the mysteries?'</p>
+
+<p>'No.'</p>
+
+<p>'Neither those who love them?'</p>
+
+<p>'I love all my friends, whate'er their faith.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art a born diplomatist, Chios; but to-night will find me walking
+over the long grass leading to the cave of the wise woman of Ephesus.'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>That night he did go, and with some intrepidity knocked at the door of
+the mysterious cave. It was answered by Endora, peering out into the
+starlit night.</p>
+
+<p>'Whom seekest thou?' said she.</p>
+
+<p>'Endora.'</p>
+
+<p>'I am Endora. What requirest thou?'</p>
+
+<p>'I wish to consult thee.'</p>
+
+<p>'My place is poor for thee. Come within. Now, what is thy requirement?'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou tellest the future?'</p>
+
+<p>'Well?'</p>
+
+<p>'Dost thou cast an horoscope truly?'</p>
+
+<p>'Likely enough.'</p>
+
+<p>'Wilt thou cast from this?'&mdash;handing the date and time of birth.</p>
+
+<p>Endora took it, sat down, and commenced her work. Presently she looked
+up, and said:</p>
+
+<p>'I see enough to assure me that it will fit but the life of one person.'</p>
+
+<p>'And that one?' said Varro.</p>
+
+<p>'A woman, the wife of the Proconsul of Ephesus, and thou art he.'</p>
+
+<p>'This augurs well. I have heard great worth attached to thy wisdom. Now
+pray tell me hast thou ever seen her?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, many times. What dost thou think of thy wife?<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span> Art thou jealous of
+her since thou art come to dive into her future and her past?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, my woman! No, no; why should I be jealous? She is chaste as she is
+beautiful, and kind as she is wise. I have fullest confidence in my
+wife. What seest thou, Endora?'</p>
+
+<p>'I fear,' replied the witch, 'I must have been mistaken; for now I see
+here a beautiful woman with rippling hair of golden hue flowing back
+from a snowy brow.'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, yes; go on. That is right.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, it cannot be the Nika you call wife; she has eyes of blue, deep as
+the sea, and her cheeks are tinged with the glory of the pomegranate.
+She stands erect; she walks like a queen.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art right, Endora. 'Tis she! Thou art an artist; go further.'</p>
+
+<p>'She has ruby lips, and her teeth are white and smooth as pearl; but
+within she is a cauldron of&mdash;&mdash;'</p>
+
+<p>'Stay, wretch!' cried Varro.</p>
+
+<p>'I will not. A cauldron of lies! A sink of deception! A tiger whelp! A
+soul drowning in iniquity, destined to wander in darkness for ages on
+ages!'</p>
+
+<p>'Stop&mdash;stop thy murderous tongue! It must be, as thou sayest, some
+other&mdash;not Nika!'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no. Thou shalt not stay me; I will go on. It&mdash;is&mdash;thy&mdash;wife! She is
+beautiful without, but within I see her as I say.'</p>
+
+<p>'Poor thing! thou art deceived. Thou art delirious; I pity thee, and
+will get physician's aid for thee. I go now. Here is some gold. Rest
+thyself. Thine is a case demanding pity.'</p>
+
+<p>'I take not your gold; I want not your pity. I am sane. Would I had been
+born a drivelling idiot, and remained so to this present!'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'But surely, woman, thou canst not be other than mad to say such
+horrible things about Nika, my wife, my greatest treasure!'</p>
+
+<p>'I am not mad, noble man; but speak the truth, and speak it plainly. Thy
+wife deceives thee. She is vile!'</p>
+
+<p>'Curse your gray locks! I will smite you where you stand if you do not
+retract those blackened lies!'</p>
+
+<p>'Listen, Proconsul: I will not withdraw what I have said, but will
+further tear the veil from off thy deluded eyes. I have known her long,
+and watched her well&mdash;the reason, mine. I have followed in the groove of
+her life; but, to come to the present, thou hast been from Ephesus,
+leaving thy beautiful Nika behind&mdash;leaving thy soul's happiness with
+her. How has she repaid thee? How! By giving her love to&mdash;&mdash;'</p>
+
+<p>'Silence, thou reptile of hell!' And he sprang forward, clutching the
+woman by the throat.</p>
+
+<p>Her face grew dark and her eyes started; her mouth twitched
+convulsively, as if she essayed to speak.</p>
+
+<p>Maddened with fury, Varro still clutched her with the grip of death,
+holding her out at arms' length, glaring at her like a tiger with its
+prey.</p>
+
+<p>With one supreme effort the woman gathered together her dying strength
+sufficiently to enable her to thrust her hand into the folds of her
+dress and draw forth a tablet and hold it out towards him.</p>
+
+<p>Instinctively he relaxed his grip, and the witch cried out:</p>
+
+<p>'Read! Read!'</p>
+
+<p>He grasped the tablet, opened it, and saw the signature of Nika.</p>
+
+<p>Endora fell, her face lying on the stony floor. He heeded her not, but,
+with a face as death-like as that of the witch, glanced down the lines
+of the tablet.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then, with a moan such as is heard when the weary storm tells its sad
+tale through the cypress-trees, he sat down and buried his face in his
+hands.</p>
+
+<p>For some time he remained in the same position, until a sigh came from
+the prostrate woman.</p>
+
+<p>He arose and went towards her, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Whatever may be thy sins, in this I am the sinner for bruising thee.'</p>
+
+<p>He gave her wine, damped her furrowed, fevered brow, raised her from the
+floor, and watched by her until she had fully regained consciousness.</p>
+
+<p>She murmured:</p>
+
+<p>'I do not blame thee. Were I a man, I would have done likewise. Endora
+pities thee. Thou hast wedded a snake, and she has stung thee. What wilt
+thou do?'</p>
+
+<p>'Charge her.'</p>
+
+<p>'And should she deny?'</p>
+
+<p>'She shall be tried by the rites of the Virgin Cave of Hecate.'</p>
+
+<p>He arose, and, throwing his mantle around him, strode out into the night
+down the hillside to his home.</p>
+
+<p>On his arrival, Nika met him with honeyed words and sweetest smiles, but
+he passed her coldly, and went to his chamber&mdash;not to sleep. The room
+seemed filled with choking air. He opened the window and let in a
+cooling draught, and the moonlight, faint and low, stole softly across
+the floor.</p>
+
+<p>For a moment he rested, buried in thought, scarcely knowing what to do.
+His face betrayed great passion. He arose, and paced the room until the
+day dawned over the sea, when he fell upon a couch, and passed into a
+dreamy sleep.</p>
+
+<p>When the morning had fully come, he went out and breathed the cool
+virgin air, but soon returned.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>His wife met him again with all the ease that duplicity can command.</p>
+
+<p>'And where hast thou been, Varro? Why so cold yesternight to thy loving
+wife?'</p>
+
+<p>'Nika, thou art false, false! What hast thou been doing whilst I
+journeyed to Rome?'</p>
+
+<p>'What dost thou mean?'</p>
+
+<p>'Mean! Just what I say. I am not a man to bandy words. Thou art
+unfaithful to me. Dost thou deny it?'</p>
+
+<p>'I do. I swear by Jove I am guiltless! I have traducers, and they lie!'</p>
+
+<p>'Knowest thou this writing, Nika?' And, drawing the tablet from his
+bosom, he said: 'Dost thou recognise this?'</p>
+
+<p>For a moment, and just a moment only, as a bird flies past and hides the
+moon, her face assumed an ashen hue, but a crimson blush rushed in and
+retired, leaving sufficient colour to make her beauty more enchanting.
+Then, throwing her proud head back on her shoulders, she laughed,
+saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Dear old jealous husband! I can explain all, I see. I understand what
+has ruffled your pretty plumage. I remember the other night writing on
+that tablet&mdash;a great joke'&mdash;and again she laughed out merrily.</p>
+
+<p>'I will tell thee, Varro. For want of something to do, I sat down and
+read the love poems by Andros. Yes, Varro. Art thou listening? Well,
+what do you think? A sudden idea came into my mind to try if I could
+write an epistle to an imaginary lover. So I did, just for amusement,
+Varro. I laid the tablet in my lap and fell asleep, and lo! when I awoke
+it was gone; and, strangely enough, you, Varro, bring it to me. This is
+all, dear. Of course, thou believest me?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, I believe it not. Thou shalt no longer be wife of mine until thou
+provest thyself. This affair is not a secret<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> in Ephesus, and men of
+Ionia and nobles of Rome shall never point the finger of scorn at Varro.
+If thou art true, fear not; if false, then take thy reward.'</p>
+
+<p>'What meanest thou, husband? Thou art not serious? How can I prove other
+than by my word?'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou forgettest there is a tribunal for such offences.'</p>
+
+<p>'True. Tell me.'</p>
+
+<p>'The Virgin Cave of Hecate.'</p>
+
+<p>'The cave! Saronia!' shrieked Nika, and fell to the floor a helpless
+form.</p>
+
+<p>The Roman took her up and laid her on a couch, her hair flowing in
+golden masses to the ground, and her face like the face of death when
+Chios painted her!</p>
+
+<p>He called a slave to attend to Nika, hurried to his apartment, and sent
+word to Venusta instructing her to come immediately, stating her
+daughter was ill.</p>
+
+<p>Venusta came, and was terror-stricken at her daughter's appearance, and
+that day the wife of the Proconsul was removed to her mother's home on
+the side of Mount Coressus.</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXXV" id="CHAPTER_XXXV"></a>CHAPTER XXXV</h2>
+
+<h3>THE VIRGIN CAVE</h3>
+
+
+<p>In the Sacred Grove of Hecate, where the sun lit up the cypress-trees,
+and the birds sang on the billowy branches of the cluster-pine, and
+laurels greeted the gods, waving their dark-green foliage on the
+whispering air; where roses twined like weary children round the
+olive-trees, and oleanders, white as snow and pink as rosy dawn, bent
+down and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span> kissed the murmuring brook; where the pale narcissi mirrored
+themselves in silent pools like stars of silver on the solemn sea, and
+the maddening perfume of that lovely flower mingled with the odour of
+the sweet grass, wild thyme, and violets&mdash;here the blue celandine and
+hyacinth vied in colour with the saffron flower and scarlet poppy,
+sacred to Diana, and every bloom was the emblem of a god; and the nymphs
+kept guard o'er sacred trees, and naiades revelled in gayest dance the
+long night through.</p>
+
+<p>The Sacred Cave was here&mdash;the Virgin Cave of Hecate, around which, like
+lost souls out of place, grew alder, dark, deadly aconite, and branches
+green of juniper, waiting their call to burn as incense to the infernal
+goddess.</p>
+
+<p>A winding pathway led down to the cave, the cave of trial.</p>
+
+<p>Its doors were strong, of olive wood, with tracings wrought in gold. On
+either side uprose stout pillars of malachite; and over the entrance, in
+curious marble richly carved, were figures of Hecate in judgment.</p>
+
+<p>Within this cave none but the pure might enter. There was the sacred
+syrinx&mdash;should a woman go therein, the doors closed by invisible hands.
+If pure, a soft and heavenly strain was heard, and the doors opening of
+their own accord, the honoured woman appeared crowned with a garland of
+leaves of pine; but if guilty, sobs and disconsolate weeping were
+audible, and the people passed away, leaving her to her fate. And after
+three suns had risen and set, the High Priestess entered, found the cave
+empty, and the syrinx fallen to the ground.</p>
+
+<p>This was the day Nika would enter the cave. No hope had come. Day after
+day she had gazed over the blue sea with the vain thought that she might
+catch a glimpse of her father's fleet returning. Not a vestige of it
+hove in sight. To the last she buoyed herself with the hope<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span> that aid
+would come and save her from this frightful ordeal; but no. The sky was
+cloudless, the ocean calm&mdash;calm and unruffled as a sleeping child.</p>
+
+<p>The priests and priestesses of the Temple would accompany her in solemn
+procession, and Nika, clad in garments of black, would be taken to the
+Sacred Grove. Torch-bearers and heralds would lead them by the tufts of
+yellow iris down the winding path to the cave, outside which an altar
+stood, and the great Saronia waited, with head thrown back and hands
+outspread towards the ground; her raven hair flowed down and lay in
+waves on folds of costly yellow silk bestudded with stars; her face was
+calm as death, rigid as a marble statue; emotion showed no place in that
+mysterious being.</p>
+
+<p>Five beautiful girls, the loveliest of Ionia, priestesses of the
+goddess, bees of the Temple, waited on her; but the beauty and dignity
+of the great High Priestess outshone them all, as the rising sun puts
+out the light of the silvery stars.</p>
+
+<p>The black lamb had been sacrificed to Hecate, and its crimson blood
+streamed over the altar into the earth.</p>
+
+<p>The priestesses were hidden from view by a turning in the way, and it
+was only when the last tall lines of myrtles were passed that they could
+be seen. But the clanging of cymbals was near, the strains of the lyre
+broke in, and the low tones of the mellow flute kept up a sacred melody.</p>
+
+<p>The first of the heralds drew near the altar sacrifice, stood still a
+moment, then blew a blast which made the blossoms quiver; and the
+procession came with measured tread, carrying banners many-coloured, and
+bearing symbols of the goddess which glittered in the sunlight.</p>
+
+<p>Nika, pale and trembling, stood within a circle of the priests,
+enveloped by the many standards which they bore.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly the silken shields were lowered, the circle broke<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> in twain,
+and formed a guard on either side; and Nika, looking down between the
+lines, saw the dark face and towering form of Saronia standing by the
+altar.</p>
+
+<p>With one loud, piercing cry of anguish, the girl rushed madly towards
+her, and when within three paces plucked a jewelled dagger from her
+bosom, and made to plunge it into the heart of her former slave.</p>
+
+<p>One look from the mystic eyes of the High Priestess overawed her, and
+she shielded her face with her mantle of black.</p>
+
+<p>No tremor passed the face of the High Priestess. It was fixed like a
+cold, pale moon in the cloudless sky. She could have slain Nika had she
+chosen. Her glistening dagger remained untouched. She heeded it not, but
+moved solemnly towards the cowering girl, holding forth her hands as she
+approached her, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Lean on me, fair woman of Rome. I may make thy burden less.'</p>
+
+<p>The eyes of Nika rolled back their maddening look, and gazed into those
+of the priestess.</p>
+
+<p>'O Saronia, Saronia, save me! or, if thou canst not, then forgive!'</p>
+
+<p>For the first time the face of the High Priestess relaxed, and it was
+veiled with a look of pity.</p>
+
+<p>'Would I could help thee, Nika! In this case I have not power. I stand
+here, not to punish, but to perform the sacred rites my office demands;
+but I forgive thee, forgive thee, Nika, whatever may be thy fate.'</p>
+
+<p>The low tones of Diana's hymn broke the stillness, and Saronia led the
+trembling woman to the Virgin Cave of Hecate.</p>
+
+<p>The great doors swung back, the doors of olive were wide apart, and soft
+Ionian music floated by like the rhythm of angels' wings.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Nika&mdash;let me kiss thee, Nika.'</p>
+
+<p>And Saronia took the face bestrewn with golden hair between her jewelled
+hands, and passionately kissed the trembling lips of the daughter of
+Lucius.</p>
+
+<p>Then she led the fated woman to the cave, and left her.</p>
+
+<p>The great doors flew back like the jaws of death, and in a moment or two
+sounds of weeping were heard, and the people turned away. Full well they
+knew the syrinx had fallen, and Nika was gone&mdash;for ever.</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXXVI" id="CHAPTER_XXXVI"></a>CHAPTER XXXVI</h2>
+
+<h3>REVERIE</h3>
+
+
+<p>The passing of Nika spoke strongly to Saronia. She had lived with her,
+served with her, felt the keen injustice of her nature, and now the end
+had come.</p>
+
+<p>Had it been woman against woman, she would not have crushed the Roman;
+but it was not so. It was a woman in conflict with the goddess. Saronia
+had been powerless to help, and dared not question the vengeance of
+Hecate.</p>
+
+<p>She sympathized with Lucius, her old master, always kind; pictured him
+returning to Ephesus, hastening to his home on the Coressian hill,
+expecting loving greeting, hearing the dreadful death of his only child
+from a broken-hearted wife. She saw the tears streaming down the face of
+the weather-beaten mariner, and watched the wrecked soul as it looked
+out through the lustreless eyes.</p>
+
+<p>It was horrible to think of all this, and to dwell on the thought that
+question after question would arise in his mind why the Fates did not
+sooner bring him home that he might<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> have saved her&mdash;fought for her, if
+need be; and, above all, why did not Saronia protect her against the
+power of the Roman, Proconsul though he was? He would revert back to the
+time when he saw her at the altar steps looking sweetly on him and his
+sailors when they came to pray.</p>
+
+<p>All the agony of Lucius came before her, and her spirit was clouded with
+gloom.</p>
+
+<p>She threw herself down, and buried her beautiful face, sighing as if her
+heart would rend in twain. She was a woman, not a goddess&mdash;a woman with
+sympathies keen enough to feel for others, even to the binding up of the
+broken-hearted and offering forgiveness to her most violent foe.</p>
+
+<p>A mysterious link had suddenly snapped in her chain of destiny. What it
+was she could not divine.</p>
+
+<p>The death of Nika moved her in a peculiar manner, such as nothing else
+had done since the deep of her being was broken up by the call of the
+great spirit to follow the goddess.</p>
+
+<p>It was a dark chapter in her life's history, and she earnestly desired
+to know its hidden meaning; she would wait patiently until the time came
+when all should be revealed.</p>
+
+<p>She arose, looked towards the sea, and saw in vision the white sails of
+the fleet of Lucius bringing him to port.</p>
+
+<p>A storm crossed her face, as when the icy winds of winter furrow the
+waves and clouds swoop down to wed the foaming main. Her whole nature
+trembled like the shaken hull of a tempest-haunted ship. The spirit of
+Hecate was on her, and the voice of the terrible goddess rang out in her
+soul:</p>
+
+<p>'Tell him the curse hath killed her! Say the gods are avenged!'</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span></p><hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>When the evening had come, Saronia retired and lay on a couch of black
+marble. The windows of the room were thrown open to admit what little
+breeze there was; the honeysuckle and jasmine climbed the walls like
+rival lovers, and breathed their perfume on the priestess.</p>
+
+<p>She looked towards the Temple; the sun threw rays aslant the roof and
+pillars, and it shone resplendent in the dying day.</p>
+
+<p>In the rear of it sprang up against the sky tall trees of cluster-pine
+and ash, further away rose the great mountains, and behind them the
+golden gates of the setting sun, and beyond all, soft clouds cradled in
+light floated like temple domes of a great spiritual city.</p>
+
+<p>The soul of the priestess was drawn away towards the glorious vision,
+and for a while she had forgotten herself. Darkness had changed to
+light, and she longed to be beyond all the uncertainty of this troubled
+existence, and move into a sphere where hope might be lost in
+love&mdash;where she would see things as they are, see them with the truth of
+a risen soul, not as she now saw them, with a soul straining to gaze at
+spiritual beauty through a mass of corruption, a shroud of earthly
+mould.</p>
+
+<p>Her spirit struggled to free itself, to spread out its pinions and soar
+into an element of its own; but the time had not yet arrived for the
+prisoner to be free&mdash;her prison was bolted with bars of brass.</p>
+
+<p>As the shadows deepened on the floor of that sacred room, and the last
+flickering light of day played between her tresses, turning her silvery
+robes to gray, it was evident her mind was much agitated&mdash;influenced in
+a marked degree.</p>
+
+<p>She took from her bosom the parchment Chios had given&mdash;the manuscript
+which taught the Christian creed&mdash;and, grasping it firmly with her right
+hand, walked towards<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span> the window, looking lovingly and long at the great
+Temple. She moved away, murmuring:</p>
+
+<p>'I will see Chios. I will see him, and know more of his faith.'</p>
+
+<p>Thus was this magnificent spirit besieged by contending forces. She
+stood like a mountain peak encircled with storm, like a beacon on a rock
+lashed by the fury of the maddening seas, like a ship in a valley of
+waves, rudderless, shroudless, with creaking timbers and sailless yards.</p>
+
+<p>Her first thought was, under the cover of night, to fly to the studio of
+Chios. No, he would not be there. A better way suggested itself.</p>
+
+<p>She stood erect, with face towards where the city lay, and, stretching
+out both hands, she threw a wave of will forward in search of Endora. It
+reached her at her mountain home.</p>
+
+<p>The witch sprang to her feet, and the command of Saronia came to her:
+'Come to the Temple to-morrow morn. Bring me a gift of roses.'</p>
+
+<p>That night the priestess rested, slumbering till the sun arose and the
+mists on the mountains had cleared away. Then she awoke, and went forth
+to the morning service. As she passed by, many beasts were being
+sacrificed at the altar in front of the Temple, portions of the flesh
+and basins of blood were being carried within.</p>
+
+<p>She stood beside the sacrifice in the midst of the Temple, heard the
+crackling wood as it slowly burned up the pieces, watched the smoke
+until it ascended, freely passing out through the aperture in the roof;
+then she knew the sacrifice was accepted of the goddess.</p>
+
+<p>The omen at one time would have been to her one of great joy. Now
+another voice was echoing: 'Sacrifices and burnt-offerings I have no
+pleasure in. The true sacrifice is a broken and a contrite heart.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>As soon as she could, she turned from the Temple and sought the quiet of
+her room, sitting by the window where the sunlight kissed the roses and
+the breezes fanned her cheeks.</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXXVII" id="CHAPTER_XXXVII"></a>CHAPTER XXXVII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE MESSAGE</h3>
+
+
+<p>As the day advanced a message was brought to the priestess that a woman
+was without who wished to speak to her, and that she carried roses in
+her hand, an offering to Diana.</p>
+
+<p>'Let her come to me,' said Saronia.</p>
+
+<p>'Come within and seat thyself. I have much to say to thee, mother of
+Chios. I know I may trust thee. Thou wilt never betray?'</p>
+
+<p>'No. By all that is left for my eternal salvation, I swear to be true!'</p>
+
+<p>'Then hear me. Take this message to Chios. I must see him.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou knowest, lady, Chios is a Christian?'</p>
+
+<p>'I do. Dost thou know aught of this sect, seeing thou movest abroad
+among the people?'</p>
+
+<p>'O noble Saronia, 'tis a mighty God they serve.'</p>
+
+<p>'What meanest thou?'</p>
+
+<p>'I will tell thee. One day there came to my house the sons of Sceva;
+they came to cast out a spirit of evil from a tortured man.'</p>
+
+<p>'Did they succeed?'</p>
+
+<p>'No. Miserably failed! And I, by my power, tried by Hecate to draw him
+forth, but I could not.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'By what process did they attempt this?'</p>
+
+<p>'They invoked the name of the Jewish Christ, but the spirit rebelled
+against them, and disowned their power. They had made a cross, the
+symbol of that God, to carry out their plan, and when they had fled and
+I also looked back, I saw the cross all lit with glorious sheen in the
+hands of the man, and the spirit had come out of him. I fear this faith;
+Diana, Hecate are servants to it, and this Christ will prevail in
+Ephesus. I would this God would shield me from the curse, and I would
+lie at His feet in gratitude and joy.'</p>
+
+<p>'Endora, thou speakest strange sayings. Art thou certain of all those
+things, or are they phantasies of the mind?'</p>
+
+<p>'They are true, noble Saronia, as true as yonder Temple is the shrine of
+thy goddess; true as there is a central sun in the universe, around
+which all other suns revolve. And this Christ, they say, is the great
+spiritual orb, the grand Spirit of the whole around which every other
+intelligence moves, and to whom every spirit in the vast domains shall
+bow. It's a terrible thought, is it not?'</p>
+
+<p>'Why?'</p>
+
+<p>'Because, if this saying be true, Diana is no more. She is not supreme,
+and will fade away as the ages grow, dwindling into nothingness, and her
+teaching be but a beautiful story.'</p>
+
+<p>'Ah! Endora, thou speakest wisely. Truly thou art acting a part in
+assuming the craft of a low-born fortune-teller. I see thou art skilled
+in words, and still hast the soul and wisdom of a priestess; as a
+diamond thou wilt sparkle, begrimed as thou art with the adverse
+circumstances of thy life. Thou hast interested me. It is well one
+should know what is propagated around her. Hast thou any more respecting
+this strange belief?'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Only this: One day when on the mountain yonder two men were near. I
+hid, but close enough to listen.'</p>
+
+<p>'Who were they?'</p>
+
+<p>'One was Chios, the other his teacher, one of the chiefs of the
+Christians.'</p>
+
+<p>'What did they say?'</p>
+
+<p>'I heard the old man speak in prophecy, saying the time was not far away
+when the beautiful city beneath them should crumble to decay, the
+temples perish, and the altars be broken and buried deep in the earth,
+until men should seek for the glories and religion of Ephesus, but
+should search in vain&mdash;that the faith of the goddess should be but a
+broken note in the great hymn which the ages sing. More he said, but all
+of the same import.'</p>
+
+<p>'What kind of man was this prophet?'</p>
+
+<p>'He was mean in appearance, possessing an intellect like the mind of a
+god. His eyes were piercing, and his spirit consumed his flesh; his body
+was but a disguise. Surely within that frail and plainly-built structure
+there resided a soul which has circled around the central throne of the
+King of the universe. He is a messenger from Him, whoever He may be.'</p>
+
+<p>'Endora&mdash;Myrtile may I call thee?&mdash;go! Be careful of the message to
+Chios. My life&mdash;everything depends on its safe delivery. Place it
+carefully, and speed away. The message demands action this day.'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Endora crept up the avenue of myrtles to the door of Chios, and timidly
+knocked at it.</p>
+
+<p>'I have a message for thee.'</p>
+
+<p>'From whom didst thou receive it?'</p>
+
+<p>'From the High Priestess, Saronia.'</p>
+
+<p>'What knowest thou of her? Thou mockest me.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'No, I do not. Read it. Thou wilt see her in every line.'</p>
+
+<p>He eagerly glanced at the message, and turned deadly pale.</p>
+
+<p>'Come within, Endora.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou knowest my name. How so?'</p>
+
+<p>'It matters little. I know thy name.'</p>
+
+<p>As the old woman moved into the studio, a strange, weird light lit up
+her cold, sinister face, and she gazed around at the beauties displayed
+there.</p>
+
+<p>'Sit down and rest. Dost thou know the contents of this message?'</p>
+
+<p>'No.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then I will tell thee. Saronia has trusted thee; I must. She cannot
+err; her judgment is good, and I abide by it.'</p>
+
+<p>'Ah, ah!' laughed Endora. 'I am safe, noble Greek. Thou canst trust me.
+The High Priestess confides in me; Chios may do the same. Shall I
+swear?'</p>
+
+<p>'No; but look into my eyes, and tell me thou wilt be true.'</p>
+
+<p>As she gazed into his eyes a shudder passed through her, and for an
+instant she reeled as if drunken. Recovering herself, she said:</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou satisfied?</p>
+
+<p>He made no reply.</p>
+
+<p>Endora cried:</p>
+
+<p>'Speak&mdash;speak out straight from thy heart, or I will not receive thy
+secret!'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes; I can trust thee,' replied Chios. 'Why, I do not know. I am safe
+in thine hands. Who art thou? What art thou?'</p>
+
+<p>'I? I am a poor castaway, cast aside on the dung-heap like a broken
+lamp! I am a reptile doomed to crawl the earth like the meanest snake. I
+am Endora of Ephesus,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> the witch of Mount Pion! Who art <i>thou</i>? What a
+foolish question, when all know thee to be Chios the Greek, the great
+artist of this mighty city!... Thou art safe in the hands of Endora.
+Thou art son of some mother who cherished thy young life. Hast thou a
+mother?'</p>
+
+<p>'No.'</p>
+
+<p>'Where is she?'</p>
+
+<p>'Dead.'</p>
+
+<p>'Didst thou ever know her?'</p>
+
+<p>Chios was silent, and his eyes looked far away.</p>
+
+<p>'I have faint remembrance of her; she died when I was quite a child.'</p>
+
+<p>'Didst thou love her?'</p>
+
+<p>'Love her? Yes, passionately.'</p>
+
+<p>'Is thy father alive?'</p>
+
+<p>'I never knew him. But enough of this. Sufficient I trust thee in
+respect of this message. Speak to me on no other subject. It bids me
+meet the High Priestess to-night near the Sacred Grove, and she requests
+me to tell thee this and to command thee be there and stand sentinel, to
+give timely warning if strangers approach.</p>
+
+<p>'Why or how Saronia confides thus in thee 'tis passing strange. But it
+must be right. Thou knowest all now. Go thy way. Do thy part for thy
+mistress, and I will do mine.'</p>
+
+<p>'I will be there,' replied Endora, 'and, if necessary, die for thee.'</p>
+
+<p>And she went out to the great road beyond the garden gate.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXXVIII" id="CHAPTER_XXXVIII"></a>CHAPTER XXXVIII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE DEAD PRIEST</h3>
+
+
+<p>That night, with none to question her, Saronia passed out from the
+Temple towards the Sacred Grove of Hecate.</p>
+
+<p>Arrived there, she offered sacrifice, and left the dying embers
+blackening the sacred altar. Perchance some priestess next day should
+secretly want proof of Saronia's visit. This done, she hastened to the
+meeting-place on the bank of the Cayster, where Chios awaited her, and,
+like a faithful hound, Endora stood guard a hundred paces off, the only
+access to the river's brink.</p>
+
+<p>Saronia and Chios were safe. He spoke first.</p>
+
+<p>'Why comest thou here, my love, and such a fearful night? How the winds
+search through the trees and tangle thy beautiful tresses!</p>
+
+<p>'What hast thou to say? Thou runnest fearful risk. And yonder
+woman&mdash;canst thou really trust her?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, trust her fully; she is safe. I have desired to see thee, Chios,
+and have dared everything. I would know more of this faith,' and her
+voice sank to a whisper. 'Since thou gavest me the parchment to read my
+mind ever reverts to the words of fire it contains. I would know their
+hidden meaning, trace them to their source, and plant them in my heart
+were I sure they were words of truth. Thou hast a noble teacher in the
+man who wrote them. Is it possible, Chios, I may meet him and learn
+fully? My brain, disorganized, reeling with doubt, will madden me to
+death. I cannot live without knowing the truth. Tell me, canst thou help
+me?'</p>
+
+<p>'Saronia, what thou askest is a fearful thing. I wish<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> thee every good,
+and would pour out my life to serve thee; but hast thou considered&mdash;hast
+thou counted the cost?</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art the High Priestess of the Ephesian faith, steeped in the ways
+of Hecate, initiated into the mysteries of life and death, respected by
+thy followers, looked up to as a pattern for all the world to follow.
+Hast thou thought of the great sacrifice thou wilt make if perchance
+thou dost embrace the faith of the despised Nazarene? Consider what will
+become of thee&mdash;what thine end. Thou must fly the Temple, leave its
+altars, desert thy flock, be pursued until a merciful death blots out
+the life of the greatest, noblest woman in all Asia! Now, having told
+thee of this, I am ready to obey; but it shall never enter into thy
+mind, whatever befall thee, that Chios, who loves thee with a love that
+Heaven alone can understand, ever drew thee away from a faith which thou
+hast made thine own to one which perhaps thou mayest not understand.'</p>
+
+<p>'Dearest Chios, I have thought much of this. Many hours have I dwelt on
+it. I am decided. Saronia will not embrace a new faith until it eclipses
+the old one. Then, for such a faith, if such there be, Saronia is
+prepared to die. To gain knowledge of the greatest truth is my mission
+on earth, and, gaining this, I rise a step nearer the Divine Presence.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou shalt meet Judah. When wilt thou come?'</p>
+
+<p>'Not too soon, lest suspicion arise. Say, let one week pass, and I will
+be where thou wilt.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then we meet on the side of Mount Pion at the cave of Endora.'</p>
+
+<p>'Good; it shall be so, Chios.'</p>
+
+<p>'Now let us go. I will see thee into the road leading to the Temple.
+Fear not detection. The night forbodes a gale. Already the winds whistle
+through the reeds, and the nodding trees answer to the outriders of the
+tempest.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Suddenly a shriek went up, and was borne on the winds of night.</p>
+
+<p>'What is that?' whispered Saronia. ''Tis like the cry of a parting
+life.'</p>
+
+<p>'List!' said Chios. ''Tis some bird of evil shrieking the advent of
+storm.'</p>
+
+<p>They had not long to wait ere another shriek, more deadly than the
+first, rose up towards the skies.</p>
+
+<p>'Hide thee between the rushes, Saronia. I will see what it means. Stay
+until I return, whate'er betides.'</p>
+
+<p>The priestess did as she was bidden, and Chios stole softly down the
+pathway until he saw Endora&mdash;the black form of the witch surrounded by
+the night&mdash;and at her feet lay the lifeless form of a man.</p>
+
+<p>For a moment the Greek was terror-stricken, and when his breath had
+returned he gasped:</p>
+
+<p>'Endora! Endora! what meaneth this?'</p>
+
+<p>'I slew him,' replied she.</p>
+
+<p>'Thou?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, I slew him. See, my dagger reeks with blood!' and she held it
+aloft, pointing it upwards towards the heaven, looking like the statue
+of a night-fiend.</p>
+
+<p>Then she spoke again:</p>
+
+<p>'Had he a thousand lives, and my arm would not prove weary, I would take
+them all. Hear me, Chios: I stood guard for thee and Saronia. This dead
+man tracked her&mdash;knew her.'</p>
+
+<p>'Knew her?' repeated Chios.</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, recognised her&mdash;and thou. He came, as I have said, and was
+well-nigh upon you, when the form of Endora stood in the path. He spoke
+to me; he had lost the scent, did not know which way you had taken&mdash;this
+path or the one that branches off. He asked if I had seen a woman go
+this way towards the river. I answered "No."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> "Thou liest!" said he.
+"Thou knowest her whereabouts; thou knowest who she is&mdash;Saronia, the
+High Priestess, and Chios her lover. Speak out, hag, or I will wrest thy
+life from out thy vile carcase! Where is she?" Then said I: "Go thy way,
+man! I know not, and care less." He seized me by the throat, relaxed his
+hold, bade me speak, gripped it again, bruised me until I felt my life
+gurgling away. I knew I was not fit to die, and he&mdash;<i>he should not
+murder me</i>! He held me by the throat at arms' length, and shook me like
+a dog; but when he drew me towards him, I used my dagger and let out his
+life's blood&mdash;yes, the life-blood of a traitor!' And, turning her head
+from Chios, she murmured: 'The life-blood of&mdash;thy&mdash;father!'</p>
+
+<p>'Endora! Endora! what hast thou done?'</p>
+
+<p>'Nothing but saved my life and thine and that of the great Saronia, by
+killing a brute who would have had no mercy had he succeeded. I should
+have died, thou also, or both banished, and Saronia would have been in
+the power of this man, who had a passion for her.'</p>
+
+<p>'He?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, he.'</p>
+
+<p>Chios stooped down, gently drawing back the mantle which had fallen over
+the dead man's face, when, to his horror, he discovered who the murdered
+man was.</p>
+
+<p>Standing erect, he looked into the eyes of Endora.</p>
+
+<p>'Woman, thou hast committed a frightful deed! Thou hast slain the High
+Priest of the Temple of Diana!'</p>
+
+<p>She stood motionless, silent. Then, raising herself to her full height,
+she said:</p>
+
+<p>'Chios, this may bring me death;' and she uttered a moan like the
+sighing of the doomed. 'Take thy dagger, plunge it into my heart! Do not
+let them torture me! Death from thine hand I would receive as a kiss of
+love! As for the death of this man, I repent not. I knew him<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> well
+before I slew. Were he a god, and I could kill, I would have done so!'</p>
+
+<p>What was to be done? The first impulse of Chios was to call Saronia and
+tell her all. No; he dared not. She must be free from knowledge of the
+thing.</p>
+
+<p>He took the dead body and drew it on one side, that Saronia might not
+perceive it.</p>
+
+<p>Then, ordering Endora home, he went back to the priestess.</p>
+
+<p>'What ails thee, Chios? Thou art agitated. Has aught occurred?'</p>
+
+<p>'No; it must have been the wild bird's shriek. No being was about save
+Endora. Let us move away.'</p>
+
+<p>And they walked up the pathway past the corpse, and as she passed she
+shuddered.</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou cold, Saronia?'</p>
+
+<p>'No; but by some strange intuition I feel the presence of the dead.'</p>
+
+<p>'Banish the thought!' said he. ''Tis but the moaning winds which play
+upon thy soul.'</p>
+
+<p>'Where is Endora, Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>'Gone; I sent her home.'</p>
+
+<p>They arrived at the confines of the grove through which Saronia must
+pass.</p>
+
+<p>'One kiss, my love,' said the Greek&mdash;'one kiss from those sweet lips,
+and I go to feed upon the memories of Saronia. Do not forget next week
+at the home of Endora, on the Mountain of Pion. Good-night,
+dearest&mdash;good-night!'</p>
+
+<p>She passed through the Sacred Grove, took with her her implements of
+sacrifice, and went within the walls which surrounded the Temple. Great
+gusts of wind came roaring through the pine-trees of the grove, rushed
+onwards, striking the sacred pile, shrieking and crying with
+many-sounding<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span> voices around the marble pillars, until the mighty Temple
+was as a great harp on which the storm-winds played a solemn requiem for
+the dead priest.</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XXXIX" id="CHAPTER_XXXIX"></a>CHAPTER XXXIX</h2>
+
+<h3>CONSTERNATION</h3>
+
+
+<p>Next morning some fishermen, who had come down the river Cayster in
+their boat of many colours and crooked prow, moored it near the spot
+where Chios and Saronia met the previous night. They lowered the sail,
+with long yard and streaming pendant, rolled it up carefully, placed it
+fore and aft across the thwarts, counted their fish, took them with
+their nets and gaily stepped on shore, singing as they went, with hearts
+as light as the morning breeze and hopes as bright as the sunlight. For
+had they not a good catch of golden mullet which would sell well?</p>
+
+<p>They moved happily along the pathway, stooping and gathering the yellow
+flowers covered with silvery dew. There was plenty of time: the day had
+just begun, and they would easily gain the market for the early sale.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly the foremost of them saw the body of the High Priest. He stood
+aghast. By this time the others came up and stood around,
+horror-stricken at the sight.</p>
+
+<p>'Who has done this?' said a stalwart Ionian, with curly hair and
+sparkling eyes.</p>
+
+<p>'Great Jupiter!' cried another. 'Who has committed the foul deed?'</p>
+
+<p>'A priest&mdash;a priest of rank!' exclaimed the third. 'See the insignia of
+office!'</p>
+
+<p>For a moment they knew not what to do. Their position<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> was critical. One
+suggested they might be suspected of the murder, and they had better get
+on board their boat and float lower down the stream, keeping silence.</p>
+
+<p>Others were for going to the city and publishing the calamity, and this
+prevailed. And they hastened on, and made it known to the guard.</p>
+
+<p>The news of the murder of the Chief Priest of the Temple burst like a
+thunder-cloud, and spread with great rapidity until Ephesus and its
+environs rang with the tidings. Messengers hastened along the coast from
+Teos and Claros to Priene, and over the Meander to the Carian Miletus,
+to Magnesia and Mysa through to Sardis and Smyrna, in hopes by spreading
+the news that the murderer, if fled the city, might be taken.</p>
+
+<p>The Agora, Gymnasium, Odeum, Theatre&mdash;all the public places were closed.
+Silence seemed dropping from the heavens and casting out the joys of the
+people as they hung in groups and spoke in whispers.</p>
+
+<p>As the day passed, the feeling of melancholy wore off, and intense
+excitement set in. The worshippers of Diana clamoured for instant
+action, and blamed those who held power for not already capturing the
+criminal.</p>
+
+<p>Those of sounder judgment cast about for a motive for this deed, but
+they also were baffled. What business had the priest at night by the
+river side? Again, a thief had not killed him: everything of value
+remained upon his person; his jewels were untouched, even to the sacred
+Ephesian letters set in diamonds and rubies, and the sacred symbol of
+the shrine in gold and opals fell over his breast in sight of all. There
+was a great mystery about it. Some few dared to think within themselves
+that love and jealousy might clear it.</p>
+
+<p>Then it was remembered a custom existed backwards in the years that when
+a new High Priest was intended to be,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> the new should slay the old and
+take his place. And this satisfied many, whilst others who had desired
+to persecute the Christians clearly saw their hands in the matter, and
+preached a general massacre.</p>
+
+<p>At the Temple there was sore distress. Priests went to and fro with
+silent tread, and the great building resounded with cries and
+lamentations. The great Priestess Saronia wore on her face a death-like
+calmness.</p>
+
+<p>She had heard of the fishermen finding the body, and remembered the
+shriek which arose on the gusty air. She dared not speak; it would sound
+her own death-knell. She could not confess her presence at the margin of
+the river that fatal night.</p>
+
+<p>Her lips were sealed, her tongue silenced. But dark suspicions floated
+through her burning brain. Endora knew of this foul matter. Chios was
+innocent, but during his absence from her the woman must have told him
+all, and both held the secret.</p>
+
+<p>All this was too horrible to Saronia. Wild, heaving waves of furious
+thought rushed through her soul, threatening to engulf her reason, but
+like a shivering barque she determined to struggle through the breakers
+to the open sea and know the end.</p>
+
+<p>The Temple was desolate, the High Priest gone away for ever; but little
+did she know his death had saved her life, and the life of her beloved.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XL" id="CHAPTER_XL"></a>CHAPTER XL</h2>
+
+<h3>TWO MASTER MINDS</h3>
+
+
+<p>The stars were shining softly through the mists of a summer night; the
+moon had touched the western rim; the winds were sleeping low upon the
+pine-clad hills, and Nature, weary, lay in sweet repose.</p>
+
+<p>On such a night, a week since the High Priest met his fate, Saronia went
+up the side of Pion to the cave of Endora.</p>
+
+<p>Disguised as she was, Chios did not know her, and she might have passed
+by unknown had she not turned towards the place where he waited to
+receive her.</p>
+
+<p>She entered, and sat down wearily. There was great anxiety in her eyes.
+Chios unfastened the cloak which enveloped her and let it fall back over
+her shoulders.</p>
+
+<p>'What ails thee, Saronia?'</p>
+
+<p>'What ails me? My heart is rending; I am weary. The soul truly never
+grows old, but the flesh tires. I am tired of all, and would I were at
+rest. The surges ever move towards the strand, sometimes gently like the
+breaking of the day; but with me always the waves beat ruthlessly around
+my imprisoned spirit, until now, like a drowning man clinging to the
+last vestige of his wrecked ship, I would fain let go my hold, and sink
+backwards into the seething waves which wait to engulf me.'</p>
+
+<p>'Do not despair, Saronia.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, I do not despair. I have ever sought to do the right and know the
+truth, and fear not the future.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'I must find the home best suited for this soul, as I have evolved it,
+but I feel I have no power to go forward, and I may as well cease my
+yearnings for light. Perchance more may be meted to me in the ages
+beyond. That I shall live again and move onwards I know. I know this: it
+is the jewel left me&mdash;it is the anchor of my soul. Break the cordage
+which fastens me to it, and I drift aimless, hopelessly.'</p>
+
+<p>'Nay, nay, Saronia, do not talk in such a strain. What weighs so heavily
+on thee?'</p>
+
+<p>'The death of the High Priest. Canst thou clear the mystery, Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>He looked towards Endora. The woman stood leaning against the side of
+the cave, with eyes aglow, and burning with desire to speak. She stood
+forth, firmly erect, with head thrown back.</p>
+
+<p>'I slew him, lady&mdash;slew him in self-defence; killed him to save the
+truest, noblest woman on earth, and the man who loveth her, Chios the
+Greek. He would have strangled me, would have wrenched thy whereabouts
+from me&mdash;did try&mdash;until his iron grip upon my throat well-nigh put out
+my life. Now listen, mighty priestess, and you cultured man of Ephesus.
+The man I slew killed my love and spirit's aspirations years ago&mdash;long
+ago. The dead priest, who rose to be the highest in Asia, was <i>my
+husband</i>&mdash;the husband of Endora!'</p>
+
+<p>'Thy husband?' exclaimed Saronia.</p>
+
+<p>'Yea, it is true. He left me to my fate. I followed him hither, watched
+his career, and saw the people of Ephesus fooled with his whining
+hypocrisy. He knew me not until the fated night. When he fell I stooped
+and whispered in his ear my name, but <i>it was not Endora</i>! Thou heard'st
+the second shriek? The whisper of my name caused it. He shattered my
+life and left me to die;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span> but I did not die, neither will I for his
+death. My line of life is not broken. I wait events.'</p>
+
+<p>Saronia was speechless, and Chios quivered like a leaf on a restless
+tree. Gathering strength, he staggered towards the door to breathe the
+air, and the two women were left alone.</p>
+
+<p>Endora felt the power of the priestess, and dared not speak.</p>
+
+<p>'Hast thou told Chios who thou art? Does he know thou art his mother,
+and by thine own hand thou hast slain his sire?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, and the secret kills me. Oh that I could die, disappear from the
+gaze of my son! Thou canst fancy my bursting soul, how my heart aches to
+hear one loving word from my only child! No, no; this cannot be. Endora,
+Myrtile the false, accursed, bloodstained, must never be known to Chios,
+my son, my son! But when I am gone&mdash;it will not be long&mdash;when I have
+finished here, tell him&mdash;tell him all, and that to the last my longing
+soul yearned to behold his manly face. Tell him that a mother's
+instincts, a mother's love, deadened by the curse, still dwelt within
+me. Mighty Saronia, thou wilt be left to him. Give him the love which a
+mother could not reveal. As I have said, I shall soon be on my great
+journey&mdash;yea, before the leaves fall from the trees in autumn.</p>
+
+<p>'Now to business. Intendest thou to deliver me to be weighed in the
+scales of justice?'</p>
+
+<p>'No. I mourn over the fatal act. 'Twas done in self-defence. I will not
+interfere. Wert thou tried, no one would believe thee. I do. My betrayal
+of thee would rest a murder on my own soul. The Fates must rule. Go thy
+way, and render thine account in the great hereafter. The gods will
+judge thee, and mete out justice. Keep thy<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span> counsel. 'Tis better none
+should know who thou art. Should I outlive thee, I will tell him, and
+say, blackened as thou art, cursed and full of sin, there was yet a
+spark of the Divine in thee, a spark which anon shall fire and blaze and
+burn the dross, and leave thee pure and unsullied as the air in which
+the gods dwell.'</p>
+
+<p>Chios returned within the cave. The women were silent, until the silence
+was broken by the footfall of a stranger. It was Judah the Christian.</p>
+
+<p>'What a strange gathering!' murmured Chios, as he went forth to meet his
+friend.</p>
+
+<p>Endora glided out like a panther, leaving the two men alone with the
+priestess.</p>
+
+<p>Saronia drew her black cloak closely around her, covering her priestly
+robes.</p>
+
+<p>Judah knew her. 'Lady of the Temple, thou art safe. Speak; I will not
+betray thee. Thou art not the first who came in this way. A young ruler
+in Judea came to my Master by night and learned of Him, and what thou
+wilt hear from me are the echoes of that Master's voice. Say on.'</p>
+
+<p>Then answered Saronia. 'Behold in me a priestess of the goddess Diana,
+skilled in the mysteries of her faith, touching the fringe of knowledge
+as it emanates from my divine mistress, carrying with me a belief hoary
+with the ages. But a short time since it permeated every cranny of my
+being, leaving no room for doubt until I heard from Chios thou hadst won
+him to thy faith. Knowing Chios well, and observing his peace, the
+things thou hast told him now rise for hearing in my soul. Judah, if
+thou hast more of truth than I, then show it me! I have power&mdash;power to
+cast around us darkness&mdash;thick darkness&mdash;and anon fill this darkened
+cave with spirits of fire, so that it shall blaze with light! Believest
+thou this? I do not boast to show this<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span> power, but to prove I seek not
+power, but truth and peace. Speak.'</p>
+
+<p>Then said he: 'Thou hast no power here. Thou art shorn of thy strength.
+The presence of my God is too strong! Invoke thy goddess, or thy gods;
+they will be dumb to thee. I challenge thee, invoke thy spirits! Call
+them hither, they will be as dead men to thee!'</p>
+
+<p>She arose, towering with majestic beauty, and, stretching forth her
+arms, whispered, with a voice full of command:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">Spirits of the Temple Altar,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ye who guard the sacrifice,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ye whose pinions never weary<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Serving Hecate, Diana,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Serving Luna, Queen of Heaven,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Come ye, by my summons bidden,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Light your torches deep in Hades,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Wave your brightness in this darkness,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Fill this place with light and splendour!<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>But Saronia was powerless. Her strength was gone, and she stood aghast.
+Looking first at Chios, then at Judah, she spoke not a word, and her
+eyes were filled with tears as she learned a greater than Diana was
+there, and the priestess was a broken reed.</p>
+
+<p>It was then Judah spoke:</p>
+
+<p>'Holy Father, by whose power the north was stretched over the empty
+space, whose o'ershadowing wings give shelter to unnumbered souls, whose
+mercy endureth for ever! Holy Son, reclining on the bosom of the Father
+when the morning stars sang together and the sons of God shouted for
+joy! Holy Spirit, dispensing peace! Holy Trinity, Great Eternal, Love
+illimitable&mdash;hear Thy servant, and show us Thy goodness!'</p>
+
+<p>Then a Presence passed between them, and Saronia knew the Christ of God
+was there; but He entered not into her soul.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>She saw by the smile of peace on the Christian's face that he recognised
+his God and was holding communion with Him. And the priestess hid her
+face, not daring to look upon that holy sight.</p>
+
+<p>'Saronia,' said Judah, 'thy God stands by! Wilt thou worship?'</p>
+
+<p>She raised her eyes upwards to the rugged roof of the cave, and,
+starting to her feet, cried:</p>
+
+<p>'God of gods, if such Thou be&mdash;Spirit of the Mighty Ages&mdash;hail! I feel
+Thy power; it encircles me! I fear Thee, but I do not love. No, no!
+Saronia came not here to be captured or fascinated by fleeting spasm of
+fear! My mind is wrought to think and judge dispassionately. No show of
+power, no tinge of joy or veil of peace, will hold me off from the
+circle of my faith, which hath taught me knowledge deep and high, all
+glinting with flames of truth, strong as the moon gives when
+harvest-time is here. What I ask for is more light&mdash;sunlight&mdash;that may
+show me the truth with radiant splendour of a summer day. Canst thou,
+holy man, bestow this?'</p>
+
+<p>For a moment the power of her mighty mind astounded Judah. Never before
+had he encountered such a being. He looked on her as she stood erect in
+all her loveliness, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art a princess amongst spirits! The wisdom of man will not
+convince thee. Thou must be taught of God! Thy knowledge is great,
+Saronia; but listen. Many mighty spirits have wheeled and circled around
+the throne of the Eternal, dashing from their wings the heavenly sheen,
+the brilliancy brighter than a myriad suns, as they touched the halo of
+splendour which surrounds Jehovah. Many of them fell&mdash;fell, I say&mdash;like
+lightning from heaven, shorn of their radiance through dire rebellion.
+They knew the very source of truth, gazed upon the very ocean of it,
+and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span> fell, carrying knowledge with them and a mighty power, by which
+they now work evil instead of good, leaving peace and love behind.</p>
+
+<p>'Perchance thou hast been taught of them&mdash;filled thy pitcher at their
+polluted fountain. Wilt thou be satisfied with it, or rise and rise
+until thou ministereth to Deity? Thou, too, wilt be a rebel if thou
+closest thy gates against the truth. Thine eyes are clouded, and mercy
+waits with loving hands to take the veil away!</p>
+
+<p>'Thou seekest light, and even now, although thou knowest it not, thou
+art on the very verge of the kingdom. And, mark well, when the set time
+comes, and thy vision is purified, the glory of God will surround thee
+like a mighty ocean without a shore. The index of my mind points that I
+should say good-bye. The seed which has been sown must die, and from it
+rise life and beauty to be crowned with a harvest of flowers. Farewell,
+mighty Saronia! Farewell, beloved Chios!'</p>
+
+<p>And he passed out into the starlight, the angels of God guarding him in
+mighty phalanx, deep and broad like a river of glory.</p>
+
+<p>Endora saw him leave, and a shudder passed over her as she trod the
+ground sanctified by the footsteps of the holy man.</p>
+
+<p>'Where hast thou been, Endora?' said the priestess.</p>
+
+<p>'Listening,' said the witch. 'I did my best not to play eavesdropper,
+but by an irresistible power I was drawn to the half-open door, and
+heard the words of Judah, and, on my soul, I would I were as pure as
+he!'</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou also being tainted with this new faith, Endora?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no; but what may I expect from mine own? I am borne on the outer
+circle of it, accursed, knowing my fate. Who can blame me if I strike
+from my orbit like a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span> wandering star, with the hope of coming within the
+influence of some other God greater than Hecate? Perhaps He may take me
+to His care. Did I not hear Judah say the mercy of his God endureth for
+ever? If so, may I not taste of it? I will try, and ere to-morrow's sun
+will have arisen I will have burnt my charms, my books, my Ephesian
+spells, and stand out fearlessly, awaiting the passing by of the Great
+Spirit of that mighty God. Perchance, seeing a naked, starving soul, He
+may throw around me a garment of mercy, a mantle of love, and I may yet
+atone, and worship at His feet. There is a story told that He sheltered
+Magdalene&mdash;and why not me? Most noble priestess, I read thee well enough
+to know thy great mind, stored with the greater mysteries, is broad
+enough, high enough, deep enough to let a struggling spirit work out its
+best destiny. I know thou wilt consent that to Endora be allowed the
+fullest light she can get to lead on to something better than the cold
+doom which now awaits her. Say, noble priestess&mdash;say! I feel I am
+parting from thee. Some links in the mighty spell which binds me are
+already broken. Some great influence is at work moulding my soul to
+something good. I will let it work. I will be passive in the hands of
+this great Potter, and out of darkness&mdash;gross darkness and sin&mdash;He may
+bring forth a being clothed with radiant immortality. Already a new dawn
+upheaveth, and more peace than Endora hath experienced in a lifetime now
+broods over her.'</p>
+
+<p>And she fell on the cold, stony floor, and lay at the feet of the
+priestess.</p>
+
+<p>Saronia, the High Priestess, arose, looking lovingly towards Chios.</p>
+
+<p>'Go thy way, dear Chios; leave this woman to me. No good can now come of
+thy presence. Our mission is accomplished. We have spoken with him we
+came to see.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> His words are graven on my heart, and will have due
+consideration; and greater than all he said is the fact that here before
+me lies this Endora, a marvel to my soul&mdash;a being steeped in sin,
+accursed of the goddess, moved upon by this mighty spiritual influence,
+talking of peace, and a dawn of love, mercy, and radiant life! This to
+me is far greater miracle than if Mount Pion had changed places with
+Coressus, or the deep blue sea rolled over the Ephesian plain, making
+the great Temple of Diana an island of marble in the midst of the
+waters.'</p>
+
+<p>Chios and Saronia stood at the entrance of that lonely cave.</p>
+
+<p>'Let me kiss thee, Saronia; let me place my hand upon thy head. I have
+been silent, knowing a greater than I was present. I knew thee too well
+to meddle with the workings of thy mind. We shall meet again shortly,
+shall we not, loved one?'</p>
+
+<p>'Probably.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou wilt send by the hand of Endora?'</p>
+
+<p>'Good-bye, Chios&mdash;good-bye! Take this flower of myrtle from me.'</p>
+
+<p>She plucked it from her bosom, kissed its fragrant petals, and gave it
+to him.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XLI" id="CHAPTER_XLI"></a>CHAPTER XLI</h2>
+
+<h3>DAYBREAK</h3>
+
+
+<p>The meeting with Chios and the Christian in the cave of the Ephesian
+sorceress had worked on the mind of the priestess. She was agitated like
+a ship cast in the way where two seas meet. Two great tides were bearing
+on her, which should carry her on its bosom. On the one hand, she had
+the traditions of the goddess, like a mighty river coursing down the
+ages, backed by a power which could command the living and the dead; on
+the other, she had presented to her a God of love, and the teachings
+which brought her dead mother to the Christ of God, permeated the soul
+of her lover, and gave peace to Endora, the accursed of Hecate.</p>
+
+<p>Before her rose the great Temple, glistening white in the sunlight,
+rearing its majestic pillars skywards, throwing shadows to the west. She
+saw the train of priests move up the marble stairway and disappear
+within, and heard the hymn of morning rise on the trembling air.</p>
+
+<p>In striking contrast before her stretched out a vision of the hated
+sect, the followers of the despised Nazarene, the little band of
+outcasts, who for fear of the people worshipped their God in the silent
+watches of the night, when the city was asleep&mdash;worshipped Him without
+gorgeous ritual or templed home, and standing ready, well knowing that
+as each day dawned the setting sun might cast its rays upon their
+lifeless bodies lying uncared for in the Ephesian arena.</p>
+
+<p>All this floated before her, drifting by, dark and ominously, like the
+shadow of a great cloud on the face of the waters.</p>
+
+<p>She saw herself a fugitive, hiding on the mountain-sides<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span> of yonder
+snow-capped Tmolus, where many others of the Christians had already fled
+for safety from the cruel fate in store for them.</p>
+
+<p>She saw herself a wanderer, an outcast, pursued to the death. Which
+should it be? High Priestess of Diana, clothed with mystery, strong in
+power, standing on the loftiest peak of fame, with a nation at her feet,
+and the issues of life and death in her hands; or a child in the new
+kingdom of love and peace?</p>
+
+<p>A thousand spirit-voices sang chorus to her soul, bidding her beware,
+now flowing with soft cadence in winning measure and tones of entreaty,
+now rising in one vast tumultuous threatening as if they would break the
+earth asunder. She stood unawed, listening; then cried:</p>
+
+<p>'Stand back! Saronia is a free spirit! What are ye? If I seek the truth,
+what spirit amongst you dare bar the way to a soul which floats upwards
+to the source of its being? Nay, none of you! Not even the son of the
+morning who fell from heaven!'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Day after day hung wearily on Saronia; she was of such nature as no
+half-measure would satisfy. She was awakening from the mist of ages. She
+had heard of a great spiritual life which was without alloy, where the
+spirit evolved more and more into the likeness of the great First Cause,
+and her mind broadened out to seek the fuller light.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>When the nightingale sang to its mate and the sweet-scented flowers gave
+perfume in exchange for the earth-born dew, when the winds of the night
+lay cradled, when the voice of the toiler was still, and the sheen of
+the star of the west melted into the cold, gray sea, when the city slept
+on in the darkness, Saronia looked out to the mountains, the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> mountains
+which sheltered the exiles, the fugitive followers of God.</p>
+
+<p>'Twas death before death to the priestess; 'twas the death of the old
+faith, the birth of the new&mdash;the new one awakening the soul from its
+slumber, refining the spirit, remoulding her nature, and bringing
+together the Christ and His loved one.</p>
+
+<p>The night-winds leapt from their slumbers, and shrieked like a soul in
+pain, trampled the flowers in their fury, flew round the pine-clad
+mountains, circled and circled again, till the girl was entombed in a
+whirlwind, a whirlwind with centre of calm.</p>
+
+<p>Within that sanctuary, guarded by the angel of the covenant, stood
+Saronia, undismayed, determined, decided to serve the Son of Jehovah.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>Her next step was to break away from the Temple service. Many methods
+came to her&mdash;one such as to leave the place without disturbance, to
+quietly move away; to flee; to live and breathe the fresh air, until
+hunted down to meet death in the arena of the great theatre of Ephesus.
+But to Saronia this was cowardly, and she resolved to meet her fate at
+once. Life to her was valueless save for the good she might do. But what
+greater good could she do than to openly witness for the new faith
+before the priests and priestesses of the great Temple of Diana, and
+receive the martyr's crown? It was a fitting prelude to the entrance
+into the great life&mdash;to the life which ended never.</p>
+
+<p>She would call an assembly of the priests and priestesses, and tell them
+from her own lips the story of her new-born love. The time was fixed,
+and as it was no uncommon thing for the priests and priestesses to meet
+their chief in solemn assembly, no particular notice was taken of
+Saronia's action in calling such.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>So, at eventide, when the worship for the day was over, and the sun had
+set, and the outer gates leading into the Temple were closed, the
+priests and priestesses gathered before the great altar, to listen to
+the voice of their beloved priestess.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The scene was one of solemn grandeur, as the priests with garments of
+many-coloured textures ranged themselves in crescent rows on the right
+of the altar as you enter the massive gates at the chief entrance. On
+the left of the altar, in the same manner, stood the priestesses,
+loveliest of the Ionian women, draped in white, yellow, rose-coloured,
+and azure garments, with here and there a robe of black, sacred to
+Hecate; whilst other maidens, flower-bearers, libation-carriers, and
+incense-girls, stood between the priests and priestesses, ready to place
+their offerings on the altar in honour of Diana.</p>
+
+<p>All was ready, all were expectant, when the great High Priestess,
+Saronia, came forward in flowing robes of white, costly silk, and stood
+in all her magnificent beauty.</p>
+
+<p>The offering to the goddess was soon made, but Saronia stood in silent
+meditation; neither had the soft cadences of sweet Ionian music from the
+costliest instruments any charm. Then, when their harmonies fell low and
+died in plaintive echoes, Saronia looked upwards through the open roof
+towards the circle of azure sky, until a calm, a radiant calm,
+o'erspread her face, making her seem like a visitant from the
+heavens.... During this brief pause a profound solemnity pervaded the
+assembly&mdash;a quietude in which even the rustle of a leaf would have
+seemed discord.</p>
+
+<p>The people, spellbound by the force of her character and the beauty of
+the Priestess, held their breath and earnestly waited.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then spoke Saronia to them, in a voice full of love and hope, saying:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot"><p>'Priestesses and priests, and all you gathered here, listen to
+the words of Saronia. Me you found helpless at your gates, a
+slave seeking shelter, seeking sanctuary at the shrine of great
+Diana, whose image, hidden by a veil of purple and gold, towers
+majestically behind me.</p>
+
+<p>'You brought me within the precincts of this mighty Temple, and
+cared for me tenderly.</p>
+
+<p>'After awhile you thought me fit to serve your goddess.</p>
+
+<p>'Step by step I rose until, with one bound, I became the High
+Priestess.</p>
+
+<p>'My spirit, yearning with desire to understand the hidden
+meaning of your mystic faith, became a receptacle for all the
+teachings of your goddess. My mind became permeated with your
+creed, and every fibre of my nature shaken and respondent to
+the spirit's voice, as leaves move to the breathings of the
+winds.</p>
+
+<p>'In this spiritual ecstasy I revelled and moved on from mystery
+to mystery, diving into the deep ocean of your sacred
+knowledge, satisfying my soul with draughts of wisdom from the
+choicest fountains of your faith; and, as I swept into the
+mysteries of your creed, my spirit became intoxicated with
+delight, and seemed to purify by contact with the unseen
+presence of your goddess.</p>
+
+<p>'Light after light flooded my vision, and I, the poor wanderer
+seeking for truth and rest, was carried onwards as a mighty
+rushing wind, accumulating knowledge as I went, until I was
+borne into a vale of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span> peace and rested for a while drinking in
+the delirious joys of my new-found life.</p>
+
+<p>'Power was given to me, power of which I dare not speak, save
+only to those who are initiated into the mysteries of your
+veiled goddess Hecate.</p>
+
+<p>'Wisdom and power were bestowed on me, and, with the power I
+possessed, I dealt out beneficence in accordance with the
+precepts of Diana&mdash;Diana Triformis; and thus from stage to
+stage my life has moved. But the soul has an eternal longing
+for greater knowledge and greater truths, and this was the case
+with Saronia, your priestess.</p>
+
+<p>'As a wild gazelle springs from crag to crag, over shadowed
+chasms, in search of food, so I moved on, seeking joy and truth
+and knowledge, until I in spirit reached a sea-girt shore, and
+could no further go. Not that my desire failed, but aid came
+not to ferry me over the darkling waters.</p>
+
+<p>'I stood calling on my goddess to point a way to the other
+shore, on which stood templed cities with domes and towers
+rising high into the pearly sheen of a glorious light. But no
+answer came.... From the spiritual city across the sea came a
+flowing light like a moving star. It came, and resolved into
+beauteous form, until a Spirit, priestly, kingly, clothed with
+heaven, stood beside me, and spoke peace to my awakening soul,
+saying, "I will guide thee."...</p>
+
+<p>'But it was not a messenger of Diana.' </p></div>
+
+<p>'Of whom, then?' shouted the priests.</p>
+
+<p>''Twas the Angel of the new faith,' replied the priestess.</p>
+
+<p>'Traitor! traitor!' thundered the people. 'Hear! She defames the great
+Diana! Take her away&mdash;away quickly, lest she pollute the altar!'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Gazing steadily on the multitude, her dark eyes flashing fire, she
+cried:</p>
+
+<p>'No, no! Back! Use not your force. 'Tis needless. I might have fled the
+Temple, sought refuge in the mountains, escaped your fury, but she who
+has been your High Priestess would not have the seal of cowardice
+stamped upon her soul. Saronia will go to her death, trusting in the
+Christ of God.'</p>
+
+<p>'Take her away,' shouted the priests, 'lest she speaks again that
+accursed name! She is beside herself; the spirit of Saronia has fled,
+another has entered, accursed&mdash;accursed!'</p>
+
+<p>'Kill the body,' said the people, 'lest it darken the Temple!'</p>
+
+<p>The priests closed around, ruthlessly dragging her from before the altar
+to the Temple cells, and thrust her in, dethroned, disgraced.</p>
+
+<p>The priests wailed:</p>
+
+<p>'Woe! Woe! Woe! O goddess! O goddess! O mighty goddess! The omens are
+grievous: the High Priest is dead; thy priestess denies thee. Thine
+altar is lonely. The Temple polluted. Arise! Arise! Scatter thy foes!
+Great goddess, arise! Deliver us! Forsake us not! Forsake us not!'</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XLII" id="CHAPTER_XLII"></a>CHAPTER XLII</h2>
+
+<h3>VARRO</h3>
+
+
+<p>'Thou hast heard,' said the Proconsul, 'that Saronia has abjured her
+faith in the great Diana, and is a prisoner within the Temple where once
+she reigned supreme, second only to the goddess?'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Yes,' replied Chios, 'I have, and my heart is nearly dead. Can anything
+be done to save her?'</p>
+
+<p>'I think not. The Roman State cannot interfere in such matters. The
+faiths of the empire are manifold. Beside, Nero has enough on his hands,
+and knows better than to stir up the passions of the Ionian people for
+the sake of a woman who in no way interferes with his caprice. No, my
+dear fellow; I am afraid all will be settled by the Temple custom, and
+Saronia must accept her fate.'</p>
+
+<p>'But, Varro, Proconsul, thou hast power here second only to the Emperor,
+and perhaps greater. The State allows great latitude. Where is Lucius?'</p>
+
+<p>'At sea.'</p>
+
+<p>'Where?'</p>
+
+<p>'I cannot tell thee, Chios.'</p>
+
+<p>'Where was he when last thou heardst?'</p>
+
+<p>'At Rome, receiving orders from Nero.'</p>
+
+<p>'Varro, thou canst tell me of his whereabouts, if thou carest.'</p>
+
+<p>'I can say only that ere long he will arrive at Ephesus, but he cannot
+help thee, noble Chios. A weightier charge than thou knowest awaits the
+priestess.'</p>
+
+<p>'What is it?'</p>
+
+<p>'Murder!'</p>
+
+<p>'Murder! Of whom?'</p>
+
+<p>'The High Priest.'</p>
+
+<p>''Tis a lie!' spoke out the Greek.</p>
+
+<p>'Perhaps so,' replied Varro; 'but circumstances are against her. After
+her arrest, in her room was found a pair of sandals, stained underneath
+with human blood.'</p>
+
+<p>'Merciful God!' exclaimed Chios.</p>
+
+<p>'Listen further. It is well known that on the fateful night she went to
+the Sacred Grove, close to the river Cayster, where the priest was
+found. Do not be jealous, good fellow. The prying eyes of an attendant
+priestess<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span> reports that a man supposed to be her lover was seen in the
+company of this beautiful woman, even in the company of Saronia, the
+haughty Saronia, priestess of Diana! Now, Chios, looking at such
+evidences, the conclusion drawn is that, afraid of being exposed by the
+priest, who also must have seen her, she or her lover slew him, and
+Saronia, conscience-stricken, knowing such an act could never be
+forgiven by her Lady Saviour, left her faith, and, with cunning
+hypocrisy, pretends the Christian, thinking perhaps she may gain
+sympathy or help from that hated crew. Now, Chios, does this satisfy
+thee?'</p>
+
+<p>'No,' said he; 'it is all untrue. Christian she may be;
+murderess&mdash;never!'</p>
+
+<p>'Then thou dost still believe in her?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes; to shed the last drop of my life's blood, and may Heaven grant me
+such an opportunity!'</p>
+
+<p>'Nonsense&mdash;nonsense, Chios! Too long hast thou been infatuated by this
+mysterious being. Methought for some time past no good would come to
+thee by such a passion, and let me warn thee ere too late. Be careful,
+or thou wilt be netted in this sad event. Lie low, my friend, and let
+her meet her fate. Thou canst do no good, and may empty on thy head
+unmeasured ills.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, Varro. Were those looming ills more numerous than the hairs which
+grow upon my aching head I would meet them, embrace them, to save
+Saronia one pang of grief or pain. Nevertheless, I thank thee for thy
+kindly counsel, but the mind of the Greek is made up. If she suffer, I
+suffer with her. If she die, Chios dies. Not as the coward dies&mdash;I will
+die trying to save her life. No threats, no danger, no death will stop
+me. I am fixed to this purpose. I know she is as pure as heaven, and
+honoured from thence. Were Chios half so holy he would consider himself
+blessed.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Roman, thou hast no good blood for her, wouldst not move a finger to
+protect her; but I, with an unshaken belief in her goodness, will do my
+best. Good-bye, noble Proconsul. Saronia may yet appeal in Rome!'</p>
+
+<p>'What! Before Nero?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes.'</p>
+
+<p>'Take care, Chios!'</p>
+
+<p>'Say on.'</p>
+
+<p>'Why, the fleeing slave taking shelter in the forest gloom and sleeping
+in the tiger's lair would fare as well. Ah, ah, Chios! Thou art
+short-sighted. Saronia, a lovely woman, and a Christian, seeking Nero as
+judge! Why, he would judge her meet for the arena or his mistress, and
+make thee a slave into the bargain if thou interfered!'</p>
+
+<p>The teeth of Chios were firmly set, and his face became livid. He dared
+not vent his rage on the chosen man of the Emperor and the Senate of
+Rome, but his looks spoke louder than words.</p>
+
+<p>Varro saw all at a glance, and said:</p>
+
+<p>'Thou dost not meet my words.'</p>
+
+<p>'No. Silent am I for her dear sake. Watch my actions. They may answer
+thee.'</p>
+
+<p>'I will, and be careful of the moonstruck lover. I wish thee well, old
+friend. Thou art a good fellow. I have done my best to tempt thee from
+this wild crusade, and would on my soul I had succeeded. But there is no
+cure for love, and thou art in love&mdash;a phantom love. Do not lose thyself
+in a wild morass.'</p>
+
+<p>'Fear not, Varro. If I love, so didst thou. Mine may grow, and joy with
+awakening purity and loveliness; thine is blighted and dead, and from
+thy dead love springs up the hate thou bearest towards Saronia, thinking
+she in some mysterious way o'ershadowed Nika.'</p>
+
+<p>'Silence, man!'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'No, I will not be silent. I speak to thee as Varro. I speak not to the
+Proconsul of Ionia. I say, were Saronia not Saronia and I asked thy aid,
+thou wouldst give it; but now thy spirit reaches out for pretext to
+blast the one thy faithless wife abhorred. Is not thine a mad, dead
+love? Come, change thy mind, and help me. I tell thee, Saronia never
+hurt thy Nika, and she is as innocent of this murder as the truest
+spirit of God. Now, noble friend, wilt thou not help me?'</p>
+
+<p>'What can I do, Chios? I cannot interfere.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then, promise thou wilt not pursue.'</p>
+
+<p>'Is she really innocent?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes.'</p>
+
+<p>'Dost thou know this?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes.'</p>
+
+<p>'And swear it?'</p>
+
+<p>'I do.'</p>
+
+<p>'Then, if Varro cannot help Saronia, he will not pursue her.'</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XLIII" id="CHAPTER_XLIII"></a>CHAPTER XLIII</h2>
+
+<h3>MYSTERY</h3>
+
+
+<p>Chios sent for Endora. There was a calm light in her eyes such as he had
+never before seen. Ere he could speak, she said:</p>
+
+<p>'I know: it is of Saronia thou wouldst speak.'</p>
+
+<p>'True, woman. Dost thou know she is charged with the murder of the High
+Priest?'</p>
+
+<p>'I know all. Fear not, Chios. Saronia shall not suffer for the crime I
+have committed.'</p>
+
+<p>'Rash woman! how canst thou atone? She is a prisoner, and has abjured
+her faith.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'That may be, noble Chios; but take my word for once: the guilty shall
+suffer for their own sins. This vile body of mine shall be torn limb
+from limb rather than one hair of her head shall be plucked. No more of
+evil for me!'</p>
+
+<p>'Now, listen, Endora. Your heart is right, but your words are idle. She
+must be saved, but in another way. I will rescue her. Thou knowest the
+Temple, and must find where she is lodged. Find out if access is
+possible; bring me full account, and great reward shall be thine. Canst
+thou do this?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes; but not for reward.'</p>
+
+<p>'What then?'</p>
+
+<p>'For love I bear to her.'</p>
+
+<p>'Very well. Be it so. Lose no time. She is already under a sentence of
+death, and will die. Go! go! Great God! what a death. Oh that I might
+die for her! The Ephesians gathered together to make sport&mdash;to make
+sport of Saronia the beautiful, my love! Polluted by the touch of a
+coarse gaoler. A sight to gratify the Romans, a jest for the rabble of
+Ephesus, and a cruel death ending all. She who has wielded the sceptre
+of power, highest and brightest among the women of Ionia, commanded
+spirits in legions from the underworld, stopped the eagles in their
+flight, turned the courses of the clouds, baring the face of the silvery
+moon; she who has dropped the sceptre of this power, and robed herself
+with a trust in God&mdash;shall she be forsaken? No, no! It cannot be so. If
+she could breathe out her life supported by these arms of mine; if I
+could but close her lovely eyes in death and kiss her whitening brow,
+then could I fall also asleep and awake to meet her on the other shore.'</p>
+
+<p>'Chios!' said the Proconsul, interrupting the Greek. 'How fares my
+friend? I have news for thee.'</p>
+
+<p>'Good, or evil?'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Judge thou. The Roman fleet, under the command of Lucius, is in the
+offing. Their numbers crowd the sea.'</p>
+
+<p>'Lucius! The fleet! Lucius!' exclaimed Chios.</p>
+
+<p>'True; Lucius is almost here.'</p>
+
+<p>'Why comes there such a multitude of ships?' said Chios. 'Is there
+reason?'</p>
+
+<p>'There may be. This much I confide in thee: ere many hours have passed,
+the mighty walls of this great city will glisten with the spears of
+Roman men, in number such as Ephesus has never seen since Claudian ruled
+or Nero wielded power. To-morrow will be a great day&mdash;the streets so
+full of Roman soldiers that standing-room will not be left for rioters.'</p>
+
+<p>'What does this portend?'</p>
+
+<p>'Nothing save a military show of Roman power. Nevertheless, thou wilt do
+well to keep within doors <i>to-morrow</i>.'</p>
+
+<p>'Why?'</p>
+
+<p>'Because I wish it so. Thou wilt be at home to-morrow, eh, Chios? Chios,
+dost hear me?'</p>
+
+<p>'I hear thee, but will not obey. Dost think I could remain here
+to-morrow, when it is the day for Saronia's murder? and thou, too, hast
+consented to this deed of shame. Roman, Roman, thou art false!'</p>
+
+<p>'Peace, Chios! Peace! What I have promised thee, I will do. Hast thou
+Chian wine? Bring it forth; let us quaff it together.</p>
+
+<p>'Now hark ye. I go back to Rome. I hate this place. The associations are
+not to my liking. She whom I once loved has gone. It is not congenial to
+me to meet Lucius. My story has reached Rome, reached Nero, but that
+does not affect me. Nothing pleases him better than to keep a
+respectable gulf between a Proconsul and Lucius, the fighting admiral,
+well knowing we shall not connive to rebel against him. But there must
+exist a feeling, a strong feeling,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span> between Lucius and&mdash;<i>your friend</i>.
+Of course, Lucius is haughty; too much Roman blood runs in his veins to
+openly disapprove of what befell his daughter, well knowing, also, she
+deserved it. But a father cannot help feeling. I am better away. A Roman
+city draped in purple suits me better than Ephesus; and if I can close
+in with Nero's set, I gain more wealth in one year than in a lifetime
+here. I wonder how Lucius will receive the news of his wife's death?'</p>
+
+<p>'Venusta dead!'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes. I thought thou didst know of it.'</p>
+
+<p>'No. When did she die?'</p>
+
+<p>'She died on the day Saronia abjured her faith and was disgraced. The
+shock of joy killed her.'</p>
+
+<p>'This, too, is sad.'</p>
+
+<p>'Why so? Her loss will be felt by Lucius only. He is old, and will mourn
+briefly. Besides, he will have his hands full for awhile. Come, cheer
+up, man; thou shalt go with me to Rome, and I will make thee merry. Thou
+hast never really lived yet. I am away. Don't forget. Remain home
+to-morrow to receive me. I will come before thou art required at the
+arena; and, should I not, then do not stay. Be in time; there will be a
+goodly show, but&mdash;Saronia shall not be there. Hear ye, Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>'What dost thou mean?'</p>
+
+<p>'No more than I have said. Good-bye, good friend.'</p>
+
+<p>And Varro was gone.</p>
+
+<p>'What a strange being!' exclaimed Chios. 'What does he mean? I cannot
+understand him. I believe he means good, and knows more than he says,
+and intends to help. Some great mystery attaches itself to those warlike
+preparations. I must be patient until to-morrow, desist from going to
+the Temple to-night to rescue her. He goes to Rome. It is well known he
+is a staunch friend of Nero. Lucius is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span> not. What can this great fleet
+of many thousand armed men mean? To-morrow will solve the problem, for
+what is to be done will be done quickly.'</p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XLIV" id="CHAPTER_XLIV"></a>CHAPTER XLIV</h2>
+
+<h3>ACRATUS, THE TEMPLE SPOILER</h3>
+
+
+<p>The next day at early dawn the harbour was filled with shipping. There
+were the light-sailing laburn&aelig;, the stately biremes, majestic triremes,
+and quadriremes, with sterns rising high and crowned with castellated
+cabins, each with its great square yard and spray-beaten sail. On every
+prow blazed forth a sign, and on each quarter shone the image of a
+tutelary god. The ship of Lucius was among them, with great red flag
+denoting rank, and bearing a murderous ram, the fiercest of them all.</p>
+
+<p>Masses of Roman troops, with polished shields and glittering arms,
+thronged the vessels. Two legions were there&mdash;one half of them Pr&aelig;torian
+men, with tribunes and centurions, with Acratus, the freed man of Nero,
+to lead them.</p>
+
+<p>The great sails were closely furled, and the ships moored in regular
+order towards the quays. At the sound of trumpets the soldiers
+disembarked, and were hailed welcome by a host of Roman warriors who
+were stationed in Ephesus.</p>
+
+<p>Soon the city was crowded with armed men, and on the walls the silver
+eagles shone resplendent in the sunlight.</p>
+
+<p>The people were confounded. No tumult, no voice of war, yet the place
+was filled with martial strains, and Roman troops lined the ways from
+the city port, past the great Gymnasium, Forum, Theatre, away up the
+streets towards<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> the city gates and onwards to the Temple Way. All was
+occupied with soldiers. A swift messenger had come into the Agora,
+telling the breathless people the Roman troops reached past the Temple
+and surrounded it, paying no respect to sacred groves or old traditions
+of the Temple's rights.</p>
+
+<p>'What could this mean?' exclaimed the Ephesians.</p>
+
+<p>They had not long to wait for an answer. Soon it was known that a body
+of priests, standing in the way of the Romans, guarding the precincts of
+the holy shrine, had been struck down&mdash;dead. And the swarming hosts of
+Nero had poured within, and finding the Temple closed, battered down the
+beautiful gates of gold and ivory, and were carousing within the sacred
+place.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing was too vile for the plunderers. They had received their orders
+from the arch-fiend Nero, and license for themselves. They were to sack
+the Temple, and take the spoils to Rome. Such must be accomplished, no
+matter how.</p>
+
+<p>The great space within the parabolus walls running around the Temple of
+Diana with the white brow was filled with laughing, jesting soldiers.
+They had not an enemy to fight against. 'Twas a cold-blooded affair.
+They were fighting-men, and in battle would have told well, but as
+robbers they were ashamed of their work. Acratus foresaw this, and gave
+them wine, and the wine brought forth lawlessness.</p>
+
+<p>Virgin priestesses ran to and fro with hair dishevelled, crying on their
+goddess, only to fall into the hands of Syrians, Africans, and
+Gauls&mdash;vile allies, a part of Nero's guard, sent with the regular Roman
+troops, to act as drunken jackals; and each of these, so far as he
+could, took a virgin priestess for his mate, and no restriction was put
+on them by Acratus.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The beautiful veil concealing the image of the holy goddess was pulled
+down. The gold and the jewels adorning it and the great statue were torn
+from their strong settings, and piled up on the marble floor.</p>
+
+<p>On the sacred altar the soldiers lit their fires and cooked their
+rations, and washed themselves with the water of the holy fountain
+Hypel&aelig;us&mdash;the fountain ornamented by Thrason, and the altar sacred to
+the genius of Ionia. What cared those brutal marauders? Had not he who
+sent them desecrated everything, even the statue of the Syrian goddess,
+and laughed at it? What harm if they should do the same?</p>
+
+<p>Within, the Temple was one horrible scene of lewd riot and plunder;
+without, the people were rising in masses, and thousands from adjacent
+towns were gathering around the city walls, and all crying loudly for
+revenge; but none could enter. The Romans held the gates, and every
+tower and battlement along the great red-brick walls, hard as adamant,
+was crowded with glistening spears. Nothing could be done from without,
+and there was little chance of help to come from within. A scheme was
+proposed to burn the fleet, but this got noised abroad too early, and
+the ships were moved from the wharves to the centre of the city port.</p>
+
+<p>The day wore on in tumult and distress, and the people, seeing no chance
+of saving the treasures of their holy place, gave way to grief, loudly
+charging Saronia as the cause of all. The murder of the High Priest, her
+blasphemy in the Temple, and the want of action in not killing her right
+away, was the cause of the desertion of the goddess from her home.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XLV" id="CHAPTER_XLV"></a>CHAPTER XLV</h2>
+
+<h3>REVELATION</h3>
+
+
+<p>In the Temple Varro, the Proconsul, and Acratus held counsel. They were
+standing near the altar, with the last light of evening falling upon
+them.</p>
+
+<p>Near to the fallen image of the goddess Diana were the smaller statues
+in marble, bronze, silver, and gold&mdash;lamps and paterii, vases richly
+chased and candelabrii, instruments of the Temple, costly golden,
+jewelled things, all were piled up in heaps.</p>
+
+<p>From behind this profusion of rarest art, now lying like so much
+rubbish, a Roman was dragging a woman who appeared quite dead. Her hair
+hung in masses over her face, hiding a part of it, hiding a face which
+was crimson with blood. Her garments were torn, and the soldier threw
+her down close to where the two chiefs stood.</p>
+
+<p>'Thank the gods!' muttered he.</p>
+
+<p>'What hast thou, fellow?' said Acratus.</p>
+
+<p>'A woman,' replied the man.</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, yes, I know; but where didst thou find her? I thought all those
+maidens netted long ago.'</p>
+
+<p>'I will tell my noble master. In hunting through those rooms behind the
+altar, I came quite by chance upon a cell which had escaped the notice
+of our soldiers when they threaded their way through the winding
+passages below. I burst open the door, looked in, and saw that beautiful
+creature. "Ah, ah!" said I. "By the gods, I have a royal prize!" But, as
+I advanced to take her, I found her a perfect demon of the bad type. I
+tried soft words. She replied: "Stand back! I know your mission." I
+threatened, and made to take her. She arose, flew at me<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span> with terrible
+menace, such as I shall carry with me. I seized her roughly, but, with
+lightning swiftness, she plucked the dagger from my belt, and would have
+pinned me to the wall had I not unhanded her. She flew through the
+winding passages like a forest-hound, up the stairway to the rooms
+behind. Then out she passed, and stood just there behind the statue. I
+followed, knowing I should capture her. I heard her cry, "Oh, woe! Oh,
+woe! Oh, woe!" Then she stretched up her arms, both of them, high aloft
+in the air, as if she would reach down something from the skies, and
+said, "My God! my God!" and fell to the ground. I took her up, thinking
+it was a faint; but, finding her dead, I dropped her there, and wish I
+had never seen her!'</p>
+
+<p>The man passed on, leaving Varro and Acratus in deep converse. The quick
+eye of the Proconsul saw the form of the woman move. He went towards
+her, actuated by some strange fascination, and spoke to her, but no
+voice came back. Then he lifted the waves of hair from her face and
+cried:</p>
+
+<p>'O ye gods, it is she! It is Saronia!'</p>
+
+<p>He bent low and whispered her name. Her eyes opened and gazed on him,
+and then at the desolation around her, and she closed them again as if
+in sleep.</p>
+
+<p>'Hi! Here fellow, fill yon golden bowl with water! Quick! quick! and
+follow me, or I will kill thee for delay!'</p>
+
+<p>Varro took Saronia in his arms, and bore her within one of the Temple
+rooms, bathed her cheeks, whispering softly:</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art safe, Saronia. Thou shalt go to Chios!'</p>
+
+<p>At these words, fresh life came back, and she took the hand of the
+Proconsul in hers, and, looking into his face, she said:</p>
+
+<p>'Tell me, is it all a dream, or am I mad?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, thou art not mad or dreaming. What thou seest<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span> is real. The Temple
+of thy goddess will be bereft of its riches to adorn the golden house of
+Nero. This now is nothing to thee. As I have said, thou shalt go to
+Chios&mdash;to Chios! Rest tranquilly; I will guard thee. When evening
+settles down, I have means of escape for thee.'</p>
+
+<p>He sent for wine and fruit and raiment. Having done this, he despatched
+two messengers, one to Endora (for Saronia wished it so) and another to
+Chios. He charged the soldiers:</p>
+
+<p>'Bring the old woman from the cave on the top of yonder hill! Be careful
+no evil befall her, or thou wilt suffer.'</p>
+
+<p>The night was now closing in, and fires were burning high upon the
+mountains and the plain, showing where the people had encamped, and on
+the stillness of the evening air ever and anon arose loud shouts and
+wailings.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>'Who is that beautiful woman in yonder room?' said Acratus.</p>
+
+<p>'That is naught to thee,' said the Proconsul.</p>
+
+<p>'I know, I know, but Nero would rather possess her than all the riches
+of Ephesus or Pergamos.'</p>
+
+<p>'Curse thee for the thought! Hold back thy words! Silence! In Ionia I am
+master.'</p>
+
+<p>'I hope no offence, most noble.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, not this time, but be careful for the future. Thou hast to sack
+Pergamos yet, and&mdash;well, never mind, enough has been said.'</p>
+
+<p>At this stage an aged woman came towards them; tottering with fear, and
+led by two Roman soldiers.</p>
+
+<p>Acratus turned away muttering:</p>
+
+<p>'He shall pay dearly for his speech.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou hast brought her safely. Thanks for thy vigilance<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span> amidst the
+crowded streets. This way, woman&mdash;this way, Endora. Come with me. Here
+is Saronia; be careful of her; take her to Chios! Tell him I will follow
+as soon as I can. Again, on yonder couch sufficient raiment lies,
+brought from Saronia's own wardrobe. Divest her of those soiled
+garments, disguise her, and lead to where her lover lives.'</p>
+
+<p>'What of the rabble?' said Endora. 'The streets are filled with soldiers
+and rioters, the ground strewn with slain. May we stay here under thy
+protection during the night?'</p>
+
+<p>'No; I go hence shortly, and to-morrow it will be worse. Go. Tell it
+not&mdash;to-morrow will be worse! I will give you guard, but thou must be
+careful, nevertheless, that Saronia be not known, or the people will
+kill her. No harm shall come from my soldiers. They shall be faithful. I
+also will be faithful, for Chios's sake, as long as the grass grows and
+the rivers flow to the ocean. If any injury come, it will be from the
+hands of the furious mob. I give her into thy charge, and will send
+guard for both. I can do no more. Again, I say, be careful!'</p>
+
+<p>Out they went into the darkness&mdash;out into the storm of blood.</p>
+
+<p>For a while all went well as they passed between the lines of the
+watchful Romans. They had traversed most of the way and were close to
+the studio of Chios, where the troops were thinnest. There the people
+gathered together in angry crowds.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly the ruffians saw the women, and cried out:</p>
+
+<p>'Here are two Ephesians in the pay of the Romans! Spies, traitors,
+guides to the Temple plunderers! Kill them!' And they fell on them with
+mad fury.</p>
+
+<p>Instantly they were surrounded by the soldiers and encircled as in a
+net.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Exasperated and maddened by the day's proceedings, they would die in the
+attempt to kill the women. Roughly handled as they were, one of them had
+time to draw a dagger from his belt and aimed to plunge it into the
+bosom of Saronia. The glistening blade was falling towards her, but
+quicker than its descent was Endora, who threw herself between them and
+received the blow. She fell, crying:</p>
+
+<p>'She is young; take me!'</p>
+
+<p>And, as she lay dying, the murderer also fell, pierced by a dozen
+spears.</p>
+
+<p>The people fell back, shouting:</p>
+
+<p>'Great is Diana of the Ephesians!' Whilst the savage troops replied
+gruffly: 'But Nero of Rome is greater!'</p>
+
+<p>Endora spoke a few words&mdash;dying words&mdash;and her head fell back into the
+arms of Saronia, and all was over&mdash;Endora was dead.</p>
+
+<p>They were about to proceed and leave the body, but the queenly form of
+Saronia asserted itself as she stood with eyes dilated and form erect,
+crying:</p>
+
+<p>'Soldiers of Rome, bear carefully with you this dead body!'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no!' they replied. 'Hasten away to safety. The dead suffer not.'</p>
+
+<p>But still she stood transfixed, and, raising her voice, she said:</p>
+
+<p>'Do as I bid you, or I refuse to move; and if I remain, it is at your
+peril.'</p>
+
+<p>They saw in her no common person, and reluctantly obeyed, one taking his
+cloak and wrapping it round the corpse, whilst others took their scarves
+and bound their spears together, and placed her on them as a bier, the
+torches, reeking with flame, casting over her a lurid glow. And thus
+they hurriedly passed away, with a circle of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span> shields and glittering
+spears protecting the living and the dead.</p>
+
+<p>The road became clearer, so that when the soldiers arrived at the garden
+of Chios no Ephesian eye witnessed them pass up the marble steps into
+the lonely sanctuary.</p>
+
+<p>As they entered, and laid the dead burden on the floor, Chios saw
+Saronia.</p>
+
+<p>'Great God, what is this? What does it mean?'</p>
+
+<p>'Hold thy peace,' said she. 'Not now. Later thou shalt know.'</p>
+
+<p>The soldiers withdrew, having accomplished the safety of one only. A
+deep silence for a moment reigned. Neither spoke. Both hearts were too
+full for speech. Chios took the hands of Saronia and clasped them within
+his own, and with silent joy gazed into her face.</p>
+
+<p>She broke the silence with an agonizing cry. Going towards the lifeless
+form, she uncovered the cold, dead face, and, stooping, kissed the snowy
+brow, sobbing:</p>
+
+<p>'Oh, Endora, Endora, thou hast proved thy love! Thou hast proved thy
+love to me!'</p>
+
+<p>'Endora!' exclaimed Chios. 'Is it Endora?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, it is Endora. She received the death intended for me. Look well at
+her, Chios. Gaze on her peaceful face. Gaze on her face. Dost thou
+recognise who she was? It is meet thou shouldst know, for she loved thee
+dearly.'</p>
+
+<p>Chios was like a man stupefied with wine.</p>
+
+<p>'What dost thou mean, Saronia? I know her not, save as the mountain
+sorceress.'</p>
+
+<p>'True, Chios. That is the answer I might have expected. But one day, not
+so very long ago, I visited the Ephesian shore, and on a rocky eminence
+where an altar stands&mdash;&mdash; Thou knowest the place where the seas dash
+up?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, I know, Saronia.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Well, there I met Endora&mdash;quite by chance&mdash;and spoke to her, and found
+from her that she at one time lived at Delos.'</p>
+
+<p>'Delos?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, Chios, Delos. And thou hast heard of Myrtile the priestess?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, that I have. I heard fully of her when last I visited the isle. A
+sad story.'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, 'twas sad, and strange to know that Endora was no other than
+Myrtile.'</p>
+
+<p>'But, Saronia, she died.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no! She lived on unknown, and this lifeless form is she.'</p>
+
+<p>'Poor Myrtile!' said Chios. 'I wonder what became of her child. A boy it
+was.'</p>
+
+<p>'I wonder,' said Saronia. 'Didst thou ever know thy mother, Chios? I
+have never heard thee speak of her.'</p>
+
+<p>'Oh, Saronia, Myrtile&mdash;Endora&mdash;asked me the same. Is there meaning in
+all this? What may it portend?'</p>
+
+<p>'It means, Chios, that she is thy mother.'</p>
+
+<p>'Mine? Mine? My mother?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, thine, Chios.'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>He went out amongst the myrtle-trees; he breathed the calm, cool air.
+Along the Temple Way he saw the lights of torches burning brightly. The
+people had thinned away, and exhaustion like a funeral pall hung over
+those remaining. Many slept in the streets, some overcome with rage,
+others with wine, whilst from distant quarters now and again rose the
+stifled cry of angry men and frantic women.</p>
+
+<p>Chios paced up and down, lost in reverie. He heard not the call of the
+Roman guard or the groaning of the city. He was absorbed, thinking of
+his dead mother and of the safety of Saronia. What could he best do for
+her?<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span> Should he go to Lucius and ask his help? He knew that quickly the
+Roman fleet would put to sea with the stolen treasures of the Temple,
+and Saronia would be sought for and slain. To stay in Ephesus was
+certain death for her. In Rome perhaps worse awaited her. Should he hire
+a trading ship and escape? He was a freed man, and could leave the city
+unquestioned in time of war or siege. No, that would not do. He could go
+himself, but could not take another. Besides, the mariners of the craft,
+if such proved available, would know her, and refuse to aid the fallen
+rebel priestess. Well he knew those sailors, fit for strife or storm,
+had the warmest corners of their hearts filled with admiration for their
+faith and their goddess. He saw no alternative. Go to Lucius he must.</p>
+
+<p>The day was dawning; the first light was uplifting. He went noiselessly
+within his apartment and gazed upon her face. She slept.</p>
+
+<p>Carefully retreating, as if an empire depended on his footfall, he left
+the room, secured the door, hastened down the streets. As yet the people
+were not astir. Until he reached well into the city near the Odeum, he
+had little opposition, but there the troops questioned him. He had
+special business with Lucius, the commander of the Roman fleet, and must
+see him.</p>
+
+<p>'Thou canst not,' replied the guard. 'He sleeps on board the warship,
+and will not come on shore until the sun is high.'</p>
+
+<p>'I tell thee,' said Chios, 'I must see Lucius immediately.'</p>
+
+<p>'And I tell thee it is impossible.'</p>
+
+<p>'Nothing is impossible to a soldier! Nothing shall be impossible to me!
+Let me pass to the wharves, or I will see the Tribune. Is he here?'</p>
+
+<p>Chios claimed from the Tribune a right, as a free citizen, to pass to
+the port, which was granted.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He sent by boat a message to Lucius that he would speak with him, and a
+reply came back requesting the Greek to come at once.</p>
+
+<p>They met; their hearts went out to each other. Were they not old and
+dear friends?</p>
+
+<p>'What brings thee here, Chios? Art thou persecuted by this unseemly
+tumult?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, Lucius. Not so. I came to plead for a helpless woman.'</p>
+
+<p>'Who is she?'</p>
+
+<p>'Saronia. Once thy slave&mdash;thy&mdash;&mdash;'</p>
+
+<p>'I cannot help thee.'</p>
+
+<p>The face of the sailor grew clouded, dark, and a fire rose up and
+glittered through his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>'No, no, no! I cannot help! This girl, like an evil star, has rested
+over my home&mdash;that home, once filled with joy, now desolate, the loved
+ones gone away. Would that I had never heard the name of this mysterious
+being, Saronia! She has engendered strife, murdered the High Priest, and
+cut adrift from her faith. Let her answer for her crimes as my child
+did.'</p>
+
+<p>'No, no!' exclaimed Chios. 'She did no murder. Oh, Lucius, my friend,
+listen! This slave girl was ever good to thee&mdash;good as thou wert kind.
+Hast thou not looked into her eyes, and, meeting thine, spoke they not
+sincere love for thee? Is this not so? True, she left thine home, but of
+this we will not now speak&mdash;she was born to rule, and could not serve as
+a slave. She chose not her destiny&mdash;it was written for her; she did not
+make it. I say again, she did not make it any more than she chose her
+dignity of birth! Born from a long line of warriors on the one side and
+a princess priestess on the other, how could she serve?'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art rambling, Chios! The excitement of yesterday makes inroads on
+thy mind.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Nay, noble Lucius. Chios is not mad, but soon will be. Help, Lucius!
+Help for Saronia!'</p>
+
+<p>The Roman remained stolid, silent.</p>
+
+<p>'Let me go on&mdash;let me speak,' said Chios. 'As I have said, of such noble
+descent, her soul awakened, arose, towered above all others. She, the
+slave, became the priestess of yonder mighty Temple, which Nero of Rome
+has sent the vile Acratus to plunder. Fortunately, before this robbery
+took place, Saronia had stepped from the old faith into the new. Had she
+not, her blood would have crimsoned the great altar of Diana&mdash;she would
+have laid down her life for her goddess! Now this precious life is in
+the hands of Lucius. Wilt thou loose the silver thread and let her go?</p>
+
+<p>'Were her father here&mdash;a warrior like unto thyself, armed, full of
+power, with hosts of warships under his command, the strongest sanctuary
+under heaven&mdash;say, Lucius, would he not clasp her in his arms, and,
+covering her with kisses, bear her away? What would you say of him if
+he, knowing she were his child, refused to save&mdash;sailed away with all
+his hosts, leaving her for brutal sport and a hideous death?'</p>
+
+<p>'He would be worthy of death,' said the Roman.</p>
+
+<p>'Now hear me, Lucius. Thou art the father&mdash;of&mdash;Saronia. She, thy
+child&mdash;&mdash;'</p>
+
+<p>'By the gods, thou mockest me!'</p>
+
+<p>'No, I am serious. I know your secret. You sailed to Britain, tore the
+princess priestess from her island home, sailed across the seas to
+Sidon; there deserted wife and child. The mother died, the daughter
+lived&mdash;became a foundling, then a slave, Saronia! Afterwards thou didst
+take to wife the Roman, Venusta.'</p>
+
+<p>'Hold&mdash;hold, Chios! It is all true. It comes back to me!'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'By a strange fate she met thy Roman daughter. How could there be
+peace&mdash;the first-born a slave, the second a tyrant? I, Chios, admired
+the nobleness, the beauty, of this slave, until I worshipped her and
+loved her beyond expression. I would have purchased her with all I had,
+not knowing who she was&mdash;would have wed her. The Fates ordered
+otherwise, and she arose, as you know, until she became the mightiest
+woman of the land; and because her great spirit towered beyond the faith
+which environed her, and she accepted the faith of the Highest, her
+goodness became a crime in the eyes of the Ephesian people. But again,
+Lucius, she is thy child! Wilt thou save her?'</p>
+
+<p>'Save her, Chios? 'Tis the least I can do. There shall be no mistake in
+this matter; and I will order guard enough to fetch her should all the
+soldiers in Ephesus be required.'</p>
+
+<p>And Chios went back to his studio to prepare for the removal of
+Saronia.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XLVI" id="CHAPTER_XLVI"></a>CHAPTER XLVI</h2>
+
+<h3>THE CROWN OF LIFE</h3>
+
+
+<p>Acratus was at the head of his plunderers. Nothing was too small or
+great for his rapacious maw. He came up the marble steps of the studio
+of Chios and knocked violently.</p>
+
+<p>'Hast thou anything within?' said the tyrant.</p>
+
+<p>'Nothing for thee,' said Chios.</p>
+
+<p>'But we must see for ourselves,' and he pushed rudely by, followed by a
+dozen or more armed men, and as he rushed within he beheld Saronia.</p>
+
+<p>'By heavens!' said he. 'Here is a greater than all thy marbles. This is
+the second time I have fallen in the way of this beautiful tigress. Look
+ye here: is this thy wife?'</p>
+
+<p>'No,' said Chios.</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art her lover, then?'</p>
+
+<p>'That is my business. Mind thine own.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou art in a jesting mood. We will see how we can instruct thee to
+respect Acratus. Take this woman; she is known to the Proconsul and must
+not stay here. Take her to the fortress, and say I sent her, and I will
+deal with her anon. No, no, that will not do. Take her to the ship of
+Lucius, commander of the fleet, and say, "Care for her; she belongs to
+Acratus." Take her away. What is her name, fellow?'</p>
+
+<p>'Saronia,' said Chios.</p>
+
+<p>'Eh, and a pretty name, too. Now away, soldiers, to Lucius!'</p>
+
+<p>Saronia looked appealingly to Chios.</p>
+
+<p>'Wilt thou let me speak with her before she leaves?' said Chios.</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, yes; thou canst speak to her.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Chios drew Saronia aside, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Thou seest the position. They will take thee whither thou shouldst go,
+to Lucius. I will follow thee;' and he slipped into her bosom unseen a
+parchment sealed and addressed to Lucius. 'Now, do as I wish, my love,
+and Chios will soon be with thee, and Lucius thou canst trust.'</p>
+
+<p>'Oh, Chios, is not this fraught with danger?'</p>
+
+<p>'No; it is the only course, and it is well for thee,' and kissing her,
+he said, 'Just for an hour or so and we meet. This is ordered wisely.'</p>
+
+<p>Then they led her off, guarded by a body of armed men, Chios saying to
+himself:</p>
+
+<p>'Little does that villain know he sends her to her father.'</p>
+
+<p>As Acratus was turning to follow his men, he looked around to see if
+anything might satisfy his greed, when he discovered the dead body of
+Endora lying beneath a coverlet, and raising it, he saw the face of the
+murdered.</p>
+
+<p>'What is this?' said he. 'Another surprise. Killed! Who is she? What
+meaneth it?'</p>
+
+<p>'She is my mother, killed by one of the Ephesian mob. Wouldst thou also
+rob me of her dead body?'</p>
+
+<p>'Cease thy prating, fool! Men's mothers are not murdered in this way.
+There is foul play. Thou shalt answer for this. Ho there, men!' calling
+on those outside. 'Take this murderer away. Take him to the Temple. I
+shall be there shortly, and will see to this.'</p>
+
+<p>'Hands away!' cried Chios. 'I am not my mother's murderer.'</p>
+
+<p>'Seize him!' cried Acratus. 'Bring him forth!' and they dragged him from
+his mother's side to without the studio, where by this time many
+Ephesians had gathered, and when they saw him, they cried:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Chios the Christian! Down with him!'</p>
+
+<p>The fierce mob closed in, and the Romans cared not nor hindered&mdash;closed
+in around him till he was trampled under their feet, until one, perhaps
+more malignant than the rest, plunged a dagger in the bosom of the
+half-dead man. And Chios lifted up his feeble voice to heaven, crying:</p>
+
+<p>'My God! my God! Saronia!'</p>
+
+<p>The multitude laughed and jeered, and the sun shone down upon the fated
+city.</p>
+
+<p>'Take him up, men, and carry him within. Better he be out of sight.'</p>
+
+<p>And they laid him on the marble floor at the feet of his mother, Myrtile
+of Delos.</p>
+
+<p>Then Acratus chuckled within himself:</p>
+
+<p>'Thank the gods he is gone. Not a nice thing to have a lover prying
+about, disturbing one's happiness. I saw him kiss her. He had the last;
+the next shall be mine, not Nero's! I will take care the brute never
+sets eyes on such loveliness. No, no; I will tame those dark eyes to
+look into mine, and train those crimson, oleander lips to bear me rich
+kisses of love. Now then, men, away! Saronia by this time has almost
+reached the wharves. I will load the spoils to-day, and to-morrow they
+leave. I will take my prize, the gloomy-eyed girl, with me to Pergamos,
+where I have more temples to rifle, and then, overflowing with wealth,
+I'll back to Rome.' And he moved away towards the Temple, muttering to
+himself: 'What care I for Varro the Proconsul? He cannot stay me in my
+career, armed as I am with mandate from Nero. He will vex and threaten
+should he know I have that woman. But it must end there. Acratus is
+supreme in this expedition, and cannot be interfered with, for Nero's
+sake.'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>That day was employed by thousands of men carrying<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span> away the wealth of
+the Temple. Great bronze statues and marbled loveliness were dragged
+through the streets and shipped&mdash;shipped with ivory and gorgeous
+draperies; large sacks filled with treasure, gold, silver, and precious
+stones, instruments of music of rarest workmanship and paintings
+priceless, worth many times their weight in gold, became the property of
+the spoilers, until the great Temple was left desolate like a ship
+stripped of her cordage and sails, masts, and yards; the crew gone&mdash;a
+lonely hull on an open shore.</p>
+
+<p>The people could not stop this tide of locusts. So they had it all their
+own way, save where some more noble than the rest were struck down for
+defending their goddess.</p>
+
+<p>Saronia was taken on board the ship to Lucius. When she was handed on to
+the deck, he was about to thank the guard, who said:</p>
+
+<p>'I deliver to you this woman, most noble Lucius. She belongs to Acratus,
+and he wishes you to care for her until he claims her.'</p>
+
+<p>'Does he? Go, tell that reptile that should he put foot on board this
+ship to claim this woman, I will order my men to throw him into the sea,
+and drown him like a dog. Now begone!'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<h2 class="gap3"><a name="CHAPTER_XLVII" id="CHAPTER_XLVII"></a>CHAPTER XLVII</h2>
+
+<h3>PARTING</h3>
+
+
+<p>'Saronia,' said Lucius, 'thou art here. Come this way; thou art safe at
+last. Rest calmly as to the future. Whilst brave sailors may defend
+thee, no harm can come. I go on shore to fetch thy beloved Chios, and
+procure what is needed for thee, and thou shalt have attendance from
+that home wherein thou didst once reside. I am rejoiced to see thee.
+Think not of the past, Saronia. The past is gone far behind, and thou
+must think only of the joys of the future&mdash;all stored up for thee. I am
+alone in this great wilderness, and thou shalt be unto me as a child,
+and Chios shall be my son.'</p>
+
+<p>'And Chios, thou wilt bring him, noble Lucius, kind as thou art
+valiant?'</p>
+
+<p>'Bring him, girl? Certainly! The ship would refuse her helm were the
+best man in Ephesus left behind. Retire within, and make thyself pleased
+with the apartments set aside for thee.'</p>
+
+<p>Then did Lucius with a light heart move to the shore, and hastened to
+the studio that he might greet Chios, and bring him with him to join
+Saronia. He went quietly up the way between the lines of flowers, heard
+the gentle breathings of the winds through the trees, and the song of
+birds which knew not of sorrow fell upon his ear.</p>
+
+<p>He knocked at the door, but no one came. 'Is he from home? I hope not.'
+Then he gently opened the door, looked in, and an ominous silence fell
+around. Presently he walked within, saying, 'I shall explore this little
+place myself. It seems plain sailing, and needs not a pilot.' But,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span>
+horror-stricken, he fell back a pace or two on seeing the body of Chios
+lying dead upon the floor, and beside him his mother, with her pale face
+looking up towards the azure and gold-starred ceiling (for Saronia had
+warned him of Endora's death).</p>
+
+<p>For a moment Lucius was stricken as if a battle had gone against him.
+Then, gaining courage, he advanced, and, touching the body gently, said:</p>
+
+<p>'Chios, my boy, Chios, art thou really gone?'</p>
+
+<p>But no voice came back to him, and he knew too well that the noble
+spirit had fled. His first thought was of Saronia. What would she think
+of him? What would she do?</p>
+
+<p>Then he sped from that house of death to order burial of the mother and
+son upon the flower-crowned hill of Pion, and went his way, bowed down
+with grief.</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>When Lucius arrived on board, accompanied with maiden slaves carrying
+raiment, precious jewels, flowers and fruits for Saronia, he found her
+anxiously awaiting him, and she immediately asked for Chios.</p>
+
+<p>'He cannot come to-night,' replied he. 'He makes preparations to leave,
+and will not finish in time to join us. Thou must rest to-night, and
+gain strength after all the exciting events which have transpired. Thou
+hast here now trusty attendants who will minister to thy utmost wish.
+Rest thee to-night, child, and may the gods or thy God give thee sweet
+and pleasant dreams. Lucius will watch over thee, and the spirits of the
+good shield thee. Good-night, Saronia, and may to-morrow's sun rise full
+of joy for thee.'</p>
+
+<p>Lucius knew full well that at early dawn the ship would sail. What could
+he do to break this awful news to her? Kill her he feared it would. If
+he remained another day<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span> he could not bring back the dead, and a
+question arose in his mind that, if Chios did not come next morning,
+Saronia at all hazards would refuse to proceed. He considered the
+position, and, having his crew on board and all prepared, he determined
+to cast adrift.</p>
+
+<p>No, he could not do this. How could he face his daughter on the morrow
+without Chios? Would it not look like piracy to take her away? Could she
+believe otherwise than that it was all trickery? No; he must speak with
+her that very night. He knew the power of Saronia's mind, and it was
+best it should be done at once. He called one of the attendant slaves.</p>
+
+<p>'Go, see if thy lady sleeps, and, if not, ask her permission for Lucius
+to speak with her.'</p>
+
+<p>The girl came back and told him that Saronia sent word to Lucius saying
+she was too sorrowful to sleep, and would be happy to receive him.</p>
+
+<p>Then, for the first time in his life, the courage of the hardy sailor
+forsook him, and he moved forward tremblingly.</p>
+
+<p>'Good friend,' said she, 'in the hour of distress thou wouldst speak
+with Saronia?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes, but my heart is too full.'</p>
+
+<p>'Say on. I may even comfort thee, although I myself am sad; but, stay,
+here is a little packet Chios gave me for thee. It is sealed. Perhaps it
+may be of great interest. Methinks it is, or Chios would not have sent
+it.'</p>
+
+<p>He took it from her, broke open the seals, and read it, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'It is all true. Thank the gods, she is safe at last, and where
+recompense may be made. Saronia, thou knowest of thy mother?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes.'</p>
+
+<p>'And thou also knowest of thy father? He forsook her and thee.'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>'Yes.'</p>
+
+<p>'Thou didst not know him?'</p>
+
+<p>'No, good sire.'</p>
+
+<p>'Couldst thou forgive him, Saronia? Couldst thou forgive him, if he
+sought forgiveness?'</p>
+
+<p>'Yea, for "mercy endureth for ever."'</p>
+
+<p>'Then let Lucius kiss his child!'</p>
+
+<p>'Art thou my father?'</p>
+
+<p>'I am. Read this parchment which thou hast brought from the hands of
+Chios. It tells its own story.'</p>
+
+<p>'Ah! now I see it all, and my life is no longer a mystery. Driven, as I
+have been, through a perilous maze of fate, I am on the verge of a
+brighter existence. It is well, father, we have met before I part from
+thee, perhaps for ever.'</p>
+
+<p>'What dost thou mean, child?'</p>
+
+<p>'I scarcely know, but a great vision stretches out into the future, a
+great life spreads out before me, but it is not an earth-life. This
+spirit of mine seems to be preparing to quit this form of clay; as a
+voyager standing on the strand ready to start on a long voyage, so
+stands my spirit.'</p>
+
+<p>'Oh, Saronia, do not speak thus! Nothing ails thee. Thou art young,
+lovely, and in the bloom of life, and must not give way to such
+forebodings. Rest now with thine aged father awhile; bear him company
+until he sails into the great distance, casts anchor, furls sails, in a
+peaceful haven.'</p>
+
+<p>'Would that I could! But our time here is limited to the beating of one
+heart's throb; and, as I have already said, my spirit, which is myself,
+stands ready to put out the lamp and leave. Where is Chios, father? Why
+is he not here? Where is my noble love? He is away, but yet I feel his
+presence near me. What does this mean, father? My sight grows dim, my
+breath fails me; too well I know<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span> the spirit's presence. Chios is dead,
+is he not? He is! He calls from beyond his body! Where does his body
+lie? Tell me! Tell me quickly, father! Thou wilt act the better part by
+letting me know all. Where is he? Speak, by the love thou bearest for
+thy only child! Where is Chios?'</p>
+
+<p>'Oh, Saronia, why wouldst thou know? Thou wilt see him soon.'</p>
+
+<p>'Yes; I shall see him soon;' and she fell back motionless.</p>
+
+<p>Lucius raised her up and called assistance. After awhile she rallied,
+and looked up into the face of her father, saying:</p>
+
+<p>'Kiss me, dearest one. It is well that Chios should have left first. We
+cannot remain apart; the great circle of our affinity will soon be
+completed. Watch over Saronia. It will soon end.'</p>
+
+<hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+<p>The mighty fleet prepared to leave the port of Ephesus. One by one they
+left the harbour, entered the canal which led to the sea, and, as they
+cleared the harbour mouth, ranged into two squadrons, one on either side
+of the entrance; and when the last came out, which bore the flag of
+Lucius, they formed into two great lines, with the flagship in the rear.</p>
+
+<p>A light breeze sprang up from the north-east, the braces were hauled in,
+and the ships danced merrily over the deep blue waters of the &AElig;gean Sea
+windward of Samos, and Scios and Mount Coressus on the starboard hand.
+The wind was so favourable that the oars were little needed, save that
+some on the leeside kept stroke that the ships might make good
+weathering. Behind them rose the hills and mountains which guarded
+Ephesus, and the villas on their sides shone like spots of crystal; but
+the sun struck fiercely on the great white Temple of Diana, until it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span>
+looked like molten silver. Away they sailed towards the Icarian Sea.</p>
+
+<p>On a couch inlaid with gold reclined Saronia, and the rich curtains of
+her cabin were thrown back to allow the sweet, fresh salt air,
+impregnated with the perfume of roses and myrtle-blossoms, to fan her
+pale, sad cheeks. The soft eyes were filled with a far-away lustre, as
+if she saw visions of the future which none else could see. She was
+looking out upon the setting sun, which cast its golden light along the
+waves. Suddenly she seemed to grow cheerful, and said:</p>
+
+<p>'Father, art thou here? Let me take thine hand. Where is Chios? He is
+not here. Is he dead? Thou art silent. He is gone, and I cannot stay.
+Come nearer to me, father. My bridal day is at hand. Bury me in the sea.
+Let no eye rest upon my grave. Let the ocean be my sepulchre, and the
+winds sing my requiem. This is <i>happiness; this is joy</i>! The eternal
+gates are uplifting. Farewell!'</p>
+
+<p>And the spirit of Saronia had fled.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<h3 class="gap6">THE END</h3>
+
+
+<p class="center"><i>Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row. London</i></p>
+
+<div class="bbox" style="padding:1em;">
+<h2>TRANSCRIBERS' NOTES</h2>
+<p>General: corrections to punctuation have been made without individual
+notes</p>
+<p>General: Spelling of Megalobyzi, Megabyzus not standardised as the
+author has consistently spelt them that way.</p>
+<p>Pg vi: Acratas standardised to Acratus</p>
+<p>Pg 6: wil corrected to will</p>
+<p>Pg 10: cithra as in original</p>
+<p>Pg 24: opithodomus corrected to opisthodomus</p>
+<p>Pg 83, 213, 228: Heard'st, heardst not standardised as it is unclear
+whether the author intended them to be different</p>
+<p>Pg 95, 174: May'st, mayst not standardised as it is unclear whether
+the author intended them to be different</p>
+<p>Pg 132: spurious "the" removed after "terrible wails, at"</p>
+<p>Pg 208: hose corrected to those</p>
+<p>Pg 238: candelabrii as in original</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Saronia, by Richard Short
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Saronia, by Richard Short
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Saronia
+       A Romance of Ancient Ephesus
+
+Author: Richard Short
+
+Release Date: September 25, 2008 [EBook #26700]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SARONIA ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Brownfox and the Online Distributed Proofreading
+Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: [_From an oil painting by the Author in the possession of
+Edwin Jenkins, Esq._]]
+
+
+
+
+                                SARONIA
+
+
+                      A Romance of Ancient Ephesus
+
+                                   BY
+
+                              RICHARD SHORT
+
+                              [Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+                                 LONDON
+                 ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C.
+                                  1900
+
+
+
+
+                                CONTENTS
+
+          CHAPTER                                   PAGE
+                I. THE AGORA                          1
+               II. THE MESSENGER OF EROS              4
+              III. THE CURSE OF HECATE                9
+               IV. SANCTUARY                         18
+                V. THE TEMPLE OF DIANA               23
+               VI. LUCIUS                            28
+              VII. CAUGHT                            34
+             VIII. PAYING THEIR VOWS                 38
+               IX. THE STUDIO OF CHIOS               41
+                X. THE RIBBON OF GOLD                46
+               XI. THE PRIESTESS OF DIANA            50
+              XII. THE FESTIVAL OF ARTEMIS           53
+             XIII. CHIOS THE GREEK                   60
+              XIV. THE GROVE OF HECATE               66
+               XV. AT VENUSTA'S HOUSE                76
+              XVI. A GARDEN ON CORESSUS              83
+             XVII. THE PICTURE                       85
+            XVIII. WARNING                           91
+              XIX. THE DAWN OF FAITH                 97
+               XX. PLEADING                         105
+              XXI. THE WITCH                        108
+             XXII. THE LOVE-PHILTRE                 111
+            XXIII. THE CHARMED WINE                 120
+             XXIV. THE MINSTREL                     125
+              XXV. THE SACRED HOUNDS                131
+             XXVI. ON THE VERGE                     135
+            XXVII. ONE FOR ANOTHER                  145
+           XXVIII. SPIRITS OF THE DEEP              153
+             XXIX. MYRTLE AND OLEANDER              162
+              XXX. BY THE RIVER CAYSTER             165
+             XXXI. THE DOOMED CITY                  171
+            XXXII. ENDORA                           175
+           XXXIII. NIKA                             180
+            XXXIV. THE HOROSCOPE                    184
+             XXXV. THE VIRGIN CAVE                  191
+            XXXVI. REVERIE                          195
+           XXXVII. THE MESSAGE                      199
+          XXXVIII. THE DEAD PRIEST                  204
+            XXXIX. CONSTERNATION                    209
+               XL. TWO MASTER MINDS                 212
+              XLI. DAYBREAK                         221
+             XLII. VARRO                            227
+            XLIII. MYSTERY                          231
+             XLIV. ACRATUS, THE TEMPLE SPOILER      235
+              XLV. REVELATION                       238
+             XLVI. THE CROWN OF LIFE                249
+            XLVII. PARTING                          253
+
+
+
+
+                            SARONIA
+
+
+                           CHAPTER I
+
+                           THE AGORA
+
+
+The sun had risen in all its splendour, and was flooding the bay and
+mountains with silvery light. The river Cayster moved on its course, and
+mixed its waters with the blue of the AEgean Sea, and washed the shores
+of Samos, appearing like a purple vision on the ocean. Boats and ships
+of quaint form and gorgeous colouring, propelled by a gentle breeze,
+moved to and fro, and glided up the shining way which led to the great
+city of Ephesus, the chief of Ionia, and the home of the goddess. Not
+far away was shining like a brilliant star the marble pillars of the
+Temple of Diana. Ephesus was now fully awake, and the people were moving
+along its streets, some wending their way to the temples to offer their
+morning devotions, others hastening to the great theatre, and many more
+directing their course towards their daily toil; for men must work, even
+within the precincts of a city where all is splendour. The city, with
+its wealth of art and stores of gold, was envied of conquerors. Situated
+between the mountains, its inhabitants had a noble chance of making it
+beautiful, and, being skilled in art and endowed with learning, they
+built temples of the noblest design, erected statues of the richest
+order, painted pictures of the grandest conception. Odeum and theatre
+all sprang forth in magical beauty and power, whilst villas replete with
+elegance combined to make it one of the loveliest cities, surrounded
+with hills and groves and the traditions of a line of centuries.
+
+The great market was being filled with men and women offering the most
+tempting products of the land. Groups were selling and buying fruits,
+flowers and perfumes, bread, fish and wine. Ribbon-sellers,
+chaplet-weavers, money-changers--all were there; and the people
+purchased for their daily needs, whilst others bought rich offerings for
+the temples of their goddess and their gods.
+
+Here and there the ground was covered with flowers of richest shades and
+sweetest fragrance, and great branches with clustering blossoms of
+crimson oleander and myrtle lay around.
+
+From the house of the Roman Lady Venusta the slave Saronia had come to
+buy. She was clothed in the simplest manner, tall and beautifully
+formed, with eyes speaking a tale of sadness and a weariness of life; a
+dignified slave, but a slave nevertheless, purchased but a year ago, and
+brought hither by a trading-barque from Sidon, in Phoenicia, where she
+had served as a slave from childhood.
+
+She gathered together her pomegranates, citrons, almonds, olives, and
+flowers, placed them in her basket of wickerwork, walked out of the
+market, and passed up the way which led to the home of her mistress. But
+the splendour to which she hastened was a prison to her. She so full of
+young life, she who felt within her the rising for supremacy (an
+unquenchable spirit), she with a mystic flame burning up her soul, felt
+it was not a home but a waiting-place until the Fates passed by and led
+her on.
+
+True, Venusta treated Saronia fairly well, but Nika, her daughter, hated
+her--from the first she hated her. And why this hate? Nika herself could
+scarcely say; but who has not felt this subtle power to love or hate at
+first sight--an intuitive something which draws or repels without our
+reason or consent? Perhaps it was the great sadness of Saronia's eyes,
+the overflowing influence of a mighty spirit, that Nika disliked so
+much; or perhaps it was that when Chios, the Greek, came to visit the
+Romans, he spoke kindly to the slave, and thus Nika detested her. It may
+be so.
+
+Passing by the great theatre and the Odeum, she went up the shaded way
+over the side of Mount Coressus, and came to the beautiful home of
+Venusta, passed in laden with fruit and flowers, great clusters of
+sweet-scented blossoms falling from the basket as she raised it from her
+head. For a moment she stood as in a dream, with girdled drapery falling
+to her feet, and her gaze firmly fixed upon the great temple appearing
+full in view as she looked through the window, which allowed the
+sunlight to penetrate into her room.
+
+That night, when her work was done, she mounted the marble steps
+surrounding the house, and breathed the pleasant, perfumed air which
+came down the mountain-side and danced through the myrtle groves.
+
+The moon had well-nigh reached her meridian and sent forth her pale,
+cool light, bathing the city in its glory, making the great hills look
+so strange and lonely, as star after star struggled to show their
+quivering rays; but the light of the Queen of Heaven, the great Moon
+Goddess, absorbed them all.
+
+'Twas then the spirit of the girl was moved, and she said to herself:
+
+'Ah! what am I, most Holy Mother, most chaste Luna, great Orb which
+symbols forth all Nature's mother, thou great Ashtoreth whom I was
+taught to adore in childhood when in Sidon? Well do I remember when I
+raised my tiny hand and kissed it unto thee. And they tell me here,
+also, thou art the same mother, but under another name; that in Ionia
+they call thee Diana instead of Ashtoreth, and that yonder mighty temple
+is thy dwelling-place, around whose sacred pillars spreads a sanctuary
+where those who flee are safe. Holy Mother! May I flee to thee? They say
+even a slave may come to thy sanctuary, and once there with a just
+cause, is ever safe from the fiercest Roman or the rudest Greek.'
+
+And thus she spoke until a flock of night-birds flew along and like a
+cloud obscured the moon, and a voice, sounding like a silver lute,
+seemed to say:
+
+'My face is veiled with earth-born things; those birds are dark to thee,
+but every wing before my gaze is tipped with light and silver sheened.
+So shalt thou see thy sorrows when thou fully knowest me.'
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER II
+
+                     THE MESSENGER OF EROS
+
+
+The great theatre at Ephesus was thronged; over fifty thousand people
+had gathered together to witness a new play. Amongst them were Nika and
+Chios.
+
+'Dost thou like the play?' she asked. 'They tell me the tragedy was
+wrought in Phoenicia, and has been played with great success in Sidon,
+from thence to Cyprus, and now here. It pleases thee, Chios?'
+
+'Yes, fairly so; and would do so more were it not that through it runs a
+vein of suffering, making one wish he could fit disjointed elements so
+properly together as to make the poor richer, the weak stronger, and the
+mighty less tyrannical.'
+
+'Chios, again thou art a dreamer. Thou shouldst have a planet all thine
+own, and, after setting up thy kings governing each particular section
+of thine orb, thou then shouldst sit enthroned above them all and play
+the mighty demigod.'
+
+'Nay, Nika, stay thy wit; thou makest sport of my poor sympathies.'
+
+'Yes, yes; it is well, perchance, that thou shouldst bridle in my
+tongue. But, after all, thou art too kind; there are those of meaner
+dust who would build upon thy kindness until thou be but the hidden
+foundation for their super-structure of selfishness. Look, for instance,
+at that slave-girl of mine, Saronia the Sidonian, naturally haughty,
+arrogant--if I were to free her, she would spit at me. No, no, a place
+for everything. A serpent crawls the earth; let it crawl. Dost thou
+know, Chios, methinks that girl, with her deep unfathomable eyes of
+night-gloom, is not quite so innocent as one might imagine. I suspect
+her----'
+
+'Of what?'
+
+'Of what? Why, the old story. She has a lover, and meets him
+secretly--so speaks the rumour of our other household slaves. What
+thinkest thou?'
+
+'Think? Think it is a base slander on a defenceless maid. She is as pure
+as the first dawn of day--a mighty spirit is she, as wild as the north
+wind and as untamable as the winged lightning, but as chaste as the snow
+on the mountains of Tmolus.'
+
+'Thy words are so sweet for this scornful girl that surely the power of
+her magical love encircles thy heart and will eat out thy life. What
+next? Wilt thou offer Lucius, my father, a ransom and wed her?'
+
+'Nay, Nika, what thou sayest is not so, may not be; nevertheless, am I
+not free to love anything the gods have created and blessed?'
+
+'Yes, yes, go thy ways; but, for all that, it is more seemly for an
+eagle to mate with an eagle than with a screech-owl. Thou wilt see her
+anon; thy pet slave waiteth without for her mistress. Now go to her for
+me and bid her come; and, love-sick boy, be sure she does not fascinate
+thee that thou be so transfixed to her side that passers-by think they
+see two statues by Scopas, dressed by some wanton wit to imitate the
+life.'
+
+'Ah, Nika, thou wert always merry; would thou wert as tender-hearted as
+humorous. I obey thee.'
+
+And leaving her, he passed out, and saw Saronia--saw her leaning, tired
+and thoughtful, against a pillar, and around its base were richly carved
+in strong relief the stories of the gods. Stepping towards her, he said:
+
+'Sleepest thou, or art thou thinking of thy far-away Sidon, or perchance
+peering into the future to divine thy fortune? What are the omens? Have
+fair ones passed thee as thou standest here?'
+
+'Nay, good sire, I was thinking of neither the past nor the future, but
+of the present. I know I am but a slave, a thing who has no right to
+speak or move or scarcely think without my mistress's bidding.'
+
+'I pity thee, and have tried to befriend thee.'
+
+'Thou art kind, but it will serve me little; they hate me--they all hate
+me, and make my life a misery--but it will not ever be thus. Just now a
+woman of peculiar mien stood before me--a woman skilled, she told me, in
+the mysteries of fate. Looking at me, she said my star was rising full
+of splendour, and would lead me by its power into a knowledge deep and
+high--deep as death, high as the heavens. Think you, master, there be
+any truth in such woman's talk?'
+
+'I cannot say, Saronia. Of those hidden things I am not given to
+understand. I lean towards the new faith, whose founder is one Christ.
+Of Him I know little, but 'tis said He is both God and man. What
+thinkest thou of this?'
+
+'I know not what to think. I do not know the faith, neither does it seem
+to rise for a hearing in my soul. No; born within me is the faith of
+Ashtoreth, and as it seems akin to much that is worshipped here, I think
+I should feel more at home were I to understand the mysteries of Hecate
+and worship at her shrine.'
+
+'Thou dost not know what thou askest, Saronia. The way to those
+mysteries is dark and to thee impenetrable. Thou art too good to load
+thy spirit with such things of gloom, too young to sacrifice thee there.
+Around her darkness hovers--night, everlasting night, abides. I have
+heard those who know say this. Are there no brighter hopes for thee? If
+not, slave art thou indeed--slave in body, slave in soul.'
+
+'True,' said the girl. 'Slaves are we either in body or spirit,
+whomsoever we serve--men or women, goddesses or gods; to such must we
+submit and lose our will in that of the greater. Serve, then, the one
+thou likest best. For myself, I think I like Diana as Hecate. She, I am
+told, rules the underworld. I aspire no higher; my pinions were shorn
+away, and I now grovel on the earth, and wish to worship in her bosom.'
+
+'Of what mould art thou, Saronia? I understand thee not. I fear thee
+somewhat; my soul quails before the power thou already wieldest. What
+wouldst thou be with that great dark spirit of thine if thou only moved
+out upon the great ocean of the Ephesian faith? Verily thou wouldst be a
+bird of ill-omen to those thou didst hate. Didst thou ever love,
+Saronia?'
+
+'What is love?' said she. 'I know it not. Is it a new god?'
+
+'Yes, girl, call it a god if thou pleasest. Call it Eros, call it Venus,
+call it what thou mayest, thou wilt fall before it one day and
+worship--worship madly and perchance too well. Haste thee now to thy
+mistress, Nika; I have already kept thee too long.'
+
+That night, when all were asleep, Saronia stood looking again towards
+the great Temple of Artemis. Dimly could she see it by the stars. Two
+great passions were arranging themselves within her bosom--not two
+passions joined in common sympathy, but each one striving for itself,
+and both against the great citadel of her heart. One she recognised,
+that which drew her on like some great master mind beseeching her to
+grasp the key and unlock the great secrets of Nature's goddess. The
+other she knew not; it was a strange passion to her. It was wild,
+tumultuous, and then calm as a summer's eve--like a storm which bows
+down the lofty pines on Mount Coressus, and yet as gentle and melodious
+as the softest Ionian music which ever broke the stillness of the
+evening air. And as the maid stood there with her long tresses falling
+over her graceful form, visions rose before her, visions of the future
+stretching down the great highway leading into eternity, and a voice
+rang through her soul, crying, 'What is love?'
+
+And she said within herself: 'Can this strange passion be the messenger
+of Eros?' A form rose before her mind like unto Chios. The great clouds
+rolled up from the west, the lightnings flashed across the sky,
+illuminating for a moment the great white marble Temple with its roof of
+cedar and its plates of gold. The frightened, shivering girl drew her
+garments tightly around her and hid her face.
+
+How long she remained there she knew not, but when she awoke from a
+swoon and raised herself from the ground, the scarlet shafts of sunrise
+were moving up the eastern sky, and the birds were singing from the
+myrtle groves.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER III
+
+                       THE CURSE OF HECATE
+
+
+The day had well-nigh lost its youth. Nika and her mother had retired to
+the room called 'Golden,' because of the rich chasings of gold on its
+walls of purest marble, and the threads of gold and vermilion which
+interlaced in chaste design the polished floor of malachite and aqua
+marine.
+
+Across the entrance to this room hung a richly embroidered curtain, dyed
+twice in Tyrian purple, which being drawn back exposed to view a
+colonnade of varied beauty and richly carved, many of the carvings being
+the work of Venusta's friends.
+
+Behind the peristyle the walls were hung with beautiful pictures created
+by artists long since dead, Parrhasius and Apelles, Evenor and Zeuxis;
+each painting was framed with a panel of exquisite mosaic. Statuary of
+rarest loveliness by Phidias, Praxiteles and Scopas, Thrason, Myron,
+Pharax and Phradmon, stood between the pillars. Within the court were
+fragrant flowers of every shade, and in the centre towered one grand
+design in fountain form, from which came sprays of perfumed water,
+hiding the sultry sky and falling back with musical rhythm into the
+many-coloured marble basin. Slaves with fans of gorgeous plumage wafted
+the perfumed air into the Golden Room.
+
+In this retiring room, on a couch of citrus-wood inlaid with precious
+stones and pearls, reclined Venusta. She was clothed in a linen robe of
+saffron-yellow, with delicate pattern interwoven, and embroidered
+borders from Phrygia and Babylon. Her face spoke plainly that the Romans
+ruled the Ionians.
+
+Close by her was Nika, standing like a beautiful dream. She was draped
+in white silk from the Isle of Cos, and through this diaphanous dress
+the outlines of her lovely form were seen. Around her waist circled a
+zone of gems--ruby, sapphire, emerald, hyacinth, garnet, topaz, aqua
+marine--blended together in magnificent confusion. A splendid opal
+glinted above her brow, and her hair, like sunlight mixed with gold,
+came forward shading eyes of loveliest blue, then flowed back like
+rippling wavelets move towards the shore.
+
+'Take the cithra and play one of thy sweetest melodies,' said Venusta.
+'Play that soft Ionian air I heard from thee but yester eve.'
+
+Nika did not respond, but restlessly plucked the petals of a lovely
+oleander, and as she flung them to the floor murmured:
+
+'Thus would I pluck her life--her life, and end it in nothingness.'
+
+'What ails thee, girl? Art thou ill?'
+
+'No; but impatient for revenge.'
+
+'On whom?'
+
+'On the slave Saronia, who stands yonder in the court, dressed in golden
+brown, looking like a dark fiend as she rests her head against the
+porphyry pillar that Scopas carved.'
+
+'Wherein has she offended, Nika?'
+
+'In this wise. Thou knowest, mother, I never liked her, and ever as I
+know her I like her less. And now she poisons with her charms the mind
+of Chios; not that I care for Chios, but why should such a scorpion
+stand between us, even if the obstruction be as thin as the mountain
+mist which flees before the first blush of day? Listen, mother. 'Twas
+but yesterday, at the great theatre, I sent Chios to bid her come to me.
+His lengthened stay, his silent mood when he returned, her haughty
+bearing, all told me another drama had been enacted outside the theatre
+to which I dare not be bidden. But I will hear of it. I will clearly
+understand it. She shall speak it again before us, and besides her own
+she shall act the part of Chios.'
+
+'Do you believe this being is treacherous?'
+
+'I do, mother.'
+
+'Then we will bid her come to us.'
+
+Venusta touched a silver bell. Saronia entered and stood before
+them--stood without one quiver on her beautiful lips, although she could
+see by the countenance of her mistress that a storm was at hand. There
+she stood, pale and self-contained, a smouldering fire burning within
+her, and the voice of the wise woman ringing in her ears: 'Thy star is
+rising, full of splendour.'
+
+'Slave, my daughter says thy conduct is uncertain. Knowest thou the
+penalty of this?'
+
+'Were it true, I know some of the penalties. But wherein have I
+disobeyed?'
+
+'It is not that thou failest to obey--that would be rebellion, and I
+myself would probably slay thee, as my husband is away from Ephesus. No!
+It is this: thou presumest too much--and this, mark you, is the least
+can be said of it. 'Tis said thou art given to converse freely with our
+beloved friend Chios, and if this be true 'tis inconsistent with thy
+position as my slave. But tell us, what hast thou said to him? what did
+he say to thee during the long interview yesterday outside the great
+theatre? What passed between you? Tell it quickly; our spirits are of
+that nature which cannot entertain delay. Now tell it quickly and
+begone.'
+
+'He told me nothing I may say again; nor will it interest my mistress.'
+
+'How dost thou know?'
+
+'If thou wouldst know, my lady mistress, it comes to this only. I
+bemoaned my state of slavery, and he, true open-hearted man, did
+sympathize with me. I deem this matter no offence.'
+
+'Reptile which thou art! Mistress of lies! Thou liest now. Dost think to
+make believe that he would stoop to sympathize with carrion? Didst thou
+not entice him? Speak out, or, by the gods, I promise I will have thee
+tied to the wheel and whipped with rods until thou shalt not even know
+thyself. Speak, slave! or I will take that tongue of thine from out thy
+poisonous mouth, and brand thee on thy forehead as a wretch. Once more I
+speak to thee: tell me the truth!'
+
+Then answered Saronia:
+
+'Lady of Rome, I spoke the truth--the gods can do no better. Thou mayest
+torture me, and I may die. I have, perchance, lived long enough, and it
+would be well to pass where I may serve the gods only.'
+
+'Who art thou, slave, and what art thou, who speakest thus?'
+
+'I know not who I am. What I am thou mayest know hereafter.'
+
+'Understand I have power to torture thee!'
+
+'I know all, and have dared to reply.'
+
+'Hast thou no fear? Beware!'
+
+'I have none, for the gods are with me, and my cause is just.'
+
+'Just? Thou mockest. What justice canst thou demand, perjured one of
+Hades? Leave me, or I may be tempted to slay thee where thou standest;
+but that would not do. Sorceress, thy foul blood might haunt the Golden
+Room!'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Saronia went out, and wept great tears of sorrow.
+
+When she had gone, Nika spoke:
+
+'Now seest thou, mother, what she is: she dares even thee! What canst
+thou do but punish? A fine episode--a Sidonian slave defies her
+mistress, a Roman matron. Speak quickly; I am burning to hear what thou
+thinkest. Speak, great Venusta, wife of Lucius!'
+
+'Silence, Nika! It is not becoming thou shouldst use thy satire even in
+playfulness to such an one as I.'
+
+'Thou knowest my tongue from veriest childhood was ever the same. It is
+my dagger. It is better than thy jewelled blade of steel. I can wound
+the heart without shedding one drop of blood. Come, mother, forgive me,
+and say what shall be done to punish Saronia.'
+
+'She must be tortured until she speaks the truth.'
+
+'But if she should die, we should never know.'
+
+'True! That is a condition we cannot alter.'
+
+'Listen. Give me a day or two and let me try what I may do with guile.'
+
+'Let it be so, Nika. But see I lose not dignity. Make her know it is
+through thy intercession I relent. Give her two short periods of the
+sun, and charm with thy music from her that which Venusta cannot wrench
+by threatenings. If thou canst, girl; but, for my own part, I should as
+surely expect a fisher to take fish by casting net on a barren rock as
+that thou wilt be successful with thine undertaking.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The next day the Roman girl made it convenient that the slave should be
+alone with her, and commenced her plan of deceit, saying:
+
+'Sidonian, why dost thou look so sad? Thou art unhappy. Dost fear the
+Lady Venusta? Trust in me. A mother's love is great towards her child.
+Trust thou in me, girl, make me thy confidant. I know it is not seemly
+for the high-born daughter of thy mistress to converse with thee in this
+manner, but I have read somewhere that "All flesh is as grass; the wind
+passeth over it and it is gone." So, after all, it may be but the force
+of circumstances which makes me mistress and thee slave. Come, now,
+tell me what Chios said to thee, and relieve thy mind from anxious
+thought.'
+
+'My mistress Nika, I cannot tell thee more.'
+
+'Did not Chios speak some sweet words of love into thine ear? Did he not
+praise thy lovely form, those clustering tresses, those liquid eyes, and
+did he not taste thy lips? Now, Saronia, tell me, and one day I may tell
+thee all of my own love story.'
+
+Then spoke the slave:
+
+'I know not of love. If kind words be love, then spake he kindly to me.'
+
+'Didst thou speak of me to him?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'And what didst thou say?'
+
+'It may wound thee sore to know.'
+
+'No, no! It will leave no lasting impression on my mind; it will be as a
+cloud-shadow passing over a granite rock, leaving no trace behind. What
+didst thou say?'
+
+'Thou hatest me.'
+
+'I hate thee! How dost thou know?'
+
+'I scarcely know how to frame my words to form reply.'
+
+'Thou shalt.'
+
+'I cannot! But surely as I feel the throbbing of my heart, so certain am
+I of thine hatred, and expect no mercy from my mistress or her daughter;
+yet still I feel thou canst not harm me, and I shall not fail beneath
+thine hand. My destiny is dark, but not broken. I am not like water
+spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. No; my path lies
+onward through the ages, perchance where thou mayest not follow. I know
+not why I speak in this manner to thee. A fire seems eating up my very
+vitals, my brain whirls, and a power which possesses me bids me defy
+thee, and say: "The slave Saronia is as good as thou, and the time is
+not distant--yea, well within the span of this brief mortal life--when
+thou shalt seek me out for help, when thou shalt call for the Sidonian,
+when thou shalt beg for aid from dark Saronia!"'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When Venusta returned, she found her daughter lying on the citrous couch
+with head buried between her beautiful hands; but oh the horror depicted
+on that lovely face as she raised it and gazed into her mother's eyes!
+
+'Thou art suffering, Nika.'
+
+'Thou sayest truly; my whole being seems to have been lashed into a
+fury, like unto when the winds of winter sweep over the moaning sea, and
+break the mast from out the noble ship, scatter her cordage, sever the
+silver cord of her mariners, and leave her an abandoned wreck, the sport
+of every yawning wave; and after this the mockery of calm and sunny sky.
+And I, too, have now the calm, and I may truly call it mockery. 'Tis a
+calm of awful stillness without a ray of hope--a calm so still, so
+death-like, leaden, which leaves no room for doubt that I am left alone.
+The spirits of the gods have left me. I am accursed!'
+
+'By whom art thou accursed? What meanest thou, child?'
+
+'I have received the curse of Hecate. In what form my destiny for ill
+will work out, I know not; but as surely as the dying one gasping for
+breath knows his end draws nigh, so feel I the power of this great curse
+upon me.'
+
+'Nonsense, poor girl: it is some quaint fantasy of the mind.'
+
+'Nay, mother, would it were so; then time would rid me of this frightful
+living death!'
+
+'But speak plainly, Nika; tell me all.'
+
+'It was thus. I spoke to Saronia; I tried to win from her by honeyed
+words that which thou requested her to tell me. Then did she disclose to
+me her knowledge of my hate, and after other words had passed she broke
+forth like a chained lion, and, snapping her chains as if they were
+threads of finest silk, she defied me. Standing with hair dishevelled
+and eyes aflame, I saw her face take form like unto the face of the
+resplendent statue of the goddess, and I knew she was possessed of
+Hecate, and I cursed before the words of dreadful meaning had passed her
+lips. Then spake she words aglow with fire, which burnt into me far
+deeper than the brand of iron burns into the brows of slaves. Those
+scars pass with death, mine must go with me through the gateway into
+Hades, into Tartarus, into my wandering 'midst the darkness, where my
+unclothed, starving spirit shall move through the sable gloom of a
+destiny that shall stretch out into the great hereafter. Oh, mother,
+mother, my agony is great!'
+
+'And where is this fiend gone?' asked Venusta. 'She was not in her
+accustomed place when I entered, and at that I wondered. Dost thou know
+where she is, daughter?'
+
+'No, I know not. For when that fearful being had spoken, as I have told
+thee, I hid my eyes for very fear. Only once did I raise them and see
+her like a black death still standing by my couch; but she had grasped
+thy jewelled dagger which lay upon the table, and held it with
+outstretched hand towards the ground, and with upturned gaze and
+frightful calm she seemed to plead an answer from the goddess. Then fell
+I into a deep swoon, and in vision seemed to fall from dark abyss to
+dark abyss, until my soul was torn asunder, and its portions rent again
+and dissolved into nothingness, and for ever lost.
+
+'It is horrible to think of; and when I awoke, I was alone--yea, alone.
+It is an awful thing to feel such loneliness. Glad was I when the shadow
+of the great cypress-tree yonder came through the open window and lay
+upon the marble floor; even such as that was company to my cursed
+soul.'
+
+'Lie still, Nika. I will find her, and ere yon red-globed sun hath sunk
+behind the purple hills she shall suffer for this power which she
+pretends to possess. A braying ass within a lion's skin! I will brand
+her with hot irons, and pour strong ink into the furrows! I will work
+her like a beast, and, when torn and wrinkled with toil and pain, cast
+her out upon the hills to die! Such is my right to do, and all my powers
+shall be enforced.'
+
+'Art thou not afraid?'
+
+'No! I respect the faith of Hecate, and by report well know her power;
+but this young hag is not elect of such a goddess. That she tortures
+thee with fearful harrowings shows all this is but a slave's device to
+make escape from the punishment I threaten!'
+
+'No, no! She is true--I am guilty. Would I were not! I have pained her
+to the verge of death. I have lied against her, and with cruel words and
+threatenings made her life a wretched misery! Oh, could I but recall the
+past! But all is dark. I know a great fate of ill-omen hangs over me.
+When it will descend, I know not. When it will enwrap me, I know not.
+But it will come, and at a time I am least ready, that I feel;' and Nika
+wept like a child.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Venusta kissed her daughter and passed out of the Golden Room.
+
+On arriving at the place where the slaves dwelt, she found Saronia had
+fled, and no one knew whither. She was seen to take her mantle and leave
+hurriedly, and that was all.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER IV
+
+                           SANCTUARY
+
+
+When Saronia saw that Nika had fallen overpowered, and knew her lot was
+cast, she felt herself a new creature. Her young blood coursed wildly,
+and great thoughts trooped through her brain like a force of armed men
+hastening to war. For a moment reason staggered, but did not fall.
+
+When the tumult of her soul was stayed, she said:
+
+'Has the goddess spoken through me? Am I her beloved? If this be so, why
+not fly to her sanctuary and trust to her great power? I will away
+now--even now! I will not question with myself. Farewell, cruel Nika!
+Farewell, merciless girl! Thou wilt stand in thy lot at the end. I go my
+way, whither I know not--gloom, night, darkness envelops me. But, chaste
+Diana, show by thy kindly light the way--I am thine! Behold this tiny
+crescent graven on my hand when yet a child--true sign my loved ones
+were the worshippers of Ashtoreth; and now I come to thee, great Goddess
+Luna, Hecate, Diana, the mother of Nature, adored in Ionia!'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Having passed the threshold of the house, she came down the shaded way,
+along the side of Mount Coressus.
+
+The tall pines murmured softly their evening hymn; the roadside was
+covered with great bunches of pink and white flowers; clusters of ripe
+grapes hung from the trellised vines, and the pomegranate-trees were
+laden with fruit.
+
+A flock of birds of varied hue flew around her, and an eagle, sporting
+in the air and clapping its wings, swooped down and sailed from right to
+left, fairest of omens the gods could give. This she saw, and recognised
+its import, but the flowers and murmuring pines she heeded not.
+
+Down the lovely way she trod and came to the valley beneath, and joined
+the crowd passing along the city streets.
+
+From the Odeum came the richest music, pealing forth upon the sultry
+air, and, breaking into softest harmony, melted into the light.
+
+On, further, until the great theatre burst upon her sight, and then for
+a moment she stood and rested against the sculptured shaft of a mighty
+pillar and thought of Chios. Suddenly she was confronted with the wise
+woman who spoke with her not long ago.
+
+'Whither goest thou, pretty slave? Art thou on a mission for thy
+mistress? or does that star of thine so quickly lead thee to thy fate?
+Tell me, girl, whither art thou steering?'
+
+'I cannot tell thee; but I pray thee point the nearest way to the pine
+and cypress grove nigh to the Temple of Diana.'
+
+'Ah, now I know, and will not betray! Sanctuary! Thou seekest sanctuary,
+and thou shalt have it if I can aid thee; but no time is to be lost.
+Rush on as if thy life hung on a single thread. Turn to the right, pass
+the Stadium, wind quickly around the hill Pion, and thou shalt see the
+Temple bathed in glorious light, and close to it the sacred grove; but I
+fear the hour has passed to gain access, and the planet Saturn rules.
+Hide thee among the trees to-night, and when the sun's first rays appear
+haste thee to thy refuge. That hour is the hour of Jupiter, the next is
+that of the Sun; thou shalt prevail, and when thou flourisheth, remember
+me.'
+
+She moved away, and stealing around the hill with its great Acropolis
+and fortress walls of iron brick, gained the sacred port, at the head of
+which, standing broadly against the dying day, appeared the mighty
+Temple--that Temple which she had so often gazed on from Venusta's
+home.
+
+It was not far away, but she could not reach it in time to claim
+security that day. If she ran she would be suspected, and her feet
+seemed weighted with sandals of lead.
+
+She passed the smaller temples, saw the great ships with gorgeous sails
+and swinging pendants pass up and down the sacred way, and heard the
+chant of evening song float forth from many a shrine. Still, on she
+went, footsore and weary, to find, alas! the door of her asylum closed;
+then, gazing for a moment at the mighty structure within the parabolus
+walls, she uttered a faint cry and burst into a flood of tears. Nothing
+could she do but fly to the grove and pass the night there, and,
+creeping stealthily away, she moved towards the pines and cypress-trees.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+That night there raged a storm. The great clouds in wild masses sailed
+across the sky like leviathans in the blue-tinted darkness of ocean
+depths. No moon nor star. The mighty winds swayed the trees, and bent
+the stoutest of them like reeds. Saronia crouched beneath a giant pine,
+whose summit seemed to pierce the sky. Faint and shivering, she drew her
+garments closely around her and fell asleep, only to be awakened by the
+thunderings which seemed to break the universe in twain with echoes like
+the voices of the gods in combat. A lightning flash flew down like a
+haunted fiend and blasted her tree from top to base, but it hurt her
+not.
+
+And after hours had passed, and the furious winds had sailed out over
+the deep, the rains descended and drenched her flimsy garment. The
+stormy winds sank down to a melancholy wail, and played their dirge
+amongst the branches of the cluster-pine, and the dawn came up from the
+east and struggled between the dark-green foliage.
+
+Saronia arose and staggered through the long wet grass, heeding not the
+masses of yellow iris or the flaming poppies. When she arrived at the
+confines of the grove the light had broken through the gray, and soon
+she saw the sun, and knew it was her hour.
+
+On she went, with her thin brown garments clinging to her lovely form.
+For a moment, like a thief, she hung around the entrance gate, and with
+a wild convulsive moan passed within--to sanctuary!
+
+When the priests went by they saw the fallen form, and thought her dead.
+They raised her tenderly and led her away.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+'Who art thou?' said the chief of the priests.
+
+The girl looked beseechingly at him, and said:
+
+'I am the slave of the Roman Venusta, whose home is on the Mount
+Coressus. Faithfully have I served her, and would have continued but for
+her cruelty. Before I saw this city my home was Sidon, in Phoenicia.
+There also I was a slave as far back as my memory serves me. Who I am I
+know not----'
+
+'What is thy name?'
+
+'Saronia; and hither have I fled to throw myself on the mercy of the
+goddess, with the hope that I may serve her.'
+
+Then answered he of the Megalobyzi:
+
+'Thou speakest plainly, and we will inquire into the matter;' and,
+turning to a priestess standing near, he requested her to protect the
+girl and give her food.
+
+The young priestess was of exquisite beauty, and her face beamed with
+rarest charity. Her voice was full of sweetness as she said:
+
+'Maiden, lean on my arm, and let me lead thee to thy rest;' and Saronia
+heard the chanting of the morning hymn, and felt she had reached her
+goal--the dearest to her heart.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+At Venusta's house, just after the morning meal, a slave delivered to
+her mistress a message. The Roman autocrat broke the ominous seal, and,
+turning deathly pale, read out the following:
+
+     'Great is Diana of the Ephesians, whom all Asia and the
+     inhabited earth worshippeth.
+
+     'UNTO THE NOBLE LADY VENUSTA,
+
+     'Whereas thy slave-girl Saronia is now within the sacred
+     precincts of the Temple of our Lady Saviour, and claims
+     sanctuary, alleging that by your cruel treatment she has fled
+     your abode;
+
+     'And this Notice, in accordance with the Law, demands that you
+     appear at our Tribunal, and if by proof you show her
+     allegations false, she shall forthwith be handed back, you
+     releasing her from all punishment for thus submitting her case
+     to this our High and Sacred Court.
+
+     'On the other hand, if she be in the right, then she shall be
+     free to consecrate herself unto the service of the Ephesian
+     goddess, and observe the rites as practised in the Temple of
+     Artemis.'
+
+For a moment Venusta was silent. What was to be done? Her Roman blood
+ran riot through her veins. Recovering herself, she said to her
+daughter:
+
+'I will pursue her even to the jaws of death. Shall I thus be taunted by
+a slave? No; the wife of Lucius will not submit to be taught her duty to
+a hag such as she! I will reply immediately and use the law to win her
+back.'
+
+'Leave her,' said Nika. 'See, will it avail thee to have thy name
+blazoned abroad among the noble ones of Ephesus? She is not worth
+much--never was, and would be worthless were she back again. Let her
+go!'
+
+'No, child, my dignity is hurt. Thou knowest the high position held by
+us in this city, and to remain silent, I fear, in this case is to admit
+guilt. This would not do.'
+
+'Mother dear, let me speak again, and plainly. I fear her. Should she
+return, soon must thou prepare the marble urn to receive the ashes of
+Nika. What could we do with her? She is far too terrible for us. If she
+spake never a word, her look would kill me. Thou knowest she cannot now
+be punished, for after having sought sanctuary the law provides a
+shelter against torture, and think of the scandal were the case tried,
+and her name in any way coupled with our beloved friend Chios. No, no;
+let her go. Were it not an insult to offer thee, I would sell my jewels,
+all, all I possess--everything--and pay her ransom. Say, dearest mother,
+say to Nika, say for the torn fragment of peace left me, that my request
+is granted.'
+
+'I will let her go,' said the Roman. 'I think it best as thou hast said.
+Her destiny seems to lie outside our reach. To bring her back is wrong
+to thee after what thou hast now said. To let her remain may be
+humiliation. However, one thing we know: whilst within the Temple she
+cannot trouble us. To free her and let her wander abroad--well, it would
+be worse than playing with a deadly serpent. Discussion further may only
+hamper our best policy. She shall circle in her own orbit.' And Venusta
+framed reply, stating the slave's assertions quite untrue; but, being
+desirous of making an offering to the Queen of Heaven, she set her free.
+
+And thus does fate work out our destiny, and prove
+
+    'Man's goings are not of his own ways;
+    How then can he direct his paths?'
+
+
+
+
+                            CHAPTER V
+
+                       THE TEMPLE OF DIANA
+
+
+Bathed in the sunlight of an azure sky, the Temple of Diana raised its
+lovely head and shone the fairest mistress of the ancient East. Boasting
+a long list of ancestors, she, the last of a line of temples, the
+Mighty One that should fight against the coming Christ, a strong
+fortress wherein her devotees should defend their faith against all
+detractors--this the last, the eighth, the proudest Temple, the wonder
+of the world, was now in all its splendour, enthroned at the head of the
+sacred port, and shone out like a silvery sun.
+
+Built on sure foundations of the Ionic order, with symmetrical
+proportions, it towered high in majesty, with double rows of fluted
+marble pillars carved magnificently, many of which were the gifts of
+kings.
+
+Its pronaos and pediments were resplendent with marble, whilst the
+vestibule and peristyle were adorned with the richest friezes and the
+noblest statues.
+
+The roof of cedar was covered with marble and gold, and the staircases
+were of vine. Around it on every side great flights of marble steps led
+up to the sacred shrine.
+
+The entrance doors to this mighty Temple were of cypress wood, with
+ivory panels of richest sculpture set in gold.
+
+Within, the place was full of rarest beauty, and strength abounded on
+every hand.
+
+Pillars rose on pillars, and the choicest workmanship adorned them. The
+friezes and the painted walls were all that art could furnish, and the
+sky appeared through the open roof like a circle of fairest blue.
+
+In the Temple stood the altar, behind the altar the great statue of the
+Moon Goddess, Diana of the Ephesians, the Lady Saviour, the Resplendent
+One, the Mother of Nature. This symbol of deity was hidden from the
+vulgar gaze by a lovely veil of costly make, coloured with purple of
+Tyre, adorned with figures and arabesques and embroideries from Babylon,
+and edged with a fringe of purest gold. Behind the statue was the
+opisthodomus, or retiring chamber.
+
+The Temple floor was of white marble, the purest kind, and polished, the
+joining of the slabs faced with golden wire.
+
+The quiet splendour of this mighty edifice baffles description. Not only
+was it magnificent in itself, but it was the grand storehouse for all
+that was beautiful and costly. It abounded in the sculptured works of
+Praxiteles and Thrason, and there were the statues of the Amazons, and
+that by Rhoecus, which the Ephesians called 'Night,' and those by
+Phidias and Scopas, silver wrought by Mentor, vases made of gold.
+
+The cella walls were hung with costly paintings--pictures by Timarete,
+the daughter of Nicon; others by Callithon of Samos, portraying 'Discord
+raising the Battle' and the 'Binding on of the Armour of Patroclus.'
+There was Euphonor's 'Ulysses feigning Madness,' and that great painting
+by Timanthes which caused a shudder to pass through the mighty
+Alexander, and the majestic portrait of that mighty conqueror painted by
+Apelles.
+
+In it were stored the strangest books, and there hung the finest
+instruments of music.
+
+It was the common treasury for all Asia; all nations deposited their
+treasures there for safety, and the world wondered at its riches.
+Deposits were made of all kinds--honorary statues, votive offerings,
+spoils, and actual treasure--and the people invoked the blessing of the
+goddess whose presence filled the golden shrine of Ephesus.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+An awful stillness reigned within the sacred pile--silence soon to be
+lightly broken by the entrance of a few priestesses, who led a girl
+within the folding doors of the great sanctuary.
+
+This was the night prior to initiation, and the novice was taken there
+that she might recognise solemnly what she was about to do on the
+morrow.
+
+The moonlight streamed faintly through the open roof, casting shadows on
+the marble floor.
+
+As Saronia--for it was she who accompanied the priestesses--moved on,
+she drew her cloak lightly around her, for the night-winds were chill,
+and her spirit nature was strained to its highest point. They stopped in
+front of the great altar. The moon threw off her veil of clouds, and the
+light from her glorious body shone forth, illuminating the veil that hid
+the statue of the goddess.
+
+'See thou that glorious orb, Saronia--for thou shalt ever retain thy
+name, a favour granted to few--seest thou that globe of light? 'Tis the
+symbol of our goddess--the symbol set in the blue heavens--and behind
+this purple veil her image stands, shadowing her forth, the mother of
+nature, protector of cities, and dispenser of all good gifts to men. On
+earth we worship her as such; above she is Luna, the Queen of Heaven;
+and when the time comes that thou canst bear it, thou shalt know her as
+Hecate, the goddess of the underworld, she who governs the shades and
+rules the spirits in Hades with an eternal power. This goddess--the
+Triformis--thou art about to serve with all thy soul. Is it not so?
+Canst thou be true to her, forsaking all, follow where her great spirit
+leads? She will speak to thee, maiden--she will speak to thee; and,
+having once spoken, that voice will ever reverberate through the deepest
+recesses of thy being, will live on for ever to bless thee, or wind
+around thy soul to curse thee down to Tartarus as thou art faithful or
+false.
+
+'Saronia! Saronia! it is not yet too late to withdraw and throw thyself
+into the mighty throe of the great world's agony. Which shall it be? It
+is for thee to decide. No one is pressed into the service of the great
+goddess Diana, neither may any follow her as a matter of convenience.'
+
+A cloud passed o'er the moon, and they were shrouded in darkness. Then
+as suddenly passed those cloudlets away, and Saronia, trembling with
+fear, said:
+
+'Great priestess of the goddess, fear not; my mind is settled. Long,
+long have I wished for this hour, the hour of joy. My soul thrills with
+anticipation; my whole being is like one grand instrument tuned to the
+hand of my lady goddess, Diana Trivia. Let the night hasten; let the
+darkness be driven with power of the storm-wind; may the night speed on,
+and make way for the morning. Oh, chaste moon, flee thy way to the west,
+that the scarlet shafts may appear and I may pour my soul out before
+thee. My spirit longeth for thee, oh gracious one, that I may dwell in
+thy Temple evermore.'
+
+Then deep silence fell on all, and the pillars and roof cast great
+ghostly shadows on the floor, conjuring up mighty forms of weirdness,
+and the priestesses murmured reverently:
+
+'The goddess is here! Hecate is here!'
+
+The winds were rising and whistling with strange meaning through the
+sacred pines; the moon sailed down the west as a barque on the wings of
+a favouring gale; the stars looked down from their distant thrones; the
+song of the waves came up from the strand; and the night wore on.
+
+The next day's sun arose, mounted the heavens in beauty, and smiled down
+its splendour on mountain and sea. Saronia breathed the fresh morning
+air. All nature was alive; the flowers seemed to cast a richer perfume;
+the birds, to her, warbled their choicest strains; life and joy were
+everywhere; night and death were asleep.
+
+The great highway to peace was unclouded, and she could look straight
+down the golden road, until it melted into the altar-steps of heaven.
+
+This was her bridal morn; why should she not be happy? And that day she
+was wedded to her faith, initiated into the mysteries of Diana, and
+became a priestess of the goddess.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER VI
+
+                             LUCIUS
+
+
+Ephesus was a scene of gaiety.
+
+Great arches decorated with choice foliage and festooned with lovely
+flowers spanned the public way; banners of strange beauty waved on the
+morning breeze; jubilant strains of martial music floated on the
+perfumed air.
+
+The day was young, yet vast crowds were astir. This was a festive
+day--the day of the home-coming of Lucius, whose wife was Venusta.
+
+Yes, he was to arrive in port to-day in command of a Roman squadron. Had
+he not been to far-off Britain and brought a British chieftain captive
+to Rome?
+
+Already the powerful ships were seen between the Isle of Samos and the
+main. Soon they drew nearer. Their great square sails set to catch the
+favouring gale urged them onwards like homesick birds until they drew
+close to the entrance of the port, and the people flocked to meet them.
+For Lucius was a valiant commander, and he should have a hearty welcome.
+Besides, had he not from time to time made costly offerings to their
+city protectoress, and was there not a tablet in the great theatre
+recounting the noble deeds of Lucius Erastus?
+
+The fleet had entered the channel leading up to the city port. First
+came, like flying scouts, groups of gaily painted boats and splendid
+barges, with sails of many hues, vermilion, azure, golden-coloured, and
+white, some with stripes, and many-formed devices, others with curious
+mystic signs.
+
+Streamers hung lazily aloft from masts and yards, prows and sterns,
+whilst flutes and lyres, syrinx and clarionet, kithra and aulos sent
+forth the soft Ionian music until the shores were wrapt in softest
+harmony. Some of the welcomers had ventured beyond the margin of the
+strand, and now returned in haste to lead the way.
+
+Then came the biremes with their double rows of oars, and clewed-up
+sails, swinging on the yards. Then the triremes followed with their
+treble banks of oars, and one among the last of those great ships was
+greatest. She was commanded by the Roman favourite. Yes, there she comes
+with beaked prow, projecting ram, castellated cabin, and great oars
+sweeping the silver sea. Above her gunwale rose a line of polished
+shields and rows of glittering spears--spears handled by warriors who
+knew their work.
+
+Flags flew out from end to end, blazoning in wild profusion along the
+yards and up the mast, gambolling with the cordage and the mighty sail.
+Following the warships came a host of vessels and boats, and along the
+banks of the great canal multitudes hastened, shouting as they went
+great shouts of welcome.
+
+The Roman fleet with its hosts of followers moored within the harbour
+with the city full in view, and Lucius thought he saw a silvery scarf
+waving from a house on Mount Coressus.
+
+When he had landed and was near the great theatre, many were the friends
+who surrounded him, giving greeting; foes also, with envy at heart,
+time-servers, cried 'Welcome!'
+
+Just then the joyous acclamations for a moment ceased. A cluster of
+priestesses going from temple to temple passed that way, and the hardy
+sailor bared his head as the little procession went by. Two eyes met
+his, and a feeling as if the dead were there crept through his soul;
+they were dark unfathomable eyes, and the girl was tall and beautiful,
+with clustering hair. And he said within him: 'Where have I seen that
+face ere now?'
+
+When she had passed he went his way, but his brow was dark with
+thought; something had crossed his track leaving a trail of gloom, why,
+he could not say. Again sweet voices chimed pleasantly, and the softest
+Ionian cadences floated out from the roofless Odeum. A carpet of bruised
+and dying roses strewed the ground.
+
+He had soon forgotten the girl with the dark eyes and clustering hair,
+and entered his princely home on the slopes of Coressus. Around it the
+pine-trees waved a greeting, and the wind sighed through the branches of
+the cypress.
+
+That evening the residence of Lucius was a scene of gaiety and
+splendour.
+
+Venusta welcomed her husband with the true feelings of a loyal wife, and
+Nika was glad at the return of her father; she could now repose on his
+protective presence.
+
+Many of the nobles of Ephesus had gathered there--artists and sculptors,
+philosophers and warriors, lovely women, Greeks and Romans, maidens of
+Caria, Priene, and girls from Samos blended in one great mass of power
+and beauty.
+
+The sweet day still cast its soft light, and lit up the lovely flowers
+and beautiful trees of olive, cypress, pine, and myrtle. The sun had
+lost its power, the atmosphere was deliciously cool, and many came from
+within to breathe the refreshing air ere the dew bathed the grass and
+the night-birds sang from the grove, or the twilight heralded the night
+and the stars encircled the moon.
+
+Nika, leaning on the arm of Lucius, stood by a great white marble
+fountain--he the bronzed sea-warrior, and she like a dream of spring.
+
+'Tell me, child--for many seasons have rolled away since I left thee and
+thy mother to visit those lovely isles in the far-off west--is thy young
+heart sound like thy father's barque after the battling of the stormy
+seas, or has Cupid laid siege and thou capitulated?'
+
+'Nay, father, Nika's heart is free, neither could it be otherwise, for
+it is hard as the marble of this fountain, colder than the water which
+springs from each chaste design.'
+
+'Ah, girl, thou art, I fear, like others of thy sex, prone to sail under
+false colours when a lover is in chase. Tell me, where is Chios? I
+thought he would have been here. Was he not bidden?'
+
+'He was, but there is no written law for him. He moves in his own
+eccentric orbit. He will come when most unexpected, suddenly, like an
+eagle from the clear blue depths of the sky, or as a comet from out the
+midnight gloom.'
+
+'Why, daughter, there he is, conversing with that sweet maid of Smyrna!
+Let us crowd all sail, and bear down on his weather. Quickly! I like
+that boy, and, if my reckoning be correct, thou dost not dislike him. Am
+I right?'
+
+'Well, I like him, and I like him not. He has mixed much with the people
+of the new faith, and ever as he goes that way his mind becomes
+o'erclouded with gloom. He is strangely abstracted, scarce a word
+escapes his lips. Were it not for this strange faith which spells him, I
+should say he loved, and, if 'twere love, I should not be the idol of
+his choice.'
+
+'Who, then?'
+
+'I know not;' and a painful sorrow passed across her brow, but Lucius
+saw it not.
+
+The night came down, and beacon fires glared out on every hill and
+mountain-top. Coressus and Pion were aflame, great torches whirled and
+rushed wildly up and down the mountain-side, and moved in fiery lines
+throughout the city streets.
+
+The lamps were lit within, and windows made of richly-coloured glass,
+amber, blue, and ruby, shone forth in lovely harmony and glorious hues,
+until the myrtle-trees, with their great white blossoms and perfumed
+breath, seemed quivering with delight. Merry songs, with laughter and
+rippling music, floated on the lazy air. Joy ran riot in the house of
+Lucius, and the meanest slave had for a time a share of happiness. The
+hours rolled on in pleasure, like a stately ship on a sunny sea.
+
+Down deep in the heart of Nika joy was mockery.
+
+The guests departed, and she retired to her chamber. Throwing herself on
+a couch, she wept great tears of anguish, a tide of tears no joy could
+stay.
+
+She arose and gazed out into the darkness, and saw the looming of the
+great Temple rearing its majestic form in sable gloom, darker than the
+night; and she looked into the great unfathomable depths of the skies,
+and sighed like the deep moaning of the wind. But the heavens were as
+brass, and the great sigh died without becoming a prayer.
+
+Moving back silently to her couch, she lay down, but not to sleep, for
+she heard strange sounds arise from the sacred grove, and she knew the
+songs of the night came up from the Temple of Hecate.
+
+The morning came, and with it the springs of life revived, and she said:
+'Why this sadness? why this harvest of gloom? I will awaken myself, tear
+this veil of night from around my spirit. I will lay bare my soul to the
+glorious sunlight, drink in its glory until I am saturated with delight.
+I will not weep; I will not mourn; I defy this spell; I challenge this
+curse--this brand of hell! Oh that it were always day, that the sun
+never set, and my mind were as strong as now!' and she flung the great
+masses of wavy hair back from her stately forehead, and it fell to the
+ground, enshrouding her form till she looked like a goddess on earth.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+'Why art thou so late, dear, to thy morning meal?' said Venusta. 'Come,
+sit by my side, and tell me what thinkest thou of last night's innocent
+revelry? Was it not a right hearty welcome to thy father, most fitting
+to receive him? and didst thou note that noble Roman who stood next but
+one to thee when those dancing-girls came forward to dance to us? I know
+thou sawest him, Nika, for I saw your eyes meet. Well, he has come from
+Rome to govern. He is the new Proconsul. His influence in the imperial
+city is great. Besides, he is positively a favourite with the Emperor. I
+tell thee all this that thou mayest know of him. Moreover, Lucius has
+bidden him to spend this evening here, and thou wilt have ample time to
+satisfy thy curious mind respecting him, and, fortunately or
+unfortunately, as the Fates may determine, Chios also will be here.
+Nika, take care; this Roman is not a child or a fool! They say he is
+impetuous, firm, resolute when need be. Now let us join my husband. I
+see him yonder gathering flowers.'
+
+Lucius came to them, smiling as he came. He offered a rose to Nika, but
+Venusta said: 'No, no; let me choose first! I will take the rose. Give
+her an unthorned flower; the emblem of evil and good, pleasure and pain,
+shall be mine, for we twain are one, husband, and if this flower
+presages aught than happiness, then may I, thy loving wife, rest on thy
+strong arm, as this rose clung to the oak from which thou pluckedst it.'
+
+Nika was walking solitary, alone.
+
+'Give her a bloom which speaks the language of hope;' and he approached
+and gave her the pink-white almond flower.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER VII
+
+                             CAUGHT
+
+
+'Venusta,' said Lucius, 'I have been thinking of that slave girl, the
+dark Phoenician maid, Saronia; I see her not in her accustomed place. I
+feel a keen interest in that weird beauty. What of her? Is she dead, or
+what?'
+
+'She is as good as dead to us, dear. She is at the Temple, and has been
+initiated as a priestess for the presiding goddess.'
+
+'Priestess! priestess! What does it all mean? Light dawns! I saw
+her--yes, I saw her--as I passed through the city yesterday. Now I
+understand. Hear me. As I passed near the great theatre some maidens of
+the Temple came that way. I stood still, with bared head; the sounds of
+greeting were stayed until they went with solemn tread; and, as they
+passed, one with eyes deep-looking like the ocean's depths, turned them
+full on me, and gazed into my inner soul, and, like a barque which
+strikes a sunken rock and staggers, so did my spirit. I did my best to
+divine who she was, but all was dark, and I moved on with clouded mind.
+Now I know. Why is she there? Some great mystery hangs over it. I am not
+usually given to fear, but somehow I feel a sorrow of this event.'
+
+Then did Venusta tell him of what had occurred--told him that only which
+she thought would screen herself and Nika.
+
+The old commander saw too plainly that one side only of the story had
+been told, and felt confirmed in his suspicions when he saw his
+daughter's eyes suffused with tears. He, with that true manliness which
+permeated him, said but little, for fear he might know too much, and
+deeper wound the pent-up feelings of his child.
+
+That evening the Roman nobleman arrived, and was warmly welcomed by
+Lucius, and introduced to Venusta and Nika; and Varro was soon at home,
+for at first sight he loved the sailor's daughter, and at once made up
+his mind to lay siege; but, Roman-like, he would mature his plans before
+declaring war. Besides, he knew not if a rival were in the field and
+would join the girl as firm ally.
+
+It is well known how difficult it is to entertain a stranger the first
+quarter of an hour. One would know his pet theories and touch on them,
+so that the newcomer might lead off and rejoice; but even the astute
+mind of the wife of Lucius was puzzled to divine the inclinations of the
+Roman--he was impenetrable, a perfect blank; but the truth was this: the
+Roman tactician had but one thought just then, and that was of Nika, and
+it developed so rapidly that it was undiscovered. Had it been, it were
+not food for conversation; so Venusta opened fire with the beauties of
+the city, for the weather at that season of the year was nearly always
+fine.
+
+'Well, how dost thou like our noble city, the envied of the world? Hast
+seen the great Gymnasium, the Serapion, the theatre?'
+
+'Yea, my lady, I have, as much as one can in so short a time as I have
+lived within the great heart of this beautiful place. Rome is great, but
+Ephesus is lovely--the very air seems laden with rejoicings. Surely this
+must be the Elysian city on earth!'
+
+'Thou art too complimentary; but, as thou sayest, it is lovely. Didst
+thou notice the double colonnade around the Agora, and the many mighty
+statues there? And what thinkest thou of the lovely little Odeum
+nestling at the feet of Mount Pion, and the great Stadium around the
+hillside to the west? Is it not noble?'
+
+'Yes, it is fine, a magnificent racecourse; and I am told seventy
+thousand people will not fill it to overflowing. Is this so?'
+
+'Yes; and you should see the charioteers in full swing.'
+
+'But thou hast not spoken of the gem of the city, the great Temple of
+Diana?'
+
+'No, I have not.'
+
+'I passed the Temple on my way hither, and I shall not soon forget when
+I stood without the Parabolus walls, and, looking through the entrance
+gate, gazed on the flight of marble steps leading up to the mighty
+building. I have seen nothing like it in my splendid Rome. Not only is
+the Temple great, but the very place on which it stands, surrounded with
+its sacred groves, seems a fit place for the birth of a goddess. I saw
+the shrine of Hecate lifting its head behind the mightier home of Diana,
+and heard songs of worship coming forth from both, sometimes low, as the
+murmur of a sinless child, then rising in great waves--billowy waves of
+jubilant harmony--until I seemed bound to the place by an invisible
+chain.'
+
+Just then Chios was announced, and Varro saw by Nika's eyes that she had
+something more than respect for the Greek. Venusta was glad Chios had
+come, for she feared the Roman might continue to speak of the Temple,
+and that the conversation might drift towards the priestesses, and the
+name of Saronia be mentioned.
+
+Chios appeared happy, save for the far-away look in his eyes. Nika was
+the only one who could read him and solve his abstraction. She spoke
+kindly to him, and gradually allowed her manner to change to
+freezing-point. This was strategic: she showed the Roman she valued
+little the friendship of the Greek, and Varro was deceived, and thought
+it true. There was no need for battle against this Ephesian artist. He
+could even use him to further his own ends to win the girl. No, Nika
+had slighted Chios--treated him coldly. He could now treat him
+courteously and fraternize; but, could he have looked into the girl's
+heart, he would have seen the image of Chios engraved there.
+
+'How long,' said Varro, 'hast thou been in Ephesus?'
+
+'From childhood,' replied Chios.
+
+'And hast thou followed thy profession from youth?'
+
+'Yes, and I love it--am wedded to it for life.'
+
+'What meanest thou? Wilt thou never wed some sweet Ionian girl?'
+
+'Never! As I tell thee, I am wedded to my art. I shall never wed again.
+Why should I, seeing I love it dearly, as strongly as yonder priesthood
+love their faith and are content? So am I.'
+
+At this saying of Chios the beautiful mouth of the Roman girl was
+slightly agitated, and her hand closed tightly on an almond flower, and
+its petals fell to the ground.
+
+Then came Lucius and his wife, and all joined in pleasant gossip. Varro
+spoke proudly of Rome, and Lucius of Britain, and the time sped on. The
+young noble left, but Chios remained.
+
+Nika was ill at ease, her mind was a storm, and, throwing a mantle over
+her shoulders, she said playfully:
+
+'Come, Chios; take me to the balcony, that we may breathe the fresh
+night air.'
+
+She was impatient to get at the mind of the Greek. Quick-sighted, she
+had already read the mind of the Roman. What did she care? She would be
+bold.
+
+'Chios, why didst thou say thou wilt never wed? Is it really so?'
+
+'Yes, Nika, it is true.'
+
+'Chios, we have known each other long, and have been more than friends.
+We have been like children of one mother! Thou hast ever spoken freely
+and kindly to me, and I would ask thee one question--one little
+question--that is all.'
+
+'Say on, Nika.'
+
+'Didst thou ever love?'
+
+'I may have.'
+
+'I thought so much,' replied she; 'and where is that love? Does it live
+on, or is it--dead?'
+
+'It lives, but I am trying to kill it.'
+
+'Wouldst thou be a murderer, Chios?'
+
+'No, I mean well.'
+
+'Tell me thy secret, and I will bury it in the grave of my heart.
+Whom--dost--thou--love?'
+
+'I cannot tell thee, but she is not a Roman.'
+
+'Then I _know_--it is Saronia. Let me lean upon thy arm, Chios. Lead me
+within--the night is chill.'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER VIII
+
+                       PAYING THEIR VOWS
+
+
+From morn to eve great songs of praise and adoration went up before the
+shrine of Diana, and soft music echoed through the great Temple,
+sometimes swelling like the martial notes of the Persian hosts when they
+marched through the vales of Ionia to Abydos, and then sweet melodies
+sank back into the faintest strains, like a weeping lute or the sighs of
+a broken heart.
+
+Those plaintive sounds suited one spirit, and that one was the
+storm-clad soul of Saronia. She had seen her old master on his arrival
+at Ephesus; he had done her no harm, and her heart went out towards him
+that she might speak and thank him for his kindness. After all, she had
+the true instinct of a woman, and must love something: she loved the
+goddess, but she had a spiritual and a human existence, and both must
+love. True, her nature was somewhat seared, battling as she had done for
+existence. There was a time when a kiss, a simple kiss, would have
+thrilled her very soul; but that was long ago. Since those happy times
+she had hardened herself against the world--the cold, selfish world made
+her so. But a nature with true instinctive love cannot long remain in
+such a state when conditions change; and now Saronia was coming to her
+former self, removed from the world and surrounded by those who really
+loved her. Her heart softened, and she felt a keen affection for Lucius.
+
+There were but two men in the teeming millions of the world she cared
+for; of those two, one had been passively kind, the other an active
+friend. The latter was Chios, of whom she dared not think. No, she could
+not even breathe a sigh o'er the remembrances of him, for fear a
+smouldering dead past might break into a living flame. All this she
+knew--knew it now when she had passed from death to life, when the night
+had fled and the day dawned; so she conjured up a mighty gulf between
+her and the Greek, a gulf over which she would not pass, neither could
+he come unto her. But of Lucius she felt no fear, and this is the
+distinction between friendship and love.
+
+Lucius was to visit the Temple of Diana to render thanks for her
+protecting grace to him whilst he had been battling with many storms;
+and his mariners had promised a votive offering to the goddess when the
+winds whistled through the cordage and the waves tossed their ship until
+it reeled and staggered like a drunken man. And now they came to fulfil
+their vows. This was not a vain show. Those sons of the ocean had warm
+hearts, and would lay them there before the shrine. Neither did Lucius
+desire pomp or show; he would come with his men and worship simply,
+manly. So, when the sun was low and the winds were hushed, they drew
+nigh and bowed before the altar, and, offering their libations,
+whispered forth their prayers. Around the flower-strewn altar stood the
+priests and priestesses. The chanting songs went upward in deep sonorous
+rhythm, and as the sacred hymn died out in echoes through the columned
+sanctuary, the toilers of the sea bent low and sang:
+
+    Thanks to Thee, O Lady Saviour.
+    Thanks to Thee, O great Dispenser.
+    Mercy have, and keep us lowly
+    In the hollow of Thine hand.
+    Hail! O hail! Thou mighty Mother.
+    Hail! Thou Giver of all good.
+    Mercy have and keep us lowly,
+    Ever bring us safe to Thee.
+
+Then in deep unison priests and mariners joined in one grand anthem of
+thanksgiving, and cheeks were wet with the tears of men whose sinews
+were like iron, and whose hearts were proof against fear.
+
+When they moved away, Lucius looked lovingly towards the shrine, and
+beheld Saronia, with her robe of purest white, standing in bold relief
+against the rich colour of the great veil which hid the statue of the
+goddess from their view; and their eyes met, and from her came a look of
+sweetest thanks, filling his soul with unfathomable calm, and he knew
+their hearts were tuned in strange resemblance, and that the priestess
+of Diana would offer prayer for him whether he dwelt in his lovely home
+or paced the poop of his lofty ship when the gale grew loud and the
+storm-birds flew.
+
+For a while stillness reigned, and the priests and priestesses were
+alone, singing their evening hymns; the great censor swung, and the
+burning incense filled the Temple with odour. Then they passed through
+the portals to their rest, and the Temple watchers stood at the gates
+and kept guard within the Parabolus walls.
+
+The dark eyes of Saronia were filled with tears of joy, for she had seen
+Lucius; she was at peace, though the sun had set and the shadows fell.
+
+And thus peace cometh to the mind of the tempest-tossed, but such a
+being as Saronia could not long sustain it. Her soul was a spirit in
+chase, pursuing something undefinable which she longed to obtain, that
+she might be for ever satisfied and her measure of happiness complete. A
+calm to her was like a summer day in winter-time, the harbinger of
+coming storm.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER IX
+
+                      THE STUDIO OF CHIOS
+
+
+The studio of Chios was very beautiful, and an artist is pretty well
+known by the place in which he paints, provided he has means to gratify
+his tastes. It was not a great room filled with materials, leaving him
+just a dozen square feet to walk about, but a studio of ample
+proportions, and kept as it should be with space to move around. Nothing
+of it could be seen from the road, for great clusters of myrtle-trees,
+gigantic rose-bushes, and crimson oleanders hid it most effectually; but
+those of his friends who went that way knew when they had passed through
+the quiet gateway and between the flower-trees that not far away was
+one of the sweetest little studios in Ephesus. Yes, there it was close
+to the pond of water-lilies, with the bees humming from blossom to
+blossom, and the birds singing cheerfully from the foliage which
+surrounded it; the birds were quite tame, for Chios was kind to them,
+and some would light upon his shoulders, and others on his arm.
+
+A few steps led up to the marble portico, with its ceiling of blue
+decked with little silver stars and a crescent moon. At the entrance
+stood two small statues by Euphranor and Phidias.
+
+Within all was beauty: the studio, circular in form, with alcoves lit
+with light which filtered in through the thinnest sheets of coloured
+marble; the furniture, simple, but choice; a kline or two of cedar-wood,
+enriched with gold, to recline on when weary; a few chairs of ebony,
+cypress, and rosewood were placed in the alcoves; a marble thronos for
+his sitters; a few small tables, three-legged and four-legged,
+beautifully carved, stood about to hold his brushes and palettes and the
+choicest flowers, which a good old servant brought him every morning.
+
+These things, with his easels, made up the contents of his studio. It
+was not so famous for its furniture as for the beauty of its
+construction, with domed roof and circular opening to the sky, and its
+floor of marble enriched with precious stones. For Chios was wealthy,
+and could lavish money as he pleased in decorating his studio.
+
+Behind this working-room were retiring-rooms, and a small but valuable
+library of choice manuscripts by Callinus, the Elegiac poet; Batalus,
+the musician; Dion, Andron, Delias, and Daphnus, the philosophers; with
+works by Phavorinus, Zenodotus, Menander, and many others.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It was a quiet afternoon; the winds were too lazy to stir and had fallen
+asleep.
+
+Varro passed that way, and said: 'I will drop in and see Chios.'
+
+The artist was outside, painting into his picture some apple-blossoms
+hanging gracefully from a tree which grew against a piece of old Greek
+wall. Looking up from his work with a smile, he welcomed the noble
+Roman.
+
+'I am glad thou art come, for my hand is weary and my brain tired. It is
+so sultry within that I felt quite unfitted to work there, and sought
+refuge beneath those shading trees, whilst, as thou seest, a gleam of
+light comes down between the foliage and strikes upon those blossoms of
+the apple-tree.'
+
+'I really hope I am not intruding too much, Chios?'
+
+'Oh dear no; I am glad to see thee. Wilt thou sit? Make thyself at
+home.'
+
+The two men talked of Ephesus and its people until the conversation was
+of the ladies, and soon the name of Nika was heard, for the Roman could
+not but speak of her.
+
+'What thinkest thou of her?' said Chios. 'Thou hast seen her?'
+
+'Well, truthfully, I may say, during the interview referred to, my mind
+was more concerned to think of Chios until I clearly perceived that he
+had the blank face given him by that beautiful girl. Then my heart grew
+hopeful, for, to tell thee all, I think I love that maid.'
+
+'Think thou lovest--is that all? A man who loves is sure. A man has no
+such sure knowledge of anything else on this earth or in the beyond. I
+am afraid thy love is of the morning cloud thinness, and will soon pass
+away.'
+
+'No, no. Believe me, it is not so. I spake not so freely, truthfully,
+as I should. I love her, and am certain of it; but tell me, Chios, that
+thou lovest her not.'
+
+'Why asketh thou such a question? Did she not give me the cut direct in
+thy presence?'
+
+'Because I am skilled in the ways of women, and know they frequently act
+directly opposite to that they mean. I saw her coldness to thee, and saw
+no reason for it, and at once, in my mind, questioned the proceeding.
+Say, dost thou love her--hast tried to win her? Is she sporting with thy
+manly heart? Speak, on the honour of a Greek, and, if such be the case,
+I leave the field.'
+
+'I love her not.'
+
+'Hast thou failed, and stifled the dawn of love?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Is it, then, Nika loves Chios, and Chios is adamant?'
+
+'I am not skilled in the mysteries to be able to read her thoughts.'
+
+'Perhaps not; but, as a man, like myself, thou canst read actions, and
+they are the outcome of thoughts.'
+
+'Thou forgettest, noble friend, but a moment or so ago thou saidst that
+frequently actions were contrary to what was really meant. How, then,
+can I divine her meaning more than thyself?'
+
+'True, thou hast me rather firmly; and such skill in fencing demands my
+admiration and consideration. I will not press further on thee, Chios,
+and I have now naught to do but to make love, and make her love me more
+than ever she loved another.'
+
+'That will be an easy matter, for I saw how satisfied she was with Varro
+when last we passed the evening together at the house of Lucius. An
+Ephesian painter would stand no chance against the Proconsul of
+Ephesus.'
+
+'Come, come, Chios; thou art already jealous of thy rival!'
+
+'No; thou art free to conquer and annex. I am a friend of Nika, and
+trust may remain so, but I am nothing more, or ever may be.'
+
+'Then I may take thee to be a man callous to the beauty of women, if
+thou art not charmed with her loveliness, for there is no girl in
+Ephesus as beautiful as she.'
+
+'That may be so, but thou must not take me to be indifferent to the
+charms of the fair sex because I do not admire Nika's loveliness and
+think it beyond compare. I may find loveliness in another form; it may
+be in the virtues of the soul, or spirit, whichever you may choose to
+name that awful thing. Behind a less lovely face than hers may be
+enshrined a splendid harmony of thinking, active life, which is building
+up its destiny, and will continue so to do through the great aeons, down
+the grand vista of the future, when the face once so fair to look upon
+has passed into base mould, and been blown hither and thither, the sport
+of every breeze. To love beauty only is like plucking an apple of Sodom,
+which has a fair rind to look at, but when pressed sends out little
+clouds of dust and leaves you nothing but the broken shell.'
+
+'Chios, my friend, I thought thou wert an artist, but lo, thou art a
+philosopher also! And, if thou art not in love, well, I have never been
+in Rome! I shall wait; it will develop. I shall know. Well, good-bye,
+Chios. I have too long kept thee from thy work. The world waits for thy
+beautiful picture--I must not hinder. Good-bye. We meet at the house of
+Lucius, where I know thou at least art ever welcome.'
+
+When he had gone, Chios went within, and threw himself upon a seat,
+clasping his head with both hands. It seemed as if some great agony
+would rend his being.
+
+'What am I,' he cried, 'to be made the sport of fate? Why this great
+conflict within me? Why this uprising of my nature to war? He was
+true--I love hopelessly, and would to the gods I could quench it! If it
+would lie peacefully in my heart like a loving child upon its mother's
+bosom I would not care; but it is not so. A year or so ago that love was
+like a summer wind, but now it rushes through me with the terrible roar
+of a mighty storm, and tosses me to and fro like a ship whirled in a
+hurricane. What raises this great tempest? It is not I, Saronia! It is
+not Chios! I could have loved thee deeply when thou wert a slave, and
+would have at all hazard plucked thee from thy low estate, and lived for
+thee; but now I know thou never canst be mine, and fain would let thee
+rest, and never trouble, but for this mighty power which forces me
+onwards to declare to thee a love as pure as angels ever knew, but which
+would be a sacrilege both damned and deep were I to whisper such into
+thy soul. No, no; it must not be so! I will rise above it: bring into
+the arena all the might of my manhood, and in this holy war will fight
+against my star, against my fate, and may the greatest God, whoever He
+be, look down on this unequal combat and assist the right.'
+
+Chios sank back upon the couch of cedar-wood. The shadows fell upon the
+marble floor. The night crept on, and he slept.
+
+
+
+
+                            CHAPTER X
+
+                       THE RIBBON OF GOLD
+
+
+Saronia had been sent on an errand of mercy, and was returning,
+disguised, towards the Temple, when, as she was passing close to the
+garden of Chios, a crowd of brawlers, inflated with wine, came towards
+her. Wishing to avoid them, she turned within the gate left open by
+Varro; but the fellows were too quick-sighted for her, saw her
+movements, guessed her mind, and followed her to have some sport, not
+knowing who she was. She ran quickly down the pathway to hide behind the
+foliage, and, not daring to follow, they let her go. She heard the
+shouting of the ribald crew as they passed down the road.
+
+The moon shone out its full, and the silver light lit up the marble
+building. In passing the steps, she beheld the statue by Phidias, and
+her love for the beautiful prompted her to steal forward and take a
+hasty look. Standing near the doorway, she turned her eyes upwards
+towards the moonlit sky, and, in so doing, caught sight of the word
+'Chios' carved over the splendid entrance. For a moment her heart failed
+her, and she nearly fell to the ground, but, leaning against the statue
+of Dawn, she recovered herself, and determined to hurry away. But the
+door of the studio was partly open, and she gazed within. She stepped
+noiselessly forward another step, and saw the light of the moon falling
+through the open roof. The light fell full on the face of a man, who
+seemed as dead. And she knew it was Chios.
+
+Then came back the true nature of the woman who was destined to become
+great as a priestess of Diana. Old love sprang up anew. The smouldering
+embers of the almost dead past burst into life. Here was the man she
+would have loved--perhaps silently--had her course turned otherwise.
+Here was the man who had befriended her in deepest misery. Here was
+Chios lying stretched death-like before her. Should she at all hazard go
+within and see if he lived? Yes, by the goddess whom she worshipped she
+would venture! She passed noiselessly over the polished floor, step by
+step, like a night-thief treads; one step more, and she was beside him!
+She threw back her black mantle, displaying a garment of purest white
+clasped round the waist with a girdle of gold. Her massive tresses of
+rich dark hair floating over her brow shadowed her face until she looked
+like some great spirit queen, the Spirit Queen of Night.
+
+She stooped; she placed her lips close to those of Chios, but they did
+not touch. She felt his warm breath on her cheeks. He lived! He sighed
+like the soughing of the wind amongst the reeds. He murmured, 'Saronia.'
+
+She started up; stood near him. He still slept. She stood erect, with
+arms crossed over her bosom and head bowed, looking sweetly on his manly
+face. Then, taking from her neck a little silver shrine, in form like
+unto the Temple, she laid it on his bosom, fled noiselessly as she came,
+and passed up the road which led towards the great Temple.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Chios awoke, and for a moment was bewildered. He had slept when the
+golden sunlight smiled, and now the silver moon lit up the sky, lit up
+the garments of the night, and he said:
+
+'Sleep is a blessed thing. Its mysteries, who can know? Dreams, they
+say, are fables of the mind. Would to Heaven I could have dreamt on, and
+have slipped through the thin gauze of mortality, and never more entered
+this vile clay supposed to be the temple of the soul!
+
+'I wandered on and on into infinite space--without light, without the
+faintest dawn; no beloved hand led me. Weary and sad I flew from star to
+star, looking for my rest, but finding none. No chain of sympathy bound
+me until I drew nigh unto a world as one suspended glory. Then my whole
+soul stretched out to reach it, and I knew I had found sanctuary. I
+stood before the gates of a great city whose walls shone forth like a
+thousand suns, and I essayed to enter; but a being of transcendent
+loveliness stood before me, and I knew it was Saronia! She said: "Not
+yet, Chios. Thy humanity still lives, and the silver cord still binds
+thee to it. Thou must return and work out thy destiny. This city shalt
+thou dimly see, and then go back to earth."
+
+'And we twain floated upwards, and stood on the diamond floor on the
+summit of the massive walls.
+
+'And I looked on the great city until its loveliness bewildered, dazzled
+my comprehension, and I shuddered at my own deformity, and said: "Let us
+go!"
+
+'Then, with a love radiant with eternal life, she pressed her lips to
+mine, saying: "My soul shall strengthen thine. Thou hast seen the city
+wherein is built a home for Saronia and Chios. Go, now, to earth whilst
+thou hast power. Make use of thy life that thou mayest be found meet to
+inherit the plane where our palace stands."
+
+'I awoke to find myself lying on this couch, and to hear the whisperings
+of the evening breeze.
+
+'Ah, me! I will go out and gaze up into the deep blue of the heavens.
+Perchance I may see the star on which is the City of Light.' And, as he
+arose, there slipped from the folds of his dress the little silver
+temple placed there by Saronia. It fell to the ground like a silver
+bell. Stooping, he took it in his hand. A cloudlet passed from the face
+of the moon. He grew deathly pale, and said: 'What meaneth this? Whence
+this charm? Great gods! Its ribbon is marked with the sign of a
+priestess, and another which tells me 'tis blessed by the goddess! Whose
+can it be? Has she been here? Is this the kiss of my dream? Is this
+emblem of faith the symbol of strength to me?
+
+'My brain whirls with a strange delight. But, no, it cannot be! I
+neither can foster a love for Saronia nor may I embrace her faith.
+
+'Why shall I not do both? No, no, Chios will kill the thought. I am
+seeking the truth to walk to the great life beyond. It shall be so.
+Saronia is too pure to miss her way, by whatever coloured light she may
+be led. She may worship Diana, I the Christ. We shall join hands on the
+diamond floorway which circles the city of God.
+
+'Little silver shrine, little ribbon of gold, what shall I do with thee?
+Shall I cast thee from me, and bid farewell with longing eyes, as the
+mariner bids adieu to the last low streak of misty land ere he launches
+out on the trackless deep? or shall I wear thee on my breast, hid from
+the vulgar gaze, in memory of whom--of whom? Saronia? Perchance 'twas
+her! It shall remain. It cannot harm, and shall be near me until I know
+the giver.'
+
+So he placed the golden ribbon around his neck, and hid the symbol on
+his heart, and stood like one drunken with new wine, until the shriek of
+the night-bird awoke him from his reverie.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XI
+
+                     THE PRIESTESS OF DIANA
+
+
+Saronia was now a priestess of Diana Triformis, and initiated into the
+mysteries of Hecate. She had grown rapidly in favour with her
+companions, and was looked on as one of the most devoted women of
+Ephesus.
+
+Her great strength of character eminently fitted her for the position in
+which she had been placed, and those around looked on the beautiful girl
+as one destined in due time to fill the mightiest position of honour in
+the great Temple, and prophesied that she would soon reach the proud
+eminence of High Priestess.
+
+Saronia was not an ordinary being; one look at the rounded forehead
+which shone over dark eyebrows and the unfathomable eyes would convince
+the most sceptical. The mysteries had a charm for her, and now that she
+had been taught the hidden secrets of Nature, she craved to understand
+the powers which worked the will, to dive deeply into the sympathies
+governing the soul, and to become skilled in the magical rites observed
+in the worship of the goddess of the underworld.
+
+Hers was an exceptional case, and her companions, knowing a great spirit
+was in their midst, hastened her career until, moving rapidly forwards,
+she stood inferior in knowledge and power to none save the
+Arch-Priestess of Diana. Thus the slave became a spiritual princess, and
+won the confidence of the people; they loved her for her goodness. Ever
+ready with words of kindness, she won the deepest regard from the
+suffering and the outcast.
+
+Those duties were but one part of her priestly call--that part which
+reflected the purest nature of her goddess.
+
+She worshipped one goddess, yet three: Luna in heaven, Diana on earth,
+Hecate in hell--a terrible gathering together of good and evil, a
+trinity in unity, but not a trinity in purity, a broken circle
+representing Morn, Noon, Night, Birth, Life, Death.
+
+It was when Saronia moved into the great darkness of Hecate that the
+gloom and passion of the priestess were aroused, and the constant
+warring of evil against goodness within awakened new aspirations for
+another experience when she might revolve in a circle of truth and
+unsullied purity.
+
+And thus it is that when we would do good, evil will present itself; so
+men set up the symbol of fire as the symbol of deity. Its active
+elements represent the bad; the light from the flame, the flower of the
+fire, designates the good.
+
+The mystery of evil worked mightily on the sensitive mind of the girl,
+and she stretched forth through the darkness for a solution of this
+great problem which has harassed the minds of men through the
+ever-changing past. But no answer came, not a voice was heard, and she
+settled herself as well as she could to penetrate deeper into the hidden
+things, that perchance she might emerge into the glories of a nobler
+life.
+
+She, by virtue of her occupation, believed in the great underworld of
+Hades--in Tartarus, in the Elysian--and knew that Hecate, her mistress,
+her goddess, presided over the depths where the unclothed spirits wailed
+and wandered, and over the starving ones who waited at the sacrifice to
+drink in the rich aroma arising from the altar fire. She knew of the
+pleadings of the lost for mercy from those they wronged on earth, and
+the pitiless refusals they met with from the unforgiving shades. In the
+dark, mysterious nature of Saronia were deep yearnings to set the
+unforgiven entombed ones free, that they might move upward on the arc of
+their ascending life, and go forward until they glistened with a glory
+of purity.
+
+Frequently there arose within her mind the question, 'Is there a God of
+perfect goodness? Do I know all? Is there in the great and mighty
+universe a Central Throne, on which the All Perfect rules? Is there far
+away in the depths of yon gray-blue a King above all other gods and
+goddesses? And will He ever reveal Himself to man and teach a rule of
+life by which we may ascend to hold communion with Him?'
+
+And as she meditated a joy unspeakable overwhelmed her soul, and tears,
+joyful tears, trickled down her beautiful face. But no voice or light
+came to say if other than Diana heard, and the great Temple shone before
+her in the sunlight. She said:
+
+'This joy is from my goddess, Queen of Heaven; there is no goddess or
+god greater than she who speaks to me, and Hecate will control the evil
+which exists. I must bow before her and worship at her shrine, be
+co-worker with her, and afterwards she may explain to me those deep
+mysteries, things which sadden my soul. I shall know later that which to
+me is now impenetrable, dark, and lonely. O sweet goddess, hear me! O
+saviour, Queen, Protectress, hear me! O mighty Luminant, I adore thee!
+Queen of the Lower World, Queen of the Earth, Queen of the Skies, I
+adore, I worship thee! My being comes from thee, my life is held and led
+by thee, my future spreads out before thee. The great unfathomable
+eternity of the hereafter is known to thee. O mighty Lover, guard me!
+Generous Dispenser, protect me! Great, far-reaching goddess, lead me
+through the aeons, purify my mind from those thoughts which would reach
+out after some other love! Wrest from my spirit those dark forebodings,
+those wild clamourings for light, when thou art the light of the ages,
+the glory of the visible, the multitudinous glory of the invisible, the
+great centre on which the universe revolves.'
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XII
+
+                     THE FESTIVAL OF ARTEMIS
+
+
+The day was glorious, and the hearts of the Ephesian people were
+brimming over with joy, for was not this the first day of the month
+Artemision? Eager crowds of people read the great inscription, which ran
+as follows:
+
+                     'TO THE EPHESIAN DIANA.
+
+'Inasmuch as it is notorious that not only among the people of Ionia,
+but everywhere among the Greek nations, temples are dedicated to her,
+on account of her plain manifestations of herself; and that, moreover,
+in token of the great veneration paid to her, a month is called after
+her name, by us Artemisiona, by the Macedonians and other Greek nations,
+Artemision, in which general assemblies and hieromenia are celebrated.
+
+'Now, inasmuch as these sacred honours are not observed in the holy
+city, the nurse of its own, the Ephesian goddess; the people of Ephesus
+deem it proper that the whole month called by her name be sacred and set
+apart for the goddess; and have determined by this decree that the
+observation of it by them be improved.
+
+'THEREFORE, IT IS ENACTED that in the whole month Artemision the days be
+holy, and nothing be attended to in them but the yearly feastings, the
+Artemisial panegyrics and the hieromenia, the entire month being sacred
+to the goddess; for, from this improvement in her worship, her cities
+shall receive additional lustre and be permanent in their prosperity for
+ever.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Little crowds coming up from Smyrna and Thyatira, Sardis and Laodicea,
+from Militus on the coast and Samos on the sea, gathered around and read
+this proclamation. The people of Ephesus felt themselves honoured by
+their city being the Temple-home of the great goddess, and all gave
+themselves up to rejoicing. And the day wore on.
+
+From the great theatre, all the way through the city gate to the finest,
+largest, and richest Temple ever reared, thousands of people in holiday
+attire awaited with ardent desire for the great procession which was
+heralded as it left the Temple.
+
+And now it moves in all its magnificence and music, and symbols of the
+ceremonies. First came choirs of the most beautiful youths and lovely
+maidens clothed in white robes, singing responsively the praises of
+their protecting deity. The procession moved along regularly. Some
+carried the holy utensils, others torches, others, again, baskets of
+flowers which were strewn in the way. Perfumes were scattered amongst
+the people until the air was redolent with sweet odours. Next followed
+the horses, hounds, and hunting accoutrements, as well for attack as
+defence; after this came a train of virgins led by a lovely girl dressed
+in a purple robe. The skin of a fawn girded it round, on which hung a
+quiver and arrows. She symbolized Diana the Huntress, and was followed
+by her faithful hounds.
+
+Then came choirs of youths and maidens singing the sacred chants, one
+choir answering the other, and then unitedly sending forth a peal in
+unison.
+
+After them a multitude of Ephesian children. Then, with flying feet and
+swinging, voluptuous forms, the dancing-girls of Ionia.
+
+Now rose on the perfumed air the sound of instruments, from the sweet,
+low tones of the flute and golden notes of the magadis, to the
+resounding clang of the cymbals and the beat of the timbrels, playing
+the 'March of Hell.' Whoever has heard such notes may never forget
+them--music set to the shrieks of the lost in Tartarus--the wild
+imploring of the forsaken pleading for forgiveness, as the songs from
+the dwellers in the Elysian fields break on their sinking souls like a
+ray of golden hope, too soon to be drowned by the cries of the Furies.
+
+And thus did the Ephesians play the 'March of the Goddess Hecate,' and
+the sound of the queenly tread of the Infernal Goddess seemed to follow
+the ranks of her devotees, ranks of priests and priestesses dressed in
+black raiment bestud with stars of gold, a crescent moon on every brow.
+They held their hands towards the earth. Now came banners waving in the
+air, and standards of silver and gold bestud with precious stones. The
+Temple way blazed out with gorgeous colouring and glittering sheen.
+
+Then rose to view the golden statue of the goddess, with many symbols of
+earth and sky and sea, supported by bars of gold and borne on the
+shoulders of stalwart men, all priests of the Temple, followed by a
+train of virgin priestesses with heads erect, wearing fillets of gold
+and myrtle-blossoms, each carrying the insignia of her office. These
+were followed by priests and choirs of singers, and others carrying
+smaller images of the goddess and silver shrines set with diamonds and
+emeralds. A company of lovely girls played music like the Dawn of Love.
+
+Men of culture, men of noble rank, followed: all were greeted with loud
+acclaim. Then came again the tones of tibia, cithara, and many-sounding
+instruments playing the music of Diana, no fierce trumpetings, but
+sweetest melody, soft, peaceful, and joyful. In the rhythm were the fall
+of dew, the swing of the sickle, the song of the reapers, the lowing of
+cattle and laughter of children at play, and the mother's murmur of love
+as she hushed her babe to rest.
+
+The vast procession moved onward with songs and hymns innumerable, and
+music and melody mingled in harmony to the Queen of Nature, Queen of
+Hades, Queen of Heaven, telling the story of her many attributes.
+
+The vast pageant had gone--gone by the way of the great theatre, around
+Mount Pion and the Stadium to the Sacred Grove and the Temple.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Two men remained behind; they were strangers to each other.
+
+One was Chios, the other a man short in stature, roughly clad, with eyes
+full of fire and possessed of great intelligence. He neither knelt nor
+applauded whilst the procession passed, but stood a stern spectator.
+One could see at a glance he was not a worshipper of the mighty Diana.
+Possessed of a firm, steadfast, thoughtful look, it stamped him as a
+character of no mean order. Who could he be? And why there at such a
+time, neither accepting nor opposing the worship of the city goddess?
+
+He was one of the chief of the sect who followed the Christ of Nazareth,
+and had come to Ephesus to war against the Old with a New Creed.
+
+Seeing him alone, and apparently poor, Chios, with that kindness ever
+characteristic of him, drew nigh, saying:
+
+'Hail, fellow voyager! How didst thou like the mighty gathering of all
+that is power, truth, and loveliness in Ephesus?'
+
+Then replied he:
+
+'The kingly power and loveliness passed by in yonder show, but the truth
+was not there.'
+
+'How sayest thou this, friend? Art thou not a worshipper of our great
+goddess Diana?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'What, then, dost thou worship?'
+
+'I worship God.'
+
+'And canst thou not worship God and adore her?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Why?'
+
+'Because God is a spirit and demands spiritual worship. He is a jealous
+God, and will have no other gods before Him.'
+
+'Now, pray tell me,' said Chios, 'why of necessity should we worship
+your Deity? In what particular does He differ from Diana? She also is a
+great spirit. Why multiply gods and worship another?'
+
+'Listen, young man. There is but one eternal past and future, and one
+Eternal God only can reign. There is no division of eternal power; so
+infinite is He, the universe is but a point compared to Him. He dwells
+above, below, beyond it. No man can follow His presence into the
+unfathomable abyss, no princely spirit could wing its way to find Him
+out. Ye worship ye know not what. You have set up the symbols of nature
+and named it deity. There is no God behind those symbols to answer when
+you call. You answer yourselves--believe a lie; custom gilds it as a
+truth.'
+
+'Thou speakest strongly, good man. Dost thou bring proof of thy
+teachings?'
+
+'My proof is within me: communion with the Spirit of my God. He speaks
+to me, believe it who may; it is sufficient for me.'
+
+'But what if thou hast lulled thyself into a sweet calm, a calm born of
+content, worshipping a spiritual ideal? May it not be thus?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'How shall I know that what thou sayest is true?'
+
+'By worshipping my God.'
+
+'And what will follow?'
+
+'The same conscious calm and communion, and thou shalt be the judge.'
+
+'Tell me more of Him. Does He work by love or command?'
+
+'Both. Those who serve Him find His commands encircled with love. He
+commands as a father for the good of his children. He is our Father,
+created our being; as when He said, "Let there be light," and the light
+flashed through the darkness.'
+
+'What is the name of thy sect?'
+
+'Christian.'
+
+'Ah well, I have heard much of them, and desire to hear of their creed.
+Now I remember--yes, I remember the Father. Is there not wrapped up in
+the mysteries some teaching respecting a Son?'
+
+'Yes, that is true--the Christ. He was slain by Pilate of Judea. Hast
+thou not heard of it?'
+
+'Yes, I have heard as thou sayest; but I must confess I know little or
+nothing of the mysteries which surround thy faith.'
+
+'Wouldst thou know?'
+
+'I would.'
+
+'Then thou shalt; but not now. This is not a place to expound the hidden
+things of God; moreover, if seen with me, evil may befall thee. Go now
+thy way. Let my prayers go with thee. We shall meet again. I will send
+for thee.'
+
+'Thou mayest not find me.'
+
+'I shall, fear not. I am not a magician, but my spirit is in sympathy
+with thine; we cannot travel far asunder without thou break the bond of
+union.'
+
+'Dost understand Ephesian magic?'
+
+'Yea, I understand, but practise not. Ere long it shall be shaken to its
+very roots.'
+
+'Thou speakest as one with authority.'
+
+'I do. Go in peace, and forget not the aged man who promises to reveal
+the truth to thee. Farewell!'
+
+And as the stranger moved slowly away with downcast head and thoughtful
+mien, Chios felt as if a thick darkness surrounded him. Even Saronia
+faded from his mind before the burning words of that man. Chios
+perceived that the new teacher possessed immense spiritual and
+intellectual power, and felt his own weakness. He knew the sayings he
+had heard were but the outriders of a mighty army; that, in fact, this
+man had treated him as if he were a child. Who could he be? And whence
+came the great storehouse of wisdom which lay behind that impressive
+brow? From whence came the influence with which he spoke? His voice was
+low, but every word struck home and flashed forth strong conviction. Was
+he a god in disguise? Was he one of the gods come down to witness the
+festivities of the great goddess Diana?
+
+'No, no; I believe not those vain imaginings. I will wait and wish for
+the time to meet again this great spirit. I will sit at his feet and
+learn, and perchance receive light and perhaps rest. Certainly I require
+it. Creed of my own I have not, or believe not what I have. Saronia's
+love can never be mine. Truth and love I must obtain. Truth this man
+offers me, and a promise of love from the God of Love. If thus it comes
+to pass, I will live well and move onward to the great Dream City, and
+stand upon the diamond floorway which leads to the altar steps of the
+Father God.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+By this time the great procession had moved around the south of Mount
+Pion, and was returning towards the Temple by way of the Serapion.
+
+Slowly it went with majestic tread, passing by the harbour, and sailors
+on the ships bowed down in lowly adoration.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XIII
+
+                        CHIOS THE GREEK
+
+
+Day after day passed in festive manner until half the Month of Joy had
+sped, still Chios had not heard from the wise man. Where was he? Had he
+forgotten his promise? Was it all a dream? or was it, as he thought, a
+visitation from heaven, one of the gods on earth? Neither. He was
+confident he had met a human being, a man more powerful than any he had
+ever met before. There was but one other spirit like him, and that one
+dwelt in the form of a woman, and her name was Saronia.
+
+To Chios both spirits appeared of the highest order, showing different
+phases, both giants in their faiths; one he loved, the other he somewhat
+feared, for he knew not what that strange man would tell to him, and
+Chios was like a ship on the stormy seas, tossed to and fro without sail
+or rudder to guide him. So he said, 'I will go to the Temple; there is
+worship at this hour.' As he moved slowly onwards Saronia passed him.
+Their eyes met, but she dared not speak.
+
+The Greek felt all the old love revive the moment he beheld the
+beautiful girl. Moreover, he thought he read on her face the blush of a
+hidden love. What should he do? To go now to the Temple where she had
+entered would be useless, for his thoughts, his mind, his whole soul had
+gone out again to her, and he could worship no other deity, even were
+damnation the penalty. He would return to his studio, to his work on his
+great picture--the picture of his love, of the one being who haunted his
+life, of Saronia as High Priestess of Diana.
+
+Oh, if he could speak to her; could draw near and drink deeply of those
+mysterious eyes! Even that might pacify him. How could it be done? He
+had influence in the city; he would use it. Could he not obtain entrance
+to the Sacred Grove?--for there he knew she nightly went to pay her vows
+on the altar of the Infernal Goddess. Yes, his mind was fully made up.
+He would find the hour she frequented the place, would hazard his life
+to speak with her, and if but one sentence came from those lips he would
+be satisfied, even if those words were the curse of Hecate.
+
+On the way to the studio, and just as he was about to enter the
+gateway, he saw a woman leaning against a pillar. She addressed him,
+asking for alms. He replied:
+
+'What dost thou here, woman? Why not take part in this day of joy?'
+
+She said:
+
+'My heart cannot feel joy. It is dead; it is incapable of throbbing to
+the pleasure of the world or the joy of religion.'
+
+'Why?'
+
+'Because I am an outcast; my sins are so great that I dare not pray. I
+am past feeling, and would die.'
+
+'Art thou in such a state?'
+
+'Yea, and worse: I am let alone by the gods and man.'
+
+'Thou art, then, a wandering star?'
+
+'Yes, thou sayest truly, for I shall soon shoot into the darkness of the
+unknown and be for ever lost.'
+
+'Hast thou no occupation?'
+
+'None.'
+
+'Canst thou do anything to earn an honest livelihood?'
+
+'I am skilled in magic, having learnt it in my youth; but the art is so
+common in Ephesus that my gains are very small.'
+
+'Come, now, canst thou read my fate for a piece of gold?'
+
+'I know thee.'
+
+'Who am I?'
+
+'He whom they call Chios the Greek, the Ephesian artist, and----'
+
+'Go on, woman, do not fear!'
+
+'The lover of Saronia.'
+
+'Thou art mad.'
+
+'No. Would that I had been born such!'
+
+'How dost thou know my name?'
+
+'Know thy name! I inquired for it after thou didst take away the slave
+girl Saronia, when she leant against the pillar outside the great
+theatre, waiting the bidding of her haughty mistress Nika. My curse rest
+on Nika!'
+
+'Silence! Curse her not.'
+
+'Say on, Chios: what dost thou want of me?'
+
+'Nothing.'
+
+'Then pass thy way and leave me as thou didst find me, unless thou, too,
+would whip me like a cur for resting against thy piece of marble.'
+
+'Nay, woman; I will not go until I help thee. Here is a golden
+piece--another and another. Take them all; I have more. Go thou and get
+food, and hope on. Thou art earth's side of the great threshold, and may
+yet do well with the remnant of thy life.'
+
+'No, no; I know the faith. Thou art wrong. The cursed of Hecate are
+doomed!'
+
+'Listen, woman! Thou knowest Saronia?'
+
+'Ah! ah! Thou canst not leave that name. I knew I was right. Thou lovest
+her?'
+
+'Silence, I tell thee again! Thou art more profane than I imagined.
+Think you I am perilous enough to venture the curse of hell by daring to
+love a priestess of Hecate?'
+
+'Yes. Thou art of the mould to dare anything for love. Not only to risk
+the curse of hell, but to wear it as thou wearest that ribbon around thy
+neck, the ribbon which suspends the silver shrine Saronia placed upon
+thy breast when thou didst slumber as the dead.'
+
+'Witch as thou art, how dost thou know of this?'
+
+'Magic does not aid me in this case. I saw her do it.'
+
+'Saw Saronia--do--it?'
+
+'Yes, I saw her.'
+
+'Thou liest; it is thy dreadful sorcery!'
+
+'Nay, nay, not so. I saw her enter thy gateway to escape a band of
+drunken ruffians. I stood by this very pillar where I often stand. I
+knew Saronia, and followed to protect, if needs be, and hid behind the
+myrtle-trees until she entered. Then I gazed within, saw her bend over
+thy sleeping form and put her sweet face close to thine, saw her take
+the trinket from her bosom, kiss it, and place it on thy breast. Then
+again did she stoop over, and drank in one long draught of thy
+breath--thy life, as if to mingle soul with soul.'
+
+'Hast thou spoken of this to any other?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Darest thou?'
+
+'I will not.'
+
+'And why so true?'
+
+'Because if ever the fire is lit again within this wreck it will be she
+who will kindle the first spark.'
+
+'How thinkest thou so?'
+
+'It was I who befriended her, pointing the way when she fled from the
+house of Venusta. Besides, I met her before that, near the great
+theatre; there I read her fate, and told her her star was rising full of
+splendour. Besides, I love her as much as I can, and have begged of her
+to think of this poor hag when she cometh into great power--and she
+shall! Yes, she shall rise higher and higher, for the great spirit of
+the goddess leads her. Hear what Endora says: "Saronia's star is still
+in the ascendant. She has been priestess of spirits before this
+earth-life, and she shall rise to be queen of the priestesses
+here--first amongst women who serve the great goddess at the shrine of
+Artemis."'
+
+'Art thou sure?'
+
+'I know it.'
+
+'By what?'
+
+'By my power, which never fails. Would Chios know further?'
+
+'No; but, stay, dost thou think Saronia is past loving other than the
+goddess?'
+
+'I tell thee she loves Chios, and thou knowest it as well as I. She
+cannot rend the chain which binds ye twain together. The position is
+perilous in the extreme. Thou knowest she is bound to chastity, and
+wouldst thou try to break her sacred vows?'
+
+'No; Heaven stay the thought! This I swear; but--can I trust thee?'
+
+'Yes, Chios, thou art safe. Thy spirit comes towards me, but it cannot
+blend with mine, and for want of this thou mayest mistrust the need of
+perfect sympathy. But thou art good; I am dark and foul as Tartarus!
+Evil and good cannot make one unbroken circle of harmony. Nevertheless,
+trust me, Chios--trust me.'
+
+'Very well, I will. At what hour does Saronia visit the Sacred Grove of
+Hecate to offer sacrifice?'
+
+'This very night at midnight.'
+
+'Are there means of access to that grove?'
+
+'Yes, for those who dare, but few would.'
+
+'Which is the way?'
+
+'Go thou to the wood outside the Temple, pass a furlong to the north;
+there is a low wall which thou canst easily vault. Once within the
+sacred enclosure, push on westward another furlong, and thou wilt see
+the Hecatesium, the little temple shaded with gigantic pines and
+cypress-trees. Yellow iris stud the ground, and crimson and white
+oleander grow between. Heed not the mighty thunderings proceeding from
+the temple, or the livid, glare-like lightning's flash springing forth
+between the pillars of the portico--on swiftly by it, lest thy heart
+faileth and thou diest. Having passed this temple, take the winding road
+at its rear. This will bring thee to where three roads meet, and there
+thou wilt see, by the light of the waning moon and the flickering stars,
+an altar, and, rising above it, the three-figured statue of the Triple
+Goddess. She, as Hecate, holding in her hands the keys of hell and of
+death, facing the pit in which the altar is reared for to-night's
+incantations and sacrifice. Secrete thyself before midnight behind the
+base of one of the tall trees. Thou wilt not have long to wait ere the
+light of a torch will stream upon the dark green foliage and a woman's
+form will appear, and, later, as she approaches, dark tresses waving in
+the breeze, and, if light enough, two eyes like stars of night,
+o'ershadowed by eyebrows like cloudlets of gloom. Those are the eyes of
+Saronia, the priestess of Hecate. Darest thou to be there and speak to
+her? I think not. Weigh well thy intentions, Chios, before setting out
+on such an awful journey. Let me entreat thee, good man; let me beg of
+thee--forswear this enterprise!'
+
+'Farewell, Endora--that is thy name, is it not?'
+
+'Yes, my lord.'
+
+'Farewell, Endora--farewell. Keep the secret, as thou hast said.'
+
+'I will, and perchance some power may save thee from the vengeance of
+earth and hell.'
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XIV
+
+                       THE GROVE OF HECATE
+
+
+The evening sun had set behind great frowning clouds of crimson and
+gray; dark masses like funeral steeds moved slowly through the sky. The
+night came, dark and dreary; a sable mantle of clouds hung from east to
+west like a wall of gloom, and when from noon ten hours had sped Chios
+went forth, following the highway to the Temple. He was clad in a mantle
+of azure blue, shrouded from head to foot; his most intimate friends
+would have passed without knowing him. The Temple was at his right hand,
+and he had gained the outskirts of the great forest of pine-trees. He
+saw the river Cayster winding towards the sea like a river of death.
+
+He entered the grove; the tall trees shook their mighty foliage, warning
+him in accents deep as the voice of judgment. What did he care? Forward
+he went. If all the trees of that wood had voices loud as the
+thunderings of the gods and spoke to him, he would not stay one step
+towards the goal.
+
+No, as he penetrated further his courage grew stronger and his mind
+firmer. At last, through the darkness, he saw the wall which surrounded
+the Sacred Grove. For a moment he stood still, but to think of the
+commands of Endora. Then, with a bound, he was over, and stood on ground
+unlawful for him to tread; but what cared he? On he moved carefully, for
+fear the rustling shrubs might betray him, until he saw the looming of
+the Temple of Hecate. He heard weird sounds issuing forth, and fierce
+fires seemed to burn within the sacred shrine of the Infernal Goddess.
+Ever and anon from between the pillars of the portico, guarding it like
+a flaming sword, there flashed forth bars of light, and mighty
+thunderings came bellowing from that most dreadful fane, followed by
+shrieks like the cries of drowning men when they founder with their
+barque. All was as Endora had said. But Chios heeded nothing. Such he
+expected, and was prepared to meet them as a man who had determined to
+hazard all; and, passing stealthily by the marble pile, he gained the
+footpath at the rear, and followed on; gained the site where stood the
+trench and its awful altar of the goddess. Then, for the first time, he
+freely drew breath, and sat down at the foot of the statue of Diana
+Triformis. Presently he hid behind a wide-spreading tree, and waited for
+Saronia.
+
+Several forms like men or women or demons passed by towards the Temple;
+he heard their mutterings, but saw not their faces. The time hung
+heavily on his hands. 'Twas still half an hour to midnight, and the
+waning moon was hid--not a star shone forth to comfort him. The wild
+beasts of the grove howled from their distant lair.
+
+Then came a convulsion in the heavens--the gathering storm-clouds spoke
+to each other and exchanged lightning glances until the sky was a sea of
+fire. Great clouds whirled up from the west, and others bore down from
+the east, and they mingled around the moon in one great aerial war until
+the heavens were rent asunder, and the east wind gained the mastery,
+sweeping the surging war-clouds away to the western sky in the dark-blue
+depths. The waning moon shone out with sickly hue, and the diamond stars
+sprung forth, and soft clouds moving onwards like dark-stoled virgin
+priestesses bowed to the Queen of Heaven.
+
+Chios starts; he shrinks; he sees the glare of torches coming down the
+Sacred Way; he counts them as they wildly dance upon the midnight
+air--one, two--five--eight. He is undone! She cometh not alone! Towards
+him sweeps the fiery line until within a hundred paces it stops, and
+forms a circle, seven around, with one uplifted torch within the sacred
+zone. The circle breaks and forms two lines and the centre figure passes
+between, moving onward to the altar. The others in serpent form move
+sinuously back to the Temple of Hecate.
+
+The solitary figure, the haughty torch-bearer, draws nearer, until Chios
+sees by the lurid glare the dark masses of hair floating on the wind,
+and fancies he sees the mysterious eyes beneath the marble brow. He
+could not mistake her--he knew her too well. It was Saronia, the
+priestess, arrayed in her priestly robes.
+
+She was standing by the statue of the great goddess with head thrown
+back. The flame of the torch like a serpent of fire coiled and uncoiled
+like a living thing, and lit up the band of gold which circled her head,
+and shone on her mantle of sable hue.
+
+Then, stretching out her hands towards the earth, she addressed the
+goddess:
+
+              'Hail, Hecate!
+              Hail, Diana!
+              Luna, Hail!
+    Goddess of Heaven, the Earth, and the Underworld.
+      Thou rollest the heavens around the steady pole.
+      Thou illuminest the sun.
+      Thou governest the world.
+      Thou treadest on the dark realms of Tartarus.
+      The stars move responsive to thy command.
+      The gods rejoice in thy divinity.
+      The hours and the seasons return by thy appointment,
+      And the elements reverence thy decree.
+          Hear me, O Moon!
+          Hear me, great Saviour!
+          Listen, dread Hecate!
+          A black lamb I bring thee.'
+
+Then, seizing the lamb, she raised it to the altar and slew it, and the
+red blood danced o'er the marble shrine. And taking a golden vase filled
+with baneful oblation, she poured it over the victim, at the same time
+swinging the torch to and fro above her head, chanting:
+
+    'Come forth, thou moon, with propitious light.
+    Cold, silent goddess! at this witching hour
+    To thee I'll chant.
+
+           *       *       *       *       *
+
+    Hail, Hecate! prodigious demon, hail!
+    Come at the last, and make the work prevail,
+    That the strong brewage may perform its part,
+    No worse than that was made by Circe's art,
+    By bold Medea, terrible as fair,
+    Or Perimedea of the golden hair.'
+
+Then the earth shook, and spiral columns of vapour rose around the
+altar, and from each column came a spectre of fire and stood with
+outstretched hands.
+
+The priestess placed the resinous wood around the sacrifice, and
+applying her torch, the altar was crowned with flame, and the spirits
+drew nigh and drank up the odour, dancing in wild fury around the pyre.
+
+Then spoke Saronia:
+
+'Ye wandering spirits, ye starving, lonely shades destined to require
+the sustenance ye seldom receive, take this oblation, drink ye in the
+nurture as it arises, take it from the great queen goddess through the
+hands of her priestess;' and the spirits chanted:
+
+    'Hail, Saronia!
+    Hail, Saronia!
+    Princess born
+    And mighty priestess!
+    Hail, thou minister of Tartarus!
+    Feeder of the gods-forsaken ones!
+    Blessings ever be upon thee,
+    Blessings such as we can give,
+    Thin and faint as misty vapour,
+    Tinged with hell and cold damnation;
+    Yet we bless thee as we may,
+    For love a spark remains within us,
+    And we wait for our redemption,
+    Working out our fearful destiny,
+    Till those we injured grant release,
+    And the Mighty All Creative
+    Pass us to the fields Elysian.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+They disappeared, and Saronia, the fearful priestess, was alone.
+Shielding her eyes that she might not look again upon the sacrifice, she
+turned to move away.
+
+She had passed but a few steps from the altar when Chios came forth from
+his hiding-place and followed her. She heard his steps, and fearing to
+look around lest her sacrifice should be incomplete, kept on her way to
+the Temple of Hecate.
+
+Chios was soon by her side. She gazed for a moment on his face, and fell
+to the ground as dead.
+
+He raised her carefully, bore her to the foot of a great laurel-tree,
+and taking his cloak, placed her on it, and bent over her in agony.
+
+'O fool, what hast thou done? Thou hast slain her! O cursed hour! Shades
+of night, seize me, take me to your Hades, torture me, but, holy
+heavens, restore Saronia! O cruel fate! Most cruel destiny! What cause
+is there for this?'
+
+The talisman! the shrine he wore! the gift! He had heard of its wondrous
+power. He tore it from his neck, and placed it on her chilly brow.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Her eyes opened, and she essayed to rise.
+
+Chios moved to help her; but, no, she sprang to her feet, and stepping
+back from him, looked like a tigress at bay. For a moment words would
+not flow at her command, but her eyes burnt into his very soul, and
+still she spoke not.
+
+He wished a thousandfold he had never dared to confront her in such a
+dreadful place and against such fearful odds. He knew he was observed by
+troops of invisible beings thirsting for vengeance, and that one word of
+hers would loose them, those hounds of hell, in all their fury. He
+feared them not. 'Twas the scathing, burning eyes of the priestess which
+withered him--so changed from love to hate.
+
+All those thoughts passed through his mind with the force of a
+whirlwind. He felt he had penetrated like a robber within the magic
+circle of her power, taking mean advantage of her secret life, betraying
+all confidence. What was to be done? He would not pass like a dream--a
+horrid dream--to her; that would end all. No, he must finish his work,
+whatever might follow. He would speak to her.
+
+'Saronia, forgive me; I am mad. I know not what unknown power compels me
+to this wicked act. I could not stay from thee. As the stars vibrate to
+each other, so my soul to thine. Speak, Saronia! I have dared death to
+see thee, to speak to thee. Answer me, Saronia! Let me hear thy dear,
+sweet voice, even if it be a curse thou utterest.'
+
+She stood forth again in all her majesty; her great spirit had gained
+supremacy; her eyes shone forth like diamonds wet with dew, and she
+said:
+
+'What evil fate brings thee here? Death awaits both if mortal eye
+beholds us. For thy many acts of kindness I overlook thy madness. Thou
+knowest the way, return quickly, and never intrude thyself again. One
+word: thou hast been spectator of the rites and mysteries, hast seen my
+power. Understand, I could raise armies, if needs be, to destroy
+thee--could blast thee like a tree whose life has passed, by one fell
+stroke of lightning. Now away, no more!'
+
+'Saronia! Saronia! Bear with me but for one brief moment! Hear my story,
+then I go.'
+
+'Why should I? Thou knowest full well I am dedicated to my faith, to my
+goddess. Why tempt me to evil?'
+
+'Saronia, I have striven hard to avoid this, and before to-night have
+succeeded. I could no longer bear this worse than death, and have sought
+thee here to tell thee I love thee, have ever loved thee, even when thou
+wert a slave. I have thrown aside the glamour of the world for one sweet
+word from thee.'
+
+'How can I help thy love?'
+
+'Thou canst return it by one sweet smile of pity--pity is the twin
+sister of love.'
+
+'I will give thee no encouragement. I swear by the hosts above, around,
+and beneath that I repel Chios the lover, and make it known clearly to
+thee I stand pure and unsullied before the goddess I have just evoked.
+Shame on thee! Thou wouldst shake the strong foundation on which my
+spirit rests. Away, I say again, for fear she whom I serve may compel me
+to curse thee! Go!'
+
+'Before I say farewell, perchance for ever, is this thy shrine, this
+trinket thine?'
+
+'Yes. I sought shelter, not knowing whither. Two statues standing near
+the doorway caught my gaze, and through the open door I beheld thy
+prostrate form. Thinking death or sickness visited Chios, I entered,
+remembering thy goodness. Thou wert asleep and sighing forth my name. I
+foolishly placed that little token on thy breast, and the Fates have
+worked it well so far as it is concerned, for by its power thou hast
+brought back my life--not that my death would have been of great moment,
+but thy crime would have been magnified and thy suffering intense.
+Little did I think such small pretext as a simple act of gratitude from
+me would have brought thee here. Now I have told thee all. Go, for thy
+life!'
+
+'No, I will stay. My determination is strengthening, my mission is pure;
+no harm can come to thee. I think not of myself. Listen! There will come
+a time when thou wilt be free from this thraldom of priestcraft, when
+that spirit of thine will live on in the Elysian. I will live well and
+ever love thee, and this is my story to-night. I will love thee as
+lasting as the sun, wait on for thy emancipation, and meet thee in the
+spirit-world. When each shall have performed its earth-life, then thy
+spirit shall be united to mine through the depths of an everlasting
+life. Wilt thou betroth thyself to me in this wise? No harm can come of
+this spirit love, and it cannot fail to bless. Saronia of the great
+unfathomable soul, looking out of those eyes so full of mystic meaning,
+can this be so? Bind thyself to me! Be mine when death shall sever the
+silver chain! This is all I ask. I know thou lovest me; those silent
+tears betray thee, and thy eyes speak love--love filtering through the
+mystic faith, love that is stronger than death. Speak, Saronia! Dost
+thou hear me?'
+
+'I do. I hear all.'
+
+'Wilt thou wed me for the next life?'
+
+'What shall I do, Chios? Thou hast discovered my hidden love. I cannot
+lie. I will meet thee in the great hereafter. I am thine, when my
+mission here be accomplished--thine through all eternity!'
+
+'Shall I plant a kiss upon thy brow, Saronia, sealing our vows?'
+
+'Dost thou not fear this awful thing?'
+
+'No. I care not for death now. If I go, I will wait for thee and for
+love; thou wilt not long survive. Methinks our spirits have already been
+one. If I fall, thou wilt not remain long away. Death will hasten our
+union.'
+
+Then, taking her head between his hands, he kissed her, and kissed the
+silver shrine, and moved out into the gloom.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The night passed, the day came forth in rosy splendour, such a day as is
+only experienced in the beautiful Ionian land.
+
+The air was balmy and perfume laden, the winds scarcely stirred the
+trembling leaves, the birds sang with joyous notes--all Nature smiled.
+
+Chios passed through the myrtle garden to his studio, but the brush was
+powerless in his hand. Last night's adventure was uppermost in his
+thoughts, as well it might be. It was in his sober moments when judgment
+reigned, and love lay calmly on his soul, that he became fully aware of
+what he had done. He leant against a pillar, and reflected upon his
+position. He had entered into the fight, he had broken the ranks. He was
+a mariner who must weather the gale on the deck of his craft. There was
+no escape for him, neither did he desire one.
+
+He, like a master mind, surveyed his position. He had pledged his love
+to one who could never return it on earth. He would walk alone until his
+release. Joy in anticipation of their reunion was sufficient for him.
+True, he felt there was a great disparity in their relative
+positions--she a mighty priestess, he a sceptic of her faith. But what
+of that? He believed in Saronia, and she believed in him. Let the faiths
+go to the winds! If he found not a new god that he might worship--well,
+then he would make Saronia the goddess of his soul, and worship her with
+a love that would raise the jealousy of the gods. But if he found the
+great Spirit who demanded his love and service, then such should have
+his supreme adoration. But no god or goddess spoke to him. Therefore he
+knew no being superior to Saronia. She was his life; fearful as she was
+in her mighty incantations, he feared her not. Her mysteries he heeded
+not, the magic of her being satisfied his craving for union with that
+which completed the circle of his existence. He had found it in this
+lovely girl, and he measured this subtle, endless affinity against that
+which the world calls love, where men take wives for a fragment of time
+and think not, care not, whether that love continues in the great
+hereafter, and content themselves with the thought that they may be free
+when born anew from the womb of death. His love was a sacred love, a
+pure and perfect one, and he was happy amidst all the mazes of the
+circumstances by which he had made it known to Saronia.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XV
+
+                       AT VENUSTA'S HOUSE
+
+
+Day after day passed, and the friends of Chios were wont to note his
+thoughtfulness. It did not amount to moroseness; he was preoccupied, and
+his mind abstracted.
+
+It was while he was in one of his deepest moods that Varro called,
+accosting the Greek in a pleasant way:
+
+'How fares the world with thee, noble artist? Thou art in one of thy
+best humours--or art thou sad?'
+
+'Neither,' replied he.
+
+'Ah! I know: thou art grieving after Nika.'
+
+'Nika?'
+
+'Yes, Nika. Thou surely must have heard I wooed and won her?'
+
+'Indeed, I have not; but I congratulate thee, my lucky fellow.'
+
+'That is from thy heart and true, Chios?'
+
+'It is.'
+
+'Then we may be the fastest friends.'
+
+'And what say Lucius and Venusta?'
+
+'Delighted.'
+
+'Good, very good!'
+
+'And--yet another bit of news for you, Chios, for it seems thou art not
+a fruitful newsmonger.'
+
+'What is it?'
+
+'The sudden death of the High Priestess of Artemis.'
+
+'Is it so?' and a deathly pallor spread over the face of Chios.
+
+'Art thou ill?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'But I have not finished.'
+
+'What more--not of gloom, I hope?'
+
+'No; a sudden freak of fortune, if rumour speaks correctly.'
+
+'Speak out.'
+
+'Well, just this: it is commonly reported that the dark-eyed slave of
+Venusta will be elected to fill the place of the Arch-Priestess.'
+
+'What! Saronia?'
+
+'Yes, Saronia. Thou art her friend. True, her time as priestess has been
+very brief, but for that strange being it seems mortals suspend their
+laws just like the gods did theirs for the Hebrew, when the sun stood
+still that he might slay. Look at her! Just awhile since a slave. One
+fine day she took it into her head to run for sanctuary to the Temple,
+and got there--was received--commenced her studies. From this, in a most
+unprecedented way, bounded into the priesthood, and already, I am told,
+she stands out with fearful power and wonderful knowledge, inasmuch as
+the priestesses longest in the service stand back in awe and say: "She
+is the fittest to serve in chief the goddess, and command her servants."
+A High Priestess she will be, mark my words. There is a great destiny
+before that girl. I hear of her power from Nika. Somehow, she closely
+follows the course of Saronia, and speaks of her with dread. Why, I know
+not. Now, Chios, what thinkest thou of all this?'
+
+'I think it passing strange. 'Tis like a dream. This is her destiny. She
+is no ordinary being. Her spirit towers above its fellows, and must
+command---- I will call at Venusta's at sundown. Perhaps we may hear
+more on this subject.'
+
+'Do so, Chios, and I will meet thee. What art thou painting?'
+
+'But little.'
+
+'Ah, cunning dog! I saw thee turn thy picture quickly away as I
+entered, and, swiftly as thou didst it, I had time to catch a glimpse of
+a girl as High Priestess offering sacrifice to Hecate. Am I right?'
+
+'Thou speakest knowingly, good Varro.'
+
+'Chios, I am not wide of the mark, and shall I say the face was that of
+Saronia? Art thou a seer, Chios? After all, then, my news was not news
+to thee? Thou art a sly fellow!'
+
+'No, I am not a seer.'
+
+'Well, then, we will call thee painter; but one thing is certain, thou
+hast studied her closely, to remember her features so well. Thou hast a
+keen appreciation of the beautiful, and an excellent knowledge of the
+future, to paint Saronia as High Priestess. Farewell, Chios; I am off.
+We meet to-night, and may the gods be propitious!'
+
+That evening Chios visited Venusta's home, the house of his friend. The
+Roman was there. Lucius had sailed o'er sunny seas to Britain. Nika
+seemed happy, and laughed with joyous glee as if she had never one day
+of sorrow.
+
+Venusta was delighted to behold Chios, and said:
+
+'Why hast thou kept so long from us? We thought thou wouldst never
+return, and long since looked up our stray sayings to find if perchance
+we might have unwittingly offended thee. But naught could we find
+whereby we could pronounce ourselves guilty, so concluded thou hadst
+found some pretty maid during the Artemision month, and wert busy
+preparing for thy nuptials. Is it so, Chios?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Now, do not vex! Art grown thin-skinned, and cannot take this saying of
+mine as a joke?'
+
+'Nay,' replied he, 'I am emphatic because I mean it. So many falsehoods
+are told by lovers that if I were not in earnest thou wouldst perhaps
+doubt my answer.'
+
+'Ah! Thou hast not yet seen the ideal set up within thee. Never mind;
+persevere, Chios, and she may come to thee sooner than expected. Then we
+will take the laughing side, and thou must bear with all our points of
+wit. We will deal leniently; will not let an arrow fly when thy
+counterpart is near. No, we will be demure, as if we never spoke to thee
+of such a childish thing as love. Let us change the subject, Chios. Thou
+hast heard my dearest has left his home once more to visit foreign
+lands?'
+
+'Yes, I heard. Lucius could not leave Ephesus without the poorest Ionian
+youth knowing it. He belongs to the people; they watch his coming home
+and leaving. I should have come to say farewell, but at the time I was
+prostrated by a touch of Ephesian fever. Not serious, but just enough,
+as Lucius would say, to make me haul on shore.'
+
+'Yes, those beautiful savages have again rebelled against the Roman
+State, and the Emperor summoned Lucius with his fleet to the mouth of
+the Tiber to ship reinforcements for those distant parts. By this time
+he is well on his journey.'
+
+'How long will he remain?'
+
+'That is quite uncertain. I understand, after disembarking the soldiers,
+he will sail round the northern shores of the great island, and if the
+winds fail him the rowers will have a dreadful time, for by accounts the
+waters there are sluggish and leaden, inasmuch that strong winds driving
+on the shore make faint impressions on the lifeless seas. The gods speed
+him, and may he soon return. I have instructed him to bring a British
+girl for slave for Nika; and I truly hope, if he bring such, she may not
+be like that dark, mysterious one we owned, by name Saronia. She nearly
+frightened Nika out of her senses--did she not, girl?'
+
+Nika was silent, and a gloom spread over her face like a funeral pall,
+and the joy of her life grew faint and low.
+
+'I have been speaking of Saronia to Chios,' said Varro.
+
+'And what thinkest thou of her, Chios?'
+
+'Why should I say?' replied he.
+
+'Speak on; we know thou wilt favour her.'
+
+'What, then, do you wish me to say? I cannot speak as if I were
+delivering an oration on Saronia.'
+
+'To be plain, then,' said Venusta, 'dost thou think it meet that this
+slave-girl should fill the throne of the High Priestess of Diana?'
+
+'Yes, I do.'
+
+'By what right or reason? Say on.'
+
+'By being the fittest, if those who know her best speak the truth.'
+
+'Oh, Chios, why are you so fascinated by this snake-like creature?'
+
+'I am not fascinated, most noble Venusta. I speak as reason prompts me.
+If my reason is awry, then call me mad.'
+
+'No, no; thou art not mad. If any man in Ionia has a well-balanced and
+healthy mind, it is thou; but, nevertheless, although I alter the
+picture on my mind of an innocent bird drawn on to destruction by the
+piercing eye of a snake, yet the conditions are the same within me, and
+I must say I cannot for my life understand why such a sensible man can
+be led by the charming of such a wicked girl.'
+
+'She is not wicked; she is pure, and worthy of great consideration. All
+Ephesus speaks of her goodness.'
+
+'But dost thou not know her spirit is so deeply imbued with the
+mysteries of her worship that it is said she with impunity treads the
+dark realms of Tartarus? Wherein, then, lies all her boasted goodness?'
+
+'It may be so; but I warrant this, madam, if Saronia moves into those
+mysteries, and mixes with the spirits imprisoned, it is to minister to
+their wants, and not to add a pang to their unutterable woe.'
+
+'Thou art incorrigible; and it is useless, I perceive, to talk to thee
+on this matter. Thou wilt awaken one day from this cloudy dream and see
+her in all her horror. Dost thou not fear her?'
+
+'No; none need fear the good; it is the evil which haunts us.'
+
+'Oh, mother,' cried Nika, 'do change this most uninteresting subject!
+Saronia is no longer under our control, and we may not speak of her in
+this manner without fear. She serves the goddess; let her be. Should
+fate call her to wear the diamond crown, what is that to thee? What is
+that to me?'
+
+'So, so, pretty girl! Art thou taking to thyself the right to lecture
+me? Thou, above all, hast had more than enough of this foul serpent's
+venom thrust on thee; and I tell you all, if I have influence it shall
+be directed to drag her from the proud position to which her ambitious
+spirit soars, and I am certain Varro will aid me when I say Nika nearly
+paid with her life for the fright Saronia gave her. A wicked, designing
+enemy is she.'
+
+'Gracious lady,' replied the Roman, 'I fear I cannot move in matters of
+religion. I should bring down a swarm of bees about my ears and odium on
+the power of Rome;' and he looked sideways with a smile towards Chios,
+but the face of the Greek was like marble--not a muscle moved. Then
+Varro continued: 'No, no; let her be. None may break her faith, neither
+Greek nor Roman; if she be not called by the goddess, then this rumour
+will float away into nothingness.'
+
+'I suppose thou sayest truly; but one thing I know, were she priestess
+presiding, Venusta would not enter the Temple--no, not if it were the
+only pathway to the Elysian.'
+
+'But,' said Chios, 'the Lady Venusta would witness the installation,
+should such take place, and favour me with her company?'
+
+'Thanks; but that shall not be. I might cause thee perturbation;' and
+she smiled rather cynically, or Chios thought so.
+
+Chios was thoughtful, and his gaze was through the open window away over
+the city towards the grove of Hecate, where the great trees peeped from
+behind the mountain of Pion.
+
+A dead silence fell on all, which was broken by Nika saying:
+
+'I should so much like thee to paint a picture of myself. Say, wilt
+thou? And when may I give thee first sitting?'
+
+'When thou comest,' replied Chios, 'I will do my best.'
+
+'Good!' said Venusta; 'thou shalt do it. I am sure it will do thee no
+harm to look intently on a face like hers. It might perhaps soften thy
+too sage-like brow; and then--who knows?--thou mightst captivate some
+lovely girl--eh?--as lovely as Nika. What sayest thou, noble lord of
+Rome?'
+
+'True,' said he, 'it may be so; but I fear it is a hopeless case. He is
+a confirmed bachelor.'
+
+'Perhaps not,' said Nika's mother. 'Who can tell? He may now be madly in
+love. Chios does such strange things. During his absence from us he may
+have taken a wife, and at any moment herald her forth as the fairest of
+Ionia. May it be so, noble Greek?'
+
+'No; Samos may be levelled to the ocean bed, but thou wilt never--never
+see me wed.'
+
+'Thou art dark again, Chios. Move aside, girl,' said Venusta; 'let the
+sun shine upon him;' but the face of Nika became clouded. She knew her
+mother's wit was wounding the heart of the only man she really loved.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XVI
+
+                      A GARDEN ON CORESSUS
+
+
+The evening grew old, but the light still lingered in the sky, and
+Venusta suggested a walk in the garden, seeing her daughter was agitated
+and careworn.
+
+The soft winds moved the leaves of the silver poplar, the violet-scented
+air fanned their cheeks, the convolvuli were closing, and the narcissi
+nodded good-night; it seemed sacrilege to break in on the perfumed
+silence. Varro walked with Venusta, and Nika with the Greek. Chios was
+the first to speak:
+
+'Thou art unhappy to-night, Nika. What ails thee?'
+
+'Nothing. I am happy. The evening air is sweet and pleasant to my soul,
+and before thou didst speak I saw the first star glisten on the diadem
+of night--shining out like a Pharos to the mariner; and as he knows by
+it that land is nigh, so see I that star a beacon on the hills of a
+far-away haven which perchance I may never enter, but be shipwrecked at
+the last.'
+
+'Poor girl, thou art indeed sad!'
+
+'Yea, sad I am, yet happy in my sadness. Oftentimes I am sad and
+wretched withal; but to-night, I know not why, I am resigned--feeling as
+if some great, sad joy spread its wings around me for protection. Oh
+that I might ever continue so! I fear this is but a prelude to a
+storm-wind which shall rush over and break me as a hurricane would kill
+those lovely flowers.'
+
+As she spoke a night-hawk passed with a shriek, and the evening star was
+hid with a cloud.
+
+'Sawest thou that dreadful bird? Heard'st thou its wail, Chios?'
+
+'Yea. What of it? It goes to its home on the cliffs of Coressus.'
+
+'No, no! That is not all! It spoke as it flew--shrieked sounds of gloom,
+which the augurs understand; it means evil!'
+
+'Dost thou believe the augurs, Nika?'
+
+'I do, and the words of the priestess also.'
+
+'Which priestess?'
+
+'Saronia.'
+
+'What of her?'
+
+'Dost thou not know?'
+
+'Thy mother told me something respecting an uttered curse.'
+
+'What if she become High Priestess of Diana?'
+
+'She would deal justly.'
+
+'Thou dost not know how I fear that girl--how I fear her spell. I have
+tried to drown it, but it will not die. It mounts above the crested
+ocean of my pleasure, and, like the evil bird just passed, it wheels and
+shrieks around, and mars the joys that youth and the world give me.'
+
+Just then the notes of a bird singing out its soul came forth from the
+myrtle-trees.
+
+'Hearest that jubilant song? It compensates the evil omen. Light up,
+sweet face, with radiant smiles! Answer it back with joyous greeting!'
+
+'No, I cannot. This omen is for Chios. Thou wilt joy. Thy life is tinged
+with richest colour--mine is shadowed with darkness. Thou art good! I
+see it all when too late.'
+
+Venusta and Varro were returning, and met Nika and her companion. The
+Roman playfully remarked:
+
+'Ionian, dost thou mean to steal my love?'
+
+'No! If thou wert jealous, why quicken thy pace and leave us, like
+wounded birds or disabled ships, to follow in thy wake? Here she is
+safely brought, and as I have acted sea-pilot; thou shalt be the harbour
+guide, and take her into port. Do not miss your way, as lovers often do!
+Come, noble Venusta, let me be thy guide.'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XVII
+
+                          THE PICTURE
+
+
+The day arrived for the election of High Priestess of Diana, and, as was
+generally expected within the Temple, Saronia was chosen to occupy that
+exalted position. When the people heard of this they were amazed, for
+amongst them she was scarcely known, excepting for her kindly manner and
+beautiful presence. Few, if any, outside the Temple recognised in her
+any of those superior intellectual attainments which were expected in
+the person who undertook the highest and most sacred duties of the
+Temple. Consequent on the election of a comparatively unknown girl,
+inquiries were numerous, asking who she was and whence she came,
+springing like a comet out of the gray depths of the sky; and when reply
+was made that she had been a slave to the wife of Lucius, many
+marvelled, and said it was the hand of the goddess who raised one of low
+degree to sit upon the golden throne; whilst among the noble families of
+Rome great curiosity was manifested to glean from her former mistress
+what she was like--what was thought of her; in fact, they wished to know
+all about the former slave. And thus, in a brief period, Saronia became
+the most notable person in all Ephesus and throughout Ionia, into Lydia,
+Caria, Pamphylia and Phrygia, and over the sea to Greece.
+
+It was during this excitement Nika came to the studio of Chios. It was
+her first visit. Never did the girl look more beautiful. She greeted the
+artist with a smile, and sat down upon one of the lovely couches.
+Casting aside her richly-embroidered cloak, she revealed her snow-white
+garments clinging in folds around her graceful form. Her hair fell
+forward on either side, leaving an arched temple smooth as marble, and
+waved away over her ears till it was caught by an azure ribbon flecked
+with gold. Then she laughed a merry peal of laughter, and said:
+
+'Art thou glad to see me?'
+
+'I am, Nika. Thou bringest sunshine into the place. It lights up thy
+face and twinkles like stars in thy beautiful hair. One requires a
+cheerful sitter to make a good likeness, for, after all, the poor artist
+has only a few pigments to portray the loveliest of creatures.'
+
+'Now, now, silence, flatterer! To business. How intendest thou to treat
+the subject which may represent me? Say, wilt thou paint me as Ariadne
+in Naxos?'
+
+'No; the subject ill befits these joyous times. Ariadne lost her lover;
+thou hast gained one, and retainest him with chains of brass. I will
+paint thee as thou reclinest. Keep thou the cheerful mood, and Nika
+shall see how she looks when she is happy.'
+
+'Must I not rearrange those wandering locks?'
+
+'No; the light dances between the shadows like children at play. Let
+them remain.'
+
+'Very well, Chios. Thou art an obliging man. I will do my best to remain
+as steady as Olympus. May I converse?'
+
+'Freely, if thou pleasest.'
+
+After the sitting was completed, she felt that she had never spent a
+happier day, and said:
+
+'When may I come again?'
+
+'To-morrow, at the same hour. I will paint thee whilst in such merry
+mood. Good-bye, Nika; greetings to thy mother.'
+
+The next day, and from time to time, she came to Chios, until the
+painting was well-nigh finished.
+
+One evil day she came and reclined upon her accustomed couch. Chios was
+absent. After a while she arose, and moved around the room. Behind a
+curtain of splendid tapestry, half hid, she saw a picture o'er which was
+thrown a screen of yellow silk. She would see the painting on the hidden
+panel; she would lift the veil--see the goddess. What fun she would have
+with Chios! Perchance 'twas some Ionian beauty or Carian girl who had
+smitten him suddenly. Should she risk it? Yes--no--perhaps he might come
+swiftly and be annoyed. So she moved away--stood still for a moment.
+
+'See it I must. If caught, I will laugh away his censure--shine out on
+him in all my splendour and burn up his reproof.'
+
+So she stepped forward and raised the yellow silk concealing the picture
+of Saronia as High Priestess of Diana, and as that dark, mysterious face
+met her gaze, she uttered a piercing shriek, and fell to the ground.
+Chios heard it, and rushed within. Seeing the curtain disturbed, he took
+in the whole position, and, darting forward, found Nika lying
+unconscious. He raised her and laid her on the couch. Her flowing hair
+had burst its bands and fallen over her shoulders. He tried to rouse
+her, called her name, and said: 'Chios is here, Nika, awake!' But she
+lay as one who was dead.
+
+What could be done? Her bosom heaved--she was not dead--she would come
+to again. He could not leave her for assistance, for if she awoke and
+found herself alone, she might die. He knelt by her side, and chafed her
+hands; but it was of no avail. Just then a thought came into his mind.
+He would paint her as she slumbered in that death-like swoon. He seized
+his brushes, and quickly wrought a picture--sketchy, but true--and when
+it was drawn he called it 'Death.' Then came signs of awakening. Tears
+flowed from the half-opened eyes, and rushes of colour, like the morning
+sunrise, stole over her cheeks. Then the mists cleared away, and she saw
+Chios kneeling before her, and, with a wild, convulsive start, she fell
+upon his neck, crying, 'Save me! save me!'
+
+And Chios answered:
+
+'Thou art safe. What fearest thou?'
+
+'I fear the face of Saronia. I shall never forget it. It is like when I
+fell before her as she cursed me.'
+
+'Calm thyself! I tell thee again there is nothing to fear. I am with
+thee--no harm shall befall.'
+
+'Dost thou not fear her thyself?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Then--thou lovest her?'
+
+'What madness seizes thee? How can I love a sacred priestess of the holy
+Temple?'
+
+'A woman is quick to read a man. Whether thou knowest it fully or not, I
+tell thee thou lovest Saronia, the chief of the priestesses of the
+mighty goddess. Chios, thou hast power over this fearful being! Oh that
+she were not a priestess!'
+
+'Why so? What difference would it make to thee?'
+
+'All.'
+
+'Tell me what thou meanest.'
+
+'This. If it were possible for thee to approach her, thou couldst
+intercede for me. The curse might be removed from off this soul; bit by
+bit, as the sun darkens by eclipse, so my spirit grows more night-like,
+and soon my lamp shall go out in darkness. I know it is impossible for
+thee to speak to her, or I would ask thee, but canst thou not send to
+her privately? Love thee I am certain she does. This curse somehow
+sharpens my intellect, and my inner sight is clearer. I perceive things
+which wound me sorely. If she loves thee, she cannot deny thee. Wilt
+thou help me? Thou hatest me not, neither dost thou love me. All this I
+have seen long since; but I love thee dearly. What need have I to say
+this? Thou art already aware of it. It is not meet I should thus speak,
+seeing I am betrothed to Varro. It is not chaste to unburden my feelings
+in this manner, but my so doing will not injure the Roman or conjure up
+the fire of love in Chios for Nika. No, it will not harm.'
+
+'Nika!'
+
+'Listen, Chios. I would die for thee. Is not this love worthy of thy
+regard, worthy of an effort on thy part? Wilt thou not take pity on a
+poor outcast soul? And, Chios, if thou art vexed with me for divining
+thy love for Saronia--vexed with my love for thee--then, if I cannot
+banish such love--the curse of a love for thee without a love in
+return--then, forgive me, and I will bury it, that it may never rise
+again from the grave of my heart. Oh, help me--help me!'
+
+'Nika, hear me calmly. There was a time when I could speak to Saronia;
+but she now soars to an altitude unapproachable, and I can follow her
+only afar off. I dare not send a message to her. She, who stands first
+of Ionian women, Queen of the World next the goddess, how is it
+possible?'
+
+'Chios, all things are possible whilst life lasts. If death cut us down
+in the endeavour, then there is an end of it; but to dare unto death
+requires love stronger than life. Command me to see her on thy behalf,
+and I will speak to her or die in the attempt.'
+
+'Good girl, I do not require thine assistance. I have no message for
+her. How can I help thee? Would that I could! Let me think for a moment.
+I have a plan--the Roman! Thou hast influence with him, say?'
+
+'He adores me.'
+
+'Then propose to him that I paint Saronia. Thou hast seen the picture.
+It is like her, is it not?'
+
+'It is, truly so.'
+
+'Well, no one knows I am engaged on this work but Varro, and he caught a
+glimpse of it; we can make it necessary that I should see her at the
+Temple. If the Roman offer to present the picture, this will be granted.
+He is wealthy and can pay a large sum for the painting, but I will
+return every coin. If my greatest work can aid you, freely, freely will
+I give it; but, hear me, this will be a fruitless endeavour.'
+
+'How so?'
+
+'Because, if such a curse is on thee, it is not the curse of Saronia.
+She would not blast thee. If such a thing exists, it is the curse of
+Hecate. The priestess had never the power to conceive it, neither the
+strength to kill it; but hear me further. I do not believe thou art
+cursed. My view of a presiding demon or divinity runs not in such
+direction. Gods and goddesses roam not to and fro blasting spirits of
+mortals in such manner. It is an idea born of older times, and doubtless
+will survive down the ages until men grow wiser; then such nonsense will
+be looked upon with ridicule, and become a thing of the past.'
+
+Nika shuddered, and said:
+
+'Would I could think so! I know what I say is true--I am as certain of
+it as that I exist. Were I bereft of reason and madness clothed me as
+with a garment, yet this curse, burnt into my soul with letters of fire,
+would be understood in all its power to me.'
+
+'It is useless talking to thee, foolish girl. I will do as thou wishest
+with the picture of Saronia.'
+
+'And I will away and do my part, and hope, ere many days are ended, thy
+project may bear fruit.'
+
+Pale and agitated, she arose to go. Chios said:
+
+'I will accompany thee and pay my respects to thy mother;' and gathering
+a bunch of orange-blossom and roses, he gave them to Nika.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XVIII
+
+                             WARNING
+
+
+As they passed the gateway, Endora, the witch, stood by and gazed at the
+girl and Chios. The maiden pitied her, and gave her a coin of gold. The
+old woman looked up, first at Chios; then, turning to Nika, said:
+
+'May the choicest flowers of life ever strew thy pathway, fair lady, and
+may the goddess---- But stay, I cannot bless thee. I have no power to do
+so. Would that I could!'
+
+As they passed away, she muttered:
+
+'I cannot even try to bless her; she is accursed of Hecate--I read it
+too well. Ah, ah, ah! She is like unto me: both are outcasts; she in the
+heyday of youth and flowing over with wealth, I an old hag and poor as a
+barren rock, save for this bit of gold. The goddess is no respecter of
+persons. What can be the sin of this golden-haired beauty? Mine I know.
+I will unravel hers. Where does she go, I wonder? And with Chios? And he
+gave her the richest flowers. I will follow far behind. My sight is
+keen. I will know where she perches.'
+
+So Endora followed, and saw them enter the house of Venusta. The witch
+accosted a little child.
+
+'Knowest thou the lady of this dwelling, innocent one? I am seeking
+alms, and would know her name.'
+
+'The lady of the house?' replied the girl.
+
+'Yes, of this one,' pointing with her finger. 'This house,' and she
+pierced through the eye of the child, who started back with dread. 'Tell
+me, quickly, who resides within.'
+
+'Venusta, wife of Lucius, the Roman sailor.'
+
+'And who was that fair maid who passed in with the noble Greek?'
+
+'That was Nika, her daughter.'
+
+Endora moved off, murmuring, 'Nika! Nika!' A sudden frenzy seized her;
+her eyes glared out like spots of fire.
+
+'Nika, is it? Ah, I know her pride! She hunted the chosen of Hecate, and
+now she loves without being beloved, and the curse is strong upon her.
+She has her reward. Starving am I, and this coin would buy food; but I
+will never use it. No, back it shall go to the giver! The flying slave,
+starting eyes, haunted look, speak to me. I helped to save, encourage
+Saronia. I will never fatten on the alms of her enemy! No, no; outcast
+as thou art, poor soul of mine, I will not taint thee further by
+accepting such as this.'
+
+So she went back to the girl to whom she had spoken, and said:
+
+'Take thou this golden coin to the slave who stands in yonder vestibule
+and say it belongs to Mistress Nika, that she gave it to a woman at the
+gate of Chios, and that the woman has no use for it. Now go, quickly,
+and perhaps she may reward thee. I would, but have none to give.'
+
+For very fear the child took the money within, and the witch Endora
+passed on her way.
+
+As the woman went by the Temple, a company of priestesses passed the
+outer walls and made for the grand entrance. She hurried forward and
+overtook them, singling out a striking form, one whom she could not
+mistake, and, rushing to the front, fell prostrate at her feet, crying:
+
+'Mercy, lady, mercy; hear me! Do not turn aside. Rather would I ye
+should use me to clean the dust from off thy sandals ere ye enter the
+sacred courts.'
+
+'What hast thou to say?'
+
+'Mighty priestess, thou art Saronia.'
+
+'I am.'
+
+'Did I not tell thee, noble lady, thy star rode upwards in the Eastern
+sky? and now its light so strong, so splendid, beats upon thee, that
+thou art like a silver moon among the stars. Hear me, great priestess, I
+implore thee. Think of Endora, vile and steeped in iniquity. Pray for me
+that I may be forgiven--pray for me!'
+
+And with a cry she fell to the ground.
+
+'Take her within,' said Saronia, 'and see that she be cared for. I will
+follow.'
+
+Then they raised her, and the poor thing staggered through the great
+court.
+
+The priestess was soon at the side of the wretched woman, and two
+attendants ministered to her wants. When she revived, Saronia dismissed
+the girls, saying:
+
+'Alone I will listen to this tale of grief.'
+
+When they had departed, she took Endora's hand in hers.
+
+'Art thou better? Say on thy story.'
+
+'I am base, worse than thou dreamest. True, I was weak, faint for want
+of food; but I am not penitent. I have no desire to be forgiven. Deeper
+sunk is my soul by this pretending, this false asking pardon through thy
+intercession with the goddess. No, no, no; my spirit is too dark, too
+damned for cleansing! I have another motive.'
+
+'Vile woman, what dost thou mean?'
+
+'I come to tell thee of _Nika_.'
+
+'Nika? Nika of Lucius?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'Stay thy speech, then; she is dead to me. I have no desire to hear more
+of her.'
+
+'But, dreadful Saronia, thou _shalt_ hear _that I have to say_! Thou
+hast a woman's heart, and will listen as I go on. She has been thine
+enemy--still is--she lurks in thy pathway. Venusta is as bad, if not
+worse. Both would singe thy wings, sacred as thou art, and draw thee
+down to be the sport of Ephesus, nor stay their tongues at any lie.'
+
+'What meanest thou? How knowest thou this?'
+
+'How do I know? Do not slaves leave their homes by stealth and come to
+the wise woman Endora that she may read their fate? Such is the case.
+One night, under cover of darkness, a slave slid from the jewelled home
+of the Romans, and sought my wretched den. 'Twas then I plucked from out
+the bosom of the frightened one the secrets of Venusta's house. She
+overheard her mistress say that all in her power should be done to drag
+thee down, appealing at the same time for aid from the Roman Proconsul,
+who has just arrived from Rome to rule Ionia. But--I have more to tell
+thee. Thou knowest Chios, the Greek?'
+
+'Thou art growing too familiar, Endora.'
+
+'I am aware of it, august lady, but this familiarity is but the outcome
+of my strong desire to aid thee. I will say my say if cast to death for
+it. Remember we serve one goddess. Thou art blessed; I a rebel and
+cursed. But Hecate is our goddess. I say thou knowest Chios; I know it
+to be so, I noted his kindness when thou wert a slave. Rememberest thou
+the time when, standing without the great theatre, waiting the bidding
+of the Roman reptile, he came and spoke words of comfort to thee--to
+thee? And below, in the depths of thy heart, are many cherished windings
+of the past wherein he lit thee through the briars.'
+
+'Cease, woman: no more of this! I may arise and destroy thee. Darest
+thou insult the servant of Diana?'
+
+'I insult thee not; I tell the truth, and truth is a rare commodity with
+me. Thou canst slay me! If I lie, then would I fear, but, speaking the
+truth, I make thine hands weak and thy wings weary. Once more I say at
+that time thou lovedst him, and could not help doing so; and this also I
+assert: Chios loves Saronia--Chios is content to feed on those memories
+of the past, and so art thou. Thou art forbidden by thy office to love
+other than the goddess, but I tell thee woman must love, and in secret I
+know thou must keep this love aglow--_eternally_ so--like a vestal
+flame; and woe, I say, to the woman that crosses thy path to kill this
+light, to put out this flame! Now, such a being is Nika--Nika, the Roman
+girl; she attempts it. I have told thee; I have warned thee.'
+
+'Thou talkest madly. What have I to do with Nika or Chios?' And,
+pointing towards the great Temple, Saronia exclaimed: 'There is the
+gateway to my only love!'
+
+'No, no, lovely priestess! I am right, and thou must hear me to the end,
+and then, if thou desirest, may'st destroy me. 'Twas but to-day I stood
+at the gate of Chios asking charity, when he and Nika came forth. One
+could see by her face beaming with radiance that words of tenderest
+meaning clung like flowers of jasmine around her heart, and she bore in
+her hands richest blossoms of varied hue culled from the garden of
+Chios. Now, mark well what I am about to say. He loves her not--of this
+I am certain, but she has drawn him with her subtle wiles and may bind
+him as a slave--bind him with her web as a spider chains a fly. He is a
+good man being netted by an artful fowler; a part of their hate for thee
+would be gratified could they but take Chios in their snare, make him
+their tool in bringing forth their darkest designs on thee. I warn thee
+of this treacherous girl and her wolf-like dame. Take heed. Beware, lest
+Chios and Nika join them for thy destruction.'
+
+'How didst thou know Chios?'
+
+'Have I not told thee I saw him near the great theatre talking to thee
+when thou worest the robe of golden brown, the badge of slavery?'
+
+'True.'
+
+'Yes, Chios I knew well, but the girl I knew not. And, when they passed,
+she with the golden hair gave me a coin--a coin of gold. I would have
+blessed her, and commenced--but failed. Even if I had blessed her, my
+blessings would have been empty words; but even such I could not bestow,
+for, as I spoke, I looked into her eyes and read her accursed of
+Hecate.'
+
+'Hush! 'tis fearful!'
+
+'I hurried after to know her name, and saw her enter a sumptuous home on
+the slope of Coressus, and was told it was Venusta's place, and she who
+entered Nika, the daughter. I sent the golden disc within, saying I
+needed it not. I could not take alms from the accursed girl, the young
+tigress who would have maimed thee--killed thee! This is my story. I
+go.'
+
+'Hast thou more to say?'
+
+'No, noble priestess. Let me go. The truth is said. Now I am weak again,
+and thou couldst crush me as a moth between the fingers, or I might
+presumptuously fly too near the flaming lamp and be my own destroyer.'
+
+'I cannot let thee go as thou earnest, in poverty. Thou wilt, I am sure,
+take from my hands these bits of gold in place of that thou sacrificedst
+for me. They will buy thee food and wine and raiment, and help to give
+some little joy. Go thy unhappy way. I pity thee, Endora--I pity thee,
+and I tell thee I will care for myself; but no harm can come to me
+whilst I follow that which is good.'
+
+Saronia left her, retired to her private chamber, and threw herself down
+to rest awhile. She believed all the woman had said. She had faith in
+Chios, but would he be firm amidst the temptations which beset him? Then
+she arose, and walked to and fro the room like a caged lion. She could
+not move out and wage warfare; it was an unequal fight. What could she
+do? For a moment jealousy sat upon the throne of reason, and she became
+fearful to look upon. Should she, in the might of her fury, blast this
+girl before her time? Should she pour forth her mystic spells until they
+consumed her very vitals? No! She would, at any rate, if war must come,
+battle with her, spirit against spirit, woman against woman. For the
+present she would wait events.
+
+She wished now she had kept Endora, and bade her bring news from the hum
+of the busy world. Never mind; she could summon her at will. One thought
+could fetch her. She was mightier in will than the wise woman, and, as
+Hecate could summon her priestesses, so Saronia could call the witch.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XIX
+
+                        THE DAWN OF FAITH
+
+
+The day had arrived, and Varro and Chios were to meet the priests and
+priestesses concerning the picture of Saronia. Many eyes were turned
+upon them until they entered the Temple and were hidden from view.
+
+When the time came for the Roman to approach the High Priest, he
+addressed him thus:
+
+'Most noble of the Megalobyzi, most exalted among men, king of priests,
+High Priest of the great Diana, whose fame extends from Central Rome to
+Britain in the West, where stands a temple to her name--fame which
+extends not only from the centre to the West, but back again through the
+great world until it grasps the lands and islands of the far-off East,
+we, in all humility, and for the great veneration in which we hold the
+goddess, would help to honour the name of her great High Priestess,
+Saronia, before whom we bow lowly, and salute her first among women, by
+presenting to this holy shrine a picture truly painted of this noble
+virgin, that her goodness and beauty may ever appear before the eyes of
+the worshippers of her august mistress, Diana Triformis.'
+
+Then replied the chief Megabyzus:
+
+'Have we an artist in Ephesus who could do justice to our noble queen?'
+
+'We have,' said Varro; 'Chios the Greek. This is he.'
+
+'Good, most esteemed Proconsul, but remember it is enacted that the High
+Priestess cannot leave the precincts of the Temple to sit for this
+picture.'
+
+'That we know, and to this end have secured the help of Chios, who knows
+well the face of great Saronia, and he has almost finished the work.
+Wouldst thou, in the name of the goddess, accept it from my hands?'
+
+'We will, and mayest thou, good artist, prosper in thy work, and
+consider thyself fortunate that this honour is conferred on thee, the
+honour of immortalizing the loveliest woman since the time of Helen.'
+
+'Most noble priest, I am thine humble servant, and reverence thy creed.'
+
+But as Chios raised his eyes to those of Megabyzus, he saw them filled
+with a strange fire--eyes like those of an evil spirit, gleaming behind
+the living windows of darkling hue. It was but for a moment, and the
+priest turned to Saronia, saying:
+
+'Thy consent to us already has been given. Wouldst thou speak to these
+noble friends?'
+
+Then the girl, in her beauty and power, addressed the Roman in accents
+sweet and queenly, thanking him for the gift; and, looking on Chios as
+if she had never before seen him, said:
+
+'Noble artist of the Ephesian city, when wilt thou scan my features--say
+when--and in what part of this Temple may I linger that thy efforts may
+be complete?'
+
+'I purpose to trouble thee but little, mighty priestess. I will come
+when thou art offering sacrifice at the altar, and gaze on thy splendour
+afar off. As it has been said, the painting is well-nigh finished. I
+have beheld thee often when I worshipped here. Thy lineaments are graven
+on my memory. When word is sent me I will come.'
+
+'Well, it shall be quickly,' said she, adding, with a smile: 'Before my
+beauty fades, if any there be. Come to-morrow at the hour of sacrifice,
+and thou wilt see Saronia.'
+
+When they had retired, she meditated within: 'What meaneth this strange
+proceeding? The affianced of Nika presenting the picture of Saronia to
+the Temple, and Chios to paint it. There is evil afloat. The stormy
+petrel skims the waves. I will find from Chios the meaning of this
+secret work. No good for me can come from the house of Venusta. Be
+patient, Saronia, and thou shalt learn all. I will contrive to speak
+with Chios. Out of his heart of love he will tell me all. His eyes
+looked into mine: his mind was pure and shaped towards me. Good Chios, I
+trust thee, but I will try thee.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The next day when he arrived the Temple was full of song--white-robed
+priests and virgins stood around the altar offering their devotions,
+whilst the incense-cloud rose upward through the open roof like a
+morning mist hanging around the mountain.
+
+He was seated in a nook of the Temple where great pillars hid him from
+view. He heard not the morning song nor saw the incense-cloud ascend; he
+saw but one object, and that was Saronia, with uplifted eyes filled with
+radiant mystery, beseeching Heaven, the loose drapery hanging in snowy
+folds around her form and falling to her feet.
+
+One half-hour, with such intent as Chios had, was worth a lifetime to a
+meaner man. Every touch of the brush told, and ere the service ended he
+rested, and gazed passionately on her he loved so well.
+
+The song sank down to a whisper and died, burying its harmonies among
+the mighty marble pillars. Priestesses and priests moved away, leaving
+Saronia alone at the great altar, looking like the goddess of the
+shrine. For a moment she was silent, standing like a statue of Scopas;
+then she beckoned Chios to come forward, and moved away from the
+flower-strewn altar to meet him. The eyes of the girl spoke
+love--softest, tenderest love--but the face of Chios was like the
+granite rock of Bolerium. He knew he faced the opening through which the
+priests had passed, and feared to smile. Her lips parted, and she said:
+
+'Chios, what brings thee here? There is mystery in it all.'
+
+'Thou hast truly said. I have a mission to speak for Nika. My words must
+necessarily be few and to the point. She pines with the weight of the
+curse of Hecate, and asks thy intercession.'
+
+'Ah! I see through it all. Nika, the torturer, the serpent, would rob
+Saronia, and thou, half-hearted, art tottering on thy throne.'
+
+'No, Saronia. Hear me!'
+
+'I will _not_. Listen thou to me. If this curse were removed, thou
+wouldst marry her. She knows thou never wilt whilst it remains. I have
+not power to undo what my goddess binds. Had I, Saronia would _never_ be
+the one to feather an arrow for Nika. No, no; go thy way! Choose ye whom
+ye will love. I will never force thee to love me, neither will I help
+thee to love another. Farewell!' and, turning sharply, she went, and as
+she passed away turned again, and gave one look of love, so tenderly
+that the great tears swept down the cheeks of Chios. She saw them, and
+read his answering love.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+He was alone. The Temple, with all its grandeur, was a tomb. He
+staggered to a seat, and for a while seemed as if his soul had gone
+away. Then, arousing himself, he gazed long and lovingly at the spot
+where she had stood near the altar steps, and then went out into the
+fierce glare of the sun.
+
+Passing from the Temple, he espied a stranger coming towards him. As he
+approached, he discovered him to be the man he met very nearly at the
+same place when the great procession passed.
+
+'We have met again,' said Judah. 'How hast thou fared? Thou dost not
+seem happy.'
+
+'Thou hast rightly said. I suffer.'
+
+'Perhaps I may comfort thee. It will not be the first time I have
+ministered to such complaint.'
+
+'No, thou canst not. My sorrow is too deep to be fathomed, and too
+sacred to expose.'
+
+'I like thy thoughts, young man. Wert thou taught them yonder?' pointing
+towards the Temple.
+
+'No; they are the fruit of a mind that receives no impetus from such
+fraud as so-called worship is.'
+
+'Thou speakest strongly. What knowest thou of worship? A mind perturbed
+like thine is like a troubled sea, with never a place for calm. The
+worshipping soul is not thine.'
+
+'True, friend; I may not be a worshipper, neither wish to be one. This
+life is a mystery; the next a deeper one. If we cannot understand this
+earth-life, and are unable to trust mortals whom we see and know, how,
+then, can we trust those whom we have not seen?'
+
+'Shall we bestow our affections on the gods, who may not exist save in
+our imagination, or, if they be, for all we know, they may ridicule our
+adoration, make sport of us, tools of us to suit some purpose in pursuit
+of their own glory.'
+
+'Art thou a philosopher?'
+
+'I am an artist.'
+
+'Why followest thou this profession?'
+
+'Because I love it.'
+
+'Hast thou fame, riches?'
+
+'Yea, sufficient.'
+
+'Why dost thou work?'
+
+'That I may portray Nature in her beauteous forms, and give them forth
+to the people, that they may ever have the truth in trees and flowers
+and the ever-changing sea.'
+
+'Thou hast a benevolent spirit, and thy works betray such. Is it not
+so?'
+
+'Man should not herald every atom of good he possesses.'
+
+'That is true; but, nevertheless, a man's works reflect his inner being.
+What is thy name?'
+
+'Chios.'
+
+'A Greek?'
+
+'It is so.'
+
+'Then listen, Chios the Ionian. If thou canst be judged by thy works,
+judge ye the Creator of Nature by the same law. The God who made the
+pine-tree shoot forth from the darkling earth and grow upwards towards
+the vaulted heaven, clothing its foliage with the morning mist as with a
+garment; winged the great eagle which gazes on the sun, and made him a
+home amongst the rocks on yonder mountain-side; painted the petals of
+the rose which scatters perfume on the languid air--He who rolls the
+waves towards the shore, breaking eternally by His decree; the God who
+made the loveliest form in which a soul ere robed itself; fills the
+fruitful earth with food for men--judge Him, I say, by His works, as I
+have judged thee by thine. Are not His acts benevolent--are they not
+proofs of love? Thy acts are feeble attempts, and so are mine--little
+imitations, the outcome of His breath within us. His are boundless,
+eternal, and show forth His guardian care for all His creatures.'
+
+'I never looked at the matter in this way,' replied Chios. 'Thou seemest
+right. There must be a great First Cause behind all this, and it does
+appear His motive is unselfish.'
+
+'In that thou sayest truly, for God is love.'
+
+'What! So have the gods and goddesses of Greece that passion; and, if
+our traditions be correct, they loved too well, and made fools of
+themselves.'
+
+'Again, Chios, thou art wise. I say thou art also true; but the loves of
+the Grecian gods is not the love of my God. The traditions of your
+Ionian faith are lies. There are no gods but One. The passions imputed
+to them are but reflections of that which is impure in man. That which
+dwells in the bosom of the Infinite is purer than the river at its
+source, rising into light through the fissures of the rock. The best of
+man's love is selfish, and we exchange love for love. Men do not bestow
+their affections on those who hate them, but the Eternal One loves all
+with an amplitude beyond comprehension. "For God so loved the world that
+He gave His only begotten Son, that we might have life eternal."'
+
+'What dost thou mean by life eternal?'
+
+'This: that thy life may spread out into the great future, and the
+spirit be young when the stars grow dim and the sun be dead, and
+knowledge accumulate higher and deeper, joy broaden out as the aeons on
+aeons pass slowly behind thee, gathering in number like sands on the
+sea-shore; but never a shadow of death will lay on thee--never thy years
+will cease to be numberless. Thou wilt begin it, never wilt end it--end
+there is none.'
+
+'Thou art mighty in thy thoughts. I would know more of thee.'
+
+'Nay, it matters not to thee what of myself. My purpose will be served
+if I can lead thy mind into the channel of truth. I deem it fair to say,
+thy face being once set towards the goal, thou wilt pursue thy course
+till all is well.'
+
+'Thou thinkest too highly of me.'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Well, this I promise, good man: I will give fairest of hearing to thy
+teachings, and hope thou mayest implant the seed of a good faith, which
+may spring up and bear a bountiful harvest; but tell me ere we part, in
+the great life thou speakest of where is my future home? who are my
+companions?'
+
+'They shall kindred spirits be. What thou makest thyself here determines
+whom thou shalt dwell with yonder. Thine abode shall suit thy soul. Here
+men of evil build palaces and dwell therein, whilst others, as pure as
+the mountain breeze, crawl in and out a hovel or a rocky cave; but in
+the new life this shall not be. In what part of the mighty universe thou
+wilt begin thy course I cannot tell--perchance one of those bright orbs
+of light which shine forth so sweetly may be thy home. Then on and on,
+through space illimitable, but always nearer the infinite. Here mother
+and father greeted thee, but yonder, where there is no marrying or
+giving in marriage, God Himself shall be all in all, and meet thy
+coming. Take this parchment; I have written it for thee. Read it well;
+bend thine heart in prayer, seek communion with the Great Spirit that He
+may give thee light, for without such the words of man are useless. I
+wish thee well, Chios, and will see thee again.'
+
+As he passed away, Chios felt such a sense of loneliness as he had never
+before experienced. A faint dawn was breaking, and he murmured: 'Where
+there is no marrying or giving in marriage;' and the dark eyes of
+Saronia seemed to gaze steadily into his soul, until he cried: 'We must
+follow hand in hand through the life that is to be. Light without her
+would be darkness; life, however long, would be eternal death!'
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XX
+
+                            PLEADING
+
+
+When Chios next saw Nika there was a look of great anxiety on her
+beautiful face. She said:
+
+'Well, hast thou seen Saronia?'
+
+He knew not what to answer, and for a moment was silent; but the silence
+was soon broken by the girl muttering:
+
+'She has refused. Tell me, is it not so?'
+
+'Yes, she has, and I can do no more.'
+
+'What did she say?'
+
+'Her words were few, but to the point, to this effect: she had not
+cursed thee--if the goddess had, Saronia had not power to revoke it.'
+
+'As I thought. She would not stir as much as the quiver of a leaf to aid
+me; she hates me. Nevertheless, I am no worse by thy asking, rather
+better, for a fresh knowledge springs into my mind, whispering I was
+mistaken. Now I know she loves thee not, or would have granted thy
+request, Chios. No, there is no love in that great dark spirit. She has
+no counterpart, no affinity, and must move for ever feeding on herself;
+and thou, Chios, must see all this as well as I, and own if there were a
+love in thee for her it is a hopeless one, never to be returned.'
+
+A deep gloom clouded that lovely face, plunging her into deepest
+thought. Suddenly recollecting herself, she said:
+
+'What answer makest thou?'
+
+Chios looked into Nika's eyes.
+
+'The feud between thee and the priestess I may not judge, but Saronia is
+not a being who may revolve in an orbit moving in her eternal circle
+through the ages without passing the path of a kindred soul whom she may
+love. She will find her counterpart, and love as intensely as her mind
+is great and her faith strong. Thou knowest, girl, I would not for
+unnumbered worlds willingly cause thee a sting of heart--I never have;
+but I am compelled to speak as I have in vindication of Saronia.'
+
+'Thou ever didst it; it is no new phase.'
+
+'No; and it must remain so until this clay of mine is strewn to the
+winds, and after that, when my spirit is free to breathe the softer air
+of the summer land, even then would I vindicate her, if a myriad demons,
+dark and hellish, stood forth in fierce array to damn her!'
+
+'Oh, Chios, where hast thou learned to speak like this? It is so much
+like her that, if I knew thee less, I should count thee her affinity.
+Thy look is terrible. Calm thee, my noble brother, for more thou art to
+me--calm thee, Chios; I fear thee for the first time. Thou wilt not also
+curse me. Look at me! pity me! I have bared my very soul to thee. Spurn
+me not. Thy look tells me thou art on the verge of doing so. Let me
+cling a little to thee, Chios dear. Help Nika. Cheer her, if with only
+one tender look. I have somewhat learned to bear the curse of Hecate,
+the curse of loving thee without return of love, but can barely carry
+it, and often fall. If thou shouldst put out thy spark of coldest
+charity and leave me in darkness, Nika will fade and die.'
+
+'Cease, foolish maid! why speakest thou thus to me? It is not fair to
+the Roman to whom thou art betrothed.'
+
+'I know it all. What can I do? Can a maiden love two men? No, I love
+thee, Chios, and cannot help it. My love for thee grew from childhood. I
+cannot kill it. The Roman I respect, and may become his wife. Should he
+chide, I would meet him word for word, and the quarrel would not wound
+my soul, because I love him not; but with thee all--all is different.
+Say what thou wilt, raise thy jewelled dagger to slay me, my tongue
+would be as silent as the breaking dawn--ah, as silent!'
+
+And she bowed her head, for her eyes were wet with tears.
+
+'Come, Nika, no more of this. I am sorry for thee, but thou must not
+reproach Saronia, who is not here to defend herself.'
+
+'Let it be so, Chios. Thou art kind again. Thy voice bespeaks it, and my
+heart leaps up like a ship which scuds with the favouring gale on the
+crests of the foaming sea.'
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XXI
+
+                            THE WITCH
+
+
+It was night in the city of the Ephesian goddess. Gathered around the
+glare of a rude lamp sat Endora and a few who had come to consult her.
+Said one:
+
+'Thou hast heard of the new faith springing up around us?'
+
+'I have.'
+
+'Shall it prosper?'
+
+'I know not,' replied the witch.
+
+'I thought thou knewest everything, nothing being hid from thy
+scrutinizing gaze.'
+
+'Ah, my sons, there are mysteries which I cannot penetrate! Ask me to
+call spirits from the gloomiest hell, I might do so, but this new faith
+relates to a spirit-plane above this earth, where men, they say, are
+gods. Of this place I know nothing; over it I have no control.'
+
+'What is the emblem of this faith?'
+
+'A cross.'
+
+''Tis easily made. Let us form one and adjure.'
+
+'Nay, nay,' said the woman; 'let such things be.'
+
+'No, no; we will make it, and thou bring out thy potent spells. Let the
+faiths fight now! To-morrow we shall war with the new one before the
+sun. The people of Asia are gone mad over the new doctrines, and those
+infatuated by them will on the next day to this gather within the Agora,
+burn their charms and amulets, and fires will blaze with fuel formed
+from choicest books on Asian magic. Up quickly, we say, and to thy work!
+We fear not. Do thy best, and let the gods of this vile sect do theirs!'
+
+With a raven-clouded brow, the witch brought out her potions.
+
+'What hast thou, woman?'
+
+'Various kinds.'
+
+'Hast thou those which cast out demons?'
+
+'I have.'
+
+'Then stand forth Samo--Samo has a legion in him. Art thou ready,
+Endora? Proceed.'
+
+Then she chanted:
+
+    'Demon legion, listen, listen!
+    Hear the voice of Hecate,
+    Hear the thundering of her feet!
+    I, her minion, bid you tremble
+    Ere ye hasten back to Tartarus.
+
+    Seek ye bodies more befitting,
+    With your spirits more in union.
+
+    Come ye out, ye reeking fiends,
+    Never more return to hinder
+    This old man from groping forwards
+    To the radiant fields Elysian.'
+
+Putting her hands forward towards the man and lowering them towards the
+ground, she paused with greedy expectation, whilst the possessed stood
+still with vacant stare, and naught was heard but the barking of the
+night-hounds.
+
+'Thou hast failed, mother,' said Sceva--'thou hast failed!'
+
+'Yes, I know--I know! Look ye--look at the cross yonder! See how it
+streams with living light! 'Tis guarded by spirits of flame more
+powerful than Hecate--ah, more powerful than Hecate is here!'
+
+'Nonsense, woman! cease thy prattling! Thou hast drunk the Samian
+wine--thou art weak to-night. We will abjure. Eh? By Solomon! who left
+us incantations stronger than thine.'
+
+Sceva said: 'Set a basin full of water on the floor. It shall be
+upturned by unseen hands, that we may be assured of the departure of the
+demons.'
+
+Then, drawing from the folds of his dress a blood stone ring, he placed
+it near the nostrils of the demoniac, commanding the legion to come out
+of him, chanting:
+
+    'By the Jewish altar throne,
+    By the temple at fair Salem,
+    By the rites of Solomon,
+    By the sovereign power of Judah,
+    Children loved by God of gods,
+    Come ye forth, ye fiends rebellious,
+    Hasten with the waning hour
+    Back to hell, your endless house!'
+
+Still the look of Samo was one of blank despair. No voice came from him,
+no paroxysms, no falling to the ground, and the water was unspilt.
+
+Then the men gazed at each other, and Endora said with her sardonic
+smile:
+
+'What ails the gods to-night? They are powerless, and ye also have drunk
+the Samian wine.'
+
+'No, we will not yield,' said Sceva. 'Now for the test! Let us adjure by
+this Jesus whom the wandering Paul preaches, and, by Heaven, we will use
+the cross.'
+
+Rushing forward, he seized it and held the emblem before the man.
+
+Endora cried out: 'Stay! stay! Do it not! I see one by it who looks like
+a God!'
+
+But Sceva said, 'Nay!' and cried out:
+
+    'We, the holders of this symbol,
+    Bid you by the name of Jesus
+    Come ye forth, and ever be so
+    While eternal ages roll!'
+
+Then a voice came forth from Samo, 'Jesus I know, but who are ye?' and
+with the wild frenzy of madness he rushed upon them, tearing their
+garments to pieces until they fled the cave and down the steep sides of
+Mount Pion towards the city.
+
+The poor demoniac had clutched the radiant cross, and fell with it to
+the ground. As he pressed it to his lips, a joyous smile swept over his
+face. He was changed. The tempest-tossed soul was riding at anchor in a
+haven of calm, and the weary spirit shone with glorious sheen.
+
+Endora had fled with the rest. She hid herself behind some black poplars
+until the freed man departed. Then she crept back to her cave, and found
+utter confusion reigning. Things were soon put straight, for she had few
+luxuries.
+
+She sat down meditating on those passing strange events. Suddenly she
+started, crying, 'The Cross! the Cross!' and springing forward, she
+grasped it, broke it to pieces, and flung it from the cave.
+
+'No good can come to me whilst it remains within. It represents not
+Hecate--of that I am sure.'
+
+Then she sat down again, like a spider in its den, trusting some
+visitors might come to consult and bring her gain, for the night was
+clear and the stars shone out like children of the sun.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXII
+
+                        THE LOVE-PHILTRE
+
+
+'Foiled am I on every hand.
+
+'First, cursed by a slave once my slave, and she now the Queen Priestess
+of the Asian people, with myriads at her feet!
+
+'That is not all. She has refused to aid me, even when Chios pleads for
+me, and he--what of him? The only man I ever loved, or ever shall, turns
+from my love and pities me. Curse the pity! Is it come to this, that I,
+a high-born Roman of the Romans, seek shelter from an unknown slave, and
+beg for love from a Greek, and be refused? No, no, Nika! Thou must
+arouse thyself, and thou shalt.
+
+'What I cannot gain by pleadings shall be sought for otherwise. I will
+not be foiled. I will not die, and mix with every common dust borne
+hither and thither by the wanton breeze. Again I say no, it shall not
+be!
+
+'Well then, Nika, bold girl, what wilt thou do? Let me think.
+
+'Of one thing I am certain. Chios loves Saronia. Who knows but that she
+loves Chios? Of this I am not quite sure. No mortal knows the mind of
+that strange being. Ah! shall I say that she loves clandestinely and
+meets her lover?--whirl an arrow barbed perchance with lies and bring
+her down? That will be revenge, but I may in some way implicate Chios,
+and, besides, if I cannot prove my saying, I encounter death.
+
+'No, this is too wild. Cease thy flutterings, vain spirit mine! Oh that
+I had proof of such a thing! Then would I rush to the world, proclaim
+her fallen, and gloat over her wretchedness. It may come--who can say?
+But, for the present, I have another course that will strike home--I
+will do my utmost to bring Chios to my love, and wound to death Saronia.
+
+'I will seek the witch of Ephesus, Endora, and consult her. She will
+help me, for--gold. I will buy from her the costliest charms. She shall
+brew, doubly brew a philtre of love, strong enough to warm the icy Chios
+were he ten times colder than the snows on Tmolus. Neither will I lose
+time. I will meet her to-night. She lives in a darksome cave on the
+Temple side of Pion, and nothing shall daunt me, for, as soon as the
+veil of night is drawn, I will robe myself with courage, and go forth,
+fearing neither the howling beasts nor the shadowy gloom of the lofty
+pines. No, though a phalanx of fiends from the depths bar my passage,
+yet will I press forward like he who fights for life.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When darkness enveloped the city and mountains, she stole forth from her
+home on the lofty Coressus, down the mountain way.
+
+The sweet odours of the night-flowers blew gently against her cheeks.
+She drew her purple mantle around her, and hastened on unobserved.
+
+As she passed the studio gate of Chios, the nightingale sang to its
+mate, but a chill of horror shook her soul, for well she knew her way
+was evil.
+
+Moving away, her spirits rose. She left the great road to ascend the
+side of Mount Pion. Her step was light, and without weariness she drew
+near the cave of Endora. For the first time fear possessed her. She saw
+the witch at the entrance. She had, however, gone too far to retract,
+neither did she want to do so.
+
+Well knowing a girl's appearance in such a place at such an hour could
+point only to one intent, the woman addressed Nika:
+
+'Tell me, lady, dost thou seek the witch?'
+
+'Yes,' replied the girl, 'and thou art she.'
+
+'Come within, pretty maiden, for the winds are chill and the night-hawks
+violent. Nay, stay a moment, do not enter now. I will light the lamp.'
+
+As Endora entered she thought within her: 'This is Nika accursed of
+Hecate, the tyrant of Saronia, the lover of Chios. What darkness is
+abroad? What comes she for to-night? Shall I slay or play with her?
+Revenge is toothsome to me. I have her in my power, and could square
+accounts for Saronia, but what, I wonder, would the priestess say?
+Perhaps I should get blame or death for my work. So I will let her be,
+and will draw from her that which I know the dark girl of the Temple
+will not disdain to hear.
+
+'Now then, Endora, do thy work well. Fear not the Roman lady, and a mine
+of wealth is thine. But what do I care for gold?'
+
+Nika entered the cave, hewn directly out of the rock. An iron ring was
+driven into the roof, and a quaint old Phallic lamp hung down just clear
+of their heads; a winding fissure in the rock let out the smoke. A
+recess was in its inner part, and a time-worn curtain hid a pallet of
+corn-leaves. Two old chests, a few stools, a rude altar, cooking-pans,
+and some quaint trifles spread around made up the contents of the place.
+
+'Sit thee down, lady. Compose thyself. Thou art safe, although the place
+looks stormy. What seekest thou?'
+
+'To know my fate. I have heard thou art deeply skilled in magic, and I
+would know more than the present reveals.'
+
+'Wouldst thou know all?'
+
+'How far would it go?'
+
+'To thy life's end--and beyond.'
+
+'Tell me first. You know the old story. Shall I love? whom? when? and so
+on?'
+
+'Ah, girl, thou hast deeply loved, and he whom thou wilt wed thou lovest
+not.'
+
+'Go on. Gold I have in abundance, and thou shalt be well paid.'
+
+'No, I will not take thy gold.'
+
+'Why not?'
+
+'I wish it so.'
+
+'Thou shalt have it. I have it by me.'
+
+'I tell thee again, great lady, I will have none of it.'
+
+'Why callest thou me great lady? Dost thou know me?'
+
+'No, I know thee not, but see thy fate. Money from thee I will not
+take. Thou camest here safely; thou canst leave at once without
+hindrance.'
+
+'No, no, woman! I have braved the dangers of the night to meet thee, and
+ere I leave fresh light must shine upon my pathway.'
+
+'Ah, thou art a sharp maid! Now, then, what really is thy business?'
+
+'I require a love philtre. 'Tis true as thou hast said, I marry the man
+I love not. I would make the one I love love me. Now to thy work! Thou
+art mightily skilled. I take thee into my confidence. Make the brewage
+sure, quick, decisive; there must be no mistake about it. First, then,
+know who I am--Nika, the daughter of Lucius and Venusta, the Romans. You
+know them?'
+
+'Yes, lady.'
+
+'Hearken again. I love Chios the Greek; I wed the Roman Proconsul
+because Chios loves me not, but if thou wilt compel him, I sink the
+Roman and wed Chios. Now I have bared my soul. Thou hast my secret. Keep
+it and help me, and I will care for thee. Reveal it, and, as I am young
+and powerful, and by Diana, I swear I will slay thee! Seest thou this
+dagger with its glinting jewelled hilt? I draw it. See its quivering
+blade, and beware! Be careful; I am indifferent to all--desperate! We
+are alone. No wavering will I have. Fulfil quickly my behest, and once
+more remember: betray Nika, and like a sleuth-hound I will track thee,
+and like a fury slay thee!'
+
+'Thine eyes are full of fire, young woman, and thy tongue is free. Thou
+art impelled like a ship before the maddening gale. The witch Endora
+knows not coercion, and will not be commanded even by Nika the
+tyrant--tyrant as thou art!'
+
+The girl sprang from her seat, and, with a bound, rushed at Endora, and,
+raising her jewelled hand, struck with her dagger at the woman's heart;
+but the strong arm of the witch was swiftly uplifted, and she clutched
+the wrist of Nika until the dagger fell.
+
+'Fool that thou art to come here in thy madness to take my life! Hast
+thou not sense enough left to understand thou art but a sapling in my
+hands? What shall I do by thee? Shall I crush thee like a worm beneath
+my feet, or shall I let thee live and suffer?'
+
+'Kill me,' said the Roman, 'and end it all! I am tired.'
+
+'No, I will not--I cannot--I have no power to kill thee! Put up again
+thy tinselled weapon. A halo of darkness like a thousand nights envelops
+thy soul. Other hands than mine must slay accursed Nika!'
+
+With a shriek the girl fell to the ground, and the dark, fiendish eyes
+looked down upon her, and the rugged brow of Endora was furrowed like
+the waves of the sea.
+
+Nika had the glare of the lamp shining on her pale, frightened face, and
+the witch stood over her in shadow like a spirit of Hecate--a spirit of
+evil, of lies.
+
+'Thou knowest that dread secret also. Who told thee?'
+
+'No one told me; I read it in thee. My soul saw thine. When thou hast
+lived long enough, thou mayest see in others what I beheld in thee. Now
+sit thee on the seat, and let us converse together. My time is very
+precious; others come. I begin by saying defiance is not for me. Those I
+aid must be subjective. I am mistress when I deal out love-philtres. Let
+me clearly understand. Thou requirest one for Chios?'
+
+'Yes. Say, dost thou know him?'
+
+'Just a little; but methinks he is not the man to be trifled with. I
+advise thee cast adrift this hopeless love, and sow the seed of a new
+one for the Roman. Besides, Chios may love another.'
+
+'Dost thou think so?'
+
+'I think nothing--I know nothing; I simply suggest the very ordinary
+remark.'
+
+'Endora, thou art not far away from the truth. I dare not say what I
+think.'
+
+'Say on; nothing would surprise me after thy mad freak just now.'
+
+'Well, I have a suspicion. He loves a very high personage--a princess.'
+
+'Is it really so, lady?'
+
+'Of course, I am not sure, but Chios always was wide in his actions. I
+knew a time when I believed he loved a slave.'
+
+'To what slave referrest thou?'
+
+'My slave,' replied Nika--'rather, my slave that was, now the great
+Saronia, High Priestess to the Ephesian Diana.'
+
+'Nonsense, girl! thou art dreaming!'
+
+'No, I am not, though in dreams ofttimes the truth appears.'
+
+'But there is no truth in this,' replied Endora; 'and if there were, the
+mighty Saronia is incapable of love.'
+
+'Dost thou know her so intimately as to be able to speak so minutely?'
+
+'Who does not know her? Is she not the most prominent woman in Asia, and
+as good and lovely as she is famous? Thou canst scout the idea from thy
+mind of Saronia loving Chios or he loving her. Who is this princess thou
+hast referred to?'
+
+'A Roman of royal blood.'
+
+'Nika, circle of lies, canst thou think to deceive me, the magic centre
+of Ephesus? I divine thy thoughts, read thy soul to its very core.
+Again, let me advise thee, turn from this love business.'
+
+'No! The philtre, brew it, make it quickly, give it me, I beg of thee!
+I cannot live without Chios. Have some compassion on me. Thou art a
+woman and wise, and canst see in this I lie not--my soul consumes me! He
+rejects me; all this inflames me to grasp quickly at this heart I love.
+In my passion I tried to slay thee. Forgive me, Endora--forgive me; I
+was mad! If thou dost not help me to win him--mark my meaning--I will
+not fail to make him so that he shall never love another!'
+
+'Rash girl, thou art truly beside thyself! Philtre thou shalt have, but
+remember it often turns to madness those you seek to win. What then?'
+
+'What then? I slay myself as an atonement!'
+
+'Again, let me warn thee those philtres do not always take effect. It
+may be like so much water to Chios.'
+
+'Never mind. Let me try.'
+
+'Then have it thou shalt, but what of the Roman? With such intoxication
+for Chios, and if the Greek half equals thee, then it would be so
+apparent to the Proconsul.'
+
+'Never you care! Give me a philtre to cool his love.'
+
+So, without more words, Endora stepped into the gloom of the cave, and,
+opening one of the chests, took therefrom ingredients for the spell. On
+the altar the woman laid some embers of fire, and, pouring oil over
+them, they sent forth a little blaze, shining out and lighting up the
+faces with a lurid glare, casting dark shadows behind them. For a moment
+no voice broke the stillness of the place. After the woman had placed
+her crucible upon the fire, she turned to Nika, saying:
+
+'Listen while I brew.' Stretching forth her bony hands, she said, 'Take
+this, thou haughty Greek:
+
+      'Fish remora,
+      Brains of calf,
+      Hair of wolf and bones of toad,
+      Blood of doves and hippomanes,
+      Scarlet oak and bruised snake,
+      Screech-owl's feathers and marrow of men--
+      Men who have drowned at sea.
+
+    Crackle the laurels under the pot;
+    Thrice I stir, thrice I chant the mystic number three.
+    Who shall withstand the philtre Endora of Hecate brews?
+    Simmer, ye potion!
+    Brew, ye philtre!
+    Spirits of Hades, draw out the essence
+    Of fish and beasts, birds and men!
+    Make the broth strong so the sediment worthless may be.
+    Help ye the drawing of love by the lover
+    From Chios who drinks of this mixture of Hell!'
+
+Turning, she saw the girl pallid with fright and shading her eyes with
+her hands.
+
+'Ah, Mistress Nika, thou art terror-stricken! What if I should clear thy
+vision and let thee see the spirits surrounding the charmed vessel?'
+
+Endora blew out the light, and the twain were in darkness, except for
+the glare of the dying embers. The girl uttered a death-like wail, and
+fell to the ground like a corpse. When consciousness returned, she saw
+the witch sitting in a cleft of the rock, with a sardonic smile on her
+face and a small phial in her hand. But it was not filled with the
+brewage; its contents were harmless. Endora knew her role too well to
+join Nika and Chios.
+
+As the love-stricken maid grew fully awake, she cried:
+
+'Oh, woman, thou art terrible! Is it thus thou makest the philtre? Had I
+known so much, my heart would have failed me. Thou art truly of Hecate,
+and so is Saronia. Is your creed the same?'
+
+'No, proud daughter of Venusta. It is the same, yet not so. Saronia is
+blessed of Diana; I am the accursed of Hecate. Saronia commands those
+spirits by her goodness; I draw them by the evil within me. But those
+shades are the slaves of the priestess, slaves like she was a slave to
+thee, with this difference: she treats the most abject with compassion;
+thou treatedst her with----'
+
+'Hush, woman; no more of this! Let her be.'
+
+'Ah, let her be, indeed; thou dost not intend to. As soon as thou art
+hence, thou wilt do thy best to devour her, as the night-hawk a sleeping
+bird. But beware, girl! Thou art treading a great abyss, an unfathomable
+chasm. Be careful, or thou wilt regret thy undertaking! Shall I say
+more?'
+
+'No, no; the philtre! Give it me, and let me go.'
+
+'Here, take it! But wilt thou not also take this, a counter-one for the
+Roman, to make him, cool as Chios, burn with love? I have such ready.'
+
+'Let it be so,' said Nika.
+
+Then the witch said:
+
+'Be wise: the rose-coloured phial for Chios; the azure for the Roman.'
+
+But the azure one was the brewage of hell.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXIII
+
+                        THE CHARMED WINE
+
+
+There was great excitement in the city of Ephesus, so strong had the
+power of the Christians become.
+
+The story of the demoniac also filled the minds of the people, and a
+great crowd had gathered in the Agora, it being rumoured that converts
+to the new faith would at noon openly burn their mystic books and
+publicly renounce their magical rites.
+
+When the multitude of onlookers saw a vast concourse advancing, bearing
+symbols of the cross, all looked forward to unpleasant proceedings.
+
+As the Christians drew nigh in regular procession, many leading men and
+women were observed amongst them. They came on, singing hymns to their
+God and His Messiah, with heads uncovered in the presence of the sacred
+emblems.
+
+Judah was amongst them, leading a number of men carrying aged
+manuscripts--manuscripts on Asian magic, written by some of the
+cleverest men of ancient times.
+
+The books were piled together, each man laying down his load. A torch
+was applied, and the smoke went up against the cloudless sky. Volumes
+were thrown upon burning volumes, the flames leaped high, rising into a
+pyramid of fire, till the whole were consumed.
+
+Judah stood forward, and, bending over the blackened ashes, cried:
+
+'Thus may error die everywhere down the line of centuries, until good
+shall reign supreme! One God, one Lord, and His Christ, for ever and
+ever!'
+
+Amongst the spectators were Venusta, Nika, and the Proconsul; but they
+were not on the side of the Christians. Their policy was one of
+silence--silence mixed with scorn.
+
+There was, however, amongst that hated sect one whom they well
+knew--Chios the Greek; he saw them and passed greeting.
+
+All would have passed off peacefully but for a traitor Ephesian who had
+mixed himself amongst the Christians, and, to raise the ire of the
+populace, cried out:
+
+'Down with Diana of the Ephesians!'
+
+The mob rushed frantically upon the crowd of book-destroyers, and would
+have torn them to pieces but for the intervention of the law,
+represented by an Asiarch who was present. He calmed the tumult, and
+laughed to scorn the idea of a few misguided men and women trying to
+eclipse the goddess whom all the known world worshipped.
+
+From that hour Chios was a marked man amongst his fellows. They were
+somewhat indifferent as to how the rabble moved, backward or forward,
+but with the Greek it was different--he, the greatest artist of Ephesus,
+whose inspirations had gone to build up the faith! Had he not painted
+Saronia, the High Priestess? and did not the picture hang prominently
+within the sacred precincts of the mighty Temple?
+
+No, he must be watched, secured. If a true charge could not be made
+against him, then a false one must be born. Better for him to go to the
+lions and die than live to embody with his great genius the principles
+of a false faith. Thus did he stand on a volcano of hate.
+
+As the crowd dispersed Chios joined Nika and her friends, and was
+greeted with a covert sneer.
+
+'Did we not see thee amongst the unclean? Shame, good man, to be in such
+doubtful company! Soon thou wilt be at their midnight orgies, and come
+forth an advocate for this pernicious fraud. And who may say but that
+thou mayest be baptized and paint the Christian martyr in the throes of
+death by fire or sword, or caged beasts, eh?--and sign thy name "Chios
+the Christian" also?'
+
+'Come, Chios, put away this melancholy. Come with us; we will cheer
+thee--make thee Chios again. Thou shalt drown thy sorrows in good Ionian
+wine.'
+
+'Yes,' said Nika, 'thou shalt have a draught of rare old Chian wine.'
+And to herself she murmured: 'It shall be rose-coloured, and this day
+shall be the last he shall think of faith or Saronia. Ah! he shall love
+madly, and I shall win him.'
+
+Chios made no retaliation, but smilingly said:
+
+'I will accompany you to your lovely home. Come, sweet Nika, let me sail
+by you. And you, Roman, escort the Lady Venusta. Do not be jealous if I
+make your Nika happy.'
+
+And they walked the shaded way, passing the stately marble edifices,
+until they ascended the side of Mount Coressus, the tall pines nodding
+gracefully as their foliage danced on the breeze.
+
+'Dost thou believe much in this magic?' said the girl. 'I would like thy
+honest opinion.'
+
+'Well, yes, I cannot say I do not believe in it. Undoubtedly, during the
+ages man has accumulated knowledge which enables him to consort with the
+unseen; but at the beginning it was not so, and even now it is unholy to
+do so.'
+
+'That is quite different to what I expected from thee. I expected thy
+hand raised emphatically, and "Nonsense! Childish fancies!" to have been
+thy reply.'
+
+'No, Nika; I search after truth and goodness. Mark ye, all that is true
+is not good; and truth oftentimes is wrapped in error--wrapped in lies.
+I take the wheat and throw aside the chaff! I believe it is true. Man by
+certain peculiar laws may familiarize himself with spirits deeper sunk
+in misery than himself, and may work with them. Believing this, I do not
+practise it. It is not good to do so. 'Tis fraught with direst evil, for
+the spirit here who mixes with such wandering ones sinks to their level
+and joins them when he passes over the boundary. Men--yea, women!--are
+like unto their familiar companions; if not so at the outset, will
+gradually and surely become so. Understand, Nika?'
+
+'Yes, and should feel very timid to move within the magic circle. Thy
+teaching, thou knowest, is law to me. Therefore I promise I never
+shall. But was it not a pity to burn all those beautiful books?'
+
+'No; burn the old creed and start with the new, if the new be better.
+Burn a world if it be vile, and start with a new earth, peopled with a
+few who know what it is to live well.'
+
+'But tell me quickly, Chios, how wouldst thou screen Saronia? She is the
+mightiest sorceress in the land! Wilt thou condemn her also?'
+
+'I condemn no one--I condemn creeds which pilot men to evil, and I press
+forward to gain the purer light. Let each one do the same.'
+
+They passed into the house of Venusta, and, once within the open court,
+all was changed. On the cool, perfumed air floated the softest strains,
+flowing like rippling water from cithara, lute and lyre.
+
+'Nika, dear girl, wilt thou arrange that fruit and wine may be set? Give
+order to thy slave; bid them be brought.'
+
+'Nay, mother, I will see to it all myself. The rich juice of choicest
+grape stands yonder. Let me fetch it--let me be serving-maid to such
+noble guests.'
+
+'Wayward child! A whim of thine, I suppose. Go thy way;' and the girl
+danced off on the lightest foot to the Golden Room.
+
+She grasped the goblets of gold, poured into them the rarest essence of
+the vine, and looked down into their rosy depths, and saw mirrored there
+the consummation of her hopes.
+
+'One thing is needful,' said she, 'to complete the chain. Link after
+link have I forged it, and now for the last to form a chain of love so
+strong, so powerful as to bind the Greek to me for _ever_!'
+
+She placed her hand within her girdle of rubies, and drew forth two
+phials--one azure, the other rose. She held them aloft, one in each
+jewelled hand. The sunlight came through the windows of coloured marble,
+and the phials sparkled like the jewels round her waist.
+
+She gazed on them, a smile lighting up her face. On them hung her life's
+joy--if such a thing as joy could ever warm the heart of Nika, the Roman
+girl.
+
+Yes, if she were doomed, she would be damned beneath the shelter of
+Chios.
+
+The goblets lay on the ivory table. One had a serpent around its base,
+emblem of eternity; into that she poured the contents of the
+rose-coloured phial.
+
+'This for Chios,' said she.
+
+The other vessel had a chaste design of lilies, into which she poured
+the liquid from the azure phial.
+
+'This for the Roman. Eternity for Chios--the fading flowers for Varro!'
+
+On a golden plate begemmed with emeralds she placed them, and went forth
+from the Golden Room bearing the charmed wine.
+
+'Drink!' said Nika. 'Drink joy to the house of Venusta and Lucius!'
+
+And they pledged themselves in Ionian wine.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXIV
+
+                          THE MINSTREL
+
+
+Chios sat lazily in his studio. Work he could not; something had come
+over him--an influence unseen hovered near. He was not sad, nor was he
+joyous. There was a deep quiet reigning such as he had never before
+experienced. He seemed to be moving into a new faith; a serenity of
+softest light lingered around his spirit--a mild delight into which one
+would sink until it blossomed into ecstatic joy.
+
+The light streamed through the open doorway, and fell into the shadows
+which dwelt behind the marble pillars.
+
+He heard soft strains from a distant lyre, and they sweetly moved his
+soul. The melody of song floated on the evening breeze. He arose from
+his seat, and followed the strains down between the sweet-scented
+myrtles to the entrance-gate.
+
+There was a poor emaciated minstrel, singing for bread. The heart of
+Chios was touched; he beckoned to the man, and brought him within and
+set food before him.
+
+'I like thy voice, sweet singer. Now thou art refreshed, tell me of thy
+life.'
+
+'Thou art passing good, kind sir. I was born in Delos, of Greek parents,
+who died whilst I was yet a child. I was thrown upon the cold world. A
+sailor crew took me up, and on board a Phoenician ship I sailed the seas
+to Argos, Spain, and Gaul, and settled in the islands of the West named
+Britain. There I eked out an existence, a stranger on a foreign shore. I
+learned the customs of those strange people, accepted their faith, sang
+their songs, married, lived the life of a Briton until my wife died--I
+loved her--then my star waned. I fell sick, and pined for my Eastern
+home, came back to Sidon, roamed through Syria, Galatia, Phrygia, and
+here; and now, faint, weary, and tired of living, I fain would lay me
+down and die. But for this cherished lyre and the pleasure of song, I
+have no other joy save the memories of the past, and would like to rest
+and join my only love, the British girl of far Bolerium.'
+
+'Ah! a sad story. The same old tale. Love the leveller, affinity,
+fate--one gone, the other panting to follow. Man, thou hast a good score
+of summers before thee. Cheer up! Let us be joyous!'
+
+And Chios poured forth some refreshing wine, and bade the minstrel
+partake of it.
+
+'Now sing me one of thy love-songs, and thou shalt not want for a good
+meal for many a day.'
+
+'What wouldst thou like, good sir? Shall I sing to thee a British song,
+a legend of the Saronides?'
+
+'Sing on.'
+
+Then the wanderer rose and flung his worn mantle over his shoulders; his
+wealth of dark hair flowing from under his cap, and the shadows falling
+around like a veil of mystery, lowering the tone of his pale but
+beautiful face.
+
+Raising his lyre, he swept his fingers over the strings, and a burst of
+harmony arose and filled the marble room; and, as it died away in
+softest echoes, his sweet, clear, pathetic voice sang forth these words:
+
+    'Far away across the seas,
+    Borne by ever-favouring breeze,
+    Skim and plough the ocean's breast
+    To the islands of the West.
+
+    Where the blue waves kiss the land,
+    Where the pearls gleam on the strand,
+    Where the vales of Britain lie
+    Neath the ever-changing sky,
+
+    Lived a British maiden free--
+    Princess, priestess, both was she,
+    When a Roman with his art
+    Wooed and stole this maiden's heart.
+
+    Fled she with him o'er the seas,
+    Past the sea-girt Cyclades,
+    On to Sidon's murmuring shore,
+    But she smiled not evermore.
+
+    For the Roman went his way,
+    And was often heard to say
+    How he left beyond the seas
+    The bride of the Saronides.
+
+    Grew she sadder day by day,
+    Till the Reaper came that way;
+    Then she raised her eyes and smiled,
+    Died, and left behind a child.'
+
+As the last notes died away, the singer saw a great change come over the
+face of the Greek.
+
+His head rested on his right hand, and with the other he convulsively
+clutched a little silver shrine which hung from his neck. He was as pale
+as death; he moved not, spoke not, until the minstrel said:
+
+'What ails thee, noble lord?'
+
+Chios braced himself together, and replied:
+
+'I was deeply touched with thy tender tale. My soul flew out to Sidon.
+Tell me, is this story true?'
+
+'Yes, 'tis true. I knew the priestess princess, but the Roman I never
+saw.'
+
+'What was she like?'
+
+'Beautiful--rarely beautiful! She moved among the Druid bards the queen,
+like a queen of night--tall, commanding, with great dark eyes like dusky
+diamonds; deep, piercing were those eyes, set beneath eyebrows fit for
+Juno. Every lineament of her face spoke forth a soul of souls. When she
+walked, her robe of white fell like a summer cloud, and her dark, waving
+hair in masses of beauty moved over her shoulders down to her feet.
+Everyone knew her, feared her--everyone loved her. In an evil hour she
+fell, was punished, and died far, far away from her island home.'
+
+'What was her name?'
+
+'Saronia.'
+
+'Great God! Saronia?'
+
+'Yea, my lord. Thou art agitated?'
+
+'No, no, no! Go on!'
+
+'Nothing much remains to be told. This only: They mourned her fall, her
+loss, her death. The prophets in that land have cast a destiny of her
+child, and say she shall shine forth as the moon, terrible as the sun;
+that she shall tread with dignity the floorway of a great temple, and
+shall minister at its altar; that she shall rise to the greatest
+eminence, and----'
+
+'Stay! Say no more, man--say no more! Leave her there!'
+
+And a great pain passed over the face of Chios, and he pressed his head
+between his hands as if to hide from his gaze some hideous vision. Then,
+suddenly recovering, he said:
+
+'Hast thou that song written in words? If so, sell it to me.'
+
+'I have it,' replied the minstrel; and, taking from his bosom some
+time-worn parchments, selected one. 'This is it; thou art welcome--thou
+shalt not purchase. The parchment is naught to me; the words are written
+on my heart. This copy shall be thine.'
+
+Chios took it, and saw the song was written on the back of an old Celtic
+manuscript. He cared not for these unknown characters. What he wanted
+was the song only, and for that he would not take a thousand drachmas.
+
+Pressing some golden pieces into the hands of the minstrel, he said:
+
+'Come to-morrow and sing to me. We are friends. Go now to thine home,
+for the chill evening air is wedding the night, and thou mayest take
+hurt.'
+
+When Chios was alone the torrent of his mind was unloosed.
+
+He lit the silver lamp, threw himself on his couch, drew out the
+parchment, gazed long and intently on it, read it again and again--
+
+    'Princess, priestess, both was she,'
+
+until his eyes were suffused with tears, and, overcome with his
+feelings, he fell asleep.
+
+The next day he awaited the coming of the singer, but he came not. The
+day following did not bring him. Then he determined to seek him, and,
+after finding the place of his abode, found the spirit of the minstrel
+had moved to a far-away shore. The singer had sung his last song on
+earth.
+
+This was told to Chios by an old woman with whom the minstrel lodged.
+
+'What is thy name, good man?' said she.
+
+'Chios.'
+
+'Art thou Chios, the great artist of Ionia?'
+
+'They say so.'
+
+'Then take those parchments. The poor fellow wished it so. And, in
+dying, he uttered thy name and another. Poor man! he was only a
+strolling minstrel, but I verily believe he has gone to the Great. He
+was no ordinary man. Peace rest his soul!'
+
+Chios went his way, muttering to himself:
+
+'Ah! peace rest his soul. What of my own? Would I could reach Saronia!
+It is a long time since I met her. I dare not go again. Now my soul is
+greatly troubled. I am wavering in faith and in doubt as to what is
+truth. In danger for my doubt; in love with the being I may never meet.
+For aught I know, death may seal me in oblivion, and there shall be no
+more of me. All this confronts me, and more. I firmly believe I could
+place before Saronia strong evidence from the song and the words of the
+minstrel. See her I must. If I die, one is free--free if I live again! I
+_must_ survive! Though no light breaks over this great problem, no voice
+or echoes from the distant land, yet my soul, finer element of myself,
+whispers, "Thou shalt never die."
+
+'Well, Chios, another attempt. Without a pretext, I never could, but I
+have a strong case this time. Go I will, this very night. I know the
+way, and will venture all. The parchments I will not take--I will leave
+them at my studio.'
+
+He folded them carefully, sealed them with his signet, and addressed
+them to the High Priestess of the Temple of Diana at Ephesus.
+
+'That is right,' said he. 'If I fail, she will receive them.'
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XXV
+
+                        THE SACRED HOUNDS
+
+
+When the night advanced, Chios went his way to the Sacred Grove of
+Hecate. Once near the walls surrounding it, he sprang over and was soon
+among the trees.
+
+The night was still; no sound was heard save the shriek of the hawk and
+the cry of the hounds of the goddess.
+
+Which way should he take? Would she come to sacrifice? What should he
+do--should he give up this foolhardy expedition and retrace his steps?
+No; a strange fascination drew him onwards. Step by step he moved
+forward until he drew nigh to the marble Temple of the night goddess--a
+lonely man amidst the great solitude, and shadowed by the lofty pines.
+No thunderings or voices or lightnings came from the sombre pile; a
+great bird wheeled by, nearly touching him, shrieking as it flew like
+the spirit of a wandering soul.
+
+Whilst wondering what to do, he heard the sound of barking dogs; it came
+nearer, nearer still; they would soon be upon him. Escape there was
+none. He looked for refuge: the trees were tall and mighty, and no
+foothold to ascend. He hid behind the great trunk of the nearest, and
+was no sooner there than a pack of the fiercest hell-hounds came rushing
+down the gloomy way. Swiftly they came. The leaders went past him; troop
+after troop swept by in great masses, until they seemed to be without
+end.
+
+Verily they had an object, for the foremost ones turned and were coming
+back towards him. Some had left the beaten track and were scouring
+between the trees. Evidently they had scented him, and in a second or
+two the foremost brute stood near him with foaming mouth and eyes of
+fire.
+
+For a moment only it stood; the next it was upon Chios and received the
+dagger of the Greek firmly embedded in its heart. Rolling over, it
+uttered a dismal howl and died. Two others were upon him. He grasped his
+cloak, wound it around his arm over his hand and thrust it into one
+animal's mouth, and with one wrench dislocated its jaw. With the right
+hand free, he met the third and plunged his dagger into its side until
+it fell back goaded with pain, and in the throes of death sent forth
+terrific wails, at which the doors of the Temple were thrown open. A
+light streamed down the pathway, lighting up the fierce combat between
+man and beasts. The priests uttered a peculiar call, and every hound was
+immediately obedient; not one left its post, but drew up in a circle
+around Chios, preventing any chance of escape. Torches flamed, and many
+men came towards the place of conflict.
+
+One of the priests stepped forward, and beheld the Greek covered with
+blood, and still clutching his jewelled dagger.
+
+The priest cried:
+
+'What dost thou here on holy ground, surrounded by the hounds of the
+goddess and the slain around thee? Knowest thou the penalty is death?
+Surrender! or we let loose the hounds that they tear thee limb from
+limb. Surrender! we say. Thou shalt have trial, that justice may be
+done, and we may know whether or not thou camest hither by mischance.'
+
+'I surrender. Not that I fear your hounds or death--I surrender because
+I have no right here.'
+
+'Art thou a stranger?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Who art thou, then, besmeared with the blood of the consecrated
+beasts?'
+
+'I am Chios.'
+
+'Chios!' shouted the priests. 'What doest thou here?'
+
+'That is my business,' replied he.
+
+'Arrest Chios the Greek!' cried the chief.
+
+Chios put up his dagger into its sheath, and, surrounded by the
+torch-bearing priests and the hounds following, he walked towards the
+Temple of Hecate. They led him to the rear of the building, and opening
+the door of a cell cut into the solid rock, they thrust him in, and the
+hounds wailed and kept guard the long night through.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+How long he slept he knew not. When he awoke, a ray of light pierced
+through between the joints of the doorway, and he knew the day had come,
+and probably his fate.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It was about the ninth hour, and by this time the priests and
+priestesses of Diana's fane knew of the arrest of the Greek for
+penetrating the mysterious grove of Hecate, and slaying the sacred
+hounds.
+
+What could this strange proceeding mean? All were horror-stricken. None
+could solve the reason of his being there.
+
+Chios, above all others--Chios, one of the best beloved in Ephesus,
+guilty of such a thing!
+
+The news of this strange adventure flew from tongue to tongue until it
+penetrated the conversation of all the people, from the place where the
+philosophers gathered to the Acropolis on the summit of Mount Pion,
+where the Roman soldiers guarded the heights.
+
+From the Temple of Apollo at Claros to the shrines at Phygela nothing
+was so much spoken about as the sin of Chios the Greek.
+
+As the day grew this event gained in intensity, and many were the
+interpretations of his presence there.
+
+The people were divided. Those who were devout worshippers of the great
+goddess, jealous of his leanings toward the Christians, said it was a
+conspiracy on behalf of the hated sect to burn the Temple, and he ought
+to die. Others were more lenient, and looked suspiciously on his being
+within the Sacred Grove, and thought when on his trial all might be
+explained. But should it not, then he should stand to the death against
+the wild beasts within the common arena.
+
+The priests of the Temple would show no undue haste with the trial of
+such a citizen; but feeling ran high, and the ultra-devotees demanded
+immediate action.
+
+He was brought before the august tribunal. Many eminent men offered to
+speak for him. Chios was obdurate, and, when faced by his accusers, and
+asked to explain his position, he politely, but positively, refused.
+Nothing was left for him but death, and he was condemned to the lions.
+
+When the sentence became fully known, and, moreover, that he refused
+explanation, the populace were more than ever confounded, and desired to
+solve the problem. They well knew that, the decree having gone forth, he
+must die; and rightly, said many, or the Sacred Grove would never be
+safe from robbers or midnight prowlers, and the glory of the Lady
+Saviour be impaired.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Chios was handed over to the authorities and lodged in a cell within the
+walls of the great theatre, to be brought forth on a day near at hand,
+when many who were condemned should fight to the end.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXVI
+
+                          ON THE VERGE
+
+
+The judgment pronounced on Chios reached the house of Venusta, and
+daughter and mother were sore distressed, for the Greek was as one of
+themselves.
+
+Nika was broken-hearted, and resolved to save him. What should she do?
+To betray intense emotion might convince Varro of her love for the
+ill-fated man. The Roman was aflame with love, and wrapped in a mantle
+of jealousy, since he had received the philtre from her hands which was
+destined for Chios.
+
+She would approach him gently, and artful as a snake.
+
+When he came that day, she said:
+
+'Hast thou heard of the arrest of our friend?'
+
+'Heard of it? Why, nothing else occupies the Ephesians, and by this time
+all in Lydia, Phrygia, and Caria, as well as Ionia, have heard of the
+sad event. Whatever does it mean, Nika? Canst thou solve it, noble
+Venusta?'
+
+'We cannot,' they both exclaimed. ''Tis a most mysterious affair. We are
+as much at sea to understand as thou. Surely he must have had a motive
+for being in the Sacred Grove.'
+
+'I am dying to know,' added Nika. 'Our sex is full of curiosity. Could
+he not yet explain and stand a chance for his life?' said she. 'In one
+way he deserves his fate: he was always queer and headstrong; but it is
+a frightful thought to imagine him torn limb from limb and expiring
+before our eyes. Can anything be done? Perhaps if I saw him,' continued
+the girl, 'I might extract from him that which he refuses others. There
+was a time when I had some little influence with him, but that was long,
+very long ago. Nevertheless, if thou considerest it feasible, and get me
+audience--private audience, mark you, for he is not the man to unburden
+his mind to the public gaze--I will see him, weak creature as I am. I
+will do my best; and see what thou canst do, if thou dost value his
+life.'
+
+'Good! Well said, Nika! The Proconsul will do what he can. Hold thyself
+in readiness for the morrow. I will advise thee further on this matter.'
+
+The Roman was sad at heart, and soon took his departure, brooding deeply
+over that which Nika had advanced. True, he was the first in the land,
+but could he interfere? He would try. Chios was a noble fellow, and
+would lay down his life rather than be guilty of a mean act. There must
+be some great mystery behind it all. What could it be? Chios the
+generous, truthful, straightforward, faithful friend guilty of
+death--guilty of death for being within a grove called 'sacred,' and for
+killing a couple of infuriated dogs! Nonsense! He was not a robber or
+incendiary. Nothing of the kind; and he would never see the life-blood
+of such a man flow out to the earth, and his dying spasms make sport for
+the people of Ionia. No! To work! He knew by virtue of his rank he
+could see him, and see him he would, and extract from him sufficient to
+save him.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When the morning came, the Roman Proconsul saw the Greek in his cell. He
+was not depressed, nor did he display any fear. He rose to meet Varro
+with his usual courtesy, and, reaching out his hand, grasped firmly that
+of his visitor.
+
+'What doest thou here, Chios?'
+
+'Varro, thou art not a stranger in Ephesus, and hast heard all. Nay,
+more, thou knowest the seal stamped on the decree which bears my fate.'
+
+'Chios, noble friend, I have come to do my best to save thee. Thou dost
+not wish to die? art not tired of life--of the green fields, the summer
+sea, the fleeting clouds of the setting sun? Nature has still a charm
+for thee, I trust? Thou hast not darkened thy spirit with heinous sin,
+hast thou?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Then thou hast a friend in Varro.'
+
+'How canst thou help me?'
+
+'This way: give reason of thy being within that fatal Grove. I know thy
+reason will be good, and thou shalt appeal to Nero. I will see to it
+that it shall be so, and, further, that thou shalt live--free! Now, my
+dear fellow, speak out, and give me hope. Speak, Chios; the house of
+Venusta languisheth to aid thee. Nika would have come, but I thought it
+better to be here myself.'
+
+'Varro, friend in adversity, I have nothing to say. My life is
+forfeited. Let it go. Man dies, and it is well to die with conscience
+clear. Mine is so. No more have I to say but this: My studio--see it
+safely closed. Let no profane eye dwell upon my leavings. When I have
+passed, enter thou, take charge, sell all thou findest there; the
+proceeds give to the poor of this great city. My parchments are there,
+and, as directed by their superscription, deal with them.'
+
+'Chios, do not throw thy life away! This very direction now dropped from
+thy lips tells me thou couldst not be guilty of crime. There is some
+deep-hidden secret resting within thy bosom dearer than life. I respect
+thy courage, and will say no more. As a Roman soldier, I dare not.'
+
+'Thanks, Varro, thanks. Thou art right in being silent.'
+
+'Farewell, noble man; I leave thee to thy fate. It will do thee justice.
+Farewell, farewell, Chios!'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When the Roman had gone, and Chios was alone, the pent-up feelings of
+the Greek broke loose.
+
+'No,' cried he, 'I will never betray Saronia! A thousand deaths, but not
+that! She knows; she understands! When I die for her I can do nothing
+greater. She will feel lonely, but love me more intensely.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Varro went directly to Nika, and told her of his visit.
+
+'Fool!' said she. 'Let him die! If he count not his life worth having,
+why then should we trouble?'
+
+'Nay, child, do not be so rash,' said Venusta. 'Do not speak so lightly
+of his fate. We do not know all. Chios is never the man to act without
+great reason. He will weigh all consequences.'
+
+'Well, well; I will see him myself as a last effort,' said the girl.
+'May I, Varro?'
+
+'Do as thou wilt, but ere thou goest make oath on the honour of a Roman
+lady thou wilt give him nothing to frustrate the decree. The dishonour
+would be on me.'
+
+'Agreed! When may I go?'
+
+'At once. Every moment is precious.'
+
+She was soon ready, and without any apparent perturbation accompanied
+her lover to the place where Chios was confined.
+
+As she drew near her face became blanched with terror, and she leaned on
+the arm of Varro for support. Her courage gave way, and for the first
+time she betrayed a great agitation.
+
+They traversed the line of underground cells until they came to the one
+in which Chios lay. The Proconsul communicated his wishes to the guard,
+and Nika was conducted within, and left with Chios.
+
+When he saw her he started back as if stung with a poisoned arrow. His
+nature told him there was cause to fear. Did she suspect his secret? For
+a moment both were silent, then he exclaimed:
+
+'Nika, why comest thou to such a horrible place? Hearest thou the roar
+of the angry beasts calling for their prey? Art thou not afraid?'
+
+'No, Chios, I fear not, only for thee. That has brought me here. I mean
+to rescue thee. Have I not told thee aforetime that that love which
+would not dare to die for another is not worthy of the name of love?
+Thou hast ever known I love thee. Again, without I dissemble. Here I am
+once more unrestrained. I will speak freely to thee. No one will hear.
+My Roman has given me liberty to hold free and secret communion with
+thee. Now, Chios, we must not bandy words. My visit must necessarily be
+brief, and I have come to aid thee. What wert thou doing in the Sacred
+Grove? Tell me, dearest Chios. Tell me lies or truth, anything that I
+may have argument to plead for thee.'
+
+Then answered he:
+
+'Lies I cannot speak; the truth I will not.'
+
+'Then I know, and will answer for thee. I will say Saronia sent for
+thee, and thou wert there with thy full heart to do her bidding. That
+she deceived thee, or failed to come in time--hence thy position.'
+
+'Woman, thou liest basely! Thou wouldst tear down the honour of an
+innocent person, and build on the ruins the gratification of thy selfish
+passions. Leave me! leave me at once! Why hast thou come here like a
+sinuous serpent, gaudy and beautiful, but carrying a venom dipped in
+hell? Wert thou to attempt this base calumny, I would nevertheless die,
+and dying, shower my curses on thy head, on the head of a perjurer,
+murderess of the deepest blackness! Now go; thou hast had the mind of
+Chios. Chios can meet his fate. Let Saronia rest; she is innocent of my
+act.'
+
+'Dear Chios, do pacify thyself. I was probing only to know the truth.
+Forgive Nika!' And she threw herself upon his neck and wept as if her
+heart would break.
+
+Chios put her from him, saying:
+
+'A dying man cannot afford to carry with him a stormy spirit. When I was
+born, the day, the wise men say, was sunny, the leaves were green, and
+blossoms were on the citron-trees, the birds sang, the winds were
+hushed, and all nature smiled. On suchlike day my spirit came within the
+infant form. I came peacefully, and would leave the same, only with a
+purer soul. Our life here should be an evolution of goodness. Hast thine
+been so, Nika?'
+
+She started back in tears. It seemed but a few short years when she was
+a child, and with swiftness her mind flew back across the summers. She
+saw herself darkened and deformed, and she held down her head in
+silence.
+
+'Ah, girl! my words have touched thee. Let them be my legacy. Remember
+them when Chios is gone. Try and be a nobler girl.'
+
+'Oh, Chios, cease, or I shall die! What shall I do for thee?'
+
+'Nothing! Take my forgiveness, and go. Go to thy betrothed.'
+
+'Is this all? Am I also to be sent empty away? For the sake of all who
+love thee, for the sake of Ephesus, I beseech thee, speak out! Thou art
+not guilty, canst do no wrong. Thou art a sacrifice; thou shalt not
+die!'
+
+She fell upon her knees, grasped his hands in hers, bathed them in the
+tears which fell from her eyes, saying:
+
+'If thou dost die, I will die also. If I cannot lean upon thee here, I
+will pass with thee, follow thee like a faithful dog through the land
+they call spirit. I have no one but Chios--thou art a mighty soul. In
+the great beyond I can look to none but thee. Oh, Chios! oh, love!'
+
+The heart of the man was melting, but his spirit remained firm.
+
+'Poor Nika! would I could help thee! Were it in my power, I would place
+thee in a holier sphere when thy new life comes, but such is not for me
+to do. I cannot assert my own destiny, much less make thine. Thou
+wouldst not help thyself by dying. I fear our ways lie apart. Thou
+wouldst not care to follow me. My affinities are not thine, and beyond
+they would mingle less. Now let me dry thy tears;' and taking her
+richly-embroidered handkerchief, he brushed the pearly drops from her
+cheeks, raised her hand to his lips, and kissed it.
+
+'I will not leave thee, Nika, when I have passed through the vale, but
+will do my best to lead thee through the gloom.'
+
+He took her to the door of the cell and left her.
+
+She staggered forward, lost her consciousness, and fell. They took her
+to the fresh air, and after a while she looked upwards towards the
+skies, murmuring:
+
+'He is gone away. I saw him leave in the midst of a company of gods.
+There--there is the rift in the blue where he entered. Chios! Chios!
+Thou wilt come again--again,' and she fell back as one dead.
+
+Quickly they bore her home. Agonizing fever set in with fury on her
+until all hope of recovery was despaired of. They watched beside her.
+Still there came no turn for the better.
+
+One ever-recurring delirium was hers, and ever and anon she looked up
+with vacant stare, saying:
+
+'The pillar has fallen, the tree is stricken, but thou hast promised to
+return to me!'
+
+After the Roman had taken her to the house of Venusta, he went again to
+Chios, and told him of her unhappy condition, imploring him, for the
+sake of Nika, to free himself, as that seemed the only chance of saving
+her life, for his name was always on her lips.
+
+With profound sorrow Chios bent his head and groaned within, saying:
+
+'Merciless Fates! What have I done to cause such suffering?... My heart
+sorrows nigh to breaking yet my mind is fixed as a rock dashed upon by
+many waves. I cannot alter my decision. I die, even if my own eternal
+destiny were shattered by my refusing to live! All will be well with
+Nika. She will live, but I shall be led to death. Farewell! My farewell
+to Venusta, Nika, and glorious Ephesus with all its beauty! Remember my
+last testament, and, should thou see an aged man with deep intelligence
+stamped upon his brow--a foreigner, and chief of the Nazarenes (thou
+wilt recognise him; he is without counterpart)--tell him I die in peace.
+His God is mine. Again farewell!'
+
+The two men gazed at each other for a moment. The Roman spoke first:
+
+'Chios, thou art mad! Why, this alone would damn thee tenfold! Thou art
+lost! The die is cast, thy doom sealed. Unhappy friend, I pity thee,
+pity thee from my very heart. Farewell! Farewell--for ever!'
+
+And Chios was left to his fate.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The great day had come. Thousands were pouring into the city. It was the
+day when the Ephesian theatre would be filled with spectators to witness
+the slaughter of the condemned--slaves, felons, Christians, and
+Chios--to make sport for the people.
+
+The beasts had been kept without food the preceding day, and were
+ravenous. The multitude had been gathering since sunrise, and already
+the theatre was filled. Never in that generation had such a noble
+citizen as Chios been offered to the lions; and many hard-hearted and
+stoical ones said, 'He ought to die,' but when the testing time came,
+many, many of the people would have saved him.
+
+A rumour had floated, propagated by the witch Endora, that she had
+watched Chios going towards the grove, followed him, and saw him meet a
+Greek girl, a lady of Ephesus. Finding they were discovered, both hid
+within. She saw the girl leave, but Chios remained.
+
+The people, ready to believe almost anything for the sake of Chios,
+accepted this trumped-up story, saying: 'After all, it was a love
+affair, and Chios was not the man to reveal the lady's name.'
+
+Thus the feeling grew, and if the populace by vote could have saved him,
+they would have done so; but this was not possible.
+
+So the time wore on, and the multitude became more excited. The hour
+arrived. Soon the High Priest and Priestess would arrive and the
+slaughter commence.
+
+Chios was being brought forth to the arena just as the High Priestess
+Saronia passed him. Her garments nearly brushed the doomed man, and
+their eyes met. She halted and spoke to her escort, saying:
+
+'Who is that man?'
+
+They answered: 'Chios the Greek, the great Ionian artist.'
+
+With an unbending look she beckoned him towards her. With voice clear as
+a silver bell, she said:
+
+'Of what art thou accused?'
+
+'I am accused of being within the Sacred Grove of Hecate, and slaying
+the hounds.'
+
+'What brought thee there?'
+
+'Madam, that is a part of my crime, that I answer not such questions.'
+
+'Thou art a bold man, but courageous. Hear me, Chios the Greek! By
+virtue of my office, High Priestess of the Lady Saviour, I pardon thee.
+Thy crime is not of the State, but of the Temple. Release him! Let him
+go!'
+
+Those close at hand heard the words of Saronia, and the news passed
+round the great building like a flash of light, and a mighty shout of
+consent rang out like the sound of stranded waves, for they loved Chios
+at heart.
+
+Even the dignity of the Proconsul forsook him for once. He arose, rushed
+out, sprang into his chariot, and drove quickly to the house of Venusta.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Nika lay motionless in sleep, one hand hanging listlessly over the side
+of an ebony couch; her hair, glinted with sunlight, partly hid her face.
+
+The Roman whispered softly:
+
+'Nika, Nika dearest, art thou better?'
+
+Her eyes opened, and she looked up with a stolid gaze.
+
+'Yes. What didst thou say?'
+
+'Art thou better, Nika?'
+
+'Perhaps so. I dreamt a lovely dream.'
+
+'And what was it?'
+
+'I saw Chios walking unfettered amongst the sons of Jove. He said, "I am
+free; I will come to thee."'
+
+'But he is not dead, my sweet girl.'
+
+'Not dead? not dead?'
+
+'No; he is pardoned.'
+
+'Pardoned?' cried the maid, springing to her feet and looking around as
+if still in a dream. 'Pardoned? Pardoned? Why? By whom?'
+
+And her soul awoke to consciousness.
+
+'By Saronia, the Arch-Priestess of the Temple,' said he.
+
+'Saronia! Saronia again? Again?' Then the eyes of Nika fell, and a blush
+like the first crimson streak of morning swept over her cheeks, and she
+said: 'It must be so. Chios--Saronia.'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXVII
+
+                         ONE FOR ANOTHER
+
+
+'Now thou art well again, Nika. After thou hast rested, come with me,
+and see the sports. There will be rare tactics with the retiarii armed
+with nets. One of the swiftest, most agile, will to-day compete with a
+burly warrior. Beside, there will be a fight with beasts--a lion will be
+loosed on a Christian. Come with me into the chariot. Let me escort thee
+thither.'
+
+'No; I am weary. Free from the long dreary sleep, I would now remain
+here, thinking over the strange past. I wonder if Chios will call.'
+
+'I cannot say, dear. I left him near the arena pretty well exhausted.'
+
+'Well, go thou; enjoy the day. Thou lovest manly sports. As for me, I
+will remain here and drink in the sunlight.'
+
+'No; a little excitement may do thee good. The drive will invigorate
+thee.'
+
+'If I must, then let it be so,' replied the girl, and she ordered her
+slaves to prepare her.
+
+The sun was declining, more than half its course had run, when Varro and
+Nika left the house. Once fairly under way, they soon arrived at the
+scene of carnage.
+
+The Proconsul entered, and moved to his seat of honour; by his side sat
+his betrothed. Venusta was also there, and was surprised to see her
+daughter. A few words of explanation soon put matters right, and they
+settled down to enjoy the competitions.
+
+The day was sultry, but streams of water rippled along by the
+gorgeously-decked dais of the Proconsul, and statue fountains on either
+hand at intervals poured out delicious perfumes, cooling the air, and
+making it fragrant as an orange grove when the trees are laden with
+blossoms.
+
+In a place of honour set aside for her sat the High Priestess of the
+Temple of Diana. Over her head was a canopy of gold, and great masses of
+fragrant flowers were piled up in tiers behind her.
+
+She wore a dress of silk dazzling in whiteness, with stars of gold. On
+her head rested a jewelled crown, and her forehead blazed with the
+diamond moon crescent. Her face was severely beautiful; her eyes were
+fixed gazing into illimitable space, bearing an expression akin to
+pain, plainly telling she was there in her official capacity and found
+no enjoyment.
+
+Two attendant priestesses stood by with fans of richest make; another
+held the insignia of the High Priestess, whilst many others, all
+beautiful girls of Ionia, waited for her whispered bidding.
+
+The eyes of the noble-born Roman Nika instinctively wandered in the
+direction of the priestess, and were riveted on the sublime splendour of
+Saronia.
+
+Nika feared, yet desired, to exchange glances. She was strangely
+fascinated, but the woman she hated with such deadly hate saw her not,
+or appeared to be ignorant of her presence.
+
+This aroused a deeper feeling in the daughter of Lucius, and she
+disliked Saronia more intensely. But for fear of those dark, mysterious
+eyes she would have by this time been using her as a point for
+criticism.
+
+The Proconsul wondered why she was so silent, and ventured to say:
+
+'Seest thou the great Saronia? Is she not a mighty being? And fancy,
+she, above all others, the saviour of the life of Chios! What a glorious
+thing is power, and charity to use it!'
+
+Then for the first time did she speak of her, saying:
+
+'Art thou too in love?'
+
+'Dearest Nika, explain.'
+
+'Explain? I mean what I say. The brilliancy of Saronia dazzles, shall I
+say, unhinges the mind of Varro? Remember, do not forget, thou admirest
+a woman who was once my slave.'
+
+'True; I understand it all, and wonder at thy speech.'
+
+'Thou needst not. Men are all alike; they worship every beautiful
+woman--Paris a Helen, Antony a Cleopatra, and Varro a Saronia, whilst I,
+for my own part, see in her only a deep, designing woman, part tiger,
+part serpent. The tiger hath a lovely sleek body with a furious heart;
+the serpent for its creeping artfulness is a byword for deceit. Do not
+get within her fatal circle, or she will sting thee to the very core,
+and then devour thee. I hate her! She has robbed me of my peace, and
+now, with deep conceit and hellish pride, she deigns not to turn her
+head this way. Oh that I had the power to curse her!'
+
+'Fear not, Lady Nika; she will not capture. Thine eyes of blue are
+sufficient magnets to hold me. Besides, she is bound to chastity, and is
+as cold as moonlight on a snow-clad mountain.'
+
+'Yes; and thou mayest add, "In her bosom is a hidden fire like an
+ice-capped volcano with a burning heart." Beware, beware of Saronia! she
+has two natures, extreme in both. Is Chios here?'
+
+'Yes, Nika; he has just entered.'
+
+'Canst thou point him out amongst the thousands?'
+
+'He sits by the arena-gate.'
+
+'I wonder why he is there. Ah, now I see him! He recognises! I will
+raise this crimson oleander to my lips, and greet him with a smile. I
+have a motive; do not be jealous, Varro. Wait!'
+
+Just then the eyes of Saronia turned, and she saw the girl salute Chios,
+and a darkness like storm-clouds on the top of the mountain spread over
+the face of the priestess.
+
+Nika looked defiantly--for a moment only; the withering glance of the
+Temple virgin blanched the Roman's cheeks with fear.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A great shout went up from the multitude; a man of sober mien was
+brought into the arena armed with a dagger only. Proclamation said this
+troublesome Christian would fight for his life and faith with one of the
+fiercest lions of Nubia. He was aged, and took little notice of the
+proceedings. The people said it was a murder, and not a fight. Even Nika
+pitied and Varro wondered.
+
+Presently a messenger came to the Proconsul, and handed to him a
+message. He read it hastily, and answered 'Yes.'
+
+'What news?' said Venusta.
+
+'A request only from some young athlete offering to do battle for yon
+poor aged man. It gladdens me; we shall see better fighting. The old man
+can offer no resistance.'
+
+'Who offers?' said Nika.
+
+'I know not. Some courageous fellow, well paid by the Christians, I
+presume.'
+
+They had not long to wait. The fighter stepped forward, cast a hasty
+glance around, bowed towards where Saronia sat, then to the audience.
+
+For a moment the people were speechless. Then a cry arose: 'Chios! noble
+Chios!'
+
+The Proconsul half arose in his seat by way of protestation, as if he
+would forbid. 'Twas too late. At that instant a lion was loosed, and
+rushed into the arena.
+
+Chios stood unmoved. The beast hesitated for a moment, the light
+striking his flaming eyes. Then, with a roar which reached afar, he
+crouched, he sprang, but missed his prey. Uttering discontent, he lashed
+his sides with fury, and sprang again; but the Greek was too quick for
+him, and a loud shout of applause went up from the mighty concourse.
+'Well done, Chios!' resounded from every side.
+
+One person only was unmoved--one only of that vast assembly was calm. On
+the face of Saronia was the calmness of death. Her eyes followed the
+infuriated brute, and when she caught its glance it drooped its head and
+pawed the earth.
+
+The third attack, and man and beast rolled over in mortal combat. For a
+while nothing could be ascertained for the dust which arose. Suddenly
+the lion fell, with a rivulet of blood issuing from his heart.
+
+Chios arose from the ground, covered with the life-stream of his foe.
+
+Then great shouts of acclaim rent the skies.
+
+'Well fought!' cried they. 'Long live Chios of Ephesus!' resounded
+through the mighty building.
+
+'Chios deserves a crown of gold,' said the Proconsul.
+
+A perfect reaction set in, occasioned by the heroic act of the Greek.
+Those who were loud in protestation turned like a summer wind from south
+to west. All antipathy had fled. The manliness portrayed, risking his
+life for another, brought full reward. Even the great Saronia approved
+the act, and admired the man.
+
+Chios took little heed of it all. He quietly slipped aside, and went to
+his beloved studio. There he always felt happy.
+
+And now he rested, musing upon the past.
+
+'I have not succeeded in my mission,' said he, 'but it shall be
+accomplished.'
+
+Outside his gate was a poor-looking aged man, inquiring the way to the
+studio of the great artist.
+
+'Yonder through the myrtle-trees it stands,' replied a passer-by; 'but
+do not intrude. Let him rest. He is weary from doing battle in the arena
+on behalf of a worn-out Christian. Do not trouble him for alms. If thou
+art hungry, here is a trifle to buy bread and fruit.'
+
+'Friend, I am not a beggar; I am he for whom he fought. I must see him.'
+
+'Well, go thy way; thou hast good need to thank him.'
+
+Up the path, through the rows of trees, up to the marble entrance,
+noiselessly moved the aged man, and gently tapped at the door.
+
+Chios arose and opened it, saw who was there, and cried:
+
+'Welcome, welcome, good fellow! Come within. Glad am I to see thee safe
+and well.'
+
+Judah, full of emotion, staggered rather than walked to a seat, weeping
+as if his heart would break, and, looking up through his tears,
+exclaimed:
+
+'Chios, blessed art thou! The blessing of one who was ready to perish,
+the blessing of one who speaks for his God, the blessing of God, rest
+ever on thee!'
+
+Chios spake never a word; his heart was full.
+
+'Speak to me, Chios the Greek; let me hear thy voice.'
+
+'I know not what to say,' replied Chios. 'I reckoned thy life worth a
+thousand of mine, and fought that thou mightst live and do work for thy
+Master.'
+
+'Chios, neither silver nor gold have I to give thee.'
+
+'I require neither.'
+
+'Good. Nevertheless, thy reward awaits thee; thou wilt receive it later
+on. We fight under the same banner; we shall meet in the same celestial
+city--the city whose builder is God. The dayspring will glint its glory
+over thy pathway, and the lustre of morning will bathe thee in heaven.
+The wings of thy spirit, now folded beside thee, shall spread out their
+pinions and waft thee o'er oceans of splendour illimitable, urging thee
+onward from brightness to brightness, raising thee higher and upward and
+higher till thou standest a messenger swift for the Deity, holding
+communion with God the Eternal. This is thy destiny. All will be well.
+Farewell, noble warrior; thou shalt war for the New Faith. 'Tis rumoured
+the Proconsul promises thee a crown for thy valour. Be thou faithful
+unto death, and thou shalt receive a crown of life. I have said my
+thanks. Good-bye--good-bye, noble Chios! My stay in Ephesus will be
+brief, but thou shalt ever remain in my thoughts, and my prayers shall
+go forward for my beloved friend.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Once more Chios was alone.
+
+'What a noble fellow is that old man--prophetic, powerful, good,' he
+mused. 'I believe in him. What he says is true. I am altered. A light
+steals through me--a river of peace winds kindly through my soul! May
+his blessing rest on me, and all his words be fulfilled.
+
+'But what of Saronia? We are no nearer by the advent of this strange
+faith. Shall we part? Must our communion end? Like two swift ships upon
+the ocean, greet with welcome hail and pass away across the trackless
+deep, each going its own particular way? No, no, no! this cannot be. We
+twain must sail the same course, and at night or in storm give aid. We
+must move together, the same pilot be ours, enter the same haven, dwell
+in the same invisible land.
+
+'But can this be? I am drifting, drifting from the old landmarks. She
+steers by her well-known beacon fires--I strike out alone across an
+unknown sea in search of a shore which may not exist, or, if it exists,
+I may never reach it.
+
+'Oh cruel doubt! Oh the struggle for truth! Oh to know what to do!'
+
+
+
+
+                         CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+                      SPIRITS OF THE DEEP
+
+
+Saronia the priestess was agitated. She had resolved in her mind the
+events of the past few days. 'Why was Chios within the grove?' She could
+solve the problem--foolish man! 'What demon prompted him--what fiend
+lured him to the verge of death? Could I but see him, warn him, for my
+prescience tells me he will attempt this thing again. Rash man! How can
+I save him? Whom can I trust? None!
+
+'Here am I surrounded by the glory of the mightiest Temple, with pillars
+rising to heaven, whose summit is crowned with the grandest sculptures
+of Greece; but the birds which nestle in their carvings are freer than
+Saronia. I walk in power; every behest is law and none dispute me--yet,
+for the one great thing I would do, that I dare not! What, then, is
+power--queenly power like mine? It is hateful. I sought it not. It was
+thrust on me, and I wear it like a band of iron. But cease--cease, my
+soul! Well dost thou know the smouldering fire of life's accumulated
+love for Chios pent up within thee. Why dost thou tempt blasphemous
+Saronia to further sin? Hush! Down, dark spirit! quail, ye rebel fires,
+smoulder till my days be spent--then, with the freedom I covet, I will
+luxuriate in joy. Until such time, let me fulfil my destiny. Come on, ye
+clouds of darkness, hide him from my view! Soul, hear me! Crush to the
+lowest ebb this fire which rises ever and anon into fiercest flame, and
+combats with my reason! I am divided against myself.
+
+'O goddess, hear me! Let my prayers like sweet incense rise! Bring me
+strength!...'
+
+A sullen roar of distant thunder broke on her ears, as if the gods were
+speaking from the mountains, looming landward past the Temple city.
+
+'Hark! Diana's voice! I will to augury.'
+
+She sped to the window. Naught through the darkness could she see.
+Suddenly forked lightning winged its course to the east, another flash
+swept nearer by, and the pillars of the great Temple stood out, lit up
+with fiery hue. The night-birds flew in wild commotion, shrieking as
+they went, crying with a solemn wail.
+
+She stood back. Too well she knew the meaning of those sounds, the
+language by which the invisible speaks to the mortal.
+
+A lightning-flash was seen across the Temple door, another line of fire
+crossed it from an opposite direction, as if a mighty guardian spirit
+stood there with sword aflame. A burst of thunder and a mighty crash,
+and she knew the building had been struck with an arrow from heaven.
+
+Her reason pointed a power at work who dared insult the sacred
+place--some god greater than Diana warred against her, degrading her
+home. This was the augury the priestess drew, and wondered greatly at
+the sign. It was a revelation to her--a spark of virgin light, dim as
+the faintest dawn. But it shook her faith, and she spread out her hands
+as one wandering in the night.
+
+Then she laid herself down in the gloom, and her spirit moved out to
+Chios. She longed to speak to him.
+
+Across the open window a shadow passed blacker than the darkness. She
+arose and looked out; naught could she see--all was silent. Then a faint
+voice like a whisper came from the parapet:
+
+'Saronia, it is Chios!'
+
+And in a moment he was beside her, and, throwing aside his mantle, stood
+before her in all his strength.
+
+She was appalled, but knew it would be death to both to utter the
+faintest cry, and with horrible calmness the priestess murmured:
+
+'What, by all the gods, brings thee here?'
+
+'Love! Life without seeing, speaking to thee, is worthless--worse than
+valueless! I scaled the Parabolus walls, I did the same by yonder
+parapet; and, by Jove! were they high as Mount Coressus, I would have
+come. I passed the guards, saw the Temple's frowning brow; the lightning
+lit my path, and the thundering echoes on the midnight winds were music
+to my soul. I gazed towards this resting-place, and, when the heavens
+were lit with flame, saw thee standing alone at the window. 'Twas enough
+for me. My spirit bounded here long before my body came. Didst thou not
+feel my influence?'
+
+'Yes, I thought of thee; but thy presence here is too awful to
+contemplate.'
+
+'No, no, dearest love! this is our fate. Thou art my complement; we
+cannot long remain asunder. Thine essence is a part of myself; thou art
+my affinity, my counterpart, that which makes my whole, my sun. Remove
+it, and the whole system is shaken, and wanders into chaos and oblivion.
+Had I a thousand lives, not one should be reserved; all should be thrown
+into the balance for thee.'
+
+He caught her in his arms, and his lips met hers.
+
+'Darling, art thou safe whilst I am here?'
+
+'I am safe from mortals, but not from the ire of the goddess. Her great
+invisible spirit cannot be deceived; all that is enacted here she knows
+and records.'
+
+'True, dearest; but even Venus loved.'
+
+'Yes; but Diana is cold and chaste. This night bespeaks my fall. To love
+is disobedience; for me to disobey is dire rebellion.'
+
+'No, no, girl! it is not so! it cannot be! The Being who created us
+implanted this love; it cannot be born of sin. Man makes laws, and man
+often breaks them, without calling down the anger of the gods. Lovest
+thou me, Saronia?'
+
+'Ah, Chios, that is my crime! What brought thee to the grove of Hecate?'
+
+'Thou.'
+
+'I?'
+
+'Yes, Saronia--to see thee on a most important errand. I strove to find
+thee in the wood.'
+
+'I thought as much. What was thy mission?'
+
+Resting himself beside her on a couch o'erlaid with gold, he said:
+
+'Canst bear surprise?'
+
+'I think so.'
+
+'Then hear;' and, whispering softly, he said: 'One day there came a man,
+a minstrel, to my home; sad as the waves telling story of storm were the
+strains of his song, and sweet as the clear running brook were the
+sounds from his lyre. He sang of a far-away land. Hast thou heard of the
+lonely West, where the isles of the Britons lie circled in purple
+mists?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'He sang of a princess priestess who stood at the shrine of their gods.
+He spoke of a Roman who came to that land and stole the pure heart and
+the hand of this beautiful girl, and bore her away to the Cyclades, and,
+further away, to the Tyrian Seas, to a resting-place in Sidon.'
+
+'And what became of her, Chios?'
+
+'Thou shalt hear. Their wedded life was brief. The Roman forsook her.
+She died of a broken heart, and her babe survived.'
+
+'How sad!' said Saronia.
+
+'Wouldst thou know the name of the British girl?'
+
+'I would.'
+
+''Twas Saronia.'
+
+'Saronia!' gasped the priestess, and, uttering a piercing shriek, she
+fell back into the arms of Chios.
+
+He heard footsteps approaching. He knew he must fly. Then, laying her on
+a couch, he kissed her lovingly, saying:
+
+'We must part, but will meet again. Saronia, dost hear me? I will see
+thee at the Temple service: an oleander in thy bosom, I come to thee; a
+myrtle flower, thou comest to me. Farewell, loved one!'
+
+And he plunged into the darkness, and the thunders roared as if the
+heavens would rend themselves in twain.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The priestess nerved herself and reclined listlessly. When the attendant
+priestesses entered, she was pale as the white silk enfolding her form.
+
+'What ails the noble lady?' said the foremost of the beautiful maidens.
+
+'It has passed,' said Saronia. 'Summon the guard; bid them go to the
+Temple and bring me word if disaster has fallen and smitten it. Hear ye
+the mighty voices of the gods! See the quivering messengers of fire!
+Haste away and bring me news!'
+
+Then, falling into one of her mysterious reveries, from which no
+priestess dared disturb her, they noiselessly glided from the room one
+by one, each bearing a lamp of gold, and Saronia was left alone.
+
+Soon the priestesses returned, with blanched cheeks, saying:
+
+'Lady of Diana, at thy bidding the priests, with escort, entered the
+sacred edifice, and discovered through the roof the fated bolt had
+flown, wrecked the altar, and rent the veil; but the statue of the great
+goddess remains unscathed. The watchmen are dead, blackened corpses. The
+High Priest, chief of the Megalobyzi, has gone to the Temple. What shall
+we do?'
+
+For a moment the mighty priestess was lost in thought--'twas but for a
+moment; then she raised herself and regained sublime dignity, saying:
+
+'Altar and veil, the work of men's hands, are resistless as man to their
+fate; but the image of she who is highest in heaven and strongest in
+hell is safe from the lightnings, the storm, and the warrings of all the
+invisible hosts which encircle us. And we, her own children, are safe in
+her keeping--safe in the shade of Diana Triformis. Pour out your
+prayers, let them rise to the heavens and spread round your homestead
+and down to the underworlds. Pour out oblations! Chant forth your
+praise-hymns for mercy on mercy rolling forth like the surging of
+mightiest billows! Farewell, maidens of the goddess, farewell!'
+
+Saronia that night was sleepless. She had again saved the life of Chios.
+She had dissembled. To have done otherwise would have been to be the
+murderess of Chios. Thus thought she.
+
+By the light of the dimly burning lamp she looked like a tigress at bay.
+Great clouds flitted sullenly across her face, and her eyes were dark as
+the night, and darker they grew till the shadows which fell on her were
+as light to them.
+
+The lamp burned low, but she heeded not. Its dying flame pleased her,
+and the shadows grew deeper, until her form sank into the darkness.
+
+A great war raged within her. It was a battle-ground on which were
+arrayed spirits, good and evil, fighting for the citadel of her soul.
+The light from her mistress goddess was hidden, and reason cold as snow
+sat enthroned upon that lofty mind.
+
+Her duty was to serve as heretofore, but lurking love rose up in mighty
+flame enveloping her. She could see Chios only, feel the pressure of his
+lips, hear the sound of his voice speaking of love, of the minstrel and
+of the bride of Britain.
+
+'Who was that mysterious woman named Saronia?
+
+'What caused that strange suspicion and the piercing cry? None other
+than that by some peculiar affinity I realized that it was she that bore
+me into this world.
+
+'Oh that I could have heard the end of the story! Cruel destiny
+shattered me at the harbour mouth, and I lie stranded a lonely wreck on
+a bleak shore and tainted with rebellion. Shall I fail now? No; Saronia
+shall build another self out of the shattered parts. I will arise, shake
+the stupor from me, stretch out my arms into the darkness. I will robe
+for divination,' and pointing her finger towards the dead lamp, it
+sprang into flame, casting a glare around the room.
+
+She arose, cast aside her snowy dress of whitened silk, draped herself
+in darkest shade, girt her waist with a diamond zone black as night,
+over her shoulders a mantle hung--a mantle of sable hue studded with
+stars of silver and gold. On her breast she wore the Ephesian symbols of
+Air and Water, Earth and Life, and Death. Her eyes shot glances like
+serpents at war, her bosom was upheaved with the strongest emotion, and
+she moved to the place where the burning lamp stood, seized it, and
+stood by an altar raised to the goddess of Hades.
+
+For a moment only was she motionless; then she raised high aloft her
+jewelled hands, brought them to her lips, kissed them to the Queen of
+Heaven, and stretched them earthwards to the underworld--to Hecate, the
+Queen of Hell. Her head lay back; her eyes shone out with mystic sheen;
+her raven tresses trailed the floor; her gloomy garments lay in graceful
+folds, dark as the midnight sky without a star or moon, and standing
+thus, she invoked the goddess Hecate.
+
+This done, she lit the altar's sacred fire, and incense burnt until the
+room was filled with odour and the light from the golden lamp grew dim.
+
+Her lips parted, and a silvery voice issued, murmuring softly:
+
+    Spirits of the mighty ocean,
+    Ye who lie beneath the waters,
+    Down--down--fathoms deep!
+    Ye who roam 'twixt here and Sidon,
+    Ye who lure the ships to ruin,
+    Ye who haunt the fated vessel,
+    Lighting up her masts and cordage
+    With your quenchless tongues of fire;
+    Stormy petrels of the sea-foam,
+    Swiftest of your countless legions,
+    Appear! Appear!
+
+'Ye are come! Hear me!
+
+'A Roman bore from Britons' land, stole from thence with artful wiles, a
+maiden blessed with rarest beauty--cheeks of olive, raven hair, eyes of
+darkest midnight hue, soul as pure as the morning light. He took her to
+Sidon. He left her--he left her and her child. Troop your way with speed
+to Sidon. Solve the story which I tell you. Bring me answer from
+Phoenicia.'
+
+The spirits of the deep bent low their shadowy forms; one by one quickly
+snatched a grain of burning incense from the altar fire, placed the
+sparks upon their awful brows, rose together, met the storm-wind howling
+fiercely, passed it faster than conception, skimmed the foaming crests
+of billows, swooped again o'er struggling biremes with their crews of
+doomed seamen. Flew they on with awful swiftness, till the air waves
+left behind them wound the earth in many circles, till the silent city
+Sidon slept beneath their hovering pinions; glanced their message to the
+spirit--Spirit Prince of Ashtoreth. Gained their answer, sailed they
+westward to Ionia, faster than the coming day-dawn; stood before the
+great Saronia; hailed her priestess of Diana; whispered forth with
+frightful meaning:
+
+'Thou thyself, from her begotten, standest first amongst all women. She,
+thy mother, princess, priestess, died uncared for, unbeloved--died a
+rebel to our goddess, worshipping the Jewish Christ--name we scarcely
+dare to mention.'
+
+Saronia beckoned them away, and when they had fled a tremor seized her;
+she staggered to a seat, muttering:
+
+'I, also, am a rebel, and worship Eros.'
+
+Starting to her feet, she said:
+
+'Who is this Christ?'
+
+Stretching her arms out into the darkness, she cried:
+
+'Saronia, Saronia, the Saronide, where art thou--my mother who bore me?
+Let me touch thy hand! Speak to me--to me!'
+
+But she grasped the empty space; not even the echo of a whisper fell.
+Then she cried again:
+
+'_Thou_ art _beyond_ my plane, or thou wouldst come to me. Thou art
+greater than I. Hear me, ye spirits of the air! Listen, spirits of lands
+and seas! Hearken, ye spirits of Elysium and Hades! Here in the
+darkness, here in the womb of night, here near the birth of the early
+dawn, here with a soul storm-tossed and driven, I swear I will find her.
+Her God shall be mine, and where she riseth I will follow. O light, O
+truth, O love, let me climb your ladders of gold!'
+
+The dawn appeared in the east, breaking the gray on the ocean's rim, and
+the birds sang forth from the trees in the Sacred Grove.
+
+
+
+
+                         CHAPTER XXIX
+
+                     MYRTLE AND OLEANDER
+
+
+'Varro, goest thou to the Temple to-day?' said Nika.
+
+'Yes, dearest; Chios is to receive the golden crown and freedom of this
+city.'
+
+'I trust those honours will sit lightly on him.'
+
+'Fear not, Nika. He is very stolid. Really, I do not know what has come
+to him.'
+
+'I do,' said she laughingly; 'he is in love.'
+
+'Nonsense! Nothing of the kind. He would never trouble about such a
+thing.'
+
+'How knowest thou?'
+
+'How do I know? Well, really, I cannot answer thee, but thou must know
+if a man loves there must be something to love. Chios is a confirmed
+bachelor. I believe he almost hates women; that is to say, as far as
+making himself a lover. I never even knew him to commit the crime of a
+weak flirtation.'
+
+'Ah, ah! So much for the reading of a man's mind by a man. Let a woman
+make up a man, and thou, mighty Roman, read the minds of women. 'Tis
+more natural.'
+
+'Well, Nika, I must away. I must leave thee. The time is short, and I
+have business of my own before I go to the Temple. There will be no
+public demonstration. Chios wishes it so.'
+
+'Before thou dost depart, listen. Something befitting the occasion
+comes to my mind. Send him a message of congratulation. Write it with
+thine own hand, and seal it with the stamp of Imperial Rome. He will
+cherish it more than many crowns.'
+
+'Very thoughtful of thee. It shall be done. The presentation takes place
+within the Temple. The great priestess will be there, and, if I can so
+arrange, she, his preserver, shall present it. Nice idea, is it not?'
+
+'Very.'
+
+'Wilt thou witness the ceremony, Nika?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Farewell, sweet one; I will return before sundown and tell thee all the
+news.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The crown and the congratulation were conveyed to the Temple. When the
+High Priest read the request of the Proconsul, that Saronia should
+present them, he smiled, saying:
+
+'Let it be so.'
+
+Saronia thought the request unusual, but the priest said:
+
+'Foster the whim; no harm can come of it.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It was past noon; the great sun shone out with refulgent glory. Not a
+cloud sailed the azure depths. The birds were sheltering from the heat
+between the branches of the citron-trees. An eagle flew by flapping its
+wings as Chios met the Roman at the gateway of the Sacred Shrine.
+
+They moved towards the marble steps, and, ascending past pronaos and
+vestibule, went within the gates of ivory and gold and stood near the
+altar, around which were gathered the High Priest and Priestess and
+their attendants.
+
+The Proconsul and Chios bowed lowly, and were saluted in return; and the
+proclamation ran:
+
+     'WHEREAS Chios, the Greek of Ephesus, has proved to the people
+     of this city that he possesses heroic courage, and used it well
+     on behalf of a fallen enemy of the Sacred Goddess:
+
+     'The PROCONSUL, the COUNCIL, and the PEOPLE request that he be
+     crowned with a crown of gold, and, FURTHER, that the Act be
+     proclaimed at the festival of Dionysus at the Great Theatre,
+     and a place be allotted to him in a Tribe and a Thousand:
+
+     'THAT he possesses the privilege of occupying a front seat at
+     the games, and is exempt from paying duty on all articles
+     imported or exported by him, and that he has right to leave or
+     enter the city in time of peace or war.
+
+     'THIS DECREE to be inscribed by the Temple Wardens in the Great
+     Temple of Artemis, where other grants of citizens have been
+     subscribed.
+
+     'THAT ALL MEN MAY KNOW the people of Ephesus delight to honour
+     such deeds of heroism, whether performed on behalf of a friend
+     or an enemy.'
+
+This read, Saronia the High Priestess bade Chios come to her, and taking
+the crown from an attendant, she placed it on the brow of the Greek,
+saying: 'Hail, honoured of the Ephesian people!' And at the same time
+she handed him the letter sealed with the seal of Rome.
+
+As she did so, she looked steadfastly into his eyes, conveying her
+thought to him: 'Open it not here.'
+
+He saw the oleander and the myrtle both entwined upon her bosom, and
+this he understood not.
+
+He placed the parchment within the folds of his robe, and after thanking
+the givers, he retired with the Proconsul.
+
+After passing the precincts of the Temple, the two men wished each other
+fortune and separated--the Roman to Nika, and Chios to wonder at the
+twin symbol which graced the bosom of Saronia.
+
+He broke the seal of the parchment; between the folds he saw a tiny
+scrap. He read it--the other was nothing to him.
+
+'To-morrow, when midnight has passed, haste to the bend of the river
+Cayster, which flows by the grove of Hecate. Fear nothing. The child of
+the Bride of Britain will be there.'
+
+It was from Saronia, and he feared for her. He kissed the tiny scrap
+passionately.
+
+'I will be there should all the Furies in Hades block the way....
+
+'By the bend of the river--by the bend of the Cayster which washes the
+fringe of the horrible grove. I know the place well, where the
+chrysophrus with golden-coloured head swims to and fro. I know the spot
+where the iris bends its yellow flowers, where the lordly swans glide
+past, and the cranes dwell, and the nightingale sings from the silvery
+leaves of the sacred trees.
+
+'I will be there, Saronia, my soul, my light, my love! I will be there
+to strike for thee with the strength of a lion if needs be!'
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XXX
+
+                      BY THE RIVER CAYSTER
+
+
+The grove of Hecate was filled with beautiful trees--palm and myrtle,
+cypress and pine, the rich springing laurel, and the holy shoot of the
+deep blue olive.
+
+Statues studded the wood, and the river Cenchrius watered the ground,
+and here had been heard the sound of the dance-loving lyre at the feasts
+of the gods.
+
+Through this tree-clustering wood the fair-haired Muses came to worship,
+and the Sybil let loose her golden locks when the gods breathed on her.
+
+The Cayster came south to the margin of the grove, moving rapidly
+northward and westward, sweeping by myriad blooms of the rose and iris,
+till it flowed from the land to the sea, carrying with it the snow-born
+waters of Cenchrius, Marnas, and Selinus--all goodly streams which
+watered the plain of Ephesus.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The priestess Saronia was thoughtful and calm. Not a ripple of agitation
+crossed her face as she gave her orders to a sacred slave:
+
+'Summon seven of the Melissae--my bees, my virgin priestesses.'
+
+She said to them:
+
+'Prepare sacrifice for to-night. I offer to Hecate in the Sacred Grove.
+Take there a lamb, black as night, and honey of the rarest kind bear ye.
+Let the slaves dig a new pit, and place an altar therein, that all may
+be ready when I come. I leave the Temple gate when the watch tells out
+the hour before midnight. Merina and Smyrna shall accompany me to the
+confines of the grove.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+That night Chios quietly stole along under the stars until the old road
+to Smyrna intersected his path; but he did not swerve from his course
+until he reached the Cayster. Following its sinuous banks, disturbing
+the wild-fowl as he went, and treading on a carpeting of sweet-scented
+night-flowers, he soon reached the bend of the river which laved the
+grove.
+
+There he rested on a block of white marble, brought to be set up as a
+memorial.
+
+He gazed over the dark and silent stream. He arose, and paced to and
+fro. Not a sound was heard, save his own footfall and the nightingale's
+song.
+
+He did not wait long ere he saw the form of a woman moving towards him.
+
+Stealthily she came.
+
+His heart danced with joy, for well he knew who it was.
+
+'I am here,' cried Saronia.
+
+'Noble girl!' replied Chios, as he kissed her.
+
+'Art thou not fearful of this meeting?' said she.
+
+'No,' replied the Greek. 'I have been told that love which would not
+dare death is not worthy the name of love.'
+
+'It is death to both if discovered.'
+
+'So much the better,' said he. 'We should then be for ever free.'
+
+'Dost thou guess my mission to thee, Chios?'
+
+'Partly.'
+
+'Well, let me tell thee. I would hear more of the story--more of whom I
+am.'
+
+'Darling girl, would I could tell thee! I know no more. I have told thee
+all.'
+
+'Yet, I know more.'
+
+'How?'
+
+'By the power of divination.'
+
+'And what hast thou gained by thy magic?'
+
+'This: she whom thou spoke of is no other than my own mother. Further,
+she died unknown, uncared for, calling on the name of the Jewish
+Christ.'
+
+Chios gasped for breath, and started back as if stung by a serpent,
+exclaiming, with bated breath:
+
+'The Jewish Christ! Can it be true?'
+
+'As true as the morning sun shall rise. I know it true, and judge it
+passing strange. How such a faith grew in her I know not. The mysteries
+of this creed I cannot understand, although it grows apace in Ephesus;
+but this I know: when I called forth into the world of spirits no answer
+came from her, whereby I am convinced she has gained entrance into a
+kingdom where the least of its subjects is greater than the mightiest
+of Diana's followers. I am the Arch-Priestess of yonder sacred Temple.
+My mother is greater than I, for I could not reach her plane, but--I
+_will_!'
+
+'And how, Saronia?'
+
+'I know not.'
+
+'Wilt thou also turn Christian and follow the Nazarene?'
+
+'No; I hate the thought. That faith is darker to me than the rolling
+blackness of the Styx.'
+
+'What if thou sawest light in the darkness, and found a narrow path
+leading up to a plane of loveliness where, perchance, thy mother dwells?
+Wouldst thou not walk in it?'
+
+'Yea, that I would, and would lay down my life to commence the journey.
+I am not a traitor to my goddess. I have followed her with all my
+strength, believing her to be the source of my being, and to whom I may
+return; but conditions are changing in me. My faith tried--it does not
+totter. Mark well, I say it does not stagger--it trembles only! My soul
+cries for more light--light--more light! And I cannot satisfy its
+longings. I ask thee, dost thou know of this Christ?'
+
+'I do. I have sat at the feet of one of His greatest teachers, and he
+unfolded to me some of its mysteries.'
+
+'Chios, I fear! Go on.'
+
+'What shall I tell thee? I am not a teacher.'
+
+'Art thou a believer?'
+
+'I am, so far as I know; but its mysteries are great. I have scarcely
+touched the fringe of this new faith.'
+
+'Hast thou, then, cut thyself adrift from the worship of our sacred
+goddess?'
+
+'I have.'
+
+'Oh, Chios, Chios, this is worse than all! Let me lean upon thee; I am
+weary--I am weary and alone.'
+
+'No, dearest, thou art not alone, for the Father is with thee.'
+
+They sat down on the block of white marble. He laid her head upon his
+shoulder, and the warm tears fell upon his hands; then he whispered:
+
+'Dearest love, take courage. All will be well.'
+
+'No, no, Chios. The strings of the lyre are broken. Saronia is alone.'
+
+And, looking up, with her eyes melting with tenderness towards him, she
+said:
+
+'The slave became a priestess, and the priestess a broken reed. Thou in
+spirit hast left me.'
+
+'No, dearest, that is not so. We shall join hands when we fall, like
+leaves in the autumn time.'
+
+'That may not be so, my love, my Chios, my joy, my life, my soul!
+Farewell! I am lost to thee, and thou to me, for ever--for ever!'
+
+'No, no, Saronia; we will never part!'
+
+'But we must, unless one resigns the faith; and, if we both believe our
+own, which can be liar, traitor? Thou shalt keep thine own. To thee it
+is truth, mine falsehood! I have no call to follow thine--I know not the
+way. I have espoused myself to the faith of Diana; I adhere to it until
+a greater than she broods over my spirit, and begets a new light for a
+new creed; when such shall come to pass I will not fail to do my duty.
+Until then I follow by the light I possess. This is my determination,
+dearest Chios. This I will do, and no other.'
+
+'Saronia, this is more than I can bear. My soul sinks into a depth of
+woe unspeakable. Not that I fear, for, as light hath come to me, so also
+shall it shine on thee. I have not the gift of a seer, but I know we are
+one in spirit, must believe alike, worship the same God. As the light
+first strikes the tops of the mountains and afterwards floods the vale,
+so it broke first on me, and anon it shall burst on the soul of my
+Saronia.'
+
+'Chios, Chios, my spirit thirsteth! Give me this light if thou canst.
+Give me truth.'
+
+'And still thou lovest me, Saronia?'
+
+'Love thee! Ah! a thousandfold more for fear our love may end with life.
+I know thou art good. Go thy way; serve thy God. I go mine to the grove
+yonder, to offer sacrifice to my goddess. Saronia must be true to her
+trust; let Chios be the same.'
+
+He took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. Holding her head
+between his hands, he gazed lovingly into her eyes, saying:
+
+'Our love can never die. It is begotten from above. I will come again to
+thee, and teach thee of the new faith. I have with me a parchment,
+closely written, given to me by the holy man I saved from death. May I
+leave it with thee, Saronia? It may be of use. Thou dost not refuse it?
+May the Christ of God bless thee! And now good-bye. This is our
+meeting-place. It is unfrequented. Thou knowest how to signal me.'
+
+Drawing her mantle around her tightly, he kissed her again and again,
+and she vanished into the night.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXXI
+
+                        THE DOOMED CITY
+
+
+Two men were on the summit of the mountain which overlooked Ephesus.
+They had been earnestly engaged in conversation for some time, and, as
+they walked together, Chios said:
+
+'How glorious is the decline of day! How splendid looks the city bathed
+in the golden light of eve!'
+
+'Ay, true,' replied his companion; 'and I would that its fate led to
+peace, but it is not so.
+
+'Seest thou the great city as it lies beneath us, its shrines and
+palaces like polished silver and burnished gold, and its frowning walls
+and battlements like a mighty circle of adamant?
+
+'Look at its many terraced gardens of vine, olive, citron, and
+pomegranate, and gaze upon its purple-misted sea, and count, if thou
+canst, the multitude of white-winged ships bringing merchandise to pour
+into the lap of this mighty mart.
+
+'The many-toned instruments sending forth their plaintive strain come up
+upon the perfume-laden air, and the song of the priests from yonder
+mighty Temple, the wonder of the world, floats lazily by like a vessel
+drifting with the tide.
+
+'But, like the city of Salem, o'er which my Master wept, so this is
+doomed.
+
+'The time shall come, and ere long, when it shall sicken and die. Those
+mighty buildings shall be no more. Yea, the mightiest of them, the great
+Temple of the goddess, shall become a wreck, and its splendour be rent
+in pieces and distributed amongst the nations, its floorway be covered
+with the dust of centuries, and its very site be questioned in the minds
+of men.
+
+'The faith of Him I serve shall flourish here and grow until it blazes
+out like a forest of fire; but for a brief time only, for the place is
+accursed, and love will grow dim and the light depart. Amidst the din of
+war men will hurry to and fro in her beautiful streets and squares,
+pillaging and destroying as they conquer. Her splendid harbour will
+become a wild morass, a covert for the night-birds when the stormy winds
+rush over the plain from mountain to sea. Her streets will be deserted
+and silent, not a footfall be heard where the myriads trod. Nothing
+shall be left of her save a wilderness of marble ruins and tales of her
+former grandeur.'
+
+'How terrible!' exclaimed Chios. 'Is that the destiny of beautiful
+Ephesus?'
+
+'It is so; and well for thee light dawns into thy soul and thy spirit
+purifies, fitting thee for a brighter home. My time is well-nigh spent.
+I shall soon go hence.'
+
+'Dost thou leave us?'
+
+'Yes. I go to Rome to work, suffer, and die. Our ways diverge. Yet fear
+not. We enter the same haven at the right time. When once a man's face
+is set heavenward, God will not remove him until he be fit to enter His
+kingdom. I am glad I met thee, and, better still, my Lord and Master
+moulds thee for the future.'
+
+'Judah, hast thou ever come into contact with the priests of the great
+theatre?'
+
+'No. Why dost thou ask?'
+
+'I thought if such were the case thou mightest give thine opinion of
+their faith.'
+
+'That I can do.'
+
+'Well, what think thou of Diana?'
+
+'What think I? That the people who worship her are in earnest. They
+believe what is told them. Their forefathers did the same. It was good
+enough for them, so they follow--follow like dogs their master. Now and
+again those with keener insight step aside and utter protest, sniffing
+danger. Most of them are whipped into their place again, and all goes on
+as before.... The priests know their work, and are clever. The people
+may believe the myths and accept them as truths, but their teachers know
+they are fables, and use them as such to illustrate their faith.
+
+'The worship is one of the senses--ours is spiritual, and needs a
+spiritual sight only to know as much of God as the soul of man can
+comprehend. A dreary shore with the great darkness around is to the
+Christian a temple filled with light. Thou hast friends amongst the
+worshippers of Diana, Chios?'
+
+'Yes, one especially. She who gave me back my life--the great High
+Priestess Saronia.'
+
+'Saronia, the High Priestess! I know her. When thou offeredst thy life
+to preserve mine, I saw her save thee from the lion.'
+
+'What meanest thou?'
+
+'She killed the lion's strength. One look from her could quell many such
+beasts. Her gaze would stay an eagle in its flight, and bring it
+earthward to her feet, swifter and surer than an arrow winged with
+lightning. She is deadly with her power! A mighty foe to those within
+her sphere, but with a follower of my Master she is powerless. The least
+in the kingdom of heaven is greater than she, and thou, Chios, art
+greater than the mighty Saronia. The Spirit which leads thee is the
+first, the greatest, the Lord of Hosts. All principalities and powers
+are beneath Him. Before His gaze the rebel prince fell like lightning
+from heaven.
+
+'Listen, friend; I think I read thine heart. Thou lovest this terrific
+being--is it not so? Tell me. Thy secret shall be well kept. I may help
+thee.'
+
+'Thou speakest truly. I know I am safe in thine hands. I trust thee to
+lead the way for my eternal good, and I may confide this portion of my
+life's history to thee. 'Tis a passion which may never be realized, but
+I dare hope she may be won for our God--and what a mighty spirit for
+good she would be!'
+
+'Chios, her great spirit is of no common order. It has lived through the
+ages, and for the time is deeply buried in its prison of clay. We will
+awaken her, if we can, from out the cold and damp mists which surround
+her. This clay form to her is as Hades.'
+
+'How can it be done?'
+
+'This wise. The man who lives in harmony with God has the Deity on his
+side. He is a son; the Lord is his Father. Speak to Him as a child, and
+remember His power is infinite--and I will pray the Father and His Son
+that help may be given thee.'
+
+'Tell me of the Son.'
+
+'His Son is the Christ. To the Greeks this is foolishness, but be thou
+led by the Great Spirit, and He will teach thee all things, and thou
+wilt love the Son, and He will work with thee to win the desire of thy
+heart.'
+
+'I understand not. These mysteries are well known to thee, and I obey. I
+am young in the faith, and cannot run.'
+
+'For the present,' replied Judah, 'thou wilt do well in using thy faith;
+but the time will shortly arrive when thou wilt understand. Great is the
+mystery, clouds and darkness are around Him. Thou hast placed thy feet
+upon the ladder; as thou climbest thou wilt emerge into brightness.
+Trust and learn. As a pilot takes the helm at the harbour-mouth and
+shapes the course betwixt the sands, so mayst thou give way to the
+Great Pilot, and thus obtain abundant entrance into the haven whose
+promontories run out from the eternal shore.'
+
+'Thou speakest again with authority?'
+
+'I do. For awhile my spirit freed itself from the body, and moved into a
+sphere unseen, unknown to mortal eye. There I heard truths which no
+language can convey--not even your beautiful Grecian tongue could reveal
+them. I heard the language of Heaven, and was taught of God things
+mysterious and unlawful to utter; but I shall hear the grand rhythm
+again when I return home.... Now the sun is gone, and the west is banked
+with night-clouds. Let us depart.'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXXII
+
+                             ENDORA
+
+
+Where the river of Ephesus joins the sea the great rocks stand out as
+fortresses of the land, and the deep blue waters roll homewards to the
+shore, urged by a never-changing law bidding them kiss the strand and
+die.
+
+On the shrill breezy air the sea-birds wheel and soar until their white
+wings turn to silver as they circle round the sun and sink into its
+brightness as a star dies into day.
+
+The cliffs are abloom with blossoms of gold, like a garden of woodland
+flowers. On the summit overlooking the sea stands a temple and shrine to
+the goddess.
+
+Northward is the mountain of Gallesus, with its pine precipices and
+aerial summits piercing the clouds. At its feet the city of Claros, with
+temple and groves of ash and mighty oracle sacred to Apollo.
+
+Further away, from the Cilbianian, and turning west of the lake
+Selinusian, comes southward a river moving along midst bright oleander
+and blossoms of myrtle, murmuring adieu to the gods of the river as it
+passes on its course to the bosom of ocean.
+
+Away to the west and the south, like a misty dream, are the pale-blue
+tops of Pactyas; between them and the Gallessian range stands the city
+of Ephesus, Coressus and Pion like sentinel hills guarding its massive
+gates.
+
+Here on this rock-bound cliff, near the altar, stood Endora, the witch.
+
+The day was young and no one about, and she gazed far out at sea,
+straining her evil eyes until they seemed to start from their sockets.
+
+She turned with a disappointed air, and, gazing towards the city, cried:
+
+'Doomed art thou! Little did they know I was about. Had Chios known I
+was there, he would have been more careful. Turned Christian! Loves
+Saronia!
+
+'I will not betray him. Hag as I be, cursed as I am, all Hades shall not
+draw me to reveal. This blasted spirit of mine may drift, yet I swear by
+the father of the gods--no, no, I cannot swear by him! What shall I
+swear by?
+
+'I swear by Chios and Saronia, mortals like myself, that I will be true,
+true. Can I be true? No, no, no, I will not betray them. That is all!
+
+'What a curse hangs over this beautiful place! I heard that strange man
+tell Chios the great city shall die. I know a sibyl has spoken, "That
+the earth opening and quaking, the Temple of Diana would be swallowed
+like a ship in a storm into the abyss, and Ephesus, lamenting by the
+river banks, would inquire for it then inhabited no more." And, who
+knows, she may be true! What care I? Endora will be far hence. I have to
+do with the present. I have come to watch for the white sails of the
+Roman fleet bringing back the Proconsul. I know they are near, expected
+to-day.
+
+'Now one long gaze out over the great, cloud-mirroring sea. My eyes are
+keen. No, they come not, and I go hence.'
+
+She turned landward and saw Saronia.
+
+She cowered towards the sea-flower-blooming sward as the priestess said:
+
+'What doest thou here, woman?'
+
+'Naught, my lady, but for the gathering of fragrant herbs.'
+
+'Thou liest. The wild thyme and its fellows grow not upon this breezy
+crag, ever washed by the salt sea foam; but, stay, Endora--I know thy
+name. I would speak with thee. Once when I was a slave thou wert good to
+me, and told me my star was rising full of splendour. How didst thou
+know?'
+
+'Noble lady, I spoke not of my own knowledge, but as the spirit prompted
+me.'
+
+'Again, when thou helped me to escape my persecutors, what impelled
+thee?'
+
+'The knowledge I was aiding one beloved of Hecate! 'Twas not love--love
+in me is dead, dead and scentless. The curse--the curse! and it will
+weigh me down for ever.'
+
+'Art sure of this?'
+
+'Yes, Lady Saronia, I am sure I am accursed of Hecate. In me it takes
+the form of a dead love with hatred raging through my soul. In others
+love is rampant and reason dead. Such is the case with one I know. Her
+curse is to love madly without an echo of love to answer.'
+
+'What was thy crime, Endora?'
+
+'That which neither god nor man can forgive.'
+
+'Tell me.'
+
+'I dare not.'
+
+'I command thee!'
+
+'No, no; leave me quiet! I have lived in Ephesus these many years. No
+one knows me, where I came from, what my crime. Bid me leap into the
+great depths below and gurgle out my life beneath the waters, out of
+human sight--anything--anything, but grant me silence!'
+
+'I will not! Speak truthfully! The High Priestess of Hecate commands
+thee.'
+
+The woman's face grew pale as death.
+
+'Wilt thou bury my secret in thy heart, and close thy lips for ever on
+it?'
+
+'Be quick, say on! First, who art thou?'
+
+'The mother of Chios!'
+
+'_Thou!_'
+
+'Yes, I am.'
+
+'What art thou?'
+
+'I was a priestess at Delos, where Apollo and Diana came forth--a
+priestess of the Oracle. Broke my vows; wed; fell to what thou seest me:
+a priestess of high degree acting--acting the part of a hag. I was
+doomed to death. The people think me dead, but I live, deserted by the
+one who caused my fall. I live, thirsting for revenge--I, Endora the
+witch, eking a crust of bread by fortune-telling and love philtres,
+bearing the load of Hecate's curse. I they call Endora am no other than
+Myrtile of Delos! Now, noble Saronia, thou knowest how love is dead, and
+I the accursed. Oftentimes I come here and gaze across the AEgean Sea
+towards the far-off sunny isle of Delos, where it lies like a jewel in
+the sea--Delos, where the laurel trembled at the coming of the unseen
+gods, where temples, amphitheatres, and colonnades crowned every crest,
+and filled the vales of the lovely home of Latona.'
+
+For a moment, as Saronia thought of her own mother, a shudder passed.
+'Twas but a moment, and the priestess looked as calm as summer eve.
+
+'Hast thou ever told the story to another?'
+
+'No, no, and no human being but the mighty Saronia should ever have
+drawn it from me. Thou by thy power dost compel me to act unwillingly. I
+would far rather have buried it under those blue, seething waters and
+have ended my course.'
+
+'It is well. See thou dost guard it; see thou dost guard it. Now, what
+can I do for thee? When humble was my lot and thou sawest my exaltation
+nigh, thou saidst, "Remember me when thou enterest on thy high estate."
+What may be done for thee?'
+
+'Nothing. I go my way, leaving in thy keeping my awful secret, and trust
+thy silence. I go to my den on the mountain side, unwinding my fate. The
+thread will soon be broken, but ere it snaps my mission will be
+perfected.'
+
+'Hast thou a mission?'
+
+'As truly as yon passing ship glides on towards the harbour mouth, and
+until it be accomplished Endora is the witch of Ephesus, the blackened
+soul. After that, I know not what.'
+
+'Can I aid thee? Gold I have; take some.'
+
+'No. I am not thankless, but have sufficient. Can Endora be of service
+to _thee_?'
+
+'I fear not.'
+
+'Then adieu. I shall come to this loved spot again. It is the nearest I
+can come to my beloved Delos.'
+
+She crept away amongst the golden flowers down the side of the cliff.
+The seagull cried to its mate, the waves dashed up their foam till it
+mixed with the silvery light, and falling like showers of dew, lay on
+the lips of the flowers.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+And Saronia, the High Priestess of Diana, stood out against sky and sea,
+stood out against silver and blue, the great globed sun, a circle of
+light, forming a halo around her head.
+
+
+
+
+                         CHAPTER XXXIII
+
+                              NIKA
+
+
+'He is away, my lord and master, my wedded husband, the Proconsul of
+Ephesus. Gone to Rome on State matters. Let him go! There are other
+Romans here as good as he, perhaps better. I shall mix with them, and,
+doing so, further hate the man I am tied to, sold to. I hate him! There
+is but one love in my heart--the love for Chios, who spurns it. Stay! I
+wonder if there be another beside Chios who may quench this flame
+devouring me? There may be. And this I determine, wherever I find love
+in unison, thither will I advance, and that immediately before Varro's
+return. Varro! Varro! what care I for Varro? I will deceive him if it
+pleases me. The world will call me vile if they discover. What care I
+for the world? What care I for the worms which crawl? Many worse than
+Nika. No, what cares Nika, accursed of Hecate? Take thy pleasure; to
+love is life, and union of souls is strength even if we be but two--'tis
+better than one against the hosts of hell! Nika is single-handed; Nika
+has no kindred soul to join in the fight--Nika the doomed one, against
+whom the Fates war, around whom the Furies rage. Arouse thyself! Set thy
+face against what is called goodness, chastity! Defy those
+principalities and powers which torture thee, laugh at thee, shatter thy
+hopes, damn thee for the next life, before thou puttest aside the vile
+clay of this, make sport of thy soul ere half the circle of thy days is
+spent!
+
+'No, no! Enough, enough! I will fill my cup with every pleasure, if well
+deep enough be found. I will joy in the sunshine, if it be but for one
+day, like the many-coloured lily which opens to the morning sun and dies
+at eventide. Away, Nika, to the world of pleasure! But first drink deep
+of Grecian wine to brace thyself. What care I for peace? I shall be no
+worse than many of my Romans.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The sun went down like an angry god, the west was ablaze with lurid
+gleam, the winds rushed in from the sea and smote the land, burying it
+with a shroud of foam. The rain descended in torrents and deluged the
+shore. The storm passed through the great city and away over the
+mountain-tops. The streets were deserted and a gloom rested on the land.
+
+One solitary human being might have been seen winding her way from place
+to place, and up the mountain side towards the home of Nika. With wet
+and clinging garments she hesitated in front of the house. Watching an
+opportunity, she pushed through the hedgerow of myrtles and stood within
+the garden. Stealthily she crept from shrub to shrub, now under the
+shelter of a laurel, then tearing through a mass of roses and trampling
+under feet the loveliest flowers, scarcely knowing whither she went, but
+making for a light which filtered through a window of many-coloured
+glass, until at last she stood in front of it, and dimly saw the
+overhanging jasmine and the great, white flowers of the magnolia. For a
+moment the perfume, like an angel guardian, uttered protest and dared
+approach, but the spirit impelling that form enveloped in soaking garb
+was one not long to be brooked by sentiment, and she moved like a
+panther carefully forward, and peered through the casement left open to
+admit the perfumed air. She gazed anxiously through the opening, and saw
+the form of the beautiful Nika sitting on a low chair. The double tablet
+of wax lay upon her knees, and in her hand was an ivory point chased
+with diamonds. She had just written, and was evidently agitated.
+
+At the sight of this the soul of the woman without was moved to its very
+depths, and she longed to behold what was marked on the tablet. The
+divining power of her spirit asserted itself, and she knew by the
+writer's look that it was a message of importance, and probably one of
+love. She waited till Nika had finished it; then the Roman stretched out
+her white arms and flung herself back in a deep reverie.
+
+The eyes of the witch Endora were directed steadily on her, and as she
+gazed, Nika fell asleep, and her hands drooped listlessly by her side.
+
+Like a snake, Endora glided into the room, reached the sleeping Roman,
+then, gently raising the tablet from her knee, she moved as softly and
+serpent-like from the room, and stole back by the way she came--back
+through the deserted streets, up the hill Pion to her cave.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Once inside, she bolted the rough door, through the chinks of which the
+wind moaned.
+
+Lighting her lamp, she stripped off her saturated clothes. Before even
+she kindled a fire, she drew out the stolen thing, and, with straining
+eyes, read its contents. Then a hellish satisfaction lit up her haggard
+face, and she laughed with fiendish glee, murmuring to herself, fearful
+of listening ears:
+
+'Ha, ha, ha! My mistress Nika, thou hast a lover. Thou art safe now in
+the meshes of the fowler. The measure thou hast meted out to others
+shall be measured back to thee again--again, I say. And the house of
+Venusta shall sorrow, as they say the Egyptians did for their
+first-born. Not only shall they suffer on thine account; their own sins
+shall weigh mightily on them. Yea, root and branch shall suffer, and
+they shall wither away until not a footfall of theirs be heard, nor an
+echo of their voices resound through their marble home. The witch
+Endora, like a Cassandra, smells the past, and speaks of evil.
+
+'Day after day, night after night, have I been on the trail, tracked her
+like a bloodhound, haunted her to earth. I lie not; she is worse than I!
+The Roman shall know all, and Saronia, whom she tortured, be avenged. If
+her soul is too kind to feed upon such a rare morsel, then the witch of
+Ephesus--I, Endora--will do so, and gloat over the fate of Nika, proud,
+despicable daughter of Lucius the Roman! Now let me breathe the air; the
+stormy air, the sunlight, and the breeze belong to me as much as to the
+good.'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXXIV
+
+                          THE HOROSCOPE
+
+
+Nika was pale and worn, and scarcely spoke.
+
+'What ails thee, dearest wife?' said Varro.
+
+'Naught,' replied she; 'tired only. All night long have I watched
+through the storm. I knew by the signal-fires thou wert off the harbour
+mouth. Dost thou think I could rest when my lord rode on the top of
+crested waves, and the creaking timbers of the vessel sang omens fierce
+and loud? No, no; Nika is of different mould. My father is a warrior and
+a sailor, and ofttimes has he told me of the fearful perils of the
+seas.'
+
+'Nika, thou art my darling wife! How hast thou fared during my absence?
+Hast thou longed for my coming?'
+
+'Truly I have. And sometimes, when cloudy times were over me, I wished
+me dead rather than alone. Friends tried to cheer me; their work was but
+mockery, I well knowing naught but thy presence could fill the heart
+which has but room for one great joy--one which fills it to
+overflowing.'
+
+'Thou lovest me too much, Nika.'
+
+'Nika never loves but with all her soul,' replied she.
+
+'Tell me, girl, how is our old friend Chios?'
+
+'Chios? I have not seen him for many a day. I may say I have not seen
+him since thou left for Rome. I am told that strange being has turned
+voyager. It appears he took it into his head to visit Delos, and a
+trading-ship passing on its voyage thence called into this port, and
+Chios embarked.'
+
+'Has he returned?'
+
+'I believe so. I understand he arrived two days since.'
+
+'I will go and see him shortly.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A day or two had flown, and Varro was at the studio of Chios.
+
+'Well, my friend,' said the Proconsul, 'how has the time passed with
+thee since I deserted Ephesus? Hast seen yet the charming Ionian girl
+who is to smite thy heart like the sharpened beak of a war bireme when
+it sends its prow into the soft pinewood sides of an enemy's ship? No?
+Well, I am sorry for thee, Chios. Thou deservedst a better fate. Nika
+told me of thy wanderings to Delos. Didst thou have pleasure in that
+lovely isle?'
+
+'I enjoyed it immensely, and learned many quaint stories of the place. I
+saw the Temple and the rock-cleft chasm through which the priestesses
+derived inspiration. I heard the story of Myrtile, that she was
+beautiful and wise as she was lovely; how she broke her vows, and
+suffered death as a punishment for her crime.'
+
+'How sad those stories are, Chios!'
+
+'Yes, very, but the earth is full of such. Where dost thou spend this
+evening?'
+
+'Now, Chios, I am going to confide in thee. Guess what it is!'
+
+'I cannot.'
+
+'I have desired to get the horoscope of Nika. They tell me the witch
+Endora who lives in the side of yonder hill is one of the most eminent
+calculators of Ionia. Where she received her education 'tis a mystery.
+She has not been taught in Ephesus. I go to this poor old woman. What
+sayest thou, Chios?'
+
+'Don't go. No good will come of it.'
+
+'Art thou a seer?'
+
+'No; neither do I understand magic, but somehow I feel you will act
+wisely in keeping away.'
+
+'Lovest thou not the mysteries?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Neither those who love them?'
+
+'I love all my friends, whate'er their faith.'
+
+'Thou art a born diplomatist, Chios; but to-night will find me walking
+over the long grass leading to the cave of the wise woman of Ephesus.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+That night he did go, and with some intrepidity knocked at the door of
+the mysterious cave. It was answered by Endora, peering out into the
+starlit night.
+
+'Whom seekest thou?' said she.
+
+'Endora.'
+
+'I am Endora. What requirest thou?'
+
+'I wish to consult thee.'
+
+'My place is poor for thee. Come within. Now, what is thy requirement?'
+
+'Thou tellest the future?'
+
+'Well?'
+
+'Dost thou cast an horoscope truly?'
+
+'Likely enough.'
+
+'Wilt thou cast from this?'--handing the date and time of birth.
+
+Endora took it, sat down, and commenced her work. Presently she looked
+up, and said:
+
+'I see enough to assure me that it will fit but the life of one person.'
+
+'And that one?' said Varro.
+
+'A woman, the wife of the Proconsul of Ephesus, and thou art he.'
+
+'This augurs well. I have heard great worth attached to thy wisdom. Now
+pray tell me hast thou ever seen her?'
+
+'Yes, many times. What dost thou think of thy wife? Art thou jealous of
+her since thou art come to dive into her future and her past?'
+
+'No, my woman! No, no; why should I be jealous? She is chaste as she is
+beautiful, and kind as she is wise. I have fullest confidence in my
+wife. What seest thou, Endora?'
+
+'I fear,' replied the witch, 'I must have been mistaken; for now I see
+here a beautiful woman with rippling hair of golden hue flowing back
+from a snowy brow.'
+
+'Yes, yes; go on. That is right.'
+
+'No, it cannot be the Nika you call wife; she has eyes of blue, deep as
+the sea, and her cheeks are tinged with the glory of the pomegranate.
+She stands erect; she walks like a queen.'
+
+'Thou art right, Endora. 'Tis she! Thou art an artist; go further.'
+
+'She has ruby lips, and her teeth are white and smooth as pearl; but
+within she is a cauldron of----'
+
+'Stay, wretch!' cried Varro.
+
+'I will not. A cauldron of lies! A sink of deception! A tiger whelp! A
+soul drowning in iniquity, destined to wander in darkness for ages on
+ages!'
+
+'Stop--stop thy murderous tongue! It must be, as thou sayest, some
+other--not Nika!'
+
+'No, no. Thou shalt not stay me; I will go on. It--is--thy--wife! She is
+beautiful without, but within I see her as I say.'
+
+'Poor thing! thou art deceived. Thou art delirious; I pity thee, and
+will get physician's aid for thee. I go now. Here is some gold. Rest
+thyself. Thine is a case demanding pity.'
+
+'I take not your gold; I want not your pity. I am sane. Would I had been
+born a drivelling idiot, and remained so to this present!'
+
+'But surely, woman, thou canst not be other than mad to say such
+horrible things about Nika, my wife, my greatest treasure!'
+
+'I am not mad, noble man; but speak the truth, and speak it plainly. Thy
+wife deceives thee. She is vile!'
+
+'Curse your gray locks! I will smite you where you stand if you do not
+retract those blackened lies!'
+
+'Listen, Proconsul: I will not withdraw what I have said, but will
+further tear the veil from off thy deluded eyes. I have known her long,
+and watched her well--the reason, mine. I have followed in the groove of
+her life; but, to come to the present, thou hast been from Ephesus,
+leaving thy beautiful Nika behind--leaving thy soul's happiness with
+her. How has she repaid thee? How! By giving her love to----'
+
+'Silence, thou reptile of hell!' And he sprang forward, clutching the
+woman by the throat.
+
+Her face grew dark and her eyes started; her mouth twitched
+convulsively, as if she essayed to speak.
+
+Maddened with fury, Varro still clutched her with the grip of death,
+holding her out at arms' length, glaring at her like a tiger with its
+prey.
+
+With one supreme effort the woman gathered together her dying strength
+sufficiently to enable her to thrust her hand into the folds of her
+dress and draw forth a tablet and hold it out towards him.
+
+Instinctively he relaxed his grip, and the witch cried out:
+
+'Read! Read!'
+
+He grasped the tablet, opened it, and saw the signature of Nika.
+
+Endora fell, her face lying on the stony floor. He heeded her not, but,
+with a face as death-like as that of the witch, glanced down the lines
+of the tablet.
+
+Then, with a moan such as is heard when the weary storm tells its sad
+tale through the cypress-trees, he sat down and buried his face in his
+hands.
+
+For some time he remained in the same position, until a sigh came from
+the prostrate woman.
+
+He arose and went towards her, saying:
+
+'Whatever may be thy sins, in this I am the sinner for bruising thee.'
+
+He gave her wine, damped her furrowed, fevered brow, raised her from the
+floor, and watched by her until she had fully regained consciousness.
+
+She murmured:
+
+'I do not blame thee. Were I a man, I would have done likewise. Endora
+pities thee. Thou hast wedded a snake, and she has stung thee. What wilt
+thou do?'
+
+'Charge her.'
+
+'And should she deny?'
+
+'She shall be tried by the rites of the Virgin Cave of Hecate.'
+
+He arose, and, throwing his mantle around him, strode out into the night
+down the hillside to his home.
+
+On his arrival, Nika met him with honeyed words and sweetest smiles, but
+he passed her coldly, and went to his chamber--not to sleep. The room
+seemed filled with choking air. He opened the window and let in a
+cooling draught, and the moonlight, faint and low, stole softly across
+the floor.
+
+For a moment he rested, buried in thought, scarcely knowing what to do.
+His face betrayed great passion. He arose, and paced the room until the
+day dawned over the sea, when he fell upon a couch, and passed into a
+dreamy sleep.
+
+When the morning had fully come, he went out and breathed the cool
+virgin air, but soon returned.
+
+His wife met him again with all the ease that duplicity can command.
+
+'And where hast thou been, Varro? Why so cold yesternight to thy loving
+wife?'
+
+'Nika, thou art false, false! What hast thou been doing whilst I
+journeyed to Rome?'
+
+'What dost thou mean?'
+
+'Mean! Just what I say. I am not a man to bandy words. Thou art
+unfaithful to me. Dost thou deny it?'
+
+'I do. I swear by Jove I am guiltless! I have traducers, and they lie!'
+
+'Knowest thou this writing, Nika?' And, drawing the tablet from his
+bosom, he said: 'Dost thou recognise this?'
+
+For a moment, and just a moment only, as a bird flies past and hides the
+moon, her face assumed an ashen hue, but a crimson blush rushed in and
+retired, leaving sufficient colour to make her beauty more enchanting.
+Then, throwing her proud head back on her shoulders, she laughed,
+saying:
+
+'Dear old jealous husband! I can explain all, I see. I understand what
+has ruffled your pretty plumage. I remember the other night writing on
+that tablet--a great joke'--and again she laughed out merrily.
+
+'I will tell thee, Varro. For want of something to do, I sat down and
+read the love poems by Andros. Yes, Varro. Art thou listening? Well,
+what do you think? A sudden idea came into my mind to try if I could
+write an epistle to an imaginary lover. So I did, just for amusement,
+Varro. I laid the tablet in my lap and fell asleep, and lo! when I awoke
+it was gone; and, strangely enough, you, Varro, bring it to me. This is
+all, dear. Of course, thou believest me?'
+
+'No, I believe it not. Thou shalt no longer be wife of mine until thou
+provest thyself. This affair is not a secret in Ephesus, and men of
+Ionia and nobles of Rome shall never point the finger of scorn at Varro.
+If thou art true, fear not; if false, then take thy reward.'
+
+'What meanest thou, husband? Thou art not serious? How can I prove other
+than by my word?'
+
+'Thou forgettest there is a tribunal for such offences.'
+
+'True. Tell me.'
+
+'The Virgin Cave of Hecate.'
+
+'The cave! Saronia!' shrieked Nika, and fell to the floor a helpless
+form.
+
+The Roman took her up and laid her on a couch, her hair flowing in
+golden masses to the ground, and her face like the face of death when
+Chios painted her!
+
+He called a slave to attend to Nika, hurried to his apartment, and sent
+word to Venusta instructing her to come immediately, stating her
+daughter was ill.
+
+Venusta came, and was terror-stricken at her daughter's appearance, and
+that day the wife of the Proconsul was removed to her mother's home on
+the side of Mount Coressus.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXXV
+
+                        THE VIRGIN CAVE
+
+
+In the Sacred Grove of Hecate, where the sun lit up the cypress-trees,
+and the birds sang on the billowy branches of the cluster-pine, and
+laurels greeted the gods, waving their dark-green foliage on the
+whispering air; where roses twined like weary children round the
+olive-trees, and oleanders, white as snow and pink as rosy dawn, bent
+down and kissed the murmuring brook; where the pale narcissi mirrored
+themselves in silent pools like stars of silver on the solemn sea, and
+the maddening perfume of that lovely flower mingled with the odour of
+the sweet grass, wild thyme, and violets--here the blue celandine and
+hyacinth vied in colour with the saffron flower and scarlet poppy,
+sacred to Diana, and every bloom was the emblem of a god; and the nymphs
+kept guard o'er sacred trees, and naiades revelled in gayest dance the
+long night through.
+
+The Sacred Cave was here--the Virgin Cave of Hecate, around which, like
+lost souls out of place, grew alder, dark, deadly aconite, and branches
+green of juniper, waiting their call to burn as incense to the infernal
+goddess.
+
+A winding pathway led down to the cave, the cave of trial.
+
+Its doors were strong, of olive wood, with tracings wrought in gold. On
+either side uprose stout pillars of malachite; and over the entrance, in
+curious marble richly carved, were figures of Hecate in judgment.
+
+Within this cave none but the pure might enter. There was the sacred
+syrinx--should a woman go therein, the doors closed by invisible hands.
+If pure, a soft and heavenly strain was heard, and the doors opening of
+their own accord, the honoured woman appeared crowned with a garland of
+leaves of pine; but if guilty, sobs and disconsolate weeping were
+audible, and the people passed away, leaving her to her fate. And after
+three suns had risen and set, the High Priestess entered, found the cave
+empty, and the syrinx fallen to the ground.
+
+This was the day Nika would enter the cave. No hope had come. Day after
+day she had gazed over the blue sea with the vain thought that she might
+catch a glimpse of her father's fleet returning. Not a vestige of it
+hove in sight. To the last she buoyed herself with the hope that aid
+would come and save her from this frightful ordeal; but no. The sky was
+cloudless, the ocean calm--calm and unruffled as a sleeping child.
+
+The priests and priestesses of the Temple would accompany her in solemn
+procession, and Nika, clad in garments of black, would be taken to the
+Sacred Grove. Torch-bearers and heralds would lead them by the tufts of
+yellow iris down the winding path to the cave, outside which an altar
+stood, and the great Saronia waited, with head thrown back and hands
+outspread towards the ground; her raven hair flowed down and lay in
+waves on folds of costly yellow silk bestudded with stars; her face was
+calm as death, rigid as a marble statue; emotion showed no place in that
+mysterious being.
+
+Five beautiful girls, the loveliest of Ionia, priestesses of the
+goddess, bees of the Temple, waited on her; but the beauty and dignity
+of the great High Priestess outshone them all, as the rising sun puts
+out the light of the silvery stars.
+
+The black lamb had been sacrificed to Hecate, and its crimson blood
+streamed over the altar into the earth.
+
+The priestesses were hidden from view by a turning in the way, and it
+was only when the last tall lines of myrtles were passed that they could
+be seen. But the clanging of cymbals was near, the strains of the lyre
+broke in, and the low tones of the mellow flute kept up a sacred melody.
+
+The first of the heralds drew near the altar sacrifice, stood still a
+moment, then blew a blast which made the blossoms quiver; and the
+procession came with measured tread, carrying banners many-coloured, and
+bearing symbols of the goddess which glittered in the sunlight.
+
+Nika, pale and trembling, stood within a circle of the priests,
+enveloped by the many standards which they bore.
+
+Suddenly the silken shields were lowered, the circle broke in twain,
+and formed a guard on either side; and Nika, looking down between the
+lines, saw the dark face and towering form of Saronia standing by the
+altar.
+
+With one loud, piercing cry of anguish, the girl rushed madly towards
+her, and when within three paces plucked a jewelled dagger from her
+bosom, and made to plunge it into the heart of her former slave.
+
+One look from the mystic eyes of the High Priestess overawed her, and
+she shielded her face with her mantle of black.
+
+No tremor passed the face of the High Priestess. It was fixed like a
+cold, pale moon in the cloudless sky. She could have slain Nika had she
+chosen. Her glistening dagger remained untouched. She heeded it not, but
+moved solemnly towards the cowering girl, holding forth her hands as she
+approached her, saying:
+
+'Lean on me, fair woman of Rome. I may make thy burden less.'
+
+The eyes of Nika rolled back their maddening look, and gazed into those
+of the priestess.
+
+'O Saronia, Saronia, save me! or, if thou canst not, then forgive!'
+
+For the first time the face of the High Priestess relaxed, and it was
+veiled with a look of pity.
+
+'Would I could help thee, Nika! In this case I have not power. I stand
+here, not to punish, but to perform the sacred rites my office demands;
+but I forgive thee, forgive thee, Nika, whatever may be thy fate.'
+
+The low tones of Diana's hymn broke the stillness, and Saronia led the
+trembling woman to the Virgin Cave of Hecate.
+
+The great doors swung back, the doors of olive were wide apart, and soft
+Ionian music floated by like the rhythm of angels' wings.
+
+'Nika--let me kiss thee, Nika.'
+
+And Saronia took the face bestrewn with golden hair between her jewelled
+hands, and passionately kissed the trembling lips of the daughter of
+Lucius.
+
+Then she led the fated woman to the cave, and left her.
+
+The great doors flew back like the jaws of death, and in a moment or two
+sounds of weeping were heard, and the people turned away. Full well they
+knew the syrinx had fallen, and Nika was gone--for ever.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXXVI
+
+                             REVERIE
+
+
+The passing of Nika spoke strongly to Saronia. She had lived with her,
+served with her, felt the keen injustice of her nature, and now the end
+had come.
+
+Had it been woman against woman, she would not have crushed the Roman;
+but it was not so. It was a woman in conflict with the goddess. Saronia
+had been powerless to help, and dared not question the vengeance of
+Hecate.
+
+She sympathized with Lucius, her old master, always kind; pictured him
+returning to Ephesus, hastening to his home on the Coressian hill,
+expecting loving greeting, hearing the dreadful death of his only child
+from a broken-hearted wife. She saw the tears streaming down the face of
+the weather-beaten mariner, and watched the wrecked soul as it looked
+out through the lustreless eyes.
+
+It was horrible to think of all this, and to dwell on the thought that
+question after question would arise in his mind why the Fates did not
+sooner bring him home that he might have saved her--fought for her, if
+need be; and, above all, why did not Saronia protect her against the
+power of the Roman, Proconsul though he was? He would revert back to the
+time when he saw her at the altar steps looking sweetly on him and his
+sailors when they came to pray.
+
+All the agony of Lucius came before her, and her spirit was clouded with
+gloom.
+
+She threw herself down, and buried her beautiful face, sighing as if her
+heart would rend in twain. She was a woman, not a goddess--a woman with
+sympathies keen enough to feel for others, even to the binding up of the
+broken-hearted and offering forgiveness to her most violent foe.
+
+A mysterious link had suddenly snapped in her chain of destiny. What it
+was she could not divine.
+
+The death of Nika moved her in a peculiar manner, such as nothing else
+had done since the deep of her being was broken up by the call of the
+great spirit to follow the goddess.
+
+It was a dark chapter in her life's history, and she earnestly desired
+to know its hidden meaning; she would wait patiently until the time came
+when all should be revealed.
+
+She arose, looked towards the sea, and saw in vision the white sails of
+the fleet of Lucius bringing him to port.
+
+A storm crossed her face, as when the icy winds of winter furrow the
+waves and clouds swoop down to wed the foaming main. Her whole nature
+trembled like the shaken hull of a tempest-haunted ship. The spirit of
+Hecate was on her, and the voice of the terrible goddess rang out in her
+soul:
+
+'Tell him the curse hath killed her! Say the gods are avenged!'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When the evening had come, Saronia retired and lay on a couch of black
+marble. The windows of the room were thrown open to admit what little
+breeze there was; the honeysuckle and jasmine climbed the walls like
+rival lovers, and breathed their perfume on the priestess.
+
+She looked towards the Temple; the sun threw rays aslant the roof and
+pillars, and it shone resplendent in the dying day.
+
+In the rear of it sprang up against the sky tall trees of cluster-pine
+and ash, further away rose the great mountains, and behind them the
+golden gates of the setting sun, and beyond all, soft clouds cradled in
+light floated like temple domes of a great spiritual city.
+
+The soul of the priestess was drawn away towards the glorious vision,
+and for a while she had forgotten herself. Darkness had changed to
+light, and she longed to be beyond all the uncertainty of this troubled
+existence, and move into a sphere where hope might be lost in
+love--where she would see things as they are, see them with the truth of
+a risen soul, not as she now saw them, with a soul straining to gaze at
+spiritual beauty through a mass of corruption, a shroud of earthly
+mould.
+
+Her spirit struggled to free itself, to spread out its pinions and soar
+into an element of its own; but the time had not yet arrived for the
+prisoner to be free--her prison was bolted with bars of brass.
+
+As the shadows deepened on the floor of that sacred room, and the last
+flickering light of day played between her tresses, turning her silvery
+robes to gray, it was evident her mind was much agitated--influenced in
+a marked degree.
+
+She took from her bosom the parchment Chios had given--the manuscript
+which taught the Christian creed--and, grasping it firmly with her right
+hand, walked towards the window, looking lovingly and long at the great
+Temple. She moved away, murmuring:
+
+'I will see Chios. I will see him, and know more of his faith.'
+
+Thus was this magnificent spirit besieged by contending forces. She
+stood like a mountain peak encircled with storm, like a beacon on a rock
+lashed by the fury of the maddening seas, like a ship in a valley of
+waves, rudderless, shroudless, with creaking timbers and sailless yards.
+
+Her first thought was, under the cover of night, to fly to the studio of
+Chios. No, he would not be there. A better way suggested itself.
+
+She stood erect, with face towards where the city lay, and, stretching
+out both hands, she threw a wave of will forward in search of Endora. It
+reached her at her mountain home.
+
+The witch sprang to her feet, and the command of Saronia came to her:
+'Come to the Temple to-morrow morn. Bring me a gift of roses.'
+
+That night the priestess rested, slumbering till the sun arose and the
+mists on the mountains had cleared away. Then she awoke, and went forth
+to the morning service. As she passed by, many beasts were being
+sacrificed at the altar in front of the Temple, portions of the flesh
+and basins of blood were being carried within.
+
+She stood beside the sacrifice in the midst of the Temple, heard the
+crackling wood as it slowly burned up the pieces, watched the smoke
+until it ascended, freely passing out through the aperture in the roof;
+then she knew the sacrifice was accepted of the goddess.
+
+The omen at one time would have been to her one of great joy. Now
+another voice was echoing: 'Sacrifices and burnt-offerings I have no
+pleasure in. The true sacrifice is a broken and a contrite heart.'
+
+As soon as she could, she turned from the Temple and sought the quiet of
+her room, sitting by the window where the sunlight kissed the roses and
+the breezes fanned her cheeks.
+
+
+
+
+                         CHAPTER XXXVII
+
+                          THE MESSAGE
+
+
+As the day advanced a message was brought to the priestess that a woman
+was without who wished to speak to her, and that she carried roses in
+her hand, an offering to Diana.
+
+'Let her come to me,' said Saronia.
+
+'Come within and seat thyself. I have much to say to thee, mother of
+Chios. I know I may trust thee. Thou wilt never betray?'
+
+'No. By all that is left for my eternal salvation, I swear to be true!'
+
+'Then hear me. Take this message to Chios. I must see him.'
+
+'Thou knowest, lady, Chios is a Christian?'
+
+'I do. Dost thou know aught of this sect, seeing thou movest abroad
+among the people?'
+
+'O noble Saronia, 'tis a mighty God they serve.'
+
+'What meanest thou?'
+
+'I will tell thee. One day there came to my house the sons of Sceva;
+they came to cast out a spirit of evil from a tortured man.'
+
+'Did they succeed?'
+
+'No. Miserably failed! And I, by my power, tried by Hecate to draw him
+forth, but I could not.'
+
+'By what process did they attempt this?'
+
+'They invoked the name of the Jewish Christ, but the spirit rebelled
+against them, and disowned their power. They had made a cross, the
+symbol of that God, to carry out their plan, and when they had fled and
+I also looked back, I saw the cross all lit with glorious sheen in the
+hands of the man, and the spirit had come out of him. I fear this faith;
+Diana, Hecate are servants to it, and this Christ will prevail in
+Ephesus. I would this God would shield me from the curse, and I would
+lie at His feet in gratitude and joy.'
+
+'Endora, thou speakest strange sayings. Art thou certain of all those
+things, or are they phantasies of the mind?'
+
+'They are true, noble Saronia, as true as yonder Temple is the shrine of
+thy goddess; true as there is a central sun in the universe, around
+which all other suns revolve. And this Christ, they say, is the great
+spiritual orb, the grand Spirit of the whole around which every other
+intelligence moves, and to whom every spirit in the vast domains shall
+bow. It's a terrible thought, is it not?'
+
+'Why?'
+
+'Because, if this saying be true, Diana is no more. She is not supreme,
+and will fade away as the ages grow, dwindling into nothingness, and her
+teaching be but a beautiful story.'
+
+'Ah! Endora, thou speakest wisely. Truly thou art acting a part in
+assuming the craft of a low-born fortune-teller. I see thou art skilled
+in words, and still hast the soul and wisdom of a priestess; as a
+diamond thou wilt sparkle, begrimed as thou art with the adverse
+circumstances of thy life. Thou hast interested me. It is well one
+should know what is propagated around her. Hast thou any more respecting
+this strange belief?'
+
+'Only this: One day when on the mountain yonder two men were near. I
+hid, but close enough to listen.'
+
+'Who were they?'
+
+'One was Chios, the other his teacher, one of the chiefs of the
+Christians.'
+
+'What did they say?'
+
+'I heard the old man speak in prophecy, saying the time was not far away
+when the beautiful city beneath them should crumble to decay, the
+temples perish, and the altars be broken and buried deep in the earth,
+until men should seek for the glories and religion of Ephesus, but
+should search in vain--that the faith of the goddess should be but a
+broken note in the great hymn which the ages sing. More he said, but all
+of the same import.'
+
+'What kind of man was this prophet?'
+
+'He was mean in appearance, possessing an intellect like the mind of a
+god. His eyes were piercing, and his spirit consumed his flesh; his body
+was but a disguise. Surely within that frail and plainly-built structure
+there resided a soul which has circled around the central throne of the
+King of the universe. He is a messenger from Him, whoever He may be.'
+
+'Endora--Myrtile may I call thee?--go! Be careful of the message to
+Chios. My life--everything depends on its safe delivery. Place it
+carefully, and speed away. The message demands action this day.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Endora crept up the avenue of myrtles to the door of Chios, and timidly
+knocked at it.
+
+'I have a message for thee.'
+
+'From whom didst thou receive it?'
+
+'From the High Priestess, Saronia.'
+
+'What knowest thou of her? Thou mockest me.'
+
+'No, I do not. Read it. Thou wilt see her in every line.'
+
+He eagerly glanced at the message, and turned deadly pale.
+
+'Come within, Endora.'
+
+'Thou knowest my name. How so?'
+
+'It matters little. I know thy name.'
+
+As the old woman moved into the studio, a strange, weird light lit up
+her cold, sinister face, and she gazed around at the beauties displayed
+there.
+
+'Sit down and rest. Dost thou know the contents of this message?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Then I will tell thee. Saronia has trusted thee; I must. She cannot
+err; her judgment is good, and I abide by it.'
+
+'Ah, ah!' laughed Endora. 'I am safe, noble Greek. Thou canst trust me.
+The High Priestess confides in me; Chios may do the same. Shall I
+swear?'
+
+'No; but look into my eyes, and tell me thou wilt be true.'
+
+As she gazed into his eyes a shudder passed through her, and for an
+instant she reeled as if drunken. Recovering herself, she said:
+
+'Art thou satisfied?
+
+He made no reply.
+
+Endora cried:
+
+'Speak--speak out straight from thy heart, or I will not receive thy
+secret!'
+
+'Yes; I can trust thee,' replied Chios. 'Why, I do not know. I am safe
+in thine hands. Who art thou? What art thou?'
+
+'I? I am a poor castaway, cast aside on the dung-heap like a broken
+lamp! I am a reptile doomed to crawl the earth like the meanest snake. I
+am Endora of Ephesus, the witch of Mount Pion! Who art _thou_? What a
+foolish question, when all know thee to be Chios the Greek, the great
+artist of this mighty city!... Thou art safe in the hands of Endora.
+Thou art son of some mother who cherished thy young life. Hast thou a
+mother?'
+
+'No.'
+
+'Where is she?'
+
+'Dead.'
+
+'Didst thou ever know her?'
+
+Chios was silent, and his eyes looked far away.
+
+'I have faint remembrance of her; she died when I was quite a child.'
+
+'Didst thou love her?'
+
+'Love her? Yes, passionately.'
+
+'Is thy father alive?'
+
+'I never knew him. But enough of this. Sufficient I trust thee in
+respect of this message. Speak to me on no other subject. It bids me
+meet the High Priestess to-night near the Sacred Grove, and she requests
+me to tell thee this and to command thee be there and stand sentinel, to
+give timely warning if strangers approach.
+
+'Why or how Saronia confides thus in thee 'tis passing strange. But it
+must be right. Thou knowest all now. Go thy way. Do thy part for thy
+mistress, and I will do mine.'
+
+'I will be there,' replied Endora, 'and, if necessary, die for thee.'
+
+And she went out to the great road beyond the garden gate.
+
+
+
+
+                         CHAPTER XXXVIII
+
+                         THE DEAD PRIEST
+
+
+That night, with none to question her, Saronia passed out from the
+Temple towards the Sacred Grove of Hecate.
+
+Arrived there, she offered sacrifice, and left the dying embers
+blackening the sacred altar. Perchance some priestess next day should
+secretly want proof of Saronia's visit. This done, she hastened to the
+meeting-place on the bank of the Cayster, where Chios awaited her, and,
+like a faithful hound, Endora stood guard a hundred paces off, the only
+access to the river's brink.
+
+Saronia and Chios were safe. He spoke first.
+
+'Why comest thou here, my love, and such a fearful night? How the winds
+search through the trees and tangle thy beautiful tresses!
+
+'What hast thou to say? Thou runnest fearful risk. And yonder
+woman--canst thou really trust her?'
+
+'Yes, trust her fully; she is safe. I have desired to see thee, Chios,
+and have dared everything. I would know more of this faith,' and her
+voice sank to a whisper. 'Since thou gavest me the parchment to read my
+mind ever reverts to the words of fire it contains. I would know their
+hidden meaning, trace them to their source, and plant them in my heart
+were I sure they were words of truth. Thou hast a noble teacher in the
+man who wrote them. Is it possible, Chios, I may meet him and learn
+fully? My brain, disorganized, reeling with doubt, will madden me to
+death. I cannot live without knowing the truth. Tell me, canst thou help
+me?'
+
+'Saronia, what thou askest is a fearful thing. I wish thee every good,
+and would pour out my life to serve thee; but hast thou considered--hast
+thou counted the cost?
+
+'Thou art the High Priestess of the Ephesian faith, steeped in the ways
+of Hecate, initiated into the mysteries of life and death, respected by
+thy followers, looked up to as a pattern for all the world to follow.
+Hast thou thought of the great sacrifice thou wilt make if perchance
+thou dost embrace the faith of the despised Nazarene? Consider what will
+become of thee--what thine end. Thou must fly the Temple, leave its
+altars, desert thy flock, be pursued until a merciful death blots out
+the life of the greatest, noblest woman in all Asia! Now, having told
+thee of this, I am ready to obey; but it shall never enter into thy
+mind, whatever befall thee, that Chios, who loves thee with a love that
+Heaven alone can understand, ever drew thee away from a faith which thou
+hast made thine own to one which perhaps thou mayest not understand.'
+
+'Dearest Chios, I have thought much of this. Many hours have I dwelt on
+it. I am decided. Saronia will not embrace a new faith until it eclipses
+the old one. Then, for such a faith, if such there be, Saronia is
+prepared to die. To gain knowledge of the greatest truth is my mission
+on earth, and, gaining this, I rise a step nearer the Divine Presence.'
+
+'Thou shalt meet Judah. When wilt thou come?'
+
+'Not too soon, lest suspicion arise. Say, let one week pass, and I will
+be where thou wilt.'
+
+'Then we meet on the side of Mount Pion at the cave of Endora.'
+
+'Good; it shall be so, Chios.'
+
+'Now let us go. I will see thee into the road leading to the Temple.
+Fear not detection. The night forbodes a gale. Already the winds whistle
+through the reeds, and the nodding trees answer to the outriders of the
+tempest.'
+
+Suddenly a shriek went up, and was borne on the winds of night.
+
+'What is that?' whispered Saronia. ''Tis like the cry of a parting
+life.'
+
+'List!' said Chios. ''Tis some bird of evil shrieking the advent of
+storm.'
+
+They had not long to wait ere another shriek, more deadly than the
+first, rose up towards the skies.
+
+'Hide thee between the rushes, Saronia. I will see what it means. Stay
+until I return, whate'er betides.'
+
+The priestess did as she was bidden, and Chios stole softly down the
+pathway until he saw Endora--the black form of the witch surrounded by
+the night--and at her feet lay the lifeless form of a man.
+
+For a moment the Greek was terror-stricken, and when his breath had
+returned he gasped:
+
+'Endora! Endora! what meaneth this?'
+
+'I slew him,' replied she.
+
+'Thou?'
+
+'Yes, I slew him. See, my dagger reeks with blood!' and she held it
+aloft, pointing it upwards towards the heaven, looking like the statue
+of a night-fiend.
+
+Then she spoke again:
+
+'Had he a thousand lives, and my arm would not prove weary, I would take
+them all. Hear me, Chios: I stood guard for thee and Saronia. This dead
+man tracked her--knew her.'
+
+'Knew her?' repeated Chios.
+
+'Yes, recognised her--and thou. He came, as I have said, and was
+well-nigh upon you, when the form of Endora stood in the path. He spoke
+to me; he had lost the scent, did not know which way you had taken--this
+path or the one that branches off. He asked if I had seen a woman go
+this way towards the river. I answered "No." "Thou liest!" said he.
+"Thou knowest her whereabouts; thou knowest who she is--Saronia, the
+High Priestess, and Chios her lover. Speak out, hag, or I will wrest thy
+life from out thy vile carcase! Where is she?" Then said I: "Go thy way,
+man! I know not, and care less." He seized me by the throat, relaxed his
+hold, bade me speak, gripped it again, bruised me until I felt my life
+gurgling away. I knew I was not fit to die, and he--_he should not
+murder me_! He held me by the throat at arms' length, and shook me like
+a dog; but when he drew me towards him, I used my dagger and let out his
+life's blood--yes, the life-blood of a traitor!' And, turning her head
+from Chios, she murmured: 'The life-blood of--thy--father!'
+
+'Endora! Endora! what hast thou done?'
+
+'Nothing but saved my life and thine and that of the great Saronia, by
+killing a brute who would have had no mercy had he succeeded. I should
+have died, thou also, or both banished, and Saronia would have been in
+the power of this man, who had a passion for her.'
+
+'He?'
+
+'Yes, he.'
+
+Chios stooped down, gently drawing back the mantle which had fallen over
+the dead man's face, when, to his horror, he discovered who the murdered
+man was.
+
+Standing erect, he looked into the eyes of Endora.
+
+'Woman, thou hast committed a frightful deed! Thou hast slain the High
+Priest of the Temple of Diana!'
+
+She stood motionless, silent. Then, raising herself to her full height,
+she said:
+
+'Chios, this may bring me death;' and she uttered a moan like the
+sighing of the doomed. 'Take thy dagger, plunge it into my heart! Do not
+let them torture me! Death from thine hand I would receive as a kiss of
+love! As for the death of this man, I repent not. I knew him well
+before I slew. Were he a god, and I could kill, I would have done so!'
+
+What was to be done? The first impulse of Chios was to call Saronia and
+tell her all. No; he dared not. She must be free from knowledge of the
+thing.
+
+He took the dead body and drew it on one side, that Saronia might not
+perceive it.
+
+Then, ordering Endora home, he went back to the priestess.
+
+'What ails thee, Chios? Thou art agitated. Has aught occurred?'
+
+'No; it must have been the wild bird's shriek. No being was about save
+Endora. Let us move away.'
+
+And they walked up the pathway past the corpse, and as she passed she
+shuddered.
+
+'Art thou cold, Saronia?'
+
+'No; but by some strange intuition I feel the presence of the dead.'
+
+'Banish the thought!' said he. ''Tis but the moaning winds which play
+upon thy soul.'
+
+'Where is Endora, Chios?'
+
+'Gone; I sent her home.'
+
+They arrived at the confines of the grove through which Saronia must
+pass.
+
+'One kiss, my love,' said the Greek--'one kiss from those sweet lips,
+and I go to feed upon the memories of Saronia. Do not forget next week
+at the home of Endora, on the Mountain of Pion. Good-night,
+dearest--good-night!'
+
+She passed through the Sacred Grove, took with her her implements of
+sacrifice, and went within the walls which surrounded the Temple. Great
+gusts of wind came roaring through the pine-trees of the grove, rushed
+onwards, striking the sacred pile, shrieking and crying with
+many-sounding voices around the marble pillars, until the mighty Temple
+was as a great harp on which the storm-winds played a solemn requiem for
+the dead priest.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XXXIX
+
+                          CONSTERNATION
+
+
+Next morning some fishermen, who had come down the river Cayster in
+their boat of many colours and crooked prow, moored it near the spot
+where Chios and Saronia met the previous night. They lowered the sail,
+with long yard and streaming pendant, rolled it up carefully, placed it
+fore and aft across the thwarts, counted their fish, took them with
+their nets and gaily stepped on shore, singing as they went, with hearts
+as light as the morning breeze and hopes as bright as the sunlight. For
+had they not a good catch of golden mullet which would sell well?
+
+They moved happily along the pathway, stooping and gathering the yellow
+flowers covered with silvery dew. There was plenty of time: the day had
+just begun, and they would easily gain the market for the early sale.
+
+Suddenly the foremost of them saw the body of the High Priest. He stood
+aghast. By this time the others came up and stood around,
+horror-stricken at the sight.
+
+'Who has done this?' said a stalwart Ionian, with curly hair and
+sparkling eyes.
+
+'Great Jupiter!' cried another. 'Who has committed the foul deed?'
+
+'A priest--a priest of rank!' exclaimed the third. 'See the insignia of
+office!'
+
+For a moment they knew not what to do. Their position was critical. One
+suggested they might be suspected of the murder, and they had better get
+on board their boat and float lower down the stream, keeping silence.
+
+Others were for going to the city and publishing the calamity, and this
+prevailed. And they hastened on, and made it known to the guard.
+
+The news of the murder of the Chief Priest of the Temple burst like a
+thunder-cloud, and spread with great rapidity until Ephesus and its
+environs rang with the tidings. Messengers hastened along the coast from
+Teos and Claros to Priene, and over the Meander to the Carian Miletus,
+to Magnesia and Mysa through to Sardis and Smyrna, in hopes by spreading
+the news that the murderer, if fled the city, might be taken.
+
+The Agora, Gymnasium, Odeum, Theatre--all the public places were closed.
+Silence seemed dropping from the heavens and casting out the joys of the
+people as they hung in groups and spoke in whispers.
+
+As the day passed, the feeling of melancholy wore off, and intense
+excitement set in. The worshippers of Diana clamoured for instant
+action, and blamed those who held power for not already capturing the
+criminal.
+
+Those of sounder judgment cast about for a motive for this deed, but
+they also were baffled. What business had the priest at night by the
+river side? Again, a thief had not killed him: everything of value
+remained upon his person; his jewels were untouched, even to the sacred
+Ephesian letters set in diamonds and rubies, and the sacred symbol of
+the shrine in gold and opals fell over his breast in sight of all. There
+was a great mystery about it. Some few dared to think within themselves
+that love and jealousy might clear it.
+
+Then it was remembered a custom existed backwards in the years that when
+a new High Priest was intended to be, the new should slay the old and
+take his place. And this satisfied many, whilst others who had desired
+to persecute the Christians clearly saw their hands in the matter, and
+preached a general massacre.
+
+At the Temple there was sore distress. Priests went to and fro with
+silent tread, and the great building resounded with cries and
+lamentations. The great Priestess Saronia wore on her face a death-like
+calmness.
+
+She had heard of the fishermen finding the body, and remembered the
+shriek which arose on the gusty air. She dared not speak; it would sound
+her own death-knell. She could not confess her presence at the margin of
+the river that fatal night.
+
+Her lips were sealed, her tongue silenced. But dark suspicions floated
+through her burning brain. Endora knew of this foul matter. Chios was
+innocent, but during his absence from her the woman must have told him
+all, and both held the secret.
+
+All this was too horrible to Saronia. Wild, heaving waves of furious
+thought rushed through her soul, threatening to engulf her reason, but
+like a shivering barque she determined to struggle through the breakers
+to the open sea and know the end.
+
+The Temple was desolate, the High Priest gone away for ever; but little
+did she know his death had saved her life, and the life of her beloved.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XL
+
+                        TWO MASTER MINDS
+
+
+The stars were shining softly through the mists of a summer night; the
+moon had touched the western rim; the winds were sleeping low upon the
+pine-clad hills, and Nature, weary, lay in sweet repose.
+
+On such a night, a week since the High Priest met his fate, Saronia went
+up the side of Pion to the cave of Endora.
+
+Disguised as she was, Chios did not know her, and she might have passed
+by unknown had she not turned towards the place where he waited to
+receive her.
+
+She entered, and sat down wearily. There was great anxiety in her eyes.
+Chios unfastened the cloak which enveloped her and let it fall back over
+her shoulders.
+
+'What ails thee, Saronia?'
+
+'What ails me? My heart is rending; I am weary. The soul truly never
+grows old, but the flesh tires. I am tired of all, and would I were at
+rest. The surges ever move towards the strand, sometimes gently like the
+breaking of the day; but with me always the waves beat ruthlessly around
+my imprisoned spirit, until now, like a drowning man clinging to the
+last vestige of his wrecked ship, I would fain let go my hold, and sink
+backwards into the seething waves which wait to engulf me.'
+
+'Do not despair, Saronia.'
+
+'No, I do not despair. I have ever sought to do the right and know the
+truth, and fear not the future.
+
+'I must find the home best suited for this soul, as I have evolved it,
+but I feel I have no power to go forward, and I may as well cease my
+yearnings for light. Perchance more may be meted to me in the ages
+beyond. That I shall live again and move onwards I know. I know this: it
+is the jewel left me--it is the anchor of my soul. Break the cordage
+which fastens me to it, and I drift aimless, hopelessly.'
+
+'Nay, nay, Saronia, do not talk in such a strain. What weighs so heavily
+on thee?'
+
+'The death of the High Priest. Canst thou clear the mystery, Chios?'
+
+He looked towards Endora. The woman stood leaning against the side of
+the cave, with eyes aglow, and burning with desire to speak. She stood
+forth, firmly erect, with head thrown back.
+
+'I slew him, lady--slew him in self-defence; killed him to save the
+truest, noblest woman on earth, and the man who loveth her, Chios the
+Greek. He would have strangled me, would have wrenched thy whereabouts
+from me--did try--until his iron grip upon my throat well-nigh put out
+my life. Now listen, mighty priestess, and you cultured man of Ephesus.
+The man I slew killed my love and spirit's aspirations years ago--long
+ago. The dead priest, who rose to be the highest in Asia, was _my
+husband_--the husband of Endora!'
+
+'Thy husband?' exclaimed Saronia.
+
+'Yea, it is true. He left me to my fate. I followed him hither, watched
+his career, and saw the people of Ephesus fooled with his whining
+hypocrisy. He knew me not until the fated night. When he fell I stooped
+and whispered in his ear my name, but _it was not Endora_! Thou heard'st
+the second shriek? The whisper of my name caused it. He shattered my
+life and left me to die; but I did not die, neither will I for his
+death. My line of life is not broken. I wait events.'
+
+Saronia was speechless, and Chios quivered like a leaf on a restless
+tree. Gathering strength, he staggered towards the door to breathe the
+air, and the two women were left alone.
+
+Endora felt the power of the priestess, and dared not speak.
+
+'Hast thou told Chios who thou art? Does he know thou art his mother,
+and by thine own hand thou hast slain his sire?'
+
+'No, and the secret kills me. Oh that I could die, disappear from the
+gaze of my son! Thou canst fancy my bursting soul, how my heart aches to
+hear one loving word from my only child! No, no; this cannot be. Endora,
+Myrtile the false, accursed, bloodstained, must never be known to Chios,
+my son, my son! But when I am gone--it will not be long--when I have
+finished here, tell him--tell him all, and that to the last my longing
+soul yearned to behold his manly face. Tell him that a mother's
+instincts, a mother's love, deadened by the curse, still dwelt within
+me. Mighty Saronia, thou wilt be left to him. Give him the love which a
+mother could not reveal. As I have said, I shall soon be on my great
+journey--yea, before the leaves fall from the trees in autumn.
+
+'Now to business. Intendest thou to deliver me to be weighed in the
+scales of justice?'
+
+'No. I mourn over the fatal act. 'Twas done in self-defence. I will not
+interfere. Wert thou tried, no one would believe thee. I do. My betrayal
+of thee would rest a murder on my own soul. The Fates must rule. Go thy
+way, and render thine account in the great hereafter. The gods will
+judge thee, and mete out justice. Keep thy counsel. 'Tis better none
+should know who thou art. Should I outlive thee, I will tell him, and
+say, blackened as thou art, cursed and full of sin, there was yet a
+spark of the Divine in thee, a spark which anon shall fire and blaze and
+burn the dross, and leave thee pure and unsullied as the air in which
+the gods dwell.'
+
+Chios returned within the cave. The women were silent, until the silence
+was broken by the footfall of a stranger. It was Judah the Christian.
+
+'What a strange gathering!' murmured Chios, as he went forth to meet his
+friend.
+
+Endora glided out like a panther, leaving the two men alone with the
+priestess.
+
+Saronia drew her black cloak closely around her, covering her priestly
+robes.
+
+Judah knew her. 'Lady of the Temple, thou art safe. Speak; I will not
+betray thee. Thou art not the first who came in this way. A young ruler
+in Judea came to my Master by night and learned of Him, and what thou
+wilt hear from me are the echoes of that Master's voice. Say on.'
+
+Then answered Saronia. 'Behold in me a priestess of the goddess Diana,
+skilled in the mysteries of her faith, touching the fringe of knowledge
+as it emanates from my divine mistress, carrying with me a belief hoary
+with the ages. But a short time since it permeated every cranny of my
+being, leaving no room for doubt until I heard from Chios thou hadst won
+him to thy faith. Knowing Chios well, and observing his peace, the
+things thou hast told him now rise for hearing in my soul. Judah, if
+thou hast more of truth than I, then show it me! I have power--power to
+cast around us darkness--thick darkness--and anon fill this darkened
+cave with spirits of fire, so that it shall blaze with light! Believest
+thou this? I do not boast to show this power, but to prove I seek not
+power, but truth and peace. Speak.'
+
+Then said he: 'Thou hast no power here. Thou art shorn of thy strength.
+The presence of my God is too strong! Invoke thy goddess, or thy gods;
+they will be dumb to thee. I challenge thee, invoke thy spirits! Call
+them hither, they will be as dead men to thee!'
+
+She arose, towering with majestic beauty, and, stretching forth her
+arms, whispered, with a voice full of command:
+
+    Spirits of the Temple Altar,
+    Ye who guard the sacrifice,
+    Ye whose pinions never weary
+    Serving Hecate, Diana,
+    Serving Luna, Queen of Heaven,
+    Come ye, by my summons bidden,
+    Light your torches deep in Hades,
+    Wave your brightness in this darkness,
+    Fill this place with light and splendour!
+
+But Saronia was powerless. Her strength was gone, and she stood aghast.
+Looking first at Chios, then at Judah, she spoke not a word, and her
+eyes were filled with tears as she learned a greater than Diana was
+there, and the priestess was a broken reed.
+
+It was then Judah spoke:
+
+'Holy Father, by whose power the north was stretched over the empty
+space, whose o'ershadowing wings give shelter to unnumbered souls, whose
+mercy endureth for ever! Holy Son, reclining on the bosom of the Father
+when the morning stars sang together and the sons of God shouted for
+joy! Holy Spirit, dispensing peace! Holy Trinity, Great Eternal, Love
+illimitable--hear Thy servant, and show us Thy goodness!'
+
+Then a Presence passed between them, and Saronia knew the Christ of God
+was there; but He entered not into her soul.
+
+She saw by the smile of peace on the Christian's face that he recognised
+his God and was holding communion with Him. And the priestess hid her
+face, not daring to look upon that holy sight.
+
+'Saronia,' said Judah, 'thy God stands by! Wilt thou worship?'
+
+She raised her eyes upwards to the rugged roof of the cave, and,
+starting to her feet, cried:
+
+'God of gods, if such Thou be--Spirit of the Mighty Ages--hail! I feel
+Thy power; it encircles me! I fear Thee, but I do not love. No, no!
+Saronia came not here to be captured or fascinated by fleeting spasm of
+fear! My mind is wrought to think and judge dispassionately. No show of
+power, no tinge of joy or veil of peace, will hold me off from the
+circle of my faith, which hath taught me knowledge deep and high, all
+glinting with flames of truth, strong as the moon gives when
+harvest-time is here. What I ask for is more light--sunlight--that may
+show me the truth with radiant splendour of a summer day. Canst thou,
+holy man, bestow this?'
+
+For a moment the power of her mighty mind astounded Judah. Never before
+had he encountered such a being. He looked on her as she stood erect in
+all her loveliness, saying:
+
+'Thou art a princess amongst spirits! The wisdom of man will not
+convince thee. Thou must be taught of God! Thy knowledge is great,
+Saronia; but listen. Many mighty spirits have wheeled and circled around
+the throne of the Eternal, dashing from their wings the heavenly sheen,
+the brilliancy brighter than a myriad suns, as they touched the halo of
+splendour which surrounds Jehovah. Many of them fell--fell, I say--like
+lightning from heaven, shorn of their radiance through dire rebellion.
+They knew the very source of truth, gazed upon the very ocean of it,
+and fell, carrying knowledge with them and a mighty power, by which
+they now work evil instead of good, leaving peace and love behind.
+
+'Perchance thou hast been taught of them--filled thy pitcher at their
+polluted fountain. Wilt thou be satisfied with it, or rise and rise
+until thou ministereth to Deity? Thou, too, wilt be a rebel if thou
+closest thy gates against the truth. Thine eyes are clouded, and mercy
+waits with loving hands to take the veil away!
+
+'Thou seekest light, and even now, although thou knowest it not, thou
+art on the very verge of the kingdom. And, mark well, when the set time
+comes, and thy vision is purified, the glory of God will surround thee
+like a mighty ocean without a shore. The index of my mind points that I
+should say good-bye. The seed which has been sown must die, and from it
+rise life and beauty to be crowned with a harvest of flowers. Farewell,
+mighty Saronia! Farewell, beloved Chios!'
+
+And he passed out into the starlight, the angels of God guarding him in
+mighty phalanx, deep and broad like a river of glory.
+
+Endora saw him leave, and a shudder passed over her as she trod the
+ground sanctified by the footsteps of the holy man.
+
+'Where hast thou been, Endora?' said the priestess.
+
+'Listening,' said the witch. 'I did my best not to play eavesdropper,
+but by an irresistible power I was drawn to the half-open door, and
+heard the words of Judah, and, on my soul, I would I were as pure as
+he!'
+
+'Art thou also being tainted with this new faith, Endora?'
+
+'No, no; but what may I expect from mine own? I am borne on the outer
+circle of it, accursed, knowing my fate. Who can blame me if I strike
+from my orbit like a wandering star, with the hope of coming within the
+influence of some other God greater than Hecate? Perhaps He may take me
+to His care. Did I not hear Judah say the mercy of his God endureth for
+ever? If so, may I not taste of it? I will try, and ere to-morrow's sun
+will have arisen I will have burnt my charms, my books, my Ephesian
+spells, and stand out fearlessly, awaiting the passing by of the Great
+Spirit of that mighty God. Perchance, seeing a naked, starving soul, He
+may throw around me a garment of mercy, a mantle of love, and I may yet
+atone, and worship at His feet. There is a story told that He sheltered
+Magdalene--and why not me? Most noble priestess, I read thee well enough
+to know thy great mind, stored with the greater mysteries, is broad
+enough, high enough, deep enough to let a struggling spirit work out its
+best destiny. I know thou wilt consent that to Endora be allowed the
+fullest light she can get to lead on to something better than the cold
+doom which now awaits her. Say, noble priestess--say! I feel I am
+parting from thee. Some links in the mighty spell which binds me are
+already broken. Some great influence is at work moulding my soul to
+something good. I will let it work. I will be passive in the hands of
+this great Potter, and out of darkness--gross darkness and sin--He may
+bring forth a being clothed with radiant immortality. Already a new dawn
+upheaveth, and more peace than Endora hath experienced in a lifetime now
+broods over her.'
+
+And she fell on the cold, stony floor, and lay at the feet of the
+priestess.
+
+Saronia, the High Priestess, arose, looking lovingly towards Chios.
+
+'Go thy way, dear Chios; leave this woman to me. No good can now come of
+thy presence. Our mission is accomplished. We have spoken with him we
+came to see. His words are graven on my heart, and will have due
+consideration; and greater than all he said is the fact that here before
+me lies this Endora, a marvel to my soul--a being steeped in sin,
+accursed of the goddess, moved upon by this mighty spiritual influence,
+talking of peace, and a dawn of love, mercy, and radiant life! This to
+me is far greater miracle than if Mount Pion had changed places with
+Coressus, or the deep blue sea rolled over the Ephesian plain, making
+the great Temple of Diana an island of marble in the midst of the
+waters.'
+
+Chios and Saronia stood at the entrance of that lonely cave.
+
+'Let me kiss thee, Saronia; let me place my hand upon thy head. I have
+been silent, knowing a greater than I was present. I knew thee too well
+to meddle with the workings of thy mind. We shall meet again shortly,
+shall we not, loved one?'
+
+'Probably.'
+
+'Thou wilt send by the hand of Endora?'
+
+'Good-bye, Chios--good-bye! Take this flower of myrtle from me.'
+
+She plucked it from her bosom, kissed its fragrant petals, and gave it
+to him.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XLI
+
+                            DAYBREAK
+
+
+The meeting with Chios and the Christian in the cave of the Ephesian
+sorceress had worked on the mind of the priestess. She was agitated like
+a ship cast in the way where two seas meet. Two great tides were bearing
+on her, which should carry her on its bosom. On the one hand, she had
+the traditions of the goddess, like a mighty river coursing down the
+ages, backed by a power which could command the living and the dead; on
+the other, she had presented to her a God of love, and the teachings
+which brought her dead mother to the Christ of God, permeated the soul
+of her lover, and gave peace to Endora, the accursed of Hecate.
+
+Before her rose the great Temple, glistening white in the sunlight,
+rearing its majestic pillars skywards, throwing shadows to the west. She
+saw the train of priests move up the marble stairway and disappear
+within, and heard the hymn of morning rise on the trembling air.
+
+In striking contrast before her stretched out a vision of the hated
+sect, the followers of the despised Nazarene, the little band of
+outcasts, who for fear of the people worshipped their God in the silent
+watches of the night, when the city was asleep--worshipped Him without
+gorgeous ritual or templed home, and standing ready, well knowing that
+as each day dawned the setting sun might cast its rays upon their
+lifeless bodies lying uncared for in the Ephesian arena.
+
+All this floated before her, drifting by, dark and ominously, like the
+shadow of a great cloud on the face of the waters.
+
+She saw herself a fugitive, hiding on the mountain-sides of yonder
+snow-capped Tmolus, where many others of the Christians had already fled
+for safety from the cruel fate in store for them.
+
+She saw herself a wanderer, an outcast, pursued to the death. Which
+should it be? High Priestess of Diana, clothed with mystery, strong in
+power, standing on the loftiest peak of fame, with a nation at her feet,
+and the issues of life and death in her hands; or a child in the new
+kingdom of love and peace?
+
+A thousand spirit-voices sang chorus to her soul, bidding her beware,
+now flowing with soft cadence in winning measure and tones of entreaty,
+now rising in one vast tumultuous threatening as if they would break the
+earth asunder. She stood unawed, listening; then cried:
+
+'Stand back! Saronia is a free spirit! What are ye? If I seek the truth,
+what spirit amongst you dare bar the way to a soul which floats upwards
+to the source of its being? Nay, none of you! Not even the son of the
+morning who fell from heaven!'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Day after day hung wearily on Saronia; she was of such nature as no
+half-measure would satisfy. She was awakening from the mist of ages. She
+had heard of a great spiritual life which was without alloy, where the
+spirit evolved more and more into the likeness of the great First Cause,
+and her mind broadened out to seek the fuller light.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When the nightingale sang to its mate and the sweet-scented flowers gave
+perfume in exchange for the earth-born dew, when the winds of the night
+lay cradled, when the voice of the toiler was still, and the sheen of
+the star of the west melted into the cold, gray sea, when the city slept
+on in the darkness, Saronia looked out to the mountains, the mountains
+which sheltered the exiles, the fugitive followers of God.
+
+'Twas death before death to the priestess; 'twas the death of the old
+faith, the birth of the new--the new one awakening the soul from its
+slumber, refining the spirit, remoulding her nature, and bringing
+together the Christ and His loved one.
+
+The night-winds leapt from their slumbers, and shrieked like a soul in
+pain, trampled the flowers in their fury, flew round the pine-clad
+mountains, circled and circled again, till the girl was entombed in a
+whirlwind, a whirlwind with centre of calm.
+
+Within that sanctuary, guarded by the angel of the covenant, stood
+Saronia, undismayed, determined, decided to serve the Son of Jehovah.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Her next step was to break away from the Temple service. Many methods
+came to her--one such as to leave the place without disturbance, to
+quietly move away; to flee; to live and breathe the fresh air, until
+hunted down to meet death in the arena of the great theatre of Ephesus.
+But to Saronia this was cowardly, and she resolved to meet her fate at
+once. Life to her was valueless save for the good she might do. But what
+greater good could she do than to openly witness for the new faith
+before the priests and priestesses of the great Temple of Diana, and
+receive the martyr's crown? It was a fitting prelude to the entrance
+into the great life--to the life which ended never.
+
+She would call an assembly of the priests and priestesses, and tell them
+from her own lips the story of her new-born love. The time was fixed,
+and as it was no uncommon thing for the priests and priestesses to meet
+their chief in solemn assembly, no particular notice was taken of
+Saronia's action in calling such.
+
+So, at eventide, when the worship for the day was over, and the sun had
+set, and the outer gates leading into the Temple were closed, the
+priests and priestesses gathered before the great altar, to listen to
+the voice of their beloved priestess.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The scene was one of solemn grandeur, as the priests with garments of
+many-coloured textures ranged themselves in crescent rows on the right
+of the altar as you enter the massive gates at the chief entrance. On
+the left of the altar, in the same manner, stood the priestesses,
+loveliest of the Ionian women, draped in white, yellow, rose-coloured,
+and azure garments, with here and there a robe of black, sacred to
+Hecate; whilst other maidens, flower-bearers, libation-carriers, and
+incense-girls, stood between the priests and priestesses, ready to place
+their offerings on the altar in honour of Diana.
+
+All was ready, all were expectant, when the great High Priestess,
+Saronia, came forward in flowing robes of white, costly silk, and stood
+in all her magnificent beauty.
+
+The offering to the goddess was soon made, but Saronia stood in silent
+meditation; neither had the soft cadences of sweet Ionian music from the
+costliest instruments any charm. Then, when their harmonies fell low and
+died in plaintive echoes, Saronia looked upwards through the open roof
+towards the circle of azure sky, until a calm, a radiant calm,
+o'erspread her face, making her seem like a visitant from the
+heavens.... During this brief pause a profound solemnity pervaded the
+assembly--a quietude in which even the rustle of a leaf would have
+seemed discord.
+
+The people, spellbound by the force of her character and the beauty of
+the Priestess, held their breath and earnestly waited.
+
+Then spoke Saronia to them, in a voice full of love and hope, saying:
+
+     'Priestesses and priests, and all you gathered here, listen to
+     the words of Saronia. Me you found helpless at your gates, a
+     slave seeking shelter, seeking sanctuary at the shrine of great
+     Diana, whose image, hidden by a veil of purple and gold, towers
+     majestically behind me.
+
+     'You brought me within the precincts of this mighty Temple, and
+     cared for me tenderly.
+
+     'After awhile you thought me fit to serve your goddess.
+
+     'Step by step I rose until, with one bound, I became the High
+     Priestess.
+
+     'My spirit, yearning with desire to understand the hidden
+     meaning of your mystic faith, became a receptacle for all the
+     teachings of your goddess. My mind became permeated with your
+     creed, and every fibre of my nature shaken and respondent to
+     the spirit's voice, as leaves move to the breathings of the
+     winds.
+
+     'In this spiritual ecstasy I revelled and moved on from mystery
+     to mystery, diving into the deep ocean of your sacred
+     knowledge, satisfying my soul with draughts of wisdom from the
+     choicest fountains of your faith; and, as I swept into the
+     mysteries of your creed, my spirit became intoxicated with
+     delight, and seemed to purify by contact with the unseen
+     presence of your goddess.
+
+     'Light after light flooded my vision, and I, the poor wanderer
+     seeking for truth and rest, was carried onwards as a mighty
+     rushing wind, accumulating knowledge as I went, until I was
+     borne into a vale of peace and rested for a while drinking in
+     the delirious joys of my new-found life.
+
+     'Power was given to me, power of which I dare not speak, save
+     only to those who are initiated into the mysteries of your
+     veiled goddess Hecate.
+
+     'Wisdom and power were bestowed on me, and, with the power I
+     possessed, I dealt out beneficence in accordance with the
+     precepts of Diana--Diana Triformis; and thus from stage to
+     stage my life has moved. But the soul has an eternal longing
+     for greater knowledge and greater truths, and this was the case
+     with Saronia, your priestess.
+
+     'As a wild gazelle springs from crag to crag, over shadowed
+     chasms, in search of food, so I moved on, seeking joy and truth
+     and knowledge, until I in spirit reached a sea-girt shore, and
+     could no further go. Not that my desire failed, but aid came
+     not to ferry me over the darkling waters.
+
+     'I stood calling on my goddess to point a way to the other
+     shore, on which stood templed cities with domes and towers
+     rising high into the pearly sheen of a glorious light. But no
+     answer came.... From the spiritual city across the sea came a
+     flowing light like a moving star. It came, and resolved into
+     beauteous form, until a Spirit, priestly, kingly, clothed with
+     heaven, stood beside me, and spoke peace to my awakening soul,
+     saying, "I will guide thee."...
+
+     'But it was not a messenger of Diana.'
+
+'Of whom, then?' shouted the priests.
+
+''Twas the Angel of the new faith,' replied the priestess.
+
+'Traitor! traitor!' thundered the people. 'Hear! She defames the great
+Diana! Take her away--away quickly, lest she pollute the altar!'
+
+Gazing steadily on the multitude, her dark eyes flashing fire, she
+cried:
+
+'No, no! Back! Use not your force. 'Tis needless. I might have fled the
+Temple, sought refuge in the mountains, escaped your fury, but she who
+has been your High Priestess would not have the seal of cowardice
+stamped upon her soul. Saronia will go to her death, trusting in the
+Christ of God.'
+
+'Take her away,' shouted the priests, 'lest she speaks again that
+accursed name! She is beside herself; the spirit of Saronia has fled,
+another has entered, accursed--accursed!'
+
+'Kill the body,' said the people, 'lest it darken the Temple!'
+
+The priests closed around, ruthlessly dragging her from before the altar
+to the Temple cells, and thrust her in, dethroned, disgraced.
+
+The priests wailed:
+
+'Woe! Woe! Woe! O goddess! O goddess! O mighty goddess! The omens are
+grievous: the High Priest is dead; thy priestess denies thee. Thine
+altar is lonely. The Temple polluted. Arise! Arise! Scatter thy foes!
+Great goddess, arise! Deliver us! Forsake us not! Forsake us not!'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XLII
+
+                             VARRO
+
+
+'Thou hast heard,' said the Proconsul, 'that Saronia has abjured her
+faith in the great Diana, and is a prisoner within the Temple where once
+she reigned supreme, second only to the goddess?'
+
+'Yes,' replied Chios, 'I have, and my heart is nearly dead. Can anything
+be done to save her?'
+
+'I think not. The Roman State cannot interfere in such matters. The
+faiths of the empire are manifold. Beside, Nero has enough on his hands,
+and knows better than to stir up the passions of the Ionian people for
+the sake of a woman who in no way interferes with his caprice. No, my
+dear fellow; I am afraid all will be settled by the Temple custom, and
+Saronia must accept her fate.'
+
+'But, Varro, Proconsul, thou hast power here second only to the Emperor,
+and perhaps greater. The State allows great latitude. Where is Lucius?'
+
+'At sea.'
+
+'Where?'
+
+'I cannot tell thee, Chios.'
+
+'Where was he when last thou heardst?'
+
+'At Rome, receiving orders from Nero.'
+
+'Varro, thou canst tell me of his whereabouts, if thou carest.'
+
+'I can say only that ere long he will arrive at Ephesus, but he cannot
+help thee, noble Chios. A weightier charge than thou knowest awaits the
+priestess.'
+
+'What is it?'
+
+'Murder!'
+
+'Murder! Of whom?'
+
+'The High Priest.'
+
+''Tis a lie!' spoke out the Greek.
+
+'Perhaps so,' replied Varro; 'but circumstances are against her. After
+her arrest, in her room was found a pair of sandals, stained underneath
+with human blood.'
+
+'Merciful God!' exclaimed Chios.
+
+'Listen further. It is well known that on the fateful night she went to
+the Sacred Grove, close to the river Cayster, where the priest was
+found. Do not be jealous, good fellow. The prying eyes of an attendant
+priestess reports that a man supposed to be her lover was seen in the
+company of this beautiful woman, even in the company of Saronia, the
+haughty Saronia, priestess of Diana! Now, Chios, looking at such
+evidences, the conclusion drawn is that, afraid of being exposed by the
+priest, who also must have seen her, she or her lover slew him, and
+Saronia, conscience-stricken, knowing such an act could never be
+forgiven by her Lady Saviour, left her faith, and, with cunning
+hypocrisy, pretends the Christian, thinking perhaps she may gain
+sympathy or help from that hated crew. Now, Chios, does this satisfy
+thee?'
+
+'No,' said he; 'it is all untrue. Christian she may be;
+murderess--never!'
+
+'Then thou dost still believe in her?'
+
+'Yes; to shed the last drop of my life's blood, and may Heaven grant me
+such an opportunity!'
+
+'Nonsense--nonsense, Chios! Too long hast thou been infatuated by this
+mysterious being. Methought for some time past no good would come to
+thee by such a passion, and let me warn thee ere too late. Be careful,
+or thou wilt be netted in this sad event. Lie low, my friend, and let
+her meet her fate. Thou canst do no good, and may empty on thy head
+unmeasured ills.'
+
+'No, Varro. Were those looming ills more numerous than the hairs which
+grow upon my aching head I would meet them, embrace them, to save
+Saronia one pang of grief or pain. Nevertheless, I thank thee for thy
+kindly counsel, but the mind of the Greek is made up. If she suffer, I
+suffer with her. If she die, Chios dies. Not as the coward dies--I will
+die trying to save her life. No threats, no danger, no death will stop
+me. I am fixed to this purpose. I know she is as pure as heaven, and
+honoured from thence. Were Chios half so holy he would consider himself
+blessed.
+
+'Roman, thou hast no good blood for her, wouldst not move a finger to
+protect her; but I, with an unshaken belief in her goodness, will do my
+best. Good-bye, noble Proconsul. Saronia may yet appeal in Rome!'
+
+'What! Before Nero?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'Take care, Chios!'
+
+'Say on.'
+
+'Why, the fleeing slave taking shelter in the forest gloom and sleeping
+in the tiger's lair would fare as well. Ah, ah, Chios! Thou art
+short-sighted. Saronia, a lovely woman, and a Christian, seeking Nero as
+judge! Why, he would judge her meet for the arena or his mistress, and
+make thee a slave into the bargain if thou interfered!'
+
+The teeth of Chios were firmly set, and his face became livid. He dared
+not vent his rage on the chosen man of the Emperor and the Senate of
+Rome, but his looks spoke louder than words.
+
+Varro saw all at a glance, and said:
+
+'Thou dost not meet my words.'
+
+'No. Silent am I for her dear sake. Watch my actions. They may answer
+thee.'
+
+'I will, and be careful of the moonstruck lover. I wish thee well, old
+friend. Thou art a good fellow. I have done my best to tempt thee from
+this wild crusade, and would on my soul I had succeeded. But there is no
+cure for love, and thou art in love--a phantom love. Do not lose thyself
+in a wild morass.'
+
+'Fear not, Varro. If I love, so didst thou. Mine may grow, and joy with
+awakening purity and loveliness; thine is blighted and dead, and from
+thy dead love springs up the hate thou bearest towards Saronia, thinking
+she in some mysterious way o'ershadowed Nika.'
+
+'Silence, man!'
+
+'No, I will not be silent. I speak to thee as Varro. I speak not to the
+Proconsul of Ionia. I say, were Saronia not Saronia and I asked thy aid,
+thou wouldst give it; but now thy spirit reaches out for pretext to
+blast the one thy faithless wife abhorred. Is not thine a mad, dead
+love? Come, change thy mind, and help me. I tell thee, Saronia never
+hurt thy Nika, and she is as innocent of this murder as the truest
+spirit of God. Now, noble friend, wilt thou not help me?'
+
+'What can I do, Chios? I cannot interfere.'
+
+'Then, promise thou wilt not pursue.'
+
+'Is she really innocent?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'Dost thou know this?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'And swear it?'
+
+'I do.'
+
+'Then, if Varro cannot help Saronia, he will not pursue her.'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XLIII
+
+                             MYSTERY
+
+
+Chios sent for Endora. There was a calm light in her eyes such as he had
+never before seen. Ere he could speak, she said:
+
+'I know: it is of Saronia thou wouldst speak.'
+
+'True, woman. Dost thou know she is charged with the murder of the High
+Priest?'
+
+'I know all. Fear not, Chios. Saronia shall not suffer for the crime I
+have committed.'
+
+'Rash woman! how canst thou atone? She is a prisoner, and has abjured
+her faith.'
+
+'That may be, noble Chios; but take my word for once: the guilty shall
+suffer for their own sins. This vile body of mine shall be torn limb
+from limb rather than one hair of her head shall be plucked. No more of
+evil for me!'
+
+'Now, listen, Endora. Your heart is right, but your words are idle. She
+must be saved, but in another way. I will rescue her. Thou knowest the
+Temple, and must find where she is lodged. Find out if access is
+possible; bring me full account, and great reward shall be thine. Canst
+thou do this?'
+
+'Yes; but not for reward.'
+
+'What then?'
+
+'For love I bear to her.'
+
+'Very well. Be it so. Lose no time. She is already under a sentence of
+death, and will die. Go! go! Great God! what a death. Oh that I might
+die for her! The Ephesians gathered together to make sport--to make
+sport of Saronia the beautiful, my love! Polluted by the touch of a
+coarse gaoler. A sight to gratify the Romans, a jest for the rabble of
+Ephesus, and a cruel death ending all. She who has wielded the sceptre
+of power, highest and brightest among the women of Ionia, commanded
+spirits in legions from the underworld, stopped the eagles in their
+flight, turned the courses of the clouds, baring the face of the silvery
+moon; she who has dropped the sceptre of this power, and robed herself
+with a trust in God--shall she be forsaken? No, no! It cannot be so. If
+she could breathe out her life supported by these arms of mine; if I
+could but close her lovely eyes in death and kiss her whitening brow,
+then could I fall also asleep and awake to meet her on the other shore.'
+
+'Chios!' said the Proconsul, interrupting the Greek. 'How fares my
+friend? I have news for thee.'
+
+'Good, or evil?'
+
+'Judge thou. The Roman fleet, under the command of Lucius, is in the
+offing. Their numbers crowd the sea.'
+
+'Lucius! The fleet! Lucius!' exclaimed Chios.
+
+'True; Lucius is almost here.'
+
+'Why comes there such a multitude of ships?' said Chios. 'Is there
+reason?'
+
+'There may be. This much I confide in thee: ere many hours have passed,
+the mighty walls of this great city will glisten with the spears of
+Roman men, in number such as Ephesus has never seen since Claudian ruled
+or Nero wielded power. To-morrow will be a great day--the streets so
+full of Roman soldiers that standing-room will not be left for rioters.'
+
+'What does this portend?'
+
+'Nothing save a military show of Roman power. Nevertheless, thou wilt do
+well to keep within doors _to-morrow_.'
+
+'Why?'
+
+'Because I wish it so. Thou wilt be at home to-morrow, eh, Chios? Chios,
+dost hear me?'
+
+'I hear thee, but will not obey. Dost think I could remain here
+to-morrow, when it is the day for Saronia's murder? and thou, too, hast
+consented to this deed of shame. Roman, Roman, thou art false!'
+
+'Peace, Chios! Peace! What I have promised thee, I will do. Hast thou
+Chian wine? Bring it forth; let us quaff it together.
+
+'Now hark ye. I go back to Rome. I hate this place. The associations are
+not to my liking. She whom I once loved has gone. It is not congenial to
+me to meet Lucius. My story has reached Rome, reached Nero, but that
+does not affect me. Nothing pleases him better than to keep a
+respectable gulf between a Proconsul and Lucius, the fighting admiral,
+well knowing we shall not connive to rebel against him. But there must
+exist a feeling, a strong feeling, between Lucius and--_your friend_.
+Of course, Lucius is haughty; too much Roman blood runs in his veins to
+openly disapprove of what befell his daughter, well knowing, also, she
+deserved it. But a father cannot help feeling. I am better away. A Roman
+city draped in purple suits me better than Ephesus; and if I can close
+in with Nero's set, I gain more wealth in one year than in a lifetime
+here. I wonder how Lucius will receive the news of his wife's death?'
+
+'Venusta dead!'
+
+'Yes. I thought thou didst know of it.'
+
+'No. When did she die?'
+
+'She died on the day Saronia abjured her faith and was disgraced. The
+shock of joy killed her.'
+
+'This, too, is sad.'
+
+'Why so? Her loss will be felt by Lucius only. He is old, and will mourn
+briefly. Besides, he will have his hands full for awhile. Come, cheer
+up, man; thou shalt go with me to Rome, and I will make thee merry. Thou
+hast never really lived yet. I am away. Don't forget. Remain home
+to-morrow to receive me. I will come before thou art required at the
+arena; and, should I not, then do not stay. Be in time; there will be a
+goodly show, but--Saronia shall not be there. Hear ye, Chios?'
+
+'What dost thou mean?'
+
+'No more than I have said. Good-bye, good friend.'
+
+And Varro was gone.
+
+'What a strange being!' exclaimed Chios. 'What does he mean? I cannot
+understand him. I believe he means good, and knows more than he says,
+and intends to help. Some great mystery attaches itself to those warlike
+preparations. I must be patient until to-morrow, desist from going to
+the Temple to-night to rescue her. He goes to Rome. It is well known he
+is a staunch friend of Nero. Lucius is not. What can this great fleet
+of many thousand armed men mean? To-morrow will solve the problem, for
+what is to be done will be done quickly.'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XLIV
+
+                  ACRATUS, THE TEMPLE SPOILER
+
+
+The next day at early dawn the harbour was filled with shipping. There
+were the light-sailing laburnae, the stately biremes, majestic triremes,
+and quadriremes, with sterns rising high and crowned with castellated
+cabins, each with its great square yard and spray-beaten sail. On every
+prow blazed forth a sign, and on each quarter shone the image of a
+tutelary god. The ship of Lucius was among them, with great red flag
+denoting rank, and bearing a murderous ram, the fiercest of them all.
+
+Masses of Roman troops, with polished shields and glittering arms,
+thronged the vessels. Two legions were there--one half of them Praetorian
+men, with tribunes and centurions, with Acratus, the freed man of Nero,
+to lead them.
+
+The great sails were closely furled, and the ships moored in regular
+order towards the quays. At the sound of trumpets the soldiers
+disembarked, and were hailed welcome by a host of Roman warriors who
+were stationed in Ephesus.
+
+Soon the city was crowded with armed men, and on the walls the silver
+eagles shone resplendent in the sunlight.
+
+The people were confounded. No tumult, no voice of war, yet the place
+was filled with martial strains, and Roman troops lined the ways from
+the city port, past the great Gymnasium, Forum, Theatre, away up the
+streets towards the city gates and onwards to the Temple Way. All was
+occupied with soldiers. A swift messenger had come into the Agora,
+telling the breathless people the Roman troops reached past the Temple
+and surrounded it, paying no respect to sacred groves or old traditions
+of the Temple's rights.
+
+'What could this mean?' exclaimed the Ephesians.
+
+They had not long to wait for an answer. Soon it was known that a body
+of priests, standing in the way of the Romans, guarding the precincts of
+the holy shrine, had been struck down--dead. And the swarming hosts of
+Nero had poured within, and finding the Temple closed, battered down the
+beautiful gates of gold and ivory, and were carousing within the sacred
+place.
+
+Nothing was too vile for the plunderers. They had received their orders
+from the arch-fiend Nero, and license for themselves. They were to sack
+the Temple, and take the spoils to Rome. Such must be accomplished, no
+matter how.
+
+The great space within the parabolus walls running around the Temple of
+Diana with the white brow was filled with laughing, jesting soldiers.
+They had not an enemy to fight against. 'Twas a cold-blooded affair.
+They were fighting-men, and in battle would have told well, but as
+robbers they were ashamed of their work. Acratus foresaw this, and gave
+them wine, and the wine brought forth lawlessness.
+
+Virgin priestesses ran to and fro with hair dishevelled, crying on their
+goddess, only to fall into the hands of Syrians, Africans, and
+Gauls--vile allies, a part of Nero's guard, sent with the regular Roman
+troops, to act as drunken jackals; and each of these, so far as he
+could, took a virgin priestess for his mate, and no restriction was put
+on them by Acratus.
+
+The beautiful veil concealing the image of the holy goddess was pulled
+down. The gold and the jewels adorning it and the great statue were torn
+from their strong settings, and piled up on the marble floor.
+
+On the sacred altar the soldiers lit their fires and cooked their
+rations, and washed themselves with the water of the holy fountain
+Hypelaeus--the fountain ornamented by Thrason, and the altar sacred to
+the genius of Ionia. What cared those brutal marauders? Had not he who
+sent them desecrated everything, even the statue of the Syrian goddess,
+and laughed at it? What harm if they should do the same?
+
+Within, the Temple was one horrible scene of lewd riot and plunder;
+without, the people were rising in masses, and thousands from adjacent
+towns were gathering around the city walls, and all crying loudly for
+revenge; but none could enter. The Romans held the gates, and every
+tower and battlement along the great red-brick walls, hard as adamant,
+was crowded with glistening spears. Nothing could be done from without,
+and there was little chance of help to come from within. A scheme was
+proposed to burn the fleet, but this got noised abroad too early, and
+the ships were moved from the wharves to the centre of the city port.
+
+The day wore on in tumult and distress, and the people, seeing no chance
+of saving the treasures of their holy place, gave way to grief, loudly
+charging Saronia as the cause of all. The murder of the High Priest, her
+blasphemy in the Temple, and the want of action in not killing her right
+away, was the cause of the desertion of the goddess from her home.
+
+
+
+
+                           CHAPTER XLV
+
+                           REVELATION
+
+
+In the Temple Varro, the Proconsul, and Acratus held counsel. They were
+standing near the altar, with the last light of evening falling upon
+them.
+
+Near to the fallen image of the goddess Diana were the smaller statues
+in marble, bronze, silver, and gold--lamps and paterii, vases richly
+chased and candelabrii, instruments of the Temple, costly golden,
+jewelled things, all were piled up in heaps.
+
+From behind this profusion of rarest art, now lying like so much
+rubbish, a Roman was dragging a woman who appeared quite dead. Her hair
+hung in masses over her face, hiding a part of it, hiding a face which
+was crimson with blood. Her garments were torn, and the soldier threw
+her down close to where the two chiefs stood.
+
+'Thank the gods!' muttered he.
+
+'What hast thou, fellow?' said Acratus.
+
+'A woman,' replied the man.
+
+'Yes, yes, I know; but where didst thou find her? I thought all those
+maidens netted long ago.'
+
+'I will tell my noble master. In hunting through those rooms behind the
+altar, I came quite by chance upon a cell which had escaped the notice
+of our soldiers when they threaded their way through the winding
+passages below. I burst open the door, looked in, and saw that beautiful
+creature. "Ah, ah!" said I. "By the gods, I have a royal prize!" But, as
+I advanced to take her, I found her a perfect demon of the bad type. I
+tried soft words. She replied: "Stand back! I know your mission." I
+threatened, and made to take her. She arose, flew at me with terrible
+menace, such as I shall carry with me. I seized her roughly, but, with
+lightning swiftness, she plucked the dagger from my belt, and would have
+pinned me to the wall had I not unhanded her. She flew through the
+winding passages like a forest-hound, up the stairway to the rooms
+behind. Then out she passed, and stood just there behind the statue. I
+followed, knowing I should capture her. I heard her cry, "Oh, woe! Oh,
+woe! Oh, woe!" Then she stretched up her arms, both of them, high aloft
+in the air, as if she would reach down something from the skies, and
+said, "My God! my God!" and fell to the ground. I took her up, thinking
+it was a faint; but, finding her dead, I dropped her there, and wish I
+had never seen her!'
+
+The man passed on, leaving Varro and Acratus in deep converse. The quick
+eye of the Proconsul saw the form of the woman move. He went towards
+her, actuated by some strange fascination, and spoke to her, but no
+voice came back. Then he lifted the waves of hair from her face and
+cried:
+
+'O ye gods, it is she! It is Saronia!'
+
+He bent low and whispered her name. Her eyes opened and gazed on him,
+and then at the desolation around her, and she closed them again as if
+in sleep.
+
+'Hi! Here fellow, fill yon golden bowl with water! Quick! quick! and
+follow me, or I will kill thee for delay!'
+
+Varro took Saronia in his arms, and bore her within one of the Temple
+rooms, bathed her cheeks, whispering softly:
+
+'Thou art safe, Saronia. Thou shalt go to Chios!'
+
+At these words, fresh life came back, and she took the hand of the
+Proconsul in hers, and, looking into his face, she said:
+
+'Tell me, is it all a dream, or am I mad?'
+
+'No, thou art not mad or dreaming. What thou seest is real. The Temple
+of thy goddess will be bereft of its riches to adorn the golden house of
+Nero. This now is nothing to thee. As I have said, thou shalt go to
+Chios--to Chios! Rest tranquilly; I will guard thee. When evening
+settles down, I have means of escape for thee.'
+
+He sent for wine and fruit and raiment. Having done this, he despatched
+two messengers, one to Endora (for Saronia wished it so) and another to
+Chios. He charged the soldiers:
+
+'Bring the old woman from the cave on the top of yonder hill! Be careful
+no evil befall her, or thou wilt suffer.'
+
+The night was now closing in, and fires were burning high upon the
+mountains and the plain, showing where the people had encamped, and on
+the stillness of the evening air ever and anon arose loud shouts and
+wailings.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+'Who is that beautiful woman in yonder room?' said Acratus.
+
+'That is naught to thee,' said the Proconsul.
+
+'I know, I know, but Nero would rather possess her than all the riches
+of Ephesus or Pergamos.'
+
+'Curse thee for the thought! Hold back thy words! Silence! In Ionia I am
+master.'
+
+'I hope no offence, most noble.'
+
+'No, not this time, but be careful for the future. Thou hast to sack
+Pergamos yet, and--well, never mind, enough has been said.'
+
+At this stage an aged woman came towards them; tottering with fear, and
+led by two Roman soldiers.
+
+Acratus turned away muttering:
+
+'He shall pay dearly for his speech.'
+
+'Thou hast brought her safely. Thanks for thy vigilance amidst the
+crowded streets. This way, woman--this way, Endora. Come with me. Here
+is Saronia; be careful of her; take her to Chios! Tell him I will follow
+as soon as I can. Again, on yonder couch sufficient raiment lies,
+brought from Saronia's own wardrobe. Divest her of those soiled
+garments, disguise her, and lead to where her lover lives.'
+
+'What of the rabble?' said Endora. 'The streets are filled with soldiers
+and rioters, the ground strewn with slain. May we stay here under thy
+protection during the night?'
+
+'No; I go hence shortly, and to-morrow it will be worse. Go. Tell it
+not--to-morrow will be worse! I will give you guard, but thou must be
+careful, nevertheless, that Saronia be not known, or the people will
+kill her. No harm shall come from my soldiers. They shall be faithful. I
+also will be faithful, for Chios's sake, as long as the grass grows and
+the rivers flow to the ocean. If any injury come, it will be from the
+hands of the furious mob. I give her into thy charge, and will send
+guard for both. I can do no more. Again, I say, be careful!'
+
+Out they went into the darkness--out into the storm of blood.
+
+For a while all went well as they passed between the lines of the
+watchful Romans. They had traversed most of the way and were close to
+the studio of Chios, where the troops were thinnest. There the people
+gathered together in angry crowds.
+
+Suddenly the ruffians saw the women, and cried out:
+
+'Here are two Ephesians in the pay of the Romans! Spies, traitors,
+guides to the Temple plunderers! Kill them!' And they fell on them with
+mad fury.
+
+Instantly they were surrounded by the soldiers and encircled as in a
+net.
+
+Exasperated and maddened by the day's proceedings, they would die in the
+attempt to kill the women. Roughly handled as they were, one of them had
+time to draw a dagger from his belt and aimed to plunge it into the
+bosom of Saronia. The glistening blade was falling towards her, but
+quicker than its descent was Endora, who threw herself between them and
+received the blow. She fell, crying:
+
+'She is young; take me!'
+
+And, as she lay dying, the murderer also fell, pierced by a dozen
+spears.
+
+The people fell back, shouting:
+
+'Great is Diana of the Ephesians!' Whilst the savage troops replied
+gruffly: 'But Nero of Rome is greater!'
+
+Endora spoke a few words--dying words--and her head fell back into the
+arms of Saronia, and all was over--Endora was dead.
+
+They were about to proceed and leave the body, but the queenly form of
+Saronia asserted itself as she stood with eyes dilated and form erect,
+crying:
+
+'Soldiers of Rome, bear carefully with you this dead body!'
+
+'No, no!' they replied. 'Hasten away to safety. The dead suffer not.'
+
+But still she stood transfixed, and, raising her voice, she said:
+
+'Do as I bid you, or I refuse to move; and if I remain, it is at your
+peril.'
+
+They saw in her no common person, and reluctantly obeyed, one taking his
+cloak and wrapping it round the corpse, whilst others took their scarves
+and bound their spears together, and placed her on them as a bier, the
+torches, reeking with flame, casting over her a lurid glow. And thus
+they hurriedly passed away, with a circle of shields and glittering
+spears protecting the living and the dead.
+
+The road became clearer, so that when the soldiers arrived at the garden
+of Chios no Ephesian eye witnessed them pass up the marble steps into
+the lonely sanctuary.
+
+As they entered, and laid the dead burden on the floor, Chios saw
+Saronia.
+
+'Great God, what is this? What does it mean?'
+
+'Hold thy peace,' said she. 'Not now. Later thou shalt know.'
+
+The soldiers withdrew, having accomplished the safety of one only. A
+deep silence for a moment reigned. Neither spoke. Both hearts were too
+full for speech. Chios took the hands of Saronia and clasped them within
+his own, and with silent joy gazed into her face.
+
+She broke the silence with an agonizing cry. Going towards the lifeless
+form, she uncovered the cold, dead face, and, stooping, kissed the snowy
+brow, sobbing:
+
+'Oh, Endora, Endora, thou hast proved thy love! Thou hast proved thy
+love to me!'
+
+'Endora!' exclaimed Chios. 'Is it Endora?'
+
+'Yes, it is Endora. She received the death intended for me. Look well at
+her, Chios. Gaze on her peaceful face. Gaze on her face. Dost thou
+recognise who she was? It is meet thou shouldst know, for she loved thee
+dearly.'
+
+Chios was like a man stupefied with wine.
+
+'What dost thou mean, Saronia? I know her not, save as the mountain
+sorceress.'
+
+'True, Chios. That is the answer I might have expected. But one day, not
+so very long ago, I visited the Ephesian shore, and on a rocky eminence
+where an altar stands---- Thou knowest the place where the seas dash
+up?'
+
+'Yes, I know, Saronia.'
+
+'Well, there I met Endora--quite by chance--and spoke to her, and found
+from her that she at one time lived at Delos.'
+
+'Delos?'
+
+'Yes, Chios, Delos. And thou hast heard of Myrtile the priestess?'
+
+'Yes, that I have. I heard fully of her when last I visited the isle. A
+sad story.'
+
+'Yes, 'twas sad, and strange to know that Endora was no other than
+Myrtile.'
+
+'But, Saronia, she died.'
+
+'No, no! She lived on unknown, and this lifeless form is she.'
+
+'Poor Myrtile!' said Chios. 'I wonder what became of her child. A boy it
+was.'
+
+'I wonder,' said Saronia. 'Didst thou ever know thy mother, Chios? I
+have never heard thee speak of her.'
+
+'Oh, Saronia, Myrtile--Endora--asked me the same. Is there meaning in
+all this? What may it portend?'
+
+'It means, Chios, that she is thy mother.'
+
+'Mine? Mine? My mother?'
+
+'Yes, thine, Chios.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+He went out amongst the myrtle-trees; he breathed the calm, cool air.
+Along the Temple Way he saw the lights of torches burning brightly. The
+people had thinned away, and exhaustion like a funeral pall hung over
+those remaining. Many slept in the streets, some overcome with rage,
+others with wine, whilst from distant quarters now and again rose the
+stifled cry of angry men and frantic women.
+
+Chios paced up and down, lost in reverie. He heard not the call of the
+Roman guard or the groaning of the city. He was absorbed, thinking of
+his dead mother and of the safety of Saronia. What could he best do for
+her? Should he go to Lucius and ask his help? He knew that quickly the
+Roman fleet would put to sea with the stolen treasures of the Temple,
+and Saronia would be sought for and slain. To stay in Ephesus was
+certain death for her. In Rome perhaps worse awaited her. Should he hire
+a trading ship and escape? He was a freed man, and could leave the city
+unquestioned in time of war or siege. No, that would not do. He could go
+himself, but could not take another. Besides, the mariners of the craft,
+if such proved available, would know her, and refuse to aid the fallen
+rebel priestess. Well he knew those sailors, fit for strife or storm,
+had the warmest corners of their hearts filled with admiration for their
+faith and their goddess. He saw no alternative. Go to Lucius he must.
+
+The day was dawning; the first light was uplifting. He went noiselessly
+within his apartment and gazed upon her face. She slept.
+
+Carefully retreating, as if an empire depended on his footfall, he left
+the room, secured the door, hastened down the streets. As yet the people
+were not astir. Until he reached well into the city near the Odeum, he
+had little opposition, but there the troops questioned him. He had
+special business with Lucius, the commander of the Roman fleet, and must
+see him.
+
+'Thou canst not,' replied the guard. 'He sleeps on board the warship,
+and will not come on shore until the sun is high.'
+
+'I tell thee,' said Chios, 'I must see Lucius immediately.'
+
+'And I tell thee it is impossible.'
+
+'Nothing is impossible to a soldier! Nothing shall be impossible to me!
+Let me pass to the wharves, or I will see the Tribune. Is he here?'
+
+Chios claimed from the Tribune a right, as a free citizen, to pass to
+the port, which was granted.
+
+He sent by boat a message to Lucius that he would speak with him, and a
+reply came back requesting the Greek to come at once.
+
+They met; their hearts went out to each other. Were they not old and
+dear friends?
+
+'What brings thee here, Chios? Art thou persecuted by this unseemly
+tumult?'
+
+'No, Lucius. Not so. I came to plead for a helpless woman.'
+
+'Who is she?'
+
+'Saronia. Once thy slave--thy----'
+
+'I cannot help thee.'
+
+The face of the sailor grew clouded, dark, and a fire rose up and
+glittered through his eyes.
+
+'No, no, no! I cannot help! This girl, like an evil star, has rested
+over my home--that home, once filled with joy, now desolate, the loved
+ones gone away. Would that I had never heard the name of this mysterious
+being, Saronia! She has engendered strife, murdered the High Priest, and
+cut adrift from her faith. Let her answer for her crimes as my child
+did.'
+
+'No, no!' exclaimed Chios. 'She did no murder. Oh, Lucius, my friend,
+listen! This slave girl was ever good to thee--good as thou wert kind.
+Hast thou not looked into her eyes, and, meeting thine, spoke they not
+sincere love for thee? Is this not so? True, she left thine home, but of
+this we will not now speak--she was born to rule, and could not serve as
+a slave. She chose not her destiny--it was written for her; she did not
+make it. I say again, she did not make it any more than she chose her
+dignity of birth! Born from a long line of warriors on the one side and
+a princess priestess on the other, how could she serve?'
+
+'Thou art rambling, Chios! The excitement of yesterday makes inroads on
+thy mind.'
+
+'Nay, noble Lucius. Chios is not mad, but soon will be. Help, Lucius!
+Help for Saronia!'
+
+The Roman remained stolid, silent.
+
+'Let me go on--let me speak,' said Chios. 'As I have said, of such noble
+descent, her soul awakened, arose, towered above all others. She, the
+slave, became the priestess of yonder mighty Temple, which Nero of Rome
+has sent the vile Acratus to plunder. Fortunately, before this robbery
+took place, Saronia had stepped from the old faith into the new. Had she
+not, her blood would have crimsoned the great altar of Diana--she would
+have laid down her life for her goddess! Now this precious life is in
+the hands of Lucius. Wilt thou loose the silver thread and let her go?
+
+'Were her father here--a warrior like unto thyself, armed, full of
+power, with hosts of warships under his command, the strongest sanctuary
+under heaven--say, Lucius, would he not clasp her in his arms, and,
+covering her with kisses, bear her away? What would you say of him if
+he, knowing she were his child, refused to save--sailed away with all
+his hosts, leaving her for brutal sport and a hideous death?'
+
+'He would be worthy of death,' said the Roman.
+
+'Now hear me, Lucius. Thou art the father--of--Saronia. She, thy
+child----'
+
+'By the gods, thou mockest me!'
+
+'No, I am serious. I know your secret. You sailed to Britain, tore the
+princess priestess from her island home, sailed across the seas to
+Sidon; there deserted wife and child. The mother died, the daughter
+lived--became a foundling, then a slave, Saronia! Afterwards thou didst
+take to wife the Roman, Venusta.'
+
+'Hold--hold, Chios! It is all true. It comes back to me!'
+
+'By a strange fate she met thy Roman daughter. How could there be
+peace--the first-born a slave, the second a tyrant? I, Chios, admired
+the nobleness, the beauty, of this slave, until I worshipped her and
+loved her beyond expression. I would have purchased her with all I had,
+not knowing who she was--would have wed her. The Fates ordered
+otherwise, and she arose, as you know, until she became the mightiest
+woman of the land; and because her great spirit towered beyond the faith
+which environed her, and she accepted the faith of the Highest, her
+goodness became a crime in the eyes of the Ephesian people. But again,
+Lucius, she is thy child! Wilt thou save her?'
+
+'Save her, Chios? 'Tis the least I can do. There shall be no mistake in
+this matter; and I will order guard enough to fetch her should all the
+soldiers in Ephesus be required.'
+
+And Chios went back to his studio to prepare for the removal of
+Saronia.
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XLVI
+
+                       THE CROWN OF LIFE
+
+
+Acratus was at the head of his plunderers. Nothing was too small or
+great for his rapacious maw. He came up the marble steps of the studio
+of Chios and knocked violently.
+
+'Hast thou anything within?' said the tyrant.
+
+'Nothing for thee,' said Chios.
+
+'But we must see for ourselves,' and he pushed rudely by, followed by a
+dozen or more armed men, and as he rushed within he beheld Saronia.
+
+'By heavens!' said he. 'Here is a greater than all thy marbles. This is
+the second time I have fallen in the way of this beautiful tigress. Look
+ye here: is this thy wife?'
+
+'No,' said Chios.
+
+'Thou art her lover, then?'
+
+'That is my business. Mind thine own.'
+
+'Thou art in a jesting mood. We will see how we can instruct thee to
+respect Acratus. Take this woman; she is known to the Proconsul and must
+not stay here. Take her to the fortress, and say I sent her, and I will
+deal with her anon. No, no, that will not do. Take her to the ship of
+Lucius, commander of the fleet, and say, "Care for her; she belongs to
+Acratus." Take her away. What is her name, fellow?'
+
+'Saronia,' said Chios.
+
+'Eh, and a pretty name, too. Now away, soldiers, to Lucius!'
+
+Saronia looked appealingly to Chios.
+
+'Wilt thou let me speak with her before she leaves?' said Chios.
+
+'Yes, yes; thou canst speak to her.'
+
+Chios drew Saronia aside, saying:
+
+'Thou seest the position. They will take thee whither thou shouldst go,
+to Lucius. I will follow thee;' and he slipped into her bosom unseen a
+parchment sealed and addressed to Lucius. 'Now, do as I wish, my love,
+and Chios will soon be with thee, and Lucius thou canst trust.'
+
+'Oh, Chios, is not this fraught with danger?'
+
+'No; it is the only course, and it is well for thee,' and kissing her,
+he said, 'Just for an hour or so and we meet. This is ordered wisely.'
+
+Then they led her off, guarded by a body of armed men, Chios saying to
+himself:
+
+'Little does that villain know he sends her to her father.'
+
+As Acratus was turning to follow his men, he looked around to see if
+anything might satisfy his greed, when he discovered the dead body of
+Endora lying beneath a coverlet, and raising it, he saw the face of the
+murdered.
+
+'What is this?' said he. 'Another surprise. Killed! Who is she? What
+meaneth it?'
+
+'She is my mother, killed by one of the Ephesian mob. Wouldst thou also
+rob me of her dead body?'
+
+'Cease thy prating, fool! Men's mothers are not murdered in this way.
+There is foul play. Thou shalt answer for this. Ho there, men!' calling
+on those outside. 'Take this murderer away. Take him to the Temple. I
+shall be there shortly, and will see to this.'
+
+'Hands away!' cried Chios. 'I am not my mother's murderer.'
+
+'Seize him!' cried Acratus. 'Bring him forth!' and they dragged him from
+his mother's side to without the studio, where by this time many
+Ephesians had gathered, and when they saw him, they cried:
+
+'Chios the Christian! Down with him!'
+
+The fierce mob closed in, and the Romans cared not nor hindered--closed
+in around him till he was trampled under their feet, until one, perhaps
+more malignant than the rest, plunged a dagger in the bosom of the
+half-dead man. And Chios lifted up his feeble voice to heaven, crying:
+
+'My God! my God! Saronia!'
+
+The multitude laughed and jeered, and the sun shone down upon the fated
+city.
+
+'Take him up, men, and carry him within. Better he be out of sight.'
+
+And they laid him on the marble floor at the feet of his mother, Myrtile
+of Delos.
+
+Then Acratus chuckled within himself:
+
+'Thank the gods he is gone. Not a nice thing to have a lover prying
+about, disturbing one's happiness. I saw him kiss her. He had the last;
+the next shall be mine, not Nero's! I will take care the brute never
+sets eyes on such loveliness. No, no; I will tame those dark eyes to
+look into mine, and train those crimson, oleander lips to bear me rich
+kisses of love. Now then, men, away! Saronia by this time has almost
+reached the wharves. I will load the spoils to-day, and to-morrow they
+leave. I will take my prize, the gloomy-eyed girl, with me to Pergamos,
+where I have more temples to rifle, and then, overflowing with wealth,
+I'll back to Rome.' And he moved away towards the Temple, muttering to
+himself: 'What care I for Varro the Proconsul? He cannot stay me in my
+career, armed as I am with mandate from Nero. He will vex and threaten
+should he know I have that woman. But it must end there. Acratus is
+supreme in this expedition, and cannot be interfered with, for Nero's
+sake.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+That day was employed by thousands of men carrying away the wealth of
+the Temple. Great bronze statues and marbled loveliness were dragged
+through the streets and shipped--shipped with ivory and gorgeous
+draperies; large sacks filled with treasure, gold, silver, and precious
+stones, instruments of music of rarest workmanship and paintings
+priceless, worth many times their weight in gold, became the property of
+the spoilers, until the great Temple was left desolate like a ship
+stripped of her cordage and sails, masts, and yards; the crew gone--a
+lonely hull on an open shore.
+
+The people could not stop this tide of locusts. So they had it all their
+own way, save where some more noble than the rest were struck down for
+defending their goddess.
+
+Saronia was taken on board the ship to Lucius. When she was handed on to
+the deck, he was about to thank the guard, who said:
+
+'I deliver to you this woman, most noble Lucius. She belongs to Acratus,
+and he wishes you to care for her until he claims her.'
+
+'Does he? Go, tell that reptile that should he put foot on board this
+ship to claim this woman, I will order my men to throw him into the sea,
+and drown him like a dog. Now begone!'
+
+
+
+
+                          CHAPTER XLVII
+
+                             PARTING
+
+
+'Saronia,' said Lucius, 'thou art here. Come this way; thou art safe at
+last. Rest calmly as to the future. Whilst brave sailors may defend
+thee, no harm can come. I go on shore to fetch thy beloved Chios, and
+procure what is needed for thee, and thou shalt have attendance from
+that home wherein thou didst once reside. I am rejoiced to see thee.
+Think not of the past, Saronia. The past is gone far behind, and thou
+must think only of the joys of the future--all stored up for thee. I am
+alone in this great wilderness, and thou shalt be unto me as a child,
+and Chios shall be my son.'
+
+'And Chios, thou wilt bring him, noble Lucius, kind as thou art
+valiant?'
+
+'Bring him, girl? Certainly! The ship would refuse her helm were the
+best man in Ephesus left behind. Retire within, and make thyself pleased
+with the apartments set aside for thee.'
+
+Then did Lucius with a light heart move to the shore, and hastened to
+the studio that he might greet Chios, and bring him with him to join
+Saronia. He went quietly up the way between the lines of flowers, heard
+the gentle breathings of the winds through the trees, and the song of
+birds which knew not of sorrow fell upon his ear.
+
+He knocked at the door, but no one came. 'Is he from home? I hope not.'
+Then he gently opened the door, looked in, and an ominous silence fell
+around. Presently he walked within, saying, 'I shall explore this little
+place myself. It seems plain sailing, and needs not a pilot.' But,
+horror-stricken, he fell back a pace or two on seeing the body of Chios
+lying dead upon the floor, and beside him his mother, with her pale face
+looking up towards the azure and gold-starred ceiling (for Saronia had
+warned him of Endora's death).
+
+For a moment Lucius was stricken as if a battle had gone against him.
+Then, gaining courage, he advanced, and, touching the body gently, said:
+
+'Chios, my boy, Chios, art thou really gone?'
+
+But no voice came back to him, and he knew too well that the noble
+spirit had fled. His first thought was of Saronia. What would she think
+of him? What would she do?
+
+Then he sped from that house of death to order burial of the mother and
+son upon the flower-crowned hill of Pion, and went his way, bowed down
+with grief.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When Lucius arrived on board, accompanied with maiden slaves carrying
+raiment, precious jewels, flowers and fruits for Saronia, he found her
+anxiously awaiting him, and she immediately asked for Chios.
+
+'He cannot come to-night,' replied he. 'He makes preparations to leave,
+and will not finish in time to join us. Thou must rest to-night, and
+gain strength after all the exciting events which have transpired. Thou
+hast here now trusty attendants who will minister to thy utmost wish.
+Rest thee to-night, child, and may the gods or thy God give thee sweet
+and pleasant dreams. Lucius will watch over thee, and the spirits of the
+good shield thee. Good-night, Saronia, and may to-morrow's sun rise full
+of joy for thee.'
+
+Lucius knew full well that at early dawn the ship would sail. What could
+he do to break this awful news to her? Kill her he feared it would. If
+he remained another day he could not bring back the dead, and a
+question arose in his mind that, if Chios did not come next morning,
+Saronia at all hazards would refuse to proceed. He considered the
+position, and, having his crew on board and all prepared, he determined
+to cast adrift.
+
+No, he could not do this. How could he face his daughter on the morrow
+without Chios? Would it not look like piracy to take her away? Could she
+believe otherwise than that it was all trickery? No; he must speak with
+her that very night. He knew the power of Saronia's mind, and it was
+best it should be done at once. He called one of the attendant slaves.
+
+'Go, see if thy lady sleeps, and, if not, ask her permission for Lucius
+to speak with her.'
+
+The girl came back and told him that Saronia sent word to Lucius saying
+she was too sorrowful to sleep, and would be happy to receive him.
+
+Then, for the first time in his life, the courage of the hardy sailor
+forsook him, and he moved forward tremblingly.
+
+'Good friend,' said she, 'in the hour of distress thou wouldst speak
+with Saronia?'
+
+'Yes, but my heart is too full.'
+
+'Say on. I may even comfort thee, although I myself am sad; but, stay,
+here is a little packet Chios gave me for thee. It is sealed. Perhaps it
+may be of great interest. Methinks it is, or Chios would not have sent
+it.'
+
+He took it from her, broke open the seals, and read it, saying:
+
+'It is all true. Thank the gods, she is safe at last, and where
+recompense may be made. Saronia, thou knowest of thy mother?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'And thou also knowest of thy father? He forsook her and thee.'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'Thou didst not know him?'
+
+'No, good sire.'
+
+'Couldst thou forgive him, Saronia? Couldst thou forgive him, if he
+sought forgiveness?'
+
+'Yea, for "mercy endureth for ever."'
+
+'Then let Lucius kiss his child!'
+
+'Art thou my father?'
+
+'I am. Read this parchment which thou hast brought from the hands of
+Chios. It tells its own story.'
+
+'Ah! now I see it all, and my life is no longer a mystery. Driven, as I
+have been, through a perilous maze of fate, I am on the verge of a
+brighter existence. It is well, father, we have met before I part from
+thee, perhaps for ever.'
+
+'What dost thou mean, child?'
+
+'I scarcely know, but a great vision stretches out into the future, a
+great life spreads out before me, but it is not an earth-life. This
+spirit of mine seems to be preparing to quit this form of clay; as a
+voyager standing on the strand ready to start on a long voyage, so
+stands my spirit.'
+
+'Oh, Saronia, do not speak thus! Nothing ails thee. Thou art young,
+lovely, and in the bloom of life, and must not give way to such
+forebodings. Rest now with thine aged father awhile; bear him company
+until he sails into the great distance, casts anchor, furls sails, in a
+peaceful haven.'
+
+'Would that I could! But our time here is limited to the beating of one
+heart's throb; and, as I have already said, my spirit, which is myself,
+stands ready to put out the lamp and leave. Where is Chios, father? Why
+is he not here? Where is my noble love? He is away, but yet I feel his
+presence near me. What does this mean, father? My sight grows dim, my
+breath fails me; too well I know the spirit's presence. Chios is dead,
+is he not? He is! He calls from beyond his body! Where does his body
+lie? Tell me! Tell me quickly, father! Thou wilt act the better part by
+letting me know all. Where is he? Speak, by the love thou bearest for
+thy only child! Where is Chios?'
+
+'Oh, Saronia, why wouldst thou know? Thou wilt see him soon.'
+
+'Yes; I shall see him soon;' and she fell back motionless.
+
+Lucius raised her up and called assistance. After awhile she rallied,
+and looked up into the face of her father, saying:
+
+'Kiss me, dearest one. It is well that Chios should have left first. We
+cannot remain apart; the great circle of our affinity will soon be
+completed. Watch over Saronia. It will soon end.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The mighty fleet prepared to leave the port of Ephesus. One by one they
+left the harbour, entered the canal which led to the sea, and, as they
+cleared the harbour mouth, ranged into two squadrons, one on either side
+of the entrance; and when the last came out, which bore the flag of
+Lucius, they formed into two great lines, with the flagship in the rear.
+
+A light breeze sprang up from the north-east, the braces were hauled in,
+and the ships danced merrily over the deep blue waters of the AEgean Sea
+windward of Samos, and Scios and Mount Coressus on the starboard hand.
+The wind was so favourable that the oars were little needed, save that
+some on the leeside kept stroke that the ships might make good
+weathering. Behind them rose the hills and mountains which guarded
+Ephesus, and the villas on their sides shone like spots of crystal; but
+the sun struck fiercely on the great white Temple of Diana, until it
+looked like molten silver. Away they sailed towards the Icarian Sea.
+
+On a couch inlaid with gold reclined Saronia, and the rich curtains of
+her cabin were thrown back to allow the sweet, fresh salt air,
+impregnated with the perfume of roses and myrtle-blossoms, to fan her
+pale, sad cheeks. The soft eyes were filled with a far-away lustre, as
+if she saw visions of the future which none else could see. She was
+looking out upon the setting sun, which cast its golden light along the
+waves. Suddenly she seemed to grow cheerful, and said:
+
+'Father, art thou here? Let me take thine hand. Where is Chios? He is
+not here. Is he dead? Thou art silent. He is gone, and I cannot stay.
+Come nearer to me, father. My bridal day is at hand. Bury me in the sea.
+Let no eye rest upon my grave. Let the ocean be my sepulchre, and the
+winds sing my requiem. This is _happiness; this is joy_! The eternal
+gates are uplifting. Farewell!'
+
+And the spirit of Saronia had fled.
+
+
+
+
+                             THE END
+
+
+           _Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row. London_
+
++----------------------------------------------------------------------+
+|                      TRANSCRIBERS' NOTES                             |
+|                                                                      |
+| General: corrections to punctuation have been made without           |
+| individual notes                                                     |
+| General: Spelling of Megalobyzi, Megabyzus not standardised as the   |
+| author has consistently spelt them that way.                         |
+| Page vi: Acratas standardised to Acratus                             |
+| Page 6: wil corrected to will                                        |
+| Page 10: cithra as in original                                       |
+| Page 24: opithodomus corrected to opisthodomus                       |
+| Page 132: spurious "the" removed after "terrible wails, at"          |
+| Page 208: hose corrected to those                                    |
+| Page 238: candelabrii as in original                                 |
+| Pages 83, 213, 228: Heard'st, heardst not standardised as it is      |
+| unclear whether the author intended them to be different             |
+| Pages 95, 174: May'st, mayst not standardised as it is unclear       |
+| whether the author intended them to be different                     |
++----------------------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Saronia, by Richard Short
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